Chapter 2

“Gabby sweetie, we need to talk to you,” her mother said sweetly.

“Ya mom what do you and dad need?”

“Honey, your father and I won a trip to Rome for the summer.”

“Mom that’s great!”
“But we can’t take you or your brother. Alex is staying with Kenny so we need to find a place for you to stay this summer,” she said carefully, not wanting to upset her daughter.

“Ok, I’ll call Ashlyn and see if I can stay there, it’s not a problem mom. I want you and dad to have a good time.”

Gabby walks the ten feet to her room, shuts the door, whips out her cell phone and dials the familiar number. She doesn’t want to have to live with Damion for three months but she’ll do it if that means that her parents can have a good time.

The familiar sweet voice of Ashlyn’s mother chided, “Hello?”

“Hello Mrs. Goodwill it’s Gabby,” Gabby sang in response. “Is Ashlyn home?”

“Oh, hello Gabby, yes she is hold on one second.
“Ok.”
“Yosh, Ashlyn speaking.”
Gabby laughed. Typical Ashlyn. “Hey Ashlyn it’s Gabby. Can I ask you to do me a HUGE favor?”

“Maaaaaybe, what do you need?”

“My parents won a trip to Rome for the summer, but they can’t take me or Alex. Alex is staying with our cousins but they can’t take me too. I was wondering if maybe I could stay with your family this summer?”

“Umm let me ask my mom,” Ashlyn sounded really happy at the possibility of having a girl around and not just Damion.

“Ok,” Gabby was pretty sure Ashlyn’s mom would say yes, but that’s what scared her.

“Ya, she said it’s fine.”

“Sweet, a summer with my best friend!”

“Yay!! A summer with someone besides Damion and his pet-like friends who never leave.”

Gabby laughed. “Ya, a summer with Damion and you. Oh good lord.” Oh no, she thought. His friends never leave?? This summer is going to be horrible.

“We’re not that bad!”

“Are you sure?”
“Haha very funny.”
“I always have been. Hey I got to go, talk to you later?”
“Yep.”
So it was set she would spend the whole summer with Ashlyn and Damion. What fun! She was not looking forward to it.
The day came she was going to move into Ashlyn’s house and she was a little more than a little sad. She knew she should relax and calm down, but with Damion around she couldn’t.
Damion was 16, tall, a musician, and hot. He was also very protective of his sister. Gabby could remember the days she used to help him prank his sister. Aw, those were the days. The days when they could talk, she could listen to music with him, she could watch movies with him, everything; the days when they were friends. She missed those days very much.

When she told him two years ago that she liked him, he changed. He hated her; he couldn’t stand to be around her. Although every time she went over there she always saw him watching her like a predator stalking his prey, almost trying to see her reaction to him being there. She didn’t understand it! He watched her like a hawk, but the only word he said to her in the past two years was “move”, and he screamed that. She knew she could never understand it but she wished she could. After she told him how she felt, she made a pact with herself; Damion would never see her cry. She would never let a single tear slid down her face in front of him after the amount of tears that were shed because of him.

The first week came and went with her and Ashlyn spending a lot of time together. After that Gabby was more like Ashlyn’s sister than friend, going for walks alone and things like that. Now it was June 20, Damion’s birthday