Okay, here it is… the story I said I would put up but never got around to do it… sorry! It was originally going to be call Street Lights or something but I decided against it. Review and tell me if you want me to continue. Okay, here ya go!

"What's the matter with Gabriella Montez? She's so different now. She used to be so smart and happy."

That's what I hear everyday when I walk through the halls to my classes. I've changed, I have to agree. I'm no longer smiling, or talking to any one. But they don't talk to me either. No one does, not even my old friends. Taylor might say a few words, but not very often. And Troy, it's like he forgot I ever existed. Ever since I missed the musical, he won't talk to me. Troy didn't even try. I missed the musical. I can't change that, but I had a reason to miss it. But when ever I tried telling him why, he'd walk away. So know he doesn't know. He might never know. I might be gone before he finds out. I need to tell him soon. But I can't. Every night I cry before I go to sleep because of all the things I lost. It haunts my dreams.

I tried leaving messages for Troy, but I'd always hang up before the beep. I couldn't tell Troy over a message. I might never get to tell him. I'll never get to say good bye. Why? Because I am leaving. In one week, I will be gone. Gone, never coming back.

He'll never know why.

It's been a week in a half since the musical. But that week in a half seems like forever. I never pass his locker anymore. I don't make any attempt to talk to him. He doesn't care.

I didn't go to school the day after the musical. I didn't call anyone because I couldn't. I couldn't talk to anyone. And what's worse, I can't sing anymore.

On the night of the musical, something happened. I lost my voice. I can talk just barely. But hardly at all. If I can hardly talk, I can't sing at all. But I've given up singing. I don't have a reason to sing anymore. I've lost everything. But that's not why I missed the musical. It's because of what happened I lost my voice.

I wonder if Troy ever thinks about me like I think about him. We used to be a couple. Until that night. He didn't even bother to break up with me; he just stopped talking to me.

I don't have the courage to talk to Troy. He could care less if I left.

I know that I broke his heart when I missed the musical… but he broke mine even more when he stopped talking to me. Troy was my day and night, my Prince Charming, my night in shining armor, my sun and moon, my shelter from the storm, my friend… there are so many ways to describe how Troy and I used to be, but now… we're nothing. One word:

Nothing.

I can't bear to walk by Troy anymore. Tears spring up and dance in front of my hazel eyes. I can't look at him with out a single crystal tear running down my face just to drop onto the floor. It hurts that much. If only he knew…

When I leave in the one week I have left to tell my friends… or should I say ex-friends, that I'm leaving, all the memories from here at East High will stay in my mind. A few will fade, but I'll still remember barely. I'll remember the time in detention when Taylor thought I put some papers about me and my old school's math team in her locker. She thought I wanted to join the decathlon. I'll remember when Chad and Taylor devised a plan to split me and Troy up. They almost succeeded. They would have if Troy didn't know how to climb trees…

But that's all in the past. Nothing matters anymore because now, now I'm alone. At lunch I sit in the corner by the window. Just staring out everyday, not touching my purchased food. Thinking about what would have happened if I made it to the musical's opening night. During class I keep to myself, not answering any questions, not distributing to conversations. My grades are dropping miserably. Sometimes I skip classes because I'm in the bathroom crying. It happens so often.

I try to forget about Troy and the others. But I can't. When ever a boy would ask me out, which would happen quite often, I'd shake my head no. Thoughts of Troy would rush into my head and I told myself to stop waiting. Nothing's going to happen anymore… he doesn't care. But no matter how hard I shake the memories of the gang out of my mind, they come back. Creeping into my dreams. They would play over and over again in my mind.

I have begun to slide downhill ever since it happened. My grades, my appearance, my personality, all of it has fallen. I'm no longer known as Troy's smart, pretty, and nice girlfriend. I'm known as Gabriella Montez.

And that's who I'll stay as forever.

The only person that could ever bring me back down to earth would be Troy Bolton. But all of my hopes of that happening left when Troy no longer acknowledged me.

It wasn't my fault I missed the musical. Only God and I know that because no one else would take two minutes to listen to me. They're so mad they won't even yell at me and ask me why I wasn't there. But if they did, I'd no longer be the one feeling bad. They'd be the ones burdened with the guilt I carry now. They'd feel everything I felt now.

When no one would talk to me I lost part of my self. It felt like part of my heart was ripped out and replaced with an empty space because everyone who had once understood me was gone. And they wouldn't come back.

If they only knew why I'd missed the musical… I'd feel so much better. No longer hiding from life. But they won't give me the time of day! It's so frustrating walking into school each day, never greeting your friends, never meeting at each other's lockers… But I've learned to live with it. It was hard, but I did it.

It all happened so fast. I could've never prevented it from happening.

Flashback, still Gabriella's POV:

"Mom! Hurry up I can't be late!" I yelled up the stairs. I could hear my mom moving around upstairs. Finally she came downstairs. I dragged her out side and we climbed into the car. My mom had a whole bunch of paperwork on the passenger's seat so I decided to sit in the back seat.

"Are you excited Gabriella?" My mom asked pulling out of the driveway.

"Mom, it's the opening night for the musical… of course I'm excited!" I answered looking out the window trying to control my excitement. "Troy and I are the stars Mom, I feel so happy!"

"Of course you are…" My mom said turning a corner. We continued the ride in silence.

"I just hope I don't get stage fright again, that would be terrible." I said.

"Gabriella, you won't get stage fright. If you do, don't worry, it's perfectly normal for people to be afraid of audiences." My mom explained. We talked for another minute or so before I heard a squeal of tires. I whipped my head to the side.

"Oh my god! Mom look out!" I screamed. My mom turned around in her seat.

A truck hit us. On my mom's side. I panicked when I heard the crash and screamed. Glass flew all over. I gagged, something flew down my throat. A piece of glass and entered my mouth when I screamed. My head slammed into the window and the last thing I saw was bright lights as other cars and people surrounded us…

End Flashback

That night I lost my voice. And that night…

I lost my mom.