Back to the Dream Page
"Hunter Jonathon Smith, you better tell me where you're taking us!" Gabriella demands on Saturday early morning.
She is seated on a chartered plane again with Hunter, but this time his parents, his little sister Christine, and her own mother are on board with the two. All Gabriella knows is that they are going somewhere for the weekend. Hunter himself had not asked her to go. He had apparently arranged it all with her mother, who isn't saying anything either to her daughter. When Gabriella came home last night from another ride on Hunter's motorcycle, Mrs. Montez had informed her that they would be going away for the weekend and Gabriella had noticed her bag already sitting downstairs, already packed. Not another word had been said to her since then.
Hunter laughs and looks over at Gabriella, his brown eyes sparkling. "Aww, did you trade lives with Christine? That's something she would pull!" he exclaims, earning a pout from Gabriella.
"We're going to California Gabriella! Mommy says we're going to go to Disneyland!" screams out Christine who is apparently up from her nap. Mrs. Smith promptly clamps a hand over her daughter's mouth.
"Sorry Hunter, I didn't realize she was up. She must have heard us at home," Mrs. Smith shrugs.
Gabriella is now grinning. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love your little sister?"
Hunter rolls his eyes. "The little squealer? Yeah, I have no clue as to why you would, really. All right, I'll let some of the weekend out of the bag. Yes, we are going to go to Disneyland because Christine would not forgive any of us if we were in LA and didn't go. We're going to go for a few hours as soon as we land so she can get her fill, then go check into our hotel, and then, well, that part I'm going to keep a secret for a while longer," Hunter replies with a huge grin on his face and a wink.
"You know this is torturing me right?" Gabriella asks, giving him her best pout.
"No way Gabriella. This is so not the way you are going to find out. You already know too much!" he returns.
Mrs. Montez reaches from behind Gabriella's seat where she is sitting to place a calming hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Don't worry Gabriella, you are going to love this weekend. I wouldn't have brought you here and wouldn't be here if I thought you would not enjoy yourself," Mrs. Montez says, trying to comfort her daughter, knowing how much she hates surprises.
Gabriella accepts this, knowing she has no real choice, and is overwhelmingly happy when the plane finally lands at one of the LA airports she is guessing. When they get off, they see Johnny waiting for them and two SUVs this time with tinted windows.
"Hello everyone, I hope you had a pleasant flight," Johnny greets.
"Like always," Hunter says with a smile, giving Johnny a hug. "This wonderful woman besides Gabriella is her mother who is also joining us this weekend. Did you arrange for a b-a-b-y-s-i-t-t-e-r for tonight?"
Johnny grins at his tactic and nods. "Everything is all set, as well as the clothing and hotel."
"Where's Disneyland? I thought we were going to Disneyland!" whines Christine who is looking around the airfield, desperately trying to see a castle or Mickey Mouse.
"We are sweetie, in just a few minutes okay?" Mr. Smith says, kneeling down on the ground so he was eye level with his daughter. "Remember what we said a few days ago about having patience?"
"Yes," she replies, a little reluctantly.
"How it is a virtue of a little girl who is always going to be on the good list of Santa?"
"Yes."
"Good," he says, picking her up in his arms and smiling at the rest of the people around. "What? Okay, so I pulled the Santa card. She understands the concept, right?"
They all laugh as they are ushered into the cars. Hunter jumps into the first SUV with Gabriella and Mrs. Montez as his parents and Christine follow in the second. Once in the car, Johnny turns around again with a grin on his face, handing Hunter something to look over. "By the way, congratulations on having the #1 album this week, and probably the next few weeks. Your fans seem to absolutely love it!" Johnny announces, leaving Hunter to look over the chart and a few articles.
Gabriella's smile broadens as she reads along with him. "Wow, look at some of those reviews. That's amazing!" she says, continuing to read.
Hunter smiles back at her, feeling relief rush through his body. He had honestly not even had time to think about all this in the past week with all the schoolwork he had to catch up on that Gabriella helped with of course, plus the rehearsals for the musicale. Hunter feels himself outright grin as he feels Gabriella kiss his cheek and whisper, "Congratulations!" in his ear. He puts an arm around her shoulder and squeezes it, silently thanking her for all her support.
Mrs. Montez eyes the exchange from the back, smiling at the two who seem happy together. 'Could Troy really be out of Gabriella's life for good?' she wonders, seeing the two start whispering together again.
