- Text Size +

Justin introduced her to the guy’s girlfriends when they arrived. Kelly was such a sweetheart and Danny is so funny. She also met Lance and Lance’s boyfriend for the first time and she thought they make a great couple; the house was quite busy and full of people by 3pm.

“So Justin told me you’re a web designer?” Kelly and Danni came over to where she’s standing looking out to the party.

“Yea, for 3yrs now. Are you enjoying the party?” she asked both of them.

“Yes. Brianna loved the cherry fudge cake and I liked the fruit salad. Where did you buy them?” she asked while following her daughter with her eyes.

“Oh I didn’t buy them, I made them” the two women looked at her like she had grown another head.

“You made them? That’s amazing. They are so good, you’re good” Danni finally said from where she’s eating the salad.

“Anyway enough about the food. We’ve noticed Justin keep on looking at your direction since the beginning of the party” she was raising her eyebrow suggestively at her. “Is there anything going on with you too?” she inquired.

“Not to mention Jessica’s evil glare towards your way” Danni told her looking at Jessica’s way. Surely enough, when she looked at the same direction Jessica was whispering something to her colleague and they’re looking her way.

“Nothing’s going on. We’re just friends”

“Well from where I’m standing, it looks like he wanted more” Kelly said to her amused by the girls face turning red.

“I can’t have a relationship right now and I’ve told him I’m not the best girl to get involve with”

“So he has shown intentions then?” Danni ask her looking at her straight.

“Yes, he told me last night that he could be the prince charming that I’ve been looking for” she admitted to the women shyly. This is a new territory for her; she’d never really had many girl friends. Having Kelly and Danni interested of her like this is a good feeling.

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear he’s moving on. When Justin and Jessica broke up it was hard for him especially since they were supposed to get married and then she just suddenly called the wedding off. Apparently she’s not ready.” Gabby looked at Justin to where he’s talking to Trace.

While looking at him, she’s wishing that she’s someone else other than herself. Someone who could be with him with no consequences attach to her every move. Someone who would not put him in danger just because he was seen talking to her. Times like this she regrets having the life that she leads. She’s wishing that she’s a normal girl. But she can’t do anything else until she finished what she promised herself years ago.

The cook out finished around 7pm. The only person left in the house was Gabby, Jessica, Kelly, Danni and the three guys from Nsync. They are helping Gabby and Justin to clean out everything that was use. Justin and Gabby were putting the left over food in the fridge when Jessica came in. she went straight to where Justin is changing the garbage bag ignoring Gabby along the way. She whispered something to him and a moment later they both went to the garden. They probably both thought that no one could hear them from that area of the house but they’re wrong because Gabby can hear everything they’re talking about.

“What is it?” Justin asked Jessica as soon as they stepped out in to the garden.

“I know what you’re doing and I want you to know that it’s working” she said.

“What am I doing?” he asked confusedly.

“You’re trying to make me jealous with that girl and like I said it’s working” she took a deep breath before continuing. “I miss us. I miss what we had”

Justin tried to turn away from her. He doesn’t want to hear what she has to say. But before he could leave her, she stopped him from entering the house.

“Please you have to listen to me. I’m telling you Justin I miss the time we’ve shared and I want to go back in that time. I miss you and I want to try again. If you want to get married then we’ll get married. Let’s just try again” she pleaded.

“I’m not in the same place anymore. I don’t feel the same way I used to for you. I moved on and I’m sorry” he wants her to understand that he’s serious and he’s telling her nothing but the truth. He had to end this ones and for all. “And for your information, I’m not using Gabby to make you jealous. I genuinely like her”

This time, Jessica didn’t stop Justin when he went inside the house to continue what he was doing. After a few minutes Jessica also came inside the house and walked straight to Gabby.

“This is your entire fault” she said to Gabby, watching the girl slowly turned and slightly raised her eyebrow at her. But Jessica couldn’t care less, she’s angry right now that nothing is going her way. After saying her piece to Gabby she turns her back on her and marched towards the living room no doubt to get her belongings and leave. When the girl was out of sight, she turned and looks at Justin standing frozen beside the trash can. She wanted to say a lot of things. She wanted to tell him that he’s wasting his time pursuing her. Hoping that they’d have something… hoping that she’d give in. but she didn’t move and she certainly didn’t say anything.

She knows he wont listen so she’s not gonna bother. She left the kitchen without saying anything to him. When she arrived in the living room she saw Joey and Chris arguing again about something. Chris and Joey are always full of energy and before she knows it she’s laughing at their antics. They’re great guys and now she knows that she can be herself around them. She talked to them for a bit joining their bantering and argument. Justin joined them a few minutes later taking a sit besides Gabby on the love seat. This didn’t go unnoticed by the guys especially Joey and he didn’t fail to make a comment about it.

“You guys are like magnets, you can’t get away from each other that long” he said making everyone in the room laugh and making Gabby turn red. She felt her face hit up and that’s what she doesn’t like about herself. She could fight a psycho with a chainsaw with her bare hands but when it comes to situation like this, she turns in to a tomato. She was having fun but when she saw the clock above Chris’ head she knew she had to go. She’s meeting her new partner tomorrow morning and she’s tired from the day’s event. She said goodbye to the guys and started to drive home alone although Justin did offer to go with her, she declined.

She was about to turn in to her street when she heard a disturbance in the corner alley. Why there’s an alley in a village? She doesn’t know. So she parked her car behind an electrical company van and gets out checking what’s going on but before closing the car door she reached in to her front compartment and took out a red woollen scarf and put it in her neck. If she’s an ordinary girl she would’ve just called a police without getting out of her car but in her reality, she is the police.

