Warning: This chapter will probably take a century to read.
Sorry for my lack of updates. Laziness I guess. Anyways, I got back from Florida a few days ago and have been working on this and another oneshot. I'm not gonna tell you the category for the oneshot though. It's not High School Musical. You'll have to put me on alert and find out in a few days. (Clue: The category isn't HSM, but it is a musical)
Answers to the Contest:
Hollywood, Australia, S.O.S; and Hold On
Chapter 4 - Even the Devil Can Cry
As Troy and Brandon walked up to the Montez doorstep, Brandon looked down at his beaten sister with sorrow and fury sketching his handsome features.
"Brick's gonna pay for this..." he seethed as he gazed over her damp hair, making it seem darker and like Brandon's color. Her chest was heaving heavily, begging for air. Her neck was bruised and marked with what looked like hickeys, which made Brandon all the more furious at Brick. Her cheeks were bruised and matched her nose, which also had a small trickle of blood dripping from her nostrils. Her flats were missing from her feet, probably at the bottom of the lake from her flailing around in a desperate, but failed attempt to stay afloat. Her eyes looked like they had eyeshaddow on them, but Brandon soon figured out that they were black eyes, probably from being punched. Her lips were swollen and bruised as well, which he guessed was from being kissed fiercely. All in all, she looked dead.
"We'll get Chad to hold him down. I'll get his lower half and you'll get his head." Troy suggested, half serious.
Brandon built a small, barely noticeable grin on his solemn face and replied "I'll get a bat and you can have a golf club. "
"Sounds like a plan bro." Troy patted his friend's bare back with a light smile. Troy looked in the window of the house and saw the sight that they saw when they had left. Everyone was sitting in the living room, curled up and crying on each other. Sharpay was leaning into Zeke's chest with multiple tissues in his lap, Taylor was tearing up on Chad's shoulder, and Gina was talking to...Troy's mouth dropped.
"Uhh...dude?" Troy spoke up to Brandon who was about to ask him if everyone was there.
"Yeah? Is everyone still there?" Brandon asked, stroking his sister's hair.
"Yeah, and a little extra..." Troy replied, confused and bewildered.
"What do you mean?" His eyes widened "Did my mom call the police? We told her not to!"
"N-no. It's not the cops, but she did call someone..."
Brandon, without asking anymore questions, opened the front door and stepped into the house, his drenched jeans dripping dirty lake water in his tracks. He could feel all eyes on him when his footsteps radiated through the first floor, but he didn't care at the moment. He secured Gabriella in his tired arms and walked into the living room, looking around for the sudden addition to the group that Troy had mentioned. He looked around the room and next to his mother, he gasped when he found that Troy was right.
The man looked up at Brandon and smiled weakly, then down at Gabriella and the grin was wiped off his face.
"Dad?" Brandon whispered, his body numbing. His arms were about to drop when he remembered that he was carrying a very important load in them.
Chase got up from his seat next to his ex-wife and walked over to his son. The older version of Brandon held Gabriella's face in his hands and whispered "My God, what happened to her?"
Troy just walked in behind Brandon and he greeted "Hey Mr. Montez. When did you get here?"
Chase answered "About an hour and a half ago. Gina called me after you two apparently left without a word. Once she mentioned Gabriella's disappearance, I grabbed my keys and sped over here."
Brandon smiled at him and thanked "Thanks for coming over."
"No problem kiddo. Now," he got back on topic "what happened here?"
Brandon held up his index finger and requested "Troy, can you take her? My arms are getting tired."
Troy nodded as Gabriella was set into his arms gently. The brunette walked over to a free spot on the other side of the room, where Kelsi and Jason were sitting. They scooted over to make room for Troy and the unconscious victim in his grasp. Part of her head was laid in Kelsi's lap while her legs were rested in Jason's due to the lack of personal space for everyone. Not that the two other teens minded. They would do anything to help out a distressed friend.
Brandon walked back over to a couch with his mother and sat in between the two. He turned to Gina and asked sweetly "Mom, can you get me and Gabby some towels? And get her a few pillows for her head."
Gina didn't need to be told twice. She darted from her spot on the couch and sped over to the closet that held extra towels since the closet upstairs was practically overflowing. She picked out a green one for Brandon and two purple ones for her daughter. She handed one to her son and walked over to her soaking wet Gabriella, who still hadn't woken up. Troy grabbed the two throw pillows that decorated the couch and fitted them under his girlfriend's head. He helped Gina wrap her up in the thick and fluffy blanket and watched it absorb some of the muddy lake water that had concealed her.
"Okay, now you can start." Troy told Brandon.
