A/N: I think you'll like this chapter lol. I've gotten addicted to 'Twilight' the book and the film. It's awesome ;) HSMandChelseaFCfan doesn't know I've been writing this chapter so...surprise! I just kept writing. I knew what I wanted to happen so...I'm sorry. lol. Please forgive me! Don't own HSM x
Chapter 16 – I promise
Gabriella turned off the engine of her truck and suddenly realised how much she had come to like Troy's black convertible. But, as they hadn't talked at all for five days, she didn't think she had much of a choice. Ever since Monday, she had woken up, showered, dressed and eaten breakfast all before Troy had woken up in the hopes that she wouldn't have to speak to him. She had, at first, wanted to talk to him about everything but ever since he had said he was sorry, she feared she would simply burst into tears – and that was the humiliation she simply wasn't ready for.
A tap on her window caused her to take her keys out of the ignition and grab her bag. She opened the door and sighed when she saw Sharpay standing there, her hand firmly grasping Zeke's hand. "Hey, Shar."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know you and Bolton were finally doing something about how you felt." Sharpay whispered.
Gabriella shrugged. "Tay told you, huh?"
Sharpay nodded. "Yeah. She called me last night. The whole gang knows now."
Gabriella nodded. After being pestered by everyone in the gang about what happened between Troy and Gabriella, she had finally asked Taylor to tell everyone. "You didn't know."
Zeke dropped Sharpay's hand and stepped forward to embrace Gabriella. "Has he said anything?"
Gabriella pulled back and shifted her bag on her shoulder. "The last thing he said to me on the matter was on Monday when he apologised and then he left before I could say anything."
"Are you still sharing a room?" Sharpay asked carefully.
Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. And I still wear his shirt as well. It's just…we don't talk."
"Did you like it?" Sharpay whispered.
Gabriella giggled and nodded. "More than anything. I'm terrified to talk to him. Just thinking about him makes me want to cry."
Zeke sighed. "Do you want me to talk to him? Because I can totally do that."
Gabriella let out another soft laugh and shook her head. "I know what your definition of 'talking' is when it comes to guys who make me want to cry. No. It's okay. This is something I need to work out by myself."
Zeke nodded and chuckled. "Good idea. Coach wouldn't be too happy if our new captain is already injured."
"Does he know about Stanford?" Sharpay asked quietly.
Gabriella shook her head. "No. He doesn't. And, considering how things are going, I'm planning on keeping it that way."
Sharpay was met by the stern looks both Gabriella and Zeke sent her. "What?" She exclaimed.
Gabriella locked her car and dropped her keys into her bag. "Please don't tell him." She whispered.
Sharpay shuffled her feet and finally groaned in frustration. "Fine!"
Zeke raised an eyebrow. "Pay…" He warned.
"I promise." She whispered. "But, if you two don't sort this out soon, I'm going to say something."
Gabriella raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side.
"Fine. But I can still think it." She muttered, folding her arms indignantly.
Gabriella stepped forward and hugged her best friend. "Thank you." She whispered.
Sharpay nodded. "But you better sort it out soon. Everyone is really depressed."
Gabriella pulled back from their embrace and shrugged. "I don't know if I can do that right now."
Sharpay eyed her suspiciously. Despite how she said that she was upset because of Troy, she knew there was something more. On Tuesday, she had simply looked awkward around Troy but, ever since Wednesday, she had looked confused, upset and she was losing her concentration really easily. Sharpay wasn't the only one who had noticed this and all of the gang were commenting on it, debating whether or not to interrogate Troy. "You okay, Sweetie?"
Gabriella nodded. "Of course. I've been through worse things than simply getting hurt by a guy. He kind of reminds me of James Bond. The whole 'The pleasure of the kill is in the chase' thing. It's like he wanted to kiss me but he was disappointed, almost."
"He'd be crazy to be disappointed by your kisses." Zeke exclaimed.
Sharpay raised her eyebrows up at him, placing one hand on her hip. "Is that so?"
"No. God, no, Pay, I didn't mean…uh…I'm just going to go and bake you some cookies." He muttered quickly as he planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Uh-huh. You do that." Sharpay said, watching him hurry through the doors of East High.
Taylor appeared with Chad by her side and hugged Gabriella tightly. "How are you holding up, Honey?"
Gabriella pulled back and shrugged. "I'll tell you when I know myself." Her hand instinctively went to the back pocket of her skirt and fingered the piece of paper she had been carrying around with her since Tuesday night. It broke her heart every time she thought about it. It made her wish that Troy hadn't kissed her. If he hadn't have kissed her, they would be okay and right now, he would be comforting her, telling her that everything would be okay.
"Gabby?" Chad's worried voice broke through her thoughts.
She jumped and looked at her three friends. "What?"
"You kind of spaced out on us." Taylor explained quietly.
"A lot on my mind." She muttered, removing her hand from her pocket and running it through her hair. A sigh escaped her lips as she shrugged. "We better get to homeroom, don't you think?"
Taylor and Sharpay shared a similar look while Chad looked on obliviously. "Right." Taylor agreed moments later. "I agree with Gabby. We don't need detention."
Taylor and Sharpay led Gabriella inside, all talking excitedly about some T.V. show that was on that evening – all clearly attempting to distract Gabriella. Chad shook his head before jogging over to join his captain. "Hey, Hoops."
The blue-eyed basketball player looked up from the ground and smiled slightly at his best friend. "Hey, Man."
"You okay?" Chad asked quietly as they walked through the doors of East High and made their way to their lockers.
Troy ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I don't know. Brie won't talk to me at all and avoids me at all costs." He paused slightly before dragging Chad into an empty part of the corridor. "But, I don't think I'm the soul reason she's avoiding me. There's something else. I know it. I know we haven't spoken a word to each other since Monday but I know her like the back of my hand. There's something wrong."
Chad shrugged off Troy's grip on his collar and sighed. "Do you know what?"
Troy shook his head. "No. I don't. I think I know what it's to do with." Troy said determinedly. "It's not much but it's all I got."
"Well, what is it?" Chad asked worriedly.
Troy sighed as he adjusted his bag. "On Tuesday, Aidan came back, okay? And he and Maria had taken Devon out for ice cream. I was in the bathroom and the phone rang. She said it was a wrong number. She's scared."
"Of who was on the phone?" Chad asked quietly.
"Of what they can do." Troy whispered. "I don't know who it was. But, I'm going to find out. Whether she's talking to me or not…I don't care. I promised I'd protect her."
* * *
Gabriella gripped her lunch tray tightly as she attempted to keep her balance whilst juggling her iPod, lunch and her book. She bumped into someone and jumped back in surprise, her head jolted up. "I'm so sorry…Scarlet."
Scarlet glared at her and brushed at the few crumbs on her shirt which had fallen from Gabriella's tray. "You should be." She snarled.
Chris appeared by her side and Gabriella cowered back. "Bolton finally realised that you're frigid?"
Gabriella pushed the tears back as she swallowed, her breathing slowly increasing with speed. "I'm not frigid." She cried. "I'm not."
"Prove it." Scarlet dared, her dark eyes boring into Gabriella's innocent ones.
"I don't have to prove anything." Gabriella attempted to sound strong but her voice and tears betrayed her.
"Have you and Bolton even kissed?" Chris sneered.
"Why does that matter?" Gabriella demanded.
"Have you?" He pressed.
"Yes." Gabriella whispered.
Kirsten stepped beside Chris and laughed. "Troy? Kiss you? That's ridiculous." The trio burst into callous laughter, snapping Gabriella's last strand of self-control.
Tears leaked from her eyes and she dropped her tray – only holding onto her book and iPod – and the three hysterical teenagers stepped away. In her frenzy to escape the humiliation – the rest of the cafeteria had now joined in – she spun around and ran straight into a pair of very strong arms. She pulled back, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Troy, let me go." She pleaded breathlessly, struggling against his tight hold on her waist.
"I'm not letting you go." He whispered in her ear. "This isn't about me, okay? This is about you. Don't go anywhere. I'm going to sort this out. Just stay here. Please."
She nodded against his chest and watched him warily as he let go of her, dropping his bag to his feet. "Troy." She whimpered as he let go of her completely.
"Trust me." He said softly as he walked over to Chris, Scarlet and Kirsten. "What do you find so funny?"
"You could not have kissed her." Chris exclaimed, pointing over Troy's shoulder.
Troy followed his gaze and saw how she shivered under his stare. He turned back to Chris and his glare hardened. "What if I did?" Troy growled, his hands curling into fists. He saw out of the corner of his eye how Chad had approached, ready to hold Troy back.
Chris locked his cold green eyes onto Troy's blue ones and laughed cruelly. "No way in a million years she would let you – a guy who has only been in her life for a matter of weeks – kiss her."
"I kissed her. She kissed me. How dare you even look at her?" Troy snarled before he stepped forward and threw a fist at Chris' face, a drop of blood already dripping from his nose.
"Keep her. You'll never be satisfied." Chris spat.
"As long as she's happy, I'm more than satisfied." Troy hissed. He turned to the cafeteria – who were silent and staring intently – and hollered at everyone. "If anyone hurts her, there'll be trouble." He walked back over to Gabriella – who was crying silently – and picked his bag up. He slung it onto his shoulder and wrapped his arms around Gabriella. "You want to get out of here?"
