It's Always Been You

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with High School Musical nor anything related to the magazines, T.V. shows, movies that I choose to mention in this story as well as anything having to do with the celebrity life. Take everything has fiction!

AN: So this chapter is a long time coming and I really put a lot of thought and work into it. I personally am pleased with how it came out. I hope yall feel the same. I hope it lives up the building that proceeded it.

Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I anxiously await your thoughts and or rants in regards to this chapter.

Enjoy!


Chapter 21

Gabriella anxiously waited for Troy and Chad to exit the club. The noise of Taylor and Sharpay trying to calm and assure her had turned numb on her ears. She heard nothing and saw only the empty back lot that occasionally a few drunks would stumble upon. Her scared and worried chocolate eyes remained fixed on the back door as her mind and heart willed it to open, yielding an unscathed Troy and Chad. It had been almost twenty minutes and no one resembling the man that meant the world to her or his best friend appeared. She began to gnaw restlessly against the inside of her mouth as she twisted a few strands of hair around her fingers, something she did when she was nervous or edgy. She shifted closer to the door in an attempt to keep herself busy and moving. Sitting idle and having no idea what was happening inside was eating away at her. Troy's behavior had been nothing out of the ordinary. He was extremely protective and adamant about getting her away from Michael, which was something that she realized not to long ago was going to be the norm, so that didn't frighten her. What alarmed her and what had her feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles was the clamp like hold Michael forced upon her when she voiced she wasn't interested. The assertiveness in his voice, the tightness in his jaw, and the gleam in his eyes forced a foreign film of unease to her body. He had never made her uncomfortable before. Sure he was always forward and quite obvious that he was interested in her, but she never felt that it was anything more than an attempt to get a date or dare she say a harmless crush that would dissipate. This certainly didn't feel harmless anymore and it didn't appear to be dissipating, it seemed to be growing. Gabriella never was one to jump to conclusions and even now she hoped for a reason, but combining this new growing behavior that made her uneasy with Troy's sudden intense need to be with her at all times and if that wasn't possible, have someone he knew with her at all times. Even Elliott seemed to be acting more like an observing father figure and making sure someone on the team accompanied her just about anywhere Troy wasn't.

Her gut though was the final breaking voice. Her gut never steered her wrong before and right now it was a ball of nerves screaming for her to be careful and to be on alert. It had been a small whisper before, but as of twenty-seven minutes ago, it was blaring for her to watch her step. She swallowed the tears that were begging to escape her distress filled eyes. Tears that were without a doubt somewhat caused by the effect alcohol had on the female species, but she knew was mostly due to the fact that the man she felt she loved was still in the dark club defending her honor and risking his neck.

After what seemed like umpteen torturous hours familiar movement appeared in her vision. Her face lit up with relief and her heart began to beat at a relieved pace. She swiftly observed their forms from afar and let out a thankful sigh when she noted that no one appeared to be bleeding, limping or injured physically in the least.

She flung the door open and jumped out the car, "Troy" she yelled with excitement, worry and relief filling every undertone of her shaking voice.

"Get back in the car Ella" Troy called back in a stern, but as kind a manner as possible before she could attempt to rush towards him.

Gabriella's face wrinkled in confusion and her heart began to increase its beats. The lines on his face were straight and rigid and the curve of his eyes conveyed worry and aggression, "Troy?" she questioned.

He shook his head, "Just please get back in the car…" he sighed as his disheveled orbs met hers, "baby, just get back in the car…please" he all but whispered.

The pain and desperation in his voice felt as if someone was tying a knot around her middle while stabbing tiny holes in her heart. It frightened her. She trusted that he would fill her in, but her begging mind wanted to understand now. The harsh crumble of his features and the severe stance of his structure begged for her to retrieve answers instantly. Something huge had transpired after Chad had guided them out of the club. The recollection of that hit her after Chad returned inside to retrieve Troy and after five minutes hadn't surfaced. However, the rapid grind of Troy's teeth and his futile attempt to hide the basking worry in his eyes confirmed her assumption and for the first time in her life she was scared to hear the reason despite every screaming fiber pleading for her to ask.



He hadn't muttered a word since his request for her to get back into the car. The ride had been tense and harsh. Sharpay and Taylor had passed out the moment the car started to roll, which left her, Troy, Chad and Zeke to be the only conscious soles. Zeke's complete attention had been keeping Sharpay's weight of a body vertical and really wasn't paying much mind to anything else. Her gaze had gone back and forth from Troy's to Chad's the entire way to Troy's place. Her fingers had been laced tight in Troy jittery hand and remained that way until arriving home. His gaze had lingered straight and tense while staring directly ahead. His eyes seemed to trace every inch of the vehicle giving the only impression that his mind was working over something. His temperament and composure was to be expected. She wasn't all that surprised, but Chad's demeanor was night and day from what she saw seconds before he reentered the club. His fingers insistently drummed along his thighs and his eyes were dark as night. His straight teeth vigorously gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he occasionally sought out Troy's stare which seemed to begin a silent communication between the two that she had no way to decode. Chad was a kidder and beyond laid back. He brushed things off far easier than Troy did, and that was saying a lot. His anger and worried laced face combined with the desperation and fright in Troy's only nourished the pit of nausea and anxiety flowing inside.

