?THE UNKNOWN?
?Chapter Twenty-Five <25>?
?Let’s talk?
“You had a fight with Gina?!?” The three girls yelled in complete shock. Yeah, it’s not like they don’t fight among themselves but they hardly do so. Especially Zoe and Gina. Or Gina and Olive. But honestly, Gina was more closer to Olive than the rest of them.
Zoe let out a de-ep sigh and nodded her head saying yes. She regretted her actions earlier today. She shouldn’t have said those mean words to Gina. Gina was her best friend and she knew how much her life was messed up in her past days and what made her what she was today. She should have understood her instead of getting all mad and saying those mean words to her.
She wish she could reverse the hand of time and correct her mistake but she couldn’t. What was done was done. And there was no going back.
“What happened?” Maddie asked calmly as she took a spot beside Zoe.
Zoe shrugged her shoulders as she spoke. “I went all mad and acted so rashly. Gina was kind of annoying today. She said some mean stuff to Clay and I so I couldn’t hold it any longer but to say things I wasn’t suppose to say.”
“Things like what?” Doris now asked.
“That she is not just bossy at work but also bossy among us? That Ryan wasn’t the cause of her rude behavior?”
“Shit! You mention his name before her?” Maddie questioned wide eyes.
“I was mad, okay? I knew how much that name hurts and hunt her. I shouldn’t have said that but…I couldn’t help it.” She defended herself. And truthfully, she was regretting her actions.
“God. What if Gina isn’t okay?” Olive start to panic as she fished out her phone from her pocket.
“A little argument won’t make her want to commit suicide.” She looks between her three friends who were just staring at her with looks that says; Come on, keep talking…su-cker.
She swallows and look away from them.
“I will try her number again.” Olive said as she dials Gina’s number. She rang and rang and rang but no answer. She tried the number again but it wasn’t answered….still! “She’s not picking.”
“Let’s keep trying her number. I’m sure she’s going to pick up. But that is if she’s okay.” Doris said.
Olive tried again and yet the phone wasn’t answered. She dialed the number again and this time around it went switched off.
“Okay, now I’m fu-cking scared.” Olive said as she dropped her phone on the table and stare at the others who look as worried as she was. Including Zoe, of course.
“Our little argument shouldn’t have hurt her de-eply, right?” Zoe asked them as she began to feel guilty over the whole situation.
“well, it wouldn’t have if you haven’t mentioned that idiot name! Pray nothing happens to her. Just pray or I won’t forgive you myself!” Maddie said in anger.
“We Shouldn’t pas-sblame at each other, Madds. Zoe is hurt too. Gina met have said hurtful words to her… Zoe have every right to speak up for herself.” Doris defended.
“By what? By mentioning that cow to her face? Is that what you call defending? That isn’t called defending, that’s called bully!”
“Guys! Enough! Now is not the te for all this shit. Gina is missing and we are here pa-ssing blame at each other? That’s nonsense, alright? What if Gina life is at stake? What if the murderer has captured her, huh? We should be worried at things like that!” Olive said as she adjusted her gla-sses in frustration.
“The killer couldn’t have gone to her.” Zoe said breaking the silent. They all turned to her with confusion written all over their faces.
“And what do you mean by that?” Maddie asked.
Zoe shut her eyes closed as soon as she opened it, her eyes landed on Doris.
“We had seen the first letter of your name, Zoe. But that doesn’t mean you are the next victim.” Doris said, interpreting the whole situation in her own way.
Zoe nodded her head. “Yes. I know that. But that doesn’t mean that the next victim isn’t amongst us. And yeah, I mean the four of us.”
“I don’t get. What are you saying?” Olive questioned still confused.
“The next victim is…” They were interrupted by a loud knock against the door. They snapped their heads to the closed door. “could that be Gina?”
“There’s only one way to find that out.”
****
“What do you have to say now?” Clayton asked Gina as they both sat down on the long bench at the garden. It was the same spot where they had sat on when he had first brou-ght her here.
