Author's Note:

In all honesty, this is a writing spree. I don't have a specific plot or idea of where the story is going. I'm just writing as i got along so I hope you enjoy it!

"I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn't matter what you do, or who you are or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together"

-Julia Roberts

Chapter 1

Just outside the skirts of Albuquerque is a small town that quite unknown but clear of existence. The town is as small as it gets, with one post office, one motel, one library, one elementary school, one high school, one church, one boutique, one salon, a health clinic and you get the idea. Small town gossip couldn't be any more of a perfect phrase for a town like Eastmellow. With a population of just over 1500 people there wasn't any possible way of not knowing about the librarian and sheriff's new relationship or Mrs. Gerald's daily complains about the noisy teenagers. The people of Eastmellow even starts lining up outside of Ms. Montez's house when whispers broke out that she was making her famous delicious double chocolate brownies.

There was nothing more special than Helen's double chocolate brownies. No matter how many times the other housewives tried, nothing could measure up to her brownies. And while they are simply delicious they were also very rare. She was the head nurse of the town's clinic therefore her presence at word was crucial and although the town's people rarely have health issues, she was the oil that kept the clinic running.

At the young age of 26, Helen was an extraordinarily beautiful and single female. However at 26 she was also the guardian of young Gabriella Montez and although she was not her birth daughter, she was still indeed her niece, her goddaughter and most of all her own bloodline.

In the heart of New York City, Gabriella was just 5 years old when her mother, Maria, passed away from a tragic car accident. It was just after 11pm, after work, on a snowfall night when she was heading home. Driving at an unusual fast pace, she unfortunately encountered black ice and was skidding uncontrollably on the road until her car collided with another which sent her to her last breathe.

After the sad and tragic reality of the death of Maria, Helen packed up Gabriella's life and moved her back to the small town her family originated from. At a young age, Gabriella learnt her mother was sleeping and wouldn't return to them but she never understood why. Therefore she immersed herself into books and books and more books. After school her aunt Catherine, who is Helen's best friend, would pick her up and take her to her workplace, the library. This of course encouraged Gabriella to read more books and learn more material outside of school while she waited on her aunt Helen to pick her up to head home.

Gabriella's love for reading didn't go unnoticed by her aunt, her friends, her schoolmates, her teachers and the principal of the school. Although in a small town, Gabriella didn't make many friends, she had only considered Kristen and Abigail her friends. Albeit she wasn't a talkative child, some would even consider her mute, but Gabriella was a beautiful, smart, loving, caring and friendly girl. Each week the girls' would host a sleepover amongst the three of them and weekly the host would shift between the three. While Kristen and Abigail would talk about boys, Gabriella was reading about them in her new novel. When Kristen and Abigail would watch scary movies, Gabriella would read the new Goosebumps novel. However when her best friends would kindly ask her to leave the fantasy world behind and mentally join them, Gabriella didn't debate she simply laughed with them and put her book aside.

In the fifth grade, Gabriella's elementary principal offered her a chance to skip the sixth grade and join the seventh grade. After a long discussion with her aunt, she declined. She expressed to her aunt that she already didn't have a lot of friends and albeit she didn't want to leave Kristen and Abigail behind. She wanted to graduate elementary school, junior-senior high school with them. Helen had smiled at Gabriella as she spoke about her friends, she had explained to Gabriella that it wasn't like she was moving away, she would still see her friends but regardless she wasn't going to push Gabriella to do something she wasn't content with, therefore on a sunny Monday morning she met with Gabriella's principal and teacher and declined their offer.

Helen Montez was a busy body with her career as the head nurse but she was never too busy for her niece, Gabriella. Each night at 6pm, she would sit at the dinner table with Gabriella and hold her hand and they would say grace together, after they would both say the high and lows of their day before eating the dinner.

"High; the first day of seventh grade was great! Low; I couldn't find the second book of the trilogy I was reading at the library" Gabriella wrapped up her taco with extra cheese before taking a huge bite

"Honey, I'm glad you had a great day," Helen brushed Gabriella's curl behind her ear and smiled at the 12 year old with taco sauce smeared on her mouth. "My high was seeing you confidently walking into school and my low was Mrs. Gerald's complaining"

Gabriella giggled while wiping the towel across her mouth, "Did she go to the clinic again?"

"Yes! And I still cannot find why she is feeling stomach aches" Helen rolled her eyes "I've checked for pancreatitis, she's not lactose intolerant and she's not taking medication, so …"

"Maybe she has nephrolithiasis, after all she is quite the mature lady"

"Hmm, maybe. I'll consider that. Are you sure you're 12 years old Missy?"

Gabriella giggled and her eyes squint as she hid behind her napkin, her small nose scrunched up and her smile stretch up to her eyes.

"Oh my darling, you remind me so much of your mother"

"I miss Mama"

"I know baby she would be so proud of you!"

"I know, she would say something like, 'Ay, mi Corazon es muy inteligente!'" Gabriella's smile stretched higher than the mountains as she imitated her mother.

In the Montez household, although Maria tragically passed there was a rule to never speak of her in a sad or forbidden tone. Helen was opened to questions about her sister and she loved sharing all her stories and memories with her goddaughter. It was the only way they were able to keep her spirit alive and present in the house. However there were days Gabriella hid under her blanket and cried for hours when she remembered the mere hours after the accident. It was then Helen had made another rule, that if she wants to cry they will cry together. It had been a while since tears were shed as they constantly made more efforts to celebrate their memories with her than to cry over the absence of the one they love very much.

"Speaking of intelligence, we have to talk about today at some point young Missy"

The silence enveloped them as they indulged the remaining tacos of taco night. Helen kept a close eye of Gabriella waiting for a sign for the conversation to continue. Much to Helen's delight, Gabriella released a sigh

"I don't want to leave Aunt Helen."

"Darling, you wouldn't need to leave Eastmellow. It's a great opportunity and would open so many doors for you in the future. However if you really don't want to go it's fine as well. I will support you in any decision you make but I really think this would be a great opportunity for you Sweetheart."

"It's out of town, it's inconvenient for you to take me there everyday"

"Sweetheart, if this is something you truly want I will find a way to make it work. Just say that you want it and you don't worry your little head about anything. Did you talk to Kristen and Abigail about it?"

Gabriella slowly nodded. "Kristen says her cousin goes there and she visited the one once and said if she wasn't at Eastmellow with us she would've asked her parents to send her there."

"Well what do you think?"

"I don't know"

"Oh my gosh! Gabi doesn't know!" Helen's jaw dropped to the table and she dramatically grasped her cheeks as her eyes widen in surprise.

Gabriella giggled at her funny face and mockery and reached her index finger out and poked her aunt's nose.

"Silly auntie"

"Honey just think about it, okay?" Gabriella nodded as she helped her aunt clean up the dinner plates

/

When the black SUV drove into town, the gossip mill started turning. The whispers started with 'It's the FBI' which of course revolved into 'the president is demolishing Eastmellow' but somehow transformed into 'Justin Bieber is hiding out in Eastmellow from paparazzi.'

At 12:03pm the black SUV pulled up into Eastmellow Junior-Senior high school parking lot. This of course dispersed all the rumors speculating around town. A prestige woman stepped out of the car. Dressed from head to toe what seems like a designer suit and five-inch heels she headed towards the main entrance with a distraught assistant falling behind. The woman dressed in the expensive suit had a smile on her face and a fascination in her eye. She smiled at the kids running towards their classroom and the ones peeping through the window. She didn't have to take a second guess to know that this small town rarely had visitors.

She followed the signs that led her to the principal's office. The assistant seated behind the desk allowed her to enter the office. She smiled at the man behind the desk.

"Jeffery, pleasure seeing you again"

"Likewise Jennifer." He shook her hand and kissed each side of her cheek. "Please, have a seat" he gestured at the seat across his table

"You remember my assistant, Lisa. Lisa, a friend of mine and principal to this fine institution, Jeffery Matthews"

"Pleasure to see you sir" she nodded her head and situated herself in the seat beside her boss

"Pleasure is mine Lisa, Welcome to Eastmellow"

"So let's get to it, Jeffery"

"Ah yes, first let me thank you for visiting us today. I really appreciate it, it's been a bit hectic here with finding a new teacher." He picked up the phone that was placed at the top of his desk "Penny, could you bring Gabriella's file in please" he placed the phone back on his receiver. In less than a second, the assistant that escorted Jennifer and Lisa in had entered with a file folder.

"Don't worry about it Jeffery, you came to visit me last week it is only fitting to return the favour. So let's get down to it"

"Great! Did you receive the remaining files I sent you last week?"

"Yes! And I must say I'm very impressed."

"Jennifer, you won't be disappointed at all. In all my years of teaching and running this school I have never been more impressed with a student since, well ever. I know paper files can only go so far with descriptions but you must meet her. These are just a few extra paperwork that you are welcome to look through"

"Well you've got quite the confidence in this girl"

"I really do, her intelligence is flabbergasting. She excels in all her subjects, not specifically one. We offered her a chance to skip a grade and she declined. She's a very humble girl; refused to leave her friends behind and make them feel less."

Jennifer carefully glances at each page of Gabriella's file. Reading through her reports, teacher comments and academic grades.

