The hallways of The White's Academy were buzzing with students preparing for their Office Studies exam. Some sat quietly, noses buried in textbooks, jotting down last-minute notes. Others chatted in hushed tones, revising key concepts. Amidst the chaos, Michelle, Gabriela, and Isabella walked in, fresh from the library.
"Guys, the library is full already!" Gabriela exclaimed, fluffing her hair.
Michelle and Isabella exchanged worried glans. "What are we gonna do?" Michelle asked.
Gabriela waved it off. "Don't worry, I've got some notes. But guess what? I met this guy, Brune, from my old high school."
Isabella's eyes widened. "Tell us more!"
Gabriela smiled slyly. "He asked me out to dinner."
Michelle's face lit up. "Lumi's Kitchen, my workplace! We should use it."
Isabella burst out laughing. "Girl, the only thing I can do for you is a makeover! We'll hit the mall after school and make you look stunning."
Gabriela squealed, hugging Isabella. "You're the best!"
Michelle chimed in, "What about me?"
Gabriela grinned. "You're great too, Mich!"
Michelle's expression turned serious. "How will Miguel feel about this? Did you tell him?"
Gabriela rolled her eyes. "It's not a date, it's a reunion. I can do whatever I want."
Michelle faked a grin. "Don't let it go beyond that."
Gabriela whispered, "I promise, it's a reunion."
Isabella teased, "Michelle wants to be a sister-in-law so badly!"
Gabriela shot her a mock-fury glare, and the trio erupted into laughter as they headed to another spot for reading.
The spa treatment was pure bliss. Gabriela reclined in the plush chair, eyes closed, as the therapist worked out the knots in her shoulders. Michelle and Isabella sat beside her, sipping fruit juice and giggling.
"You're so getting pampered, Gabi!" Isabella cooed.
Gabriela smiled, eyes still shut. "Needed this after that grueling exam!"
After the spa, the trio hit the mall. Gabriela's eyes landed on a stunning white evening gown, sleeveless and floor-length. She slipped it on, and Isabella gasped.
"Cinderella, eat your heart out!" Isabella teased.
Gabriela blushed, twirling in front of the mirror. The gown shimmered, accentuating her curves. She paired it with shimmering slippers that sparkled like glass.
Back at home, Gabriela's makeup artist transformed her into a vision of loveliness – soft, angelic, and radiant. Gabriela gazed at her reflection, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
With a final glance, she grabbed her clutch and headed out. Her driver honked, signaling it was time.
"7pm, Cinderella's off to the ball!" Isabella called out, waving.
Gabriela rolled her eyes, laughing, as she slid into the car. Brune's text read: "Zara Restaurant, 7pm. Can't wait."
She arrived at the restaurant, and Brune's eyes widened as he took in her stunning look.
"Gabriela, welcome!"
"You look... wow," he said, pulling out her chair.
Gabriela smiled, feeling like royalty. The evening promised to be magical.
They both sat.
"You don't look bad either."
"It's been such a long time, Gaby. You look even more.. beautiful."
"Thanks." Gabriela's smile was genuine.
"Okay. What are you having?"
"I'm okay." His smile faded.
"You're okay? There are a lot of nice dishes here, you're gonna love them. Do you do Spain, Italian, Chinese, mention it."
"No, Brune."
"Do you want water, then?"
"Its alright. Let's just talk." Gabriela maintained her eye contact.
"Oh. So, what are your plans after college?" Brune questioned curiously.
"I'm gonna focus on Flores Corp, yunno. It's been my dad's dreams for me to head the company. And I sure will put a lot of effort into it."
"Wow. I'm proud of you. You've always been really ambitious." Brune was impressed.
"I know, right? What about you? What do you do now?"
"I'm in a modelling agency now."
"Woah, great! You're good for modelling."
"Why do you think so?" He smirked.
"I mean, you're tall and handsome. You're fit for the thing! It's a good idea. I'll keep rooting for you. Gabriela encouraged him.
"Thanks. Are you still single...because it doesn't look like you are since you attend The White's Academy. That college isn't for girls like you anyway - I wonder what made you attend."
"It was Daniela. Second reason - my stepsister attends the college and dad thought it'd be nice for me too."
"I heard you're not on good terms with your stepsister." Brune added.
"Uh, why should we be on good terms? She's literally jealous of me. She's being bad news since day one." Brune chuckled.
"Back to the question, Gaby. Are you single?" He raised his brow, expecting an answer.
"No." His face darkened.
"I knew it." Gabriela knew he was hurt.
"Miguel Jackson, right? There are rumors of you both all over the internet."
"Y-Yes."
"Fine. No problem, Gabriela. We can still be friends, right?"
"Yeah. Friends."
~~~NEXT DAY, MIGUEL'S APARTMENT, 9PM~~~
Gabriela slipped into Miguel's house, the dim hallway swallowing her heels. "Papi!" she called out, sneaking up behind him in the kitchen.
Miguel spun around, startled, as Gabriela wrapped her arms around his waist. "Gaby, how did you get in?" he laughed, shocked.
