Chapter 1: Missing You
"Gabriella! Come on! We're gonna be late!" My best friend, Sharpay Evans, yelled through my two stories, 3000 sq. foot, Beverly Hills home.
"I'm coming!" I yelled back as I ran down the stairs.
"Are you ready?" She asked, running her fingers through her long, blonde hair.
"Yes." I replied. "What's the rush? It's just a basketball game."
"Do you wanna park like, 5 miles away?" She asked.
"No." I replied.
"Well, then. Let's move!" She exclaimed.
"Do I look okay?" I asked.
"Yep!" She replied.
"You didn't even look." I replied checking my reflection in my mirror beside my front door. I smoothed out my dark-washed Bermuda shorts, deep purple cami, and white jean vest and primped my long, glossy, black hair that fell straight around my shoulders. I put on my silver gladiator sandals.
"You look fine." She said. "Let's go!" We walked out my front door and over to my silver Range Rover. I unlocked the doors and got into the car.
"Where do you want me to put this?" Sharpay asked, holding up my black tote. I looked around the car's black leather interior.
"I'll take it." I said. I put the bag in between our two seats and then pulled out of my driveway.
"Finally." Sharpay said as I drove off towards the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
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"See," I said as I pulled into a parking space two rows away from the entrance. "We're not 5 miles away."
"I just wanted to get here early to wish Zeke good luck. It's his first game as a Los Angeles Lakers." She said.
Zeke Baylor – Sharpay's official boyfriend since the summer before our senior year at East High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico
"I know, Shar." I said. "You have informed me about 10 million times."
"Sorry." She said as we got out of the car.
As if they knew we were coming to the basketball game, the paparazzi surrounded us.
"Gabriella! Sharpay! Look over here!" They yelled as we made our way into the Staples Center.
"That was crazy." I said as we walked over towards the ticket counter.
"Tell me about it." Sharpay replied.
"Welcome back to the Staples Center!" The attendant behind the counter exclaimed cheerfully when we walked up to the glass barrier.
"Can I go to the locker room?" Sharpay asked. "I'm here to see Zeke Baylor."
"Go right ahead, Miss Evans." He replied.
"You coming, Gabby?" She asked as she walked away.
"No, I'll get the tickets." I replied. "Go ahead. I'll meet you inside."
"Okay." She replied and walked towards the locker rooms, her silver heels clicking on the tile floor.
"Two tickets." I said to the teenage guy." Courtside, please."
"$250.67." He replied, holding his hand out for my credit card. I handed it to him and then waited to sign the receipt.
"Thank you!" I replied when he handed me the two courtside passes. I dropped my card into my bag and then walked towards the arena's entrance. I found our seats and sat down, watching the two teams warm up. I pulled my iPhone out of my bag and opened the pictures. I looked through the pictures from high school. The Troy Bolton in my pictures was the same Troy Bolton running up and down the court in front of me.
"Watcha looking at?" Sharpay's voice asked from behind me.
"Nothing!" I replied quickly, putting my phone back in my purse.
"Sure." She replied and took her seat next to me.
"How's Zeke?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Good." She replied. "Nervous, but good."
"He'll do great." I said. My eyes followed Troy up and down the court.
"So that's what you were looking at." Sharpay said when she noticed me staring at Troy.
"No I wasn't." I said.
"You miss him, don't you?" She asked.
"No." I replied.
"Gabby, you're the one that ended the relationship." She reminded me. "Remember?"
Flashback
The wind blew my black hair back from my face as I waited on a boardwalk in front of Los Angeles's most popular beaches. I heard footsteps and turned around to see my boyfriend, Troy Bolton walking towards me.
"Hey Gabs!" He said, using his special nickname for me. "The weather doesn't look to hot does it?" I looked up at the grey sky and shook my head no.
"Troy, we need to talk." I said, picking up his hand. His face drooped.
"Gabriella? What's wrong?" Troy asked as small tears fell down my face. I took a deep breath and said,
"We can't do this anymore."
"Do what?" He asked.
"Us, Troy." I said. "You're starting Lakers training; I'm busy recording my CD. We don't have time for each other anymore"
"Gabs, don't." He said. "We can work this out. Soon, our schedules will be sorted out. Everything will work."
"I'm sorry, Troy." I said. "I can't." I turned and started to walk away. Troy caught my arm.
"Gabriella, wait." He said. "We can do this."
"Goodbye, Troy." I said, kissed his cheek and ran to my car to hide the tears now pouring down my face.
End Flashback
"Are you okay?" Sharpay asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied. The announcer came over the sound system and said,
"Please stand for the national anthem." We stood, listened to an instrumental version of the anthem, and then the game started.
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"10 seconds left." The announcer said as the crowd sat on the edge of their seats. "Danforth has the ball. He passes it to Bolton. Bolton has to make this basket to win the game."
"Come on, Troy." I said under my breath. "You can do this."
He shot the ball…….Nothing but net.
Sharpay and I, along with the rest of the crowd jumped to our feet as the final buzzer sounded.
"Come on!" Sharpay said, grabbing my hand and leading me onto the court.
"Congratulations!" She squealed as she jumped into Zeke's arms.
"Thanks, Shar." He said and turned to me. "Hey, Gabriella."
"Hey, Zeke." I said. "Great game."
"Thanks." He replied as a pair of muscular arms wrapped themselves around my waist and lifted me off the court.
"Guess who?" The voice asked.
"Chad Danforth." I replied, turning around and hugging him.
"How'd you know?" He asked, pushing his curly afro off his face.
"Because I've known you for what? Four years now?" I replied, looking past him. "Where's Tay?"
Chad's longtime girlfriend, and my best friend, Taylor McKessie was a medical student at Johns-Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
"I though she was coming." I said.
"She's in Baltimore." He said, sadly. "She's got big exams starting Monday and she wanted to stay and study."
"Oh." I replied.
"I think Zeke and I are gonna go clubbing or something." Sharpay said. "You guys coming?"
"I'm in." Chad said. "Gabby?"
"Nah, I think I'll just head home. I sort of tired anyway." I said.
"Okay, we'll see you later then." Sharpay said and walked off with Chad and Zeke.
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When I was sure they were gone, I walked towards the locker rooms and tapped one of the assistant coaches on the shoulder.
"Excuse me?" I asked. He turned around.
"Yes ma'am?" He asked.
"Do you know if Troy Bolton is still in there?" I asked, gesturing to the locker room door.
"Yes ma'am, he is." He said. "Would you like me to tell him you're here?"
"No thank you." I replied. "I'll just wait out here for him. Thank you."
"No problem. Goodnight." He replied and walked off towards the main lobby. I sat down on the metal bench outside the locker room door and waited for Troy to come out.
When the locker room door finally swung open, I sat up and watched Troy walk out and then stop when he noticed me.
"Gabriella?" He asked, as if to make sure I was actually there. I stood up and walked over to him.
"Hi, Troy." I said, looking up into his icy blue eyes.
"What are you doing here?" He asked coldly.
"I need to talk to you." I said.
"We both know how that turned out last time." He said and started to walk away. I ran and caught up to him.
"Will you please listen to me?" I asked. He turned towards me.
"I'm sorry I hurt you, Troy." I said.
"I don't know what to do." Troy said. "This is crazy, Gabriella. It's been two years and now you just show up and saw we need to talk."
"I know it's crazy." I said. "But please let me talk."
"Fine." He said. "Go ahead."
"I'm sorry about that day. I thought it would be best for us." I said. "But I realized when I saw you out there today that I miss you, Troy." He stopped and looked at me.
"I miss you so much." I said. "And I'm sorry I hurt you." Troy stood there staring at me.
"Say something, please." I said.
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by Troy's muscular arms, his familiar cologne filling my nostrils.
"What does that mean?" I asked into the cotton of his white shirt.
"I missed you too." He replied. I pulled away from him and smiled up at him.