Bold: Author's Note/ Other
Normal: Present
Italics: Flashback/ Song lyrics/ Texts
I sat at a lone table on the side of the cafeteria with Troy, awaiting the arrival of Jacob Platelle. After we had sorted out our problems the night before, we had said goodnight on friendly terms, no longer strangers.
"May I sit?" I heard Jacob's voice say.
"Do," I replied.
I glanced over at Troy and was relieved to see that he didn't have a look of disgust or resentment on his face. Rather, he had confusion written all over it. Jacob placed his lunch tray in front of him, but turned to Troy instead of eating.
"Gabriella and I had a talk last night," Jacob started. I noticed that Troy looked even more confused that Jacob knew my name, but he also tensed like he thought we hooked up or something. "Don't worry, Bolton. I know you want to have Gabriella to yourself."
I slapped his arm hardly, but he hardly flinched.
"Bolton, I know you know about what I have done to her in the past, but I can explain. I was so jealous of her, but not only that. My father hurt my mom so when I was younger, I thought that would work for me. When my father killed my mom, I was so mad, but also jealous of Gabriella, so she was my target," Jacob said.
"That's understandable," Troy nodded.
"I know that I have also done some… not so nice things to you and I apologise for it. When I poured juice all over your head in freshman year, I hadn't recovered from my violent habits. I guess my father rubbed off on me. I also called you names because, then again, I was jealous. You know how bullies work. They want to feel good and they do so by putting others down. I'd like to change," Jacob finished.
Troy surveyed Jacob's face carefully for a while, but then I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding when he cracked a smile.
"We're good," he grinned.
Jacob also smiled and shook hands with Troy.
"Now, I don't expect us to become best friends, but we can be on friendly terms and you can always come to me for relationship advice," Jacob told Troy with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
"Relationship advice?" Troy asked.
"Yeah," Jacob stated as if it was obvious. "No offence, but you're not that great at hiding your feelings for Gabriella."
I blushed and looked down. Luckily, my cap was covering my face.
"See, she's blushing."
Wait, what? How did he know?
"Gabriella, I've know you since we were 5. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking," Jacob said. "Also, Troy is not objecting so that means that he does like you."
"Not true, man!" Troy deflected.
Suddenly, like the day before, someone interrupted our conversation. Again, it was Sharpay Evans.
"Oh! How's the little party going over here?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "Since when were you, Platelle and 'Montez-hater' besties?"
"Why so salty, Evans?" Jacob asked, like they weren't enemies.
"Why are you joining the loser table?" Sharpay retaliated.
Ahem! I'm not a loser!
"Excuse me," I butted in. "If anything, you're the loser."
Sharpay huffed.
"You know, I always look to Gabriella Montez to calm me down when I'm angry. I always try to be like Gabriella Montez because she's a good person, unlike you, and that is not something Gabriella Montez would say!" Sharpay scowled.
I fought to keep a straight face. She looked to me when she was angry? But she was angry at me? How did that work? Plus, she said that what I said was not something that I would say. Now that's confusing. I saw Jacob and Troy stifle laughs beside me.
"Something funny?" she hissed.
"No!" Jacob struggled. "Just your hair. It looks like a bird's nest."
Sharpay screamed and walked as fast as she could with her heals out of the cafeteria to the bathroom.
"Wow," Troy clapped sarcastically. "She looks to you when she's mad, but you're the one she's mad at."
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" I exclaimed happily.
Jacob's eyes flashed between us.
"See? This is like one of your couple's moments!" he noted.
Troy looked at Jacob menacingly. I was surprised he wasn't blushing, but then again I wasn't and we didn't show our emotions.
"Hey, Troy," Chad's voice called. "Why are you sitting with Platelle?"
Troy turned around to face his friend.
"We sorted out our differences. We're friendly now," he informed Chad.
"Which is great because we can all be best friends now," Jacob continued.
"Contrary to what you said early about us not being best friends," Troy commented.
"You're right. Sorry, but I've realised that my attitude towards you guys was not acceptable and I want to change it. I'm sorry for all the things that I've done to you," Jacob apologised.
Chad looked hesitant, but patted Jacob on the back.
"Nah, it's good, man. I'm sure the rest of the team will be more than happy to make a truce with your team," he said.
"Actually, I was thinking of resigning from my role as football captain," Jacob told us.
We looked at him, shocked.
"What? Why? You're the best captain we've had," Chad said.
Jacob shrugged and shook his head.
"I used my bullying skills as a technique to make the teamwork hard. You guys haven't witnessed the practices so you wouldn't know. I was the equivalent to the devil."
Chad and Troy looked as each other, communicating with their eyes.
"I think you should not resign," they said at the same time, which was scary. "Just change your techniques and they'll love you."
Jacob's eyes filled with hope.
"Just like Troy loves her?" he asked, teasingly, jutting his thumb in my direction.
I groaned as Chad looked at Troy suspiciously.
"Love's a strong word," Troy opined.
Chad took a seat next to Troy and placed his beloved basketball on the table in front of him, using one of Troy's napkins to 'clean' it.
"And he doesn't deny his affection to her!" Chad cheered.
