Lovesick
*Chapter 7
A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. I didn't plan on updating two chapters at first but then I realized that I didn't want to keep updating with just one chapter everytime so I took the time (and sorry it takes me forever to write a chapter. Haha) to write two chapters for you guys. This chapter is longer than my normal chapters but that's just because I put a lot in this chapter. So far, this chapter is one of my bests so I hope you guys like it. I love all the reviews you guys have for me but I would like some more. They encourage me to update a lot more so keep posting those reviews. One more thing; I'm sure you all know Charlie St. Cloud comes out here in a few days and I've just finished reading the book for the second time. It's an amazing book and it's inspired me to write a one-shot for the movie. Obviously I'll have to see the movie first before I work on the one-shot but I'm really considering a one-shot for Charlie St. Cloud. I'll let you know about that soon. Okay, enjoy my next chapter! Please review! Thanks!
Chapter 7 – Slipping Away
Gabriella pulled the covers back on her bed and yawned softly. It had been two weeks since her and Troy had talked. Ever since their argument, Troy had been leaving her message after message apologizing to her about what he said. Gabriella avoided him and the conversation because she knew he was right. She had changed since she started dating Scott. Her sweet, loving attitude that she was well known for changed. She was becoming more rebellious, more ruthless. Taylor even noticed that she wasn't as friendly as she used to be. Gabriella just shrugged it off everytime. Just because she was now Scott's girlfriend doesn't mean that she's now some girl that no one recognized. She was still Gabriella, right?
She shook her head and got out of bed. She walked over to closet and opened it up. She needed something nice to wear for Scott. She went over to her dresses and flipped through them. She pulled out two casual dresses that just happened to be gifts Troy had bought her. She looked at the one in her right hand and then left hand. The dress in her right hand was purple and a little low cut at the chest. There were tiny rhinestones along the shoulders. It was a decent outfit. She then glanced at the one in her left hand. It was a more attention-grabbing dress. It was both green and white; the mini flowers scattered all along the dress were the green color. The top was more low-cut than the purple dress but she thought it was perfect. She put the purple dress back and set the green dress on the edge of her bed. After setting her green flats and white sweater with her outfit, she grabbed a towel and quickly got in the shower.
The few minutes later, Gabriela emerged for the bathroom with the towel wrapped around her body and dark curls still wet from the shower. She got dressed and the styled her hair. She decided to put her hair up in a messy bun since it went the best with everything else. She then washed her face and brushed her teeth. To top off her look, she applied some light foundation yo her face, some eye-liner around her eyes, light green eye shadow, black mascara, pink blush, and light red lipstick. She glanced in the mirror at herself. Perfect. It was 6:45 which meant she had 15 minutes until Scott would be here. She went over to her nightstand and checked her phone for messages. There were seven voicemails from Troy. Did he not understand that she wasn't in the mood? Gabriella sighed and deleted them. She smiled when she noticed a text from Scott.
-Hey sleepy head, time to wake up. I hope you had a good night's sleep last night. I sure did. I couldn't stop thinking about you. ;) I'll be over to pick you up a little bit earlier this morning because it'll give us more time alone. If you know what I mean. See you around 6:55.
Gabriella smiled at Scott's cute little wake up text and replied back.
-Okay. :) Btw, I had a wonderful night's sleep. Did you read my mind? Hehe. See you in a bit. 3
She closed her phone and tossed it in her bag for the day. She grabbed her books, sweater, and then headed downstairs. There was a note on the refrigerator for her. It was from her mom.
-Got called in early for work. Jury duty. I'll be home late tonight. There's leftovers in the fridge or you can order some pizza. Or if you're going to be over at Scott's then just make sure you something. And don't be out too late okay? Love you. Mom
Gabriella set the note down and went over to the window. It was 6:55. Scott should be here any minute. She grabbed her bag and went outside. The chilly air immediately hit her skin, making her shiver.
"Jeez, it's freezing out here." She mumbled, putting on her sweater. Why am I wearing a dress? She thought.
