Chapter eight

I sit down at the island next to Vince with my breakfast of toast Monday morning. Monday’s are the worst day of the week, without a doubt.

“So, Aster, I have some news.” Vincent says, turning a page of today’s newspaper.

“Mhm?” I say with a mouthful of toast.

“I got asked to paint some houses out in Great Falls.”

“Oh?” I asked surprised. Being a painter, he doesn’t get asked to do houses out of town very often.

“Yeah. I will have to leave this Saturday and get back around Thursday afternoon.”

“Oh. Are you going?” I take a bite of my toast.

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Then I will see you next week.”

“I better go, I’m going to be late.” he puts down the paper and stands up, “You better get ready for school.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I say, dusting crumbs off of my chin.

“I’ll see you later.” he says and leave the kitchen.

“Bye.”

I finish my toast and I hear the front door open and close.

I go upstairs and shower, then get dressed. I know for a fact that  I am going to be late for school, and it isn't the first time. I am in the middle of crimping my hair when the phone rings.

I pick up the phone. I don't recognize the number on the caller I.D. so I answer it.

“Hello?”

“Aster?” It’s Gabe’s melodic voice

“Gabe? Aren’t you at school?”

“Yeah-well, I was, I was waiting by your locker waiting for you. I am in my car now.”

“You’re going to get into trouble.”

“Nope, I just left the parking lot. I am coming to pick you up, be ready.” and he hangs up.

I sigh and narrow my eyes at the phone, placing it back on its charger.

I finish my hair and after I am done putting on my face, I go down stairs to wait for Gabe.

When the mustang appears in front of my house, I put on my leather boots and a grey leather jacket. With my bag over my shoulder, I leave the house and lock the door.

Gabe get out the car and rushes over to open the door for me.

“Thanks.” I say, getting in.

He nods his head and gets back into the drivers seat.

“You look nice today.” he tells me, his eyes focused on the snow covered road in front of us.

“Thank you.”

His eyes go wide and he looks at me, “Not that you don't look good everyday.” he says quickly.

I bat my eyes at him, “It’s okay, Gabe.” I smile, “Are you planning on going to school anytime soon?”

He laughs a little under his breath and nods.

He drives to the end of the block and he turns on the radio.

Imminently, one of my favorite songs comes on.

Gabe looks at me when we are stopped at a red light, a smile on his face.

I was looking forward, but I turn to face him and my head bobbing stops.

“What?” I ask.

“I didn’t know you could sing.” he tells me.

“I didn’t know I was.” I am a huge fan of all music, but I never sing.

“Well, don't stop just because I said something.” he tells me, the light turning green.

I blush and shy away from his quick glace.

We reach school too quickly, I would have liked to stay with Gabe in his car all day, but, we have classes.

“What do you have?” Gabe asks me when I get to my locker.

“We have math.” I turn to him, blindly reaching to the top of my locker for a textbook.

“Here.” he reaches up and grabs it for me.

“My hero.” I giggle, taking the math textbook from him.

He bows his head , “Anything for you, your Majesty.”

I playfully punch him in the arm and we go to his locker, then to class.

When we enter the class, Mr.Robinson looks at us, and says, “Miss.Young, Mr.Casmaric, how nice of you to join us.” everyone-who wasn’t looking at us, turns and looks.

“No problemo, sir.” Gabe says nonchalantly and we take our seats at the back of the class, with every one's eyes on us.

A few minuets later, the class settles but Mary-Lynn turns around to face us.

“I’m making my move today, Weed.” she taunts, Gabe is talking quietly with the boys across the isle, so Mary-Lynn knew that Gabe isn’t listening to our conversation.

“You can try.” I tell her, mockingly.

“What are you saying, Weed?” she snaps.

“I’m saying that you can’t have him, because he is mine.” I lean forwards, getting closer to her face, showing her that I am not afraid of her.

She throws her head back and cackles, “Really, Weed?” she wipes an invisible tear from the corner of her eye.

“Yes, really.” Gabe must have turned to face us sometime when neither of us had be paying any attention.

