Who likes really long chapters? Well, you've gotten one. This is one of the longest ones that I've written. It's almost as long as my one-shot! Well anyway, I do not own anything in this story except for the original character.
A/N: With the song, Troy is normal print, Gabriella is italic print, and they are both the bold print.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Troy, I'm nervous," Gabriella whispered.
"About what?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's everything. Maybe it's just getting on stage after so many years," Gabriella responded, looking out into the audience from backstage.
Troy ran over and pulled Gabriella into his arms. "Gabi, you've got nothing to worry about. You're an amazing singer."
"But what if I mess up?"
"You won't."
"How do you know that?"
"Gabriella, I just know things," Troy answered with a smile on his face.
"Is this like how you knew that you would score the final point in the charity game?"
c
Flashback
It had been a week since that conversation in the kitchen. It had been a week since Gabriella's nerves started acting up again. It was the night of the charity event.
"COME SEE THE KNICKS!" was what a huge banner had said.
"Support Troy Bolton, former captain, and his fiancé, the rising star Gabriella Montez!" was what the multiple flyers that filled the hallway had said.
Inside the gym of the multimedia complex, the game had already started. Crowds of people roared in the bleachers, People sporting red-and-white pom-poms were jumping up and down, screaming for either Chad or Troy, for either team to win. The two best friends had been made team captain of their own teams.
"This is going to be a good game, isn't it Troy?" Chad stated, a smile on his face.
"Yeah it is. Just like our old one-on-ones," Troy answered, giving his friend a high-five.
"That it is. You're going to give me your best game, right?" Chad asked as he and Troy walked toward center court where the game would start.
"I will if you are," Troy retaliated. The volunteer referee, which was Trevor, approached with the ball in hand.
"I want a good game guys. The crowd is looking forward to it. Ready?"
"I am if he is," Chad said, pointing his head that Troy.
"I am if you are."
"Okay," Trevor said, ready to start. "3..." Chad looked at Troy, a look of playfulness in his eyes as he bounced from foot to foot. "2..." Troy let out a breath of confidence and a smile of competition. "1..." Trevor threw the ball. The orange sphere flew into the air. Chad and Troy both jumped up, reaching for the ball.
End Flashback
c
"I did score it, didn't I?" Troy said cheekily.
"That you did," Gabriella answered.
c
Flashback
2 minutes left in the game. Troy: 27, Chad: 28, Chad's team in control of the ball.
The clock continued to run as Jason Cross makes his way down with Chuckie, who's on Troy's team, right on him. Jason stops, looking around for a free man to pass the ball to.
Gabriella entered through the side gym doors. She stole a seat on the bleachers. Troy glanced over and gave her a smile.
"Chad!" Jason called. Troy heard this, scanned the court, and ran in Chad's direction. It was anyone's ball.
"Time out!" Troy shouted, putting his hands into a 'T' formation with the basketball under one arm. Trevor blew the whistle and the boys went to opposite sides of the court.
Feeling nervous about singing in front of an audience again, Gabriella started playing with her hands.
Troy jogged over to her, his hair damp with sweat. "Gabi, what's worrying you?"
"Nothing's worrying me. I just came by to see how your game was going."
Troy responded with a look that read "I-know-that-there's-more-to-it-than-that."
"Okay, okay, I'm worried that we won't make enough money. That will come up a little short," Gabriella fibbed, covering up her real fear.
"I'm positive that we'll make enough and even more."
"How do you know that? What if we come up with only half...a quarter...maybe not even that?"
"Gabriella, you're worrying about nothing. I'm sure that we'll make enough. In fact, I'm as sure of that as I'm sure that I'm going to sink the winning basket," Troy said, pointing to the scoreboard.
"You're that sure?"
"Yes, Gabi. I'm so sure that I'll score the last point and that we'll make more than enough."
"Positive."
"100 positive?"
"I'm positive. As much as I love you, that's how positive I am."
"Troy! Game's starting again," Trevor said, coming over.
"As much as you love me? How deep is your love?" Gabriella asked, looking at him straight in the eye.
