Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. Oh, and I don't own any of these magazines. (You'll get it later.)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Three Weeks Later)
Troy had woken up early today. Well, early for him. It was 9:30. He waked sleepily into the kitchen, knowing Gabriella had been up for hours, and most likely had breakfast ready.
He smiled upon entering the kitchen, not looking around but going straight to the full pot of coffee, eagerly grabbing an empty mug. "Morning Gabi," he said, turning around. He stopped suddenly. "Sharpay? What are you doing here?"
His brow furrowed. Why was she here? And what is in the paper bag? Both girls looked clearly distressed.
"Good morning to you too. Troy, come sit down," Sharpay said wryly. He looked at Gabriella and she nodded slightly. He sighed and went to sit next to her, across from Sharpay. So there would be no breakfast waiting for him today.
"So what's up? Normally, you wouldn't be up for another hour at least, Shar," he asked, trying to keep the whine out of his voice. He wanted breakfast.
Gabriella, however, noted the whine, and tossed an apple at him, which he bit into happily. She turned back to Sharpay, rolled her eyes, and nodded, indicating Sharpay should continue.
"Well, I had an early dentist's appointment today, and since the dentist is only two blocks down the street, I walked. I was walking by a newsstand on my way to Starbuck's afterwards when I saw these," she said, pulling five magazines out of the paper bag.
Troy grabbed one and read the headline out loud. "Troy Bolton's Illegitimate Child?"
Gabriella squeaked and grabbed two more, scanning the covers. Both said similar things. Troy grabbed the remaining two. They were the same. He flipped one open and scanned the story. "Well, according to this, Jackson is 8 and we had him at 15. Gabi's a hooker and I met her when I snuck into a strip club. Oh, and I paid you to keep quiet about it all."
Gabriella yelped and buried her head in her hands. Troy picked up another and scanned that article. "And according to this one, I raped you. Now that's just stupid," he picked up another and read that one. "Well, this one is actually almost accurate. It says we knew each other in high school and dated. But it says I ran out when I found out you were pregnant. But you tracked me down."
He looked up. Sharpay was clearly holding back laughter and Gabriella was glaring across the table at her best friend. "Brie, what are we gonna do? They all have pictures of us kissing. Where did they even get those?"
"I'll tell you what you're gonna do," Sharpay cut in. "Call one of these magazines and have an exclusive tell-all interview."
"Will that work?" Gabriella said carefully. "Will they leave me alone then?"
"Gabi, you are dating the most eligible bachelor in America, and you had his child. They will never leave you alone. But they will stop writing this shit and they'll stop calling you a…" she picked up a magazine and pointed to the cover. "Slut, whore, stripper, hooker, need I continue?"
Gabriella shook her head no and turned to Troy. "What about Jackson? He can't be here. I won't have it."
"Well, let's do it while he's at daycare then," he said carefully. "It'll be ok, Gabi. I'll handle it. I'm used to this shit."
"Can we do the interview tomorrow? I want it to get taken care of immediately." Troy looked carefully at her before nodding slowly.
"I'll see what I can do. Now, all you have to do is pick which magazine you want to do the interview with," Troy said, handing her the stack of magazines. She immediately threw away the one that said Troy raped her and the one that said she was a hooker and had had Jackson at 15. She stared at the remaining three, scanning the articles, for a moment before discarding two more. She held up People magazine. "That's the one?"
"Yep. It's the one with the most accurate story, and I'm pretty sure they did their research to figure out some of the stuff in the article. That makes it easier to convince them it's the real story, plus they probably won't twist my words so much," Gabriella explained. Troy nodded and picked up the magazine. Walking over to the phone, he picked it up and dialed the number for the editor.
"Hello, People magazine? Yes, this is Troy Bolton…I'm calling about your cover story today…Yes, me and Gabriella…yes, Gabriella Montez…we would like to do an exclusive interview with you…yes, the whole story…could we have the interview tomorrow? I know, but Gabriella and I would like to clear this up soon…Perfect! Thank you. You too. Bye."
He turned to Gabi and waved the phone in the air. "All set! Tomorrow at noon, they will send someone over to conduct the interview and it will be a cover story on Thursday." (A/N: it's Tuesday right now.)
