Title: Don't Leave
Rating: M, just for safety in upcoming chapters.
Summary: Troy and Gabriella were the perfect couple, deeply in life-changing love. As graduation approaches, change and heartbreak looms in the future. And as life-shattering decisions are made impulsivly, decisions that cannot quickly be taken back, Troy and Gabriella face the impossible: seperation. And that is only the beginning of their tragic love story.
A/N: I know right now you're most likely gonna skip over this little paragraph, probably about to check out the beginning of my story to see if it is any good or if I'm just another mindless wanna-be writer. But for the select few of you that actually care what I'm about to say for some reason I cannot fathom, allow me to introduce myself.
For those of you that aren't familiar with my work, my name is Kiwi (a nickname) and my screen name is dontcatchme, as you probably already gathered. Yada yada yada, actually, most of this type of stuff can be found on my page, so check there if you would like to know more about me, which is unlikely.
I know I'm not a well known writer here, only publishing four stories so far, and I know for a fact that there are lots - and I mean LOTS - of other well known writers with AMAZING stories on here that you would probably enjoy more. No doubt you would. And if you click out of this page now, truthfully, I wouldn't blame you. Really, I wouldn't. But what I'm gonna ask, and I hope this doesn't come off as needy or anything, is that you don't. You probably don't care what I want, but it would really mean the world to me if you do by a twisted streek of fate read my story. It'd probably make my day.
Ok, with that said, let me cut to the chase and stop jabbing your ear off.
And without any further introduction ( thankfully for you! ) here is, Don't Leave.
"I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you,
And all the lonliness I would go through,
But if you wanna leave I won't stop you,
'Cause I don't want you if you don't want me,
To be the one, the only one, you wanna run to,
Baby boy you know I've just begun to
Realize what's important to me
So don't leave, don't leave." -
Don't Leave, Vanessa Hudgens
Need.
Not just want, like a physical, matirialistic want, but a need. A nessecity. Somthing that you crave, something that you need to breathe properly, something so precious that without it, you feel incomplete, weak. And when you don't get that specific item, the world might as well crash and burn around you.
And Troy Bolton certainly needed her at that moment.
He needed to hold her, to kiss her, to rub his hand over her delicate and soft skin. He needed to look into her gorgeous chocolate orbs and be absorbed in them to the point where he forgot everything that was going on in his life.
But unfortunately she was not present.
Troy fought very hard to hold in the liquid that wanted to fall from his eyes and ignored the pain that surfaced in his chest at that thought.
He looked up, staring at the mundane ceiling that lacked color. He closed his eyes tight and took a deep, calming breath. His body shook from it, and he almost lost control of his tears. But he was a Bolton, a MAN, and that didn't happen to him. He never acted in a vulnerable or exposed way. It just wasn't in his -correction- it wasn't supposed to be in his blood. But often Troy found himself dealing with sadness and hurt, that only one perfect girl could fix... that only one girl could him and make it all better... one girl...
Which brings us back to the fact that she, is not here.
Troy Bolton was the youngest in his family, therefore more of the 'being a man' burden was left to collapse on his shoulders. He was the youngest, directly below the oldest, meaning that he was alive to prove the whole 'youngest the baby' theory a lie. You may think the fearless job may fall more on the elder child, but not in this case.
Nope, no such luck for Troy Bolton.
He closed his eyes tight at the thought. He could be strong and brave, that wasn't a problem. He had been through all of his short, uneventful life. When you were a Bolton, you weren't allowed not to be. But there was one thing, the thing that was expected of him the most, that he just could not fulfill.
He could not join the army.
He just couldn't. Could not. He knew it was a family "tradition" for each young Bolton to fight in their generation's war, but he just could not bring himself to go through with it, and finally sign up for the dreaded duty. For a short while, Troy had had the excuse of being too young, but now the good ole days of excuses and happiness were over.
His time was up.
His internal timer had been ticking faster and faster lately, till it hit the big one-eight. Now that it had hit that ghastly number, Troy's father had been delighted and Troy himself, depressed. For the last several weeks, or since his eighteenth birthday had come and gone, Troy had been crestfallen. His magnificent cerulean eyes never held any happiness anymore, they were just a melancholy pit of darkness. Besides, of course, the one exception... But he could not think of THAT right now. Not when he was already so close to the edge of emotion.
