Hello everyone, and thank you for your magnificent reviews! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year, and I hope you will continue to support my writing adventures in the coming year as well!
Some of you might've heard, but there's been a big rumour going around that Vanessa may be playing Leah Clearwater in the next Twilight sequel, New Moon, which is already guaranteed to be a hit. However, Vanessa's rep. has denied that rumour, and that sources say the role of Leah Clearwater isn't even up for auditions yet. IF there was this opportunity, what do you think about Vanessa playing the role?
Before Happily Ever After
Chapter 5: Trials and Tribulations
"Troy, Troy come on already it's getting late—oh where is Sean's bottle?"
"It's in hot water heating up—"
"Shoot my bag!"
"It's on the couch, Gabby—"
"Notebook…homework, check—oh Sean please stop chewing on the remote, it's not a toy sweetie,"
"Bah!"
"Troy did you make sure all the bottles Sean needs today are in the refrigerator?"
"Yes I did, along with a time table of when he needs to eat and when his nap time is, and our phone numbers, our class schedule, our work numbers, the university number if we don't feel like picking up, and every emergency number imaginable just in case the apartment suddenly collapses, and aliens come and destroy the earth,"
"Troy Jonathan Bolton I'm being serious!"
"Gabriella Erin Maria Bolton so am I."
"Da, baba!" Sean joined in helpfully, Troy grinned,
"He obviously takes my side," Troy nodded comically, Gabriella rolled her eyes,
"Boys—oh god I have to go or I'll be late for class, oh but Ryan's not here yet!" At that moment, the house phone rang, and groaning, Gabriella glared pointedly at Troy, gesturing for him to try to clean up for their departure, "That's probably Ryan," and she ran to their room to answer the phone.
"Completely mental," Troy grumbled softly only to have Sean reply too gleefully for a one year old who had woken up at eight in the morning.
Such were the joys of being parents, and being college students at the same time. As hard as they tried to balance their class schedules around their domestic lives, classes were bound to overlap, and today was an example of one of those days. Gabriella had her math class in half an hour and her Law class at three before she had to go to work, and Troy had his class at 10AM, half an hour after Gabriella's math class, and then he had to get to the gym to coach the boys basketball team. After rifling through their list of friends, Ryan was the only person available at short notice (not that they had called him before). He had mentioned that Sharpay would also be coming with him as she had more experience with Sean, and the twin siblings had settled for coming at 9AM to relieve Gabriella and Troy of their duties. At that moment, Gabriella came back out form their room in nearly half the speed she ran in with. In fact she seemed to be dragging herself down the corridor, her eyes heavy,
"Not Ryan?" Troy asked, Gabriella looked up with a shocked face, as if she had just noticed Troy in the room,
"Ryan? Oh no, no it wasn't Ryan…"
"Who was it?"
"Um…advertising company," she mumbled, looking away and Troy frowned. Before he could open his mouth to say anything else though, Gabriella had resumed fumbling around their small home with a frantic look in her eyes.
"Brie, listen to me," Troy stopped Gabriella's frantic pacing by gripping her shoulders with both hands, "Go to class, I'm here, I'll wait until Ryan and Sharpay shows up, it'll be fine, don't worry,"
"I know but…I don't know," Gabriella sighed, she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "I might be overreacting a bit,"
"A bit?"
"Ok, a lot," Gabriella let out the smallest hint of a smile, "But promise you'll call me if they don't show up in time for you to get to class? I'll leave and come straight home,"
"Brie it'll be fine, go, get to class, be that star student," Troy grinned, teasing her with her passion for academics. Troy didn't know how to take it when she offered a grin that seemed more like a grimace. She gave him a chaste peck on the cheek, went to hug Sean tightly, and bustled out the door. The moment she opened the door, Ryan was at the other side, finger poised to ring the doorbell with Sharpay behind him,
"Ok…either you guys have built in radar I don't know about, or one of you two are psychic, I'm betting on Gabs," Ryan joked. He and Troy shared an amused look. Gabriella however seemed completely oblivious to the little exchange-or the fact that Ryan spoke at all, she almost crashed into Ryan, running out the door,
"Hey…" Ryan began, "Gabs…" and he watched her speed down the stairs and out the apartment building.
