A/N – Haha, so you guys enjoyed the drama eh! Thanks so much for the reviews!! I can't thank you enough for reading my story!! ;0)
A/N2. - I'm feeling quite generous today, so I guess you deserve two chapters in one! You guys are being so awesome that I wanna make you all happy LOL
Disclaimer: I don't own HSM at all, only the story! ENJOY your reading and again, sorry if it's too long!! ;0)
Chapter 18;
Bad news keeps coming
Troy stopped slamming her door as soon as their parents arrived from the grocery store. And Jack Bolton, being the sweet dad he always was, bought the teenagers two magazines, one about basketball for Troy, and one for Gabriella that had one of her favorite actors on the cover of it. During the night, when she couldn't sleep at all because Troy's words kept on her mind all the time, she grabbed the magazine her dad gave her and started reading the article about her favorite actor. But, what caught her attention was not the fact he liked kangaroos and surfing when he was on vacation. Gabriella found one page that seemed to be the solution to all her problems with Troy. At least that's what she thought.
"How to move on from an ex boyfriend" she read it to herself, "Uhm, that can be helpful"
She examined the article that had a picture of a girl crying holding on to her ex boyfriend's picture. "Okay… let me see it" Gabriella said as she bit her lower lip and started reading the text.
If you were really in love with your boyfriend you might have imagined a future that he would be in and when your relationship ends, it's very hard to understand your dream isn't going to come true.
"Tell me about it" she shook her head and kept reading, "If you're having trouble focusing on anything but him, you need to know you might need our help. You have to really want to move on from the ex lover and must be willing to take a few necessary steps"
Gabriella sighed, was she really ready to move on from Troy? She was hurt, that was for sure, but she still liked him very much. The girl closed her eyes, resting her head against her pillow as Troy's words kept bugging her, "I'll ask Louise to be my girlfriend tomorrow"
Shit. Gabby opened her eyes as soon as she felt she was going to cry. She had decided she would no longer waste her tears with Troy and wanted to keep her word.
"Okay, let's see the steps" she started reading again, this time with more interest, "Five easy steps to get rid of the ex"
'Easy, right' she told herself and rolled her eyes. Gabriella had a feeling taking Troy out of her life would be one of the most difficult things she would ever do.
1. Don't keep pictures, emails and even small gifts that he gave to you during your relationship. Get a large trash bag and throw away all the things that remind you of your old boyfriend.
2. Make a list of all his negative qualities. Everytime you think of something about him that irked you, write it down. Reading the list will help you remind you are much better without him.
3. Don't call or contact him. Never, not even if you are feeling in need of affection. Do everything in your power to stay out of his life.
4. If you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen, call a friend. Friends can be such an amazing support during a break up. Take advantage of your friends during this difficult time.
5. Writing down your emotions is a great way to talk about the break up without being a pain in the ass in your family or friend's life. Buy a journal!
Gabriella looked around her room, the purple walls and white furniture with tons of pictures of her and Troy growing up, always together, always hugging the other and with large smiles on their faces. She sighed; throwing all their memories in the garbage would be really difficult, even though it was necessary if she wanted to move on.
She slowly stood up and started collecting all the pictures she had with/of Troy. When she finished it, she threw it all in the garbage can. Feeling her hand shake, Gabriella went to her closet and grabbed his hoodie that he borrowed her in London before they went to Cambridge. She smelled it; it still had Troy's perfume and her stomach tied up in knots as she realized she would never be this close to Troy anymore. Now he was Louise's – and that stupid bimbo would never let her get near him. But why was she still thinking about Troy? Fuck.
"You can be so stupid when you want, Gabriella" she told herself, shaking her head and throwing his hoodie on her bed, "He fucking used you, stop being such a pussy"
She finished grabbing all the presents he gave her, teddy bears, shirts, his CDs that were still with her and put it all in a pink box she had in her room. Tomorrow morning she would give it to him – Troy Bolton was a finished chapter in her life. For good.
Gabriella talked the whole night with Taylor on the phone – they chatted about the magazine and the tips she read about moving on, but she kept to herself the fact she was not able to make a list with his negative qualities. Troy was still too perfect in her eyes. After almost an hour on the phone, Taylor gave her just one really good advice – if she didn't want to think about Troy during the day, she needed to keep her mind busy. Gabriella agreed with her, that was the best thing to avoid thinking about him making out with his freaking girlfriend.
