November
Troy was seated at his neighbors' dining room table with all three Montez daughters. They were studying for their final exams. Troy and Victoria sat beside one another, concentrating on calculus while Ana and Gabriella tended to their own studies. It was a relatively quiet atmosphere, the silence punctuated by occasional questions about material or Ana's loud, dramatic sighs, bemoaning the fact that she had to study when she wasn't even in high school yet. The only other noise in the backdrop was the sound of the rain pounding against the house. It was one of the first rainy days Albuquerque had seen since Troy had moved there three months ago, and it had put a chill in the air.
"Gabriella," Ana asked, "when was the French Revolution?"
"It began in 1789 and ended in 1799," Gabriella answered easily, not looking up from the book she was reading. "I thought you were studying American history."
"We are," Ana pouted. "But I like Europe better. If England had won the stupid American Revolution, maybe American history wouldn't be so terrible. We're literally the worst!" she threw her hands up in the air emphatically.
"Europe is just as racist, Ana. They colonized, like, the whole world," Victoria told her with a smirk.
"Ugh!" Ana scowled. "I wish I could just study indigenous history then."
Gabriella nodded in silent agreement.
Troy was intrigued by their dynamic. Victoria and Ana didn't often address Gabriella outright. It was strange. He could tell that Victoria and Gabriella both looked upon Ana affectionately – their shared baby sister – but their relationship with one another was obviously strained. He didn't know why. And Ana was clearly closer to Victoria. She laughed and joked with her. She seemed to only seek Gabriella out when it was a convenience. In all of this, Gabriella seemed to accept her position in their triad, a position in which she was often forgotten or outright excluded – living on the periphery of her family. It reminded him of the Montez monthly family movie weekends. He didn't bring it up with Gabriella, but he had noticed that she never attended. He wondered why she didn't adjust her babysitting schedule, or why her family didn't adjust their movie time. But he also remembered the flitting vulnerability in Gabriella's expression when he had first asked her about it. It made him afraid to learn the answer to why she didn't participate, why she wasn't close to Victoria or Ana, why he never saw her talking to her parents the way her sisters did.
It was weird. The Montez family was friendly – good neighbors. Troy had never noticed anything outright tense or unusual about Luis and Stef's relationship with their daughters. The Montez home felt warm and inviting, and the times Troy had been over, he felt welcomed, but the nuances of their family dynamic that he was slowly noticing were things he couldn't quite understand. It felt awkward. From the moment he met Gabriella, he knew that she was a little bit different than her family. He wasn't sure if it was because she was shy and quiet, or a middle child, or if it was something else, but he was beginning to suspect that maybe she was different because they made her that way.
His thoughts were interrupted when Stef entered the room carrying a tray of mugs, "I brought you all some hot cocoa while you study. I thought it would be nice on this dreary day," she sat the ceramic mugs down in the center of the foursome and walked back out of the room after ruffling Ana's hair.
It wasn't until Ana grabbed the mug with tiny blue flowers all over it and started to sip the hot drink that Troy noticed something: there were only three mugs. Tori then reached for her own drink, but Gabriella made no attempt to move. Troy looked at Gabriella – though she didn't look at him. She continued taking notes in one of her workbooks.
Tori spoke, "It's for you, Troy. Try it. Mami makes the best."
"Oh?" the word was tinged with confusion. "You didn't want any, Brie?"
Gabriella looked up at him hesitantly, her beautiful brown eyes begging him for something, but he wasn't sure what.
She shook her head in answer to his question before busying herself with more homework. She looked down and told him, "I don't want any, Troy."
"But I thought you loved hot chocolate," he referenced a conversation that was only shared by the two of them. Troy had bought her hot chocolate last week when they stopped by a coffee shop on their way home from school. She had admitted to him that she didn't like the taste of coffee, but loved the warm, chocolatey drink.
"Have mine," his voice was huskier than anticipated, but he couldn't help it as he pushed his lone mug across the table to Gabriella, waiting for her to reach for it. When she tentatively outstretched her own hand, their eyes met, and he brushed his fingers purposefully against hers.
Troy watched as a smile blossomed across Gabriella's face, but her voice remained soft as she acknowledged his generous gesture, "Thank you."
They smiled at one another, fingers still brushing. For a moment, it seemed like the world may have stopped; and he was just a boy and she was just a girl, suspended in an infinite stretch of time that housed only the two of them. And for some reason, Troy realized how young they really were. Seventeen and fifteen. Youth who quite possibly had an entire lifetime together ahead of them. The thought both terrified and elated him. What would an entire life with Gabriella Montez entail?
The thought was interrupted as something shifted. He watched Gabriella's face contort, teers filling her eyes before she hurriedly blinked them away and jerked her hand from Troy's grasp.
"Actually" she stammered hurriedly, "uh, I'm just…I'm going to study upstairs. Talk to you later?" She used both of her hands to push the drink back across the table until it bumped against Troy's knuckles, some of the beverage sloshing over the lip of the mug and spilling onto the table. Gabriella gathered her things into her arms, clutching them the way she had the day Tori and her friends had laughed at her when he brought her home. Then, she was gone. Gabriella's retreating figure disappeared down the hall and towards the stairs that led to her bedroom.
"What just happened?" Troy asked dumbfounded, looking in turn at Ana and Victoria.
"Who knows?" Ana supplied quietly, non-too-concerned.
Troy didn't want to raise suspicions by leaving immediately, but he also wanted to know what the hell was going on; and he got the opportunity when a text message caused his phone to ping loudly in the silence of the dining room, cutting through some of the tension. He looked at the message from Chad asking if he wanted to hang out tomorrow.
"Hey, Tori," he started, an apologetic look on his face. "My dad just texted. He wants to know if I can come help him in the garage. I better go," Troy lied smoothly.
"I'll walk you out," she stood to do just that, the scraping of her chair on the floor a much harsher sound in the atmosphere than it usually would have been. It almost felt foreboding, but Troy wasn't sure of what.
Once they made it to the door, he felt Victoria's hand on his shoulder, "Before you go," she began quietly, hesitantly, "I just want to say something."
Troy stared at her, waiting for her to continue. She wasn't usually one to choose her words carefully, or one who was hesitant about sharing anything. As upsetting as her disdain for Gabriella was, Troy at least appreciated that he knew what to expect from Tori. She said exactly what she was thinking, exactly when she was thinking it. That's what made this situation especially strange and concerning.
"Look, I know you like Gabriella, but take it from me: she is not the kind of person you want to be associated with."
As Troy looked at Victoria, he saw no malice in her features, which surprised him. "What do you mean? Gabriella is probably the sweetest person I've ever met."
Tori audibly huffed and crossed her arms, "Listen Troy, it's hard to explain. Just…be careful, okay? Or don't," she was back to the girl he knew when she added this haughtily, "but don't say I didn't warn you. She ruins people's lives. Don't let her ruin yours too."
Troy could not reconcile the sincerity – and albeit frustration – in Victoria's voice with the cruelty of her cryptic words. Surely, they were not talking about the same Gabriella. Gabriella could not possibly ruin anyone's life. He meant it when she said she was the sweetest person he knew.
All Troy could do was nod in response to Victoria's words, "Thanks," and he left the house.
Once he had deposited his schoolbooks and backpack in his own house, he grabbed a rain jacket and texted Gabriella
Unlock your balcony door
Her speedy reply was a question mark that he ignored as he snuck into her backyard and scaled the tree that he knew would lead him to her. He was not the least bit surprised to see her standing in front of her French doors, looking at him curiously through the glass.
"You know it's raining out here, right?" he asked loud enough for her to hear it through the door.
Instead of answering, she put one finger up to her lips to hush him before opening the door. As he entered, her lithe body moved soundlessly to her bedroom door and locked it. She then made her way to a nearby Bluetooth speaker. After connecting her phone, she started music and ushered Troy over to her bed.
He took off his wet jacket and shoes before sitting down with her.
"What happened?" he asked her, his voice a whisper.
"Nothing," she denied, looking away from him.
He caught her face between his palms and turned her back toward his probing eyes, "You're lying," he said it gently. "You've been crying," one of his hands dropped to her knee and she flinched. When Troy looked down, he could see a purple bruise blossoming just below her kneecap. That had not been there before now.
Troy tried to replay all the events from the last thirty minutes, to pick out details he may have missed in the moment. Then, his eyes widened. He remembered Gabriella's tears. The way her body had slightly jerked before pushing the mug of hot liquid back across the table.
"Tori kicked you under the table," it was a softly spoken realization as he spoke more to himself than to Gabriella, "why would she do that?"
He looked up to see that Gabriella was crying. He had never seen her cry before. The despite the flitting vulnerability that he was occasionally privy to, he had never seen her so openly sad. "Brie, what's going on? Please tell me."
She shook her head, "I'm okay. Really," she insisted.
But Troy was persistent, "You're crying. Something's wrong. Something happened between you and your family, didn't it?" he asked, biting back the nausea he felt bubbling within his gut.
"It's a long story," Gabriella sniffed. She was afraid to tell him. They had only known one another for a few of months – still virtual strangers. She wasn't even sure he knew her middle name. How could she reveal something so big so soon? She liked Troy and wanted to continue spending time with him, cultivating their friendship. She liked him more than a friend. She wanted to hold his hand, and kiss him, and share her secrets with him someday. But not today. What if this all changed his perception of her? What if it was too messy? She didn't want to lose him ever, but certainly not yet. Not when she was just on the cusp of experiencing something so beautiful with him. If she couldn't keep him forever, she wanted to keep him for just a bit longer.
Gabriella had spent a long time convincing herself that she was okay alone but having Troy as a friend told her that it wasn't true. She was accustomed to her own company, but it certainly didn't mean she was okay. He made her feel seen – something that had not existed for her for years. She was a shadow creature in her family. Taking up spaces in corners, existing quietly and unassumingly because it's all she had. Who would have thought a boy next door would decide to cast a light on her, hold her hand and pull her onto the center stage of her own life? It was frightening and exhilarating all at once.
