Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman

Author:Cambria Brockman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2019-07-15T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

GEMMA SWAYED OVER a sink in the bathroom, the bottle of gin at her feet. She was in her underwear and a T-shirt she must have grabbed to cover her naked chest.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a meek voice.

“I lost you at the party; I was trying to find you guys,” I said, watching her breathe in and out, attempting to regain some sense of stability.

“Drank too much,” she said. “So dizzy.”

Parts of her words were cut off, falling into the sink in chunks. The gin racing through her brain, muddling her speech. I noticed the smudged makeup on her face. She caught my stare in the reflection of the mirror.

“I’m fine,” she said. Her voice was wet with saliva, and her words were slurring together. “Rejected. Again.”

I played dumb. “By who?”

“You can’t tell anyone,” Gemma said. She stumbled over to me and slumped against the wall of the bathroom and slid to the floor. I winced, thinking of all the germs, but I slid with her and made sure she didn’t hurt herself.

“Okay, hang on,” I said, steadying her next to me.

Gemma bowed her head toward the ground, her legs splayed out in front of her.

“I would’ve done anything for him, literally anything,” Gemma whispered. “I can’t help it. I don’t want to feel things for him. But I do. I even let him hit me. I’m not even really into that stuff. I’m probably pretty boring in bed. Does that surprise you? I’m very vanilla. But I let him hit me. Is that fucked up? Because it sounds fucked up when I say it out loud.”

I expected her to cry, but she didn’t. Instead, she stared straight ahead.

“Who hit you, Gemma?” I asked. I needed her to make her confession.

She winced. “It wasn’t really a hit. I mean, it hurt. Does that mean it’s a hit?”

“Gemma,” I said again, more stern.

“Fine, fine. It was John. John. I know, I know. I’m a terrible person.”

I didn’t react. There was no point in pretending anything, she probably wouldn’t even remember this in the morning.

“Why would you do this?” I asked. “What about Ruby?”

I needed her to explain it to me. It was reckless, stupid. And it was Ruby she was hurting, not some random person.

Gemma mostly ignored me and continued to rant in her slurred speech. “I did what he wanted, and he still didn’t even want me back. Well, he did, for like, a second.”

She looked over at me, her eyes bloodshot and glassy.

“Poor, pathetic Gemma,” she started. “I know that’s what you’re thinking. That’s what you are always thinking. You and Ruby, taking pity on poor, pathetic Gemma.”

“No, Gems,” I said, not knowing what to say. I never knew she was aware of anything that passed between Ruby and me.

Gemma turned away and tried to focus on the tile floor.

“Gemma,” I said slowly. “What about Liam? Will he be upset?”

Gemma was quiet, more tears welling in her eyes.

“You can tell me the truth,” I said.

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