Beside You

by: LunarEclipse360

A/N: Yay! I managed to get this in in just over a month. I know you guys are happy. This chapter didn't give me as much of a headache to finish like the other one, but I still had a tough time.

Chapter 4

'Focus, Gabriella; focus.'

Staring at the open notebook, the brunette tried to make out the words written; but it was in vain. A month of interrupted sleep was beginning to take its toll on her and on her ability to concentrate during classes. All of her professors were worried about her. Up until this point, Gabriella had been a model student and they wondered what had happened to cause her sudden downfall. Realizing that she wasn't going to get any studying done for her upcoming finals, she closed the notebook with a defeated sigh and rested her head atop crossed arms. She didn't know what she was going to do. She knew that if she failed her finals, it wouldn't put that much of a dent in her overall grade; but keeping her grade point average where it was at that moment was the agreement between her and Vance Evans in order for him to keep paying for her school tuition. Passing her finals was a must.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Lifting her head, she allowed a soft smile to grace her lips. "Hi, Duncan."

He returned the gesture and took a seat across from her. His smile, however, slipped from his face when he noticed the tired look in her dark eyes. The once vibrant brown had a dull haze filtered over it. "You all right? You seem a bit…out of it."

"No," she answered with a shake of her head.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just…" She ran a hand through her short, dark tresses. "I'm frustrated and I'm tired and…" Biting her lip, she could feel the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes and fought to hold them back. "I don't know how much longer I can do this," she whispered as a few tears broke through and slid down her cheeks.

Duncan stared at the woman with concern written across his face. He stood and moved so that he was seated beside her. His hand found her back and he began rubbing soothing circles through her shirt. "Tell me what happened, Gabriella."

"I…I'm pregnant," she admitted. "I'm pregnant and I'm scared and between the nausea and these horrible nightmares I keep having, I haven't slept through the night for the past month." It felt weird telling all of this to Duncan since she hadn't even told Troy, but she needed someone else to know. She needed someone who wasn't in her circle of friends where it might get back to her husband. She needed a neutral party in all of this.

'Pregnant?' Duncan could feel the jealousy boiling beneath his skin, but he kept it at bay. Gabriella needed to be comforted; not have him go into a jealous rage. "Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head. "No." Wiping the tears from her face she stood; nearly stumbling as exhaustion began to take over.

"Whoa." He caught her before she fell and helped her regain her balance. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just tired."

"Want me to take you home?"

"No, thank you," she responded; standing up straight. "I'll just hail a cab."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I know you have a class in fifteen minutes; I don't want to make you miss it because of me."

"Gabriella, you know I'd do anything for you."

Nodding, she smiled. "I know, but I'll be okay; promise."

Sighing, he touched her arm. "Fine, but only if you swear you'll call me when you get home."

"I will. I swear it."

"Alright. Then at least let me help you outside."

"That would be nice; thank you."

::

"Are you sure you're okay? I can take off of work if you need me to."

Gabriella smiled, faintly, at Troy's words as she climbed the staircase to their second floor apartment. "I'm fine, Troy; I promise. I'm just exhausted, so I took a cab home and I need you to pick up my car after your shift ends."

"Yeah, sure. No problem. Anything else I can pick up for you?"

"Um…rocky road ice cream would be nice."

He chuckled. "Then rocky road ice cream you will receive."

"Thanks, Troy."

"You're welcome, Gabriella. You know I'd do anything for you."

"I know." She froze as she got to the landing between the first and second floor; surprised to see Chad Danforth sitting at the top stair. "Look, I just got home and I'm really tired; so I'll see you when you get home."

"Alright. I love you."

"Love you, too." Ending the call, she stuck her phone back into her pocket. "What are you doing here, Chad?" she asked as she climbed the rest of the stairs to the second floor landing.

"Came to talk to you," he responded; standing to allow her to get to her front door.

"About what?" Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her keys and proceeded to unlock the door.

Sighing, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sharpay told me what's going on with you."

Hand frozen on the door knob, she turned her head towards him. Her eyes searched his for any signs of lies; but all she found was truth in his dark gaze and she knew that her best friend had betrayed her trust. She bit her lip as she stepped back from the door. "How…how much did she tell you?"

"Everything."

Frustration began to build again as she bunched up strands of her hair between her fingers. She couldn't believe Sharpay; couldn't believe that the blonde could not keep her secret. But, as much as she wanted to blame her best friend, she couldn't find it in her to. Sharpay had been the closest she'd had to a sister; she loved her dearly. Still, though, it hurt. With a soft sigh, she leant against the wall and turned her eyes to the man; who had been staring intently at her. "Please don't tell Troy."

"I won't."

"Thank y-"

"Because you will."

"What?" She looked at him as if he had sprouted another head. "If Shar told you everything, then you know why I can't do that."

"Gabriella, do you want to know what I hear every day from Troy?" he asked; though he didn't give her a chance to respond as he continued. "It's always about how worried he is about you. Don't you realize that he's practically killing himself trying to figure out what's wrong with you? I mean…he even told me that he thinks you're dying."

"He…he said that?"

"Yes. He loves you with his whole heart, but you're breaking it by not telling him the truth and easing his concern."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because what happens if I miscarry again? How do you think he'll feel if that happens?" Chad stayed silent as he thought about it. "He'll be heartbroken; that's what will happen. You know just as much as I that having kids means so much to him."

"But you mean even more. You have to tell him."

She shook her head. "It's better this way; it's better that he doesn't know until I'm sure that nothing will happen."

His face shifted to a scowl. "Do you even care about him?"

"You know I do, Chad; but…"

"No, I don't think you do. If you did, then he would know the truth and he wouldn't be worrying himself to death over you." He shook his head. "You're selfish, Gabriella. You were selfish when you tried to commit suicide three years ago and you're being selfish now. You know how much this is affecting Troy, yet, you choose to keep him in the dark because you think you're helping him. You're not." She lowered her head as her father's words began to swirl through her head; holding the same meaning as Chad's did now. "Tell him," he said, moving closer to him. "You either tell him…or I will." With that said Chad turned and started down the stairs; leaving Gabriella to contemplate his threat.

::

Troy pulled into the parking space with a tub of rocky road ice cream sitting in the front seat. After she had called him, he didn't hesitate in requesting the rest of the night off so that he could go home early. He knew that she would be upset with him for skipping the rest of his shift, but he needed to make sure she was all right. Besides, he had confidence that the ice cream would serve as a peace treaty and an apology. Grabbing the grocery bag, he climbed out of the car and hit the lock button after closing the door behind him. He was surprised, however, to see his best friend exiting his apartment building.

"Chad?"

At hearing his name, the male looked towards the voice that called him. "Hey."

Walking up him, Troy's eyes held confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Not wanting to alert the blue-eyed male to the fact that he knew what was going on with Gabriella, he shrugged. "Just talking to Gabriella about something."

"About what?"

He sighed. "I didn't want to say anything, but…we were talking about what to do for you for your birthday."

"You know I don't want to do anything special."

"Yeah, I know, but Shar's been talking about having a party and you know how she gets."

"Please talk her out of it. I'd just rather have something where it's just you, me and the girls; no one else."

"I will definitely do that."

"Thanks."

Chad faked a smile. "Well, I better get going."

"Later."

"See ya."

Troy watched Chad leave; a part of his mind still suspicious about what his best friend had to talk to his wife about. Though the story he was fed seemed credible, that still didn't explain the troubled look that was on the man's face when he walked out of the building. Something had been bothering him; it had nothing to do with a party and everything to do with Gabriella. Could it be possible that Chad knew what was going on with Gabriella? Shaking his head, he pushed the thought out. If Chad knew, then he would have come straight to Troy with that information; not speak to Gabriella about it. Clutching the bag with the ice cream, he made his way up to his apartment.

"Gabriella?"

The woman in question walked out of the kitchen; confusion on her face. "Troy? What are you doing home so early?"

"Decided to take the rest of the day off to make sure you were okay."

"Babe, I told you I was fine and that you didn't need to forfeit the rest of your work day for me."

"I know, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes." She sighed. "I did bring the rocky road, though."

Smiling, she reached for it. "Well, then, I guess I can't stay mad at you." She took the bag from his hand and opened it. Her eyes went wide as she spotted the ice cream. Moving to one of the drawers, she reached in and pulled out two spoons. "Wanna share it?" she asked him.

"You didn't think you were actually going to eat that alone, did you?" He moved towards her and took one spoon from her hand. "Of course I want to share it." Standing side by side, the two indulged in the frozen treat. Silence passed between them for a few minutes before Troy decided to question her about why his best friend had been there. The suspicions wouldn't end and he needed to see if Gabriella would back up Chad's claims. "I saw Chad outside."

