Gabe felt his way around the dark cell to the corner where he'd hidden the key. He reached up, his hand throbbing for some reason, and pulled the key from the wall. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust when he unlocked the door and stepped out of the room. He rubbed his hand while he waited. The feeling of absolute power numbed the pain.
When he could see without it hurting, he made his way up to his bedroom. The blackout curtains he used to prevent glare while gaming made the room almost as pitch black as his "dungeon." He flipped on the light and mindlessly picked his phone up from the dresser by his bed. He checked the time: 4:45 pm. He flipped the light back off and flopped onto the bed, which groaned with the sudden burden.
He closed his eyes, glad he didn't have to work today, and mentally replayed what had just happened: the feeling that had accompanied shifting into Renee; opening his eyes and finding himself sitting in the coffee shop; seeing and touching real breasts for the first time in his life—Oh. My. God; standing face to face with Marls for the first time since his betrayal; pulling the trigger and watching Marls fall to the ground.
I can be anyone I want. I can do anything I want.
When this was over—he didn't even fully grasp what "this" was yet—he would never have to be himself again. He could come up with a plan to shift permanently into someone else's body and live the rest of his life as whomever he wanted, leaving his fat fucking body behind forever.
Becoming Renee had been magical. It was almost as though he'd been playing another first-person RPG. His mind kept playing it over and over as he slowly drifted further away from himself and fell asleep.
The ringing of a phone ripped Gabe from his dreams like an alarm blaring full blast at four in the morning. He sat up, disoriented, and looked over at the ringing device. He picked it up and saw that Jenny was calling. He stared at the phone, coming straight to his senses, but didn't answer. This was exactly what he'd wanted. She was reaching out to him. But suddenly, he was afraid. He decided to let the call go to voicemail instead. But his phone started ringing again the moment he set it back down. He watched it ring until it stopped. It immediately started ringing for a third time. This time he answered.
"Hello?"
"Oh, Gabe!" Jenny wailed into the phone.
"Jenny?" Gabe said. He tried his best to sound surprised. He hadn't talked to her for over a year.
"I'm sorry for bothering you so late but I didn't know who else to call…"
"What do you mean?" He held his phone away from his ear and saw that it was 10:13 pm. I must have fallen asleep.
"Gabe? I… I'm sorry to bother you but I… I just need somewhere to go."
"Why? What's going on?"
"It's Marls…"
Gabe waited a moment, but when she didn't say anything more, he said, "What about him?"
"He… someone… someone shot him, Gabe."
"Shot him?" Gabe's voice squeaked the way it sometimes did when he got excited. "Is he… okay?" Gabe heard Jenny crying into the phone. "What? What happened?"
"Can I just please come over, Gabe?"
"I don't know…"
"I know things ended badly between us, and I'm sorry, but you're the only one I know here. And I don't want to be alone."
"You certain there's no one else?"
"Gabe…"
He already knew what he was going to say, but he paused so he wouldn't sound too eager. He was always too eager. "Of course," he finally said. "You're welcome to come over any time."
"Where do you live?"
"Oh, uh…" He realized that he'd never given them his new address when he moved. He gave it to her then said, "See you in a bit."
"Thanks, Gabe. This really means a lot to me."
"Sure." He hung up and got out of bed, mind racing. Jenny reaching out to him was exactly what he'd hoped would happen when Marls was no longer a factor, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon. He'd figured she would go through the whole burial and grieving process, then try to reconnect with an old friend. If she was calling him wanting to be with him on the very night her husband was murdered…
No, Gabe told himself. She doesn't have feelings for you. It would be amazing if she did—it was something he'd long fantasized about—but he'd only ever been a friend. But what if she does have feelings for you? What then? He couldn't possibly act on that, could he? No, he told himself. Not tonight. Tonight, and in the days to come, Jenny would need a friend. And that was exactly what he was going to be. It might seem suspicious if he was too eager, so he would wait. That's what Sam would do. And that's what he was going to do from now on.
He turned the lights on and went to the bathroom to clean up. His shirt was damp with sweat—and his apartment was a disaster. He wasn't expecting company. He tried not to think about Jenny while he worked. He'd spent so long trying to get over her and bury his feelings for her that he knew if he thought about it too much, he'd ruin things with her when she arrived. Instead, he focused on his experience of being Renee.
