A/N: Okay, so I know that a couple of you were like 'huh?' chapter because of the whole Gabriella getting drunk thingy and the Troy being all sweet to her. Yes, I am a bit loony in the head. All my friends would agree. But I am so happy to say that the reviews were absolutely gorgeous, as usual. You people do not disappoint a girl. I also asked you guys for some feedback and some of you wrote back saying stuff that made me blush with joy. I was so happy I decided on writing personal reviews back to the few. Now, those who have written 'please update' or something along those lines such as the following:
hockey-girl90MPPandHSMroxmysoxHSM-LUVER94carito06
thanks so much dolls, that was so sweet of you guys. And as you can see, tada! I did update!
Loveyoumeanitbye: aww, thanks babe, that's really sweet of you to say. I try to improve my writing not only for myself but for my readers and that's really good to know
BostonSk8er9: haha! You're review was amazing hon ;). It really did put a huge (weird looking) smile on my face, and you've been one of the few consistent and loyal reviewers. EXTRA KISSES for you ;p
Angelic Ami: I too look forward to what I wrote. See, I wasn't actually paying attention to what my fingers type, they always surprise me. I would gotten this update sooner, but my fingers accidentally typed this chapter into the microwave instead of the keyboard. Thanks for the review hon ;p
butterflygoodbye: you have been one of some consistent reviewers babe, thanks so much, you're review made me giddy. I too am glad I took your advice. Except I didn't take it as much as I wanted to for the last chapter, which disappointed me. But im glad to hear that the last chapter was good for you. A satisfied reader makes a satisfied writer
LuvHighSchoolMusical:yah, it was a little weird for me to write a drunk Gabi, since I know that none of us expect that, but it sort of made the story go where I wanted it to, so that helped. But im glad you liked Troy. Finally! Somebody likes him! I thought I might have turned you off of him forever. Who am I kidding? Me, turn girls off of Zac Efron? Psshh. Not even J.K Rowling could do that, and she wrote Harry Potter, didn't she?
SmartGurl3.14:Ahh, darling, I put you last since you have been my longest review. Extra lovin' for the length ;p. and you also had something to critique, which I love. You agreed with Butterflygoodbye on the whole bad words usage thingy on my part, which I once again apologize for babe. I agree, cuss words make me giggle hysterically as well. You should have see me during Fight Club. I really am trying to tone it down. I thought I did in the last chapter, but I really cant trust myself when it comes to bad words. See, my mother used always threaten to wash my mouth out with soap when I was younger. It never really worked. I always just ended up with a foamy mouth that made me resemble a dog with rabies. No wonder the neighbors wouldn't play with me. But anyways, yah, hopefully I can get someone to look over the chapters before I post them. There might have been a few mistakes, but I would like you to point them out for me if you want. I don't want you to feel like I'd get mad if you say I spelt 'grass' wrong or something ;p
P.S: I would gladly love to share the rights to HSM with you. Oh, I found $43. 25 in my pocket, how much do you have? And do you think they'll throw in Zac Efron as a free gift? We could make him our love slave ;p. You can have him on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Mondays. I'll have him the rest.
Chapter 8:
Gabriella got her clothes out of her locker in the locker room and turned to Sharpay, "I'm so upset Shar, I don't know what to do anymore"
Sharpay grinned at her and flicked her hair, "honey, there are only two men in this world that are truly faithful in every meaning of the word. They don't play basketball, they like you fat or thin, the melt in your mouth, and their love is all you need to survive in life"
Gabriella threw Sharpay a weird look, "oh yah? And who exactly are these magical men", Gabriella knew the answer, this was just a little game they played with each other every time one of them got a little depressed.
"Why Ben & Jerry of course" Sharpay replied with a smile. She shut her locker and linked arms with Gabriella, "now lets go kick some ass on the soccer field."
Gabriella grinned and nodded. She reluctantly followed Sharpay onto the field, pieces of yesturday morning coming back to her
Flashback
After Gabriella's cab parked in front of the park, she sat low trying to see if she could spot her shaggy haired ex-boyfriend any where among the other locals. Luckily for her, there weren't many people around this early in the morning, and she spotted him easily enough, leaning on a tree.
She got out of the cab and slowly made her way to an area close to the tree, but kept her distance so that he wouldn't see her. She saw a guy walk up to Troy and they shook hands. The guy then discretely handed Troy something that Gabriella couldn't quite see, but she sure as hell could guess what it was. 'The stuff' the guy on the phone talked about. Troy nodded and handed him some cash. After that, the slowly walked away from each other. Each getting into their own cars. Business was done and it was time to move on.