She froze; her entire body becoming tense. "You did?" she asked, licking the ice cream from the spoon. He responded with a curt 'yes'; still waiting to see what she might do…or say. "And did he…did he say anything to you?"

He shrugged. "He told me that he came to talk to you."

"And?"

"And…that's it."

Her eyes turned to his. "That's it?"

"Yeah. Unless there's something I should know."

She shook her head. "No. There's nothing."

"Gabriella," he sighed, moving so that he was behind her. "Haven't you realized, yet, that you can't lie to me?" She smiled, slightly; knowing he was right. Her skills of deceit had never been great when he was involved and had gotten even worse after they married. He could see right through her and it made it hard to keep things from him. Feeling his hands on her waist, she was brought out of her thoughts. "Come on, babe; you know I'm always here for you." She did know. She'd known it since that day that she had broken down in front of him and he did nothing but hold her.

"Troy?"

"Hm," he hummed as he placed a kiss on the back of her neck.

"What would you say if I told you I wanted to try?"

Confusion crossed his face. "Try? Try what?"

She turned in his arms, but refused to look at him; instead she fiddled her fingers. "Try for…for…you know."

Realization swept over him as the missing words fell into place. "You mean you want to try for a baby?"

Nodding, she finally looked at him; wanting to see his reaction. "Yes."

"Are you sure? We could wait for another year or so. We don't have to do this now."

"I'm sure." She looked away for a moment; hiding her eyes from his to mask the truth. "I've been thinking about it for a while and…" Her eyes found his again and her hand touched his cheek, "I'm sure. I want this." He grasped her hand and placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist before ducking his head and finding her lips. Before anything could get started, her cellphone rang from inside of her bag. His hand on her waist tightened; signaling her to ignore it, but she broke the kiss anyway. She smiled apologetically before going to retrieve her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Gabriella."

"Hey, Duncan." There was an annoyed look on Troy's face when she spoke the name of the male he had no patience for. She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior and continued with her conversation. "What's up?"

"Just checking to see if you made it home. You never called me."

"Shit. I'm so sorry. I know you must have been worried."

"I was, but it's okay. Did you at least get some of that rest that you need?"

"No, not yet. I was…" She looked over at Troy, "busy."

"Oh. Sorry if I interrupted you."

"It's fine, Duncan, really."

"Are you gonna try to come to class tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you for making sure I was okay."

"You're welcome. You know I'd do anything for you."

She smiled slightly. "Bye, Duncan."

"Bye."

Ending the call, her eyes met Troy's and took note of the anger written there. Troy had never been a big fan of Duncan from day one and it surely didn't help when he found out that the male harbored feelings for Gabriella. Sighing, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Stop frowning."

"How can I when you won't cut the cord on that guy?"

"Troy, he understands that nothing can ever happen between me and him."

"Just because he understands it doesn't mean that he'll just lie down and not do anything."

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"You know I do."

"Then don't worry about him. I'll never let anything happen and that's all you need to know."

He sighed and pressed his forehead against hers. "Fine. But I swear, if he tries anything, I'm going to kick his ass."

She laughed before kissing his lips. "I love you."

"And I love you. Now," His hands returned to their usual place on her hips, "where were we?" Lips found lips as he attempted to restart what had been interrupted by the unwanted phone call.

"Troy," she mumbled as his lips continued its onslaught. "Troy, stop." She pulled away; smiling, endearingly. "As much as I would like to continue this, I'm exhausted and I do have class tomorrow." Her fingers touched his wrists; hoping that he would understand. "Can I get a rain check?"

Nodding, he smiled and reached up to push her hair out of her eyes. "Of course." He kissed her lips, softly. "Go get some sleep. I'm gonna stay up for a little while longer."

"Okay."

When she disappeared into their bedroom, he put away the ice cream and went into the living room; turning on the television, though he wasn't really watching it. His mind was too focused on Gabriella's confession. He knew that it must have taken a lot of thinking to come to a decision like the one she had, but he promised himself—and her—that he would be there for her. She wouldn't go through this alone. Wanting to share this news, he picked up the phone and dialed Chad's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chad."

"Troy? What's up?"

"I have some good news and it's about Gabriella."

"Oh? So she finally told you?"

