WILDCAT
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What if Troy hadn't gone to Stanford for Gabriella?
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- 1 -
"I love you, Wildcat."
"Gabriella! Gabriella!" Troy looked at his phone in disbelief. She'd hung up. He stood for a moment, staring blankly out the window, trying to take in what she'd said.
"Troy?" Chad said, standing at the door to his room.
"She's not coming back," he said flatly.
"She won't be back for prom?" Chad asked.
"No, man, she's not coming back at all," Troy replied and flung the phone across the room.
Troy only half listened to Chad's reassurances that it would be okay and that his friends would be there for him. He couldn't believe Gabriella had decided to skip prom and graduation. He thought about it for a long time after Chad left, then he made up his mind. Gabriella might feel she'd said her last goodbye to East High, but East High wasn't ready to say goodbye to her, not just yet.
Troy grabbed his suit and his car keys and headed downstairs. He would miss the prom, but if he got on the road right now he might just be able to bring her back in time for the rest.
"Mom?" he called. "Hey, Mom!"
There was no answer, and then he remembered. His mother was driving over to school to meet his dad and then they were going out with friends for dinner and a show. They wouldn't be home until late. No matter, he thought, he'd leave them a note so they would know where he'd gone. They would understand - he hoped. Even if he got grounded when he returned, it would be worth it.
Excited and determined, Troy jumped into the truck and set out for California.
An hour later, he glumly thanked the tow truck driver who'd brought him and his truck home. Troy walked slowly up to the dark house, made his way to his room and plopped on the bed without turning on any lights. His truck had barely made it out of Albuquerque before quitting completely. There was no chance of getting to Gabriella now.
He lay staring quietly into the night. Maybe this was meant to be. Maybe Fate was trying to tell him to let her go, to let her continue on her chosen path without him. Maybe this last year since they'd met had just been a -- a what? A high school romance? Was Chad right? Was it natural for couples to split up when they went to college? How would he manage without her? He was still pondering when dawn crept across the sky.
The rest of the school year passed in a sort of blur for Troy. He didn't go to the prom, despite his friends' urging, but he did participate in the school musical. Gabriella's absence affected everyone, not just Troy. They put on a good show, and the audience clearly loved it, but all the seniors knew how much more it would have been with Gabriella there. As Ms. Darbus presented them at the end, everyone waited to hear what Troy had decided. Finally his turn came and he stepped forward.
"I'm going to U of A," he said, "for basketball." Chad whooped and Troy could see the pleasure on his father's face, but he was not excited about the decision. Without Gabriella, one school was as good as another to him. Oddly enough, of all the people there, the most understanding look he got was from Ms. Darbus.
Graduation came and went. Troy and Gabriella spoke on the phone often at first, but a wall of awkwardness had come up between them. Troy felt she'd moved on and he didn't want to hold her back. Gabriella knew he wasn't telling her something, but couldn't get up the nerve to ask him about it. By August they stopped calling. Then it was time for school, and all the seniors - now college freshmen - headed off in different directions.