Chapter 3: Happy Birthday Abuela
Troy practically choked on his wine. He started to cough violently which earned the glances from some of the other customers in the restaurant. He placed the glass down and calmed down before looking at Gabriella in shock.
"What?" Gabriella rolled her eyes in annoyance
"I said I'm pregnant."
"What?"
"Alright, I'm not gonna say it again."
"How did this happen?" Troy said in hushed tones
"I'm a little shocked that you still need an explanation."
"I know how it happened—" Leslie approached the table and Gabriella was starting to lose her patience.
"You guys ready—"
"No! We're not, come back later." Gabriella snapped, Leslie put her hands up in defense
"I'll come back later," Leslie turned to walk away "bitch." She mumbled under her breath. Gabriella heard her and frowned
"Oh really, see if this bitch leaves you a tip!" When she turned back to Troy he was still in shock from Gabriella's news.
"Troy!" Gabriella said loudly pulling him out of his daydream
"I thought I wore a condom." He muttered
"Well, looks like the condom broke."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Me? I'm pretty sure it's us."
"No, I can't be a dad."
"You think I want to be a mom right now?" Gabriella yelled earning the attention of a few people
"The fuck you looking at?" Gabriella said loudly, causing the people to quickly turn back around.
"I see your maternal instincts kicked in, you're gonna be a great mom," Troy said sarcastically.
"Like you're one to talk, Mr. I fuck every girl I meet in the club," Gabriella said
"I'm sorry but weren't you one of those girls?" Gabriella groaned angrily
"You are such a dick." Troy ignored Gabriella's insult and that's when it clicked for him
"How long have you known? Is that why you've been ignoring my calls?" He said accusingly
"What exactly are you trying to say about me?" Gabriella glared at the guy in front of her, she can't believe that she actually slept with him.
"I'm sure you can figure it out."
"Why you—"
"Excuse me Sir, Miss." Now it was the manager of the restaurant who approached their table. Gabriella could see an agitated Leslie standing behind him, "We are going to have to ask you two to leave. We're receiving a lot of complaints from the other customers and our staff." Troy and Gabriella both got up from their table and left.
"It's your fault we're getting kicked out," Gabriella said
"My fault? Did you not just drop the f-bomb?" Troy said as they walked outside.
"Whatever, I only wanted to tell you I was pregnant before I made my decision."
"Decision?"
"I don't know if I'm keeping the baby." Troy narrowed his eyes
"What about me? I don't get a say in this!"
"I'm sorry, I'm the one who has to carry a human being for nine months, miss work because I'm sick, miss work because of maternity leave before and after I have this baby, I have to turn my whole life upside down for this baby. So no, I don't know what I'm going to do with this baby yet."
"You're not getting an abortion!"
"That word never came out of my mouth and if I was it's my body I can do whatever I want!"
"You know what Gabriella, I don't even know what to say anymore, do whatever the hell you want. I'm out of here." Troy stormed and Gabriella lingered in the parking lot before getting in her car.
When she got home she flopped down on the sofa in exhaustion, that dinner or lack thereof with Troy was emotionally draining. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to give up this baby. She could never bring herself to put her child up for adoption or worse an abortion. She doesn't know why she said it, probably just to rile Troy up and get under his skin. She didn't mean anything that she said about not knowing what she was going to do. Gabriella heard footsteps coming down the steps and she sat up to see Ryan and Sharpay. Ryan avoided Gabriella's gaze which Sharpay noticed.
"What's going on with you two? It's been awkward in here." Sharpay said Gabriella, sighed
"Actually, can you guys sit down, I need to tell you something."
"What's wrong Gabi?"
"Nothing, terrible, well depending on how you look at it." Gabriella looked at Ryan apologetically
"Before you say anything, I want to say sorry to you Gabi. What I said was completely out of line." Gabriella smiled softly
"Ryan, I forgave you when it happened, it's okay and I want to say sorry for blowing up on you, I was upset and confused and I took it out on you."
"I forgave you when it happened." Ryan mimicked which made Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully
"OK, so I wanted to tell you guys, that I'm pregnant." Sharpay squealed excitedly and engulfed her best friend in a hug.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Sharpay let go of Gabriella who was full on crying right now.
"What's wrong honey? Are those tears of joy?" Sharpay asked happily
"No, I'm fucking terrified Shar! I don't know the first thing about being a mother." Ryan pulled Gabriella in for a hug
"It's gonna be okay, we got your back. Your baby is going to be the most kickass baby ever." Gabriella giggled
"See, feel better?"
"A little bit. Thanks, guys."
"Gabi, do your parents know yet?" Sharpay asked
"No, I want to tell them after my first trimester."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I want to be out of the clear before I tell anybody else." Gabriella sighed she looked at the time and she felt so fatigued. "Hey, I'm going to be to bed. I'm really tired."
"Okay, are you going to work tomorrow?" Gabriella shook her head no.
"Probably not, I still don't feel 100% yet." Sharpay and Ryan nodded
"Okay, goodnight Gabi."
