A/N I DOWN'T OWN ANYTHING!

The next morning Gabriella again ignored her alarm and her father once again came into the room and tickled her sides until she woke up. At breakfast things changed when Greg said "Gabriella…How would you feel if I started to date again"?

"I guess if it makes you happy but what if this lady doesn't like me" Gabriella asked?

"That is what I thought you would say. Do you remember my friend Sarah from the office" Greg asked?

"I only met her once but I know who you are talking about" Gabriella answered.

"Well she asked me out and I said I wouldn't go out with anyone who wasn't right for you so I invited her over for dinner to see how the two of you get along. If you like her and you two get along…and only if then I will go out with her" Greg told her.

"Ok daddy" she answered. She took a quick look at the calendar to see if she had any other plans and froze when she saw what today was.

Then the doorbell rang.

"Come in" Greg called.

He became worried about his daughter because she seemed to freeze. Troy enter the kitchen.

"Hey baby girl" Troy greeted.

"Hi Troy" Gabriella replied quietly.

Troy hugged her and whispered in her ear "What's wrong"?

"I'll tell you in the car" she whispered back.

Gabriella pulled away.

"Dad can Troy come over after school please" Gabriella begged.

"Sure baby I understand this will be hard at first" Greg answered

Gabriella nodded and headed out the door with Troy.

In the car Troy did not force Gabi to speak. He knew she would tell him when she was ready.

"My dad met someone" she muttered.

"What" Troy asked?

"He is having someone over for dinner who he likes and I just have a really bad feeling" she told him.

"Brie I'm sure everything will be ok. You dad wouldn't do anything he thought would be bad for you" Troy soothed.

"I'm just nervous" she said softly.

"I'll be there with you. I got your back" he told her with a smile.

She just looked at him with a scared, nervous, unsure look.

"Hey where is that smile I love" he asked?

She shrugged. He heard a small sniffle come from her and he looked over.

"Brie don't cry" he said.

"I want my mommy" she whimpered trying not to cry.

"Oh Brie" Troy whispered. He pulled over and parked. Then he took Gabriella into his arms hugging her.

"Everything will work out I promise. I'll be here through it all" he whispered rubbing her back.

She nodded and he pulled away. He got back on the road and drove to school. Gabriella was quiet the rest of the way. Troy figured it was because she was scared of her dad dating but it wasn't. She was nervous but only because she was shy when it came to meeting new people. What was bugging her was the one year anniversary of her mom's death and she couldn't stop thinking about that night. She couldn't focus on anything other than her mom during school.

"Gabriella will you please give us the answer for number 12" her math teacher asked?

Gabriella was thrown from her thoughts at the sound of her name and said the first thing that came to her mind "George Washington"

"This is math class" her teacher said.

The other students laughed as Gabriella looked down.

"You did do the homework didn't you" her teacher asked?

"Yes I did Mrs. Smith. I'm sorry I'm just having an off day the answer is….negative four" she answered softly.

"What happen geek your brain get too big for your head and exploded" a boy asked?

Gabriella just looked down as the other kids in class laughed.

"Oh shut it big head" Taylor said.

Taylor was another one of Gabi's friends.

"Must be embarrassing to have a stupid kid like you. Your mom was lucky to die when she did" the kid teased again.

Gabriella raised her hand "May I please leave" she asked her voice cracking.

Mrs. Smith side, she knew Gabriella was a smart student and for her to make a mistake like that must have meant something bad was going on at home so she nodded.

Gabriella grabbed her things and ran out of the room.

At lunch later that day Troy became worried when Gabriella didn't show up.

"Taylor where is Gabriella" he asked?

"She wasn't in English with you" she asked?

"No why" Troy asked getting worried?

"She was distant in class today and messed up on an answer and everyone laughed and made fun of her" Taylor told him.

"She must be thinking about her dad" Troy sighed.

"Her dad" Taylor asked?

"Her dad is bring a new women home tonight and might start to date her" Troy told her.

"Already her mom has been dead barely a year" Taylor gasped.

"It will be a year…." Troy trailed off with a gasp "It was a year ago today" he said softly.

Then it all clicked in Troy;s head. He finally understood why Gabriella was so quiet. She wasn't worried about her dad she was missing her mom.

