Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any other such thing involved! It belongs to Disney.
(March 26th)
2:00pm
Gabriella's POV
I rocked back and fourth trying to calm down my screaming child. I tried everything I did to make her stop crying. I tried feeding her, changing her, and even playing with her. She would not stop crying. My head ached terribly. My stomach hurt from being empty. Aspen cried to be fed so much and needed a lot of attention, I barely had anytime to feed myself. It had been two weeks since I left Troy. So without him, it meant pulling twice my own weight when it came to taking care of a house while trying to hold a baby in your arms. Ever since I came out to Arizona, it had been the same way it had been before when I was living with my mother. Alone in a house. And now I have a baby. I wanted to go back to Troy's so badly but, I was too proud to admit that I missed his help. That I missed him being next to me at night where I needed him. To be here with me and my baby.
"Please stop crying!" I said sobbing, myself. I bounced Aspen in my arms while I sat down on my bed. I wiped my tears when I heard my phone ringing.
"Hello?" I answered with a crackly voice.
"Hey, Mija" my mother said on the other line.
"Hi, Mom" I replied sniffling.
"What's the matter, Gabriella?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing. I've been trying to get Aspen to quiet down for the last hour. And she just wont stop!" I said between sobs.
"Did you try patting on her lower back? She might have gas" my mom suggested.
"No, Mom I didn't think about that" I said mentally slapping myself. I hadn't burped Aspen all day. How could I forget that? I held her against my chest with her head resting on my shoulder while I patted her back.
"I don't know what's wrong with me, Mom" I said wiping my tears again.
"It's okay to be emotional, sometimes honey, but-" she trailed off.
"Mom, I'm not emotional! I'm under a lot of stress" I said in denial.
"Okay then, how about we order some Chinese tonight and we'll talk when I get home, okay?" she asked.
"Actually, don't order take out, I'm thinking about making pasta" I said.
"All right, honey, I'll see you later" my mom said as she hung up. I hung up the phone after. I held onto my phone for a minute while I held Aspen up to my chest with my other hand. I wanted to call Troy. I hadn't talk to him in almost a week. And I had forgot that I had left my engagement ring at his house when I left. I meant to. I wanted him to decide if he was really ready to be with me eternally. But waiting was already so hard. At this point I had wished I hadn't left the Boltons. When I was there, I was sane. I was at peace with myself. It just didn't feel like home if Troy wasn't there. I missed him so much. And I knew Aspen really missed her daddy too. I wondered if Troy was missing us just as much as we were thinking of him.
An hour and half later;
Troy's POV-
I walked through the front door with my gym bag swung over one of my shoulders and my water bottle in my hand. I set everything down in the kitchen and headed for the fridge. I was starving. I grabbed a plate of chicken and rice that was left in the fridge from when my mom made dinner. As I was preparing my meal I stopped and leaned against the counter top and folded my arms to think. The first thing that popped into my head was Gabriella. God, how I missed her and everything about her. Her laugh, her smile, her hugs, and most definitely, her kisses. I felt like an idiot for letting her walk away. I had the best thing in the world going on for me and I blew it. All because I thought that some jerk was trying to steal my girl away from me. I knew I had overreacted. I couldn't help but feel that pinch of jealousy and anxiety take over my emotions. How could I think that Gabi would ever want to choose another person over me? I knew she would never do that. So why was I so stupid? Why did I let my worse judgment get the better of me? I could only answer to myself that I had my own insecurity issues. Overall, I still missed Gabriella. I needed to see her. The last two weeks I had been waking up alone, not feeling her by my side, and not my daughter's cry to fill the room. I was so lost without my girls.
I heard the microwave beep. I took my food out and shut the microwave door. All of a sudden I had lost my appetite. The mood felt different now that Gabi wasn't here. It was hard for me to rest when all I could think about was her and the baby. The front door swung open and in walked my mom.
"Hey, Mom" I said pitting my fork on the plate.
"Hi, sweetheart" she sighed putting some groceries away in the refrigerator.
"How are you?" I asked her.
"I'm fine. I've just been our running errands all day" she said.
"Mom, you should probably rest. You've been on your feet a lot lately" I said massaging my mother's shoulders. She swiped her auburn brown to the back of her head. My mom looked worn down. But not for the reason she was running around town so much. When Gabi used to be here, my mom would spend most of the day at home with her to take care of Aspen. I know my mom missed the both of them just as much as I did. Ever since Aspen was born, my mom had always been there. She couldn't be a day without her. The night my father had kicked me and Gabi out, Mom begged for us to come back. I could tell she was lost without her granddaughter.
"I can't relax, Troy. I've got a lot of stuff I've been needing to take care of for months" she protested.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" I asked trying to stop my mom from leaving my sight. She didn't want me to see that she was sad.
"Like" my mom stammered.
