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Chapter 12

I’ve lived in Manhattan my whole lifeI’ve eaten dim sum in Chinatown and brick-oven pizza in Little Italy I’ve been to the top of the E and the Statue of Liberty too I’ve traced land on ary onlost in the Strand, the world’s biggest used-book storeI’ve had breakfast at Tiffany’s (well, a bagel outside it on a field trip to the Museum of Modern Art) and seen the Vermeers in the Frick (hard to believe he painted them without the help of a computer)I’ve ridden the subway to Coney Island, used the paddle boats in Central Park and skated (though not well) at Rockefeller Center I’ve even been to the World Trade Center, back when it was still the World Trade Center and not Ground ZeroBut I’ve never, ever cruised down Fourth Avenue on the back of a cute guy’s motor scooter beforeAnd I have to say, it’s the way to travel It completely beats my other pri – hands down Even though the as really cold and made my eyes water – and Cosabella didn’t seeed betweenin and out of traffic, dodging bicycle htand best of all, feeling the warh the leather of his jacket, and seeing him smile every tih he was s at Nikki Howard and not at me, I had to admitI could have ridden on the back of Gabriel Luna’s Vespa all day For the first tioodNot good about the fact that someone had apparently stuck ood about the fact that I was actually alive and got to experience cruising down Fourth Avenue on the back of a cute guy’s VespaAnd that made me realize how very, very lucky I was Whoever had done this – however it had happenedthe fact that it had enabled ratefulAt least, about that part of itThe part about all those schoolgirls wanting ht I was Nikki Howard?Not so muchUnfortunately, we reached the hospital all too soon Twenty blocks is a long way if you’re walking, but it isn’t long enough if you’re flying down the street on the back of a cute guy’s pale green Vespa Just fifteen round parking garage beneath Manhattan GeneralAnd I started feeling nervous about the kind of reception I was going to get inside I otten away a lot sooner than I had The truth was, I had kind of beenWhat exactly had they been thinking?So I’d sort of put off going back until I absolutely had toNow I had the feeling, based on what Gabriel said, I ot thereSo when Gabriel pushed the button to get a parking slip, I said, ‘Seriously you don’t have to come up with me, you can just dropI expected to ensue Ion Christopher, not Gabriel Luna, it’s still euy see your parents flip out on you‘After what happened outside your flat?’ he asked ‘Not a chance I’et delivered safely ’I felt‘What happened back there,’ I couldn’t keep , ‘what you saith Justin – that wasn’t – he just showed up this irls,’ Gabriel said‘Oh,’ I said I was glad the helo ‘He isn’the isn’t’‘Isn’t he?’I realized I’d just made what he’d seen on Center Street look infinitely worse‘No,’ I tried to explain ‘He’se ’‘I’d say so,’ Gabriel saidOh God Obviously, I just needed to keep my mouth shutBut I couldn’t see space, and Gabriel switched the Vespa’s engine off, I asked, ‘How did you know? When no one could findfor uess,’ Gabriel said, taking his helmet, which I’d carefully peeled off, from me ‘A lucky one, as it happens I suppose I don’t bla as how they won’t let you have any visitors But you really frightened the off like that – your parents, I mean Or I suppose that’s who they are – I haven’t actually met the, before they threw’I chewed h I don’t like like hiirl ould run off from a hospital and make my ‘mum’ cry, any irl who’d stay out all night with a cheeseball like Justin Bay I wanted to tell him the truth About what had happened to me, I mean I felt like he’d really understand Anyone who could sing like that – well, he’d have to understand, wouldn’t he?But I couldn’t tell him Because obviously, if they hadn’t even toldvisitors exceptpeople offwas supposed to be a secret I didn’t knohy – but I was going to get to the bottom of itToday‘It’ It was so weird, the two of us, having this aragethe saht, I’d kicked and bitten Brandon Stark as he’d stuffed me into a limo ‘It’s really nice of you to be so concerned aboutthe fact that we hardly know each other ’‘Well,’ Gabriel said ‘After what happened that day at Stark’s, I feel as if I know you, at least a little You gave us all quite a scare You reallyyou ought to take better care of yourself, Nikki ’I blinked at hi about? ‘I – what?’Gabriel seemed to hesitate, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to say what he did next But then he reached out and took one ofdown at aze, ‘It’s just that you’re so lovelyand so sweet You shouldn’t throw your life away on drugs and alcohol ’I think ain, this ti you were hospitalized for