Author's Note: I'm incredibly nervous to be publishing this, considering it's my very first story I'll be releasing here! I'd like to apologize in advance if this does not meet your expectations. But it is my first story here, so please forgive me and give this story a chance. It's a three-shot and there might be an epilogue. Enjoy and please don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical, but I do own the character Laura Bolton.

EAST NEW YORK

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

It was a chilly winter's night in New York City. The way the moon was illuminating the dark sky and how the snow slowly fell to the ground- which was already covered with snow- it was all beautiful. She knew she shouldn't be walking through East New York by herself, let alone this late at night. But she couldn't help it; she had to follow her ex-boyfriend here to see what he was up to. She knew he was in some kind of trouble and she followed him to save the day.

Her hands were shoved deeply into her coat's pockets and when she looked ahead, she didn't find her ex-boyfriend's figure. She had lost him. And with this being the first time she's ever stepped foot into one of New York City's most dangerous areas was not helping her fears of being lost. She slapped a mitten covered hand over her forehead and groaned.

Suddenly, a rough hand covered her mouth and an arm wrapped around her slender waist with a tight grip, dragging her into a dark alley. She screamed into the hand and struggled with all her might, but it was useless. She was then dropped harshly onto the ground and fell onto her hands and knees. The snow was drenching her jeans and she shivered from the coldness and from her worries.

"Brie?" The voice of her ex-boyfriend called in a raspy voice. She shivered once more at the sound of his old nickname for her. She looked up and saw one of the most horrid sights. The gorgeous blue eyes that she had fallen in love with were now swollen, with a purple coloured lining around it. His soft lips that she loved to kiss were now busted, blood dripping from his bottom lip. This was not her man. And she so badly wanted to reach up to him and have him protect her, but she knew that it was impossible.

"This your lady friend?" The man asked, he grabbed her body from the ground and held her close to him. "Sure is a beaut..." He whispered as he caressed her cheek with a dirty thumb.

Gabriella cringed as she felt his fingers come in contact with her face. This was the first look she had of him. He was Caucasian, with a scruffy beard, bushy eyebrows with crooked yellow teeth and grey eyes. She turned her face and shut her eyes, praying that this was all a terrible dream.

"Leave her out of this! She has nothing to do with me or this problem. She means nothing to me." Troy spat, his words stinging her heart and planting them in her mind. Where they would haunt her forever. She felt the tears rush up to her eyes but held them back. This was not an appropriate time to sob about the man who chose drugs and alcohol over her.

The man scoffed and pushed the brunette back a little. She stumbled but then gasped when he held a strong hold on her neck. "Then you wouldn't mind if I did this," the man smirked evilly and punched Gabriella right where her bellybutton was. She screamed in pain when he released her neck and repeated his action, only aiming at her cheekbone this time. She begged him to stop as loud as she could, praying that someone would hear her heart wrenching cries.

"Troy!" Gabriella screeched, reaching out for him as the man shoved her against the brick wall and tore her jacket away from her body. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. His fist collided with her face once more and he let her slip onto the snow covered ground.

The man then turned to face Troy. He growled threats and curses at him. Meanwhile, Gabriella gathered all the strength she had left inside her and pushed herself up, limping away. The next thing she heard was a gun firing its bullets. She screamed in pure agony as she felt the pain hit her lower back and another burning feeling in her calf. She collapsed on the floor and let unconsciousness take over her.

ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER, NEW YORK

FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Waking up in a hospital room after being unconscious for four days isn't exactly what Gabriella planned to happen, however it wasn't like she could go back in time to change the way things were a few days ago. And even if she did get the chance to time travel back in time, she wouldn't. God only knows what could have happened to Troy in that alley.

She groaned when she felt a sting of pain hit her abdomen as she stretched her body. The bright lights of the room blinded her eyes

"Ella, baby, you're up!" Maria Montez squealed as she bolted out from the uncomfortable chair when she spotted her daughter stir awake. Her dark brown waves bounced eagerly as she practically tackled her daughter. When she heard her daughter groan in pain, she quickly stepped away. Her eyes widened with worry and apology. "Sorry, baby. I'm just so gl-"

"Mom," Gabriella interrupted. "I can't feel my legs... Why can't I feel my legs?" She looked up at her mother, with wide eyes as she hit her legs repeatedly. When she attempted to move her legs around, she stopped immediately when she felt a jolt of pain hit her calf.

