Author's Note – I was feeling like writing a one-shot and as I've never done a proper song-fic for this fandom I wanted to give it a shot. This song is so beautiful and deserved a much better fic than this, but I kinda wanted to try something different. I know this isn't my best, but my last one-shot was kinda dark so I wanted to do something a bit lighter. Go listen to the song though - I promise it's worth it.
I hope you like it anyway and please let me know what you think.
Disclaimer – Not mine, characters belong to Disney and the song's called On My Way & belongs to Boyce Avenue.
I wasn't there the moment you first learned to breath,
But I'm on my way, on my way.
Troy Bolton, if you asked anyone, was a dream child. He was nice, he was smart, he was outgoing without being boastful, he was athletic, he was friendly and he never got into too much trouble even with Chad's influence. His mom's friends always joked that he would break some hearts one day, but to Troy none of that other stuff mattered because all he wanted to do one day was to be 6'5" and play basketball.
Unfortunately for Troy, tall was not something that could be added to his list of attributes and although he was still only seven, he could see the disapproving look his dad would shoot the measuring tape when he got measured every week which was why he was currently located at the play park with Chad Danforth, his face marred with a scowl.
"I don't think it'll work," he said sceptically as he looked at the climbing frame. "Will it?"
"Course it will," Chad said with a nod. "I did it and I grew loads..."
Troy blinked dubiously. "You're not any taller though..."
"I am – you just don't notice cause you see me everyday," Chad said before shrugging. "You don't have to do it. You can just play baseball or something instead along with the other short kids. I'll play in the NBA, and you'll be in the MLB. I'll be Kobe and you can be...some famous baseball dude, and it'll be fine. It'll be cool – I'll set you up with Suns tickets and you can set me up with whatever team you end up on tickets. It'll be cool!"
"I don't want to be in the MLB!" Troy said passionately, his nose scrunching in displeasure as he shook his head, watching as Chad jumped down.
"You ain't going to play in the NBA when you're short," Chad said with a shake of his head. "You might grow more when you're older, but until then – we should try and teach you how to play better, cause, no offence, you kinda suck just now."
And then with a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'shortie' he ran out towards the gates, leaving Troy sat on the climbing frame glaring after the retreating form of his best friend. What did Chad know about anything anyway? He wasn't that short...and he'd grow when he was older. Still though...
Any thoughts he had of ignoring Chad's 'advice' and heading home left him when he saw a kid run into the park holding a baseball glove and a bat, followed by another, shorter kid clutching a glove as well. The mere thought that that could be him one day made him swing over and dangle by his arms from the frame. If he wasn't going to grow by himself then he'd just have to make himself taller, wouldn't he?
His arms and shoulders began to burn as he hung there, but bearing in mind Chad's advice about how he had to point his toes to the ground, he ignored it and kept hanging, stretching his body as much as he could without letting go.
"What are you doing?"
His eyes snapped open at the sound of a voice and he looked down to see a girl around his age looking at him, her dark hair plaited with a red bow.
"Stretching. I'm making myself taller."
She bit down on her lip before she looked at him again. "That won't work. That'll just stretch your arms and you don't want arms like a monkey, do you?"
He frowned as he dropped to the ground and looked at her, panting for breath. "Chad said this makes you tall."
"I..." she looked down before offering him a small smile and the bottle of juice as she noticed him looking at it longingly. "It's just...when you hang from your arms, that's the only thing that's stretching so..."
He couldn't help but feel disappointed and she continued quickly. "But, you know, boys grow until they're really old. Girls look taller at first, but they don't stay that way so maybe you'll get really tall without stretching when you're older..."
"You think?"
She nodded. "Uh-huh – my cousin, he was the same size as my aunt one Christmas, and then when we saw him the next time he was this much bigger than everyone." She illustrated her point by spreading her hands out wide. "My dad said he's going to be a linebacker..."
Troy made a face at the football reference. "I'm gonna play basketball so I need to be bigger than a linebacker."
"Maybe you will be once you stop growing. But even if you are bigger than a linebacker you won't want monkey arms," she giggled before blushing and looking down at her feet. "I mean, maybe it would be cool...like...if you were elastic girl or something..."
"Mr Fantastic has elastic arms..."
She nodded and looked up at him. "He's cool, but I prefer Sue Storm..."
He blinked at the fact that she knew comic book characters. "You have to like her, you're a girl."
She shook her head. "She can do everything and being invisible would be cool. Have you never just wanted to disappear?"
"No," he said quickly and he saw her quickly look down and he didn't know why, but he felt bad that he had made her feel silly. "I mean it might be kinda cool to sneak into the store and stuff..."
"Catch Santa at Christmas..."
"You'd always win at hide & seek," he added, beginning to see the benefits as she nodded in agreement.
"Plus she has a force-field..."
"She does – but that's because she can't fight."
"She doesn't need to fight if she has a force-field," she said before turning around at the sound of a voice calling over and he saw her turn around before turning back. "That's my mom, I have to go."
"Um, wait!" he said as he ran after her. "Your drink!"
She shook her head with a small smile. "Its okay – we're going for pizza I think and I can get another drink there. We're moving into our new house today."
"Oh – cool. Maybe I'll see you at school then."
She blushed and nodded before running off, leaving him clutching the bottle in his tired arm as he brought his other hand out in front of him, checking it warily to see if it was longer. Deciding he was going to kill Chad anyway for making him embarrass himself in front of a girl he huffed off, putting the juice bottle into his backpack before running off home deciding that he had to try and get some of his old comic books out, just because.
I wasn't there the moment you got off your knees
But I'm on my way, on my way
Gabriella Montez believed in fairytales. She believed in dragons, and witches and knights on white horses who would come and rescue the fair maiden from the bad guy. She believed in Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After and as a result, every night she still read her fairy stories and every morning she would pick out a bow or a flower for her hair and smile at her parents and the neighbours before going to school. Princesses were good girls, who didn't get in trouble and Gabriella Montez was a good girl.
