As I walked down the halls of East High I heard the familiar laugh of my best friend, Troy Bolton; God of East High. I saw him standing near our lockers with half of his basketball team, including his best friend Chad Danforth. I walked up to them and Troy quickly came up and hugged me. I could feel myself blushing as half the school stared at us. He let go of me and I instantly missed the touch of his hands on my waist and the scent of his cologne. Yes I was obsessed. I, Gabriella Montez was hopelessly in love with my best friend. I put my books away and Troy and I walked out of the school, down the path, towards my house. He came over nearly every other night because my mom was always away on business.
As we walked down the street, my hand brushed against his and I instantly pulled away, the familiar redness creeping into my cheeks. Troy looked at me weirdly when I pulled away before shaking his head and carrying on with his conversation, even though I had no idea what we were talking about. We made our way up my drive-way and as we reached the lounge room, Troy slumped down onto the couch, grabbing me and pulling me down on top of him. Our faces were inches from each other's and I could feel his breath on my face. Before I knew it I lost control and placed my lips on his. Troy's lips were soft and delicate and he tasted like chocolate. After a few seconds Troy pulled away stunned. He looked at me, in a way that I had never seen before.
"What was that," he asked stunned. I could feel tears prickling in my eyes as I jumped off of him and ran up the stairs, into my bedroom, locking the door behind me. I heard Troy run up behind me and start banging on the door. "Gabriella! Open the door. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I was just stunned. Please open the door, talk to me. Let me in!" Troy begged from outside my door.
"Go away Troy! Leave me alone!" I screamed, tears running down my face.
"Not until you talk to me! I'm sorry!" he yelled back.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. There I talked to you now leave!" I yelled. He argued back but after I took some painkillers for my headache, I cried myself to sleep. I didn't awake until two o'clock the next afternoon; I must have taken a few to many tablets. I had twenty-three missed calls, mostly from Troy and Taylor and a few from my mom. I called my mom back, telling her that I had left my phone at home. I went downstairs and had a bagel before falling asleep on the couch again. When I awoke this time it was eight am. I had missed school again, but I did not care I didn't want to face Troy anyway. Too bad for me, ten minutes later the doorbell rang. I looked disheveled in my tank top and boy leg shorts and when I answered the door, Troy looked at me with his eyebrows raised.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him rudely. He looked hurt but I shrugged it off.
"Ella you haven't been in school for two days and you won't answer my calls. What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
"Nothing. I'm fine," I replied but I didn't believe me so why should he?
"Tell me the truth," he said his voice rising.
"I just took a few too many painkillers and didn't wake up. That's all," I replied.
"So you aren't avoiding me because of what I said?" Troy asked me.
"Troy I did not hear a single word you said after I told you to leave. I took the tablets and was knocked out. Why, what did you say?" I asked. He looked embarrassed and looked down at his shoes.
"Nothing it does not matter. What do you mean you took too many pills? How many did you take?" he asked and I could see the concern in his eyes.
"Umm… five I think," I replied feeling guilty.
"Ella! You know you're not supposed to take more than two at a time!" he yelled getting worked up. When I was fourteen and my dad had left, I had gotten really depressed and I accidentally OD'd on painkillers. I had only wanted the pain to stop but it just made everything worse. Mom had only started going away again a few months ago and if Troy told her I knew she would never leave again.
"What do you care?" I screamed at him.
"Ella of course I care. You're my best friend. I love you!" he yelled back and I stood there shocked at the three words he had said. "I… I mean I love you as a friend," he added regaining his posture.
"Fine! Look Troy can you please leave," I said and I could feel tears starting to form.
"No. You're coming to school so I can keep an eye on you," Troy replied adamantly.
"Fine!" I screamed before stalking up the stairs. Troy came after me and waited by my door as I showered and dressed before stalking back downstairs and out the door. I waited in his car as he locked my front door and hopped in the seat beside me. I stared out the window and didn't utter a word as we drove to school.
