AN: So this is my new story, it is a little different, I am really nervous about it, so I would always love to hear from my readers on what you think. If it is good tell me and if it is bad tell me too, I don't mind hearing it as long as you tell why you don't like it or what would improve it. If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them unless it will be answered in the story and then I will tell you to just have a little patience. Actions starts fast – to me at least – with a lot of stuff happening in this first chapter. The chapters are a little bit longer than usual, so it may take me a little more time to update than it usually does.

Chapter 1

Rain was crashing on the ground. No one was outside due to the horrible storm. Except two young lovers kissing under a street lamp. "We were running home," the boy shouted over the rain.

"We were? We were!" the girl shouted back. She took his hand and they started to run again down the block. They slipped up to a door with lights shining though the windows to the side.

The girl opened the door to the house. They tumbled in laughing joyously. "Stay on the towel there please, you'll get everything else wet other wise," said her father from the living room off to the left. "Didn't I say get home before the storm came in?"

"Sorry daddy," the girl said.

"Stay there, I'll get you each a towel and some clothes," the father got up from the couch.

A loud gulping sound came from a chair that was facing the opposite direction from them where a woman was sitting. "Dad what's wrong with mom?" The girl asked starting to move.

"Stay there, you need out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold," the father said before disappearing up the steps.

"We should take off out shoes," The boy said slipping off his own and the girl followed in suit. "It's all going to be ok," he whispered standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to the back of her shoulder before leaning his forehead against it. She leaned back into him while they awaited the return of her father.

The father came down a few minutes later handing them each a towel and some dry clothes to wear. The two teens dried off quickly before going to separate bathrooms to change in. "What's wrong with mom?" The girls wasted no time once she and the boy were back in the living room together.

"Please listen to everything I say, sweetheart, ok," The father said, hesitating.

"Dad, tell me what is going on," the girl demanded.

"Honey, in two weeks when school ends we are moving to Michigan. Listen to me, Grandma Ruth had a stroke this morning and we think it would be best if you go there to take care of her rather then putting her in a home," Her father said quickly. His voice cracked slightly, but he kept it steady as he continued, "Uncle Robert is taking care of selling the house. Mom is leaving tomorrow morning to go up there while me and you pack up the house and leave the day after school ends. Please, baby, don't do anything rash," he was cut off as the girl dashed out of the house and into the rain once more.

The boy didn't take a second look as he ran out the door after her. He didn't need to shout her name to find her or know where she was going. He already knew, there would be just one place she would go. He looked up and down the street before crossing it and continued running down the sidewalk.

There under a great oak tree in a small park nestled between the houses, she had thrown herself on the ground as her teardrops mixed with the rain. The boy knew he didn't need to say anything to let her know he was there. "I am not going. I am never leaving," she cried. He wrapped himself around her small figure silently.

"No way, no how am I ever leaving. I am not leaving you or the school or our friends or this tree or the little ice cream parlor. I am staying right here, now and forever with you," She continued to cry into his already drenched shirt.

He hushed her and just held on to her tightly. She cried, mumbling a few words now and then, none of the understandable. He was thankful for the rain. Then no one could tell the tears he had running down his face also. They were some of the first ones he had ever shed, but in no way would they ever be close to the last ones he would let roll down his face. "I am never letting you go," he whispered in her ear. "Ever."

"Can I stay with you tonight?" she asked even though there was no need to.

"Of course babe, of course," he said. They stayed a while there under the tree.

There was a flash of lightning then a loud boom of thunder-

Troy Bolton fell out of his bed with a loud crash. Not the first time he had ever done that. There came a shout from his parents' room across the hall. He rubbed his eyes and felt that they were not dry. He wiped off his face seconds before his dad turned on his light and looked at him, "What happen?" his dad asked.

"Just fell out of bed dad," Troy said pulling himself up and got back into bed.

"You sure you are ok?" Jack asked.

"A bump or bruise maybe but I'm ok," Troy faked a smile.

"Ok, good night son," Jack turned off the light and the house went back to sleep.

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"Troy!" Chad yelled later that morning as Troy walked in the doors of East High.

"Hey dude," Troy said quietly.

"I know I don't even have to ask to know what kind of day it is," Chad said, "You know you don't look to good, you sleep ok?"

"Nah, of course not. Bad dream, fell out of bed even with my talent," Troy said, "So you know, the usual lollipops and candy canes."

Chad nodded his head understanding exactly what Troy meant, translating each of his words, "You really need to start dreaming of summertime rather than those stormy days."

