A/N; Hey again guys. I know this chapter is absolutely appalling, I know I'm holding my hands up to that, things have just been really hectic this week my mum's been taken ill so I haven't really put my all into this chapter. So let me off please :) lol. Thanks for all of the feedback it really makes me smile and I hope you're all having a good week :)
"It's not about what happened in the past, or what you think might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake. There is no point in going through all this crap, if your are not going to enjoy the ride. And you know what... when you least expect something great might come along. Something better then you even planned for."
Irving Feffer: Along came polly
It's not about what happened in the past, or what you think might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake. There is no point in going through all this crap, if your are not going to enjoy the ride. And you know what... when you least expect something great might come along. Something better then you even planned for.
Gabriella was lying on her bed, beneath her covers. Her head resting solemnly on the pillow. Gabriella couldn't remember getting changed after she had performed. She couldn't remember the car ride home. She couldn't remember getting into bed and she couldn't remember going to sleep. All she knew right that second was that there was an annoying tap at her window. At first she thought that it was just a dream. She used to have a nightmare where she would be asleep and she would be awoken by a tapping on her window and when she walked out onto the balcony either Emma would be standing there or the men who murdered Emma would be there. She had to pinch her skin lightly to make sure that she was really awake. The light pinch caused her to jump out of her skin.
And then she was petrified.
What if they were there? No that was barbaric.
They were locked away right? They had been arrested by the police; she witnessed that with her own two eyes. So that was totally out of the question. And from what Gabriella knew you couldn't climb out of your own grave, magic didn't exist. Emma hadn't mysteriously been resurrected. And come from San Francisco to Albuquerque to haunt her. Her dad? No, of course that was stupid. He would probably just knock at the door until it flew from its hinges, why would he come to her window?
Curiosity had taken over her small body, as she climbed out of the bed timidly and immediately felt the cold air hit her like a tonne of bricks. Her small legs carried her towards the doorframe and she stood infront of the balcony door hesitantly. Her thin arm reached out to grab the gold door handle, but she jolted before opening it. Should she have got someone? But the tapping hadn't stopped. She stepped out into the cold November air and suddenly began to feel her body start to shiver.
And then she saw him.
His hair loomed had grown half the way down his neck, the way she could tell that he needed a haircut. Funny how she hadn't noticed that before. He was looking down on the ground for another stone; she could see the golden tan skin poking through the white t shirt he was wearing. And she could hear slight murmurs and if she listened close enough curses from his mouth. She felt a tight smirk form on her face as she watched her boyfriend ponder around on the grass for stones to throw at her window.
"What kind of stupid house doesn't have any stones? Calling would have been so much easier. Bolton nice move." She heard him murmur with his head in the ground. Gabriella decided watching him would be so much fun. She folded her arms across her chest even though she was shivering like a leaf in 70 miles per hour gale force winds. As she was only wearing a beige cotton long sleeved shirt and a pair of beige short shorts.
"This stupid house doesn't have any stones." Troy's whole body jerked up at the sound of her voice and he looked at her in surprise. "And while we're on the subject what stupid boy decides that it's logical to throw stones at somebody's bedroom window when there are two small children in bed." She added with a smirk on her face.
Troy bit down on his plump bottom lip. "Yeah, I um, didn't really think this through."
Gabriella giggled a small sweet laugh. "Figures." Gabriella swept a stray curl away from her face that was shielding her vision from Troy. She sighed deeply. "Troy, what are you doing here?" She smiled.
Troy chuckled heartily before putting his hands in his jeans pockets, making him look innocent, like he was 10 years old. "I wanted to talk to you."
Gabriella glanced down at the silver linked watch with the stud faced watch that homed around her wrist. "What at 1am?" She asked rhetorically.
"Can I come in? It's cold?" He asked and Gabriella saw his body violently shiver.
Gabriella nodded. What would it harm? He was her boyfriend after all right? And she was being a lousy girlfriend. She eagerly closed her bedroom doors and tiptoed down the stairs so she didn't wake anybody up. And opened the front door and there he stood with a lazy smile on his face, his hands still tucked into his jeans pocket. "Hey."
Gabriella smiled and closed her eyes slightly. "Hey. Come in but you have to be quiet, seriously."
Troy chuckled in a whisper before grabbing the hem of her shorts and pulling her to him. "Mum's the word." And then he kissed her soundlessly on the lips. He then tapped the door behind him. When Gabriella had run out of breath she pulled away gasping for air. "Right I had a big speech planned."
"Wait." Gabriella hushed him with her index finger and pulled him up the stairs quickly and quietly into her bedroom. She silently closed the door behind her. "If my sisters find you here you know that they'll kill you right?" She asked him n a hushed tone.
Troy nodded eagerly. "The thrill of it makes it more exciting though." He replied excitedly like a kid on Christmas.
