Hey everyone! All of the reviews are amazing! I can't believe that I got so many! Well, since mid-terms are this week I won't be updating again until Friday. So enjoy the chapter while it lasts! It's going to be a few days until you see the next one! And actually, there's only two more chapters left after this one! Enjoy!

I'll Email You

Chapter twenty

Coping

Charlie lay in his bed that night, staring at his ceiling as he listened to his sister sobbing in the room diagonal from him. He sighed, draping his arm over his eyes as he became worried. Her bedroom door was locked when he went after her when Troy left and she'd been in there since then crying her eyes out.

His sister didn't cry. That was one thing that you could basically count on. If you were at a funeral you'd sit by her because you knew she wouldn't be crying, causing a domino effect. She didn't cry in sad movies or when people disappointed her. But Charlie knew what caused her to crumble, to break apart so greatly that she'd cry for hours, so hard that she'd be sick in the morning.

She cried when she was left. By who, it didn't matter, but it was the one and only thing that got to her. He figured it was because she was left so many times by their parents that she felt as if she was forgotten about, too unimportant to make them stay and that killed him inside because he, her annoying, always finding trouble brother, was the only one who stayed with her. He thought he'd be the one to leave first for sure.

Charlie stood up from his bed and walked towards the dark hallway, crossing it to Gabriella's door. He turned the doorknob, breathing a sigh of relief when it opened and his heart broke when he saw his sister lying on the floor by her balcony, the stars in the sky shining behind her.

He walked over to her, kneeling down next to her as he picked her up with ease. She held onto him, crying against his chest as he walked her over to her bed and set her down. She kept her eyes closed, the tears streaming down her cheeks in a steady squiggle. He lay down next to her and she hugged him as she cried, her body shaking with each sob.

"You have to stop crying, Gabs." He whispered to her. "You're going to make yourself sick."

"He's gone." She cried as she opened her eyes slightly, closing them when it hurt to open them after having them closed for so long.

"I know." Charlie said as he watched her try to calm down.

"I hate him, Charlie." She said loudly. "I hate him so much." Her voice cracked as she talked to him.

"Its okay, Gabriella." He said to her. "You're allowed to hate the people who leave you." He explained.

"I never thought he'd leave me, Charlie." She admitted to him, wiping her tears away from her face. "I thought he'd be the one person to stay."

"I know." He whispered.

"I'm not supposed to be crying over him." She said as she painfully opened her eyes. "He's my best friend and I'm never going to see him again." She said as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

Charlie closed his eyes as he felt tears threaten to appear, wishing he could take the hurt away from his little sister. Gabriella took three deep breaths and looked at Charlie seriously.

"Charlie." She whispered, her voice shaking.

"Yeah?" He asked, opening his eyes.

"Are you going to leave me too?" She asked him, feeling vomit make its way up her throat, but she swallowed harshly, pushing it back to where it belonged.

"No." Charlie said strongly. "I'm never leaving you, sis." He said as he hugged her, feeling her body start to shake again as a new round of sobs started.

"I love you, Charlie." She told him sadly.

"I love you too, Gabs." He whispered. "Get some sleep, okay?"

He felt her nod and he closed his eyes too as he held his sister and her broken heart in his arms.

***

Gabriella looked at her computer screen, her East High sweatshirt baggy and soft around her body. Troy had sent her three emails since he got to California and each email ended with him saying that it was okay if she didn't email back.

She was staring at the picture on the background of her computer. It was of all of her friends, laughing hysterically as who ever took the picture made a joke. Troy was looking at Gabriella and Gabriella was holding onto his arm for support as the rest of her friends stood around them.

The door to her bedroom opened to reveal Taylor and Sharpay, smiling softly as they stepped in, Sharpay with a plate of cookies in her hand.

"Hey, Gabs. How are you?" Taylor asked her with a smile, watching as Gabriella stood and sat on her bed.

"I'm good." She told her.

She was technically telling the truth. She was amazing compared to the night before and now she was just trying to keep a smile on her face.

"You're one tough cookie." Sharpay told her. "No pun intended." She said, pointing to the cookies as she sat in the middle of the bed.

Gabriella laughed softly as she shrugged looking at her two friends before her.

"So…" She said quietly. "Anything new?" She asked.

"Nope."

"Nah."

Gabriella nodded, setting her hands in her lap as she listened to the silence.

"Did Zeke make those?" Gabriella asked as she eyed the cookies.

"Oh! Yeah, try one, they're really good." Sharpay said with a smile as she took off the plastic wrap, handing Taylor and Gabriella a cookie.

