Freshman year, Winter, New York, New York
Gabriella waited anxiously for her turn on stage. It was her Winter term final for one of her Music classes. She had to perform a very complicated piece in front of her whole class. She was nervous but she was so ready for it to be break. Her family was coming up to visit her for Christmas sometime this week.
Since June hit, it felt like her life has been in fast forward. Graduation day was definitely bittersweet. She remembered shaking through her whole Valedictorian speech. She wanted to convey how much she love East High yet was so ready to spread her wings. She got a standing ovation headed by her sweet and adorable boyfriend who she missed every single day.
Their summer was amazing. He got to go on a trip with her dad to Mexico and she got to go on a trip with his family to Hawaii. She had to say see you later to him sooner than expected because her dad bought her an apartment for her nineteenth birthday. He took her to move in mid August. Her mom came up a couple times throughout the semester to check in and do some shopping. Their relationship was definitely improving.
She missed her sisters and she missed Rose. She didn't even mind getting woken up at midnight by Cami who would rant about school before she went to bed. Mari would usually call her before school and text her pictures of her latest art projects, sketches, and drawings.
Troy was living the dream in California. He was now tan and he learned how to surf and sent her pictures of him sitting on the beach in 70 degree weather while she was ankle deep in snow. He was making friends and enjoying his time at school away from his parents. Gabriella was too, but it just wasn't the same as seeing him every day and curling up next to him at night.
"Gabriella, you're on." The instructor said.
She walked out on stage and introduced her piece. She took a seat and a deep breath. She played smoothly for the class, her fingers gliding every key stroke. She made it through without any mess ups. She stood and commented on the musical formatting and how the time period influenced the piece.
Her instructor gave her a nod and she went off stage and back to her seat. The class was fairly short since it was finals. She was meeting with her new friend Sophie at a coffee shop nearby after. Sophie was a Vocal Arts Major from New Jersey. She had the voice of an angel and killed all of the operas.
She kicked the snow off of her boots before stepping inside. She ordered a coffee and found a spot. She was excited for tonight. She was performing one of her originals at a different coffee shop for a songwriting showcase. She was excited to see her family. She was bummed she wasn't going to see Troy this break. He and the Bolton's were doing something in New Mexico. She promised that she would get out to California for spring break.
"How'd it go?" Sophie asked, sitting down across from her.
"Really good." Gabi said with a small smile. "I'm so happy it's finally over! We made it through our first quarter at Julliard."
"Only like eleven more to go." She said, sitting back. "When do you go on tonight?"
"I go on at seven but I'll be there around six because I want to hear all the songwriters. I hope they like my song and I don't feel like a complete loser."
"You're amazing. I doubt anybody will think you're a loser. I will try to make it tonight but I think my parents want me home for the weekend because of my little brother's basketball tournament. I don't know why I have to go but whatever. You're lucky your family lives on the other side of the country."
"Most days I think that but then I think of how stupidly unlucky I am because my boyfriend lives in California."
"What's the weather there today?"
"Seventy two and sunny." Both girls groaned in jealousy. "I can't wait for Spring break because that is where I'm going. To see his beautiful, annoying face and to thaw after this first North East Winter."
"Girl, I might have to come with you. Tell your daddy to buy me a plane ticket too."
"Ha Ha."
Sophie fought a smile. "I'm serious."
"Yeah, I know you are. I'll see what I can do. I just don't want to leave you in California by yourself while I fuck the brains out of my boyfriend."
"I can find me a California boy to keep me company at night." She said with a grin.
Sophie could find anyone, she was absolutely gorgeous. Her beautiful green eyes mixed with her curly brown hair and her curves. She was hot. Gabi couldn't even deny that. "I'm starving."
"What are we having for lunch?"
"I don't know, I'll probably eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich."
"You know college isn't Big Brother. You can eat a real meal."
"It just sounds so good, especially when I'm missing home."
"Fuck that, we're getting Pizza."
"Fine, just because that place you took me to last time haunted my dreams for two weeks."
They chatted for a little while longer as Gabriella drank her coffee. She and Sophie walked two blocks to an amazing pizza joint and they split a pizza. They had to go their separate ways because Gabriella had one last final to do before she was completely done at 3pm.