"Someone's in a rush," Sharpay grinned, looking up to meet Troy's eyes. She became concerned when Troy's face was didn't look half as relaxed as it had been when Gabriella had been in the room a few seconds before.
"Don't look too happy to see us," Ryan joked, walking in with Sharpay closing the door. Troy smiled briefly, exchanging quick hellos with his friends as Sharpay rushed to Sean's side,
"What's wrong Troy?" Sharpay asked a few seconds later, having scooped Sean into her lap. The toddler bounced up and down on the blonde's lap, "Usually when I pick Sean up you always tell me I'm spoiling him,"
"It's Gabby," Troy said in a troubled voice, a frown marred his features, "She's…she's not herself, she's bottling everything up and she won't tell me anything. It's frustrating."
"You two are married, married couples have their troubles," Sharpay reasoned,
"Not like this, marriage troubles are when you have different ideas of the curtains, or you don't like how the furniture's arranged. We promised each other we'd be open to anything, that we'd tell one another everything, but after the visit to the hospital…she just…she just closed up,"
"Troy," Ryan said, "The hospital visit didn't go like any of you planned for it to go…you have to give her some time," At that point, Sharpay had stopped talking, and was looking between the husband of her best friend, and her twin brother. What hospital visit? Sharpay knew Isabella and Greg Santos had a child, but Gabriella had visit—no, Gabriella was allowed to visit? Troy caught the confused look on her face, and frowned slightly,
"You didn't tell her," Troy said quietly, Ryan shrugged, letting the question float neutrally wit no definite answer, let them interpret his shrug.
"Boys," Sharpay said in a stern voice, it was the same voice Gabriella would use when Troy, or Sean (or sometimes both) did something they weren't allowed to do, "What's going on? Did Gabby visit her parents at the hospital?"
"Quick as a whip, why am I not surprised," Troy thought to himself with a light smile, he quickly glanced at the clock, and realized that if he didn't start leaving soon, he would be late for his own class, "I have to go. Gabby wrote down all the numbers you might need on the 'fridge, our numbers are there along with the university's number and our class schedule for today. Milks in the 'fridge, Shar you know Sean's sleeping schedule,"
Nod.
"Behave for daddy alright sport?" Troy said, plucking the toddler off of Sharpay's lap, Sean nodded his dark haired head, his blue eyes shimmering,
"'ort dada!" Sean said,
"Yes daddy's going to play some sports, then come home with mommy, you be good, and try not to kill Aunt Sharpay or Uncle Ryan too much…well Uncle Ryan maybe, but not Aunt Sharpay, mommy won't forgive me for that," Troy said comically. Sean smiled, and latched onto Troy's neck, his giggling vibrating against the crook of his neck,
"Love you," Troy said softly, kissing the top of his son's head. He gave Sean back to Sharpay, who had the same soft, gentle look in her eyes every time she watched either Troy or Gabriella interact with Sean. For Ryan, who was witnessing it for the first time, it was something that left his mind to ponder about. Troy bade his friends goodbye as he grabbed his own bags and books, and walked out the door.
Silence.
"So, which of your old toys should we destroy first?" Sharpay asked. Sean said something incomprehensible, "Well you better choose, we can't get you new ones if you don't break old ones,"
"Shar we're here to babysit, not spoil him rotten," Ryan said, Sharpay grinned as she stood up with Sean,
"Correction, they called you to babysit, they said nothing about me not being allowed to buy some stuff." Sharpay grabbed her purse along the way, "I am, after all, a very impulsive shopper,"
Gabriella's fingers fidgeted with the pen she had been using to draw circles on what was supposed to be her notes for her psychology class. Her eyes focused in and out, her mind preoccupied with thoughts she couldn't banish. Her other hand was gripping her cell phone, her muscles tense, expecting it to ring at any second. For the entire day her mind couldn't concentrate. The 'call'-which she now calls that particular phone call-earlier that morning affected the rest of her day. She couldn't concentrate without hearing the desperate plea in her voice-in Isabella's voice.
Flashback
Gabriella dashed into her and Troy's room where the phone continued to ring, in her mind she was coming up with the perfect slew of reprimanding words she was going to unleash on Ryan Evans,
"Ryan Lucas Evans you better have a damn good excuse on why you're late, and you better tell me you're on your way up to beg our forgiveness," Gabriella shot out as soon as she picked up the phone,
"E-excuse me?" Gabriella froze, that wasn't Ryan.
"Oh I-I'm sorry I thought you were a friend of mine um, sorry,"
"It's alright…Gabby, is that you?" This time all of Gabriella's insides froze. She knew this voice too, she knew it too well. She stayed silent. "Gabriella, please talk to me,"
"How did you get my number?" she asked coldly. Even through the phone Gabriella could almost see Isabella Montez-Santos flinch at her cold and unforgiving voice.
"I…I looked up the university Greg's tuition money went to…and searched up your last name in the phone book near your area,"
"So even now you won't let me have any privacy?" Gabriella retorted,
"No! Gabby please you have to listen to me,"
"Why? So you can insult my family even more? So you can tell me how I'm making the biggest mistake of my life, that I'm young and stupid and I don't know what I'm talking about? Well listen mother, I know what I'm doing, I am not making a mistake and I'm going to show you."
"Gabriella please, can't we just talk? You're my daughter, I just, I want to talk to you!" Isabella's voice hitched on a sob
"You called, we talk, chat's over. Don't call me again," Gabriella said in a cold, hard voice. For one second she held on the phone, a tiny part of heart wanting to hear her mother's voice just once, to somehow rekindle old memories and realize that this woman was the same woman that had picked her up off her fallen tricycle and ran the full half hour distance to the hospital when she had a fever. None the less, Gabriella hung up, and let the phone fall onto the bed.
End of Flashback
Gabriella was snapped out of her reverie, when the phone rang, and she nearly jumped out of her skin, thinking it was her cell phone. She calmed down when she realized it was the office phone.
"Relax, there's no way she knows where you work, and she definitely won't have your cell phone number," Gabriella assured herself. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone, "Hello Dr. Edward's office," Gabriella answered the phone. The patient on the other line started shooting out symptoms and what they thought was wrong with them. Gabriella interrupted as politely as possible, and coaxed the nervous patient into booking an appointment. As she finished that phone call, another patient came out, their faces painted with relief. Dr. Edward came out a few moments later as well,
"Don't worry it's just a simple cough, just take the medicine as prescribed and you'll be fine," the doctor said gently. The older lady he had been talking to nodded in relief gave her thanks and walked out the door. Dr. Edward then turned around. He was relatively young for a doctor, being in his late twenties and early thirties. He had shaggy chestnut brown hair that seemed messed up no matter how you fix it, and the kindest grassy green eyes. He was around Troy's height if not just a little bit taller, and dimples when he smiled. He could make the most nervous patient calm and swoon, which helped him in this particular career field,
"Another bad misinterpretation?" Gabriella laughed, Edward grinned,
"Yea, apparently her family's prone to having asthma, and when she started coughing and not breathing properly she thought she had it too, came in here crying like she was about to die right then,"
"That's not nice," Gabriella said sternly, "Need I remind you that you are the adult here,"
"Only by age, if I was mature enough I wouldn't need you as a receptionist to remind me,"
"And here we rely our lives on you, such a poor choice," Gabriella rolled her eyes,
"Hey it's all part of the charm," Edward winked,
"Save that for your wife," Gabriella giggled, and Edward chuckled
"Too true, you can start wrapping up now, it's almost time for closing and I bet you can't wait to see your son," Edward said kindly,
"Yea, I've left him alone for too long," Gabriella sighed starting to pack up. Edward observed his young receptionist. When she had come in looking for a job, Edward was rather reluctant to hire her. When she first came in, she had just entered her first year of university and she was married. She had been disowned by her parents, and was barely making enough to cover the expenses of her and her husband. The first thing that came to his mind was irresponsible…immature. Only those who lacked responsibility would marry right out of high school…it wasn't a rare fact that most marriages never last when the couple married under the age of twenty. However, there was something about her during that interview that made Edward start with shock.
Flashback
"So…Miss Santos,"
"Bolton," Gabriella interrupted suddenly, "It's…it's Gabriella Bolton sir,"
"But your university records says your last name is Santos," Edward frowned,
"Yes sir, that's my step-father's name," Gabriella said quietly, and Edward couldn't help but notice a hint of venom, "He was the one that paid my tuition so he had it under his name, but I'm married and I go under my husband's name." Another change. Her voice had grown confident and sure, Edward noted, not many married adolescents were comfortable enough to do that.
