A/N: Glad you guys liked the last chapter! Thanks to Bluebell140, summer1010, wildcats2016, fanficfan1122, It's Tori That's It, pumpkinking5, chica13, DreamingWithEyesWideOpen and the guest reviewer. Sorry for the length of time between updates, I was really swamped this week. Hope you like this chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own HSM or any of its characters...
"Have I mentioned how much you rock?" Chad repeated for the fifth time that day.
Jason rolled his eyes, "Yes Chad, you've told him like five billion times."
Troy chuckled.
"Not that you're not awesome," Jason hastily added, turning to Troy. "You totally are, but Chad's seriously getting on my nerves."
"Yeah, Chad, dude, give it a rest. Your presents were just as thoughtful, and I'm going to enjoy tonight as much as you guys." Troy looked over Chad's shoulder and spotted Taylor and Kelsi heading to their table in the hospital cafeteria. "Hey girls, what's up?"
"Can't wait till tonight," Kelsi gushed.
Jason flopped his head onto his arms which were resting on the table. "Here we go again."
Kelsi looked at her boyfriend in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"I'm completely excited about going to watch United too," Jason said, his voice muffled by his arms. "But this conversation has been going on for three days now! Can't we at least talk about the match? You know analyse tactics and stuff, like we usually do? I feel like my friends have been replaced by pod people who can only repeat how excited they are!"
Troy began laughing. He was sitting next to Jason and heard what he said pretty clearly, whereas the other three sat opposite and were still trying to work out exactly what Jason had groaned out.
"I feel you Jason," Troy said. "But you've been to heaps of matches. They're just…"
"Excited, I know," Jason said, finally lifting his head up again. "But if they're going to be like this tonight too, I'm going to have to bring headphones!"
Taylor nodded, "I know what you mean. At least you don't have to live with Chad. He's been like this at home for weeks! Pretty much since Christmas!"
Chad pouted, "But it's exciting. Especially after yesterday."
"Finally, a real conversation," Jason perked up. "Yeah I don't know what happened yesterday. City could have scored ten with the chances they had, but somehow QPR defended everything."
"Their keeper was a gun," Troy chipped in. He too had watched transfixed as bottom of the league QPR drew 0-0 with Manchester City last night. "Just when it looked like the lead was getting cut after the Tottenham draw, we're can go seven points clear again."
"We have to win tonight first," warned Taylor. "QPR are bottom and we saw what they can do. Southampton will try the same thing with us."
"That would be the worst," Chad complained. "If we don't take advantage of this slip, it would be horrible. Who knows what chances we'll get in the future. Sure City have Liverpool next, but once we're involved in the Champions League again it'll be a lot easier for them than us to win matches."
"Yeah, you're right," Jason agreed.
As the discussion proceeded, Kelsi smiled at Troy, "So how's Gabriella?"
Troy frowned slightly, "I haven't seen her in over a week. She's trying to take a couple of weeks off instead of just one so we can spend more time together in London. It'll be great if it works out, but it means she's had to work like a crazy person. She barely has time to text me."
Kelsi nodded sympathetically, "When Jason first started internship we met more frequently in the corridors of the hospital than anywhere else. Just think how it'll all be worth it in a few weeks when you guys get some alone away from everything else in your lives."
"Yeah, you're right. And our relationship is pretty good at the moment. I was a bit worried for a while about the implications of travelling together so early in the relationship, but I think it'll be great."
"So, what did your parents think about her?" Kelsi prodded. "You caught them last night right?"
Troy grinned, "Yeah, they loved her. She was so different to what they expected. I don't know what they were looking out for, some sort of sign that this would end up like last time, I guess. Whatever it was, they couldn't find it."
Kelsi returned the smile. "Of course they couldn't. Gabriella's lovely, and I'm sure she charmed them just like she charmed us. Chad even puts up with Sharpay for the sake of your relationship."
"Yeah, she is something," Troy smiled wistfully.
"What about George and Christina?" Kelsi asked curiously. "What did they think?"
Troy sighed, "It's more complicated with them."
Kelsi remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Troy closed his eyes, remembering the conversation with George and Christina.