It was very rare that I saw boys multitask, but Chad was cleaning… and talking! Both at the same time!
"Don't start planning a wedding now," Troy mumbled.
"See? I told you! He does like her!" Jacob pressed on.
I saw Troy roll his eyes, but was smiling at the same time.
HSM
2 months later, my friendship with Jacob had blossomed. We hung out a lot and spent time together, but not as much as I did with Troy. With Troy, we spent most lunchtimes on the rooftop garden, or we went for a walk outside of school. It's funny because I realised that I connected more with boys than I did with girls. Sharpay certainly still hated me and Zeke, Chad, Taylor and Ryan showed no feelings towards me. Obviously, they were confused as to why Troy still hung out with me because I opposed all their opinions about myself. Like seriously! It was a celebrity we were fighting over.
During these past 2 months, Jacob had also bugged me about my relationship with Troy and how we should go out and kiss and stuff. I told him that it would only be an option if the rest of his friends found out about who I really was. It would be hard to date if we had to do it undercover. For example, if the paparazzi took photos of me and Troy at a café, Troy's friends would see it and find out that I was Gabriella Montez.
Anyway, it was the 9th of June, also know as my birthday – Gabriella Montez's birthday. It was the worst day of my life. The day when I had lost everything. Today was also a weekend which meant I didn't need to go to school, however, Sharpay had called a meeting at her house. Troy still invited me to those meetings, for some reason, and there, we argued endlessly about me. About how I was a good or bad person or how I was a hater. Sometimes, those arguments were not pretty. Today, it was at Sharpay's house again.
I arrived at the doorstep dressed in my usual cap and glasses, but this time, I did not wear a hoodie. I was dressed in a coat… like… I never wore coats! It was bizarre. The door swung open to reveal a very happy Sharpay, dressed in a pink sundress. Obviously, something very good had happened.
"Oh, it's you," she drawled.
"How very polite of you to invite me in," I replied, smirking, as I stepped into her house without asking.
I went straight into the living room and saw that everyone was already there, sitting on the couch and waiting to talk. Sharpay shoved past me and snuggled up with Zeke. How cute. If only it wasn't Sharpay. I sat down next to Troy, who was sitting on the floor.
"Hi," he whispered.
"Hey," I replied.
"Guys! Do you know what day it is today?" Sharpay said excitedly, but with a hint of evil in her voice. "It's Gabriella Montez's 17th birthday! Isn't that amazing?"
I rolled my eyes. Of course she was happy about that. I felt Troy turn to look at me with concern, but I looked back saying that it would be okay.
"Sharpay, I know you're just trying to get me mad," I said.
"But seriously! It's amazing! She's one step closer to becoming an adult!" Sharpay squealed.
"Wow. Best day of my life," I said sarcastically.
"No need to be sarcastic if it really is the best day of your life. It definitely is my second best day of my life apart from my birthday," Sharpay said.
"Sharpay, stop," Troy cautioned.
"My birthday is my favourite day! You know why? Because I came into the world as a blessing. So did Gabriella Montez! But you? You're no blessing…" she got cut off by my phone ringing. I answered.
Author's Note: Here again, I'll put Gabriella's dialogue in bold for ease.
"Hello, is this Gabriella Montez?" said the voice on the other line.
"Yes, that's me."
"This is Lucille Bolton, Troy's mom and I work at the hospital."
"What? What happened?" I panicked.
"I have recently found out that Zac Efron is your 'godfather.' He was in a car crash and is in hospital with a coma," she explained.
My heart raced faster and faster with every word she spoke.
"And?"
"He suffered from minor brain damage, but the doctors have already done a surgery to fix that. He will be unconscious for a while, however, if not, he might not wake up," Lucille told me. "If you'd like, you can come and visit and if you don't mind, I'd like to see Troy as well."
By now, tears were falling from my eyes, but I tried to hide them behind my cap.
"Okay," I said shakily. "I'll come."
Lucille hung up and I brought my quivering hand down to my pocket and inserted my phone in there. I stood up grabbed Troy's hand, not caring that everyone else was watching.
"Come," I whispered.
He followed confusedly, but obediently until we arrived outside. I got into the drivers seat and Troy got into the passengers'.
"Are you sure you should be driving?" he asked, doubtfully.
I shook my head.
"You can if you want to," I said softly, getting out from my side and swapping seats. "Drive to the hospital where your mom works. Zac was in a car crash. Now you know why my I'm a curse."
As he drove, he grabbed my hand, squeezing it comfortingly.
"Don't ever say that. You're not a curse. You've definitely been a blessing to mine and Jacob's lives," he said. "Accidents happen."
"But they're all on my birthday," I said.
"There are plenty more accidents in the world that fall on other days," he told me.
"Let me rephrase that. Bad things happen to the people I'm close to on my birthday, which is today," I said.
Troy parked near to the entrance and I ran ahead of him, desperate to see Zac in his almost-dead state. I strode up to the receptionist and banged on the counter.
"Yes?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
"I'm here to see Zac Efron," I said.
"You don't look like family," she said.
"He's the closet thing to my family," I said impatiently. "He's my godfather."
"And him?" she asked, pointing at Troy.
