Chapter 13
Authors note! Just so there is no confusion, this chapter skips forward to before the first chapter which happened a year before the second chapter…..make sense? Hope so! Enjoy!
Troy couldn't believe that it had only been a year since he and Gabriella had become "official". It was really amazing for him to go back and think about what had happened in that last year. Of course, Chad and Taylor were still together, Zeke and Sharpay had actually gotten back together. After the whole incident with Troy, she had become a different person. Zeke had broken up with her because she was so cold at times. He couldn't stand it. But she really had changed for the better and now they couldn't be happier.
Kelsi and Jason were also well; she had even taught him how to play a little piano. Ryan and Shannon were good as well, they were actually making plans for a trip together before heading off to school in the fall. Gabriella's mom was engaged to be married to Charley in a year and they were all excited for that. Troy and Gabriella of course were perfect. Things couldn't be going any better for the group of friends.
Troy smiled to himself and was suddenly interrupted by Chad's loud chewing. They were waiting for Gabriella and Taylor at a local restaurant. Chad of course had already eaten about half the chips that were provided in the chip bowl.
"Chad, do you think you could chew any louder?" Troy asked him.
"I don't know man, you tell me." He said and grabbed another handful of chips to shove in his mouth. Troy sighed and sat back in his chair. He couldn't help but feel like things couldn't stay perfect forever. He tried to shake it off and try to talk to Chad about something that he had been thinking about.
"Chad, I need to talk to you about something."
"Mffhhh?" he didn't really know how to lead up to it so he just said it.
"I think I am going to ask Gabby to marry me."
"Mmmmfhh………What?" Chad finally said after spitting his chips out. He began to cough and Troy handed him a glass of water.
"You ok?" Chad finally got the ships down and cleared his throat.
"Yeah, I am fine….did you just say what I think you just said?"
"The part about marrying Gabby?"
"Yes that part. Dude, you are 18."
"I don't mean get married now. I mean after we graduate, I want to propose."
"Wait, you want to propose now and then get married after you graduate?"
"You got it." Chad took a deep breath and pushed the chip bowl aside.
"Are you being serious?"
"I have never been more serious in my entire life. I love this girl."
"You can love her without marrying her. I mean, you guys are still young."
"There isn't anyone else I want to be with. Are you telling me you are with Tay because you can be? Because you are just waiting for the one?"
"No dude, I mean I know that we are young and things can happen."
"Chad look me in the eye and say that again." Chad looked at Troy and then broke out into a huge smile.
"I could never say that and mean it. I am crazy about her."
"That is what I thought."
"I am just giving you crap, I think we all were just waiting for this to happen." Chad said patting Troy on the back. That was his way of giving them his blessing. Troy smiled and thought of how he wanted to do it.
"So, how are you going to do it?"
"Actually Chad that is what I was just thinking."
"Are you going to go all out like you did on your first date?"
"I don't know. I know I want it to be special, but I think that I am just going to play it out. You know, just when it feels right."
"Hmmm, good, that way I won't get any crap from Taylor because I didn't out do you."
"Are you saying that you are going to propose to Taylor…?" Troy asked with a smile.
"I'm just saying that if it does happen, I won't have to live up to anything."
"If it happens? Don't you mean when?"
"Yes, I mean when it happens." Chad said with a broad smile. They both sat there chatting a bit more when they saw the girls coming up to the door.
"Alright Chad, not a word of this to Tay, got it?"
"Yeah dude, your secrets safe with me." Chad said while crossing his heart. He quickly put his hand down when Gabriella and Taylor sat down at the table. Gabriella leaned over and gave Troy a big kiss while Taylor did the same to Chad.
"So, what were you boys talking about?" Taylor asked.
"We were talking about graduation, isn't it going to be great?" Troy responded quickly. The girls exchanged looks and then laughed. They all began talking about graduation and their plans for after. Then they all enjoyed their dinner with each other.
Troy couldn't believe he had asked her so soon. It was just the day before that he had talked to Chad, but that morning, when she was laying in bed with him, everything felt right. And when she said yes, he felt like his heart would explode. It was just like the first time she had told him she loved him, it was perfect.
They were now on their way back to school. Troy could see her looking at his class ring over and over again. He knew it wasn't much, but it still had a lot of meaning to him. And he knew that she knew that.
"Gabriella Bolton, I think I like the sound of that." She said holding her hand out in front of her. He smiled and looked ahead again. The streets were unusually busy for this time of day so he had to keep an eye on the road.
