Everything Changes

Chapter 1

Throwing her purse on the kitchen counter, Gabriella peeked into the refrigerator to see if there was anything good to eat for dinner. Like usual, there wasn't much in there; a few yogurts, a box of orange juice, some eggs, last night's leftover pasta, a half-empty bottle of white wine. After taking the leftover pasta out of the refrigerator and sticking it into the microwave, Gabriella reached for the white wine and poured herself a small glass. What she really needed was a barrel of wine after the day that she had.

Looking across the kitchen Gabriella spotted a note scribbled on a piece of scrap paper, most likely from her mother. She walked over to the note and started to read the familiar handwriting.

"Gabriella,

I went out to visit your Abuela Rosa at the nursing home. Probably won't be back until after you are asleep. Leftover pasta is in the fridge. Can't wait to talk about your first day at the new job in the morning!

Love you,

Mama"

"Great," Gabriella sighed as she walked over to the microwave to retrieve her dinner, "another night alone." Taking the bowl of pasta and her glass of wine, Gabriella walked over to the living room and turned on the television. Hopefully, a couple of episodes of House Hunters and the wine would lull her to sleep. Just as she finished up her dinner, Gabriella looked down to see her phone light up with a text message from her boyfriend, Danny. Typing in the passcode for her phone, Gabriella took a deep breath and clicked on the message which read, "Come over, i'm lonely."

"Ugh, why, why, why, why." Gabriella groaned as she tossed her phone onto the other end of the couch. She didn't feel like going over to Danny's small, dark, smelly apartment, and she certainly didn't feel like having him over her house. It's not that she didn't want to see Danny- she was supposed to want to spend time with him all of the time, but she really didn't want to have to deal with him. He was probably drunk and would fall asleep on her after five minutes of being together. Maybe she could pretend like she had already fallen asleep, or maybe she could just tell him that she didn't feel like going to his apartment. The second option would only make Danny angry, so she chose to stick with the first option.

Taking her empty bowl and putting it into the sink, Gabriella checked to make sure that all of the downstairs doors were locked before turning off the television and grabbing her phone in her retreat up to her bedroom. It was only 8:30pm, but if she wanted to convincingly explain to Danny that she had fallen asleep early, she had to at least make an effort to fall asleep early.

Gabriella's bedroom was simple, which was just the way that she liked it. She had a queen-sized bed, which was adorned in a simple white comforter and complemented by a couple decorative pillows. Her walls were a shade of light grey, which allowed her to change up her pillows with every season. Luckily, her bedroom also had an attached bathroom, which allowed her to get ready in the morning with ease. Even though it was only herself and her mother living in the house, trying to share a bathroom with Maria in the morning was something that made for a rough start to the day.

After deciding that a warm bubble bath would be a good idea, Gabriella replaced her work clothes with a soft white robe and headed into the bathroom with a book in her hand. Just as she turned the water on, Gabriella heard someone rapidly beeping their horn in front of her house. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Gabriella walked back into her bedroom and peeked out from between her blinds; it was Danny, coming over to see why she hadn't answered his text message. At this point she had two options: go downstairs and let Danny in (meaning that she wouldn't get much sleep) or just throw her phone on the charger, jump into the bath, and pretend like she had been in there the whole time. Option two seemed like her best bet, so Gabriella ripped her robe off and practically jumped into the bath tub.

Why did Danny have to come over every time she didn't answer one of his text messages or when she missed one of his calls? Why couldn't he just be like a regular boyfriend who brought her flowers and took her out on cute dates? But Danny was regular for Gabriella, and that was all that she knew.

As Gabriella sunk deeper and deeper into the bath, she shut her eyes and prepared herself for the impending panic attack that she could already feel beginning to take over her body. She began to take deep breaths, which surprisingly began to slow her racing heartbeat. This bath was supposed to be enjoyable, but as far as she knew, the bath had turned into another hiding spot. After a few minutes had passed, Danny's honking had ceased and was replaced by the sounds of a car speeding away. Gabriella took a deep breath and allowed herself to fully enjoy the warmth of the bubbly bath water.

Hi guys! I haven't written in a while, but I became inspired to start writing again. Let me know what you think of this first chapter; I know it's short but I have some big ideas for the rest of the story. Thanks for reading!