18 and Betrayed

Continuation of 18 and Deceived

Gabrielle "Gabi" Donner's world was undergoing an immense tailspin. Just two months prior, she was celebrating her 18th birthday, and also found the confidence to start dating again, thanks to her mother. However, one potential boyfriend, JT, ended things with her, and just when she thought she found love with Brandon Schott, not only does she witness Brandon with another woman, but he ends up dead. And just when things can't get any worse for Gabi, her mother and the closest person in her life, Andrea Donner, is nowhere to be found, and Gabi ended up arrested and accused of killing Brandon.

The downward spiral remained in Gabi's mind as she was being interrogated by the arresting detective, Samantha Girard. "Detective," said Gabi, "I assure you, I did not kill Brandon. I just want to get out of here and look for my mother."

"Miss Donner," said Girard, "we know that Mr. Schott was last seen with a brunette woman fitting your description at a nightclub, and it was in the alley behind the club that we found his body."

"I am telling you, I didn't do it!" exclaimed Gabi.

"Witnesses saw that same woman leaving the club at the same time as Mr. Schott," continued Girard. "Tell me, Miss Donner, how long did you date the victim?"

"Only three weeks," said Gabi. "And yes, I was at the club, but I saw Brandon with another woman. A brunette, similar to my look, but afterwards, I left out the front door alone." Just as Girard was about to speak, one of her officers informed her that a witness had corroborated Gabi's story, with Gabi overhearing the conversation and breathing a sigh of relief.

"You're free to go, Miss Donner," said Girard, after which Gabi left without saying a word to the detective. She didn't have to look very far to find to the witness who spoke up for her, as she quickly spotted that person: her best friend, Mikka.

"Thank you so much!" Gabi said as she hugged Mikka.

"I can't believe this has happened!" exclaimed Mikka. "They actually thought you killed Brandon?"

"They thought that other woman was me," said Gabi. "I hope they find her. Meanwhile, I need to find my mom; she's disappeared." Gabi and Mikka worked together on the search; placing posters of Andrea Donner with contact information on them, but only received uneducated guesses and false statements. Just as the girls were about to give up, Gabi suddenly received a message on her phone, and couldn't believe who it was from.

"Mikka," said Gabi, "JT sent me a message." Mikka looked at Gabi's phone and saw a four word message:

"We need to talk."

In addition, both girls saw four photos appear from the nightclub on the evening in question. All of them featured Brandon and the mystery woman, and while her face was hidden in three of them, the fourth featured the woman's face partially shown, though Gabi saw enough to recognize who it was.

"MOM?!"

Both Gabi and Mikka were horrified to learn that Andrea Donner, the former's own mother, was with Brandon at the nightclub. Gabi wasted no time calling JT afterwards, as she wanted to talk to him.

"JT?"

"You got my messages." said JT. "Good. Look, we need to meet up. There's something we have to tell you."

"Wait, what do you mean 'we'?" asked Gabi.

"Come back to your house," JT said, before he was suddenly knocked out from behind by a masked assailant.

"JT? JT?!" Gabi shouted, only to receive no answer. Gabi and Mikka entered the former's car and drove as fast as they could to the house, but their drive saw the girls being followed by another vehicle. Gabi sped away from the other car and returned to the house, only to--again--find it empty. All the while, the other car stopped at the house as well, and the girls were startled by a knock the door. Despite Mikka's warnings, Gabi decided to open the door and confront whoever it was outside, only to be surprised to see who it was.

"Hi, Gabi. It's been too long."

"Dad?" Gabi asked, after realizing that her father, Nathan Donner, was standing right in front of her. However, she broke away from the realization and slammed the door in Nathan's face, as she had harbored resentment towards him for nine years.

"Gabi!" exclaimed Mikka. "That's your dad!"

"He stopped being my dad when he walked out on me and my mom," replied Gabi.

"That's not what happened!" shouted Nathan. "Please, Gabi. Open the door! I want to talk!" Gabi refused, but Mikka decided to open the door for Nathan, much to her friend's dismay. "I'm Mikka, Gabi's friend," Mikka said to Nathan.

"What do you want?" asked Gabi.

"I want to tell you the truth about everything," said Nathan. "First off, you received the messages from JT?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Gabi.

"I had been trying to see you for years," said Nathan, "and I had encountered JT earlier today after I heard that you were arrested; he told me he had known you and that you dated. He also told me that he was trying to talk to you and warn you about your mother; he had shown me the photos of her at that club."

"Why were you even with JT?" asked Gabi. Nathan gave a deep sigh after Gabi's query, but finally responded to his daughter.

