Floor 6
...
Morning came. After changing back into the clothes they'd worn at the party, Troy and Gabriella loaded Troy's car and headed home, Gabriella debating whether or not to mention her relationship troubles to him on the way. She knew he'd offer advice if she asked him for it, but her pride and stubbornness was holding her back from initiating the conversation. After all, she had told herself she could handle the commitment alone. It was time for her to be an adult and follow through with her self-promise.
"Mike and Allie are still out?" she guessed as she followed her roommate into the vacant apartment.
"Yup. Mike texted me to say they were going out for breakfast." Rubbing the back of his neck, Troy opened one of his dresser drawers and selected a t-shirt and basketball shorts. "By the way, I'm gonna quick shower up and have a shave. See you in ten."
"See you." While he was in the bathroom, Gabriella took the liberty of putting on a pair of cupcake print pajama pants, mismatched ankle socks, and a lined camisole with a sweatshirt on top. Sighing, she drew her hair into a sloppy bun and headed into the kitchen to pour herself cereal. After grabbing a glass of milk to go along with it, she curled up on the couch, where she flipped through the TV channels until she found something appealing.
Once her breakfast was gone, she climbed to the loft and snuggled underneath her covers, her eyes still glued to the episode of Dance Moms she'd put on. She hardly even noticed Troy walking into the room and up the stairs to join her.
"Hey, sleepyhead," he greeted.
"Hey," she mumbled in response, leaning against the railing.
Smirking, he slid in next to her. "I see you have pants to match your nickname."
"Troy, stop." She kicked his foot.
"Hey, it's cute. I like it." He secured his arms about her waist and sat back against the wall, placing her beside him as he did so.
"What the hell? This is so not cool!" She tried in vain to pry his hands away.
"Come on. You need some more cuddle time with your big brother." He pulled her duvet over the both of them. "I can tell last night wasn't enough for you."
Letting out a groan of defeat, she leaned against his arm. This was it. This was her chance to ask him his advice on her situation with Dave. Fidgeting, she chewed on her lip.
"You know, I never did buy your story about being cold last night," he continued. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"
Shit, he's a mind reader now. "Well...yeah."
"Go on."
Biting her lip again, she played with the edge of the blanket. "Well...I don't wanna sound like a whiny bitch or anything...but the problem is...well..."
She felt him begin to rub circles on her back.
"I just feel like Dave doesn't trust me," she finally blurted out.
"And why's that?"
"He got jealous when I told him I was going to your party. He said he didn't appreciate me being close to another guy and all that crap."
"Does he know you live with me?" He tucked the covers more tightly around her and gave her shoulders a small squeeze.
She shook her head. "No. I haven't told him. Hell, I haven't told any of my new friends. I don't wanna sound like a whore." She bit her lip again.
"Brie, I don't want to offend you or anything, but it sounds like you and Dave have poor communication. I mean, if I had a girlfriend, I'd want her to tell me right away if she was living with another guy. Not because I wouldn't like it, but because I think it's something that I'd deserve to know as her significant other."
"But it didn't feel like the right time. I just...I just don't know what to do." She let her face fall into her palms, struggling to keep the threatening tears from falling down her cheeks.
"Hey, it's okay." Drawing her into his chest, he kissed her hair. "First relationships are a pain in the ass. But you'll get used to it. You'll smooth things out."
She took deep breaths as she hugged Troy's neck, forcing herself not to cry. I'm not a baby. I'm not a baby. I can handle this.
"Here," he said when the embrace broke. "What do you say I go out and buy some Dairy Queen? Would that make you feel better?"
"I'm not that upset," she scoffed, her familiar toughness emerging once more. "But hey, I'm not gonna refuse free food."
He chuckled. "All right, then. I'll go. You just stay comfy in your jammies here."
"Okay." Lying down, she took her phone from beneath her mattress and opened her Twitter. As she scrolled through, she saw that Dave had posted a photo of the two of them along with a tweet that read, Missing my baby girl.
You, too, she tweeted back with a smile. Satisfied by the fact that he'd acknowledged her, she closed the app and pulled up a game of Flappy Bird.
"Hey, Gabi."
Gabriella jumped at the sound of Allie's greeting as she and Mike stepped through the door. "Gosh, you scared the crap out of me."
Allie laughed. "Sorry. It was just that the door was unlocked so we thought we wouldn't bother you by knocking."
"It's fine. No harm done." Stretching, Gabriella sat up.
Mike glanced about the room. "Where's Troy?"
"He went to buy some Dairy Queen for us."
"For me, too?" Mike wondered.
"Nope, just for the two of us. Sorry." A smirk spread across Gabriella's face.
"Babe," Allie cut in, turning toward her boyfriend. "You had enough junk last night. I don't know why you're worrying about ice cream." She gently slapped his arm.
"Because it's good!" came Mike's protest. Turning toward Gabriella, he asked, "Do you guys wanna be alone when he comes back or-"
"No." The brunette shook her head. "You can stay."
It wasn't long before Troy walked through the door holding two ice cream blizzards. After greeting Mike and Allie, who were relaxing on the couch, he ascended the stairs and joined Gabriella in the loft. "Here." He handed her one of the cups. "Still watching TV?"
"Nope. Mike and Allie put in a movie." She shoved a spoonful of blizzard into her mouth. "But I have another idea."
"And what's that?"
"Would you rather. I ask you two things and-"
"I know, Brie. I've played this before."
"Okey, dokey." She crawled over to sit beside him, her head leaning against his arm. "So...would you rather write a novel or direct a movie?"
"Write a novel."
"Nerd."
"Cupcake." He twirled a stray piece of her hair around his finger.
She glanced back at him and rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"
"Fine." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "So, would you rather go to an all-night party or spend the evening in a hot bubble bath?"
"You're just trying to torment me, aren't you?" She crossed her arms, feigning anger.
"Not really. I'm honestly curious about your answer."
"I doubt that. But to make you happy, let's see...I'll pick the bath." She took another bite of ice cream. "Now answer me this. Would you rather be stranded on an island or stranded on the moon?"
"Island. No-brainier right there."
"Come on, the moon would be damn awesome."
"Well, maybe I don't feel that way. "
"You're no fun."
The game continued while Troy and Gabriella finished their blizzards, leaving the latter in a fresh, lighthearted mood. Maybe what her and Dave really needed had been a small break. After all, they'd been seeing each other nearly every day since they were made official.
Then she considered Troy's comment. Poor communication. That could be true. How much did she know about Dave anyway? Not much. Sure, she was familiar with a few odds and ends, but beyond that, she was blind. And did he know her any better? No.
"Troy?" she asked suddenly. She was lying on her stomach, her chin resting on her hands.
"Yeah?" He looked up from his laptop.
"How can I get to know Dave more?"
"Talk. And I don't mean with his frat brothers and everyone else around. I mean alone. Go to a quiet restaurant, take a walk, bring him here...my ex and I used to go on a walk every Sunday. It was great for bonding."
Gabriella chewed on her lip. "Could I maybe bring him here for dinner?"
"Sure, I don't mind."
"Troy, you do realize I'm asking you to have the house to myself for a night, right?"
"That's fine. I can go find a friend to stay with." He shrugged, then leaned over and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Just don't have sex. Trust me. You need to do a lot more bonding before-"
"Shut up. You're sounding like my dad again."
"I'm only trying to help."
"But your 'help' is damn embarrassing. I already had this kind of talk with my parents a hell of a lot of times. I don't need to hear it again."
"Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I'm gonna get ready to go. Mike and I are going to the gym for some one-on-one basketball before he goes home tomorrow."
"And I'm not invited?"
"You're a girl," he said, gently tapping her nose. "We're having guy time."
"I bet I could kick your ass if I tried." Her eyes glistened with playfulness.
"A little cupcake like you? I don't know about that."
She slapped his chest. "Shut the hell up."
"Well, I hope you realize I'll be taking up your offer in the future."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"The truth will be shown soon enough. Now, I'll see you later." He gave her a brief hug before climbing down the loft. "Feel free to have some leftover pizza if you get hungry."
"Will do." She smiled. "Oh, and Troy?"
He looked up. "Yeah?"
She hurried over to him, her arms wrapping around his neck and her body pressing against his. "Thanks for helping me figure out this crappy relationship stuff."
"Oh, it was nothing." Shrugging, he returned the embrace.
"Seriously, though. You made me feel better."
"Glad to hear." Rubbing the back of his neck, he added, "Well, I'm gonna get my stuff together to go now. If you need more big brother cuddles, I'll be happy to accept some in bed tonight."
"Na, I think I'm good now." She dismissed the invitation with a wave of her hand.
"Alright. Well, the offer will still be good if you change your mind."
"You wish."
...
"Troy, what would you want to eat if you were having dinner at a girl's house?" Gabriella asked, plopping down on the couch beside her roommate. She had just finished cleaning the bathroom in preparation for Dave's visit the following evening.
"Well, pasta would be nice, but that's just me. If you're wondering what to make for Dave, then why don't you ask him what his favorite food is?" Troy suggested.
"Okay. But what should I do about a table? I can't have a guy over and expect him to eat on the couch."
"Here." He stood up and made his way toward the pair of desks that sat along the wall. "How about we push these together and throw a tablecloth on top of them? I think I still have some extras left from my party."
"But what about chairs?" She rose to join him. "I can't use these crappy desk seats." Silently, she cursed herself for agreeing to Troy's initial proposal of forgoing a dining area.
"Why not?"
"Cause it looks trashy."
"But he won't mind if he really cares about you."
"But I care about him." She jabbed a finger into her chest. "The place looks bad enough as it is, and I don't wanna be more unfair to him. He's used to eating at a real table. It's pathetic to not even have that much for him here."
"Relax, Brie. It'll be fine. Stop stressing out over it."
"You don't get it. He's not just a guy friend like you are, he's a boyfriend." She rolled her eyes. "And my first boyfriend, too. I can't fuck this up."
"That brings me back to my original point. If he's a good boyfriend, he'll care about you enough not to mind the setup of your home."
She shook her head and groaned as her face fell into her palm. It was times such as these that she wished Sharpay were there. Being the style expert that she was, Sharpay would know exactly what to do to get the tiny space in order.
"Hey, what's the problem?" Troy gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You're not helping."
"I'm trying."
"But this isn't helpful!" she snapped, shooting an angry glare in his direction.
"I'm sorry. But I really am trying." He moved in front of her and, placing his hands on her arms, looked into her distraught eyes. "But please, listen when I say that he shouldn't be so materialistic. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt. Because you know, if he hurts you, I'll need to kick his sorry ass. Nobody messes with my little sister."
She bit her lip.
A smile crept across his face. "Give me a hug, Brie."
Letting out a sigh, she wrapped her arms about his waist, her head nestling into his chest. As he enveloped her, she closed her eyes, trying to ignore the repetitive pounding inside her head.
"You're my favorite girl, you know that?"
"Shut up," she mumbled into his t-shirt.
"Shut up," Troy mocked, lifting her up and carrying her to the couch. Gently tossing her onto the cushions, he said, "Play Wii with me." Mike, Allie, and his parents had put their money together to buy a Wii for him to put in the apartment, which he'd gotten set up the day before.
"But I kind of need to finish working out all this stuff for Dave."
"Hakuna matata."
"What?"
"It means no worries...for the rest of your days." He grinned and handed her a Wii controller. "But on a more serious note, Brie, you really shouldn't get all worked up about things like this. It's not good for you."
She groaned. "Maybe you should be less focused on my life. That can't be good for you." She handed the controller back to him and climbed up to the top of the loft. Hugging her bear, she buried her face into a fluffy pillow.
"Brie?"
"I just wanna be left alone," She cringed as she curled into a ball. Now wasn't the time to have fun with Troy and forget her feelings. Now was the time to reflect on them silently and consider how to address the problem.
"Okay, then. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen getting myself some dinner."
Gabriella hardly heard him. She placed a hand on her waist, suppressing a moan. Her time of the month had always been bad for her, but lately, stress had made it nearly unbearable. It was days such as these that she hated being a woman. Cursing inwardly, she resumed her thoughts on how to handle her boyfriend's visit.
...
"Brie? Hey, Brie, you okay?"
Gabriella's eyes shot open to see Troy kneeling beside her, his fingers on her arm. She must have drifted off to sleep earlier.
"You okay?" he questioned.
"I...I don't feel good," she blurted out, touching her head with one hand and her stomach with the other.
"What's wrong? Can I get you anything?"
"Uh...pajama pants. And a tank top and hoodie."
"Coming right up."
"And...and my pills. The ones in the bathroom that I don't let you touch."
"It's a women's problem, isn't it?" he guessed.
She gave a small nod.
"You know, every day, I find more and more reasons why I'm glad to be a man. And no offense or pun intended, but this is one of them."
"Offense not taken. I can sure as hell understand why."
Giving her a small smile, Troy climbed down from the loft, quickly returning with the requested items and a bottle of water.
"Thanks. Now go away."
"What?"
"I'm gonna change. Go away." She gently punched his arm.
"Alright. I'm out, then." He disappeared into the bathroom.
After slipping into her new clothes, Gabriella swallowed her pills and snuggled beneath the covers. A few minutes later, she heard the sound of a door opening followed by footsteps.
"You feeling better now, Brie?" Troy asked. He was in a pair of sweatpants; his hair was damp, his face freshly shaven, and his top half bare.
She shrugged. "Kind of."
He quickly pulled on a t-shirt, then ventured up the stairs to sit beside her. "I take that to mean you're still not in the best condition?"
"Yeah. I basically feel like someone's repeatedly jabbing a damn knife my stomach, my head is throbbing, my back is sore, and my boobs hurt like hell."
Rubbing the back of his neck, he asked, "Do you want some company? I can stay and talk for a little while if you like."
"No need. I just wanna rest." She yawned. "But could you put in a movie for me?"
"Sure. What do you wanna watch?"
"Neighbors. And I also want an extra blanket."
"Alright, then. Let me get that for you."
"Thanks. I'm gonna quick run and take care of my uh...girl stuff." She dragged herself out of bed and trudged into the bathroom. After completing what she needed to do, she washed her hands and shuffled toward the door, only to be stopped by the metallic feeling of sickness rising in her throat.
"Brie? You okay in there?" came Troy's voice, followed by a gentle knock.
"Get me a hair tie," Gabriella choked out as she knelt over the toilet.
"What's wrong?" he queried softly, entering the small room and grabbing a stretched out hair tie from the counter. Bending down behind her, he gathered her long, loose curls into a makeshift ponytail and fastened it.
"I...I didn't eat anything with my pills. And my headache made it worse and I just..." She broke off as another bout of sickness overtook her body.
"Look. You go back to bed. I'll clean up in here, then go grab you a cup of yogurt from the fridge. It might help if you have some food now."
"I hate yogurt." She walked to the sink and rinsed her mouth with mouthwash.
"You're so picky." Smirking, he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Now go rest. Unless you want a shower."
"Well, what I want is a hot bubble bath, but that's not possible right now."
"You know, I never got why girls like baths. I think they're a waste of time."
"They're so relaxing, though. At my parents' house, we had a big jacuzzi tub and damn it felt good. I'd always fill it so I was up to my chin in warm water and bubbles and just sit there for an hour or two. Sometimes I'd read, sometimes I'd bring in the TV from my room and watch a movie, and sometimes I'd fall asleep. I pissed everyone off by hogging the bathroom, though."
"Damn, am I glad I didn't have a sister," Troy joked, motioning for her to head back to the loft. As she walked, he followed close behind.
"Well, you do now. Only there's no tub here for me to hog." She nestled against her pillows.
"That's probably to my benefit." Tucking the covers around her, he added, "Now, let me go fix up the bathroom and find you something that you'll eat. If you want, I can come watch the movie with you then."
"Okay, but I don't wanna talk much."
"That's fine, sleepyhead."
"See you." As he descended the steps, she picked up her bear and cradled it in her arms. It was just a stuffed animal, but it seemed to bring her comfort when she needed it the most. She almost preferred it to the necklace Dave had bought for her, though she tried to avoid thinking about it. It somehow didn't seem right for her to cherish a gift from her guy friend more than the one given to her by her own boyfriend. Trying to ignore the guilty feeling, she focused on the title screen rolling through the TV.
"Mind if I give you a hug?" The words broke into her stare, which was still centered on the TV.
"No hugs. Cause if you hug, it'll be like spooning, and if you spoon me, that would be too uh...intimate. And where's my food?"
"Oh, that. Sorry to tell you, but we don't have anything that would be easy on you besides yogurt."
"Then just get me some damn pizza and give me a back rub."
"But I don't want you to be sick again, Brie."
"I won't." She rolled onto her stomach.
"Someone's feeling optimistic." His hands began to massage her shoulders. "By the way, forgive me if I hurt you. I'm really bad at this."
"I'm not asking for salon service. Just something to take the edge off my back cramps. And I still want that pizza when you're done."
"Wow, bossy much, Brie?"
"Shut up." Closing her eyes, she relaxed at the feeling of his fingers pressing against her sore muscles. He was actually doing a better job than she had anticipated.
"Brie...is that good?"
"More, please." The massage had already lasted longer than it should have, but she was still left wanting it to continue.
"I don't think so. My hands are sore now."
"Then can I have my pizza?" She sat up and stretched.
"You sure it won't bother you?"
"I'm positive." She sighed. "I'll just go get it myself if you don't want to." She climbed down from the loft. After retrieving her snack, she returned to her bed and ate.
"You look tired," Troy remarked as she let out a yawn.
"I am." She leaned onto his arm. "I think I'm gonna have to kick you off my mattress now."
"So you're sleeping alone tonight?"
She nodded. "There's no reason why I can't. Mike and Allie are gone and we have two perfectly good beds here."
"It's probably for the best. I mean, when we were sharing you kicked around an awful lot."
"I'm a rough sleeper sometimes. Deal with it." She snuggled beneath her covers. "And remember, tomorrow you're completely getting out of here while I have Dave over...if I can even get things ready in time."
"You're still stressing over that, aren't you?"
"Kind of."
"Well, don't. Like I told you before, if he really likes you-"
"He does. But I like him back and I just want to make things perfect for him." She sighed. "But you're a guy. You wouldn't understand how I feel."
"That might be true, but it doesn't mean that I don't wanna help."
"We've been going in circles with this conversation all evening, Troy. Now just leave me alone and let me sleep." She held her bear close to her and yanked her duvet over her head, butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the thought of what would happen with Dave.