April 1999
"Jelly Bean!" Gaby called out as she ran down the hallway of Milord Fillmore High.
"Yes Gabrielle?" Henry said as he braced himself for impact as Gaby ran into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Henry you know I love you right?" Gaby said as she looked up at him.
"Yeah, I love you too Gaby." Henry said as he kissed her lips.
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"I have two tickets to the Green Day concert in Charlottesville."
"Aww that's nice." Henry said as Gaby entwined their fingers together as they walked out of the building.
"You're going with me." Gaby said
"You know that's not my type of music."
"So?" Gaby said as she tried to see his point.
"So I don't want to go." Henry said as they reached his car, he could feel Gaby's heated stare on him.
"I can't go by myself it would be no fun and besides I could get kidnapped. I need my big, strong, black belt boyfriend to go with me." Gaby said with a pout.
"When is it?" Henry asked with a sigh.
"On the 24th,"
"I can't my dad is playing in the music festival in Richmond remember, you were supposed to go with me."
"Awww Jelly bean now what am I supposed to do?" Gaby said with a pout.
"I don't know ask Nick to go with you." Henry said as he held the car door open for her.
"You don’t want me to go to your dad’s concert.”
“No because I know you will pout all night because you missed that concert. I know you have some sick fetish with the Billy Joe guy.” Henry said shaking his head.
“You’re the best Jelly Bean you know that?” Gaby said as she kissed his cheek.
Henry dropped Gaby home and the minute she walked into the house her mother bombarded her with a million questions about her day.
"Mom it was just school, nothing exciting happened." Gaby said as she sat down at the kitchen table and reached out to get a freshly made turkey on rye sandwich Isabelle made for her when she was wacked on the hand with a wooden spoon.
“Oww ma.” Gaby said with a pout as she rubbed her hand.
“Lavi le tue mani” Isabelle commanded and without another words Gaby went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
"How are things with you and Henry?"
"We're fine mom"
"That’s good."
"Why do you ask, you never ask"
"Well I know Henry is graduating this year, I guess what I really want to know is what’s going to happen between you two this year. I don’t want to wake up one morning to find out that you ran away with him."
"I don’t know mom, we haven’t talked about it, I really don’t want to think about it."
"I understand." Isabelle said giving Gaby a squeeze "I’ll be in the living room grading papers, come sit with me after you eat your snack."
"Ooo can I grade a few." Gaby said as she smiled wickedly she loved reading the papers of her mother’s English literature 101 students and give people C's when they actually earned a B.
"Maybe after you finish your homework."
"Kay." Gaby said as she grabbed half of her sandwich from the plate. "Did dad call yet?" she asked as she bit into the sandwich.
"Not yet."
"Where is he this week?"
"Florida I think." Isabelle said as she poured Gaby a glass of milk before leaving.
After Gaby finished her snack and homework she walked over to Nick’s house to find his mother Paige working on her garden.
“Hi auntie.” Gaby said as she walked through the gate and Paige looked up at her and smiled.
“Hi sweetie, how was school?”
“Fine.”
“If you’re looking for Nick, which I know you are but he isn’t here.” Paige said as she stood up.
“He’s not?”
“No sweetie, some ditzy looking blond came by earlier and he took off. I can never keep track of him these days.” Paige said as she shook her head.
“Did this blond happen to have a blue streak in her hair?”
“Yeah she did.” Paige said and Gaby’s eye twitched.
That bitch is so dead. Gaby thought as she stormed away leaving Paige a little confused.
The next day Gaby found Nick in the school parking lot talking to Stacy her sworn enemy
Gaby walked through the school parking lot and spotted Nick talking to Gaby's sworn enemy Stacy "the skank" Sapp. When Stacy noticed Gaby walking up to them she rolled her eyes.
"Hey skank your time is up." Gaby said as she wrapped her arm around Nick.
"We're talking shrimp." Stacy said as she stood up to Gaby.
