One Last Time
summary: It wasn't the fact that he left that hurt her the most. It was the fact that he broke his promise that killed her. She didn't care if he doesn't love her anymore. As long as she gets to hold him one last time. For she thought he belongs to another girl.
AN: yeee, enjoy. again. for Esha who unknowingly motivated me to write this one despite my fucked up schedule. also despite my fucked up schedule, writing this fanfic now is hard as I can't finish a chapter without crying-
please be patient thank you. hehe
disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.
Chapter 11
The walk from East High to Sharpay's place isn't that far. But it felt like a month passed by.
Gabriella's white chucks stepping on the concrete sidewalk was the only sound that could be heard. Everything else around her was quiet. She just passed by a noisy neighborhood where a house was hosting what looks like a birthday party for a one-year-old. The oversized white hoodie she wore kept her shivering from the cold wind that blew past her. It was 15 minutes past 5 p.m. and the shower she took from the girl's locker room took away some of her sore muscles.
Gabriella loves to take long walks. They always kept her mind wandering about things. She would usually take the long route to her destination then she would think. Usually, she would find herself reciting her favorite book lines in her head. There were a couple of times when she would lose her way but, after a few minutes would pass, she would find her way back. But now the long walk going to Sharpay's place felt different.
There was a sense of peace inside her that she has never felt before. Like she could easily just glide through the sidewalk and not care if any person would see her. She loves this feeling. The feeling deep down she knew comes from the basketball captain she saw earlier.
The blue highlighter slides through the smooth paper from Gabriella's notes. She highlighted another important phrase from her notes then replaced her highlighter with a pencil she took from the pencil holder. She began scribbling down additional sentences to each mathematical problem before grabbing her scientific calculator from her bookbag.
"Are you actually studying?" she heard Sharpay asked.
"Yes you bitch," she replied without looking up from her notes. "Now study because I know you'll regret to do your usual late minute study a week before the SATs."
"She's right," Taylor whispered to Kelsi's ear, who giggled in response.
"You just had your try-outs earlier," Sharpay said. "If I remember correctly, you spent most of the day worrying your butt off. I'm expecting you right now to worry even more about it."
"I'm distracting myself," Gabriella continued writing down the final answer then encircled it, "because it's better to do this than other weird shit I usually do."
"So, when will they announce who made the spot?" Taylor asked.
"And how will they announce it?" Sharpay added. "I'm sure they won't literally print it and post it on the school board when they're only looking for one player. It'll be ridiculous to see that paper with only the girl's name on it. It's a waste of good paper and ink."
"They say tomorrow or Monday but I have no idea how," Gabriella replied. "Do any of you know the answer to question number 4?"
"299m plus 216j is less than or equal to a thousand," Kelsi answered as she looks up from her paper.
"I asked if you knew, Kelsi," Gabriella groaned. "Not the actual answer."
"Sorry," Kelsi sheepishly apologized. "But at least you know the answer."
"Yeah and my drive for studying left my body," Gabriella set her stuff on the coffee table in front of her then lays back on the sectional couch she is currently sitting on with Taylor beside her.
Sharpay, who was sitting on the floor with her back leaning against the couch, immediately smiled and said, "Now, let's talk."
"Talk what?" Gabriella asked, looking down on Sharpay. "I barely even wanna breathe—ouch!"
Taylor glared at Gabriella who was now rubbing the spot where Taylor hit her.
"What are we gonna talk about?" Gabriella asked.
"When are you telling Troy about your feelings, duh," Sharpay said like it was the most obvious thing.
"Again with this," Gabriella groaned as she threw her head back on the pillows. "Can we not talk about this? Because I already decided not to tell him."
"It's just obvious how you two like each other but you're not doing anything about it," Taylor said.
"Because I don't want to," Gabriella was starting to feel uncomfortable with the topic.
Taylor, who was looking intently at her, sensed the discomfort her best friend was feeling asked, "Why, Gabs?"
