"Troy, are you gonna talk to me today?" Chad wanted to know the next morning as Troy and Gabriella walked through the doors of East High. "Because yesterday was ridiculously stupid."

"Yeah, you made it like that," Troy muttered to himself. Loudly, he told Chad, "If you promise not to ruin anything with Gabriella and I, then I guess we can try hanging out again."

"Fine. I promise. Now let's play basketball after school-you, me, Zeke, and Jason-at my house. Leave the girl at home for once. I'll tell Taylor to go over keep her company if you're that worried about leaving her by herself with your parents. What do you say, dude?"

"Maybe. I'll think about it. Though I don't really care for the way you just talked about Gabriella. She's not helpless, and she's standing right next to me. Also, Taylor, I understand, isn't getting along with you at the moment. Do you really think she would listen if you told her to go over to my house with Gabriella? She most likely wouldn't, just to tell you before you go waste your time bothering her about it," Troy responded.

"Maybe? Two months ago, that 'maybe' would have been a 'yes.'"

"I changed, Chad. I'm not just the Wildcats' best player anymore. I don't just play basketball." Troy sounded annoyed.

"You said that last year when you were doing that whole musical audition thing. I didn't care for it, then, and I don't care for it now."

"Then maybe you're not really my friend. A real friend would understand me."

"I think you're just overdoing the whole girlfriend thing. Yeah, she might be important, but she's not your life. Basketball is your life. And the only good I get from your relationship is ruining your kiss moments and all that."

"I just went through this with my dad last night and now I have to go through it with you?" Troy let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm more than just a basketball player."

"Yeah, you're my best friend."

"Well if I'm your best friend, then why are you acting like this?"

"I'm trying to steer you in the right direction!"

"You're not my mentor! You're my friend....or, you were my friend."

"I'm not trying to be your memo! I'm just trying to be the one that makes sure you don't make the biggest mistake of your life. And you're gonna regret it if you don't listen to me."

"Memo? Memo? I said 'mentor,' not 'memo,'" Troy corrected.

Gabriella couldn't help but let out a soft giggle at Chad's terrible mistake.

"Well, whatever you said; I'm not trying to be it. So stop accusing me," Troy ordered.

"Chad, go away."

After school was over and homework was finished, Troy and Gabriella got changed and left for the local pool, to which they had brought some sandwiches to eat for dinner.

"Oh, great," Troy groaned as he scanned the pool area.

"What?" Gabriella wanted to know.

"Chad," Troy replied, pointing to his friend, who was standing in the line for the diving board. He was with Taylor, who didn't look too happy to be there.

"Why does he show up wherever we go?"

"I don't know; I still haven't figured that out."

Gabriella followed Troy over to a beach chair, where she took off the shorts she had been wearing over her bathing suit and placed them on the seat. She then slid her flip-flops underneath the chair. She took a ponytail holder from her purse and put her hair back so it wouldn't get too messy in the pool, then hid her purse under Troy's shirt, which he had put on the chair along with her things; she didn't want it to get stolen.

"Let's go in the pool and try to just avoid Chad," Troy said as he suddenly lifted Gabriella off the ground and into his arms.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella giggled.

Troy answered by walked to the edge of the deep end, of the pool where he gently tossed his girlfriend into the water.

Gabriella, after letting out a small scream, managed to get her face above the water and make her way over to the edge of pool wall. She held onto the hot cement and looked around for Troy. However, suddenly, she felt someone pull her down under the water again.

"I got you," Troy whispered in Gabriella's ear as he came above the water with Gabriella in his arms after they both made it to the five foot section.

"You're mean," Gabriella pouted playfully, nestling comfortably against her boyfriend's chest and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

Troy kissed Gabriella's nose and rested his head on top of hers. "You don't really think that."

"You're right; I don't."

"You know, I really lo-"

"Hey, Troy!" Chad shouted, splashing his friend with a huge wave of water. "What are you doing, playing the part of Gabriella's lifesaver or something?"

"No, Chad. I'm just carrying her because, in case you didn't know, if she stood in this water, it would be over her face."