"Nick if you don’t want blood on you I suggest you get rid of your little friend here."
"He doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to."
"He'll do exactly what I want him to 'cause I own him." Gaby said confidently and Nick shook his head yes.
"Go ahead Nick show the tramp." Gaby said and Nick rolled up his sleeves showing the faded words PROPERTY OF GABRIELLE CARMINA McNAIR written along his forearms that Gaby had written with a black Sharpie marker over a week ago.
"So like I said its time for you to leave." Gaby said rolling her eyes.
"I'll catch up with you later Stacy." Nick said dismissing Stacy.
"Come on I’m hungry." Gaby said as she got into the car on the driver side.
"Why am I taking you home again, don't you have a boyfriend for that?" Nick asked as he slid into the passenger seat.
"Henry is touring colleges that’s why and you should be happy, I haven’t see you all week."
"You saw me Sunday when we had dinner at your house."
"That doesn't count. I need to find you a good wholesome girl so we can go on a double date."
"I don’t need a girlfriend, especially when I have you."
"What does that mean?"
"You nag me, pick out my clothes, tell me what to do. Why do I need a girlfriend."
"Because I don't want and will never ever have sex with you, and I’m tired of you running around with these two dollar whores. I’m saving you from a life with AIDS."
"If you must know I take the necessary precautions."
"Sure you do Nick."
"You don't hear me say anything about you and Henry you do know babies are forever right."
"I don't know what you’re talking about."
"Don't act like you and Henry haven’t done it."
"We haven’t Jelly bean is a perfect gentleman when we are together. We don’t feel like we need to rush into things." Gaby said as a matter-of-factly.
"Besides I need your girlfriend to be one that knows I come first."
"You're such an ass." Nick said with a chuckle and Gaby nudged his head.
"Keep your eyes on the road."
Gaby pulled into their favorite pizza shop parking lot and got out of the car.
"You order the pizza while I get a booth." Nick said as he walked towards a group of giggling girls. Gaby rolled her eyes with a sigh as she stood in line. After ordering the pizza Gaby dragged Nick away from the table full of girls.
"What happened to getting us a booth?" Gaby said as she slid into her seat.
"I got distracted." Nick said as he sat across from her and Gaby frowned.
"What?"
"We barely spend any time together anymore, and when we do you always go off chasing some girl in a short skirt." Gaby said with a pout.
"You’re the one with the boyfriend; I on the other hand I am single and ready to mingle."
"You mingle too much if you ask me." Gaby said rolling her eyes.
"I’m your best friend and yet you ignore me." Gaby said as she worked on producing tears. Nick groaned.
"Okay Gaby what do you want?"
"Go with me to this concert next weekend."
"What kind of concert?"
"A Green Day concert,"
"Hell no!"
"Hey I didn’t say anything when you dragged me to that John Lennon tribute concert."
"I can't do it, I’m going out with Stacy that weekend."
"Over my dead body, you know she's my nemesis, you can’t go out with her."
"Just because you hate her doesn’t mean that I have to."
"Yes you do it’s in the bro code."
"You’re not a bro, nice try though."
"Nick come on I need you to go, I can’t go by myself"
"Sorry Gabs." Nick said as their pizza arrived and Gaby sat there pouting while Nick gobbled down two slices of pizza sandwiched together.
"Pout all you want, I’m not changing my mind." Nick said with his mouth filled with food.
"Fine I'll go by myself but if I don't come back may my death haunt you until the day you die." Gaby said as she scrapped the cheese off of her pizza before chewing on it.
"Okay." Nick said and Gaby's eyes widened with shock.
Gaby sat silently for the remaining time she was with Nick. Nick tried to bait her into a conversation but Gaby wasn't having it. When Gaby got home she got out of Nick's car without a word and walked into the house.
"Ma I'm home!" Gaby called out but the house was empty so Gaby did her homework while she made dinner for Isabelle.