Gabriella's POV

I woke up with the worst headache and slowly opened my eyes. Wait why am I in a hospital? Why is mom sleeping on the couch? Where is Charlie?! Questions started circling in my mind until my mom rubbed her eyes and woke up. She saw me fully awake and screaming, "YOU'RE ALIVE!" What? Of course I'm alive. What is she talking about?

"Mom where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, honey."

"What? Why?"

"You were in a car accident."

"Where is Charlie?"

"He didn't make it." She answered slowly lowering her head. I just stood there in complete confusion. The doctor soon came to check on me.

"What season are we in?"

I was about to answer until my father quickly answered. "Summer." The doctor let out a sigh and looked towards me again.

"What is the month?"

"It's okay, honey. You don't have to answer." My father said cautiously.

The doctor gave him another look and looked towards me. "June." I said quietly.

"What was that?" The doctor asked.

"June." I said louder. The doctor got up and took out to what looked like a pen. He pushed a button and started flashing a light from ear to ear. I looked at the light straightly.

I looked at him and smiled back. I heard a screeching sound, then looked towards Charlie and saw a bright light coming towards us and turned to Charlie whose last words I remembered was, "I'll miss you."

I looked back quickly. My dad ran to me and yelled at the doctor, "Stop doing that." He comforted me. I just couldn't take anything anymore.

A week later,

It had been seven days since Charlie's death. Corrie had tried to comfort me.

"He was a great guy." She said stroking my back.

But I refused to sing again. Singing made me happy. But how could I be happy when my brother is dead?

"Gabriella, please can you sing with us? I have a very good solo for you." Ms. Hills asked. I shook my head and left.

Dinners had been so quiet without a fourth person to fill the seat across from me.

I couldn't stop looking at where Charlie used to sit. I would try to eat but I couldn't. I felt awful.

It's been seven days since my brother's death and I haven't gotten my letter from Bryson either. I walked to the mail box to get our mail. Bills, bills, letter from grandma, bills, Bryson letter, bills- wait Bryson? I turned back to the letter and saw it wasn't just imagining things. I slowly opened the letter and looked at it. I looked up not smiling, nor crying. I just walked back inside.

That night,

I was at the dinner table with Aunt Christina and Mom. Mom walked to the table with a letter in her hand. I recognized that letter. It was the Bryson letter. "I found this in the trash can."

Aunt Christina comforted me. "You made it. That's great."

"Mom, what are you doing? I can't go to Bryson."

"Why not?" Aunt Christina asked.

"Am I the only one who just realized that my brother died?"

"No Gabriella. But you made it. You've wanted to go to this summer music program the whole year. You are going." I looked at her in her eyes. "Charlie would want you to do this." I nodded slowly.

"But what about Dad? He wouldn't want me to go to Los Angeles."

"We'll worry about your father later. As long as you're going to this school." I nodded slowly not very convinced.

At dinner that night,

"Gabriella is going to stay with Christina for a month?"

"Yes Harry, I thought she should get away from all this mess."

"Well who's going to help me with the restaurant?"

"Is that really all he talks about these days?" She looked at me and mom while we were nodding. "Restaurant this, restaurant that." Dad left the room before Aunt Christina could finish anything. She sighed.

Few minutes later,

I walked out to our backyard. "Aunt Christina, I can't do this. I can't lie to Dad."

"Yes you can Gabriella."

"No Aunt Christina, you haven't seen Dad mad. It isn't the bright sunshine."

"Like I didn't see that growing up with him?" I laughed a little. She smiled. "The reason why your father is so protective about you going to Los Angeles is because," She paused gave a small laugh. "Your dad and your uncle were both accepted at UCLA on a football scholarship. Your father was so excited, that is, until your grandfather died. The three of us didn't know which one of us would inherit your grandfather's restaurant. But your father felt the need to take the inheritance. He stayed home and your uncle went to UCLA. But your uncle got into the scene, with all the drinking, partying, and what not. You're father thinks that you will be under the same pressure. But I know that you will be great if you go to this summer music program." She said with encouragement. I smiled and nodded.

The next day,

I was walking towards my room until I heard a sobbing. I looked through Charlie's room. It was my mom crying while folding clothes in his room. I sighed and walked into the room. I just realized that I haven't been in this room ever since the day Charlie died. I walked inside and I saw my mom crying while smelling Charlie's shirt. I walked towards his bed and sat on it. My mom followed. She sat and opened a plastic bag with Charlie Montez on the front. I started letting tears fall on my face. Mom took out Charlie's necklace that he wore everyday. It was a silver chain with a cross on it. She connected the hook around my neck. I looked down on it. "I shouldn't have made him go to that concert."

"No Gabriella."

"It was all my fault." Mom shook her head. "I can't help but feel awful." I started crying harder. "I can't do this. I can't lie."

"Gabriella, we will tell your dad eventually. He's going to be mad. But he'll realize it was the best thing for you." I smiled a little and hugged her.

A few days later,

After Dad finally gave in to let me go to "Aunt Christina's house" everything started to fall into place. But today was the day our plan came into action. My train for Los Angeles was leaving in an hour and we needed to leave now. I got into my mother's car and so did my mom. My dad walked out and walked towards the car. He smiled and kissed me on cheek. He stepped away from the car. I buckled my seat while giving my mom a this-better-be-good look. My mom drove out of the driveway. My dad waved and I smiled back.

The train ride was two hours of pain and sorrow. I finally got off giving myself a breath of relief. It was already dark in Los Angeles. I signaled for a taxi. The taxi came towardsme as I left my jacket nearby. The taxi driver got out to help me put my bags in the trunk. I was about to retreat my jacket until it wasn't where I left it. "Where did my jacket go?" I was looking everywhere.

The driver looked back and forth and answered with a smile, "Welcome to L.A. baby." The drive was nice considering I had the worst guy for a taxi driver. I looked at everything we drove by. This isn't anything like where I live.

We finally got to the dormitory for Bryson. I sighed slowly as I got out of the taxi. As the driver handed me all of bags as I handed him his money to which he probably didn't deserve. I walked up the steps to the front door. I took the handle of the door but it wouldn't open. Oh great just great. I banged on the door numerous times. "Hello?! Is anyone here?" I kept on banging on the door until I saw a boy who is a little taller than me. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He was cute but if he didn't open this door he isn't going to look cute. He saw me probably looking like a complete idiot trying to get in.

He walked towards the door and opened it. "Sorry we're closed." He closed the door and was about to walk away. I banged on the door again. He turned around. "Are you going to keep doing this all night?"

"Look, I think we started on the wrong foot. I'm Gabriella." I lent out a hand.

He looked at it. "Troy." He answered without shaking my hand. I took my hand away quickly.

I gave him a look. "I'm tired and all I want to do is get to my dorm and sleep." He nodded and smiled.

I looked at him and just walked in. He smiled. We walked through the noisy hallways. "So you're room 214?" I was about to answer until and tall blonde girl went straight for Troy.

"Hey honey." She said linking her arms in his. He had an annoyed look.

I needed to fit in here so I decided to introduce myself. "Hey I'm Gabriella."

She looked at me funny with her friend who looked exactly like her. They must have been twins. "Uh huh." She and her posse laughed amused.

I looked back at Troy and took my bag out of his hand. "I think I got it from here." He nodded and turned around with the other girl. She put her hand around his waist but he yanked her hand off of him. I smiled a little bit and walked up to my room.

I got to my room. I opened the door but I caused a tantrum. My bags started hitting things all around the room. I turned on the light. There was another girl who was already asleep. She looked African American. She sat up in her bed and gave me a really pissed off look. I tried to make the best out of this situation so I tried to introduce myself once again. "Hey I'm Gabriella your new room mate." I smiled.

All she did was mumble to herself. "And I thought I would be by myself." She said lying back in her bed. "And turn off the damn light." She demanded. I ran to the light and turned it off quickly. I sighed. I'm not really good at introducing myself anymore. I almost forgot that I had to call home. I looked at my phone and it didn't have any signal. I walked up the stairs. The more I walked upstairs the more of a signal I got. I got to the top of the stairs. I saw a door leading to outside to the roof. I opened it revealing a beautiful Los Angeles sky line.

I looked back at my cell phone and called Aunt Christina first. "Hello?"

"Hey it's me."

"Finally Gabriella your father has called three times already."

"I'm sorry but my train was delayed, I lost my jacket, and the taxi driver was a total moron." I heard a sigh. "Let's just get this over with." I dialed the home phone for a three way call. "Are you still there?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Hello?" Mom's voice asked.

"Hey it's me." I said.

"Is that Gabi?" I heard in the background.

"Gabriella?" Another voice asked on the phone.

"Hey Dad."

"Where have you been?" Dad said pretty pissed off.

"I'm sorry Dad but my train was late."

"Well it's okay as long as you're there." Mom said. "You're okay, right?"

"Yeah Mom. But I think I'm going to go to bed now."

"Okay Gabriella." Dad said. "Good night."

"Night Mom. Night Dad." I said and shut the phone. I looked at the full moon. I felt so close. I knew that Charlie was up there watching over me. "I'll miss you too, Charlie." I said remembering his last words to me.