The Other Side of Envy

by C. L. Stone

  The girls waited quietly, and spoke together in whispers in the room. Mrs. Sorenson was asleep. Gabriel assumed they talked about how to best approach her.

  He held his broken phone in his hands, feeling the cracks that Sang had made into the screen. It almost looked like a tree. He didn’t want to replace it. She could break all his things.

  He looked down, tapping at his phone. It was open to the voicemail box. He hit play on the last message, listening again to the mistaken butt dial and the other guys talking in the background.

  Kota sighed. “Gabriel’s going to be busier than ever.”

  “We should probably give him a year off,” Nathan said. “A vacation.”

  Gabriel smirked and turned it off at that point. He suspected this might have been set up, but it wasn’t like he could confront them about it…or that he would tell them about it. Even if it was fake, he appreciated the effort. He’d been really mad over the last day, angry with them over things that weren’t their faults. It wasn’t fair of him and he blamed it on being tired and stressed out.

  He’d make up for being so moody to them later. He especially needed to apologize to Victor.

  And maybe talk to him about this new plan with Sang. If they were to stay together, they’d have to ensure to win her over. Victor was right, they’d have to make time to take her to the spa and do other things with her.

  He glanced in again at Sang, standing by with Marie as they waited for signs of Mrs. Sorenson to wake up and notice them. Sang shifted from foot to foot, scratching at her arm, touching her cheek.

  Gabriel sighed. She was nervous. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

  He couldn’t lose her now. It hurt too much to even think about leaving her, or to think she’d ever leave.

  Lily had been right. Mr. Blackbourne was right. Liam and the others were right. Somehow, they’d worked so hard at becoming a family, at being together, that they didn’t think of the dynamics that could come up as a result of having a girl on the team. That she was a beautiful girl and there was so much to love about her.

  She needed someone to love her.

  He needed it, too. Looking in on her on the other side of the one-way mirror, she couldn’t see him, but he hoped she knew he was there.

  He reached a finger up, tracing a small heart along the glass, around her face.

  A door opened in the observation room behind where he stood. Gabriel dropped his hand quickly. Dr. Green came in; Gabriel could see his reflection in the window. He didn’t turn to greet him. He couldn’t peel his eyes away from Sang. He didn’t trust to not watch her now. Not when Mr. McCoy and even Mr. Morris were still out there looking for her. They were away for now, on the other side of the city chasing Kota and North in different directions with the new girl, waiting for Mr. McCoy to blow his top and talk.

  This was part of the war they fought now. It would take a while before it was over. It wasn’t exactly what they signed up for.

  It wasn’t what Sang signed up for.

  Dr. Green sidled up next to Gabriel.

  They watched quietly as Sang stood back, letting Marie greet her mother. Mrs. Sorenson looked surprised to see them. Her arm had an IV needle in it. Her finger had a heart pulse monitor clip stuck to it, and a machine was nearby, with a screen showing readouts.

  Marie called to her quietly. Mrs. Sorenson’s eyes focused on Marie and then scanned the room. She spotted Sang and frowned. She opened her mouth but then looked beyond Sang. The door was open. Mrs. Sorenson put on a thick smile and loudly proclaimed to have missed Marie and asked for a hug.

  Even Marie seemed to hesitate at this request. Marie was wearing a light sweater and jeans, and had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She didn’t look much like her half-sister. She moved forward quietly to give her mother an awkward hug.

  Mrs. Sorenson didn’t ask the same of Sang.

  “She’s barely acknowledged her,” Gabriel said. He gripped at the handrail tighter. “She won’t even say hello.”

  “Marie knows what to say,” Dr. Green said. “She was willing to participate. She’s a bit happier now that she has the house to herself. These little favors are easy for her now.’

  “Yeah,” Gabriel said, “but Sang doesn’t need to be in there. Shit, the woman can’t even say hi to her. After everything she’s been through... Is she just going to sit there and act like Sang’s invisible?”

  “Hey,” Dr. Green said. He put an arm around Gabriel’s shoulder. “I know it isn’t easy. Sang probably needed to see her stepmother at least once more anyway, without her screaming and acting crazy. There’s some closure going on in there. Look at her.”