Gabriella nodded, clearly relieved that the situation was being taken care of. "Thanks for letting us know about this, Shar. You're awesome," she smiled brightly at her friend. Sharpay nodded and looked at her friend with an excited look. Gabi frowned. That look could only mean one thing. "Oh, no. Sharpay, no."
"But Gabs, you have to! I've seen your wardrobe! We must go shopping!" Sharpay insisted, and Troy quickly left the room, knowing that if he stayed, he would be roped into carrying all their bags.
"No. I can find something. Besides, I can't afford it," Gabriella stammered. Sharpay looked at her, shocked.
"Troy! Get your ass in here right now," Sharpay screeched, and moments later, Troy's head appeared around the corner. "Tell her that if we go shopping, she can buy her stuff with your credit card. Last time, I payed and she refused to buy anything nice or expensive."
"Brie, I keep telling you to go shopping and buy new stuff. That's why I left your closet empty. Otherwise, I would've hired someone to buy a bunch of stuff," he said sternly. Grabbing his wallet off the kitchen counter, he opened it and pulled out a credit card. "I got you this. It's in your name but it's hooked up to my account. Take it and go with Sharpay."
He held it out to her, but she refused to take it, so he handed it instead to Sharpay. She grabbed it eagerly and turned it over in her hands.
"Shar," he said, his tone making her look up at him. "For Brie only."
And with that, he left the room, leaving a pouting Sharpay and a laughing Gabriella. Sharpay glared at Gabriella and abruptly stood, following Troy out of the room. Gabriella jumped up and ran after her. Sharpay flung open the door and stalked to Gabriella's closet, Gabriella at her heels.
"I am going through your wardrobe. If I find anything not appropriate for Troy Bolton's girlfriend, I am throwing it out. Sit down, you have no say in this." And with that, Sharpay started ripping through Gabi's wardrobe. She quickly established two piles: Keep and Throw/Give Away. She started tossing things in the piles, leaving the items that Gabriella had recently purchased in the closet.
"Gabi, did you wear this already? The tags are gone," Sharpay emerged from the large closet holding up the purple nightgown. Gabi blushed and nodded. Sharpay stared at her, eyes searching for an answer, but she found none. "You'll explain that to me later. Be glad I'm already on a mission."
She continued throwing stuff onto the floor, and Gabriella picked up a book. Finally Sharpay finished, and she pulled Gabriella off the bed and instructed her to help put the keep stuff away. When it was all said and done, Gabriella had a fraction of what she had started with, only enough to last a week or two. Gabriella groaned in frustration.
"Why are you throwing all that out? It's perfectly good," she said, clearly frustrated.
"Gabs, you wore a lot of that in high school. It's great that you can still wear those after having a baby, but you need grown up clothes. And that's what I'm here for. Now, get dressed. We need to get started if we're going to be ready," Sharpay said before leaving the room, grabbing as much of the throw away pile as she could. Gabriella shook her head and went to pick an outfit from what Sharpay had left her.
She contemplated for a while before choosing jeans and a white v-neck tee. Gabriella then went into the bathroom, pulling her soft curls up into a ponytail. Since she had been on the cover of every tabloid out there this morning, she definitely wanted to remain in cognito. Giving herself a once-over, she headed into the kitchen.
"Is this suitable?" she asked sarcastically, flinging her arms out to the sides. Sharpay looked up from the magazine she was reading and looked her friend over.
"It'll do. Come one, let's go. I called the front desk. We're gonna sneak out the back. The valets brought one of Troy's cars around back for us," Sharpay said, rising from the kitchen table. Right before they left the apartment, Sharpay abruptly stopped and turned to Gabriella. "Do you have a pair of sunglasses?"
Gabriella shook her head no, confusion hinted in her frown. Sharpay frowned and dug through her giant pink purse, finally pulling a pair of white framed sunglasses out. She wordlessly handed them to Gabriella, who took them hesitantly and tucked them into her own purse and followed her friend out of the apartment.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They managed to make it out of the building and to the car without a problem. Sharpay drove because Gabriella had no idea where they were going. They drove to a giant mall. Sharpay pulled into the parking ramp, knowing they would be safer there than in the parking lot. They strode into the mall and Gabi simply followed Sharpay's lead.
They walked around, entering all the department and designer stores, leaving with several bags nearly every time. After four hours, Gabriella finally called for a food break, dragging her friend to the food court. Sharpay stared in disgust as Gabi ordered a burger, fries, and a milkshake.
