Sorry about the short chapter. I'll try and make this one as long as I can.
Chapter 9.Kindergarten
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That night Gabriella found it hard to sleep. She kept thinking about how Troy had left in such a hurry.
'Maybe his dad got out of jail.' 'What if something happened to his mom?'
These thoughts flooded her mind to the point where she finally sat up in bed, turned on her light, and dialed
Troy's cell phone number. After several rings she got the voice mail.
"Hi, it's me. And if you don't know who me is, you shouldn't be calling." Gabriella heard on the other end.
"It's me. Just wanted to be sure everything is alright. Call me when you get this." Gabriella said before
hanging up.
For another hour she waited for an answer. But none came. Finally sleep overcame her and she dosed off until morning.
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"Hey Chad! Have you seen Troy?" Gabriella asked Chad the next day at school.
"No, I haven't. He's usually here by now." Chad said with a confused look on his face.
"I just hope he's ok. I tried calling him last night, but I didn't get an answer."
"Yeah, me too. I even tried calling his house phone. No answer there either." Chad said as they walked into home room.
"I'll stop by his house this afternoon and check on him." Gabriella said as Mrs. Darbus walked in.
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That afternoon Gabriella walked down the sidewalk to Troy's house.
"I sure hope he's ok." Gabriella said to herself.
As she neared the house her heart started racing. In front of the house was a police car.
Gabriella ran to the front door and knocked. After a few seconds Mrs. Bolton came to the front door.
"Gabriella. Hello. Come on in." Mrs. Darbus said as she lead Gabriella into the house.
As they entered the living room Gabriella saw two police men sitting on the couch.
"Gabriella, this is Officer Johnson and Officer Conrad. This is Gabriella, Troy's girlfriend."
"Hello. What's going on? Where's Troy?" Gabriella asked nervously.
"That's the thing. Gabriella, why don't you sit down." Mrs. Bolton said nodding over to a chair.
Gabriella sat down and waited nervously for what was to come.
"Gabriella," Officer Conrad started. "Last night Troy ran away."
This hit Gabriella like a ton of bricks.
"But, why?" Gabriella asked confused.
"We have a few ideas." Officer Johnson said taking out a notepad. "Yesterday afternoon Troy received word that he had been fired from his former boss, Mr. Rice, that he had been fired because he failed to show up to work."
"So that's what the phone call was all about." Gabriella said.
"Yes. And from what I understand, he has been through a lot of heavy stuff in the past year. This job helped with the expenses. He had probably been contemplating this for a while. Losing his job more than likely pushed him to the edge." Officer Johnson explained.
"We also found this letter. We were hopping that it, along with you, could help us find out where he is." Officer Conrad said before handing Gabriella a folded piece of paper.
When Gabriella unfolded it this is what she read:
Dear Mom and Gabriella,
I'm the biggest screw up known to mankind. I could never match up to what either of you deserve. And now I've just made it worse. I hope you could find it in your hearts to forgive me for all I've done. Running away was the last thing I wanted to do. But I know I'd just be a bigger screw up if I'd have stayed. I love you and wish the best for you both. Gabriella, if you ever need me, meet me at kindergarten.
Your son and boyfriend,
Troy
p.s. Tell Chad that he can have my autographed jacket. He deserves it more than me.
Gabriella looked up in shock. She couldn't believe he would feel that way.
"Do you know what he means by 'kindergarten'?" Officer Conrad asked.
"Kindergarten has always been a little inside thing with us when we sing. But I have no clue what he means by it now." Gabriella said setting the note on the coffee table.
"Well, if you have any ideas, give us a call." Officer Johnson said giving her a phone number.
"Thanks. I will." Gabriella said getting up.
She said goodbye to Mrs. Bolton and started home.
When she got home she collapsed on her bed. She was glad her mom was at work, she didn't feel like talking to anyone now.
Then it hit her.
She got up and started running around her room. She dumped out all the contents of her backpack on her bed, then she ran over to her dresser and grabbed a few handfuls of clothes and stuffed them in.
She ran over to her tv and lifted it up. Out from under it she pulled out a handful of money and shoved that into her backpack as well. Then she got out a piece of paper and jotted down a note to her mom.
It said:
Dear Mom,
I'm sorry I took of like I did, but I know where Troy is. For all the details, talk to his mom. I have enough money for a round trip bus ticket and I should be back in a couple of days.
Love you more than you know,
Gabriella
Gabriella flew down the stairs and placed the note on the kitchen counter then she ran full blast out the door.
She finally knew what kindergarten meant.