HSM isn't mine.

La dee da dee da.

One moment, Troy was speeding his way out of the city in his car, and in the next, he was standing nervously with his hand a hair away from Gabriella's door.

He almost laughed mockingly at himself, but decided against it. He supposed he didn't need to take a stab at his pride himself today—Gabriella would surely do that.

He breathed in a deep breath of air before pounding on the door. "Gabriella," he yelled.

Upon hearing no noise, he increased his knocking. It never occurred to him what he would do if Johnny opened the door. What would he say? Hey man, can I talk to your fiancée for a second? Why? Oh, I just want to talk about how we used to be a couple, and how I still love her, and how maybe she should love me too. Yes me, not you.

That would work.

Getting thoroughly lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice the door swing open until he felt the lack of contact between his hand and the door.

"Jesus Troy, I have a doorbell you know," sighed an exasperated, and terribly suspicious, Gabriella.

"Oh," he muttered dumbly. His eyes never left her as his right hand fumbled for the doorbell. She watched his hand curiously. His hand shook as he traced it clumsily through the air, into the doorframe, against the wall, and finally on the small button.

He pushed it in accidentally, a loud noise echoing throughout the apartment as a result.

Gabriella raised her brow. "Okay, now that you have successfully rung the doorbell…what are you doing here?"

She wasn't certain why he was here—here talking to her. After yesterday. Had she dreamed it? No, she was fairly certain that it had been real. And if that were the case, then…

"Can we talk?" he asked bluntly. Tactics be gone. All those brilliant plans he had contrived? They melted at the sight of her.

Gabriella bit her lip. "I don't think that's a good idea Troy," she said gently, her hand on the door, preparing to close it. She smiled tentatively before looking away.

In reaction, he stuck his hand out to stop her. "Gabriella, Gabi." She flinched noticeably. "We have everything to talk about."

"I don't want to talk to you Troy," she cried, "why can't you understand that?"

"I need to talk to you Gabi" he said, pointedly emphasizing the two words, "why can't you understand that?"

"Just leave me alone Troy. What more could you do?" she screamed accusatively.

"I'll never bother you again after this."

"I don't want to hear this."

"I need to say this."

She placed her free hand on the bridge of her nose, rubbing harshly. Finally, she stepped away to give him passage, still looking down with her hand on her face.

Without giving her a chance to change her mind, he quickly stepped in and shut the door.

She motioned for him to follow her to the living room, where each of them sat on separate couches.

She looked up, her body visibly worn out and tired. "What is it Troy?"

"Is Johnny here?" he asked quietly, his mind reeling. He hadn't really anticipated actually talking with her. Fancy that. He had wanted to. He had planned to. He just didn't think he could.

"No. He won't be home tonight."

"Gabriella," Troy began, "I'm sorry."

This time, she didn't cry. She didn't gasp. She was prepared. In an unfitting emotionless voice, she said, "I told you once Troy, it's too late."

"I was an idiot. A fool."

"Yes, and you're sorry. I get that okay? I get it."

"But you don't!" he burst. "You don't."

She couldn't help it. "Well that's hardly my fault," she bit back spitefully. The moment she finished, she regretted it. She had worked so hard to get over that grudge.

Troy visibly deflated, sinking into the couch as he did.

"I deserved that I suppose," he shrugged.

She held back her indignant retort. "What did you really come for Troy," she said, as gently as she could make it sound.

"You deserve the truth."

"The…the truth?" she stumbled. The truth. She had always wondered. She had always wanted to know what he had been thinking. "The truth?" she asked again disbelievingly.

"The truth," he whispered in affirmation.

And suddenly, she desperately wanted—no needed—to hear him out. Her heart sped up. He looked at her inquisitively, unsure whether to begin or not. She gave him a curt nod.

"It had begun as a bet," he put his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, "a way to prove to myself that I could do anything at East High."

"King of the school," Gabriella breathed. "I think—I think I knew that part."

"No Gabriella, just listen."

She nodded mutely.

"I was the star, the—yes, king—and as arrogant as that sounds, it was the way it was."

"I was so stupid Gabriella. I wanted to push my classmates, see how far they would go. I wanted to see if I could surprise them. They accepted everything I did. I wanted to see how far I could go."

"And so I decided to go out with—" he cut off, squeezing his eyes shut. How could he say this? But he didn't have to. Gabriella finished the sentence for him.

"—the school geek. The nerd. The freak. The ugly outcast." She too hunched over and placed her head in her hands.

Troy gulped. Total honesty, he reminded himself. "Yes."

And as much as Gabriella knew it was coming, it was like a stab in her very heart. Unknowingly, it was a stab in his as well.

"You were a challenge. I liked challenges."

