A/N I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! I ONLY OWN THIS PLOT! Ok, I lied again :/ there is no trial in this chapter either. A lot of you liked Heather and Kenny and asked to see more of them so I added in this fluffy filler chapter with a hint of drama at the end. I hope you guy can forgive me :/ I hope you all enjoy it:

Troy looked to his mother worriedly. Would this nightmare be so bad that Gabriella refused to ever sleep again, or even worse refuse to ever see her father in the hospital? Would this make her even more scared of the trial? Troy hugged her tighter just hoping this dream didn't cause Gabriella to fear…well everything.

Since Gabriella didn't want to go back to sleep Troy and her decided to watch something on TV. Troy hoped it would help soothe her into sleeping again.

His cell phone vibrated on the couch and he grabbed it. He saw it was a text from Kenny. He opened it and chuckled.

U awake?

He responded back to him Yeah, I'm awake. Is everything ok?

He looked to Gabriella and smiled. She was lying softly on his lap. She was fighting the sleep but was close to giving in. Troy decided to help her along and gently scratched her back and sung softly, which put her right to sleep.

Kenny's response came though and Troy smiled softly at his message. Yeah, everything is fine. Heather just woke up with a nightmare and now she won't go to sleep.

Troy responded back Don't worry, I'm in the same boat you are. I just turned on the TV and let her lay on my lap on the couch. I kept the lights dim and just let the light from the TV be enough. She's tired Man, just put her in the right environment and she'll go back to sleep. I just helped her along by rubbing her back if you want to try that.

He hit send and sighed. He looked to Gabriella who was finally sleeping peacefully. He knew she slept good when he was there with her, but the second he left she'd get scared. He wondered if that's how Heather was. Kenny's response answered that.

I'd love to do that, but her parents won't let us sleep in the same bed, so they won't let us spend the night on the couch together. I really hate it. She wakes up every couple minutes screaming on top of her lungs and all I'm allowed to do is comfort her. I can't help her fall back to sleep. That's her father's job.

Wait, you've been friends your whole life and you aren't allowed to share a bed?

Nope, not since we got together.

Look, I think you need to talk to your parents and her parents and tell them it might help her sleep if she is with you. I know Gabriella sleeps a lot more peacefully when I hold her and keep her close by me. If you want to help Heather sleep, hold her close to you all night.

I will, I'll talk to them right now. Thanks!

Anytime.

Troy looked to Gabriella and decided to turn off the TV. Now that Gabriella was sleeping he could sleep easy knowing she was comfortable.

Just as he was about to drift into dreamland his cell buzzed again. He grabbed it and saw it was Kenny.

Thank you for the advice. It really helped. I've got Heather in my arms and she's sleeping peacefully. We have to keep the door opened but that's understandable. Anyway, thanks again

No problem, I'm glad I could help. I just can't wait for this to be over. Gabriella is so mentally tortured by this trial.

Yeah, Heather is too. I wish I could see her smile again, or better yet hear her laugh.

Yeah, I want to hear Gabriella laugh more than anything…hey that gives me an idea, do you have any plans after school on Friday?

No, why?

Let's meet at the park, we can take our girls out and just have some fun before the trial on Saturday.

Sounds like a plan. Let's meet at the park by the basketball court at 5:00

Ok, I'll meet you there.

Great! See you then, Troy. Bye.

Bye Kenny

Troy smiled as he closed the phone. He loved Chad but it was also kind of nice to have a friend who was having the same struggles he was, girlfriend struggles anyway. He kissed Gabriella on the head and let the darkness finally take over.

The week went by fast, mainly because school went so well. Although, at night Gabriella was tormented by the nightmares and always woke up unable to go back to sleep unless, one, she was in a different room, and two she was held close and tightly against Troy's chest.

Toy was so happy it was finally Friday. Gabriella needed some fun and he was going to make sure she had it.

After school they arrived at the park. They met of up Heather and Ken by the basketball courts. The girls hugged softly while they boys shook hands and hugged while slapping each other on the back.

They set up a picnic blanket right in the middle of the court; luckily nobody was playing so they were safe.

"So, I got some pizza and cookies, and brownies." Kenny said.

"Great, I'm starving." Troy said.

"Me too." Heather nodded. "I could eat a horse."

"And yet she stays so thin." Kenny chuckled.

"Tell me about it. How do girls do it?" Troy laughed.

Heather shook her head. "You're just being nice. I'm actually very fat."

