Disclaimer: I do not own the High School Musical franchise

Chapter Eight: Gravity Happens

I have gathered that the moments that shaped me

Were the ones that have tested my faith

And all that matters is the courage they gave me

I fell down and my fears were erased

Cause in the wreckage of heartache and hindsight

A new beginning starts to unfold

And if you let it it just might save your life

Because gravity happens

And we don't know it till after we've hit the ground

The world's spinning faster

With each day that passes and each dashing hour

What am I to do I've broken my parachute

So if gravity happens the I'll fasten wings to my shoes

"Gravity Happens" Kate Voegele


"Honestly Mrs. Hernandez, I think I just need to take a shower and go to bed. And with Allie already down I can right now. I just need some peace and quiet." Gabriella rested her hand on the older woman's arm. "You probably need some rest too. It's been a long day and I know Mr. Hernandez is going to want to know everything that is going on."

Ava Hernandez looked down at the tiny girl she'd known for the past eighteen years and sighed, pulling her into a hug, "Alright carina, but please call me and let me know what you need. Carlos and I will be here in a flash."

Gabriella nodded, "Thank you." She murmured as she pulled back and opened the door. When Mrs. Hernandez was outside, Gabriella gratefully shut it and leaned against it, sliding to the floor. "Fuck." She muttered quietly to herself.

Pushing herself up, she flicked the kitchen light off and moved upstairs. She grabbed her cellphone off her bed and sent a text to the number Troy called her on, "If you really want to come over be here in 45 mins." She hit send before she could regret it. Sighing she tossed her phone on her bed and took the baby monitor into the bathroom with her.

Stepping under the hot water, she sighed with a little bit of relief. It felt like it was sucking out some of the tension between her shoulder blades. Sitting on the tub floor, she put her head in her hands and took deep breaths. It only took a moment for the deep breaths to turn into shudders and the shudders to turn into sobs. What would happen to us now? How would we get through this? What would Allie turn out like without a mother and father to raise her? There is no way I could be a mother. Sure I love kids and want my own, but I can't replicate our mother at age 18.

The ringing of the doorbell drew her sobs to a close. It'd already been forty-five minutes? How was that even possible. Stumbling out of the shower, Gabriella wrapped a towel around her body and grabbed her robe. Tying it securely, she flew down the steps and threw the door opened before the bell could wake Allie up. Troy stood there. Looking worried. And perfect. Perfectly worried. "Troy." She murmured his name, aware that her hair was in tangles and dripping around her.

He glanced up at her. Taking a deep breath at her tangled and damp appearance. She looked broken. And perfect. Perfectly broken. "I'm early." He whispered.

She held the door open wide, "Come on in." She fidgeted with the rope on the robe, "I just need to put some clothes on." She blushed and looked down at her bare feet.

He looked at the wall over her head, trying not to focus on the fact that she probably had no clothes on under the fluffy purple bathrobe that was knotted tightly around her small body, "Yeah um sorry I interrupted." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I'll just um wait in the um,"

"Kitchen." Gabriella pointed to the kitchen just off the entry hallway. "Please." He nodded and turned. When she saw the light flicker on she jogged up the steps and into her room. She shut her door and leaned against it, closing her eyes. "Damn it." She mumbled. Tossing the bathrobe off, she let the towel pool at her feet. Grabbing a sports bra and some underwear she tugged them on before pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. Grabbing a brush, she yanked it through her messy curls before grabbing a clip and twisting it up. She glanced in the mirror briefly and rolled her eyes at her messy reflection. Picking up the baby monitor and her cellphone she trudged back down the steps to find Troy in the kitchen.

She paused in the doorway and watched him. He was siting on a barstool staring out the window into the black abyss that was the new moon night. What he really wanted from her she didn't know. Or understand. And she was so sure she couldn't give it to him now. She didn't think she could give him anything at all. Anything she had left, which wasn't much before this, had to be given to Allie. "What do you want Troy?"

He nearly fell off the barstool he turned so quickly. She hadn't meant to sound harsh or accusatory, but could she really handle the pressure of having him around too? Could she really deal with his friends, with a relationship of any kind. It was going to be hard enough to keep Kelsi and Taylor satisfied, let alone a boy she didn't even know.

He shrugged his shoulders and pushed the empty barstool next to him out, indicating that she should sit. She scooched the stool further away from him and and perched herself on it. She sat rigidly still, an indication to him as to how uncomfortable she really was, "I wanted to see you. I needed to know you were alright."

She turned her head quickly, looking outside the window, "I'm fine."

