Edit (5-26-13): So here we are again. Was I always this embarrassing? I hope not. Why did I used to say 'yay' so much?
Night was dark in the Colorado area. The street lights emanated just enough to give each house an eerie 'My Bloody Valentine' mixed with chainsaw massacre man. The streets were quiet, and the night was windless which made things even more creepy. It was like getting ready to watch a movie where things pop up out of nowhere with a bloody ski mask on, chainsaw in hand, and head straight to a house that looks just like yours. Where you look around, making sure nothing was there. Then you turn the sound up to where your satisfied. Out of nowhere, something taps on your window, and the popcorn flies out of your hands, all over the floor. Where you get up and tiptoe to a different window and look out to see nothing. Where you go outside and it's just your neighbor asking for a his spare house key, in which you hand it over and tell him a good night. Where you go back and sit down, and everything seems a lot less creepy, so you get back to watching the movie, and just when you seem the most comfortable, the chainsaw man pops out from behind your couch and turns you into human sushi and people jerky. Unless you live in an apartment. Then things are different, the walls are paper thin, and the old lady next door yells at you every time you bring someone home with you. But that's not what this is about. Gabriel Duncan was out of bed late at night, which would be extremely uncalled for, had it not been for a good reason. And good reason it was. Wouldn't you like to get to know your mother? Your biological mother?
He was tip-toeing down the hallway, trying to get to Teddy without waking anybody else up. It's not that he couldn't trust them, but somehow, he had always felt closest to-and he would kill you and deny it if anyone ever spoke it-Teddy. Maybe it was the age thing, the 'You're-smarter-than-me-so-I-look-up-to-you' thing, or the girl thing. Or maybe it was all three together pushed to their greatest potential. Yeah, that was probably it. Teddy was a good person, who could keep a secret like this one. She was also a bit sneaker than PJ, and could lie better too. And she had always been there for him. Not like PJ hadn't, but somehow, they weren't as connected as people thought. And Teddy could give him actual girl advice. Which he wouldn't take anyway.
Somehow, he got to her before anyone caught him, a minor accomplishment at the moment. He let himself into her room without waking her, and looked around. Small old everything, and bed, a desk, meaningless drawing that meant something in Teddy's brain. But to Gabe, it all seemed very different. He walked over to the bed and shook her a few times to get her up. As expected, she jumped half a foot, and put her hands out as if to karate chop Gabe. "It's only me, Teddy."
She looked around, as if not believing him, before replying to his statement, "If you got scared and need somewhere to sleep, you can't sleep here. It's not my fault you stay up late and watch those really stupid scary movies. Go sleep with Mom and Dad again." She whispered in a half-hearted voice, before she collapsed back on her pillow and pulled the comforter up to her nose. She huffed, and she got comfortable in less then the time it took Gabe to realize what she had said.
"Aw man, Mom and Dad told you about that? It's didn't happen like that anyway. But that's not why I'm here. This is for a total different reason, and you have to promise to never, under any circumstances, tell anyone, even if you are being tortured, what I am about to speak to you. Show you really." He finished, slipping his hand in his pocket to finger what it held. To bed tonight, he wore jeans, just so he wouldn't have to carry anything in his hand, in case someone came out of their rooms, and to avoid dropping and loud noises. It was precious all right. A secret, and a mystery, wrapped together as one and served with that people jerky.
"Not you've got me listening." she claimed, instantly shooting up in bed. Teddy rolled her eyes as Gabe check the room with simple turns of his head; left, right, left again, and then lingering eyes on a poster. He gripped the paper, and gave it to Teddy, watching as she unfolded the fourths, as she gave him a questioning look when she read the fine bold print, and as a surprised look as she read the even finer, not bold print. "You're not you? Or you are, because you are who your are, but still, you're not you. You're not my brother, I don't have a younger brother. Who is this Courtney Jane Santiago, anyway?" she finally ended, and Gabe looked away embarrassed.
