ALL OF THE ABOVE -- CHAPTER FOURTEEN!
The following day, Lindsey drove Gabriella back to Albuquerque herself, but not before she called her mother and had a nice long chat with Mrs. Montez about her daughter's trouble-making. Needless to say, she had been less then impressed. She didn't yell or get angry. No, Gabriella would have preferred that to the disappointment she heard -- even over the phone -- in her mother's voice. Another person's trust in her had been damaged by her dealings with Mitch, although she was aware that it was partially her own fault as well. That's why she accepted two weeks worth of grounding with good grace; she knew she deserved it.
In school, Gabriella kept trying to catch Troy's eye, to at least get him to acknowledge her presence, but to no avail. She sat in her desk during every class and he seemed to be all she could think about. From across each classroom she shared with him, she observed him carefully, absorbing every little detail. He seemed different somehow now that she knew the truth... and yet still the same.
It was really hard to wrap her head around the concept that such a perfect creature could feel that way about her, which was why she had never entertained the idea before. She'd been having such a good time simply being with him and being his friend that it never occurred to her they could be anything more.
"What's the deal with you today, Gabi?" Taylor whispered during English, the second to last class of the day.
Emerging slowly from the fog her head had been immersed in all period, Gabriella said, "What do you mean?"
"You haven't taken your eyes off Troy the entire day. You're getting worse then Sheena Kingsley," she replied, referring to a freshman who was the president of the Official Troy Bolton Fan Club, East High Branch. They had buttons and everything. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at the comparison.
"Yeah, I'm just... I think..."
Then, in the middle of her fragmented sentence, Troy turned in his desk for the briefest of moments and the world seemed to stop. His brilliant eyes flickered to her, only to widen once he caught her staring back. That's all it took for everything to become clear in Gabriella's mind -- a single glance.
"I think I'm in love with him," she breathed.
Taylor damn near fell out of her chair.
"You're in what with him!?" she demanded.
"In love with him. I'm in love with Troy Bolton," Gabriella said, in awe of the words coming out of her own mouth yet not doubting them for a second.
"You do realize how insane that sounds, right? When the hell did this happen?" Taylor questioned as she leaned closer to her friend, her English essay now entirely abandoned on her desk.
Instead of supplying an answer, Gabriella muttered, more to herself then to Taylor, "I'm such an idiot! How could I not have known before...?"
"Before what?"
Taylor's frustration was steadily mounting.
"How am I going to get him back Tay?" Gabriella asked desperately, still blind to Taylor's utter lack of knowing what the heck she was on about. "God, I screwed this up before it could even start."
"Just tell me what happened and we'll find a way to fix it," Taylor comforted her. It was amazing how she switched seamlessly to best friend mode once she recognized how upset Gabriella really was.
Looking at the girl beside her, one of the few people that had her back through thick and thin, Gabriella realized it was time to come clean. She had to stop lying, not only to others but to herself as well.
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It took the entirety of lunch period, perched on the edge of the fountain in front of the school, for Gabriella to spill her guts to Taylor. The dark skinned girl listened without interruption, likely too thrown by what she was hearing to comment.
"So," she said when Gabriella had finally finished. "All those weekends spent in Sunnydale with Claire, you were actually playing in rock band under a fake name?"
Gabriella nodded, waiting expectantly for something along the lines of a major freak out.
"That's... wow. And Troy Bolton knew before me?"
Blushing sheepishly, Gabriella came to her own defense, "It was a total fluke that he found out. I was so panicked when I saw him there... but I'm glad he was. Otherwise I probably never would have spoken to him."
The idea seemed wrong to her.
"And when you say you 'love' him..."
"I mean it. I don't know how it happened, and I know I sure as hell haven't been acting like it, but it did happen," Gabriella insisted. It felt good to say aloud.
Taylor, for her friend's sake, tried to keep her cynicism to a minimum. She could easily see the spark in Gabriella's eye when she talked about the basketball captain. It was hard for her to believe, given her position on athletes in general, but there was no denying that something was there.
"What do you think I should do?" Gabriella asked, biting the corner of her lip.
"You were right," Taylor responded. Her eyes were far away as she pondered the most diplomatic way to phrase her thoughts. "You really screwed this up, Gab. But I think if you guys are meant to be, it can be fixed. How?" she added before Gabriella could ask. "You'll have to figure that one out on your own."
Gabriella sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."
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It wasn't until homeroom on Friday morning that Gabriella got the answer she'd been waiting for. Idling in her desk during homeroom, something Miss Darbus said during the daily announcements caught her attention.
"And, as a reminder, sign ups for the Spring Talent Show will be over as of lunch time today so please do hurry if you wish to partake. Late sign up will not be accepted. See Katie Lee, the event organizer, for more details," she reeled off in her usual over-the-top tone, making the issue sound like a matter of life or death.
