You Still Have Me

Disclaimer

I do not own High School Musical or the lyrics of 'My Immortal' by Evanescene

Summary

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears. And I held your hand through all of these years. But you still have. Based off 'My Immortal' by Evanescene. One shot TG

A/N So I know I should have been working on Crazy Wild Thoughts but I really was trying to revise. And I always listen to music when revising and I was listening to 'My Immortal' on repeat and then I had this idea and I couldn't concentrate on a damn thing until I wrote it. So there I sat at quarter to eleven at night beginning to write. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until I had this written and posted. And it is now fifteen minutes past midnight and despite the fact that I've got to wake up at 6 tomorrow (or today) I'm pleased that I've got this out of the way

Anyhow - this may be confusing. The italics are flashbacks and it jumps around a bit but I wanted it done that way...

And please review and tell me what you thought

And I know the summary is the lyrics from the song but to be honest I couldn't think of anything to describe this story better - and I had based this story of the song so it was the best thing that fit. I guess you'd understand what I mean when you read this...

Gabriella looked out at the vast number of people sitting in the hall. Her eyes swept over the unfamiliar people whose faces were painted with that same mask

They disgusted her

They were all fake – pretending.

Out of everyone in this room there were only a few people who could possibly be as affected as she was.

Only a few out of the couple of hundred that were swarming like unwanted flies around her

Offering their unwanted sympathy and gushing about things they didn't know

They didn't know anything – so why were they even here? Why were they mocking her?

They didn't know

Who would?

"Are you shitting me?" Gabriella exclaimed in disbelief as she heard to her boyfriend spout nonsense from his mouth

Troy's face looked blank. He blinked, confused

"No – I'm not shitting you. I mean it – we should just get the hell out of here for the weekend…"

"Troy – it's the weekend before the SAT's. We should be revising – not running off somewhere…"

"We're not running off Brie – we're escaping. Come on! You know how hectic everything as been – don't you just want to drop everything and take off? Forget about the consequences, forget about all the shit and just leave…?"

"That's the thing Troy! We're going to have to come back and deal with the consequences. The shit will follow us wherever we are. Baby, I know you're stressed right now – damn – we all are. But we can't leave… not now…"

Troy nodded downcast

"It was just an idea…" he mumbled, his head downcast, a lock of brown hair falling into his eyes.

Gabriella looked at him and sighed. She loved this about him

She loved his free spirit

But sometimes it would have to wait

"Oh dear – I'm so sorry…" Gabriella sighed, turning her head in the direction of the voice.

Her eyes swept over the figure. She remained silent, staring

"Look at you – too shaken up to say anything…"

That wasn't the problem. She didn't want to say anything. For if she said something she would yell. She would scream. She would curse and pull her hair out with anguish. She would insult and hurt and make everyone feel the same pain that she was feeling.

So she remained silent

"We lost Brie – we lost. All that work, all those practices – it's all gone down the bloody drain…"

Troy let the tears roll down his face. He made no move to hide them, to wipe them away.

Gabriella stepped forward, moving her arms around his neck, letting his head rest on her shoulder as he cried his tears of frustration. He worked so hard and it didn't pay off. And that was what hurt

It wasn't the fact that he lost – it was the fact that he had tried so hard and was unable to succeed. It made him feel unworthy.

So he cried to the only person he could

And Gabriella wiped away his tears, whispered words of comfort in his ear.

She stayed with him until he was fine

Gabriella stepped outside relieved as the bitter air hit her in the face.

The hall was crowded – she felt claustrophobic.

She was overwhelmed.

Her feet carried her away from the blustering building and to the peace and serenity she craved for. Towards the place she knew where he lay.

She fell, broken. Her knees dug into the wet mud and grass, staining the black skirt she was forced to wear.

"Why?" Her voice was a harsh cry. She broke, she screamed her pain.

Thunder roared in the background, lighting illuminated the sky, rain poured down.

It was a cliché – the stormy weather to match her mood

"Why?" She tilted her head up, opening her mouth wide as she yelled her fury at the clouds, effectively tasting the salt of the raindrops as they fell on her face.

Her hands curled into fists, her nails digging into her palm and she pounded on the ground repeatedly. Her skin was breaking, her fists curling inwards, her palms bleeding from the jabs of her nails but she refused to relent.

She would not give up

She would hurt, she would feel the pain. She would take out all of her anger

Gabriella stared at the wall, her phone attached to her ear before letting out a humourless laugh.

"You're shitting me right?" Her voice had traces of insecurity in it. She was begging, pleading for it all to be some sick joke

It wasn't

She threw the phone at the wall, watching it break into pieces as it smashed. Her chest was tightening; she was finding it harder to breathe.

And then she ran

Gabriella stood up. Her knuckles were bleeding but she ignored them. Her body was soaking, shivering as the cold rain continued to thunder down on her. Her clothes were ruined, wet mud and grass sunken into them.

"What did I do to you?" She yelled out at the sky, begging for an answer. "What the hell did I do to you?"

The crowd was massive, people were gathered, a lot were crying. She stood there uncertain.

"Gabriella!" She noticed Chad Danforth beckoning her over. She pushed past people in her effort to get to him; she shoved people away as she ran.

Leaping into his arms she sobbed

"I loved him – you knew that! Why did you have to do that? Why did you take him away?" Gabriella screamed all of the pent up rage and frustration she had been holding in for months. She screamed and yelled and kicked and punched whatever she could.

She hurt and she would continue to hurt

"Miss – I'm afraid-" The officer was cut off as Chad addressed him

"She's his girlfriend – so she'll be here…"

Gabriella pulled away from Chad after awhile and looked him in the eye

"Where was it?"

Chad looked down on her, closing his eyes

"Show me Chad! I need to see – I've got to… please…" her voice whimpered, begging

Chad grasped a hold of her hand and led her to where it took place.

She gasped as she saw the blood that covered the brick walls. Chad held her back, holding tightly onto her waist before she could run over and touch the last place that he laid.

"Where is he?"

"They took his body away…"

Gabriella fell back to the cemetery floor, weeping. She was spent.

Months had gone by and the authorities still refused to release Troy's body on the grounds of investigation. And it was only just a week ago when they did – after they tried his killer. Only then was he allowed a proper funeral

Troy was stabbed

He was beaten

He was walking home and he was attacked

His life had been stolen

Gabriella met his killer

She saw his killer walking into the court with no remorse on his face

She almost killed him herself. She wanted to. She had so much rage and hurt filled up inside of her that killing Troy's murderer seemed the only way out. She wanted to see him suffer.

And it scared her

But she held her emotions in

Just like she had for all those months

She was there for his family – his mother and father

She was there for Chad – his boy best friend

But no one was there for her – his best friend and girlfriend

Sure, Taylor and Sharpay tried to help but they didn't understand what was going on. They didn't understand what she was feeling – they still had their loves.

So she kept her emotions in check

She refused to cry

She refused to show anyone how in pain she was

But now she was finished

She was broken

She always would be

For she knew that Troy Bolton still had her heart – he had all of her and there was nothing she could do about it.

As the rain continued to pour, Gabriella lifted her head to read the writing of the gravestone. Tears coursed down her cheeks, mixing with the rain but she read through the fogginess of her vision

Here lies Troy Alexander Bolton

1986 – 2008

A loving son and friend

Will be missed by all

R.I.P

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me