This is my first one-shot. A death occurred this week in my town and it made me want to write this. He was only 2 years old and only a couple of days before Christmas. RIP little man.
"Troy, honey. Are you ready?" Troy Bolton's mom, Lucille Bolton asked her 20 year old son as he sat on the couch in his family home, staring straight in front of him with no expression at all in his face or in his baby blue eyes his girlfriend loved so much.
Troy shook his head but stood up anyway, following his parents, brothers, sisters and close friend out of the door. Once everybody got into the car, everyone made small talk. In Troy's car there was; his Dad in the driver's seat, Mom in the passenger seat, Troy's younger brother, Dylan, behind his mom and one of his older brothers, Leo, in the middle. Troy just sat there. Saying nothing as he watched the rows of houses pass by as people from outside of their houses watched their car follow the hearse in front. They were only in the car a couple of minutes before they got out of the car, outside the church and waited for the rest of the family and close friends such as; Troy's eldest brother: Ollie and then Dale who was Troy's second eldest brother, Ivy: She was the eldest out of all of them at 28. Chad Danforth: his best friend, Zeke Baylor: a close friend and Sharpay: who was like a sister to him.
"Hey," Ivy said softly, her surfer blonde hair whipping around her face in the cool air. Her thin arm wrapped around her brother's shoulders.
Troy gave a slight smile to his sister who was the same height as him, his head fell on her shoulder limply, needing the comfort of his big sister. Troy and Ivy were very close even with the 8 year age gap. Troy licked his dry lips before closing his eyes, taking a few deep breaths.
"We need to get inside," Ivy whispered again, rubbing his muscular bicep.
Troy sighed and nodded, "I don't want this to happen," Troy's voice cracked half way through as he hadn't spoke all morning.
"Hmm?" Ivy asked, looking at her brother's pale face.
"Then it's all real," Troy chocked out, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"I'll be right here," Ivy muttered, hugging Troy with one hair before following their family inside, her arm staying around Troy as Troy's friends followed them.
As the Bolton family walked in, a lot of people's eye followed them, sympathy written all of their faces which made Troy wince. Troy didn't want people to be watching him, he wanted to grief in peace without everybody's eyes on him. Troy's eyes never looked at the front of the church but instead watched his feet the whole time, even as the priest started to speak Troy paid no attention to him, only to the pain his felt in his heart.
"We are gathered here to say farewell to Gabriella Noelle Montez and to Mason Kai Cole Bolton and to commit them into the hands of God," The priest started.
Troy squeezed his eyes shut as he read the full names of his girlfriend of three years and his six month old, child.
"I can't, I can't.." Troy kept repeated, almost inaudibly as his forehead leant against Ivy's black cotton clad shoulder.
"Shh, I'm here, I'm here. You need to say goodbye," Ivy whispered, tightening the arm around his shoulders.
Troy spent a couple of minutes, hiding his face in Ivy's shoulder, his eyes shut but then he felt his mom who was on his right take his hand and give it a squeeze. He found comfort and managed to look at the front of the church and that's when he saw the grey haired man speaking and a bigger coffin then a tiny coffin next to each other.
The priest continued to talk about Gabriella and Mason, God and the Holy Sprit but nothing the priest or anybody could say would make this any easier. Troy remembered the day he got told and the death of the two people who were front and centre in his life.
"Can't you stay for dinner?" Troy pouted, keeping his arms tight around his girlfriend and his baby boy of 6 months was snugly between them.
"I need to get home," Gabriella said, looking up at her adorable boyfriend.
"Fine, fine," Troy mumbled. "I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked, lowering his head down to her's.
"If your lucky," Gabriella grinned, cheekily.
Troy chuckled before pressing his thin lips to her full, glossy ones. Giving her a long, soft kiss before he felt a small hand on his face, he smiled into the kiss and pulled back. "What's up, buddy? Jealous your not getting any kisses?" Troy asked Mason who smiled at his daddy. Troy then covered his face in small kisses, exaggerating each and every kiss just to hear his boy giggle.
"I love you, Mase," Troy said, softly kissing his cute button nose. Mason Kai Cole was a little replica of Troy, the blue eyes, brown hair, tan skin… everything.
"And I love you, gorgeous," Troy said, kissing her once more before letting the grip on them loosen and his arms fall to his sides.
"I love you too. I'll call you later before Mason goes to sleep," Gabriella said.
"Okay. Bye baby," Troy grinned.
"Bye," Gabriella quickly kissed him once more and if Troy knew what was going to happen later that night he would of forced her and Mason to stay at his house for dinner.
