TROY

Senior year, day fourteen.

"I'm pretty sure that's the most time I've ever spent in a Target."

"Me, too," Gabriella laughs.

I look over at her, confused, "what are you talking about? Morgan says she like lives in this store. I'm sure she's dragged you before."

She shakes her head, "not really, that spot's reserved for Nicole. I can't really shop for too long."

"Well, thanks for making me feel like an asshole."

"No!" She exclaims a little too loudly before lowering her voice and chuckling to herself as she puts another bag in the car, "I mean, yeah, it's the most time, but it wasn't bad. Morgan walks around aimlessly. You actually had a list of things to get."

"Fair enough," I laugh.

We pile the rest of the bags in the back of the car. And then I return the cart while she jumps in the passenger seat.

I jump in right beside her and turn the car on.

"Where next?"

"What?" I'm taken aback a little bit, "well, I'm sure now you want to go home."

She shakes her head, "nah, we can finish your errands. The less time I'm at home, the better."

I look over at her before pulling out of the parking spot. The way she said that... I mean, how could someone not acknowledge it? I know her parents. They're so loving and nice and seem like great parents. But that's the thing, you never know what happens behind closed doors. I don't want to speculate, though, and I don't necessarily want to ask and receive and answer she actually wasn't ready to give. That probably just came out and she might be regretting it.

But like a fucking idiot, I push the subject. "Why?"

"I don't know," she shrugs.

"You don't know why spending less time at home is better?" I ask her.

She tears her eyes away from me and looks straight ahead, somberly. "It's not what you're thinking. At all. Don't worry."

I nod, deciding to drop this whole thing.

"Well, in that case, I left one place out," I tell her, "I also need to stop by the hospital to drop some of the things we bought at Target, my mom needs them."

"That's fine."

I'm not sure what's going on.

This afternoon wasn't supposed to be like this. Coach called an unexpected after school meeting so we all stayed behind for a bit, making me forget I had these errands to run for my mom. And then I ran into Gabriela, offered her a ride and well, not we're here. I don't know what's going on with her. Why lately, I look at her and there's this somber, checked out look. Why she wished things were different. Why she doesn't want to be at home. I have no idea.

But I don't need to know. Sure, we're good friends, but we're not best friends and I'm not her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend and best friends are entitled to this information.

Not me.

I still wonder about it, though, and hope she's okay. Hope that whatever she means, whatever she's going through, she's okay and it's nothing serious.

When I pull up to the 20 minute parking space in the hospital, she asks to get out.

I figured she wants to see her dad.

So, I take the stairs that are finally opened while she takes the elevator up to the 5th floor.

My mom wanted to show me some things and we got caught up talking so I figured I'd see Gabriella waiting in the lobby when I got back down. But she wasn't there. Which was strange because she said she'd be down in a minute. It's a figure of speech, usually, but I really thought she would.

Since she isn't and it's hitting close to 20 minutes, I go up to her.

Five flights.

But Dr. Montez' office is closed and she's nowhere in sight. Maybe she's in there.

"Is Dr. Montez busy?" I ask the receptionist.

"Yes, he's in surgery until 5:30 today," she tells me, "do you need something? I can take a message for you."

I shake my head.

If he's in surgery, where the heck is Gabriella? She's not here.

It's in this moment that I start to panic a little. I mean, it's Gabriella we're talking about. I notice her every move. I've noticed she's been a little checked out lately and when I ran into her coming out of the elevator crying and she told me not to tell anyone I saw her crying here when she could have easily said she was visiting her dad, it struck me as weird. The comment she made earlier. Everything's just a little off with her and for the life of me, I want to find out why.

I want to help her in whatever way.

If she needs it.

I'm not even sure where to even look or what to do, so I pull my phone out to text her.

But the moment I do, the elevator doors open and she comes out.

"Sorry," she tells me, rushing out and walking over to me, "I needed to talk to my dad about something."

Lie.

Why are people lying?

I don't say much, I just tell her we should head out.

