Chapter 16
2 days later.
Gemma still hadnt spoken to Jeff. She was barely comming out of her room at all. College kept calling, she wouldnt take their calls. She'd never felt this low in her entire life. Shed never been without Jeff since she was nine years old & it hurt like hell. She knew he'd been to try & talk to her, she'd heard his voice downstairs but told her Dad & Kellie she didnt want to see or speak to Jeff. She couldnt face him & look him in the eye knowing how she felt about him. She thought if maybe she kept her distance for a while things would get easier to handle but so far she couldnt have been more wrong. She was lying on her bed thinking about her life when she heard voices downstairs. Was it Jeff? She couldnt make it out. Then the voices got louder....
"....I dont give a shit Pat Im goin up there!" It was Matt. Shit! Gemma knew Matt wouldnt take any crap from her so she braced herself for a confrontation.
"Gemma! You better be dressed in there cuz Im commin in right now!" Matt shouted from outside the door. Gemma got up from her bed & went to the window just as Matt stormed in.
"What the hell has gotten into you girl?!" shouted Matt "Where have you been? Why wont you see Jeff??!"
"Matt leave it alone please!"
"No I wont leave it alone Gemma! this has gone on long enough! Stop acting so damn childish!!"
"CHILDISH?! You're calling ME childish?!"
"Yes I am! it was a joke Gemma! A fuckin joke! For God's sake no one died! Even Amy found it funny!!"
"Some joke Matt! I didnt find it funny!"
"Yeah well you've proved your point now snap out of it!"
Gemma started to cry.
"Matt Im not trying to prove a point! Im so sick of everything y'know. Like everything I touch turns to shit!"
Matt softened. He went over to Gemma & put his arms around her.
"Hey hey! Come on! Gemma what's goin on here? This is about more than the stupid prank isnt it? You havent been the same since you came home!" She nodded, her head still burried in his shoulder. "Well tell me about it! You know you can talk to me about anything!"
"No Matt you dont understand! I feel so low! I cant tell you, I cant tell anyone!"
"Why not? It cant be that bad Gem!"
"I just cant! If I tell anyone then something else, a very important part of my life will turn to shit just like everything else!"
"Gem are you in some sort of trouble? Cuz if you are I'll help you in any way I....."No Matt, its nothing like that really!" She let go of Matt & went over to the bed to sit down. Matt followed her & sat beside her, holding her hands.
"Gemma please....you're scarin me! Ive never seen you like this & Jeff.....well....."
"What about Jeff?" she asked
"He's...well he's gutted Gemma! I swear! he feels so bad & he misses you like crazy!"
"He does?"
"What do you think? You're his best friend & you wont even talk to him! You guys have always been so close, I guess he is shocked at how you reacted, I mean if he'd known he would hurt you in any way he'd never have done it!!" Gemma dried her eyes on her sleeve. She desperatly wanted to tell Matt. Just open up & tell him everything....but she couldnt. Jeff's friendship meant everything to her & she couldnt do anything to risk losing him. Then she thought of how she'd refused to see him & how she'd yelled at him & she knew in her heart that if she carried on like this she was gonna lose him anyway!
"Look Matt Im gonna be ok y'know! I .......I just need some time that's all!"
Matt raised his eyebrows. "Gem....you're not gonna tell me are you?"
"Trust me Matt, that's all I ask! Just trust me & I'll be fine!"
"Yeah but....."
"Please Matt?" She looked into his eyes pleadingly & Matt sighed. He always gave in when she looked at him that way!
"Will you do me one thing?" he asked "Go see Jeff, Gemma he.......he needs you! I need you!"
"He has Macey you have Amy, why would either of you need me?!"
"You're family Gemma! You're like a sister to us & we love you! We dont always show it but we do!" Gemma started to cry again. "Look besides we are going to see Vince tomorrow & we want you to come with us!" Gemma bowed her head. Great! just what she needed right now! A road trip with the two perfect couples!!
"Matt, look Im glad you want me to come but really...I just cant handle it right now! You have Macey & Amy for moral support!"
"No no no!" interrupted Matt "Me, you & Jeff, no Macey, no Amy just us three, like old times!!" Gemma was astonished!
"But why? I mean wont they be pissed that you're taking me & not them?"
"No they're not pissed cuz we already told em!" he took hold of her hands in his once more & looked into her eyes. "Look Gemma you have been with us since.....since forever! you were the only one who believed in us, believed we could do it! We wanna share this with you! What do you say?"
"Matt....Im....I mean I say wow!"Matt pulled her close & hugged her.
"so you'll come with us? I mean me & jeff, we feel like we've kinda been neglecting you since we got into Omega...we want you to be there tomorrow sooo much!"
"Yeah I'll come with you! I mean if it's ok with Jeff then yeah I will!"
"OK with it? Man he will be thrilled!"
Gemma smiled over Matt's shoulder. She wasnt quuite sure how she was gonna handle seeing Jeff but it had to be done! Whatever feelings she had for him she would just have to swallow or she'd lose everything! Then she realised how long it had been since she smiled! She needed to do something, get out of this room before she went stir crazy! The trip tomorrow would be perfect! Matt let her go & headed for the door.
"Oh & you'd better get cleaned up cuz Amy's taking you shopping in an hour!"
"Huh?"
Matt winked! "She's already on her way so no arguments 'kay?" Gemma rolled her eyes.
"Yeah....sure.....ok!"
"that's my girl!" said Matt & he walked out of her room!
