Author's Note: Please review. This story should be done in a few chapters, maybe two or three more.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
High School Musical is Wicked!
Chapter 11: No Air to Breathe
By musiclover94
Last Chapter…
Gabriella turned the corner and approached the alley. She skidded to a halt at its entrance and screamed at what she saw, but no sound came out, as if she had been gagged too.
--
She sprinted to Sharpay's side, in almost the exact same place her twin had been a few days earlier.
Her hair was in a tangled mess forming an ominous halo-type thing around her face. Her eyes were fluttering between being closed and being open. Of what Gabriella could see of her best friend's eyes, it was a look of pure pain and fear.
Her face was slightly puffy and one of her legs was at an odd angle. Her bruised ribcage was nor rising and falling and her skin was starting to turn a yellowish-white tinge. Gabriella seized the wad of material in her mouth and pulled it out. Sharpay breathed shallowly, suggesting severely broken ribs.
"Gabriella…" she began, obviously in great pain.
"Don't speak," she said, surprised that her own panic wasn't showing in her voice. She whipped out her cell phone and dialed 911. She told them what had happened and where they were. The operator on the opposite end said they'd be there in a few moments. They both hung up and Gabriella was left with her own rage at Troy and her extreme worry for her friend to deal with.
She heard the calming, but also unsettling wail of the ambulance siren as the vehicle skidded to a stop outside the alley.
Four or five paramedics rushed out of the van with a stretcher and sped to Sharpay's side and scooped her up into the white cloth. No one made any objection when Gabriella hopped in the back with them.
Sharpay half-jogged with the team of doctors as they sped down the hall of the hospital, past other anxious-looking medical professionals to a room Gabriella had become very familiar with.
Ryan had a shocked expression on his scarred face, demanding for an explanation when his almost-dead twin sister burst into his room. He swiveled his legs from the bed and onto the hard floor with surprising agility. He had apparently been put into a walking cast.
"Gabriella, what's go-?" he began, looking from Gabriella to the team of doctors surrounding Sharpay.
"Troy attacked her," she said shakily, her emotions getting the better of her. Ryan's eyes flamed up in rage and he made a move to get out of the door. Gabriella held him back with two hands.
"Ryan, it won't do anyone any good if you get hurt again…" she began.
"Gabriella, my only sister is on the brink of death and you think I'm just going to sit here?" he said angrily.
Gabriella didn't answer; she knew it was a rhetorical question.
A series of loud, close-together beeps emitted from the Sharpay's side of the room. And then, the sound everyone had been dreading to hear came: the flat beep, a flatline.
A nurse rushed over to Gabriella and Ryan and said, "I'm sorry to inform you that Sharpay Evans has died."
Gabriella felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach, like there was no more air left in the world to breathe. She was still holding back Ryan, and after this news, she had to put in more effort to keep him from doing something rash.
"She…is…not…dead…" Gabriella said, shaking her head.
"It's been confirmed, Miss." The nurse sounded genuinely compassionate.
Without really realizing what she was doing, Gabriella released Ryan, who was too shocked by this action to move an inch. She moved ghost-like to the place where Sharpay laid.
She looked peaceful, her eyes closed, small in death. The brunette felt her throat close up and she turned away before she could completely break down. She knew what she must do. Instead of turning to the nurse, she addressed Ryan instead.
"Ryan, I have to go and find Troy," she said, willing herself to keep her voice even.
Ryan's eyes bulged and he grabbed one of her arms strongly. "Brie. What are you doing?"
Gabriella didn't bother repeating the statement. She felt that if she did, fear would betray her. "I'm not trying to be noble or anything like that…it's just something I have to do." She gently tugged her arm out of his grasp and turned for the door, tears blurring her vision.
"Gabriella, I've already lost Sharpay. I don't want to lose you, too! You don't have to do this. It's what he expects." He was pleading with her; she could practically see his expression even though her back was to him.
She turned and said, fighting to be brave, "I have to do this, Ryan."
And without another moment's hesitation, she walked the way to the door in two big steps and walked out the door to the main doors, letting the tears pour down her face.
Gabriella directed herself to Troy's house, feeling like her real self was somewhere far, far away. She tested the doorknob and, surprisingly, it creaked open easily. It was like what Ryan said: he was expecting her.
She looked around the semi-dark house and found her way to Troy's room. When she got there, that door was unlocked as well. She opened it quickly, fighting the growing voice inside her that was telling her to run.
Troy was sitting perfectly serenely at the chair at his desk, facing the door. When she barged in looking murderous despite her tears, he simply said, "Hello, Gabriella."