"His mom is Lucille Bolton. She has requested to see him," I explained.
"Room 906."
I grabbed Troy's hand and dragged him behind me. I knocked on the door of room 906 and it opened, revealing Troy's mom and a clean hospital room.
"It's you, sweetie!" she said, hugging me. Then she hugged Troy. "Hi, Troy."
"Hi, mom," he replied.
"Do come in," she said.
More tears trickled down my face as I saw the pale figure of Zac lying on the bed, unmoving. Soon, my fears of losing everyone could be proven or removed. If Zac died, I would be forever broken and even might reconsider jumping off the beautiful cliff. If he stayed alive, it would be a miracle. Nothing stayed alive if I was alive.
I felt a finger wipe away my tears and I looked up to see Troy sadly smiling at me. His hands were warm, but calloused from playing basketball. They were comforting.
"Have faith," was all he said.
"That's hard when you have so little," I said bitterly. "Did your mom tell you to tell me that?"
"No," he replied. "She asked me to come all the way here to tell me to clean my room."
"Reasonable enough," I mumbled. "Your room is a pigs' sty."
"That's the spirit," he smiled.
I stayed silent as I looked back to Zac. My lack of faith caused me to think that he would lay there unmoving forever.
"Hey," I reverted my attention back to Troy. "Don't think about that."
He pulled me into a caring hug and stroked my back. I laid by head on his chest and I could hear his heart beating softly and consistently. His hugs were absolutely amazing and I inhaled his sweet scent, wishing to stay like that forever.
"What do you want to do?" he asked me softly.
"Stay like this," I mumbled.
He chuckled softly.
"I appreciate that but no can do. I think you should do something that gets your mind off things," he suggested.
"Go back to Sharpay's house," I said.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Positive."
HSM
We arrived at Sharpay's mansion once again and knocked on the door. I heard Sharpay sigh loudly and get up from the couch. She opened the door reluctantly and let us in as if she was that tired.
"Hey, man? Where'd you go?" Chad asked Troy.
"Montez-hater probably killed another family member and dragged Troy along to hide the corpse," Sharpay said.
Troy looked up, aghast.
"Sharpay!" he scolded. "Do not ever say anything like that again!"
"Sharpay, would you ever say something like that to Gabriella Montez?" I asked slyly.
"What? No! Of course not! Only to you," she replied.
"You really worship her, don't you?" I smirked.
"She's my favourite celebrity, of course I worship her."
"If I tell you, or rather show you some things, you're going to have an instant change of mind," I said.
"I doubt that," Sharpay said.
"Let's do a role play," I suggested. "I'm going to go out and come back in and you're going to demonstrate what you would do if Gabriella Montez walked in, alright?"
Troy looked at me unsurely, but I confirmed it with a wink. He nodded. I walked out of the room, preparing to see their shock. I took off my cap and my glasses. Coincidentally, I had decided to put on more makeup for my birthday and that defined my face as 'Gabriella Montez's face.' I inhaled deeply and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Sharpay called.
I swung the door open and crossed my arms as I stood there smirking.
"Who's your favourite celebrity now?"
Their faces were priceless. Absolutely priceless! Sharpay's looked as if a hair was out of place, Chad looked like he had just realised that he had lost his basketball, Taylor looked like she had failed Math and Zeke's looked like a recipe of his had failed. All their faces had shock written all over them except for Troy's. He was grinning madly, from ear to ear, supportively. I could tell that he was proud of me for revealing myself.
"Look…" Sharpay stuttered. "I'm sorry…"
I held up my hand.
"See, this is exactly why I didn't tell you who I was," I said. "If I was anybody else, you wouldn't be apologising. One thing I hate is fake friends. If I had come to school as the famous me, I would have people falling at my feet, but I chose not to. It was an experiment to see if people would friend me for who I truly was. Obviously, no one really cares about me because I only made one friend: Troy. When I told him who I was 2 months ago, he didn't even ask for an autograph!"
The stared at me speechless. Finally, Taylor spoke.
"You've made so many hate comments about yourself," she said, slowly.
"And in some way or another, you've all agreed to them," I added.
Their looks of shock turned to looks of guilt. Sharpay, especially, looked the most remorseful.
"We have done so much wrong," Zeke said.
"If that's your way of apologising, I forgive you," I said. "The complicated thing is that now you all want to be my friend, but if I wasn't called 'Gabriella Montez,' you wouldn't want to be my friend. How should I know if you're a real friend or a fake friend?"
"How did Troy prove himself?" Zeke asked.
I glanced at Troy, who looked emotionless, once again.
"He was my friend from the very beginning. Before I told him who I was, he never pressured me to reveal myself or say my name. He never complained that I hid myself and he never insulted me. You, however, have constantly told me to go to heaven," I added darkly. "You're chance has flown out the window."
Troy chuckled softly.
"What?" I asked.
"Sorry," he said. "I just love how 'un-cliché-ish' you are. Usually people say 'go to hell', not 'go to heaven' and 'time flew out the window'."
"Wait to spoil the moment," I muttered. "Anyway, where was I?"
"Look, Gabriella. We all make mistakes and I think we're willing to pay for them," Taylor said.