  Gabriel lifted his head. Sang was standing off to the side, away from the bed. Her bright green eyes were fixed on her mother and half-sister. Her hair was twisted in a clip away from her face, showing her determined expression.

  “She’s not flinching,” Dr. Green said. He clapped Gabriel on the back and then released him. “See? She’s not afraid. She knows she can’t hurt her anymore, so she’s willing to smile, to stand aside and listen. If she gets a chance to speak, and wants to, she will. Otherwise, she at least sees her stepmother will live and life can move on.”

  “It’s got to hurt, though,” Gabriel said. He wasn’t so sure Sang was feeling confident. Sang occasionally touched her lip, or continued to shift on her feet. Maybe Dr. Green didn’t notice, but Gabriel did. In Sang’s eyes, there was fear, small, but it was there. “Her mother’s a control freak who tried to break her.”

  “But she didn’t,” Dr. Green said. “Sang’s got a strong, bounce-back personality. Part of that was survival instinct. Part of it, I want to believe, is because she’s just too adorable.”

  Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Yeah. She’s cute.” He turned his head now and looked at Dr. Green. Gabriel didn’t like the doctor’s coat. It didn’t work with a lot of the clothes he’d picked out for him. It made him look like he was wearing a tent. With all that white, it needed a splash of color. The nurses at least got color with their scrubs. The cartoon covered ones drove him a little crazy, but he understood.

  Gabriel wiped a palm across his forehead. He needed to stop thinking about clothes. He needed to focus.

  “I got word from Mr. Blackbourne about McCoy,” Dr. Green said.

  Gabriel leaned against the wall, his arms folded against his chest. He kept an eye on Sang as he spoke. “Yeah? Did they shoot him yet?”

  Dr. Green laughed. “Not yet. Mr. Blackbourne had them get Mr. McCoy to chase them into the heart of our little fake Academy building. Mr. Morris observed them entering and remained outside. McCoy went in.”

  Gabriel snapped his head around, staring at Dr. Green. “You serious? He went inside? Did we have anything set up?”

  “Looked like a school to him, I think,” Dr. Green said. “At least until he asked to see the Principal, and tried to persuade her to release Sang Sorenson to him.”

  “What?” Gabriel asked. “What an idiot.”

  “They’ve detained him inside the school today. Kota came back out and told Mr. Morris that Mr. McCoy was inside talking with teachers and getting information. Mr. Morris went home to sleep. They’d been up all night and had to call in a substitute for Morris for his class today.”

  “What now?” Gabriel asked. “We’ll hold on to him?”

  “We’ve separated them,” Dr. Green said. “We’ve severed their communication and we’re going to start with filtering lies to each of them as they text each other. He’s convinced Mr. Morris that Sang’s basically a criminal. We’re not sure how much Mr. Morris believes, but McCoy had something really dirty on him. Bad enough that Morris would do whatever he said to get him off his back.” He pointed a finger gently at the window toward Sang. “Sang started a turf war. She doesn’t even know it. She’s got them riled up and fighting amongst themselves. It’s really, really good. We couldn’t even have gotten them this riled up. They’re going to spill the beans soon.”

  “That’s good
,” Gabriel said. He smiled and turned his head toward Sang. Mrs. Sorenson was going on and on about the treatment she’d received by the nurses. Marie nodded. Sang stood quietly, waiting. “Do we go to school tomorrow?”

  “Maybe to school,” he said. “But we’re thinking Sang might have her schedule changed. Maybe everyone’s schedule will change.”

  “They can do that mid-year?” Gabriel asked.

  “Happens all the time,” Dr. Green said. He smiled. “It’s like moving to a new school mid-year. You just pick up what you’ve missed...or in our case, something different.”

  Gabriel groaned. He slid his fingers through his hair. “That’s more homework. More shit.”

  “Maybe not,” Dr. Green said. “Not if I or Mr. Blackbourne are the teachers for the rest of the year.”

  Gabriel grinned. “What? Seriously?”

