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 Three

Weddings were meant to be a wondrous occasion. It was the day for family and friends to watch their two favorite people join together in a symbolic ceremony. Afterward, everybody would join together in a reception hall or a big tent to dance and properly congratulate the new married couple. There would be laughter, drinks, smiles, and fun. Everyone would be happy.

Only one person at the Danforth wedding was not happy.

Troy Bolton grabbed his glass of whiskey from the bar, being his third already, and took a sip as he growled inwardly at the fire. He watched as a few guests mingled while they waited for the wedding to begin.

It was warm enough that the wedding was actually outside of a cathedral that held a beautiful garden with a white gazebo, and a small labyrinth maze. Nearly 100 chairs were laid out in a perfect order in front of the gazebo with a minister going over his lines before the wedding started. A few of the guests were already seated and mingling. One best man was even practicing where he should stand.

Troy didn't want to be best man. For the past four years, he had been in a funk. He didn't feel like a best man and he didn't want to be one. Not that he didn't find Chad as a best friend, but it just wasn't in his heart. He should blame Gabriella, but it was hard for him. He wanted to so badly, but his heart kept telling him to shut up and realize that there were still longing feelings for her.

He took another drink of his whiskey at the thought and shook his head. His heart was being crazy. His gut and his brain were telling him to forget about Gabriella because she had broken his heart and had kept him away from Marlena for the past four years.

He started to smile when he thought about Marlena. She was such a beautiful, little girl. Yes, she looked exactly like him, but she had the personality of Gabriella. It was pretty calming to remember that side of Gabriella.

Now, things were different. He and Gabriella were not together anymore and he wasn't sure if they ever would be together again. It's not like she was staying in Albuquerque, anyway. She'd be gone after the wedding and then he would never see her again.

And, he would never see Marlena again.

He had only met the girl once and he was already in love with her. She was such a lively four year old and she was the spitting image of both of them put together. It was surreal that he was a father at twenty two, but things happened. He and Gabriella had made this creation and Marlena came into the world for a reason. He wanted to be her father, but she hated him. Then again, she was a four year old. Surely, she wouldn't hate him for life. Right?

He suddenly braced himself when a blonde fireball in pink came towards him with an unhappy glare. Sharpay Evans had been his friend in high school and she still was today. But, she still had the fire in her whenever it was necessary. For some reason now, it was necessary.

"What did you do?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

Troy furrowed his brows. "What?"

"Gabriella." She scoffed lightly. "Troy, Gabriella is still my friend. How could you treat her like that?"

He rolled his eyes and casually took a sip of whiskey. "What do you even mean?"

"Why are you such an ass, Troy? You used to be in love with her and I wouldn't be surprised if you still are. But, that doesn't give you the right to treat her like trash," explained Sharpay. "Plus, you are the father of her child."

"Great. You know too?" Troy chuckled dryly. "Announce it to the whole world."

"Are you ashamed of Marlena?" alleged Sharpay, giving him a pointed look.

"No!" exclaimed Troy, glaring at her. "That little girl is pretty amazing."

Sharpay sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Troy, this isn't you. You haven't been you for four years and we all know why. It's no secret, you know? But, you can't keep acting like this. It's going to cause great harm later on."

Troy sneered at her. "Sharpay, enough. Gabriella and Marlena aren't going to be here after the wedding is over. So, what's the point? I'll never see her again. She doesn't want me and I don't want her."

He walked away from Sharpay once the music began to start and sat down by himself. She shook her head and walked to her own seat far away from Troy. He suddenly glanced up when he saw Gabriella and Marlena walking towards their respective seats, which happened to be a few rows away from him.

She was wearing a little black dress with red ruffles at the bottom and no straps. Her hair was down straight and she wore barely any makeup. Marlena even seemed to match her, too. Bottom line, they both looked gorgeous and he was having a hard time staying in his seat. He wanted to go up to them and apologize like hell. He wanted to be with them and be a family together.

Gabriella took one look at Troy and his whiskey glass and shook her head in disgust. She kept her attention at the front of the gazebo as the music got louder. Everybody stood up as the wedding began, bringing down the bridesmaids and the groomsmen. Somewhere during the ceremony and the vows, Gabriella's eyes went to Troy's. And, he was staring at her too. It was a look that felt so familiar, too. She suddenly felt like she was back in high school when everything was good and she was with Troy.

Troy stared at Gabriella's beautiful face and suddenly smiled, getting caught up in some sort of moment. He watched as she gently caressed Marlena's fingers in her palm as the little girl became entranced by the vows that Chad spoke towards Taylor. Yet the whole time, Gabriella's eyes were kept on his own.

As Taylor and Chad kissed each other, the applause sounded throughout the entire spectacle. All the while, Gabriella and Troy kept their eyes on each other. His fingers were no longer holding his whiskey as he had the sudden urge to walk over to her and hold her hand. Gabriella took in a deep breath as she felt her heart pound once Troy's stare gazed over her body.

He still made her body quiver with want for his own body.