Chad, Zeke and Sharpay nodded in unison.
"Payment? I never requested payment," I replied. "I just need you to prove yourselves. Again, I say, I don't want people to befriend me because of my name, I want real friends who friend me for who I really am. Clearly, you guys do not like my personality so why become my friend now? This is how I normally act."
"Is that all?" Sharpay asked.
"Hold up. Don't think it's easy. One thing you should know is that I can hardly trust anyone. Usually, kids come home on the first day of school saying that they befriended the whole grade, but it took me 3 months to make one friend," I said.
HSM
Two weeks later, I was relieved that Zac had woken up from his coma. If he didn't I don't know what I would've done. I decided to go to Sharpay's house and surprise her. I knocked.
"Hey, Gabriella. What's up?" she asked.
"Sharpay," I began. "Regardless of what you have done to me, I want to surprise you. Come."
"Wait, surprise me? Are you sure?"
"Just come."
I drove Sharpay to my house, well Zac's house and led her out.
"Come," I said.
"Okay?" she hesitated. "Will I like this?"
I laughed.
"Do you think I would surprise you with something bad?" I asked rhetorically.
She stayed silent as I predicted and I knocked on the door. Zac lazily opened the door and I smiled as Sharpay's eyes widened. When Zac saw Sharpay's excited and huge eyes, he shrunk back a little in fear.
"OH. MY. GOD." Sharpay literally screamed.
She engulfed Zac in a huge bear hug, different to the one she gave me before and Zac patted her back, glaring at me. When Sharpay let go, Zac forced a huge breath dramatically and asked us to come in.
"So you actually know Zac Efron?" Sharpay bombarded me with questions as we walked in.
I heard Zac laugh from behind me.
"Yup, the one and only," I replied.
"How do you even know where he lives?"
"I come 'round often," I said, leading her up the stairs.
"Wait, shouldn't you ask permission to go into a room?" she asked carefully.
I opened the door and motioned for Sharpay to enter. I followed her and jumped onto my bed.
"Why are you doing that? I thought it was rude to jump on people's furniture and…" Sharpay trailed off.
I smiled weakly at her as sudden realisation hit her.
"Oh. My. God. You live here?" she gasped loudly. "How? What about your parents?"
"My parents? As I said last time, a year after I killed my brother, my mom killed herself. My dad had been abusing me so I ran away to a nearby park. Keep in mind that this was all back in Australia, hence why I don't eat Australian food. I had met Zac in Hawaii, briefly, 2 years before and we kept in touch. It was my birthday that day and Zac called me to wish me 'happy birthday.' I told him my problems and he booked the first flight to me and brought me back here. He then became my unofficial 'godfather.' As you can see, you should not be envious of my life because it is far from perfect. Everything bad that has happened to me happened on my birthday. On my 13th birthday, my brother died and my dad began to abuse me; on my 14th birthday, my mom killed herself and two weeks ago, on my birthday, Zac was in a car crash and was put in a coma. I've lost everything and I don't know what I would've done if he died," I said, sadly.
Sharpay plopped on the bed next to me and rubbed my arm soothingly. Who knew she could be such a softy?
"So this is the secret history of the famous Gabriella Montez, huh," she said.
"Troy said something similar to that when he came here," I laughed.
"You let Troy in your room?" Sharpay gasped dramatically.
I nodded.
"Yeah… why?" I asked.
"Did you guys like make out or something? Cause if you did, invite me over next time so I can watch the show," she grinned slyly.
"Woah, Sharpay. Troy and I are just friends," I said flatly.
She smiled dreamily.
"That's what everyone says," she said.
HSM
I sat at the lunch table with the gang. Jacob had gone to make amends with the football team because I forced him to. But nonetheless, he agreed!
"Troy!" Sharpay said suddenly. "I never got to go on that shopping trip with Anne!"
I turned to Troy and we both laughed. The whole table rolled their eyes and chorused, "Couple's moment."
"Hey!" I protested. "We're not a couple! And do you want to know a secret about Anne?"
They all nodded and I leaned forward as if I was going to tell a very secretive secret.
"Anne's not real," I whispered.
"What?" Sharpay asked.
"When Chad called Troy when we were away, I was with him. I had told Troy to call me Anne because it's my middle name. So when Troy made the excuse that he was with me, I chimed in as 'Anne' with a really high-pitched voice and stuck-up attitude," I explained.
They all ohhed with realisation.
"That's good," Chad complimented. "I wouldn't have guessed unless I never in my life would've met her."
"This might very well be the death of Anne," Troy said, faking a sad sigh.
The whole table laughed. Soon, Jacob slid in next to Troy and the whole table looked at him doubtfully.
"Hey?" he said slowly.
"Guys, this is Jacob as you all know," I introduced. "He's on a mission to change!" I added, pumping my fist in the air.
"Guys, don't have that attitude," Troy joined in. "He's genuinely sorry for everything."
"How can you be sure?" Taylor whispered in my ear.
"I'm an actress. I can tell when people are lying," was my replied.
RING!