The thing is, I'm not entitled to know what's going on in her life. I have no business knowing. As her friend only, I'm here if she wants to willingly share information with me, but I shouldn't expect it. And I don't. But it does suck wanting to know if she okay while trying not to be nosy at the same time.

"Mind stopping by Smashburger?" She asks as we head out of the parking lot, "my treat."

"Yeah, sure."

I could go for some fries and a shake.

I'm not upset she lied to me or is keeping something a secret. I have no right to be. So, I put it behind me and drive over to Smashburger.

Since I'm not really in a hurry to go anywhere, we decide to eat it there.

"Are you going to homecoming?" Gabriella asks me.

"I don't think so," I tell her, grabbing a couple fries and popping them in my mouth before washing it down with my chocolate shake. "my parents are going out of town that weekend so probably just gonna hang around the house that weekend with Liv. Are you going?"

"Oh yeah, my parents are going to that thing, too," she tells me, "I'm not sure. Chris is gone that weekend, but might make it a girl's thing."

"Where's he going?"

She looks at me a little weirdly, "you don't know where he's going?"

Fuck.

I'm his best friend and should know, but he hasn't mentioned anything to me. I don't want her to think he's being shady. I have no idea if he is, but I'm in the dark so to me, he definitely is. I know I need to be a good best friend in this moment, though. I need to not want to throw him under the bus. I need to trust him, maybe. I just need to be a better best friend, probably. "He mentioned he was going on a trip with some of his buddies, yeah."

"Yeah, Great Lakes," she nods, her body language shifting back to how it was, "so, I don't know. We'll see. It could be fun, but it probably won't be."

I took a guess in the dark.

Who else could he be going on vacation with?

Thankfully, I was at his house yesterday to know that his mom and dad are about to embark on a 20 year anniversary trip to Europe. The date of homecoming falls somewhere in between there so I just took a wild guess that he's going with some friends.

What friends?

Chris hangs out with the same people I do and if he's ever not with me or Gabriella or our other friends, he's with family.

"Yeah, well, let me know how it is if you go," I laugh, biting my burger.

"You should go, too."

"Nah," I shake my head, "I know it's not really a date type situation, but I'm not really into dances."

She drops her burger on her tray and sits back for a moment. staring at me. She kind of squints her eyes and then leans forward and shakes her head, "I'm not sure why. Dances are fun. I couldn't believe you didn't go to formal last year. I mean, Amy was banking on you asking her and then you didn't ask."

I shrug as if it's no big deal, "she lived."

"Why don't you like dances? I mean, you don't really need to dance or know how."

"Just don't."

It's kind of a lie. I went to formal freshman year with my friend Kelly and it was actually a really good time.

But when junior formal rolled around and everyone was coupled up, especially Chris and Gabriella, it was the last thing I wanted to be around.

It was bad enough seeing pictures of them together.

It was the height of my crush.

Gabriella, Tucker Wright, this girl named Shelby and I had just spent a week long together doing a project for our science class and we really bonded that week. When Tucker and Shelby would leave, she'd stay behind or I would and we'd talk and hang out, finish our other homework. It was just two friends hanging out, but during that time was when I truly hated Chris for going after her first. I felt so much regret and anger and it was just such a shitty feeling.

The next weekend was formal and I was just not down to see her looking beautiful in her dress as she danced the night away with Chris.

So, I ditched my last minute plan to ask Amy and sat at home doing nothing.

I won't ever tell her.

"Fine," she shrugs, "but it's your senior year. You should go to formal and prom this year. You'll regret it."

"I'll thank about it," I tell her, "no promises, though."

She laughs as she grabs some fries and dips it in her ketchup.

We finished up our meal and after trekking to the Verizon store across town, she asked me if I could drop her off at Chris' instead of her house.

And when she walked up to his front door and he answered the door, greeting her with a kiss and then waving me off with a smile, it took everything inside of me to not hit my steering wheel in frustration and pull out of his driveway at lightning speed.

But it was the best reminder.

Gabriella Montez is not mine, she's his.

So, I need to stop thinking about her, stop being around her one on one and just stop with fucking everything.

She's his.