AN: So thank you to all that reviewed. I am so, so, so sorry about the delay, also I had some major writers block has been occurring and so it may seem that I am rambling throughout this chapter and sometimes I hit a point of the story and others I have no point at all other than to just fill space.

Chapter 7

The letter from Andy threw Troy's life into a little bit of a funk. He started to see random memories everywhere. And he was no longer in the day to day way of life but to a moment to moment type of thing. The people surrounding him tried to remain patient with him, but tensions started to run a little higher than normal. A few outbursts were dealt with; most things simmered beneath the surface though and never came into play.

"Are you getting up today?" Jack asked standing in the doorway of Troy's bedroom around eleven. Troy didn't respond, so Jack walked in and sat down on the edge of his bed and shook him lightly, "Troy, wake up."

Troy groaned from beneath his pillow, "Don't wanna."

"Come on," Jack took his pillow, "Your mom will expect you up when she gets home for lunch."

"I feel like crap," Troy moaned pulling his covers over his head.

"Like how? As in physically or mentally?" Jack asked, pulling the covers back down.

"Both. My body feels like crap which in turns makes my mind hurt too."

"That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but ok. Can I get you anything?"

"Something for my head."

"Like headache or migraine?"

"Now? Headache."

"I'll be back," Jack said walking out and into his own room and then down to the kitchen. During this time, Troy grabbed his pillow and pulled his covers back over his head once more and closed his eyes, but quickly reopened them and stared at a spot on his blanket. A few minutes later he felt his father's weight on the bed again. Jack pulled back the blanket, "Sit up," Jack ordered. Troy pulled himself into a sitting position with his eyes barely open. Jack handed him a bottle of water and two blue tablets. Troy took them expertly with just a sip of water. "So where all does it hurt?" Jack asked feeling Troy's forehead.

"Um everywhere: my head, my stomach, my throat, my whole body," Troy croaked sliding back under the covers.

"And your head the most?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Troy nodded, but that hurt his head too.

"And this makes your mind hurt how?"

"It just does. Like my head is spinning and my eyes hurt too."

"You know you are going to go through this all with your mom when she gets home in a few minutes."

"I know."

"Would you like me call Chad?"

"Yeah, please."

"There is the garage door, mom's home. I'll call Chad."

"Thanks," Troy said as Jack's weight was lifted from the bed. He heard his mom call out a hello and then pulled his blanket over his head again only to have them ripped from his grasp again by his mom.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Sara asked.

"Ask dad," Troy said pulling his pillow over his head.

"I already did," Sara said.

"Then you already know," Troy said, muffled by his pillow.

"Did he take your temp? I want to feel your head." Troy groaned, but threw his pillow down by his feet all the same. "Thank you," Sara said, pressing her hand against his forehead. "It doesn't feel hot," she commented as she brushed the back of her fingers over his cheeks. "I'm getting the thermometer, don't move."

"Never planned on it," Troy said. He was trying to move his pillow up to where he could reach it with out sitting up using his feet and knees. It finally got close enough to where if he scrunched down a little, he could grab it. As he was replacing it behind his head, his mom came back in with the thermometer. She stuck it in his mouth and press the button. They waited, looking around his room until it beeped. When if finally did, Sara pulled it out and looked at it, "99.8, just a little above normal."

"Satisfied?" Troy asked.

"Very, would you like anything to eat or drink?" Sara asked standing up.

"I just want to sleep," Troy said.

"Ok, I hope you feel better soon," Sara kissed his forehead before departing from the room. Troy pulled his covers over his head once more and fell asleep. The next time he woke up was not as forceful as before.

He threw off his blanket, he was sweating. He looked over to see Chad sitting in his desk chair, holding a book? "How long have you been here?" Troy asked, rubbing his eyes.

"About two hours," Chad said.

"Dude, are you reading?" Troy asked.

"No, it's," Chad started; Gabriella entered the room, "Her book."

