GABRIELLA

Senior year, day fifty.

"What's up?" Chris asks as he comes into my house, "I thought I told you I was gonna grab some food."

"Yeah, it won't take long," I tell him.

I take a deep breath as I shut the door behind him.

Here goes.

Chris is standing in the foyer of my house, arms crossed, as if I'm wasting so much of his valuable time. I know he's going to his aunt's house and has things to do, but he could at least act like he's still my boyfriend and greet me with a kiss.

Although, it would be a little hypocritical to want that since the reason I told him to come over is so I could break up with yes.

Yes- break up with him.

I'm doing it. After months of it being too rocky, I'm doing it.

I'm breaking up with him right now.

"Chris, I think you and I both know this isn't working out," I tell him, not even feeling nervous about this whole thing, "we're just... it's different. These past few months. Maybe it's me, maybe it's you, I don't know. I don't want to stand here and figure out what exactly went wrong, because when it comes down to it, I just don't think the feelings are there anymore and I don't think we need a big blow up fight to figure that..."

"You're breaking up with me?" He interrupts me, arms uncrossed now, looking slightly confused by this whole thing. "Seriously?"

"Are you really that surprised?" I quietly say.

"Kind of."

I let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. But can you stand here and convince me otherwise?"

He looks so pissed off.

"What the fuck do you want from me, Gabriella? I don't get it!"

"I want a boyfriend who I can literally talk to about anything and everything!" I scream, surprising myself. Really surprising myself. "I want someone who knows what I'm thinking and feeling and who knows when to step away and when to come closer. I need someone who is present and... and who doesn't fucking get mad that some guy hit on me and I got us kicked out of an amusement park. I don't know what you want from me, Chris, but whatever it is, I'm not sure I have it. I don't think I've had it for a long time and I love you, I care about you, but not the way I should and..."

"The way you should? Really?" He asks me.

I nod, "I can go half the day without thinking about you and I don't mean for it to sound mean, but that's not... that's not a good thing."

He looks at me as if I just took his heart out and stomped all over it.

But his words say otherwise.

"You're right, things have been different and I'm not going to stand here and pretend they haven't and like yo breaking up with me is the most crushing thing in the world. It's not. We had a good run and everything, but you're right. This isn't a real relationship anymore."

Ouch.

I know my words weren't the nicest, but there was so much coldness there. We had a good run?

What kind of shit is this? Is he kidding me?

"Chris, I just..."

"Yeah, yeah, you loved me, love and care for me, okay, yeah."

"You don't have to be so mean," I tell him, "we're still... I'm sorry. Okay? I'm really, really sorry. I wish things could be different."

He nods, heading towards the door.

Fuck.

He grabs the door handle, stands there for a moment, sucks in a breath and then turns around, "me, too."

And once he was out, not a single tear was shed.

Only a breath of relief.

Maybe I shouldn't be at a party right now.

But it's Christine Moore's 18th birthday and she's my friend so why not?

I mean, I'm not sad.

If I broke up with someone and it was this sad thing, I'd for sure be laying in bed not caring about this party right now.

But I'm not. I'm not sad. And maybe that's fucked up. Maybe it's a good thing I'm not sad because it means I made the right decision, but either way, I'm feeling okay. And being here is fine. Well, fine enough. I don't care for parties, but I'm sucking it up.

"Hey," I hear behind me as I'm pouring myself a drink.

"Hi."

Oh thank God. Thank God it's Troy and not someone else because I don't necessarily want to talk about Chris if they bring it up.

And it's why I'm drinking.

I figure if I'm drunk or whatever, I don't need to provide any answers.

"Beer?" Troy laughs, looking in my cup.

"Cheers?"

He shakes his head, "nah, I'm not drinking tonight."

He never drinks. I love that about him. I mean, sure, he'll drink a beer here or there if he feels like it, but not because he thinks he has to and I think that's so fucking cool for a guy in high school. not into the whole peer pressure thing. He does what he wants on his own time.

"Chris and I broke up," I suddenly say out of nowhere and I don't even know why.

"What?"

I gave him a small smile as I brought this disgusting cup of beer up to my lips, "this afternoon. We broke up."

He looks shocked. I guess Chris hasn't said anything yet.

"I didn't... I'm sorry," he tells me and then stands there for a moment, I think trying to decide what else he could possibly say. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," I nod.

"You sure?" He doesn't look convinced.

"Yeah. It's a bit weird, but I'm okay. I mean, You're with someone for over a year and you think you're having the best time and stuff and then suddenly you're... not. It's this really weird, to be honest. But whatever, that's life, you know? Shit happens all the fucking time."

Troy nods, "well, I'm sorry."

I smile at him, feeling a bit lame for my little rant just now. "You haven't talked to him?"

"No, I... well, I'm assuming he was with you after school."

"Yeah, but then he said he was going with the guys so I just thought that included you, obviously."

He shook his head.

Fuck.

I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing. I broke up with my boyfriend because I have feelings for his best friend! And now I'm standing here, in front of his best friend and it's just... awkward. I have no idea how to approach this situation. It's not like I can just come right out and say what I'm feeling. That'd be fucking crazy. I'd have to give it some time, right? I have to at least pretend to sulk or like I'm sad for a little while.

"Are you okay?" Troy knocks me out of my thoughts, "you're drinking and..."

"And I never do," I laugh, "well, we just live in a fucked up world something, don't we? Sometimes you just gotta have a drink."

"I guess so."

I laugh again, chugging some more beer.

I hate beer so much. But it's the only thing that's keeping me going.

"So, um, what happened?" He asks, leaning against the counter, "you don't have to talk about if it you don't want to, I just... I'd... if you..."

"There's someone else."

There.

I said it. There's someone else. And that someone is fucking YOU, TROY BOLTON!

Okay, I didn't say the second part, but I wish I had. Those words literally just came out. I could have told him it just wasn't working out, but I didn't have to tell him why it wasn't working out. Now, he's gonna ask me who or what's going on and it's something I'm not prepared for at all. Something we don't need to talk about. But before I can even tell him never mind, forget I said anything, forget he heard what he head, he speaks up.

"Shit, I know, I'm sorry. You deserve so much better."

"Yeah, I..."

Wait, what did he just say?

He's telling me I deserve better? And that he knew and that he's sorry?

Is he assuming the someone else is on Chris' end and not mine? That's what I'm picking up on right now.

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Hm?"

No. I don't have time for this backpedaling type of bullshit. The look of regret washes over his face and I'm not about it. He needs to explain what he meant just now. "What do you mean you know there's someone else and I deserve better?"

Troy stands there, not saying one word.

Of fucking course.

I knew Chris was cheating on me. I FUCKING KNEW IT.

It was a suspicion that crept through my mind when I found out he ditched me for dinner with Alex. But then I dropped it because I just didn't think he was capable of that. I was never that person who would snoop through things to find an answer so I didn't. I just dropped it.

But right here, right now, his best friend is basically admitting to me that he was cheating on me. That there's someone else in the picture.

"He was cheating on me."

"Gabriella..."

"No," I say as he pushes himself off the counter and comes towards me, "I gotta go."

I throw my beer in the sink, don't even bother saying bye to answer on and book it to the front as the tears just come pouring out.

He knew. Troy knew.

"Gabriella, please, wait... you can't drive, you shouldn't..."

"Leave me alone!" I scream at him, turning around as soon as he catches up to me, "you fucking knew he was cheating on me for God knows how long! For however long he was cheating, you knew! He was being shady and you knew! And you didn't tell me! You just let him... cheat on me, you..."

"I didn't let him cheat on you, Gabriella, please just hear me out, I didn't..."

"No."

"Look, I'm sorry, but..."

I don't want to hear this right now.

Troy knew what was going on and he stood by and did nothing. He didn't tell me. I thought... I thought we were friends. And I could trust him.

"I don't... I can't, I need to go," I tell him, fumbling for my keys in my purse, "I just..."

And I leave.