Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciated them, and I'm glad some of you recognized the movie! I'll try to make this as different as possible! I changed my name, just to clear up any confusion. Enjoy chapter two! I don't own anything in this chapter, unless stated otherwise. I own Maribel Montez and Nellie too.
Her Choice
Chapter Two: Tomorrow
It had been six months to the day that Gabriella and her family were separated. She had had no contact with her mother or her younger siblings, who she hoped and prayed weren't suffering the same fate as her. She was taken to a juvenile detention center, despite the fact she had done nothing wrong. There was no telling where her mother was, her siblings were probably in horrible, crude foster homes, and there was no sign of things getting better..at least not in the near future.
The day was cloudy and dreary, much like Gabriella"s mood. She was outside the facilities in the courtyard where the other delinquents got their exercise. Her and her group were led outside by the appointed wardens and they all spread out to exercise. Gabriella had such an unkempt appearance, people who knew her wouldn't recognize her. Her hair was matted up into two ponytails that rested on her shoulders, her eyes were always puffy and red from the amount of crying she did, not to mention the dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep..due to her crying. Outside, she found a secluded corner in the back away from most of the people, and looked around at everyone with her arms crossed and sniffling occasionally. She wiped away the tears that flowed and kept looking down when she saw feet coming towards her from her peripheral vision. She looked up to see two girls talking and standing behind her.
"Ooh, fresh meat." One of the girls said. This girl was slightly large and had a scraggly appearance like Gabriella"s, but worse.
"What are you in here for?" The other girl said.
"It's really none of your business." Gabriella said, as the instructor blew her whistle, signaling them to start moving.
"What'd you do? Shoplifting? Murder? Robbery?" The second girl persisted. Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"If you must know, my mom's on drugs. My family, me, my brothers, and sister were separated." She said, tears welling up once more. There was a silence between the three of them before the other two girls started laughing. Gabriella looked at them incredulously. How could they be laughing at her?
"Oh boo-hoo, like we haven"t heard that one before."
"Don't know why she"s crying, she's one of the lucky ones, right? Poor little family. Better toughen up, little baby. Want your diaper changed?"
"Better yet, you want your mommy? Oh, wait, never mind. She's probably out doping herself up and thankful to be away from a frigid bitch like you." At this, Gabriella snapped. She instantly stopped her stretching and turned around and swung at one of the girls. She missed and the smaller one of the two wrapped her arms around her waist and slammed her into the fence as she pounded her fists into Gabriella"s skull. She got out of her grasp, and tackled her to the concrete ground while on top of her, pounding her face in. The guards soon came over to tear the two apart, dragging a screaming and kicking Gabriella away back inside the detention center to serve her time of solitary confinement. She screamed and kicked down the hallways until she reached her cell. They ripped the door open and tossed her inside like a useless rag doll, and she collided to the padded ground and rolled over until her back hit the wall. She sat up and began screaming more.
"Where is my family?! I deserve to know where they are!" She screamed. The guards just looked at her with sly grins on their faces. "Let me call my aunt! I demand to call her!"
Soon after this, they allowed her to make her one phone call. Her maternal aunt, Maribel Montez, soon arrived at the center. They allowed Gabriella to gather her things and leave. She sat out in the cold on the front steps as she waited for her aunt"s car to pull up. About 10 minutes later, she saw a shiny silver Volvo slowly make its way towards her. She grabbed her bags and her aunt got out of the car and walked to her niece, opening her arms for a hug. Gabriella didn't do as much as crack a smile and she remained stationary. Her aunt dropped her arms and looked on with a look of confusion.
"Why didn't you try to come get ys?" Gabriella asked in a hoarse whisper, her eyes turning the darkest of reds anyone could have ever seen. Maribel"s expression softened more as she opened her mouth to explain.
"No one told me you were here, Gabi." Maribel reasoned. "I called your mother constantly. The phone was always disconnected. I called and called and called."
"What about Chris and Nathan and Manuel, Leah too?"
"All of you are staying with me from now on." Gabriella"s face lit up and she smiled profusely. "There"s that smile I know. Get in the car, go on."
Gabriella hopped in the front seat and strapped herself in as her aunt did the same. They started up the car and started their journey to her aunt's house. Most of the ride was silent until her aunt spoke.