"Are you really going to eat all that?" she asked, her repulsion clear in her voice. Gabriella nodded slowly, brow wrinkling.
"Is that a problem?" she asked, taking a large bite out of her burger and sighing with happiness.
Sharpay just stared at her for a moment longer and shook her head. "Whatever. Aren't you scared you'll gain weight?"
"Genes, Shar. I am gifted," Gabriella retorted, grabbing a fry and stuffing it in her mouth. "Anyways, where all do we need to go?"
"Gabi, you need way more clothing than that. Plus, there are some stores that aren't in this mall that we need to go to. Some of the more prominent designers. But don't worry. I have connections. Actually, now you do too," Sharpay said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Speaking of Troy, our next mission is to find you the perfect outfit for this interview. It has to be fashionable but not to dressy. Comfy, but not homely. Cute but not juvenile. Now, if you're done with your fat-fest?"
Gabriella shoved her last three fries in her mouth and sucked down the last of her milkshake, slurping obnoxiously. She dumped her trash in a garbage can and grabbed her shopping bags. "Then by all means, let's go."
Sharpay rolled her eyes at her friend's childish behavior and gracefully gathered her own shopping bags, leading Gabi out of the food court and back into the masses trudging through the mall.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was 8:30 when Gabriella finally got home. Not only had Sharpay made her wander the mall until 4:45, but then she had insisted they go to a number of boutiques throughout L.A. She had so many bags that she actually had to go to the front desk and ask if they could spare a bell boy or two to help get everything up to the penthouse.
Troy was in the den watching TV when he heard the familiar 'ding' of his elevator door opening. He went into the living room to investigate and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw Gabriella and not one but two bell boys laden with packages. He rushed forward to take some bags from them, instructing the bell boys to just leave them on the floor. He sent them away with a hearty tip. Appraising the scene before him, he could only guess at the damage to his bank account.
"So," he said curiously. "How far back did this shopping excursion set me?"
"Don't blame me. You insisted, and so did Sharpay. Frankly, I don't know how she has any money. That woman doesn't know when to stop," Gabriella said, clearly tired from the trip. She collapsed into a chair and Troy moved behind her to rub her shoulders. She leaned into his touch. "I forgot how good you are at massages."
He chuckled softly, fingers kneading gently into the sore muscles at the base of her neck. She moaned softly and tilted her head to the side, urging him to continue. He groaned inwardly. She had no idea what she did to him. Fingers never leaving her neck, he leaned down to nuzzle into the junction between her neck and shoulder, nipping softly at her smooth skin. He placed small, loving kisses up her neck and bit her earlobe softly. She moaned again, but for a different reason.
"Troy," she sighed softly, lovingly. Rising from her chair, she turned and, instead of kissing him, like he expected, she enveloped him in a hug. He paused, uncertain, before wrapping his arms around her. They stayed like that for a while before Troy realized that she was crying softly into his shirt. He picked her up bridal style and carried her effortlessly into her bedroom.
Laying her softly on her bed, he sat down next to her. "Brie, what's wrong?"
She shook her head and clung tighter to him. "I don't know. I'm just so…happy, but at the same time…God! I just don't know."
He suppressed a laugh and pulled her close to him, stroking her soft black hair softly, murmuring sweet words into her ear. When the tears stopped, he handed her a tissue, which she accepted gratefully. "Troy? Can you do me a favor?"
"Yeah, anything," he responded with enthusiasm. He would do anything for her.
"Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone," she asked quietly, biting her lip in anticipation. He blinked once. This was not exactly what he had expected. He knew what she meant when she said that. She was still not ready to take their relationship to that level, but that didn't mean they weren't close.
"Of course I will. Why don't you go get ready and I'll grab you a glass of water and an aspirin. Don't give me that look, I can see you have a headache," he said softly, rising from her bed. "Oh, and we need to put everything away in the morning, before the reporter gets here. I already called Rayna and Savannah and asked them to come in early tomorrow to help us get everything set."
She nodded and went into her closet, digging through various drawers until she found what she wanted. She put on a pair of shorts, a tank top, and then over the top, she put on Troy's old jersey. He had given it to her at the end of junior year, after they had won the championship game. She went to the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, examining it for any possible breakouts. Satisfied that she would not wake up with a giant zit, she went back to her bedroom, grabbing the book that she had started off her nightstand.
