Okay, so I personally hate most of this chapter. The beginning's pretty good, but the rest is really a filler. It drags on and on. Oh well. I meant to get this out yesterday, but my computer was being a butthole. Enjoy :)

Brandon held his breath as a gunshot sounded through the room. His mind and body went numb. Had he just been shot and killed? Of course. Wolf was the only one in the room with a gun.

But if he was dead, why could he still breathe? He had just been shot in the head, right?

He cracked open one eye to see the dark kitchen atmosphere and Troy sitting there with tears running down his pale face. Troy's expression was a mixture of surprise and shock, with a little relief and happiness passing through it.

Brandon opened his other eye and looked up at Wolf. His eyes were wide and empty. The gun in his hand dropped to Brandon's side. His face paled as his body went tumbling on top of Brandon's. Brandon quickly pushed him off of himself and stood up. His mouth dropped as he viewed the bullet hole in the back of his head.

"Oh my God..." Brandon whispered to no one.

"How did..." Troy continued, sharing emotions with his best friend. Both held their breath. Wolf had been shot dead by someone that wasn't Troy or Brandon. Who had saved them?

A loud sigh filled the room and something dropped on the floor. Brandon and Troy spun around and gasped when they saw Chase and Gabriella standing in the doorway. A gun lay on the floor beside Chase.

"Dad, did you-" Brandon asked breathlessly.

Chase nodded "Yeah. No one hurts my son and gets away with it."

Brandon nodded and limped over to his father, not letting go of his wounded arm. He wrapped his good arm around his father while Chase did the same. "Sorry it took so long. This room may be soundproof, but me and Gabby heard the first gunshot and I went looking for my gun."

Brandon felt his eyes fill with tears. He didn't try to stop them from running down his face. "Thank you dad! Thank you! I thought I was gonna die!"

"Shh. It's okay son. I've got you. He can't hurt you anymore. It's all over." Chase soothed his son, rubbing his back.

While the father/son moment was happening at the door, Gabriella walked over to Troy, who was sitting on the floor staring at Wolf's dead body.

"You okay Troy?" She softly asked him.

Troy just blinked for a few moments, not being able to process what had just happened. "I don't know." He finally answered.

Gabriella sighed and nodded. "How'd he even get in here?"

Troy nodded toward the open basement door, not saying a word. Gabriella just nodded back.

"I can't believe this." Gabriella said, shaking her head.

"Me neither," Troy whispered "It's finally over. No more beatings, no more threats, no more putting on the impression that I hate my best friend. It's over."

Gabriella gently wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and rested her head in his shoulder. Troy closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. It was so good to be alive.

"I love you Troy. I'm so happy that you're okay." Gabriella silently cried.

Troy stroked her hair and replied into her hair "I would never leave you Gabby. I love you too much for that. I'm not going anywhere."

After a few moments, Chase returned to the room. Troy and Gabriella didn't even know that he left.

"Okay," he announced "I just called an ambulance. Just hold on for about 10 minutes boys. You're gonna be fine."

"Thanks dad." Brandon smiled, looking over at Troy. Troy grinned back at his best friend, knowing that everything was going to be okay.

--

...At the Hospital...

"Okay, thanks Shar." Gabriella smiled, hanging up her phone. She turned to her mother and Chase and announced "I just called Taylor, Chad, Sharpay, Ryan, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi. They should be here soon."

"What about Brandon's friends?" Gina asked.

"I don't have their numbers. I need Brandon's phone for that." Gabriella replied.

Gina and Chase nodded. Chase had called her as soon as the ambulance got to his house. Gina was calm about it, but secretly frantic. How would you feel if you found out that your son got shot by his gym teacher?

A few minutes later, the gang crashed though the hospital doors, wild looks in their eyes.

"Where is he?!" Chad cried "Where's Troy?!"

"Chad, calm down." Gabriella comforted her friend. "They're fine."

"Who's they?" Taylor asked. Gabriella blushed. She left out the part about Brandon getting hurt too.

"Troy and Brandon." She whispered.

"Troy and WHO?!" the boys yelled, their faces growing red.