Brandon nodded "Alright here goes," He turned to his waiting father and started "Troy convinced me to help him look for Gabriella. We walked around the town for a few hours and then it started to get dark. We just started using my iPod as a flashlight before we got the feeling that we were being watched. I was about to suggest that we investigate, but then we heard someone scream 'Help!'. We figured that it was coming from the bridge and it was a girl, so we started heading over there when they screamed again 'Help! I can't swim well!'. I knew that voice now that it was held out long enough, so I took off running towards her and yelled 'Gabby, just hold on.'. She told me that she couldn't hold on anymore and I heard her drop into the lake. So I did the first thing that came to my mind. I ripped my shirt off and dove in after her. I saw her necklace sparkle under the water and grabbed her. I tried to swim up, but it was really hard, so I ran out of breath and just as I was about to pass out, Troy grabs my shoulders and pulls me up. I puked from all the water that got into my system, checked Gabby for a heartbeat, and carried her back here."
He looked around the room and took in everybody's shocked and somewhat angry expressions. The only ones who looked somewhat shocked were Taylor and Gina, but everyone else looked about ready to grab a huge knife from the kitchen and track down Brick. Out of the girls, Sharpay looked the angriest. Out of the guys, it was a tie between Chase and Troy. Chase's eyes were the color of Brandon's when he got angry or afraid and Troy's were the usual dark, stormy color.
"Do you know where Brick lives?" Chase growled.
"Yeah."
"Good. I'll come back down tomorrow with my gun." With that, Chase stood up and started for the door, his face beet red with fury. As his hand grasped the doorknob, Brandon shot up like a rocket and grabbed his father's shoulders commanding "No dad don't! That won't do anything but make things worse! Besides, he's barely home since he knows we know where he lives."
"But-" Chase started, but was cut off by a slight moan and a slight movement on the couch. Brandon and Chase spun around and gasped as Gabriella's eyes fluttered open halfway and she shook her head slightly, slowly taking in her surroundings. When the thought of being awake finally processed through her pained mind, her eyes widened and she grabbed Troy's arm, breathlessly shrieking "Brick!"
"Gabby, Gabby calm down," Troy quickly stopped her, looking her straight in the eyes "He's not here. You're home. He can't hurt you anymore. It's over. You're okay."
At the sound of her boyfriend's soothing voice, Gabriella's quickened breathing ceased and returned to normal while her wide eyes slammed shut, trying to conceal the tears beneath them. She seemed to choke on her breath for a second and it didn't take long for Troy to figure out that she was losing the battle against her tears.
"Come here." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her wet and shaking body. She collapsed into his chest and sobbed her heart out, grasping him as though if she let go he would disappear forever.
Brandon slowly maneuvered over to his panicked sister and kneeled down on the floor on one knee, rubbing her back and staying silent. Troy seemed to have calmed her down the best he could, so there was no need to give his effort.
After a moment of feeling the comforting feeling, Gabriella turned her head and the second her eyes locked with Brandon's, she whimpered "Brandon..." and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and absentmindedly gripped his long wet hair while making his chest even damper with her tears. He looked up and, meeting Troy's eyes, nodded his head towards Lucy and Jack. Troy nodded and slowly limped to the other side of the room, giving Brandon his spot on the couch.
"It's okay baby sis, I got you," Brandon whispered, pushing himself off the ground and into the spot that Troy had just left for him. Gabriella curled herself into his lap like a 3 year old who just fell off of her bike and ran to their mother. If they weren't in the situation that they were in right now, Brandon would laugh at the sight. But he didn't. Instead, he just stroked her damp and dirty hair while rocking her back and forth.
"W-why are you w-wet?" Gabriella mumbled into his shoulder, calming slightly now that she had something else to think about.
Brandon softly kissed her forehead and answered "Someone had to save you from drowning, right?"
"You saved me?" Gabriella asked with wide eyes.
Brandon nodded "Of course. Why wouldn't I? You're my sister."
Gabriella gave him a light smile and quickly pecked his nose, whispering "Thanks Brandon."
"No problem Gabs." Brandon smiled back.
Gabriella looked around the room at the relieved faces surrounding her. Like Brandon, she noticed most were angry and few were still very shocked at the situation, especially Taylor who didn't seem to catch wind of what was happening yet. She looked around a little more until her eyes fell upon someone that she hadn't seen in months.
"Daddy?" she gasped, loosening her grip on Brandon.
"Hey sweetie." Chase smiled, stepping forward.
Gabriella squealed and, jumping out of Brandon's lap, dashed across the room and into her father's warm embrace. Chase laughed and, picking her up off the ground, spun her around like a baby, whispering "I'm glad you're okay honey."
"Me too daddy. I was so scared."
Chase nodded in understanding. Even though he didn't know exactly what happened to his daughter, from the state she was in right now was obvious that it was something bad. But that didn't cut it. He couldn't settle for just 'something bad happened'. He didn't know what happened and he was determined to change that right now.
"Gabby," Chase immediately switched his tone to a serious one. "I know you just got home and are still shaken up a little, but do you think that you can...uhh..."
"Tell you what happened?" Gabriella finished quietly, looking at the ground.
"Only if you can. I don't want to force you to do something you're not ready for." Chase quickly added, seeing the gloss that was starting to form over Gabriella's tired eyes.
