A/N: Thanks for all of the support and stuff guys :) I hope you're all still enjoying the story and stuff. I know there's a lack of Troyella in this chapter but don't worry. It will all be back on track soon. Let me know what you think? I'll try and get the next one up as soon as I can :)


"At this moment there are 6470818671 people in the world, some are running scared, some are coming home, some tell lies to make it through the day, others are just not facing the truth, some are evil men at war with good, and some are good struggling with evil, sixs billion people in the world, six billion souls, and sometimes, all you need is one"

Hilarie Burton: One Tree Hill


At this moment there are 6470818671 people in the world, some are running scared, some are coming home, some tell lies to make it through the day, others are just not facing the truth, some are evil men at war with good, and some are good struggling with evil, sixs billion people in the world, six billion souls, and sometimes, all you need is one

Gabriella was sure that if someone was to run over her head with a truck, it wouldn't have hurt nearly as much as it did right then. She was also sure that a 3 month pregnant woman could have been puking all day and she still wouldn't have felt as sick as Gabriella did. She was also sure that a vampire wouldn't look at bright lights and feel blinded as much as she did at that moment in time. She had never wanted to be at home snuggled up in her bed as much as she did at that moment. She felt like she couldn't move. Her whole body felt stiff. She felt cold; her whole body was shivering as a result of the alcohol that was dispersing out of her body.

And in less than 10 minutes?

She was performing infront of at least a thousand people and she couldn't seem to get things right. She couldn't stand on a stage and pretend that everything was okay. That her whole life wasn't falling apart, when it was.

"5 minutes and counting girls, 5 minutes?"

Whoa, whoa. Where the fuck did 5 minutes come from? And there Gabriella sat, with her head in her hands. Trying her best not to smudge the make-up that had taken a half hour to apply. She had to pull this together, for the other girls. The other girls that had been so good to her since she had moved here. She couldn't let them down. That was the worst thing. She could deal with letting herself down. But the other girls were depending on this. They wanted this. And deep down somewhere Gabriella wanted it too. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. All day at rehearsals she had been like a walking dead, and it wasn't just from the hangover she was suffering from. It was all of the pain, she felt like she was losing Troy. She had practically forced herself on him last night and she couldn't have felt more embarrassed. He had seen a side of her that she thought would never surface. But it had.

She couldn't describe it. She knew Troy loved her. She had no doubt about that and she was hurting knowing that she was hurting him because of her own pain. But she had just felt a need to be loved. A need for him to show her that he loved her. This morning she was glad that he hadn't. She didn't want to give up her virginity while she was paralytically drunk and she would have regretted it in the morning. She remembered him taking her home that morning and she remembered getting up that morning and seeing the looks from her family. Not of anger. But of disappointment. Which she knew was miles worse.

"Gabi, sweetie, you okay?" Sharpay carefully asked as she approached her wearing a similar dress to what Gabriella was wearing. It was a short white dress, a sweetheart cut on the neckline with a row of shimmering silver sequins around the top along the neckline. The dress then followed into a triangular cut at just below the belly button so you could see the waist line of her. It then followed on into a skirt. Tassels hung like string from everywhere you looked on the dress. The one that Gabriella was wearing was almost identical and highlighted her curves.

"Headache." She whispered, as if it would save her from the torturous music that was going to slice through her ears in... 5 minutes. She didn't know if she could do it.

"Gabi... come on we gotta go..." Kelsi tenderly instructed.

Gabriella had to laugh a little bit, because Kelsi looked so out of place and she also looked so uncomfortable. The dress that she was wearing locked around her neck with gems and sequins around it and her hands were securely on her waist making sure that no flesh was seen. "I'm coming..." She smiled solemnly. Gabriella stood up from the couch she was sitting on and removed the sunglasses that she was wearing to block out the light.

"So you spoken to Troy today?" Sharpay asked as she linked her arm with Gabriella's and their steps fell into sync with another.

Gabriella shook her head before sighing deeply. "I don't know if I dare. What if he thinks I'm a slut who offers it out to anyone?" The truth was that Troy had called her through the day but she had been rehearsing and didn't really want to face the embarrassing phone call of her having to apologize for being a slut.

"Hey! You're not a slut." Sharpay enforced. "You seriously think you're the first girl to force yourself on Troy?"

Gabriella turned to Sharpay sharply. Sharpay closed her eyes tightly and bit down into her bottom lip. "Shit, sorry."

Gabriella smiled softly and shook her head and squeezed Sharpay's arm slightly with her own. "Don't worry about it. So how are things with Zeke?"

A slight smirk grew onto Sharpay's face as soon as the name had rolled from her tongue. How much she wished things could have been that simple again with Troy. How did things get so bad? How did she get so lost? "Things are good. Really good." She raised her eyebrows slightly.

Gabriella nodded. "That's.... good. No great."

"Alright girls stop there." Gabriella looked up to the source of the voice whom she knew was her sister. Phoebe was stood infront of the four girls smiling tightly. Her cheek bones high like she had been on Botox or something. Her hair was curled and to one side draping down below her breasts and she was wearing a yellow one shoulder dress with a black thin waist belt. "Okay you're gonna do good right?"

Sharpay smiled brightly although Gabriella's mind was focused on other things. "We're gonna try. Hopefully those bitches won't upstage us."

Phoebe's eyebrows rose. "Yeah well unfortunately they've already been on so um you just have to go out there and do your best right? Gabs, you alright?"

Gabriella nodded quickly although her head felt like it weighed five thousand pounds. "Uh huh. I'm good."

"Okay so I just want you to go out there and do yourselves proud okay, and if they win? So what. At least you know that you will have put everything you have into it and just have fun. Okay?" Phoebe instructed before looking at the four girls with a shadow of hope around her irises.

Gabriella nodded solemnly and looked down at the ground. Suddenly there was a loud squeal coming from the blonde standing next to her. "Come on girls let's do it."

Gabriella did the best that she could to muster up a fake smile on her face before she walked out onto the stage. The stage was in total darkness, and Gabriella was sure the curtain was down, as she couldn't see anyone. She felt like everything was a blur. Like it was all passing by her in a daze. She was handed her sparkling microphone and held it to her side robotically. She couldn't describe what had happened to her. She felt stiff, like she couldn't do this. She turned her body to the side to begin the song and then she heard her name been called. And then what happened?

The curtain went up.

The music cued from behind her and there was nothing she could do. She had to pull herself together. She had to do this. She held the microphone up to her mouth, "Aah push it."

The words had left her mouth and she felt her eyes scanning the audience for one person and one person only. Her eyes were skimming the audience for him. She couldn't find him. The words to the song were rolling off of her tongue without a second thought and all she could see was an ocean full of people. She wanted to see him. Needed to see him. Needed to know he was there.

And then she saw her father.

Gabriella froze. Whilst walking across the stage. Her eyes narrowed in on her father. He was standing there with a smug smile on his face. She couldn't go on. She couldn't do it. But she had to. She could hear the echoes of the other girls singing in the background and she didn't know how she was holding it together and all of the words were leaving her mouth and if she wasn't personally melting inside she wouldn't have realized that no one noticed that she was breaking. Gabriella wanted to run off of the stage and scream in his face, pound on his chest and tell him how much she hated him and how much she needed him to leave her alone. That was all she needed. But she couldn't. All she wanted was to see his face....

And then she did.

The azure orbs locked on her coffee brown and immediately she could feel tears cloud her vision, now all she wanted was to run to him and let him envelope her in his arms and let him take it all away. She could see the concern in the creases of his face that were hidden by the smile that was on his face, the encouraging smile. She could tell that he was telling her that he was thinking of her, that he wanted her to go on.

The last thing Gabriella remembered was the lights going off and everyone applauding followed by the smiles that were on Taylors, Kelsi's and Sharpay's face, and her own chest that was heaving up and down uncontrollably. She had done it. She had got through it and she couldn't remember dancing a single step, singing a single word. All she remembered was seeing her father's face and then looking for Troy's, hoping for him to reassure her. Something she thought she would ever do. She was mentally kicking herself for relying on Troy. She couldn't do it. He wouldn't be there in the long run. She couldn't trust for him to be there. Not forever. And now she was sitting on the couch where she started. She felt as if she was in a trance. One thing that she loved, singing. One thing that she was passionate and cared about and the one person that she hated was there to ruin it for her. Her father.

