Author's Note: I'm already sad this story is coming to an end. :( Thank you guys soooo so much for all the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. And remember, this is only the first half of the last chapter, I'll post the other half tomorrow evening. Enjoy reading and tell me what you think in the end.

Chapter 21: Picture Perfect I

"Troy, Troy!" An excited Taylor called out in the hallway of East High when she spotted the handsome tall male a few feet away. Troy turned around and looked at Taylor with a questioning face. She ran up to him with a slim red book in her hands. "I thought you might want to take a look at this before I give the rest of it to the bookbinders", she said handing him the book. "Page 104", Taylor explained when Troy looked at her confused.

"Class Couple 2007: Gabriella Montez & Troy Bolton" he read out loud, staring at the picture that was taken at the Basketball Championship Dance on Saturday. He shut the book forcefully, looking right back up to Taylor again. "I don't think so, Tay", he said with sadness in his eyes, handed her the book and started to walk away in a different direction.

Taylor looked confused, but followed him immediately. "What happened?" She asked astonished, when she reached Troy and tried to keep up with him.

He stopped moving and turned to Taylor. "Well, it's either her family or me and I can't take the burden to be responsible that her family split", Troy explained despaired.

"You broke up with her?" Taylor asked him with an open mouth, not able to really process what was happening here. She was hugging the yearbook in her hands, waiting for Troy to answer.

"I had no other choice. I love her, Tay. I love her so much, but I don't want her to regret her decision" Troy replied deeply saddened.

Taylor touched his shoulder to comfort her boyfriend's best friend and led him into an empty classroom to sit down on one of the tables. "What does Gabriella want?" she asked him now and Troy told her what happened on Sunday afternoon.

Troy was standing in front of Gabriella, not able to say a word. He looked down at his fragile girlfriend sitting on the steps, sobbing into her tissue. Both didn't say anything. They were in total silence for a while, until Troy finally kneeled down to Gabriella, still holding a fuzzy Cameron in his arms. "I understand, if you have to break up with me now" Troy whispered softly with a sad voice. Gabriella finally looked up and met Troy's despaired eyes.

"That is the last thing I want to do, Troy" she said matter-of-factly. Gabriella lifted herself up by supporting her body with one arm. "I love you and I don't want to loose you again" she stated, wrapping her arms around his waist, hugging him and Cameron tightly. It felt so good to be in his arms right now and even Cameron seemed to calm down now.

"Ella?" Troy whispered and she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. The eyes she already noticed the first time they met. "I want you to go back to your parents now" he told her crushed. "I don't want to and I seriously can't be the reason that you don't talk to your parents anymore. You got through so much stuff over the last year and I want you to be happy again" Troy said, although it broke his heart into a thousand pieces.

Gabriella looked at him in total shock. "No Troy, don't do that to me. How can I possibly be happy, when you shut me out of your life?" she replied exasperated. Gabi cupped his face into both her hand and moved closer to him. "I need you" she said, before she kissed him gently and moved her hands around his head to pull him closer.

Troy loved the feeling of Gabriella's lips on his and if it was under different circumstances he would have made sure that the kiss never ended, but now he pulled back. "I can't do this, Ella" he told her out of breath. "You should go now" he said serious and handed her a smiling Cameron to take him home.

She looked up at him again, begging him to change his mind. To stick with her through whatever.

"And then I led her out of the house. I couldn't look into her sad eyes anymore" Troy ended his little monologue and Taylor just sat there, thinking.

"I understand where you're coming from, Troy. But she obviously loves you and you guys should find a way to make things work" Taylor answered faithfully. "You're perfect for each other. I mean people were even voting for you as Class Couple when you were separated. That's how we got all the votes in. Because people believe in you" she explained and looked at Troy who covered his face with his hands.

"What am I going to do, Tay?" he asked, not looking up.

Taylor considered ways and means and moved over to Troy from the table she was sitting on. "Well, have you talked to her parents yet? Maybe you can put some sense into them. I mean it's not like you're planning on having any more children soon" Taylor rolled with her eyes.

Troy chuckled at the comment. "Noooo, definitely not. And to be honest, I think it's basically her mom who does not like the idea of Ella and me" he explained and jumped off the table himself. "But you might be right, maybe I should talk to Noah or something" Troy reflected in a better mood now.

"Uhh, we're already on first name basis here. I see." Taylor laughed. "It'll be alright, Troy. It can't be that bad" she patted her friend on the shoulder. "Come here" Taylor said and pulled Troy into a hug.

He returned the embrace and breathed a 'thank you' into the small girl's ear.

"Anytime, heartbreaker" she chuckled and released him to go back to class.

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Gabriella spotted her already, when she was entering East High and it was like she was waiting for her to come. "Gabriella!" She heard the squeaking voice express. "Do you have a minute?" Mac was now standing right in front of Gabriella akimbo. The brunette rolled her eyes and motioned Mac to keep talking. "Well, I just wanted to say that it's not working that you're taking your own ride to the games all the time. We need to keep the team spirit up, you know. You can play princess at home, alright?" Mac explained sugar-sweet.

"Well, Mackenzie" Gabi imitated Mac. "If you have such a big problem with me – or better with whom I am with – than I should better quit. Jump in the lake with your cheerleading squad. I don't care about that anymore!" she called out and stomped off, a smirk plastered on her face.

"But Gabriella, without you we're lacking one person. How are we supposed to-" Mac yelled after her totally baffled, but got interrupted by a strong male voice.

"Well Mac, payback's a bitch", Troy said, casually leaning against the lockers next to him. "You should have known that before you used swearwords against my girlfriend and manipulated my car" Troy continued, looking at his ex-girlfriend triumphantly.

"That car was an old piece of trash anyw-. Oh!" Mac suddenly realized what she had just said and went as pale as death.