"Yeah," Troy said still rather subdued, "I hate rain."

"I know you do dude, I know. Now come on, we have to get to homeroom where you have a pretty girl waiting on you and so do I, so what are we waiting for?" Chad said oddly excited.

"For you to finish that sentence," Troy said and the two boys journeyed to their homeroom.

Troy took his seat quickly and sat rather hunched over. Chad sat down too and as the bell rang he started to quickly scribble a note. Chad tried to pass it off to Zeke, but was caught, "Bring it here Mr. Danforth," Darbus said. Chad didn't really care as he took up to her. Darbus opened the not and started to read it, "Zeke," she read, "Don't for get that today is a cotton candy day and it's on lollipops and candy canes. Pass on to Jason." Darbus looked up at the three boys, "This is totally absurd."

"Made sense to me," Chad said.

"I got it," Zeke added.

"Yeah, perfect sense to me," Jason nodded.

"What is it, some type of code?" Darbus asked.

"Only if you take more than one meaning from it," Chad said.

"Detention for all of you," Darbus said.

"What? No! You can't do that!" Troy exclaimed.

"That will earn you a detention too, Mr. Bolton," Darbus said, "Any one else?"

"But," Troy couldn't find the words or rather the excuse.

"I don't care if your grandmother is in the hospital, you are mine today after school," Darbus said, "Our stage needs a good cleaning. Is that understood?"

Troy looked sideways out the window and then down at his hand, "Understood," he said rather meekly. Chad looked at his friend hunched over in his chair before shooting a venomous glare at the teacher.

The bell rang a few long moments later and Troy was the first out the door. "Troy!" Chad yelled after him, but he was gone.

"Troy!" now a female voice called after him. He did turn around to see Gabriella coming towards him, "Are you ok?" she asked when she had caught up him.

"Yeah, I just don't want to tell my dad I have detention," Troy said. He wrapped an arm around her waist tentatively as they started to walk down the hall.

"Is that it, you really seem out of it," she continued.

"Just a bad night, bad dream, fell out of bed even," Troy said, "But I'm fine." He didn't look her in the eye, knowing that he wasn't telling her everything, like he hadn't for the past four months after they had gotten together in February, and you could even stretch it back to when she first came to the school in January.

"Ok," she nodded. She could tell that there was something that he wasn't telling her. And for now, for just a little while longer it was ok. She wanted him to talk to her, but wasn't quite ready to push him on it. But he always seemed to be hiding something and not telling her the whole truth. And she had not a clue as to what it was.

"Come on, I need to talk to you," Chad said pulling Troy away and into the nearest bathroom. It was luckily empty so he locked the door. "Troy," he said.

"I am fine dude, you are making us look weird. I am totally fine, I swear," Troy said, though not looking at his friend.

"Just take yourself to the nurse and go home. You should have never even attempted to come to school," Chad said.

"I can't go home, I didn't drive today, and besides no one is there," Troy said, "And I am ok. I am not going to."

"Man, stop pretending you are ok, you can't lie to me, I know you are not. Just hang out in your dad's office or something, but don't be in school. I know what today is. I know how your night was last night. Stop faking," Chad said.

"I am pathetic," Troy said looking at himself in a mirror.

"No your not. It is the 15th and it was Andy. It is Andy."

"Why does this day have to exist?"

"I just don't know, now we have to get to class, and I am getting you out of detention," Chad said unlocking the door and the boys walked out.

"I am still pathetic," Troy said in the hallway.

"No you're not dude so stop saying that," Chad said.

"I am," Troy said as they hurried to their next class. They slid into their seats just as the bell rang signally the start of class.

"And I am suppose to tell you that the girls want to go out Friday," Chad whispered.

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Troy cringed during free period as he told his dad he had detention. He opted to go first since it was his dad. Jack was mad, but didn't show it. He would have showed it and yelled at them any other day of the year, but not today.

"Hey, Troy, what's that on your arm?" Gabriella asked at lunch, pointing to a newly formed bruise.

"Product of my falling out of bed this morning," Troy said.

She looked at him, not ready to believe him, "Trust him, that guy can fall out of a bed. Must have done it a dozen times in the years I've known him. Even if it was surrounded on all sides, he's still find a way to fall out," Chad said sitting down at the table.

"Like a crib?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah," Chad said, "Like there was this one time when we were eight…um…" He caught a glare from Troy, "That's a bad example, just trust me, that guy can fall out of bed pretty easily."

