Summary: He's popular. Egotistical. Troubled. One person, one girl, could break down all of his walls.

Disclaimer: All characters, places, and references are purely affiliated to the High School Musical series. Everything you read is solely set for fictional and entertainment purposes.

The Great Beyond

Chapter Eighteen

I didn't know how this was going to go. It wasn't like I was afraid of my father himself. I knew he was innocent.

But, I just was afraid of how I would act when I saw him for the first time.

"Go on," commanded the burly officer, pressing the knob to unlock the metal bars. The metal bars slid back with a loud noise, clanking as the sliding stopped.

Troy gulped lightly and nodded once at the officer. He stared straight ahead and sighed a shaky breath as he stepped forward and sat down on the metal chair. He had only been at the jail for ten minutes and it already felt like hours. Gabriella had asked if he wanted her to accompany him, but he had to decline.

This was something he had to do alone.

With trembling fingers, he clutched the phone from the wall and put it to his ear. He waited a moment before talking first. "Dad."

He stared straight ahead at the man that had been, what seemed to be forever, wrongly accused of a drug crime. His father didn't look like his father anymore. His black hair was an array on his head, his eyes were sunken in and they had lost their blue color. His skin was a bit pale, having lost its natural tan. There was a bruise on the side of his cheek, too.

"Troy," he murmured, his lip trembling as the tears threatened to spill over.

Troy exhaled heavily and forced a smile. "How are you doing?"

His father, Jack, chuckled dryly. "How am I doing? This is the first time you have seen me in jail and that is what you have to say to me?"

Troy chewed on his lip, not meeting his father's eyes. "It's just been difficult. I didn't know what to say or how to even do this...until now."

"Now?" repeated Jack, cocking a brow.

Troy looked at the girl next to him. She looked to be in her late twenties and she was pressing her fingers to the glass. She was talking to a guy near her age. They both wore wedding rings.

"I met somebody."

Jack paused. "What happened to Elise?"

"I met her while I was dating Elise. Her name is Gabriella and…" He smiled absentmindedly. "...she is just amazing."

Jack smiled at his own son's happiness. "She convinced you to come here?"

Troy shook his head. "Not really. But, being with her has helped me realize that you can't exactly take life for granted. You need to take chances and just take the risks." He paused. "I'm in love with her, dad."

He nodded. "Good for you. I'm glad you came. How is your mother?"

Troy shrugged. "She gets by, you know? We are hoping you can get out soon. Any news from your lawyer?"

Jack sighed and shook his head. "No. The last time I spoke to him, being a few weeks ago, he said he was working on getting me out of here and proving that it was those other guys who had the drugs. But...I haven't heard anything."

Troy sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. "This is bullshit."

Jack shook his head. "Troy…"

"No!" shouted Troy, slamming his hand down on the counter. "You don't deserve to be in here! Those bastards put the blame on you! They are the ones who deserve to suffer!"

Before Troy knew it, he was crying with frustration over the situation and because he missed his father.

Jack didn't like seeing his son cry. It soon made him cry. "Troy, I can't make promises. But, I can assure you that things will be okay. I won't be in here forever."

"You shouldn't be in here in the first place," muttered Troy.

"One more minute," muttered the officer.

Jack sighed. "Tell your mom I love her." He paused and touched the glass. "I love you, son."

Troy touched the glass. "I love you, too."

Troy watched as the officer came and removed his father from the window. He stayed in his spot for a few more seconds before finally getting up and walking away.

Gabriella looked up from her work in the library later that morning upon seeing Troy's arrival. He had skipped first period to go see his father and she was eager to know the details. From what she could see so far, it didn't look like it went well. Troy sat next to her wordlessly and held her hand under the table, lightly stroking her knuckles with his thumb.

"Hey," she whispered. "What happened?"

"That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but...I'm glad I saw him." Troy sighed and looked down at their hands. "He said that he has been waiting for his lawyer to get back to him on getting him out of there. He doesn't think it will happen."

Gabriella used her free hand to gently rub his forearm. "Hey, everything is going to turn out okay. It just has to."

He nodded and decided to change the subject. "So, any news about your father?"

