October
"Lucy," Stef crooned and kissed the other woman's cheeks, "Thank you for inviting us over."
"It's the least we could do," Lucy smiled as she ushered the Montez clan through the house and toward the backyard. "You invited us to dinner. It's only fair we host you. I'm just so sorry it's taken us two months to unpack and get settled enough to have you over."
Gabriella looked around the Bolton's house as they made their way to the French doors that led outside. She could smell the smoky aroma of a barbeque, the scent strengthening the deeper they wandered into the house. She had never been inside their house. They had been carpooling for weeks, but Gabriella had never asked to be invited over; and he had never offered the invitation either.
He walked her to and from her front door every day. He held the truck door open for her every day when they left for school and when they returned, but never once had he asked her to spend time with him outside their small, rusted sanctuary. She tried not to let herself want more from their budding friendship. She reminded herself that he was fitting in well at East High. He had real friends, not just the sophomore next door.
Gabriella watched her sisters and parents as they were easily swept up into the conversations and actions of the evening. Ana was relaying her entire week to Troy. Gabriella watched as his face changed, demonstrating the appropriate emotional responses at the appropriate time, just enough to coax Ana forward in her storytelling. Victoria was chatting with her mother and Mrs. Bolton about the universities to which she had applied; and the dads were trading grilling secrets, talk of the importance of "listening" to the food catching in Gabriella's ears. They all looked so happy, so content; and for the briefest moment – before she pushed it away – Gabriella felt like she was on the outside of things. She tried not to remind herself that it was a valid feeling.
She slipped off her white ballet flats and padded across the lush lawn, not worried about anyone noticing her. She looked up at the treehouse before ascending its ladder. She'd admired it from her balcony on more than one occasion, always wanting to explore it, but never brave enough to trespass and do so. Now was her chance. Her bare toes gripped at each wrung of the ladder until she was at the top. She sat down, dangling her feet over the side and resting her chest against the railing. She was caught off guard by the sight of Troy looking up at her. Her breath hitched at being caught, not used to many people acknowledging her presence.
As Troy casually strolled over, his purpose evident in his gait, Gabriella's heart began to pound. He was about to join her, which meant everyone would know. She might not catch many people's attention, but it seemed like something that was inevitable for Troy. It was impossible for everyone's attention not to gravitate toward him; and she was about to be caught in its orbit.
"Hi, Brie," the nickname dripped from his lips so meaningfully that it made her blush in the waning light of day. She wasn't sure why he had this effect on her. They really only talked at the beginnings and endings of their school days – much to the chagrin of Gabriella's older sister. If Victoria had it her way, Troy wouldn't talk to Gabriella at all, which confused Gabriella. She knew Tori did not like Troy as more than a friend. She had been privy to many of Tori's crushes; and she could tell that Troy was not one. She didn't primp for him, or talk about him, or giggle when his name was mentioned. No. He was just the boy next door, but that didn't mean anything when it came to Gabriella.
During those special times she and Troy spent together, Gabriella felt like she was a part of something both secretive and magical. Gabriella considered herself well-liked. People were always nice to her, but she didn't have any close friends. No one invited her to sleepovers, or to hang out at the mall. The only time she was someone's first choice was when they were searching for a lab partner. So having Troy all to herself for thirty whole minutes every day was something she was unaccustomed to. She liked him. He made her laugh. He was thoughtful and kind towards her. It felt special. Hemade her feel special; and when the inadvertent nickname had slipped from his lips one day on a ride home, a tender warmth had spread all the way through her that she had not felt in a very long time.
"Hi," she responded, her curls curtaining her face.
Troy's hand reached up, pushing her hair gently back, tucking it behind her ear so that he could see her face.
"My mom asked me to come get you. Dinner's ready."
"Oh okay," she wasn't sure why this revelation made her ache. He had not come to her of his own accord. He had come at the behest of his mother.
"Are you hungry?" Troy asked her, and she nodded, not trusting her voice to answer him.
