Chapter 2: Bye-Bye, Hamsquad

Summary: The weekend. Gabriella's beloved hamster dies. Troy thinks up a charismatic idea on how to help Gabriella grieve. They hang out all weekend and do cute stuff.

A/N: Heyy guys! Thanks so much for reviewing. I usually wait until I either get more reviews or think up new ideas before I update. This time I am updating the very next day! That should make you happy, huh? Well, here you go… chapter 2!

-xox-

It was Saturday morning and everyone was dead asleep. All you could hear was the little birdies chirping loudly outside your windows. The gang ended up getting a whole list of ideas written down. They included; visiting the amusement park, bathing in the warm Hawaiian sun at the beach, lots of chill time and even shopping!

Gabriella's mother had come home around 11:30PM last night and Troy remembered his dare. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was a bit scared to make out with Gabi in front or her mother. He didn't want her to think he was the kind of boyfriend that just wanted to make out. He didn't want her mother to think that he was disgusting in any way, shape, or form. So he didn't remind anyone about the dare.

Everyone was about to go home around 1:00AM when Chad remembered the dare. Troy groaned mentally and made his best remembrance face. Troy thought up a good idea and explained it to the rest of his friends.

"Mrs. Montez is sleeping, though." He said, trying not to sound as if he was backing out of the dare.

"Oh, yeah. That means you can't do the dare. Someone give them a new one." Jason said.

"No, we can still do it. No one said that Mrs. Montez had to be awake." He smirked. Everyone nodded.

"Yeah, that's true. I guess you could go make out in her room while she sleeps. But to make it fair, you have to do it on her bed!" Chad said.

"That wasn't in the dare before, Chad. You can't change it." Gabriella said.

"Fine, whatever. Go make out now." Chad sighed, giving up.

Gabriella winked in Troy's direction, telling him with her mind that she was glad he came up with that plan. She didn't really want to make out in front of her mother, either. She knew her mom wouldn't let her see Troy anymore.

Everyone silently piled up the stairs. Troy and Gabriella slipped into Mrs. Montez' bedroom and sat down on the floor, farthest away from the bed. They assumed positions and knew that their friends would be watching from inside the peep hole in the door lock. They began to quietly make out with each other, saving each and every sweet kiss. They thought they were being quiet but they heard Mrs. Montez stir and sit up in bed. Thankfully, it was pitch black in the room. But, when they saw her mom reach for the light, they dove into the closet, hiding behind the clothes.

Mrs. Montez got up and went to the door. She opened it up and saw seven very guilty faces sitting outside. She put her hands on her hips and looked at each one of them.

"What's going on here?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing… we were just looking for an earring Taylor dropped on the floor." Chad said. But he quickly noticed she didn't even have pierced ears. They all quickly got up, pretending to find the piece of earring and bolted down the stairs before Mrs. Montez could ask where Troy and Gabriella were. She sighed, closing her door and climbing back into bed.

Troy and Gabriella were sitting quietly on the floor in the walk-in closet. When Gabriella noticed her mom didn't shut off the light, she got worried.

"Troy." She whispered.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"My mom's not going back to sleep! What are we going to do?" She whispered, slightly panicking.

"Don't worry; she has to fall asleep at some point." He said, rubbing his hand up and down Gabriella's arm. He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He had a new text from Chad.

It read: you guys okay in there?

Troy responded. (Troy is italics and Chad is bold)

Stuck in the closet, Montez is reading.

Well were going home. Cyah tmrw

Peace man

Call me when u guys get out

Will do Gabi says bye too

Everyone says bye

Gabriella and Troy just sit in the dark closet together, in silence. They try to make conversation, but fail when they think Mrs. Montez is listening to them. They ended up sneaking out around three am and Troy raced home.

So now its 9:00AM and some of the gang is starting to wake up. Troy is sound asleep in the comfort of his own bed. He didn't end up falling asleep until five in the morning.