He had been nervous as he dialled their number. He hadn't used it in so long, yet it was impossible for him to have forgotten it after all these years. They didn't have Skype, so he was resorting to the regular phone. He didn't know if it was a blessing or not that he couldn't see their faces.
"Hello?" Christina's soft voice answered.
"Hi Christina, it's Troy."
"Troy! How are you?" her pleasant demeanour betrayed nothing of her feelings after meeting Gabriella. While she was relaxed, Troy remained on edge.
"I'm doing well thanks. How are you? Is this an okay time to talk?"
"Of course," Christina replied. "George is just walking in. Thanks for calling Troy. I'm sure you're busy."
"No, you guys must be busy! I've…" his voice faltered, "I've missed talking to you guys."
Christina hesitated before answering, "We've missed talking to you too."
"I'm sorry." It was the first time he had even hinted at the events of the past. "I'm sorry for cutting you out."
"I'm sorry we let you," Christina replied honestly. "We just didn't know what to do or how to handle it."
Troy took a deep breath, "It was hard on all of us. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It wasn't your fault."
By this time George had joined Christina, and they had Troy on speakerphone.
"It was our fault that you knew her," George said softly. Hearing George's voice suddenly, and in such a quiet tone jarred Troy. He had never heard the older man sound so unsure of himself, or so helpless. Even his own father had shown weakness and emotion at times, but George was fearless, and perennially cheerful. Not once had he been less than jolly in Troy's presence.
"George," Troy started, in attempt to refute that, but he didn't know what to say.
"I don't know why she did it. I still can't talk to her about that time, even to this day." Anger creeped into George's voice, "And I have no idea what part of her upbringing made her think that being unfaithful was acceptable."
"George," Christina interrupted quietly.
Even through the phone, Troy could picture the reproachful look she sent her husband. It seemed to work as George did not continue his rant. The silence stretched out between the three of them, as each remembered the difficulties of the last few years.
Eventually it was Troy that was able to speak first.
"George, I never blamed you. Either of you. I didn't avoid you because I held you guys responsible. I just couldn't face you. It was too painful to be reminded of her. It was bad enough seeing her everywhere I went, remembering her in everything I did. I couldn't handle seeing you, and talking to you like nothing was wrong." A tear fell from his eye as the painful box he had slammed shut opened all over again.
"We understand, Troy," Christina assured. "It was the same for us. And you may not blame us, but we blame ourselves. How could we not? Anything she was a result of our parenting. Somewhere along the way, we screwed up."
The anguish in her voice was evident, and Troy could hear sniffles through the receiver.
"No," he said clearly. "It's not your fault at all. Any child would be lucky to have either of you as a parent, let alone both. I can't let you take responsibility for my inadequacy."
It finally came out. Something he had barely admitted to himself, let alone voiced out loud.
"Your inadequacy?" George repeated in confusion.
"Don't pretend you haven't considered it," Troy said bitterly. "If I was a good enough boyfriend, if I had paid her enough attention and given her what she needed, she wouldn't have… I loved her the best I could. I promise you I thought I was treating her right. I… she was my world, you have to believe me. There was nothing I wouldn't have done. But it wasn't enough. If it was enough, Melissa wouldn't have needed him."
His voice cracked as he finally said her name, and he all but collapsed into his grief. He felt wetness on his legs and he realised that the dripping tears had turned into a cascading river.
"Troy!" Christina gasped.
"Troy Bolton, you listen to me," George's authoritative voice rang out, and Troy was immediately transported to the time he and Melissa had 'run away' to the park, and it had been George to find them and chew them out. "This is not your fault. You loved that girl more than anyone could have asked you to. You loved her more than life itself, and we could all tell. She knew, believe me, she knew. We all knew. That girl held your heart in her hands and then for some reason or the other, which none of us will ever understand, she tossed it away, shattering it. None of which is your fault. Do you hear me, son?"
The way he referred to Melissa as 'that girl' and called Troy 'son' spoke volumes of George's true opinions, and it was this alone that calmed Troy down, and inched him out of the misery he was feeling.
"Yes sir," he said reflexively, and then allowed a tiny grin to form on his lips.
"That's my boy," George said, a lighter tone creeping into his own voice.
"But it's not your fault either okay?" Troy said pointedly.
