Chapter 4: Cook out

The next day, Gabby woke up in the morning with a ringing of the phone from downstairs. She tried to blindly reach for it on the bedside table but when she couldn’t find the offending device she opened her eyes. That’s when she saw the paint colour of the room, which is not hers then she remembers where she is. I forgot I’m in Justin’s house. She remembered what happen yesterday. After their one on one talk they planned what they’re going to prepare for the cook out. They ordered pizza after that for dinner which resulted to their argument about which pizza flavour to get. Justin wanted to get pepperoni pizza while she wanted to get Hawaiian pizza. Justin told her that pineapple in a pizza is weird and he wasn’t hearing it when she said that it’s her favourite pizza. In the end they agreed to make half of it pepperoni and the other half hawiian.

While waiting for the food to arrive, they selected a movie to watch and before Gabby could say anything, Justin told her that they’re not watching a chick flick. This cause Gabby to roll her eyes at him and then she picked out The Notebook just to annoy him. But they ended up watching Wanted, the new Angelina Jolie movie. Before going to bed, Justin showed her where she could stay. He chose the guest bedroom beside his and showed her the bathroom and the toiletries. During the night she woke up in cold sweat because of her nightmares but she hoped that this time she didn’t scream or anything because the last thing she needed is for Justin to find out that she constantly have nightmares. But she remembered she just woke and went to the kitchen to get some water while Justin slept on.

The ringing of the phone stopped a few minutes ago and she heard the shower in Justin’s room started. She decided to wake up and also get ready. But before she could move the phone started ringing again. This time she knows she should answer it since he’s in the bathroom. She run down the stairs and found the handset on the couch and then answered it on a fourth ring.

“Hello?”

“Hi is Justin there?” she could clearly hear that the caller on the other line is a woman.

“He’s in the shower at the moment, can I take a message?” she asked instead.

“That’s okay I’ll call again later” the woman on the other line paused for a few minutes. It was clear to Gabby that she wanted to say something else so she didn’t hang up. “May I know who you are?” the woman asked after a few moments.

“Oh, I’m Gabby. Justin’s friend” was the only thing she said.

“Okay nice to meet you Gabby I’m Jessica, Justin’s girlfriend” she was confused when Jessica said ‘Justin’s girlfriend’ because as she remembers correctly Justin told her that he doesn’t have a girlfriend and that he and Jessica are over. She didn’t say anything though, for all she knows they’re already back together. He sure could flirt though. Jessica said goodbye after introducing herself, after hanging up the phone she went back upstairs to get ready.

When she finished getting ready and went down to the kitchen to start the preparation since it’s already 9am, she saw Justin watching cartoons on the living room television. She grabbed a glass of juice before going to the living room herself to sit beside him.

“Do you like cartoons?” Justin finally asks a few minutes after she sat down beside him.

“Yea, I watch them every morning too. It’s the best way to start your day” she didn’t look at him when she answered his questions. “By the way, your girlfriend Jessica called” she looked at him for reaction when she said this and it didn’t disappoint her when Justin turned his head towards her with a furrowed brow.

“I told you Jessica and I are not together anymore. She’s not my girlfriend”

“That was she said. She told me her name followed by ‘Justin’s girlfriend’” she doesn’t know why she’s pushing this issue but she wanted him to tell her that nothing’s going on. Maybe you like him her brain told her.

I do not she answered back.

Yes you do. In fact I think you have a crush

Shut up self you don’t know anything. It took her a moment to realise that she’s talking to her self.

“Anyway, I’ll go ahead and cook food” he also got up when she started walking towards the kitchen.

They both started preparing everything that they needed for the cook out. Gabby taught Justin how to marinate the chicken that they’ll cook later on the grill before putting it in the fridge. There was some disaster when Justin mistook sugar for salt and put a lot of sugar in the chicken. The good thing was he put the sugar in first before the other ingredients so she just told him to wash the sugar off the chicken again and start over. While Justin is washing dishes, she started making her fruit salad and cherry fudge cake (Justin’s request).