"My apologies Mrs Bolton," Edward said politely, "Now…you're looking for a job as a receptionist here…but you're majoring in Pre-law?"
"Yes sir,"
"Why are you looking at a receptionist job at a clinic then, Mrs Bolton?" Edward straightened his shoulder, mentally preparing for the slew of excuses every normal adolescent memorized; to expand their knowledge, to try out different fields, to improve there area of strengths…etc.
"I just needed a job, sir," Gabriella answered softly. Well that was different,
"I beg your pardon?"
"I needed a job close to home," Gabriella repeated, "I understand I'm not exactly being completely polite, but my parents…my parents disowned me because I got married out of high school…my step father, Greg Santos owns Santos Inc. and who would want their name on the cover of a tabloid about their teenage daughter getting married?" Gabriella scoffed softly, "I told them I didn't need their help to make it, and I'm not going to have my husband support me while I sit at home being helpless,"
Edward couldn't help but gawk at the young woman in front of him,
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to say all of it like that," Gabriella blushed, "I'm not looking for pity or sympathy, I'm sorry I wasted your time, but thank you for seeing me," she began to stand up and leave,
"Wait," Edward paused, "When can you start?" Gabriella froze,
"Excuse me?"
Edward chuckled, gesturing for her to sit, "Gabriella…can I call you Gabriella, my dear I sit through at least half a dozen interviews each week with people your age, sometimes older looking to get a job here. Do you know what they say when I ask them the same question? The same thing, every time, they want to try the field, expand their knowledge, have more options, your interview was the most honest one I've had all year,"
"Um no offence…but that's not exactly the best way to pick someone you're going to be paying,"
"And no normal teenager would try to dissuade their employers not to hire them after an interview," Edward smirked, and Gabriella blushed, "come by Monday afternoon at anytime, and we can talk about your schedule,"
"Yes sir,"
"And my name is Edward, pleasure to meet you," Edward stood with his hands out, Gabriella smiled, taking it gently,
"Thank you Edward," she smiled. He accompanied her out of his office, where a young man with shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes sat, waiting for him. He looked up and his facial expressions brightened instantly. Gabriella's smile got wider as she ran to his opened arms. She whispered something to him, and the man's face broke into a wide smile, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head, muttering something.
"Troy this is Dr. Edward, Edward my husband, Troy Bolton," Gabriella introduced, Troy extended his hands, and the two men greeted one another.
Almost a year later, Edward met Troy again, this time with a positive pregnancy result.
End of Flashback
Edward watched Gabriella pack her things, her fingers slipped, and her cell phone clattered onto the desk. Edward picked it up for her,
"Gabriella, is something wrong?" he frowned. Her jaws were tight, and her eyes seemed frantic as if she wanted to be back at home urgently,
"I'm fine,"
"Are you sure? There aren't any problems are there?" Edward asked, Gabriella shook her head sharply, immediately rejecting the mere possibility of that idea,
"I have to go, here are your appointments for tomorrow, bye Edward," and she dashed out the door and left Edward staring curiously behind her.
-
-
Troy got home from the community center gym just half past seven. As he approached the front door, sounds of squealing laughter and the faint scent of dinner wafted to his ears and nose. Grinning softly, he unlocked his door to a sight to behold.
Sharpay and Ryan were sitting on the coach watching with broad smiles on his face, as Sean sat on the floor underneath what looked like a mini playing set for toddlers, something Troy swore they never had when they left Sharpay and Ryan earlier that day. Sean squealed with delight as his hands played with the dangling toys hanging on the arch of the playing set, and clapped his hands when one of it squeaked.
Sharpay's keen brown eyes fluttered upwards, and smiled "Aw look, daddy's back! Aw Troy are you jealous you don't have something like this, too?"
