Personal Chef
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Chapter 4
"YOU FORGOT ME TROY," she shouted.
The guys groaned. Troy and Gabriella had started arguing the previous day when Troy had said something and the tension between pair had cracked.
"I know," whispered Troy.
"YOU FORGOT!" she screamed.
"I KNOW," shouted Troy, "I admit it."
"You forgot me and I needed you so many times. So many times I needed my best friend and he never answered me," whispered Gabriella.
"I'm sorry," apologised Troy in a whisper.
"Yeah well, what's done is done," said Gabriella tiredly, a tear falling down her face.
Troy reached out a hand to wipe it away.
"Don't," she hissed, wiping it herself.
"Brie what happened?" he asked.
"Nothing important," she said, turning to go in the kitchen.
"Brie," said Troy.
"I need to cook Troy, it was nothing," she sniffed, closing the kitchen door.
Troy groaned and flopped onto the sofa next to the other guys.
"Something big happened after I left. Something that changed her," whispered Troy.
"But she's cut you out," said Chad.
"No, she's locked it and seeing me and remembering that she needed me is just forcing it open," groaned Troy.
Half an hour later.
"Guys, tea is ready," called Gabriella, as she opened the kitchen door.
The air was filled with a sweet and spicy aroma and Troy leaped to his feet as he realized that Gabriella had cooked one of her mother's Hispanic recipes and followed it with her brownies.
"God," groaned Troy, as he walked into the kitchen. "This reminds me of when I came to yours after school. Us doing homework, your mum cooking in the kitchen and your brother watching Formula 1," smiled Troy.
"He does that now in Australia," smiled Gabriella.
"I've been following him," said Troy.
"So how's your mum?" asked Troy, as they all tucked in.
Suddenly, the nice family feeling was gone and Gabriella tensed up before running out of the kitchen.
"Damn," muttered Troy.
"What?" asked Chad, his mouth stuffed full.
"I think that thing that happened when I went away was to do with her mother. I think Maria might have died," whispered Troy.
"Well you didn't know," shrugged Zeke.
"Yeah but after her dad died, they were really close. They spent loads of time together, cooked together and had holidays," sighed Troy. "I'm going to phone my folks to find out, though that will be a long conversation since I haven't spoken to them properly in almost two years."
"I speak to mine every week," said Chad.
"Well my mum always phones when we're about to go into a meeting or for an interview or something so I have a couple of minutes to say hi I'm fine you and bye. Not really the best phone calls to say someone has died," said Troy.
Before anymore can be said on the subject, the front door slammed shut as thunder echoed through the skies. Moments later, the rain came pouring down with a strike of lighting.
"Chad, you phone my folks I'll go after Gabriella," said Troy.
"Go after Gabriella and phone your folks tomorrow," said Chad.
"Don't eat my tea!" called Troy, as he left the house.
He dialled and dialled Gabriella's number but got the voicemail every time. He had no clue where she could have gone. So standing under a bus stop, he pulled out his phone and phoned his parents.
"Hello," said his mother as she picked up.
"Hey mum," said Troy.
"Troy now isn't a good time - we're about to go out for a meal," said his mother.
"I just have one quick question and I'll phone you tomorrow and explain everything," said Troy.
"Ok," said his mother.
"Gabriella is working for us, cooking and I mentioned her mum and she ran," said Troy. "So I was wondering if something had happened?"
"She died of cancer two years ago," sighed his mother.
"Shit! Tension is already thick between us I gotta go mum. Gabs ran out the house and then a thunderstorm started and you know how she hated those," said Troy.
"Text me when you find her. That girl was like a daughter to me and I haven't heard from her since she left a year and a half ago," said his mother.
"Will do mum, bye," he said, hanging up. "Gabriella, where are you," he muttered.
He continued to walk around the neighbourhood and phoned the guys to see if she had come back. After an hour, it was still pouring and there was still no sign of her. Troy was about five blocks from the Rebound house and getting into the more busy area when he heard a choked sob come from a little alleyway. It was there that he saw her. He only knew it was Gabriella because she was wearing his jacket that had been hanging by the door.
"Gabriella!" he called.
Her head snapped up. "Just go away Troy," she sniffed.
"No," said Troy, sitting next to her.
"Go away," she cried.
"Gabs, you're going to get sick, let's get you back to the house," said Troy.
"I miss her," whispered Gabriella.
"I bet you do," said Troy.
"How'd you know what I'm talking about?" asked Gabriella, allowing Troy to stand her up.
"I phoned my mum and found out," said Troy.
"I wanna go home," whispered Gabriella.
"We're going - we'll be back in twenty minutes unless you want me to phone one of the guys to come get us - it might be quicker," said Troy.
Gabriella nodded.
"Hey Chad, found her - we're on Linkin Street... Could one of you come and pick us up. Brie's soaked," said Troy.
"He'll be five minutes," said Troy.
In those five minutes, Gabriella poured her heart out. She spoke to him about what had happened after he left, about her mum having cancer and only telling her when it was too late. About the treatment her mum did have done and the day she died.
"Oh god I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight," she said, wiping her eyes.
"You can sleep with me if you want?" asked Troy.
Gabriella looked at him.
"God that sounded wrong, but you know what I mean," said Troy.
Gabriella nodded.
"Here's Chad," said Troy.
Minutes later, they were home and both went to have hot showers. After his shower Troy headed downstairs to heat up two brownies with the hot chocolate fudge sauce. He plopped a generous scoop of Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream on Gabriella's, knowing she would need it and then jumped when a wet head touched his back and a pair of cold hands slipped round his waist.
"Brownie," mumbled Gabriella.
"Yeah," said Troy.
"Can I really stay with you tonight?" asked Gabriella.
Troy placed the plates on the side and turned round wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Of course you can," he said, as she rested her head on his chest.
"Thanks, she mumbled.
"Brownie in bed?" he asked.
She nodded.
"You go up and I'll bring them up," he smiled pecking the top of her head.
"This is just like the old days," smiled Gabriella, as they sat crossed legged on Troy's bed.
"Yeah," mumbled Troy. "Think we'll ever get back to that?"
"I think we're there," smiled Gabriella.
"I'm going to find a way to make it up to you," said Troy.
"Troy, I forgive you - in the last week I've seen how busy it is for you guys... you don't have a few minutes to yourself so it's okay. I get why you couldn't call me but your parents Troy come on," said Gabriella, as she put the plates on the bedside table and lay down.
"Shit! My parents!" exclaimed Troy, grabbing his phone.
"Huh?" asked Gabriella.
"I told mum I'd phone her as soon as I found you. Bet she's going to want to talk to you," said Troy.
"TROY BOLTON!" shouted his mother.
"I know I was I meant to phone you when I found her, she's ok and I found her about two hours ago. We've both showered and tired. But she's ok and we've cleared the air," said Troy.
"I want to talk to her," said his mother.
"Sure, she's right here," said Troy, turning to look at Gabriella and found her asleep. "Um mum can I get her to call you tomorrow, she's asleep."
"Of course," his mother smiled. "You get some as well."
"Will do night mum," said Troy.
"Night and I expect a phone call from you tomorrow as well," said his mother, before she hung up.
Troy was glad he and Gabriella had cleared the air and that he'd talked to his mother. Now, he turned off the light and went to sleep.
The next morning was fuzzy for both of them. Pounding heads and stuffed up noses. Troy and Gabriella had colds - Gabriella's worse than Troy's. Gabriella moaned about not being able to cook. But the other guys assured them it was fine - they could go and get Nando's or McDonalds and they would bring them back some chicken noodle soup.
So Troy and Gabriella spent the day cuddled up in bed watching movies and feeling sorry for themselves. They talked about the last two years and what they had missed in each other's lives.
Just when they were about to drift off to sleep that evening, well they practically were asleep. Troy's bedroom door banged open and a loud female voice exclaimed.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
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Gabriella Somerfield