One Monday Morning

It was an ordinary Monday morning at the Bolton residence. Lucille was trying to explain her 7 year-old son David why he could not go to school in his Spiderman costume, Jack was going through his papers before going to work and their 10 year-old daughter Sophie was in the living room watching cartoons.

Neither Lucille nor Jack had ever expected the arrival of their two youngest children. They were 47 and 51 and had two more children, Karen who was 25 and Troy who was 21. However, they could not be happier about the newest additions to the family, and Karen and Troy were very protective of their younger siblings.

As David was looking up at Lucille with big blue disappointed eyes and wild curly hair, the doorbell rang through the house and Lucille went to answer.

"Hello"

"Hello, Officer Landon here. Are you a parent of Mr. Troy Bolton?"

"Yes I'm his mother. What is going on?"

"I am sorry to inform you that there has been an accident earlier this morning involving your son. Doctors tried to save him, but it was too late for anything to be done."

Lucille froze. This could not be happening, not her son. JACK! She screamed. Jack came to the door and saw the police officer. "What is going on here?" he asked. Lucille dug her head in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm sorry" the officer said. "Your son was involved in a car accident earlier this morning. He did not make it. My condolences." Like his wife, Jack froze at the news. He could not believe this was happening to his family.

As Officer Landon left, Lucille and Jack was still standing on the same spot. Sophie came with her pink schoolbag, ready to leave for school. "What's wrong" she asked. Lucille started crying hysterically. How was she supposed to break it to her and David? And Karen. Karen would be devastated. Jack collected strength to speak: "Sophie honey, you should stay home today. We need to tell you something"

Karen lay comfortably in the arms of her fiancé. She could not be happier about life than she was right now. She had found the man of her dreams and they just bought their first house together. Things were really starting to look up. She was woken by her phone ringing. She answered it groggily: "Hello". "Karen" she heard her mothers sobbing voice saying. "Mum, what is going on?" She knew it was bad, she could just feel it. "it's…it's…it's Troy. He's…he's…I can't even say it. "Mum tell me, what's wrong. What happened with Troy?" She had an awful feeling, praying to god she was wrong. "He died Karen. There was a car accident and he did not make it" Lucille started to cry uncontrollably again, but Karen did not notice. The whole world stopped. "I'm coming home" she managed to say.

She shook her fiancé. "Steve. Steve! STEVE!" finally he opened his eyes. "What is going on babe?" he asked, and then noticed the tear stains on her cheeks. "It's Troy. He…he died in a car accident this morning" she choked out and collapsed into his arms. Steve could not believe what he was hearing. Troy had been like a little brother to him for years, and he knew how much he meant to Karen. He held his crying fiancé in his arm, wondering what Troy or his family had done to deserve this. They were all good people, it just did not seem right. "I need to go to my parents" he heard her say. "Of course you do. I was expecting that. Let's just get dressed and get going." And so they did.

Back at the Bolton residence they were all seated around the kitchen table. Lucille tried to make the next phone call, but did not know how to. It was to Troy's girlfriend Gabriella. That it was true love between Troy and Gabriella was easy for anyone to see. The looks they would give each other, the way Troy knew instantly when something was up with Gabriella and just other small gestures between them. Lucille wondered how you could tell a girl that she just lost her soul mate. Especially since she was only 20 "You want me to do it?" she heard her husband say. She nodded and handed him the phone.

Gabriella was on her way out of the door when her phone rang. She expected it to be Troy calling to say good morning as he did everyday. "Hello" she answered in a perky voice, without looking at the caller id. "Hi Gabriella" she heard Jack Bolton's voice say. She knew something was up. Jack was always a happy man, but now his voice was filled with sorrow and confusion. "Jack, what's wrong" she instantly said. "It's Troy. He was in an accident this morning. He….he didn't make it." The phone fell out of Gabriella's hands and onto the floor. Soon Gabriella's body followed. She lay on the floor shaking, forgetting about Jack on the phone. She heard him call her name and took the phone back in her hands. "wha…wha…what ha…ha…hap…happened" she finally asked. "The police does not know for sure, but they believe someone rashly overtook and the oncoming car tried to dodge and ran into the car with Troy and his friends in the process. His friend did not make it either." Gabriella could not move. This was not supposed to happen. It always happened to someone else. She could not believe it. After saying goodbye to Jack, Gabriella lay sobbing on her bed. Finally she decided to call her best friend Taylor.