"Like, how I've been meaning to redecorate the living room. I saw some amazing ideas on Martha Stewart's show that I-" she trailed off.
"Mom you need to take it easy. Just have a seat on the couch and breathe for a minute" I said sitting her down in the living room. She took a deep breath and exhaled. After a second, she bowed her head and began to cry.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" I said rubbing her back for comfort.
"Who am I fooling? I really miss my little pumpkin" she sobbed. I pulled my mom in for a hug and stroked her back.
"I know, Mom. I miss her too" I sighed looking up to the ceiling. My heart broke even more. It was killing my mom just as much as it killed me to miss my daughter. I wanted to cry with my mom but I had to be strong.
"Why can't you and Gabriella just make up so she can come home?" she asked wiping away her fallen tears.
"I wish it was that simple, Mom" I said.
She nodded and looked at me, "I know what you mean. But still, I really think you and Gabi should try to work things out. Troy, I see it in you every day how much you miss that girl. So why not try?" she said.
My mom had a point. And I knew she was right. I truly missed Gabriella. If I hadn't been so foolish before, she probably wouldn't have left. I wasn't using my head. At the same time, this would be the best time to call her. I hadn't talked to her in days and I wanted to know how her and Aspen were doing. I had to call her.
"You know, Ma, I'll take you up on that. I just need a minute" I said as I left the living room to go upstairs to my bedroom. I leaped onto the bed and pulled my phone from out of my pocket and searched my contacts to find Gabriella. Her name in the phone stayed highlighted for a moment. I was still debating on whether or not I should call her. My heart was pounding. But why? It almost felt like this was my first time ever talking to her. Sort of like how a guy would feel about talking to a girl he likes. I felt so childish. I pressed the call button and dialed her phone number anyway. I few rings passed by as I waited for the other line to pick up.
Gabriella's POV-
I caressed my sleeping baby's face as she sucked on her pacifier. She was so adorable. I let more tears fall down my face. For the last few weeks since I've watched Aspen sleep, it always reminded me of the time when I was taking a nap and woke up and saw Troy sleeping with her in his arms in the rocking chair. This was right around the time that she was born. It was a hassle to try to get Aspen to sleep at night for the first month. Luckily Troy was always there to make it happen when I was too exhausted to do it myself. He looked so gentle and so... fatherly sleeping in the chair like that with our baby girl sleeping and looking so innocent. It was definitely like a picture that my mind forever held onto. I broke away from my thoughts when I heard my phone ring obnoxiously. Who could it be now? For the last hour I've gotten calls from my mother, my great-grandma, and a few of my cousins. But my heart stopped when I saw the caller I.D. Troy. I felt very hesitant to answer. What did he want? The very last time we talked on the phone we got into a huge fight again. I had told him not to call for a while. But I couldn't resist talking to him. It was impossible to stay mad at him for a long time. Poor lunkhead boyfriend of mine.
"Hello?" I whispered.
"Hey, Gabs" he said after a pause.
"Hi" I responded. There was a long and awkward silence before one of us spoke.
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine. And you?" I said still trying to act like I was mad at him.
"I'm doing well" he replied. There was another pause. "Can we talk" he asked.
"What about?" I asked. I almost did not feel like talking to him because now it seemed like every time we did, we ended up in a fight.
"Us" he said. I thought for a minute before responding. "I guess we could talk" I said awkwardly.
"Gabriella, I really think you should come home" he said.
"Troy, I can't just leave my mom now. I'm already settled in" I said. There was another pause.
"I know. But I really need you and Aspen here with me, Gabs. It's not the same without the two of you here" he said with his voice cracking.
I sighed and bowed my head. "I really want to, Troy. But I can't go anywhere now. And my mom really needs me here" I protested.
"What about us?" he asked.
"We'll see each other every chance we get" I said with teary eyes. I felt my heart die more and more inside. I really wanted to go back to Albuquerque to be with Troy. But I had made up my mind about staying with my mother. It wasn't like I had a choice now anyway. But it still hurt not being with Troy. I had many regrets about leaving him and his family.
"What about Aspen, Gabriella? You can't keep me away from her!" Troy argued. I buried my face into one hand and cried softly.
"I know I can't. And I wont" I sobbed.
"Gabs, don't cry, please" Troy said with his voice cracking again. I sniffled and wiped my tears.
