Co-Parenting
August 4th, 2012
Gabriella bounced in excitement as she made her way into the five year reunion of East High. Though she's sees her closest five friends on a daily basis, with the exception of Ryan and Kelsi who were off in New York. She was excited to see how everyone else was doing. She walked up to the front desk and cleared her throat, catching the attention of a former classmate who was working the table.
"This is the East High Reunion, class of 2007." The girl she recognized as Martha said.
"Yes, I know." Gabriella said slowly. "I'm Gabriella Montez."
She gasped, standing up quickly. "No!"
Gabriella nodded. "How have you been Martha?" She asked with a grin.
"Look at you! Wow." Martha said taking her in. "You've changed so much!"
She frowned. She didn't think she changed that much. She got contacts, her braces were off a week before graduation. They had taken them off for a day to take her senior picture but they were put back on. She lost a good thirty pounds becoming a gym junkie the day she bought her first membership. She didn't need to technically lose weight but she wanted to be in shape.
"I didn't change that much." She said with a slight frown. She rubbed her lips together, something she'd do when she was uncomfortable.
Martha wrote her name down and handed her the name tag. She clipped it onto her purple cocktail dress and started walking away from the table. She pushed her dark curls to the front of her shoulders and held her head up high.
Maybe she had changed. The girl that once lurked the halls of East High had about the fifth of the confidence this Gabriella had. The attention from guys had broken her out of her shell. She didn't have to be the freaky math girl. She could just be a girl, a friend and a lover. She wore a proud smile of the person who she'd become. She was on her way to doing amazing things and she wouldn't let anybody hold her back.
She spent the last four years at the University of Albuquerque with her friends by choice. Her parents weren't so happy but she always made her own decisions. Now she lived in California, joining Taylor at Stanford, Zeke went to a culinary school in San Francisco, Troy was at Cal state in Berkeley. Chad was at Cal State East Bay while Sharpay was at the Art institute for Fashion Design.
They had always been inseparable since kindergarten. We all lived on the same court. Sharpay and Ryan's house was at the end of the court, Kelsi's then Chad's. Gabriella's and Troy Bolton's were in the middle followed by Zeke and Taylor's. They were like siblings, if you messed with one then you messed with all. Except they weren't siblings. Sharpay had been sleeping with Zeke since Sophomore year. Gabriella dated Ryan Evans for six months. Chad was her first kiss and Troy Bolton took her virginity. Now Sharpay and Zeke were engaged to be married. Taylor and Chad were together. Ryan and Kelsi just broke up and were seeing other people. Gabriella was currently single but wasn't looking for anything serious. Troy dated here and there but nothing serious crossed his path as well.
"Gabriella!" She heard a sharp squeal and there was only one person that could be.
"Sharpay!" She said laughing, watching her best friend shuffle over to her. She had just seen her the night before. Sharpay's thin arms wrapped around Gabriella's petite yet perfectly sculpted body.
"Did you get a boob job?" Sharpay asked, placing her hands on Gabriella's chest.
Gabriella threw her head back, laughing. She could only imagine the looks they were getting but this was normal for her. "I found Victoria's Secret." Gabriella smirked, peeling her friends hands off her chest. "Is everybody here?"
"Troy isn't here yet but he's late for everything." Sharpay said, waving her hand. "I saved you a seat." She curled her hand into Gabriella's and pulled her along to the table with her friends.
"Ry Ry!" Gabriella cried, throwing her arms around the blonde boy. "I missed you so much, how's New York? Tell me everything!"
Ryan chuckled. "Of course, we have to catch up."
"Gabi! You look fabulous." Kelsi said, wrapping her arms around the brunette.
"Look at you! I love your hair, I'm so glad you kept growing it out." Gabi said, reaching out to touch her soft auburn curls. Kelsi was gorgeous. She had natural beauty; she had perfect porcelain skin and her natural hair was just the prettiest red. Gabriella always wished she could look as good as she did without even trying.
"Hello beautiful." Chad said, leaning up to kiss Gabriella's cheek. "About time you got here. I was about to think Bolton beat you here."
"Yeah right." Gabriella countered, taking the empty seat behind Taylor. "Hey." Gabriella said breathlessly.
"I got you a glass of wine." Taylor said pushing over the glass of red.
"Thank you dearly." She picked up her glass, taking a long sip. She put it down as a well dressed man approached their table inconspicuously. He slid in the seat beside Gabriella. "Wow, you clean up nice Bolton."
"Martha practically attacked me at the sign in table." Troy grumbled, stealing the girls glass of wine and swallowing the rest in one big gulp. "It's going to be one of those nights. Can you get me another glass of wine, Gabi?"
Gabriella laughed, smoothing down the back of his hair. "Sure thing. You better hide though. Nicole Kenter is making her way over here."