"How deep is my love? So deep for me to want to date you from the first moment I meet you. So deep for me to move in with you. So deep for me to want to marry you. So deep for me to want to make love to you, but wait until you're ready. So deep for me to quit basketball to start a career with you. So deep to make me hope about our future. So deep that I worry about you every night. So deep for me to want to wake up to your smile every morning. It's so deep that I can't even comprehend it. Infinite. That is my love." Troy took Gabriella's hand and placed a gentle peck on the tips of her fingertips. "Do you still doubt me?"
"I never doubted you Troy. I just wanted to hear you say those things."
"You can always ask me to say those things. Gabriella, I love you."
"Yeah, Troy, I know you do. I love you too."
Trevor looked around at the crowd in the stands. All eyes were glued to the couple and they all had looks of gentle warmness in their eyes. After all, they were here to support them.
"Guys," Trevor reluctantly said, "The game needs to continue. And we can't do that unless Troy steps back in."
"Just a sec," Troy answered, "Gabriella, I'm so sure that I'll score that winning point and that we'll raise enough money."
"Okay, Troy, I believe you." Gabriella pulled Troy into a passionate kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands made their way around her waist.
"Aaaawwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!" the entire gym was filled as every human being smiled at the happy couple.
As soon as the couple separated, Troy gave Gabriella another peck on the cheek, warmly hugged her, and ran to center court. There was only 30 seconds left on the clock and Troy was determined to get that last shot.
"Troy, we know that you can do it," Chuckie said, patting him on the back. Chuckie was who Troy going to pass the ball to as soon as Trevor blew the whistle and then Chuckie was going to launch it right back to Troy.
Chad approached Troy, determined to not let him get that final point. The rest of the two teams filtered somewhere behind the two.
"Ready?...Resume game!" Trevor blew the whistle and Troy and Chuckie executed the play as planned.
30 seconds- Troy passed the ball to Chuckie, who started to head toward the basket. Troy trailed behind him, only a couple feet away.
25 seconds- Chuckie arrives at the edge of the court line with Jason right on him. He looks for Troy.
22 seconds- Troy makes his way to the opposite side of the court from Chuckie. He flails his arms as an attempt to grab Chuckie's attention.
19 seconds- Chuckie looks up and sees Troy directly across from him. Chad starts toward Troy.
15 seconds- Troy realizes that Chad is trying to block him. He signals Chuckie that he was moving toward center court.
10 seconds- Troy arrives at the center line and Chuckie tosses the ball to Zeke. Zeke quickly catches the ball and starts away from the opposing team.
7 seconds- Chad starts toward Troy again, somehow knowing that they would pass it to him.
3 seconds- Zeke tosses the ball to Troy. Chad hurries, trying to deflect the ball from Troy.
2 seconds- With only two seconds left, Troy quickly aims and shoots the ball. Feeling the ball leave his hands, Troy (and the everyone else in the gym) holds their breaths.
BBBBBEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!
The final game buzzer rings. Everyone's eyes were glued to the orange sphere flying across the court. It reaches the net, rides along the lines of the rim...
"Come on, just sink in," Troy said, his hands rolled up in fist at his side.
The second seemed to stretch out into what seemed like 3 hours. Troy and Gabriella watched the ball skate along the rim of the basket, hit the back board...
"Just a little bit more..."
Then it seemed to freeze, balancing between going in the basket and falling to the ground outside of it...
"Go in..."
Everyone moved closer to the net, trying to tell if the ball would make it or not. They were afraid to breathe, afraid that any shallow breath could cause the ball to fall in the wrong direction. It was teasing them, mocking them, taking its time to show the results.
"A little more..."
A smile could be seen on Chad's face. He turned to look back at Troy. "We already know the verdict."
'Swish' followed by a loud cheering. Hordes of people jumped in their seats. Friends telling friends that Troy would win. Red-and-white pom-poms flew into the air. Every player on the court ran over to Troy, tell him 'Congratulations' or 'Good game,' give him a pat on the back, mess up his hair, or give him a high-five. They carried him on their shoulders, like the day that they had that triple when in high school.