Gabriella was always a morning person, so she had gotten up fifteen minutes ago, hoping her mom wasn't up so she wouldn't have to explain why she wasn't with her friends last night. But, her mom was already downstairs eating an English muffin and drinking a cup of coffee.

Gabriella walked down the stairs quietly and into the kitchen. It was a really sunny day, so she grabbed a bagel, heated it up and put some strawberry jelly on top and went outside to the swing on her porch. Her mom didn't ask a single question. She sighed in relief and watched the animals outside go on with their daily lives. That made her think of her hamster, Hamsquad. After eating her bagel, she brushed the crumbs off of her pajamas and walked in her house. He mom was still sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.

Gabriella walked upstairs into her pet room. She grabbed the bag of hamster food and brought it over to the cage. She dropped the bag silently and it made a thud on the floor. She gasped, opening up the cage. Poor Hamsquad was lying on her back with her legs dangling on her sides. Gabriella yelled to her mom.

Within seconds, her mother was at the door.

"What's wrong, Gabi?" She asked, holding a hand over her heart to slow her breathing.

"Hamsquad… she's… gone." Gabriella wept on her mom's shoulder as she peered into the cage.

"Oh, Gabi, I am so sorry. What can I do to help?" She asked, comforting her daughter.

"Nothing, mom. Just let me call Troy." Gabriella said, wiping her eyes. Mrs. Montez grabbed the phone from the table beside them and handed it to Gabriella. She left the room, closing the door and walking back down the stairs.

Gabriella dialed the familiar number of the Bolton household. Troy's mom picked up.

"Hello?" She sang.

"Hi, Mrs. Bolton, is Troy home?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, dear, but he's sleeping. Do you want me to have him call you when he gets up?" She asked.

"Actually, it's kind of important that I talk to him now. Can you please wake him up for me?" She asked, her voice shaking.

Mrs. Bolton agreed and started walking to Troy's room. After several attempts, she couldn't get him up.

"Sorry, Gabriella, but he just won't wake up." She said.

"Okay, well can I come by and try to get him up? I really need to talk to him." Gabriella pleaded.

"Okay, come on over." They hung up and Gabriella placed Hamsquad back in the cage. She raced to her room and threw on her sweatpants and flipped her hair up in a ponytail. She didn't care how she looked, she just really needed Troy.

The hamster wouldn't really have meant this much to Gabriella, but Troy was the one who gave it to her. When they first started going out freshman year, he brought it to her as an 'I'm sorry.' gift. She thought that since the hamster died, their relationship would. She needed Troy to prove her wrong.

She ran as fast as she could down the long street to Troy's house. She knocked on the door and Mrs. Bolton answered. She let her in and Gabriella ran up the stairs to Troy's room. She unlocked the door with the only other key available, and closed the door behind her.

She walked over to Troy's bed and layed down next to him. She kissed him very softly on the lips and he woke up instantly.

"Gabi? What are you doing here?" He said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

When he didn't hear Gabriella say anything back, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She was sitting up, Indian style, with her legs crossed and tears running down her face. He pulled her into a big hug and she cried and cried. Troy rubbed her back, soothingly.

"What's wrong, baby?" He asked calmly.

"H-Hamsquad died…" Gabriella managed to choke out. Troy closed his eyes, swallowing down his sadness.

"Baby, I am so sorry." He said, hugging her close.

"Will our relationship die, too?" She said. Troy pulled out of the embrace and held her arms firmly, but gently.

"Gabriella, look at me." He said. "Just because this was our pet, and she died, that doesn't mean our relationship depended on the health of her. We will always be here for each other. I wont let that happen, I love you too much to let you go." He said.

Fresh tears rolled down Gabriella's beautiful tanned skin. Troy wiped away as many as he could. He kissed her forehead and let her head fall softly against his chest. She cried silently and Troy just hugged her, running his fingers through her hair.

