A/N: I am SO SORRY for the long wait! I had so many tests, quizzes and don't even get me started on projects. This is an extremely long chapter so please review and tell me what you think! Thank you to all of the reviewers!!! I am glad that you liked the chapter!!! Well, here is the next chapter and please review. I was a little upset when only a couple of you reviewed but what are you going to do! Hope you enjoy the chapter!!!

BEEP… BEEP… Gabriella groaned at the sound of her alarm clock. She turned it off and got out of her bed, shivering from the cold temperature in her room. She did her morning routine of taking a shower and getting ready for school. When her mom entered her room, she was ready to go.

"Troy's here." She said with a smirk on her face. Gabriella blushed, knowing what her mother was thinking.

"I'll see you after school." Gabriella said, trying to stop that subject from approaching.

"Don't forget that we're organizing the attic today." Her mom reminded her as she walked out of the room.

"I won't." Gabriella said and met Troy at the front door.

"Hey." He said and kissed her on the cheek. Troy and Gabi were… well; Gabriella didn't know exactly what they were. Every time they got close to becoming something more than just friends, something got in the way.

"You seem quiet." He pointed out as they walked past a local park.

"Sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. You know, with the scholastic decathlon team wanting Taylor and me to be president and vice president. Not to mention Ms. Darbus and Kelsi pressuring us to tryout for the fall musical." They could already see the school campus and the mob of students swarming it.

"Well its our senior year, we just have to make the best of it." Troy gave her his signature smile and she then was reminded why most girls swoon over him. "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her through the crowd, trying to find their friends before class.

"Settle down… Settle down… Quiet!" Ms. Darbus yelled as she tried to get the class' attention. They were all sitting in their normal desks, sleeping, finishing homework, or, if you're Sharpay, sucking up to Ms. Darbus.

"I have an announcement. The school has decided to join with other schools and create an exchange program for students so they could see the different places and schools across the country." The gang caught each other's eyes as the buzz went around the room. "So, the sign up sheet for this program will be up on the bulletin board. You all have to sign up before the Friday after the next so make up your minds soon. The sooner you sign up the better."

As the class started to get noisy again, Ms. Darbus yelled again and brought their attention back to her. "Shakespeare was known as one of the best writers of his time…."

"Are you going to do it?" Taylor asked as she and Gabriella walked out of Ms. Darbus' class.

"I don't know. I mean, shouldn't we be here for our entire senior and not some other school?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, but think about it. This would look really good on our college application." Taylor pointed out.

"I guess. I'll think about it." Gabriella said and walked away to her next class, considering the idea. Maybe it will be fun, she thought.

Gabriella's eyes roamed as she looked for her friends when lunch began; none of them were in sight. She left the cafeteria and walked through the halls, trying to look for the gang. She found them standing in front of the bulletin board.

"My dad said that I should sign up." Troy stated and he wrote his name up.

"If Troy's going then I'm going." Chad took Troy's pen and signed his name too. Zeke agreed and put his name down. The three boys looked at Jason expectedly but he shook his head.

"I can't go, my sister's getting married and she would kill me if I miss it because of some exchange program. Besides, one of us has to stay here and protect the Wildcats' championship title."

"I can't go either." Martha piped in, "There is this dance program that I have to join and I cant do that if I'm not even here."

"Well, if Chad's going then I'm going. " Taylor commented and signed up. Not long after, Kelsi, Ryan, and Sharpay signed up too.

Gabriella watched her friends talk as she quietly joined them. Troy was the first to notice her there.

"Hey Gabi, you signing up?" he asked, a shimmer of hope in his eyes. Just thinking of the time they would have made him smile.

"I don't think so." Gabriella immediately regretted saying that, seeing the disappointment on Troy's face.

"Why not?" Sharpay asked, confused.

"I just never really thought about it. I mean, what will we do in a different school? We would feel like the new kids and trust me; I have already felt that way too many times." Gabriella wouldn't look at them. She sighed and said, "I'll see you guys in class."

