Here's part two, ya'll! :D I can't believe I finished it so quickly (this part I mean, not the whole story lol). I'm quite proud of myself.
Also: I want no flaque about Ryan, dear Troyella fans. Understand? Good. ;)
Also Also: I want to dedicate this ENTIRE STORY to xxerinlouisexx, because she is pretty much the sweetest person ever. She always knows what to say in her reviews, and really: she makes me feel waaaaay too good about myself. ;D So thank you very very much!
Enjoy and review!
-sxg
Nothing Still
Part Two
She knew she shouldn't wear black, but it was considerably tempting.
For one thing, Gabriella was in mourning: she had lost her one true love to her one true friend. And past that, nothing made sense. Her whole body hurt, as if she had been physically bruised—beaten and beaten again. Gabriella wanted nothing more than to curl up in a sea of blankets and sleep her life away. But still, there was this sharp heavy rock weighing on her. It was suffocating to think of watching Troy and Sharpay spend the rest of their lives together—the life she so desperately wanted and was convinced she deserved.
Black it was.
Gabriella picked out a simple spaghetti-strap dress. She moved away from the closet and towards the full length mirror adjacent to it. Her back was to the door as she stood gazing at her reflection.
She looked horrible.
Lonely. Bitter. Resentful. Her usually rich chocolaty eyes were diminished to sad and dull. Her chest, even, seemed sunken in. As she stared harder, she could almost see the tragedy of her life playing back before her. And then she realized something terrible.
They would all know.
They would know she was still in love with Troy Bolton. They would take one glance at Gabriella and shake their disapproving heads with shame. They would wonder how she could even sleep at night. How she could go on pretending, lying to her best friend's face, and live with herself that way.
Sighing, Gabriella pushed the thought away. Instead, she pulled her head through the space between the dress and hanger, letting it rest on her neck.
"Hanging yourself already, are we?"
Gabriella gasped and spun around, where she spotted Ryan Evans jauntily leaning against her bedroom door frame. "I thought you'd at least wait until after the wedding to do the evil deed." He smiled.
She took a breath. "Good to see you too, Ryan."
"When isn't it good to see me?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes and untangled herself from within the black dress. She laid it on her bed and came towards Ryan, arms ready to wrap themselves around his neck and breathe in his familiar cologne.
She and Ryan, along with Sharpay, had been friends since their high school days. When Gabriella was not with Sharpay, she was with Ryan. And despite Ryan's continual facetious attempts to win her heart, Gabriella could always count on him as a true friend.
But then things changed.
During the trio's college years, during which Gabriella first met Troy, Ryan viciously pursued his Broadway career. While one enjoyed her first real romance with the man of her dreams, the other never stopped working. The line was clear where the two had grown apart. Since then, Ryan and Gabriella had only socialized casually—nothing compared to their previous close-knit relationship.
But as soon as Gabriella had discovered she was heartbroken over the impending wedding, she called Ryan. She needed her best friend. The one that wasn't marrying Troy. And Ryan had promised he would drop everything—more specifically, his country-wide tour of the musical: Cats—just to come to her rescue.
And as Gabriella laid her curly head on his chest, she could almost believe that.
-x-x-x-
"I gotta tell you, Gabs," Ryan announced as Gabriella poured tea for the two of them at the kitchen table, "I have really missed my trusty sidekick these past years."
Gabriella smiled and sat down across from him. "I'm sure there were plenty of other girls you could hoodwink for that, Ry."
"Yes, but you see," he began to stir his tea as he spoke, "they're all actors. They can see right through me. You, on the other hand..."
"I, on the other hand, am much smarter, brighter and nicer—therefore the more appealing choice. Right?"
Ryan took a sip, watching Gabriella with a wicked smile. "Okay."
Gabriella chuckled and shook her head. She had simply forgotten how much she loved and missed Ryan Evans. She felt regret for casting him aside all these years.
"So," Ryan began, setting down his teacup, "when do we get to the nitty-gritty?"
Gabriella stared at the table for a few moments, contemplating her response. The subject was so sore, she could scarcely bring herself to touch it. She knew Ryan meant good, and he had not offended her, but she felt upset that their catch-up was redirected so quickly.
"I...," she paused once more, then gazed up at Ryan, "don't want to get to it. I'm not ready."
Ryan took a minute of thought himself, then uncrossed his legs and took a breath. "It's going to happen, Gabriella, whether or not you personally advocate it."
Gabriella suddenly broke into tears.
"Oh, Ryan!" she cried. She buried her head in her hands and simply began to weep. She had bottled it up so long, she felt like a deflated balloon when it finally came out. She just couldn't take the anxiety anymore—the regret, the pain, the guilt, the self-pity. Everything. It all fell from her eyes.
Ryan sighed and got up. He knelt beside Gabriella's chair, took her hand and laid his head on her lap. He shushed her comfortingly, and pressed a kiss onto her soft fingers. Gabriella clicked her tongue and gazed down at him with a teary smile.
"Thank you," she mouthed, still sucking back a parade of sobs.
This time, Ryan stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head. "You're gonna be okay."
"I wish … I could b-believe that."
"You don't have to right now, sweetheart. I'll believe it for you."
Gabriella managed to chuckle, sniffling as she did so. "That'll occupy you while you're not on tour," she said jokingly, still shaking.
"Yeah," he said sadly. "Yeah, it will."
-x-x-x-
"Interesting choice," Ryan drew out the last word, cocking his brow at Gabriella's little black dress.
Gabriella sat on the edge of her bed, ankles crossed, and just sighed. She knew he'd have something to say. He always did. Especially when it came to fashion and it's faux pas. He was a straight man but he had a special gift when it came to style. Finally, she glanced up at him and shrugged defiantly.
"I'm going to wear it, Ry. I don't care what you think." She drew her lips in tight.
"Huh," he commented dryly.
Gabriella's jaw dropped in the next second.
Ryan grabbed the dress, opened her bedroom window, and threw it out. He then shut the pane and turned to her.
"Ryan!" she screeched, hopping off the bed and running right into him. But he made sure she couldn't reach the window. Angry as ever, Gabriella glared and slapped his cheek. Ryan took a sharp breath, rolling his tongue in his cheek. She stared at him, but he couldn't glance back. He watched the wall instead.
"I asked you to help me, Ryan Evans – that does not mean throwing my clothes out the window."
"You're right," he said, his voice somewhat gravelly. "But I believe it was the right thing to do at that moment."
"Oh, you do, do ya?"
"Yes Ma'am." Ryan held his hands behind his back and stood straight like a soldier. Gabriella giggled.
"At ease, officer."
Suddenly, Ryan's face was aglow with an evil smile. "Oh, you shouldn't have said that..."
"Why not—?"
In the next second, Ryan reached out and tickled Gabriella. She burst out giggling as his fingers wiggled and tickled her stomach. She let herself fall into his open arm, her cheeks rosy red and eyes lit up.
"Stop! Stop!" she laughed breathlessly.
"Okay," he said. And he let go. Gabriella hit the floor with a thump. For a second, the air was silent and strained. But suddenly, it was once again filled with Gabriella's high-pitched laughter. Ryan finally smiled, crouching onto the floor next to her. The two laid on their backs, laughing, and staring at the ceiling for the rest of the evening.
"Seriously, though – you can't wear that dress."
"I know, Ry. Unfortunately, I know."