"Your mother's still in jail, you know." Maribel said softly.
"I know. But what happens when she gets out?"
"I can tell you this, she's not staying with us. She can't even see you kids and that's final. If I don't get to keep you, she won't either. I have no job, and I have to get an income somehow."
"I work."
"Gabriella, you pull double and triple shifts until dawn. You're at school for only half of the day as it is. It's time for you to think about you, you're still a child.
"I hate her for what she did." Gabriella stated coldly, ignoring her aunt's remarks. Those were the last words spoken in the duration of the ride. Soon afterward, they pulled up to her aunt's condo. She grabbed her bags from the back and made her way into the house and upstairs to the room that her aunt told her she'd sleep in. She settled her things and placed them in drawers and such when her aunt came into the room.
"Your brother and sister will be here very soon." Maribel said with a smile. Gabriella's face lit up once more as she halted her tasks and made her way downstairs and out to the front porch when she saw a black car pulled up with what seemed to have four eager and hyper kids in the back. The driver stepped out and let the children get out. Gabriella opened her arms to her younger family, and they ran into them without hesitation. She felt herself beginning to cry as she embraced her family.
"Gabi we missed you so much!" Christopher yelled. "Why didn't you call us?"
"I had no idea where to phone! Oh God, you've all grown so much!" She said as she hugged her brother tighter. Leah and Manuel were in the arms of their aunt who showered them with continuous kisses. She put them down and they hugged Gabriella from behind. Manuel's birthday had recently passed, so he was now 5.
She kissed the top of his head before switching her attention to Nathan, who looked completely different since the last time she saw him. His hair was now spiky and a darker shade of brown than it used to be. "Nate, what did you do to your hair?
"You like it?" He said, running his hands through his hair slowly. "Does she have any hair gel?"
"I don't know about that, but there's Jello for sure." She reassured, kissing the top of his head. He soon pulled away and shook his head and Gabriella looked at him confusedly.
"Gabi, you can't 'dent the do'." She laughed at his lame attempt at humor as they all walked back into the condo.
The day quickly passed by as the family gathered to catch up on old times with each other. Bedtime soon neared and Gabriella went into her room, plopping down on her bed, hoping to relax. She shut her eyes but they soon popped open as she felt her bed slightly dip. She sighed and sat up meeting the eyes of her younger sister Leah, who looked more than tired.
"Hey Leah, what are you doing up so late? It's way past your bedtime."
"I couldn't sleep in that big bed all by myself. Auntie won't let me and the boys stay in the same room, it's one of her 'commandents' or something like that. I wanted to stay in here with you." She said as she snuggled into her older sister's side.
"Well, you know, that's alright with me. You're welcome in here any time you liked." She sat up against the headboard and Leah laid her head on Gabriella's lap, trying to keep herself awake by talking.
"Gabi, what's going to happen to Mommy? Are we ever going to see her again?" Gabriella froze, not knowing how to answer her question. The reply she had in mind wasn't exactly suitable for someone Leah's age. She also couldn't tell her sister that there was a possibility that she wouldn't see her again either.
"To tell you the truth," Gabriella began, "I honestly don't have a clue right now."
"Do you think she misses us?" Gabriella stroked her sisters brown curls as she tried to think of an answer, and something else to get them off the subject of their mother, or for her to fall asleep.
"I think she does miss us."
"Did you miss us?"
"Of course I did, I hated not having you guys there with me. It's you four that keep me going through the day. I promise, I won't let anyone tear us apart ever again."
"Do you really promise?"
"You have my word. Now go to sleep." Leah tucked herself under the covers and Gabriella did too after she cut off her bedside lamp. She kissed her sister on the cheek and whispered 'goodnight' before she fell into a deep slumber.
The following day, the children were up and preparing for school with the help of their aunt. Gabriella had already gone, since her school started at a much earlier time than that of her younger siblings. She walked inside with her books held snugly to her chest. She had gotten through most of the day with a breeze, even making small conversation with Troy, the boy in her math course. He asked why she had been gone so long, but she wanted to avoid the subject by telling him she had to go pick up her brothers, which wasn't a lie. In a hurry, she brushed past the crowd up the stairs and down the halls when she collided with another human form, her books falling to her feet.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" The other human form asked.