She was also a smart girl, a pretty girl and a shy girl and although all those characteristics might make her a good Disney princess, in the real world, it just made her a target. That was why every day after school she would rearrange the pretty bow, and pull the sleeve down on her sweater to hide the bruising before she would go home. At home she'd smile and do her homework before she would walk upstairs and start the whole thing all over again.
Because no one ever told tales in fairytales.
In truth? She hated her new school – she didn't know why the girls didn't like her, but they didn't and although she had only been there a few weeks, she was already wishing that they could move away again.
Regardless of what she felt though the act stayed the same and a couple of days after her seventh birthday she walked into school with her bow in her hair and her smile attached even as she tried to keep her head down so no one would notice her. They always noticed her though and all it took was one slip and one look and she would know that the only thing she had to remember that day was how to run, because Mondays were always the day they were worst.
It didn't really matter how quick she was though, she was always outnumbered and always herded in the wrong direction and although she wondered why no one ever helped her, she would never tell someone what was happening – because princesses didn't tell tales. So she ran, and ran and although she was quick, there were always too many of them and she found herself trapped, the smile gone, her hands grubby and her eyes wide and fearfully wishing that this was a fairytale because if it were, any minute now someone would be along to rescue her.
As it was though, instead she felt a sharp pain in her leg as someone kicked it, and just as she was about to try and shield that, she felt another kick, and then another until she was left on the ground, covering her head, trying to ignore everything until they left. When she was sure they were gone she lifted her head, ignoring the throb to her side as she sat up and tried to stand, wondering why it had been so much worse that day.
She limped away, making a face at the taste of blood in her mouth as she made slow progress away from the back of the school, hoping she could get to the toilets where she could clean herself up before class again. She hadn't gotten very far when she had to stop when a ball went flying at her head and she barely ducked out the way in time. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at it, and suddenly she found herself marching over to it and grabbing it before turning to see a boy running towards her, his hands up and looking at her. She didn't know what possessed her then, but for whatever reason she threw the ball as hard as she could at him, before storming past him, her lower lip trembling as she did so hoping it hit him and that it hurt just as bad as he wanted to hurt her.
"I'm sorry! Hey – I know you!"
She ignored the boy's voice as she tried to get away before the tears came, only to discover she was heading back where everyone else could see meaning she had no choice but to head back. She kept her head bowed, her teeth biting down hard on her trembling lip as she limped back.
"Hey, you're hurt," he said as he came to walk beside her, the ball dropping by his side. "You okay?"
She lifted her gaze to him, wondering if he was being funny with her but instead of seeing him laughing he actually looked concerned.
"I really didn't mean to hit you. My friend...we were arguing and I threw it at him, but the chicken ran away and it missed. I didn't know there was anyone back here. I never meant to hit you."
"No one ever means to hit," she muttered as she stopped before turning around and glaring at him, but she didn't realise that the affect was somewhat lessened due to her watery eyes, trembling lip and blood down her cheek. He took a step back and she saw him look at her, his blue eyes wide as he shook his head.
"I really didn't mean to. I'm Troy," he said sticking his hand out, which she shook tentatively.
"Gabriella, Gabi, whatever you want to call me," she mumbled looking down.
"You should go to the nurse. I can take you," he said somewhat tentatively as he took a step over. "My aunt, she's the school nurse. She won't yell, or anything if I go with you. She's got these really cool band-aids, all different kinds."
"Lunch is nearly over," she whispered as she looked down. "I don't have time."
Just then he gave her a grin through his gapped teeth and, for some unknown reason, she found her mistrust leaving as she looked up. "Don't worry. I'll come with you! It'll be fine, I promise."
"My daddy says that promise is a big word," she said as she looked at him. "You shouldn't make one unless you mean it."
"I mean it," he said almost indignantly. "Tell you what, if I'm wrong you can have my basketball. Look – it's a Phoenix Suns team ball. My dad got me it when he went to the game, so if I'm wrong, you can keep it, okay?"
She eyes him sceptically for a second, before he walked over and handed her the ball, almost begrudgingly. "Here."
"I...I don't want your ball," she said with wide eyes.
"It's not to keep, just until we go to the nurse, okay?"
"Okay," she finally conceded with a sigh. "If...if you want."
"Great!" he said happily. "I'm glad Chad ducked out the way."
"Why?"
"Cause I found you," he grinned before looking down. "I told Chad about you – he didn't believe you were real because girls don't know cool stuff like comic books but he'll see now."
"I don't know..."
"No, its fine," he assured her, as though he had never been more certain of anything in his entire life. "You know, they shouldn't hit you. People who hit other people are jerks."
"It's okay," she said with a shrug. "I'm used to it."
He frowned then. "That doesn't make it better. Hey, do you like basketball?"
The question was so sudden that she could barely understand it, but she nodded anyway and he laughed excitedly as he grabbed her arm. "Great! I knew you were cool! So, you can hang out with me and Chad from now on – no one will hit you then, you'll see."
"I...I don't know," she stammered. This was so fast and she didn't know if she could trust him or not. All she knew of him was that he was a boy who liked to play sports and seemed nice but for all she knew this could be a trick, another trick. "I..."
"Its okay, Chad will like you – he's fun. Not as fun as me, and he doesn't know any cool stuff, but that's okay cause I do, so you don't need to worry..."
And just like that he kept talking, telling her all about Chad, their friends, and his family as he led her to the nurse, occasionally asking her questions as she clutched the basketball to her front almost protectively as she answered, or nodded, almost afraid of talking too much in case the punch-line ended with her on the ground again. It was only when they were outside the doors when she saw the girls standing there and froze that she saw the friendly look leave his face as he narrowed his own eyes in their direction before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward, not even acknowledging the others with a hello as he took her through, never ceasing his conversation until they got to the office. She was speechless and he grinned at her as he knocked on the nurse's door, and when an older woman came out he smiled up at her.
