by Diane Marie
“Yeah he is getting up there.”
“Lets go inside and have some fun.” Gabriella said, wrapping her arm around Jemma and walking her toward the bar.
“I’d really rather not see them together.”
“Oh you’ll be fine.”
Joey read Gabriella’s text message and decided to call her instead. Just as Gabriella reached Mackenzie’s bar door, her phone started to ring.
“I’ll meet you inside.” Gabriella said, while her phone rang. “All right, when Joey calls.”
“Hello?” Gabriella said, ignoring Jemma and answering her phone. Jemma walked inside Mackenzie’s.
“You didn’t have to.”
“Have to what?” Gabriella asked, temporarily forgetting what she last texted Joey throughout her conversation with Jemma. “That you’re mad I’m at a beach party.”
“Oh, I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I just would have changed our plans to go there. I love when bars do beach parties.”
“Sorry Gab. Wait, you don’t go out in these skimpy bikinis the girls got on in here do you?”
“Well, I don’t know how skimpy they are”
“Hey! I only have eyes for you.”
“I’m sure.”
“Baby?” Joey asked.
“What?” Gabriella said, half mad.
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
“So you’re at Mackenzie’s?” Joey asked, realizing he was a little annoyed she hadn’t mentioned she would be going there. “Yeah the girls wanted to come here before Cascades.” “And did you know that you were going there earlier when we spoke in our room?” Joey asked, holding onto the word ‘our’ to remind Gabriella how serious they were.
“I knew it was a possibility.”
“Oh. So you left that out because?”
“Because, I didn’t want to come here and it was just a possibility in our plans.”
“All right.” Joey said, dropping the conversation, as a girl in a bikini walked out of the bar where Joey was standing, leaving him to think about his own whereabouts. The girl threw her arms around Joey while he was on the phone with Gabriella. “Your name’s Joey, right? Wow you’re a hottie.” The girls said, running her fingers through his hair.
“Please don’t touch me.” Joey replied, shaking the girl off and holding up his hand to show her his ring tattoo.
“Whatever.” Gabriella heard the girl say. Joey turned the other way, while the girl walked away.
“What was that about?” Gabriella asked, trying not to get mad at Joey for being so hot.
“I don’t know, some drunk girl.” Joey said, wanting to see Gabriella right away. “Can we meet up?”
“I’m with my friends Joe.”
“Yeah and no. I want to see you right now.” Joey demanded. “All right?” Gabriella said, scared to question Joey.
“All right. I’ll have Josh drop me off there.” Joey said, without waiting for Gabriella’s response.
“He hung up on me.” Gabriella said, out loud to whoever was out there to listen, but no one responded.
Gabriella decided to go into the bar to meet up with her friends. When Gabriella walked in, she noticed Josephine and Sara dancing on the dance floor, and then she spotted Vinny talking to Jemma. Gabriella thought the situation to be weird. She directed herself to the bar, next to where Vinny and Jemma were talking, to order herself a drink. ‘Joey’s just going to have to wait outside for me until I’m finished with my drink.’ Gabriella thought that was fair of her because he demanded to see her while she was having a good time with her friends. Gabriella ordered her drink at the bar, and then realized, Jemma had gone dancing with the other girls, leaving Vinny next to her.
“So you wanted me all last summer?” Vinny said, trapping Gabriella in a conversation as she was paying for her drink. “Maybe.” Gabriella said, even though she wasn’t in the mood to talk to Vinny. “Aren’t you here with Josephine?”
“Maybe. Actually I wanted to see you.” Vinny said, looking her in the eye. Gabriella could tell he was being serious.
“So, your sleeping with my friend just to see me?”
“Well no. I just came out tonight to see you. Besides Jemma’s plan really didn’t really work now did it?” Vinny asked.
Gabriella showed her confusion by making her face puzzle up.
“What plan?”
“Well, after you shot me down that night she said if I took her home and slept with her, you would be jealous, and leave with me the next time.”
