A Chance At Happiness
Chapter One
"Gabriella!" Martha exclaimed. "How are you? Kelsi and I tried to get a spot next to you but we were a little late. Kelsi couldn't find her Bible and her sister wasn't helping us at all. We ended up having to wake-up her brother and look in his car. He picked us up last week, you see and Kelsi left it in his car by mistake." Gabriella glanced at Kelsi who blushed and looked away. "How did you enjoy the service?"
"It was interesting. Father Madison is a very good speaker." Gabriella quietly replied.
"That's exactly what I thought." Martha said and she clapped her hands together with excitement. "We should grab a coffee together some time. We keep saying we'll meet up and we never do! I always ask you at the wrong time. You're always doing something. How about you call me when a good time to go out would be? You have my number, don't you?" Gabriella nodded, silently. "Fantastic! You don't have to go right away, do you?"
"Um," Gabriella hesitated and looked in her parents direction who were in a deep discussion with Father Madison. "No."
"That's great!" Martha exclaimed with much enthusiasm. "We don't spend enough time with each other. I'm trying to convince Kelsi to come shopping with me next weekend. You should come along, Gabriella! We could make a day out of it? And you can invite Taylor, too! Oh, it would be so much fun, don't you think? How about we all stay around my house afterwards?" Martha suggested with keen enthusiasm. "If we do it on Saturday, we can all come together to Church on Sunday."
"I'm not sure." Gabriella hesitantly replied. "I've got a study group to attend on Saturday."
"Is that the one organised by Jason Cross? Well, I mean his Mum. Everybody knows that that boy needs extra attention. He lives and breathes basketball. It's not healthy!" Martha exclaimed and paused to wait for Gabriella's answer. She only nodded. "That's okay. That's in the morning, isn't it? Nine till Twelve?" Gabriella just nodded again. "If you give me his address, I'll be able to pick you up."
"Actually, we study at Albuquerque library." Gabriella quietly explained. "Jason's Mum is the librarian."
"Oh, I see! Well then, that makes everything much easier. You don't drive there, do you?" Gabriella shook her head. "Fantastic! We can have lunch at the shopping centre. I'll pick Kelsi up, I believe Taylor lives a few blocks down from Kelsi's house and then we can pick you up from the library. See, it's all sorted. Now, I don't have Taylor's number so if you would invite her, Gabriella, that would be brilliant. "
"Didn't you say that your Dad had a business meeting Saturday?" Kelsi asked Martha, so quietly, she was barely inaudible.
"You're right!" Martha slapped her forehead with her hand and closed her eyes showing her frustration. "How could I forget that? It's being held at my house, you see." Martha elaborated to Gabriella. "That's so annoying. Well, that puts a complete spanner in the works." With a concentrated face, Martha pondered on the situation before springing back into action (causing Gabriella and Kelsi to jump in the process). "How about we go back to your house, Kels? It makes more sense than mine, anyway. You're closer to the shopping centre and you've got more room. Would that be okay?"
"I...I suppose." Kelsi replied. Her arms were folded, self-consciously, across her chest.
"Problem solved!" Martha cheerfully exclaimed. "Once I've picked up Taylor and Kelsi, we'll meet you at the library at twelve and then straight to the shopping centre for a girly session." She beamed with excitement. "And then head back home to Kelsi's. Sorted." Looking over Gabriella's shoulder, Martha added, "oh, Gabriella, I think your parents are looking for you."
Looking behind, Gabriella noticed her mother's pursed lips (a sure sign of agitation) and Gabriella hastily turned to Martha and Kelsi, already taking a step back to leave. "I'm sorry. I have to go. Um," anxiously, Gabriella mentioned, "I'll text you and tell you if I can come this Saturday. I have to ask my parents first."
"That's fine, Gabriella. I understand how parents can be." Martha laughed whole-heartedly and Gabriella gave her own small smile. Martha understood how parents could be, Gabriella was sure that that was true. After all, Martha was a teenager herself with parents that loved her and wanted to protect her but Martha didn't understand Gabriella's parents. They were in a whole different league. They still loved her; they still wanted to protect her but they weren't fun and they certainly weren't easy-going. They weren't what one would consider to be "normal" parents -whatever that really was.