I stood up and walked with Troy to our lockers, however, on the walls of the corridor hung posters. Not just any posters, but posters of me. Obviously, they weren't of me in my celebrity form, but photos of me with my cap and my glasses disguising me. Ironically, they were labelled 'New, old girl – the virgin.' Contrary to popular belief, I think I'd rather be a virgin than a slut.
"Wow. Those are beautiful," I commented sarcastically.
"I know, right? Stacy did a great job," Troy replied.
"You think it was her?"
He nodded in reply before someone screamed.
"THE NEW, OLD GIRL IS A VIRGIN!" screamed Stacy Brighton.
My head whipped around to glare at her because she had alerted the whole corridor and the students were looking back and forth between me and her.
"You think I'm a virgin?" I asked coldly.
Stacy's rude and red face looked like it was about to scream for me to shut up, but I continued.
"I seriously don't get what's wrong with being a virgin," I said confidently, "But I just need to correct your mistake. I am not a virgin, in fact, I have had sex exactly 365 times."
Gasps echoed through the hall and I spun on my heel and stalked off with my head held high. I entered my code for my locker and took out my books.
"That's some pretty damn confident things to say," Troy said when he arrived.
"Well, that's me," I shrugged, shutting my locker door and swinging my bag over my shoulder. "I don't get embarrassed," I elaborated.
"That's a lie. I've seen you blush before," Troy said.
"Never mistake blushing for embarrassment, Bolton," I lectured.
He closed his locker and we set off for English class.
"I wonder if the teachers have seen those posters," he said.
"They'd be proud of me for being pure," I replied in a monotone.
"That's good."
"If only it were true," I wished. There was silence. "Anyway, what took you so long to follow me?"
"Huh? Oh, I kinda did something," Troy said, scratching the back of his neck. He always did that when he was nervous.
"And?" I pushed.
"Uh…"
"Spit it out, Bolton," I snapped.
"I kinda slapped her," he said sheepishly.
"You did that?" I asked sarcastically. "Wow. That's amazing. Seriously though, thanks for the backup, but I don't think she should've been slapped."
"Oh yeah. I figured that out," he said.
"Are you going to apologise?" I asked.
"I probably should," he replied.
"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked.
"Gabs, we have to get to class," he stalled.
"I don't care," I snapped. "I want you to apologise right now!"
"You're a good soul," he replied, walking away reluctantly.
After about 5 minutes, I saw Troy coming back towards me with his hand covering his right eye and a hunched back. I sighed. Stacy Brighton…
"I'm assuming it didn't go too well," I said, crossing my arms.
"Nice observation," Troy muttered. "She punched me in the eye cause she thought I was mocking her."
"Were you?" I asked.
"No," he answered, mumbling. "I think I sounded very sincere."
"Well, since you say that, you probably weren't," I smirked.
"Whatever. My dad will kill me now for not being able to play basketball," he sighed.
"Basketball does really revolve around him, doesn't it?" I said.
He nodded.
"Let's go home," I suggested, taking his free hand to go to the principal's office.
I knocked the door and immediately, it opened like it had some sort of sensor.
"What brings you here, Mr. Bolton and Miss…" he trailed off.
"Montez," I added.
He looked at me knowingly because he was wondering if I had told Troy yet. Obviously, I had.
"Can we sign out?" I asked.
Matsui glanced at Troy who was still holding his eye and my hand.
"Keep safe," he said, nodding.
I nodded back at him and dragged Troy away from the school to his car. He pulled out his keys and unlocked it.
"Want me to drive?" I asked rhetorically.
He didn't answer, but just got into the passenger's seat while I got into the driver's.
"How'd it feel?" I asked suddenly.
We were currently driving to Troy's house and I had been there numerous times so I knew how to get there without directions.
"Well, I'm kind of immune to this face hitting thing because I always get hit by basketballs," he said. I scoffed. "So, she seemed kinda weak."
"She should punch me next time," I said.
"You've had your fair share of punches," he said quietly.
Oh yeah. I forgot I had been abused every day for a year…
"I haven't felt enough pain in the past 3 years," I shrugged.
Troy glanced at me and smiled.
"We have one more week of school left," he changed the subject.
"That's amazing," I said.
"You've only been to East High for half a year. The first half is always the worst," he informed me.
"I live for the worst," I replied casually.
"Uh huh. Sure you do," he said.
We arrived at Troy's house and went in. Since Troy's dad, Jack was at school and Lucille was at the hospital, we had it free to ourselves. I walked into the kitchen, to the freezer and took out an ice pack. I wrapped a dishcloth around it so it wouldn't be too cold and brought it to Troy. He lifted it up to his eye and quickly replaced his hand with it so I wouldn't see the damage.
"Can I make you a drink?" I offered.
"If you want," he shrugged.
I went back into the kitchen while Troy laid on the couch to rest his back. I started to make my amazing hot chocolate that everyone loved. As I was doing this, I began to daydream.
What would've happened if I never met Troy? If his locker wasn't next to mine? I'd probably have absolutely no friends for the rest of my life. That's an understatement. I started to ponder my feelings towards Troy. Did I like him like Jacob said? Did he like me? No. That wasn't possible. Why would Troy like someone like me? That girl who was a nerd, drama geek and a loner. An 'emotion-hider' and a 'used-to-be-suicidal-person.' On top of that, I was afraid to love.
