Okay, this chapter is FINALLY up. The reason it took me so long is because I make sure that every chapter is at least 11 pages long on Microsoft Word. But this one is only 9! I didn't lengthen it because if I did, you all would have to wait until January.

The thing with the word at the beginning of the chapter being described my me, which was used at the beginning of Chapter 2 and this chapter, is going to be used at the beginning of most chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own HSM OR the smash hit broadway musical Wicked.

Chapter 3

Big Surprises and HUGE Surprises

Pacing.

It is an agonizing task. When one paces, they are worried and agitated. It means they have a reason for concern.

Some may say that pacing is unnecessary, but for many it gives them a sort of sanctuary from their concern. It gives them something to do. And don't suspect that I am suggesting that when you pace, you don't think about your worries, for you do.

Pacing is very hard to explain. It is unneeded, unhelpful, and makes it obvious that you are worried. So why do we do it? Sharpay Evans was asking that same question.

"Gabriella, why do you keep pacing? It won't make Taylor walk through that door any faster!" Sharpay demanded, her voice slightly raised.

Gabriella snapped her head towards her, broken out of her thoughts. She thought about saying something, but concluded that Sharpay would offer no help in this situation. Kelsi had left over an hour ago to meet with her boyfriend.

But none of that really bugged Gabriella, she just wanted to know where her best friend was. She and Taylor had always had a closer bond than they did with Sharpay and Kelsi. They both had lost family members in high school and also both become demeaned as a "geek".

When they met in college, they became fast friends. Gabriella had realized then that Taylor had trust issues, for she refused to tell her about her family. It wasn't until Gabriella told her about her deceased dad that Taylor explained that she had lost her whole family.

Gabriella and Taylor made a pact that they would someday be envied. After that, they met Sharpay and Kelsi, whom they befriended. Ever since then they had been envied, and remained very close.

Reminiscing about their past made Gabriella even more worried. If Taylor went missing, who would she talk to? Really talk to. At that moment the sound of a door opening echoed through the apartment. Gabriella rushed to the door.

Taylor was standing there, her face stained with tears. Gabriella stared into her eyes. They were filled with some sort of agonizing joy, it was best that Gabriella didn't yet ask why.

"Taylor!" She screamed, hugging her best friend.

"Hey, Gabriella. Um, where are Sharpay and Kelsi?" Taylor asked, looking around the apartment.

"Oh, Sharpay is baking who knows what and—"

"What I am baking is called crème brulee." Sharpay interrupted, walking out of the kitchen.

"Okay. Sharpay is baking crème brulee and Kelsi is out with her boyfriend, um, Brad I think." Gabriella corrected.

"I thought it was Vlad?" Taylor said, scratching her head.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Thad." Sharpay corrected.

"Maybe it was Chad?"

"No, I know for sure it's Tad."

"Okay, this is sad."

"I'm getting mad."

"We don't know Kelsi's boyfriend's name? She won't be glad."

"Enough with the rhyming, we don't want to make it the world's next big fad." Gabriella laughed.

"Oh come on, don't be a party pooper, lad."

"I was serious. Stop it or I'll ship you both off to Kaliningrad!" Gabriella snapped.

"Where the hell is that?" Sharpay asked.

"You broke our rhyme chain!" Taylor laughed in a fake horrified voice.

"How dare you, Sharpay. And Kaliningrad is in Russia. It's the only Russian port that stays ice-free year round." Gabriella recited.

"You're too smart." Sharpay laughed. A buzzing noise began to come from the kitchen, and all three were puzzled.

"Oh my god, my crème brulee!" Sharpay screamed excitedly. She sprinted to the oven.

"If she makes us eat it, I call dibs on throwing it up in the bathroom first." Gabriella laughed.

"She's a maneater…"

"Um, Gabriella? Your phone." Taylor picked up Gabriella's cell and snickered as she looked at the caller ID. She handed it to Gabriella, still laughing.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered sweetly.