She woke up way early and made her way to school. Gabriella didn't need to see Troy right now; she didn't want to see him at all. She got to school and it was still closed, but she managed to keep herself entertained surfing on the internet through her IPhone. So far, the day was going really well – Gabriella was not thinking about Troy as much as she thought she would.
During the free period, she bumped into Ryan and he told her Hillary, one of her best friends in the cheerleading squad had news and was waiting for her in the gym.
"Great, more things to do" she smiled to herself, putting her books inside her locker and closing it. Gabriella headed to the gym, pushing the heavy door open and stepping inside it, her eyes quickly finding the red haired girl she had to meet there.
"Hey Hills" Gabriella greeted her with a grin, "you wanted to see me?"
The girl nodded sadly, "I can't be in the team anymore"
"Uhm" she sat down, seeming really confused, "why not?"
"I'm moving" Hillary replied in a whisper, starting to cry, "My mom told me yesterday"
"Oh Gosh" Gabby exclaimed as she shook her head, "I'm so sorry, Hillary"
"Me too" she said, "I didn't want to leave, you know I love being a Wildcat"
"Yeah, I know" she assured the red haired girl, "It's a shame Hill, it really his" she hugged her. "We're gonna miss you very much"
Hillary wiped her tears away, "I'm really sorry, Gabby"
"It's not your fault, girl" she smiled, "It is okay"
"I'd like to help finding someone else for my spot" the girl said, "Can I?"
Gabriella gave her a sympathetically smile, "Sure"
"Thanks, I'll be here later anyways, I still have a couple of weeks in East High"
They shared a tight hug, "You'll always be welcome here, Hills" Gabriella assured her, "you know you are one of the best girls I have in my team"
Hillary smiled, "thanks, Gabs"
The girls hugged one more time before Gabriella left the gym to grab her notebook in her locker. She wanted to use the free period before lunch to write the announcement her team would need to recruit people for the squad.
"That's just great" she rolled her eyes as she opened her notebook, starting windows and typing fast a text, "oh crap"
Since she was voted the cheerleader captain it was Gabriella's second time organizing a selection to find good girls to the squad and it was really hard work. At least holidays were close and Ryan would be able to use the time off to work on a new choreography for the try-outs.
EAST HIGH WILDCATS CHEERLEADING SQUAD
TRY-OUT INFORMATION
Try-outs are open to all current East High School students, as well as freshmen and transfer students. Everyone is encouraged to try-out for the position on the squad.
Show your Wildcat pride and wear comfortable clothes in red & white and make sure to wear proper shoes for safety while practicing cheerleading.
We are looking for energetic, fun, outgoing, dedicated and talented girls to join our team. DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A WILDCAT?
Then contact the head cheerleader if interested.
Gabriella read it to herself a few times before saving it on her pen drive and taking to the computer lab to print. When she walked out of the lab with the copies in her hands, she bumped into Taylor.
"Wow, second time I bump into someone today" she laughed and Taylor smiled, "Be careful girl" she joked and stared at the papers, "what is that all about?"
Gabby sounded discouraged, "We have an empty spot in the team"
"Uh, you guys are making try-outs?"
"Mm hmm" she replied, nodding, "After holiday break" Gabriella sighed, "The squad was awesome the way it was, but Hillary is moving to another city"
"That's bad" Taylor said as they started walking down the hallway, "How are you feeling today?"
Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and Taylor smiled, "Still bad?"
"I'm just trying to focus on other things like you said"
Taylor smiled, "That's the best thing to do, girl. Don't waste your time with Troy and his girlfriend"
"Bimbo girlfriend" Gabriella corrected her friend quickly and Taylor laughed, "Yup, that's the best way to deal with men, sister"
"Yeah" she laughed as well, "do you want to help me?"
"Sure" Taylor smiled and grabbed some papers with Gabby, "I always wanted to be a popular cheerleader for a day anyways"
During lunch, the whole school already knew about the tryouts and loads of girls filled Gabriella with questions everywhere she went. Eventually, she managed to skip people and head to the cafeteria. After grabbing her lunch she sat on her usual table, waiting for Sharpay and Taylor.
"Gaaaby!"
"Oh, no" she muttered to herself but it was too late, she felt a hand on her shoulder and had to turn around, "Hey Amanda"
"Hi girlfriend" she waved excitedly and sat with Gabriella, "guess what?"
"What?"
Amanda smiled widely, "I'm so trying for your team"
Gabriella faked excitement, "Awesome"
The blond girl studied Gabriella for a whole minute in complete silence, making her feel extremely uncomfortable with Amanda's gaze on her. She opened her mouth to ask Amanda to stop staring at her, but the Aussie was faster than her,
"Are you okay, girlfriend?" Amanda asked, worry in her eyes, "You seem different…"
Gabriella gulped, "Different?"
