Looking Beyond

Chapter 37: The Shower

A/N: It gets pretty sexually graphic. Read if you want, skip if you don't. Just saying.  

   "Is she talking to you yet? It's been a month." Jacob asked Brea.

     Brea closed her journal. "Nope. Fun fact about Savannah: she's stubborn. Erik said that she thinks you stole me from her, but that he thinks she'll come around before the baby is born."

     "Why don't you try talking to her first?"

     Brea tilted her head to the side. "You think I haven't? She won't talk to me unless I call her 'Savannah' and not 'Sav' then she insists on calling me 'Gabriella.' She knows how much I hate that."

     Jacob put his guitar to the side. "Gabriella? Your name is really Gabriella?"

     Brea picked at some lint on the bottom of her shirt. "Yeah. I haven't really gone by that since I was in high school."

     "It's not such a bad name."

     "It is when everyone tries to call you 'Gabby.' Besides it's what...never mind."

     Jacob frowned at her. "Shane, huh?"

     "He always insisted on calling me that. I wasn't a fan of my name before, but he insisted on calling me that, and I let him." She sighed. "I don't even like my parents calling me that, but I let him. I was so stupid! I should have known then that he was bad for me. Refusing to do something as simple as calling me by a name I prefer...ugh."

     Jacob moved himself beside her. "Brea, you need to stop beating yourself up over this. You were young."

     "And stupid."

     "You said it not me. Besides, it's not like you got married and divorced in a year. Talk about stupid."

     Brea leaned into him. "Okay, so we're both stupid."

     "Speaking of stupid, you and Savannah need to work this out."

     "I've tried. I told her that when she's ready, to come find me."

     "Have you told her that we're planning on moving?"

     "She's mad enough as it is. Besides, we haven't even found a place yet." She fiddled with the cover of her journal. "If she knew that, she may never speak to me."

* * *

     Brea knocked on Savannah and Erik's door. "Savannah?"

     "Enter."

     "I know you don't really care what I do, but I figured that I'd let you know that Jake and I are going to visit his parents tonight, Trevor's going to see his family, and Dan's out with Scarlett, so it'll just be you and Erik."

     "Thanks." Savannah responded coolly.

     "Savannah?" Brea bit her lip nervously. "You know I miss you, right?"

     "Whatever. Have fun." Savannah kept her eyes glued to her laptop and waved her hand at Brea, indicating that she was done with the conversation.

     Brea sighed and shut the door. "I tried."

* * *

     Savannah left the confines of her bedroom, once she heard Jacob and Brea leave, to run a few errands she and Erik had been putting off. Each stop on her list seemed to take much longer than expected. She finished everything she needed to by supper. Heading back to the house, she got a phone call. Noting the distinct ringtone, she answered cheerfully. "Papi! I'm driving, let me put you on speaker."