"I wish the best of everything for you,

I hope you know that honestly I do,

How long can you run."

Beg. Beg. Beg.

Gabriella should be begging, pleading and humiliating herself if it was necessary to get Jack back, but she was temporarily mute and she didn't even know why. The whole speech about how she caught up in the moment with Troy was stuck in her throat and the remorse mixed with the 'I'm sorry' she wanted so much to pronounce was on the tip of her tongue. But she was paralyzed in the same spot for more than ten minutes and she couldn't move.

She couldn't begin with 'things are not like what they seem', the least she could give Jack was the truth - he was already too hurt for her to lie to him. Gabriella wouldn't be a cheater and a liar, he didn't deserve that. Not that he deserved the cheating part either, she just couldn't resist Troy. They were still clung to each other when Jack walked in. Jesus, what kind of person was she to give someone that as a birthday present?!

And now, it was like the loudest silence was filled with everything that Gabriella needed to say. She wanted him to scream at her, at least do anything that showed some emotion, some expression. But instead of it, Jack was ignoring her, like she didn't exist, or she wasn't worth anything as he had his back for her, staring at the huge bookshelves that filled most of the wall of his office.

Gabriella knew she was losing him and the sensation was unbearable. Their hearts were no longer connected and she didn't feel safe and comforted anymore. She was already missing the sensations Jack gave her and he was literally only five steps away from her.

She felt her stomach constrict and the bile rise in her throat as she walked to close the gap between them. Although Jack knew she was there and could hear her footsteps, he didn't turn back to look at her, not even once.

Her shaky hand laid ever so gently on his shoulder and she felt Jack's body stiff at her touch. Gabriella cried silently, the tears flooding down her cheeks as a broken sob escaped from her mouth. The realization of loosing him was hitting her pretty hard now, as if she just ran into a brick wall.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said softly, putting a lot of effort to show him through her words her sincerity. "I love you, Jack. It was a mistake"

Jack continued to face the bookshelves and she ran one hand through her hair, "It was just attraction, it is just attraction, but if you forgive me I promise you it will never happen again" she sighed fragilely as her cry got harder, "I love you"

"Was it the first time?" his voice was like ice and she wanted to kill herself for hurting him so much.

"No" she admitted.

"Gabriella" he said coolly, his back shaking slightly as he talked, "You and I are going to go back to that party and pretend nothing happened. But—" he turned around and his gaze met her saddened eyes, "But I want you out of my house tomorrow morning. You can go back home with your friend"

She shook her head abruptly, more tears cascading her face, "No please. I love you, forgive me Jack. I can't live without you"

"Yes, you can"

Gabriella shook her head again, stubbornly, "I won't leave you"

"I'm the one that is leaving you" he said under his breath. "I'm gonna ask the bodyguards to take Troy from my house too. Hopefully he will go because I asked to; I don't need a scandal right now"

"Jack please" Gabriella held his arm as he passed through her, "Give me another chance. I can't lose you. I'll be in the darkness again, you know that"

He scanned her quietly for a whole minute before pushing her hand out of his arm, "I hope Troy can work as a lamp for you then, we're over Gabriella"

"Please" she begged again, with tears running down her cheeks. She would be till it was necessary, till she could have him again.

"Gabriella, stop it" Jack said firmly, "If you really loved me as you said, you wouldn't be having sex with my son" he ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head slightly, "How dare you come here and tell me you love me after what you've done? You don't love me at all"

"I love you, I really do. Let me prove you, please" Gabriella cupped his face with needy hands, "Jack please, please. Give me another chance"

"I won't say it again" he concluded. "Tomorrow morning, you're out of here. I'll give you enough money to buy the tickets back to New Mexico"

Troy was already driving away from Jack's house with Cameron, Chad and Mandy. Carlie had come back to her house an hour before by cab. The little boy was still sleeping and Troy was just too nervous to pretend nothing happened, to lie to his two best friends that he was fine when he wasn't obviously well. He was still pale and his hands were shaking badly, more than ever when his father's bodyguards appeared from nowhere informing him that his father had requested him to get out of his house and never come back.

