Words [Riley Matthews]

05 ~ company

All Gabriel wanted was some company. It wasn't easy when his siblings managed to go off and make friends and spending pretty much all their time with them. Grant spent majority of the day at work. It left Gabriel alone, with no company.

Gabriel spent majority of his day, walking around New York on his own, looking around. He eventually found himself in Central Park. As he walked he spotted Riley Matthews with a girl with blonde hair. The blonde girl was shorter than Riley, Gabriel noticed.

Before Gabriel could turn around and walk as far away as possible from Riley, Riley had waved at him. Gabriel groaned and rolled his eyes. He had seen her. She saw him. She knows he saw her. He can't just pretend that he didn't see her.

Riley started walking towards him. Her friend looked at Riley confused, but followed her.

"Hi, Gabriel," Riley greeted Gabriel.

"Hi," he said. He tried to sound as nice as possible. He didn't want to come off as a jerk.

"Who're you?" the blonde asked.

"My name's Gabriel," Gabriel said.

"Gabriel?" she repeated. "You seriously want people to call you that?"

"Yeah, why?" Gabriel asked. "I don't mind people calling me by Gabriel."

"I'm calling you Gabe," she decided.

"Fine," Gabriel said, "whatever."

"You don't mind people calling you Gabe?" Riley asked.

"No, I don't," Gabriel said, shaking his head. "My mom used to call me that all the time. But my dad and siblings, they always called be Gabriel, so."

"Where is your mom, by the way?" Riley asked. "I never saw her. Does she have work or something?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Gabriel said.

"Ooh, touchy subject," the blonde said. "What happened? Did she walk out on you and your family?"

"No, she did not," Gabriel said. "Stop asking me about my mom. I don't want to talk about her."

"If you told us -"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Gabriel said, getting irritated. "Why can't you just stop asking me about my mom?"

"Alright, fine," she gave in. "I'll stop."

"Yeah, you say that, than you'll ask me again," Gabriel said, rolling his eyes.

"We'll see, Gabe," the blonde said.

"You never told me your name," Gabriel said.

"Gabriel, this is Maya," Riley said. "She's my best friend."

Gabriel didn't say anything.

"Do you want to hang out with us, Gabe?" Maya asked. "You were alone."

"I'm good," Gabriel said. As much as he wanted to have some company, he'd much rather not be with them. He'd do anything not to hang out with them. He already disliked Maya. He wasn't sure what to make of Riley,

"Please, Gabe," Riley said. "I mean, we can help you to make and everything. We'll leave you alone as soon as we help you make a friend."

"If I were you, I would say yes," Maya advised.

"Why would I do that?" Gabriel asked.

"She won't leave you alone until she fixes the situation you're in," Maya explained.

Gabriel looked at Riley.

"Whatever," he said.

"Yay!" Riley said, excitedly. "Maya and I were about to leave. Maybe get milkshakes or something."

"Fine," Gabriel said.

Riley and Maya started walking. Gabriel, unwillingly, followed them. Hey, at least it's better than being alone, a voice in his head said.

Gabriel rolled his eyes at the thought. He'd much rather be alone now than have company. They headed to Baskin Robbins. Riley and Maya ordered their ice creams.

"Would you like anything?" the server asked Gabriel.

"N -" Gabriel started before Riley interrupted him.

"Get something," she insisted. "I'll pay, I don't mind."

"It's -" Gabriel said.

"Dude, just order," Maya said.

Gabriel sighed and turned to the server. He ordered an ice cream just so they won't insist on him getting ice cream.

After paying, they left the store and started to walk around New York. Gabriel was behind them. He focused more on his ice cream than the conversation.

"Hey, Gabe!" Maya called. "Hurry up! We'll leave you behind if you don't hurry up!"

"Then leave me behind," Gabriel responded. "I don't care if I get left behind. I can take care of myself."

"We're not leaving him behind, Maya," Riley said. "Besides, we invited him."

"You invited him," Maya corrected.

"Doesn't matter," Riley said. "He's staying with us."

"Fine, whatever," Maya said, rolling her eyes.

Gabriel continued to spend the rest of the day with the two girls, unwillingly.

Eventually they returned.

"You're still following us," Maya pointed out.

"No, really?" Gabriel asked, sarcastically. "I didn't know that."

"Gabe lives across the hall from us," Riley explained. "He and his family just moved here from Boston."

"Oh," Maya said. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot from each other than."

"I hope not," Gabriel said.

Riley opened the door to her apartment.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" she called.

Gabriel heard a response, but didn't hear who said it and what was said.

***

Gabriel had somehow found himself in the Matthews apartment for dinner. Auggie, Riley's little brother, was happy that Gabriel was here. There was finally a guy in the household apart from himself and his father.

Gabriel didn't talk much. Not only he didn't want to talk, he never got the chance. With Auggie constantly talking to him about his summer and his friends, he never got that chance to speak.

Shortly after dinner, Gabriel said that he had to leave. He had been wanting to leave since he saw Riley and Maya at the Park, but he failed to do so. He managed to escape now, which was a relief.

"Where were you all day?" Grant asked Gabriel when he entered.

"I think it's obvious that I wasn't in the apartment," Gabriel responded.

"Where did you go?" Grant asked his youngest.

"Lots of places," Gabriel answered.

"Where specifically?"

"Why does it matter now?" Gabriel asked his mother. "It's not like you bothered to ask me in the past. Not since Mom died."

"Well I'm putting an effort now," Grant said.

"Do you honestly think that it'll change things?" Gabriel asked. "It doesn't change how you cared more about Justin's and Emma's days than mines! Just admit it! You like them better than me!"

"No, I don -" Grant started but he never got the chance to finish his sentence. Gabriel stormed to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.