Hey, next chapter is up!! Due to the poll...The first story Two Worlds Collide will be my next story. Sorry to those who wanted the second one, but I promise that it will be up. Also, when it said in the trailer that Gabriella's father raped her, it was just a kid being sarcastic. It's absolutely disgusting the whole incest thing, so there will none of that in my story. Just clearing that up...
And the Krystel in the chapter...You know who you are sweetie!! That's a shout out to you!! Lol...
The next day, Troy wasn't on the bus. Chad leaned over and tapped her on the arm as she walked past, and gave her a hug. Gabriella hugged him back, although felt a bit confused. Zeke and Jason also smiled at her and gave her hugs as she made her way down the aisle to her seat. The cheerleaders sent more death glares in her direction, but Gabriella just smiled sweetly back, already used to the looks she'd been getting from the cheerleaders. One of the girls, though, a dark-haired cheerleader, came over and stood beside her.
"Hey, my name's Krystel," she said and smiled. Gabriella smiled hesitantly back. "Um, Mazie has this party in the weekend, and I was wondering if you want to come." Gabriella realized it was the same one that Troy had invited her too the other day. "You don't have to, or anything, but you and Troy seem like good friends, and I think he's coming…" Krystel drifted off.
"No, um, thanks," Gabriella smiled at her. "Yeah, I think I might come," she said with another smile. "Thanks for the invitation." Krystel turned to go, but then looked back and said,
"Don't worry about the other girls; they're just totally head-over-heels for Troy," she said. Gabriella nodded and smiled again. Krystel turned and walked back to her friends. Gabriella sat in her seat alone until they reached school. Taylor hadn't been on the bus—she'd told Gabriella that she sometimes got a ride to school with her mum. Gabriella got out her cell-phone and checked for any texts from Troy, but there weren't any. She summed up that he must've got a ride to school with his dad today, since he had been perfectly fine last night. When she got off the bus, she found that the basketball team all sent grins in her direction. She smiled back hesitantly and then ducked into school quickly, hoping nothing else out of the ordinary would happen.
By lunch time, Gabriella had concluded that Troy wasn't coming to school. Chad and the team seemed pretty confused as well, since they were obviously expecting him to be there, and hadn't received any texts from him to say he was sick or anything. Chad came over to her while she was at her locker.
"You got any texts from Troy?" He asked her. Gabriella shook her head. Chad frowned and checked his texts quickly. "I haven't got any either—and he always texts me when he's sick…Something's not right…" Gabriella licked her lips quickly and then grabbed Chad's collar. She dragged him down the hallway and past surprised jocks and jealous cheerleaders and to a door where Troy had taken her. She pulled him up the stairs and finally let him go. Chad straightened out his collar and raised his eyebrows.
"Well, that was…a drag," Chad muttered. Gabriella rolled her eyes and pulled out her cell-phone. She speed-dialed Troy's cell-phone. It rang once and then was cut off by an electronic voice, saying something that surprised Gabriella. "What?" Chad asked. Gabriella took the phone away from her ear and looked at it in surprise.
"It…It says that its no longer in service," Gabriella frowned. Chad frowned as well. Gabriella dialed his home number. Sandra answered on the third ring. "Sandra? It's Gabriella."
¿"Gabriella¡Gabriella¡Troy... Troy, él...He está lastimado¡Él es malo lastimado! No sé qué hacer!!" Sandra said frantically into the phone. Gabriella frowned worriedly and Chad gave her a questioning look. ¡"Gabriella! Me preocupo!" Gabriella nodded.
"Okay, Sandra?" Gabriella said quickly into the phone. ¡"Calma abajo¡Calma abajo¡Estoy viniendo encima!" Chad looked at her in shock. Gabriella snapped her phone shut and started down the stiars, but Chad caught her arm.
"What language was that?" He asked her.
"Spanish!" She called as she ran down the stairs.
She arrived at the Bolton residence, panting, and she doubled over to catch her breath at the end of the driveway. Sandra flew out of the house and grabbed her, pulling her inside. The older girl looked confused and upset and frustrated and starting gabbling. Gabriella shook her head and licked her lips. Sandra took a deep breath and started talking slower.
