OK… some people were confused at which part the dream is… The only dream is in the previous chapter and it started when Gabriella first saw Troy in the bathroom. Everything else is real.
Anyway, I can't believe this is the last chapter. I'm seriously sad this is the end. Hopefully, you'll like the ending and I hope you will always remember this story. : )
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!
PS: Vanessa Hudgens' new single is coming out today!! AHHHH!! Excited mode!! lol Its the start of my two weeks holidays as well!! Lol!! Happy dance
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Chapter 29
Recap
"Troy?" Gabriella asked from the other side of the door. When he heard Gabriella's voice, he realized that everything was a dream. As soon as he opened the door, he found himself wrapping his arms tightly around Gabriella.
"Uh.. what's going on Troy?" Gabriella asked, bewildered. Troy pulled away and held both of Gabriella's hands. His tear-eyed face was only 5 inches away from her face.
"Troy… Troy, why are you crying?" Gabriella asked worriedly as she put her hand on his cheek.
"Gabi.. I love you. Even before you lost your memory and even before I lost mine…" Troy said slowly, not wanting to startle Gabriella with the news.
"What are you talking ab—" Before she could finish her sentence, a pair of soft lips captured her own.
End of Recap
Gabriella was absolutely and totally dumbfounded! Right at that moment, she was kissing another man! Her soon-to-be husband's best friend and the best man of her wedding! And she was kissing back!! But when everything was settled in Gabriella's mind, she pushed Troy away with all her might.
"What the hell are you doing, Troy?!" Gabriella yelled. She was furious alright, and it frightened Troy a little. But he could've sworn she was kissing back.
"Don't you remember anything Gabs? Anything at all?" Troy pleaded desperately.
"What am I suppose to remember Troy?! Didn't you tell me everything already?" Gabriella questioned.
"Gabi… there are some things that I couldn't tell you before." Troy admitted as he moved closer to Gabriella but she just backed away.
"Troy… whatever it is… I don't think I want to hear it. I'm marrying Aaron, Troy. This is my wedding day and you just kissed me! I don't know what the hell is going in your mind but we have to go." Gabriella said and turned to walk away but was stopped by a hand on around her arm. As soon as she felt Troy's touch, she immediately closed her eyes to stop the tears that started welling up for some odd reason.
"Please don't run away from your past Gabs... Don't run away from me." Troy said softly, making Gabriella stop and look at him.
"I'm not running from my past Troy. I'm trying too hard to chase it but its too far… You're way too far." Gabriella answered in a calmer voice as she bit her lip.
"Gabi can you at least try to remember something? Try to remember who I am?" Troy pleaded, not letting go off Gabriella.
"Troy I'm sorry but whatever you guys told me is what I know. I don't remember anything. I really don't remember you as being anything else other than my best friend." Gabriella said with a hint of uncertainty. She still refused to look at Troy.
"Do you remember when I told you that Samantha broke me and my girlfriend up?" Troy started softly and Gabriella stiffened.
"Where are you going with this?" She questioned.
"Just answer me." Troy said.
"Yes I remember. You talk about your girlfriend a few times." She answered quietly. Troy had no idea what to judge about Gabriella's soft tone.
"But I never showed you a picture right?" He continued.
"You never had one." She replied plainly.
"I didn't need one." Troy said, ready to speak the truth.
"Troy I don't want to hear this anymore. My wedding starts in 20 minutes and Aaron is waiting for me." Gabriella said as she got out of Troy's grasp and started to dart to the front door.
"Gabi please!" Troy exclaimed as he ran and stopped in front of Gabriella. His heart broke when he finally had the chance to look at her face. She was crying and tears were rolling down her face no matter how many times she wiped it with her hands. Her make up were all smudged but neither of them care.
"Please stop Troy. You're just hurting both of us. Don't say anything anymore." Gabriella wept.
"Gabi, why are you crying?" Troy asked in concern.
"Because I don't want to hear whatever you're gonna say." Gabriella exclaimed as another sob escaped her mouth.
"Don't you want to remember your past?!" Troy exclaimed, tears started forming in the corner of his eyes as well.
"No." Gabriella answered, pained lingering in the two letter word. Troy wanted to stop talking when he heard Gabriella's answer but he knew he had to tell her. It was now or never.
"Gabi I'm in love with you. I should be the one you're gonna marry today." Troy cried as he grabbed both of Gabriella's hands, and tried to look her in the eyes hoping that everything will come back to her. Gabriella on the other hand, shook her head and cried even more. It was obvious that she didn't want to hear what he was saying.
"I was your boyfriend before the accident… Gabriella… I was the one you love. I'm the one you've been asking for." Troy persisted, bawling his heart out. But what Gabriella said next caught him completely off guard.
"I know Troy… I know…" Gabriella whimpered and finally connected her chocolate eyes to Troy's confused ones.
