Disclaimer: I don't own HSM (obviously)
"All right East High this is the last dance of the night," the DJ announced.
Gabriella whined and pouted up at Troy. Troy grinned, kissed her, and then took her in his arms where they began to dance their dance of the night.
Gabriella lay her head on Troy's shoulder. "This night has been absolutely perfect I don't want it to end."
Troy held her closer. "It's got to end sometime baby. Tell you what, I'll take you back to your house, you can get dressed and we'll head back to my place and watch a movie okay?"
Gabriella smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Why didn't Chad come?"
"Apparently some of the guys decided to have their own party. I was invited but I'd much rather be here with you."
Gabriella sighed happily and snuggled into Troy's chest. Not a minute later the song ended as well as the prom. Troy took Gabriella's hand. "Ready to go?"
"Yes."
They got into Troy's car with slight trouble due to Gabriella's dress. "So did you have a good time tonight?" Troy asked.
Gabriella grinned. "I had a wonderful time."
"Good," he responded, "Did I tell you just how amazing you look tonight?"
She giggled. "Only about a thousand times."
Troy looked back over at her. "Well now I just made it a thousand and one."
At Chad's Party
"Dude come on let's play I never," Chad suggested.
"How do you play?" asked Jason.
Chad looked at him incredulously. "You've never played this game before?"
"No."
"Okay, what you do is everyone takes a turn and says something that they've never done. If you have done that something that they haven't you take a drink."
"Okay sounds easy enough."
An hour into the game most everyone had at least a little buzz. "Dude Jason it's your turn."
"Okay let's see I never felt the need to grow an afro."
Chad gave Jason a dirty look and took a drink. "Alright my turn. I never sucked up to Miss Darbus just to get out of detention," Chad said and gave a pointed look at Jason. Jason took a drink a drink and the game continued on.
"Alright this game sucksssssss," Chad slurred. "I'M GONNA GO OUT AND FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO! I'M GONNA GO TELL THAT THAT MCKESSIE GIRL THAT I THINK SHE'S HOT!" Due to the alcohol Chad was talking ten times louder than that of his normal volume. Chad grabbed his car keys.
"Chad do you really think you should be driving?" asked Ryan Evans.
"How the hell else am I gonna go see McKessie? And who invited you here?"
"Um you did. Now Chad I'll drive you just please give me the keys."
"No damn it! I'll be fine. I-I'm n-not d-drunk." Chad slammed the door and they heard a car engine start. They looked out the window and watched his car pull away.
Troy and Gabriella
Troy and Gabriella were still on the road just talking and laughing together. "Oh my god did you see Sharpay's dress?"
Troy laughed. "How could you not? I've never seen anything quite that pink, or that poofy."
Gabriella couldn't contain her laughter. "I swear she probably could've fit the entire student body under that thing. And I swear she looked like a chicken!"
"Yeah um it was quite um feathery?" Gabriella and Troy laughed some more.
"I love your laugh," Troy whispered.
At that moment Gabriella glanced back at the windshield and saw two bright lights. A car was in their lane heading right for them. "OH MY GOD TROY WATCH OUT!" That was the last thing that was heard until the cars collided with an indescribable crash sound and everything went black.
Jenny Goodman was riding along the quiet deserted road when she came across two severely damaged cars. She got out of her car and saw three unconscious teenagers. The airbag had been deployed but not before Troy's head had bounced off the edge of the steering wheel. His face now rested in the airbag. She couldn't be sure if he was breathing. Over next to him she saw a young girl still in her prom dress. The couple was still holding hands. "Oh my god," Jenny whispered. This young girl was covered in blood. She saw a nasty gash in her head where a lot of blood was coming from. When she walked over to the other car she saw a young man barely conscious. She saw his eyes flutter. "Sir are you okay?"
The man coughed. "What happened?"
"It appears you were in a car accident. What's your name?"
"Chad Danforth."
"Okay honey, just stay there I'm gonna call for help."
Jenny took out her phone and called 911.
"911 what's your emergency?"
"There was an accident on the intersection between Water Street and Hoover Road."
"Is anyone injured?"
"Yes there were three victims. One seems to be okay just a little shaken but the other two don't look so good."
"The units are on there way now."
"Thank you." Jenny hung up. She looked over and saw Chad exiting his vehicle. "Chad, help is on the way."
