A/N: Hello wonderful people! I really don't know what to say except I'm really sorry for not updating like I should! It's just that we have had a lot of projects due, and I have two tests tomorrow and stuff. I couldn't use the computer for a while because my mom wanted me to work on my project which I submitted today. I thought I did fairly well, if I do say so myself. Anyway, thanks to my loyal readers and of course thanks to my ever giving reviewers!
Vanessa Turner: You'll soon find out!
boptothetop: thank you very much!
ILuvLucasGrabeel: thanks, and i agree... Leslie's kinda sick in the head. (love your pen name! I do too!)
megan: You'll find out! and no, there's still a lot more to come so don't worry about that.
thunderyoshi: thanks!
TheFabMax: Thank you so very much! And don't worry, you're not alone with feeling... that. :)
lol925: it's okay. i know that the alerts were off. i forgive you! at least you reviewed! and thank you very much! don't worry, you're not stupid! and i love you too! BTW, thanks for nominating my story for the best ryella! I really appreciate it. I don't go to the forums much but I check every once in a while. So, thanks for that. i've never really been nominated for anything. which means you're the best!
Ryella.4.Ever: yay, I converted someone to being a ryella shipper! Go me! LOL jk! Go you!
Okay, those are my reviewers, and sorry if I missed some because the email alerts are still a little off, so I'm truly sorry if I missed your name or anything. I'll make it up in my next update!
This Is War
Chapter 17: A Crazy Day
"Ryan, I-" Gabriella was about to say something when the PA system cut her off.
"People who are waiting for flight number 413 to Albuquerque, New Mexico, please relocate to terminal 6C. Again, people who are waiting for flight number 413 to Albuquerque, New Mexico please relocate to terminal 6C, thank you." The PA announcer said.
"Gotta go." Gabriella finished her statement and quickly disappeared into the crowd that formed who were headed to terminal 6C.
"Gabriella! Wait!" Ryan shouted, attempting to catch up to her. He went through the sea of people, pushing and shoving, trying to find Gabriella. She was nowhere to be found.
A few minutes later, the crowd was gone and Ryan was left standing alone while other people were passing him.
"Gabriella…" He whispered. "I love you."
Meanwhile, Gabriella was hiding behind a pillar and never took her eyes off of Ryan. It hurt her that she had to torture him like this. But then again, she's also torturing herself. She saw Ryan mumble something under his breath. She couldn't take it anymore, it was too painful. She slid down the pillar, brought her knees up to her body and put her face in them. She started sobbing quietly. A few passersby glanced at her but didn't really pay any attention. Gabriella raised her head and looked back and saw that Ryan wasn't there anymore. She slowly stood up and walked outside to her car, got in it, and just sat there, thinking, for what seemed like eternity.
At noon, Ryan went back to the theatre to rehearse with the rest of the cast for the new musical. Even though he's working, he still can't get his mind off of Gabriella.
Mr. Preston, the theatre director, noticed the change in Ryan's attitude and approached him.
"Ryan, what's the matter? You're not yourself lately. You sing the songs like you don't care. You used to sing with so much energy, so much passion. Where did it all go?" Mr. Preston asked.
"I'm really sorry Mr. P. I've just been down these past couple of weeks."
"May I ask why?"
Ryan sighed. "My fiancé broke up with me because she thinks I did something with my ex-girlfriend. Today, she just left for Albuquerque to take care of her dying mother and it looks like she won't be coming back any time soon." Ryan explained.
"No wonder you're so down." Mr. Preston said. Ryan just nodded.
"I really love her. I don't know what I'd do if I never see her again. It's just… it's really hard to explain how I feel. I feel incomplete without her. There's a part of me missing right now."
"I completely understand. I'm sixty-three years old. I've felt what you're feeling. How much do you love her?"
Ryan scoffed, thinking it was an unnecessary question because everybody already knew he fell hard for her. "With all my heart."
"Do you think she loves you back?"
Ryan pondered in the question for a while. "I don't know. She accused me of cheating on her, even if I didn't, so I think she hates me. So I don't really know."
"Let me tell you something. She still loves you. You know how I know? Because if she didn't, she would have told you before she left so you can move on with your life. But she didn't, did she? No, because she didn't want you to forget about her."
"How come she didn't tell me that she loves me before she left?"
"Because it would've made it a whole lot harder to say goodbye." Mr. Preston said. Ryan thought about it for a while. He finally realized that Mr. Preston was right.
"Thanks Mr. P. You really are something yourself." Ryan said.
"Anytime kid. Now what do you say we rehearse that final number one last time before I send you home?"
Ryan smiled and got in place while everybody else followed suit. Soon, music started playing and everybody started dancing and singing. Ryan had never sounded so happy in the past month. He had energy, he sounded like he cared, and most importantly, he knew she still loves him.
