You ever feel like you made a bad decision, and you wish you could go back in time to change it? Then, when you realize you couldn't go back to change it, you suddenly feel this truckload of regret crushing you to pieces? No? Well, that was exactly what I felt Monday morning, when I saw Gabriel and Starr together. Starr was chatting animatedly as she talked his ears off, while Gabriel looked so bored, it tore at my heart. His eyes wandered the hallway, as he discreetly let out a yawn. It was low of me, but I couldn't help but smile when I saw this.
"Hey there, love", Gabby said in British accent. I smiled. "You have a talent for accent", I said, hugging her. "What can I say? I'm bursting with talents", she said. I opened my mouth to reply but her expression cut me off. "Hey", Starr said, and I sighed before turning. "Hey, Starr", I said. I looked down. "Gabriel", I muttered. "How's it going?", Starr asked. I nodded, feeling uncomfortable with how Gabby was eyeing Starr. "Good, good", I said.
"Where's Skyy?", I asked, hoping to ease the tension. Starr shrugged. "I don't know", she said, easily. Gabby spoke up. "Don't you guys live in the same house?", she asked. "We had a fight", Starr explained. "Ah", I nodded. "Shocker. About what again?", Gabby spat, and I took a step back from her cold tone, even Gabriel raised an eyebrow. I cleared my throat awkwardly as Gabby and Starr glared at each other.
"So, how was your weekend?", I asked, to break the stilled air. "It was awesome actually", Gabriel spoke up. "That was until a certain someone told me to do something I'd rather die than do, without giving me an option in the matter or considering my feelings. So I'd say it was peachy, how was yours?", he said, coldly. I gaped at him, did he think I wanted to do this? That it was easy seeing him with Starr? Suffice to say, the silence was very awkward as we stared at each other.
A hand wrapped around my waist, and I jumped in surprise. "Hey", Jer said. I smiled, as I removed his hands around me. I hit him gently. "Stop that", I said. I looked at Gabriel from the corner of my eyes, his hands had turned into fists as he glared at Jer. Jer ignored him, and turned to Gabby. "Hey", he hugged her. Gabby rolled her eyes. "Hey yourself", she said. When Jer later turned to Gabriel, after greeting Starr, I wished I was anywhere but there.
Gabriel finally broke the tension. "So, cousin", he spat the words. "Jola told me you were drawing her for the project", he smirked. Jer glanced at me uneasily. "Have you showed her your fantastic drawing?", he asked. Jer cleared his throat. "Its almost done", he said. I could kiss the bell to ringing just then for breaking the silence. "Ah, thank God", I muttered. Gabriel turned and left, Starr in tow. Jer stomped away, without so much as a good bye, and I sighed. "Boys right?", Gabby asked. "You have no idea", I said, taking out my biology notes.
Gabby folded her arms as she stared at me. "What?", I asked. "I thought everything was okay between you and Gabriel?", she asked. I sighed. "Everything's okay", I said. "Then why's that leech still attached to him?", Gabby asked. "Gabby", I scolded. "What? Don't give me that look. When Gabriel explained everything to me, I could not believe she'd do or say those kind of things about you. That's not what friends do, and if there's one thing I hate the most, is lies", she said. I sighed. "I might have told him to give her a chance", I said, carefully. "What?", Gabby yelled.
"Don't bother. I'm regretting it already", I said. "Why would you do that?", she asked. "As much as I love Gabriel, and trust me, I do", Gabby smiled at me. "I also love Starr. She was the first person to accept me the way I was, without judgment. It may not mean a lot to you, but it does to me. She made me feel like a person, a living breathing person, and not some kind of freak because of my weight. So call me stupid, or weird, but if it meant she being happy, it was so worth it", I said. Gabby touched me. "See, that's one thing I love so much about you. You are so compassionate and kind to everyone, and you always, always put everyone first before you", she said, and I blushed. "I'm honored to be your friend, it makes me feel happy knowing someone like you cared for me immensely", she stopped. "Here's my stop. But before I go, I want you to think about something. Isn't Gabriel also worth fighting for? And judging by what you just told me, I can guess you haven't been really happy. Don't you think you have a reason to be happy now? Would you throw everything away? I want you to think about it. Sometimes, its okay to be a little selfish you know? For once, put yourself and your happiness first", she said, then waved as she went for class.