Mary just look startled. It could have been the fact that Gabe had heard (she always puts on her ‘pretty’ face around guys-all guys- and never shows them this side of her), or that Gabe admitted that he is mine.

I glare at her, and take Gabe’s hand.

“How can somebody like you be with something like,” her attention is on Gabe as she paused, and I’m sure-out of the three of us- I am not the only one who noticed that half of the classes eyes are focused on the commotion at the back of the class, “her?”

Gabe straightens his back, tightening his rigid muscles along his shoulders. Silver flecks dance in his grey irises and he secures his grip on my hand. The anger that causes his body to tense is the same anger that causes me to snap at her.

“Why do you have to be such a b***h?” I raise my voice and stand up. The chair legs scream against the polished floor and Gabe’s hand falls beside him.

“Aster...” Gabe says quietly.

Mary-Lynn cackles again, “So, the weed does have a backbone!”

“Shut-up! Just that your God damn mouth!” I yell at her. She has risen to her feet too, “You are such a b***h! All you have ever done is taken things away that matter to me! Not this time.” I walk half way to the door and then continue, “Not this time, you selfish b***h!”

“Miss. Young!” Mr.Robinson exclaims, exasperated.

I quickly glance at him, and Gabe who is walking towards me, steals it.

I look behind him and Mary-Lynn has a stupid look of surprise plastered on her face, but her eyes are full of anger and enjoyment, which makes the rage inside of me, boil over.

“Go to hell, Mary, just go to hell.” I rush out of the classroom and I hear footsteps behind me.

“Aster, wait.” Gabe says, his step picking up to match my speed.

Tears form in the corner of my eyes and I follow as many hallways as I can to get away from the math room. I break out in a sprint.

Gabe is going to be faster than me, and in no time at all, he is within three feet of me.

“Aster, you know that I am just going to follow you, so just slow down and let me talk to you.”

I sob and slow down. I have ended up on the opposite side of the school and it is a dead end. I reach the end of this hallway and sit in the corner, next to the fire exit and a wall.

I look at Gabe and he kneels down beside me.

I bring my knees up to my chest and rest my head on them, “I don’t want you to leave me.”

“Do you remember that promise I made to you?” he puts a hand on my head.

“Yes.” I mumble.

“And I will keep that promise, and not even she can make me break it.” I don’t say anything, so he continues, “You are beautiful, Aster, beautiful like the flower. She isn’t. Other guys might think so, but other guys don't know the real her. That was the real her, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then, they’ll be in for a surprise. Meanwhile, I wont be unless you decide to die your hair blond and wear pink.”

I laugh a little, “I guess you’re right.” I look up at him.

He smiles quickly and pulls out his phone, “There is only a few more minuets until third period,” we must have missed the first one because math was second, “do you wanna go out somewhere and do something?”

A chance to skip school? I would never pass up a chance like that. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Then lets go.” he stands up and holds out a hand to help me up.

We walk hand in hand to his locker and then to mine to get our jackets and bags.

“Where do you want to go?” Gabe asks me quietly, as to not disturb the classes that are session.

“Do you want to go the mall, or something?” I ask him as we pass in front of the office undetected.

“Sure. We can catch a movie or something.”

I wrap my arm around his, and pull him closer to me, “I’d like that.”

He grins and we exit the school and a gust of cold February air welcomes us. We take the same route as we did before to get to his car.

His car still smells the same as it did this morning- new leather and Gabe- but there is something floral in the confined space.

We buckle our seat belts are he sniffs the air, and smiles, “You smell good.” So that’s where the flowery smell came from.

I blush and as he starts the ignition, the radio turns on.

I assume Gabe knows this song because he begins to hum to the words, and his fingers tap to the beat on the steering wheel.

We are on the main road when he sings allong with the radio, “Leave the bourbon on the self. And I.ll drink it by myself. I love you endlessly, darlin’ don't you see, I’m not satisfied, until I hold you tight.”

His singing voice is even more melodic than his regular voice.

