It's the Real Thing
AN: One more for you guys! I don't like this one much ;( But I LOVE you all, so I had to put it up! Sadly the wait for the next one might be a tad bit longer. Sorry. :(
Disclaimer: D'you think Santa manufactures High School Musical's in his North Pole factory? Do you think he'd give me one?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Cry
Gabriella walked silently down the sidewalk, wheeling her rose suitcase behind her, tears dripping down her cheeks in a rather unbecoming manner. She continued to wander blindly, not noticing or caring that she was in a pair of indoor slippers that exposed her feet to the icy January winds of New York, nor that her feet were steadily developing some sort of a callus, having not walked so much in some time. She was brought sharply out of her sorrowful reverie when a loud, familiar voice called her name.
"GABS! Oh my goodness, I was just coming to see you," Sharpay exclaimed, clambering out of her hot pink car, Taylor exiting from the passenger seat. "What happened? Why do you have that suitcase? Why are you crying?" her friend inquired anxiously. Taylor, however, merely opened her arms, and Gabriella fell into her offered embrace, loud sobs escaping her.
"T-troy… p-p-pregnant…" was all she could choke out before succumbing to a fresh wave of tears. Sharpay cast a glance at Taylor.
"Did she just say Troy's pregnant…?" she whispered, not being able to suppress a giggle at the thought, despite her best friend weeping brokenheartedly. Taylor frowned over Gabriella's shuddering form, mouthing, "now's not the best time!" to the blonde. Sharpay immediately clicked into a more serious drive.
"Gabs," she said gently, "are you pregnant?" A tremulous 'yes' came from the weak, limp bundle in Taylor's arms. Sharpay stroked her friend's hair tenderly, maternal instincts rising inside her.
"Right," she decided, "Gabby's going to come stay with me." She didn't notice how Gabriella stiffened at the nickname. "Obviously she and Troy have gotten into a big fight, and she's left… stress plus pregnant woman is not a good combination." Taylor raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "She needs to cool off and probably have some gal time with us. No telling Troy where she is, agreed?" The dark-skinned girl nodded solemnly.
"Poor baby," she whispered tenderly as she stroked the younger girl's dark curls. (Remember, Taylor was in Troy's classes so she's two years older than Gabriella. Not sure if I mentioned it, but Sharpay is ALSO two years older than Gabriella)
Troy stared blankly at the dark brown door, made of oak and some other wood that smelled faintly fragrant. The enormity of what had just happened was slowly sinking in, and he placed one hand on the sideboard and the other over his eyes, hiding his tears from the world. Suddenly not wanting to be where Gabriella had so recently been, he moved towards Hailey's room, wanting to seek solace in his always-understanding younger sister.
Hailey's eyes opened as he entered the room. She sat up quietly, beckoning him to sit on the edge of the bed. Troy bit his lip, wondering how to explain to her that the girl she'd loved like a sister was… gone.
"Gabby left." Hailey pronounced this in an emotionless voice, studying him carefully. Troy widened his eyes in surprise, cocking his head to one side. "I heard you two," she replied to his unanswered question quietly. His shoulders slumped, and once again she saw misery overtake his features.
"That wasn't smart of you, Troy," she reprimanded him lightly. "She was so happy! You guys are having a baby, for goodness' sake. Isn't that a happy thing?"
Troy paused to wonder how Hailey somehow seemed older. He answered her slowly, choosing his words circumspectly. "It's just… I don't know if I'm ready to be a dad, Hal," he said honestly. "It's such a big leap. A year ago… I'd never dreamed of even being married, let alone my wife expecting a baby! It was so… so sudden. And… and…" He clenched his hands desperately. "She was just so happy, and it's like she was ordering me to be happy too… and I just couldn't be, Hal, I couldn't!"
Hailey didn't retort with a sharp comment. That was what he loved so much about his sister; she was never hasty and weighed every word others spoke. Her reply came a few minutes later.
"Did you really not tell the media about you guys?"
Troy winced. "Of course I told them! I wouldn't hide her for anything, Hailey, I'm so proud of her, I want everyone to know she's mine… I… I love her," he confessed quietly, looking down at his interlaced fingers. Hailey reached out and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, placing a childishly wet kiss on his cheek.
