A/N: Haha! I told you it wouldn't take me more than a week to update! Okay, thank you very much to the reviewers! I received nine reviews last chapter! WOW! Thanks guys! I love you!
highsmusicalrox: Thanks! And I know exactly what you're talking about and I'm aware of it. I just don't know how else to put it so I leave it at that. Don't worry though, from now on, I'll try harder to change phrases.
Ledagirl321: Haha, I know I'm crazy! I like leaving cliffhangers, it's entertaining to read what you guys say. omg, when I was reading this, I was ACTUALLY having a chocolate chip cookie, no lie. You know the big cookie from Dunkin' Donuts? Yeah, that. Anyway, thanks!
TheFabMax: Yes I must, lol. And don't worry, you WILL get your answers... eventually... maybe... I'm thinking about it. lol
Vanessa Turner: I know! She's really freaky!
lol925: You think you're scared now... wait til you read this next chapter!
ILuvLucasGrabeel: Thanks! And yes, like everybody said, Leslie is very creepy. Sometimes, when I write my story, my brother inspires the creepiness. Don't tell him I said that... lol.
megan: Thanks! And advanced happy birthday two days from now! How old are you turning?
Queen Desvel: I hope you don't fall off when you read this next chapter! ;)
Tigerlily Brown: Haha, it's so funny, everybody's hatin' on Leslie. lol... but she does need to go far away though...
Phew! That was a handful! Thanks for all the reviews! I really hope you enjoy this next chapter! I tried to make it longer for you guys! ENJOY!
This Is War
Chapter 24: Dreams Versus Reality
Leslie stared at the empty bed for a while, wondering where Mrs. Montez was. She also saw a familiar looking patient on the bed next to Mrs. Montez's empty one. She then turned to the nurse that was by the corner, writing something down on her clipboard.
"Excuse me, where is Mrs. Montez?"
"Oh, her daughter and her friends took her somewhere. I think to check out the nursery." The nurse replied. Why would Gabriella bring her mother to the nursery? Leslie thought.
"Um… if you don't mind me asking, what's her name?" Leslie asked as she pointed to the patient next to Mrs. Montez's bed.
"I'm sorry, I don't know. I'm Mrs. Montez's nurse, not hers." The nurse replied, not taking her eyes off of the clipboard.
"Oh, okay. Thanks anyway. Do you mind if I wait for Mrs. Montez here?" Leslie asked as she sat down in one of the chairs.
"No, go ahead. They should be back soon, they've already been gone for half an hour." The nurse said. Leslie thanked her and started looking around the room. Although, her eyes kept wandering over to the new patient.
"Really?" Zeke asked Sharpay with astonishment clear in his eyes. His wife had just agreed to adopt a baby once they got back to New York.
"Yes, really." Sharpay answered. Zeke smiled the biggest smile he could ever muster.
"Cool." Zeke said. "I'm gonna be a dad!" He said happily as he hugged Sharpay, spinning her around.
"Come on, let's get back to Kelsi. She might be awake now." Ryan said, ruining the special moment. Zeke put Sharpay down and Sharpay glared at her brother.
"Thanks a lot Ry." She said as she pouted.
"You're welcome." Ryan said sarcastically as he took his girls hands and started walking toward the elevator.
"Hey, what are you gonna name your baby?" Chad asked Jason.
"I don't know yet. Kelsi and I will have to think about it. For now, she's still baby Cross."
They were strolling down the corridor, Gabriella wheeling her mother. They finally reached the room. Jason reached for the doorknob but before he could even touch it, the door opened and in front of them was Leslie Davis.
Leslie stared at them wide-eyed for a moment. She finally came to her senses and said the only thing that popped into her head at that time.
"What the fuck are you guys doing here?" Leslie asked rather loudly that Kelsi stirred in her sleep. Jason put his finger to his lips signaling for Leslie to be quiet. Ryan picked up both Rachelle and Roxanne, ready to protect them, and Chad picked up Devon.
"What are we doing here? What are you doing here?" Sharpay asked, just as loud as Leslie. This time, Jason shushed them and came over to Kelsi's side. Kelsi's eyelids fluttered for a moment and her eyes opened. Jason glared at both Sharpay and Leslie. Sharpay gave him an apologetic look.
