Author's Note: This chapter is more of a filler, too. This is probably the "scene" that is most true to the plot of Ngayon Nandito Ka. If you're Filipino and haven't watched it, get your butt off that office chair and go do it.


You've got to tell her sometime, an annoying voice kept on prodding Troy. Might as well be the day before you get married. Gulping, he took out his cell phone—the one that had the picture of her from the '06 karaoke party—and dialed her number. It rang and was quickly answered. "Hi… Gabriella, this is Troy." He hated how he had said her name. It didn't hold the same love and care it used to. In the place of those two emotions was awkwardness and fear.

"Oh, hi, Troy!" Gabriella cradled her cell phone between her ear and her shoulder. It was her lunch break and she didn't want to waste a spare minute. Her voice sounded so happy, innocent, sweet, and… unknowing that it cut Troy to the core. He began to choke up and he was crying openly now.

"Gabbie," Troy broke down, "Gabbie… I'm so sorry." He was sobbing now.

"Troy… Troy, don't cry. It's okay. Everything's okay. How's your dad?"

"I just want you to know that I love you… and I always will." Some of his tears got onto his phone, but at this point he didn't care about being electrocuted by tears in his cell—if that were possible, that is.

Gabriella felt a little weirded-out. Did his dad die or something? She felt horrible for asking about it so directly when that was probably the reason for his sorrow. She knew how close Troy was with his dad—not only were they coach and basketball player, but they were father and son, both on and off the court. "Shhhh, shhh, Troy… calm down. I love you, too. Do you want me to come... wherever you are?"

"Gabbie… Gabbie, I'm so sorry. So sorry."

"It's okay… I missed talking to you and everything, but I know you were busy. And I'm sorry about your dad. I never heard."

Troy was sure that if he were two people, he would have one of himself kill the other. He was such a coward—unable to approach the subject directly. In fact, if he weren't such a coward, he wouldn't be marrying Kayla against his will in the first place. And what Gabriella thought was the problem wasn't—his dad was alive… alive enough to attend the blessed union. Or… unblessed, rather.

A long pause.

"Troy… that is what's wrong… right?"

Another pause.

"No… it's not. Gabriella… I'm getting married tomorrow." Fresh tears spilled down his cheeks at the pain of those words. Now there was no hope whatsoever for him or Gabriella. He'd probably be miserable all of his life… and right then he couldn't help but feel sorry for Kayla. She would probably have to imagine him as a loving, interested husband, because he was sure that he could never be either. Not for her, anyway. He could only love and be interested in one girl. But now that could never be. What about Gabriella? Would she be unhappy in life, too? She'd probably be busy being the world's leading microbiologist… but then again, she'd always said that there was a certain part of her that only he could fill. That part of her would have to remain empty forever.

How he wished he could make a clone of himself to kill. In fact, he'd probably be jealous of Gabriella if she cloned him and then killed his clone. Maybe if they came to speaking terms again, she could clone him again, so Troy could have a shot at it.

"What?" Gabriella could understand why Troy was crying. But if he was so devastated, why was she marrying… whoever-she was? "Why?"

"My parents have a big debt…" Troy was amazed that he could explain understandably. "And they can't pay it back. So I have to marry Kayla." He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take hearing her cry. It would tear him apart. So he turned the phone off.

---

Preparation for Troy's wedding was a silent one. Neither of his parents bothered to offer an "I'm proud of you, son" or "I'm sure you're going to have a wonderful life together." Anyone that knew the truth knew that Kayla was simply being used as a pawn to repay the now-infamous Bolton debt. Troy got to the wedding in silence. He didn't bother to choose a best man, so his parents and Kayla's chose for him. He hardly even recognized the bony, dark-haired guy.

Kayla came forward with the bridal procession. Many gasped and people took pictures. Professional photographers for various magazines and newspapers were there, too. Wow. Kayla has paparazzi, he thought sarcastically. He stood there, a glazed look in his eyes. When he looked at Kayla, he saw Gabriella and imagined her in a wedding gown. It would be white and lacy with the purity of virginity, and either Taylor or Sharpay (Taylor, he was guessing) would be her matron of honor (that is, if Taylor and Chad were married first). Troy could envision how gorgeous Gabriella would look…

"Do you, Kayla, take Troy Bolton to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"And do you, Troy, take Kayla Bennington to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Troy felt lightheaded. It was as if reality had struck him like a lightning bolt--again: You aren't getting married to Gabriella. You're getting married to Kayla so you can use her father's money to pay off your dad's debt. He felt sick to his stomach. Even though he hadn't eaten much in a long time, he felt like he was going to throw up.

And he did. All over Kayla's designer wedding dress. He wiped his mouth off and ran out of the frightening Catholic Church (where Kayla had arranged for the marriage to be).


A/N: Filler. A sad one, too. ♥♥♥ --- Christa (aka Dolce Viva La Glam)