Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
A/N: So, this has become the mantra of this story: I'm sorry for the delay. I had a wake/funeral to go to and didn't have time to write. Sorry. :D I hope you'll like this chapter. The story is probably almost over.
P.S.-I've been watching Roswell season 2 a lot lately, so that's where I got the idea for the Gabi/Troy first scene from.
Also, this is a very Gabriella-centered chapter.
Enjoy!
Gabriella opened the door to the school gym tentatively, making sure she was alone before stepping inside. Streamers and balloons still littered the floor from the previous night, a testament to the celebration that had gone on. Stepping onto the debris-strewn floor, Gabriella looked around slowly, thinking back to the previous year's championship game and the last time she had stood here, with Troy.
Tears springing into her eyes, she bent down, picking up a tattered white streamer. She held it in her hands for a moment, closing her eyes.
"I miss you," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the large gym. "God, Troy, I miss you so much." Gabriella let the streamer fall from her fingers with a sob, the thin paper fluttering to the ground.
"I miss you, too," Troy's voice came from the vicinity of the door, startling Gabriella. She turned slowly, her eyes widening as she saw Troy casually leaning against the door frame, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.
"Troy?" Gabriella whispered breathlessly, crossing the room quickly to stand near him. She reached out a tentative hand to brush his shirt sleeve, trying to confirm that he was real. "You're not really here. You can't be."
"No," Troy said, shaking his head. "I'm not really here. But I'm still right here with you, all the time." Troy reached forward, placing his hand over Gabriella's heart.
"I wish I could really talk to you, Troy," Gabriella whispered, placing her own hand over Troy's. "I miss you so much."
"I know, baby," Troy replied, stepping forward and pulling her into his arms. "I know how much it hurts."
"Why are you here, Troy?"
"I'm here because you need me, Gabi."
"I don't know what to do, Troy," Gabriella whispered, laying her head on his shoulder. "I don't know how to move on."
Troy looked into her eyes for a moment, smiling slightly.
"You'll figure it out," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her gently. Gabriella pulled him closer to her, taking the kiss deeper. After several moments they broke apart.
"I wish you didn't have to leave," Gabriella whispered, closing her eyes as tears slipped from underneath her eyelashes.
"I'll always be with you," Troy whispered. "Never forget that. Always and forever." He smiled at her one last time, before slipping out of her arms and turning toward the door.
Gabriella watched him go, closing her eyes as she began to cry in earnest. Opening them again, she realized she was in her room, in her bed. Early morning sunlight streamed through her windows, brightening the room.
"It was just a dream," she whispered, burying her face in her pillow. "Just a dream."
Sharpay sat in the auditorium, watching the guys work their way through a routine. Ryan was leading the group as Tony, an up-and-coming sophomore right alongside as Bernardo. Sharpay herself had been awarded the role of Maria.
"Alright, people, that was splendid!" Ms. Darbus called from the audience, clapping as she walked up to the stage. "Let's move on. I want to work on the finale, so everyone up on stage!"
Sharpay sighed heavily, dragging herself to her feet and trudging up to the stage. She smiled half-heartedly at her fellow cast members, taking her place on stage.
"Alright people, this is the end of the musical. This is the part where Tony is shot and killed, we need this to be dramatic, yet convincing. Let's go!"
Sharpay stood at her assigned place, alongside the rest of the cast. She made it through most of the scene, but when it came time for Tony to be shot, she froze up. Images of Drew waving a gun, and Troy falling to the ground filled her mind, blinding her to anything else.
"Sharpay?" Ryan asked, noticing his sister's lapse in attention. Sharpay didn't hear him, too absorbed in her thoughts to notice. Suddenly, she turned on her heal and ran off the stage, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took off through the aisle of the theater.
"Sharpay? Sharpay!" several voices called after her. The cast was standing on the stage, watching as she ran from the theater and into the hall.
"What's going on?" Ms. Darbus asked, standing up and turning to watch Sharpay.
"I've got her, Ms. Darbus," Ryan called, taking off after his sister. He reached the hall, where he found his sister sitting on the floor, her face buried in her hands as her shoulders shook with uncontrollable sobs.
"Sharpay?" Ryan asked quietly, sliding down the wall next to his sister. "Shar? Are you alright?"
