Time Changes Everything

You Ruin Everything

Gabriella runs down the stairs in a pair of jean shorts and a cute t-shirt and quickly runs into the kitchen. It had been three days since Troy's welcome home dinner and she hadn't seen him since. But he had called her that morning to tell her she was coming over since his dad had some teacher's thing to go to and his mom was at work. She was more then excited, since there was something inside her that felt different. She was sure Troy was going to ask her out today, since he had been hinting that he had something to ask her on the phone for the past two days. She couldn't even begin to explain her excitement at this. After two long years, she would finally be going out with Troy Bolton. Nothing would bring her down today.

She quickly grabs an apple from the refrigerator and takes a bite, almost as if trying to calm her nerves. Her legs were practically shaking from excitement. She couldn't believe that this might actually be happening. As she continues to eat her apple, her fingers tap on the table. Finally, she finishes and throws out the core and half runs over to the back screen doors.

"Gabi? Is that you?" Her father's voice echoes from the family room and Gabriella feels herself slightly groan. She just wanted to get over to Troy's right no.

"Yea... it's me." She says and walks into the family room to see her father lying on the couch with a blanket over him. She closes her eyes slightly. He was hard to look at now. In the past couple days, Mr. Montez had given up trying to do things a normal person would. The last time he left the house was for Troy's dinner. He was supposed to go to the same teacher thing Coach Bolton was going to, but he couldn't. Gabriella knew he wasn't going to be able to be a gym teacher this year he was so sick. But he had gotten this way once before and pulled through, so she was hoping that it wasn't a big deal.

"You look nice..." He says and tries to put a smile on his face, but it comes out twisted. "Are you and Sharpay still going to the mall?"

Gabriella remembers talking to Sharpay last night on the phone and they had originally planned to go to the mall to get a jump start on shopping for clothes for school. Then she got the call this morning from Troy and told Sharpay about it. Sharpay seemed to have understood and said that she would just hang out with Ryan. "Err... no we're not."

She didn't want to tell her father where she was going, since it was a little embarrassing since he caught her and Troy kissing the other night. Mr. Montez tries to sit up a little bit, but finds it unsuccessful. "Then where are you going?"

Gabriella bites her lip. "Um... I'm going over to Troy's."

Mr. Montez gives her a weird look for a moment and then sighs. "Jack's at the staff meeting." He says as a statement.

"Yes..." Gabriella says impatiently, really wanting to get over to Troy's.

"And his mom's at work."

Gabriella looks at him skeptically. "Yes..."

"So you two will be home alone?" He asks and Gabriella nods slowly.

"Yea..."

"You can't go."

Gabriella's heart sinks. She freezes for a moment. "What?"

Her father shakes his head. "I don't want you going over there."

Gabriella gives him a 'you got to be kidding me' look. "Why not?" She asks more in shock then anything.

"Because I don't want you over at his house when his parents aren't home." He says and Gabriella's jaw literally drops. Mr. Montez coughs a little and Gabriella could feel her heart breaking. She needed to go over to Troy's. She needed him to ask her out. Why didn't her father understand that?