He was feeling horrible, not only because he fucked up Jack's birthday party – Troy knew that could happen when he first saw Gabriella and went crazy about her. He was ready to fight against his father to get the girl he was in love with. One thing he regretted though was the fact Jack actually saw him and Gabriella having sex; it was painful for his father and he could see it in his eyes before he left the bathroom. He knew that hurting Jack could occur when he first went after his girl, but Troy wasn't cruel enough to do it on purpose. His plan was to explain his dad he fell in love with Gabriella and that she loved him back, it wasn't planned, but happened.

Simple like that.

He'd understand, Jack knew it was impossible to choose who you fell in love with, but seeing his dick inside his fiancé was not his plan… at all.

However, despite all problems he would have with his father from now on, not only personal problems, but serious ones related to work, he felt like he just lost Gabriella and that was the real reason he was so agitated. Just thinking about not seeing her anymore, not touching her was unbearable to him. Her last words were still echoing in his ears and he couldn't help but wonder if she really hated him; hopefully not.

Hopefully Gabriella was just mad. He couldn't risk losing her. Troy couldn't believe she meant every word she said. He didn't want to believe she hated him for real.

"Troy, are you okay?" Mandy asked quietly, looking back quickly over her shoulder to see if her son was still sleeping. "Why the bodyguards asked us to leave?"

"They didn't ask you guys to leave…" Troy admitted in a whisper, "It was just me"

"Why?" Chad's voice came from the backseat and Troy held the steering wheel tightly, breathing deeply.

"Jack saw us" he sighed and added when his friends didn't seem to understand what he was trying to said. "My father saw Gabriella and I having sex"

"What?" Mandy exclaimed shocked and Chad leaned forward, "You're kidding right?"

"I wish I was, man"

"I thought you guys weren't speaking" Mandy said, "What happened?"

"I don't know okay?" Troy exploded, "I… just don't know, it was so fast… She fucking invaded the bathroom when I was using it… we had an argument" Troy shook his head slightly, "She was jealous… I said I loved her… we kissed and… shit"

"Why couldn't you lock the damn door?" Chad groaned, "Oh man, Jack's gonna kill you… and Gabriella!"

"I'm worried about her, but she told me she hated me" Troy growled in frustration, "He won't do anything to her, right?"

"Hopefully not" Chad said under his breath but Mandy shot him a cold glance, "Her friend Taylor is there and the house is full of people… Jack won't do anything to her"

Troy stopped at a red light and leaned his head back, closing his eyes, "She said she fucking hate me"

Mandy stroked his hair, "I'm sorry sweetheart"

"I think I lost her, Mandy"

Chad sighed and patted Troy's arm, "You'll get better dude. Things are going to work out one way or another"

Gabriella was curled up in a ball for more than an hour now, crying more than her eyes could handle. She felt weak and miserably sad, and even though she tried to tell herself that she was fine and everything would be okay, Gabriella felt the weight of her lie on her shoulders. She couldn't lie convincingly even to herself.

Her stomach was twisting madly and her chest ached everytime she tried to breathe. It was like her body was giving up and her mind was starting to join it too.

Truthfully, Gabriella wanted to die.

She hated being in the darkness and hated feeling like no one could help her. It was the same sensation from a few months ago before she met Jack and she had no idea what to do to get rid of it this time.

Dying would be the only way to get rid of her problems, and she had tons of it now. Her body was weird, Jack was gone, she had no one, no job, no house… nothing. It was almost fun that only two weeks ago she had everything, a house, a fiancée, happiness and now she was drowning in her own sorrow.

That was it, she was drowning and no one could save her now. Deep inside, she just wanted the water to fill her lungs and take her to another place; maybe - she wasn't religious - but if she closed her eyes and imagined it hard, Gabriella could even see her parents on the other side of the line, waiting for her, waving to her, smiling and the darkness would be no longer there. Her dad, her best friend, the man of her life and the one she loved the most would take her in his arms and rock her to a peaceful sleep, and that way Gabriella knew she would be happy again.