"That's because she's so incredibly small."

"She's petite, not small. It's not like she has an abnormal height. So can you please not pick on her?"

"I'm not, I'm not. Relax."

Troy rolled his eyes.

At that moment, Taylor, who had been in the deep end of the pool, swam over to where everyone else was. Seeing Troy's irritated face, she wondered, "Chad, what did you do now?"

"I said that Gabriella was incredibly small."

"That was rude! Chad, you can't do that! I'm not the tallest person in the world, either. Are you gonna make fun of me, too?"

"You're taller than Troy's doll-sized girlfriend!"

"Chad, I really don't like you right now," Troy spoke. "Gabriella is a normal size. Stop teasing her about her height! You're so inconsiderate and mean!" He then looked into Gabriella's hurt face. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here." He placed a kiss onto her forehead. "I'm so very sorry."

"It's not your fault," Gabriella assured.

Troy took one arm away from Gabriella and sent a wave of water into Chad's face. "There you go. I hope you're happy with how you acted."

Troy and Gabriella had finished up at the pool soon after the Chad incident and were currently at Troy's house.

Troy knocked softly on his closed bedroom door. "Gabriella, sweetheart? Are you in there?" She had still been upset about that whole Chad thing when they had gotten home, and then, on top of that, Troy, in his anger toward Chad, had forgotten to knock before he went into his room where Gabriella had been changing back into her regular clothes. After that, Gabriella had become slightly embarrassed around Troy.

"Yes," came Gabriella's dejected-sounding reply.

"Can I come in?"

"I guess so," Gabriella responded.

Troy turned the doorknob and entered his room, shutting the door behind him. On his bed, he saw Gabriella, who looked very upset, almost to the point of tears. He went over and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should've been paying more attention to what I was doing. I should've knocked before I came in my room earlier."

Gabriella didn't say anything, but her cheeks turned a deep red.

"I just want to let you know that I take full responsibility for doing that. Being mad at Chad was not an excuse to be rude and forget to knock. If you're angry with me, I understand."

"It was just really embarrassing," Gabriella told Troy. "I'm not mad at all. I know it was an accident. If it wasn't, you wouldn't have left the room right away. And also, I know you wouldn't do that kind of thing on purpose. I'm more upset about the Chad thing than what you did."

"I'm so sorry about that, too," Troy apologized. "I should've been more protective of you. I shouldn't have mentioned that you can't stand in five feet of water. It was all my fault he was acting that way."

"Don't blame yourself."

Troy wrapped one of his arms around Gabriella and pulled her close. "But I just feel so guilty about all this. I made this day the worst day of your life."

"Actually, the worst day of my life was when we broke up over the summer. That was just horrible. I cried for days over it."

"Alright, well then your second worst day."

"It wasn't your fault. Chad's just Chad. He'll never change. It's not like you side with him when he does stupid things or anything like that."

"If it wasn't because of me, then why did you come in here all by yourself and close the door?"

"I didn't want your parents to see me and ask what was wrong. If I told them about your accident with not knocking, you would've probably gotten grounded or something. And the Chad thing-I just didn't feel like explaining that."

"So you still want to be my girlfriend?"

"You seriously thought I would want to break up with you?"

"If you were really angry, maybe you would consider it."

"I wouldn't give up on you that easily."

Troy pressed a kiss onto Gabriella's head. "And for that, I lo-"

"Troy, come down here!" Jack called. "Chad's at the door!"

"I don't want to talk to him!" Troy responded. To himself, he thought, Seriously, after being that rude today, why in the world would Chad come to my house? He knows I'm mad at him.

"Anyway, what were you saying?" Gabriella asked.

"That I lo-"

"Troy!" Jack yelled upstairs again. "Chad really wants to talk to you!"

"Let me go so he can be satisfied," Troy mumbled, getting off of his bed.

"Okay," Gabriella acknowledged with a sigh. She had really wanted to hear what Troy had to say, but she knew by that time that every time he went to say it, Chad somehow found a way to ruin everything.