Another story I wrote a while ago and forgot to upload - I hope you enjoy it and please do review, it helps with the writing process :)

Holding On

"Hit the showers" Troy Bolton's voice echoed as the team finished their intense game of basketball in the UCLA gym. Basketball was essentially Troy Bolton's life; he lived for the game and put as much effort into being the captain of the team as possible, after all he had to impress the scouts when they came to watch him in his games. Besides what was the harm of playing as much of the game you loved as possible?

'Nothing' he thought as he shook his head from his thoughts, heading for the showers himself, entering the blue and gold changing rooms perfectly decorated to match the school's colours. After hitting the shower and dressing, the brown haired boy headed to the parking lot and settled himself in his car ready to drive home. Securing his seatbelt, he reached to turn the key in the ignition only to be stopped by the shrill ring of his cell phone which was vibrating frantically in his pocket. Forgetting his previous actions, the blue eyed boy dug his cell out of his jean pocket and looked at the caller ID which read - Gabriella. He groaned loudly and banged his hand against the steering wheel of his Audi in frustration – Troy Bolton was in shit, deep shit. Having a match for basketball being brought forward had lead to Troy calling an emergency practise for the boys on the team and in doing so he had forgotten his commitment to his girlfriend. He had promised to drop her off home tonight, her car was in the garage and he had insisted on taking her home, only to forget.

Sighing, he answered the phone "Hey bab..."

"Don't you dare 'hey baby' me Troy Bolton! I can't fucking believe you Troy, you insisted you would take me home only to leave me hanging when I waited for you. I had to walk home by myself and its all thanks to you"

Troy cringed at the dangerously low tone in his girlfriend's voice and knew he needed to apologise sooner rather than later, an apology always helped in these situations, right?

"Ella, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to leave you hanging but you know I would never have done it if I didn't have a good reason"

Sighing on the other end of the line, Gabriella Montez rubbed her temples; to say she was frustrated with her boyfriend lately would be an understatement. "Oh I'm thrilled to hear this. Go on what was your reason this time?"

Clearing his voice, the young male explained how he had been informed of an upcoming match being brought forward and that he had needed to call an emergency practise to make sure they were all ready and prepared for it.

"Basketball, Troy? Why am I not surprised? Everything comes down to basketball with you these days." She half yelled through the receiver and Troy flinched ever so slightly.

"Baby it was important, we need to be prepared"

"So important, that you didn't feel the need to inform your girlfriend"

Her reply was more of a statement than a question and he was shocked by the sudden hurt in her voice as she spoke the words much softer than her previous comments. The words had struck him and he found himself at a loss for words as he contemplated how to reply to this tactfully.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the girl on the other end of the line "Forget it Troy".

The line died and Troy cursed loudly and slammed the palm of his hand against his head as he realised he had one very pissed girlfriend right now and once again it seemed that he was the expert in causing these situations. "Fuck this" were the words that surrounded the car as it sped off towards home.

Gabriella was beyond frustrated and hurt; she had no idea what to feel. Troy and she had known each other since Elementary School and they had been dating for the last four years; they had started dating in sophomore year of high school and were now in their sophomore year of College. She wasn't stupid, she was more than aware that Troy came with a passion for basketball, a love for a game so intense he spent hours perfecting his moves and practicing until there was no light left outside for him to carry on. That was one of the things she had always loved about him; his passion and drive to be good at something he loved along with his charming ways and good looks of course. Gabriella just felt he preferred the game to her. She sighed; maybe she was overreacting a little.

Troy hung up the phone for what felt like the hundredth time that night; he had tried – albeit unsuccessfully – to contact his girlfriend and apologise profusely about what had happened earlier that day. He currently felt awful but she was refusing to even pick up the phone which meant that she was pretty pissed. Sighing again he decided a face to face talk tomorrow would settle things.