She just couldn't be alone.

The knock on her door was persistent and as much as she tried to ignore it, it was getting on her nerves. She just wanted to be alone, die alone, free her body and mind from the pain and Taylor didn't seem to understand that. Fine, she was staying at her best friend's house for two weeks now and she knew it was not polite to stay in the guests' room the entire day… and Tay was probably freaking out because she didn't want to eat or talk or take a shower, or live… at all.

Gabriella was depressed and completely not in the mood to see or talk to anyone right now, nor ever. She felt sick inside, mostly because she was feeling not only guilty for destroying a family, but because she missed her Jack and she wanted him back.

And then there was Troy.

He was constantly on her mind, too. Gabriella was worried about him, even though a part of her hated him with all her strength and wanted to stab him to death. But it was not fair to blame it all on him. She wanted to kick herself on the butt for not being strong enough and push him away the first time. She wanted to die for hurting Jack and deep inside, she felt bad for hurting Troy too.

"Gabs!" Taylor whimpered through the door, "If you don't open up I'll ask Bill to kick the door down!"

"Taylor, please" Gabriella managed to yell back, using the rest of her voice. The back of her throat scratched hard and she cleared it, ""I wanna be alone—"

Her friend interrupted her, "Gabriella Rosalie Montez" Taylor said firmly, "He'll kick it down, I swear"

"That's not happening" Gabriella said to herself over and over again, "That's just a bad dream, wake up Gabriella. Wake up please"

Her weak voice could sound confident if Taylor could hear her through the door, but Gabriella knew it was no dream, she was really there, back in New Mexico where her memories were still so strongly painful inside her mind and heart, completely alone.

She was trying to control herself, but it was getting impossible. The two weeks she was there felt like decades. Gabriella had stopped crying after a few days, but when she realized Jack wasn't coming after her, it started all over again. Her tears weren't only because she was scared of facing her life alone from now on, she was embarrassed too, for being in that situation, for letting what happened to her fuck her life badly.

Literally a fuck that fucked her life.

Shit. Losing it all because of sex. Gabriella was feeling like shit and she didn't have the strength to fight against it anymore. She was giving up, seriously this time. She would thank Taylor for her hospitality and die in peace, knowing at least her parents would be waiting for her on the other side. She didn't want to face the world again, not with the situation getting worse, like she was afraid it would be.

"Gabriella!"

Still, her hands kept shaking with fear, sadness, anger, feelings she couldn't put exactly into words right now as she crawled her way out of the bed and forward, closing the gap between her and the door. She unlocked it, sliding her back against the nearest wall till she was sitting on the floor.

She felt dizzy as her friend stopped in front of her, rambling about something, but it was hard to concentrate on her words, it kept swirling around in her head. Gabriella swallowed and looked at Taylor that was now crouched in front of her.

"Oh my god" she touched Gabriella's forehead and she continued crying quietly, biting her lip to avoid sobbing.

"Oh Gabs" Taylor wrapped her arms around her needy friend and embraced her into a maternally hug. Tears flooded down freely on the girl's pale face and she sobbed against her best friend's chest. "It's okay, Gabs. You're gonna be fine, girl. I'm taking care of you"

She helped Gabriella off the floor and let her to the bathroom as soon as she calmed down, helping her taking her clothes off and getting into the shower. Taylor sat on the counter, listening as Gabriella decided to open her heart for the first time in two weeks, telling her, in details, everything that happened on Jack's birthday party, the innumerous times she tried calling him but he didn't answer, how she missed him and how much she wanted to die because she didn't have him in her life.

Taylor shook her head violently, "You know what Gabs? You made a mistake, but If Jack doesn't want to hear you, maybe he's not the man for you"

"You don't know what you're saying, Tay. He is the man for me" she said firmly and her hand popped out the curtain. Taylor sighed and gave her a towel, jumping out of the counter.

"I know what I'm saying, Gabs. Jack is not the guy for you, why can't you hear me at least once?"