"I've got to go pick up my brothers from school and--"
"No, what you have to do is clean this mess you made." Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Sorry about that." Gabriella said, picking up the yellow manila folders and papers. When she was done, she got back up to leave but was halted by that same voice.
"Uh uh, I'm not done with you. Step into my office. Now." She commanded. Gabriella let out a frustrated grunt as she followed Ms. Golding into her office. She sat down inside throwing her books and bag to the ground. The woman eyed her suspiciously as she went through her file cabinet, pulling things out.
"I'm going to need to talk to your parents about this."
"Good luck, if you find my dad, I'd love to thank him for the bullshit he's put me through."
"Watch your language, and there's no need for the sarcasm either. What about your mother?"
"She's in jail."
"Then who's running your household?"
"My aunt, my mom's sister."
"Who does everything then?"
"I do everything ma'am. I always have and probably always will."
"You need to do something about school. Your grades are quickly dropping and for a girl with your intelligence and smarts, there's no reason why they should be.
"Look, I'm not doing this on purpose. Some days I have to leave and pick up my brothers and--"
"Don't give me excuses, Miss Montez. Don't try to lie about your ditching."
"I'm not ditching, I'm serious! I need a job, I need money."
"Gabriella, money is not as important as education and you know that."
"I am doing the best that I can, Ms. Golding."
"I'm sure you are, but you can do a lot better than what you're doing."
"Can I leave now? I enjoyed our little 'chat', but I have to get my brother."
"Do what you have to. If you have to leave, go ahead. But you listen to me, and you listen well," she stated as Gabriella walked to the door. "You better get your act together, and get that done soon."
The next day at school, Gabriella had occasional run ins and exchanged looks with Ms. Golding, but dismissed them, trying to rid her mind of their previous conversation. This time of the day, she was outside participating with her gym class. She was currently running her required laps as the football team practiced outside. It just so happened that Troy was captain of the team. They were outside practicing, since this was his free period. He watched her run way ahead of the other girls and looked on in admiration as she finished first. She stood their, hands on her knees, breathing heavily. She stood upright, saw him, and waved with a huge grin on her face. He smiled his signature smile, guaranteed to make anyone go weak in the knees, and waved back. She walked off to go grab her water when he ran and caught up to her.
"So how'd you learn to run that fast?"
"I've been running all my life." She said, stretching. If only he knew how true that was.
"You should run track." Gabriella nodded in agreement.
"So I've been told. The coach asked me, but, I don't know." Her voice trailed off.
"Well, why not?"
"It's just..I just don't have the time for this." Gabriella said, trying to end the conversation. "I'll see you around." She said, taking a gulp of water and racing back off to her class.
The day ended and Gabriella left school to get to her job at the 66 Diner, where she still worked despite the prior events. She carried various plates to their customers with no trouble at all. She went back into the kitchen where she took the tickets and prepared the meals speedily, not missing a beat.
"Gabriella, table six is waiting." Her manager, Nellie called from the front. She nodded to herself and put the finishing touches on the plate before carrying it out to the front. She gave them their order and walked past the bar when she saw a familiar face come in through the door. It was Troy. He sat down at the bar in front and smiled when he saw Gabriella. She quickly turned around and blushed as she raced to the back, but was stopped by Nellie.
"Hey, go take that new guy's order. I have to go do inventory in the back, I'm sure you can handle everything up here right?" Gabriella nodded, and pulled out her pad and pen. She took a deep breath and turned around to go face Troy.
"Welcome to the 66 Diner, can I get you anything?" She said, flipping to an empty page while keeping her head down.
"Gabriella?" She lifted her head slowly to meet his piercing blue eyes. A smile spread across his features. "I didn't know you worked here."
"Well, now you know right?" She joked back to him, before soon turning serious. She had to keep their relationship strictly platonic, especially at her job. She didn't want people getting the wrong idea. "Are you ready to order?"
"Sure, I'll have the Albuquerque Turkey special." He said, smiling to himself at her cute shyness.
"And for the side?" She said, scribbling it down, although it turned out to be illegible because of her trembling hands.
"I'll have a side of fries."
"Okay then, I'll be, uh, right back with your order." She said, rushing off to the back but not without slightly stumbling. She'd hoped Troy hadn't seen her, but she lost the internal battle when she heard him chuckle behind her. She continued to the back kitchen and opened the door to see Nellie looking at her with a sly grin.
