More Than Meets The Eye
—Hello! I am 15 and I still love Selena Gomez! I'm going to her concert in August at the Mann Center! I'm a little over excited! Oh well! Anyway, it's been...almost two weeks since I've last updated. I'm sorry! Please don't be mad.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
Chapter 10
Troy stopped his caressing and his eyes grew wide. Gabriella's eyes did the same and she shot up, scooting away from him. "Oh, God, no...I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry." See, this is why she wants to see. If she could see his face, she would be able to determine if he's disgusted or completely happy. Please be the second one, she begged mentally to herself.
She felt Troy's movement. He was coming off the bed and as he did, her heart melted. What was she doing? Of course she meant what she said. She loved him! And you can't mistaken love...
"Troy...please say something," she begged silently.
"I..." She felt his hands wrap around her body and herself being lifted. "I love you, too," he finally said and Gabriella's heart fluttered. He then burst out laughing and kissed her so fiercely, she became dizzy. Gabriella, overwhelmed with giddiness, threw her arms around his neck. Troy disconnected their lips and grinned as Gabriella's eyes opened.
"I love you," he repeated again. "Man, you have no idea how long I've wanted to say that to you." He put her back down on the bed and sat down himself. Gabriella giggled and placed her hand on his stomach. Gently she traced the lines that separated his abs. "You know, I'm scared," Gabriella admitted randomly. "Not about what people think I'm scared of—bullies, clothes, looks and so on. I'm scared that everyone I love will leave me. Do you know how long it was since I've said I love you to my dad? It was a while ago. I remember being in that car. My parents were fighting again and I was so scared. I just wanted my mom and dad to be how they used to be. But now they can't obviously. I won't have a mom to talk to me about how my body is changing or help my dress for prom. I won't have any of that. And, now I'm afraid to loose you."
Troy pulled her in tight for a hug and shook his head. "Nothing will happen to me," he promised. "Don't ever be afraid."
"I just don't want to go through it again."
"You won't have to." He kissed her temple and sighed. "You won't have to."
MTMTE
"This feels so weird," Gabriella told Troy, laughing softly. Currently they were at Paint N' Pottery. It was Troy's idea. When he was younger he'd come here and make a bowl or vase. And he thought it'd be fun for Gabriella to try. Even if she was blind.
"Yours is better than mine and you can't even see what you're doing," Troy said. "Mine looks like a blob of nothing. Yours at least looks like a unicorn."
"Unicorn?" Gabriella gasped, laughing. "I'm making a vase!"
"Oh...Well, here, let me help." Gabriella felt Troy grab her hands in his bigger ones and he guided her hands through the icky mess. As he did, his body pushed against hers and she could feel white fire soaring through her body. Her eyes fell closed and she gave her hands to Troy.
"Your fingers just have to push around it," he told her softly. Gabriella's eyes opened and almost cried when she could only see darkness clouding her vision.
"Gabriella?" Troy's voice turned from soothing to worried in an instant. "What's wrong?" Gabriella only shook her head and leaned her body into Troy. Her body shook with every cry she let tumble from her lips. She knew she looked ridiculous in a kid place full of, well, kids, but she could care less. she just needed Troy to hold her.
"Do you want to go home?" he said to her and Gabriella mutely nodded.
Troy helped Gabriella exit the shop and to his beat-down truck. When they were settled in, he drove off and the only sound that was being made was Gabriella's distant cries and the nasty roar of Troy's engine.
"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Troy questioned, breaking the intense silence. He glanced over at her and his heart broke as her body shook and her faced paled. "Gabriella...please."
"Do you know what it feels like to wake up and see nothing at all? To be trapped in a never ending tunnel of darkness?" She lifted her head up and sighed. "I'm sorry. My stupid mood messed up this day for us."
Troy reached across and grabbed her hand. "You didn't ruin it. And, no. I don't know what it feels like. But Gabriella, you're going to be able to see soon!" He tried to lighten the mood with thick enthusiasm. "Isn't that great? You'll be able to see your dad again and you'll be able to see me! And you get to visit your mom's grave this time! And you'll be able to read and write without braille—"
"Troy, I'm sorry if I'm bursting your bubble now, but that's really not helping," Gabriella sulked. "We have to get fifteen grand and my dad can't just pull it out his pockets."
Troy was silent for a while before he said quietly, "My college fund—"
"Don't even go there," Gabriella demanded. "You aren't throwing away college for me. I won't allow it."
"But I will."
"No you won't. Troy, this is college we're talking about here—"
"There'll be scouts at the end of the year and I can get a scholarship and I won't even have to touch the money, Gabriella. Why won't you just take it?"