Gabriella wandered down the brightly lit hallway to her locker and proceeded to take everything she would need for the day and dump all she wouldn't. She was not looking forward to sitting in lectures today after what had happened last night and quite frankly all she wanted to do was to curl up in bed and mope around. Sadly if she wanted to pass the semester, that was not going to happen.

"Hi Gabi"

Gabriella suddenly jumped, startled that someone was behind her. "Oh hey Tom"

"How are you? Looking forward to class?" The black haired boy questioned as he leaned against the locker next to Gabriella's. Tom had become a good friend of Gabriella's in her English Lit class and she always enjoyed his company.

Gabriella rolled her eyes "I've had better days and I could be doing better things than going to class"

Sensing a slight sadness, Tom expressed his concern, touching her arm lightly "Hey is everything okay? You seem a little down compared to usual"

"Oh you know just a few personal problems, nothing too big" She told the boy in front of her and thought how it was nice for someone to ask about her feelings for once.

Troy Bolton had been walking down the corridor at the precise moment that Tom Collins had decided to lightly touch his girlfriend's arm. Of course it had been out of concern but Troy failed to see this and could only see that someone else was touching his girlfriend and he did not like it – not at all. He strode towards the pair who were lightly laughing at something and cleared his voice before speaking in a tight voice "Gabriella, can we talk please? Alone."

Gabriella took one look at her boyfriend and knew were this conversation was heading. "Fine" she said shortly before turning to her friend "I'm sorry Tom, I have to go but I'll talk to you in class in a little while, okay?"

Tom looked between the two before replying "Sure, no problem"

"What the fuck was that" Troy asked angrily but with a slight hurt to his voice as they entered an empty classroom in the building.

"Troy, you're going to have to be a little more specific if you expect me to know what you mean. I can't read minds you know" Her reply was sarcastic and signified her growing impatience with the guy in front of her.

The chestnut haired boy just rolled his eyes before replying "Him touching you is what I mean, you two looked awfully cosy"

"Seriously Troy, you of all people are going to accuse me of flirting with a guy? A guy who happens to be just a friend by the way" The brunette gave a short scoff as her chocolate eyes bore into his now navy eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Troy queried. He was hurt by the accusing tone in her voice as he gazed at her questioningly.

"Oh please Troy, I've seen the way them cheerleaders drape themselves all over you and quite honestly for the most part you seem kind of comfortable with it all"

"I-It's not like that at all Ella and you know it. I have to see them on a regular basis, I can't just tell them to fuck off and leave me alone – as much as I want too, believe me"

"Whatever Troy, of course you can't because nothing is ever that simple for you. It seems it's okay for you to flirt with a girl but if it's me flirting with a guy then it's completely wrong"

"So you admit it then, you flirted with the guy?" Troy's tone had calmed down considerably and he was slightly hurt by her confession.

"I- Troy he's just a friend. Maybe I flirted with him a little but it was completely unconscious, maybe I just needed the attention" Gabriella defended.

Troy's face was set in a frown as he thought about her words; she'd actually flirted with the guy! Consciously or unconsciously it still hurt him to know this despite the fact he could understand her reasoning.

Gabriella, uncomfortable with their prolonged silence, broke the tension "Troy, the point here is that you're jealous because a guy talked to me when girls talk to you all the time and I say nothing. I don't want to argue about this Troy, between what's been happening lately and now this, I've had enough, and I don't want to fight"

Troy exhaled a breath he was holding; concluding in his mind he didn't want to fight anymore and he swept his petite girlfriend into his arms and bent his head to meet her mouth in a short and fiery kiss. Their tongues battled for dominance as he pushed her against the desk directly behind her, the pair making out until it was time for Gabriella's class.

As the weeks drew on Troy became more and more involved in his basketball as each game became even more crucial than the last as he and his team battled to win the championships that would be coming in just under a month.

As Troy Bolton stood outside the gym, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Ella, it's me. I have some bad news about tonight"

"You're cancelling aren't you?" The petite Latina sighed as she shook her head at the pattern forming in their relationship lately.

