The Guy Next Door
Chapter 17
WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT LATER ON IN THIS CHAPTER! I ADVISE CAUTION IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH!
After school Troy and I met up at the apartment and cleaned it up and packed our things getting ready to leave and go back to our respective homes. We didn't say a word to one another, it was extremely awkward. When we finished up we locked up, I gave Troy my key to the house then we waved goodbye and then went back to our houses, even though we lived right next door to each other I didn't see Troy get home when I did or even a few minutes after. "He must have gone somewhere." I said to myself. I sighed then locked my car up and went inside. My parents weren't home so I just did some laundry, made myself some dinner, then showered and went into my room for the night. I did my homework then put some music on and did some cleaning. I hadn't been there in a long time so it needed to be tidied up a bit. About two hours later I was almost finished and was getting ready to clean my windows when I looked across into the window across from me, which looked into Troy's room. I saw Troy taking his shirt off then he went and did some pull ups on a bar he had above his window. I bit my lips as I watched. God why did he have to be so sexy? I caught myself checking him out and even drooling a bit. I quickly closed my curtains and snapped myself out of it. I was so pathetic. I shook my head trying to regain my thoughts then got back to cleaning. I would just have to do the windows another time. I sighed, I missed Troy, but something wasn't right between us at the moment and I don't know why.
Troy's POV
I thought I saw Gabriella looking at me through her window but her curtain was closed before I could be sure. I felt bad I hadn't really said anything to her since we gave Emma back today. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I know that project wasn't the reason I had feelings for Gabriella, I mean it wasn't an act or anything, and just because it was over didn't mean my feelings were gone so what was wrong? Since Gabriella and I had gotten closer, my friends had also warmed up to her and accepted her even, including Chad, he was just as protective of her as I was, which I was glad about but at the same time was a little jealous about. I had gone over to talk to Chad and get some advice but he was just as stumped as me. He didn't understand why I just didn't make things between Gabriella and me official. I was at a lost and I didn't know what to do. I was frustrated at myself beyond belief and so I was taking my frustration out by doing some exercise. I did miss Gabriella though, and I wanted to talk to her really bad and see her but I couldn't bring myself to do either. I was pathetic, so pathetic, it sickened me. I did a few more reps of pull ups then went and got a drink and crashed on my couch for a few minutes. After I had rested a little bit I got up and took a shower, then had some dinner and went to bed. I dreamed of Gabriella that night, but it wasn't a good one, it was about her being with some other guy, which hurt me to the core.
Gabriella's POV
A few weeks had gone by and Troy hadn't talked to me at all, he wouldn't even answer my texts or calls. What was wrong? It was as if he was avoiding me but I didn't know why, I didn't know what I had done to upset him or make him mad and it worried me that I didn't know. To top it off I got the news that Ryan would be moving because his parents had split up and he was going to live with his mom in California. Hearing that news broke my heart. It was the day Ryan was leaving and I was at his house helping him do some last minute packing. "Hey Gabs can you hand me that stuff over there please." I nodded and went and got it. "Here you go." I handed it to him. "Thanks beautiful." I smiled, I was really going to miss him, he was the only one I could fully trust and tell anything to. He was the only one that could cheer me up no matter what. I wasn't even that trustworthy of Troy yet especially now that he decided to just act like nothing happened between us. It hurt. "Ryan?" I asked quietly. "Yeah Gabs?" I looked down as tears welled in my eyes. "Will I…will I ever be able to see you again?" The tears started to fall and Ryan scooped me up in his arms and hugged me tight, kissing the top of my head. "Yes of course you will Gabs, I'll come visit you as much as I can and you can visit whenever you want to. I'll make sure to text you and call you and web chat you as much as possible. I promise. Please don't be sad Gabs, you know I hate seeing you cry." He wiped my tears away and I hugged him tired burying my head in his chest. This was the last time I'd be able to hug him like this, at least the last time for a long time, since I didn't know when I'd be able to see him again. I hated this so much. We finished up packing his things and then I helped him and his mom pack their car. Then I said one last goodbye and hugged him again and watched as they left. The only best friend I had here just left. I couldn't stop crying. I had fallen to the ground and buried my head in my hands when I hear a familiar voice, a voice of the one person I hated beyond comparison. Sharpay.
