Summery: Troy and Gabriella were young and in love living in the small town of Wilton Valley. Being swept away by their intense passion they get married at a ridiculously young age, but after a year they end it with a tearful and heartbreaking divorce. Gabriella moves to New York leaving Troy in the small town, but five years later she's back with a serious boyfriend who insists on meeting her parents. She stresses about coming face to face with Troy again and strives on keeping their past together a secret from her current boyfriend for the sake of keeping their relationship strong.
Rated T for language.
Prologue.
Young love-so naive, so immature, so unsophisticated, but it corrupted her in an instance. Before she could blink, or breathe in a pant of air, she was captivated. Spellbound by his eyes and his charm but most of all by the way he made her feel, the confidence he helped build and the feeling he created when he etched the permanent mark into her heart.
That kind of passion can make a person do foolish and irrational things.
Gabriella was never impulsive. She lived life on a schedule, planning each step, walking never running. She had known what she wanted to do since she was a little girl, knew the type of man she wanted to marry and at what age, knew where she'd want to live and what her house would look like. She had it all planned out, never feeling the need to take a risk for she didn't have to. But that all changed when she moved from a hectic and habitual lifestyle in Kansas City to Wilton Valley.
Seemed like with a new home came new morals because instead of studying and going to med school like she had mapped out, she found herself experimenting with art, staying out all night making love under the stars, and getting married at the ripe age of seventeen.
Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home
Wilton Valley, Alaska
Dalton Highway, Route 10
July 2nd 2009
An eerie feeling loomed over her and her stomach brewed with anxiety. She hadn't been there in five long years but that streak ended when her boyfriend, Joshua Hayden insisted that it was time he met her parents. So there she was coming face to face with the mountains of Wilton Valley, Alaska and as they flashed by the sign welcoming them to the small town, she gulped.
Joshua Hayden was suave and sophisticated, a real business man. He was a CEO for New York's biggest and most well known bank, and when he first met Gabriella, sketching and doodling in a corner of a coffee shop, he fell head over heels and after a month of pleading, she finally agreed to a date. It had been over a year since then.
The BMW Z4 zoomed down the empty street and the trees passed by her in a green blur. The wind ran smoothly through her long hair and whispered against her face, but the uneasy feeling hadn't subsided. She just stared at the familiar shops and landmarks that passed by, her head filling with memories. She rested her hand on her stomach feeling queasy, not from the smooth travelling of the car, but the agitation of seeing the person she had a battered past with.
Did he still live there? Did he think about her? Was he with someone else? Would he even remember her?
She then let out a pained laugh but it sounded more like an exhale and subtly shook her head at the idiotic question. Of course he'd remember. The ridiculous nickname he called her was marked into his skin.
"Wow it's beautiful here." Josh said bringing Gabriella abruptly from her thoughts and she simply nodded giving him a tight lipped smile. "Why you left I'll never know." He chuckled and Gabriella gave him a copy of her previous grin, but secretly prayed his wording would turn out true.
Her stomach was in knots from the thought of her secret being revealed to her boyfriend, but she calmed herself by thinking positively. Glass half full and all that. Maybe she was just worrying over nothing. It had been five years; surely he still didn't live there. But those thoughts halted as they drove past the unforgettable lake and she saw the familiar boat tied up to the dock.
Wilton Valley, Alaska
Birch Lake
August 30th 2001
The creaky and most likely hazardous boat rocked back and forth and she whimpered quietly to herself, tucking her shoulder length straightened hair behind her ears.
"Feel the lay of the land she says; get in touch with your new home she says…" Gabriella hissed in a mocking voice hating the current predicament she had been roped into. Her mother had the clever idea that she should take her dads crappy fishing canoe out on the lake and take a break from unpacking. She thought that a boat ride would be just what her daughter needed to unwind, and hoped that the view might change her mind about her new home. Obviously she was wrong.
She hated her new home, hated it with a passion. It was wet, and boring, and tiny. 336 people in the entire town. How was she ever supposed to survive?