"Because I'm not selfish! I'm not taking your money. Especially not that much. What if we...break up or something like that? And then you regret giving me that money? Or if something happens with the surgery—"
"Shut up!" Troy yelled fiercely at her and the car swerved. Gabriella quickly went to grab the edges of her seat and her eyes shut closed tightly.
The car hit a pole and the two in the car could hear the screeching sound of metal and iron. Troy jerked forward and heard the deafening sound of glass and Gabriella's scream. There were many honks and yells building up around them.
Troy looked alarmed at Gabriella. She was shaking vigorously and tears were quickly cascading down her cheeks and a huge gash cut into her skull. "Gabriella..." His throat clenched together tightly and he looked out his rear-view mirror. Two cars crashed into each other and one ran into a stop light.
"Gabriella, say something. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Please..." He reached out to touch her shoulder and when it landed on her shoulder, Gabriella flinched away, still shaking and clenching her eyes shut. There were police sirens the next moment and ambulance and the fire trucks. Troy sighed and his head fell to the steering wheel.
"I'm so sorry," he mumbled.
"Sir, are you okay?" Troy lifted his head to look at the officer. His vision was partly blurred and all he could make out of him is a big blue blob. "Sir? Hey, Stevens, we need help over here."
Troy turned away from the cop and looked at Gabriella who was breathing harshly. A paramedic yanked open the door and he opened his mouth to tell them to stop, but nothing came out his mouth. He felt himself being lifted from the car as well before everything went into a silent world of darkness.
MTMTE
When his eyes opened his visions was still a blob. He could still hear the sirens, but he wasn't in his car anymore. He was pinned down to a gurney and pain was shooting through him harshly. He groaned and tried to look around him.
Then a thought occurred to him.
Where was Gabriella?
With all the strength he had, he turned his head and right next to him was Gabriella. Her petite body was shaking more than ever and blood was quickly oozing from her skull. Her arms were also burned with cuts and glass was pricking her skin as well.
"Gabriella," he said hoarsely. He tried to make his voice stronger: "Gabriella!"
"Son, imma need you to calm down," a paramedic said and Troy squinted up at him—er, her.
"No, wait, I need to be with her," he tried to explain. "She can't see. She's blind. She needs me."
"She's fine, Son. She'll be okay."
"Promise?"
The woman looked down and Troy saw a flash of something. She patted his chest and nodded. "I promise."
MTMTE
Would she ever forgive him? Is she alright? How could he put her life in danger again? Would he ever forgive himself? How would her dad react? Will she ever want to speak to him again? Troy's heart started to hurt more than the bruises.
Does she sill love him?
Troy's eyes opened and his visions was back. He could clearly see he was in a hospital. Either that or his parents changed the ceilings and his bed.
"Troy?"
Troy turned his head to the voice. It was his mom. She was sitting in the burgundy hospital chair, dabbing at her red eyes and black mascara streaked face. "Oh, Troy, you're awake," she cried and flung her arms around him. Troy winced and she immediately pulled away. "I'm sorry, honey. What happened?"
"There was a crash...Gabriella and I were fighting and...I lost control and yelled at her and the car got off track and...oh, God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. Especially...Gabriella."
"That blind girl caused all this?" Jack huffed, crossing his arms.
"No," Troy said, ready to yell. How dare he accuse his Gabriella of creating this? "I did."
His dad ignored him. "I knew you dating her would be no good."
"You don't even know her!" Troy yelled and his parents looked shocked. "When the car crashed, I could see that same scared little girl she was when she got blind. She was so scared and I wanted to hurt myself for causing it. And she was hurt, too. I made her go through it again..."
"Troy...you obviously feel strongly about this girl," Lucille said softly. "But, Troy, she's blind. I don't want her to get hurt."
Troy's nostrils flared and angered boiled up in him. Troy couldn't believe this. "I won't—"
The heart monitor picked up and the three turned their attention to it. Quickly, a nurse rushed into the room. "Oh, what's going on?"
"Nothing going on," Lucille told her quickly.
"We're just talking," Jack piped in.
"Oh, well, be careful. Stay calm and don't get stressed out, okay, Troy?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The nurse nodded before exiting the room. Troy gave a glower to his parents before facing his back to them. Lucille sighed and Jack huffed. "Son, don't act so immature. She's fine, I bet."
"That doesn't matter. she'll never forgive me. She'll hate me."
"Honey, maybe you're overlooking this," Lucille said. Troy only huffed.
MTMTE
Pain...Darkness...Pain...Darkness...Pain...Darkness...Troy.
Where was Troy?
Gabriella's eyes flew open and she gasped.
"Gabriella!" Gabriella bit her lip and sighed deeply. Her dad carefully engulfed her in a hug and when he did, she flinched and moved away. "Gabriella..."
"Wh—what happened?"
