CHAPTER 3

((it's Christmas Eve this chapter…I just couldn't wait to write another one…so I had to write it now…so this is the Christmas Chapter…YAY! Christmas Spirit…might get a little tragic…wah…wah…wah…I'm really hyper right now in case you haven't noticed…hehehe…don't mind my weirdness…if you've read any of my other stories…you'll understand how weird I am…please excuse me…here comes the next chapter…remember everyone…it's Christmas…let's get in the Christmas Spirit…Read and Review…XOXO, CHRISTINE))

Courage, my word
Didn't come, it doesn't matter
Courage, your word
Didn't come, it doesn't matter
Oh courage, my word
Didn't come, it doesn't matter
Courage, it couldn't come at a worse time

So there's no
Simple explanation
For anything important
Any of us do
And yea the human
Tragedy
Consists in
The necessity
Of living with
The consequences
Under pressure
Under pressure

Troy woke up to the smell of gingerbread cookies and Christmas music, peacefulness. He laid in bed, taking the Christmas Season in fully. Sure he couldn't spend the day with Gabriella like he had originally planned, but he devised a new plan. He would give Gabriella the necklace after he arrived back from grandmother's.

"Troy!" he heard his mother call up the stairs. "Breakfast! We have to leave for grandma's by eleven!"

"Coming!" he called back.

He made his way downstairs to see that the house had been completely transformed overnight. The Christmas tree was up and decorated, mistletoe was polluting every ceiling, fake icicles were hanging from the windows, and the windows had frost from the snow glorifying the windows. Mrs. Bolton had placed a lit candle that looked like a candy cane in each window. She was baking cookies and making ginger pancakes at the same time.

"Smells good in here," Troy commented.

"Here you go." Mrs. Bolton placed a gigantic stack of luscious pancakes in front of Troy. "Eat up."

"Thanks, mom."

Troy was forced to endure the squeals of his relatives of, "Oh, Troy have you grown!" and "Oh, Troy, you're so handsome, I bet you've got a girlfriend, huh?" There was nothing Troy hated more than squealing and annoying relatives and his parents promised good presents while he endured the attention.

They sat down to turkey and corned beef sandwiches for lunch with fruit and potato chips, something incredibly casual, but incredibly good. After lunch, the adults started dinner. Troy had some time to himself, so he picked up the phone and called Gabriella.

"Hey, Troy," she greeted. "How's your grandma's?"

"Painful," Troy replied. "It's like a death house. All the squealing from my relatives about how I've grown and how handsome I've become. At least we're not at a wedding where everyone comes around going 'you'll be next. Got your tux yet?' to me."

"Oh I hate when people do that," Gabriella agreed.

"Well, I got them all back," Troy continued.

"How?"

"When Great Grandpa Bolton died, at the funeral I went around to all the people who said 'you're next got your tux yet to me?' at the wedding and told them 'you're next. Got your coffin yet?"

"Troy that's terrible!" Gabriella squealed, laughing insanely.

"Yeah. I was grounded for two weeks."

"Wow, Troy. I'll keep that in mind. Well, I gotta go help my mom make dinner. I love you, bye."

"I love you, too. Bye."

"Who was that?" asked Troy's least favorite Uncle Ernie. "Was that your girlfriend?" He punched Troy jokingly as he said this.

"Yeah, so?"

"Got your tux, yet?"

"Got your coffin, yet?"

After church, the whole family sat down to dinner. "I think Troy should lead grace," suggested Uncle Ernie. Troy scowled at him.

"What a great idea!" grandma exclaimed. "Go ahead, Troy."

"Dear Lord, we thank you here, today," began Troy. "That we're all here together, safely, happily, thankfully. Help us to live long, successful lives, and help us to love one another like you love us. Amen."

"Amen," everyone else repeated and dug into their turkey with mashed potatoes.

After dinner it was time to open presents. Since there were so many people, three people opened at one time. Troy received a basketball from grandma, a basketball from Aunt Lydia, a video ipod from his parents, a Shaquille O' Neal jersey from Aunt Susan, axe from Uncle Ernie, and new basketball shoes from his parents. Just when he thought everything was over, his parents stood up and Mr. Bolton made an announcement.