Troy couldn't do anything but smirk. "So you did destroy the engine of my car. Interesting, Mac" he looked angrily down at the blonde girl. "My dad's lawyer will send you the reparation bill. It's still the old address, isn't it?" he teased his ex.

Mackenzie bit her lower lip in total embarrassment and nodded.

"I thought so" was all Troy replied when he walked away from her, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets.

Gabriella, who heard Troy talking after she left herself, came out of her hideout now to face Troy. "She manipulated the engine?" Gabi called out pointing backwards with her thumb at the blonde.

Troy was surprised to see Gabriella standing in front of him, but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy her closeness. As if nothing has happened he answered: "She did. My dad just came up to me to tell me that the mechanic called and he said that the engine was worked on by hands, on purpose apparently. And I could only think of one person who would be able to do something like that" he explained, nodding over to Mackenzie, who was pretending to look for something in her locker.

"That stupid b-"

"Wow, wow, wow Ella. We don't want to sink to her level, do we?" he interrupted her and placed his finger on her lips. They locked eyes and Troy moved his finger over Gabriella's lips, hypnotized by the softness of them and the loving look in her eyes. Gabi closed her eyes, enjoying Troy's gentle touches on her lips, opening her mouth slightly.

"I should go now" Troy abruptly back away with his finger and looked down on his shoes. Without saying another word, he ran down the hall of East High and into the gym. Arriving there, he sat down on one of the substitute's benches, breathing heavily. 'I can't loose her' Troy thought and leaned back on the bench. After school was finished for today, he'd go over to the Montez house to talk to Gabi's dad, that's all he could think of right now.

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Troy felt like he was going on a first date, when he rang the doorbell on the Montez front door, waiting for someone to open. He knew Gabriella wasn't there, because Taylor dragged her to the mall to do a shopping spree, after Troy told her he'd like to talk to Gabi's dad in the afternoon.

Noah Montez opened the door and immediately smiled at Troy. "Troy, it's great to see you", Noah greeted him cheerfully. "Come on in."

Troy looked at Gabi's father with an irritated face, because he seemed to be totally oblivious to what happened at the weekend. "Ehm, can we maybe talk – somewhere else?"

Mr Bolton instantly looked concerned. "Well, I still have to finish some paperwork, but why don't we meet at that coffee shop you guys seem to hang out a lot? 'Fuel…' something", he proposed.

Troy chuckled. "Ehm, sure", he answered and looked at Mr. Montez with his anxious eyes. "See you in an hour than", Troy ended the conversation, gazing into the house to see if Mrs. Montez could hear what they were saying. He skipped down the steps, feeling even weirder than before. Why didn't Noah have any idea why Troy wanted to talk to him?

About an hour later, the teenager and Gabi's father were sitting on a table in Zeke's parents' coffee shop 'Alternate Fuel'. Troy had taken a shower in his spare hour and was now wearing a plain black polo shirt and dark blue jeans. He had gelled his short brown hair a little to make it look messier, the way Gabriella liked it the most.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Troy?" Noah asked curious and sipped on the hot coffee Zeke had just served them

Troy scratched his neck feeling uneasy. "Well, where do I start? ...I don't want your daughter to have to choose between her family and me" he told Noah bluntly.

"Oh, why would she have to do that?" the older man asked Troy confused.

Troy looked up from his coffee, staring into Gabi's father's eyes. "Because your wife makes her do it!" He simply answered. "Don't get me wrong, Noah, I like Mrs. Montez, but-"

"Wait! Clara made Gabi choose between us and you? When did that happen?" Noah asked his opponent totally startled. He was now fidgeting around on the wooden chair he was sitting on, obviously nervous.

"It must have been yesterday afternoon, when we got back from Santa Fe", Troy explained and told his 'father in law' everything he knew about the fight.

"Well, I know how much Ella loves her family, so I told her to go back to you guys", Troy finished his little monologue.

Noah didn't know what to say to the young man in front of him. He breathed in deeply, before he actually started talking again: "First of all, you're a great guy, Troy, and I know you love my daughter. I could see that when you were taking care of Cameron and of course at the way you looked at her, when you thought nobody was watching." Troy blushed noticeable. "So please take care of her and let her back in. I've never seen my daughter that happy before and although me saying this might scare you now, but I can see you as a potential father for my grandchild", Noah told Troy, who half-smiled at him. "I'll most definitely talk to my wife about all this, at best when Gabi's not around. I know Clara is super protective of both Gabi and Cameron, but I don't think she really sees what an amazing guy you are, Troy Bolton", Noah complimented the 18-year old.

Troy blushed again and smiled at the father of his girlfriend. "I'm sure Ella could spend the next days at my place", he faltered. "I mean, if you're okay with this?" he asked Noah now.

The older man grinned at him nodding. "I think that's a good idea, Troy. Maybe things will calm down at our house then. Now you only need to get my daughter back" Noah stated, convinced that this shouldn't be a big problem.

"Yeah, about that…can you do me a favor?" Troy asked his father in-law, who looked at him forebodingly.

"Wow, Troy's really hitting it off with Gabi's dad over there", Sharpay stated, looking over at the two men who were just laughing at something Noah had said.

"Well, I think it's hard for parents to accept a daughter's new boyfriend, when she got knocked up a year ago, but I think Troy's doing alright", Zeke replied wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist from behind.

"He is. I mean who would have thought a month ago that we'd get our old Troy, or even better, an improved version of him, back. I mean he was a wreck" Sharpay smiled happily.

Zeke nodded against Sharpay's shoulder. "Yeah, I think when we see Gabi the next time, we should thank her for that", he answered, still watching the two males on the small window table, acting all secretive.


To be continued…