This is the final chapter! Everyone, I want to thank you AGAIN for being GREAT reviewers, all of ya are amazing, keep my stories going. Sorry, if I haven't checked out your stories, or something, but I'll try to get around to it, now that it's the holidays. Kay:

Gabriella recovered from shock first and ran after him. Troy stormed on, walking through the Montez's house and down the drive-way. Gabriella shoved open the door and chased down the road after him. She caught up to him at the dairy, where she grabbed both his arms and shoved him to a stop.

"What's up? What happened back there?!" She yelled at him. Troy tried to push her off, but she pushed him back further, behind the dairy, so no-one could see them. "What was that?!" Troy started fidgeting, with his fingers, moving from foot-to-foot, looking anxiously from side-to-side. "Troy…Troy, look at me!"

"That was Simon Lester, wasn't it?" Troy burst out.

"Yeah, it was," Gabriella replied. Troy groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "What? You know him? Well, duh! She thought. Troy seemed to be thinking the same thing as well.

"Oh, was it that obvious?" He asked sarcastically. Gabriella frowned at him in annoyance. Troy took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Look, I know Lester from way back, he went to Uni with my sister and a few of her friends. Trust me, he's bad news." Gabriella blinked and shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

"Simon? That Simon? He's a baby," Gabriella protested.

"No, he isn't!" Troy cried. "He's an immature jerk who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a pretty girl!" Gabriella took a step back and crossed her arms, looking defiant. Troy realized that he was going to get a steaming barrage of words.

"And why's that?!" She shouted at him. "He might say the same thing about you! Not be anywhere near a pretty girl!" Gabriella scoffed and frowned at Troy. "Tell, how well do you know Simon Lester?"

"I know him well enough!" Troy shouted back. "He's an ignorant snob, who relies on his rich daddy to get him out of any problem which comes his way." Gabriella sighed, looking a lot calmer, and she rubbed her hand across her face.

"Simon's dad is dead," she told him. Troy blinked and looked confused. "He died of a heart-attack a few months back."

"Oh," Troy muttered. "Still doesn't change what he did." Gabriella looked at Troy, who refused to meet her eyes. She walked right up to him, and turned his chin so that he was forced to look at her.

"What did he do?" She asked sternly.

"At the moment, you don't need to know. Just don't get drunk while you're around him," Troy muttered. Gabriella laughed softly.

"I've been drunk around him. I used to go out with him, for crying out loud!" Gabriella cried. Troy blinked.

"You did?" He asked.

"For about a term when I was thirteen--last year--and he was sixteen," Gabriella informed him. "But trust me, he's not as cute as you, and he doesn't kiss as good as you." Troy tried not to let his pride show on his face, though. "Look, Troy, whatever it is, it can't be affecting you know, can it? It's in the past." They were standing close, and Gabriella had one arm around his shoulder. Troy looked up at the sky.

"Gabi, I don't expect you to understand at the moment, okay? You're just going to have to trust me…how long have you known him?" Troy asked.

"Since I was thirteen…about a year and a few months," Gabriella replied. She put her other arm around his neck and smiled. "But you do know that you can tell be absolutely anything…anything at all?" Troy grinned at her slightly and put his arms around her waist.

"Stuff like…you're looking really cute now?" He joked lightly. His breath tingled across her cheeks and lips, and she blushed.

"Yeah, stuff like that," Gabriella replied mock-seriously. She reached up to kiss him when Troy noticed that someone was standing by the drive-way of the dairy. He cleared his throat and Gabriella spun around. "Oh, Brand," she said, going pink. "Um, I'd like you to meet Troy. Troy, this is my brother Brand."

"Hey," Troy said, slapping hands with Brand. Brand gave Troy a dazed look.

"Dude, you change moods faster than my sister on one of her hormonal rages! One minute you're storming off and the next you're practically making out!" Brand cried.

"Oh, thanks!" Gabriella snapped, slapping Brand. "Hormonal rages!" Brand grabbed her hand as she slapped him and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Still carrying the squealing Gabriella, Brand turned to Troy.

"Let's go grab something downtown, my treat!"