The Next Day
Author's note: hey everyone! How did you guys like the last chapter? Before I introduce you to the tenth chapter, I just want you guys to know I wrote a Zanessa one-shot called 'Don't leave her' and if you guys are interested read and review it! Thanks for that and here's the chapter!
Chapter Summary: Gabriella is shocked when she learns why Sharpay got drunk, a letter for her in the mail and when someone finds out her identity…
I awoke at about quarter to ten in the morning. I smiled when I thought about the night before with Nomad. I couldn't even believe that I could feel that much in love. I still didn't see his face, but he was the only person that I could think about. He was the only person that was making me smile. He was the only person I wanted to be with. Still smiling, I got out of bed and I grabbed a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt and I got into my white flip-flops and I walked out of my room, thinking that maybe it was best to go and check up on Sharpay. She got pretty drunk last night and was probably not feeling too hot.
I walked down the stairs and I began to walk towards her room to see if she was even awake yet. I was about to knock on the door, when I suddenly heard Sharpay vomiting in the bathroom. I jogged over to the bathroom, where the door was left open. I gingerly opened the door and I saw Sharpay throwing up in the toilet. She still wore her gold dress but she wasn't wearing her shoes. Trying my hardest to ignore the smell of her vomit, I walked in to assist her. I took her side and she kept on throwing up.
"Sharpay, do you need anything?" I asked her when I saw her taking in breaths as she stopped throwing up. Sharpay leaned up against the wall of the bathroom and she looked at me tiredly. She looked awful and disgusting.
"I need water. And I need Tylenol; I have a killer headache." Sharpay said, her voice still slurred and her voice in pain from her headache. Nodding, I got up and I grabbed a nearby glass and I turned on the tap and I handed her a glass of water and I grabbed a single Tylenol pill and placed it neatly in her hand. She swallowed the pill whole and she sipped the water delicately and then she put the glass down beside her on the floor. She took in a few breaths and she looked at me dizzily.
"I feel so not hot right now. I can still taste the tequila and that gross and cheap beer." Sharpay said, spitting into the toilet. I nodded my head and I looked at her, actually caring about her well-being for the first time in my life.
"Sharpay…why were you drinking? You're underage; it's against the law for someone under twenty-one to be drinking. What happened?" I asked, concerned of what Sharpay did for her to do something as stupid as that. Sharpay sighed sadly and she bit her lip, trying to figure out how she would say all this to me. After thinking and sorting out her words, she looked up at me, almost poignant. I almost felt bad for her.
"Troy dumped me." Sharpay said despondently. My eyes didn't widen like they normally did; I knew it was coming. He looked miserable with her and she treated him like dirt. It was obvious they weren't going to last another day. But I was still supportive and asked her what happened.
"Sharpay, I'm so sorry to hear that. Did he say why he broke up with you or did he just break up with you and walk away?" I asked, trying to be kind and supportive. I thought that maybe she would be a little nicer to me if I was nice to her. Sharpay let a few tears streak down her cheek and she avoided contact with me and just stared at the tiled floor.
"He said that he wasn't happy anymore and that wanted out for a while. I tried to persuade him to change his mind but he said that he was in love with this other girl. He said that she understood him and that they had something secretly happening while we were together." Sharpay said, her tears silently streaking her cheek.
I should've felt happy that Sharpay was miserable and she got what she deserved, but I didn't. I felt truly bad for her. She didn't deserve to be with someone like Troy, but she didn't deserve to know she was with someone who cheated on her. I sighed in sympathy. Maybe Troy would've dumped her if he was with someone else anyway; Sharpay did treat him badly. But that was the last thing that was on my mind; the real question was where did she get the booze from?
"Sharpay, where did you get the beer from? You couldn't have bought it from the beer store, they wouldn't have allowed you." I said. Sharpay shook her head and she tried not to vomit.
