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Gabriella was talking to Taylor at Gabriella's locker on Monday morning when she felt a pair of familiar arms snake around her waist. "I missed you," murmured Troy into Gabriella's ear. "You were gone all weekend and I missed you like crazy."
Gabriella turned around in his arms and smiled up at him. "Good morning to you, too," she greeted as she kissed him lightly.
"Did you two girls enjoy yourselves at least?" asked Chad, who had just greeted his own girlfriend.
Taylor looked over at Gabriella, who smiled back. "We did actually. Well, to be honest, it was AMAZING!"
Gabriella and Taylor both laughed as they thought about their weekend.
After driving all the way to Dartmouth and back the day before and then visiting Harvard that morning, Gabriella, Taylor, and Ms. Montez were now exploring MIT's campus with a guide. Gabriella and Taylor held hands excitedly as they took a look at their possible future school together and listened to the guide talk about the history of buildings and where things were while also taking in the students scattered around the campus on that Saturday morning. Once the tour was done, Gabriella and Taylor both had their interviews while Ms. Montez sat in the student center waiting for both girls. When Gabriella came back with a stunning grin, Ms. Montez knew that all had gone well.
"It went so well, Mom!" exclaimed Gabriella as she hugged her mother. "They had a lot of good questions, but I think I was prepared for most of them. They seemed very happy at the end of the interview, either that or they were being very polite."
"I'm sure they loved you, hun," replied Ms. Montez. "I have a surprise for you actually."
"What?" asked Gabriella.
"As soon as Taylor comes back from her interview, I am taking you to the top of the Hyatt next to this campus for a nice dinner to celebrate a successful weekend for you both. I think you and Taylor have fallen in love with this area and these schools, and as sad as I am that you may be leaving me to go so far away, I just want you to be happy. Cathy is meeting us there and then after that, you and Taylor can explore your old haunts in Boston if you want while I catch up with Cathy. How does that sound?"
Gabriella stared at her mother before she grinned. "Wonderful!"
"What's wonderful?" asked Taylor as she came up to the mother and daughter.
"Everything," responded Gabriella. "So, how did your interview go?"
"As well as I could hope, definitely better than my Dartmouth one. How about you, Gab?" questioned Taylor.
"Both Harvard and MIT went about the same. Hopefully, I'll get into at least one of these schools," replied Gabriella. "And, what's even better, is that we are going to a nice dinner at the hotel next door and then I get to take you around to some of my favorite spots back in the city."
After a few hours, the four women finished their dinners at the revolving restaurant and were busy sharing stories about their past and their present while they also enjoyed the views. "Boston and Cambridge really are beautiful, Gabriella. Now I know why you are considering coming back," said Taylor.
Gabriella nodded her head. "And you have only seen the colleges. Mom, can Taylor and I get going so I can show her a little bit more of Boston before the club scene opens up?"
"Sure, Gabriella. Just make sure you are able to get up for our flight first thing tomorrow, okay?" answered Ms. Montez.
"We will," said Gabriella before she hugged Cathy and then her mother. "Have fun tonight."
"You too, and be safe!" called out Ms. Montez as the girls left the restaurant and started their exploration of the city together before they went to a few 16+ clubs, which were a bit sparse in the city.
"So what mischief did you get into at the clubs?" asked an intrigued Chad. "I hope you two behaved."
"We did, for the most part," replied Taylor with mischief twinkling in her eyes.
Gabriella looked over at Taylor and burst into laughter as she knew what memory she was thinking of.
Taylor and Gabriella were sipping on virgin strawberry daiquiris at the last club they planned to hit that night when two older looking guys approached them. The one with blonde hair walked up to Taylor while the one with black hair came to Gabriella.
"Hello ladies," greeted the blonde. "Can we buy you another drink?"
Gabriella and Taylor looked at each other and smiled at the guys. "Sorry guys but we aren't looking tonight," said Gabriella. "We both have boyfriends back home."
"Back home?" echoed the guy standing in front of Gabriella. "Not from here, huh?"
"No, from New Mexico," answered Taylor.
"Well then, please allow us to give you a memorable night in Boston you will never forget," said the blonde as he advanced on Taylor.
Gabriella saw the panicked look on her best friend's face and decided enough was enough. "Bartender, can you get the bouncer?" called out Gabriella before her face was jerked around to face guy in front of her again.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," stated the guy in a dark tone.
"I would," replied Gabriella before she poured the drink in her hand over the guy's head.