No one understood why he had been so gloomy lately, except for the very few people close to him. But there was just so much going through his mind! How was he going to tell his father he was not going to join the army? How would his father react? Sure, he'd mentioned it to him thousands of times in the past during bouts of anger, but he was almost completely positive that his dad did not take him seriously then.
He would soon enough though.
He had to, since Troy's high school graduation was tomorrow, and Troy knew that now that school was over, he was expected to sign up any day now. He knew for certain his father was counting the days with giddiness.
What a shock it would be to his fathers system when Troy never made an effort to sign up.
He was confident that there would be countless fights, like before, but unlike before they would be much more aggressive and probably harsher. He knew that his family members would be put in the middle, and while that was unfortunate and not something Troy nessecerily wanted, he knew it was inevitable. He knew that his father would most likely hate his guts, but Troy could live with that -at least he was pretty sure he could.
It had always drove him crazy, the tension between him and his father. But after a while, Troy had gotten used to it. Just like a huge hole in your T-shirt. You didn't like it, but you learned to deal with it until the time came to take it off or throw it away.
And that's exactly what Troy was doing now. He was 'taking his father off', so to speak. He was ridding himself of the problems and complications. For the time being, at least. His father couldn't hate him forever, right?
Troy gulped hard as worry and stress built in his stomach. He didn't know if that was true, and it frightened the hell out of him.
Troy figured he should not be worrying and concering himself with such things right now, but he couldn't help himself. He guessed he should've been enjoying his last night as a kid in high school, and not thinking of the agony and frustration tomorrow was sure to bring. Not think of the extensive blow-out that he was certain he and his father would exchange. Not think of his brother, who always had the spotlight and never included Troy in his glory. Not think about his poor and burdened mother, would had had to struggle for the past five or six years with Troy and his father's fighting and try unsuccessfully not to take sides. Not think of his supportive friends, who were there for him through a lot of crap, most caused by his father, even though few of them knew the truth about his feelings toward war. Not think about his one true love who was more important to him that anything... who he had unselfishly sacrificed him and his father's relationship for... who he wanted so desperately to see right then...
Scratch that. He could think about her all he wanted.
How could his father ever even think that he would be capable of leaving her? Was he insane? She was his life! Without her, he didn't know how he would have survived the last three emotionally shaky years. His father's constant pressure and his brother's never-ending failures in life that set the worst example would have been way too much for Troy to handle alone. Luckily he had the support of an amazing girl, which made his life not perfect, but bearable.
Troy sighed, the anger at his father building into a tower of hate in his stomach and showing up as hot tears in his eyes.
But he would not let them fall. He would not. He was a Bolton, damn it! They never did this. He wasn't breed from infancy to being like this, tender and affectionate.
He stared down at his white and red colored bedspread, his eyes seeing it but not truly realizing it. He shifted uncomfortably in his bed, so his right hand now supported the weight of his walnut shag. He tried to no success to block out his thoughts. He was even having trouble blocking out the most heartachingly poisonous thing of all... her name.
Yes, Troy was playing what he called 'The No-Name' game. It was the easiest antidote for mending his broken heart after heated discussions with his dad, without actually feeling the pain of not being with his goddess.
You see, it was easier on his bleeding heart to just not think her name at all. Or say it aloud. After fighting with his father, he almost always can't think or breathe at all -it hurt too much. The anger that filled him always contracted around his heart and turned into sadness. So he most definitely could not think of her, and especially not her angelic name. That would only increase the heartache he felt, which was something he could not deal with. Certainly not in the vulnerable state he was in after one of their fights -much like how he was presently.
Therefore he needed to not think of her name... he needed to not process it... he needed to not contemplate it...
But devastatingly for him, her name was already bubbling in his mind... like a giant bomb waiting to explode, and then hit his heart with an atomic boom that would make it break into tiny, little pieces. Yes, her name was on the tip of his tongue... he was fighting the urge to think it, but he knew that it was bound to happen anyways. Might as well just spill it, he thought to himself.
Gabriella.
There. He had thought the taboo word. And now there was no way to escape the icy burn at his heart or the extra liquid that magically appeared in his eyes as if on cue.
