Lucky Me
Troy Bolton flicked his ashes from his cigarette. His body was sore from the long days work. He got up at five everyday. He took a shower then drank a cup of coffee. He never ate breakfast. It was because he was never hungry in the morning and he always felt like he was running late if he tried to eat. He hated being late.
At 5:50 on the dot, he got to the construction site he was working on. It was houses they've been working on for the past year and a half. He worked for a company that helped design dream houses for people who had the money. He enjoyed what he did and that was all that mattered.
He ate the same thing everyday for lunch. A turkey sandwich, soda, chips and water. He liked the simplicity. It saved him time in the morning to make. After work he'd go to the same liquor store and buy one lotto ticket and one scratcher. The most he ever won was ten bucks but he always had hope he'd hit the mega millions.
Troy pulled out his scratcher, walking back to his truck with the cigarette in his mouth. He scratched it slowly. He dropped his cigarette, stomping it out. He licked his lips before scratching the rest of it off. He won two bucks. He decided to cash it in, feeling a bit lucky.
He cashed it in and got a two dollar scratcher. He walked back outside and leaned against the wall. He scratched it again. Ten bucks. Troy was pleasantly surprised. He cashed it in again, pocketing the ten bucks. He decided to quit while he was ahead. He walked out the store again. He noticed a woman sitting against the wall. She hugged her legs and stared at the car in front of her.
He frowned. "Car trouble?" He asked.
She jumped, flinching at his voice. She looked at him with wide eyes. "What?" She asked, avoiding eye contact.
"Are you having car trouble?" He asked in a quieter voice.
She breathed out. "Piece of shit car plus being broke is a nightmare." She looked back to her car. "I needed an oil change but he didn't have time to do it. I got a new piece of crap car instead." She shivered.
"Do you need any help?" He asked hesitantly.
She shook her head. "No, it's okay." She waved him off. "It's fine, I'm fine." She sighed out. "Actually do you have like a cigarette or something? I'm dying for one."
Troy smiled slightly. He pulled out a pack and handed her one then the lighter. "Here you go."
"Thank you." She said quietly. She put one in her mouth and lit it up. She inhaled deeply and let out a trail of smoke. "Oh thank god." She handed back his lighter. He watched her take another drag.
"Here." Troy said, pulling the ten out of his pocket. "It's not much but it's all I got."
She looked up at him and shook her head. "Oh you don't have to do that."
"Please. I won it from scratchers. Hopefully it'll pass some luck on to you." He placed the money in her hand and she flinched at his touch. "I hope everything works out for the best."
She put the money in her pocket and gave him an empty smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He turned and walked to his truck. He hope she got to wherever she was going safely. He hopped in, turning it on. It rumbled loudly. He watched her for a minute as she got up. He watched her finish her cigarette before walking into the liquor store. He backed out and headed towards home.
Gabriella Montez wasn't always paranoid. She wasn't always skittish or jumpy. It took two years of hell to get her this bad. She was constantly looking over her shoulder. She was constantly terrified to close her eyes. She hated being in the dark. She hated being touched. It was all her fault.
It started at the end of her junior year of college. She met him at a frat party at UCLA. She got early acceptance. She wanted to be a performer. She lived for the stage in the first 21 years of her life. She referred to it as her old life. Her life before him. She loved to be dressed up in costumes. She loved being anybody but herself. She still hadn't found the ability to act since she left.
She grew up in a broken home. Her mother left shortly after she turned seven. Her father adjusted well to raising a little girl on his own. He remarried shortly before Gabriella graduated high school. She hated the woman he married but she was happy that he was happy. She didn't visit her father often.
Gabriella surprised herself by graduating college with a bachelors degree in fine arts. She got a job a couple weeks before she graduated. She saved all the money she could without him noticing. She loved her job but she just couldn't stay anymore. She got the courage to leave two weeks ago. She had two thousand dollars that she saved up and headed north. She traded her piece of crap Toyota for a piece of crap Honda at a shady dealership in Northern California.
She hoped he wouldn't come after her. She prayed every night he wouldn't find her. She kept driving. She made it to Washington in only two days. She felt it wasn't far enough away so she headed east. When that wasn't enough she headed back south. If he was following her then hopefully she has lead him else where. It took her two weeks to get to Albuquerque spending a couple days in each Midwestern state that she visited.
She was running low on cash. She barely had enough to fill up her tank one last time and for a meal or two. She stopped at a liquor store, in hopes of getting a cheap sandwich for dinner. She got an extra ten bucks instead. Sometimes she forgot that most people were generous. She forgot that most men weren't going to hurt her. She decided to buy a sandwich and try her luck at a scratcher. She won fifty bucks. I guess it was lucky after all.
Gabriella drove out to a secluded area, it looked like it was going to be a suburban neighborhood. She parked her car and leaned her seat back. She pulled her blankets from a bag in the backseat. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.
A tapping on her window woke her up. Her eyes were met with the bright light of the sun. She tried to adjust the quickly. She made a note to park somewhere with shade in the morning. "Excuse me miss." A voice said.
She sat up, suddenly alarmed. She turned to look at the guy. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. Our boss is coming in soon. You might want to head out. I've seen him tow cars before."
She sighed. "Noted."
"Oh, shit. Here he comes." The guy said. "Boss, I was just getting her to move."
She heard the truck stop and a person getting out. She turned to see a familiar face walk over to the car. "It's a safety hazard to be in a construction zone." She recognized him as the man who gave her ten dollars last night at the liquor store. She relaxed a little. Hopefully he wouldn't tow her car. "I can take it from here. You guys get to work. I'll be there in a minute."
