We all make mistakes. Whether they be we failed a test, told a lie, turned onto the wrong interstate, or fell in love.

So the last one might not be quite a mistake but at this moment it felt that way for Gabriella. She always lived her life in the moment and would never regret the decisions she made. Until the truth came out and before she knew it, everyone knew.

"Slut," people would send text messages to her. She had grown accustom to it the past couple days. She even heard "i can't believe you" and "how could you do that to him?"

Troy hated her. The school hated her. But she hated herself more than anyone. She was disgusted by herself.

"Tay, I just don't want to go.." Gabriella said quietly to her best friend.

"Gabriella, it's just school. C'mon, we have an English paper due today so therefore you have to go," Taylor responded.

"I'll hand it in late, no big deal. Everyone hates me and I don't want to see Troy.." her eyes filled with tears as she spoke his name.

"Wait so tell me this story from the beginning. Like, I don't understand how you ended up in bed with Zeke," those words stabbed Gabriella's heart, and they were true.

"Okay..." she was already feeling sick just thinking about the story but she had to tart telling the truth about it and she knew it. "Last year, remember when Troy was always playing basketball for camp all over the state? And I never saw him? Then we decided to take a break and didn't talk at all for like a month?" She asked her best friend, Taylor nodded. "I was at home, here on my bed and Zeke called and said we should hangout. I wasn't going to say no, he is..or was, one of my best friends. So I walked over to his house that night. We were talking and he was like 'yeah it would be so weird if we had sex wouldn't it' and I was like, 'Zeke you're kidding right? We can't do that you are my friend and one of Troy's best friend, yeah that would definitely be weird,' and he said that I was scared and I said, which I regret 'I am not scared, I had sex with Troy you ass,' and then we just..argued about it and...I don't know, it happened. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone! Then, of course, school starts, me and Troy are about to get back together and I was so happy. Zeke was getting with Sharpay and then he told Sharpay what happened...and then I get an IM from T-Troy.." She stuttered.

"Sorry babe, what did it say?" Taylor pressed, as she say tears fall from Gabriella's eyes.

"'I never want to see you again. You disgust me. If you thought we were going to get back together, then you're wrong. I hate you, never talk to me, don't look at me, don't text or call me. Leave me the fuck alone,' then..I heard he was talking to Zeke. I mean he can't just hate me and not him, can he?" Gabriella asked with tears falling rapidly out of her eyes.

"Gabriella, I am not going to lie, you fucked up. I am disappointed in you but you did make a mistake and regret it. I honestly think you should try to talk to him, have you tried?"

"N-no. He said he hated me and to never talk to him again. Even if I tried, I know he wouldn't care or just ignore me."

Taylor starred at her best friend and didn't know quite what to say. She had to be there for her best friend even though she was in the wrong in this. But even Taylor could tell that Gabriella hated herself, more than Troy ever could.

"Well..if anything big happens in school I'll let ya know. But please don't like...do anything crazy while I'm gone? Watch lifetime, eat ice cream, sleep, take a bath, relax and keep your mind off it." Taylor demanded, always in control she was, Gabriella was thankful that she had her as a best friend.

Gabriella nodded and watched as her friend left the room to go to East High where everyone would still be talking about her, even though it had been three days after her secret was let out.

Without thinking, Gabriella looked over to the corner in her room, by her bathroom, and saw the Christmas present she had just bought for Troy just days before he found out.

They had been "hanging out" again since the beginning of the year and it had been almost 3 months since school started, he was planning on asking to be hi girlfriend again, she knew it. And she fucked up, she lot the love of her life, the one who took her heart and held it, crushed it, fixed it and made it whole again. Then she broke her own heart, it was her fault.

Gabriella grabbed her cell phone laying on her nightstand and starting punching in the letters.

"Zeke this is your fault! Mine too, but you are letting Troy blame me, you need to tell him to talk to me, he can't not talk to me forever...please? He is at least talking to you still..he won't even look at me."

