Oh oh oh ohhhh oh. Finally it's my time now, it's my time now.

Ok, so I changed up the words to Our Time Now a little bit.

I think that'd be a good song though, you know? Valerie's Time Now.

Hey loves of my life! I wanted to thank you all for the reviews again.

They're seriously one of my favorite parts about writing these chapters.

They just make me want to keep writing more and more and more... ;)

Disclaimer I do not own any of these characters from the movie High School Musical, nuff' said.


Spinning a Web of Lies

The definition of a lie is a statement that isn't true while the definition of true is not false. If in any situation someone restrained from saying more than they could, is that a lie? Keeping things to yourself and hidden is best for everyone at times. But, it's not stating something false but it's not something that's true. Hiding-the-truth. It should have it's own title.


Her stomach was filled with the jittery feeling that was often described as butterflies. She didn't like the way that sounded, though. It felt more like when she used to take a long time doing her hair to only go outside and have the wind blow it out in all directions. Though she'd be slightly angry at first, the wind was something Gabriella always loved the feeling of.

Now, her natural deep brown curls feel past her shoulders, brushing her shoulder blades as well. She scanned over her choice of outfit by looking into the full-length mirror that hung on her new closet door. After debating with herself for what seemed like hours, Gabriella had finally decided on a white mini-skirt that in her opinion, did not reveal too much skin. She also had chosen an orange tank top that matched the color tone in the sky as the sun would set.

She heard her doorbell ring.

Gabriella peered out into the hallway to see her father carrying a laundry basket, his face filled with questions. "This house has a doorbell?" Daniel asked.

She giggled. That was not what she had thought one of his questions would be. "Shocking, isn't it?"

Gabriella smiled and finished putting on a set of earrings, slipping on her white sandals before traveling down the stairs to the first floor of her house.

"You were expecting someone?" Daniel called after her, following the trail she had taken before, standing at the bottom of the steps with the basket of laundry still in his arms. He was a father of a teenager, of course he was curious.

She bit her bottom lip nervously in anticipation with her hand on the door handle. Gabriella wasn't sure how her dad would react knowing that she had a date. "I'm just going to you know, hang out with a friend," She half-lied. She decided against telling her dad about Troy. Afterall, it's not like they were dating. It was just one date. One simple date.

Daniel sighed as his daughter opened the door and quickly closed it after exiting, barely even giving him a glance at the person who was on their door step. He did happen to notice that the person was a boy though, and he knew how teenage boys could be. He shook his head. He was her age once and he'd made a mistake, at least that's what he called it at the time. Now it wasn't really a mistake at all, but the best thing that had ever happened to him.


"When you said you had something planned I was not expecting this," Gabriella said, staring at Troy from across their booth in the deserted diner.

Troy had convinced Haley to let him have the diner to himself that night, so it was just Gabriella and him. His eyes illuminated with the dim lighting of the room, matching his pale blue button-up shirt.

"Never doubt me," He said joking, but deep down Gabriella felt as though he was serious. "Besides, I figured it was about time you tried one of my famous burgers. Once you take one bite, it leaves you wanting more," Troy winked, causing her to almost melt like putty.

"Oh, really now?"

Troy laughed as she slowly pulled the burger to her mouth, taking an apprehensive bite.

"I'll assure you, it's not poisoned," Troy told her and she rolled her eyes.

Her eyes widened with delight. It was probably the best burger she'd ever tasted. "Dang Troy, looks like there's more to you than meets the eye," Gabriella said, catching his gaze. "Jock, chef, and singer."

Troy laughed but Gabriella could tell it was more of a nervous laughter, the kind when you're unsure of yourself.

"What?" She asked. Had she said something wrong?

Troy studied her intently. "Not a lot of people know about the whole...singing thing."

"Why not?"

He shrugged as if it didn't really make a difference because to him, it didn't. No one knew about it and that was the way he liked it. People just expected him to be a certain way and he felt as if he did not have the right to deny them.

"I can't be two people," He paused, trying to collect his own thoughts. "I mean, a basketball player isn't usually a musician, too."

Gabriella stared like she didn't know what he was talking about. She didn't understand why someone would hide a talent as great as Troy's.

"So what? You're a singer and an athlete. Why do you let what other people expect from you shape you?"

He frowned at Gabriella's judgment. He'd never really thought of it that way.

After thinking her words through, he released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding inside. "Everyone else can't handle both people."


The rest of their dinner had gone well. Both Gabriella and Troy enjoyed talking to each other. For some reason that Troy could not figure out, it was easier to open up to her than anyone else he'd ever spoken to. She was a great listener and it seemed like she always knew the perfect words to say. After eating, the two decided to walk along the boardwalk since it was always so beautiful at night in Jacksonville. All the hustle from the people at the beach died down and there was almost a calmness. The lights from the shops shined and the blinking colors from amusement rides contrasted together perfectly and in the distance you could see the almost hidden ocean in the darkness. Gabriella didn't think she'd ever seen something so amazing before. But that's how it was here, she saw something more spectacular everyday.