"No, no it's okay," She reassured, blinking back her tears "I just need some support." She walked over to Troy and, with hesitant eyes, whispered "Can I?"
Troy didn't answer. He just took both her hands and slowly pulled her into his lap, feeling her curl into a ball like she did with Brandon.
"Mom, is my fuzzy blanket out of the wash yet?" she asked her mother.
Gina nodded "I remember putting it in the drier this morning. Be back in a second." She left the room, leaving Gabriella to play with her fingers and Troy already whispering calm and encouraging words in her ear while rubbing her arms. She seemed to melt into his voice as her lips formed a calming smile and her head found its way to his shoulder.
2 minutes later, Gina returned to the room with Gabriella's neon blue and light blue striped fur blanket and the matching pillow that had 'T+G' sewed into it by hand. Troy smiled when he saw this. Troy had done that for her as a thank you for his birthday present. He had the same thing in green. Gabriella had given him the green one as a birthday present and Troy felt so touched, he had gotten her the same blanket in blue, her favorite color, and stitched the letters with a little help from his mom. Gabriella's birthday was a week after his and the night she received her version, she led them both to her backyard and they fell asleep under their blankets in each other's grasp. It was the perfect night for them.
Troy snapped out of his memory session and helped Gabriella wrap the warm blanket around her cold body that seemed to warm up as soon as she was securely situated.
"Okay," she started, digging herself a little further into Troy's body "So it all started at the hospital this morning..."
FLASHBACK (That Morning)
"Hope you're not afraid of the dark Gabby..." Gabriella read to herself "You're going to be seeing a lot of that today. Huh?"
"Confused?" Gabriella spun around and could feel her breath getting caught in her throat as she stared into the brown eyes that she had been warned she would see. Brick.
Gabriella didn't have to think twice about letting the ear piercing scream escape her lips, but as soon as she did, the lights faded to black as well as her mind. She couldn't think straight as she started looking around her helplessly and knowing that it was doing nothing for her except get her hyped up more. This wasn't happening.
Suddenly, she felt two arms grab her wrists and clamp them behind her back, which was pushed into the wall. Gabriella drew in the breath to scream again when she felt rough, chapped lips crash down onto hers to keep her silent. She froze at this as her eyes stayed wide open.
"I knew that'd keep you quiet," Brick whispered sharply, reaching into his pants pocket and grabbing what Gabriella soon found to be tape. The sound of ripping was heard and then the sound of Gabriella's muffled cries as the duct tape was slapped over her mouth. The same ripping noise was heard again only this time longer and somehow, more unforgiving. Gabriella was spun around harshly and pinned to the wall as a large amount of the heavy duty tape was used to tie up her wrists to keep her from trying anything. She was trapped.
"Don't worry Gabby," Brick said, mocked sweetness spilling out of his voice "We're almost done here and then we can go have some fun at my place, huh?"
Gabriella wanted to scream, but found no point in doing so. No one would hear her anyway.
The sound of pounding footsteps could be heard outside the room, quickly heading for the bathroom door.
"Damn..." Brick whispered, annoyance raining over him. Gabriella snapped her eyes shut as Brick grabbed her arms and tossed her into the storage closet on the opposite wall, crashing into various items that she was sure would leave bruises.
Gabriella could hear Troy and Brandon's desperate attempts to run into the room to save her, but they were all futile. She didn't know why, but she suddenly regretted ever locking that door.
Other than the boys' screams, Gabriella could hear Brick rummaging through his large pockets and whisper "Ah ha. There you are." She heard his fingers glide across the bathroom mirror with something wet covering them. She didn't know exactly what it was, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
Brick placed the bottle back into his pocket and walked over to the closet, fitting himself into the black hole that the bathroom has come to be. Just as he closed the door, a loud crash bounced off the walls and something heavy thumped on the floor. A click was heard and the room flooded with light. Brandon and Troy broke in. If only they had gotten in sooner...
Through the slits in the bottom of the door, Gabriella could see Brandon run into the room and look around for a second before letting his eyes wonder to the mirror. He froze.
Gabriella, still unaware of what was written on the mirror, looked at it and had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming. How could Brick do that?
"Do you see anything?" Troy asked, limping into the room behind Brandon, who pointed to the mirror with frozen eyes. Troy gazed at the mirror for a split second before gasping at the sight before him.
"Gabriella..." Brandon whispered, staring at the mirror. Gabriella just wanted to scream "I'm here! In the closet! Help me!"
"W-what does it s-say?" Troy stuttered, referring to the letters on the mirror that were written with the blood.
It was three simple letters that the two read aloud and Gabriella with her eyes. They stared at the dripping word and said in unison "Boo..."
Gabriella could feel Brick breathing softly on her neck and the sharp exhalation of breath as he laughed quietly to himself. She could just feel him smiling against her skin as he whispered "Just a few more minutes and then we can hit the road babe." Gabriella kept her eyes on her two wannabe saviors and tried to ignore Brick, but couldn't. He was too close.
"Ryan!" Troy limped out of the room while Brandon walked up to the mirror and slashed the writing using his pointer finger. With that, he ran out of the room to go show the people that were still in Sharpay and Troy's room.
Brick quickly opened the door and, lightly shoveling Gabriella out of his way, stepped out and over to the main door. He peered around the corner and down the hall where Troy was talking to a groggy Ryan about what happened. Ryan's eyes suddenly shot open when Troy finished and he got up from his seat, following Troy back to the bathroom.
"Time to go Gabby," Brick announced dangerously "Lots to do and not enough time."
Gabriella watched with soggy eyes as Brick walked over to her with a menacing grin. The 21 year old stepped on a tower of tissue boxes and reached for the ceiling, pushing open something that Gabriella guessed was an air vent. He jumped up, grabbed it, and hoisted himself up. Once he was securely in, he reached down and grabbed Gabriella by her shoulders. He pulled her up and into the vent, moving out of the way to make room in the tiny hole. He linked his arm to hers and dragged her along with him, the tight space almost cutting off her oxygen completely. As if tape wasn't enough...
That didn't last long though. Gabriella soon came to figure out that they had come to a halt at the end of the vent. There was a squeaking noise and then a crash. Gabriella looked over Brick's shoulder. He had broken the window.
"Ladies first." Brick said to her, grinning evilly again. He grabbed her by her waist and shoved her over to the cracked opening that he had created. Gabriella gulped. That was the smallest window she had ever seen. She couldn't possibly get through it without getting cut by the remaining glass shards at the same time.
Oh, how wrong she was. She soon found Brick whispering in her ear seductively "Put your legs through first. I'll take care of the rest."
Gabriella followed orders, not wanting to get hurt anymore than she knew was coming. She put both legs in front of her and bit her lip as she felt the sharp glass stab her legs and knees.
"Now," Brick commanded again "Shove your hips through. It won't hurt as much after this."
Gabriella made a noise that sounded like she was saying "What?!"
"Do it!" he hissed, getting impatient.
Gabriella whimpered into the tape and counted to three in her mind. She inhaled deeply through her nose and, with all her might, rammed her hips out of the window, feeling her jeans rip as well as the skin underneath it. In a second, blood came pouring out of her hips.
"Good girl," Brick stroked her hair "Now was that so hard?"
Gabriella wanted to retort, but found it extremely difficult with tape blocking her words.
"Make sure to land on your feet when you hit the ground." Brick warned seriously. He pushed Gabriella's head and arms through the window last. She only fell about 5 feet since they were on the first floor and the vents came to a slant somewhere along the journey. That was the only good thing about this whole situation.
"Here I come." Brick said in a sing song voice. He did the same thing as her, only turned his hips in a diagonal direction instead of straight and head on. This prevented him from getting cut.
"Let's go." He ordered. He grabbed Gabriella's arm and pulled her to a sleek black car that seemed to be his. Gabriella raised an eyebrow. How could someone like Brick drive a car like this?
"Stole it." Brick answered her unasked question, seeming to read her mind. Gabriella rolled her eyes. Should've known...
"Get in." He opened the door and pushed Gabriella into the front seat. The brunette rounded the car and entered the driver's seat, taking out his keys. He started the car and drove away from the hospital, leaving Gabriella scared and shaking.
--
"Home sweet home..." Brick grinned menacingly as he pulled into the driveway of what Gabriella figured was his home. Her eyes widened. This is the house that Wolf bought for him? This is the house that he technically stole from Isabelle's family?
Brick grinned at her reaction of the sight and chuckled quietly to himself, pulling his keys from the car and opening the car door. As the door slammed, Gabriella flinched. The car shook. Brick really was strong. That's what scared her more than anything.
"Come on princess." He pulled her by her arm out of the car and let her fall to the ground, letting it look like an accident. Gabriella glared up at him, but as soon as she did so, she found Brick leaning down and, carrying her bridal style, lifted her up into his arms and whispering "I'm gonna have so much fun with you baby."
Gabriella whimpered into the duct tape and shut her eyes tightly, trying to fight back her tears as Brick's hands grazed her butt. She was in for one hell of a time...
"No need to be nervous," Brick laughed, noticing her trembling body "I'm sure you'll agree that this will be very...satisfying."
Gabriella would have gulped, but the lump in her throat prevented her from doing so.
Her eyes snapped open when she found herself being removed from Brick's arms and laid down onto something soft. Oh no. Brick's bed.
"Now that we're out of public," Brick got onto the bed beside her "We can take this off." He grabbed hold of the edge of the tape on Gabriella's mouth and pulled it off of her face harshly, leaving a dark red mark and a small cut. Gabriella bit her tongue to keep from crying out in pain.
"Now gorgeous, what's on your mind right now?" Brick asked, sitting up and stroking Gabriella's cheek slowly, making her cringe.
"You sick bastard..." Gabriella seethed lowly.
Brick sent fake hurt to his eyes at Gabriella's reply. "That hurts Gabby."
"Don't you dare call me that, you perverted freak!"