Christine is the first to jump out of the SUV as they pull into the drop off zone and walk towards the entrance. Johnny had arranged to get them passes before hand so they could go straight to the gates of Disneyland. Hunter had pulled on a cap and put on some sunglasses before exiting, turning to give Gabriella and her mother a hand down. They meet up with his family and make their way to the entrance, laughing at Christine who keeps running ahead and then waiting impatiently for them to catch up.
They continue to run around the park, letting young Christine lead the way, dictating what they did as it was her first time to the park, meaning they ended up spending most of the time in Fantasyland. After waiting forty-five minutes to ride Dumbo, they walk in to choose their elephants. Hunter had volunteered to take Christine himself on but Gabriella wanted to ride as well and figured she would just ride in a separate elephant. Hunter helps Christine into a Dumbo carriage with a violet color, Christine's favorite color and settles her in. Before Gabriella can get into the one behind it though, Christine calls out to her.
"Gabriella, you have to ride with us!" she exclaims, patting a small spot next to her. "I want to ride with you too."
Gabriella eyes the spot and looks at Christine with a smile she hopes is calming. "I'm sorry Christine but there's no more room."
Before Christine could pout, Hunter pulls her onto his lap and pats the sit next to him. "Now there is," he says with a grin. "No escaping her highness so you better take a seat."
Smiling, Gabriella gets into the ride and buckles their seatbelt, helping Hunter readjust Christine so she is sitting on both of their laps with Hunter's arm resting around Gabriella's shoulders. They go up and down, up and down, and up and down until the ride finally ends. They hear Hunter's mom call out and they look over as she snaps a picture of the two teens and her daughter. Hunter leads the way out of the ride with Gabriella following behind, holding Christine's hand.
Hearing that the princesses are around, Mrs. Smith takes Christine from Gabriella and leads her daughter to the front of the castle to find the princesses with Hunter's dad in tow. Mrs. Montez had ducked into a shop so Gabriella and Hunter decide to follow her, taking a look at all the different hats. "Too bad Ryan isn't here, he would love some of these hats," Gabriella murmurs, eyeing a Minnie Mouse hat in pink dressed with a princess tiara.
Gabriella joins her mom as she looks at some children's hats to possibly buy for Christine, a very small thank you to the Smith family for taking both of them along this weekend. They pick out a princess crown with violet netting flowing down the back and purchase it before Hunter can see. Mrs. Montez and Gabriella head outside and see Hunter waiting, leaning against the wall of the store. His original hat looks to have been replaced with blue Mickey ears.
"Aww, that's adorable," Gabriella says, smiling at the boyish smile he gives her. Hunter pushes off the wall and grabs Gabriella's hand to search for his family while Gabriella's hand is wrapped around her mom. Once they find them in line to meet Cinderella, Mrs. Montez takes out the present she had purchased for the little girl and squats down to place it on her head. Christine lets out a shriek of excitement and gives Mrs. Montez the biggest hug.
"I LOVE IT!" she screams, forgetting she was supposed to stand in line. Mr. Smith just laughs at his daughter, smiling over at Mrs. Montez.
"Say thank you Christine," he encourages, making the small girl blush.
"Thank you," she repeats to Mrs. Montez and also to Gabriella, who she gives another hug to.
Hunter takes Gabriella's hand and pulls her off to the side, in front of the castle. "Funny you and your mom did that for my sister, which by the way, I thank you. I also got you something for everything you have gone through for me," he says, pulling out something from the bag he was holding. There, in Hunter's hands, is the princess Minnie hat Gabriella had been eyeing.
"You so were watching me weren't you?" Gabriella accuses, happily taking the hat from his hand. She tears up a little as she sees her name is engraved in the back. "I love it, thank you Hunter."
He grins back down at her and kisses her cheek before putting it on her head. He takes two of the pins that were already in her hair and secures the hat that way instead of using the chin strap. Gabriella smiles up at him, unable to believe how sweet Hunter is.
"That's perfect! Gabriella and Hunter, I want a picture!" exclaims Mrs. Smith as she sees the two. "Stay right there and get closer together. Hunter, take those sunglasses off too, they are ruining the picture."
Hunter obliges his mother and takes off his sunglasses as Gabriella steps closer to him. He wraps his arm around her as Hunter's mom takes a few pictures. Soon, they realize that Mrs. Smith is not the only one. Other people had noticed the two, recognized Hunter, and started taking a few pictures of the couple. Before long, Hunter is getting bombarded by fans to take pictures and sign autographs, who inadvertently push Gabriella out of their way. She happily steps back and watches with Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Montez as Hunter gets swarmed.