Even though he had talked to me about it, I was still scared to love. In the back of my mind, some part of me still believed that I hurt the ones that were close to me. What would happen to the ones I loved, then? Surely love could conquer all, but would sacrifices have to be made for that to happen? If Troy and I fell in love, Troy could end up dying, killing himself, getting into a car crash or turn bad. That was what happened to everyone else, so why wouldn't it happen to Troy.
I walked back into the living room with the hot chocolate and sat down besides Troy. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled weakly at me. He took the cup and sat up. He took a sip and looked into my eyes with those amazing blue ones. Why do I keep thinking that?
"This is nice," he said.
"Thanks. It's the only thing I can make," I said.
"It makes up for everything you can't make, then," he replied.
We sat in silence while he finished drinking it. I took the cup back to the kitchen and washed it, placing it on the drying rack to dry.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Like my dad's going to kill me," he said.
I froze and thought of mine.
"Sorry," he apologised, seeing me tense up. "I didn't mean to say that."
"It's okay. It's just me," I consoled him. "Can I see your eye?"
He nodded briefly and then took off the ice pack, revealing the purple and black skin that surrounded his eye. The eye itself was half-closed and looked as if it would completely shut down soon. I reached out to touch it and surprisingly, he didn't flinch.
"Does it hurt?" I asked.
"Not much."
"Good," I said, taking my hand off and he replaced the ice pack.
Such an intimate moment with him made my heart flutter and my thoughts divert to strangely romantic ones. I pictured myself cuddling with him or going on dates, holding his hand as we walked through the park or even kissing him. Yes, kissing him. My inner teenager was starting to come out, well, I was a teenager.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" I asked.
"Depends what type. I don't like sci-fi movies," he said.
"Really? Well, I like musicals and romance movie the most," I told him.
"Romance? I didn't think you liked that much."
"Yeah, I like romance. But I don't like The Notebook," I said.
"Why not?"
"When I first watched it, I was on a plane and I practically bawled my eyes out in every break up scene. It was so sad and heartbreaking that I never want to watch it again," I said.
"That's the point of the movie; to make you sad and emotional," Troy pointed out.
"I know. I don't like crying much. It blocks my nose and when I talk, I take really 'strangly' breaths," I shrugged. "You know, we should watch a Disney Movie, like Beauty and the Beast."
He shrugged.
"I don't mind."
HSM
One and a half hours later, the movie was over and my eyes hurt from the light of the screen. It always happened. Every time I watched a movie, my eyes would hurt for like the next day. That's why I preferred to act in movies rather than watch them.
"That was beautiful," I commented.
"The songs are nice," Troy said.
"I'm jealous of the singers," I said, "because I don't get to sing their songs."
"Can't you do a cover or something?" Troy asked.
"I suppose," I shrugged. "Takes time though."
"Precious time."
I turned to look at Troy and he was already looking into my eyes. My breath hitched for a moment as I got lost in those dreamy, blue eyes. I saw his eyes flick to my lips and back up to my eyes as if he was asking for permission. But then, as usual, a door flying open interrupted out moment.
"Troy! I didn't raise you to skip school like that!" Lucille exclaimed. "Oh, Gabriella! What happened?"
"Long story short, Stacy Brighton pinned up posters, that said that I was a virgin, all over the school. Troy slapped her, but in his defence, he was sticking up for me, which I appreciate. I told Troy to apologise to her, but when he did, she punched him because she thought he was mocking her," I explained in as little words as possible.
"You're a good soul," Lucille beamed at me.
"Like mother, like son," I mumbled.
"What was that?" Lucille asked.
I shook my head, "Nothing."
Lucille just nodded and walked out of the room, leaving us alone. I thought back to the time when prom had happened.
Flashback
After Darbus had announced about prom, everyone had been going crazy and talked about it to no end. The only people who seemed sane were me and Troy. Of course, Troy had had just about the entire female population ask him to be their dates, but he turned all of them down.
"Why do you keep saying no?" I asked.
He shrugged, "I want the right person to ask me. It's a special night. I don't want to go with some girl who's looking for popularity."
"I like your insight," I teased.
He laughed.
"Hey, that's just how I see it."
The next week, people were STILL talking about prom and I was getting sick of it. How crazy and obsessive could you get? I still hadn't gotten a date yet and Troy hadn't either. The prom was next Friday, but no one would ask me anyway. Only Troy knew my name.
"Apparently they're going to reveal a theme for the prom today," Troy said, as we walked to assembly.
I crossed my fingers.
"Dear God, please be masquerade!" I prayed.
Troy laughed at me.
"What?"
"No, it's just funny. That's all."
We sat down next to each other and watched as Matsui walked up onto the stage to the microphone. He took out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket.
"Good morning students," he started.
A very un-simultaneous 'good morning' was mumbled back to him.
"It is my pleasure to announce the theme for our prom. It is going to be… masquerade!"
I almost jumped out of my chair to cheer, but I could feel Matsui's gaze on me.
"This means that all of you will have to have some sort of mask that covers your face," he finished with a, "thankyou, I hope to see all of you there."