“Where did you learn how to cook? Did your mom teach you?” he asked her innocently while still washing the cutleries that they’ve used. She stopped for a moment when she heard his question. It was full of innocent curiosity but the truth is, it made her heart ache for the mother she never knew. She cleared her throat before speaking but didn’t try to face him. “No, I learned from watching cooking channels in my free time. Then I’d try it myself and improve from my mistakes”

Justin caught the catch in her voice when she said that. As if it pains her to learn everything she knows about cooking in the television. He looked at her for a few minutes wanting to go over where she’s standing and give her a hug until she smiles again. He thought it was no big deal asking the question but apparently not. He was gonna go back to his work when he heard the doorbell rang.

“Whoever that is, they’re early” he said when he noticed the wall clock on his kitchen only read just half past ten in the morning. He stopped what he was doing and went to answer the door. When he came back, she can clearly see Justin wearing an annoyed look on his face and Gabby saw a girl trailing behind him with bags in her hand. When she looked closely on who it is, surprisingly enough she wasn’t shock to see Jessica Biel with a big smile on her face. She raised one eyebrow to Justin in question and she got a half hearted shrug for an answer and then he led Jessica in front of her to introduce.

“Jessica, this is Gabby. Gabby this is Jessica” e watched both of them shake their hands and exchange ‘nice to meet yous’ before getting back to what he was doing.

“Why are you here early Jessica? The cook out is not until half one” Justin tried to be polite in asking his questions and made sure that he doesn’t show how annoyed he really feels.

“I came to bring some food for later and I thought I’d also help you out” she put one of the bags in the counter where Gabby saw it as a cake bag and at least four boxes of pizza boxes.

“Cool. But you didn’t have to do that” Justin told her taking the pizza boxes from her and putting it in the far side of the counter.

“Yea I know but I thought well no one knows how to cook so why not bring pizza instead” she shrugged.

“Would you like to help cook then?” he asked her although he already have an idea on what she’s gonna say. As far as he knows, Jessica doesn’t do kitchen”

“Come on Justin, you know the kitchen is my least favourite place in the house. I have people who could do that for me” she said rolling her eyes and sitting down on one of the high chair beside the counter. This only proved Justin’s hunch and when he turned around to look at her, he saw Gabby with a small smile on her face at the same time biting her lip clearly stopping herself to comment on something. He smiled a little when he saw her doing this then fully turned to look at Jessica and one thought entered his mind. What did I ever see in her?

“Actually Gabby here is a good cook and she just finished teaching me how to marinate a chicken so that it’s not bland after it cooks on the grill” he said proudly and he saw Gabby give him a little thank you smile when she looked at him.

“Oh Justin you know even a child can marinate. That’s nothing” Jessica said rudely and again rolling her eyes before focussing it at Gabby.

“So Gabby what do you do?”

“I’m a web designer among other things” she replied trying to be polite although she could clearly hear the bite in Jessica’s voice when she asked the question. She doesn’t want to have an enemy first week to moving in Florida so for now she’s going to giver the benefit of the doubt and be nice.

“Among other things? Like what?” Jessica pushed on.

“Mainly computer stuff”

“Computer stuff? So you’re a geek?” she asked unashamedly and turned to Justin when she heard him call her name. “What mostly people who is good with computers are geeks” she shrugs at him like it’s nothing but a common knowledge.

“That’s nothing but a stereotype” Gabby told her but this time she is not smiling.

“It’s a fact. Don’t worry there’s nothing wrong with being a geek. You just get ignored a lot more than others that’s all” now Gabby can clearly see that she’s finished being polite and went to being outright rude on her. What her problem is, she doesn’t know but it was apparent that Jessica doesn’t like her.

“Yea well I don’t believe it because if that’s true then what they say about every people in entertainment industry being beautiful are also gonna be true. But right now-“she took a moment to pointedly look at Jessica from head to toe before continuing- “well I just don’t see it” she said then watched as Jessica’s eyes turned angry along with the rest of her facial expression.

“I beg your pardon” she said angrily to Gabby at the same time standing up from where she was seated.

“Beg all you want but it won’t do you any good”

Justin couldn’t believe what’s happening in his kitchen. He wanted to stop it but he couldn’t say anything in fear of making it a bigger issue. He also couldn’t understand how Jessica could say those things. He can see that Gabby wouldn’t back down and can also be catty as her if not more but Jessica provoked her to begin with. Luckily before he could choose on the course of action that he should do, Jessica did it for him.

“I’ll just be in the living room Justin. The kitchen has a nasty smell” she commented with a smirk on her face before she proceeded to walk in to the living room without turning back.