"Where am I?" Kelsi asked as she saw the white room and Jason by her side. She jerked her head the other way and saw her friends and Leslie coming inside.
"You're in the hospital in Albuquerque honey, you gave birth. The baby's in the nursery." Jason explained. Kelsi sat up on her bed, reaching for her glasses by the bedside table. She tried to find her bump once more but instead she found nothing but the emptiness and flatness of her stomach. She then perked up as she saw her friends come by her side and gave her a hug.
"Hey guys." She said as she hugged them one by one.
When she finished hugging them, she turned to the gang and spoke, "What is she doing here?" She was referring to Leslie. She asked as though she was disgusted to even be in the same room with her.
"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Chad asked suspiciously. Troy, who was by Chad's side, hid behind Zeke, praying to God that Leslie hadn't seen him yet.
"I was… just here… to visit Troy!" Leslie tried to cover as she came over behind Zeke, linking her arm to Troy's. "Right Troy?" She asked. When Troy didn't respond, she nudged him sharp in the ribs making Troy wince in pain.
"Sure." He said weakly. Chad looked at him with a furrowed brow and clear confusion in his eyes as if to say, 'You told her we were here?'
"I was just waiting for him to come, I didn't expect you all to be here. I thought you'd be in New York."
"Why? Is it illegal now to visit your friends?" Taylor asked.
"No, but why are all of you here?" Leslie asked. When nobody responded, she knew she won. "Never mind then, Troy and I were just leaving." She said as she took Troy's hand in hers and led him out the room. But before they left, Troy gave them a pleading look, trying to tell them that he didn't know what was going on. After they left, there was pure silence in the room. Ryan hugged his girls tight and Chad hugged Devon tight.
"What the hell are they doing here?" Leslie asked as soon as Troy closed the door to her car.
"Matter fact, what the hell are you doing here with them?" Leslie asked Troy.
"Where'd you get the car?" Troy asked.
"Don't even try to change the subject." She said as she started up the car and started driving back to her motel. "I rented it. Now explain."
"I wanted to visit Gabriella too." Troy said. He wasn't about to rat his friends out just so his girlfriend can have what she wants. Again.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"Well, because I wanted to surprise you." He said, lying through his teeth. Fortunately, Leslie didn't notice.
"Well, next time, don't bother surprising me."
The rest of the car ride was silent. Finally, they arrived to the motel Leslie's staying in. When Troy walked in, he wasn't impressed by how small the room was.
"You're staying here?"
"Yeah, is there a problem?" She asked.
"No, just asking."
"Where are you staying?"
"With my parents." He replied. He dared not invite her over to stay with him. Who knows what she'll do in the middle of the night. "Which reminds me, I have to go. I promised them I'd be home before dinner." He explained. Leslie snickered.
"Sure… yeah, go ahead. Wouldn't want your parents to be worried about their twenty-seven year old son now would we?" Leslie said, sarcasm in her voice. Troy blushed and quickly got out of the room and called a cab.
When the cab had arrived, he told the driver to go to the hospital. He had some unfinished business to attend to.
Meanwhile, in the hospital, Ryan had just laid Mrs. Montez back on her bed. They were about to leave but Gabriella didn't want to go. Neither did Jason.
"You go ahead and take the girls home, I'll stay here with my mom." Gabriella said, assuring Ryan that she'd be fine.
"Gabriella, I'm not leaving you again. You'll never know what that maniac of a woman might do next." Ryan said, clearly not leaving his seat as if his butt was glued to the chair. "Shar, why don't you take the girls home and I'll stay here with Gabriella." Sharpay nodded and took the girls' hands in hers.
"You know, if you guys need some help, I can always stay here while Taylor takes care of Devon." Chad offered. He was carrying a sleeping Devon. He handed him to Taylor.
"Thanks Chad, but I think we can manage." Gabriella thanked him. Chad nodded and turned to Jason.
"What about you Jas? You need help with Kelsi?"
"Nah, she's gonna be sleeping most of the time. It's okay."
"Okay, but if you guys need anything, remember, give me a ring." Chad said as he reached for the doorknob. Again, before he could touch it, the door opened and he collided with Troy. Both men fell to the floor from the hard collision.
"Sorry man." Troy said, getting up and offered his hand to help Chad up. Chad didn't take it.