Gabriella took a bit of the new concoction that Zeke had created and she frowned slightly, tasting the cranberry flavored cookie. Taylor shot Sharpay an I-told-you-so look and Sharpay shrugged as looked back at Gabriella.

"What's wrong?" Sharpay asked Gabriella as her frown deepened.

Gabriella swallowed the bit of cookie that was in her mouth and looked at the rest of it in her hand, shrugging subtly.

"It tastes like me." She told them quietly as she ran her finger over the sugary top. "This is a Gabriella cookie." She added.

"I'm sorry." Sharpay said awkwardly. "I thought it was going to cheer you up." She explained.

"Oh, it's okay, Shar." Gabriella nodded slowly. "It's thoughtful… I guess."

"Chad wanted me to tell you a joke that he came up with the other day." Taylor told her pulling out her phone to read the joke she had saved in her phone. "I told him you'd think it was stupid, but he insisted that you'd like it."

"Okay." Gabriella giggled. "I'm sure it'll be funny."

"What did the grape say when it was smashed?" Taylor read.

"Oh God." Sharpay said with an eye roll.

"What?" Gabriella smiled.

"Nothing. He just let out a little wine." Taylor said, slapping her knee as she laughed.

"That's a good one." Gabriella laughed.

"I cracked up for like an hour after I heard that!" Taylor admitted as she laughed with Gabriella.

"How adorable." Sharpay said with a sigh, observing Gabriella's appearance as she laughed with Taylor.

"Shar, why are you staring at me?" Gabriella asked her with a laugh once she noticed that Sharpay was watching her.

"Oh… I'm not." She lied. "I don't know… you look different."

"No she doesn't." Taylor lied as she looked at Gabriella.

"I'm kind of tired, so I probably have bags under my eyes." Gabriella told them.

Sharpay nodded, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me." She replied with a sigh.

"It's okay." Gabriella shrugged, not thinking it was.

The girls laughed softly and Gabriella's bedroom door opened and Charlie came in with the phone in his hand, handing it to Gabriella.

"It's Mrs. Bolton." He said, exchanging a look with the girls quickly.

Sharpay looked at Taylor worriedly and they watched as Gabriella held the phone to her ear as Charlie left.

"Hello?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Hey, sweetheart!" Mrs. Bolton exclaimed on the other end. "I was just wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight. Zeke and Mr. Bolton are having a guy's night and I'm not up for a dinner alone. You're the first person I thought of to ask." She explained.

Gabriella glanced up at her friends who were looking at her curiously. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and knew she'd have time to get ready, so there was no excuse to get out of it.

"Sure, Mrs. Bolton… Mariah… I'd love to have dinner with you." She said, nodding softly.

Gabriella hung up the phone a few seconds later and set the phone next to her.

"Mrs. Bolton called?" Taylor asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Gabriella said, somewhat confused herself.

"That's awkward." Sharpay pointed out, causing Taylor to glare at her.

Sharpay shrugged and Gabriella nodded, sighing as she looked at the phone sitting on her bed; the sound of her best friend's mom ringing in her ears. She leaned her elbows on her knees, thinking as her friends started up a conversation amongst themselves. This was definitely going to be weird.

***

Gabriella stood on the Bolton's front porch, feeling her heart beat still pounding after she saw Troy's basketball net on the driveway, unused and wondering when his owner was coming back. She was wondering the same thing. She sighed, that poor basketball net. The door opened, revealing a smiling Mrs. Bolton.

"You look lovely, Gabriella." She said as she hugged her in a motherly way, inviting her in.

"Thanks." Gabriella smiled, feeling her stomach twist and turn as she smelt the familiar scent of Troy's house.

"I hope this isn't too awkward for you, honey. I know that you don't know me too well." Mrs. Bolton said as they walked into the kitchen.

"It's okay, Mrs. Bolton." Smiling as Mrs. Bolton raised her eye brows at her. "Mariah." She corrected herself. "I feel like I've known you my whole life."

"Why don't you sit right here while I finish making dinner." Mrs. Bolton said as she pulled out a bar stool for Gabriella.

Gabriella smiled and sat down in the chair, watching Mrs. Bolton at the stove. She looked around the kitchen, seeing things that she hadn't when she was there last, like the pile of cook books on the counter… and Troy's shoes tossed carelessly by the back door. She sighed, smiling as Mrs. Bolton looked at her.

"Are your parents home yet?" Mrs. Bolton asked her.

"No." Gabriella shook her head. "They're not supposed to be back until school starts." She added.

"That's too bad." Mrs. Bolton replied. "I'm sure you miss them."

"I've gotten used to it, to be honest." She told her. "Unfortunately I'm not really close to my mom, so it's usually not a big deal."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Mrs. Bolton said to her, coming around to the chair next to her and setting two plates down, one for her and one for Gabriella.

