Here it is guys chapter five, enjoy!
Everything's Gonna Be Okay
She'd never been the type of person to keep things from her parents, she'd always told them the truth, even when lying would've probably been better, but now she was starting to regret her inability to lie.
Upon arriving home after school on Monday, Gabriella had fortunately only found her Mum home and so had taken the opportunity to talk to her about where she'd been all weekend and, more importantly, her feelings on her parent's recent behaviour.
Her Mum had apologised for the way that she'd acted telling Gabriella she would never intentionally upset or hurt her. They'd spoken in depth about what was happening between Greg and Maria and it had been decided that Gabriella really needed to tell her Dad how she was feeling.
That was why, now, on Tuesday morning before school, they both stood in their kitchen waiting for Greg to come down stairs so Gabriella could talk to him.
"Good morning, good morning, how are my lovely ladies today?" Greg Montez had always been a morning person, always happy and ready for the day to begin. Today, Gabriella knew that was all about to change.
"Morning darling." Maria greeted her husband, as he started their day off with a kiss.
"Gabi, aren't you going to say good morning to your old Dad?" Greg asked, as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"No." Gabriella wasn't going to mess about. She knew the way her Dad was acting was hurting her Mum and the fact that he was acting like nothing was happening, simply made it worse.
"Excuse me? I think you need to re-think the way you just spoke to me young lady."
"I don't Dad, why should I act like everything is okay, when clearly it isn't."
"I really think you should start re-thinking the way you're talking to me Gabriella."
"I really don't Dad, I'm not gonna stand here and pretend that everything is okay, when it's not. I'm not going to stand around and listen to you and Mum argue anymore and I'm definitely not gonna stand around while you upset Mum. She's only ever been nice to you, looked after you, cleaned for you, cooked for you, let you work while she stayed at home and looked after me, she's only ever wanted the best for either of us, and all you seem to do is throw it straight back in her face."
Greg stayed silent, Gabriella had never spoken to him in this way before and he was going to make sure she never did it again.
"You take that all back right this instant young lady." Greg wasn't shouting, but his voice was raised and Gabriella knew she now had to be careful with what she said.
"I can't Dad 'cause you know what it's all true, every last bit of it and more. You were throwing things at her Dad, thing that could've seriously hurt her, I get she was throwing things back, but a towel is hardly gonna hurt you. You wanna know what gets me most? The fact that you always act like everything is okay, the fact you don't seem to care that what you do and say, really does hurt Mum, and me. I'm not a child anymore Dad, I actually understand what you're saying when you argue. I actually understand the fact that you regret ever having me."
"What have you said to her? Where is all this coming from?" Greg had now turned his attention to Maria, he was certain that she had something to do with Gabriella's outbreak, there was no way his daughter would have the confidence to do this alone.
"Don't turn all this on me, she's seventeen Greg, she's right, she does understand what we talk about now, she's obviously picked up on what you've been saying recently, so I really think you should listen to what she has to say."
"WHY? Why should I listen to what our brat of a daughter has to say? We never wanted her, she was a mistake, we should've gotten rid of her when we still had the chance. Now we're stuck with her for the rest of our lives." Greg was full on angry now and Gabriella knew it, she hadn't even realised she was crying until Greg started shouting again.
"Don't think you'll shut me up by turning on the water works, it isn't going to work because you know what? We never wanted you, either of us, you were a mistake, a horrible mistake and I wish your Mum had of had the abortion while she still had the chance. I hate you Gabriella, I've always hated you, you're a worthless, pathetic excuse of a daughter and I wish you'd never been born."
Gabriella was full on crying now, but she didn't care. She wanted to know the truth; she needed to know if her Mum really did regret having her.
But she didn't get the chance to ask, as Greg's hand came into contact with her face.
As the stinging sensation caused by the slap ran through her entire body, Gabriella seemed to turn on auto pilot.
She ran out of the room, leaving her parents to start their daily arguing.
She ran towards the front door, grabbing her school bag on the way, desperately wanting to get to the person who she knew would offer her the comfort she was suddenly craving.
TGTGTGTG
She'd never been a good runner, but for some reason, today her legs just seemed to take over. She'd been running since she left home, and the walk that normally took her twenty minutes, today took her just over ten, but the fact she felt like she was about to collapse didn't have time to run through her mind, she just needed to get to Troy.
She could see the school now, it was just over the road, and the tears that had once ceased started up again, as she finally realised what her Dad had actually done to her.
She was on the school site now and she could see the others, they were all standing under the tree where Troy had found her the other day while she was arguing with her Mum on the phone. All she had to do was make it that little bit further, keep her legs moving for a little while longer, then she'd be in his arms, and then, only then, would she feel safe.
She wanted to call him, get him to come to her, to meet her half way, but she couldn't, she tried, but nothing came out, her voice just wouldn't work and that only made the tears fall faster.
As she looked up, willing her legs to take those last few steps her eyes met with Chad's and after that, everything just seemed to go in slow motion.
She watched through blurry eyes, as Chad pointed her out to the others and Troy turned round to look at her and as their eyes met; her whole world started crashing down around her.
Her legs crumpled underneath her and she fell to the ground, there was no stopping it, she'd run all the way to school, not stopping for anyone or anything and this was her body's way of telling her enough was enough, she'd taken on to much physical and mental pain this morning and now she needed to stop and get help.
She wasn't sure how long she was lying there for, but she didn't care, she just couldn't move any further. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, her face stinging from the slap, her legs aching from the unexpected run and her eyes sore and red from the abnormal amount of crying.
But, as her breathing started to become uncontrollable from the tears she felt two strong arms wrap round her petite frame, and she knew that everything really was going to be okay.
TGTGTGTG
Mrs Bearn really wanted to phone the emergency services, she wanted to tell the police what Greg Montez had done and she really wanted some medics to come and check out Gabriella, she was still shaking uncontrollably and this really worried Mrs Bearn.
But Gabriella had gone crazy at this idea and simply just wanted to be in Troy's arms. Luckily for everyone else Troy didn't mind one bit and hadn't let her go since he carried her in from the front of the school.
"Gabriella, why don't you at least let Troy take you home? Your parents will have gone to work by now and I can get you both some work to do if that's what you're worried about." Mrs Bearn simply wasn't happy with the state Gabriella was in.
"I don't wanna go home, I can't, I'm scared, can't I just stay in school? I'm fine really I just need to stop crying that's all."
Mrs Bearn sighed, as she knelt down in front of the chair that Troy and Gabriella were sat on. "Okay, I'm clearly not gonna win this battle, so here's what I'm gonna do. I've already emailed most of the staff telling them what has happened, just so they know why you aren't yourself at the minute, now I'm going to go and talk to your teachers for today, both of you, and I'm going to see if I can get some work for you guys to do by yourselves in the library, it's one of your favourite places to be while you here, right Gabriella?"
"Yeah, I like to sit on the bean bags at the back, by the big windows."
"Okay, you guys make your way to the library, maybe stop off at the toilets on the way and give your face a wash sweetie, but make sure you're settled on the bean bags by the time I get there. I'm going to go and speak to you teachers, bring you some work and leave you to it for the rest of the day. At some point today I'll go speak to your teachers for tomorrow and grab you some work and try and get it to you by the end of the day, that way if you don't want to be here tomorrow all you need to do is phone in and let me know. Troy, I'm assuming Gabriella can stay with you again, is that okay? Just for a couple of days, until I get the chance to speak to Mrs Montez."
"It's completely fine; we'll stop by Gabriella's on the way home and get her enough supplies for say a week? Her parents won't be back 'til this evening so we should have plenty of time. Also if she's at mine I can be the judge as to whether she comes to school tomorrow."
"That's a grand idea Troy, a week's supply should be fine, I'm hoping it won't be that long, but just in case. Now, start making your way to the library and I'll be there in half an hour."
Troy nodded in understanding to what Mrs Bearn had said and gently spoke to Gabriella, urging her off of his lap, so he could gather their bags together, before wrapping his arm securely around her and giving her the comfort she'd set off to find.
TGTGTGTG
It was lunch time and now that Troy and Gabriella had been working extremely hard all morning Troy decided it was time that they took a break, and he was not taking no for an answer.
"Please Brie, just so you can eat and relax, it's only for an hour, you need to get food into your system, you won't be able to concentrate any more if you don't, please Brie." Troy was pleading with her for the fourth time in five minutes and so far she hadn't taken her pen away from her paper.
This time though she seemed to be listening. Her pen stopped its movements and she dropped it and her current piece of work to the floor, before collapsing against the window and breaking down.
"Oh Brie, sweetie, come here, come on, it's all gonna be okay." She didn't resist, as Troy moved across and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest, as her body once again began to shake and the tears began pouring from her eyes.
His soothing hand that ran up and down her back and through her hair seemed to calm her and slowly but surely the tears started to disperse and the shaking came to a stop.
"I'm sorry, I just, when I'm upset or angry I bury myself in work to try and forget. Every time you spoke to me you reminded me what happened this morning and in the end I just broke, I'm sorry."
"Hey now, you have nothing to be sorry for, I'd be kinda worried if you weren't upset after what your Dad did to you."
Gabriella sighed. "I don't wanna talk about him anymore, I don't care and before you ask I don't want any lunch I'm not hungry."
Troy was about to answer and talk her into eating something, but his phone beat him to it, so he answered it before it disrupted others in the library.
"Hello?" With his mind preoccupied on the girl currently cuddled up against him, he didn't bother to check the caller id.
