Are You Afraid of Musicals?

Chapter 2.1: I'm here

Gabby's pov:

One moment I'm talking with Hanna and the next one Taylor's pushing Dani to kiss me, Dani calls me crazy, then she basically sets a cue against Taylor's popularity and then she just leaves.

I stay where I am, frozen in place, speechless and in the verge of tears.

I just want to go home.

-Can we leave please?- I ask quietly, my voice barely above a whisper so just Hanna can hear me.

She's looking at Taylor like she wants to murder her, but the moment I speak she turns her head towards me.

-Of course.- she says gently as she takes my hand and leads our way outside, our steps seeming louder than usual against the ceiling as no one dared to open their mouth since Dani left.

We reach the porch just in time to see Dani's car disappearing between the trees, leaving EJ and Gina behind.

-Fuck!- EJ shouts, frustrated but visibly nervous and scared as he puts his hands on his head. -What the fuck Dani!- he shouts again.

I keep walking with Hanna next to me.

Gina is by his side, walking in circles with her hand on her forehead, on a similar state as EJ. They both seem pretty nervous.

-She's too drunk to drive, she barely could walk...- Gina talks to herself. I see how EJ notices her nervousness and all his anger seems to fade as he approaches her, hugging her from behind.

-Ok... I'm going to get the car and you go get Carlos and the others. We meet here in 5.- he says. I can see that he's trying to reassure Gina, who turns around and leaves a quick kiss on his lips before running into the house, too shaken to notice us as she passes by.

Then EJ smiles and turns around, running as fast as he can towards the garage.

They seemed pretty worried, like something really bad could happen worried, and I can feel some invisible force squeezing my chest as we keep walking.

We don't even have time to reach the garage when we see EJ's car speeding on Taylor's house direction, and a few seconds later, it passes us again heading now to the main door.

We reach my car and I start it as Hanna enters and silently sits on the copilot seat, probably wanting to give me some space.

Or maybe she's thinking about what happened too, maybe she's mad or frustrated or just want to scream at someone.

Cause that's definitely how I'm feeling.

I sigh as I start the car, heading nowhere in particular. I know I have to go to Hanna's house and I will eventually get there, but right now I just need to drive for a few minutes to clear my mind.

It's really late and there's no sight of any other car on the road, the sound of my car engine is the only thing that can be heard in the silence of the night.

I open my window to let the wind hit my face, it's cold and sharp but feels refreshing, this late night drive helping me more than I initially thought.

...

It's been at least 15 minutes since I started driving, and I really should head to Hanna's house. She must be tired and to be honest, I am too. Work tomorrow is not going to be fun.

Following the traffic rules and stopping on the traffic lights even though there's no one else on the road might seem stupid, but there's a sense of having control, of organization, that contrasts with the caos that my mind was in when I left Taylor's house.

I don't know what I was expecting, but Dani just denying our kiss and making everyone think that I made it up definitely was not it.

What happened keeps playing in my mind as I drive, how everyone was suddenly dead quiet, how Taylor insisted, her argument with Dani... and suddenly it clicks.