Disclaimer: I don't own HSM or anything related to it. I own the story though and it's purely fictional, nothing happened in the real life and Gabriella and Troy were never and will never be siblings in the movie. ENJOY your reading !!! ;0)
Chapter 23;
The News
A middle aged man drove down the road looking around for the right street name. He smiled as he finally drove his car to the right street and was now searching with his eyes for the right house number. He couldn't help but think that was a really great neighborhood after all. A few kids were playing outside their houses and two teenagers rode their bikes in the middle of the street, not bothering there were cars passing through it.
"Number 4371, that's here" he murmured to himself as he parked his car the opposite side of a huge yellow house. The man turned the radio off and stepped outside the vehicle, stretching up his legs after too much driving. He looked straight ahead and two teenagers, a guy and a girl were taking a few suitcases from a black Ford Shelby GT and putting it on the backyard of the house.
The man watched as the brown haired boy rested his back against the car after shutting the door as said something to the teenager girl that made her laugh. He was dressed in a white full zip hoodie, dirty navy jeans and was using a navy cap backwards. The brunette girl that was wearing a gray and pink striped dress kept putting up his hoodie, but the boy kept on taking it off. That small action between them would take them to loud giggles and the man couldn't help but smile that they seemed to be having so much fun in their own little world that they didn't even realize him standing in their house backyard.
A yellow Golden Retriever that a minute ago was sleeping calmly on the grass ran to him and he took a few steps back, afraid of the size of the animal.
"Daisy, leave the man alone" the brunette warned and the dog immediately looked back and faced her. "Don't worry, sir. She isn't the type of dog that is into attacking" the boy now said and bent down at the dog's level, "Come here, girl"
The dog ran back to her owner, bumping into the suitcases and throwing herself on the floor to show the boy her stomach. The teenager laughed and caressed her, "you're such a spoiled little princess"
The girl giggled and the boy looked at her and winked before turning his attention to the old man, "Are you lost, sir? Do you need any help?"
"No, I'm in the right place" the middle aged man said and smiled. "My name is Joshua Barnes and I'm looking for Mr. Bolton"
The boy stood up, "We just arrived from California, but I presume my dad isn't home" he informed, "His car isn't here"
"But mom probably is" the girl added and the boy nodded, "Yeah, mom is here, she's always home Sunday morning"
The man seemed curious. "Your mom?"
"Yep"
"Hmm okay" the man grabbed his glasses inside his suit pocket and put it on his face, "I'm actually looking for Mr. Troy Bolton" he informed and continued, "And considering the details I have about him, I would 100 percent say that the younger Bolton is you"
The boy gulped and the girl grabbed his hand for support. "Am I in trouble, sir?"
Joshua Barnes laughed, "I can assure you that you're not" he offered his hand, "Nice meeting you, Troy. You can call me Josh, I'm the family lawyer"
Troy looked at Gabriella apprehensively, but shook Josh's hand anyway, "She's Gabriella"
"Hey" she said softly and offered the lawyer a smile, "I had no idea the family had a private lawyer"
"Oh, I'm not here representing the Bolton family, but Mitchell family" he explained them, "Mitchell as in Laise Marie Janet Mitchell"
"Who's that?" Gabriella asked, unable to stop her curiosity.
"My mom" Troy replied emotionless, "Look Mr. Barnes, I don't need any information about her, she left me 14 years ago and I have another mother now"
Josh smiled at him, "I just want to talk to you for thirty minutes, that's all I'll ask, Troy"
Gabriella shrugged. "It's only 30 minutes, Boo"
He sighed and grabbed the suitcases from the floor, "alright, follow us inside, Mr. Barnes"
The man smiled before following the teenagers into the house. The dog kept trying to sniff him but as soon as they got inside and placed their suitcases on the living room floor, Daisy made her way to her bed beside the couch.
"Ma, are you there?" Troy called and heard a yeah coming from the kitchen, "Can you come here, please?"
A minute later Marina arrived in the living room with a large smile on her face and hugged the two teenagers.