Gabriella trailed after Troy silently, watching him climb to the bottom of the tree before descending the ladder herself. She slipped her shoes back onto her feet and walked over to the outdoor table. By the time she made her way to a seat, there was only one left. Troy sat at the foot of the table and the only empty chair of the eight that had been set up was positioned to the left of him, Ana subsequently to Gabriella's left.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Troy asked Victoria who sat to his right.
From below her long lashes, Gabriella watched as her sister finished chewing and swallowed before answering Troy, "Family movie day. We'll go to the matinee and catch a couple movies that we've been wanting to see."
"Sounds fun," He seemed to constantly have a smile on his face, and Gabriella couldn't help but observe him as he spoke to Victoria.
"Yeah," Victoria agreed. "We stop by the dollar store and load up on candy and soda before we go," the mischievous tone of her voice was evident.
"So you're telling me that the Montezes engage in criminal activity for fun?"
Victoria laughed, "Absolutely. The only things we actually pay for are the tickets and the popcorn. And that's just to throw them off our trail."
At this, Gabriella tuned out their conversation, not interested in discussing plans for tomorrow. Instead, she ate her food and let her mind drift, daydreaming about her own life.
…
The warmth of the sun added to the perfect, lazy Saturday. Troy blinked in its brightness as we met the mail carrier on the sidewalk, happy to take his family's mail from her outstretched hand.
"Thanks," he waved at her with his free hand and turned to walk back toward his house. He shuffled through the stack she had handed him, most of the articles looking like junk and coupons. All of the envelopes looked like recycling until he noticed a manila envelope addressed to Estefania Montez. He couldn't tell if this was an important notice or another piece of junk. Then again, it wasn't up to him to decide. It was addressed to his neighbor. He turned in a slow arc, walking back down the sidewalk and the short distance from his home to the one beside him. He knew the family was gone. Victoria had told him that they planned to leave for their movie day around noon. In the back of his memory, he could remember the rumble of an engine as they had pulled out of their driveway, all piled into the family van.
No matter. He would just slip the envelope through their mail slot. He was sure they would see it with the rest of their delivered mail and be none the wiser that it had first been delivered into the wrong hands.
His footfalls met the sturdy thud of their wooden porch. He walked the length to their mail slot and deposited the envelope before turning around, but he was surprised at what – or rather who – he saw.
"Troy?" he was met by the sight of Gabriella. She was wheeling her bike slowly up the sidewalk. She leaned it against the porch railing before climbing the stairs to join Troy.
"Gabriella?" his own voice held its own questions, "what are you doing here?"
She gave him a slight smile and quirk of her eyebrow as she looked at him peculiarly, not sure what to make of his presence, "Why do you look so surprised to see me on my own front porch?"
A light breeze blew at his hazel blonde hair, almost inviting Gabriella to reach out and touch it, as he stood not answering.
Gabriella bit at her lower lip, both teens scrutinizing the other, unsure of what was going on.
"Troy?" Gabriella finally asked again as she grew uncomfortable under the piercing stare of his blue eyes.
"Last night," he referenced dinner. "Tori said that you all were having a movie day. I thought you left over an hour ago."
"I babysit every Saturday from eleven to one."
"So you don't do your family movie day?"
"Not if it falls between the hours of eleven and one on a Saturday," she shrugged, not telling him that was precisely when they always happened.
"They don't wait for you to finish?"
Something pinched in her chest, and all she could do was shake her head no, unable to look directly at him for fear of what he would see in her eyes, what she purposefully kept hidden.
Troy stared at the girl in front of him. Something had shifted, but he wasn't sure what it was. She looked fragile, something he had noticed before, but just like the last time, as soon as it was there, it was gone. Like an illusion – only there if he looked at it in just the right way, but he couldn't look too hard either.
He watched her inhale and look up at him, "Want to come in?" she asked.
"No," Troy responded and the immediate hurt he saw written in every bit of her expression startled him. Her large, sad eyes unable to hide her reaction. "Shit! No, Gabriella, that isn't what I meant."