"SAD" she replied calmly, "Are you...?"
"I'm fine, Amanda" Gabriella lied and tried to smile, "I'm just tired"
The blond girl nodded in understood, "Okay, I guess. So, can I register?"
She took a deep breath, "Sure, why not?"
Gabriella gave Amanda a file and she wrote her name down. Taylor and Sharpay arrived and sat with Gabriella as well.
"If I get in we'll be together the whole afternoon 3 times a week" Amanda said excited, "Isn't it great?"
"Sure" Gabriella replied sarcastically, "That's more than I could ask"
Amanda gave Gabby a hug before running to the exchange table. As soon as the girl left, Sharpay started laughing really hard and Taylor looked at Gabriella horrified, "That girl is into drugs, I swear she is"
She giggled, "Somehow I knew she was going to try"
"Of course" Taylor rolled her eyes, "you're like her idol"
"Uh lucky me" Gabriella said grimacing, "So, what's up?"
"Well" Sharpay began, "I'm trying for the cheer squad too"
"You what?" she couldn't help but laugh, "Pay, I love you and you are one of my best friends, but you can't dance"
"I've been practicing" she protested with her hurt voice, "I bet" Gabriella giggled but gave the paper to Sharpay anyways, "Write your name down, princess"
She watched as Sharpay wrote her name with an exclamation point and a little heart in the end. Gabriella felt someone's hand on her shoulder and turned around to see who it was with a smile on her face,
"Uhm…" her smiled faded away, "Can I help you, Louise?"
The girl nodded, "I want to register for the tryout"
"Hmm" Gabriella seemed confused, "You're already in the swimming team…"
"So?" Louise shot rudely, "Nothing" Gabriella tried to be polite and gave her the paper, "Be fast, I need to go"
Louise wrote her name, "I was thinking since I'm your brother's girlfriend I get special treatment?"
Gabriella felt her body shaking with anger – Troy really asked Louise to be his girlfriend then. Deep inside she hoped he would change his mind, but apparently she didn't know him too well. As she opened her mouth to reply Louise, Taylor kicked her under the table. They shared a look and Gabriella nodded to her friend, telling her everything was okay.
She turned around and looked at Louise again, "since you're Troy's girlfriend you should try to do your best more than others" Gabriella gave her a cynical smile, "Because I swear to you I don't want you in my team, so be awesome, good is not even enough"
Louise gave her a disdainful look and left without saying goodbye. "Somehow the image of Amanda in the squad seems more tempting to me now" she fake laughed and Taylor smiled at her. She knew how much Ells was in pain because of this situation, but she would never show it. "I need to go girls" Gabriella stood up, "I'll see you later"
They said bye and Gabriella walked out of the cafeteria. She made her way to the drama class and saw Troy and Louise talking in front of the gym door. Gabriella rolled her eyes, Louise was certainly talking about the way she treated her. That was typical Louise, such a drama queen. Gabby ignored the pain in her heart when she saw they kissing and got inside the class.
"Oh, Ms. Montez, you arrived early" Ms. Darbus greeted her and she smiled, "Yeah miss, If you want I can come back at the right time. It's just—" she looked down for a second, "the cafeteria is too crowded, I wanted to breathe"
"Suffering from love I presume?" the teacher asked fixing her glasses. Gabriella sat down and just shrugged her shoulders.
"Things get better, my dear. The sun always comes out after the storm" she said, smiling at Gabriella, "To love and be loved is an art, Ms. Montez. When you suffer from it, it's when your best work comes out. You get inspiration" Ms. Darbus lifted her arms to dramatize, "It is like a tree, you can cut the trunk but if it's true love, it will grow up again because of the deepest roots, do you understand it, my dear?"
Gabriella nodded, as ironic as it could sound, for the first time in the year, she understood everything the teacher was trying to say and it actually made sense to her. If what Troy and her had was real love, things would work out for them somewhere in the road. It would definitely sound easier this way, but Gabriella couldn't see a happy ending to her love story.
