Chapter 9: Devil's Advocate
Sharpay Evans was one who grew up believing that the world was hers. It was her stage for all to watch her many performances of all different types. Anything she ever wanted, she got. And if- Heaven forbid- she was ever told 'no' on something, she would find a way to make it hers. That included any guy she wanted, too. That is, of course, until Gabriella Montez showed up at East High at the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.
Sharpay instantly found herself doubting the innocence of 'The New Girl' and found herself with a nemesis and enemy for life- especially when the sights of Sharpay's current "love of her life" shifted. She was crushed when she realized that Troy Bolton wasn't admiring her after all, but- much to her dismay- Gabriella instead. Sharpay had her suspicions of their budding relationship, but they were confirmed when she spotted them sharing sweet kisses in the corner of the room at her and her twin brother Ryan's seventeenth birthday party.
Most would have thought that once she learned of what she eventually referred to as "the worst mistake of his life"- given the fact that she discovered the truth on the night of her and Ryan's seventeenth birthday- she would have gone over the edge and locked herself in her bedroom in a fit of tears. That was not the case for the self-proclaimed Owner of the Stage, however. In the amount of time it took one to breathe, Sharpay had made the decision to extract revenge in any way possible. And so, when the Wildcats all landed jobs at Lava Springs the summer between their junior and senior years, she found the perfect opportunity for said revenge... although it backfired tremendously.
Senior year came and Sharpay managed to find a way to tolerate Gabriella. Her tolerance soon became friendly. Before she knew it, they were sharing hugs and tears at graduation. Sharpay spent several days asking herself How did this happen? I'm not supposed to like her!, but eventually decided that wasting her time asking herself that only gave her early crow's feet and worry lines, so she gave up trying to figure it out and just accepted it and the budding friendship only grew over the next few years. Each girl even considered the other one of their best friends and made it a point to get together whenever Gabriella was in town with Troy visiting his parents.
Which is why when her pink, bedazzled iPhone rang on that particular Tuesday evening, she was not surprised to see Gabriella's face and name show up on the screen.
"I was just thinking about you!" she practically shrieked into the devise.
"Hey, it's me. Um, do you have a minute?"
"Oh, dear. This sounds like a Moose Tracks ice cream kind of conversation. How many scoops should I get?" Gabriella's responsive sigh was just the confirmation that Sharpay needed to alert her that this conversation was about to take a different turn than what their conversations of the past typically took. "Gabriella? Is everything okay? Where's Troy, still in Georgia?"
"Yeah," she confirmed. "He comes back tomorrow evening."
"What's going on?" Sharpay asked, becoming all ears.
"So you know how Taylor came out here for her Spring Break?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, she... She's just..." Gabriella allowed her voice to trail off, not sure of how to vocalize all of the thoughts that were running through her mind.
Sharpay could hear the emotion in Gabriella's voice and put down the script she was currently studying. "Gabriella? Just take a deep breath." She paused and heard Gabriella following her instructions. "Now, just start at the beginning. I'm listening."
Gabriella chuckled at the irony of Sharpay's statement. "Really? You're listening? You mean you're not studying Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams or Ibsen?"
"Well, I was working on the blocking for my senior show, but I've done enough on it for tonight. My mind needs a theatrical break."
"Wow. I didn't think I'd ever hear those words come out of your mouth," Gabriella joked.
"Yeah, I know. Mark this day down on the calendar!" Sharpay returned the joke. "Now, enough joking. Tell me what's going on."
Gabriella backed up in her story, all the way to a few months ago when Taylor first started attempting to place doubts about Troy and his long term plans in Gabriella's head. It took a while, but she finally made her way to present day- the party, the study group, the whole 'I gave him your number instead', the phone call from Davis, the argument with Troy...
"I don't know what I'm going to do, Sharpay."
Sharpay sat in awe at Gabriella's story. "Wow. I wish I'd had Taylor on my side in high school. I can't believe she actually has you doubting something about your relationship!" she surmised. "Sweetie, it's obvious you love Troy and he loves you. He wouldn't be this upset over everything if he didn't. Tay's probably lucky he's not there! Boy, she really does have good timing for causing problems, doesn't she? I really could have used her to help me win Troy in high school!"
"Shar..." Gabriella said, attempting to get her friend back on the topic at hand- something she had become a pro at doing within the past few years.