"Are you going to tow my car?" Gabriella asked hesitantly.
He stared at her for a minute. She wondered if he recognized her. "Are you living in your car?" She nodded her head slowly then looked down. She bet she looked disgusting. She was embarrassed, mortified even. How did she get into this mess?
Troy Bolton was in an internal struggle. He didn't know this woman. All he knew is that she was living in her car, from California, and she was running from something. He cleared his throat surprising himself with what he was about to offer. "Do you need a place to stay?"
"Oh, no." The woman blushed. "I'm fine, it's fine."
"I'm sure you need to wash up, maybe do some laundry and sleep in a real bed?" He assumed.
"I can't. I'm fine." She insisted, wrapping her arms around her chest.
Troy licked his lips, looking up at his co workers who were eyeing him curiously. "In case you change your mind, here." He pulled out a pen and searched his pocket for something to write with. He found a receipt and jotted down his address. "Please, If anything happens to you here, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. The spare key is under the mat."
"I can't." She said, looking at the receipt in disbelief. "I can't."
"Please. Make yourself at home." He said. "I have to get to work."
He felt her eyes watching him all the way back to his truck. He hopped in and parked in his regular spot. He looked at the clock. He was fifteen minutes off schedule. Troy frowned to himself and hopped out of the car. He clocked in and automatically got to work.
Troy clocked out at his normal time. He drove his truck over to the liquor store like he did every day. He bought a lotto ticket and a scratcher but wasn't a winner. He stood next to his truck and smoked a cigarette while he planned what to make for dinner. He decided on making steak and stomped out his cigarette, getting back in the truck.
Once he got home he unlocked the door and froze. He smelled strawberries, frowning to himself. He closed the door quietly and walked further into his small apartment. He saw a set of keys on the table and a small pair of converse next to the counter. He made his way to his bedroom and saw a mass of dark hair sprawled across his pillow.
A smile formed on his face. He was glad she stopped and stayed. He grabbed a fresh pair of pajamas and closed himself in his bathroom. He took a quick shower and got dressed. He stepped out of the bathroom putting his dirty clothes away. He noticed she'd gotten up from his bed. He walked out and watched her put clothes from the washer into a bag.
"Aren't you going to dry those?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.
She jumped, dropping the bag of clothes. "I wanted to leave before you got home."
"You aren't staying for dinner?" He asked softly.
"I shouldn't." She said quickly. "I need to get out on the road."
Troy studied her carefully. "You can stay for dinner, stay the night then head out in the morning?"
"I can't. It's fine." She said, avoiding eye contact.
"I don't want you sleeping in the car. It's not safe." He said. "I hope you like steak." He said, walking into the kitchen.
Gabriella Montez watched this mystery man walk into his kitchen. Desperate times call for desperate measures, she thought to herself. She'd stay the night. If anything seemed off she'd grab her stuff and get in the car and leave. She sighed to herself and picked up the wet clothes and put them into the dryer. She put the bag by the dryer and walked into the kitchen.
"I don't have any money to pay you back." She said softly.
"I'm not asking for your money." He said, pulling ingredients out of the fridge. "I don't have any money to give you either. As you can see there's not much to steal."
"I'm not a thief." She said softly. "I'm just… desperate."
"Everybody needs help sometimes." He said with a shrug.
"You're not going to ask me where I'm from?" She asked in disbelief.
He shook his head. "No, It's none of my business. If you wanted me to know, I'm sure you'd share it with me."
"You don't even know my name."
He gave her a half smile. "What is your name?"
Gabriella sighed. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. "Gabriella. Gabriella Montez."
"Pretty." She watched him in disbelief. "How do you like your steak cooked?"
"Medium well." She said softly. "But I'm in no condition-"
He quirked an eyebrow at her causing her to close her mouth immediately. "My name is Troy Bolton. I lived in Albuquerque all my life. I'm 25 and do construction. I've never been married, don't have any kids. My parents passed away when I was younger, only child. I'm not going to hurt you, so please, try to relax."
Gabriella was taken back by his rant. She didn't know what to say. She felt a little hurt but she was over sensitive, one of her many flaws. He hated when she was being too sensitive. "I'm sorry." She said, wrapping her arms around her self. She took a step away from him. "I can help you, if you need help."
"I'd love some help." Troy said, glancing over at her. "Pick something you want to eat with steak. The pantry is to your left."
"Anything?" She asked.
"Whatever you like." He assured.
Gabriella looked through the cabinet and a blue box caught her eye. Her mouth watered. She couldn't remember the last time she had a home cooked meal. She grabbed the box of macaroni and cheese. "Is this okay?"
He glanced at the box. "You might want to grab two. I can eat a whole box by myself."
She nodded giving him a ghost of a smile. She turned and grabbed another box. He got her a pot and she started filling it up with water for their macaroni. "Why are you being so nice?" She asked hesitantly.
He stared at her for a moment. "Like I said before. Everyone needs help sometimes. I'd rather have you sleep safely here than at my construction site." Troy said simply, causing Gabriella to sigh quietly.
This is the new story, Lucky Me. I know these kinds of stories are cheesy and overdone but i wanted to put my own spin on one. LM is a working title. I don't know if i like it yet. When i was writing this, i did it weirdly. That's why the POV changes after a line break beginning with a paragraph with their name. It gets shortened to Troy and Gabriella later on. Um... if you read Coparenting, i'm definately going to write some M rated chapters for it. I don't know if i am going to turn the next chapters that i write into a sequel or just bump co-parenting to M. Still figuring that out. Hope y'all enjoy this story. Tell me what you think in a review. Love y'all. Don'tforgettoreview