I sighed as I ate her words, thinking about it, as I made my way to Biology. I gasped when a pair of hands covered my mouth, and dragged me to a dark classroom. I let out a loud wail, but it was muffled. "Ssh, its me Gabriel", Gabriel said. "Gabriel, what are you doing?", I asked. "I'm sorry, I can't help it okay? Why do you let Jeremy touch you like that? You know it always makes me insanely jealous. I hate him, I hate him for being so close to you", he said. I opened my mouth to reply, but he shut me up by clamping his mouth down on mine.
My hands reached out, not to push him away, but to pull him closer. My hands found his way to his hair, and I pulled it gently, he moaned into my mouth and I smiled. My thoughts were in disarray, and I knew I should be thinking about something but for the life of me, I didn't know what it was. All I could think about was his breath on my neck, as he peppered it with kisses. I wanted more, but what was it?
A face appeared in my mind, and I broke the kiss with a cry. Gabriel looked at me as I paced. "What's wrong?", he asked. "Everything. Everything's wrong, you're wrong, this is wrong", I said. He was hurt. "What's that supposed to mean?", he asked. I stopped in front of him. "Starr loves you Gabriel, I can't keep on doing this", I said. "Starr doesn't love me. She's obsessed with me, she's obsessed with the idea of being with me. She wants to be the girl who broke the bad boy, she sees me as a game, nothing else. Besides, I don't love her, I love you. You, and no one else", he said moving closer to me.
"Please, don't touch me", I said, taking a step back, afraid that just the slightest touch would send me back into his arms, senses evading me. And right now, I needed to think. "Oh, I get it. So, Jer can touch you however he likes, but I can't?", he asked coldly. "What?", I peered at him in confusion. How did Jer enter this conversation? Gabriel raised his hands, as he glared at me. "You don't seem to complain when he's touching you. All you do is laugh with him, almost as if you enjoy it. But what? My touch repel you?", he asked bitterly.
I touched my temple. "How many times do I have to say this? Jer's a friend and I see him as one. Period", I said, hoping to not go back there again. "You seem to love him more than a friend", he accused. "No, besides, Jer doesn't see me as anything other than a friend", I said. Gabriel scoffed. "Yeah, right", he said. He took a step back, as he stared at me. "You know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe I should spend more time with Starr", my heart shattered. As ironically and hypocritical that was, I didn't want that. He moved closer. meeting my eyes.
"Take her on dates, take her to my shack, hold her, kiss her. Maybe she'll love me, unlike you. I mean, it's worth a try right?", he said. My eyes glistened with tears. "I do love you Gabriel", I said, softly. He hit the wall, and I whimpered. "Don't you dare say that. Don't you dare tell me you love me when you don't. If you loved me, you'll never give me out like a piece of food, for someone else to eat. If you love me, you'll fight for me, for us. If you love me, you'll not give me up that easy. So don't", he moved closed to me, breath fanning my face. "Don't say you love me, cause you clearly don't", he said, before leaving the class. I crouched down, as I cried my heart out. I clutch my chest, as it started to throb again. Was this what heartbreak felt like?
"Why the hell is Starr sitting with Gabriel at his table?", Skyy asked, dropping her tray on the table with a loud bang. It was lunch, but I couldn't wait to go home, and cry my eyes out some more."Tell me why he's looking at her like that?", Gabby joined her. My eyes trailed theirs, just to see Starr talking animatedly with Gabriel, who was laughing at something she said. It was enough to make me cry, and I turned away. "Am I a bitch for wanting that to happen, and when it finally did, all I want to do is grab Gabriel, kiss him and declare he's mine?", I asked. Gabby smiled at me with sympathy, while Skyy glared at the couple.
"I didn't know they were an item", Jer said, joining us. "Thank you for stating the obvious", Gabby snapped, and Jer raised his hands in surrender. "Woah, did I come at a bad time?", he asked. "No, you didn't", I said, stopping whatever Gabby wanted to say. I focused my attention on Jer. Somehow, he'd always found a way to make me laugh, and right now I could use that instead of wishing death on my friend. "So, how was class today?", I asked.
Jer groaned. "Really? You wanna talk about that now?", he asked. "Fine", I rolled my eyes. I took a bite of my sandwich. "So, how's my portrait coming?", I asked. "Its okay", he said. "You do know its due tomorrow right?", Gabby asked. Jer glared at her, and Gabby smirked. "Yes, thank you captain obvious", he said. Gabby shrugged. "Hey, just saying", she defended. "How's Care?", she asked. "Who's Care?", Skyy asked. "Jer's devil reincarnate sister", Gabby said. "Hey", Jer argued.
"What, you know its true", she said. "Be nice", Jer said. "You haven't told me about her", I said. Gabby scoffed. "Believe me, you're better off. You know, I'm actually surprised you both shared the same womb", Gabby turned to Jer. "That's my sister we are talking about, cousin. She might be a little annoying", Jer was interrupted. "A little?", Gabby screeched. "But she's still my sister", he finished. I stole one of his fries, and he frowned at me. "I moved closer to him, and inclined my head. "How old is she?", I asked. "13", he said. "Why isn't she attending here?", I asked. "We should be happy she's not coming here", Gabby said.
Jer turned to glare at Gabby, and I held his head, making sure he was looking at me."What's she like?", I asked. "A prankster actually", he admitted. "An evil one", Gabby added. "Come on, you still can't be mad about that", he said. "Now, this I wanna hear about", Skyy moved forward. "His evil sister pranked me with fake snakes", she said. "What fake snakes?", I asked. "Gabby here, is scared to death of snakes. So, when Care found out about it, she sneaked into Gabby's room when she was sleeping, and filled her room with fake snakes", he explained.
"She put it on my body, from my head to my feet. So you can imagine my horror when I woke up. It took me an hour, a goddamn hour to shower. It also took me months for the nightmares to stop, so forgive me, if I'm still a bit bitter towards her", she said. "It was a harmless joke, she didn't mean to hurt you", Jer said. "Oh really? How about the time she put dead frogs in my bathroom, or when she she dyed my hair flaming pink. Oh, how about the time she burnt my pants, and showed my panties for everyone to see. Oh oh, lest I forget, remember how she put red paint on my seat, and when I stood up, everyone thought I was on my period? I couldn't come out of my room for weeks", Gabby screeched.
Skyy, Jer and I were busy laughing our heads off at this. Jer wiped a tear. "Okay, I admit that was mean, but she was a kid then", he said. "My point exactly. If she could think of such wickedness as a kid, imagine how she would be by now", Gabby shuddered. I laughed at her horrified face. "How come you're not a prankster?", I asked. "Now you wonder why I like him", Gabby said.
I reached out to take another fry, but I frowned when I saw it was empty. "You finished it", I accused him. "You really need to stop eating other people's food, Jola", Skyy scolded. I reached for Gabby's coke, but she snatched it away at the last second. Damn, her reflexes were good. "No can do", Gabby said. "But I want it", I pouted. Jer sighed, before handing me his own. "Fine, take it", he said. Gabby gaped at him. "Why do you spoil her?", she asked. "The real question is, why do you like stealing our food?", Skyy asked. "It tastes better than mine", I defended. "No, it doesn't. Its literally the same thing", Gabby said.
The flashes of cameras, and chatters distracted me. "Oh my God, Gabriel and Starr are kissing", a girl said. I turned, and my heart shattered at the sight before me. It was true, Gabriel was kissing Starr. Gabriel broke the kiss, glared at Starr, before looking at me. I turned away, not feeling hungry anymore. The door echoed, as he slammed it. "That was epic", Jer muttered. "Shut up", Gabby snapped, then turned to me. "You okay?", she asked. I nodded. "Yeah". "Jola", Skyy called. "Really, I'm okay", I said.
The intercom screeched, and I held my ear. "Good afternoon students", Mr Ben said. I groaned, like this day couldn't get worse. "As you most of you know, towards the end of the year, after exams, we go on a camping trip", he said. Hollers were heard in the cafeteria, and Skyy squealed. "I know, I'm looking forward to it too. The date is yet to be announced, but it'll be out soon. Remember its for a week, so get ready for it. Any other information would be announced to you. Good day", he said.
"I've never seen a principal that excited for a school activity before", I said. "That's because you don't know how fun it is. Its this amazing place we go to every year, and there's a lot of activities for both students and teachers", Skyy squealed. "Haven't you been?", I asked Gabby. "Nope", she replied. "Will you go this year?", I asked. "Hopefully", she said. "If its gonna be fun, I'm in", Jer added. "Yeah, just remember before fun, comes a lot of work, tests, and homework", I said, and he groaned. "Exam's in a few weeks, you know what that means right?", I asked, stood up and grabbed his hands. "I really don't wanna know", he said. "Study time", I sang, ignoring him, the bell seconded me. "Bye guys, see you later", I waved at Skyy and Gabby who chuckled at Jer's face. "Good luck cousin", Gabby called. "Thanks for your help", he snapped.
"So, you transfer this number over the equation sign, which will turn it into a negative number. So you subtract 24 from 48, which will give you what?", I asked. Jer groaned. "12?", he asked. "24", I screeched. "Its literally the simplest thing on earth. How can you not know that?", I asked him, he shrugged. "God help me, I'm gonna strangle this boy", I groaned. "Math class not going well?", Gabby asked. "Thanks to your cousin", I complained bitterly. Gabby took her seat, followed by Skyy and Starr.
"I could tutor you in Math if you want", Starr spoke up. She smiled warily, as she stared at us. I beamed at her. "I mean, I don't like it, but I know it", she added. "Thank you", I said, and I meant it. I missed her so much, she'd been absent from the group, due to the bad blood between her and Gabby. "Jer, meet your new tutor", I said, happy to be relieved of teaching him. "But I want you to be my tutor", he frowned. "Too bad", I smiled sweetly.
"What do you take to a camping trip?", I asked Skyy. Skyy gasped. "A lot of things. But don't worry, I'll come over to help you pack, if you're going?", she looked unsure. "Sure, I'll go", I said. "What about me?", Gabby asked. "You're going to the camp?", Starr asked. "Yes. Is there a problem?", she asked. "No", Starr looked away. I grimaced at their exchange, gone was that smile and hugs they gave each other, now all they could do was glare at each other.
I breathe a sigh of relief when the bell rang for the end of the day. "Someone's eager to go home", Skyy said. "You have no idea", I smiled. "Speaking of home, how's your brother?", Skyy smirked. I groaned. "You've gotta stop hitting on him, Skyy. Its just pure disgusting", I said. "Who are we talking about?", Gabby asked. "Jola's hot brother", Skyy replied. "Really? I haven't seen him", Gabby said. "Tell me you're kidding", Skyy said. Gabby shrugged, and Skyy held her. "Its a good thing he picks Jola up from school everyday, so you'll see him today", Skyy said. "Where are we going?", Starr said, joining in. "To see Jola's brother", Skyy said. Starr squealed, and I face palmed.
"What's going on?", I asked. People were gathered in the parking lot, staring at something. I paved way for us, curious to see what had caught their attention. I cussed, as I stared at the object of the admiration. Really, he'd chosen today out of all days to come out of the car to wait for me? Dare was leaning causally on his car, phone in his hands, as he typed something. He was wearing sunglasses, a black pants, with a white plaid shirt, ignoring the people around him. "Who is that?", Gabby eyed him. "That, my dear, is Jola's brother, Dare", Skyy sighed in astonishment. "Jola, is that greek god truly your brother?", she gasped.
Finally bringing me out of my misery, Dare looked up, and saw us, then smiled removed his glasses, and ruffled his hair, before moving closer to us. I rolled my eyes, he damn well knew the effect he had on them, and was exploiting it. What a showoff. Around me, the girls swooned. "Is that teeth real?", someone said. "I could drown in his eyes", another one piqued. "I know your ego is sky high right now seeing all these girls singing your praise", I said, as I hugged him. He laughed. "Hey, its not my fault. Don't hate on the player", he said.
"You know Starr and Skyy already. This is Gabby", I said. "How could I forget such beautiful faces?", Dare teased. "Its nice to see you guys again", he turned to Gabby. "I gotta say, you're stunning", he said. I gulped down vomit. "Its nice to meet you", Gabby blushed, shyly. "Okay, its great you've met everyone, now let's go", I dragged him to the car, as I waved the girls bye. "Showoff", I said. He shrugged. "Why'd you come out of the car today of all days?", I asked. "You were taking long to come out", he said. "How was today?", he asked. I remembered the kiss, and my good mood evaporated.
"What's wrong?", he asked. "Exam's fast approaching", I lied. He scoffed. "No exam's ever fazed you before. You are too smart for that", he said. I smiled a little. "When are you going to school?", I asked, wanting to change the subject. He smiled. "Less than a month", he said. I'll miss him so much. "You'll always come visiting, yeah?", he asked. "Of course. I'll miss you you know?", he stared at me. "Not as much as I will", I said. It was true .