A/N I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! I ONLY OWN THIS PLOT! This is the sequel to "The Nightmare that Changed Everything" please read that one first. I need at least one review if you guys want me to continue. On with the story:

LAST TIME:

Later that evening Gabriella was on the couch watching some romantic comedy. She looked at the clock and sighed. It was midnight and her mother still wasn't home. She honestly couldn't say she was surprised. In fact she didn't expect her mother home at all. She had told Troy to go home so she was alone. She didn't think it would bother her anymore but now she wasn't liking this feeling too much. She missed Troy's warm, strong, comforting arms around her.

Suddenly the door opened. Gabriella looked up to see her mother.

"Mom?"

"Oh Gabriella you're awake. Good, there is something I want to tell you."

"I'm listening."

"I'm sorry. You're right. What I was doing with these men an working all the time, it was wrong. Your father would have killed me for it if he were still alive. I know I messed and I'm really sorry. I told my boss today that I'm cutting back to my normal hours and I told that other guy to take a hike."

Gabriella smiled. "Good."

"But, I also want to be honest with you about something. A co-worker of mine and I have been getting really close. He's really been helping through this last month and we've grown even closer. Well I really like him and I want to date him but I can't do that until I know if you're ok with it or not."

"Mom it's too soon for you to date again."

"Honey, it's been three years. It's time to move on, I've grieved and now it's time to move on. It's what your father would have wanted. Now I know it's late but he drove me home so Gabriella, I would like you to meet Peter He's my boyfriend."

Gabriella gasped as another man walked into the house…

NOW:

"Hello, Gabriella I've heard wonderful things about you." Peter said.

"Funny, I've never heard of you in my life." Gabriella said coldly.

Maria gave a nervous chuckle.

"Maybe if you've spent more time with your mother you would have." Peter shot back.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Maria told me you've been clinging to your boyfriend night and day for the past month."

"My mother has been clinging night and day to her work for the past month. When would I have had time to speak with her?"

"If you wanted it bad enough you could have made time."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, you do not get to come into this house and tell me everything is my fault. You don't know me and you don't know what I've been through this past month. I'm sure my mother has been sugar coating everything she's done this past month. She's been off having sex with random men and neglecting me. I had no choice but to turn to my boyfriend because was there for me. I want you out of my house."

"Gabriella Montez!" Maria scolded.

"I told you, I would not act kindly to any man you bring into this house. I will not let him be a part of my life. I will not let his replace daddy."

"You're father had been dead for three years Gabriella! Three years! He isn't coming back! So you might as well get used to having another man around. I know that if you just give him a chance you'll really like him. Maybe he can help you deal with your father's passing."

Gabriella shook her head and crossed her arm over her chest. "I told you once and I'll say it again. I will not act kindly to any man you bring home. I will not allow this man into my life so he can replace my father. Now either you can kick him out or I'm leaving and I'm never coming home."

"Gabriella seriously how old are you ten? The whole 'give me what I want or I'm going to run away' thing is really childish." Peter said. "Now, I have no intention of replacing your father. I just want to be your friend. I care for your mother very much and I wouldn't feel right dating her unless her daughter agreed to it."

"Then don't date her because I do not agree to it."

"Not even if it makes your mother happy?"

Gabriella shook her head again. "Don't go there, I told my mother a million times I wasn't ready for her to start bringing men home. If she wanted to go out on dates and have sex that was fine but I didn't want to meet any of them."

"So you're being selfish?" Peter asked. "Just because you can't get over your father's death you want your mother to suffer too."

"I'm dealing with my father's death just fine. I don't think it's right to start dating after only three years. It's too soon."

"Maybe for you, but your mother is ready to move on. Isn't that what your father would have wanted?"

"Yes, my dad would have wanted her to grieve than move on but not in three years. Maybe in five or four years but three is too soon. "

"Just because you can't let go, doesn't mean your mother can't either."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Maria told me about what happen the night your father dead. The guilt you must be feeling for what happen must be overbearing. That's why you haven't really gotten over your father's death."

"I've dealt with my father's death just fine. You have no idea what happen that night, so don't you DARE stand there and tell me you know what happen."

"You're mother told me everything. It must have been terrible watching your father die like that."

Gabriella once again felt the need to shake her head. Tears filled her eyes. "I didn't just 'watch' him die. He bled out in my arm! I was holding him trying to comfort him and he bled to death while I was holding him. He blood was all over me. I was there when he took his last breath. I was there stuck in the pouring rain with my dead father as he bled to death because the ambulance couldn't get there fast enough."

"Like I was saying, the guilt must be eating you alive."

"Guilt for what? I know I didn't cause the crash. I know it was a terrible accident."

"No, of course you didn't cause it. I never said you did, but the guilt for not being able to save him must be awful for you. The guilt for not being able to stop the bleeding before he bled out must be so painful for you making harder for you to let go."

