The Heart of a Broken Soul
Of Children and Adults
A/N:Thank you to Venetiangrl92 and Averys1 for their reviews!
"So, you mean to tell me that no one knows, like, anything?" Tig asked. He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, as though he'd just been told something in another language.
"That's what they said. And Gabby still says she can't remember anything," Bobby told him. "Her friend seems to think she knows who it was, though. Some shithead called Jeremy."
Jax scoffed, his eyes darkening. "Yeah, I know him. Used to be in my year."
"Used to be?" Tig crossed his arms. "What happened?"
"He's as thick as you, Tig, that's what happened."
They all laughed.
"I'll kill him," Bobby growled.
"Get in line," Tig told him.
Chibs sat, only half-listening, thinking with some satisfaction that he at least knew what the kid looked like. Unfortunately, he was just that; a kid, and the last thing samcro needed were allegations of child abuse. He'd calmed down since last night, but he was still pissed, and Gabby still wasn't herself. She'd even gone as far to pretend she had a splitting headache, to get out of school. Bobby had believed her, and let her stay home, but Chibs had seen the look of sheer relief in her eyes when the older man had fallen for it.
Taking a drag of his cigarette, he threw it to the ground, butting it out. "Ye boys still need me?" he asked. They all turned to him. "Gotta get some more smokes," he lied.
Clay waved him off. "Ah, you're right, Chibs. Nothing left to do anyway. May as well go home afterwards."
With a nod, Chibs said his goodbyes, mounted his bike – his old club had kindly salvaged it, and shipped it over – and took off. When he was well out of sight, he pulled over to change around his attire, making sure his cut was well hidden by his hoodie. He then took off toward the school.
The day was almost over when he got there, so he only had to wait a few minutes before kids started flowing out. It took him a while to spot Jeremy, the kid looking smug as he got into his car. Chibs trailed after him, through the town, for a quick stop at a corner store where the kid, the fucking kid, bought a packet of smokes, and into the suburbs. He pulled the car over on the side of the road, Chibs pulling over behind him.
Before Jeremy could do anything, Chibs rushed him, kicking one of his legs out and seizing his arm. Jeremy yelled in surprise as he stumbled, Chibs feeling around in his pockets, pulling out his wallet. He glanced at the I.D.
"What is this shite?"
"It's my goddamn I.D., what the fuck does it look like!" Jeremy screamed.
Chibs glanced at it again. "It's fuckin' fake!"
"It's not fake! It's real, man! Jesus Christ." Jeremy struggled in Chibs' grasp.
"So ye're 18, then?" Chibs asked.
"Yes!"
Chibs grinned wickedly. "And ye're goin' round beatin' up 16 year old girls," he snarled. "You know what that is? That's child abuse. Be a shame if that information found its way to the law." He punched Jeremy in the mouth, who let out a yell. "And ye know wha' that was? Not child abuse."
He pulled Jeremy to his feet, bringing a knee up into his stomach, before throwing another fist. Jeremy tried to swing back, but Chibs caught his wrist, twisting it back until he heard a faint crack, and Jeremy screamed.
Grabbing Jeremy by the collar, Chibs slammed him into the car. Jeremy's eyes were wide and terrified. "Ye know wha' a Glasgow smile is, boy?" Chibs asked.
Jeremy shook his head, trying to struggle out of Chibs' grip. Chibs pulled a knife. "It's where I cut you from ear," he lightly dragged the knife across Jeremy's face, "to mouth. Both sides. If you ever lay a hand on anyone again, I'll find you. And you'd better be afraid when I do."
He let Jeremy go, and the boy collapsed to the ground, sobbing despite his best efforts.
"Ye got it?"
Jeremy nodded. With a scowl, Chibs gave him another boot in the stomach. "Didn't hear ye."
"I... I got it!"
"Good," Chibs spat. "I don't wanna see you again."
After worming her way out of one day of school, Gabby thought better of trying for a second day. Bobby would definitely suspect something, and there was only so long she could avoid the principal. Mrs Sutton would find her, one way or another. The woman, though doing a terrible job of stopping it, boasted that she fought the bullies and kept a peaceful campus.
She'd said goodbye to Bobby and Filip, and headed off with a heavy heart. When she reached school, Lucy was waiting for her, with a poorly hidden smile. "Oh, you're gunna love it," she exclaimed.
Gabby raised an eyebrow. She doubted there was anything that would make her feel better. All she could think about was Jeremy's threat. She didn't fancy the thought of having her eyes gouged out.
"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked. Gabby gave her a look. "Well, never mind that. Look." She pointed a finger.
Gabby looked. Jeremy was hovering by his car. She stomach dropped as he glanced at her, but as he did, she saw the bruises on his face, the cast on his arm, and the way he grasped his stomach, a pained expression. He dropped his gaze, turning his back to her.
