Gabriel: Prequel

eighteen

[ gabe's pov]

"You're playing it wrong."

"Or, you're just a bad teacher. I prefer that option."

Teaching Harper to play the harp is as difficult as imagined. I was never surprised that she was a bad student, but her learning abilities literally suck. 

Her and Nicholas had arrived in silence to my town, neither of them saying anything until he went to Rehan and she came to me. For a while, she didn't even speak to me until she collapsed in my arms, fretful and crying. After promising to do something to take her mind off whatever, she perked up slightly. A mistake on my part - teaching her to play an instrument will not be the answer next time. 

"When I said this would cheer you up, I made an error," I sigh, correcting her fingers over the harp. She begins to play carefully, her fingers moving awkwardly as she strums the strings. Shaking my head, I focus back to the piano, flexing my fingers before they flow across the keys, creating a carefree melody. I attempt to guide her in sync with my tune but it doesn't work.

Leaving her to be frustrated, I continue to let my fingers dance across the keys, each note resulting in perfect harmony. 

"Did you make this song?"

"Yeah, I usually work on it after practise. Nice, huh?" I grin, continuing to flex my fingers as I play.

Mock unimpressed, she goes back to playing the harp, emitting slow, awkward notes that I hold a hand up to. "I want to make a good song with you. Teach me properly."

Sighing, I refocus my attention back on the piano, trying to figure out an ending. "Who are you trying to impress?"

She stops playing and leans forward towards me, setting her palms on her thighs. "Right. Whilst not anywhere near that topic, let's talk."

"Want to break up already?"

"I'm tempted, actually. Let me continue," Harper scowls. I motion for her to continue.

"Tell me your future plans."

I raise my eyebrows in confusion and thought, slightly unsure where this is heading, "Uh, okay? Finish school; maybe head to college on a sports scholarship; get a job and live my life?"

She furrows her brows as she stares at me intently. "And, what about kids?"

"I thought we agreed earlier that we were glad we won't have any?"

"Don't opinions change?"

"I mean, yes," I shrug, "they do, but this seems strong, I think?"

Clasping her hands, she sits up straight, "I'm not beating around the bush, alright. I'm pregnant. Like it's been months since it happened and I found out a couple weeks, so maybe like five months?"

Pregnant. She is pregnant. The plans of my future scatter around randomly in my mind, disappearing one by one as images of babies replace them. We're only eighteen - just barely. And, we live in dysfunctional families; it won't work, surely.

"Why are you so chilled out, oh my god, how does this even work?" I ask, my mouth agape. Unlike me, her face is willed into a smooth nonchalance as she studies me.

"I go into labour and then we have a child. In four months. Are you in or not? I debated this for a while, Gabe, and to be honest? This kid was my saving grace, so, yeah, I wanna keep it. If you're not interested, then I'm getting the fuck out of here, because I don't want to waste my time."

I scratch my chin in thought, imagining a weight of pros and cons: having a child will, for sure, majorly mess up any selfish plan I will want, but at the same time, I'm doing this with Harper, and I don't think I'd want this with anyone else. "Okay. Let's do this."

Her face lightens up as she comes to sit on my lap, pressing her lips to my mouth as we share a passionate kiss. "Yeah?"

I grin back at her, tenderly stroking her cheek, "Yeah, why not?"

"So, I'm not impressing anyone with my musical skills - you are. It's a pretty song, kind of fit for a baby?"

Truthfully, I'd never thought of it and whilst it's unfinished and imperfect right now, my fingers instinctively touch the keys in agreement. "Sure: a lullaby for the kid, huh?"

She nods, clasping my hand on the piano as she mimics my movement, laughing at her mistakes. Mistakes I would normally scold, but I won't even do it again, because it's these very imperfections that make the lullaby ours. 

"Okay, but wait," she says seriously, turning to face me.

"Hm?"

"Remember we made a pact about both us parting ways when we're unhappy before we resent each other?"

I nod.

"That really needs to be evaluated, Gabe. We're having a kid, so this pact needs to stay legit. It'll either tear us apart or drive us together, and if it's the former, then we need to back off. I mean it." The worry in the brown of her eyes becomes clear and I plant a gentle kiss on her cheek to reassure her.

"Yeah, the pact stays solid," I agree.

"Alright, well, in that case, I have a proposition."

"Proposition?"

She nods, fixing me with a hard stare, "Normally, I'm not one to mix business and pleasure, but this calls for it. I'm offering you to join me in my gang. I already spoke to Nicholas and Rehan and they agreed; I guess, after Amancia, they need a home. Join me?"

It doesn't even take me a minute to nod, grabbing her towards me to kiss her again.

"No, wait," she pulls back, raising her eyebrows, "It's unconditional. You don't get to leave once you're in."

Without responding, I pull her back into a kiss, ignoring the question of how she became part of the gang.