Unfortunately for the gang, the trip was over. So it was goodbye Paris, and hello New York City. Troy and Gabriella were able to keep their engagement a secret from the others, agreeing that they'll tell everyone at Christmas dinner. Gabriella had to put her left hand in pocket so no one could see the ring. But they noticed that Jackie and Sharpay have been smirking at the two of them lately, like they knew a huge secret.
When they got back to New York City, Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, and Ryan rehearsed nonstop for the school play, Romeo and Juliet, until the night of the performance. At first when the curtains opened and it was showtime, they were nervous, even Sharpay and Ryan, who normally don't even get a bit stage-fright. But in the end, the play was a complete success.
It was now Christmas Eve, and it was practically snowing huge buckets and buckets of snow nonstop outside. It was as if someone was dropping big pillows of thick snow from the sky. At the Montezs' residence, Christmas music was playing throughout the house as everyone prepared for Christmas day tomorrow. Mark, Jason, and Tia were staying home for the holidays. The boys and their father went out delivering the presents to their family and friends while the girls were in kitchen, just finishing baking a bunch of Christmas cookies.
"Alright, they're done. And that's the last batch of the cookies." Tia said once the timer gone off. She put on her oven mittens, opened the oven's door, and slowly took out the 4th batch of cookies out of the oven, placing the cookies on the counter with the three other trays of cookies.
Gabriella stood in front of the counter and inhaled the cookies' aroma. Unlike most holiday cookies that are gingerbread cookies and/or are shaped in Christmas decorations with green and red sprinkles, the Montezs make their own special holiday cookie: chocolate chip cookies with melted Hershey kisses for the chocolate chips and a chocolate kisses placed in the middle.
Once the all cookies were cooled down, Gabriella and Tia brought out the bags of Hershey kisses from the kitchen cabinets and put one on every one of the cookies. Gabriella looked down at the cookies, and licked her lips. These are her favorite cookies, but she knew that if she didn't back away soon from them soon, then most of them will be gone before Christmas morning. She and her sister covered the cookie trays with tin-foil and put them in the fridge. They then cleaned up the huge mess they made and went into the living room.
The huge living room was absolutely covered with loads of decorations; the furniture even had festive pillows. Their huge Christmas tree stood in the left corner, every inch of it covered with loads of decorations with colorful Christmas lights and also blinking lights, tensile, and ornaments, with the glittering star on top. Little three-year-old Isabella, wearing a white holiday sweater, was holding Gabriella's two weeks old puppy, Shadow, and was looking out the window, watching layers and layers of snow falling from the sky.
Tia got behind Isabella and carried her up in her arms. "What are you doing, Izzy? Are you waiting for Santa Claus to come?"
Isabella nodded her head with a smile. "Will he come, mommy?" She asked Tia.
Shadow jumped out of Isabella's arms and jumped onto the couch, taking a nap. Tia walked Isabella over to the other couch, and placed Isabella on her lap. "He will come, sweetie," She told her little girl. "And you know why?"
Little Izzy shook her head.
Tia patted her head, and said "Because you've been a good little girl."
"Yeah you have," Gabriella said, sitting next to Tia on the couch. She stroked Isabella's curly brown hair and said "You've been a good girl all year, and Santa gives toys to good little boys and girls."
They heard the door open and footsteps walking in. Eagerness grew in Isabella's eyes. "Santa Claus!" She cried.
Mark's head popped into the living room. "Sorry. It's not old St. Nick, it's just us." Then he waked into living room, taking off his winter jacket and snow boots. "Man, its cold outside. I was freezing my butt off." He said, joining the girls on the couch, getting warmed by the fire from the fireplace, and putting his feet on the coffee table.
"It's really that cold outside?" Tia asked him.
"No duh, Sherlock." said Jason, who helped their dad carry garbage bags filled with packages in their arms into the living room. "The snow is at lease five feet deep. It was so cold, my teeth was chattering," He turned to Mark and added sarcastically "By the way, Mark, thanks for helping us carry all this stuff inside the house."
Mark just shrugged his shoulders and smirked at his older brother. "Technically, I did help delivery the gifts and brought these packages to the doorstep. Besides like you said, bro, it's too cold outside."
Gabriella watched her eldest brother and dad take out all the presents from the bags and put all of them under the Christmas tree that was already packed with gifts under it. "Are all these gifts for us?" She asked, with her big, brown eyes wide in surprise, eyeing the three hundred gifts Jason and Nicholas were putting around the tree. "Who are all these presents from?"
"Oh you know, our many friends, some family members that live in New York. And of course, Dad's hundred-and-one staff members and clients." Mark said, and sighed relief when he put away the last gift.
Mark rubbed his hands together and said giddily "All these gifts are for us. Now this is what I call a very Merry Christmas."
Everyone gave Mark a look, including Isabella, and looked at one other before they each grabbed a pillow from the couches and threw it at him. "Hey!" He cried. "What was that for?"
"You act like such a dumbass, Mark. Sometimes it's hard to believe that you're actually my little brother." Jason mouthed to his little brother, knowing he couldn't say it out loud, because Isabella was there. He peeled off his jacket and sat down at the comfy, soft, off-white chair.
Mark mimicked Jason, mouthing the swear word he said, while rolling his eyes. Jason was only older than him by six months, but he still likes to thin of himself as the oldest brother.
Gabriella playfully punched Mark's arm and said "That's not what Christmas is about, doofus. Christmas is about giving, not receiving. And showing kindness to people, and the birth of Jesus Christ, our heavenly father. We celebrate this holiday to celebrate his birth."
Their dad gave her a huge and patted her head. "That's correct. Christmas is about giving to people, showing kindness, celebrating with friends and family and celebrating Jesus birth. Don't forget, this is the night when Mary gave birth to him." He said, sounding a bit like a school teacher.
"I know. I was just kidding guys. But speaking of Christmas, did you two finish the cookies? I'm starving." Mark asked his sisters.
The girls looked at each other, turned to their brother, and smacked him again with a pillow while giggling. Jason and their dad couldn't help, but laugh.
"Cookies for Santa, Uncle Mark." Isabella told him.
"I'm sure Santa won't mind if I eat one or two cookies. Besides I've been a good boy, too, and I deserve something for being a good boy." Mark assured his niece. He turned to his dad and said "Dad, back me up here."
Nicholas shook his head while chuckling a bit. He went over to his son and patted his head. "Aww Markus, ever since I could remember you've always had a hungry tummy. Since you were a little boy, you'd always think about food." He turned to Gabriella and Tia. "How many cookies, did you two make?"