"HOW DARE YOU!" A strong male voice echoed.

"Oh, hi Gary. What did I dare to do?" Gabriella sneered in a mock happy tone.

"That answering machine message?"

"Yeah, what about it." Gabriella asked, uninterestedly.

"Why'd you leave it?" Gary demanded to know.

"Oh, it was just a…how do I put this… parting gift for you." Gabriella scoffed.

"Yeah, well your 'parting gift' lost me a job offer!" Gary screamed.

"Well, then I did them a favor. Oh, I have to go. My new boyfriend is calling me." Gabriella sneered, putting emphasis on the word "boyfriend". She hung up her phone.

Now Gary thought that she had a new boyfriend, when Troy and her weren't even technically dating yet. And Troy hadn't even been calling her, their date had ended just hours before. She decided to retire for the night, best before Sharpay finished her "masterpiece" and forced them all to eat it.

Dreaming was good. It allowed Gabriella to escape her life and be free. In this particular dream, she was getting married. She was in a floor length dress and her hair was tied back in a simple but elegant manner.

She reached the altar, and her groom turned to look at her. She was surprised to see that her soon to be husband had no face. She turned to the priest, and was once again shocked to find that it was Robert standing before her.

"I'm sorry Gabriella. You've dated every man in the world. This one is the perfect one for you. But all of the rest of the men in the world seek revenge." Robert sighed, shaking his head.

For some reason, a reason that she could not understand, she felt disappointed at the man in front of her. He was not who she wanted him to be, but it was not for the fact that he was missing a face. It was for a reason she couldn't place.

The doors suddenly burst open, and all of her exes came running through. They were all carrying pitchforks and knives. The whole lot was being led by Gary, who for some reason was carrying his answering machine, which was playing her recording over and over.

They all charged for the faceless man. "NOO!" Gabriella screamed. She was not going to let these imbeciles destroy the man that she was to be wed with until death. She tried to grab one of their shirts, but her hand went straight through them.

Soon she realized that she could not move, no matter how much she kicked and flailed. One of the men had the faceless man over their shoulder, heading towards the door. Gabriella tried to chase after them, but she still couldn't move.

"Gabriella. Gabriella! GABRIELLA!" Someone screamed. Gabriella's eyes shot open and she flailed her limbs, trying desperately to break through her bindings.

"Gabriella, calm down. You're not tied up or anything. Just wrapped up in your sheets." The voice laughed.

Gabriella focused her eyes and realized that Taylor was sitting on her bed. Gabriella sat up, red flushing to her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but Taylor interrupted.

"Gabriella, I need to talk to you. But it'd be best if you would just sit down and listen. Don't talk until I'm finished." Taylor commanded her. Gabriella obediently closed her mouth.

"There's something I need to tell you. And I know you won't be happy about it, I mean you hate guy's guts. But anyway, I'm…um…I'm still…well…I'm still with Chad." Taylor gulped. Gabriella's mouth fell open.

Never in Heartbreak Club history had a girl ever failed to end it with a guy. This was a first.

"And there's another thing. I'm…uh…will you promise not to tell the other two?" Taylor asked nervously. Gabriella nodded her head, remaining silent.

"Okay. Well…you'll be disgusted most likely. But…um…well…Chad and I…we're…having a…um…baby." Taylor stared at Gabriella's bed sheet as if she had to memorize its pattern.

"You're…p-pregnant with Ch-Chad's…B-BABY?! Didn't you use protection?" Gabriella asked, her voice getting a little too high. Taylor stood up, bravery and anger flushing to her cheeks.

"Listen, Gabriella. I don't care what you think. I purposely got pregnant. I just thought you might like to know, alright? Go ahead, kick me out of the Heartbreak Club. I don't care. I'll move in with Chad. Who, by the way, knows about the club." Taylor yelled. Gabriella shut her mouth and considered her next words.

