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Sorry I took ages to post….
It's the one you've been waiting for :)
CHAPTER 6
'Rumour has it that the star of Gabriella's World, Gabriella Montez has been axed by the studio. At this time, no-one is quite sure how many more episodes are available for air or what will replace the show, but we hope she returns to our screens soon…" The presenter commentated.
Troy sat forward, moving his arm from Gabi's shoulder and pressing his thumbs into his lower lip.
"Wow, she's gone." He said quietly.
Gabi watched him from the seat next to him, her legs under her from where she had been leaning into his body.
She reached out to touch his shoulder, her heart beating so fast at the news being broken like this, while she was here, sitting with him.
"You'll see her again." Gabi said knowingly, aching at not being able to tell him the truth.
But she didn't want to burst his bubble, either. He was in love with her character and she loved that about him but if he knew his dream girl didn't measure up to the fantasy, she'd end up crushing him.
He turned and smiled at her, reaching his large hand out to frame her face, brushing his thumb along her jaw.
He leaned toward her and kissed her gently. "You always make me smile, Lauren," he said gently.
"I try." She shrugged.
"And what you see in me, I'll never know." He joked, leaning back, placing his arm back around her shoulders.
"You're my best friend, Troy." She answered. "I haven't had one of those before." She added.
"You have Taylor." He pointed out.
She blinked a few times, laying her head on his shoulder.
"She doesn't kiss like you." She joked and he gave her a wide eyed look.
"Wow, there's an image." He smiled slowly.
Gabi giggled and relaxed into him as he watched the TV and she fell asleep against him again.
On waking, Gabi knew her wig had come loose because it moved as she lifted her head and she grabbed it with a gasp.
"Oh my god!" She panicked and Troy smiled quizzically at her.
"What's up?" He asked.
"My wig!" She said, scrambling up, still drowsy.
"Hey, it's okay. I don't care how you look without it," he assured her.
Gabi disappeared into the bathroom, averting the emergency, Troy's sweet words echoing in her mind.
"Hey, are you okay?" Troy asked as Gabi came back into the room, with that fixed smile on her lush lips.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, panicking inside at the near- revelation of her true self.
Troy stood up, his concerned frown mesmirising her as she watched him walk toward her and brace his fingers lightly on her forearms as he looked into her face.
"You know you can tell me anything…" He offered, still confused at her reaction, not knowing what she was hiding beneath her fake hair.
"There's nothing to tell." She answered quickly, too quickly.
He let his fingers brush down her arms until he twined their hands together, leaning forward to drop a kiss on the top of her head.
"I get that you can't tell me right now. But I am here for you- whenever you need a friend." He added pointedly.
Gabi didn't have words; she couldn't even begin to work out what she was meant to say to him. His assurance left her speechless at his touching statement, but she also knew she couldn't keep lying to him.
He looked genuinely concerned about her and it wasn't fair to let him worry.
She sighed, leaning up to kiss him, then wrapping her arms around his body where he held her tightly.
--
Gabi was quiet as she walked to school; Troy's fingers wrapped around her own protectively as he cast a look down on her, wondering what was on her mind.
"So are you gonna come to the game or is that too boring for you?" He checked gently, tugging on her hand.
Gabi smiled, flicking her lashes up at him, taking in his red plaid shirt and jeans. "Depends who's asking." She teased slightly.
"Me of course. Why you got some other basketball guy on the go?" He wondered.
"Maybe," she shrugged with a little grin.
"Wow, how to hurt a guy's feelings." He mocked, touching his fingers to his heart in pain.
"I always come to the game don't I?" She asked pointedly.
"You do." He smiled at her, his face softening as he considered she did that just for him. Her blonde hair swung at her jaw as she walked, and she was biting her lower lip.
"Are you still missing New York?" He wondered.
She nodded a little, not meeting his gaze. "But you're helping me not to." She added.
He beamed at her. "You're helping me not to think about the mess that is my parent's divorce," he returned with a rueful lift of his brows.
"We should hang out, after the game." Gabi suggested.
"Sounds good to me." He replied as they joined their friends at the school entrance.
--
"The stars are so pretty." Gabi sighed as she lay in her backyard, Troy at her side, his arm supporting his head.
She was using his chest as a pillow and his other hand gently curled around her upper arm.
"Like you." He said softly into the dusky light.
His comment earned him a small kiss on the lips. "I never met a boy like you in New York." She frowned a little.
"I bet you had a hundred boyfriends." He accused with a warm smile as she rolled over, her arms now against his chest where she peered into his face.
"Why thank you Troy, you make me sound like such a sweet girl." She laughed at him, reaching up to brush his fringe back.
"I'd love to stay all night with you." He said then, flicking his intense eyes over her face, needing her warmth and support more than she knew.
Gabi swallowed, not shying from his gaze. "Well you could…my mom would let you." She said.
His eyes met hers again, quickly. "But would you?" He wondered.
"That all depends…" she began to smile secretly.
"On?" He enquired.