"Bye Martha, bye Kelsi."
Martha beamed a big, bright smile whilst Kelsi lifted her petite hand and gave a small wave with her same, small smile. Gabriella mirrored Kelsi's wave and turned around, walking in the direction of her parents. When she reached them, her mother gave her one of her looks. If it were anyone else but Gabriella, they would have laughed at her mother's odd expression but they didn't know what it meant whereas Gabriella most certainly did. It was one that said, 'must you hang around and make us wait for you when you know that we have many other things to do today, people to see and people to talk to?'. For this particular look, Christine (her mother) would purse her lips so tightly together that the corners turned up into an awkward smile and her eyes would widen with a piercing stare that never failed to make Gabriella look away.
It was as if Gabriella were being abused with way she reacted. That definitely wasn't the case, the Montez' were harsh but they would never dream of physically abusing their daughter. But still, Gabriella had grown up a timid young woman and her parents dictated over her more so than most. She was so used to living in such a way that she never questioned it. Not even in her mind where no one could break through and take a peek, she never once thought, 'what if my parents weren't so strict?' Which some (Taylor for instance) found rather sad. It was as if Gabriella didn't have a mind for herself. She was, almost, a robot.
"Come along, Gabriella." Christine ordered, her heels clicking and clacking along the Church floor.
"Thank you, Father Madison." Gabriella said, quietly but more comfortably. He gave her a warm and friendly smile with sympathy in his wise eyes. Father Madison was a lovely man. He was kind, forgiving and he never judged. Sometimes, after Chapel Choir on Wednesday, which Father Madison ran himself, she would stay and they would talk. Excluding Taylor, Father Madison was probably the most comfortable person Gabriella could talk to. Occasionally, they didn't even need to talk. They could sit in silence, staring at the alter and there would be a mutual understanding that settled between them. It became almost like a meditation for Gabriella; a place she could clear her thoughts and a person she could clear her thoughts with.
"It was a pleasure to see you, again, Gabriella." Father Madison answered with kindness. "I'll see you on Wednesday."
Gabriella nodded with a genuinely happy smile before hurrying after her parents who had already reached the flash, black Bentley. Fortunately, Gabriella reached them in time before Christine became impatient and gave her another one of her looks. She quickly slipped into the back seat and stared, distantly, out of the window. Just as the mealtimes, the Montez' didn't talk. Honestly, there wasn't much to talk about anyway. There never was.
"So, you're the talk of the school."
Gabriella looked up from her Biology book and the deep explanation of how the respiratory system worked. Her brow furrowed and she looked at Taylor with confusion. "What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked, sitting up from laying down on her stomach on her bed.
"You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Ryan Evans?"
"What about Ryan Evans?"
"You really haven't heard?"
"Heard what?" Gabriella repeated.
"Ryan Evans!" Taylor exclaimed, walking over to Gabriella and sitting, cross-legged on the bed. "I can't believe you haven't heard!" Gabriella looked at Taylor, impatiently. "He likes you." Gabriella was silent and stared at Taylor blankly. "As in, he really likes you. He fancies you. That likes you. It's going all around school. Everyone's talking about it which means they're talking about you."
"Taylor, a lot of things go around school." Gabriella shrugged. "It's probably just gossip."
"I don't think this is just gossip, Gabs." Taylor replied with a smile on her full lips. "I was walking Alfie this morning before Church and I saw Sharpay and Heather. They weren't happy; not at all and I kept hearing Ryan's name crop up. Anyway, then Michelle called me this afternoon and said that Ryan fancies you. Well, it clicked straight away that that's what Sharpay and Heather were talking about!" She exclaimed and then sort of bounced excitedly on the bed.
"That still doesn't mean he fancies me."
"I think it does." Taylor sang with a cheeky grin.
Blushing, Gabriella closed her Biology book and set it aside, turning to Taylor and changing the subject as quickly as she possibly could. "I saw Martha today."
"It's Sunday; you always see Martha." Taylor answered in a knowing tone.
"I know but, um, she wanted us, that is you, me, Martha and Kelsi, to go to the shopping centre on Saturday." Gabriella explained. "She said that she would take us at twelve and then we would go back to Kelsi's for the night. I didn't really have a chance to say 'yes' or 'no' and if you don't want to go then I'm sure it's fine and I probably won't go and-"
"I'll go." Taylor interrupted Gabriella's babbling with confidence. She knew that Gabriella struggled socially and to spend the day and night with someone she didn't know too well was like torture for Gabriella. But Taylor knew that Gabriella couldn't keep hiding away. This would be good for her. To spend time with other people; she needed more of this. Thankfully, Gabriella's parents would approve of Martha and Kelsi. Taylor knew, all too well, that the Montez' were picky when it came to their daughter's friends.
"Really?"
"Sure, why not? I think it'll be fun having a girly day."
"I suppose."
"And, then we can talk about boys. Ryan Evans, to be precise." Taylor sneakily added in. She noticed the pink blush on Gabriella's cheeks. "What would you say if he asked you out? I mean, he's handsome with his blonde hair and blue eyes. Any of the other girls would love to have Ryan Evans on their arm." Gabriella turned a darker shade of red.
"I don't even know Ryan Evans." Gabriella replied, shyly.
"But..." Taylor motioned for her to carry on.
"I...I suppose he is rather good-looking." Gabriella stammered. "And he's in A.P. Chemistry and Physics. I've heard he's really quite clever. But, I don't know if my parents would approve." Taylor's smile dropped. "And Sharpay absolutely despises me! It wouldn't work, even if I wanted to..." She paused. Then, quickly, she added, "which, I'm not saying I want to but, hypothetically speaking."
"Gabby, forget about your parents' approval and forget about Sharpay." Taylor said. "They don't own your mind."
"I guess you could say that my parents do own my mind considering they made me and all."
"That doesn't mean you're obliged to let them rule over you!" Taylor argued.
"Do we have to have this conversation? Again?" Gabriella complained, falling backwards so her head hit her pillows; her arms sprayed out across her bed with one arm hanging off of the side. "Really, I'm too tired to get into this now. I'm bored of talking about it, full stop." Sighing, she added, "I know you think that my parents control every part of my life."
Taylor scoffed, "I don't think; I know."
"But they don't! They're just strict. Much more so than yours who are very easy-going might I add."
"What's your point?"
"My point is, is that you are used to your parents being the way they are and I'm used to the way my parents being the way they are. They don't control my life but they're much more stricter than yours so you believe they are." Lifting her head, Gabriella asked, "do you see what I'm trying to get at here?"
"I do but Gabby, I say this because I'm your friend and I love you," she hesitated, "your parents go way passed the line of strict. I would go as far as to say that you are living under a dictatorship. They're tyrants and they don't even know it. You don't even know it!" Taylor argued and Gabriella let out a groan, grabbing the pillow next to her and squashing it over her face.
"I think I'd rather talk about Ryan Evans." She mumbled.
Like any other teenager, Gabriella loved Saturday's.
However, unlike any other teenager, it wasn't because there was another full day until another week of school and it wasn't because she could stay in bed for another few hours before waking up. It was because she loved the library. That had been the reason why Gabriella had chosen this particular study-group because it was held in Albuquerque library. It was peaceful with only a few murmurs and it was away from her home because Gabriella did know that she spent too much of her time in the house (despite all of her extra-curricular activities). That, and Mrs. Cross was the friendliest woman you'd ever meet.
Her son, Jason, was the same age as Gabriella but they never spoke. Even after all those years in being in a study-group with him, they hadn't uttered a word or even a syllable to one another. Gabriella guessed it was due to the different cliques at school. He was a basketball player and, therefore, was at the top of the social ladder. Gabriella wasn't at the bottom per-say, she wasn't really on the ladder at all because she didn't socialise with many. She didn't sit with the "nerds" at lunch; she only sat with Taylor and they rarely ate in the school cafeteria. But the point was, was Gabriella wasn't in the same social group that Jason was and they didn't have any common interests, so there was no need for them to converse at all.
Everyone else in the study-group were generally quiet, also. A few, Jacob and Ellen for example, were only there because their parents forced them into it. If they had it their way, they'd still be in bed or with their friends. Neither of them caused any trouble and got on with their work, despite not wanting to, and Gabriella had often seen Ellen texting under the table without Mrs. Cross being able to see. The others were Jon, Sarah, Maria and Fergus. They were all younger than Gabriella being in freshman year which meant they didn't speak up much. Instead, they would always resort to whispering in one another's ears and sniggering. But they still didn't bother Gabriella.
