CHAPTER 6: See Through Your Facade
"Hey Mark!" Gabriella exclaimed as she strolled happily into the sitting of her twenty five year old boyfriend's house. Mark David looked up from the magazine he had been reading and smiled. Mark was a good looking guy, he had medium brown hair which fell an inch below his ear lobe, very attractive green eyes, and always had this sexy, slight bit of stubble, that was barely noticeable. His skin was tan, somewhat on the darker side, which suited his dark hair perfectly. And the fact that he worked in a gym made him as fit as a fiddle.
"Hey..." he said in a low voice, "C'mere."
"Uh... Okay, what's up with you today?" Gabriella giggled, oblivious to the erection his jeans were attempting to hide, and the lustful look in his eyes.
"Nothing, I just missed you, so much." Mark replied, gesturing for Gabriella to sit on his lap. She did so, and just as she sat, his lips immediately attached themselves to her neck.
"M-M-Mark... What are you doing?" She asked, stuttering and shaking slightly as he sucked on her "sweet spot."
"I've been thinking about you all day Babe... About your hair, you eyes, your oh-so-perfect lips, her smooth skin, your toned stomach, your legs and the way they wrap around me whilst I thrust into you and your screaming my name." Mark whispered into her ear and within seconds her lips were on his, her legs straddling his.
Call it fast, but this was a usual occurrence for both Mark and Gabriella. She'd walk in, oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend was ever so horny, he'd stare at her breasts and speak in a low voice, she'd then ask him what was wrong and he'd be a guy and answer by complementing her body parts in a sexual manner, and within seconds they'd be in the middle of heated foreplay.
Gabriella's hands ran through his hair at the same time as Mark's hiked up her loose white vest top.
"Maaark..." she moaned as she felt him draw lines along her spine, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
And then, rather ironically, Gabriella's phone rang.
"Noooo..." Mark cried childishly from place, his cool, and usually composed guy image shedding slowly, but that didn't stop Gabriella from standing up to retrieve her iPhone.
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"What's wrong Sharpay?" Gabriella asked, as she walked into her best friend's apartment, fifteen minutes after her cell phone had rung, disturbing her "make out" session with her boyfriend.
But the sight she saw when she entered Sharpay Cassandra Baylor's bedroom, was one that had her extremely confused, and worried.
The blonde was sitting in the middle of the queen sized bed, her tan, sweatpants clad, legs crossed whilst her hoodie covered head was hung in shame. The usually bubbly, optimistic and nicely bitchy, famous designer blonde, Sharpay Baylor was gone, and in her place was an embarrassed, pessimistic, melancholic and ashamed young girl.
"Shar, what's up?" Gabriella asked, her curiosity obvious, "Did something happen with Zeke?" was her third question.
"No," Sharpay sighed, "Brie, when I took Sam out for ice cream yesterday, I bumped into..." she trailer off, looking down at her un-manicured fingernails.
"You bumped into..." Gabriella encouraged,
"Troy Bolton."
And that was enough to silence both twenty four year olds. Gabriella Montez stood by the doorway, shocked. Her brunette locks tied in a ponytail, revealing her stunned face. Her usual strong, feisty and independent self slowly falling to reveal a shaken, scared and worried young girl.
"You saw Troy?" Gabriella asked after a few moments of silence had passed.
Sharpay licked her lips before beginning to speak, "And invited him to sit with us."
"Oh my gosh... Oh no... This isn't good!" Gabriella exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Gabriella..." Sharpay started,
"No Sharpay, I'm okay, I'm good, and I'm strong." Gabriella said nodding,
"Brie, I can see through your facade, you're not okay... I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have invited him to sit with us. It's an unwritten rule, don't be friendly with your best friend's ex-boyfriend." Sharpay said back, almost in tears.
Gabriella took in a deep breath, "Is that it?" She asked, not a trace of emotion in her voice, Sharpay nodded. "Okay... Then if you don't mind, I have someone to see."
Ten minutes later, the brunette found herself sitting on a park bench humming softly to herself while looking out at the children running around. It had always been her dream to have the white picket fence life, kids running around, and the perfect husband. She had even once confronted her mom on this matter.
"Mom?" A fifteen year old Gabriella Montez asked her mother.
"Yeah Sweetie?" Maria Montez answered, stirring the tomato soup she was cooking at the time for her teenage daughter and herself.
"When I grow up, I want quite a few kids, like, not an excessive amount like sixteen, or even nine! I want around three to six..." Gabriella said, taking a seat at the island table in the middle of the kitchen.
"That sounds nice... But, do you really want to be pregnant three to six times, and give birth three to six times?" Maria questioned, chuckling to herself lightly.
"It'll all be worth it. I want three to six kids, a good job, a big house and an amazing husband..." The teenager carried on with a sigh.
Maria left the soup to boil and turned around to face her naturally beautiful daughter, "Define 'amazing'" She challenged.
Gabriella smiled a daydream-like smile, "One that helps with the kids, does house work when necessary... Or even when unnecessary. A husband that can cook and who can make me smile and laugh when I'm sad. Oh! And one who can give great massages... Y'know for when I'm stressed or something like that."
"So basically the opposite of your father?" Maria joked, causing laughter to erupt within the kitchen.
"I'm telling dad you said that!" Gabriella joked right back.
That day, she had indeed told her father what her mother had said, resulting in a playful fight between Gregory Montez and Maria Montez nee Lamana. Gabriella smiled at the thought of the memory. She remembered it so vividly it was surreal.
"Gabs?" A voice asked quietly causing Gabriella to look up from where she was previously looking at the ground.
"You came..." She whispered, barely heard by the five foot nine male, but he had gotten used to her quiet voice, he knew what she had said.
"Of course I came Gabs... You needed me, and not in a sexual way, just to talk, and I'm always up for talking..." The man said with a small chuckle.
Gabriella Montez managed a small smile to grace her lips before she motioned for the blonde man to sit.
Tony James grinned slightly before taking a seat next to her.
"So..." Tony started, his greyish-green eyes, which he had inherited from his father, instead of his mother's blue eyes, shining. "How's Mister Samuel James doin'?" He asked, attempting to strike up a conversation about his "Favourite Little Guy Ever."
Gabriella smiled slightly, as she did every time her son was brought up in a conversation.
"He's good. He turned five a few days ago. He's growing so fast, soon he's going to be a teenager and I'm going to be the helpless single mom..." she laughed slightly, but this laugh wasn't one that would erupt when something was amusing, it was the sarcastic, melancholic one, the sad one.
Tony nodded, "I'm sorry Gabs. I know I'm his..." He started before he was cut off by Gabriella.
"It's not your fault. We were young and didn't know how to deal with the stress of a child. At least you're visiting and playing with him, being some form of a father-like figure to him..." She sighed before continuing, "I just wish I could be stronger, emotionally. Y'know, not be so easy to breakdown into tears. I used to be this strong, independent young women, now I'm currently a qualified high school teacher on stress leave. I never used to be so easy to breakdown, in the past few months everything's just got to me and also the hardship of being a single mom. I don't know some single mom's can do it."
"Gabriella, I really am sorry..." Tony apologised again,
"No it's not your fault, really. You're doing the best you can and I guess that's all I can ask from you." Gabriella said, no smiling with appreciation.
"But remember... If you need me, call me, no matter where you are, no matter how far..." The blonde sang brightly.
"I will... Thank you Tony, oh! By the way, come round this Friday, you, me and Sam can have dinner together, y'know, bond"
"I'd love that, now Miss Montez, lovely, gorgeous, oh so talented Miss Montez..." Tony started before he heard Gabriella cough, "Suck up" causing him to fake glare at her before continuing, "Will you do the honours of... Pushing me on the swing?" He asked, as if asking her to light the Olympic torch.
"I'd be honoured to," The twenty four year old brunette replied.
And with that, they stood up and made their way towards their destination.
AN: SORRY for the long period of time it took me to update. Early last week, my friend Mom was diagnosed with leukemia, she's really upset, so as her friend I felt a duty to comfort her. Anyways... Efron and Collins "Broke-Up," I don't even think they were properly "Together" in the first place. (I like using speech marks.) Hope y'all like this chapter. So without further ado... PLEASE REVIEW! (LOL, that rhymed, and I did it without realizing.)
-Amy J