"Please." She gasped, her throat tightening with tears. She nodded violently against his shoulder and released a sob into his shirt.
He started leading her out of the cafeteria and took her book and iPod from her arms. "Come on." He whispered as soon as they were in the hallway. He slipped her book and iPod into his bag before turning to her again. "Hey, come on. Don't let it bother you." He whispered, curling some hair behind her ear.
She closed her eyes tightly as she slumped against the lockers in defeat. "How can I not?" She whimpered.
Troy stepped forward and placed his hands on the lockers either side of her head. He pressed his forehead against the cold metal in between her head and his right hand and took a deep breath. "I miss you."
Gabriella's breath became even more ragged at the words and she sobbed into his neck. "I miss you, too." She said breathlessly.
Troy slowly, cautiously, moved his right hand from beside his head and slid it down the lockers until he reached her waist. He traced her curves with his fingertips before slowly sliding his hand between her back and the lockers, pulling her tightly against his body. "Don't leave me again." He whispered.
"I thought you left me." She muttered.
Troy tightened his grip on her and moved his head to nuzzle his nose into the crook of her neck. "Never." He whispered.
The sound of the bell ringing, signalling the lower school's lunch, caused Troy to lift his head, locking his eyes with hers. "You going to be okay?"
She nodded slowly. "Uh-huh."
"Promise you'll find me if you're not?" Troy said forcefully, ignoring the throng of students which gathered in the hall.
Gabriella finally opened her eyes and reached up to cup his cheek. "I promise."
Troy pressed a kiss to her forehead before pushing off of the lockers and darting down the hall, leaving Gabriella leaning against the lockers, regaining her breath.
* * *
Troy groaned at the knowledge of him being awake. That wasn't good considering it was a Saturday and he had a feeling the sun had yet to rise. He pulled Gabriella's quilt further up his body – yes, he was back in her bed as they had both been emotionally unable to leave each other's sides. They still had to talk about the kiss but both feared what the other would say.
Troy patted the space next to his body and his eyes flung open. Hadn't there been an extremely beautiful Filipino girl sleeping in his arms when he had closed his eyes? He nodded his head to himself, convinced he was right. He sat up and stretched, getting the sleep out of his eyes to quickly scan the room.
Bathroom. Troy mentally cursed himself for not having a body to hold six pints of water for potential eight hours sleep he could have during one night. He rushed to crawl out of the bed – his theory being: the quicker he is in the bathroom, the quicker he finds Gabriella.
Two minutes later he grabbed a wife beater he had thrown onto the sofa and pulled it over his head. He slipped some sneakers on and was about to turn to the bedroom door when he froze.
Either he was really crazy about Gabriella to the extent of hearing her sobs, or she really was crying. He slowly turned around and walked out onto the balcony. He turned to face the doors and tilted his head back, looking up at Gabriella's roof. "Brie?" He called softly, not wanting to startle her.
She jumped slightly and looked down on him. Her eyes were red and puffy with tear tracks down her cheeks. She was wearing his shirt, his sports jacket and even a pair of his jeans being held up by a belt fastened extremely tight around her waist. Her feet were enclosed by a pair of pink, fluffy slippers. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and he could see a piece of paper clutched in her right hand. "Troy?" She whispered.
Troy turned to the tree directly next to her balcony and immediately started climbing. "Yeah, it's me. Hold on." He hoisted himself across to the roof of her house and sat down next to her, automatically wrapping his arms around her heaving body, sobs convulsively escaping her lips and getting muffles by the skin of Troy's neck. "What's wrong? Was it Chris, Kirsten and Scarlet? Brie, I thought we'd been over this."
She shook her head slightly before continuing to cry.
Troy pulled back and curled a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "Is it me? Are you still upset about the kiss?"
She shook her head again. "I was never upset about the kiss. I was upset that you apologised. But, that's not it, either." She whispered, looking away.
"Well, then, what is it?" He demanded softly, mentally noting that he needed to ask her if she actually liked the kiss. His eyes then landed on the piece of paper again and a thought struck him. "May I?" He gestured to the paper with his right hand and sighed in relief when she handed it to him. He unfolded it with one hand, refusing to let go of her completely, and read in his mind the words that were written in her curvaceous script. He recognised the format as one of the many messages Gabriella took when someone rang for Aidan and he wasn't in the house.
Date: Tuesday 12th May 2009
Time: 17:23
Name: Chanel Bailon
C: Please tell Aidan that I had a wonderful time in Forks this weekend
G: Forks? No. My father was in Boston…
C: Well, I was in Forks with Aidan Montez.
G: Anything else you want me to tell him?
C: Tell him I love him and I look forward to seeing him in San Diego next week.
G: Will do.
"San Diego?" Troy whispered. "I thought Aidan was going to San Francisco?"
Gabriella lifted her head and connected her eyes with his.
Troy's eyes widened and he pulled her tighter against his body. "Oh, Brie." He kissed her head over and over again. "Come on, let's get down from here." He slowly reached for the nearest branch and helped Gabriella climb down, knowing she really couldn't have got down in her fragile state. Once she landed softly on the balcony, he quickly followed, his arm tightly gripping her waist as he led her into her room. He shut the door before turning to her and bending so he could help her slip her slippers off. He set them off to the side and straightened up, cupping her cheek in his warm hands. "Nice jeans." He whispered.
Her eyes widened and she stepped away, her hands rushing to unbuckle her belt. "Oh, my God. I'm sorry. It's just you were asleep and I wanted to smell you and your shirt wasn't enough-"
"It's okay." Troy reassured her softly, kissing her forehead. "And, if I'm honest, I don't want to see you in your panties. I'm still recovering from seeing you in your bra."
Gabriella bowed her head and once again folded her arms across her chest.
"No, God, no, no, no! I meant that in a good way." Troy exclaimed desperately.
"How?" Gabriella asked shyly, her eyes staring at her feet.
Troy let out a tiny groan before pulling her body firmly against his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up so they were at eye level. "I meant that you're so beautiful. I haven't stopped thinking about it. I very nearly needed an extremely cold shower during math today."
Gabriella's eyes were still wide as she licked her lips. "Where is this going?"
Troy breathed out shakily as he buried his nose into her neck, her small hands clutching at his hair. He pulled back after pressing a few light kisses to her skin. "I know this isn't the time but I'm never going to get the courage to say this if I don't do this now. Brie, I'm in love with you."
"What?" She squeaked. "Why?"
Troy tightened his hold on her and his gaze locked onto hers. "You're perfect." He breathed.
Gabriella timidly wrapped her legs around his waist before leaning down and brushing her lips against his. "You're perfect." She whispered. "I love you, too."
Troy smiled in disbelief at her as he slowly walked them towards her bed. He climbed onto the mattress and gently laid Gabriella down so he was hovering over her. "You have no idea how long I've been denying this…or how long I've wanted to hear it come from your lips."
She finally let out a giggle but it died on her lips. "What am I going to do?" She asked nervously, forcing Troy to put his whole body on hers, her hands resting firmly on his back.
"I don't know." He whispered in her ear. "But, I'm going to be there. Right beside you. I promise." He kissed her earlobe before sitting up, bringing her with him.
"I don't know how my dad could do that." She whimpered.
Troy cupped her face and looked intently into her eyes. "Gabriella, I'm going to help because I love you. I hate seeing you hurt. Even if it's by someone you love. I love Big D and even Maria way too much for him to hurt you. I won't let it happen." He pressed his lips to hers and moved one hand to grip the back of her neck.
Gabriella slowly pulled back and she nodded, tears gliding down her cheeks. "Don't leave me."
"I told you yesterday I never will." Troy said in a hushed tone. He slowly stood up from the bed and walked over to his discarded bag. He rummaged around slightly before clutching something in his hand. He rushed back over to Gabriella, his body already craving her touch. "I, uh, I got you something. I mean, if you want to be, you know, my girlfriend. It's totally up to you. I know that a lot is going on and it might not be the right time…"
Gabriella couldn't suppress a giggle of amusement at his babbling.
"What's funny?" He exclaimed.
Gabriella leaned forward the last few centimetres and brushed her lips against his. "I'd be honoured. But, can we keep it between us for a while, please?"
He nodded and then held his hand up, a silver chain unravelling itself to reveal a silver pendent in the shape of a 'T' attached at the bottom. "I got you this. I don't know if you like it…"
Gabriella smiled and kissed his cheek, slowly gaining confidence as she trailed kisses over his jaw line before planting a gentle kiss on his lips. "Troy, I love it."
As Gabriella turned around, holding her hair up, Troy undid the clasp and draped it around her neck before clasping it again. He kissed the chain quickly before grabbing Gabriella around the waist and letting both of them fall into lying positions. "I love you." He whispered as she turned to face him.
Her smile faded and she fiddled with the hem of his wife beater. "The last time someone said those words to me, he broke my heart."
"I'm not going to." He said softly, kissing her nose. "I promise."
Gabriella wound her arms around his neck and smiled slightly. "How can something so beautiful come from such a disaster?"
Troy's arms snaked tightly around her body and he shrugged. "I promise we'll get through this…together." He punctuated the last word with a kiss and the giggles she made caused vibrations against his lips.
Gabriella snuggled further against Troy as her eyelids became heavy. She knew, that although her life had taken a turn for the worst, Troy would take the ride with her, promising to catch her when she fell. "I love you…"