A/N: So, I know this isn't as fluffy as it was before, but it had to come to an end sometime. I really hope you like where I'm going with this. So thank you everyone for reading and reviewing!
Fear writhed in Gabriella's stomach like a hungry snake. Her dark eyes were straining to remain focused on curly haired Mr. Garble and not turn around to see what she knew would be a pure portrait of pain. She knew if she glanced backwards her heart would be shattered into a million sharp glass pieces. Even though she knew it was useless, last night after hanging up the phone with him, she secretly prayed that he would just be tired. Everything would be fine and he would be trailing his course hand across the tingling hairs on the back of her neck, making their laughs harmonize together.
She had to start learning that her life never worked out the way she wanted it to.
"Okay," Garble clapped his large hands excitedly before scanning the eager students. Fridays always brought out the best in everyone. Well, most everyone, even if the basketball captain had a game that evening that he needed to be pumped up for. "You guys have the rest of the period to work on your projects. Use it wisely. Who's in the booth today?" His thin hand pointed towards the closed set of the doors that led to the sound studio.
"We are!" A girl with strawberry blonde hair raised her hand happily before her partner stood from their desks quickly.
"Okay then. Get to work the rest of you." Garble winked at the rest of the class, which suddenly burst into jumpy voices.
Braving what she knew would be coming; the toffee eyes slowly lead her head around so she was turning her slim body with it. Fading into view might have been the most heart smashing sight Gabriella had ever experienced. His normally golden face was drained into a ghostly white glow. The long fingers on the table were drumming impatiently as though he was waiting for something to jump through the dark window that he was staring distantly out of with his colorless orbs. He didn't seem to be staring at anything, maybe something in his mind, but nothing present outside in the grey sky.
"Troy?" Gabriella questioned softly, not wanting to startle him. His pits slowly moved from the spot he was gazing at and locked on her. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest as their eyes seemed to penetrate through each other. The heat in the room expelled into a burst of flames, making it difficult for Gabriella to move her lips. "We uh… we can get to work now."
Troy shook his heavy head as though he was trying to shake out the thoughts that were welded inside. Gabriella bit her bottom lip tenderly before Troy attempted to flash her a world famous smile, but it really turned into a crooked line that she could barely recognize. "Sorry… I wasn't paying attention."
Gabriella nodded shyly and then turned her attention down to the paper that way lying uselessly in her hands. She desperately wanted to ask him what was going on, but she knew she would not get a straight answer even if she did. Troy was so mysterious about these things that it often scared her. Scared her to the point that she didn't want to get him anymore upset then what he already was. He looked so distraught that anything else would cause him to melt in the hard seat he was in.
Then she felt a cold, yet loving feeling softly touch her cheek and gently caress the smooth skin beneath the icy hand. Gabriella's chocolate eyes looked through her brow upwards to see that Troy was softly touching her, as though SHE needed to be comforted. It was the complete opposite, but Gabriella couldn't help to lean into the hypnotic touch and inhale the musky scent of him that she loved so much.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered desperately, but it scared Gabriella. It wasn't because he wanted to remind her of it, it was almost as though he was savoring every moment with her. Their eyes never left each other, completely unaware of the points and whispers they were getting throughout the room. It was so unlike them to be putting their relationship on display. It was bound to cause a scene.
"You flatter me too much." Gabriella attempted unsuccessfully to make the situation lighter.
Troy shook his head and leaned foreword, pressing his strong forehead against her own and inhaling deeply. "I don't do it enough as I should."
Gabriella let out a defeated sigh, knowing that she wasn't going to argue with him in this state. She reluctantly pulled out of his frozen grasp to watch his face fall slightly. "So… we're um… we're in studio next week."
Troy cleared his throat almost embarrassedly before leaning towards the sheet, letting the cool breath float across her face. Hot trembles ran uncontrollably down her spine. Fire and ice. "Uh… sounds good. Why did we pick the last week to get in?"
His awful attempt to rid of the pain across his face was evident to a blind person. But she followed his lead, anything to humor him. "Because we're just stupid," She mumbled lightly, actually causing a flicker of amusement on Troy's face that quickly disappeared as fast as it came. "So… are you ready for tonight?" Gabriella questioned, attempting to get insight at the cause of his troubles.
Troy's strong shoulders rose in carelessness. "I guess. It's just another game right?"
Gabriella nodded encouragingly. "No reason to be nervous. You always do incredible."
His white eyes dropped to the sturdy table. "Yeah… I guess."
Gabriella let another useless sigh out of her mouth before gingerly placing a smooth hand onto his prickly skin. "I'll be in the front row… cheering for you."
That brought a slightly brighter shade of color to trickle on his face. That made Gabriella's heart expand cheerfully, if there was a little hint that he was still human, she would take it. "Thanks. You're still coming over tonight after the guys leave right?"