He decided that he without question needed her. He needed to talk to her, at least. Especially right at that moment, when he was so confused and stirred. Gabriella always had a way of calming him down and soothing him. Her chocolate brown, gorgeous eyes could basically do it for him, but her soft, sweet voice telling him it was alright was just icing on the cake.
He sat up and his large tanned hands reached for the phone. But right when he was about to grab it, he hesitated. Did he really want to just talk to her? No. His melting heart needed to see her in person.
His cerulean eyes looked back and forth, as if checking if the coast was clear. Of course it was, he was banished to the confines of his room for the entire night, and no one would think to check on him. He grinned and his heart skipped a few beats... yes, just thinking about seeing her made him do that. But he couldn't help it...
Love is love.
He smiled to himself, knowing that his fights with his dad had their advantages... particularly undetected time with Gabriella. He jumped off his bed with new found excitment, an added adrenaline rushing through his veins at the thought of being near Gabriella... alone. Her mother, of course, would not be present. Gabriella's mother never was. In fact, Troy had only met her on certain occasions, for she was always traveling for her work and such, never really having enough time to spend with her daughters.
Yes, it was a truly sad and unfortunate thing, but at that moment Troy was glad the house was going to be unoccupied.... Did that make him selfish? Maybe so. Troy already knew he was a selfish person; he was selfish when it came to spending time with Gabriella.
So, with his mission in mind, he went to his bedroom window, opening it wide enough for him to fit through and shoved himself out. His house was a two story but Troy had the only bedroom one the first story while his parents occupied the only one on the second story. His older brother, Henry, lived in the basement.
Once hitting the cold, wet grass of his pampered lawn he balanced himself out and started off for Gabriella's house, which was exactly two miles away. Though the distance didn't matter to Troy. It could have been across the Atlantic ocean, and he still would have hitched a ride on an exporting boat or traveling shark. Whichever was faster. The distance didn't matter when he was getting something so good and wonderful in return.
Once off his parents property and in full safety zone, Troy began to sprint. He was a fit kid, and always had been, mostly because of basketball and the fact that Troy's father is the basketball coach at his high school. Therefore Troy was practically forced into that as well. However, he actually enjoyed basketball, it was a release for him. Whenever something stressful went on at school or at home, especially lately with his father pushing him harder and harder to join the military, he could always devote all his negative feelings into basketball, and things would eventually get set in perspective in Troy's mind and he could think straight. Gabriella could have that affect on him too, but in a whole different way.
His heart pounded ferociously against his stone chest as he gained speed and bounded down the sidewalk, passing house after house. In the darkness of the night it was hard to see, even with his cerulean eyes squinting fiercely. Soon though, he came upon the highway intersection that was located near his neighborhood. Okay, he thought as he stopped and heaved a sigh of exhaustion -thank god he was in shape. One mile down, one to go. He already felt a special dizziness in his heart at the thought of seeing his lover.
Troy stood there for a few seconds, his angelic chest breathing heavily, his heart pulsating at what seemed a thousand beats per minute. He waited for the intersection light to turn red, and the few cars that were on the street at this time of night stopped, and waited patiently for Troy to pass.
He dashed across the street, his breathing ragged. He knew he should stop to catch his breath but he didn't give a damn. Gabriella was only a mile away, he couldn't slow down now.
Finally, after what seemed like ages to Troy, he reached Gabriella's neighborhood. She was just a street away. Well, six houses to be exact.
He felt his heart flutter at the mere thought as it spun through his mind.
He jogged down the sidewalk, the thump of his Vans echoing powerfully in the extremely silent neighborhood. He eyed the houses with slight curiosity. What kind of neighborhood was completely silent like this? It was almost a little frightening. Sure, his neighborhood was nice and quiet, but it still wasn't silent! Even at the late hours of the night, you could still hear the gentle whisper of the wind passing through the trees and the curious and ravenous raccoons digging with their sharp nails through the trash cans.
A few minutes later, Troy came upon the sight he had been dying to see.
Gabriella's house.
The beautiful brick house was almost castle like in its elegance. The entry way to this gorgeous creation was lined with yellow lilies and daisy's, adding a special summer touch. The cement walkway was like stepping into another world-a world where his love lived. He tiptoed quietly up the pathway to the front door, as if the very sound of his heavy footsteps might make the magnificent sight go away and never return.
