Enjoy my lovely readers :-)
Chapter 1
I remember the day you told me you were leaving
I remember the make-up running down your face
And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them
Like every single wish we ever made
I wish that I could wake up with amnesia
And forget about the stupid little things
Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you
And the memories I never can escape
Troy's POV; 4 years later...
It's been four years. Four long, tortuous years since she left me. Gabriella became a hot pop star after graduating from Stanford in only two years. I've gone to all of her concerts in Los Angeles and bought every one of the magazines she's been on. But the thing that has hurt me more than her leaving me is that she has a daughter.
But you're most likely wondering what has also happened to me, right? Well, I continued with basketball as it was my only escape from the real world, and I was drafted by the Lakers the summer before my junior year of college, and I have been with them ever since. I haven't had a serious relationship since Ella, but I have had many flings. The girl that I'm with right now is probably the longest girl I've been with: one month. Her name's Violet Moratti, and she's a model. I live in a penthouse with my best friend, Chad Danforth, but he's moving out tomorrow since he's getting married to his long-time girlfriend, Taylor McKessie, in four days. But I'm kinda dreading the wedding, seeing as I'm the best man and Gabriella is the maid of honor.
But enough with that, let's move on to the story...
May 14, 2014
"Troysieee!" I hear Violet's squeal ring out through the penthouse. I groan and place my pillow over head.
"Violet, could you shut the fuck up?" Chad yells. I chuckle and get out of bed. I grab a pair of sweatpants and a white T-shirt, and I slip them on before walking out of my room. I find Violet glaring her blue eyes at Chad's door.
"Vi, what are you doing here?" I ask. She flips her blonde hair, and a big grin appears on her face. She walks over to me in her obnoxiously high heels and presses a kiss to my lips.
"I just wanted to come see you, Troysie," She says, pressing herself against me. She leans up to my ear. "Plus, I miss you," She whispers, nipping my earlobe.
I roll my eyes and push her off of me. "Not today, Violet," I say and walk into the kitchen. She follows me and sits on the bar stool as I make my cereal.
"Why not, Troysie? I wore this special outfit just for you," She says, trying to be seductive, and leans forward, so her boobs are almost popping out. She's wearing a tight yellow dress that barely covers her ass with black high heels. I scrunch up my nose in disgust. Yellow really doesn't work for her.
"Because I said no, Violet. I know you don't know what that word means, but no," I say. She pouts, and she tries to fake cry.
"Y-you're so mean to me, Troysie," She whines. I roll my eyes.
"Can you just leave? Please? Today's not a good day for me," I say, taking a bite of my Reese's Puffs.
She stands up and grabs her purse. "Fine, but it's just because I'm a nice person. Maybe you should learn something from me," She spits before stomping out the door.
"Is she gone?" Chad calls.
"Yes, Chad, the coast is clear," I answer, turning on the TV in the kitchen area.
"Oh, thank God!" He says, walking into the kitchen. "Man, it's clear you don't like her! Why are you dating her?" He asks, pouring Lucky Charms into his bowl.
"Sex," I say, chewing on my food.
Chad scrunches up his face. "Yuck, don't make me think about that," He says, sitting next to me. I chuckle. I go to reply, but the news catches my attention.
(A/N: Reporter is in Italics, Gabriella in Bold)
"And with us now, we have Gabriella Montez, the 23-year-old singing sensation. So, Gabriella, how have you been?" I turn up the TV, and I see Chad shaking his head at me.
"I've been doing really well. I'm having a blast on tour! Thanks for asking!" Gabriella says with a grin. I immediately notice her new long, blonde locks, and I feel my heart start to pump faster. She can pull everything off.
"You're very welcome. Speaking of your tour, why are you taking off a month right before the last concert here in LA?"
"Well, two of my best friends are getting married this weekend. And I'm pretty sure s lot of you know I'm talking about the Lakers' forward, Chad Danforth, and his gorgeous girlfriend, Taylor McKessie. Plus, I haven't seen my daughter, Marisol, in forever!"
