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

CHAPTER 8: THE DEAL

  Chapter Soundtrack - Chapter 8: "Waiting" by Aquilo

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            I seriously considered ditching school the next day.  I was dreading the possibility of seeing Gabe.  One look and my resolve would surely fade.  Taking a day or two for myself would give me some time to build my strength and ensure the armor around my heart was good and solid.  In the end I decided if the whole nightmare with Jackson hadn't kept me from Sparrow High, then Gabriel Valente sure wasn't going to.  As I walked the hallways that morning, I couldn't help but pay close attention to my surroundings.  At every turn, I examined each face headed my way.  I figured if I spotted Gabe from afar, I could prepare myself to hold my head up and fully ignore him...or run in the other direction.

            I filled Gretchen in on the details during third period.  She understood where I was coming from, but had thought I was acting prematurely.  Gretchen didn't understand why I couldn't just hang out with Gabe for fun.  She hadn't ever really been in a long-term relationship.  She preferred to keep things commitment-free with the boys she dated, not seeing the point in getting serious when she planned to move to Los Angeles as soon as we graduated.  This was just another way Gretchen and I were different.  She would be able to keep it casual whereas I would free fall into the deep and meaningful.  I promised her it was all for the best, but she seemed as convinced as I felt.  Shouldn't making the right choice feel more...right?

            She offered to keep me company during lunch but I graciously declined.  What I needed right now was to transport into someone else's world for a little while.  As I walked down the hallway that would lead me to my sanctuary, thoughts of the first time I had seen Gabe flashed before me.  I could picture every detail in perfect clarity: the way he had turned away from Kristy and started walking in my direction, how his jacket had failed to hide his steel-like chest and the hint of a smile on his face as he retrieved my book for me.  I was reliving it all again in slow motion, only this time I didn't have to wonder if he was watching me walk into the library.  He wasn't there.  He also wasn't waiting for me at my couch.  He wasn't at the table where we had shared a lunch.  He didn't appear out of nowhere to ask me what I was reading.  He wasn't in the hallways.  His car wasn't in its usual parking space.  Apparently I didn't have to worry about keeping my distance to forget him.  Invisibility was another of his superpowers. 

            I might have been able to see all of this as a blessing if I didn't keep wishing he could just as easily remove himself from my thoughts, but in those he held a constant presence.  Every time I picked up a book I wondered if he had read it.  I couldn't drink a strawberry smoothie without remembering the way he had teased me about them.  And golden halos seemed to be permanently etched in my brain, burning away my ability to concentrate on anything else.

            The next day was the same as before.  I figured he must be cutting as at some point I would have caught the tiniest glimpse of him in the halls.  Despite my better judgment, I was dying to know, so I finally broke down and called Gretchen on my way to Robertson's.  Since she and Gabe had a class together, she would be able to tell me whether he was absent or just really good at making himself scarce.  I wasn't sure if she'd answer as her cheerleading practice would be starting soon, but she picked up on the second ring.  I failed at any attempt to hide the depth of my curiosity and got straight to the point.  "Was Gabe in class today?" I asked.

            She chuckled.  "Only a few days and you're already having second thoughts about your decision."

            "No second thoughts," I protested weakly.  "I was just wondering if he was cutting class or not.  The last thing he needs is to be kicked out of another school."