"My one true talent," Troy smiled almost a true smile.

"So Friday?" Taylor said.

"That's tomorrow," Chad interrupted.

"Yes tomorrow, I thought that we could maybe go to that pizza place downtown and then maybe screw around some or walk around maybe you know," Taylor continued.

Gabriella nodded in agreement, "You up for it dude?" Chad asked Troy.

"Yeah, totally," Troy nodded, "As long as I don't have another bad night, you know the lollipops and candy canes."

"Or a cotton candy day," Chad said laughing.

"Not tomorrow," Troy laughed a little surprisingly.

"Do you get that?" Taylor asked, "Cause I don't."

"Me neither," Gabriella said.

"Sort of an inside joke," Troy said.

"I want to be on the inside," Taylor said.

"Me too," Gabriella added.

"Trust me when I tell you, you don't want to be, its like Hades in here," Chad said.

"You are wanting an awful want of trust to day," Taylor commented.

"You may know someday, maybe, but not today," Troy said. The girls looked rather put out and they both crossed their arms.

"It is one of those things where you don't want to be on the inside," Chad said.

"Yeah, I'd much rather be on the outside," Troy said.

"What about Zeke and Jason, why do they get to know?" Gabriella asked.

"They don't, not really. They are sort of in limbo between the inside and outside. They get the gist of it but not all of it," Chad said.

"Did Chad just use the word limbo?" Taylor asked.

"And gist?" Gabriella added.

"Shut up," Chad said, "Come on back me up dude," Chad turned to Troy. But Troy was off in his own little world, and it was doubtful anyone could pull him out of it and back to this one.

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Chad was desperately trying to find Troy after school before going to detention. He found Troy just about to open the door to the theatre for detention, "Troy! Stop, don't go in there!" Chad shouted at him. "Don't go in," he pulled Troy away from the door.

"What?" Troy looked at him.

"Don't go in. Take my car, do your thing, don't get me a ticket or in a wreck. I will cover for you. I'll tell her that you will do it tomorrow morning before school. And I will tell your dad. Now get out of here and go do whatever you have to do," Chad said pulling out his keys and pushing them into Troy's hand, "I'll catch a ride with Jase or Zeke, now go!"

"Chad?" Troy looked at him.

"Take them and go, get out of here. May 15th only happens once a year, now go!" Chad pushed Troy in the direction of the door.

"Thanks dude, I own you," Troy said.

"No you don't, now leave, get out of here," Chad said before disappearing into the theatre. Troy went out to the student lot and quickly found Chad's car. He made up his mind of where he was going first. He pulled out of the student lot and drove away from the school down the street. He took a left at a big yellow house. Then he took a right at the second stop sign. He turned left at the top of the hill and then slowly rolled up to a modest white house. He pulled over to the side of the road to take a long look at the very familiar house. He shifted into park then looked up at the window on the second floor, the second one to the right. Also a very familiar place.

He knew he couldn't hang around here too long with out someone getting suspicious. He took another long glance at the house before shifting gears again into drive and pulling back onto the road. He drove down the street and the turned to get onto a main road. He drove to the downtown area and quickly found the place he was looking for. An old run down ice cream parlor surprisingly still in business. A bell tinkled as he opened the door. He had no need to look at the menu. He ordered a hot fudge sundae and took it back out to Chad's car. He ate it slowly in the driver's seat before tossing to into the backseat that was full of trash so Chad wouldn't even notice.

He stared at nothing trying to make himself go to the last place he knew he had to visit on this day. It would be the only day of the year he could ever go there. "And sing me home to you," he said softly as he started the engine. He had only one thing on his mind as he drove through the streets.

He pulled up in front of a small park that was surrounded by houses. There was one great big oak tree in the exact center of it. He opened the door and slowly exited the car, never once taking his eyes off the massive tree. He closed the door and locked the car and just stood there looking at the place. He chewed his bottom lip for a second before slowly making his way to the tree. It still looked the same, not that he thought it would look any different after a year of not seeing it. And it hadn't changed any from the two years ago when he used to spend almost every night beneath it. It would never change and for that Troy was grateful. He collapsed beneath, "Andy, Andy, Andy," he said softly. "Sweet Adeline, what ever happened to you?" A few silent tears swept down the side of his face and into his shaggy hair by his ears. "We had it all Addie, we had everything. We were ready, ready for anything. Just live on the love and never needing anything more."

He covered his face with his hands and wiped away the tears that he was still silently crying. "Why God, why did she have to leave? WHY?" He yelled into the afternoon. "We had found it! We had it all figured out. And you took it all away! Why! Why did you have to take Addie? What is wrong with New Mexico? The state was perfect in everyway until you swept her away to Michigan. The stupid state with the stupid lakes, and not here." His tears were no longer silent as he pulled up a tuft of grass and threw it in the air.

"Why does this day have to exist? Why can't we just skip over it from the 14th to the 16th? Just erase the day from existence, nothing good can come from it, only hurt and pain. I hate it! I hate everything it's done to me. Left me with nothing. I HATE IT!" he yelled. He hit the ground with his fist and rolled over to his stomach. Folding his arms to lay his head on as he sobbed. He cried on the ground for a while until the tears didn't come anymore. He hiccupped a few times.

"If you could just see me now Addie," he said. "Just look at me now." He lay in silence for a while, mad at the world and sad as could be, and still was completely emotionless. The silence consumed him and drove him just a little crazy. And he started to make random noises to block out the silence. He was humming before he was singing softly.

"Miles away and I can still hear him

Miles away and I can still hear him

As he picks up that old guitar and starts to play

Plucking away at that old melody

Must have played it a million times before

And he stars to sing along

And I can't resist it anymore

So keep on playin' my sweet boy, keep on playin'

Sing that old song that we both know

And I will soon find my way back to you

As you hum that old tune my sweet, sweet boy

And sing me home to you

Sing me home to you

"Addie, I don't know if you can hear me all those miles away. If I could hear you just one more times. Just to tell me your ok. So then maybe I could be ok too. You know, maybe help me out a little that way only you can do. You are probably livin' it up there in Michigan. But I don't really care. I just want to hear you again, see you one last time, Addie. Because, God, I miss you. And it hurts like hell some days. And there is nothing anyone can do. Not me, not my parents, not even Chad can help me. And I sound so pathetic now.

"But nothing can help a person when they aren't a person anymore after they have lost almost everything. And that is who I am Addie. You never gave me everything back. I am still missing most of myself. I want it back! I need it back just so I can have a chance at being me again.

"And, well, I would and should tell. There is this girl, Gabriella. I like her, but I have nothing I can give her, there is nothing of me I can share with her because you took it all. And I wish that is something of me left to give her, but there isn't. You stole it all! Well, it wasn't really stealing. I gave it to you, because you weren't supposes to leave. I really wished you hadn't. That you hadn't left and took everything of me with you. Gabriella is a good person. You really would have liked her; at least I think you would have. I hope you would have. East High is so different now and without you. And now all that I have left there is senior year. Without you.

"I won't do anything that we had ever planned to do, like tee-peeing the office and gym and a few other places. I won't carve my name into the principal's desk the day of graduation. I won't stage a water balloon fight the day before spring break. I won't spray paint the cafeteria tables. I won't pull the fire alarm on senior's last day. I won't be singing Christmas carols on the last day before winter break. I won't do any of the things we said we would do to make our senior year the absolute best year of our lives or at least of our high school lives. Nothing is going to happen," he said with just a couple tears finding their way to the surface.

He lay under that tree for the longest of times. He counted every leaf and every branch. He found near the bottom of the tree on the inside of a root, hidden from the world and impossible to find unless you knew it was there, Sing Me Home To You and traced each and every letter with his finger. He remembered carving it in there with his dad's pocketknife on the last day of school almost two years ago. And the familiar song that he had heard sung every summer played in his head. The one only two people knew the words to and one of those people was him. The other hadn't been near that tree for nearly two years now.

He didn't know how long he had been there when Chad came along. Chad walked up and looked at him for a moment, knowing that Troy didn't know he was there. Chad had to take a deep breath before he was able to approach. He pulled Troy up and looked at him. Their faces mirrored one another with a cheerless look. Yes, these two boys had been through everything together with the climax of every year that day. Chad picked up his car keys that had been thrown on the ground. Troy was in a daze all the way to his house and still once inside it. He departed for bed early that night and each body in that house prayed he would have a dreamless sleep, but each knowing that wouldn't be the case.

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AN: So that is it. Yeah, so a little different, but you basically know everything. The story is about learning to live after love and maybe even giving it another shot. Please leave me a review telling me what you think, good or bad, either is fine. I am still very iffy about this story and hearing what other people think really helps me. I hope to post the second chapter tomorrow and I hope you will continue to read my story.