Troy was texting her after she got out of her last class. She told him about her day and her upcoming plans for her songwriter's thing. She laid out all the details for him as she went back to her apartment. She was so happy to kick off her snowy boots for an hour or two and warm up in the comfort of her own space.
He stopped texting so she figured he was busy. She jumped in the shower and washed her hair. She blow dried her hair when she got out and picked some cute warm clothes for her performance. She styled her hair and put make up on. She grabbed her beat box and made sure her song was programmed into it correctly. It was her graduation present to herself. She started her vocal warm ups while she packed her bag with her laptop and beat box.
She pulled on her winter boots and zipped up her big coat. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and put a beanie on her freshly done hair. She was probably going to regret that later but not as much as cold ears. She made sure she had everything as she left with her bag. She locked up her apartment and headed down stairs. She hailed a cab and they got caught in traffic. She was happy she left early. She pulled up to the little coffee shop venue closer to Chelsea.
Gabi walked in and there was quite a bit of people and that made her happy. At least she wasn't singing to just the barista. She ordered a juice and a hot tea before she found a table to sit at. The girl on stage was singing about love. That made her smile a little and made her miss Troy. She could stand a couple more months but that was about it.
She sipped the tea and felt someone staring at her. She didn't see anybody that stood out but she just got the feeling she was being watched which kind of creeped her out but maybe she was just being dramatic. She clapped politely for the girl who came off the stage. They had a couple minutes for the guy to set up that was going on after her.
This is what exactly why she wanted to move to New York City. She wanted to play her music in a coffee shop like Friends. She wanted to explore each borough and make new friends in every part of the city. She wanted to find spots she can vibe with that inspired her music. She loved everything about this city- maybe except this particularly harsh winter.
It was finally her turn and it was a little bit before 7pm. Sophie must have had to go back home. Gabi got up and set up her laptop and her beat box. "Hi Everybody." She greeted. "I know this is kind of cliché. I'm more of a piano girl but I got this little box of wonder for myself and It's grown on me." She looked out to the crowd of strangers. "My name is Gabriella Montez. I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico. That's in between Texas and California in the literal middle of nowhere. It's usually at least 70 degrees year round so this winter has kind of been tough on me… This last year has been tough. My parents got divorced, I got a boyfriend, I moved thousands of miles away from home, my boyfriend moved to the opposite coast. His dad actually said something to me that inspired this song when I went through the brunt of it. I hope you all can relate just a little bit. It's called Growing Pains."
"These days I'm my own best friend,
I make my bed to lay in it again
Don't know who to trust
and no time of the month can justify this
Blame it on the growing pains,
Blame it on the growing pains,
Blame it on the growing pains,
Or blame it on me
Blame it on the growing pains,
Just blame it on the growing pains,
Blame it on the growing pains
Or blame it on me
Just blame it on me
or do I blame it on me?"
She sang acapella into the microphone. She pressed a button on her beat box and the beat got started.
"Make my way through the motions
I try to ignore it
But homes looking farther the closer I get
Don't know why I cant see the end
Is it over yet?
A short leash and a short fuse don't match
They tell me it aint that bad
Now don't you overreact
So I just hold my breath
Don't know why I cant see the sun
When young should be fun
And I guess the bad can get better
Gotta be wrong before it's right
Every happy phrase engraved in my mind
And I've always been a go-getter
Theres truth in every word I write
But still the growing pains, growing pains
They're keeping me up at night
And I can't hide
Cause growing pains are keeping me up at night
And I can't hide
Cause the growing pains are keeping me up at night
Try to mend what's left of my content
incomprehension as I take on the stress of the mess that ive made
Don't know if I even care for grown
If it's just alone, yeah
And I guess the bad can get better
Gotta be wrong before it's right
Every happy phrase engraved in my mind
And I've always been a go-getter
Theres truth in every word I write
But still the growing pains, growing pains
They're keeping me up at night
And I can't hide
Cause growing pains are keeping me up at night
And I can't hide
Cause the growing pains are keeping me up at night
Starting to look like ms. Know it all can't take her own advice
Can't find pieces of my piece of mind, I cry
More than I want to admit but I can't lie to myself, to anyone
Cause phoning it in isn't any fun
Can't run back to my youth the way I want to
The days my sister was quicker to fool
AM radio, not much to do
Used monsters as an excuse to lie awake
Now monsters are the ones that I have to face
No bandaids for the growing pains
No, no, no bandaids for the growing pains."