"Mr Bolton said Troy sick. So I go up and try help," Sandra started in her faulting English. " Troy—purple!" Sandra said. "I not know what to do." Gabriella had heard the rumours but wasn't sure if they were true or not. Now they sounded even truer than before. "Can you…up and see Troy?" Gabriella nodded and dropped her bag on a chair. She pulled off her black hoodie as she made her way up to Troy's room. She knocked hesitantly on the door. There was no answer. Gabriella pushed open the door and stepped in. Troy's eyes flew open and he looked at her in surprise.
"Gabriella! What are you doing here?!" He asked. She crossed the room and sat on the bed next to him.
"Sandra was worried, she wanted me to come," Gabriella replied. Troy shook his head.
"No, you should be at school!" He said.
" Troy, I'm not dumb, I know what's going on," Gabriella said quietly. Troy's eyes flashed and he looked away. He sat up and Gabriella quickly adverted her eyes from him. His torso was tanned and well-toned, but it was covered in several large, nasty bruises. Troy got out of bed and walked over to the windows on the other side of the room. He still had his pants on from last night, so Gabriella guessed that the argument happened last night. She got up and walked over to him, laying her hand on his arm. He flinched and she bit her lip nervously. "What was the fight over?" She asked gently.
"Nothing," Troy mumbled. Gabriella.
"I'd understand," she said quietly. Troy spun around to look at her. His eyes were shiny with tears and they flashed with hurt and anger.
"No you wouldn't!" He shouted. "That's what they all say—my cousins, my aunts, my uncles—they all say that! But they all have perfect families and they have no idea!" He shouted and Gabriella took a step back. He stopped and his shoulders were heaving. Gabriella licked her lips quickly and Troy saw the hurt on her face. But she stepped forward anyway and pulled her top down slightly, and Troy caught a flash of her camisole underneath. But what drew his attention where the two long scars which dipped down her chest. "H-how did you get those?" Gabriella bit her lip nervously, but answered,
"My dad…he attacked me with a kitchen knife," she murmured. Troy's eyes widened. "And this," Gabriella swept her hair away from her neck and when he looked closely he saw another scar—much smaller than the first two—just below her ear. Troy licked his lips nervously. "That time you saw me in the mall…it was after the court hearing…my dad was sent to prison for ten years for domestic violence." Troy licked his lips again, looking guilty. "Hey! Don't look like that!" Gabriella said as she dropped her hair. "You didn't know!" Troy sat down on the edge of his bed and dropped his head into his hands. Gabriella sat next to him. He looked up at her, and she saw that the tears were back. "Hey…it's okay…" she told him.
"Not, it isn't," he replied. A tear slipped down his cheek. Gabriella knew how he was feeling. Helpless……alone……terrified. "Everything's not okay!" Gabriella sighed and put her hand on his thigh.
"Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah, I know."
That night, Gabriella got a text from Chad. She frowned at how he managed to get her number, but then rang his cell.
" Chad?" She said.
"Hey, Bella," Chad said into the phone quietly. Gabriella frowned. He sounded quiet and upset—two things Chad wasn't known for.
" Chad? You all good?" She asked.
"I got kicked off the basketball team," Chad said dully.
"What?!" Gabriella cried into the phone. There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone.
"Coach Bolton kicked me off the team," Chad replied.
"Why? What happened?" She asked worriedly.
"I went up to Coach…asked him where Troy was…" Chad began slowly. "I mean, I've heard what people say…never knew if they were true or not…So, I, like, asked Coach if he was sick…he said he was…the flu or something…I asked if I could go over to see him, Coach said no…he looked annoyed and angry…I—I kinda asked if the rumours were true…he just…kicked me off the team." Gabriella frowned and shook her head. "Did you see him?" Chad asked and Gabriella sighed. "Did he have the flu?"
"He looks real bad, real bad," Gabriella said quietly. "It was his dad." Chad let out a low whistle over the other end of the phone. Silence fell. " Chad? What are we going to do?"
"I—I don't know," he said quietly. There was another silence. Finally, Gabriella said,
"I'll see you tomorrow, aye?"
"Yeah, see ya," Chad said and they both hung up. Gabriella sighed and flopped back on her bed. She felt strange and quiet upset. She'd thought she'd escaped from all of this. Away from the violence and the sadness which tore her up inside. But instead, she had found more of it. That must've been the reason that Troy's parents had split up. It hurt her that someone was suffering the way she had, and she couldn't do anything about it. Sure, she couldn't do anything when it had been her, but now it was all over, and she was safe. She didn't notice her mother come to the door and look at Gabriella lying on the bed. There was a strange expression on her daughters face…one that she couldn't read. It was the same closed expression that she often wore after she had been in an argument with her father, but it had gone away over the past few weeks. Now it was back, and it worried Mrs Montez.
Troy wasn't on the bus the next day, but it hardly surprised Gabriella. She glanced around quickly and then realized that Chad was waving in her direction. He pointed at the empty seat that Jason and Zeke had quickly evacuated. She walked over slowly and sat it. Jason and Zeke pushed some of their mates aside and took their seats. Chad gave Gabriella a small smile and Jason put out his hand.
"I'm Jase," he said. Gabriella smiled, slightly confused, shaking his hand.
"Uh, Gabriella," she replied. Zeke put out his hand.
"Zeke," he told her.
"Um, yeah…you guys are in my homeroom, aye?" She said.
"Yup," Zeke replied. "We're mates of Troy. Chad told us about what Coach did—to Troy and to Chad!" He lowered his voice, and Jason and Chad leaned in closer. "We're not allowed to visit Troy. Sandra will tell Coach, she doesn't like us. She thinks we're loud and noisy. But she likes you and she won't tell Coach. She…um, you…Uh, speak, Spanish?" Gabriella nodded. "And she thinks it might be the Coach. So we'll cover for you during free period and lunch if anyone asks for you, if you go and see Troy." Jason nodded.
"Yeah, we're really worried about him," Chad added. Gabriella opened her mouth to answer when another voice cut in.
"Gabi? Why are you sitting by the jocks?!" Taylor's voice rang out. Sharpay Evans was peeking over her shoulder. Gabriella patted the seat next to her and Taylor slowly sat downs, Sharpay sitting on the arm-rest. Zeke gave Sharpay a smile and she flipped her hair, going slightly pink. Taylor noticed this and rolled her eyes, but flushed slightly when Chad raised his eyebrows as a greeting to her. Gabriella turned back to the boys and said,
"I'll go. I'll do it."
After third period, Gabriella had free period and then it was lunch, so she quickly bailed. She managed to get out the school without being seen and made her way over to Troy's. Sandra opened the door and held out her hands, looking flustered and confused.
"Sandra? What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.
¡" Troy ido!! Él no está aquí -- él no era aquí esta mañana tampoco!!" Sandra cried. Gabriella's eyes widened in shock.
"What do you mean—he's gone?!" Gabriella asked. Sandra took a deep breath before replying.
" Troy…not here! He gone!" Sandra cried. "I…Él ha ido. Vine esta mañana y él no estaba allí. Llamé a Sr. Bolton y él dijo que él había ido a sus madres. ¡Pero él no era, porque su madre llamó para dirigirse a él¡¡No sé dónde él es!! " Gabriella pushed past Sandra and sprinted up the stairs. She burst into Troy's room and sure enough, it was empty. She looked around and then walked over to his lap-top. She flipped up the toptop and saw the computer was on. The email screen was up and Gabriella saw he had started an email. She sat down and started to read it.
Gabriella,
Hey. If you're reading this, I've gone. I can't stand being around my dad any longer, and I don't want to burden my mum, so I've gone. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've got enough cash to get me out of Albuquerque. Tell Chad and my mates and my mum and Janette that I'll be fine.
And Gabriella? I love you.
Gabriella bit her lip hard, willing herself not to let the tears come to her eyes. She flipped the laptop shut and just sat there for a while, staring out the windows, tears clouding her vision. She'd run away plenty of times, but she'd never left a note. She never had anyone she really cared about to leave behind, except for her mum. And what the end of the email said…Gabriella felt even more tears spring to her eyes as she stood up. She ran downstairs and past Sandra. She knew where the place was, and she was determined to get there before he had the chance to get away. Gabriella ran, her skirt tight around her knees and her hair streaming out behind her, odd pieces flying in her face.
Finally she arrived there.
So, tell me what you thought!!