A/N: Thanks for reviewing

See first page for disclaimer

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night Troy, Gabi, Chad and Taylor were in Troy's living room watching movies. After the Evans left the coffee shop, everyone quickly followed as if they were trying to escape the awkward tension that now filled their small circle. Since arriving at Troy's house there has been very little conversation, the foursome pretending that their attention was on the movie and not what happened at the coffee shop.

"The nerve of her" Gabriella said with a slight hard tone, but to whom Troy is not sure.

"What do you mean? She just saw her kids get killed. She has every right t--" Taylor responding about the character on the screen, before Gabriella interrupted.

"I meant Sharpay. How dare she say that stuff about me and then say that she cares for her brother after what happened this summer. I mean really," if possible the room became even tenser. The other three were glancing at one another arguing with their eyes about who responds.

Whether she lost or because she was the bravest, Troy wasn't sure but Taylor was the one to respond. "What happened Gabi? That was so not like you."

"I'm just sick of her! All she does is walk over Ryan and then she pretends that she cares about him. And do not get me started on everything she pulled this summer."

Feeling the need to defend Sharpay, and Ryan for some unknown reason, Troy jumped into the conversation. "Come on Gabi. She was right when she said that you don't know anything about her relationship with her brother, from what I saw they actually get along really well. And you know that she apologized for what happened during the summer, she is just not used to getting rejected."

"So you're defending her now? You didn't see the way she acted toward her brother while you were under her spell. She treated him like dirt, took away the talent show from him and today she was trying to take away baseball. I will not let her treat my friends like that!"

"Are you friends with thou?" Chad talks for the first time since leaving the coffees hop. At Gabriella's bewildered look he continues "I mean how many times have you hung out with Ryan since the talent show? And have you had a real conversation with him about Sharpay? Cause if did you would know how much his family means to him. Have you seen his relationship with his Mom?" Chad raises his eyebrow challenging Gabriella to contradict him.

At first she looked speechless but she quickly collected her thoughts, "I am not talking about Ryan and his Mom, I am talking about Sharpay. You know more than anyone how horrible she was to him this summer."

"Yah, but Ryan said that is just how they fight. Only the Evans will make their fighting overly dramatic."

"No! She treats everyone as if they are below her and will do anything to get what she wants, not matter who she hurts! I cannot believe you think--"

Troy trying to keep Gabi from saying something that she would regrets, asks her something that has been on his mind since the confrontation earlier that day. "This isn't about Ryan is it? This isn't even about Sharpay. You haven't gotten over what happen between us this summer have you?"

"Troy, this is about Sharpay! I told you I don't care about this summer--"

"But you do" Troy cutting her off and starting to get angry. "If you didn't care than you would have not caused a scene in that coffee shop. If you didn't care then you would not be trying to put yourself in between siblings. You have not forgiven me even if you said you have"

"Troy. Let me explain. I have forgiven you; it has been a very complicated summer for us. Your only questioning me because of the jealously you feel towards of my attention on Ryan"

"Why would I be jealous of Ryan? I know that he does not like you." Seeing her blank face Troy goes on, "Not only did he tell Chad that," he looks at Chad who nods in conformation. "But why would I be jealous of a guy who has been publically gay since freshmen year. What happening to you Gabi? Using a gay kid to make me jealous; that's low"

"It is not like that Troy I saw your face when you saw us together by the pool. I'm his friend and would never use him like that. You would know that if you paid any attention to me. There is never time for us to be together; to you there is always been something blocking us from being together! This is the first time that I will be going to the same school for more than a year and you don't even care!"

"That is not true Gabi and you know it! I do care about you but I cannot jeopardize my future to make you happy!" Troy was getting frustrated at this point. Not understanding when this change occurred in his normally prefect girlfriend.

"So Sharpay is more important than me because she is willing to have her father give you a university scholarship just so you will sing with her, for you seemed to have enough time for her!"

"Gabi! This is not about Sharpay! This is about me and you. We are not working. At least not as a couple." Troy says the last part quietly but the message is loud and clear.

"It's close to Taylor's curfew, so if you can excuse us" Troy forgot that Gabi and him were not alone in his living room. Sending a silent apology to his friends as they left Troy turns back to his girlfriend intending to finish the most important conversation that the couple has had.

"What do you mean?" Gabriella soft voice was too loud in the tense living room. The couple sits down on the couch next to each other, both unsure about when the stood up.

"I mean, Gabi, that I relationship should not be this hard. It took us how many months to kiss and even you can't say it was worth the build up."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Her voice cracking as the tears appear in her eyes.

"Maybe you were right that we need to go our own way, as a couple at least. We are good as friends and I do really like you." He pauses, "but this is not working for us."

"So you are breaking up with me? No! When I said those things before I was just hurt that you were spending too much time with Sharpay, I'll admit that I'm a bit jealous. But we can work through this! Everyone thinks we are the prefect couple. I kn--"

Troy cuts off her hysteric ramblings. "No Gabi. You were that night when you said that I've changed; I'm not the same person that I was in the beginning of the summer. I don't know what happened between the two of us but I know that we need some time apart."

"We belong together Troy! Please reconsider. I love you!" Her declaration catches Troy off guard. They have never said those words to each other before and Troy believes that this is not time to do so. "And I know that you do to, otherwise you wouldn't have wanted me back."

"No, Gabi, I don't love you." He puts up his hand to stop her from interrupting although the harsh words would have done fine on there own. "And I'm not saying that we will never date again. We just… We just need to take sometime on ourselves. Just to see if this is what we really want, you know; and if we are supposed to be together in time we will be."

"Troy, please…"

"I think that it would be best if you leave now." He shifts his gaze to his hands and anywhere that was not his now ex-girlfriend.

Reaching out to grab his hand, trying to bring his gaze back to her "We can work through this! Don't let us fall apart; lets talk this through"

"No more talking. We need space. I need space. Please don't make this harder than it already is."

A couple minutes pass until Gabriella finally accepting that her perfect boyfriend broke up with her, grabs her purse and silently exits the living room, leaving Troy alone with his thoughts. When did his life get so screwed up? He knows that nothing is going to be the same for him anymore. Troy is having trouble believing that his life is going to be different because of an argument that started because of Ryan Evans.