She shut off the beat box as the café clapped for her. She smiled to herself as she unplugged her devices and put them away quickly. She slid off the stage and made her way back to her table. A guy stood next to her and put a cup down in front of her. She looked at the guy confused. He was covered basically up to his eyes with a scarf. He looked warm and dry which made her confused as to why he was still bundled up and why was he putting this cup in front of her?
"Thank you?" She said questioningly. The guy turned the cup and there was something written on the sleeve. "Great job?" She read before her stomach started to flutter when there was a sloppily drawn cupcake next to it.
"You really kicked that song's ass, cupcake."
"Stop." She said, reaching up to pull his scarf down. "Oh my god. What the hell are you doing here?"
Troy chuckled, pulling the scarf from his neck. "I really, really, really, missed the smell of pee in the elevators of LaGuardia airport. I had to come get another whiff."
"You're so annoying."
He laughed, taking the seat next to her. "But in all honesty, I missed this really beautiful girl who I haven't seen since August. Her dad wanted her Christmas present to come early and stay for five days since he can't stay for the holidays."
She felt her bottom lip quiver. "Really?" He smiled, stroking her face. "Are you serious, five days?"
"I'm all yours until Wednesday when your family comes. I have to fly back to Albuquerque."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so fucking happy you're here!"
"Fuck, me too, cupcake."
"Baby, I missed you so much." She felt the tears brimming in her eyes, fall down her cheeks.
He pulled back to look at her face. "Hey, no tears. I missed the hell out of you too and I wish I could have been here sooner."
"Are you hungry? Do you want coffee?"
"Honestly, I'm freezing my balls off. I want to take a hot shower and crawl into bed with you. I don't even want sex, I just want to lay in bed with you like the good old days before you took my virginity."
She laughed, standing up. "Let's go then." She wrapped the scarf back around his beautiful face before she put her hat, scarf and beanie back on. Troy picked up her back and put it on his shoulder with his backpack. "I can't wait to show you my apartment!"
"Yes, I'm sure it looks much bigger in person."
Gabriella laughed. "Not really, honestly. It's cozy and perfect and I love it so much." She led him out into the cold. He held her tea as she hailed a cab.
"Wow, you're getting really good at that." He said, impressed.
She just smiled as they climbed in. She told him the cross street and she took her tea from him. "You liked the song?"
"It was incredible. I love what you did with the beat thing. The beginning was my favorite part."
"I had so many ideas and I don't think it was as cohesive as it should have been. Like the last part I wrote first then the first part I almost scrapped the whole last part but the middle kind of brought it together."
"Incredible, cupcake, I promise." He picked up her hand to kiss her knuckles.
The poor guy's face was freezing. "My poor California boy is not use to anything below thirty."
"More like, below forty. Even though my balls probably have frost bite, You are absolute worth every minute."
She giggled, leaning over to kiss his lips firmly. "I love you."
"I love you more, beautiful." He kissed her cold cheek.
She sipped her tea until the cab came to a stop. She paid and they got out. She held his hand as she led him up to her apartment. It was in a really nice building. It had a doorman and really good security. She waived to the doorman and walked inside with Troy. She pressed the button to call the elevator and took him to her fifth floor apartment.
She opened up the door and turned the heat up. She locked the door behind her and started taking off layers. He set her bag on her couch and his bag on the floor. He took off his scarf and his coat. "That's why you're cold. You're wearing a t shirt!"
Troy chuckled. "It wasn't cold in Albuquerque."
She shook her head at him, hanging up their stuff. She kicked off her boots and looked at the man before her. He was so adorable, looking around her apartment. His lips curled into a smile when he saw pictures of the both of them hanging on her walls. He walked around the living room and in the kitchen. He turned to look out the window then into her bedroom. "What do you think?" She asked as he came back in the living room.
"A little bigger in person." He grinned. He finally felt like he got the chill out of his bones. "Bigger than my half of my dorm with way better amenities. I'm kind of hungry now that I'm not cold."
