Hey all
Here is the sequel to 'Gabriella's Rules', hope you like it!
Chapter 1
"Wow you have got an amazing…." The male voice began as Gabi bent over the mustang and washed the hood.
She turned, pinning one side of her mouth together.
"Ass?" She supplied knowingly.
The scrawny, sandy-haired boy squinted, frowning.
"I was going to say 'car' actually…" He looked seriously perturbed that she had got the wrong idea.
Gabi blushed awkwardly, fiddling with her sponge.
"Oh…sorry. Well, it's not mine, it's my dad's." She offered by way of an apology.
The boy nodded, his hands tucked in his pockets and it reminded her of Troy.
"You're Daniel's daughter?" He asked then.
Gabi nodded, still awkward about her misunderstanding.
"Yeah, I'm here for the summer. You know my dad?" She asked back, not wanting to look too nosy, too interested.
"Kinda." He shrugged. "I worked in the garage last summer…" He explained and Gabi nodded once more.
Her father owned a car garage in the small town that looked like it was set in the 50's. She had asked him for allowance money and he had told her she had to earn it, starting them off on a rocky foot.
Gabi wasn't used to having to work. Her mom just gave her allowance and she went shopping, life was simple.
Her nails were already cracking and she'd only been there three days.
She hardly got to see her dad anyway, because he was mostly busy in the garage but he had promised he was taking a few days off and that they would get time to together. It amused her that it took three years for him to even remember she existed after he divorced with her mom. And now she was here and it seemed like a waste of time.
"I'm hoping people tip well round here, am I right?" She checked, wondering if any extra money could be made along with what she would earn from her dad.
"I guess." He shrugged. "They maybe need to see you in those shorts, though." He added teasingly and Gabi pursed her lips, smiling at herself for her own vanity.
"Yeah, okay, rub it in." She said back, pushing some stray hair off her forehead.
She walked three steps from the forecourt of the garage to hold out her hand to the boy. His eyes were blue, but not like Troy's she noted. They were kind of silver, too. Kind of pale.
"I'm Gabriella." She announced.
"Tom." He licked his lower lip.
"Well it's nice to meet you. Hopefully this summer won't be a total suck-fest." She mused.
"Well, it's kinda boring round here. But you know, it's also beautiful. Most people who come here, don't end up leaving." He said knowledgeably.
"Oh my god, is it some kind of freak town?" She asked quickly, then realised she may have inadvertently insulted him. "I mean…" She began.
"It's ok, Gabriella." Tom assured. "It probably is. I wouldn't mind if you got stuck here." He added with a smile.
"I think my boyfriend would." She said gently, not wanting to be too blatant about it, the guy was just being friendly.
"Wildcats huh?" He asked of her t-shirt.
"Yeah." She nodded with a smile. "That's his team."
"They won the state championship right?" He frowned.
"They sure did!" She grinned proudly.
"He must be an awesome guy, then." He added, kicking his feet.
She nodded, a sadness washing over her as she missed him again.
"He is."
"I wish I could play basketball." He looked to the sky. "God decided I should be a gangly, skinny geek." He widened his eyes for humorous effect.
Gabi giggled, right on cue.
"Well, are you any good at skating?" She asked.
He shrugged. "I have some boots; I only go out if my friends do."
"As soon as the sun goes down and it's cooler, I'm going for a roll. I wanna check this place out." She said coolly.
"Need a tour guide?" He offered.
Gabi nodded, smiling.
"That would be cool, thank you." She looked at the boy again, making sure he didn't give off any weird vibes that she might have missed.
"See you in a bit." He said, and then turned as he walked away. "Oh hey, I'm off to the diner- you want anything? Ice tea?" He checked.
"Ice tea?" She screwed up her nose. "No, but you could get me a coke…" She said, dipping into her shorts for some money.
"This one's on me, Gabriella." He smiled, continuing his walk.
Gabi smiled to herself. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.
--
Daniel watched his daughter on the forecourt of his garage as she chatted to Tom, a kid he happened to know from down the street.
He didn't feel the need to intervene because he liked Tom, he seemed like one of the good guys round here. But he still felt that little fatherly worry at her attracting attention the way she had in those damn skimpy clothes she insisted on wearing.
He knew it was too soon to start laying down the law. She had only come to him two days ago; but he was a father after all. It was his job to worry.
Only it was something he hadn't done for years. Something he had gotten out of the habit of and though it unsettled him, he had missed this feeling.
The girl under his care was almost a stranger. She still had the clear skin, the remarkably beautiful face, the dark hair and eyes that mimicked his own. But she was older, more wary. And definitely hurt.
