Chapter 12

Sharpay sat down in the waiting area once again. Mr. Montez had to discuss financial matters with the doctor, and feeling like she should leave the room, she did. She sighed, bored; she wanted to go to sleep, but she wouldn't be able to with what was happening with her best friend.

Anna came over, sitting down in the chair next to Sharpay. Neither of them said anything, they just sat there, hoping Gabriella would be okay.

"She was walking home from Troy's," Anna whispered, looking straight ahead.

"What?" Sharpay asked, not understanding.

"Gabriella. She got hit when she was walking home from Troy's."

Just then a thought it Sharpay.

Troy.

If Gabriella was over Troy's earlier, he must have no idea what was going on. He probably didn't even know Gabriella was in the hospital, unconscious.

"I should call Troy," Sharpay said, pulling out her cell phone. She quickly scrolled through her contacts until she came upon Troy's name.

"Hello?" A tired voice answered.

"Troy?" Sharpay asked, unsteady.

"Hmm?"

"Uhm. Gabby was over your house earlier right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, when she was walking home," she paused taking in a deep breath and trying not to cry, "she was hit by a car. She's in the hospital, and she's... in a coma."

"Sharpay, what's wrong with you?" Troy asked, annoyed. Was she trying to be funny?

"Nothing," she sniffled. "I'm really worried about Gabby is all."

"Sharpay, Gabriella was over my house about ten minutes ago. She's not in the hospital. And this sick joke you're making up, isn't funny." He slammed his phone shut falling back onto his bed.

Stunned by Troy's reaction, Sharpay closed her phone. "He didn't believe me," Sharpay sniffled.

"It's probably just a lot to take in," Anna reassured her.

"He said it was a sick joke. Like I would joke about something like this."

"Don't worry about it. Everything will be okay," Anna said, trying to convince herself of that more than Sharpay.

--

Troy's eyes opened slowly, as he looked at his alarm clock. It was almost noon. Rubbing his eyes, he yanked the blankets off of him, and sat up. He jumped back, surprised to see who was in his room again.

Gabriella.

"You should start warning me," he joked.

She looked up at him, her long dark hair falling over her face, which looked like she was in pain. She wore a very serious expression. "I wish I could," she mumbled.

"The stupidest thing happened last night," Troy said ignoring Gabriella's reaction. "Sharpay called me saying you were hit by a car and you were in a coma. Not what I call a best friend, if you ask me."

Gabriella still stared down, picking at her nail. She didn't find Troy's comments very funny, she had a pretty good idea what had happened to her, and she was terrified. And she was still completely confused to why she could only show up where Troy was. She didn't quite know if it was just Troy's room, or anywhere Troy was. If he went to school, could she still turn up there? And if she wasn't with Troy, she had no idea where she was, she just saw all white, and she had a tingly, burning feeling in her head.

"You okay?" Troy asked, walking over to where she sat on his desk chair. He tilted her chin up with his finger. "Why are you still freezing?"

She shrugged, knowing what she thought happened to her, was probably true, but she didn't want to tell Troy. She couldn't, and she wouldn't.

"Gabriella, what's been going on with you?" He asked. "You look like you're dead."

She flinched at that.

"You have these holes in your neck. Your tan face is now pale white, and you've barely opened your mouth. And with what happened last night, I'm completely... messed up. I have no idea what's going on with you, Gabby."

"Don't worry about it, Troy," she whispered, looking away from him.

"I'm gonna worry, Gabby, I worry about you."

"Well don't. There's no need to," she shot back at him, then whispering, "It's not like there can be anymore damage done."

"What?" Troy asked not hearing her.

"Nothing." She looked away, watching the rain outside of Troy's window, she took a deep breath, letting it out.

"You're driving me insane, you know," Troy mumbled.

"How so?" she asked, till gazing out the window.

"You're not telling me what's wrong, and I think I'm reaching my limit of sanity right now."

She sighed, once again, looking at Troy. "Let's just say, Sharpay wasn't joking."

"You mean," Troy paused, realizing what she meant. "But you're right in front of me!"

"I know. And I have no idea how that's possible, unless...," she didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. Troy understood perfectly what she was gonna say.

"You're still alive, Gabby. Don't worry," he said, like it was the most obvious thing.

"Troy," she shook her head, staring at the blue carpet her feet dangled over. How did she tell him that she could possibly be dead? Troy had hammered the idea that Gabriella was alive into his mind, and it would stay in there like glue. She bit into her faded purple bottom lip.

"You have got to tell me what's going on with you," Troy urged

She looked at him. His eyes were begging her to tell him what was wrong, and why she seemed so different than her usual upbeat self. Gabriella wanted nothing more than to tell Troy why she was being so weird, but she knew as soon as she did, he might not be able to see her anymore, and she'd be stuck in that burning, white place. Somewhere Gabriella did not want to be, she didn't want to be alone.

"I can't," her voice was trembling.

"Why? Are you... in trouble, or danger or something?"

She shook her head, her unwashed hair bouncing off her shoulders. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it?"

She closed her eyes. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, anything," Troy answered hopeful.

"Call Sharpay back. Say you're sorry for being a jerk and just hanging up on her like that."

"Gabby," he sighed, standing up to where he was knelt beside her and begun pacing back and forth. "Sharpay won't tell me what's been going on with you, she's not-" he stopped, seeing Gabriella wasn't sitting in his black desk chair anymore. "Gabby?" He whispered, looking around the room.

Once again, she disappeared.

--

An hour has passed, and Troy still sat in his room. He thought over what Gabriella had said, and decided to call Sharpay. Grabbing his cell phone, he looked through his contacts until getting to Sharpay's name. He pressed the green button, putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" A sad, tired voice answered.

"Hey, Sharpay?"

"Troy?" The voice now sounded wide awake.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I'm sorry about-"

"You know, I can't believe you would think I would joke about something like that. Gabriella is my best friend."

"I know. And I'm sorry about that."

"Whatever," she sighed. "You should really come down to the hospital."

"Yeah, I'll be there," he said, hanging up.

Troy fell back, landing on his bed. Rubbing his eyes, he took a deep breath. He was so confused right now. Gabriella was in a coma, but she could randomly show up in his room. How in the world was that possible? His eyes popped open, and he took his hands from over his eyes when he felt the weight shift on the bed.

Gabriella sat there, with a small smile.

Troy sat up. "I have to go to the hospital."

She nodded, looking down at her hands on her lap.

"You okay?" He asked, pushing her chin up gently.

"Uh huh," she bit her bottom lip.

"I don't have to go. I can stay here with you, if you want."

She shook her head. "You need to go."

"What if I rather stay here with you?"

She shook her head, her voice steady, "You should go, Troy."

"Gabby, I want to stay-"

"No." Her voice was now angry. She stood up. "I don't know how long I can stay here. I have no idea what's going on with me, except that I'm-" she stopped in mid-sentence.

"You're what, Gabriella?"

She looked away, not answering him.

"This is some messed up shit, Gabriella. I'm so worried about you, and you obviously know what's going on with you, so don't lie to me and say you have no clue. Why can't you tell me? I can help you with whatever it is."

"No, you can't," she shot back at him.

"Yes! I can," he shouted.

"No-" Gabriella began to say.

"Just tell me!"

"I'm dead, Troy," she answered calmly. "Happy now? You finally know." She looked at him, sadness, and anger on her face.

The telephone rang, which sent Gabriella vanishing again.

A/N: Okay, sorry about the wait. I've been wanting to put this up, but, me being very forgetful, just completely forgot that I wrote this chapter. Anyway, please review.