"Okay," George agreed, a bit more sombre. "It's her fault."
"It's her loss," Christina said fiercely. "She knows what she did was wrong. But she still hasn't grasped exactly what she threw away. Whoever you end up with is a blessed woman, Troy. I really mean that."
Troy's grin grew a little wider, touched at Christina's words. Then he remembered he did have a young lady who had stolen his heart.
"What did you think of Gabriella?"
There was another silence, and Troy wondered if it was too soon to bring her up after such a heavy conversation about Melissa.
Christina sighed, "She's an amazing girl, Troy. We're really happy for you."
He sensed the 'but' in her voice and called her out on it.
"You guys have never lied to me before. Please, just say what you think." He braced himself for the flaws they were about to point out.
"No, she's right," George said, sounding similarly deflated. "From what we saw that day, she really seems sensitive, and sincere, and she seems to truly care about your wellbeing. Things that Mel didn't always show."
"Look Troy, even after everything, she's still our daughter and we want what's best for her, and that's you. You're the best thing that could have happened to her, and we were really breathing easier knowing you were around to take care of her after we were gone. When you two… broke up… that idea was shattered but not entirely lost. We know she had a child with another man, and we know they're now married, but I don't know… I guess we both had a little hope that you would somehow find your way back to each other. That it would all work out in the end."
"That you would live happily ever after," George chimed in sadly. "But meeting Gabriella. Seeing not only how good you are for her, but also how important she is for you, well that dream is gone. You and Gabriella, you're something else. You're meant to last."
Troy felt his eyes well up again. He whispered painfully, "Melissa and I were meant to last."
Another moment stretched out with no reply.
"Troy," Christina said gently. "She was your first love, your only love till now. When you got to the age of girlfriends and boyfriends and of crushes, she was there. How could you not fall in love with her, your best friend? You're a loving boy, a loyal boyfriend. Nothing she could do, apart from what she eventually did, could stop you from loving her. It blinded you to her true nature."
"What do you mean?" Troy asked, baffled.
"What Christina is trying to say, is that we know you. We probably know more about you when it comes to dating than even your own parents. We watched you give our daughter the world, and we saw exactly how she treated you," George said sympathetically. "And we know that you're thinking if she could break your heart after so many years, then how can you trust anyone else to act differently."
Troy gasped sharply.
"But that's the thing Troy," George continued. "We saw how she treated you, and you didn't."
"I think I know how it ended," Troy said, trying not to snap.
"Sure, but we're not talking about how she treated you at the end," Christina put in. "We're talking about how she treated you the whole time. She was a sweet girl as a child, and she loved playing with you. You were inseparable. But as she grew up, the two of you grew apart. Not physically of course. You were still inseparable. Believe me, we weren't thrilled about that part. But emotionally, you were poles apart. Troy, you were still the sweet idealistic boy that we had always known. But Melissa, she grew more interested in superficial things. She was focused on her appearance, and her position in the social ladder. She loved you too of course, but not in the same way. The depth of feeling wasn't there. You were all she knew, and you were captain of the basketball team; king of the school. It worked out perfectly for her."
"You didn't notice that it was always you that initiated romantic dates. Whenever it was up to her to plan things, it was always something public, where she could show you off. It wasn't that she didn't care about you. In her own way you were her world too. But it wasn't always about you, Troy, the person. It became about what you represented." George added.
"She never once considered going to college near you, and it was you that threw away your scholarship for her. You were lucky that Boston College offered you first team basketball, but I don't doubt you would have given that up for her too." Christina blew her nose, alerting Troy to the fact she had been crying this whole time. "Even when you told me you were interested in medicine, you asked me about the lifestyle, remember? You asked whether it was conducive to a relationship. How did I handle being a doctor and looking after my family? At every step you were thinking of the future, and she was always front and centre. I don't think you could say the same for her."
"You can't argue against her care," George defended his daughter. "Yes at the end it was complete betrayal, but I don't think it crossed her mind before then. She did love you. But to her, love didn't mean the same thing. She lived in the moment, and for herself. Anything else was a bonus. The people around her were there to make her happy."
