Chapter 14 – Gwen's POV
I immediately know it is Duncan. He had screamed a few times before, and the pitch in his voice and the aggression sounded right for this situation. I'm hoping that Courtney won't notice – the scream seemed to be pretty close, and you probably wouldn't be able to stoop her if she decided to run towards the scream. Her eyes light up in a few seconds after the scream, and I quickly grasp her shoulder to try and stop her. She tries to swat it off, but I grasped her shoulder tight enough so it wouldn't come off easily.
"That's him, Gwen. I just know it," she says in awe, trying to swat my hand off her shoulder again.
"It wasn't him, Courtney," I lie to her quickly. "It sounded nothing like him. Duncan has a lower pitch in his voice, remember? I think you might be forgetting him."
She looks pretty angry at this, because I generally know she keeps panicking about forgetting Duncan. "No," she replies, although there's a part of her voice that sounds as if she's unsure about it. "That was him. I know his voice, and that was it."
"You're forgetting his voice, Courtney," I laugh, trying not to look desperate. She'd just get herself in trouble if she went ahead with this. She would just run forward not really knowing exactly what she was actually doing. That was what I was scared of. She was one of my best friends – maybe possibly my best friend, and she was rarely this idiotic. But when Duncan was involved, she would be. She just wanted to go and get him back.
"Gwen," she stutters, "that is his voice. And I've got to go."
"No you don't. Don't run on. We'll all go slowly, or call the police-" I reply calmly.
"No. The police aren't going to be able to make it here on time. And he screamed loud. It must be serious."
"He screamed loud when Heather stepped on his foot," I point out. Courtney looks for Heather, and I snigger at the idea of Heather stepping on his foot now.
The worst thing is, I know I have to let her go and find Duncan. I can't not. Duncan did the same thing for her last year, and I know I'll have to let her do it. It's rather sad that Trent would probably save me if I got kidnapped, but I wouldn't save him. I'd be skipping about, celebrating the pessimistic atmosphere, without having Trent's constant optimism.
"I know. But that was Duncan up there, and Heather's here. You're not going to stop from going up and trying to find him. Even you know now he's in danger, and you can't deny it. I love him, Gwen. I know you don't love Trent as much as you used to, but you've got to believe me, you'd do the same if you loved him. I've got to go and get Duncan. There's not really an option or a choice in the matter."
"I don't think you're actually realising there is a choice in the matter. You could just not go and get Duncan, couldn't you? We could call the police and do something that could actually help him, they could actually arrest the gang, do something proper with them. Not just scare them off like we would." She pulls a face at my suggestion, as if it is the stupidest and most insane suggestion in the world.
"Do you like Duncan?" she asks me after a while, raising an eyebrow. Great, I think to myself, just great.
"As a friend…not like-like…um, but he's, err, right for you, I guess," I stutter unsurely, thinking of the first thing that comes to my mind.
"Gwen," she says her voice serious and proper, "do you like Duncan?" So she knew I was lying? She's really good to come off with this kind of thing in this situation.
"No. I don't like Duncan. He's annoying, and I like Trent," I lie to her, trying to look as honest as possible.
"Well if you like Trent so much, picture this situation. You got kidnapped by a rival group of musicians who absolutely hate Trent because he's a lot better than them, and while you're getting kidnapped you go through hell, pretty much. And then there's this phase where things are turning out to be pretty good. And then he gets kidnapped. What would you honestly do?"
I feel like saying I would dump him and run far, far away. But I know that answer isn't the one she wants to hear, so I say, "Find him."
"Yeah, you'd want to find him. But then there's all these people holding you back from finding him, when all you really want to do in the world is find him. That's what I want to do, Gwen. I just want to find Duncan, like he found me. I know he's never gone, and I do realise that. He might never be gone completely, but he's lost. So you've got to let me run up and look for him. No matter what."
I sigh impatiently and look at her. Part of me tells me that I wish I could love Trent the way she loves Duncan, but I know I can't. I don't love Trent, and I know that. I never loved Trent.
"Be careful," I warn her. "Don't do anything Lindsay-like. Whatever you do, be careful. I mean it."
She nods, and I slowly let go off her shoulder. Like sound, she's off quickly, not caring to say anything else to me. I wish I could love Trent like that. It's sad that I know in my heart that I know I will never love Trent like that. I wish I was her, and part of me wishes so badly I wasn't.
She'd really put me on the spot back there about Duncan. Does she honestly know I like Duncan like that? Or was she just guessing. It's hard to tell. I jog slowly behind her, knowing if she screams that I better be there to help her.