Disclaimer I do not own High School Musical or any of its characters.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! I just got back from a Forensic Science Program (which was AWESOME!) I hope you all enjoy this chapter – get ready for the ride! Enjoy…

Chapter Ten – Tears

Troy groaned as the phone next to him rang. It was late, almost 1:30 am, and he was sleeping, or at least he was. He reached over and grabbed his phone, flipping it open and holding it to his ear.

"Hello?" he grumbled.

"Troy?" came a quiet, tearful voice.

His eyes snapped open and he immediately felt awake. That was Gabriella's voice that came through his cell phone. Why did she sound so upset?

"Gabriella?" his voice was laced with concern.

"Can you come over?" she whispered.

Troy was already out of his bed before he answered, "Give me 10 minutes. I'll be there in 10 minutes."

As he pulled on jeans he heard Gabriella sniffle, "Thank you. I'll see you soon." When the line went dead, Troy shoved his phone in his pocket and quickly fumbled around for a shirt and shoes. In record time he was dressed and sneaking out the back door.

After a short jog, he was climbing up the tree in Gabriella's backyard. He pulled himself up the branches and then hoisted himself over the balcony railing. He quietly opened the French doors into Gabriella room. She was facing away from him, sitting on her bed with earphones in. Her hair was up in a messy bun and Troy could see she was wearing her pajamas.

Quietly, so he didn't scare her, he made his way around her bed and gently tapped her on the shoulder before he sat down next to her. Gabriella pulled out her earphones and looked up with sad, tired eyes,

"Classical music calms me down," Gabriella offered as if she was trying to keep herself from bursting into tears.

Troy saw a tear drip down Gabriella's face. She didn't even bother to wipe it away as she stared down. He gently reached across the brunette and let his hand carefully push her cheek towards him.

"What happened, Brie?" he asked seriously.

"I'm done. I'm done," she sniffled.

"Done with what?" Troy coaxed.

"Her," Gabriella's voice was laced with bitterness, in a way Troy had only heard once or twice before.

"Brie…" Troy began. He knew Gabriella was upset with her mother for not coming to both the shows, mainly Lily's art show, but part of him knew that she really wanted to have a mother again.

Gabriella shook her head, she wanted to explain, "She came home and I confronted her about the art show. But she chose business again Troy. She chose her work over us. Again. I can't, I can't let her leave us hurting again." Tears were falling freely down her face as her voice cracked, "I just feel like she's not trying. I tried but here I am crying again," she threw her hands up in frustration.

"Shhhh," Troy soothed as he wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs, "I know you're trying."

"But she doesn't," she whimpered.

"That's her fault then," Troy reasoned, "If she's not going to try, then you don't have to try either."

Troy studied the red faced brunette in front of him. Even though her eyes were glossed with tears, he could see a deep, deep hurt in her eyes. She broke eye contact with him, to stare at her lap. Something more was bothering her. There was something that was eating her inside that she wasn't telling him.

"Brie," he whispered.

Gabriella looked up at Troy with shameful eyes waiting for his question,

"What aren't you telling me?" he probed carefully.

"She said, she said I was just like him. That I hate people, just like he did," her voice cracked. "I don't want to turn into a monster Troy," she sobbed.

Troy pulled her into a tight embrace as her small body racked with sobs. He could feel the pain that radiated through her. God he hated it when she cried.

"No baby no, she's wrong," Troy soothed, kissing her hair, "You are nothing like him. I promise."

"But she said-" Gabriella sniffled.

"Hey, hey," he whispered, leaning back and trying to look at Gabriella's face. Once she realized she'd lost contact with Troy's warm chest Gabriella quickly found the comfort of his kind eyes.

"It doesn't matter what your mom says. I know that you are nothing like your father. You are loving and caring; you are considerate and compassionate; and intelligent and strong. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," Troy reminded her.

Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut and more tears leaked out, "I used to think he was all those things," she pointed out, "What if I turn out like him when I'm older? What if it's in my genes?"

"I'm pretty sure that your 32 chromosomes don't code for being a monster. Besides, I'm not going to let that happen to you," Troy assured her.

"You sure?"

Troy nodded, "I promise."

Gabriella smiled a watery smile before she started to wipe the streams of tears off her face with her palms.

"Are you alright now?" Troy asked gently.

"Mmmhmm, thank you for coming," Gabriella said appreciatively. "If you want to back home, you can," she whispered.

"Or I could stay here with you," Troy suggested, a grin spreading across his face. Gabriella smiled, the first real smile he'd seen all night.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she admitted. She scooted back on her bed and started to push her legs under the warm covers. Troy got up to turn off the lights but then quickly joined Gabriella in her bed. When he was laying flat on his back, Gabriella snuggled close, resting her head on his strong chest.

"Goodnight," Gabriella whispered.

"Goodnight Brie."Troy let his arm pull her closer as he closed his eyes contently.

"Troy?" Gabriella murmured a few seconds later.

"Yeah?"

"Humans have 46 chromosomes, 23 pairs," Gabriella explained, "I don't know where you got 32 from."

Troy couldn't help but laugh, "You are such a nerd," he mumbled affectionately.

