Saving Me Chapter 2: Iris, a high school musical fanfic

DISCLAIMER: I don't own High School Musical or any related characters.

A/N: Hey guys! I forgot to put a note at the end of the last chapter, but I hope you all liked it! I've decided to put a song in each chapter and the songs will relate to what Gabriella's going through each chapter or what she's feeling. Anyway I hope you like this chapter!

Saving Me

CHAPTER 2

IRIS

Gabriella stared at her reflection, wondering how she could look so normal when everything else wasn't normal. Wasn't even close to it. Her mother had woken her up like usual and Gabriella had gone through her normal routine, breakfast, shower, get dressed, put all the new school supplies into her bag, okay that part wasn't normal, but it was as close to her old routine as she had gotten. But it wasn't normal. It wasn't normal because there was something missing, something that made the house seem like a home, and something that made the familiar routine seem familiar. Gabriella sighed, that something was never going to be there again. Her 'normal' routine wasn't normal at all now, because he was missing. The quirks that had come with the 'normal' routine had left and she missed them, she missed how he would accidentally-on-purpose eat half of her share of the pancakes, she missed how he would walk past her door, knock loudly and tell her that the bus had just driven past with an evil grin on his face. She just missed him.

"Gabi, we have ten minutes before we have to leave" her mother called through the door and Gabriella cringed at the use of her name.

He had been the only one allowed to call her that, when somebody else called her that it just made her cringe. Her mother called her it to comfort her when she was upset and the only thing it did was make the pain increase because his last words to her had involved that name. The last words. Gabriella felt tears well up as she remembered them 'I love you, Gabi' those words echoed in her mind and instead of comforting her, instead of making her feel safe, they tortured her. They tortured her because of the look in his eye when he had said it to her. The look that said he had known that it was the last time he was going to say it to her, the look that said the he had known that they were the last words he would ever say to her. It took Gabriella a moment to realize that she way crying again, this part she was really getting sick of. Crying could only do so much and it made her feel even worse than when she was sitting in her room, her mind replaying the events that had happened. Shaking her head Gabriella turned her thoughts away from where they were heading, knowing that she would get a headache if she continued down that path. She threw herself onto her unmade bed and stared at the ceiling, her mind blank, free of any thoughts what so ever. The song that had been playing finished and Gabriella sat up in shock as the new one came on. There was no way that this song was on this CD, yet it was blaring from her speakers.

And I'd give up forever to touch you

Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven

That I'll ever be and I don't want to go home

Right now

And all I can taste is sweetness

And all I can breathe is your life

And sooner or later its over

I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

A moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

And I don't want the world to see me

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

Gabriella sat on her bed, frozen, unable to move as the instrumental part blasted from her stereo. This song was playing, she wasn't dreaming. His favorite song was playing on her stereo. The last time she had heard it was at the funeral nearly four months ago and at the time she had never wanted to hear it again. But now as she sat there, she couldn't help but feel comforted by the song.

And I don't want the world to see me

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

Gabriella felt a small smile form as the song finished. It was the first time she had voluntarily smiled in months. Sure the song was a little bit depressing but it was the first time she had felt comforted, ever since it had happened. She was still numb, she still wanted an answer, but for a moment she had a fleeting feeling that everything would be alright. The feeling soon disappeared when her mother knocked on the door for the second time and told her that it was time to take her too school.

In the car on the way to Gabriella's new school Carmen kept on glancing at her daughter worriedly. She had heard the song that had been playing on her stereo and she knew its significance to Gabriella. It worried her even more that while Gabriella could listen to that song, she refused to so much as talk about her father. Carmen wished her daughter wasn't as stubborn as her father; Gabriella was the one that needed a strong someone to lean on, not her. Carmen knew that she had been leaning on her daughter more than she ought to in the past months but she couldn't help it. Not only was Gabriella a miniature Carlos, but she was the only family Carmen had left, having lost her own parents before Gabriella had even been born. Gabriella was the only thing that kept her going, but she worried. If Gabriella faded away, than what would happen to her? It was a selfish thought and Carmen nearly stopped driving because of it. With a sigh, she glanced at her daughter again and than concentrated on the road leaving her thoughts where they were.

Gabriella knew her mother was glancing at her every now and than, but she didn't want to let her mother know she knew. It would only lead to a discussion that she didn't want to have, a discussion that involved everything from why she had been listening to that particular song, Gabriella knew that her mother had heard the song playing, to why she avoided talking about him. Gabriella didn't want to hurt her mother and she knew that if she spoke about her feelings, her mother would look at her with disgust for the rest of her life and Gabriella couldn't stand for that to happen. Gabriella couldn't stand to lose the one parent she had left, she knew what she was doing was right. She knew that her mother needed to be protected from certain things and Gabriella's feelings about what had happened where at the top of the protection list.

"We're here" Carmen announced as the pulled into the East High car park.