After a few more minutes of this, Johnny comes to the rescue with a pair of bodyguards. "We better go Hunter, this could be a problem," he advises his client. Hunter nods and motions for his family to follow as Mr. Smith had just joined his wife's side with Christine holding his hand. They calmly walk out of the park, Hunter waving at fans from between his bodyguards until he gets into the SUV and lets out a sigh.
"Wow, that could have been teen chaos," Gabriella comments with a laugh as Hunter rolls his eyes at her. "What? It so could have been. You handle their attention on you really well, I am impressed."
"Well then, I'm happy I could oblige," he returns, smiling. "So, we are running a little bit earlier than I expected so I guess we could go to the hotel early. Maybe relax by the pool?"
"Sounds wonderful, soaking up California rays! One small problem…I don't know what time I should be out of the pool because I have no idea what we're doing," Gabriella says, forcing a pout onto her face.
Hunter tsks and replies, "Nice try Ms. Montez. Mrs. Montez, your daughter sure is persistent!"
He could hear Gabriella's mom laugh in the back. "I warned you Hunter that my Gabriella doesn't like surprises and if she senses one, no matter her age, she has always acted like a 4 year old trying to find her Christmas presents early," Mrs. Montez replies, imagining the look on Gabriella's face at that exact moment.
"Fine, just one hint?" she begs, pleading with Hunter.
"All right, all right. You'll be getting dressed up and we're having dinner there. Johnny arranged for the same stylist that helped you on the night of the launch party to be there for you one hour before we leave. Your mother is coming with us as well. There, two hints, maybe three depending on how you look at it," Hunter explains, smiling as he knows Gabriella has no real clue exactly what they are doing that night.
Gabriella sits back in her seat and looks at the window contemplating what the night held for her. 'Dang Hunter and my mom for ganging up on me!' she thinks, smiling through her frustration knowing that whatever it was, it would be a wonderful time with her mom and Hunter both.
Troy jumps out of his truck and locks the door, rubbing the back of his neck before making his way to the front of the theater. He had thrown on a pair of nice dark washed jeans and a brown plaid button up after a relaxing shower after another intense workout with the guys. Troy chuckles at the memory of Jason missing every single shot he tried, getting frustrated. It didn't take a genius to know that he was worried about his date tonight with Kelsi.
As he nears the theater, he feels his mouth drop slightly as he spots Marlene, who is waiting for him in a mid-thigh jean skirt and pink tank top showing some of her stomach and upper half. 'Wow, dressed to, well, something,' he thinks, putting on a smile. "Hi Marlene, sorry I'm a little late," he greets, kissing her on the cheek. "Ready to go in?"
"Sure," she responds, taking his hand and walking into the theater. "I was hoping we could go see that new romance movie that came out a few weeks ago. I have wanted to see it but haven't had the chance with cheerleading and all that. I'm sure you understand since you practice all the time."
Troy nods his head and smiles, turning to purchase the tickets. After her having to repeat the title to him twice, he correctly tells the worker the right movie and takes the tickets from him. Troy heads into the building with Marlene on his side, unaware that she had lost Troy to a memory from a few weeks ago.
"Come on Troy, it is supposed to be really, really good, I promise! It's a movie starring one of your favorite actresses!" Gabriella pleads, trying to persuade Troy to see the romantic movie that came out that very day outside of the theater. "Great mood setter for us too, right?"
Troy stands his ground though, not able to look her in the eyes. "Chick flick," he had answered back with.
"Are you serious? The Wildcat Superstar doesn't want to see a movie because he thinks it is a chick flick? What's wrong, afraid the guys are going to tease you without mercy if they find out we went to see it? I promise they won't. Taylor is dragging Chad to the same movie tomorrow night, so I know at least he will be seeing it too. Come on, please?" she begs, making sure Troy was looking at her best puppy dog face.
"All right! Anything but your puppy dog face!" Troy relents, grinning as she stops and smiles brightly up at him instead. He leads her to the theater box office and buys the tickets, giving her the best 'this is killing me' look and heads into the building, hands intertwined.
"Troy, can we get some popcorn?" Marlene asks for the third time, wondering where Troy had gone to.