Taylor was in a heated make-out session with her boyfriend Chad Danforth. She knew this was the man she was she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She knew they were only 20 and 21, but still she could tell. Just like she could tell that their two best friends were made for each other. Suddenly her phone rang and both her and Chad groaned. "It's Gabriella" she told him. "I'll just talk to her quick okay?" Taylor said, knowing that Gabriella only called when it was really important. Otherwise she just texted. "I guess, I don't really have a choice do I?" Chad said and kissed her lovingly. "Nope" she said and answered "Hi sweetie, what's up?" all she heard was sobbing but finally Gabriella put herself together to say something. "Tay can you come over, I really need to talk to you" Taylor glanced at her boyfriend, but she could hear the desperation in Gabriella's voice. "Sure girl, Let me just get rid of Chad and I'll be there." Chad's eyes widened. "No bring him as well. He needs to know too." By now Taylor was very worried. "okay" she just said and hung up. "Chad, we need to see Gabriella. She was sobbing hysterically and she wanted both of us." Chad gave her a confused look. "She wanted us? What about Troy?" he asked. Suddenly he started to feel sick. Something was not right with his best friend.

When Chad and Taylor rang Gabriella's door, no one answered. Taylor opened the door and they went in. They found Gabriella still sobbing on her bed. "Oh Gab what happened" Taylor asked. "Troy is…he's...he's gone" and tears started to flow yet again. She the gained control and told a gawping Chad and Taylor about her conversation with Jack.

Chad did not want to believe it. He was waiting for Gabriella to start laughing and say gotcha. But in his guts he knew that would not happen. Gabriella loved her pranks, but she would never do this. Not something as serious as that. He felt himself fall to the floor. This could not happen. Not to his best friend with his whole life in front of him.

Taylor was on the bed with her arms around her crying best friend. The two women saw Chad falling to the floor. "Tay, go take care of Chad, I will go see my mother" Gabriella said. "Are you sure?" Taylor asked, very worried. "Yes, he needs you, but if you could give me a ride. I don't think it would be safe for me to take myself right now" Gabriella assured her friend. "Of course, I couldn't let you drive in this state girl" Gabriella gave thankful smile and they all got into the car and Taylor drove.

Maria Montez had a feeling all morning something was wrong. She could not put her finger on it, but something was not right. She was sure it was something with her daughter and that made her worried. She heard the doorbell and wet to open the door with a shaking hand. There she saw her dear daughter completely devastated. "Oh dear. What happened?" Gabriella sobbed her way through the story yet again.

Maria just sat there holding her daughter. She could not believe that two people so much in love were ripped apart like that. They had such a bright future together, and she had been sure that Troy would be the farther of her grandchildren. Now their future together was disrupted, and she could not understand it. She thought of poor Jack and Lucille who lost their son and his siblings who lost their brother.

"Mum, I don't know how I can live without him" she heard her daughter say. "Listen honey, I know things are hard right now. It just happened and it is going to take time to heal. But you will heal. The wound will leave a scar, but you learn to deal with the scar. I remember when I lost your farther. It was shortly after you were born and I had no idea how I was supposed to handle being a single mother. But I found my way with help from family and friends, and of course you." Maria gave her daughter a small smile. "But mum, we never got married or had children or anything, I just don't know how I can do this" Gabriella cried. "I know. As i said it's still very new. But let me tell you what I did, which might help. I wrote a letter to your dad with all my feelings. I felt sorrow, anger love and a lot of other things. It's confusing but it will get better. He will always have a place in your heart, but you learn to live your life. Besides, don't you think he would want you to do just that?" Gabriella knew her mother was right, but right now she was hurting too much.

A couple of days later Gabriella sat in her old room in her mother's house. She had been staying there since she could not handle being alone in the moment. She sat at her desk, ready to write Troy a letter. When she finished she read it through:

My dearest Troy

Right now life seems so unfair. You were one of the greatest guys I've ever met. You always had a smile on your face and you were always helpful to everyone around you. Only those of us very close to you knew when something was wrong. You always tried to smile your way through. I can't believe I'm not going to see that dashing smile, hear your voice, see the way you look at me or look into those lovely eyes ever again. It's just not to bear. We had our whole lives ahead of us and now it is taken away. I always imagined us growing old together, having children and grandchildren. That dream has now been shattered, all because someone was in too much hurry.

I don't know how I can continue my life without you, but I am going to try for you. I know you would want me to be happy and hopefully with time I will be. It is just so hard to understand why this should happen to you. I guess everything happens for a reason. Maybe someday I will find it, but right now I just can't. It is so unfair. I really need your strong arms around me as to say everything is going to be okay, but that is just not possible.

I'm sure you're in a better place now, even though it is without me. I'll join you sometime in the future. Until then just stay the amazing guy I knew and loved. See you in heaven

Your Gabriella

Gabriella was content. It was random and emotional, just like she wanted it to be. She planned to put it by his grave with her flowers at the funeral. She sat there thinking about all the things she wanted to experience with Troy, but never would be able to. How she could ever love someone else, she did not know. But she knew deep down that sometime in the future she would have to try.