"Did you just. . .?" He cleared her throat again.

"I-I d-don't. . .I don't w-want t-to," She whispered in a barely audible voice.

"Why are you, then?" Troy asked

"B-because. . .you might b-be the. . .only o-one who understands," She replied in that same whisper.

"Me?" He questioned astonished.

"Y-yes." Gabriella said, a little louder. He walked towards her.

Lucille walked down the hallway and stopped when she heard voices in one of the bedrooms. She looked in and saw Troy talking to Gabriella.

Wait, Gabriella. . .talking? She had thought Maria said. . . She crept back downstairs and pulled Maria upstairs. They listened sneakily at the door.

"Well, do you want to talk about it?" Troy was saying.

"Yeah, m-maybe it will help"

"So what happened?" Troy asked."W-well, when I was six, my mom married this g-great guy named Jon." She wasn't stuttering much anymore. Now, she seemed confident.

"Then what?"

"Then, h-he started drinking. A lot. He st-started beating me and my sister. M-my mom didn't know, b-because he would always co-cover it up, telling these w-wacko stories that didn't make s-since…"

"Okay. . ." Troy said unsteadily.

"One n-night, when my mom was out, he c-came home really dr-drunk. L-lacy and I were asleep. He y-yelled at Lacy to get down stairs and sh-she told me to stay where I was."

She took a deep breath and continued. "I heard h-her scream and then. . .nothing. I w-went down stairs and saw Lacy. . .um, l-laying in a p-puddle of her own bl-blood."

Troy swallowed hard. How could he do that to a little girl? What a horrible man!

Gabriella shook her head and continued again. "He c-came over to me. His h-hands were bloody. He was st-stroking my cheek. I had her blood on m-me."

She sighed and looked down. "He was t-telling me it was going to be okay and that Lacy was f-faking it. I didn't believe it, but I had to pretend didn't I?" Troy nodded.

"Soon, he p-passed out, and I called the police. He got t-taken to jail and Lacy. . .well, she died. I didn't go to her f-funeral. I couldn't st-stand it." Gabriella looked up.

Troy didn't know why, but he was feeling something towards this girl. Something he'd never felt before. He hugged her for a second.

"I don't know how anyone could do that to anyone. That's sooo stupid and I'm soooo sorry you had to go thought that. But, how did you make it through all of that?"

"I remember, the l-last Monday Lacy and I were together, we were playing hop sc-scotch and I asked her what would happen J-jonathan tried to kill us. She said, 'Gabby, that's quite impossible, but if he did and it was me, promise me you wouldn't cry.' I c-could tell what she was l-leaning to. She knew that he was pr-probably going to do that to her.."

Lucille looked at Maria, who had tear-filled eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Maria answered. "I'm just happy my baby is talking."

"I think our kids are clicking," Lucille teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Let's let them click for a little while." Maria laughed. Lucille nodded in agreement.

Troy and Gabriella walked down the stairs. Lucille took a sip of her lemonade and eyed the happy couple. "Hey," she said.

"Hi," Gabriella and Troy said in unison.

Maria fake-gasped. "Gabriella, you can talk!"

"Relax, m-mom. I heard you and Lucille outside my room"

"Oh."

Troy laughed and Gabriella giggled. Jack chuckled lightly.

After dinner, Gabriella walked outside and sat down in the grass. "The stars are b-beautiful," she whispered to herself.

"You know, the first sign of craziness is talking to yourself?" Troy joked.

She stuck her tongue out. "Glad I'm not the only one." Troy sat down next to her.

"About what happened earlier. . ." Troy began.

"About my st-step-dad?"

"Yeah."

"What about it?" She asked.

"I'm sorry," He said sincerely.

"What should you be s-sorry about? You didn't do it. Anyways, that's in the past. It's not about the past, it's about the f-future."

Troy looked up at the stars. "I wonder if they cry."

"Who?" Gabby asked, confusedly, giving him a sideways glance.

"Guardian angels," Troy replied smoothly.

"Cr-crazy person, say what?" She questioned.

"Guardian angels. I wonder if they cry. You know, when they see it all played out. They just have to stand there with their hands tied behind their back. There's nothing they can do about it." Troy said. " I wonder if they cry"

"Good question. I don't know." Gabriella said, tilting her head and giving him another side-ways glance. "I w-wonder if they do."