but you happen to come around" I said and giggled
"Guess I interrupted,huh"?
"Of course not I'm actually happy you're here" I said serving him a plate filled with nutritious fruit
"Thanks" he said smiling at me
"My pleasure"I said smiling
"I was wondering if we can hang out together tomorrow evening" Gabe said looking at Gabby's face
"Tomorrow" I asked a bit taken aback
"Yeah; like to go see a movie together and grab some ice cream but if you're not comfortable with just me around I can ask Chris to join us" Gabe said
"No need for that I will definitely be there just text me the location " I said and he smiled happily
"Really"? Gabe asked as his eyes flickered in surprise
"Of course" I said with a nod
"Oh my gosh! you don't know how happy I am right now, thought you would decline" Gabe said
"Why"? Gabby said almost laughing and Gabe shrugged
*Mr Martins Pov*
Mr Martins and his wife Mrs Martins (Gabby's parents) were Alone in the house watching a T.V show when his wife spoke up
"Honey" she called slowly
"hmmmm" Martins replied pulling her closer to himself
"Do you feel Jason is around us somehow that we don't know"? she asked softly as she ran her hand across his chest
"Sometimes I feel his presence around but I can't still forget what happened that day, how I lost my lovely son and now he's no longer coming back" Mr Martins said sadly
"Shush, don't say that I feel my Jason is out there somewhere looking for us as well and I feel his close presence" Mrs Martins said with her eyes tearing up
"I doubt if he's alive, I sometimes imagine how much my son might have starved to death cause we are not there with him" Mr Martins said with a gloomy voice
"No honey don't say that my son is not dead,he's alive somewhere calling out to us" Mrs Martins said sadly gripping her husband's clothes as tears rolled down her cheeks
"It's past 16 years already Gabby was barely a year old then and now she's 17 don't you get that Jason is lost and if we are to find him we don't have that much money to look for him either and we tried our best then to look for him don't you remember"? Martin said holding his wife's hand
"My Jason is lost and not dead and I curse the day I lost him but I still hope God keep him alive and safe even though we are apart" Mrs Martins prayed
*Gabby's Pov*
We just drove out of the cinema house where I and Gabe watched a romantic movie together and I found it romantic and silly you know sitting beside him and enwrapped in a cuddle the whole time; I felt my heart was going to explode with different kinds of bubbles in it
"Hey I enjoyed the movie and you"? Gabe asked jolting me out of my thought
"I enjoyed it as well and I'm so happy they ended up together despite their series of misunderstanding" I said with a smile
"Me too, let's grab an ice cream here he said pulling his car to a halt in front of an ice cream shop
"what flavor do you want"? he asked me
"Strawberry would do with some sticks on it" I said and he ordered for the exact same flavor for the both of us
"How about some shopping"? He asked as soon as he returned with the ice cream
"Huh"? I said in surprise and he smiled
"Well umm...! I planned on going next weekend" I replied nervously
"Then let it be today cause I want us to shop together" he said pulling me into his car and drove off to Ladies wardrobe island one of the most expensive shopping center for ladies in New Zeeland
"My sister usually shop here, you know" he said walking me into the shopping center
"Really"? I asked looking around, it was my first time being here and everything in it looks so delicate and expensive, I couldn't help but gush over every dress I saw
"Yeah" he said receiving series of greetings from the staffs
"Seems like you're well known" I asked looking around
"You can say that" he said turning to one of the staffs "get me your latest collection for the week" he said walking towards the bags section while I walked behind "aren't they beautiful"? He asked looking at the clothes
"Of course they are" I said smiling while the staffs returned with the collections and I tried each and everyone of them on until choices were made by me but mostly by Gabe and then we left
"Thanks for today" I said stepping out his car and he walked behind me with the shopped clothes
"My pleasure" he said smiling
"I will see you tomorrow then"I said smiling
"Okay, here" he said handing me the bags of clothes
"Oh! Thanks" I said smiling
"I will get going" Gabe said
"Be safe" I said waving at him with a smile which he returned and drove off.
