Chapter One

Gabriella Montez stared down at the invitation in her hand. She remembered when she first received it six months ago. The invitation was printed on cream colored paper with red and gold trim. EAST HIGH TEN YEAR REUNION – CLASS OF 1999 was written in calligraphy. Gabriella smiled as she recognized the Chair of the class reunion – Martha Cross. She had heard from Kelsi that Jason and Martha got married a couple of years after they graduated from East High. She also knew that they still lived in Albuquerque and had two children, a boy and a girl. She was glad to hear that things had worked out for them. She always thought they were sweet to each other and their personalities went well together.

Gabriella continued staring at the invitation, there was a photo montage scrolled across the bottom. She got excited as she saw the familiar faces of her once close friends. There was Chad Danforth standing on top of the table with a bouquet of flowers in his hand attempting to ask Taylor McKessie to prom. What a memory that was. Chad had been so nervous and Taylor was giving him such a hard time. But they all knew she couldn't resist that Danforth smile and charm.

There was also a photo of Ryan and Sharpay Evans performing "Bop to the Top." She shook her head as she remembered the Dynamic Duo's attempt to prevent her call back. It was weird how life turned out after all. Most people probably thought her and Sharpay hated each other, but the truth was that Sharpay was one of the few people she kept in touch with since East High. At the East High graduation party, Sharpay had approached her and apologized for her behavior over the last year and a half. She also apologized for trying to take Troy away from her during the previous summer at Lava Springs. Gabriella really saw the true Sharpay and felt her apologies were sincere and since that night, they became instant friends. If Gabriella was ever in Los Angeles, she always stayed with her friend and if Sharpay ever came out to Boston, she was always at Gabriella's. Sharpay was one of her biggest support system and she wouldn't know what to do without Miss Evans in her life.

Zeke Baylor was all smiles in another photo holding up a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Zeke was by far the best dessert maker in the world. He had treated all his friends to his fabulous creations. She was also happy that Zeke finally got his dream girl. Everyone at East High knew about his super crush on Sharpay. About two years ago, Sharpay was having dinner at Chez Moi and she ordered the Verbena lemon crème brulee and as soon as she put one spoonful in her mouth, she was in heaven. It was one of the best desserts she ever had and she demanded to meet the chef so she could give him or her regards and praises. The owner of the restaurant brought out a tall, good looking man with mocha skin color. She took one look at him and recognized Zeke right away. Since that meeting, they had been inseparable.

Gabriella froze as she looked at the photo in the very middle of the montage. It was a photo of the whole cast performing Just Wanna Be With You, where her and Troy were in the middle and he had just presented her with roses. Their bodies inclined towards each other, his arm draped around her shoulders, hers around his waist, and they were staring into each other's eyes as they sang the last few lines of the song. Staring at the picture actually brought some tears to her eyes. She hadn't thought about Troy Bolton in a long while. This photo said so much just looking at it.

Of course, there was another photo of the East High basketball team. Troy stood out amongst his teammates and proudly wore his number 14. Troy Bolton was her first love. People always say one could never forget their first love. Well, they're right, Gabriella thought. As much as she tried not to think about him, memories of him would always creep into her mind over the years. It was always the good memories though. It was too hard and sad to think of that day 8 years ago when they decided to part ways. It was all too much, all at once.

She was at Stanford, trying to adjust to her life there and Troy was only 32.7 miles from her in Berkeley. It was too hard trying to incorporate her new life while holding onto Troy, her main tie to her old life. It wasn't just her who was having problems with their situation; she saw the changes in Troy too. She knew he was having a hard time balancing his classes, traveling with his basketball team, and her. At the end of their freshmen year, they decided to be adults about it and confront their issue which led to their break up. During that first summer after college, Troy went back to Albuquerque and Gabriella stayed in Palo Alto. After she graduated from East High, her mother had already relocated to the Bay Area and their home was no longer in New Mexico.

Gabriella had been devastated by their break up. Her heart literally felt like it was split and broken into pieces. Everyone was shocked by the break up. Being the good friends they were, both Sharpay and Taylor had come out to visit her within the week of their break up and tried to cheer her up. It was going to be so weird now without Troy Bolton in her life. She felt like she could just be herself around Troy. He understood her and was always so supportive. She would definitely miss their friendship. She would also miss his hugs and kisses, but most importantly, she would miss the way he looked at her.

A noise in the kitchen startled her and drew her out of her reverie. She put the invitation back down on her dresser and walked out of her bedroom and down the short hallway to investigate the noise. She smiled as she eyed her tall, sandy-haired boyfriend, Eric Tyler drinking a glass of water in front of the sink. She went over and placed her arms around his waist. "Hey E," she said.

Eric turned himself around so he could face his beautiful girlfriend. "Hey Gorgeous," he said as he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "How was your day?"

"It was okay. I had to go over some briefs for a case at the end of the week, so after awhile it got quite mundane. I decided to leave the office early."

"Wanna grab some dinner?" Eric asked.

"Hmmmm," Gabriella mused, "why don't we stay in and order some take-out instead?"