The car had dropped them off safely and Zeke said his goodbyes and hauled the birthday girl to his car, while Chad placed Taylor in his and then walked back to where she and Troy were standing to bid them a final farewell. He gave Gabriella a smile and then ushered with his head for Troy to step aside with him for a moment. Troy gave Gabriella an attempt at a soft smile and followed Chad's path.

Gabriella watched on with studying eyes and a horrible feeling rising up her throat. She attempted to observe every twitch of Troy's jaw and glint of emotion that swept across his orbs in hopes that it would give her some ease or explanation, but it was yielding nothing of the sort. The wait, the not knowing was beginning to eat at her insides and she wasn't sure how much longer she could take it. She knew it had to do with her and the immediate demeanor switch of Troy and now Chad continued to play on rewind in her head only fueling the consistent fretfulness.

She observed as Troy gave Chad what she called a "man hug" and slowly approached her. He took her hand in his and led her silently towards the front door. He pulled his hand from her tiny grasp as he opened the door and walked inside. She followed him into the kitchen studying his stone like stature and zombie straight walk. She swallowed the hard lump in her throat as she watched him grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator and then slump his body weight over the center island in complete anguish. She slowly treaded towards him as he dropped his head into his hands, tangling his fingers tightly into his sandy strands.

"Troy" she said in a low voice as she hoisted herself onto the granite counter top.

He took a deep breath and then lifted his head to look at her concerned face, "I talked to Kristen earlier" he said in a strained voice.

Gabriella felt her lungs constrict and she did her best to control the nervous and scared fluttered tugging at her stomach. She nodded as she laced her hands in her lap and sat up straight, "okay"

Troy ran his fingers harshly through his hair as he let out a vocal sigh, "I wanted to tell you earlier, but the others came over and it…it just wasn't the right time and fuck…after tonight I just…"

Gabriella drew her bottom lip between her teeth. She wanted to sooth the obvious torment he was experiencing but the scared chill erupting all over her body was preventing her from doing anything but trying to contain the fright that was building inside her mind that was attempting to formulate what could have transpired between them.

Troy looked over at her scared features and closed his eyes in an attempt to gather himself. He moved the few inches to stand between her legs and wrapped his hands securely around her waist, "I want you to hear me out before you react or say anything okay?" he asked as his thumbs began to rub soothing circles along her sides.

Gabriella nodded as she gnawed profusely on her bottom lip.

Troy let his head drift to rest against her stomach for a moment as he absorbed her presence searching for the final strength to control the anger still exploding inside him. A slow ripple of ease trailed down his spine the second her angelic hands lovingly stroked his head. He pulled himself together and brought his gaze to hers, "Michael and Kristen use to date"

Gabriella's lips parted in surprise.

Troy took a deep breath and adjusted so that he was as close to her as possible. His grip on her sides tightened and his caress resumed, "They were dating when Kristen and I met at a premiere. Actually, he considered them to be dating. Kristen had called things off weeks prior. He refused to accept it." He sighed, "When Kristen and I began dating a few weeks after the premiere he went nuts. He sent hateful messages, emails and voicemails. He called several times a day which resulted in shouts of derogatory names directed at her and countless threats that she would pay for doing this to him, that I would pay for coming between them." Troy rolled his lips trying to sooth the rising hate hitting his mind as the memories came flooding back.

Gabriella began to bite on the inside of her cheek when he got silent. The haze that now covered the beautiful blue made her heart begin to beat at a rapid speed. Her dark irises hastily studied his features trying to find something to ease the nauseous sweat rising up her spine. She could tell he was thinking and cursing inwardly that he had to retell this information and his hesitance and need to recoil for a moment only reinforced the severity. The tightness in his jaw made her extremely anxious and she desperately wanted him to speak again. She wanted it to all be out in the open so that she could process and then move on, so that they could move on and it would all be in the past, a memory she could start to forget.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, needing to hold her, "He refused to let her go. It wasn't until I began to put the pieces together that I realized why she was so scared and so hesitant to report the harassment and why she just hoped he would lose interest and stop."