"Because I was trying to find you and tell you the truth about nine years ago," Nathan answered. "I was all set to go to that recital, but your mother and I, we got into an argument that night. It was the same thing we always fought about: me not making enough money--at least in her mind. Anyway, your mother asked me to check the basement for something, I don't know what, and she suddenly struck me from behind. I fell down the basement steps and found myself locked in when I came to."

Gabi couldn't say anything; she was too busy processing what her father was telling her, but Nathan wasn't done. "Gabi," he began, "what did your mother tell you about me after the recital?"

"She said that you were beating her that night and you threatened to leave her," answered Gabi.

"I figured," said Nathan. "That's the same story she told the police after I freed myself from the basement. Our house was completely empty and so was my bank account. When I called the police, I found out that Andrea told them that I was abusive to her and had filed a restraining order against me." Nathan began to break down as he approached Gabi. "But you know I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know, Dad," a tearful Gabi said as she hugged her father, which brought back memories of how much Nathan loved her as a child.

"I'm so happy for you guys," said Mikka, "but we came to meet JT and he's suddenly gone. It's clear that Mrs. Donner took him, but where?"

"I know where," Nathan said right before he left. "Come on. We're going home." Gabi quickly understood her father's words, as she and Mikka followed Nathan to Gabi's old home, where she once lived with both parents. Her first time in the house in nine years saw herself and Mikka both see JT tied up, and Nathan inside being held at gunpoint by Andrea.

"Mom?!" shouted Gabi. "What the hell are you doing?

"Honey..." Andrea began, "as you see, I have to protect myself. After all, your little boyfriend went after me, and now your father's here...violating his restraining order."

"Mom, stop!" ordered Gabi. "Dad told me everything. How could you?!"

"How could I?!" shouted Andrea. "How could you believe that man over your mother?! After spending the last nine years raising you on my own?!"

"Only for a paycheck," replied Gabi. "That's what I was to you: income."

"She tried to get money from me," said JT.

"Shut up!" snarled Andrea. JT ignored Andrea's demands, and provided more revelations to Gabi about her mother. "Gabi," said JT, "your mother attempted to get money from me, because she knew once you turned 18, she couldn't make more for raising you anymore. I refused, and I was ordered by your mother to break up with you."

"Don't listen to him, Gabi," said Andrea.

"That's why you were with Brandon," said Gabi. "You saw his car, knew he was rich, and so you slept with him!"

"Absolutely shady," said Mikka. Andrea's expression of panic transformed into a sinister scowl, and she finally cut loose on everyone around her. "I deserve to have something in my life," said Andrea. "All those years married to a man who can't provide for me, and I finally got away. All I had to do was portray myself as an abused single mother; it was easy. But then you turned 18, and I needed a new safety net!"

"And when you couldn't get money from me, you went to Brandon," said JT.

"You really hit the jackpot, Gabi," Andrea said coyly, "but I told you that he was too old for you...but not for me." Andrea's smirk sickened everyone around her, including and especially Gabi, who turned her attention to her mother's hair. "Yet you're wearing that wig," said Gabi. "Were you trying to look like me to please Brandon?"

"You're half right," said JT. "I had heard about Brandon's murder. You know what was at the scene? A yellow marigold." Gabi gave a horrified expression, as those were the same flowers that JT gave Gabi on the day they met. "Oh my goodness," Gabi said, "Mom...you killed Brandon? And you tried to frame me?!"

"Brandon didn't want me anymore!" snarled Andrea. "Even after I told him that I was pregnant with his child! He was still in love with you! He was even going to tell you about our affair, and I couldn't let that happen. So I pulled out a gun, fired two shots in his back, and left that tacky flower right on him."

"But why frame your own daughter?!" shouted Gabi.

"Because you owe me!" Andrea exclaimed as she took off the wig and revealed her red hair. "You took too much from me--Brandon was the last straw!"

"It's over, Andrea," said Nathan.

"No, it isn't," the evil Andrea smirked. "I have it all planned. It will look like a mass murder-suicide: father, boyfriend, even her own best friend...all killed by a scorned woman, who later takes her own life." Just as Andrea raised her gun, police officers entered the house, with Nathan revealing that he had called them before the confrontation, and they took Andrea away in handcuffs.

A year passed, and Nathan had been fully reunited with Gabi after Andrea's arrest and conviction for her crimes. Regarding Gabi, she and JT rekindled their relationship, and while the couple attended college together, they also helped Nathan raise Gabi's baby half-brother, who was born during Andrea's incarceration. Despite being the infant's sibling, Gabi is more of a mother figure, and after her terrible ordeal, Gabi was confident that she would be a much better mother to him than their own mother was. In fact, when Gabi first held him in her arms, she was the one who provided his name: Cale.

Thank you for reading this story all the way through! This is my first attempt at a multi-part fiction story, so if you like it, feel free to click the heart below, and if you really love it, feel free to leave a tip (if you want)!