LAST TIME-

Gabriella placed a trembling hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her hard breathing. Every nerve was on high alert, her head spinning. Her hands were numb as she rummaged for her phone in desperation.

Aiden Hensley was planning on hurting Troy.

----------

Chapter Eleven:

Changing Fate

----

Gabriella withdrew a pencil from her jean pocket quietly, pulling a napkin from the dispenser to her right. Glancing to the distorted reflections in the window, she tried to make out the faces of the group of West High teens.

Aiden Hensley, she scribbled down the West High captain's name.

She looked to the window again. Cameron Farey could possibly be the boy in the blue cap, but she couldn't be sure. A question mark was drawn next to his name. Finally, after writing down another name, she was reduced to describing the looks. What certain boys were wearing. There implied height and hair color.

"Dammit," she hissed to herself. The reflections were just too hard to decipher and she felt helpless. She'd never get another chance like this.

Movement in the window caught her eye. The group of boys, during her mad attempt at discovering their identities, had finished their conversation.

"Okay," Aiden's voice cut through her mind like a knife. She wouldn't forget it. "Next week, right before the game with Warhill. That's when we'll strike."

When the first boy walked past her, Gabriella shrunk back instinctively. Her heart raced against her chest as Cameron Farey passed, pausing ever so slightly to look down at her. She quickly covered up the napkin with one hand and fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers. He didn't recognize her, but she knew it was him as soon as she looked into his green eyes. He was the boy who had laid out Troy in the finals. Her teeth clenched at the thought as two smaller boys passed, murmuring under their breaths.

Gabriella waited and when no one else walked by, stood up.

She came face to face with the pale eyes of Aiden Hensley.

They were caught awkwardly in the same space. Aiden stepped to his left, so did she. Gabriella stepped to her right, so did he. Finally, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders and moved her gently out of the way.

She was instantly caught off guard by the tenderness of his touch. His smile—that made him appear almost normal—threw her off. How could this man be planning on doing something so horrible?

Then she caught it.

During the second of silence, his eye's flashed dangerously—for the briefest of moments. Her heart dropped and she instantly knew she was caught. But what would he do to her? Certainly nothing in such a crowd—

"I'm sorry," his apology snapped her to attention. She looked up to his face and found that he was smiling, obliviousness washing across his face. "Excuse me." He stepped past her and joined his friends in line like nothing had happened.

Gabriella shook her head vigorously. Genuine smile or not, he was planning to do something unforgivable and she had to warn Troy. She needed to warn Troy.

Whipping out her cell phone she exited the café. Dialing Troy's number, she pressed the receiver to her ear. When he didn't answer on the first ring her heart started to pump rapidly against her rib cage.

"Come on, come on, pick up," she whispered frantically to herself. "Please, Troy, just pick up your damn phone."

-XxX-

Sharpay slipped into the empty classroom. Troy was standing, his homework spread out on the granite table in front of him. He was eyeing a stack of Calculus papers with a confused look on his face.

"No matter how hard you stare at it, it won't do itself." She paused, smiling. "Well, unless it's asexual, then it would actually."

"Hey, Shar." He didn't look up.

Sharpay stepped closer, glancing to the cluttered desk. "I've never seen you stay this late after school before."

"Mrs. Robinson went to the bathroom," he flipped through a couple pages in his Calculus book, scribbling some numbers down in a spiral notebook. "She was helping me with my Calculus."

"You've never stayed after for help before."

"Well, that's because I've never cared before. But ever since meeting Gabri—" He cut himself off, locking his jaw. The phone next to his book vibrated with an incoming call but he silenced it almost instantly. "You can tell Chad and Taylor that they can come in. No use in hiding if I already know they're out there."

Sharpay glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Chad's hair took up half of the small window in the door, Taylor's eyes just visible over the bottom. The blond sharpened her eyes dangerously and Chad and Taylor slipped away from the glass, eyes wide.

"They aren't out there," she replied calmly, turning back to him.

