Hey all! Thanks for comments, I love comments! Here's the new one…
Lost
Swirling darkness, like a tornado of night. That's all Troy could see as he was sucked down into the deep hole of black, black unforgivingness. The torrent of busy liquid surrounding him dragged his body down, down.
It would not give up, it would not rest. His mind was broken, his brain shut down. Down like the fall his body made, heavy like a winter leaf, dead of life.
Where was he now? Between heaven and hell? He could not tell. It was too dark. It was full of shadows. And light. He could see light.
But nothing. It was all gone before he could decipher the sound of the angels or what song she was singing. Was it even words, or symbols, signs and pictures? It was too confusing, he couldn't think straight.
He couldn't think of anything because it was all long, long ago. Deep and forgotten.
There was nothing.
/
"Hey, Troy!" Anthony called across the street to his friend, seeing him busy on his way around town with errands.
"Hey!" Troy grinned back, his boy-next-door looks transformed with a wide, easy grin that flashed white against his tanned skin. He spent most of his day out in the sun and he boasted a beautiful golden brown tan because of it.
"Where you been, man? I've been looking for you…" Anthony checked either side of the street for traffic before he crossed in a light jog, coming before Troy.
"I've been packing. Dude, I went for the job in Albuquerque and they took me on. I'm gonna be saving lives there now." Troy smiled proudly, his blue eyes shining with his achievement.
"Hey, Hasselhoff, you going down to Mexico coast without me?" Anthony looked shocked.
"Uh-huh…" Troy nodded boastfully, and then grasped his friend's shoulder. "You gonna come down and rock it up with me or what?"
"Ah, man, I can't," his friend looked sad. "Nina needs me home right now and the party days are over…"
"Oh my god…" Troy's eyes widened as he cottoned on to his friend's hidden message. "Is she…are you..?"
"I'm gonna be a daddy." Anthony confirmed.
"Aw man!" Troy immediately hugged his best friend hugely, slapping his back affectionately. "Daddy Ant!"
"You wanna come over for dinner, before you go?" Anthony checked as they stepped apart again.
"Dude, of course."
"How's tonight?"
"Perfect." Troy smiled, flipping his sun-bronzed hair from his face.
/
"Just perfect…" Gabi sighed as she heard the unmistakeable sound of her tights laddering as the buckle of her bag wedged into the fabric at her thigh whilst she climbed down the steps of the county bus.
"Great legs doll!" the driver called chauvinistically and she turned to sprout her middle finger up at him, clenching her teeth in the process.
"Asshole…" She muttered to herself as she smoothed down her green silk striped skirt and red top, her messy-curly hair arranged over her shoulders as she took a nervous breath. "Count to ten," she told herself before proceeding on her way.
The steps to the medical building announced its severity even though it wasn't an official place of healing. She'd been coming here the last three months, every day, as promised.
It wasn't entirely her idea. In fact, it wasn't her idea at all. She was doing this for the people who had told her to, begged her to and harangued her to. It didn't change anything. Nothing would. What was done was done and she wished people would stop staring at her funny already.
Even in here they gazed at her like she was some kind of rare exhibit in glass encased safety in a museum. She sure wished she felt safe like that. Right now, she was waiting for the glass to shatter and her moth rotten body to fall out and shatter, too.
All because of that one day. One day when she was so close to achieving her goal. It had been the ideal setting, the optimum time. There was nothing to stop her, no-one to see.
And then he had drowned. And everything had been ruined. Her life had been saved.
/
1
"Nina! You look beautiful…" Troy hugged the tiny, pale-skinned woman and noticed the gloss on her caramel hair and the pink tinge on her cheeks already from her good news.
"Troy, you didn't have to get these…" She admonished of the bunch of tulips she took from him as he kissed her cheek.
"Congratulations on being a mom." He smiled.
"When's your turn to be a daddy?" She asked with a brow arch.
"Me?" He returned, surprised at the question. "Ah, who knows…"
"You'd be a great dad." Nina added.
"Hey! Are you chatting up my buddy?" Anthony inserted teasingly, wrapping his arms around his fiancée from behind and kissing her neck.
"I'm just asking when he's going to get his skates on and settle down," Nina complained lightly.
"Hey, all the time in the world, buddy, right?" He said to Troy.
"I guess I haven't met the right girl yet…" He offered bemusedly.
"Troy is off to Mexico to find a wife." Anthony announced next, moving away again to the kitchen while Troy followed through with Nina.
"You got the job?" Her mouth fell open, and then she squealed and threw another hug on him. "Congratulations!"
"I know, it's gonna be awesome. The waves are legendary down there, I can surf and water ski and oh man, the women…" He beamed happily.