Gabriella saw Troy heading in the opposite direction of his home, so she hopped in her cab and got the driver to follow him. Gabriella made the cab driver park away just in case he saw what Troy was going to do and would report him. She slowly walked her way to where Troy was and hid.
His car stopped at this shack-like villa. Using the term 'villa' very, very loosely. He got out of the car and was greeted by another guy around their age or older. Troy pulled out the bag, that Gabriella could clearly see was full of white powder, or in other words, cocaine. The guy grinned at Troy, patted him on the back, and lead him inside
On the field, Gabriella kicked the ball to Sharpay, who ran with it for a bit before passing it to Megan, another girl on her team. Megan managed to get the ball past defense and kick it right into the goal.
"Yes!" Gabriella cheered as she went over to high-five Megan. As she jogged over to her, Gabriella's shoulder collided with another player's. Gabriella turned to see Katie, the same cheerleader from the party with Troy, grinning evilly back at her.
"Oops, better watch out where you're going next time, math geek" she snickered along with her friends.
Gabriella ignored them and walked towards Sharpay and Megan, "ignore their asses. I swear, that a-hole is going down. She does this to you after she even slept with Troy!" Sharpay said as she motioned towards them, Gabriella and Megan both held her back.
"Its alright Sharpay, I'll just ignore her. Its not her fault Troy wanted her, its fine" Gabriella said. Sharpay watched Gabriella's face and then sighed,
"Fine" she shrugged but then turned to Gabriella, "but I'm telling you. Five seconds and that girl wont have anymore hair"
Gabriella giggled and pushed Sharpay playfully, "Let's just get our head in the game"
Sharpay grinned at Gabriella's choice of words, "very punny" she wiggled her eyebrows
Gabriella grinned and ran over to position herself along with the other mid-fielders. She went for the ball, getting it back from the other team and kicking towards a forward on hers. Another goal was made and another team mate congratulated.
"who knows, if we win this, Coach Kelso might actually give us a break next class" Sharpay shouted out to her team mates.
Gabriella nodded and clapped her hands together, "okay, you guys, get into positions"
The next fifteen minutes went and came, another goal and a few missed shots came and gone as well. Gabriella wiped her brow with the hem of her shirt. She ran after the wall at the sound of the whistle, getting ready to kick it to her team mate, when all of a sudden she felt a hard blow to the knee, and tripped over.
"Oh God, Gabi" Sharpay yelled out as she ran over to her injured friend. She helped Gabriella up and inspected her knee, "its bleeding, you better sit this one out"
Gabriella nodded and looked up, seeing Katie, the cause of her injury, sniggering along with her friends.
Sharpay noticed this too and got up, she walked over to Katie and shoved her back, "do you really find this funny? What the hell has Gabriella ever done to you?" Sharpay yelled at her. Katie kept her mouth shut and was silent, "I mean, not only are you a bitch, but you plan on being a bitch after even sleeping with her boyfriend a day after they broke up. I mean, well, its takes two, but it also took you, didn't it?"
Katie threw Sharpay a weird look at her last statement, "what the hell are you talking about blondie, I never slept with that geek's boyfriend"
Sharpay stopped in her tracks, and Gabriella also kept quiet, "what do you mean? You and Troy were together that night of Morgan Livingston's party."
Katie sighed and rolled her eyes, "whatever" she turned around and began to walk away when Sharpay grabbed her wrist and turned her around.
"What do you mean whatever?" Sharpay asked. Gabriella stood beside her, words unable to form in her mouth.
Katie shrugged and pretended to be fixated on her nails, but the girl next to her piped up, "Troy didn't want to sleep with her" she giggled.
Katie gasped and turned to her friend, "Chelsea, you are so out" she whistled at another girl in the distance, "you! The one with the weird red hair. You are so in"
Sharpay was about to open her mouth and question Katie when instead, a smaller but more confident voice spoke up, "so you're saying that you and Troy never had sex"
Katie turned to Gabriella and bit her lip. Finally, she sighed frustrated and answered, "fine" she sighed again and continued in a smaller voice, "we got a little hot and heavy. Nothing but underwear" Gabriella looked down when she said that, "but when we got ready to…uh…you know…Troy couldn't…" she stopped talking, trying to figure the right way to put it.
Sharpay raised an eyebrow at her, "did he have" she used air quotes " 'problems'?". Katie and her friends looked at each other and burst out giggling.
Another pretty brunette spoke up, "right, like that guy could ever have 'problems' having sex" she giggled. Gabriella grew a little uncomfortable with the topic of the conversation. She began to wonder how many girls Troy had slept with before her. She knew that there was at least one.
