The church was redecorated with white roses and had a winter sparkly wonderland theme to it. People-over 500 guests-sitting in the aisles, murmured among themselves excitedly, couldn't wait till the ceremony started. Finally when it was time to start, the organ player started playing a familiar tune. People rose from their seats, and turned to her, watching her as she made a perfect entrance, walking slowly yet gracefully down the aisle with her arm linked with her father's, who was trying his hardiest not to cry and failed, tearing up a bit.
As she walked past people, she could see most of the guests were already in tears while a few were trying not to cry, but had a few tear drops leaking through their eyes. No one could see her expression because of the beautiful veil that covered her face. On the outside, she remained calm and cool as she walked down the aisle with her father, but on the inside, she was bursting with excitement and was also nervous. After all today was the biggest day of her life.
When they finally reached the altar, her father slowly pulled up the veil and placed it behind her head, finally revealing her beautiful face. Her dad pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight, whispering that he loves her and wishes her nothing but happiness before he gave her away.
She slowly turned to her fiancée…Troy Bolton, looking dashing and charming like a prince, wearing his designer black tux, his dark chestnut hair pulled back with gel, and his ocean-blue eyes huge filled with tears, crying happily as he saw how beautiful she looked in her radiant white strapless princess, prom-type dress with rhimstone trim.
He took her hand and kissed it before he pulled her closer to him. The two of them were grinning at each other as they held each other's hands and slowly turned to the minister.
"Good morning my brothers and sisters. We are gathered here on this sacred day today to celebrate the unity of two people who God made destined for each other, Troy Alexander Bolton and Gabriella Antoinette Montez. Anyone who objects for the unity of these two, speak now or forever hold your peace." The minister said to the people attending the ceremony.
No one among the five-hundred guests objected. The minister nodded and continued. He turned to Troy and said "Do you, Troy Alexander Bolton take Gabriella Antoinette Montez to be your lawful wedded wife to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to serve and to care for, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
"I do." Troy said; tears flowing from his eyes as he turned to Gabriella and grinned at her, with his hand gently squeezing hers.
"Do you, Gabriella Antoinette Montez take Troy Alexander Bolton to be your lawful wedded husband to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to serve and to care for, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" The minister asked Gabriella as he turned to her.
Gabriella turned to Troy, her big chocolate eyes filled with tears, crying happily. She squeezed his hand tight. She couldn't believe today was the day. Everything was perfect: the ceremony, the bride maids' dresses and the ushers' suits, her white dress, and more importantly, the man who was soon going to be her husband. She grinned at Troy for the longest moment, tears pouring from her eyes.
"I do." She whispered.
Gabriella slowly fluttered her big brown eyes opened, waking up to a bright sunshine and cool breeze coming from the opened balcony. She slowly sat up and stretched out her arms and legs, a routine she always does when she wakes up. She then remembered that a certain person was sleeping with her on the bed. She turned to the spot where Troy was laying last night and saw that he was gone.
Where is he? She thought as she looked around the suite and listened closely for sound, but saw that the suite was empty. She then spotted a blue envelope that had her name written on it on the nightstand. Curious, Gabriella reached out to the envelope and opened it, pulling the things inside the envelope out: an artistic birthday card that was no doubt from Troy and also a note from him.
Dear Brie,
Happy birthday to my special girl, my beautiful angel. I bet you're wondering where I am now. Well I woke up a few minutes before you did and went downstairs to the lobby to get some breakfast with the others at the sunrise café, where we'll be waiting for you to start the celebration of your birthday. We got a huge day planned for you. Hurry up and get dressed and meet us at the café. Happy 18th birthday, baby!!!!
Love Troy
Gabriella held the note to her chest and sighed happily. Today was her birthday, the big 18. She was definitely excited. Then she suddenly remembered about her dream: the wonderful ceremony, her white beautiful dress, and Troy looking like a prince in his tux.
Our wedding, she thought. Thinking about the dream brought a huge grin to her face. She didn't expect to be thinking and dreaming about that stuff now, but grinned, remembering the incredible dream. The more she thought about it, she could really picture having a future with Troy.
Gabriella sighed once more and checked the alarm clock, seeing the time was 9:40. Time for her to get up and get ready.
She got off the bed and did a few stretches before she went into the bathroom and took a relaxing hot shower, rubbing her body with Dove body wash and washing her hair with Dove shampoo and conditioner four times. Steam fogged up the bathroom and drifted out the door as she left the bathroom, dressed in a white towel robe and a towel wrapped around her head. She went over to the dresser. She ran a brush through her damp hair as she used her red hair-blow dryer to blow dry her hair. She then used hair lotion on her hair. After she brushed her hair and combed it one more time, she styled her hair in straight yet wavy style. Gabriella then rubbed her body with Johnson's baby lotion and her vanilla body lotion. She then went through her dresser's draws to find something to wear. She changed into a black scoop-neck tank top, dark denim skinny jeans, a gray over-size sweater cardigan with a cool white and black design, and black suede flat boots. And for accessories, she added a cool black vintage cross necklace, and also the 'T' necklace she hidden under her top. For makeup, since she doesn't wear that much unless it's necessary and for something important, she only added a coat of light-pink sparkly lip gloss, and left her face bare. She sprayed some perfume that she mixed with a few other fragrances.
Tada, she was ready.
Gabriella packed some things into her purse, including her room key, into her black studded tote purse and took it with her as she left her suite and rode the elevator down to the lobby. When she arrived at the sunrise café, it was dark. Gabriella scanned the dark, café, shaking her head with a smile, knowing what was going to happened when she flitch the lights on. She spotted the light switch. She went over to it and flipped it on, with a knowing smile. And just as she predicted….
"Surprise!!!!!!" Everyone yelled cheerfully as they jumped put of their hiding places "Happy 18th birthday!!!!"
Despite the fact that she knew that was going to happen, Gabriella still grinned and then giggled, walking to her family and friends, who were at a huge table at the end of the café. She walked up to her father and gave him a hug first. "Gracias papi." She said as she squeezed him tight.
"No hay problema. Felices 18 años, una preciosa." He said, hugging her back and rubbed her head.
She pulled back from the hug and turned to the others, giving them each a hug, saving Troy for last. She kissed his cheek and hugged him for a long time. When she pulled back from his hug, she turned to the others and said with a grin on her face "Thank you, guys."
"We have a huge plan for you, Gabi." Sharpay said, as they sat down at the huge table, taking a seat next to Gabriella. "There's sight-seeing, shopping, and the fantastic restaurants. And also the surprise your dad got plan for you-Ow!!!!!" She said, feeling a powerful, hard kick in the shin. She looked at Troy, who was sitting across from her, and the person who kicked her. "What the hell, Troy?"
"You weren't surprise to tell her, knuckle-head!!!" He said, tempted to give his cousin another good kick in the shin.
"Now you listen to me, you fuc-" Sharpay began to say.
Mr. Montez loudly cleared his throat, interrupting Sharpay. Once he caught their attention, he nodded his head toward Isabella, who was sitting in her high-chair, giggling and clapping her hands, which gave him a reminder that they can't curse near her presence.
Sharpay groaned, turning back to Troy, and mouthed to him "You are so fucking lucky, you a-hole that Isabella is here, otherwise I would be cursing your ass off."
Troy mimicked her and then mouthed back to her "Screw you, bitch!"
