Chapter 26

Gabriella gasped for air as she threw Amy off of her. They were still at the gas station.

Amy got up. She grasped Gabriella's hair and pulled.

Gabriella kicked Amy in the leg, screaming. Amy let go of Gabriella's hair, trying to ignore the pain in her leg.

Gabriella dialed the numbers 911. She put her phone to her ear, watching Amy lay in pain.

"Hello. How may we help you?"

"There is a clinic where they are starving children."

"Where is this clinic?"

"I DON'T KNOW! JUST FIGURE IT OUT!"

Amy got up and ran at Gabriella.

"Ma'am, where are you?"

"I'm at this gas station in Oklahoma…. And….. AGH!"

Amy ripped the phone from her hands and pushed her to the ground. She threw the phone away from the station. Then, she kicked Gabriella.

Flashbacks came back to Gabriella as Amy hit her. Flashbacks of the kids at school hitting her. Flashbacks of her pain. Flashbacks of what started this whole thing.

Suddenly, Amy was pulled off of her. Two men stood by Gabriella. They helped her up.

Another man was holding Amy. She was trying to break free.

"Are you alright?"

Gabriella nodded, even though she had many bruises.

"Why was this certain woman beating you?"

Gabriella looked at Amy. "She's starving a fourteen-year-old."

"I AM NOT!"

Gabriella felt tears roll down her face. "I need to get to that clinic. She is trying to hurt somebody I know there."

One of the men took out a phone. "I'll make some calls."

Gabriella shook her head. "I need to go NOW!"

She ran to her car and started up the engine.

"Ma'am, I don't recommend driving after you've been hit on the head."

"I don't care. I need to go!" With that, Gabriella began to drive away. She needed to get to Albuquerque.

****

Sharpay ran into the clinic.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Don't put on that little act with me. I know what you do here!"

The receptionist looked confused.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "I'm here to see Emmy Bolton."

"Oh, she's not here anymore. Her uncle came and made a huge scene. He got her out."

Sharpay nodded. "Well, I still know what you do here."

The receptionist looked worried.

"I'll be back."

Sharpay walked out.

She looked around the parking lot as she stepped outside. She couldn't see any car the said 'Go Wildcats' on it.

She heard a moaning. She looked over to where it was coming from. She followed it.

No sooner did she find Emmy laying on the ground. She had a black eye and she was bleeding in several places.

"Oh my God!" Sharpay took out some baby wipes from her purse. She put them on the cuts that Emmy had.

"Ugh…." Emmy moaned.

"Emmy, are you okay?"

"Sharpay?"

"Yes, Emmy, it's Sharpay. Now, what happened?"

"My uncle started hitting me."

Sharpay shook her head. "So, he just left you here?"

Emmy gave a hint of a nod.

Sharpay took her phone out. "I'm calling a doctor."

****

Velma smiled to herself as she put on some mascara. The dance was in a couple of days. She didn't want Troy to break it off with her just because she didn't look good.

She looked at herself in her locker mirror after she finished putting it on. She had to admit it, she looked good.

She touched her 'T' necklace. She felt so special.

Troy came up to her. "Hi."

"Hi."

"I see your wearing you necklace."

"Yeah. It's beautiful. It really is."

Troy smiled. "Well, you're beautiful."

"Thanks."

Troy phone began to vibrate. "Would you excuse me?"

"Yes."

Troy stepped aside and put his phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"TROY! IT'S SHARPAY!"

"What's up?"

"WHAT'S UP? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S UP! YOUR FATHER IS A FRICKIN IDIOT! HE HURT EMMY!"

"EMMY?! YOU FOUND EMMY?!" "YEAH! SHE'S LAYING HERE, BASICALLY UNCONSCIOUS! YOUR FATHER BEAT HER!"

"WHAT?!"

"YEAH! I JUST CALLED SOME DOCTORS!"

"So, you're saying my father hurt her? On purpose?"

"YES! SHE IS BLEEDING! SHE HAS BRUISES, SHE HAS CUTS, SHE HAS INJURIES ALL ARUOND HER BODY!"

"Where are you…?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT HER! YOU HAVEN'T BEEN LOOKING FOR HER! YOU AND YOUR FATHER ARE IMATURE IDIOTS WHO DON'T CARE ABOUT EMMY! SO, GO TO YOUR LITTLE ROYALTY DANCE! GO WITH VELMA! BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT?! I AM NOT LETTING YOU OR YOUR FATHER NEAR EMMY!"

Troy didn't know what to say. Sharpay wouldn't even let him say anything.

"So, I just called because Emmy wanted me to. I don't know why, but…. What? Okay."

"Who are you talking to?"

Sharpay sighed over the phone. "Emmy wants to talk to you."

Troy waited as Sharpay put Emmy on.

"Troy?"

Troy felt his tears as he heard her voice. "Hi, Emmy."

"Troy, I'm sorry…. I'm sorry for everything I've done. I made a lot of mistakes."

"Emmy, just know that you are a good person. So you made some mistakes. It happens. But, either way, I still love you."

"I love you, too."

Troy's sight became blurry from all of his tears, but his hearing became perfect from Emmy's voice.

"Em, I should've been better to you. I hardly stood by you through this whole experience."

Emmy was silent.

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"Well, yeah, I do. I mean, you do love me, don't you?"

"Emmy, you are very important to me. And I hope I'm as important to you. I love you so much. I wish I could go up to where you are right now and see you. I've missed you."

"Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you tell Uncle Coach Bolton something?"

"Yeah. He's going to get an earful from me…."

"No, Troy. I need you to tell him that I love him."

"What?"

"I forgive him. I mean, we all made mistakes. It happens. But either way, I still love him. He's my uncle."

Troy wiped his eyes with his free hand. "Emmy, I want to hug you so much right now…."

"Wouldn't you rather hug Gabriella? Or Sharpay? Or whoever you're going out with, I can't keep up with all your dating stuff."

"Emmy, they don't matter at the moment. You're the only one who matters. I love you."

"I love you too."

There was a little silence.

"Troy?"

Sharpay had just gotten on the phone.

"Yeah?"

"The doctors are here. We'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

Troy hung up his phone. He was the worse cousin