Devil May Love

Gaibriel glanced up at the clock for what he knew had to be the hundredth time in five minutes. The second hand was so close... The second felt like minutes but as soon as the thin black hand passed the one of the twelve, the bell rang loudly. Gaibriel jumped up, earning a few glances from the people around him. He ignored them and packed his stuff into his bag quickly, crumpling a few papers in his rush. Tossing it over his shoulder, he turned, not heading for the door but the back of the room instead, where Amanda was packing her things.

"Hey," he said, wincing to himself as his voice cracked a little. He didn't use it much and had to clear his throat before continuing.

Amanda smiled up at him. "Hey, stranger."

"Um... I need to talk to you about something."

She looked away from him as she arranged the things in her bag, stalling. "We're talkin'. Go ahead."

Shifting his weight and wishing he didn't have to do this, Gaibriel forced himself to plow ahead, speaking quickly but softly. "I can't hang out with you guys anymore. At least, not where we can be seen by anyone. My dad found out and he's mad. Plus, your mother's working something out -"

"I know," Amanda interrupted, tossing her bag over her shoulder. "She told me while we were eating breakfast this morning."

"Oh. Okay." Gaibriel followed beside her as they walked slowly out of the class room.

Amanda smiled. "Don't worry, I'll tell the others and make sure they understand." She rolled her eyes a little. "I can't promise anything with Mat-mat though. He called me last night and begged me for your number. Called me Queenie and everything."

Gaibriel chuckled, feeling better that she understand and flustered at the news about Mat-mat. He waved discreetly as they entered the cafeteria. Amanda made her way to the drink machines and Gaibriel continued on to the library. He found one of the small round tables in the far corner and sat down. He opened his bag and pulled out a few things, intending to copy the work over again that had gotten crumpled. He'd only managed a few lines when his pencil stopped and he was staring blankly at the paper, his mind miles away.

He was wondering what in the world Mat-mat would want his phone number so badly for. They didn't share any classes or anything like that. They weren't even in the same grade. And it wasn't like Gaibriel had anything interesting to talk about. He just couldn't fathom it. They'd only talked a few moments. He blushed a little as he remembered the way Mat-mat had followed him down the hall and tried to get him to skip. He was even more glad now that he hadn't.

"Bring me back a souvenir, okay?"

Gaibriel jumped, dropping his pencil in his surprise. Lin was sitting to his right, her elbows on the table, smiling at him. "A... a souvenir- what?"

She laughed quietly. "From La La Land. It's been a while since I've been."

Gaibriel tried to make his smile look genuine as he glanced nervously around the library. Satisfied that no one was paying them any special attention, he still spoke in low tones as he said, "Please don't think I'm being mean Lin, but could you leave me alone and go talk to Amanda? She can explain why."

Lin lowered her voice as well, something Gaibriel almost wanted to hug her for. Most people didn't pick up on things like that so easily. "Actually, cutie, that's why I'm here. She wanted me to ask you how much she can tell and said that you'd understand what she meant. Do you?"

Gaibriel nodded and looked away, thinking. He knew he couldn't let her tell about his father. Friends or no, a secret like that would not remain a secret for long if that many people knew about it. After a few moments, he looked back to Lin and said, "Tell her I said anything as long as it has nothing to do with what my father does."

Lin looked like she wanted to question him but didn't and Gaibriel felt incredibly grateful to her again. "Alright, then. Stay out of trouble, be, Gaibriel?" She smiled, flashing him a peace sign and left. Gaibriel couldn't help but glance around one more time before going back to reading his book.

The rest of his day was blissfully uneventful. He spotted Mat-mat and Berry in the hall on the way to his last period. Mat-mat had went to wave and speak, but Berry had stopped him, casting Gaibriel and apologetic look. Gaibriel returned it quickly and looked away. He was glad they were going along with it. A small part of him wondered what it was that Amanda had told them. On the way home, Lin's bus had passed him again but this time no one shouted a greeting. The mixed feelings left a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

His mother was already home when he got there, in the laundry room, just off the kitchen. "Hey, sweetheart," she greeted as he dug in the refrigerator for a soda. He said hello back, grabbing a plate of leftover food from last night as well. He stuck the food in the microwave to heat up and sat at the table, digging through his bag to begin his homework. His mother came out of the laundry room, looking a little disheveled and smiled, going over to the microwave and adjusting the time.

"Hey, why are you home so early," he asked, finally noticing that she was still in house clothes.

