I’m Gabriel
FEW MONTHS BEFORE
"Clarissa come on, you are always holding a book in your hand, let's go out today… come on" cried Issei as she dragged the book away from her friend’s hands.
"Hey, I was reading that, you give it back" Clarissa said finally giving her best friend some attention.
"And I've been talking to you for the past 5 minutes god damn it" she was looking down at Clarissa who was still sitting at the table waiting for Issei to return the book.
"Look at your eyes, you're starting to have dark circles all around them and your beautiful gray eyes are looking dead. You look like a ghost that popped out of a horror movie. Come on, we still have at least three weeks before the exams, let's go out and party. It's not going to kill you to party just once" Issei tried appealing to her best friend’s party animal
"I will take this back, thank you" Clarissa said as she successfully plucked her book back from Issei.
"Clarissa!"
"How about this, why don't you go alone and leave me to my books?" she suggested.
"What? I don't want to go alone" Issei groaned in frustration
"It's a party! You're definitely not going to be alone, you'll be in the ocean of at least hundreds of people, how are you alone then?" Clarissa asked not understanding the point of her being alone.
"Clarissa you wouldn't be there, that's why........ Ohh! what have you done to my best friend, did you eat her? open up – give her back to me" she said, shaking Clarissa roughly.
"Stop it, you're making me dizzy" Clarissa pushed her hands away
"No! We are almost done with school. For once put down the book and come with me. Have fun!!" she said with a smile while wiggling her eyebrows.
"You're not going to let me be? I'm not going" Clarissa said one more time.
However, a few hours later, Clarissa found herself at the party. The same party she had been certain she wouldn’t attend but here she was, sitting on a chair with a glass of drink in her hand as she watched Issei socialize with the people in the party.
She began to ask herself, why? Why was she here in the first place? The answer was very simple, the little brown haired demon dancing on the dance floor was her childhood best friend, right from the womb they were inseparable. they vowed to do everything together no matter what it was and that was the promise she couldn't break.
She could remember the number of times Issei had to sit at a book club just for her or how many classical music concerts she had attended when she hated classical music.
As the music blasted through the speaker, more people hit the dance floor, dancing randomly and sweating.
Well since she was already here, she could also have a little bit of fun herself. She watched everybody and decided to make fun of their outfits or their dance moves.
If there was one thing her school was famous for it was their ridiculous dressing and their dumb color combo, she adjusted her eyes to the dim light so she could be able to see people clearly.
Some were laughing, some drunk, others sad and others just like her as they gulped down the drink in their glass and asked the question she asked herself a few minutes ago but one thing was certain everybody was trying to have fun and forget that they had exams in the next few weeks, well for those who cared.
"It's just a sad, isn't it?" asked a voice very close to her ear, the voice came as a shock causing her to almost spill her drink
"Oh did I startle you?" the voice asked Clarissa and she turned to see who it was.
She met eyes with the handsome young man who bent over the chair whispering in her ears.
"What the heck! I almost spilled my drink?" she replied "Don't you know you should not sneak up on people this way" she voiced as she shifted away from where he stood creating space for him to sit on the chair but that was the last thing she wanted.
He immediately took the spot she had left open and sat beside her, there was one thing Clarissa couldn't deny and that was even with the dim light she could still notice his dark blue eyes that sparkled.
"I'm sorry, I saw you and instantly I was intrigued. I said to myself if I don't talk to you, I will never be at peace" he said with a smile.
"Well then good for you" she scoffed and focused her attention on the dance floor, not wanting the discussion to continue.
"I noticed a lot of people here don't understand the meaning of fashion as well as follow the dress code colors" he pointed out but Clarissa didn't say a word
"Hey why aren't you saying anything, I just want to have a nice chat with you" the strangers said
Clarissa could care less as she continued to stare at the moving bodies as they grinded against each other
"And out of everyone in this party you are the coolest person I have seen so far" he added
"Thanks for the compliment but I don't need it" she finally spoke.
"Now you're just being mean, I’m Gabriel by the way"
"No one asked for your name and don't expect me to give you mine"
"Really, so what should I call you?"
"Please would you leave me alone, if I needed company, I would have gotten someone by now, go look for someone to flirt with. I am so not interested" she said turning away from him
"Are you serious about that...." He teased lightly and she rolled her eyes
"Well stop talking to me and leave" she snapped but the man sitting beside her was reluctant to leave.
"Look I know why you're here, you and your little friends over there" she said pointing to a couple of boys at the corner staring right at them.
"You made the bet and you came to see if you would win the bet but you know what Mr. Gabriel, if that is really your name, I am not interested. You see I have eyes even at the back of my head and I can read a room quite well, I see everything. Trust me, ‘Everything’” she emphasized before taking a sip of the drink in her hands waiting for his comeback.
"Well now you know, can you give it to me?"
"Is he crazy?" She asked herself in exasperation. Why couldn’t he understand that she wanted him out of her space?
"No I’ll not, I don't even want you talking to me, I advise you to choose someone else so you won't lose your money."
"Okay, Okay I'll let you be" Gabriel added as he stood to his feet, he stared at her one last time hoping she would change her mind but she didn't even give him as much as a second glance.
As Gabriel walked back to his previous position, Issei hurried back to her best friend, she’d being watching the drama that was going on and was super curious
“Who was that?" she asked in excitement causing Clarissa to roll her eyes, knowing that the interrogation had just begun.
" I have no idea"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know who he is!"
"Well didn't he introduce himself?" Issei pressed
"He did but I didn’t care to listen”
"Clarissa come on, don't tell me you just chased away that hottie?"
"I didn't"
"Then why did he leave?"
"Because I don't like him" she voiced
"Wait, what? What is your problem? Even in this dim light I could see he’s a handsome man, why don't you like him? that was the point of all of this in the first place, to get a man"
"Nope, that's your reason for coming and not mine"
"Oh Clarissa, what am I going to do with you?"