“Jen-if-er, tell me where I stand. Who is that boy, holding your hand. Oh, Jen-if-er, you know I’ll always try, until you say good-bye, leave the bourbon on the self,”

“Oh, Gabe.” I whisper, afraid to interrupt him.

He turns and smiles at me, and quickly looks back at the road.

Gabe sings until the song ends and he presses buttons on the dashboard until a different station is playing a song I’ve never heard of.

Gabe isn’t singing this one, which saddens me, but being with him, makes me just as happy.

We are stopped at a red light when I talk, so I’m sure that I have all of his attention, “Vincent is going to be out of town on Sunday and is coming back on Thursday.”

“Oh?” he raises an eyebrow.

“Yes.” I let the ‘s’ linger, then hint, “I’ll need a babysitter.”  

He smiles at me the way I am smiling at him-fierce and hungry-when he muses, “I might have someone who could do that.”

“Do I know him?”

“I think you might know him fairly well.” he looks away from me and to the road, where traffic is moving again.

I relax against the seat and grab onto his thigh, affectionately. Repose muscles become tense under my hand.

“Damn, Aster, if you don't let go, we are going to end up in a hospital bed.” the smile on his face tells me that he is teasing.

“In a bed together?” I quip.

“Oh, baby, I wish.” he takes his right hand off the wheel and covers my hand with it.

We are blessed with green lights the rest of the way to the mall, which is packed, despite it being a not-so-lousy Monday.

“Jeeze!” I am shoved to the right, where Gabe is, by a big Italian looking man with a backpack.

“You okay?” Gabe asks, steadying me.

“Yeah. Some people...” I scoff.

“I’d say.”

We avoid most of the other people in the mall, until we get to the food court, which is filled to the brim will people. It is impossible to get anywhere without touching a stranger, never mind finding a clean and empty table.

Gabe puts me in front of him, as to get through the crowds easier, and places both hands on my shoulders to guide me.

“Over there.” he puts his mouth to my ear, and I barely hear him. He points up ahead and to the left.

“Okay.” I say, but I’m not sure he even heard me.

With Gabe on my heels, I make quick work of getting to the table before somebody else does.

“What a crowd.” Gabe observes with a huff as he sits down in front of me.

I could hear him fine over here, where it is less crowded, but the people are quieter, thank goodness.

“Yeah. I can watch the table if you wanna go get your lunch first.”

“Sure. What do you want on your sub?”

“My what?”

“Your sub. Your submarine.”

“Oh-the sandwich!”

“Yeah. What do you want on it?”

“No, no. I am going to buy it.”

“Well then, give me five bucks and I’ll go get it for you. Tell me what you want on it.”

“Um, Swiss cheese, lettuce, red peppers, and pickles.” I reach into my bag beside me and fish out my wallet.

“You want bread with that?”

I give Gabe a skeptical look, “Whole wheat.”

“And what type of meat?”

“Ham. And here.” I hand him a bill.

He brings the bill up to his nose and sniffs it, over exaggerating, “I’ll be back in a few.”

As soon as Gabe disappears in the sea of people, I put my wallet away and slouch down in the seat.

“You utter fool.” I tell myself and shake my head.

The line at the sub shop must not have been very long because it had only been five minutes or so before Gabe comes back holding a tray.

“This is for you,” he says when he reaches the table and hands me a twelve inch sub and a medium drink.

“Yum. Thank you.” my stomach grumbles at the sent of the sandwich.

He sits down and unwraps his sub-as I do the same- take a bite and makes a sound of acknowledgement, “This is yours, too.” he reaches inside of a pocket in his jeans and hands me the five bucks.

“Gabe, why did you do that?” I didn’t want to buy me lunch because I thought that I would have been imposing, but inside, I felt happy and giddy that Gabe bought it for me.

He shrugs and nonchalantly divulges, “I was trying to be a gentleman, but you didn’t like that, so I decided to play gentleman the hard way.”

I chew and swallow the bite I had taken from the sandwich that would do Vincent proud, “I like gentlemen, I just don't like taking their money.”

“It’s not taking money they offer.” he takes a bite as I finish chewing.

“You win.” I admit, discouraged.

“I always do.”

