Summery: She was letting go of the past and moving towards the future, with her brother, best friend and her, well, her Troy.
Disclaimer: Not mine, none of it. Nadaa
If there was one thing Gabriella Montez could remember about her mother, it was the way she had with words. Of course at the time she was barley five and understood none of it, but it didn't matter, because it was her mother.
One particular time she was likely to never forget was the day before her mother left her and her younger brother in the care of the their grandmother, casually telling them that she was just nipping out to do a bit of shopping for their lunch and never to return.
Her mother had sat her and her brother down the night before and told them 'Too live life too the maximum and not let them bring you down.' At the time she didn't understand who she exactly meant by them or who would want to bring her down, so she smiled and nodded and then continued to play with her new Barbie Dream house set.
The letter her mother left had claimed that she was 'emotionally drained from the stress of raising two young children' and that she was 'much too young to look after a five and one year old alone.' She'd simply scoffed when her Grammy had read the letter to her. To be completely honest she'd never really wanted to know the reason why her mother Caroline Jackson had left, she hadn't really ever thought in great depths as to why but her grandmother had insisted she had heard it from her mothers point of view. She'd always just assumed that it had something to do with her late fathers death. Joel Montez was always said to be a great man and a amazing father despite his age of only seventeen when Gabriella had been conceived.
It was hard growing up without a mother or father, but more so on her younger brother Caleb . Her grandparents had tried desperately for them to have a normal childhood, but it was quite clear that it didn't work that way. Caleb had grown almost dependent on Gabriella. In a way she was his mother figure, a role-model if you'd like.
Looking back on it all it amazed her that she had stayed sane this long.
"You need a man"
It was a simple statement from a simple blonde.
People often told her to find a decent young man and to settle down. Her dear bampie had always said that she was too independent and need to stop being so picky, cause every man had a flaw after all. Not that she was really looking for a boyfriend. She'd had a few, she just didn't find anything serious in them. Plus, she already had someone in mind.
Gabriella was hardly surprised anymore, they had the same conversation at least twice a week. Raising an eyebrow while stacking some files she asked in a rather bored voice "Oh really ? And why exactly is that?"
"Montez, I'm being shit serious!" Saying that Sharpay Evans was pissed off with her best friends love life, or lack of being the more appropriate word , was an understatement. In her words 'it wasn't even funny anymore.' Sharpay's eyes lit up dangerously. "Lets get plastered! "
"I'm sorry, lets get what?" Gabriella eyed the blonde warily, what the heck was this girl on? Gabriella had graduated top of her class all the way through high school to collage, and she was certain the only Plastering she knew was related to D.Y.I. She was certain it was British slang word though. Sharpay had visited not long ago and had came back knowing all the slang words for being drunk, or getting drunk. She basically spoke fluent slang. What was the last one? Car Parked?
"Lets get bladdered! Shit faced! Mind boggling drunk, take your fucking pick" she replied rolling her brown eyes and letting out a dramatic sigh. Her foul mouth never failed to amaze Gabriella.
"Don't let me stop you, but I on the other hand have work to do. Remember what that is?" she grinned raising a perfect eyebrow., the sarcasm heavy.
Shrugging her shoulders while inspecting her nails, Sharpay hardly seemed fazed " Your point?"
Gabriella let out a laugh "Mark my words, Phil's going to have to fire you one of these days. I'm telling you, how he's put up with you for so long is beyond me"
"Well lets just say if you put out, the money comes in" she laughed giving Gabriella a wink and sliding off the desk she had been occupying. "Anyway baby cakes, I got to run! Call me when you get untangle those pantyhose"
"Have you no shame!" she shouted to the retreating figure laughing. Sharpay never failed to cheer her up. She may not have been the typical friend, but she'd always been there through thick and thin. She was almost a release for Gabriella, she didn't have to put up a front for Sharpay. She could act as shitty as she wanted too and not have her complain. There was time's when all she wanted too do was throttle her, as did most people. It was a weird relationship, they were so different, but yet, so the same. Confusing, no? Sharpay loved pink, while Gabriella despised the colour. Sharpay was loud and straight to the point while Gabriella was quiet and reserved. But at the same time they were both misunderstood. Sharpay was always the Ice Queen with the cold glare and sharp mouth. Where as Gabriella was always seen as the Challenge, who can get her to open up? Who can get into her pants first? Why does she live with her grandparents? Not that anybody got the answers. It was their way of life, they simply played the part. They become the person they were made out to be without ever really noticing.
She left out a sigh, it was never pleasant to relive her childhood, especially her high school experience. She became a mission of some sort, to both genders. The guys wanted her purity and the girls wanted her gone. She was the most sought after girl to grace the halls of East High and it pissed her off to no end. She wasn't a piece of meat she was living and breathing. She was there to get good grades and provide a good life for her family, the life they deserved not the tatty bungalow they then lived in. She had it all planned out and it worked in her favour. She got a scholarship to Stanford and became a top lawyer.