"Well hello, Troy – what have you done today?"
"Nothing," he said with a shake of his head. "Can you help my friend? She's hurt."
Gabriella's eyes widened – friend? Really? She turned to look at the boy, who was grinning at her as she clutched the ball tighter before looking at the nurse cautiously.
"Lets see what you've done to yourself, princess," the nurse said kindly.
Gabriella paused and stepped forward, letting the nurse tend to her and wondered why it was that at that moment, whilst clutching a muddy basketball, bleeding, bruised, with her bow squinty, her dress dirty and with a strange, talkative gap-toothed boy looking at her, she actually had never felt more like she was part of one of her fairytales than she did at that moment.
Lay down, come alive in all you felt
All you're meant to be.
For now wait until the morning light,
Close our eyes to see, just close your eyes to see.
He heard the sniffle before he saw her and it made him climb the ladder even quicker. He didn't need to see her to know it was Gabriella up there. The tree-house had always been their place and even as they got older and got closer to being teenagers, he still figured it would always be their place. Kinda like her balcony – just somewhere that they could sit, talk and not worry about anyone else finding them. Gabriella had joked that they'd be seniors in High School and still doing it, and to be honest – he didn't think it was as unlikely as she seemed to think it was.
It was just their thing, he didn't really care if they were eleven and getting too old for tree houses and hanging out with each other, and he knew she didn't either even if other people seemed to think it was weird. He didn't mind being a little weird sometimes, which is why he knew he would find her up there.
As he got inside the house he saw her sitting at the far away wall with the Superman cape that was hidden inside the tree house over her head, hiding her from view. It was almost funny to see the red bundle against the wall, but any inclination to laugh ended when he heard her cry again so he walked over and sat down beside her.
She continued sniffing but he didn't say anything and after a few minutes he felt her reach out and grab his hand, her head still hidden by the red material.
"So, I was thinking...I think you and I need to go out and get McDonalds. Chad's paying with the money I won off him from basketball."
She didn't say anything and he sighed as he budged her with his knee. "You can use my bike and I'll take the skateboard..."
He watched, hoping she would take the cape off and talk to him. He wasn't an idiot – he didn't know why she was upset, but she wasn't the type of girl to cry because of nothing. Getting nothing from him he sighed before carefully taking the cape and lifting the edge until he was under it with her. He offered her a soft smile and she quickly wiped her eyes before giving him a watery smile. "Hi, Troy."
"Hi Gabi," he whispered as he looked at her. "What's up? And don't say nothing because, you don't cry over nothing."
"My dad left," she said softly. "He's not coming back."
"Oh." He wanted to say more, tell her how he was sure he was coming back, how it would be okay but Troy wasn't stupid. He had heard the Montez's argue, heard Gabriella worry about the things that were happening so as much as he wanted to say something to make it better, he couldn't exactly lie to her. "That sucks."
She nodded before she leant over and put her head on his shoulder, the cape still over them. "Yeah..."
"You knew though, right?"
She nodded again and sniffed once more. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck."
"Yeah," he said as he looked down. He couldn't imagine not having his dad in the house all the time. It was just one of those weird things that just wouldn't work. "It'll be weird, huh?"
"It's going to be weird without a man being in the house..." she said eventually. "I mean what if someone breaks in and it's just me and my mom? My mom can't kill a spider, so if there were people in the house," she shuddered slightly and bit down on her lip. "Dad always went to check the strange noises and stuff. Told you a force-field would be a cool power..."
"I'll show you how to fight," he said with a nod, ignoring her attempted subject change. "And, I'll give you my baseball bat so you can keep it under your bed. Just don't tell my mom, cause my grandma gave it to me for Christmas..."
She giggled then and he felt himself smile as he nudged her. "When we're older we'll get a house – you, me and Chad...the three of us, and then you'll see that a force-field would be a crappy power when you could fly instead, okay?"
"Okay," she finally said with a nod. "Although you don't know how to fight either, so maybe I should just use the bat to protect me."
He rolled his eyes then. "I'll always protect you, Gabi. It's just...my job. I'm the guy and you're the girl and that's just what happens. You won't need a bat."
She laughed again before nudging him back, her tears dried as she grinned at him. "You're such a dork."
"Says the girl hiding under the Superman cape," he said dramatically as he pulled it off them. "So, what about it – wanna go spend Chad's money?"
"You shouldn't bet him, you know he always loses," she said, making a face in the process, clearly missing the fact that it was Chad who always started it. Most people would be impressed that he always won instead of feeling bad for Chad. "Wanna go to the park? We can get ice-cream."
He groaned as he stood and, knowing he had no chance of arguing against it, nodded his head.
Before they could go to the exit of the tree house she reached over and grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Troy?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," she wrapped her arms around him in a hug and then pulled back a pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before blushing and backing off with a smile. "I'm stealing your bike, okay?"
Only able to nod as she disappeared down the ladder he found his hand find its way to his cheek as he looked after her, seeing her curls bounce as she ran and feeling his cheeks heat as he watched her move. He had no idea what was wrong with him, but as he closed his eyes and tried to shake any strange thoughts out his head, he couldn't help but think how he maybe liked whatever it was that had just happened to him.
A tear must have formed in my eye when you had your first kiss,
But I'm on my way, on my way.