He approached the door, his heart thumping busily in his chest. He knocked softly on the door, not wanting to disturb anyone. He knew for a fact that Ms. Montez was out of town at the moment, but Gabriella's younger sister, Elizabeth, should still be home and he definitely did not want to awake her. He was coming over unannounced, after all.
He heard the sound of someone approaching the door and could almost sense it would be Gabriella before the door pinched wide a crack.
And he was correct.
As the large white door opened and his girlfriend of three years came into view, Troy felt like the air had literally JUMPED out of his lungs. He felt love boil inside his stone chest and his palms suddenly became clammy. He took a deep, calming breath in order to keep his bouncing heart under control. It felt like it was going to leap from his chest. He swallowed, trying desperately to get liquid back into his mouth, for it had become dry. His heart beat unsteadily and his azure orbs filled with happiness.
Just the usual feelings Gabriella Montez gave Troy Bolton.
But really, who could blame him?
She was the goddess of East High, and had been for approaximately three years now. And as Troy gawked at her slim figure, the moonlight casting a dark shadow on her olive skin, it was not hard to guess why.
Gabriella Montez was gorgeous, and saying that is not being generous at all. Truthfully, there is no word in the dictionary to describe her unique beauty. Stunning, gorgeous, beautiful... they all had great implications, but none of them seemed to capture her straight on. Troy was still looking for a word that could do just that. But, considering that Troy is left breathless every time he even looks at her, that task might prove quite hard.
Troy tried not to let the drool escape from his mouth as he took in the full essence of her appearance. She had on a light white tank top that hugged to her amazing curves perfectly, as well as highlighted her breasts. On her slender, olive colored shoulders an old Wildcats jacket of Troy's from the previous year hung loosely. And covering her muscled, tiny legs was a pair of black pajama shorts. She looked dazzling, even with the quizzical expression on her face and sleepiness in her eyes.
Fortunately Troy realized all this within a fraction of a second, so he did not leave the clueless Gabriella in silence for too long.
"Troy... what are you doing here?" Her soft, angelic voice spoke in a slightly sleepy tone and Troy couldn't help but chuckle. Of course she knew what he was doing there. She always knew. There had been another pointless fight and Troy needed Gabriella to fix the pieces of his breaking heart. His late night visits were becoming all too regular nowadays... not that either of them were complaining.
"Hey baby... do you mind if I come in?" His voice was as soft as honey yet husky in the cool night air.
"No. No, not at all." She shook her head tiredly and held the door open, allowing Troy to stroll inside. "Come on in."
As Troy walked past the staircase that was behind the door and to the breathtaking living room, the hostess in Gabriella suddenly came out and she rushed to his side to make him more comfortable. She assembled a few pillows neatly on the beige couch, trying to make it look nice, because she had just been sleeping there. She had fallen asleep on the couch while watching some late night comedy reruns, the thought of Troy arriving unexpectedly not even appearing once in her mind. Well, in her defense she had other things on her plate as well.
Troy almost grinned at her sweetness. (It was difficult to grin just yet.) That was one of the qualities he loved about her. Here, she thought that she needed to make her already impeccable home spotless when he was around, although all that really mattered to him was her presence. They could be sitting in a straw hut for all Troy cared.
"We had another fight," Troy announced unnecessarily, his blue eyes showing raw pain. He didn't know why... but for some unknown reason him and his father's fights always got to him. He was vulnerable, and he hated it. He despised being the only male Bolton that could actually show his feelings... that actually HAD feelings.
Troy was always just as enraged each time him and his father fought. It was like each time it was a shock to his system, each fight more damaging than the next. And one day, Troy knew they were both going to explode from the anger. He just didn't know when. It was like each time he was around his father he was walking on pins and needles trying to not make him too angry, so there would not be that type of blowout. Though it really was for nothing, since the fights were happening anyway. He just didn't want them to escalate to anything bigger... for his mother's sake, mostly. But it was unavoidable, really, since graduation was right around the corner -literally- and the big blowout Troy had been anticipating was bound to happen soon after that. It was just a matter of time.
Troy sat down on the comfy couch and Gabriella sat down next to him, a worried expression on her perfect features. She was genuinely torn up about the fights Troy and his father had. She didn't know how to help him. She was useless, basically. He was obviously in agony over the spats but she had no idea how to console him. She could tell him she loved and cared for him, yes, but none of that would actually FIX the problem. And Gabriella was a fixer, making it twice as hard for her to sit and do nothing. But she knew for a fact that if she ever confronted Mr. Bolton about this... it would only make the fights more catastrophic. And she might even lose Troy's trust, which was something she definitely did not want to even fathom.
