"Brad? Brad! Wake up!" Paris whisper-yelled at her twin brother. She was still angry with him but she felt that he needed to know about David. Brad stirred but did not wake up. Paris rolled her eyes ad saw the glass of water on his bedside table. She smirked as she emptied it onto his face. Brad bolted up and was about to yell but could not. Why? Simple reason. Paris knew her twin brother too well and had covered his mouth.
"Shh! Get up and get dressed. We're going to New York. I'll answer all your questions when you're ready," she whispered before she went out of the room for her brother to change. Brad was definitely confused but he did what he was told to do anyway. It must have been urgent since Paris was talking to him after a few weeks. It was probably about David and he would probably not like the conversation they were about to have but he was desperate to talk to his twin no matter what.
"Okay, what's up?" Brad asked as he walked into his sister's room the moment he was dressed. He was surprised to find McKenzie up too. McKenzie looked at him and he saw that she was looking worried. She got up and pointed to Paris who was packing some stuff into a backpack.
"Your twin sister has officially lost it. She thinks she's going to fly to New York to see David," McKenzie explained. Brad's eyes widened as he turned to face his sister.
"Please tell me that McKenzie's just saying that and not meaning it," he pleaded. Paris glared at him and just continued packing.
"We are going to be in so much trouble when Mom and Troy find out," he groaned. Paris snapped at him.
"Well I don't care if we get into trou- Wait, what do you mean by 'we'?" she asked. Brad raised his eyebrows at his sister.
"You really don't think I'm going to let you go alone, are you?" he asked, crossing his arms. Paris just rolled her eyes and hugged her brother, as if nothing had happened between them for the past few weeks. Kenz looked at them as though they had just told her that Brandon still kept his old teddy bear.
"The Gomez twins have officially lost it!" she whispered-shrieked, only to be glared at by Brad and Paris.
"Correction. The Gomez-Montez-Bolton kids have officially lost it," a new voice groaned as the person entered the room with his younger brother, his best friend and his best friends' sister with a huge backpack slung over his shoulders.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
"They're up to something," Alana said knowingly to her husband. Ryan looked at her, confused. Alana rolled her eyes.
"They're still up," she said.
"Alana, they're asleep. I checked on them just now. They were both in their rooms and had packed. Relax," Ryan soothed her as he hugged her closer.
"I love you," she said as she kissed him softly on the lips. Ryan smiled.
"I love you too," he said, inhaling her scent and burying his face in her hair. Alana snuggled closer to him, loving his touch and how he made her feel. A few minutes later, both lovers were asleep unaware of the shock they were soon going to receive.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
"What are you guys doing here?" Brad asked, surprised at the arrival of the four new additions.
"Andy! Thank god! Knock some sense into them! They wanna fly to New York in Blake's jet!" Kenz sold her friends out. Brad and Paris glared at her harder.
"Why do you think I'm carrying this extra heavy backpack? We're all going!" Clay whined. Andrea rolled her eyes and hit him on his head while everyone else was thankful that the room was far from Troyella's and Chaylor's room.
"Blake called me to confirm the jet details and I got everything out of him," Faith informed her sister who was obviously wondering how they knew.
"WHAT?! Are you guys out of your freakishly insane minds? Our first day of school is tomorrow!" Kenz shrieked. The others just rolled their eyes and walked out of the room to get to the car, leaving McKenzie just standing there.
"Are you coming or not?" Brad asked as he and Paris waited for her outside the door. Kenz just shrugged and followed after them.
"Might as well take the chance to miss school," she said.
Faith left a note on the counter for the adults before joining the others in the car to get to the airport. Faith, Tyler and Paris were in one car with Faith as the diver and Clay, Andrea, McKenzie and Brad were in Clay's car. All the teenagers were well aware of the consequences they were going to have to face.
Fifteen minutes later, they were all at the airport, and were surprised to find Alan, Brandon, Mikayla and Savannah already there.
"As if we would let you guys have all the fun. Besides, Jamie can't wait to meet Alan and she called him. She's excited to see us," Mikayla explained, nudging Alan as she teased him. Alan rolled his eyes and blushed. Jamie was Blake's step-daughter. She was seventeen and she and Alan had gotten off pretty well. Unfortunately, it was a known fact that she did not really get on well with Brandon. The others still looked confused.