Gabriella stood up, smiling at their win. Also smiling at the fact that Troy was right about his win. She watched as the basketball players as they picked him up on his shoulders. Looking back at Troy, she left the gym, quietly preparing her mind for her opening performance that night.
As soon as they let Troy down, Troy looked around for Gabriella only to see the door close.
End Flashback
c
"And we made over half of the money we needed in the game alone. That shows how many people we're supporting us," Troy explained, pulling her into a close hug.
"But I'm afraid to get back in front of them. It's been 4 years since I sang in front of an audience. And singing in the recording studio is different than singing live."
"Kindergarten."
Kindergarten? What does that..." Troy took a hold of Gabriella's shoulders and looked into her brown eyes, "Oh...just like kindergarten. But Troy, that was different. That was for the musical, that was with you. This is my on my own."
"Remember our first date. Their was a singing competition, a solo competition. You sang magnificently then."
"But you were backstage then and you were singing with me. Plus our wedding wasn't on the line."
"Who says that I won't be backstage this time? And our wedding isn't on the line, we only need about $450 more."
Gabriella looked out to the audience from behind the curtain. She could see that it was nearly packed and people were still filing in. Butterflies started dancing in her stomach again and she could feel the nerves pulling at her brain.
"Gabi, you've got nothing to worry about. Just do what naturally comes to you."
"You mean singing?"
"No, I mean math equations." Gabriella frowned and looked at the floor. Troy chuckled to himself, placed his fingers under her chin, and lifted her head back up. "Gabi, I'm kidding. Of course I mean singing."
Sharpay appeared from the curtains, her show outfit pink and sparkly, just like her personality. "Gabi...Oh look, you're wearing my dress! It fits you so well!"
"It seemed that I needed something special to wear to the occasion," Gabriella said, smoothing out the wrinkles and pulling up the strap.
"Aww...that's so great that you picked to wear my dress! Anyway...are you ready?"
"Not really..."
"Well, I know that you'll do great. Just like the musical and just like your single." Sharpay gave her a quick smile. "1 minute."
"1 minute?!" Gabriella exclaimed, "Troy I don't know if I can't do this."
"Gabriella, you know you can. I know you can. Everyone here knows you can. You've just got to believe that you can."
"Troy, how much do you believe me?" Gabriella asked, only wanting to hear Troy say that he believed in her infinitely.
"I don't think I could describe how much I believe in you all in one minute. It would take me a lifetime."
"I'd settle for how much you can tell me in half a minute."
"I love you as long as the sun shines in the sky or as long as the moon shines in the night sky. My love for you is as deep as the oceans and even deeper. I'd fight for you and die for you, Gabi. As much as I love you is as much as I believe in you."
Sharpay reappeared again. "Gabi, you need to get on stage now." She grabbed her arm and started to pull her toward the stage.
"Just one second," Gabriella yanked her arm away and ran back toward Troy, "Promise me that you'll be back here, Troy, promise me."
"I promise. I'll stay back here, so if you ever feel frightened, you can just look back here. I'll be waiting."
"Okay, I trust you." Gabriella reluctantly walked away from Troy and onto the stool on the stage. Troy stepped into an open spot on the side wing, in full view of Gabriella.
"Thank you all for your patience and all your donations! Now our show is about to get underway!" Ryan's voice could be heard from the apron of the stage, "Our opening act is on of New York's uprising stars. You may have heard her single 'Afraid' playing on the radio, but did you know that she's here to perform her hit single for you tonight?" A loud cheering filled the room, which made Gabriella feel even more nervous, "Now introducing the lovely, magnificent Gabriella Montez!"
The curtain pulled away as the opening music begun to play. Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at Troy, who in turn gave her a smile of confidence. She looked out into the audience and saw about 100 or maybe even more pairs of eyes glued on her, but she knew that Troy was supporting her, so she could do anything.
