This chapter might be a little unrealistic, because I have absolutely no idea about how bombs go off. Sorry.
I was nearly crying writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Aftermath
Troy opened his eyes and looked around him. The gym was destroyed. The bleachers had all collapsed. He could smell smoke. Everyone was lying on the floor.
What happened? Troy thought.
Then he remembered the explosion.
Troy's first thought was Gabriella. His second thought was the babies. Oh no! Please let them be OK…
There was a piercing scream, yet none of the others on the floor woke up. Troy bit his lip- were they dead already?
He forgot that, however, when he realised where the scream was coming from- Gabriella.
"GABI!!" Troy screamed, running over to her. When he got to her, he gave her a huge hug. "Gabs, are you OK? Are the babies OK? Please tell me you're all OK!!"
But Gabriella didn't respond- she just moaned in pain. She was sweating all over.
"Gabs, what's going on?"
"Troy… I think the babies are coming!!"
Oh no. For a start, they were three months premature, and secondly, they were in a room where a bomb had just gone off. These babies seemed to be doomed.
But for Gabriella's sake, Troy stayed calm. "It's OK, Gabi. I'll help you. Push, Gabi, push."
Meanwhile, some people had died straight away. Taylor and Kelsi were among them.
"Taylor's stopped breathing!" Martha said.
"NO! SHE CAN'T HAVE!" Sharpay cried.
"SHE HAS!!" Martha sobbed.
"WE HAVE TO HELP HER! SHE CAN'T BE DEAD!" Sharpay screamed, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Ryan checked Kelsi's pulse. "I… I think Kelsi's gone, too." Ryan said gently, though his voice was wobbling and his throat was thick.
"NO!! NOT KELSI! THEY CAN'T BE DEAD!" Sharpay screamed.
"Please, Taylor… please, Kelsi… come back to us…" Martha whispered, but nothing could bring their friends back from the dead.
"Guys, are you OK?" Chad asked, running over with Zeke and Jason.
But the looks on their faces said it all.
On the other side of the gym, Troy looked anxiously at the scoreboard, which had just fallen down, crushing two West High cheerleaders.
"Gabs… let's get out of here," Troy said, stroking his girlfriend's hair. "Or something might happen to us or the babies."
Gabriella nodded and started coughing. The smell of the smoke was getting stronger.
Troy picked up Gabriella and carried her to the male locker room. He sat on a bench and she lay whimpering in his arms.
An hour later, Gabriella was in so much pain there were tears running down her cheeks, and she felt exhausted.
"I can see a head!" Troy exclaimed.
Forty-five minutes later, both babies were born, a boy and a girl. They were both beautiful, with a mop of dark curls like Gabriella's and baby blue eyes like Troy's. Troy held them in his arms, beaming with pride. It would have been the happiest day of his life, bomb or no bomb.
But that was all about to change.
He looked at Gabriella, who looked frail and vulnerable, and knew something wasn't right.
"Troy…" Gabriella said, exhausted. "I… don't think I'm gonna make it…"
"What do you mean, you're not gonna make it?" Troy said, panic stricken.
"Exactly… that."
"Gabi, you can't give up!" Troy said, a desperate determination in his voice. He couldn't imagine his life without Gabriella.
"Listen…" Gabriella said. "If… I die… and you live… look after… our… twins…"
Troy nodded, stroking Gabriella's hand, which was holding his.
"Tell… them… every day… how much… I love them… and how proud I am… of them… in everything… they do…"
Troy nodded again, a lump in his throat. Tears started to form in his baby blue eyes. He knew know, although he didn't want to admit it, that any minute now, Gabriella could die. She'd inhaled a lot of smoke and was coughing a lot.
"Name… the… girl… Isabella… after my mom."
"I will."
"You promise me you'll do all those things?"
"I promise." Troy said, kissing Gabriella's nose. Gabriella must have known she was dying. She was making her last wishes.
"I was broken… but you made me whole again, Troy." Gabriella whispered. "I love you Troy…"
Gabriella's eyes started to close.
"NO! DON'T!" Troy yelled. "Please, don't leave me Gabi!"
"I'll still be with you," Gabriella said. "In… there."
Gabriella weakly pointed her free arm at Troy's chest.
"My heart," Troy said, and Gabriella nodded.
"I'll… be… with you… in everything… you do," Gabriella said. "Every night… when you tuck the twins into bed… I'll be there, telling you what a great dad you are. When… you make it as a basketball pro… I'll be at every game, cheering you on. And… when you die… we'll be buried side by side… and… I'll kiss you… and tell you how proud I am of you."
Troy nodded, crying his eyes out, hoping and praying that the moment would never come.
But it did.
Gabriella smiled, her last smile, but nevertheless, it was beautiful. "Don't cry, Troy. Be strong. For the twins' sake."
And so Gabriella Montez died at the age of sixteen in Troy Bolton's arms.