"I've got time," Troy told her in answer to the idea of her explanation being a long story.
Gabriella didn't speak, and Troy realized that she wasn't going to, so he ventured hesitantly, "Tori told me something. She said you ruin people's lives?" it was more of an inquiry than a statement.
Gabriella's breath hitched, her soft gasp of surprise and pain filling the air. More tears fell, "I didn't mean to." She put both hands over her mouth to stifle the sounds of her sobs, but her shoulders shook violently.
Troy understood that they would not be able to continue this conversation. In this state, Gabriella wouldn't have been able to speak even if she wanted to do so. He watched her for mere seconds more before bringing her into his arms, hoping to comfort her. Leaning back on the bed gently, he continued to hold her. His fingers stroked through her hair and their legs tangled together as Gabriella clung to him, but her tears were slow to subside.
It wasn't until his arm lost all feeling that he realized that Gabriella had fallen asleep. He peeled himself gently from her grasp, sliding a pillow into her arms – which she immediately hugged close – and pulling a blanket over her body.
With one last glance at the sleeping girl, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and exited the way he came in.
A week passed, and Troy had not brought up the subject again, but Gabriella seemed different around him. Quieter and more timid, like she was walking on eggshells, like something inside had broken and changed her.
Today was no exception. She stood uncertainly beside his truck, waiting for him to open her door, which he did. They had continued their routine of riding to school with one another, but their conversations were almost non-existent. Gabriella sat in his truck like she wanted to disappear, a far cry from the smiling girl he had come to adore. He missed listening to her sing along to the lyrics of songs, or watching her from the corner of his eye as she traced little designs along the condensation of the window before asking him to guess what it was. He missed her and he was determined to get her back. He wasn't going to let anyone – even Gabriella herself – end what was blossoming between them because of secrets and cryptic messages that bore no weight on his perception of Gabriella.
When they were both situated in the cab of his truck, he turned to her for a brief glance before looking ahead again.
"Gabriella," his voice was strong and sure, but he faced forward, afraid that if he looked anywhere besides out the window, he wouldn't be able to speak, "I know things have been weird between us since last week, but I want you to know that you are my best friend in all of Albuquerque and having you in my life has made the move here worth it. You've done the exact opposite of ruin my life. You…you're…I think I might love you."
Before he could turn his head to gauge her reaction, he felt Gabriella fling herself at him. Her arms circled his neck as she buried her face between his jaw and shoulder, her breath warm and welcome against his skin.
Troy had to turn in his seat so that he could hug her too. He brought her securely into his arms and held her for a long time.
"You mean it?" her voice was a whimper against his ear.
"One hundred percent," he brushed her curls from her face with one hand as he continued to hold her with the other. "I don't know what happened, or what Tori meant; and you don't have to tell me now – or ever – if you don't want to, but I don't want what she said to affect us. Whatever happened, it doesn't matter to me. You're…you're the best person I know, Gabriella."
"You're the best person I know," she cooed. "I was afraid I was going to lose you. I've been so scared, Troy."
Without thinking through the full impact of his behavior, he leaned in and kissed her. Really kissed her. Not a brush of lips like at his tryouts. His mouth searched hers for several seconds, drinking in the taste of her. Though the emotion behind the kiss was raw and true, the actual action was a bit haphazard. It wasn't exactly the way he had imagined their first kiss.
He pulled away, blushing, "Sorry, Gabriella, I didn't mean to just –"
She didn't let him finish as she pressed her lips against his again, not needing an explanation. When they finally pulled apart, they were both smiling broadly, their eyes sparkling.
"Not exactly how I imagined our first real kiss, but that was pretty great," Troy told her.
Gabriella nodded in agreement as Troy took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles this time.
"I've missed you," he told her sincerely.
"I was afraid you didn't want to be my friend anymore."
"I'd like you to be more than my friend, Gabriella. Would you consider being my girlfriend?"
At this, Gabriella kissed him again, her soft lips peppering his mouth and cheeks with her answer, "I've never had a boyfriend," she pulled away slightly so that she could look into his beautiful blue eyes as she spoke, "but there is no one else in the world I would rather have this with."
"Me too," Troy told her simply. "We should get going," he told her after a moment. "I want to walk you to class and not get detention from Darbus for being late, because after school I want to ask your parents if you can come with me and my parents to visit U of A."
She looked at him strangely. This was the first time he had mentioned the university.
He seemed to be able to read her confusion, "Sorry. No context there. They called me last week. Scouts are interested in me, so they said I could come have a behind the scenes tour and that I could invite anyone I want. I wanted to talk to you about it earlier this week, but things were so weird between us," Troy was rambling, trying to offer her some context. However, she cut him off.
"You can invite anyone, and you want me?" Her whole face seemed flushed with joy, thrill running through her body.