Disclaimer: I own nothing

AN: Okay so I know that Life at EHS is on hold, but Buggie842 sent me some ideas for this and UCLA Adventures (still on hold for the moment) and everyone who reads this has been extremely patient with me so I decided to update it. Seriously though, everyone owes Haleigh a big thanks for this one!!

Chapter 9: After Winter Formal Trauma

Colleen sprinted out of beautiful setting that held her junior winter formal, leaving her date, Josh Hardy the football captain, very confused. She couldn't believe what was happening. "How could Troy choose that slut over me?" she moaned as she sat on an empty chair, furious at the night's events. She was supposed to be Winter Formal Queen, with Troy, not that Gabriella girl.

As she sat quietly moping in the hallway, an idea formed in her little head. She laughed, a loud cackle that a little child might have mistaken for a witch's laugh at the thought in her mind. "Perfect." She muttered, getting up and returning to the dance.

An hour later everyone was filing back to their limos. We piled into the Evans' white stretch limo and headed back to the mansion. Everyone was exhausted and decided to forgo the party and just curl up in bed for a well-deserved nights rest.

The next morning we talked about what we wanted to do. "Mall." Us five girls chorused. The guys groaned, but nonetheless accepted the idea. Piling into the guys cars we took off to the mall. Troy and I were happy to have Troy's car all to ourselves.

"Last night was incredible." I admitted with a smile

Troy laughed, "Your face was priceless when you won." He said, poking my side.

"Hey now, how was I supposed to know that was going to happen, from my understanding it's always Colleen that wins with you." I pointed out.

Picking up my hand and gently pressing a kiss to the back of it he smiled responding, "Not anymore princess." I sighed contentedly as I focused her gaze out the window. Life was perfect, just how it was supposed to be.

Suddenly I let out a blood-curling scream as Troy swerved to avoid a car that had run a red light at a turn signal. The car spun out of control and went toppling over the side of the bridge we were just beginning to cross. I panicked as I glanced at Troy, seeing he was unconscious from the impact.

Picking up an umbrella from the back seat I began banging at the window until the glass shattered just as the water began to reach window level. Undoing my belt and Troy's, I hauled him over to my seat and began trying to fit his large body out the window. Just as the water began seeping in I got him out. As water filled the car I pulled myself out, cutting my hand on a shard of glass. Ignoring the pain I grabbed hold of Troy's body and began to tread water as I attempted to keep both our head above water.

Seeing a nearby dock I began to swim towards it, I cursed myself for taking so long this morning and being the ones to lock up the house, the gang was probably at the mall wondering where the fuck we were. After an eternity of swimming I reached the dock.

Thankfully there was a ladder. I held firmly onto Troy who was still unconscious as I hauled myself up before pulling him with me. I looked at his bruised up body and began sobbing. I took a few deep breaths and began giving him CPR after checking to see that he had a pulse, which he luckily did.

The only problem was that he wasn't waking up, wailing I began to scream at him to wake the fuck up. Just then a boat pulled up, the police. I began sobbing uncontrollably as two officers gently picked Troy up and put him on the bench on the boat as another wrapped a blanket and his arms around me, trying to stop my crying.

"He's going to die." That was the only thing I could say, over and over again. When we reached land we were both put into an ambulance and hauled off to the hospital. When we got there they quickly checked me over and found that besides the shock of the accident (no shit Sherlock, was exactly what I told the idiot doctor), I was fine. Troy, however, had been rushed into surgery for internal bleeding. As I sat in a room in hospital scrubs and with a heated blanket two police officers came to talk to me.

"Hey there." The younger one said. I looked up at him, he was handsome, and looked very naïve.

"Yeah?" I whispered

Sitting next to me he gently took my small hand in his larger one as the older officer who probably played the bad cop when necessary looked on, "Can I have your name, and the name of your friend?"

I looked up at him, "My name is Gabriella Montez and good luck getting in touch with my mom, she's somewhere in Europe right now, I don't have a number for her. My father died when I was little in a," I choked on a sob, "car accident." Rubbing my hand gently the officer said nothing, "My boyfriend is Troy Bolton."

The older officer looked down at me, "Bolton, Jack's kid?" I nodded, "Oh my God." He mumbled

The younger officer looked up at him, "Isn't that your nephew?" The older man nodded. I stood up and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault." I muttered. Sitting back down the older officer left to call his brother and sister-in-law.

"How is this your fault?" the other officer, Officer Savich, asked me

"We were all going to the mall, but I wasn't ready, so Troy waited with me and I locked up. We left about five minutes behind our friends. If I'd been ready." I looked out the window.

"That doesn't make this your fault, we caught the guy, he's on drugs. It's his fault, not yours Gabriella." He comforted me, I nodded, "Now tell me what happened."

I took a deep breath, "The 10 of us stayed at the Evans' mansion last night after Winter Formal. We were all exhausted so we decided to go to bed when we got home. I got up and began fixing breakfast with Zeke Baylor. Once everyone came down we ate and decided to go to the mall. I cleaned up while everyone got ready." I paused for a moment. "Everyone else left while I went to change, five minutes later Troy and I went to get into his car.

"We were driving and he was making fun of how shocked I was that I won Winter Formal Queen, and we were just tossing playful banter back and forth before we fell into a comfortable silence. I was just thinking about how perfect this was when I saw a car run a red turn signal right before the bridge." I closed my eyes, shutting the image out, "I screamed and the car swerved, Troy's side his the bridge railing and he was knocked unconscious from the impact and we went over the side.

"Right before we hit the water I noticed Troy was out cold. Grabbing an umbrella from the back seat I beat the window open just before the window hit water level. I unbuckled out seatbelts and after a moment managed to get Troy out of the car. Then I pulled myself our. " I held up my bandaged hand where the deep cut was. "Then I grabbed Troy and pulled us both to the dock." Sighing, "Then the police came."

Officer Savich leaned into me slightly, "You did a very good job Gabriella, you did exactly what you should've done, you did all that could do, you didn't panic and lose control, if anything you saved both of your lives."

Just then I heard I pitched screaming from outside, Sharpay was there. I went and stood at the doorway and watched as she kneed a male nurse and came sprinting to me, engulfing me in a hug.

I laughed, "Pay, you shouldn't have done that." I patted her back lightly

"He shouldn't have stopped me." She was bawling, everyone was scared and pale. I looked behind her and found all my friends and the Bolton's.

Lucille came over and engulfed me in a hug of her own, "Are you okay?" she asked.

I nodded my head, "Troy isn't though." I mumbled and broke down into sobs. 15 minutes later all the parent showed up, Mrs. Evans had brought me clothes, which I gladly changed into. We all went and sat in the waiting room while Mr. Danforth and Mr. Cross went to get us some food.

The arrived 20 minutes later with subs and sodas. We sat in the small waiting room and picked at our food. The truth was it was just something to occupy our hands with, none of us were really hungry. 30 more minutes later a doctor came out, "Troy Bolton." He said

Everyone charged at him with questions. I hung back for a second and watched the terrified young man. Finally I spoke up, "Hey." Everyone in the room, including people I didn't know turned to look at me.

I walked up to the doctor, "Please, tell us what's going on." I asked, glaring at everyone who silently hung their heads listening.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Bolton is in a coma, the impact caused serious head injuries. If he wakes up he could have very bad brain damage." We all gaped at him, mouths opened.

He smiled sympathetically, "You may go in and see him if you'd like, he's in room 659." He turned and walked away. Everyone immediately began breaking down. I just held my head up and walked to the elevators. Sharpay watched me walk away and grabbed Zeke's hand, dragging him with her as she followed me. No one seemed to notice when the three of us stepped quietly on the elevator.

We walked into his room after what felt like years of waiting and stopped at the sight before us…

Thanks for Buggie842's car crash idea. Thank you for everyone's patience with me. I'm going to write yet another long author's note explaining some stuff so if everyone could read it and let me know what they want me to do…anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review please.

Mollie XOXO