Before Sharpay could open her mouth to say a nasty remark to him, Mr. Montez cleared his throat again and said to Gabriella "Well since you now know what we got planned for you, thanks to a certain someone," He, along with the others, stared at Sharpay, who was avoiding their eyes, whistling. "I might as well tell you my surprise for you," He said, grinning at Gabriella. "My dear old friend from college is launching some ads for her clothing line which will be featured in a few popular fashion magazines in Europe and America. She begged me to be the photographer for her clothing ads and, after seeing you in ads for Gucci, she requested for you to be the model, saying she needs the best model and you're the best she has seen in years. And also she said you may keep whatever clothes you want from the photo shoot."
Gabriella squealed in excitement. Modeling for a designer, sight-seeing, shopping, and eating at the fanciest restaurants; her birthday was definitely getting better and better.
The waiter, who took their orders before Gabriella came down, came back to their table, carrying everything they ordered in both his hands, practically carrying a buffet. For Gabriella, he brought her a plate of 4-stack double chocolate chunk pancakes, sprinkled with sugar, and had Happy birthday written in whipped cream. Gabriella looked at the others, thanking them before she took a bite of the delicious pancakes.
Finally when they finished their breakfast, Mr. Montez wiped his mouth with his napkin, looked at the teens, and said "Time to go explore Paris."
The teens cheered, finishing up their leftovers, checking to see if they had everything they need: their cell phones and cameras to take pictures with, their suite keys in case they come back to the hotel early, and money to spend. They left the café and followed Mr. Montez outside to the same stretch limo that picked them up from the airport and dropped them off at the hotel.
"Where to, sir?" The elderly limo driver asked Mr. Montez.
Mr. Montez told them the directions to the studio where the photo shoot where being held. The driver nodded and drove there. As he drove, Mr. Montez relaxed in his seat and turned to Gabriella and said "My friend wants to start the photo shoot early."
"Hey Dad, what's the name of your friend?" Gabriella asked him.
"Donna Cunboma." He answered (A/N: The same fashion designer from That's So Raven who Raven works for. Expect I don't know how to spell her last name.)
Sharpay let out a high pitch scream. Everyone covered their ears and turned to her. "I'm sorry," She said "But I can't help it. Donna Conboma is like fashion-royalty. She's, like, one of the youngest and fabulous fashion designers in the world, and is a style-icon. She helped design most of the stars' dresses for award shows. I adore that dress she made for Beyonce at the Oscars." She turned to Mr. Montez. "I can't believe you actually know her."
Mr. Montez nodded his head while chuckling. "Yes, I've known Donna practically forever, since we were in college."
Sharpay nudged her best friend's shoulder. "And Gabi, she wants you to model her clothes. Think about it, you can become like the next Heidi Klum or Tyra Banks."
Gabriella giggled and nudged Sharpay back. "I'm not so sure about that."
They reached the studio's building where the photo shoot was being held, and rode the elevator to the top floor. When they reached the studio, they saw there was absolute chaos. People were running all over the place, sorting out the clothes for the shoot, finishing the background, fixing the lights and cameras. And an attractive Hispanic woman in her early forties, barking out orders to the people.
"I don't care, just do it!!!!!" She yelled at a young intern. She then turned to the stylist trying to sort the clothes. "Will you knuckleheads hurry up?!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Hello Donna." Mr. Montez said loudly.
"What?!" She yelled, thinking its one of her workers, turning to his direction. When she saw Mr. Montez, a grin lit up her face. She hurried over to him and threw he arms around him, hugging him tight. "Nicholas darling. I haven't seen you in ages." She said, squeezing him tightly.
Nicholas chuckled as he pulled back from her strong grip, and then introduced her to everyone, saving Gabriella for last.
Miss Donna cupped Gabriella's face and pinched her cheeks. "What a beauty! You are so beautiful!" She said, and then clapped her hands, calling the stylist. He heard her calling him and hurried over to her. "Markus," She said to a short, bald, and completely dressed in black man. "This is our model, Gabriella Montez." Donna told him.
The man named Markus kisses both of Gabriella's cheeks. "Such a magnificent beauty!" He said in a French accent, and also sounded kind of gay. "You are going to look fabulous in the clothes for the shoot."
"Alright Markus, go get her ready." Donna ordered, clapping her hands. "We need to get this photo shoot done."
"Oui, oui, Miss Donna. Come. Come." He said, taking Gabriella's hand and leading her to the changing room.
"Hey Miss Donna, would you mind if I recorded the photo shoot. I want our friends back home in New York City to see this." Ryan asked, taking out his camcorder from his bag.
Miss Donna shook her head while taking a sip of her hot coffee. "No, no not at all. Just be sure to mention that the clothes were designed by yours truly, me."
"Alright Miss Donna, she's ready," Markus said a few minutes later. He turned to the dressing room and said to Gabriella who was still inside, feeling a bit shy. "Come, come darling. Don't be shy. You look fabulous."
Everyone was shocked in amazement as Gabriella slowly walked out the dressing room. Miss Donna squealed and clapped her hands in delight. Dressed in a white cotton over-size fluttering cami top with sliver sequin bodice, pewter gray legging capris, and matching gray suede cuffed, mid-calf short boots with square heel, and also wearing natural makeup, Gabriella looked breathtakingly stunning. (A/N: it's one of the outfits she wore in her come back to me music video. If you haven't seen it, check it out.)
"What do you guys think?" She asked them, giggling as she did a twirl.
"You look hot, Hun." Sharpay told her. The others agreed, giving her similar comments include Ms. Donna and Markus. All expect fro Troy, who was powerful stunned again by Gabriella.
Markus led Gabriella over to the background which was pitching black surrounded by nothing but fancy antique-looking, blinking ceiling lamps. (A/N: One of the backgrounds for the come back to me music video) Mr. Montez took out his camera and got in front of Gabriella, ready to take a few pictures while Ryan also got in front of her, his camcorder already rolling. The assistants fixed the lights and hit the music. Ms. Donna gave them a cue to go, and the photo shoot started.
The gang politely stood aside, but still cheered for Gabriella as she modeled. Ms. Donna watched her and was impressed. Gabriella just turned eighteen and was so young, and yet was a complete natural to modeling. It was as if she has been modeling for years, like it was only second nature to her. She was just a complete natural, dancing to Akon Beautiful and completely enjoying herself and having fun as she modeled the clothes, forgetting that her dad was snapping pictures of her and Ryan was recording everything on his camcorder.
Gabriella looked fantastic in all sixteen outfits for the photo shoot which were shot at different backgrounds. She goofed around a little bit, but remained confident and poised as she posed for the camera.
"Alright, that's a wrap!" Mr. Montez announced, snapping the last shot. Everyone clapped and cheered. The photo shoot was a complete success.
Sharpay made it first to Gabriella and hugged her tightly. "Gabi, you were amazing. You are so going to be the next Heidi Klum."
"You did great, sis." Jason said, giving her a hug.
"You were a complete natural." Jackie added.
"Thanks guys." Gabriella said, blushing a bit from the complaints.
"Darling, you were marvelous! Simply marvelous," Miss Donna said, giving Gabriella a hug, pinching her cheeks. "I'm so glad I made you my model. I see modeling as a big career path for you."
Gabriella blushed a bit more and said "Thank you, Miss Donna. I was wondering about something. Can I keep all the clothes I wore for the photo shoot? I love them all so much that I can't decide which ones I want."
"Of course, darling. You did a marvelous job; you can keep all of them, including the accessories." She turned to Mr. Mr. Montez and said "Nicholas, I just need your help to decide which shots I'm going to use in my ads."
Mr. Montez looked at her, unsure. "I'm not so sure about that, Donna. We're celebrating Gabriella's birthday." He told her.