"Hey Troy, its Chad. We were just heading to the canteen and wondered if you guys wanted us to grab you some food and bring it to the library? We were also wondering if Gabs would be up to some company?"
"Erm, lunch sounds good thanks Chad; could you grab me a burger and chips and also get an extra portion of chips for Gabriella?" Troy didn't care what Gabriella had said, he was going to get her to eat one way or another.
"Yeah course that's no problem, how is she? Is she up for company?"
"Hang on I'll ask her. Brie, are you okay with the others coming to sit with us for lunch?" Gabriella nodded from against Troy's head and Troy quickly replayed the message to Chad before ending the call.
"It's only him and Taylor coming, the others are sorting out some scenery for Darbus. Are you okay down there? You aren't falling asleep on me are you?"
"Almost, I didn't get much sleep last night, I was too worried about talking to Dad this morning, guess I was right to be really."
"Yeah well that's all over now, if you still tired later on, and let's face it this crying hasn't helped, then we'll go and speak to Mrs Bearn and see if she'll let us go early, okay?"
"Yeah I guess so, we'll go back to yours though, right?"
"'Course we will, we'll need to stop off at yours and grab your stuff so we don't have to keep going back, but after that we'll go to mine, you don't need to worry Brie, we won't bump into your parents, I'll make sure of it."
Gabriella didn't answer, she just cuddled herself closer to Troy and didn't move until Taylor and Chad arrived with lunch.
"Okay, these are ours and these are yours, my treat." Chad said, as he handed two take away lunch boxes over to Troy and then took a seat next to Taylor on some bean bags opposite Troy and Gabriella.
"I thought I told you I wasn't hungry." Gabriella said to Troy, as she sat up fully and tried to straighten herself out, she really was more tired than she first thought.
"You did, but you didn't eat at break and I bet you, you didn't eat any breakfast either so you're eating, they're only chips."
"So, I told you I wasn't hungry, all you've done is wasted Chad's money."
"No I haven't because I know you'll eat these in a minute, you just need to calm down and realise that you really are quite hungry."
Gabriella sighed and let a small smile creep onto her lips, as she held her hand out to take the chips from Troy, taking note of the fact he already knew her so well.
TGTGTGTG
"Today's been a rubbish day." Troy stated a little while after lunch had finished and Chad and Taylor had left.
"Why?" Gabriella asked, as she collected together the day's work and put it into a pile to hand back to Mrs Bearn later on.
"Because all I've done today is watch my two favourite girls cry and that's not a nice thing to do."
"What do you mean 'two favourite girls'? Who has been crying?"
"Well you, obviously, and Jasmine, she was really clingy this morning and she cried when I took her to nursery this morning, she hasn't done that since her first day, I had to put her in Julie's arms and then leave without her knowing, it was horrible."
"I bet, what was the matter with her?" Gabriella asked, completely trying to gloss over the fact Troy had said she was one of his favourite girls.
"I don't know, I couldn't get it out of her, she hardly spoke to me this morning either, I'm not at work again 'til the day after tomorrow, so hopefully I can cheer her up before then, otherwise it'll be horrible when I leave."
"I'll be there though, she knows me now and seems to like me, hopefully I can make it a bit easier."
"She does like you and you will make it easier." Troy answered reassuringly, as his phone once again started to ring. "I wonder who this is the others are all in lessons now."
"Hello?"
"Hey Troy it's Julie, is there any chance you could come and get Jasmine? She fell over in the playground and hurt her knee, she won't stop crying and keeps asking for you, it really would be best if you could come get her."
"I just need to inform the office then I'm on my way Julie, will she be okay 'til then?"
"Yeah she'll be fine, I'll see you in a bit."
"Okay, thanks Julie, bye."
"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, as Troy hung up the phone and she collected their things, figuring from the fact he was speaking to Julie they needed to leave.
"I'm not really sure, all I know is that Jazzy needs me, so I've gotta go, but you're coming as well. We need to speak to Mrs Bearn and then head straight there, after that we'll head to yours and get some of your stuff together, and after that back to mine, then who knows what'll follow."
Gabriella interlaced her fingers with Troy's as they made their way out of the library. Troy was one of the most dedicated guys to their school work she'd ever known, but when it came to his daughter he'd drop everything just to get to her.
TGTGTGTG
Troy chuckled softly, as he watched Jasmine try to get her soft mini basketball through her mini hoop, but with no avail. Troy had been captain of his old school's basketball team since his second year of High school, but quit when Jasmine was born and hadn't picked up a basketball since, except for when he and Jasmine would play very unfair games of one on one.
"Jazzy, why don't you let Daddy help you?" Troy asked his daughter, as he got up from the couch and went and sat on the floor next to her, a few feet in front of the hoop.