Suddenly, an idea blossomed in her brain. Troy had been bugging Gabriella about participating in the Talent Show, which would be taking place the following Wednesday evening, for weeks before they stopped speaking. It now seemed like the ideal opportunity to show not only him but the whole school that she wasn't afraid to be herself. There was just one eensy problem...
She was petrified.
What if she messed up? She would be labeled as not only a freak capable of nothing more then solving math equations but also a wannabe.
And what about Troy? Would he be upset if she revealed her feelings for him in front of everyone? What if he laughed at her? What if he simply walked out of the auditorium?
Insecurities raged inside her, though she now tried valiantly to embrace them as a part of the real Gabriella. Her mother always said that if there's something in life worth having, it usually takes hard work. If she wanted Troy -- and she was absolutely certain he was worth having -- it would take some massive work. She'd have to overcome her biggest fear of standing out from the crowd.
"Katie!" Gabriella called after the bell signaling first period had rung. The small Asian girl halted next to the door, turning just in time to see her dart from her desk.
"Yes?" Katie asked uncertainly. Of course she had no idea that Gabriella had any desire whatsoever to be on stage.
"I would like to sign my band up for the Talent Show," the brunette told her.
And so the plan began to unfold. Now there was no going back.
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Gabriella had a strong urge to dedicate the entire weekend to writing and rehearsing with the Neon Gems in order to minimize the possibility of humiliation when they got onstage. This was a wonderful notion... in theory. The problem with the idea was that Gabriella was still grounded after the infamous weekday partying incident from early in the week. In no way did Gabriella think her punishment was unjust, it had just come at a rather inconvenient time. On Friday evening, she tore herself away from her guitar and the slow-going process of songwriting in order to plead her case with her mother.
Eva Montez was seated behind her tidy desk in her study, her glasses perched on the end of her nose as she studied a tax form. Gabriella knocked softly on the door frame, waiting only a second before she entered. Mrs. Montez was clearly busy but never the less, she patiently laid the piece of paper in her hand aside and removed her glasses.
"What is it, honey?"
"Mommy..." Gabriella began.
Eva smirked, not needing to hear much more then that to know that her daughter wanted something she didn't think she would get.
"I know that I'm grounded, and trust me I completely and totally understand why I am and I accept full responsibility for my actions but I need an enormous favor..."
As her eyes narrowed suspiciously, Mrs. Montez questioned, "Favor? Please elaborate."
"Well, I'm participating in the school's talent show on Wednesday night... and I really need to rehearse," Gabriella murmured. For some reason, she seemed able to look only at her feet while she scuffed them nervously against the lush carpet.
"And?"
"I really need to rehearse with Claire and Mandy in Sunnydale," she finished, bracing herself for a flat out no.
To her suprise, Mrs. Montez leaned back slightly in her office chair, observing her child thoughtfully.
"This show is really important to you..."
She didn't need to ask. Somehow, she could simply sense this fact. Mrs. Montez knew her daughter and she knew that Gabriella wouldn't try to weasel out of a punishment she'd earned without good reason.
Gabriella could feel her spirits lift slightly when her request wasn't immediately rejected. "Incredibly important," she confirmed.
Another moment of reflection passed before Mrs. Montez spoke again.
"You're a good kid, Gabi. You made a bad decision but, hey, you are a teenager and normally, you're a fairly tame one," she said carefully. "I'm not saying that I will completely dismiss all charges laid against you, but for this weekend you will be permitted to go to Sunnydale as long as you only go to Claire or Mandy's houses and you're back in this house before the sun sets. Does that sound reasonable?"
In a flurry of arms and legs, Eva suddenly found herself with her teenage daughter clinging to her neck, wrapping her up in a tight hug.
"Thankyouthankyou, Mom! Have I told you just how much I adore you today?"
Mrs. Montez laughed. "No. But its nice to hear every now and then."
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It was a stereotypical Saturday afternoon for a teenage girl band, hanging in Mandy's garage while her parents were off visiting her grandparents. The idea was for them to practice for the Talent Show, which Gabriella had all but gotten down on her knees and begged them to do, but instead Mandy and Claire were flinging darts at an old board mounted to the wall while their lead singer had been attached to her guitar since arriving. Gabriella was desperate to write the perfect song for the show, something that would explain to Troy everything she was feeling...
"I wanna be there for you," she sang, strumming softly along. "Be someone you can come to... Argh! Why is this so hard?"
Claire threw the last dart in her hand, paying no mind to the fact that it stuck into the wall several inches below the dart board, before she plunked down next to her friend on arm of an old beat up chair that had long since been lugged from Mandy's living room.
"You're trying too hard, Gabs. You're over-thinking it."
"Over-thinking it?" Gabriella echoed.
"You're trying to hard to make the song flawless. You just need to write what you feel like you normally do and it will come out amazing by default," Claire assured her with a mega-watt grin.