"Forget that, though... as for him waiting to propose-"
"Yeah, what exactly is up with that? If he loves me the way he says he does, don't you think-"
"Now, stop right there! You, Gabriella Montez, above anyone else, know that Troy is a very practical person. He doesn't take any decision in his life lightly. Hasn't he told you that he wants to wait?"
"Yeah," Gabriella said. "But he hasn't told me why," she continued.
"Gabriella, you know why," Sharpay started pointedly. "You know Troy. And if you really think about this, you know why he wants to wait."
"What?" Gabriella asked, confused.
"We both know why he's waiting, Gabriella."
Gabriella let out a snort of frustration through her nose and shook her head. "Wonderful. I don't need riddles or lessons right now, Sharpay. Just come right out and say it. How am I supposed to know? He won't tell me, but he told you? No offense, Sharpay, but he told you, of all people? I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing that one."
"He didn't tell me, Gabriella. He didn't have to."
"I'm confused and my head hurts," Gabriella admitted sheepishly.
"Welcome to my world. Why do you think I went brunette? I was sick and tired of all the blonde jokes." Gabriella giggled softly and Sharpay continued. "See? I made you smile a little. Now back to the topic at hand. Do you want to know why?"
"I guess. Go ahead."
"The fact that he's waiting doesn't mean that he doesn't love you. He's waiting because he loves you. I'm betting that he just wants to be sure that he can find a job so he knows that he can take care of you the way he should be able to as a husband before he even proposes, much less marries you."
"How do you know that?" Gabriella asked.
"Since when are you not in the mood to think about your relationship? Come on, Gabriella! It's simple. I know because that's Troy. He's always been like that. Did he ever tell you about the time that Ryan was having a hard time in p.e. when we were little and Troy helped him to understand whatever sport is was they were learning about at the time?"
"No, he didn't."
"It was the middle of winter and the temperature had severely dropped by about twenty degrees or so within just a few hours. It was very uncommon weather for Albuquerque. Well, Troy stayed and helped Ryan as long as he needed him to. The next day he wasn't in school. Come to find out from Chad, Troy got sick with the flu and missed the whole week. All because he put someone else first." Gabriella's silence prompted Sharpay to continue. "Gabriella, he's probably just doing what Troy does best: putting you first."
Gabriella paused, considering Sharpay's words. "I guess you're right. But Sharpay? Can I ask you something?" Gabriella broached the topic carefully.
"Of course. What?"
"Well, Taylor says that just because we've talked about marriage doesn't ward off other men. She thinks that I need to have the ring on my finger for these other men to leave me alone. That's why she gave my number to Davis. He called and asked me to lunch and I don't know what to do. I mean, I love Troy, but..."
"Honey, just because you're considering going and having lunch with Davis doesn't mean that you don't love Troy."
"Then what would it mean if I did go to lunch with him?"
"Honestly?" Sharpay ventured.
"Yes, please," Gabriella begged her to continue.
"First of all, please know that this is not me taking Taylor's side in this, okay? I'm just playing Devil's Advocate for you."
"Fair enough," Gabriella replied, encouraging her to continue.
"The two of you aren't married yet. And if you are having any doubts at all- for example, that 'but' you mentioned when you said you loved Troy- then they're something you have to figure out yourself. Troy was your first boyfriend, right? Well, your first serious boyfriend, anyway. The way I see it, you've never really been alone. You were sixteen when you came to East High and immediately got into a relationship. You've been in this relationship for five years now. You've grown up in this relationship. You've been TroyandGabriella since you were sixteen. Do you even know who you are as an individual? You've been known as 'Gabriella Montez, Troy Bolton's girlfriend' for years now! It's your turn to figure out who 'Gabriella Montez, fabulous budding attorney' is. No matter what you have to do to figure that out, it needs to be done. And- I hate to say this, but- maybe you also need to find out if there's another man out there who might make you just as happy."
When Gabriella didn't respond, Sharpay continued. "Look, I don't want you to think that I'm telling you to break up with Troy. Believe it or not, that's not what I want. Maybe five years ago, but I've grown to love you both too much to see either of you hurt." The two girls shared a soft chuckle at Sharpay's joke regarding their past before she continued. "Gabriella, this is by no means going to be an easy decision. I don't envy you one bit in having to make it. But maybe you do need to go out with some other guys to help you realize just how much you really do love Troy. I wish I could help you figure out the right thing to do. Unfortunately, I can't. But, Sweetie, that's the best advice I've got."
Gabriella chewed on her bottom lip as she listened to Sharpay, contemplating her words. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she spoke.
"Assuming I do go through with this lunch, how do I explain all this to Troy?"