Donna gave him a pleading look that begged him to do her the favor. Jason noticed the look. "It's alright, Dad," Jason assured. "Ms. Donna needs your help and that sort of stuff takes about an hour or so. At lease for two hours. When you're done, just call us and we'll tell you where we are."
Mr. Montez still looked unsure. Gabriella came back from the dressing room, dressed in her regular clothes, carrying colorful shopping bags that had the clothes from the photo shoot neatly packed inside. He explained to her about what Ms. Donna needs him to do for her, and Gabriella encouraged him to do it.
"Don't worry, Dad. Just call us when you're done." She said.
"Wonderful. It's all settled then." Ms. Donna said, grabbing Nicholas's hand and dragging him away. "Happy birthday by the way, darling." She added, turning back to Gabriella for a second and blew her a kiss.
"Alright, but like I said yesterday, if there is any trouble, then there will be severe consequences and punishment. You all are mature and I trust you to behave. You may do whatever you want, but don't do anything stupid or crazy." He said, trying to keep up with Donna as she dragged him away.
The gang left the studio and got into the limo. "Where to?" The limo driver asked them.
"Let's go shopping!" Sharpay exclaimed.
"Totally!" Jackie said, hoping to meet cute guys at the stores.
"You two are such girls!" Ryan said. "We're in Paris for crying out loud. There are more things to do here than go shopping. I say we go see the sights."
"No way!" Sharpay protested.
Soon the two got into an argument, and then the others joined in, arguing about what they should do. Gabriella observed the loud, wild debate between her brothers and sister and friends. She looked at her niece, who kept quiet and looked back at her.
"Cover your ears, Izzy." She warned her. Once she did, Gabriella put her thumb and index finger under her tongue and let out a loud, ear-piercing whistle, making everyone stop and cover their ears.
Once she caught her attention, she said "Since it's my birthday, I'll decide what we'll do. We'll just do both, sight-seeing and shopping. We'll explore all of Paris." The others agreed. Gabriella turned to limo driver and said "Can you take us everywhere in Paris?"
"Oui, oui, Miss." He said, and then drove.
The teens looked out the windows and snapped pictures of the famous buildings and sight they passed. While they snapped some pictures, Ryan took out his camcorder and filmed it all. They talked about the photo shoot, and told Gabriella how fantastic she did. Sharpay even asked her if she could borrow half of the clothes she modeled.
Of course, Gabriella said she could. That's what best friends do.
The driver first drove them to the Effie tower. Gabriella was the first one out the limo and ran to the tower, running and twirling around it. Sharpay ran toward her, grabbed her hands, and the two of them spin around and around, giggling, acting and feeling like little kids again. Ryan couldn't resist recording them. Jackie and Tia took pictures of them. And even Isabella took pictures of them with her Disney princess camera. Mark then cut in, surprising Gabriella by lifting her up in the air and spun her around. Jason then took out his iPod speakers from his backpack, placed his iPod in it, and Pussycat dolls Don't Cha. He then carried Gabriella off Mark's arms and began to dance the Chi Cha-quite amazingly-with her while Ryan recording everything.
Ryan loved the music so much and wanted to join in the dancing. He asked a tourist to hold his camcorder and recorded everything, and then grabbed Tia's hands and danced with her. The others soon joined in the dance party. Mark carried Isabella in his arms and danced with her. Sharpay grabbed Troy's and Jackie's hands and forced them to dance with her. Troy walked over to Gabriella and hold out his hand, smiling sheepishly, asking her to dance. She smiled, gladly taking his hand. They danced with her leading; Troy didn't mind and was happy dancing with her. Jason, Sharpay, and Jackie became a dancing threesome.
People soon crowded them, dancing along to the music, cheering for them. A few even took pictures of them.
When they finished dancing, the crowd cheered for them. They joined hands and took their bows. The crowd soon melted away. The teens gathered around and gave each other high fives. Ryan thanked the tourist who was holding his camera. And took it back, checking it, seeing everything was recorded. Jason put his iPod and speakers back in his bag.
"That was so much fun." Jackie said, chuckling. She turned to Gabriella. "Gabi, I didn't know you can dance that good."
Mark came up behind Gabriella and patted her shoulders with a proud smile and said proudly "She's gifted with the Montezs' family dancing gene. Dancing is a natural family gift."
"No need to show off, doofus!" Tia said, giving him a light punch.
Gabriella took out her camera from her purse and said "Come on, guys. Photo up."
They leaned against the tower wall and posed, making silly faces. Jason walked over to Gabriella and took her camera out of her hands, holding it to a tourist and asked him to take a few pictures of them. He grabbed Gabriella's hand and pulled her into the photo up. They took over fifty pictures of themselves; some pictures nice while some were silly. They even took one picture of them holding Ryan across them like a surfboard. Ryan was making a screaming face with his eyes and mouth opened wide. Isabella was in front of them, making the same face Ryan was making.
Gabriella and Jackie giggled, looking at the picture. "Gabi, you so have to email that picture." Jackie said, as they entered the limo. Mr. Hector, their driver, drove them to every sight in Paris, where they took nearly over hundred pictures and had to change the film in their cameras.
Hector stopped the limo in a huge village filled with shops and boutiques in small and big sizes that was like one big shopping center. There were so many stores; the girls couldn't decide where to go first. The guys groaned, knowing they were the ones who would have to carry all the bags. At the end of the shopping center was the Tiffany diamonds store. Troy remembered about the diamond ring he asked one of the store's employees to hold for him, and had to pick it up.
"Um, I have to go to a certain store first, you guys," Troy told the others. "But I'll meet up with you later."
"Okay, we'll be in this store for a long time if you want to find us," Sharpay said, pointing to a store that was the most far away from Tiffany diamonds and was the biggest store out of the shopping center that reminded Troy of H&M. "Come on, girls. Let's shop!"
The girls pushed the guys, who dragged their feet and groaning, into the store, preparing to splurge. Jackie saw the store Troy was going to, and winked at him with a knowing smile, knowing what he was going to get there, before she went into the store. Gabriella was the last one left with Troy. She turned to him with a smile, and held his hands, swinging them back and forth.
"Where are you going to, anyway? I'm curious." She said.
Troy smiled back at her. "I can't tell you. But what I can tell you is that the place where I'm going to is where I'm going to get your birthday gift. I know you're going to like it." And hopefully say yes to, he thought.
Gabriella gave him a peck on the cheek. "If it's from you, I know I'll love it," She then remembered about the wonderful dream she had last night about her and Troy. She leaned into Troy's chest, wrapping her hands around him, sighing happily.
Troy wrapped his arms around her waist, rocking her gently and smiled down at her. He noticed she had the same smile he did when he thought he about the amazing dream he had about the two of them. "Did you have an awesome dream, too? Are you thinking about it?" He asked her.
She nodded yes to both of his questions and knew he wanted to know about her dreams, but wasn't going to tell Troy about her dream unless he tells her about his. "I won't tell you about my dream until you tell me about yours." She said.
Troy teasingly pouted. "That's not fair."
Gabriella silenced him with a short yet passionate kiss. "Too bad," She giggled "I'll see you later, Champ." She pecked both his cheeks and ran toward the Paris-version-of-H&M-store, her dark black lustrous hair trailing behind her.
Troy stood still for a moment, watching Gabriella as she ran to the store, smiling. He then remembered about Gabriella's present and hurried over to the jewelry store.
Tiffany diamonds was exactly like Tiffany Co. back in New York City. Its shelves and displays was filled with all kinds of very beautiful expensive-looking jewelry-the kind Paris Hilton has tons of-in gold, silver, white-gold, and especially diamonds, that had over thirty carats. The only difference between the Tiffany diamonds and Tiffany Co. was the size. The Tiffany diamonds store was much smaller than Tiffany Co.
