Looking Back to Move Forward

SUMMARY: Troy and Gabriella have been friends for 11 years, best friends. They've even been more, but circumstances years ago led them to end their romance and revert back to just being friends. But will one special weekend of reminiscing about their lives and the memories they've shared remind them of the one thing that they're both missing? M for adult situations/subject matter and sexual references/depictions.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these wonderful characters...I just love them like the rest of you. :-)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! First of all, thanks to all who have reviewed, added this story to their story alerts, added me to their author alerts, and/or added this story to their favorites! I so appreciate it as I didn't know what to expect in terms of whether or not anyone would even be reading this at all. LOL! So, yay! Because I was pleasantly surprised and thus motivated, here's chapter 2. It'll start to give you some background on their relationship. Hope you like it and look for chapter 3 soon...by the way, chapter 3 is one of my faves...really speaks to my hopeless romantic's soul. :-) So, look for that soon!

P.S. I wrote the skateboard stuff weeks ago, so now it just seems amusing and nicely timed that Zac should be seen out and about with his these past few days. It was very thoughtful of him to do that just to promote this chapter, huh? ;-)

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Chapter 2 - Beginnings

Carefully setting the pretty lavender wrapping paper and purple ribbon aside, Gabriella opened the box she had uncovered and found a black leather album inside. Gabriella looked into Troy's eyes questioningly before pulling the album from the box and opening it to reveal the first page, which had a photo of the two of them taken at Taylor and Chad's wedding last year and a message written from Troy, which read:

'To Ella...who is always the keeper of memories for everyone else. May this album serve as a small token of all the great memories we have shared and also prove that I have paid attention to all those scrapbooks you've made over the years. Be kind...I'm not as awesome as you. Happy 25th Birthday! Love, Troy'

Gabriella glanced back up at Troy, eyes sparkling with emotion at his thoughtful gift, before he reached over and turned the page for her to reveal the first layout.

"Oh, my gosh...wow, that was a frizzy hair faze," Gabriella exclaimed, looking at her 14-year-old self in a white karate suit, with massive long curls jutting out of a ponytail, marching down the street next to Troy, as part of a parade exhibition.

"Yes, well, it wasn't your hair that was scary then," Troy joked.

"At least you admit I was the superior karate student...I was always able to kick your butt, Bolton."

"Yeah, well, I hadn't had my growth spurt yet."

"Uh, huh...likely story. Although, you might have been more scared of Rachel than me," Gabriella said, giggling a little as she watched the brief look of horror pass over Troy's face.

The two started to laugh in earnest with each other remembering how they had first met...

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"Ooh...look at him, Gabs. He's pretty cute."

"Rachel, we're here to learn karate, not meet guys."

"Speak for yourself, Gabs, speak for yourself," Rachel grinned back.

"Okay, behave now," Gabs replied, giving her friend an eye roll followed by a smile, as she saw the instructor approaching them.

"Hello, ladies. Welcome to Sun Studio's beginner karate class. I'm Mr. Albertson, though you can call me Mr. A. Come on in. Troy, can you come over here please?" he said, motioning to the cute boy Rachel had pointed out only moments earlier. Gabriella noticed her friend putting on her most flirtatious smile as she excitedly nudged Gabriella in the ribs with her elbow. Gabriella couldn't help but notice that this "Troy" was indeed attractive, as she looked over and met his gorgeous, deep blue eyes with her own deep, chocolate brown before quickly glancing away again.

"Troy, I'd like you to meet Gabriella Montez and Rachel Martin. They are joining our class." Troy nodded and offered a welcoming "hello."

"Ladies, this is Troy Bolton, one of our star pupils." The girls nodded and offered their own "hello's."

"Troy, could you show Gabriella and Rachel our basic warm-up drills and then get them up to speed on the form we've started working on for the parade?"

"Sure thing, Mr. A.," he replied before the instructor walked back over to continue monitoring the class. Troy turned to the girls. "Why don't we go into the back gym over here and get started," he said, gesturing to a smaller room across the hall, before leading the girls that way.

"So, Troy, how long have you been in the class," Rached purred.

"Um, about two months."

"Wow! And you're already a star pupil! You must have skills," Rachel gushed.

Gabriella just watched with amusement as her friend tried to work her magic. She noticed that Troy didn't look entirely comfortable with it, as he looked down at the floor while scratching the back of his neck a bit.

"Uh, not really. I just enjoy it a lot and I guess I've been able to pick it up fairly quickly."

"Well, we are eager to learn from the master," Rachel remarked, batting her eyelashes.

"Ehrm, what I think Rachel means is um, what do you want us to do to get started, Troy?" Gabriella jumped in, saving Troy from further simpering from her friend.

He looked up, tilted his head, sending his floppy hair off to the side a bit, and smiled gratefully at her before proceeding to show the girls some basic punches and kicks and leading them through a warm-up. Then, he moved on, showing them the moves in the form that the class was currently working on. Gabriella picked up the moves pretty quickly, impressing Troy with her attentiveness and graceful but forceful movements. Rachel, though less impressive, did seem to be making an effort to learn the moves, in between winks and wide smiles directed Troy's way.

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"Man, she was persistent," Troy groaned in remembrance.

"Yeah, well, it's your own fault for being so damn enticing," Gabriella choked out between giggles.

Troy shot her a glare, before saying "Well, you had to put up with Patrick and his undying love for you."

"Not undying, Troy. I'm pretty sure it died the day I kicked him in the groin and he'd forgotten to wear his cup," Gabriella remarked dryly, sending Troy into his own fit of laughter at the memory.

"At least when we sparred, you only pinned me to the ground. I feel bad for poor Patrick," Troy teased.

"You should feel bad for yourself. I took your #1 spot in that class within a month."

Troy clutched at his heart in mock pain. "Oh, how you do wound me, Ella!" he exclaimed before chuckling.

"I'm sorry...I keep forgetting how fragile you are," Gabriella mocked with a roll of her eyes.

"Ahem...well, anyway, meanie, I am far superior to you when a skateboard's involved," Troy said with an evil grin as he turned the page of the scrapbook.

"Oh, no!" Gabriella bemoaned, staring at the next set of pictures. "How nice is it of you to remind me of my embarrassing moments on my birthday?!"

Troy grinned, looking with her at the photos laid out of Gabriella coasting on a skateboard with a nervous look on her face, though she was trying desperately to appear completely sure of herself. Then, his smile widened, as he looked at the photo of Gabriella attempting a manual (or what she'd call a wheelie). He thought back to that day...

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Troy had been hanging out with Chad and Jason at the park, shooting baskets and then just tooling around, doing tricks on their skateboards. Chad and Jason had just left, having family gatherings to get to. Troy was still enjoying the late day sunshine, as he continued to do Ollies, Kickflips, Railstands, Kickturns, and Indy Grabs.

Gabriella had just gotten done seeing the latest Brad Pitt film with Sharpay and Taylor. She had bowed out of shopping afterwards as she just wasn't really in the mood and knew Sharpay would drag them around for hours on end. So, after her mom had picked her up from the mall and brought her home, she decided to enjoy the beautiful day and have some quiet time to herself. Grabbing the latest paperback romance novel she was reading, she rode her bike a few blocks to one of the local parks. Riding along one of the paths in search of an empty bench she could take over, Gabriella stopped short, as she saw some familiar floppy hair come into view. A smile spread across her face, as she watched Troy skillfully maneuvering on his skateboard. Feeling her tiny camera in her pocket, she had the urge to take his picture. Moving slowly so as not to draw attention to herself, she eased her camera out of her pocket and snapped a few photos.

Working to extend the amount of time he could hold a manual, Troy sensed that he was being watched. Stopping abruptly, he turned his head until his eyes landed on her. Sitting on her bike about 50 feet away was Gabriella, whose eyes widened briefly when she saw that she'd been spotted. Troy grinned as he saw her tentatively raise a hand to wave at him. He made his way over to her, board in hand. He raised his eyebrows questioningly when he saw the camera in her hand.

"Hey, Gabriella! Um, stalking me?"

Gabriella looked down at the camera in her hand and quickly stuffed it back into her pocket. "Hey, Troy! Uh, no...just...there was a deer in the woods behind you. I didn't even see you right away." 'Yeah, that sounded reasonable,' she thought.

"Oh, uh, okay. Well, it's too funny seeing you here. Having a good day so far?"

"Yeah, pretty good. How 'bout you?"

"Decent. You just missed Chad and Jason. The three of us have just been hanging out here this afternoon."

"Ah. I was with Sharpay and Taylor earlier, but then I decided to save myself hours on my feet being dragged from store to store, so here I am."

Troy laughed. "Good call...though I didn't think you girls ever actually saw that as a bad thing."

Gabriella smirked. "Yeah, well, don't tell anyone...I have a reputation to maintain."

Troy lifted his hand to make a motion as though he were zipping his mouth shut.

"So, you seemed to be pretty in the zone over there," Gabriella remarked, her eyes dropping briefly to Troy's board before returning to his vivid eyes.

"Oh, uh, yeah...just practicing a few things." Troy looked down at Gabriella's bike, taking in the white basket attached to the front of the pink frame.

Gabriella felt the heat in her cheeks rise, as Troy looked over her bike. "Um, I know it's childish and completely girly...my grandpa got it for me and he figured I'd love it, and..."

"Gabriella, chill. It's a girl's bike. Last I checked, uh..." Troy paused, cringing at his choice of words, "you are a girl, so it's cool."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders at this and then looked down quickly in horror, remembering what was in her bike's basket. Troy followed her eyes to the basket and his eyes widened, seeing the picture of the shirtless, muscular man with his hands possessively clutching onto the creamy skinned, curvy woman, whose curves were flowing bountifully out from the top of her low cut dress. Gabriella quickly reached down and flipped the book over so that the front cover was facing down. Troy's face lit up with amusement.

"Um, 'Love's Fiery Passion'? Required reading?" he joked, quirking a brow, lips quivering.

Gabriella's cheeks burned. She cleared her throat. "Um, no, it's just...it's Shar's and she wanted me to read it and...I figured...what the heck...it might be good for a few laughs," she lied.

Troy didn't believe a word she said. He found it amusing that the girl he was used to holding a punching bag for as she practiced roundhouse kicks was also apparently a fan of these cheesy romance novels. He couldn't resist teasing her further. "Hey...whatever...who am I to tell you you shouldn't enjoy your smut?" he said with a chuckle, watching her squirm.

Gabriella shot Troy an annoyed look. "Shut up, Troy."

"Ooh...touchy, aren't ya?" Troy returned.

"Whatever...what about you? Can the skaterboy read?" she said in a snippy manner.

Troy's eyes narrowed at this, his smile fading a bit. "Now, that's just not nice...making assumptions about me like that. Yes, I read. More than many would think I do."

Gabriella bit her lip, feeling a bit of regret for her defensive remark. "Sorry...so, uh, what was it you were doing just then, before you came over to talk to me?" she asked, wanting to change the subject and move onto something more comfortable. "Was that a wheelie?"

Troy's lips curved up again. She looked so sheepish right then. He couldn't stay upset with her. "Uh, yeah, basically," he answered, not concerned about telling her that skaters didn't really call it a wheelie. "You ever been on a board?"

"Um, no...can't say I have."

"Well, come on, then...you should try it," Troy said, excitement in his voice.

"Troy, I don't know...my feet aren't necessarily that great on wheels..."

"Uh, huh," Troy said disbelievingly.

"No, really...you should see me on roller skates. It's not pretty."

Troy laughed. "Well, if you're too chicken..."

Gabriella huffed. "Fine!" She got off her bike and set it down on the grass to the side of the path. She followed Troy over to the concrete skating area he'd been on before. Troy let his board drop, put one foot on it and pushed off, coasting a few feet easily, while keeping his eyes on Gabriella. Then, he stopped and rolled the board in front of Gabriella.

"Go ahead. Just try getting on it and coasting a little," he urged.

Gabriella looked down at the board and tentatively placed one foot on it, but then Troy stopped her. "Wait, let me see the camera," he said, holding out his hand.

"What? Why?"

"Wouldn't want you to drop it while you ride...plus, ya know, if I see any more of those deer, I could take some pictures for you," Troy replied, eyes sparkling.

Unsure of herself, Gabriella reached into her pocket and handed the camera over to Troy. He took it, nodding at her and glancing down at the skateboard, encouraging her to go ahead.

Taking a breath, Gabriella carefully placed some weight onto her foot that was on the board and tried pushing off the ground a little bit. Carefully, she brought her other foot up onto the board and put her arms out, coasting very slowly and keeping her balance.

Troy watched her, enjoying seeing her trying something she hadn't before. She looked adorable, arms out like she was attempting to cross a tightrope. Troy held her camera up to his face and took her picture. Gabriella was too focused on the task at hand to notice. "Now, how about you try a man-, uh, a wheelie?"

"Are you nuts?"

"No. Watch." Troy proceeded to demonstrate the trick for her and then had her stand on the board as he held her steady while instructing her on how to place the weight on her feet.

Gabriella felt the heat where his hands rested on her waist. It wasn't new though...they'd done various holds and such in karate class, so they'd certainly touched in various ways before. It just felt different today somehow. She tried to pay attention to Troy's instructions and seemed pleased he didn't let her fall.

"Okay, you've got it. Now, why don't you try it on your own?" he asked, removing his hands from her waist.

"Um, because I have a brain?" Gabriella replied, hands on her hips.

"Come on. I dare you. You can do this. Just push off slowly and then, when you're ready, try it."

Gabriella pondered this. Gritting her teeth with determination, she sighed and then pushed off slowly as Troy had suggested, bringing her other foot up and coasting a bit before attempting to place the weight of her feet as Troy had shown her a few minutes before.

Troy was very much liking Gabriella's bravery. He felt proud of her and thought she should have record of her newfound skills, so he held her camera up once more and snapped a picture just as she began to move into the trick. Next thing he knew, he was rushing over to a slightly tearful Gabriella, lying on the ground, clutching her one arm to her in pain.

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Troy's eyes followed Gabriella's to the next few photos on the layout showing the two of them hanging out, Troy carrying some of Gabriella's books and Gabriella sporting a bright pink cast on her left wrist.

"Yeah, well, it was an important part of our history. That's when I officially became your servant..." Gabriella smacked Troy on the arm at this. His response was a mock wince as he continued, "okay, okay...that's when we really got to hang out more and become even better friends." Troy thought back to how badly he'd felt afterwards, how he'd gotten Gabriella back to her house and gone with she and her mom to the hospital. Then, he thought about the weeks that followed and how he'd tried to make it up to her and how they'd ended up spending a bunch of time together in the process.

"Guess I should be glad then every time my wrist has a dull ache when it rains," Gabriella said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Besides, you owed me your services...I wouldn't have been trying such a stupid stunt if you hadn't dared me!"

Troy rolled his eyes at this. "Ha! You probably wouldn't have been trying such a stunt, as you put it, if you hadn't been embarrassed about me catching you with your smut and trying to get my mind back on skateboarding so I'd stop teasing you."

Gabriella's mouth dropped open at this, having forgotten that part of the day in question until Troy had just now reminded her. She knew he was probably right. She'd felt a confusing need in those days to show him she could be non-girly...that is until she'd realized she very much wanted him to think of her as a girl...

"Besides, Ella, you've never been one to back down from a challenge...it's not my fault you didn't actually turn out to be all that coordinated," Troy joked, earning him another smack. "But, seriously, I'm glad for the time we spent talking and becoming better friends."

"Me too, Troy," Ella conceded with a soft smile, looking sincerely into Troy's eyes for a few moments before turning her attention back to the scrapbook. "But, on to hopefully something less embarrassing," she said as she turned the page to view the next layout.

Her eyes lit up as she stared at the photos before her...