The Guy Next Door
Chapter 8
After lunch I went to my next class, which was another new class for the second half of the year. It was child development, something I had wanted to take since I started high school but I hadn't gotten the chance, and I wanted to take as little classes as possible next year for my senior year so I had to take it this year. It was still a bit early so when I got to class there was only one other person there. Troy. So I must have another class with him then. I went in and took a seat at one of the front tables. Troy was at a table in the back on the other side of the room. I got seated and got my things situated and then I felt someone come up beside me. "Gabriella?" I looked over, it was Troy. "What Troy?" He sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not believing you when you told me about Sharpay. I'm sorry I called you a bitch. I'm so sorry. I just…I guess I knew but I didn't want to believe it. I guess I just hoped she wouldn't be that way. But I was wrong." He sounded sincere. "I understand. But that's not the only time you have done something to me; you still pick on me with everyone else." I said calmly. "I…I know but that's something I can't stop…I know you won't understand but..." I cut him off. "You're right, I don't understand. Is your popularity that important to you?" He went to say something but stopped. "I guess so." I said. The bell rang and the other students started to come in. Troy stayed sitting with me at the table. I didn't talk to him though, and he didn't talk to me. For the rest of class he just looked to the front of the room but didn't pay attention, he seemed to be distracted by something.
Over the course of the next month Troy was constantly bombarded with questions revolving around his and Sharpay's relationship status. Everyone constantly asked if they had talked since then, if they were going to get back together, if they were working through it, if they were friends. Just one question, after the other, without a break. I could tell he would get annoyed by it and that being reminded of it still hurt, that he just wanted the questions to stop. He still had to be around her every day as the cheerleaders and the basketball team always sat with each other at lunch. One day, at lunch, Troy looked like he was going to break down. As much as I hated him at this present time I still didn't like seeing him suffer. I guess I'm just too nice of a person, maybe too caring, or maybe I'm just crazy but after one more question I sprung up from my seat and headed over to the popular kids' table. "Gabs where are you going?" Ryan asked. "To talk to them." I replied. I went over. "Hey guys knock it off with the questions." Troy looked up from his food over at me. He looked absolutely miserable. I felt bad for him. "Can't you see that Troy clearly doesn't want to answer? Can't you see how much they bother him?" "Oh shut up Geek" one of the basketball players said. "Yeah no one cares about what you have to say" a cheerleader said. "If it bothers him so much then Troy can speak for himself" Another basketball player said. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe he doesn't want to say anything? That maybe he is just hoping you will stop without him having to say anything?" I said coldly. "Go away nerd!" Two of the basketball players got up and pushed me down, and then some of the cheerleaders dumped their food on me. "Oops sorry" they said in unison, clearly being sarcastic as they giggled and went back to the other cheerleaders. I started to get up when I was pushed down again, this time hitting my head on the tile floor of the cafeteria. "Ow" I immediately got a bad headache. "Shit!" I thought. I can't go home and get my medicine either; lunch is too close to being over. What am I going to do? "Hey! Leave her the hell alone!" I heard Troy shout as he got up and pushed back the guys who kept pushing me. "What the fuck dude? Are you seriously sticking up for that nerd?" Troy grabbed the guy's collar and in a cold, stern voice he said "Don't call her that!" I was shocked at what I was seeing. For once, Troy was finally sticking up for me. I never thought I would see this day. "Okay, okay, bro chill I'll stop j-just put me down will you?" the guy said. Troy roughly put him back down then came over and bent down beside me. "Are you alright Gabriella? I saw you hit your head…" He said in a worried way. I could barely hear him; my headache was getting worse by the second. My vision became blurry, my head started spinning, and my hearing was going in and out. I tried to speak but nothing came out. Next thing I knew, I blacked out.
I woke up in a hospital, with IV's in both of my arms, a heart monitor hooked up to me, and not having any idea what had happened. I looked around, my vision was blurry but started clearing up, I felt something warm in my hand and then I realized it was being held. As my vision cleared I looked up from the hand that was holding mine. "Gabriella? You're awake!" I got hugged real tight. Who was this? I looked at the person confused. They looked familiar but I couldn't come up with a name. "Gabriella? Do you not know who I am?" The person asked. I shook my head. "Oh…I see" A doctor came in, my doctor specifically, I had come to the hospital so many times that I had my own personal doctor for my disorder and the problems that came with it. "Ah Miss. Montez you're awake" "Y-yes" I managed to say. "U-um doc, can I speak with you for a minute please?" The person who had been holding my hand went over by the door with the doctor and I heard them talking. "Sir, she doesn't know who I am, is that normal for something like this?" The doc answered him. "Yes it's quite normal for her condition." The person looked confused. "Her condition?" "Ah yes, that is something you will have to ask her when she regains her memory. I'm not at liberty to talk about it without her given consent." The person nodded. "Okay, I understand." The doctor came back over to me and asked me a few questions then took my vitals, after which he left.
