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The Distance Between Us

Chapter Fourteen: Every Step is a New Love Letter

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I woke up the next morning, feeling content, warm and overall, terribly, terribly happy. I was half awake, but felt the security of my blankets around me and a comforting feeling that I couldn't place. I searched my mind as I crept out of unconscious state, trying to recall what had put this permanent smile on my face. Like a lightbulb, it all flashed back to me. Cool, clear water, the strong scent of chlorine and the burning feeling of Troy's hands on my waist. The closeness of our bodies and the water that glistened on his lips as he. Running so fast I felt my heart would burst.

Was it all just a dream? As my eyes slowly opened, I felt something soft tickle my face and they snapped open. Looming above me was Sharpay, her long blonde hair dancing on top of my face.

I groaned and rolled over, covering my face with my duvet. "Sharpay!" I moaned. "What are you doing?"

She sniffed the air a couple of times and stood up straight. "You smell like chlorine. I hate the smell of chlorine."

A slow smile spread across my face at her observation as I realized it wasn't a dream. It had really happened. Troy and I really had broken into the pool the night before. He really did divulge a part of him. We really did almost...didn't we?

Sitting up in my bed, I swung my legs over the side and sat on the edge of my bed. I folded my hands in my lap and looked up at Sharpay.

"I broke into the pool last night," I said seriously, averting my gaze to look at the floor.

Sharpay, who was half way across the room and drinking from a paper cup of coffee sputtered and choked before turning around quickly and her eyes very wide. "You what?" she exclaimed.

"With Troy," I finished and met her eyes again. "We almost got caught."

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, coming to stand in front of me. "You broke into the university swimming pool last night with Bolton? How did that happen?!"

"Zeke's a part of the swim team," I explained, "He gave Troy the key saying that he could use a night off and Troy wanted me to come. That's what happened."

It sounded so absurd as I said it out loud, like I was making up some kind of extravagant dream. But it wasn't; it really truly happened. The reality of it was so unsettling and exciting all at once that I felt almost as if I was going to throw up.

Sharpay sat on her own bed, her legs falling out from underneath her. "Whoa," she said quietly, staring straight ahead. "That's kind of epic."

I nodded slowly. "I think we almost kissed."

Sharpay's head snapped up and her jaw fell open. "You what?"

"I think we had an almost kiss moment," I said almost monotonously. "I'm not sure, though."

"Okay, how can you not be sure?" Sharpay leapt off her bed to come sit next to me. "Give me details! What happened?"

"We were standing by the pool. I was cold and he was...he was trying to get me warm and we were really close and...yeah."

Sharpay looked away at the floor, not saying anything for a moment. "I think you did. I don't know. I wasn't there. Whoa." She looked up and gaped at me. "I never thought you'd guys finally stop dancing around each other."

"Sharpay, you're forgetting that nothing happened," I pointed out. That was right, nothing had happened between Troy and I, but that didn't mean anything wasn't going to happen. The memory of our closeness the night before was replaying in my mind like a song that I couldn't shake. It was so tangible, I felt like I could reach out and take it further, make it happen. I touched my lips, imagining what it would have been like if his had kissed mine.

I had imagined kissing Troy Bolton hundreds of billions of times over the last four years, but never had I thought that there would be a moment where such a thing could actually happen. Yet, it had.

Hadn't it?

Even still, I didn't want to dwell on it. Creating crazy fantasies between the two of us would only get me trouble. It had brought me to New York, after all.

"How was your night?" I asked Sharpay numbly. She looked at me, her nose scrunched in disgust but seemed to understand that I didn't want to discuss Troy and I's potential almost-kiss-moment any further.

She bit her lip. "It was good. I talked to Zeke, though we really didn't discuss the kiss thing. It was on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't bring myself to bring it up. However...we're going to perform together at Jenny's again next week on Wednesday before we all go away for Thanksgiving."

I smiled excitedly for her, snapping out for my trance. "That sounds awesome. Tay and I will be there for sure, and I'll even make sure to drag Troy along."