The tone of Taylor's voice made Gabriella look at her. Taylor's voice sounded serious. It was when Gabriella knew this conversation they were having is gonna get serious if she answers Taylor's question. But she can't lie. They'll see right through her.
"It's just... all my life, I have always been on the sides watching people fall in love with each other and I don't know how that feels like. You guys say it's the best feeling in the world to know the person you like is able to return your feelings. But with me, it's... difficult. It took me a while to even accept and admit my feelings for Troy. Telling him will be a whole another story. The chances of him liking me back are impossible because... look at him. He's popular, smart, handsome, and sweet. Girls would do anything to have him."
The three other girls just sat there, listening to Gabriella. They could hear the insecurity she feels when it comes to herself. There was a moment of silence roaming around the room.
Gabriella just looked down at her lap. The real reason why she doesn't plan on telling Troy how she feels has been said out loud. She knew deep down it was a silly thing to even worry about.
"Gabs, I don't know what to say," Sharpay broke the silence.
"It's fine," Gabriella said. "I didn't expect for you guys to tell me right away."
"I know you always doubt yourself," Sharpay said. "and that will always be painful for us to watch. But don't do this to yourself. You are so much better than those bitches in school because you keep yourself grounded. If anything, you're a better match for Troy. We're not pressuring you to tell him your feelings. It's just us wanting you to take your shot before it's too late. You can't start a relationship if you don't mingle."
Gabriella laughed at the last part of Sharpay's little speech. She was right. Nothing will happen if she'll keep this all inside. With all the self-doubt and fear of getting rejected, she really wants to be with Troy. Hug him without hesitating every second she gets close with him. Hold his hand wherever they go without thinking twice if she should do it. Kiss him like there was no tomorrow without asking permission if she can. She wants all those things with Troy despite her insecurities.
"Not now... I will... just not now."
That was enough. The rest of the girls sighed in relief to know Gabriella wouldn't just bottle up her feelings. It wasn't big, but it was enough.
"Not now what?" Sharpay's twin brother suddenly walked into the living room.
"Nothing," they all replied simultaneously before they erupted in giggles.
Ryan looked at them confusedly then sat down on the right arm chaise of the couch propping his feet up.
"Where have you been?" Kelsi asked.
"Upstairs sleeping while I still have the chance," he replied. "Zeke texted me saying they'll head over here once they're done."
"So is this a thing now?" Sharpay closed her math book. "Everyone hanging around here after school?"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Gabriella questioned.
"It will be if our food supply here won't vanish by the end of the week."
"That is true," Ryan said. "Knowing how much those guys can eat, the possibilities are endless."
Gabriella rolled her eyes. Typical boys with their big appetites. Growing up with two brothers, Gabriella had gotten used to the fact of boys consuming every single food they can get their hands on. Cameron and Gio Montez were no exception. They were many the reason why their mom would end up buying groceries once a week of every month.
"Oh wait," Kelsi suddenly took her phone out of her jean pocket and opened her lock screen. "I have something to show you before I forget it, Gabs"
Gabriella stood up from her place then sat in between Taylor and Kelsi. After sitting down, she shifted around her seat to get comfortable. Taylor laid her head on Gabriella's right shoulder while Gabriella leaned a little more towards Kelsi who was now showing Gabriella her phone.
"Kelsi!" Gabriella quickly took Kelsi's phone from her hands. "When... how? Jesus, is this all?"
Gabriella's dark brown eyes couldn't stop staring at Kelsi's phone. A picture of her sitting on top of a kitchen with Troy standing in front of her which was taken four days ago. How come she didn't sense someone taking a picture of them. They were looking at each other so intently it took Gabriella by surprise. After a while, she started to realize this was her first picture alone with Troy.
"You guys took a while in the kitchen," Kelsi shrugged.
"We were only there for a few minutes," Gabriella argued, still looking at the photo in Kelsi's phone. "Oh wow, this is weird."
Gabriella gave Kelsi's phone back to her then sat back next to her.
"Are you gonna delete that?" Kelsi shook her head.
