Title: Unbreakable

Author: Jade-Max

Summary: Troy and Gabriella share a moment after the final curtain drops on the Senior Year Musical after taking their bows - after he reveals which school he's attending and why.

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Unbreakable

"Berkley's Wildcat?" Gabriella launched herself into his arms, unable and unwilling to stem the tears that trailed down her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Troy returned her embrace, touching his forehead to hers as he looked down into her luminescent eyes. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, I'm surprised."

"Stanford offered me a place too, but it was only for theatre."

She laughed. "You just couldn't choose one over the other, could you?"

"Not without regretting it later." Stroking her hair back from her face, Troy's smile was gentle. "Do you like being right?"

"Only because it's what's best for you."

"For us," he corrected. "This choice is right for us, not just for me. I love you, Gabriella - you didn't give me the chance to say it back when you told me."

"I knew," she whispered, framing his face in her hands. "I never doubted it. But I also knew I couldn't say goodbye to you if you told me, so I hung up on you."

"No more goodbyes?" He searched her features. "I can't stand the thought of losing you again."

"Thirty two point seven miles is a long way to walk."

"So I'll find someplace to live somewhere in the middle between our schools."

"You're not going to live in the dorm?"

"Not if it means seeing you more often." He grinned. "I'll need to get a job to pay for the necessities of life."

"Troy-"

"No," he cut her off with a shake of his head. "Listen before you object, okay?"

"Alright. Convince me this isn't going to be bad for your studies, basketball and drama obligations."

"That's my girl." He took a deep breath - and explained. "No matter where I choose to live I'll have to pay for it, either at the school or off campus. I know it would be cheaper on campus, but it would mean less time spent with you. If I live close enough to where you do, we can meet at the end of the day or on days off, rather than always having me come to you. Different schools will mean we have less time than we do now to spend together, but this way we're not limited by distance."

She watched him silently. Buoyed by her mute acceptance, he continued.

"These last two weeks without you have been hell, Gabriella. When you called me to say you weren't coming back, it hurt. The only way I was able to keep myself going was with the knowledge that you'd be back and now suddenly, I didn't even have that. Chad reminded me that no one expects to keep the girl after high school - except I did. I don't know what I was expecting when school was over if I decided to go to U of A. Naively, I think I believed we'd be okay. If anything, these two weeks have taught me that this isn't the case."

"No?"

"No," Troy shook his head. "They showed me that I can't live and be happy with that kind of distance between you and me. I knew before you left that what we have is special and it made me realize that I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I let you walk away without giving us every opportunity to explore where this will lead. If that means getting a job, going to a school my parents never expected and moving away from everything I know, it's what I'll do. Not because it's what's best for you, but because it's what's best for me. Life can't be cruel enough to let us find one another and then separate us when it's just getting interesting."

"Interesting?"

"You don't think so?"

"I can think of better things to be called."

Laughing, he tweaked her nose. "At the same time I knew you'd never forgive me if you thought I was sacrificing my future to be with you, so I made my choice based on what I wanted - everything I wanted and I compromised. That's what you do when you love someone."

"It won't be easy."

"Nothing worth having is."

"We won't see each other as much as we want."

"It'll be more than we would if I went to the U of A."

"The work load will be bigger."

"So we can study together and you can help me with my lines." His eyes twinkled. "And come cheer me on when we play - especially Stanford."

Her lips curved. "You've really thought this out."

"I have a good teacher."

"I don't want you to regret this choice, Troy."

"Never." He touched his forehead to hers again. "I could never regret a choice that kept me close to you."

"Even if it means we only see each other for hours at a time?"

He laughed softly. "Don't you want me to be nearby?"

"More than anything," she agreed fervently. "But I don't want you to think we're going to have the same kind of relationship we do at East High."

"No; it'll be better."

She nudged his body with hers. "With you working, it means we'll have even less free time to spend together."

"Does your new room have a balcony?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Does it have a tree beside it?"

"Troy!"

He smiled, straightening again and brushed his lips against her cheek as he did. "We've both been busy since school started this year, Gabriella, but somehow we always made the time to be together. You're important to me; even if it means a few less hours of sleep, I'll make the time if you will."

"You know I will."

"I know it'll be tough, but it's worth it; you're worth it."

Gabriella tugged his head back down as she stepped to the toes of his shoes. "We're worth it, Wildcat." Her correction was soft as she kissed him soundly, showing her approval for both his choice and his response. It would be difficult, but suddenly both of their futures seemed brighter and Stanford didn't seem quite so inhospitable. Troy and she might not be going to the same school anymore, but they would still be together.

And together they were unbreakable.

fin