Angel on a Mission

Chapter 5

Gabrielle's POV

I woke up to another day, and as was my daily practice, I took a moment to pray and express my gratitude to God for the gift of today before diving into the events of the day.

I followed my usual morning routine, which included taking a refreshing shower, getting dressed for the day ahead, preparing and eating breakfast, making my lunch, and finally driving to school.

As I made my way to my classroom, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of seeing my friend, Mika.

However, my smile quickly faded when I spotted her surrounded by three girls.

Or, as I would prefer to call them, bullies.

Among them was Emily, as expected.

"So, where's your b*tch friend, huh?" Emily taunted, raising her hand to yank on Mika's hair, but I quickly intervened, gripping her wrist firmly.

"Leave Mika alone," I said calmly. Emily yanked her arm back and glared at me.

"The new girl is acting up," she chuckled, pointing at me as if I were a child.

"You really shouldn't be doing that, you know," she remarked with a smirk plastered on her face.

"Doing the right thing, you mean?" I replied with a smile, hoping to diffuse the tension. She simply chuckled in response.

"This should teach you what the right thing is," she retorted, raising her hand as if to slap me, but before she could make contact, someone grabbed her wrist and halted her.

"Stop it, Emily," the guy said firmly.

"Tobi?" she replied, her demeanor shifting as she noticed another presence nearby.

"Alex," she added softly before retracting her hand.

"Babe, take a look at this new girl. She must think she's so great," she whined, linking her arm with Alexander's.

He shot a glare in her direction and pulled his arm away, leaving Emily with a shocked expression on her face.

"Leave," Alexander commanded her. She looked utterly baffled.

"I said leave!" he reiterated, his voice rising, which caused the bullies' eyes to widen in fear as they scurried away from the room.

Alexander then turned to me, pointing a finger in my direction.

"And you," he said, adopting a more authoritative tone, "come with me." I chose to ignore him, focusing instead on the gratitude I felt for Tobi, the guy who had intervened.

"Thank you. Tobias, right?" I said, turning to the guy who had stopped Emily. He looked at me for a moment, seemingly taken aback, before looking away.

"Just call me Tobi," he replied, and I smiled at him.

"Okay, Tobi. Thank you," I said, my smile earning a blush from him.

Tobias Anderson.

"Are you ignoring me?" Alex hissed, suddenly grabbing me by the wrist, forcing me to look at him.

"Let me go," I responded calmly.

"Dude, I think—" Tobias began to interject, but Alexander cut him off.

"Shut up, Tobi. I need to talk to her," he hissed before dragging me outside the room.

If I’m being honest, it would have been incredibly easy to free myself from his grip, but for reasons I could not explain, I chose not to.

We walked into an empty classroom, and Alexander slammed the door behind us.

"What are you trying to do?!" he hissed, clearly agitated.

I understood exactly what he meant.

After all, I can read thoughts as easily as one might read a book.

"What do you mean?" I feigned innocence, but I knew I was actually innocent in this situation.

"My sister won’t talk to me anymore because of you!" he exclaimed angrily. I sighed, knowing full well that Bella and Brooke were upset because Alexander had been trying to push them away from me.

I hadn’t done anything wrong.

"Should I talk to her? To them?" I suggested softly, catching him off guard with my unexpected reply.

"What?" he spat in disbelief. I smiled at him, trying to ease the tension in the air.

"I’ll go and try to talk to your sisters if they have any issues. Would that be okay?" I asked him, noticing the confusion on his face.

"Look, Alexander, I know you’re not very fond of me, but there’s no reason for you to assume I’m up to no good. I’ll maintain my distance from you if that makes you happy, but you can’t influence others to feel the same way you do about me. I hope you can understand that. I really have nothing against you, so please just take a moment to calm down," I said, offering him one final smile before walking past him and leaving the room.

Class commenced, and I navigated through my morning lessons as best as I could.

During lunch, I rejoined Mika, who was now accompanied by Bella.

Bella is a year younger than us, and we discussed an assortment of random topics. I could clearly see how delighted Mika was to make a new friend in Bella.

"Bella," I called softly after we finished eating.

"Yes?" she responded, looking my way.

"Is everything alright with your brother?" I inquired, sensing her hesitation. She frowned, biting her lower lip.

"He told me to stay away from you," she complained.

"Stupid brother," she added with an exasperated tone, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"You didn’t even do anything wrong, right?" she stated, her expression pouting.

"Right. Still, I can understand where he’s coming from. I hope you manage to talk to him again soon, Bella," I encouraged her. She sighed heavily.

"You’re so understanding. My brother is basically just being an ass. It was definitely never a good idea to think he could date you," she expressed, and I laughed at her candidness.

"How about you, Mika? Do you have any love interests?" Bella playfully nudged her, and I watched as Mika’s cheeks flushed a deep red.

"I don’t have any," she admitted shyly.

"Why not? I think you’re really pretty," Bella said, her comment causing Mika’s eyes to sparkle with joy.

"You think so?" Mika asked, her voice filled with hope. Bella nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! A little makeover is sure to make the boys fall head over heels for you," Bella concluded with a wink.

"I think Mika is beautiful just the way she is, no matter what," I chimed in. Bella nodded in agreement.

"True, but would you be willing to try switching things up a little, Mika? It could be a fun experience and definitely a wonderful bonding opportunity for us," Bella suggested excitedly.

"Maybe another time. We can bond through other activities," Mika blushed, and Bella agreed with a nod.

We exited the cafeteria and took on our last set of classes for the day.

Afterward, Bella, Mika, and I regrouped.

"I have cheerleading practice. Do you guys want to come and watch me?" Bella eagerly asked. Mika and I exchanged glances.

"Pleaseee?" she pleaded, gripping our arms. We chuckled and nodded in agreement.

Bella quickly changed into her cheerleading uniform, and we made our way to the bleachers where she would be practicing with the other cheerleaders.

The cheerleaders and football players headed out to the field, and Bella waved at us excitedly.

Mika waved back enthusiastically, and I smiled, feeling happy for them both.

As practice commenced, Mika and I watched the cheerleaders perform their routines.

At times, Mika would glance over at the football practice, but I felt no urge to watch the sport myself.

"Elle," Mika called out nervously, breaking my focus. I turned to her, sensing her apprehension.

"I think Alex and his friends are on their way here," she pointed out nervously. I sighed, hoping that wasn't the case.

"Don’t worry about them. We’re here to support Bella, but if you feel uncomfortable, let me know and we’ll leave right away," I assured her. She nodded but remained visibly anxious.

"Hi, Elle," someone called out, and I turned to see Tobi approaching.

"Hey, Tobi," I replied, offering him a smile. He smiled back before turning to look at Alexander, who was currently glaring in my direction.

Here we go again.

"I thought you said you were going to stay away from me," he said in a tone that bordered on hostile.

"Bella asked us to watch her. I’m here to support Bella, not to engage with you. You approached us. It’s not my fault," I pointed out. Tobi burst out laughing beside me.

"Dude, she’s right. You’re so conceited," he teased Alexander, who shot him a menacing glare before storming off.

He always seems to be in such a bad mood.

I just don’t understand him.

"Don’t mind him, Elle," Tobi reassured me. "Anyway, what do you think about our practice?"

"I didn’t watch. I was focused on Bella since I was there to support her," I clarified, gesturing toward the cheerleaders. He gave an understanding nod.

"You really meant it, huh? You were only watching Bella," he laughed. I nodded in agreement.

"Don’t you like football?" he asked curiously.

"It's okay, I suppose," I responded, trying to be diplomatic.

"You should definitely come watch our game this Friday," he suggested. I glanced at Mika.

"Oh yeah, uhm...Mika, right? You two should watch together. I’m sure Bella would love that too; she’ll be cheering for us with the squad," he added. Mika and I exchanged glances, and she nodded, feeling more confident.

"Sure, Tobi. We’ll come and support you," I assured him, and his smile widened.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well, a lot of things, but let’s try to remain optimistic this time.

"Great! I’ll see you girls there," he replied with enthusiasm.

"I think he has a crush on you," Mika suddenly announced, turning to me with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Who? Tobi?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

Mika nodded earnestly.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea.

"Why do you think that?" I inquired.

"Because it’s pretty obvious," she answered confidently.

"Tobi is just being nice, that’s all," I insisted, trying to deflect the notion.

Mika shook her head.

"Tobi IS nice, but I’m pretty sure he has a crush on you. I’m actually quite certain about it," she affirmed with a knowing look.

"Why are you so convinced?" I pressed further.

"Because every guy has a crush on you! I doubt Tobi is an exception," she replied with a shrug.

I chuckled softly.

"Not every guy," I defended lightly.

"I mean, how could they not? You’re perfect, Elle," she declared, causing my cheeks to flush with embarrassment.

I smiled but shook my head in denial.

"I’m not perfect. No one is perfect except God. Not even me," I told her, trying to ground her compliments in reality.

Just then, Bella wrapped up her cheerleading practice, and we met up with her by the bleachers.

"I don’t want to go home yet," she announced with a pout.

"Why not?" I asked, curious.

"Just because," she replied evasively.

Bella clearly didn’t want to face Alexander back at home, and I could sense it.

I sighed, sympathetic to her feelings.

"Do you guys really need to go home already? Can’t we catch a movie before we head back? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" she pleaded, batting her lashes at me and Mika with an irresistible charm.

Mika and I laughed.

"I should probably let my parents know first. How about you, Elle?" Mika asked.

"I’m good to go whenever you guys are," I replied.

Bella squealed with excitement as she linked her arms with us.

We took my car, and I drove to Mika's house, where she asked permission first before we set off for the movies.

It felt like a spontaneous adventure, and honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.

Just like I didn’t know what to expect from the upcoming game I had been invited to.

Still, I was determined to make the best of it.

We watched a random movie and shared laughter and giggles throughout the entire duration of it.

Thankfully, it turned out to be a wholesome film, and I genuinely enjoyed it far more than I had originally anticipated.

In hindsight, making the best out of the situation was absolutely the right thing to do.