Hold on Tight
Chapter 1
It was January 1st when Gabriella Montez first fell in love with Troy Bolton.
It was months later when he first actually stated his love for her.
It was a Monday when Gabriella Montez got her acceptance letter from Stanford University.
It was a Friday when she graduated East High, and a Sunday when she packed her bags and left.
It was 5 months later at 2:00pm when Gabriella sat by the phone waiting for Troy Bolton to call her, and it was 2:30pm that she realized he wasn't going to.
It was 2:31pm when Gabriella moved on without him.
It was 5 days after graduating college with honors that Gabriella's parents introduced her to David.
"WHAT?" Taylor screeched as she stood up from her stool across the table from Gabriella.
"I love him, Tay. I'm telling him tonight, he asked me out to dinner."
"No! You can't! Come on Gabs, he's such an egotistical jerk!" Taylor was furious at her best friend of six years; they'd been so since they're junior year in High School. They were both now 21, and living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "No, he's not Tay! You just don't know him like I do." She retorted.
"I know he's a dick! He has the biggest ego, and you can tell by how much he talks about himself." Taylor rolled her eyes.
"Well it's not up to you…it's my love life."
"Fine, do what you want." Taylor said with frustration.
Gabriella sighed. "Tay, don't be angry, I'm only trying to do what makes me happy." She said touching Taylor's shoulder lightly.
Taylor sighed, knowing she had no right to be angry. It wasn't her life, or her decisions to make. "Okay, okay. I guess if the douche lord makes you happy, and your sure this is what you want…then fine, go for it." She smiled halfheartedly.
Gabriella smiled and hugged her best friend.
"Well I have to leave anyway Gabs…Chad's waiting for me at home. He's hungry. Again."
Gabriella giggled and stood up, walking her friend to the door and opening it for her. Taylor waved quickly and walked out to her car. The beautiful brunette watched her leave before running upstairs to get ready for her date.
She parked by the small café and got out, smiling as she saw David standing by the entrance of the restaurant.
"Hello Gabriella." Unlike her close friends David referred to Gabriella as Gabriella, never anything else.
"Hey David." She blushed and he gave her a soft hug.
"Uh, before we go inside I'd like to talk to you." This was it Gabby thought. She nodded and they sat down at a nearby bench. "I've had something on my mind for a while now, and I'm scared of how it might affect our relationship, considering our parents are very strong business partners." She nodded for him to go further and he did, "Well the thing is…I'd like to break up." Her smile turned instantly into a frown as the words sunk in.
"Wha-What?" She asked stunned.
"I've met someone, and she's in the restaurant right now, I'd like you to meet her." Gabriella couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We've been together for a while now, and I didn't really considering it cheating because well…our sparks gone Gabriella."
"Repeat please?" She said fury building inside of her. This was so sudden and uncalled for.
"Well I don't feel our relationship is going any further, I'm sorry." He sighed in relief like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. "Well! Now that I've gotten that off my chest, shall we go and eat?" He asked cheerfully, like nothing had happened. David and Gabriella had been dating for almost 2 months, and he seemed to forget about her almost instantly.
She could feel tears gathering on her tear ducks and fought to hold them back. She quickly stood up and David followed. "You're an ass…you-you pig!" She stepped on his foot with all her might causing him to jump up in pain.
"What was that for?" He asked holding his foot in agony. She gave him one last death glare and stomped off to her car, letting her tears fall as she sped off into the night she new would be miserable after what had just happened.
Gabriella rapidly pulled out her cell phone, her loud sobbing taking over her whole car. She pressed speed dial number 2 and listened eagerly to the ringing on the other end of the line. "Hello?" The familiar voice said.
Gabriella choked on her tears and hiccuped before answering. "Tay-Taylor, I need you and please don't say I told you so."
It was one year later and Gabriella Montez was 22 years old and living in her newly bought town house located in the perfect spot in Albuquerque.
"Shit!" She ran down the stairs and grabbed her mug of coffee before slipping on her black heels. She quickly swiped her purse and keys off of the foyer table and ran out of her front door, locking it behind her. She was late. Again.
She sped down the highway, owning the road. "Get out of the way donkey!" She honked at a nearby station wagon that was going 5 miles an hour and backing up the whole highway. She could get mean when she wanted to. Gabriella arrived at her office ten minutes later having missed numerous phone calls.
"Miss. Montez, you have a letter…" Her shy secretary told her.
"Marsha, I told you to put all my letters in the trash, I don't read mail that comes to the office directly, I get the bull shit filtered out for me."
"I know, but this letter is personal." The quirky lady said placing the letter on Gabriella's desk and walking off.
Gabriella sighed. "Thank you!" She yelled back. She looked at the letter not recognizing the address it was sent from. She smiled when it came up to be a wedding invitation. She opened the card and gasped when a familiar name showed up in fancy writing on the top of the small white card. "You are formally invited to David Lean and Hannah Wentworth's wedding." The date read August 10. That was two weeks from now. She threw the card into the trash and scoffed in disgust.
"Taylor?" Gabriella asked smiling through the phone.
"Yes darling, now open your front door."
Gabriella ran to the front door and opened it to reveal a rather joyous Taylor Mckessie standing on her doorstep.
"Taylor what are you doing here?" The curly brunette asked.
"I have news." She said stepping into Gabriella's home.
"And that news would be?" Gabriella asked closing her door.
The dark young woman sucked in a deep breathe. "Troy is moving in a couple houses down from Chad." She squealed and frowned when she saw Gabriella's horrified face expression.
"Troy? My Troy? Troy Bolton, Troy?" Gabriella babbled, pacing her hallway anxiously.
"Yes…I thought you would be happy." Taylor said leading them towards the living room.
"I-I thought he was playing for the Lakers?"
"He still is, he's just moving down here like Chad did for me, because well…Chad sort of begged him, you know they have had a bromance for years now, I knew they would start missing each other living so far away." Taylor smirked and sat down next to Gabriella on the couch.
"Won't it be hard for him to still be on the team and live all the way down here?" Gabriella asked still in shock.
"Did you forget Chad is on the same team as him and lives here with me? Since the season has been over they have not seen each other so Chad told me Troy decided to move back home before the season starts up again."
"Oh…" Gabriella could feel her body tense up and she tried calming her nerves.
"I don't know why you both broke up in the first place…" Taylor muttered. Gabriella heard Taylor's some-what question and had an instant flash back.
"I can't leave now Troy, I have big exams to study for and I'm swamped with work…cant you come here?"
"I can't, our big game is coming up and coach has us working twice as hard."
They both sighed realizing that this was a reoccurring conversation that they shared. With Gabriella at Stanford and Troy at Berkeley, a mere 45 minute drive, they both just didn't have the time right now, they were both freshman at college and work was piling up.
"Troy, I miss you." Gabriella whispered through the phone, knowing what was coming next.
"I miss you too Gabs." He groaned and continued, "I feel like I haven't seen you in years, what I thought wouldn't be a long distance relationship is turning into what is.
"…It just doesn't seem like our effort to be together is enough."
"Maybe…we could ya know…I don't know." Troy sighed and Gabriella felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"It's okay Troy…I think we both knew this was coming." She sniffled and heard Troy breathe deeply on the other end.
"Gabby…"
"You were my first love…I-I just wanted you to know that." She said as more tears cascaded her already damp face.
"You were mine too." He replied sadly.
"Well I guess I'll see you again someday?" She couldn't hold in her sobs now.
"I love you Gabby, always will."
"I love you too Troy, always." She choked on her tears and hung up the phone collapsing on her dorm room bed.
Gabriella shook her head and turned to Taylor. "We just couldn't handle even a 45 minute long distance relationship. We broke up and I waited to see if he would call me, but he didn't, and I moved on. I-I don't have feelings for him anymore. For gods sake it's been what? Four years!"
"Fine, I'm not saying you have to go back to being Troyella." Gabriella winced at the old name. "I'm just telling you, at least try and be friends?"
"I can do that, no problem."
Taylor sighed and leaned back in her seat trying to change the subject. "So anything new happen today at the law firm?" She asked.
"No not re-…Oh yeah, I didn't tell you…I got a wedding invitation to…David's wedding." Gabriella shivered at the mention of his name.
Taylor immediately stood up in shock. "That scum bag? If I ever saw him again I would kill him…actually I would stab him in his sleep." She laughed wickedly. Gabriella giggled trying to hide the sorrow. The week following her break up with David had been painful, Taylor had come over and comforted her many times, bringing her chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and dove which Gabriella greatly appreciated, she eventually got over it and moved on with her life. But never in one whole week did she feel so worthless and tiny. Her heart had literally been shattered.
"I think I'll go to his wedding though…" Gabriella smiled evilly.
"What? How could…Oh my god, I love that idea." Taylor smirked. She always knew how to read her best friends mind. "So who's the lucky guy who gets to show your hot self off?"
"A new…friend, I've really missed him." Gabriella smiled to herself and Taylor raised her eyebrows in curiosity. 'This was going to be fun' they both thought.
READ, IMPORTANT REQUESTS ENCLOSED:
Hey guys! What did you think? This chapter was mainly an introduction chapter…I wanted to clear things up a bit before I started adding more detail and longer conversations and stuff I usually write. I hope you guys understand what happened throughout the years. The next chapter will be MUCH better, 5 reviews please?
PLEASE give me suggestions or ideas if you want… (:
In future chapters you will also see flashbacks of Troyella's young relationship, when they first started off in college, so you will better understand that too. This story gets MUCHO better, just keep reading.