Chapter 4

Recap

After hearing Brandon's announcement, Gabi who assumed to feel happy and excited when she finally finds her destined partner, felt slightly disappointed.

"Why am I not as happy as I should be?" thought Gabi to herself.

Brandon noticed the disappointment in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Brandon inquired.

"Ohhh… nothing at all…(trying to put on a forced smile) can I see our symbols together?" Gabi wanted to ensure that it was Brandon she was fated with not Troy.

Brandon handed over the matching symbols of an eagle to Gabi.

"We really are destined for each other… look they're exactly the same" Gabi ensured, trying to make herself cheer up.

"I'm very lucky to be destined with you Gabi… I'm so happy!" Brandon exclaimed while looking at the matching symbols.

"Me too…" Gabi said with a smile.

The two kids decided to head back to the picnic area. Gabi had accepted her fate but couldn't help but wonder who was destined for Troy.

End of recap

As Troy struggle with the drinks, under his snobby cute face he was very hopeful that he was the one destined for Gabriella, for they had known each other even before they met Brandon.

However, the moment him and his dad arrived at the picnic area, Troy couldn't help but overheard the ongoing conversation.

"Dad! Guess what? Me and Gabi has the same symbol!" Brandon announced with a grin, while Gabi blushed nearby.

"ME AND GABI HAS THE SAME SYMBOL!," rang and echoed inside Troy's ears. He was in total shocked that he almost dropped all the drinks that he was carrying. He continued to walk towards the others with his head down.

Troy's high spirit from this morning was replaced instantly with a frown, feeling distraught.

"Hey everyone… here are the cold drinks ya'll been waiting for", Jack greeted, not noticing Troy's troubled and sad face.

Suddenly, as soon as Gabi saw Troy's presence she unconsciously hid her symbol behind her back, as if she was not at all proud to show it to him.

"Watch it!" Troy snapped, as Brandon accidentally bumped into him on his way to grab some drinks.

"Oh… sorry…", Brandon apologised, knowing why Troy was agitated and annoyed.

"By the way… about the symbols…" Brandon continued.

"I know already… no need to repeat it!" Troy said, trying to hide his real emotions, which Brandon could see through very clearly.

"Troy… look…" Brandon tried to explain.

"Why are you looking sorry for? I don't need your sympathy. It's not like I ca.." Troy exclaimed just to be cut by Brandon who was now annoyed.

"Stop pretending already…!" Brandon bawled.

Troy purposely ignored him to try to lessen the pain that he was feeling which stirred up inside his chest. The only way to ease the pain was to pour it out into tears, which he tried and refused to do…

-days passed-

"Happy Birthday Gabi!", the kids exclaimed on top of their lungs, plunging their way through the crowd and into the towering chocolate cake.

"How's our birthday girl?" asked Caroline, wondering why she didn't look very cheerful, after being given her long awaited party.

"Mum, do you know where Troy is?," disappointed Gabi inquired.

"There you are Troy! I've been looking all over… where have you been..? Gabriella's mum called asking for you… apparently today is Gabi's birthday." Jack reminded Troy, who was well aware of the occasion.

"I'm not going" Troy answered, facing down.

Jack caught sight of the bright baby blue doll house that was well finished and polished.

"You are really looking forward for today… I could just tell by your expression every time we work on that present." Jack reassured.

"Not anymore… I changed my mind and I bet she'll be getting much better toys from Brandon and her other friends, than this crappy thing." replied the low-spirited Troy.

"Hmmm…" Jack finally realising what was really going on. " Ohh come son, those symbols are just passing time game, don't rely on them so much, you make your own destiny" he commented, whilst giving his son a wink. This really emphasised how much he knew about his son's conditions.

"Really?" Troy slightly looked up, with signs of glimmer and hope in his eyes.

"That's the spirit… now come on! We have a beautiful princess to visit.. who I bet is in distress 'cause her handsome prince charming is late" Jack cheered, trying TOO hard to put a smile on Troy's pouty face. He was successful.

The car halted at the usual spot at the back of Gabi's house, then came out cute little Troy in black suit with a bow tie, hair neatly combed back, carrying the doll house through the laundry door.

As the door opened, a loud singing of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU…" clouded the inside of the house, leaving Troy's entrance unnoticed despite the noisy screeching of the screen door as it opened.

He scanned through the crowd for Gabi, which when he spotted looked even more beautiful than the princesses that he have seen from the Disney cartoons that Gabi had forced him to watch every time he came over.

Carrying the gigantic doll house, well at least for his size, Troy started for Gabi, only to be stopped by the sight of Brandon greeting Gabi, who was also holding an expensive-looking, glittery, pink doll house! Without second thoughts, Troy turned and walked back out the door, leaving his hand-made present on the floor.

"Why do I even bother?" Troy thought as he rubbed his eyes of any traces of tears.

Distraught, Troy marched back outside and found his dad still talking to Daniel. With obvious anger in Troy's face, he demanded to be taken back home.

Childishly, Troy dug up a whole in the ground, at the place where the three of them always visit to play, and buried his forsaken symbol to be forgotten. In his surprise a familiar voice joined his dismay.

"Let me bury mine too…" Brandon reassured.

"What are you doing here? And how did you even know that I'm here?" Troy roared.

"It's not hard to guess the first place you would go to when you are fuming…" Brandon chuckled. "Plus, there ain't no party without you Troy. All night Gabi was asking for you… how can you not even turn up on her birthday? She was nagging me to look for you as she continued to entertain everyone at her party with her pouty face… so here I am."

"You are wasting your time here." Troy clarified, annoyed and confused by his interference.

"I know you Troy… you're my best friend, and for that… I'm willing to also give up my symbol to give you a fair chance to like Gabi." Brandon said whilst looking at his symbol. It left Troy speechless at the moment then, he replied defensively, "Who said I like Gabi?"

"Troy you might not be admitting it but, your action is clearly stating that you really like her." Brandon laid out with a chuckle.

"I know you too well for you to even deny…" Brandon continued as he started to dig up a hole next to Troy's symbol and buried his own. Troy stared at him, wondering of his intentions for doing what he did.

"There we go…" Brandon concluded, as he rid of the dirt in his hands.

"Thank you." Troy said which caught Brandon by surprise. However, what really got his attention and left him doubting the decision that he just made, was when Troy announced his strong willed choice to continue liking Gabi.

"Thanks Bran but, I just want you to know that I'll gladly take your offer. And maybe even if you didn't come, I still would have never given up." Troy stated, followed by a friendly hit on Brandon's shoulder which grew into a small fight that released the tension and pressure between the two. They chuckled away from their friendly exchange of punches.

"Why don't we go back to the party?" Brandon offered.

"You go… and just send my greetings to her." Troy decided.

I know what you are all thinking. I don't even need to say it. I dare not to say I'm sorry and make excuses because you might think that I don't actually mean them since I haven't updated for sooo long (haha it's 2011 for goodness sake!).

But at least, I'm here now right?

Let me make amend to you lovely people by continuing to give you my humble chapters of this story. And to make it more fun. For every chapter I will allow you all to use your very creative imaginations to make the title for my chapters, I will leave them all untitled and I will choose the title before I publish my next chapter.

Thank you all soooooooooo much!

Your ideas, suggestions, comments or anything that you have to say are welcome and will be very much appreciated.