"What she means is that Blake told Jamie that Paris was going to New York tonight and she thought I was going too and she called me. So, I found out about your little trip and told Brandon who told Mikayla and Savannah and WA LA! Here we are," Alan said. Faith laughed and hugged Brandon while Mikayla, Savannah and Andrea shared knowing glances. Brad and Paris raised their eyebrows while McKenzie had to stifle a giggle. The other guys were making puking sounds.
"Well! Enough of the lovey-dovey stuff! C'mon! Before our parents find out what we're up to. We only have a deal with Blake until tomorrow when he will bust us out," Paris said.
"What deal?" Tyler asked. Paris smirked.
"Let's just say it involves a little blackmail," Paris hinted and walked away while the others just stood confused before shrugging and then checking in.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
A loud scream was heard in the Evans' household when Alana woke up the next morning. She frantically dialed Troyella's and Chaylor's residence as Ryan raced down the stairs when he had heard Alana's frantic screams. He found Alana on the phone with a very worried look on her face and a piece of paper in her other hand.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
Taylor groaned as the phone rang and stirred. She sat up and picked up the phone to hear Gabriella had already answered it and was talking to a very panic-stricken Alana. Knowing that Taylor had also answered the phone, Alana repeated what she had been saying and Taylor's eyes widened. A few seconds later, she growled. Oh, those kids were in so much trouble! Taylor hung up and kicked Chad out of the bed as she walked into the bathroom, leaving behind her very sleepy and confused husband.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
Zeke woke up to his fiancé's loud voice on the phone. That rarely happened. He was usually the first one up. Sharpay was on the phone and she had a worried look on her face. She thanked the person on the phone and hung up. She smiled at Zeke softly and told him to get dress because they were going to the Troyella's and Chaylor's house. Oh, that couldn't be good seeing as it was the first day of school and they had to go over there.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
Jason and Kelsi woke up and silently packed their stuff. Their flight was at one and they had been thinking about apologizing to McKenzie and wishing her good luck for her first day of school. Little did they know the shock they were going to get when they arrived at Troyella's house.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
Troy woke up to find Gabriella's side of the bed empty. He yawned as he sat up and looked at the clock. His eyes widened as he looked at the time. Why had Gabriella not woken him up? An even better question would be why the house was so quiet when it was supposed to be the first day of school. He got out of bed and showered before getting ready for his first day at East High that year.
He went into the kitchen to find breakfast and was surprised to find Alana, Ryan, Sharpay and Zeke there. He was even more surprised that none of the kids were there and Chad was up and ready before him. Gabriella, Sharpay, Alana and Taylor each had a letter in their hands.
"What's going on?" he asked, suddenly not having a very good feeling in his gut. Gabriella shoved the piece of paper into his hands.
Dear Mom and Troy,
We, your four amazing children, Andrea, Faith, Brad and Paris, have probably flown to New York by now with the help of Blake's private jet. Before you call Blake, Mom, I want you to know that he is not in fault here. We made him promise not to tell you or anyone else and you know how Blake keeps his promises. Anyway, we're fine. Clay and Tyler insisted on coming with us. Actually, Tyler insisted but Clay wanted to stay so tell Aunt Taylor Clay was against it. Mom, you know Paris is crazy over David and he's like a brother to all of us. There's no way we're going to let him go through the funeral alone. He needs to know that we'll be there for him. Troy, you told us that true friends will go to the ends of the earth for each other and that's exactly what we're doing. You guys know that you would have done the exact same thing for any of our uncles or aunts.
We love you guys and don't worry. We're safe. We'll be calling you guys soon. And we won't complain if you ground us till we're 30 because we know we deserve it. We know of the consequences but we're still going to do this no matter what. David has always been a part of our family and he always will be. And families will do anything for each other.
Love,
Faith, Andrea, Brad and Paris
P.S. McKenzie's with us.
"Oh no they didn't!" Troy exclaimed, horror-struck.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
"Me? Why should I? You do it!"
"This was your idea! And besides, I already wrote the note!"
"But Faith, Mom will probably scream at me and then I'll go deaf!"
"Well, somebody's gonna have to face the wrath. You do it, Andy!"
"What? Why me?"
"Because you're daddy's little girl! You can sweet talk Troy into sweet talking Mom."
"Pfft. Yeah, right. This situation is even worse than when I sneaked to summer camp last year. Brad, you do it."
"And be grounded till I'm thirty? I don't think so."
"Umm… Yeah… About that grounded part…"
"Faith, what did you do?"
"Brad, put the knife down. I kinda told them that they could ground us till we're thirty and that we won't complain."
"YOU WHAT?!"
"Knives down, people!"
"Okay, what did Faith do this time?"
"How come I'm always the first suspect?"
"Because your siblings are glaring at you so hard that they might burn a whole through your head. And not to mention that I'm still angry at you for getting me into trouble with the tattoos."
"C'mon, Kayl. That was like a zillion years ago."
" It was last year and I'm ignoring you now. So, what did she do?"
"She told our parents they have permission to ground us until we're thirty!"
"Hate to break it to you but we're all going to be grounded until we turn fifty. Thirty's too soon to our parents."
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
"Oh yes, they did," Sharpay's voice was murderous. Troy looked at his friends faces and was about to say something but was interrupted as Jason and Kelsi burst through the door.
"What's the emergency?" Jason huffed, out of breath.
"You daughter is on the way to New York with our children," Gabriella said. Kelsi and Jason looked at each other before looking at the rest of the gang.
"But I thought we're going to New York?" he asked pointing at him and Kelsi. Kelsi rolled her eyes, hit his head and walked over to the gang to get the whole story.
"All these years, and she still does that," Jason muttered, shaking his head before walking over to the gang. Within a few minutes, the couple had been filled in.
"N-no way," Kelsi stuttered, too loss for words. Jason looked at his friends faces and stopped when he saw Troy's and Chad's. Instead of looking worried and angry like the others, they looked, dare he say, amused?
"Why aren't you guys angry?" he asked as he pointed to the two of them. Troy and Chad looked at each other and then burst out laughing like maniacs. Gabriella and Taylor looked angrier, if that was even possible. How could those two idiots be laughing at something so serious?
"You two better have a good reason for laughing because if you don't, I swear to god, you're going to be buried soon," Taylor hissed. Troy and Chad immediately stopped laughing after hearing the rare venom in Taylor's voice.
"Don't they all remind you of some people?" Chad asked.
"Huh?"
"Do you guys remember when we were all fifteen and Gabriella had moved to London for a while?" Troy asked. Gabriella and Taylor softened and nodded along with everyone in the room except Alana.
"What happened when you were fifteen?" she asked, feeling left out.
"Well, Gabriella's mother had decided to send her to a boarding school…"
Flashback…
Fifteen-year-old Gabriella Montez was sobbing her heart out on the balcony of her room. She had just found out that her mother was sending her to a boarding school the following week. Gabriella had gotten into too much trouble that her mother had decided to send her to a boarding school to turn her into a lady.
"Gabby? Are you okay?" a voice asked. Gabriella jumped and saw her best friend beside her looking very worried. He must have climbed up the tree again. Gabriella shook her head and flung her arms around Troy and started crying again. Troy just held her tighter and ran his fingers through her hair, comforting her even though he did not know what the problem was.
"Ella, what's wrong?" he asked, using his special nickname for her. Gabriella sniffed.
"My mom's making me go to a boarding school in London!" she wailed and hugged her best friend tighter. Troy stopped running his hand through her hair and froze.
"W-what?" he stammered.
"She said I've been getting into too much trouble and my grades are slipping. And sending me to London is the only choice," Gabriella mumbled but Troy heard every word of it. He lifted her chin gently with his hand.
"When do you leave?" he asked.
"Next week," she sniffled.
"I'm going to miss you," he said as he kissed her forehead.
"I'm going to miss you more," Gabriella said as she snuggled closer to him. The two of them stayed that way the whole night, afraid of letting each other go.
The next week, the gang was all at the airport saying their goodbyes. The girls all let their emotions out while the boys had a hard time concealing them. Especially Troy.
"I'm going to miss you, Gabster," Chad said as he hugged her. Gabriella hugged him back.
"You take care of Tay for me, okay?" she whispered. Chad scoffed.
