Thank you all for your responses to the last chapter! It's nice to know that people are still reading.
So as promised, here is a Juan chapter.
Disclaimer: Did I own it yesterday? No. Did I own it in May? No. Do I own it now? No!
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Juan's POVI watched my daughter and wife anxiously. Maria revealed to Gabriella that her and Simon would be going to a basketball game that night. I watched Gabi's face contort into a look of anguish. Basketball had been our thing. Mine and hers. It upset me slightly that Maria would go to a game with the Simon guy, but I knew that was just being selfish on my part.
And then Gabi just walked out. I can't say that I completely blame her. Maria though, I could tell was angry. I could also understand why.
Today though, I followed Gabi to school.
I watched as she exchanged an icy greeting with Troy.
He noticed as well. "Ouch, iced. What's wrong?"
Gabi explained to him about the basketball, and I could tell Troy immediately understood. This guy… let me tell you. He's good for my Gabi.
The fact was confirmed for me when they neared an audition sign-up sheet, and I was reminded again just why this guy was so great for my little girl. He brought up the best in her.
I followed her throughout the day, laughing at what a crazy group of friends she had now. There was Chad, who at times fit the dumb jock stereotype. He had his moments though. He must have, if he was dating Gabi's friend Taylor. Taylor was the brain. She wasn't as smart as Gabriella, grant it, but she was up there. There was also Kelsi the composer, Zeke the jock turned baker, Jason the all-around nice guy, and Sharpay and Ryan, the zesty, spicy ones. Then there was Troy. Troy was the one I was most grateful to. He brought her out of her shell. He helped her, where I no longer could.
Later in the day, Gabriella and Troy walked home so that Gabi could help Troy with his chemistry homework.
That boy is so corny, let me tell you. He reminds me in some ways. He always had something witty and funny to say to my little girl. Today for example. It was his views on Mondays. He told Gabi how it meant he got to see her five days in a row. I allowed myself a chuckle at that one.
When the pair reached the house, they went straight in the kitchen. I wished I could have warned them that Maria was there.
These are the situations where I'm torn. Maria is my wife. But she should have told Gabi. But then again, Maria is Gabi's mother. Gabi shouldn't have walked out like that. But still, Maria DID lie to her… and she IS going to a basketball game with that guy.
It was just hard. The whole thing was hard. Not a single thing about this situation was easy.
Maria looked at Gabi with a hard face, but when she noticed that Troy was also there, Maria's face softened. Maria, like me, liked Troy. We both know that he's good for Gabi. Gabi exchanged a few words with Maria, and then grabbed something to eat for her and Troy.
As Gabi went upstairs, I watched Maria. She pretended to be reading the newspaper, but after Gabi had entered, her eyes didn't move across the page. Maria knew very well that the whole thing was just as much her fault as it was Gabi's. Maybe even more so.
I watched as my wife sighed, and finally put down the paper. I watched as she tried to make coffee, but couldn't seem to focus on anything. I watched as she realized the time, and grabbed her keys, and put on her jacket. I watched as she paced the kitchen a few times before finally yelling up the stairs for Gabriella to come.
Gabi took her time. She didn't come immediately, which I could tell aggravated Maria.
"Gabriella, there is an early tip-off, and I'm meeting Simon at his house, so I need to leave now," She said.
Ouch. That was a little harsh Maria. Gabriella gave a disinterested mutter. That, I could tell, aggravated Maria.
"And I know you brought Troy home to avoid speaking with me," she said.
Gabriella gave a slightly sarcastic response. Uh Oh, Maria would never tolerate Gabi talking back.
So Maria called her out on it, and Gabi gave a clearly fake apology.
"You need to apologize to Simon, as well, Gabriella," Maria declared.
Oh boy. She brought Simon into this. I knew that was probably going to make Gabriella blow her lid. Surprisingly, though, Gabi kept her cool.
That is, until, Maria started questioning Gabi having Troy over. I could tell that that really irritated Gabi again. But Maria realized her mistake (Troy was trustworthy. I could even tell that, and I knew Maria knew it too), and dropped the subject.
I followed Maria out into the garage.
She got into her car, but didn't move. She put her head against the steering wheel, and sighed. "Why does it have to be this hard?"
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I decided I would prefer not to actually go with Maria on this date. It would be uncomfortable for me. So after I made sure that she was okay, I went back in and watched Troy and Gabi.
All they were doing was study, but it was amusing to watch Troy glance up at Gabriella every few seconds. And Gabriella didn't even notice. It made me chuckle. That poor boy had it bad.
You'd think that as a father, I'd be upset that my little girl had such a serious boyfriend. Right?
Wrong. See, being dead (I will never, ever get used to that word though) has given me a new perspective on things. She will always be my little girl, but now I know she has someone that will help her, and comfort her, and take care of her. So I was glad that she picked someone as good as Troy.
I watched as they studied, and as Troy got frustrated when he couldn't understand the math. Gabi would patiently re-explain it, though, and eventually it all seemed to begin to stick for him.
Around 7:30, Troy looked up suddenly, and asked Gabi, "Are you hungry?"
The two decided to go and make themselves something to eat.
When the two were in the kitchen, Gabriella made her way to the cupboard, and grabbed a box of macaroni. That made me laugh. When Maria and I were in college, we practically lived off of mac n' cheese. Troy and Gabriella reminded me so much of Maria and I. A lot of the similarities were small, so only one as observant as I would notice them. But they were there.
That was comforting, knowing that my daughter was in such a good relationship for her. I didn't have any doubts about her safety. And I was grateful to this boy.
Gabriella began to set the water to boil. Troy began to grumble about Chemistry, which again made me laugh. Maria hated all maths, where I loved them. That was something that Gabi got from me. Troy was like Maria in that sense.
The two began having a conversation on how they had only been going out for a short amount of time. When they said that, it reminded me as well. Sometimes I forget. They just seem like they've always been together.
I noticed that the pasta water had begun to boil, and I was reminded of the time that Maria was making pasta, and the water boiled right over the edge of the pot, making a huge mess for her to clean up. We laughed so hard that night.
They began to talk about their musical some more. Now there is a talent that neither Maria nor I ever had. I couldn't ever carry a tune. And while Maria isn't bad, she was nowhere near as talented as Gabriella.
As Gabriella cooked for the two of them, I got this feeling. It's hard to describe. Like this would be natural for the two of them. Being together, like this, always. It was nice. A nice feeling to get. Secure. That's what I wanted for my little girl.
They talked a bit more, and Troy asked Gabi to prom. I thought that was sweet, considering it was so far off, and it was kind of a given that she would go with him. But he still asked.
Gabi's macaroni boiled over, and I laughed, remembering what I had thought about only minutes before. Yup, she was so much like Maria.
The two talked for a bit more, and they eat their pasta. Gabriella commented on Troy's cheesiness, and that made me smile because she thought the exact same thing as I did. But it was still cute.
As soon as they finished eating, they were straight back to studying. I decided this would be a good time to check on Maria.
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Look out for the next chapter in…. drum roll please! Maria's POV. We'll see how it goes. It'll be new for me, eh?
Well hope you read and review, because they really do make me feel like people are reading, and really make me want to update.
HauntedWhisper, your appearence will be in one of the next couple of chapters, okay? Thanks much!
Love,
Monica