Brick laughed out loud. "But sweetie, I haven't done anything to you...yet."
"I'm gonna go ahead and pretend you didn't just say 'yet'." Gabriella hoped.
Brick shook his head and moved his hand down to her neck, putting slight pressure on her sensitive spot "Oh believe me when I say this. You'll be wanting to dump that murderous boyfriend of yours in a heartbeat when I'm finished with you."
"He didn't kill anybody! And neither did Brandon! Samantha was just stupid enough to not see the signals Brandon gave her and kill herself!" Slap.
"Let me explain a few rules here Gabby," Brick warned, getting up from his spot next to her and getting on top of her, straddling her body "Rule number 1: don't make me angry. That includes talking about my family. They mean the world to me and I don't accept anyone talking shit about them. That's the half the reason I agreed to do this for my uncle."
"What's the other half?"
"It's fun."
Gabriella laughed shortly "I didn't notice you say anything about me not being able to trash talking you. Where does that come in?"
"I could care less about what you say about me. I'm a criminal. I've had people talk crap about me and mistreat me most of my life. I'm used to it. But I'll do anything to keep my family safe and if something happens to them, I avenge them. Hence, Bolton and Montez."
"So you're gonna hit me every time I trash-talk you're idiotic family?" Slap.
"That answer your question? And might I add, they just get harder every time you say something about them."
Gabriella rolled her eyes and nodded, looking away from him. This tough act that she was putting on was starting to wear off after he slapped her.
"Rule number 2: you're not allowed to in any way, shape, or form fight back. Let's test this." He flipped Gabriella over and unwrapped the tape from her wrists. He then forcefully shoved her to the carpeted floor, hearing her land with a thump and groan in pain. He swung his legs over the edge of the tall green bed and landed on beside Gabriella, towering over her.
"What are you – AHHH!!" She suddenly clutched her right hip and screamed out in pain, trying to recover from getting kicked by Brick. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and growled "What the hell was that for?!"
"A test. Test number 2." He grabbed Gabriella by the roots of her hair and dragged her over to the wall, grinning as she yelled and shrieked and kicked, begging Brick to let go of her. She even tried uncurling his fingers but they wouldn't budge. She was trapped.
Brick grabbed her by her arms and slammed her up against the wall, gripping her shoulders and ripping her skin "Now Gabby, what did I say about fighting back?" With every word that left his mouth, he tightened his grip on her, making her blood slip between his fingers.
Gabriella just whimpered and let 2 salty tears leave her eyes shamefully. How dare she cry in front of this monster!
"What did I say?" Brick shook her roughly, signaling her to answer his rhetorical question.
"D-don't d-do it..." Gabriella quietly cried. Brick put on a puppy dog pout and, in a baby voice, replied "Aww. Baby Gabby's crying. Why don't we fix that for her?"
"What are you talking about?"
Gabriella could tell that the brunette in front of her was trying desperately not to laugh as he answered "Would you do me a favor and not go anywhere?"
"Why would I go somewhere? You're just gonna track me down and kill me." Gabriella spat back.
Brick gave a very wide smile and rested his forehead against Gabriella's while he laughed his butt off. "Sweetie, whoever said I would track you down again? I'll just go after your friends if you try anything, okay? Would you like that?"
"I hate you."
"I know," Brick shrugged "So back to the original card on the table, would you do me the honor of not moving?"
"While you do what?" Gabriella asked, masking the worry and paranoia in her voice with anger.
Brick kept his eyes locked with Gabriella's while he reached up to the first button of his shirt, slipping it through the slit and moving onto the next one.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Gabriella gulped, not being able to hold back the worry this time.
"It's a little hot in here. Hope you don't mind." Brick grinned, moving onto the third button.
Gabriella didn't know what else to do but swallow hard. Brick had a look in his eyes that showed that this was so much more than just the heat. He was up to something and Gabriella didn't want to know what that something was.
"Ah, there we are." He finally managed to undo all five buttons quickly without a problem. Gabriella watched as Brick shrugged the shirt off of his body and let it fall to the floor, revealing his body. Gabriella's mouth dropped. She hated to say it, but if Brick weren't a murderous Wolf descendant, she would've made out with him on the spot and completely forget about Troy for a moment. He was so built.
"Like what you see?" Brick bragged, congratulating himself for turning the air conditioning before he left for the hospital. As soon as he stepped into the house, he started sweating and now, just as he predicted, it paid off. His body was covered in sweat, complimenting his toned abs.
"I...I...you...you're-" Gabriella stammered, not being able to find the words. He was hot!
"So hot Brick, I wanna make out with you right now, but I can't because I'm still together with that gay prick I call a boyfriend'. Is that what you're thinking right now?" Brick finished for her.
Gabriella blinked a few times, giving her a short time to think and put her words together. "No that's not what I'm thinking. I'm wondering why you just took your damn shirt off in front of me."