"Told me? You mean…you knew?"

"Yeah. That's actually what I went over there to talk to her about."

"Why did you need to talk to her about it?"

"Because Shar was worried about her, so she wanted me to convince Gabriella into telling you." Confusion spread through Troy. "Gabriella was so afraid that if she told you, she would jinx it and miscarry again. She wanted to wait until the twenty week mark, but…"

"Wait, what? I'm confused. Twenty week mark?"

The line was silent. "Didn't Gabriella tell you the truth?"

"She told me that she was ready to have kids." Chad swore, quietly, and Troy knew there was more to this story than Gabriella had told him. "Tell me the truth, Chad; what was it that you came to talk to Gabriella about?"

Sighing, Chad answered. "She's pregnant, Troy." His blood ran cold as betrayal seeped in to his bones. "I wanted her to tell you first, but apparently she didn't listen. I'm sorry you had to find out through me."

He rested his head in his free hand; gripping the strand of his hair in suppressed anger. "A-Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Shar wouldn't lie to me about this." Troy couldn't speak; he was afraid that if he did, all of the anger he was feeling would come tumbling out. He needed to think; needed to be rational about this. "Look, man, I'm sorry that you had to find out through me."

"It's fine, Chad; it's not your fault."

"Are you gonna be all right?"

"Yeah. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," Chad answered and Troy could hear the hesitation in his voice. "See you. Oh, and Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't do something you're going to regret, okay?"

Troy didn't answer. "Bye Chad." Without waiting for a response, he ended the call and dropped his phone to the floor. He stood and made his way to the bedroom. Just as he appeared in the doorway, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom; clad in one of his t-shirts. On any normal circumstance, he would have found it endearing; but the anger that took root in his heart was too strong for him to fight. So, instead, he leant against the doorjamb with his arms crossed; waiting for her to notice him. When she did, she didn't see the anger on his face until the smile she sent him wasn't returned. But, before she could speak, he interrupted. "When were you going to tell me?"

"T-Tell you what?"

"Cut the bullshit, Gabriella. I know that you're pregnant."

"What? How…? Chad told you, didn't he?"

"He did, though it should have been you."

"I was going to, Troy; I swear."

"Really? Cause you had an opportunity when we were in the kitchen, yet I heard no such confession." He pushed off the doorframe and started towards her. "Tell me, when exactly were you planning on telling me? After we had sex? Or maybe in a week or so when you could cover your tracks?" She stayed silent; nodding her head only slightly. "But there's a flaw in your plan, do you know that? I mean, what would happen when we go to the doctor and you're farther along than I thought? Then what? You would tell me the truth then and I'd realize that you've been lying to me this whole time; that you knew you were pregnant way before you told me you were."

"I would have told you before then. Once I reach twenty weeks, I would have told you."

"Or, you could have told me when you first found out. Which I'm guessing was a month ago; you know, when you started acting strange and had me so worried about you that I actually thought you were dying. Did Chad tell you about that?" She nodded. "And it still made no difference to you." He laughed bitterly and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I can't fucking believe this."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Not hearing her words, he continued on his rampage; fueled by anger and a sense of betrayal. "You're selfish, Gabriella. You've always been selfish and I can't believe I allowed myself to overlook that."

I actually feel sorry for him for choosing a selfish bitch like you. Her father's condescending words echoed through her mind as Troy continued to rant; but his words were lost on her. Instead, she focused on the overwhelming sense of fear that began to creep up her spine. Certain that he would leave if she didn't stop him, she reached out to him; but he evaded her touch.

"Don't." His blue eyes spoke volume. "Just…don't."

"Troy, please. I…"

"I don't want to hear it, Gabriella; I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now. As a matter of fact," He started backing away from her, "I don't even want to be in the same room as you."

She begged her voice to work—to call him back—but it refused to. So, with a heavy heart, she watched him leave; tears streaming down her face. At the sound of the front door slamming shut, she fell to her knees; strangled sobs escaping her throat. None of this was what she wanted. She didn't want him to be angry with her; she just wanted to protect him from getting hurt again. Remember, Gabriella, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. For the first time in a long time, she wished she had listened to her father. He had actually been thinking about her for the first time in her life. You just better hope that that boy loves you as much as you think he does. Sinking onto her backside, she cried out; her heart breaking within her chest as she realized she might have just destroyed the best thing that's ever happened to her.