It was a quarter until two and Gabriella was in her car in front of PS 177, waiting for one of Leslie's 'henchmen' to come and kidnap the girls.
A minute or so later, Gabriella noticed that a big black van with tinted windows arrived in front of the school. It looked very suspicious and indeed it was.
Two o'clock came very fast and soon, kids started coming out of the school and a man from the van came out and went inside the school. Gabriella decided that instead of following him inside, she would just wait for them to come out. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the man came out with Rachelle and Roxanne.
Just as the man started the van, Gabriella saw Ryan's car pull up at the other side of the street. As much as she wanted to run up to him and apologize, she started her car and started following the van, making sure that she kept her distance but at the same time was close enough to not lose contact.
Meanwhile, Ryan got out of the car, locked it and started walking towards the school. As he was walking he saw a mysterious black van and another car following it. He looked to see who the driver was and surprisingly, it looked very much like Gabriella.
Ryan shook the thought out of his head and continued walking. Me and my imagination again. He climbed the stairs into the school and started walking towards the girls' classroom. Maybe I'm just getting old. He thought. After all, I am turning twenty-eight this year.
A few seconds later, he reached the girls' classroom and found Mrs. Henry sitting by the teacher's desk alone. He approached the desk and Mrs. Henry took notice of him.
"Hi Mrs. Henry, I'm here to pick up the girls."
"Hello Mr. um…"
"Evans."
"Evans, right. Who are you going to pick up?"
"Rachelle and Roxanne Evans. My two twin girls."
"Oh yes, Rachelle and Roxanne! I'm sorry Mr. Evans, but they've already gone. A man picked them up saying that he was their uncle and that you sent him to pick the girls up."
"What? What did the man look like?"
"I couldn't really tell, he was wearing a cap and sunglasses."
"So you gave my daughters to a complete stranger?!" Ryan shouted.
"But the girls said that he was their uncle and they willingly went with him!" Mrs. Henry defended.
Ryan glared at her and then ran back to his car. As he crossed the street, a taxicab almost ran him over. The driver rolled down his window and started yelling. Ryan raised his hands in defeat and apologized quickly before running to his car again.
When he got in, he immediately reached for his cellular and started dialing numbers.
"Hello?" Ryan heard Sharpay's voice say.
"Sharpay!"
"This is the third time you've called me today! What is it now?" Sharpay said in a rather impatient tone.
"Is Zeke with you?"
"Yeah, he's been here all day. It's his day-off." Sharpay explained. "Why do you ask?"
"I think someone kidnapped the girls." Ryan explained.
"WHAT?" Sharpay exclaimed. "I'm going to call the cops!" Sharpay said as she hung up.
"Sharpay wait!" Ryan attempted but she already had hung up. He sighed and started dialing a different number.
"Chad, hey man. Have you seen Rachelle and Roxanne?"
Meanwhile, Gabriella followed the van all the way back to Leslie's apartment complex. He saw the man lead Rachelle and Roxanne into Leslie's apartment.
When they were inside, Gabriella got out of her car, went to Leslie's apartment and peeked through a crack by the door, trying to listen in to the conversation.
"Hi Leslie!" The girls said simultaneously.
"Hi girls!" Leslie said before enveloping them into a bone-crushing hug. When they finally released, Leslie put a fake smile on her face.
"I've missed you girls so much!" Leslie exclaimed.
"We missed you too!" The girls said.
"So does your dad know that you girls are here?"
"Nope." Rachelle said.
"He's clueless." Roxanne said.
"Good." Leslie said as she slyly smiled. "Hey girls, what do you say, I take you somewhere to eat?"
"We'd love to!" Roxanne answered.
"We're starving!" Rachelle said.
"Yeah, we didn't have lunch at school because we were so excited." Roxanne explained.
"I know this great soul food restaurant that you girls might like. What do you say?"
"We say, 'let's dig in'!" Rachelle said.
"Great, let me get my keys and lets get going."
As soon as Gabriella heard footsteps, she immediately raced for her car. She ran and just as soon as she opened the door, Leslie and the girls came out of the apartment. She slammed the door causing Leslie to look her way. She ducked under the steering wheel, praying to God that they didn't see her. Leslie scrunched her brow to get a better look at the car, but shrugged it off.
Leslie led the girls to her car. She started the ignition and started driving. Gabriella started her car and started driving too.
"Have you seen these girls? Excuse me ma'am?" Ryan asked a lady.
"Have you seen these two girls?" He asked again as he showed the lady a photograph of the twins. The lady shook her head 'no'. Ryan sighed. Suddenly, his phone rang. He answered it and Sharpay's voice filled his head.
"Hey, I called the police. Any luck?" Sharpay asked.
