Chapter 15 – Deciding the future

Christmas went by with many more walks in the snow, New Year went by with having fun with our friends and families, and the winter ended making spring come with all of its new colors, new warmth and all of the awful tests and exams at school.

I sat in my room re-reading my notes for the exam I had in two days. There was a knock on my door, "mmh," I mumbled loud telling the person knocking to come in. I looked up from my notes and found my boyfriend standing in the door.

"You are not picking up your phone," he stated.

I frowned, "sorry, I've been so caught up in my reading, babe," I said and stood up as he came in and closed the door.

Troy chuckled, "it's okay, but now you really have to take a break and come out for a walk with me. You need fresh air."

I giggled, "how could you know?" I could really need some fresh air and a walk after reading so much. It was a good thing that my boyfriend came by to drag me out of my reading for my exam.

"I know you better than you think, babe," he said. "Now put on a shirt and let's go," he chuckled.

I did as he said and soon, we were out of the door walking towards the woods. We walked hand in hand as we always did, just talking about how the exams were hard on us, but that we were glad that we had each other to force breaks from the studying in.

"So, big game this Saturday, huh?" Troy smiled at me. My team and I would be playing a handball match against the local rival club, and how the game ended would most likely be how the season would end, because we were the two leading clubs in our league.

I nodded, "yeah, but it will be okay. Our team is ready for fight," I said smiling.

Troy chuckled, "so, you are all in on the heavy metal music and stone faces this weekend?" It was how we got ready for a game, especially on our own court. Heavy metal music blasting the speakers, while we looked awfully mad or stone faced. At some point a girl from another team even said out loud that we looked freighting.

I laughed, "yes, so be prepared," I said.

"As long as I get my kisses before the game, I'll be fine," he chuckled. "I love seeing you play," he said.

I giggled, "if you don't get the kisses, I'll be playing so bad that we will definitely loose, so there is no chance you won't get them," I said as we reached the lake in the wood.

Troy chuckled, "I know. But you'll be at my game Monday evening, right?"

I nodded, "I'm not going to miss it," I promised.

"Good," he smiled as we continued our walk around the lake.

We stopped by a bench and sat down taking in all of the colors that had appeared on the trees the last few weeks, the fresh air and the sound of nature. I heard Troy sigh as I sat close to him, resting my head against his shoulder, just listening to his breath and the nature.

"What's up, babe?" I asked placing my hand on his leg and caressed it.

"It's just," Troy said and made me look at him, "those times, where we do things like this, make me unsure how I'll cope, when you are not around every day, if I go to a college out of town," he said and caressed my cheek.

I smiled at him, "we will be together on the weekends and the holidays, and we will make dates over the phone, if we can't be together," I said as I placed my hand over his hand on my cheek.

Troy nodded, "I know. It's just that I know I'll be missing you like crazy, and I would hate every day, where I do not get to hold you or kiss you," he sighed.

I blushed, "I'll do that same. But we will make it work, right?" I smiled at him.

He nodded again, "it has to work, because I'm not letting you go." He stated and kissed my forehead. "But that being said, I have done some thinking," he said.

I raised an eyebrow, "yeah?"

"I was thinking that maybe I should stay a year here and work, and then we can go to the college together next summer, when you've graduated. I mean we are going to the same college anyway, and if I stay here and work, then we can move there together," he said smiling at me.

I smiled, "would you do that for me?" I asked knowing the answer. It seemed like Troy would do anything to get time with me. Even if it meant that he should ride his bike with me to the gym for my practice, or if it meant waiting for two hours until I was done with my classes at school.

He nodded, "yes, I would. And then we can have another year together here, and then move in, in an apartment together near our college next summer."

I nodded, "I'm in on that idea, babe," I said smiling up at him.

Troy grinned, "I knew it," he said, "so that's settled. I'll stay here another year, and then we move there together."

I nodded, "it sounds like a great plan," I said and leaned up and kissed him softly.