"Are you gonna send that to me?" she shook her head again.
"Are you gonna show that to him?" she nodded.
Gabriella threw a pillow into Kelsi's face. The impact of the pillow hitting Kelsi's face took her off guard which resulted in her falling off the couch and landing straight on her butt. Sharpay and Taylor burst out laughing at Kelsi's shocked face. Gabriella thought she deserves it, so she stuck her tongue at Kelsi.
"You're lucky I'm a nice person," Kelsi struggled to get up from the floor.
Ryan helped her up when he saw she was struggling to lift her small body up. She smiled at him to show her gratitude for helping her. He returned the smile back at her with a nod.
"You're getting violent day by day, Carter," Ryan chuckled.
Gabriella glares at Ryan and said, "Don't call me that. Gods, you know how I hate that name."
"Because it's a boy's name-"
"Because it sounds like a boy's name," Gabriella flopped back into Taylor's lap. "Even my little sister's name is better than mine. Charlotte Gayle Montez while mom and dad thought it was fun to name their first daughter Carter. Did I look like a boy when I was born?"
"Do you really want us to answer that?" Taylor asked as she looks down at Gabriella.
"Nevermind," Gabriella rolled her eyes.
Minutes passed as the five of them were immersed in the conversation they currently were having about the latest gossip roaming around East High. There was a rumor about Tiffany, a girl in one of Gabriella's classes, is secretly going out with a college man a day after she broke with her boyfriend. Gabriella enjoys good gossip to hear every once in a while. Either Sharpay or Taylor would be the ones to tell her first about it, then it'll be a hot topic for a couple of days before they'll forget about it.
That was the thing about her friendship with Taylor and Sharpay. Regardless of all their different interests and personalities, they always seem to click no matter what. People were even wondering why she's even friends with Sharpay in the first place. Considering the fact Sharpay's more of a drama queen who isn't afraid to stand up to people while Gabriella struggles to open up her thoughts to anyone, it was surprising they're still friends. With Taylor, their personalities are so different from one another. They both might be academically smart yet they're like fire and water. With Gabriella's zodiac sign is a Leo and Taylor's sign is a Scorpio, they're not meant to be platonically compatible. They both even wonder why they're still best friends. The world works in mysterious ways.
"What time is it?" Taylor asked while stretching her arms out.
"5:30," Kelsi answer since she was checking the time on her wristwatch.
Gabriella sat up from Taylor's lap and left the living room before muttering loud enough for them to hear she's going to the kitchen to grab some cup noodles. She drags her feet as she walks into the kitchen. She goes to find the pantry. It was a long time since she remembered where Sharpay usually keeps her stock of cup noodles. After 2 minutes of opening and closing cabinet doors, she finally found a bunch of different flavored cup noodles on one of the top cabinets above the kitchen counter.
She came back 15 minutes later with a cup of spicy noodles and a pair of chopsticks in both of her hands. She didn't, however, notice an additional number of people in the living room since she was looking down at her noodles, making sure to not spill it. She sat down on the floor next to Sharpay who was raising her eyebrow at her. As she sets down noodles, she looked up to see four additional persons sitting and lounging in the living room.
"How-" she didn't get to finish when Troy interrupted her.
"We arrived a minute after you left. Now, we know what took you so long."
Gabriella resisted the sudden urge to punch Troy while he's sitting on the bean bag chair next to the fireplace. Zeke sat on the other side of Sharpay while Chad has his arm around Taylor's shoulders and Jason sitting crisscross style next to Troy.
"If I'm not hungry right now," Gabriella ate her noodles slowly, trying not to burn her tongue in the process, "I'd dump this on you."
"Aggressive," she shot Sharpay a glare, immediately shutting her up.
"Are you guys actually studying right now?" Chad asked as he looks at the scattered mess of books and papers around the coffee table.
"Not everyone is like you, Chad," Taylor said.
"Yeah, we don't take our stuff out and leave it just to show anyone who sees you that you are actually studying," Gabriella added innocently.
Chad let out a mocked laugh. Obviously not wanting to dig a deep hole for himself if he keeps up with this.
"How many sentences do you think we need to write in the actual test?"
Gabriella almost banged her head on the coffee table when she heard Jason's question... for the 6th time.
"Again," Sharpay replied in a very annoyed and pissed tone, "it doesn't matter as long as you explained your point or answer clearly."
"Oh," Jason went back to looking at Kelsi's notes.
"If I had a dollar every time Jason repeats his question, I'd be rich," a low deep whisper filled Gabriella's ear.
In the last 30 minutes, Troy kept switching places around the room. His reason is not being comfortable wherever he sits down. He seemed to be very comfortable next to Gabriella since he didn't complain the second after he sat close to her. This made Gabriella lose her focus a little and nervous.
Gabriella chuckled at his words, "I'd say the same."
In the last said 30 minutes, Gabriella forgot which page she was supposed to be studying on. She pretended to read the chapter she's currently on, seeing she's physically tired and is distracted by Troy's presence beside her. It's not like for her to get distracted whenever she studies with people around her. Usually, she studies quietly in her room while blasting music on her speaker. But now, she just can't focus.
After mentally debating with herself, she closed her book and set it aside with the rest of her highlighters before grabbing her noodles and chopsticks off the table.
"Are we really studying?" Chad groaned as he scratches his head from frustration.
Chad has been complaining every now and then for the past 17 minutes and every time he does, Sharpay is one step closer to throwing something sharp at him.
Sharpay got up from the floor and walk towards the house phone then picking it up from its receiver, "That's it, I'm calling for pizza."
The boys let out a bunch of victory yell while Sharpay was dialing the pizza place's number.
"She never does this for us," Taylor said in disbelief. It is true. Sharpay never gets pizza delivery or any other delivery when she has guests over. It's usually finding what food you like in the kitchen because that's all there is.
"I know right," Gabriella and Kelsi both agreed.
"If this doesn't shut Chad up then this will be the last time I will order for pizza," Sharpay put the phone back and sat back down on her spot on the floor. "Seriously, either food or Taylor's mouth can shut you up."
Both Chad and Taylor's head whipped around to give Sharpay the most dangerous scowl they could muster. Sharpay, however, smiled innocently at them while the rest of the gang are bursting into laughter.
"I'm-I," Gabriella failed at getting the words out of her mouth since she just ends up laughter harder than before.
Taylor immediately left Chad's side and sat on the opposite end of the couch. Her whole face is blushing despite her still scowling at Sharpay. On the other hand, Chad's focus surprisingly went to his book and pretended to study whatever page he was on.
Gabriella manages to stop laughing, "I'm not even gonna deny that."
"That sure shut him up," Sharpay smirked.
2 empty pizza boxes later, the gang abandoned their reviewers as they sat around the living room.
"I'm too full to even study," Jason grumbled as he leaned back on the bean bag. "Let's stop studying. No more."
Kelsi giggled at Jason's antics.
"I agree," Gabriella shifted comfortably on the couch, propping her legs up on the coffee table.
"No feet on the table," Sharpay scolded her. Gabriella responded by sticking her tongue out to her, not moving her feet off the table.
"Are you nervous to find out who they pick for the spot, Volleyball star?" Zeke asked as he smoothly puts his arm around Sharpay's shoulders, who leaned towards him after.
Gabriella groaned, "Why did you have to remind me? I was perfectly doing fine earlier when no one brought that up. But to answer your question, yes. I am nervous because I actually want to get that spot."
"Well, you were pretty good when you kicked Rachel's ass but you were a little red all over your face—HEY!" Troy jerked away from Gabriella when she decided to hit him with a pillow. "That's abuse already. You know that?"
"Wait I hit you?" Gabriella innocently asked. "My bad but you were in the way when I was trying to swat that fly away."
Troy looked at her weirdly, "There is no fly!"
"Oh no, your eyesight isn't that great anymore," Gabriella trying her best to conceal her laughter when Troy's face looked even more confused and funny.
