The next day, Tiara was in Troy's driveway, waiting for him to come out.
"Tiara, didn't I say to leave last night?" Troy asked when he went outside.
"You said last night."
"I meant go away from my house and stay away."
"Well I misunderstood. Now I want to talk to you."
"Go away."
"Troy?" Gabriella asked, coming outside. Then she saw Tiara and decided to go back inside so it would
easier for Troy to make her leave.
"Your stupid fiancé has got to leave your house," Tiara said. "So I'm making sure she does."
"No you won't."
"Look near your car. There's a diamond necklace by the door. She stole it from me and the police will be
called."
Troy looked. "Yes, but Gabriella never left the house and you were here last night and today. You did it to
try to get her in trouble!"
"No I didn't. I don't lie."
"I'm sorry, I can't believe that. Anyway, my baby girl would never do that. She's so sweet and she never even
talked about wanting diamond stuff."
"I'm not talking about a baby, Troy."
"No, my baby girl, Gabriella. Gabriella is my baby girl."
"How?"
"IT'S JUST ONE OF MY NICKNAMES FOR HER! BOW LEAVE AND STOP ACCUSING MY GABBY
OF STEALING YOUR DUMB NECKLACE!"
"Okay, but you'll never hear the last of this." Tiara turned around, picked up her necklace, and left.
Troy went back inside upset. Gabriella noticed right away and went to give him a hug to cheer him up.
"Gabby, Tiara's gone way too far now. She's lying about you. She said you stole her diamond necklace, and I
know you're too sweet to have done anything like that. You're my baby girl."
"What?" Gabriella said.
"That's right. And she wants to call the police."
"I didn't even do anything! I don't want to leave you because of something I didn't do. If she calls the police
I'll probably be arrested and I don't want to leave you!" She started crying.
"It'll be okay," Troy said, taking both her hands and gently stroking her fingers. "We have proof. I know you
didn't even leave the house since yesterday afternoon when you went out with me. You never leave without me.
My parents both know you were always here, too. Gabby, I love you, and I won't let anything bad happen."
"But what if you can't help it?"
"Gabby, I love you so much, I'll do anything for you."
"What are we going to do?"
"I'm calling Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, and Jimmy. We're all going to come up with something that will make
her regret every mean thing she ever did to you. Because no one hurts my baby girl."
An hour later, everyone was at Troy's house.
"I know what we should do," Chad said. 'We should tell her we will steal something until she says she's
wrong."
"Chad, we're not doing that," Troy said.
"We should all go talk to her at the same time. It's five almost-college students against one high schooler,"
Sharpay said.
"Good idea," Troy said. "We'll go now."
Everyone got up to leave.
"Remember, Chad, no threats," Troy reminded his friend.
"Okay, okay," Chad said.
Tiara was in her front yard when everyone found her. "What do you all want?" she asked meanly.
"We need to talk to you," Troy said.
"About what?"
"We're tired of being treated this way, Tiara. I'll never love you, I'll always love Gabriella, and you can't stop
that."
"Oh, your stupid Gabriella."
"I'm tired of you ruining everything we do and last night was just ridiculous. I don't need to talk to you at two
in the morning."
"You would be fine with it if it was Gabriella."
"Yes, because she needs me sometimes to talk to. I'm going to be her husband. I have to always be there for
her."
"And you were really rude when you came into Lava Springs, too," added Sharpay.
"No I wasn't!"
"You were," Taylor said.
"Yeah, I thought so, too," Chad said.
"And what about you, little miss 'I'm Troy's baby girl', do you want to accuse me of anything?"
"You're always picking in me and trying to break me and Troy up," Gabriella said.
"And DON'T talk like that to my Gabby EVER again," Troy said, putting his arm around Gabriella's
shoulders.
"Gabriella is not the center of the world," Tiara said.
"She is in my world," Troy said.
"Well your world's not real," Tiara said.
"Well Gabriella means more than everything to me, so I suggest you leave me alone."
"Sharpay! You'll help me, won't you? Can we be friends again?" pleaded Tiara.
"No," Sharpay said.
"Why does everyone hate me?" Tiara said angrily.
"Because you're a brat," Chad said.
Oh, no, thought Troy. Chad, why do you have to mess everything up?
"I AM NOT, CHAD! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE, ALL OF YOU! TROY, I HATE YOU RIGHT NOW!"
Tiara said.
"Good," Troy said.
"THEN I DON'T HATE YOU."
"Good."
"STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE YOU DON'T CARE, TROY BOLTON! I KNOW YOU DO!"
screamed Tiara.
"I'm not going to let you bother me, no matter what you do," Troy said calmly.