"Oh, wow," Gabby said. She tried not to smile, the same way Lucy was trying, but she was having a hard time of it. "What happened to him?"
Lucy shrugged. "Guess he finally got what he deserved. But he didn't know who did it. Apparently all he could remember about them was they had an accent."
"An accent?" Gabby's face fell into a scowl. "What kind of an accent?"
"Didn't say." Lucy noticed the look on Gabby's face. "Oh, God; you don't think it was your Scotsman, do you?"
"No," Gabby lied, "no, he wouldn't do that. He's not the violent type." Another lie. If he was part of samcro, he most likely had some sort of underlying violent tendencies.
Lucy didn't believe her. "But he's in the club. I saw him at the hospital, wearing a cut."
"And?" Gabby asked as they walked inside. "Hey, how did your date go?"
"Don't try to change the subject," Lucy protested.
Gabby raised an eyebrow.
"It went great. Like, really great," she gushed, obviously glad to finally tell Gabby. "He was sweet and funny, and he dropped me off home and we're going out again!"
"Did he kiss you?" Gabby asked, genuinely curious.
Lucy just grinned.
"Well, at least you-"
"Gabriella! Can I speak to you?" Mrs Sutton was standing by the doorway to her office. The look on her face told Gabby there was no room for debate.
"Yeah, sure," Gabby replied. She followed the principal into the office, taking the seat opposite hers.
Mrs Sutton didn't say anything for a few minutes, just studied Gabby's face, her eyes straying over the bandaged wound on her head. "You wanna tell me what happened?"
Gabby shrugged. Jeremy's threat loomed over her like a poisonous cloud. "I don't remember."
"Gabri-"
"Doctors said it might happen."
"I see. You know, Gabriella, the funny thing is Jessica said she found you in the hall, by your locker, but no one seems to have seen anything," Mrs Sutton told her. She crossed her arms.
"Because no one did see anything?" Gabby suggested.
Mrs Sutton chuckled. "So, you mean to tell me that there was no one in that hallway besides you and whoever did that, am I right?"
"I guess so."
"I can't help you, Gabriella, unless you help me," Mrs Sutton told her with a sigh. "I talked to your father the other day, and I promised him I would help you."
Gabby scowled. "My father's dead," she spat. "Can I go?"
Not to be put off, Mrs Sutton ploughed on, as though she hadn't just said anything to upset Gabby. "I know you remember who it was. We'll punish them, Gabriella. We'll get the police in here if we have to; they won't hurt you again. And we wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt."
"I'll let you know as soon as I remember," Gabby promised. Before Mrs Sutton could say anything else, she stood up and bolted out of the office.
Class had started, so the halls were empty. It was a shame, though, because as Gabby turned the corner she ran straight into Jeremy. She stumbled back, scared.
"What?" he snapped.
Gabby inched back. "I didn't say anything," she stuttered, "I swear."
"So? Get out of my face."
Gabby took off before he could change his mind. Jeremy must have been pretty shaken to have not insulted her, and it was basically impossible to shake Jeremy up.
Filip was watching some black and white movie when Gabby got home. Bobby was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Bobby?" Gabby asked, pouring herself a glass of water.
"Out," was all Filip said.
"Out where?"
Filip shrugged.
Gabby went and sat in the chair next to Filip. She ran a finger around the brim of her glass. "I ran into Jeremy today," she said.
Filip's eyes detached themself from the TV and came to rest on her.
"He was pretty beat up. Didn't say anything to me." Gabby watched Filip closely, for any change. He was motionless. "It was you, wasn't it?"
The silence that followed felt to Gabby like one of the longest in her life. Filip scratched at his healing wounds, sighing.
"No," he finally said. He stood up and went to leave the room.
"He's underage," Gabby told him. She placed the glass on the coffee table and rushed after Filip, catching him by the arm. "Filip!"
Filip turned to face her. "He's 18," he replied.
Gabby blinked. "I'm afraid to ask."
When Filip grinned at her, she became aware of just how close they were. She could see each of his teeth, could feel his breath on her face and smell nicotine on his clothes. His eyes, she noticed, were more than just 'brown'; they had flecks of a lighter colour in them, and flecks of something darker.
He's twenty-seven, she told herself. No. No you cannot.
Gabby didn't really know how it happened. It was as though a gust of wind had blown her forward, or an invisible strand of string pulled on her upper half, or maybe she'd done it on purpose.
She leaned forward, forgetting everything, and kissed him.
Just for a moment. A second. Less than a second.
When she stepped back, she was speechless. And so was Filip. He stared at her in shock, and she stared back.
She blushed. "I... It was... I didn't..."