"I think that she is my biological mother. Actually I know she is. That's why I came to you. I can trust you to keep a secret, and I can trust that you'll help me, right?" he asked, as Teddy was apparently still tilted her head up towards him.
"Do Mom and Dad know?" she asked.
"Hm, I don't know, do Mom and Dad know that I was adopted? I don't think so, let's ask. Hey Mom, Dad, did you know I was adopted? You didn't? You just found me in the house one day, and raised me as your own, wow that's and interesting story, do tell me more." Gabriel replied, in the most sarcasm-laced voice he could think of at the moment. In fact, he was going to continue, but Teddy interrupted him.
"No, I mean, do they know that YOU know?" Teddy clarified.
Gabe looked away, focusing on the post from before, then he looked back at her. "I love them, you know. At least, I thought I did. They love me, even though I am not really theirs. Maybe. They raised me, and the bought me things, and then I am going to tell them that I know their little secret and ruin things for them. They obviously didn't tell me or you or anyone for a reason, right?" he said with more confidence in his voice finishing, that when he started. They two stared at each other for a long time, just looking at the person they thought they knew. The room was silent. The world was silent.
Ten, maybe twenty minutes later, to break the ice and the tension, Gabe asked, "So, are you going to help me or what?"
Teddy seem to think about it, and a few seconds later, replied, "Of course. Just to find your mom, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay then, I'm in."
"Thanks Teddy. I owe you like four."
Teddy slipped back into her comforter, and her sheet, and fluffed up her pillow, as Gabe turned to go. Then, he stopped. "What's up?"
"When I found the birth certificate, I also found something else. It's a CD titled Gabriel's Favorite Music, but I don't recognize the handwriting. Do you think it could be Courtney's?" Gabe asked before turning over the CD to Teddy. She studied the messy scribbled writing for a long time, then sighed.
"It's a possibility, but look at this with a police face. Handwriting on file, that's not what they do. And besides, even if it's hers, she could have changed styles a long time ago, and we're back to square one. I don't wanna depress you, but that's the way it goes. Better if we leave conjecture at the table and go for a walk." She stated and she handed back the CD. "Have you listened to the music on it?"
Gabriel looked at the CD. "Yeah, but it's just a bunch of country music. I don't even like country music." He said, giving up with a disappointed sigh.
"Get some sleep, and we'll talk next weekend when school is out. Then we can do some real digging, okay?" Teddy smiled at her little brother, as he smiled back, then turned around and trudged back up the stairs, wickedly tired. He couldn't wait to get into his bed a fall a victim of his own creation, before he would have to wake up and a new school year. Maybe school just wasn't his thing. That was the last thought he had as slumber took over him and granted him sleep.
For Gabe, morning came way to early for him. It seemed like he had just set his head on his pillow and now he had to get up. It was funny because his alarm was going off, and there was movement downstairs, which he could hear, but he had made no move to get up. And so, alarm clock screaming, Charlie came into his bedroom screaming for him to get up. She stood next to his bed, shaking him as violently as she could, to where he wanted it to stop. He got up. After Charlie left, Gabe put on a brand new shirt, and pulled his shoes on. Then, he stuck the laces in his shoes, grabbed his backpack, and went downstairs to get something in his stomach. It was interesting to see the people who raised him, after he found out that they weren't his parents. It's like he saw them in a new, golden light, and he actually behaved. Sure, it was a lot to grasp at the moment, but if anyone could do it, it was Gabriel Duncan.
"Gabe, hurry up and get over here, so you can eat, and we can leave. We don't have all day, you know." His mom-but know as Amy now, in his head-called to him as he got down the very last stair. He set his backpack by the door, and walked hurriedly to the kitchen to secure his bowl, spoon, cereal, and the milk. He poured in the contents of a box and a carton, and finished in record time. Then, after putting everything in the sink the milk back in the fridge, and the cereal box back in the cupboard, he was shoved out of the kitchen by Amy. He grabbed his backpack. When the door opened, he walked outside and closed the door behind him.
