"Now Gabriella remember to treat the Bolton's with respect and love, don't just use this as a reason to see Troy everyday literally." Maria said as the Taxi driver loaded her stuff.

"I promise ma, I mean I doubt it'll feel very different. We're going to have separate rooms and won't be allowed in a bedroom together with the door closed. It'll be just like it was when we lived in separate houses." Gabriella said her hair flowing in the wind her bangs brushing her lashes and the bridge of her nose. The shorts she wore with a white t-shirt and pink and green Nike's was the perfect outfit to help finish moving her stuff into one of the Bolton's guest rooms.

"Oh mija I am going to miss you so much." Maria said tears flowing as she pulled Gabriella into a bone crushing hug. Gabriella couldn't help the tears that began to fall either.

Sure she was happy for her mother's wonderful promotion. Of course getting an education at one of England's top schools would have been amazing for her passion of learning everything possible. Though her heart would have eventually given out after being there less than a week, the fact is she'd be away from Troy. That is something neither of the teens could stand to go through.

The other fact that it's her senior year didn't help much. Her mother had promised that she wouldn't let her company transfer her until Gabriella had graduated and she had held that promise until the opportunity came she would be stupid to turn down. Gabriella being the supportive daughter told her mother to take it. They were intent on moving to another continent in the matter of 3 weeks when the realization hit Gabriella as well as Troy that there was a chance they'd never see each other again.

The thought of it made Gabriella run home crying hysterically one July afternoon pleading her case to her mother. She poured her heart out exposing feelings she had yet to even express to Troy himself. The thought of being away from Troy would kill her slowly but surely. It would have been like Bert without Ernie, Romeo without Juliet, peanut butter without jelly, day without night, and life without air, something that was unheard of and would be impossible without the other.

It came down to the final week before Maria was to leave and the parents had been secretly discussing the issue. The two teens knowing nothing about it stayed together and tried to act as if nothing was going to change. Though it was obvious in both of them that something…this spark that gave them life was slowly dying. The parents not wanting to have their teens depressed and withdrawn decided they had to do something and that something was keeping Gabriella with Troy even if that meant allowing two teens with raging hormones live together in the same house.

"I'm going to miss you too mom," Gabriella said inhaling her mother sweet cinnamon scent that ever since she was a child she'd admire and cherished. Maria gave another squeeze before pulling away and wiping her eyes Gabriella doing the same.

"You'll have to call every chance you get sweetie and keep me up to date on everything going on. If you ever need to talk…go to Lucille but still come to me. Oh this is like you going to college, only the wrong person is leaving." Gabriella nodded the loose bun on the top of her head moving up and down. Maria smiled and placed a hand on Gabriella's cheek, Gabriella leaned into her touch.

"Oh I almost forgot!" Maria turned towards the taxi and dug around in her purse and grabbed a little bag and handed it to Gabriella.

"Don't look at this until you are going to sleep tonight when you're all settled. I'll probably be on a plane still so I'll leave you a message when I arrive. "Gabriella looked at the bag curiously as her mother sighed again.

"This isn't really goodbye it's more of a bye for now right?" Maria said she leaned forward and kissed Gabriella on the cheek before covering her mouth as she felt a sob coming and quickly climbed into the taxi. Gabriella smiled sadly and waved as the taxi took off.

Once the taxi reached the end of the road and turned left towards the airport, a sob escaped Gabriella's lips. She looked back down at the gift in her hands that her mother left her and couldn't help the urge to defy her order and open it. She felt alone her mother was leaving and her father left years ago. This thought made her sob harder. Her knees started to give and she was going to crash to the ground any minute. She put a hand over her mouth hoping to keep down but had no success. Right when standing was beginning to be too much, two very familiar arms wrapped around her and spun her so she was now sobbing into the chest of the owner.

They both crashed onto the grass near the sidewalk and he rocked her back and forth rubbing her back soothingly. He kissed the top of her head continuously scared to let her go he held her tighter. The two adults watched from the porch of the house feeling touched by the moment. The strength their son was showing for his girlfriend was something to imitate a married couple during a hard time. This moment made them know they were right in allowing the 17 year old girl to stay with them as long as need be.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Now where do you want this?" Troy asked coming in with Chad holding Gabriella's large white bookcase. She turned from her spot looking out the window and giggled at the sight of the two guys looking ready to pass out though trying to hide it.

"Um how about…" Gabriella looked around the large bedroom and bit her lip trying to decide.

"Gabs please just point somewhere." Chad begged making Gabriella smile.

"Fine…over in that corner next to the desk," She said pointing to the area next to her desk table on the left side of the window that showed the back yard.

