Gabriel

19. A Little Forgiveness

     Sorry if it said otherwise earlier in the book, but the time right now is mid-November. Thanks for all the support and hope you enjoy!

     Xxx

~~~

     MAEVE

     The next few days past in a blur. Between school, my newfound friends, and avoiding Gabriel I was kept very busy. I had no time to obsess over what hair color or dress size his other women had, or how many there were and for that I was thankful. Having been gone for over a week of school gave me a lot to catch up on, although I loved getting out of school at two o'clock instead of three. I was also very happy about how I seemed to have stumbled upon the right crowd of friends, and no one seemed interested in bullying the new girl. Casey and Hail were a really curious duo, and they had introduced me to their other friend, Georgia, whom they didn't see much as she was always busy with cheer practice. I also had the pleasure of meeting Marco– Hail's mate– who I fully understood as Hail's mate after a lengthy explanation of everything I knew about the Underground (aka supernatural world).

     "So do you have any plans this weekend?" Casey asks. On Wednesday, during lunch hour, the cafeteria was pretty much packed full of loud and obnoxious teenage werewolves and the occasional witch. After they told me about it being an all-inclusive school to anything supernatural, I had kept my eyes peeled and to no surprise found a witch the next day, setting fire to her homework. It was quite hilarious.

     "I don't think so", I say absentmindedly, picking at the sandwich I had packed. Regrettably, my backpack had gotten jostled around a bit in my mad dash to the elevator in hopes of escaping Gabriel, so now the sandwich was looking like a soggy lump. Hail giggles and both Casey and I turn our gaze to the cuddling pair, then make eye contact and give a disdainful glare back at the nauseating couple. Partly because they do look really sickening, but I think part if me realizes that this could be Gabriel and me if I weren't so loaded with baggage. We could have gotten back to our movie, cuddled up on the couch with pizza and popcorn if only I had cast the woman aside, putting the past in the past. But no, I gave the slüt exactly what she wanted in my own selfish and stubborn unforgiving ignorance. I realize that I should probably go apologize to Gabriel and tell him that "the past is in the past", just like I'd rehearsed in the mirror this morning, ready to forgive. Yet, I somehow seemed to cling on to the negative aspects of his perfect self, probably to feed my own insecurities. At this rate of self-analyzing, I don't even need a therapist, I thought humorlessly. Suddenly I heard my name being shouted and snap out of my daze.

     "Maeve!"

     "What?" I ask, turning back to Casey.

     "I said; would you like to go to the movies on Friday? Now that we've got you in the group, I don't have to third-wheel with these losers anymore", she says happily, pointing to Hail, who was sitting on Marco's lap as he whispered to her in Spanish. She giggled again and Casey crinkled her nose up in disgust.

     "See what I'm saying? They were like that the entire time we watched The Conjuring", she exclaims. I nod in understanding.

     "Sure, I guess I'm free. What movie?" I ask.

     "Well, there's Mockingjay Part 2 at the iMax theater in Time Square, which is pretty far, or we could go to The Night Before which we could walk to from here after school on Friday", she says as she scrolls through her phone. After absolutely no input from the cuddling couple, we decide on the one that was Christmas-y themed would better suit the season. Once the bell rings and I go to my fifth-period Calculus, the most dreaded class of the day, I allow my mind to wander from the superficial topic of what I was doing this Friday back to my own insecurities. The entire period, from my seat alone at the back of the room, I watch without listening to the lecture as I went over all the reasons why I wasn't... enough.