"Troy, this is all so perfect. I can't wait to tell my mom and all of our friends." Gabby said as Troy turned his head and looked at her.
"I love you so much Gabby."
"I love you too Troy." She said as they crashed head on into the truck that had lost control less than a block away.
Troy woke up suddenly not knowing where he was. He was suddenly hit with a sharp pain coming from his right leg and right above his right eye. He couldn't move his legs because they were pinned under the dash. He raised his hand to his forehead and felt warm liquid. He brought his hand back down to look at it and saw that it was covered in blood.
He suddenly remembered what had happened and panicked. He tried to get out again but failed. Then he remembered that he was also with Gabriella. He looked to his right and saw that the seat was empty. He looked forward at the windshield and saw that it was shattered.
"Oh god no…" he said under his breath. He tried to move his legs with no luck once again. He removed his seatbelt and tried again. His mind was racing for ways that he could get out and he suddenly remembered that the seat was moved up, so he could try and move it back to see if that would give him any room.
He moved the seat back and immediately he felt his legs go limp under him. They had been pinned so tightly that they were beginning to lose circulation. He moved his left leg just fine, it was just a little sore. But when he tried to move his right leg he felt that pain again. He looked down at his leg and noticed that he had a big tear in his pants. He ripped the tear to see if there was anything with major damage.
He saw that it was a really deep cut, but it wasn't bleeding too profusely. He could move his leg, but not without some pain. He quickly tried to open his door without any luck. He realized that his window was open and decided that he had to find Gabby. So he began to climb out of it and was suddenly hit with another sharp pain but, that wasn't about to stop him. Painfully, he made it out of the window and looked at the two cars.
Troy's car was completely smashed in; how he survived he really didn't know. The truck that had hit him was pretty damaged as well. Troy began to walk towards the truck when he heard a loud pop coming from his car. The airbags had gone off. He secretly thanked god that he still wasn't pinned because that would have surely snapped
his neck.
He looked at the truck driver and he saw that he was also wearing his seatbelt and was breathing. He didn't see any blood so he went around the back to see if he could find Gabriella.
"Gabriella!" he yelled. He didn't hear anything and he felt his heart start to beat faster. He tried to think of where she could be, and why she wasn't in the car. Then he remembered that she wasn't wearing her seatbelt. He felt his stomach go cold and began to walk, or rather limp to the side of the car that she was on.
"Gabby? Please answer me!" he felt tears start to well up in his eyes but he kept looking. He looked between the two cars and didn't see anything. Then he remembered that they were near a ditch and started to run over here despite the pain that was going through his body. He didn't have to run far to find what he was looking for.
"GABRIELLA!" he yelled as he saw her laying face down in the ditch. How she got there he didn't know. He went over to where she was and he collapsed.
Her left leg was bent in ways a human leg shouldn't be. He gently rolled her over even though he knew that he wasn't supposed to. Her left arm was covered in gravel and it looked as though it were embedded in her skin. It also looked like some skin was sagging in the middle which led Troy to the conclusion that this too was broken. He leaned down to her mouth to feel if she was breathing. She was but it didn't sound good.
Her breaths were slow and ragged, almost as if there was something in her chest. He tried to clear the grass and dirt from her face and found a big wound in the back of her head.
"Oh my god, no please." He said as he began to sob. He heard a man call from behind him but he sounded so far away. He turned around and yelled for the man to get help. Troy looked back down at Gabriella and pulled her closer to him. He suddenly heard her groan and looked into at her face.
"Gabby?"
"Troy? Wh-what happened?" she said while trying to open her eyes.
"Gabby, we were in an accident; everything is going to be fine. Just stay with me. Ok? I am right here."
"Troy, I can't feel anything. What's going to happen to me?" she said as she began to panic as well.
"No, don't be scared sweetie; I am right here just keep looking at me. Right at me ok?"
"Troy, I'm so tired…." She whispered and suddenly closed her eyes.
"No Gabby! Wake up baby, please. Wake up!" he began to yell desperately.
"Please, don't go. You promised me." He looked down at her hand and saw the ring he had given her earlier that day and began to cry even harder.
"You can't leave me. Not yet." He whispered in her ear and suddenly fell into an unconscious state.
You guys are probably going to hate me for ending this chapter here…….but remember I still love all of you! Please keep reviewing and it really only gets better from here. Remember this is almost finished…….