Troy and Chad argued a little over who had the top and bottom of the bookcase which amused Gabriella as she watched them. Finally they decided to just put it down and that it wouldn't make a difference. They pushed it back into place and stood back admiring their work. Gabriella nodded and put a hand on either of their shoulders.

"Great job…now go get my mattress," She commanded and got a groan from the guys before they left complaining about their backs or something.

Gabriella sighed looking around the purple room she would be living in for the next 11 months. Boxes everywhere just were waiting to be gone through furniture that looked empty, everything in a different spot from where they were at her old house. She walked over to her little desk and looked inside the box sitting on her chair, all of her pictures and pens and pencils and other little things inside. She looked towards the left where two bookcases were now located. One directly next to the desk fitting perfectly in its corner, the other against the wall in another corner which made it easy for her to roll in her chair and look at all of the books she had. Looking back in the box she pulled out a picture and her and Troy in her old kitchen the picture taken by her mother. Gabriella had just gotten her bangs and her and Troy were bored and wanted to make cupcakes. One thing leads to another and they were both covered in flour and egg and mix. Gabriella's mom insisted on a picture and Gabriella looked towards the camera covered in flour a huge grin on her face, Troy just looked down at her intently. A laugh escaped her lips as she thought back to her mother's laughter at the two of them.

"What's so funny?" Gabriella jumped dropping the photo back in the box turning to see Sharpay standing there looking amused.

"Oh I was just…" Gabriella looked down at the picture looking back at her before looking at Sharpay. "Reminiscing"

"Uh huh, I know you just a little better than that Gabriella." Sharpay walked over her heels clicking on the hardwood floor of the room. She looked in the box and pulled out the picture. She looked at it a slow smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "This is adorable," She turned the picture over so Gabriella could see with a grin now on her face.

"Shut up," Gabriella said with a blush snatching the framed picture from Sharpay's manicured grip and put it back in the box as the guys came in with the mattress.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh gosh I remember this time!" Sharpay squealed from her seat on Gabriella's bed as they looked through old pictures. "This is from that day we went to the beach and got burnt but still insisted on going dancing." Gabriella smiled and took the picture putting it on in the collage of pictures she started.

"Yea and I think I remember you confessing your love for Chad a few days after." Gabriella said looking at Shar from the corner of her eyes to see a blush on her features.

"Well we've been together for a year now and that's all that matters." She avoided Gabriella's eye by looking down at her Gucci dress picking imaginary lint off of it.

They stayed in comfortable silence looking at pictures and setting things up in Gabriella's room. Gabriella started putting clothes in her new walk in closet that Sharpay handed to her.

"You know how lucky you are to live with Troy?" Shar said after a while.

"I don't know…it hasn't really sunk in yet…" Gabriella replied truthfully.

"I mean wow, the only down side is he'll see you when you wake up, when you're sick, when you're on your period. Well okay he'll just see you when you have your facial mask on and who knows how he'll take it." Shar said handing a pair of jeans to Gabriella.

"Thanks for making this easier Shar," Gabriella said sarcastically.

"I'm only saying it's weird…I wouldn't go bragging about it to people at school though…I mean they'll just say you're having sex all the time and with Coach there that wouldn't be good."

"That is true…I'm sure everything will be fine though I mean tough at first but we have a few weeks of summer left to get everything normal."

"Yea that's true…are you excited?"

"Shar this is just a new living arrangement we aren't planning on doing anything really. I mean we've never done anything…I mean we're going to treat this as if nothing happened or changed." Gabriella turned to her closet frowning not entirely understanding what she'd just said herself.

"Well if you ask me I think our sleepovers are going to get a lot more interesting."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well the man only lives 10 steps away! The floorboards don't creak and his parents stay upstairs. If that isn't an open opportunity for an accidental bathroom collision I don't know what is." Sharpay said though didn't get to express more thoughts when Gabriella threw shirt at her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So you like your room?" Gabriella looked up from her spot on the bed towards the door to see Troy standing there in a beater and red sweat pants, his hair slightly gelled out of his eyes.

"Yea it's very nice, I'm going to be thanking your parents until I leave," Troy chuckled walking into the room further before standing on the side of the bed.

"I'm sure they wouldn't want that…Can I sit?" Troy asked motioning towards the bed.

"Oh yea," Gabriella said moving over to make room for him. He lay down next to her putting his right arm behind his head as he watched her playing around with her laptop.

"So are you happy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you glad to be here or…do you wish you would have…gone with your mom?" Troy played with the fabric of his Wildcat t-shirt that his girlfriend was currently wearing with his left hand.

Gabriella stayed silent continuing to roam around in her laptop opening a window for Facebook. Troy regretted asking the question so soon but he was curious. He didn't want her here if she felt she was being forced to because of him, because his heart couldn't stand a goodbye with her.