"Why can't you understand that I love him and I want to be with him?" Gabriella asked fragilely, wrapping the towel around her body.

"Do you really think he's worth it?" Taylor followed her out of the bathroom and into the room again. "I mean, you're talking shit about wanting to die, you don't eat, you don't laugh anymore, come on Gabriella, that's not normal. I'm not letting you do that to your life"

"I'm depressed alright? That's all" she sat on the edge of her bed and sighed tiredly, her eyes flew shut. "I think I might be pregnant, Tay" she said in a whisper, opening her eyes again and studying her best friend's unreadable expression.

"Whose baby is it?"

Gabriella grimaced, "Troy's… obviously"

"Oh" Taylor smiled a bit and when her friend narrowed her eyes, she became serious again, "That's bad"

"Yeah" she agreed, "Mostly because I hate the baby's father"

"Troy is in love with you" Taylor promptly said, "You could give him a chance"

"No, Taylor" she shook her head abruptly, "If you won't let me die in peace, I gotta find a way to have Jack back… I can't live without him"

"Gabriella" Taylor walked to her and rubbed her arm up and down, "I think the guy for you is Troy, sweetie. Not Jack"

"You're crazy" she snapped.

"If you're pregnant with Troy's son, do you really think Jack's gonna get you back? You'd be expecting his grandchild. That's bizarre"

"I'm not sure I'm pregnant, I'm just a couple of days late" she sighed a deep sigh, "And even If I was, I never said I was having his baby. I couldn't bear looking at it and thinking about Troy, Tay"

"You don't like him at all then?"

"I… uhm, I don't know. But If I don't get Jack back, I'll never be able to forgive him"

"You sound like it was his entire fault" Taylor snapped, running a hand through her hair, "Grow up, Gabs. Troy didn't force you. It's not like he abused you for Goodness' sake"

"I know" Gabriella clenched her jaw, "and that's what makes me feel worse, I lost the man of my dreams because of a stupid attraction"

"What if you like him, Gabs?" Taylor sat down on her side, "What if you're just afraid to risk it all?"

Gabriella bit on her lip, thinking about her best friend's words. Taylor was like a sister to her, and sometimes, she even acted like a mother. She was intelligent and would always advice and support her in everything. But unfortunately, things weren't so easy like Taylor made them sound. It was not a movie or a story, it was real life and Gabriella didn't fall in love with Troy, with the 'prince' like she was supposed to do. On the contrary, she hated the guy that was supposed to be her prince… Instead she loved the king, as weird as it could sound.

"You're wrong this time, Tay"

"You're being difficult. You won't even think about it" Taylor sighed, "Gabriella, what do you want?"

"Jack" she said quickly.

"Wait" she tried again. "Think. What do you really want?"

Gabriella looked down, "I hate what Troy represents to me, but my body craves for him. It's impossible to stay away from him if he's around. But with Jack, he's just so important to me, he's everything. My heart wants him, Taylor. It's easy to fall in love with someone you can have a life with, someone you can talk, kiss, have sex and all the other couple stuff" she grabbed Taylor's hand, looking at her with pleading eyes. "It's hard loving someone you can't live without"

"You can be without Jack, Gabriella. You were perfectly fine without him for 21 years!"

"But I had my daddy taking care of me" her voice shook with emotion, "I had him to take care of him"

"Exactly!" Taylor exclaimed and stood up. "Don't you see it, Gabriella?"

"See what?" she asked confused. "I'm lost, Tay"

"I'll try one last time"

"What do you, Gabriella Rosalie Montez, want?"

Gabriella took a deep breath and looked into her friend's eyes, "Jack. Please, support my decision, one more time"

Taylor shook her head, "I will, because you are my best friend. But when you open your eyes to reality, you'll see I was right all the time"

"Turn your back on everyone,

Just let me know,

When you're tired of being alone."

A/N – Gabriella's such a drama queen, jeez! Haha

Thanks for the reviews and the support, always! ;)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HSM or Lifehouse.