"You know what? I'll just go with you." He said, straightening his tie as he got up. His hand was placed on her waist as they approached the bar area. "Two glasses of red, please." Troy moved her curls from her shoulder and smiled down at her. "You are looking so hot Gab."
"In your dreams Bolton." Gabriella murmured.
"What?" Troy tried to feint innocence but his thoughts were the opposite of innocent. He sent her a wink that sent chills down her spine. She kept a straight face as she took the glass from the bar.
"You should be nice to me. I'm protecting you from all the college drop outs." Gabriella said with a small smirk. Troy took the other glass and slid his hand down her waist to her behind. He gave her round backside a nice squeeze. Her arm reacted with a soft punch to his stomach. "Keep your hands off my ass."
"You won't be saying that later." Troy whispered against her ear as they headed back to the table they were sitting at.
"There's Bolton!" Chad called, getting up to greet his friend.
Gabriella made her way back to her seat, taking a sip as she turned to Taylor. "When is this thing over?"
"Don't be grumpy." Taylor warned. "We have to listen to a couple speeches, watch a little film and reminisce about our glory days."
Gabi snorted. "More like Bolton's Glory days."
"Heard that Montez!" Troy said pointing over to her. She just rolled her eyes, ignoring her best friends usual cocky behavior. She loved him to death because he wasn't an ass all the time. Troy Bolton had his moments. His most real moment was after they had sex for the first time. It was a couple days before graduation. It was awkward but they claimed to have 'gotten it over with' before college. It meant as much to her as it did to him.
She never fawned over Troy Bolton. She didn't think much of herself back then. He swore up and down he wasn't just trying to take advantage of her. Their relationship had always been complicated. They were like Ross and Rachel from FRIENDS. Their feelings always off and on- never synching to the same feeling at the same time. It always seemed to work out though.
They'd slept together a couple times after the first time. It got better each time. Some were drunken mistakes, others were just helping out a friend after a bad break up and others were just pure boredom. Gabriella often thought back to their first time after they had done it or at some of Troy's cockiest moments. He held her in his arms and they had a serious conversation.
They talked about everything. They started off about her parents- how they seemed so in love after 20 years. It suddenly turned over to Troy's family. His parents had recently split due to his father coming out of the closet. His mother moving out and his father's boyfriend moving in. It was a hard time for Troy but he was accepting of his father and Mark, his now step-father. Then when the conversation had turned to college they shared their fears of growing up and moving on. They didn't want any of them to drift apart. They were a unit, a family, a puzzle with each person fitting with each other like puzzle pieces.
"Gabriella, are you listening to me?" Taylor asked, snapping Gabriella out of the other world she was in.
Gabriella frowned slightly, glancing at her friend. "Sorry, got lost for a minute."
"I see that." Taylor replied dryly. "Take two sips of wine and you're off in la la land."
Gabriella let out a giggle, taking another sip of her wine. The room got settled down and Troy took his spot next to Gabriella. His warm hand rested on her knee. It looked like Troy had some plans he didn't quite share with her. Martha came up to the microphone.
Taylor was in the middle of finals when she was approached about the five year reunion. She passed the planning off to Martha, yet keeping in contact and sharing the decision making. When it came down to it Martha had planned most of it with Taylor's approval. She let Martha take the reigns at the little meeting they had a couple weeks prior. Taylor loved her school and loved her class but she had more important things to worry about then a reunion and Martha was more than happy to do it.
"Welcome back East High Wildcats! Class of 2007. It's been a short five years and it's so great seeing all the familiar faces. Some people you can't even recognize like Gabriella Montez, girl you look so hot." Gabriella's cheeks turned a bright red and Troy squeezed her knee. "And some people look the exact same as they did in high school, Chad Danforth." Everybody let out a small chuckle. "We went though a lot the four years we walked the halls of East High, we're going to go back, all the way to freshman year and relive it all again."
A white sheet fell behind her and a projector was turned on in the middle of the ballroom everybody was in. Gabriella sat back, looking at her friends. Troy's hand moved from her knee to around her shoulder. He leaned over and whispered into her ear. "Can I come over tonight?"
Gabi looked over at him a little surprised. "My mom will be home and you're staying fifty feet away from me." She whispered back to him.
"I'll sneak in." He said, leaning in closer the tip of his nose touching hers. "Your mom won't even notice I'm there. Keep your balcony doors unlocked."
She sighed, moving her face away from his. She nodded briefly as she turned to look at the screen. The little slide show started and she felt herself getting sucked back into high school. Freshman year was hard being in a new school and trying to find yourself. Her friends were always there if she needed anything. As for sophomore year she get comfortable, setting into the clubs and the AP and Honors courses she was enrolled in. Junior year was her toughest, she was prepping for college and applying for jobs and trying to just survive high school. Senior year was the most fun. She felt a little care free and a little terrified. She was enjoying being with her friends in the building they felt was like their home.