His mother tried to look nonchalant but Gaibriel saw the way her whole face seemed to darken. "Decided I needed to stay home and commit more time to the house."

It came out so automatic, Gaibriel knew immediately she was reciting. He scowled, keeping his voice soft. "You mean he made you quit, don't you?"

The microwave beeped as it turned off but both of them ignored it. His mother didn't respond for a few seconds, sighing heavily. "Gaibriel, please..."

He knew what she was saying. Please don't make her think about it. He knew that well. As long as you didn't really think about it, you could pretend it was okay. As long as he didn't bring it to her attention, she could pretend that she really did think she needed to devote more time to her home instead of working a respectable and well-paying job that she really enjoyed. Gaibriel nodded, casting his eyes away from her. "Sorry... It'll be really nice having you around more often." Not entirely a lie, but said more to make her feel better.

"Thank you, honey... Really."

When Gaibriel looked up, her eyes were a little more watery than usual. They looked at each other a few moments, a silent understanding that made both of their throats feel just a little tighter than usual before his mother broke it, turning away and getting the plate from the microwave and setting it in front of him. "Glad somebody's going t be eating that," she said, clearing her throat quietly. "I'll get out of here so you can concentrate on your homework, okay?" Ruffling his hair gently, she made her way silently out of the kitchen and back into the laundry room, closing the door behind her. Forcing it out of his mind, Gaibriel began doing his homework.

He was almost finished when he heard his father's car pull in the drive way. It wasn't until then that it hit him. His mother's car wasn't in the garage where it should be. He hadn't noticed because he usually got home before her. But if she'd been home all day... Gaibriel fought not to scowl, feeling his anger rise dangerously. He'd finally trapped her. And there was nothing either one of them could do about it.

"Hello, son," his father said as he came in through the door, dropping his keys on the table. His voice was almost cheerful and it made Gaibriel's stomach lurch a little. "How's that homework coming along?"

"Fine." His voice was a little too clipped and his father looked at him sharply.

"There a problem?"

"No sir. Just got a little headache. I'm fine." He wasn't even amazed at how easily the lies came to him anymore. "Hey, what happened to Mom's car?"

Another sharp look as his father shrugged out of his coat and hung it up on the pegs along the wall. "I guess you know she decided to quit her job," he said, testing.

Gaibriel nodded. "She told me when I got home. I didn't notice the car gone then."

His father grinned and pointed a finger at him, shaking it a little. "Gotta take better notice of your surroundings, son," he said, not really fussing. Gaibriel didn't bother to explain himself. "Well, with her not working anymore, that puts us a little shorter on cash than usual. So until I can redo the budget, we decided to sell her car to make up for the lost income."

Gaibriel pushed the plate of leftovers away from him. He wasn't hungry anymore. "Oh," he said finally, going back to his homework. "I was just wondering."

He didn't look up as his father went into the laundry room. He could hear them talking in hushed tones, but didn't strain to make it out. He didn't want to hear it. He wasn't sure he could take hearing anymore. After a few minutes, his father came out of the laundry room, and left the kitchen. Gaibriel could hear him close the door to his study as his mother came out of the laundry room.

"Don't be noisy, Gaibriel," she said softly. "Your father's working on our money situation."

"Am I ever noisy, Mother," he snapped and regretted it instantly. "... I'm sorry." He looked up to her and she smiled a little to let him know it was okay. "I'm going to finish the rest of my homework in my room, okay? I'll come back down when I'm done so you don't have to come get me for supper."

She shook her head and began cleaning the plate of food he'd discarded. "Don't worry about that, hon. Just go. I don't mind coming to get you." She glanced at him over her shoulder, a look that said she knew he needed the time to cool down and would make sure not to disturb him until she absolutely had to.

With one last nod, Gabriel stuffed his books back in his bag and made his way up the stairs and into his room. He'd just got set up at his desk when the chime of the telephone sounded from his parents bedroom and downstairs. His father's study was just under his room and Gaibriel could hear his father's deep voice answering it. He held his breath, listening hard. After a few moments, he gave up. He couldn't make out anything his father was saying. He had to stop himself from holding his breath, waiting to hear his father shout his name, or some other sign that it was Amanda's mother.

Gaibriel found himself doing this every time the phone rang for the next week, starting to wonder if maybe Amanda's mother had forgotten by the time Friday came around. He was fully aware that it had been almost a whole week since the night he'd gone over there. By midnight Friday, when he finally made himself go to bed, Gaibriel was kicking himself for getting his hopes up.