A short baby-faced girl with bleach blond chin-length hair, wearing a complete white outfit with matching beret, and even matching white ankle boots, went over to Troy and did a curtsy to him before she spoke in a thick French accent "Welcome sir. Are you looking for a gift for a special lady? I can assure you, you'll find only the finest jewelry at Tiffany diamonds."
Troy looked at the girl for a minute. He almost didn't believe she was an employee; she looked way too young. She looked about fourteen, maybe even fifteen. Finally he said "Hi, are you by any chance Michelle Vander?"
"Oui, oui." The salesgirl said.
"Well I'm Troy Bolton. I called here last night, close to midnight and asked you to hold a certain ring here for me. I'm here to pick it up,"
The girl looked a bit confused until a huge smile appeared on her face, clearly remembering, nodding her head. "Oui, oui, Mr. Bolton. Your ring is ready to pickup. Come, come." She led him over to the jewelry counter, which displayed more and more diamonds and rings. The salesgirl pulled out the one-carat genuine Round Diamond Ring he ordered, and showed it to Troy.
Troy slowly took the ring from her hand and looked at it more closely. The 1-carat diamond ring looked even more beautiful and perfect than it did on the laptop's screen. Its perfection and beauty reminded him of Gabriella, though her perfection and beauty are absolutely priceless. The ring's diamond glittered in the light.
"I'll take it." He said, slowly taking his gaze off the ring, turning to the baby-faced salesgirl.
"Oui, oui." She said, taking the ring from Troy. She gently placed the ring in a small dark red velvet that had the same color as red wine. She asked him if he wanted it tied with a ribbon.
"Yeah, black please." He told her. He was going to go with pink, but thought it too Valentine's-ish. Since black was one of Gabriella's favorite colors, he decided to go with that.
Michelle nodded, picking out a black silk sequin ribbon and cut a good length of it. She wrapped the ribbon around the velvet box delicately yet quickly, tying a perfect bow. The dark red box looked really cool with the ribbon; then again, red and black do make a cool combination. She looked at Troy, pushing the box toward him and said "Will that be all, sir?"
Troy nodded. "Yes, thank you."
Michelle entered the price of the ring and the sales' tax rate into the register before she looked up at Troy and said "The total, plus the tax rate, is $2,000. Will you be using check or credit?"
(A/N: If that's not right, then please correct me. Math is not my strongest subject, so bear with me.)
Troy looked at the price again, and almost for a split second chickened out. Almost. But then he reminded himself about why he needed the ring. He knew his mom would kill him when she finds out what he bought with his card.
But still….he loves Gabriella and wants to propose to her with the perfect ring, and that ring was absolutely perfect.
He took a deep breath before he took out his wallet from his jeans' pocket and pulled out his America Express card, handing it to Michelle and said "Credit, please."
"Oui, oui." She said, running the card through the scanner. She handed him back the card, and the bill and pen. "I just need your signature by the X."
He took the pen and wrote down his signature in his sloppy, cursive handwriting on the bill, and handed them back to her.
Michelle printed out the receipt, and put it, along with the velvet box containing the ring, into the store's little gift bag. "Thank you and please come again."
Troy put the gift bag that had the diamond ring inside into his backpack, putting it in a secure place, making sure it was safe. He nodded to Michelle, saying goodbye to her. But before he left the store, he turned back to her and questioned "Hey Michelle, I'm curious about something. How old are you? You look about fifteen."
Michelle laughed-which surprised Troy-and her laughing sounded like the kind you would hear from a retard, bubbly cheerleader. She still had the giggles as she said "You are not the first person to tell me that. I know I look like I'm a little fifteen-year-old girl, but I'm really twenty-five." She cracked up again, laughing up a storm.
Troy slowly stepped back from the laughing-when-it-really-isn't-necessary, baby-faced salesgirl, a little freaked out by her. As he left the store, he looked at her one more time and saw she was still laughing like crazy. He shook his head, couldn't understand why she was still laughing, and mostly couldn't believe she's really twenty-five when she looks fifteen. But soon he forgot about the strange salesgirl, and smiled, patting the pocket where the ring was, couldn't wait until he gives it to Gabriella. He knows she'll be a little surprised by it, but is sure she'll love it.
He silently prayed again that she'll say yes to it.
When he reached the store where the others were at, and saw the guys were at the men's department, trying on new suits. He approached Ryan, who was trying on a white suit with a matching fedora hat, and asked "What's with the suit?"
Ryan looked at Troy like he was crazy. "You're kidding, right? For God's sake, Troy, remember. For Gabriella birthday, we're taking her out to dinner at the best, and also fanciest, restaurant in Paris. You can't expect us to go to a five-star-which-really-should-be-ten-star-according-to-the-food critics-restaurant, wearing casual clothes. We have to dress formal." He said.
Troy held up his hands, slowly backing away from Ryan. "Alright, alright, I forgot. Sorry," He said. Whenever Ryan gets like that, it makes Troy sometimes wonder if he's gay. He eyed the other suits hanging on the rack and asked Ryan "Think you can help me pick out a good suit? Believe or not, I actually want to look nice."
Ryan's eyes lit up when Troy asked him that. Like his sister, Ryan was an also a shopping expert and knows everything about fashion and style. He knew how Troy was a fashion-help, and needed to help him. He led Troy over to a rack of suits in his size, pulled out about thirty tuxedos, and pushed Troy into the dressing room, shoving the suits into his chest. "Try those on, and come out so I can see them." He instructed.
"So, Ry, where are the girls?" Troy asked inside the changing room, trying on the first suit.
"Well when they were done shopping here, they went to some other stores near here. You won't believe how many shopping bags they had before they left. Especially Sharpay," Ryan said. He shook his head, thinking about the hundred-and-one shopping bags his sister had before she and the girls left, going to others stores, planning to max out most of their many credit cards, and possibly and undoubtly buying even more things than they did at the last store. "I swear to God, Shar is the biggest shopaholic in the world, even more than the princess of shopaholics, Paris Hilton. I bet even five hundred bucks that she'll max out all her credit cards by the time we leave Paris."
Troy nodded, barely listening to Ryan. He was thinking about dinner tonight at the fancy restaurant Ryan was talking about, and thought it was perfect time to give Gabriella her gifts-well at lease one of them. He hoped the restaurant had a piano because that way he'll be able to play his song for her. And as for the ring….he decided that he'll give to her when he gets Gabriella alone with him. That idea seemed better and romantic.
Troy checked the time on his cell phone, seeing it was five past two. Dinner is at seven. So he had less than five hours to get read. To get ready for both the dinner where he plans to play Gabriella his song for her, and the big question he plans to ask her when he gives the ring.
Meanwhile with Gabriella, she and the girls were done shopping at the fifth store they been at, and were now at another cool department store that was like Barneys. The girls were going through the racks, trying to find the perfect dress to wear for dinner. Jackie and Tia were pissed though at Sharpay since she blabbed to Gabriella about their dinner plans being at the best restaurant in Paris, when it was supposed to be a surprise.
They soon realized something that they forgotten. When it comes to secrets and surprises, Sharpay on the last person on Earth who'll be able to be quiet about them.
"What do you think of this?" Sharpay asked, holding up a short, soft pink silk halter dress with ruffle trim on the hem and a rhimstone rose near the bottom. "I'm thinking of wearing it with these shoes." She held up a pair of matching pink strappy lace-up heels. "Or maybe I should wear this outfit to prom."
