CHAPTER 17

Veronica had finally left the house, although Gabriella had wondered why because she clearly said she could stay a bit more, she felt a bit indifferent. She thought it was about time she left, she wasn't too surprised because her mother never stayed for more than a week, most times she left before the end of a week.

She sat by her desk, typing into her laptop. She was too busy to feel disappointed by the fact that her mom didn't keep to her words. She also had a wavering thought from her occurrence at school recently.

She was sitting alone in the cafeteria one time and because no one wanted to sit with her like they do to every social suicide in dumb high school dramas and novels, then suddenly someone sat next in front of her.

It was Devon, the school's mysterious bad boy who had done absolutely nothing besides remain quiet to earn his name. There were numerous rumors of his hooking up with Renee, he like always remained quiet on the issue while Renee humblebragged about the whole thing.

There was also a rumor about him being in jail once and, like always, he didn't say anything. Gabriella never believed any of the rumors, and believed Devon spread the rumors himself to keep his 'bad boy persona'.

He never spoke to anyone, except for one person who was currently absent, so this gave Gabriella a reason to be surprised. She stared at him for a while with her mouth opened because she was about to pass food into it when he came to sit in front of her.

"What?" He asked when her stare was beginning to bother him. She couldn't speak, all she could do was shake her head out of shock. He then lunched forward and guided her hand towards her mouth, so she could eat her sandwich.

"Much better," He said with a grin. Devon grinned at her?

DEVON GRINNED AT HER!!

She was shocked beyond words, the always cold D

walked her to her class, she wasn't the only one who was surprised, the whole school was because Devon never interacted with anyone, ever.

Her phone vibrated, someone had texted her. Although, the number was unidentified, she knew who it was. It was a text from Aziz, she knew this because he said so in the text he sent. Thankfully, she didn't have to start asking who he was and how he got her number because she knew exactly how he got the number and the situation that caused it.

Aziz asked for the permission to call and as soon as she gave it, he rang her up.

"Gabriella, for a sec, I thought you wouldn't have given me the permission to call you," He said, and Gabriella could almost picture the kind of grin he had on.

"Well, for basic people I would have," She mentioned and Aziz smirked.

"Glad to know I'm not basic," The both of them were obviously flirting with each other. It wouldn't hurt to flirt with someone besides Keith. "By the way, I called to ask if you'd be free this Friday?" He asked.

"Why? You want to take me out on a dinner date?"

"Wouldn't you love that?" Gabriella completely loved the type of vibe Aziz was giving her, so she agreed. They were going to watch a movie together then get dinner after that was done, interesting. This made her remember her friends because anytime any of them had a date, they got prepared together.

"So, Friday it is, I'm excited about it," Aziz stated.

"I'm not surprised you agreed to go on a date with me, I mean, I'm a total package," Aziz said in a proud and flirty manner.

"Wow, who knew you could be this cocky. You aren't wrong though, you're okay looking,"

"Ouch! Just okay?"

"You heard me," Gabriella responded, giving the same energy.

The call soon ended, and Gabriella couldn't stop smiling at herself. Did she like Aziz? Definitely, was he dating material? That, she couldn't answer. She'd probably know the answer after her date with him.

Although, she still had until Friday to get ready, she couldn't help but worry about the fact that she had no idea what she was going to wear.

She had gone on three consecutive blind dates in the past, courtesy of her friends, but none of them were successful because she only had eyes for Keith. Each time she tried dressing for these dates, she felt like a kid playing dress up.

A part of her was still worried she didn't have anything to wear, another part wasn't worried because with the way they spoke, she felt she could be free with Aziz.

She soon finished her work and then got an email almost immediately. She rarely received email, except during certain periods/ occasions. Furthermore, she decided not to check it then, she wanted to see what her Nana was up to do, she left. She'd definitely check them later in the day or probably after dinner.

A part of her prayed it wasn't any of those threat messages like the one she received last time.

She found Rosalind preparing for dinner, and she gave her a hand. Rosalind felt Veronica's absence, even though she had spent just a few days. Meanwhile, Gabriella, just like before, felt indifferent about her mother's absence.

"Ooh! Spaghetti and meatballs!" Gabriella exclaimed. It was her favorite, but she loved how her Nana made it.

Rosalind was happy Gabriella was back to her cheerful stage, but she wasn't too happy by the fact that her mother's presence caused her sadness.

Half an hour later, their dinner was ready, and they were preparing to eat.

"How do you feel about your mother's absence?" Rosalind finally asked and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Seems like you're hellbent on destroying both my mood and appetite. Anyway, if you must know, I'm actually pretty relieved," Her statement made Rosalind feel bad, but she didn't care.

The email she had received wasn't a threat message like the last one she had received, neither was it a regular email. It was an invitation, an invitation to a book club she had no idea existed.