Lucille saw Troy walk into the kitchen and sit at the table with the rest of the family; four brothers and one sister: (age order) Ivy, Ollie, Dale, Leo, Dylan. "Gabriella and Mason gone?"
"Yeah," Troy sighed.
"She'll only been gone a minute, bro. Man up," Dylan teased, spooning some mash potato into his mouth.
"Shut up," Troy snapped, glaring at his eighteen year old brother.
"You two stop, your brothers and sisters are home and we don't want to hear you two arguing," Troy's dad, Jack told them, pointing at the two youngest of the family.
After a couple of hours, everybody was in the living room watching some random TV programme until Dylan and Troy turned on the Xbox and started to play some video game they both loved. Troy's phone started to ring so he told Dylan to pause the game while he answered his iPhone 4.
"Hello?" Troy said, cheerily into the phone.
"Is this Troy Bolton?" The person asked on the other end.
"This is he," Troy answered, frowning slightly. "Who's speaking?"
"This is Officer Ellwood. I'm sorry to have to inform you that Gabriella Montez and Mason Bolton have passed away," The Police Officer told Troy.
"What?" Troy breathed as he fell into the couch.
"I'm sorry. They were found on 4th Avenue. They were in a car crash and died on impact. I'm sorry to have to be the one to bring this news to you, but please feel free to call me if I can be of any further assistance," The Officer said to a shocked Troy.
"Okay, thanks. I guess," Troy then hung up the phone with a pale face and trembling hands. "Gabriella and Mason are dead," Troy said to his family. "Their gone, mom," Troy said, looking at his mom for support. Troy sat their in shocked, he felt like he couldn't move. How was this possible? He had seen them both a couple hours earlier happy and smiling.
Now, Troy sat there as Sharpay stood up and walked to the microphone at the front. Ready to speak in front of all the people who had loved Gabriella and Mason. Gabriella was put into care when she was little so she had no family there except for her brother who had just arrived into the church and sat next to Chad, whispering a 'sorry I'm late' and turning down to pat Troy on the knee.
"Gabriella was an amazing person," Sharpay began pushing some of her blonde hair behind her make-up free face. "An amazing mom, girlfriend and best friend. She'll be missed by a lot of people, she's effected people in so many ways coming into their lives…" That's all Troy heard before he blocked everybody out and concentrated on trying to speak to Gabriella in his mind and trying to stop the tears from falling. To help him space out a little he started to think about the day Mason Kai Cole Bolton was born, 6 months ago.
"Come on baby, you heard the mid-wife. One more push," Troy coaxed, holding her right hand with his right hand as his left was rubbing up and down her back.
"I can't," Gabriella cried, resting her head back on the pillow. "It hurts so much. Troy," Gabriella groaned, her forehead pouring with sweat and her hair turning sticky.
"Come on, one more," Troy said, simply, kissing her temple.
Gabriella leant forward again as the contraction racked her body and she pushed as hard as she could then a screaming baby was heard and Gabriella's body flopped against the bed.
"Congrats, you've got a beautiful baby boy," The mid wife showed Troy and Gabriella the baby boy who was bloody and screaming.
"Look mommy," Troy said, helping her limp body up to look at their child.
Gabriella rested her exhausted self against Troy's torso and smiled at their child before the midwife took him away to be cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket. Once he was brought back, Gabriella told her the name of their baby as Troy smiled down at little Mason as he stroked his delicate cheek with the back of his index finger.
"He's so gorgeous, Gab," Troy muttered. Gabriella brought her hand up to stroke Mason's head.
"He is," Gabriella whispered.
"I love you," Troy stared into Gabriella's eyes, leaning forehead to share a light kiss. He pulled back to look back at Mason who wrapped his small hand around the top of Troy's index finger which caused Troy to well up and a small tear fall from his eye.
"I love you too," Gabriella whispered, kissing Mason's head.
"Troy, I believe you have a few words to say," The priest announced.
Troy nodded slightly, getting up and walking to the front of the church and spoke into the microphone. "I have no idea what to say," Troy looked over at the mass of people "I have no words to explain how much Gabs and Mase meant to me and how much I loved them but I do know that they went to early. Gabriella had one wish that I would sing in front of an audience before I passed away and now she can't see me doing the thing she wanted me to do but I know she and Mason can hear me. I miss you and I love you both so much. I will never forget you, either of you." Troy then looked toward the drummer and nodded as he picked up the guitar Gabriella had given him for his 19th Birthday. "This song is one of Gabriella favourite because whenever this was played when she was pregnant with Mason, Mase always kicked," Troy said, tears building up in his eyes. He nodded once more at the drummer to signal him to start playing. He looked towards his sister and mom and got the strength to start singing.