Gabriella tried to muster an enthusiastic smile but she was positive that the only thing that could be seen was a sort of painful grimace. She had been dreading starting at a new school, until she realized that no-one actually knew about her past. This thought was the one thing Gabriella clung to as she got out of the car and made her way to the administration office, if no-one knew her past than she wouldn't have to deal with the awkward stares and the sympathetic looks. That was one thing to be grateful for, she told herself as she and her mother waited to meet the principle.

Principle Dave Matsui walked out of his office to greet the new student and her mother. He looked around curiously for the father, before turning his attention to the Carmen Montez and her daughter Gabriella. He had gone over Gabriella's transcripts before he had greeted them and was pleased to discover that Gabriella was an above average student, she was also quite pretty he decided, before noticing the shadow in her eyes when she looked up at him. He frowned and wondered why a girl of her age was so serious, before turning his attention to the mother.

Gabriella shifted uncomfortably when she felt the principle's eyes on her. She figured she was dressed appropriately, jeans, a white singlet top, and a green blazer, nothing outlandish. Still his eyes were on her a second too long or so she thought. After that she didn't feel the principles eyes on her at all, he seemed to focus on her mother and that was fine with Gabriella. She wasn't paying attention anyway; she knew she should, mainly because he was giving them a tour of the school and showing her where her classrooms were but Gabriella couldn't concentrate. Out of no where the song was on repeat in her head, it drowned out everything the principle said, it drowned out the kids talking and shouting to each other, it drowned out everything. Except the slight ache in her heart that she wished it would soothe. Gabriella hardly noticed that the bell had rung and that she, her mother and the principle had slowed to a stop.

"I'll pick you up this afternoon, Gabi" Carmen said turning to Gabriella, who snapped out of her daze at her mother's voice.

"Wha – okay, yeah, sure" she said cringing on the inside at the name her mother had called her. Again. Gabriella didn't have the heart to tell her to not call her that.

"I'll see you this afternoon than, enjoy your day" Carmen pressed a kiss to her daughters forehead before following the principle to fill out some papers.

Gabriella stood there, unable to move. Her mother had just left with the principle and she had no idea where to go from here. That's why you pay attention Gabriella, she chided herself and than looked down at the folder that her mother had handed her at the start of the tour. Sighing she opened it and found a map of the school. She glanced at her schedule and than around the hall, feeling a certain sense of dread. She was lost. She hated being lost and now it was the only thing she seemed to feel, besides numbness. Without thinking Gabriella took out her phone and glanced at the time, forgetting her vow as she often seemed to do. 9:35.

Flashback

"Gabriella you have to eat" her mother begged her holding out some hospital food.

Gabriella refused it, clamping her mouth shut. She wasn't going to eat. She wouldn't eat until her mother came to a decision. Her mind drifted to her father, who was lying in a hospital bed, an IV drip in his arm and a tube down his throat. At the end of that tube was a balloon which inflated and deflated his lungs with the help of a machine. Life support. When that turned off, he would only be able to live for another hour or so and than he would permanently leave her, she would be all alone in a world that didn't seem to care.

"I am not eating mother" Gabriella finally snapped at her mother, silencing Carmen with a vicious look.

Gabriella turned and looked out the window, so her mother wouldn't see the tears that were forming and beginning to spill over.

Finish

Gabriella suddenly realized that she was moving again, her feet taking her where ever they thought she should go. Gabriella glanced at the map and discovered that she was following the route to her homeroom. 'How on earth did I do that?' she asked herself. She knew she had absolutely no map reading skills and she was in a new school with a map.

"I'm losing it" she muttered and rounded a corner.

Before she knew exactly what had happened she was on the floor and the folder was up in the air, the contents floating down around her. Gabriella suddenly became aware that she was not the only one on the floor. Looking up she met a pair of electric blue eyes and she felt herself grow bright red. This was not happening.

"Ow" she muttered sitting up straighter and looking down.

"I'd have to agree" his voice made her look up again and once again Gabriella met those blue eyes.

She felt herself go redder, and looked around. There was paper all over the floor and his books were all over the place as well. She groaned, everything in the folder had been organized for her and on top of that she had lost the map. Slowly she switched her position so she was kneeling and began to collect the papers. She worked quickly and stuffed everything back into the folder.

"Are you alright?" the boy asked watching her as she worked.

Gabriella nodded, she didn't want to speak, she just wanted to get out of there. This was too humiliating for words. Standing up she quickly she shoved the folder in her bag and took off in the opposite direction, leaving the boy staring after her. As Gabriella ran she wondered if she really was alright. Her running came to a halt and she took a deep breath, when out of no where her mouth opened.

"When everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know your alive"

Where did that come from? Gabriella wondered and than she knew. That question, one simple question. She hadn't been asked that in months, no-one had bothered to ask her that. There were variations, 'How do you feel?' and 'What's your life like right now?' but nothing as straight forward as that, nothing like 'Are you alright?' and that question left her wondering, did she need to bleed just so she knew she was alive?

A/N: Done! I hope you like it, because I'm not sure I do. And she met Troy, in case you didn't know who the guy was. Oh and the song is 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls. I'll try and update soon.