The next day I woke up early as usual and quickly got ready for school with smile all over my face
"Hey! you've been smiling ever since,did you win a jack pot"? My mom asked during breakfast
"Honey! What do you expect when someone is occupying your mind" my dad said
"Dad"! I called sulking and he demonstrated zipping his mouth up and I chuckled
"Don't take her side honey,I'm your lovely wife,you know" my mom said and I smiled broadly at her reaction
"I'm off" I said wiping my mouth with the dinning napkin
"Oh dear! you haven't eaten that much" my mom said persuading me to eat some more
"I'm full mom, see you later"I screamed running out of the house
I got to school feeling happy, not quite long I saw Nina and we engaged in a conversation
"Hey girl what's up" Nina asked
"Not bad" I replied looking at the window and then I saw Gabe stepping out the car, I looked at him in admiration and smiled at myself
"You like him, don't you"? Nina asked looking at my face
"Huh"? I replied looking at her while rolling my eyes
"I'm talking about Gabe" she replied
"N...! no I don't" I said in a bewildered state
"C'mon, I knew you guys hung out yesterday" Nina chipped in
"Oh my gosh" I screamed in my head looking at her with my eyes open this time
"Don't gimme that look, you look scary when you do that" she teased laughing at my facial expressions
"Wait! How did you know"? I asked
"Chris told me" She said trying to walk out of the class and I followed her behind but before we got to the door Marina and her friends walked in and I gasped in surprise "Did she know too"? I asked myself
"Hey commoner" Marina said to me but I didn't say a word
"See, I told you she's grown some nerves" Mercy said and scoffed
"Marina please if you would excuse us,we were heading out before you walked in" Nina said
"You better stay out of this" Mercy yelled at Nina and Nina turned to look at her
"And if I don't? what are you going to do about that" Nina said folding her hands across her breast facing Mercy
"Some nerves you've got huh"? Marina asked looking at Nina
"Wait, you think I'm scared of you Marina"? Nina yelled
"of course I don't expect you to be scared of me, but we're not here for you in the first place" Marina asked
"If you want people to bow at your feet then do it within your class not on weaker people cause they wouldn't retaliate, so, if you don't leave right now then you would have me to contend with" Nina said angrily
"You can't stand up for a snitch like her" Mercy said scoffing harder
"Well I can,so have you got a problem with that"? Nina thundered
"Well Gabriella or whatever you're called I ain't here for Nina so I owe her no shit..." Marina said and paused "Stay away from Gabriel" She added and left with her friends
"Ohh my gosh Nina I'm sorry for getting you involved in this, I possibly don't know what I've done to those girls"! I pleaded and she smiled
"There is nothing to be sorry for, Gabe is my friend too and I will protect whatever he cherishes including you, besides Marina exhibits her power on weaker students, the more you appear weak, the more she humiliates you" She said smiling faintly as she touched Gabby's shoulder lightly.
During lunch I bumped into Jason again with my meal in a tray and he got stained cause of it
"I'm sorry I wasn't looking" I apologized
"It's fine but are you Okay" he asked examine me
"Yes I'm fine" I said and he smiled
"I will leave now" he said and made to leave
"Wait"! I stopped him and he abruptly stopped and slowly turned to me
"Do you mind if we talk outside" I asked
"Sure" he replied and followed me outside
"How do you know my mom" I asked as soon as we got outside
"From her coffee shop, I happened to come around there the first day we met that I almost knocked you down with my car" he explained
"How often do you go there"I asked
"Whenever I need coffee I just visit her coffee shop cause she makes the best coffee I've ever tasted" he replied
"Well my mom seems to have grown fond of you cause she always talks about you, though I don't know what you've done to her to make her like you so much" I said looking into space
"Really"? he asked smiling
"Yes and I don't want to hurt someone she cares so much about already so I've accepted to be your friend" I said with no emotion in my voice
"Really"? he asked surprised
"Yes and that's because my mom likes you" I said rolling my eyes
"I'm glad you accepted to be my friend and I promise to do whatever I can to protect you" he said and I chuckled
"I'm off"I said and walked back to get another lunch.
**********
Mr Morris is Gabe's father who's married to Mrs Liliana Morris happens to be the owner of RAY LAKE HIGH SCHOOL and RAYS Restaurant with other little companies he has around is seen in his office going through some file when he's wife walked in
"Darling"! She called and he rose his head from the file he was going through with a smile on his face
"You're here already" Morris said giving her a hug
"Of course it's our wedding anniversary and I don't want to miss it for any reason so I decided to come early" Liliana replied
"I'm glad you did, and I've had everything spectacularly planned out already" he said smiling broadly
"I just can't wait" Liliana said and sighed
"Shall we"? Mr Morris said giving out his hand to her which she grabbed and Morris led her into his brand new Bugatti Divo and drove off
"Shall we"? Mr Morris said giving out his hand to her which she grabbed and Morris led her into his brand new Bugatti Divo and drove off.