Any explanation Gabby had prepared was forgotten as Filip reached out a hand to caress the side of her face, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips firmly against hers. They were soft, and Gabby could feel them move against hers as his tongue lightly traced the outline of her lips.
Gabby's breath caught in her throat, and her knees went weak. She could taste the nicotine on his lips, could feel the bristles of his facial hair as they tickled her.
The door opened, and Bobby noisily stumbled in. Gabby and Filip broke apart, both stepping back to make it look as though they hadn't just kissed each other, and weren't guilty of anything.
Bobby, drunk and cheerful, was none the wiser. "What? You two come out jus' t'greet me?" he slurred.
Fillip shook his head in disbelief at the sight of the drunken man. "It's only three thirty."
"So?" Bobby countered with a sloppy shrug. "I was thirsty." He tripped over one of the dining chairs, swearing at it.
"You have a gig tonight, Bobby," Gabby meekly reminded him.
Bobby stared blankly for a few seconds, trying to figure out what she was talking about. His drunken mind was in no state to be recalling anything. Gig? What gig? That one at the place with those people for the thing, his fuzzy memory managed. "Aw, shit. I forgot." He fell into a chair.
"Yeah." Gabby sighed. Bobby was a bit of an alcoholic. Well, all of the members of samcro were slight alcoholics, except Jax and Opie, but Bobby was second to only Piney, who had a glass of whiskey with breakfast.
She wandered into the kitchen to pour him a glass of water. She could feel Filip's eyes on her, and offhandedly wondered what he was thinking. Was he focused on Bobby or, like her, was he still thinking about the kiss. Did he regret it? Had he enjoyed it?
Filip obviously would have had experience with kissing, would have known what he was doing. Gabby's experience was based on a geeky kid named Pete, who'd slobbered all around her mouth because he'd thought that's how it was done based on movies, and Lucy, who'd kissed her once to see if it felt different to kissing a boy.
She placed the glass next to Bobby. "Here," she told him. "At least try and sober up a bit."
Bobby grunted. Shaking her head, Gabby retreated to her bedroom. If Bobby still appeared drunk when he was on stage, he'd be out of a job. If he missed the gig, he'd be out of a job; he was on his last warning, which was all he ever seemed to be on.
There was a knock on Gabby's door a few hours later. It wasn't Bobby; Filip had already taken him to his gig. There was only one other person it could have been.
She put her book down. "Yeah?"
The door opened, and a bashful Filip stepped in. He glanced at her, sighed, and dropped his gaze, leaning against the doorframe. "I shouldn't have done that," he finally told her.
Gabby's heart sank. So it was regret that he felt. "Why?" she managed. Did he think she was too ugly? Too shy? Not quite old enough?
"Because ye're only sixteen. You're a child, Gabby. I shouldn't be..." he trailed off.
"It's just a number."
Filip shook his head. "It doesn't work like that, kid. You know that." He went and sat down on the bed, running his fingers through his hair.
Gabby bit the inside of her lip, hugging her knees to her chest. "It could," she breathed.
She wasn't going to give up on the opportunity, not while she had it. Not while he obviously felt something for her, too.
Gabby crawled across the bed. She lightly touched his face, bringing him to face her. Her fingers brushed against his scar. Before she could say anything else, he reached up and grabbed her hand. "Ye know why I came here?" Filip asked.
"No."
"Because of jealousy. A man called James O'Phelan took my wife, my daughter. He's a dangerous man and he'd kill me if I went back," Filip told her. "He didn't like that my wife chose me over him."
Gabby's eyes flicked to the scars on his face. "He did that?" She purposely avoided asking the question she wanted to.
"Aye. And ye're missin' the point."
"You're married." It wasn't a question. "And you still love her," she reluctantly added.
Filip let her hand drop as he nodded. Gabby could feel the tears welling in her eyes. She slipped off the bed, skirting out of Filip's desperate grasp.
"Gabby! Hey!" He took off after her, catching her around the waist before she could leave the house. "I'm sorry, Gabby."
Gabby wiped her eyes impatiently. "Let me go."
"Don't run off," Filip told her, loosening his hold.
"Just let go." Gabby didn't want to hear anything else he had to say. She'd already heard enough.
Filip let go. "I can't jus' forget her. Whether I can go back or not, it's not that easy."
Gabby ignored him. That was it. Anything she'd hoped for, dreamed about. Gone. Just like that.
"Gabby?"
"It doesn't matter," she told him. "I guess I just overreacted."
"Hey..."
"I'm going to bed."
Filip watched her walk off, wondering why on earth he'd said any of that. She had to know, of course, but he could tell that his love for Fiona was turning into something less romantic, as his feeling for Gabby grew. He swore. How stupid could he be? What was this mess he was getting himself into?