Gabriel & Athena, Book One: Fate (A Wattpad Featured Story)

CHAPTER 2: COMMON GROUND

 Chapter Soundtrack - Chapter 2: "Munich" by The Fray

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            "Hi, Athena!"

             My body abruptly turned to stone at the sound of her voice and I silently cursed to myself.  Every one of my senses was now on high alert as I slowly turned to see Kristy Spelling standing a few feet away from me, her layered red hair framing the mask of friendliness on her face.  She was obviously here on a mission and something told me it wasn't for a book.  The faster I found out what it was she wanted, the faster I could send her on her merry way.

            "Hi.  Can I help you with something?" I said through gritted teeth, hoping she could hear the brisk tone of my words.  There was no love lost between me and the head of the cheerleading squad and I had no interest in pretending.

            "Yeah, actually, I need a copy of The Tragedy of King Richard III for English.  They were all out at the library so I figured this was the next best place to check."

            It sounded like a plausible reason for her presence, but past experience advised me to stay cautious.  "We actually do have a few copies left," I answered, heading in the direction of the bookshelf dedicated to all of Shakespeare's work.

            "Cool," she said, starting to follow me.  "So what's been going on?"

            "Um, nothing much."  Was she really trying to make small talk?

            "Me neither.   Same old, same old.   Nothing ever changes around here, except for the newest student at school.  He seems to be big news," she mentioned, trying a little too hard to sound casual.

            "I guess," I said, plucking the book she needed off the shelf.  It was as I was turning around to hand it to her that she revealed the true purpose for her visit.

            "I heard you spoke to him.  What's he like?" she asked, unable to hide the curiosity that would undoubtedly burst from each pore of her body if she didn't find out every last detail of my brief encounter with Gabriel Valente.

            I stared at her in amazement.  I didn't know what I couldn't get over more: the fact that she had actually made a special trip to a bookstore she had never set foot in before just to find out a little information about the new guy, or that she was pretending to be a good enough acquaintance of mine to ask what had transpired between us.  "I honestly couldn't tell you," I said, handing the book to her before crossing my arms across my chest.

            "Really?  Nothing about his personality at all?" she pressed, apparently not willing to give up that easily.

            "If you're that interested, Kristy, why don't you just talk to him yourself?" I spit out, my irritation and impatience starting to mix together at an increasing speed.  This wasn't going to end well.

            "I was just wondering what he possibly could have had to say to you.  What's the big deal?" she asked, carefully avoiding my question.

            I smiled on the inside, remembering the way Gabriel had left her standing in the hallway after only speaking a few words to her.  I didn't usually revel in another person's rejection, or what looked like a rejection, but this was Kristy Spelling.  I could make an exception.  "No big deal, Kristy.   As much as I would love to give you a play-by-play, I've got work to do.  So if the book is all you need, I can ring it up for you," I offered, giving her my sweetest smile.