Troy was bored. He was sat there watching as the kids continued to laugh as the combination of sugary drinks and cake had turned most of the 12 year olds hyper, while he was desperately trying to maintain some edge of control. Most of the kids currently behaving like idiots would normally be far too 'cool' to behave in such a way, the fact that they all could without fear of ridicule meant that virtually all of the kids were running up and down, jumping from tables or chasing each other. Troy sighed, it wasn't that he didn't want to play, but he was thirteen and didn't want to play like that. He didn't know what he wanted to do, but as he watched Chad launch a water balloon at a group of girls before running away laughing, he was pretty sure it wasn't this.
He looked up and saw the familiar brunette head peeking out from behind the side of the house and felt himself smile. She would know what to do and how to entertain him but before he could go over and make his birthday demand on her to entertain him, he saw her disappear from sight. He quirked an eyebrow as he watched her quickly hide her head again before peeking around again. It was after the fifth occurrence that he found himself walk over to her and, when he was sure that she was about to peek out he jumped out, causing her to omit a small scream and jump.
He laughed at her reaction as he eyes narrowed at him and she immediately smacked his arm. "Why did you do that, you jerk?"
"I was bored," he smirked as he joined her at the side of the house. "What are you doing?"
"I'm hiding from my mom," she whispered as she looked around. "I need to try and get to the tree house without her seeing so we can work out what to do."
"We?"
"Yeah," she repeated as she looked out again. "It's big and we need to find out how to stop it."
He frowned as he saw how stressed out she looked and he saw her sink down on the ground with a sigh. "She's always looking though."
"What's wrong, Gabi?"
She nibbled on her bottom lip and shrugged her shoulders, but he could immediately tell she was lying and he didn't know why, but he didn't like it. "Gabriella."
"I heard something I don't think I was supposed to hear, Troy and it's so awful..." he saw her eyes fill with tears and if anything that made him feel worse than the idea of her lying to him. "I don't know what to do."
"What is it?"
"After...after school," she whispered. "We're leaving."
"You're going on vacation?" he wanted to roll his eyes at her dramatics. A vacation was fine – she would go for two weeks, he would chill out with Chad and things would be fine. It wasn't like they wouldn't talk to each other and sure it would suck because they had plans, but they could just re-arrange things.
"No, Troy – we're...she had people in to buy the house. We're...we're leaving...moving..."
He shook his head. That couldn't happen – they had plans. Their summer plans were set in stone, and that couldn't happen if she wasn't here. "You're not moving. We have plans. We go camping in the summer, and sure I get that we're a bit older but, you know, plans are plans and you can't just leave."
"Troy," she whispered and he realised that she was and the pair of them just looked at each other and he couldn't help the horrible ache that settled in his stomach at the simple knowledge that she wasn't going to be there anymore. He took a step back from her and shook his head, not angry at her but furious at her mother and he was about to run off and tell her so when he felt two hands on his shoulder.
"Troy, you two need to come – we're doing truth or dare."
"Chad, not now," he hissed but his best friend seemed to miss the warning as he grabbed Gabriella and pushed Troy forward.
"Sorry dude, but you two have to be there or else no one else will play."
Troy didn't even bother arguing as he looked at Gabriella and she dropped her gaze to the floor as they sat down. They watched as various members of the group did stupid dares or shared stupid stories but the two of them, sitting side by side, their fingers touching softly behind their backs to try and provide the other some sort of comfort, weren't even aware of what was going on until they heard Gabriella's name mentioned.
Troy looked up to see Ethan, a taller boy who was one of Jason's cousins stood up with a grin on his face. He let his hand fully grasp Gabriella's in response but could only watch in horror as Ethan leant over and pressed his lips to hers.
He didn't know why it made him sick to see that, but one second he remembered holding her hand and the next he remembered standing, telling them he didn't want to play their stupid game as he stalked off to the house, only pausing long enough to shoot a glare at Gabriella's mom who he knew was responsible for how bad he was feeling on his birthday. When he felt he was far enough away, he leant back against the wall and sunk down, his head feeling heavy and his stomach tied in knots.
The idea that Gabriella was leaving, watching someone else kiss his best friend, knowing she wasn't going to be there anymore, all of it mashed in his brain to cause a pain he didn't think he would ever be able to forget. His best friend, his girl, his...just...Gabriella and everyone knew, they knew that they weren't allowed to do that. They weren't allowed to just...just...kiss her! She wasn't like the other girls, she was different and special and no one else should be kissing her like that especially when she's leaving him.
She was leaving him.
He brought his hand to his eyes and tried to ignore the fact they were watering, because men didn't cry, but his best friend was leaving and he was confused and angry and he figured that he was maybe allowed to, just this once. Because no matter what, no matter how many weeks left he was going to be left on his own now and he was terrified of what that meant.
So leave a space, deep inside for everything I'll miss
Cause I'm on my way, on my way
Gabriella sighed and laid down on her bed, her dress crumpled around her and her makeup streaming down her face. She was so glad that her mom wasn't home, that she hadn't seen.
She hadn't expected the night to turn out like that. It was junior prom and she had just wanted to have fun, instead she had been humiliated. Why hadn't she realised that before? She was a genius apparently, yet she hadn't seen it coming and it was so obvious.
It had seemed perfect and she had spent so long getting ready, trying to look pretty and instead...instead this happens.
The humiliation was bad enough, but she knew she'd have to live with it every day from now on. They would laugh and joke and everyone would stare...
Her sobs raked her tiny frame and she wrapped her arms around herself as she sat there, trying to convince herself that it was just because people were idiots, that it was their fault, that she was better, and stronger than they thought she was and it was their problem but even though her brain told her all that, the small nagging voice couldn't stop telling her that it was only because she was her. She was different. She made it easy for them.
Her phone rang and she tried to compose herself enough to answer. She didn't want anyone to know she was crying, especially as she was supposed to be having fun. She didn't even bother to look at the ID, figuring it was her mom to find out how things were so she forced a smile on her face and picked up. "Hello?"
There was a pause on the other end before a deep voice spoke. "Why are you crying?"
