"Why … why do we have to find 'x'?!" an aggravated Troy slammed his palms against the thick hardcover algebra textbook
Gabriella giggled and looked up from her homework. "Relax, just follow the example I showed you earlier"
"You know that has to be the most asked question in the world" Troy squinted at his smartphone that was placed in the center of the dining table, where Gabriella convinced him it was best to place the cellphone so that it would not distract him
"I'm sure it's not"
"I'm sure it is! Let's google it!" Troy lunged forward to grab his smartphone, but Gabriella was quick to snatch it from the table
"No! We have to finish our homework! Otherwise it would've defeated the fact that I missed my weekly sleepover"
"I thought it was cause you wanted to hang out with me!"
"Nahhh, you're not that cool"
"Hey!"
"Kidding!" she giggled as she threw her head back and Troy sat across from her watching her in admiration of the sweet sound of her giggled.
"Can you please tell me the answers so we can go play some one-on-one"
"I don't want to" she sighed and hunched over her completed homework. "I miss aunt Helen; I want to go home"
"Why?" Troy dropped everything from his hand and in his head. The disappointment dawned on him as he thought of spending the rest of the day without his best friend
"I just haven't been able to spend time with her. Taking transit is so exhausting during the week when I get home, I finish my homework and I go straight to bed. Plus, the few weekends I spend here made Aunt Helen take up extra shifts at work so when I do spend my weekends at home she's at work."
"Oh Brie, I didn't know"
"No, it's not your fault. Can I borrow your phone? … to call my aunt"
"Yes! Of course" Troy rushed to the kitchen for his home phone. He handed Gabriella the phone and returned back into his seat. Gabriella looked at the phone and back at her best friend. She smiled softly and walked out of the dining room while dialing the one number she knew by heart.
"Hey kiddo"
"Hi mom"
"Where's Gabi?"
"She's on the phone with her aunt"
"Oh is something wrong?" she pulled out the chair beside him and glanced at the homework laid out on the table in front
"No idea, one minute she's laughing and fine and the next she's all sad and said she wanted to call her aunt"
"Well sweetheart, Gabi's living situation is more complicated than you think. In a way she lives a double life, she doesn't live and go to school in the same area like you, she has to have separate friends because of that and with travelling she has to spend time with both sets of friends equally all while trying to spend time with her aunt and just having some quiet time for herself"
"I never thought of it like that"
"Yes because you live in a home with two loving parents and two siblings, so you are never alone. Plus Chad, Zeke and Jason are down and across the road while school is 10 minutes away. This is why your father and I always taught you and Aiden and Bea to always be grateful of what you have and get in life"
"I know Ma. I am grateful, thank you for everything" Troy reached over and pressed a kiss unto his mother's cheek
"Aww such a mama's boy" Aiden rushed down the steps and turned the corner of the living room
"Oh hush you! Go wait in the car" Lucille fanned him off. He grabbed his huge gym bag by the couch and slugged it over his shoulder and shot through the garage door leading to Lucille's silver Camry. "Just remember Troy, Gabi's life is in Eastmellow and she sacrifices so much to be here on Fridays and the weekends with you, so be mindful of that. I have to go drop Aiden off at soccer practice and pick up Bea from ballet"
"Okay mom. I love you"
"Love you too. Thank goodness you don't have basketball practices on weekends. Oh, and number 14 is wrong" she chuckled as she watched the horror struck her middle child's face
"Wait! What … mom! Gabi said that too! Waaaiiitt, what's the answer!?"
"I have to go" she shouted repeatedly as she grabbed her handbag and ran to the garage door.
Troy groaned as he slammed his forehead against the dinner table. "Stupid, stupid, stupid"
"You will be if you continue to act like a woodpecker"
"Ha ... Ha ... Ha" Troy looked up at his best friend who was walking around from the kitchen to the table. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah!" she began to gather her books and papers into her schoolbag. "Aunt Helen is coming to pick me up! We're gonna get lunch at the local diner"
"Wait, you're going home? What about my homework, you're supposed to help me."
"Well figure it out!" Gabriella slammed her folder against the table in frustration. She stared at the flower pattern under the plastic. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she continued to shove her belonging into her bag "I just … I need to go home."
"Hey, is everything okay?" Troy's dad broke the silence between the two teens, he had been lingering in the kitchen making a sandwich when he heard the echo of the folder slamming against the mahogany table
"Sorry Mr. Bolton …"
"Uncle Jack" he corrected her as he had also grown fond of Gabriella
"Right, I just really want to go home"
"Okay. Well no problem I can take you home"
"No it's okay, Aunt Helen is picking me up"
"Are you sure?"
She nodded as she softly slung her bag over her shoulder. Jack returned back into the kitchen but kept an eye of the teens through the kitchen counter connected to the living room. He didn't have to ask if something was wrong, he had felt the tension in the room.
"Look, I know I said I would help but…"
"No, I get it. You should go"
"Troy please don't be mad"
"I'm not"
"Then look me in the eye and tell me that"
Troy continued to avoid eye contact as the silence continued to build. Jack continued to linger around the corner to ensure the disagreement didn't excel beyond the tension. As saved by the bell, Jack rushed towards the front door in hopes of seeing Helen. As the door swished open Helen took a step back by the wind from the speed of the door.
"Hi Jack"
"Thank goodness you're here. I don't know what to do in these situations … not with teens"
"What? What happened?" the horror struck her face and she pushed her way through the door frame
"Troy and Gabi seemed to have a disagreement. There was yelling and slamming and Lucy is normally the one to deal with the yelling and the slamming"
Helen released a breath of relief as she peaked into the dining room to see the teens talking among themselves in an arm's length distance
"Jack! You scared me! What was the disagreement?"
"Well from what I picked up from Gabi wants to head home but Troy seems to want her to stay with homework"
"Homework? … Jack really? That's the oldest excuse in the book. come on"
The confusion grew into his arched eyebrow that soon relaxed as he realize the hidden message behind the argument.
"Ahhh, Troy likes Gabi"
"Ding Ding"
"Maybe Mary can help you then!" the higher pitched voice caught the attention of the two adults who both glanced behind them. They looked at each other in shock and surprise
"Okay let's go before some serious damage is caused" Jack nodded as he followed the short brunette into the dining room
"Hey guys"
"Aunt Helen!"
"Hi Aunt Helen"
"Something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. Let's go" Gabriella skipped towards to the arc of the living room that leads to the front door. Helen followed behind as she quickly waved good-bye to Troy.
"Don't you want to say goodbye"
"No, he's being irrational"
"Well what's wrong?"
"He's mad that I'm leaving. I just want to go home and see Krissy and Abi and have dinner with you"
"Well, I'm sure Troy was thinking the same –I mean he wanted to spend time with you"
"I'm here pretty much 24/7, I just need a break"
"How about you invite Troy over, give him a tour of the town and introduce him to the girls!" Helen suggested with a smile and a hint of eagerness
"I … guess so"
"Hey Troy!" Helen turned the corner of the living room and caught the attention of the teen scribbling on his folder. "Would you like to come over? Gabi would be happy to give you a tour of the town"
"Yeah! Of course … well if Gabi really want me to"
"Fine loser. Let's go" Gabi rolled her eyes as she headed out the door and into her aunt's car
Troy jumped up with excitement as he grabbed his cellphone and headed for the coat closet
"Hold on Mister. You promised mom you would finish your homework before any fun" Jack interrupted his path towards to the coat closet
"Yeah, but dad …"
"No, I am not taking the heat for you. You promised"
"I'll get it done before it's even Sunday. Please dad please!"
"Alright, alright. Keep your phone close and call mom and tell her you're heading out with Aunt Helen"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
As Helen's car excelled through the small road between two meadows, Gabriella and Troy were seated in the back while Helen attempted to make small talk. After exiting the city, all attempts ceased and the music from the radio consumed the silence.
"Stop being mad at me" Troy whispered across the seat to his best friend
"I'm not mad. You're mad" she kept her gaze out the window with her chin stuck out in confidence
"I'm not mad" he grinned at her, hoping to get her attention
"You were mad at me so I was mad at you for being mad at me but in all actuality you were being irrational"
"Wait … so am I mad or are you mad?"
Gabriella chuckled and look at her best friend with a smirk as she turned to look at his silly confused face "You're so stupid"
"Ahhhh, but I got you to look at me"
Gabriella groaned and held her hand to his face and gave his forehead a little forceful push
"I'm sorry" he whispered as he pouted
"Fine, fine. I forgive you"
"Good! So … about that algebra"
"Troy, you understand the material. Stop trying to play stupid. I'm not doing it for you"
"Okay … so what are we going to do in your town?"
"Oh! I want to show you the library where I got all my books! And we can go to the diner and get sundaes, oh! we can meet Abi and Krissy and go to the bowling alley. And then we can catch a movie at the theatre, but they only ever play two movies"
"Alright Gabi, let's grab some lunch before you start gallivanting around town"
The thunder clapped as the light flashed and Gabi gripped the blankets tighter. Troy reached out for her opposite hand underneath the blanket.
"Hey, it's okay"
"Yeah. Of course" Gabriella tried to play off her freight and paranoia. She smiled weakly at Troy as the lights outside continued to flash to brighten up the dark.
"Okay Troy, I just spoke with your mom. It seems you'll have to crash here tonight, the bridge going into the city is closed off because of the storm"
"That's okay Ms. Montez"
"Okay, I'll make some hot chocolate and some brownies to ease your nerves Gabi"
"Thanks Aunt Helen"
As Helen disappeared in the kitchen, Gabi stared ahead at the movies playing on the television screen. Troy kept his gaze on his best friend as she slowly came from under the blue blanket.
"Gabi, why are you so afraid of the thunder?" Troy whispered.
Gabriella continued to watch the group of teenagers prancing around in the cafeteria singing and dancing to a song about high school status quo. She tried to drown out the sounds of the rain hitting the roof heavily as it echoed through the living room. Troy had given up on an answer to his questions, as he figured that her fear for the thunderstorm triggers bad memories.
"The night that my mom passed away, I was at home with my Nanny Penny and it was a thundersnow happening on that night. Now most time I hear the thunder …" Gabriella paused as she took a deep breath and fought the tears "I just remember hearing the phone ring and the police coming to pick us up because Nanny Penny couldn't drive"
"Oh Brie, I'm so sorry"
"I just …" the tear she fought for so long began to pour down her cheeks. Troy pulled her closer and she leaned her cheek against his shoulder. He leaned downwards into the curve of her forehead as her tears began to drown his shoulder. "I miss her so much"
"I know, but she lives in your heart"
"I just want to be able to see her one last time"
The silence enveloped them as Troy was at lost for words. His only experience with losing a loved one was his first pet goldfish as four years old. He wasn't aware on how to console someone or what to say, so he let Gabriella cry as much as she needed and held her hand tightly while rubbing the side of her arm as he hugged her tightly.
"I … I don't know what to say or do Gabi"
"You're doing everything right now Troy" she gasped between hiccups as she continued to let the tears flow easily.
Helen had just placed the baking pan of mixed brownies into the oven. She grabbed the two mugs of hot chocolate and headed for the living room. As she walked through the threshold she could hear the sobs of her niece, and just as she was about to rush to her side and hold her she saw the 14 year old teenage boy taking her position and consoling the broken and hurt girl.
When the thunder continued to clap louder and louder each minute, Helen had hoped Gabriella would be distracted by her best friend and the movie to think about the worst night of their life. But when she heard the soft sob of Gabriella, she remembered their promise to each other – never to cry alone. As she watch Troy rubbing the side of Gabriella's arm and his right collar began to soak with salted tears, she wasn't worried about Gabriella dealing with the pain alone because she knew Troy was there to support her and share her pain with her, even though he never knew her mother.
As the thunder began to slowly disappear, so did Gabriella's tears. After the movie ended, Troy had challenged Gabriella to her favorite board game, Scrabble. Although he couldn't win a game of scrabble to save his life, he knew that playing with her would lighten up her spirit.
"Ennage" Gabriella placed her letters unto the board and counted the total number of points she racked up from the words. "Ha! 27 points with triple letter score on 'G' and double letter score on 'E'" she scribbled on the scoresheet. She tallied the point thus far and made a note on the halfway mark.
"What! Is that even a word!?" Troy raised an eyebrow as he continued to stare at the seven letters placed on his rack
"Weeellllll you can challenge my word, BUT! If it is an official word you lose your turn!"
"Ah, I believe you"
"You're no fun" Gabriella frowned.
"Brie, you're 89 points ahead! I think I'll pass on the challenge this time"
"It's not my fault you challenge me last five words! You should read more"
"na na na na" Troy mocked her
"Veerryy mature"
"Ha!" Troy slowly placed his letters on the board on by on. It didn't take long for his turn to be up as he placed a 'H' beside the 'E' of Gabriella's previous word
"'Eh' is NOT a scrabble word Troy" Gabriella glared at her best friend who was smiling smugly
"Weeellll you can challenge my word, BUT if it is an official word you lose your turn" Troy mocked his best friend
"Fine! I challenge your word!" Gabriella grabbed her scrabble dictionary and flipped through the letter E section. "Oh … my … gosh. That's an actual scrabble official word" Gabriella's face dropped as she watched her best friend cheer on himself.
"Get out! YES!" he laughed as he pumped his fist in the air
"It's just three points Bolton. Relax!"
"Na uh! Triple letter score!"
"Okay seven points" Gabriella chuckled at his excitement and recalculated the points.
"Only 82 more points to catch up!" Troy reached into the bag of scrabble letters to refill the one letter he used. He smirked at Gabriella, who cutely rolled her eyes at him while Helen watched the two teens from the couch as she sipped her hot tea.