"Door wasn't closed," she said, grinning, releasing him.
Miguel chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Silly me, I forgot."
He flopped onto the sofa, and Gabriela settled beside him.
"How was your...date?" He sounded irritated.
"Date? With who?" Gabriela was confused.
"That Brune guy."
"Oh, Brune. Brune and I had a nice time. We didn't have any food though but we discussed at length and it was worth it!" Gabriela's eyes twinkled with excitement.
"Humph! He's too poor to get you any food. How shameless."
Gabriela laughed hysterically.
"Oh my gosh, Miguel of course, he's rich enough to buy me food. He asked me to order but I refused."
"Why did you turn him down? I thought he was your high school darling."
"He's not my darling. We weren't even...friends. But we're friends now. He asked if I was single."
"Why does he need that information?" Miguel grew mad.
As Gabriela and Miguel discussed, her gaze drifted to a bag on the other couch. "Whose bag is that?" she asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
Miguel hesitated, trying to deflect. "Oh, it's Lana's. She must've left it here."
Gabriela's eyes narrowed. "I want to see."
Miguel's grip on her wrist tightened. "Don't worry about it, she'll come downstairs to get it."
Gabriela broke free, her eyes blazing. She grabbed the red bag, emptying its contents onto the coffee table. A ID card stared back at her – Claudia's.
Her voice trembled with rage. "You're lying to me! This is Claudia's!"
The air was thick with tension. Gabriela's heart shattered into a million pieces. She felt a sting, like salt on an open wound. How could he?
"Why is Claudia's stuff here? What is she doing in your house at this time?" Gabriela's voice was a low, hurt whisper.
Miguel held up his hands. "Gabi, hear me out..."
Gabriela's silence was deafening. She waited, her chest heaving.
Miguel took a deep breath. "I found her on the streets, drunk and depressed. I couldn't leave her there. I brought her home, put her in the guest room upstairs."
Gabriela's eyes searched his face, looking for truth. "Did something happen?"
Miguel's voice was laced with desperation. "I swear, Gaby. I can never do that to you. Nothing happened between us. She's sleeping now and I'll dismiss her tomorrow when she wakes up."
Gabriela sighed.
"Still, you should have just told me the truth."
"If I told you so bluntly...you wouldn't be able to handle it. I was scared of hurting you. I'm sorry for bringing her but I just couldn't bear to see her there."
"Because of the old times? Your relationship in the past? Is that why you just didn't leave her there? Does she matter that much to you?" Gabriela was teary-eyed, her lips quivering.
"No, Gaby. Nothing of a sort. We didn't have anything intimate in the past. And I'll never. I don't have any feelings for Claudia. You're getting it all wrong. I only pitied her."
"That's the point!" Gabriela snarled.
"That bitch doesn't deserve any pity from any of us! She killed Marissa! She ganged up a rape for my sister too, ruining her life! Why should we pity her? Why should we give a fuck about what happens to her? I'm throwing that girl out right now and you're not stopping me!" Gabriela ran up the stairs, enraged.
"Gabriela! Gabriela, wait!" Miguel followed her. She barged into the guest room and saw Claudia sitting on the bed still awake, toying with the alarm clock.
"Give me that!" She snatched the clock and it fell from her hands, smashing to the floor.
Miguel gasped. She cared less about that.
"What are you doing here, loser?"
"Um..eh.."
"Get lost! Do you hear me?!" Gabriela pulled her hair, dragging her out of the room.
Claudia was crying in pain.
"Stop, Gabriela! You're hurting her!"
"She deserves to be hurt! She caused damage to my sister who did nothing to her! She didn't even pity the poor girl! She shouldn't be pitied either. I don't care if she dies on the streets!"
"Let go of me, please! I don't deserve this treatment from you!" Claudia whimpered.
When she got down the stairs, she pushed Claudia towards her bag.
"Take your fake bag and get out of this house! Replica brands are the only ones you can ever afford. You cause trouble with my Dad's money! You can't buy yourself a good bag." She drunkenly hung the bag over her shoulder and staggered towards the door.
"Leave!!!" Gabriela screamed. She slammed the door behind Claudia when she got out.
She turned to see Miguel looking pissed.
"Are you done with the drama? You broke my mom's alarm clock." Gabriela's hands trembled.
What had she done again?!
"Miguel... I'm so sorry - I was trying to get the girl off your hair...I..."
"You what?"
"I'm sorry for the things I said and what I broke...I'll buy two alarm clocks, I promise!"
His expression was livid.
"That didn't come out good." She mumbled under her breath.
She walked closer to him and held his arm.
"I apologize, Miguel. That girl is capable of hurting you. I only kicked her out to keep you safe, yunno? She might be pretending to be drunk. Did you see what she was wearing? She must be here to seduce you. I did the right thing but...I'm sorry about the clock, I lost control and - " He gently pushed her hand away from his.
"Seduce me? She was at the club before I saw her. She must have gone there to drink her worries and I just felt I could be of help. There are really dangerous guys in the area and they could harm her."
