Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Chapter 9! Now this is going to be quite dramatic, if I may say so!
Break Through
Chapter 9
THE whole weekend, I spent the day with Troy, doing the usual weird, funny things that we were used to doing. Things just went naturally with him. I felt like I didn't have to pretend around him. But truth be told, I felt safe with him. Like nothing could hurt me.
I was still thinking about how sweet he was when I walked into school on Monday. I met Taylor and Sharpay by their lockers. I guess I still had a stupid smile on my face because Taylor raised her eyebrows.
"What's up, Gabi?"
" Oh nothing. Everything is perfect. Life is perfect." I giggled and spun around.
" Okay, girl. Spill. What's with you and Bolton?"
I feigned innocence. "What are you talking about?"
Sharpay put her hands on her hips and gave me a look.
" Oh come on! All you do is hang out with him or talk about how 'wonderful' he is!"
"No I don't! You guys-you're crazy! I hang out with you guys too!"
"Yeah, but not as much as him." pointed out Taylor.
"Guys! We're just friends! Why are you so suspicious?"
" Gabi, we know you like him. It's fairly obvious."
My mouth dropped. "No I don't!"
They continued staring at me with disbelief.
"Can we get off this subject?" I pleaded.
"Fine. But it's not the end of it." They promised.
I rolled my eyes and walked to my locker. Desperate to get out of this awkward conversation.
They followed me, chattering away on unimportant gossip when I felt someone poke my side. The first thing I saw was the electric blue eyes of Troy Bolton and the flash of his white teeth.
"Hey Ella! Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Taylor and Sharpay exchanged a knowing look and smirked at me.
"Yeah. Sure."
I gave the girls a glare before following Troy, who was by now, five steps ahead of me.
"Troy! Slow down! Where you going?"
He grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hallway towards a familiar door, off to the side and by the Science club.
We ran up the stairs as I glanced around. Countless plants surrounded the area and in the far right was a small wooden bench. I let go of Troy's hand and looked around. Everything was just as I remembered it.
" I know this place." I said in awe, as I drank in the beauty.
" I know. I saw you in here last year." he said nervously, as he scratched the back of his neck.
I glanced at him. " You did?" He must have thought I was mad.
"Yeah."
" I'm not mad, Troy." I told him.
Relief flooded his features as he said, "Oh! Good! I just thought that-you know, you would be and-"
I interrupted him as he babbled on and said, "Why did you show this to me if you knew I knew about it?"
He went slightly red. Troy Bolton blushing? I never heard of such a thing!
"Well, I just thought that it could be, you know, our place. Like, whenever we want to get away from all that... chaos."
I smiled and said, "I'd like that."
We continued staring at each other until he cleared his throat and looked away.
" I think the bell is going to ring soon, so we should start heading to home room." he cocked his head toward the door. I nodded and looked around once more before heading down.
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
"SO, what did Bolton want to show you this morning, Gab?" Questioned Sharpay.
I rolled my eyes and said, "Just a... place." I didn't elaborate. I wasn't comfortable with them asking more questions.
" Would you mind giving me some details there, Gabi?" pestered Taylor.
"No." I snapped. "It's none of your business. And for the last time, there's nothing going on between me and Troy!"
But at that moment, Troy decided to enter the cafeteria and wink at me from across the room.
My cheeks turned red and I looked down at my lunch tray.
"Suuuurrreeee there isn't. And you didn't just blush right now." teased Sharpay.
I shook my head once again and avoided their answer.
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
LATER that night in my room, after I had finished my homework I thought about what my dad had told me in his letter.
'Once I'm gone, you need to continue what you've been doing before.'
I walked across the room and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and willed my memory to remember. To remember how I used to dance. I remembered all the emotions I had felt. And slowly and carefully, my feet moved into the rhythm that I had created at eight years old.
I poured all the emotions I felt into the dance: anger, sadness, happiness.
With heavy breathing, my eyes snapped open and I looked at my flushed face in the mirror for a few minutes.
After a while, a victorious smile stretched across my face.
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
THURSDAY after school while I was putting my books away, I hummed to myself happily, thinking about Troy. Suddenly, I heard the sound of many footsteps heading towards my locker. I peeked my head around my locker and looked around but didn't see anyone coming. I was suspicious but I continued sifting through my stuff when suddenly, a hand slammed my locker door closed. I whipped my head around and spotted them. My heart accelerated as I stared into the faces of them.
They were all glaring at me. I swallowed loudly but decided not to lose my cool. Slowly and carefully, I grabbed my backpack and got ready to leave but as I swung the bag around, ready to put it on my shoulders, a hand roughly snatched the bag from my hand and threw it away from them.