She knew that voice from anywhere, and the mere sound of it brought a fresh wave of tears. "Tr...Troy?"
"Gabriella," he said, his voice sounding panicked as she could hear him close a door. "What's going on? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," she lied and tried to think of a way to distract him. "I...I miss you."
"I miss you too," he replied. "That's not why you're crying though."
She almost smiled. Of course he would know that, he knew everything about her. "No."
He sighed and she wrapped her arms around herself again as she closed her eyes.
"So..." he began slowly. "How was your 'date'? Is he there because if he's there then I can go?"
"Don't go, Troy," she pleaded quietly. He had to know that she would choose him over anyone, even if her date hadn't turned out to be a jackass. "It wasn't a date, date. It was just junior prom, not a date. I just wanted to go..."
She didn't know why she was defending herself – he was over a thousand miles away and she was sure that he went on dates, proper dates not the humiliating experience that she had just been through.
Things had changed between them during her last couple of visits to Albuquerque and there was something there now that had never been there before...something that neither of them knew how to define, but which was far and away from the innocent friendship that they had before. Now...now there were other thoughts, other feelings flying around and although they had both tried to ignore it, it was getting pretty difficult sometimes.
"Gabi, the guy came to your door and picked you up to go to a dance, so that's a date..."
"It really wasn't, Troy," she whispered, wishing he understood.
"Fine, you can believe that if you want. Forget it - how was your night? I wasn't really expecting you to pick up but I just thought...maybe it wouldn't be your scene."
"I..." she looked down, picking at her dress. She had loved this dress when she had picked it out. "I...it wasn't a real invitation. He...they...it was a joke."
"What was a joke?" she almost smiled at the genuine confusion she could hear in his voice.
"He um..." she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He drove me there and his friends were all standing to...make fun of me outside it. Um...I didn't go in because...because it was a joke so I...I just came home."
There was silence on the opposite end of the phone, but she could hear him taking some deep breaths and almost held her own breath in anticipation. When he spoke next his voice was tight. "Why would they do that to you?"
"Because I'm me," she said simply with a shrug. "No one really wants to go out with the freaky math girl, Troy. I need to shorten my skirts and stop thinking as much I think. Be a little more Sharpay and a little less weird genius girl."
"Don't call yourself that, Gabriella," he said strongly. "You're smarter than any of them, so don't let them make you think that you should be ashamed of that. And you definitely don't need to dumb down and become like every other bimbo for people to treat you like you deserve to be treated. You're better than that."
She nodded, and felt fresh tears fall, wanting nothing more than to be with him at that moment. He would have protected her, he would have made sure this didn't happen and he would have held her and known exactly how to make her feel better. "I just...I just wanted to get dressed up and dance, you know? Just...just feel like them."
"Why would you want to be like them?" he asked softly. "Gabriella, you are so much better than them. I wish I could get my hands on anyone who makes you think otherwise," he said softly. "You are worth ten of them – you're smart, and beautiful, and nice and funny and anyone would be lucky to take you to any dance, okay?"
She sniffed and nodded, her cheeks flushing at the compliment. "That's why there's a queue of guys wanting to, huh?"
"Those guys are jerks. Gabriella, I need you to believe me, okay? I was right about those idiot girls in elementary school, and I'm right now."
She wanted to believe him, but the wound was too raw and instead all she could offer was a half heated 'okay' at his statement.
"I know you don't believe it, but I'm telling you the truth," he said before waiting a moment before speaking again. "If you want to feel better then I could always tell you about my junior prom experience because, to be honest, I think you got the better end of the deal."
She giggled and nodded, and even though he couldn't see her he seemed to understand. "I'll give you a clue. It involved me, a date who was an hour late getting ready, spiked punch and me driving Chad home because he kept trying to steal the mic off the band."
She couldn't help but laugh as the tears finally stopped. "Who spiked the punch?"
The silence confirmed her suspicions and she gasped. "Troy!"
"It was a kinda...rite of passage thing, you know?" he replied defensively. "You have got to spike the punch – I just didn't realise that other people had done it as well. I swear it was only a small bottle."
"Troy, if you had been caught you could have got in trouble."
"Nah, they don't care as long as I win, you know that."
"I care," she said seriously and sat up. "I don't want you to get in trouble, Troy. You're so much better than that."
"Gabriella," he said softly. "You know me. I'm not stupid. I promise."
She sighed, conceding the point but still wishing he would look after himself more. "So what did your date say to your punch-spiking, Chad carrying antics?"
He laughed. "Date is a loose word – she was the girl I walked in with because it would be frowned upon if I didn't go so I don't know or care what she thought. No doubt I'll hear about it, loudly, when we go back to school. You know, if you guys would just move back home this wouldn't be an issue."
"I know," she smiled. "I wish I was home, Troy."
"Me too – but hey, only a couple of years, right? Your mom can't keep you away forever." There was a pause between them before he spoke again. "So...you know what? Let's watch a movie together."
Her eyebrows furrowed "What?"
"A movie – pick a DVD out and we'll watch it."
She couldn't help but smile as he continued. "Tell you what - you get changed and gather together whatever junk food you're going to eat and I'll do the same and I'll call you back in say...twenty minutes and we'll work out what we're watching, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded, kicking off her shoes and smiling. "Troy?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
She smiled as she looked down at her dresser and saw the picture of the pair of them from the previous winter and sighed. "Just...for always knowing what to say, what to do."
"I don't. If I did I would have worked out a way for your mom to bring you home so that it wasn't some other guy taking you to school dances," he said before quickly continuing. "So yeah, twenty minutes. Get yourself ready, okay?"
"Okay," she said and before she could say anything else he had hung up, leaving her sat in her prom dress, streaky makeup but somehow also with the only smile her face had seen all night.
Lay down and come alive in all you felt,
All you're meant to be.
