A/N : This is a disclaimer saying that I don't own anything off of High School Musical –the characters, the plot, nada…unless I had like a hundred million bucks to give to Disney Channel/producers of HSM, lol! Which I don't. All the money that I have are in the bank, and that's not much XD. So don't sue please:-) I also don't own the song Way We Were, by Barbra Streisand! XD The only characters that I DO own are my own OCs: Séana Bolton, Katherine Bolton, and Kevin Bolton.

After watching this movie for like, the hundred bajillionth time, this fanfic idea just suddenly came to me! XD It's going to be a one-shot, I think, lol. Just wanted to see how I could tweak this plot idea XD

Summary: Fifty years have passed since the gang graduated from high school. New friendships have been forged, others forgotten over time. Life moved on…until fate brought them together again. Reminiscing through their memories of high school, had Troy Bolton and Sharpay Evans finally found the place where they both belonged? TroyxSharpay romance, with some references to TroyxGabriella.

Memories of Long Ago

By: RyanGosling4Ever

Chapter One: Rendez-vous

"C'mon, Gran'pa, just one more?" A little girl with curly strawberry-blonde hair bounced up and down excitedly on the couch, aiming a pleading look up towards her grandfather. Her huge green eyes shone with childlike wonder. Next to her sat an equally young boy with similar features. Excluding the facts that one child had strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes that danced with the joys of life, and the other had dark mahogany hair and a pair of haunting blue eyes that peered up at you with a certain quality of wisdom beyond his years, the two children were just like two peas in a pod. And, going into their seventh year of life, their favorite pastime still consisted of listening to their grandfather talk about his days in the NBA. They delighted in the stories, and no matter how many times they'd already heard it before, they would beam and cheer when they heard how their grandfather had played basketball with some of the greatest legends of the sport. But most of all, the two loved to hear the story of when their grandfather had won the state championship with his high school, so long ago. It was a story that sparked their imaginations.

"C'mon, Gran'pa, one more?" the little girl pleaded, sticking out her lower lip for more dramatic effect, as well as hoping to add some childish charm.

"Yeah, the one about your high school, please?" the little boy piped up, leaning in next to his sister, beaming. "The one where you swished that basket with six seconds to go and got the championship!"

Walking into the room just then, the children's mother smiled. "Okay, guys, time for bed," she announced, walking over to the trio on the sofa. Scooping up one child under each arm, she smiled and kissed each one on the forehead. "Okay, say goodnight to your grandfather, then upstairs, both of you."

"Aww, but Mom!" the little girl protested.

"Gran'pa hasn't told us the story yet!" the little boy continued on his sister's protest without missing a beat.

"An' we can't fall asleep without hearing it!" the little girl declared.

"We're not even tired yet!" the little boy followed up.

The elderly gentleman chuckled, reaching out with a worn hand to ruffle his grandchildren's hair fondly. "How about I tell you that one, and another one as an extra bonus, tomorrow?" he promised.

"…Okay…" the two kids sighed. Climbing down from the couch, they hugged their grandfather goodnight. Pulling away, the little girl seemed to have an afterthought. "But you gotta promise, okay, Gran'pa?" she asked. He laughed.

"Promise, scout," he smiled. "Goodnight, Kitty. Goodnight, Kevin."

"'Night, Gran'pa," the kids chorused, as they trumped their way up the stairs. Looking after them, the old man smiled, though it was somewhat sad. Even the slightest mentionings of that particular championship game with the kids always inadvertently brought back long buried memories of his youth, and particularly, of his high school years. Fifty years had passed since then… Fifty long years since he last saw any of his friends back at high school graduation… They'd all promised to keep in touch after that long-awaited walk across the stage was over, but somewhere along the road, that promise faded and died with the passage of time. He closed his eyes slowly, and let his mind wander back in time.

He was eighteen again. Nervously, he shifted in his cap and gown, and waited for his name to be called.

"Richard Logan Bollen!" The voice of the superintendent boomed out into the microphone. In front of him, the boy named Richard beamed, and stepped up to walk across the stage.

"Troy Eugene Bolton!" The microphone boomed. Troy winced at his middle name, but couldn't stop the grin that was just threatening to split his face apart if he didn't give in. Stepping up onto the stage, amid the cheers from his classmates sitting below, and his parents, who were sitting proud in the front row, he broke out into a grin, as he walked rapidly towards the principal to receive his diploma. He had done it! And just like all the stories and movies had promised, it was an exhilarating feeling, to be able to toss his cap into the air along with the rest of his schoolmates at the end of the ceremony. One by one, they'd all graduated that day. Chad. Gabriella. Kelsey. Zeke. Taylor. And even Sharpay and Ryan Evans. And one by one, they'd said goodbye to something familiar and ventured out into an unknown world.

And then, just like that…high school was over.

"…Dad?" Séana Bolton peered in concern at her father-in-law. After the kids had left, he'd seemed to fall into an almost trance-like state. "Dad?" She gently shook him.

"Hmm?" Troy murmured, slowly opening his eyes, and letting the memory fade. The living room slid back into focus, and he could see his daughter-in-law's face peering at him in genuine concern. "Oh…it's- Everything's fine, Séana," he waved off her questioning look with a tired wave. Pushing himself off of the couch, the old man grunted and straightened up. "Goodnight, Séana," he smiled pleasantly, heading for the staircase. "I think I'm going to retire with the kids tonight. I'm feeling a bit tired…"

When Troy awoke next, the beginnings of the dawn was starting to peek in through the windows. Outside, the city was just starting to wake up, as the first of the workers started out on their day, and the birds outside chirped their cheery wakeup call to the world. The rest of the house was silent, indicating that he was likely the first one to awake that morning. The old man smiled, and then pushed himself out of the bed. Shuffling slowly out into the hallway, he turned into the bathroom, and closed the door.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, which stared back out at him through the glass. Age had definitely changed him. Where once he had light brown hair, it was now replaced by a headful of snow white hair trimmed in a neat haircut. Where once gray-blue eyes and an easy smile would light up his youthful features, those same features were now lined with age spots and wrinkles. The twinkle had never left his eyes, and the smile had never left his face and heart, but the old man was saddened, nevertheless, whenever he faced a mirror. His life had passed him by in the twinkling of an eye. He would soon be 69, an old and nearly withered man, whose life was almost at the end of the road. Troy had lived a great life –a life that would be envied by most. Going through college supported by a full basketball scholarship, getting drafted into his hard-fought dream of making it into the NBA, living a lavishing lifestyle, getting married and having children, retiring… But despite it all, he had felt a sense of emptiness his entire life, ever since that high school graduation. He had had to say goodbye that day to everything that was familiar in his life –his friends, his parents…Gabriella…

Troy allowed himself a rueful little smile, when he thought of her. It had been so…innocent back then, with the two of them… Memories of their moments together flooded his mind, carrying him once again back into the past…

"We're soaring… Flying…" he had sang out boldly on that stage, never letting his gaze waver from the face of the girl he was mainly singing to. She beamed back at him, letting him finish his part of the song. "There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach…"

"If we're trying…yeah, we're breaking free…" she had sang back to him, her angelic singing voice ringing out sweetly across the auditorium.

"Yeah, we're breaking free…"

Troy chuckled fondly, when he remembered Gabriella. The blossoming of their relationship had nearly thrown their high school into the storm of the century. Sometime shortly before graduation, they had decided to call it quits, as they would both be going off to colleges across the country from each other, and neither had wanted to risk their relationship to the strains the distance would pose of them both. They had parted as very good friends, and had agreed to keep in touch. But, as it was with all of his friends, that promise, too, had eventually faded over time as well, as both of them lived extremely busy lives. The last correspondence Troy had with Gabriella, she was doing well, and was expecting to graduate from Stanford second in her class. She was excited, and he was happy for her. He had told her that he was getting ready to get drafted into the NBA, as well as some other reports of his life. She had gasped on the phone, and then had squealed happily. The last words he heard from her, was her telling him how proud she was of him.

He wondered briefly how she was doing now. How were they all doing now? What had happened to Chad, who had been his best friend since they were both toddlers in diapers? What about Kelsey, who was such a talented musician, and who was so passionate about her works? What about the Evans twins? Troy had no doubt that they had stormed Broadway and had knocked them all dead. He had to admit that the siblings had talent. His thoughts lingered a bit more on Ryan and Sharpay, but in particular Sharpay. After that whole musical incident, she had made much more of an effort to thaw a bit around him and his friends. She was still Sharpay Evans, Ice Queen, to the rest of the school, and she still instilled a deadly sense of fear in everybody who dared cross her path, even down to the toughest senior in school. But every once in a while, she would let her guard down a little bit around him and the group, each day a little bit more. Underneath her icy, conceited exterior, lies buried a sweet, caring soul. Himself and Ryan had gotten to be good friends, and the blond would frequently recount times when his sister would defend him against school bullies, and literally reduce those bullies to tears when she was done with them. How she would share her dessert with him, even when he'd already eaten his own. Troy had often wondered why Sharpay would choose to keep so much of her personality hidden inside, and only show the icy and malicious side to the rest of the world… The more he'd gotten to know her, the more intrigued he'd been. Of course, back then, he was together with Gabriella, and would genuinely never dream of cheating, but still…he was intrigued by Sharpay Evans…

With a weary shake of his head, Troy cleared his mind of the lingering memories of the friends from his past, and of Gabriella, and of Sharpay. He vaguely wondered if he would ever see any of them again, before his life was over…

A little while later, after washing up and taking a morning shower, he emerged from the bathroom, and carefully made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. The sun was a little higher up in the sky now, and pale streams of sunlight splashed across the tiles of the kitchen floor. After he prepared the coffee machine, Troy picked up the morning paper, and idly flipped through it. A smile lifted the corner of his lips, when he saw the top story on the Sports page. His former team, the New York Knicks, had won again. It looked like they had a good chance of heading for the playoffs this season… he mused.