"We have one more gift for Troy because we love him and he's our son. So Troy, outside if you will."

Everyone followed them outside. Aunt Lila came driving up in a silver mercedez with a red bow tied around it. "Merry Christmas, Troy!" she called. "It's yours!"

"Oh my God," Troy was at a complete loss for words. "Oh my God. Oh my God." All he could say was 'Oh my God'.

"Go ahead, Troy," his dad told him. "Go ahead and drive it around."

He drove it through the neighborhood in ecstasy. The shock hadn't completely worn off, yet. He couldn't believe his parents got him a car for Christmas. He grabbed his cell and speed dialed Gabi.

"You will never believe what I got for Christmas!" Troy said.

"Well whatever it is, you're sure excited about it," Gabi replied.

"My parents got me a silver mercedez!" Troy exclaimed.

"That's so cool, Troy," Gabriella told him. "You're gonna drive it over here right?"

"Of course, I'll be right over after hot chocolate and eggnog."

"Alright. See you then."

After eggnog, the family said their goodbyes and parted ways. Troy drove directly over to Gabriella's house. When she opened the door, she threw herself into his arms. "I missed you," she pecked him on the lips. "Come inside before you die of the cold."

They sat on the couch in her living room by the fire. "Let me give you your present," Gabriella said kissing him on the cheek. She disappeared for two minutes, grabbing his present from her bedroom. "I'm back." She handed him a small box, wrapped in wrapping paper. "Open it."

He tore the paper off the package, and opened the box pulling out a silver manly watch. "Thank you," he said putting on, and giving her a long kiss. "Now for your…"

DING-DONG! The doorbell rang.

"One second," Gabriella got up off the couch to answer the door with Troy picking up the rear. "Dean! Oh my God! What are you doing here!"

"I'm just visiting," he said, hugging Gabriella. "This is for you." He handed her a box with a nice necklace in it.

"Oh my gosh!" Gabriella exclaimed. "Thank you! It's so pretty! When do you head back to Minnesota?"

"Two days," Dean answered. "Maybe we can do something before then."

"Yeah, maybe!" replied Gabriella.

"Well, I gotta go." Dean kissed her on the cheek. "Bye."

"Bye."

She shut the door behind him. "What was that!" Troy yelled. "Is there something you want to tell me, Gabriella!"

"What do you mean?" Gabriella asked. "Dean's just an old friend."

"Old friend! He seems to be a lot more than that!"

"Troy, come on, listen."

"No, you listen. I have been in love with you ever since I met you at the ski lodge a year ago! Obviously, you don't care for me that way! You've only been going out with me because you feel sorry for me!"

"No…Troy…" Gabriella began.

"Merry Christmas, Gabriella!" Troy yelled before storming out, forgetting to give her the necklace. Troy climbed into his car and sped off down the road. There was another car, driving all over the road, looking drunk.

Gabriella immediately ran up to her bedroom, sobbing hysterically. Troy didn't understand. She had known Dean since she was born, practically. They were really good friends, nothing more than that. She loved Troy.

All of a sudden, she felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. Something bad had happened. Something bad had happened to Troy. She could feel it. She cried harder. "Troy!" she screamed out. "Troy! Don't leave me Troy!" She fell over crying.

She cried for a straight hour before her cell phone rang. It was Mrs. Bolton. "Gabriella, dear," she choked out crying. "I have something very bad to tell you." She burst into tears, unable to finish.

Mr. Bolton grabbed the phone and finished for her. He was obviously trying not to cry. "Troy…Troy…um, Troy is dead, Gabriella. He was hit by a drunk driver. They haven't found the driver. I'm so sorry." He burst into tears on the phone.

"It can't be true," she said once she hung up the phone. "He's alive. I know he is. He has to be." She ran out of the house, down the street. There were policemen and ambulances at the scene. Gabriella could see the destroyed car. Somewhere inside the wreckage laid the love of her life. The one who she thought she married. The one she wanted to wake up to everyday. The one she wanted to have children with. Somewhere inside the wreckage laid the love of her life who no longer existed.

((we now begin the sad part of the story…no more happiness…just sadness…this all took place on Christmas eve…the next chapter will be Christmas Day…review please…XOXO,CHRISTINE)