Over the next couple of days, tensions decreased a little. Everyone except Gabby and Ike were actually talking and not fighting. But Gabby and Ike both grew quieter and stayed away from each other. Ike spent most of his time sitting on a balcony, playing guitar, singing or writing heartbreaking new songs. It was obvious he was still head over heels for Gabby.
I kept thinking back to the kiss I had given Gabby, and I decided she and Ike needed each other. She didn't need me except as a really good friend, and I was perfectly okay with that. The feelings I had for Gabby were purely friendly, and kissing her had been a big mistake. I'd have to tell her that.
After dinner, I snuck out of the house to the pond Ellie and Zac went to frequently. I needed to clear my head.
My heart ached twice as much now, after losing Jeremy and Isaac. More than once, since fighting with Isaac, I had thought about seeing Jeremy again. But then I was reminded that Isaac was the only one for me, and that my life was rapidly becoming too painful. My eyes wandered to the balcony I'd tried to jump off of. Maybe I should try that again...
"Gabby, can we talk?" Taylor asked. I looked up at him and said nothing. "Look, Gabby, kissing you was a big mistake. I am so so sorry about that. I only want to be good friends with you. I don't know why I kissed you."
I said nothing, though I silently agreed with him.
"Gabby, say something! You've barely spoken for days!" Taylor pleaded.
"I'm gonna kill myself," I murmured. "I'm gonna drown in sorrow."
Taylor sat beside me. "Please don't." I said nothing. "How about we do something fun to get your mind off life?"
"Like what?"
"Like...plan a surprise birthday party for Ellie and Zac! We can hold it on the 23rd."
"Hey, that sounds fun," I said. Taylor smiled.
"Well, I'll leave you alone now." I nodded. "Gabby, no matter what happens, you and Ike will end up together. You two deserve each other. And I will always be here for you."
"Okay," I whispered. I just wanted to be alone.
"Hey, Ellie. What are you doing?" I asked, coming into her room.
"Thinking. Zac...call me crazy but do you think throwing Ike and Gabby a birthday party is okay?"
I grimaced. "I don't know. Their birthdays are two months away. Maybe by then we'll be able to."
"Hey, you guys haven't sung for a while. Would you sing tonight, please?" Ellie pleaded. "It will help everyone relax."
Taylor entered our room. "Tay, let's get Ike and play tonight. We can go outside."
"Okay," Taylor said. "Ellie, could you get Ike?"
"Sure." Ellie stood, hugged me and went out of the room.
"Zac, we've got to help Ike and Gabby."
"We can't," I said.
"We have to! They're both on the verge of insanity. Soon we will be too!"
"Maybe we can get Ike to play More Than Anything," I suggested.
"Maybe."
We met Ellie, Ike, Celine, Mrs. Silverman and Mom downstairs. "Celine, you can come too!" Ellie was begging.
"All right," Celine relented.
"I'm going to stay here with Diana," Mrs. Silverman said. "You guys have fun."
"Anyone know where Gabby is?" Celine asked. Ike said nothing.
"Down by the pond," Taylor jumped in. "I'll get her and meet you outside."
"Okay," I said. I had decided to just grab my castanets, because it would take way too long to drag the drums outside.
Ellie and I walked hand-in-hand along, following Ike and Celine. "Will you play Ever Lonely?" Ellie asked.
"Of course!" I knew why she wanted me to play it too. We saw Taylor and Gabby up ahead and went to meet them.
"Hey, Gabby," I said, reluctantly leaving Zac's side to go over to my best friend.
"Hey." Gabby paused. "What are we doing?"
"The guys are gonna play," I said, leading her to Celine's side. A few moments later, the guys started MMMBop. I noticed Ike wasn't singing with his usual flair. Probably because his heart was broken, I added. I grabbed Gabby and made her "bop" to the music. Soon, she was smiling and dancing. I glanced up at Zac. He smiled at me and my heart melted as a gust of wind blew Zac's hair from his face.
Gabby and I shouted out requests for an hour. The guys did a special a cappella version of I Will Come to You that they'd been practicing. Gabby's eyes were fixed, and his on her in return.
After the song, I shouted, "Ike, sing More Than Anything!"
"Ellie..." Gabby groaned.
Ike's cheeks colored. "Uh..." he procrastinated. "I think we better turn in. My voice is getting a little hoarse."
I bit back my tongue, knowing full well that Ike was fine. Zac and Tay shrugged, deciding not to push their brother when he was feeling this way. Gabby gave a sigh of relief, but I met Zac's eyes, both of us sharing the same thought. How were we going to get them back together again?