School was interesting, to say the least. It started with an introduction from the principal, who was dressed in a suit and tie, and a little too cheery. When Gabe made a soft joke to the people around him, which included girls that didn't know him, lots of them who overheard laughed. Gabe wasn't use to that. Then first period started, which was math, with Mr. Wilcox. He was, in short, a very boring man, with a very boring hair cut, and a very boring tie. It was a little awkward because he knew no one in the class well, but struck up a conversation with the kid next to him. Then came second period History, which was taught by Mr. Reynolds, and very funny man, who could be very serious at times. Besides that, and the fact that one girl was stalking him, he forgot most things about his first day. Third, fourth, and fifth periods were accompanied by the people he knew as they were PE, Elective, which for this semester was Art, and Lunch. Sixth period was full of Science, and sciencey stuff that had Gabe amazed. At one point, he wished it would never end, something that was new about him as well. Suddenly school didn't seem so bad after all. His teachers were cool(Except for Mr. Wilcox) and they didn't make him copy down letters.
Seventh period came tugging along strong and steady, and Mrs. Stevenson came with it. She was a very fragile looking woman, but she didn't act like it at all. She wouldn't back down from people, yet looked like she could take some serious damage if anyone even pushed her down. Gabe was overall disappointed when he was given an assignment in English, but it didn't turn out so bad when he had to talk to his neighbor that sat behind him. And it just so happened to be his stalker.
"Ah, it's you again." He said when he turned around to assess her. She was just about as tall as him, with brown hair that was wavy, and continued down to her mid-back. She was wearing some sort of girly shirt, and she smell like jasmine and peaches. It was the weirdest combo Gabe had ever smelled, but there was something to it that made him smirk.
"I could say the same about you. So why are you stalking me?" She asked, all without looking up from he paper.
Gabe waited for her to look up, waited for a sign she cared. But apparently, she didn't. "I'm not stalking you. Just going to class. I'm Gabriel, by the way. Everyone calls me Gabe though." He replied, holding out his hand. When she continued to write, he dropped it, and turned around to restart on his page. But she beat him to the punch.
"I'm Jayme." she stated, as soon as he picked up his pencil and touched the paper with led. "But it's not spelled J-a-m-i-e, Jamie. It's spelled J-a-y-m-e, Jamie. Confusing huh? But my parents wanted an original name... and now I'm rambling and you think this is stupid, right?" Jayme asked when he turn back around.
"Uh, no, not really. I don't really have anyone to talk to because I'm in the advanced classes and all of the people I know are in, well, not these classes." Gabe reminisced.
"Yeah. I know Samuel, he was in Science. And I know Katelin. She was in Math and History, but nothing else. And that's about it." Jayme stated, putting he pencil down and focusing more on him than anyone or anything else. She didn't seem to notice that Gabriel did notice.
"Well at least you know someone. Whereas, I know you and only you." He commented.
"I'm honored to be your first friend."
"Your my friend now?"
"Well I thought you'd need one, seeing as you have no one."
"I have someone. I talked to him this morning."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"What was his name?"
Suddenly, he faltered. Their banter was disrupted by his sudden lack of names and faces, but it had been something natural. Almost as if they were meant to bicker. "Well. I'm not sure of his name, but I did talk to him. In Math this morning."
"Did you now? She just jumped right back in.
"Yes."
"Oh really. That's interesting."Around them, the constant buzz of quiet speech hummed. It was subtle; you could hear voices, all over the room, but you could never make out what they were saying. For the first time, Gabe looked around the classroom. Here and there, you could see frogs, and dogs, posters of concerts that you would never expect someone like Mrs. Stevenson to have gone to. The flag was in the front of the room, and so were the two white boards; Gabe and Jayme in the back.
"Whatcha looking at there?"
"The room."
