The Guy Next Door
Chapter 21
I'm glad my story is liked some of your reviews have made me feel really good about this story, I'm so glad you enjoyed it, keeps me wanting to write more for you all! (:
When I got home all I could think about was Troy and our goodbye at school. How was it possible that a guy could make my hormones as wild as they are? How could a guy make me feel the way Troy did? It was all so mind blowing but I loved all of it. I smiled to myself then sighed. I really needed to get to work on my homework. I put some music on and got to work helping pre-occupy my thoughts of Troy. It took me all of an hour and half until I was finished and then I didn't know what to do.
Suddenly my phone rang, it was Taylor, I wasn't expecting to hear from her but I got excited since I had so much to tell her.
"Tay Tay!"
"Heyyy Gabi! I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No no! Not at all Tay, I'm glad you called, I have so much to tell you!" Taylor laughed.
"Well me first! About why I called…"
"Yes?"
"I'm moving to Albuquerque!"
I screamed in excitement and jumped up and down. "Oh my gosh! No way! When? Why? Oh I can't wait to see you!" Taylor laughed some more.
"I can't wait to see you either but calm down girl haha" I laughed to.
"I'm sorry I'm just so excited!" I squealed.
"I should be moved in by next week. You know how both of my parents are in the medical field?"
"Yes I do."
"Okay well they got offered positions at a local hospital in Albuquerque, one that is well known and the pay is so much better than what they are being paid now and the company that owns the hospital is paying for our move, our house and everything."
"Oh that is so great Tay do you know where you will be moving to? Like your address?"
"Oh yeah! I think I wrote it down somewhere, hang on, I'll be right back." I waited a couple minutes then Taylor was back. "Got it! It's 118 Chestnut Drive." I gasped and went silent.
"Gabi? Are you there?"
"Huh? Oh yeah! Sorry I'm just so excited because that is the house directly across from mine! It is such a beautiful house Tay and it's huge like Troy's! You're going to love it!"
Now it was Taylor's turn to scream. "No way! Oh my gosh I can't wait!"
After coming down from our excitement about Taylor's move she asked me about what news I had and I was only too happy to answer.
"Troy asked me to be his girlfriend last night! It was so romantic Tay the best night I have ever had it was heaven I never wanted it to end; and the way he asked, oh gosh he's amazing!"
I explained everything to her and after more excitement we said goodbye and got back to our own thing. After getting changed into sweats and a sports bra, and putting my hair up, I grabbed my phone and ear buds and headed out for a jog. On my jog I saw Chad, Troy's best friend, sitting on a bench in a nearby park that I always jogged by. He looked upset, almost as if he was crying. Now Troy's friends hadn't really accepted me right off the bat when they found out today that Troy and I were together which I didn't expect them to, but being the way I was I couldn't help but to go over and see if everything was alright. I figured there was a chance he may call me names and be an ass; completely rejecting any help from me but it was worth a shot. I turned my music off and went over to him.
"Chad?" He jumped when he saw me.
"Oh…hi."
I could tell he was trying to man up and look like everything was alright but it was too late, I had already seen how upset he was.
"Is everything alright?"
"What the hell do you care? Just go away bitch."
I cringed at the harsh words but stood my ground.
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I said no. Do I need to spell it out for you?"
He scoffed.
"I don't see why the fuck Troy chose you. He was better with Sharpay, but being the whore you are you ruined that."
"You can say all the mean and hurtful things you want to me but it will not change the fact that I'm not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what is wrong."
"And if I don't?"
I just smiled.
"If you don't I'll just sit here. And if you try leaving I will follow you. I told you I'm not going anywhere so speak up."
Chad smirked at me.
"You're a feisty little thing aren't you?" His smirk didn't last for long as I could tell he started thinking about what to do, and then he finally sighed and dropped his head shaking it. "It's my girlfriend…well ex now. She just broke up with me…for another guy."
"Oh…I'm sorry. How long were you guys together?"
"A year and a half…I thought everything was fine…I thought I made her happy but I guess not. I mean I wasn't bad to her, I tried to be the best boyfriend I could be but it just wasn't enough. I…I loved her Gabriella."
He started tearing up again but sniffled and wiped his eyes with his arm trying to be tough once more. I sat down beside him and put my had on his back and rubbed soothing circles around it.