For the next two months, Troy didn't leave me alone. He was always watching me, making sure I was eating and not taking pills. He hadn't told my
mom about the pills and for that I was grateful. I wasn't stupid enough to take anymore painkillers, not that I wanted them, until that day. I walked into school and went to my locker, and that is when I saw them. Candy Vale A.K.A head cheerleader had Troy against our lockers, with her tongue shoved down his throat, he was struggling against her and after I made eye contact with him he finally pushed her away but he was too late. I ran through the corridors, hearing him calling my name as my heart broke into two, and for the first time in my life I ignored Troy Bolton. I felt my tears streaming down my face, as I raced to my car and sped home. I could see Troy's BMW following me so I drove faster. I raced inside and upstairs before going into the bathroom and grabbing the painkillers. I knew I shouldn't do it but have you ever felt your heart being ripped into two? Well it hurts a lot. I grabbed a handful of pills and washed them down with some water. Just minutes after I began to feel dizzy and started to sway. I heard the front door open and Troy race up the stairs but he was too late I was already unconscious on the floor.
Troy ran over to me and lifted me onto the bed before calling for an ambulance. He shook me and felt for a pulse, finding one he gave a sigh of relief.
"Ella if you can hear me, I wasn't kissing her. She kissed me, I pushed her away but I was too late you had already seen me. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you I love you. I have always loved you and when you kissed me I was so happy but then you took the painkillers and I knew it was me who was making you hurt so much so I didn't tell you that I loved you cause I didn't want to hurt you anymore. But please Ella wake up. Wake up for me, I need you and I want you and I love you," he cried with tears streaming down his face but I couldn't hear him.
After what seemed like years I struggled to open my eyes but when I did I saw Troy asleep on the hospital chair. He had his fingers intertwined in my and I gave them a squeeze, waking him up.
"Oh my god! Ella! You're awake. I thought you would never wake up and I was so worried because I couldn't get a hold of your mom and I've been here for the past week and I've been praying and I never pray but I was so worried. I didn't know what I was going to do without you," he babbled as I sat there staring at him intently, not really listening to him. "Don't ever do that to me again! If you're upset or angry with me talk to me! Do you understand? Don't go and OD and have to get your stomach pumped!" he said and his voice was rising.
"I'm so sorry Troy. I just felt so sad and angry and alone and I just wanted it all to stop. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," I whispered in a horse voice, as tears began to fall down my cheeks. I felt so ashamed. Troy lent closer and wrapped me in his arms. I sobbed into his chest uncontrollably as he tried to comfort me. Then I heard him whisper in my ear,
"I love you so much and not as a friend." I looked up into his piercing blue eyes and before I could utter a reply his lips crashed onto mine. I felt his tongue on my bottom lip asking for permission and I instantly granted it. With his tongue dancing with mine I felt like I was in heaven. He gently laid me back onto the pillow and hopped on top of me so that both of his knees were on either side of me. I ran my hands through his hair and his hands ran down my sides trying to find some bare flesh, but being in a hospital robe is not helpful. Just as he found the buttons at the back of the robe a cough interrupted us. Troy bolted off of me faster than lightening and we were both embarrassed to see a doctor standing there with a grin on his face.
"Ah Miss Montez, you're awake. We finally got in contact with your mother and she says she'll be here tomorrow afternoon. Now we have some things to discuss first and foremost, before you are able to leave here to have to go and see a therapist, especially since this is the second time it has happened in three years," the Doctor said and I nodded knowing that this was coming.
"Can I see one today so that I can leave tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.
"You can see one today but I do not know if I can allow you to leave tomorrow, we'll have to wait and see," he replied before walking away.
"Hey Ella, I bought you something," Troy whispered revealing a box and giving it to me.
"What is it?" I inquired.
"Open it," he replied with a smirk on his face. I hesitantly opened the box and inside was gold ring with a sapphire on it.
"Oh Troy it's beautiful," I gushed placing it upon my finger.
"No not yet," he cried out taking the ring off my finger. I must have looked at him in a strange way because he blushed before talking again. "You didn't look at the inscription," he said turning the ring over to me. I looked inside and saw the words Start of something new neatly scribed in it. I rushed over to him and placed my mouth upon his and within seconds we were once again in a heated make-out session. This time we were interrupted by Chad, Taylor, Ryan, Sharpay, Kelsi, Jason and Zeke. When they walked in, Troy had begun to redirect his kisses to my neck and a moan had escaped from my mouth.