"So…" Troy spoke slowly, casually slipping Gabriella's hand into his own, acting like it wasn't a big deal. It was a big deal to her, though. Whenever he touched her Gabriella felt sparks at the point of impact. "What's your favorite thing to do?"

Without realizing it, she swung her hand that was linked with Troy's back and forth as they walked. "Don't call me a loser but…I love spending time with my dad." She paused, thinking that Troy would comply with laughter but he was too busy listening to her, caring about her thoughts. Maybe he actually was genuinely interested. "How about you?"

"Sleep," He said within seconds then chuckled when Gabriella nudged him.

"I was being serious."

"So was I," Troy smiled when he heard Gabriella's infectious laughter.

"Hey Bolton, is that you?!" Gabriella heard a male's voice yell from a distance. Troy dropped Gabriella's hand quickly, as if there was a law against it and flashed a smile in the direction of a friend he hadn't seen since school let out.

"Hey Jason." Troy greeted the boy who had played by his side on his basketball team which his dad coached, Jason Cross. Gabriella stood nearby uncomfortable, watching the way Troy interacted with other people. Just the way he looked, the way he smiled and laughed, it was like he was a different person. She was confused about which one was the real Troy Bolton.

"Who's this beauty?" Jason asked and looked at her but not in a creepy way at all. Gabriella knew he wasn't like Caleb was. Jason's boyish face and brown hair that naturally swept to the side made him look so innocent.

Troy's eyes widened. For a moment, he had forgotten Gabriella was with him. "Uh Jason this is Gabriella, Gabriella this is Jason."

Jason gave her a friendly smile. "Where've you been all my life?"

Troy laughed but the sound was unfamiliar to Gabriella. It was almost as if he didn't mean it, like he was faking it. What was that about anyways?

Gabriella giggled, but found it weird that Troy would act differently in front of a person like Jason who seemed to be his friend. Unless he acted this way in front of everyone and she was the odd one out. "I just moved here from Albuquerque."

"Alba what?" Jason asked with a look on his face that seemed like he was trying to solve a hard math equation in his mind.

"Albuquerque," She repeated, then felt a pang in her stomach. She missed her home at times, usually at random times whenever something reminded her of New Mexico. She missed it even more now though, because maybe Troy was right; was anyone truly real here?

Hiding-the-truth.


As Troy walked Gabriella back to where he'd first picked her up, he couldn't help but feel like he'd done something wrong. After meeting up with Jason on the boardwalk Gabriella had silenced herself, only saying a few things every now and then. She seemed to me off in her own world, thinking about things by herself instead of talking to Troy.

"Is something wrong?" Troy finally gathered enough courage to ask. He immediately regretted asking when Gabriella let out a long sigh like she'd been holding something in for awhile now.

"No," She said simply. "I mean yeah, I don't know. What was up with that?"

"Up with what?"

Gabriella blew air out of the side of her mouth in frustration. "On the boardwalk with your friend Jason."

Troy's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What about Jason?"

Gabriella wished she hadn't mentioned anything at all. So badly she just wanted to escape down her driveway and into the safety of her house. "The way you laughed, the way you were talking, it just seemed so…"

So what? What was she trying to tell him? Troy had only begun getting to know this new girl the week before. Was she actually questioning him? Did she understand who she was talking to? Troy pushed his thoughts aside, no, he wouldn't let any angry feelings overtake him but he still felt as though Gabriella was judging him.

"Fake," She finished, the look on her face distant. Troy could tell she didn't really want to be there with him at the moment. He almost felt, well, guilty.

"I'm not fake I just tend to be different around certain people." He pointed out as if it should be obvious.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. She felt like she was talking to a child. "That's what fake is, Troy."

"Have you ever seen Spiderman?" Troy asked out of the blue.

She rose her eye brows, what did that have to do with anything at all?

"Yes…" She told him, unsure where he was going with this.

"Well he has two personalities but he's a hero, he saves people," Troy said with a smirk.

"He's not real, Troy! Imagine though, if he were, what his life would be like," Gabriella said, trying her hardest not to laugh at how amusing she thought Troy was when he made references to things like Spiderman. "It can't be fun to live two lives and have nobody really know who you really are. Who are you Troy?" Gabriella ran her small hand through her curls. "Don't be two people with me, please."

"You know who I really am though, so what's there to worry about?" Troy wondered in his mind but accidentally said it out loud.

"I've known you for around a week. Do I really know you?"

Troy allowed himself to think about this. "Peter Parker had someone who knew both of his identities."

The expression on Gabriella's face clearly stated 'I can't believe you're bringing a comic book character into this again.'

Troy moved closer to her, taking one of her hands between the two of his. "You can be my Mary Jane."


Chad laughed out loud, "And then she just left? Oh man, that's gold." He patted Troy's back. "I mean, you poured your heart out to her and she ditched you." He laughed again and took another shot on the basket, letting the orange ball soar from his fingertips.

Troy rolled his eyes. "She didn't ditch me."

"Did you get any action?"

"Chad, shut up." Troy groaned and attempted to steal the ball from Chad in their mini game of basketball.

"How couldn't you," He said with a humorous glint in his eyes. "You even brought our friendly neighborhood hero into the mix," Chad laughed once more, not even being able to contain his amusement after hearing all about Troy and Gabriella's date and how Troy had tried to cover for himself by discussing Spiderman. Chad took another shot. "Wow, your game is weak when you've got a lot on your mind."

Chad signaled a time out and retreated to the sideline for a quick sip of water.

"I don't know why it's bothering me so much…" Troy confided in his friend. "I guess I just like her."

Chad fake gasped. "I never thought I'd live to see the day when Troy, Troy Bolton, my best friend finally admits to liking a girl. Not much of a player after all."

Troy sighed, it was pointless trying to talk to Chad about this right now. His mind was elsewhere and Troy could tell that he was too hyped up to listen at the moment. "Shut up."

"So Montez challenged you in a way?" Chad finally asked with all seriousness, all jokes aside…for the time being.

Troy thought through Chad's words skeptically. "What?"

"You need to prove yourself. Show her that you're one person, not some guy with split personalities."

Troy didn't want to admit it, but Chad was finally making perfect sense. That had to be what Gabriella wanted. He needed to prove himself. Challenged. She had challenged him.

"I knew you'd be here!" A petite blonde's voice that they knew and loved said as she approached the gate that opened up to the basketball court, but she was not alone.

Troy watched as Gabriella and Sharpay entered the court. He hadn't seen Gabriella in two days since their date that he had ruined. Both Sharpay and Gabriella were wearing their bathing suits and Troy noticed right away how beautiful Gabriella really was to him. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want her.

"Dude…" Chad nudged Troy's side and whispered so that the girls couldn't hear them.

"What?" Troy hissed.

"My spidey senses are tingling."


Daniel Montez could never sit in the same place for more than a certain period of time.

It wasn't like he was an overactive child, he just constantly liked to be moving. If he wasn't moving he felt as though he were missing out on life and he hated that feeling. He'd spent way too much time brokenhearted after Gabriella's mother had left him.

When he was in high school he had been so foolish. Daniel thought that he must have had his head in the clouds. Michelle was not ready to have a child, she never would be. He regretted dating her so much at times, especially because he had always loved his best friend. But no matter how mad he was at Michelle for leaving him, he was so grateful for having her in his life. Without her, he wouldn't have Gabriella and he didn't think he could live without her.

He gazed out the bay window from inside of his new house. It seemed like Gabriella had already grown fond of their new neighborhood in Jacksonville. Why couldn't he? He spent his hours rearranging the furniture in the house because there was nothing else for him to do. Daniel opened the refrigerator and almost laughed. No wonder Gabriella was spending so much time out of the house. They were literally foodless.

Grabbing his keys to his convertible, he began looking for the small shopping center that he had found a few days earlier. Just getting out of the house was making him feel better. The ocean breeze and the calls of seagulls were somehow calming to him. Daniel maneuvered his car into a parking space and realized he had a craving for a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Just thinking about cravings reminded him of Michelle when she was pregnant with Gabriella. She always had the strangest cravings.

Daniel navigated through the long aisles of food, his eyes lighting up like those of a child on Christmas morning. He couldn't find where the bread was kept.

Walking around aimlessly, he kept his eyes glued to the signs hanging from the cieling that directed him where to locate particular food items. They weren't much of a help but he knew in less than a month he'd know the grocery store by heart, considering his obsession with food. Daniel was so wrapped up in his search for bread he wasn't paying attention to anyone around him. He didn't even see a woman walking in his direction, not paying much attention either…

Daniel stopped walking. Maybe he was heading in the wrong direction. Making a sharp turn, he collided, sending someone to the ground.

"I'm so sorry," Daniel said, embarrassed. He looked at the jar of peanut-butter and jelly rolling away from him. His eyes then connected with the eyes of his victim. Those hazel eyes that he hadn't seen in years. Those hazel eyes that he'd missed so much. He couldn't speak, couldn't think. It was one of those, pinch me I'm dreaming moments. He couldn't be dreaming though. The force between those two pairs of eyes was so strong, it would have to be impossible if he were dreaming.

"Danny?"