Disclaimer: I don't own the song, it's Era's. I don't own Troy and Gabriella, they belong to Kenny Ortega and the Disney Channel. I just own the story.

Dedicated to: My twinnie Tate, who celebrates her 17th birthday today (Sunday, Dec 9th), so this is for you Hunny! ILY

Don't You Forget

Flashback
Troy and Gabriella met each other in the park behind Gabriella's house. Gabriella looked up at Troy, tears evident in her eyes and one single tear strolling down her cheek. Gabriella lived with her mother and little brother Xander, he was three. Gabriella was 8 years old. Their father had left and didn't pay a thing for both Gabriella and Xander, leaving Elena up to everything.

Troy looked at her. 'Gabi what's wrong, why are you crying?'
Gabi looked at him, 'Mom's sick, she say she can't get up. My little brother is getting hungry. I must go to the village and ask for some food, would you help me?'
Troy nodded, 'Sure Gabi, I'll help ya.'
Gabi smiles a bit more. 'Thanks Troy, I always feel good when you're with me.'

Troy wiped away her tears. 'You're my friend Gabi.'
Gabi looks up at him. 'Are you always gonna be there when I grow up, are you?'
Troy nodded. 'Of course Gabi, cross my heart.' Making a cross over his heart with his pointer finger.
End of Flashback

Gabriella lay on her bed, thinking about her and her best friend Troy Bolton. It had been almost ten years since he left and she hadn't seen him since, not even a glimpse. The day when she had asked him to go with her, oh well, to help her to get the food for her family at home, was the last they had done together, the next day, he and his parents were gone and she hadn't heard from him since that day.

Gabriella sat up, putting on a cd by Era, the first song she heard was her favourite, it was called Don't You Forget (About Me). It was so beautiful and it fitted her so well, and it was the only song that she could listen to over and over and over. She wished she could see him again, even if it was just a sight or a glimpse or even a simple touch.

But despite, the yearning for her best friend. She wasn't sure if she liked him more than that. It was too long ago for her to decide. Gabriella was almost 18 at the moment and still it wasn't the life she wanted. Her mother had passed away a few years ago, leaving her behind to take care of both herself and her little brother Xander, who had recently turned 13.

Don't you forget about me, don't you forget about me.
We were soft and young, in a world of innocence.
Don't you forget about me, don't you forget all of our dreams.
Now you've gone away, only emptiness remains.

On another side of the country, an 18 year old boy, no guy was out on the basketball court, yet his mind was somewhere else, it was with Gabriella, his old neighbour and best friend. He hadn't seen her in over 9 years, ever since he and his parents had moved to San Francisco. He didn't even want to move and leave Gabriella behind, but he was only 9 back then and didn't have a say in anything. He used to have a child crush on Gabriella, because she always was so pretty no matter what she wore or what she was doing, she always looked like a little angel back on earth.

Troy sat down on the ground thinking back on them, they had been really close, their parents being friends as well.
He knew Gabriella wasn't, ever since Richard Montez had left and stopped paying the monthly money for both her and her brother Xander, everything was pushed onto Elena, taking care of Gabriella and Xander, making money, just to make sure there was enough food inside the house, but then Elena got sick from Scarlet Fever and it all came down on Gabriella. Troy had set his mind; he walked inside, told his parents and started packing his bags. He was going back to Albuquerque.

And there he was on a plane ride back to Albuquerque, to go and find Gabriella. He didn't want to live without her any longer; he needed her, to kiss her, to hug her and so much more. It was her he needed and no one else.
Troy looked outside the window, seeing the clear blue sky, the white clouds and the rising sun in the distance, but that's not what he wanted to see, he needed to see her and nothing else, nothing else could bother him right now.
As soon as the plane landed, Troy got off. Getting his luggage and walking outside into the fresh Albuquerque air.
It hadn't changed much, there were more buildings and surroundings, but that was pretty much it.

Flashback
Gabi smiles a bit more. 'Thanks Troy, I always feel good when you're with me.'

Troy wiped away her tears. 'You're my friend Gabi.'
Gabi looks up at him. 'Are you always gonna be there when I grow up, are you?'
End of Flashback

Gabriella was on the swings in the park, just were she used to spend all of her time, except she wasn't alone back then, she would be with Troy. He would sit next to her, swinging as well; looking who of the two could go high than the other, or behind her pushing her up higher and higher. Making her feel like she was flying, or on top of the world, while she was pretty much down to earth.
She looked out over the park seeing the green and blue from the grass and water, hearing the birds tjirping in the trees, seeing the kids on the playground, wishing she and Troy could still be one of them.

She got up from the swing, walking a bit before sitting down on a bench, looking around. Then she saw a young man, around her age, walking past the park. He was dressed casual and had brown shaggy hair, but his eyes… she wished she could see his eyes, but she couldn't, he was too far away. She sighed deeply, it couldn't be him anyway, he was gone and she would never see him again.

Gabriella sunk further into the bench, making herself as small as possible, and her long brown/black hair falling over her face and onto her lap. Tears started to run down her cheeks again. She, for once in her life, needed some luck and see Troy again, but he probably would've forgotten about her, why would he still remember her? She wasn't rich, she had to take care of her baby brother and her mum died. Life sucked and Gabriella's was the best example there ever would be. Troy would probably be happy as he was with a girlfriend and lots of friends and she would never be a part of it.

Don't you forget about me, don't you forget about me.
We were soft and young, in a world of innocence.
Don't you forget about me, don't you forget all of our dreams.
Now you've gone away, only emptiness remains.
Don't you forget about me, don't you forget about me.

Troy walked into the park, seeing a small figure all huddled up into a ball on one of the park benches. The figure looked so familiar, even more than it should at this moment, seeing he hadn't been her in ten years but yet it did. He wasn't sure what even triggered this but somehow he felt himself back into the past where he and Gabriella were still kids, best friends and they were each others world. Or at least Troy tried to be hers because she needed some happiness in her life, which had been bad for the past years since her father left. There was nothing that Troy wouldn't do to make Gabriella's day. Memories started hitting back of many fun days he and Gabriella had shared. He hoped that he would find her; there would be many more to come, more he could put to the back of his mind, more that he could play back when he needed some cheering up. All in once, he needed more Gabriella.

Troy sat down next to the small figure on the bench, not saying a word, yet he heard the others sobs and sniffles every once in a while. He wanted so desperately to know if it was Gabriella and that he'd actually found her on the spot he wasn't even looking for her and yet here he was. Because he knew almost a hundred percent sure that the girl next to him was Gabriella Amy Montez, his childhood best friend or would she still be his best friend? He sure hoped she would be, because he would like nothing more than that.

Troy looked at the girl, whose hair was still in front of her face, so he couldn't see it properly.
'Gabi?' Troy said softly trying to make eye contact with her. He put his hand over her smaller one, calling her name again.
This time she looked up at him, she looked really confused, probably thinking she was dreaming about seeing him.
Gabriella's hand went up to Troy's face, sliding over it, to make sure it wasn't a dream indeed. Her face cleared up more and more by the minute of seeing him, of touching him.
She strokes his cheek, looking in his eyes, before smiling a bit. Gabriella swallowed away her tears before looking up again. 'It's really you…' She brought out; it barely came out as a whisper, before breaking down in tears.

Don't you forget about me.
We were soft and young, in a world of innocence.
Don't you forget about me.
Don't you forget about me.

A/N: Ok so this is the second time I write this, the other time, which I did last night, mysteriously disappeared. So I hope you enjoyed this one and please REVIEW it makes me really happy! Daph xo

P.S. There's a chance of this becoming a two-shot, it depends on just you guys! Peace Out!