Completing Someone – Chapter 3 – Moving
Christmas break came and went. He stayed at school for basketball reasons. She had left him a present, but he'd never opened it.
Spring Break came and went. He'd gone with Chad and Jason and Zeke down to Cancun. She'd gone with Sharpay and Taylor and Kelsi to Italy.
Summer break was fast approaching and Gabriella found herself completely involved in the Stanford campus. Somehow she'd been invited to join one of the most elite secret societies. She'd begun research in her field with a PhD who she'd only dreamt about working with as a graduate student much less her freshman year. She had gotten a job at the small bookstore in town. Yes, she worked with Jessie that bitch from Berkley, but she was able to avoid her most of the time. She'd even managed to find a small pack of actual Werecats. She'd begun running with him around the time the invitation to the secret society had come to her doorstep.
She smiled as she strolled through campus. She'd done all of this herself. She had friends. They weren't like her East High friends, but they were good for now. Before East High, she'd never made friends that she planned on hanging with for very long. That was when she bothered to make any friends at all.
Now, Gabriella was preparing for finals and trying not to think about going "home." Lucille had called several times in the last week trying to coordinate her return. She loved Lucille like her own mother, but she was unsure how Troy would take their reunion. Regardless of how much she'd buried her feelings for him, she was still desperate to be with him. And now she realized she had been holding out hope that they could rekindle things during the summer months.
Troy packed up his bags. His boxes were already down in his truck. He felt his stomach turn as he remembered coming here. He and Gabriella had come to this town together. They'd excitedly unpacked and driven over to Stanford to get her set up. Now, here he was alone and missing a girl who'd left him. He looked at his calendar. "10 months tomorrow." He grabbed the calendar from the now empty peg board.
Miserable, he walked down to his truck and threw the last bag and calendar into it. He'd smiled and joked with the guys as he'd left the building, but now he could just turn on his radio and feel whatever was in him to feel for a day or so as he drove back to his home.
"You don't get a say in this!"
"I'm still your—"
"You're not my anything! You quit! You walked away!" Her tears began to roll down her cheeks. Very softly she said, "I didn't know."
He stood staring at her. He hated when she cried. It physically hurt him to stand there and resist the urge to wrap her in his arms and ease her pain. "Neither did I."
She felt her shoulders slump. "I'm sorry."
Troy turned back to his father. "The fact of the matter is you don't need me here. I have a pack in California. Coach has a job and a room for me. There's no reason for me to stay here all summer." He glanced at Gabriella involuntarily, her eyes shone brightly with pain. Her tears were falling unimpeded.
Jack sighed heavily. This was yet another complication they were going to have to suffer through because of the kids transforming and mating so young. "Troy, your mate—"
"NO! This is my life! It's my decision! We aren't together anymore!"
Gabriella let out a whimper.
Jack looked back and forth between Troy and Gabriella a few times.
Gabriella finally spoke up. "Stay for 3 days. If you still want to leave at that point, then go."
Jack looked at Troy. He was ignoring his mate all together now.
Gabriella's voice came out a bit weaker now, "Please Troy?"
Jack raised his eyebrows as if asking the same question.
Troy shook his head, "Fine. Seventy-two hours and I'm gone."
Jack nodded.
Troy stomped off.
Gabriella collapsed on the couch and cried. She was finally beginning to see that Troy would never forgive her. She'd thought that he longed for her the way she had longed for him. Now that she could see him when they spoke, she could easily see that he wasn't sad. He hated her now. She'd seen it in his eyes.
She cried as she realized that somehow she had inadvertently ended up in the same situation as her father. She and Troy didn't have a kid, but she was pining for a man, a mate, who hated her.
Troy picked the ball out of the air before it hit the ground. He ached inside again. He'd been home for all of—he checked his watch—12 hours. He stopped, spotted, and shot the ball toward the hoop.
Other than the one week where he'd just known that she was in heat, he'd gotten used to the dull pain that he'd relegated to the back of his mind. Now, one night spent lying on the farthest side of "their" bed and he was dying inside all over again. He shook his head because he knew from experience now that no matter how many girls he had, it wouldn't ease his pain. Only time and distance would let him survive, relatively survive, without her.
Troy groaned. Even the thought of her more than an arm's reach away hurt again. It was going to be a long 72 hours with her and a longer summer without her.
He opened the door to what was once 'his' room. He looked up and saw her unexpectedly. He had to force himself to look away as she gasped and clutched a towel over her bare chest. He cursed himself for not knowing she was in there. "Sorry." He turned and rushed into the bathroom.
Once there though he didn't know what to do. He looked around. When his eyes landed on the shower curtain, his mind filled with images of them together inside that curtain.