"No…that jerk" Taylor said.

"What Jerk" Troy asked?

"Josh. He said Gabriella's parents would be embarrassed by the mistake she made and her mom left at the right time…IN other words her mom was lucky to die after her mess up rather then before" Taylor sighed.

"That monster" Troy growled.

Troy got and left. He knew where Gabriella was. He went into his dad's office. Jack Bolton was the basketball coach.

"I'm going after Gabi can you cover for us" he asked?

"Where did she go" Jack asked?

Troy told him everything.

"Ok I'll cover for you" Jack sighed.

Troy ran out of school. He drove until he reached the cemetery. He parked and got out of the car and walked until he saw Gabriella. She was laying on her stomach with her face buried on the stone crying hysterically. Her body shook as she cried breathlessly her could hear her begging for her mom to come back. He walked over and kneeled down by her. He rubbed her back trying to soothe her. She looked over at him and sat up. It took her less than a second to fall into his arms crying into his chest. Troy held her letting her cry and get her feelings out. After a little bit she calmed down.

"Thank you Troy" she said.

"Anytime angel. Taylor told what happen in class. Josh was a jerk to say those things to you. None of it is true you know that right" Troy told her.

She nodded.

"If it wasn't my mom's one year anniversary I would of just laughed in his face but today it just it hurt" she said, the last part in a whimper.

"I know baby and I'm sorry he said those things to you" Troy said softly.

"It's not your fault Troy" Gabriella sighed. "It's mine. If I hadn't gone out that day my mom wouldn't of had to come and get me and she never would of crashed".

"Baby this wasn't your fault" Troy said sternly.

"Yes it is Troy. If I had stayed at that sleepover instead of crying like a baby to my mommy she wouldn't of gotten hurt" Gabriella argued.

"I was at that sleepover remember? Everyone was making you uncomfortable. The dares they gave you were unfair and you didn't want to stay it wasn't because you were scared to be without your parents or anything" Troy explained.

"I still made the call Troy. I still made her go out late at night".

"She wanted to protect you baby. She didn't want you to stay someplace to make you feel uncomfortable" Troy told her.

"She didn't even show up. I got a call from the hospital later" Gabriella said.

"Oh sweet heart I wish there was something I could do" Troy said softly.

"You're doing it. Today is just a hard day for me" she vented.

"I'll be by your side the whole time baby I promise. No matter what happens no matter what anyone says I will not leave until you say to leave" Troy promised.

"Thank you Troy you are the best" she smiled.

"You make me that way" Troy replied.

"Wow that was lame" Gabriella muttered.

Troy heard her.

" Oh really well how about this" he asked as he pulled her so she was laying across his lap and tickled her making her break out into squeals of giggles. "Is this lame" he asked?

"Tr…Troy st…st…st…stop" she laughed.

"Nope not until you say the famous words" he teased.

"N…no" she laughed.

"Fine then I'm going to keep on tickling you" Troy told her.

Then a big gust of wind blew by and knocked Troy over making him stop. Gabriella giggled and moved off Troy.

"My mommy always had my back when it came to you and my daddy tickling me" she smiled.

"Yeah I forgot that detail" Troy laughed. "She always said we should talk about our problems with our words not tickling".

"That's cause she knew how sensitive I was" Gabriella told him.

"What do you mean was" Troy laughed again sitting up.

"Ok am sensitive" she smiled.

"That's better. You ready to go" he asked?

"Where" she asked?

"Well depending on the time school or home" he told her.

Her smiled vanished and she looked down. "Two places I don't want to go" she whispered.

"I know baby but you have to go home and see your dad" he told her softly,

"I trust my daddy Troy I do I'm just nervous about meeting the new girl" she told her.

"I'll be there with you so don't worry" he told her again.

"I'm shy" she confessed.

He only smiled. "I know you are and that is one of the things I love about you".

She smiled back.

"See that smile wasn't so hard was it" he teased.

"It was torture" she teased back.

"Poor baby" he mocked.

"Shut up" she giggled.

He laughed with her and said "Come on let's head back".

She looked down at her mom's grave and sighed. "I love you mommy I miss you"

Troy and her stood up and headed back to the car. Troy drove her home.