"Wh—wha—what?" He managed to get out. Gabriella pulled away from Troy and cupped her face with her hands. She fell down on the floor as more and more tears poured down.
"I remember everything Troy long time ago…" She sobbed.
-
Troy didn't know what to say. He felt numb and shocked. For one second, everything stopped and he was just looking straight ahead, not knowing what to think or feel.
"Gabriella remembers everything. She knows everything… But she stil…l chose Aaron." Troy thought as his tears seemed to have a mind of their own and just ran down his cheeks without his permission. Finally, his senses came back and he just took a step backward and stared at Gabriella.
"I'm so sorry Troy… I didn't want this to happen…" Gabriella apologised, getting up from the ground and facing Troy.
"When did you get memory back?" He asked in a low tone with no readable expression. Gabriella couldn't bear to look at Troy in this state. She could see right through him. She just killed him inside and that was the last thing she ever wanted to do.
"The night I met Samantha, I also met Kevin. He told me who he was and he… he told me who I was… When I came home, I remembered everything…" Gabriella finally admitted for the first time. She looked up and found Troy with a look of absolute pain on his tear-eyed face. She reached out and touched his hand.
"Please don't cry Troy… I don't like seeing you like this." Gabriella begged. Troy pulled away from her with a look of betrayal and hurt.
"WHY THE HELL SHOULDN'T I CRY?! I have every right to cry Gabs!! Actually, that's what I have been doing since the accident! Gabi… You lied to me. All this time I thought I was the one that is betraying you!" Troy shouted as he shook his head. He literally felt like dying in that moment. His eyes were so red that it looked like it couldn't release anymore tears, and yet, they were still rolling down his face. Gabriella on the other hand, had a look in her eyes that was desperately begging for forgiveness and understanding.
"Troy I didn't know what to do when I got my memory back!! Do you think you're the only one hurting?! You didn't even have the guts to claim me back! You did nothing until it came too late! You just watched me with Aaron!" Gabriella retorted, getting out her feelings as well.
"Aren't I claiming you back now?!... Gabi, you're everything that I'm living for, and you're marrying my best friend!! The worst thing is, you know who I am!! You know what we've been through together… Gabriella… you know how much I love you." Troy whimpered, his voice getting softer and weaker. Gabriella stayed quiet and just put her hand over her mouth to stop her sobbing.
-
Troy waited for Gabriella to say something. When nothing came out, he turned his back on her and started to walk away but stopped.
"Troy, I love Aaron. You and I drifted apart." Gabriella confessed truthfully. Troy immediately closed his eyes tightly to stop the fresh tears he knew was gonna fall. He desperately wanted the agonising pain in his heart to go away.
"…But I still love you. I don't think I ever stopped." Gabriella added honestly. Troy stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to look at her.
"You can't have both guys." He said softly.
"That's why I chose." She answered with her head down.
"… and you chose Aaron…." Troy scoffed, finding it hard to believe what was happening.
"Why Gabs?... What about me?? Do I just have to wait until this pain kills me? Why did you choose Aaron over me? I was first in line wasn't I? We promised to be together no matter what." Troy reminded her as he stood right in front of her, still tears in his eyes.
"Troy its complicated… Please don't push it…" She said with her eyes closed. Troy couldn't hold it anymore. He was frustrated, hurt and confused.
"What else is complicated Gabi?! Everything is revealed now!! You chose him! What could be more complicated and worse than that?! The only thing that I need to know now is the reason why its him, and not me you're gonna marry?!" Troy begged.
"Troy stop insisting ok! You don't know anything!! You're the reason why I ran away and had that accident, in the first place! If you didn't do what you did, everything would have still been good between us! I wouldn't have had to share my heart with two guys!" Gabriella shouted, clearly in emotional pain.
"Gabi I regretted every single damn mistake I made, especially the last one!! When I thought you were dead, I would've gone hell and back just to have one more glance at your face. Just to say that I love you… just to say that I'm sorry…" Troy whimpered.
"I'm sick of feeling pain… I—I just want to know the reason why you chose him, before I completely walk out of your life. Before I try to move on!!" He pleaded.
"I promised I won't tell!" Gabriella whispered but she seemed to be telling herself that, rather than telling Troy.
"Damn it Gabi!! Just tell me why!! WHY?! What's the reason why you're replacing me?! You're saying that you still love me as much as before, then why the hell are you still with him?! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MARRYING HIM?!" Troy shouted demandingly at the top of his lungs. That was the moment that Gabriella lost control and slipped the words she never intended to say. The reason why she's still with Aaron.
"Aaron has leukaemia!! He's dying Troy!! AARON IS DYING!!" Gabriella shouted in tears. She cupped her face with her hands and fell to the ground once again.
