Profound Love

Chapter 4: Grandma Belle

POV GABBY***

Ow why does it feel like I've been run over by a semi truck. I open my eyes and sit up and I realise I am on the couch. I look around the living room and see Ava laying on top of Luca on the other couch. They are snuggled up and for once Luca doesn't look like a hard ass. I look to my right and see the strange man sitting on the recliner chair passed out. 

    When he sleeps he looks five years younger than when he's awake. I look on the floor to my left and see Max passed out. Why is everyone in the living room? I think to myself as I stand up and make my way to the kitchen to grab some advil for my raging headache. After I grab my pills I make my way back to my room and go into the bathroom. I put the pill in my mouth and drink some water out of the faucet. After drinking the water I look into the mirror and gasp. 

    I have a black eye on my left eye, and my lip is busted and on my right side of my face I have a big bruise on my cheek which I assume is from the impact of falling on the floor. I need to get out of here and go to school before anyone is awake. I quickly turn on the shower and get undressed. After I am done getting undressed I hop into the not yet warm shower and swallow the urge to yell. After my quick shower I get out and go into my closet and decide on a pair of blue ripped jeans and a black hoodie. 

    I go to my dresser and pull out my black underwear set and get dressed. After getting dressed I grab a pair of no show socks from my drawer in my dresser. I find my black converse on the floor of my closet and grab them. I walk back into my bedroom and sit on my bed while I put on my socks and shoes. I look towards my night stand and see my phone is at 75 percent which is perfect. I look at the time and see it's 4:45 am.

    I better get going before Luca's alarm goes off at 5 am. I grab my bag off the floor and slowly creep toward the front door when I open it a little bit of light cascades in from the hallway but I quickly walk out and close the door behind me. When I am out I walk towards the elevator and make my way towards the lobby so I can go to the beach. After I hear the elevator ding I look up and see the doors open and I am faced with Max's father. 

    I quickly turn and walk towards the stairway. Before I could open the door he grabs my arm as I flinch. "Gabriella where the hell are you going-" he looks down at his rolex and back up at me. "5 am in the morning?!" his eyes widen when he actually looks at my face. He curses under his breath and begins to drag me towards Ava's penthouse. 

    I begin to panic "Wait wait Logan let go i have to go to school and help Mrs. Angie put away books! stop please". I plead but it's already too late as he yanks open the front door to the penthouse as the door bounces off the wall. He turns on the light, waking everyone except Adam who I didn't see behind my couch. Ava looks around the living room and her eyes widen as she sees me dressed with my bag on. 

    She gets off of Luca's lap and walks towards me and takes off my bag and sits on the floor near the door. She walks back in front of me "You're not going to school today sit Gabriella we are talking about what the f**k had happened to your face." she sits where i had slept the night before as she motions me next to her. I look around and see Max pale as the walls. I gulp as I walk towards Ava and sit next to her. Logan kicks Adams' feet as he jolts awake and gives Logan a death stare until he looks around and sees everyone awake. 

    I turn to Ava who is patiently waiting for me to talk. I do what any reasonable person would do in my situation. Lie. "On Tuesday when i ditched school i got into a fight with some girl at the beach". I said with no emotion present on my face try to hide my lie. Luca gets up from his side of the couch and grabs my hands and looks at my knuckles and scoffs. 

    "Gabriella fought or beat down you would have bruised or busted knuckles from defending yourself tell us the truth now." he says as he crosses his arms. I look at Max who is trying to avoid my eyes. 

    "Max did it". I heard from behind me as I turned to see Logan grabbing Max by his arm and pulling him up. Ava shakes her head. "No Max would never do that Gabriella is his best friend since she was born i doubt that". I feel my heart crumble as I bite down on my cheeks to prevent my tears from dropping. Logan scoffs and motions me to come over there. 

    "Gabriella come over here please". I shake my head and bring my knees to my chest, and bury my head in-between my knees. "GABRIELLA GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" I hear Logan yell as I get up reluctant as Adam's face tenses and he stands up. I am standing in front of Logan when he lets go of Max. "Hug him Gabriella". he tells me as I freeze and tense up. 

Max looked at me with guilt and regret in his eyes and I didn't hug him as soon as Logan told me too. I awkwardly hug Max as I feel my tears begin to fall down my face as Max wraps his arms around me as I bury my face into his chest. I quickly whip my face on his bare chest and pull away and look into Logan's eyes and all I see is rage.

    I turn and look at Ava who is in tears and Luca's eyes are filled with disappointment and the strange man from the lobby eyes are filled with range. Logan swings his face, landing it on Max's left side as Max lands on the floor. Ava begins to scream begging Logan to stop as Logan continues to punch Max in the face telling him to take it like a man because he punched like a man. The scene unfolds in slow motion as Luca jumps off the couch and tackles Logan to the floor as Ava looks at Max face which is bloody and bruised i definitely just lost my only place to stay. 

    Adam jumps up and tries to calm down Luca and Logan who are screaming at each other and Angelo gets off the couch and walks towards the men screaming as I run towards the door and grab my bag off the floor and run to my parents old penthouse. When I get to the penthouse I enter the combo to unlock the door. Once it's unlocked I quickly run inside and close and lock the door. My mother and father never changed what it looked like or even packed anything except their clothing because they were staying at Ava's house in London. I look around my childhood home as all the loving memories of my mother, father, younger brother and i. I feel my eyes water because of the loss of love that I always felt from my family. 

I don't want to live here anymore. Grandma I think as I run out of the apartment and dial her phone number. I get to the elevator and get inside as soon as it reaches my floor.  "Hello" i hear through my phone as i smile. "Grandma bell, can i ask you for a favour it's a big one and you promise to not tell anyone". I hear a laugh on the other side of the line. "sweetheart it's 6 o'clock in the morning and you had just woken me up and I didn't even get a hello from you". I hear him laugh as I begin to blush from embarrassment. I walk out of the lobby towards the beach as grandma begins to speak. 

    "Ella whats wrong?" I heard from my grandma. "Ummm I was wondering if I could maybe stay with you until I graduate high school. I'm not doing so hot over here". i say as Grandma belle calls me on FaceTime. I take a deep breath and answer the call as she gasps as soon as she sees my face. "You're moving with me right now". she says as she yells for grandpa oily. She tells me that she's going to book a flight and send me all the details and that i need to stay in my old house until i leave. After i told her everything i go to my last day at oceanside high.