"About four dozens." Tia answered. She saw Mark threw his fist in the air, obviously glad about that. She elbowed him in the ribs and said "You are such a pig."
"Well I suppose we can each have two." Their dad said. But before he could even finish the sentence, Mark was already out his seat, rushing to the kitchen, running to the fridge.
The others laughed and walked into the kitchen. Mark was already eating his two cookies and was about to take a third, until Jason quickly took the tray out from his sight.
"You are such an f-ing pig." Tia mouthed to Mark as she and the others each took two of the cookies.
"I can't help it. They're too good." Mark said. He then did something sneaky. He went into the fridge, took out two cans of whipped cream, and spayed his family with it, practically covering them with whipped cream, and then made a run for it as he ran up the stairs.
"MARK!!!!!!!!!!!" They yelled as they ran after him.
Gabriella giggled as she and her family grabbed after her mischievous brother. Surprisingly, this is how Christmas is in the Montez house. And she wouldn't want it any other way.
Meanwhile with Troy, the same things were happening at the Evans/Boltons residence. Expect without the whip cream. After dinner, they quickly got to work, preparing for Christmas day by hanging extra decorations and wrapping the gifts and delivering them. Jackie was also staying home for the holidays which everyone was happy about-expect for Troy. Knowing Jackie, she's going to embarrass him to death like she always does.
Troy was now in his room, his window opened even though it was freezing outside, and lit up a cigarette. Do his parents mind his smoking? Not really. His mom thinks it's unhealthy for him, but she didn't mind it even though she wasn't a smoker. His dad, on the other hand, was a smoker. In fact, the more Troy thought about it, smoking was the main cause of his dad's death. Jack-his dad's name-had lung cancer. He found out about it from his recent doctor's appointment, and was trying to be strong for his family, not making a big deal out of it. Six months later, God decided that it was Jacks' time and he died, leaving Lucille a widow, and twelve year old Troy and thirteen year old Jackie fatherless.
The last words his dad said to Troy before he dies echoed in Troy's head: "I know you think now that I'm going away, you're going to be all alone, son. But you're not. Always remember that I'll be there for you, up in heaven, watching over you, Jackie, and your mother. Besides God tells me you won't be alone here on Earth. He tells me about a girl, a very special girl that I'm sure you've meet before and mentioned numerous times. She's very beautiful with long, nearly-black hair and the richest chocolate brown eyes. She's also kind, smart, and according to God, is flawless. God tells me she'll be there for you, to comfort you and protect from pain. And more importantly, understanding you and helping you and being there for you whenever you need her. God tells me this girl will be…your angel."
Troy inhaled his third cigarette deeply, holding in the smoke in his lungs and blowing it out the window. He threw the cigarette out the window and locked it. He then lay on his bed, looking up the ceiling, and was lost in his thoughts. He felt like he should be crying after remembering his dad's terrible and tragic death. Expect he wasn't crying. He was too busy thinking about the last words his dad told him, telling him about a girl who is flawless with long, dark hair and chocolate brown eyes will become his angel.
Troy grabbed his sketchbook from his nightstand drawer and turned its pages to a recent sketch he just finished. The sketch was of Gabriella-he has about twelve drawings of her in his book-as an angel, the 6th angel sketch he did of her. She was wearing a white gown that was identical to an angel's, her long dark hair flowing with a halo over her head, her big, beautiful angel wings spreading out like she was about to take flight, and smiling her beautiful dazzlingly smile.
Troy looked down at his Gabriella sketch, gently brushing it with his fingers, and then looked up at the picture of Gabriella on his nightstand, looking gorgeous and sexy in her St. Peters uniform, smiling her incredible smile. He looked back and forth at the sketch of Gabriella and the picture of her on his nightstand, with thoughts filling his head. When his dad was telling him about a special girl, did he mean Gabriella?
Troy looked back and forth at the pictures of Gabriella. Slowly, a smile appeared on his face. The special girl Jack described to him before he died was undoubtedly Gabriella. It was strange how Jack knew she was going to be Troy's angel, but he was still right though. Gabriella, with her unbelievable beauty and unbelievable perfection and unbelievable kindness, was definitely an angel. She was truly angel and will forever be Troy's angel.
Ever so slowly, Troy closed his sketchbook and put it back in the nightstand drawer. He lay back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, his arms folded against his chest, his mind wandering as he thought about Christmas tomorrow. He couldn't help feeling giddy, since Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and has been his favorite holiday for as long as he could remember. He normally felt giddy on Christmas Eve, because of Christmas morning when he and his family gather around the Christmas tree and open presents. But now he was giddy about tomorrow for an entirely different reason-tomorrow on Christmas, at dinner over at the Montezs' house, he and Gabriella will announce to everyone about their engagement.
He was nervous and as was Gabriella. They both were nervous, but were excited and giddy. Troy smiled, letting out a breath, as his mind created an image of their summer wedding: Gabriella walking down the altar, looking radiant as an angel in her beautiful white dress, reaching out her hand to him, dressed in his tux. He'd kissed her hand and pulled her closer to him, with tears in their eyes, crying tears of happiness for their big day.
I know mom might object to the wedding, but she and dad got married when they were nineteen. And besides she'll understand, he thought. I love Gabriella more than anything else in the world. I want to be with her forever. She's my life now.
"Hey jackass!" his older sister, Jackie said, interrupting him and making him lose his train of thought. She barged into his room, without asking if she could come in, and leaned against his door, her arms crossed against her chest, smirking at her brother. "Let me guess, you're going to bed early so Santa can come. Did you leave him some milk and cookies?"
Troy scowled at his sister, pissed that she just walked into his room without knocking first, and was even more pissed that she ruined his quiet thinking time. "You know what. As a matter of fact, I am. I'm hoping Santa will finally get me what I've always wanted: you, my blonde, and slutty-bimbo of a sister in exchange for a golden retriever dog." Then he smirked at her.
Jackie gave him a dark glare and did the screw-you-finger to him. "Fucking screw you, man-whore."
"Oh, I'm a whore?" Troy said. "Look who's talking! You slept with practically every guy in LA and at Harvard University, and have over a dozen boyfriends. You remind me too much of Laurie from That's 70 Show, expect you're more million times more evil."
Jackie gave Troy the finger while saying very slowly, punctuating each word "FUCK! YOU! FUCKING! JACK-ASS!" She then walked over to Troy's desk where she spotted Troy's pack of Met Lights cigarettes. She took one from the pack, lit up with her mint green Bic lighter, and sticks it in her mouth, inhaling deeply and puffing away. Like her brother, she's also a smoker. It's one of the very few qualities they share. But they aren't addicted to smoking; they only smoke once in awhile whenever they're alone, thinking about things, or when they're just bored with nothing to do.