"How was California?"
"Great" they said together before Gabriella pointed to the man across the living room. "We have company, mama"
Marina examined the middle aged man with curiosity. He introduced himself as Joshua Barnes only, he didn't feel the need to inform the woman he was Troy's mother's lawyer.
"Would you like something to drink, Mr. Barnes?" she asked politely and he shook his head. "Is Mr. Bolton available?"
"I was about to call him" Marina replied, "Can you excuse me please?"
Joshua nodded and she walked out of the room. Troy and Gabriella sat down side by side on the couch and Troy motioned with his hand for Josh to sit as well.
"I like it here, it's a nice house" Joshua told the teenager as he looked around their cozy house. "Do you like it here?"
"Yes, it's awesome" Troy said trying to sound nice, but feeling really nervous.
"I actually don't have much time here" Josh admitted, "I have a flight back home tomorrow morning and need to start packing up"
Gabriella looked at him, "Where are you from, sir?"
"New York"
She smiled widely, "The city that never sleeps"
Troy rolled his eyes, "Gabriella is crazy about NY. She wants to go to NYU"
"I went there" Josh smiled, "It's an excellent university"
"Yeah" Gabriella replied excitedly, "I wanna be a journalist and work for NY Times"
He smiled. "That's great plans, Gabriella"
"Yeah, but I wanna go to UCLA" Troy informed and then added, "It's a big issue here, but she made me promise I'll try NYU too"
Gabriella giggled. "He loves to surf, that's why he wants to go to California"
Joshua laughed as well. "You still have time to decide. How old are you?"
"I'm 17 and Ella is 16"
"See," the lawyer told them, "Too much time to decide, at least Gabriella"
Troy chuckled. "Yeah"
Marina came back with Jack behind her. He introduced himself as Jack Bolton and sat on the couch. Marina stood behind the couch and placed both hands on Jack's shoulder. Joshua could see they were nervous.
"So, Mr. Barnes, what can we do for you?" Jack tried to sound relaxed but failed badly.
"Mr. Bolton, you probably won't like me here, but I'm representing one of my most important clients, Ms. Laise Mitchell"
Jack's eyes widened. "Laise?"
"Yes" the lawyer replied, "I'm her lawyer for more than 10 years now"
Jack rubbed his head. "Ok, but that does not concern my family"
"Troy is her family too"
"He is not" Marina said abruptly, "She gave up on him when he was only a baby! She has no right to consider Troy as family"
"Mom, calm down" Troy looked at her embarrassed with her behavior, "Let Mr. Barnes talk… please"
"Thank you Troy" he smiled and Marina sighed, "Ms. Mitchell was trying for a while now to get in touch with Troy, but I assume I took some time to find your new house. I had an old address, from 15 years ago"
"We moved to a bigger house when we got married" Marina said, "The kids needed space"
"Mr. Barnes" Jack began, "don't get me wrong, I don't wanna sound rude because I understand you're only doing your job, but we don't want anything with Laise and I'm sure Troy isn't looking forward to meeting the woman that abandoned him"
Troy looked down for a second. Why do his parents needed to talk about him like he wasn't there? Nobody took the time to ask him if he wanted to meet Laise or not – he would probably say no anyway, but Troy just wanted to be able to choose. He felt Gabriella lacing their fingers and looked at her, "I'm okay" he lied and she gave him a sympathetically smile. She knew him too well. "I'm fine, really" he whispered to her and Gabriella nodded in agreement.
"I knew that already, Mr. Bolton" Joshua Barnes said, "Ms. Mitchell informed me that would probably be your reaction" he took his glasses off his face and placed on his lap carefully, "But I'm afraid that even though she wanted so much to get in touch with Troy, she can't. Laise died from cancer a month ago"
Troy got immediately pale and Gabriella covered her mouth in shock. Jack rested against the couch and looked down, shaking his head sadly. Marina quickly pushed her fingertips on her husband's shoulder in support. Joshua waited for a few seconds before talking again, "Ten years ago Ms. Mitchell started a computer company that became a huge success and she earned tons of money with it" he informed the family, "She was really good with computers and mathematics"
Troy heard the lawyer speech with full attention – it was the first information about his mother he heard since she left 14 years ago. Laise was a name that wasn't allowed to be pronounced in the Montez-Bolton home. She was still a painful subject for Troy and Jack.