She didn't understand. Why was he there? Gabriella didn't even have the chance to look for her other sisters, they promised they would be there; she just looked at her father and looked at Troy. Secretly begging for him to whisk her away from the hellhole that she was in. But that was bad wasn't it. That was bad, really bad. "Gabriella?" A careful quiet voice called her name from the corner of the room. Sharpay was standing looking at Gabriella with concern locked in her spheres. "You okay? You look like you saw a ghost?"

Gabriella laughed slightly, a dry bitter laugh. "I wish I would have seen a ghost. Would make things so much easier." She stared off into the distance, onto the sandy coloured wallpaper that coated the walls.

"What?" Sharpay enquired. Her voice must have been miniscule because it wasn't an astounded kind of what. Just one of confusion. "You did great out there" She referenced, her finger pointed to the door where they had walked down to the stage. Down to where she had seen her father. "Despite the hangover the size of Alaska." She added with a slight giggle.

"I feel so lost." Gabriella commented into the distance. Her mouth was rested upon the olive skin that was her arm.

"What? Why? Come on talk to me...." Sharpay rushed over to where Gabriella was sitting, before Gabriella turned to look at her with tears clouding her vision and a watery smile on her face.

"I...." Gabriella began but was cut off by...

"Girls come on the results about to be called..." Phoebe smiled brightly. Gabriella suddenly felt jealousy in the pit of her stomach. How could Phoebe be so cool about it? How could she look like everything was okay when Gabriella felt like she was dying inside? It couldn't work that way. Both of the seniors stood from the couch they were sitting on, Gabriela was half thanking her for interrupting and sparing her from telling Sharpay the truth. Something she hadn't told anyone. Not even Troy. She didn't like telling people about it. She felt they would give her their pity. Pity she didn't want. And certainly pity she didn't need.

The next thing gabriella knew she was standing on the stage clasping hands tightly with Taylor and Kelsi. Her eyes were transfixed into the distance. She couldn't do this anymore. She wanted out. She wanted it done. She couldn't be there anymore. She wanted her legs to pick her up and carry her to Troy. That's what she wanted, what she needed.

She needed him.

And she didn't want to need him.

She wanted to be able to do this on her own but as time had passed she had realised that she couldn't. She couldn't go through it alone. If she wanted their relationship to be successful she had to be honest with him, she had to let him be able to catch her when she fell to the ground. When she was crying she had to let him wipe away her tears and tell her that it was going to be okay.

"Okay. So the results are in. Remember this is for the record contract for after you guys graduate. You will work with some of the best artists. So good luck to the both of you." The host instructed. He swung his head both from side to side to Gabriella and the girls to the other group. Gabriella hadn't even looked at them.

"And the winner's are...." There was a defining pause where Gabriella should have been feeling anticipation, nerves. She should have been feeling all of the typical feelings. But she wasn't. She was just feeling love. Lots and lots of love, directed towards Troy. She wanted to see him. She needed to. "Unwritten."

And then she felt what she was meant to feel.

They hadn't got it. She felt disappointed definitely. She felt guilty. And then she felt two warm arms wrap her in an embrace. Taylor's arms circled around Gabriella to share a hug of conciliation. But most of all Gabriella wanted one thing.

Troy.


Gabriella.

Troy saw the panic in her eyes. He saw the desire. He could see everything he was sure no one else could see. Because she did amazing. And he saw the heartbreaking look on her face when she had seen her father standing there. Troy then saw the horror that had struck her face. As soon as she had locked eyes with his he knew that no matter whether if she knew it or not she was saying one thing to him. I need you.

Troy didn't know what else do to. Gabriella had texted him and told him to go home after the show and that she would call him tomorrow. Troy had no other choice than to oblige. When she was on that stage he just wanted to run up to her and take her in his arms and kiss her senseless and tell her that it was okay. She didn't need to be in pain anymore. He would take it all away in a heartbeat if he could. But he couldn't. He didn't have that power. He was only a human. A human who was madly in love. And couldn't bear to see her in pain. Not anymore.

