Summary: Gabriella and Troy used to be high school sweethearts until she left him, claiming she had to move. Now, 4 years later, she has returned to Albuquerque. And, with a child.
Disclaimer: All characters, places, and references are purely affiliated to the High School Musical series. Everything you read is solely set for fictional and entertainment purposes.
Baby Steps
Chapter One
Gabriella stared at the roaming mountains that accented the main town of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was the perfect view from the East High rooftop. In fact, everything about the rooftop was perfect. She glanced at it and smiled memorably. There were roses, lilies, sunflowers, bushels, and even more plants. It had all been decorated by the science club and lately, she and Troy had kept an eye on the plants to make sure they didn't wilt and die.
Her smile dropped when she thought of Troy.
He was her boyfriend of nearly four years, having started the relationship just as they entered their freshman year of high school. They had been through so much since then; first kisses, first dates, family dinners, first times, and even a few jealous moments. But, they had survived it all. They were already in their senior year and nearly graduating in a few months. She was so in love with him and he was so in love with her. They both knew it.
But, things were starting to change.
Lately, Gabriella had been feeling strange. She had been feeling sick and pale. At first, she believed it was just the flu. But, she knew it was something else. She didn't have a headache, she didn't have a stuffy nose, and she definitely didn't have a sore throat. Just an upset stomach.
But, how was she supposed to tell Troy? He had so many plans for his future. He always talked about going off to UCLA to play professional basketball. He wanted to play professionally and become a star. She wasn't going to ruin that for him. That's why she couldn't tell him. But, she has never lied to Troy. So, how was she even going to do this?
"Gabriella?"
She turned around to see Troy coming up the steps, smiling at her. He looked so good in his khaki shorts and Wildcat t-shirt. His perfect, wavy hair was even settled firmly against his forehead. His blue eyes were shining brightly, too. He was so beautiful.
That just made it even harder to do this.
Gabriella tried to smile. "Hey."
"So, what did you want to talk about? Your note seemed kind of urgent," said Troy, walking up to her.
He placed his hands on her waist and held her close. He was making it all so difficult. She wished he wouldn't touch her, but she lived for his touch. It was so amazing. She felt so safe. Would she even be safe after this?
"Troy, I have some...news." She couldn't even decide if it was good news or bad news. Probably both.
Troy furrowed his brows and looked at her, catching on to her hesitant tone. "What's wrong? Is it bad?"
"I don't know," she muttered. She walked out of Troy's arms and glanced back at the mountains. "Troy, I really don't know how to say this."
"Will just tell me? You're starting to scare me, baby." Troy cautiously walked towards her, his heart pounding. Something was wrong. He knew it.
Gabriella winced at the pet name and sighed. What was she supposed to say? Should she lie to him? But, she never lied to him before. Then again, this could ruin his future. She couldn't allow that to happen. She needed to protect him.
Protecting him was the one thing that was going to break her heart.
"Troy, I'm moving." She had to lie.
Troy let out a small chuckle and shrugged. "Okay. How far?"
"It's kind of out there. I think my mom said it was in California," said Gabriella. How was she coming up with all of this so easily?
"That's not too far. I'm going to UCLA this fall, so we will still be close. We can still be together," smiled Troy, putting his arms around her waist from behind. He snuggled his nose into her hair and kissed her head.
She couldn't take this anymore. She was going to have to break his heart, too. Immediately.
She pulled away from his embrace and scoffed, turning to face him. She didn't even realize that she had been crying. "Troy, no. It's too difficult, okay? I can't do a long distance relationship. I'm not even going to live near UCLA."
"Gabriella, we have gotten through so much already. We can make it through distance," said Troy. Why was she talking like this? It was scaring him. He didn't want to lose her.
She shook her head fiercely. "Troy, no. You don't get it. I can't..." She paused and exhaled. "I can't be with you anymore. Not like this."
Troy stopped talking, stopped breathing. He was sure that his heart had stopped beating, too. It was literally breaking. Gabriella was leaving because of little distance? It wasn't fair. She couldn't do this. They were in love, weren't they?