"Why are you telling me, when you should tell her?"
"I told her. A long time ago, and a lot of times since then. But I guess I cancelled out all of that today…"
Hailey uttered a short snort of laughter. "Yeah, I'd agree with that," she giggled softly, but stopped as she saw the frustrated look on her brother's face. She bit her lip softly and apologized quietly, but Troy brushed aside her apology.
"How do I get her back, Hal?"
This question startled Hailey, and she couldn't answer for a few minutes. When she finally replied, it wasn't the answer Troy wanted. "I don't know."
Troy closed his eyes and silently lowered his head onto her lap. Hailey cradled his head as he wept freely, his entire body shaking with remorse and pain.
Gabriella woke up from what seemed like an eternity of sleep in Sharpay's apartment. She blinked her eyes in confusion, sitting up to see Taylor and Sharpay looking at her worriedly. She smiled weakly at them, her hands jumping to her stomach to massage it slightly. Taylor sighed in relief, rushing to her side and hugging her tightly.
"Oh sweetie… I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered in her ear. Gabriella blinked again, her mind strangely devoid of recent memories.
"Why am I here? What happened?" she said softly, gently detangling herself from Taylor's arms. Sharpay came to sit on the bed, her brown eyes anxious.
"We found you with a packed suitcase, running away from home," she started. "You said something about 'Troy' and 'pregnant'… you're pregnant, aren't you, Gabs?"
The memories came back in a sickening rush. The brunette nodded timidly, flinching as she remembered Troy's cold, deadpan voice. "He told me to get out," she whispered. "He didn't want the baby. He doesn't want to be a father." She started to cry again, rocking herself on the big queen-sized bed. Shocked looks crossed her friends' faces, soon replaced by a furious look in Sharpay's case.
"He did WHAT?" she screeched, causing Gabriella to clap her hands over her ears. "Sorry," the blonde apologized as she lowered her voice. "But… I can't believe it… has Troy ever acted this way before, Tay?"
Taylor looked confused. "No," she said slowly, "but I think I can understand. He was really surprised, and who knows, Gabs? Maybe he'snot ready. He doesn't have that baby growing inside him, remember, he can't feel it moving slightly, he doesn't know that magic…"
Sharpay looked at her skeptically. "You sound like it's happened to you before," she said softly.
Taylor paled and looked at her hands. "Actually, it did," she murmured. "I… it was a mistake. I was eighteen. The baby didn't survive, anyways."
Gabriella was touched by the sorrow on her friend's face and reached to give her a hug. "Don't worry, Tay," she comforted the older girl. "You'll find your Mr. Right and you'll have seven kids running around!"
Taylor laughed. "I'm not sure I want so many!" she giggled. The other two started to laugh as well, and for a while their troubles were forgotten.
Troy had spent himself and was sleeping uneasily when he heard the doorbell ring. Stirring slightly, he opened one eye to see Hailey asleep as well, dusk gathering on the horizon. He wearily got to his feet, swaying a little from sitting for so long. His legs had fallen asleep. He half-hobbled to the door, pulling it open unceremoniously.
The sight that greeted him was puzzling. A tall, wiry youth of about thirteen stood outside his door, clear amber eyes dark with worry. He had a shock of dark hair, somehow eerily familiar to Troy. He was fidgeting, moving from one foot to the other. When Troy opened the door, his facial expression was carefully arranged to resemble nonchalance, but Troy could sense a sort of nervous energy coming from him.
"Hi," the boy started without preamble. "I'm looking for Gabriella Montez? Well, Gabriella Bolton now, I s'pose. Can you tell her I'm here?"
Troy leaned against the door frame. "She doesn't live here anymore," he said softly. "What do you want, kid?"
The boy immediately became upset at hearing Troy's first sentence. "Oh no!" he cried, shooting a pleading glance at Troy. "Where is she? I need to talk to her!"
"Who are you, kid?" Troy asked softly, even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.
The youth swallowed. "I'm Alan," he said steadily. "Alan Gregory Montez."
AN: Shocker? Or did you know that was coming? Probably the latter, eh… anyways! Hope you guys liked that! More Hailey for all her fans, I'm personally in love with the girl, she's my best (and first!) OC evurrr.