AN: Yeah, so I suck. I'm SO sorry that I haven't updated, but I participated in NaNoWriMo this year (it's a competition where you write 50 000 words in a month) and so I was busy all November with that. Anyways, I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Day Six: Stay Strong
Troy plodded down the steps to the cafeteria and settled onto the plastic stool with a heavy sigh. Taylor looked up from her Chemistry homework and patted him on the arm, understanding his expression as nothing had changed on the search for the small brunette that had changed so many people.
"Are you coming to practice tonight?" She asked, putting her books away in her bag and drawing out her lunch.
"What practice?" Troy replied, his voice monotone.
"The Drama rehearsal? The play is only three days away, remember?" Taylor prodded gently.
"Oh, right, yeah I'm coming." Troy answered after a moment of thought. "I guess we should practice the last few scenes with the understudy…Melissa?"
"No one expects you to be happy about this, Troy, but you know it'll be harder if you drag your heels through it all. If you want it to go by as painless as possible, just make yourself into your character and it'll be over before you know it."
Troy battled with a surge of anger and hurt as he digested Taylor's statement. He knew that she was right, but it was much easier said than done. He sighed and let his head fall into his hands.
"I know, you're right. Sorry. And she's a nice girl…she's just…"
"Not Gabriella." Taylor finished for him. She sighed and put down her sandwich. "Yeah, I know. We all miss her."
"I've been an ass lately." He said suddenly, looking directly at Taylor. "I've been so consumed with Maria and trying to find Gabriella, that I haven't given any attention to you or the gang or Drama. I'm really sorry about that."
Taylor just patted his arm. Troy knew that this was her way of saying 'we forgive you' and he picked at his lunch, feeling a bit better.
Later that afternoon he sat amongst the rest of the gang in the theatre seats, waiting for rehearsal to start. The chatter was subdued and Troy knew that it was because of his presence. Ms Darbus walked into the theatre and clapped her hands loudly, gaining everyone's attention instantly.
"Bolton, Answorth, on the stage now." She commanded, settling down in her theatre seat with her usual thermos of coffee.
Troy obediently hopped up onto the darkly covered stage that was so familiar to him. A blond, tall girl joined him and Troy nodded in greeting.
"Hey Melissa."
"Hi Troy, it's good to see you here."
"Well, Mr Bolton, it's good to see that you have returned from the land of the dead. We've gotten Miss Answorth prepared for almost every scene except the last one which we needed you for."
Melissa smiled at him and Troy managed a tight one back. She was friendly and Troy felt himself relaxing a bit.
Maybe this won't be so bad… He thought to himself.
"As a recap for Troy here, Miss Answorth will remain with her face covered for the entire play as Miss Montez would have normally. Troy, you must practice showing her face in the last scene when you unveil her and see her face for the first time. You've done it with Gabriella, but we have to make certain that there are no fumbles on stage with Ms Answorth here. From the top."
_Flashback_
"No, Troy, for the last time you're not supposed to put the hood down yet!" Gabriella hissed at him with a laugh dancing in her dark eyes.
Troy looked at his script in confusion and then back at Gabriella who had pulled up the translucent material over her face once more. All that he could see was the bottom of her chin and her neck.
"But aren't we on page eight?" He protested, pointing out the stage action 'uncloak Abreena' that was highlighted on the page.
"No, Troy, we're on scene eight." Gabriella corrected, giggling in spite of herself.
"Ohhhhh." Troy said softly, turning back to the correct scene. "I'm confused!"
"I can tell." Gabriella sighed, slipping the cloak off over her head with a laugh. "Let's take a break and run lines without the stage actions for a bit okay?"
Troy nodded in agreement and they settled on the edge of the stage and another crew of characters took their place to stage block. Teenagers were sprawled out all over the vast theatre in groups, running lines.
"I just don't understand why you have to keep the hood over your face for the entire play…" Troy protested, looking at Gabriella for clarification.
"It's just my character. I'm a girl, and apparently in this culture, I am unable to show my face in public, or even to you."
"and I'm your husband.." Troy chipped in.
"Yes."
"So why can't I see your face?"
"Because that's just how it's written, Troy!" Gabriella cried, exasperated. Troy laughed and poked her in the ribs.
"You're cute when you're angry."
_End Of Flashback_
Melissa pulled the hood up and Troy rolled back his shoulders as he got himself into character. Normally, Gabriella gave him hand signals whenever he messed up or got out of character; it was a sign that he needed to fix something. Today, Troy was on his own and he hoped that he would be able to make it work.
Melissa entered and said her lines. Her character was strong and Troy was able to lose himself in the life of the play. The lines flowed with little difficulty from his mouth and when it came time to reveal her face, Troy was proud to say that he didn't forget his lines like he normally did.
"You're beautiful." Troy murmured, and stepped away from her, like his script ordered him to. She backed away from him, and then turned and ran from the stage. The scene was over and Troy was emotionally spent.
This was still going to be a hard play, even more so now without Gabriella. Troy caught Taylor's eyes and she smiled in support. He resumed his seat and rested his head in his hands, flashbacks taking over his memory and bringing tears to his eyes. He didn't want the imperfect memories or the souvenirs, he wanted the real thing; he wanted his Gabriella back.
Gabriella lay under the covers of the bed in her bedroom. She could hear the quiet snores from her father across the hall and she half-considered sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night and finding a taxi somewhere. Gabriella folded her hands together and thought furiously, trying to map out a plan in her head. Today marked the start of the sixth day since she had been here and Gabriella knew that she had gained her father's trust as much as she was going to be able to.
Now, she needed to go home. The urge to be safe with her mom was overwhelming and for a moment Gabriella couldn't breathe with the power of it. She grit her teeth together and blinked furiously until her tears disappeared. A check of her mental calendar told her that the opening night of the school musical was still three days away, and she wanted to be there for it. It was the last time that she would ever be on stage with Troy and her friends and she wasn't happy about missing it.
All of these things swirled around in her head and suddenly, Gabriella sat up, her dark curls falling over her shoulders. She got out of bed and fumbled her way to the bare closet to see if the clothes from when she had gotten here were still there. They were, and an idea formed in her head faster than she could believe it.
Gabriella had been waiting patiently for six long days for something to happen, but she knew that nothing was going to happen unless she did it herself. Gabriella didn't doubt that her mother was trying everything she could to find her, but her father was too sneaky for them. The realization made her feel more confident and she smiled.
Here I come, world. She thought, and started to get ready for the day to come with a new-found eagerness.
AN: So, I'm getting really close to the good part! I hope that you're all enjoying the story enough to last through a few more chapters! Thanks so much for your support! R&R please, I love hearing your comments!