"There's no one in town I know
You gave us some place to go.
I never said thank you for that.
I thought I might get one more chance,"
Troy sang beautifully, his eyes firmly shut.
"What would you think of me now,
so lucky, so strong, so proud?
I never said thank you for that,
now I'll never have a chance."
Troy slowly opened his eyes as he sang the course on the song that meant so much to him in the past 3 years.
"May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends,
On sleepless roads the sleepless go,
May angels lead you in."
Troy looked up at the roof of the church, as I small tear rolled down his face. He didn't both to wipe it away.
"So what would you think of me now,
so lucky, so strong, so proud?
I never said thank you for that,
now I'll never have a chance."
Troy voice cracked as he neared the end of his sentence. Troy didn't bother to try to hide his tears anymore as a million moments that he, Gabriella and Mason shared filled his head.
"May angels lead you in.
Hear you me my friends,
On sleepless roads the sleepless go,
May angels lead you in,
May angels lead you in,
May angels lead you in,
if you were with me tonight,
I'd sing to you just one more time.
A song for a heart so big,
god wouldn't let it
May angels lead you in,
Hear you me my friends,
On sleepless roads the sleepless go,
May angels lead you in,
May angels lead you in,
Hear you me my friends,
On sleepless roads the sleepless go,
May angels lead you in
May angels lead you in."
Troy finished, another tear falling down his face as he put the guitar down and walked over to the coffins, he pressed a kiss to each one, whispering to both of them. "I love you," He bit his lower lip, wiping the few tears that had escaped his eyes and walked back to where he sat and was instantly brought into a hug by Ivy.
"Your gonna be okay," Ivy whispered, hugging her little brother tight.
"No," Troy chocked out, hugging his sister tight.
"Yes you are. Gabriella would want you to move on," Ivy said, stroking his hair as Troy dug his head into Ivy's hair.
Later that day, around 4pm. Troy was sat between the two graves, crying hard as all he wanted to do was wrap his son and girlfriend up in his arms and hugging them tight so they never go out of their sight again.
"Troy?" Troy heard a voice say but he didn't pay attention, he continued to cry alone next to these graves. "Troy come on," Troy now recognized the voice to be his best friend's voice.
"No, I don't wanna leave," Troy cried, holding onto Gabriella's grave stone.
"Troy," Chad sighed.
"No. No. I don't want them to go, there not gone. Please Chad tell me there not gone, it's just a dream right?" Troy asked, looking up at Chad with hopelessness written all over his face.
"There not coming back, man. You need to say goodbye," Chad said, reluctantly. Making Troy's heart break even more.
Troy didn't reply to this but kissed his fingers running it over Gabriella's name engraved onto the stone. "I love you, Gabriella. I'll never ever forget you. Goodbye sweetheart," Troy whispered, closing his eyes and pressing another kiss to her stone before looking at Mason's grave. "Mase, buddy. Mommy's up there with you and all the other little angels. I miss you and mommy so much. I'll never forget you either. Goodbye bud," Troy kissed his stone, letting a single tear escape his eye before he took Chad's hand that he offered and got up.
"You've got all your friends," Chad began, throwing his arm around Troy's shoulders "And your family. Your going to get threw this, your gonna lean on us and we're gonna help you threw it. You're my best friend man and it kills me to see you like this," Chad said to Troy.
Troy put his arm around Chad's shoulders. "It'll just take time you know? I'll never forget them and I'll love them forever," Troy said, sniffing.
"I know, I know," Chad said in response. The two best friends slowly walked out of the graveyard, every step was more heartbreaking, taking steps away from his family who was buried six feet under. He'd slowly get better but never get over it.
Gabriella Noelle Montez Mason Kai Cole Bolton
14th July 1991 (Age 20) 18th October 2011 (Age 1)
A beloved mother, A beloved son,
best friend and girlfriend grandson and nephew.
Little Angels
When God calls little children to swell with him above,
we sometimes question the wisdom of his love,
for no heartache compares with the death of one small child,
who does so much to make our world seem wonderful and mild.
Perhaps god tires of calling the aged to his fold;
so he picks a rosebud before it can grow old.
God knows how much we need them and so he takes but few,
to make the land of heaven more beautiful to view.
Believing this is difficult, still somehow we must try.
The saddest word mankind know will always be "Goodbye".
So when a child departs we who are left behind,
must realise God loves children,
Angels are hard to find.
I hope you liked it. Review? Thanks for reading.