Puffing away with her cigarette, Jackie sat on the edge of Troy's bed. "So?" She asked Troy, letting out a cloud of smoke, and pulling her cigarette from her mouth and holding it in her right hand.
"So?" Troy repeated, mimicking her. He snatched her cigarette from her hand and took a few puffs of it.
Jackie snatched her cigarette back, but decided to throw it away, since Troy put his mouth on it. She lit up a new one, sticking it in her mouth, and taking a few puffs of it. She took it out of her mouth and held it in her hand. She turned to Troy and said "You know what I'm talking about, dumbass. The proposal! Did Gabriella say yes?" Troy still hasn't told her about Gabriella's answer to the engagement, and it was driving her crazy. She needed to know!
Troy smirked, pretending he didn't hear his sister. He still didn't tell Jackie about how Gabriella said yes and now they're engaged. He wasn't going to tell Jackie about any of it, even if it drove her crazy. She was going to have to wait till Christmas. He closed his eyes, his smirk turning into a smile.
Jackie groaned when Troy didn't answer her. "Must you always be such an annoying, pain-in-the-ass bastard?! Honestly you're just getting more and more dumb and annoying."
Troy smiled sweetly at her, and then suddenly grabbed his pillow and smacked Jackie over the head with it. He got up and made a run for it before she gets a chance to kill him.
"You're dead, jackass!!!" Jackie yelled, running after him, planning to burn him with her cigarette.
"Gotta catch me to kill me, slut!" He yelled, running all over the huge penthouse apartment, with Jackie trailing behind him.
*****
The morning air was freezing cold; layers and layers of snow covered the house and the streets; the sun was hidden behind gray clouds. Gabriella was asleep in her bed, in her huge double-the-size-of-a-master-room bedroom, dreaming sweet dreams as she cuddled onto the teddy bear Troy gave her. She moved around in her bed, clutching tightly to the bear, feeling a cool breeze that escaped through her slightly opened window. She sighed happily as she felt the breeze and turned to the left side of her huge, king-size bed. She knew it was morning, and today was finally Christmas day.
Isabella opened Gabriella's bedroom door and ran into her room. She ran over to Gabriella and got on top of her bed, jumping up and down excitedly with eagerness in her brown eyes. "Wake up, wake up, wake up! It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Merry Christmas, Gabi! Santa Claus came and left us presents!" She announced eagerly.
Mark then entered Gabriella's room, playing a real loud tune on his horn. He put down his horn and said "Merry Christmas everyone. Merry Christmas to all!" He then saw Gabriella was still in her bed. "Come on, Gab. Get up. We have presents to open!"
"Come on, Uncle Mark. Let's go see what Santa brought us!" Isabella said, excitedly as she jumped off Gabriella's bed, and ran over to Mark. Mark carried her up in his left arm while he played the horn loud as they left Gabriella's room and went downstairs to the living room.
Left alone in her room, Gabriella let out a sigh as she lay back on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. A smile appeared on her face. "Christmas." She breathed. She couldn't it was here again, her favorite holiday of the year. Knowing her family was downstairs, gathered around the Christmas tree, waiting for her to come down, she slowly got out of bed. She did a few stretches for her muscles, and slipped on her light pink cotton bed robe before carrying her eager little puppy, Shadow, in her arms and walked downstairs. As she walked down the flights of stairs, she stopped by a portrait and looked at it for a moment. The portrait was oil-painted and was of her family that done twelve years ago, when their mom was still there.
Gabriella studied the portrait. There she was, as a little six years old girl, sitting with her sister, Tia, who was seven back then, on their father's lap. Mark and Jason, who were both eight, were standing by both sides of their dad, Nicholas, who looked happy that his kids were around him. Their mother, Maria, was standing behind their dad, placing her left hand on his shoulder. They were dressed in black and smiling smiles that weren't real smiles. Their smiles were small and stiff, obvious forced. All their smiles were like that-expect for Maria, whose smile was the biggest andalso the fakest.
Gabriella frown a bit as she looked at her mother's big, but obviously fake smile. That was the one certain thing you'd always notice in Maria's smiles, absolute fakeness. Gabriella remembered this portrait very well. It was the last family portrait they did with Maria, before, one month later; she got up and left them for some Russian or Scottish Count she had an affair with and ran away together, without even saying goodbye to them.
She and her siblings mostly think of Maria as a babysitter than a mother, a very bad, cold babysitter who didn't damn about them and never acted like a mother. Mothers are kind, they protect you, nurture you, raise you, and love you-Maria was nothing like that at all. She was the exact opposite. She was cold, heartless, selfish, and a gold digger. And to top it all off, she abused them, constantly hit and slapped their father-sometimes blood would leak from the bruises-and accused him of cheating on her when she was really having affairs with ten through twenty men.
Maria left them when Gabriella was only six years old, and they hadn't heard from her since.
Even though Maria was, no doubt, the most horrible, worst mother ever, Gabriella still thinks about her, wondering what she's doing right now, and if she and that Count got married and started a family of their own. She also wondered if maybe, just maybe, after all these past twelve years her mother finally changed. That maybe her ice-cold heart finally warmed up.
Gabriella took a step back from the portrait, and let out a breath. She studied her mother's image in the picture, and sighed. With a tiny smile on her face, she looked at her mother on the portrait and mumbled softly "Merry Christmas, Maria."
"Gabriella, come on! Isabella is getting impatient and looks like she's about to burst out of her skin!" yelled Mark, downstairs. "If you don't get butt out of bed and come downstairs, I'm coming up there and getting you down here myself!"
Gabriella giggled, forgetting about Maria, knowing how easily impatient her family gets when it's present time on Christmas morning. "Hey Shadow. Merry Christmas, girl," Gabriella greeted her puppy as she rocked her in her arms, rubbing Shadow's stomach. "Come on. Everyone is waiting for us to come downstairs, so they can open their presents." She skipped downstairs, humming a Christmas tune.
Meanwhile with Troy, he was still fast asleep in his bed, dreaming about Gabriella which brought a smile to his face. In his dream, they were on their honeymoon at Hawaii and were at the beach, holding hands, and watching the sunset.
Gabriella sighed, watching the waves as they crashed, and cuddled up to Troy's chest. They were sitting on rocks that were near the ocean, watching the waves in the ocean and the sun that was about to set. Her deep raven-black hair was flowing in the ocean-scented, cool breeze. She was wearing a short, white, spaghetti-strapped sundress. She looked up at Troy, who was rubbing her back while holding her tightly in his arm.
"Such a beautiful sight," He said. "And I'm glad I'm sharing this moment with a beautiful girl." He looked down at Gabriella and pressed his lips on her forehead.
Gabriella giggled, feeling his lips lingering on her forehead. She then sighed. "The sunset really is beautiful. I just love everything about Hawaii: the nice, sunny weather, the beautiful beaches, the ocean, and most of all, being here with my now-husband." She looked up at Troy and smiled at him, squeezing his hand.
Troy smiled, kissing her repeatedly on her nose, cheeks, and forehead, but only brushed his lips against hers, teasing her. He brushed her hair away from her eyes, and cupped her face in his hands. Gazing at his now- wife lovingly, he murmured "I love you, Brie."
Gabriella caressed his cheek, and murmured back "I love you, too, Champ."
Troy then leaned in closer to her, couldn't wait to kiss those soft, sweet lips of her.
Slowly Troy opened his eyes a tiny bit, thinking he was kissing Gabriella. But when he opened his eyes more, they popped wide with shock. Instead of kissing his sweet, beautiful Gabriella, he was smooching Sharpay's dog, Boi. "OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!OH JESUS IN THE HEAVEN!!!!!!" He screamed, pushing the dog off him, grabbed a bottle of water he left on his nightstand, and rinsed his mouth, desperately trying to wash away all the Boi from his mouth.
Once he was done gurgling, he got up from his bed and walked over to the trash can, spitting out the water. He turned back to Boi, who was lounging on his bed, and had an instant replay of smooching with the dog. He shivered in pure disgust by the memory, and walked over to him, grabbing him roughly.
"SHARPAY!!!!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, angrily, walking into the living room where everyone was gathered around the Christmas tree, eager to open the hundred presents that were under the tree.
They looked at Troy, and were startled by his shouting. Expect for Jackie, who was trying her hardiest not to laugh like she knew what happened to him, that he kissed a dog.
Wonder why….
"Merry Christmas, Scrooge." Ryan said to him, sarcastically, but noticed how Troy's grip on Boi was really rough.
Sharpay noticed it because she gasped. "Troy let go of Boi! Quit being such a Scrooge! Let go of him, he's precious and delicate!!!"
"I don't give a fucking damn!!!" He yelled angrily at her, throwing Boi at Sharpay, who luckily caught him and gave Troy a death glare. "That mutt of yours," Troy continued, pointing at Boi. "was in my room, turning my sweet dream into a horrible nightmare!!!!!!" He refused to get away any of the mortifying details.
"Troy, calm down," his mother told him, "Come sit with us." She patted on empty spot between her and Jackie, who was trying to hold in her sudden laughter and was practically dying from it.
Troy scowled as he walked over and sat down in the middle between his mom and sister. But soon his bitter anger was forgotten as he soon reached under the Christmas tree and pulled put his first present, a gift from his mom. He pressed his ear against the package while shaking it, trying to see if he could find out what was inside. Filled with the familiar Christmas eagerness, he tore off the wrapping paper, unveiling the new 3G iPhone he's been asking for over a dozen times.
"The iPhone! This is amazing. Thanks Mom." He said, getting up and giving his mom a hug.
Lucille giggled when Troy hugged her, and then pulled back. "That's not my only gift for you, Troy. There's another present for you that's from all of us, and it's not under the Christmas tree." She said, with a grin.
"What is it? What is it?!" Troy asked, couldn't help but sounding eagerly, as he turned to each one of them.
"You're going to LA!!!" Sharpay, Ryan, and Jackie exclaimed, excitedly.
Troy's eyes widen in surprise, unsure if he was hearing what he was hearing. "Shut the fuck up!!!!!! Are you serious?!" He exclaimed, and then turned to his mom, aunt, and uncle. "Are they serious!!??"
The three adults nodded their heads, with big smiles on their faces. "Well honey, even though you've finally adjusted to New York, we still see the homesickness in your eyes. You try to hide it, but still we can easily tell you miss LA. We all talked it over, and since you've been behaving lately-" His mom began to say.
"Thanks to Gabriella." Sharpay and Jackie coughed out.
Lucille smiled at them and continued "Anyway, since you've been behaving thanks to a certain someone who Sharpay and Jackie just mentioned, we've decided that on your 18th birthday which is next month, you can go to the LA and stay with you Uncle Felix for your birthday and the weekend at his mansion and help him out with his vineyard. You'll be able to look around LA, go to the beach, and maybe visit some of your old friends. You can say this is both a Christmas present and early birthday gift."
"And the guess what else?" Sharpay said. "Gabi's going with you. We've talked to her dad, and he said she can go with you to LA." She clapped her hands in delight. "It's all arranged. Uncle Felix said that he can't wait till you two come."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" Troy said, hugging each of them, giving his mom, his aunt Phoebe, Sharpay, and even Jackie a kiss on the cheek. Normally he wouldn't kiss Jackie's cheek, but he was too excited that he decided to. He couldn't believe it. He was going back to LA! And the best part was that Gabriella's going with him. He couldn't wait to show her all of LA.
Hours later after breakfast, opening more presents and enjoying the holiday together, the time has gone quickly and was now 6:45, time for Christmas dinner at the Montezs'. Troy was in the bathroom, straightening his tie. He was dressed in a white crisp, long sleeved shirt, a black tuxedo vest, black tuxedo pants, and black leather Italian shoes, trying to look appropriate for dinner. He pulled his dark chestnut brown hair with some gel, and added a black tie to look more formal. When he was done with his tie, he checked his reflection in the mirror, making sure he looked alright. He nodded his head, satisfied with himself. Tonight was the night, the night when he and Gabriella finally tell everyone about their engagement. Gabriella called him an hour ago, telling him she was both excited and nervous. Troy assured her that everything is going to be okay.
He sucked in his breath. They knew everyone is going to be very, very surprised by their early engagement, but they knew it was worth it. Gabriella is the one for him, and Troy wants to be with her forever. Nothing was going to stand in the way of that.
Alright Bolton, game on. It's now or never, he told himself silently.
"Hey Jackass!!" Jackie cried outside the bathroom. "We have to go now, and if you don't come out, then we're leaving without you!"
I swear to God if me and Jackie were ever stranded on a deserted island, I am so trading her for coconuts, he thought as he opened the door and walked out the bathroom. Jackie sarcastically applauded for him when he made his entrance in the living room, and Troy gave her the finger.