Maria gently pushed her daughter back so she could be more comfortable. How was she supposed to tell her twenty two year old daughter that she's paralyzed? And that she would remain paralysed if she didn't get the proper physical therapy and treatment, which she couldn't afford. She forced a sad smile and wiped a tear that streamed down her face. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she choked out in a tearful whisper. She lowered her head as she confessed to her daughter. She was ashamed of herself. She couldn't provide for her only child and basically failed as a mother.

"Don't beat yourself up for this, ma. None of this is your fault." Gabriella sent a sad smile to her mother and reached out to gently rub her upper arm for comfort. As much as Gabriella wanted to burst out into tears, she knew that she couldn't break down in front of her mother. She knew that her mom was already feeling terrible, she had to be strong.

ALBANY DRUG AND ALCOHOL REHAB CENTER, NEW YORK

FEBRUARY 25, 2020

"I don't need help," Troy growled as his older sister shoved him, which caused him to stumble into the rehab facility. His older sister grabbed him by the wrist and twisted him around to face her.

"Do you not understand that Ella has been in a fucking coma for the past four days? Because of you she'll probably never walk again! If you had gotten your shit together a few months ago, this would have never happened!" Laura spat out viciously. Her eyes filled with fury as she roughly released her brother from her grasp. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to keep herself sane for the next couple of moments. "Do it for Gabriella. You owe it to her." She added in a softer tone but it still had a hard edge.

The young man stared at his sister confusingly, his eyebrows creasing together. "W-What?" He stuttered. "She's paralyzed?" He questioned, his eyes growing wide with worry. "I have to go see her and tell her-" He said hastily as he tried to walk out of the center.

Laura blocked him, pushing him lightly against his shoulders. "What? Now you want to be the man you should have been five months ago? I can't believe you!" She cried, slapping both of her hands over her face and slowly dragged them down. "I promised mom and dad that I would help you. You can wait to see her until you're better; she's waited for you too long. It's your turn."

As much as his sister's words hurt him, he knew she was right. Gabriella was waiting on for more than five months. Ever since he got himself into drugs, she was waiting on him to find the strength to give them up. She was always so patient with him and she was never too pushy towards the subject, even he knew it killed her to see him smoke joint after joint, pop endless pills into his mouth and consume all the alcohol he could find. He never stopped, but he promised himself that he would get better for her. And maybe, just maybe will she take him back after his treatment.

He recalled the many nights she cried herself to sleep because of his addiction. Although she only mentioned giving them up a handful of times, he continually got upset at her and the night always resulted with her sleeping on the couch with tears streaming down her face. She lost her father from this poison; she was not going to lose Troy.

He closed his eyes and shook the thoughts out of his head. Sighing deeply, he opened his eyes and nodded. "Fine. I'll do it for Brie."

ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER, NEW YORK

FEBRUARY, 25 2020

A light knock interrupted her thoughts and she watched as the door to her hospital room opened slowly, revealing a tall brunette with similar brown eyes she loved dearly. She had a bouquet of an assortment of flowers in one hand and her purse in the other.

"Ella, you're alive." Laura murmured to herself in disbelief. She beamed with happiness and rushed to her side and cautiously embraced her. She placed the bouquet on the bedside table and rummaged through her bag and took out something wrapped in aluminum foil. "I brought you sandwiches from your favorite cafe. I know how crappy hospital food is," she extended her arm to hand them to Gabriella.

Gabriella's eyes widened with excitement, she smelt the heavenly aroma of a toasted cheese steak sandwich. She eagerly took it out of her hands and ripped the foil open, tore a piece off and popped it into her mouth. She groaned and looked up at Laura. "This is why I love you."

As Gabriella ate her food, Laura quietly watched her and they spoke briefly about her condition. However, Gabriella quickly changed the subject, reassuring the other brunette that she was going to be okay. They chatted some more and soon both were giggling and having a good time. After a while of silence, Laura spoke again.

"You know I would do almost anything for you, Ellie?" She asked softly. "And that you don't have to be ashamed of anything because I would never look at you differently no matter what the situation, right? You're practically my sister, so I don't see why not-" Gabriella interrupted her rambling with a confused look.

"Where is all of this coming from? Is there something I should know about?" She asked with her eyebrows furrowed. When she saw Laura's facial expression, she immediately knew something was up and that she was going to get to the bottom of it. "Spill," Gabriella demanded.