Afterwards, Gabriella would usually wait patiently outside the library, grabbing a can of lemonade from the little shop that was next to it. Louisa would collect her and take her back home where she would continue studying or see Taylor. That was her normal Saturday but today was different. Gabriella ordered her usual can of lemonade before sitting on a bench and waiting for Martha. She knew it was ridiculous but her stomach churned uncomfortably with nerves. You would have thought Gabriella was used to it by now – being nervous, that is. She had the ability to be anxious about everything and she put it down to her shy nature but it still aggravated her to no end.
Ten minutes after the study-group had ended, Martha pulled up with music blaring from inside. Gabriella could hear Taylor's boisterous laugh and she got into the back where Taylor was clutching her stomach whilst Kelsi was giggling behind her hand. Suddenly, she felt very out of place and, again, she knew it was ridiculous but Taylor was the only person she truly considered to be her friend. Sometimes, and Gabriella didn't dwell on this but it did cross her mind occasionally, she felt like the outsider looking into the coolest party. It was times like these which brought that thought into her head.
"Gabriella!" Martha exclaimed. She had her usual beaming and kind smile on her face. Her arms jingled with the golden bangles on her wrists that matched her long, black T-shirt with a gold neckline and denim capris. "How are you? How was your study-group?"
"It was good, thank you."
"Great. I wish I had the motivation to work like you do, Gabriella." Martha replied as she pulled away from the library and onto the road. "I know my parents would love it if I did. But I just can't will myself to do work at the weekends. Not any work that makes me spend more than an hour, anyway." She laughed.
"Looking forward to a bit of shopping?" Taylor nudged her and Gabriella nodded with hesitance. Taylor noticed her pause and eyed her secretly with a look that told Gabriella to 'relax'. "Well, this will be the perfect opportunity to get that dress I was telling you about. I'm telling you," Taylor said to Kelsi and Martha, "Gabriella would look stunning in this dress but she's too chicken to try it on."
"I'm not chicken!" Gabriella argued.
"Bawk, bawk, bawk!" Taylor teased.
"I'm not a chicken!"
"Bawk!"
"Taylor! Quit it!"
"Why don't you want to try on the dress?" Martha curiously asked, giggling at Taylor.
"She thinks it's too short." Taylor rolled her eyes. "She doesn't think her parents would approve."
"I know they wouldn't approve and it's entirely inappropriate."
"Your parents wouldn't need to even know about it."
"It's still inappropriate and I wouldn't have any occasion to wear it."
"Who needs to have an occasion? You've seen Hannah Morris, somehow she manages to get away with wearing a belt for a skirt at school! That's not appropriate nor is there ever an occasion to wear skirts that short." Taylor replied, defending her point. One of Taylor's missions in life was to get Gabriella to come out of her shell – hence Taylor's occasional nickname. "Herman, come on, just buy it."
"Herman?" Kelsi looked behind to Taylor and Gabriella. The former had raised eyebrows whilst the latter had a furious blush on her cheeks.
"It's what I call Gabriella sometimes. Like a nickname." She explained. "You know, like Herman the Hermit. It's what I've called her as on my phone, look." Taylor showed Kelsi her mobile screen. Gabriella's caller I.D indeed had a picture of her with 'Herman' written underneath. Taylor added, honestly."It's a nice picture, huh?"
"Very pretty." Kelsi sweetly smiled at Gabriella.
"Thanks." Gabriella mumbled.
It hadn't taken long for the four girls to reach the shopping centre. It was the largest centre around and had only recently been opened. Gabriella had heard many people around school talking about it's grand opening (that had been about one and half years ago now) but Gabriella hadn't gone. It was only the opening of a shopping centre, after all but it had been splattered all over the local news. In fact, as crazy as this sounded, this would only be the second time Gabriella had been to the shopping centre and the first time had been hurried. She had clearly been in a rush as she hadn't realised that the shopping centre had a name; Evans' in large pink and silver swirled writing hung over the centre.