For now, wait until the morning light and close our eyes to see,
Oh just close your eyes to see.
He closed his eyes, trying to stave off the approaching dawn and he felt himself clutch the body beside him a little tighter, feeling her own hold on his body tighten, signalling her own consciousness as well as their grips became almost desperate. His heart ached and his throat was so tight that he wasn't sure if he would be able to breathe much longer so he prayed for sleep to take him over again. Just a few more hours – an hour or two of bliss before reality crashed in on them.
He felt her tears against his chest and that's what forced him to open his own eyes as he ran his hand from her hair, down her back, and rubbed there trying to ease the pain they were both feeling. The words of comfort couldn't come out of his tight throat and instead it was her who took a deep breath as she sat up, her beautiful dark eyes red and teary as she looked at him, her lips coming to his before moving to his jaw, his cheek and back again. "I know we promised not to be sad today."
"We never promised," he forced out as his hand found its way to her hair and clutched it tight, wanting to hold her as close as possible. "We just said we'd try."
She offered him a soft smile. "I think I'm failing then."
"Me too," he said softly, his lips finding hers again desperately, trying to recapture the last few blissful weeks.
"I don't want to leave," she whispered. "I don't want to go but..."
He wanted to tell her to stay then. To stay with him, let him keep her the way he had always wanted to. Unfortunately though, like every other time they were so close to something magical, something always got in the way. Something always took her away from him, something they couldn't control. It was almost enough to convince him that they were cursed, but as he had never felt happier, or more like the person he always dreamed he would be than he did in these last few weeks, he knew that cursed was the absolute last statement he would associate with their relationship. "Your mom needs you now."
Fresh tears started and she nodded, her pain tangible as she wiped at her eyes. "I wish..."
"God, I wish too," he said as he sat up, pulling her close. "Did you ask her to come? There are such good hospitals in LA..."
"She wants to be with our family," she whispered. "Where she grew up..."
He nodded, understanding but still resentful. Their plan had been to go to college together – where they could finally figure out whatever they were supposed to be without their time being determined by vacation time, phone calls and time zones. Instead, Gabriella's graduation had come with the news that her mom had developed cancer so, understandably, instead of taking up her place in California with Troy, she was moving to New York to look after her mom. Instead of being together, they couldn't be further away from each other if they tried.
That meant that instead of Gabriella's usual vacation back to Albuquerque being the happiest since they were children; it had actually turned into the worst because they both feared this was their last chance. They hadn't been prepared for their feelings to be so strong, to be so consuming and that error of judgement was going to haunt them both. If they had known, he doubted they would have embraced it so fully – so desperately especially knowing that it was going to have to be temporary. They knew this day would be coming and although they had tried to ignore it, it had always been looming in the background and now it was finally here. The day when she would get on a plane to New York and he would get on a plane to California and they both knew that they would never be the same.
"And you?"
"I want to be with you," she whispered almost shamefully before bursting into bitter laughter. "I'm sorry, I know I promised..."
"We never promised," he repeated as he held her face. "We never promised not to feel anything, Gabriella."
She nodded then before looking down and forcing a smile onto her face. "Will you miss me?"
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he grasped her hand and pulled them up against his bare chest.
"I know we never," she took a deep breath and he could see her attempts at strengthening herself, her voice, her body so that they would be able to do this today. "I know we never made any promises to each other, Troy. I know...I know that this...this is over after today..."
As much as he wanted to deny it, he didn't. It was true – it couldn't continue as much as they both wished it would. It would tear them both apart thinking and wanting the other for the next four years. They would never survive it, so as soon as they got on that plane they would try and revert back to what they had before – where the wanting, the yearning was kept in the background and hidden from everyone else, waiting for the moment where they could finally have what they longed for.
"I know that..." she continued before she leant in and kissed him. "I know, and I understand. I just...these last few weeks? They've been everything I have ever dreamed of and more. They, you...I will never regret anything because I have never wanted anything more than I have wanted this, with you."
He nodded, his hand finding the back of her neck and pulling her down until he rolled over on top of her. He cupped her face and kept their eyes locked. "It's everything I've dreamed of as well. Everything I will always dream of. We'll get this back, Gabi," he swore, not sure if he was promising her, himself or daring the universe to try and stop it. "Until then though – until then..."
She gave him a smile then, a real one as she brought her hand up into his hair, caressing his scalp. "I know you're going to be great out-there, Wildcat. I want you to enjoy it – play basketball, break some hearts, have fun just don't...don't forget me, please..."
"Never," he promised as he closed his eyes, shaking his head at the impossibility of that happening. "Never, Gabriella. Never."
As he opened her eyes he saw her smile, longing, wistful, pained and he brought his head down to rest against hers before pulling back. "You don't get to forget me either. This isn't forever – you know that. Don't..." he bit down on his lip and took a deep breath. "Don't...just don't, okay? This is just...this is just temporary. Like High School over again..."
"Apart from the fact that we're not in High School anymore. I have my mom and you have your games...everything's different now."
"I know," he replied as he brought his lips down to hers. "Just...don't go falling in love with some New Yorker, okay? I don't want to have to kick some asses..."
She giggled then. "Yeah, because I've always had to fight off the attention of guys, right?"
"College guys aren't going to be as stupid as High School guys," he said seriously, trying desperately to ignore his desperate need to ask her not to find out. To wait for him the way he wanted to wait for her. But he wouldn't, they had agreed after all. "I...I know you're going to date and the guys are gonna be all over you, but just remember..."
Remember what? Remember him? Remember this moment? These last few weeks? Remember how much he loved her? She couldn't, because although they knew it, they didn't say it. It wasn't the time to say it, not when they were getting separated, again.
"Just remember...remember me, okay? Just...just remember, remember that I'm not going anywhere, Gabi," he said as he dropped down and pressed his lips to her skin. "Please..."