"I can help myself thanks." Chad said as he stood up and brushed himself off.
"What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? You told Leslie we'd be here! You led her to Gabriella and the girls! Now even Devon might be in danger! Because of you!" Chad said in a loud whisper so he wouldn't wake Kelsi up.
"Dude, I didn't tell her we were here. I didn't even know why she came to the hospital in the first place!"
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Chad said as he passed Troy and walked down the hall. Taylor followed him. She gave Troy an icy glare before they left.
"But I'm telling the truth." Troy whispered. He turned to Ryan and Gabriella. Gabriella turned away as if looking at him was a crime. Ryan looked at him and shook his head. Sharpay just gave him a disgusted look and one of her famous glares. Troy then turned to Jason.
"Jas, you believe me, right?"
"As much as I want to, man. You did look pretty guilty." Jason said before turning around to tend to Kelsi.
"But… guys…" Troy tried to explain but nobody would listen to him. Instead of wasting his time trying to explain, he left without a word, on his way to Leslie's motel.
When Troy got to Leslie's motel room, he started knocking on her door. "Leslie open up!" He said. He gave the door a few more hard knocks before Leslie opened up.
"Hey babe, I thought you went back to your parents." Leslie said. Troy shoved her inside and closed the door behind them.
"This is all your fault." He accused.
"What are you talking about?"
"I just lost my friends' trust because of you!" Troy shouted. "You just had to say that you were here to visit me! Why can't you just tell the truth?"
"What truth?" Leslie said, acting as if she was innocent the whole time.
"That you sell little children to child molesters for a living."
"How'd you find that out?"
"Jesus Christ Leslie, I'm not blind! I live with you in our apartment! I know what you do at home! I'm not just a big bulk of flesh filling an empty space in your apartment! I actually pay attention! Now my friends all hate me because they think I told you we were gonna be here."
"Why would they care if I'm here?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because they have kids and you tend to sell children for money." Troy said, sarcastically. "You know what, I can't take this anymore. I'm tired of you just thinking that I'm a useless piece of crap who can't comprehend things other than basketball plays. For your information, I have a brain. I graduated high school and college. I'm sick and tired of your nagging and the fact that you always get what you want. Now I lost my best friends because you just had to get things your way. Well, screw that. And screw you!"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Screw you. Screw this relationship. Screw everything! I'm not even sure if you love me for me, or because I'm attractive. I'm sure as hell that I don't love you anymore."
"Troy… baby-"
"Don't call me that. I am not your 'baby' anymore. We're through." Troy said as he walked across the room.
"Troy wait." Leslie tried to stop Troy but he walked out of her motel and slammed the door in her face.
A few hours later in the hospital, Ryan had just finished feeding Mrs. Montez her dinner. As he turned around, he saw Gabriella in deep slumber, her hand holding her head up to keep it from falling.
"Ryan, why don't you go and take Gabriella home. She looks like she needs proper rest." Mrs. Montez told Ryan.
"Don't you need anybody to take care of you?" Ryan asked.
"I'll be fine."
"Yeah, and since I'll be staying here all night, I can take care of Mrs. Montez. If that's okay with you, Mrs. Montez." Jason offered.
"Yes. Sure. That way, both of you can take a rest. You both look like you need it." Mrs. Montez said, directing the question to Ryan.
"Okay, if you're sure." Ryan said, he quietly went over to Gabriella and gently shook her awake.
"Gabs? Gabby, time to wake up now." Ryan said. Gabriella woke with a start.
"Mom, you okay?" She said, standing up and going over to her mother. Mrs. Montez chuckled.
"I'm fine honey. I was just telling Ryan that you two should go home and take a rest. I'll be fine so don't worry."
"Okay. See you tomorrow then. Bye mom." Gabriella said before she and Ryan left the room.
"Troy honey, you had us worrying! You said you'd be home before dinner and it's already eight o'clock!" Mrs. Bolton said just as Troy came through the front door.
"Mom, for you information I am twenty-seven years old and I don't need to tell you that I'd be home before dinner. I can take care of myself. I'm not a baby anymore, mom. I'm an adult." Troy said without thinking. When he saw his mom's face expression he instantly wished that he could put the words back in his mouth.
"Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow up on you like that. It's just, I'm having a really bad day and I'd appreciate it if you don't make it any worse."