-
At that exact moment, Troy literally stopped breathing. He honestly wanted to die.
--
"Where the hell is Gabriella?! Her wedding is supposed to be starting now!!" Sharpay panicked as all the girls waited for the bride, outside the church.
"I told you we should've just came with her!" Taylor exclaimed.
"There's no time to blame people now!! Let's try calling the house." Kelsi said as she grabbed her phone and dialled Sharpay's home phone number.
--
Aaron stood beside the altar.
"She's not coming. Troy is not here. They're still back there clearing things up…" Aaron sighed with a small sad smile on his face. He expected them to be together eventually but that reason didn't stop the pain in his heart. He loved Gabriella more that he ever loved anyone. But he knew she was never his. Troy had her heart from the beginning.
"I should've just cancelled this wedding." Aaron thought. He walked over to the priest to tell him that the wedding is off when the music suddenly started playing. He turned his head to face the large door of the church and saw the girls in their dresses coming in. Right at the end of the line, stood Gabriella in her beautiful wedding dress, and standing right beside her was her escort, Troy.
--
10 minutes before…
"Aa—Aaron—ha—has what?" Troy choked out. Gabriella needed to find her voice back before she spoke.
"No one knew that Aaron has leukaemia except his family and him. They don't even know that I know. I found out about it when he got sick once and had to be taken to the hospital. Ever since I found out about this, I promised myself that I would take care of him. I want to return the love he's giving me." Gabriella said as both their tears finally ceased.
"I truly fell in love with him, Troy. But when I got my memory back… I was confused. I knew I loved you more than him but I want to make Aaron happy before he leaves all of us. That's why I just pretended that I still have amnesia so I won't hurt you as much. I never intended for you to get hurt." Gabriella explained and Troy finally understood.
"I'm so sorry Troy. I have no choice… W—we-- we have to go our separate ways." She cried once more. Troy bit his lip and wrapped her arms around her, despite the pain that was killing him at the very second. Gabriella accepted the hug and just cried on his shoulder.
"Then we should get you fixed up. You got a wedding to attend to." Troy whispered in difficulty as he released his final tears.
--
Present time…
Aaron seriously couldn't believe his eyes. Gabriella was really there in her wedding dress. He walked back to his spot and watched his bride approach him.
-
"Stop shaking Gabi. You look beautif--" Troy stopped when he spotted Gabriella's face underneath the white veil. Since he was the closest, he had the chance to look at her face closely and to see what she was really feeling. She was in the verge of tears.
"Don't cry Gabi. Oh please don't cry. If you do, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from taking you back." Troy whispered and heard Gabriella sniffed.
"I'm so sorry Troy." Gabriella said one last time before Aaron finally took her arm from Troy.
-
Aaron and Gabriella's mothers were crying as the ceremony started. Even the girls had tears in their eyes. Troy on the other hand, just watched from the side and tried to control his emotions. Deep down, he was also crying but there was no way he was gonna show it.
"You made the right decision." Troy's mind spoke despite what his heart was telling him. He tried to ignore what his heart was saying as Aaron and Gabriella kneeled before the altar and listened to the priest's words.
-
The end of the wedding ceremony was approaching. The whole gang was having thoughts of objecting in the right time but they knew it would ruin Gabriella and Aaron's happiness. They turned to look at Troy to find him staring at the ground, with his hair covering his face. He was crying.
-
Gabriella could see in the corner of her eyes that Troy's shoulders were shaking a little bit.
"Troy please stop crying. Please don't cry!" Gabriella said to herself, wanting to yell it out. The priest finally asked her and Aaron to stand up and say their vows. The vows that would tie them forever.
"I, Aaron Mark Kenzie, take Gabriella Anne Montez to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish… 'till death do us part." Aaron said with a smile. Gabriella on the other hand, had her mind wondering off but her senses soon came back when Aaron gave her hand a little squeezed. Luckily, Aaron didn't notice anything.
"I, Gabriella Anne Montez, take Troy Alexander Bolton to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, from--." Everything turned dead silent forcing Gabriella to stop talking. Even the birds seemed to have stopped chirping. Gabriella on the other hand, had absolutely no idea what just happened.
-
The gang gasped. Everyone gasped. Nobody literally let out a breath. Troy's head snapped up as soon as he heard Gabriella's words. He was shocked, but he wasn't the only one. Everyone had their mouths hanging open.
"Why did Gabriella say Troy's name?" Sharpay thought, not releasing a breath.
"Who told her about her and Troy?" Taylor asked herself.
"She knows her past?!" Chad exclaimed in his thought, wide-eyed.
"She remembers!!" Zeke thought.
"Oh shit!" The gang cursed in their minds.
-
Gabriella was completely confused when everyone went quiet, even the priest was gawking at her as if she swore right in front of the altar. She had no idea what she did but as soon as she saw Aaron with the saddest look on his face, her eyes widened in realisation of what just happened.
"Oh my gosh!" Gabriella exclaimed, slapping her hand over her mouth, wide-eyed. She glanced at Troy and connected eyes with him. That's when she was sure she had vowed to someone else other than the guy in front of her.
"No! I didn't mean that! I meant you, Aaron. You! I take YOU as…my… husband…" Gabriella said, her voice getting weaker by the second.
"I—umm.. I guess you remember your past… Its alright Gabi. I kinda saw it coming. Just not right now but… hey, what difference does make right?" Aaron said even though visible tears were forming in his eyes.
"No… Aaron I do love you… its just that--" Before she could finish, Aaron cut her off.
"You love Troy more and you want to marry him." Aaron said with a genuine smile that shows acceptance with a hint of hurt. Finally, he let his tears fall. He couldn't hold them much longer. It hurt.
"Aaron I-- I don't know what to say…" Gabriella said truthfully, feeling worse by the second.
"Its alright. You don't need to say anything. Let Troy do the talking." Aaron said and everyone immediately shifted their eyes to Troy.
"Well, Troy…" Aaron said to his friend and was a bit surprised to see Troy, tear-eyed. When he thought it over, somehow, he was unconsciously thinking that Troy was probably hurting. It sure showed on the traces of tears on his face.
"Aaron I-I can't… You love Gabi and she loves you too." Troy said, with a shake of his head.
"Come on Troy. I'm giving you a chance. You've been through enough. Its not fair to you anymore. You lost her once, don't lose her again." Aaron said and turned to Gabriella.
-
The audience looked at each other, confused as hell. The gang on the other hand, had already caught up in the situation.
"What's gonna happen now?" Chad whispered to his girlfriend.
"Shhh!!" The others hissed.
"Gee don't need to bite my head off." Chad mumbled.
-
"Aaron, please don't do this. I promise that I'd take care of you no matter what." Gabriella said softly.
"Did you ever think that you probably promised the same thing to another guy? Don't make him wait Gabs. He'd been through hell just to make you happy. You're not happy with me anymore." Aaron said. Gabriella looked up and connected eyes with Troy. She couldn't read him. She had no idea what Troy wanted her to do. She had no idea what to do.
"I-I think I need a break." Gabriella said as she jogged towards the exit, not making eye contact with anyone at all.
"Gabriella!!" A familiar voice called out, forcing her to stop, though she looked straight ahead and waited for the person to continue to speak. A few seconds had past but it was still silent. She sighed and continued to walk when suddenly, Troy finally spoke again.
"Marry me?" He asked. Gabriella froze. She could've sworn she felt her heart skipped a beat. She slowly turned her head to face him. She didn't even know it but those were the words she'd been dying to hear from Troy. From Troy Bolton only… She couldn't hold it anymore, tears welled up in her eyes once again.
-
Troy gulped as he finally asked the question he'd planned on asking Gabriella for so long. He saw Gabriella turn around when he spoke, and his heart immediately pumped more blood than normal. There she was, staring back at him with tears in her eyes. She was the most beautiful thing Troy had ever seen, and will ever see, in his entire life. She was glowing, in his eyes, as the sunlight from outside hit her face.
"Yes Troy. I'll marry you." Gabriella answered. Troy finally breathed again. He had no idea that he was holding his breath for so long.
-
"And you may now kiss the bride." The priest announced and without hesitation, Troy's lips rested on Gabriella in a sweet, tender kiss.
"I love you Gabriella… more than anything." Troy whispered to his wife, intertwining their fingers.
"I love you too Troy… I don't think we can ever go our separate ways… I somehow always find my way back to you." Gabriella said as they walked down the aisle.
"Yeah… What can I say? I'm a girl magnet." Troy joked and immediately received a slap on the arm.
"I'm just kidding." Troy chuckled, rubbing his arm.
"Oh you better be coz you're stuck with me forever." Gabriella smiled as they exited the church. Everyone cheered and had smiles on their faces. Even Aaron himself!
"Don't worry. With memory or not, this wedding ring will stay 'round my finger until it rusts." Troy said with a smile as he saw everyone else clapping and cheering, especially the gang.
"You're wedding ring is gold. It won't rust." Gabriella said with a confused look on her face. Then suddenly, the meaning dawned to her. She couldn't help but smile.
"Exactly." Troy said softly as he once again placed his lips on Gabriella's, wrapping his arms protectively around her waist as she rested her arms around his neck.
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OMG!! Its finish!! I cannot believe its finish!! I'm so sad!! I hope you liked this last chapter though! I might do an epilogue… Not sure yet… What do you think??
Well, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR READING MY STORY!! I really, really, really appreciate it!! I LOVED every comment you guys made!! : ) : ) Till next time guys!! Please review.