Mandy also abandoned their sad game of darts and took a seat on the other arm of the chair.
"Claire's right, babe," she said. "Just feel and it will come naturally."
Gabriella's brows knitted together as she took in their advice. Just feel. She knew that was normally how she wrote songs. When something was nagging at her, she'd immediately hide away with her notebook and jot down lyrics which were quickly followed by riffs and chords.
"While you let that simmer, Mands and I will go fetch some ice cream. We deserve a reward for all this hard work we've been putting in."
After accepting a grateful smile from Gabriella, Claire and Mandy bounced gleefully out into the drive and over to Mandy's front door, spurred on by the prospect of chocolate chip cookie dough goodness.
As soon as the two other Gems were out of sight, Gabriella closed her eyes and let her mind drift. She let herself remember the first time Troy had spoken to her that day in the school hallway when she had slammed right into him and how nervous talking to him had made her at first. It wasn't long before those nerves and reservations had simply eased to exist. Socialising wasn't Gabriella's strong point but Troy's laid back charms made it impossible not to feel at ease around him.
He'd been a rock for her. An unselfish source of support when he recieved nothing in return. He was the one who'd been able to talk Gabriella down from the edge of hysteria prior to the big Soundwaves gig and he was the one who had simply been there for all the other little shows in between since meeting her properly. It was maddening how completely she'd taken him for granted, even just in the friendly sense, nevermind in a romantic way.
Gripped with an onslaught of fresh emotion provided by her indepth musings, Gabriella pressed her pen to paper and let her memories of Troy and the message she was desperate to convey to him flow out as song lyrics. Despite a few scribbles and crossed out lines, a new song came to her with relative ease. Not one hint of the frustration from only moments earlier showed on her face. It was instead lined with concentration and -- when a particularly genius line was created -- satisfaction.
Just as her guitar was returned to its rightful place in her lap so she could work out a corresponding melody, her friends returned with two whole litres of ice cream. They had spoons in their hands as well but hadn't bothered with bowls. Gabriella was deeply in the zone at this point and barely noticed their reappearance.
"Ahhh, Miss Songwriter Extraordinaire walks among us once more," Mandy declared as she whipped the lid off the ice cream tub.
She and Claire respectfully nabbed seats on a couch -- in similar disrepair to the armchair -- opposite Gabriella and tucked into their treat as quietly as possible, letting their lead singer slave away.
Fifteen minutes and half a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough later, Gabriella finally looked up at them, a huge smile on her lips. She proudly held up the sheet of notebook paper she'd been randomly jotting things on.
"Ladies..." she said. "Man your battle stations. I think I've got something here."
Claire beamed back at her. "Told you it would come to you sooner or later."
She leaped up and settled herself comfortably behind her drum kit, ready for action. Mandy wasted no time in strapping on her bass and cranking up the volume on her amp.
"Let's blow the tops off every single one of my mom's tulips!" she pitched in, her enthusiasm evident.
"I'm sure she'd really appreciate that. We'd be practicing in the alley behind McDonald's for the rest of our lives," Claire said whilst rolling her eyes in a good natured fashion.
Mandy shrugged. "I'd just tell her it was all in the name of true love. She's a woman, she'd understand."
The trio laughed and at that point, Gabriella could only thank whatever God had supplied her with such kickass friends and bandmates. She stood so that she could step up to the old mic she'd saved up for weeks to buy and tried not to imagine how many people would be in the audience during the talent show. There was only one person she cared about seeing there and she'd be singing this song to him and him only.
"Okay, girls. It goes a little something like this..."
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A/N: Finally I have another update for y'all! I've been itching to update this fic FOREVER but my laptop completely crashed a couple of weeks ago, making it sort of difficult. I kinda wanted to crawl into a hole and just... die. But enough with the melodrama! Hopefully I'll be able to afford to fix Charlay (Yes, that is the name of my laptop) soon. Keep your fingers crossed! I know I will be... and my toes... and my eyes... and every other appendage known to man.
Anyways, fic stuff now. I know there was like one sentence worth of Troy in this chapter (he didn't even get his own little POV section! Blasphemy!) but I'm just building the plot up to its climax and in order to do that, there had to be a LOT done on the Gabriella front. Don't worry, he'll get his chance soon enough. I'm sort of iffy on this chapter, which I know is annoying to read in an author's note but I couldn't help but wonder if the whole "OMFGIlovehim!" thing was handled well...
There should only be a few more chaps left to this story but I'm thinking -- very tentatively -- of doing a sequel simply because I have a weird obsession with writing Gabriella as a rockstar. I'm so grateful for all of you guys who have stuck with this fic throughout my sporadic updates and what many of you percieve as Gabriella's idiocy. I mean it from the bottom of my broken heart (-cue emo!tear for Charlay-) when I say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING! And to anyone just tuning in... WECLOME!