"She's kidding." Kenny said. He looked to his girlfriend and said "You're not fat, Angel. I promise."

Heather shook her head. "I am, he just says I'm not to make me feel better."

Kenny sighed dramatically and reached over and started to tickle her stomach. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me no other choice."

Heather fell over giggling. Kenny continued to tickle her.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm looking for her fatty spots. When she doesn't laugh it's a fatty spot. Since her stomach is so ticklish she's never not laughing. It's how I get her to believe she isn't fat." Kenny answered.

"Smart." Troy smirked looking to Gabriella.

"OH no! Don't get any ideas!"

He chuckled but continued to smirk. She smiled and shook her head.

"Stop it, Kenny!" Heather laughed.

"Say the magic words."

"I'm not fat!"

He stopped tickling her. She sat up panting. Everyone chuckled.

"Anyway, let's eat, I'm super hungry." Gabriella said.

Every started to eat their pizza.

"Oh, Troy, I never got a chance to thank you. Heather has been sleeping much better since I've been with her. "

"Yeah, that was a really good idea. Thank you, Troy." Heather nodded softly and shyly.

"You're welcome. Its how Gabriella is, she can't sleep without nightmares. Yet when I'm there and holding her she sleeps just fine." Troy answered.

"It just makes me feel so safe, falling asleep is easier when I know Troy is holding me safely." Gabriella responded shyly.

Heather nodded. "I feel the same way."

Both girls blushed at their confessions and the boys smiled at them.

"We don't care, we love making you feel safe." Kenny said.

"Yep, it's our job as boyfriends." Troy nodded.

"Troy…can I ask you something…" Heather asked softly.

"Sure." Troy answered nicely.

He knew she was still shy around him and he didn't want her to be scared of him so he always tried to be as nice and as gentle as possible.

"Um…well, I was just curious….after Peter…after Gabriella was…um…" Heather stumbled over her words and looked down to her lap.

"Are you trying to ask about how I felt after I learned Peter had sexually assaulted Gabriella?" Troy wondered.

Heather nodded.

"I was very, very, angry, but I know knew that I needed to stay calm otherwise my anger would scare Gabriella into never trusting me again. I never for one second blamed her or believed she cheated on me or felt like she had betrayed me in anyway."

"Oh…"

"Why did you ask?" Troy asked carefully.

"She still can't understand why I don't blame her and why I'm not angry with her. She just can't accept it." Kenny said.

"She blames herself and she feels angry with herself, and she feels like she betrayed you. That's why she's always asked if you feel that way too. It's how she feels." Gabriella answered. "I felt that way for a long time, but Troy just continued to reassure me and after a while, I believed it and I no longer felt that way. It's going to take time but you'll feel better soon."

Heather nodded softly again. "You get it."

"I've been through it, too."

"After tomorrow, both you girls will be able to move on." Kenny said.

"Tomorrow, the trial is tomorrow." Heather asked.

"Don't worry, my mom is ready. Peter is going away for a very long time." Troy said.

"You don't know that." Heather said. "If he has a good lawyer..."

'My mother is best; nobody has ever beaten her before. Peter is no different."

Heather sighed. "Plus, even if I do, do this, what's going to stop him from going after those I care about?"

"He'll be in jail. He can't hurt you from inside there." Kenny said.

Gabriella shivered. That's what she had thought and yet…her father was in the hospital and she had yet to go visit him.

"Hey, look, today was supposed to be fun, and forgetting about the bad stuff. So the next person who even thinks about Peter will be tickled." Troy warned.

"How do you know what we're thinking about?" Heather asked.

He just chuckled. "All right, fine, the next person who even mentions Peter's name…will be tickled."

Everyone just looked to each other. Nobody said a word. It was like; they had nothing to talk about except for Peter.

"Really?" Troy asked.

Gabriella giggled. "What?"

"Nobody has anything else to talk about?"

"Oh no, we do, I was just waiting for Heather to mention…he who shall not be named, so I can tickle her." Kenny chuckled.

Troy laughed with him. "So, do you go to West High?" He asked changing the subject.

"We both do." Kenny nodded.

"Not the best school ever. I can't wait to get out of there." Heather said.

"Why don't you transfer over? I did." Gabriella answered.

"I wish, but our parents want us to finish the semester. They believe just because Peter is gone we're safe."

Gabriella scoffed. "That's not true. If anything you're in even more danger because of his friends."

"Tell me about it. They never leave me alone."

Gabriella sighed and shook her head. "They can't survive without him so they bother us instead."

"They want to make, Peter proud so when he returns he'll be happy and pleased with them."

Both boys just watched the girls go back and forth. The girls stopped and looked to the boys.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"You do you realize what you just said?" Troy asked.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"You mentioned, Peter."

"You both did." Kenny smirked.

The girls looked to each other and squealed. They both stood up and took off running. The boys laughed and started after them.

Just as the girls reached an open grassy areas the boys caught up with them and gently tackled them to the ground. Both boys attacked their girlfriend's most ticklish spots as the girls laughed breathlessly with soundless laugher, as they squirmed and tried to fight their hands away.

The boys stopped and the girls panted softly. "That wasn't nice." Gabriella said.

"You loved it." Troy smirked.

"Not with you attack my ribs."

"Yeah," Heather agreed. "Or when you go after my stomach."

The boys laughed. "You were both warned."

"Well, sorry, but he's been on my mind a lot lately. It's hard not to talk about him." Heather said.

"Ouch, not what guys like to hear from their girlfriends mouth." Kenny teased. "I think she needs to be punished more."

"She did just mention Peter…again." Troy nodded.

"Guys, leave her alone, she's right, it's hard not to think about…Pe…" Troy looked to her with a smirk. "…him, when the trial is tomorrow." Gabriella defended.

"The whole point of today was to make you forget about him and forget about tomorrow ." Troy said.

"As hard as it is, you girls really need to try and forget about him. He's not worth it." Kenny nodded.

The girls just looked to each other and sighed. They both nodded.

"How about a game of basketball?" Gabriella asked.

"That's my girl." Troy smiled and kissed her head.

Heather shook her head. "I don't want to."

"Why not?" Kenny asked.

"We can do girls against boys." Gabriella suggested.

"We will lose."

"So what? We can still have fun."

Heather shook her head. "I don't want to play basketball. It makes me think of…well…him."

"How? He was the worst player in history." Troy said.

"He was the captain of the West High Knights, he wasn't that bad." Heather said.

"Troy is better than him." Gabriella defended.

"You say that now, but I'm sure when you were dating him you thought he was the best player there was." Heather said.

"Stop it!" Gabriella growled. "You know nothing about when I was with him."

"Easy, Baby." Troy soothed rubbing her back.

"Why are we seriously still talking about this freak? He's nothing more than a bug under our shoe and you two are acting like he's the King of the world." Kenny sighed angrily.

"Sorry if I can't just forget about him, like you can. You weren't the one sexually assaulted by him, you weren't the one he got all his friends to bully, and you weren't the one having your parents lives threatened. You weren't the one he has abused physically and mentally." Heather snapped back.

"Hey, hold on, we may not have been physically effected like you two have but we're effected by it just as much because it effected you two. Did Peter hurt us the way he hurt you? No, but we are still hurt by his actions because he hurt you and that hurts us." Troy explained.

Heather sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry, Kenny. I don't know what wrong with me."

Kenny went over to her and hugged her tightly. "It's ok, I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"I'm sorry too."

"What? Why?"

"Because of what I'm going to do next."

She looked confused but shrieked when he lifted her shirt and blew a raspberry on her stomach. He pinned her arms to her chest and continued with his raspberries. She screamed in giggles. Troy chuckled as he watched.

"Want to help me?" Kenny asked.

Troy laughed. "Sure."

He got down next to them and tickled her stomach as Kenny blew raspberries. Heather screamed in laughter squirming around. "Gab…help!" she choked out.

Gabriella rushed over and jumped onto Troy's back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He chuckled and leaned back and reached behind him and tickled her sides. Gabriella squealed in giggles. The boy laughed.

"Stop!" Heather screamed."Can't breathe!"

Both boys stopped and Troy sat up. The girls panted but smiled none the less.

"Ok, I've learned my lesson no more talking about….him." Heather said.

Me too, no more protecting Heather from tickling torture." Gabriella teased.

"Hey!"

Everyone laughed.

"I'm just kidding."

"Let's head back to the courts and have some cookies and brownies." Troy said.

"You go; I've got to use the restroom." Gabriella said.

"Me too. Way too much laughing." Heather nodded.

"Ok, meet you girls back at the table. " Troy said.

The girls and the boy walked away from each other.

Just as the girls were leaving the bathroom they heard and voice behind them.

"Gabriella?"

Gabriella gasped as she spun around. "What…how…" Gabriella was so speechless she couldn't move.