Brick shrugged "I told you. It was hot in here." He leaned forward so that Gabriella could feel his hot breath against her skin and his lips were less than a centimeter away from hers. "Don't you agree?" He whispered.
Gabriella tried to discretely dig her head back as far as she could into the wall behind her and said "Yeah, but-"
"No buts," Brick cut her off "We need to make you feel more...comfortable." He slid his thumbs under her sweater and pushed it off slightly "This sweater looks fantastic on you, but I'm afraid it has to go."
"N-no, it's fine," Gabriella desperately refused, trying to move away from him but couldn't because of the wall "It's fine. It's not even that hot in here."
"But you're sweating." Brick observed, seeing the sweat stains on her underarms and neck.
Gabriella gulped again, knowing that she couldn't fight her way out of this one.
Brick slid the off halfway and said "I'm gonna need you to back away from the wall a little bit please."
Gabriella's first instinct told her not to, but she remembered back to a few minutes ago when Brick said "Don't make me angry." Holding her breath, she stepped forward and froze. Why wasn't Brick moving?
"You didn't expect me to move, did you?" There he went, reading her mind again. Gabriella, without thinking, nodded. Brick smiled and shook his head. "Well then you have much to learn."
Once Brick completely removed Gabriella's gray sweater and let it drop to the floor, he let his eyes wash over her body in an attempt to make her feet uncomfortable and cornered. It worked.
"Answer something for me." Brick said softly, taking hold of her forearms and stroking them, giving her goose bumps; half from being violated like this and the other half because someone as hot as Brick was touching her.
Gabriella just nodded, losing her voice like air.
"What, have you lost all ability to speak?" Brick raised an eyebrow, looking rather pleased with himself for making her this way in such a short time.
Gabriella felt another fresh batch of tears run up to her eyes, begging to be let out. Brick sensed this. He let his hands drift down her body until they reached her hips, his eyes never leaving hers. Gabriella couldn't even swallow.
"Go ahead and cry Gabriella," Brick whispered in her ear, working on the first clasp of her jeans "I've seen all the tears in the world. It's nothing new to me."
Dammit...As he slid down the zipper of her jeans, she let her cold tears fall onto his strong shoulder, making him smile into her ear. Making sure to let his tongue graze over her earlobe, he whispered almost inaudibly "You're in my hands now. No need to worry...too much." As those last two words were spoken, Gabriella found herself cringing and crying as Brick captured her ear in between his teeth, running his tongue over it and making sure to make it bleed.
"Why are you doing this?" Gabriella managed to sob. Brick only separated from her ear by about half a centimeter to croon "The only way to let someone know how much they hurt you is to pain them equally. Your brother killed my niece so I'm going to worry him out of his mind by thinking his sister is in trouble."
"He didn't kill her..." Gabriella whispered as she felt her jeans slowly slide down her legs and Brick's fingers linger on her skin.
"Stop trying to protect them. And even if he didn't kill her..." he moved closer to her lips "It's still fun."
Gabriella closed her eyes, knowing what was coming. In a split second, Gabriella found a pair of lips covering her own as Brick forced open her mouth with his tongue, making her gag.
"Are you still a virgin Gabby?" Brick murmured into her lips. Gabriella froze. There was only one reason he would be asking that question...
"W-why?" she asked helplessly, horrified.
Brick didn't answer right away. He just took hold of the bottom of Gabriella's shirt and effortlessly lifted it over her head.
"Oh, no reason..." he smugly replied, kissing her fiercely again. Gabriella just cried harder. For an extremely hot house, her body was especially ice cold.
Her eyes snapped open as she felt her back detach from the wall and her body getting pulled forward towards the middle of the room. Brick's bed was in the middle of the room.
"Oh God Troy, I'm sorry..." she thought to herself as the thought of getting raped entered her mind.
Brick laughed quietly in her neck and muttered "Maybe now the world can know that the innocent little Gabby isn't so innocent after all."
"Please, please don't..." Gabriella begged, pure terror and desperation dripping from her voice. Punch.
"No fighting back, remember?" Brick smiled, wagging his finger in front of her face teasingly. Gabriella reached up to her eye and winced. It didn't take long to realize that she now had a black eye.
"Sorry about that baby, but you know how impatient I get." Brick teased, reaching behind her and fiddled with her bra hook.
Gabriella looked to her left. Brick moved his arm. A perfect opportunity to run.
She waited until he looked away from her completely to kick him off of her and dash off of the bed. She ran over to the door and, flipping the lock off, opened the door, preparing to run until the door slammed in her face. She gulped, hung her shoulders in defeat, and let out a watery sigh. She looked a little to her right and saw a hand pressed against the door attached to a muscular arm. She turned around slowly and saw Brick standing there, his arm propped against his hip, his eyes closed, and his head shaking slowly, showing that he was disappointed.
"Gabby, Gabby, Gabby..." he finally looked up at her and dropped his hand from the door. Gabriella gasped when Brick started walking towards her with a serious look in his eyes, showing that he wasn't happy.
