Fuck, I must be absolutely mangled.
My lip quivers as I nod. “Okay.”
He leaves me in the bathroom to go hunt down a change of clothes for me. I hesitate to look in the mirror, afraid of what I’ll see. Finally, I can’t take it anymore and just bite the bullet, moving to stand just in front of the glass. I let out a little squeak of shock. My face is covered in blood, and I can see bruises beginning to form beneath the dried crimson stains.
With a heavy sigh, I grab a hand towel from the rack, wet it, then gently stroke the cloth along my cheeks. It takes a bit of effort, but I finally manage to wipe the worst of the blood away. Looking at my face now, it’s really not as bad as I thought it’d be.
I have to remind myself that it was just a bunch of Barbie’s attacking me. They probably couldn’t do real damage to anything, even if they gave it everything they’ve got.
I feel like that’s what they did with me, anyway, and I’m still alive.
Despite that thought, I’m suddenly overwhelmed with emotion and the tears burst forth. I cry into the sink, my shoulders shaking as my mind puts my attack on fucking repeat. Sinking to the floor, I wrap my arms around my knees and rock back and forth as I continue to sob.
It’s some time before I’m able to calm myself enough to continue cleaning up. When I can finally breathe somewhat normally and the tears have stopped, I pull out my phone, my curiosity peaking. My gut twists when I realize that it wasn’t just Saint who’s been trying to get ahold of me. Loni’s sent me multiple messages, all warning me about the attack.
I open her first one and there’s a screenshot included with it. The image shows a text conversation that took place between Loni and some other girl. A friend of Laurel’s, if I’m remembering the name right, which shocks the hell out of me. In it, the girl is asking Loni to warn me about the attack.
“How would she know?” I murmur.
There’s a heavy knock on the bathroom door, and I nearly jump out of my skin. Pushing to my feet, I open it and Gabe is standing on the other side with clothes in his hands.
“Damn, Ellis. You’re okay, right?” he asks in a tender, but also a little bit nervous, voice. No doubt my tears are freaking him out.
I ignore his question and instead ask one of my own. “How would Laurel’s friends know about the attack?”
“Oh.” He almost looks relieved that he doesn’t have to deal with my tears. “Kristyn used to go to Angelview freshmen year. She and Laurel were joined at their cunty hips. I guess she recognized you from … you know, all the shit L posts about you.”
Fucking perfect. Of course, Laurel would have something to do with this. I should’ve suspected as much from the start.
“Your face looks a lot better,” he points out.
“Thanks,” I grumble. “I’m going to change, now.”
He nods. “Take your time.”
I shut the door again, needing to be alone. Dropping my clothes on the bathroom’s counter, I open my phone and dial Loni’s number. I need her to know that I’m okay.
She answers after the first ring.
“Mallory!” she cries. “Oh, my God! I’ve been out of my mind. Are you okay? Did those bitches get you?”
I almost smile, but it actually hurts to do so. “They got in a few hits, but they didn’t have any bite behind them. Your dad would be disappointed.”
She doesn’t laugh. “Where are you?”
“Saint’s house. The guys got me out of there, and I’m here with Gabe—”
“Great, Archie-fucking-Andrews,” she grumbles before loudly declaring, “I’m coming over.”
Before I can say a word in response, she hangs up. I sit, blinking at my phone for several long moments before I slowly put it down on the counter and begin to try and keep the pain in my body to a minimum. Tomorrow is going to suck ass, I can already tell. I’m going to be sore and swollen in a few places.
When I finish cleaning myself up, I make my way out of the bathroom. Gabe is waiting just outside for me.
“Feeling better?” he asks.
“A little.” Lie. “Hey, just a heads up, Loni’s coming over. I think she wants to see for herself that I’m okay.”
Both of Gabe’s brows shoot up. “Oh? Really?”
There’s something in his voice that makes me frown. “Is that a problem?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. Not at all. She’s more than welcome. Not my house anyway, so why the fuck would I care?”
He’s acting weird, but I decide not to worry about it. I’ve got much bigger problems to deal with, and some odd beef between Gabe and Loni is just not a priority right now. If he’s got an issue with her, that’s his problem, not mine. She gets to come over, period.
“Hungry?” he asks, and in that moment, my stomach rumbles.
I nod. “Clearly.”
Chuckling, he says, “Come on, let’s see what dickhead has in stock.”
We make our way into the kitchen and Gabe digs through the fridge as I slide onto a stool in front of the island.
“Hmmmm, leftover pad Thai interest you at all?”
I nod. “Actually, yes.”
He pulls out a few plastic take-out containers and puts them on the counter, then finds plates to dump the food onto before he heats them up. We don’t speak as he prepares our meal, and it’s kind of a relief. I’m happy to just sit in silence and let my mind wander for a few moments, instead of talking about what went down at Ravenwood.
I shiver when I think about the attack, though in the end, the damage wasn’t terrible. At the time, I honestly thought I was going to die. I could sense it in those girls as they beat me. They were out for more than blood, and that savagery is terrifying to think about.
When the food is warm, Gabe slides a plate and fork in front of me. Then, he grabs a beer from the fridge, pops the top, and sets it down next to my food.
“A little pick-me-up,” he grins before tucking into his own meal.
I grab the beer and take a healthy swallow before I begin eating. Again, Gabe doesn’t try to talk to me, and I begin to think he’s doing it on purpose. Could he know it’s the last thing I want to do right now? Is he actually being…considerate?
That’s about as mind-blowing of a concept as getting jumped in a library by a gaggle of vapid rich bitches.
I’m just finishing my plate when the doorbell rings.
Before I can move to answer it, Gabe jumps to his feet.
“I got it,” he says, putting up a hand to keep me from moving. I sit back, surprised, but wait for him to go and let who I’m assuming is Loni in.
Sure enough, not too long after he leaves the kitchen, I hear her voice reverberate through the house.
“Where is she, Gabe?” She sounds almost like a concerned mom.
“Kitchen. Calm your tits, Loni. She’s okay.”
Loni’s voice turns into a growl as the two draw near.
“Don’t tell me to calm anything. I’ll fuck you up again.”
“Promise?” I can practically hear him grinning.
“Fuck off, Prince Harry.”
My eyes are wide as they walk into the kitchen, and Loni immediately runs to me and throws her arms around my shoulders.