The memory of the future night ran through Gabriella's brain like a wild horse loose. After the game, Troy was going to have the guys over and the girls were going to go over to Kelsi's, since either gender wanted to deal with world war three again. Neither Chad nor Taylor had started anything this week again, but Gabriella had noticed the longing looks bubbling from each of them. She was certain that she would probably get a rant tonight, whether she wanted one or not.
"I won't miss it even if they handcuffed me to a chair." Gabriella smiled brightly, expected a kinky comment about how hot that would be. Troy remained frustratingly silent.
"You want to stay the night?" Troy hopefully asked, colors filling the wintry edges of his cheeks.
A small euphoric happiness bubbled in her stomach. He wanted her to stay the night. As in sleep over at his house? Through his distraught face, she could recognize a hint of excitement beneath the violet circles beneath his heavy eyelids. This gave her happiness that made her feel guilty.
"I'll just tell my mom that I'm sleeping over at Kelsi's. She can take one Friday off from her social life," Gabriella practically bounced out of her seat. "Is there any reason why?"
The question really meant, why do you need me so bad? Gabriella's eyes locked on his face, attempting to uncover any reaction that would be out of place.
Troy desperately gripped the back of her thick hair, tangling her fingers within its depths. Their foreheads collided feverously, his eyes boring into her own. "Only because I love you. I need to feel you."
Gabriella took that a subtle yet desperate cry for help.
The excitement in the air of the car was so overwhelming, the windows were threatening to be rolled down and release the blistering wind into the overheated car. Kelsi and Gabriella were singing at the top of their lungs, their voices overcrowding the cracks of Taylor's small car. She, on the other hand, seemed to be staring distantly out the front of the driver's seat, not going unnoticed by her best friend beside her. Gabriella was getting extremely good at reading people's emotions.
"W-I-L-D… WILDCATS!" Kelsi punctuated each word from the dark corner of the back seat, letting a giggle escape from Gabriella's throat. Kelsi seemed to be bouncing off the walls that the Wildcats won yet again, plus it probably helped that Ryan and she seemed to be extremely close that evening. They had been dating for at least three weeks now, but this was the first time that they were really pretty touchy. It made Gabriella swell happiness for her.
Gabriella, on the other hand, was also excited that her favorite basketball captain seemed to be on top of his game that evening. However, she had mixed emotions of what was to come after she hung out with Kelsi and Taylor. One, how could she not be excited? She was going to be sleeping over at her boyfriend's house, with his mom still gone where ever she was. Sex wasn't expected, but getting as close as they could was most definitely on her agenda. Yet, in another darker light, she couldn't help but be fearful for her love. Guilt washed over her at how upset he had seemed, even when she talked to him for the five minutes she did after the game. The tiny hope that he would maybe be back to normal after his basketball game was crushed when she noticed the pained expression across his perfectly smooth, yet sweaty face. It killed her to look at.
After letting the last of the giggles run through her wet mouth, she turned towards her best friend, who looked the same of how she did when she was attempting to concentrate on a test. Her dark eyebrows scrunched together in deep though, causing a small sigh to slip from Gabriella's throat. "Alright Tay… what is it?"
"Nothing." Taylor mumbled. Gabriella was really starting to hate when people told her nothing was wrong when there clearly was.
"Liar." Gabriella accused forcefully, causing Kelsi to silence in the back seat.
Her best friend sighed and continued to gaze distantly at the black winding road ahead of her. "Seriously Gabs, it's nothing."
An irritation grew in Gabriella's veins as she shook her head vigorously. "Taylor Ann McKessie," the sound of Kelsi's giggles filled the silence of the car as Taylor cast a filthy look back at her. "You tell me what's going on this instant."
Taylor's dark chocolate eyes narrowed into snake eyes before she angrily slammed the turning signal on towards the abandoned grocery store. The three girls compromised earlier to make ice cream sundaes after the game, but now Gabriella's focus was on getting the secret out of Taylor's silenced mouth. She really hated secrets, had she ever mentioned that?
Taylor's frustrated hand shoved the gear into park and turned to Gabriella's curious face. It could have been her imagination, but Gabriella swore she saw a tiny trickle of liquid in the corner of her dark eyes. But it immediately was blinked away without a second of thought. "It's over."
Gabriella's tilted her head inquisitively. Kelsi seemed to mimic her action, but it suddenly washed over Gabriella like a giant title wave. Of course. A genius wouldn't be needed to figure this mystery out. She knew her best friend too well and the discouraged, yet slightly relieved look on her face. "What's over?" Kelsi pressed before Gabriella gave her best friend a warming smile.
"When?"
Taylor dropped her eyes to the floor, Gabriella assuming she was mentally too exhausted to look up into her face. "Last night. I stopped by his dorm room."
Kelsi's eyes bulged beneath her black rimmed glasses. "Wait… Matt?"
Taylor nodded gravely, a dark shadow stretching across her tortured face. "I ended it last night." She whispered hoarsely.
Gabriella immediately reached over the comfortable seat to pull her into an uncomfortable hug. "How do you feel about it?"