Moments later, there was a soft knock on her door. She opened it to a smiling Troy. He was holding a large glass of water and a bottle of aspirin, which he set on her nightstand. He had changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. Turning to face her, he blinked in shock.
"Is that mine?" he asked her softly.
"Yeah. I kept all the things you gave me. The clothes, the little trinkets. I even kept your class ring. I wear it all the time," she said shyly, embarrassed. "Is that bad? You can have it all back if you want."
"No! I mean, it's fine. I'm just a little surprised, that's all," he replied softly. She nodded and went to lay on her bed, snuggling under the covers before grabbing her book. He watched her for a moment before joining her. He wriggled under the covers and snuggled up to her side, nuzzling into her neck. "Whatcha readin'?"
Gabriella giggled and patted his head lightly. "A book. Something I'm sure your eyes hardly touch."
He drew back, pretending to be offended. She immediately missed the warmth at her side. "Well, if that's how it is." He turned so his back was facing her and pouted.
"Awww. Did I hurt Troysie's feelings?" she said in a baby voice. She set her book back on her nightstand and rolled to face him. "Do I need to kiss it better?"
He turned to face her and nodded. She laughed and leaned forward to place a peck on his lips. As he leaned forward to kiss back, she pulled away. "Troy I'm tired. We can't start this."
He nodded and reached over her to click off the lamp. Troy then twisted to do the same to the lamp behind him. Troy pulled Gabriella into his side, wrapping a protective arm around her. They quickly drifted off to sleep, comforted with their sheer closeness.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Is that all of them?" Troy asked her, placing the last of her bags in her closet. Good thing her room had a giant closet. (Think Princess Diaries 2) She nodded, following him with two more bags. They had woken up at 9 o'clock, giving them a short three hours to get ready. Rayna and Savannah had arrived 15 minutes later, and had immediately gotten to cleaning the living room.
Troy and Gabriella had immediately moved all of Gabi's purchases from the previous day into her room.
"Ok. Troy, you shower first. You'll take less time. I'm going to put my stuff away quickly," Gabriella said.
"Or we could shower together," he said coyly. She whipped around to stare at him. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You know you want to."
She rolled her eyes at him. "As enticing as that offer is, I must decline." She smiled slightly and waved her hands at him. "Now go, Wildcat. I have things to do."
He laughed and left the room, shutting the bathroom door behind him. Gabriella laughed softly, shaking her head. No wonder Jackson loves him, she thought. He's five at heart.
She started unpacking bags, folding and hanging whatever she found. Had she remembered what bag her interview outfit was in, she wouldn't have unpacked everything. She faintly heard Troy turn the shower on and five minutes later, she heard him turn it off. She continued unpacking until he came to her closet door.
"I'm done in the bathroom, Brie. You can use it now," he told her, taking in the mess of bags and tissue paper in front of him. She had made a lot of progress. Only about three bags hadn't been unpacked.
"Ok. I'll be out in a minute," she said, not looking up at him, but grabbing one of the remaining bags. She still hadn't located her outfit, but there were only a few bags left. She looked inside the bag and clapped. She had found her outfit. Lifting the shirt out of the bag, she shook it out, checking it carefully for any wrinkles or other imperfections. It was a white off-the-shoulder sweater, with loose sleeves to her elbow. It fell to mid-thigh. Shoving her hand back into the bag, she drew out the dark-wash, skinny jeans that completed the look. She shook those out to, making sure there were no creases on them either. She laid them carefully on the floor and quickly unpacked the other two bags.
She stood and turned to leave the closet, but was stopped by Troy, who was still in the doorway. "Troy?"
"Yeah?" he said, still watching her. She was practically glowing. He couldn't help but think it was happiness from their new life together that made her like this.
"Why are you standing in my closet wearing nothing but a towel?" she asked, causing him to blush. He had forgotten he had yet to get dressed. He just shook his head and turned to leave, causing Gabi to giggle slightly. She knew him well enough to know that he had forgotten he wasn't wearing clothes. "That's what I thought."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ok, so that got a bit long, so part 2 of this chapter will be coming soon. Hope you liked it, and please review. Feel free to offer suggestions. I'm open to any fresh ideas, and you will be credited.
With love,
xoTESSxo
