Hearts We Mend To Break (Book I)

.85.

💫GISELLE💫

Once Lee arrived, I yelled up the stairs that I'd be right back, rushing out of the house before Angel's parents could question me. As soon as I sat in the passenger seat of Lee's all black on black beamer, she was pulling off. The sense of urgency from her made me that much more nervous about what to expect. We had to have made seven stops, Jeremy's, and old pub, an abandoned warehouse that they all use to "kickback" at when they were younger, and other places they were known for disrupting.

"Yeah, I remember spending the night here by mistake. So many nights, we bring loads of booze and drugs and just drink and pop pills all night. Angel would setup a bonfire, Jeremy would bring the tunes, and we'd just fucking party all by ourselves out here." Lee sighed, staring out at the building in front of us.

"Angel loves bonfires. I remember the first time we kissed. Well, I kissed him, really. We have a beach party once a month at school. The first one was so dope. They had a bonfire set up with games surrounding it and we played volleyball together. When the party was ending, we all stripped down to nothing, running into the ocean and acting a clean ass fool." I laughed, recounting the memory. "I kissed him that night. It was so..." I sighed, closing my eyes and imagining Angel standing in front of me. "He held me so close. He kissed me with so much passion. You would have never known that we'd never touched or hugged or anything before. It was like..."

"Like being with someone you've known forever?"

"Better than that." I smiled over at Lee, wishing I had the words to describe the feelings I felt. But there were none. I wasn't quite sure if anyone living or dead had a clue to how much my heart ached for that man. My man.

"It's going to be okay, Giselle. I promise you, Angel is fine." Her hand planted on my shoulder, squeezing slightly as she made eye contact. "Angel feels just as strongly for you. If not stronger. He's probably just somewhere trying to get his thoughts together."

"Okay, well he's not here. Clearly. Where else can he be?" I changed the subject quickly, trying to remove myself from the negative thoughts festering in my brain.

"Come on. There's a few more spots."

After that, we went to their old high school. Although, the school was still fully functional, there were three buildings in the back that were no longer used, as they'd expanded the campus and abandoned a few buildings along the process. Once she parked, I hopped out of the car, unsure of where to start. It wasn't long before Lee was trailing alongside me, peering in every direction for a sign of his presence.

"This used to be the art building. Lina's favorite place to hide out and get lost in her dreams." Lee sighed.

"You were close with her too?"

"Yup. They both were my best friends. We were like the three amigos. The three musketeers." She scoffed. "It's still hard to accept she's gone."

"When I met Angel, he was so torn up. He never smiled. He stayed to himself. But the closer we got, the more he smiled; the more he let the light in him shine through his pain. I can tell he misses her."

"You know, before Loki's party, when I was down there visiting?" Lee opened the door to the first building, allowing me to walk through before her.

"Yea?"

"He had a crazy ass breakdown before we came. That's why he was so doped up. Jeremy gave him some tranquilizers, and that's how he managed to show up."