Hello lovely readers! Here is the second chapter of Song for You. Now, I doubt that I will be able to update the story this quickly every time, but as it often works, sometimes the muse just hits. I will try to update fairly quickly, because I too am a fanfic reader and hate long waits for story updates. In the meantime, here is the second chapter of Song for You.

I don't own HSM, I simply play the "what if" game with the universe. Enjoy!

They stood silent, him on the stage and her alone in the crowd of the student body. His cobalt eyes fixed on her chocolate orbs. Troy's heart broke as he saw the tremble of her lip as Gabriella's hand went to the simple "T" necklace. There was a simple moment that passed, a breath of a whisper and as the entire student body watched, Gabriella lowered her hand and began to walk swiftly out the auditorium. Another second passed and the student body watched as Troy jumped off the stage and began to chase after her.

The gentle thud of his footsteps against the cold, pasty floor tiles echoed in his ears while Troy's eyes scanned the hallway for the door that lead to the rooftop. It wasn't that difficult to find her. Out of all the places on East High's campus, there was only one place that held some of their most important and happy memories. It was strange to think that a mere month ago that Troy had asked Gabriella to go to prom with him. They had danced across their rooftop garden as she taught him how to waltz. Now, he stood at the top of the stairs, air filling his lungs in shallow breaths and watched sobs wrack her body.

Slowly, Troy began his approach. Words fluttered through his mind as to try and explain to her… explain why. Nothing seemed to be good enough for the girl who had become the most important person in his life. She had come in to his life in such a whirlwind and without even trying; Gabriella had become the love of Troy's life. It killed Troy to let her go, to force himself to stay and not fight for the one thing in his life that Troy couldn't live without. Yes, there were no good words to explain why he had to break heart.

"You knew the whole time and you never told me," she finally broke the silence between them, "you knew that you were drafted, that you were going to war and you didn't think that your girlfriend needed to know?"

Gabriella whipped around to face him and if he didn't know her as well as he did, Troy would have feared for his life. Maybe you should, Troy reminded himself. Tears were streaming down her face silently and Troy had to ignore the itch to stride toward her and wipe them away and make sure those liquid gems never graced her face again.

"I… I tried, I didn't know how," Troy began, his head down because he simply couldn't bear to look into her eyes; his voice so shaky that it even surprised himself. He saw Gabriella flinch at the sound of brokenness in his voice, "I just…" Troy looked up at her and locked eyes with her and he forced himself to remember why she couldn't know, "I couldn't tell you."

The conviction and certainty that had filled his voice startled Gabriella and shook her to the core, "You couldn't? Since when were we not able to trust each other? Since when were we not able face each other, of all people?"

"I could ask you the same question." Troy had been careful to keep his emotions in check as not to hurt her, not to let her be hurt any more than he already had. But he couldn't let that blow go.

He saw her lip tremble again and immediately, Troy hated himself for the comment but it was too late, "What do you mean?"

"You're the one who calls, tells her boyfriend that she loves him and then tells him not to come after her, not to fight for what they have because she's too scared to fight for it herself!"

Gabriella's eyes narrowed instantly as the breath in her lungs seemed to flee, but only for a moment, "I wasn't scared," her voice was soft and timid, "I just… I loved you to much to become a problem, an obligation." Her eyes softened as she took in Troy's frame.

He was taller somehow; his presence took up the entire rooftop. The lean muscles that had been toned through years of basketball and weight training had turned into bulging muscles that looked as though they were capable of crushing a human being. That's what they're for now, she told herself. Yet through it all, his eyes, those sapphire gems that sparkled against the tanned flesh of his face and stubbly chin and crew cut hair pierced her soul.

Troy's jaw clenched as he listened to her heart wrenching confession. There was only one thing that he could answer with, "I love you Gabriella." It felt wonderful to tell her, even under the circumstances. He loved her and it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She was the best thing to ever happen to him and she was much to important and much to good for Troy. Her reaction to his proclamation made Troy's heart soar and a smile graced his lips as the fascination and amazement passed over the soft, round, beautiful features of her face.

