Chapter One - A Dangerous Meeting
Gabby Myers stood in front of her mirror, not exactly admiring herself... it was more like wishing about herself. She hated who she was in the world. She hated who she was related to... well, she didn't exactly hate who she was related to, it just wasn't fun at most times. Gabby was Ace Myers' little sister. One would think it'd be great to be his little sister, nobody would mess with you if you were related to Ace... and that's exactly why she hated being his sister. Nobody would go near her, no guys; they were too afraid of Ace and Ace knew it and he planned on keeping it that way. He wasn't going to let his little sister get hurt by some punks and then he'd have to go and kill them.
Gabby decided one day that she was sick of sitting around and watching Ace and his stupid friends fiddle around with a non-working car. She asked her mother if she could walk down to the candy store in town and her mother quickly agreed. She knew it was about time Gabby got out of the house, she was 15! She headed for the front door and Ace stepped in her way.
"Where you goin?" he asked, always poking into her business no matter what the topic.
"I'm goin to the candy store, you want anything?" she asked politely.
"The candy store!" Ace exclaimed, looking at his gawking friends. "What do you guys want?"
"Hey!" Gabby yelled. "I'm not takin orders here, fellas. Ace, what do you want?"
"Nothin, but thanks for askin sweetie," he said, kissing the top of her head and walking back to where his friends were in the living room. They had decided to take a break from working on the car. Gabby smiled at her brother and walked out the door.
"You know, you're sister's pretty cool for a 15 year old," Eyeball said.
"Yeah, she's alright. She's a sister," Ace said.
"I like her," Billy piped up.
"Quit talkin about my sister Billy," Ace advised. Billy remained quiet. Everyone in the gang was afraid of Ace except for Eyeball because he knew Ace would never touch him, they were best friends.
Gabby took the long way to the candy store. It was October and she loved watching the yellow, orange, and red leaves fall from the thinning trees. She loved the outdoors, but she never really got the chance to get out and see... no thanks to her brother.
Ace loved his sister with all his heart, more than he ever loved anything else. He and his mother hated each other most of the time and he didn't have a girlfriend because he was too busy with friends and the non-working car. Gabby loved her brother with the same heart. She just couldn't stand his over-protected attitude.
She arrived at the candy store about fifteen minutes after she'd left home. She opened the door and heard the chiming bell. She looked around for Frank, the store owner, but he was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, a new face popped up from the behind the counter.
Gabby was totally blown away by this kid's looks. He had very short hair, it looked like he'd shaven it a long time ago and just never got around to doing it again. His eyes were a beautiful blue and his skin was very tan. He was in just a plain white t-shirt and worn out blue jeans.
"Who're you?" she asked, walking passed him to the back of the store.
"Chris... who're you?" he asked. His voice was quite rough for someone his age.
"Gabrielle," she answered, walking back to the counter with a handful of candy in one hand. "Where's Frank?"
"At lunch." Chris smiled as he rang up the charge for the candy. Gabby looked at him and narrowed her eyes.
"You look familiar," she said. Chris paused his job and looked at her with his piercing blue eyes that shot right through her.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I dunno... you just look like someone I know." He finished and she gave him the money.
"Am I gonna see you here again?" he asked before she left. She turned from the door and smiled.
"Count on it." And with that, she walked out. Chris smiled and laughed to himself. Just then, Frank came in from the back.
"Ok kid, you're done," he said. Chris frantically discarded the white apron he was wearing and ran out the door. Frank laughed.
"Kids," he said. Chris ran down the sidewalk and caught up with Gabby.
"D'ya miss me?" he asked once he was walking next to her. Gabby looked at him and smiled.
"Not really," she answered.
"Nice," Chris said. They laughed the whole way to Gabby's street, talking about everything: their friends, the parents, their lives in general. They really got to know one another in the fifteen minutes it took them to get to her street.
"Well, I guess I better get home," Chris said as they stood on the corner. "My dad'll murder me if I'm late." Gabby smiled.
"Ok, thanks for walking me home," she said.
"You? I thought you were walking me home." They laughed before they parted ways and headed home. Gabby walked in the door and headed straight for her brother who was still sitting on the couch. She put her arms around his neck from behind and answered by putting his hands over hers.
"What're you so damn happy about?" he asked. She smiled, reached in her bag and pulled out Ace's favorite candy bar. She put it in front of his face.
"Ah, you really are my sister," he breathed, taking it from her. She laughed as she headed back to her room. She ate her candy and fell back on her bed, looking at the ceiling. All she could think about Chris. His eyes mostly and his attitude toward her. No guy had ever been that nice to her because of Ace, but Chris must not have known who Ace was. Gabby planned on keeping it that way.