"Oh, I'm sorry honey. You're right, I've been treating you like a baby and you're right you're a young man now and you have your own life. I'm sorry."
"No mom. It's not that I don't want you in my life; it's just that, I need you to give me a little breathing space. Okay? Don't worry I'll always be your little boy. Besides, you know you can never keep me away from your cooking." Troy said as he hugged his mother.
"Goodnight mom." Troy said as he started going up the stairs.
"'Night honey. Wait, what about dinner?"
Troy stopped in his tracks and went back downstairs. He went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He took out a sandwich and started back upstairs.
"'Night mom." He said. Mrs. Bolton giggled and said to herself, "Same old Troy."
This is all Gabriella's fault! If she just minded her own business, none of this would've happened! I'd still have Troy, and I didn't have to spend my money to fly all the way to Albuquerque! That bitch! Leslie thought as she double-checked the things in her sack. She made sure she had everything before going through with her 'mission' later that night.
She's been asking for trouble. Well now, she's getting some. Leslie thought as she checked if she had loaded the pistol, making sure the trigger was locked in case it misfires.
Tonight, she pays. I will make her life miserable the second I get her.
"Goodnight Ryan." Gabriella said as she turned the light off and climbed into Ryan's king-sized bed, getting in under the sheets.
"Goodnight Gabs." He answered back. He scooted over from his spot next to the bedside table, to Gabriella, putting a protective arm around her waist. Gabriella turned to face him and gave him a soft kiss before burying her face in his chest. She put her arm around his waist and said, "I love you." She saw Ryan smiling with his eyes closed.
"I love you too."
Soon Gabriella found herself in a dreamlike state. Her clothes turned from pajamas, to a white, flowing gown, with a veil over her face, and flowers were in her hands. And instead of lying on a king-sized bed in Ryan's room, she found herself standing in front of a church with her deceased father standing next to her wearing a white suit.
"Am I dead?" She asked her father. Her father didn't speak. He merely shook his head and offered his arm for her to take. She took it, trusting her father completely.
They entered the big church. As they passed through the elegant oak doors, Gabriella found that everyone was wearing white, the decorations were white and everything was white. Even the pews were white! She and her dad walked the long aisle and soon, she found her father letting her go and handing her over to someone else.
"Wait!" She yelled at her dad. He didn't seem to hear her. The new man led her to the altar.
She saw the priest say some things to the man. Although, his mouth was moving, Gabriella couldn't hear what he was saying, as if she was deaf. Gabriella saw the man mouth 'I do' to the priest. The person looked at her. Through her veil, her eyes met with two piercing blue orbs. She felt a spark energize her whole body. She immediately knew who the man was.
She saw the priest say a few words, directing them to her. She knew what she had to do. "I do." She said.
"You may now kiss the bride." She finally heard the priest say. The man lifted Gabriella's veil, letting Gabriella get a good look at her groom. She saw Ryan, a smile plastered on his face. The same smile that made her fall in love with him the first time she saw him.
They were both leaning in for the kiss, very slowly, as if in slow motion. This was their wedding kiss. Neither one of them wanted to mess up.
Just as their lips were only a fraction of an inch apart, she saw Ryan's face backing up. Gabriella gave him a confused face. Ryan just gave her a maniacal laugh.
"Silly bitch." She heard him say. He's never said that about me before.
"This isn't a dream." Ryan continued. "It's a nightmare."
Gabriella's eyes shot open. She found herself tied up and duct-taped to the back seat of a truck. She saw a man in the driver's seat. She jerked her head sideways and saw Leslie right next to her, laughing the same maniacal way Ryan was laughing in her dream.
"Where am I and what did you do with Ryan?" Gabriella asked, all seriousness in her voice. She wasn't pretending to be brave this time. She actually was. If anything happened to Ryan, she will never forgive herself because she knew it was her fault in the first place.
"Will you relax? Ryan's fine. You, on the other hand, are not."
Ooooooooo... what's Leslie thinking? Where is Leslie taking Gabriella? Where is Ryan and what did Leslie do to him? What about Rachelle and Roxanne? Are they safe? Where is everybody else? What's going to happen to Troy?
gasp I will tell you... right... after I type my next chapter!!! evil laugh Yeah, I'm evil like that... hehehe.