author's note - hey, everyone. thanks for all the nice reviews. they are, after all, what makes me keep going. Okay well in this chapter you'll find out the truth about Taylor .. which is indeed very shocking.enjoy!

Chapter Seven – Taylor's Secret

The weekend passed in a blur of frequent hospital visits, basketball, cooking, studying, and just hanging out, relaxing. Soon Troy, Kelsi, Taylor, Zeke, and Sharpay and Ryan found themselves back on the campus of East High School. Finals were coming up, and their teachers were giving them packet after packet of review questions for the test. Troy had never felt so worked up in his life.

He devoted all his free time after studying to visit Gabriella in the hospital. He kept getting yelled at by his dad—the basketball coach—for missing practice, but Coach Bolton understood. He knew how much his son loved this girl, and he didn't want to ruin it for them. Instead, he moved practices to an earlier time so that Troy could visit his girlfriend in the late afternoons.

School for Troy Bolton was as empty as space without Gabriella. When he walked in the hallways, people smiling and waving at him…he never felt the same because Gabriella was never among those people. Instead, she lay on a hospital bed, unconscious. Nobody except Kelsi knew about what had happened. Troy wouldn't risk rumors flying everywhere, but people were already wondering.

He heard whispers of, "Did you hear that Gabriella Montez got suspended?" or "Nah, I heard she moved back to California!" But nobody knew the real truth, and no one would ever know. It could ruin Gabriella's life, and her reputation.

But on Thursday, Gabriella's best friend Taylor McKessie went up to Troy during lunch and asked him the question Troy knew she would be asking him, eventually.

"Where is Gabriella?" she sniffed. "I haven't seen her all week."

Troy ignored her and took a sip of juice. He scanned the cafeteria and suddenly wondered where his best friend was. Chad hadn't been seen all week either.

Taylor waved a hand in front of him. "Um, did you not hear the question?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did." He bit his lip. "But first, where's your boyfriend?"

For a moment she looked at him, confused as ever. "My boy—" And then her eyes widened as large as craters and Troy saw tears lurking in them. She leapt away, wiping her eyes, and ran from the cafeteria, sobbing. Luckily no one noticed; they were all too busy enjoying their lunches.

Immediately Troy ran after her, wondering what he had just said to offend her, and saw her head into the girls' bathroom. "Wait, Taylor!" he cried, pounding on the door. He wanted to go inside.

Oh, what the hell, he thought bitterly, and pushed open the door. There were no other girls in there, thankfully. Troy tried his best to ignore the fact that he was actually in here and banged on the bright red stalls. "Taylor!" he shouted, though he knew she could hear him perfectly.

He turned around and there she was, wiping her face with her hands in front of the bathroom sinks. Her eyes were bloodshot red from crying. Troy wondered, what did I do? But before he could open his mouth, she already asked him, "What are you doing in here?"

"Uh." He bit his lip and leaned awkwardly against the wall. Jeez, girls' bathrooms are really roomy. "I wanted to know what was up. Why are you crying? I was just asking you where Chad was."

Taylor turned around and stared at her reflection in the mirror while covering her ears. "God, don't even say his name," she muttered. She appreciated Troy's efforts of trying to help her out, but could she really trust him? And where was Gabriella when she needed her?

They stood there, facing each other in an awkward silence, until Troy finally spoke. "All right, you're her best friend, you ought to know. Gabriella's in…uh, she's in the hospital. She got in a major car accident and…she's in a coma right now," he finished, his face burning. He really did not want to talk about this, about Gabriella.

Taylor's jaw dropped in horror. "What?" she gasped. "Why didn't they tell me? Why didn't—"

"Kelsi and I are the only ones who know," Troy choked out, his voice painfully hurting. "You can't tell anyone, Taylor, not even Chad. We can't risk people knowing about this."

She looked down to the dirty tile floor, fuming. She could not believe this. Why did Troy have to wait until this moment to tell her about this? She had a right to know; she was Gabriella's best friend! How could Troy have told Kelsi before herself? It was unfair. But then again…she realized she'd been avoiding Troy the whole week in fear of him asking her where Chad was, when she didn't know. There was no way he could tell her about Gabriella's condition if she'd been avoiding him.

Finally she decided it was time she'd let someone know, even if it was the lunkhead basketball star Troy Bolton. "You don't have to worry about that," she said quietly.

"Why not?" Troy raised an eyebrow.

"Because…Chad and I broke up," she whispered, and then broke out into sobs once more. Troy immediately rushed to give her a comforting hug and let her cry on his shoulder. He listened as she quickly explained the whole story to him. She told him about Chad walking out on her, the shouting, and the sobbing…but, in the end, Troy had to admit it was quite a lot for Taylor to deal with.