"Maybe we should have said something before, but you seemed truly happy," Christina apologised. "We just figured that we were lucky that someone as perfect as you found our daughter worth loving. We knew you would make her happy, and from what we saw, despite her actions, you were just as happy. We didn't want to ruin that by meddling and risk hurting you both."
Troy absorbed what they were saying, and some of it registered as truth. The rest made for information overload and he knew it would be days before he could process all the information he just received.
"Gabriella's different," Christina said quietly, but firmly. "It's important that you listen to us. Gabriella's not like that at all. Even the couple of hours we spent with her was more than anything Melissa would have ever done. She loves you like you love her. Please Troy, please don't throw this relationship away because of fear. Don't lose Gabriella because of what our daughter did."
Troy was struck with the intensity of her words.
"Okay," he said hollowly, his throat dry. "How did you know we said we love each other?"
"We could see it," George exclaimed. "The way you two looked at each other, anyone could see it. Christina's right. The love that Gabriella holds for you, it's not the same as what you had with Melissa. We're not saying that this relationship won't have its own challenges and there's a chance that it might not last either. But we can promise that it is worth taking a chance on. Gabriella's worth fighting for."
It was so powerful coming from his ex-girlfriend's father. From both her parents, really. This was the approval that he really needed, and it made him feel slightly better that they had seen something in this relationship that was absent in the last one. Troy had always been a problem solver. This had been what had hit him the hardest with the break up. George and Christina were right, he hadn't seen any problems with their relationship, and when they had broken up, he didn't know what he could have solved. Now that the problems had been pointed out, and he no longer viewed the relationship as perfect, he could put his faith in finding something better for himself out there.
"And if that something better is with Gabriella, they're right. I should fight for it," he explained to Kelsi. When he finally met her eyes, he saw a layer of unshed tears.
"You're so lucky to have them," Kelsi said softly.
"I know," Troy nodded emphatically. "No one else would do that for their daughter's ex."
Kelsi brushed at the tears behind her glasses. "Does Gabriella know?"
Troy looked at her in confusion, "Know that they like her? I haven't had a chance to talk to her since then."
Kelsi shook her head, "No not that. Does she know who George and Christina are? Does she know they're Melissa's parents?"
Troy gulped. "No, I haven't even told her about the break up yet."
"Troy!" Kelsi exclaimed astonished. Unfortunately her loud voice had drawn the attention of the rest of their friends who had still been discussing the soccer match they were going to watch that night. As they re-joined the conversation, Troy ignored the looks of disapproval Kelsi sent his way. He knew she was right. He really ought to have told Gabriella by now. He just wasn't ready yet.
That night, Chad was bouncing all the way from the hospital to Old Trafford. Jason was about to strangle him, and Taylor had periodically swatted at his chest in annoyance. Troy personally couldn't wait to meet Gabriella and ditch the group for their regular seats.
"Are you sure you're not on call tonight, Chad?" Kelsi asked loudly pinching the bridge of her nose. Even she had grown tired of Chad's constant repetition of his excitement.
Chad laughed, and held out his hand with his palm facing up in Jason's direction.
"Damn it Kels," Jason scowled. "If you were going to complain before the match, couldn't you have done it hours ago?"
Kelsi, Troy and Taylor watched in surprise as Jason slapped a fifty pound note in Chad's outstretched palm.
"I bet Jason fifty pounds that I could get Kelsi to crack it before the match started," Chad explained with a cocky grin. He checked his watch with an exaggerated flourish, "Looks like I had half an hour to spare."
Kelsi and Taylor glared at their immature boyfriends.
Chad backed away from Taylor waving the fifty pound note, "Hey don't look at me like that babe. This is going toward dinner at that fancy French place you've been eyeing. And now that the bet is over, I can stop being annoying."
Taylor's face softened, and then she too beamed wickedly at Jason and Kelsi. "Thanks for dinner guys."
Troy burst out laughing at the couple war in front of him, till the other half of his couple joined his side.
"What's going on?" Gabriella asked with a furrowed brow as Kelsi shrieked at her boyfriend for using her as the subject of his wager.
Troy's grin widened, and he ignored her question, sweeping her into a kiss instead. She melted into his embrace, and deepened the kiss. They pulled away panting.
"Hey," Troy said with a warm smile.
"Hey," Gabriella breathed out. "I missed you. I can't wait for London."
