A/N: This chapter was so much fun to write and I think you guys will like it. :) I am on holiday (vacation) for two weeks from this .?docid=18932685rday. But, no worries. You will still get your weekly Wednesday updates (haha, that'll be the official term from now on!) because I have my laptop (my beautiful pink one!) and the internet :)
I have uploaded a Troyella video to youtube entitled "Troy and Gabriella Wouldn't Change a thing". It's sort of based on Troy and Gabi's relationship portrayed here. It's to a Camp Rock 2 song. I'd appreciate comments :)
Anyway, until next week...
Don't own HSM x
Chapter 2
Gabriella threw another screwed up piece of paper into the barn down below. She found that sitting on the top wooden platform of the barn with her notebook of possible plots was actually really refreshing. Luckily, this barn was strictly for hay bales and so nothing was being hurt by her angry paper balls or her frustrated yells. Nothing in her notebook of ideas was remotely interesting, entertaining or original. She was actually running out of pages to rip out. That's how hopeless she was feeling. She ripped another page out and she stared down at it in anger. She screwed it up and threw it down below.
She knew that she had time. But, at some point, her agent would stop waiting. She knew that. She didn't know when that point was but she did know that she was still drawing a blank.
"Why is this so difficult?" she yelled. "Give me a sign. A hint. Anything. Lord, I know I'm not perfect but if you help me now, I swear I will try to be." She lowered her volume. "Anything?"
She rubbed her eyes and sighed. Nothing. Why was it so damn difficult? She reached for her notebook and threw it down angrily into the barn below.
"OW!" A voice complained.
Gabriella peered over the edge to see a tall guy, she estimated six feet, clutching the back of his head. "Hey!" she protested. With a practiced ease, she scurried to the edge of the platform and scaled down the ladder. She clambered over the mountain of hay and stalked towards the guy. She didn't know who he was and she didn't really care that she had just hurt him. It appeared that it's very possible for things to go from bad to worse. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He lifted his head and glared at her. "I could ask you the same thing."
"I asked you first, though," Gabriella snapped.
He inhaled deeply, obviously trying to decide what to do. She took the opportunity to scrutinise him. American accent. Possibly Arizona or California. She couldn't tell. She guessed he'd been in England a while, though. A hint of a Yorkshire accent was there, too, making her want to giggle profusely at the sound of his Yorkshire and American accent blended together. His brown hair was scruffy; she doubted that he actually owned a comb. He had a horrible beard. She mentally shivered. Beards... She shivered again. She hated beards. It was probably something she'd picked up from Maria. Maria hadn't let Greg have a beard since they'd been together. His blue eyes were narrowed, sending her death glares. It didn't bother her. The sight of the glares with the horrible hair and beard, she wanted to laugh even more. The guy was wearing a horribly old fashioned plaid button up shirt and a pair of mucky, creased and torn jeans. Her grandfather used to wear clothes like that.
American/Yorkshire Guy sighed in defeat. "I work here. What's your excuse?"
"I live here," she exclaimed.
He laughed sarcastically. "You can't."
She shrugged and folded her arms. "Who says?"
"Me. I've worked here for three years. I think I'd know if some midget Philipino girl lived on this ranch," he yelled.
She stepped closer to him, poking his chest. "Don't talk like that to me. First of all, I am not Philipino. My dad wouldn't be happy if he heard you say that. I'm Colombian, genius. Second of all, I do live here. And third of all, you won't have seen me before because I haven't been here for three years. My dad never said anything about hiring some grumpy American worker."
Realisation crossed American/Yorkshire Guy's face. "I know you. You're that writer... Greg's oldest daughter... Oh, I know this. You made front page news of Scarborough Evening News the other day."
"Gabriella," she exclaimed in exasperation. She took a deep calming breath. "I'm Gabriella."
"Well, Ella-"
"Gabriella," she corrected, feeling her muscles tense once again.
He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, Ella, you need to pick this stuff up."
She glared. "I know. Now, listen here, buddy-"
"Troy," he corrected in the same manner she had.
"Now, listen here, Troy, I could fire you so mind who you're dealing with," she warned.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh grow up. Greg would never let you fire me. I'm the best assistant manager he's ever had."