"Night guys."
The next day Gabriella found herself at a baby store browsing some clothes. She didn't want to buy anything since she wasn't sure what the gender yet. She picked up a pair of baby Michael Kors boots, she couldn't help but put it in her cart, she wasn't sure if she was having a girl but she couldn't pass up on the shies. They were absolutely adorable. Her shopping was interrupted by her phone ringing. It was her Mom, she exhaled before answering the phone call.
"Hey, Mom."
"Hey Gabi, how are you, sweetie? Your cousin told me, you weren't at the studio last night."
"Yeah, I have some stomach bug or something. I couldn't keep anything down."
"Oh, are you still coming to Abuela's dinner tonight?" Gabriella inwardly groaned, how could we forget about her Abuela's birthday dinner.
"That is tonight, don't worry Mom I'll be there."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure Mom. I'll be okay."
Álrighty, I was just calling to check on you. I'll see you tonight."
"See you later Mom."
Gabriella used her old house key to get in, everything was the same in the childhood home. Right down to the little things that it home, the markings on the wall in the kitchen that took track of Gabriella and her sister's height through the years, the random line of permanent marker on the wall in the living room that Tina left. She followed the music and the aroma of food outside, she found her close family members outside partying. Her Mom only has one sibling so she comes from a particularly small family. Her cousin, Emerald was the first person to see her and the two cousins shared a hug.
"Gabi, it's been so long!"
"I know, how's New York, Ms. Model?" Emerald blushed
"It's great Gabi, I booked a fashion show for Vera Wang."
"That's great-Ah!" Gabriella squealed as she lifted off the ground and was spun around. When her feet were back on the ground the culprit was Emerald's older brother, Manny. Her ruffled her hair which made Gabriella pout her lip.
"You're such a jerk, Manny, you know I don't like that."
"That's why I do it."
"Gabriella!" She looked up and saw her parents approaching her, she hugged both of them
"How are you feeling honey, your mother told me you were sick," Greg asked worriedly
"I'm fine Dad, I probably caught it from one of my kids."
"I'm glad you're feeling better." Greg beamed
"Me too, oh can the three of us talk later on tonight. I have something to tell you guys."
"Of course, is everything okay?" Maria questioned
"Uh, I'll tell you guys later." Maria got the hint that Gabriella didn't want to go into too much detail so she dropped it.
"Okay honey, go and see your Abuela. You know she's dying to see you." Gabriella walked to the table and smiled when she saw her Abuela sitting at the head.
"Gabriella!" Gabriella's grandmother didn't speak English and she was actually one of the first people to teach her Spanish. She hugged her before taking a seat beside her.
"How are you doing Abuela?"
"I'm fine, happy to see another year. How are your students?"
"Amazing, they're so excited for the holiday season. That's all they talk about." Gabriella gushed
"That's nice, when are you going to settle down and have children of your own?" Gabriella looked shocked at Abuela's question if she only knew.
"Abuela, I'm not looking for a husband anytime soon. I still like my single life."
"Well, I want to see some greatgrands from you before I die of old age."
"Abuela, you're not going anywhere, you're only 70." Abuela giggled warmly
"You know what I mean." Abuela examined Gabriella's face closely.
"Abuela?"
"Something's different about you, in your face, it looks different."
"Abuela, are you trying to say my face got fatter?" Gabriella playfully teased
"That's not what I meant, seriously something is different about you."
"Everything's the same Abuela." Abuela raised an eyebrow, she always knew one of her grandchildren were lying, especially Gabriella. She was an awful liar.
"Gabriella, I can tell you're hiding something from me. Be honest with me." Gabriella opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out. Abuela nodded understandably, she grabbed her hand and started to rub it.
"We'll talk later." She smiled warmly as Gabriella nodded her head and kissed Abuela on the forehead.
The party had moved inside, and everyone left except for Gabriella's Aunt Marcella, Emerald, Mario, Carmen, Gabriella's sister's Angel and Tina and Abuela. Gabriella, her cousins, and sisters were looking at a movie. Then Gabriella's phone buzzed, just as Maria was walking past.
"Mom, can you pass me my phone?" Maria grabbed Gabriella's purse and was handing it to her when it fell.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Maria said bending down to pick it up., Gabriella got up and helped her.
"It's ok Mom." Then Maria saw a picture, she picked up and looked at it closely. Gabriella's eyes widened, she knew what her mother was looking at.
"Is this what I think it is?" Maria asked standing up. Gabriella quickly put her things back in her purse and stood up.
"You're pregnant!" Maria yelled grabbing everyone's attention. It was almost as if everyone froze, they didn't know what to do or say yes. Gabriella felt all eyes on her, she could see her grandmother in the kitchen. She cleared her throat before answering her mom.
"Yes."
"How did this happen?"
"Mom, you have three kids I think you know how it happened."
"Don't get smart with me, why are you having sex, Gabriella?" Maria yelled, then Gabriella's father Greg entered the living room.
"Is this true?" Greg asked, Gabriella, lowered her head and looked down at the floor.
"Yes," Gabriella said too ashamed to look her parents in the eye.
"Is this what you wanted to talk to su about? Your bastard child?"
"Dad—"
"I'm a preacher Gabriella, how am I going to stand up in that pulpit on Sunday and pretend everything's okay?!"
"You? What about me? I don't know what the hell I'm doing."
"Do you know who the father is?" Gabriella was about to answer when her father interrupted
"Of course, she doesn't know," Greg said his voice dripping with disdain
"Gabriella, I don't know what to say to this," Maria said
"You have to get rid of it." Gabriella gasped at Greg's suggestion. She couldn't believe that her father would even say something like that to her.
"What? No, I'm not giving up my baby."
"There's always abortion!" Gabriella was furious, even though this pregnancy wasn't planned the thought of getting rid of the baby never crossed her mind.
"I'm not killing my baby!"
"Yes, you are!" Greg yelled
"No, Dad I know what I did was wrong, but nothing is wrong with this baby growing inside of me."
"Gabriella this baby will do nothing but shame us. How do you think your poor grandmother feels?"
"Don't you dare bring her into this!"
"Why? Now tell me, Gabriella, why on earth did you not use protection? How could you be so stupid?" Greg yelled
"I did use fucking protection, the god damn condom broke!" Gabriella yelled, then her father slapped her in the face.
"Greg! What the hell is wrong with you?" Gabriella looked up at her father with disbelief. She looked around and her sisters and mom were crying. Her aunt was trying to console her grandmother and her cousins were just watching the whole thing unfold trying to digest the situation.
"Don't you ever talk to me like that again! Get out and don't come back until your little problem is fixed." Greg said in a low voice.
"GET OUT!" Greg yelled pointing to the door; Gabriella grabbed her purse and left the house. She slammed the door behind her. Gabriella stormed to her car, once she got into her car she made her way home. Gabriella pulled up into the driveway. Gabriella stormed into the house and went straight to her room ignoring Ryan, Taylor, and Sharpay.
Gabriella pulled out her phone and before she knew it she was calling the first person that came to mind.
"Hello?"
"Can you come over?"
Troy has no idea what compelled him to come to this woman's house at 10 o'clock at night, but when she called him crying he felt it tug at his heart, despite their blowup he's not evil and she's still the mother of his child, whether she keeps the baby or not. He ringed the doorbell and within seconds a guy with blonde hair opened the door. He frowned at Troy and Troy thought that he was either a friend of Gabriella's or he liked her.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Troy, a friend of Gabriella's she called me." Ryan looked him up and down and shut the door in his face. Troy stood there baffled he heard voiced through the door and assumed they belonged to her friends he met at the club.
"Ryan!"
"Not cool bro!"
"Look, I don't who he is! He could be some crazy stalker guy."
"She called him over here dumbass!"
"How the fuck was I supposed to know?" Troy shifted his weight as he awkwardly stood outside the house.
"Let him in the house jackass-fuck it I'll do it." The door swung open and Troy recognized Gabriella's roommate as Taylor, the one Jason was talking to, well trying to was more like it.
"Taylor, right?"
"Yeah, come in. Her room's upstairs, first one on the left."
There was a gentle knock at the door and Gabriella sat up from her bed, her eyes were red and puffy from the crying she had done since she had been home.
"Come in." She said weakly. Troy opened the door and was surprised to see Gabriella like that, it was the first he had seen her so vulnerable.
"What's wrong?" Troy hesitantly took a step forward.
"I told my parents about the baby." She said barely above a whisper.
"Oh,"
"I know we're not that close and we can barely be around each other without wanting to kill each other—"
"It's alright, I mean we are going to be raising a child, hopefully, we should get to know each other, good and bad."
Not even an hour later Gabriella and were sitting side by side in her bed, he listened as she tearfully told her what her Dad said to her.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that and I hope I'm not overstepping, but I can't believe he actually put his hands on you, his pregnant daughter." Gabriella rubbed her cheek, her face still stinging from the hard slap.
"I'm keeping the baby, I was never going to get rid of it. I just said those things to get under your skin. I was being such a bitch yesterday and you didn't deserve it. I'm sorry" Troy looked at her stunned, he wasn't expecting her to say that.
"It's okay Gabriella, and I'm sorry as well. I said some things out of anger too. Let's start over, a new leaf. Okay?" Gabriella sniffled as she nodded her head
"Okay."
"You're not getting rid of me anytime soon. I'm going to help you raise this baby. I want to be there for you and your appointments, shopping all of it. I want to be by your side." Gabriella wiped away some tears
"Thanks, Troy."
"You don't have to thank me, I should be thanking you for carrying our baby." Gabriella felt herself blush and she quickly averted her gaze to something out the window. She felt sleepiness overcome her as she yawned loudly
"Do you want me to leave so you can get some rest?" Gabriella shook her head no.
"Okay, we can sit here until you're ready to go to sleep. Okay?"
"Okay."