Minutes later, they went downstairs to the lobby, and hailed a cab. And a few minutes later, they were standing outside the door of the Montezs' gigantic, seven-story high townhouse. As soon as Troy and Jackie's uncle Andrew rang the door bell, Mr. Montez, dressed in a nice tux, opened the door for them and led them inside the house, to the living room.
Jackie looked around the house in awe. The house reminded her of castle that she used to read in fairy-tale story books when she was a little girl. The size of the townhouse was definitely gigantic like a castle, and looked so luxurious. "I can't believe this is the house where you grew up," She told Tia, as they both down on the couch. "It's amazing."
Tia grinned at her. "Thanks. You know, when me and Gabi and Sharpay were little, we used to pretend this was a castle and looked all over the house, thinking we would find a princess or treasure." She carried Isabella, who was dressed in dark red puff, short-sleeved velvet dress and had a matching red ribbon in her hair, on her lap.
"Yeah, and then we would explore the house, thinking we would find a secret passage to magical garden." Sharpay added, joining them on the couch. Her long blonde hair was straight, and she was dressed in a sparkly mini, gold and sliver halter dress.
"Look at my new dolly," Little Isabella said; showing them her new Disney Princess Jasmine doll she got for Christmas. "Santa got it for me because I'm a good girl."
The girls giggled at her cuteness. Tia tickled her daughter, while informing Sharpay and Tia, "Not only that, but Izzy also got more Disney Princesses dolls: Little Mermaid Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and Beauty& The Beast Belle."
Troy looked around the living room, seeing the girls chatting happily with each other on the couch, his mom and aunt and uncle mingling with Gabriella's dad, and Ryan, dressed in a white tux, chatting with Jason and Mark, who were dressed in matching suits. The only person who Troy really wanted to see was Gabriella.
Then right on cue, Gabriella made her entrance into the living room. Troy beamed at her as she walked gracefully to him, practically flowing like an angel. She was wearing a traditional Christmas red halter dress; the material of it looked sleek like sleek and soft as cotton. The dress looked more than marvelously exquisite on her, hugging her body perfectly, showing off her endless perfect curves, with the hem of the dress was right above her knees, revealing her graceful and slim legs, and showed a hint of her perfect cleavage without revealing too much. And she wore black strappy heels. She put on natural makeup and added the Christmas red lipstick on her lips, and even painted her nails the same matching red color. For accessories, she was wearing the 'T' necklace, and the diamond engagement ring on her finger, which she quickly covered with her other hand. Her long sleek, raven-black hair was styled in her natural wavy curls, cascading beautifully down her back.
Troy grinned. Gabriella always looks so beautiful like the angel and goddess she was. He couldn't help, but bow to her, took her hand, and kissed it. Gabriella giggled her musical laugh that he loves hearing. Then he looked up at her and caressed her soft cheek. And then kissed her softly on the lips. Unwillingly, moments later he had to pull back, but did it slowly. "Merry Christmas, Brie." He grinned at her.
"Merry Christmas, Champ." She grinned back. She then turned to everyone and said with Christmas cheer "Merry Christmas, everyone!!!"
"Merry Christmas!!!" Everyone cheered, including Boi and Shadow who only said in barks.
Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist, pulling her closer to him, and pressed his forehead against hers. He whispered to her "Since dinner is in ten minutes, giving us plenty of free time, can we go somewhere more private where we can talk and be alone?"
"My room?" She suggested. Troy nodded. She giggled, taking his hands, and walked out the living room. Normally Gabriella doesn't mind taking the stairs since she enjoys the exercise. But for Troy's sake, knowing how he feels about walking up all those flights of stairs, they took the elevator and rode it up to her floor. Once they were inside her room, Troy sat down on her couch, feeling comfy and at home. He patted his lap, inviting Gabriella to sit on it. She giggled as she went over to Troy and sat down on his lap, snuggling up into his chest, smiling. Troy also smiled as he tightly held her in his arms and rested his cheek on her sleek black hair.
They chatted, telling each other about how they spend Christmas morning and afternoon, enjoying each other's company. Gabriella told Troy how after opening presents and having breakfast she and her family went ice-skating-a tradition they do every Christmas-practically from morning to two in the afternoon. Troy told Gabriella all about the gross smooch with Boi, blushing bright red from embarrassment as he told her every detail. And she couldn't help, but laugh. Since he loved her, Troy decided to let her laughing pass. He then told her about his favorite Christmas/early birthday gift, the trip to LA. She noticed the eagerness and excitement in his ocean-blue eyes when he told her about it, and saw eagerness growing more in his eyes when she told him that her dad was more than cool with her going to LA with him.
"So I'm curious, what's your uncle Felix like?" She asked Troy.
"Well he's my dad twin brother, and, because the family on my dad's side is part Irish, he speaks with an Irish accent. He's a little kooky and most of the time crazy, but he's real cool and nice. He lives in a huge, awesome mansion that's a few miles away from LA that has over eight guestrooms and a huge pool in the backyard. And also owns a vineyard where he makes wine. In fact, that's where Jackie and I got out first drink." Troy explained.
Gabriella giggled. "You must be really excited."
Troy nodded, but then stopped smiling. "I can't believe though that Jackie has to come with us, like some kind of chaperone. It's my mom's one condition, saying we need to have an older, mature adult with us," He groaned, while shaking his head. "Mom must have drunk too much if she thinks Jackie is a responsible adult."
Gabriella looked up at Troy and gently caressed his cheeks, pecking them. She smiled at him, and said "Don't worry about it, Champ. Besides maybe Jackie will be too busy checking out cute guys to even bother annoying you. And look at the bright-side; I'm coming with you to LA."
Troy nodded, slowly smiling at her. He cupped her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks. He traced her nose, cheeks, and her lips. He then pecked her lips and replied "Yeah, you're right. As always. I can't wait till I show you LA. You're going to love it!"
"So, are we going to need bring our spring and summer clothes when we got there?" She asked him.
"Yeah," He nodded. "According to Uncle Felix, it's still summertime there in LA."
"Will he like me?" Gabriella questioned, a bit concerned.
Troy noticed the concern in her eyes. He kissed her softly on her lips and slowly pulled back, but still held her face. "He's totally going to love you, Brie," He smiled at her. "After all, what's not to like? You're wonderful, breathtaking and beautiful, a complete and totally sweetheart, and absolutely flawless. That's the many reasons why you're my angel, and I love you."
Gabriella smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and looked him lovingly in the eyes. "I love you, Troy."
Troy grinned, love hearing her say those four words and could never get tired of them. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and gazed at her lovingly as he said "I love you, too, Gabriella."
