I have no affiliation to anything, anybody, or anyplace in the High School Musical series. This is purely for fictional and entertainment purposes.
Summary: East High School is filled with drama, relationships, and betrayal. There's no way to escape the fear, the intensity, and the love that occurs each day. You just simply have to survive the fever.
Wildcat Fever
Waking Up
Gabriella opened her eyes, feeling blinded by the bright light above her. She yawned and looked around at the white walls that surrounded her. She had no idea where she was. Was she in her room? Did her mother repaint the whole house? But, there were monitors around her. They were beeping. And, there were needles and sticky things all over her body. She was trapped.
She looked over and was surprised to see Troy. He was asleep, holding her hand. She squeezed his hand as best as she could, smiling when he stirred. "Hey, you."
Troy rubbed his eyes and smiled at her, sighing with relief. He stood up and kissed her forehead. "Thank God you are okay."
Gabriella watched as he sat back down, but he kept a hold of her hand. "Where am I? What happened?"
"You don't remember?" asked Troy, furrowing his brows.
He sighed. He didn't really want to relive it. "We were at the party, remember? You left to go get us some drinks and you never came back. I found you outside on the pavement unconscious. You were hit by a car."
Gabriella could feel the tears pooling in her eyes. "What?"
"Yeah. You haven't been asleep that long, but it felt like forever. I didn't know when you would wake up," said Troy. He stroked a tear away from her cheek. "Don't cry, baby."
"I can't believe this. Who hit me?" she asked tearfully, her voice cracking.
"I don't know," said Troy. "I wish I knew so I could beat the shit out of him."
Gabriella shook her head. "I'm sorry, Troy. I must be causing you so much pain."
"Oh, baby." He stood up and stroked her cheek. "You are doing nothing wrong. I'm not going to leave you, okay? I'm going to be right here."
"Troy..." whispered Gabriella, letting him comfort her. She felt so uncomfortable in the scratchy bed. The needle in her arm was bothering her and she was dying to pull it out. The beeping was annoying her, too. She just wanted to go home.
Taylor stared through the window into Gabriella's room, watching her and Troy converse with each other. She had seen her crying, but now she was calming down. They were smiling and talking. She laughed at a joke Troy must have said.
Taylor couldn't take it. Things would never be the same once Gabriella knew the truth.
"Hi. Are you friends with Gabriella?" asked Maria, looking at Taylor.
Taylor turned around and shrugged quickly. "Not for much longer, I guess."
Maria furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
The doctor suddenly appeared and Maria turned away. "Hello, doctor." Yet, when she turned back around, Taylor had disappeared.
"I'd like to talk to Gabriella and check her out," she explained to Maria.
"Of course," she said, following the doctor into the room.
Gabriella looked up when she saw her mother and the doctor come in. "Hi."
The doctor smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"
Gabriella let her check her over and perform vitals. "Sore."
"Well, you might be for a while. But, good news! You can go home tomorrow if nothing else happens, okay? We'll keep a check on you as often as we can tonight," explained the doctor.
Troy smiled at Gabriella, squeezing her hand. "I'll be helping you out every step of the way."
Gabriella nodded. "If you guys don't mind, I'd like to speak to my mom in private." She turned to Troy. "Do you mind going over to my house and getting me some clothes for tomorrow?"
"Sure," he said. He kissed her hand before kissing her forehead, leaving with the doctor.
Maria sat on the edge of Gabriella's bed. "How are you?"
"Fine. How much is the bill?" asked Gabriella.
"What?"
"The hospital bill," said Gabriella.
Maria shrugged. "I haven't looked at it yet."
Gabriella simply stared at her mother. They looked so much alike, but they were completely different. "Don't think about it."
"Think about what?" asked Maria, confused.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," said Gabriella softly. "You can't leave again."
Maria looked at her daughter and just sighed. She nodded quickly, but didn't say a single word. She knew her daughter was right, but there were some moments and things she couldn't keep or be around. There were just some things she couldn't handle.
But, she had to try.
Troy got out of his car, leaving Gabriella's bag of clothes and toiletries in the passenger seat. He walked up to his house, knowing his father was inside. He walked down the hallway and barged into his father's office, seeing him on the computer.
Jack looked up at his son. "Son. Long time no see."
"Don't start," said Troy, slamming the door behind him.
"Okay. So, are you going to the dance with Sharpay?" he asked casually.
Troy shook his head. "I don't have time for that anymore. Gabriella got hit by a car. She is in the hospital right now. I need to care for her."
"Such a burden," murmured Jack.
"A burden? She's my girlfriend and I love her," argued Troy, glaring at him.