"You have to believe me when I say this, but it turned out to be so much more Gabriella. I was blind. I closed my ears, my eyes, my heart—but I should have known. You were everything, caring, loving, smart, beautifu—"

"And after all this, you're still lying to me Troy," Gabriella cut in bitterly, her hand clenching into fists. "Stop lying! Nothing you say is believable! What he had was a lie. You're a lie. That's what you are!"

"No! You can say anything about me Gabriella. ANYTHING. But what we had, was not a lie."

"I don't believe you anymore. I've learned. I won't believe you anymore."

"Hear me out."

He didn't wait for a response. "We went out for twenty two months and sixteen days."

"Sixteen and a half," she whispered brokenly, wetness rolling down her cheeks.

"Sixteen and a half," he acknowledged, his heart swelling as he realized that she had counted as well. Maybe there was hope. "Throughout this time, I had fallen in love with you. Hopelessly and irreversibly." He too felt tears sting his eyes. She scoffed, although it came out as a sob.

"But I didn't want to believe it Gabriella. I didn't want to fall in love. I didn't want to love. I kept giving myself excuses like 'Chad bet we would last a year. I want to let him win'. They were stupid, yes, I realize that now, but at the time…"

He bit his lip in one last desperate attempt to not cry. "At the time, it was all I had. But then…I ran out of excuses. I don't know what happened Gabriella."

"Easy Troy, you broke up with me. You crushed me. You humiliated me. That's what happened Troy."

"What happened, Gabriella, was I loved you. I loved you and I made a mistake. As unforgivable a mistake it was, it was a mistake."

There was silence for a while. Unbearable to Troy.

"You didn't love me Troy." And that honest, raw remark nearly killed him.

"I did!" he insisted. "I do," he said quietly.

"NO!" she yelled forcefully. "If you loved me Troy, you wouldn't have broken my heart. I loved you. I loved you with my everything." She sobbed hysterically, uncontrollably. She looked up at him with painstaking eyes and if that comment hadn't killed him, her broken look surely would have.

"I did Gabriella. I always have. I was a fool not to have realized it, but I've never forgotten you Gabriella." He fumbled with his pocket, ignoring the water dripping off his jaw. He pulled it out, and opened it for her to see. "This picture," he said, looking at it mournfully, "it's never left me."

He unzipped his hoodie, and pulled out the chain from beneath his shirt. "This ring," he said, lifting their old promise ring up for her to see. She stared at it with blurry vision. "It's never left my side. It's my good luck charm in games."

What else? he racked his brain.

Of course.

He put his hand over the left side of his chest. "This," he said quietly, "it always has been yours. It always will be."

"Troy," she gasped.

"I tried Gabriella! I tried so hard. I tried to get over you. I tried to be friends with you. I tried!" he yelled.

"And I failed."

"Troy."

"I know you hate me. You have the right to!" he continued, still ignoring her.

"TROY!" she finally yelled. That got his attention. "I don't hate you," she said. "I could never," she breathed. "I guess I did at the beginning. I was heartbroken Troy. Literally, I was in bed for the month afterwards, unwilling to move for anything. It was the worst time of my life."

He looked away shamefully.

"I'm not saying this to place guilt on you. It's not what I want. I just want you to know, that you hurt me so so much. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget it."

"I'm not asking you to forget Gabriella."

"I'm engaged Troy. You don't have the right to come back and do this to me. I though I was moving on!" Tears poured like rivers from her eyes. From his as well. "Why didn't you come for me?" she sobbed. "Why?"

"I didn't know what to do," he admitted.

Her head fell, her eyes shut. "Why didn't you tell me Troy? I would have understood. I would have tried at least. We could've gotten over it."

"I'll forever regret that I didn't Gabi."

"WHAT GOOD WILL REGRET DO?" she cried, shaking violently. Troy couldn't resist it anymore. Throwing caution in the wind, he moved to the opposing couch beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You don't know how sorry I am."

"Troy," she whimpered, burying herself in his familiar arms. "Why Troy?" she squeaked.

"I'm sorry Gabi. I'm sorry."

She pulled him tighter to her, soaking his shirt with tears.

"I forgive you Troy. I'll never forget, but I forgive you. I think I have for a long time."

And they stayed in that position, throughout the night, snuggled against each other, taking comfort from one another, with loving smiles etched onto their faces.

"Troy," she murmured sleepily, as night rested upon the two of them. She breathed in his scent.

"Mm…"

"I never stopped," she said simply.

Troy paused. "Stopped what Gabriella?" he asked urgently. "Gabriellla."

But it was no use, for she was already deep in sleep.

I don't want this to be a long story, so I'm thinking two or three more chappies.

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