"No, no luck at all. I've been asking people for over half an hour and I still don't have a clue to where they may be."
"Well, I'm going to make more fliers and call up some people that can help. I'll talk to you later, bye." Sharpay said before hanging up.
A few minutes later, Ryan met up with Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason.
"Did you guys find them?" Ryan asked. The guys shook their head. Ryan's eyes formed tears and soon enough, he started crying. The guys came around him and patted him on the back and gave him reassuring looks.
"I deserve this. I haven't been a good father." Ryan said.
"Shut your mouth!" Chad exclaimed.
"You're one of the best dad's out there." Zeke said.
"The girls have a home, they have an education, and they have a life." Troy said.
"It's not your fault and you don't deserve this. Ryan, you're the best dad there is. You might not see it, but we do." Jason said. Ryan started to calm down and compose himself.
"Come on, now would the best dad in the world just stand here and cry while his daughters are with a stranger?" Troy asked.
Ryan sighed. "No, he should be looking for them no matter what happens."
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Chad said before they started running in different directions putting up more posters and handing out more fliers.
Meanwhile, Gabriella followed Leslie's car to an old abandoned warehouse. This brings back some memories. Gabriella said, referring to the time Ryan saved her when she was kidnapped and put into a warehouse.
As Leslie, the girls, and a couple of unidentified men went inside, Gabriella followed them and also went inside.
"I thought we were going to a restaurant." Rachelle asked.
"Oh, we are in a restaurant. See? There are chairs." Leslie said, pointing to two chairs in the middle of the room.
"But there are only two." Roxanne reasoned.
"Why don't you girls go ahead and sit while I look for the waiters and ask if there are any tables available." Leslie said as the girls took their seats and Leslie walked out of their sight. Soon enough, the mysterious men chained the girls to the chairs and tied kerchiefs around their mouths. The girls started screaming but it was no use, nobody could hear them. A few seconds later Leslie came back and started laughing.
"You girls are too easy to fool. Didn't your daddy teach you that you never go with a stranger? He mustn't have because here you are all tied up like chickens about to become dinner." Leslie said as she tried to stroke their cheeks but they turned away.
"Well, sleep tight girls because you'll be staying here until tomorrow. Tomorrow, you become science experiments. Buh-bye!" Leslie said before turning around, signaling for the men to come with her. She turned back around and looked at the girls.
"Oh, don't even try to wiggle out because those chains are titanium and the key is with me. And if you do break out, these guys are just gonna put you back in chains again, so don't waste your energy. You have a big day tomorrow." Leslie said before turning around again to leave.
When they left, Gabriella came out of hiding and went to the girls and untied their kerchiefs, telling them to be quiet. She then took out a bobby pin from her hair and started picking the lock. A few minutes later, the lock came undone and the girls were free.
"How'd you know how to pick locks?" Roxanne asked.
"College. We had to do it for biology. Long story, I'll tell you later. See, it's rewarding to go to college." Gabriella explained.
"How'd you know we were here?" Rachelle asked.
"Long story too, I'll tell you later." Gabriella said, trying to find a way out. She finally found an open window. It was fairly high but fortunately there was a ladder nearby. She propped it up by the window, grabbed a rope and ordered Rachelle to climb it.
"Wait! Before you climb out, check if those goons are out there." Gabriella said.
Rachelle jumped on the ladder to take a peek and saw the guards weren't there.
"They're not there."
"Good. Now I'm going to throw this rope over and I'll hold one end while you climb out the window, grab the rope and climb down."
"Like a mountain climber?" Rachelle asked.
"Exactly! Now go." Gabriella said as she held the rope tight. Rachelle climbed out of the window, grabbed the rope and climbed down.
"Good, now Roxanne, you go next."
"But I'm scared of heights!"
"Well, what are you more scared of? Heights, or becoming science experiments?" Gabriella asked.
Roxanne moaned and climbed the ladder. Soon, she was out and she and her sister were waiting for Gabriella to get out.
Gabriella tied the rope to a nearby pole, climbed the ladder, and got out. She then led the girls to her car and ordered them to get in.
"Where are we going?" Roxanne asked as Gabriella started the ignition.
"We're going to your house. Pack your stuff. You're coming with me to Albuquerque."
WOW. I felt like I used the ruler too much. oh well. Sorry if this chapter was a little rushed. i just don't know how to make it longer without making it like a really, really, long chapter, that it gets boring.
Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave me a review! You can just leave it by my door! lol
Oh, and for the oneshot thing... yeah, that'll have to wait because I haven't started it yet (it's in my head, don't worry, I won't lose it!) because I have so many tests! And they're my worst subjects! But I will do it when I get over the tests Thanks for voting guys! I'll tell you guys the winner in the next update I promise!