Floor 6
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Hey! Just a heads up that I altered the previous chapter of the story a bit and reposted it. It isn't much, but I switched Gabi's major from nursing to psychology. I thought it fit her personality better.
Merry Christmas!
...
Gabriella's eyes cracked open as she felt Troy crawl across her mattress to escape the loft. Shit, she thought to herself, letting out a long groan and pulling the covers over her face. Upon hearing him laugh at her groggy action, she slapped his arm with a pillow. "Fucking hell. Shut up," she muttered.
"Well that was a friendly greeting." Troy put on a sarcastic smirk and laid down beside Gabriella.
"Whatever. What time is it, anyway?"
"Seven-thirty."
"Damn, that's early," murmured Gabriella, half to herself. In a more audible voice she declared, "Back to bed for me." Although it was the first day of the fall semester, it thankfully wasn't time for her to rise just yet. Feeling a sense of relaxation illuminate her body, she inattentively snuggled up to Troy as she began the journey back into slumber.
Chucking softly, Troy nudged her shoulder. "Hey, Brie."
Gabriella opened her eyes again and sat up; her hair was a mess, her eyelids were still droopy, she had no makeup on, and the left strap of her baby pink camisole was sliding off her tan shoulder. Troy seeing her in the morning was one of the things she had worried about prior to moving into the apartment, but during the week they'd been living together, she'd grown accustomed to the concept. "What?"
"I gotta get ready, then I'm leaving for school."
Gabriella yawned. "Do I get a hug before you go?"
"Sure." Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist. "Bye, sleepyhead. Good luck with your classes. I'll see you when I come home."
"What time will that be?" questioned Gabriella, returning the embrace with another yawn.
"Well, I'm hanging out with some of my buddies this evening, so I most likely won't be back till ten or eleven tonight. But we might cross paths every now and then depending on when I stop in here. Okay?"
"Mm-hm."
"Alright. Now you get some more rest." Smiling, Troy watched as Gabriella sank back into the pillows. Then, tucking the covers around her, he proceeded to descend the stairs and prepare for his day.
...
At exactly ten-fifty-two - eight minutes until the start of class - Gabriella swung into the cluttered parking lot of Malone University, her iPod blasting Katy Perry's California Girls. After seeking out a vacant space, she turned off the ignition, grabbed her things, and began the lengthy walk to the building in which her biology course was to be held.
"Good morning. Come get a syllabus, then go have a seat," said the professor as Gabriella snuck inside the already full classroom. She was a tall, thin, middle-aged woman with a dirty blonde ponytail and glasses. Her lips were set into a straight line and a series of subtle wrinkles marked the circles beneath her grey eyes.
Gabriella offered a "thank you" as she took the paper and settled into a seat. It's the first day and I'm already coming to class late, she mentally noted, realizing that she'd have to try to break the habit before it became a problem. Perhaps night classes would've been a better decision than morning ones.
The professor droned on. Looking about her, Gabriella saw that the overwhelming fraction of the students were either texting, doodling on their syllabus, or whispering to friends. Only the three sitting in the front row were paying any attention to what was being said.
After the course information was covered, the class was dismissed. Gabriella was already developing a dislike for the instructor. Her voice had been bland, her temper short, and her expectations frightening. She was glad to have gotten out early for the day.
"Hey."
Wheeling around, Gabriella was met with a tall young man. His short brown hair was combed off his face, creating a neat frame for his prominent features. A set of bleached teeth showed between his lips and his thick biceps rippled beneath his t-shirt. She swore he could've passed as Troy's brother. "Hey."
"I noticed you sitting next to me and just thought I'd introduce myself. My name's Dave Carter." Dave held out his hand for Gabriella to shake.
"I'm Gabi Montez," Gabriella smiled, moving toward the wall so as not to clog the pathway.
"Are you a freshman?"
"Yes, I am. I have a feeling it's gonna be hell getting through this first semester."
"Same here." He shook his head.
Gabriella giggled. "So what's your major?"
"Bio. And yours?"
"Psychology."
"Nice."
The hustle in the halls interjected the conversation.
"Alright, well I'm gonna go head down to the cafe and grab a coffee," Gabriella announced. "It was nice meeting you." She began to walk away.
"Hold on a sec, Gabi."
She turned back to see Dave smiling at her. "Mind if I come along? I don't have any classes for another two hours."
"No, of course not. Let's go."
After sharing a chat in the campus' cafeteria, Gabriella exchanged phone numbers with Dave and wished him good luck on the rest of his day. She liked him. He was gentlemanly, yet had a fine sense of humor and a flirty edge - just the type of guy she was drawn to. Not to mention the fact that he had joined a fraternity, which gave him a bit of a rebellious twist.
Smiling to herself, she pulled out her phone and began to text her best friend, Sharpay Evans. Sharpay lived only a block from Gabriella's Dayton home, and had been her closest companion for the past ten years. Unfortunately for Gabriella, she had opted to take advantage of her family's wealthy status and study in the tropics of Honolulu for the next four years, rejecting all the scholarship offers from state universities. Gabriella missed her; however, she was coping with the situation. It wasn't difficult for her to make more acquaintances and fit into new crowds.
I just met another hottie! He's a frat boy, too. xoxo. Gabriella sent the message, then rose from her chair and headed off to find her next class. But her mind wasn't on psychology. Instead, all she could think of was the fact she was acquainted with two attractive men: one whom she lived with and the other whom she'd see nearly every day on campus. Her father would've had a fit by now if he were there.
Once class was let out, she resolved to return to the cafeteria for dinner. Troy wouldn't be home to eat with and she wanted to try socializing with some potential friends.
"Hey, could I sit here?" she queried, approaching a table where a girl was seated alone, jotting notes down onto a sheet of music.
"Sure," the girl said, offering a timid smile.
"I'm Gabi Montez," Gabriella introduced, sliding into the chair across from the girl. "And you?"
"Kelsi Neilson."
"Are you a music major?" Gabriella guessed, eyeing the sheet music.
Kelsi nodded.
"That sounds fun. I'm getting my degree in psychology."
Shifting around in her chair, Kelsi bit her lip and adjusted her thin glasses.
"Were you in bio this morning? You look familiar."
"Yeah. I'm taking that for my gen ed elective." Kelsi paused. "This is my first semester here."
"Mine, too."
As they ate their meals, Gabriella and Kelsi continued to talk. It was when they finished that Gabriella declared she was going to head home for the evening.
"Do you live off campus?" Kelsi, who had begun to open more as her conversation with Gabriella progressed, inquired.
"Yup. I'm splitting the rent of a studio apartment with a friend of mine." Gabriella purposefully left out that she was rooming with a guy. She didn't need her new friend to get the wrong impression on the first day of classes.
"That sounds so nice. I'm stuck in the dorms." Shrugging, Kelsi swung her backpack over one shoulder. "Speaking of which, I'd better get back there now. I promised my roommate I'd hang out with her tonight."
"Yeah, I gotta go, too. Have fun, Kels. See you Wednesday!" With a friendly wave, she pulled her keys and phone from her purse. Once she had sent a quick text to Troy to let him know she'd be at the apartment, she stepped out the doors of the school and made her way to her car.
"Hey, Gabi!"
Gabriella looked to see Dave in the vehicle beside her, his window rolled down. "Hey! You leaving, too?"
"Not exactly. I'm just driving over to park at the frat house. My official initiation as a pledge is tonight."
"Well, good luck on that! I'm heading home for the day. See you tomorrow, maybe?"
"Maybe. I'll text you, okay?"
"Alright. See you, Dave."
"See you, Gabi." Dave backed out of the parking space and drove away.
...
It was midnight when Gabriella awoke to the jiggling of the doorknob. Leaning over the railing, she saw two dark figures outlined by the dim hallway light. One was Troy; she was certain of that, and the second was a staggering guy whose bushy afro nearly reached the top of the door frame.
"Troy?" Gabriella spoke, her voice groggy. "Who's this?"
Troy's companion slurred something inaudible as he slapped his friend's back and chuckled.
"It's my friend Chad," Troy answered hesitantly. "Long story short, last week he turned twenty-one and he's been binging on the tequila ever since. He can't go back to his dorm like this; his roommate is an ass." He shut the door with one hand while trying to support Chad with the other.
"So you bring him here?" Groaning, Gabriella wrapped her blanket snugly around her and sat up. She hadn't anticipated any guests, and didn't need a drunk stranger seeing her in her tiny pajama shorts and lacy camisole.
"Let me explain, Brie." Troy helped Chad over to the couch, then climbed halfway up the small staircase. "I tried calling you, but you didn't answer. I feel like a jerk barging in with him like this, but what else is there to do? He's my best buddy. I can't just leave him."
"You aren't drunk too, are you?" Gabriella asked bluntly.
"I didn't have a drop, I swear."
As she heard Chad mumble something else, Gabriella's glare rested on her roommate.
"I'm sorry." Troy glanced at Chad to see him lying on the floor.
"I don't appreciate this shit, Troy," snapped Gabriella. "I'm half-dressed, I'm tired, and I gotta get up early tomorrow. I don't have time for these games. Get him out of here."
"He won't hurt you. He just needs to sleep it off. He'll be gone by six - before you even wake up - I promise."
"He'll be gone now."
Troy offered a final look of unspoken begging, only to be shot down by Gabriella's cold stare.
"Now," she hissed.
Heaving a sigh, Troy drew his keys from his pocket. "Fine," he resolved cooly. "I'll see if Zeke and Jason can take him in their dorm for a few hours. Good-night, Brie." He then returned to his drunk friend, who was already falling asleep. "Come on, Chad."
Chad chuckled and stood up on shaky legs. "Where we going, Bolton?"
"To Zeke and Jason's room. Now let's get out of here."
"Lock the door on your way out, Troy," Gabriella reminded.
"I will."
After watching Troy drag Chad out of the room, Gabriella let out an exasperated sigh and nestled into her pillows. However, she couldn't seem to fall back asleep after her unexpected encounter. She'd thought he was a good, decent guy, but now she was having second opinions. She couldn't live with him if he was going to bring drunk strangers into the apartment without giving any sort of warning. And what if he himself came back tipsy one night?
