Chapter 7

"How's this?"

"No," I replied, bored as I stared at the ceiling, tapping the tips of my finger against the sofa lazily.

"What about this?"

"Nope."

"What about- Gabriella pay attention!" My mom scolded me as she realized I wasn't even looking at her. My head shot down to look at her as she was asking me random questions on what I did and didn't want in the wedding. I really didn't understand why they were making such a big deal about this. I mean, it wasn't even about love and that was really all I cared about in a marriage.

My dad had me and Alexander attending parties continuously over the last few days and announcing our engagement to people and all me and Alexander were supposed to do was smile and pretend to be a loving couple. And I was getting sick and tired of it.

I glanced over beside me at Alexander who seemed just as bored at me as he looked longingly out the window. It was a bright and sunny day and we were stuck inside planning the worst days of our lives.

I heard the phone ring just as my mom was about to yell at me some more and I saw this as my way out.

"Got it!" I yelled as I dashed out of the living room and into the kitchen, grabbing the cordless phone that sat on the counter and pulled it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Gabriella?" I heard Chad on the other line sounding quite nervous. Why?

"Yah, its me Chad? What's up?"

"Well Troy saw the ring on your finger." He paused for a moment. Yes I know he did, I was there when he saw it, obviously, but I waited for him to begin speaking again. I had a feeling what was coming and held my breath as he continued. "And he knows you're getting married."

I felt my heart drop. I knew there was a chance he would know, putting two and two together but I hoped he wouldn't think twice about it. I fell back into a chair at the little island in the centre of the kitchen. "You told him?" I asked him sadly.

"No, no. I couldn't. He saw the ring and stormed into the locker room and sort of slammed me into the locker asking me about it, knowing I was acting different towards you after our conversation so he put it together and came to me to ask."

I was shocked. Troy actually slammed Chad into the locker?

"And?" I asked him, dreading what he would say, already knowing there was more to come.

"Well, I told him it was an engagement ring, proving his theory right and I guess he just went into a state of denial," he told me sadly.

I buried my head into my arm that rest on the counter and listened to him intently. I didn't want this. No. None of this. Damn it!

"I was trying to get him home, knowing he was about to have a mental break down but he wasn't listening to me and kept saying how you wouldn't do that. That you wouldn't marry someone you didn't know or had been with for a really long time. Which in that, led him to believe you had been cheating on him and I think he believes that you had, in the end, chose Alexander over him."

I sat there, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes and in utter shock.

"He thinks I was cheating on him?" I asked in disbelief.

Chad sighed on the other end. "He's not thinking clearly right now Gabi. He just jumped to conclusions and I wanted to tell him the truth but I couldn't bring myself to."

"Thanks Chad," I whispered as I brought my head up seeing Alexander walking into the room, and as he saw my state, rushed over to me.

"He loves you Gabi. I think you're the only one that can help him right now."

I felt tears fall freely now as Alexander pulled me into his arms. I hugged him back with one best I could, still holding the phone with my hand and moved my cheek onto his chest so I could still talk to Chad.

"I do too. But I can't do anything. Just, please help him because I can't be there for him," I choked out.

"I will," Chad told me reassuringly with a hint of sadness knowing I wasn't going to help Troy. Even if I wanted to.

I couldn't take it as I full out sobbed into Alexander's chest as the phone slide from my ear and was about to fall from my hand and hit the ground when Alexander grabbed it. He apologized to Chad and said I would call him back when I calmed down before hanging up and placing it one the counter before wrapping me tightly in his arms.

"Shh, Gabriella just calm down. Breathe. It's going to be okay."

I felt like my throat was closing up on me and my hands tightened there grip on his shirt as he lifted me up and carried me up the stairs and into my room. He sat down on my bed and still held onto me tightly while I cried into his chest.

"I can't see him like this Alexander. I can't stand it knowing its all because of me," I choked out, hiccupping.

"Shh, I know its hard but you have to calm down okay?" He ran his hand through my hair as my tears slowly subsided. But my shoulders still shuddered with sobs, as small as they were and I let out a sniffle once in a awhile.

"Are you okay now?" Alexander asked, concerned as he pulled back to look at me.

I nodded with a sniffle. "Yah."

We sat in silence as he still held me in his arms and rocked me back and forth.

"Alexander?"

"Hmm?" he asked as he stopped for a moment.

I pulled back from him and look him in the eyes. "Can you tell me about Casey."

He looked confused. "Why?"

I shrugged. "I just need to get my mind off Troy."

He sighed as I laid down and looked up at him. He ran his hands through his hair.

"What do you want to know?" He sighed in defeat and looked back down at me.

I shrugged. "What was she like?" I asked curiously.

He laid down beside me but instead he stared at the ceiling as he spoke. "She was," He paused, searching for the right words. "She was beautiful. She had dark brown hair and amazingly gorgeous blue eyes that you just want to look into forever." He smiled sadly, remembering her. "She was amazingly smart and she was the most caring person you could ever meet. She was always smiling and could always brighten anyone's day. I don't think she was even capable of hating someone." He released a light chuckle causing me to smile. "She was always the good girl, the exact concept of the girl next door. She was so innocent and I don't know, when you're with her, you have the strangest urge to protect her from everything, or at least that was how I felt. She was always reading, a class A book-worm and she took care of her younger sister, who was seven and her little brother who just turned one, all the time. She loved children and she always wanted a big family. She was, I don't know. She was everything. Pretty. Smart. She wasn't popular so she wasn't corrupted by the high status. She was the type of girl to help with anything, always volunteering. She was amazing. She was… perfect," he told me sadly and finally turned his head to look at me. I lay on my stomach as I watched him speak and saw him smile while he talked about her.

I smiled as he looked at me. "She sounds great."

He nodded. "Yah."

We lapsed into a moment of silence and I watched his sunken face. "You really love her, don't you?"

He shook his head sadly. "It doesn't matter if I do. I mean, I'm marrying you, right?"

I took no offence knowing he was just telling me he couldn't love her anymore because of me. Not that he hated marrying me, though I know he in a way did. Like I disliked marrying him because of Troy.

I sighed. "You don't mind that I love Troy, right?"

He shook his head again. "I might have since we are getting married but I understand you're situation. I mean, I'm kind of in the same one."

"Does she know you're getting married?"

"Yah, she always knew it was a possibility that I would get an arranged marriage and she was pretty understanding about it. Though I couldn't really get her to stop crying. I pretty much wasn't as I freaked on my parents the moment I found out."

"Alexander?" He looked over at me. "Can I meet her?"

Alexander looked both shocked and confused. "You want to?"

I nodded with a small smile.

"I guess I could call her and ask her. But you do know that this is going to count as me talking to her and that means you're going to have to talk to Troy."

I nodded eagerly. Hey, he couldn't make me talk to Troy, right?

He stood up and made his way out of the door.

"Well, I guess I'll call her now."

I sat up as I looked at him and nodded. Just as he was about to close the door he spoke up again.

"And Gabriella, I'm going to make sure you talk to Troy. I know what you're thinking and I can get you to talk to him. I can guarantee it." And with that the door was closed but I did catch sight of his smirk before he walked out.

Shoot!

A/N: I've got to say, I'm making myself fall in love with Alexander. How about I just put Gabriella and Alexander together so they fall in love and get married and Troy hates her and then falls for (gasp) Sharpay! Okay how many of you would kill me if I did that? You never know! LOL Got to know, how many of you have cried during any part of this story? I felt my throat tighten while writing some part so I was just wondering.

Oh and I won't be able to update anything for about a week because I'm going on a road trip. We leave on Sunday I think but I'll work on the next one when I get back. Hope you enjoyed!