He looks down at Marlene suddenly and nods. "Sure, go ahead and grab us some seats. I'll go get some," he replies, quickly going to the snack bar and waiting in line. 'This should be good, seeing a movie for the second time that I didn't want to see in the first place but with a different girl. Is it me or is this all wrong?' he wonders, telling the worker his order as he waits for the popcorn.
"Wow, this is gorgeous," Gabriella says to Hunter, taking in the luxurious hall of the best hotel in Beverly Hills that is decorated with rich colors and the finest china placed on the tables. "Now why exactly did you have to keep this a secret?"
"Well one, I wanted to surprise you for the heck of it so you had something to look forward to after all the drama you've been going through lately. Second, I wanted to surprise you because tonight isn't just a gala. All the proceeds go to benefit the continued research for a cure and continued improvement of lives for those diagnosed with AIDS," Hunter explains. "I knew how important the cause was to you, just as it is to me, and I wanted to show you that Hollywood isn't just about the fame and glitz, it is also about giving back."
"I couldn't have said it better," she replies, smiling up at Hunter. "You really are fantastic Hunter, and to bring my mom out with us. I know she has loved this trip this weekend already."
Hunter looks down at her with a smile in his eyes and takes her hand in his to lead her to their table. The five of them sit down at the table, taking a look at the menu. A new slow song comes on over the speakers that sounds familiar, Gabriella recognizing it as the song she had sung with Hunter at the launch party.
He looks over at the dance floor and sees there are a few couples out dancing so Hunter grins at Gabriella before extending his hand. "May I have this dance my lady?" he asks, intertwining his fingers with hers as they make their way to the dance floor. "You really look breathtaking tonight," he murmurs, placing his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.
Gabriella is dressed in a dark blue halter dress with a white ribbon around her waist and her hair is down in their natural curls, a few pieces pinned back away from her face with shimmering clips. "What can I say, the stylist that Johnny sent over again is heaven sent," she replies with a laugh at the face he pulls at her comment.
"That's a bunch of crap and you know it. You have your own natural beauty that every guy in this room is probably appreciating right now," Hunter responds, taking in the blush that is now residing on Gabriella's cheeks. "You know, your beauty only comes out more when you blush like that."
She feels her cheeks flush again, deepening the blush already there. "All right Hunter, enough. I really don't want to be all red when we head back to the table," Gabriella replies, actually hearing the song end at that moment.
Hunter chuckles as he escorts her back to the table to enjoy the dinner with his parents and her mom.
After the movie, Troy and Marlene walk across the street to the diner on the corner and sit in a booth, looking over the menu. The waitress comes and takes their order, leaving them to talk. "So, did you survive the movie all right?" Marlene asks, breaking the silence.
"Sure," Troy responds, making sure to hide the boredom he really felt. "Very sweet ending."
Marlene smiles, oblivious to his true feelings. "So, what do the Wildcats Varsity Basketball prospects look like for this year?" she asks, knowing this topic would open Troy up.
Troy and Marlene continue to talk about the basketball team and then eventually about the competitive side of cheerleading for the rest of dinner and until Troy pays for the bill and leaves the tip for the waitress. "You ready to head out?" he asks, coming back to the table.
Marlene nods and takes his offered hand, leaving the diner and walking back to the parking lot of the theater. Troy walks Marlene to her car and watches as she unlocks the driver's side door. She turns around and smiles up at Troy. "I had a great time tonight Troy, thanks for asking me out," Marlene says, looking into his eyes.
"So did I," Troy hears himself responding. Marlene continues looking into his eyes and before he knows it, he is leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips, which she happily returns. Troy pulls away, looking at the dreamy look on her face.
"Good night Troy," Marlene says, getting into her car and putting on her seatbelt. She gives Troy a small wave before pulling away and leaving Troy to walk to his car.
Troy shakes his head as he thinks back to the night. 'I really started tonight with the best intentions,' he thinks as he walks back to his truck. 'I really wanted to try the waters but there was no real chemistry there with Marlene, not the way there is, was, with Gabriella. Oh Troy, who are you kidding? It's not really fair to Marlene to keep comparing her to the love of your life, now is it? But that kiss…not a single spark or warm feeling, doesn't that say something? But I can't just not talk to her now, she thinks everything went well, which it did, if only I wasn't thinking this way…'
He lets out a groan as he rests his forehead on his arms, which are folded over the top of his steering wheel. 'What am I going to do come Monday?' he wonders, not knowing what road was the best to take.