Woot! Woot! Nearly ten review for the last chapter. Thank you again to: pumpkinking5, EP, Y0uNMcK33, Bluebell140, yogaluva, coolio1206, MissIndependentlyPerfect, and zan lil.
I love seeing so many familiar names! I think all except two of you followed me from my story Entwined. =D Thank you also to those that have added it to your favorites list already. It means a lot to me.

Despite her exhaustion, Gabriella was awake, It was nearly two in the morning and she laid in her bed, her big brown eyes starring up at the ceiling. She rolled over to her bedside table and flicked the lamp on. Digging into her side table, she retrieved her trusty blade. She laid it down beside her as she slid her bangles towards her wrist. The inch of skin that was hidden by golden bangles was significantly darker than the rest.

In the dimness of her bedroom, she could see the scars clear as day. It had become a habit in the last two years that she started doing this. No body expects the perky, brainy girl to cut, so why would they ever look at her wrist? It's funny how a few thin rounds of gold was the difference between her being the perfect person she was thought to be and her being the broken person that she was.

She picked up the blade and pressed its tip against the already marred flesh. With an even pressure, she dragged it against the width of her forearm as her hand made a fist to tense the muscles there.

Blood seeped through the broken skin in little drops. It was a rather shallow cut but it served its purpose. She let out a deep breath before throwing her blanket off of her and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She didn't have to worry about anybody discovering her secret, so she simply placed her razor on her side table.

Silence. It was a hideous thing that filled her house. As she crept down the hallway in her sweatpants and T-shirt, she became aware of how bare the house really was. No pictures hung from the white walls. Frivolous decor didn't litter every corner. She has seen model homes with more personality than the Montez house. It wasn't always like this. There was a time when the warmth among the Montez family radiated off of the walls.

Before:

Gabriella is in her room with the music on full blast as she changes out of her cheerleading uniform and into a bathing suit. Her school won and as captain, she invited the girls on the squad and the guys on the basketball team for a impromptu pool party and barbecue. She looks in the mirror and smiles. At 13 years of age, Gabriella Montez had it all. She was popular, smart, and beautiful.

A knock on her door interrupts the pop music bouncing off the walls. She reaches for her stereo's remote and lowers the music. "Yes?" she calls out through the door.

"Gabs, are you done?"

"Just a minute," she says as she shimmies into her swim shorts.

"Okay, but hurry up. I want to see what you look like in your new swim suit."

"What do you think?" she asks as she opens the door to revel her mother.

Her mother's beautiful, a mirror copy of herself. They share the same, high cheekbones and dark, curly hair. She's a slim woman with just the right amount of curves.

"It looks great on you! I'm so glad it fits!"

"Thank you again for getting it for me," she says as she moves out of the way to let her mother into the room. Her mother was a flight attendant and recently came back from California. "Will you help me put up my hair?"

"Of course, sweetie. How do you want it?"

"A french braid is good so I won't look like a fur ball later."

Mother and daughter share a laugh as they sit in front of her vanity. Gabriella looks up at her mother with admiration. She hopes that she'll grow up to be just like her.

The doorbell rings and she hears her father call up the stairs. "Gabs, your friends are here!"

"Can you braid a little faster, mom? I need to get down there before he scares away all of my friends."

"He won't..."

Her mother trails off as 80's music fills the home.

She meets her mother's wide eyes through the mirror. She arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "What were you going to say?" she asks with a smirk.

"I'm braiding as fast as I can," her mother says with a slight laugh.

Gabriella grins. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"You're welcome sweetheart. I love you," she says, pressing a kiss to her daughter hair.

"Love you too mom."

Now:

Gabriella nearly tripped going down the stairs. If it had been any other time, she would of laughed at her clumsiness. But she doesn't have the energy. The moon pours in from the open window in the front room. Spying her keys hanging from the key rack in the kitchen, she decided that she just needed to get out of the house.

After she slipped on a pair of sneaker, she got into her car and just drove into the open road. She had no destination in mind. Since she moved to Albuquerque six months ago, there weren't many times that she drove to places. She could count the places she's driven to herself on one hand. For the majority of her time here, Troy had driven her to places to meet their friends. To that, she had no objection.

It was late at night and there were barely a car in sight for miles. She took a deep breath and thought about turning the car around and heading back home. A bitter laugh slipped from her lips.

Home? She asked herself. The four walls and roof that she lived under did not make a home. It made a rather comfortable living space, but it was all too big for two people. Technically, it was too big for one person, considering that Gabriella's mother was away for the majority of the month.

Just as she was about to transfer lanes, a car zoomed pass her. She nearly screamed as she took even breaths to calm her racing pulse. That was the part that she hated about driving. How easy would it be to collide with another car! But then she stiffened as a thought crossed her mind. What if she got into an accident and had died?

No one would miss me. She concluded as she switched lanes and prepared herself to make a U-turn.

Troy might miss her but he would get over it. There would be someone pretty and popular girl that would come along- someone who deserved his attention. As for her friends, their lives would go on. Yes, they were close but they didn't know the true her. They knew the Gabriella on the surface. The one who would smile and laugh at their jokes. She was always the one that cheered them up between break ups and boosted their egos when they felt down. They would be okay without her.

Gabriella glanced at the rosary that her mother hung there when she gave her this car. It was for protection, her mother claimed. She found it ironic that her mother would think about such a thing when she never seemed to think about her safety when she was gone for days at a time. A part of her wonders how long it would before her mother noticed her absence. Then she realized that, by then, it wouldn't matter to her anymore.

Her life could be over with. There would be no more pain, no more emptiness and no more pretending.

It was a rather enticing temptation.

She looked into the rearview mirror to look once more at her reflection. It was then that she noticed the tears screaming down her face, illuminated by the streetlights. A moment later, she could taste the saltiness on her lips. She shifted her focus to the island in the middle of the lanes. Despite the emptiness of the streets, she turned on her left signal.

Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath as her hands tightened on the steering wheel. When she opened her brown eyes, she felt as if the answer was right in front of her this whole time. She felt disconnected from herself. This wasn't the nervous preteen that got behind the wheel for the first time. This was Gabriella Montez, who at 17-years-old was unsatisfied with herself and who she had become.

She would free herself from this suffering, if it was the last thing she'd do.

She was giving up.

After choosing a target, she hired the volume of the radio to full blast. For so long, she had lived in silence. She wasn't going to go with it. Her petite hands tighten their grip on the steering wheel. With one last look of her tearstained face in the mirror, she pressed her bare foot on the gas with all her might.

This was the end.

A/N: Before you ask: No, this isn't the real end of the story. lol But I hope you enjoyed that. I'm not feeling too well, so I apologize for the shortness and any errors you find.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Much Love,
Kae xx

Anonymous Reviews Reply:

to EP: As I mentioned above, it's always great to see a familiar name. Thank you so much for checking out my new story! lol I'm always happy to hear that I've been missed. Believe me, I've never realized how much I missed writing for you all. =)

to Y0uNMcK33: Lol I loved how you said that you never liked the Troyella in the movie. I will admit that their sweetness was a bit too much and unrealistic at time. Thank you for the review and I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter!