Dark Figures

Chapter 7: gabe

**** gabes POV******

Chapter 7 (Gabe):

All I could think as Christina flipped off the diving board was about how beautiful she was. I was propped on the side of the pool as she did her double flip into the dive. Her beauty, slapped me in the face at that point, stinging more than any physical injury. It was too bad she was who she was and I did what I did. Funny how one choice really could affect your life, even if it was when you were a kid. I could always man up and tell her, I'm sure that's what Eliot would tell me to do if I told him what I had done.

I watched her surface and she looked at me, her piercing gray eyes twinkling like a star for me. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at her, she thought she was so good at everything. She went to the opposite side of the pool than where I was propped on the edge and she sat on the side of the pool. I noticed she was no longer covering her stomach that the bikini exposed, I forced myself to look away. I was not going to do this to myself or her, I wouldn't and I couldn't. I sat next to some other girl I vaguely remembered from school, letting her gush about her summer. I watched Christina out of the corner of my eye. Oliver had walked and was talking to her, probably talking to her about some mathematical way to improve her dive. She laughed at something, her brown hair flipping into her face as she laughed and guilt stabbed me in the stomach. But I remembered why she had to go and turned my back to her, and tried to listen to some vacation to the statue of liberty in Washington DC, and the story didn't make sense because the Statue of Liberty was in New York. I decided not to say anything and just nodded along with what she was saying.

The party was long and boring after that. I avoided Chrissy and luckily Oliver and I were able to leave the party before clean up without Elliot noticing. Oliver, who was in a great mood hummed all the way up to his room.

"What's with the humming?" I asked, raising my eye brows at him.

"What? Ohh nothing?" He blushed, giving me an innocent smile, I have known Oliver since we were 8, and something was up.

"Nothing like the stealing cake from the kitchen? Nothing like you put that same cake in Eliot's shoe? Nothing like you have an amazing idea for a project that you can do but I can't take credit for?" I ask, naming just a couple of the things he considered 'nothing'.

"Nothing like I umm like a girl" We stop outside his room and I wait for him to continue "I can tell you anything right without you getting upset, right?" this couldn't be going anywhere good.

On the outside I just rolled my eyes and nodded, in a 'duh' motion

"I really like Chris. Err, I mean Christina..." He looked away, why would he be nervous, he couldn't know how I felt or about what I did.

"Why did you think I would be mad?" I ask, calming my jealousy that he could actually have her.

"well, let me think?" he said, back to his normal joking voice, "You did try to beat her up today and I had to pull you guys away" he raised his eyebrows at me

"She hit me first" I say in my own defense

"Because you hit her best friend on her birthday" I had forgotten about that until he mentioned it, oops.

"Well, can't have Chrissy thinking I like her can we?" I say, using my nickname for her, like he had done to me

"You didn't have to hit Nicolette"

"Whatever" I say rolling my eyes at him

"She is so pretty." He told me as if I didn't know my self

"I hope you mean Chrissy" I say sarcastically "Elliot is a little possessive over Nicolette"

"Duh, Chris. And I have to admit, I was surprised Elliot didn't hit you himself"

I was too but instead I find myself saying "Chrissy hit me hard enough for the two of them!" We both laugh, relaxed like normal.

"How do you know if you are in love Gabe?" Oliver asks me suddenly

I sighed, I didn't want to have this conversation, what if I was in love "I guess, Elliot always says, that love is both people being happy. So if you make her happy and she makes you happy, It will all work out"

At that I turned and walked down the hall. I was in love with her, but I had given her no reason to love me back. Maybe Oliver liking her would make it wrong enough to stop myself.