Chapter 9
Dinner with the Family
"Why did I agree to this?" Gabriella asked herself once again looking in the mirror, "I must be insane."
"Insanely pretty," Troy smiled at the door, "are you ok?"
Gabriella turned around and saw Troy standing there in a suit like outfit, "I've been better. You look nice."
"Well, I am going to dinner with you and your family," he smiled but saw her face, "you're going to be fine."
She sighed and looked at Troy, "You know this would be so much easier if we were friends."
"We could be," he then saw her face, "I know, we're not because of my stupidity."
"At least you admit you were being stupid," Gabriella sighed, "let's not get into this now. I don't want to argue before we have to go to that house that could lead to arguments."
Troy sighed knowing that they were far off from being friends but this was a step. Maybe this was going to be the first step towards things getting back the way it's supposed to be. Troy wanted to get back there. Everyone wanted to get back to that point.
Even though Gabriella doesn't show it, she misses Troy, the old Troy. But there's more to that missing point to her was her heart because before Troy was stupid, she was falling for him. She was liking him more than just a friend, no scratch that, she was in love with him and still was. It hurting her to still love him and knowing what he did to her but she hoped that things would change because she couldn't keep hating him knowing she was really loving him. Gabriella hated the way things were but they were the way they were.
~With Nate and family~
"I can't believe you invited her here," Mrs. Montez looked at Nate as she was cooking.
Nate sighed, "Mom, she's my sister. She was going to cut me off full time. I didn't want that so I thought the one thing that would keep her in my life. I know things are going to be awkward but can you guys try and be nice."
"Isn't she in a wheelchair?" Mr. Montez spoke.
"Yeah and?" Nate looked at his Dad with a look, "So what? She's still your daughter. I can't believe I was stupid when I was 7 years old. I feel so stupid saying that she was ruining our family when really she wasn't. It was you that was ruining our family because you gave up my sister."
"You have a sister," Mrs. Montez turned around looking at Nate, "don't say you don't have a sister."
"I never did," Nate stood up, "I should have two sisters living here but you know what? I don't because you sent one off just because she was different."
Mr. Montez looked at his son and wife, "Ok that's enough you two. We're going to have company here in about an hour and we need to try and be civilized."
"I'll be able to be civilized but I'm not so sure about you two," Nate shook his head before walking out of the kitchen to find his brother and sister in the living room, "Hey guys."
They both looked at him, "Hi."
"Are you guys ready for dinner in an hour?" He sat down on the couch in between them.
"I guess," Sasha shrugged.
Anthony looked up at Nate, "Whose Gabriella?"
"Guys, Mom, Dad, and I explained her to you last night," he sighed, "she's our sister."
"But why isn't she living with us?" Sasha looked at him confused.
Nate knew how hard it must be to understand of what's going on for them because they just learned that they had another sibling. Anthony is only ten and Sasha was only seven. He just sat there not knowing how to fully explain everything.
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"So are you ready?" Troy looked down at Gabriella who had an emotionless face looking at the house in front of them.
Gabriella took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah."
Troy went behind her and grabbed onto her handles and pushed her forward knowing that she was too nervous to push herself. They reached the door and Troy went beside her to ring the bell and then went back behind her. She looked up at him to give him a small smile as the door opened. Gabriella looked to see a small smile Nate standing there.
"Hey, I'm glad you could make it," he smiled, "Come on in."
Troy smiled softly before pushing Gabriella inside the house as Nate closed the door. Gabriella looked around the house not really remembering it because she was two, the last time she was in that house. Nate watched Gabriella look around and looked at Troy.
"We never actually introduced each other but you know who I am," Nate placed his hand out. "I'm assuming that you're Troy?"
Troy nodded before placing his hand in Nate's hand and shook, "Yeah, that's me."
Nate nodded taking his hand back, "Well, let's go uh, see the rest of the family, shall we?"
"Uh sure," Gabriella's nervousness came right back after hearing that.
