After the call Jason dropped his phone and sighed but just then a knock came on his door and his mom stepped in
"Jason son, dinner is ready" Mrs Madison said
"I'm not hungry mom" Jason said turning towards his window
"what do you mean, you're not hungry besides I made your favorite"! she said standing behind him, seeing Jason in this manner she's guessed something was up and the only way to enlighten his mood was to cheer him up, she had no idea on what to do exactly and the only idea that crossed her mind was to make his favorite
"Nothing mom; I'm fine" he said and sighed gently, Ms Madison knew her son well and had raised him up until now, she knew when he was fine or not
"Don't tell me you're skipping meal because of them"? she asked in a low soft voice
"What can I do mom I get to see them everyday but it just seems like they don't recognize me at all" Jason lamented in a sober tone
"Of course not son, you were still little when the Martins lost you in that big crowd on that day and I'm sure they did all they could to find but to no avail and considering their financial status, They couldn't do much but give up with the hope you will return to them one day and if they don't recognize you then I wouldn't blame them for that after all it's been a long while and you've grown and changed into a wealthy young man, it would be difficult to recognize you" Mrs Madison said patting his back with her palms
"Wasn't it the same when we lost dad"? Jason asked as tears welled in his eyes
"I guess so" Madison said bitterly as she fought back the tears that welled up in her eyes
"I remembered how I would lock myself up in my room, crying, hoping he would come back to us and the fear of being his successor filled my heart but he never did" Jason said calming walking towards his bed
"Son, I can tell they would still love you in their heart even if you were dead but you're not and you're not far from them but hiding yourself from those that loves you dearly is totally not right and I'm sure your mom would be hurting a lot cause you wouldn't reveal your identity to them son and you still claim to love them huh? Tell me how you going to get back to them if you continue to hide" Madison said in a concern tone as she tried not to talk about her late husband Madison Kayle who had died a year back due to a heart disease, it was a tormenting experience for her, she couldn't sleep for day's and couldn't go to work, she's just trying to recover and doesn't want to refresh her memory about him now especially not in front of her son Jason
"I'm not hiding mom, just don't know how to face them" Jason said with dim expression in his voice
"You have to give it a try son" Madison said and left Jason's room
"What if they forgot about me already and doesn't want me anymore"? Jason muttered to himself and sighed deeply as tears rolled down his cheeks
***********
In school the next day I was walking alone in the school garden in thought when I felt a tap on my shoulder and I jolted in shock
"Why are you so frightened"? Marina asked while Mercy laughed scornfully
"That's because no would be here to save her today" Mercy said giggling
"Did you hang out with my brother"? Marina asked looking at me meanly and I got shocked "how did she know" I thought
"I'm talking to you snitch" she said pulling my hair and I gasped in pain
"Yes we did,why"? I asked getting free from her grip
"You ask why huh? haven't I told you to stay away from Gabriel"? She asked angrily
"We are friends Marina and it wouldn't be as easy as it seems to you and by the way I need more time to stay away from him" I said with an angry look on my face
"Did you just say"friends"? she asked walking closer to me stressing the word *friends*
"Yes, do you have a problem with that"? I asked looking into her eyes
"Of course I do, especially when it involves a commoner like you, he's my brother and I don't like pests for him which includes you" She said pointing at me
"Pests"? I asked looking bewildered
"Hmmmm" she replied
"You don't like pests but Gabriel do" I said but in the next second I almost got hit on the face by her but I was expecting it though so I was quick to hold her hand mid air "don't you dare and so you know I was going to stay away from Gabriel but that's not going to happen, not now that we're dating anyways so if you would excuse me"I said and left her in a shocking state leaving her speechless as, I walked towards the snack-bar cause I was famished and hasn't eaten anything yet but I ran into Jason
"Hey" Jason greeted as soon as I approached the snack-bar door
"Hi" I replied looking at him nervously
"Mind if we take a walk after school today"? he asked
"Sure, that would be great" I said faking a smile cause of the anger in me
"Thanks" he said returning the smile which I returned and walked into the snack-bar and ordered some snacks. After school that day I went to my mom's coffee shop and said hello then I stepped out and walked to where Jason was waiting for me by a distance with he's hands in his pants pocket
"I thought you wouldn't come" Jason said smiling
"I don't make fake promises you know" I said praising myself
"I see" he said while I smiled and remained silent as we walked
"Seems like you're the only child of your parents huh"? Jason asked as we walked
"Yeah"I replied absent mindedly
"How would you feel if you had an older brother"? he asked turning to face
"Though that's no possible but I would have been the most happiest girl on earth" I replied.