"So who's he?" Nellie inquired, following Gabriella as she prepared Troy's order.
"Just a friend...from school. A school friend."
"Just friends? You sure?" Nellie asked. "You sure did look nervous when you were taking his order."
"Nervous? Why would you think that?" Gabriella scoffed incredulously as her hands continued to quiver.
"Just assuming you were. You always scratch your left leg with your right foot when you're nervous." As Nellie made this statement, that's what Gabriella did. "Just like that. And your hands always shake." By now, Gabriella could hear her heartbeat getting faster and faster as it echoed in her ears.
"Maybe I'm just cold." She countered to Nellie's second statement, ignoring the first.
"Cold? In a near 100 degree kitchen?" She peeked outside the doors, looking at Troy at the bar mindlessly twiddling his fingers. "You like him!"
"He's a friend! Just a friend.. from school!"
"A school friend?"
"Yes! Nothing more, nothing less."
"That's what you think. You need to hurry up, you can't keep the customer waiting much longer." Gabriella heeded her advice and took two plates, one for Troy and the other for another customer and went outside skipping past Nellie with a confident look on her face. Nellie shook her head and laughed to herself as she followed Gabriella outside with an order of her own.
"She's over the fucking moon."
Back with Gabriella, she brought Troy's order to him from behind and sat it in front of him carefully. "Here's your order, hope you enjoy. Can I get you anything else?"
"Some ketchup would be nice." Troy replied with a smirk. He thought this would be the perfect time to toy with her. She went behind the counter and reached down and tossed three packets to him.
"Is that enough?"
"This is soy sauce." Gabriella looked up and realized her mistake and blushed.
"Sorry about that." She reached back down and grabbed three more packets, while taking the others from him. She made sure they were ketchup. "Here you go. Is that all?"
"Yeah actually."
"What is it you need? A drink, more ketchup, mustard, relish, what?" Troy laughed.
"I'm just kidding with you." Gabriella let out a sigh of relief as she ran her hands through her hair exasperatedly. "You look like you've had a tough day. Need a ride home?" Gabriella's heart started pounding once more. Was she really offering a ride home? Alone? With him? In his car? Absolutely not.
"No, no," Gabriella replied and laughed softly, "I can get home fine. But thanks anyway." She said, turning around before she was stopped by his voice. "It's not far from her, I'll just take the bus."
"Why take the bus when I'm offering you a free ride? I promise I won't stalk you or anything if I find out where you live." Gabriella opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped once more. "I don't bite either, in case you're wondering. Unless you're into that sort of thing." He said winking at her. She felt goosebumps rise on her skin and she blushed again at his suggestive joke. "I'm kidding, again. What are you so afraid of?"
"Nothing. I'm not afraid of anything, it's just--it's not that big of a deal. My shift's nowhere near over anyways. I can take care of getting myself home."
"If it's not a big deal, then why don't you let me take you? Promise me you'll think about it. I won't leave until you give me an answer." Gabriella smiled at his obvious persistence.
"Enjoy your meal." She said as she walked off to the kitchen.
"You better take that ride home. Lord knows you don't need to be on the smelly raggedy bus."
"Will you stop hounding me? I can take care of myself."
"I can see that. But you need to start thinking about you. About your wants and your needs. And I know you want him out there."
"No, I don't." She sighed, leaning against the the counter.
"He seems really nice. He's great eye candy too. He's a good one, I can tell. If you don't get him while you've got the chance, I just might." She replied with a smirk.
"Nellie, my shift's not even over."
"Well as of now, it is. I'm giving you the rest of the day off, but I'll still pay you for a double. Let's just keep this between us okay?" Gabriella beamed and embraced her in a tight hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! How can I repay you?"
"Think about yourself for a change. Don't forget what I said. Now go give that boy an answer before you drive him mad waiting." Gabriella gave her one last hug before leaving the kitchen. She took off her apron and hung it on the hooks near the door. She walked back to where Troy sat and eyed his almost empty plate.
"I see you enjoyed your food." She said, chuckling. "So, is that offer of giving me a ride home up for grabs still?"
"That depends." He said pushing his plate away. "You gonna take it?"
"I'd be glad to." She said smiling even wider than she had before. "Can we go?"
