Time to Retaliate

Chapter 5: Unexpected Rendezvous

Love has gone and left me and I don’t know what to do;

    This or that or what you will is all the same to me;

But all the things that I begin I leave before I’m through, —

    There’s little use in anything as far as I can see.

Gabby stopped reading when she heard someone’s approaching her direction. Hastily she stood from where she sits and gathered her books with shaky hands.  

“Hey! Are you leaving?” a very familiar voice asks.

She turns around gradually to face the person who just spoke.

“Da-Da-Dave Spera? Wha-what are you doing here?” she can’t help herself from stuttering.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Dave speaks chuckling. “And I’m surprised you know my name. We go to the same school right? What’s your name?”

“Who wouldn’t know your name you’re like one of the popular kids in school” that’s what Gabby wanted to say but what she managed to utter is, “Ye-ye-yes I’m Flaineian li-ke you. I’m Ga-Ga-Gabrielle Rove.”

“Do you really stutter or that’s only because I make you feel uneasy? Come on! Relax ok? By the way did you write the poem that you read awhile ago? What’s the title?”

“I-I-I didn’t write it. It’s written by Edna St.Vincent Millay entitled “Ashes of Life,” she scratches her head lightly as she answered Dave’s question.

“Do you always go here?”

“Yes.”

“Why? I mean cemetery ain’t good place for a girl like you,” he looked at her with a smile.

She stepped back a pace as she says, “I like this place because it’s peaceful and quite. Hmmm my grandpa might be looking for me now so bye.”

That was she first time she spoke to Dave. After that moment when they bumped into each other unexpectedly they became friends or that’s only what Gabby assumes.

Her mind sheered away from that incident. She needs to keep her focus to do this thing. It’s now or never.

 “Gabrielle, I thought you’re—

“Dead?”

“Oh no no I just didn’t expect that you’re in Sansou and to see you here at this time of the day is really odd,” he says awkwardly.

“Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride,” she announced without looking at Dave’s direction.

“Oh thank you,” Dave smiled.

Gabby stopped the car and let him open the passenger’s door.

“Have you heard the news?” he asks her eagerly.

“What news?”

“Remember Ms. Zane Ormia? She died two weeks ago and until now they don’t know who killed her. People gossip about her death they say she’s burnt alive,” he speaks with pity.

Gabby says in a very dull tone, “how horrible.” Long silence keeps their company until she drops the question, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Yes,what about you? How do you want to die?”

“Well if I’ll die tragically but God forbid not to.  I think I’d prefer the accident type of death. Wait up, why did you ask? Oh this road is not going to town,” he panicked.

Gabby drives like a pro drug racer and she stopped in a dark secluded place. “Step out of this car! Don’t ask why. Don’t argue just step out,” she aims the pepper-box gun to his head.

Dave’s eyes glared when he realized that Gabby is dead serious about it. “Ok ok I’ll step out just don’t shoot ok? But why are you doing this to me? I didn’t do anything to you.”

“Really? Seriously? Ha-ha she laughs sarcastically. You’re playing dumb here, aren’t you? You don’t remember what you did to me?”

Dave stepped out of the car. He looks around him and he now sees clearly this very familiar place. Furthermore he remembers what happened the night before their spring break. Some Flaineian students decided to go on a camping trip to this place. Very suitable place for them to have fun of course the camping is supposed to be for the IT girls, member of the cheering squad and school jocks in short exclusively for the cream of the Flaine High . Unexpectedly Gabby got an invitation from Dave. Hesitantly she decided to go because she can’t say no to him. While the party in the camp site is ongoing Dave persuaded her to have a walk with him to the barn. He says that on the barn's loft they’ll have a good view of the place and of the stars. Then he leads her to be the first one to go up on the ladder mounting to the loft. As soon as she reaches the top, Dave along with some of his friends removed the ladder. Terror runs her spine; she cried out for help. She begged them to put the ladder back so she could go down. Betrayed and taunted that’s what she felt. Being occasionally nice is just his ruse to make the fool out of her and she didn’t see it coming.

“Can you remember now?” Gabby snapped at Dave to drag him out from what he’s thinking. “I broke my right leg and few hand fingers just to get myself down to that barn. The doctors said I’m lucky coz I just broke few bones. Huh!” she sighs in disbelief.

“But that was a long time ago Gabrielle move on. Forget the past.”

“Move on? Forget the past?” she says sarcastically and cheeky. “How can I forgive someone who didn’t ask for forgiveness?”

“I’m sorry ok? Now drop that gun and let’s talk things over.”

“You know what? That phrase reminds me of Ms.Ormia.” She sneers saying, “she begged for her life and I must say seeing her being devoured by the fire is priceless. Oh by the way sorry means nothing coming from you. Damn right I killed her. So what? She deserves it just like you yourself deserve to die. Listen to me when I say... run-for-your-life! If you can run faster than the bullet you’ll definitely live if not sorry you’ll die.”

Dave didn’t waste time he runs as fast as he could but he couldn’t out run the bullet of the gun. He fell on his knees when Gabby shot his right leg. He continues to run towards the main road but before he reaches it he falls once more on his knees. Gabby seizes that moment and with the raging engine; she forcefully hit him with her car. The bumper of her car is now sopping with Dave’s blood. She crossed out his name from her list before she goes out to see if he’s really dead.

“The first bullet is for the broken bones you caused me.” Banggg!!! Loud sound roars around the place as she shot him thrice on his chest. “And that is for tearing down my heart into pieces”.

The rain starts to fall. Gabby let the drizzling rain to drip on her face to sheer away the memory of the guy she loved.