Nina rolled her eyes. "One day, Troy Bolton, you are gonna fall hard on your butt in love. And I for one am gonna laugh my ass off when you do…"
"Now why would you say a horrible thing like that…" He frowned.
"Because ever since your accident you have acted so corny and I know the real reason you haven't settled." She folded her arms with superiority, making him fidget awkwardly.
"And what reason would that be?" He asked nonchalantly, the sweat beading on his upper lip as his heart rate picked up.
"Because you're hoping to find her."
/
"Gabriella, how have you been since the last meeting?" Gavin asked, directing his intense brown gaze upon her own chocolatey orbs.
She shrugged. "Fine."
"No dark moments? No episodes, bad dreams or anger?" He pushed.
"I flipped the bird to the bus driver if that counts…" She remarked, causing a snigger amongst her peers.
"And why was that?"
"Because he was checking out my legs pretty much the same way you are right now." She lifted her dark, arched brows knowingly and pointed her toes, her leg muscles responding only to make her shapely legs more attractive.
Gavin cleared his throat while a stain of red rushed across his cheeks and drained quickly. "I see."
"Do I really have to keep coming?" She enquired, not for the first time. She just hoped they would get fed up of her asking and dismiss her.
"You know why you're here." Gavin stated in response.
"Right. I tried to kill myself. Funnily enough coming here every day is not convincing me I did the right thing by staying alive…"
"Gabriella, if you're feeling that way again you should check yourself back into the constant care ward…" Gavin offered sympathetically.
"God, no! It sends me more crazy being inside these walls…" She huffed and rolled her eyes around the room, folding her arms across her petite body. The body that caused so much interest.
"Wayne, how about you?" Gavin moved on and Gabi smirked derisively to herself. Fat lot of good it was doing being here. They couldn't stop her even if they wanted to, they wouldn't know how. They might talk up a good storm and pretend they were strong and willing role models but not one of the chumps who worked in this godforsaken hell would know what to do if she pulled out a gun right now and held it to her head.
As she sat there and mutely listened to the others whine on about their problems, she momentarily wondered if she should try it, just for a laugh. Her out-loud murmur of amusement caught a few looks until she snarled to cast them away.
Wouldn't it just be hilarious to call their bluff and scare a few of these wet drips? She sighed as she rolled her head back and starfished in her chair, hanging off the wooden frame in utter boredom. If only she had half the chance. Only she knew they would lock her up again and she had already sworn she would not go back there.
No way, no how.
"I can see your knickers." Freddie, the blonde Amazonian OCD sufferer announced to Gabi as she opened her mouth to catch flies, too.
"Oh, good. I remembered to put them on."
"Gabriella…" Gavin sounded more and more like her absent father every day. Gabriella do this. Gabriella don't say that…yawn yawn yawn.
"What?" She sat up, agitated.
"At least have the decency to sit like a human being, if not a lady." He reprimanded.
"Man almighty you drive me insane in here…" She muttered.
"Already that," Mike chipped in. "I for one am sorry your knickers are no longer on show…"
Gabi laughed at him and stood up, looking around. "I'm outta here."
"Wait…" Gavin requested as she confidently strode away, no care in the world to the words thrown after her.
"When will she ever learn?" She mouthed right in sync with Gavin's exasperation.
/
Troy placed his belongings haphazardly into the many suitcases, boxes and other receptacles he had begged, stolen and borrowed for his move. He sure had a lot of stuff; he mused as he pressed his lips in and flashed his dimple to the empty room.
Nina's words came back to agitate him as he methodically grabbed items then placed them into the holdalls, letting his mind wander on her accusation.
She was right, to an extent. He was obsessed with finding the girl who had saved his life that day. After he drowned, he almost didn't go back into the water but his lifeguarding duty had won out; his utter being governed by helping those in need.
But that day, whatever had gone wrong- he still didn't know- had put him in a vulnerable place and he never expected to come out alive. So when he had woken in the hospital- apparently days later- with no idea of who he was or where he'd been, he'd been understandably rocked to the core by his escape.
And he was told, by the nurse, that a young girl had saved him. Nobody knew what she looked like, what her name was or where she was now. All they knew was that she had singlehandedly saved his butt. And yeah, he was finding it hard to let go of that thought.
He at least wanted to say thank you.
But he hadn't found her. How could he? He had nothing to go on. The ambulance driver had told him she'd bolted as soon as he'd arrived on the scene and all he could recall was the sight of a petite, dark haired girl in her underwear, fleeing down the beach.
Troy smirked at the image. Why was she in her underwear? Why had she run away like that? Why hadn't she waited to see if he would live or die, or had she already known he was safe? Why hadn't she given him the chance to pay her back in kind, give her whatever she wanted for rescuing him that day?