"Why do I get Mrs. Know-It-All?" he whined. Gabriella rolled her eyes and hugged Taylor.
"Win the decathlon for me, okay?" Gabriella asked. Taylor nodded and smiled. She hugged the Evans twins next.
"No killing each other, got it?" she asked sternly. Sharpay and Ryan chuckled and the three group-hugged, Next, she turned to Zeke.
"Ask her out already. You might be surprised at what she might say," Gabriella advised him. Zeke just nodded and engulfed her in a bear hug.
"I'm going to miss you, l'il sis," he said. Gabriella sniffled.
"I'm going to miss you too. I'll miss your cookies more but I'll still miss you," she joked. Zeke laughed. Jason and Kelsi hugged her together.
"Thanks for getting us together, Gabs. I don't know what we'd do without you," Jason said.
"Well, you're about to find out," Gabriella sniffled sadly. Last but definitely not least was Troy.
"I love you," she whispered. Troy hugged her.
"I love you too," he said as he kissed her on the cheek. Minutes later, Gabriella Montez was on her way to London.
Two months after Gabriella had left, the gang was still missing her and she was missing them. They knew because they could tell she was trying to sound happy at her boarding school but it was not working. They had seen right through her act. The person that had been affected most was Troy. His grades were slipping and basketball was no longer his number one priority. Gabriella was.
So, needless to say, Sharpay Evans was fed up and angry. How dare they send her best friend to a boarding school? She was mostly angry at two people. Mrs. Montez for sending Gabriella and her mother for suggesting it. So, she came up with the perfect solution to get Gabriella back.
"Are you out of your mind, Evans?" Troy demanded the moment he had heard Sharpay's plan. They were all currently at the lunch table and Sharpay had just told them her plan. Sharpay rolled her eyes. Out of all the people at the lunch table, the only one who looked impressed at her idea were Chad and Jason.
"Well, do you have a better idea, Bolton?" she snapped. Troy was about to retort but Taylor cut him off.
"Wait. So what you're saying is that if we flew to London in your private jet and protest against our parents we can get Gabriella back?" Taylor asked.
"Exactly. We'll all go to meet Gabriella in London and tell our parents we're not coming home until Gabriella does. That way, our parents will talk to Maria and Gabriella will be back here in no time," Sharpay explained.
"It could work," Kelsi said thoughtfully.
"Okay, those in favour of flying to New York, race your hands," Ryan ordered as he raised his. Sharpay's, Kelsi's and Chad's hands were the first ones to shoot up. Seeing his girlfriend raise her hand, Jason followed and so did Zeke after seeing Sharpay's glare.
"Okay, so it's six against two I think the six wins," Ryan said. Troy looked unsure while Taylor looked at them like they had all gone mental.
"Are you guys mental? There has got to be some other way," Taylor argued.
"Like what, Taylor? We've been thanking of stupid ideas since Gabriella left. How about actually trying one?" Jason asked as he shrugged.
"We're all going," Troy said suddenly. He looked at Sharpay and asked, "When can we take the jet?"
"Anytime we want to."
"Good. We're going at ten tonight so everyone gets ready by then. If our parents ask, we're spending the night at Sharpay's and Ryan's house, okay? We're getting Gabriella back here," he nodded firmly, determined to get his best friend back.
Right after school, they all got ready for their flight. And soon, they were on the jet and away to London to get their best friend back. When they had reached their destination, Sharpay called for a limo and they all stayed in a hotel all eager to see Gabriella again the next day.
The next day, the gang went to the boarding school to see Gabriella. It took them a while but they soon spotted their favourite Latina.
"C-Chad?" Gabriella stuttered, recognizing the afro immediately.
"Hey Gabster," Chad grinned. Gabriella's eyes traveled across the group and landed on the blue-eyed best friend of hers she had missed so much.
"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed as she ran to her best friend and hugged him. She was wearing her uniform but she looked cute in it. She also looked like she had lost a lot of weight and not gotten enough sleep.
"I cannot believe this! What are you guys doing here?" she squealed as she hugged the rest of the gang.
"To get you back to Albuquerque," Sharpay answered. Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows as she led them to her dormitory. There, she demanded that they explained everything to her.