Nate saw that she was nervous and decided that he should push her instead of Troy. He went behind her grabbing a hold of her handles and started pushing her towards a room. Troy followed behind them. Gabriella took a deep breath as Nate pushed her into a room where there were four people sitting at a table where she was guessing was the dining room. Nate cleared his throat and they all looked toward the door to see them there. That was it. That was the moment when Gabriella was ready to leave. She didn't want to be here. Just by them looking at her, she knew she didn't belong and she wanted to get out of there.
"Uh Mom, Dad?" Nate looked at his parents who stood up, "You remember Gabriella? Your uh daughter?"
"Yes," Mr. Montez nodded with a smile looking at Gabriella, "It's very nice to see you again Gabriella."
Gabriella nodded but was shocked to see him come over to her taking her in his arms to give her a hug. She didn't know what to do but hug him back. Gabriella saw her Mom looking at them with an emotionless face. This told Gabriella something. She didn't want me. Her Dad pulled back before seeing that there was someone else there.
"Who's this?"
This was going to be the first time Gabriella says anything, "This is Troy. I guess you can say he's my foster brother for about two months now."
"Welcome to our house, son," Mr. Montez smiled, "You can call me Greg and this is my wife, Maria."
"It's nice to meet you," Troy nodded to Greg and looked at Maria noticing the same look Gabriella saw, "and you Maria."
Maria nodded before walking into the kitchen. Nate sighed knowing she wasn't very thrilled of the idea but was shocked to see his Dad ok with it all. He guessed that his father wasn't so thrilled of giving Gabriella up but his Mom wanted to give her up so he just went with it. This is what he was guessing and he could tell that Gabriella could sense the same thing he was sensing which wasn't very promising.
"Don't worry, she'll come around," Nate whispered down to her before wheeling her over to the table, "now, I think it's time that you meet the little brats of the family. Gabriella, I would like you to meet our brother and sister, Anthony and Sasha. Anthony is ten years old and Sasha is seven."
Gabriella smiled at the kids, "It's nice to meet you."
"You too," Sasha's eyes lit up, "you're my sister?"
"Yes, I am." Gabriella nodded.
Anthony looked at her, "Is Troy the only one that lives with you?"
"No, there are four little boys, that are ages five to eight," Gabriella smiled.
Anthony and Sasha smiled. They already liked their sister that they just learned about last night. Nate smile seeing this before motioning to Troy to come over to the table to sit next to him. Anthony was on the left side of Gabriella while Sasha was on her other side. Nate and Troy were on the other side of the table while Greg was sitting at the head of the table on the left side leaving a seat open on the other side for Maria.
Maria came back in seeing that everyone was sitting at the table already in comfort silence. She saw that Gabriella was sitting between her son and daughter who were looking at her chair and then looking at Gabriella like she was a saint or something. She didn't like this. She didn't want them to like her so much because she would cause trouble in their lives. Maria then looked at her husband who had a smile on his face that she hasn't seen in awhile meaning he was happy. Was he not happy for the past 14 years? Maria shook her head. He never wanted to give Gabriella up but she did. She was too much a hassle for her and the bills that they had to pay for her would have made them go broke so they couldn't do it.
But she promised Nate that she would try to be on her best behavior tonight. She didn't want to make Gabriella feel totally out of the loop but then again she didn't want to make her feel like she was family because they gave her up for a reason. They wanted a perfect family and Gabriella was all but perfect in her eyes. She was not going to come ruin her perfect family. Maria was going to make it work tonight but only tonight, if Gabriella thinks she is a part of the family again then she better check her thinking.
Maria went back into the kitchen to grab the dinner and came back in, "Dinner is ready. I hope you like chicken, Troy and Gabriella."
"We eat chicken every Sunday as well," Troy smiled speaking before Gabriella.
Gabriella looked at Troy before looking at her Mom, "It looks great."