"What is this about, Sharpay?" At this, he looked up to his friends face, crossing his arms.

"So I have to have a reason to talk to you, Troy?"

He sighed heavily. "I really don't have the time to just 'talk' Shar; I have a lot of work to do."

She leant back against one of the tables, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I guess it's good that I'm not here to just 'talk' then."

"So you do have a reason."

"Look, Troy—"

He waved a hand vaguely. "I don't want to hear it, Sharpay."

"Well that's just too damn bad." She said darkly.

He blinked at her sudden hostility.

"Gabriella likes you," the blond snapped impatiently. "She really likes you."

"She has an odd way of showing her feelings," he muttered under his breath.

"Don't be ridicules, Troy. She braved the social standards for you. She likes you."

"Last time I checked, you don't lie to the person you like."

"And last time I checked Troy, you lie to the one you like if it protects them." Sharpay stepped forward. "She was protecting you."

"Protecting me?" He let out a mock of laughter. "Letting me walk headfirst into her past is more like it."

Sharpay pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh God, I can't believe you're making me say this." She sighed and looked him straight in the eye. "You better not let her go Troy, she made you happy. Whether you can see that or not, that's your problem. I'm just trying to get you to listen."

"She lied to me," he repeated sternly.

"So what!" Sharpay threw her hand in the air and then rounded on the boy. "Is it the first time that someone's lied to you?"

Troy blinked. This wasn't how the argument was supposed to go. His best friend—the friend that was supposed to hate Gabriella Montez—was protecting her. That was wrong. Sharpay Evans was supposed to be agreeing with him. This was supposed to be an easy win. "Well, no, but—"

"Who was it?" The blond prompted sternly.

"Well, my Dad, Mom, Chad occasionally, but—"

"And do you still talk to them?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Then but what?" Sharpay snapped. "You just proved my point."

Troy shook his head, his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. "Proved your point? What point? I thought we were talking about Gabriella?"

"We are."

Troy opened his mouth but couldn't find anything to say. "You've lost me." He admitted flatly.

"You've had people lie to you before Troy." Sharpay explained calmly. "But you still talk to them."

He raised his eyebrows when she didn't continue. "Yes?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, sighing. "You've been lied to before, and you haven't cared. But all of a sudden, when Gabriella lies to you—it's like frickin' World War III or something."

"I'm not following."

Sharpay sighed in aggravation. "I can't believe I'm stuck here explaining your feelings to you." She rubbed at her temples, knowing she was going to get migraine from this conversation later. "You. Like. Her." She said each word separately, animating with her hands.

"I do not." He denied. His cell phone vibrated again and he took a second longer to silence it, staring at the name flashing across the tiny screen.

"Then why do you care so damn much?!" She yelled.

"I don—I don't understand where you going with this," he stuttered, flinching back slightly.

"If you didn't care about her, you would be shrugging her off right now. You would go back to your normal life, to the life that made you happy." Sharpay explained through her teeth. "But you're not shrugging her off, Troy. You're freaking out, and honestly, I'm sick of it."

Again, he was speechless.

"Swallow your damn pride and just accept the fact that she lied to you. Maybe she did it to protect you; maybe she didn't, but stop crying about it like a three-year-old and go do something. Talk to her. Figure this out Troy, because we can't stand to see you miserable for a second longer. Gabriella Montez made you happy and if she really likes you, then she'll explain everything."

"She was going to," he whispered.

"What?"

He rubbed a hand over his mouth. "After it all happened. She said she wanted to explain, but I cut her off. I didn't let her. God, I was being such an ass about it."

Sharpay left out a deep sigh. "Well then, it looks like both sides need to apologize."

The black cell phone on the table started going crazy with an incoming call. Sharpay glanced to the screen and found Gabriella Montez flashing on the caller ID.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Are you going to answer that now?"

Troy hesitated for the briefest of seconds before reaching for the small device. "Thanks Sharpay."