As she nodded, he pulled the covers up over their heads, in defiance of the encroaching sun as they took the opportunity, maybe their last opportunity, to embrace what they were meant to be.
When you feel no saving grace,
Well, I'm on my way, on my way.
And when you're bound to second place
Well, I'm on my way, on my way.
The trip home was made in silence. He had never been on a plane ride with so many guys with swollen eyes or hoarse voices and although he knew it was ridiculous to be so upset over a game, he couldn't help it. They had come close, so close but in the end it wasn't to be. In the end, they weren't good enough. They were the team that everyone had rooted against, wanting the fairy story, wanting the happily ever after for the other team, the other players and the nation got it. They got their documentary, and their fluff news piece and they? They got jeered, and congratulated for being part of the fairytale. The Dr Doom to their Fantastic Four, the Tom to their Jerry, the Darth Vader to their Luke Skywalker, the Yankees to their everyone else, the Goliath to their David, the Colonel Quaritch to their Pandorans...
He almost smiled at the comparisons, almost. It would have been funny if it didn't hurt so much at that moment. At that moment though he couldn't laugh, didn't want to laugh – all he wanted was to know was why those guys deserved it more than he did. Did they work harder? He doubted it – there were days he could barely stand from the amount of training he did on top of working and maintaining good grades. Did they want it more? Hell no – he had sacrificed everything for this opportunity. He hadn't been home in nearly a year; he hadn't had time to go party, or drink or anything. He was in the gym every day and on the court every night. He had sacrificed everything that normal college kids took for granted for this shot, so no way in hell did they want it more than he did.
Was it because they were less talented? Did he deserve punished for being born with more natural talent, for being scouted by a bigger team? He had worked hard to prove himself, he hadn't been content at just being there – he had showed everyone that he wanted it. There was no one on that other team who would have turned down Berkley if they were offered it – no one so just because he played for a bigger school, did that mean he didn't deserve to win?
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to wake up and have the day to do over. He'd show them then – his respect, his tact at saying the right thing to the media, the polite thing would be gone and he'd tell them exactly what he thought about them and their gloating and the media's lame attempts at devaluing them. Their championing of 'the underdog' ahead of them.
He had spent three years sacrificing everything to have people glorying in his pain? How was that even fair?
As the bus stopped he stood, grabbed his bag and filed off in silence, the whole team still licking their wounds and unwilling to talk about it. If he had his way, no one else would mention it – but he knew that all he would hear and see was the fucking 'fairytale' for the next decade.
His thoughts remained as stormy and tempestuous as he walked the short distance to his apartment and he ignored any greetings, any comments as he went until he was stood outside it, unseeing of anything around him.
"You're thinking too much."
He jumped at the sound of the feminine voice and spun around to see a small brunette sat on the hood of a car, her hair tied up, a backpack beside her and a tentative smile on her face as she hopped off it. "You see, I can tell when you're thinking too much because," she walked over to him and lifted her hand up and used it to smooth down the skin between his eyes. "Because you scowl, and when you scowl you give yourself a headache, and I have to think that the last thing you need just now is a headache."
"Gabi?" he whispered as he looked at her, wondering if he had maybe gotten drunk and was imagining her. "What are you...?"
"Well," she said softly. "I figured that I wanted to come to California a bit more than I wanted to go anywhere else so..."
"You came here? Why?"
"Because," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Because you're here, and unlike the rest of America I wasn't cheering on an underdog tonight. Because I'd rather be here with you than be on a beach and wish I was with you instead."
He couldn't help the smile as he held her close, everything he had been feeling dulling down just by being in her arms. It had been too long. "I can't believe you turned down Hawaii to be here. When do you leave?"
She held him tighter before pulling back, her hand finding his forehead again before trailing down his cheek. "I gave my hotel room to Taylor's sister, so I'm basically here for the next week. Unless...I mean, I can go if you'd rather I..."
He didn't even let her finish as he pulled her back into him, his hand locked tight around her as his other fumbled with his keys, silently cursing the fact that he would have to let her go in order to grab the bags and unlock the door. "No – you're staying, God – are you serious? Of course you're staying here, as long as you want."
Forever if he could, but he bit back on that, knowing that he didn't have that right. They knew what they were, what they wanted to be, but they weren't there yet so he couldn't...so instead of kissing her he offered her a smile, pressed his lips to her forehead for perhaps a moment too long before swinging both their bags over his shoulder, his hand gripping the keys and his free hand enlacing their hands, bringing it to his mouth. "Thank you for coming, Gabi."
She looked at their hands and smiled softly, squeezing his fingers gently as he opened the door. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."
They both knew their platonic efforts wouldn't last very long, and that when it was time for her to leave they would be back in the same boat they always were of longing for a relationship that didn't exist, but neither of them cared about that. All that mattered was that in that moment, they were together and that was all he needed for just now.
So don't believe it's all in vain,
Because I'm on my way, on my way!
She hadn't known what to expect when she showed up at his graduation to surprise him, but she was pretty sure that it wasn't to find him with some blonde draped over him. To her credit she had kept the tears that had threatened to fall away and had forced a smile on her face and ducked out of the hall before anyone could see her. She gulped in a desperate breath of air as she leant back, willing the tears not to fall and her heart to stop breaking. They had never made each other a promise about waiting, but she had always just hoped. Dreamed that their time was always on its way with college being the final barrier between them and their happily ever after. Like a silly child though she had only ever seen the simplified version of the fairytale.
She had forgotten that in the real world, sometimes Cinderella didn't win the prince. Sometimes someone else fits into the glass slipper before he can find her. Sometimes...sometimes you miss your chance and at that moment, clothed in a dress she had spent too much money on, standing outside a college across the country from her own, she suddenly felt so foolish, so silly.