The feeling had been unbelievable. It was certainly not something he'd ever experienced before. First and foremost, he'd felt full of energy. He spent most of his waking hours tired. Work absolutely killed him. Every day he counted down the minutes until his allotted breaks. And god forbid he was even a minute late clocking back in; Hank made sure he didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the day. But when he was Renee, he felt bubbly, ready to run a race—assuming he had something better to wear than those cursed heels. And the view… He stopped himself from following that train of thought. Instead, he considered his newfound power over other people. He'd had absolute control over Renee. She was powerless to stop him. He could have done anything he wanted with her—to her. And he'd chosen to singlehandedly ruin her life. It's your own damn fault. You shouldn't have been such a superficial bitch.
Gabe's stomach grumbled. He realized he'd fallen asleep without eating. When he finished washing up he went to the kitchen in search of food. He found nothing appealing in the fridge. He opened the freezer to see if there was anything he could nuke real quick, but shut it immediately.
He had an idea.
He would order pizza.
That had been his and Jenny's thing. They always ordered pizza when she came over to game. He got on his phone and looked up his favorite pizza place, ensuring it was still open, then called and ordered a pizza. He heard a knock at the door the moment he got off the phone.
Gabe's heart raced. He hadn't seen Jenny since he'd moved out of the house he shared with Marls over a year ago. And now that she was standing at his door, his feelings for her came flooding back like a beer bong he wasn't ready for. He took a few deep breaths as he walked to the front door. He placed his hand on the knob, took one more deep, shuddering breath, and opened the door.
Jenny crashed into his chest, wrapping her arms around his thick neck. "Oh, Gabe!" she cried.
Gabe didn't know exactly what to do, so he gently wrapped his arms around her and patted her back. Her smell instantly registered with his senses, and the feel of her body against his consumed him. He closed his eyes and reveled in the moment, letting her cry into his chest. The moment dragged on but was never awkward—and he typically hated physical contact.
Eventually, she stepped back, and Gabe reluctantly let go. As she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands he said, "Please, come in."
Gabe turned to let her by and became acutely aware of the mess the house was still in. Dirty plates and empty chip bags littered the room. He hurried past her and gathered up the plates and garbage, making a spot for her to sit on the couch. It wasn't something he'd had to worry about for a long time, since he never had anyone over. Jenny waited while he worked, then sat heavily on the plush couch cushion.
An awkward silence hung in the air. Not knowing what else to say, Gabe said, "I ordered pizza."
"I'm sorry to bother you so late, Gabe, but I didn't have anywhere else to go. I couldn't be home, not with… what happened."
"No worries," Gabe said. He sat next to Jenny—not too close, though—and patted her on the back. "I can't believe someone would… who?"
"I don't know. Some woman named… um…" Gabe stopped himself from blurting out Renee's name. "…Renee Denovan. I don't know who she is or how she knew Marls, but she walked into our home and shot him."
"Do the cops have any idea why?"
"No, not yet."
"Did they at least catch her?"
Jenny nodded. "Apparently after she… um… she just went outside and sat in the middle of the driveway and didn't move until the police showed up."
"That's crazy," Gabe said. Bitch got what she deserved. "I can't believe someone would up and do that."
Jenny turned and leaned into Gabe, burying her head in his chest. She started sobbing again. "It doesn't make sense…"
"I know, I know," Gabe said, rubbing her back. "But I'm sure they'll figure it out. That's what they do, right?" He hoped they didn't figure it out. How could they, though? His plan was perfect because it was impossible. Renee would go to trial—unless she took a plea deal—and nobody would believe whatever she might try to tell them. Then she'd go to prison. Two birds killed with one stone: Both Marls and Renee got what they deserved.
Gabe continued consoling Jenny as she cried. He excused himself when there was another knock on the door heralding the pizza's arrival. Jenny wasn't hungry, which suited him perfectly. He didn't really want to share anyway. She talked while he ate and listened and did his best to care.
The night wore on. At two in the morning, Jenny finally said, "Do you mind if I stay the night? There's no way I can go home."
"Sure, sure," Gabe said gleefully. He'd always dreamed of Jenny staying the night at his place. Maybe not under these circumstances, but he'd take what he could get. "You can have my bed if you want."
"That's sweet," Jenny said, "but the couch is fine."
Sweet? She'd always thought he was sweet. But he didn't want to be sweet. Women didn't sleep with guys they thought of as "sweet." He let it go, though. Too soon. "Let me get you a pillow and blanket."
"Thanks again, Gabe. I know it probably doesn't matter, not now, but neither of us wanted to hurt you."
Gabe froze and looked down at Jenny. A pang of anger rose in him. He pushed it down—he'd already had his vengeance. He shook his head and said, "You're right. It doesn't matter."