"Do you think they'll notice us if we leave?" Jason whispered when he leaned towards Zeke and Sharpay.
"I don't think they'll notice even if we're loud," Zeke replied.
Everyone didn't move when they heard a cellphone ring. Gabriella stopped giggling when she realized the sound was coming from her back bag. She immediately took her phone out to see an incoming call from her mom. She got up from the couch and excused herself from the rest while she leaves the living room to takes the call to the mudroom.
"Mami," Gabriella answered, "what is it?"
"It's 6 already, Mija," her mom said on the other end of the call. "Where are you right now?"
"I'm at Sharpay's cabin because we decided to have a group study for the SATs," she said.
"Oh, really?"
That was the one thing Gabriella loves about her mom. She is oblivious to these kinds of things, especially since times have changed compared to the '80s. Like when her mom would hear the words 'group study', it registers into her mind that all they're ever gonna do is just study without any distractions. God bless her mom.
"Yeah, you can say that," Gabriella hesitated.
"Well, I'm sorry to say this but your dad and I want you home. We'll fetch you in a few minutes," her mom sternly said.
"Alright-alright," she reluctantly agreed. "I'll say goodbye to them."
"Okay, love you," her mom said.
"Love you too, mommy," she hanged up.
Gabriella walked slowly towards the living room. Everyone else seemed to have fun since they were all laughing at Jason's red and horrified face.
"Okay, I left for a while, and now what happened?" she stood at the archway of the living room with raising her arms like she's telling them she has no idea what is going on.
"I saw Ms. Darbus' underwear in one of her drawers when I tried to get my stuff back," Jason's voice quiver. "It was the worse thing I ever saw and I vowed to not look into her eyes ever again."
The boys are still clutching their bellies. Their laughter did not subside. This time Gabriella's face scrunched up in disgust as the image of Jason finding Ms. Darbus's underwear— no. She begins to shiver at that thought. She tries to forget she ever heard that because if she won't then she'll definitely have nightmares about it.
"I did not need to hear that," Gabriella made a move to gather her things up.
"You leaving already?" Kelsi asked as she saw Gabriella stuffing her books neatly inside her back bag.
"Yeah, mom wanted me home already but she and dad are gonna fetch me," she said while bending down to retrieve her pencil that fell earlier. She tries her best to avoid Troy's legs since most of her stuff was scattered near him.
Troy grabbed her pencil from the carpet then handed it to her when he saw the struggle she was in. She sheepishly took the pencil from him, obviously not ignoring the tingling feeling when her hand touched his. She muttered a thank you to him. He gave her the infamous Troy Bolton grin. The one grin that can make most girls in East High fall flat on their knees.
She slowly stood up from the ground to avoid a head rush. She hated when those happen to her. She slung her back bag onto her shoulder and went to the side to grab her gym bag which was dropped there earlier.
"Alright, bye guys," she waved at him. "See you tomorrow."
"Wait your mom isn't here yet," Taylor stopped her. "It's gonna take 20 minutes for your parents to arrive here."
"My mom drives fast, Tay, remember?" Taylor nodded as the realization hits her. That Gabriella's mom can arrive 10 minutes here without breaking the speed limit and without a felony. She's that good of a driver. "So yeah, I'll go now. Bye!"
A series of goodbyes filled her ears as she leaves the living room.
5 minutes have passed and Gabriella is sitting on the porch steps of the cabin. Her bags were placed beside her. Her chin resting on the palms of her hands while her elbows were resting on her knees. She sat there waiting for her parents patiently. Then she began to think. She began to think of the events that happened earlier.
When she accidentally kicked Troy's foot too hard. When she realized Troy was going to be there to watch her try out for the Volleyball team. When he wished her good luck. When she caught Troy looking at her during tryouts. When she beat Rachel earlier. When the girls convinced her to admit her feelings to Troy. When she was teasing him earlier. Everything that happened that day made her happy.
She just doesn't know how long it will last.