More Than Meets The Eye

I don't own HSM ): I know, boohoo, right? ;) Wish I did. Thank you reviewers who reviewed and are still reading my story. I know you hate it when I wait a long period of time to get stuff out. (: It means a lot that you're still stuck with me. so, enjoy and try not to get sad because I hate sad faces.

): - Yup, like that one.

It's been a month.

A month and Mario Montez was dead.

MTMTE

"Thanks, Amanda," Gabriella said. Troy was out to visit some family in Denver for the weekend so Gabriella now hitched a ride with Amanda. Her and Amanda's relationship status had changed to friends to best friends. People really underestimated Amanda from a preppy all girls family. They had called her a nerd many times, but Amanda was actually fun to hang around. If a room was dull and she walked into it, it would instantly become bright.

"Your welcome." Amanda got out of the car and closed the door. She and Gabriella walked into the hospital and to the receptionist. "Ah, Gabriella, Amanda," Jeanne, the receptionist said. "How are you girls?"

"We're fine, thank you," Amanda said, smiling.

"Well, good, good. Um, but something happened with Mario. They don't tell me what, but I think it's bad."

"Wait—what?" Gabriella's voice was frantic. Something had happened? "Ah, there's Maria coming now," Jeanne said. "Maybe she knows."

Gabriella and Amanda turned around and Maria walked up to them. "What's wrong?" Gabriella asked frantically. She wished she could see her face and see if she were smiling or frowning. "Is he okay?"

"Amanda, can I talk to you?" Maria asked. Gabriella's grip tightened on her white cane as steam rode her body. Amanda touched Gabriella's arm. "I'll be back, okay? Stay here with Jeanne."

"But..."

"I'll tell you," Amanda promised before walking off with Maria. Gabriella leaned against the receptionist desk, her stomach churning with fear. What if...o, God, what if he flat-lined and died? "Gabriella?" Jeanne said softly, noticing the distress in her face. "Gabriella, honey, everything will be fine."

"Nothing is ever fine," Gabriella disagreed. And then Amanda and Maria were back. Everything seemed to happen all at once. Amanda's words came out in a jumbled mess and Gabriella knew what had happened.

Her eyes started closing on her own accord as the word sorry continued to come out of Amandas mouth. Her legs began to shake and her head pounded with pain. "Gabriella," she heard Amanda say in a slurred whisper. And then there was nothing but the peaceful darkness accustomed to and silence.

MTMTE

"Mommy, can we please, please, please have a dog?" Gabriella whined. It was almost time for preschool and Gabriella was throwing questions at her mother as she packed Gabriella's lunch. Anna Montez looked at her daughter, a look of adoration crossing her face. She loved her daughter so much. Too much to even describe it. But she could tell the love that her father had for Gabriella was slowly fading. She knew her husband was having an affair with his attorney. She had saw the text messages in his phone and ran over the calls he has had with her. She didn't want Gabriella to know that her father was a cheater, that he was pulling away form them. "Mommy," Gabriella whined. She held up a picture of a dog she drew. "Can we please have a dog? Pretty please?"

"Ask Santa when Christmas comes around," Anna said, smiling.

Gabriella smiled. "Okay. Did you know that there are about four hundred million dogs in the world?" Anna picked Gabriella up and pulled on her coat. "No, I didn't. So you missy are too smart for your age. Where'd you learn that?"

"My friend Marissa has a dog and a book about dogs. She brought it in for show-and-tell and Miss Reid read it to the whole class." Gabriella smiled. "When a puppy is born it has no teeth, it can't see and it can't hear."

Anna grinned. "Yes, you are really too smart for your own good. Guess what?" Anna walked out of the house and into the warm spring air. It was only a five minute walk to Gabriella's school and so she put Gabriella down and they stared walking.

"What?"

"After school your dad and I are taking you to the zoo."

"The zoo?" Gabriella beamed up at her mom. "Really? And we'll see alligators and stuff?"

Anna nodded. Gabriella loved the zoo. She loved visiting and seeing animals. If she were to live without seeing animals sometime in her life, she would absolutely die. "Yeah."

"I can't wait!"

MTMTE

"Mario?" Anna threw her bag on the couch and walked up the steps. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she heard muffled moans. "Mario?"

"Oh, God!" she heard a woman groan. Anna's mouth opened in surprise. She quickly ran to her and Mario's room and tried to open the door, but ti was locked. "Mario?" she said again.

"Yes?" Mario called.

"Open the door." There was some shuffling before the door was opened. A girl was by the computer, typing away on the computer. Anna looked at Mario and noticed the obvious hickie station by the nap of his neck. "What's going on?" Anna whispered.

"Um...this is Natalie," Mario said. "We're working on this thing for this case at work and stuff..."

"Really?" Anna couldn't keep her eyes off of the hickie on his neck. Had...had he cheated on her. Mario nodded and scratched the back of his head, a sign that screams he's nervous and clearly lying. "Yup. Hey, what are you doing home early?"

"Remember this is our day together? The restaurant?"

"Oh...I forgot."