I glared at them and got ready to leave, Zeke blocked my way with his hand.
"Let me by." My voice trembled.
" You know, we don't like how you've been messing with Troy's mind. It's been really bugging us." sneered Chad.
"I'm not doing anything to you. Let me by." I repeated, struggling to keep my voice steady and strong.
" Not until we... show you what happens when you make us mad. And we're really mad, Flabby."
"I already know what you can do when you're mad, Danforth." I spit
I shoved past him and grabbed my backpack ready to run out of there when someone yanked my hair towards them so hard, that I fell back and hit the lockers. It knocked the breath out of me and I slid down to the ground. That was definitely going to bruise.
They started closing in, like they always did. But I had vowed to myself that I wasn't going to give up. So with a burst of speed, I pushed past them again, forgetting my backpack. Just wanting to get as far away from them as possible.
Two strong arms grabbed my arms and stretched them behind my back so far that I yelled in pain.
"Let me go!" I said with tears in my eyes. They stretched it further and I yelled again.
With a swift kick to the shins by Stacey, I fell to the ground once again. By now, everything ached all around. I savagely wiped the tears out of my eyes and looked up. I had finally come up with the conclusion that there was no way out.
"Please... Please let me...go" I pleaded like I used to.
"I- I just want..." I didn't get to finish my sentence when one of the cheerleaders sent a kick to my face. And they were wearing heels. I felt the cut on my cheek and by this time, I was trembling.
"Pick her up, Joe." laughed Chad.
Joe pulled me up by my bruised arm and pulled my hair back so hard and far, that my neck bent back and I was looking up at the ceiling. My breath was coming out in short bursts and tears leaked out of my eyes.
" Now I-" Chad didn't finish his sentence.
A voice, the most beautiful voice in the universe to me, called out,
"Chad? What're you guys-?" he trailed off and peered into the circle. I knew he saw me when I heard him gasp and say,
"ELLA!"
"Troy!" I called out weakly. I tried to pick my head up but Joe pulled it back farther and harder so that by now part of my back was arched. Thinking back, I must have looked like a deranged acrobat. I shrieked in pain.
"Shut up!" he snarled.
"Let her go!" screamed Troy. And with one swift move, he ripped Joe's hands away from my hair and pulled me to him.
Fire danced in his eyes with such an intensity, that even though I had no reason to, it scared me. His blue eyes were stormy and hard. A darker blue than I had ever seen.
"Troy!" I called out again.
He pulled me behind him while Chad called out angrily,
"Hey! What do you think you're doing, dude? We had her!"
" DON'T TOUCH HER!" he yelled.
" What? It's not like it's anything new! We did all this stuff last year!" he retorted.
"NOT LIKE THIS!"
"What's wrong with you?" shouted Chad.
"You used to be in it with us and then this year, Flabby talks to you and-"
"IT'S GABRIELLA!" he bellowed.
"Whatever, and then she comes along and you're acting like-like an asshole! We're your friends!"
"NOT ANYMORE, CHAD! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE HER ALONE! I TOLD YOU!"
"What the hell's the matter with you, Bolton? Whatever! I don't have to listen to you!"
He made a move to grab me back when Troy's hand flew out and punched his jaw. That immediately started a fight and all I saw were two bodies rolling on the floor. I watched in horror. I felt helpless. I couldn't do anything about it and Troy was getting hurt. Because of me.
Meanwhile, everyone else was shocked, mouths open, staring at the two boys on the floor. Finally Chad pulled himself away, nose bleeding and all and said,
"We're done, Bolton! Forgot our friendship!"
Troy ignored him and looked at the rest. His voice came out in a dangerous whisper and said,
"If anyone, and I mean anyone touches her, you're dead!"
Chad continued to shout threats and warnings as they shuffled away but I wasn't listening. I was breathing heavily and was still terrified after all that had happened.
After a while, Troy turned around and looked at me, leaning against the locker, clutching my side. I noticed that his lip was bleeding and that he was limping.
He strode over quietly and said, "I'm so sorry, Ella! If- if I had come earlier to look for you-" His eyes were full of sorrow.
More tears spilled down my cheeks as I listened to his anguish. Here he was feeling sorry for me when he was the one hurt and I had been the one to cause it.
"Don't- Don't cry. I'm sorry-"
He pulled me into a hug and let me cry quietly. We both stood there, in the eerie glow of the dim school lights and held each other. And as I cried, I thought about nothing but him.
Okay well... I think that was a little too dramatic... not my best chapter. Let me know what you think... :(
Review.
