Payback

Chapter 11: Not A Dream

"The surest way to make your dreams come true is to live them." -Roy T. Bennett

Have a nice day, Gabrielle! xo -H💋

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

"How?" I asked Xander.

He chuckled. "What do you mean 'how'?"

"You like me? You really do? A hundred percent?" I asked, still confused about everything.

"Yes, more than a hundred percent." He smiled.

"If this is some kind of a joke please stop, " I pleaded.

"I'm not joking, Brielle. I like you. I really do, " he said, sincerity evident in his tone.

My heart can't stop beating rapidly right now. I never thought this would happen. Never did I suspect Xander as my secret admirer because he was so confident in talking to me. Also, Maddie is his rumored girlfriend.

"But how about Maddie? She's your girlfriend, right?" I said.

He shook his head. "I would never date my sister, Brielle. That's just incest, " he answered.

My eyes widened. "I'm sorry, what?"

"She's the half-sister I'm telling you about, " he said.

I shook my head while chuckling. "All this time, I've been devastated for nothing!"

"Why were you devastated?" he asked.

"Oh, my God! Why are you so clueless?" I pulled on my hair in frustration. "I like you. A lot. A whole lot and I hate it because I become a different person when it comes to you," I confessed.

He wasn't able to speak for a few seconds. I mentally scolded myself for blurting my whole heart out. I was about to speak again when I saw him smirk.

I scoffed. "You find this amusing, don't you?"

He chuckled. "Little bit."

I shook my head. "I'm not dreaming, right?" I asked and looked at him. He was just watching me. "Maybe I am dreaming? Oh, gosh! I want this to be real." I slapped both of my cheeks repeatedly.

Xander held both of my hands to stop me from slapping myself. He looked directly to my eyes and I did the same. "This is not a dream, Brielle. I like you so much and I'm glad you like me too."

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

"Good morning, beautiful people on planet earth!" I chirped when I saw Faith, Danica, and Shine standing near their lockers.

"Good morning, Gab," Shine greeted.

"Hey, pretty cousin." Nics waved.

"Why are you happy?" Faith asked and I giggled.

It has been a day since Xander and I confessed to each other. I couldn't sleep the night I found out because I was so happy that I feel so energized. I can't stop thinking about him. How he smiled at me, how he looked at me, how he laughed. I think about all those things. I feel like I'm obsessing too much but I don't care.

"Hey, Brielle," Xander greeted, putting his arm on my shoulder. My face heated from what he had done. I didn't even notice him walking towards me.

I looked at my friends. They looked so shocked by everything that had just occurred.

"Did I hear this right? Did you just call her Brielle?" Faith asked. Xander nodded as a response.

"You're Gabbie's admirer?" Danica asked.

I smiled. "He is," I answered.

The three of them gasped. "Wait, what? How? When? What happened?" Hope asked.

"Opening night. He met me backstage when everyone left," I answered.

"How about Maddie? Don't you have a thing with her?" Hope asked.

"She's probably just his f*ck buddy or whatever," Danica answered then all three of them are now chuckling. I bit my lip and looked at Xander with apologetic eyes. He just shook his head.

"Y'all are so mean. How could you talk sh*t about people?" I scolded.

"Like you're one to talk. You always talk about other people behind their backs," Faith said, making me glare at her. I looked at Xander and laughed nervously.

"Anyway, Maddie is–"

"She's my sister," Xander finished my sentence. The three of them displayed shocked faces again. I laughed at their reaction.

Before they could ask about anything, the bell rang and Xander excused himself before walking to class.

"You're unbelievable," I told them before walking away.

"Hey!" Faith said, running after me.

"You haven't told us if you're dating him like have you agreed to be together like together?" Shine asked.

That made me think. Xander and I haven't really talked about it yet. We just had an understanding that we like each other. "No, we're not yet together. He's not my boyfriend yet," I answered. They didn't ask any more questions after that and just walked to our respective classes.

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

"Are you sure Xander isn't your boyfriend yet?" Shine asked while we were walking out of the room. Last period has ended and it is time for us to go home.

"Yes, I am pretty sure," I answered.

"Well, for someone who isn't your boyfriend, he sure is sweet," she said before pointing to the front. I looked at where she was pointing and I saw Xander standing there holding a long-stemmed magnolia.

I smiled before walking towards him. "Hey," I greeted.

He handed me the flower and grabbed my bag from my shoulder. "I'll take you home," he said before grabbing my hand. My heart raced because of what he did.

"My dad will pick me up, remember?" I said while we were walking out of school.

"I know. I actually want to talk to him. I'm thinking of picking you up and taking you home every day. What do you think?" he asked. I actually felt touched by the gesture but I know Dad wouldn't agree. I haven't even told him that Xander and I confessed to each other.

"I haven't told him what happened to us," I said.

He stopped and looked at me. "Why?"

I sighed. "My dad's strict. You should know that because you saw what happened when you took me home after the movie."

"So are you planning to keep whatever's going on between us a secret?"

"No, of course not! I'm just not ready," I answered.

"Marina Gabrielle!" a familiar voice called. I looked around and I saw my dad beside his car and glaring at me.

I immediately let go of Xander's hand. "Dad," I said.

He walked towards us. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked with his death glare still on.

"It's– uhh..."

"I like your daughter, sir," Xander suddenly said.

"Xander, what are you doing?" I whispered. He just smiled at me before looking back at my dad.

"I would like to date her," he said, making my heart swoon. "And I will do anything just to get your permission."