Troy looked confused. "Sure, but what about the check?" Gabriella smiled at him.
"Don't worry, it's on the house."
Gabriella soon clocked out of the resturant, making sure everything was in place before she left. She noticed Troy waiting by the door and sped up her ministrations. Once finally done, she took a deep breath and looked back to see Nellie watching her. She gave her a reassuring wink and a wave before disappearing into the back once more. Gabriella walked to the diner's doors and Troy quickly surveyed her.
"You ready?" Gabriella quickly nodded as the two made their way to Troy's car. He helped her get in safely on the passenger side, like a true gentleman should, before he settled into the driver's side. The car engine started as they made their silent journey towards Gabriella's home.
"So...do you mind telling me about yourself?" Troy asked, breaking the silence.
"I-I kinda do actually..I don't open up to those I don't know very well." Gabriella muttered silently.
"Then we should get to know each other, shouldn't we?" Troy inquired as Gabriella sat frozen in her seat. "I'll go first." Gabriella nodded. "I've lived here in Albuquerque since I was 7, I moved here from Los Angeles. My dad's the coach of East High's football team, as you can see. Don't laugh, but my mom's a psychiatrist."
"Why would I laugh at that?" Gabriella said, staring out of the window. "Why would anyone laugh at that?"
"I mean, who doesn't? She's always asking me these crazy questions like typical loony psychiatrists asks."
"That's her job isn't it? I'd like to go to a psychiatrist that actually cares and wants to know my problems, or maybe that's just me being too traditional." She said sarcastically. Troy ignored her comment and continued talking.
"So what about you? You haven't said anything the whole ride."
"There's not much to say," Gabriella sighed. "I'm a teenager. Pointless violence and sarcasm are my main goals in life."
"You've got the sarcasm part right."
"You haven't given me much of a chance to say anything, don't you think?"
"Well, yeah, I guess I'm a...a motormouth..when I get nervous." He said, scratching the back of his neck..like he did when he was nervous.
"I make you nervous?" Gabriella said, scratching her left leg with her right foot, one of her nervous tendencies.
"Well..yeah you do, kinda. But not a whole lot." Gabriella blushed. "OK, it's your turn to talk. My mouth is sealed." He said, imitating the act of pulling a zipper over his mouth.
"Turn right here, my house is on this corner," Gabriella said before she began to speak. Troy obeyed as he parked the car and they got out, walking to the sidewalk in front of her porch. They stood facing the house when she began to speak once more. "This..is my house. I live here with my aunt, 3 brothers and my little sister. We haven't seen our father in 5 years, he left when my youngest brother was born. Chris and Nathan are twins, Leah's my sister, and Manuel's the youngest. Chris has Asperger's Syndrome, it's a type of autism. He processes things a little slower than others, and repeats things a lot. Manuel has stranger anxiety, and he can't be alone too long, but what 5 year old can? Leah has a bit of a stuttering problem, and Nathan has ADHD. Oh, and not to mention, my mother's in jail and on drugs, there's no telling when we'll see her again. Before we got separated, her boyfriend tried to rape me. She caught him, and ended up taking his side and told me not to 'mess it up' for her. Is that enough for you?" Gabriella said, storming past him.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault I'm screwed."
"No I mean, I like you Gabriella..I like you a lot, actually. I just want to know you." Gabriella was left speechless and opened her mouth to say something else when she heard the front door creak open, revealing her aunt.
"Gabriella? Come inside." She said, gesturing towards the living room.
"What's the matter?"
"Just come in. We'll talk inside."
"I really wish we could talk more about this, but it's like a circus show in here and I really don't have the time for--"
"How about I give you a ride to school tomorrow? We can talk more then."
"I really don't think that's a good idea, and I told you, I take the bus and--"
"Then let's take it..together." Gabriella softly smiled and nodded at him before replying.
"Bye Troy..I'll.. I'll just see you tomorrow." She said as she turned around to walk inside the house. Troy winked at her as she walked back inside the warm toasty house. He rubbed his hands together in an effort to make himself warm as he got back in his car and took off back home.
There's chapter two and a little bit of Troyella fluff for you! And what do you think is going on inside? This will probably be a rather short story, since I'm going in order of how the Lifetime movie went. I may add some twists to make it longer. Review please!