Bile began to rise up his throat as the memory of what he had seen entered his mind as the arm around her waist released and his hand lightly traveled up her back and curled around her neck. He swallowed hard as he threaded his fingers into the hair falling around her neck, "He physically hurt her Ella. The circular scars that were hidden just beneath her panties were from cigarettes. The healing bruises she had on her back when I met her were from where he had thrown her against the wall when she tried yet again to end it with him. You see, he's very calculated. He made sure that anything he did to her was well covered. He hadn't intended on my meeting her a couple days later. He hadn't expected for us to be invited with a few friends the next day to go sailing where the bruises could be seen. Of course I hadn't questioned it then because I had no reason to. It wasn't until later when it all began to piece together. His calls, letters, threats and combined with her almost scared timidness and hesitance to open up all made sense."

He took deep breath as he studied her stunned features, but continued, "I saw the burn marks a couple weeks later one night despite her attempt to conceal them. The calls and threats were still occurring and she still insisted that it would stop, but when I saw the obvious abuse and she knew I had seen it, she told me everything. I convinced her to go to the police a few days later. We thought for sure that with the number of letters and voicemails we saved combined with the burns that he would fucking pay in some way." A low growl erupted from his throat as he ripped his eyes from Gabriella for a second.

He shook his head when he collected himself and brought his stare back to her, "but the fucking bastard has too much fucking money or should I say daddy has too much fucking money. Since it was his first reported offense he got away with an order to stay so many feet away from her, which he had adhered to until a couple weeks ago. Kristen never saw him, but she said that she had been getting quite a number of hang up's lately and some things had appeared out of place around her home. Kristen has begun to take note of instances and will continue and her people have been informed. If he is planning something he's not going to get away with it again. They're not going to let him; I'm not going to let him."

He took a moment to catch his breath and ran his hands up her sides in an effort to ease the tension obviously present in her silent body "Gabriella, after tonight the inkling I have always felt towards him proved true. The fact that you finally went out with him and then ignored ever doing it again doesn't appear to be setting well with him and fucked up vile human beings like him don't handle rejection well. I hate that I was right all along Ella. I wished everyday that I was just being paranoid when I thought he was using you to get back at me, but it appears that was just what he was doing. In his sick warped head he actually thought he had a chance with you and to him, I yet again interfered and stopped him from getting what he wanted. He wanted a way to level the playing field as well as to eventually one up me by attaining you, something he knew I had never done, but it seems he has picked up on that there is something more going on between us now and he's lost it… He's unstable baby… but trust me I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you and keep him as far away from you as possible. Precautions have been made and people have been alerted. If he makes one fuck up, he's done. I will make sure of that." he took a needed deep breath, "I know this is a lot to hear and process, but just know I'm going to take care of you. I promise you that with everything inside me"

Gabriella let her gaze drop to her lap. She wasn't sure what to say. She certainly wasn't expecting what she heard. Her stomach was in knots and her breathing was short and shallow. She couldn't believe that he was that horrid of a person and now had her in his sights. When she met him she would have never guessed that he was capable of such retched and unforgiving actions. She honestly had thought that Troy's constant attempt to lure her from going out with him or having anything to do with him was a simple dislike or altercation. Never had she imagined that her safety was in jeopardy or that he would physically hurt someone so badly. She lifted her frightened watering eyes and swallowed the bubble in her throat.

A tight jolt hit his chest when he saw that she was on the verge of crying. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest, "oh baby. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He soothed as he mentally cursed Michael Millers existence.

Tears began to slowly escape her dark eyes. She was scared, but she also felt extremely sorry for what Kristen had gone through. No one deserved that, "don't be sorry Troy" her horse voice said against his chest as she pulled her face from his embrace, "I'm just glad I know"

Troy slid his hand up the side of her neck and cupped her damp cheek, "I should have told you sooner"

Gabriella shook her head, "no you shouldn't have and you know that, which is why you didn't. Please don't second guess your decisions. I can't imagine going through what she did and if I were her I wouldn't want people to know unless they had to. I understand why you didn't tell me. I just…I can't believe…I can't believe this is happening and I know it must be bad because I have never seen you or Chad that emotionally unhinged and I'm scared for you and for me and for anyone around me. I'm scared for Kristen. I don't …God Troy. This is so fucked up"

"I know baby" he said softly as he rubbed his thumb along her jaw line, "I'm not going to let him hurt you or anyone again. We will take precautions. He knows that I'm going to be watching his ass." He brought his lips down to hers and gave them a heart filled peck, "I really hoped that I would never have to tell you this and I didn't want to scare you, but you needed to be aware now."

Gabriella let her head fall to his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I know and I am."

Troy embraced her cheek with his as he lovingly caressed the length of her back, "you can ask me questions about it if you like?"

Gabriella shifted closer and squeezed her arms tighter around his neck, "did you leave anything out?"

Troy shook his head, "no"

Gabriella nodded, "then I know everything I need to know. Now I just want to think and decide what I need to do next."