Wow, tons of hits and only ONE review. :( Thanks to the one person who DID review. YOU ROCK! (although I'm sure you already knew that!) Reviews rock my socks and make my world go 'round and a little more love this chapter would be nice.

Anyways, I am super proud of myself for getting out TWO chapters in less than a week. This one isn't very eventful. It takes place over the course of a year. It ends almost four years after the story started, so quite a bit of time has passed in only a few chapters. I hope everyone has been able to keep up with the timeline. If anyone is confused just let me know and I'll explain it better.


Gabriella sighed as she tossed the remote onto the coffee table. There was nothing on TV and she was bored. Weeks had gone by and basketball season was now in full swing. That meant no internet chats with Chad because he spent all afternoon and evening after school at practice and then was so tired when he got home he often went straight to bed. He even spent most of his weekends at the gym working out to stay in optimum shape. At first she was impressed that Chad's team was known for being one of the best in the state. Now she was annoyed because she had nothing to do now that her only friend didn't have time to talk to her. She was going to be so happy when the season ended and she had her friend back. She wanted to go somewhere but didn't know where to go and didn't have a ride. At 15 she was too old to ride her bike everywhere, but too young to drive.

Just as she was about to go to her room she heard Rusty come in the kitchen through the garage. She walked in to greet him and saw he was studying a letter in the stack of mail he was holding.

"Anything for me?" she asked him casually sitting across from him on a stool at the island in the center of the room. She had applied for a summer program for high schoolers at the local community college and was expecting to hear from them any day.

"No," he said suspiciously shoving the letter in the middle of the pile and turning to walk out.

Gabriella got up and followed him playfully trying to grab the stack of mail. "You sure about that?" she teased.

Rusty stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. "I said no. Unless you want to pay the bills around here, there is nothing for you," he snapped before turning and walking out of the room.

What the heck is his problem? She wondered to herself. He must be having trouble with Renee. A few days later, Gabriella got her acceptance letter in the mail and Rusty went back to his normal self.


It just so happened that a few months later both Gabriella and Chad had spring break the same week and it was a bye week for Chad's team. The team had decided to have practice in the mornings and have the afternoon and evenings off. That Monday Gabriella was excited to finally have a real chat with her friend. After sleeping in late, she woke up and quickly ate lunch before signing onto the computer. Seeing that Chad wasn't on yet she got dressed, brushed her teeth and started straightening up her room before she heard him sign on. Before she even had a chance to sit down he sent her a message.

WildcatChad: Definitely the WORST day EVER!
ItsMeBri: What happened? Are you okay? Did something happen at practice?

Ever since he told her how intense his team practices were she was always worried he was going to get hurt.

WildcatChad: No practice, just a team meeting
ItsMeBri: and...?
WildcatChad: Remember how I told you coach went on a mini vacation a few weeks ago?
ItsMeBri: um... sure.
WildcatChad: Well it was no vacation. He was looking for his replacement.
ItsMeBri: replacement?
WildcatChad: He's retiring and moving to Florida after this season!
ItsMeBri: okay...? I don't get the big deal.
WildcatChad: the big deal is that we have a reputation to uphold. How is a new coach going to be able to know what we are capable of, how we work together, and keep us at the top? Especially losing all of our seniors!
ItsMeBri: Well can't your assistant coach do all that?
WildcatChad: He doesn't want to be head coach. He just wants to be the assistant. Not as much responsibility, not so many hours. Coach found someone to take his place, I think he's is going crazy in his old age.
ItsMeBri: Why do you say that? It really can't be that bad.
WildcatChad: The new guy has never coached before! Not a high school, not a middle school, not even a rec team. NEVER! Coach only chose him because we are losing all our best players after graduation and he's got some all star son. If coach didn't hire him to take his place they were going to move into West High district and he would play for the Knights.
ItsMeBri: Had your coach ever done you guys wrong?
WildcatChad: Not until now
ItsMeBri: Then I doubt he will now. Just trust his judgment. Every new coach has to get their start somewhere. He went and checked him out and he saw something he liked. Do you think he would trust you guys to just anyone?
WildcatChad: No, I guess not.
ItsMeBri: Exactly. So just give your coach and the new guy a chance before you decide your championship team has gone down the drain.
WildcatChad: You're right, as usual.
ItsMeBri: Of course I am! ;)

They chatted for hours before they took a break for dinner. After dinner they chatted again for a little while before Chad went to bed. He wanted to be well rested for practice the next day. The new coach and his son were going to be there. Gabriella sat back and sighed, once again left with nothing to do. After being lost in thought and boredom for quite a few minutes, she decided that the next morning she was going to go out and find herself a hobby.