"Prom is still months away, Shar. You have plenty of time to find your prom dress." Gabriella giggled. She still hasn't found the right dress yet, but was eyeing a really cute pair of shoes.
Sharpay playfully rolled her eyes and replied "It's never too early to start preparing for prom." She grabbed Gabriella and waltzed with her, pretending they were at their senior prom. "Can't you just picture it, Gabi? Us at senior prom, dancing the night away, wearing beautiful, to-die-for dresses."
Gabriella danced the waltz with Sharpay, going along with Sharpay's image about their prom that was six months away. But then suddenly her head pictured a complete different image. In her mind, she was wearing the beautiful white wedding dress, dancing the waltz to Dreaming Wide Awake with Troy, who pulled her closer to him, looking like Prince Charming in his tux. The guests surrounded them, watching them as they danced, taking picture and video-taping them. Some-such as Sharpay, Jackie, Taylor, Kelsi, and Tia-were already in tears, crying tears of joy. Even though over a hundred people were watching them, she and Troy barely noticed them. They looked into each other eyes deeply, lost in their own little world. Slowly they leaned toward each other and kissed eagerly and passionately.
"Gabi! Gabi!" Sharpay said, snapping her fingers in front of her, interrupting Gabriella's fantasy. "Come back to planet Earth!"
"Oh-wait," She said, snapping out of her daydream. "Sorry, Shar. I was just thinking about something." She looked around, noticing her sister, niece, and Jackie were gone. "What happened to Tia and the others?"
"They went to the kids' department to find something cute and adorable for Izzy. We all want to look nice for dinner." Sharpay answered, pulling two more dressed off the rack.
Gabriella took a few dresses with her as she went into the dressing room. As she was trying on the first one, her mind wandered off again, thinking about the daydream she had and the dream she had last night. It was the tenth time she thought about it today, and still couldn't get it out of her mind.
"Gabi, hurry up!" Sharpay cried outside the dressing room, already changed in the pink dress she was thinking of wearing to dinner. "I want to see the dress you're trying on."
Trying to clear her head, Gabriella slipped on the first dress she was trying on. She turned to mirror and silently gasped as she saw her reflection. She looked like a bride, wearing a long white halter dress with silver beading in the bodice. She walked closer to the mirror and slowly placed her hand on it.
Suddenly it was as if her reflection came to life. She was still trapped in the mirror, but looked at Gabriella for a long moment, noticing her shock-filled eyes and giggled. "What's wrong?" The reflection asked her. "I think you'll look very beautiful in your wedding dress."
Gabriella blinked her wide eyes, trying to figure out if she was still sleeping in her hotel bed, having a strange dream. She blinked her eyes again, and saw the reflection was somehow still alive, smiling at her. She cleared her throat and blinked her eyes once more, seeing no change, and said "It's…a little weird to me, that's all." It was strange to her how she was talking to her reflection, or rather herself, but somehow found it helpful. "I love Troy, don't get me wrong, but normally we shouldn't be thinking about these things till after collage."
"Question, if he asked to marry him right now, while you guys are still in high school, would you say yes?" Her reflection asked her.
Gabriella looked down the 'T' necklace and held it delicately in the palm of her hand, and couldn't help but smile. She had to admit it was too early to be thinking about marriage, but she couldn't help. Besides the more she thought about it, the more she could honestly see having a future with Troy. Thinking about it brought a lovingly grin to her face.
She looked back at her reflection and thought for a long moment before she said in a whisper "….Yes. I love him more than anything. So if he asked me to marry him, I'll say yes."
The refection Gabriella clapped her hands delighted with a smile. She held out her hand toward Gabriella and slowly, Gabriella slowly held out her toward hers, feeling nothing but the cold glass of the mirror. Reflection Gabriella smiled and said "I say you should buy the dress. You probably not wear it for dinner, but you look really beautiful in it. Besides you never know when you'll need it."
Gabriella giggled along with her. She smiled into the mirror, at her talking reflection and said "Thank you. Talking to you, or rather myself, really helped."
"No problem," Her reflection grinned. "I'm actually your conscious, here to help you out. I just decided to use your reflection as a way to talk to you. And it worked. I'll let you continue your shopping. By the way before I go, I just want you to know that I hope that you and Champ get engaged." She said with a giggle and wink. She waved goodbye to Gabriella and snapped her fingers, returning the refection back to normal.
Gabriella let out a sigh with a small smile. She looked down at the beautiful white dress she was wearing. It wasn't what she would wear to dinner, even at a fancy restaurant, but she really did like it a lot. She could already see herself wearing this dress someplace else.
Perhaps somewhere where there will be wedding bells.
Gabriella peeled off the dress and put it in a pile of the things she was going to buy. Next she changed into a cool strapless black number by designer, Marchesa. It had a cool mermaid style to it.
She stepped out of the dressing room, slowly spinning around so Sharpay could see the dress better. "What do you think? Cute right?" She asked.
"Not only cute, but gorgeous. Gorgeous and absolutely perfect to wear for dinner." Her best friend told her.
"Thanks Shar. And you look gorgeous in that dress." Gabriella said, taking in the soft pink dress she was wearing.
Sharpay beamed, doing a little twirl. "Thanks Gabi. Now all we need are the perfect shoes and accessories."
Gabriella spotted a pair of black Jimmy Choo ankle-strap sandals that she instantly fell in love with. She rushed over to them and tried them on. The shoes really well went with the dress.
"These are cute. They go really well with the dress." Sharpay told her.
The girls continued to look around the store to find the perfect accessories for their dresses. They met up with Jackie and Tia, who already picked out their dresses. They met up with Jackie and Tia, who already picked out an adorable dress for Isabella, and helped them find dresses for themselves. As they tried on some dresses, they took a few pictures. While the girls were picking out dresses, the guys were at men's warehouse, trying to find the right suits that they could wear to dinner without going over their budget. Mr. Montez finally finished helping Ms. Donna with her stuff, and had Hector drive him to the men warehouse to meet the guys.
Three hours later, they finally got everything they needed and met back at the limo. When they got back to the hotel, the girls went to Sharpay's, Tia's, and Jackie's suite to get dressed and ready while they guys, including Mr. Montez, went to Mark's and Ryan's suite to get ready.
The guys came down, an hour later at 6:30, to the lobby, all of them looking like gentlemen in their suits. They waited for the girls to come down, and got impatient when fifteen minutes later passed, and the girls still weren't here down yet.
Mark groaned, sitting down on the lobby's couch and checked his watch. "For God's sake. We were supposed be leave fifteen minutes ago. We had an hour to get ready and the girls still aren't here yet."
Mr. Montez patted his son's shoulder and said, "They're probably just finishing up their makeup. I'm sure they'll be down any minute. We just need to be patient."
"Yeah, and besides like Sharpay always says 'You can't rush beauty.' " Ryan added, though he was getting impatient himself. He couldn't understand why girls take so long to get ready. How long does it actually take to comb their hair and put on a dress?
Mark checked his watch again, seeing it was ten minutes to seven. He groaned again and slapped his forehead. "So help me, God, if the girls aren't here in the next ten seconds-''
Then right on cue, the elevator doors opened. The boys' mouths dropped wide, seeing who was coming out of the elevator. It was the girls! They made their entrance, slowly walking gracefully, looking like royalty. Isabella looked like a little princess in a rose pink ruffle silk, short-sleeved dress, with ruffle trim ankle-socks and shiny patent ballet flats. A matching pink ribbon was tied around her curly brown hair. Tia looked hot in a one-strap, dark blue knee-length dress with black sequin trim, and her new Jimmy Choo black pumps. Her dark brown hair looked extra shiny, tied in a bun that gave her an extra sophisticated look. Jackie looked pretty hot herself-which shocked Troy-dressed in a simple black dress that was short, but wasn't too revealing, and perfect to wear to dinner. The dress was spaghetti-strap and had lace trim. Jackie's long, pale blond hair was gleaming, styled in curls. Sharpay also looked ravishing in a short, soft pink silk halter dress that had ruffle trim on the hem and a rhimstone butterfly near the bottom, and pink strappy lace-up sandals. Her blonde hair freshly trimmed and was in a wavy hair-style. And last but certainly not lease, Gabriella.