"Gabriella, I love you. You can't do this," murmured Troy.
Gabriella scoffed again. "I can and I just did. Troy, I can't do this anymore. You and me. The distance will never work. That's one thing we can't get through."
"Seriously?" Troy was starting to get upset. This was not the Gabriella he had known for years. They had played on the swings at the age of five when they first met. They had their first friendly kiss at the age of twelve. They made love for the first time at the age of sixteen. This was not her.
"Gabriella, stop this right now. I don't believe you," he started, pointing at her. "You would never leave me just because of distance. We are in love with each other. We both know that. And, we both know that there is something else wrong here. It's not just because of the distance, is it? The distance doesn't even exist, right? There's something else and I want the truth."
Gabriella stared at him, eager to tell him the truth. She wanted to tell him the honest to God truth. But, she was afraid. She was afraid he would leave his future just for her and what was happening to her. He would want to take responsibility, but she wouldn't let him. She couldn't.
"Troy, I don't want you with me anymore. I won't let you stay with me," she said through gritted teeth, her entire body trembling with nerves and tears.
Troy didn't know what else to say. He had just lost the love of his life, the woman he wanted to marry. Now what?
Gabriella watched him storm down the stairs and slam the door behind his back. Everything was silent now except for the sound of her tears and her heart shattering into pieces. Everything was over for both of them and Gabriella still wasn't sure if she made the right choice.
Gabriella opened her eyes, clutching her bed sheets tightly in her fists. She was calm, but she really wasn't. She had gotten used to this, though. She would wake up after having the same, truthful memory in her dreams. Then, she would stare at the ceiling for a while before she could actually get the courage to stand up out of bed. She would take her shower, have some breakfast, and then wake up her baby girl.
It had been four years since she made the mistake of her life by breaking up with Troy Bolton. Of course, she had lied to him. She still felt bad about it. She should have just told him that she was having his child.
But, she couldn't do that.
Now, he was probably playing professional basketball and living a happy life with some beautiful girl and a new family. Maybe he was married. And, she was fine with that. At least, she thought she was. She knew she should let go of the past. That's why they called it the past. You needed to let go of it.
But, she was not over Troy. He was the best guy she had ever had in her life. He was always gentle, kind, smart, and sexy. He knew how to make her laugh and he knew how to protect her.
That's why it made things harder for her. She had left him because she was scared to tell him the truth. She was afraid to tell him that she was having his child. But, she didn't want to ruin his future. That wouldn't be fair to him.
But, she wondered if things were still fair for both of them. They had been apart for four years. He still had no idea that she was the mother of his child. He didn't even know there was a child in the first place. The last time she spoke to Troy was when they had broken up. They even avoided each other at graduation.
Was it fair that Troy had no idea about his daughter?
"Mommy!"
Gabriella sat up and smiled, rubbing her messy hair. She watched as her four year old daughter ran into the bedroom in her Ariel nightgown, jumping on the bed with a big smile on her face.
"Mommy, pancake time!"
Gabriella giggled and kissed her daughter's cheek. "I remember, Marlena. Chocolate chip, right?"
"I don't know. I kind of want the kind that has the blue stuff in it," said Marlena, playing with a few strands of Gabriella's hair.
"Blueberries."
Gabriella smiled at her daughter. She had her long, black hair and olive skin. Though, her face spoke loudly of Troy's own face. She even had his amazing blue eyes. It was scary at times, but she was proud. Marlena looked exactly like the one person that still held a part of her heart. Though, that made it harder too.
"Let's go make pancakes," said Gabriella, getting out of bed and holding her hand as they raced down the hallway to the kitchen.
After high school, Gabriella went to a local college in Phoenix. She got her own apartment and stayed with her mother, who helped her raise her daughter for the first three years. Then, unexpectedly, her mother had gotten stage four cancer. In a matter of four months, Maria Montez had died from the illness. It had really hurt Gabriella, especially with the fact that she had to raise a three year old by herself and the fact that she didn't have anyone to be with. She didn't have her friends with her and she didn't have Troy.
