Damsel[ed]: No Rescue Required

Chapter 16: Another Cat to Deal With

"I'm a freak!" Gats wails, his garbled sobs jolting my shoulders. Cold seeps through my skin, and I drop the bowl, racing into the living room. What's wrong with him? What did I cause?

I skid to a stop, Gats' trembling form huddled in the couch's corner. A blanket sits over him, and I inch forward, my palms clammy. What happened? In the three years I've known him, he's never cried. He sneers at me when I show an "iota" of sadness. Let alone sobbing!

"You're a wuss, Ang!" he would say, "Heaven's more manly than you, and she's a girl!"

And he was right.

I struggle to breathe, my feet heavy like lead. "I-I'm sure you're fine, bud—"

"Get away!" he says, my eardrums throbbing. My thoughts scramble for acknowledgement, pain lodging in my chest. He must hate me for whatever happened.  Heaven races behind me, stopping at my left.

"Gatsby," Heaven says, "you can't hide forever!"

"Yes, I can!" 

I bite my lip, humming to calm my shrieking pulse. "Buddy," I say, my heart thumping against my ribs, "chill."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, a pang crawls in my stomach. I'm not the one supposed to say that, he is. He's the guy who keeps his cool and I'm the one who panics. That's how the Hev-Gats-Ang clan operates.

I don't like the reversal.

He squeaks, his voice scratchy. "I'm a monster!"

"You don't know that," I say, sighing as I walk over, "you don't have a mirror."

He wails even louder, choking on his own sobs. Twinges lace my core, and I dig my fingers into the his blanket's threading. 

Heaven grunts, snatching a fistful of wool. "On the count of three this is coming off. One..."

"No! No!" he says, "please!" I'm so weirded out I just stand there, frozen like a bust about to be shattered.

"...two..." she says, her voice unwavering. Her burns into the side of my head, and I nod. As much as I hate tormenting Gats, I can't let him suffer in his bubble of terror. What did I do to him? The question won't leave.

"Just leave me alone!" he screams, echoing every teenage girl ever. I bite the inside of my cheek. This is my fault. Disfiguring my best friend: just another thing to add to the very, very long list.

"Three!"

We yank away the sheet, exposing his transformed self. Heaven squeals. I stare, disbelief a fog over my thoughts. What is this? An anime? How can he...how...he's...

He's a cat!  Or, well, a cat-guy. 

Two fluffy, triangular ears twitch from the top of his head. His hair hangs in feathery layers, so thick and downy it reminds me of fur.

No way. No freaking way. I crack up. A cat guy! I can't— God, a cat guy! Of all things! 

"Gatsby!" Hev's laughing even louder than I am.  "You're adorable!"

"Adorable?" He shrinks back, staring up at me with huge eyes and a half parted jaw. His ears pin. I think my mind is exploding. Again. "Angel, do I really—"

My eyes water, my stomach aching from my coyote howling. Gatsby! Adorable! The guy who taunts me for my wimpiness, cute!

Heaven leans forward, swallowing her giggles. She runs her fingers through his hair. "Uh-huh! Now that's soft! Larry'd be jealous."

His eyes flash, so blue they put the Facebook Logo to shame. "Which one?" he says, his voice so weak it doesn't sound like it belongs to him.

"All of them. You need to see this for yourself! I'll grab a mirror!" Heaven squeals, scurrying away. Gats shakes, shielding his face with his hands.