"Honey" Liliana called
"Hmmmm" Morris answered with food in his mouth
"I was wondering when Gabriel is gonna start meeting with the official as the heir of RAY LAKE" Liliana asked
"That should be after his graduation from college if I'm still there honey so he would have more time to focus without getting distracted" Morris explained
"It's okay" Liliana said drinking from her water
"You don't need to worry much though he's still in high school but he's been recognized as the heir so I'm sure he will do well when the time is ripe" Morris said
"Of course he would I'm sure of that cause he's really brilliant and I'm proud of Marina who's already taking responsibility of RAYS RESTAURANT" Liliana said smiling
"Marina is really brave despite the fact she's still in high school" Morris said
"I'm proud of my two kids" Liliana said
"And I'm a proud father" Morris said and they both chuckled
*RAY LAKE HIGH SCHOOL*
"Gabby" Gabriel called as I approached the basketball court
"Yes"? I replied smiling at him while Nina glanced at me "What"?I asked her and she giggled
"What are you doing here" Gabriel asked "I mean I've never seen you around the court before" he added
"I just happened to come around today but I never knew you played basketball" I said looking at him
"Of course I do" he said and I smiled while silence followed "Come in I want to introduce you to my friends"he said pulling me along with him while I struggled to set myself free but it was useless cause I couldn't resist him no matter how much I tried. "Listen up guys" he said to his fellow basketballer "this is my new friend Gabriella Martins, the scholarship girl" he said smiling
"Hey" Chris greeted walking up to me with a smile
"Hi" I said nervously
"Don't be nervous okay he's just being happy that you are finally friends with him,I hope you understand" he said and I smiled with a nod while he walked up to Nina and they chatted in a suspicious way which I'm going to find out sooner or later. Meanwhile Gabe's friends are fun to be with they received me as there friends as well and treated me to lunch during lunchtime and I enjoyed their company. After school I was heading home and I bumped into Gabe again
"What are you doing"? I asked when I saw him by the gate side
"I was waiting for you, didn't you come with your bike today"? he asked
"Nope but why were you waiting for me"? I asked
"I will ask my driver to take you home then" he volunteered
" No no I'm fine I was going to take a cab"! I said quickly
"Then I will go with you" he said
"No" I said nervously
"Why? what's wrong"? he asked
"Nothing, if you're coming with me then I will walk and as you know my house is 15 poles away from here" I said trying to convince him not to come with me
"Then let's walk,I guess it would be more fun and I won't have to leave your side so soon" he said pulling my wrist and we walked
*Jason's Pov*
Jason was stepping out of the school gate towards where his driver was parked waiting patiently for him but stopped when he saw Gabe and Gabby chatting happily and he quickly stepped into his car as soon as Gabby and Gabe started walking home
"Trail them but make it hidden" he ordered his driver who drove carefully behind Gabe and Gabby who had no idea they were being trailed until they arrived to Gabby's house
"Thanks for walking me home" Gabby said smiling broadly
"My pleasure" Gabe said starring at her face
"Be safe on your way back" Gabby said
"No need to worry my driver is here" he said smiling
" Has he been following us" I asked him in surprise and he nodded
"I will like to have lunch anytime soon" Gabe said
"Tomorrow then" I said
"I will be glad" he said and I pecked his cheeks
"Bye"! I said and ran inside while he left touching his cheeks with smile all over his face
"Keep an eye on them for me,I don't want Gabriella getting hurt" Jason ordered his driver
"Yes boss" his driver replied
"Let's go" Jason said and his driver drove off
**********
I went to school a little bit late the next day and met Nina chatting with Chris alone in class with no one there
"Hey! What's going on"? I asked looking suspiciously at them
"Hello Gabby"! Chris greeted
"I thought you both never get along well"? I asked Nina who once told me she doesn't get along well with Chris
"Yup but we do now" She said smiling
"I will leave you two alone, bye"! Chris said shyly and left the class
"By the way Jason was here earlier looking for you" Nina said
"Really"? I asked
"You're a bit late today though but I thought you dispised him"? Nina asked
"Yeah but my mom seems to be fond of him you know" I said absent mindedly
"Wait... has he met with your Mom"? she asked
"Yup! Why"? I asked looking at her surprised face
"How's that possible when Gabriel hasn't met your mom"? she asked
"Well he happens to be my mom's costumer,I was surprised when I found out as well but my mom won't stop talking about him and all that so I decided to be his friend as well" I explained
"I thought you had a soft spot on Gabriel"? Nina asked
"Of course I do and I'm not into Jason, he's not my type okay" I said touching her cheeks
"Thank goodness I almost freaked out thinking you were going to leave Gabe for Jason" Nina said and I chuckled
"That's never gonna happen" I said smiling but a knock on our classroom door jolted me out of my smile and I turned to see Jason looking at us and I froze
"Speaking of the devil" Nina whispered and Chuckled silently
"Mind if I come in" he asked
"Um... Sure"I replied and he walked in
"Excuse me" Nina said and left
"I was wondering if we could hang out sometime" Jason asked
"Uhm... I'm not sure,why"? I asked nervously
"I wanted to introduce myself properly and get to know you even more" Jason said
"I would have loved to but I'm kinda occupied for the now but not to worry I will make out time for us anytime soon"I assured him
"I will drop by your mom's shop today, hope I see you there"? he asked
"I'm sorry but definitely not today I'm going out for something important" I replied remembering my lunch with Gabe made my heart flutter and I couldn't miss it for anything else
"Okay guess I will see you some other time then"he said and left while I sighed heavily cause I was really nervous and it happens whenever I'm with him "what could be wrong with him"I asked myself
I got home immediately after school and quickly prepared for lunch with Gabriel. Two hours after school I heard a knock on my door and I walked to get it not surprised Gabe was there
"Hi" he greeted
"Hey, you're here"? I asked and he nodded
"Shall we" he asked
"One minute"I said and rushed back to my room to get my hand bag, returned and we left.
