left on and that no one was up. With her luck, however, Leigh was probably waiting for her to grill her. Her right hand briefly touched her face, wincing at the bruising and still tender lip. It wouldn't be long before probably everyone knew what had happened to her.
With trembling fingers, Gemma unlocked the front door and pushed it open. The lamp by the door was on and Gemma noticed Leighanna’s keys were missing. She wasn’t home after all. Either way, it didn't matter. She wasn't home yet, which was what mattered. She breathed a sigh of relief at this knowledge and quickly rushed to her room. As soon as she shut the door and locked it, Gemma moved to her window, unlocking it to let Elliot in as he perched precariously on the branch.
“No one’s home. I should have told you before you started climbing so you could have come through the front door.”
“I was climbing before you even got to the door.”
Somehow, Elliot managed to maneuver through the window, only scratching his left knee lightly against the nook below the window, before tumbling gently only the floor. He'd been in Gemma's bedroom before. She had an amazing layout. Whereas Leighanna had the bigger room of the siblings, Gemma's room had more personality, like it had been designed just for her. She loved to read, and the small nook was the perfect spot to curl up in with a book. The door was right across from the window, with her full-sized bed right in the middle, and a rocking chair placed nearby. Being the simple girl she was, Gemma had an older model television sitting on top of an older set of dark oak Chester drawers, which was directly in front of her bed. However, she rarely watched TV, unless Elliot came over and then they would plop onto her bed, popcorn handy, and watch scary movies until passing out-her parents were surprisingly liberal about this. On one side of the window was her small closet, and on the other, Gemma's pride and joy: her bookcase filled to the brim. Her laptop lay on the floor by her bed.
While he'd been here multiple times, this time felt different. And it wasn't a good different. The tension was thick, fear actually permeating from Gemma into her area of comfort. Elliot didn't know what to do. He looked at the rocking chair, wondering if Gemma would be more comfortable with him there, or if she'd prefer him on the floor. He definitely didn't think she would want him anywhere near her bed. Not after what happened to her.
"I'm uh, I'm gonna go change. I think there's still some sweats of yours in the top drawer from when we all went camping." Grabbing a pair of pajamas, Gemma motioned toward her dresser, her face red even under the bruising. She didn't know what to do. She and Elliot had been close from the moment she barged into his life, and for most of the summer, they'd been best friends, closer than friends really, but she didn't know how things were going to be now. He'd seen something he shouldn't have seen about her. He knew things she didn't want anyone to know, let alone the one guy she had started to like. And it didn't matter that he said he no longer wanted anything to do with Trisha Scott, Gemma didn't trust that to be true. How could he go from such a deep seated infatuation for someone and suddenly just walk away from it? And what was she to him now? A pity case, or did he really care?
The door to the bathroom clicked shut. Light flooded the small room, illuminating the mirror. Gemma gasped at her face. She looked worse than she thought she did. She looked worse than she did at Mary’s house. Oh, God , she thought, her fingers lighting touching the area around her eyes. She had school on Monday-despite Elliot believing she would stay home, and unless she could convince her parents she needed to stay home… everyone would know. Taking a deep breath, trying to not start crying again, and remembering Elliot locked away waiting for her in her room, Gemma changed quickly out of Mary’s sweats, reminding
With trembling fingers, Gemma unlocked the front door and pushed it open. The lamp by the door was on and Gemma noticed Leighanna’s keys were missing. She wasn’t home after all. Either way, it didn't matter. She wasn't home yet, which was what mattered. She breathed a sigh of relief at this knowledge and quickly rushed to her room. As soon as she shut the door and locked it, Gemma moved to her window, unlocking it to let Elliot in as he perched precariously on the branch.
“No one’s home. I should have told you before you started climbing so you could have come through the front door.”
“I was climbing before you even got to the door.”
Somehow, Elliot managed to maneuver through the window, only scratching his left knee lightly against the nook below the window, before tumbling gently only the floor. He'd been in Gemma's bedroom before. She had an amazing layout. Whereas Leighanna had the bigger room of the siblings, Gemma's room had more personality, like it had been designed just for her. She loved to read, and the small nook was the perfect spot to curl up in with a book. The door was right across from the window, with her full-sized bed right in the middle, and a rocking chair placed nearby. Being the simple girl she was, Gemma had an older model television sitting on top of an older set of dark oak Chester drawers, which was directly in front of her bed. However, she rarely watched TV, unless Elliot came over and then they would plop onto her bed, popcorn handy, and watch scary movies until passing out-her parents were surprisingly liberal about this. On one side of the window was her small closet, and on the other, Gemma's pride and joy: her bookcase filled to the brim. Her laptop lay on the floor by her bed.
While he'd been here multiple times, this time felt different. And it wasn't a good different. The tension was thick, fear actually permeating from Gemma into her area of comfort. Elliot didn't know what to do. He looked at the rocking chair, wondering if Gemma would be more comfortable with him there, or if she'd prefer him on the floor. He definitely didn't think she would want him anywhere near her bed. Not after what happened to her.
"I'm uh, I'm gonna go change. I think there's still some sweats of yours in the top drawer from when we all went camping." Grabbing a pair of pajamas, Gemma motioned toward her dresser, her face red even under the bruising. She didn't know what to do. She and Elliot had been close from the moment she barged into his life, and for most of the summer, they'd been best friends, closer than friends really, but she didn't know how things were going to be now. He'd seen something he shouldn't have seen about her. He knew things she didn't want anyone to know, let alone the one guy she had started to like. And it didn't matter that he said he no longer wanted anything to do with Trisha Scott, Gemma didn't trust that to be true. How could he go from such a deep seated infatuation for someone and suddenly just walk away from it? And what was she to him now? A pity case, or did he really care?
The door to the bathroom clicked shut. Light flooded the small room, illuminating the mirror. Gemma gasped at her face. She looked worse than she thought she did. She looked worse than she did at Mary’s house. Oh, God , she thought, her fingers lighting touching the area around her eyes. She had school on Monday-despite Elliot believing she would stay home, and unless she could convince her parents she needed to stay home… everyone would know. Taking a deep breath, trying to not start crying again, and remembering Elliot locked away waiting for her in her room, Gemma changed quickly out of Mary’s sweats, reminding
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