So he did what any good boyfriend would do. What any good boyfriend could do. He stood outside and waited for Gabriella's father to walk out of the room. Everyone had disappeared pretty quickly and the only thing Troy was hoping was that he hadn't tried to go backstage to see Gabriella because he knew that would have really broken her. Totally and utterly. And then he appeared.

Thank god.

Troy actually didn't know what he was going to do. He just knew it was what he had to do. He stood and he waited. He had to admit that his palms were sweating a little at the fact that he was meeting Gabriella's father. Even though he wasn't there it was still her father. Still the man that he was supposed to have approval of the man who he was supposed to feel intimidated by. The man he was supposed to ask if he ever wanted to marry his daughter.

"Um, Mr Montez?" Troy called timidly.

He stopped abruptly right infront of Troy and seemed to inspect his face. Inspect how he looked. "You." He pointed towards his face. "I know you. You're Gabriella's boyfriend."

Troy nodded. "And you're her father."

He chuckled slightly before pointing in Troy's face again. "You, you're funny. I like that. I'm glad you knew I was her father."

Troy snickered slightly. "It's a wonder that she knew you were her father when you showed up at her door."

Gabriella's father raised his eyebrows a little as anger flashed through his features. It was as if his whole demeanour had changed. Troy knew he shouldn't have said it but he had said it now, and he couldn't take it back. But he didn't want to take it back, he edged towards Troy but Troy didn't show any change in demeanour. He remained standing still. "Excuse me?"

Now his face was incredibly close to Troy's. Troy was actually glad that his friends had left because he was sure they would have said something by now. Troy wasn't actually sure why he hadn't said anything as of yet. Something that would insult him. "You heard me. Do you seriously know how much pain you're causing her? The whole family?"

He laughed a little, a fake laugh and then got up close in Troy's face. "You listen to me son. What does on between me and my family is none of your business. So I suggest that you keep your nose out okay?" And at that point he turned his back and started to walk away. Troy could hear the echoes of his footprints that were pressing down hard onto the tiled floor.

"Can I ask you a question? Mr Montez?" Troy realised that he didn't actually know his first name. He still wanted to be polite though. It was his girlfriend's dad. And he obviously hadn't made a good first impression at all. He turned around slowly to look at Troy. "What do you think is gonna happen?"

His eyes and brows furrowed in confusion, the eyes that were identical to Gabriella's. "What do you mean what do I think is gonna happen?"

Troy shrugged loosely. "When they don't let you back into their lives, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna force your way in. Force your daughters to be in so much pain just so you can see them? Wouldn't you rather that they are happy?"

He looked down at the floor and then started to walk back in Troy's direction. His footsteps still echoing over the ground. "What do you mean causing them pain? I just want to get to know them."

Troy shrugged his defined shoulders for the second time. "Yeah I know but after 14 years I really don't understand. Did you not think of them at all in the last 14 years?"

This seemed to enrage him. Troy thought he was actually going to punch him. His nostrils flared and his eyes widened. "How dare you even ask that?"

"How dare you walk away from them for 14 years and expect everything to be peachy when you come back. You do know it doesn't work that way right?" Troy's voice threatened to get louder. He wasn't yelling, there was just passion in his tone.

"You can't talk to me like that. You don't even know me. You don't know anything about why I left. Nothing at all." Troy began to feel his body start to shake in anger. He knew it wasn't his place, and he knew he was being out of order but there was nothing left for him to do. He needed Gabriella to feel better; he needed to see her smile without him knowing she was faking it. He needed her to not be crumbling and falling apart inside.

"Well y'know what neither do they. But they don't. But another thing is I don't think that they want to know." Troy stated his voice back to its normal level.

"You don't know anything." Mr Montez spoke, simply shaking his head slowly.

"Did you know that your youngest daughter was there when your eldest died? I know a hell of a lot more than you do believe me." Troy declared

He looked down to the ground as if he was ashamed and then looked up to meet Troy's eyes with an irritated look on his features. "I don't have to listen to this."

And then he turned and started to walk away.

"Yeah you do that. But this time don't come back. They don't want you. You have to realize that." And that time he didn't turn back. But Troy only wondered if he was going to come back.

Now the only thing he had to do was get to Gabriella.

He had to tell her that it was okay. He wasn't going to stop until she listened to him.

And he was going there right that second....