He didn't know if three weeks would be enough but it's all he had right now to prove himself.
Three weeks to correct three years' worth of mistakes.
He sighed, ambling down toward her, still finding difficulty in choosing words.
"Wanna drink? It's hot out here." He attempted.
Her cool gaze sliced him, her face unreadable.
"Someone's getting me one." She said of Tom and he nodded, feeling like he was always a little too late.
"Take a break from the sun, if you get tired." He added carefully, not wanting to sound pushy.
"You wanted me to work for my allowance, dad." She said the word accusingly.
"You're right. But I don't want you to get sunstroke." He countered.
Gabi sighed. She supposed he didn't have much choice than to keep her hostage here. He couldn't get time off work and he couldn't let her run around the streets with no-one to play with, so he'd had to think of something. And she knew there was some kind of message he was teaching her. Something about earning her worth.
She kind of knew it, mom had her own ways of teaching her those values but he didn't know that.
As she studied his battered face, his dejected pose; she felt something like sympathy.
She didn't want to feel it, she tried to fight it. He had abandoned her three years ago and didn't deserve sympathy. But his empty brown eyes weren't the ones she remembered.
"Ok, I'll take a rest once Tom got my drink for me." She said gently.
"I'll cook us dinner later, whatever you like." He offered.
Gabi shrugged. She wasn't used to this, to being asked, to having things made specially. Mom shoved something in the oven and she ate it regardless.
So far her father had made them spaghetti bolognase and a fish curry thing with rice that she hadn't entirely liked but she had managed to push around her plate long enough until he had taken it away, offering her an alternative.
And then he'd made her beans on toast, just like when she was younger.
"What's the choice?" She hedged curiously, not wanting to appear too interested.
"You name it, I'll make it." He said.
She twisted her mouth.
"How about pizza?" She suggested carefully.
"Pizza…I can do pizza." He nodded slowly. "What's your favourite topping?"
"Ham and pineapple."
"Me too." He frowned quizzically. "Ok, I'm on it. Here comes your drink." He lifted his chin towards Tom who was returning toward them.
"Dad…Is it okay if I call my friends tonight?" She asked.
"Of course." He agreed, feeling her loneliness, hoping she wouldn't hold it against him for too long.
--
'Are you missing me yet?' Troy asked as Gabi padded around her room in her night wear, wondering what she would wear tomorrow.
"Wildcat, I miss you sooo much!" She enthused.
"You sound far too happy." He accused, his tone sulky.
"I met a new friend today. He took me for a tour of the town. I might not actually be alone in this sucky place." She revealed.
"He?" Troy asked and Gabi was amused that he didn't pick up anything else from her sentence other than that.
"Yeah, he. Tom. He's cool, don't worry, he knows I have a boyfriend and I promise, he was totally fine." She said, sighing.
"I miss you." He said then.
"Well what have you been up to? How's Max and the guys?" She asked instead.
"Well actually, I might be getting dance lessons from Mrs. Thorpe down the road. She knows most of the classics and my dad was talking to her and she needs her fence painted. So it looks like my summer is all tied up." He explained.
"That's really cool, Troy" Gabi smiled sadly, sitting on her bed, stroking her duvet. She laid backward, grabbing her pillow and hugging it.
"I know you wanted to teach me, I just thought this would keep me busy." He added as she remained quiet.
"What are you doing right now?" He asked, desperate to hear her voice again. He cuddled his sofa cushion as he sprawled out in front of the TV.
"Hugging my pillow." She replied, closing her eyes and picturing Troy.
"Hey, me too! Well, my sofa cushion." He amended.
"It doesn't have your muscles." She supplied, sadly.
"Ah, but you love me for more than my muscles, right?" He asked, feeling her smile about to begin.
"I don't know, it's mostly the muscles." She said.
"Well that's something, I guess." He sighed.
"I miss being with you, Troy. I miss…" She searched for the right word.
"Making out?" He supplied, just as his mom came through he door and he hoped she hadn't heard.
Lucy looked to him, noted he was on the phone, lifted her brows to which he smiled innocently and she went to put the groceries away that she was carrying.
He sighed with relief.
"Well, yeah." She agreed and he ached in his belly.
"Me, too." He returned softly.
"I should go; I have to get up early and wash cars." She said despondently.
"Wash cars?" He asked.
"Don't ask." She muttered.
"I hope your not sending those guys down there crazy with your shorts…" He joked.
"It's all for tips" She assured.
"I love you." He said quickly, before she hung up.
"Love you too, Wildcat." She replied and got up, pulling out her cropped jeans and red vest for the following day.