She felt the colour drain from her face. "Assi... Assistant manager?" she asked in surprise.
Troy shrugged. "That's me. Now, Princess-"
"I'm not a princess. I'm Gabriella." She spoke through greeted teeth.
"Ella, where's Greg? You know, your daddy?" he asked patronisingly.
Gabriella was about to respond when a car door slammed shut and an excited voice yelled, "Hey!"
Gabriella and Troy turned to see a fairly short woman with long black hair that was braided with beads running towards them. "Carmen!" Troy and Gabriella yelled together. They turned to each other in shock. "Hey!"
"She's coming towards me, I'm her sister," Gabriella protested.
"You haven't been here for three years. At least I was here for the year before she went to Cambridge," he shouted.
"Well, we'll see which one of us she's running towards." They turned to watch Carmen running towards them.
"Hermana!" Carmen yelled excitedly as she launched herself at Gabriella and the sisters hugged each other.
Gabriella smirked at Troy over Carmen's shoulder. She pulled back and touched Carmen's braids. "Carmen, look at your hair. It's so long."
Carmen touched Gabriella's. "Yours is so short."
"I wanted a change," they said together and then laughed.
Gabriella hugged Carmen again. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you, too," Carmen muttered into her sister's shoulder.
Gabriella pulled back and sighed. "How's Cambridge?"
"Brilliant. I know why you loved it," Carmen murmured. She suddenly turned to Troy and smiled, flinging her arms around him. "I missed you, too, Troy."
Troy smirked at Gabriella over Carmen's shoulder. "I missed you, too, C." He pulled back and surveyed her appearance in a floral sleeveless dress. "You look great."
She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks." She suddenly looked around the barn. "What the hell happened here?"
"Your sister brutally attacked me," Troy exclaimed.
Gabriella quirked an eyebrow. "Wow, you're mature. I brutally attacked you with a notebook. Yeah, tell that to the police and let's see how far you get." She turned to Carmen. "I'm struggling a little bit with this romance book and I threw my notebook down in frustration accidentally onto Troy's head. In my defence, I didn't know he was here." She turned to Troy. "The most annoying person that's ever walked the planet."
"That's it? That was the best insult that the international bestselling author could come up with?" Troy asked with disbelief.
Gabriella pouted. "I'm having a bad day." She paused. "Anyway," she turned back to Carmen, "I have someone I want you to meet."
"I really think you should clean this up," Troy said sternly.
Gabriella breathed deeply and glared. "Stop patronising me. I'll clean it up later but I want Carmen to meet someone." She stared at him curiously.
He shrugged. "Stop staring at me!"
"You can meet her, too, Hollywood," she mumbled.
"Yeah, Ella, I'm not from Hollywood. I'm from Flagstaff in Arizona," he murmured.
She shrugged. "I've never been there. But, in any case, I'm not from Hollywood either. And until you stop annoying me, you'll be called Hollywood. Now come on." She dragged them towards the main building, ignoring Troy's protests. She turned to Troy on the front doorsteps. "Listen," she said softly, "I'm staying a while and I don't care how you treat me. You've already pissed me off but please treat this person with a little more respect if that's possible."
Troy regarded her. "What's so special about this person?"
Gabriella opened the door and gestured for him to look at Amber. "She's my daughter." Gabriella walked into the kitchen and scooped Amber into her embrace. "Mi hija! What have you been up to?" She grabbed a tea towel and wiped Amber's chocolate covered mouth. She turned to Maria who was washing her hands. "What on earth have you been doing to my daughter?"
"We're baking brownies," Amber said proudly, tightening her grip on a horse shaped teddy.
Gabriella kissed Amber's forehead. "Well, Amber, I want you to meet Auntie Carmen."
Carmen stepped forward and immediately took Amber into her arms. "Oh my gosh, you're my niece that I've heard so much about. You're so cute. Have you been good for your mummy?"
Amber nodded cutely. "Yeah. She said that she's working today so we have to spend the day together."
Carmen looked at Gabriella in shock. Gabriella laughed while she ran herself a glass of water. "Hey, you've just come home, I thought you could get to know each other."