It hurt, but she managed to continue on. She stayed in the apartment with the inheritance she received from her mother's will and continued to raise her daughter successfully. She wanted to contact her friends every day, but it was too hard. She didn't know what they thought of her.
Would they hate her?
Would they find her as a horrible person?
It was the same with Troy. She knew if she contacted him, he would curse her to Hell and back. He wanted nothing to do with her and she was sure of it. The way he had left was proof enough that he hated her. That probably hurt even more. He didn't love her anymore.
But, she loved him.
After whipping up a fresh batch of blueberry pancakes on the stove, she put a few on a plate and handed them to her daughter, watching as she smothered it with sugary syrup. She laughed quietly as she began cleaning up the dishes in the soapy sink.
Marlena licked syrup off her lips and stopped, looking at her mother. "Mommy, where is daddy?"
Gabriella stopped and closed her eyes. Marlena asked this question almost every week. She would ask where her daddy was or what he was doing today. Gabriella never had the right answer, though. She would say the same thing each time.
"Marlena, daddy is taking a vacation."
Troy finished off his second beer, clattering the mug on the counter as he sighed heavily. He glanced over at his friends with a small grin. "So, my old buddy is getting married."
Chad chuckled as he nodded, gesturing with his beer in the air. "Yeah, yeah. This is some bachelor party, by the way."
Troy looked around at the packed bar. He didn't even know these people. He looked at Chad, who was the only friend he knew at the moment. He chuckled. "Come on. We have good times in this bar."
"Yeah, I won't deny that." Chad chuckled under his breath. "It's pretty crazy that Taylor and I have been together since high school and we are getting married."
"High school sweethearts," said Troy, rolling his eyes as he accepted another beer. "What a stupid nickname."
Chad furrowed his brows. "What? You had a high school sweetheart. Don't forget that."
Troy glared at him. "I had no such thing, Chad." He took a big gulp of his beer, finishing the last of it. "I'm glad to be rid of her, though. Hell would have to freeze over before I'd ever talk to her again."
Troy hadn't spoken to Gabriella since the day she broke his heart. Since then, he had spiraled downward into a deep abyss. Sure, he went to UCLA like he planned. But, he never made it on the basketball team. For some reason, he began to miss every single shot since the break up. It was like Gabriella had been his lifeline and his luck.
Now, he was broken and without a future. He had a job working at the high school as a basketball coach now. He liked it, though. He was still close to basketball, but it wasn't the same if he wasn't playing. Plus, the memories at the high school got to be a little too much.
That's where the alcohol came in.
Chad stared at Troy and looked away, his mind running wild. Things had been rough since high school. He'd watch Troy drink away his sorrows and it wasn't healthy. Granted, they all hadn't spoken to Gabriella since high school. They figured she did move somewhere, but they thought there was something more. She wasn't the type of girl to leave without any notice afterward. Surely she would write?
With the help of Miss Montez, who had always wished Gabriella would keep in touch with her friends, Chad was able to find out Gabriella's address. He wanted Gabriella to come to his wedding so he sent her an invitation nearly four months ago. Then, one week ago, he had received a letter from Gabriella that confirmed she would be there. It was a short letter, though. He knew she was probably scared of what they thought of her.
Especially Troy.
Chad watched him order another beer and looked away, murmuring under his breath. "Hell's about to freeze over."
Taylor was busy cleaning things up around her house when she heard a knock on the door later that evening. She grinned excitedly, knowing exactly who it was. "Chad! She's here!"
Chad grinned as he came down the stairs, racing towards the front door. He opened it and immediately enveloped the girl in his arms. "Baby sister! Oh! We could never be mad at you! You know us better than that!"
Gabriella giggled as she hugged Chad tightly. "Big brother! Oh, I love you!"
Ever since grade school, Chad had been like a big brother to Gabriella. He protected her from bullies and even wiped her tears when she and Troy got into a stupid fight. He was the first person that she went to when she had problems with Troy or life in general.
Chad looked down to see a four year old sucking her thumb shyly and holding a teddy bear. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "Who is this?"