It was one of those places you only see on TV. The ones where everyone knows everyone and their deepest darkest secrets. Where you couldn't walk down the street without someone saying a friendly greeting, or stopping you to chat for a half an hour. At first Gabriella didn't mind the welcoming residents but after a while, it just got annoying.
She had been in Wilton Valley for thirty seven hours and forty-eight minutes- a day and a half if you didn't understand (she had been counting) and almost everyone knew who she was, which creeped her out a little. But she had plastered a fake smile on her face and replied to peoples hellos and welcoming's enthusiastically, although underneath she was hating every minute of it, dreading the next couple of years in the town which didn't understand the word privacy.
Don't mistake her as bitchy, because she really wasn't, she was just unsatisfied and angry. She had been forced to leave her entire life behind in Kansas and move to some unknown town in Alaska. You wouldn't be all rainbows and sunshine either.
And the fact that the boat didn't want to sit fucking still didn't revolutionize her distaste for the horrible place.
She felt queasy and gripped onto either side of the wooden canoe for dear life as the wind rocked it even more.
"Need any help?" An unfamiliar voice asked and she looked away from her shaking feet and up at the boy who looked about the same age as her. He stood in a medium sized white boat, turning the steering wheel left to right like he'd been operating the craft his entire life. A green t-top hung above him and a white guard rail lined the front of the boat. It was a lot better then her boat, that was for sure.
"Uh, no." She said curtly before she heard him chuckle.
"No?" He asked grinning at her. "Sure looks like you do." He said and Gabriella scrunched her eyebrows at the stranger slightly offended. He only grinned amused as her grip tightened around the edges from the fear of tipping over.
"I'm perfectly fine thank you." She said hearing him laugh again.
"Oh really? Well I guess that makes two of us." He said sitting down on the small white seat and she looked at him curiously before down at the water around her. "I mean, it's a beautiful day. Why don't I keep you company?" He suggested and she huffed.
What's with all you people? Haven't you ever heard you're not supposed to talk to strangers?" She asked and he smiled again.
"Well if you tell me your name then you won't be a stranger."
"Uh, no thank you."
"No thank you?" He repeated light heartedly and she just gave him a pointed look before peering over the side of the boat.
"How deep is this water?"
"Deep." He answered vaguely and she glared slightly. "Why won't you tell me your name?"
"Because."
"Well that's a very valid point." He replied teasingly and she just glanced at him briefly with a displeased expression making him smile. "Well, I'm Troy Bolton. My grandfather owns the boat rental shop just on the edge of the water. I work on the lake for the rescue squad mainly, but we don't get a lot of people needing help, so I usually just gather the boats or help him in the store." He said and her head snapped up at him.
"You work here?" She asked pointing down to her feet insinuating the lake and he nodded. "Oh." She mumbled sheepishly. "Well then yes, I would like some help." She said and he grinned.
"I don't know, maybe I don't want to help you now." He replied playfully and she looked at him with wide eyes.
"But…you have to."
"I don't have to do anything actually." He said stretching out on the seat getting comfortable and she looked at him quizzically.
"It's your job, aren't you supposed to do this sort of thing?" She asked and he just nodded casually.
"Yup."
"Fine." She mumbled irritated standing up and he raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll find my own way back."
"I wouldn't stand up if I were you."
"Where did my ores go?"
"Really, you might want to sit down."
"Why?" She asked before her foot got caught on the wooden bench she was previously sitting on making a loud scream split her lips as she tipped over, falling over the side of the canoe and splashing in the freezing water.
"That's why." He mumbled smugly watching her bat her arms wildly and cough out the water. "Okay, just relax, kick your feet." He instructed noticing her bizarre technique of swimming as he made his way to the side of his boat. "Grab my hand." He said and she coughed violently slapping the water trying to stay afloat while staring at his hand confused. "It's not going to bite." He said after a roll of his blue eyes and she snatched onto it, hugging his arm close to her chest allowing him to pull her into the sleek boat.
"Cold." She mumbled as she shivered, her teeth chattering violently and he ducked his head under the small green canopy grabbing some blankets and wrapping them around her shoulder, rubbing her arms to warm her up.
"Just keep those around you and try to keep warm; I'm going to tie up your boat." He said and she nodded as he walked past her, grabbing a tall hook and pulling the canoe to him before tying it to the back of his boat. "So I haven't seen you around before. Are you the new girl everyone's talking about?" He asked laying the hook back where he found it before sitting across from her on the other seat.
"That's me." She grumbled lightly and he smiled.
"You have a name or do you just want me to call you new kid?"
"No." She giggled shaking her head rubbing her arms lightly trying to rid the chill and he smiled at her laugh, happy she was less defensive. "I'm Gabriella."
"Tell me Gabriella where did you live before that has got you so paranoid?" He asked teasingly and she rolled her eyes.
"I'm not paranoid. I just don't give out my identity to strange guys in boats." She said with a giggle and once again his eyebrow rose.
"Oh I'm strange?" He asked making her giggle again and nod her head cutely.
"Uh huh, a little bit." She said teasingly scrunching her nose and holding her thumb adjacent to her pointer finger gesturing the minimum of his strangeness and he chuckled.
"After I just saved your life?" He asked dramatically.
"Hey don't use my lack of swimming skills against me." She said and he raised his hands in surrender causing her to laugh again before looking down at her wet jeans.
"You didn't answer my question." He said and she looked up at him curiously. "Where'd you move from?"
"Oh, Kansas."
"Kansas huh?"
Wilton Valley, Alaska
Dalton Highway, Route 10
July 2nd 2009
She quickly whipped around in her seat watching the lake travel farther and farther away as the car continued to drive down the highway. She frowned recognizing that boat all too well.
"Oh my god." She whispered before quickly spinning back in her seat staring out at the road ahead with wide eyes.
"What was that honey?" He asked missing what she had said and she quickly pealed her sights away from the grey pavement and looked at him instead.
"Oh, nothing."
"I think we're almost at your parent's house." He said and Gabriella nodded, her throat dry. "This GPS is so handy. We should get one for the SUV."
"Yeah, sure." She replied absentmindedly looking over her shoulder but finding nothing behind her but the road.
Wilton Valley, Alaska
1311 Lincoln Drive,
Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez.
July 2nd 2009
He silenced the loud roar of the lawn mower by hitting the kill switch and shielded his eyes from the light as he looked up at the heavens, furrowing his brows at the cloudless sky. The sun beamed intensely and it warmed his skin in a way he wasn't used to, although the slight Alaskan chill was still in the air and it kept him from feeling overwhelmed by the July heat. He brought his arm to his forehead wiping the sweat from his brow before taking a big drink of the bottled water Mrs Montez so graciously provided for him.
Taking a look at the clean cut grass he smiled to himself before unplugging the green mower from the extension cord and rolling it over to the garage. The Montez estate was fairly big, a two story house with stone and wood paneling framing the outside. Four bedrooms and a huge kitchen. But none of that was near as big as the backyard, which made his job a little harder.
The backyard seemed to go for miles but he was sure that was an exaggeration. The house had a white porch wrapping all the around it and a small swing so you were able to look over the yard and the mountains that lined the horizon. Since Mr Montez wasn't in the best shape of his life, he liked to offer his services, doing such things as cutting the grass or fixing the stove, maybe changing the water cooler every now and then.
David Montez was a person who liked to do things for himself so it was hard to help out, although he knew the husband and wife appreciated it, knowing this because Mrs Montez thanked him over and over again for his generosity. Both of them were a little scared to let Mr Montez near the lawn mower, and taking one look at it the young man in the dirt stained white T shirt and blue jeans could tell Mr Montez had attempted to, considering it took him almost five minutes to start it up, the only reason he got it to work was because he was able to dislodge the stick the middle aged man must have run over, from the mowers sharp blades.
Using the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe away the remainder of sweat that gathered along his hairline, he then skipped up the three steps leading to the porch before sliding the screen door open and kicking his shoes off.
"All done?" She asked and he nodded with a smile. "Thank you so much, I honestly don't know what we'd do without you. Well, I bet David would destroy all my rose bushes." She said and he laughed before sitting next to her at the table.
"Hey!" David Montez greeted the man coming down the stairs. "You all done?"