I only ate half of my submarine (Gabe ate all of his and my leftover half is in my bag), regardless of how hungry I was, besides, I need room for popcorn.

“What movie do you want to see?” Gabe inquires over the sound of the theater’s loud looped music.

“Pick one.” I urge him.

“Battle: L.A?”

“Sure. You get the tickets, and I’ll buy the popcorn.”

“I’ll meet you,” he pauses, looking around the large oval-shaped room, “somewhere.”

“Alright.” I depart from his side and go stand in the line for the snacks.

Originally, we came into the cinema holding our drinks from the food court, but we were told to throw them out or finish them. I would imagine that if the staff here figured out that I have half of a sub in my bag, they’d make me throw it out, but what they don't know, can’t hurt them.

“Hello, miss. What would you like?” says the red-headed teenage boy with freckles and thick framed glasses.

“Hi. Can I get a large iced-tea, a medium popcorn, and licorice whips, please.” I tap my wallet -that I had gotten out when I was standing with Gabe- on the counter, and see that the the cashier, whose name is Carl L. is staring at my chest. I abruptly cover my chest and fume,“Excuse me?”

“Uh. Uh, I'm sorry.” Carl L. apologizes, but his gaze is at my chest almost instantaneously.

“Hey!” I bark.

“C’mon! Whats the hold up?” shouts a man behind me.

“She hasn’t gotten her stuff yet because the cashier is a creep-o.” states a little girl, also behind me, but must have seen what Carl is doing.

“Sweetie, that's not polite.” says her mother

He scowls at the girl, then turns to me and says, “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Christ All-mighty.” says the man behind me.

“Carl! Take the lady’s order!” hisses a co-worker, popping popcorn.

“I said I wanted a medium popcorn, a large iced-tea and licorice whips.”

“That will thirteen fifty. Do you want butter on your popcorn?”

“No, thank you.” I hand him thirteen dollars and fifty cents.

He nods jerkily, puts a cup under the soda fountain, presses a button and takes off.

I turn to look for Gabe, but don't see him at the ticket stand. On the counter, a popcorn, drink and a package of red vines stand alone. With no sign of Carl L, I gather my purchase and head to where the napkins are.

“Hey, babe.” Gabe greets when he sees me get to the napkin counter.

I beam, “Hey. You got the tickets?”

In his hand, he holds two newly printed movie tickets, “And you got the popcorn?”

I shake the bag in my hand, being careful not to drop the licorice under my arm.

“Let me take something.” he says, reaching for the licorice and the drink.

“Thanks.” I say, letting him take what he wants to carry.

He shrugs and says, referring to the iced-tea,  “You know, you didn’t have to buy this.”

“Popcorn makes my mouth dry.” I give him a relaxed expression.

“Makes sense. The movie starts in about seven minutes.You wanna go now?”

“Yeah.” I say and I snag a few napkins from their dispenser before following Gabe to the theater.

* * *

Hand in hand, we leave the theater and we are walking through the less-thick haze of people to get to the nearest exit.

“That movie was okay.” Gabe says, sullenly.

“I didn’t like it. I thought the aliens could have been more realistic.” I state.

“And the fact that aliens coming to earth to take over our world is ridiculous.”

“So are aliens in general.”

Gabe stops in his tracks, “You don’t believe in an unnatural force such as aliens?”

“Aliens don’t exist, Gabe. And the only unnatural force humans have to deal with are ghosts.”

He walks and talks, “You don’t believe in extra-terrestrials but you believe in ghosts?”

“Because ghosts exist.” a little quieter, I add, “They give me hope.” I stare at the pattern on the floor.

I’m surprised when Gabe asks, “Gives you hope for what?”

“My parents.”

“Oh.” he pulls me closer to him. I’m not sure if he realizes that we have an audience or not, but I don't pull away when he kisses me.

“Mmm.” he says as he bends his neck to nuzzle my neck.

“Gabe, people are watching.” I say under heavy breaths.

“Let them.” hot, moist air hits my neck and I lean into him.

“Gabe, as much as I would love to do this, we can’t do it here.”