"On what your intentions are, Mr. Bolton." She replied
"Just to sleep." He assured her, smiling softly into her brown eyes as he stroked her face. "Just to hold you." He added.
Gabi felt her tummy flip at his words, surprised at her feelings for him when she was still so confused about everything else in her life.
She considered how she was going to cover up her hair, knowing she couldn't wear her wig all night. His eyes told her he needed her and she wanted to be there for him. One night away from the stress of his parent's divorce was the least she could do.
"I know what you're thinking." He said softly, touching her fake hair as if to convey his thoughts.
"I don't know if I am ready to show you." She frowned, knowing if she did, her secret would be out.
"Then I won't stay, we'll just lay here until your mom makes me go home." He grinned, dropping his hand from her face to hug her around the waist once more.
He found her reaching down to kiss him again, his soft moan escaping as her tongue played against his.
His hands cupped at her waist, her weight against him both comforting and excruciating as he felt the soft weight of her breasts press into him.
Gabi caught her lower lip between her teeth as she pulled away. "I'll be right back." She said and was up out of his arms before he had a chance to ask questions.
-
Once she was alone with her mom, she sighed and bit her lower lip as she thought of what to say.
"I have to tell him mom." She broached.
"Troy?" Maria guessed easily.
Gabi nodded. "I really like him. It's not fair to keep lying." She added.
Her mom sighed. "I guess it has to happen sooner or later. Just try and keep it quiet, though." Her mom begged.
"I will, I promise." Gabi smiled with relief.
---
Gabi watched as Troy sat on the edge of her bed and leafed through a magazine as she stood in the doorway. She stepped inside the room, coming over to him, taking the book from his hands and bringing his gaze to hers.
She stepped forward, between his knees and pressed her lips together.
"There's something you should know about me," she said with trepidation.
Troy swallowed, wondering if she was about to tell him why she wore a wig.
"Okay." He said huskily.
He frowned as she stared at him sadly. "What's wrong?" He asked.
She lifted her mouth at one edge. "When I tell you, you're going to hate me." She predicted.
"No I won't." He smiled bemusedly.
She gripped his fingers. "You will. But you have to know," she added.
She took a sigh. "I've been lying to you about who I really am." She said and his eyes widened.
He somehow knew what she was going to say next. It had been hovering at the edge of his mind since he had met her, but he'd pushed the idea out of sight and now he was sure she was going to confirm it.
"I'm Gabriella Montez." She said quietly and took a gulp of air as her heart clattered wildly against her ribs. "But my friends call me Gabi…" She added nervously.
He lifted his eyes and she tried to read them but her tears blurred her view. She let his hands go gently and lifted her fingers to her hair, removing the pins and then the wig, shaking out her long and curly hair while he watched open-mouthed.
"I…" He frowned, not sure how he should feel.
He had kind of known deep down and he kind of didn't care anymore because he'd fallen in love with her, whoever she was. But he was also a little embarrassed and maybe a teeny bit star-struck, too.
He fingered her long, curly tresses as she sobbed and his protective instinct took over as he reached for her, pulling her into his lap. She sat on his thigh and clamped her arms around his neck as he held her.
"I'm so sorry!" She bawled, gasping for breath.
"Hey, shh" He soothed, stroking her back and inadvertently, her newly released hair as well.
The girl he had fallen in love with was so different to the girl he had seen on TV, but she was real. And she was in his arms, falling apart.
"I'm sorry!" She sobbed again as she felt his arms tighten around her waist.
"Shh, Gabi, it's okay," he husked and she pulled back, wide-eyed at him using her real name.
"Did you know?" She asked, awed.
He shrugged "No. But there were so many similarities…it's not a shock." He admitted with a grin.
She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips, spreading her fingers into the hair at his neck and he kissed her back, letting her hug him as she pulled back from the kiss.
"Do you hate me?" She asked nervously
He felt her breath tickle his ear as it moved his hair when she blew it out from her lips softly.
He chuckled. "No, of course not."
"But I lied." She argued.
"It's okay, I promise," he assured her. "I'm sure you had your reasons."
"But all those times…you talked about me and the show…" She said insistently.
"I was talking about a character, Gabi." He explained.
"But I'm a disappointment…to what you expected of me." She tested.
His blue eyes were large and shocked as he stroked her face, still getting accustomed to her new look, one that was familiar to him and yet strange all at the same time.
"You could never disappoint me," he said honestly. "I love you, Gabi."
"I know." She smiled bemusedly.
"No, I mean I love you." He repeated, losing himself in her brown eyes. "Not Gabriella Montez from the show. You." He said again.
Gabi smiled through her tears. "I love you too, Troy."
"So, is the position still open?" He asked with his animated eyes.
Gabi took a moment to work out what he meant, going back to that day in the front yard of East High.
"I'm saving it for you, remember?" She smiled.
"Then if you'll have me, I'd love to be your boyfriend." He asked.
"Only if you don't ask for an autograph!" She teased and he laughed, kissing her again as they fell back on the bed together.