Troy's mouth nearly dropped to the ground with drool falling out like a waterfall, his bright blue eyes widen. He was powerfully stunned yet again by Gabriella, feeling like he was about to faint by the sight of her beauty.
Gabriella looked absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful, shining the brightest out of the girls. She looked like the Goddess of Beauty, looking absolutely drop-dead gorgeous in a black strapless Marchesa mermaid gown adorned with black and white flowers at the bodice, and a pair of black Jimmy Choo ankle-strap sandals. Her accessories were white shoulder sweeping drop earrings, a black and white chunky ring on her left hand index finger, and a small black clutch bag. Her deep black was styled in casual-yet-elegant updo with bangs framing her face and a center parting. Her lips were cherry-red and shining with matching lip gloss that also smelled like cherries. And around her eyes were black eyeliner that brought out the shape of them with lots of mascara. Her nails were even painted cherry red. (A/N: the amazing dress she wore to the Oscars)
"Dude, dude!" Jason said, waving his hands in front of Troy. "Do you need a bid or something? Cause your drool waterfall is getting on my shoes."
"Oh-wait!" Troy said. "Sorry. I just…"
"Was about to faint seeing Gabriella, looking hot in her dress," Jackie told him, once the girls reached them.
"You girls look wonderful, simply marvelous," Mr. Montez said. He then clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "Alright let's go to dinner."
"Thank the Great Jesus Christ." Mark said, feeling like he was about to die of hunger. "Come on, come on. I heard the restaurant's food is awesome and I want to see that-or rather taste it for myself." He showed Jason, Ryan, and the girls out the door, into the limo.
Mr. Montez chuckled, watching his son, and shook his head. He picked up Isabella and tickled her as he walked to the limo. Troy and Gabriella were left alone in the lobby, and slowly turned to each other, grinning. Troy slowly walked closer to Gabriella, bowed to her, and took her hand and kissed it tenderly.
He looked up at her, still holding her hand, and said, smiling sheepishly "I saw that in a movie once, and always wanted to do that. You look beautiful, Brie." Her spell was powerfully taking its effect on her. Troy felt like he shouldn't even be in the presence of such beauty.
Gabriella's cheeks blush a light red by his compliant. She giggled and said "Thank you. You look pretty dashing yourself." Troy looked incredibly handsome and charming in black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo with the jacket left unbuttoned and black bow necktie. He accessorized with a vintage Rolex watch and Bally shoes. He looked even better than Prince Charming himself. (A/N: The same tux he wore at the Oscars)
She kissed his cheek, careful not to ruin her makeup, leaving a lipstick mark on Troy's cheek. "Oops," She giggled when she saw it. "Do you want me to wipe that off?"
"I would be insulted if you did." Troy joked.
They were interrupted by a loud horn, honking. They walked out of the hotel and saw Mark in the front seat in the limo, honking the horn impatiently, wanting them to hurry up so they could go to dinner. Jackie peeked through the window and smiled, seeing Troy and Gabriella looking absolutely perfect together and looked like soul-mates. She wished she had her camera and that there was more lighting so she could take a picture of them.
Troy and Gabriella shared a laugh. She turned to Troy and linked her arm through his. And like a gentleman, he escorted her to the limo. As he walked her over to the limo, his head was filled with nothing but thoughts. With his free-hand, he went inside his jacket's pocket and felt the paper that had the song lyrics written on it, and the small dark red velvet jewelry box. Troy let out a sigh as he and Gabriella got into the limo, and Hector drove them off to the restaurant. Tonight was the night. He was going to do this, do both the song for her and, most importantly, propose to her. He felt giddy. Giddy and nervous, but knew it was all worth it.
The name of the restaurant was Le Giraffe, a weird name for a restaurant. Even though the name of it was strange, the restaurant was pretty fancy and luxurious, like the kind of place where millionaire and celebrities go to eat. They could smell the delicious food cooking in the kitchen. And the waiters all had the sexiest French accents-which Jackie, Tia, and Sharpay were very happy about. The gang saw a few celebrities having their dinner here. Sharpay swore that she saw Robert Pattinson eating dinner at small table by the corner with Kristin Stewart. Their waiter escorted them to a huge fancy table with fine silverware. He brought them a huge basket of bread rolls and champagne. He brought some sparkling water for Isabella. He came back to take their orders, and told them in their dinner would be ready in twenty minutes.
Mr. Montez opened the champagne bottle with a cork and poured everyone a glass of it, expect for Isabella so he instead pour her another glass of sparkling water. He rose up his glass and said "I would like to make a toast to Gabriella. Today my little girl turns eighteen. He sniffled a bit, but pulled himself together. "To Gabriella." He cried.
"To Gabriella." The gang, including Isabella said, grinning, rising up their glasses as they looked at Gabriella, who was smiling and also blushing. They clink their glasses together and took a gulp of their drink.
Gabriella put down her glass and wiped her mouth with a napkin. She looked up at everyone and said "Thank you guys. This has been an absolute amazing birthday."
Jason put down his glass, walked over to Gabriella, and hugged her tight. He couldn't believe that his baby sister was all grown up. It seemed like it was just yesterday when she was brought home from the hospital, and was, without a doubt, the cutest baby they've ever seen. But now she's all grown up and eighteen now, soon going to graduate from high school and get into a collage. He squeezed her tight, rocking her as he hugged her, and kissed her head. "No importa cómo o qué edad tienes, tendrás siempre siendo mi hermanita." (No matter what or how old are you, you'll always still be my little baby sister)
Gabriella hugged him back and said "Yo sé. Y usted siempre será la más protectora, codillo cabeza hermano que me encanta." (I know. And you'll always be the over protectively, knuckle head brother that I love.)
"Now," Mr. Montez said when Jason got back in his seat. "Its time for presents. I will go first. Precioso angel, do you remember a certain gift you wanted since you were a little girl?"
Gabriella took a sip of her champagne and thought for a moment. "Yeah," She said. "I always wanted a puppy."
Mr. Montez nodded. He pulled out his phone camera, expanded a picture on his camera, and went over to Gabriella, showing her the picture. Gabriella gasped. The picture was of an adorable small black puppy. She looked up at her and guessed excitedly "You got me a puppy for my birthday?!"
He grinned while nodding his head. "Yes, she's a girl and her name is Shadow. She's back home in New York. Missy is taking good care of her." He said.
Gabriella threw her arms around her dad and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Daddy."
Mr. Montez pulled back from her hug and kissed her forehead. "Your welcome, Gabriella. You deserve it."
Jason went after his dad and handed Gabriella a pair of car keys. Gabriella looked up at him, excitedly. "Well I thought since you'll soon be in collage, you're going to need some wheels. So Mark and I decided to get you….a black spankin' new Audi convertible." He said. Mark nodded with grin on his face.
Gabriella squealed as she hugged her brothers tight. "I love you guys. If you weren't my brothers, I would kiss you."
Troy cleared his throat. Gabriella turned to him and said "Don't worry, Champ. You're the only one who's going get a taste of my lips."
Troy smiled and nodded, satisfied, and blew her a kiss.
Mark hugged Gabriella tight and said "You're heading to collage soon, little sis. You need some wheels. The car's back at home. Once we get back home, you can take it out for test drive."
The next one to give her a gift was Tia and Isabella. "This is from Izzy," Tia said, handing Gabriella a $50.00 iTunes gift card. "And this is from me." She handed her a huge, light pink gift bag. "I saw this at this cool boutique and knew you had to have it."
Gabriella opened the bag and squealed, pulling out the items from the bag. The gift was a cute outfit: a white ECKO RED memembers only white jacket, an ECKO RED plaid fuchsia dress, white knee length silk socks with rhimstone bedazzle, and short light brown ankle-boots. (A/N: one of looks in Vanessa's ECKO RED commercial) The outfit was definitely a spring outfit, and looked too cute. She gave her big sister and niece a huge hug, thanking them for their gifts.
Jackie went over to Gabriella and gave her a jewelry box. Gabriella opened the box and grinned. Inside the jewelry box was a pair of white gold hoop-earrings. Gabriella gave Jackie a tight hug, thanking her for the gift.
Ryan went after Jackie and said "My gift to you, one of best and dear friends since preschool is…your song. Your dad and I talked to some people from a recording studio and they want to record your song, Angel. They said it'll be a number #1 hit."
Gabriella squealed in excitement as she gave Ryan a big bear hug. She can't believe one of her song was going to get recorded in a recording studio. "Thank you, Ry."
Sharpay pulled her brother away, went up to Gabriella, and gave her a hug. "Gabi, I've known you since we were in preschool. You've always been there for me, through the good and bad times, always having my back and being there for me whenever I needed you, which is really always all the time. I thank you Gabi, for always being there for me and being the best friend that any girl could hope to have," Sharpay began to cry a bit. "I can't believe we're going to graduate and go our separate ways."
"Oh Shar." Gabriella said, giving her best friend a hug. "Don't cry. We'll always be best friends no matter what."
Sharpay wiped away her tears and smiled at Gabriella. "I know and I'm glad. But these are my gifts to you, my BFF and practical sister," She gave Gabriella two wrapped packages. "Open them."
Gabriella noticed Sharpay's excitement and quickly opened the gifts. One of the gifts was a scrapbook filled with pictures and memories of her with Sharpay and Ryan. The other gift was a friendship charm bracelet. Both touched Gabriella and made her feel like she was about to cry. She gave her best friend a heartfelt hug.
"I got one for myself," Sharpay said, holding up her wrist, showing her the same charm bracelet. "So we can always remember each other when we go our separate ways, knowing we'll ways be Bffs' forever."
"Thank you, Shar," Gabriella said. "I'll always wear it. I love you."
"I love you, too, Gabi." Sharpay said, feeling tears escaping from her eyes.
"Aww." The others said, witnessing a heartfelt moment.
Sharpay returned to her seat, and Jackie said "Well, Troy is the only one left to give Gabriella her gift," She turned to her brother, feeling a little excited. "Give her your gifts."
Troy gulped nervously. The others, including Gabriella, were waiting for him. He cleared his throat and looked around the restaurant, seeing there was a piano near the corner. He let out a deep breath, and pulled out the song lyrics from his pocket, his hands shaking nervously. He went over to Gabriella and offered her his hand. She took it, and he led her over to the piano, feeling extremely nervous.
Ryan, suddenly glad he brought it with him, took out his camcorder, having a strong feeling that he should recorded this. People noticed Troy and Gabriella at the piano and watched them.
Troy laid out the lyrics in front of him on the piano. He turned to Gabriella, nervously, but said with a smile "My gift to you, my love, is a song. Gabriella, you are my angel. You were the only one who ever understood me and saw the real me. You changed me and made me better. With you, I feel like I can do anything. You make me feel like a…superhuman."
He took a deep breath, looked deeply into Gabriella's chocolate brown eyes, and started to play an unfamiliar tune on the piano. He kept playing the tune until finally he began to sing.
Weak
I have been crying and
crying for weeks
How'd I survive when I can barely speak
Barely
eat, On my knees
But that's the moment you came to me
You
don't know what your love has done to me
Think I'm invincible
I
see though the me I used to be
You changed my whole life
Don't
know what your doing to me with your love
I'm feeling all super
human, you did this to me
A super human heart beats in me
Nothing
can stop me here with you
Super human (I feel so superhuman
X2)
Super human
Strong
Since I've been flying and
writing the wrongs
Feels almost like I've had it all along
I
can see tomorrow
Gabriella looked at lyrics, turned to Troy, and began to sing along with him.
Well every problem is gone
because
I flew everywhere with love inside of me
It's
unbelievable to see how love can set me free
You changed my whole life
(life)
Don't know what your doing to me with your love
(uh-huh)
I'm feeling all super human, you did this to me
A
super human heart beats in me
Nothing can stop me here with
you
Super human (I feel so superhuman X2)
Super human
They both sang, looking into each other eyes deeply
It's
not a bird, not a plane
It's my heart and it's going, gone away
My
only weakness is you
Only reason is you
Every minute with you
I
can feel like I can do anything
I'm Going going, gone away
love
You changed my whole life (oh uh)
Don't know what your
doing to me with your love (to me with your love)
I'm feeling all
super human, you did this to me, yeah
A super human heart beats in
me
Nothing can stop
me here with
you
Super human
When they finished the song, everyone, including the waiters, applauded for them. But Troy and Gabriella barley noticed them, still looking deeply into each other eyes. They leaned in closer to each other, resting their forehead together, lost in their moment.
"I wrote that song about us, mostly about how you changed my whole life. You made me a better person, Gabriella, and make me feel like a superhuman." Troy whispered to her, smiling.
Gabriella cupped his face and looked at him for a long moment. A grin lit up her face, and she felt like she was about to cry tears of happiness. She bit her lip to keep from crying, the grin was still in place. She slowly leaned toward Troy and kissed him softly yet passionately. Troy gladly kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.
Everyone rose from their chairs, applauding and cheering, feeling like they were watching the end of a romantic movie. Sharpay wiped her eyes with a napkin, crying a few tears of joy. She turned to Ryan and said "Please tell me you taped that? Please!"
Ryan nodded, still recording. "Every second of it."
Sharpay clapped her hands in delight. She wrapped her arm around Jackie and rested her head on her shoulder. The two blondes watched as the two lovers/soul-mates continued to kiss each other with great passion. She leaned to Jackie and whispered "Those two are so perfect together. I bet they'll soon get married."
Jackie nodded, watching her little brother kissing Gabriella. She grinned, thinking about the second gift Troy got for Gabriella. He sent her a picture of the ring, and she thought it was both simple yet beautiful. She knew Gabriella was going to love it. She whispered back to Sharpay "That could happen sooner than you think."
"What do you mean?" Sharpay asked, confused.
Jackie bit her lip, unsure whether or not she should tell Sharpay, but finally decided to. She put her hand near her mouth and told Sharpay everything about Troy planning to propose to Gabriella, whispering every detail in her ear. When Jackie was done explaining and pulled back, Sharpay placed her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming, her eyes grew wide with excitement. She looked at her cousin, wanting to know if she heard her right. Jackie nodded yes that she, indeed, heard her correctly. Excitement grew more in Sharpay's eyes as she turned back to Troy and Gabriella, whose lips were still attached to each other like glue. She felt like she was going to scream. She couldn't believe it. Troy was going to propose to Gabriella! She bit her lip hard, nearly drawing out blood, to keep from opening her big mouth, and screaming out the secret.