"Well, we're going to have an entire fun filled day," Carmen exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh, hi Troy," Maria greeted when she saw him standing in the doorway. She walked over to hug him briefly. "How are things?"
He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Oh, you know, so-so."
Maria nodded with understanding. "I guess you've met Gabriella."
Troy turned to Gabriella and smirked. "You mean the not-so-brilliant writer with anger management issues?"
"Hey!" Gabriella protested. "Troy, Amber. Amber, Troy."
Troy's face softened as he turned to the blonde little girl. "Amber... You're beautiful." He smiled at the sight of her toy. "Do you like horses?"
Amber nodded. "Yeah, Mummy let me see Chica and Grandpa let me sit on one yesterday."
Troy glanced at Gabriella. "I see." He turned back to Amber who was resting on Carmen's hip. "And would you, my little gem, want to ride horses like I do?"
Gabriella choked on the water she just drank and Maria had to pat her on the back. "Gabi, are you okay? What's wrong?"
Gabriella breathed deeply and looked over at Troy. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong at all." She slammed her glass down, making a wave of water slop over the side. "Carmen, why don't you take Amber outside? She probably wants to be outside in the sun."
Carmen frowned and glanced between her sister and the guy she thought of as an older brother. "Right. I guess I should. Come on, Amber, why don't we play with a Frisbee?"
As Carmen took Amber outside, Maria brought the tray of brownies out of the oven, setting them on the island counter. Troy inhaled deeply. "Oh, that smells nice."
Gabriella grinned. "Well, Hollywood, you have to try my mum's brownies. They're the best in the world." The glance that Maria shot Troy wasn't unnoticed by Gabriella.
"I know, I've had them," Troy murmured. "Maria usually lets me lick the bowl and spoon but it seems she has a new favourite now," he teased.
Maria rolled her eyes and pointed a spatula at Troy. "Hey! I have a granddaughter and she prioritises over you."
Greg walked into the kitchen and grinned at Troy. They immediately hugged each other like, she imagined at least, a father and son would. She cocked her head to the side as Greg pulled back and greeted Troy, "Hey, son. You okay?"
Troy nodded and gestured towards Gabriella. "She's your daughter?"
Greg smiled and walked over to hug Gabriella tightly. "That's right. She's my baby girl, aren't you, mi hija?" He turned to Troy. "Are there any problems?"
Troy shook his head. "No. No problems at all. It's just that I wasn't expecting her to be so..."
Gabriella stepped forward and crossed her arms. "So what?"
Troy frowned. "So exasperating. She throws a notebook on my head, looks at me like I'm dirt, threatens to fire me and I bet she doesn't give a damn about anything other than her precious books."
"Troy," Greg began.
Troy shook his head. "I don't care. I just work here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have horses to groom before my students arrive." He smiled at Greg and Maria. "I'll talk to you both later and fill you in."
Gabriella watched him leave and took a step forward. "Excuse me," she murmured absentmindedly.
"Gabi," Greg warned. "Don't."
Gabriella spun around to him. "Why?"
"You don't understand him like we do," Greg explained, glancing at Maria.
"I don't need to or want to understand him, really. I just want to talk to him. Papi, I'm almost thirty. Please. Let me do this. Trust me, from what I've seen, he's not leaving this place. All I'm going to do is talk to him," she pleaded.
Greg turned to Maria. "Honey?" he asked.
Maria finished putting the brownies on a cooling rack and sighed as she wiped her hands with a cloth. She regarded Gabriella. "Well, Troy loves it here so much. Nothing, not even Gabi, will change that. And Gabi's old enough to make her own choices and her own enemies. Just be careful, okay?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine and I doubt that Hollywood would just let me yell at him for an hour. He'll yell at me, too."
"Wow. That's comforting for me," Greg muttered. "Go on."
Gabriella turned around and marched towards the main stables that kept the horses that students used. She climbed over the fence and strode towards the large building in front of her. All of the horses but one were inside the building, escaping the oppressive heat. She jogged over and slowed down to a stop when she saw Troy hanging his shirt up on a hook by the door. She tilted her head to the side. From the back, he didn't look half bad. His skin was tanned and his muscles rippled as he moved about. Galloping horses were tattooed across his back and, although she didn't like much about him, she admired that. The tattoo covered two well-defined eagle wings and for one brief moment, Gabriella wondered what it would be like to touch them before she suddenly quashed the idea.