"Relived," Taylor breathed heavily, letting her own arms snake around Gabriella's slim body to hold her in a tight embrace. "I just… I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep telling him that I wanted to be with him when… when I didn't."
No tears slipped down her baby smooth face, but Gabriella assumed that she was sad because if was finally finished. Clearly, if you were with someone, you would have feelings of remorse afterwards. Letting go of something so routine was so difficult, but it is the jumps that one takes that make them stronger. "At least you know you made the right choice."
Taylor nodded slowly before pulling away from Gabriella and unlocking the doors. Both girls in the passengers seats hop out, Kelsi running to meet Taylor for her own hug of support. Gabriella smiled lazily before they let go and all of them began to make their journey across the parking lot towards the store. A curious stretch of a black shadow was a contrast to the glow of the inside store, Gabriella immediately recognizing it as a midnight limousine.
"Does he know yet?" Kelsi asked in her timid voice, staring up at the taller girl with great interest. Gabriella knew exactly who she was referring to, and it caught her attention immediately.
"No. And don't tell him please. Or anyone who WOULD tell him." An accusing look was directed towards Gabriella, causing a pout on her silk face.
"Why would I tell Troy?" Gabriella defended.
The mood lightened immediately at the sound of a different conversation playing in. Though Gabriella still felt the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach for what was to come in just a few short hours. "Because you tell him everything."
Reflexively, Gabriella's hand shot down to the track jersey she was wearing and let her soft fingers outline one of the triplet scars. "Not everything." Her voice mumbled softly.
It was heard by neither of her friends, for just as they stepped onto the snow dusted sidewalk, the limo sitting in the front of the store died and a door was ripped open. It took a moment, but Gabriella then was able to comprehend that a tall, ruby speckled teenager was taking violent steps towards her in shoes that had to be higher than her head. Behind her was the swarm of worker bees, primping themselves just to look half as well as their leader.
"Awe, isn't that cute. You girls are going shopping." Sharpay mused before looking smugly at the three girls. Gabriella found it hilarious how the girl tried to be cold, but instead people just laughed at her weak attempts at being a bitch. It was amusing.
"Yeah. We are," Taylor shrugged, not caring much. If it was anyone else, Gabriella might find the judging looks intimidating, but instead she was entertained. "Why are you here?" She continued in a bored tone.
"Raphael, my butler…" She emphasized the word, Gabriela doing her best not to let the giggles escape. "Needed to pick up some uh… drinks for this evening. The girls and I are having some of the football boys over."
Her light caramel eyes danced across Gabriella's face in search of a jealous reaction. Too bad she was going to have her own party with the basketball captain and she didn't even have to bribe him with alcohol. "Sounds like fun." She noted, though her idea for the evening would be tons more. If he was at least in a little better mood.
"Oh it will be." One of Sharpay's clones attempted to rub in her face.
"And I was just about to call Troy also… I'm sure he could celebrate some." The ice queen attempted again, only making Gabriella's giggles vibrate even more.
"Go for it Sharpay. Tell Troy I said hi too." Gabriella giggled before turning around and finally exploding in rounds of laughter. Was it mean? Probably, but she couldn't help it. The girl was so demented. Here she was, the tiniest problem being attempting to win over the basketball captain, when deep down he was smashing into tiny pieces.
"She's an idiot." Kelsi commented before they let the heat burst through their sweatshirts with the florescent yellow lights beaming onto their skin, causing a pasty glow.
"She's hilarious." Gabriella finally controlled her laughter before looking to see a bald man with an oversize back suit checking out what looked like vodka. That must have been her butler.
After a few minutes of hunting for the perfect toppings, Gabriella felt a jumpy vibrate ripple in her scarlet zip up jacket. The mouth watering picture that was even more delicious than the frozen ice cream in Kelsi's hand lit up the screen as Gabriella's smile reached to her ears. "Hey T." She greeted after flipping open the phone, Taylor rolling her dark eyes in annoyance.
"Guess who just called me." His angelic, yet still poisonous voice questioned.
"Sharpay?" Gabriella asked before a silence. "Did she want to know if you wanted to go to some party?"
"How'd you…" A disbelief laced into his tone.
"We're at the store and we ran into her." Gabriella answered, fingering the black handle of the icy freezer while staring at nothing. "How's boys night?"
How are you holding up? Was what she really wanted to ask, but that would probably be dangerous since he was still in his denial stage. "Fine. That's why I called. I'm kicking them out at ten. So be here by 10:01…" Troy's demanding tone was dangerous, until it suddenly smoothed out into pillow softness. "I mean… if you still want to."
A hopeful smile flooded her face as she stared at the ground, unseeing. "More than anything."
Troy's voice was so desperate it was frightening. "Thank you," He whispered painfully. "I need you more than anything."
Gabriella winced at his tone before biting her bottom lip. "Just hold on until I get there." She begged, knowing that both knew she really was begging him not to fall apart before she did.