"I'll call you later, Troy. I have to go" I said as I quickly hung up the phone. When I did I cried harder to myself. I picked Aspen up from my side and held her close to me. It hurt so much to talk to the man I loved yet be so far apart from him. And the tiny person I was holding in my arms was half of him, which hurt more. I really didn't want to keep Troy's daughter away from him. But I couldn't turn my back on my mom now. All the time I was gone, my mom had been lonesome. I was happy at first to be home with her, but I was instantly missing Troy. Things weren't right without seeing him. I had to find a way. A way to go back to him. And without breaking my mother's heart. I hoped she would understand why I wanted to leave. But I didn't know when would be the most appropriate time to tell her. But I had to do it soon if I wanted to make things right. I couldn't have Aspen growing up without her father by her side every day of her life. I just couldn't. I continued to cry to myself until I hear a knock at my mother's front door. I sniffled and wiped my tears away and tried to make myself look as it I weren't crying at all. When I went to answer the door, I gagged at whom was standing before me. It was my very popular, very pretty, non-stop margarita drinking, 'Kim Kardashian-wannabe', much older cousin, Sophia. She waltzed through the front door and reached her arms out to me and pulled me into a very tight hug.
"Hey, cousin!" she squealed squeezing me tightly. I stood and felt the pain jolt through my upper body practically being crushed by her humongous faux breasts until she finally let me go. What a relief.
"Hey, Soph" I said trying to smile at my very perky cousin.
"Where's Aunty Maria?" she asked looking around the living room with the grin of a Barbie doll.
"She's working today. But feel free, help yourself to some of my lemonade" I offered her, pointing toward the kitchen.
"Gabriella, you know me better than my own brothers and sisters do and you know I came here to have a drink!" she said scanning the cabinets in the kitchen for any alcoholic beverage mixer she could find.
"What? Aunty doesn't keep any liquor around here?" she asked frowning playfully.
"I thought you knew she doesn't drink" I rolled my eyes.
"Please" she scoffed in disbelief.
"My mom said before you were even born, she used to drink like a sailor" she said taking a drink from her water bottle.
"Yeah, that was before I was born" I said.
"Well, I guess that means I'm gonna just have to stop at a bar. I haven't had a margarita in a week" she said as she walked out of the kitchen and plopped down on the couch.
"You wanna come with?" she asked me.
"Soph, I'm not twenty-one and plus, I have a baby in case you forgot" I pointed out.
"Chill out, Cuz. They have a section where you can bring your kids" she said picking up a magazine from the coffee table and scanned through pages.
"Yeah, if they're twelve and older not three months old" I argued.
"Okay, fine, I'll just go by myself later. But now, I wanna see little sugar plum!" she squealed as she headed toward my room.
"Soph, please be quiet, I just put her down" I whispered as we reached the room.
"Don't worry, I won't be loud" she said while she examined my daughter. Sophia stroked Aspen's face as she slept. I couldn't help but smile every time I saw Sophia around babies. Her image grew softer every time she was seen with one. Sometimes she got on my nerves just because she was so perky and so full of herself a lot of the time, but I still loved her. She was almost like the older sister I never had. And I have to say, I was feeling a little bit better now that she was here. I didn't feel so lonely anymore.
"So, have you heard from your boy yet?" she asked referring to Troy.
"I talked to him just before you got here" I said snapping out of my thoughts.
"How are you two doing?" she asked curiously.
"We're still trying to work things out. He wants me to come home" I said.
"Well, how come you don't just go back?" she asked again.
"I can't just leave my mom, Soph" I argued.
"Gabriella, honey. If I know my Aunty, she can manage just fine around here. I know it may seem like she was missing you dearly when you weren't here, but trust me, she wasn't. She wanted you to be with Troy and raise Aspen in Albuquerque or where ever you and Troy had decided to go. That's why she never put that kind of burden on you about missing you so much because she wanted you to follow your heart" she said. I nodded while thinking.
"So, do you think she'll be understanding about me wanting to go back?" I asked her.
"Well I don't know about now. You just got here" Sophia laughed. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her.
"I'm just joking, cousin. But I do suggest that you do only what your heart wants you to do" she said with a smile. I smiled back at her.
"Well, right now my hearts telling me to think about it" I said.
"Girl, you have plenty of time in your life to think. Do what you feel you need to do right now. Besides; don't you miss his family and all of your friends?" she asked.
"I do" I said gently rubbing on of my arms. I really did miss all of my friends as well. I felt guilty inside for just leaving without telling them I would be gone. The night Troy and I fought, I was too selfish to even think about calling them and telling them goodbye. I just wanted to leave Albuquerque as soon as I could.
"Well then what are you waiting for? Go back, Gabriella!" she said encouraging me to do so.
"I will, Soph. But not soon. You know my mom is supposed to be throwing this big victory party tomorrow for getting her promotion at work" I said.
"Well then just tell Aunty Maria afterward. It shouldn't be that difficult" she said.
"I guess" I said simply.
"Gab, I'm serious. Sure Troy was being an ass to you, but you can't stay mad at the kid forever. Look, when you get back to his house, you two need to sit down, like adults, and work out your business" she argued.
My cousin had a point. At least she knew when yo give healthy advice to people when they needed it. I thought I could tell my mom after the party and just go back to Troy's. But I had a lot of thinking to do before it happened.
Troy's POV-
"Troy! It's me, open up!" Chad yelled pounding on my bedroom door. I violetly let myself up from my bed after spending the last 30 minutes staring at my phone hoping Gabriella would call me back.
"Who let you in?" I asked as I answered the door.
"The front was door unlocked" he replied. I rolled my eyes.
"We were supposed to meet up after school to go shoot hoops at my place but you never showed up" he said walking into my bedroom.
"I'm sorry man, I've just got a lot on my mind right now" I said rubbing the back of my neck.
"Like what?" he asked.
I sighed and looked down at the floor before responding to Chad's question. I hadn't told any of my friends that Gabriella had moved out. But judging by the expression on Chad's face while he examined my room and noticed that things around seemed different, I'm sure he had an idea of what it was.
"Chad, I'm about to tell you something that I haven't told anyone else just yet" I said sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him. Chad cringed his face at me in question.
"What's up, man?" he asked.
I took a deep breath. "Gabriella left me" I said.
Chad's eyes widened. "Why man? What happened?" he asked.
"I was an idiot and a complete jerk" I replied.
"Dude, tell me what exactly happened" he begged.
"I think you already know what happened, Chad" I said.
Chad thought for a moment. "Did it have anything to do with Rodney?" he asked.
"Most likely. This is the whole story. Basically, he called Gabriella" I started.
"I remember, you told all of us about that" he said.
"And I went to confront her about it and she told me that the two of them had never talked before that. So after I confronted Rodney that day you guys saw me fighting him, and when I found out he was harassing Gabriella, I just lost it so I went home early to go and talk to her about it and I just couldn't control my anger. And I just remember saying some out of line things to her and she told me that she wanted to leave" I explained. Chad looked at me with sympathy.
The tears I had been fighting back since Chad arrived, I couldn't hold back any longer. I leaned against the wall and folded my arms together, facing the opposite direction Chad was so that he couldn't see me cry. "I just don't know what to do, Chad" I said with my voice cracking. I let my tears fall freely down me cheeks and onto my shirt. "I'm lost without Gabi and my baby girl. I miss them both so much" I cried as I banged the side of my head against the wall for being so stupid. Chad sighed as he got up from the edge of the bed and put a hand on my shoulder for support.
"Look, man. I'm no expert at these relationship situations but it's never to late to fix what you broke" he said. I nodded holding back a sob. I gripped myself tightly with my folded arms. Gabriella and Aspen being gone was really taking a lot out of me.
"But how, Chad?" I got out.
"Well, Troy, you're the one who loves her. Think of something" he said.
"I have to, Chad. I need to get my girls back" I said wiping my tears.
Later on after giving Chad the bad news, he and I walked to our hang out spot so that I could talk to Sharpay, Zeke, and Taylor so that I could tell them what happened and get some advice.
"What?" Taylor, Sharpay, and Zeke exclaimed in unison.
"That's pretty much what happened" I said after telling my friends what happened after the Rodney situation.
"And she just left?" Taylor asked still in shock.
"Without telling us?" Zeke added. I nodded guiltily.
"How long ago did she leave?" Taylor asked.
"Two weeks ago" I replied.
"Unbelievable" Sharpay said as she crossed her arms in disappointment.
"Jeez, Troy" Zeke said.
"Well, the only way you can get her back now is just by apologizing. Have you tried that yet?" Taylor asked.
"I've tried everything, Tay. All I get is 'I don't know if I'm ready to go back yet'. I just don't know what else to do" I whined.
"I'll tell you what you need to do. You need to get your butt in that sick ride of yours and drive down to see her!" Sharpay said.
"That's a six hour drive, Shar!" I argued.
"So what?" Sharpay protested.
"I can't just drive six hours to go to her mom's house to fight with her for 30 minutes" I said.
"You shouldn't even have to fight with her. All you need to do is sit down and talk with her like civil people" Taylor said.
"I guess, but I can't just go to her house without a reason too" I said.
"She should be reason enough, Troy. Her and Aspen" Chad said. He had a point but I was still stubborn enough to argue.
"I know" I said.
"Well, if that's the case, is there any event that you know of that's supposed to be happening at her mom's any time soon?" Zeke asked.
"Yeah, her mom had received a promotion at work and she's throwing some party for her success tomorrow" I said.
"Well then, that will be the perfect time to talk to her!" Sharpay squealed.
"Yeah, but her whole family will be there. It would be really awkward" I said.
"Troy, do you want her back or not?" Chad asked.
There was a pause before I replied. "Yes" I said.
"Then do it!" they all said in unison. I gave up. "All right. I'll do it!" I exclaimed.
"Atta boy, Troy!" Taylor said giving me a hug. I started to feel a little but better, but the thought of facing Gabriella and confronting her was making my stomach ache with nerves. But now I knew that I had to get off of my high horse and be a man. I had to get my girls back one way or another. I had made plans for later on during the week drive out to Arizona and surprise Gabi. I didn't care if she would be happy to see me or not, I just knew that facing her was the bravest way to go. The real question that was haunting me for a while was if she would listen to me. I had to try.
Later; Gabriella's POV-
I stood in the kitchen cooking pasta with my cousin, Sophia. Well, actually, I was doing most of the cooking while she sat with her feet comfortably resting on the kitchen table reading her magazine while drinking a margarita. Aspen was laying on her doomoo bean bag (a/n: baby cushion) sound asleep.
"You just couldn't wait, could you?" I asked while stirring the pasta noodles.
"Gab, you know I was dying for a drink all day and I figured, well since I can't go to a bar because I'm staying here with you, why not make my own margarita?"
"Soph, I know we're cousins and I love you dearly, but I do strongly suggest that you quit that habit of yours soon. I'm just saying"
"Girl, please. I know I'm not an alcoholic and it's not like I drink every day. It's just that I don't see what's wrong with a little class every now and then"
"Gee, I had no idea drinking made you classy" I joked.
"It doesn't honey, and don't let me catch you doing it either" she joked back. The both of us laughed until we heard my front door open.
"Mija?" My mom called out carrying bags.
"We're in here, Mom!" I yelled.
"Hi, Aunty Maria!" Sophia squealed.
"Hello, Sophia" My mom said hugging my cousin. I saw her walk into the kitchen with big brown bags and bags that had Chinese food containers in them. I frowned.
"Mom, why did you order Chinese when I was cooking pasta?" I whined.
"You should have called me, Gabriella, I wouldn't have gotten take out if I knew you were cooking" she said setting down the bags.
"I don't care, I'll still eat it!" Sophia said as she tossed her magazine in the air and hopped out of the chair and scrounged throw the take out bags. I scoffed at my cousin.
"Thanks a lot, you guys" I said feeling hurt.
"Oh, don't take it personal, Gab" Sophia said grabbing a box of food.
"Sophia, where's my sister at?" Mom asked.
"She'll be here in a minute" Sophia replied vaguely.
"Gabriella, have you talked to Troy yet?" my mom asked.
"Yeah I did, but I don't wanna talk about it" I said stirring the noodles.
"You've got some serious issues, cousin" Sophia said. I began to get annoyed.
"Sophia, would you just for a moment shut up?" I shot at her.
"I love you too" she said perkily taking another sip of her margarita.
"All right you two, save it for later tonight" my mom said. I stuck my tongue out at Sophia playfully. Something I always used to do to her when I was younger.
"What's going on tonight?" I asked.
"Your Aunt Celene, Aunt Martina, Aunt Juanita, Aunt Josephine 'Joe', and a few of your cousins are coming over for Girls' Night" my mom said. Ever since my mom moved here in Arizona, she would host a Girls' Night with my aunts and all of my female cousins so they could get together and talk and sometimes gossip even. It was also convenient for her because most of my family lived in Phoenix.
"Is cousin Richard coming too?" Sophia asked.
"Yes, he is coming and there will be no jokes this time about his sexuality" my mom said with a firm tone.
"What? He can't help that he's gay" Sophia said throwing her hands up in defense.
"He is a metro-sexual, Sophia" my mom pointed out.
"No, Mom, he's gay and proud of it" I corrected her.
"I thought what I just said was the same thing?" she asked.
"No, Aunty, a male metro-sexual is a guy that has a feminine taste. Cousin Richard doesn't just play dress up, he is gay" Sophia said. I chuckled at Sophia's statement. There was a knock at the door.. I left the kitchen to go answer it. It was my Aunty Celene holding her young 6-year-old son, Charles, whom was sleeping, and beside her were her fourteen-year-old twin daughters, Sandra and Scarlet. They were Sophia's mother and younger sisters and baby brother.
"Hi, Gabriella!" Aunt Celene exclaimed giving me a hug while entering through the front door. I politely hugged my aunt and little cousins. They all had dropped their stuff off by the front door. I had told my aunt to lay Charles down on the couch next to Aspen so that he could sleep.
"Hey, sister!" Aunt Celene greeted my mom as she walked into the kitchen. My mom walked over to my aunt and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Hi, Mama" Sophia said giving her mother a hug and kisses on both cheeks. I rolled my eyes at the two of them. I loved to believe that my Aunt Celene and Sophia were too into reality TV. Either that or they really wanted to be labeled as 'Women with Class'.
"Would you guys like something to drink?" my mom offered my aunt and cousins.
"I'd like a double Margarita this time, Maria" Aunt Celene said as she took off her leather jacket sitting down at the kitchen table.
"All right. And Sandra and Scarlet would you guys like a lemonade?" my mom asked my younger cousins.
"A virgin Strawberry Daiquiri with a lime for me, please" Scarlet said.
"And a virgin Cocktail on the rocks" Sandra said snapping her fingers. My mom and I looked at my little cousins like they were crazy.
"That's right, and always make sure they're non alcoholic" Sophia joked. We all laughed. Truly I found it weird that my little cousins wanted to become just like their twenty-three year old sister. At the same time, it was cute. Sophia was lucky to have amazing younger siblings.
Later on after eating dinner, sitting and talking, the rest of my mom's sister's finally arrived. My Aunt Juanita showed up with my twenty year old cousin, Maurica. Juanita was my mom and Aunt Celene's younger sister. And the last people who showed up were My Aunt Martina and Aunt Joe with their kids. Joe and Martina were my mom's twin sisters and the youngest of my Grandma Irene's daughters. (A/N: Sorry for the confusion, people).
All of us had made our way out to my mother's backyard for our Girl's night.
"Aunt Maria, I so love what you've done with the backyard! The lanterns really bring life to it at night." my nineteen year old cousin Richard said.
"Thank you, Richard. I'm glad you like it my work" my mom said bringing a tray of drinks out to the patio where we all were seated. My mother's backyard was breath taking. The grass was healthy looking and a beautiful shade of dark green, There were Christmas lights hanging on the two-door frame and around the backyard was decorated with lanterns and smooth music was playing. It was almost as it we were at an outside lounge.
"Maybe Aunty can give you some tips on how to decorate your apartment for get together nights" Sophia joked while my mom handed her another margarita.
"Hey! What did we say earlier?" My Aunt Celene nudged Sophia in her arm reminding her not to tease our cousin. I sat next to Sophia and laughed at her and her mother. I was really happy to get to see all of my family again. But when I wasn't being distracted, I couldn't help but think of Troy. I felt guilty having all of this fun with my family knowing that Troy was depressed. I wanted to call him to check on him and try again to work out our situation but my stubbornness was getting in the way of that. Sophia turned her head and noticed the morose expression on my face.
"Thinkin' about Troy still?" Sophia asked with a grin on her face.
"Yeah" I said sipping my lemonade.
"Why don't you just call the boy then and stop making yourself nuts?" she asked.
"It's too late, he's probably asleep already" I said.
"At 8:30?" she raised one eyebrow looking at me with disbelief.
I shook my head trying to ignore her. I didn't know if I should call him or not.
"I'm telling you, Gab, call him" she said sipping on her drink.
"Sophia, leave your poor cousin alone" Aunt Juanita said.
"Why? If he's on her mind then she should find someway to relieve it" Sophia argued.
"Gabriella, honey, you need to enjoy yourself tonight, forget about your baby's daddy for a moment and live a little" Aunt Joe said to me. I smiled at my aunts for trying to get my spirits up but none of it seemed to help.
"I can't just forget about him. He's my love and the father of my daughter" I said trying not to laugh at all of my aunts. Everyone laughed and continued having a good time. I tried the best I could to enjoy myself but I was going crazy inside. My mother could see it in my eyes that I missed Troy. She walked over toward me and sat in the chair next to me.
"Mija, why don't you go in the house and check on Aspen" My mom said.
"She's sleeping right now, Mom" I said finishing my lemonade.
"Go and do it so you can call Troy" My mom said winking at me. I smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek and went back into the house.
I went up to my mother's bedroom where my aunts had put their youngest ones to sleep in. Aspen was still laying in her baby cushion but she had started crying. I saw my young cousin Charles sitting up beside her. I went and picked her up out of the cushion and held her in my arms to get her to stop crying.
"She woke up" Charles said softly as he sat on the bed next to me. I smiled at the young boy.
"How come you're not still sleeping?" I asked him.
"Because she woke me up and now I can't sleep" he said. I giggled. "Well once Aspen falls back asleep, I'll read you a bed time story but until then, don't wake up Lianna and Charlotte, deal?" I said. Lianna and Charlotte were my youngest cousins. Lianna was my Aunt Martina's daughter and Charlotte was my Aunt Joe's daughter.
"Deal" Charles smiled. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at the screen for a while. I wanted to call Troy while it was still early. I gave up and called him being forced against my will. A ring came and went until I got to Troy's voice mail. I sighed and then hung up the phone. I did not want to leave a message. If I wasn't feeling more bummed out a moment ago, I sure was now.
Troy's POV-
I lay flat on my back on my bed staring up at the ceiling. My eyes were sore from crying on and off. Gabriella was constantly on my mind. It hurt to think about her. I had received a call just a moment ago from her but I didn't feel like answering. I didn't feel like fighting with her at all. It was like I just couldn't think positive anymore. My head ached too from thinking. I was mentally exhausted. My father had come up in my room a few times to check on me but all I could do was lay in me bed and cry. What else could I do? I had spent the last two weeks with out the love of my life to hold at night and during the day all because I had issues with my own insecurities. I was officially driven insane by my own thoughts. I shut my eyes tightly. They were so dry and sore from crying, it almost hurt to blink. Why didn't I just answer the phone? I could kick myself for not doing so. I needed to speak to her. I needed her to hear that I loved her more than anything in this world. Sadly I was too nervous and too stubborn to call her back. I was missing her deeply. I sighed and let go of my thoughts, being on the verge of tears again. I couldn't think of about her right now. But it was difficult to forget her for even a moment without something reminding me of her. Even my mom baking a strawberry cake reminded me of the strawberry scent of her hair I would inhale when I held her next to me. I closed my eyes once more trying to relax my mind. My stomach growled but I ignored it. I couldn't even find the energy to go out to the kitchen and heat up the dinner my mom had left in the microwave for me. I was so hungry, I was sick.
"Dude, are you gonna come down stairs anytime soon?" Chad came in my room.
"What are you still doing here, Chad?" I asked in monotone not even looking at Chad.
"Your mom was nice enough to ask me to stay for dinner so I decided to stay the night too and look after you" he said.
I scoffed in disbelief and sat up on my bed. "Chad, I'm not five years old; I don't need a babysitter" I snapped.
"Calm down, man" Chad said sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Dude, I really appreciate your company, but I sorta want to be alone at the moment" I said laying back down on my back.
"Troy, you've been up in this room for hours. You've had plenty of time to be alone" he stated. I rolled my eyes. I was just about to give up. But I couldn't I had to prepare myself to meet Gabi face to face tomorrow at her Mom's party. I just hoped that the trip would be worth it in the end.
"I have to get some sleep anyway. I have to drive out to Phoenix in the morning" I said looking at my watch.
"For sure, man. And make sure you have breakfast in the morning before you leave" Chad said getting ready to leave the room.
"I will" I relied.
"I'm just going to tell your mother my mom needs me home. I'll see you when you come back tomorrow I guess" he said.
"Good night, Chad" I said shutting the bedroom door behind him. I got out of my jeans and t-shirt and put on a pair of sweat pants and climbed into bed. Before I knew it I was fast asleep. I was very tired. Morning came before I could recognize it. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and made my way to the bathroom to take a shower. I already has my clothes picked out for the day. I let the warm water run through my face and body. Today I felt somewhat relieved after a good night sleep. After I was washed up, I dried myself off and threw on a pair of dark blue jeans and put on a red V-neck T-shirt and slipped on a pair of black vans slip-ons. I was feeling fresh. I walked down the stairs to grab me some quick breakfast. I had put pop tarts in the toaster. Now I was in a rush to get out of the house and go see Gabriella. My mother had came downstairs looking very tired and a little bit agitated.
"Troy, what are you doing up this early?" she asked me. I looked at the time on the coffee maker. It was 7:24am.
"I'm driving out to Phoenix today to go see Gabriella and the baby" I said eating my pop tarts.
"Well, I want you to be careful out there and hopefully things work out between the two of you" she said in a whisper. The both of us tried to avoid waking up my father. He wasn't a morning person on Saturdays.
"Thanks, Mom" I said grabbing my jacket and my keys as I left out the door. I was off for a long trip. The whole ride there, I was quaking. I couldn't wait to see Gabriella. I would never go this far in my life for anyone else but her and my daughter.
After six long hours of driving, I finally arrived at her mother's house. Cars were parked out in front of the house. This must have been a major party Maria was throwing. All of a sudden, the breakfast I had this morning liquified in my stomach and made me nauseous. I could puke right now, I was so nervous. My heart raced and it made me sweat a little bit. I slowly walked up to the front door and gave a hard knock. One of Gabriella's cousins answered the door.
"Troy Bolton. What a surprise" Gabriella's cousin Sophia said with a smirk on her face.
"No I mean, this really is a surprise" she added.
"Hi, Sophia. Is Gabriella here?" I asked nervously.
"Yeah, she's here. Come on in" she said showing me into the house. When I walked in, the house was full of people. Gabriella's entire family was there. Even her great-grandma Inez. Sophia motioned me upstairs to her room. She must have not wanted to be apart of the party. Sophia knocked on Gabriella door. And there her sweet voice was behind it.
"Who is it?" Gabriella asked. My heart skipped a beat at that moment.
"It's me, honey, can I come in for a second?" Sophia asked.
"Sure, I'm just putting Aspen down for her nap" she said through the door.
"Wait here" Sophia mouthed to me as she opened Gabriella's door slightly.
"There's some one here to see you, Gab" she said.
"Who is it?" Gabi asked. Sophia pulled me into Gabriella's room. I was at a loss for words. She looked at me in shock of my presence. Sophia quietly left the room to give us a little privacy.
"Hey" I finally spoke.
"Hi" she whispered. We continued to stare at each other. After a moment, I walked closer toward her and sat down on the bed beside her as she held my baby girl in her arms.
"What are you doing here?" she asked me.
"I had to see you, Brie" I said. "I couldn't go one more day without seeing you and Aspen. I really couldn't, Gabriella" I added.
"You drove six hours just to come and see us?" she asked with her eyes sparkling from her gathering tears.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? You and Aspen are my family. Gabriella, I hadn't gotten a chance to say this to you yet but I've made up my mind about us" I said.
"And what did you decide?" she asked.
"I learned that while you and Aspen were gone that, You never really know what you have until you don't have it anymore" I paused. Gabriella nodded proceeding me to continue.
"Brie, I've come to realize that I'm not even half of the person I was when you were with me. And I can't take knowing that you're not there. I can't sleep at night knowing you're not safe with me. My life isn't the same if you're not with me. And all of that bull I said about you and Aspen being too much for me and how I should have let you go when you told me we were having a baby, I'm so sorry about that. I didn't mean one word of it" I said with tears pouring down my face. Gabriella took one of her hands and stroked my cheek with the pad of her thumb, wiping my tears.
"It's okay" she whispered almost crying herself.
"No, it's not okay, Gabriella. You have always meant something in this world to me and I just played it off like it was nothing. And now I'm the fool because I let you go when I shouldn't have" I resumed.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I chose you, Gabriella. I choose to still have you and my daughter in my life. And I want the two of you to come home. I want my family home with me in my embrace" I finished. Gabriella's tears flowed down her face and gave me her brightest smile. And I loved it. I had missed her smile for a long time. I was finally getting to see it again. And she was smiling for me. Soon our lips met. My heart stopped at the feeling of our kiss. It had felt like the first time I had kissed her. It was like magic. The sparks I had felt for her in the beginning had turned into flames burning with my love for her. I shared a deep passionate kiss with her. Our lips left each others when we heard the sound of our daughter cry.
"She's so tired" Gabi said bouncing Aspen. I reached my arms out for the baby as Gabi handed her off to me.
"Hey, there sweetie. Daddy missed you and Mommy so much" I said kissing her soft forehead. I was moved by holding my baby girl. I had missed her and Gabi more than anyone could imagine. I was happy to be holding my little girl again and have the girl of my dreams and love of my life beside me. We weren't home but we were together at last.
"She missed her daddy too" Gabriella said stroking Aspen's little cheek. I chuckled softly at the infant. As I stroked her face, I had saw her smile. My heart lit up with happiness. Just the little smile on my baby's face showed me that she missed me too even though she probably hadn't a clue I was ever not there. Just then the baby started to snore. She was fast asleep in my arms. Soon Gabi took her and set her down on the bed.
"Do you still want this?" I asked Gabriella showing her the ring she had left at my house before she moved out. Gabriella took the ring from my hand and looked at it.
"Of course I do, Troy. Just because I left didn't mean that I didn't still want to be your wife someday" she smiled. I kissed her lips when she said that. I was happy that she still wanted to marry me.
"So, will you come home, Gabs?" I asked her.
She grinned and looked up at me. "Yes, Troy. I've wanted to for a long time" she whispered.
"How soon do you want to get out of here then?" I asked.
"We can leave after the party. I just need to tell my mom first" she said as she pecked at my lips. God, how it felt so nice when she did. The two of us went down stairs and Brie introduced me to some of her family. The only family I had knew was her mother and her cousin Sophia. After we sat Gabriella's mom down and talked to her, she seemed more than ecstatic about us being with each other again. She was scared that Maria would talk her out of moving back with me but she insisted that she moved back to Albuquerque with me so that we could be a family again. And luckily, she mentioned that me, Gabi, and Aspen could visit anytime we wanted to and that we could stay over night. After the party, Gabriella and I had stayed by to help her mother and sisters clean up the house. When we were done, I helped Gabi pack all of her and Aspen's clothes and got ready for our long ride back to New Mexico. I looked back on when I had first drove out this way to come and see her. I thought I would come home more depressed than ever and thinking the trip wasn't worth it. But instead I was bringing my loves back home with me and for good. Things would also be back to normal in my household Gabriella and Aspen were all I needed in this world to make me whole. I made a promise that from this day forward, I would never take them for granted again.
A/N: Well, it seems like the only time I get my best ideas is right around bed time, lol. I tried really hard on this chapter but I sort of think I made both Troy and Gabriella sound like 'sad saps', or so that's what my cousin said. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one! Just a couple of chapters left until I conclude this story. Please R&R! And thank you all so much for the positive reviews everyone!
-Nat =]