"Yes," Gabriella replied after moments of silence.

"Yes what?" Gabriella did something quick on Facebook before closing everything and closing her laptop. She crawled off the bed and went to her desk putting it down before walking back and laying down next to Troy.

"I know it's too soon but I do feel like I'm happier. I mean I love my mom but…" Gabriella looked up at Troy their eyes connecting, I love you more, was the thought she didn't express before continuing. "Its senior year and this is an important year, I wouldn't want to be in a new place with new people and try and figure out their curriculum." Troy watched her a moment before nodding understanding. Gabriella reached over and placed her hand on his soft face a soft smirk on her face.

"I also would have missed you too much," Troy grinned at this fact and puckered his lips for a kiss. Gabriella giggled shaking her head slightly before kissing him softly.

"I would have missed you too if you must know," Troy said wrapping his arm around her keeping their bodies close.

"How could you not? I'm so damn irresistible."

"Oh getting cheeky now aren't we Miss Montez?" Gabriella giggled hiding her face in his chest before looking back up at him.

"Never,"

"Okay whatever you say," Troy kissed her forehead before she rested against his chest.

"Are you happy I'm staying?" She whispered as if what she said was a secret

"Yes I'm more than happy. I mean…if you left…I'm selfish so it's probably better I don't answer." Troy said summing it up

"How are you selfish?"

"Well I don't know it's just goodbye…I couldn't do it…goodbye is too far away."

"Goodbye is too far away? What do you mean-"

"I'll explain later…don't make me do that now…I'm not ready." Troy said hoping to drop the subject. Gabriella hesitated before deciding to drop it, though somewhere deep inside she felt goodbye was too far away also…she went through a similar feeling earlier and was glad it was avoided. She looked over towards her desk where her mother's present stayed tucked away in a drawer. She wanted the perfect place for the picture and just wasn't settled enough to figure out where that should be.

"Aren't you tired? You did a lot of lifting today," Gabriella said drawing imaginary circles against his chest.

"Yes, but I'd rather stay here with you,"

"Aw aren't you sweet?"

"Only for you,"

"I still have all of that to unpack," Gabriella groaned looking at all of the boxes still in the room.

"I'll help you,"

"Nah I want to do it, you might find my diary," Gabriella said poking his stomach.

"Oh now I know what I'll be doing while you're with yearbook this year,"

"Ha ha ha you're very funny," Gabriella said looking up at him

"I know I am," Troy said through a yawn

"You're tired, you should go,"

"Oh come on Gabriella I'm too tired to move, and I'm very comfortable-"

"But the rule is no staying in the same room-"

"With the door closed and if my eyes are correct that door is open." Gabriella lifted her head slightly to see that the door was open. A light blush graced her face as she looked over at Troy shyly to see a huge grin on his face.

"Oh shut up," She said

"Your bangs-"

"You still don't like them?"

"No I love them I just don't see why you wanted them…"

"Well I wanted to seem mature and older I mean senior year is very serious and I want to be seen older and I think that's how they make me look. Besides when we go to the U of A games this year with your dad and Chad maybe I'll be able to snag a college guy," Gabriella grinned at Troy as he showed her a shocked face.

"Oh Montez that hurt…right there," Troy looked at his heart and Gabriella pouted before kissing his chest right about the heart.

"Better?"

"No…"

"Well where does it hurt?" Troy puckered his lips again just to receive a giggle before her lips were on his. This time he didn't let her go as easily.

After releasing some intense passion they pulled away breathless panting. Gabriella kissed Troy's cheek before resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"Night Troy," Troy chuckled pulling her closer and kissing her head.

"Night Gabriella," He whispered before reaching over and turning her light off on her nightstand.

He looked at the picture he'd grown to know of himself and Gabriella earlier in the summer on the golf course at Sharpay's parent's country club. He smiled letting his finger trace over the picture lightly before sighing and looking down at the girl in his arms. She didn't look much different besides the bangs and the fact her hair had grown out a little since the picture had been taken.

Going to sleep with your girlfriend, waking up to your girlfriend, living with your girlfriend definitely something he's looking forward to. He hopes.

I expressed one little idea with my friend and she forced me to write this and then my brain started working. I don't know why but I wrote it and now I'm posting. Just posting it since it's an idea and you'll never know if it's a hit or miss if you don't post...I can always delete this later but yea...I don't know if I like it but I have ideas for this but yea I don't know... It's really just up to anyone who reads this... Reviews would be great...Really I'd love feedback or anything...what do you think of Chad and Sharpay? I've never done a story with them as a couple and have always been curious. IDK...review?

xoxo Zoe