"Did you once have one"? Jason asked
"Nope,I don't remember ever having an older brother and mom never mentioned anything" I replied
"Seems like you were never told huh"? Jason muttered to himself
"What"? I asked turning to look at his face but his eyes were sad and lonely "what's wrong"? I asked with concern in my voice
"Oh it's nothing,I might have been lost in thought" he said smiling
"You look pale today,are you alright"? I asked trying to figure out his dull mood
"Yeah, sure" he replied almost immediately
"You don't need the doctor"? I asked further
"No Gabriella I don't need one" he said smiling
"This absolutely the first time you've said my name" I said looking at him
"Really"? he asked looking surprised himself and I nodded "I might have really lost my mind huh"? he asked holding his step
"It's nothing, I don't know why but it felt warm when you called my name and I kinda liked it" I said smiling slightly
"Should I call you Gabriella then"? he asked
"That would be nice" I replied "let's get that ice cream over there" I said pointing at a road side ice cream and we walked over and ordered some after it was given to us we continued our walk
"I've missed the taste" he said taking another bite of the cream
"Really"? I asked looking surprised and he nodded "well you look like a very potential person and I doubt if you've ever eaten road side ice cream" I added looking a bit surprised
"Road side ice cream used to be my favorite when I still had my parents until I lost them" he said with dim expression on his face
"Ohh my gosh, you don't have any parents"? I asked in shock
"I got adopted after I lost my parents" he said sadly
"Are they both dead"? I asked
"neither my parents nor my foster parents are dead" he said, Gabriella was confused but she felt sorry for him and wanted to know what really happened
"what then happened"? she asked softly
"One special evening I was taking a work with my father when I saw some road side ice cream and I wanted some,my dad was ordering it while I stood beside him but everywhere became crowdy all of a sudden, I got missed in the crowd and never saw my dad again,I guess he would be worried to death on that day but fortunately I got picked up by a couple who happens to be childless and took me in as their son, my foster dad died a year back and I became the heir to one of his companies while the rest was willed to mom and he's son Mike my kid brother" he explained
"Kid brother"? I asked looking at him in surprise
"Yeah,my foster mom later had a baby boy before dad passed away" Jason said
"You must have missed your real parents a lot"? I asked looking at the ground
"I do" he said
"Why don't you come back to them? I'm sure they would be grieving each day that passes by because of your disappearance" I said
"I get to see them everyday but I don't know how to explain things to them cause they might have thought I'm dead" Jason said
"You can't be so sure if you've not met with them" I said
"I guess you're right" Jason said and I smiled "thanks a lot, your word really calmed my nerves" he said looking at my face
"Anytime" I replied taking a bite of my ice cream
*Three months later*
Everything was going smoothly between Gabe and I despite the troubles from his sister Marina and her group of friends until one beautiful morning. I got to school and there was commotion everywhere with everyone running halter scatter looking surprised I grabbed a juniors hand and asked what was going on
"Excuse me please" I said and she held her step in a haste "May I know what's going on"? I asked looking at the crowd around us
"I guess you've not heard but school instructors are meeting with the owner of RAY LAKE today and it's very annoying to the students cause you won't be able to do whatever you like for the main time everything has to be normal until they're gone because they aren't easy going and they're very picky too so if you dare get on their nerves you would be thrown out of RAY LAKE for a whole month and I guess you know what that means? Anyways I shouldn't be explaining all this if you're a student of RAY LAKE then you should've found out from the group chat" she said almost in a second and left,I was pinned to the ground for sometime and didn't move cause I was frightened about being kicked out of school for no reason,I scoffed at the thought of that but just then Nina's voice startled me
"what are you doing here all by yourself huh"? she asked and I turned in shock "Hey watch it,why the shock"? she asked as she drew her hand which contains a pack of juice so I don't knock it down with my sudden turn
"when did you get here" I asked stammering
"Just now, what are you doing here alone"? she asked
"Nothing,by the way ehhh... will I get kicked out if I by any chance I make the instructors upset"? I asked looking at her facial expression
"Sure! but why would you be kicked out when you did nothing wrong"? Nina asked
"I don't know why exactly but I'm having a bad feeling about their coming today" I said with a hint of sadness in my voice
"Why"? I heard Gabe's voice asking and I turned to see him
"why didn't you tell me he was..."