Gabriella awoke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing and groaned. She hit the snooze button and rolled over before she remembered the task that lay ahead of her. She quickly got up and got herself ready to go before walking the three blocks to the bus stop and catching a bus downtown. Once she was there she decided to start at the library. She picked out a few novels then headed to the how-to section. After browsing for a while, she decided on knitting. It seemed fairly easy and if it didn't work out, she wouldn't be losing a big investment. Next she headed to the craft store to buy the supplies she needed. She was excited to see all the different things they had in there. If the knitting didn't work out she could certainly find another hobby here.

After purchasing the needles and yarn, she continued to walk through the historic downtown village and look in the windows of all the shops. She stopped in a little cafe for lunch before heading back home.

Looking at the clock she realized that Chad should be home already, so she signed on to her computer. A window instantly popped up.

WildcatChad: Where have you been? Usually you are already on and waiting for me.
ItsMeBri: I went out.
WildcatChad: Out? You, Gabriella Montez, went OUT?!?! Wow, there's one for the record books!
ItsMeBri: Oh hush! I realized how lame and boring my life is last night so I decided I needed to pick up a hobby and I went out this morning to find one.
WildcatChad: So did you find one?
ItsMeBri: Yep! I'm going to start knitting!
WildcatChad: WOO-WEE! That's gonna add tons of excitement to your 'lame and boring' life! How will you be able to contain yourself?? LMAO
ItsMeBri: lol! Well I wanted to start with something simple. I'm fixin to get it out right now and start while were talking.
WildcatChad: Yer fixin to? LOL! How long has it been since you moved from the backwoods into civilization?
ItsMeBri: It wasn't the "backwoods" it was rural Ohio
WildcatChad: same difference
ItsMeBri: And if all you're gonna do is poke fun of me, I'm gonna leave you to be bored while I have a thrilling time learning to knit:P
WildcatChad: Poke fun? lol Well I guess you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl.
ItsMeBri: That's right and don't you forget it! Just wait until I get my driver's license.
WildcatChad: Oh yeah? And why is that?
ItsMeBri: Just you wait and see. So how was practice today?
WildcatChad: It was okay. A pretty easy day. We got out a little early, although you wouldn't have known because you were out on the town.
ItsMeBri: lol So how were the new guy and his bball star kid?
WildcatChad: ehh... They just watched today to 'get a feel' for our team. Tomorrow he is actually going to run the practice and the kid will play.
ItsMeBri: That should be fun. Just be easy on them. It's their first day.
WildcatChad: No way! I'm gonna show them what the wildcats are all about!

The next day Gabriella sat at her desk knitting a scarf waiting for Chad to get online. He was taking forever. She was about to give up and find something else to do when he finally signed on.

ItsMeBri: It's about time you got on!
WildcatChad: Believe it or not, I JUST got home from practice!
ItsMeBri: New coach run practice over a little bit?
WildcatChad: A little? Try an hour and a half!!
ItsMeBri: Well other than that, how was he?
WildcatChad: Oh man! He is a complete nutcase! He had us running laps and doing all sorts of drills and exercises. I thought I was going to die and that was just the warm up! If even ONE person got out of rhythm, fell behind or messed up he blew his whistle and made us start all over again! All the while he was barking orders at us and telling us to do better and try harder. I swear if I hear that stupid whistle again I'm going to go crazy! And his damn kid, he didn't seem the least bit phased by it all.
ItsMeBri: I guess you all really showed them what the wildcats are all about! LMAO
WildcatChad: ha ha ha. Funny. It was insane. Like friggin basketball boot camp! I can't wait until they leave tomorrow night. I have so much extra personal training and working out to do to be ready when they come back for good this summer.
ItsMeBri: You mean you'll be even busier than you are now? Great. Looks like I'm gonna need a few more hobbies.