He sighed. The questions were endless and unanswered and always would be. He had to face facts, he was never going to find out who his saviour was and Nina was right, he had to move on. Maybe Albuquerque would offer the comfort he was seeking. Maybe he would be able to shake off the demons of that day once and for all and move on with his life- the one that felt so precious now that he had almost lost it.
"Mexico here I come…" He murmured softly to himself, zipping up his first full bag and laying it on the floor softly. "I'm gonna miss this place."
"Martha…hellooooo…are you home?" Gabi called to her flat-mate, not fully coming into the space just yet until she was sure it was safe.
"Martha!" She shouted this time, her lips pouted as she waited again. "No-one home, thank god…" She murmured as she came inside finally and flounced onto her bed, lighting the marijuana-filled rizla she was holding and then closing her door behind her and opening the window.
She relaxed back on her bed and smiled as the familiar buzz laced through her veins, warming her body and easing her mind.
"This is life." She decided, taking another long draw on her addictive cigarette.
Thump. The front door closed heavily and Gabi rolled her eyes in annoyance as she waited for the inevitable next action.
"Gabi?" Martha banged on her door. "Are you in there? I know you are! I can smell your weed out here!" The plump, chestnut haired girl shouted loudly, ruining Gabi's high.
"I'm smoking a cigarette!" She lied back nonchalantly.
"Gabi, I told you I would kick you out if you ever brought that stuff in here again!" Martha warned.
"Then kick me out." She said flatly, despondent now that her moment of bliss was ruined. She smiled as she stubbed out the burning joint, at least saving some for later when she wouldn't be interrupted.
"Fine. You have until tomorrow night. I want you out Gabi. I mean it." The voice on the other side of her door wasn't joking. Gabi got up from her bed, her arms and legs fluid with the effect of her drug.
"You want me to live on the streets as well as everything else?" She wondered, trying to guilt the girl who had been so good to her this far.
"I told you I would throw you out if you ever brought drugs in here…" Martha hard-lined.
"It's a bit of weed! I'm not selling Ecstasy to five year olds!" Gabi argued.
"Gabi you need to wake up and smell the coffee. You've been sat in here for two months, dossing off your friends and smoking weed! I thought you said once you got out of Goldmore that you would sort yourself out?" She beseeched.
Gabi shrugged, her brown eyes like glass marbles, no infliction in her voice. "I lied."
Martha shook her head. "I thought this was the best thing to do, you know? I honestly thought if you were out of there that you would smarten up. God, Gabi, you were begging us to get you out…"
"I need more time." Gabi stated more than pleaded, not convincing her friend.
"Time for what? Go get a job and then we'll talk. I meant what I said. I want you out by tomorrow." She added.
"And what job am I meant to do exactly?" Gabi threw back, anger coursing through her at this ultimatum. "I have no skills, no career, I'm useless."
"You were a great nurse and you could be again if you just did that course I showed you and got your qualification back." Martha suggested.
"Oh please…" Gabi rolled her eyes at the often-repeated sentence her friend uttered. "You know what, you're right. I need to move out."
She went back inside her room and pulled down her suitcase- the one she had packed all her stuff into when she had gone into Goldmore Psychotherapy Institution. She should still be able to fit all of her belongings in there.
"Gabi…" Martha paused at her door, not wanting to retract her words but worried at her friend's quickness to leave.
"What?" She snapped, looking up, her brown eyes hard and unemotional.
"I…" Martha paused with a swallow. "I am sorry for what happened but you have to move on sometime."
Gabi stiffened at even the mere mention of the incident that had brought her here. The same one that had put her in Goldmore. And the same one that had caused her to walk into the sea in only her underwear, intending to finish the mess in her head once and for all.
"Fuck," She cursed under her breath, now alone, as she blamed the lifeguard again for ruining her plan. Weren't lifeguards meant to be able to swim? Wasn't that the whole point?
Then why did he have to drown at that moment? Why did he have to be in her patch of sea? Why was he even out there for god's sake? Nothing made any sense. And it never would, because she was never going to see him again. But when she had sung to him to bring him from his deep, dark slumber, her song being the only way she could communicate at that second knowing that words would make her cry, he had opened his blue-blue eyes and looked right at her, catching her song in her throat.
She would never forget his face, no matter how hard she tried and it haunted her almost as much as the images that drove her there that day. She would never forget the man she had saved and ultimately, who had saved her, against her wishes.
And as she picked up her heavy suitcase and headed for the front door, she wondered now why he had bothered. She didn't live now. She just existed. Nobody cared if she was here or not, she didn't matter to anyone. As she turned the door lock, she heard Martha's distraught calling of her name.
"Too late little miss boring," She muttered unkindly. "I have other places to be."