"Why you little…" got out the guy before two bouncers came over and pulled him back from Gabriella.
"Are these two bothering you?" asked one of the bouncers who had the blond in his grasp.
"Not anymore, thank you," answered Taylor as the bouncer nodded and led the two guys out.
People directly around the girls started buzzing about what just happened but Gabriella and Taylor failed to notice, both were laughing hysterically at the image of the black haired guy covered in Gabriella's pink mixed drink.
Chad and Troy both laughed at this story. "I guess you two can take care of yourselves," admitted Chad. "That's great to see."
Just then, the warning bell for homeroom rang so the two couples were forced to walk to the classroom together without further discussion of the trip.
After their tutoring session, Troy took Gabriella over to the park and the two were now sitting in their shared spot in silence. Both had a lot on their minds, especially Troy, who strangely got the sense that he was losing Gabriella, slowly. Gabriella on the other hand was only thinking of her college prospects and how she was going to choose if she luckily got into all her top choices.
"So," started Troy, startling Gabriella. "You really had a good time in Boston, huh?"
Gabriella nodded her head. "Taylor and I had a lot of fun, but it was also a very useful trip. I got to know the campuses a little better and in some ways wish I had applied to Dartmouth too but what's done is done."
"Your heart is really set on going back East, huh?" stated Troy. "Far, far away from here."
"Maybe, I don't know quite yet," replied Gabriella. "Look, it's just a high that she and I are on right now. It'll pass and then we'll be able to decide on the colleges after we get accepted or rejected in a month or so. Why do you have that upset look on your face?"
Troy schooled his expression so the frustrated look on his face that was there a moment before was gone. "Nothing, no reason."
"Troy, if something is bothering you…" started Gabriella before Troy interrupted her.
"You want to know what's wrong? It's us, it's me, it's you!" exclaimed Troy.
Shocked, Gabriella didn't say anything for a few moments before she dared to ask, "What is wrong with us?"
Troy let out a frustrated sigh as he placed his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow up like that but this is eating me, Gabriella, it's really eating me."
"What is?" asked a panicked Gabriella. "What has you this worked up, Troy?"
"The feeling that I'm losing you against my will. I'm frustrated because since Valentine's Day, you seem to be more hesitant about getting physically close to me. When we make out, you are so on guard like you need to be fully aware to make sure to stop me from going farther than you want to. And then this, hearing you talk so gleefully about the colleges on the East Coast, I can see you already envisioning yourself there at some ivy league school," admitted Troy. "I know we want to all live in the present but it seems like it is now your turn to focus on the future."
Gabriella stared at Troy and sadly shook her head. "Troy, this isn't what you are thinking. Yes, I'm excited about the prospects this visit brought, but it's not even like I've been accepted yet. Who knows, I could still easily get rejected. There are thousands of students across the country that want to get into these same colleges. And even if I do, there's nothing that says we aren't going to end up apart. We have three common schools that we applied to independently Troy, U of A, Berkeley, and UCLA."
"Yeah but you already made it clear you wouldn't got to U of A if you had other choices," bit out Troy.
"So? There's still two other colleges," replied Gabriella. "You know there's a good chance we could end up at the same school while I admit, you are right that there is a chance we won't. But why let it all eat you now?"
"Because just hearing you talk about those schools, well I could see the happiness in your words and your body language," answered Troy. "But, you are right, nothing is decided now, not by a long shot."
"Exactly, so just stay in the moment with me, all right?" pleaded Gabriella.
Troy nodded his head in agreement.
"And as for your feeling that I'm pulling away physically, it's not conscious, I promise you, Troy," stated Gabriella. "Maybe I am being more careful with you but it's not a conscious thought. I know you would never do something like force me. I don't have an answer for it because I didn't even realize I was doing that but I will be more conscious of it going forward."
Troy took Gabriella into his arms and just closed his eyes as he willed all the bad feelings and frustrations away. He wasn't totally successful but he was able to sweep most of it away, enough so that he enjoyed having Gabriella in his arms.
Gabriella on the other hand was now worried by Troy's thoughts that he had been holding onto internally. 'What if he is right?' she wondered. 'What if Troy's feeling of us being separated by college choices are right and that I am pulling away from him. What does that mean?'
After a few minutes more of cuddling, Troy decided it was time to take Gabriella home so she could get to work on her own studies. When he dropped her off, he smiled at her retreating form and took off without a second thought until he turned the corner at the end of the street when all the worries he had only thirty minutes before came back in a flash flood.