Maria faked a smile before placing the chicken on the table and taking a seat. Everyone smiled at the chicken. Gabriella was still feeling a little out of place but felt a little better than how she was feeling before she entered the house. The only thing that didn't feel ok with her was her Mom. She felt like that she didn't want her to be here.
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Everyone was finished with their plates and were all talking to each other at the table.
"Gabriella?" Greg looked at Gabriella.
"Yes Greg?" Gabriella wasn't sure if she could call them Mom or Dad because she hasn't been around them in so long.
"Gabriella honey, I'm your father, you can call me Dad," he smiled which caused Nate to smile.
Gabriella softly smiled, "Um ok so yes Dad?"
"How are you in school?" he smiled, "Like do you have good grades? What grade are you in? Do you have good friends?"
Gabriella smiled softly, "I'm a junior so it's an important year. I get straight A's ever since well, ever since I could remember and my friends?" Gabriella glanced at Troy but looked back at her Dad, "I have four crazy friends but I love them but there is also drama at school at the moment."
"Oh?" Greg looked a little concerned and so did Nate, "What kind of drama?"
"Just normal high school drama and I guess jealousy drama," she looked at Troy, "also people who don't keep their promises, right Troy?" Troy looked down and she looked back at her Dad and Nate, "but nothing I can't handle."
Greg nodded still confused. Troy looked up to look at Troy before sighing. Gabriella turned her face to look at him and saw his sad face and she knew that he was going through a lot but he deserved it all. But she didn't want him to feel all sad tonight, it's supposed to be a happy night or at least not an awkward night.
"But Troy is the captain of the basketball team," Gabriella smiled which shocked Troy.
Anthony seemed to light up at the moment basketball was mention, "Really Troy?"
Troy was still shocked that Gabriella has mentioned him and the basketball team in a sentence with a smile on her face but shook his head before looking at Anthony, "Yes really."
"Didn't Gabriella say that you just moved into her house just two months ago?" Maria thought she should join the conversation.
"I did but the captain of the basketball team didn't work out," Troy chuckled and Gabriella giggled softly knowing who that was, "so Chad, one of Gabriella and mine friend's well right now Gabriella's friend suggested that I would try out and the coach decided that I would be a good captain well Chad sort of helped him decide that."
"Interesting," Maria nodded, "Wait, Chad isn't your friend anymore?"
Gabriella decided to speak and looked at her, "Actually Mom, Troy and I aren't exactly friends anymore."
"Call me Maria," Gabriella was shocked at that, so was Nate and Greg, "but anyways, if you guys aren't friends anymore, why is he here?"
"Uh," Gabriella didn't really know how to answer that question so she looked around the table knowing here comes the part of the evening she was hoping that wasn't going to happen.
"I mean, not that I don't mind him being here," Maria was still speaking, "but why did you choose him when you could have brought anyone of your other friends here, unless, you don't really have those four friends that you were talking about before."
Gabriella was already not liking where this was going neither was Nate. The night was going great and now she was finally going to ruin it. Greg looked at everyone at the table and then at his wife shaking his head trying to stop her.
"No, they really are my friends," Gabriella nodded, "There's Sharpay, Taylor, Alex, and Chad."
"But not Troy," Gabriella shook her head, "I'm still waiting for an explanation of why you aren't friends with him or why he's here or better yet why you're here?"
Nate looked at her, "Mom."
"What?" Maria looked at him, "I'm just asking my daughter a few questions just like your father did. Am I not allowed to do that?"
"Not the questions that are making your daughter feel uncomfortable especially the last one," Nate defended Gabriella, "and you know why she's here. I invited her here and I told her to bring someone with her and didn't say that it had to be a friend, just someone so if Troy and Gabriella aren't friends right now, that's their problem not yours and you don't have the right to know what it is. You lost that right when you gave her up."
Greg looked at Troy, "Troy, would you mind taking Gabriella and the kids to the living room please?"