"Uhm, thanks for your help Ms. Darbus, but I'm afraid what I want is not possible"
Ms. Darbus smile got widen, "Oh, impossible is the hidden ingredient for the best love stories"
The school bell rang and a few students arrived in the class, Ms. Darbus kept her speech not bothered at all at the noise they were making, "As I was telling Ms. Montez, the love is the most powerful feeling in the world and forbidden sometimes is good, but impossible is even better" she said with her high voice, "Mixing it we have… excellent"
Jason walked through Gabriella and winked to her, she gave him a small smile and moved her attention to Ms. Darbus again, "that's what led us to Romeo and Juliet. They died because of love" she said, her voice shaky with emotion, "Because of their forbidden and impossible love"
The teacher was interrupted by someone, "I wouldn't die to prove someone my love"
The class laughed and Ms. Darbus rolled her eyes, "Continuing with Shakespeare…"
; Later
Troy stared at his undone homework and moaned in frustration. For more than two hours he tried to finish it, but couldn't concentrate at all. He needed to see her. He had been missing Gabriella the whole day, her touch, her smile, her voice, her giggle… He closed his eyes, trying to remember why he was so apart from the girl of his dreams…
"Fucking Jason" he muttered to himself, shaking his head, "Fucking Gabriella"
As he opened his eyes, he couldn't stop thinking how could she do this to him – his heart ached badly as his mind took him back to the day he saw Gabriella and Jason kissing. But shit, even though he could kill Gabriella and Jason right now, he needed her, so much.
"she fucking cheated on you Troy" he whispered to himself smacking his forehead, "Why can't you stop missing her? Damn it"
He stood up, somehow his bed didn't seem too comfortable anymore and he wanted to sleep with her in her bed, holding her in his arms. Troy looked around his room, taking a deep breath as he though about a good excuse to go to her, talk to her, and maybe even hold her just for a little while. He sat on his computer chair, grabbing his IPhone and searching all the pics they took in London. He smiled seeing a picture of Gabriella on his lap, hugging him and stucking out her tongue to the camera… Geejz, was it even possible to grin the way he was grinning in the picture? He was so happy with her… Damn Gabriella for choosing Jason. His cell phone started vibrating indicating he got a new text message. He pressed the button read,
Missing you
Lou x
That was it. Louise. He would use her as an excuse to see Gabriella! He smirked and threw his phone on his bed, standing up from the chair and walking to Gabriella's room. He wasn't really mad at all that Ella treated Louise bad when she tried to register for the squad, but he would pretend it, just to make her jealous. She needed to understand everything he felt when he saw Jason and her kissing. He took a deep breath and invaded her room, "Why do you have to be such a bitch with Louise all the time? She told me how you treated her today"
Gabriella never moved her eyes from her book, "I treat her the way I think she deserves and I don't care what you think about it"
"Shit" he cursed, "why you always have to act like this?" Troy asked, shaking his head, "She's my girlfriend now and you need to treat her well"
Gabriella looked at Troy for the first time in the day, "She's your girlfriend, not mine. YOU need to treat her well" she said and placed a lock of her hair behind her ear, "But I don't"
Troy shook his head. Now he was actually starting to feel angry at her again. The Gabriella he used to love and know was nothing like this. She wouldn't treat someone bad on purpose, just because she felt like doing. His Ella wouldn't hurt someone's feeling. It was all about the new Gabriella, the knew girl he hated.
"You're just jealous so you have to try to put her down to make you feel good huh?" Troy ignored her shocked face, "But face it Gabriella, she is a better person than you are"
"A better person than I am?"
"Yep" he said calmly, "You'll never be as good as her"
Gabriella laughed in disbelief, "As good as her?" she stood up from her bed and walked to Troy, "As good as her?" she asked again, "So getting bad grades and sleeping with the whole swimming team is being good?"
"You sleep with everyone too" Troy snapped rudely, "I mean, after a week of dating, who knows. Aidan would probably be lucky too"
"You bastard" she whispered to him, afraid her parents could hear her, "You have no idea what you're talking about"
"Yeah, I do" he said smoothly, "Just make sure you use condoms, mom and dad don't need to raise your stupid baby"
Gabriella shook her head. Troy was making her sick inside. First, she was just an easy fuck, now she slept with the whole East High School and was expecting a baby.
"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but you have serious issues"
"Oh of course you don't know" he said sarcastically, "You and Jason don't know anything about it"
"What he has to do with this situation?" Gabriella asked really confused, "Why you're bringing Jase in our situation?