"I love you Gabriella and you healed my heart when I didn't know that it needed to be healed… just to break it again. All with three words that mean more to me than anything in this entire world. I hated to let you go," bile collected in his throat as Troy scoured every word he had ever learned in case he could use it to explain this crazy situation to Gabriella, "but I knew that I had to."

Gabriella couldn't understand what he was saying, "Troy I don't kno-"

"Let me finish," his words were quick and decisive, but gentle enough to persuade her to stop her sentence. The pain in his eyes sprouted so suddenly that Gabriella could have sworn the world could hear her heart break. Troy walked closer to her, his figure that seemed to tower over her petite frame was now mere inches from her face and she couldn't help but lower her gaze to his lips.

"Gabriella… you deserve the best things this world could ever offer. You deserve a life that is full of happiness and void of regrets," this was surely going to kill him to finish this sentence, "and I knew that if I told you, that if I didn't tell you to go to Stanford, that life that you deserve wouldn't happen."

A gentle hand found its way on the hard planes of Troy's chest, an act that once was meant as a comfort, seemed like a knife to his heart now. Gabriella reached up to touch the stubbly cheek and force him to look her in the eyes, "What are you talking about, Troy? I… I would have been here for you; I would have stayed! I wou…"

"That's the problem!" Troy shouted back at her as he walked away from the girl that held his heart in her hands, "You would have stayed! And what would you have come back to, Gabriella?" He turned to face her, tears forming in those cerulean orbs and Gabriella couldn't help but choke back a sob at the sight, "A broken man; a soldier that's nothing more than a shell? I'm going to kill people, Gabriella! Do you get that? I'm going to go to war, fire a gun and kill someone. I'm not going to be this guy anymore! I'm going to be… I'm going to be something I don't want to be and I can't have you see that. I can't break your heart that way."

"Because you aren't breaking my heart now?" Gabriella's voice was soft, comforting and beyond compassionate that Troy had to hate himself even more, "Baby, I love you. Do you honestly think that I would let you do this on your own; that I would let you leave without making sure you had something to come back to?"

She raced back to his side, turning Troy's body around to face her once again. His eyes were bloodshot and his chin trembled and Gabriella could think of nothing else to do but show him how much she loved him. Gabriella pulled his face down to hers and their lips met in a tender, passionate kiss that spoke everything they felt. Her tongue collided with his and her silky hands gripped the sandpaper cheeks of his face.

Troy felt his self-control slip as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. The soft contours of her body fit perfectly against the hard, jagged edges of his physique. You can't do this to her, a voice spoke softly but firmly in Troy's mind. With that, Troy pulled away from the kiss and forced her to hear him as Gabriella's eyes opened to gaze into his, "I can't let you do that," Troy's voice turned to nothing more than a gravely whisper, "I love you too much to let you wait." With that, Troy Bolton turned and raced down the steps, leaving Gabriella, alone on the rooftop.

There was an eerie silence that had fallen on the rooftop. This place that had once been their safe haven, their hideaway from the world had suddenly turned on Troy and Gabriella. Wrapping her arms around, Gabriella glanced to the porch swing that had been the spot of countless lunch dates and rushed make out session, of long talks and corny jokes. Without thinking, her feet lead Gabriella to sit on her side as she put her face in her hands to cry.

In the entire time Gabriella Montez had known Troy Bolton, whenever they had been divided, whether by his stupidity or hers, he had always fought for her, for them. Gabriella lifted her face and wiped the drying tears off the olive skin that graced her face. Determination filled her gaze and absolute resolve resonated from her frame.

Two weeks ago, Gabriella had told Troy that she loved him and that he needed to let her go. One hour ago, Gabriella Marie Montez learned that Troy Alexander Bolton, the love of her life, had been called to fight for his country in a war that was raging beyond its shores. It had been five minutes since Troy had told her that he loved her and begged her to let him go. It took less than five seconds for Gabriella to decide that it was her turn to fight for him, for them; that this battle was one that she would win… for them both.

You know the drill! Hit that review button ladies and gents! Reviews are what I live off of (figuratively speaking).

-shaganlovessoccer