And she pressed send. Then it hit Gabriella, what if Zeke is with Troy, Troy could see the text and hate her even more. Oh no, please no, she thought to herself.

Whatever, at least if he saw it then he would know she isn't giving up talking to him. He had to know that right? You can't just move on in life that quickly. They both knew they were meant to be, this is just an obstacle that life had put in their way like it does with other people.

Then she felt her phone vibrate in her hand.

"I know this isn't just my fault, it is both of ours. I'll see what I can do....Not gonna lie Gabs, he is pissed. So fucking pissed. But give him time, he will get over it. Me and Chad are going to talk to him today, more so Chad since well...he is pissed at me."

Then someone rang the doorbell of her house, "what the hell? Doesn't anyone go to school or work anymore?"

She approached the door and opened it to see a large afro there. Another best friend, Chad.

"Gabs, what's up?" Chad asked.

"Well...let's see. I won a Pulitzer, also the lottery and bought a new Audi. Oh and I'm having your Matt Damon's baby," she joked.

Chad's eyes grew two sizes, "Chad I was kidding," sensing sarcasm was never Chad Danforth's strong suit.

"Oh right...I just wanted to see that you were okay. Taylor wanted me to drop by before I went to school," He said.

"Yeah..." she paused and looked at her feet, ashamed of the topic, "he hates me, doesn't he?"

Chad looked at her eyes and smiled, "Gabs, if he slept with one of you best friends, wouldn't you be mad?"

"Well...me and Taylor is as far as it gets for his girl best friends and your dating Taylor...So if he slept with a guy, like Zeke or Jason, then I wouldn't exactly be mad but more...surprised?" Gabriella answered, honesty mixed with sarcasm.

Chad laughed, at least he caught her sarcasm that time. "Well don't worry about this. He is just pissed and hurt. I promise you, he will get over it sooner than you think."

"Yeah okay, Chad. I know how he feel right now. Like he is getting sick thinking about it. I just fucking regret it so much, even right after it happened I regretted it. I make myself so sick and I hate myself more than anyone..." She said solemnly.

"Were you ever going to tell him?" Chad asked the question that had been playing in her own mind as well.

"At that time, when it happened, no. But after things were getting so amazing for us, I would think about it. I wanted to tell him, but alone. I knew he would be pissed, but I thought if I told him instead of someone else, he would just...not be so mad," she answered honestly.

Chad nodded, "Okay, well I have to get going. Some of us need an education or we fail," he said cheerfully.

"Alright, bye Chad," She shut the house door behind him.

It was going to be a long day waiting for Zeke, Chad and Taylor to tell her everything that happened.

How could she is so fucking stupid and ruin her life?

-

Troy pondered the halls, looking for his beautiful brunette. He may be pissed at her, but he still loved to see her in the halls, though he wouldn't tell anyone that. He knew, if his heart were to break, it would hurt so bad.

Damn, where could she be? He thought to himself.

"Hoops man!" Troy turned his heels, to see Chad and to his dismay, Zeke.

"Sup guys?" Troy asked.

"Wondering how I'll pass English without Taylor helping me with this term paper," Chad, his bet friend, answered.

"Uh, just looking for Sharpay," Zeke said, as Troy flashed a quick glare at him.

"Right...do you guys know where Taylor is?" Troy asked, really asking if they knew where Gabriella was.

"Well, Taylor is in Chemistry. But Gabriella is at home, probably puking her guts out over how much she hates herself," Chad said truthfully, and Troy believed that.

"Oh...um I have to like...go."

Troy stormed off, leaving Zeke and Chad with blank expressions on their faces. They knew not talking to Gabriella in just one day had been hard for him.

During the summer while they were taking a break, Troy would just sit and do nothing, other than basketball. But he sucked then, his summer league teammates told him that, and Troy knew it was because his head wasn't in the game, but his heart was where Gabriella was. Even though, one night, her heart was in Zeke' bed.

