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| Don't Tell Ian |
Gabrielle’s discovery confirms everything Emily told Ian—but the truth leaves his friends angry and looking for justice. Ian insists revenge isn’t the answer, but once he walks away, Gabrielle, Lee, and Riley begin making plans of their own.
Episode 15 | Don't Tell Ian
Ian pushed through the double doors and stepped into the waiting room.
Fiona was on her feet before the doors closed behind him.
“How is she?”
Ian rubbed a hand across his face. “She's okay. Her mom's with her.”
“Did you get to talk to her?”
“Yeah.”
Fiona studied him. “And?”
Ian looked around the waiting room before answering.
“Can we sit down?”
They moved toward a row of chairs away from the front desk. Ian had barely taken a seat when the main doors opened.
Fiona looked up.
“Gabby?”
Gabrielle hurried toward them with Lee right behind her.
Ian stared at them. “What are you two doing here?”
“We came to check on you,” Lee said.
“I told Gabby you didn't have to come,” Fiona said.
“Yeah, well, we came anyway.”
A voice behind them made Lee turn.
“You guys actually came?”
Riley approached from the hallway, still dressed in his work scrubs.
Lee grinned. “Did you really think we wouldn't?”
Riley smiled and shook his head. “I should've known better.”
He looked at Ian.
“How's Emily?”
“She's okay.”
Riley visibly relaxed. “Good.”
Ian looked at Gabrielle. She hadn't said much since walking in.
“You okay?”
Gabrielle glanced around.
“I need to tell you something.”
Something in her voice made Ian sit straighter.
“What?”
“Not here.”
They moved farther away from the front desk to a quieter corner of the waiting room.
Gabrielle lowered her voice.
“Before we left the dance, I went to the bathroom. Two girls came in while I was in one of the stalls.”
Ian waited.
“They didn't know I was there.”
“What girls?” Fiona asked.
“I don't know their names. I've seen them around school.” Gabrielle looked at Ian. “They were talking about somebody named Jordan.”
Ian's expression changed.
Gabrielle noticed.
“You know who I'm talking about?”
Ian didn't answer.
“They were laughing because Jordan wasn’t real,” Gabrielle continued. “They said he was never real. One of them said Emily told him all kinds of personal things.”
Fiona's eyes widened.
“They said Emily?”
Gabrielle nodded. “By name.”
Ian leaned back in his chair.
“What else did they say?”
“They talked about posting her messages online. One of them said Emily looked like she was going to cry when she found the page.”
Ian stared at her.
“They were laughing about it, Ian.”
For several seconds, no one said anything.
Then Ian spoke.
“Emily just told me the same thing.”
Gabrielle blinked. “What?”
“Jordan. The messages. The page. All of it.”
“So it's true,” Lee said.
Ian nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
Gabrielle's expression hardened.
“I heard them with my own ears.”
Lee looked from Gabrielle to Ian.
“Wait.”
No one spoke.
Lee lowered his voice.
“Is that why Emily is in the hospital?”
Fiona looked at Ian.
So did Riley.
Ian glanced toward the double doors.
“I don't know.”
“Come on, man,” Lee said.
“I said I don't know.”
“But she finds out some boy she trusted isn't real, her private messages get posted for everybody to see, and then she ends up here?”
“I know how it looks.”
“How it looks?” Gabrielle said. “You didn't hear them. They were laughing about it.”
Ian looked at her.
“Gabby—”
“No, Ian. They thought it was funny. Emily is lying in a hospital room and they're at the dance laughing about what they did to her.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Ian's eyes narrowed slightly. “What's that supposed to mean?”
Gabrielle folded her arms.
Riley stepped closer.
“Emily could've died.”
The words silenced all of them.
Fiona sat down.
Lee shook his head. “And they're probably still at the dance having a good time.”
“Lee,” Ian warned.
“What?”
“I know that look.”
“What look?”
“The one you get right before you do something stupid.”
Despite everything, Riley almost smiled.
Lee didn't.
“I'm just saying they shouldn't get away with it.”
“And I'm saying no one should go after anybody.”
Gabrielle stared at him. “So do nothing?”
“I didn't say that.”
“What are we supposed to do?” Lee asked. “Tell the school? Emily can’t prove they did it. The page is gone.”
“Then we'll figure out what the right thing is.”
Lee gave a humorless laugh. “Of course. We pray.”
Ian looked at him. “Prayer changes things.”
“So nothing.”
Fiona stepped between them before the argument could grow.
“Everybody's upset. This isn't the place.”
Ian looked at Lee and then Gabrielle.
“Listen to me. Whatever those girls did, revenge is not the answer. That's only going to make this worse.”
Gabrielle looked away.
“Gabby.”
She looked back at him.
“I'm serious.”
“I heard you.”
Ian turned to Lee.
“And you?”
Lee shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Me too.”
Ian looked at Riley.
Riley raised both hands. “Don't look at me.”
Fiona laughed.
Ian shook his head.
“Good. Because Emily has been through enough.”
The double doors opened behind him.
Mrs. Chester stepped into the waiting room.
“Ian?”
He immediately turned.
She motioned toward him.
“Can I speak with you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Ian glanced at his friends.
“I'll be right back.”
Fiona followed him with her eyes as he crossed the waiting room.
The moment Ian was out of earshot, Lee looked at Gabrielle.
“No.”
Gabrielle frowned. “I didn't say anything.”
“You didn't have to.”
Riley looked between them. “What are you two thinking?”
Gabrielle glanced toward Ian.
“He's right about one thing.”
Lee waited.
“We can't do anything stupid.”
Lee slowly smiled.
Riley groaned. “Why do I feel like I'm not going to like the rest of that sentence?”
Gabrielle looked back at them.
“I didn't say we weren't going to do anything.”
Lee's smile widened.
Fiona stared at them.
“Oh, no.”
Gabrielle lowered her voice.
“First, we need to find out who those girls are.”
Riley glanced across the waiting room to make sure Ian was still talking to Mrs. Chester.
Then he looked back at Gabrielle.
“I can find out.”
Fiona's eyes widened.
“Riley?”
“What? I didn't say I'd do nothing.”
Lee leaned closer.
“Okay. So we find out who they are. Then what?”
Gabrielle looked toward Ian one more time.
He hadn't noticed them.
She turned back to the others.
“Then we make sure Ian doesn't find out what we're doing.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
🔄 Previous Episode 14: What Gabby Overheard
🔙 Next Episode 16: Coming Soon
Ian believes his friends understand that revenge isn’t the answer. But Gabrielle, Lee, and Riley have other ideas—and whatever they’re planning, they’ve already agreed on one thing: Ian can’t know about it.
Note: The story above is a work of fiction created for inspirational purposes. Any resemblance to actual individuals or events is purely coincidental.
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