The weekend came and my game was up. I had just been doing my warmup, and just as always, some heavy metal and what you could argue to be Death Metal was blasting out the speakers. People in the gym had gotten used to it, since it was the 4th season where it was our music for warmup. I stood in the corner of the court doing my stretched, when Troy came up to me.

"Good luck, beauty," he said and kissed my sweaty cheek.

I smiled at him, "Thanks, babe." I placed my hand on his shoulder and did some more stretching.

My coach came up to us, "now get the lucky routine over with and make it work, I need Gabby in the right mood for this game," he chuckled and patted Troy's shoulder.

Troy smiled, "well, that was the signal," he chuckled. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me quickly five times, and then a long kiss, just like always. "Go kick their butt, babe," he said.

"I will," I said smiling at him.

"I love you," he said sending me off to the court to where my teammates and my coach were standing to get last details straight.

Soon the game started. It was a rough game. Both teams were playing to win, and no one was going to let the game go by without a fight.

"14, be fair," the referee said pointing towards me.

I nodded, but a few moments later I send a player from the other team to the ground, when she tried to get by me. I got a penalty and got to the bench. I rolled my eyes at my coach, and he chuckled.

"At least it was the first in this game," my coach chuckled, "you could have gotten three already and then a red card."

I rolled my eyes, "he is an ass that referee. It is a hard game, let us play, as long as we are not killing each other," I said.

My coach patted my shoulder, "You'll get another chance in 1 minute, when your penalty is over. And then just continue your game. They can't seem to figure out how to stop you."

I nodded and focused on my teammates playing. I got in again after my penalty was over, and the game continued to be rough. My team cheered for each other, and the audience in the gym was cheering for us. I could hear both Chad, Troy, Sharpay and Taylor from the side. I went through the defense, and the crowd went crazy as I sent the ball towards the goal and scored. We were now in front with three goals with two minutes left. We hurried back the court to defend our own goal and then one of my teammates sent a player to the ground earning a card as a warning.

"Well, that was about time, Michelle," I laughed, "you were the last to get it." We high fived and then continued to game. I stole the ball and ran down the court and jumped high over the floor and sent the ball into the goal again. We did it, we won. The referee blew the whistle to end the game. We jumped onto each other and laughed and cheered, while the crowd was yelling and cheering for us. We finished our celebration on the court and got ready to go the changing room to shower.

I stopped by, by Troy, Sharpay, Taylor and Chad before heading to the shower. "Hurry, babe," Troy said, "we are going out for dinner all of us." I nodded and kissed him before I ran to the changing room to get a shower and get ready for going out.

"Hey Gabs, why in such a rush?" my teammate asked.

"I'll go out for dinner with Troy and our friends," I smiled as I put on my underwear.

"Ah, Troy-boy," they giggled. I rolled my eyes at them and laughed as I put on my jeans. The team had been teasing me with my head over heels love with Troy since they learned that we were finally a couple.

I finished up, packed my back and looked at my teammates, "well, I'll see you at practice at Tuesday," I said going towards the door, leaving my teammates behind to go out with my friends and Troy.

We ended up at a nice Italian restaurant, where we got pasta, wine and water. We talked and had fun together. We enjoyed spending time together all of us. All of my friends really liked Troy, and he liked them. I could not be happier about it.

"So Troy," Chad said looking at him, "is it time for college soon?"

Troy shook his head and smiled at me, "no, I'm staying another year, and then Gabs and I will move in together in an apartment close to the college." I nodded and smiled happily at him.

Chad nodded, "I like that idea," he chuckled. "I don't think I could stand being around Gabby, if you left her here with us," he said smiling at me.

I stuck my tongue out at Chad. Troy chuckled, "I wouldn't leave her here alone with you guys. Both her and you guys would hunt me down." He caressed my leg under the table.

"I would," Sharpay said. "And I'd hunt down Gabs too, if she left you, because you two are awful to be near, if you are missing each other."

Sharpay knew what she was talking about, because Troy had been away for a soccer camp last summer, and I had been a bad mood all week, because he was not there. I had been missing him terribly even though Troy and I had been texting each other in every break Troy had, and we talked every night, before Troy had to go to bed. I had spent some of the days with Sharpay, and we had been out shopping and having fun, but I was not really in a good mood. She had forced me to admit that it was because I missed Troy.

On the other hand, she had experienced Troy being just like me, when I had been away for a trip with my handball team. When I got home, she told me that he had been in his room for all of the days, only coming out to eat, use the bathroom or when he had been out for a run to get his mind off of missing me.

I giggled, "well, at least you know, why we are in those moods, when we are not together."

Chad nodded, "yeah, we do, but come on? You don't have to eat me, just because lover boy is out of town."

I giggled, "you could just leave me alone, when I told you that I was not in the mood for your teasing, bro."

Chad put up his hands, "hey, my best friend was sad, I had to help her."

Troy chuckled, "I appreciate you trying to cheer her up, when I'm out of town. I'll try to leave her in a better mood if it happens again." He placed his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek.

"And I'll do the same with him," I pointed to Troy and looked at Shar.

"Please, don't ever leave him alone for a week again," Shar said dramatically.

We all laughed. Admitted, Troy and I were terrible at being away from each other for more than a day, and even then, we would be in constant contact. I loved everything about our relationship. Of course, we had things we did not agree on, and of course we had small arguments, but we could never be mad at each other. Even if it should happen that one of us stayed mad for more than 5 minutes, we ended up forgetting everything about it, because we had something else to tell the other. We were good at saying sorry if we made mistakes or somehow hurt each other. Yeah, we were what you could call the perfect couple.

Summer came, and Troy graduated from high school. We celebrated it with a small party at Troy's place with his family and some of his friends. During the months we had, had some talks about the whole putting college on hold to stay and work, and then leave with me the year after. We still agreed on it, and luckily his parents supported his decision.

It was now the week, where Troy had to leave for his summer camp with his team, luckily for me, my camp with my team was placed the same week. So, we would be missing each other, but still do the things we loved. Him playing soccer, and I playing handball. We both got up before the rest of our teammates so that we could say good morning to each other, since we did not have breaks at the same time, we would not be able to talk that much during the week.

One night, when we just got off from training, the girls wanted to go out and explore the area, we were in, but I decided to stay back to get some rest after the practice, where I had hit my knee. I was lying in my bed, just thinking of Troy, when my phone rang.

"Hi babe," I said picking up, when I saw it was Troy. He chuckled and greeted me the same way in the other end. Oh, how I just loved his sweet laughter. The way he chuckled and greeted me every time was enough to bring me into a better mood every single time. And just then it hit me a bit harder that I missed him.

"So, how is my favorite girl?" he asked.

I sighed, "I'm tired, and my knee is hurting," I said.

"What happened to your knee?" he asked concerned.

"I just hit it, when I landed during practice," I explained, "nothing bad. I've had ice on, and the doctor has checked it. I just need to rest."

"Good," he said. "I wish I could be there to rest with you," he whispered into the phone.

I smiled. "That would be nice," I admitted, "I miss you." I could feel the sadness overwhelming me, and there was no doubt that Troy heard it in my voice.

"I miss you too," he said softly, "but two more days, and then we can be together again," he said trying to comfort me.

"I know," I said tearing up. Dammit Gabriella, stop it. It will not help that you cry. Yeah, you miss him, but what does it help to cry now? He misses you too, but he is not tearing up. I shook my head as I heard Troy's voice speak up again.

"Hey love, what's up?" he asked concerned. "You normally don't get this teary, when we are away from each other."

I shook my head and shrugged like he sat in front of me. "I don't know," I admitted, "I just feel really sad that I'm not with you right now."

I could hear in his voice that he was smiling at me, when he told me that it would be okay, and that he would hold me close as soon as we both got home. I trusted him, of course it would be okay, it was just because I was tired and alone that it was that bad.