"But what was it that you couldn't tell him?" he asked curiously.

Taylor bit her lip and turned red. She'd finished crying, but now her voice broke out into little hiccups. She wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do. Could she even trust him? Yes, she convinced herself, she could. If Gabriella can, she thought, then I could too. "Troy…" She felt her voice breaking, the silent tears falling from her eyes again. He looked at her, uneasy. She wanted to melt and die. "Troy…this is serious," she finally whispered.

He just stared back at her, confused. She felt like throwing up. Her words stayed in her mouth, ready to spill out, but she was unsure how.

"What, Taylor?" Troy wanted to know so badly.

She didn't say anything at first, but looked down at the ground.

"Troy, I'm pregnant."

---

Chad Danforth was sick. Not just sick with the flu, but sick of life. He was sick of it, of everything—of friends, family, school, parties, basketball, and love. He wanted to curl up and die. He would rather live in heaven; away from all his family and friends…because where he was right now, was hell.

He angrily chucked a basketball at his wall, watching it thump against the wall. He was supposed to be in school right now, but that was the least place he wanted to be. Actually, he would rather be anywhere than East High, even if he was stuck at home with his mom bothering him. He didn't know how long it would last, but he was thankful he had the flu. He would stay cooped up in his room forever if he had to.

The door swung open and in bustled his mother, carrying a tray of hot soup and whistling. She set the tray down on Chad's bedside table and smiled at him. "How is my sick little man today?" she asked.

He disappeared under his pillow. "Go away, Mom," he mumbled.

"Oh, but I have lunch for you," she crooned. "Chad. Get out from under there and eat; you're sick like a dog. You want to get better and go back to school, right?"

"Uh, I guess," he lied. No.

Mrs. Danforth tapped the table impatiently. "Then eat." She turned to leave, but before going she added, "Oh, and I almost forgot. While you were asleep last night, your friend called."

Chad almost hit himself on the headboard, sitting up eagerly. "Yeah? Who?" he asked excitedly.

"What was his name again?" Mrs. Danforth looked down to her toes. "Um…Shania? Sharissa? No, it sounded like Sharpie…"

Chad's jaw dropped. "Sharpay?" he gasped, flailing his arms and almost knocking down his bowl of soup.

"There!" Mrs. Danforth cried triumphantly. "Miss Sharpay. She asked oh-so-politely if you could do a thoughtful favor for her, something like that…she's a really sweet girl, isn't she?" Chad's mom smiled.

Yeah, and so is a mountain lion, thought her bushy-haired son sarcastically. He wondered how Sharpay Evans even got a hold of his number. It wasn't like he put it in the Yellow Pages or something. Did she snag it from Troy? Was her brother Ryan a stalker in gym class? His gaze froze in terror at all the possibilities. He knew Sharpay was pure evil.

Finally he sputtered, "Uh, Mom, did Sharpay leave any number for me to call?"

Mrs. Danforth shook her head.

Chad sighed as she left, collapsing back onto his bed. How was he supposed to respond to Sharpay's message? He knew he couldn't call her house—it was probably pretty much burned right now. Where could she be? Suddenly, like a light bulb, it hit him. Sharpay wanted to know if she and her brother could stay at his house, at least until theirs was restored.

No way, he thought immediately, frowning. No way am I going to allow her in this house.

He wondered, for a moment, where she was staying. At a friend's? No. Sharpay and Ryan didn't have friends; they had admirers and haters. A relative's, maybe? Did they even have relatives in New Mexico?

He closed his eyes, not wanting to think of nasty Sharpay Evans at the moment. He let his mind drift. Soon he found himself dreaming of basketball, and then, for some reason, cheerleaders. He thought of cheering and singing and dancing…Taylor liked to dance.

Abruptly he sat up, confused at his thoughts. Taylor? Why was he thinking about Taylor? He'd tried and tried to convince himself he didn't even care about that stony-faced brainy girl anymore; he'd gotten over her. Ever since that fateful day when something in his head told him that it was the end, he'd been trying and trying to clear his mind of any thoughts and memories of her. It worked—at least for a little while.

And here he was, alone and sick in bed, thinking about Taylor again, for the first time in what seemed like a long time. He admitted to himself that he sort of missed her. Her laugh, her voice, her beautiful smile. The way she used to give him longing looks of love and deep concern. He missed everything they used to share. But now, he thought coldly, it could never happen. And it was his entire fault.

Later that day, after hours of sleeping and eating, Chad finally felt better. The swelling and aching all over his body had stopped, and the headache was decreasing. He wanted to go out for a run.

