Page 32 of Forever Entwined
"Nah, unlike you, I don't only shower on the days I think I'm going to get lucky," I snort, holding in a chuckle at my own joke.
"You'd have to GET lucky first, bro; your hand doesn't count," Gabe playfully shoots back.
My face drops slightly, but I recover quickly, though obviously not fast enough because Gabe must see the truth in my face. "Wait, please tell me this is a joke," Gabe says with a wicked laugh. "Please tell me you're not an almost eighteen-year-old virgin. No brother of mine with a face like yours can be a virgin. Surely, girls are lapping up your baby blue eyes. That’s about the only good thing our asshole of a father has ever given you," Gabe says, sneering at the memory of him.
"Don't be a dick, Gabe; obviously I'm not. I've had my share of girls, thank you very much," I lie.I can’t be bothered with his teasing and taunting today. Today, I'm a man on a mission.
"God, you had me worried." Gabe teases. "I was starting to think I was going to have to buy you a hooker for your eighteenth birthday, not a new shirt. It's bad enough your head has been pining for Isabella for the last five years. Don't tell me your poor dick has too," he says viciously.
"You can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that?" I snap angrily as I push him away and try to leave, but he follows me.
"I really don't understand why you have such a problem with her, Gabe. We don't even know for sure that us being taken into care had anything to do with her or her family. And even if it DID, they'd have done anything to protect both of us. You'd have done the same thing if you could," I huff, turning to face him, pointing my finger, and gritting my teeth because I'm tired of having to explain it to him over and over again. I feel like we keep going around and around in circles. We've had this discussion a million times.
"Wrong, I wouldn't have let them separate us," Gabe whispers, dropping his head as he walks away.
Now that I'm alone, my mind has time to wander. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do if I ever get the chance to reconcile with Bella. If things don't change, I'm going to lose one of them and end up destroying the other. Either I follow my head and stay away and lose the possible love of my life just to make Gabe happy, or I lose the only family I've ever really known if I follow my heart and choose Bella. But I can't worry about that right now because all I can focus on is how, where, and when I'm going to see her again. Fate has granted me a second chance to go back and correct all the mistakes of the past, and I don't intend on wasting it.
There's no doubt in my mind; once I muster up the courage to follow my heart, there's no way I'll settle for anything less than her being MINE. She has always been, and will always be, the only girl for me. If I am lucky enough to convince her of that, I will show her every single day that she's IT for me. She may not know it yet, but she's been mine since the first day I saw her climb that tree. A tiny little dot of a girl, all hair and frills, but full of so much determination that I was in awe of her. Plus,when I learned her name, I just knew.Time, space, and fate be damned, she would be my one and only, Bella Beauty.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ISABELLA
"Honestly, you didn't have to go to all this trouble, Nana. Especially not just for me."
"Nonsense, it's not every day my baby goes for her first day of high school." Nana smiles proudly.
"Naaana." I sigh dramatically. "It's not my first day. I've been to so many different schools now, they are all the same. I roll my eyes, "They're all full of bratty kids and too many cliques, and my senior year at Avery high will be no different" I joke while taking a big sip of my coffee.Man, I needed that.Besides, it's not even my first day; it's just an open house for new students to register.
"Well, it's the first day for ME. I couldn't take you any other time because you've been away from us for far too long," Nana says. "But I held your hand when you entered preschool, and I accompanied you to elementary school. So don't try to take away this old woman's joy of accompanying her grandchild to her first day of high school," Nana says with watery eyes.
"Okay! Okay, you win." I sigh, secretly loving having someone fussing over me. "Good thing, I love your sentimental old butt." I giggle in defeat.
"I like that butt too," Pops pipes up from the other side of the table with a mouthful of chocolate chip pancakes.
"Enough talk about my butt, please, you two. Why don't you BOTH move your butts, or we'll be late." Nana laughs back, going back to flipping pancakes.
Smiling to myself as I grab another cup of coffee. I leave my grandparents in the kitchen and head upstairs. Most kids would be disgusted by this, but I just love that, even at their age and after forty-five years of marriage, Nana and Pops are still madly in love with each other. I hope and pray that one day I'll find myself a prince who will love me until we're old and gray.
Walking back into my room, I can't help but feel proud of all we’ve accomplished. It took me, Riley, and Harper almost the whole weekend of moving and decorating, but finally, my room looks complete. We turned the windowsill into a reading corner, complete with a tall lamp and throw cushions. We moved the bed to one wall to give me more floor space and added a faux fur rug. Best of all, and after some encouragement, I decided to paint my own mural on the far wall. It's not complete yet, but it's definitely a start.
As I think back on my weekend, I can't help but smirk remembering the fun we had. When the girls first turned up wheeling a suitcase big enough to hide a body inside, I didn't know what to expect. And when the plastic sheets came out, I was sure I was in an episode of Dexter and about to end up on a missing person poster. But true to their word, they really did bring everything we’d need. Heck, they even brought a foldable table to store the paint supplies on. And while I got to work on my mural, they made quick work of moving furniture around and decorating the rest of the room. Honestly, for two skinny girls, they definitely have some hulk level strength.
Today is the day that the school and the town also have their summer carnival. From what I remember, there are rides, cotton candy booths, arcades, and many more on the school's soccer field.
This year, I'm meeting Harper and Riley at school after registration, so we can go together.My alarm beeps, letting me know I only have an hour before I have to leave.
So after rummaging through my closet, I decided on a cool, flowered summer dress that I brought back from our shopping trip last week and a pair of sneakers.ThenI grab my denim jacket in case it gets chilly this evening.
I check my hair and makeup in the mirror one last time, tucking the loose curls behind my ear, and head downstairs.
"I'm finally done, Nana," I call out as I come down the stairs. "Are Mom or Dad meeting us?" I ask, even though I'm pretty sure I already know the answer.
"Sorry, honey. Your dad is at work, and your mom has a meeting with a potential new client, so it's just going to be you and me, unless you want Pops to come along. I'm sure he'd be happy to join us," she says, trying not to let it show how much it irritates her when my parents blow me off like this.
"No, it's fine, I sigh. I assumed they'd be busy. Plus, you know I love our Nana and me days; I've missed them so much," I say honestly.
"It seems like a nice day. Besides, we don't have to be there for… thirty or forty minutes," I say, looking at my phone. "Shall we go for a walk? Unless you'd rather drive?" I quickly suggest.It's been years since I was here last, and after Pops' brush with death, who knows if they're both as fit and active as I remember.