Three days later the news broke about the Aaron Echolls scandal and all the hoopla that went with it. Gabby and Logan were held prisoner at their home while Lynn went to LA to have a conference with the DA appointed to the case against Aaron.
"What can I do to make this alright again" Lynn sobbed looking at her daughter and wanting to see something in her eyes other then distain and hurt.
"You can do what you should have done in the beginning and protect us" Gabby said looking at her mother waiting for any sign of understanding.
Lynn knew what she had to do, to get her children's love back and damned if she was going to mess it up.
In the days after the event her and Logan sat down and talked, she told him everything from when she first asked Keith for help, to when she hid the camera, and found the tapes Aaron had in the pool house. But as much as she wanted to, as much as her hatred and anger pushed her to, she couldn't tell him about Lilly.
She couldn't bring herself to destroy her life and her families due to her deceit and lies, she couldn't taint the memories that everyone had with the image of her betrayal. She had confronted her on the beach one day, sending her the text 'Beach ten minutes alone' to her cell.
Lilly cautiously approached her friend who was sitting on the sand looking out at the dark blue waves crashing against the sand. She looked older then Lilly remembered, as if she aged ten years in two days.
"I am so sorr…." Lilly started.
"Shut up….okay just listen" Gabby said still not looking at her.
"I tried to think of all the reasons on why you would do this, why you would hurt us like this? Why would you betray us?... but the more I try the more I cant figure it out. But that is the typical Lilly isn't it you always do things to get attention, 'for shits and giggles' as you used to put it…. So I came to the conclusion…. You wanted to get caught, not to hurt us but to hurt Celeste to finally get back at the world for not loving you enough." She said her voice steady yet the tears were now streaming down her face.
"But I loved you, Logan loved you, Veronica and Duncan loved you…and hell if I am going to let you hurt them as much as it hurt me to see those tapes…your going to have to get your attention somewhere else…" she finished coldly never taking her eyes off the ocean.
Lilly waited a bit, absorbing all that was said and surprised to find that she could not come up with an argument about one thing. She was right; she had done this to piss of her parents, to piss off everyone. She looked down at the girl in front of her and realized that she was never going to be able to apologize for this.
"Where are the tapes?" Lilly asked a bit confused at the ending of Gabby's speech.
"The ones of you and him are gone, all you have to worry about is Aaron confessing" she answered getting up and walking back up the shore to the parking lot.
"Will you ever be able to forgive me" Lilly asked, she sounded so hopeful so desperate so not Lilly.
"I don't know" she replied finishing her walk to the parking lot and driving away in Aaron's red convertible.
She and Logan had to go into the sheriffs office today to give their statements, something she put off as long as possible. Yes she had gone in and talked to Aaron but still no one knew the whole story.
They walked through the busy station taking a seat on the wooden bench outside the sheriff's office. She moved her hands in her lap nervously, while Logan grasped one and squeezed it reassuringly, before hearing the door open.
"Gabrielle, Logan, come on in" Lamb said looking at the girl like she was the plague, I guess after all the evidence she came up with and her vicious take down of her father, she was known as a force not to be reckoned with. She was surprised to see Leo in the room as well as Inga the assistant and a man in a black suit. She took a seat waiting to be introduced.
"Mr. Mansfield this is Logan and Gabrielle Echolls" Lamb said.
"Assistant DA, I will be here to hear what we have to work with while the DA finishes up with the rest in LA with your mother." The tall man said pulling out his hand to shake theirs.
They all took a seat as Logan and Gabby started from the beginning recapping everything up until 'the night'. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more then to leave.
When leaving the station she saw Veronica, who engulfed her in a huge hug. She tried hard not to break down but could feel the love her friend was giving her and wanted nothing more then to cry. That night with Logan and Lynn at home Gabby and Veronica had a girls night, including all the cliché things that go with it.
And that night she found herself telling Veronica everything, she had memorized the story by now she thought as she watched Veronica's expressions. This was what she wanted, a sister, a true friend who she could tell anything to and not worry who would find out. Just one more example of all the people on her side.
She looked out the window as Veronica lay asleep in the bed behind her. 'This was fun, this was normal' she thought, but tomorrow all hell breaks loose, tomorrow comes school.