-XxX-

She about threw her cell phone when he didn't pick up the second time she called. "Shit!" She growled furiously, pushing open the door leading to the outside parking lot. Wind crashed against her body, but she couldn't feel the cold. She felt like she had just run a marathon, but she knew it was only because her heart was beating at an unnaturally fast pace.

Unlocking her car with the remote, she reached for the handle of the door. He was going to talk to her, whether he wanted to or not. She would drive to his damn house and climb up his frickin' tree if she had too.

"Goddammit, Troy," she hissed, opening her door.

A hand can out of nowhere, reaching over her left shoulder to slam her car door shut.

She whirled around, eyes growing wide. The group of West High boys that she had spied on in the café were standing behind her in a half circle. She was cornered. Aiden's smile was n longer innocent, but edgy, almost excited.

Gabriella backed away from the group in front of her until she couldn't back up anymore. Her back ran into the side of her car, and her throat closed up on her, heart pounding in her head.

"Troy Bolton's girl." A smaller boy in the back sneered.

"Gabriella Montez, actually." She replied, chin held high. "Looks like you have me confused with someone else." She walked forward, past Aiden, but he caught her arm in a vice like grip.

"Now, you see," Aiden shoved her backwards and she collided with the side of her car. "There's a rumor going around that Troy Bolton's gotten himself a cute little decathlon nerd." Gabriella couldn't help the anger that flashed through her eyes, and in that one second of weakness, her cover was blown.

Cameron Farey smiled sickly at her, his green eyes empty from beneath the blue cap on his head. "You want to venture a guess at what her name is?"

Gabriella locked her jaw. "Sharpay Evans?" She guessed sarcastically.

"Not quite."

Gabriella stayed quiet and weighted her options. She couldn't make it back to the mall; the group of boys were to tight together. She'd never get through.

"Now's the point in time when you tell us all that you heard," Aiden focused on her, his voice dangerously level.

She locked her jaw. "I didn't hear anything. I have no idea what you're talking about."

He eyed her, his face blank. "You're lying." Stepping closer to her, he reached for her arm. "You will tell me."

She pulled away and sprinted to her left. Thanking God for her comfortable shoes, she weaved her way in and out through the rows of parked cars. She registered everything in a quick glance over her shoulder as she hopped over the hood of a parked car that had gotten too close to the bumper of the car in front of it.

They were following her. Aiden in front, his face harboring a ferial smile and in that moment she knew he was enjoying this. Cameron Farey was the closest behind his captain, a sour expression on her face, like it was an extreme inconvenience to his day that he had to be chasing her. The other's were fanned out behind the first two, clearly not in as good a shape as their captain and vice-captain.

She cursed under her breath and continued running, whipping out her cell phone again. She was growing closer and closer to the edge of the parking lot, towards the edge of her cover. Maybe she could make a break through Old Town and lose them in the streets? Gabriella thumbed Troy's number again and figured having a crappy plan was better than not having one at all.

-XxX-

Troy held the small vibrating phone in his hand, reading the name flashing across the caller ID. Taking a deep breath, he pressed send and put the receiver to his ear.

Instantly, he knew something was wrong.

Gabriella was breathing heavily, breaths coming in shot gasps.

"Gabriella?" He said sharply.

"Thank God, Troy," he could hear the overwhelming relief in her voice. "I thought you were never going to answer."

"I know, I'm sorry about that," his voice was tight. "I'm sorry about all of this. I know you were trying to explain to me, but I don't know. I didn't want to hear it. But now, it sucks being away from you. I—"

"Troy!" Gabriella yelled, cutting him off.

He blinked. Her voice was frantic. That confused him. "Gabriella, what's wrong?"

"They're going after you, Troy. They want to hurt you."

It was then that he registered the male voices in the background. He didn't recognize them, but they were angry yells, maybe even taunts. They didn't sound friendly. Troy griped the phone in his hand, his palm starting to sweat. "Gabriella, where are you?"

Sharpay had straightened from her position against the desk, staring intently at him.

