CHAPTER 5

((this chapter skips to December 28…the funeral…I am starting a new song as I said last chapter…and the song is calling all angels by Jane Siberry…I don't own it…even though I wish I did…lets face it…I wish I owned everything…but that's not going to happen…ever…iLoVeZaCeFrOn: you know what's going to happen with Ryan…don't tell anyone it's our little secret…R&R…XOXO, CHRISTINE))

Santa Maria, Santa Teresa, Santa Anna, Santa Susannah
Santa Cecilia, Santa Copelia, Santa Domenica, Mary Angelica
Frater Achad, Frater Pietro, Julianus, Petronilla
Santa, Santos, Miroslaw, Vladimir
and all the rest

Gabriella sat at her dressing table in a knee-length sleeveless black dress, absentmindedly stroking the brush through her hair, staring at her frail reflection in the mirror. She had eaten very little since the horrible Christmas Eve. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she was getting skinnier by the day.

"Gabriella," her mother called softly into the room from the door, "we have to leave in five minutes."

"I don't wanna go," Gabriella said out loud.

"Why not, honey?" Karen Montez asked entering the room and kneeled down beside Gabriella.

"Because if I go, that'll mean that Troy's really gone, and I'm not sure if I can handle that," Gabriella replied.

"Honey, you have to try to be strong," her mother told her, "for Troy. He'd want you to be there."

"Troy doesn't feel or want anything," Gabriella's voice began to rise, "because of some drunk driver!" She broke down crying. "Why did Troy have to die! Why couldn't it have been the other driver! It was his fault!"

"Now, Gabi, you don't mean that," Ms. Montez told her. "Don't wish for anyone else to be dead. Come on, Gabi, let's go."

"I can't go looking like this," Gabi replied.

"You look fine. Come on."

Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, Jason, Sharpay, Ryan, and Zeke were standing across the street from the church. They were all standing, silently, waiting for the right time to enter the church. Ryan was looking awkward, slumped in the shadows behind Sharpay, afraid the other gang members would figure it out.

"Should we go in?" asked Taylor nervously.

"It's time," Chad whispered. He put his arm around Taylor and led her inside.

"Come on, Ryan," Sharpay hissed, attempting to push him to walk forward.

"Do I have to go?" he whispered back.

"Yes, it'd look suspicious if you didn't," Sharpay replied.

"Couldn't we tell everyone that I was just too overcome by grief?" Ryan suggested.

"If Gabriella could hold herself together enough to make it through the funeral, so can you," Sharpay snapped. "And you should come to the funeral and be sorry. After all it was your mistake that killed him."

"Don't remind me," Ryan warned. "By the way, where is Gabriella?"

"Why would you want to be around her? You killed her boyfriend? Don't try to win her over, now, Ryan. Actually I forbid you from dating her, ever."

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"Because I'm protecting her from you," Sharpay answered. "If we play our cards right, she'll never know you were the driver that killed Troy. I don't think that she should date her boyfriend's murderer."

Ryan winced at the word. "I'm not a murderer."

"Dream on, Ryan, but getting yourself drunk, driving when you shouldn't be, and killing an innocent car on the road is murder. It's the exact definition." She hurriedly walked into the church situating herself next to Zeke, so she wouldn't have to sit by her brother.

The ceremony quickly began, the casket being rolled up the aisle by Troy's uncles. The preacher lit an ornate candle and placed it next to Troy.

"We are gathered here today to mourn the death and celebrate the life of our fair brother, Troy Bolton," the preacher began.

"Troy was the best friend I've ever had," Chad said in his speech. "He was such a nice guy. There were a couple of little kids at the park one day riding bikes. One little girl fell off her bike and scraped her knee on the pavement. Troy helped her up, cleaned her wound, and convinced her to stop crying. He even bought her and ice cream from the ice cream man. In basketball, he always played with the best sportsmanship possible. I don't ever remember him yelling at a referee or getting in a fight. He was really good too, one of the best players to ever pass through East High. I don't know what we'll do without him. All I can say is, my goal in life is to be half the man Troy is…was."