"What are you doing here?" Troy asked rubbing his eyes again to make sure she was really there.

"Your mom called, so here I am," she said sitting in a folding chair that Troy just noticed was there.

"You gave her the uncomfortable seat?" Troy shot a look at Chad.

"How do you feel?" Gabriella asked after Chad opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking like a fish.

"Like crap," Troy said before a coughing fit seized him. He spied the bottle of water from before on his nightstand and downed some of it.

"Well, I'm glad you up, I'm bored," Chad complained.

"I'd gladly switch places with you," Troy said, "Come over here and I'll sneeze on you."

"Let's play a game," Gabriella interrupted before a bickering match could ensue.

"Not tag," Troy said.

"What about a board game or a card game," Gabriella suggested.

"We have monopoly downstairs," Troy told her.

"Chad go get it," Gabriella ordered.

"Why me?" Chad whined.

"Because Troy is sick and you know the house better than I do," Gabriella said, and it was logical so he couldn't argue with it. Chad grumbled as he got up and went downstairs to fetch the game. Troy sat up and leaned against his headboard, hugging his pillow to his stomach. Gabriella got up and sat down on one side of his bed, "What cha thinkin' 'bout?" She asked looking at his serious face.

Troy was pulled out of his thoughts or more of a flashback. "Andy, and this one time I was sick when I was like twelve. I think I had like a really bad cold or something. And she wanted to do something for me so she heated up Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and then serve it to me in bed. But she tripped in the doorway and it went all over my bed. I think it even burned my feet through all my blankets. And yeah, I just saw it playing out in front of me."

Gabriella was laughing quietly, "Well, I promise not to do that."

"That is one of the few times I can ever recall being sick. There was the chicken pox at age six and strep throat at age seven and then that cold at age 12 and now this. I've probably had some strain of a cold every winter, but it never really bothered me or changed my lifestyle."

"Lifestyle?" Gabriella looked at him strangely.

"Like made me stay home from school or stopped me from going some where or doing something," Troy explained.

"Lifestyle," Gabriella repeated, laughing.

"Hey, I liked my word choice," Troy defended himself.

"It was very interesting word choice," Gabriella giggled.

"Shut up," Troy pouted.

"Aww," Gabriella crawled up by him and laid her head on his shoulder, "Now that was really cute."

A chuckle rumbled through Troy's body as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "Thank you," he said kissing the top of her head.

"You're welcome," She murmured.

"And I mean it for everything. Sticking with me throughout all my drama and turmoil. I think I'm really lucky to have found you. And I try not to take you for granted, but I think I do anyways without knowing it. And..."

"Troy, shut up," Gabriella cut in.

"I am not shutting up about you," Troy continued on, "Cause I think you should know. That sometimes when I'm with you, Andy seems light years ago and it doesn't hurt anymore. And then I'm ready to be totally over Andy and just let her go. So I can fully be with you. Cause I want to. I want to be yours. I want to be able to love you. And sometimes I feel like I can."

"Are you going to stop now?" Gabriella asked, "I like hearing this, but it is so not necessary."

"Ok, I can stop if you let me sleep," Troy said laying his head on top of hers.

"I wonder what is taking Chad so long?" Gabriella wondered aloud.

"Probably got locked in the closet," Troy said.

"Is that even possible?" Gabriella asked, disbelievingly.

"Nope," they both chuckled and then settled down into sleep.

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They woke up hours later. Chad and Taylor were on the floor playing a heated game of monopoly. Taylor was obviously winning as she had on the happy face and Chad had on the sad face. "Afternoon sleepyheads," Taylor said looking up from the game as Troy and Gabriella started to move.

"Taylor?" Troy asked rubbing his eyes as he sat up more, not leaning against the headboard. This caused Gabriella to slip from beneath his arm and down behind his back.

"Yes, I am actually here and not an illusion," Taylor said as she rolled the dice.

