crossroads to the beginning

Seven

                                                                                      DEAN

Yesterday was good seeing my dad I hardly saw him this summer, his been working a lot recently I think his trying to think more about work than my mother, we lost my mom a year before High school, Mel was round 3 at the time it was really hard on my dad and on Mel she never had a mother it was always one nanny after the next, She also really close to Ella because she was always around back high school, Marley too. "Hey, can I come in?" Marley knocks on my already open door "Sure" I say we all busy getting done to leave for class, she comes in and closes the door behind her I raise my eyebrow at her confused "Yesterday Gaby saw your dad hug me and she asked how come we so close" she says nervously sitting down on my chair next to my bed, I get why Ella would find it weird since my dad knows her longer but it's only been somewhat formal, "Ahh maybe she thinks you guys are having an affair" I joke but she doesn't laugh instead she throws me with my jacket that was laying on the floor "I'm joking" I defend myself "not funny, what if she thinks you and I are you know..." She makes movements with her hands then exclaims "together" she says likes it's the most disgusting thing ever "You know you can just tell her" I say rolling my eyes at her "but we agreed we wouldn't tell anyone but Dan" she says sighing "Well if you and Sam are ever going to be a thing I feel as though you should tell them" I say half teasing she blushes "Oh my god stop it" She says getting up "Okay I will say" She says getting up and opening the door to see Ella and Sam standing there, Ella looks at us and raises an eyebrow probably confused to why the door was closed Sam looks at us searching for answers he kind of looks sad "Hey guys" I say acting nonchalant so that this awkward situation can be over "uhm hi" Ella says looking at Marley , Marley like a fool says hi and walks so fast by them out of embarrassment. 

In debate class Mr Simon lets us know that Ella and I are up tomorrow we only worked on it once and not again but I'm sure she's been working on her own and so have I. "Okay are you ready?" She asks me as we leave the class "Yeah, are you?" I say "Yeah" She stares at me for a minute I know she wants to tell me something about this morning "just speak" I tell her "I didn't want to ask you, but I really am curious what's happening between you and Marley?" She asks, "if you guys are dating which has nothing to do with me you should say because Sam also likes her, and you said she likes him so what's going on?" She talks on ", and also does she know?" The big question "Firstly she likes Sam, and nothing is going on, she will tell you guys when she's ready what's going on and she doesn't know" she looks at me puzzled "What?" I ask her "I didn't know you guys were close" She admits "because you don't pay attention to your friends" I say and leave. She doesn't and its true she calls Sam her best friend, but she never even noticed he liked Marley she can be so selfish at times. "Hey that's not fair" She catches up to me "How is it not fair?" I ask walking on, but she follows me "I do pay attention" is all she says and walks away from me to her next class. 

I'm sitting in the library reading when Dan walks up to me with a very serious look on his face "we have a problem" He says sitting down beside me "someone came today looking for Gaby" I drop the book I was reading and faced him "what you mean?" I ask not understanding "Sophia who is in my economics class told me a sketchy man stopped her on her way into the building asking if she knows a Gabriella Hernandez" Dan explains "She said he looked weird and kept asking her and when she said she doesn't he asked about all of us, we need to talk to everyone" Dan says all I do is nod he takes out his phone messaging everyone we have important things to discuss "Ella won't get the message her phone broke the night of the party, I'll let her know we have a class together soon" I say he nods and leaves the library.