She smiled. "I figured you would say that. Go take a shower so we can get comfortable and crawl into bed. I'll bring you something to eat."
"But first…" He took two steps closer to her, wrapping her in his arms. He hugged her tightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He held on to her, burying his face into the crook of her neck. He missed her so much. She lifted her legs to wrap around him. He put an arm under her butt to keep her secure against him.
She was the first to pull back and look at his face. She leaned in, kissing his lips slowly. He smiled against her lips, enjoying every second pressed against her. He peppered kisses against her lips until she started laughing. His lips trailed down to her neck before he set her down. He kissed her hard before he pulled away feeling a little breathless. "Okay, now go shower."
Troy grinned, pulling his shirt off. He enjoyed the way she got distracted by his chest. He tossed his shirt on the couch, unbuttoning his pants. He pulled them down, tossing them on the couch. He turned around and mooned her. She made quick to slap his bare butt cheek before he pulled his boxers back up. "Ouch!" He said laughing.
"That's what you get for mooning me." She said, pushing him towards her bedroom.
He climbed in the shower while she made them some PB and J's. She changed into one of his shirts and left her pants off. She took off her makeup and put her hair up. He was done fairly quickly, coming in the living room in a towel to grab boxers out of his backpack. She shut out the lights and brought the PB and Js into the bedroom. She crawled into her bed and watched him dry off his head.
"Wow, must you spoil me?" He asked as he noticed the sandwiches. He crawled into the bed next to her, putting his legs under the blanket. He scooted closer to her, leaning over to kiss her mouth. "Thank you."
"You are very welcome." She handed a sandwich over to him.
"Reminds me of Prom night." He said with a small smile as he took a bite.
"That was a great night. My dad hasn't noticed the crack in the door." She said making him chuckle. "I should have known he'd go cheap with the doors."
"Well his house has character now."
"We can only tell him after we get married."
"I thought we agreed we would never tell him."
"Maybe if he bugs us about grand kids then we can say 'I guess we got to put another crack in the door.'"
Troy laughed. "Your dad is going to kill me."
"I'll protect you." She said, taking another bite.
"Thanks, Cupcake. I feel much safer when you're around."
She giggled as they finished off their sandwiches. She turned the lights off and they laid with only the moonlight glowing in from outside. "Watch this." She said. She pressed a button and the shades came down slowly for the living room and bedroom windows.
"Fancy." He commented, sinking lower into the bed.
She scooted down, wrapping her arms around him. "I can't believe you're here."
"I wanted to tell you so bad but I wanted to surprise you. I watched you for a little bit before you went on. I love how you are just so happy here. I can see it in your face and in your actions."
"I felt someone watching me, but I couldn't tell who. Where were you?"
"I was in the back corner of the bar. I got there like twenty minutes before you did. I went straight from the airport." He smiled, looking at her face. "Everybody was really into you when you were singing. You were really incredible."
She smiled. "Thanks, baby."
"It made me think about when we were in detention and you played your song on the piano for me. We were all hypnotized by you." Troy pressed his lips against her face until she turned to kiss him. He hummed. "I missed your soft lips. I feel like I need some extra, extra strength chapstick."
She hummed, kissing him. "Not yet."
He chuckled, kissing her again softly. His hand rubbed her side as he pulled her close to him. "I love you. I'm so happy I got to know you and accidently became your detention buddy."
Gabi smiled, running her fingers through his wet hair. "I'm happy you had the audacity to kiss me that first day of detention."
"Thank you for not killing me because of that."
"I thought about it."
He laughed out loud. "I know."
She smiled to herself. "I'm yours, my everything."
"I'm glad you finally admitted that you were in love with me." It was her turn to laugh out loud.
"I had to suck up my pride and do it sooner or later."
Corny lame ending, I know. I'm sorry. It's finally finished after like five years lol. I'm excited to share some new stuff with you all. I haven't decided which one i'm going to start next... probably a chapter story and then throw in the one shot at a random time or maybe do them both, who knows? Not me. lol If you're still reading this, i hope you all have an awesome weekend!
Don't forget to review! :)
Growing Pains- Alessia Cara