"You need to tell me what's making you have a bad feeling about the instructors coming today"? Gabe asked cutting me short
"I don't know Gabe" I replied nervously
"By any chance, do you think my sister would..."
"Of course not why would I do that by the way she's crazy but I don't think she would take it that far" I said faking a smile
"I'm right here with you so you don't need to worry cause I will protect you" he said holding my hand with a smile and I nodded.
Few hours later the instructors arrived in a black SUV, while Gabe's parents arrived a while later in a red Ferrari. During their meeting process everything went smoothly until the instructors asked the students to assemble for some quick talk which we all did as instructed
"So that's my advice to you all today and please feel free to report anyone who's giving you a hard time in RAY LAKE and I promise to bring justice to it" one of the instructors said with his two hands in his pocket but no one said a word for sometime
"Well I do have something to report to you sir" A voice said and everyone turned to the direction of the voice and behold it was none other's than Marina's, she was broadly smiling at the instructors with her hand up
"What does she want to do now"?, what does she think she's doing"? this were the murmurs of the students both the strong and weak
"I guess you're Ms Morris right"? he asked and Marina smiled with a nod "please go ahead and make your complain and watch me keep to my word" the instructor said with no emotion in his voice
"There's a low class being in this school who has been a thorn to my flesh and to all my friends in RAY LAKE and I hate her even more cause she's a snitch who goes about looking for rich guys to meddle with and the worst of all is that she's into my brother and I don't approve of it I want her thrown out of Ray lake as soon as possible and I don't want to ever see her face here again" she said looking at the instructors face, everyone was shocked including Gabe and Nina even more Gabriella, she had known Marina was not a nice person but was not expecting her to humiliate her publicly like this
"who could this be Ms Morris"? he asked and my heart thumped loudly in my chest that I could feel it jumping out of my skin, I hoped she would not mention my name but in the next second she raised her finger and pointed straight to my direction
" Gabriella Martins"! she said and I felt the earth revolving around me
"What"!! Everyone gasped
"Ms Martins please come up here" he demanded and I walked up to him with tears welling up in my eyes, I looked at Gabe worriedly but he was even more confused than I am, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him as well
"Are you making Ms Morris uncomfortable in RAY LAKE despite being a commoner"? he asked me with dim expressions in his eyes I felt my heart tore apart for being called a commoner by someone who knows nothing about me "I'm talking to you Ms" he said while tears flowed down my cheeks as I raised my head up to him
"How can I possibly make someone uncomfortable when I'm a commoner huh or do you just believe whatever story is being told to you just because the person telling it is not a commoner huh answer me"?!!! I yelled at him in tears, everyone was stunned by my outburst, I was stunned as well but I'm not gonna act weak, I wasn't bothered if I'm to get expelled but I'm going to give them a piece of my mind
"What"? he asked looking at my face in shock
"I don't care if I'm to be expelled from this sickening school or not but you don't have any right to judge a book by its cover cause you not the content, besides you don't go about calling people commoner when you no nothing about them" I said as tears keeps streaming down my cheeks
"Mr Park I told you she makes one uncomfortable and should be expelled from this school immediately" Marina said to the man addressing me
"I don't care what you think of me Marina but you're no better than a coward who put he's feelings first before the one they call loved, you don't want me for your brother huh, do you even care about one thing he's loved, you want the best for him when you don't even know the kind of brother you have, you want me to stay away from him right? then have it granted"? I said with a heavy heart with my hand folded across my chest, I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks as Gabe's gaze bore through my skin, I was heartbroken but if this what gives him a happy home in his family then so be it, I would sacrifice my love for his happiness
"I wouldn't ask for anything more" Marina said as a coy smile light up by the corner of her lips
"I can't be with someone he's family think I'm a nobody, what do you have to say now"? I asked Mr Park who didn't say a word as his face was covered with embarrassment
"Mr park please do something" Marina said but Mr park the instructor left without making any decree
"You fool, you think you've won right but this is just the beginning" Marina said and stormed out of the hall angrily. Meanwhile Gabby cried bitterly and was consoled by Nina but when Gabe walked up to them she kissed him passionately
"I'm sorry but this is the end" she said as more tears streamed down her face
"No please! don't! please don't so this to me I love you" Gabe pleaded as tears dropped from the corner of his eyes
"I can't be with you anymore, I'm sorry, you've been a good person but I don't deserve you anymore, I'm sorry" Gabby said sadly almost choking on her tears, she didn't let Gabriel say anymore word before running out in tears while Nina ran after her, Gabby ran to a corner and cried bitterly
"You shouldn't have if you don't want to" Nina said pulling her into a hug while she cried.