Gabriella cried when he said this. It was now her turn to speak. She was sobbing, unsure of herself. Se awkwardly stepped up to the podium, still crying. "Troy…was the best p-person imaginable. He was so kind, unafraid to help others. It's so hard to believe he's gone."

Mrs. Bolton burst into loud sobs at those words. "I can't do this," she sobbed. "I can't say good bye to my son, my only son. Why did this have to happen? Why did some idiot have to do this?" She stormed out of the church. Ryan slipped out, unnoticed, too. He didn't want to be there at the moment."

The ceremony went on. Gabriella wasn't paying much attention. "Troy's life was…something special, that which belongs to the wheel of life. The wheel of life continues to turn. Life is like a day. Our brother has passed into night. Nothing is final, and we who remain behind know that one day, we will once again meet our fair brother in the realms of a new life. O' blessed Troy Bolton, we bid you farewell, for you await a new destiny." The preacher moved towards the candle beside the casket, blowing out the candle signalizing Troy's life.

"He's gone," Gabriella sobbed into her mother's arm. "He's really gone, forever." Ms. Montez pulled her daughter into a tight, comforting embrace.

After the funeral service, there was a luncheon at the Bolton's house. Gabriella didn't particularly want to go, but Ms. Montez made her go. "Just for a while," she had said.

Gabriella sat silently at a table with Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Jason, Zeke, and Sharpay. Ryan had gone back to stay with his aunt for the remainder of Christmas Break. She poked at her potato salad, not taking a bite.

"Gabriella, eat," Taylor commanded. "You need it."

"No," Gabriella weakly replied, tears coming out of her eyes.

"Have you eaten at all since Troy died?" Zeke asked her.

Gabriella muffled a sob, beginning to cry harder. "You idiot!" Jason hissed at Zeke. "What is wrong with you, saying something so insensitive out loud!"

"It wasn't insensitive," Zeke retorted. "It was fact."

"An insensitive fact!" Jason shouted.

Gabriella sobbed harder. "You made her cry harder, you dumb ass!" Zeke blamed.

"You made her cry in the first place!" Jason informed him.

"No, you did!" Zeke shoved him.

"Don't shove me!" Jason shoved him back.

"Bastard!" Zeke threw a punch, deflected by Jason who easily blocked it and redirected it at Zeke. The two of them ended up on the ground in a fist brawl drawing attention.

"What is going on over here!" yelled Mr. Bolton. "Why of all places do you to two have to do this here!"

"Mr. Bolton, sir…" Jason began.

"Don't try to explain yourselves!" Mr. Bolton cut him off. "I'd rather you stayed silent, contemplating what you are doing! This is Troy's funeral, for Troy's sake! Why the hell do you have to fight here, of all places."

"We're…" Zeke began.

"Get out!" Mr. Bolton snapped.

"B-But M-Mr. Bolton," Jason stuttered.

"I said get out! Now!"

The two guys left, sadly, ashamed of themselves.

Gabriella had begun to hyperventilate from the crying. She bolted from the yard. Taylor and Chad followed her out.

"Gabriella, are you okay?" Taylor asked once she and Chad caught up with her.

"Somebody close to us did it!" she gasped, crazily. "Somebody close to us did it and ran, and once I find out, I'm gonna kill them! I'm gonna kill them!"

"Gabi, calm down," Chad warned.

"I'm gonna kill them!" Gabriella screamed, with a high-pitched crazy voice. Taylor and Chad just stared at each other, not knowing what to do.

((I hope you liked it…I hope it made you cry a lot…it didn't make me cry, but I'm the writer…I picture this in my head while I write it…and it's sad…when you read this…picture all of this going on like a movie in your head…I guarantee that'll make it sadder…and if that doesn't work…put yourself in Gabi's shoes…as if Troy was your boyfriend and he died…how would you react? I await your reviews…XOXO, CHRISTINE))