She looked at him, her butterscotch eyes searching. "Troy, baby... " Her voice was silk and compassionate. Troy laid his muscular back against the sofa and let out a deep sigh and she noticed that his breath was close to shaky. Gabriella laid her luscious black locks on his chest, her head resting on his thumping heart. It was a very symbolic pose. She curled her arms tightly around his body, knowing that all he really needed right now was love.
Which was good, because that's all she knew how to give him.
"You know I love you right?" Gabriella asked him, needing to know he believed in her. He rapped his stone like arms around her in response and rested his beautiful face against her hair, breathing in her strawberry shampoo, which she used daily because it was his favorite.
"Yeah... I love you too, Gabi."
"I know.... Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked hesitantly. She knew how much he hated talking about him and his father's relationship, and especially their fighting. But with Gabriella, it was easier for him to open up. She understood, and didn't judge him. She had problems of her own, too. Everyone has issues, after all, but Troy was a perfect example of imperfection. His life was catastrophically imperfect... but Gabriella saw past that. She saw the real Troy. The sweet, caring, slightly vulnerable Troy that he showed to no one, unless, of course, their name was Gabriella.
And she wouldn't have it any other way.
"Nah, it was just a regular fight. A commercial came on the TV after dinner for the U.S Army, and of course he had to make a big deal about it. Basically saying that if you don't go, you're not a man. So naturally I got agitated and we ended up yelling at each other and I was banished to my room." Troy willed the tears not to well up in his azure eyes, and so far it was working. Hey, maybe he WAS a Bolton after all.
The room was silent, and Gabriella snuggled up farther into his chest. They were both sprawled across the long couch in her living room, laying comfortably and entangled in one another. Suddenly, the grandfather clock that was stationed behind them on the light green wall chimed one o'clock AM. Troy sighed, knowing they had been up way too late for the events that would happen tomorrow. They were graduating.
Yippy.
He should feel excited, accelerated, he told himself. He should be thrilled. High school is ending tomorrow. Freedom and independence, right?
So why was he so damn depressed?
He didn't need to ask himself that question. He already knew the answer;
It was because tomorrow was the start of freedom for everyone else. But for Troy it was the exact opposite.
Tomorrow would only increase the fights between him and his father, and only increase the stress he was under. It was not a pleasant idea. Troy wished for so many reasons that he could stay in high school forever. Never grow up. He knew it was a childish fantasy, but it was a good fantasy, damn it! If he stayed in high school forever, nothing would ever change. His relationship with Gabriella would never change, they would always have each other. Distance would never be a factor. They wouldn't have to be separated through college or career paths... not to mention the army. He would never be forced to leave his friends, his family. Nothing would ever change, nothing would ever be ruined.
Life would be perfect.
Gabriella was the only thing keeping him here. He couldn't leave her, the thought was unbearable and right now so far off that it seemed impossible. She was just too important to him. Sure, he didn't want to leave his friends either, but friends were, well... friends. They may miss each other, but could cope and function without the other. With lovers, it wasn't so easy. Not easy at all, in fact. Troy didn't want a long distance relationship, and he didn't want to risk having no relationship at all either. If Troy left, he couldn't ask -or expect- Gabriella to wait for him. It was downright unfair. Despite how Gabriella might plea, he would not do it. Couldn't do it.
"It's one..." he stated the obvious, distracting himself from getting lost in his thoughts. Her head nodded in response. "I'm sorry I kept you up so late. We have a big day tomorrow and I shouldn't have come over like this."
"No, no, it's completely okay Troy. I don't care what time it is, I just want to be with you when you're hurting." She snuggled her head deeper to his chest, absorbing his warmth.
He held her tighter, if that was even possible, love scorching through his veins. "Thanks. For... well, everything. For being with me every night. It really means a lot. I mean... I don't know what I'd do without you Brie." Sincerity sounded in his soft, gentle voice that almost hypnotized her.
"No problem." She smiled. She lifted her head up off his muscular chest and met his lips. Their kiss was soft and tender... soon turning more urgent as Troy placed his hand on her lower back, rubbing gingerly. Gabriella felt their sparks ignite and her heart skip beats.
But that was just the usual affect he had on her. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Soon they both pulled back reluctantly after several minutes, their bodies both panting heavily and grinning. Troy's light blue eyes scanned over Gabriella's sexy body, aroused. He had to fight the urge to pin her underneath him at that very second, he was that attracted to her. For other people, the attire she was sporting might not be a turn-on... but for Troy, EVERYTHING she wore was a turn-on. And that's not just because he was male. It helped that Gabriella resembled a Greek goddess most of the time as well.
Gabriella smirked as she saw Troy lick his lips and eye the curves on her body. She was pressed up against him now, her tiny, fragile arms laying over his waist, his strong, muscled arms over hers, lying gracefully on her back. She felt so content in that pose, like nothing could ever hurt her.
Troy leaned down once more, attempting to connect their lips in what he hoped would be a heated kiss. Instead, Gabriella moved her head away, giggling at his bewildered expression.
"We can't do this here baby, I'm sorry." She tried not to let the grin show on her gorgeous features as Troy looked down at her as if he was a little kid who had just found out there's no Santa Clause. She had to resist the temptation to close his shocked and open-mouthed pout with her lips, but rules were rules. They were there for a reason, at that time it was a reason Gabriella didn't want to understand, but a reason.
"Wha.. why not?" he sulked, half playful-half serious, his cerulean eyes and sad expression reminding Gabriella of a lost puppy dog. But she had already decided, this was not the time nor the place. On her living room couch at one in the morning with her younger sister sleeping soundly upstairs? No way on God's green earth. Sure, it sounded hot at the time... but would surely be something she would regret later when her mother took up space on this couch the next day to do paperwork and all Gabriella could think about was what her and Troy had been doing on that couch the previous night or if her sister came down to get a glass of water or something and walked in on them. It was simply too risky.
Gabriella proved once again that she was still that chaste and careful girl she had been when she met Troy three years ago. Yeah, she wasn't as innocent as she had been before, but she still preserved that innocence somewhere deep inside her.
"Because one, we're on my mother's couch. And two, Ellie is asleep upstairs." Oh right... her sister. Her residence in this household had totally slipped Troy's brain. Oops.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I completely forgot she was even here."
"It's okay... just don't let Ellie hear that." She smirked to herself at her younger sister Elizabeth's -Ellie for short- fondness for her boyfriend. She liked to pretend that she paid no attention whatsoever to the two lovebirds, but Gabriella knew that Ellie secretly had a crush on Troy. For one thing, when she had first brought Troy home to meet her family, Ellie's eyes had litterally almost leaped out of her head at her sexy new god like boyfriend. At first she had just dismissed it as new hormones for her younger sister, who was just then beginning middle school. But soon Gabriella realized it was not just that. Ellie had an all out, full blown crush on Troy Bolton. And it made Gabriella want to cackle with laughter.
Sometimes, much to her entertainment, she would catch glimpses of her younger sister staring at his picture adoringly or while having a conversation with her sister that involved Troy, more than once had Ellie slipped and made a off-hand comment about Troy's hotness. Not that this was news to Gabriella though. She knew that everyone was in love with her boyfriend.
Who wouldn't be?
Of course she would never say that aloud to Ellie, in fear of hurting her feelings or jeopardizing their trusting relationship. But still, it was pretty hard not to get a kick out of Ellie's adoration for Gabriella's basketball playing boyfriend. Though Ellie would never, ever say it out loud, Gabriella knew the truth. And so did Troy... though Gabriella had promised him to secrecy. No way was she letting that get back to her sister. It'd only embarrass the crap out of her. So for now she'd just enjoy her sister's "secret" crush from afar... it was much more amusing that way anyway.
Troy sighed dramatically, obviously annoyed with Gabriella's sister's presence. Gabriella pouted at him, and the corners of his mouth turned up, though he tried very hard to fight it.
"I'm sorry babe... maybe tomorrow night?" Gabriella knew Troy wasn't a horn dog-he could wait a night without physically exploding. But on the other hand, he was a guy. A guy with very intense hormones and a very sexual mind... not to mention a very attractive Latina girlfriend. Yep, he was gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight.
Oh well... just more to look forward to tomorrow, she guessed.