Meanwhile Jason was in his room when Marcus walked in with a brown envelope in his hand
"Don't you knock before entering into someone's private room" Jason asked looking at him playfully
"I would have if you had a girlfriend and by the way you might be my boss but you're my friend too" Marcus said
"You never do your job properly and what's that in your hand"? Jason asked looking at the envelope
"Why don't you take a look" Marcus said and threw the envelope on the table next to Jason who tore it opened and found series of pictures
"What? What happened to her"? he asked looking at Marcus with rage in his eyes
"She got into a fight with an instructor earlier because of Marina and ended up calling off her relationship with Gabe, she's really sad and broken right now" Marcus explained
"Where is she right now"? Jason asked grabbing his shirt
"Home, she was taken home by her friend" Marcus said describing Nina
"It's probably Nina" Jason said walking towards the door
"Where are you going"? Marcus asked but Jason glared at him "do you think she would probably want to meet anyone in the state she's in"? Marcus asked
"I have to give it a trial" he said walking into his car while Marcus drove him off. Getting to Gabriella's house he saw Nina leaving in her car after starring at the house for sometimes
"She's just leaving? wow she must really like and care about Gabriella" Marcus said looking at the car disappearing while Jason got out of the car and walked to Gabby's door and knocked for some while but no one answered so he walked back into his car looking disappointed. Meanwhile Gabby who cried a lot got a headache and was given treatment by Nina before she left was soundly a sleep and didn't know when Jason knocked.
*********
"I'm sure Gabby would love this grilled chicken I made for her,right"? Mrs Martins said to her husband as they walked into the house
"Unfortunately that smile would fade away soon" Marcus said to Jason who gazed at the door of the house where Gabby's parents walked through
"Let's go" Jason said and Marcus drove off
It rained that night which made everywhere chilly and cold but deep down in someone's heart burns the fire of rage, he couldn't control it and couldn't wait to be in school the next day, as soon as it was dawn Jason got dressed and stormed into the school and on the other hand is a lonely looking girl who's cried her heart out of pain
"Why did you do it"? Jason asked as soon as he came across Marina
"What are you talking about"? Marina asked looking a bit surprised
"Why did you do it Marina, answer me"!!!!! Jason yelled
"Do what exactly Jason"? Marina asked
"Why did you humiliate her in that manner huh"? Jason asked angrily
"Ohh please wait" Marina scoffed "are you by any chance talking about Gabriella"? Marina asked looking at Jason's face
"Answer me already" Jason retorted
"She's a garbage and doesn't belong here so I put her in her place,why do you care anyways"? Marina asked folding her hands across her breast
"You don't judge people Marina and you know absolutely nothing about her" Jason said
"Jason there's nothing else I need to know about her not when I personally despise her, besides her personality is a stain" Marina said rolling her eyes
"Her personality shouldn't be a problem to you Marina for Christ sake don't you have a heart in there"? Jason asked pointing at Marina's chest who was shocked by his outburst
"Jason your words hurt a lot, you can't side her,don't you get it here Jason Gabriella isn't someone you should side when we've been always been together for so long" Marina said with tears welling up in her eyes
"We've been together and thanks to our status no one is aware of the relationship between us so if you're going to keep hurting Gabriella then it would be better if you stay away from me"Jason said angrily and stormed out of her presence while she cried.
Gabriella wasn't in school that day so Jason decided to pay her a visit so he went to her house and knocked and hopefully Gabby opened the door this time
"Hey"! Jason said looking at her pale looking face
"Hi"! Gabby replied looking surprised
"May I come in"? he asked Gabby who nodded and moved from the door so he could walk in
"what's you doing here"? Gabby asked as soon as they walked in
"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday" Jason apologized
"It's Okay, what's in the bag"? Gabby asked looking at the bag
"Ohh it's some groceries I got for you guessing you cried a lot yesterday I thought you might need something to regain your strength" Jason said handing her the bag
"Thanks"! Gabby said looking into the bag "wow they look nice and yummy" she added with a smile on her face
"I'm glad you like it" Jason said
"I'm bored in here mind if we take a walk"? Gabby asked
"Sure" Jason said and Gabby quickly changed into something comfy and they left. Meanwhile Gabe on the other hand was coming to pay Gabby a visit and saw Gabby walking out of her house with Jason and stopped his car immediately he wanted to come down but decided to trail them so he drove slowly behind from afar.