She shook her head, curls coming loose from her French braid, "It's okay, Troy. You don't have to explain. You've probably got plans with your real friends anyway, so I hope you have fun," Troy watched as she tried to smile reassuringly at him, but it didn't quite reach her yes. She turned towards her front door, retrieving a key from her pocket, and fiddling with the lock.
She was hurt, and she didn't want to dwell on it in front of him. She didn't want to face the reality that he only tolerated her for thirty minutes a day, Monday through Friday. He didn't want to spend time with her outside of carpooling, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
"No, Gabriella…please," he reached out for her, letting his fingers slide against the delicate flesh of her wrist before gripping her loosely. "I didn't mean no. My brain was just working faster than my mouth. What I meant by no was that I wanted to invite you over to my house, so we could have a movie day. Together."
Gabriella assessed him for a long while, trying to parse out any untruths in his words, but when she could find none, she sighed, "I know you have actual friends you would rather spend your day with. You don't have to hang out with me because you feel sorry for me, Troy."
She wondered if that was why he had agreed to let her ride to and from school with him.
"I don't want to hang out with you because I feel sorry for you," he was still holding her hand. "I want to hang out with you because I like you. Because you are my real friend."
A dazzling smile awoke on her face, accompanied by the telltale blush of her cheeks, "Do you have popcorn?" she acquiesced to his invitation.
"Butter and cheddar," he told her confidently, finally letting go of her hand so that he could cross his arms over his chest in triumph.
"I'll just put my bike away and meet you over there."
As he watched her descend the stairs before wheeling her bike around the side of her house and through the gate to her backyard, he sprang into action – rushing to his own house to make sure he did indeed have everything they would need for a successful movie marathon.
He rushed around the kitchen, ignoring his mother as she questioned him, "Troy, why are you destroying my kitchen?" she was moving behind him, closing cabinets and draws as he flung them open. From each he found an assortment of goodies – popcorn, fruit snacks, tortilla chips and salsa, cheese sticks, strawberries.
It wasn't movie theater candy, but it was a good start.
"Mom, can we order pizza?" Troy finally acknowledged his mother standing watching him like he had lost his mind.
"It depends," she eyed him skeptically, "are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"No time. Gabriella will be here any minute to watch a movie and I haven't even checked what's on Netflix."
"Uh huh," her voice held the knowing cadence of a mother. "So that's what all this is about," she used her hands in a sweeping gesture to indicate the ridiculous amount and variety of food Troy had compiled.
Before Troy could respond, the doorbell rang.
"That's her!"
"Troy, honey," his mother patted his shoulder. "Let me help you. Invite Gabriella in and choose a movie. I'll take care of snacks, okay?" her blue eyes were warm and reassuring. Troy wasn't sure why, but the thought of having Gabriella in his house made him nervous. He spent time with her almost every day; and their rides together were, without a doubt, his favorite times of day, but they rarely interacted outside of those times. Their school schedules didn't coincide. They didn't even share the same lunch period, and their lockers were not conveniently located near one another, so, aside from inside his truck, he only saw her when he was telling her goodbye at her locker before their school days started, and when he was greeting her on their way to the parking lot.
He opened the front door to find her standing shyly, a tote bag in hand, "I brought my favorite blanket and a couple snacks," she held the tote with her goodies up as evidence.
"Come in," he stepped out of the way to allow Gabriella room to enter. As she did, she smiled up at him expectantly.
"Where to?" she asked.
Troy ushered her into the living room, "This way. My mom was kind enough to take over snack prep for me, so we can choose a movie to watch. What kind of movies do you like?"
"Nothing horror," she told him immediately, her voice almost a warning. "I love psychological thrillers, though. And action is good. Superhero movies like Marvel stuff. I like that."
"We are incredibly movie compatible, Miss Montez."
They both found spots on the sofa, far enough apart but not quite on opposite ends. Gabriella pulled her blanket from her bag and snuggled it around her body. Troy watched her as she made herself comfortable.