A few minutes later, she saw Troy come outside and get in his car. As he slowly drove by, Gabriella tried her absolute hardest not to steal a glance at him but she just couldn't resist. She glanced up and their eyes met. She noticed his perfect brown hair, golden skin; his shaped muscles. She could have sworn the look in his eyes were different though. It was almost as if his blue eyes were showing that he was guilt about something. The only problem was that she didn't exactly know what he was guilty for.
The roaring of a car engine snapped Gabriella out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Scott parked by her mailbox. She walked over and got in. Once her seatbelt was on, she smiled over at Scott.
"Hey," Scott greeted her with a kiss. "Wow, you look great." He put the car in drive and started down the road.
"Thank you. I picked it out just for you." She gushed.
"Well I love. I might need to stay close to you in case those other seniors try to take you away from me." He teased. He reached over and linked his hand with hers.
She smiled. "I don't think they'll be able to get to me that easily."
"I hope not," He smiled and stopped at a stop light. "So are you still talking to Troy?"
Gabriella sighed and looked out the window. Was there a time when Scott wasn't asking her about him. "I don't know. If saying "hi" to him counts as talking, then yeah we are. Otherwise, no we're not. I don't know why our friendship has suddenly hit a bump in the road. I mean, he's talking to everyone else. Everyone else but me. So who knows what his problem is."
Scott glanced over at her. "Maybe it's because he's realizing that you're growing up and starting to grow apart from him. Gabriella, there isn't much you can do. He'll understand sooner or later." He ran his fingers over her knuckles.
She looked at him and smiled weakly. "I guess so. I just don't want the rest of our friendship to be like this. I need Troy in my life." She stared out the window again.
They pulled into the school parking lot at 7:05. Scott parked in the same spot he always parked: on the left side of the East High building.
"Come here," Scott said, pulling Gabriella into his lap.
"Scott, what are you doing?" She giggled. She landed in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"This," Scott leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He let his fingers roam her curls as his lips slowly moved to her neck and then her shoulder.
"Scott," Gabriella mumbled. She closed her eyes and shivered at his touch. This was all new to Gabriella; for she's never had someone touch her the way Scott was right now. Sure, they've had some make-out sessions before but each time she's let Scott touch her even more than before. She wanted this; she wanted him, but there were there always boundaries in a relationship. And right now with Scott's hand trying to get under her dress, she had to draw those boundaries.
She pulled away from him and took his hand in hers.
"I'm sorry but we can't do this. Especially not here and not now."
"I know. I'm sorry. I just don't know what else to do when I'm with you. I know it's been two weeks since we started dating but I've never felt this way about anyone. I just want to show how fast I've fallen for you." He ran his fingers through her hair.
"I know. We have to try to take this slow though." She let her head fall on his chest and sighed. The clock said 7:10 which meant they only had five minutes until they had to leave. Gabriella didn't want to let go of him so while there was still time, she pulled him closer and listened to the soft beat of his heart.
Troy stood by Sharpay's locker with his shoulder against the metal. After what happened with Sharpay, Troy had given it a lot of thought and decided to give her another chance. There wasn't anything wrong with being friends with benefits, right? The only problem was that 'friends with benefits' had trouble written all over it.
Troy stood up straighter when he saw Sharpay walking down the hall. To his surprise she wasn't wearing her usual pink outfit. She had on a light blue blouse, a black mini-skirt and blue high heels. He actually found her outfit sexy. Whoa, did he just say sexy?
Troy shook his head to get rid of his thoughts and saw Sharpay smiling up at him.
"Hey Troy," She cooed. She opened her locker, took her books out and closed it again. "You just couldn't resist huh?"
Troy blinked. "What? Oh yeah I guess. I was just here to make sure you understand the boundaries of our friendship. I can't exactly be friends with benefits, Sharpay. Okay? I didn't know what was going to happen last week with you and when it did, I realized that I had messed up. We can't be sneaking around like this. If someone catches us making out or even something more that that, they're going to talk. And then the whole school's eventually going to find out and they're going to assume we're dating. I can't have that happen," He paused and looked down. "And besides, I have a best friend who needs me right now. I promised her I'd be there for her."