"Wonderful," Anna said. She looked at Natalie, her brown eyes hard and cold. "Get the hell out fo my house, you whore." Natalie looked at Mario, a look of shock riding his face. Anna looked at Mario, too. "Unless you want her to stay and you two can fuck some more."

"Excuse me?" Mario said, his voice angered. "What? I told you, this is nothing but work. I'm—you think I'm cheating on you?"

"That hickie thinks so too," Anna said, nodding to his hickie. "I want you out of this house and out of Gabriella's and my life."

"I didn't cheat on you," Mario said. He looked back at Natalie. "I'll see you at work, okay?" Natalie nodded and walked out, taking that as a hint to leave. Anna shook her head and marched off. Maria followed. "Anna, this is a bruise," Mario said. "Look, I fell into my desk at work. Ask anyone in the office."

"Please don't lie to me," Anna pleaded, turning to look at him. "Please."

"I'm not," Mario said softly. He brought her into his arms. "I love you." Anna nodded, but didn't say it back.

MTMTE

"We're going to the zoo!" Gabriella exclaimed. She was excited. She had brought her little Disney Princess camera and her binoculars. She was ready to have some fun.

But her parents seemed like they weren't.

"Why did you call her?" Anna said softly.

"I needed to say something about work," Mario lied.

"Mario...are you cheating on me."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "No."

"Mario—"

"Shut up! I'm not cheating," he yelled, his tone livid. Gabriella whimpered from the backseat. This was new. She had never seen her dad raise his voice at her mom. Anna seemed angry too. She looked at Mario, tears in her eyes. '"Then who is he? Tell me that, Mario! Why was she in our room?"

"Business!"

"Bullshit! Stop lying and just tell the truth. Tell it or me and Gabriella are leaving."

"You aren't taking her away from me!" Mario yelled fiercely and reached back for Gabriella, as if he were going to hold her tightly to him. He gripped her wrist and Gabriella whimpered. "Mario!"

It happened so fast. He had ran a red light and the black Audi came crashing to their BMW. The impact was from the passenger side and Anna jerked. Her body flew as did the glass that screamed. The car flipped multiple times like an acrobat and the people in the car were pressed to the hard metal. Including the little four year old. Gabriella had screamed as glass flew to the back of the car. Her eyes were the target as they did, too. Everything went black as they penetrated in her small brown orbs.

MTMTE

"Is she up...?"

Troy.

"I caught her just in time."

Amanda.

"I can't believe this," Troy said. "He's...he's gone."

"No," Gabriella whispered hoarsely. Troy and Amanda jerked up and looked Gabriella's way. Gabriella shook her head. "He can't be. He...he was in the car. Mom died, not him."

"Gabriella, I'm here," Troy said. She felt him envelope her in a hug. Gabriella sat there in his arms frozen for a moment before she pushed away from him. "No," she said. "Get out."

"What?" Amanda looked at Troy, shock riding her face. She could clearly see the hurt and shocked flicker in his eyes. "Gabriella, what's wrong?"

"I want you to leave," Gabriella said. She turned on her side so they couldn't see the tears that were so brightly shimmering in her eyes. She didn't want to see them anymore because every time she loved someone they were taken away immediately. And she just couldn't do it anymore. Gabriella felt Troy's hand touch her shoulder and she jerked away form his touch. She turned back around so they can see her enraged face. "I said get out!" Gabriella yelled. "I don't want to see either of you anymore!"

"Gabriella, don't," she heard Amanda plead.

"Don't what, huh? Shut you out? Well that's what I'm going to do, okay? Because every time I care about someone they go." Gabriella let her tears go. The dripped down her red cheeks and onto the hospital gown. "Please get out. Just...I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend that everything will be okay." Troy tried to hug her again, but Gabriella jerked away. "Don't touch me. I mean it. Get out." Her voice lowered to a whisper as her body trembled.

"Okay," she heard Amanda whisper. "We'll go."

Gabriella nodded and sat back in her bed. When eh door closed and she was sure they were gone, Gabriella sobbed into her hands. Everyone she had was gone. She had nothing, absolutely nothing left.

She wanted to die.

Gabriella heave din a deep breath and reached behind her. She picked up a pillow, squeezed it and then pressed it hard to her face. She fell backwards on her bed, keeping in her air. Her throat began to close and she kicked her legs about, wanting this to be over now. Her oxygen began to falter and her eyes started to fall close. The heart monitor was picking up pace and then the door was slammed open. She could hear frantic voice and feel hands pry the pillow away from her face.

And then she was back to that sweet place with nothing but darkness and silence.


I know I'm making short chapters, but I want to piece them out. (: This was officially the fastest update I've ever made. (: Haha. So, are you feeling sorry for Gabriella yet? Her life is slowly crumbling and now she's creeping into a shell.

Please review and tell em what you think. And I want to give a shout out to all my reviewers! Seriously, I'm on a seriously tight schedule here and so I can't give a shout out individually, so I'll do a group shout out. (: Thanks for reading!

~~~Nessa Kiss