Gabby slowed down and she felt the familiar tickle down the middle of her spine. She always feel this whenever she’s about to get in to a fight. She stopped behind the pole standing in front of her. She first surveyed her surrounding. She’s making sure that all the assailants are in the alley way and no one is lying in wait to watch out somewhere and when she was sure of it, she focus on what’s happening straight on. At what she could make out, it’s a robbery in progress. She could see six people in the alley. She could hear a man and a woman pleading to their assailants to let them go and not to hurt them but the attacker just laugh in answer.

Justin couldn’t settle down after Gabby left so he followed her using his own car the reason being he only wants to make sure she got home alright. He couldn’t see any car in front of him so he’s assuming that she’s already home but he’s gonna check anyway. He was nearing her road when he heard a woman screaming, he gave an involuntary sigh when he didn’t recognise the voice because it means it’s not Gabby but he checked it anyway. He got out of his car and proceeds to walk down the sidewalk of the road. It was dark and he was thankful for that because the last thing he needs is someone to recognise him at a time like this. He pulled at the hood of his hoodie to cover his head just in case. He paused when he neared the alley and heard a group of men laughing at their victim.  But he heard the strangest thing of all.

“Laugh it up assholes because you won’t be able to later on” a fight broke out. Justin whirled around and went straight to crouch behind a group of trash cans located in the opening of the alley.

There in the alley, he saw four guys fighting a small woman. Justin was mesmerized by the chilling beauty of the fight. One guy came at the woman’s back. She flipped him over her shoulder in one graceful motion and kicked him in the face. She twirled as she rose up to face another attacker. She saw her picked up a log from the floor and held it like she was used to using it to defend herself. The other two attacker and rushed her. She actually did a cartwheel away from them but another attacker anticipated what she’s gonna do and he grabbed her. The woman didn’t panic, she surrendered her weight by picking both of her legs up to her chest and it brought the attacker who grabbed her to his knees. The woman sprang to her feet and drop kick the remaining attacker.

After the fight, Gabby looked around her. She spotted the couple on the side, the woman crying and the guy hugging her trying to console her. She started walking to the couple to talk to them.

“Are you guys okay?” she asked the couple at the same time checking with her eyes if they have an injury. When she didn’t see any, she left them for a while to tie the hands of the attackers one by one.

“Do you have a cell phone?” she asked them again and when they nod their head yes, she asked them to call the police and tell them what happen. The guy followed her instruction and dialled his phone. She was down to tying the last attackers hand when Justin came out behind the cans and approach her. She was shock to find him there but was thankful that she took an initiative in covering her entire head with the red scarf that she took from her car compartment earlier. She had to get out of here before he recognises her. Not that he would but she couldn’t be sure and she’s not willing to take the chance. After tying the last guy, she pointed to the woman on the floor who was still crying and Justin took that as a sign to talk to the woman. When he started talking to her, Gabby took that time to slip out from the alley and run into her car.

She didn’t take the scarf off of her face until she was safely inside her house and set the alarm on. She went to her bathroom upstairs to take a bath and soak her sore muscles. She didn’t plan to get in to a fight earlier on and she was hoping no one sees or recognises her. She was thankful for the red scarf that she always put in her car. She just got in the tub when her doorbell rang. Wondering who it is, she put a bathrobe on and went to the small room under her stairs where her video monitor is located. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the person standing outside her gate. She doesn’t know what he wants and was wondering if he recognised her behind the red scarf. She closed the video room and went to let him in.

Justin was waiting outside the gate when he heard her tell him to come in from the intercom on his right. He tried the gate handle and when it opened he let himself in. he saw her waiting for him with the front door open with only her bathrobe on.

“I’m sorry for taking so long, I was taking a bath. What are you doing here?” she stepped aside to let him in the house.

“I was just checking if you got home alright” he told her when he finally turn to face her.

“You could’ve just called me instead of coming all the way here”

“It’s okay it’s near anyway. You know on my way here I witnessed a fight in an alley just before you turn on your road. I guess these two couple was getting mugged and then there’s this girl who helped them” they both walked to her kitchen to get a drink and she made sure her bathrobe is secured.

“Really? Who was the girl who helped them?” she asked nonchalantly.

“I don’t know I didn’t see her face. There was a red scarf around her whole head. I guess she doesn’t want to get recognise because she didn’t even stay around to give a statement to the police” he got a beer and went to the living room to sit on the couch. Her heart skipped a bit when she saw the red scarf she was wearing earlier draped in the love seat couch in plain sight. She got really nervous when Justin picked it up and looked at it.

“This is kind of the same colour the girl was wearing. You know the one who fought the muggers? But I couldn’t be a hundred percent sure because it was dark.” He put the scarf back to where it was placed and continues to seat on the couch.

“It must be another colour” she commented giving a little sigh of relief that he didn’t put two and two together. Justin stood up after drinking his beer and went to the kitchen to put the bottle in the recycle bin.

“I’m gonna go now. I’m sorry for disturbing your bath. I just wanna check on you”

She led him towards the gate and opened it by entering her code. “Next time you can just call but thank you for coming here” she laughed. She was about to close the gate when Justin turned back and stopped her for closing the gate.

“Do you wanna hang out tomorrow? I have a meeting in the afternoon but I’m free in the morning” he asked her.

“I can’t, I have a meeting tomorrow morning and I don’t know what time I’ll be finished. Besides we’ll be seeing each other when we go to Disneyland the day after tomorrow anyway”

“Okay give me a call me tomorrow whenever you’re free. Good night” he got in to his car and drove away. Gabby closed the gate and went back to her now cold bath after setting the alarm.