"You should pay more attention in bio," Gabriella countered.

"And you should get a lock for your balcony doors, but we can't all have what we want," Troy reminded her.

Gabriella giggled, "Night Troy. I love you."

"I love you too."

As the bright sunlight of the morning shone through her balcony doors, Gabriella rolled onto her back and opened her tired eyes. She sighed and looked to her left, expecting to see Troy's sleeping figure beside her, but instead her eyes landed on a folded piece of notebook paper. Curious, she grabbed the paper, opened it and began to read…

Morning Beautiful,

As much as I would have liked to stay here all morning with you, I think my mother would have a fit she woke up and I wasn't home. I'll call you later.

Troy

Gabriella smiled and folded the note again. She glanced at the clock and was slightly shocked when she saw it was almost 11. She rarely slept this late, but then again she rarely stayed up at late as she had.

She noticed, as she made her way downstairs, that the house was very quiet – unusually quiet. Normally there was chatter from the kitchen or the sound of TV on. But this morning, nothing.

She made her way into the kitchen and found her grandmother sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea. Her grandmother looked frail and tired, two words she would never use to describe Mariana.

"Abuelita, are you ok?" Gabriella asked softly, concern lacing her voice. She sat down right next her and paced a hand over hers.

"I'm fine, just a little headache," Mariana assured her.

"You sure?"

Mariana nodded. Gabriella squeezed her grandmother's hand before she got up to grab the teapot and another cup. Before she poured herself some tea, she refilled her grandmother's cup.

"Where is everyone?" she asked after she sat down.

"Your mother took Lily and Lucas out for brunch," Mariana explained. Gabriella didn't say anything, instead she just looked down at her tea as she drank it.

It was Mariana's turn to put her hand on Gabriella's, "I know you're upset Gabriella, but she's trying, please remember that."

"I'm trying too," Gabriella reminded her, "But I don't know how long I can keep getting let down," she admitted.

"I know you're trying. And I know it's hard, but I just want you to be happy," Mariana reiterated.

Gabriella nodded silently, and continued to sip the warm tea.

"Let me get you some breakfast," Mariana offered, "and you can me about what you and Troy talked about last night," she added, giving Gabriella a knowing look.

"How did you-?" Gabriella asked, completely shocked.

Mariana eased herself up from the table, "I may be old but I…" She stopped speaking mid-sentence and was suddenly breathless, as if she had just run 10 miles.

Gabriella quickly turned in her chair to see her grandmother panting as she held onto the table with both hands. Standing up behind her she quickly asked if she was alright,

"Just tired, just tired," Mariana wheezed, trying to assure her concerned granddaughter that she was ok.

"Why don't you sit down?" Gabriella suggested, as she eased her back into the chair. Mariana's face suddenly scrunched in pain as she grasped her lower chest.

"What hurts?" Gabriella asked worriedly.

Mariana was breathing heavily by this time, but she managed to speak, "My chest, my back."

Gabriella watched as her grandmother's pain increased. It dawned on her that the symptoms weren't stopping – she needed to take more serious action. She grabbed the phone off the kitchen counter and quickly dialed 911. As she listened to it ringing she sat back down next to her grandmother to try and ease her pain.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My grandmother is complaining of lower chest and back pains. She's out of breath and looked really tired this morning," Gabriella explained, surprised at how calm her voice was.

"How serve is the pain?"

"She can't move," Gabriella answered bluntly. Suddenly she watched in horror as her grandmother's head slumped forward. She shook her shoulder, "Abuelita?" When there was no response, Gabriella shook harder, "Abuela!" All of a sudden that calm Gabriella was gone, and replaced with a terrified one, "Please!" she cried into the phone, "You've got to hurry and send an ambulance! She's fainted – she's not responding to me!"

"Ma'am, I need you to remain calm. I need your address."

Suddenly, Gabriella struggled to remember their address, "Um 57 uh Spring Hill Rd, please hurry!" she begged desperately.

"I'm sending an ambulance, they should be there shortly. I'm going to stay on the line with you until they do. Is she still breathing?"

"Yes, but barely," Gabriella answered quickly.

"And a pulse?"

Gabriella placed two shaky fingers on her grandmother's neck and waited to feel a pulse, "I feel a faint pulse, but it's not enough. You need to hurry!" Gabriella could feel her own breathing hitching, she couldn't find the air she needed to breathe. She was so scared. She couldn't lose her grandmother, not now.

"It's going to be alright, you just need to stay calm and keep monitoring her vitals," the operator tried to assure her.

Within minutes Gabriella could hear sirens, but she didn't dare move from her chair. By the time the paramedics came running in, she was muttering incoherent things, trying to explain what happened as tears ran down her face.

She could barely process what was happening as suddenly her grandmother was on a stretcher, being wheeled out of the house with an oxygen mask covering her mouth.

How had this happened? Why so suddenly? But most importantly, would she be ok? Gabriella prayed her grandmother would be as she quickly followed the paramedics out of the once quiet house.

A/N: Oooooo It's been a while since I've left you guys with a good cliffy :D In all fairness I did warn you. Thank you so much for reading, let me know what you think!