The Beginning (The Life 1)

I’ve pretty much beaten Gia out at every turn, and this time will be no different. So even though she may be prettier, according to some, it’s not going to get her anywhere with Gabe. I’ll make sure of that. I’ve always been able to snatch everyone and everything away from her since we were little. Felix, her dad, has even been more of a father to me than her because mom works on him.

I’ve beaten Gia down so much that she doesn’t even put up a fight, especially since mom got rid of her meddling grandmother and aunts on her mom’s side. Felix’s family isn’t too fond of mom and I either, but mom has even convinced him to cut them off. Since they refused to accept us and wanted to play favorites, she’d convinced him that it was not good for our family and would only cause issues going forward.

I’ve learned from watching mom just how to twist a man around my fingers, and now with Gabe Russo in my sights, I have no doubt I will reel him in. The excitement was almost too much to bear, and I found myself grinning into my pillow as visions of the future with the most handsome boy in school played through my head.

I called my friend Jessica because it was too much to hold in. Jessica was one of the first friends I’d stolen from Gia when we were younger. Back then, when we were in kindergarten before mom married Felix, I was the outsider. They were the pretty little girls in the big houses who got invited to all the parties and playdates while I stood on the sidelines looking in.

I only got to go to the same fancy school they attended because mom worked there in the administration office or something and got a deal on tuition, so most of the kids didn’t have much to do with me, except Gia and her mom. I used to like her then, but that was before she wanted to keep her dad and their big fancy house to herself. She hated that mom and I moved in here, that she had to share the spotlight with me. Now she’s the one out in the cold, and I’m the popular one who everyone likes.

“Hey Jess, he texted me.” We both squealed over the phone, and my excitement grew the more we talked. Saying the words out loud made it seem more real, and I was beginning to accept that Gia was right, and his text was not a threat but just a warning that he didn’t want his girlfriend acting ugly.

No big deal, I’m sure I’ll have to change a lot of things to fit in with his family. His mom is like the queen of our county, even more so than my own mom, who still finds it hard sometimes to make friends with the women who were once close to Felix’s first wife. Each time she made headway, something would happen, and she’d be on the outs again, begging me to talk to my friends to get their parents to invite her places and to join their clubs and stuff.

I’m not really interested in that; I have my own life to look out for. I’ll be eighteen soon, and the thought of another four years of schooling is daunting, so catching Gabe’s eye at this point in time is like fate. There’re other boys I could choose from, but none of them are in the same league as Gabe. Mom would be so pleased when I bring him home for the first time.

I stayed on the phone with Jessica for a few minutes before hanging up and settling down to sleep. I hope I see Gabe in my dreams again like I had the night before. I could wish that our first encounter had been under better circumstances, but whatever.

A vision of him holding Gia’s hand and walking away flashed through my head, and I tossed and turned. I’ll have a talk with her in the morning on the way to school and set her straight. If she goes near him again, I’ll just do what I always do and make up a story to make him despise her.

I fell into sleep with a smile at the thought and had a very pleasant dream about my future husband. I wonder how big our wedding will be?

GABRIEL

I still had some stuff to do, so once Pop went off to bed, I went to my room and booted up my laptop. I didn't dare go up to the study room or use my PC for this shit. I'm pretty sure Pop has spyware on that shit. It took me less than two minutes to hack into the school’s database because I’ve done that shit before. Not for any reason other than I can. It’s one of the first places I tried out my skills on when I was about fifteen. This time I wasn’t just testing my skills, though.