would always find a way to make it the wrong one. He couldn’t help it, it was like a personality disorder. He wasn’t stupid, but he did
the
most stupid things and then wonderedwhy shit happened to him. He never could figure out why our parents gave up on him and wouldn’t carry on cutting him slack, like they always used to…”
Stella turned the phone so she could look at the picture and Gabe saw there was a tear running down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.
“He wasn’t bad, Gabe, not really. He just wouldn’t listen, to anyone. And you know what? The first time I saw you, you reminded me of him in a lot of ways and for whatever reason that worried me, even though I didn’t even know you…”
Gabe watched Stella draw herself back together, not knowing what to say. Had he just been insulted, or complimented? Hard to tell. Maybe he should stick to the facts and steer away from the emotional.
“How’d he die?”
“How did he die?” Stella sniffed. “Can I have a tissue or something?”
Gabe leapt up and got a roll of kitchen paper.
Stella smiled a little. “I’m not going to turn the taps on, just a sheet would have done.”
“Better safe than sorry, right?”
“I suppose.” Stella tore a sheet off the roll, but didn’t use it. “He… Ed … he was, um, just always in the wrong place, always hanging out with the wrong crowd. And he could never say ‘no’. Short and long? He died of a drug overdose. He was only twenty-two…”
Now Stella did use the kitchen paper, burying her face in it, and Gabe had no idea what he should say or do. Reach across and comfort her? Go round the table?
“And you know who he was hanging round with?” Stella looked up, angry. There were no tears now, and she didn’t wait for an answer. “Benny. Benny ‘the fruit loop’, right? He was working for him, running errands, doing this and that. How
dangerous
could that be, he always said?
He
knew what he was doing, he said. Just like you, Gabriel. Just like you.
“I got myself transferred to Morrison because I knew that was where the creep hung around. I wanted to see what I could find out, and what I found was you, acting just like Ed…”
Now Gabe didn’t have a clue what to say. Sure, he felt like an idiot because he knew, in his heart ofhearts, that having
any
thing to do with Benny was stupid, even if the money had been easy to earn. But at the same time he was having difficulty seeing where the rest of the parallels were. Some kind of response was beginning to formulate itself, along the lines of ‘What makes you think
I
don’t listen?’ when the side door to the kitchen opened and Remy skipped in.
Chapter Thirteen
“Hey, Gabey, you had a fight or something?” Remy stopped in her tracks and transferred her laser-guided attention to Stella. “Oh, hi, are you Gabe’s girlfriend?”
At which point Gabe’s parents walked in.
Right at that moment every pair of eyes in the room was focused on him, as if his answer to Remy’s question would undoubtedly be the solution to world hunger.
“Well, I’m a girl, and I
am
his friend –” Stella turned to look at Remy – “so, yeah, I suppose you could say that. My name’s Stella, I just started in the same grade as Gabriel at Morrison. What’s your name?”
“Remy.”
“Nice to meet you, Remy.” Stella pushed her chair back and stood up, shouldering her camera bag; she smiled at Gabe’s parents, glanced back at Gabe and then at her watch. “I’m sorry, but I have to go…”
This girl,
Gabe thought, watching her negotiate her way out of the kitchen,
is one smooth operator.
“Come by tomorrow, Gabriel!” Stella waved, then disappeared out of the kitchen.
“She’s nice,
Gabriel
.” Remy went over to the fridge. “And she
likes
you, she really
likes
you…”
“What happened to you, Gabe?”
His mom came round the table, a concerned look on her face. His dad stayed at the door, watching him.
“I, you
the
most stupid things and then wonderedwhy shit happened to him. He never could figure out why our parents gave up on him and wouldn’t carry on cutting him slack, like they always used to…”
Stella turned the phone so she could look at the picture and Gabe saw there was a tear running down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.
“He wasn’t bad, Gabe, not really. He just wouldn’t listen, to anyone. And you know what? The first time I saw you, you reminded me of him in a lot of ways and for whatever reason that worried me, even though I didn’t even know you…”
Gabe watched Stella draw herself back together, not knowing what to say. Had he just been insulted, or complimented? Hard to tell. Maybe he should stick to the facts and steer away from the emotional.
“How’d he die?”
“How did he die?” Stella sniffed. “Can I have a tissue or something?”
Gabe leapt up and got a roll of kitchen paper.
Stella smiled a little. “I’m not going to turn the taps on, just a sheet would have done.”
“Better safe than sorry, right?”
“I suppose.” Stella tore a sheet off the roll, but didn’t use it. “He… Ed … he was, um, just always in the wrong place, always hanging out with the wrong crowd. And he could never say ‘no’. Short and long? He died of a drug overdose. He was only twenty-two…”
Now Stella did use the kitchen paper, burying her face in it, and Gabe had no idea what he should say or do. Reach across and comfort her? Go round the table?
“And you know who he was hanging round with?” Stella looked up, angry. There were no tears now, and she didn’t wait for an answer. “Benny. Benny ‘the fruit loop’, right? He was working for him, running errands, doing this and that. How
dangerous
could that be, he always said?
He
knew what he was doing, he said. Just like you, Gabriel. Just like you.
“I got myself transferred to Morrison because I knew that was where the creep hung around. I wanted to see what I could find out, and what I found was you, acting just like Ed…”
Now Gabe didn’t have a clue what to say. Sure, he felt like an idiot because he knew, in his heart ofhearts, that having
any
thing to do with Benny was stupid, even if the money had been easy to earn. But at the same time he was having difficulty seeing where the rest of the parallels were. Some kind of response was beginning to formulate itself, along the lines of ‘What makes you think
I
don’t listen?’ when the side door to the kitchen opened and Remy skipped in.
Chapter Thirteen
“Hey, Gabey, you had a fight or something?” Remy stopped in her tracks and transferred her laser-guided attention to Stella. “Oh, hi, are you Gabe’s girlfriend?”
At which point Gabe’s parents walked in.
Right at that moment every pair of eyes in the room was focused on him, as if his answer to Remy’s question would undoubtedly be the solution to world hunger.
“Well, I’m a girl, and I
am
his friend –” Stella turned to look at Remy – “so, yeah, I suppose you could say that. My name’s Stella, I just started in the same grade as Gabriel at Morrison. What’s your name?”
“Remy.”
“Nice to meet you, Remy.” Stella pushed her chair back and stood up, shouldering her camera bag; she smiled at Gabe’s parents, glanced back at Gabe and then at her watch. “I’m sorry, but I have to go…”
This girl,
Gabe thought, watching her negotiate her way out of the kitchen,
is one smooth operator.
“Come by tomorrow, Gabriel!” Stella waved, then disappeared out of the kitchen.
“She’s nice,
Gabriel
.” Remy went over to the fridge. “And she
likes
you, she really
likes
you…”
“What happened to you, Gabe?”
His mom came round the table, a concerned look on her face. His dad stayed at the door, watching him.
“I, you
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