A picture of senior prom popped up. It was Troy and Gabriella dancing with her head on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her waist. They had gone as a friend group with the exception of the couples. She danced a little with her friends but that was her first and last slow dance with a boy.
"We danced at prom?" Troy asked quietly in her ear as the picture faded into another.
She nodded slowly. "Yeah, you were a little drunk from the spiked punch. You asked me to dance though." She shared quietly. "We were cute."
He gave her one of his infamous half smiles. He always had brilliant facial expressions, they showed each of his emotions at face value. Troy was an open book, unlike her. "We still are cute." He said, kissing her ear earning another smack. He knew it wouldn't be the first or the last of the day.
"So girls are two and six months. They are so beautiful. Little Cindy is the oldest and Erin is the baby. Just look at them!" Kelly Overman, well now Kelly Johnson shared with Gabriella. She showed her a picture of two little girls on her phone.
"They're cute." Gabriella said with a forced smile. She didn't know how she got stuck talking to Kelly Overman. Kelly was a cheerleader and Gabi wasn't particularly friends with them in high school. She looked for anyone to save her.
"There you are!" Kelsi said walking up to her. Gabriella sent her a thankful smile. "Troy was looking for you."
"Troy Bolton's here!?" Kelly asked, a little too excited for a married woman. "God, does he look as good as he did in high school?"
Gabi blinked, feeling a tug on her hand. "Bye." She said without answering her questions. Kelsi pulled her along to Ryan. "Thank you, so much."
"Ryan saw you, thought you could use some saving." Kelsi said nudging her ex-boyfriend.
"How are you guys?" Gabriella asked softly. Their break up was a surprise to Gabriella especially. She thought they had the real deal.
"We have our days." Ryan said with a sad smile. "But we're best friends and nothing is going to change that." He hugged his arm around Kelsi's neck. "New York takes a lot out of you. How's California? How's Stanford?"
Gabriella smiled brightly. "I love it. Everything there just makes me so happy. I love my classes, I love our house, even if I'm sharing a bathroom with Bolton." Kelsi giggled slightly. "It's wonderful. I just wish you guys were there too." I said with a small pout.
"I don't think you can fit two more people into that house." Ryan chuckled.
"Bolton's big head barely fits into it."
"Talking about me again, I see." Troy's voice said softly in Gabriella's ear. She flinched when he put his hands on her hips. She reached back and smacked him unknowingly close to his family jewels. He gasped, scooting back. "That was close."
Gabriella turned around. "What did I tell you about scaring me Bolton?"
Troy sighed, putting his arm around Gabriella's shoulder. "Bolton, don't scare me. Were your exact words, I believe."
"You are such a smart ass." Gabriella muttered taking his arm from his shoulder. His hand slid down her back to her butt. "Troy, knock it off."
"Come here, come with me." Troy said quietly towards her. He took her hand and dragged her away from the ball room into the quiet hallway.
"Why are you being all perverted today?" Gabriella asked as she leaned against a wall between two pillars. "I already said you can come over tonight."
Troy sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. These girls are watching me and I kind of told a couple of them that we were together."
Gabriella's eyes widened. "What? Why did you go and do that?"
"Because they were all over me."
"Well you should have told me first." Gabriella crossed her arms. They studied each other for a moment. "I could have been just telling people stories until listening to them. Okay, what have you told people so far?"
Troy looked at the brunette, surprised. This is why he loved his best friend. She'd go along with anything he'd tell her. It got him our of a lot of shit. His smile grew. "Not much. We've been dating for a couple weeks now."
Gabriella licked her lips. "Okay, if people ask from now on. You asked me out at the beach, we're still adjusting to being in a relationship but we're very happy."
"Do I get a kiss?" He asked with a smirk.
"Only if your good… and you should tell everybody else."
"Come on, just one kiss in front of everyone."
"Fine."
"This means I get to touch your butt whenever I want."
"Don't push it Bolton."
Troy just grinned, sliding his hand in hers and walking with her back into the ballroom. There was now music playing. He knew she wasn't a big fan of dancing but he lead her out to the dance floor anyway. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Gabriella reluctantly wrapped her arms around his neck. Gabriella was looking off in the distance, rubbing her lips together. Troy watched her and frowned. He released his breath when she laid her head against his shoulder.
He kept his hands above her waist, stroking the small of her back outside of her cocktail dress. She looked simply beautiful. She was always beautiful to him, even with a mouthful of braces and big glasses that took up her face. Troy knew that whoever ended up marring her would be the luckiest guy in the world. She had it all. She was beautiful and smart and she had the biggest heart.
The first time Troy had really saw her in a different light was in the fourth grade. It was a week before valentines day. His mom was asking him all these questions about what he wanted to get his friends. He picked out special cards for each one of his friends and some generic ones for the rest of the class. He handed them out personally. Troy knew that Gabriella was obsessed with Minnie Mouse so he bought her a box of chocolates with Minnie Mouse on it. She kissed his cheek and he fell hard.
It was always the simplest things that attracted him to her. The way she rubbed her lips together when she was nervous or uncomfortable. It was the way she stayed up with him when his parents marriage started to fall apart. It was the way she'd let him sneak in her balcony and let him stay and helped with his homework. She was a godsend to him, an angel on earth and all he'd been was an ass to her.
Gabriella stood up straight and watched him frown. She wondered what he was thinking about. He was obviously not pleased with his thoughts. She brushed her fingers though the back of his hair. He jerked slightly, his eyes finding hers. "Lost you for a second Bolton."
He gave her a half smirk. "Just reliving the wonder years."
She laughed slightly. "What was that? Senior year?"
"Fourth grade." He said with a shrug.
"Nothing happened in the forth grade. Well other than the fact that Chad gave you a black eye for cutting a curl off his head." Troy suddenly chuckled. "What?" Gabriella asked with a smile.
Troy shook his head with a small smile on his face. "We've been through a lot."
"We all have."
"I was in love with you in fourth grade. I made my mom spend like ten bucks on that Minnie Mouse valentine I got you." She smiled at him. "You were the most beautiful fourth grader." She threw her head back laughing. "That came out wrong."
"You were pretty cute too, you know? Until the frosted tips."
Troy groaned while Gabriella burst into another fit of giggles. "It was the thing to do back then!"
She just shook her head, grasping the back of his neck. She just had to kiss him. She placed her lips on his familiar ones. He pulled her petit body closer to his, placing soft kisses against her lips. Something changed within Gabriella. She suddenly couldn't wait for tonight, wondering what was in store.
He pulled his lips away from hers after their last, final kiss. He licked his lips quickly. "You still got it, Montez."
She tilted her head, confused. "Still got what?" She asked softly.
"You still manage to take my breath away." He placed a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Gabriella didn't know what to say. She still didn't know what to say when they parted ways on the dance floor, she found her wine and finished the rest of it. Her friends were looking at her weird but all she could think about was him, his words, and his lips. She quickly went to the bathroom with Taylor and shook out of whatever weird trance that she was in.
Gabriella didn't see Troy for the rest of the night, not that she was looking or anything. As the group got smaller she decided it was best that she went as well. Taylor called her a cab and walked her out. She did have a couple glasses of wine. Taylor promised to pick her up tomorrow morning to get her car. She paid the driver and walked inside. She figured her parents were sleeping already so she headed up the stairs. I opened the door to my room and closed it quietly. She unzipped the dress and let it fall to the floor.
"You should have worn that to the reunion." A warm voice said from the other side of the room.
She jumped about ten feet, too shocked to even scream. "Troy, I swear to God." She said breathlessly, pressing her hand to her chest to calm her pounding.
Troy chuckled whole heartedly, putting his arms behind his head as he relaxed on her childhood bed. "I've been here for like a half hour, where have you been?"
"I was reuniting with all the people I didn't talk to during high school." She said with short laugh. She walked over to the bed and laid next to him. He gave me a small kiss on my lips. "So are we having sex now or later?"
Troy laughed at her bluntness. "What kind of man do you take me for?"
"A perverted… arrogant… cocky…" He shut her up with a kiss. She couldn't help but giggle, leaning against him. "You've always been alright in my book, Bolton."
"I know." He said softly. "Why do you think I can get away with so much?"
"Because I've known you since we were kids. We grew up together. We went through a lot. We're going to go through a lot more when we get careers and get married and have kids. You'll be Uncle Bolton."
"Or Daddy." He said with a smirk.
She glared at him. "You wouldn't want to marry me anyhow. We're too different."
"Nah, we'd be fine."
"What are you trying to say, Bolton?" He shrugged noncommittally. "Anyway, we have a lot more things to go through."
"Gab."
"Yeah?"
"Stop talking about the future, you're bumming me out."
"Sorry." Gabriella said with an innocent smile. She wrapped her leg around his waist. She sat up in his lap, tossing her dark curls back. "What?" She asked as he stared up at her.
Troy shook his head, licking his lips. "You're just so beautiful." She leaned down, pressing her chest against his.
She placed a chaste kiss against his lips. "You're sweet when you want to be Bolton."
"Oh baby, I can be real sweet." He said, covering her mouth with his, rolling on top of her.
This is my new story guys. I know I don't really do third person but I wanted to Try soemting new. I hope ya'll like it and want more. I'm debating on making it M-rated in the future. For now it's T though. I guess you can see the dynamic between the two. This is just how the story begins. The next chapter will take place after a couple of weeks. Dunno how long this story will be cause i'm currently still writing it. Seriously though, let me know what you think. Don't forget to review.