Troy nodded noticing that it was getting tensed in the kitchen. He stood up motioning the kids and Gabriella to follow him even though he had no idea where the living room. But Anthony and Sasha ran out of the room so he just followed them into the living room with Gabriella right in front of him and behind her brother and sister.
Greg waited until they were out of the kitchen before looking at his wife and son, "What's going on in here? We were having a nice dinner and then you two had to start bickering."
"It's not me," Nate shook his head, "Everything was going fine until Mom had to butt in somewhere where she wasn't wanted."
"How can you say I wasn't wanted?" Maria looked at Nate, "She's my daughter, I have the right to know what's going on in her life."
"Oh really?" he shook his head at her, "Call me Maria. Really Mom? You didn't allow her to call you Mom when Dad insisted on her calling him Dad. Plus, you gave her a look all night that you didn't want her here. Oh and by the way, I've noticed who wanted her out of this family and it wasn't Dad. It was you. You wanted to give her up, not Dad; he just went with what you wanted. I saw it, Gabriella saw, hell even Troy saw it."
"That's not true," Maria shook her head, "we both agreed to it, right Greg?"
Greg looked at his son and then to his wife shaking his head, "You never asked what I wanted. I didn't care what it was going to cost, I wanted my daughter but you sent her off and I just agreed because you never gave me a chance not to."
"Don't say that, you know that you wanted exactly what I wanted and that was a perfect family," she looked at Greg, "having Gabriella in our family would've changed everything. Look at us, we're perfect now."
"I knew you were going to say that," Nate had enough of the word perfect so he stood up, "Mom, actually no, Maria, we're not perfect. I don't know what makes you think our family is perfect. Look at us, we're arguing right now and have been like this for well since I turned 18 and I've had enough of you saying we're the perfect family when really Maria, there is no such thing as a perfect family or anything perfect so maybe you should think about that. What is a perfect family? Like I said, there is no such thing as being perfect."
"Don't call me Maria, I'm your mother." Maria stood up looking at him, "You have no way to treat me this way. I do have a perfect family thanks to me because I kept you away from her."
"I do have the right…" Nate realized something, "Wait, you're the reason why I always had to break my commitments with her. I would tell you that I have plans with her and either the day before or the day of it, you would tell me that I have to go somewhere with you or go watch Anthony's t-ball game or Sasha's ballet. It's your fault that I might lose my sister because I haven't been hanging out with her when I said I would."
"So, you still have us."
"I'm done," Nate shook his head, "I can't explain anything to you because you don't understand anything. The only reason why I come here every Sunday or to the house is because of Anthony and Sasha but now I think I've had it pretending that I'm happy here when I'm not. So Maria, your family is no longer how you say it, perfect family which I believe it never was. I'm done here and I'm going home and taking Troy and Gabriella with me and oh by the way your other daughter and son already love Gabriella so I wouldn't do anything because they love their sister and they only just met her."
Nate looked at his Mom one last time and then glanced at his father before leaving the kitchen to go walk into the living room. He smiled at the sight. Troy was playing Xbox 360 with Anthony while Gabriella was doing Sasha's hair. Gabriella was smiling, she was happy, and that's all that mattered to him. Why couldn't Maria see that? Gabriella saw Nate there and saw the look on his face before sighing a little knowing that her Mom will never accept her.
"I think we should go," Gabriella spoke but Sasha groaned, "We have school tomorrow and I think Maria and Dad have to talk so we should go while you guys get ready for bed."
Troy nodded in agreement before turning off the game which Anthony groaned at that, "Come on little man, you and Sasha need to head to bed."
"Fine," Anthony groaned and walked over to Sasha taking her hand, "Let's go."
Sasha smiled softly before hugging Gabriella who was surprised at the hug at first but then returned the hug before Sasha pulled back, "I hope we get to see you again. I've always wanted a big sister."
