Thank you to my reviewers! I'm making an effort to update quickly for everyone, even those of you who are just readers. I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I haven't had a chance to do a thorough read through yet but I wanted to get it posted. Remember I own nothing and enjoy.
This one time when I was in fourth grade my mom bought me the sixty-four pack of colored pencils. They were the most amazing things my nine year old eye had ever seen, I'm not even kidding. These things came in the most exotic colors, macaroni, cha-cha chili, wisteria (a deep purple, but I mean come on deep purple is too hard for kids to pronounce so let's call it wisteria instead), there was even one called razzmatazz (it was, and yes lets be simple here, red). My (then) best friend apparently wanted to have the sixty-four pack as well but her mom refused to buy it. So what else was she to do but steal mine? Needless to say I was hurt and betrayed beyond belief (and yes she eventually gave them back, but I had to go a whole week not know if little razzmatazz was being overly sharpened or not). Troy's little monologue had the same effect as my supposed friends thievery.
I cried (but first I locked myself in a janitor's closet).
But I don't stay sad for long, so after three solid minutes of crying I just started to get angry. I was pretty sure that Troy didn't know I was watching him and he probably never would have said that to my face. After I thought about it I realized that he probably was just saying those things to reassure his team mates, but that wasn't even the problem. The problem was that he had said those things at all. He obviously cared more about his game than me if he was willing to lie just to calm down his team mates. I mean its like, be a man Troy, tell the truth. Am I right?
I obviously needed to back out of the call-backs, who knows what Troy would do? He might sing off key just so that we don't make it or something. You never really know with Troy, I think he's proved that pretty well. So I made my decision, next time I saw Troy I would tell him that I quit.
As it turned out that time came before I really had a chance to think of what I was going to say. Troy was waiting for me at my locker, presumably because we were supposed to go practice with Kelsi. Yeah, like that was going to happen now (I was so over Troy at this point). He greeted me with this sexy little wave slash grin thing and my heart fluttered (did I say over Troy?), but I remembered what he had said and steeled myself to let him know my decision.
"Hey, so I was just thinking about the call-backs-" For the first time in my life I cut him off. Gone were the days in which Troy cut me off, I was here and I was ready to play hardball (oh God that sounded so much cooler in my head).
"Me too, and here it is. I understand your concern about the call-backs, I'm concerned too. I mean what were we thinking, thinking we could compete against Sharpay and Ryan. I mean if this little 'dream' (I did air quotes so he knew I was being sarcastic) of ours had a moral it would be that geeks like me should hang around with people like you because when we do our hearts get broken and broken hearts are never good. In short the positively illogical, irresponsible, and utterly imperceptive workings of the human heart are so positively illogical, irresponsible, and utterly imperceptive that no one can ever hope to even begin to understand the emotions that one single person is trying to convey. When you add to that mix someone such as myself and someone such as yourself, two completely contradictory people, and then in addition to that you add our feelings and sentiments…well you see where I'm going with this right?" Actually I'm not even sure if I saw where I was going with that, so I could probably bet my life that Troy had no idea what I was talking about. I was as per the usual, right.
"Uh…so I take you don't want to rehearse today?" I smiled sadly and handed my sheet of music over to him.
"No I don't, give these to Kelsi will you?" He reluctantly relieved me of the burden and still looking completely confused (and utterly adorable) asked me one last question.
"So…I'll see you later then?"
"No, Troy. You won't." Those words were possibly the hardest words I'd ever had to say in my entire life. I turned slowly and walked away, not so much because I was sad (that would come later I was sure) but because of the dramatic effect it would have. What can I say; I like to make an impression.
When I have a problem I generally don't talk to my mom about it. Or I do and then do the exact opposite of what she tells me too. It's not that I don't appreciate her advice it's just that most of her suggestions sound like they're from a drunken college student (I mean seriously, 'Gabriella of course you should buy that shirt, they make you boobs look great!' no mother should say that to her child, she should tell me never to buy that shirt. That way I could actually feel good about buying it). I was feeling so miserable though that I couldn't help it.
"Mom, have you ever met the perfect guy but then he turned out to be nothing like how you though he was?" I flung myself onto the couch next to her. Mom turned to me with a incredulous look on her face.
"Gabriella have you met your father? Can you believe him? Married only a year after the divorce!" What I really can't believe is my mother; she can make my father look so bad sometimes.
"Mom, be fair. You were the one who divorced dad and Lydia is the sweetest person I've ever met." I swear, you should hear what she says about those two sometimes. Mom makes it look like Dad left us for Lydia and now we're all broken up about it. In reality my mom divorced my Dad and he fell in love with his new secretary Lydia, three months after the divorce was filed. My parents got divorce when I was nine and I wasn't broken up about it at all. I mean yeah I wish they could've stayed together but having my parents separated but not throwing plates at each other (okay my mom throwing plates at my dad) is a good compromise.