Speaking of, it was Christmas soon and Gabriella had totally forgotten, she had been too wrapped up in herself and her own troubles to bother about anyone else. She knew she had been selfish really. And now it was time to face the music, she knew that too. "Okay right now I'm gonna talk." He started but Gabriella held up a hand to silence him.
"No, let me start." She said quickly. "Sit." She grabbed Troy's hands and pushed his body down onto her bed. "I've been a pretty lousy girlfriend." Troy began to open his mouth to speak but Gabriella signalled him with her hand again. "And don't say that I haven't because I have. I haven't been, because I know that I have. I've totally ignored you and I've been totally selfish. And I didn't even tell you why."
"Gabi you don't..." Troy started but Gabriella cut him off again.
"No I really do. You know about my dad right?" Troy nodded slightly before looking up at her with concerned eyes. "But the other reason is because my sister, she." Gabriella tried the best to swallow the melon sized lump in her throat as the tears formed in her eyes. "She died. And the guys that did it, they've finally been sent to prison and I just. I guess it all just hit me again. I'm so sorry Troy. I really am." She added as one stray tear slowly trickled down her porcelain face.
"Hey, hey." He coaxed by leaning his arms forward and locking them around her back immediately pulling her closer to him. "You don't have to be sorry okay. Don't apologize."
Gabriella took the opportunity to fall onto troy's lap and snuggle into his side, trying to produce warmth for herself as she hadn't warmed up yet. "No it's not okay. I just, I have this thing."
She felt Troy smirk against her olive skin tone before kissing the skin on her shoulder. "Care to elaborate?"
"It's stupid. And you'll probably think I'm stupid." She sighed deeply; both of them were still keeping their voices low.
Troy kissed her clothed shoulder again to reassure her. "I could never think you're stupid."
Gabriella sighed deeply. "I just, I like to work through things on my own."
She knew Troy was frowning from behind her she could just sense it. "Why?" He asked in a gentle voice.
"Because that way I can't get hurt. My mom died, my dad left. My grams died. And my sister died. I mean they were all people that I relied on. And I just think that if I work through things on my own, I can't get hurt when people aren't there anymore. I told you it was stupid."Gabriella spoke carefully.
Troy's head that was rested on her back shook rapidly. "It's not stupid. That's not stupid at all. But I'm always gonna be here for you okay? I promise you that."
Gabriella could feel herself getting more and more worked up as more tears were falling down her face. "No. You can't. I mean what happens if we break up?"
"We are NOT gonna break up." He spoke defiantly.
"You don't know that." She whispered. "I mean what if we go to different colleges and..."
Troy silence her by twirling her around on his lap so now her legs were on either side of his waist so she was straddling him. "I'm always gonna be here. No matter what. Okay? Don't ever think that we aren't gonna be together okay? You know what?"
Gabriella shook her head slowly as he brought the pad up of his thumb to wipe the tears from her face. "I can't see my future without you in it. Now tell me who's stupid."
Gabriella smiled brightly, for the first time she felt genuinely happy. "You might be stupid. But you're my stupid guy." And then she sighed deeply feeling a swell of emotion over her frame.
"Come on baby, what's on your mind?" Gabriella couldn't help but feel the same butterflies in her stomach every time he called her 'baby'. It was something that she'd missed.
Gabriella looked down almost to the floor before his gentle fingers lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him, rounds of love were being emitted from the azure spheres, and then he placed his careful lips to the tip of her nose. "I just.... I wanna let it all out y'know."
Troy nodded his head slightly. "Let it all out then."
Gabriella giggled slightly. She didn't know what she had to do to let it all out. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know how. There's just, so much in here." She spoke in a raspy voice and slung up her hand to her chest. "That I... I just don't know how to get there."
Troy's hand gingerly reached up and stroked the ebony stray curls that were on her face. "How about this? You can hit me? Get rid of all of your anger that way. But I'm you don't wanna bring harm to your super hot sexy boyfriend right?" Troy instructed with a slight smile, causing her to laugh a little through her tears and she shook her head rapidly, telling him that she didn't want to hurt him. Anymore than she already had. "Or you can just cry. I can tell that you want too."
"I love you Troy." Gabriella spoke carefully.
"I love you too baby" Troy replied as he was still stroking the cushion of her hair.
Gabriella smiled graciously. "We're gonna be ok aren't we?"
Troy kissed her forehead tenderly. "Of course we are."
And then Gabriella fell limp in his arms. And let her body cry out all of the emotion that was inside of her.
Troy held her small body close to him as she slept. He had managed to move the two of them so she was positioned above him on the bed. His strong biceps were wrapped securely around her lower back as he listened to her deep heavy breaths. Every so often he would stroke her back, he didn't even know why. And he would pepper kisses to her forehead. Was he tired? Definitely. Exhausted? Without a doubt. But he wouldn't have traded anything. He had missed this.
And he knew she had too.