"Knock Knock" came an uneasy voice from the door. Was it really the best idea to tell his sister?
"Shit Caeb, you frightened me. What's wrong? Shouldn't you be in school?" Gabriella asked in frantic voice. One thing was certain, she would never stop worrying about her little brother no matter how old he was.
"Ellie, chill! Everything fine. I think" Caleb Montez would forever be grateful for having a sister like Gabriella. When he was younger he thought of her as his guardian angel. She protected him and guided him, never turned him away and always encouraged him to work to his best ability. She was the mother he never had and he knew their bond was strong enough to endure anything. When their grandparents died in a tragic car accident there was brief concern that Caleb, having only just turned sixteen, would be taken into care. But yet again his sister saved the day and fought hard to get custody. She was still in collage and it was hard financially but they managed to pull through. So you can understand why he hated to let her down, he wanted to make her proud, make her realise how much of a good job she had done raising him, that and not to mention that Gabriella had a pretty nasty temper. He sounded pathetic, twenty-one and scared of his sister.
He studied her for a moment, seeing if she was in a good enough mood, so maybe, hopefully she wouldn't kill him in his sleep or something. Maybe he shouldn't tell her, not now anyway, she looked a bit stressed. There was a brief silence.
"Caleb Rhys Montez, what the fuck have you done?"
Damn! He forgot she could read him like a book.
"Look El, if I tell you then your going to get stressed and what's the use in that?" He said, avoiding any eye contact with his older sister.
"Caeb, please, don't give me that bull!" She was starting to get worried by now, her and Caleb never kept secrets! Hell, he told her when he lost his virginity.
"Okay, look sit down for a minute and don't interrupt. You know it isn't even that bad, we'll probably laugh about it in a few years" Letting out a nervous laugh and checking his sisters reaction. She looked worried. He sighed, he didn't want her to worry. "You know you mentioned how I should be in collage?" She nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. He gulped-she knew "They've told me not to come back tomorrow, or the day after-"
"You've been kicked out?" He was shitting his self, he was always rubbish at reading her emotions.
"That's a bit extreme"
"Is it really Caeb? You leave school and tell me you want a few years off to fucking 'find yourself' and then when you ask me to fork out to getting you into a fucking collage you turn up at my fucking work place after only four fucking months and tell me that you've been fucking kicked out! You're a fucking knob." She huffed. She was extremely pissed off! He was so laid back, didn't give a damn about anything sort of attitude. She loved him dearly, but he had to realise she wasn't always going to be around for support forever. She'd felt they had made progress over the last nine months. He had gotten a job and had moved into a small apartment not far from where she lived, and the icing on the cake was when he had told her he wanted to go to collage, but with him still paying for furniture he couldn't really afford it at the moment and with Gabriella being so happy that he was even considering it she was happy to pay for him. Plus he only ever really asked for money if he was in desperate need of it and he had promised to pay her back eventually. Massaging her temples to calm her down she asked "How?"
To be completely honest she sort of had a feeling something like this was going to happen. Caleb was always a more hands on kind of guy, always just wanted to get down and dirty. She could never imagine him in a office job and actually being happy.
Sighing he ran his fingers through his chocolate coloured hair. "I wasn't showing up to enough lessons" She let out a frustrated squeal "No, no! But I-its-um its not as if I wasn't doing anything, I swear I wasn't lazing about on the sofa all day" He was frantic now, waving his arms around as if to get her to calm down. She was livid now, he could tell.
"Then tell me little brother what exactly was you doing?" she said through gritted teeth.
"I've been hanging around at this local garage, they're teaching me all the basics. I'm really picking it up El, you'd be proud" She couldn't exactly blame him for wanting a career that he enjoyed could she? She just wished he had figured this out sooner.
"Caeb, if your happy, then I'm not going to freak out" She chewed on her bottom lip "as much!"
"Thanks Ellie" He rushed over to he, engulfing her in a big hug only withdrawing when the door opened.
"See this is why I wanted a sibling!" Said the smirking figure, leaning against the door.
Gabriella rolled her eyes. Troy Bolton was a pain in the ass. Nothing more and a whole lot less. It was a love hate relationship and had been for the last four years they had known each. He was witty and charming and a hit with the ladies. He was a twenty-nine year that acted a lot like a nineteen year old. He was her 'fuck buddy' as he liked too call himself. It was what they both needed. Sharpay may have been her mental realise, but Troy was her physical realise. She let out all her hurt and pain on his body and he did the same to her. There was a rumour going around the office that Troy had knocked down a offer of storage cupboard sex's with the office slag, Cassandra Morris. That had sparked interest in every woman.