“And how would that get me?” .
“I don’t know.” Vinny said, now the puzzled one. “Why what could, I have done to get you?”
“I don’t know, maybe ask me out on a date or something. Not just expect me to go home with you again.”
“I was going to ask you never to leave me that night.”
“Oh really? The same night you brought my friend home?” “I didn’t know what else to do. Girls don’t shot me down much.” “Whatever.”
“So you wanted me all last summer? How can I get you back to that?” Vinny asked, brushing her arm gently.
“Nothing.” Gabriella said, holding up her left hand to show him her tattoo.
“Oh really? With that kid at the club?”
“Listen what are you doing with Josephine?”
“I guess I’m marrying her.”
“Oh is that a peace offering to what you’ve done to me and Jemma?”
“Jemma? Jemma’s a whore.”
“Well she’s still got the hots for you.” Gabriella said, going to walkaway to go join her friends on the dance floor. Vinny grabbed her arm back. “Don’t grab me.”
“Sorry. So Jemma still have the hots for me?”
“Thinking about changing whom you want to take home tonight?” “No.” Vinny said. Gabriella could tell he was thinking. “Thinking are we?”
“Yes. I’m thinking about how you and I never got the chance together.”
“And we never will.” Gabriella replied, trying to walk away again. Vinny grabbed her arm again and snapped her back. “Will you stop doing that?”
“Sorry, Gabriella. I don’t want any of your friends, you’re the one I want.”
“Bull shit.” Gabriella said, calling his bluff.
“No I’m serious. I come out all the time to Mandala hoping to see you. I tried taking you home all last summer but you never came to talk to me.”
“I think you need a lesson on how to swoon a girl.” Gabriella said, laughing at Vinny’s attempts to take her home all last summer. “Okay so teach me.” Vinny replied, he then went to kiss her, but Gabriella pushed him off.
“What do you think your doing?” Gabriella asked, showing her ring tattoo again.
“You think a ring tattoo will stop me?”
“No. But it sure as hell is stopping me.” Gabriella said, then she felt Joey place his hand on her back. Gabriella wondered just how much he saw.
“Do we have a problem here?” Joey asked Vinny.
The bouncer who had kicked him out wasn’t working the front door so Joey had no problem entering the bar.
“No.” Vinny replied. acting tough.
“Well I have a problem here. Man you just tried kissing my girl.” Joey said, holding back his urge of punching Vinny in the face. “Sorry man. I didn’t know.” Vinny said, lying.
“Whatever. I showed you the tattoo twice.” Gabriella said, calling Vinny out on his lie. The girls had spotted the commotion, and walked over to see what was going on. Josephine spoke up first, “what’s going on over here?”
“Vinny’s trying to kiss Gabriella.” Joey said, not taking his eyes off of Vinny.
“Oh.” Josephine said, then she went off crying, with Sara following her into the bathroom. Jemma stayed to watch the fight she hoped would break out between Joey and Vinny. Gabriella couldn’t help herself,
“Jemma don’t speak to me ever again.” Gabriella said, taki
ng Joey’s hand to walk away. Joey wouldn’t budge.
“Listen, stay away from my girl. Stay away from Josephine. If you want this whore Jemma then have her.” Joey said, realizing Gabriella was more then upset with Jemma. Joey didn’t know the reasons why, but he couldn’t help but to call Jemma a whore.
Joey then let Gabriella take him out of the bar, as Jemma tried to pull Gabriella over to talk.
“What’s your problem?” Jemma asked Gabriella. Joey removed the hold Jemma had on Gabriella’s arm.
“Don’t touch her.”
“Gab?” Jemma questioned.
“You told Vinny if he brought you home and slept with him that I would get jealous and leave with him the next time? Do you know how dirty that is to do? You’re a slut. Don’t talk to me any more, Jezebel” Gabriella said, not mad that things didn’t work out between her and Vinny because of Jemma, but rather mad that Jemma would do something purposely to hurt her.
