I’m just trying to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
Their food arrived. Gabe looked at Becky.
“That I love you, honey. I love you more than anything on earth. That’s the God’s honest truth. None of the things that I did, none of the secrets I kept from your mother, nothing can change that fact. I know I messed up. And I know I’m lucky to be even sitting here with you after the things I did. But I always loved you, through everything, and I always will.”
Becky didn’t say anything immediately. She picked up her fork and twisted it into the spaghetti.
“You used to call that Sgetti when you were little.”
“Did I?” she said.
He nodded. Becky got up from her seat and scooted into Gabe’s side of the booth, next to him.
“Let’s sit together,” she said.
He smiled and put his arm around her and they ate like that.
X
“R ELAX,” ARIEL SAID AS BECKY got out of the car. “The first day at a new school is always nerve-racking.”
“I just don’t see why I can’t keep going to Pomona.”
“We’re starting a new life up here. That means a new school, sweetie.”
Becky kissed her mother and took a deep breath as she got out of the car. She had to admit it was a beautiful building. The school had been founded over a hundred years ago, one of the first in LA, and the children of so many actors and actresses had attended over the years that it had its own VIP entrance and security team. The thought of famous people’s kids being at the school only made her more nervous about her first day.
There was a girl sitting on the wall by the side of the steps. She was about Becky’s age and very pretty with a short skirt and knee-high socks.
“Hey,” Becky said.
The girl looked at her but said nothing.
Becky cleared her throat. “I’m looking for the office. I need to register.”
“You new?”
“Yeah.”
The girl rolled her eyes and hopped off the wall. Becky thought she was going to show her to the office but she just walked past her and went down the steps to say hi to some boys who were coming in.
The boys were the typical, good-looking jocks that could be found in every high school in the world. One of them picked up the pretty girl that Becky had approached and kissed her. Becky felt awkward, standing on the top of the steps, staring like an idiot.
“Who’s this?” one of the jocks said as he eyed Becky up and down.
“No one,” the pretty girl said. She didn’t even look in Becky’s direction as she and her entourage of jocks walked past.
Becky clenched her jaw. It was a habit she had when she was nervous and she stopped when she noticed she was doing it. She pulled herself together and entered the main building of Marymount. It looked more like a grand villa than a school but Becky knew it was one of the best schools in the country. She was determined to make the most of it and make her mother proud.
It was the middle of the semester so there wasn’t any orientation programs. Becky just had to find the main office and get herself enrolled for her classes. As she was walking down the corridor she saw the girl again. Now she was with a group of four other girls, all of them beautiful and confident looking with long hair and short skirts.
“There she is,” the girl with the socks said.
Becky looked over at them and they all started giggling. It was the most juvenile thing in the world, the cheerleaders laughing at the new girl, but Becky knew that there was no way around it. She was the new girl, the fresh meat. She would have to get through this in any high school so it might as well be here.
As she walked past the girls, one of them threw a piece of gum at her. It hit her on the side of the face. Becky put her hand up to her cheek and wiped it. The girls were all staring at her. Becky didn’t know what to do, but she knew one thing: If she didn’t stand up for herself, no one else would.
“You girls got a problem?” she said.
“It speaks,” one of the girls
“Tell me what?”
Their food arrived. Gabe looked at Becky.
“That I love you, honey. I love you more than anything on earth. That’s the God’s honest truth. None of the things that I did, none of the secrets I kept from your mother, nothing can change that fact. I know I messed up. And I know I’m lucky to be even sitting here with you after the things I did. But I always loved you, through everything, and I always will.”
Becky didn’t say anything immediately. She picked up her fork and twisted it into the spaghetti.
“You used to call that Sgetti when you were little.”
“Did I?” she said.
He nodded. Becky got up from her seat and scooted into Gabe’s side of the booth, next to him.
“Let’s sit together,” she said.
He smiled and put his arm around her and they ate like that.
X
“R ELAX,” ARIEL SAID AS BECKY got out of the car. “The first day at a new school is always nerve-racking.”
“I just don’t see why I can’t keep going to Pomona.”
“We’re starting a new life up here. That means a new school, sweetie.”
Becky kissed her mother and took a deep breath as she got out of the car. She had to admit it was a beautiful building. The school had been founded over a hundred years ago, one of the first in LA, and the children of so many actors and actresses had attended over the years that it had its own VIP entrance and security team. The thought of famous people’s kids being at the school only made her more nervous about her first day.
There was a girl sitting on the wall by the side of the steps. She was about Becky’s age and very pretty with a short skirt and knee-high socks.
“Hey,” Becky said.
The girl looked at her but said nothing.
Becky cleared her throat. “I’m looking for the office. I need to register.”
“You new?”
“Yeah.”
The girl rolled her eyes and hopped off the wall. Becky thought she was going to show her to the office but she just walked past her and went down the steps to say hi to some boys who were coming in.
The boys were the typical, good-looking jocks that could be found in every high school in the world. One of them picked up the pretty girl that Becky had approached and kissed her. Becky felt awkward, standing on the top of the steps, staring like an idiot.
“Who’s this?” one of the jocks said as he eyed Becky up and down.
“No one,” the pretty girl said. She didn’t even look in Becky’s direction as she and her entourage of jocks walked past.
Becky clenched her jaw. It was a habit she had when she was nervous and she stopped when she noticed she was doing it. She pulled herself together and entered the main building of Marymount. It looked more like a grand villa than a school but Becky knew it was one of the best schools in the country. She was determined to make the most of it and make her mother proud.
It was the middle of the semester so there wasn’t any orientation programs. Becky just had to find the main office and get herself enrolled for her classes. As she was walking down the corridor she saw the girl again. Now she was with a group of four other girls, all of them beautiful and confident looking with long hair and short skirts.
“There she is,” the girl with the socks said.
Becky looked over at them and they all started giggling. It was the most juvenile thing in the world, the cheerleaders laughing at the new girl, but Becky knew that there was no way around it. She was the new girl, the fresh meat. She would have to get through this in any high school so it might as well be here.
As she walked past the girls, one of them threw a piece of gum at her. It hit her on the side of the face. Becky put her hand up to her cheek and wiped it. The girls were all staring at her. Becky didn’t know what to do, but she knew one thing: If she didn’t stand up for herself, no one else would.
“You girls got a problem?” she said.
“It speaks,” one of the girls
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