Hey everyone! Have I told you all that you're the best? Well, you are! Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm so glad that you are enjoying this story as much as I am. Since I kind of said a few things in the last chapters about Vanessa and Ashley I decided to put another fact about someone in this author note... KayCee Stroh (Martha from HSM) is getting married! Yes, you heard it right, she's tieing the knot with her boyfriend, Ben Higginson. Okay, well, enjoy the chapter!
Back at East High
Chapter ten
Blake was lying on the couch watching a basketball game when his dad walked in. Blake had his pajamas on and he was throwing popcorn at the screen every few seconds. Troy laughed at the sight of his son and Blake turned his gaze away from the TV to look at his dad. Troy sat on the coffee table and looked at Blake.
"What was it that you wanted to talk about?" Troy asked with a small sympathetic smile.
"Why is it so hard to do what you want while trying to make everyone else happy?" Blake asked as he looked at the ceiling.
"That's a complicated question." Troy said as he thought about a good answer. "I guess you have to choose what's better. Would you rather spend your life pleasing others or being happy doing what you want to do?"
"That's definitely not an easy thing to figure out." Blake said.
"I know exactly what you mean." Troy said.
"How do you explain what you want to your friends?" Blake asked.
"You have to talk to them even if they don't want to hear it. Otherwise you'll lose them for good."
"If only I knew that a couple of hours ago." Blake said.
"Why? What happened?" Troy asked.
"Dad, C and Zac won't be my friends anymore because I like Gabi." Blake explained.
"Sounds familiar." Troy said shaking his head. "Did you talk to Gabi about it?"
"No. She won't talk to me either. At least that's what I think. I avoided her the last day before break."
"Why did you avoid her?" Troy asked.
"I chose a side." Blake said shaking his head.
"Is this side you chose why C and Zac won't talk to you, too?"
"I chose their side. It was during a class discussion when we had a sub in English and the class started to take sides. Gabi and I didn't want to take sides so we didn't. When Ms. Montez asked why the class was all on sides, I ended up getting up from sitting next to Gabi to walking over to the guy's side." Blake explained.
"It must have been a huge argument to have the entire class mad at each other."
"It was pretty big." Blake said quietly.
"What was it about?"
"Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez." Blake said as he looked at his dad.
"I don't think I understand." Troy said.
"That's exactly what Ms. Montez said." Blake said.
"Okay, you better start explaining from the beginning." Troy said, somewhat angrily.
Blake sat up and looked directly at his dad.
"We all found out that Ms. Montez is Gabriella." Blake started. "You can't deny it either, Dad. It's obvious. We did research."
"You researched her?"
"We googled her." Blake explained.
"That doesn't make it any better." Troy said.
"We wanted to know who ended the relationship and why you never married Ms. Montez. After all the stories the class told each other, people started to take sides." Blake explained.
"I take it the girls took Ms. Montez's side."
"And the guys took yours."
Troy nodded and waited for him to continue.
"We confronted Ms. Montez about it and she was mad. Then I got mad and I blew up about how it was probably her fault that you two never stayed together. Then I kinda yelled at Gabi and now all I see is her face when I did. She actually looked afraid of me. I never want to see her like that again. Damn it, what did I do?"
"Calm down." Troy said quietly. "I wish you never got involved in this."
"Tell me about it." Blake said.
"I wish everyone just took Gabriella's side." Troy said half to himself.
"Why?"
"Because it was my fault we never stayed together." Troy said as a wave of sickness washed through him.
"What?!" Blake exclaimed.
"Call Zac and C and I'll tell you everything together." He said as he got up and walked out of the room.
As C and Zac sat on the couch of the family room, Troy came in with a box of stuff. Blake had filled Zac and C in about what he knew so far and Troy got straight to the point as he showed them everything in the East High box.
"We all promised each other that we would come back." Troy started.
He felt sick as he walked toward his car after graduation. The thought of leaving was killing him. He was opening his car door when he heard Chad calling after him.
"Hey, Troy!" He called as he ran toward him with a smile.