"I realized she only joined Eastmellow at age 6, why is that?"

"Ah, Gabriella was only a toddler when she lost her mother. Her father was never apart of the picture and so her aunt, who will be joining us shortly, stepped in and gained custody of Gabriella."

"Oh my, that's very tragic"

"It is. Maria, her mother, was apart of Eastmellow almost her entire life. She moved away to New York just after graduation. When Gabriella joined us we were ecstatic to have another Montez with us, however the loss of her mother made her more distance to our opened arms. Instead she masked herself into reading tons of books."

The phone settled in front of Principal Matthew buzzed; he excused himself before answering the phone. His smile extended and softly he told Penny to allow his visitor to join the meeting.

A soft knock on the door, it opened slowly and revealed a dark brown curly hair brunette wearing pink scrubs. She shuffled forward towards Principal Matthews, shaking his hand and wishing him a good afternoon.

"Jennifer, Lisa; this is Helen Montez, Gabriella's aunt and guardian. Helen, this is Principal Jennifer Pratt of Victoria East Academy and her assistant Lisa.

After a quick round of handshakes and 'nice to meet you' the four adults sat around the big brown mahogany desk. Hands clasped, legs crossed, shoulders back and thoughts that repeated the same words: 'this meeting could either go north or south.'

"I was just telling Principal Pratt more about Gabriella, Helen. We love having Gabriella here at Eastmellow but I sincerely believe that she will excel even higher at Victoria East Academy. They have facilities and resources that will allow Gabriella to expand and experiment and expose her extraordinary intelligence. She will be a great addition to the East Academy."

After long discussions of Gabriella and the opportunities Prinicpal Pratt was offering, as well as the dynamics and structures of the school. To say that Helen was a bit overwhelmed with such information was an understatement. However she fully understood what this opportunity for her niece meant.

Victoria East Academy is Albuquerque's most prestige junior-senior high school. This institution is known for molding the smartest, most talented and most extraordinary students for the top ranking universities and overall the real world and work force, for this reason it is exclusive for the wealthier families and students who are exceeding beyond their previous school ranking.

As the shorter hand of the clock stroked pass 12 and one; after several chuckles, laughter, questions and answers, nodding of heads and drinking of coffee and tea, the four adults were eager to see the 12 year old. They filed out of the principal's office and into the lobby where Penny greeted the crowd.

"Penny, is Gabriella Montez in a class right now?"

"Yes sir"

"Would you please invite Gabriella to the conference room? We'll meet her there."

"Right away Sir"

/

"Aunt Helen!" Gabriella ran towards her aunt after she slowly opened the huge scary door that many students claim to be the doors to hell (in this case detention or rarely suspension.) Relieved to see her aunt among the tall superior adults, she pulled out a paper from her bag. At the top right corner was a bold scribble of A+ and an aggressive circle around it.

"Hey Booger." Helen knelt down to the height of the brown eye brunette that was almost identical to her. "Whatchyu got there?"

"I got an A+ in Math!"

"That is awesome!" she shared a high-five with her niece "We are definitely adding that to our list of A's"

"Good Afternoon Principal Matthews"

"Hi there Gabriella. Great job on your test"

Gabriella blushed and held her chin down as her curl enveloped her face to hide her blush.

"Gabriella, this is Principal Pratt and ."

"Are you leaving us Principal Matthews?" a frown crept upon her smile.

"Not at all Gabriella, it might be the other way around. Principal Pratt is the principal for Victoria East Academy. It's a great school in Albuquerque that will let you learn so much more."

"But I still learn a lot here at Eastmellow."

"Honey, just listen to what Principal Pratt has to say"

"Gabriella, I think you'll be a wonderful addition to our school. You're an extraordinarily intelligent girl with a heart as big as a bus. I have never been more impressed with grades as such as yours. I believe you could be the doctor who can cure cancer or the scientist who discovers if there is truly life on Mars, and you can be that doctor or scientist by attending Victoria East Academy. We have one of the biggest library in schools in Albuquerque, top of the line technology and majority of our high school graduates with honors and accepted in the top universities; Yale, Duke, Harvard, Stanford, even our very own U of A."

"I don't want to leave me friends behind" Gabriella frowned as she gripped unto her aunt's arm.

The bright smile on Principal Pratt's face altered into a small frown as she realized that Gabriella has been through a tragic that not even a 28 year old might experience. Added, she had to move at a young age and meet a town full of people, to have her move to another city would be overpowering for her to handle.

"I know it may be scary to go to a new school Gabriella, but we have students, just like you, talented in many ways, through academics, sports, arts and drama and so much more. Our students are groomed to be honest, welcoming, open-minded and friendly"

"Can I go back to class, please?"