Over the next few months, Gabriella picked up scrap booking, sewing and gardening. When it came time for her to register for the programs she wanted to take at the college for their summer program she couldn't make up her mind. When she applied it seemed a no brainer that she would be doing the mathematics, general science and interactive physics. Now she was thinking of taking pottery, beginner's wood shop, cake decorating or baking. She was really enjoying all the crafty things she was learning to do and wanted to learn more, but she knew the academic programs would be the wiser choice for college applications. She finally decided to take pottery, wood shop, cake decorating and interactive physics. That way she had some fun stuff to do and one that would look good on applications. After all, summer was about having fun and taking a break from school right?

The summer flew by and before they knew, Chad and Gabriella found themselves about to start their sophomore year of high school.

WildcatChad: Well, tomorrow is our last day of freedom. What are you planning on doing with yourself?
ItsMeBri: I have a couple tops to finish and Rusty's birthday cake to do.
WildcatChad: With all the sewing, decorating, knitting and pottery and such you are turning into a real Martha Stewart. LOL
ItsMeBri: Don't laugh. It's fun AND saves money. This summer I have sewn myself an entire new wardrobe for less than $100.
WildcatChad: It's easier just to pay more at the clothing store
ItsMeBri: Maybe so, but my clothes are cuter and one of a kind. I bet you'll be glad when you need something of yours sewn. So what are you doing tomorrow?
WildcatChad: My buddy Zeke is throwing his annual end of summer pool party for the team. We voted for team captain today and coach is gonna announce it there.
ItsMeBri: Who do you think it's gonna be?
WildcatChad: The all star son of course. He's the only sophomore in the history of the school to make starting varsity. It's not like it's a surprise or anything, but coach insisted on waiting until tomorrow to announce it.
ItsMeBri: You think you'll have a good season?
WildcatChad: Definitely! Nobody else stands a chance against us.
ItsMeBri: and to think that only a few months ago you were certain your team didn't have a chance with this guy.
WildcatChad: Yeah well, he's not so bad once you get used to him and his kid sure can play. I'll bet he has colleges fighting over him by the end of the season.
ItsMeBri: Well you have fun tomorrow at the party. I'm gonna hit the hay. I'll talk to you tomorrow night.


In December they both turned 16 and got their driver's licenses. Originally Gabriella had said she was going to buy a little used car. Nothing special, just something to get her from point a to point b. Right before Christmas she decided that she was going to splurge and buy herself something she really wanted. With all the inheritance money just sitting in the bank collecting interest, she had more than enough to buy any car she wanted and would still have plenty leftover for college and a large down payment on a house.

A few days before new years she decided to pay Chad a surprise visit. She got up early and drove the six hours to his house. She arrived there at about noon. She parked and nervously walked to his front door. Even though they talked almost everyday, it had been over a year since she had actually seen him. Since the last year's Thanksgiving when they first met. She rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. When the door opened she looked up and was face to face with Chad, who had grown his hair out and now had wild bushy curls.

"Gabriella??" He asked, eyes wide open in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd pay my best friend a visit," she said softly. She was suddenly feeling very shy.

"I can't believe it!" he said. He looked at her for a few more seconds before grabbing her and wrapping her in a huge hug. "It's so great to actually see you again!"

Catching his enthusiasm, she hugged him back. "What happened with the hair?" she asked him ruffling the curls with her hand after they pulled apart. "I thought you said there's no way you'd have an afro."

"Well somebody told me they thought it would look good grown out, so I thought I'd give it a try," he said with a wink. "And it turns out that I like it and so does everyone else."

"Hmm. Whoever told you that must have good taste!" she teased.

"Here, come in!" he said moving to the side and ushering her in.

"Actually, have you eaten yet? I thought we could go get lunch or something. We can take my new baby," she said grinning.

For the first time Chad looked past Gabriella and at the vehicle parked on the street in front of his house. His jaw dropped.

"Holy cow! That thing is a beast!" he exclaimed. Gabriella had decided on a brand new forest green Ford F-250 diesel pickup truck, but she didn't stop there. It was sitting under a six inch suspension lift on 44 inch tires. She had custom chrome detailing in the form of bumpers, a brush guard, smoke stacks, roll bar, step bars, rims, dual exhaust pipes, and door handles. The words on her back window read 'This is NOT my boyfriend's truck.'

"What the heck do you do with that thing in Phoenix?" he asked her.

"Nothing really, just drive it around," she said. "But you were right. You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl." Chad continued to stare before she added, "Are we going or not?"

"Yeah, yeah" he said. "Mom, I'm going out to lunch. Be back in a little while," he shouted before shutting the door behind him. Once he figured out how to climb in he began to buckle his seat belt and jumped at the roar of the exhaust when she started the engine. Gabriella laughed and started to drive following the directions he was giving her.

After lunch they headed back to Chad's house and went up to his room. He started showing her his yearbooks and pictures of his other friends.

"Here are my pictures from Zeke's party a few months ago," he said pulling an envelope out of his desk drawer. "That's me, Zeke and Jason," he said pointing to each guy. "This is Mike and Rob. Oh, here is me, Coach and Troy," he continued handing her the pictures.

Gabriella froze. It couldn't be, could it? Of course it was. She would recognize those piercing blue eyes anywhere. She was staring at none other than Troy Bolton and his father. She couldn't believe it. Troy? Her Troy was the all star basketball boy she had been hearing about for months now? Not that she doubted his skills, she knew he was an amazing player, but Troy? In New Mexico? On Chad's team?

"Gabriella?" Chad asked trying to get her attention. "Earth to Gabriella!"

"Huh?" She asked blinking herself back into reality.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy spell. Can I have a glass of water?" she asked.

Chad nodded and led her downstairs to the kitchen where he fixed her a drink. "How about we watch a movie before you have to go?"

"Sure." They went into the living room and settled on the couch. After the movie ended it was time for Gabriella to leave so she could make it home without falling asleep at the wheel.

"Thanks for coming," Chad said after he walked her to her truck. "It was so great to see you."

"No problem," she answered giving him a hug. "I'll talk to you later?"

He nodded. "Drive safely." He took a step back as she hopped in and once again jumped at the sound of the exhaust. Laughing, Gabriella drove away.


Second semester started and flew by. Right after spring break Rusty and Renee asked Gabriella to dinner. They said they had something important to tell her. While waiting for their food to come out, Rusty spoke up.

"Gabs, we have something to tell you," he said. "As you know, our company is expanding. Renee and I have been given the opportunity to open and run our own branch anywhere we choose."

"That's great!" Gabriella exclaimed. "I'm up for a move. Where are we going?"

"What do you think of Albuquerque, New Mexico?" Renee asked.

She grinned. "That's where Chad lives!"

"We know," Rusty said winking at her. "I also thought that maybe Renee could live with us?" he added timidly.

"Sure! I could use another female around the house!"

Rusty let out a sigh of relief just as the waiter brought their food. The rest of the dinner they made small talk about the new branch opening and the move. They were moving right after her school year ended. She would have the whole summer to get to know people and make friends before starting at a new school in the fall.

When she got home she rushed into her room and signed onto the computer. Thankfully Chad was online.

ItsMeBri: OMG!! Guess what???
WildcatChad: I take it the talk went well?
ItsMeBri: Incredibly! Now guess!
WildcatChad: I have no idea! What?
ItsMeBri: We're moving to Albuquerque!
WildcatChad: No way! Why?
ItsMeBri: Rusty and Renee are opening their own branch of the company there. We move in June!
WildcatChad: OMG! That's awesome!
ItsMeBri: I know! I can't wait!
WildcatChad: I can't wait for you to meet all my friends. And the guys. They will all love you!

The guys? Gabriella's stomach turned. He meant the basketball team. He meant Troy. She had been so caught up in living near Chad that she totally forgot Troy lived there now too. Suddenly she wasn't so excited about moving.