She knew that as one of his closest friends she should grin and bear it – go in and surprise him the way she intended. The problem was that she wasn't just one of his closest friends and the part of her that was crazily in love with him? That part just wanted to go, hide and cry whilst cursing him for breaking her heart.
She walked quickly away and closed her eyes as she got to her car, wondering if she would be able to laugh about it one day? She leaned her head against the steering wheel, only getting up when she heard her cell ring. She didn't even think as she answered and couldn't disguise her groan as she heard his voice.
"Gabi!"
"Hey, Troy," she said, not lifting her head from the steering wheel. "Happy graduation, Wildcat!"
"Thanks!"
She forced her voice light and cheerful but kept her eyes closed so she could concentrate on playing the happy part. She didn't need reality crashing in on her at this stage – reality sucked and if she could delay it for a few minutes to try and avoid saying anything that would put a dampener on his day, then she'd do that. She wanted him to have a great day. "So how was it? You having fun?"
"Meh, it's okay," he said and he could hear the laughter in his voice. "Man I wish you could have made it."
"I...uh, yeah – flights and stuff, you know how it is..."
"Yeah," he breathed before continuing. "I wish you were here, Gabi..."
Liar, her mind called suddenly and she had to bite back the urge to voice it out loud, instead she shook her head. "Nah – you won't miss me. There are plenty of people to keep you...entertained there, Troy."
"But you're not," he said softly. "Are you?"
"No," she said, opening her eyes and looking towards the hall, seeing his figure standing outside it with his cell to his ear. "No, I'm not."
"It's not what you think it is, you know."
She stopped, her hand freezing in mid-air as she went to turn the car-key. "What's not?"
"The girl."
"Wh...what girl?" she silently cursed as ducked down in the seat almost instinctively.
"She's just...we had like one date, and...and she's happy and hugged me, and kissed me – but she kissed about ten guys so...you know, it's not..." he trailed off.
"I don't know what you're ta..."
"The girl you saw me with before you left the party. You're wearing this unbelievable dress, with a black blazer. You're hair is straight and in a pony-tale and you tried to sneak in and out, clearly not realising that, actually – fifty guys had noticed you, including me. A girl like you doesn't blend, Gabi..."
"You...you're wrong. I'm...I'm not there," she tried to sound believable but his laughter told her that she wasn't very successful. "Troy, I'm serious!"
"You're lying," he said simply. "Listen, I know you're over there trying to hide in your rental car so you can drive off and we can pretend this never happened, but...please, please Gabriella – for me? Please – I want to see you today. I want to explain that it's not what you think it is. Hell, if we go in – there's a good chance that Paula might try and kiss you too..."
She couldn't help the giggle escape at his words and almost stuck her head up, but the embarrassment wouldn't leave just yet.
"Gabi," he whispered. "We promised."
That definitely was a lie. She remembered wanting it, but they never did it. "We never promised anything, Troy."
"I wanted to," he said simply. "For four years we've snatched moments and then tried to put them away like...like we weren't committed to each other and well..."
He paused and she blinked, waiting for him to continue until she heard a knock on her window and she saw him standing there, holding a hand up. She groaned, not believing she was caving in but she still got out the car and looked at him and she could see nothing but honesty there.
"I don't know what went on with you in New York but even though we didn't promise...I was committed. The dates were singular and for show - to try and convince myself I wasn't hung up on a girl I couldn't have," he walked over to her then and lifted his hand, smoothing it down her cheek. "You've always been my girl, Gabriella. I didn't want to share you with Chad when we were kids, I didn't want Jason's cousin to kiss you at my party, or other boys to take you to prom High School – it was always supposed to be you and me."
She could feel her eyes water as she bit down on her lip. It sounded too good to be true and part of her didn't believe it, but just looking at him, just seeing the sincerity was almost enough to convince her. "I..."
"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you came here just...just as a really awesome surprise for your best friend. Tell me you met someone in New York. Tell me it's different for you and I swear I'll shut up."
"You know it's not different, Troy."
"I don't want to waste anymore time by pretending I'm not in love with you, Gabi," he breathed desperately. "We deserve a chance. It's time we made promises to each other."
Her breathing hitched and he stepped closer, cupping her face in his palms. "What?"
"You heard me," he whispered. "Tell me you don't feel the same."
She shook her head, not going to deny it. "You know I feel the same."
His smile got wider as he closed his eyes, his hands running from her face to her shoulders before he pulled her close to him. "This is insane – I imagined this moment a million times, and now I don't know what to do."
She giggled and brought a hand up to his face. "You can start by kissing me."
"That I can do," he said as he leant down and captured her lips with his. It wasn't like their previous kisses, where they knew that it could be their last. Or that one of them would be leaving in a couple of days. This was different, it was slow, and sensual and lasting – it was the start of a new chapter of their relationship – a relationship that had started in a playground when they were seven and had led to them standing here, outside, where anyone could see at his college graduation.
As they pulled back he kept a hold of her face and leant his forehead against hers. "This...this is what we were always meant to be, Gabi. I knew it from the start."
"From the start?"
He nodded then, a smirk on his face. "Right from the start I knew you were the most awesome girl on the planet when you talked comic books and gave me your bottle of juice. It was only a matter of time before you fell into my trap..."
"Wow, it took you 14 years to catch me – you're good," she teased even as she leant up and kissed him. They both knew that he had caught her way before that, the same way they knew that they were going to make this work somehow. It had been hard work and painful at times, but they ended up here for a reason and, as she looked at him with the deliriously happy smile on his face, she knew everything had been worth it because this moment, and every moment after it was going to be theirs. This moment had been on its way for fourteen years and they both knew that it was going to last forever.
The light at the end is worth the pain,
Because I'm on my way, on my way.
I'll be there the moment, you come out and wait.
Cause I'm on my way,
On my way.