He put on his running shoes and comfortable clothing, bringing his iPod Nano along with him. "Mom, I'm going out," he called as he raced through the door before she could respond. He ran along the neighborhood, turning up the tunes as he went. He paced himself even farther, past the community park where kids were riding their bikes, past his school, farther and farther. It was at the interstate when he stopped and turned around, taking a different route this time. He raced through the paved streets of Albuquerque. He tried different neighborhoods, going past several houses, until he soon found himself in front of Taylor McKessie's.

God, he thought bitterly, what am I doing here? He stared up at the small two-story house, with its familiar brick-layered rooftop and tall chimney sticking out from the top. Taylor's car, an old sports Sedan, was parked neatly in the driveway. He bit his lip and stared at it, his mind erupting inside of him, filling with questions. Was she inside?

Suddenly Chad heard a small but audible cough coming from out of the blue. He looked directly above him, only to find Taylor McKessie herself staring back down at him from her place on the patio. Her eyes looked blurred—probably from crying—and her face was an unusual pale color, like she'd been throwing up.

"T-Taylor?" he whispered.

She didn't say anything but looked away from him, her head turning. She disappeared inside the house and after a minute or two; she came back out from the front door, holding an orange bottle of Gatorade.

Chad couldn't help but smile—this was everyday Taylor, always caring for others. She approached him slowly, handing him the bottle without saying a word. He gratefully took it from her soft hands and had a sip; the liquid felt sweet in his hot and dry throat. He smiled and said, "Thanks."

Of course, she didn't say anything. She walked down to the edge of the driveway and sat down on the curb. She was shaking. Chad wondered for a moment if she was sad, angry, or on the verge of tears.

Reluctantly he walked over and joined her, settling down onto the warm pavement next to her. He took another swig of Gatorade, letting it go all the way down his throat until he spoke. "So um…how have you been?" he asked shyly, avoiding eye contact. He would not dare let himself gaze into those beautiful brown eyes he'd been missing…

Taylor didn't speak, nor open her mouth, which Chad had been expecting. Was he getting the silent treatment from her? Or could she just not speak at all?

They sat on the curb for another few minutes in silence, staring down either at the road or at the house across, avoiding each other's eyes. Chad wanted to talk to her so badly, but he couldn't find the right words to say. Taylor was feeling nauseous just being right next to him, but she liked the feeling just the same.

The truth was, she'd been throwing up for the last couple of hours. Her head was spinning after confessing her most well-kept and dangerous secret to Troy, and she wanted to let everything out. Besides, her stomach was hurting and she had a sudden craving for a hot dog. Were these normal pregnancy symptoms?

She felt along the lining of her stomach; it wasn't so large yet, thankfully, but it had only been about three weeks since she'd found out. She felt horrible once she did; she didn't know how Chad would take it. He was, after all, the father.

Suddenly she wanted to kick herself—but they hadn't even really been doing anything! They'd been fooling around. That was all. God, she wondered, why did it have to be me? Taylor knew her parents would flip once they found out, but she had to tell them…sometime. She would wait until the right moment to leap the news, to both her parents and Chad. But deep in her heart she knew she had to tell him. He would find out anyway, right? But how would he react? Would he be furious? Scared? Supportive? She just didn't know the answer. She'd asked Troy for his advice, but even he didn't know what to say about his best friend. Chad was as unpredictable as the weather.

Finally she opened her mouth, ready to force the words right out of her mouth. She would tell him, now. She didn't care how he would react, as long as he knew.

"Chad, I—"

Suddenly his cell phone rang, startling both of them. Chad blushed and uneasily slipped his hand into the pants pocket. "Uh, hello?" he said into the receiver.

Taylor watched him, blushing. She listened as he talked into the phone. "Hello? Oh hey. Yeah…what? Tonight? C'mon dude, I got other things on my mind right now—fine. But I'm going to hate you for this." He hung up angrily, muttering to himself. Then he turned to face Taylor for the first time, feeling like an idiot as he did so. "Uh, sorry about that. It's Jason. Apparently we have a team meeting and Coach Bolton wants us there right now." He sighed exasperatedly.

"Anyway, maybe we can talk later?" Chad stood up, brushing some unseen dust off his pants. He looked at Taylor hopefully.

She nodded, slowly. "Um…yeah. Okay," she mumbled as he turned to leave.

"Thanks." Chad smiled—Taylor's heart melted. "You know, uh, for the Gatorade."

He nodded again, waving, and broke out into a run. Taylor watched after him as he raced down the street without looking back, his big hair bouncing with each step, and into the direct sunlight.