With a sigh, Laura told her everything. "I was on my way up to your room when I heard two nurses talking about the girl in room 307 not being able to afford physical therapy treatment and you're the girl in room 307... This may be something you don't feel comfortable talking about but since my brother is the one who caused this mess-"

"Laura, none of this is his fault.. Please don't blame him for this, he's probably dealing with a lot right now," she said as she lowered her head and began to play with her fingers.

Laura sighed and inwardly rolled her eyes. She didn't understand Gabriella at the moment. After all Troy put her through, she's defending him? What surprised her is that Gabriella can have a temper when someone angers her. Then again, she also had somewhat of a vulnerable state when something upsets her. She was so confused.

VEGA RESIDENCE, MANALAPAN, NEW JERSEY

MARCH 7, 2020

Days passed and Gabriella was finally released from the hospital. After restless hours of staring up at the plain, white ceiling and constantly switching the channels on the television, she was free from that terrible jail-like facility. It was a difficult period of her life and as much as she wished it would get better, she knew it was going to be more of a challenge trying to do everyday activities when in a wheelchair. She was going to have to get used to it; this was her life now.

She patiently watched as her mother scurried from her bedroom to the living room, where Gabriella was. Her mother was last minute packing for a business trip to North Carolina for a week. As much as her mom wanted to stay home to take care of her daughter, hospital bills and tuition fees still needed to be paid.

As Maria zipped her suitcase and lifted it upward, she wiped the wrinkles off of her pants and looked to meet the eyes of her daughter. With a sigh, she stepped forward to say goodbye.

"My business cellphone number is on the fridge, along with the hotel's number. If you need anything, your friends kindly offered to help out." She said, glancing at her watch. "My flight leaves in two and a half hours, I'll call you when I get there and I'll call you every day- I promise," Maria bent down to plant a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

Her daughter nodded and showed a small smile.

"I will, mom. Have a safe flight, love you!" Gabriella craned her neck and returned a kiss on her mom's cheek and embraced her. "And mom? Don't spend all your time worrying about me, I'll be fine."

"I know, sweetie... Bye Ella, see you soon and don't forget to take your medication! Love you, baby, be safe!" Her mom began to drag her suitcase to the doorway and blew her a kiss. And with that, she was gone.

Now, what was she supposed to do? What was a helpless, paralyzed young woman going to do when her mother was away and she was too shy to ask her friends for company? Or perhaps it was because she refused to see the look of pity in their eyes. She wondered if Laura went to visit her at the hospital because she actually cared or because she felt obligated to. Although they were terribly close friends, Gabriella felt it in the pit of her stomach.

Her mind drifted off onto another thought: where the hell was Troy? She knew his sister wouldn't tell her and she could almost guarantee her mother knew where he was. She also knew neither of them would tell her. Her lips lifted into a small smirk as she wheeled herself into the kitchen to text the only person who would tell her.

Gabriella: HI CHAD! Long-time no talk.

Chad: HELLO ELLA POOH! AND INDEED... HOLY UR ALIIIIIIIVE! just kidding :) hehe what can i do for ya ella

Gabriella: I know this is a big favor and I know that after what happened it may not seem right but.. can you take me to see.. you know.. him?

Chad: im on my way to pick u up

ALBANY DRUG AND ALCOHOL REHAB CENTER, NEW YORK

MARCH 7, 2020

As she stepped- correction- as she was wheeled into the rehab center she felt a twinge of anxiety overcome her. Her head slightly dropped and she began to play with her fingers as Chad pushed her wheelchair over to the lady at the front desk.

"Welcome to Albany Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center! How may I help you?" The middle aged woman asked kindly, as she brushed a stray piece of her red hair out of her face.

"Good evening, ma'am. Can you give us Troy Bolton's room number? He's a residential patient and we'd like to pay him a visit." Chad said as he flashed his charming smile at the secretary.

"Yes, yes. Can I just get both of your names?" She asked kindly.

"Um, it's Chad and Gabriella." He responded as he scratched his neck nervously. Was this completely necessary?

The secretary's eyebrows' creased together in confusion and then looked closer at the computer screen in front of her. "It says here that it Mr. Bolton requested to not allow visits from a Gabriella Montez.. It says that it would make him 'heal quicker'. I'm sorry, Miss Montez. We only want the best for our patients." She explained, looking genuine.

"Oh," the shocked brunette murmured. Her eyes kept to the floor, refusing to meet the sympathy on the secretary's face.

Author's Note: did you guys enjoy it? Hate it? Please, please give me your honest feedback about this! Please review and don't be shy to favourite it ;) I know there isn't a lot of Troyella but I promise you it's coming up. Please review!