"So you don't want Gabriella to think you're interested in someone else? You have feelings for her and think she'll notice if you push everyone away." She took a step towards him. "Let me ask you this then. If you know your best friend so well, why did I see her putting condoms in her bag when she and Scott left the car this morning? Still think Gabriella's interested in you?" She stepped passed him and walked away. Troy stood there, dumbfounded. How could Gabriella be thinking about sleeping with Scott already? They just started dating. Troy could feel anger boiling up inside. Scott was most likely convincing her to do things she'll regret later. He winced when he imagined Scott's hand roaming her skin. No way was he gonna let that happen. Not to her. Not to his best friend. Troy took a deep breath and then walked around the corner to his locker.
Little did he know that Gabriella had been listening to their entire conversation from the other corner. Gabriella knew one thing: Sharpay was a liar.
Troy walked into the gym a few minutes before gym class started so he could warm up. Chad, Zeke, and Jason were messing around on the court and of course Scott was there with Gabriella in his lap. Scott's hands were inching its way under her dress and Gabriella would giggle but let him do it again.
"Jerk," Troy muttered under his breath. He grabbed a basketball from the cart and shot a three-pointer. Chad caught it at the bottom of the net.
"Hey hoops, what's the plan? Are we hanging out or what? Even though it's Monday, we can set aside that studying for Calculus until tomorrow." He passed him the ball.
"I've already got my studying in. But dude, I'm having a party. My parents are gone all day. They won't be back until tomorrow morning."
"Nice. Party at the captain's tonight!" Chad turned to Zeke and Jason. He gave them all high fives.
Troy went to grab the basketball but then stopped. He couldn't forget about Gabriella. He turned to the bleachers and saw her giving Scott a goodbye hug.
"Gabriella," Troy called, jogging over to her.
"Oh hey Troy." She flashed a small smile.
"I'm having a party tonight. Do you want to come? I'm making the world's greatest hamburgers."
She smiled a little wider. "Yeah, sure." She glanced back at Scott. "Do you mind if I bring…"
"Yeah, I guess. Just tell him that there can't be any trouble. And no beer. Or the party's over."
" Okay, deal. I'll see you tonight. Thanks Troy." She smiled once more before going over to give Scott one last goodbye kiss.
"Okay guys," Troy announced. "Practice time."
Trouble at tonight's party was just waiting to happen.
Gabriella sat in Physics class, trying her best to concentrate for the next 45 minutes of class. All she could think about was Troy's conversation with Sharpay. Troy couldn't possibly be in love with her. He was her best friend. There was just no way.
She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a note to Taylor. She tossed it on her desk.
Taylor read it and turned around. "How do you know?" She mouthed.
"I heard him talking to Sharpay this morning. She was talking about Troy pushing everyone away so that I'd notice. Notice that he likes me? He can't like me."
Taylor shrugged and turned around in her seat.
What if Troy does like her? Is there any possible way that she felt the same way about him?
"I'll see you tonight, Scott." Gabriella giggled. She planted another kiss on his lips as she leaned into his car that was parked on the sidewalk.
"Okay. I'll see you tonight." He rolled up his window and then drove away.
Gabriella walked up the steps to her house and let herself in. She went upstairs, quickly changed into capris and a yellow blouse, and then re-applied her make-up. It wasn't anything fancy but it was nice enough for tonight's party. She plopped down on her bed and stared at the picture of her and Troy on her nightstand. It was taken last summer when they were in New York. They were both so happy then. Now it was like their friendship was slowly ceasing to exist. What changed? Honestly, it was her that had changed. If she never met Scott then she wouldn't be dating him. And if she wasn't dating him then she's still be Troy's best friend. Sometimes she wished Scott was never around and everything would be the way it used to be. But then again, even if Scott was never here, would that explain Sharpay and Troy? There was obviously something going on between the two and she would find out soon. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. All she could do now was wait.