"You didn't honestly think you could get away, could you?" he growled, watching as she backed up fully into the door, pressing her back into the wood to try to get as far away from him as she could.
"I...I..." She couldn't finish. Brick curled his fingers into a fist and launched it towards her nose, hitting his target. Gabriella was on the floor in an instant.
"Brick, I'm sorr-" She was cut off by a size 13 foot coming in painful contact with her stomach, right on top of her other bruise.
"Sorry doesn't cut it when you run away from somebody." Brick seethed at her, kicking her one last time. Gabriella waited until he drew back his foot to curl up into a ball and protect her churning stomach. Brick rolled his eyes and dropped to his knees, clutching Gabriella's face in between his fingers. "Sorry. Turtle trick won't work for you this time." With that, he punched her hard with other hand and slammed her in her nose, getting blood all over his knuckles.
"Please stop. I'm sorry!" she shrieked, curling into another ball and burning her face towards the floor. Brick once again rolled his eyes and used his foot to kick her onto her back, giving him access to her face again. Gabriella howled in pain as he punched her other eye, making that one bruised as well.
She gasped as Brick grabbed her hair and dragged her over to the wall once again, taking it by the roots. Gabriella bit her tongue, but couldn't prevent the scream from escaping her throat. It sounded strangled and horse. She was now in a full blown panic attack. Brick had complete control over her 110 percent and no matter how much she tried, she was just too weak to fight back.
Her stomach was then crushed against the wall, disturbing her black bruises. Brick twisted Gabriella's arm around her back and squeezed so hard, it gave her a bruise that bled.
"Listen to me Montez," Brick said so lowly, his voice shook with anger "I've seen hell. And trust me, it's not pretty. I've had nightmares too. I've seen my uncle reach up to me and growl 'Join me Brick. Join the rest of us and I promise that you'll spent the rest of eternity with the people who truly care about you. No more prison, no more running, no more pain. You'll be fine. The devil will take care of you.' As hard as it is to believe, I'm the same as you three. Afraid to close your eyes because you're afraid of never waking up! So just for future reference, don't say I don't understand what you're going through because I do know half of it. Life isn't easy for me. Keep that in mind when you go back to your perfect little life. A life where people actually want what's best for you and you actually return the favor. I give everything to my family, legally or illegally, and I've never heard one single 'Thank you'."
Gabriella stood there, stunned and unable to move. Not from the pressure against her body, but from Brick's somewhat touching words. He was right. She thought that life was a breeze when you're a professional criminal like him. You know how to escape the law and how to get away with everything without a trace. But Brick came from a pretty hard family. No one cared about him. They were all selfish and ignorant of what kind of protection they had. Gabriella had everything Brick had and more with the addition of hating him for hurting her friends and family. For this, she felt just like Brick's family. Selfish.
She soon found herself flung onto the bed and told "Get dressed..." With that, Brick left the room, slamming the door behind him and leaving Gabriella to cry to herself, pained and very, very confused.
END FLASHBACK
Gabriella took a deep, shaky breath, afraid to look up at the probably shocked and angry people surrounding her. She finally gathered the courage to lift her head and meet everyone's eyes.
"Are you serious?" Taylor gasped, her eyes wide and her face pale.
Gabriella nodded "Dead serious."
"That little son of a-" Chad growled, but Taylor cut him off with a hand over his mouth.
"I can't believe this..." Sharpay shook her head with Zeke rubbing her arm to help calm her down.
"I hope he burns in hell with the rest of his family." Chase seethed, balling up his fists.
"Hey Mr. Montez, you still have your gun right?" Chad spoke up. Chase nodded.
"Good. How about you come back down tomorrow and we'll all jump him?" Chad asked, completely serious. Chase nodded and replied "I have really sharp kitchen knives that you guys can use while I shoot him down. Sound like a plan?" Chad got up from his spot on the other side of the room and slapped hands with Chase, grinning like mad.
Gabriella sighed in frustration, got up, and broke their hands apart saying "Guys, did you not here a word I just said?"
Chad nodded "Yeah. We heard that you got molested by some 21 year old freak that abused you! You're just gonna let him get away with that?!"
Gabriella shook her head "But just think. He's got it bad too. No one in his family cares about him! He provides everything for them and he's never heard a real, genuine thank you! The only reason they keep him around is because he's good at getting what they want for free! He's unappreciated!"
Chase's mouth hung open in awe at his daughter's words. He was about to retort when Sharpay beat him to it. "Gabby, that's complete bullshit! I thought you were smarter than this! You can't honestly believe him!"
Chase finally spoke up "Gabriella, I know I've had a rocky past, but I thought I raised you better than this. Listen to us when we say don't fall for this. It's all just an act."
Gabriella groaned. She sat back down on the couch between Troy and Jason and held her head in her hands, completely confused. She didn't know what to believe.
"Look guys," Troy spoke up "Gabriella's had a long day and probably needs rest. It's getting late, so I think you should all go home. We'll see you tomorrow."
Loud sighs filled the room and one by one, people started filing out of the Montez residence, saying goodbye to their friends. Chase was the last to exit the room but before he left, he walked over to Gabriella and, kissing her forehead, said "I'll call tomorrow to check up on you, okay?"
Gabriella nodded, throwing her arms around her father. "Thanks for coming down daddy. I love you."
"I love you too sweetie. I'll see you later." He gave one last smile and, saying goodbye to Gina and Brandon, stepped out of the house and drove down the road back home.
Gina sighed and stood up, announcing "Troy's right honey. Go ahead and clean yourself up then get to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow."
Gabriella nodded and tried to stand up, but Troy pulled her down gently, saying "Gina, I was wondering if I could take her for a walk for a little bit before she turns in. If that's okay with you."
Gina seemed to ponder over the thought for a second before answering "Sure. Just have her back in an hour. Where do you plan on going, by the way?"
Troy shrugged "Just around the neighborhood I guess."
Gina nodded "Okay, that's fine. Remember, I want her home in an hour."
"That won't be a problem."
Gina smiled "Good night you three."
Brandon stood up "Night mom." With that, Gina walked up the stairs towards her room. When she left, Brandon turned to the two and said "Gabby, you might want to wash up a little. I wouldn't want to walk around in those dirty clothes if I were you."
Gabriella nodded and stalked off up the steps, headed for the bathroom. Brandon waited until she was completely gone to say "Troy, you know what she's saying about Brick is complete bullshit, right?"
"Are you indicating that you don't believe her or-"
"No I believe he said it," Brandon reassured "I just don't think it's true. I mean, come on. This is Brick we're talking about. Certified badass who doesn't give a damn about anybody or anything, including his family. It's just a bunch of crap."
Troy nodded "I know. Brick was just trying to get inside her head and he succeeded."
Brandon told him "Troy, you have to talk some sense into her tonight. Get even further inside her head and tell her that Brick was just lying and none of it is true. Can you do that for me?"
Troy replied "I won't only do it for you, but I'm doing it for her. She can't believe that asshole. She's just gonna drive herself crazy and bail on us because we don't believe her."
Brandon nodded "Thanks man. I can always count on you."
"That's why you call me your best friend." Troy smiled, stepping up to Brandon and offering him their secret handshake.
15 minutes later, Gabriella slowly stepped down the stairs, now clad in grey sweatpants, a pink tank top, and a Hollister sweatshirt to match the pants. "Okay Troy, I'm ready to go."
Troy smiled at her and walked over to the end of the staircase, linking Gabriella's arm with his. "Then I guess we should get going."
Brandon smiled and rolled his eyes at the couple, opening the front door for them. "Have fun kids." As Gabriella walked out first, Brandon pulled Troy back a little by his shoulder and said "If she's falls asleep and you have to carry her home, bring her to my room. I don't want her to sleep alone tonight."
Troy nodded "And what if you're asleep? You've had a long day too and knowing you, you'll fall asleep as soon your head hits the pillow."
"Wake me up. Just don't take her to her room. I want to make sure she's safe."
Troy once again nodded and assured "Don't worry. She'll be fine and if something happens while we're out, I'll make sure that she's safe."
Brandon smiled "Thanks man. Now go. Your lady's waiting."
Troy rolled his eyes and, with one last smile to Brandon, stepped out into the night and closed the door behind him.
Yeah, it's long. And, as expected, most of you voted not to have Gabriella raped, so I just scared her (and hopefully you) into thinking that she was. I've got to warn you though, later in the story, there is going to be rape and you won't have any say in it...
REVIEW!! Thnx :)
Rachel :)
Mini Contest:
The JB's released their song 'Tonight' on iTunes. Which sentence does Brandon say the word 'Tonight' in?
Sneak At Next Chapter:
- Troyella overload
"You sure you're okay Gabby?" Troy asked the brunette beside him, stroking her hair.
Gabriella nodded "I'm fine when I'm around you. I love you."
"I love you too..." he whispered, silencing himself with a kiss on her lips.
- Troy/Brandon friendship
"...You've done good with her Brandon. You should be proud of yourself."
Brandon, feeling touched by Troy's words, said softly "Thanks bro. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"Hey, what are best friends for?" Troy smiled.
- Trouble's ahead for someone
"Hey, weren't Sharpay and Ryan supposed to be here?" Zeke asked the group around the pool.
Jason nodded "Yeah, they're never late for anything."
Suddenly, Ryan came running into the building, his face pale and his eyes wide. His whole body was shaking while he held a hand behind his back.
"Ryan," Brandon concerned "What's wrong?"
Ryan didn't respond. He just pulled his hand out from behind his back and set the object down in Brandon's hand. Brandon looked down at his hand and suddenly his breath hitched in his throat as he found himself staring at a black envelope.
"Not again..."
Trivia:
- The next chapter was supposed to be the end of this chapter, but I had no idea it would be this long
- My brother is a size 13 in shoes, so I just used that for Brick
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REVIEW!! Thnx :)
Rachel :)