"Your mother would fix any computer problem without taking more than an hour to discover it"
Troy smiled to his dad, seeing in his eyes that his heart was hurting as well. They shared a sympathetic look for a second till Josh started talking again.
"Laise told me once you met when she helped you with a work in the computer lab"
"Yes" Jack smiled and nodded, "I got an A+ because of her"
Joshua laughed and Troy couldn't help but smile. Marina, on the contrary, seemed really uncomfortable with the whole conversation, so the lawyer decided it was best to go straight to the point. "Moving on" he smiled at Troy and Gabriella, "When she found out she was sick and had no cure to it anymore, Laise sold her company and the money from the deal she decided it would go to her family"
Jack nodded. "That's a good thing to do. Her aunt will like it"
"I bet she would" Joshua agreed. "But she considered Troy as her only family. Laise never married nor had other children"
"What does it mean?"
Joshua stared at Troy. "That means two things"
Troy gulped. "Can you please tell me, sir?"
"First" Joshua Barnes began, "It means now I'm your lawyer as well"
"Okay" Troy nodded, "And the second one?"
Joshua grinned. "You're a millionaire now, Troy. Thanks to your mom"
Troy tried to sink in the information, but it seemed too much. He stood up, shaking his head violently. "I-I don't want her money, sir"
"You're her only son, Troy. That makes you her heir automatically"
Jack, Marina and Gabriella had no words at all. They kept staring at Troy's reaction as he continued to shake his head, "I, I'm" he rubbed the back of his neck in desperation, "I need some air, excuse me"
Before anyone could say or do anything Troy ran outside the house, shutting the door hard behind him. He slowly walked to the street and sat on the kerb, his hands between his knees and his head looking down. He was feeling completely dizzy and was really sure he could throw up anytime now. Troy squeezed the breath in and out of his lungs as tears filled his eyes. He didn't know why he was crying, he didn't know his mother at all and he was sure she didn't feel anything for him or she wouldn't have left him behind. But Troy just felt like crying even though he was crying over someone unknown to him. The tears rolled down his cheeks and he wiped them quickly. He felt like a loser everytime he cried and Jack always told him that a Bolton is strong and never cries.
He felt someone's hand grasp on his shoulder in an attempt to be supportive and when he looked up it was Gabriella, his Ella. Always her. She sat on his side, wrapping an arm around his waist, "How are you holding up Boo?"
Troy shrugged. "I'm fine" he lied but she didn't believe him. "I'll make it" he finally admitted and they sat in silence for a while. The tension of the situation brewed between Gabriella and Troy and he looked down again and started crying hard, making Gabriella's heart fall into pieces.
"Baby, please don't cry" she caressed his back in comfort, "Talk to me, Troy"
"I hated her so much for so long, Ella" he admitted without looking up, "Damn it. I was so angry she left me and didn't even try to contact me all these years"
Gabriella stroked his hair, "It's understandable, Troy"
"Yea" he agreed and continued, "But now this lawyer shows up and tells me she's gone and I feel so guilty" Troy whispered and looked at her, "And I'm so angry she left me again and I didn't even get the chance to meet her"
"I'm sorry for your lost, baby" Gabriella said softly, "I really am"
"I know you are" Troy said back and wiped his tears away from his face, "What do you think I should do about it?" he asked, "I mean, about the money, should I take it?"