"Nice, huh?"
"Yeah. It's nice."
"Hey guys?" A guy, with glasses and a brown Beiber hair cut, who was sitting in the next row to the right, motioned to them. He was wearing a purple undershirt, and flannel plaid. His jeans were black, and his shoes were white. He dressed cool, but seemed nerdy in his own way. "I'm Ryan. What did you put for number 17?"
"I'm Jayme. That's Gabe." she said grinning. "When asked, 'What my problem is,' I reply 'Who do you work for?' What did you put?"
"When asked 'Have you broken the law,' I reply 'What the hell?'" Ryan, who pushed his glasses up to his nose, told her. He looked at her, then turned back to look at Gabe. "What did you put?"
Gabe looked at his paper, and followed the numbers down. "Oh, When asked 'Is this your bed?' I reply 'Why do you want to know?'" At that Ryan broke out laughing. However, Jayme just shook her head and sighed.
"So, you guys been friends long?" Ryan asked. Genuine curiosity glazed over him, as he worked on his paper and talked at the same time.
"Just now." Gabriel replied, checking back at Jayme for moral support. She just went back to her paper.
"Oh that's cool." Ryan said, finishing the front side, moving onto the back.
When Gabe got home that day, Bob was on the couch watching television. He didn't seem to notice Gabe come in, so he headed straight for his bedroom. He didn't stop and go into the kitchen for a snack or something to eat because the truth was school food wasn't that bad. In fact, it was enjoyable. He didn't stop and go to the bathroom because he went at school, and they looked really good. He didn't stop and go to see Teddy or Charlie because the truth was, Teddy was out and Charlie was asleep. He just scurried up to his room and shut the door.
He hadn't expected homework, but he did it anyway, finishing up a quarter to four. By then Charlie was awake, Bob was out, and Amy was busy with mom stuff, so Gabe had the nerve to turn on the radio and let the music blare. He laid back on his bed, and thought about today. About stupid PE clothes and Jayme and Ryan... the he closed his eyes and drifted off, unaware of how tired he really was, how draining the day had been.
Teddy had snuck up to Gabe's room at nine thirty-five, twenty minutes after she had arrived home. He was asleep, in new school clothes and shoes, and he had his stuff sprawled out on his desk, with a little light emanating from it. The music he was playing was loud, and set on staying loud, until Teddy turned it off. She shook him till he was awake enough to comprehend what she was about to say. "I looked up your mom."
"What?" Gabriel shot out of bed. "Where? Why? How?"
"Okay, Alexa Vega, calm down.
"Who?"
"How do you not know Alexa Vega? You know what, never mind. We're here to talk about Courtney. Your mom."
"What about her?"
"A lot of things. She lives here in Colorado. She lives in a nice house, and she is married, and had three kids."
"Does she still have three kids?"
"She has two kids with her right now, Emily, age 6, and David age 4. Married to a Calvin Wicorsun, age 34. He's an accountant. She is a stay at home mom."
"Where did you learn all this?"
"Facebook."
Gabe paused. "Are you sure it's her?"
"Pretty sure."
"Okay."
"Okay what?" Teddy looked at him, puzzled by his lack of interest. Just yesterday, he had wanted her help in finding this woman, and now he simply didn't seem to care.
"Okay you can go back to bed. Look, obviously she didn't want me. I don't know why, but I couldn't care less right now. Just go away, and take all thoughts of Courtney with you." Gabe wanted to shout, but he keep his voice down, knowing that Bob and Amy were close by. He took a deep breath and plopped back down on his pillow, listening as Teddy switched off the light, and made her way out of the room, and down the hall. Gabe sighed and shut his eyes, sleep coming to him, easily filled with that 'Voice'. 'Your mother didn't want you. Your own mother thought that you were weird, and she didn't want you. She didn't want you. Nobody wants you.'
Yay, all done. So did you like it? Review it! Don't like it? Review it anyway!