"When I saw that you didn't get my dress, I figured you were at work or something so I had to go get my dress…after I got it I bumped into Matilda and her older brother Joel. He's in his fourth year of university I think and he and Matilda went go meet a few friends and asked me to join. I decided that I would and there was all this beer and alcohol there and Joel's friends offered me all these drinks and I was still down about Troy so I just kept drinking to numb the pain. I remember driving to the dining hall with Joel and Matilda and I was pretty drunk and I was just wandering around asking for. And I don't know what happened after that. I guess I passed out." Sharpay said, sounding really out of it.
She didn't remember her confrontation with me and Nomad. She didn't remember cutting the two of us with her broken beer bottle. In my mind, I sighed with relief. I dodged a major bullet there. I hoped that it would stay that way; I hoped that she wouldn't get any flashbacks from that night. I could only see bad things happening if she had flashbacks. I put a hand on her shoulder and I looked into her dizzy eyes and gave her a comforting smile.
"Sharpay, I'm sorry to hear all that. Just take it easy for the rest of the day." I said as I helped her stand up and I walked her back into her room and she lunged for the bed. Her eyes began to close.
"Thanks Gabriella." Sharpay said tiredly as she fell back asleep. I nodded my head and I walked out of her room and I closed her door and headed downstairs. I had to leave for work at noon so I decided to go see Ryan and have something quick to eat before I left for work. I walked into the kitchen and I saw Ryan making grilled cheese sandwiches. I smiled and I stood beside him.
"Good morning." I said with a smile. Ryan smiled happily back at me and nodded his head.
"It sure is." Ryan said merrily. I grinned knowingly. I knew why he was so contented and in such a good mood.
"Oh I suppose Kelsi is going to become Kelsi Evans soon." I joked. Ryan didn't defend himself; he only blushed and put two grilled cheese sandwiches on a plate and he handed me a plate and we walked towards the table and began to eat our grilled cheese.
"I'm hoping so. I actually never knew that I liked Kelsi so much. And did you know how alike we both are? I mean, how did I not see that before? She's great, I love her so much." Ryan rattled on happily as he took a bite of his grilled cheese.
I smiled blissfully for Ryan. I had never seen Ryan this happy before. I chewed on my grilled cheese as I studied his face. He was smiling more than usual and he had an unusual glow in his eyes. I don't know how to describe it; he was just so in love with Kelsi after a day of dating. Ryan definitely had these feelings locked up inside. Kelsi must have felt the same way too; there was no denying the way she looked into Ryan's eyes that she had liked him for a while.
"I'm happy for you Ryan; you deserve this more than anyone I know." I told Ryan, taking a sip of milk from my glass. Ryan smiled back at me.
"Thanks Brie…well enough about me, I want the details about you and Nomad. Did you find out who he is?" Ryan asked, pouring milk into his glass. I sighed and shook my head.
"I didn't find out who he was…Sharpay drunkenly stumbled in and ruined it before he could kiss me and tell me who he was." I said, reliving that moment. Ryan raised both of his eyebrows.
"Even when she is drunk she manages to ruin things." Ryan joked. I let out a giggle and I smiled to myself, remembering all that Nomad did for me.
"She didn't ruin it all though. Nomad is good friends with Hilary Duff's family and he remembered me saying that her song 'Someone's watching over me' has a special meaning to me and he got her to come and sing that for us while we danced. He was the sweetest person. And before I left, he gave me a silver ring on a chain. And he kissed my cheek. And that was it. I definitely felt something happening between us." I said in a daydream tone of voice. Ryan raised his eyebrows and he smirked.
"Now I'm only going to be hearing about this every time I see you at school." Ryan said smirking. I smiled and nodded my head.
"Looks like it…but you know what's weird? I felt like I knew him. I felt like it wasn't my first time talking to him in person. Does that make sense?" I asked, not knowing if Ryan understood what I said. Ryan nodded his head, understanding me all the way.
"That makes perfect sense Brie. Who do you think it is though?" Ryan asked me, his eyes showing that he wanted answers. I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing myself.
"I don't know. That's what is bugging me. But I guess that I'm going to find out at the party on Friday at the club; we're meeting at the pool." I said taking a final bite of my grilled cheese. Ryan nodded his head and smiled.
"That's great Gabriella." Ryan said, taking both our empty glasses and plates and putting them in the sink. I jumped up from my seat and I grabbed my uniform bag.
"C'mon Ryan we better get going. I get off work at three so do you want to go see a movie or something?" I asked, wanting to spend as much time with Ryan before he moved in with his dad on Monday. Ryan nodded his head with a smile and grabbed his car keys.
"Yeah I want to see Jumper." Ryan told me as we both walked out the door and we locked the door.
We walked down our driveway and the mailman putting mail in our mailbox caught my eye. I ran over to the mailbox as the mailman walked back into his car and drove off. I opened the mailbox and looked through all the letters. We got bills, letters from family…and a letter from Princeton addressed to me. I immediately opened the letter and I read the letter. My eyes widened. I got accepted. I was going to Princeton. I was so happy, I screamed with joy. I ran towards Ryan's car and he looked at me like I was crazy.
"What was the screaming for?" Ryan asked as I jumped right in front of him. I handed him my acceptance letter with a wide vivid smile on my face.
"I got accepted into Princeton!" I exclaimed happily. Ryan read the letter and he smiled happily for me.
"Congratulations Gabriella!" Ryan exclaimed happily as he wrapped me up in a bear hug and spun me around. I smiled happily as I hugged him tightly. Everything was beginning to look up for me. I had great friends, I had somewhat of a lover and I was going to escape from that house because I got accepted into Princeton. Maybe I wouldn't be unhappy and miserable for the rest of my life anymore. Ryan slowly let go of me and he smiled at me.
"You know…I think you should tell my mom about this." Ryan said abruptly. I raised both my eyebrows. Was Ryan kidding me? Derby wouldn't care one bit if I got accepted into Princeton. If anything, she would tell me I couldn't go and make me work at the country club for the rest of my life.
"Tell Derby? Ryan, how much did you drink last night?" I asked him sarcastically. Ryan thought to himself, completely looking over my sarcasm.
"I didn't drink anything; I was the designated driver last night." Ryan said with a proud smile, like he hoped to get an award for staying sober. I rolled my eyes. I loved Ryan to death, but he wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box.
"Ryan, you just missed the whole point of my pun." I said. Ryan thought to himself, realizing my sarcasm.
"Oh okay…but seriously you should tell my mom. I think she would be really proud of you." Ryan said; trying to make it sound like Derby has been waiting to hear this news for her whole life. I sighed, not knowing if I should even bother to tell her.
"Ryan, I don't know. She doesn't give me the same reactions that she gives you and Sharpay when you guys tell her good news. You are her own flesh and blood; she's proud of you guys no matter what. I'm not her child. In fact, I don't even think that she wants me to be her child. I don't think I should tell her." I said, thinking my words through. As much as it hurt to say it, I knew it was true; she wouldn't care if I got accepted. Ryan sighed and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Brie, I know you may think that, but I know that she's proud of you no matter what. Just tell her." Ryan encouraged me with a smile. I shrugged my shoulders, not really caring.
"Whatever…come on we better get going. I don't want to be responsible for anyone drowning. And I hope you brought your bathing suit; you're going to go swimming!" I said, trying to get off the subject as I jumped into Ryan's car. It wasn't long until Ryan got into the car and he pulled out of the driveway.
"Yeah I brought it…god I hope Kelsi is playing the piano at the club today." Ryan said, mostly to himself. I grinned and nodded my head.
"Yeah she'll be there…she's probably only going to be there to see you though." I joked as we drove to the club.
At the club…
I stood at the top of a large rock and watched all the kids swim and play in the water. It was amazing how many kids came to spend an hour or two at the most just to swim at a country club. I didn't see anything special about the pool. Sure, it was big and had many cool features about it, but it was a pool. Maybe I just said that because I was always there and I was bored of it. Maybe that was the reason. Maybe I just said it for the sake of saying it. I don't know and I really don't care.