  “It might not happen for another week, or two,” he said. “Maybe not even until after the holidays. There’s a few things we have to work out. But Kota informed us of the complaints about homework and classes getting in the way of the mission. He’s been listening. He brought it to Mr. Blackbourne.” Dr. Green reached out and chopped Gabriel on the head. “You know what that means?”

  “Aw shit,” Gabriel said. He rolled his eyes. “Oh no.” This was horrible. They’d basically told Mr. Blackbourne that they hated schoolwork and homework assignments and classes. Mr. Blackbourne would have them busting their asses until the end of the school term. Getting out of class didn’t mean they’d be taking it easy. Now they’d have to work twice as hard.

  “Yup,” Dr. Green said. His green eyes lit up and he laughed. “Congratulations. I’m so glad I’m out of school.”

  Gabriel pushed his forehead against the cool glass again. Absently, he reached up, feeling for the three black earrings. He watched Sang, but his mind drifted. “She’s coming with us, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah,” Dr. Green said quietly. He folded his arms and came over to the window, looking in on her. “Don’t think we could get rid of her now if we tried.”

  “Do…” Gabriel pursed his lips. He didn’t like the question he wanted to ask. Do you like her, too? He couldn’t stand the thought. Sure, he was on board with Lily’s way of getting Sang on the team. He was willing to fight for it. Right now, though, his heart couldn’t take knowing how much the others cared for her.

  He cared too much to think of sharing her affection. If he didn’t ask, he didn’t know how they felt. He didn’t see them if she went off on her own with the others. He saw only when she was with him.

  He wanted to make sure he’d get as much time with her as he could.

  Dr. Green turned, checking out the observation room. Gabriel’s bag was nearby, open and with clothes and other things for Sang and himself. Dr. Green went to it, pulling out a spiral notebook. “Anything new?”

  Gabriel nodded. Of course there was. Dr. Green often checked out Gabriel’s sketches. He said he appreciates fine art. Gabriel tried calling him on his bullshit, but secretly, he liked Dr. Green checking in on his work. He liked getting the feedback and suggestions from him. He might not draw, but Dr. Green had a fine eye for colors, fashion… a lot of things. He didn’t have much time, though. Gabriel hoped later after this school mission was over and his internship was concluded, he’d have more. He missed going shopping with him.

  Dr. Green flipped through the notebook. He turned pages and then slowed when he got to sections he hadn’t seen yet. He stopped at the later pages and smiled. “You’ve captured her smile pretty well.”

  Gabriel stared hard at Sang, his eyes reflexively looking at her mouth. He’d been thinking about the mural she liked. He thought of painting her into the scene, but he didn’t like it for some reason. “I thought about painting her into my forest mural,” he said. “It’s not working out like I’d hoped.”

  Dr. Green turned the page, holding the book away at arm’s length, checking it from a distance. “She’s alone.”

  Gabriel looked back at him. “Huh?”

  Dr. Green pointed to the drawings. “You always paint her alone.”

  “So?”

  “So paint her with someone. It doesn’t look right when she’s alone.”

  Gabriel blinked at him. Would that work? He sucked in a breath, holding it. Suddenly, his eyes blurred, because he saw lines, colors. He was picturing faces. Kota’s? Luke’s? He’d drawn them a few times. Luke had fine features that were difficult to replicate on paper without him looking like a girl in the end.

  He was so lost in thought about colors and shapes, that he didn’t notice Dr. Green had approached him again until he placed a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “No, dummy,” he said with a grin. “Paint yourself into the picture with her.”

  Gabriel made a face and shook his head. “Naw.”

  “Do it,” Dr. Green said. He pointed at his chest. “I’ve never steered you wrong before. Trust me. Draw yourself with her…How you’d like to be with her.”

  Gabriel’s heart sped up in his chest. Draw how he’d like to be with Sang.

  Before he could let himself get too far with that day dream, Mrs. Sorenson’s voice rose. “What do you want?”

  Gabriel and Dr. Green turned their attention to the room. Sang had taken a step forward, looking to be acknowledged. She stood nearby the foot of the bed now, hands clasped behind her back, twisting her fingers.