"At least he had something to hold his attention on besides you," Troy retorted back just as quickly, his eyes twinkling from the playful banter,
"Go shower Bolton you stink," Sharpay stuck her tongue out as Troy closed the doors. At the click of the door sounded, Troy was nearly ambushed by Gabriella, who flew at him so quickly it looked like she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Troy was shocked but definitely not complaining about the choice of welcome from his wife,
"Hey, did you have a good day?" he grinned down at her. Gabriella's eyes looked up, and before he had time to register the distraction that seemed to float in her chocolate orbs, she kissed in softly, and he wasted no time in replying it,
"Please spare my eyes," Ryan joked, interrupting the moment. Gabriella replied by refusing to let go,
"Alright, I see it's time for us to go," Sharpay giggled, she went to kiss Sean on the head, "You make sure your parents don't do anything they're not supposed to do in front of children, alright?" Sean giggled, "Alright I'm counting on you then," Sharpay grumbled and glared at Troy and Gabriella on her way out,
"Don't worry, she'll get over it by the time we get to the car," Ryan chuckled. He paused, his eyes softening, he wasn't going to lie to himself by saying he was comfortable with this because he wasn't at all. But he wasn't going to act like a jerk after they had accepted him back so quickly and easily,
"Have a good night guys," and closed the door gently behind him. Troy chuckled and looked down,
"You're home early," he smiled; Gabriella smiled back, nodding but not responding. Instead, she drew him into a tighter hug and Troy felt her tense muscles, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, there's absolutely nothing wrong," she mumbled into his chest, instead she pulled away, "Go and change, dinner will be ready soon,"
"Do you want me to change Sean?"
"I already did," Gabriella said absent minded, strolling back into their small kitchen. Troy raised an eyebrow; normally she would be too swarmed with homework and upcoming tasks to have time to switch Sean's day clothes to his dinner clothes. That was usually Troy's job when he came home after she did. When he looked over to her bag, he found it barely touched; no doubt her unfinished homework was still there untouched.
"Gabriella," he began, but she silenced him with a shake of her head, and only pointed to their room. Sighing, Troy left their living room. He quickly discarded his turtleneck and jeans, and opted for an old baggy grey t-shirt, and faded blue jeans. As he was putting his jeans away, he noticed that their answering machine was blinking red. Another odd incident, Gabriella usually checked the messages. Shrugging, Troy clicked to replay the message. A half a minute later, his face was tight with a frown, and stormed out of their room.
Gabriella was in the middle of setting the table, while keeping an eye on Sean who was still occupied with the weird contraption Sharpay bought when Troy entered. She looked up with a smile, expecting to see her husband dressed down with a lazy smile, instead he looked beyond livid,
"Troy?" Gabriella walked up to him, "What's wrong?"
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Troy asked in a strained voice, Gabriella shook her head, "Really? Nothing at all, nothing out of the ordinary happened today?"
"No, nothing Troy what's wrong?" she asked, she reached up to brush his cheeks only to have him pull away. She pulled back with hurt,
"Why are you lying to me? What are you hiding?"
"I-I'm not hiding anything!"
"Oh, so I guess getting a call from your mom-who made you leave crying-this morning was nothing at all? Of course something like this won't be worth mentioning to your husband because it's nothing at all, right?" he nearly spat coldly. Only the fact that he was angrier at her family than Gabriella herself kept him from downright shouting at her.
"H-How did you find out?" Gabriella stuttered,
"So she did call." Troy said in a quiet and grave voice, "She was the one who called this morning wasn't she? Not some advertising company, but your mother. She left a message on our answering machine, she wants to talk to you, to have your forgive her." Silence separated the couple. Even Sean had stopped playing, his eyes on his parents, who were staring at each other; Gabriella in a face of shock and Troy in a face of horrible disappointment.
"Gabriella, why didn't you tell me?" he asked,
"I…I didn't think…I wanted to handle this myself," she answered quietly,
"Handle this yourself? Gabriella how can you handle this yourself?"
"This is my problem Troy! My family, my mother, my problem! I can deal with it, I don't need someone holding my hands all the time!"
"I'm not holding your hands, this isn't your problem, this is our problem Gabriella! You can't handle this on your own!"
"I can!" Gabriella shouted, pulling away from Troy, "I can do this, I can prove to him that I can make it on my own, that I didn't make a mistake!"
"All this just because you want to prove him wrong?" Troy asked, "Let us help you, let me help you!"
"You can't!"