“firstly, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for saying those mean words to you. I shouldn’t have said all that. It was wrong of me. Your opinions matters. So does Zoe’s. And I’m really sorry for making you guys feel less important.” Gina said apologetically. This kind of seem some how. She hardly tells someone … especially a guy sorry. This was new for her but she felt relieved apologizing to him. She was wrong and the right thing for her to do was to apologize. That’s what a reasonable person would do.
“Wow.” Clayton breath out. “ Should I be worried right now? Like i mean, are you really apologizing for what you did earlier at the station?”
She shrugged her shoulders as she fiddles with her fingers. She felt like getting up to her feet and tell him; Ha! you actually got fooled. Do you really think I had apologize? su-ck my pu-ssy, su-cker.
But she couldn’t do something as foolish as that. Because she was truthfully sorry.
“I don’t get, Gina. Why? First of all, you told me that we could be friends. So what changed? Why do you hate men the way you do? Huh? Why? How did they hurt you? What happened?” Clayton asked with a more calmer voice. Now he was curious to know about her past.
Gina let down a loud gulp as she stare at him who was staring right back at her face.
Could she tell him? Could she let the pains out? Could she open then injury to the whole world and tell them about her past? Could she?
Maybe she could. Maybe it’s just fear that’s stopping her from speaking up. Maybe.
But here was the question…was it really fear that was stopping her from speaking up? Or shame?She was yet to find that out.
“I…” Her voice trailed off.
“Gina? Talk. I promise not to judge you or anything. I just want to know your reason for your hate towards me.” Clay said.
“I don’t hate you! I don’t hate you, Clay.” She said over and over again. Clayton didn’t utter a single word but kept staring at her. “i… I’m just pained, okay? I’m hurt. I’m scared. And I’m ashamed.”
“Why?”
She looked away from him as a tear rolled down to her face. Why? That was the question she had been asking herself for the past years. Why her? Why does it have to be her with the ugly past and ugly thigh. Why?
“He hurt me. He tried to ra-pe me. Or maybe he actually ra-ped me. I screamed. I yelled for help. But no one heard me. No one came. He fingered my pu-ssy. He treated me like some kind of wh-ore….His friends were there…they didn’t help me… they were just laughing at me and picking turns of who would go next after their friend.” She sniffed. The memories were still there. They were still fresh. It felt like all that happened just yesterday. “And suddenly I felt a cold thing poured on my thigh. It was so painful and hot. I screamed really loud and maybe that’s what caught the attention of Bianca. Although none of them knew that they’ve been caught aside from me. I was weak. I knew as time goes on that I was going to faint. My eyes were heavy. My thi-ghs were hurting me. I could hear their laughter. They were enjoying the whole scene.” She stopped talking. Now, she knows the answer she has been asking herself. She was scared. Maybe she was. But she was ashamed of telling people about her past. She was ashamed. “When I woke up the next day, I was in the hospital. And that was when I found out that he has been arrested. And as for his friends? They all ran away. But then, that did nothing to put me at ease…because I was informed about my thigh. That was when I realized that they had poured acid on it. My past is not just ugly but so is my right thigh.
Each day was like a torture to me. Every day I try to take my bath, I would see my past on my right thigh. I couldn’t get off my past. I was stuck. Ever since then I grew to hate men. Whenever they touch me, I felt terrified. It felt like they were going to hurt me and laugh at me again.”
“God. How can people be so wicked? I’m so sorry, Gina.”
Gina turned to look at him. “Sorry? For what?”
“I don’t know….For everything?”
****
“Who is that?” Doris asked Maddie who went to get the door. Maddie returned with a puzzled look on her face.
“I didn’t find anyone out there.” She said, looking down at a note on her hand.
“What’s that?” Zoe asked.
“It’s a note. I found it on the floor.” She said as she began to open the note.
“The killer might have sent the note to Zoe.”
“That’s where we all got it wrong…the note was sent to Doris. Doris is the next victim.” TBC.