'Stupid actress' he thought to herself, defending her boyfriend in front of him. "We don't have a situation, Gabriella. I have a situation with Louise" Troy whispered to her, "You know what? I'm not wasting my time with you anymore" he said, "If you can't even admit your mistakes then I have nothing do to here"
"Yeah, you're right. You have nothing to do here" Gabriella agreed, walking to her door and opening it, "Get out" she grabbed the pink box with all their stuff, pictures, his shirts, a hoodie and a few presents he gave to her, "And take this with you, please"
Troy walked to her and grabbed the box, realization hitting him now. Their "situation" was over – she was giving him his stuff to be able to keep Jason's. He opened his mouth but closed before Gabriella could hear any sound and without looking back made his way to his room. Gabriella slammed her door. Troy was such a jerk! How could she fall in love with him?
"Ugh" she groaned as she threw herself on her bed and closed her eyes, "You are so stupid, so stupid"
Gabriella opened her eyes again and sat back on her bed. She had to remember all the bad things Troy told her, she didn't want to go through it anymore. She closed her book and grabbed a notebook. Maybe it was the perfect time to start a list with his bad qualities like the magazine said…
"That's the best way to remind you are much better without him, Gabriella" she whispered to herself, "You're much better without him"
She repeated it a few times. Gabriella knew she was better far from Troy, at least now. He was hurting her way too much and she couldn't take it anymore. But why she wasn't feeling better without him? Why she felt like her heart and body was craving for him? All she wanted to do was yell at him, tell him she hated him, but really meaning it. It just seemed impossible, she felt like she would never hate Troy. She could be mad at him for a few hours, but never hate him. Hate was way too much. Damn it, when she became so depended on Troy like this?
Gabriella let out a groan, lying down on her bed and closing her eyes. She had just lost her courage to make the list… again.
; Two weeks later
Troy and Gabriella woke up to the sound of a man's voice that after a few seconds awake they knew would be Frank Sinatra. When they walked out of their rooms and met in the corridor, they didn't say a thing, just went downstairs in silence with the smell of freshly baked cookies lingering their noses. They entered in the kitchen and were greeted by a chubby old woman.
"Look who's awake" the old lady said and Gabriella smiled widely, "Grandma!"
She ran to her grandmother's arms hugging her really tight, "You grew up too much my girl"
Gabriella giggled, looking at herself and turning around, "You think?"
Mae nodded, caressing her face, "My little baby has grown into a beautiful woman"
"Thanks grandma"
Mae looked at Troy, "You're all grown up as well, son. Every time I see you you're taller" she smiled, and opened her arms inviting Troy for a hug which he happily accepted.
"You're looking good too, Mae" he said into the hug, "Younger than ever"
"I've been watching MTV" the grandma said excited, "All these crazy tv shows…" she shook her head and stared at the two teenagers, "Something is different here, I can tell it"
Gabriella sat down and so did Troy, "we don't talk to each other anymore, maybe it's it"
"Why not?"
Troy shrugged his shoulders, "Long story" he replied, not really in the mood to remember the real reason he didn't talk with Gabriella anymore.
"You can't fight" Mae protested, looking with concerned eyes at the two teenagers. "You are uhm.. siblings"
"We are not siblings grandma, we just happen to live together" Gabriella told her, "Unfortunately" she added quickly.
"I don't understand what is going on. Last time I talked with you, everything was fine" she placed her glasses in her face, "I remember you were all excited about the trip to England"
Gabriella sighed as the image of her and Troy in London invaded her mind, she looked at with the corner of her eyes really quickly, but apparently Troy was more interested in staring at the wall, "Well things change, grandmother"
Mae studied her granddaughter and then Troy for more than a minute before speaking again, "Ok, if that's how you guys want to do, I won't say a thing" she sighed deeply, "Who wants a glass of milk and cookies?"
"I do" they said together. Troy chocked and muttered a "Whatever" in a low voice.
"Alright" she gave them the food and sat in front of them, watching they eat in silence, "So, Christmas this year is going to be quiet, really quiet…"
Gabriella shrugged off and Troy ignored Mae's comment, instead of it he focused his attention on taking a bite of his cookie, "the cookies are delicious, Mae"
Mae nodded in understand and kept watching as they ate. Something was really wrong here and she didn't know what it was. Troy and Gabriella were always incapable to stay apart for even an hour, but now they didn't even look at each other's face anymore? That was really strange.