"Oh Marisol is such a cutie! Are we expecting anymore with Mr. Blake Jones anytime soon?" My heart stops as Gabriella blushes. She has a boyfriend?! I turn off the TV and turn to Chad.
"Don't freak out," Chad says slowly.
"Freak out? Why would I freak out? Oh, I know. It might be that my best fucking friend left out one major detail. THE LOVE OF MY LIFE HAS A BOYFRIEND!"I shout at him and stand up.
Chad also stands up. "I wanted to tell you, man! But Taylor made me sw-"
I drop the bowl in the sink. "I don't fucking care what Taylor made you do! We're brothers, man! We promised no secrets from each other!" I yell. I falter as I feel my resolve crumbling. "You can't break your promise to me, too," I whisper. Chad pulls me into a "man" hug for a few moments before pulling back.
"It won't happen again. But Troy, you need to move on," I go to interrupt him, but he holds up a hand. "Sure you've had flings, but you haven't moved on. You have a big ass drawer dedicated to anything about Gabriella! She's moving on, and you need to. It won't be easy, but that's what I'm here for," Chad says.
I nod and look up at him, a smile forming. "That was pretty deep, Chad. Don't tell me you've gone all sissy on me now that the wedding's almost here," I tease.
He rolls his eyes and punches me in the arm. "C'mon, no one should be at Staples. Let's go, and I'll you who the real sissy is," Chad exclaims before jogging to his room.
I walk to my room and sit on my bed. I reach under my pillow and pull out the frame lying underneath it. I smile bittersweetly as I look at the picture of Ella. It was before our sixth month anniversary dinner, and her mom kept pestering us for pictures. After the mini photoshoot, I asked her to take a picture of Gabriella since she looked gorgeous in her white lace dress and the pick ribbon tied under her bust. I stroked my thumb over her smile before standing up. I pull out a cardboard box and place the picture in there. Time to let go.
Gabriella's POV
"Momma!" Marisol squeals as I open the door to my condo. She tackles me as soon as I shut the door, and I laugh before dropping all my bags.
"Hi, baby girl! I've missed you so much!" I say and hug her tightly.
"I missed you, too, Momma!" She replies before kissing my cheek. I look into her big, cerulean blue eyes, and I smile sadly as I remember where she gets them from.
"But did you have fun with Nana?" I ask, seeing my mom walk into the room.
She nods eagerly. "Yeah, we had wots of fun. Pwus, I spent a couple days wif Auntie Shar and Auntie Tay!" She says, playing with a piece of my hair.
"That's awesome, baby! Now why don't you go watch some TV or play with your toys?" I suggests. She nods and runs off to her room. I giggle, and I walk into the kitchen where my mom's cooking some arroz con pollo. Yum. "Hola, Mami, comó estás (Hi, Mom, how are you)?" I ask before kissing her cheek.
She turns around and hugs me tightly. "Oh, mija, ¡te extrañé tanto (oh, my daughter, I've missed you so much)!" She exclaims.
I laugh and pull away. "Me too, Mami, me too," I say.
"¡Sientas ahora (sit now)!" She orders, pointing to the table with her spoon. I listen to her and sit in my place. "Marisol, venir aquí, niña (come here, baby girl)," She calls. I hear Marisol's feet clamoring through the house, and I smile. Being gone for three months really means you miss the little things. I get up, and I help her in her high chair. I stick my tongue out at her, and she laughs at me. The doorbell rings, and we all look at it. I roll my eyes jokingly as Mami gives me a pointed look. I look through the peephole, and I close my eyes.
I put on a big smile and open the door. "Hi, Blake!" I greet my boyfriend.
He grins at me and kisses me on the lips. "Hi, baby," He says. He takes my face into his hands and kisses me deeper. I kiss back and place my hands on the back of his neck, trying to forget how wrong this feels. His hand travels down to my backside, and I push him off of me. "What?" He asks.