Had the infamous Troy Bolton finally settled on one woman? And it had been that way for the seven months they had been sleeping together. They had sort of fallen into being a couple without actually making it official. They didn't see other people, but they didn't belong to each other. They could flirt with other people, but that was the it. Gabriella was completely shocked when Troy had told her the rules, she had just assumed she would be another quickie. He had asked twice to start a serious relationship with her, but she had turned them both down. She was happy though, in a way she could see herself with him, there was just something holding her back. She had responsibilities. Caleb may have moved out and got a job, but the shit he got himself into at times, well today was a perfect example.
She was scared in a way, to introduce another man, even if it wasn't Troy, into their lives. It had always been her and her brother, thick as thief's they were. What if Caleb felt left out? What if he didn't get along with anyone she dated? Her little family came first, what if he didn't understand that?
"Troy! How've you been man?" Caleb walked over to Troy giving each other a manly hug, as Caeb liked to call it. They both had always got along, actually to be completely honest, they were very good friends. But that would change if they got into a relationship right?
"I'm good little M" They started to talk about the latest basketball game, Troy's eyes flickering over to Gabriella every now and again, almost as if to check as if she was still there.
She loved how they interacted.
After a little while Caleb got up a stretched "Right El, Troy I better get going, Melanie's going to flip if I'm late picking her up again" A goofy smile taking over his face, he loved that girl to pieces. Melanie was a young girl he had met when he had moved into his apartment, they had been together only two months but it was pretty serious. Kissing my forehead and heading towards the door he shouted out a quick love you and left.
"Love you too" Troy shouted after him. He's such a div. Turing around he had almost a devilish look in his eyes "Maybe now I can greet you properly" he said swooping down and planting a loving kiss onto my lips "Hi" he smiled, resting his forehead against mine.
I let out a giggle "Hey" He smiled again before giving me one last kiss and detaching our foreheads from each other.
"Is there any particular reason you're here ? Cause if not I'm rather busy" She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh so you make time for Caeb, but not me? I must say, I'm hurt" Faking being hurt and lifting his hand over his heart.
"He's my brother" It was simple statement but both knew it had an underline meaning to it. She was making sure he understood where he stood. She was basically telling him that Caleb came first, no question about it.
"I know Brie. But you cant baby him all his life" He understood, he was one of two that knew about her past outside her family. Him and Sharpay. They were her life lines, she needed them too keep sane. But she had to understand that she had to let him make his own way in life. She had played mum to him all his life and know she had to do what every other parent had to do, and that was to let him go.
"I'm not babying him! You've seen what he's like Troy, he can barley work the microwave" she snapped. It was true he was pretty useless, but wasn't all young men like that? She wasn't babying him, she was looking after him. If she didn't who else would?
"I cant now and I'm twenty-nine." He had a point "Baby, he's twenty-one. He's got a few more dishes to burn before he finds the wonder of pizza hut! Every decision you make you make around him and he's probably sick of it to. He wants you to be happy, not miserable"
"Okay, first off I'm not miserable. Secondly, I don't want no brother of mine living off pizza's for the rest of his life and thirdly, I do not base every choice I make around him" If she was honest she knew he making a point, but she didn't like the way he was making it. She sounded as if she was smothering him.
"Really? So tell me, if Caleb wasn't so dependent on you, you still would have turned me down?" They both knew the answer.
"No" She replied after a long silence.
"That's what I thought. Do something for yourself baby. Just this one time, do something for yourself." She watched as he walked away, but not before giving her a gentle kiss to the forehead.
She was looking down at her hands thinking everything through. She had been trying to make him more independent, but maybe Troy was right, had she really done enough? She knew he'd always need her, it was her brother. But maybe, just maybe it was time to live for herself. She was twenty-five for gods sake. Wiping a strand tear from her eye she laughed. She hadn't cried properly since her grandparents funeral. She cried in sad movies, all the time actually, she just seemed to be immune to real life. She always said it screwed you over. It seemed that Troy Bolton had that sort of effect on her though. He not only got her thinking, but crying. Damn, since when did a guy get too her like this?
Picking up her phone she sent a quick text to Sharpay I need you Shar.
Troy had helped her figure out her whole situation with Caleb, maybe now Sharpay could help her straighten out this whole Troy mess.
No more than five minutes later a blonde in a pink sparkly halter top burst through the door.
"What the fuck? Whose mother fucking ass am I kicking?" She gasped out, stopping for a quick breath.
"No ones Shar. How the heck you get here so fast?" She was slightly concerned on why her best friend looked like she just came in from a wild night out.