"I won't be bothered either," Sharpay said.
"Me neither," Taylor said.
"Neither will I," said Gabriella.
"You never bothered me," Chad announced proudly.
"Well Troy, would you care if I did this?" Tiara went over to Gabriella and pushed her down.
"NO ONE touches my baby!" Troy yelled.
"Then you are bothered by me."
"BUT YOU TOUCHED MY PRECIOUS BABY!"
"SHE'S NOT A BABY!"
"SHE IS TO ME!"
Gabriella stood up and walked over to Troy. "Wildcat, I think we should go now," she whispered. "Tiara
seems really angry."
"Having secrets, huh?" Tiara said.
"No," Gabriella said, clinging to Troy.
"LEAVE MY BABY ALONE!" Troy yelled again.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Tiara said.
Troy walked away followed by everyone else. "Well that went great," he said sarcastically.
"Yeah, really," Chad said. "She's even more mad."
"Well tomorrow me and Gabby are leaving for vacation with my parents. We're going to New York for a
week," Troy said.
"To New York? New York City?" Sharpay exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, I've always wanted to go shopping
there!"
"I'll bring back something for you," Gabriella promised.
"Thanks. You're my best friend."
"We used to hate each other."
"That's because you were fighting over me," Troy laughed.
"Well I let Gabriella have you. I have Zeke now."
"And I'm glad you did," Troy said.
"Well you two do make a really cute couple," Sharpay said.
"Well Gabby makes us a cute couple. I just make us a couple," Troy said.
Everyone laughed.
"Troy, you're cuter than me!" Gabriella said.
"No I'm not," argued Troy in a playful tone.
"Yes you are."
"Are not."
"Are so."
"Are not."
"Love you."
"Love you more."
"Love you more than anything in the world."
"Love you more than anything in the universe."
"I guess I can't beat that," Troy said, gently kissing her nose and hugging her.
"Bye Troy, bye Gabriella!" Sharpay said as everyone got to Troy's house.
"Bye," Troy and Gabriella both said.
"Bye," Taylor said.
"Bye, Taylor," Gabriella said.
"See ya, Troy," Chad said.
"See ya,Chad."
Turning to Troy, Gabriella said, "Should we start packing?"
"Yes, my love," Troy said.
They both walked inside and up to Troy's room, which had really become both of theirs.
"What will we need?" asked Gabriella.
"You'll need me," Troy said.
"Of course I will," Gabriella said. "But you're coming with me, so I don't have to worry."
"Well bring more than enough clothes in case you fall in water again," Troy said.
"Troy! I won't fall in water! There's no creek there!"
"There's a pool."
"Then I'll bring my bathing suit."
"And Gabby, guess what? We get our own room!"
"Really?"
"My parents told me earlier today that me and you can have our own room."
"That's great!" Gabriella hugged Troy.
"I think it's because we stay up half the night talking," Troy said, hugging her back.
"And snuggling," Gabriella said.
"But we snuggle in our sleep, too," Troy pointed out.
"I like snuggling," Gabriella said.
"Well you're my snuggle girl," Troy told her, hugging her tighter.
Gabriella laughed. "I like being snuggly with you," she said.
"Well that's good, because I love snuggling with my baby girl."
Gabriella kissed his cheek. "You're so sweet. I love you."
"Love you, too. Now I think we better keep packing."
"Aw," Gabriella said in disappointment. "I wanted to snuggle."
"So talking about it made you want to do it?"
Gabriella smiled and nodded.
"Well, ok," Troy said, lying down on the bed and pulling Gabriella on with him. "But just a quick snuggle."
"No, a long snuggle," Gabriella said.
"A quick one now."
"Are you denying your baby girl love and affection?" Gabriella asked, pretending to be mad.
"Fine," Troy said, pretending like it was hard to agree to her. He gave in to her so easily. When she looked at
him with her sweet face, her brown eyes staring into his blue ones, he couldn't say no.
"I'm snugglier than you," Gabriella said, snuggling against his side.
"Is that even a word?" Troy asked.
"It's my word-one that I made up," Gabriella said.
"Okay, well then I'm snugglier than you."
"No you're not."
"Yes I am."
"No you're not."
"If we're gonna argue about snuggling, maybe we do need to start packing," Troy said.
"No! I'll be nice now," Gabriella said, looking at him with her pleading eyes.
"I was kidding, honey," Troy said.
"Okay, I'm glad."
"I wouldn't deny my baby girl affection."
"I knew you wouldn't," Gabriella said.
They snuggled for about another half-hour, finished packing, than snuggled again. Around ten, they went to
bed, excited to leave for New York the next day.