We Love Pretending

Chapter 8 - A Visit From Ryan.

Gabriella stared blankly at the television screen in front of her. It had been a long day. She'd had to say goodbye to Troy, and even though they weren't really dating, it was starting to feel like it was real. There was something in that Troy Bolton smile that made her heart race. But she needed to remain in reality. Nothing could take Gabriella's eye off the job.

She slid a hand under her head and through her hair. She watched as the strands of brown split into sections which were guided down by her fingertips. Eventually the hair fell back into place, and she began to feel bored once more.

The characters on the screen, she found, were so static. In her mind, they really needed some acting lessons. But that wasn't her place; she was an actor or actress, whatever, herself. She was basing it on her acting skills, or what people thought of hers, and really, these characters on the TV, could be brilliant.

She realised she was just thinking of things to keep away the fact that she was missing something terribly.

Troy.

She loved his company. He made her feel wanted, safe, secure, and happy. His jokes, though sometimes too obvious, made her laugh until the sun came up; and for Gabriella, laughter was something that always brightened her day. She always treasured the days in which she was happy; because often, she was unhappy. That was why there was never a day gone by then she wanted to sit still and do nothing. Being surrounded by things to do and people to see was the only thing that kept Gabriella from her thoughts and memories, that often appeared when she had nothing to do.

It wasn't family life that meant she was unhappy. She was an only child, with wonderful parents and a very relaxed, generous childhood. But she never really had had anyone to talk to when she was little. Other children had always found her somewhat strange, odd perhaps. That led on to her having no friends, eating lunch in the deserted corner of the library and hiding away from the bullies who haunted the corridors while moving from class to class. It had been hard, she had had experiences, but no one to share them with. She had grown up with no one but her family; and even though she had been blessed with one of the best families she could ever had wished for, someone her own age would have been nice.

She often thought that that was the reason she tended to cling to people. Being without company for so long, those long trying years, had led her to thinking she would always be alone. So whenever company came around she tended to cling and hope they never left. But various boyfriends had come and gone. She had made friends, some true, some not so. But the ones she had made, would stay with her forever, and although they didn't communicate much, they were still close and kept in contact as much as possible.

The tattoos she had reminded her of that everyday. Everyday, at least someone was with her. Either any of her friends or her grandfather, the one person who had always believed in her dreams and that one day she would make it. It was just a shame he hadn't been there on the day she had. Because like most of the other people in her life, he had gone too. Just like the boyfriends.

Boyfriends.

What a stupid word. Sure they were boys, but friends; she wasn't so sure. They were never friendly when they broke your heart. Never friendly when they were a source of your tears. They were just stages in your life that tore you down, but helped you become stronger. And she had become stronger many times. And she was, right now. Moving onto another stage. The one after Max.

Sighing, she realised she hadn't been watching the television and was about to switch it off, but stopped when she saw her face on the screen. Turning the volume up, she listened.

"Gabriella Montez was seen today saying goodbye to her boyfriend of a few weeks, Troy Bolton. They seem very much in love, and that was shown in the kiss they gave the cameras today. Many fans of Albuquerque's Hotshot, Troy Bolton, are quite confused as they were sure they had not seen them together before. But what many people are asking is: 'Why is their relationship in the media so much more than his other relationships?'. We'll get back to you all on that one when more info comes in."

The weather screen shot up, and Gabriella's brow wrinkled. So many celebrities thought their fans were quite dumb, but Troy and hers were obviously not. The die-hard fans had seen something was up, and not right. That could only lead to problems.

Gabriella yawned and retired to her bed deciding that it was too late to worry about trivial things. Things that would probably never surface anyway.

IT HAD always amazed her how something so sweet and tangy could wake you up in the morning. The orange juice which filled her glass was doing just that; waking her up. She's had a better nights rest than expected, as there was something always so comforting about having a man in the house as you sleep. She was convinced that it could be the geekiest, weakest man on earth and you could still feel safe, whatever the weather.