Gabby Myers stood in front of her mirror, not exactly admiring herself... it was more like wishing about herself. She hated who she was in the world. She hated who she was related to... well, she didn't exactly hate who she was related to, it just wasn't fun at most times. Gabby was Ace Myers' little sister. One would think it'd be great to be his little sister, nobody would mess with you if you were related to Ace... and that's exactly why she hated being his sister. Nobody would go near her, no guys; they were too afraid of Ace and Ace knew it and he planned on keeping it that way. He wasn't going to let his little sister get hurt by some punks and then he'd have to go and kill them.
Gabby decided one day that she was sick of sitting around and watching Ace and his stupid friends fiddle around with a non-working car. She asked her mother if she could walk down to the candy store in town and her mother quickly agreed. She knew it was about time Gabby got out of the house, she was 15! She headed for the front door and Ace stepped in her way.
"Where you goin?" he asked, always poking into her business no matter what the topic.
"I'm goin to the candy store, you want anything?" she asked politely.
"The candy store!" Ace exclaimed, looking at his gawking friends. "What do you guys want?"
"Hey!" Gabby yelled. "I'm not takin orders here, fellas. Ace, what do you want?"
"Nothin, but thanks for askin sweetie," he said, kissing the top of her head and walking back to where his friends were in the living room. They had decided to take a break from working on the car. Gabby smiled at her brother and walked out the door.
"You know, you're sister's pretty cool for a 15 year old," Eyeball said.
"Yeah, she's alright. She's a sister," Ace said.
"I like her," Billy piped up.
"Quit talkin about my sister Billy," Ace advised. Billy remained quiet. Everyone in the gang was afraid of Ace except for Eyeball because he knew Ace would never touch him, they were best friends.
Gabby took the long way to the candy store. It was October and she loved watching the yellow, orange, and red leaves fall from the thinning trees. She loved the outdoors, but she never really got the chance to get out and see... no thanks to her brother.
Ace loved his sister with all his heart, more than he ever loved anything else. He and his mother hated each other most of the time and he didn't have a girlfriend because he was too busy with friends and the non-working car. Gabby loved her brother with the same heart. She just couldn't stand his over-protected attitude.
She arrived at the candy store about fifteen minutes after she'd left home. She opened the door and heard the chiming bell. She looked around for Frank, the store owner, but he was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, a new face popped up from the behind the counter.
Gabby was totally blown away by this kid's looks. He had very short hair, it looked like he'd shaven it a long time ago and just never got around to doing it again. His eyes were a beautiful blue and his skin was very tan. He was in just a plain white t-shirt and worn out blue jeans.
"Who're you?" she asked, walking passed him to the back of the store.
"Chris... who're you?" he asked. His voice was quite rough for someone his age.
"Gabrielle," she answered, walking back to the counter with a handful of candy in one hand. "Where's Frank?"
"At lunch." Chris smiled as he rang up the charge for the candy. Gabby looked at him and narrowed her eyes.
"You look familiar," she said. Chris paused his job and looked at her with his piercing blue eyes that shot right through her.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I dunno... you just look like someone I know." He finished and she gave him the money.
"Am I gonna see you here again?" he asked before she left. She turned from the door and smiled.
"Count on it." And with that, she walked out. Chris smiled and laughed to himself. Just then, Frank came in from the back.
"Ok kid, you're done," he said. Chris frantically discarded the white apron he was wearing and ran out the door. Frank laughed.
"Kids," he said. Chris ran down the sidewalk and caught up with Gabby.
"D'ya miss me?" he asked once he was walking next to her. Gabby looked at him and smiled.
"Not really," she answered.
"Nice," Chris said. They laughed the whole way to Gabby's street, talking about everything: their friends, the parents, their lives in general. They really got to know one another in the fifteen minutes it took them to get to her street.
"Well, I guess I better get home," Chris said as they stood on the corner. "My dad'll murder me if I'm late." Gabby smiled.
"Ok, thanks for walking me home," she said.
"You? I thought you were walking me home." They laughed before they parted ways and headed home. Gabby walked in the door and headed straight for her brother who was still sitting on the couch. She put her arms around his neck from behind and answered by putting his hands over hers.
"What're you so damn happy about?" he asked. She smiled, reached in her bag and pulled out Ace's favorite candy bar. She put it in front of his face.
"Ah, you really are my sister," he breathed, taking it from her. She laughed as she headed back to her room. She ate her candy and fell back on her bed, looking at the ceiling. All she could think about Chris. His eyes mostly and his attitude toward her. No guy had ever been that nice to her because of Ace, but Chris must not have known who Ace was. Gabby planned on keeping it that way.