We were all excused and I cheered outside the gym.
"Well, someone looks happy," Troy commented.
"Are you serious? I am beyond happy. I am over the moon, literally!" I said excitedly.
"Do you know who would look good in their mask?" he asked.
"Who?"
"You," he said. "You cover yourself everyday so I'm sure you're a pro at it now. Therefore, since I need to look good at the prom," I smirked at that and he smiled and continued, "I need someone who's good at wearing masks."
I stopped abruptly and Troy turned around to face me.
"Is that an invitation?" I asked.
"Do you want it to be?"
"Yes," I replied. "I answered both of your questions."
He stared at me for a moment, but then realised what I meant.
"Thanks! Now we both won't be dateless," he said and I laughed.
At lunch, his friends bombarded him with questions.
"Troy, did you like the theme?"
"Troy, who are you going with?"
"Troy, do you STILL not have a date?"
"Troy, you should totally skip prom and fly to Greenland."
We all turned to look at Jason who just shrugged.
"Just a suggestion," he said.
"Whoa, guys. Calm down," Troy said, putting his hands up. "I got myself a date!" he said, pointing at me.
Sharpay shrieked.
"You're going with that… thing?" she exclaimed.
"Don't call her that, besides, she would be great to go with, if you think about it. The whole 'mask-wearing' thing really suits her," Troy explained.
"He's got a point," Chad agreed.
"Since when do YOU see points?" Taylor asked her boyfriend mockingly.
Next Friday was the day of prom. I had put on one of my best dresses. A halter neck-dark blue dress went down to my knees. I also put on some makeup, even though no one was going to see it. Honestly, I was really excited for the prom. Troy was picking me up at 6.
The doorbell rung and I literally jumped down the stairs, hugging Zac and grabbing my mask from the table.
"Have fun," he said.
"I will," I grinned.
I swung open the door and saw Troy's jaw drop. He just stood there for a moment before shaking his head and blinking.
"I hope that explains how you look," he said. "You look amazing."
He slipped on a corsage on my hand and kissed my cheek.
"Thanks," I smiled, putting on my mask. "Don't want people to recognise me in the car."
Instead of his truck, Troy had borrowed his dad's car. He opened the passenger's door for me to sit and then went over to his side.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if you brought your truck," I said.
"But that's so unromantic," he complained. "Besides, my truck is getting repaired today."
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "You always have an excuse for everything, don't you."
"Uh huh," he nodded.
He parked in his parking spot in the school carpark. The school was holding the prom in the gym which was not half-adequate to hold a formal dance in.
"Is it just me or do you think that prom should be held at an actual restaurant," I said, getting out of the car. Troy closed the door behind me.
"No, I totally agree. Like the gym? I thought it was a joke when Darbus told us that it was going to be held in the gym," he said.
"Thankyou," I said.
We walked into the gym and were surprised at the decoration. The ground looked like a gym, but the rest of the room was very nice. There was a tree with lights strung around it. There were round table scattered around the room and there was a stage at the far end of the gym.
"Look, there's Chad and Taylor. This is the first time Chad's ever been early for something," Troy said, pointing at his two friends.
"Cause Taylor forced him," I mumbled.
I followed Troy to the table and slumped into my chair. Chad and Taylor ignored me and started a conversation with Troy. Soon Sharpay and Zeke came. I could tell it was Sharpay because she was wearing a pink mask, pink dress, pink shoes, pink makeup and a pink headband. Like I said, it was pretty obvious.
I leant to Troy and asked, "Do we have to take off our masks?"
He turned to me with wide eyes, "I didn't think of that."
"Wish me luck," I muttered sadly.
After we ate that delicious dinner, the dancing started. None of us had stood up to dance yet until a slow, romantic song came on. It was one of the songs that I had done a duet with Zac. Actually, it was the favourite song that I had sung.
"Oh, this is my favourite song!" I said out loud.
Everyone at the table stared at me.
"I thought you didn't like Gabriella Montez," Sharpay smirked.
"I know," I said simply.
I turned to Troy and he smiled weakly. Then he stood up and held out his hand to me.
"May I have this dance?" he asked.
I smiled and took his hand. He led me to the dance floor.
Author's Note: The characters will sing while they dance. Troy: Underlined, Gabriella: Bold, Both: Normal (No Italics.)
I started to sing softly.
Every time I see you, I want to melt into the ground
You don't know how I feel with you always around
The thought of you leaving leaves a cut right in my heart
Seems like now is the moment so baby let us start
The way you always touch me makes me want to feel your body
You make me feel the way I'm exactly meant to be
The thought of us breaking makes me miserable for days
Seems like you are the one, you're only here to stay
Then Troy joined in with his beautiful voice.