In that moment, all the memories from the night before came rushing back to me and a swooping feeling passed through my stomach.

"Are you replying your potential almost-kiss-moment with Troy again?" Sharpay asked, folding her arms across her chest and staring at me pointedly.

"Maybe." I swallowed, looking at Sharpay. "I just woke up yesterday and had this...this feeling, you know? That yesterday was going to be important. That's why I --" My eyes suddenly grew three times in size and my heart leapt in my throat as I felt the bare skin on my collarbone.

"What?" Sharpay asked, noticing my odd movements. "What's wrong?"

"My necklace," I said, jumping off the bed and running to where my clothes from last night were discarded on the floor. "Oh my god, my necklace."

I had taken my necklace off and put it in my shoe and hadn't given it another thought. Between almost kissing Troy and almost getting caught, my mind was scattered all over the place and I forgot completely about it. Picking up my sneakers from their spot on the floor, I turned them over anxiously, shaking them out to see if would fall out. It didn't and a sick feeling fell over me.

"What's wrong?" Sharpay said concerned. I began to rummage through my stuff, trying to see if it had caught on my jacket or my track pants or anything. It didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to her, my hands shaking. "My necklace. My grandmother's necklace. I took it off last night and put it in my shoe. Troy grabbed all of our stuff in a hurry when we heard someone coming. It must have fallen out."

I sat back on the floor, bringing my knees to my chest and my hands to my eyes. "Oh my god, my mom's going to kill me."

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Sharpay said sweetly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She'll understand."

I looked up and stared at her blankly. "What? I'm supposed to tell her that I lost her mother's necklace when I broke into my university's swimming pool with a boy?"

Sharpay considered this for a moment before speaking. "Yeah, you're screwed."

---

Two hours later I was still pulling apart my side of the room in some vain attempt to find my necklace. Thoughts that it had maybe slid underneath my bed or into some nook or cranny wouldn't escape my mind and I refused to give up hope as I yanked the sheets off my bed.

"Seriously, Gabi," Sharpay said. She was laying across her own bed, doing homework for her drama history class. "It's gone. Just accept it, think of a way to tell your mom and then start planning your funeral."

"I can't!" I wailed, flipping over my mattress. "Sharpay, my mother is going to kill me and if there's some chance out there that I can find said necklace then I am going to take it!"

The necklace had been one of the few items my mother had kept when her mother had passed away. She had never specifically said it, but having the necklace as an heirloom, something to pass down from generation to generation was a big deal to her. I could see it in her eyes when she gave me the necklace for my sixteenth birthday. Now I had gone and lost it and my mother would be appropriately heartbroken.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and went back to her work. A knock at the door made her head shoot up and she looked at me expectantly.

"You going to get that?" I shook my head and sighing agitated, she went up to answer it.

"Hey, Zeke!" she said, her voice slightly higher. "Troy! Come in!"

I froze where I stood, shaking out the contents of my backpack and turned to the door slowly. Troy and Zeke stood there, curious expressions on their face.

"What happened to your side of the room, Gabriella?" Zeke asked, surveying the disaster area.

"Yeah," Troy said in agreement as he closed the door behind him. "It looks like a hurricane blew past here."

"Um, spring cleaning?" I asked weakly. It was a lame attempt, but it was better than nothing.

Troy and Zeke exchanged glances. "It's November," Troy said with a lopsided smile.

Scrambling up, I pulled my mattress back on the frame. "Yeah, well, it autumn cleaning there!" I said with a nervous laugh. "Ryan, the R.A. does it all the time. You should totally try it."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "He's an idiot and Gabriella here is freaking out because she lost some necklace last night."

"That sucks," Zeke commented before turning to Sharpay and the two of them began to talk animatedly, excitedly. Troy's eyes, however, fell on me and his brow creased in concern.

"You lost your necklace? When?" he swallowed.

I didn't say anything, avoiding his gaze. "It's not a big deal."

He stepped closer to me, his expression growing steadily grimmer. "It wasn't when we broke into the pool, was it?"

