Day Eight: Fireworks

Troy sat restlessly in his dressing room, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The play was just about to start and Troy knew that he should be in the wings of the stage, getting ready to go on, but something inside of him just wasn't ready to go out and face the crowd yet.

Nerves had always been present when he was performing, he had done so little of it that it was a struggle for him to get ready before the recital, but today he was even more so because his reason and desire for performing wasn't going to be beside him on stage or cheering him on from the audience. Troy knew that performing his part in the play was the right thing to do, but he felt like he was cheating Gabriella, taking precious time to act onstage when she could be hurt or even dead.

Troy winced and shook his head to clear it of all negative thoughts about her. She had always told him to only think positive when getting ready to go on stage and he forced her words to the front of his mind, making it seem as if she really were here.

I might not want to do this, but I can do it for her. Troy thought, determination beginning to enter his mind at the thought of it. I'll perform like she's going to be the one performing with me.

And with those thoughts repeating in his mind, Troy strode out of the dressing room and got into place.

The drive had taken longer then Gabriella had accounted for, and she knew that it was going to be impossible to get home in time for the play. For some reason, making the opening performance had been glued in her mind ever since she had been kidnapped from her home, and she had made that her goal when she had planned to escape.

The fascination didn't strike her as odd, but she did notice that it was on her mind a lot. During the long, silent drive, she had rehearsed the entire play over and over in her mind, grateful when the remainder of her many lines popped into her head as she made her way through the long play. The motions that she had learned to go with the lines came back too and as the taxi pulled off the highway on the exit ramp for Albuquerque, Gabriella was ready to go.

As the driver wove through the streets, Gabriella took a peek at the bill that she owed him and gulped; it was enormous. Still, he had gotten her home safely and even took her the way she had asked; through the back roads - she owed him the money fair and square.

The night had crept up on them on the journey and Gabriella had slept in fits, waking with a jump every time the radio crackled, asking the driver how far in the journey he was. Her heart had been pounding for majority of the drive, and every time they passed a car, she had an overwhelming certainty that it was her father, here to take her back to his home and surely never let her out of his sight ever again. Luckily, it never was and Gabriella was as anxious as ever to be home safe with her mom and Troy.

The next day had passed quickly and now, as the cab pulled onto the street that her school was located on, she knew that she had missed the show. There were still many cars in the parking lot, however, and she hoped that it wouldn't be pure chaos in there.

The car stopped along the curb and Gabriella thanked him profusely, giving him a rather large tip without a second thought about it. He smiled in thanks and then drove off, leaving her to enter the school on her own. The lobby was quiet and she made her way through the familiar hallways with her heart thudding in her chest.

Now that she was here, she realized that just how long she had been gone, and she knew that everyone was going to be freaking out over her arrival. She snuck along the hallway leading to the theatre and paused outside of it, surprised as she heard voices coming from within - was the play still going? She slipped around the corner and backstage, freezing on the spot as she came face to face with a very flustered looking Ms Darbus.

Gabriella was expecting shrieks of excitement and lectures on how hard it had been for her to re-balance the show, but Ms Darbus hardly batted an eye, and instead, waved over Taylor from where she had been looking over a list of supplies.

"No hysterics, Miss McKessie, get her dressed and on stage. Welcome back, Miss Montez, you're just in time for the last scene. Break a leg."

Taylor just stood gaping at Gabriella and Gabriella tried to form a sentence, but Ms Darbus shoved the two of them towards a dressing room.

"Go! Get her ready, Taylor! No chatting, I want this to go flawlessly! I'll tell Melissa and where's Troy? Oh, he's already on stage - oh well, he'll find out soon enough."

She whirled around and faced the rest of the gathering crew.

"Cell phones in my hand RIGHT NOW! She's here and I don't want anyone calling the cops until final curtain!"

Immediately, cell phones were given up and people began to scuttle around, doing as she asked. Gabriella was rushed off to a dressing room by a still shocked Taylor and forced into her costume. They were so rushed that they didn't even have a chance to talk, and not even five minutes later, Gabriella was shoved into the right wings of the stage, awaiting her cue from Troy.

He was standing in the middle of the stage, delivering his lines flawlessly and with a smile on his face. Gabriella watched him with tears in her eyes, making certain that the veil covering her face was in place. She couldn't even wrap her mind around what was happening yet, all she knew was that Troy was doing perfect without her.

She tried to weasel her way off of the stage, but Ms Darbus just pushed her right back into place again.

"He doesn't know I'm here, he's going to be expecting Melissa under that veil. And my mom's in the audience, this isn't going to work - I've been-"

"That's your cue, Montez. Just wing it!"

Ms Darbus shoved her onto stage and Gabriella steeled herself for the last scene, her nerves shooting up through her as Troy turned and looked at her. Mechanically, Gabriella walked forward, towards him, grateful that her role was silent for majority of the play.

He spoke his lines, his eyes glazed over. Gabriella was able to see now that his heart was not in the performance. She reached her spot on the stage and stood there with shaking knees, her eyes glued to the face that she had missed so much. He approached her now and Gabriella tried to pull her mind together as he reached up, took ahold of the veil, and pulled it down off of her face.

AN: I bet you love me a lot don't you? I gave you all a cliffhanger just because I thought you would enjoy it ;) Haha, please don't kill me! Anyways, this is going to be the last chapter that I get up before Christmas, so MERRY CHRISTMAS! And I'll see you all in the new year, okay? Thanks for reading and please R&R it makes me smile :)