After several minutes of debating which movie they should watch, Lucy Bolton emerged with an array of snacks that noticeably delighted Gabriella.
Troy's heart fluttered as the girl next to him giggled and smiled, unintentionally moving closer to him in her elation.
"Thank you," her voice was almost a melody as she addressed the older woman. "This looks wonderful," Troy could see Gabriella's eyes scanning their bounty as she thanked his mother. Lucy had arranged a beautiful and enviable snack collection that included both the options of buttered and cheddar-flavored popcorn, two bowls of vanilla ice cream ringed by smaller bowls of toppings – M&Ms, strawberries, sprinkles, crushed cookies, and caramel sauce.
"I'm ordering pizza too. What kind do you like?"
"Just cheese," she looked at Troy and Lucy hesitantly, "does that make me boring?"
"It's Troy's favorite too," Lucy assured. "You two have fun. I'll turn the light off on my way out, but keep one of the small lamps on, okay?"
Troy did his best not to bristle at the insinuation, but as he peeked at Gabriella, she didn't seem perturbed. In fact, he wasn't sure she even understood or noticed the insinuation in his mother's words. Instead, she just reached over and flipped on the small, dim light that cast a warm glow about the room.
"We still need to choose between the two," Troy motioned to the TV screen.
"Why?" Gabriella's one word question was genuine. "We have time for both, right?"
Troy could not resist the urge to laugh and smile. She had that effect on him, "We do!" So they began their first movie, anticipating a long day with one another.
Neither Troy nor Gabriella was sure of the precise moment when it happened, but at some point, her fluffy, cozy blanket was draped across both of their laps. They had pushed their snacks and pizza aside to make room for their feet to rest atop the coffee table; and their legs were pressed up against one another's. They each radiated enough heat that a blanket wasn't necessary, but it gave reason for their closeness. They could not share its warmth if they were not sitting so closely together.
Troy had no idea what was happening on the screen, but he was acutely aware of Gabriella. Her hip was hot and soft against his and her small, sock-clad foot reached just to his ankle. He could feel the heat of her penetrating the left side of his body, and he wondered if she could feel it too.
She was so beautiful, and so nice, and so interesting. He was learning more and more about her with each passing day, and the thought of continuing to do so sent a thrill throughout his entire body. He took a chance and brushed his fingers against the side of her hand. Tentatively asking her for permission. She granted it by slipping her delicate hand into his grasp, their fingers intwining. In the hazy light of the TV screen, Troy squeezed her hand, making sure what he felt was real.
"I like you a lot, Troy," her words were spoken so quietly that Troy almost didn't hear them over the movie.
Troy let go of her hand so that he could cup her cheek, turning her face to his, wanting her to know what he said was completely true, "I like you a lot too, Gabriella. Spending time with you is the best part of my day."
"Really?"
He nodded. His hand brushed, feather-light down the column of her neck before taking her hand again.
"It's the best part of my day too."
It was strange. They had only known one another for a couple of months, but their connection felt much longer lasting.
"What time is it?" Gabriella asked begrudgingly.
Troy pressed the pause button, stopping their movie, "It's almost six."
"I bet everyone is back home. I better go," she let go of his hand and started folding her blanket before stuffing it into her nearby tote.
"Can I walk you home?" the grin on his face told her that he knew what her answer would be.
"That would be the perfect end to the perfect day."
"Today was perfect?" Troy asked her just so he could watch her blush. She was coy and lovely; and a thought entered Troy's mind so quickly and so heavily that it felt like bricks had been dropped into the pit of his stomach:
She was worth the move to Albuquerque.
Gabriella laced her fingers with Troy's and tugged him out the front door. Her pink cheeks and dreamy smile would have to be enough of an answer for him.
"Want to do something tomorrow?" Gabriella asked when they reached her front door.
Troy took her other hand in his so that they were facing one another, "I would love to do something tomorrow. Lunch together and then we can plan something?"
"Yeah," her voice was almost a coo.
Troy leaned down, his nose brushing against her curly hair before his lips landed on her cheek, leaving a soft and lingering kiss.
October (still)
"Hey," Troy greeted Gabriella later that week at her locker. She was ruffling through her locker and didn't look up at him.
"Hi," her voice echoed from the chamber of her locker. She finally sighed and turned to him, a frown on her face.
"What are you looking for?"
"My English book," she told him. "I can't remember where I left it."
"Oh! It's in my truck. I saw it this morning, but I thought you left it on purpose since you don't have English class today," he told her.
"Oh good!" she sighed in relief. "I'm glad you're better at keeping up with my things than I am," the lilting laugh of her voice felt almost tantalizing.
"Any time," his lop-sided smile held the same joviality as her voice, but Gabriella knew that he was a little bit serious as well.
"Ready to go?" Gabriella asked.
"About that," Troy looked at her sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. "I completely forgot to tell you that I have basketball tryouts today, so - "
Gabriella cut him off, "So I need to take the bus home."
The rise in his skeptical brow didn't go unnoticed by Gabriella, which confused her.
"No," he began slowly. "I was actually going to ask if you wanted to come watch. Maybe cheer me on?"
She beamed at him, "Well, you're my ride, so I don't have a choice if I want to avoid the bus," her teasing eased his nerves. Even though they had spent much of the weekend together, and admitted that they enjoyed one another's company, Troy didn't want to assume that their relationship was more serious than it was. Gabriella was his friend, and he didn't want to rush into anything. She seemed perfectly content with the status of their friendship as well. His affection for the girl in front of him was steadily growing, and he knew that eventually they would arrive at a romantic place, but for now, they each seemed okay with handholding and spending time together.
Troy's fingers laced with hers as they walked toward the gym; and Troy would be lying if he didn't admit that he was filled with a little bit of pride when he thought about what this scene meant in the social setting of high school. They had not officially defined their relationship, but enough of their peers had seen them together to assume what both Gabriella and Troy knew was inevitable. He felt both proud and humbled by the prospects of a relationship with Gabriella. She was beautiful, and smart, and kind, and funny; and he hoped that he didn't do anything stupid and mess it up, because being with her was all he wanted.
"I don't think you'll need me to cheer you on, Troy. Your dad is the coach, right? Surely you will make the team," she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"He recused himself from tryouts. He didn't want anyone to think he was playing favorites, so the assistant basketball coach and the girls' basketball coach will be observing."
"You're not worried, are you?" Gabriella stopped walking so she could face him. She let go of his hand so that she could place them both on his chest, an action meant to be comforting, but all it did was cause Troy's head to spin as the desire to hold her overwhelmed him. "You're going to do great. And the other guys will be so happy to have you on the team."
Her encouragement eased some of his nerves. He reached his arms around her small body and hugged her to his broad chest. She rested her head against his chest, and they stood together for several seconds before Gabriella reminded him, "You don't want to be late though. You still have to change."
Once they made their way into the gym, Gabriella found a seat on the bleaches, "I'll be right here. Front and center cheering you on."
Troy hugged her again, but before he could jog off to the changing room, she tugged him back. She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his, feather light, "For luck," she whispered. Troy pressed his forehead against hers and they smiled at one another before Gabriella encouraged him, "Go ahead."
Gabriella sat down and looked around dreamily. She wasn't sure what this new relationship with Troy was, or what had given her the courage to kiss him – albeit chastely – but she liked it.
She was one of only a few people in the gym, but she could hear the rowdy guys as they hyped themselves up in preparation for the drills and displays of basketball prowess that would surely be required of them.
She took out her philosophy book and began working on homework while she waited for try-outs to begin. It was only ten minutes, before she heard other people entering the gym. She looked up and her stomach curdled at the sight of Victoria with the rest of the cheerleaders.
Victoria's eyes narrowed once she spotted Gabriella. She wasted no time approaching the younger Montez.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Gabriella bit her lower lip, "Troy asked me to come cheer him on."