"Hollywood," she called.
Troy turned around and groaned to himself. "Really? Look, I'm working." He turned back to the stables and began inspecting the horseshoes of one of the horses.
"We need to talk," she proclaimed and strode over to pick up a grooming brush from one of the shelves. She marched over to the horse Troy was working on and climbed onto a bale of hay so that she was tall enough to groom the horse properly. "At least let me help."
"Why?" he murmured quietly.
"Look, Hollywood, I told you I'm staying at least until this romance book is published and I have to go on another book tour. And until that happens, I'd like to keep my family happy," Gabriella explained.
"I'm not from Hollywood," he mumbled through his gritted teeth. Once all of the horseshoes were checked, he walked around to her side and looked up at her. "Okay, so... Where do I come into this?"
Gabriella stayed silent until she had finished brushing the horse. She looked down on him and tilted her head to the side. "Does that beard take away IQ points?"
Troy inhaled sharply. "If you lived my life, you wouldn't care what you look like."
Gabriella crouched on the hay bale so that she could look him in the eyes. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Troy shrugged. "You're the great writer, can't you interpret it?" He turned around to start grooming the other horses.
Gabriella sat down on the bale of hay with her legs dangling over the edge. She stayed quiet for a longest time until Troy had finished grooming the horses. He put all of the things away and then stood in front of her. She looked up at him. "I'm not a materialist," she said strongly.
He shrugged. "It doesn't bother me at all."
Gabriella paused and let her eyes wander over his body. "Do you always work without a shirt?"
"Unless I'm in front of my students," he murmured. "So, Annoying Girl, are you leaving now?"
She shrugged. "Would that make you happy?"
"Yes."
"Then no." She got to her feet and wiped her hands on her shorts. "Hollywood, this is my territory, okay? And-"
"You're staying a while. I get it," Troy said in a bored tone.
Gabriella shook her head. "I don't know why I bother," she murmured and began walking past him.
Troy jogged after her. "So that's it? Are you going to leave me alone now?"
Gabriella looked up at him. "No. I won't. Because my dad wants us to get along. I know he does."
"Did he say it in so many words?" Troy challenged.
Gabriella glared. "Shut up. He's my Papi and I know him. He annoys me to hell and back, especially when I'm breaking horses in, but he's also my friend. I saw the look he gave me and let me tell you, he wants me and you to get along. I don't want to pretend, okay? I'm not going to lie to him." She poked him in the chest. "So, I'm going to keep coming back until we do get along. And, from what I've seen, you're not going to leave."
Troy stared down at her. "Wow. You really are annoying. But, listen here, Greg means a lot to me, okay? He's helped me more than you know and if that makes him happy, keep coming back. Believe me, I have a lot more insults left in me."
She folded her arms. "I have a younger sister. Believe me, you have no idea what you've let yourself in for."
Troy stepped closer to her so that their noses were almost touching. "I just let myself in for insulting the most infuriating woman in the world."
The sound of a throat clearing made them both step away from each other. "Am I interrupting something?" Mrs Jones, a tall blonde woman asked. Gabriella saw twelve year old Sophie stood by her mother's side.
Troy hurriedly reached for his shirt and shrugged it on. "Oh, no. Sorry, Mrs Jones. I lost track of time. I'm sorry."
Mrs Jones laughed heartily. "Oh, Troy. You've got nothing to apologise for. It's fine. I'm just here to drop Sophie off. Gabriella, you're back."
Gabriella raised her hand in a small wave and smiled. "Yeah, I am."
"I read that you adopted a daughter," she commented.
"Yeah, I did. I couldn't help it. I love her so much," she whispered.
Mrs Jones smiled. "Well, congratulations. Are you helping Troy now?"
"No!" Troy said hurriedly. "I mean, no she's not. She's got a book to write. You were just leaving, right Ella?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "It's Gabriella," she muttered. She plastered a fake smile on her face for Mrs Jones and Sophie and nodded. "Yeah, I was." She turned to Troy. "Uh, I guess I'll see you later, Hollywood."
"You will, Ella." He smirked at her glare.