"Yup. And I told you to stay away from the lawn mower." He chuckled and Mr Montez rolled his eyes. "What did you do? Run over the fire wood? There was a stick lodged in the blades and a little kindle in the engine." He said with a laugh.
"That lawn mower has a mind of its own." He defended.
"Uh huh." He said with a chuckle hearing Mrs Montez laugh as well. "Well why don't you just leave the lawn to me."
"I second that." Teresa laughed and Mr Montez raised his hands in surrender, eyeing his wife playfully.
"Fine I will stay away from the lawn mower."
"Thank you." He laughed. "I think I'm just going to fix the chain on the swing and probably head home."
"Okay sweetie, thanks for coming by." She said waving goodbye as he slipped on his shoes and walked out the back door before she turned to her husband. "Such a nice boy."
Wilton Valley, Alaska
1311 Lincoln Drive
Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez
July 2nd 2009
She gazed up at the house disbelievingly. She still couldn't grasp the fact that she was actually there, but as she saw her old home it all came flooding back. She stepped out of the rental car and felt the gravel beneath her feet making her curse for wearing heels, the tiny rocks making it uneasy to walk. She should have known better.
"Hey babe?' He called and Gabriella looked over at him. "Why don't you go in and surprise your mom and dad while I get the bags."
"Okay." She said smiling at him.
"Besides I want to prepare a little before meeting them." He said and she giggled lightly. For the first time she wasn't stressing about their "vacation."
"Josh, they'll love you. Don't worry." She reassured and he gave her a smile before watching her head up the white wooden steps. Gabriella peaked through the screen door smiling as she got a glimpse of the inside. She forgot about her worries and relaxed once she saw her house, and actually got a little excited seeing her parents again. She hadn't seen them since she moved to New York. "Knock, knock." She called through the screen door seeing her mom exit from the kitchen and widen her eyes.
"Gabriella, you're early." She said slightly panicked and Gabriella looked at her confused by her welcoming. If you could even call it that.
"Well Josh wanted to take an earlier flight; he thought we might surprise you." She said and her mother gasped opening the door and holding onto her arm. "Get in the house." She said and Gabriella was then jerked from her spot on the porch, causing her to miss the blue eyed man in the white T-shirt as he sauntered from the backyard, to the front of the house.
-
-
Josh took in a deep breath as he opened the drunk pulling out two bags, one for him and one for Gabriella. He was extremely nervous about meeting her parents. Gabriella meant a lot to him and he was dying to know some of her secrets. He wasn't stupid, he knew she was hiding something, something that had to do with Wilton Valley, but he tried not to pry. And now he'd be able to see where she spent her teenage life, and maybe get some insight of how his girlfriend became the way she was. Not to mention he had a very important question to ask her father. He just hoped her parents liked him.
"Whoa." He heard someone say and he peaked out from behind the trunk to look at the man with soil and grass spots on his shirt and down his face. "Nice car." He said with wide eyes and Josh smiled closing the trunk.
"Thanks, it's just a rental, but I have a lot more cars back home."
"Really? Dude that's awesome." He said walking around the BMW with adoration in his eyes. "How much mileage does it get?"
"Oh um, I'm not really sure." He admitted. He knew absolutely nothing about cars, except whichever car was highest in demand was usually the one you should get.
"I bet it gets pretty good gas mileage." He said with a nod of his head, grinning charmingly and Joshua nodded feeling a smile of his own appear at his sociability. "Is it an 08?"
"Uh, I think so." He replied unsurely looking at the car and he chuckled.
"I'm guessing it is. I don't think it would be any older then a year." He said and Josh just nodded while he grinned. "So what are you doing at the Montez household?"
"Oh my girlfriend and I came down so I could meet her parents." He replied with a nervous smile and Troy nodded before his wording slowly registered in his mind and his smile seemed to fade away. He looked over to the classy man and squinted apprehensively.
"What's your girlfriend's name?"
-
-
"Gabriella!" Her father cheered wrapping her in a hug and she giggled hugging her father back.
"That was a much better greeting then moms." She said and both father and daughter looked over to Teresa who was peering out the window.