"Honey, if Troy loves you like I and everybody else know he does, then he'll understand and step aside like the wonderful man who would do absolutely anything for you that he is."
"Thank you, Sharpay."
"For what?" Shapay allowed her gaze to shift over to the picture on her bedside table of the group of friends together on their graduation day almost four years previous- with Troy and Gabriella displayed prominently front and center.
"Thank you for making me think- outside of the books. I haven't done that in a while."
"Well, you're welcome. Gabriella, good luck with all of this; let me know what happens, please."
The two girls said their good byes and ended their call, both thinking about the future of the TroyandGabriella relationship.
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Gabriella hit the end button on her phone after her call to Sharpay and tossed it on the bed beside her. She allowed her friend's words to echo in her mind as she tried to process all that she had just been told.
"You've been TroyandGabriella since you were sixteen. Do you even know who you are as an individual?"
"... maybe you do need to go out with some other guys to help you realize just how much you really do love Troy..."
Gabriella decided to throw caution to the wind and made the call that she'd been dreading since yesterday morning when she first got the invitation.
Just take a chance, Gabriella, she told herself. This doesn't mean you don't love Troy, but there are things you need to find out. You'll never know if you don't at least try.
One ring... two rings... three rings... four-
"Hello?"
Gabriella quickly took note of the breathlessness of the person on the other line.
"Davis? It's Gabriella. Am I interrupting anything?" she asked.
"No. No, not at all. I had been out for a run and heard my phone ringing as I came through the door," he quickly answered. "How are you?"
"I'm um, I'm good. Thanks for asking." There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, both waiting on the other to speak first. Finally, Gabriella caved. "Um, Davis, I uh... I'm sorry I didn't call you back yesterday. It's kinda been a crazy couple of days."
"Yeah, I kinda figured something was going on. I mean, you avoided me all day yesterday and today didn't get any better. I was beginning to worry that I had really jumped off a ledge with the lunch invitation."
"That's sort of why I'm calling," she ventured.
"Oh, okay. What's up?" His voice went from out-of-breath to nervous as he waited for her reply.
"Is the invite still good?" There was a lengthy pause on the other end. "Davis? Are you still there?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm here."
"Then... how about it?"
"I'm- I'm sorry, Gabi. Yeah, it's still good. Definitely still good. You just caught me off guard, that's all."
"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "How?"
"Well, in all honesty, I wasn't expecting you to accept."
"Why not?" she challenged.
"Well, what about Troy? I mean, the other night, your friend Taylor told me that you liked me, so I just took a chance. I didn't think you'd say yes."
"Well, first of all, Davis- and please don't take this the wrong way, but- I didn't say that I liked you, just that I thought you were good looking. Taylor kind of took that and ran with it. She has a tendency to do that very often. Secondly, don't worry about Troy. I can handle him when the time comes."
"So he's okay with us going out?"
"That's not what I said..." Gabriella paused as she tried to figure out how exactly to put Troy's thoughts into words. "We're just talking lunch here, right?"
"He doesn't know, does he, Gabi?"
"You know what, Davis? That's all kinda new to me, okay? It's lunch. Can we not talk about Troy or Taylor and what's going on with them right now? Please?" she requested.
"Fair enough. I guess you'll tell me when you're ready, right?"
"So what about tomorrow? Should we meet somewhere, or just go after class?"
"Change of subject duly noted. How 'bout we just go after class?"
The plans for lunch the next day were made and the two ended their conversation. Gabriella hung up the phone and moved into the bathroom to begin her routine for getting ready for bed. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and rubbed her moisturizer onto the skin of her face and neck. She emerged from the bathroom and climbed into bed, cuddling down under the comforter. Out of habit, she reached for Troy's pillow and pulled it flush against her body. Gabriella buried her face in the large cotton rectangle and took a deep breath, inhaling his fragrance.
She looked toward the picture of them that sat on the bedside table and reached out to run a finger over his face. "It's just lunch. I just need to know who I am. I don't want to hurt you, not at all. Why are things suddenly so complicated between us?" she asked the silence of the room.
She moved her hand back to the pillow and closed her eyes. "Please don't let me regret this decision. Please let everything work out. I love him so much... I know I do. This will just prove it to myself, and Taylor, and anyone else who needs to know it." Fighting back the tears and swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Gabriella rolled over- bringing the pillow with her. She placed a gentle kiss against the soft cotton and breathed in again. "Good night, Wildcat. I love you."
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