"You guys. I don't know what to say. I mean, I don't know if I should feel happy that you guys are here or guilty that your parents are probably worrying about you right now. Guys, I want to get back to Albuquerque, really, I do, but this isn't the way," she ranted.
"I thought you said you didn't know what to say," Chad mumbled. Gabriella scowled and hit him on his head.
"Look. All I'm saying is that what we're doing is not right."
"Gabby, I know what you mean but your Mom sending you here isn't right either," Troy tried to convince her gently.
"She sent me here as a punishment and I deserved it. I was causing too much trouble. Trouble that she didn't need."
"Bullshit, Gabby. She separated all of us!" Sharpay exclaimed.
"My dad would be disappointed in me if I let you guys stay here because I know it's not the right thing to do. I'm sorry," she said sadly, regret in her voice, as she looked at the floor and opened her dorm room door, not daring to look at any of her friends faces. Troy shook his head disbelievingly and glared at Gabriella.
"You're really going to chase us out of here just because you think your dad would be disappointed in you when we risked everything to come here to get you?" he hissed. Gabriella nodded, still finding the floor interesting. His face hardened as he walked towards the door.
"C'mon you guys. We wouldn't want to disappoint Gabriella's special daddy," Troy said sarcastically with no emotion in his voice. Gabriella felt tears well up in her eyes at the coldness in his voice. He pushed past her and walked out.
"Please tell me you're going to beg us to stay," Sharpay pleaded. Gabriella just shook her head.
"I'm sorry." Was all she said. Sharpay ran out of the room with Zeke following after her. Taylor pushed past her and Jason and Ryan followed suit. Chad hugged her before leaving.
"I forgive you," Chad whispered and headed out. Gabriella finally mustered the courage to look at Kelsi. What she saw surprised her the most. Kelsi was looking at her with a hint of admiration in her eyes instead of looking angry like she had expected her to.
"I'm not angry. I'm proud of you. I know you're confused at what to feel. All I want you to know is that we'll all always be here for you. They're a little angry right now but they'll calm down eventually. Gabriella, friends will go to the ends of the earth for each other and we just proved it. You proved to be a great friend by making what us do what's right, so there's no need for you to feel guilty," Kelsi said as she hugged Gabriella and left the dormitory, leaving Gabriella behind to think…
Two weeks later, the gang, minus Chad and Kelsi, were still not over the fact that Gabriella had chased them out of her dorm. Again, Troy had been affected the worst. He didn't know what to feel. He didn't know whether he was supposed to be angry or proud of her for getting them to do the right thing. Then again, she had chased them out of her room in London when they had flown all the way from Albuquerque.
Sharpay was still angry at Gabriella for throwing them out. That ungrateful little cockroach. How dare she? Jason was still confused… as usual. Zeke was trying to calm down Sharpay and so was Ryan. Taylor had been surprisingly quiet and Chad, surprisingly, had missed her being naggy. Chad and Kelsi had kept in touch with Gabriella for the first week but communication soon seized the next week when Gabriella did not answer their calls, e-mails or letters.
Currently the gang was in Troy's room, hanging out like they always did after school. They were all doing their homework when Kelsi's phone started ringing.
"Hello? Hey! OMG! Like, seriously? Okay, I'm at Troy's now. Yeah, we all are. Okay! You still remember where he lives, right? Love you too, cuz. Bye," Kelsi hung up and squealed. The whole gang covered their ears as she squealed again.
"Gee, Kels. Why don't you scream a little bit more? I'm sure the people in China didn't hear you," Ryan said sarcastically.
"Sorry. I'm just excited. My cousin, Ella, is coming to visit today and she wanted to meet me first so I told her to meet me here. Is that okay?" she asked. Troy shrugged.
"You already told her to meet you here." A few minutes later, Kelsi got another phone call from her cousin and raced to the door, grabbing Jason who grabbed Zeke who grabbed Sharpay who grabbed Ryan who grabbed Taylor who grabbed Chad who grabbed Troy.
"Wait here," she ordered them as she opened the door and revealed a petite brunette fifteen year old girl. The whole gang froze at the sight of the girl.
"Hey, Ella!" Kelsi flung her arms around the girl.
"Hey, Kelsi," the brunette laughed.
