Closed Book

Disclaimer: I don't own HSM

AN: Okay, okay, okay… I know it has been like a long time since I updated and for that I am truly sorry. As previously mentioned I have lost my inspiration for this story unfortunately. There is a story behind that but I am not about to get into it. I also am about as stressed as I could possibly be at the time and don't know how I'm going to be able to balance everything. I didn't want to leave this story unfinished so I thought I might as well sit down to a new chapter and find out where it leads me.

Gabriella Montez

Oh great. Now Troy is coming over. What am I going to do? I don't have much time to think about this so I guess I will just have to do what I know best. Lie and put on a charade. Composure. It is all about the composure.

A few deep breathes, a splash of cold water and a quick hair and makeup fix and I am good to go.

As if on cue Troy knocks on the door.

"Hello Troy." I smile.

"Gabi? Wait a second. You were just crying on the phone…?" He's confused.

"I told you I was fine. You really didn't have to come all this way. But since you're here, won't you come in?" I hold the door open some more to let him in.

"But… well, okay." He's still confused.

Once inside he seems to become slightly less confused. "So, where's your mom?"

Oh shit. Out of all the questions he could have asked, he had to ask that one! I feel the tears prick the back of my eyes as my throat tightens. I know I am unable to speak without the tears spilling and my voice become a sob, so in response I shrug as casually as I can manage.

"Is she home?" Why does he care where my mother is! STOP!

I shake my head, still unable to speak.

"Why aren't you talking?" Because my mother is dying and you keep talking about her!

I shrug again. This is getting difficult.

He leans closer with a curious expression on. He looks deeply into my eyes. Damn, I forgot he was an eye reader. This is not going to end well.

"Gabriella. You are keeping something from. Something is eating you up inside." His tone is accusatory and I don't like it.

I take some mental deep breathes in hopes of controlling my emotions.

"It's been a rough day." I think that sounded normal enough.

"Why, tell me what happened?" Of course he wants to know.

I wave my hand as if it was nothing important. "Don't worry about it. What about you? How was your day?" Please accept the change of subject.

"Oh no you don't. You are not changing the subject." He puts his arms around my waist and pulls me into him. My heart accelerates to incredible speeds.

"Umm… what were talking about again?" No really, I actually forget. The second his hands made contact with my waist my whole mind went blank.

He chuckles. "You. We were talking about you and your day." Oh, that.

"You know, it really is just nothing. I was overreacting."

He pushes me back slightly. I disapprove of this action. He then takes my hand and guides me to the couch where I obediently sit down. He sits next to me but then turns his body so he is facing me. I follow suit. He takes my hands in his and I want more than anything just to kiss him for the rest of my live and forget about everything.

"Gabriella." He says in a serious tone as he stares straight into my eyes. "When are you going to realize that you can tell me anything?"

"Oh, I already know that."

"Then why aren't you telling me."

"It's not so much of I don't think I can tell as I don't want to tell you." Did that make sense?

"Why don't you want to tell me?" He seems to have understood.

"Because of many reasons."

"Which are…?"

"Ummm… okay. One of them is that everything we talk about is always me, me, me and I don't really want to talk about me anymore although I am doing just that. Another one is that we just started a relationship and I don't want to ruin it so early." I can't look in his eyes anymore. He can get anything out of me.

"Ruin it? How would this ruin it?"

"It just will because pretty soon you are going to see that my emotional baggage is just way too much to handle and you are going to go running to someone much easier to handle. And don't you say that won't happen because no one can tell the future."

"You're right." Wait. He wasn't supposed to say that.

I look into his eyes searching for a reason why he would say such a thing.

"Why would you say that? You want this relationship to fail?"

"What? Gabriella, you just said you were expecting me to leave you and now you are accusing me of wanting this relationship to fail? Where is the logic in that?"

"Relationships aren't logical. But that's not the point. You said I was right. You were supposed to tell me how wrong I am and somehow convince me to see it your way!" How did we end up in an argument?