Then their lips connected in a passionate kiss, pouring everything they felt for each other into that kiss. They both grinned as they felt the sizzling sparks that were flying like crazy, and the burning passion. The kiss became more and more passionate and hungrily and hot. Before Gabriella even knew it, she undid Troy's tie and was stripping off his vest and shirt, kissing his bare chest. While she was doing this, Troy was untying the knot of her dress and slowly unzipping it.
He then laid her on the couch as he got on top of her, kissing her passionately and hungrily. He felt Gabriella undoing his belt and pulling down the zipper of his pants and sliding the pants down. He moaned into her mouth as she deepened the kiss. "God Brie. You're so beautiful, so goddamn beautiful." He murmured, slowly sliding the red dress off her.
Gabriella moaned, smiling, as Troy gently rubbed her back and felt the clasp of her bra, playing with it a little. But before Troy could unhook her bra, they paused for a moment when they heard a knock on the door.
Troy groaned in frustration, slowly and unwillingly pulling his lips away from Gabriella's. He turned to the door, pissed at the person who was knocking interrupted them. "What the hell do you want?" He cried out.
"Mostly for you to drop dead. Dinner's ready, jackass!" Jackie said, knocking outside the door.
Troy groaned again, shaking his head. He looked at Gabriella, who sat up and helped him redress. He helped her tie the knot of her dress and zipped it up. "I swear to God, Brie. Jackie is going to wreck my birthday weekend in LA." He told Gabriella as she retied his tie.
"Let's not try to think negative things, Champ." She assured him, and then pecked his cheek. She leaned closer to him and whispered "Now come on, Troy. We have a big announcement to make."
Troy smiled at her and kissed her lips for a brief yet passionate moment. He then kissed her left hand and held it firmly in his. Together, they walked out Gabriella's room and walked over to Jackie, who now was standing near the elevator. The frown on her face that was clearly for Troy suddenly turned into a smile when she saw the two of them holding hands.
"Why are you smiling, Jackie?" He asked his sister, as they walked into the elevator. The smile on her looked like she knew a big secret about them.
Jackie just shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, no reason." She said as the elevator doors closed.
When the elevator got to the bottom floor, the three teens got out the elevator and went to the elegant-decorated dining room, where everyone was already seated at the huge fancy, elegant dining table. Troy and Gabriella took a seat next to each other while Jackie seated between Sharpay and Ryan. The Montezs' England butler, Jeffery, Missy, and a few other maids brought in the meal dishes and placed them on the table. The dishes were such as: the golden-brown mouth-watering turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, delicious stuffing, and soft biscuits. Jeffery served them red wine, expect for Isabella, so he served her cherry soda.
"I would like to propose a toast," Uncle Andrew announced, standing up from his eat, and holding his glass of wine. "Being surrounded by all of you, my dearest family and friends, it gives me the feeling if the real Christmas spirit. Christmas is all about family and friends, showing kindness to others, and peace on Earth. This Christmas was absolutely wonderful, and I hope we'll have a very Merry Christmas next year."
"To a very Merry Christmas." Mr. Montez said, rising his glass.
"To a very Merry Christmas." Everyone cried in holiday cheer, rising up their glasses. They all then took a gulp of their wine. Expect for Isabella, who drank half of her cherry soda.
While everyone chatted among each other, Troy and Gabriella looked at each other for a minute, silently questioning if it was now time for the announcement. Gabriella slowly smiled, nodding her head. Troy smiled back at her, nodding. It was now time.
Gabriella used her spoon to tap her glass with. Once she got everyone's attention, both she and Troy stood up from their seats and tightly clasped each other's hands. She smiled brightly, more than eager to tell everyone about their proposal. "Everyone, Troy and I have a very special announcement that we'd like to share with all of you." She said.
Everyone looked at the two of them, paying close attention. Gabriella noticed the eagerly smiles on Sharpay and Jackie's faces like they already knew about their announcement.
"Please tell me in the name of God, you didn't get Gabriella pregnant!" Lucille exclaimed, couldn't help but fearing the worst.
Everyone looked at her, and then turned to Troy and Gabriella, panic filled in their eyes, their mouths dropped as they were afraid of that possibly that Gabriella might be carrying Troy's kid. Jason and Mark glared murderously at Troy, and grabbed their knives and forks, ready to fire them at him like arrows.
"No, no, no! Of course not!" Troy assured them. "I'm not pregnant! That's not the announcement. Mark, Jason, put down the silverware." Gabriella added.
Everyone clamed down a bit, sighing relief. "Thank the Great Jesus Christ," Jason said as he and Mark sighed relief, while putting the forks and knives back down on the table. He pointed his finger at Troy. "Because God knows if you ever made our sweet, little baby sister a pregnant teenage-mom, let's just say that your baby is going to need a new daddy when me and Mark are done with you."
"A big ole' amen to that!" Mark said, and then pounded his fist with Jason's.
"Alright doofuses, we get it," Tia said, relieved that Gabriella wasn't pregnant but was anxious to hear about Gabriella and Troy's announcements. She turned to Troy and Gabriella. "So, what's the big announcement?"
Troy and Gabriella turned to each other, gazing at each other for a moment, and smiled, with their hands still tightly clasped together. Troy took a deep breath as he slowly turned away from Gabriella and turned back to everyone, who were waiting to hear their announcement. "On the night of Gabriella's birthday, I gave her two presents. One was the song that you guys heard at the restaurant. And the other was a very special one that was presented to her when we were alone. And that gift…was an engagement ring." He said. They both saw the shock in everyone eyes, expect for Jackie and Sharpay, who was smiling even more.
"Troy proposed to me," Gabriella said. "And I said yes." She let go of his hand and unveiled the one-carat diamond engagement ring.
"We knew that we're young, but we really, truly do love each other. We know what we're getting ourselves into. We're engaged." They both said in unison.
Everyone was silent. Shock and surprise was written all over every one of their faces. They were frozen; no one made a move. Suddenly Sharpay jumped out of her seat and yelled with pure joy "Finally yes!!!! I knew it, I knew it." She turned to Jackie and gave her a high-five. Jackie then stood up and the girls hugged in joy.
"Troyella's getting married! Troyella getting married! Troyella getting married!" The two blondes sang as they held hands and spin around in a circle, like little nine year old girls.
While the blonde cousins were overjoyed, everyone else was silent as the dead, their faces filled with shock. Slowly Troy and Gabriella's smiles dropped. Gabriella looked at her dad, her big brothers, and elder sister. Shock was marked on their faces; none of them moved an inch or even said a word. Troy looked at his family. Expect for Sharpay and Jackie, who were still spinning around, singing their silly song, his mom, aunt Phoebe and uncle Mike, and surprisingly Ryan were the same as the Montezs'-frozen with shock, and absolutely speechless.