"Huh?" She asked turning away from the window sill and they looked at her strangely before they watched her eyes light up. "Oh well if you're going to be so dramatic, then come here." She said holding out her arms for a hug and Gabriella just smiled before walking to her mom and giving her a tight squeeze. "Where's Joshua?"
"He's just getting the bags, he's really nervous to meet you guys, so please be nice." She said and her father held up his right hand.
"Scouts honour."
"Thank you." She said before looking around the foyer, her joyful smile turning blank although her parents didn't seem to notice.
"Happy to be home?" Her father asked wrapping an arm around her shoulders and she sent him a fake smile and a nod.
"Mhmm."
Wilton Valley, Alaska
1311 Lincoln Drive,
Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez,
and daughter Gabriella Montez
January 5th 2002
She giggled as the papers and other objects that sat lifelessly on the counter fluttered to the ground as they clumsily made their way through the house stumbling past the large window which was frosted over from the white snow. Her legs were tightly wrapped around his torso and her hands cupped his neck as he kissed her passionately, trying to make his way up to her room.
"Ouch!" He hissed stubbing his toe on the stairs and she giggled quietly.
"Shhh." She hushed in his ear with a giggle before pressing light kisses to his ear lobe and down his jaw.
"Are your parent's home?" He asked in a whisper and she nodded her head.
"Uh huh. They should be asleep by now though." She replied and he sent her a satisfied grin before reconnecting their lips in a heated kiss, but as he felt her push on his chest lightly and unglue their lips he looked at her confused before she dropped her legs from around his waist and scampered up the stairs.
"Kansas!" He called in a whisper hearing her quiet giggle. All he did was chuckle before chasing after her.
Running quietly up the stairs he glanced at the closed door of her parent's bedroom, the same bedroom he snuck by many, many times. He grinned to himself seeing his girlfriend quietly scurry to her bedroom and he tiptoed down the hall grabbing her waist making her stifle a loud laugh. He chuckled lowly in her ear before shoving her against the door frame making her grin seductively. His mouth attacked hers and his hands roamed her hips and legs and rear end. Their kisses were soundless, thanks to months of practice.
"Troy." Gabriella moaned quietly as he kissed down her neck, grabbing her butt in his hands. She bit down on her lip and smiled to herself before pushing herself from the wooden frame and grabbing his collar in both her hands before pulling him into the bedroom making him laugh, and with a soft kick the door shut closed with a silent 'click.'
She smiled shyly as he softly dipped her onto the bed before gently laying on top of her, gliding his thumb across her cheek bone.
"I love you Kansas."
Wilton Valley, Alaska
1311 Lincoln Drive
Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez
July 2nd 2009
Her hand travelled lightly down the white door frame and she frowned sadly.
"Hey there you are." Josh said seeing her standing in the doorway to which he guessed was her bedroom. "This place is amazing." He said and she smiled as he set down their bags and wrapped his arms around her.
"Did you talk to mom and dad?"
"Yup. A whole six words. I think they like me." He said making her giggle. His grin widened as he looked over her head and into the bright yellow bedroom with the white queen sized bed pushed up against the wall. "Was this your room?" He asked and as she nodded he stepped around her and walked into the sunny bedroom.
"Mhmm. In all it's glory." She said and he smiled turning slowly taking in all four walls.
"I can just see you sitting here with your sketches." He chuckled and Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"Here is when I really got into art." She admitted leaning against the frame as he continued to scope out her old bedroom.
"Well I don't blame you, the view alone makes me want to pick up a paint brush, and you know that wouldn't turn out well." He said and she giggled.
"Why don't you just stick to banks." She advised and he chuckled while nodding his head.
"Good plan. I'll leave the whole art thing up to you." He said and she nodded her head with a giggle. "I can't believe how great this place is." He complimented walking up to her and once again winding his arms around her petite waist. "Your parents even have a gardener."
"What?" She asked with a confused laugh. "They don't have a gardener."
"Sure they do, I was just talking to him outside. He really liked the car. You know, maybe we should get one of those when we go back home."
"A BMW?" She asked and he nodded while waving his hand.