"No I don't want your help, Jazzy better than Daddy."
"Really, what about Rosie? Is she good to?" Troy asked, picking the bear up from the floor next to him.
"Yeah, Rosie better than Daddy too." Jasmine simply stated, as she took Rosie from Troy and together they finally managed to get the ball through the hoop.
"Okay then, you two play basketball while I go and check on Gabi, okay?"
"Okay Daddy." Troy ruffled Jasmine's hair, as he got up and made his way to his bed room.
On the ride home from Gabriella's, Jasmine had fallen asleep in the car, so Troy had changed her clothes to something more comfortable and put her to bed.
Troy had made his way back to the lounge area only to find Gabriella hardly able to stay awake herself, so he'd found her some comfy sweats from her bag, sent her to go and get changed and then tucked her into his bed, where she'd quickly fallen asleep.
Upon entering his bedroom Troy found Gabriella starting to wake up.
"Hey Brie, how you feeling now?" Troy asked, as he walked round and climbed onto his side of the bed.
"I've felt better, but that sleep did make a difference, I've just got a lot of catching up to do is all. How's Jasmine? I heard you guys talking, so I guess she's awake?"
"Yeah, she woke up just over half an hour ago, she's playing basketball with Rosie because apparently they're both better than me." Troy said holding his arms open for Gabriella to cuddle into before she even asked.
"Can you play basketball then?"
"Yep, I was captain of the team back home from my second year there, I quit when Jazzy was born though, I haven't played since."
"If Jessica hadn't of died would you of kept playing? If you don't mind me asking that is."
"It's fine Brie I honestly don't mind talking about Jess, I'm gonna have to answer all Jazzy's questions when she's older so I might as well get used to it now. Would I have kept playing? I'm not sure really, Jess didn't come to many of my games, she didn't like the noise or simply the game, so I really don't know, it probably would've depended on what my grades were like, with looking after a new born and sleep loss, you know?""
"Yeah I see your point, the boys have got a game on Friday night, you gonna come?"
"Yeah I guess so ,it'll be weird to watch a game instead of play in it, but don't tell the others I play Brie, please. When I did play basketball was my everything, I can't do that again, not now that I've Jasmine to look after, she's my everything now."
"It's okay Troy I understand, maybe Jasmine could come to the game as well, if you're okay with her meeting the others that is."
"Do you think they'd except her? Like you did? I don't want them to look at me differently or not at all just because they find out that I've got a daughter."
"I'm not sure Troy, I know that's not what you wanna hear, but I've obviously never had to deal with this before, I don't know what the others will think of Jasmine, but there really is only one way to find out."
"Yeah I guess you're right, hang on a minute, I came in here to reassure you that everything's gonna be okay, but it looks like we swapped places."
Gabriella laughed. "Makes a difference though, me reassuring you and not the other way round. Is it Troy? Is it all gonna be okay?"
Troy pulled Gabriella closer and gently kissed her forehead. "Everything really is going to be okay Brie, Mrs Bearn will speak to your Mum and then probably both of you together, but your Mum only wants what's best for you, so I'm sure she'll do everything she can to make sure your Dad never hurts either of you again."
Gabriella nuzzled her face against Troy's chest and simply enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Is Gabwi awake?" Jasmine's voice called through the flat, as both Troy and Gabriella chuckled, wondering why Jasmine hadn't just come to find out herself.
"Why don't you come down here and find out?"
Troy didn't receive an answer but he could hear Jasmine talking to Rosie, so he figured she was en route.
"Gabwi, you're awake!" Jasmine exclaimed, as she ran into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed landing on Troy's legs.
"Hey Jazzy, how are you?" Gabriella asked the small girl, as Troy hooked one of his legs over her to stop her falling off the bed.
"Okay, you better now Gabwi?" Jasmine responded, as she wriggled her way in between Troy and Gabriella, Troy instantly wrapping his arms around them both.
"A little sweetie, I just need lots of sleep, that's all."
"Here," Jasmine said, as she handed Rosie over to Gabriella. "Rosie will make you feel betwer." Gabriella took the cuddly bear from Jasmine, who then wriggled out from Troy's arms to go and play more basketball.
"You should feel honoured, Rosie never goes more than a few feet away from her. By giving you Rosie it's her way of telling you everything thing will be okay. And she's right, everything is gonna be okay."
TGTGTGTG
There it is guys, chapter five hope you liked it!
Zanessa, what to say? What to say? The whole thing seems pretty crazy if you ask me and I still don't really wanna believe it, so I've got two ways of looking at it: if they've split up, I wish them both the best and will continue to follow them both, if they haven't split, then people need to stop making up crazy rumours:)
While we're on the topic: Happy Belated Birthday Vanessa! I hope you enjoy your party at the weekend!
As always guys:
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU!