The Bad Boy's Secret

-nineteen-

Macy's POV

All throughout dinner Kale and Pepper were continuously flirting with each other, whether poking each other with forks or tossing small bits of food at each other. I hadn't seen Pepper act like this, or look this happy, in a long time. 

Gabe was more relaxed and subtle with his flirting. As soon as we sat down he slung his arm across my shoulders, occasionally giving me a gentle squeeze when he wanted to get my attention. 

When the check came, I tried to grab it and cover Gabe and I's meal, but Gabe grabbed my wrist firmly and tore the check out of my hand. I glared over at him and he smirked, giving me a quick wink. 

"No way in hell am I letting my date pay for dinner," He muttered, pulling out some wadded up cash and counting it out carefully. Guilt rose up in my chest as I saw most of the bills were covered in what looked like motor oil, while my parents platinum credit card sat perfectly in my wallet in my clutch. Gabe was a hard worker, it was something I had grown to admire about him. 

Once dinner was all paid for we all headed back to the limo and were on our way to the dance. Gabe was sitting extra close to me, his arm hanging around my shoulder again and his other hand playing with mine. 

"How is your sister doing, by the way?" Gabe hadn't mentioned anything about Lucia and how she had been doing with her recovery for a few weeks now. Gabe smiled down at me proudly. 

"She's doing great, the doctors are really impressed with how her leg is healing. Should be out of her cast in no time. She likes all the attention she's getting from her classmates anyway, her cast is full of signatures and dumb drawings," 

"What did you say your mom does again?" Gabe didn't talk much about his family but when he did I could tell how much he loved them. 

"She's been a nursing assistant since I can remember," Gabe mentioned, he let go of my hand and pulled out his phone. The screen was cracked. "Look, that's me and Izzy with mom when we first got our house,"

Gabe was an adorable kid but you could also tell he was a handful. His mom was holding an infant Izzy in her arms and although she was smiling proudly there was also another emotion hidden behind her smile, almost like...fear. Gabe was sticking his tongue out at the camera and holding on to his mom's leg.

"And what about your dad? What does he do?" I asked once Gabe had slid his phone back into his pocket. I could feel his body tense and his smile wasn't as genuine as it was before. 

As if sensing the tension, Kale sprung forward from where he had been sitting with Pepper and caught Gabe in a choke hold. 

"My man Gabrio, actually going to a dance and not smelling of motor oil! Who woulda thought?" Kale tried to give Gabe a noogie but Gabe was able to shove his cousin off of him before his hair was messed up too much. Pepper and I could only laugh as the boys pushed each other around a few more times before settling back down. A few moments later we pulled up to the school. 

"Thank God you guys voted out 'under the sea' theme," Pepper whispered before slipping out of the limo behind Kale. Gabe followed and held out a hand to help me out. 

Black and Gold balloons created a tunnel through the front doors of the school and led us to the gymnasium. We had to hand the principal our tickets and even a few of the teachers were making students take breathalyzer tests before entering. I guess the drunk mess that was made last year at Homecoming made the teachers buckle down even more.