He frowned and flicked his brown hair out of his eyes, "No, you're not."

She spun around quickly to face him, "No I'm not Troy. My parents are dead. My grandmother is dead. I have no relatives. I just have a two month old. What do you expect Troy? Of course I'm not fine. It was a stupid question." She crossed her arms and adamantly looked out the window again.

"Well it's what I'm supposed to ask." He murmured.

"And since when do you ever do what you're supposed to do?" She challenged him.

He groaned, "Never I guess. I can't ever do anything right for you can I? I ignore you and I'm wrong. I try to protect you and I'm wrong. I have feelings for you and I'm wrong."

"I never asked you to protect me Troy." Gabriella flew off the stool knocking it over. "I never asked you to have feelings for me either."

Troy stood up and pinned her to the island, "You cannot just ask me to have feelings or not have feelings for you Gabriella. That's not how this works. I just do. Whatever it is you makes me have feelings for you."

Gabriella pushed against his chest, "So it's my fault then? This is all about me. It's all my doing!" She waved her arms around.

"I didn't say that!" Troy took a step back from her and a deep breath. This wasn't why he came here. He didn't want to argue with her. He came to help her. To comfort her. Not to make her angry. But then again he didn't make her angry. God made her angry. Life made her angry. She was just taking it out on him.

"Yes you did Troy." She interrupted his thoughts, "You said whatever it was I did. So what exactly did I do?" She was fuming. She looked like she wanted to punch him, "Maybe I can teach Nicole and then maybe you can put all of this unwanted attention on her."

Troy snorted, "Nicole could never be caring. Or kind. Or you." He rested his arms on her shoulders, stilling her, "Look Gabriella, I didn't come here to upset you, contrary to what you may otherwise believe. I came here to check on you. To see if you needed any help. I came because I care. You don't have to reciprocate any of this, you just have to know I'm here. And I may be able to help."

Gabriella stood quietly looking up at him. It couldn't be this easy to simply care about someone. There had to be strings attached. There was no other way around it. She looked away from him, "I suppose, if I need anything, I could let you know."

He dropped his hands. It shouldn't be that hard to accept help. Why does she have to make everything so damn difficult?

A shrieking sound came from the baby monitor, "Crap," Gabriella looked at it, "Allie is awake."

Troy glanced at the white monitor and then looked at Gabriella, "Who's Allie?"

Gabriella was already halfway up the stairs though, and didn't hear him. He waited for nearly five minutes in the kitchen until Gabriella returned with a very small baby on her hip, "Troy this is my little sister Allie." The little baby gurgled happily at Troy.

Troy took a tentative step forward, "Hey there Allie." She gurgled at him again, "Well it's just so nice to meet you. You are up and at em pretty late little girl."

Gabriella had to stifle a giggle at the baby voice Troy was using, "Yeah well she fell asleep without eating so she's probably hungry." Gabriella glanced at the clock on the stove. It was nearly 10pm. She set Allie down in the playpen that was still in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle out of the fridge, setting it in some water on the stove to heat up. "Thanks Troy." She murmured.

She noted Troy shrugging out of the corner of her eye, he was leaning over Allie's playpen making faces at her, "Don't mention it Gabriella."

Troy waited until Gabriella was settled on a kitchen chair feeding Allie before he spoke again, "So what needs doing first?"

Gabriella sighed, "Well this social worker wants to take Allie away, so I need to talk to my parents' attorney and deal with that, along with figuring out what's in their estate. And planning their funerals. I don't know if they already made specific plans for themselves. We never talked about it."

Troy tapped his foot against the tile floor, "When are you meeting with the attorney?"

"Tomorrow morning at 10."

"Want company?" Gabriella's eyes shot up from watching Allie to Troy. "I could watch Allie in the lobby or stay here with her or whatever."

Gabriella shook her head, "Mrs. Hernandez was going to stay and watch Allie."

"Then who's going with you?" He placed his hand tentatively on Gabriella's knee, "You shouldn't have to deal with this alone."

Gabriella closed her eyes, "Alright then, be here at 9:15. Dress nicely." She whispered.

When Allie was asleep in Gabriella's arms, Troy stood up, "I'll see you tomorrow morning." He gave her a pat on the back. "Good night Gabriella." She watched him walk out the door before she locked it and walked upstairs to Allie's room to put her down in her crib.

Moving back down to the kitchen, she began cleaning up Allie's dinner. Tomorrow with Troy Bolton. What will happen? And how will he get out of school? And what will his sister think?

HSMHSMHSM

XOXO

MAS