"I don't know, it's your decision" she gave him a blue envelope, "Mr. Barnes told me to give it to you"
Troy examined the envelope, turning it around and seeing his name written in a female handwriting. Gabriella stood up, dusted off her dress and gave him a kiss on the top of his head, "I'll leave you alone"
Troy didn't say a thing, just kept hypnotized by the piece of paper in his hands. He opened it and his heart raced fast as he realized it was a letter from his mom. Troy took off his cap and fixed his hair, wanting to look beautiful for her subconsciously. It was the first sight of her in so many years and even though she couldn't see him, Troy wanted to cause a good impression on her. He unfolded the letter and started reading…
"Dear Troy,
Many years ago I made the hugest mistake in my life and I assure you I still regret it by now. I abandoned you because of an unhappy marriage that used to make me feel in prison. As much as I loved you, I couldn't stand there anymore or I'd end up dying. I admit my plan was never leaving you alone, Troy, but I knew Jack couldn't make it without you, so I decided, even though it hurt so much, that it would be better for him to stay with you. In the end of the day, I had nowhere to go, I couldn't risk you starving or being cold.
I know you probably won't believe me, but having you as a son was the best feeling I could ever feel. When I looked into your eyes for the first time my heart overflew with feelings I had never known before. Seventeen years ago, I promised myself I would always be there for you, that I'd catch you everytime you fell, but I failed Troy. I failed badly and I regret it everyday. I regret not being around for you on your first day in school, when you started riding a bicycle and on your birthdays. You won't remember it because you were too small, but the night I decided to run away, I went to your room to say goodbye and you were sleeping so peacefully, you looked like a little angel. You were my little angel, Troy. My eyes till this day fill with tears when I remember what I felt like hugging you for the last time in my life.
I wanted to come back a day after, a month after and a year after I left you. I wanted to come back even though I was away for too many years, but I was afraid you wouldn't accept me anymore because I knew you had a new mummy and I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with the fact you wouldn't recognize me at all. And I've been near you so many times and you had no idea of it. I used the "advantage" of not being recognized by you anymore and I had the honor to see you as a little child and a teenager. Fortunately, before getting sick like I am today as I write this letter, I saw one of your games at East High School and let me tell you I'm so proud of you. My little baby has grown into a gorgeous and nice young man. Tell Jack and Marina congratulations for raising such a perfect human being.
I'm sorry Troy, for not being there for you the time I lived, and for not being there for you when you graduate, marry or have your own kids. Forgive me for being a terrible mother, such a weaker person that couldn't even be strong for her most precious gift. Please, accept the money Joshua explained you about. I worked pretty hard all these years to be able to provide you a good future. Use the money for what you want, go to college, buy something you like… maybe a car. It's your money and you can choose how you want to spend it. All the time I worked my body to exhaustion I'd do it thinking of you, of all the things I could offer you instead of my love, that I knew I couldn't do anymore, it was too late. Don't think I'm trying to buy your affection with money, I'd never do that, believe me.
I thank God everyday for being able to know you, have you by my side for two wonderful years and having you with me for the rest of my life inside my heart. I'll always be thankful for being chosen to give you life, never forget it. I miss you and I'll love you for the rest of my days.
Your mom, Laise"
The world became silently and tears flooded down his pale face when he read "Troy & Laise" and the date of fourteen years before in the back of a picture inside the envelope. He felt like his heart stopped when he slowly turned it around, seeing his mother and him hugging on it. His little baby arms were around her neck and she looked at him with the sweetest smile he had ever seen. Troy looked down and a tear hit Laise's long blond hair, running slowly down the picture and getting lost on the ground. Troy never wanted so much his mother with him like he wanted today, but it was just too late, too damn late.
xTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGxTGx
"Can I come in?" he heard her angel voice and looked at his room's door, nodding. Gabriella closed the door behind her and walked to him. She sat on the edge of his bed and opened his arms, inviting him for her. Troy gave her a half-smile before crawling to her to hug her.
"How are you feeling?" she asked as he lay his head on her lap and closed his eyes.
"Better" he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist to feel her closer to him.
She brushed his hair away from his eyes. "Really?"
"Yea" he whispered before giving her a kiss on her stomach, "thanks for your support"
"No problem Boo" Gabriella bent down and kissed his forehead, "have you decided what you're going to do?"