The scene was cute and all, but Troy and Gabriella have been kissing for over five minutes, which made Mark feel nearly ill. He threatened if they didn't stop, then he would find a hose and sprayed them with it. Slowly Troy and Gabriella pulled away, but gave each other a quick peck. Troy out the song lyrics back in his pocket and took Gabriella's hand. They got up from the piano and walked back to the table, in hand-in-hand.
Their waiter finally came back with their orders. They all talked as they eat the delicious food, savoring every bite. For dessert, the waiter brought a big, double-chocolate birthday cake-Gabriella's favorite. The cake was lit with eighteen candles. The gang, along with the waiters who gathered around them, sang Happy Birthday to Gabriella.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, Gabriella.
Happy birthday to you
"Chi, cha, chi." Ryan sang, ending the sing, which earned him a playful punch on the arm from his sister.
"Make a wish, Brie." Troy said.
Gabriella at all of them and them looked down at her birthday cake, wondering what to wish for. She has an awesome family, amazing friends, great and loving boyfriend, and a great life. She wasn't sure that to wish for.
"Um Ella, not to be rude or anything, but can you please hurry up?!!" said Mark, who was getting a little impatient.
Tia gave him a punch-a very hard one-on the arm. "Be patient, you pig!"
"Just take your time, Gabriella. No rush." Her dad said to her.
Gabriella thought for a moment until she finally made her wish and blew off the candles.
Everyone clapped for her. After they were done clapping, the waiters went back to their post.
Mr. Montez took pictures of Gabriella as she took a knife and cut huge chunks of the chocolate cake for everyone, but gave herself an extra piece. Twenty minutes later, there was nothing left of the cake, but tiny crumbs. The gang's stomachs were stuffed with delicious food, yummy chocolate cake, and cups of champagne. They spend the rest of time talking and having a chat.
Mr. Montez checked his watch and saw it was twenty minutes to ten. "Its' getting a little late. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling a bit tired and I need my sleep. We should get going."
The teens got up, and followed Mr. Montez, after he was done paying for their dinner, to the limo. Gabriella was about to get into the limo, but Troy gently pulled her back.
"Mr. Montez, would you mind if I borrow your daughter for the rest of the evening?" He asked Mr. Montez.
Troy was beginning to rub off on Mr. Montez. Since he was starting to like Troy, Mr. Montez didn't mind if he was alone with Gabriella-as long as he doesn't hurt her, because if he does then very, very bad things will happen to him. "Of course not. Just don't stay out too late." He said.
Sharpay and Jackie knew what Troy was going to do when he' alone with Gabriella. The blondes squealed quietly, giving each other a high-five.
Try and Gabriella waved goodbye as the limo drove the others away. Troy turned to Gabriella, glad to finally have her all to himself. He wrapped his arm around his favorite girl and walked her to a special place. As they were walking along, Troy looked down at Gabriella and kissed her head, anxious about his second birthday gift. He then requested for her to close her eyes. Gabriella looked at him, curiously, but slowly closed her eyes. Troy took her hand and kept walking and walking until they finally reached the special place.
The special place was the Eiffel tower. Troy led Gabriella to the top of the tower that had an amazing view of the city. He pulled Gabriella closer to him and whispered "Okay, now open your eyes."
Gabriella slowly opened her eyes and silently gasped as she took a look of the amazing view. "It's beautiful," She whispered "Paris at night is really an amazing and beautiful sight." She turned to Troy and said "Thank you. You, my dad, Mark, Jason, Tia, Izzy, Ryan, Jackie, and Sharpay really made my birthday special. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect one."
Troy kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you had a good birthday. So…did you like my song?"
Gabriella said nothing, but instead leaned forward to Troy and kissed him with some much passion that they felt like they were melting to the ground. Ever so slowly, she pulled back from him. She held his cheek and gently caressed it. "I didn't just like it, I love it. The song was so beautiful that I felt like I was going to cry. It took me everything I had not to," She answered. She kissed Troy's lips for the longest minute before she slowly pulled back. "I love you."
"I love you, too," He grinned. He then took a big deep breath and said "Which is way I'm going to do this."
"What are you-" Gabriella began to say, but stopped and gasped, watching Troy as he got down on one knee and took her hand, caressing it gently. She gasped again as he used his other hand to pull out a small, red velvet box from his jacket's pocket.
Troy smiled as he looked up at Gabriella and said "I love you, Gabriella with all my heart and soul. I love you more than anything else in the world. You are my angel, my beautiful angel who is the most important thing to me. You're unlike anyone else I've ever known, and I mean that in a very good way. Unlike them, you actually saw behind my bad-boy mask and saw the real me. If anything ever happened to you, I would just end my life right then and there. You're not only my lover, but my soul-mate who I can't live without. I can't live without because you are the light in my life. Without you, my life is dark and simply has no meaning to it. I know we're young, but I love you and want to be with you forever. So Gabriella Antoinette Montez, will you do me the greatest honor and make me the happiest man alive by becoming my wife, who I will love and cherish forever?" He had Gabriella do the honors of untying the box, and slowly opened it, unveiling the beautiful one-carat diamond ring. "Will you marry me, Gabriella?" He asked.
Gabriella was simply shocked. Shocked and speechless. She felt like she was in a dream. She blinked a couple of times to keep the tears from falling, and placed her hand over her mouth. She looked down at Troy, who was patiently waiting for her answer with a shy smile on his face. She gazed at him for a moment, thinking about so many things. Thinking about her love for Troy, the dream she about them getting married, and the possibly of becoming Mrs. Gabriella Bolton.
"Will you marry me, Gabriella?" Troy repeated again, with his shy smile still in place. He silently prayed again that she would say yes.
Gabriella slowly put her hand away from her mouth. Tears escaped through her eyes, ruining her mascara. She took one step toward Troy and slowly ran her fingers through his dark hair. She looked deeply into his ocean blue eyes, seeing hope and love in them; hope that she would say yes. She caressed his cheek and said in a whisper, with her lips slowly curving up into a smile, and tears of happiness running down her cheeks. "Yes! Yes! Troy Alexander Bolton, I would be honored to become your wife."
Troy blinked his blue eyes twice, wondering if he misheard her. "Did you say yes? Did you just say yes to the proposal? Yes to marrying me?" He asked.
Gabriella nodded yes, grinning, her mascara running. "Of course I said yes. I love you, Troy, and I know we're young but I want to be with you forever. So, yes I will marry you."
Troy stared at her for the longest time, his eyes and mouth wide filled with shock. Excitement soon grew in his eyes, excitement and enthusiasm. He couldn't believe it. She said yes!
"Yes!!!!!" He screamed excitedly, standing up in a flash. He lung his lips toward Gabriella and kissed her hard, hungrily and passionately. He pushed her gently yet firmly against the wall and crashed his lips against hers, passionately making out with her.
Gabriella pulled back, but brushed her lips against his. Troy slowly slides the ring up her finger and kissed her hand tenderly. He kissed from her hand up to her shoulder, up to her lisp, kissing them the longest.
When she finally pulled back from the kiss, Gabriella pressed her forehead against his, her lips swollen from so much kissing, dried tears on her cheeks, her eyes filled with lust and love. "I love you, Troy." She whispered to him.
"I love you, too, Gabriella. More than anything else in the world." He whispered, gazing at her lovingly, with the biggest smile on his face. He couldn't believe it. He asked her to marry him and she said yes! This was a billon times better than the dream; it was real and incredible. Gabriella said she would marry him, and now she was his fiancée.