Anew

33

Monday morning came and Gabriel still hadn’t spoken with Scarlet since the cabin. His attempt to explain things to her hadn’t gone smoothly, mostly because she hadn’t really remembered anything.

Unprepared for Scarlet’s lack of memory, he hadn’t known how to ease her into the idea of, well, dying.

And he hadn’t known how to tell her about the whole curse.

So, he left out the part about him.

The curse that robbed him of any true love outside of Scarlet. Something about telling her just seemed…selfish.

He didn’t want to pressure her into loving him. He wanted her genuine affections, not some show put on out of pity or obligation.

He would wait until she remembered everything. At least, that way, she’d also remember how they’d been engaged. And how he’d loved her even before the curse.

Until then, he’d tread lightly, hoping Scarlet would come back to him and trust him with her fate.

He sighed as he sat waiting for his third period class to begin.

Without warning, someone smacked him upside the back of his head.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire!” Heather scooted around his desk and sat in front of him, before turning to face him. She narrowed her eyes. “You were engaged before? And you have a secret twin? W-T-H, Gabriel!”

Gabriel rubbed the back of his head. Scarlet had sent him a brief text letting him know what she’d told Heather, so he’d been expecting this. Well, not the smacked head thing, but the in-your-face Heather onslaught.

He sighed. “I know. I suck. I get it.”

Heather leaned in, her vanilla perfume wafting into his nostrils. “Do you have any other family secrets you want to confess? A dead uncle in the closet, perhaps? A talking pet pig?”

He wished.

If his biggest family secret was a talking pet pig, his life would be cake.

Gabriel rubbed the side of his face. “I lied to Scarlet, and that was wrong. But,” he leaned forward, suddenly anxious to defend himself to someone—to express how he felt about Scarlet, “I would never hurt her. Never.” He leaned back. “I care about her, Heather. And that’s not a lie.”

Heather puckered her lips as she examined him with a raised brow. After a few moments, she huffed out a breath. “I believe you.” Tossing her hair to the side she scowled. “I hate that I believe you. It’s a lot easier if I think you’re lying scum and revolt against you.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Well, thank you for believing me.”

Heather sneered. Like she was trying not to like him, “But, you were engaged? That’s really weird, Gabriel. You’re in high school.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“How long ago could it have been? Were you, like, ten?”

He sighed again. “It doesn’t matter, now. Okay? All that matters is Scarlet.”

Heather narrowed her eyes. “You better not be messing with her, because I will kill you. Slowly. And painfully. And I’ll probably start by plucking out your very manly eyebrows. So, be warned! She is not just some cute girl you go to school with, Gabriel. She’s Scarlet. Don’t break her heart.”

Gabriel blinked, filling up with admiration for the tiny blond sitting before him.

She really cared about Scarlet.

Gabriel kept his face serious. “I promise I will treat Scarlet as if she’s my destined soul mate and I’ve been chasing after her for five-hundred years.”

Heather raised her brows. “Wow.” She blinked. “Good line. Very…poetic-sounding.”

Gabriel exhaled. “How’s she doing?”

Above all else, he hoped Scarlet was coping. She could hate him, she could even choose never to speak with him again, but Gabriel needed to know she wasn’t falling apart.

Heather exhaled. “Uh, not good. She’s all quiet and pensive. It’s like hanging out with a mathematician. You need to talk to her, Gabriel. Apologize to her and tell her your ex had a peg leg or something. Bring her back to life.”

He pressed his lips together. “Has she been…sad…or anything?”

“Of course not.” Heather scowled. “She’s not a cry baby, she’s fine. She’s just…far away, you know?” Heather snapped her fingers in his face. “So, fix it. I need my best friend back. And, also, I need her to start wearing matching socks. Today, she had on a white one, and an off-white one.” Heather tossed her hands in the air. “Unacceptable.”

Gabriel bit back a smile. “I’ve been calling and texting Scarlet all weekend. She wants space.”

Heather nodded, twisting her lips. “Yeah, well, then give her space or whatever. But when you do talk to her, could you pour on some extra charm?” Heather’s face fell into one of sympathy. “She’s had a tough and crazy little life, you know? Be nice.”

His heart softened. Heather was protective and feisty and annoying and blunt. But she loved Scarlet.

The bell rang and students shuffled to their seats.

Before turning around, Heather whispered. “B-T-W, I love your shirt. And your belt. Good job.”

Gabriel smiled as blond hair whipped in front of him and sat facing the front of the room.

Heather was a good friend for Scarlet—even if she was a little crazy.