AN: Sorry about the updates (as in the lack of). This chapter has actually been collecting computerized dust for over a month. I just found it again a few days ago and decided it would be nice to finish it. So, here goes...
Disclaimer:HSM is not mine.
Troy knew that not all was right. The way Gabriella's calm expression didn't quite match the look in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. The way she did her best to avoid looking at him after that one moment. The way her tone of voice seemed false, for her eyes gave her away. Instantly, he looked at Sharpay, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was speaking in hushed tones to Ryan.
Ryan. Never before had Troy had a real problem with Sharpay's twin brother, but now he suddenly hated him. Only one person did he hate worse, and that was himself. What had he been talking to Gabriella about that made her so calm and cool all of a sudden? She was usually warm when she spoke to him...Only when she was hurting did she act this way. He knew her well enough to sense what she wasn't saying. What had happened in the few minutes they had been separated?
"Gabi, what's wrong?" he asked softly. Maybe if he came cross as less demanding, then she would be more willing to talk.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" she questioned. She may not have realized it, but he heard her voice crack slightly. Oh, something was wrong all right, he thought. He knew she had been hiding something from him since Saturday. He couldn't be mad at her, however. He was just as guilty. He was hiding the one secret that could rip them apart...
"Don't hide it from me," he pressed. "Gabi, I know you're hurting, and I might know why. Please, just let me in."
Shaking her head, she said, "Everything is okay."
"I don't believe you," he said, sighing. "Listen to me. I know I hurt you, and I think I know what I did to make you upset, and I want to talk to you about it. Okay?"
Finally, he saw her shrink down in her seat followed by quiet sniffling. At least one wall crumbled, he thought. "Okay," she finally agreed. That one word confirmed his fears. She did know what went on to some degree. She admitted that he hurt her...He thought the pain and guilt hammering away on his chest couldn't strike him any harder, but it did.
Gingerly, he placed his hand on her shoulder, a simple gesture. "I love you," he whispered softly.
Abruptly, she pulled away from his touch. If he could see her face, it would've broken his heart. Her eyes, filled with unshed tears, were also filled with anguish. He told her that he loved her so freely with no problem. If he was questioning it, then why did it sound the same as though he meant it? Unless he had told her this lie so many times that it was all the same....Maybe he really was lying all along. That would make sense, she thought bitterly. Sharpay believed him when he allegedly lied about loving her. Maybe she was just as foolish as she was....
When the first period bell rang, Gabriella was the first one to leave the room. She had to get away from there, away from Troy. She felt his eyes on the back of her head the entire homeroom period. If she stayed much longer, she knew she would break.
"Gabi, why the rush?" Pausing momentarily, Gabriella allowed Taylor to catch up to her. She needed some advice, even if she only had five minutes.
"I-I talked to Sharpay," she said, looking to the floor. "She told me everything that happened Saturday...Oddly, I believe her."
Taylor shook her head. "You're better off without him. He's just going to keep hurting you in one way or another."
"He wants to talk to me later," she said. "I think he finally realizes that I know what happened."
"You need to tell him that you're not going to stand for this," she told her. "You're not some mindless bimbo who is going to sit back and watch as he fools around with other girls. He can't just win you over with a sweet kiss and an 'I love you' every once in a while."
"No," she agreed, finally looking at her friend. "It's time I show him that I have some self-esteem. I have dreams, and an unfaithful partner isn't part of that."
"Good, because you can do so much better than that," Taylor stated. "And, if I were you, I would show him that."
"How?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Tell him that if he doesn't get his act together, then you'll leave him," she answered. "Make him aware that there are more guys then just him who would have you, that he was the lucky one, not the other way around. Letting him think that you're the lucky one gives him too much power over you."
"Troy wouldn't use that against me," she denied.
"He already has," Taylor argued. "Troy's been hiding more than just Saturday from you. He knows he can keep up the charade because, no matter how mad he makes you, you always take him back. And, he has an even better chance because you already live together."
"I take him back because I want to be with him, and it...hurts when we're mad at each other. It's easier to forgive him," she said.
"But, Gabriella, what's going to hurt worse? Not being with him but possibly finding another guy who'll love you that you aren't afraid to say 'I love you' to, or staying with him and being reluctant to give your love to because he's forever unfaithful?"
"Just because it happened once doesn't mean it will happen again," Gabriella stated. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, faster than ever. No matter how hard she argued, she couldn't ignore the facts. There had t be an underlying reason she couldn't tell him that she loved him. What if she really didn't love him? What if, what she felt for him was nothing more than a strong infatuation? There was no denying that he was very attractive, and when he looked at her, he made her feel special. His smile caused her stomach to fill with butterflies. Was that part of love, or was it just merely a school-girl crush?
There were other reasons, of course. Besides his physical appearance, she loved the man he started to become, before Sharpay re-entered his life. When she couldn't speak, he had a certain intuition, as though he could always read her mind. Well, maybe not read her mind, she decided, but it was like he knew her well enough to know what she wanted to say. There was definitely something undefinable there. There was only one undefinable word in the world, however. That was love.
"Gabi." Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned towards Taylor. "First period. You don't want to be late."
"Oh, right," she said sheepishly, walking into the classroom. "I'll see you later."
During his first four periods, Troy planned his approach accordingly.
There was no getting around talking to Gabriella. He needed to tell her the truth and he wouldn't hold anything back. It was clear that he hurt her worse than he ever intended. In fact, maybe she was hurting worse because he didn't tell her.
Sharpay he definitely had to have a word with, preferably before he sought out Gabriella. He had to end this; there was no way he could be friends with her as long as he was with Gabriella. He would terminate their friendship once and for all.
When the bell rang to dismiss for lunch, Troy numbly stood up and made his way out the door. For the second time in his life, he had to take a stand against someone he once cared about, possibly still did. However, Sharpay didn't matter nearly as much. He wouldn't lose sleep worrying about her as he had for Gabriella. His heart didn't hurt to be away from her. Her tears wouldn't shatter his soul...
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gabriella walking towards him. Not now, he thought frantically. As much as he wanted to talk to her now, it wasn't the time. He wasn't ready.
"Troy, I--" she started but he cut her off.
"Gabi, can you meet me outside the cafeteria ten minutes before lunch ends?" he asked her. "I kind of need to do something before we discuss matters, and it's very important that I take care of it first. I can't say what right now, but I will. Trust me."
"Trust is a funny word," she mused. "You tell someone that you trust them, but then they stab you in the back. Is that what's supposed to happen when you trust someone?"
"No," he said, sighing as he placed his hands just above her hips. "I'm going to make this right, Gabi. I promise."
"Promises are always broken," she said, her gaze cold. Pushing his hands away, she said, "I'm going to get something to eat while you screw around behind my back with Sharpay some more. When you're done, you can come meet me so you can apologize profusely and give me the over-used and heavily broken promise that it won't happen again because you're just so sure you won't get caught again. Then, you can assume I'll forgive you and believe all your frivolous and useless promises, and that I'm too stupid to see past your lies."
Frozen, Troy watched her disappear into the crowded hallway. He deserved that, he thought miserably. He deserved everything she said and everything she would do. The odd part was, he saw no traces of anger in her features. He saw a mixture of hurt and annoyance, but no noticeable anger. The fact that she wasn't angry made his guilt worse. Maybe that was his punishment, to be killed by his own grief.
Nonetheless, he would attempt to clear his conscience. Maybe, if Gabriella saw what he was capable of on his own without her guidance, she would think better of him. Maybe she would give him yet another chance to prove himself worthy of her.
Troy snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Sharpay walking towards him. His nerves came at him full force, but he swallowed them back. There was no holding back now. He had to do this. It was now or never.
"Sharpay, we need to talk," he said, motioning for her to follow him.
"What about?" she said, looking up at him innocently. "Does Gabriella know about Saturday?"
"I don't know. You tell me," he snapped, stopping in a vacant hallway.
Sharpay sighed. "She told me she was there with Taylor on Saturday."
Troy felt his heart sink lower in his chest. "And?"
"I told her the whole story," she stated. "I held nothing back. She wanted the truth. She deserved to know everything."
"Oh God, Sharpay, how could you? She'll never forgive me," he said.
"Oh please," she said, rolling her eyes. "She practically begged me to stay away from you and claimed that you were all she had. She's not going to leave you."
"And, what did you say when she asked you to leave me alone?" he questioned, feeling his anger building in his chest.
"I told her that she couldn't control whom you wanted to be around," she said. "I'll only go if you want me gone."
The anger melted upon hearing this. Sharpay, for once, may have been right. Gabriella couldn't control who he was friends with. Only he could. Did he really want Sharpay gone? No. However, he needed Gabriella. He wouldn't continue hurting her."Sharpay," he started. "Regardless of whether or not I'm in love with Gabriella doesn't change the fact that I love her, in some way. I don't want to be the cause of pain for anyone that I love, and in order to stop hurting her, I can't be friends with you anymore. I'm sorry."
"Look, Troy, I'm sorry about Saturday, but you know as well as I do that you feel something for me, or else Saturday would've never happened," Sharpay stated.
Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he said, "I know."
"Then, why are you choosing her?" she questioned.
Troy cleared his throat. "Because, I think that, whatever I feel for Gabriella is stronger than whatever I feel for you."
"How can you be sure?" she questioned.
"I can't be," he answered honestly. "How can anyone be sure about anything? Everything in life involves risks. So what if I'm wrong and I don't love her like that? Is it that big of a crime?"
"Troy, why waste your time? She's never going to forgive you," she said.
"I don't care," he said. "I'm going to love her regardless of what happens next. There's nothing you can do to stop that."
"We'll see," she said. "I'm getting my lunch now. You can go on and find your precious girlfriend."
As Sharpay walked away, another figure rounded the corner. Sharpay purposely knocked into her shoulder in hatred and disgust, but Gabriella was unruffled. She continued staring at Troy.
"I guess you heard all that," he assumed, reaching for her hand, but she wouldn't take it. Solemnly, she nodded.
"I did," she said, her face smooth of any emotion. "So, I guess next you're going apologize profusely and beg for forgiveness and claim that all you want is me?"
"I could," he said. "If that's what you want."
Shaking her head, she said, "I don't want a cheap apology. Between those and your petty lies, I'm sick of it, Troy."
Reaching for her hand, he was surprised when she pulled hers away. "It won't work this time," she said, her eyes suddenly filling with anger. "I can find a million guys that are just like you, Troy, made of broken promises, petty lies and cheap apologies."
For once in his life, Troy was speechless. He never expected this. She would leave him, he was certain. Frankly, he didn't blame her if she did. "You deserve better than that," he said, finally breaking the silence.
"You know, Troy," she started. "I would've been much happier if you would've told me. Our relationship needs honesty, and all weekend you told me nothing but lies. It wasn't the fact that you cheated on me that upset me as much. It was the fact that you lied about it."
"I didn't want to hurt you," he said.
"Why not? I mean, you didn't care about my feelings when you made out with her," she pointed out. "Were you afraid that you would have to answer a few questions and wipe a few of my tears? Troy, I saw you with her. Do you realize how much worse it hurt me, knowing that you were lying?"
"I'm sorry. I screwed up," he muttered.
She shook her head. "You're not sorry. Troy, I'd rather have you as my bully than this. At least back then, I wasn't in love with you."