"You guys know I was here the first time you were left in a room alone?" the teenagers looked up but didn't reply, "You had such a connection and after a second together were like best friends doing everything together"
Gabriella kept looking at her grandmother and Troy looked down, Mae continued, "Deep inside I always thought your relationship was different" she said and smiled, "I remember when Jack and Marina tried to make Gabriella sleep in her own room… I don't need to say it didn't work out, right?" she laughed and Gabriella and Troy couldn't help but smile a bit, "I guess she was like 5 or 6 and she was already crazy for you, son"
"What is the point of this whole conversation, Mae?" Troy suddenly asked, not wanting to sound rude, just curious, "Uh, I'm just being nostalgic here, I'm an old woman, let me have fun for a while" she said playfully and continued, "As I was saying. There was this time when you were in Texas with me for a week and Nikki, you guys remember Nikki?" Mae asked, "Your mom's best friend? She used to love me"
Gabriella laughed, "You're so full of yourself, granny"
Mae laughed as well, "I'm serious. So you guys remember her?" she asked again and they nodded, "So, she came to town with a Scottish boyfriend, Albert?"
"Alfred" Gabriella corrected her, "It was Alfred, granny"
"We used to call him Alf the furry alien" Troy said quietly without looking at Gabby, but Mae smiled, she was making progress, at least that's what she thought, "Anyways, she invited us to dinner and I bought Gabriella a really cute purple dress that made her look like a princess" Mae smiled and stared at the teenager girl, "If I close my eyes I still can see Troy's mouth dropping open when he saw you. And like you know I have the memory of an elephant and if I'm not wrong, he used the word angel to describe you"
Troy blushed badly and Gabriella looked at him with the corner of her eyes again, "I don't understand where you are trying to get, grandmother"
"The point is you have such a great relationship, it's not worth throwing it in the garbage because some stupid thing that might have happened between you two"
If only she knew what really happened between them she wouldn't say it. It was more complicated than anyone could ever know, but as much as Mae was trying to help it, Troy and Gabriella were the only ones that could solve their problem, IF they wanted to solve it. He felt betrayed and her, used. It was going to take them a long time to work all their problems out.
"I tried, Lord knows I tried" Mae whispered more to herself than the teenagers but they were able to hear it too, "How's school, Gabby?"
"Good"
"Still getting good grades I hope?" her grandmother asked, smiling, "Yup" she assured, "Top of the class as always" Gabriella giggled and took a sip of her milk.
"And the team, Troy?" Mae looked at him, "Everything going alright?"
"Yea" he replied nodding his head.
The awkward silence filled the kitchen again.
Gabriella sighed, "Where's mom and dad?"
"They went out" Mae replied quickly, "To help Santa, you know"
She giggled, "Alright"
Troy rolled his eyes and stood up. All this bullshit was too much for him, "I'm gonna visit Louise and then Chad, I'll be back in a few hours"
Mae couldn't help but feel curious, "Who's that?"
"Hmm" he rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed, "My girlfriend"
"Oh" Mae sounded disappointed, "for some crazy reason I always though you and Gabriella would end up together" she laughed and shook her head, "that would be fun"
Gabriella looked at Troy & for the first time in two weeks they shared a look. Her grandmother thought it would be fun if Troy and Gabriella dated? Wow, that was good news… at least if one day they decided to try again.
"That's never going to happen" Troy said coldly, "Gabriella will never be better than Louise"
The girl gulped, feeling more hurt than ever. The hopeful feeling she had a second ago draining from her. A pain so strong surged through her, it hurt so much Gabriella couldn't swear she could feel it physically too. She looked down, internally telling herself she couldn't cry right now. As she lifted her head her eyes met Troy's ice eyes, the once baby blue color completely dark now. She felt fury, fury for him treating her like that in front of her grandmother; comparing her to the girl she hated the most.
Mae looked at her granddaughter and was surprised she saw sadness in the girl's eyes; she looked at Troy, shaking her head, "You don't need to be rude at Gabriella, Troy"
He ignored the old woman and left the kitchen. Gabriella sighed, "Forget about it, grandmother. Troy is an asshole, everybody knows it" she fake smiled, "Do you maybe want to go to the mall with me? I need to buy something for Taylor and Sharpay"
Mae smiled at her sympathetically, "I'll be ready in 10 minutes"
; At the mall
"So, what do you want for Christmas? You know money is not a problem" her grandmother said, trying to make Gabriella really happy, "Just tell me"
Gabriella laughed, "You spoil me way too much Granny"
Mae grabbed Gabriella's hand while they walked, "You're my favorite granddaughter"
"I'm your only granddaughter" she said sarcastically, "But I do love to be spoiled by you"
They sat at Starbucks and ordered two coffees. Mae caressed Gabriella's hand and the girl smiled at her grandmother, "What?"
"You are so big" her voice shook with emotion, "I am so happy you are a great girl"
"Thanks" Gabriella smiled a real smile this time, "I was missing you!"