A defeated Principal Pratt leaned back in her chair, while Helen soothingly rubbed Gabriella's back softly. Principal Matthews released a soft sigh through the silence and nodded his head.

"Yes Gabriella, you can go back to class"

Gabriella wrapped her short arms tightly around her aunt's neck before bidding the adults in the room a 'nice to meet you' and 'have a good day.'

The rest of the afternoon was left with discussion of possible future outcomes, such as academic courses, extra-curriculums, academic expectations, and current standing of the school in quizzes, competitions and examination rankings. However when it came to the serious and personal situations such as tuition fees, transportation and living arrangements, the excitement reduced by two levels.

"On the topic of living arrangements, I would hate for Gabriella to move or live away from this loving town of yours. Therefore very rarely and limited; the academy offers on-campus residence. The fee of staying on campus will include meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also it will cover for safety, first and foremost, and also entertainment such as a study area and lounge where the other students staying on residents normally gather around."

"As great as that sounds, I feel that it may be quite overwhelming for Gabriella, and also myself, for her to be on her own at only 12 years old, albeit the assured safety and companionship." Helen gripped her hands tightly together, the sweat rubbing against each hand.

Although there isn't a confirmation of whether Gabriella will be attending Vic East Academy, Helen wanted to be sure of all the details and opportunities of this future possible transfer.

Maria and Helen's parents raised them by allowing them to make their own choices. Guiding them to choose not only their own decisions but also the rightful decisions, building a foundation of trust and good judgment from an early age. Of course, when the responsibilities of a decision were too complicated for themselves they would take over the decision to the best of their ability.

This practice was brought over by Maria, when she allowed Gabriella to choose her own outfit and decide on what extracurricular activity she wanted to pursue after school. With the unfortunate departure of Maria, Helen tried to the best of her ability to instill that same practice with Gabriella. Therefore on a decision of transferring schools, she would definitely list pros and cons with Gabriella and weigh in her opinions with Gabriella's input.

"That wouldn't be a problem, I completely understand. The parent teacher association (PTA) at the academy organizes carpools, Lisa checked the closet point to Eastmellow and that is just by the North Train Station. Therefore Gabriella would only have to take the train to five stops, that is about 30 minutes and join the carpool to the Academy."

"The train station of Eastmellow is outside of town, it takes 15 minutes to get there" Helen raised her eyebrows in surprise. Transportation alone would be a hassle for Gabriella; she couldn't imagine what the added pressure of fitting into the Academy would be like.

"I gotta take a breath; sleep on it and discuss it more with Gabriella."

"Of course, I understand. In regards to her tuition, we are offering Gabriella a full ride scholarship, the board and myself feel that there is no one else we'd be happier to offer it to. Of course, Gabriella will have to maintain a 90% to keep that scholarship but we have no doubt that she will effortlessly"

"Wow, this is a lot to take in" Helen sighed and leaned back against her seat as Principal Pratt continued to go through the pamphlets, documents and folders scattered on the conference room table.

"It was a pleasure meeting you . We have high hopes that you and Gabriella will join the Victoria East Academy. If you have any questions or concerns at all, please don't hesitate to contact Lisa." Principal Pratt stood talk and firm as she faced the shorter brunette.

"Yes of course . My number, as well as the office numbers, is listed in the folders and documents provided."

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it." She shook the hands of the two ladies dressed in suits and pencil skirts.

"The number of the best recommended seamstress is also in the folder. She will be willing to take Gabriella measurement and provide her with the uniforms in at least 2-5 days, if you proceed to join us at VEA." Lisa held her clipboard tight in her arms while scribbling notes on it.

"We look forward to your final answers by the end of the week. Good bye for now" she strut down the empty halls with Lisa stumbling quick behind her. The echo of her heels slowly vanished with each step she took until she exited through the main entrance.

/

"You could have warned me to brace myself for all this info Jeffery."

Principal Matthews chuckled as her rubbed Helen's shoulders, leading her down the hall and pausing at the door of Gabriella's current class.

She was in deep concentration as she scribbled in her notebook. The small cease on her forehead between her eyes slowly smoothed out, as she seemed to work out the answer to the problem. Her eyes shined brighter as she took notice of her aunt through the door's window. She discreetly waved at her aunt before looking back down on the paper.

"It's a great opportunity for her Helen, it could open many doors for her when she graduates from high school. VEA rarely seeks out students; this could possibly be a chance of a lifetime, especially with an offer of a full ride scholarship"

"I'll think about it Jeff." she rolled her eyes and bid the small town principal farewell

Review, tell me your thought. What you like, what you didn't like ...?

-Lea