Gabriella was broken from her trance when one of the bridesmaids came over to her and led her towards the reception tent. She took one last glance at Troy before taking Marlena towards the party. Troy watched her leave and shook his head, suddenly hating himself for almost getting wrapped up in the fantasy that would never happen again.

"What a joke," he muttered to himself, grabbing his glass and walking towards the one place in the reception tent.

The bar.


Gabriella sat at the reception table by herself, watching as Marlena and Chad dancing in a silly fashion. They were surrounded by other guests who danced to the tune of Frank Sinatra. She laughed as Chad picked her up by the waist and spun her around, pretending like she was an airplane. Marlena giggled as she told Chad to go faster and faster. It was amazing how quickly Marlena took to Chad.

She suddenly frowned, thinking about Troy and Marlena's relationship. She was close to having them form a bond at the rehearsal dinner, but then Marlena told Troy she hated him. She hated him because Troy yelled at her and made her cry. It wasn't really a valuable reason for Marlena to hate Troy, but she couldn't blame her. She was only four. She didn't really understand the different between hate and love.

Why had Troy looked at her during the ceremony? It brought a shiver down her spine as it brought back the high school days when she and Troy were in love. Granted, she still did love him. It's not like she ever stopped. Hell, she still dreamed about their days together. Those memories were stuck with her forever and that wasn't going to go away.

She stared at her wine glass and sighed, trailing her finger along the rim. It was pretty depressing to be at a wedding, considering she had just learned that Troy had wanted to propose to her that day on the roof. If she had told him the truth, they would be happily married and living in a beautiful house together. Instead, they were both alone and unhappy. It wasn't fair.

And, it was all her fault.

"Gabriella?" Sharpay came over to the table with Taylor, concerned for their friend.

Gabriella looked up at them and smiled at her old friends. "Hey."

They both sat down on each side of Gabriella with furrowed brows. Taylor put her hand on her shoulder. "What's the matter? You're not really interacting much."

"I'm sorry," murmured Gabriella, sighing softly. "I've just been thinking a lot since I got back. Especially since last night."

"Chad told us about what happened," said Sharpay, rolling her eyes. "Troy is such a jerk."

Gabriella chewed on her bottom lip nervously, wondering if she should reveal this. "Guys, he told me something last night in the middle of it all."

"What is it?" asked Taylor curiously.

She paused for a moment. "He told me that he had been carrying a ring on that day. He was going to propose to me during graduation, but he had wanted to do it that very day instead because he didn't want to wait any longer."

"What?!" exclaimed both Sharpay and Taylor.

Sharpay laughed dryly. "Are you kidding me? Why didn't you say anything when we spoke a few hours ago?!"

"I didn't know what to say. I'm still in shock over it," she started. "This has been the hardest time ever for me. I mean, after last night, Marlena told Troy she hated him. Now, they'll never bond with each other."

"That's not true. You have to give them time," said Taylor. "Besides, if they do start to bond, then what are you going to do?"

"It's not like you are still in love with him," scoffed Sharpay, taking a sip of her champagne.

Gabriella stayed silent and looked down at her lap, wringing her fingers together. Sharpay and Taylor waited for her to agree, but finally realized that she was disagreeing.

Sharpay gasped. "You are?!"

"Why don't you tell him?" Taylor shook her head in disbelief.

Gabriella scoffed. "Really? You expect me to go and tell him that I am still in love with him? He doesn't love me anymore, okay? It'd be a waste of time."

Suddenly, there were a few shouts and some glass breaking up ahead. The girls and some of the guests looked up to see Troy arguing with the bartender, who seemed to be attempting to refuse service because he was too drunk. And, he was. Troy was practically falling over his feet as he left the bar in aggravation. He was walking towards the exit, more like stumbling.

"Surely he doesn't plan on driving himself," murmured Gabriella, standing up.

"What are you doing?" asked Sharpay.

"I'm still in love with him, Sharpay. Just because he doesn't want anything to do with me doesn't mean I should sit here and let him die from stupidity," explained Gabriella.

She left the table and rushed towards Troy before he reached his car. She grabbed his arm and turned him around, looking at his disheveled face. "What the hell do you think you are doing? Are you stupid? Driving home drunk?"

Troy rolled his eyes and laughed. "Please. What do you care?"

"Really, Troy? Just because we are on the outs doesn't mean I don't still..." She paused, carefully choosing her words. "...care about you."

"Sure you do. Just like I still care about you?" he started shouting, getting closer to her.

Gabriella furrowed her brows as he slowly got closer. "What?"

"Gabriella, I'm not mad at you. I'm a little frustrated, but I'm not mad at you. I have a daughter. We have a beautiful daughter," he started, suddenly holding her hands.

"Troy, what are you doing?" asked Gabriella, staring at their hands. Though it sent shivers throughout her body to feel his touch, it was for the wrong reasons. He was drunk and he would never remember this.

He suddenly laughed and let go of her hands, waving them around erratically as he continued to speak. "You know what? I can't believe you even came back. When we broke up, I was so angry with you that I was so prepared to let you go and erase you from my mind."

