To Help A Friend
A/N: Hey thanks for all the reviews once again. Sorry I have taken so long to update this and haven't really updated any other stories either but right now I have a lot going on in my life plus I was in bed for 2 days ill last week and couldn't write so you might have to be patient at the minute for updates but I will try my hardest to update again soon! Sorry for the ramble. Please R&R! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Although Zac Efron would be nice :P
Review reply: linklover26 – I would guess at the minute maybe 25 chapters. Might be more might be less. I'm not sure yet. I can say definitely it will be more than 10 though. :)
Chapter 3 – Gabriella's Confusion
3 months later
Today was Gabriella's 28th birthday and Troy had planned for the two to do whatever Gabriella wanted since she had booked the day off work. Ever since that night when Troy had suggested his solution to Gabriella, the two didn't seem fazed by it at all and were in fact closer still than ever before. To anyone outside their close knit of friends and family, you would think that there was something more between the two and even their friends and family always thought something would end up going on between the two but soon realized a long time ago that nothing ever would because the two really did only see the other as a best friend and felt nothing else towards the other.
"Happy Birthday, birthday girl." Troy happily shouted as he opened her bedroom door and took her the breakfast he had made her as she grumbled at being woken. "Aww come on misery guts I made you breakfast in bed since it's your birthday." Gabriella mumbled something incoherent as she sat up and took the tray from Troy, all the delicious smells making her mouth water. "Are you going to just sit there and stare at the food or are you going to actually try it and let me know if I have lived up to your standards in cooking you breakfast?" Gabriella laughed as she picked up her fork and ate a piece before smirking at Troy.
"Your standards haven't dropped so you are ok. Urgh Troy why did you have to wake me up? I mean I'm now another year older. I'm getting old." Troy sat next to her as she ate the breakfast.
"You are not getting old. You are still just as amazing now as what you were when you when 21." Gabriella sighed. "What do you feel like doing today?" Troy asked.
"Sharpay called me last night and said they are all coming round so how about until then just be completely lazy and stay in bed?" Troy shook his head as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"You are really a bad influence on me. I should be out there practising but yet I'm here in bed with you after having mad you breakfast." Gabriella shrugged putting the last mouthful into her mouth.
"Aww you love me for it and if you really want I don't mind challenging you at a game." Gabriella said looking at Troy who nodded.
"You're on Montez."
"Give me an hour to get ready and for the food to digest and I'll give you a game Bolton. You may be a superstar but this woman isn't afraid of that because she knows how to get to the wildcat." Gabriella mocked bringing up their old high school nickname the basketball team had.
"Well this wildcat isn't going to go easy on you now woman. Remember your getting old now so you might not be able to keep up with a few moves." Troy warned her smirking.
"This birthday girl isn't going to let some slow coach keep her from playing her game." Gabriella shot back as Troy sat there silenced. "Aww what's the matter Troy? Can't think of a good comeback?" Gabriella asked smugly as Troy tackled her to the bed and tickled her.
"Not so smug now are we Montez?" Gabriella squirmed as Troy tickled her and she tried to break free but to no avail.
"Troy get off!" Gabriella screamed as he tickled her more.
"No way. You messed with the wrong wildcat and you know you have to pay." She laughed.
"You're still crazy wildcat." Gabriella shouted between fits of giggles.
"Looks like we interrupted." The two sprang apart at the voice.
"Hey dad." Troy said climbing of Gabriella.
"Hey Jack, Lucille." Gabriella smiled as she sat up again pushing Troy on his back off her bed.
"Thanks." Troy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm while Gabriella just flashed him a smile.
"Happy Birthday sweetheart." Lucille Bolton said as she walked over to Gabriella and gave her a hug. After her parents died when she was 16, the Bolton's took Gabriella in and helped her to get through such a rough period in her life.
"Thanks. Troy can you go get me some more juice?" Gabriella asked as Troy nodded and left with Jack while Lucille sat down next to Gabriella.
"Ok what's up?" She asked as Gabriella sighed.
"There is something I've had on my mind the past few weeks that I thought would go away but it hasn't. It's like everything I do reminds me of the things on my mind and I don't know if it's a sign I should trust myself more with this decision or I should just ignore it even though I don't seem to be able too." Gabriella admitted. The thing Gabriella couldn't get out of her mind was that conversation she and Troy had.
"You want to tell me about this problem on your mind?" Gabriella knew that Lucille would be the only one she could talk to other than Troy who would understand because none of their friends would. They would all start assuming there was something more between the pair when there wasn't.
"You can't repeat this to anyone because the only people who know of this conversation as far as I'm aware is Troy and I. A few weeks ago Dave broke up with me but I had been talking to Troy for a few weeks before telling him how I was ready for a baby." Lucille looked at her jumping to conclusions.
