CH 24

Gia pulled up her knee-highs and stood up, looking in the mirror she sighed at her reflection. She was back in the uniform she despised so much. She walked over to her bathroom and applied makeup over her slightly discolored cheek. She smiled slightly as she saw that it worked and you couldn’t see anything. When she was ready for school, she headed for Jake’s room to see if he was up yet. She entered his room and saw that he was awake, but staring up at the ceiling sadly. “Jacob.” She said softly as she walked up to his crib. Jake immediately got up and held his hands out to her and she picked him up. “What’s wrong buddy?” Gia asked. Jake clung to her as quick breaths escaped his lips. “Don’t go Gia.” He said sadly. Gia pulled back and looked at him, slightly stunned that he was starting to say sentences like this. She realized that he thought she had left him again. “Jake, I won’t leave you I promise. I love you. Now come on lets get dressed OK?” Gia said. Jake nodded his head and let Gia carry him to his dresser. She pulled out a pair of overalls and a dark green T-shirt for him and got him dressed in it. “Hey mom and your dad are going to be gone until late today. What do you say we get your haircut later?” Gia said as she ran a comb through his blond hair. “Yea.” Jake said excitedly. “OK.” Gia said smiling at him.

Gia was in tears as she walked to the bus stop. It was a struggle to leave Jake with Carol and she hated having to hear him cry. He had been clinging to her all morning and he kicked and screamed to stay with her when she left him. She had sworn that she would be back for him over and over again but it didn’t seem to help. “Gia!” She turned around to see Zander walking up to her. “Hey.” He said as he hugged her. Gia welcomed his embrace and hugged him back. “Why are you crying, are you hurt?” Zander asked as he pulled back, brushing her braids back from her face. “No I’m not hurt, I just dropped Jake off at Carol’s and he didn’t want to go, it was hard that’s all.” Gia said. Zander nodded. “So you went home? How does Nikolas feel about that?” Zander asked. “Look Nikolas is just a friend and he really doesn’t have any say in what goes on in my life. My parents made a deal with me and I took it.” Gia said. “What, do what we say and you won’t get beat?” Zander said. Gia looked away sadly. “Hopefully it won’t come to that. They said if I fallow their rules, they aren’t going to send me away to boarding school. If I just do what they say I won’t have any problems.” Gia said. Zander shook his head. “Gia, god! You’re smarter then that! You know that things aren’t going to change just because they say it will. You don’t have to do anything bad to make Phil hit you; you just have to be you. I don’t know what his problem is but he just doesn’t like you, and I’m afraid that he’s going to destroy you.” Zander said. Gia looked up at him. “I would do anything for Jacob, you know that.” She said. “Even lose your life?!” Zander exclaimed. Gia nodded softly. “Yes I would die for him.” She choked out. “Well if you stay in that house any longer, then that’s what’s going to happen.” Zander said. Gia shook her head. “I don’t care. I’m so use to getting hit that it barely even hurts anymore. I’ll be fine Zander.” Gia said. Zander huffed. “Don’t lie to me or to yourself Gia.” He said. Gia looked down. “So what about Nikolas? I know that you’re more then just friends.” Zander asked. “My parents said no boys. I had to breakup with him.” Gia said. “Gia.” He said softly. Zander leaned in to look at her face, and he could see her crumbling. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried.

Nikolas pushed his tray away; he didn’t feel like eating anything. He was sick with worry over Gia. He couldn’t get his mind off of her for anything. He hadn’t even wanted to go to school but he had to. Now he was really regretting it as he saw a group of his friends walk up to him. “Nikolas what is wrong with you?” Jarred asked. “What do you mean?” Nik asked softly. Lucky came up and sat next to him. “Nikolas you’ve been so distracted lately. Are you OK?” Lucky asked. “Since when have you guys ever cared about how I’m doing?” Nik asked. “Hey, why are you acting like this? Man, you’re missing parties, your performance on the soccer field is awful, and I’ve watched you during class, you’re never paying attention. What’s up with you?” Lucky asked. Lucky was also aware that he had not talked to their mother in weeks. He knew that something was off. “I have to go.” Nik said as he got up abruptly. He fallowed Zander as he saw him exiting the cafeteria. “Hey.” Nik said, grabbing his arm lightly. Zander turned around angrily but his face softened when he saw who he was. “How is Gia?” Nik asked. Zander looked away briefly before looking at Nikolas. “You know I thought that when you came into her life that it was going to get better for her for some reason. I don’t know like you had some kind of power that you possessed that would somehow magically fix everything. But her life it just how it use to be, hell.” Zander said. Nikolas looked away, running his hands trough his hair as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I don’t know what to do for her, she would hate me if I reported her parents to the police. But I’m not giving up on her. Together you and I are going to have to try and get her to trust me and then maybe we can try and convince her to run away, just take Jacob and come and stay with me.” Nik said. “That’s if Phil doesn’t kill her before then.” Zander said. “If he hits her one more time I’m going to the cops. But I think we should try and get her out of there before anything else happens.” Nik said. Zander nodded his head. “OK, I’m in.” He said.

Gia sat outside at one of the lunch tables, staring forward mindlessly as she picked at her food. She looked up when a group of girls came up to her. Gia knew who they were but they never talked to her. They were popular. Gia eyed the five girls, all standing there looking at her. “What?” She asked. “Is it true that you’re going out with Nikolas Cassadine? The prince?” A girl named Jamie asked. “No.” Gia shook her head. One girl laughed. “See Jamie I told you there was no way that she would go out with him.” She said. “Well I heard that you stayed at his house.” Jamie said as her eyes bore into Gia. “We were friends.” Gia said. Jamie nodded her head. “Yeah it was stupid of me to think that a girl like you could ever go out with someone like him. Come on girls, lets leave Gia to eat, she could use a little more meat on her bones.” Jamie said as she and the rest of the group walked away. Gia blinked away her tears. She never let them see her cry. She got up and tossed her food in the trashcan and headed for her math class.

Gia walked out of the gates of St. Mary’s and gasped when she saw Nikolas’ Jag parked out front. She saw him get out and walk towards her. He looked so good. She naively tried to look away from him, to avoid his gaze but he smiled as he stood in front of her and she couldn’t help but look at him. “Want a ride home?” He asked. Gia looked at him in shock. “Nikolas, I told you yesterday that we can’t be together. Did you not hear what I said?” She asked softly. Nikolas shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah I heard you, but I’m still your friend, now come on I’ll drive you home.” Nik said extending his hand out to her. Gia stood stunned for a moment. She then looked over to see the same group of girls from before watching them. She looked back at Nikolas; she knew she shouldn’t go with him. She would get into so much trouble if she were caught. But she slowly nodded her head. “OK.” She said softly as she took his hand.