"Oh look the little nerd is crying. Did you just lose your best friend? How sad, now you have no one since Troy won't even so much as look at you anymore." I clenched my fists. "Shut up Sharpay." I said coldly. She laughed meticulously. "No way, you ruined my relationship with Troy, and now I'm going to enjoy seeing you cry and in pain. You deserve it." She said even colder. "No, you deserved what you got, you had a great guy and you cheated on him, and for what? A change in pace? A bigger dick? To be adventurous? Hmm? What for Sharpay?" I got up and looked at her then. She moved closer to me. "You listen here you little bitch! I have my reasons for doing what I did, and I don't regret it one bit, I even fooled Troy into thinking I was sorry and guess what? I got him to FUCK me, yet again. That's something you have never gotten nor will ever get." I cringed as her words hurt but I didn't let Sharpay know. "Actually, now that I think about it, I know why you cheated. You cheated because you know you're not good enough for Troy, you know you never were good enough for him, and you know you never will be good enough for him so you found yourself someone who is right on your level and is just as pathetic and heartless as you." As I said that I moved closer to her and when I finished I had made her fall back to the ground and I saw tears well up in her eyes. I had hit the bulls eye.
After my confrontation with Sharpay I had gone to Starbucks and got myself a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino. My guilty pleasure when I felt like shit. Then I went home. My parents were out of town so I was alone for the weekend. I went in the kitchen and saw a knife on the counter and got a sudden urge. I locked both my front and back doors and my balcony door. Then I went into my bedroom bathroom and locked that door. With the knife still in my hand, I started an old habit. I cut five deep slits in both of forearms, biting my lip at the pain until it turned into a release as I watched the blood ooze out of the cuts and drip down the rest of my arm and hand onto the floor. I put the knife down and took one more sip of my drink then punt my arms on my lap and closed my eyes allowing the rest of the blood to spill and the release of all the pain I had felt between Troy, the departure of Ryan, and Sharpay's words. I had missed this feeling of release. I soon started to fade as my mind got blurry and all the thoughts I had in my head stopped and everything went still and silent.
Troy's POV
I got home from basketball practice and saw Gabriella's car in her driveway, signifying she was home, and I suddenly got an overwhelmingly bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't know why but I was pulled to Gabriella's house as I felt I needed to. When I got there I knocked on the door but got no answer. I tried opening it but it was locked and the feeling I had grew deeper as panic and worry washed over me. I went to the back door and that was locked to, then I climbed up her balcony and that was locked as well. I was in a full out panic attack now as I started banging away at her balcony door. "Gabriella!" No answer. "Gabriella answer the door!" I banged some more but got nothing. I started pacing back and forth then I went back to the first level, around the side of the house and saw a window was slightly open. I pushed the screen up and the rest of the window and climbed in. Once I was in I rushed around the house looking for Gabriella but saw no sign of her. I went up to her room and saw her bathroom door was close. I quickly went to open it but it was locked. "Gabriella open the fucking door right now!" No answer. "Gabriella I swear to god if you do not open this door then I'm counting to three and breaking it down!" Still no answer. "Alright you asked for it! One!..Two!...Three!" I moved back then rushed into the door breaking it open and the sight I found horrified me beyond belief. Gabriella was passed out in front of the sink in a puddle of her blood on the floor and a knife on the floor next to her as I saw the cuts she had on her arms. "No..." I breathed. "No she couldn't have…." I said to myself. Why would she do this to herself? I could never picture Gabriella doing something like this, I thought. I snapped out of the state of shock I was in then picked her up and drove her to the hospital.
Gabriella's POV
I woke up in the hospital, my arms were bandaged and an IV with blood in it was hooked up to me. I remembered what had happened, I remembered clear as day, but who brought me here? I had locked everything, no one could have gotten in, and I wanted it that way. I looked around when my eyes caught someone coming in the doorway. "Troy?" I asked as soon as I realized who it was. "You're awake." He said in a flat tone. I nodded. "How are you feeling?" I shrugged. "Fine I guess." I saw Troy's eyes change into a dark blue, signifying he was angry. "Fine? Gabriella you almost died!" I shrugged again. "I know that." I said nonchalantly. "You know?! If you know then what the fuck were you thinking! Why the hell did you do that to yourself?!" I kept calm as Troy yelled at me. It didn't faze me, I didn't really care. "I was thinking that it'd give me a release." I replied, monotony. He scoffed. "A release? What kind of release were you expecting to get?!" I looked him in the eyes. "The release of all the pain I felt because my best friend moved, your ex-girlfriend verbally abused me, and because you have been avoiding me." Tory's eyes and facial expression softened in that moment as he looked away and ran his fingers through his hair, before turning back to face me. "I'm sorry." I rolled my eyes. "Whatever Bolton." I looked away out the window. He sighed and came over to sit beside me. "Ella please, I really am sorry….I…I just…" He sighed again. "You just what Troy?" He looked away. "I don't know." I scoffed. "Figures." He grabbed my hand then and looked me dead in the eyes making my breath catch as it always did when I was looking directly into his eyes. "Let me make it up to you, please." I sighed and this time I softened up. "Fine…but how do you expect to do that?" He kissed my hand. "You can get out of here in a couple of days. When you do, go out with me I have something….special planned." I shivered at his words and nodded. "Okay."