Heather looked confused at the older woman standing in front of them. "Who are you?"

"Maria Montez." The woman said. "You must be a new friend of Gabriella's?"

"Yes, my name is Heather. Montez? Are you Gabriella's mother?"

"Yes, indeed I am. It's wonderful to meet you."

Maria turned to Gabriella "How's your father?"

Gabriella turned snow white and started to shake uncontrollably. Her heat started to beat a little faster.

"Is he still in the hospital? You blame Peter don't you? Well you're wrong. It wasn't him. Just remember something, tomorrow no matter what happens to Peter, your father's attacker will still be out there roaming the streets free as a bird. So really…you won't be getting any justice for him. I look forward to the day he dies. I can't wait to have you back."

Gabriella's breathing increased. "St-stop." She stuttered.

Maria just smiled. "It was good to see you. Have fun tomorrow, and when you're on the stand tomorrow talking about Peter, just remember your poor father in the hospital, scared, alone, and hurting, and that you're not doing a think to get justice for him."

Then she looked to Heather. "Goodbye."

Maria walked away. Heather turned to Gabriella who was panting hard and shaking. "Come on; let's get back to the guys." Heather said gently.

Instead Gabriella sunk down to the floor and started to cry hysterically, her body just trembling beyond control. Her breathing was hard and coming out in pants.

"Hey, what's going on here?" a new voice said.

Heather turned and saw a bushy haired boy walking toward them. She flinched but stood her ground. Gabriella needed her.

"None of your business stay away or I'll scream..."

"Whoa, Calm down. I'm a friend of Gabriella." The boy said as he knelt down in front of Gabriella.

"What happen to her?" the boy asked.

"I'm really not sure. Her mother was here, talking about her dad and Gabriella just shut down." Heather explained.

"Her mother?" Chad asked shocked gently examine Gabriella for any wounds or bruises.

"Yes. I don't understand, what's going on?"

"I'll explain later. Is Troy here?"

"Yes, he's at the basketball court with my boyfriend Kenny."

"Ok, we need to get her to him."

"I've tried. She's un responsive."

The boy sighed and leaned looked to Gabriella.

"Hey, Gabster, it's Chad, I can take you to Troy but I need you to help me, all right? I need you to wrap your arms around my neck, can you do that?"

Gabriella nodded softly and lifted her arms up and wrapped them around Chad's neck. He lifted her legs and carried her bridal style as she buried her face into his neck and continued to cry.

Chad stood and followed Heather out the door and back outside.

On the courts Troy and Kenny were laughing when Kenny noticed something.

"Troy, why is a bushy haired boy headed this way with our girls, one of them in his arms looking really upset."

Troy looked up and gasped. He stood and rushed over meeting Chad about halfway. He put his hand on Gabriella's back. "What happen?"

"I'll explain in a minute, just take her." Chad said.

He switched a still hysterically Gabriella over to Troy. She clung to him tightly and cried into his chest as he gasped for air.

"Shhh, shhh, I'm here, Baby, I'm here. You're safe." Troy cooed gently to her ear.

She whimpered but her breathing and heart rate dropped back to normal. He continued to comfort her as Kenny came over.

"What's going on?" Kenny asked.

"I don't know yet, Chad?"

"Maria was back. According to this girl she was asking all kinds of questions about her father." Chad explained.

"I knew she was the one who did it." Troy muttered.

"She also said that…" Heather spoke up softly but stopped.

"Said what? Please, Heather, tell me." Troy begged.

"It was something about Peter maybe getting what he deserved but Gabriella wouldn't get justice for her father."

Troy sighed and growled softly.

"What is going on? Who is Maria and what happen to her father?" Kenny asked.

Troy sighed once more and hugged a still crying Gabriella to his chest. "It's a long story."

"We've got time." Kenny said.

Troy kissed Gabriella on the head. "Can I tell everyone?"

She nodded her head against him.

Troy went on telling the others all about Gabriella's past with her mother. He left out the part of Peter asking Maria to hurt Carlos in fear of Heather changing her mind and not testifying. He just blamed it all on Maria.

"That's crazy." Kenny said. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks."

"Is she going to be ok?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, she'll be fine."

Yet, deep down, he knew there was a very good chance Gabriella was going to be a lot more hesitant to testify tomorrow. He just hoped he was wrong.

A/N ok this time I promise next chapter is the trial, but will Gabriella get her confidence back to actually testify or did Maria scare her too much? Leave me your thoughts in a review.

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