I glare at him. "My daughter and mother are in the kitchen!" I whisper harshly. He rolls his eyes, but he grabs my hand. We walk into the kitchen, and my mother greets. We all sit down at the table, and my mom passes out the food.
"Hey kid," Blake greets Marisol before turning back to me. I see Marisol roll her eyes, and I hold in a laugh. We talk as we eat, and we're finished a while later. I clean off the dishes, and my mom gets Marisol ready for bed. I feel Blake behind me, and I lean into him as I wash the dishes. "Babe, can I stay over?" He whispers in my ear.
I bite my lip. "I guess, but you have to be out before Marisol wakes up," I say firmly, turning around in his arms.
"Okay, I will. But you know we've been dating for almost seven months, and I haven't seen you fully naked," He murmurs, kissing down my jaw.
"But it's still so soon," I whisper. I haven't had sex with anyone but Troy, and for some reason I want to keep it that way.
"C'mon, Ella," He whispers, and I freeze. I pull away from him for the second time that night.
"Don't call me that," I say, my heart starting to race.
"Why, it's pretty?"
"I don't want you to call me that!"
He places a hand on my arm. "Come on, Gabriella, just let me call you Ella!" He says, squeezing a little.
I rip my arm from him. "I HATE that name! Don't ever call me Ella! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!" I yell. I just actually hate it coming out of his mouth. Only Troy calls me that, but my dad used to before he died.
"Okay! Let's go watch some TV!" He suggests. I nod and let him pull me to the living room. I lean into him as he turns on the TV. E! News is on, and I smile. I love this show.
"So, let's check out this picture of hottie guard for the Lakers, Troy Bolton, and his model girlfriend, Violet Moratti, from tonight, hitting up some shops!" Guiliana Rancic says, and pictures of Troy and his girlfriend pop up on the screen. One that really got me is where Troy's happily kissing with Violet. I feel tears form in my eyes, and my stomach starts to gurgle. I spring from the couch and run to the bathroom, and I hurl my guts out.
"Oh my God," I hear Blake gag.
"Ca-can yo-you get my mom?" I ask him before throwing up more food into the toilet. Tears stream down my face as I think about the picture. Sure, I've seen him kiss other girls, but they all looked meaningless. I might've told him to move on, but it still hurts. I mean, I still love him, and I probably always will.
"Mija?" I hear Mami ask. I look up at her, and my lip quivers again. "Oh, mija," She says and wipes off my mouth with a towel and hugs me. I cry into her chest.
"I mi-miss him so much, Mami. So much," I sob into her chest.
She strokes my hair. "I know, bebé, I know," She comforts. "But you knew this is what would happen," She points out gently.
I cry a little harder for a few moments before I finally start to calm down. I wipe a hand over my face. "I know, but it doesn't make it hurt any less," I whisper. I stand up and help her up, too. "Did Blake leave?" I ask quietly. She nods, and I let out a breath. I hug her. "Thank you, Mami. Te amo," I whisper.
"I love you, too, mija," She translates and kisses my cheek. We walk out of the bathroom and up the stairs, and we retreat to our rooms. I peel off my clothes, and I open the drawer on my bedside table. I take out the picture frame, lay it on my bed, and grab the ratty shirt. I pull it over my head and smile. This was my favorite shirt of Troy's even though it's just a plain red Wildcat T-shirt. I look at the picture frame. It was mine and Troy's favorite picture. We were taking our senior pictures and just goofing off, but the photographer captured all of them. I hug it tightly, kiss it, and set it on the table. I walk into Marisol's room and carefully pick her up. I carry her to my room and lay her down before climbing into bed. She immediately cuddles up to me, and I kiss her head.
"Love you, Momma," She whispers tiredly.
"I love you, too, baby," I whisper back before closing my eyes.
So how'd you guys like it? It's mostly just to get to know Troy and Gabriella. Please leave me a review, they mean a lot to me :-)