"Taylor, I'm fine about you and Chad. And I'm fine about the baby. And as much as I don't like the fact that you revealed our secret to Chad, I understand why you did it. And you're still my best friend. I'll try to hide the truth about your growing stomach for as long as I can." Gabriella calmly promised. Taylor smiled and hugged her.

"Oh, thank you, Gabi!" She smiled. Gabriella looked at Taylor's stomach.

"So, what month is it?" She asked.

"Just month one." Taylor smiled.

"My crème brulee is served." Laughed Sharpay as she walked into the room, holding two dishes and spoons. She placed one dish in front of Taylor and the other in front of Gabriella.

"Um, about eating this, Sharpay. No offense, but your other cooking creations haven't always turned out perfectly." Gabriella shyly admitted.

"They haven't turned out eatable either." Taylor mumbled.

"I know. But not this time. Just try it." Sharpay smiled, handing them both spoons.

Gabriella broke the caramelized surface and spooned some of the crème brulee into her mouth. It was…delicious.

"Sharpay, how did you learn to cook like this?" Taylor asked incredulously.

"Well, I enrolled in cooking school. Because I was tired of you guys throwing up everything I cook. I met this guy there, and he taught me how to make crème brulee!" She squealed.

"Is there any chance you…like this guy?" Gabriella asked, smiling.

"Ew, no. He's not my type. We're just friends." She answered, walking out of the room.

"Well, Gabi, you better get your sleep." Taylor smiled.

"And you need to put that baby to bed!" Gabriella laughed. Taylor got up out of the room. Gabriella closed her eyes and soon she was in a deep slumber.

Chad had quite a few problems.

Problem 1: His girlfriend was going to have to start dating another guy while she was still dating him.

Problem 2: His girlfriend was pregnant, which wasn't even close to being a problem. The problem was that she would have to move in with him once her friends realized she was pregnant.

Problem 3: He just trashed his apartment, which his girlfriend would soon have to move in to.

Problem 4: When he returned to his apartment, Troy Bolton and Zeke Baylor were waiting for him.

"Chad, are you crazy?!" Troy screamed the moment Chad got through the door. Chad closed his eyes.

"Troy, please stop yelling. I need to tell you two something." He said calmly.

"Look, dude. You need to get over Taylor. She's not worth your time." Zeke comforted him, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"WHAT?! Of course she's worth my time! I love her!" Chad screamed. He was infuriated that they would even have the nerve to talk about Taylor like that. She only broke up with him for the fear of being alone.

"Hey, man. Don't get all angry. The truth is that Taylor doesn't love you back. You just need to accept it. She's a worthless pile of shit, breaking your heart like that." Troy said in a consoling voice. Chad clenched his fists.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU TWO! I came here to tell you two that Taylor and I are back together. The only reason she broke up with me was because of…a misunderstanding! She apologized to me and now were dating again. But I guess you're not happy about that, seeing that you think she's a WORTHLESS PILE OF SHIT!" He yelled, thinking of a fake reason why Taylor had broken up with him.

"What, are you serious?" Troy asked, a smile forming on his face. But Chad was too angry to see his friend's joy.

"Yeah, I am. And I guess you also don't care that she's going to have a baby, and that I'm the father! I guess you don't care that I'm planning on asking her to marry me. Well, guess what? I don't care about you two. NOW GET OUT!" He demanded, pointing towards the door.

"But—"

"No buts! JUST LEAVE!"

Troy and Zeke walked out, their heads hanging low. Chad sighed, and walked over to sit on his couch. It was then that he realized his fifth problem, he had an enormous mess to clean up and no one to help him.

Gabriella was shocked. Gabriella was surprised. Gabriella was amazed. Gabriella was confuddled. Gabriella was flabbergasted. Gabriella was stunned. Gabriella was astonished.