Tomorrow. In other words, graduation.
The two words sent shivers and bolts of electric excitement springing through her bones. Graduation. It meant so much to some people, but more than anything to her. She was going to be an adult. Okay, maybe she had been an adult for a while now by law, but now she'd be an official adult. One who could make her own decisions and didn't have to live in her nearly uninhabited house or do the menial jobs her mother felt were so very important. No, she wouldn't have to take orders from her extremely unqualified and insanely assiduous mother anymore. Freedom was ringing it's bell loud and clear, and Gabriella couldn't wait to hop on that band-wagon to independence, work, and living it big. Or... away from her mother is more like it.
Troy nodded his brunette shag, lifting his tight and sculpted body off the comfy beige couch. "Well... I better get going..."
He truly didn't want to leave Gabriella's home, his safe haven, one of the very few he had, and it wasn't like he had anything else to do, but he really didn't want to take away from Gabriella's day tomorrow by making her extremely tired for the ceremony or something to that effect. Although he would have loved to stay and chat, -actually more than chat- he knew that Gabi and him both would regret it in the early morning, when the deadly sound of the alarm sounded, awakening them from their childhood and throwing them into the harsh and unfriendly world of adulthood and maturity.
It wasn't fair.
But it was life. So Troy was just gonna have to grin and bear it.
"But I don't want you to..." Gabriella slightly whined, but the look of sleepiness was evident in her chocolate orbs.
"No, it's okay. We have an early morning tomorrow babe, and I don't want your mom coming home in the early hours of the morning to find us in bed together. Even if we are just sleeping." He smirked, it sending shivers up and down Gabriella's spine. She extended her slim arms up to Troy's risen body, her body hungry for some tender affection.
"Troy..." She really whined this time, imitating the childish antics of a seven year old. "Don't leave me..." Troy grasped her miniature hands in his large ones and held them delicately and playfully while he soothed her moping face.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning baby, for graduation," The simple sentence didn't seem to satisfy the pouting Gabriella, so he chuckled lightly and added, "and I'll call you as soon as I wake up."
She smiled brightly and spoke cutely and innocently to him, her dimples making her look even more childlike and naive. "Better."
He picked her skinny body off the couch and brought her so her smiling lips were just inches from his. "Yeah?" His voice was husky and whispering, the word descending softly from his tongue, his minty and delicious breath blowing against her face.
"Yeah..." She whispered, almost in a trance brought on by his hypnotic cerulean eyes. She stood on her tip-toes and brought her hands to rest on his sturdy shoulders, becoming eye level with him for once. As his arms wrapped protectively around her waist, their lips met in a tender yet astoundingly loving and heated kiss.
The pair pulled apart after a few moments, just to admiringly stare into each other's absorbing eyes, never wanting to let go but knowing the separation was inevitable. Inevitable this time, just like it would be inevitable the next time and the next time and the time after that. But the real and truly heartbreaking thing is, none of this had to be inevitable. If they had just grasped the seriousness of the days that would eventually follow, none of this would have occurred. Not the heartbreak or the depressing state or the backstabbing... None of it. But without those unfortunate occurrences taking place, we wouldn't have a very consuming or life-changing story, now would we?
Also, without these tragic string of events, Troy and Gabriella would never have had the chance to learn the extremely valuable lessons they ended up learning, lessons most people go forever without having the privilege of acquiring.
Therefore, as Troy's body descended farther and farther away from the dim light of Gabriella's doorstep, and disappeared completely into the blackening moonlight, neither knew what trials lay before them. Neither knew that the decisions they would make very soon or the consequences that followed would be the things that would plague them for the rest of their lives. Gabriella certainly had not the slightest idea that things would very soon change drastically between the two, as she rested her drowsy head against the door frame, the outline of a smile playing on her lips. Troy had no clue as well, as he made his way onto the sidewalk, surrounded by barely lit street lights.
No, most definitely, neither knew that as soon as Gabriella closed the door softly on the chilly summer night breeze, and as Troy continued his short journey home in the blackness of the night, they were not only destined to say goodbye to childhood and high school the next morning at the graduation ceremony, they were destined to say goodbye to another thing. The very thing that was their lives, their hopes, their dreams, their homes, their... everything. Basically all they had come to know for the past three years.
Each other.