A/N: Thank you so much for your patience! I was very indecisive with this part and ended up rewriting it a couple times. At least I think you'll enjoy this final version much more. :)


Confessions and Consequences

Chapter 7. Trouble

"Troy? What's going on?"

"Can we talk in person? I'm so sorry, Gabriella."

"I can be there in an hour. Stay put, okay?"

"Thank you." I disconnected the call and sat in my chair waiting for her to arrive. As the seconds slowly ticked by, I felt myself slowly deflate. It was like all the air and energy inside me was leaking out. I should be happy that Gabriella and I would see each other again, but honestly, my guilt was too strong to ignore. We wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place if I hadn't been so stupidly oblivious. I ruined everything. I didn't deserve her.

I heard the door buzz, but I remained unmoved in my seat. Now I was beginning to convince myself that Gabriella would be better off without me. Conflicted and ashamed, I retreated to my bedroom. I left the bedroom door ajar and pulled apart the thick comforter from the sheet beneath it and curled up on the mattress.

I jumped with there was a loud knock on the front door. "Troy?" It was Geraldine. "Gabriella is at the front door! She's asking if you're home. Can I let her up?" Now was the moment to decide. I couldn't push her away and pull her back again forever. Even someone as patient and naïve as Gabriella wouldn't stand for that treatment. Either we were to repair our friendship or never speak again, but the choice was now. "Troy?"

"Let her in please." I rose from my bed, the blankets falling at my feet, and strode across my apartment to the living room. I heard the large oak door slam shut from beyond the staircase and her footsteps quickly trotting up to my door. Her noticeably thinner self appeared in my doorway with big brown eyes looking at me with concern.

"Before you say anything, there's something you should know. I lied in my letter. I did love you, but I'm with someone else now."

I sighed in relief and said, "That's great!"

"It is?"

"Yes, of course. I'm happy you found someone else."

"Oh, I thought…I thought you might want to see me because…I don't know."

I carefully said, "I don't love you, Gabriella."

"I know that…now."

I dropped my head into my hands in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that earlier. There was a lot of other stuff going on, but that's not an excuse and I'm sorry. Honestly, I'm so sorry."

She crossed her arms over her chest and put her weight on one side, "I'm not going to say it's alright because it's not, but I can forgive you. So why did you change your mind? It seemed like we'd never speak again. Why did you call me now?"

"Well…you know how my mom's been sick?"

"Oh God."

I nodded.

"Oh my God." She cupped her hands over her mouth as tears ran down her fingers to her wrists. "Troy, I'm so sorry."

I paused to swallow the lump in my throat. "When I lost her, I realized how important it is to save what I can. That's why I called you."

She sniffled and wiped the back of her hands across her face. "I'm so sorry she's gone. I know how hard that is."

"Thank you, I appreciate that. I just don't want to lose anybody else, I hope that's not selfish."

"Of course not. It's entirely understandable." She wiped the last few tears and said, "Let's be honest, it might be a little awkward in the beginning just because of everything that happened, but I'm hopeful we'll be back to how we were before we know it, right? Don't you think so?"

I smiled. "I know so."

After a couple more days of job-hunting, I finally got a call back. Unfortunately it was from my old boss - Lynette. "Troy," she breathed heavily into the phone and I imagined her wrapping the phone line around her chubby fingers at her oversized desk. "I put a good word for you down at the adoption center. It's a lot more paper work and it pays less, but I thought I'd offer it to you just in case you hadn't found anything else yet."

"I appreciate that, Lynette. I…I'll take it." What else could I say? No one else had called me back and I only had one more month of rent saved up. I was desperate. So that next Monday morning, I strapped my lunch bag over my shoulder, wore my heaviest winter coat, and braved the piercing February wind downtown to the adoption center. Lynette definitely wasn't lying when she said more paperwork. My job was to review the financial stability of potential adoption candidates. Print this sheet, compare these numbers, accept or deny, fax that sheet, so on and so forth. It was tedious and soul-crushingly boring and five o'clock couldn't come soon enough, but at least I had plans with Gabriella that evening.

I found them huddled together against the windows of the pizzeria. Although her face was buried in the crook of his neck, I recognized her long purple winter coat. I stomped through the could inches of snow and rusting patio furniture to them and said, "Hey guys."

She reluctantly removed herself from his grasp and threw her arms around me instead. "Troy!" She excitedly cooed. "It's so nice to see you!" Before I could respond, she proudly introduced her new boyfriend. Leaning against him, she looked up to him adoringly and said, "This is Shane."

"Hello Troy." The man offered his hand and said, "I've heard a lot about you."

I shook his hand and said, "I'm sure you have. We go way back."

He gave me a quick smile before turning to Gabriella and asked, "Shall we?" The two of them led me inside while walking hand-in-hand. Some bitter, petty part of me hoped he was jealous of our history, but I shamed myself for that toxic thought. I distracted myself with the menu instead.

When the cashier asked for our order, Gabriella said, "I'll have your vegan broccoli pizza with gluten-free crust and light on the sauce, please."

Shane teased her, "You're disgusting, you know that?"

She giggled and squeaked, "Shut up!" Then playfully slapped him on the arm.

I stepped up to the other side of her and whispered in her ear, "So that's the secret then?"

She turned to me. "What do you mean?"

"That's how you lost all the weight? And, by the way, you look incredible. I mean, you've always looked incredible, but you can really see a difference. Congratulations, I'm proud of you."

She gushed, "Thank you Troy! It was mostly kale smoothies and chicken."

"Kale smoothie?"

Shane butted in, "They're actually not as bad as you'd think once you get used to it. But I only started drinking them because of her, my little health bug." He pecked on the tip of her nose, causing a blush to spread across her cheeks.

I told the cashier to make it a large and hander her one twenty dollar bill.

Shane quickly dug into his coat pocket and said, "Hey man, let me get that."

"It's on me," My ego insisted, even though that was the rest of my grocery budget for this week.

Gabriella sweetly remarked, "Thank you Troy." I felt my heart melt at the softness of her voice.

We nabbed one of the last available tables, a booth situated against the large glass windows facing outside. They both slid in on one side together and I took the bench opposite them.

Shane said, "So Gabriella tells me you play basketball."

"I do. Well, I used to, but-"

"What team?"

"Golden Bears."

"Ah, Berkeley. That's a great team. Did you play the full four years?"

"Yeah."

A frustrated whine sounded from Gabriella as she flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to wiggle out of her coat. I teased her, "Must you interrupt me?"

She giggled and scoffed, "Shush it, you."

He offered, "Do you want some help?"

"Please."

He grabbed her sleeves and helped release her from the coat's grasp. "There, are you happy now?"

Her shoulders rose up to her face and she smiled sweetly at him and cooed, "Thank you."

He laughed, "You're so adorable." And pecked her on the lips.

To keep my jealousy from sending me into a rage, I triumphantly remembered that although he may have her now, she loved me first. Why did I feel in competition with this man? I knew why, but I dared not think about it because if I did, I'd realize how it was already too late.

When the server finally set down the broccoli pizza and our plates, Gabriella was quick to divvy it up. The two of them easily enjoyed the meal, but I had issues resisting my gags. I persevered through it just to prove I could change like she did. As dumb as it sounds, I thought this meal could somehow prove that we could be as compatible as she and Shane, too.

I realized then that this situation was bad, bad, and bad - bad inside and out - bad all around. There was no more denying it. I wanted Gabriella. I wanted to prove to her that we could work. I wanted Shane to disappear into thin air so she and I could give it a shot, like we were supposed to before I so foolishly pushed her away. The only issue now was how to convince her to give me a chance, and whether she'd actually leave him to give me it.


A/N: Thank you so very much for reading! Do you have any ideas for what Troy might do to prove his worthiness to Gabriella? Do you think it's right of Troy to want to steal Gabriella away from Shane? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Thank you again for reading my story! It truly means so much to me. :)