AN: Inspired by Brian McKnight's song One Last Cry. I've never been in a situation where I've been cheated on so I don't really know how painful it is, but I tried to convey the mix emotions and hurt with this one-shot. Still starting to get the hang of writing so take it easy on me on the criticisms and comments. Oh, this is an alternate universe, just in case some of you might try to place it in the HSM-universe/plot lines.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
One Last Cry
"You said you forgive me but you haven't really forgiven me Brie."
"I said I forgive you."
"You say it but you don't mean it."
"What do you want from me? I'm trying. I'm trying hard as hell to forget. To not remember..."
I walk cautiously towards Gabriella and place my hands on her arms. I look straight into her brown eyes and wipe her tear-stricken cheeks with my thumb. Placing my forehead against hers, I whisper, "Brie, it was a mistake. It meant nothing."
She breaths deeply. "To you, it may mean nothing, but it meant something to me, Troy."
"God, I was drunk. I know it's not an excuse but I was drunk. I didn't do it to hurt you. I didn't do to get back at you. I was drunk."
She flinches and looks away. Standing there, alone with Gabriella in a lonely hallway after school, memories of last night flood to me. Fighting with Gabriella over colleges. Leaving in a fit to join the gang at a party. Drinking to forget about my fight with Brie. Stumbling into a room and waking up the next morning with none other than Sharpay. It all comes back to me. Looking at her now, I know the mess that I have caused. I know how hurt she is by my stupid mistake but I was drunk for pete's sake. Argh.
In my moment of contemplation, I didn't notice that Gabriella has left the comfort of my arms. I look at her, teary-eyed as she hugs herself, as if protecting herself from me and my heart breaks at the scene before me.
Throughout the two years that we've been together, we've never had any real fights. Petty quibbles here and there. Bickering every now and then. But at the end of the day, whatever irritation we had with each other is ultimately resolved. Don't get me wrong. We're not the perfect and disgustingly happy couple all the time. But never, in the whole time that I've been with Gabriella that I lashed out at her like that. Never and I hate myself for doing so. I hate myself for hurting her.
"I can't just forget it, Troy. I can't just make all the pain go away."
More tears run down her cheeks and she hurriedly wipes them away.
"Looking at you, all I see is an image of the two of you together... I would give anything to erase that in my head. To forget... to forgive you."
"Brie, we can get past this. You can't just give up on us like this. Not after everything we've been through." I reach for her but she shrugs away.
No one speaks.
And at that moment, with Gabriella leaning against the lockers and with me standing there, immobile in front of her, I suddenly realize the gravity of my reckless mistake.
"You... you, you can't give up on us. You hear me. You can't."
She doesn't responds and it scares me.
"Brie? This is one minor setback -"
"Minor? Minor? You call sleeping with Sharpay, minor?"
I run my hand through my tousled hair and say, "You know I didn't mean it like that."
"Oh, how did you mean it Troy?" She scoff.
"I made a mistake."
"One that you didn't even plan on telling me", she holds up a finger, "... and don't lie. You and I both know that you have no plans on telling me about your drunken night with Sharpay."
"Okay, so maybe I wasn't planning on telling you at the moment. I just wanted to figure out the best way to go about this whole thing."
"And you thought lying was the right answer?"
"Okay, so not telling you about it was a poor choice on my part. But I did tell you in the end didn't I? When you confronted me about my attitude this morning, I didn't lie. I told you the truth. I came clean and I'm more than willingly to make it up to you."
"How do you make it up to me Troy? How do you go about asking for my forgiveness for sleeping with her - HER of all people?"
Sharpay has always been a sore subject between me and Gabriella. Ever since she transferred to East High during the beginning of sophomore year, Sharpay has made it her mission to make Gabriella's life miserable. At first it was just the taunts. Then, when Gabriella and I started dating during the middle of sophomore year, Sharpay's taunts escalated to blatantly crude remarks. But Gabriella took the high road and ignored Sharpay's jabs and insults. Sharpay, being the conniving bitch that she is, was careful to hide all the unpleasantness when I was nearby. And Gabriella, angelic as ever, did not say anything, thinking that by doing so, I would have to choose between her and Sharpay.
Did I forget to mention that Sharpay and I are close friends and that apparently, I was oblivious to her more-than-friendly affections towards me? How stupid of me. I only found out about Gabriella's problems with Sharpay when I found her crying in the gym after Sharpay told my girlfriend that I would pick her over Gabriella any day. I was pissed. Enraged, even to find out that my close friend was terrorizing my girlfriend. I was mad that Gabriella didn't say anything. I, of course, confronted Sharpay and our friendship, somewhat, disintegrated during the summer of junior year. We only started to rebuild that friendship when Sharpay asked for my and Gabriella's forgiveness. Both Gabriella and I forgave her of course and we'd have this tense sort-of friendship since then... who knew that said friendship was just a ploy to make me fall in love with her. Gawd. I really am stupid. And, when did my life become so complicated.
I am snapped out of my reverie when Gabriella whispers the six words that I dreaded the most.
"I think we need a break."
I was frantic. I was scared. I panicked. I never thought it would come to this. I thought we could work it out. It would be shaky and awkward at first but we're Troy and Gabriella, East High's Sweethearts. I though we could overcome this obstacle.
"No. No break-up. We can settle this. We can work it out." At that point, I don't know if I'm trying to convince her or myself but I needed to try. I needed to do something.
"Did I ever tell you why my parents broke up, Troy?" she pauses and I see her hand trembling, "My mother found my dad in bed with our neighbor who just happens to by his best friend. Ironic, isn't it?"
"Brie"
"I told myself that I would never let that happen to me. I would never let any man hurt me the same way my dad hurt my mom. I promised myself." She's visibly shaking now, tears running rampant down her cheeks and this image, of my Gabriella, broken and hurt, was one that I could not deal with.
I grew more frantic. More panicked. I walk towards her, closing the gap between us and I took her in my arms.
"Tell me what I need to do. Anything. I'll do it. Just don't leave me. I love you, Brie. I love you."
She pushes me away, looks straight into my eyes and says, with so much conviction that it scared me, "I need you to let me go."
"So that's it. After all this years, you're breaking up with me because of a drunken mistake. One mistake. The first ever major fight we have and you bolt."
"Don't you dare..."
"Don't I dare what? It's true. It gets too hard and you leave."
"You think I want to leave? You think this is easy for me? You have no idea how hard it is to look at you. How hard it is to not see an image of my father fucking my neighbor every time I see you. Cause that's what I see Troy. I see my cheating bastard of a father every time I look at you. And I hate it."
I'm stunned. I stand there, in the middle of the hallway, listening to her rant about her cheating father and when one compares you to that, you're screwed. No matter what you say, there are no words that can sweet talk you out of this mess that you're in.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I would give anything in this world to rewind the past couple of days. I would give anything to erase that hurt in your eyes. You have to believe me Brie, I never meant to hurt you."
"And yet you did."
"Brie, I love you."
"Please, Troy, don't make this harder than it already is."
At this point, both of us, we're crying - albeit I was still trying to hold my tears at bay.
"So this is the end. You just walk away."
Gabriella walks up to me, wipes a few stray tears, kisses my cheek and says, "I love you, Troy Bolton" and walks away.
I'm not a fan of the ending but eh. I might change it later but for the now, the abrupt end kinda mirror the abrupt change and end in Troy and Gabriella's relationship which in some ways, is what I was going for. I don't think it worked though. lol
Comments? Suggestions?