He leaves my neck, and I am left cold.

He clears his throat, “What time is it?”

“Time for us to go to my place.” I flirt.

“My favorite time on the day.”

“Mine too.”

“Then let us go.”

It must have snowed when we were inside because the snow that crunches under our footsteps is soft and fluffy.

“Gosh, this weather sucks.” I say, kicking the fresh snow, causing it to float upward and get blown into cars by the wind.

“I’d say. I wish spring was here.”

“Me too. Where’d you park?”

“Over there.” he points and we walk to it.

When we get in the car, Gabe asks me, “Will Vincent get mad at you for skipping?"

"Somebody probably told him about what happened, but I don't think so. What about your family?"

“Nope, well, I don't think so.” he pauses, “At least I hope not.”

I giggle, “We should probably get going before Vince gets home, if we want the house to ourselves.”

“I don’t know about you, but I would like that.”

“Me too.”

He starts and revs the engine.

“You buckled?” he asks me.

“I always am.”

“That’s good.” and he takes leaves the mall parking lot.

I don’t think that the drive home could have taken any longer; we hit every red light and the traffic was terrible. I am surprised when we get home that Vince’s blue Ford fiesta isn’t parked in the drive way.

“You want anything to drink?” I ask when we get into the house.

“Um,” he slugs off his bag and slips off his shoes, “I’m good. Thanks anyway.”

I take my shoes off, “Don’t thank me yet.” I wink.

“Mm, I like the sound of that.” he rushes at me and I squeal and run into the den.

“Meet you upstairs!” I evade his when he goes to grab my waist and bolt upstairs.

I hear his quick footsteps behind me. I almost make it to the doorway of my room before firm hands grab my waist and lift me up.

“Gabe!” I wail.

“Shh,” he hoists me over his shoulder, holding me like a sack of potatoes.

We-well, he- walks into my room and drops me on top of my unmade bed.

He crawls on top me, grinning uncontrollably, just as I am.

He leans in an kisses me genuinely. I claw at his back and he runs a hand gently along my thigh and holds my waist.

He kisses me more and nuzzles my neck. He growls and nips my tender flesh and instantly sent tingles through my body and down to my toes.

“Gabe stop.” I tell him as I hear a noise downstairs.

“What is it?” he looks up and looks at the door.

“There is something downstairs.”

He gets up from the bed and quickly walks towards the doorway, “Aster, stay here.”

“I’m coming with you, Gabe.” I stride over to him.

He lets out a frustrated sigh, and states before heading for the stairs, “Fine, just stay behind me.”

I nod, then realize he can’t see me, “Okay Gabe.”

We reach the first stair and Gabe’s voice booms, “Who’s there?”

We hear a crash and Gabe runs down the stairs with lightening speed, with me close behind.

Another crash, louder this time.

Gabe turns to go into the den.

“In the kitchen.” I whisper.

His head whips around and he stalks into the kitchen.

I’m sure he saw it too, a solid black object that dashed to the back door.

“Damn, look at this.” he says, under rigid breathes.

The kitchen, which was in order when we got home, is a complete wreck; most of the drawers that held tea towels and silverware and such are pulled out of their spots and thrown across the kitchen, as if someone was looking for something.

Would have had a hard time too, because we keep nothing of value in the kitchen.

As if the silverware and other cooking supplies isn’t enough of a mess to clean up, the carton of eggs that were in the fridge along with the milk and orange juice form messy puddles underneath their containers.

“What the hell?” I say and take a step forward.

Gabe places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes gently.

“S**t, Gabe. Vincent isn’t going to be happy.”

“Well then we better start cleaning. Where do you keep the towels?”

“Go to the bathroom down here are there should be a few under the sink.”

“Okay.” as Gabe leaves my side to get the towels, I notice a piece of paper on the floor by the orange juice.

I walk over to it, carefully avoiding the forks and the puddle of milk, and pick it up.

The note has a single word written on it in capital letters in the middle of the page:

MINE

Author's Note

Please note that this chapter is the one that I am currently working on. I will post the continuation as soon as I'm done.