Several moments later he was harder than a rock and wishing he could go back to the way things had been then, but the world had changed for them thanks to Jessie, Katie, and Niki. They'd taken more from him that night than just the sex that they wanted. They ruined his relationship with his mate as well. And, other than Katie, they would never understand what they had really done to him.
He felt the tears threatening to form again. He shook his head forcefully, swallowed the tears and swung the door open. He'd rather argue with her than sit crying in the bathroom. To his astonishment, she wasn't there. Her naked form was gone. He ran his hand through his hair. He was frustrated now in more ways than one. Sixty-eight hours to go.
Gabriella rolled over and watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful lying there. This was as close as she could get without waking him up. It was considerably closer than he'd allowed her when they were awake and looking at one another.
She felt a tear roll down her nose and drip to her pillow. As quietly as possible she whispered, "I still love you, mate." She closed her eyes and reached her hand out to place on his chest.
Troy tried to ignore her, but her whispered confession and her warm hand made it impossible. For the millionth time in 10 months, he silently prayed to God for his life back.
When Troy woke the next morning, he felt somehow warmed and comforted in a way that he hadn't enjoyed in almost a year. He opened his eyes and felt his stomach turn just a little bit. She was curled up in his arms. He laid on his side behind her with his arms around her waist. He waged a war within himself. He couldn't decide whether to let go of her or just wait for her to wake up there in his arms. Ultimately, he let go and rolled out of bed without waking her up.
Gabriella got up and ready for the day. She felt relieved in a way. She couldn't explain it. She had wanted to tell him since she'd gotten home from school that she still loved him. She'd never got the chance. So maybe it was the sheer psychological stress release of whispering to him last night that had eased her mind. Whatever it was, Gabriella was smiling for the first time in a while and she was loving it.
She saw Troy out back shooting hoops again. She sighed. Maybe someday they'd find their way back together, but she knew it wasn't going to happen now. She finished her glass of lemonade and rinsed the glass before leaving.
Troy watched her from the corner of his eye. She looked amazingly hot in those shorts. In fact, this morning for the first time since she'd been home she looked like herself again. He'd had to stop himself from going to her when she'd come down for breakfast, because for the briefest moment, it had felt just like it used to. He'd remembered though as soon as she'd looked at him suspiciously for the smile he was giving her. He'd promptly scowled and said she shouldn't try so hard to get attention from guys.
He'd been frustrated with himself as soon as the words had left his mouth. He'd watched as her face had fallen briefly. Then she'd smiled and defiantly said, "Why? Did I get your attention, Troy?"
He'd worked hard to resist the flirtatious smirk he'd wanted give her. Instead he rolled his eyes and left the kitchen to come out back. He could always count on his basketball skills to work out his frustrations. That was how he found himself standing here watching her car pull away from the curb. His instinct was to follow her. Truth be told, he wanted to just drop this stupid feud and be with his girl again. He found himself stalking past Panera Bread trying to nonchalantly see who she was having lunch with inside. When he couldn't see, he found himself behind a divider listening to her conversation with Jason, one of his supposed best friends and her brother.
Jason laughed, "Damn sis, that's some funny stuff. So what did you end up telling, dad?"
Gabriella chuckled again, "I don't even remember now. Something about the guy being a lab partner, I think."
Jason chuckled lightly, "I wish I was single again sometimes, but then I take one look at Kelsi and I know I have it made."
Gabriella sighed, "Funny timing by dad aside, I still wish Troy and I had made it. But I guess some things just aren't meant to be."
Jason shook his head, "No way. He'll come around, Gabs. He loves you." He saw her look, "No, really. Sis, the guy's head is just all screwed up right now. No one comes out of rape and just goes back to regular life like nothing ever happened. Especially not guys. I mean he's supposed to be this big bad alpha and he goes and gets himself ruffied and then he gets raped. Then he loses you too. Give the guy a break. He's gotta get his head back on straight before you two can really try again."
Gabriella sighed, "It's been 10 months, Jason. And he's leaving in two days. He won't even talk to me without screaming at me. I mean there was one almost flirtatious conversation this morning, but he ended up putting me down and biting my head off even then. I miss the man I—I just—" She took in a deep breath and sighed loudly. That was went the scent caught her attention. "Did you invite anyone else to lunch with us?"
Jason shook his head, "No, why?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes. She got up and glared at an empty booth. She looked around her, but didn't see him anywhere.
Troy watched her from just inside the hall that led back to the bathrooms. She was looking for him. He watched her move. He watched her ease and her grace. Even now when she looked a little pissed, she was still easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
The first tear fell from his eyes. "I still love you too, baby," he whispered so that only he could hear it. When the coast was clear he ducked out of restaurant and ran some errands.