hypoglycaeht Exhaustion,’ he went on ‘But I was there that day, re to ht you were dead ’I don’t think I could have spoken if I’d tried He thought Nikki Howard had spent the past month in the hospital because she’d been in rehab? Was that what everyone thought? Ohwith shaht about Nikki Howard? It didn’t have anything to do with uess it did‘But I’m not—’ I started to sayBut Gabriel just shook his head‘You don’t have to entle as his fingertips ‘I kno hard it is, living in the spotlight, having to listen to the gossip And I’ the help you need now—’‘But—’‘Everything’s going to be all right now,’ he said as he led the way to the elevators ‘I’m really pleased you decided to come back to the hospital Your parents will be happy to see you ’ He gaveon to your floor the other night when I wasn’t supposed to ’‘Um ’ Cosy and I joined hiyou have a proble it, you know, Nikki,’ Gabriel said, s down at me I s at him turned out to be a uys, or so It seemed to

coet where ere The elevator doors closed, and then we just stood there for al at meHello Aard‘Uh,’ I said ‘I don’t knohat floor we’re going to ’‘Oh ’ Gabriel gave a start, then dropped my hand and hit the button for the fourth floor ‘Sorry ’Before I had a chance to think of anything to say – such as, I as – however, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a burly security guard, who said, ‘Sorry, folks Access to this floor is’ Then his eyes widened when he got a closer look at me ‘You!’ he cried‘Us! Alcohol! Really Did I ask for any of this? AreI knew, Mom and Dad were all over me with their Where have you beens and their We orried sicks, huggingas I’d anticipated Dr Holco on the end of his glasses while holding a clipboard Dr Higgins – the fe her hair in a bun – was beside hi all over the place, looking straggly, like she hadn’t had a chance to fix it up, given the whole part where I’d disappeared and everyone was freaking out about where I was, apparentlyWhich was going to be hard to explain, since I didn’t want to rat out Lulu and Brandon, as they’d genuinely thought they were doing the right thingOn the other hand, I did have to answer my parents’ questionsBut Gabriel Luna solved the whole proble, ‘I found her at her flat ’Which hen Dr Holcolasses back into place and asked, ‘Excuse ht then that Frida came around the corner, her head down and her shoulders slumped dejectedly When she heard Dr Holcoe saze fell on Gabriel Then the sasped ‘Gabriel Luna!’ she cried‘That’s Gabriel Luna?’ Dad whispered to Mom in a perfectly audible voice ‘He’s the one as here asking for Nikki Howard a little while ago ’‘That’s the boy I saw beside her bed,’ Dr Higgins said, pointing at Gabriel ‘He’s the one who brought her the roses!’The glance Frida threw at ht you roses?’‘He brought Nikki Howard roses,’ I corrected her Because I could see all too clearly where this was heading‘WaitGabriel Luna fro?’ Moht hand towards my parents ‘Hello I’m sorry I didn’t introducelike she was in a daze, shook Gabriel’s hand and murmured, ‘Nice to meet you too,’ while Dad, as soon as she was done, stuck out his own hand and, shaking Gabriel’s, said, ‘Where have you been with htto Gabriel’s defence ‘It’s a long story, but I didn’t exactly leave on my own andwell, he sort of rescued me ’Gabriel flashed me a smile of thanks for this Which I returned In spite of the fact that he apparently thought Nikki Hoas a drug addict, I figured he deserved some credit anyway‘Well,’ Dr Holcombe said, in a voice that was a little fake in its heartiness ‘in that case, we have ,’ Gabriel said ‘Really But I have to say, I think—’Dr Holcoht, however‘Frida,’ he said, cutting Gabriel off, ‘why don’t you show Mr Luna to the cafeteria and get yourselves a bite to eat while your sister and parents and I have a little talk All right?’Before Gabriel could say anything, Frida went froly up at hi heart-shaped, like a cartoon character’s‘Sure,’ she said in a breathy voice I’d never heard before and, taking hold of Gabriel’s arm, she cooed, ‘Here, follow me I’ll show you the way ’Which of courseso dopey Why does my sister always have to act like such – I’h, now that I knohat it actually feels like to get kissed, I guess I couldn’t really bla back at me as Frida led hiht then, I guess, uh, I’ll see you later’‘Bye,’ I started to say, wavingBut before I could utter a word one For all I knew, foreverBut I had s to deal with just then than er-songwriter And that included oing, ‘Ohin your coat?’‘It’s Nikki Howard’s dog,’ I explained‘How in God’s name,’ Dad wanted to know, ‘did you end up with Nikki Howard’s dog?’‘Well,’ I said, ‘it all started when I woke up and found that somebody had putvery uncoestured for us to follow hi, ‘Please Co him with h ‘We do ’