"Hey, man." Troy said softly.
"Where are you going?" Chad asked.
"I'm leaving right now." Troy explained.
"Now?" Chad asked.
"I can't see Gabriella today. It'll be too hard." Troy said.
"Are you sure?" Chad asked.
"Yeah." Troy said.
"Do you need anything?" Chad asked.
"No, I'm fine." Troy answered.
"Good luck, man." Chad said as he hugged him goodbye.
"Take care of Gabriella for me, okay?" Troy asked.
"No problem." Chad said with a smile. "Promise you'll come back and coach basketball with me?" Chad asked.
"I promise." Troy said with a laugh.
"Don't forget me."
"How could I forget my brother?" Troy asked.
"Alright, well, I'll let you go. I don't like this mushy stuff." Chad said.
"See ya, man." Troy said as he sat in his car. He rolled down the window and said one last thing before he drove away.
"Marry Taylor, okay?" Troy said.
"What?" Chad asked with a laugh.
"Trust me, she won't say no." He said as he drove away.
Chad walked out of the parking lot and found Taylor talking to Gabriella. He frowned at the sadness that was visible on Gabriella face. He looked at Taylor and she knew what was going on as Gabriella asked where Troy was.
"So you just left her? On graduation?" Blake asked.
"I wouldn't have been able to leave." Troy explained.
"Dude." Zac said shaking his head.
"You can't throw your friendship away over something as small as an argument. You have been like brothers since you were in diapers. You have to stick together." Troy said. "I lost my best friends and I regret it everyday."
"Yeah, you're right." C said. "I want Blake to coach basketball with me instead of going off to the Lakers."
"Anytime you want me to start coaching, I'll be there." Blake said with a smile.
"And anytime you want to marry Gabi, I'll be your best man." C said.
"I'll cater your wedding." Zac said excitedly.
"Sweet!" Blake said.
"Okay, boys, let's not get carried away."
"Sorry." They said with a laugh.
"So if you don't mind me asking, Mr. B, who is Blake's mom if he's not Ms. Montez's son?" Zac asked.
"I met Blake's mom in college. It was kind of an accident." Troy explained.
"Well, I feel great now." Blake said sarcastically.
"I remember when you were born. It was on Gabriella's birthday." Troy said.
"That's ironic." C said.
"I was so happy when you looked at me with those signature Bolton blue eyes." Troy said.
"They definitely attract the ladies." Blake joked.
"Ms. Montez said she liked the color blue because of your eyes, Mr. B." C said.
"Did she?" Troy said with a smile.
"Yeah. I mean she didn't say your name, but we all knew." C said.
"Aw man." Troy sighed.
"I really need to talk to Gabi." Blake said.
"She left." C said.
"What?!" Blake asked.
"We saw her leave with her parents. She's probably going somewhere for Thanksgiving."
"I can't believe this. I really liked her." Blake said.
"Talk to her at school." Troy said. "Just remember to come back if you ever go somewhere."
"What?" The three boys asked.
"I promised Gabriella I would come back for her and I never did." Troy said sadly.
"Do you wish you would have?" C asked.
"I wish I never left." Troy said.
"No offense, Dad, but I don't want to end up like you. You know, only coming home when there's an emergency because you don't want to run into Gabriella." Blake said.
"I'm glad, son. Alright, I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow we're going to your grandparents' house for Thanksgiving, so don't stay up too late."
"Okay, Dad. Thanks for telling us." Blake said.
"Yeah, thanks Mr. B." C and Zac said at the same time.
"Anytime, boys." Troy said.
C and Zac stayed over for a while to watch the rest of the basketball game that was playing. When it was midnight, they went home and promised to help Blake get Gabi back when school came around.
Tell me what you think! In the next chapter... Thanksgiving break... Blake needs to talk to Gabi... Gabi needs to find where Blake is to talk to him... Ms. Montez should know where Blake and Troy went for Thanksgiving, right? After all, she pretty much lived at the Bolton's house in high school...
Much love,
unknownbyhim22