Suddenly, things were going even worse. She shook her head as the familiar tears began to form. "Troy, you're talking crazy."

"I'm crazy? I'm crazy?!" He laughed again, causing a few guests and Chad to come outside to see what was going on. "You are crazy, Gabriella. You're crazy to even think that I'd still love you." He suddenly paused, getting closer to her again. "No, I take that back. Maybe I am the one that is crazy, in fact. I'm crazy to think that you'd ever take me back."

He was barely making sense. Gabriella started to back away. "Troy, I'm going to get someone to drive you home. You're not..."

Troy suddenly grabbed her shoulders and planted his lips over her own. He was practically moving her around and around as he slobbered over her mouth in a drunken fashion. To Gabriella, this was not some romantic notion. This was one big mistake that was disgusting and scary. Troy was drunk and he wasn't making any sense. If they were to ever kiss again, it was supposed to be romantic.

Not like this, though.

He suddenly pulled her too hard towards him, causing her to trip over her heels and fall over in the grass with a shout. Her hair became tangled with a few weeds as she struggled to stand up, clutching on to Chad's hand as he helped her up. Troy wasn't watching. He was busy staring at the sky and humming a show tune from the 1960's.

Gabriella brushed off some grass from her dress and glared at Troy, immediately refusing to speak with him. He was being a complete jackass and the idea of him and Marlena bonding was out the window. If he was going to be a stupid drunk, then she didn't want him around.

Chad handed Gabriella off to Sharpay and Taylor. "Girls, can you take her and Marlena to the house? Taylor, I'll be there soon."

"Sure," murmured Sharpay, walking away with Gabriella and Taylor while muttering incoherent thoughts about Troy and his attitude.

Chad walked over to Troy and gripped him by the bicep with a hard glare. "What the fuck is going on with you, Troy?"

Troy furrowed his brows at him and scoffed noisily. "I don't know what you are talking about. Am I not allowed to have fun at a party?"

"Not when your high school sweetheart is here with your child. Do you even know what you just did?" asked Chad. When Troy didn't answer, he spoke again. "You just forced yourself on to Gabriella and made her fall down. She's never going to trust you with Marlena."

It was as if Troy barely registered anything that Chad had said. He simply clutched his stomach and vomited in the grass, groaning. "Oh, God. Fuck..."

Chad rolled his eyes and put Troy's arm around his shoulder, leading him over to the car. "Let's get you home."


Gabriella came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and a long shirt. Truth be told, it was Troy's shirt. He had given her is treasured Wildcat basketball t-shirt that showcased the major championship win for his freshman year. She had kept it because it was too sentimental to her. He had always been proud of the day and she had no doubt that he was still proud. His scent was gone, but she still liked to wear it.

She wrapped her wet hair in a tight bun as she walked towards the kitchen to get some coffee. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Chad putting a blanket over a passed out Troy. His mouth was slightly open and he had circles under his eyes. It was really pitiful and sad.

Chad looked up at her and shrugged, speaking in a low voice. "His place is too far away. He passed out when I got him in the car and I didn't really want to leave him alone."

"No, I understand." Gabriella nodded and crossed her arms over her chest, still looking at Troy.

Chad glanced at her shirt, remembering who the original owner was. He looked at her sadly. "Gabriella, I can't tell you whether or not Troy will want you back."

"What makes you say I want him back?" asked Gabriella, trying to act nonchalant about it.

Chad smirked slowly. "Gabriella, I have known you for years. You're still in love with him. We can all see it." He paused, glancing at Troy. "He's still in love with you, too. We've been seeing it for the past four years."

Gabriella's breath caught in her throat at the confession, but she shook her head. "No. Even if you saying it is true doesn't mean it's true from Troy's own mind. Unless he decides to quit being immature, then we'll see what we can do. But, if he is going to be like this..." She gestured to his body. "...then I don't want him around my daughter."

"Is she asleep?" asked Chad.

She nodded. "Yeah. She went to bed right when we got here. Taylor is waiting for you in bed, too."

"Okay." Chad walked over to her. "Gabriella, I know we haven't really been connected a lot, but I still care about you. We all do and we respect what you had to do. But, we can't help you and Troy get back together. We're not in high school anymore."

Gabriella nodded and accepted his goodnight hug and kiss on the cheek as he walked away towards the bedroom. She looked at Troy and went to the other side of the couch. He turned over so he was facing the coffee table, still asleep. She sat on the coffee table and cautiously raised her hand, gently brushing her fingers against his forehead.

"Oh, Troy. Why can't you just realize that you have a family that loves you so much?" she murmured.

He was barely awake. He didn't move a muscle except when he breathed in and out. She placed her lips on his cheek gently before walking out of the room and to her guest room next to Marlena's room. As she got ready for bed, she began to think back to what Chad had said and realized he was right. If Troy wanted her and wanted to be a part of the family, then he had to make the effort. She couldn't have help from her friends. They were adults now, not teenagers.

They weren't in high school anymore.