"Troy?" I asked after a couple of minutes, where he had been listening to me half sobbing and breathing.

"Yes, my love?" he said.

"Can you stay on the phone with me till I sleep? The others are out, and I just really need to hear your voice and breath," I asked and admitted.

Troy chuckled, "of course I will babe," he said. "I'll stay on the phone for as long as you need me to."

We talked for some more, before I slowly started to fall asleep. If I was not sure before that night, then I was it now. Troy was the only one for me – my supporter, my lover, my one and only, my rock.

The rest of the summer was spent with Troy, our friends and our families. Troy had gotten a job at a local store for the next year. As most students taking a year between high school and college, he worked a lot. It left us having the nights together, when we were not at practice or games.

I sat frustrated in my bed. I had been trying to read for the last hour, but I had not even read a page yet. I sighed and slapped the book shut and got out of the bed and wrapped my robe around my body. I went to the window and looked out and up at the sky. The stars were out, and the moon was lighting up the garden outside. Troy had been on a game out of town, which meant we had not seen each other that day. And to be honest, it had been a really bad day to me. School was killing me, and I was just in a general bad mood.

I heard my phone vibrated, but I ignored it, thinking that it would just be Shar answering me. I looked at the picture of me and Troy at my small table. I smiled, that was the guy I would be moving in with next summer – the guy I would spend the rest of my life with. I looked out the window and saw a car stop in front of my house. I squeezed my eyes and then recognized the car. Instantly I smiled. Troy.

I ran downstairs and opened the door to let him in. "Hi," I smiled at him.

He smiled brightly, "hi babe," he chuckled and wrapped his arms around me and kissed me softly. "I thought you'd be asleep since you did not answer me," he said.

"Oh, I was just standing by the window watching the stars," I said dragging him inside.

"Ah I see," he smiled and closed the door behind us. "Shar told me that you were in a mood today, want to talk about it?" he looked concerned at me.

I shrugged, "I just think I'm a bit stressed out, because of school."

"Is that all?" he asked caressing my cheek. I shivered. "Let's get up to your room and get you under the blankets," he said. We walked upstairs and sat down in my bed. Troy wrapped his arms around me, "so, is it just school?" he looked at me concerned.

"Well, I guess," I said leaning my head at his chest. "There is so much work to do, and I feel like no matter how much I study, I still could study more," I sighed.

"It's okay," he said softly, "you are a straight A student, you will be okay, babe," he said and caressed my back.

I nodded, "I just wish I could relax more," I admitted. Troy hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead. "I just really feel like I'm letting you down, because I study all the time, and when we are together, I still think about studying," I admitted.

Troy raised his eyebrow, "letting me down? Oh babe, don't think that! You're not letting me down, because you focus on your studying," he said looking me into the eyes. I nodded. "Love, you are doing great, and I'm proud of you! I know we are not spending as much time together as we were used to right now, but it's okay. I'm right here, and I want you to go through your last year of high school, but I don't want you to stress about it." He looked at me concerned.

I nodded, "I know, babe, I know. I just… yeah, feel like I don't have enough time for you."

Troy half smiled at me, "hey, it's okay. We are going through it together, okay?" he caressed my cheek. "I'm right here, and I'm not leaving you!"

"Thanks," I smiled at him, "thanks for being so understanding."

"I have been there myself, remember?" he chuckled. "The difference is that I'm not and have never been a straight A student, and I accepted that a long time ago. You are doing great, and you will rock your exams, babe," he said.

I smiled up at him, "you know what?" He shook his head. "You're right. I'm just stressing over the things, but I already know that I can handle it," I smiled at him. "Thanks for making me realize it, and thanks for calming me down," I said resting my head against his shoulder.

Troy stayed the night and sent me off to school the next morning with a promise of coming back to my place once he was off in the afternoon, so that we could spent time together, before we both had practice to participate in.