Mae laughed, "Me too, baby" she lean on top of the table and whispered, "You know if you want to tell me anything, I am here, right?"
Gabriella gulped, "yeah" she smiled, "Thanks"
The grandmother nodded, "Alright" she began, "Do you plan on getting your license soon?"
Gabby nodded as well, "Yeah, as soon as I can, but I still need to wait till my birthday"
"Yes, that's true" she agreed, "So a car is out of the list for now"
Gabriella giggled knowing her grandmother would really give her a car if she asked, "Yeah"
Mae rubbed her chin thoughtful, "What's your plans for next week?"
"I have none" she replied, "Shar will be in LA and Taylor is going to her aunt's house"
"Maybe you could come home with me & stay till the end of the month" Mae told her, "And Peter could keep you busy! You know your grandmother is old and sleeps early" she winked and laughed, "He is cute and a nice boy"
"That would be awesome, granny" Gabriella smirked, "But who the heck is Peter?"
"He is my neighbor and he is looking for a girlfriend" she sounded excited, "He's such a sweet boy"
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "I don't need a boyfriend Granny, especially one that lives in Texas"
"Who said anything about you needing a boyfriend?" she asked, "Just a holiday fling"
"I had no idea you knew what a fling was" Gabriella told her, laughing.
"I know lots of things, I told you I watch MTV sometimes with Pete" she laughed, "So, what do you say? It might be good for you to get away for a few days…"
"You're right" Gabriella said, "I'm so into it, granny. I'd love to spend a few days with you"
Mae smiled, "Let's go to a travel shop to buy the plane tickets when we finish the coffee"
"Awesome"
; Later
"We're home" Mae yelled from the entrance, Gabriella followed her inside and closed the door with the help of her foot. Marina stepped in the living room and looked shocked at the quantity of bags they had in their hands, "Wow, you bought the whole mall, mom?"
Gabriella laughed and Mae put her shopping bags under the tree. She sat on the couch, rubbing circles on her knees, "Just a few things for my granddaughter"
Marina nodded, "Few, huh?"
They heard the backyard door shutting and then footsteps. A second later, Jack walked to the living room with a huge smile on his face, "Where is Troy, Nina?"
"Just got home" she replied, "He is upstairs"
"I need everybody here. It's present time!" Jack said, tickling Gabriella a little, "Can you get your brother here, Gabsy?"
Gabriella moaned frustrated, "Troy isn't my brother. How many times I have to tell you this?"
Marina rolled her eyes, "I can't believe you guys are still acting like this"
"I already told you to work out what the hell is going on with you" Jack shook his head, "I didn't raise kids to hate each other"
"Daddy!" she cried out, "Don't make me go there"
"Gabriella…" her mother looked at her with pleading eyes, "Please"
"UGH! I'm getting him" she grumbled, but made her way upstairs, cursing Troy internally. She knocked on his door and he opened it after a minute, "Yea?"
"Dad wants you downstairs" Gabriella said and turned around to leave but Troy held her hand, making her stop and look at him again. He gulped; he didn't know what to do. A minute ago he was alone in his room cursing her and now he wanted to touch and kiss her so much. Troy needed to tell her he didn't mean all the bad things he said, but he couldn't. He looked at her red lips and once again saw Jason's lips crashing on hers, sucking the lips that once belonged to Troy, only him. Damn it, what if Gabriella had slept with Jason too? What if she was still sleeping with him? What if he asked her to be his girlfriend as a Christmas present? That was too much; he knew he wouldn't survive after this. Fucking Jason Cross – why he had to go after his Gabriella. But again, Ella couldn't have said no if she wanted. The truth was, she always had a crush on Jason and now, everywhere he went in school they were talking, laughing, hugging the other… he was always there when he got home after practice or Gabriella was always at his house. Shit, Troy wanted to punch Jason so bad.
"Yes?" she asked softly, her eyes blinking with hope as she studied his puzzled expression, "What do you want Troy?"
Troy shook his head, "It's nothing, forget it"
She nodded, "If you say so"
They walked downstairs side by side, both of them looking down. Gabriella still savoring the sensation in her stomach when Troy held her hand a minute or two ago. She sat on her grandmother's side and Mae smiled to her, "Everything okay?" she asked and Gabriella just nodded, "Fine"
"What's up paps?"