"You and Troy were in a car crash," he replied sadly. "It was big. Cars tumbling everywhere." Gabriella's chest closed in at the sound of car crash and Troy. Was he alright? Because if he wasn't...
"Is Troy alright?" she asked meekly.
"Yeah, he's fine. You both had a few cuts. You had to get seventeen stitches though to close up that gap on top of your head. The doctor said you lost a lot of blood. Troy had some minor cuts and was lucky enough not to get brain damage."
"Can I see him?"
"I think the doctor wants you to stay relaxed, Gabriella."
"I want to see Troy," she told him slowly. "Please." She took a big breath before saying, "We love each other."
"But—but you told me you guys, you know, haven't told each other that yet."
"We said it yesterday. But nothing happened, dad. He didn't say it to take away my virginity."
"Well, okay. I guess I can't stop you from falling in love." Mario sighed and Gabriella heard him stand. "I'm going to get a doctor. Stay put, Gabriella."
"Will do, dad." When Gabriella was sure her dad was gone, she quickly came out of the bed and pressed her body against the wall. Stealthily she moved across the wall and out the room.
The floor felt cold under her bare feet and she felt oddly exposed.
And, of course, she had no ides where the hell she was going.
She moved her arms around her to determine where she was going. A soft hand gently touched her shoulder and Gabriella jumped, tripped and stumbled into the wall. Pain soared through her and she cried out. "Ma'am? Ma'am, are you okay? Can you see?"
"I'm blind," Gabriella told her. "And I'm looking for Troy Bolton."
"Blind?" The woman gasped and quickly helped Gabriella up. "Wait...you look so familiar. What's your name?"
"Gabriella Montez."
"Gabriella Montez...Gabriella Montez! Oh, I remember you so much. I'm Maria Helen. It was when I first got my job. You were coming in from a car accident and I did surgery on you. You were so fragile. There was a point when you flat lined for almost a minute and I was so scared. I remember praying for you to stay with me and then you woke up."
"You...you did surgery on me?"
"Yes. I remember it like it was just yesterday when it was thirteen years ago. Now, did you say you were looking for Troy Bolton? It's so weird, he's right here." Gabriella heard a door click open and then Maria helped her into the room.
"Gabriella!" she heard Troy gasp and the rustling of the sheets.
"Troy, sit," a man huffed angrily. Gabriella was pulled into a hug the next second and she fell into the warmness of it. Her arms wounded around his neck and it was then she started to cry. "I'll never fight with you again. I thought I lost you," she decided, clinging onto him as if she would loose him. Troy tightened his grip around her waist and Gabriella couldn't even feel the pain.
"You thought you'd loose me?" Troy pulled away and Gabriella almost whimpered. "I thought I lost you. You're more banged up than me and it's all my fault. I shouldn't have yelled like that."
"I should have let you given me the money. If I wasn't being so damn—"
Jack shot up, his eyebrows furrowing. "Money? What money?"
"Well, dad, I want to give my college fund to Gabriella so she can get surgery on her eyes," Troy explained and Gabriella's hands became sweaty. Jack Bolton didn't seem so welcoming. "College fund?" Definitely not welcoming. "Troy, you will not give your college fund up for some...some...gray-eyed-stupid-spoiled-blind girl!"
Gabriella felt tears prick to her eyes and she pressed herself against the cold wall. "What the fuck, dad?" Troy boomed and Gabriella grew scared. "You don't ever talk to her like that again! And I'll give her my money if I want! In case you forgot, it's my money."
"Don't speak to me like that, Troy," Jack boomed right back. "You have many other important things than...than...her! We didn't move here so you can slack! We moved here to start fresh, to get our lives together.."
"Gabriella is my life. I love her," Troy seethed, his fist curling.
Maria made a sound. "Aw! How cute!"
"You don't know anything about love, Troy," Jack told him. Gabriella felt the vibrations of his feet and she knew he was coming closer to them. Gabriella suddenly reached for Troy and ran her hands down his arms. "Troy...settle down. You're tense and you just got into an accident. You need to relax."
"He needs to leave," snarled Troy.
"No, she needs to leave," Jack said, tilting his head to Gabriella.
"Jack, calm down," Lucille told him, trying to push him back to his seat.
Jack fell into the seat and crossed his arms. "Son, get back into this bed right now."
"No, I'm going with Gabriella," Troy told him. He turned to her and grabbed her lightly. Gabriella turned in his arms and whispered softly in his ear, "Are you okay?"
He looked down at her and sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine." And without another word, they both turned and left. Maria set a towel down on a near-by chair. "Well...interesting things keep on comin', huh? I'll be goin' now. Keep your blood pressure down, grandpa." She quickly slipped out of the room and Lucille stood back up and looked at her husband. "I'm going to get him. Jack, you need to talk to him. Basketball isn't the only thing he needs to survive. Did you ever think he was ever lonely? That he needs someone other than his play mates?" Jack only stared at her and Lucille sighed and shook her head. "Okay, well, fine. I'll go see if he's alright." She walked out the next second and Jack sunk low in his seat and buried his head in his hands.
MTMTE
"Troy, are we going back to my room?" Gabriella asked after a few minutes of walking.
"No, we're visiting someone. Someone I want you to meet. She might know how you feel."
"You know, if you want to talk about you and your dad—"
"No, Gabriella. I don't. C'mon. We're here." Troy pushed open a door before they stepped in and Gabriella could hear the light chatter of people and the smell of fresh blood. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Troy, where are we?" The chatter stopped and Gabriella could feel the stinging feeling of eyes on her. Troy squeezed her hand before walking again then stopping.
"Judith," Troy breathed and Gabriella felt him lean down.
"Oh, Troy, is that you? My baby. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Judy, how are you?"
"Oh, I feel fine. Especially since my family is here. Is there someone next to you?" Gabriella was confused. Couldn't she...Oh.
It dawned on her that Judith was blind as well. That's what Troy meant when he said he wanted her to meet someone and she might know how she feels.
"Yup. Judy, this is my girlfriend Gabriella. She's blind as well." Troy grabbed Gabriella hand and placed it into Judith's hand. Her hand was cold and felt like a shriveled up balloon. Judith sighed before reaching out and her hand felt Gabriella's face. She'd never met another blind person and never had someone fell her face. It was weird yet...calming.
"A young beautiful girl like you shouldn't deserve this kind of torture," Judith commented. Gabriella shook her head and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How do you know if I'm beautiful or not?"
"I can feel, child," Judith answered, lowering her hand. She brought Gabriella's hand up to her face and Gabriella took that moment to run her own hand across Judith's face. It felt bumpy and old, but beautiful too.
Gabriella smiled. "Wow," she breathed.
"How did this happen to you, Gabriella?"
"I was in a car accident when I was four," Gabriella explained. "My parents were fighting and my dad ran a light. It was a horrible crash and my mom even died because of the impact. And, of course, I got blind."
"Yes, I was just a child as well. I was twelve and these girls were bullying me. One girl got a glass bottle and hurled it at my face. Not only did I have scars covering my face, but I grew blind in my right eye first then my left eventually followed." Judith sighed. "My scars still lay."
"That's so sad. I'm sorry."
"Oh, it wasn't as bad as your. You were only four. Your life was only starting."
"Well, so was yours," Gabriella told her.
"Gabriella's getting surgery done on her eyes soon," Troy announced and Judith looked to him. Her brown eyes shined with delight. "I wish I could've gotten surgery, but back in my day they didn't have anything as fancy as the stuff they have now. An' I was dirt poor. Even when I'm blind I have to work on the cotton fields picking cotton an' bruising my little fingers. My daddy said, 'Well, those eyes ain't gonna pay for anything so get workin'.' He loved me, but couldn't let me just sit around. Then he got scarlet fever an' got blind as well. He had to sit. My mama didn't tell me, but I knew he was sick. He coughed a lot then one day while I was picking cotton, he died in his chair. I remember walking into the house with my cute little overalls calling his name, but he didn't answer. I grew worried an' ran to his chair an' found him. I shook him, but he didn't wake up. I started cryin' then an' I knew he was gone."
Gabriella frowned. "I know what it feels like to loose a parent when you can't see. It's horrible."
"I feel you, honey." Judith smiled softly. "One of these days I'm gonna fall dead. I am ninety-six after all."
"Gabriella?" Gabriella and Troy both turned around to the sound of Maria's voice. "Your dad isn't lookin' too well. I think you should come—quick." Gabriella eyes went wide and without waiting for Troy, she was rushing to the door.
"Wait, Gabriella," Troy called after her and ran too. Gabriella was stopped at a body leaning against the white wall of the hallway. "Dad?" She shook his body, but no sound came from him. "Dad, what's wrong? Are you okay? Please...say something."
"Okay, everyone, move please," a doctor ordered and Troy reached to bring Gabriella back. Gabriella tried to reach for her dad but they were already rolling him away. "Where are they going with him," she demanded.
"They're going to see what's wrong with him Brie," Troy told her, tightening his embrace around her. "Everything's going to be okay."
Gabriella turned in his arm and flung her arms around him and pressed her face in the crook of his neck. "Promise?"
"I promise."
This is the longest chapter I've written for this story. 4,205 words. Okay, who thinks they know what's happening to Mario? The person who answers correctly, they get the first half of the chapter before it airs. Let me give you a hint, it's not good.
Okay, so tell me what you think and review please!
~~~Nessa Kiss