"Me either," Troy replied, brushing a loose curl behind her ear. He saw Chad over her shoulder approach them with a cheeky look on his face. Quick to avoid the ribbing they were about to receive, Troy announced that the match was about to start so they had all better head to their seats.
"That was smooth," Gabriella teased as they left the rest of the group.
"Did you want to stay with them?" Troy asked with an eyebrow quirked.
Gabriella giggled, "No. Not when I have more alone time with you."
Troy squeezed her hand tightly, "I know it's their chance to watch a match live, but I really hope it's a straightforward easy win tonight. I want to focus on the excitement sitting next to me, not on the pitch."
As it turned out, Troy was in for a rough night. Within minutes of sitting down, a ridiculous error from a Manchester United player led to a Southampton goal.
Troy groaned loudly, and a buzzing in his pocket alerted him to the fact that his friends sitting across the stadium were less than amused. To make matters worse, Southampton didn't just accept the fluke goal, they were actually playing really well. They looked like they could score any number of goals, and even when Manchester United was able to equalise through their talisman Wayne Rooney, the crowd around Troy remained unsettled.
"This is too close," Gabriella murmured. "They know that City drew last night. Why can't they concentrate and win the damn match?"
The players in red seemed to answer the pleas of the fans and piled forward, edging closer to a second goal. Again it was Rooney that scored the goal, this time taking them into the lead.
"Phew," Gary sighed. "This season is going to give me a heart attack!"
"Not over yet," Gabriella pointed out.
As they met up with Jason, Kelsi, Chad and Taylor at half time, the nerves were running amok amongst all the fans.
"If they don't win tonight, I'm never watching a match live again," Chad announced. "It's not worth it if it's bad luck."
"Don't be silly, Chad," Taylor chided. "It's not because of you being here!"
"You don't know that!" Chad protested.
Jason rolled his eyes and Kelsi bit back a giggle.
"How are you guys liking the atmosphere otherwise?" Gabriella asked.
Kelsi's eyes lit up, "I know it's a tense match but it's so amazing watching it here among the thousands of fans. It just adds a new dimension. I guess I see what they mean by the fans acting as the twelfth player."
Gabriella nodded, her own eyes sparkling in delight. "I know exactly what you mean. It's so great to really feel a part of the action. In a way, Chad's right, the fans do contribute to the outcome of the match. Maybe not in quite a… direct manner."
The half time interval was coming to an end, and the group split up once more to return to their seats. The second half was even worse than the first, and it looked like it was a matter of when, not if, Southampton would score. Troy and Gabriella did not utter a word to each other for forty five minutes, and at times they had to remind themselves to keep breathing. Southampton peppered the Manchester United goal and it took every red shirt to get back and block shot after shot. Finally, by some miracle, the whistle blew, signalling Southampton's time had run out. There were many cheers around the ground as Manchester United had successfully reclaimed their seven point lead at the summit of the Premier League table. Troy and Gabriella, however, slumped against their seats in exhaustion.
"That was too close," Troy groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"We can't keep doing that. We have to finish the matches strongly." Gabriella nodded at him.
"So," he snuck a glance at her. "Feel up for a late dinner?"
Gabriella groaned, "You have no idea how good that sounds, but I have to go back to the office."
"What, now? It's 10:00!" Troy exclaimed.
"Yeah I know, but I have so much to do."
"Gabriella," he took her hands gently and looked into her eyes, "if you have to work this hard for the extra week, you should just forget it. We'll have a great week together and you'll still be alive!"
She shook her head vigorously. "I haven't had a proper holiday in ages, and we need some good quality time together. It's only another couple of weeks, and then we will have all the time in the world together. Just the two of us."
Before he could protest, she silenced him with a passionate kiss. When she pulled away, she jumped up off her seat, and waved at him before dashing off.
He smiled at her, and touched his lips gently. She was right, of course. When that fortnight finally came around, it would definitely be worth it.
So what did you think? I know I said there was going to be a lot mor couple time, and there was minimal Troyella moments in this chapter, but I thought this was an important chapter for Troy's own growth. The next few chapters are going to focus a lot more around our favourite couple as they deal with some more of their secrets, and they head off for their romantic fortnight together!