"Are you pregnant with your ex boyfriends baby?" Gabriella shook her head.
"No that's the thing. I was telling Troy how I was ready and how I believed Dave was the one. After we broke up, I came home and told Troy how I felt that I should probably just give up any hopes of ever becoming a mom." Lucille once again interrupted.
"You should never feel like that Gabriella because it will happen one day when the time is right." Gabriella smiled hearing the same kind of words Troy had said to her.
"Troy said something similar too after he came up with a solution at the time."
"Don't tell me it was one of his stupid ideas again." Lucille shook her head thinking of all the random ideas Troy had come up with in the past.
"It's kind of crazy but not really. He suggested that we should have a baby." Lucille looked at Gabriella in shock. "I said no at the time but told him don't take that as a definite answer. He said it made sense because we both feel ready to have a baby and have both always wanted a family. Since then every guy I have met when I've been out with the girls or friends from work I just don't seem to feel anything about and keep thinking if I made the wrong choice telling Troy no. It's like the only other thing apart from work on my mind is Troy." Gabriella finished feeling even more confused as she spoke.
"Wow. Ok. Where do I start with that?" Lucille breathed as Gabriella looked at her. "Having a baby isn't something that should be taken lightly. A baby should be only considered when you are in a loving and solid relationship not because two people think they aer ready and are willing to have a one night stand or several just to get pregnant. What about if you or Troy ever meet someone you really care about and know they are the person you want to spend the rest of your life with? What if they didn't want to get involved with you because you already had a kid with your best friend? Gabriella honey, I know you might feel ready but this really isn't an option to consider at all just yet. You are still too young to give up completely." Gabriella sighed sadly knowing how right Lucille was but the hope Gabriella had had the past few weeks now seemed to have gone again. "I'm going to go find the men but Gabriella please really think about this and don't rush into this." Gabriella nodded as Lucille left her alone.
Gabriella was still sat in the same position when Troy walked in carrying her juice. Placing the glass on the side, Troy noticed the troubled look on her face.
"What's happened?" Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled sadly.
"I told your mom about our conversation. She said some things that made me really think about everything. I don't think we can even consider it now Troy." Gabriella said as Troy looked at her.
"Why are you ruling it out for good? I mean if you don't want to I'm fine with that because its your decision but just tell me why." Troy told her as he leaned back and held her close.
"Your mom said something about how a baby should only be brought into this world when you are in a loving and solid relationship which isn't what we have." Troy kissed the top of her head.
"We do have that when you think about it. We have a solid foundation and we love each other in another kind of way so why should we let the small fact we aren't together as more stop us if this is what you want in the end." Troy told her as Gabriella kissed his hand that was holding hers.
"I'm still not convinced that it is the right thing to do. Can we just leave it for today?" Troy kissed her forehead.
"We don't have to think about this ever remember." Gabriella nodded.
"Come on we better go find your parents and don't forget we have a basketball challenge." Gabriella jumped off her bed and pulled Troy off and led him downstairs.
Jack and Lucille watched on as Troy and Gabriella played outside, Troy beating Gabriella by six points but Gabriella really making him work to keep up his lead.
"She really is a tough one. Troy doesn't realize how lucky he is he has someone like that to play with when he wants to chill out and play." Jack commented not seeing the far away look on his wife's face. "Lucille?"
"Huh? Oh yeah he is lucky." Ever since Gabriella had told her what Troy had suggested she couldn't stop thinking about it. Maybe it would be the best option for Troy and Gabriella if they really felt that this was their only choice now because it was obvious they would stick by each other through it no matter what but it wasn't exactly the best option in her mind.
"You ok?" Jack asked as Troy and Gabriella walked back in panting with Chad, Taylor, Sharpay and Zeke all following them in with their kids obviously having just arrived.
"I swear that woman is harder to beat than you two put together." Troy told Chad and Zeke as Gabriella tossed a bottle of water over to him.
"She might be but she doesn't have to get up several times a night to sort out any kids who then don't want to go back to sleep." Chad complained as Troy and Gabriella smiled.
"Yeah but you wouldn't give it up for anything." Troy reminded him as he nodded. "Right I think its time the birthday girl took over and tells us what she wants to do." Gabriella shook her head.
The rest of the day the ten of them (Chad and Taylor and Zeke and Sharpay each have one kid each) spent the afternoon just lounging around the house before going out for a meal on the evening leaving Jack and Lucille in charge of Taylor and Chad's son, Ben, and Zeke and Sharpay's daughter, Lily-Rose while the six young adults went out to celebrate, Gabriella still hiding how much everything was still confusing her.
A/N: I needed to skip ahead a bit rather than just drag it on a bit because otherwise that would be too boring to write and for people to read most likely. I'll try and update soon! Please review! Thanks!