After scanning all the other stories, he closed the newspaper, and glanced outside. It was going to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly overhead, with just a few clouds floating lazily by in the blue sky. The old man got up from his seat, and quickly scratched out a brief note to Séana and the kids, leaving it on the kitchen tabletop. Perfect day for a quick stroll through Central Park, he decided. The park was just a step from his house, and he'll be back in time to enjoy breakfast with the rest of the family.

Patting his pockets to make sure he had his house key before he started off, Troy headed out of the house. It really was just a perfect day for a walk… Central Park, despite the still semi-early hour in the morning, was already bustling with activities, ranging from horse-drawn carriage rides, to young children begging their parents to give them money to buy a treat from a vendor, to the general city bustle. Troy smiled. He'd thought this when he'd first moved to the city as a twenty-two year old, and even now, as a sixty-eight year old grandfather of two, he still thought this: New York was the greatest city in the world!

Suddenly, a piercing scream broke through the air, and Troy's head snapped up in surprise and shock. Looking up, he saw a man clutching a purse running away from a woman, who was giving chase and screaming murder at the top of her lungs.

"THIEF!" she shrieked. "Come back here! How dare you snatch my purse! Do you even know who I am! When I or my lawyer get our hands on you…!"

Troy blinked. That voice… There was something hauntingly familiar about the way that the woman was ranting…about the regal air that she carried herself… It…couldn't be…

Despite her age, the woman ran surprisingly fast. They were both heading in his direction. Coming out of his own shock, Troy quickly moved in front of the mugger. As the man passed him, he reached out, and grabbed onto the runaway thief's arm.

"Hey, leggo of me, old man!" the thief snarled, trying to yank his arm out of Troy's grip. But before either one of them could do anything further, a purse suddenly swung down from out of nowhere, connecting rather painfully with the man's head. The thief groaned, and sunk down onto the ground, knocked out cold by the blow.

"Purses," a woman's voice panted from above Troy. Her voice held a mixture of triumph and indignant fury. "Never leave home without at least two." Troy raised his head to gape up at the woman, seeing her close up for the first time. She looked to be about his age, or slightly younger. Her hair, though it was mostly white, still retained some of her original blonde strands here and there, and which was done up in an elegant style.

"He's out cold," the woman said, her brown eyes flashing. "I think you can release him now. He won't be doing any more mugging for a long time, thanks to this," she said, holding up her second purse. Looking up at it from below, Troy could now clearly see that the bottom of the purse looked to be made of some really hard-looking material. "And God help him if he decides to mug me again!" she declared, casting a glare down at the fallen man.

Troy chuckled, a bit shakily. Letting go of the unconscious man's arm, he pushed himself back to his feet. "Wow," he chuckled, turning to the woman. "I've been living in the city for forty plus years. Never once had I seen anything like this. If there were more people like you around the cities, people would think twice about being a criminal."

"I work out," the woman said breezily. She smiled. "But thank you for helping me catch this sleazebag. I appreciate it. Really."

"Oh, it was no problem," Troy waved it away. He stared at her intently, still deeply bothered by her. There was something…familiar about her…

"Do I…know you…?" he couldn't help but blurt out. The woman looked startled at his sudden question for a moment, before a smile appeared on her features.

"Well, I was a star on Broadway in my younger years," she said. "My brother and I still do shows every now and then for them, though. You might have seen us on there a couple of times?"

"Oh…maybe," Troy said absently.

"Speaking of which, I really must thank you properly for your help today," she continued on. "There will be a performance of The Fiddler on the Roof this weekend, at the Broadway Theater, and I really must insist you attend." She fished two tickets from her purse, and handed them to Troy, with a smile. "These are special VIP tickets, which will also secure you passage onto backstage after the show," she said. "If you are not busy, please consider attending, as my guest of honor," she smiled warmly. Glancing at her watch, she then sighed. "I really must go. I promised Ryan I would meet him at the theater, and I'm already running late, thanks to this…person," she said, scowling down at the thief. "I really do hope you can make it this weekend!" she called over her shoulders, walking hurriedly away to make her appointment in time. "Toodles!" And with that, she was gone, disappearing into the throng of people.

Troy was left staring after her, mouth slightly agape in shock. The mysterious woman's love of theaters and Broadway…mentioning a brother named Ryan…her regal and imperious way that she carried herself…that last word that she uttered… The coincidences were undeniable, but…it couldn't be her…

"Sharpay…?" The shocked name came out of Troy's lips in a whisper.

A/N: Well, what'd you think of this chapter? Loved it? Hated it? Didn't care either way for it? XD Please read and review, and tell me what you think! Please keep in mind that this is my very first attempt at writing a High School Musical fanfic, so please be gentle! Constructive criticism, that will help me improve my writing, is appreciated, but I don't take kindly to flames! XD Don't you just love cliffies? I have this whole story planned out, so be on the lookout for the next chapter, to be coming soon! ;-)