"Uhh," she made a disgusted sound. "I don't even know why he likes you. It's not like he's desperate or ugly."
Gabriella didn't dignify Victoria's mean words with a response, but her face flushed in embarrassment. She knew that Victoria wasn't jealous of her. She just didn't like her younger sister; and she didn't like that Troy had somehow rendered the once invisible Montez sister visible. Troy was kind and smart, but he was also athletic and popular; and his fascination with Gabriella was upsetting the whole high school balance.
Gabriella rarely confronted her sister. For the most part, she stayed out of her way. She had never had any reason to do anything else. Then, Troy happened. If not for Troy, Gabriella would be sitting on a school bus now, staring out the window on her way home, maybe imagining something far away, pretending her life was something it wasn't.
But her reality had changed with Troy. His friends were Victoria's friends; and if Gabriella wanted to be a part of his life – which she desperately did – it meant showing up in the same vicinity as her older sister.
Logically, Gabriella knew that she had every right to be in the gym, cheering on the boy she liked, who liked her back. She reminded herself of that. Troy was her friend – maybe more than a friend. There was nothing wrong with that even if Victoria didn't like it.
"Regardless of his reason for liking me, he invited me," her words were more confident than she really felt. "What are you doing here?" her own question wasn't accusatory or angry. She kept her voice even, her face impassive.
"The cheerleaders come to every try-out," Victoria's eyes and words were heated.
"Where's Ana?" Gabriella asked suddenly, worry infiltrating her voice. Remembering that Victoria was Ana's ride home.
"Dad picked her up today. Why do you care?"
"Just making sure she got home okay," Gabriella faltered, her brown eyes becoming expressive of their own accord.
"Please," Victoria hissed. "Don't act like you care."
"I do," Gabriella told her honestly, almost pleadingly.
"Whatever," her eyes flashed angrily, and she waved her hand dismissively. "It doesn't even matter. I bet he's only hanging out with you because he knows you have no friends and is hoping you're lonely enough to sleep with him before he dumps you." With that, Victoria turned on her heel before Gabriella could respond, reuniting with her friends and leaving destruction in her wake.
Gabriella could see that she had pasted a bright, happy smile on her face; and Gabriella didn't know how she did it. How could she be so cruel one minute and then pretend everything was fine?
Gabriella tried to paste a smile onto her own face, to forget the words just spoken but her lip continued to tremble. Gabriella knew what Victoria said wasn't true. Not entirely at least. Troy wasn't just spending time with her to get laid. But Gabriella was lonely. She didn't have any friends besides him. And now she liked him – maybe even loved him – and the idea that it could end at any moment terrified her. What if he decided that he was tired of her, or what if his other friends thought he was weird for spending time with her? How would she go back to a normal life without him after months of a technicolor life with him?
The guys began filing into the gym one after the other. Gabriella trained her eyes on the door, waiting for Troy to emerge and knowing that just seeing him would soothe the ache in her heart. When he finally appeared, their eyes locked, and he offered her a smile and wave. She returned them each shyly, now acutely aware that Victoria would be able to see all their interactions.
Over the course of the next hour, Gabriella clapped and beamed when Troy executed a task particularly well. She held her breath and clasped her hands together during high intensity moments; and she caught her lower lip between her teeth when he missed a free throw. She wasn't an expert in the sport, but she thought he did well overall. The coaches smiled and congratulated all the boys on their hard work, but Gabriella watched their faces when they observed Troy, and she was sure that they liked him.
She waited patiently for him to shower and change, replaying a mental list in her mind of what she would say to him when he came to collect her for their ride home.
When she saw him jogging toward her, she stood and climbed down the few steps of the bleachers, meeting him on the court. His hair was freshly damp, and he smelled like soap as he wrapped her arms around her and spun her in a circle.
"You're a good luck charm, Gabriella Montez! That was my best try-out ever!"
"You did so well," she agreed through her giggles. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Let's stop for a milkshake on the way home. I want to celebrate," he told her.