Just when it's getting good
I slowly start to freeze
Just when it's feeling real I put my heart to sleep
It's the memory I can see
Then this fear comes over me
Understand that I don't mean
To push you away from me
Why am I so afraid to crash down and
Lose my heart again
I don't know, I can't see, what's come over me
Why am I so afraid to break down and
lose my mind again
I don't know, I can't see, what's come over me
You got a way of easing me out of myself
I can't stay but I can't leave, I am my worst enemy
Please understand that its not you it's what I do
Just when I'm about to run I realize what I've become
Now I wonder what you think of me
Don't kow why I break so easily
All my fears are armed surrounding me
I can't get no sleep
I keep runnin in circles around you
Are you the trap I wanna fall into??
Why am I so afraid to crash down and
Lose my heart again
I don't know, I can't see, what's come over me
Why am I so afraid to break down and
lose my mind again
I don't know, I can't see, what's come over me
Gabriella closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she heard the audience cheer for her.
Ryan walked back on stage, also clapping. "Give up once again for the lovely Gabriella Montez!" The audience once again broke into cheer and applause.
"Thank you everybody, thank you so much for supporting me!" Gabriella said as the audience settled down, "As many of you know, 'Afraid' is one of my singles from my upcoming album," the audience exploded into to applause again, "Speaking of my upcoming album, there as been a change. Instead if me being a solo artist, it will be a duet CD featuring Troy Bolton, my future husband," Troy walked on stage, "Troy is also going to have a couple solo songs as do I, but the real reason we are here tonight is about our upcoming marriage. I want to thank everyone who is here to support us. We want to thank everyone who is here to support us."
Gabriella and Troy walked off-stage and Ryan told them of the next act.
c
Troy and Gabriella waited anxiously behind the curtain as Sharpay and Ryan did their duet. They were next.
"Gabi, are you ready?"
"Yeah, Troy, I'm ready. As long as you're by my side."
c
Applause filled the room as Ryan and Sharpay finished their number. Troy and Gabriella peeked out behind the curtains. The crowd was out of their seats.
They were next, they were up. They were going to sing the new song that Gabriella had written. She was very proud of her work and couldn't wait to actually perform it.
"Ready?" Troy asked, grabbing the hand-held microphones.
"As ready as I'll ever be." They walked out on stage, the crowd still riled up from the previous performance. "How is everybody?" A wild cheer was the response. "Well, here I am again and this time, Troy and I are going to be performing a duet for you that will be our debut CD. I actually wrote to song, so it comes from the heart. Are you ready?"
As the crowd cheered, the beginning music played.
Just an ordinary day
Started out the same old way
But when I looked into your eyes
Right then I knew
I found the one
When I saw you smile at me
I felt the quivering through my knees
All along I knew someday
I'd give my heart to someone just like you
Baby, everyday has always been the same thing
Till you came along
Now it's amazing
What a pleasant change
A thousand words I still can't explain
I never thought I'd be in love, in love like this
I never thought I'd be a fool, just for one kiss
I never thought that I'd be here with someone like you
Never thought that I would be in love the way that I do
Baby,
As soon as Troy and Gabriella finished, they embraced themselves in a kiss and the audience was going crazy. They roared and cheered, chanting "Troy and Gabi! Troy and Gabi!" The energy was off the charts. Sharpay and Ryan and everyone else watched from behind the scenes, a huge smile plastered on all their faces.
c
"How much do we have Ryan?" Sharpay screamed, tugging at his shirt.
"Sharpay, why are you leaving me to do this? I was never good at math," Ryan said, throwing his hands down in defeat.
"Fine," Taylor said, "Let me do it."
"Yeah! Sharpay, why didn't you tell Taylor to do it? She's the math whiz!"
"You're right Ryan. What was I thinking? Telling you to count up our profits," Sharpay replied, slapping her forehead.
They all watched as Taylor worked her way through all the 1s, 5s, 10s, 20s, and there were even a couple 50s. Once she placed all the money down, she turned around to look at them. "Guys..."
c
Okay, for anyone who's wondering, the song is called "I Never Thought" which was originally performed by Trish Thuy Trang and Asia 4. So sadly I do not own this song or Afraid.
With much love,
Kat