Deep down he knew or he would have liked to of thought that their little talk would have been a turning point in their relationship. The point where she would start to depend on him. Let him in all of the way. But he would have to wait to find out. Suddenly there was an opening of a door, a sniffle which indicated someone had got up. Please don't come in here. Please don't. If someone came in he would never be allowed to see Gabriella again. She wouldn't be allowed to share the same breathing space of him. But then it was followed by a flush and the closing of a door.
Troy let out a breath.
He looked to the left of him on the luminous red alarm clock that read it was 4 am. He didn't even realise how much time had gone by. Gabriella had cried for about an hour and then she had fallen asleep in his arms. And he wouldn't have had it any other way. He didn't encourage her to stop crying, he just let her lean on him for support and let her tears eventually subside. It broke his heart to see her in so much pain. But a part of him knew that that was needed. She needed that to get better. She needed that to let go. She needed it to move forward.
Troy knew he would have to go soon, he had already heard the baby crying within the last hour or so, so he knew he had to get a move on soon if he wanted to go undetected by the household. But he didn't want things to change from the way they were now. If he could hold her in his arms forever it wouldn't have been long enough. After a few minutes had passed he felt Gabriella shift in his arms, and then she looked up at him with a sleepy glaze over her features. "I thought I'd dreamt it."
Troy smirked before kissing her forehead. "Dreamt what?"
Gabriella nuzzled her face back into his chest. "You being here." She replied in a raspy voice, as she had just woken up.
Troy chuckled lightly. "No. I'm here. Pinch yourself. It's real."
Gabriella giggled the laugh he loved so much. She was starting to sound like herself. And then her hand reached down to her other thin arm and pinched the skin lightly causing him to laugh. "I can't believe you did that."
Gabriella pushed his chest lightly before rolling from on top of his body, leaving the space empty and cold but it was soon replaced when her hand rested on his peck and her leg wrapped over his. He took the opportunity to circle his arm around her small body.
"I have to leave soon." He spoke disappointingly.
Gabriella groaned slightly before nuzzling her face to his chest again. "Can you do something for me?"
Troy nodded his head before placing his other hand on her stomach and started to trail his fingers slightly across the skin that was covered by the beige shirt. "Anything. You don't even have to ask."
"Can you come somewhere with me tomorrow?" She spoke in an innocent gentle voice.
"I told you, you don't even need to ask." He whispered before leaning down and connecting his lips with Gabriella's. Their lips moved in motion with one another before his tongue entered her mouth. Their tongues fought for domination before he pulled away before he got too entranced with her. "I have to go."
Gabriella sighed deeply and groaned in disappointment. "No. No you don't have to go."
"Oh but I do. I'll call you in the morning kay? You need to sleep." He gently pressed his lips to her forehead.
"Mmmmm." She murmured before pulling her body under the covers.
"Night baby."
Gabriella's eyes adjusted to the bright light that was shining through her window. She blinked a few times before opening her eyes fully. She suddenly felt better. She suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She gracefully walked down the stairs and as soon as she walked into the kitchen she was met by pairs of prying eyes.
"Morning sunshine." Phoebe commented. "Sleep well?" She asked with a slight smirk on her face.
Something was going on.
Gabriella nodded her spherical head before walking over to where Dan was holding Emma and she quickly took her from his arms and started to smile in her face.
"Gabriella we need to talk." Cheryl almost laughed while she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.
"About what...." Gabriella replied distantly as she went and picked up the bottle of water that Cheryl was drinking from.
"Do you need to go on the pill?" Cheryl asked with a cheery and unserious tone to her voice. She almost sounded like she was.... joking.
Gabriella almost choked on the water that was in her mouth and she started to cough uncontrollably. "What?"
"Well Troy was here last night and don't you even try to deny it." Cheryl added more forcefully and pointed towards Gabriella.
"I..... I.... sorry?" Gabriella replied as if it was what they were looking for. "I didn't know he was coming I swear."
"Sweetie it's okay. We just don't want you to lie okay?" Alyssa chimed in from nowhere. Gabriella felt embarassed. She felt more than embarassed. She also felt guilty. She had never had to lie to her sisters before and she had just started. She wouldn't have done it intentionally but she just didn't want her family to think that she was a total slut who let Troy come around and she would have sex with him, actually a better word for it was a booty call. She wasn't like that.
"We never had sex." Gabriella commented quitely.
Phoebe chuckled from the corner of the room. "Honey we know you're not having sex."
"Anyways changing the subject from sex. While I'm here. What are you doing today Gabriella?" Dan enquired before walking over and grabbing Emma from Gabriella's arms.
"Um, actually. Cheryl can I lend your car? I just I have some things to do. I might not be home until tomorrow so don't worry about me kay?" Gabriella propositioned.
Cheryl gave Gabriella a weary nod. "Yeah I guess that's okay. Why what do you have to do?"
"I have to solve things once and for all. It's the only way."
And that's what she was going to do.
With Troy right by her side.