Troy knew she made a mistake. He also knew that she hated herself. But it was his Gabriella, she never made a mistake like that. She always thought everything through. It was so unlike her.

Troy made it to his car and drove to her house. It had been enough. They needed to talk.

-

Gabriella was laying in bed, attempting to sleep though tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"Why can't my love life be like The Notebook? Allie and Noah both fucked up, kind of, and ended up together," Gabriella said aloud.

"Maybe it is..." she heard a familiar voice from her balcony.

"Oh, my God," She whispered. "T-T-Troy? What are you doing here?" She asked, quietly.

"I have the same question. It's not like you to miss school..." he answered.

They stood there in an awkward silence. That was a first for them, the entire time they knew each other and dated and, almost, got back together, there were never any awkward silences.

"Look...we need to talk" Troy finally said, he made his way to the end of her bed.

"Yeah..." she agreed.

"Okay. So, Gabi," he said her nickname, that only he was allowed to call her and no one else, "I can't be a hypocrite anymore and be pissed at you. I cheated on you, last spring break, and you know that. I eventually told you. And I know how bad I hurt you and you know how much I hated myself for it. So I know how you feel, but I don't want you to hate...you."

"Troy. I am not invincible, I make mistakes, okay? I know you don't think that. So for this once, let my hate myself. And yes, I know how you hated yourself for that and how mad and hurt I was because of it, so that should have been enough to stop me before it happened. The thought of you being with that girl, made me so sick. It still does, but I am over it. But I messed up. I don't know how you could forgive me cause what I did was worse, I slept with one of your best friends Troy. Be mad at me! Please!"

Wait, did Gabriella just ask Troy to be mad at her?

Troy laughed, "Gabi, I was mad at you. When I found out, I was more mad at you than anything ever. Don't worry, I was pissed. No, I was fucking pissed. But then today, I was thinking, I can't stay mad at you because you forgave me for being an ass for cheating on you and also being a prick for not being with you this summer."

They sat there, in a more comfortable silence than just moments before.

The Troy heard her angelic voice speak, "T-Troy," their eyes connected, causing sparks to fly between both of them, "do you still...love me?"

Troy starred into her eyes, letting a shy smile play on his lips, "of course I do, babe." He then reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers, something they had missed in even just three or four days.

"Good, cause I didn't want to feel like some stalker person if I said I still loved you," she rested her chin on his shoulder.

He pressed his lips to her dark curls, comfortably sitting together. It felt good to be with each other once again. She also had another question lingering in her mind, not knowing whether she could ask it.

"Gabi, where is your head at?" he asked, sweetly.

"How did you know that..." She shook her head, she knew he knew everything about her, "I was wondering what the chances are for you...to ask me to be your girlfriend again.." She said, embarrassed.

Troy chuckled, "pretty good," he answered sincerely.

Damn it, was he ever going to ask her out properly.

"Look I'm hungry, lets go to your kitchen and find some food," Troy said.

"Of course you're hungry cause your a fat ass...my fat ass though," she joked.

As the entered the kitchen, in typical Gabriella fashion, she tripped over her feet.

"Well, my beautiful girlfriend still has the graceful poise she always said," Troy said, with a large smile on his face, his eye sparkling as he said 'girlfriend.'

Gabriella grew an excited smile on her face, got up and ran over and jumped into his arms. "I'm your girlfriend again?" She said in his ear.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, baby."

Gabriella kept her tiny arms and legs wrapped around her boyfriend. Boyfriend, it was nice to call him that once again.

We all make mistakes. But it is up to us to determine how we handle them, how we get through it and how we move on from them.

It's up to fate to make life interesting. Whatever happens in a persons life, it was meant to be. If life throws you a curve ball, hit it. There is always a reason for something to happen. It makes you stronger, your relationships stronger.

Fate was what brought people together, as if it were written in the stars.


Hope you liked it, it is a little deep and had a couple of shocks in it. I wanted to try something different and I tried to get the emotions right. Thank you for reading.