"Hey you want my advice? You have to listen to my story." My mom laughed at her joke (I didn't get it but then I rarely do understand her humor), "Oh I have a girl coming over later tonight, her name's Cinnamon. I want you to be a good role model for her." Ah another project for my mother, I wondered if she would be a stripper or a druggie this time. With her name it was harder to tell, it sounded…exotic…enough for her to be a dancer but then again maybe her parents were just messed up like mine.
"I'll be good, but I'll also be in my room until she comes. I've homework that I'd like to finish before I meet…Cinnamon." In truth I really just wanted to read and stay out of my mom's sight (if I did she might forget about introducing me to this girl, it's worked before). So I went upstairs, grabbed a book, and read…until my cell phone rang. I had been reading for a few hours (isn't it amazing how you can get lost in a really good book?) so when my phone rang I was pretty surprised (no one I mean no one ever calls me) and I may or may not have screamed quietly. Or loudly.
"Hello?" Yeah I still haven't found a witty way to answer the phone. But I am trying.
"Hey, Gabriella, it's Troy." Oh…him He couldn't leave me alone could he? I really did miss him, even if it hadn't even been a day yet, so I decided to let him explain. I stayed silent to let him know I was angry but willing to listen.
"Look, I know what happened, I asked the guys and they told me. I had no idea you were listening to that. None of it was true, I swear. I'll prove it to you, if you want me to." Now I was interested, Troy seemed to have a knack for not letting me get bored around him, I'll say that.
"Prove it? How?" I did my best to sound skeptical. I don't think it worked very well, I'm pretty good at convey my emotions but only one at a time and right now I was feeling pretty hopeful.
"Turn around." Turn around? What? Was it a code word? Should I know the code word? Troy laughed through the phone, "Face the balcony Gabriella." Whoa. Whoa. That sounded way to stalkerish for my tastes. Was Troy watching me? For how long? I was seriously creeped out now so I turned around but I grabbed a stray mirror (the hand held kind) that was on my night stand, if it was a kidnapper I wasn't going without a fight.
It was actually Troy, and I didn't think he would be kidnapping me so I dropped the mirror discreetly on my bed before letting him in. How had he gotten up to my balcony anyway? I noticed the trellis on one side of it was a little bent (note to self move trellis before kidnappers begin to think like Troy).
"Are you crazy?! You could have fallen and been killed! Troy! You could've fallen and broken a bone! Oh my god you could've sued me! Are you crazy?!" I repeated, I was worried about his safety sure (I hated him at the moment yes but I didn't expect to hate him forever) but I also really didn't want to be sued.
"So you forgive me?" He asked smiling charmingly (my heart may have melted, it seemed to be skipping beats at the very least).
"I- I don't know I mean what you did was so wrong. You lied, how do I know I can trust you?" I really don't like liars, we've been through the colored pencil thing yes? Troy how however must have hated liars as well because he swore and moved closer to me. This was by far the most romantic moment of my life I mean Troy and I were practically kissing, my heart was beating like a zillion miles per minute and I'm sure I was blushing like crazy.
"Gabriella, I didn't mean to lie. I just wanted them to leave me alone about this, to you know, support me a little. Obviously that wasn't going to happen so I said stuff to shut them up for a while." It sounded sincere to me but something was tugging at the back of my brain.
"But…you didn't even want to try out in the first place." Why continue doing something that you hate? It didn't make sense at all.
"But you did. And it wasn't so bad. You want to be in the musical, I can tell. I want you to be in the musical too and if I have to sing with you I will." This guy was so perfect, I was (there is absolutely no use denying it now) so in love with him. So I responded like I usually do when I'm in over my head.
"Oh…" And I smiled. It was probably the biggest stupidest smile ever but I had a feeling that I'd be smiling like that a lot now.
"Gabriella!" My mom's shrill yell cut through our moment (Troy and I were actually having a moment!), totally disillusioning everything.
"Oh God…I have to go be a good influence on some girl. Wanna come? You're a pretty good kid…at least you won't make any bad impressions anyway." I teased him as I led him out of my room and down stairs (I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to tell my mom that my friend had come over…through my balcony) while Troy protested jokingly.
"Good kid? I'm like a freakin' honors student; we don't get better than this."
Cinnamon turned out to be a girl who looked about twenty-five (but without her makeup she would probably seem about my age) and immediately cozied up to Troy.
"Hey there. You've heard about me?" She inquired seductively.
"Well no…actually I haven't." Troy responded woodenly, he obviously didn't like her but it didn't stop her from slipping him a card and flouncing away. I was disgusted after apologizing to Troy I yelled to my mom.
"Mom! Cinnamons doing…" I didn't know exactly what to call it, "...business in our house!" My mom came fluttering instantly out of the kitchen and over to Cinnamon.
"Oh dear, you need more time that's fine, fine dear don't you worry." She cooed to Cinnamon like she was five as she led her out of the main hall. It's amazing how nurturing and motherly my mom can be to those whom aren't her children.