Katie shook her head and straightened up, "Troy said he couldn't do it because he was too hung up on-" Katie turned to Gabriella with a disgusted look on her face, "her. Can you believe it? He gave all this up" she gestured to her gorgeous figure, "for her"
Gabriella stood on the soccer field, with a bleeding knee, and a ball at her feet, trying to contemplate Katie's words. 'Was Katie telling the truth, did she and Troy not sleep together?'
'But why would Troy go through so much to hurt Gabriella?'
Gabriella turned around and walked towards the locker area, she heard her coach calling out to her, and Sharpay ring out her name, but Gabriella had to find him.
And she knew exactly where he would be.
Gabriella hopped in her mother's car and drove out of the school parking lot as quick as she could. A part of her telling her to go back to fourth period math, another telling her she needed an explanation, and the last part reminding her that he would never do that to her
Flashback
Gabriella sat back, leaning on Troy's chest for support. The view in front of them was nothing short of magical. The sun looked as though it was dipping into the ocean, while the sky around it painted in different shades of pink and orange. Gabriella breathed in the clear air, feeling as though she were part of a fairytale or dream.
It was always in the movies where the girl would get the guy, and they would watch a sunset together in each other's arm. Which is why this felt so cheesy. But at the moment, cheesy was the best thing she had felt in a long time. Especially with his strong and manly arms encircled around her.
She closed her eyes and sighed, knowing that it wouldn't be this way forever. Troy bent over and whispered in her ear,
"What's wrong? You're tensing up" he chuckled, his breathe tickling her ear. Gabriella kept her eyes closed but answered,
"Troy, I' m afraid" she whispered almost inaudibly. But she knew he heard, he could always hear her when she needed him.
Troy replied, "Why are you afraid Gabi?"
Gabriella sighed and answered, telling him exactly what she was thinking, "I'm afraid that things will change. That it won't always be like this. Me and You"
Troy sat Gabriella up and made her face him, "oh Gabi, why are you thinking that way?"
"Because Troy, this is perfect. And nothing perfect ever lasts. Or even manages to exist" Gabriella replied. Troy nodded, understanding where she was going. He wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to bury herself in his chest, and planting a kiss on the crown of her head.
"Gabi, I promise I will try and keep this as perfect for as long as I can. I love you Gabi. And you know that I would do anything for you. My Gabi will never break. And neither will we" he chuckled, making her giggle in response, "Now that's better. You know I don't like seeing you sad"
Gabriella peered up at him, "promise?"
Troy planted a soft kiss on her lips, "with all my heart, baby"
Gabriella giggled and rolled her eyes, "you are sooo cheesy"
"But that was a good line, wasn't it?" troy asked as he placed kisses on her neck.
Gabriella closed her eyes and whispered as she gave into the sensation, "yah, baby, it was a good line"
Gabriella found him in the shack-like area she drove to that same morning yesturday. She could just guess what he was doing in there. And it definitely wasn't school work. She opened the door and let herself in. The first thing she came into contact with was the smoke. The room was foggy and Gabriella could barely see anything at first. She looked around and saw a couple of guys sniffing white powder on a table to the side. She also guessed that was the cocaine that Troy supplied. They didn't seem to notice her as they were too taken with their little experiment. Gabriella walked in further, and saw a kitchen were a girl about her age was sitting in a tube top that was a few inches from being a handkerchief or piece of tissue that merely covered her chest. Her skirt was another tissue sized leather material wrapped around her fake tanned legs. Her blonde hair was messy and her mascara was running. The girl looked up and smirked at Gabriella. She turned over and tapped the boy that was standing next to her, with his back to Gabriella.
"Looks like we've got a visitor" she told him as she turned back and eyed Gabriella. The boy turned around and his eyes widened.
"Gabi, what are you doing here?" Troy said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to another room that was empty.
Gabriella snatched her hand away and looked him square in the eyes, "How could you do this to me?"
Troy sighed and shook his head, "Gabriella, we've had this conversation a million times before. I get it, 'how could I be such a horrible guy while you've been the perfect girlfriend'"
Gabriella's anger brew inside of her, "don't you dare mock me" her tone startled him a bit, full of venom and hurt.
"I wasn't-"
"Shut up Troy. I know what you did with Katie, alright?" she said as she blinked back a few tears, "I know you didn't sleep with her. I know there was no sex. And I know you lied to me"
Troy remained quiet, his mouth was open but no words came out.
"Why? Am I allowed to ask that?" Gabriella cried out, "Why would you want to hurt me like that? Did I do something that bad? Did I say something?"
Troy inched towards her slowly, his hand reaching out and in a soft voice said, "Gabi-"
Gabriella stepped back immediately crying out, "don't touch me! Don't ever touch me!"
Troy nodded and stepped back, tears forming in his own eyes, "Gabriella, I'm so sorry"
"Don't." she mumbled angrily, she looked up at him with tearful eyes, "you can't even imagine what I've been feeling for the past week. You broke me Troy. And you promised me you would never! Do you remember that? Or did you forget every single thing we've been through?"
Troy closed his eyes, trying not to let the tears out, "Gabriella, please don't do this here. We'll take about this later, alright?"
Gabriella shook her head, "there is no later Troy. I was trying to save you. All this time, trying to help you. While all you've been trying to do is hurt me. On purpose"
Gabriella was about to leave, when Troy pulled her hand back and lead her out, "let go of me!" she cried out, but Troy persisted. Gabriella kept on struggling to get away, but his grip was too great. It wasn't until they reached his car that he let her go.
"get in Gabi" he instructed. Gabriella shook her head.
"I told you its too late Troy"
Troy sighed and stepped closer, "do you want me to explain, or not?"
Gabriella looked into his sad eyes and found her self complying. She opened the passenger door and got in. Troy worked his way to the other side and did the same.
Gabriella didn't turn to him, but instead kept her gaze fixed on her window, almost refusing to listen, but at the same wanting every word.
"Gabi, you don't deserve this, okay?" Troy sighed running a hand through his hair, "you don't deserve what I've done and the way I've treated you"
Gabriella looked from the window to her lap, she could feel herself softening already, but she couldn't forgive him. She just couldn't.
"Gabi, my mom killed herself." Gabriella looked over to him, already knowing this but was surprised at the fact that he actually spoke of it with her.
"She's been depressed for a while. Then she found out that my father has been cheating on her and she, well…" Troy shrugged. He didn't like saying the words, or even mentioning what happened.
Gabriella looked over at him, his face full of sorrow and a little regret.
"Gabi, I just got mad. Mad at everyone and I couldn't handle it. And you got the worst of it all, okay? I just couldn't stand being around you anymore"
Gabriella looked away when she heard his last words, new tears forming. The guy she loved just told her he couldn't stand to be around her. Things just kept on getting better and better, didn't they?
Troy sensed this and sighed again, "I didn't mean it like that. I still love you Gabi. I always will. You're the only one for me and you have to know that."
Gabriella sniffed back, trying to get herself to not burst into tears again, she couldn't look at him or else she knew she would break down.
Troy took her hand and kissed it softly, "Gabi, you're everything to me"
Gabriella shook her head and turned to him, pulling her hand back from his, "don't lie Troy. If I was everything to you. If you really did love me, then why? Why did you do everything you could to push me away?"
He ran his hand through his hair again, and let out another sigh, "I loved my mother so much Gabbs. Every time my dad would work me too hard or yell at me, she was always there. She knew everything about me. I would always come home and I would smell her cooking and she would comfort me and remind me that I was important and loved" Troy said softly, "and then, I started finding those things in you, Gabi. I know it's a little creepy comparing you to my mother, but it's true. You loved me Gabi. You made me feel like I was flying and that I could live on the clouds if I wanted to. Just seeing you smile made me forget about everything, my dad, basketball, school, everything wasn't important when it came to you. And then my mom…she left…and I just, I couldn't love you anymore Gabi. I didn't want to"
Gabriella, by now, was already crying freely. Troy pulled her close and she let him embrace her.
"I'm sorry for everything Gabi. It was so hard not to love you when all you did was try and help me, so I tried everything to push you away. But you wouldn't leave. You stayed by me even when I treated you like shit" Troy held her tighter and closer, "and I'm so sorry" he planted a sweet kiss on her forehead, his hand running up and down her arm.
Gabriella found her self crying into his shirt.
"I cant do this Gabi. I cant do this to you. You cant love me anymore, you have to leave" Troy whispered into her ear.
Gabriella looked up at him and asked, "why? You said you love me. Why cant we do this?"
Troy shook his head, another tear fell from his sea blue eyes, "because im a freakin mess Gabi. I get high, I get drunk, and I say and do stuff I don't want to. That's what every single day of this past week as been like"
Gabriella held on to his shirt tighter and shook her head, "no Troy, I can, I can help you. We can do this, we can do it together. Just like you promised"
Troy scrunched his face and looked away, "Fuck. I'm so sorry, Gabbs. I cant do this" he wiped his eyes and got out of the car, shutting the door after him and returning to the shack. Gabriella got out of the car and ran, as fast as she could. She didn't care that she had left her mother's car behind. She didn't care that there was no place she could go. She just kept on running. Maybe if she fell, he'd be there to catch her. Just like he always would.