Gabriella's heart started to pound. They had no idea that she had been pregnant back then. She knew this would be a total shock for everybody. But, she just didn't know how to handle it.
"Chad, meet Marlena. She's my daughter," said Gabriella, chewing on her bottom lip.
Chad looked at Gabriella in shock. "A daughter?" He glanced over his shoulder. "Taylor, come in here!"
Taylor walked towards them with a smile on her face, which immediately fell when she spotted Marlena. "Woah."
Gabriella sighed and walked inside the house with her luggage. "Look, I know we need to talk about some things."
"Yeah. We do," said Taylor, shutting the front door.
Chad crossed his arms over his chest. "Gabriella, what happened? When did this happen?"
Gabriella sat on the couch and placed Marlena in her lap. "It was right before graduation."
"Wait a minute. You were pregnant in high school?!" exclaimed Taylor.
"Yes. I didn't know how to tell you guys. It was so confusing. I moved to Phoenix after graduation with my mother," started Gabriella, sighing. She soon delved deeper into the whole story about raising Marlena and her mother's death.
"Gabriella, I'm sorry to hear about your mother." Taylor rubbed her arm gently.
Chad sat next to Gabriella, clasping his hands together. "Me too, Gabriella." He paused. "Who is the father?"
Gabriella sighed and looked down. "Troy is the father."
It was silent for a few moments until Chad finally broke the silence. "Oh, wow. That is...wow."
"Does he know?" asked Taylor incredulously.
Gabriella simply shook her head.
"Gabriella, why doesn't he know about this?" asked Chad. For the first time, he was disappointed in her.
"I was afraid to tell him because I didn't want to ruin his future. That's why we broke up," said Gabriella, slowly stroking Marlena's hair as she slept in her lap.
Chad sighed. "We're glad you got our invitation for the wedding, but you need to tell Troy."
"That's the other reason why I came back to Albuquerque," started Gabriella, looking at her old friends. "Troy deserves to know the truth. Marlena deserves to know her father. I need to make things right. You think he is going to listen?"
"Well, I don't know." Chad chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "He mentioned something about Hell freezing over."
Gabriella sighed. She suddenly figured this was going to be a lot harder than she thought.
Troy grabbed his whiskey from the bar and turned around, glancing at the rehearsal dinner that was commencing at the hotel that evening. There was an entire banquet of fried, baked, and sauteed food. There was wine, champagne, soda, water, and hard liquor at the bar. That's all he needed.
For the past four years, he had been keen on drinking heavily. It's not like he had a few drinks and then had a one night stand. He just liked to go to the bar every night. He had too much on his mind, so the liquor eased his thoughts. He didn't want to think about certain things.
Like her.
He grimaced as he drank his whiskey, slapping the bar gently. "Give me another."
He sighed and ran a hand through his fauxhawk, looking back around the the atmosphere. People were dressed nicely in tuxedos and fine dresses, talking to each other and laughing. He adjusted his black tie, feeling pretty funky in his monkey suit. He didn't wear these often. The last time he really wore one was at his high school prom.
"Damn it," he muttered, grabbing his whiskey and taking a big gulp of it. He left the glass on the counter and ventured away from the bar. He needed something lighter, but heavier to drown his thoughts.
He was heading towards the champagne when he accidentally bumped into somebody, accidentally sloshing some wine on the clear floor. He scoffed lightly and shook his head. "Sorry, that was my fault."
The person didn't speak.
He glanced up to make sure they were okay when his words got caught in his throat, as well. This had to be a nightmare. Or a dream. Or something much worse. She couldn't be here. She couldn't be standing in front of him looking incredibly beautiful in a short and strapless gold dress that sparkled against her tan skin and highlighted her beautiful, black curls.
This couldn't be the girl that still appeared in his dreams, bringing him back memories of their love making and their kisses.
"Gabriella," he murmured.
Gabriella smiled nervously at Troy and gave him a slight wave. "Hi, Troy."
Troy immediately grabbed another person's whiskey and gulped it down, wincing at the fire. This was going to be a long evening.