Not five minutes later the cops and paramedics arrived. A cop went over to question Chad while the paramedics began to extract Troy and Gabriella from the vehicle. Chad and Jenny both heard paramedics call for a helicopter for the boys injuries. A coroner showed up as well. They began extracting both Troy and Gabriella from the vehicle. When Chad saw them pull Troy out of the car he paled. "Oh my god, what have I done?" If at all possible Chad's face became clearly whiter when he saw a busted up Gabriella being hauled out of the car by the paramedics. Chad ran from the police over to his friends.
"Troy! Gabriella!"
"Son get back here or the charges you're facing will get worse."
"These are my friends! Oh my god I almost killed my friends. I'm a terrible person!"
The police took Chad back over with them where they gave him a Breathalyzer. They had noticed that his car was on the wrong side of the road. They questioned him as to if an animal had run out and he had to swerve. After taking the Breathalyzer police realized that Chad was way over the legal limit, not to mention underage.
"Mr. Danforth you have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney." Chad hung his head in shame as the officer cuffed him.
The helicopter had arrived to take Troy to the hospital. The coroner shook his head sadly as he finished checking up on Gabriella. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A thin white sheet was placed over her body. A body bag was retrieved and her remains were placed inside. A short while later a black hurse pulled up and Gabriella was taken inside to a funeral home. The coroner sadly watched as her body was driven away. He knew that the next part of his job would be the hardest, telling her parents.
In Gabriella's purse was her driver's license in which her address was revealed. The coroner pulled up at the Montez home. He lightly tapped on the door. A tired Maria Montez opened the door. "Can I help you?"
"Hi Mrs. Montez I am Derrick Smith of the Albuquerque Coroner's Office. I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"Is my Gabby ok?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm sorry ma'am. Gabriella was killed in a car accident tonight." Tears sprang to Mrs. Montez's eyes. "When we arrived at the scene she was in the car still holding her boyfriends hand."
Anger flashed through her eyes. "Did Troy do this? Was he drinking?"
"No ma'am. A drunk driver driving in their lane hit them. The young boy-"
"Troy," Maria offered.
"Troy was mercy flown to Albuquerque General Hospital. His parents have already been contacted on his condition."
"Do they know about Gabby?" Maria asked as the tears flowed down her face.
"No we figured it best to let you know first." Maria just stood there, grief stricken.
"Your daughter's remains were sent to Jordan Funeral Home. They'll be in contact with you about making arrangements. Once again I'm so sorry for your loss."
As the coroner made his way down her front path, Maria closed the door and slid down it sobbing.
At the Hospital
Lucielle and Jack Bolton rushed through the hospital searching for Troy. They approached a nurse's desk.
"Can I have Troy Bolton's room number please?"
"Visiting hours are over. Please come back at nine A.M. tomorrow."
Jack got infuriated. "My son was just in an almost fatal car accident not two hours ago. Tell me where he is NOW!"
"I'm sorry," the nurse said. She began typing on her computer. "At the moment he's in surgery. After he'll be transported the ICU room 606."
"Thank you."
The Bolton's waited around impatiently wanting to know something about Troy's condition. After what seemed like forever a doctor came out. "Are you family of Troy Bolton?"
"I'm his mother." Lucielle stood up apprehensively.
"Troy is one lucky boy. Troy suffered a concussion and several broken ribs. He had some internal bleeding but we have corrected that. We expect Troy to make a full recovery."
"Oh thank god," breathed Jack.
Several days later Troy hadn't yet awoken. The Bolton's were worried but the doctors told them that his body needed time to heal. Maria had stopped by and told them about Gabriella. Like Maria, both Jack and Lucielle were grief stricken. Gabriella was like a daughter to them. And just how were they going to tell Troy? They had learned that Gabriella's funeral was set for a week later. Both sets of parents discovered that Chad was in fact the one responsible for Troy's injuries and Gabriella's death. Jack was infuriated. How could the boy who had been like a second son to him have done this?
Later that day Troy's eyes fluttered open. All he saw was a bright light and two devastated parents at his side.
"Mom, Dad?" he questioned.
"Troy! Oh my baby's ok," Lucielle said relieved.
"What happened?"
Lucielle's eyes suddenly became moist. "You were in a car accident baby."