"I hate you, you know that?" she said, her voice full of somewhat suppressed rage.
Troy pulled on an expression of surprise. "No, I don't. Why?"
Gabriella was about ready to strangle him. "You attack my best friend and the love of my life. Sharpay's dead, I hope you're happy." Her voice positively dripped with venom.
Troy's face changed to a look of fake shock and concern and he said, "What? Gabi, I'm so sorry…" And in one swift movement, so quick Gabriella couldn't move away, he had her in a hug full of false sympathy.
Gabriella pulled herself off in a split second and she moved several paces back, closer to the door she had stupidly closed. She knew that if she made any sudden movements to escape, Troy would move in for a third attack.
"Why would I be happy about this?" Gabriella could see why Darbus had chosen him for the lead in Twinkle Towne; he delivered the question like a skilled actor.
Gabriella laughed a laugh full of mirth. "Don't act like the idiot you are, Bolton. I know you attacked them. And I'm going to tell the police. Attack me on my way, I don't care! Nothing matters anymore now." She turned around for the door, but was stopped by Troy's hand, which was around her waist. He spun her around and had her in an iron grip that she couldn't get out of.
"Brie, I would never hurt you. I love you." And, before Gabriella could try to escape, he had her in a lip lock. After a few seconds, Gabriella finally succeeded in escaping and basically stumbled backward, glaring at him in shock and revulsion.
"How…dare…you…" she sputtered angrily. Actually, that was an understatement.
When Troy didn't say anything, Gabriella spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, tears blinding her path.
"Gabriella! You're all ri-Gabriella?" Ryan said the second she stumbled into the hospital room and collapsing into a chair, sobbing fluently now.
"What?" she blubbered through the waterfall.
"Gabriella, you look horrible."
And indeed she did: her hair was tangled and frizzy, her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and she was turning a sickly sort of pale and she was shaking as if she just swam the English Channel in the middle of winter.
She just continued to sob. Ryan got up and put an arm around her, holding her close.
"What happened?" he asked soothingly, rocking her back and forth.
She recounted what had happened at Troy's house, having to pause for several moments to let more tears fall, but Ryan was patient. He noticed her arms, which had several large bruises from Troy's iron grip. He looked darkly at them and then addressed Gabriella seriously.
"Are these from Troy, Gabi?" he asked, pointing at the purple blemishes.
"What? Yeah, those are from him. It's not a big deal, though…it's happened before…"
Right after saying this, she regretted it.
"That's it. I'm going after him." He stood up and was about halfway to the door before Gabriella sprang up and seized his undamaged arm and turning him around to meet her frightened and panicked eyes.
"Ryan, this is what he expects. I know how he thinks," she began pleadingly, using his words, "Sharpay wouldn't have wanted you to do this."
"Sharpay wouldn't want me to find her murderer?" It was obviously a rhetorical question. Flames burned in his eyes as he said it, but Gabriella didn't back down. "I've already lost her, I don't want to lose you too! If you die, I won't be able to go on. You're the only thing that matters to me. The most important thing to me now, the most important thing to me ever."
Ryan looked away from her chocolate brown eyes full of pleading and started fixedly at the ground, his eyes growing darker with anger. "Don't say that," he said quietly.
"Don't say what?" She was still holding on.
"That you couldn't go on without me. Whatever may happen to me, you must not put yourself in harm's way, do I make myself clear?"
"I don't want you to go," she said, more tears threatening to fall.
"I have to do this, Gabriella. I love you." And he turned and hobbled out of the room. After several moments, Gabriella followed him. Troy wouldn't dare hurt Ryan with her around.
They exited the hallway and walked into entrance to the main lobby. Gabriella grabbed Ryan's shoulder and turned him around slowly.
"Ryan, I'm coming with you," she said, looking at him straight in the eyes.
"No you're not, Gabi. It's too dangerous."
"I know that he won't hurt you if I'm there, Ryan. It's safest," she pleaded.
"If you honestly think I'm putting you into harm, even for a second, between me and Troy, then y-"
"Are you talking about a Mr. Troy Bolton?" a voice said from directly behind them. Ryan and Gabriella turned their heads to see the police chief who had underestimated Gabriella standing there, previously unnoticed by either of them.
"Yes, we are," Gabriella said angrily. Her feeling of hatred toward the chief hadn't dwindled in the slightest.
"We finally took you seriously, Ms. Montez, when we saw Ms. Evans. We went after Bolton, but he was one step ahead of us. He fled and we haven't tracked him down yet."
Author's Note: Please review and ideas are needed for this. And the play is still going to happen, just to let you know, since this story's drifted as far away as it can from its original intentions. REVIEW!