I had looked all over for her. It was as if she had just vanished. I didn't want to go back into the auditorium. I couldn't face everyone. Not after … I couldn't believe she had just said no. And it wasn't a simple no. No, there was nothing simple about it. She had said it repeatedly.

I could see the tears welling up in her eyes, but they didn't look like happy tears and for a moment, I was beginning to get scared. She stared at the ring for the longest time, her tears streaming down her face now. "Gabriella," I whispered, not knowing what to do. She looked back up into my eyes, her bottom lip trembling as the tears continued to stream down her face. I stood up quickly, pulling her into my arms and she pushed me instantaneously off of her. "No, Troy! Don't… Don't…" She shook her head, backing away from me. "No… I can't…" She shook her head again. She was sobbing now and she wouldn't even let me touch her, backing away with every step I came closer to her. I finally decided to stop, not wanting her to trip as she backed away from me. "No, Troy! No!" She looked out over the audience, looking as though she wanted to run away and hide, and before I knew it, she was bolting from the stage the same way she had come on. "Gabriella!" I yelled after her before running after her.

I sat in the seat of my truck staring at the steering wheel for the longest time. How I got home was beyond me. Did I drive here? I must have. I was the only one in the truck. Mom and Dad weren't even home from the production yet. They had gone to the first night and they had known I was going to propose to Gabriella tonight so they told me there was no way they were going to miss out on this one. Sliding out of the truck, I made my way into the house, realizing I was still wearing my costume from the show. I wasn't going back to change. I'd just take it back to school on Monday. I walked into the kitchen, not even turning on the light, I walked over to the fridge, seeing the orange juice, immediately thinking of Gabriella. "Did you want a glass of Orange Juice, Gabriellaaaaa-" I turned into the darkness, remembering… she wasn't here with me, my voice trailing off into that darkness I was left staring off into, the only light into the room coming from the open refrigerator door. I sighed heavily, wishing Dad drank. What I wouldn't give for a beer right now, or something heavier.

I closed the refrigerator door and headed upstairs. I needed to get this outfit off. I wasn't in the mood to be Percy Blakeny or the Scarlet Pimpernel. I just wanted to be Troy. I wanted to be Troy with Gabriella here in my arms as I climbed into bed. She was supposed to be here with me. She was supposed to be my fiancée right now and we were supposed to be talking about the future or making love or even at the party that we had set up for her at Ryan's house. Actually, that's exactly where we should be. I knew there was hundreds of people down there right now, or at least showing up all to celebrate with us, but they all knew by now that there was no celebration. She hadn't said yes, we weren't getting married, there was no party.

I pulled off the costume, laying it on the chair by my closet. I needed a shower. I didn't know how else I was going to calm down. Usually with Gabriella, we'd take a bath, but I wasn't going to take a bath without her. I wasn't going to get all girly and lay down in a bathtub without my girlfriend, without the mother of my twins in my arms. That was just something that just wasn't going to happen. Walking into the bathroom, I tugged off my boxers, letting them fall to the floor, stepping into the shower and turning on the water full blast, hot as possible. Sure, it burnt, but I barely felt it. The only thing I could feel was Gabriella's absence. She had only ran away from me a half an hour ago, but it felt like hours. I had no idea where she was or what to do. I was so lost without her. I just let the water rain down over me until it was ice cold. I heard a knock on my bedroom door and turned off the water, only know realizing it was cold. I stepped out of the shower, wrapping my towel around myself, I left the bathroom realizing I hadn't even turned on the light. I sighed, walking across my room to open my door. My mom handed me my wallet, East High jacket, shoes and my cellphone. "I left your clothes downstairs in the laundry room. I thought you might want these." I took them from her walking back into my room.

She stood in the doorway as I tossed my jacket on the chair with the costume, dropping my shoes by the foot of my bed and tossing my phone… Oh, who cares. I tossed it on the bed and it ended up rolling off the bed. "Troy, I-" I turned to Mom, shaking my head. "No, Mom," my voice came out almost as though I was warning her. "Don't say it, Mom. You say it, it makes it real, it makes it sink in. I don't want it to sink in. I'll let it sink in tomorrow, not tonight. Tonight, I just want to pretend like it didn't happen. Please, Mom." She nodded, taking a step back. "Ok, Troy. Your Dad and I are just down the hall," she told me as if I was a five year old who might need his mommy or daddy. I nodded and she pulled my door shut, leaving me alone in my room. Sighing heavily, I dried off my body before tossing my towel into my bedroom, walking over to my dresser and pulling out a pair of boxers. I didn't bother to pull anything else out to wear. I hadn't really been sleeping in anything lately, with Gabriella here, so sleeping in my boxers was going to be weird as it was.