Few minutes later we arrived the restaurant with the inscription "All Stars Restaurant"
"My favorite spot" he said while we walked in
"Whoa...! it's beautiful"I exclaimed
"Is it"? he asked and I nodded while he chuckled "I like beautiful things but you're the most beautiful thing I've ever found in my life" he said smiling and we took a sit by a corner while I blushed with a thought in my head "How crazy of him to say that when we ain't even into a relationship but just friends" I thought but chuckled over it
"Hey... what's wrong don't you like it here? I mean I've been calling out to you but you seemed lost in thought"? he asked looking at my face while I smiled
"Of course not, I love it here" I replied
"The waitress" he said while I raised my head and saw the waitress looking at me and I felt a bit embarrassed but I ordered a meal anyways and the waitress left and returned some minutes later with the food and we both started eating silently
"I've been meaning to ask if you've ever had a date" Gabe said and I choked on my food "I'm sorry"he said handing me a glass of juice "Are you okay"? he asked and I nodded
"I've never been into any relationship before" I said innocently
"I guess we're both on the same ship" he said smiling
"You too"? I asked surprised
"Of course I've never been into one and I don't find it fun interacting with girls cause they give me lots of goosebump" he said
"Why"? I asked him
"My sister scares the heavenly hell out of me sometimes you know and it makes feel girls are like monster's" he said calmly
"That's wrong of you to think, you don't judge a book by its cover" I said
"And that's why I never judged you" he said smiling while I looking at him blankly
"Sometimes, I hear them calling you the heir but I don't seem to figure out what they mean" I said reading the expression on his face
"I'm the heir to RAY LAKE" he said smiling absent mindedly
"What! wait... and you never told me all this while"? I asked pretending not to know
"Everyone in school knows I'm the heir to RAY LAKE never knew you were left out" he said defending himself
"Then why are you friends with me despite how your sister treats me and how she badly wants you for Mercy"? I asked
"Look Gabriella I don't care about what anyone says including my sister, not even my parents but I wonna be a really good friend to you" he said looking at me like someone in pain
"Why Gabe? I'm not even your class" I said
"Look don't say that, I like you a lot already Gabriella and I don't care about class or anything, nor do I care about what my family is gonna say or do about us but I wonna be with you just please, I wanna be a good friend to you and protect you just please don't shove me away" he said nervously while I looked at nothing in particular
"I like you too Gabe but I'm scared you're gonna lea..."
"Shhhhh please don't say that,I promise not to leave you please" he said and tears rolled down my cheeks and I nodded my head in acceptance while Gabe flew with joy "We're done here, let's go" he said pulling me out into his car and drove off to a groceries store
"Come on" he said and opened the car door for me to step out
"What are we doing here"? I asked
"We're shopping for you" he said picking up a basket
"Why? I mean there's no need I don't need them anyways' I said walking behind while he picked whatever he likes into the basket
"You need them okay, you're beautiful but I want you to be more beautiful for me and only me okay" he said smiling while I chuckled over his childishness
"That's funny to say" I said giggling
"I don't care what you say Ms Martins but I'm gonna do whatever I need to do to keep you all to myself" he said playfully
"Don't tell me you're jealous when you haven't seen me with anyone else"I asked
"Of course I'm jealous cause the thought of loosing you to someone else kills me"he said and I laughed
"What? you think its funny huh"? he asked turning towards me
"Of course" I said giggling
"Thanks" he said to the cashier after paying for the groceries he picked and we left.
"Thanks for today"I said as soon as he dropped off at home
"Anything for you Gabby" he said touching my cheeks and I smiled with blush all over my face which made my cheeks turn red
"C'mon you need to go now" I said and pushed him slightly
"Sure" he said dipping his hands in his sweat shirt pockets
"Bye" I said waving him as I turned to walk into my house but he pulled me back and gave me a tight hug which made my heart feel silly
"I don't want to leave you" he
"You have to if you wanna see me in school tomorrow" I said and he left me with a smile while I walked in and watched him leave after 3-5 minutes of sitting in his car looking at my door.
Meanwhile on the other hand is Jason's driver who has been trailing Gabe and Gabby since their lunch time till they got home
"He just left boss" The driver by name Mr Marcus said
"Is Gabby safe"? Jason asked on the other side of the phone
"Yes boss" Marcus replied
"Alright" he said and ended the call