It was 7:45pm at the Bolton's. After checking in with his parents and lying about what his plans tonight were, Troy was feeling a little overwhelmed and most of all, guilty. Sure, he had lied to his parents before about these types of things but he was feeling guilty that he was keeping a big secret from Gabriella. He wanted so much to tell her that he had kissed Sharpay and that he might even have feelings for her. But he didn't. What he really wanted to tell her though was how much he's in love with her and how he only thought her and Scott dating in the first place was wrong because he wanted to be her boyfriend. Confessing his feelings to her was a dangerous decision he had to make sooner or later. But right now, with only 15 minutes until the party started, Troy chose later.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the front door open.
"Deliveries for the captain," Chad called as he brought in cases of soda along with pizza. Zeke and Jason came in with more pizza and placed it on the counter.
"Man, that's a lot of pizza. How many people are coming?" Troy asked, counting the number of boxes.
"I don't know. Zeke and Jason invited the people." Chad sat down on the couch.
"It looks like you're inviting the entire school. Damn."
"Hey man, chill. It's a party. Just relax." Chad got up and slapped Troy on the shoulder.
Troy shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I'm just worried." He jumped up onto the counter to sit.
"Dude, please don't tell me you're worried about Gabriella and Scott. Hello, you're gonna be under the same roof as them. It's not like you're gonna let them do anything."
"Scott's coming and you know he's gonna invite his senior friends. Eventually I'm gonna to have to deal with the beer that they bring into the house. I told Gabriella to tell him I don't want it my house but who knows if she even listens to me anymore."
"Just make sure Gabriella doesn't get a hold of it. Because you know that Scott can get girls to do what he wants with a snap of a finger. It's never good."
"Yeah." Troy would make sure Gabriella was in his sight the entire time. What if she isn't though?
By 9pm, the entire Bolton house was packed with juniors and seniors. Jones Fisher, one of the seniors and fellow friend of Troy, was up at the music system playing "Tik Tok". Just like Troy had guessed, there were Scott's friends opening cans of beer and passing them out to everyone. Others were either on the floor dancing, doing who knows what in the bedrooms, or outside hanging out by the pool. Troy's parents told Troy that no one was allowed near the pool while they were gone but he's sure that someone was going to break that rule too. Troy needed to get this party under control. He pushed his way through the crowd of people and over to the foosball table where Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Jason, Kelsi and Martha were hanging out.
"Hey Taylor, have you seen Gabriella? I need to find her." Troy said, over the loud music.
She shrugged. "The last place I saw her was on the couch with Scott. She might still be there but I don't know for sure."
Before Troy could answer, Sharpay came up with a cup in her hand.
"Hey Troy," She slurred. "Do you want to go somewhere with me?" She grabbed onto his shirt for balance.
"Sharpay, you're drunk. You need to go get some fresh air." He pulled her hands away from his chest.
"But Troy, we were having some fun."
"Sharpay, stop okay? Whatever we had going on between us is over okay? You need to calm down. Let me see that." He took the cup of beer out of her hands and put it on the counter. He then made his way through the crowd again and searched for Gabriella. He finally found her in Scott's lap on one of the arms of the chairs. She had an empty cup in her hand and was laughing a little bit more than usual. Then Troy realized why. She's been drinking. All night he had kept a close eye on her and now she's Scott. And she's drunk. She was slipping away too fast for Troy. He went over to the chair and took the cup out of her hand.
"What are you doing?" Troy asked.
"Hey, I was drinking that. I'm fine; really." She slurred slightly.
"No, you're not fine. You're drunk. Did Scott give this to you?"
"Hey Bolton. Chill okay? It's just a little beer." Scot interrupted.
Troy laughed sarcastically. "It's just a little beer. I'm not having her drink this. Gabriella, come on. You need to get some air." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up.
Gabriella out her hand to her head. "Oh mi God, I don't feel so good. I need to go outside." She said as she slightly stumbled to find the door. She opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside into the cool night. She went to sit down in an empty chair but then she bumped into Sharpay. She could feel her headache starting to subside and the anger setting in.
"Sharpay, what the hell is wrong with you? You've been telling Troy lies. I heard you talking to him this morning."