Jemma grew quite and watched as Joey and Gabriella walked out of the bar. Once outside of the bar, Joey was still angered by Vinny. It took everything he had inside of him not to punch him in the face.
“Where did you park?” Joey said, showing no emotion.
Gabriella took a hold of Joey’s hand to lead him to her car. Joey turned around to face Gabriella as he stopped her from walking. “Baby.”
“Yes hunny?”
“I love you.” Joey said, with tears in his eyes.
“Baby, I love you too.”
“No. I really love you.” Joey said. He was happy with her that he saw her push Vinny off, while showing her ring tattoo. “Yes and I really love you.” Gabriella said, confused, she was sure Joey would be mad at her. “You’re not mad at me?”
“No. I just saw you push a guy that was trying to kiss you away. I’m happy with you.”
“I’ll always push them away.” Gabriella said, as she went slightly up on her tippy toes to reach Joey for a kiss.
Joey and Gabriella shared a deep romantic kiss together. When the kiss was over, Joey rubbed Gabriella’s tattoo. “Why aren’t you wearing your ring?” Joey questioned, consciously aware on his purpose in wanting a ring tattoo over just rings.
“I am silly.” Gabriella said, holding up her right hand holding her engagement ring. “I wanted everyone to be able to see my tattoo so they knew I was serious about someone, and completely, without question, taken.”
“Oh, I see.” Joey said. “I can’t wait to wear a wedding band.” Joey admitted, thankful, Gabriella had held up to the promise of forever.
“Aww baby.”
“Why don’t you call Josephine and see if she needs a ride or anything?”
“Don’t you think she’s mad at me?” Gabriella asked, confused because she was the one Vinny tried kissing.
“Well don’t you think she’s mad at Jemma?” Joey asked, pointing to Vinny and Jemma getting into Vinny’s car together. “Wow.” Gabriella replied. “Maybe we should go back into the bar and talk to her.”
“Hey Gab?”
“Yes hottie?” Gabriella said, not being able to help herself from remembering the girl from the phone.
“Oh don’t bring that up.”
“And why not?”
“Because I thought that I would lose you over something like that.” “No. You can’t help how hot you are.”
“Is that how you feel about the situation?” Joey asked, with one eyebrow raised.
“Well, I don’t know Joey. We have to trust each other right? When where not with one another?”
“Gabriella, I don’t think either of us are going out without the other from now on.”
“Joey!”
“What?”
“Well didn’t we prove tonight that we should trust each other?” “I guess so.” Joey said, mentally noting Gabriella wouldn’t be going out without him from now on.
“You guess so?”
“Well who knows if you would have caved or not.”
“And you, you just had to run out when temptation came your way, right? You couldn’t handle being at the bar with half naked girls?” “No. I didn’t want you not trusting me, and in return cheat on me.”
“Lets leave this conversation, for the bedroom.” Gabriella said, wanting to comfort Joey she would never cheat, but found it would be more special while they were being intimate.
“All right lets go.”
“What about Josephine?”
“She has Sara.” Joey pointed out. “Besides you did make her cry.”
“Hey that’s not fair.”
“Your right. It’s not fair you get to be as sexy as you are. Just get in the car, gorgeous.”
On the ride home, Gabriella told Joey the whole conversation between her and Vinny. She told Joey how Vinny had grabbed her arm twice when she tried walking away. Joey then shared with Gabriella how he felt uncomfortable being at the bar the moment they walked in, but Josh assured him they’d only stay for one drink. Joey also informed Gabriella, he wouldn’t be having strippers at his bachelors party.
Joey then questioned if Gabriella wished Jemma hadn’t come up with such a devious plan, ruining Vinny and her's chance of being together, he wanted to know if Gabriella was upset things could have worked out differently. Gabriella assured Joey she believed things happened for a reason, and she was better off in life without him. Gabriella then explained, even if something more would have came of her and Vinny, she would had been more then likely to have left Vinny for him. Joey realized she were right, and felt no matter how either of them lived their life, they always were destined for each other.
As soon as Joey and Gabriella reached her room, Josephine called Gabriella’s phone. Gabriella answered and put the speakerphone on so Joey could hear.
“Hello?” Gabriella answered.
“Hey.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I can’t believe Jemma left with Vinny. But you know what? I don’t care cause I called her boyfriend and told him.” Josephine confessed to Gabriella. “And I’m not mad at you, it’s not your fault Vinny is a scumbag.” Gabriella didn’t believe Josephine wasn't over Vinny just yet.
“Did you hear what Jemma did to me?” Gabriella asked, and then Joey gave her an ‘why bring it up’ look.
“No. What did she do?”
Gabriella filled Josephine in on Jemma’s wicked plan last summer. She also told Josephine what she said to Jemma in regards to her plan, and then about how Joey had called her a whore to her face.
“She really did that?”
“Yup.”
“And you said that to her?”
“Yup. I told her how dirty that was of her.”
“She’s gross. I’m never talking to her again.”
“I’m sure you will.” Gabriella said, remembering they have all been friends since high school.
“Why are you going to talk to her again? You’re not inviting her to your wedding are you?”
“I don’t plan on talking to her, no.” Gabriella said. Joey’s face sighed in relief. “But if she tries to talks to me and apologizes I just may.”
“Oh. You do know she told me last week that she tried sleeping with Joey but he shot her down.”
“Actually Joey told me that one.”
“Well, did you know she purposely went to that party without inviting you because she knew Joey would want you more?” “Nope. That’s new information.”
“Yeah and she said she was going to personally see to it that you and Joey don’t end up married.”
“Really now? She said that?” Gabriella asked, not waiting for an answer. “That might explain why she would tell Vinny I wanted him all last summer.”
“She told him that? She grabbed him away from me tonight because she said she had something important to tell him. He looked like he didn’t want to be bothered with her.”
“That’s why they were talking, I guess. So what does she think I’d leave Joey for Vinny?”
“I guess so, the st
art of another one of her wicked plans.” “How was the rest of your night?”
“It went okay. I got a couple of guys numbers.”
“Oh that’s wonderful.”
“I can’t believe that Jemma would leave with him like that.” “What did Sara have to say about that?”
“She said she’s not getting involved.” .
“Oh and why not?”
“I don’t know, she says Vinny’s a dirt bag and he should just be off limits.”
“Maybe he should be. Hey Josie, I got to go Joey’s right next to me.”
“Ok that’s cool. I just wanted to let you know, I’m not mad at you.”
“Good I’m glad about that.”
“Call me tomorrow?”
“Of course, I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Ok good night.”
“Night sweetie, sweet dreams”
When Gabriella got off the phone, Joey had a few words about Jemma,
“so we could have met a year ago at a party huh? You know what Gabriella, things don’t just happen for a reason, sometimes people make them happen or keep them from happening.”
“Yes and the conclusion to Jemma’s madness, is that you and I are meant to be.”
“Is that how you think?” Joey questioned, with a smile. “I like it” “Thanks.”
Joey started to laugh at Gabriella’s thank you, and began to tickle Gabriella her sides causing her to laugh too. Joey stopped tickling and moved his hands under her shirt, brushing his hands against her back as he kissed her till she was lying down on the bed. Gabriella slowly took off Joey’s shirt, forcing his hands out from under her back, and above his head. Joey shook his head sexily to the side, while his shirt was removed over his head, turning Gabriella on.
“Joey, you’re so sexy.”
“Not as sexy as you.”
Joey pulled Gabriella’s shirt up as she lifted the lower half of her back up, placing her weight on her feet. Gabriella then sat up so Joey could remove her shirt completely from her body. Joey laid inside of Gabriella’s legs, kissing her softly, telling her he loved her. Gabriella told Joey she loved him back.
“Gabriella. The things you say to me.” Joey responded.