As the gang watched her walk away, Taylor saw Troy's disappointment and quickly reassured them, "I'll change her mind. I promise." They all looked at her skeptically. "I swear that I could change her mind." Taylor exasperatedly said and went to talk to Gabriella.

"Gabi, wait up!" Taylor yelled trying to catch up with her friend. Gabriella turned around and waited for Taylor.

"Can we at least talk about this before you make your decision?" Taylor asked. Gabriella sighed.

"Tay, I told you already. You of all people know how I fee-" Taylor cut her off.

"Gabi, you won't be alone. Your friends will be with you and we won't have as much fun without you." Taylor tried to explain.

"I'll think about it." Gabriella stated and entered the chemistry lab. Taylor huffed and followed her in. Taylor wasn't going to give up that easily.

For the rest of their classes, Taylor would not stop nagging Gabriella. A couple of minutes before the bell rang for her last class, Gabriella was about to crack. You would be too if the only you heard for 3 hours straight was 'Please Gabi, Come on, I'm begging.' As she was getting her books out of her locker, Taylor appeared next to her. Before Gabriella could open her mouth, Taylor cut her off,

"Pretty please with sugar on top! Don't make me beg anymore Gabs!"

Gabriella closed her locker and sighed, "Where do I sign up?" she immediately heard Taylor squeal. While she was tackled by Taylor's hug, she heard a voice behind them.

"I knew she would break you." Sharpay stated with a smile. Taylor and her quickly led Gabi to the sign up sheet before Gabi changed her mind. Once she wrote her name, there was no turning back.

"Happy?" Gabi asked,

"Very." Taylor and Sharpay said simultaneously.

As the three best friends walked to their class, they started to think of what they were going to do after school.

"Should go to the mall?" Sharpay asked.

"We always go to the mall." Taylor complained.

"I can't go." Gabriella said, "I have to help my mom clean the attic and that takes forever… unless."

Taylor and Sharpay quickly caught on, "No" they said and walked away.

"Oh, come on!" Gabriella said, catching up to them, "Please? My mom will make brownies." She knew she had them convinced when she said "brownies".

"Ugh… How many boxes do you have up here Gabs?" Taylor asked after organizing and re-organizing boxes.

"Just a couple more." Gabriella promised. Sharpay was looking through Gabriella's old things and was amazed at how many things she kept throughout her life. Sharpay was picking up a box that was labeled "Old Photographs" when she saw a photograph drop.

She put the box next to the rest and picked up the photo. It was wrinkled around the edges but was still in pretty good condition. It showed a nine, ten, or eleven year old version of Gabriella and a girl that Sharpay had never seen. She had crystal blue eyes and straight blonde hair. She and young Gabi were arm in arm, smiling at the camera. 'Gabriella never mentioned her before.' Sharpay thought,

"What are you looking at Sharpay?" Taylor asked and looked over her shoulder. Gabriella started walking towards her with a curious expression.

"Gabi, who is this?" Sharpay asked and gave Gabriella the picture. Almost immediately, she saw Gabriella's expression turn form curious and happy, to cold and depressed.

"No one." She said in an unusually cold tone of voice, and went back to work, putting the photo in her pocket. Taylor and Sharpay looked at one another and shrugged, both thinking, 'Who the hell is this girl?' They didn't bring up the subject again, knowing it was none of their business.

As the days passed by, the closer it got for the gang to leave East High and start their journey. Gabriella looked at the window, shocked at how time just flew by. She was now packing for the trip the next day and was looking for any last minute things that she might have forgot. Everything seemed to be ready but she felt like something was out of place. She looked at her desk and found that photograph laying face down. She stared at it for a couple minutes and sighed. She grabbed the photo and put it in her bag. Forgetting her past was a lot harder than it seemed. She didn't even realize that in this trip, it was going to get even harder.

A/N: Thank for reading and please, please REVIEW!!! I need at least five reviews to continue with the next chapter!! Again, I am sorry it took a while to update but high school is hard!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!