"It's okay to cry about it Chad, you don't have to be tough all the time. A guy has feelings to and just because you are a guy doesn't mean that you are not allowed to show those feelings. Besides, some girls like when guys show that sensitive side of theirs." I said with a smile. Chad let out a small chuckle.
"Yeah I guess you're right…I just…I loved her so much…I don't know what to do now."
With that Chad let the tears begin to fall, right there in front of me, me of all people, me miss "Nerdella", I couldn't believe it. I moved closer to him and wrapped my arms around him pulling him into a hug. He hugged me back and cried on my shoulder. All the while I continued to rub his back and whisper soothing words to him trying to get him to calm down. I couldn't believe Chad Danfourth was crying on my shoulder…and letting me hug him and comfort him. This was certainly a first.
After a while I was able to calm Chad down and then he insisted on walking me home so I let him. He put his arm around my shoulders and I put mine around his waist and we walked back to my place. Once we got there Chad scooped me up in a big bear hug and spun me around making me giggle, then he put me back down.
"Thank you so much Gabriella, for listening to me and comforting me. I appreciated it very much. And I just want to apologize for being such an asshole to you, not only earlier but for the whole time you've been in Albuquerque. I should have just taken the time to get to know you, Troy obviously did and now you're his girlfriend, and let me tell you he is one lucky man to have an amazing girl such as yourself to call his. I really hope you can forgive me and maybe be my friend." Chad said with a shy smile.
I smiled back. "I think we made it to the friend stage as soon as you hugged me back earlier." I giggled. "But I forgive you; of course I'll be your friend. Here's my number so whenever you need to talk just call me okay." I had grabbed his phone and put my number in it.
"Thanks Gabs, mind if I take a picture of us for your contact picture?" I nodded.
"Sure." He snapped a picture of us and then put his phone away.
"Thank you again Gabs, see you tomorrow in school." He kissed my cheek and waved bye as he started walking home. I smiled to myself, I'm glad I was able to get Chad on my side now because now I actually had a friend here in Albuquerque again, besides my boyfriend.
The next day…
It was lunchtime and I was eating by the window in the cafeteria away from Troy and his friends, as I knew they didn't like me, and I wanted Troy to be able to sit with his friends without the drama of my presence. I didn't mind it so much; I enjoyed watching Troy laugh and have fun with his friends. It made me happy. I got up to throw my garbage away when Sharpay stood up in the second floor of the cafeteria, microphone in hand and said…"Listen up everybody, I have something to show you all." The big screen in the cafeteria began to come down and for some reason I got a very unpleasant feeling in my stomach, like something bad was going to happen. Next thing I knew a video of me and Chad's encounter from the other day started playing but yet only the part of me bringing Chad into my arms, not the part of him insulting me beforehand. How in the world did she get that? Was she spying on me? And more importantly what was she trying to prove?
"Oh Troy…looks like your girlfriend was only using you to get to your BEST FRIEND!" She smiled an evil smile and then I saw Troy turn toward me…he looked mad….real mad…and then he started coming over to me. I don't know what it was but something about the way he looked scared me.
"Are you fucking kidding me Gabriella?! You get with me one day and the next you go after my best friend?!"
"No...No Troy that's not it, that's not what it looks like I swear I wa…." He cut me off and came closer to me making me back into the window, and then he slammed his hands behind me trapping me. I flinched and tried to slide down away from him. I was definitely scared now.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it! Obviously you were trying to come onto Chad and he fell for it…even though he has a girlfriend…you…you…WHORE!"
All I did was shake my head in response since I couldn't think of any words and then I started balling my eyes out. Troy spit at me and started walking away. Chad got in front of him trying to stop him from leaving.
"Troy stop, she's telling you the truth, that's not what it..." Troy cut him off by shoving him against a nearby wall.
"And you…you! How could you sit there and give into her? Why didn't you stop her? I'm your best fucking friend!"
"Troy if you would just stop and list…" Troy shoved Chad harder into the wall.
"No!" Then Troy let go of chad, dropping him to the ground, and stormed out of the cafeteria. I darted over to Chad as soon as Troy left, shaking terribly in fear and got down and checked on Chad.
"C-Chad are y-you okay?" I helped him up and his head was bleeding from his fall. "Oh. Oh my god…y-you're bleeding." I brought my trembling hand up to his wound and he winced in pain grabbing my wrist and pulling it down just holding it in place.
"I'm okay Gabs, it'll heal, but you…you are not okay, look at how bad you're shaking…" A sob I had been holding back escaped my throat and I collapsed to the ground as I started crying even harder and trembling even more. I started hyperventilating and this time Chad was the one to pick me up off the floor, but he picked up completely, he picked me up bridal style and cradled me to his chest.
"Gabs you need to calm down…you're going to cause yourself to lose consciousness from loss of breath. Please don't do that to yourself. I'm going to sort this out, I swear to you I will."
I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and sobbed into his chest. I tried to calm down, but I had no luck and did in fact go unconscious.
Troy's POV
After storming out of the cafeteria I went into the halls and started punching away at lockers. How could those two do this to me? Chad especially! And I thought Gabriella was different, that she was nothing like Sharpay, but she is, she so is. I couldn't control my anger it was too strong. I continued punching things and then I went in the gym and threw basketballs around and yelled at the top of my lungs. As my anger grew I started thinking very violent things, I started thinking of hurting Chad, and even worse…Gabriella. I just didn't know what to do, what to think, I felt like I was going insane and at this point I wouldn't be surprised. Just then Chad came running in, and as soon as I saw him a fire ripped through me, and I went over to him, I wanted to hurt him.
"Troy! You need to listen to me right now!"
I threw a punch but he dodged it, I threw another and he dodged it again. It was pissing me off even more.
"Troy knock it off! You have no fucking idea what really happened between Gabriella and I, no fucking idea at all! All you know is what Sharpay showed you that's it! Why would you listen to her? Of all people why her?"
I threw another punch but he caught my hand, I used my other to try and go again but he caught that one too. Chad could be extremely strong when he wanted to, and right now he was just that. He bent my arms behind my back with a tight grip on my wrists making me hiss in pain.
"Sharpay the girl who cheated on you, Sharpay the girl who was part of the reason Gabriella ended up in the hospital, Sharpay the girl who would do anything to get what she wants which right now is you…so why are you listening to her?!"
I thought about this. I hated to admit it but he was right. Why was I going by her word? I started to calm down and Chad released me. I rubbed my wrists.
"Now are you going to listen to me?" I nodded. Then he took his phone out.
"Tiffany dumped me yesterday…she dumped me for that guy Tyler the one you told me you thought she might have been cheating on me with." He showed me the text messages from Tiffany dumping him and her reason for it. All the color drained from my face.
"I went to the park I always go to when I'm upset or when I want to go for a jog and I sat on the bench trying to take in what had happened and then I broke down and cried. All the pain hit me at once, all the disbelief. Gabriella was showed up in sweats and a sports bra, kind of sweaty. She looked like she had gone for a jog. She wanted to know what was wrong with me but I refused to tell her and said some harsh things to her but she was persistent and I finally gave in and told her. I tried to act tough but after a few words from her I couldn't hold it in anymore and started balling my eyes out. She hugged me and rubbed my back trying to comfort me and she did. After that I walked to her home and apologized for all the times I had been so mean to her, I asked for her forgiveness and for her friendship. She gave me both. Then I hugged her goodbye and left. That's it."
I thought about what Chad had just said and it all made perfect sense. I fell to my knees. I couldn't believe how I had reacted when I wasn't even sure of what had happened. I felt horrible.
"Where's Gabriella?" I said quietly.
"Troy…she's in the nurse's room unconscious." I whipped my head up at him and bolted to my feet.
"What?"
"She hyperventilated because she was crying so much."
"No!" I bolted out of the gym and sprinted to the nurse's office. There she was, unmoving on one of the cots. I ran over to her, and wrapped my arms around her. "God baby please wake up please, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…I don't know what happened…I just…I….baby please!" I held her and started to cry…I couldn't believe I did this to her. Chad came in and shortly after he arrived Gabriella woke up.
"Troy?"
"Ella!" I hugged her tight. "I'm so sorry, I know the truth now, I'm sorry I didn't ask about it I'm so sorry baby please forgive me please I don't want to lose you!" She put her finger to my lips to quiet me.
"It's okay; I know what it looked like…I forgive you." Then she wrapped her hand around my neck and kissed me. I kissed her back with such passion, such longing. I didn't want to lose this perfect girl. I couldn't.