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Chapter 20: Friends?

Let the drama begin…

Troy walked into school the next day to see Gabriella talking quietly with Kelsi by her locker. She glanced over Kelsi and gave him a small smile, which he gladly returned. Suddenly Taylor and Claire approached them, "Where were you two yesterday?" Taylor asked coldly.

Kelsi and Gabriella looked at each other and grimaced, this wasn't going to be easy. "Look, yesterday was a tough day for me." Gabriella began, trying to quickly come up with an excuse as to why they weren't there.

"Then why didn't we hear from you?" Claire looked visibly hurt.

"Cause I ran into Kelsi and she just took care of me." Maybe she didn't really need to go into details, she might be able to be vague with them.

"So you two got out of school?" Taylor looked at them skeptically.

"Just drop it." Gabriella was suddenly very tired, tired of the suspicions, tired of the lies, tired of doing it all without her parents, just plain tired.

"Why should we?" Taylor challenged her

"Because you're my friends and you accept what I say, and know that if there's something going on you'll find out when I'm ready to tell you. You know how much I've been through." She felt sick now.

"That doesn't excuse you." Claire said dramatically.

Gabriella groaned, enough was fucking enough, "Like you've ever really cared. You never know what I'm thinking. You never take the time to figure out what's going on with me unless you're in the mood or you think it'll benefit you in someway. What sort of friends are you?" She spat, slamming her locker shut as she stormed away with Kelsi hot on her heels.

Troy flinched from down the hall. The bell rang. Where were his 'friends'? Better yet, where were Ryan and Jason? "Guess I'll find out in homeroom" he muttered to himself.

Walking into homeroom he saw his friends were already there, including Ryan and Jason. When he sat down Jason walked casually over to his desk, "We kept the sharks away for a while. Don't worry about it." Troy nodded his thanks and went to staring at the door.

Sharpay watched him, he looked like he was in pain. Maybe he wasn't seeing anybody. Maybe she'd been wrong? No that was bullshit and she knew it. Something was up with him. It had been for a while. She suddenly smiled, she knew exactly what to do.

'Okay,' she thought 'I just have to make notes about when different things happened and put them on a timeline. Maybe if I see it all on paper it will actually make sense and I can figure out this never-ending situation. And put a stop to it if it's bad.' With that thought she pulled out a piece of paper and her pink pen. Dabbing the tip of it with her tongue, she began writing.

Troy looked up as the door opened just as the final bell rang. He thought his heart was going to break in two at the sight before him. Gabriella looked ready to break. She looked like she wanted to cry, but knew she couldn't, not here, not now. He began to squirm uncomfortably in his seat.

"You okay dude?" Chad asked his friend with concerned eyes.

"Yeah." Troy said absently, all he wanted to do was scoop Gabriella up in his arms and kiss her sadness away. He wanted to be the one to make it better, not Kelsi, who was desperately trying to comfort her friend in the corner.

Kelsi looked up and caught Jason's eye. She tossed a side-glance at Taylor and Claire and Jason immediately knew that the reason Gabriella looked so desolate was because of her friends. He groaned and put his head in his hands. Today was going to be a long day, he knew it to his toes.

"Dude, what's up with you, Troy, and Ryan?" Zeke leaned over to ask Jason.

"Everything." Jason replied, though it was muffled because his face was on his desk. Suddenly his head shot up, "Where the fuck is Darbus?" The whole class burst into fits of laughter. "What?" he asked confused.

Zeke patted him on the back, "Man, she's not here today, she asked Shar to take roll and then watch us as we do whatever." He shook his head, "You'd think we'd all leave, but hell, we're still sitting here. Whatever though. Seriously, what's up with you guys lately. Where were ya'll yesterday. Sharpay's ready to beat you guys up trying to figure out what's going on with Troy."

Jason quickly realized that he'd gotten himself stuck in the one conversation he didn't want to be stuck in. But maybe this could work. If he could sell Zeke a lie, then Zeke could tell Sharpay, then Sharpay would leave them alone until they figure out how to deal with Gabs' friends and the rest of the school. Hm, this could actually work for him. Realizing he'd been silent for too long he quickly thought up some bullshit.

"Look dude," he paused for effect, "Troy's been through a rough time and right now Helen and Sharpay are being overly demanding. And you and Chad are constantly pushing basketball, and it's all too much for him to handle. So," another pause, "he began disappearing. Ryan and I got worried so we tried to understand his position. Just tell Sharpay to leave him be for the moment."

"That's all good, but Shar thinks he's fucking someone. And she wants to know who." Zeke looked around the room finally resting his eyes on Troy who looked ready to cry and kill someone.

"Trust me, he's not fucking anyone." Jason assured Zeke in what he hoped was his most convincing voice. Zeke nodded and seemed to buy it. Jason sighed in relief. He needed to talk to Kelsi. Lunch, maybe he could borrow meet her in the music room for a few minutes. Pulling out a sheet of paper he jotted her a note. 'Now to figure out how to leave it for her. Maybe I can put it in her locker when no one's watching.' He thought.

He glanced over and saw Zeke talking quietly to Sharpay. Jason silently prayed that Shar would buy it and give them some time to regroup. Leaning over to Ryan he told him what happened with Zeke.

"I guess." Ryan sounded tired and unconvinced, "This is too much, she's not going to bite. She's brinking on obsessed here." Jason shook his head, it wasn't her life, why the fuck did she care?

The bell rang. 'One class and then free period' Troy thought, 'One class and then Ella' he just had to breathe and take today one step at a time. He walked into the chemistry classroom and sat down between Ryan and Jason, hoping for some protection. Gabriella walked in with Kelsi, Taylor and Claire weren't far behind, but they weren't speaking with Gabriella and Kelsi that much was pretty evident in their body language.

Troy's eyes connected quickly with Gabriella's and they made the decision to meet during free in the garden. They needed to find a new spot to meet, the garden had become too risky.

The bell rang and Troy walked out of the room with Zeke, Jason, and Ryan towards his locker. Chad met them there with Sharpay and Helen.

"Captain," Chad began in his best whining voice, "please come play one game with us?" he pouted, not an attractive feature on him.

Troy shook his head 'no', and opened up his locker.

"Come on dude!" Zeke clapped his back. Ryan and Jason passed a look, something was about to go incredibly wrong now.

"Not now." Troy said.

"It's never not now." Sharpay pointed out.

"Stay out of it Sharpay." Troy warned not looking at her.

"Come on baby, I want to see you play." Helen coaxed

"I'm not your baby and you don't control me." Troy told her, trying to keep calm.

"Dude, come on just one game." Chad begged his best friend

"No." came the stony reply. Jason and Ryan looked at each other. They mentally agreed that someone needed to step in. But before they could say anything Zeke spoke up.

"Captain, I know you're sad, but you need to step it up, or we're going to lose to West High." Zeke scolded him. Troy snapped. He shoved Zeke against the locker.

"You actually think that I give a damn about West High right now? My brother, my best friend just died. I get time to mourn I get time to not focus on basketball 24-7 I need time." He shook Zeke forcefully, "You all need…" By now the entire hallway was focused on the scene playing out in front of them.

"Troy…" A voice came from behind. They all spun around to see the owner of the voice. The hallway was dead quiet, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

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Mollie XOXO