(Bakersville middle school, 2005)***“Do you think I’ll turn out like my dad when I grow up?”Emily looked up from her books. She had noticed he had been distracted ever since he walked in, and she had wanted to ask if everything was okay. She didn’t have to ask anymore. It was a bit charming, how she could always tell if something was wrong with Gabriel. He couldn’t hide it, even when he smiled and said it was nothing. She wouldn’t ask him again, because he would blurt it out eventually.It broke her heart a little that this was what had been bothering him. it must have weighed on his mind for a while. She took his head in her hand and laid it on her shoulder. He was taller than her, way taller after he’s gotten his growth spurt so he had to slide further down on the floor they were sitting on, just so that he could be comfortable.“I think the fact that you’re worried about it is a sign enough that you won’t be,” Emily said.“You really think so?” he asked.“Yeah,” Emily said, “I m
EMILY***I had been lying awake in bed for almost three hours now. It was the weekend but my body which was used to waking up at eight in the morning rudely interrupted my sleep. I wished I could sleep more. I didn't want to face this day. I wanted to sleep all my problems away, but I knew that wouldn't change anything. I would just have to wake up and face them.I had already made my decision but telling it to Harry was a whole other ball game that I was not ready for. I was sure he had decided that we should try to work things out and that we should stay together. He would be so disappointed when I told him I wanted a break. Harry was a good guy. Despite everything, he was kind and considerate and I wanted him in my life. This was just a hurdle that we needed to work through. Maybe separation would help us.I smiled when I thought about the word 'separation'. It took me back many years to the time when Gabriel's parents decided to live apart for a while. He explained to me the diff
GABRIEL *** It was Saturday so I was in no hurry to get up. I took my time because this was the first day of many days to come that would require my bravery. I would have to meet Emily, either by accident or because I was with Harry and I would have to look her in the face and act like I didn't love her. The mere thought made my heart ache. I wished I could stay inside forever. More than that, I wished I'd moved somewhere else, where I wouldn't have to worry about Emily. But I was here, this was my life and I had no choice but to face it. I slept in a little bit more before I got up and decided to have breakfast. I also needed to meet Harry. He had told me that I didn't need to worry about what he wanted me to do, but he had not told me what had happened between him and Emily that had made it that way. He didn’t owe me the information but I wanted to know regardless. I was hopeful that things hadn’t gone well and I was delusional that that meant I had a chance. But above all, I kn
EMILY *** I talked to Tiffany. She won’t be bothering you again. I’m sorry again. I’d gotten this text from Harry just as soon as I'd gotten to my dorm. It made me feel guilty but a part of me also felt relief, that I didn’t have to worry anymore. I sighed and sat on my bed. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard. What was I supposed to say? I gave up and threw my phone onto my bed, then I got into my covers. I wished I could stay there forever. It had been two days since our last conversation. I had woken up that day hoping that the conversation would go well and we would get to a conclusion, that I would leave with a heart as light as it was before everything happened, but none of that had happened. The conversation had not gone as planned, we hadn’t gotten to a conclusion and my heart had never been heavier. I had hoped that I would be able to tell Harry what I had decided but he went ahead and told me about Tiffany and it made me feel guilty. It made me feel inconsiderate, but t
GABRIEL *** How did things go? I don’t know, man. We didn’t come to a conclusion and I texted her after to tell her she didn’t have to worry about Tiffany anymore but she hasn’t responded. She probably needs time, but things will work out, I promise you. I sure hope so. What are you up to? I’m going on a blind date later. Really? That’s great. Tell me if you need anything. Sure. I’ll tell you how it goes. Okay. I had texted Harry to tell him about the blind date so that I couldn’t go back on it. I had gone back and forth from deciding I would move on from Emily and not even telling her how I felt to wanting to confess how I felt to her, Harry and everyone else is damned. I was swinging back and forth, going up and down on this rollercoaster of emotions, and I was a mess. I couldn’t go back, this I knew. I had already picked a side when I told Harry to be confident that he would get her back. It was a side I clearly needed to keep picking because my feelings weren’t cat
(Bakersville middle school, 2005)***“Ashley Brown is having a birthday party and she’s invited the whole class, can I go?” Emily asked her Mom.“Is Gabriel going?” Terry asked.“Yes.”“I’ll pick you up at 9,” she said.The party wasn’t for another two days but Emily had wanted to ask early, just in case Terry needed convincing. She hadn’t expected it to be so easy. She went up to her room. she couldn’t wait to tell Gabriel.She had been surprised that Ashley, the most popular girl in school, had invited everyone in their homeroom to her birthday party. She had expected her to only invite the popular kids and Emily had been prepared to stay in and catch up on her reading.This was new for her. She’d been to birthday parties, but never to a popular person’s birthday party. She would have to talk to Gabriel, and get a few pointers from him on how to act cool and not embarrass herself.The school was abuzz the next day. Everyone was talking about Ashley’s party. She was just as excited
EMILY *** What happened to you was hard. It’s okay that you still haven’t gotten over it. Take all the time you need. I had been thinking about this part of Juliel’s text since she sent it. It was hard to accept because I had hoped I was over what had happened. But maybe she was right. Maybe it had been too hard for me to get over as quickly as I'd hoped. I had moved from my desk to my bed because I had been bouncing my knee and tapping on my books with my pen and I feared that I was irritating Nila. But what did that mean? Did it mean that I was supposed to stay single until I had completely healed from the incident? What if I never got over it? What if it was something I was supposed to live with, not get over? Her advice was good, undisputable even, but how was I supposed to apply it to the conversation that was undoubtedly about to happen between Harry and i? It was hanging over our heads. It was bound to happen sooner if not later. I wanted to break up for good, but what if
EMILY *** “Are you ready to go?” Harry asked as I fastened my seat belt. “Yes, I am,” I said, straightening my dress. We were going on a double date, with Gabriel and his girlfriend. I hated the thought of it, but I couldn't say no. We were going bowling off campus. Gabriel and the girl he was seeing had already gone ahead of us and we were joining them in the evening because we both had classes that we couldn’t miss. It was Harry who brought up the idea, and I couldn’t refuse, mostly because he told me that Gabriel had agreed.This angered me even more. Why had he agreed? What point was he trying to prove? What message was he trying to get across? I thought that he was trying to move on. Wasn’t that the reason why he had met someone? Hadn’t that been an attempt at moving on with his life? If so, why was he still trying to involve himself with Harry and me? It was annoying, but I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was going to go on that date and act unbothered. I wasn’t goi
EMILY***"You guys knew about it, didn’t you?" I asked Nila and Julie who were suddenly awfully quiet when Gabriel walked in."Who, me? I have no idea what you're talking about?" Nila asked while holding her hands to her chest in mock surprise.We all laughed."I won't lie and say I didn't know. In fact, I had a meeting with him to make sure he had changed for good," Julie said.She was always so intense. I loved it."Thanks for looking out for me," I said to her."You know I got you. Always," she said.
