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

CHAPTER 12: RULES

 Chapter Soundtrack - Chapter 12: "We Belong Together" by Gavin DeGraw

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

          "Athena Rose Thorpe, what were you thinking?" my father demanded, the veins in his forehead about to explode from anger.

            "Dad, if you'll just give me a minute to explain, you'll see that nothing dangerous happened at the gym.  Gabe is not a threat to me," I cried, frustrated.

            "He is the son of a crime lord and was arrested for murder," my father bellowed.  "He is the definition of danger."

            I glared at Nathan, who was standing in the corner of the living room.  I was sitting on the couch, my mother sitting next to me with my father pacing back and forth in front of us.  I had barely walked through the front door before I was ambushed.  For the past twenty minutes, I had listened to my parents talk about how I should have better sense than to spend my time with a gangster.

            "Honestly, Athena, it's like you move from one extreme to the other," my mother complained.  "Either you don't socialize at all or when you do, you pick the most inappropriate person."

            "He's not inappropriate, Mother.  He is the most thoughtful and generous person I have ever met.  And he is not a murderer.  How can you both judge someone you've never even spoken to?"

            "Do you know who his father is?" my father asked, visibly trying to calm himself.  "Do you know what his family does for a living?"

            "He didn't get to choose his family, Dad.  Believe me, he wishes the world he comes from was different, but he can't change that any more than you can change the sky being blue."

            "Just look at what happened tonight," my father reasoned.  "You're not the type to get into a shouting match with one of your classmates, but one night out with the Valente kid and that's exactly what occurs.  Do you really want to spend your time with someone who's going to get you into that kind of trouble?  This time may have only been a war of words, but there are no guarantees about what will happen next time."

            "There are no guarantees for anything in life," I argued, "no matter who I hang out with.  I could be at Robertson's or just sitting in a classroom and something terrible might happen.  You can't use Gabe as an excuse if something bad were to happen to me.  I could just as easily get hurt even if he had never moved to Sparrow."

            "That may be true, Athena, but why knowingly put yourself in the line of fire?" my mother said.

            "What line of fire?" I asked in disbelief.  "For the last time, Gabe is not dangerous.  Jackson Montgomery was the one who started the fight at the game.  If you should be warning me about anyone, it should be Jackson."

            "Why are you so hell bent on ignoring what's right in front of you?" my father asked. 

            "You don't know him the way I do," I countered.

            My father stood still, his eyes widening.  "How much time have you been spending with him, Athena?"

            I looked down, his stare practically condemning me before I had a chance to respond.  I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, but at the same time, I had purposely kept my involvement with Gabe from them.  I had anticipated some questions once I did decide to clue them in, but nothing like this.  They were acting like he was some deadly disease.  I once again gave my brother a piercing look.  He hadn't said a word since my arrival, which was good because he had already said enough.