She looked out of the window in the kitchen and into Troy's garden. She hadn't been in it yet, but had no real reason to anyway. She continued to sip the tangy liquid as she scanned the garden. It was filled with bushes and trees, all seen as manly plants. But just at the bottom left hand corner the grass ended abruptly and a large, orchid looking plant graced the space. It looked delicate and could grasp anyone's attention because the sharp white and yellow colours blared at you from the first glance.

She turned around and stared at the kitchen. It didn't seem like Troy's house, since he wasn't there. It seemed empty, and if it was real, it would be pining for it's owner. Things seemed out of place without Troy being there to fix them. And for that, and other reasons she had no real answer to; she missed him. A lot.

A couple of hours, and a piece of toast later, she walked down the stairs into the, yet again, empty living space. Collapsing onto the couch, she flicked on the television, before turning it off again at the sound of the doorbell. Getting up and wrapping her large deep red jumper around her, she walked to the door. Peeping out the hole in the door, she could see the figure of a man. Reluctantly, she opened the door.

She was met with a quizzical look, and then a smile. "Eh, you're not Troy."

Gabriella giggled slightly, "What do you know? I'm not." Her reply was sarcastic, but friendly. He smiled more. "Any idea where he is? And why are you here, if you don't mind me asking?"

She stepped out of the door a little more, looking for paps, but finding none. Her eyes settled back on the gentleman in front of her. His bluey-green eyes popped out and his smile was warm.

She stuck out her hand. "Gabriella Montez, nice to meet you."

His eyes rolled, and he smiled once more. "Apologies, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Ryan Evans, friend of Troy's. Ah, your Gabriella. News travels fast, don't it? The new lady in his life. Bet your keeping him on his toes!"

She smiled shyly, "You could say that. Anyways, Troy was called away yesterday on an urgent business trip. He'll be back tomorrow."

"Ah, so I'm just a little late then. Oh well, I guess I'll have to catch him when he gets back."

"You could leave a message." She had no idea where this Ryan guy came from. If he had come a long distance, leaving a message would be better than a wasted journey.

He eyes her slightly suspiciously. "Eh, alright then. Tell Troy that I'm hosting a dinner party at my place on Saturday, the day after tomorrow. He's welcome, and you too, to come and join us. Just a small gathering, but you're both very welcome. Troy always comes, quite fun sometimes."

She smiled, "I'm sure we'd love to. I'll ask him when he gets home tonight."

They continued talking, referring details about the party and such. She was growing quite fond of Ryan, and was glad that Troy had such nice friends.

Ryan hugged her briefly, and turned away, leading to his car. "Well, it was great meeting you Gabriella. Pass on the message, and tell him to call to confirm. Bye."

Gabriella waved in reply as she closed the door. She glanced at her watch and saw that there was only a few more Troy-less hours before he came home. A sudden burst of excitement came to her and she smiled wildly. If their reunion was as good as their goodbye then the paparazzi would have a field day!

She quickly wrote down the message before she forgot, and collapsed back on the sofa, settling down for some quiet time with her book. As she started to read, her hand slipped down one of the cushions, and she felt something round. Pulling it out, she saw it was a small chocolate sweet, a malteser to be exact. She smiled; Troy's favourite.

Rubbing it slightly on her sleeve before popping it in her mouth, she sighed in contentment. She was happy, for once.

And Troy was coming home.

At last.


Yay! I know I said that I wouldn't be ableto update for a while, but I thought I'd give you a chapter anyways. Hopefully, chapters should be more regualr now. Hopefully!

Anyways, I added Ryan in there, and revealed a bitty about Gabriella's childhood, but that doesn't, so far, have abi part in this story. And I also added that bit about the malteser in at the last moment. It just came to me and sounded quite cute - well, I thought so. tell me what you think :)

Oh-kay, enough babbling from me.

REVIEW!