"Ewww. You two aren't having sex in a hospital, are you?" Chad asked dumbly. I jerked away from Troy and blushed profusely.
"Of course not Chad," I said with a sigh.
"I can't believe you guys are finally together. That's great. Gabi we were so afraid that we had lost you. What made you take those pills again?" Taylor asked worriedly.
"Um… I really don't feel like talking about it," I replied and without any warning what so ever, Taylor, Kelsi and Sharpay all went over and smacked Troy across the head.
"Owww," he howled rubbing his head. "What was that for?"
"We know you had something to do with it, so we're sticking up for Gabi," Sharpay explained and for extra measure she hit him again.
"Well thanks guys, but Troy and I have worked it all out."
"We see that," Zeke stated with a smirk whilst I scowled at him. The gang stayed until my new appointed therapist came for our session. Troy gave me a kiss with a promise to come back ay five o'clock.
"Okay Gabriella, my name is Callie and we have some matter to discuss," Callie said. She was quite pretty, with blonde hair and green eyes and a slim figure. "Do you want to tell me when this all started?"
"This all started on March 3rd 1995. I was seven and Mom, dad and I had just moved to New Mexico. This was the day I fell in love with Troy Bolton. He was so cute with his sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. I was smitten. But being in love at the tender age of seven is hard especially when the kid you love is your best friend and is in love with everyone else other than you. We went through primary school being best friends and he had a different girl every week, but that girl was never me as I have already said. When we started Junior High and I started to develop, I thought he might notice me, but by that time he was already the star of the basketball team and having started at a new school, he had new girls to be interested in. Still he only saw me as his best friend. By fourteen I was dying a little more each day and when my dad left us, I just wanted the pain that I had felt for the last seven years to go away. So I went into my mom's bathroom and found some extremely strong painkillers. I took ten of them before collapsing onto my living room floor. Troy found me half an hour later and called an ambulance. I hated him for it when I woke up as him saving me just made me love him even more. He screamed at me after I had awoken saying that I was selfish for trying to kill myself. He asked how I thought he was supposed to live without me. And I yelled back that it's not always about precious Troy Bolton. He was so hurt when I said that I could see it in his eyes as he turned and left my hospital room. He didn't talk to me for two months. I nearly took more pills but after the first time my mom never left me alone. She watched my every move. Finally Troy and I patched things up, but it wasn't the same. Every since he had saved me, every time our fingers brushed or he would hug me or kiss my cheek I would make up an excuse to leave so I could go cry. A few months ago we were at my house and Troy pulled me down and I landed on top of him, before I could help myself I had kissed him. He pulled away and asked 'what was that' I then ran up to my room and locked the door. He came after me yelling to let him explain but I told him to leave and I took tablets. When I finally got out of bed two days later, Troy was at my door. He apologized and told me he loved me as a friend. I told him I had taken five painkillers and he started to yell at me. He didn't tell my mom but he wouldn't let me out of his sight for two months. Then one day I walked into school and saw the head cheerleader with her tongue down his throat, he saw me and came after me but I just ran. When I got home I didn't even think, I just went to the cabinet and grabbed a handful of pills and collapsed on the floor. Troy found me and saved me once again. When I awoke he yelled at me again before telling me he loved me as more than a friend. We started kissing and he gave me a gold sapphire ring with Start of something new inscribed in it, which is a song from a musical we did and then we kissed more and now here we are," I finished before gulping down some much needed water.
"Wow" Callie said. "Well you don't seem depressed you just seem like you're going through teenage years. I'll tell the doctor you can go home tomorrow but only if you have session with me once a week. Okay?" she said.
"Sure that's great," I replied and Callie left the room. Troy came back at five o'clock and I told him I was allowed to go home the next day. He stayed till ten, when I told him to go home and get some sleep.
"I love you Gabriella. Always," he said leaning over me.
"And forever," I finished before closing the gap between us. His hands went to the back of my neck, pulling me closer and I deepened the kiss, thrusting my tongue into his mouth. He moaned in pleasure and I smiled against his lips. When we pulled away for air, we were both panting heavily.