"God, you just can't get away from that name, can you." Taylor muttered, she'd noticed it too.
The afternoon passed by quicker than Gabriella thought and (dare she say it?) she was having fun. It was strange, usually she'd be studying or being fitted for a new dress at home with Louisa for another of her parents' work parties which she was also expected to attend (for reasons she did not completely understand herself). This was the first time, in a long time, that Gabriella was not doing anything and it was more fun than she imagined it to be.
It was when they had been looking in a shop called Pink Flamingo was that the topic of Miss. Evans came up. The conversation was less than favourable -at least on Taylor's side. They were just discussing Sharpay's latest obsession with Will Morris, the football captain when Taylor almost stopped in her tracks.
"Speaking of the witch."
There she was; Sharpay Evans. Every inch of physical perfection. She had long, silky blonde hair and large, hazel, doll-like eyes with a small, button nose and delicately pale skin. Her body curved in all the right places; a flat stomach, large bust and slim, shapely legs. Her only flaw? Her heartless, self-centred, cruel personality. She had hated Gabriella the moment they had been assigned lockers and Gabriella's was next to Sharpay's. Sharpay had wanted to take over two lockers and paint them both pink. As Gabriella had predicted, the school board did not accept her proposal. She had stomped her pretty, little feet and shouted through her pearly, white teeth and pink, plump lips. Her father had done all that he could (Gabriella honestly hadn't understood why he bothered, although she never voiced her thoughts out loud) but he failed each and every time. Somehow, that had ended up being Gabriella's fault as one of the school board's argument was that Gabriella would not have a locker otherwise.
Ever since that fatal freshman year, Sharpay had not been kind. She didn't purposely go out of her way to bully Gabriella; Gabriella wouldn't classify it as bullying anyway. They could walk passed each other in the hallways and Sharpay would simply ignore her but there were occasions in which Sharpay would say some nasty and rude things at the expense of Gabriella. It didn't really bother her. Embarrass? Yes. Hurt? Sometimes. But, Gabriella knew that her words were simply words and, if she had any luck, high school would be the last time they would ever see each other.
Unfortunately, Sharpay was what one would call a 'shopaholic' and the majority of Sharpay's weekends were spent in the shopping centre – the very same one that Gabriella was at. And out of the whole shopping centre (as it was extremely large), Sharpay was in direct line with her. It wasn't until a couple of seconds later did Sharpay lift her head from texting on her bright pink mobile and catch sight of Gabriella. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed into angry slits and her graceful click of her heels against the floor tiles became stomps. Before Gabriella could blink, Sharpay had rapidly reached Gabriella and was poking her skinny finger into her face.
"What," she hissed, "are you doing here?"
"It's a free country, Evans." Taylor scowled, coming to Gabriella's defence.
"But my mother owns this shopping centre, McKessie." Sharpay shot back.
"So? Your mother can't turn people away for no reason!"
"She's the owner, she can do anything."
"Did you honestly just say that?" Taylor laughed. "You really are stupid."
"How dare you, McKessie!" Sharpay exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest with offence. "Don't you realise that my father has recently been appointed onto the school board? I could easily get him to shut down your pathetic Scholastic Decathlon. What would you do then with your spare time? Mourn for your loss, probably. Exactly what a nerd would do."
"You sound ridiculous, Evans." Taylor replied, monotonously. "The Scholastic Decathlon has been running since the school was founded. We've won countless number of competitions and we don't run off the schools money! I highly doubt – no, I mean that there is no way that you could shut down the Scholastic Decathlon team. So, I suppose you better go cry to your Daddy because you can't always get what you want, Evans."
"You're such a bitch, McKessie."
"Takes one to know one, Princess." Taylor snarled.
"Alright Ladies," Martha stepped in, glancing nervously between the pair of them. "Lets not have a fight in the middle of a shopping centre. I'm sure you don't want to lose any of those bags, Sharpay." Martha said, pointing at the numerous amount of bags that surrounded her. "And neither of you want to lose your dignity either."
Glaring with every ounce of strength, Sharpay then stepped away, "you are lucky you're friends are here to protect you, McKessie."
"I could take you; easily."
Sharpay cackled and picked up her bags. "I'd wipe the floor with your fat arse before you could make your first move." Sharpay glanced with disgust at Taylor and gave one last horrible look at Gabriella. "You stay away from my brother." Suddenly, her face snapped into one of warmth, "toodles, Kelsi." She waved with her bony hand and sauntered off, her hips swaying from side-to-side.
"Urgh, I hate that blonde, Barbie doll."
"Lets just forget about it, Taylor." Gabriella replied, quickly.
"Gabriella's right." Martha added. "She's gone. Lets just carry on shopping."
They hadn't continued shopping for much longer. It had gotten boring after a while; especially for Gabriella who hadn't really wanted to go in the first place. Fortunately, they hadn't had another encounter with Sharpay but when they reached Kelsi's home, they faced something just as bad (if not worse); Heather Bolton. Like Sharpay, she was a gorgeous girl with light brown hair with blonde streaks and highlights that complemented her olive complexion. Her eyes were a stunning shade of blue. She was tall, quite a bit taller than Sharpay who stood at five-foot-three and very slim. She didn't have all the curves that Sharpay possessed but Heather was definitely model potential.
"Why are you here?" Heather had rudely asked Gabriella, sneering at Taylor.
"We've just been shopping!" Martha replied, excitedly. "They're staying over."
"Great." Heather feigned enthusiasm before her expression turned very sour. "Word of warning, if you dare disturb me, come into my room or even get in my way then I can't be held responsible for my actions. I don't like you; you," she looked at Gabriella, "in particular. I don't really like the thought of you being my house at all so just make sure you stay out of my way and you may just leave tomorrow alive." With that, Heather left leaving Gabriella to anxiously bite the inside of her cheek.
"Forget about her." Taylor reassured.
"Yeah," Martha smiled, "she was only joking!"
Taylor glanced at Martha before she rolled her eyes. Martha really did live in this wonderful fantasy world where everyone was kind and lovely and rainbows filled the sky beautifully. If only real life was like that; unfortunately, it was not. They reached Kelsi's room and tiredly collapsed onto Kelsi's large king-sized bed. Looking around the room, Gabriella noticed how delicate everything appeared. The walls were a lovely shade of cream with one wall painted in a pale pink. Her bedspread was crisp and white with a light pink throw. The cream vanity had a large mirror with a lavish design. The room really was quite beautiful just as the rest of the house was. Clearly, Kelsi's parents were very wealthy; the house looked like it came straight out of a magazine.
"I never knew you lived with Heather." Taylor said, abruptly.
"Yeah." Kelsi quietly replied.
"How come?"
"Um, well..." Kelsi blushed. "I'm adopted."
"Whoa, what!" Taylor shouted, clearly with surprise.
"I'm adopted." Kelsi repeated.
"And Heather Bolton adopted you!"
"Heather didn't; her parents did." Martha corrected whilst she pulled her pyjamas from her bag.
"No! No, that can't be true." Taylor shook her head with disbelief.
"Well," Kelsi shrugged, "it is."
"That's unbelievable!" Taylor exclaimed.
"Why is it so hard to believe?" Martha giggled at Taylor's shocked expression.
"Because." Taylor replied. "It's Heather Bolton. I've always assumed that Heather Bolton must've gotten her cold heart from somewhere in the family. I always thought her parents were just the same. But they can't be if they adopted!" She exclaimed. Suddenly, she slapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh, that was really rude of me. I'm sorry, I just...I didn't mean it to be...I'm really sorry."
"No, no it's fine; really."
"So, and you don't have to answer this," Taylor said, "when were you adopted?"
"About...Ten years ago. I was five when they adopted me." Kelsi explained, quietly. "I still remember my first day here. It was the strangest thing. The first week I was here, all I wanted was to go back to the adoption home. I knew that place. That place was my home. But I couldn't imagine ever leaving now."
"Wow, I never knew this. But, you don't have the same surname as the Bolton's."
"Yeah, it's odd." Kelsi shrugged again. "My birth mother never wanted me, I was left in a bus-stop for some random person to find me and yet, she wanted me to have her last name and the name that she chose for me." Kelsi looked into the mirror and pulled her hair up into a scruffy bun as she said, "I didn't keep it though. I decided to change it to my middle name."
"Wait, so Kelsi isn't the name that your birth mother wanted?" Gabriella blurted out and blushed soon after. "Sorry, that wasn't tactful."
"It's fine. I don't mind talking about it." Kelsi smiled and this was the first time, Gabriella realised, that she felt comfortable talking to Kelsi and vice-versa. "No. It's not. My birth mother wanted Abigail and I was called that the first three years of my life but then I saw this ballerina on television called Kelsi. I was obsessed with ballet when I was little and I asked my social workers if I could change it. Naturally, they told me I couldn't in case I regretted it. But they referred to me as Kelsi anyway."
"So, you're legally called Abigail?"
"Yes." Kelsi answered, nodding her head. "But when I'm eighteen, that's when I can legally change it."
"Why then?"
"My parents, the Bolton's I mean, fully support me in the decision but they want to make sure that it's the right choice." Kelsi explained.
"Makes sense."
"Yeah, but the others, like Heather and Tro-"
"Kelsi!" Heather rudely interrupted and walked in, uninvited. "I love you and all but tell your friends to keep their damn voices down. Especially that one." She stretched out her arm and pointed at Taylor. Taylor basically responded with a growl. "I'm trying to talk to Jason but all I can hear is her vile voice. Tell her," she said again as if Taylor weren't present, "that if I still hear her in five minutes time then I'm putting tape over her mouth."
Two o'clock...
One past two...
Two past two...
Three past two...
Gabriella sighed. Kelsi's pull-out bed was extremely comfortable but Gabriella still couldn't sleep. The other girls had fallen into a slumber straight away around midnight but Gabriella stayed firmly awake. She could only guess that Gabriella was used to her bed and her house. She didn't stay round friends houses often; Taylor was really the only friends house she had ever stayed over before.
Deciding a glass of water may air her to sleep, Gabriella carefully stood up from her bed (only to freeze when she heard Martha roll over). She tip-toed to the door and slowly opened it, wincing when it creaked slightly. Looking to her right, Gabriella saw the flicker of light from under the room; Heather's room. She didn't want to risk going passed to get into the bathroom. Heather was a volleyball and archery (oddly enough) champion and had reactions like a hawk. Instead, Gabriella turned left towards the large staircase. She would have to go to the kitchen.
Ten past two...
Eleven past two...
Gabriella looked at the clock absentmindedly. Her eyelids were starting to ache. She was tired but her body was being stubborn and wouldn't rest. It didn't help that she didn't really know where the kitchen was. Kelsi hadn't shown her and Martha had limply pointed in the direction when they first entered Kelsi's home. Unfortunately for Gabriella, there were many doors in that direction. It took her another few minutes before she stumbled across the right one but as she did so, she stubbed her toe on the wall. Squeaking, Gabriella reached down and clutched her foot. She ran her hand along the wall but unsuccessfully found a light switch. Looking around, her eyes adjusting properly to the dark, the moonlight shone through and she caught a glimpse of the corner of the fridge (their kitchen was so large that the moonlight coming through the window couldn't light up the whole room).
Opening the fridge up, she searched for the water and reached in to grab one. Gabriella turned around before closing the fridge and the light from inside it beamed across the kitchen, the kitchen island to be exact. As she lifted her head and pushed the fridge shut, Gabriella got the shock of a lifetime and she let out a scream (or really, rather a yelp). Her heart pumped inside her chest with fear and she dropped the water bottle. She had not expected to see a face.
girlwithbrowneyes:
Hello, this is mainly the opening chapter to explain a few things before the nitty-gritty stuff comes in. I hope you all enjoyed it, I'm getting used to fanfiction a little more now. I had to finish this chapter and post it because I was in such a happy mood - I got Prefect at my school! Yay! Anyhoo, I was really excited to see people reviewed my prologue so thank you very, very, very, very much! And also to my unofficial beta, SimpleThings.
Thank you to SimpleThings, Marie Hughes, pumpkinking5, icebaby26, caligurl725, flying-green-monkey, Bluebell140, xo LAILAIxo and Fairyvixenmaiden.
Hugs and Kisses,
Olivia
Disclaimer: I do not have any affiliation with the Disney/HSM franchise nor do I own any of the recognised characters; only the plot and my imagination.