"You should have let them harm her, Miguel! My sister was raped! Carissa's sister was killed! All because of her! All her doing! If she's raped, then she'll feel the same fucking way!" Gabriela cursed angrily.
"You still haven't admitted to your wrongs. She may have done all that to you but...she's still human. She shouldn't be left alone at that time. She had so much to drink and at the time, she was vulnerable. She wasn't that wild bitch that wants to kill anybody. She was obviously broken at the moment. There was no other thing to do but to help her."
"You should go home, Gaby. You should focus on the ongoing exams. Stop thinking about Claudia and if I'm going to fall for her or something. I said you're mine. No one else can replace you. You're the one putting things on hold. You asked me to wait for you. I'm doing just that. At the same time, I don't want to put you in any pressure."
"I'm sorry, Miguel. Please forgive me. Say you forgive me." Their eyes locked.
Miguel leaned closer and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Gabriela. Please be fine. Go home. Take a shower and sleep. Ace the exams. Don't text me or talk to me until the exams are over."
"What the heck?" Gabriela snapped.
"How am I supposed to do that? I think about you every single day so how am I supposed to just...stop talking to you."
"Do you care about me?" Gabriela nodded slowly.
"I do."
"Then, do as I say. Will you? Text me after the exams. I promise to reply. Visit me on our graduation night. I want to see you then."
~~~~
Midnight. The library's dim lights wrapped around Gabriela like a cocoon. She buried herself in books, glasses perched on her nose, wearing green – Miguel's favorite color.
Their favorite color.
As she read, memories flooded in – Miguel's words: "Glasses make you look charming and cute." She smiled wistfully.
But keeping him out of her mind proved futile. Like a ghost, he lingered – kissing her forehead, whispering sweet nothings. She laughed, remembering their fights, their trights.
Their first kiss was unforgettable.
She remembered him telling her she was hot whenever she was angry.
She remembered the things Veronica and Claire told her.
She remembered when he fought for her at the club.
She still wished he'd tell him what happened that night.
She remembered the WHAT IF game and how much her friends teased her.
She admired how he always looked out for her.
He was just so caring.
For five minutes, thinking about him made her the happiest girl alive. His voice echoed in her head... until reality hit. Gabriela whimpered uncontrollably. She'd forgotten everything she'd studied.
But in the exam room, a switch flipped. It was just her, and she needed those grades. Her dad's words rang true – boys were a distraction. But with Miguel, it was different. Thinking about him was her hobby.
The final exam ended. Gabriela threw her pen out the window, jumping for joy.
Isabella, Michelle, Carissa, Diana, and Veronica swarmed her, hugging tight. "We did it! College's done!"
Graduation outfits, parties, dreams – they discussed it all, laughing and beaming with excitement.
The next day was a weekend, she texted him as promised.
[Hiatus is over. Respond as soon as you see this]
Miguel was working out when he heard a beep on his phone.
"What was that?" He asked Rafael, who was taking some random selfies on his phone.
"A text from Gabriela."
"Gabriela?" The short barbell fell from his hands and he snatched the phone from Rafael.
"Let's see."
"You asked her to stay away from you. It looks like you've missed her a lot."
"I didn't ask her to stay away from me. I asked her to focus on the most important things." When he saw the text, he quickly replied back.
[What're you doing?]
[Nothing. I'm just really bored. I can't see Leslie, Lana or you.]
[You'll see us soon.]
[Can I call you?]
[Yeah, I've missed that sexy voice]
"Is she going to call you?" Rafael questioned.
"Yeah. She's going to call me now so if you would please excuse us." He sounded polite with a smirk.
"Okay, dude. I'll get out of your hair now. Isabella and I have a date too so I've gotta head out." He jumped down the bed and walked out of the room.
"Bye! Good luck!" He shut the door behind him.
The video call from Gabriela popped up and he answered without hesitation.
"Get the fuck out of my daughter's life." Alejandro's thunderous voice was a blast to his hearing.
Miguel's expression switched to that of a terrified child.
"Mr. Flores, I..."
"Shut up! Why have you been keeping my daughter waiting like you're a sitcom show? Asking you to wait for her now becomes a crime that you asked her to get out of your house? My daughter can't think straight anymore and it's all because of you, jackass!" He yelled.
"I'm sorry sir, I - "
"The only words that should come out of that mouth of yours is that you really love my daughter." Miguel's lips curved a shy smile.
"Gabriela, why are you making me do this?" She bit her lower lip hard when she heard him.
"I'm sorry." She whispered to herself.
"You will have to assure my daughter that it's just her! Did you put a pause to seeing her because you wanted to sleep with another woman?"
"No sir."
"Then tell her she's your one and only! Profess your love for her right now! Say it all right to my hearing! She's right beside me and she's listening to you! Tell her how exactly you feel! Are you just flirting or you mean everything you say to her?! Promise her you'll never put her through this again." Miguel was blushing so hard.
"I - "
"Boys are distractions! I told you Gabriela, this guy is a pathetic liar! He only wanted to win your heart! He's a complete heartless psycho! Speak now or be silent for good!"