Because You Were Mine

Chapter VI

The Point in Every Story Where the Truth Finally Comes Out

Troy opened the front door of their house and deposited their luggage in the foyer while Zach went inside and called for his puppy. Sharpay was hanging her coat in the closet when she heard a horrified cry coming in the direction of the kitchen. She instantly left the coat room and ran to her son's aid. She found him huddled in a corner bawling and puking at the same time. Sharpay went over to help him wondering what made him sick all of a sudden when she saw it.

A cutting board lay on top of the island table, caked in dried blood. On top of the cutting board lay the charred and rotting corpse of Lickers. The body was mangled enough to suggest that the puppy was tortured before being burned alive on top of the grill (which was also caked in blood) but the head was untouched and the glassy and lifeless eyes of the puppy told a horrific story. The odor was unbearable and Sharpay saw that the exhaust was opened to let out the smell. She put a hand on her mouth to keep from puking herself and tried to steer her son in the direction of the powder room.

About this time, Troy was finished with their luggage when he saw his wife and son rushing towards the powder room both looking stricken. He frowned and rushed in the direction they came from. He came face to face with the dead animal and his heart constricted in pain and anger. He knew who did this. Gabriella.

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Dinner that night was very subdued. Instead of talking about their trip, the Boltons ate in deathly silence. Lickers was buried in the backyard and all the mess in the kitchen was obsessively cleaned by Sharpay. Zach didn't eat much of his dinner and went straight to bed after taking a few bites. Sharpay and Troy hardly touched their food either.

"Sharpay," croaked Troy. He didn't know where to begin. Sharpay looked at him expectantly.

"I have to tell you something." Troy continued and suddenly, it became harder for him to breathe. His throat constricted and his heart swelled with pain as he tried to tell her the truth.

"Yes?" she snapped. Sharpay didn't like the tone of her husband's voice and with what happened earlier, she was near the point of pure hysteria.

"I know who did… this." Troy couldn't seem to string words enough to form a sentence. He cowered at the glare his wife was sending his way and he suddenly found the floor interesting.

"Who?" she snapped again, "Troy, please tell me and enough with your act."

"It was Gabriella," he mumbled and fortunately, she heard him.

"That bitch!" Sharpay cried angrily and was about to rise but Troy held her wrist and asked her to sit down.

"I also know why," he confessed unable to look into her eyes.

"Why?" her question came laced with venom enough to poison even the most poisonous snake.

"She said that I convince her to put Rodney Tyler on the cover of SI but I didn't want to… so," he was cut off when he heard her scoff. Sharpay stood up and angrily faced Troy. How could he do this to her?!

"So you slept with her!?!" she yelled.

"No." Troy mumbled and heard her scoff again.

"Lying won't get you anywhere Troy!" Sharpay was now screaming as she tried not to cry.

"I didn't sleep with her!" Troy stood up and was now also yelling angrily.

"Then why the hell is she stalking you for?!"

"Because she wants me to!"

"Bullshit Bolton!"

"I'm telling the truth Sharpay."

"So how come you seemed to have a hard time doing it!?"

"I never thought she'd go this far."

"You never thought… so you're saying she's been stalking you for so long now?!"

"About a month or so…"

"Damn it Troy Bolton why didn't you tell me!?"

"I didn't want to upset you."

"Upset?! Upset?! Our son's dog was tortured and filleted when we were gone and you don't want to upset me – oh wait, was she the one calling the hell out of our apartment too?!"

"Yeah… and the office too…"

"Oh my effing God! Why did you not tell me this?!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Sorry isn't gonna work Troy."

"Look, I didn't want you to…"

"Worry?! Oh puh-leez! Grow up Troy! I'm your wife - I deserve this information!"

"Pay…"

"No Bolton. I feel betrayed that you don't trust me enough to tell me that a certain bitch is out there giving you hell and you didn't even give the chance to…"

"Sharpay, have you seen what she has just done?! What if she does it to you? How am I going to cope with your mangled and charred corpse…"

Troy stopped yelling. His voice was suddenly choked up and tears were freely sliding down his cheeks. He didn't want that to happen…

"I'm not an invalid Troy and I could handle her, just she try me. So don't be so sexist."

"I'm not sexist. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Whatever, I'm done here. Take your bullshit back Troy and get out."

"What?"

"You heard me: GET OUT!"

"Pay…"

"Out…"

"Sharpay…"

"GET OUT BOLTON!"

Troy had no choice but to follow her. He bowed his head and went up to the master's bedroom to pack an overnight bag. He was crying and thinking as he did so that he didn't notice his son go into the room and watch him silently.

"Zach!" Troy cried in surprise when he turned around.

"Dad, where are you going?" his son asked with curious eyes.

"I'm going away for a while. It'll just be you and mommy for a while, okay?" he said trying to make his exit as quick as possible but Zach held on to his pant leg and wouldn't let go.

"When are you coming back?" he asked in a chocked and frightened voice.

"As soon as possible, buddy. Now you take care of your mommy, alright?" Troy asked kneeling down to his son's level and looking him in the eye. Zach nodded and hugged his father tightly.

"Come home okay Dad?" Zach whispered, "Please?"

"I will buddy." Troy tried not to let him hear how pained he sounded, "I will."

Sharpay was waiting for him at the foyer. Troy gave her a glum look and raised a finger indicating that she wait before kicking him out. She consented and watched him dial a number.

"Are you fucking happy now, Gabriella? I'm all single now because Sharpay threw me out but guess what, you're sick if you're thinking that I'll come groveling back to you," he snarled on the telephone venting out all his anger at her.

"Oh, what smug bastard you are. Don't worry Troy, you'll come around." Gabriella insisted but deep inside she was worried. Troy just told her that he won't go back.

"No I won't, I'm just telling you the extent of the damage you've caused. Apparently, people don't always take their own words at heart," he snarled back and threw the phone over his shoulder. He sighed and gave a sad look at his wife one last time before walking out the door.

Sharpay watched and listened throughout the whole telephone conversation but was too angry to acknowledge the fact that her husband told her he didn't sleep with Gabriella. The fact that he didn't deem her worthy of that kind of information was still fresh in her mind.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard shrieking from somewhere and noticed that when Troy left, he didn't put the phone back on its cradle. She picked it up and was about to hang up when she heard snippets of the threats Gabriella was babbling about.

"Asshole… smug bastard… I'll get you… Zach…" those words made her stop cold and she put the phone to her ear.

"I'll get you Troy, with all I've got. It won't be your stupid dog anymore! Oh yeah, let's see if your son can handle me…" Gabriella sneered.

"If you ever come near my family again, I'll kill you. Do you understand?" Sharpay hissed into the speaker. Gabriella was so taken aback she hastily put down the phone.

Only if you can, she thought smugly right after that.

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Zach was playing with his friends since it was recess when he saw someone waving at him from across the street. He watched her approach and stand at the other side of the chain link fence that separated them. He went over to her and smiled back…

Okay, I know it's a very short (but ANOTHER IMPORTANT) chapter in the story.
I was gonna put more to it but then it'll just be irrelevant fillers. So I just saved this and uploaded it because I know you guys are waiting for it.

My heart goes out to Lickers on this one 'coz I really really love puppies and writing about how one was tortured and grilled doesn't really make me happy. But hey, I kept telling you guys that she can go the distance! So well, RIP Lickers and to all the abused animals out there. They don't deserve the pain that they are going through...

So... on the good side, keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate them :)