"Gabster!" Chad shouted as he engulfed her in a tight hug.
"Chadster!"
"Somebody pinch me," Zeke mumbled. Gabriella shrugged and pinched him.
"OUCH! Gabriella! I'm not dreaming! YES!" he screamed as he picked her up and swung her around. Gabriella giggled.
"I missed you too, Zeke," she grinned.
"Didn't you leave?" Jason asked, confused at her sudden appearance. Chad rolled his eyes and hit his friend's head. Gabriella laughed as she hugged Jason.
"Well, I'm back now," she said as she let go.
"Good because we were falling apart without you," Jason told her.
"How did you get here? It's not even the holidays yet! You're not supposed to be here!" Ryan exclaimed.
"I came here by American Airlines?" Gabriella asked rather than said. Ryan just shrugged, laughed it off and hugged her.
"We missed you so much," he said. Gabriella just smiled softly and let go. She then turned to the three people she knew would have a harder time forgiving her than the rest. She just looked at them for a moment before Troy had had enough and ran up to his room, slamming the door behind him. Gabriella sighed and tried her best to keep the tears from falling down her face. Sensing her friend's sadness, Taylor softened up and hugged Gabriella.
"He'll come around. You'll see." Taylor said. Gabriella just broke down and sobbed as she felt another pair of arms around her.
"It'll be fine, Ella. Like Taylor said, he'll come around," Sharpay comforted her Latina friend.
"WHAT TEAM?" Chad shouted.
"WILDCATS!" Everyone shouted back, being used to their regular cheer.
"WHAT TEAM?"
"WILDCATS!"
"WILDCATS?"
"ALL FOR ONE!"
Gabriella laughed as her friends all crowded around her. She had amazing friends and she wouldn't have had it any other way.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
"I cannot believe I'm doing this," Gabriella muttered as she climbed the tree that led to Troy's bedroom. She landed on his balcony. Like Gabriella's room, Troy's room had a balcony in it. Unlike Gabriella's balcony, the place was messy as she stepped on the concrete. Troy was still too lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice her. He was throwing his basketball up and down. (A/N: Think of the scene in HSM 2 when Troy has a conversation with his father in his bedroom about not knowing who he was anymore.)
Gabriella knocked on the balcony door. Shocked by the sudden noise, Troy fell off the bed as he looked at Gabriella as though she were some alien from outer space. He got up and walked to open the door to let her in.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, so shocked that all coldness from his voice was gone.
"Well, I wanted to apologize to my best friend and explain to him that I'm here to stay until I graduate from high school. I also want to tell him that my mother transferred me back here because she knew how my move was affecting you guys and she heard about how you guys took the private jet to London. She was touched and she was also relieved. She said that I did the right thing by not making you guys stay and she transferred me back here as my reward," she said the paragraph, only stopping in the middle of it. Troy blinked at her.
"So, you're here to stay? For good?"
"Yep."
"And going to London did get you back here?"
"Yeah. If you guys hadn't come, I think I'd still be staring at a picture of all of us right now," Gabriella admitted.
"Well, it's good to have you back," Troy said as he extended his hand for her to shake it. Gabriella stared at him, blinked, shrugged and finally, exploded.
"That's all I get? A bloody handshake? I climbed up that really tall tree, scraped my knees, ruined my new blouse and all I get is a handshake for you? I cannot believe you!" she exclaimed as she hit his head. Troy chuckled and wrapped his arms around his best friend he missed so much.
"Yep, you're definitely back," Troy chuckled as he held her closer, not wanting to let her go.
High School Musical – Everyday of Our Lives
"Aww… That was so cute," Alana cooed. Gabriella blushed while Troy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Taylor, Sharpay and Kelsi had softened up at the memory while the guys were goofing around. By goofing around, I meant that Chad and Jason were hand wrestling and Zeke was the referee. They had heard the story before, heck they were the characters in it, so they weren't really paying attention to Troy. Ryan was shaking his head at his friend's childishness.
"They're great kids, aren't they," Ryan asked, swelling with pride. Everyone nodded, including Chad and Jason who had stopped their match. Just as Kelsi was about to say something, the phone rang. The gang looked at each other as the phone continued ringing.
A/N: Review!