The person who had been holding my hand earlier came back over to me. "How are you feeling?" as I listened more closely I could tell that the person's voice sounded like a male. So it was a guy I know. "Um…okay I guess, but my head hurts and I'm kind of hungry and thirsty." I replied. "Would you like me to order you some food?" He asked. I nodded. "Yes please." He smiled at me, his smile was beautiful, and had some sort of effect on me; it gave me shivers and made me blush and smile as well. "Okay then what would you like?" I thought for a moment. "I would like a chicken salad with Italian and ranch dressing and a vanilla milkshake." He chuckled. "You got it." He ordered for me. As he ordered I thought to myself, I know him, I know that I know him and very well to, but just WHO exactly is he? I pondered this a while before his voice broke through my thoughts. "Gabriella? Are you okay?" I snapped out of it. "U-um…y-yes…fine." "Okay just making sure." He sat beside me and there was a bit of silence for a few minutes. "I'm sorry." I said. He looked at me confused. "I'm sorry I don't know who you are. I mean I know you but I don't KNOW you. I remember you, you look familiar, very familiar in fact but I just don't know your name. I can't think of it or what your relationship to me is or how I know you." He moved some hair from my eyes. "Shh, it's okay. Would you like me to tell you my name?" I nodded slowly. "Okay then. I'm Troy, Troy Bolton. I'm your next door neighbor." At that moment a bunch of pictures flashed through my head and memories. When they finished I gasped. "Troy? Is it really you?" I asked. I couldn't imagine why Troy would be at the hospital with me; wouldn't it ruin his rep at school if our classmates found out? He let out a deep breath as if he had been holding it all this time. He sounded relieved but why? "So you do remember me?" He asked in a hopeful way. I nodded. "Yes of course." He smiled once more. "I'm so glad to hear that." "How long have I been out?" I asked. "About three and half weeks." Troy responded. "Oh my god that long? It's never been that bad before." He looked at me in wonder. "What are you talking about?" "Oh um...n-nothing…it's nothing." There was silence for a bit. "Troy can I ask you something?" "Yes, anything, what is it?" I took a deep breath. "Why are you here?" He looked taken aback by my words. "I mean wouldn't your rep at school be destroyed if our classmates found out you were at the geek's bedside while she was in the hospital?" He cringed. "Please don't call yourself that." He said. "But…why? It's true. I am." I looked down but he lifted my chin up so our eyes met and I was looking at him. "No you're not. You're an intelligent, beautiful, young woman who has a heart of gold even when someone has wronged her, on more than one occasion." As he said this last part he dropped his hand and looked down. "Troy?" "Gabriella, you were right." He said in a soft voice. "What?" I asked. "You were right, about me, I mean. I cared too much about my reputation, my popularity. I did what everyone else did just so I wouldn't seem like an outsider, just so I wouldn't seem like a loser. I felt like I had to keep this façade up of who everyone else wanted me to be instead of being who I want to be." He looked up. "Except then you came into my life, and you helped me see what I was trying to ignore. You helped open my eyes to the truth. It all started that night you came to my house and you held me while I cried and you told me everything was going to be alright. You made me realize then the mistakes I was making but I didn't want to believe it, so I started joining in more with everyone else when they picked on you and ridiculed you. I was such an asshole, and so stupid. And then the day you snapped at me in class, I knew you were right, and I knew I couldn't keep ignoring it. When you stood up for me in the cafeteria, I couldn't believe it. After all I put you through; you still came and tried to help. I tried fighting it once more but as soon as they started pushing you and picking on you again I snapped. I don't want to be that guy you accused me of being, I want to be the guy I was meant to be and hopefully a guy you can let into your life. You've helped me more than you know and because of that I don't want to have a life that doesn't include you." Tears started to well in my eyes. "I know I don't deserve your friendship and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." I started crying. "Yes! Yes of course I can forgive you Troy!" I hugged him tight, he was taken off guard and a bit shocked but after a minute he hugged me back even tighter and whispered in my ear…"Thank you."