Gabriella shrugged and looked at her work on the table. "He is still in town. I just want to avoid him as much as possible." She paused. "I don't want to go back home."

Troy nodded. "I understand. You can stay over at my place as long as you want."

She smiled at him and accepted his kiss. The bell suddenly rang, signalling the end of the period. They both stood up and headed out of the library.

"I'll meet you at your locker for lunch?" asked Troy, walking her to class.

Gabriella nodded and smiled. "That'd be nice." They stopped at her door. "Hey, I love you."

Troy smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before kissing her gently on the lips. He pulled back and stared into her eyes.

"I love you."

Later that afternoon, Gabriella stopped at her locker before heading to lunch. She wanted to work on some schoolwork while eating so she could have more time for Troy later that evening. She was about to grab the notebook when she heard her name.

"Gabriella."

She turned and dropped her notebook with a loud gasp. Her father, of all people, was approaching her in the middle of the empty hallway. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Her father furrowed his brows. "I can't see my daughter after so many years? I mean, you won't even stay at home."

"Do not call my home your home. You do not belong anywhere near me," she told him through gritted teeth.

Where was Troy?

Her father reached for her. "Gabriella…"

She backed away. "Stay away from me!"

Suddenly, Troy appeared between the two. He glared at her father. "She told you to leave."

"I have every right to see my daughter," he said.

"Not here, not now, not ever." Troy gestured to the exit. "Leave now before it gets uglier."

Her father looked at her once before leaving the school. Troy turned to face Gabriella and hugged her close to his chest as she silently cried and shook. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay. I'm right here. He's not going to get anywhere near you," promised Troy.

Gabriella pulled back and wiped her eyes, groaning in frustration. "I can't take this anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Troy.

"I can't stay here. Not while he is here. He obviously isn't going to leave anytime soon," she explained.

"I told you you can stay with me," said Troy.

"That's not enough. He can still find me." She paused and looked at her boyfriend. "Come with me."

"To where?" Troy chuckled lightly. "Gabriella, you aren't making much sense."

"Let's just pack our bags and leave town. We can hit the road and go as far as we can. we can get away from him. I can get away from him," she explained.

Troy simply looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "We still have school, Gabriella. We can't leave."

Gabriella felt the tears swarm in her eyes. She slid down against the lockers and silently sobbed out of frustration. "I don't want him around me. All it does is bring back horrible memories. I have a good life and he can't ruin it for me."

Troy sat down next to her and placed his hand around her leg. He kissed the side of her head. "He isn't going to ruin your life. I won't allow anybody to do that. Not even me."

She laughed lightly.

"You are so much stronger than you think you are. You need to face your fears and tell your father that he can't win," he explained.

Gabriella looked at him with wide eyes. "I need to face him?"

Troy nodded. "I had the strength to face my father, thanks to you. Now, it's your turn."

Gabriella stared at the door to room 306 and sighed. She looked over her shoulder at Troy, who was sitting in his vehicle. He smiled at her and nodded. She returned the nodded and knocked on the door.

She could do this.

Her father opened the door and looked at her with surprise. "Gabriella?"

"I need to talk to you. I'm not going to be childish about this anymore," she said.

Her father gestured inside. "Come in."

She shook her head. "No. I'm not going in there alone with you."

"Why are you afraid to be alone with me?" asked her father, utterly confused.

Gabriella scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Do you not remember the things you did to me when I was younger?"

"I don't-"

"You sexually abused me!" shouted Gabriella, finally letting it all out. "You took away the one thing that was mine and I can't get it back. You took advantage of your own daughter and I will never forgive you for that."

"Gabriella-"

"I want you to leave town and never come back again. Never come see my mom and never come see me again. You don't deserve to have me as your daughter," said Gabriella through gritted teeth.

Her father simply nodded once before quietly closing the door. She exhaled slowly and turned back around. She walked over to Troy's side of the car and looked down as he rolled down his window.

"How did it go?" he asked her gently.

Gabriella looked at him. "I told him how I felt. It felt pretty good to get everything out in the open."

Troy cupped her cheek and smiled. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you." She looked at him and held his wrist.

"For what?"

"For believing in me."