Let's just stay together
With you till the very end
But with you it doesn't matter
You will always be my friend
Oh the softness of her hair
And the touch of his fingers
And the smile that he/she leaves on my face
Oh the way she shows her care
And the kiss that lingers
And baby this will never be a race
One look at you makes my heart feel like a bird
I don't need to say anything if you haven't heard
I love you, I'll love you, you'll always have my heart
There is nothing that could take us apart
A day without you makes my whole wide world shut down
I only want to hear your voice, that beautiful sound
I know that you are with me everywhere and anywhere
I don't have to be afraid, you're always there
Let's just dance together
Hold me till the very end
But with you it doesn't matter
You will always be my friend
Oh the softness of her hair
And the touch of his fingers
And the smile that he/she leaves on my face
Oh the way she shows her care
And the kiss that lingers
And baby this will never be a race
Let us take hold of our world together
I can count on you to make me better
But with you I know that surely this could be a sign
I know that in my heart you'll always be mine
Take my hand and run away forever
Baby this can be the best time ever
But with you I know I'm free to smile laugh or cry
I know that I'll love you till the day I die
Oh the softness of her hair
And the touch of his fingers
And the smile that he/she leaves on my face
Oh the way she shows her care
And the kiss that lingers
And baby this will never be a race
Please don't leave me
Cause we were always meant to be
Show me that smile on your face
Baby this will never be a race
I rested my head on Troy's shoulder and kept on dancing even when we had finished singing, but Matsui told us to go back to our seats. He walked up on stage.
"It is now the time of the night, when we announce the kings and queens of the prom," he started and everyone clapped. "Tonight's prom king is… Troy Bolton!" A few students stood up and cheered while the rest of the room clapped. Troy walked up onto the stage, trying to look as small as possible. Unfortunately for him, it didn't work. Matsui place a crown on his head. "Our prom queen tonight is… Troy's date!"
I sighed in relief when he didn't say my name, but then shrunk back when I felt the stared.
"Go!" Taylor whispered in my ear.
"Oh yeah, right," I said, jumping up from my seat and hurriedly walked up to the stage.
I felt the crown on my head and heard cheers.
"Now, it is time for the dance," Matsui announced. "And tonight, we have decided to change things up. We have decided that the couple here will have to sing a karaoke while they dance."
My eyes popped out of my head and Troy's did too. The crowd was cheering loudly; it was almost deafening.
"You've done this so many times," I looked at Troy curiously. "Don't you have to sing on set?"
I nodded.
"Oh yeah."
The song 'Can I Have This Dance' came on. I immediately recognised it and realised that it was the perfect song to dance to.
During the intro, I whispered to Troy, "Imagine if Zac was the one doing this."
He grinned at me.
Take my hand, take a breath
Pull me close and take one step
Keep your eyes locked on mine
And let the music be your guide
Won't you promise me (now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget)
We'll keep dancing (to keep dancing)
Wherever we go next
It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance?(Can I have this dance?)
Can I have this dance?
Take my hand, I'll take the lead
And every turn we'll be safe with me
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall
You know I'll catch you through it allAnd you can't keep us apart (even a thousand miles can't keep us apart)
Cause my heart is (cause my heart is) wherever you are
It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance? (Can I have this dance?)
Can I have this dance?
Oh no mountains too high and nooceans too wide
Cause together or not, our dance won't stop
Let it rain, let it pour
What we have is worth fighting for
You know I believe, that we were meant to be
Oh
It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding
Someone like you (like you)
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do (way we do)
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance?(Can I have this dance?)
Can I have this dance?
Can I have this dance?
Can I have this dance?
At the end of the song, people clapped and cheered and we went back to our seats. The rest of the people at our table cheered on Troy, but didn't say a word to me. How discouraging.
"Now, it's time to choose whether to take your masks off or keep them on," Matsui said.
I caught his eye, but looked away.
"TAKE THEM OFF! TAKE THEM OFF! TAKE THEM OFF!" the majority of the gym cheered.
"Alright, alright, majority wins. Reveal yourselves," Matsui said, before he walked off the stage.
Just about everyone apart from me took off their masks. I stared down at the table and didn't move. Suddenly, I felt my mask being ripped off my face, but I knew Sharpay did it because I felt her long nails. Instantly, I face-planted into the table and didn't move when someone pushed my face over.
"Sharpay!" Troy snapped. "Why did you do that?"
"She doesn't have THAT much dignity to protect, does she?" Sharpay asked.
"Give it back to her," Troy ordered.
While they were distracted, I made a move to get up and cover my face. I ran out of the gym, into the carpark. I contemplated running home and I did just that. It was only down the street after all. When I got to my door, I heard footsteps running behind me. I didn't dare look in case it was someone other than Troy.
"I'm so sorry, Gabs. I didn't know Sharpay would do that," Troy's voice panted.
I turned around.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. I don't blame her though. She wants to see," I said. "Let's go inside."
I knocked on the door and Zac's surprised face appeared.
"Someone stole my mask," I explained, walking in. Troy followed.
Zac sighed and closed the door.
"You'll tell them someday," he said.
End flashback
Author's Note: Wow, that's a long flashback.
"Gabriella!" Troy snapped his fingers in my face.
I blinked and stared at him.
"You were thinking about prom, weren't you?" he asked knowingly.
"You know it," I grinned.
Author's Note: The first song was made up by me while I was in the car, going to violin class. The second song was obviously 'Can I Have This Dance' from High School Musical.
I'm sorry about the wait. I went overseas and didn't bring my stuff with me.