At the least, Gabriella was bewildered. She looked at the phone in her hand as if it were a magical, talking, flying, singing, gorgeous, rainbow unicorn that had just jumped out of her TV and informed her that she was really from Magical Talking Flying Singing Gorgeous Rainbow Unicorn Land.

"Troy? You're calling me? The day after our date?" She asked. Something was not right. Guys weren't supposed to call until three days after a date. And here was Troy, calling her the day after their date.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this a bad time or something?" He asked, worried.

"N-no! It's just that I'm a bit surprised, that's all." Gabriella explained. She flattened her hair, as if he could see her through the phone.

"Oh, well I just called to talk." He told her. Gabriella sensed the stress in his voice, and realized that something must of gone wrong.

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned about him. No, she wasn't really concerned. Well, at least that's what she told herself.

"Well, my friend had this girlfriend that broke up with him, but then they got back together and everything. But I didn't know, and insulted his girlfriend. Now he's mad at me. What should I do?" He asked desperately.

"Well, how badly did you insult her?"

"I called her a worthless pile of shit." He answered, obviously embarrassed.

"Well, just tell him that you didn't know that they had gotten back together and that you would have never insulted her like that if you'd known." Gabriella suggested.

"Oh, that sounds good. So, um, are you free Wednesday?"

"Um, I'm not sure, why?" Gabriella asked, rolling her eyes. He was just like all the other pathetic pushovers in the world, asking her on a date the day after their first one.

"Because the ninth grade class is having a field trip to go see the broadway Wicked, and they gave me an extra ticket. I was going to ask Kyle, but then I remembered you saying how you always wanted to see that show. So, do you want to come?" He asked. Gabriella's heart sped up.

"Oh my GOD! WICKED! Of course I'll go!" She screamed excitedly.

"Okay, good. Meet me at the Gershwin Theater at 1:30 on Wednesday." Troy instructed her. (A/N The Gershwin Theater is the actual theater in NYC that Wicked shows at.)

"I'll be there!" Gabriella squealed. She hung up the phone and ran into the living room, where Sharpay, Kelsi, and Taylor were.

"OH MY GOD, you guys! Troy is taking me to see WICKED!" She screamed.

"That's so awesome! Haven't you, like, always wanted to see that?" Kelsi asked.

"With my whole entire heart! There are some serious perks to dating him." Gabriella smiled. Sharpay scrunched up her face.

"Speaking of dating guys, Taylor, you haven't gotten a new boyfriend yet. Let's go out tonight and get one for you!" Sharpay suggested. Taylor's face lost all of its color and she ran out of the room.

"Oh, um, she told me last night that she was feeling feverish. I'll go check on her." Gabriella explained, standing up and running after Taylor. She went into Taylor's room to find her sitting on her bed, crying.

"Taylor, you don't have to get a new boyfriend. We'll make up an excuse." Gabriella promised, placing a hand on Taylor's back.

"No, I have no choice." Taylor said slowly.

Chad was having a bad day. He had spent the whole morning cleaning his house, and not even nearly half of it was done. He thought his day couldn't get worse. His phone began to ring, and he made his way through the piles of junk.

"Hello?"

"Chad, it's Taylor." She said. Chad could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Taylor, what's wrong?" He asked, he was terribly worried.

"I-I have to get a new boyfriend tonight. I know you said that you were okay with me dating another guy if it was just to remain in the Heartbreak Club, but I don't think I can do it."

Chad knew she was crying. His heart fell at her tears.

"Taylor, you have to. If you want to stay in the Heartbreak Club, then you have to. I understand your sacrifice. I'm mad, yes. But not at you. I'm mad at your friends for forcing you to do this." Chad comforted her.

"Alright, I'll do it. But I want you to know, I'm still in love with you."

"I love you too. I have to go, my apartment is a mess." Chad laughed.

"Alright, bye."

Chad thought wrong.

I feel really bad doing this to Taylor, but it makes for a good story. The rhyming thing was just random, I have no idea where the idea for it came from. Please review, but no hate reviews.