I have no affiliation to anything, anybody, or anyplace in the High School Musical series. This is purely for fictional and entertainment purposes.

Summary: East High School is filled with drama, relationships, and betrayal. There's no way to escape the fear, the intensity, and the love that occurs each day. You just simply have to survive the fever.

Wildcat Fever

The Bullet Only Goes So Far: Part Two

Gabriella hardly thought about the future. The only future she would ever think about would be regarding her future after high school. She thought about what college she would be going to or where she would be living after high school.

Now, it seemed like she had to think about her future head on. Especially with Troy. They had been together for a few months so far and things were going great. She had met a wonderful man after moving to a strange town again and he took care of her. They loved each other. For the past week though, she had been feeling strange. She had thrown up quite a few times in the last few days and she had been having horrible cramps. She had been curious about it all, too. She remembered waking up after she and Troy had had sex one night in his bedroom. The realization that they didn't use a condom hit her straight on and she became nervous that she would get pregnant. And, after doing research on it online, she found different articles discussing how it may be possible or not possible without protection. It was all very confusing, so she just forgot about it.

Until last week.

She had been hiding a pregnancy test the moment after she had thrown up one morning. She had been acting strange towards Troy. He knew that, too. She didn't want to talk to him about it, though. She wasn't sure if she was pregnant or not. If she wasn't and she told him before finding out, then she didn't want to shock him. She'd rather tell him when she was sure if she was or not.

She had finally decided to take the pregnancy test nearly five minutes ago in the bathroom. She had been nervous, her hands trembling with the stick. She had followed the instructions correctly and when her three minutes had been up, she had turned it over to reveal her fate.

Now, she was staring at a different fate.

She was staring at a gun that was being aimed at her face.

Jack Bolton was holding the gun, of all people.

"Mr. Bolton," she murmured with fright. "What are you doing?"

His speech was slurred. "You ruined everything. You ruined...Troy's life. You...you...just ruin everything."

"Excuse me? Mr. Bolton, you're acting crazy." Gabriella started backing away, clutching on to her bag that held her pregnancy test.

Jack stepped forward, thrusting the gun forward. "Don't you walk away from me."

She knew she had to follow his orders, otherwise she would die. But, she couldn't stay like this forever in the hallway. Nobody in the school even knew there was a gun on the property. She was nowhere near an alarm. She was far from the principal's office. She was stuck.

"Mr. Bolton, please. You're drunk. You're not thinking prop..."

Jack thrust the gun towards her again. "Shut up! Don't tell me how I am thinking."

Gabriella watched as Jack looked around, obviously trying to think of a plan. She snuck into her bag and speed-dialed Troy's number, making sure her volume was low so Jack wouldn't hear Troy's voice. She needed some sort of help. Troy could talk some sense into his father.

"Come with me," demanded Jack, completely ignoring that Gabriella had access to her phone. He stood behind her and jabbed the gun into her back, urging her to walk down the hall.

All the while, Gabriella prayed somebody would come help her.

Troy sighed for nearly the thousandth time. He was still on the rooftop, waiting for his girlfriend of a few months to show up. He had been really worried about her. Lately, she had been acting distant. It scared him. She was looking pale, scared, and just plain silent. Every time he would ask her what was wrong, she would say nothing and leave.

Things had been going so well for them, too. He didn't understand why she couldn't be honest with him. She was hiding something. He knew it. But, he wanted to respect her. He would have her tell him on her own time.

But, it was getting more and more difficult to do that.

He had sent her nearly a dozen texts and had left her many voicemails, but she wasn't responding. Maybe this was the end of their relationship.

Until his phone began to ring.

He glanced down and saw his girlfriend's smiling face. He smiled and exhaled heavily with relief. "Gabriella, where are you? I've been so worried!"

But, there was no response. There was a bit of static, but he could hear something on the other end. He listened carefully and began to hear the rush of footsteps and heavy breathing. He heard of muffle of voices and strained to hear.

"Where are you taking me?" He heard Gabriella.

"Shut up." That was his father. But...?

Troy furrowed his brows and kept the phone to his ear, leaving the rooftop. He began walking down the hallway slowly, wondering if Gabriella had called him to give him clues as to where she was. Was she in danger?

"Why are you taking me to your office?" asked Gabriella. She suddenly grunted, almost as if in pain.

Troy quickly headed for his father's office and waited until he knew the coast was clear. He quietly went into the gym and down the boy's locker room. He peered through the window at his father's office, making sure he wasn't seen.

Gabriella and his father were in his office. From Troy's vision, it looked as if Gabriella was being held hostage by his own father. Who had a gun?

"What the hell?" murmured Troy, not believing what he was seeing.

He knew this was dangerous. There was a gun on school property and his own father was the owner of that gun. Something had to be done. The students and faculty needed to be alerted.

He spotted an alarm next to his head and immediately pulled it, hearing the sound of a siren blaring throughout the building. He noticed his father looking around and cursing. He was then glaring at Gabriella and began yelling at her, pushing the gun against her head.

Troy decided to burst in at that moment.

Chad and Taylor only had one class together and they were, unfortunately, in it now. They even sat next to each other. Chad could barely stand it. He still didn't feel like forgiving Taylor for everything she had done to his friends. She had nearly killed Gabriella and had even slept with Troy. It felt like betrayal.

He knew she was dying to talk to him again and get back together with him, but he just couldn't do that right now. He wasn't ready. He wasn't sure if he would be ready for her again. Every day, he could feel her eyes on him. Right now, he could feel them.

"Quit staring," he whispered, trying hard to concentrate on the quiz in front of him.

Taylor rolled her eyes and went back to her quiz. She wanted Chad so badly. She had tried talking to him and even approaching him. But, he wouldn't listen. She was truly sorry about it all, but he wasn't having it.

"I'm sorry, Chad. Why can't you understand that?" she whispered.

Chad looked at her with a glare in his eyes. "The only thing I understand is that you are a liar, Taylor. I don't want that."

Taylor scoffed. "But, Chad..."

Suddenly, the alarm rang out. It was urgent, they all knew it. The teacher began ushering them outside, telling them to stay outside of the school grounds. Taylor was scared. She didn't handle situations like this well. She ran out of the classroom with the other students, who started to scream and shout with fear.

Taylor was accidentally tripped by a few other students who had bumped into her and landed on the ground, covering her face as she was afraid of getting trampled by the other students running. She suddenly felt someone help her up and was surprised to find herself face to face with Chad.

"Come on," he told her, helping her get through the crowd and out of the school.

Once they were outside with the crowd, waiting, they stayed together. Taylor was surprised. Chad hadn't let go of her hand and she was wondering if it was all just an act of forgetfulness or if he wanted to protect her.

Chad looked at her, as if reading her mind. "I still don't like what you did, but it doesn't mean I have stopped caring about you."

Taylor nodded and surprised him by kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

Chad simply nodded once and looked towards the school, still holding Taylor's hand.

"What the hell are you doing, dad?!" shouted Troy.

Jack turned, still having the gun aimed at Gabriella. He looked at his son. "Troy, what are you doing here?"

Troy knew he was drunk. He could smell the whiskey. "Dad, what is wrong with you? Why do you have a gun aimed at my girlfriend?"

Jack glared at him and then stared at Gabriella, keeping the gun aimed at her. "She has done nothing but ruin your life. I'm tired of it. It's her fault all of this has happened."

"She's to blame for your divorce?" Troy scoffed. "Dad, that was your fault. You were sleeping with another woman."

"Better yet, maybe I should kill Chad. He is the one that told you," mumbled Jack.

Gabriella saw him drop the gun from her sight and sighed heavily, liking that he had lowered it so she wouldn't have to stare at it. At her sound, Jack aimed the gun back at her head and she put her hands up, feeling tears at bay in her eyes.

Troy stepped forward slowly, keeping his eyes on Gabriella and the gun. "Dad, stop. You are drunk, you aren't thinking straight, and this is wrong. You want to kill my girlfriend?"

"Exactly. She is ruining your future. You barely focused on the game this season," said Jack.

"We won that season, dad. Gabriella has been nothing but amazing to me since we met. She is the most wonderful person I have ever met," said Troy, smiling at his girlfriend. "I know she has been acting off, but I always want her to know that she can tell me anything. I'll always understand."

Gabriella choked back a sob. "Troy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I have been acting strange, but I have to tell you why."

Jack couldn't take it anymore. There was too much talking going on and, even through his thick mind of whiskey, he knew Troy was trying to make it last longer until the police came in. He could hear the sirens outside, but he had a job to finish. He wasn't going to let his own son decide the situation.

Troy barely looked at the gun until he saw his father's finger squeeze the trigger. He immediately rushed in front of the gun and blocked the bullet from hitting Gabriella. Troy felt a sharp pain in his upper left chest and gripped it as he collapsed on the ground.

"Troy!" screamed Gabriella, immediately kneeling down to him and placing his head in her lap. She didn't even register that Jack had ran off.

Troy could feel the blood ooze quickly through his fingers as he clutched his chest. He looked up at Gabriella, his vision getting blurry. "G-Gabriella...I couldn't let him shoot you."

Gabriella shook her head, tears falling on to Troy's fingers and cheeks. "Troy, you shouldn't have done that."

"No matter how cliche it sounds, I'd take a bullet for you." Troy managed a chuckle, but winced at the pain.

Gabriella looked up, seeing that the office door was open. She screamed as loud as she could. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Taylor and Chad were still waiting outside, no longer holding hands. Their mind was averted when they heard the sound of sirens. Everybody looked to see police cars, squad cards, and ambulances pull into the school. As soon as they parked, everybody heard a bang and screamed in fear.

"Chad, where are Troy and Gabriella?" asked Taylor, suddenly realizing who was missing from the group.

Chad looked around, seeing no sign of his best friend. "I don't know." He began to remember the gunshot sounding and was suddenly scared. "No way."

Everybody watched as the police officers with their guns and the EMTs with their gurneys rushed into the school, shouting out orders. They were wondering which one of their classmates had been shot and if anybody was alive.