"would you like some road ice cream"? Jason asked looking at Gabby who smiled and nodded in affirmation
"Alright ma'am" Jason teased and ordered two ice cream for the both of them after they got their orders they continued their walk chatting happily while Gabby was smiling and laughing broadly
"I'm glad you're happy now" Jason said smiling
"I might not be happy but I got to be tough for myself" Gabby said with a faint smile on her face
"I'm sorry for not being there yesterday" Jason said with his eyes fixed on her face
"It's not your fault anyways, there's no need to apologize" Gabby said with a tearful voice
"Are you okay"? Jason asked
"No,I'm not okay" Gabby replied as tears rolled down her face
"Don't cry, you look ugly when you do that" Jason said and Gabby smiled sniffing
"I hope he forgives me" Gabby muttered
"I'm sure Gabe would understand how you feel so please don't cry"Jason said and pulled her into a hug while she cried like a baby in his embrace.
Gabriel practically saw everything that transpired between Gabby and Jason and got the wrong idea about it so he angrily went home
Immediately Gabe got home he met his mom in the sitting room waiting impatiently
"Where have you been Gabriel"? Mrs Lilliana Morris asked but no reply came from him as he headed for his room
"I'm talking to you Gabriel; come back here"!!! She screamed behind Gabriel who just walked into his room without a looking at his mom's face
"What has gotten into him"? She asked no one in particular and sighed.
The closeness between Gabby and Jason got everyone in school thinking negative which made Gabe stop concentrating in class and Chris got worried so one day he mustered up courage to confront Jason. Jason was walking around the school with Gabby when Chris called his attention
"Hey Gabby"! he greeted
"Hello Chris" Gabby replied smiling
"Mind if I borrow him for sometime"? he asked Gabby who looked at Jason's face
"Sure" she said and Jason left with Chris to an empty classroom
"So you're Jason huh"? Chris asked
"Yes Chris" Jason replied calmly
"I'm glad you know me"! Chris said looking at Jason's face with a nod
"If you're here to ask about Gabriella and I then just know that your curiosity is true,we are in love with each other and I'm not gonna let anyone humiliate her ever again" Jason said nonchalantly
"You're shameless Jason, how can you have an affair with someone else's girlfriend"? Chris asked
"So you know Gabby and Gabe aren't into any kind of intimate relationship anymore, and I have the right to be with anyone I chose" Jason said looking at Chris's face
"How could you Jason,how"? Chris asked angrily
"Chill up Chris you weren't the one in a relationship with Gabby and if Gabe isn't so concerned then what right do you have to judge my love for Gabby"? Jason asked
"Love"? Gabe asked walking up to them
"Of course I love Gabby, do you have a problem with that"? Jason asked turning to his direction
"Obviously I don't"! Gabe said with his hands in his pocket
"I thought as much" Jason scoffed and walked out
"What was that for Gabe"? Chris asked in anger
"She made her choice" Gabe said and walked in.
*******
"Why did you have to say something like that"? Marcus asked Jason after hearing the story
"I had no other choice then" he said
"But saying you're into a relationship with Gabby is totally out of it,how do you think she would feel if she finds out you said something so horrible knowing that she loves Gabriel"? Marcus asked
"He was acting like he doesn't love her meanwhile Gabriella is regretting her decision about being separated from him" Jason said trying to defend his actions
"Ohh my god Jason,you gotta fix this"! Marcus said
"How I'm I gonna so that"? Jason asked looking at the expression on Marcus face
"You need to explain it to her yourself before words gets out to her hearing" Marcus advised
"Do I have to"? Jason asked
"Of course" Marcus replied
"Then what are you waiting for to take me there"? he asked and they hurriedly left the house.
Meanwhile Gabe was so devastated after hearing what Jason said earlier that he couldn't hide his curiosity so he went over to Gabriella's house