I picked up my phone, laying down on my bed, pulling up the covers we had left unmade earlier. The ring was still in the pocket of Percy's costume. I didn't even want to take it out. I had put it in my pocket when I ran out after her. I had looked all over the parking lot, all over the school and she hadn't been anywhere. It was like she had literally just vanished. I looked down at my phone, taking a deep breath and a chance, sliding my phone open and typing out a text to her. Where are you, baby? I love you and I need you. I laid in my bed for hours waiting for an answer, but none came. Did she go home? If I went over there, would she let me in? I didn't know, but I had to try. I got up out of bed just after two in he morning, walking to my closet, grabbing an East High sweater, one that Gabriella had recently worn. Mom had just washed it, but it still smelt like Gabriella. My entire closet smelled like her. She still had her clothes hanging in here with mine. Just looking at the clothes hanging in here was enough for me to know that we were meant to be together. I couldn't just let her run away from me like this. I walked out to my dresser, pulling out some jeans from the bottom drawer, pulling them on and doing them up. I didn't bother with a belt. Quickly pulling on some socks and shoes, I grabbed my keys and my phone and left the house quietly. I didn't bother turning on the truck to get it out of the drive, only putting it in neutral and letting it roll back down the driveway a little before turning it on and pulling out onto the road.

I was over to Gabriella's within ten minutes, no traffic and no lights. Parking across the street, I cut off the engine and quickly made my way across the street and to her yard. I ran around to the side of her house, starting to climb up the tree. I stepped over the railing of her balcony. I tried to open the door, but it was locked… She never locked this door. Knocking lightly, I called through to her quietly, "Gabriella? Open up." I looked through the windows on the door, trying to see into her room. The moon shown in and I could barely see through the lace curtains covering the windows, but I could see her bed across the room and I could see that it hadn't been unmade. She wasn't here. She wasn't in her room. I had come over here for no reason. Dropping my head, I turned away from her door, stepping back over the railing and climbing back over and down the tree before heading back over to my truck and leaving her house. I had no idea where she was and no idea if I'd ever see her again.

Monday morning at school, I was hoping I'd see her at her locker first thing, but she wasn't there. I walked over to it, holding my hand up to it, resting against it for a moment. Hanging my head against it, I heard Chad come up behind me. "Hey, Man." Dropping my hand, I turned to face him, shaking my head and continuing to my locker. "I'm guessing you haven't spoken to her?" I stopped at my locker taking out my first period book, hanging up my backpack, not answering him. I'm sure he knew the answer to that. Closing the door, I turned away from him, heading toward class. "Yo, man, if it means anything, Taylor hasn't heard from her either. She hasn't answered any of her texts. She cried in my arms all night last night." I turned to look at him, feeling as though he'd kicked me in the gut. Did he really think that would make me feel any better? My girlfriend was gone. I hadn't seen her. Her best friend hadn't heard from her or seen her either. It didn't make me feel better at all. "What?" I let out a heavy sigh. "You're not helping at all, Chad. It doesn't make me feel better to know that her own best friend can't get in touch with her! Doesn't make me feel any better at all, not when I don't have a clue in the world where she is!" I continued to walk to class, hoping I could see her, hoping she was here.

But she wasn't anywhere. I walked past the classroom we had fucked in that first day of school and walked in, turning back to Chad, staring him down. "I just want to be alone, ok?" He took a step back, holding up his hands. "Ok, ok. I'll see you at free period." I closed the door. I didn't know what I'd be doing at free period. Locking the door, I turned around, walking over to the teacher's desk, sitting down at it, rubbing my hand over the desk. I could hear her moans in my head. I could feel her body against mine. But what I was feeling now wasn't lust. What I felt for her now was love. I was in love with her and I needed her in my arms, not to fuck her, but because I felt incomplete without her. Nothing was the same without her. I couldn't eat. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't sleep. I had laid in bed both nights without her staring at the ceiling. But it hadn't fazed me. I wasn't even tired. I hadn't eaten, but I wasn't even hungry. Mom had tried to get me to eat breakfast this morning, but I told her I wasn't hungry as I walked out the door. She hadn't been around yesterday to try to get me to eat anything, which was good. I knew she would have been hounding me to the hilt if she had been. I couldn't and didn't want to do anything without Gabriella. Nothing was the same without her and nothing would be the same without her.

I leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath, thinking back to that day here in this classroom. I sat back on the chair as her mouth wrapped around my cock as it moved up farther into her mouth, having a mind of its own and wanting more of her just as I did. But I wasn't going to cum in her mouth. Grabbing her head, I pulled her up to me, kissing her hard. "I wanna fuck you," I told her, needing to be inside her now. I stood, pushing my pants and boxers down to the ground. Turning her around, I pushed her down on the desk softly. I watched as she grabbed onto the desk and leaned over her, whispering, "Gabriella," I heard her gasp as I moved my cock to slide against her ass from behind and through her legs, "You're about to feel real good." I slid into her, holding onto her hips, helping pull myself into her. Sliding my hand down, I pulled her dress up, sliding my hand up and under her dress, sliding my hand up her flat stomach to her breast. Pulling down her bra I pinched her nipple between my two fingers as I pulled my cock from her before instantly pushing it back deep inside her tight pussy. I kept moving her on my cock with my other hand, sending her harder and harder against my rock hard cock. She held onto the desk tightly with each thrust. "Troy!" she screamed out my name and I smiled, loving that I was driving her crazy. She pushed her hips back against my cock, causing me to grow more inside of her. She was so fucking hot, so amazing.

"Oh, FUCK," she gasped, her head falling to the desk. "Fuck yes!" I pulled out of her, turning her around and lifting her to sit on the desk. I had to kiss her. Kissing wasn't something I was that into, but I had to kiss her. I had to kiss those pouty lips that had haunted me all night. I grabbed her ass, lifting her and wrapping her legs around me as I turned her to the blackboard, pushing her hard up against it. She let out a noise as her back hit before I pushed my cock back into her. Moving my hand between the two of us, my other hand still holding her ass, holding her against me, I started to rub at her clit. "Oh, my God, Troy!" She was talking again, more than just saying fuck, which I could handle, sort of. I couldn't handle talking during sex. So I kissed her, not only to feel her lips, but to shut her up. She tightened her legs around me and I thrusted harder into her. I felt my balls start to tighten as her pussy walls started to tighten around me. "I cant..." I started to say, but I couldn't stop myself from pushing into her, harder and harder. "Can't?" Her pussy walls grabbed my cock before I could pull out, but even if I pulled out, I didn't know where I'd shoot. I shot deep within her. I closed my eyes, resting my head against the board behind her even as she continued moving against me. "Oh, fuck. You're so tight."

We had cum again after that, just by me fingering her clit. I was unable to resist her. I didn't want to leave her. She had begged me the night before when I had dropped her off in front of her house not to leave and to come in and fuck her again, but I had my rules. One time a night was one of them. I had spent that entire night thinking about her. I had beat off thinking about her. Best fucking orgasm I'd ever had on my own. I came so hard and I hadn't even wanted to. I hadn't wanted to be thinking about her, but she was all I could think about. Her lips. Her breasts. Her pussy. God, her eyes. Her hair. Her laugh. Her smile. It wasn't even just sexual. Looking back now, I knew that I had started falling for her from that night. I hadn't wanted it to happen, but it did nonetheless, and I didn't want to stop being in love with her. Even after she had turned down my proposal Saturday, I was still in love with her. I wasn't going to stop loving her just because she had run away from me. I had to find out why she ran away from me though. But how could I when she wasn't here? KELSI!

I hadn't even realized it, but I had been in the classroom for the entire first period and was only stepping out of the room when the bell rang. Shaking my head, I turned and headed toward the auditorium. I knew Chad had wanted to shoot hoops during free period, but he'd understand when I told him I had to talk to Kelsi. I ran into the building finding her sitting at the piano with Ryan sitting next to her. The stage crew was tearing down the sets from The Scarlet Pimpernel and my heart felt the same way the stage looked, half torn down. I came up to the bottom of the stage and looked up at Kelsi. "Kelsi." She stopped playing the piano, almost jumping. "Troy! I didn't see you come in." I walked closer to her. "Kelsi, do you think we could talk?" She took a deep breath, shaking her head. I'm sure she knew this was coming. Turning to Ryan, she kissed his cheek. "Can we some time alone, honey?" He looked over at me and nodded before kissing her back. "I'll go help the stage crew." He got up and Kelsi stood, walking down the stairs of the stage and over to me. I didn't expect it, but she wrapped her arms around me. "I'm so glad you're alright, Troy!" I looked down at her, slowly wrapping my arms around her and blinking several times. "Gabriella has been crying her eyes out, worried to death over you." I opened my eyes widely, confused as hell.

Pushing her back to look at her, I kept my hands placed firmly on her shoulders. "Worried? If she was worried, why in the hell did she run off?" Kelsi sighed and took my hand, taking me to sit down. "Troy, you took her by surprise. I honestly thought it was the sweetest thing you could have ever done. I was so excited for you Saturday night! I had no idea she was going to say no." I shook my head, still waiting for her to explain herself. "Kelsi, please. I don't know why she said no. Why did she just run out on me like that?" Kelsi, took my hands in hers, rubbing them slightly. "She got scared, Troy. You took her by surprise. She wasn't ready for it. But that doesn't mean she didn't want to say yes. She did, Troy! She wanted to say yes more than anything in the world." I was even now more confused than I was more than when Gabriella ran away from me. "Kelsi, please. You're not making any sense." She smiled, giving my hands a gentle squeeze. "Troy, she's pregnant. You know this. The whole school just found out a few weeks ago. Standing out here on this stage looking out at all the people in the audience, she panicked. She was sure that everyone was thinking that you were only doing this because she was pregnant." I shook my head, wanting here and Gabriella to know that that was the farthest thing from the truth. "Kelsi, that's not true! I went to buy the ring before I found out, I was going to ask her long before I found out she was pregnant."

Kelsi's eyes brightened and she hugged me tighter to her. "Troy, I know why Gabriella loves you! You're so amazing!" I rolled my eyes as she pulled back and I returned her smile. "She loves you, Troy, she does, but she doesn't want the world to think that you were asking her to marry her just because she was pregnant. She didn't know that you were planning this before you knew she was pregnant. I'm sure deep in her heart she knew that you wouldn't ask her to marry you just because she was pregnant. I'm sure she knows that, but If you want," Kelsi said, shrugging her shoulders softly, "I'll tell her that you wanted her to marry you before you found out." I sighed heavily, looking down at the floor in front of us. "Do you think she'll talk to me if you do?" I looked back up at her. "She hasn't answered any of my texts, she won't pick up my calls. She won't talk to me. You know where she is, Kelsi. Please tell me she's ok." She smiled, patting my hands. "She's home with us. She took my car Saturday and drove herself home. She couldn't face you after what happened. She couldn't sleep alone, so she's been sleeping with me. She misses you, Troy. She really does"

I sighed, slightly relieved. That explains why when I had come over she wasn't in her room. It made me feel slightly better to know that she had been with her sister. I knew that aside from me, Kelsi was the closest person in the world to her and I would never want that to go away. I was glad she had Kelsi she could be with right now. "What do I do, Kelsi?" I asked her, completely lost. She smiled, taking my hands back in hers. "You wait. I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you you can do. I'll tell her about the ring and that you wanted to marry her before you found out she was pregnant, but you just have to give her time. She loves you, Troy, and I promise you, everything is going to be ok. You two love each other and I know you're meant to be together. Aside from the fact that you have to be together for my niece and nephew, you have to be together for each other. I've never seen two people more in love than you two. Trust me. You two will be ok. And one day, you'll be my bother-in-law, and I'll dance at your's and Gabriella's wedding." She smiled brightly. "And I know it will be sooner rather than later." I had to believe her. Aside from me, I knew she knew Gabriella better than anyone. I loved Gabriella and I missed her more than anything, but I had to listen to Kelsi and give Gabriella time. I didn't know how long it would be, but I knew we'd be together in the end, and that was worth it.