"I damn well can't if you don't tell me what the damn problem is!" Troy shouted angrily. He paced around, running his hands through his hair, "Gabriella you've been closed up ever since we came back from the hospital visit that was nearly two weeks ago! You don't talk to me, you're not doing your work, all you do is take care of Sean,"
"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
"It is but you're pushing me out! Gabby you're pushing me out of your life, and your thought, out of everything that matters to you. I want to help you, god I would trade my life if it meant you could be at the slightest ease, but I can't do that if you don't let anyone in,"
"Is it so much to ask for just a little privacy? You have secrets, I have secrets Troy. There are things I don't know about you, I still don't know about you, and things you don't share with me!"
Troy was silent. "There are things I haven't told you," he confirmed, and that made Gabriella both relax internally, but made her square her shoulders in preparation for what she assumed would be things left in the dark about Troy Bolton, but no amount of shoulder squaring could prevent the blow from his next sentence,
"But I would tell you every single deep, dark secret if you simply asked,"
Dinner was forgotten that night. Troy and Gabriella separated after that, Gabriella scooped out the casserole she had made into a container, saving it for another night, while Troy took Sean silently, and fed him his milk and changed him into his pyjamas. Gabriella washed Sean alone, and when Troy entered the washroom to take his shower, Gabriella left with Sean to go to Sean's room.
Troy carefully cooed Sean to sleep by himself while Gabriella took her shower, and when his son finally felt into a fitful sleep, he went to the living room, where he sat on the couch, staring at the blank spot before him. He heard Gabriella open the washroom door, and smelled the faint scent of strawberries and lilac that resulted from her shower. He could imagine how she looked; with her brown locks wet and cascading down to her shoulder blades, and her cheeks rosy red from the heat, but he didn't look back.
He brushed his teeth while she blow dried her hair in the kitchen, and when he changed into his boxers, she was on the bed, curled up in a defensive ball and facing away from him. With a heavy heart, and a drop in the pit of his stomach, he silently took out a spare pillow and cover from their closet. The sound made Gabriella look over,
"What…what are you doing?" she asked softly. Troy looked away from her face, his head down,
"Tonight…it might not be a good idea to sleep together tonight…not a good idea for us," he answered quietly. He poised his hands above the doorknob, and for a second he hesitated, then without looking back, he walked out of their room, his footsteps drowned by the click of the door that echoed in Gabriella's mind. She strained to hear him settle on the couch in the living room. Into the course of the night, he heard her twist and turn on their bed, and he drove his head into the pillow in preparation for a sleepless night.
In their room, Gabriella grabbed the pillow Troy slept on in their bed, and hugged it to herself, drowning herself in his scent. Silent tears leaked down her cheeks and soaked the pillow as she fell into a restless sleep.
The pillow couldn't replace the lack of warmth she had gotten use to when Troy had his arms wrapped around her, the cricket's song outside couldn't replace Troy's even breathing, and the soothing lullaby that was his heart beat,
And the silence and distance wouldn't even be able to measure up the distance they felt in their hearts.
A/N: Ouch…not a nice chapter. I re-wrote this twice and this was what it turned out to be. Before anyone feels that Gabriella might've over reacted, you've got to realize that both of them are in a hard position. Despite everything, they are still young, in school and with a child with a very unpleasant history with Gabriella's family.
That said, Troy had sworn to protect Gabriella from anything that hurts hurt; her family included. So you can imagine the hurt when he realizes that Isabella Montez-Santos has called her, and she didn't even tell him.
Likewise, Gabriella is feeling the stress of wanting to prove to her mother and step-father that she can survive on her own; and one way to prove her point is that starting a family that young was not a mistake; hence her trying to make sure everything at home is perfect even if it meant neglecting her academics.
In terms of Troy's family, unfortunately I've had to write them out as they aren't as crucial as Gabriella's family. That said, Troy's family does support their marriage, but as told from the first chapter, they are hardly in the position to offer financial support to Troy and Gabriella, as much as they may want to.
FYI: Yes I borrowed Edward Cullen from Twilight. I absolutely LOVE him! I think he and Troy makes the perfect example of boyfriends :)
One more thing, I promise! As you know, I also have a time period piece called "Forbidden" that I am planning. I have written a preface for it, and it is now up for review! Please let me know what you think! Summary is on my profile.
Review!