Highschool graduation day 

We didn't yet tell everyone that we together we want to tell Sam and Dan before the family although I think Dan knows but he won't say anything unless I tell him. The dinner is over, and everyone went home to get done for the party tonight. "Hey what is wrong" I ask Dan as I see him gripping the wheel of the car so hard his knuckles are white "Ah uhm sorry, I'm good" He says not convincing at all "Man don't lie" I say he sighs "I'm just angry that my family not here that's all" Dan explains his parents went back to Mexico and since they aren't citizens it's hard for them to come back, they went because Mr Diaz Dans father brother died and left his 2 children alone with nobody to take care of them so they decided to go and come back the proper way but it all takes time "I'm sorry man" is all I say I really don't know what to tell him. We pull up at the house and walk in to see the nanny still sitting on the couch with Mel "Good evening, Mr Black, Mr Diaz, congratulations" The nanny greets "Good evening, what is Mel still doing up? was she giving you a hard time?" I ask, "She was fussing about staying up to see you two" The nanny replies I smile and tell her it's okay she can go home, we bid our goodbyes, and she leaves us with a hyper Mel "it's time to sleep Mel" I say "NO" is all she says before running around. It took us almost 30 mins to get her up in her room, but we finally got it right "Goodnight Mel" I say with a kiss on the forehead "and Dan" we laugh and dan goes over to kiss her goodnight. We make our way downstairs to see My dad and a girl standing there she looks to be around our age I look at my dad confused to who the girl is, her clothes are all dirty and her green eyes are red like she's been crying her blonde hair is a mess, she's so thin like she hasn't eaten for months "Boys sit down" We follow them couches and we sit opposite them she doesn't look us in the eye she keeps her head down "Boys this is Samantha Marley, Samantha this is Dean my son and Daniel his friend practically also my son he stays with us as well"  My father introduces us "Hi you can call me Dan" Dan says shaking her hand which she nervously takes "Hi you can call me Sam" She says "We have a friend named Sam, how about Marley?" Dan says smiling at her she smiles and nods "I like that" I look between her and my dad still confused "Okay so I know you have a lot of questions, but you should ask her I have to go, also she's living with us till college starts" he says and leaves "WHAT?" I say which probably sounds rude "Uhm I'm sorry I thought you knew" she says looking nervous "it's okay his just surprised you know knew information" Dan says making her calm down he has a way with people that I don't, like I don't mean to act like a jerk it just comes across like that "so tell us what happened to you" Dan says, we both look at her she sighs and begins to tell us.  "Long story short my parents have been hitting me since I was a kid, but it's gotten worse, so bad that I almost died, your father saw me passed out one night on the side of the road he helped me, gave me his card said if I need anything I should call, after a few months I did I called, and he helped me get out my parents care and into the foster system but let's say the homes I've been in was not good homes" she stops breathing in and out calming herself down "hey you're okay" I tell her going to her side holding her Dan gives her tissues to wipe her face from the tears " uhm anyways that was a few years ago and then a few weeks ago he saw me again and decided his going to help but I didn't know he meant taking me in" She explains and I sit there my hand on hers in comfort. We sit like that for a while before she makes the conversation light again "congratulations on your graduation" she says smiling "yeah thanks we actually have a party to get too" I say, "Hey dean what about Mel you told the nanny to go home" Dan says "I'll watch her" Samantha says "are you sure we could call one of the sitters then you can come with" I offer "no its fine plus I don't want to meet anyone and also please don't tell anyone about this or who I am I really don't want to be the weird new kid I'll tell people when I am ready to meet people"  We promise her and off we go to the party. 

Present day  

We back at the house and everyone is sitting anxious nobody knows what to say I look over to Ella she is staring at the wall a black look on her face "maybe we go to the cops" Sam suggests "No cops" Dan, Ella and Marley say at the same time a weird vibe shifts in the room "Uhm okay than what do we do?" Sam questions "I'll try contacting my mother" Ella says, "I need to first know what's happening before we involve the cops" we all nod "I know some people that can help but it won't be pretty you just tell me the word" Dan says "Maybe it's not that serious maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves" Sam says trying to calm everyone down "I'll phone later let's just forget about it for now" Ella says getting up making her way upstairs, I follow her up to her room "Hey Ella wait" I tell her before she enters her room "What's up?" I go into my room take the box and hand it over to her "I bought you a phone, I know yours broke so" without hesitation she pushes it to me "I can't take it" She says I roll my eyes "Please just take it" she looks at me and nods "okay thanks" I nod and walk back down to see Sam sitting alone on the couch with his head in his hands "Hey what's up bro?" I say sitting next to him "I really don't know how to protect her and it's eating me alive" he says sighing "You don't have to do it alone we all her we in this together" I say putting my hand on his shoulder "It's just that she always protected me ever since we were small but now that she needs it I can't do anything about it" he takes a swing of the bottle of beer that's sitting on the coffee table "Shes a tough girl she just needs you to be her best friend not her protecter" I tell him "Yeah" he says taking another sip "take it easy" I say getting up heading to my room