Troy nodded. "I'll get the money, she would like that"
Gabriella smiled. "I'm glad you guys are finally in peace"
"Me too" he sat straight in front of her, "And I'm sorry for everything that happened. I know we were planning on talking with mom and dad about us today, but everything got so confused"
"It's okay baby" she pecked him on the lips slowly, "I understand"
"I'm going to NY next week with dad, to sign a few papers" Troy stroked her arm, "I'm gonna talk to him, I promise"
She smiled and nodded, "Okay"
; A week later
"Alright, Mr. Troy Bolton" Josh Barnes gave him a smile after the boy signed the papers, "You are officially a millionaire"
Troy tried to smile but it made his face hurt. He wasn't happy he had won more than two million dollars at all. Of course he knew he wouldn't have to worry about the money anymore, but Troy didn't need so much money to be happy anyway. One thing kept bugging him a lot – he wished he tried to get in touch with Laise when she was still alive. His mother seemed to be a very nice person and he regretted every second now not being a part of her life.
"He can use the money whenever he wants?" Jack asked, still concerned about what his son would do with so much money, "I mean, it's a huge responsibility for a 17 year old boy to have more than 2 million dollars"
"I know" the lawyer said, "Laise wanted him to use the money straight ahead, but I convinced her it would be better wait till Troy reached his 21st birthday. Of course, he will be able to get the money at 18 to college if necessary, but other than that, he will have to wait till 21 to get in charge of his fortune"
"Mr. Barnes?" Troy moved his attention from the paper to the man again, "Here says I have a car and an apartment as well?"
"Yes. Your mother didn't want to sell it, in case you want to live in New York City someday. And the car you call sell it and get the money or do what you want to do with it" he smiled sympathetically at the boy's concerned face, "Don't worry Troy. You'll get used to it"
"Yea" he fake chuckled "I guess I won't have to find a summer job anymore to pay school, dad"
Jack rolled his eyes, "I don't want you failing school and your responsibilities just because you have money now, Troy. You're still the same person, understood?"
Troy gulped. "Yes, sir"
"Well" Jack stood up and offered his hand to Joshua, "We'll go now. We have a flight back home tonight"
The lawyer shook his hand. "Okay" he looked at Troy and smiled, "I'm looking forward to work for you, Troy"
Troy smiled and nodded, "That will be cool, thanks Mr. Barnes"
They said their goodbyes and stepped out the office and into the elevator. Troy hummed a song as he avoided looking at Jack, because his father was still looking at him severely. He didn't remember doing anything bad but his dad seemed to be so nervous since he heard about Troy getting money.
"Are you okay, paps?" Troy asked as they walked to a cab, "I mean, you look weird"
"I'm fine" Jack replied and gave their hotel directions to the driver, "I'm just worried. You are too young to have so much money, Troy"
"I'm not irresponsible, dad" he replied annoyed. "Gosh, you've been repeating the same thing for a week now"
"I know" Jack sighed. "But having money sometimes is a big problem. You need to be even more responsible now"
Troy nodded. "I will, chill" they shared an uncomfortable silence for a minute. "Gabriella is gonna love that I have an apartment here in NY. Maybe she can stay there when she comes to NYU"
"Maybe" Jack agreed not very excited. The cab stopped in front of their hotel and they made their way to their room, once again in silence. As they walked into their room and closed the door, Troy sat down on the couch of the suite and thought if it was a good idea to talk about his relationship with Gabriella now that Jack was so nervous. He ended up deciding it was best to wait till they got home tonight to have Gabriella's help. She always knew how to calm down their dad. When they arrived home, Jack locked himself inside his office skipping even dinner. Troy and Gabriella were forced to go to their rooms to finish homework and when they finished it, Marina and Jack were already in their bedroom.
Two weeks passed since Troy's trip to NY and the two teenagers couldn't find time to be together alone anymore or talk to their parents about their situation. They had finals coming and Gabriella was freaking out because she couldn't study, cheerlead and give attention to her boyfriend at the same time. She was in all advanced classes, this way the teachers were giving more homework every single day and that was driving her nuts.