For the first time in their lives, they were afraid of death at their very own school. They had always been reassured that being at school was the safest place. Ever since they were little, they had felt lied to. They were suddenly frightened of ever entering the school grounds again.

Gabriella was still crying as the EMTS finally arrived with the gurney and their equipment. She stayed with them, clutching on to Troy's hand. He was still awake, but barely. She was worried that he was going to die. He was shot near the heart, but she didn't know if it was exactly in the heart.

She kept her pace with the gurney, running with the EMTs outside. She barely noticed the look of shock on all the students' faces as they watched their superstar basketball player be carried into an ambulance.

Chad and Taylor watched the whole scene play out, suddenly realizing their fears had come true. Taylor, without thinking, clutched on to Chad and began crying. Chad held her, feeling tears on his cheeks, too. Soon, every student outside was crying in fear and sadness.

They had no idea whether they would be short one student by the end of the day.

It had been hours. The sun was starting to set. And, Troy had been in surgery for much too long. After arriving at the hospital, Gabriella barely had time to say goodbye before they whisked him off to the emergency room. She heard their shouting as they kept a check on his blood flow, his wound, and his heart itself.

What if he died?

There would be so many things that he would miss out on. She had too many things to tell him. She clutched her stomach as she sat in the waiting room and cried as hard as she could in silence. Her heart was hurting, as if it were connected with Troy's.

"Gabriella!"

She turned to see Lucille rushing into the room with tears streaming down her own face. They hugged each other tightly and cried. "Lucille, I'm so sorry. I didn't want him to take that bullet for me."

"For you? What are you talking about?" asked Lucille.

Gabriella forgot. Lucille nor nobody else knew anything about what had happened. Not even the police. They hadn't questioned her yet.

"Lucille, I don't know how to tell you this." She sighed. "Jack confronted me with a gun and he led me to his office. Troy found us and he took a bullet for me."

Lucille was speechless but, for some reason, she wasn't that surprised. "Jack? Why would he want to shoot you?"

"He said I ruined everything for him. Including everything for Troy," said Gabriella tearfully.

"Oh, honey." Lucille hugged her. "Gabriella, you could never ruin anything for Troy. You are perfect for him. You are lucky to have each other."

Gabriella nodded and sighed. "He is in surgery. But, he has been there for quite some time."

Just as she spoke, a surgeon came out with blood on his scrubs. He walked towards them, though he didn't look mournful. "Gabriella? And, are you..."

"I'm Troy's mother. How is he?" asked Lucille.

"He is out of surgery. He is a lucky man. That bullet narrowly missed his heart and any major arteries or vessels. We got the bullet out, stitched him up and put a cast around his shoulder. He'll need to wear it for a few weeks and do some physical therapy."

Gabriella sighed in relief. "Oh my gosh."

"He is in room 306 and he is accepting visitors," said the surgeon.

Lucille looked at Gabriella. "Honey, you go see him first. I need to make a call."

Gabriella nodded and rushed down the hall, looking for the correct room.

Lucille went around the corner and put her phone to her ear, her intentions being on reaching Gabriella's mother. She had been worried that Maria would indeed leave Albuquerque. She didn't think she would do it, but Lucille wasn't so sure.

"You have reached the Montez household. Please leave a message."

Lucille heard the beep and sighed. "Maria, you need to get to the hospital. There has been a shooting at the school and Troy is hurt. Gabriella is really broken up right now. He is going to be okay, but she needs her mother. I hope you are still there."

She was complete unaware that the Montez household was empty of any people.

Gabriella slowly entered Troy's room, putting her hand to her mouth. He was hooked up to wires that monitored his vitals, he had a sling around his shoulder, he was wearing a hospital gown, and he looked very tired.

Troy felt a presence and turned his head away from the window, seeing his girlfriend. He smiled weakly at her. "Hey, baby."

Gabriella burst into tears and rushed over to him, clutching his body. She was careful not to bother his injury. "T-Troy...say that again."

Troy kissed the top of her head, rubbing her back. "Hey, baby. I'm okay. Everything is okay."

Gabriella was soon lying next to him on the bed, refusing to let go of him. She was afraid he would disappear. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"I wasn't going to let you take that bullet," said Troy. His voice was kind of scratchy.

"I thought you were going to die, Troy. You were fading out," said Gabriella. "I got scared."

"I know you did," whispered Troy. "I'm sorry for scaring you, but I wasn't going to lose you." He paused and tilted her chin so she was looking at him. "You aren't going to lose me, either."

She nodded and kissed his lips, sighing. "I'm so glad I get to do that again."

Troy nodded, suddenly remembering that they had barely kissed or made love in the past week. "You've been acting strange, Gabriella. Are you sick?"

Gabriella sat up, keeping a hand on his chest. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. "No, Troy. I'm not...sick."

"What is it?" asked Troy, furrowing his brows together.

It was now or never.

"Troy, I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you, but...I'm pregnant."

I'll post sneak peeks on my Twitter and official website! Season two will premiere in early spring! xoxo