Hello, hello! So Gabriella's back…. Okay Sharpay's POV is pretty lengthy in this chapter and most of Jack's POV is from the past (Hence the italics.)
Dinner down memory lane.
Sharpay's POV:
"This lasagne taste great Sharpay!"
Gabriella exclaimed, smiling towards her before swallowing an other mouthful of the meal she had prepared.
The trio had moved from the corridor, with Troy and Sharpay insistent that she stayed for dinner, Gabriella had joined them, not where they habitually ate at the breakfast bar but in the usually vacated dinning room.
Sharpay returned the smile warmly and carried on the exchanging of information, having Gabriella Montez in her house after all these years was so unexpected and all three of them had barely paused for breath.
"So where are you staying?"
"Taylor's, well her parents"
Troy shook his head and poured himself some more wine; "I'm going to kill Chad for not telling me!"
Gabriella laughed and raised her hands; "He didn't know, in fact no one knew but Taylor and her mum obviously. I made her swear not to tell anyone."
Turned out Gabriella had gotten her mum's company, who she now worked for, to transfer her to their branch in Albuquerque. She'd been in town for a couple of weeks and had ran into Troy and his mum whilst grocery shopping with Mrs. Mckessie.
Sharpay and Troy told her the obvious, they had been married a year last summer.
"So do you still sing?" Troy asked her curiously.
"It drives my boss mad!"
After that the whole discussion was reminiscing on the singing they all use to do in high school; the talent competition and the musicals crazy old Darbus use to organise.
They laughed and joked about the past, Troy looked the happiest Sharpay had seen him in a while and it suddenly dawned on her that she had never enjoyed Gabriella's company as much as now, in fact, if her memory was correct the old Sharpay had pretty much hated this most unexpected visitor.
"Hey can I join you?"
Gabriella had just entered the kitchen curiously.
Sharpay looked around from the three coffee mugs she'd been handling and gave a smile in answer.
"Sure grab a stool the coffee's ready, where's Troy?"
"Oh he's gone upstairs to find me some old senior year photos. Thought we could reminisce some more." Gabriella answered sitting herself down accordingly.
Sharpay bought over two mugs of steaming coffee and put herself opposite her.
"I don't think, as nice as you are, you can have fond memories of me from high school."
Gabriella gave a small smile with a reminiscent gleam in her eyes; "Well I guess there wasn't to much love lost between us."
Sharpay gave a small laugh and took a sip from her cup.
"Mmm your letting me off way to lightly, I think the term heinous bitch, pretty much covers the way I was towards you."
They both laughed into their coffee and Gabriella nodded acceptingly; "Okay, but you different now your-"
"Humane?" Sharpay helped out and she nodded smiling again.
"I guess after you left, I kind of thought everything would be the way I wanted it but it wasn't really.
It's weird but up until senior year, all my life, I'd always gotten what I wanted easily and since then, I don't know I just kind of didn't care all that much, I think I relaxed a bit more and learnt to work for the things I wanted."
She looked up to see Gabriella's chocolate eyes looking kindly into hers. Sharpay shook her head slightly to apologise for her confusing recount, but Gabriella just took her hand in hers and smiled;
"I get it.
I was kind of worried about coming here tonight, but I've enjoyed it so much I've seen this all other Sharpay I didn't remember and you and Troy are a great couple I'm so happy for you guys."
"Thank you, it's weird to think there was a time when I would have gotten jealous to have you two in the same room but I'm so glad you came and I know Troy's really happy as well."
Gabriella smiled into her coffee and Sharpay watched her face closer, an amused frown starting.
"You know I'm not the only one who's changed, your style is so different! Your working the all Kate Moss look."
"Thanks, I kind of looked around the office one day and realised if I didn't take drastic action I'd end up looking like a NASA employee."
Sharpay nearly sprayed coffee everywhere, her laughter was infectious and soon they were both laughing.
Troy came down and the rest of the evening was spent looking through photo albums of fresh faced Wildcats and other old East high students. It was nearly midnight when Gabriella announced she had best be getting back to the Mckessie household, Troy let her borrow the album but only on condition that they all meet up again soon.
Jack's POV:
Jack sat at the dinner table, his mind even less on his surroundings then usual. A bunch of memories had come flooding back when Lou-Anne had mentioned running into Gabriella Montez.
"Hey what's up son?
The steaks are ready and your hiding up here."
Troy looked up, Jack frowned and went to sit by him; never had he seen his son look so sad.
"What's happened?"
Troy's jaw clenched as though he was holding in deep emotion then his shoulders seemed to sink and he faced his father tears swimming in his bright blue yes.
"It's Gabriella.."
Jack frowned once more, they'd had split ups before and Troy would always seem lifeless when they weren't speaking.
"I'm sure you'll make it up son, what happened?"
Troy shook his head almost angrily.
"She's left dad. Her mum's company transferred her to Chicago."
"But I thought they wouldn't move until you guys had graduated."
"Well they didn't and she's on a plane now and I-"
Jack broke in confused; "Hold on, she just told you today?"
Troy nodded. "She's been trying to tell me for days but she didn't know how. Dad I love her so much, what am I going to do-"
At this point his voice broke with emotion and instinctively Jack put an arm around his son and turned Troy towards him.
"Hey it's not the end of the world, Chicago's far but you've got technology on your side; add her facebox or whatever it is."
"Facebook, yeah I guess, I don't know. I'm going to miss her so much…" Jack let his son's words drift off and felt sad hearing the pain in his voice.
"She's probably missing you just as much Troy. If it helps distract yourself, play some ball or do some singing."
Troy nodded looking just a little bit better then he had when Jack had first entered.
Jack left his room, he felt bad for the kid, but there wasn't much he could do. They would work things out, he was sure of it. Still Chicago was a long way off…..
All summer the phone was constantly occupied and the internet hogged by Troy as him and Gabriella spoke in some form every day.
Troy had began saving most of his allowance to visit Chicago before the summer holidays ended.
Somehow, however, he never managed to raise enough and so the trip was put on hold.
Jack had occasionally wondered whether if he'd gone, him and Gabriella would have stayed together.
With senior year starting in separate schools for the couple, their correspondence became less frequent and harder to maintain. Troy was preoccupied with the Wildcats and Gabriella had almost straight away been made head of the Decathlons team at her high school in Chicago.
With lack of being near each other Troy and Gabriella's relationship was diminishing, until the beginning of October they both made official to their families and friends, none of Gabriella's new friends knew Troy, what they had both known was inevitable; they broke up.
Since the beginning of senior year Troy and Sharpay had grown close friends, and almost overnight her and Troy became an item.
Though he had not expressed it, Jack had been surprised at these events, Gabriella had made Troy so happy and hadn't Sharpay been someone he couldn't stand not so long ago?
However he saw she had changed seemed more chilled out then the theatrical young girl who would practically stalk Troy.
Eventually Sharpay ad Troy became more solid in everyone's mind then Troy and Gabriella.
Occasionally, though, Jack saw something of regret pass over Troy when photo albums were shown around and an old picture of her came to view.
Getting back to the present, Jack took a bite of his now cold steak and fleetingly he wondered how Sharpay was taking having Troy's old flame in their house.
So I know there's a question buzzing around some of your minds; Troyella? All I'm going to say is she isn't going away anytime soon…