Justin caught Gabby in the waist before she could reach Jessica. By the look of it, she was ready to beat the girl up. “Calm down” he whispered at her and was happy when she listens to him in first attempt to calm her.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t let go of my cool around her” she apologised now calmed down but in her head she’s currently skinning Jessica alive and rolling her in salt.

“I should be the one saying sorry to you I don’t know why she acted that way. Do you want me to ask her to leave?” Justin took her hand in his and was quite amused when she didn’t notice.

“No you don’t have to do that I’ll just avoid her. If I can’t avoid her, just pray that there are no heavy or sharp items near me” she joked.

“Got it. What else do we have to do?” he asks looking around the kitchen but still not letting go of her hand. When she tried to run her hand through her hair, she noticed that Justin was holding it so she shyly pulled her hand out of his.

“Well the cake is cooking now I still have to make the fruit salad. Do you want to help with that or do you wanna hang out with your guest in the living room?” she asked him but she knows Justin wouldn’t leave her alone in preparing the food.

“What do you want me to do?” he said without giving a straight answer to her question. But instead he positioned himself beside the sink looking at the draining fruits.

“You can open this cans” she gave him one can of condensed milk and two cans of cream.

The doorbell rang again around half 12. By this time the foods are ready and the fruit salad was put inside the fridge to cool it off. Justin welcomed the break of opening the door because the tension in the living room was suffocating.

“What do you want with Justin?” Jessica suddenly asks while Justin was out of the house opening the gate.

“What do you mean, what do I want with Justin?”

“Simple question you can’t understand? I thought you were smart. I meant, what are you planning?” she was trying to speak silently but Jessica is clearly getting aggravated towards her.

“I’m planning to use him for his fame and fortune” Gabby said to the girl sarcastically. She knows it’s far from the truth but she couldn’t help but bait the girl in front of her. “I mean I’m sure you know what I’m talking about” she winked at her. She wanted to laugh out loud when she saw Jessica’s face contorted with rage.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she shrieked completely forgetting to whisper.

“What did I stutter?” she asked her with a complete innocence in her face.

Jessica didn’t get the chance to say anything else because Joey and Chris can be heard from the front door. The two girls paint an odd picture with Jessica looming over Gabby, rage is clearly etched on her face and with Gabby and her amused calmed smile looking at Jessica like she’s not a threat. The guys froze when they saw the situation.

“What’s going on?” Justin asked the two women in the living room.

“Nothing, we’re just getting acquainted” Gabby shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey guys” she greeted getting up from the couch to give each of the guys a hug and completely ignoring Jessica.

“Hey Gabby how are you?” Joey asks returning her hug.

“I’m good” Justin motioned for her to follow him in the kitchen before anything else so she left the guys and Jessica in the living room.

“We should start getting everything ready” he suggested to her when they reached the kitchen. He started getting the paper plates and plastic cups from the cupboard where they stored it from the night before to the garden. They set up a table near the pool so that they could put the food and the cutleries that the guest would need. Justin started firing up the grill after putting everything outside so that it’s ready to use. Gabby was startled when she heard Justin give a little yelp from the garden so she put the Tupperware she was holding down on the counter and rushed to the garden.

“Are you ok?” she asked clearly worried that something bad happened.

“Yea, there’s amber that went in to my head” he laughed.

“You scared me. I thought you burned your hand or something” she slapped him lightly in the arm. Justin slowly smiled, his mischievous little boy smile that would likely get him out of troubles.

“So this means you worry about me?” he asked continuing to smile that smile on his face. He likes to believe that he’s wearing her down now, he’ll be a little more patient with her and hopefully she’ll finally open up.

“No, it’s just natural instinct” she lied. The next thing she knew he was chasing her around the pool area so that he could push her in. They were stopped by a few throats clearing on the sideline. When they both look up, they could see JC, Joey, Chris and a pissed off Jessica.

“Well, I’m seeing some progress” Joey said with a big smile on his face.

Gabby rolled her eyes when she heard Joey’s comment. “Shut it Joey. Anyway, the plates and all you’ll need are in the table and the other stuff is in the kitchen. Enjoy” Justin went to answer the front gate when he heard the doorbell ring again. The guests are finally arriving and there’s a lot more people than Gabby could imagine. She enjoyed meeting a lot of people although some of them are close to Jessica and listen to her. But she couldn’t care less; she’s not here to please Jessica.