Jack chuckled. "You love her? Wow. Is she pregnant?"
Troy scoffed. Sometimes he couldn't take it anymore. Plus, this was the last straw. "Enough, dad! Chad told me that you are having an affair behind mom's back."
Jack, once again, chuckled. It was almost a bit too casual. "Who are you going to believe? Chad or your old man?"
Troy chuckled dryly, putting his hands on his hips. "Honestly, I believe Chad. I've known for too long that I shouldn't believe anything that you say."
Jack said nothing. He just looked at his son, surprised. He had known how bad the rivalry was between Chad and Troy, but he never thought that his own son would believe Chad over his father. He didn't even know what to say. So, he went back to his computer.
Troy watched his father and put his hand on the doorknob. He turned back slightly. "I'm moving out."
"What?" asked Jack, looking up.
"I can't take living with you anymore. Hopefully, mom will find out and divorce your ass. But, I'm leaving now," explained Troy.
Another chuckle. "Where the hell do you plan on living?"
"I don't know. But, it'll sure be a hell of a lot better than this place."
Jack frowned, watching his son leave with a slam of the door. He didn't say another word or think another thought. He just went back to his work as if nothing had ever happened. Because honestly, he didn't believe his own son. He'd be back.
Troy peered into the hospital room, seeing as Gabriella was staring at the flowers over by the window. "You like them?"
Gabriella smiled at him. "Definitely."
He sat back down in his seat, holding her hand. "Good."
Gabriella could see his frown and furrowed her brows, squeezing his hand. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," said Troy.
He had said it a bit too quickly. "You can't lie to me, Troy Bolton. Tell me."
He sighed heavily. "Chad told me that my dad has been cheating on my mom."
Gabriella gaped at him. "What? Chad?"
"Yeah. I didn't believe it at first," said Troy, shaking his head.
"But, why do you believe Chad?" asked Gabriella curiously.
"He had the pictures to prove it, Gabriella. I knew my dad was scum, but it's my mom this time. She doesn't deserve that," explained Troy. "Anyway, I told him I was moving out."
"Moving out? But, where will you live?" Gabriella sighed. "Troy, you need to think this through."
"I will, I will." He paused. "I'll find an apartment or something."
Gabriella thought for a moment. "You can get emancipated, you know."
"What is that?"
"It's where you legally find proof where you don't need to live with your parents anymore. Or, parent. Jack should be reason enough," said Gabriella. "If you want, while you wait, you can live with me."
Troy stared at her with wide eyes, suddenly nervous. "What?"
"My mom is hardly home, anyway. It will be fine," she said. Surprisingly, she wasn't nervous about offering this to him. She just felt comfortable with him. "Plus, somebody does need to take care of me."
Troy chuckled. "Where would I sleep?"
Gabriella bit her lip nervously. "With me."
He never thought Gabriella would offer something like this. But, she had a good heart. And she never made bad decisions. She always knew what she was doing. "Okay. Thanks."
This would be the perfect time to do it. He had to say it. He had kept it in for too long already. He cupped her hand with both of his palms. "Gabriella, I..."
"Hello?" The doctor peered in, smiling. Troy's courage instantly went down. "I just need to perform a few tests on Gabriella."
"I'll be right outside," said Troy, kissing her forehead before leaving the room.
Maybe next time.
Sharpay gripped Matt's shirt as he kissed her neck, her back pressing against her comforter on her mattress. They had been at this for at least an hour, but Sharpay wasn't planning on going any further. That was never in her plan. But, it kept her busy.
He suddenly stopped, sitting up and facing away from her. She sat up on her elbows, confused and irritated. "What?"
"This doesn't feel right," he said, his eyebrows furrowed with frustration and guilt. "Gabriella is in the hospital because of us."
"No. She is in the hospital because of Taylor. Taylor hit her. Not us," snapped Sharpay.
Matt looked at her. "Why are you like this, Sharpay?"
"Like what?" she asked.
"You're so mean. Gabriella has done nothing to you," he said.
Sharpay glared at him. "Nothing to me? She stole my boyfriend."
"No she didn't. Troy left you because you are nothing but a bitch, Sharpay. Nobody likes you." He shook his head and got up, heading for the door.
"Where are you going?" she demanded, shocked.
Matt looked at her. "I'm leaving. Don't expect me to continue whatever this is. I don't even know why I liked you, Sharpay. But, you can guarantee it'll stop. I guess I can't guarantee you will stop, though."
Sharpay watched him leave, scoffing loudly. That was the first time anyone had spoken to her like that. And truthfully, it didn't feel good.