"You do not know me. You have no idea what I feel from that night. Do not stand there and tell me that you do because you don't, you have no idea what it was like for me. Neither of you do. So don't act like you know what happen because you don't!"

With that Gabriella ran up to her room. She slammed the door and rushed into her closet. She grabbed her overnight bag and packed up some clothes and other stuff. After stuffing it all into her bag she grabbed her cell phone and ran out her balcony doors. She threw her bag to the ground and climbed over the railing. She slowly and carefully made her way down the tree. She had seen Troy do it tons of times. How hard could it be?

A sharp pain hit her knee and she hissed in pain but she didn't stop. She told her mother what would happen if she brought home any strange men and now she had to stick to it. How dare that man stand there and act like he cares? How dare he stand there and say he knows what she's feeling towards her father's death? How dare he stand there and tell her she was guilty for not being able to save her father! He had no idea what happen that night. He had no idea she ripped her own shirt off her back to use as a cloth to put pressure on his wounds. Her own mother had no idea what happen because she was too busy working. All she knew is what she found out from the doctors. Nobody but her and her father knew what happen that night so nobody had the right to tell her how she was feeling or that they knew what happen because they don't and they never would.

She finally got off the tree and grabbed her bag. Looking down she noticed she had cut her knee. It was bleeding and she knew she should take care of that but she had to get to Troy first. He would make everything better. She took off running as fast as she could.

Troy was laying in his bed sound asleep when his cell phone went off. He jumped started and grabbed his phone before it woke his parents. It was a text from Gabriella.

Come to your tree house.

Troy looked confused but climbed out of bed and went downstairs and out his back door. He made his way up the ladder and into his tree house. He gasped. Gabriella was standing there shaking, tears were streaming down her cheeks but what really caught his eye was the blood dripping down her knee.

"Gabriella what happen?" he asked quickly running over to her.

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be here so late but I didn't know where else to go."

"Don't ever be sorry. You're always welcome here."

He went over to her and gently sat her down on the couch.

"What happen to your knee?" he asked.

"I cut it climbing down my tree." She answered.

"Well, we need to get it cleaned up, so wait right here and I'll go get the first aid kit."

Gabriella nodded. Troy quickly went down and back into the house. Gabriella sighed. She was never going home again. Not unless her mother broke up with that Peter guy. Troy came back a few minutes later.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It's fine."

Troy went over to her and sat down next to her lifting her legs into his lap. He gently cleaned up the blood and cleaned the cut. He sprayed it with disinfectant making her flinch and the covered it with a band-aid.

"One last thing." He said.

He leaned down and kissed it. Gabriella gasped and pulled her leg away.

"Did that hurt?" he asked.

"No, just tickled."

"Tickled hmm?"

"Oh no Troy whatever you're thinking don't!"

"Brie, all I'm thinking is we need to check your knee. Make sure it isn't broken. A broken knee would hurt a lot." Troy said.

"Troy no don't."

Troy started to pinch the tip of her knee making Gabriella break out into giggles. She kicked her legs trying to get free.

"Troy stop it."

"Nope, I'm checking your knee."

Gabriella laughed harder as he leaned down to start kissing it.

"Sto-stop." She choked out.

"Not yet."

Gabriella was laughing so hard she was speechless. Troy chuckled and stopped.

"Yep, you're knee it's fine. No broken bones what so ever."

"Thank you Dr. Bolton. I could have told you that." Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled and kissed her head. "Now, are you going to tell me why you're here so late? What happen?"

"My mother is dating. He's a complete jerk and I hate him!"

"How long have you know him?"

She shrugged. "Ten minutes."

Troy chuckled. "How can you say he's a jerk? You just met him."

"He had the nerve to tell me I should feel guilty for not being able to save my father before he bled out in my arms. He blamed me for my mother and I not spending more time with each other last month That's how I can tell he's a jerk and I refuse to be a part of it. If she wants to date him that's fine but I'm not going to live with her anymore."

"Brie, look, have you even given the guy a chance?"

"Troy, I told her if she brought men home I wasn't going to support her. I told her that and then she brings home a strange man I don't know! I'm not giving him a chance!"

"Why? Because he's a jerk and you hate him or because you're scared of opening up and trusting him because you're not ready to let go of your father?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sighed and looked down. "The last one." She muttered.

"I thought so, Brie, listen you love your father. You always will love your father but that doesn't mean you can't love another father figure in your life. Just because you let this guy in it doesn't mean you don't love your real father."

Gabriella sighed and nodded. "You're right."

"Brie, I think you need to give this man a chance. Sit down with him and tell him how you feel."

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course, sweetie. I'd never make you go through this alone. Just name the time and place and I'll be there. "

"Ok, I'll do it."

A/N all right that's just the starting chapter. I promise things will get better. Is anyone interested? Leave me a review and let me know.