GABRIEL***"We're home," Mom said as she opened the door to our house.She dumped her bag onto the living room floor and went around every room as if she was announcing her presence. I shook my head. I knew she had forgotten all about it and so I picked it up and carried it to her room before I went to mine.It felt good to be back. It had been a great year, a year I would never forget but being home felt great. It felt like a sigh of relief. I had made it back. I had done it. My mother and I had chosen to relocate temporarily because it felt like a good idea to just start over in a place that was unplugged and away from real life and all the responsibilities that real life demanded from us.It had been healing to be in a place where no one kn
EMILY***“We’re gonna be late,” Nila said to me.“Just a minute,” I said as I put the finishing touches on my outfit.I was a perfectionist in everything my dressing included. Besides, today was a special day for someone special to me and I needed to look the part.“Okay, I'm ready,” I said as I turned to face Nila, “how do I look?” I asked.“You look.. Stunning,” she said, “you look really great.”“Thank you, you do too,” I said to her and she curtsied and smiled.
THE END(Bakersville High school)“Emily doesn’t want to see you right now,” Terry said to Gabriel and he could tell by the tone of her voice that she didn’t want to see him too.He still didn’t know what he had done. Was this still about the stupid argument they had had that past weekend? He wanted to believe that that was what it was but something felt incredibly off.Something very bad had happened but he had no idea what it was and he had no way of finding out either because Emily wouldn’t see him. She wouldn’t pick up his calls or answer his texts either.
EMILY***“See you on the weekend,” Mom said as she dropped me off in the parking lot.“See you,” I said as I got out of the car. I watched her drive off before I walked to my dorm room.I had a new roommate because it was part of the school rules to change roommates at the beginning of every academic year. Nila and I had hoped and prayed that fate would let us meet again as roommates but that hadn’t been the case.It almost didn’t matter, though, because we remained good friends who were always together around the school. It had been months since the school year started. In fact, it was closer to the end now than it was in the beginning. The semester in which Gabriel felt like it was ages ago- it was almost
GABRIEL **** “I heard that you were leaving,” Emily said. “At the end of the semester, yes,” I said. “What?” she asked, turning red, “I came running over because Harry made it sound like you were leaving today!” I laughed. “He probably did that on purpose,” I said, “I should thank him for that.” “We should thank him for that,” she said, “it’s about time we had this conversation anyways.” “Yeah,” I said, “I was going to save it for last but I guess now is just as great, considering you ran over and everything,” I
EMILY***“Are you sure you’re okay?” mom asked as she helped me pick up my last bag from her trunk.“I’m sure, Mom,” I said, “plus there are only a few days left until the end of the semester and I'll be back home.”“I’m only letting you go because you have finals,” she said and I couldn’t help but smile.My parents had been watching over me more carefully than ever since I went back home and it had become suffocating- I used the fact that finals were ongoing to free myself and go back to school. I just needed a few days.&ld
GABRIEL***“I think you already know what I’m going to say,” I said to Harper who was seated across from me.She was crying.“I do,” she said as she sniffled.“I am sorry for all the hurt I've caused you. I shouldn’t have dated you when I knew I had so much baggage. I only hope that you’ll find someone who will be easy to love, someone who won’t cause you as much heartbreak and pain as I have,” I said.“I’m sorry too, to you as well as to Emily. I shouldn’t have let my insecurities control me.”“I shouldn’t have pu
EMILY***“Dinner’s ready,” my Mom said, snapping me out of my thoughts.It seemed she had been standing there for a while, watching me, and I hadn’t even noticed.“I’ll be right down,” I said, and she smiled at me before she left.I had been home for the past three days. My parents had gotten wind of the news and they had come to pick me up in the evening after I talked to Harry. Final exams were ongoing, and I had been against the idea of being at home but my parents had insisted.I had appreciated the rest and being away from what had happened for the first few days, but now I wanted to go back to school. Doing nothing all day did not sit we