"I guess we shouldn't have told you." Gabriella mumbled, looking down a bit.
Her dad slowly shook his head. He grabbed his wine and drank the whole glass in one gulp. Signaling Jeffrey to refill his glass, Mr. Montez turned to his daughter, his eyes extremely serious. Slowly his serious eyes softened once he saw how uncomfortable and also sad his daughter was by his and the others' response. "Mi hija," He mumbled, closing his eyes and shaking his head, repeating the word two more times. He then opened his eyes, and looked at Troy and Gabriella. "Lucille and I would like to have a word with you two." He gestured his hand to the living room, hand-signaling the young couple to go there. He turned to the others and said, "The rest of you may finish your dinner."
Everyone watched silently as Troy and Gabriella slowly walked to the living room with Troy's mother and Gabriella's father following behind them, sensing the tension in the air. Once the four of them were in the living room, Troy and Gabriella took a seat on the couch, and held hands tightly, silently praying that their parents would freak out and that they would give them their blessings. Their parents stood in front of them, crossing their arms against their chests, with their serious, hard-core eyes.
Troy and Gabriella looked at each other, silently asking which one should say something first. In his eyes, Troy told her that he should go first. Gabriella nodded, and squeezed his hand for support. He leaned toward her, and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering on her soft skin. Shortly after awhile, he pulled back, still holding her hand firmly in his, and then turned to the grown-up parents, who were watching them closely, without saying a word.
Troy took a deep breath through his nose, and then said "Mom. Mr. Montez. I know that this is a lot to handle, that your kids, who are soon going to finish high school, and might be making a huge mistake. But we're not," He smiled at Gabriella, who smiled back at him, and gently squeezed her hand. "I love Gabriella. More than anything else in the world with all my heart and soul. She's my angel and my life now. I've changed so much because of her. I've been in love with her since the second I met her when we both were eight. Gabriella is my lover and soul mate. She became a huge, gigantic part of me that it's hard to imagine life without her. Unlike other people who judge me before they even know me, Gabriella is the first person I've known who reached out to me and took time to understand me, without judging me. She actually makes me feel decent about myself for once in my life. Even though she's undoubtedly flawless while I'm messed up with a lot issues-such as my anger problem, she still loves me for just plain ole' me. I know we're too young to be thinking about these things now, but I know from the bottom of my heart that she's the one for me, the one who I want to spend the rest of my life with forever. I want to be with Gabriella forever. I want to marry her." He then turned to his mom and added "And don't forget, Mom. You and Dad got married when you both were nineteen, just before you started collage."
Gabriella then turned to her dad. "Papá," She began. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. She re-opened them, and looked at her dad, who was paying close attention to her. She smiled at him gently while explaining in a gentle tone, "You know I'll always be your little girl, no matter what. But as I get older, I need to make my own decisions. I know marriage is a really big step, and we're too young to be thinking about this now. But we're absolutely sure about this. I love Troy," She gently squeezed his hand and caressed it with her finger. "With all my heart and soul. I love him more than anything else, much more than he or anyone else even knows. I love Troy for him. He's different from most the other guys, who only see me as just another pretty face with a hot body. Troy's the first one who ever called me beautiful. He sees the beauty inside me as he does on the outside, actually looking into my heart. To him, I'm much more than just pretty face. I love him because, even though he's different from me, I understand him and, unlike most people, I don't judge him. I see the real him inside, which is the most unique, sweetest, and caring guy I ever met. Troy became a part of me, too as I'm a part of him, which is too huge and gigantic part that practically all of me. He means absolutely everything to me. He's my champion, my Champ," She then turned to Troy, caressing his cheek with her thumb, gazing at him lovingly.
"I know we'll have some bumps along the way," She said, turning back to her dad. "But it's worth it. I never lied, so please believe me when I say that Troy and I are more than a hundred percent sure about this. We even already planned ahead with some of the wedding stuff. I'm not asking for you to pay for everything since Troy and I have saved enough to have a wedding, but we're asking for your blessings. I know what we're doing. I love Troy, and I want to be with him forever."
Nicholas Montez looked at his youngest daughter, seeing his little girl growing up right before his eyes. He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked at her and Troy for a long moment, then turned to Lucille and said "May I talk to you for a moment in private?"
Lucille nodded, and then turned to Troy and Gabriella. "We need to discuss this. We'll be right back." Then she and Mr. Montez went to the hallway. Troy couldn't be sure, but he was certain that he could hear them debating over the whole wedding matter.
Troy then turned to Gabriella and held her hand tightly. "You worried?" He asked her, seeing a bit of worries in her beautiful brown eyes.
Gabriella nodded, smiling weakly. "I guess I am. Teenage marriages to my dad usually mean mistakes. To him, the whole high school sweethearts getting married are usually forced because the girl is pregnant with the guy's kid," She then sighed, and caressed Troy's cheek. "I know he's just trying to protect me. But I'm a big girl now, and I have to make my own decisions. I know most teenage marriages don't always work out, but I'm absolutely sure we will. I want to marry you. After all, I do love you."
Troy smiled at her, and then kissed her cheek. "I love you, too, Brie. My mom feels the same way about teenage marriage, even though she got married when she was nineteen. But it's my life, and I'm going to live it and do whatever I want. I wanted to be with you for as long I could remember. And nothing will stay in the way of that. We'll make it work. We already work out the whole collage stuff. We both have about $200,000.00 in our savings, giving us a total of $400, 000.00. That should be enough for a wedding. We'll make it work, Brie." He said.
"You promise?" She asked, with a mischievous, teasing smile. "Because promise is a really big word."
He smiled at her, and placed his hand under her chin, making her look him in the eyes. "I promise. And if you still don't believe me, than maybe this will convince you." He leaned in toward her, and kissed her sweet lips softly and passionately.
Gabriella smiled as she closed her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She melted into his strong arms and the sweet kiss, pulling him closer to her, wanting more of him. When she pulled neck, her face was a bit flushed and her lipstick was a little ruined. She brushed back a loose curly strand of her hair. She then smiled at Troy and said while giggling, "That was very persuasive." She held both his hands, while gently brushing them with her fingers. "I believe you. I'm positive we're going to make it work."
Troy smiled at her, and then cupped her face and leaned in again, giving her another sweet kiss. But suddenly they pulled back when their parents re-entered the living room. The young couple looked at their parents for a long moment; none of them said a word.
Finally Lucille broke the silence, saying "We've talked it over and made a decision."
Troy and Gabriella clasped each other's hands tightly, anxiously bracing for their parents' answer.
Lucille turned her head to Nicholas. The two grown ups shared a look for a long minute, looking extremely serious. Finally Nicholas nodded, and then turned to Gabriella and Troy, his eyes were so serious that you'd think he was a captain of the navy who was about to give an order.
He just looked at Troy and Gabriella for the longest time, his eyes hard-core serious, and his face extremely somber. Finally he said, breaking the incredibly long silence, "….NO way."
Troyella's hopeful smiles dropped. The young couple felt as if they've both been slapped hard. Despite the warmth from the fire, the air suddenly felt cold. Troy suddenly felt a rage of anger growing inside him. How could his mom be such a… hypocrite?!
Gabriella looked at her father, felling like he just slapped her hard. She felt tears welling in her eyes, but she blinked them, refusing to cry. "Papá," She began to say.
Her father held her hand, silencing her. "No way," He repeated, dead-ass serious. Finally after an unbelievably long time that felt like hours, his serious face slowly grew into a huge grin. "There's no way you two are getting married," He began to say slowly. "Without us helping you with the wedding."
Excitement grew in the young man and the raven-haired beauty's eyes. Grins lit up their faces. Troy and Gabriella looked at each other, and then turned back to their parents, who were now grinning. "Are you serious?" They said in unison, needing to know for sure.
Both parents looked at each other, sharing what looked like an amused look. Slowly they turned back to Troy and Gabriella, and finally nodded yes, with grins on their faces.
Gabriella squealed as she ran over to her and jumped into his arms, a thing she used to do countless times when she was little. She hugged him tight, nearly choking him, and squealed "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Daddy!!! Thank you so much."
Mr. Montez chuckled as he held his little girl in his arms and hugged her back tightly. He set her down on her feet, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not too keen on the idea of teenage marriage. But I realized that even though as much as I wish you could stay my little girl forever, you're growing up. But I'm more than proud to say that you're growing up into an intelligence, lovely young woman. You're making your own decisions and are sticking through with them. And since Lucille and I realized how much you two are in love and are crazy about each other and how serious you are about getting married, we've decided to let you have your wedding-with our help, of course-,and you have our blessings." He told her, with some tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe that his little baby girl was growing up right before his eyes.
Troy ran over to his mom, and hugged her tight, nearly squeezing her to death. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me, Mom."
His mother giggled. She then held his cheeks, and said "No need to thank me, sweetie. After all, I was young and married to someone I love. I know how much you love Gabriella, so since you're crazy about her and certain about this, I won't stand in the way of that."
Just then the others walked into the living room and yelled excitedly "Congratulations!!!!!!!!"
Jackie ran over to Troy and pulled him up in her arms, spinning around as she hugged him so tight that he was nearly choking and could feel his bones cracking. "Congratulations, little brother! I'm so happy for you-which is normally unbelievable!" She then dropped him, practically throwing him on the ground, and rushed over to Gabriella, and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug while spinning her around. When she put Gabriella back on her feet, she cupped her face and said "OMG!!! I can't believe you're soon going to be my sister-in-law! This is going to be so awesome and great!"
Sharpay then made her way over to Gabriella and gave her best friend a big, heartfelt hug, squealing and jumping excitedly. "I'm so happy for you! I know it! I always knew that soon you two will get married and now it's coming true! This is going to be so amazing!" She then calmed herself down a bit, but was still too excited. She grabbed Gabriella's hand and pulled her over to where Troy was. "When is the date for the wedding?!"
Troy and Gabriella looked at each other and smiled; their hands reached out and held each other tightly. They turned back to Sharpay and everyone, and said in unison "This July on the eighteen, in LA!"
Sharpay squealed as she gave them both a big bear hug. 'That's so fabulous!"
"And that's not all," Gabriella told her with a grin "Because I have even more exciting news for you, Shar. You're the maid of honor!"
Sharpay looked at Gabriella, her face frozen with shock. The frozen shock was soon broken when she screamed a loud scream of excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" She said, giving Gabriella a hug, tight hug.
When Gabriella finally escaped her friend's grip, she turned to Jackie and Tia. "I'd love you two to be my bridesmaids. And also Taylor and Kelsi."
"Of course we would!" they both, and gave her a hug.
Gabriella then turned to Isabella and sqocked down to her level. "Would you like to be the flower girl, Izzy?"
Isabella nodded, smiling as she clapped her hands in delight. "Flower girl! Flower girl!"
Troy chuckled at her, and then turned to Ryan, who was wiping the tears from his eyes but claimed it was only an allergy reaction. "Ryan," He said, putting his hand on his shoulder. 'I have two best men for the wedding. One is Chad, and the other is you!"
Ryan's eyes popped wide. "Are you serious?!" He said. When Troy nodded yes, Ryan gave him a hug bear hug, lifting him off his feet.
"And Mark and Jason, I'd like you guys to be the ushers." Troy said, earning another manly bear hug, this time from the brothers.
Uncle Andrew caught their attention by tapping his glass. He raised his glass and said "I would like to make another toast. This time to Troyella. Even though you two are still young, you're certain about getting married and we all wish you nothing but happiness!"
"To Troyella!" They all cheered.
Troy and Gabriella turned to each other, and held both of each other's hands, swinging them back and forth, gazing into each other's eyes with huge smiles on their faces. Slowly they leaned in and kissed each other happily and passionately. Everyone applauded; a few had some tears in their eyes. But Troy and Gabriella didn't mind them, and only focused on the moment they were sharing.
A/N: Alright, there you have it. Troyella's proposal is offical, and they're soon gettimg married. What did you guys think of this chapter? Was it good? Awesome? Let me know. By the way, I need you guys to do me a favor. Help me come up with suggestions for the wedding. For example the wedding song. So far i have a few choices, and can't make up my mind. Tell which one should be the wedding song.
1) Dreaming wide awake.
2) Halo
3) Angel by Natasha Bedingfield
4) Right here, right now
5) Can I have this dance?
6) You are the music in me
7) When you look me in the eyes
Please guys help me out, and tell me which one should be the wedding song. All of them are so good, I can't decide. Also, what should Gabriella's wedding dress be like?
Also I'm going to let you in on a little secret. On the next chapter, when Troyella, along with Troy's older sister, Jackie, go to California, there's going to be a huge suprise shock. I can't give away too much, but i can tell you it involves a certain raven-haired beauty. Is it a good shock or a bad one? Only one way to find out, keep reading excitement. I'll post another chapter as soon as i can. Since school is over for me, i'll mostly be creating new chapters of excitment. Anyway, Peace! :D