"Fuck off! Then what the fuck was I need you Shar? I ran three fucking floors to ge-Have you been crying?" Sharpay was gob smacked! Her best friend had been crying? Her best friend. No-fucking-way! She had seen her best friend in all kinds of different states drunk, happy, fuck even high! But never had Gabriella called her to console her. She was more of a cry-when-no-ones-around sort of person. She was a strong and proud and didn't believe in showing weaknesses. So what the fuck was this about?
"Shar, I'm so confused"
"Baby doll, what the heck? Want to clue me in by here?" she whispered softly, it didn't seem right to speak so loud right now. Sharpay had known Gabriella since she was eighteen years old and now? She wouldn't know how to live without her. She had a vague idea on who this could be about. This was Gabriella Montez, she didn't cry over anybody.
"Everything's fucked up! I've figured out that I need to cut the apron strings with Caeb and oh did I mention I might be falling in love with Troy?" she mumbled burying her head into the crook of Sharpays neck. She wanted nothing but to hide.
"I only saw you forty minutes ago! What the fuck?"
"I know"
"I really don't see why your crying doll. Falling in loves meant to be magical. I mean didn't you read your fairytales?" She nodded "This is your time dolly. I mean things are finally going good for you. You got the job, a brother who would go to the ends of the world to make you proud, a potential new man who I will say so myself is well fit" She winked at Gabriella, making her laugh a little " and don't think I'm not going to beat your ass into next Thursday for not telling me about Troy. I mean hellooo, You don't just fall in love over night. But anyway continuing , you got an amazingly sexy best friend that you would be lost without" She went serious all of sudden, tucking a stray piece of hair behind Gabriella's ear "Dolly, Its time to let go of the past. You cant let it hold you back. I'll admit that I'm probably not the bestest friend all the time, but I need you to know that I'm always here for you through whatever"
"Thanks Shar, but I think I know what I got to do know" This was the side of Sharpay that she loved, the best friend side. She was gentle and spoke softly, a far cry from the loud and bossy Sharpay everyone was so used to seeing.
"Yeah, well you should know too, you do realise that I just wasted thirty minutes of my life flirting with a hot lawyer just to have you to interrupt me half way through" Sharpay smiled, she wasn't mad, just trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"I'm sorry Pay, I didn't mean to" She was generally sorry, she should have been able to have figured all that out by herself, not interrupt her friends busy lifestyle. She just felt like she broke today. She let all her emotions go and it felt amazing. She finally felt free of her past and upbeat for the future, things were finally looking up for her and she now understood that. Curtsey of Troy and Sharpay.
"Hey, don't ever be sorry. He was just a guy, it wouldn't last anyway, he was to high up his own ass for me. You know what I'm like! I like them spontaneous, fuck they need to be with me" she laughed.
"Pay? I love you, you know that right?" She could see the tears coming to Sharpays eyes, they were always joking about so they rarely had serious moments and when they did it tended to be soothing Sharpay. Like when she was dumped by her long term boyfriend Craig. She had cried night and day for almost two and half weeks. It had gotten so bad that Gabriella had moved into her apartment, only to be kicked out when Sharpay started bringing home her then, latest fling. But now the tables had turned and it was nice. It was nice to be there for her best friend when she needed to be and it was nice to be depended on for that little while and it was nice to see a different side of said best friend. It was all just, nice.
"I know you do dolly, I love you too!"
"Can we talk later there's something I go to do" she whispered.
Once Sharpay had left Gabriella knew she had to pull herself together. She touched up her makeup and hair and smoothed out her black dress and her made her way towards Troy's office.
She was feeling optimistic now, the future seemed somehow brighter. She had realised that Caleb was all grown up now, and all she could do was be there for him when he needed her. She realised that having a best friend that, well, was Sharpay was pretty useful and she had realised that maybe giving love a shot wasn't as daunting as it first sounded.
There was millions of people that shaped her to be who she was today, there was her mother's absence and her fathers death, her grandparents raising her and her relationships she had with Troy, Sharpay and Caleb.
They were probably the three most important people in her world.
She entered Troy's office to see him reading through a stack of papers, she cleared her throat and his eyes flickered to hers.
"You can pick me up at seven on Saturday" She grinned
"What's brought this on?" He asked leaning back in his chair, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair and his knuckles under his chin.
"I'm taking your advice and doing something for myself" She answered walking away.
Honest truth? I really hate the last half of the story, but Jayden woke up and I had him on my lap while writing the last bit and seeing as I wrote half of it already I really didn't want to scrap it. This sort reflects my relationship with my brother except we have a mother and father and he's older than me, not the other way round, I guess in a way this was just me trying to step into my brothers shoes.
I am extremely tired so sorry about the crappy ending.
Anyway, Review!
Love you all and goodnight, Jess and Jayden.