All of my words
A/N: I own nothing but the plot and my dream of marrying Zac Efron
p.s. Happy 20th Birthday Zac!!!
The lunch bell has just rang, signaling that it was time for everyone to quickly evacuate their classrooms and rush into the cafeteria, where they can all enjoy one uninterrupted hour, free of stress. Gabriella wasn't in a rush; her current mood probably wouldn't maintain the sunny disposition that she always carried. All of her thoughts went straight back to the night that she had before with this one guy, that could only be described has her soul mate.
It was raining, hard. The autumn air was approaching quickly, but she didn't feel anything. She was numb. The sound of someone beating her door down was echoing through her mind, and she knew it was him.
"Gabriella….pl-please open your door…I can help you. We can talk…j-just let me in…"His voice croaked at the end, and she could tell that he was on the edge of tears, which she had already past and was full on balling.
He….he had just told her that he loved her. Then she looked up into his eyes and before she knew it, she ran. She was scared.
The pounding kept going on for about 10 minutes, and to be truthful, she wished that he would just leave. Why was he staying? Why did he care?
Then he started speaking from the other end of the door, which surprised her because it had been quite for a few minutes and she thought that he has surrendered and gave up…but…he was there. He was always there for her.
"Gabs, I don't know why you ran, or if maybe I said the wrong thing…." She could hear him sniffling…."But, God… Gabi….will you please open the door so I can see you and hold you….cause I feel helpless out here."
She got up and reached for the handle, opening the barrier between them and looked him dead in the eyes. He was completely shocked from his wide eyes and his mouth hanging open, even from his wrinkled forehead.
"…Troy…wh-why did you come over here..?" she was whispering, frightened by the silence that was taking over them.
"Why would you say that you love me? You can't love me Troy!...I'll hurt you…" she said that last part so softly that he could barely hear her.
"Gabriella-"
"TROY! YOU DON'T DESERVE ME, I'LL HURT YOU! YOU WILL LOVE ME AND I WILL HURT YOU, DON'T YOU GET IT?! I WILL HURT YOU!!"
"No-No Gabi!... I LOVE you! Don't you understand that? I LOVE YOU GABRIELLA! And I KNOW that you love me!!"
"Troy..."
"Gabriella, just because your mom left you, does not mean that you will leave me! You're not her..."
"…and, you know what…..I'm not gonna let you hurt me. You can't hut me. You will never hurt me…because I'm not gonna let myself be hurt."
Without even knowing it, he had inched closer to her and now he had both of his hand on her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. Her mascara streaks, running down her face, making her look utterly adorable, and he smiled at that.
"If anything, Gabi, we are hurting each other by not being together…" "You say that you're going to hurt me? Well, you've killed me. You've killed me by staying away…"
"Troy I'm scared to love you. Wha-what if I leave you? Troy, if you die...t-then. I...die."
With tears streaming down his face, he looked up into her magical brown eyes, shining with fear.
"I'll teach you to love baby…you are gonna know love. Everyday of your life, you are gonna know how much I love you. I'll see to it ok?" He ran his fingers under her eyes and along her face, to catch all of her tears.
She nods her head. Taking him by his belt lopes with the tips of her fingers…and let him break her down…
"Teach me to love Troy, because I'm waiting…"
Then in one swift movement he leans his forehead against hers, and takes a deep breath, and turns around and walks down the stairs and right out the front door.
After he left she spent all night analyzing and trying to figure out what had happened. Because as far as she knew, he had told her that he loved her, and then she ran home, he followed her, he comforted her fears, and then right as she allowed him in, he ran.
She hadn't seen him all morning, except for when she ran past the gym, late for her study period with Taylor, and saw him shooting hoops.
And here I am now. On my way to the cafeteria, where I know I will see him, and I know that it will be awkward, but I'm not going to avoid him.
I walked over to my lunch table to sit with Taylor, and I unpacked my lunch and just sat there staring at my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see him. Hollly Crapppp! He is coming towards my table. He is smiling….HE IS SMILING?? Ok, it's cool, just keep staring at your sandwich...maybe he will make a sharp turn and totally dodge you….NOPE! He is now about 6 feet away, and no sign of stopping.
"Gabi..." Was all he said, and he winked at me, as he climbed up on top of my lunch table, and reached his hand down to offer it to me.
"Troy-"
"Do you love me?" He whispers.
Then I took his hand, and allowed him to make me the center of everybody's lunch, as all eyes were on us.
Then he speaks in an elevated tone,
"You're off the hook." I could tell that he found this comical from the twinkle in his eyes, but he tried his hardest not to smile.
"What?"
"You're off the hook. I've never really put much faith in all that 'if you love someone, set them free' crap. But I am determined to be happy. Happy in this life. And I love you. I mean, I always— I have always, always loved you. And this is all that we get. And if there is one thing that I have learned from your mom, that's what I've learned."
"Troy, I-"
"Actually, um, hold on, I'm not done yet. Because I also want for you to be happy. It's really important for me that you be happy. So, I guess the point is just that the simple act of being in love with you is enough for me. So you're off the hook."
Then he whispers in my ear again, "Do you love me?"
Gabriella, still very aware of the whole school that was currently waiting for her to respond, spoke...
"You know, for the record, I—(sniffles) I don't want to be let off the hook. Because everything in my life that I've don't has led me here…right now, and the last thing I want, need, or deserve is to be let off somebody's hook."
Now was her turn to wipe his tears away.
"Because, Troy, I am in love with you."
And then he does only what his body will allow him, and wraps his arms around her and kissed her. In front of their now cheering friends, in front of the whole school, in front of the faculty, as evidence to anyone that was to doubt. That this boy, and this girl, are, in love.
-Courtney
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