"I didn't mean you were right about me leaving you! I meant that you were right in the fact that we can't tell the future."

"Well you could've made that a little bit clearer!"

"Sorry." He shakes his head to regain his original train of thought. "Now, as I was saying before that little tiff."

"Wait. Tiff? You just said tiff!" I start laughing hysterically. He looks at me like I am crazy which just makes me fall back on the couch, stare at the ceiling and laugh harder.

I laugh so hard that I tears start to form. Once released there is no taking them back and now my hysterics become sobs. All the work for nothing…

"Gabi? Are you crying?" He realized the change is emotion.

I sit up to look at him and slowly nod.

He shifts so that he can wrap his arms around me and smooths down my hair. Without him asking I launch into the story of what happened at the hospital.

"So that's what has gotten me so messed up…"

"Thanks for telling me." For some unkown reason I take a drastic turn in emotion and get really angry.

"Are you happy now? You got me to open up once again! Congratulations Troy!" Why am I being so hasty? Who knows…?

"What? Do you seriously think I like that you have to go through a bunch of shit? Do you think it is easy for me to watch you fall apart in front of my eyes?"

"Yes! Isn't that why you stick around? Because I have so much damn drama in my life that I entertain you and then you can go to bed at night feeling superior because you managed to get me to open up! You must feel sooo good about yourself!"

"That's not true. We've been over this. I've told you why I like you! How do you expect this relationship to work if you don't even think I like you! How many times am I going to have to remind you?" I feel another mood swing coming on…

"I'm sorry. I want to believe you actually like me. Really I do, but it just seems so unfathomable and unrealistic. No one has ever actually liked me like this. Everything was so good this morning. When you kissed me I felt on top of the world. No one could get me down, I was superior. But then I end up at the hospital being told that my mother is going to die. It's like someone doesn't want me to be happy so every time I feel one moment of happiness they take it all away and make things so much worse. I don't think you could possibly like me because I am not meant to be happy and if you actually liked me then I would be happy and that is simply not allowed."

Troy reaches up and strokes my cheek.

"You are allowed to be happy. And you will be. I can't tell you that your mom is going to be okay because I don't know if she is. But I can tell you that you are going to get through this. I can tell you that you are an amazing girl and will without a doubt be okay in the end. I can also tell you that I do like you. I like you more than should be allowed."

We chuckled together. Then we get serious again.

"But why? Why does my mom have to die! I mean, she's my mom! Moms aren't supposed to die. Moms are supposed to watch their children grow up. What am I going to do when my mom isn't here anymore? How am I going to cope then? I already don't have a father and now my mother will be gone too? Things aren't supposed to happen like this! It's not fair!" I break down and cry some more. I honestly don't know how much more my tear ducts will be able to handle.

"I agree completely. It is nowhere near fair. Things like this should not happen to such a great girl like you. But this is happening. And you will get through this because I will be right by your side the entire time. I will be here and I will help you in any way possible. Everything is okay in the end and if it's not okay then it's not the end."

We stare into each other's eyes for a minute while I comprehend the words he said. After everything has sunk in I lean forward and kiss him. I kiss him with all I can, given the circumstances.

"Thank you Troy. You are the most amazing thing in my life." I stand up and he looks at me oddly. "I have to be with my mother right now."

He nods and stands up as well. We hold hands as he walks me to my car. Once at the vehicle he places a soft kiss on my lips before turning and going to his own car. He understands and right now that is all I can ask for.

Troy Bolton

As I am driving home I am slowly going everything that happened this morning, from my kiss with Gabriella to my afternoon with her. How can things go from being so good one minute to so bad the next? Why does Gabriella have to lose both parents when so many other people still have two? Why does Gabriella have to deal with so much shit when some people's biggest problem ever faced is when they almost had to get stitches? Where is the fairness?

Life isn't fair. People hear this all through their life but not many people actually experience just how unfair life actually is.

I go to sleep still thinking many similar thoughts.

RING, RING.