"Yeah, that." He said and she laughed at his lack of car knowledge. "We could sell the Prius, you don't drive it that much anyway."
"Sure sweetie."
Wilton Valley, Alaska
Birch Lake
1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road
Residence of Troy Bolton
July 2nd 2009
He pushed the door open fiercely before slamming it shut shielding him from the outside world. Letting out a distressed breath of air, he ran his fingers through his brown locks before his eye caught sight of the fridge intrigued. The sudden idea of a drink sounded more then appealing to him. With that, he grabbed himself a beer.
With a quick and easy twist a gasp released from the bottle and Troy took a long swig from it, resting his hand on the counter which was littered with different drawings and illustrations, steadying himself as he poured the alcohol violently down his throat.
Why was she here? Why did she have to come back? And why did she have to bring some rich idiot who probably didn't even understand how many wheels a car obtained?
He had loved her so passionately and so deeply it felt as if time just stood still and he was absolutely positive that he wanted to be with her forever. He was young and stupid, and foolish. He'd do absolutely anything for her and all she'd have to do is ask, and he knew that she felt the exact same way about him. Which is why at seventeen he got her nickname tattooed into his chest and at eighteen he had asked her to marry him, leaving a still seventeen year old Gabriella to say yes.
As a love struck teenager he got Kansas permanently inked into his skin in black cursive on the left side of his chest, right over his heart. He was too much of a nostalgic coward to get it removed.
She never liked the nickname and would roll her eyes every time he so much as uttered it. She said that Kansas wasn't her home anymore and her place was in Wilton Valley with him, but he never stopped calling her the pet name he adored. Kansas was where she came from and Kansas was the place that turned her into the girl he fell in love with on the lake.
But if there was one piece of advice he could live by, it was never, ever get a woman's name tattooed on your body, for it will just come back and bite you right on the ass.
"Shit." He hissed slamming the glass bottle on the counter and sliding it away from him angrily. "Shit!" He said again in a much louder tone, pushing himself off the counter and pacing back and forth in his house. Two or three years ago he and his grandfather, along with his dad set out to build the cottage-esque home. It was right on the edge of the lake which Troy liked, meaning he could take his boat out whenever he wanted. Not to mention work was only a few feet away. Although there was a couple of obvious downsides to having a front row view to the exact spot where he met the former love of his life. With that thought he stopped in his tracks searching the counter for the red and white box.
Troy liked to believe he had one vice and one vice only.
Smoking.
He had been smoking since he was sixteen, and all the girls just fawned over the filthy habit, except Gabriella of course. She absolutely hated it and tried repeatedly to get him to quit. He tried the patches and the gum, even tried a ridiculous hypnosis tape she found somewhere, but he just couldn't stop. Although he was proud to admit that in the last five years he'd been promoted from a frequent smoker, to a stress smoker, meaning he only felt the urge to light up a cigarette in stressful situations. And now seemed like a pretty good time for a cigarette.
It's not everyday your ex-wife comes back into town.
So the original plan was to put this story out after I finished At the Edge of a Petal, obviously that didn't work out lol. I was actually just working on a chapter for a different story when I had an idea for this story so I opened up a new document and started writing. I figured I'd just start the first chapter and keep adding onto it until At the Edge of a Petal was finished but before I knew what was going on I was finished! Lol. I really had so much fun writing this chapter, its pretty different then anything else I've written and I hope you guys really liked it and will continue reading and checking for updates.
By the way Wilton Valley is not a real place nor or the street names. I just totally made it up! Lol and the reason behind the dates and places and all that before each scene is because there will be quite a bit of flashbacks and stuff through out the story and I thought it would just help with the time line. Plus it looks cool :)
Anyway please press the pretty green button and REVIEW. You can also see a picture of Troy's boat in my profile if you like. Oh and for those of you who like my story Murphy's Law, if you have any ideas don't be afraid to send me a message and tell me them. Oh and for those of you who are familiar with my other stories like Night's Like These 1 and 2 you probably know that I can't possibly write a story without a little humour in it, so I'll try to incorporate as much comedy as possible.
Sorry if there's any mistakes and REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW.
Love Dani.