"All I did was told him the truth since he obviously couldn't handle it from you."
"You're such a liar. Me and Scott haven't even thought about sleeping together yet. I can't believe you'd tell him that we are."
"I only said you had condoms."
"And who doesn't? You're just jealous."
"Me? Jealous? Not even close. I guess little miss perfect isn't so perfect anymore."
Gabriella pushed her. "Don't say that to me."
Sharpay almost stumbled backwards but caught herself. She pushed Gabriella back. "Don't touch me."
Before Gabriella could stop herself from falling from the effect of the push and the heavy weight in her head, she slipped backwards. The next thing she knew she was gasping her air. She could feel her head pounding at such a force that she couldn't concentrate on swimming to the surface. All she could feel was the pounding of her head, her heart, and her eyes slipping closed as she lost consciousness.
The second Troy heard the splashing of the pool, he quickly ran to the back door to see what was going on. Everyone was crowding around the pool so Troy pushed his way through.
"I told you guys not to mess around by the…" Troy suddenly froze when he saw someone at the bottom of the pool. "Oh mi God." He immediately dived into the pool. He swam to bottom, put his arms around Gabriella and then swam to the surface.
"Move, move," Troy said as he laid her down on the ground. He put his head to her chest and checked to make sure she was breathing.
"She's okay but she's unconscious." He put his lips to her mouth and blew. Her lips were so cold against his. This was not a time to be fantasizing about giving Gabriella CPR. He put both hands on her chest and pushed down.
He checked her breathing again. "Come on, Gabriella." He tried again.
"Come on, please." Troy pleaded.
He tried once more. "Wake up for me, Brie."
He couldn't lose her like this. Not now. Not ever.
Gabriella's heart pounded softly as she regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes and stared into that familiar pair of ocean blue eyes.
"What…what happened?" She struggled, coughing. She tried to sit up but then Troy wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.
"It's okay. I'm gonna get you home." He turned to Chad. "Make sure everyone leaves, please." Chad nodded and went inside.
Troy walked past Scott.
"Gabriella, are you okay?"
"She's fine. Now get out of my house." Troy spat. He walked to the gate, grabbed his Wildcat jacket on the nearby chair, walked out the gate and onto the sidewalk.
It cold out and Gabriella was probably freezing so Troy wrapped his jacket around her. He looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep. He smiled at the way her features always seemed so peaceful whenever she slept. It was a shame that Scott was taking even the most precious things away from her.
Troy finally reached her house and walked up the steps. He reached under a flower pot that was sitting near the door and found the extra key. He unlocked the door and the quietly stepped inside. He walked up the stairs to her room. It was dark inside so Troy turned on her light. He walked over to her bed and laid her down. He then pulled the covers up to her and got up. He was about to leave when he heard Gabriella stir softly and call his name.
"Troy…" She opened her eyes.
He walked over to her bed and bent down on her knees. "Hey."
"Troy…I'm sorry about what happened. I was so scared…thank you for saving me. I don't…I don't know what I would do without you."
"Hey, hey. It's okay. It wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're okay. I'll see you in the morning okay?" He brushed a curl from her face.
"Mkay." Her eyes slowly closed shut again.
Troy made sure she was asleep and then got up. He looked back at her one more time before closing the door softly. Troy knew he had promised to be there for Gabriella. Now, he wasn't so sure he could keep that promise much longer.
A/N: That was a pretty good chapter huh? I thought it was a good chapter to go with the previous one. I hope you all enjoyed it! That was a very long chapter but it was definitely worth it. I have a few questions just fun for this chapter if you want to answer. Do you think it's right for Troy to push aside his mixed emotions with Gabriella every time he comes to save her from Scott? Do you think that it's time for him to back down? And why do you think that Gabriella is constantly letting Scott convince her to do things she doesn't want to do? Do you think she's really changing or is it just doing it for Scott's pleasure? Feel free to answer. I'd love to hear her answers. : ) Please review these two chapters okay? I'll update again soon! Ly!
xoxo, Alyssa