I wake up to the shrill sound of my cell phone ringing. Before answering it I look at the clock – 3:46 am. Who could be calling this early? I check the caller I.D and no longer care that I was woken up.

"Gabriella?"

"I'm so sorry Troy. I didn't mean to wake you." She's crying.

"No, no Gabi. Don't ever worry about waking me. What's wrong?" I have a suspicion but I am praying I am wrong.

A new round of hysteric sobs escape from her throat. How much has she cried today?

"Never mind. Just tell me where you are."

"…T-tt-hhe hos- h-hh-" I understand enough what she is trying to say.

"The hospital? I will be there in 5 minutes."

Amazingly I actually managed to get to the hospital in less than 5 minutes. Although I wasn't sure, I had a feeling I would find her in the oncology ward. I get there as soon as I can and look around frantically.

There, in a chair in the waiting room is Gabriella. She has her legs up on the chair with her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her head is pushed against her knees as her back moves up and down indicating silent sobs.

I go over and crouch down to her level and smooth my hand gently over her hair. Her head lifts a very slight amount. As soon as she sees it's me, her arms release her legs and she wraps her arms around me. She falls so she is kneeling on the ground and buries her face in my shoulder. Her silent sobs become louder and more pronounced.

I help her off the ground and lead her over one of those wooden, couch/bench things and sit down still holding her. I can feel her calming down.

"She's gone Troy…"

"I know…" And I did, I knew the second I saw her picture flash across my phone's screen.

"What am I supposed to do now? I won't have anywhere to live. I won't be eighteen for another year!"

"This is nothing you have to worry about right now."

"I know. I'm just glad I got to spend time with her tonight." Me too.

"She was great Gabi. And she really loved you."

Gabriella Montez

I sit in the hospital waiting room trying to comprehend the fact that my mother will never be with me again. That my mother will never smile at me again. That my mother will never talk again. Nothing will be the same.

But I sit here with Troy comforting me and I know I am going to get past this. I know I'm going to be okay. I know things are going to get better.

I remember my last conversation with my mom. We stayed up all night talking, not knowing how long she really had left. At first it was hard and awkward but eventually I realized that it was just my mother! So we talked about anything and everything. Troy was a common subject as well.

"I am really glad you have found someone like Troy."

I blush deeply red. "Thanks mom. I'm glad too."

"You can't even see how he has changed you. I know you two have only been dating for one day but he changed you the very day he came to that school. You've opened up and became the girl I always knew you were."

"Mom…" I really don't know what to say to that.

"Don't get me wrong. You have always been a great person. But now…now you are just a truly remarkable girl. You help everyone with anything. You are friends with everyone and people really look up to you. I couldn't be any more proud of you then I am today. My little girl is all grown up."

"No I'm not…" I still need my mother.

"Yes you are. And I love you sooo much."

"I love you too. You look exhausted."

"I am, I should probably get some sleep." I don't want to spend one more second away from my mom but I know she needs her rest.

"I'll let you get some sleep then." I kiss her cheek and head for the door reluctantly.

"Gabriella?" I turn back to her thankful that my inevitable tears have not started to fall yet.

"Yes mom."

"Promise me one thing…"

"Anything"

"Promise me that you will never close up the way you did all those years ago. Promise me you will keep you heart open and be the girl you've become."

The tears started. "I promise."

"Goodnight…."

"Goodnight."

She awoke a couple hours later and I got to talk to her some more but now I will never have another conversation with her again.

"Troy?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." It came so naturally for both of us. We loved each other the very first time we talked. I truly believe Troy was brought to me to help me become all I can be.

I will keep my promise. I will love Troy forever and I will never again let myself be a closed book.

The End

AN: Well here is the end. I know all the bad parts of this story. I know it didn't turn out how I originally planned and I know it wasn't nearly as good as it could've been but I just don't have the motivation or time to write more or adjust this story to make it better. Thanks to all those who read this story. And I truly am sorry it didn't turn out better.