Rolling over, Gabriella pulled her phone from beneath the mattress. She thought about texting Sharpay or Catherine to get their opinion on the situation, but in the end decided against it. Sharpay would just tell her to give Troy a piece of her mind and Catherine would tattle to her father, who would unleash his claws and make the problem bigger than it actually was.
Damn you, Troy, she said to herself as she tossed about. She tore the covers off and pulled them back up. She untied her messy hair from its ponytail and rearranged her pillows. Eventually, growing tired of the restless routine, she climbed out of bed and locked herself in the bathroom. Stripping her clothes off, she stepped into the shower and turned the water to the cool side. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt the refreshing flow wash away the beads of sweat that had collected on her forehead in the heat of the night, soothing her while she contemplated the night's event.
After a long soak, Gabriella shut off the water and walked out of the tiny cubicle. Wrapping up in a fluffy towel, she took her phone and checked her texts. They were empty. As she dressed again, she wondered if Troy had come back. She hoped he hadn't; she wasn't in the mood to deal with a potential fight - at least not at two o' clock in the morning.
To her relief, there was no sign of him when she emerged from the bathroom. Getting into bed, she pulled the covers up and closed her eyes, this time accomplishing her goal of sleep.
...
Gabriella shut off her alarm and stretched, yawning as she glanced about the room into which sunshine was streaming through the windows. By the looks of it, she was alone; she didn't see Troy on his side of the loft nor in the kitchen, she didn't hear the TV on, and there wasn't even the smallest peep coming from the bathroom. "Troy?" she called out.
No reply was heard.
Shrugging her shoulders, Gabriella dragged herself out of bed. Had Troy been out all night? Maybe he'd needed some time to cool off before discussing the situation. It's probably better that way. I'm really not in the mood to deal with his shit, she resolved.
Looking at her phone, she saw she had received a text from Dave. Hey, wanna grab lunch after class?
Sure. I'll meet you in the cafeteria. She sent the message, then debated whether or not to try getting in touch with Troy. Deciding against it, she threw her hair into a messy bun and picked out clothes to wear for the day, silently cursing her roommate for her lack of sleep.
That morning in school, Gabriella didn't even try to focus. She was too preoccupied with both the situation with Troy and her upcoming lunch date with Dave. When the class was done, she rushed to the bathroom to check her hair and makeup before walking to the cafeteria. Upon arriving, she noticed that her friend was already there.
"Hey," he greeted. He was leaning against a table with a lanyard displaying the name of his fraternity around his neck.
"Hey. How'd the initiation go?" Gabriella moved to stand beside him.
"It was kickass. I got this lanyard, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and a sweatband." He smiled. "I'm so glad I decided to join a frat instead of staying in a tiny dorm."
"That sounds nice." She fidgeted for a moment, thinking of a way to change the topic before the question about her housing came up. "So, are we gonna order some food?"
"We ain't getting this cafeteria crap." Dave took the lanyard from his neck. "We're going to that sandwich shop down the road."
"But I don't have money for that," she protested.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I'm paying." Flashing a smile, he took her hand. "Come on; let's go."
It wasn't long before Gabriella and Dave were seated in the sandwich shop, drinking cherry coke and sharing an Italian hoagie. Their fingers were locked together across the table, creating butterflies in Gabriella's stomach.
"So Gabi," Dave began. "There's a frat party this Saturday night and all us pledges are supposed to bring a date. Wanna go with me?"
Gabriella chewed on her lip. Her initial reaction was that she'd love to attend the party. But soon her superego kicked in: it was telling her to stay at home, work on the essay she'd been assigned, tidy up the apartment, and make a Skype call to her family.
"Do you want to?" Dave prompted.
"Of course," Gabriella blurted out, instantly feeling a twinge of guilt swell up inside of her. From what she'd heard from Catherine, fraternity parties were not friendly places for an innocent young woman such as she was. There would be underage drinking, girls prancing around half naked, and guys playing beer pong. Her father would be sorely disappointed if he discovered she was hanging out in that setting.
"Great. I'll pick you up at eight then. Just give me your address sometime before the end of the week."
"Will do." She forced a small giggle.
"You know, your laugh is cute."
"Oh, shut up, Dave."
For the remainder of the meal, Gabriella tried to ignore her conscious. But as she made her way to class late than afternoon, the regret came back. Maybe she shouldn't go to the party; maybe she should tell Dave she changed her mind. But then she reminded herself that she was an adult. She could go wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted. It wouldn't make a difference what her father thought of her behavior anymore. Hell, he didn't even need to know what she was up to.
Then she remembered Troy. Troy. Oh shit, she groaned inwardly. She had yet to hear from him since the previous night's incident. Was he that angry with her? What if he didn't want to room with her anymore? And that was only the surface. Being a straight-A, no-nonsense student, he would be just as disapproving as her father when she told him where she was going Saturday night.
By the time she was walking out to her car, her head was pounding and uneasiness shook her body. Whether it was the tension she anticipated between herself and Troy or the upcoming party she didn't know. But what she did know was that the next few months would be one big mess.