"Taylor?" Gabriella asked sitting up next to Troy.

"Gabriella," Taylor nodded, moving her playing piece.

"What are you doing here?" Gabriella asked wrapping her arms around Troy and placing her chin on his shoulder.

"I called Chad and he told me what was happening here and when he came up to Troy's room, you guys were asleep and so I came over to keep him company and we started this game," Taylor said as Chad took his turn.

"I'm going back to sleep," Troy said closing his eyes again and scrunching down under the covers to a laying position. You that feeling of the more you sleep, the sleepier you get? That was how Troy felt, he had been sleeping all night and then all day; it was really a waste of a day.

Gabriella got up and joined the monopoly game, playing banker. The three started to chatter as Troy drifted off to sleep again.

The fourth time Troy woke up that day was forceful like the first time. "Get up sweetheart," Sara was shaking him gently.

"What time is it?" Troy groaned as he rolled over and started to open his eyes, rubbing them.

"Just past six. Your friends are downstairs. It's time for dinner, you need to eat," Sara said, "So get up." Troy groaned and threw off his blankets. He sat up and swung his legs off his bed. "How long does it take you to get up? Should I call the world record people?"

"Mom!" Troy couldn't believe his mom would say such a thing, "I haven't gotten up all day, I'm a little weak. What's your problem?"

"Everyone is waiting on you," Sara said, "I will save you from others reasons that I am irritable."

"Thank you," Troy stood up and followed his mom downstairs. Everyone was seated around the dining room table. Taylor and Chad were seated on one side and Gabriella on the other side next to an empty seat. His dad was seated at one end and his mom was taking the seat at the other. Troy took the empty seat and surveyed what was on the table.

"Being sick I thought that some good ole mac and cheese might be best for you," Sara indicated to a bowl near him on the table.

"Thanks mom," Troy said as everyone started to dig in.

His friends went home after dinner and Troy went back to bed and slept all night.

"I wonder if we should take him to the doctor's?" Sara thought out loud that night in the living room reading a book as Jack was reading the paper.

"It's a cold or something, he'll be fine in a few days," Jack said, glancing up, "Besides if he ends up getting medicine it could mess with the stuff he's taking from Shannon and then we have to put up with a pissy Troy which I can do with out."

"You'd sacrifice your son's health so you wouldn't have to deal with an irritable him?" Sara looked at him.

"If he's not better in a few days, yes we could, but it has just been one day. And we know he would be complaining all the way to the doctor's office," Jack said.

"I suppose you are right," Sara said looking back to her back.

"Every little thing that goes wrong with him doesn't call for a hospital visit. Troy can handle himself," Sara started to protest and Jack continued louder over her, "Physically. I'm not talking about all that mental stuff, though he is getting better mentally too everyday. But when it comes to a person's body, only they know how they are feeling, you can't tell him that he is feeling bad enough to go to the doctors."

"Whatever Jack, but if he isn't better in a few days, I want you to take him to the doctors," Sara sighed.

"I will, I know how to take care of our kid Sara. Ok, I work with kids; I know how they tick. And I'll take him when I find it necessary," Jack went back to reading the paper.

"Fine," Sara went back to reading her book.

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The next day Troy graduated to laying on the couch all day watching movies with Gabriella and his dad. And then the third day was better and he actually got up and did stuff.

"What cha you doin'?" Gabriella asked the fourth day after, walking into his room. Troy was lying on his bed and appeared to be writing.

"I am writing," Troy said looking up at her.

"I can see that silly, I meant what are you writing?" Gabriella sat on the end of his bed.

"The truth?" Troy asked.

"No I want a lie," Gabriella said sarcastically, "Yes the truth."

"A letter. I found Andy's letter and read it again. So I thought about what I would say to her now and some how got to writing a letter. I am trying to figure out what I would say to her if I saw her right now. And I have no idea what it would be," Troy said setting his pencil down on his notebook. "I have gone through about five pages each with different ideas. But I don't know what she would say I don't know how I would react and say."

"So it should be like a monologue of what all you would tell her," Gabriella nodded and suggested.

"I don't know what I'd say to her. I love her; I hate her. I never what to see her again; I want her to come back. Every contradiction you can think of applies here. Nothing is making sense here does it Gabriella?"

"Nah, I got, you are still a little confused, but it's ok, when the right words come, you'll know it. They'll come, just be patient."

"I've been patient for two years. I tired of not being able to find the right words. I'm tired of things being so confusing. I want to figure this out, now, but I can't," Troy said frustrated, picking his pencil back up and erasing something he had written.

"Ok, set down the pencil, put away the paper, this frustration will only get you more frustrated. You are taking a break with me," Gabriella said taking the items he had in his hands and setting them on his desk. Against his protest the dragged him to his feet and out the door. "Don't ask me what we are doing, but we are doing something and once we've done it I will be able to tell you what we are doing," Gabriella said pulling him by his hand out his front door and down the sidewalk.

"As much as this is not helping me," Troy started.

"Yes it is, now take a deep breath, breath the fresh air, it is good for you. Now, what is Chad up to today? I know Taylor is watching Theo again today and I talked to Kelsi last night, I thought about maybe hanging out with her sometime," Gabriella rambled on. Troy sighed and listened as she tried to change his mind focus, "So what do you think?"

"I don't care, I'm just following you. You are the one in control right now," Troy didn't know what she was asking about since he hadn't really been listening; the words went in one ear and out the other.

"Code for you weren't listening."

"Ok, so you caught me not paying attention."

"Why am I here?" Gabriella wondered out loud.

"Um..." Troy didn't know how she wanted him to respond.

"For now, I think it is to distract you, and apparently I am not doing my job, now come on, we are going to find something to do where you don't have time to think. Now to the park we go," Gabriella said rather definitely.

"Why the park?" Troy asked.

"Because it is a big open space that you can do a lot of stuff in."

"As in..." Troy led in.

"As in a child's games, hm, like did you ever do those hand games like Miss Mary Mack and there are like zillions of them out there. There are tons of things you can do in an open area."

"Yeah, that is what all the little girls do in elementary school, need I remind you that we are going into our senior year?"

"Nope, I know, but you have to retain your inner kid, but they like to come out every once in a while too."

"I really, really don't want to be a kid again."

"You don't have to be the kid you were ten years ago again, you just have to be a kid in the now not the past. Make any sense?"

"Not really and all the sense in the world."

"That's what I was going for."

"To confuse me?" Troy asked.

"Yep, it makes you think," Gabriella said proudly.

"Ok, so I am thinking and confused, if that was your goal you reached it."

"Well then I am really happy with reaching my goal, and," Gabriella said as they reached the entrance of the park, "TAG! You're it!" And she ran away. Troy stood there watching her for a second before comprehending and chasing after her.

"Is this the only game you know?" Troy shouted after her as he ran.

"No, but you didn't seem in the mood for something even more childish or girly like those hand-clapping games," Gabriella twirled after to face him as she ran to talk and then back around away from him to continue to elude him. "And there are only two of us so we can't do anything elaborate," she tossed over her shoulder.

"Who said anything about something elaborate?"

"You just did."

"And you're caught," Troy said wrapping his arms around her.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Gabriella asked looking up at him.

"I think I am going to kiss you."

"And you are waiting for..." she drifted off.

"Nothing," Troy said before leaning down to kiss her.

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AN: So I wanted to add more and I really hate this chapter, there is no point to it really; I just needed something to fill in space. I know where I want to go, just getting there is a little hard. And I am sorry it was so long in between like two month, and I will begin work on the next chapter, but since school started forever ago, typing takes a back seat so it may take a while for the next chapter, hopefully not as long as this one. Still please leave me a review, I welcome you to tell me that this one sucked.