"I'm sorry Ella, I really am. I really wanted to see you tonight but the coach wants us in the gym to practice for Friday's game and he wouldn't listen when I told him we had plans. I really tried this time Ella but there isn't anything I can do" Troy apologised, desperately attempting to get his girlfriend to understand.

"Is it too much to ask for my boyfriend to actually spend time with me these days? The Troy Bolton I knew would have done everything and anything to spend time with his girlfriend but now Troy Bolton gives absolutely nothing to this relationship it seems"

The hurt in her voice was clear as day to anyone, well anyone except Troy who by now was past angry. "Don't you dare accuse me of being a bad boyfriend because I have no choice but to go to basketball practise? I'm trying to build a career out of basketball I can't just fuck off when I feel like it and spend time with you even though I'd like too"

Gabriella held back the tears threatening to fall from her glassy eyes before replying slowly and softly to prevent the wavering of her voice "I-I don't know what to say to that Troy. It seems as though you have your priorities in order, I'll talk to you later"

Troy heard the call end before groaning and punching a nearby locker. His girlfriend had just hung up on him again and they had argued again, none of which were positive signs for their once flourishing relationship. He thought about how the pair were back in the earlier years of their relationship; they had been young and in love but had hardly ever argued. They knew each other so well already and their friendship had developed over time into a relationship that was as steady as a rock. They'd see each other often despite their heavy homework load and they'd always call each other every night. People had tried to bring them down and life's up and downs had threatened to tear them apart but they'd stood firm together and knew that what they had was real love; real love that was strong enough to prevail anything. Or so they thought.

The music in the background of Gabriella's room had caught Gabriella's attention as she lay curled up in a foetus position on the queen sized bed in her lilac decorated room.

Did I ask too much
More than a lot
You gave me nothing
Now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well we hurt each other
Then we do it again

The lyrics described her and Troy's relationship well, they just seemed to keep hurting each other and getting things wrong so often these days. Troy was giving nothing to their relationship these days and the more she asked him for his attention the more he seemed to draw away. She knew he was working hard to secure himself a successful basketball career but she also knew he didn't have to spend as much time practising as he did. They just seemed to be hitting a brick wall in their relationship – a brick wall that seemed to be impossible to scale or break through. However she knew she didn't want to give up on them she loved Troy and that was all that mattered, right?

Troy, by some miracle had managed to convince his coach to let them out of practise early and was heading to his girlfriend's place to set things straight between them. Lately they seemed to be in a rough patch but he knew they could work through it if they both tried.

As Gabriella padded through her apartment and to the kitchen for a glass of water she heard the doorbell ring and knitted her eyebrows in confusion before heading to open the door.

Troy Bolton, her supposed boyfriend was standing there sheepishly and looking as cute as ever with his floppy hair hanging over his cerulean blue eyes that she would recognise anywhere.

"Listen Ella, I'm so sorry about earlier, in fact about everything. I was a jerk who was thinking of himself instead of you when all I want is to be here and spend time with my beautiful girlfriend"

That was all it took for Gabriella to once again fall into her lover's arms and for the pair of them to 'forget' the past months events and rekindle the romance that burned within them; getting back on track with the relationship which as always lead to several weeks of relative normality and bliss for the couple.

Troy's big game had finally come and gone but somehow he still found himself hard at work, preparing for next season in order to get picked up by a professional team. He was spending nowhere near as much time in the gym as he had been but still today would be a rare evening off for him he knew as he exited the gym, pulling out his cell phone along the way.

Gabriella pulled her ringing cell phone out of her purse and answered distractedly "Hello"

"Hey Ella, it's me, I just phoned to see if you wanted to hang out tonight? Dinner at my place with a movie" Troy questioned as he hopped into his car.