After a half hour, Troy gets up and puts on a pair of grey sweatpants and a t-shirt. He walks with Gabriella down his stairs and grabs a donut as he heads out the door.

They walk hand in hand to Gabriella's house slowly. The cool Albuquerque breeze hitting their faces. Troy wraps his arm around Gabriella's waist, as hers snakes around his. They arrive at her house and walk in. Mrs. Montez greets them and Troy merely mutters a hello.

They walk up the stairs to the hamster's room. The door is shut and they stop. Troy looks down at Gabriella and she nods. He takes the doorknob in his left hand and pushes the door open. The room is sunny and bright, unlike what Gabriella had pictured it to be when she came back. She thought it would be dark and sad. But with Troy by her side, she was content.

They walked silently towards the cage. Gabriella stopped, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I can't do it, Troy. I just can't." She said.

"It's okay, Gabi. Don't cry. We can do it together. I will be right here next to you, I promise." He said, kissing her forehead.

It was around twelve o'clock. Troy told Gabriella to find a small box and a washcloth. Together they took the small box and decorated it. They drew Hamsquad and the top to show who it was and then wrote their names on the bottom. On the sides, they drew swirls and hearts; stars and circles. But on the top, they decorated it with stickers that said I love you.

Gabriella shed a tear here and there, but altogether, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. When they finished the box, Troy wrapped up the small body in a purple washcloth and placed her in the box. Gabriella kissed the towel as did Troy and they put a couple pieces of food around the body and layed some soft hamster bedding on top.

They walked silently down the stairs, each having one hand holding the box. They walked over to Mrs. Montez and she smiled, laughing to herself at how cute they were being. She placed her hand on the box and smiled at the two again.

Troy and Gabi went out to the backyard. Troy retrieved a small shovel from the garage and met Gabriella by the spot she picked for the burial. His face brightened when he saw where she was standing. Right in the spot where he always stood to climb up the tree in the middle of the night.

He dug a small hole and placed the box inside. They said their last few words to their little girl and packed the dirt on top. They closed their eyes and hugged each other close. Troy kissed the top of Gabriella's head several times before opening his eyes.

"We should make a little sign and put flowers on top of the grave." Troy suggested. Gabriella smiled, she was so lucky to have such a loving boyfriend.

Gabriella went to pick various flowers from her mothers garden as Troy went into the garage to put the shovel away and look for a permanent maker and a piece of cardboard. He wrote R.I.P Hamsquad in bold black letters across the square piece and duct-taped a small thin piece of wood to the back. He met Gabriella at the burial and he stuck the piece of wood in the ground. Gabriella showed her small bouquet of flowers to Troy. He smiled and she placed them down. They stood, once again wrapped in each others arms. Silently taking everything in.

-xox-

Troy ended up staying all day, neither of them said much to each other. They just sat on the swing on Gabriella's front porch, the exact place of their first kiss together. Gabriella layed her head on Troy's shoulder as she folded her legs to the left of her. They decided that they would just hang out and go to an ice cream shack later on for some chocolate chip serenity.

It was around eleven PM when Troy decided he should go. He didn't want his parents to get mad that he missed curfew two days in a row. He walked Gabriella upstairs and tucked her in. He kissed her sweetly on the lips before making his grand exit thru the double French doors leading to the tree. Gabriella wasn't really tired, so she made Troy to stay on the phone with her while he walked back to his house.

They talked on their cell phones until Troy was lying safe and sound in his bed. He said I love you to his girlfriend and she said it back, he waited for her to fall asleep before he clicked off his phone.

-xox-

A/N: I tried not to make this chapter seem rushed. I hope I succeeded. I was originally going to write the entire weekend in this chapter, but I didn't want to make it too long. It is already 8 pages. So, there you have it. Chapter two. If I get like at least 10 reviews I will consider having another update later today. It would probably be a short chapter for the Sunday that was supposed to be in this chapter. Well, hope you liked the chapter! Please review! Thanks for reading!!

x0x – HSM 0bsession… Out!