Jack Bolton smiled, "Present time, boy"
Troy sat on the floor and Daisy ran to him, resting her head on his lap. He caressed the dog's ears lazily as he watched his father bent down in front of the three and grab a big pink box, "This one is for my princess Gabsy"
Gabriella stood up with a large smile on her face, "I thought I wasn't going to get a present since I went to Cambridge"
"No way, baby girl" her father kissed her forehead and gave her the box, "Hope you like it"
As she sat on the floor to open her present, Troy couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked. Even though she was already a woman, Gabriella acted like a baby sometimes. And Troy used to like it – he loved the fact he could protect and spoil her. He shook his head, afraid it was not his work anymore. It was Jason's.
"Wow, it's the pink notebook I wanted!" Gabriella exclaimed and hugged her father, "Thanks, dad" she kissed her mom, "Thanks mama"
"We're glad you liked, sweetie. You kept talking about that computer the whole month" Marina smiled and tucked a lock of Gabriella's hair behind her ear.
She giggled, "It's amazing, thanks again"
"My turn" Mae gave Gabby a small box, "Another one, granny?"
Mae shrugged her shoulders, "I like giving presents, sue me"
She giggled and opened the box, "wow" she whispered as she grabbed a white gold necklace with a diamond G as a pendant, "I loved it, granny" she kissed her grandmother's cheek, "Mom, dad, granny gave me another present today and I wanna know if it's ok"
"What is that? Jack asked, "Not something huge I hope"
Mae laughed, "I'm taking her home with me for a week, is it a problem?"
"Of course not" Marina replied faster, "But that means Troy will be home alone"
Troy looked up at his parents, "Why?"
"Your mother and I are going away for New Year" Jack was the one that replied, "but will be back just a day after it"
Gabriella contemplated the conversation at hand and as she glanced up for a moment to gather up her thoughts her eyes met Troy's. His bright blue eyes glimmering like sapphires, looking at her so, so… Actually, she had no idea what was going on Troy's mind, for the first time in her life she felt scared – Gabby didn't know at all what he was thinking or feeling, and she used to be so good in knowing him.
"I uhm, I'll be home in New Year's Eve" Gabriella sighed, "He won't be alone, don't worry"
Jack nodded smiling "Ok then"
"Next, Troy" Mae gave him a new Xbox and he got very happy. "Thanks, Mae" he hugged the older lady and sat on the couch again.
Gabriella grabbed a square box underneath the tree, "It's a basket ball, your ball is old, so I thought you'd like that" she said, throwing him the present. He grabbed the ball when it was still in the air, "Thanks" he gave her a weak smile, "I have a present for you too"
He placed the ball on the couch and grabbed this yellow package under the tree, "It's a book about stars" he shrugged his shoulders, "You like it so much I thought it would be a good idea"
"Thanks" she said and grabbed the package.
Marina, Jack and Mae felt really embarrassed at the way the two teenagers were treating the other – like if they haven't been the best of friends for their whole life till now, but apparently there was nothing they could do.
"Our time" Marina said, "Ok, since you're almost 17…" she began with a large grin and looked at Jack. He grabbed a car key in his back pocket and gave it to Troy, "Merry Christmas, son"
Troy smirked and hugged his parents, "That's amazing"
Gabriella sat on her grandmother side again and rested her head on her shoulder.
"Can I see it?" Troy asked excited, "Where is it?"
"I just parked it in the driveway" Jack said and before he could say anything else, Troy was already running outside. He laughed and looked at his daughter, "Aren't you gonna see your brother's car, Gabsy?"
Gabriella shook her head, "Later, daddy"
Marina and Jack left outside too and Mae hugged Gabriella. She knew her secret, she had been using her time with Gabriella to add all pieces to the puzzle.
"I know what's happening between you two, I know"
She looked at her in the eyes, visibly scared, "what?!"
"You like him Gabby, it's pretty obvious"
Gabriella shook her head slowly. That wasn't happening. She felt dizzy, weak, completely nervous – all feelings at the same time. She held on to the couch, feeling literally weak, like she could faint any moment now.
Mae stroked her pale cheek, "Gabriella, look at me" she called the girl, getting worried, "Are you feeling okay?"
"I-I" she ran out of words and started crying, "I didn't want too, it happened"
"It's not your fault, I know" her grandmother told her calmly, "It's not a problem for me, baby"
"I like him so much" Gabriella hid her face on her grandmother's chest, sobbing hard, "But he doesn't like me at all"
"it's ok, Gabby" she rubbed her back slowly, comforting the teenager, "I'm here for you know, baby girl"
"Please don't tell anyone" Gabriella managed to whisper in between her sobs, "Please"
Mae kissed the top of her head, "Don't worry. It's our secret, baby. Granny is gonna take care of you now"
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