Gabriella smiled softly at her before they walked out of the living room, up the stairs. Nate stood there in shock. He has never seen Anthony or Sasha go to bed peacefully; usually he has to fight them to go to bed. Troy stood up before walking over to Gabriella and Nate.
"I hope we didn't cause any trouble," Nate shook his head, "well tell them that it was a nice dinner and we enjoyed ourselves, right Troy?"
Troy nodded, "Yeah, it was interesting but great. Anthony and Sasha are great kids."
Nate smiled, "So does this mean that I'm still considered to be your brother and we can still hang out? Because I'm sure now if I mention that I have to hang out with you, they're going to want to come as well."
Gabriella smiled, "Sure. Well goodnight."
"Goodnight," Nate kissed her cheek before walking them to the door, "Wait, I don't live here anymore. I can come out with you two."
Gabriella nodded. Troy, Gabriella, and Nate all left the house. Troy and Gabriella went to their car in which Troy was driving and Nate went to his car. Each car pulled away from the house going in two different directions.
~Inside the House~
"Why did you just sit there?" Maria was pissed, "You just sat there letting your son talk back at me and you just sat there."
"You want to know why I just sat here?" Greg stood up, "Because everything he said was true. I never wanted to give her up, you did. You always wanted a perfect family but wake up, there is no such thing as a perfect family and never will be. So why would I interrupt my son who was speaking the truth and had more courage now to talk back to you then I ever did 14 years ago with this decision. Look at her. She's a straight A student. She's beautiful. She's nice and the kids already love her. She was a daughter that we always wanted but no, just because she was different and needed money to have surgeries, we gave her up. So think Maria because I've had enough of this. I've had enough of pretending to be happy when really I'm not and don't even think about saying that I don't love Anthony and Sasha because god damn it, I do but I still have love to give for Gabriella. The thing is, I think I love them more than you do put together because I don't force them to do what they are doing. You do. So actually a part of me is happy that we gave up Gabriella because that means she didn't have to deal with us as her parents, actually scratch that, she didn't have to deal with you."
"Screw you," Maria shook her head, "Screw everyone in this family."
"Fine," Greg nodded, "If that's the way you want it. I want a divorce."
Maria looked at him in shock, "What?"
"You heard me," he shook his head, "I want a divorce and oh I'm going to fight to keep both of the children because I'm not having them live with you. You know, I've wanted to divorce you for awhile now but never had the courage to do it but after seeing Gabriella, I'm ready to do it. I'm going to call my lawyer tomorrow. Goodnight."
Greg was finally done with all of it. He walked out of the kitchen, went upstairs to grab a pillow and blanket bringing them back down and went into the living room and got comfortable on the couch. Maria watched him do it all in shock. She couldn't believe that her family was falling apart. What did she do? She shook her head before walking up the stairs to go into her room knowing that her family was done and it was all of her fault.
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"Well that was an interesting night," Troy smiled softly, "so uh I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah goodnight," Gabriella wheeled to her room and was about to open it but she turned back around, "Troy?"
Troy was at his door but he turned around, "Yeah."
"Thanks for coming with me," she smiled softly, "I don't think I would've been able to handle it going on my own."
"Don't mention it," he smiled, "I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
Gabriella smiled a real smile, "Well goodnight."
She turned her chair back around before going into her room closing the door. Troy smiled softly. Maybe things will get back to the way things were meant to be. He turned around going into his room as well. This was going to be an interesting week.
Alright, it's official. This is the longest chapter of this story. Actually this is the longest chapter of any of my stories that I've written on here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I worked really hard on this chapter. I've been sick for about 3 weeks now and I've been writing this story with headaches so I hope you enjoy this chapter. I worked extra hard on this chapter. So tell me what you think? Montez divorce? Gabriella getting her real family back minus Maria? What do you think of Troy and Gabriella? Are things getting back the way things are supposed to be? Tell me what you think. Please review. It would mean a lot to me if I can get more reviews that I have been getting. So again please review and tell me what you think.