When I didn't reply, his eyes grew wide and he stepped back. "Shit. It wasn't your grandmother's, was it? The angel pendant?"

I nodded and he ran a hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have made you break into the pool with me," he said, repentant and I looked up at him.

"Why?" I asked, feeling slightly hurt. Was he regretting what we had done?

"Because," he continued, looking down at the ground. "We almost got caught and now you've lost your necklace." His eyes met mine and he held my gaze before continuing. "We risked so much by doing that and I shouldn't have pushed you. I'm so sorry; I know how much the necklace meant to you."

"Troy," I said firmly. "It's a necklace, not the end of the world. Last night was far too much fun so please, don't let this dampen the experience."

"But..." Troy looked down again. "Your mom is probably going to kill you now."

I laughed slightly. "Probably. But it was worth it."

And it was. Even though I had lost my necklace, my family heirloom...being with Troy and having as much fun was we did made up for it. It took the bad out of the situation and made it all good. It cemented my friendship with him, showed just how close we had really become. Besides, that potential almost-kiss-moment by the pool...it was something else entirely.

"So you don't..." he swallowed again before rubbing the back of his neck. "You don't hate me for asking you to break into the pool with me? You're not mad?"

I stepped forward and placed my hand on his forearm, shaking my head and smiling. "I could never hate you, Troy."

It was the truth.

"I have to head to the library," Troy said suddenly, pulling back from my touch and I looked at him confused. "I'll um, see you later."

I looked after him as he began to walk towards the door. "Do you want some company?" I asked, not wanting him to leave.

He shook his head. "Nah, I won't be any fun. Just studying."

"I don't mind," I insisted, but he just shook his head again.

"Really, Gabi," he said with a soft smile. "I'll see you later."

With that he left and I was stood standing there awkwardly as Sharpay and Zeke flirted obnoxiously. Noticing the silence from my side of the room, they looked at me.

"You okay?" Zeke asked and looked around the room. "Where'd Troy go?"

I sighed. "He left."

Sharpay looked at Zeke and then picked up her purse. "We're going out for lunch," she said, not looking away from his eyes as if communicating something to him silently. "Do you want to come?"

I shook my head and began to repair the mess that was my side of the room and they left quietly. It was odd with Troy; we had suddenly switched roles. He was the uncertain one. It felt weird and I couldn't comprehend his hasty departure; how he had left so quickly all over the necklace.

Everytime I thought I had our friendship figured out, something happened to turn it upside down. It was enough to make me feel crazy.

Half an hour later, a knock at the door interrupted my steady cleaning and I jumped up to answer it, hoping with every part of me that it was Troy. Swinging open the door, I was dismayed to see that it was only Ryan, holding a flyer.

"Hiya, Gabriella!" he said brightly and presented me with a bright neon flyer. "Just a friendly invitation to the dorm's Thanksgiving dinner in case you'll be spending the holiday here."

"Oh," I said, accepting the flyer. "Thank you. I'll be heading home, actually. But thank you anyway."

Ryan smiled. "Going back to Albuquerque?"

I nodded and Ryan looked at me curiously. "You okay?" he asked and I shook my head.

"I lost a necklace; it was an heirloom and when I return to Albuquerque next week my mother may kill me because of it," I explained. "And...just some other stuff."

"Ah," Ryan said, nodding in understanding. "Try not to stress about it too much. I know it sounds crazy, but parents have a way of understanding these kind of things. Your mom might get mad, but she'll get over it in time and especially since she hasn't seen you in so long, she may be more forgiving."

I shrugged. "I don't know. She didn't want me to come to New York anyways and I just feel like this is one more thing I'm doing to let her down."

"Hey," Ryan said softly. "You following your own path is not letting your mother down. It'll be fine."

I looked up at Ryan then, in his ripped jeans and bright pink H&M t-shirt, his floppy blonde hair falling into his blue eyes. He looked so happy, so optimistic, but I could see him peering into the room, glancing over Sharpay's side and something lurched in my heart.

"Hey, Ryan?" I said and swallowed, working up the courage to proceed with my words. "Remember how I told you that Sharpay performed a while ago?"

"Yeah," he said and at the mention of her name he frowned. "Why?"

"She's performing on Wednesday next week. At Jenny's." I looked him straight in the eye. "You should go."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "I don't know if that's the best idea..."

"You don't have to come," I said, biting my lip. I just wanted him to take the bait, but pressuring him wouldn't do me any good. "Just thought I'd suggest it."

He smiled weakly. "Thanks, Gabriella." He turned to walk down the hall, but paused. "Oh and by the way, the guy you're worried about? He'll come around."

And with that cryptic message, he was gone.

---

I sat on my bed, sulking to myself, imaging different scenarios that could transpire if I were to tell my mother about my losing the necklace. Maybe she wouldn't be furious that I had lost an heirloom that had meant so much to her? That had belonged to her mother? Maybe she'd understand.

Chances were she'd scream at me in Spanish, which usually happened when she was really upset with me. I imagined her visage growing steadily darker as strings of Spanish curse words would be thrown in my direction and I shuddered at the thought. She'd go on about how I should have never come to New York and had I been in sunny California at Stanford, where things like this just didn't happen, I would still have the necklace firmly around my neck.

One thing was for certain, however. If I were ever to get the courage to tell my mother that I lost said necklace, which I'd most likely have to considering Thanksgiving weekend was fast approaching, I would most definitely omit the part in which I lost it whilst breaking into my university's swimming pool. Late at night. With a boy.

A soft knock at the door ripped me out of my thoughts and I sprang off the bed, practically running to answer it, thankful for the distraction. Behind the door stood Troy with an anxious look on his face and a brown paper bag in his hand. He looked up at me and smiled nervously.

"Hey," I said quietly. "What's up?"

He shuffled his feet almost awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. "Um, can I come in for a minute."

I nodded, completely unsure of why he seemed so shy. "Sure," I responded, stepping outside to let him in the room.

"Okay," he began, sitting on the edge of my bed, his hands folded in his lap with the brown bag deposited on the space beside him. "I know you said it's not a huge deal, that it doesn't matter that you lost the necklace and that you chose to follow me blah blah blah, but," he paused. "I feel terrible. That necklace was an heirloom, Gabi and it must have meant a ton to you and your mother. And if I hadn't been all brooding and pulled you into my need for an escape, then you never would have lost it."

"Troy," I began, coming to sit next to him. "Seriously. Yesterday was one of the most fun nights of my life. I don't regret it at all. Sure it's a shame that I lost my necklace, but I'll move on. My mom will move on. It's not the end of the world."

He swallowed and averted his eyes, picking up the brown bag beside him. "I know that. Even still...I wanted to make it up to you." Reaching inside the bag he pulled out a small package wrapped in light pink paper with far too much scotch tape. He held it out to me. I stared down at it in response.

"I know it doesn't replace the one your grandmother gave you," he looked down at the package in his hands before looking up to meet my gaze. "But...I just...I feel better this way."

Trembling slightly, I took the package in my hands and felt it's smooth paper. I looked up at him hesitantly and back down at my hands. I shook my head.

"Troy, you don't have to do this," I insisted but he brought his hands and laid them on mine, pushing the package back towards me.

"Please," he said desperately, "I want to. Just open it."

His hands left mine, and shaking, I began to peel back the paper carefully, not wanting to tear it too eagerly. Once I had shed it of it's wrapping, I found myself holding a small white box. I swallowed before looking up at him again.

He nodded, smiling gently. "It's not going to bite you, Gabi," he joked and I smiled in-spite of myself, lifting the lid before emitting a tiny gasp at what was inside.

Settled on top of a bed of cotton was a delicate gold chain. My heart thudded in my chest wildly. I lifted it out of the box carefully and found a small pendant dangling from it. It was a gold horseshoe, barely a inch wide. It was beautiful crafted, with little details and the gold shimmered brightly. I realized then that this couldn't have been exactly cheap.

"Troy, I can't accept this," I said, still holding the necklace in my hands. "You don't need to spend money on me."

Troy inched closer to me on the bed. "No, Gabi, it wasn't that costly." His jaw tensed and his face flushed as he rubbed his neck. "When I left to go to the library earlier, I was really just wandering around, thinking of someway I could make it up to you. After everything you've done for me lately, I managed to get you to lose an heirloom. So I found this small, girly boutique and i just thought...hey, why not?"

He smiled shyly before continuing. "So of course I get inside and I realize I'm completely over my head. It was all...flowery and stuff and there was clothing and I didn't know what I was doing. Then a sales girl pulled me aside and I found these. She told me that each pendant had a meaning behind it. A horseshoe," he pointed to the necklace in my hands, "obviously signifies luck. Given the fact that you lost your other one, I figured you could use it. Besides, it's a sign that you make your own luck."

I clutched the necklace close to me, butterflies swooping in my stomach. "Troy, I--"

"It means something else, too," he ducked his head down, the blush strong and apparent on his cheeks. "It's a sign of protection. I just...I wanted you to know that I'm always here for you, Gabi. Just like you were for me. Always."

I felt tears prick my eyes and my heart melted into a puddle of goo. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me," I admitted, my heart soaring.

"Yeah, well," he smiled bashfully.

I blushed darkly. "Can you help me up it on?

He nodded and I handed him the necklace, turning around so he could clasp it. He came to sit behind me, his kneecap pressing into the small of my back. I felt his warm breath on my neck as he bent down and carefully laid the necklace to rest just below my collarbone, his warm hands brushing over the sensitive skin.

I turned around slowly once it was clasped and my hand came up to touch the pendant. When I turned, our faces were centimeters apart, our noses grazing.

"Thank you," I whispered and he nodded, his eyes darting from mine to my lips again just as they had at the pool. He inched forwards, as did I and I let my eyes slide close, waiting for the impact.

"Gabriella! Big news! Zeke and I are going on a date!"

The door flung open and Troy and I sprang apart. Twirling around the room was Sharpay, who seemed to be in a girlish frenzy. Troy jumped up off the bed, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Um, this seems like a girl talk," he said quickly, his face bright red. "I'll um, talk to later, Gabi?"

"Uh, yeah!" I said, my face just as crimson and my voice two octaves higher. "Thank you."

"It was the least I could do," he said, smiling quickly before going to the door. "Uh, bye Sharpay."

With that he was gone and Sharpay stilled in her movements, looking at me curiously.

I was frozen on the bed, replaying the moment that occurred seconds earlier in my head over and over again. The almost kiss by the pool was that...an almost kiss. What just happened was an almost kiss. Troy and I had had two almost kiss moments.

Troy wanted to kiss me.

"Wait, did I interrupt something?" Sharpay asked me, her eyes slightly wide.

I threw my pillow at her and groaned, laying on my bed. The cool metal from the necklace Troy had given me burned my skin and I smiled, elated.

Troy wanted to kiss me. But given our interruptions, would we ever get there?

---

So, okay, the necklace. There is a link to it in my profile if you'd like to see it and I wanna talk about it for a second because a lot of thought went into it (stop rolling your eyes, Jacqui). The necklace is by New York based designer Anna Sabino and the majority of her pendants have charms that have some kind of meaning behind them, which I find delightful. Also, the store Troy went into is called Privileged, which carries her jewelry in real life and is also a location very close to Goddard Hall, their residence building. So yes, lots of google mapping.

Also, why haven't they kissed yet? Well, let's look at some facts. Troy and Gabi went four years without being friends. It took them five chapters to become friends. They're not going to kiss that easily. :)

Lastly, the store I'm working at is opening a week earlier than expected, so I don't know if that means I will have more time to write or less considering we haven't even gotten into the store location to set up yet, but we'll see. I have a good chunk of free time next week so hopefully I'll get a few more chapters written up.