  Gabriel strained at the sight of this. She didn’t want to be there. Gabriel wanted to leave, to go into that room and stand beside her. She needed someone. He knew it.

  He forced himself to stand still. He’d hold back now, but if that woman says one word to Sang, he’d fly in there.

  Sang looked down at the blanket on the bed, but she spoke to her stepmother.

  “I’m sorry you’re sick,” she said. “I hope you get better.”

  “I’ll live,” Mrs. Sorenson said. Her lips twisted like she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself.

  “I don’t want to bother you,” Sang said.

  Gabriel reached out to touch the window, touching where Sang’s back was to him, hoping he could sense him somehow. He wished he’d gone in there with her. Sang was going to push for answers now. He knew. He could feel it. She was tired of waiting. She wanted to get the answers and get out of there. Brave, idiot girl. No, smart girl. She was brilliant. Clever. Funny. Beautiful.

  And she kissed him back. She liked him.

  He focused. He couldn’t get lost now.

  “What do you want?” Mrs. Sorenson asked.

  “I just wanted to know if you could tell me who my real mother was.” Sang held her hands out, open, palms up. “I won’t ask you anything else. I’ll go away and I won’t bother you. I…I know she’s dead. If you don’t want me…if my dad doesn’t want me, then maybe my mother has family and…”

  “Do I look like an idiot?” Mrs. Sorenson spat, her voice low, almost too low to hear through the observation window. Dr. Green and Gabriel leaned in closer. “Is this so you can dig her up and send the police after your father and I? Have us both arrested?”

  “No,” Sang said, her voice pitching higher. She pressed her hands against her chest. “No, not that. If you wanted me out of your hair, though, I…”

  “Go ask your father if you want to know,” she said.

  “He won’t tell me.”

  Mrs. Sorenson turned her head, staring at the wall. She moved her lips, but her mouth remained shut.

  “She does that when the nurses tell her something she doesn’t want to hear,” Dr. Green said. “She refuses to listen or say another word.” Dr. Green sighed and shook his head. “That’s it. She won’t tell us.”

  Gabriel’s heart dropped. He rocked his head back. Shit. It meant if Sang wanted to know, she’d have to approach the old man directly. How, he wasn’t sure. She had called and left messages and he never came back to check on them. Even fake notices from the school did nothing. Word had it that the new mistress…lover…woman kept a pretty tight hold
on him. She called every day to ask how he was. She expected him home by dinner. He couldn’t go on business trips anymore.

  He probably deserved a woman who would keep him tied down and watch over his every move, but right now, they needed info. That was hard to do when they couldn’t get even a second to send a guy in to ask questions.

  Sang eventually understood her stepmother wouldn’t talk to her any more. Her head lowered, and she waited there, like she wanted to wait her out, like she couldn’t believe her step-mother, the woman who raised her from a baby, could ever reject even one question.

  Gabriel swallowed hard, his eyes watering. She still held hope that Mrs. Sorenson was a better woman than she was. God, Sang was beautiful. Always hopeful for the best. How dare anyone try to crush and break someone so…perfect. She never said one bad thing about her step-mom, her dad…even her sister when she was being a brat.

  She deserved so much better.

  Gabriel’s heart sunk then, low and while hopeful, it was a terrible thought to him. Maybe if she found the answer someday of who her real mother was…maybe she would find a grandparent or aunt who really would embrace her as family. She deserved someone like that.

  He’d be that someone, at least, though he thought it might be different if she ever found a mother-like person who actually cared.

  Like Pam. Pam wasn’t perfect. She was harsh at times, even, but she tried. She actually cared if Gabriel was happy. She had shit taste in men, and had a bad life, but under it all, she tried. That’s all that mattered to him. He may not stick around, but he’d always make sure she was safe.

  Sang glanced once at the window and then looked at Marie. Marie sent her a small smile and then nodded toward the door. Sang walked out into the hallway and shut the door behind her.

  Gabriel started to leave so he could go meet her, but Dr. Green made it to the door ahead of him and met Sang out in the hall. Gabriel turned back to grab his bag when he heard Marie and Mrs. Sorenson talking.