"Hey Troy, umm I can't really do tonight. I have plans"

Troy hadn't failed to notice the distracted sound of his girlfriend's voice "Why not? And why are distracted?" His tone was slightly more accusing than he'd intended and mentally cursed himself for being an idiot.

"I'm going out with a few friends from school; we decided to have dinner and a few drinks" She explained and Troy heard her voice tell someone that she'd 'see them later' in the background.

"Gabriella, who were you just speaking to?"

Gabriella bit her lip, nervous for Troy's reaction. "It was just Tom, you know my friend from school, and we were studying for English Lit together"

Troy felt a pain sear through his heart before he let his anger rise "Oh right, your friend, I remember him. The one who was clearly into you and who was flirting with you in the corridor, yes I know him. Gabriella I can't believe you're going out with that guy and not only that you're blowing me off for your friends. When I'm not busy you seem to be out with your friends or busy with work"

Gabriella was angry, how dare he imply she's too busy to spend time with him after everything that had happened in these past months. Nothing ever seemed to be his fault and anything she did never seemed to be enough for him these days. Their relationship, she realised, could not overcome the brick wall that was in the way of them moving on and passing their 'rough patch', it could not be scaled or knocked down, it was a permanent fixture.

Her voice was sorrowful and hurt as she finally spoke "Troy, we can't do this. Not again. I think we need to realise that this is not working anymore"

Troy's anger subsided quickly as he heard the words the sweet brunette had spoken. "I don't understand..."

Gabriella sighed loudly "Troy you and I both know that you understand what I just said. It's over Troy, I can't do this anymore, and I'm tired of hurting. When we're not making up we're fighting because you're too busy with basketball and we never spend any time together. Then when you eventually find time, I'm too busy and it starts all over again"

"I-It can't be over Ella, we've been together four freaking years, and we can't just chuck it all away"

"Troy" She started, her voice breaking softly "It's the right thing to do, I don't want to feel like this and I know that in time you're going to feel the same and see that this is for the best"

Her salty tears slipped down her face as she took in a several shaky breaths, awaiting his response. To end this relationship like this was killing her more than she would ever let on to him but she had to be brave; she had to put a stop to all the hurt. Troy was dumbfounded, he knew he'd been an ass at times but he never imagine it would end in this and in his mind he couldn't fathom it was a valid reason for them to end their relationship.

"Ella, we can work this out" Were the only words he could coherently form as he thought about what was happening.

Gabriella sniffled through hear free falling tears, her mocha orbs unable to hold them back "Troy, no we can't. Enough is enough, I'm hurt Troy and I'm tired of feeling hurt and angry all the time. I can't hold on anymore, I tried so hard and I thought we'd make it but we can't go on like this anymore. It's just a vicious cycle. I guess all good things come to an end sometime"

Troy sighed, he didn't want to give up on them but it was clear that Gabriella already had and maybe for good reason. "Well I guess there's nothing I can do to change your mind is there?"

Gabriella sniffled slightly and tried her best to steady her voice "No, I'm sorry Troy but I-I can't be in a relationship with you any-anymore"

"Oh. Well I guess this is where we say goodbye"

"I guess it is, just know a part of me will always love you Troy no matter what has happened, you were my first love and you gave me a lot of firsts that I'll forever cherish"

"Yeah, well I'm sorry it had to end like this. I-I never imagined this day would come for us; I was so sure we'd be together forever" Troy took a deep breath to compose himself as he felt his own voice breaking with emotion. "Well goodbye Gabriella, I guess I'll see you around"

"Goodbye Troy"

With a click of a button, it was over. Six months of battling had become them and they had nothing left but hurt as they parted ways. There would be no happy ending for them together, there was no future for the relationship, there would be no marriage or white picket fence as they'd hoped, there wouldn't even be one final kiss – the dream was over, there was nothing left.

You say
Love is a temple
Love is a higher law
Love is a temple
Love is a higher law
You ask for me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't keep holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

I do not own anything but the storyline. All rights go to rightful owners. Please Review :)