"This looks great." Gabriella smiled.

"Thank you." Mrs. Bolton replied. "So, Gabriella Montez, what's new with you?" She asked.

Gabriella couldn't help but remember how Troy would always use her full name when he asked her a question and her heart beat quickened as she heard Mrs. Bolton's question.

"Nothing at all." She admitted.

"How are you holding up?" She asked her.

Gabriella didn't exactly know what she meant by that question. Was she referring to her abandonment by her parents, the disappearance of her best friend, a.k.a Mrs. Bolton's son?

"I'm okay." Gabriella told her, taking a bite of the creamy pasta in front of her.

Mrs. Bolton nodded, falling into the silence between them as she took a bite of the pasta. She wanted to bring up Troy, but she knew that Gabriella's heart would be fragile.

"Mariah," Gabriella started, looking at Mrs. Bolton after a few minutes had passed.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"How was Troy when he was leaving?" She asked, causing a small smile to appear on Mrs. Bolton's lips. "Was he happy?"

"I'm glad you asked." Mrs. Bolton said, watching as a smile appeared on Gabriella's sad face. "Yes, he was happy." She told him. "But he was unsure."

"What do you mean?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm not sure if he thought he was doing the right thing by leaving." Mrs. Bolton explained. "Let's just say, I was talking to him before he left and you came up in the conversation." She began, watching as Gabriella looked up from her pasta and at her as she spoke. "I'll spare you the details, but I think he was debating whether or not to leave you."

Gabriella nodded, letting the steam of the pasta hit her face.

"He didn't want to leave me?" Gabriella asked.

"Honey," Mrs. Bolton laughed softly. "Troy took his basketball, surfboard, and that beautiful picture of you on his dresser and left everything else he actually needed behind." She smiled when she heard Gabriella laugh. "I'm not sure what he wanted to do."

"If he was happy than I guess its okay." Gabriella shrugged as she twirled the pasta around her fork.

"I'm glad you're somewhat supportive of him." Mrs. Bolton laughed quietly.
"Can I ask you a serious question?" Gabriella asked her.

"Sure, what is it?" She asked.

"Do you think it's hypocritical of me to be mad at Will…" Gabriella paused as Mrs. Bolton laughed softly. "If I was the one who invited him?" She asked.

Mrs. Bolton's laugh stopped, and her fork dropped onto her bowl as she looked sadly over at a teary eyed Gabriella.

"Oh, Gabriella." She exclaimed in a whisper, taking her hands in hers. "You invited Will?" She asked quietly.

"I just wanted Troy to be happy, Mariah. I never expected him to leave." She said shaking her head quickly. "I'm sorry." She told her as a few tears slipped down her cheek.

"It's not your fault." Mrs. Bolton said as she pulled her into a hug. "You're an incredible person, Gabriella." She told her.

"I fell for him, Mariah." She admitted as she hugged her. "I didn't mean to." She sniffled.

"I don't think anyone means to fall in love." Mrs. Bolton said as she became teary eyed, pulling away from Gabriella so that she could see her face. She wiped away Gabriella's tears as she smiled softly. "Mr. Bolton and I knew fate brought you together." She smirked.

"But we're not together." Gabriella replied, confused by her own thoughts.

"If fate has brought you together once, I'm sure you'll be together again." Mrs. Bolton smiled as she patted Gabriella's hand.

"Do you really believe that?" Gabriella asked with a sigh.

"Yes, honey, I believe that with all of my heart." Mrs. Bolton smiled.

"Thank you." Gabriella whispered as a smile appeared through her tear stained face.

"No need to thank me, Gabriella." She smiled as she sighed, turning back to her pasta. "I'm just glad that you realized that you loved my son." She replied.

"Gosh, it's like everyone but me knew this." Gabriella said with a laugh.

"Yes, well, we've had discussions." Mrs. Bolton said as if talking about Troy and Gabriella's relationship when they weren't there was no big deal.

"What?" Gabriella asked curiously.

Mrs. Bolton smiled, shrugging.

"You thought the basketball team was at your house a lot." She laughed quietly.

"Mariah!" Gabriella exclaimed with a laugh.

Mrs. Bolton laughed loudly, tossing her head back as she let a nice sound flow out of her mouth. Gabriella watched her with a smile, noticing once again how much Mrs. Bolton looked like Troy. She giggled, twirling more pasta around her fork, putting it in her mouth once it was securely knotted around her fork and she smiled as she looked over at Troy's shoes. It felt like he was still there and in more ways than none, he was.

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unknownbyhim22