"What the fuck, you're still going to punish me with that bullshit even though I'm here admitting it to you? Not fucking fair," I spat, reaching for the door.
"Hey," Gabe said in a voice 10,000 times calmer than mine, and I turned around to look at him. "I'm proud of you for coming clean about relapsing. But you know I have to do it."
"Why?" My eyes were narrowed at him, waiting for a smartass response.
"You have little respect for people who break promises."
My mind flashed back to the day I met Gabe, when I was kicked out of my aunt's house, about to sleep in the streets if it weren't for him (and Molly, of course). I'd been pissed at Vic for bailing out on a promise, and made it known that I blamed him for all my problems. Nostalgia is so bittersweet.
I wanted to say "you're right," but the word "whatever" fell out instead. Then I stormed out of Gabe's office and headed home.
x-x-x-x
"What else do you have to confess?" Gabe asked from behind me.
I kept my head buried in my arms, body racked with sobs as I cried out all the guilty feelings I'd tried to avoid over the last month. "V-Violet's... c-case...." I paused to catch my breath, then said quickly, "it's Chloe," and cried out another ton of tears.
I felt Gabe's pause, which sent a ball of ice to my stomach. "What." He said it simply, not a question, no confusion, as if he knew what my vague wording meant.
"Don't tell her I told you," I cried, wiping my eyes and turning back towards Gabe.
He was standing there with the folded belt in hand, his vibe now shifted to "peeved" and punish-y rather than my friend who was just helping me relieve stress.
"I told her to find clear evidence before talking to you about it."
"I don't care. Violet should have come to me in the first place before talking to you about a confidential case."
"I'm sorry."
He lashed the belt down on my bottom. "You will not be sorry for something Violet did to herself."
"Please don't tell her."
"It's too late for that — if you didn't want me to say anything, you shouldn't have confessed it."
"She'll hate me..."
"I doubt it, but if she hurts you, tell me and I will take care of it."
x-x-x-x
Toby, Vic, and I sat on the beach near the water, staring out into the ocean. Toby talked a mile a minute, which I assumed was an effect of all the weed I'd just smoked, until Vic said, "Bro. You good?"
"Yeah, do I not seem good?"
"You're all manic-y today."
Toby rolled his eyes. "Maybe you're just depress-y," he said, half-offended at the accusation.
I giggled. "You were totally a valley girl in your past life." Changing the subject. It's what I do best. Now Toby was on a monologue about consciousness and his skepticism about reincarnation. I only half-listened, taking a puff on my vape pen every so often as my mind wandered to trying to figure out how to let go of Adam.
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