"I thought I had dealt with it," she sobbed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I thought I had at least begun to understand it. But all I kept seeing was his body falling to the ground. All I kept seeing was the blood-"
"Don't think about it," Ryan whispered, holding her tighter. "Don't think about it, alright, Shar? I'm gonna help you get through this."
Drew sat in a wheelchair outside the Bolton's house, gripping the wheels so tightly that his knuckles were white. He had just been released from the hospital, and the first thing he wanted to do was apologize to Kellie and Jack.
"I don't think this is a great idea, Andrew," his mother whispered, standing behind his chair with her hands on the handles.
"Mom, I need to do this."
"Alright," she sighed, pushing him to the front door. She reached forward to press the bell, and they waited for an answer.
"Coming!" Kellie's voice called from inside, and moments later she yanked open the door, leaning against the frame with one hand. "Who are you?"
"Mrs. Bolton, my name is Andrea Richards, and this is my son, Drew. We just-"
"I don't want you here," Kellie spat, making to close the door. Drew reached out a hand to stop her.
"Please, Mrs. Bolton, I need to apologize. I am so, so sorry for-"
"Sorry? You're sorry? You killed my son! You expect me to forgive you like that?"
Drew shook his head, looking away from the glare that Kellie was shooting at him.
"I don't expect you to forgive me, Mrs. Bolton. I don't want you to. I just need you to know that I'm sorry."
"Don't come here again," Kellie said, shutting the door in his face.
"Who was at the door, Kellie?" Jack asked, walking down the stairs to the foyer.
"Nobody," Kellie said angrily, turning and walking into the kitchen.
"Kellie, wait!" Jack called, bounding down the stairs and following his wife. "Kellie!"
"What, Jack?"
"Was that-"
"It was the man who killed our son, Jack. Forgive me if I wasn't exactly welcoming," she spat, pulling a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water.
"Kellie, what's gotten into you lately?" Jack asked, stepping behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing, Jack. I'm fine, alright? There's just the minor detail of my dead son."
"Kellie, this isn't like you," Jack said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "You've changed."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jack, but people tend to change when they lose someone they love." With that Kellie drained her water glass and stormed upstairs, leaving Jack alone in the kitchen with his thoughts.
Gabriella sat on the bench of the piano in the music room, an envelope in her hands. She fingered the flap on the back, unsure of whether or not to open it. Taking a deep breath, she slid her finger across the glue, opening the letter. She pulled out the tri-fold paper, closing her eyes as she unfolded it.
Opening her eyes, she took in the first few lines of the letter. The Stanford logo stood out in the letterhead, a reminder of her first choice school.
"We are pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted," Gabriella whispered to herself, her hands shaking as she read the letter. She had dreamt of this day for most of her life, the day when she would find out she had been accepted to the school of her dreams. Contrary to her visions, she felt no happiness, only a sense of numbness.
"I got in," she whispered. "I can't believe I got in."
She continued to stare at the letter, not really seeing the words. Sighing, she crumpled the paper, tossing it over her shoulder. She just didn't feel that she could bring herself to go to college anymore, not with everything that had happened. She didn't think she could move on. Biting back sobs, she began to play, the first notes of "Breaking Free" flowing from her fingers.
"Gabriella?" Ryan's voice asked quietly from the doorway, drawing her attention away from the piano. He crossed the room to her, bending to pick up the paper as he did. "Hey, Ryan," Gabriella whispered.
"Why was this on the floor?" Ryan asked, un-crumpling the paper and handing it to Gabriella. "Congratulations."
"It doesn't mean anything anymore," Gabriella said, putting the paper on top of the piano.
"Gabi, it does mean something," Ryan said, reaching out to bring her face toward him. "It means a lot."
"It meant a lot," Gabriella said, tears sparkling in her eyes as she looked into Ryan's.
"It can still mean a lot, Gabi. Troy wouldn't want you to do this. He'd want you to go. You know that, don't you? Deep down, you know that."
"I know, Ryan, but it's just-"
"I know this is hard, Gabi. But I can help you. I want to help you."
Gabriella looked into Ryan's eyes, searching his face as he looked into her eyes.
A/N: That's chapter 11! Yay! So Gabriella is trying to move on with Ryan's help, and Kellie is acting like a psycho. How fun!
Reviews greatly appreciated, as always!
Coming in Chapter 12: We check back on Chad, Jason, and Zeke…Gabi and Ryan part 2…Jack confronts Kellie