"I was driving Gabriella home from prom and- Oh my god Gabriella! Is Gabriella ok?" He knew by the look on his mother's face. "No." He let out a strangled sob. "She can't be! She was right next to me! How could I have lived and she died? It should have been me! What did I do wrong? It should have been me!" Lucielle engulfed Troy in her arms while he just sobbed hysterically.
"Baby her service is tomorrow."
"I want to go."
"I don't know if the doctor will approve you leaving-"
Troy looked at her coldly. "I'm going."
"Ok honey."
The next day of Gabriella's service came quickly. Troy had gotten the permission of his doctor to go to the service against the doctor's better judgement. The second Troy walked in the church he felt sick. All he saw was a casket with Gabriella's picture sitting on top. There were pictures of Gabriella everywhere. She looked so happy and full of life in all of them. Troy wanted to kill the drunk driver who hit them. No one would tell him who it was. The reverend approached the stand.
"We are gathered here today to not only mourn but celebrate the life of Gabriella Montez. She was a beloved daughter and girlfriend. Troy Bolton has some words he would like to say."
Troy still didn't have much strength in his legs so he had to use a wheel chair. He wheeled himself up front and took the mike. "Gabriella Montez was my girlfriend as all of you know. I loved her more than anything, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't wish it was me instead of her. She didn't deserve this. She was so full of life. She loved everyone and everything. She was the best person I've ever known. I know she would want me to move on," his voice cracked, "but I just don't see that happening. It may seem crazy but on graduation I was going to propose. We wouldn't have gotten married right away. I just wanted to make a commitment to her. I loved her more than anything and I always will." Troy looked up at the ceiling. "Gabs, if you can hear me, I am so sorry." Troy stepped down from the podium while tears freely flowed down his cheeks. His speech had touched everyone in the audience and they all cried as well.
Two weeks later Troy was finally able to leave the hospital. His first destination was the jailhouse. He wanted to have a chat with Gabriella's killer.
"Mom, tell me who it was."
"Troy I don't think-"
"Mom, tell me," Troy said darkly.
"It's one of your friends."
Troy was stunned. "Who?" he whispered.
"Chad."
Troy turned on his heel and got in his car and headed for the county jail. He walked in. "I'm here to visit Chad Danforth."
"Right this way."
Troy was walked to one of those booths with the telephones where he confronted his once best friend Chad Danforth. They just looked at each other, Troy with the look of hate and anger, and Chad with a look of hurt and regret.
Chad was the first to pick up the phone. "Troy dude, listen-"
"What if I don't wanna listen Chad? That night you took away the best thing that ever happened to me. You killed Brie!" Troy felt himself getting angry and upset. "You killed MY Brie! And I wish you would've killed me too, because without her here I just want to die anyway."
"Dude Troy I'm sorry! I didn't know you guys were in that car!"
"So if it hadn't been us you wouldn't feel bad about it?"
"Troy if anyone deserved to die in that crash it was me! Everyday I wish I was the one who had died and not Gabriella! I know how much she meant to you! I know how badly you wanted to marry her and I can't say it enough to tell you how sorry I am."
"That's the thing sorry doesn't cut it. We used to be brothers."
"Used to?" Chad asked hurt.
"Brothers don't kill each others girlfriends even by mistake. We're not brothers, we're not even friends, so stay out of my life!" Troy hung up his phone and walked out. Chad had never felt so awful in his life.
Troy headed straight for Gabriella's grave. He brought a dozen roses just like he used to do for every date. "Hey baby Brie! Just your annoying boyfriend coming to say hi…. Again. I brought you some flowers even though normally you'd tell me that you love them, but they were a waste of money. I uh, just got back from visiting Chad in jail. I know I was hard on him but how could he have killed you? Why? It just isn't fair! I know you would want me to make up with him and stay friends with him since he's all I got left. And you know what? I'm going to do what you want, tomorrow I'm going to go back to that jail and apologize and tell him I forgive him because I know that's what you'd want. He placed the flowers on her grave. Until tomorrow, I love you baby, and I always will." Troy kissed the stone and walked away.
A/N: Ok so normally I don't write character deaths but this time I felt it was necessary. Today in school we watched a drunk driving reenactment that was similar to this and it was very disturbing so I just got the idea from it and went with it. Anyway review!! The link to Gabriella's prom dress is in my profile. Also on my profile is a poll for the best story I have written so please vote!!