Troy had been practicing too much for the final game in the end of the semester and trying to study to his exams as well, since his grades in math and chemistry were really low because somehow he couldn't concentrate thinking about his precious girlfriend and roommate. With all his activities, Troy was always tired and with a headache after practice because Jack was pushing him too hard. When Troy complained about it, Jack would roll his eyes and ignore him, but he knew there was a reason Jack was extremely severe with him now, he was worried Troy would give up all his dreams just because he had the money to break the rules now.
Even though Troy tried to tell him everytime that he wouldn't fail school or give up his basketball scholarship, his father couldn't relax, not even during weekends. So every night he did the same routine: practice, homework, study for finals, sleep during dinner and then sleep again when he got to his bed.
One night, after days of not seeing Troy awake at home, Gabriella found him in the kitchen, looking for something to eat inside the fridge. She certified they were alone and hugged him from behind, "hey sleepy beauty" she joked as she gave him a kiss on his back, "I missed seeing you awake"
"Hi Ella" he looked back at her and smiled, "Nice to see you here"
"What you're looking for?"
"Turkey" he whispered to her, "My stomach is rumbling"
She smiled at him. "I'll make you a sandwich, sit down"
Troy nodded and sat down watching her move through the kitchen getting all the ingredients she needed to make him his favorite turkey sandwich.
"Ella?" he asked and she looked back at him, ""Have you noticed dad is acting weird since I got my money?"
Gabriella nodded. "You think he is mad because I accepted her money?"
"Nah" she gave him his sandwich and sat on his lap to watch him eat, "I think mom and dad are having problems about this"
"Why?"
"I don't know" she admitted, "I heard something, but I'm not sure if that's the problem"
Troy bit his sandwich and waited till she continued. "I think mom's jealous of your mom"
He chewed and swallowed the bread. "But she is… uhm… dead"
Gabriella sighed. "I know, but I think she thinks daddy still likes her"
"Ohh" he put his food away, "that's would explain why he is always nervous"
"Yup" she said and wrapped her arms around his neck, "But enough with this, I was missing my extremely hot boyfriend"
Troy grinned. "You were, eh? And he is hot?"
"Mm hmm" she bit her lower lip to avoid smiling and corrected him, "Extremely hot"
Troy stood up with her in his arms and Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist. "I'm gonna take you to bed right now and you're showing me exactly how you were missing me"
Gabriella giggled as he started kissing her neck. He slowly climbed the stairs, feeling blissful with her laugh filling his ears. She pushed him back a little and kissed him on the lips hungrily. Troy smirked into the kiss and leaned her against the wall to kiss her properly. She hugged him tighter by the neck and opened her mouth to receive Troy's tongue. He sucked on her lower lip while his hand stroked from her legs to her tights gently.
"TROY? GABRIELLA?" they pulled away as soon as they were called. They turned their heads at the same time and Jack Bolton stood in front of them with an expression that was difficult to read, "What the fuck is going on here?"
Troy thought about making a joke about cursing, but maybe sense of humor wouldn't be a good idea right now. He sighed and closed his eyes, to reopen it a second later.
"Dad, we can explain" Troy said while Gabriella buried her face on his neck and hugged him tighter. He could feel her petite figure shaking badly. Marina stepped out of her room with all the noise coming from the corridor, "Guys, it's late. Can't you be quiet?"
"They were kissing" Jack yelled, "They were fucking kissing"
"Who was kissing? What you're talking about?"
"Fuck Nina. Look at them. Troy and Gabriella were kissing!"
Marina's eyes widened and she realized Troy's hand was still on Gabriella's tights. "Put your sister down Troy… NOW!"
Troy took a deep breath and put Gabriella down. The girl kept hugging him and he knew he had to be strong for her. He kissed her hair and stared back at their parents, "She's not my sister. Ella is my girlfriend"
I'll update the second part of the chapter in a couple of days… don't forget to review and tell me what you think!
BTW I'm pretty sure Laise would be a great mom to Troy, it's a shame she's dead already LOL xoxo