Chapter 10

He frowned. "Um ... about 9."

"Oh shit oh shit ... phone? I told her I'd call so she'd know I was alright..."

Gabriel winced and rolled over, reaching for the phone. "Here."

She took it, dialing frantically. "Hey ... I know ... I'm sorry... No! God no, I'm fine, you haven't already called have you?" she asked with rising panic.

She relaxed a second later. "God, Tandi, don't scare me like that! No, I'm fine. No, really fine." She blushed. "Better than fine, I ... yeah. Yeah, it was," she murmured, looking at Gabriel with dreamy eyes. "Huh? Oh yeah, it was great. I owe you big time. Umm ... I don't know ... when I absolutely have to? Why, is Tina making a fuss? Uh-huh, uh-huh ... sorry kiddo, but I ... I can't come home right now. Huh?! NO! I told you everything was good, didn't I? No I'm not making that--No, he does NOT have a gun to my head are you crazy?!"

Gabriel reached out, squeezing her shoulder. "If you need to go, go. We can talk online."

She looked at him, and her chin quivered and she shook her head. "Tandi. You're being an idiot. Please don't act like this. I'm fine ... I'm wonderful, actually, and I'd like to stay that way. I have what I've always wanted ... of course I don't want to trade that for a weekend of listening to Tina talk about how great her sorority is!"

She sighed. "I love you, too, silly. But don't I sound fine? ... Acting lessons ... yeah, but if I were being held hostage would I use them?!"

Gabriel whispered, "Listen, why don't you just tell her that you really don't want to have to walk home?"

She snorted. "Now you're just being silly ... oh ... oh I see, I get it, I know what you want now! You expected me to come home and share all the details ... Uh-huh. Well I'm not going to, anyway, damn it. They're my details. Find your own boyfriend."

He grinned, "Feel free to brag."

She shot him a glare, then blushed, eyes widening. "Um ... yeah ... yeah ... I know what I said, but that's not how it worked out ... I know ... I know ... That's not any of your business!"

Gabriel leaned back and grinned, pretending to polish his fingernails on his chest.

Her jaw firmed. "I don't care ... No, I don't ... She won't figure it out, she thinks I just went to get fucked so I'd 'fit in better and not be such a little goody-two-shoes'. So she'll just think I'm getting well fucked. As long as she doesn't have to look at me, she doesn't care, anyway, you know that. As long as you don't tell her, she'll never know that I ... that I have anything worthwhile, so she won't be jealous ... I know you won't, I didn't mean that. Yeah, I got your back, too, honey ... look, I just ... I'm really happy, and I don't want to leave him right now, okay? He'd never hurt me, Tandi, never. No, he's not a 'creepy old guy' damn it! He's beautiful and not that much older than me and ... oh god you are so crude, and wrong. Trust me ... he could get all the 'sweet young forbidden pussy' he wanted, you little brat! He doesn't have to pretend to love anyone ... he could certainly have had all of mine he wanted without it!"

Gabriel mouthed, "Tell her we're getting married."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head frantically.

Gabriel grinned.

"Okay ... Um ... well, no, just my swimsuit, but I don't really need any..." She blushed bright red. "No, that's not all we've done ... No, I didn't ... But ... Well, that would be kinda nice ... yeah ... Um, seriously? Never, if I had any choice in the matter ... yeah, I really mean it. I don't want to leave him ... I know, but, well ... Mom and Dad are gone for another week and a half. If I keep my appointments, Tina won't care where I stay..." She went pale all of a sudden. "Oh god, you're right, she would. Can you hide them for me, please Sis? I ... I don't know where ... no, not under the house, the damp would ruin them ... shit ... I've got to come home and get clothes for lessons anyway, I ... I'll think of someplace then, just watch her til then, okay? Um ... tonight or tomorrow, I'm scared when I come back, she'll find some way to keep me from leaving again and I can't stand the thought. But I'll come, I won't let her hurt my babies, even if it means I have to sneak back out the window at night."

"Okay. Love you, too. Bye." She hung up the phone, looking unhappy.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "My older sister is, technically, 'in charge' while my parents are gone. She doesn't have a whole lot of authority over me ... she's mainly there for Tandi. But ... well..." She sat down on the bed, looking miserable. "This is ... hard. I don't want you to think that I'm just some stupid teenager who doesn't understand simple sibling rivalry. So please, please believe me. I'm not making this up, I'm not exaggerating, and I'm not imagining it!"

"I believe you."

She looked at him gratefully. "Tina ... my older sister ... she doesn't like me. I mean ... she really doesn't like me. Um. Honestly ... I think she hates me," Pandora admitted, dropping her eyes. "No matter what I did, how hard I tried, she just ... hates me. She always has."

Gabriel reached out, pulling her into his arms. "That sucks."

"It used to hurt a lot. When I was little, I wanted her to love me more than anything in the world. I did everything I could to please her. I mean ... I basically acted like her slave, doing anything she wanted, not talking to her without her permission, giving her my allowance ... and she still hated me, and laughed at me with her friends. Now ... I just try to avoid her. It's easier with her at college. But when she comes home, the first thing Mom does is start blabbing on about my photo shoots and the people who want to use me in their ads, and all that shit she makes me do and Tina just ... hates me a little bit more with every damned word."

"Ouch."

"And ... I used to trust her. I was just a dumb kid. She'd act nice, and I'd share secrets, and she'd use them to hurt me. So she knows what's always been important to me. She knows how to hurt me, bad. She just has to go after my babies. It doesn't take much to ruin an instrument. Especially an antique. And it's easy to make it look like neglect, or carelessness, too, so I'd get blamed, not her."

"Your babies?"

"My lyre, my kithara, my tuala, my sau truc, my aulos ... oh god, my harps, my new Egyptian harp..."

"Well, you can store them here, if you want." He stopped suddenly, a disturbed look on his face.

"You have no idea how much room they take up. My new harp is seven foot tall ... what's wrong?"

"I..." He frowned. "I had a thought. And I really don't like having had it."

She looked at him worriedly. "What is it?"

He sighed. "Well, I think I know a way we can stop her from hurting you. But I don't think it would be right."

"Honey ... this is my problem. You don't have to deal with it."

"If it's your problem, it's my problem."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No. Not this. Having to deal with my toxic sister wasn't part of the package I offered you. It's me she hates, and it's my fault, so it's my problem. I can handle it."

"Honey ... I just want to help. Although my idea was a bad one."

"I know. But you shouldn't have to. It wouldn't be fair." She sighed and leaned over, kissing his shoulder. "What was your idea?"