I sighed and I looked at my watch for about the millionth time. I had half an hour longer until I got off work to go and see a movie with Ryan. Time was going by slowly and it was killing me. I just wanted to leave. I just wanted to get off work and spend some much needed time with Ryan. It saddened me when Ryan told me that he was going to be living with his father for a few weeks until he was done filming his commercial. I knew it was just a few weeks, but I didn't want Ryan to go. When I was at home, I always felt like I was alone. Ryan was the only person who cared about me and kept me company. I didn't know how I was going to live without him until his commercial was done.
I stepped down from my rock and I began to put all the used and wet towels into a large cloth bag. I figured that I might do the next guard a favor by cleaning up most of the towels for him. I kept on grabbing the vibrant yellow towels and I shoved them into the bag, trying to pass time as quickly as I could. I just longed to leave work. I just wanted to leave and not have to worry about not doing my work. Suddenly, I felt someone grab my shoulder. I turned to see who it was and I could've punched someone out when I saw who it was. It was Chad.
"Hello Gabriella." Chad greeted with a creepy smile. I rolled my eyes. What did he want?
"What do you want Chad? You can't bug me anymore because you got Taylor. You got what you wanted so you can stop bothering me now." I snapped angrily, shoving the towels into the bag violently as a result of my anger being let out on Chad.
"That just proves my point." Chad said, grinning. I looked at him, confused.
"What point were you trying to prove?" I asked curiously. Chad shook his head slowly, a cheeky grin still on his face.
"You didn't know that because Taylor told you." Chad stated. I raised both my eyebrows. What was wrong with this guy and not making his sentences clear?
"Can you please not make your sentences all fragments please?! What are you talking about?" I demanded, getting annoyed with Chad. Chad continued to grin as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"You were that girl at the dance, weren't you? The girl wearing the light blue dress? That was you." Chad said, almost proud that he had figured out whom I was. I stopped breathing for half a second. How did he find out who I was? Oh god, how did he find out?!
"How did you find out?" I asked, almost afraid of how he found out.
"First of all, you looked familiar and second of all…it was pretty obvious. You tried not to sound like yourself, but it was obvious that you were you." Chad explained. I bit my lip. He must have also seen me with Nomad. Maybe he knew who Nomad was. Maybe Chad wouldn't know I was Angelbabiie either.
"Was that the first time you saw me during the night?" I asked nervously. Chad shook his head, almost crushing me.
"I saw you walking down the stairs and then you disappeared for a while. And before you came over us, I saw you go into the bathroom. But I didn't see you anywhere else. Why were you doing anything illegal?" Chad asked grinning. I let a weak smile grow across my face and I shook my head.
"No I was just wondering…listen Chad…I know you and your friends all hate me and…"
"We don't hate you." Chad interrupted me.
"Anyway…I just need to ask a favor of you." I said sounding and looking desperate.
"Okay sure." Chad said blithely.
"Don't tell anyone that that was me okay?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't question me. Chad just smiled weakly and he nodded his head.
"I wasn't planning to anyway. Listen I got to go; I promised Taylor that I would meet her sister and then when their shift is over, I was going to treat them to dinner. So I'll talk to you later." Chad said, his smile seeming genuine. I nodded, smiling gratefully at him.
"Oh sure it's no problem. I'll talk to you at school I guess." I said with a smile. Chad nodded his head and to my shock, he leaned in and gave me a hug. Surprised but not afraid, I hugged him back. Maybe this would mean that he and his friends would stop calling me a freaky math girl. He let go of me and he waved goodbye and headed in towards the club. I sighed with relief.
"That was close Gabriella." I whispered to myself, getting back to work, hoping no one else would ask me if that was me.
To be continued…
Okay so, I would really appreciate five or more reviews if you all want to see the next chapter…and please don't be afraid to give me suggestions; most of the suggestions you guys give me, I have added into this story already or will be used in the upcoming chapters. Thanks guys I will update as soon as I can.
Acting-Singing-Bella