Eric grinned. "You, me, and bad reality TV? Who would want anything else?"

Gabriella got on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. "My thoughts exactly."

"If I didn't know any better, Montez, I think we were meant for each other."

As Gabriella heard those words coming from Eric's mouth, she froze. They had been dating for almost year and taking it slow. Since Troy she'd never been in a relationship long enough to see if it could get serious. Eric was the first guy in a long while that got past the two month mark. Trying not to upset Eric or letting the pause in conversation get uncomfortable, she smiled and nodded. "Of course. Anyway, what should we order? Thai? Chinese? Japanese? Pizza?"

"Let's get some Chinese. What do you want? The usual?"

"Yeah, let's get the usual." The usual was an order of steamed shrimp dumplings, an order of beef and broccoli, an order of sweet and sour chicken, and brown rice for Gabriella, white rice for Eric. It was simple and very satisfying. She listened and watched Eric as he made the call to their favorite Chinese restaurant. Eric was truly a wonderful guy – he was smart, good looking, and funny – she should be thrilled. They had a great time together and she was happy with the way their relationship was. He had his own place, she had hers. They went out almost every weekend and saw each other once or twice during the work week. She liked it the way it was.

She shook her head as she thought about her last conference call with Sharpay and Taylor. It was about a week ago and they were talking about their relationships. She was telling her friends about how she liked her relationship the way it was and it didn't need to change drastically in the next few months or so. Of course, Taylor immediately said something about Troy Bolton. "What about Troy Bolton?" Gabriella asked.

Both Sharpay and Taylor laughed out loud. "Give us a break, girl!" Taylor exclaimed. "We both know why you want your relationship with Eric to be as easy as it has. You obviously compare every guy to Troy."

"I do not!" Gabriella protested. "I've dated other guys since our break up."

"Yes, you've dated other men, Gabs," Sharpay interjected, "but have you ever been serious with anyone since Troy? Think about it. After a certain time—"

"Two months." Taylor coughed under her breath.

Sharpay laughed as she tried to finish her sentence, "After a certain time you always break it off."

"Well, I was taught never to lead anyone on." Gabriella defended herself.

Taylor scoffed. "Honey, you don't let them in long enough to even lead them on. You have let go some of the finest men I've ever seen."

"It's not about looks, nor is it about Troy Bolton. Besides Troy and I broke up like almost 10 years ago. I don't even know anything about him anymore. I don't even know where he is. Why would it be about him?"

In a softer tone, Sharpay said, "It's always been about him and you know it. Honey, what you and Troy shared was special. Heck, it took a new girl from a new city to get this guy hooked and he fell hard and fast. Tay and I've both known him since junior high and you were the first girl he dated and went after. It totally annoyed me, of course at that time, but I always saw the looks you gave one another. No one wants to compete with that."

"Shar's right, Gabi," Taylor offered. "You and Troy shared something really special, but maybe you should just leave it as that. A special memory stored in your heart and mind forever. You can't compare every guy to Troy. That's not fair to them. Who's to say Troy hasn't changed from the 18-year-old you last knew. A lot happens in a decade."

"Ladies, like I said before, this has nothing to do with Troy. It's my decision and mine only. If I don't feel that the relationship is going anywhere, I end it. It's done." Gabriella protested once more.

Sharpay and Taylor both gave up before they really upset their friend. At least they had put the thoughts of Troy out there. "Alright, Gabs," Sharpay said, "we'll leave it alone. No more Troy Bolton talk. Anyway, when are you scheduled to arrive in Albuquerque for the reunion? I can't believe it's in less than three weeks. I'm actually excited to see all our classmates."

Taylor laughed, "I'm sure the class will be blown away by seeing you and Zeke together. I'll be in Albuquerque for at least a week. I'm flying out on the 27th."

"I'll be in Albuquerque for a few days. I have a huge case load and it's the only time I can take off. I'll be leaving the 28th and flying back Monday morning. It'll just be a long weekend for me ladies."

"Nonetheless, we'll have plenty to do and see. You're both welcomed to stay at my parent's place, you know. Ryan and Kelsi will also be there. It'll be so much fun."

"Thanks Shar, but I promised my mom I'll be over at their place." Taylor said.

Gabriella laughed, "And I'll take you up on your offer. It will be nice to see everyone. I can't wait to catch up with Ryan and Kels. I just met up with them a few months ago for dinner in Manhattan. I miss them like crazy."

"Hey Gabriella, food will be here in less than 30 minutes." Eric's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Let's go sit down and see what's on TV."

Eric took her hand and led her to her comfortable cream colored couch. Everything in her apartment was very elegant and beautifully placed. They sat down and Eric put his arms around her shoulders. She leaned her head on his chest. Eric took the remote and started flipping through the channels, after awhile they settled on an episode of Big Brother. They sat watching in silence for a while, laughing at the appropriate parts and made small comments once in a while. Gabriella thought back to her conversation with Taylor and Sharpay, could her friends be right? Had she unknowingly compared every guy she dated to Troy? I couldn't have, she thought, sure I miss him, but it might just be the memories.

It couldn't be because of Troy. It just couldn't.