2 days later.
Gemma still hadnt spoken to Jeff. She was barely comming out of her room at all. College kept calling, she wouldnt take their calls. She'd never felt this low in her entire life. Shed never been without Jeff since she was nine years old & it hurt like hell. She knew he'd been to try & talk to her, she'd heard his voice downstairs but told her Dad & Kellie she didnt want to see or speak to Jeff. She couldnt face him & look him in the eye knowing how she felt about him. She thought if maybe she kept her distance for a while things would get easier to handle but so far she couldnt have been more wrong. She was lying on her bed thinking about her life when she heard voices downstairs. Was it Jeff? She couldnt make it out. Then the voices got louder....
"....I dont give a shit Pat Im goin up there!" It was Matt. Shit! Gemma knew Matt wouldnt take any crap from her so she braced herself for a confrontation.
"Gemma! You better be dressed in there cuz Im commin in right now!" Matt shouted from outside the door. Gemma got up from her bed & went to the window just as Matt stormed in.
"What the hell has gotten into you girl?!" shouted Matt "Where have you been? Why wont you see Jeff??!"
"Matt leave it alone please!"
"No I wont leave it alone Gemma! this has gone on long enough! Stop acting so damn childish!!"
"CHILDISH?! You're calling ME childish?!"
"Yes I am! it was a joke Gemma! A fuckin joke! For God's sake no one died! Even Amy found it funny!!"
"Some joke Matt! I didnt find it funny!"
"Yeah well you've proved your point now snap out of it!"
Gemma started to cry.
"Matt Im not trying to prove a point! Im so sick of everything y'know. Like everything I touch turns to shit!"
Matt softened. He went over to Gemma & put his arms around her.
"Hey hey! Come on! Gemma what's goin on here? This is about more than the stupid prank isnt it? You havent been the same since you came home!" She nodded, her head still burried in his shoulder. "Well tell me about it! You know you can talk to me about anything!"
"No Matt you dont understand! I feel so low! I cant tell you, I cant tell anyone!"
"Why not? It cant be that bad Gem!"
"I just cant! If I tell anyone then something else, a very important part of my life will turn to shit just like everything else!"
"Gem are you in some sort of trouble? Cuz if you are I'll help you in any way I....."No Matt, its nothing like that really!" She let go of Matt & went over to the bed to sit down. Matt followed her & sat beside her, holding her hands.
"Gemma please....you're scarin me! Ive never seen you like this & Jeff.....well....."
"What about Jeff?" she asked
"He's...well he's gutted Gemma! I swear! he feels so bad & he misses you like crazy!"
"He does?"
"What do you think? You're his best friend & you wont even talk to him! You guys have always been so close, I guess he is shocked at how you reacted, I mean if he'd known he would hurt you in any way he'd never have done it!!" Gemma dried her eyes on her sleeve. She desperatly wanted to tell Matt. Just open up & tell him everything....but she couldnt. Jeff's friendship meant everything to her & she couldnt do anything to risk losing him. Then she thought of how she'd refused to see him & how she'd yelled at him & she knew in her heart that if she carried on like this she was gonna lose him anyway!
"Look Matt Im gonna be ok y'know! I .......I just need some time that's all!"
Matt raised his eyebrows. "Gem....you're not gonna tell me are you?"
"Trust me Matt, that's all I ask! Just trust me & I'll be fine!"
"Yeah but....."
"Please Matt?" She looked into his eyes pleadingly & Matt sighed. He always gave in when she looked at him that way!
"Will you do me one thing?" he asked "Go see Jeff, Gemma he.......he needs you! I need you!"
"He has Macey you have Amy, why would either of you need me?!"
"You're family Gemma! You're like a sister to us & we love you! We dont always show it but we do!" Gemma started to cry again. "Look besides we are going to see Vince tomorrow & we want you to come with us!" Gemma bowed her head. Great! just what she needed right now! A road trip with the two perfect couples!!
"Matt, look Im glad you want me to come but really...I just cant handle it right now! You have Macey & Amy for moral support!"
"No no no!" interrupted Matt "Me, you & Jeff, no Macey, no Amy just us three, like old times!!" Gemma was astonished!
"But why? I mean wont they be pissed that you're taking me & not them?"
"No they're not pissed cuz we already told em!" he took hold of her hands in his once more & looked into her eyes. "Look Gemma you have been with us since.....since forever! you were the only one who believed in us, believed we could do it! We wanna share this with you! What do you say?"
"Matt....Im....I mean I say wow!"Matt pulled her close & hugged her.
"so you'll come with us? I mean me & jeff, we feel like we've kinda been neglecting you since we got into Omega...we want you to be there tomorrow sooo much!"
"Yeah I'll come with you! I mean if it's ok with Jeff then yeah I will!"
"OK with it? Man he will be thrilled!"
Gemma smiled over Matt's shoulder. She wasnt quuite sure how she was gonna handle seeing Jeff but it had to be done! Whatever feelings she had for him she would just have to swallow or she'd lose everything! Then she realised how long it had been since she smiled! She needed to do something, get out of this room before she went stir crazy! The trip tomorrow would be perfect! Matt let her go & headed for the door.
"Oh & you'd better get cleaned up cuz Amy's taking you shopping in an hour!"
"Huh?"
Matt winked! "She's already on her way so no arguments 'kay?" Gemma rolled her eyes.
"Yeah....sure.....ok!"
"that's my girl!" said Matt & he walked out of her room!