"That's not important," Gabriella breathed. "I overheard them talking at the mall. They said that they were going to get to you right before the Warhill game."

She was breathing too hard for him to understand her completely. He cupped his hand over the receiver and pressed the phone harder against his ear. "Gabriella, I can't understand you. You have to speak clearer."

-XxX-

"Gabriella, I can't understand you. You have to speak clearer."

She rolled her eyes, taking in a mouthful of air. Her lungs were burning for oxygen, and though she was in shape, the dead sprint was killing her. Glancing over her shoulder again produced the same results. Aiden and his West High boys were still chasing her, gaining ground almost.

She roared in frustration, eyes frantically shooting this way and that for a way out.

"Gabriella!" Troy's voice was laced with worry and panic. "Gabriella! Where are you?"

"Cottonwood mall," she gasped out. "They're chasing me."

She spied an alley up ahead and decided to take the turn. She might be able to gain some ground and then change direction on the other side. She might be able to lose them.

"Who's chasing—"

She turned the corner and skidded to a stop. "SHIT!"

She'd run right into a dead end. Well, it wasn't really a dead end. The far side of the alley was fenced in. Before she let the panic crawling at her heart take hold, she took notice of the gate. There was a heavy chain wrapped through the fence and gate, but Gabriella saw no lock.

"Gabriella. Gabriella!" Troy was shouting hysterically into the tiny phone. "Gabriella? What's happening? Tell me who's chasing you!"

She took a mouthful of air, trying to calm her rapid heart. She was getting dizzy and her hands shook ever so slightly. It was the adrenalin, she told herself, but she was also beginning to feel the start of the energy drain. She was absolutely exhausted from the sprint and she couldn't think straight. Standing in silence for a second, she had to think about Troy's question.

Taking a deep breath to make sure she would be able to get out a full sentence, she straightened. "It's Aid—"

A strong fist connected with the side of her face.

-XxX-

"It's Aid—"

That's all he got.

A heavy impact—something hard crashing against something soft—sounded through the line and then there was nothing but static. Then that too, cut off. Leaving only silence.

He stood in the stillness of the room for a moment, caught in indecision.

Sharpay stepped hesitantly forward. "Troy? Is everything alright?"

He blinked and shook his head. "We need to leave." He whipped his head towards his best friend. "Right now."

He powered past the blond and stepped out of the room. "Chad! Taylor!" he called frantically.

Both of the teens looked up from their spot on the floor and the look in Taylor's eyes told the chestnut haired boy that she knew something was wrong.

Taylor shot up, dragging Chad. "What's wrong?"

Troy didn't stop to explain, only shot past them towards the school exit. "We need to go to Cottonwood. Now."

Sharpay was close behind and flashed a look of uncertainty to Chad. "He just got a call from Gabriella. Something's up."

"Something's up?" Chad questioned, stepping into stride next to the blond. "Would you like to elaborate on that?"

"It's nothing good." Sharpay pursed her lips and then explained. "He got the call and started freaking out." She paused and waved to the almost sprinting Troy Bolton. "Which lead to this."

Taylor stayed quiet as Troy burst through the doors leading to the parking lot ahead of them. Chad caught one door while Sharpay caught the other and the three exited the school slightly behind Troy.

The blue eyed teen started running towards his car and was pulling out of his parking place just as Taylor got to Chad's car. She looked to Chad as Troy peeled out of the parking lot, Sharpay's pink mustang racing after him. "I don't like this Chad."

Chad slipped into the driver's seat and buckled up. "She's okay, Taylor. Trust me."

Taylor gave a small, forced smile. "I hope you're right."

.-.-.- Insert Dramatic Music -.-.-.

(Review!)


Author's Note: The next chapter is the violent one, just fair warning. I'm mean, I don't think it's that violent, but it's pretty gritty. I'll warn you at the beginning of the chapter too. And I do have to admit that I did not like the way this chapter turned out, but I guess it got the job done.

I have chapter twelve already written, but I have to change a couple of things and read over it. It'll probably be out on Monday or Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest.