Author's Note: This chapter was based off of an ABC movie and I want Joshua Mc-Something-or-Another's story to be HEARD! (I'm not a freak to think up this kind of stuff. This actually happened to the Joshua guy! The part will be set off by exclamation points.)

Chapter Nine: Mistakes

Lucy Bolton- scratch that- Lucy Rivers just got off the phone with her attorney. The divorce was final and she was free to go about her business as a single woman in California. You may think that she felt remorse about leaving her son and her husband behind so abruptly.

You are thinking wrong.

Lucy Rivers was a dependent party girl that the Jack Bolton was not providing for her the way she demanded. The lying jerk had a girlfriend who was eight months pregnant! Sure, she felt a twinge of guilt for leaving Troy with Jack alone but what else could she do? She needed money for shopping and her other tiny needs. So, leaving her son was the only thing she could do, right?

Lucy pulled her new shades over her blue eyes and walked out her house into the sunny California streets. People bustled on the crowded sidewalks, talking animatedly and navigating through the crowd. Lucy took a right turn and opened up the large door of Miss Beckie's Gossip Parlor, her favorite smoothie place in town.

The bell tinkled as she stepped inside the bright room. People chatted away on cell phones and gathered at the couches like flocks of breads gathering at a piece of bread. They talked, too; Gossip- to be exact. True to its name, Miss Beckie's was a fine place for a nice piece of gossip and where Lucy picked up her first guy.

She ordered a strawberry smoothie to-go and waited impatiently for it to appear, drips of water streaming down its frosted sides, on the counter in front of her. Lucy dropped ten dollars on the counter and lifted her sunglasses over her flowing brown hair, as well as lifting her cup to her lips. Lucy took a long dramatic sip and a long contented sigh. This was worth it.

As she drained the remains of the smoothie, Lucy wondered what her son was doing at that very moment and she began to wonder if her choice to leave him behind was a mistake…

Troy cringed as the belt tightened against his wrists. He struggled to wiggle out of the leather but his father responded by kicking Troy hard in the side. Troy groaned and tried to pull his hand to his side but remembered that his hands were stuck to the bedpost, the leather belt clamping it on.

"I think I've been too soft on you, Troy," Mr. Bolton growled, kicking Troy hard in the chest. Troy groaned and tried to roll away but his restraint tugged at his wrists. Mr. Bolton kicked him once more. "So, I decided on this."

He kicked Troy once again and Troy let out a blood-curdling moan. Jack gave a satisfied smile and stooped down to look Troy in the eyes. "Look at me," He crooned. Troy looked away, his hair flopping over his tired face, tears rolling quickly down his face. "Look at me!" He screamed. Troy pulled his head up and looked his father straight in the eye as the tears left shining streaks on his face.

"Why are you doing this?" Troy whispered hoarsely, sniffling.

Jack looked mildly horrified and backed up away from Troy's face. He didn't speak, pondering the question. Troy kept speaking. "I mean, I know your dad whipped you with a belt when you were young… but that was when you did something wrong. What have I done?"

"Well, if it isn't as if the mere fact that you exist, isn't enough!"

Troy looked wounded by the comment and he asked, "So, why did you have me?"

"You were a mistake."

"Mistakes deserve respect, too," Troy said quietly.

"Mistakes like you deserve nothing more than I give you!" Jack shouted and sent another blow to Troy's chest. Troy cried loudly, his shot echoing around the room. Jack smiled evilly. Another kick to the hip and Troy clamped his eyes shut, a grimace twisted his features, and he yelled so loudly that the next-door neighbors could have heard him.

Jack clamped a hand over Troy's mouth quickly and whispered in Troy's ear, "Do that again and you'll be sorry." Troy nodded, shaking tears of grievance out of his blue eyes.

Thirty minutes later, Jack stomped out of the house, heading towards the nearest bar he could find. His car squealed as he made a reckless turn around the corner and down the next street. Little did he know that seconds after he had left the house, someone else entered.

Gabriella snuck into the house as quietly as she could, making sure the heels of her Mary Jane-type shoes were inches off the floor. She tip-toed up the steps and traveled down the hall and into Troy's room. She took note that there was no door as well as no Troy. She opened the bathroom door: only a wet shower and a fogged up mirror. Gabriella slowly opened the last door, dreading what she would see. Once it opened, she gasped so loudly that she was sure that someone in Alaska could hear.

Troy had his hands hanging limply above his head, a belt clamping them onto the bedpost. He had bruises blotching his face, arms and every visible inch of skin. Troy had his head lagged onto his chest, his eyes closed; he was unconscious.

Gabriella ran over next to Troy and collapsed at his side. His chest was moving but just barely and very raggedly. Gabriella placed a hand on his rib cage and even though Troy was unconscious, his body cringed. "Troy? Oh, Troy, please talk!" She shook him gently by the shoulder but with no prevail; Troy wasn't waking up.

Gabriella reached above Troy's wrists and tugged vainly at the belt. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge. Gabriella reached into her pocket and called a number, "Chad, get over to Troy's house. He's in trouble."

…

Chad flew to Troy's house in a psychotic frenzy. He made it up the stairs and into Mr. Bolton's room within what felt like a mere seconds. When he saw Troy, he froze. What was that? Why was he… Chad wouldn't finish his last contemplation. It was too hard for him to process it. Gabriella clung desperately to Troy and looked up at Chad, her face streamed with tears. "Help me," She whispered.

Chad tried to rip the belt off of his best friend's wrist with no success. He ran into the kitchen, grabbed the sharpest knife he found and rushed back upstairs. As quickly and carefully as he could, Chad slipped the knife under the leather of the belt and sawed it slowly until it broke and Troy's arms fell limply to his sides. Gabriella let out a sob and clutched at Troy's chest.

Chad stared amazed, but even in his dumbstruck position, he managed to pat Gabriella on the back. Gabriella sobbed and turned to Chad, wiping her tears off her face, "We need to get him out of here. If his dad comes back, I don't want to know what will happen."

"Then we need to wake him up," Chad said. "I can't carry him by myself and by the time I call Jason, Ryan, and Zeke, Coach may be home. Come on, Gabriella. Help me."

Gabriella nodded and moved blindly down the hallway, tears swarming in her eyes. Tears started oddly for Gabriella: first they began in her chest, buzzing like a swarm of bees. Next, they would travel up her throat like an ice storm chilling the lining and making it hard to swallow. Finally, the tears would come pouring out of her eyes like leaking faucets and she could never get them to come off. Gabriella found that when she saw Troy lying there helplessly, she had skipped steps one and two and immediately began to cry.

There was something about seeing her best friend tied to a bedpost that upset her, as I hope you understand. Troy was always the strong one, but lying there vulnerable and powerless was something that made Gabriella weep. It was as if her rock, her protection was defeated. And what was worse was that it was his own father.

She ran into the bathroom and grabbed a plastic cup off of the edge of the sink. Gabriella smiled through her tears at the cup, because Troy had always complained about the stupid, pink glass that he used to rinse his mouth after brushing his teeth, but he would never throw it away because it was a part of his past and getting rid of it would be like getting rid of an old friend. Gabriella gulped, wondering how hard it would be for Troy to let go of a father…

…

After about twenty minutes, Troy arose of his own accord, moaning and yelping. He wrung his wrists with his hands and stared up guiltily at his friends, "Hello."

"Troy…" Gabriella said softly, sniffling faintly. Chad cut her off and helped Troy off the floor slowly. Troy groaned but then shut his mouth quickly, looking up at Chad was scared eyes. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Troy said quickly. "I was just… never mind."

"Come on," Chad said. "Let's get you over to your house, Chad. The gang's there. They'll know what to do."

Chad started to help Troy but Troy stood his ground, staring worriedly at Chad and Gabriella. Gabriella sighed and said, "Chad's parents are gone for the night. Everyone is over there for a party. Let's go now."

Slowly as they could, Chad and Gabriella helped Troy into the car. Troy didn't make a grunt or a moan as they went, which surprised both Chad and Gabriella. Chad knew that he would be screaming and complaining the whole time and Gabriella was positive that she would be sobbing at this point.

Chad shut Troy's car door and got into the front seat. Gabriella scooted in next to Troy, taking his hand gently. Troy flinched and pulled away and Gabriella looked helplessly up at Chad who had already started the car. Chad turned the keys in the ignition and the car stopped again. Troy looked at Chad.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"Exactly, Troy," Chad asked. "What happened in there?"

"In where?" Troy asked.

"Troy, this isn't a time to joke," Gabriella said sternly. "This is serious. What happened?"

Troy sighed and looked out the window. "I got what I deserved, I guess."

"You deserved?" Gabriella asked incredulously. "You deserved to be tied to a bedpost and beaten?"

"Gabriella, please…" Troy began.

"No, Troy!" Gabriella shouted, tears falling down her face again. "I'm tired of keeping this quiet! You need help!"

"I don't need help, Gabriella!" Troy said. "I'm fine."

"It doesn't look like it!" Chad shouted.

"It shouldn't look like anything to you!" Troy retorted back. "You aren't supposed to know!"

"We were both almost hurt by your dad, Troy," Gabriella said softer now. "Chad and I. That isn't normal… your dad's a monster."

"No, he's not!" Troy screamed. The car fell silent. "You don't even know what you're talking about! He's still my dad!"

"How can you stick up for him?" Chad asked loudly. "After he did all that to you!"

"Chad, it's not his fault," Troy said quietly, looking out the window once again.

"Then whose fault is it, Troy?" Chad asked angrily.

Troy slowly turned his head towards his friend, a tear leaking down his face. "It's mine."

"Troy, this isn't your fault!" Gabriella said, as Chad angrily fired up the car and headed towards his house. Chad just shook his head and kept on driving. If Troy was going to be stubborn, let him. It's what he wants. "Your dad may make it seem like that but it's not true! You haven't done anything to deserve this!"

"Yes, I have, Gabriella," Troy said sadly. "I really have."

"What? What did you do that was so awful to deserve this?" Gabriella screamed, tears running down her face.

"I lived."

…

"This is getting ridiculous!" Sharpay shouted, slamming her hands down on the coffee table. "Why has he let it go on for so long?"

Troy had gone into Chad's bedroom and lied down to sleep. The gang agreed wholeheartedly. The guy deserved it for all the exhaustion he had gone through. The minute Troy's head his Chad's pillow, he felt fast asleep, raggedly breathing in his slumber.

"I don't get it," Ryan said slowly. "Why won't he tell someone?"

"He feels that he deserves it or something!" Chad shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

Gabriella sat on the couch, silently staring out the window, lost in a trail of thoughts. Taylor sat next to her rubbing Gabriella's back soothingly but her concern was lost on her face that was twisted into a pure look of annoyance. Chad was pacing around the room like a dog chasing its tail and Ryan stood next to the couch, leaning against the wall. Sharpay, Kelsi, and Jason had situated themselves around the coffee table comfortably, getting ready for what was sure to be a long night.

"Deserves it?" Zeke asked. "Deserves getting beaten?"

"Apparently!" Chad wasn't just annoyed; he was furious. That was his best friend and having someone do that to Troy was so angering that Chad almost told the police. He didn't according to his friend's wish but Chad wasn't buying it anymore. He wanted to call.

"What happened when you walked in?" Kelsi asked Gabriella. Gabriella opened her mouth to speak but couldn't get out any words. Instead, a sob escaped her lips and she buried her head into her hands. Chad looked despairingly over at Gabriella and tried to fill in as much as he knew.

"Well, Gabriella had gone to check up on Troy before she headed here and when she got to the front door, she heard him screaming. That scared her a lot, so naturally, she wanted to know what was going on but she was afraid of what would happen to her if she went into the house…"

"I was so selfish!" Gabriella sobbed.

"Gabriella, anyone would've done it," Jason said. "It was the right thing to do. Besides, I know Coach. He could've broken your neck. And if he knocked Troy out cold, he could do the same to you. No hesitations."

"Well, I waited for him to leave and snuck into the house as quietly as I could," Gabriella started to fill in her story. Chad sat down now, waiting to hear what hadn't been filled in to him before. "I checked Troy's room and the bathroom and then I found Troy… Guys, it was horrible. He was knocked out and his arms were tied above his head. He was covered in bruises, and… it was awful. I couldn't get the belt off and I called Chad, knowing he would answer his phone immediately. The belt was so tight that Chad had to cut it off with a butcher knife from the kitchen!

"Well, finally we got off the belt and tried to wake him up. It wasn't working-not water or shaking or anything. So we waited for Troy to wake up and I bandaged him up a bit because he was in such bad shape. Finally he woke up and moaned a lot so I was scared stiff. Troy, the Troy, was in so much pain…"

"It was so weird," Chad recalled. "Troy moaned and I swear to you, he looked terrified. He looked at me like I was going to beat him. It took him so long it make it to the car… He wouldn't even make a noise."

"Are you serious?" Sharpay asked. "I would've been screaming and shouting and making a huge scene out of it!"

"I could tell he wanted to, but he wouldn't," Gabriella said. "I think he's afraid we'll get mad at him or something." Gabriella's face fell and she turned to the entire gang. "Do you know what he said? He said that it was his fault that his dad is beating him!"

"How is it his fault?" Ryan asked.

"He lived, apparently," Chad said.

The room fell silent and Taylor scoffed really loudly. "This is so stupid!"

"Huh?"

"I mean, Mr. Bolton would never do that!" Taylor said. "I've known his parents since I was five! Mr. Bolton isn't the type!"

"I saw it, Taylor!" Gabriella said loudly. "I saw it!"

"Maybe he was provoked!"

"Provoked or not, he shouldn't do it!" Zeke said.

Taylor scowled and scoffed and then said, "It seems like such an act by now."

"What?" Gabriella asked dubiously.

"Oh, come on!" Taylor shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "You know he's just searching for attention!"

"I guess I could be," a voice said. Everyone turned to see Troy leaning heavily on the doorframe. He got up and limped slightly into the room. "All of this could be a ploy for attention."

"Troy, shut up," Sharpay said. "You know that's not true."

"For all you know, it could be true."

"Troy, stop!" Kelsi said. "We all know that this is really happening. You wouldn't make something up like that!"

"Yes, he would!" Taylor said. "He's always liked attention, guys. He basically just admitted it!"

Chad turned to Taylor, his face twisted in anger. His voice shook as he said, "Get out."

Taylor looked astounded. "What?"

"Get out of my house."

Author's Note: A small cliffy. Again, I am not a twisted freak. Be aware! Poor Joshua Something! Please review! Oh, and remember that little fact about the girlfriend somewhere in the begin? That will be returning… possibly… maybe… just might. REVIEW!