"Troy and Brandon." Gabriella repeated "Troy has a concussion and Brandon got shot in the arm."

"By who?" Kelsi asked worriedly. Chad and Sharpay exchanged looks.

"It was Wolf, wasn't it?" the blonde predicted, crossing her arms.

Gabriella nodded "You knew?"

"Yeah, Chad told me the day after it happened." Gabriella glared at Chad, who was looking everywhere but at the brunette.

"Chad..."

"Yeah?" Chad replied innocently.

"Why would you tell the biggest bigmouth ever if Troy specifically told you not to tell anyone?" Gabriella growled.

"She kept pestering me about why Troy was acting so strangely. She's really good at that." Chad rolled his eyes.

Gabriella mirrored his actions as she sighed "Whatever. That's not important. At least he's dead."

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted, earning a "Shh!" from the receptionist.

Gabriella nodded "Yeah. He had the gun to Brandon's head and just as he was about to pull the trigger, my dad came in and shot him in the back of the head."

"Go Mr. Montez!" Jason smiled, giving Chase a high five.

Gabriella grinned at the sight. This was how it should be. No fighting, no drama. Just all of them playing together.

"How are they doing?" Zeke asked, draping his arm around Sharpay's shoulders. Sharpay blushed.

"Troy has a concussion and he sprained his ankle." Gabriella answered, smiling at Sharpay. Sharpay just stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Brandon got shot in the arm, broke a rib, and sprained his ankle. He got beat up pretty bad."

"I'll say," Ryan sighed, his eyes saddening. "What happened anyways?"

Gabriella replied "I guess I should start from the beginning."

"Which is when?" Jason asked.

"5 years ago."

"You mean when Brandon and Troy started fighting?" Kelsi cocked her head to the side.

Gabriella nodded. She finally sighed and explained "5 years ago, Brandon dated Samantha Wolf, the coach's daughter. He eventually broke up with her and she thought that she loved him, so she committed suicide."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. The whole school was quiet that day." Ryan thought back.

"Yeah. Anyways, Coach Wolf was so mad, he thought that it was Brandon's fault that Sam died. Seriously, he was furious. If Brandon didn't break up with her, she would still be alive. So he thought up a plan to kill Brandon."

"He WHAT?!" The gang minus Chad and Sharpay, Chase, and Gina screamed. The receptionist sent another "Shh!" their way.

Gabriella nodded and continued "He was stuck until Brandon tried out for the basketball team a week later. He figured that this was the easiest way to get to him, so he immediately planned to make him join the team. But then he figured out that Troy and him were best friends. He thought that it would hurt Brandon more if his best friend left him than to just kill him, so he told Troy to end his friendship with him or they were both dead. Plus, over the course of these 5 years, if Troy did something that made Wolf angry, Wolf would beat him for it."

"That's where all those bruises came from," Jason recalled. "When he changed in gym and ball practice, there would be cuts and bruises all over his back, chest, and arms. I remember Brandon wasn't at school for 3 days, but Troy still got beat up by someone."

Gabriella nodded "That's Wolf."

Chad asked "So what happened at your dad's house? That's the only part me and Sharpay don't know."

Gabriella replied "Troy came to my dad's house and asked to see me. We talked and made up, but then I told him to tell Brandon the truth."

"Did he?" Kelsi asked.

Gabriella nodded "Yeah. They made up, but then Wolf somehow got into the house with a gun and they all started fighting. Me and my dad heard the gunshot and he went looking for the spare gun he has just in case of emergencies. He finally found it and went into the kitchen where the fight was. He saw Wolf holding his gun up to Brandon's head and just as he was about to pull the trigger, my dad shot him in the back of the head. He's dead."

Zeke threw his hands in the air and cheered "YES!! THANK YOU GOD!! I ALWAYS HATED HIM!! HIS TEACHING SUCKED!!"

The receptionist stomped over to the crowd and scolded "One more outburst from this group and I will call security! This is a hospital, no a basketball game! Keep quiet!"

Chad groaned "Please! Nobody mention basketball until I'm out of collage!"

The rest of the guys, minus Ryan, agreed. "I'm quitting the team. I don't think I can handle it anymore after this." Zeke announced, sitting down and pulling Sharpay onto his lap. Again, the blonde blushed.

"Yeah, me too." Jason agreed, slinging an arm around Kelsi. "I always sucked anyways."

"Count me in with being out of the basketball picture." Chad said quickly, leaning his head against the wall. Taylor rested her head on his chest while Chad just smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Wait, wait, wait," Gabriella broke the silence. "What did I miss while I was gone? Are all you guys together now?"

Jason nodded "I asked Kelsi out 2 days after you left."

"Sharpay and I had our 2nd date the day after you left."

Gabriella nodded with a smile. She then turned her head to Chad and Taylor, who had not answered her question yet. Taylor smiled back at her, leaned up, and planted a small kiss on Chad's lips. "Chad asked me to be his girlfriend the night you left."

Gabriella bowed her head in shame. "Sorry for missing so much."

"Don't worry about it," Chad shrugged "You encouraged me to keep asking Taylor out, so you did your part. There's nothing for you to be sorry for." Gabriella just smiled at him.

A few moments later, a doctor stepped out of the hospital room and called "Troy Bolton and Brandon Montez?"

The group popped out of their seats. Chase asked "How are they?"

The doctor smiled "They'll be fine. We've removed the bullet from Brandon's arm, set his rib up for recovery, and fixed a cast on his ankle. As for Troy, we've taken care of his concussion and he dislocated his shoulder. There's a cast on that as well. He had a few gashes and bruises here and there, but they should be fine overall. You're free to see them now."

Sighs of relief filled the room. "Thanks doctor," Gina said. "How many can see them at a time?"

"Well with this large crowd," The doctor calculated "I'll say about 4 at a time. My suggestion is the parents and then the friends can decide the order."

"Thank you." Chase nodded with a smile. With that, the doctor walked off to his next patients.

"Where are Troy's parents?" Kelsi surveyed, noting the fact that they were absent.

"I couldn't get a hold of them," Gabriella shrugged. "I tried calling 5 times, but I only got their answering machines."

As if on cue, Jack and Lucy burst through the doors, running over to the group. "Where's Troy?!" Lucy loudly asked.

"In that room," Gabriella answered. "How'd you know he was here? I couldn't get a hold of you."

"The hospital called," Jack replied. "When did you call?"

"About 10 minutes ago."

"We left the house 20 minutes ago." Lucy informed. "We didn't get your call."

"Oh," Gabriella nodded. Her eyes widened as she asked "Did they say that Troy was the only one here?"

"No," Jack said. "They mentioned someone else being here with him, but they didn't specify who. Do you know who?"

"Y-yeah." Gabriella stuttered "It's Brandon."

"Oh God," Jack groaned. "Please don't tell me those two got in another fight."

"They got in a fight," Zeke piped up. "But it wasn't with each other."

"Well then with who?" Jack asked, getting impatient.

"Wolf." Zeke replied, rubbing his neck nervously.

"Ben Wolf? The head coach?" Jack gasped. Zeke nodded.

"But why?"

"You mean you don't know yet?" Gina asked.

"Know what?" Jack asked her.

"Me and Troy will explain later honey," Lucy told her husband.

"You know and I don't?"

"Troy couldn't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Like I said before, we'll explain later. Right now, we need to go see him." Lucy replied. Jack didn't reply. He just walked into Troy and Brandon's room with Lucy by his side. Chase and Gina followed them.

--

...10 Minutes Later...

"So you've been getting beaten by Wolf just to protect Brandon?!" Jack asked Troy in disbelief. Troy had just explained to him what had happened over the last 5 years.

Troy nodded "Yeah. That's why I was always fighting him. He couldn't be happy, so I had to take away everything he had."

"Is that the only reason you asked out Gabriella?"

"No!" Troy replied sharply. "Gabriella was my own idea. I would never use a girl like that, especially her. I love her."

"Sorry. I can't believe Wolf. He was just so friendly until Samantha died. I expected him to be depressed, but I never expected this. I feel so stupid for not noticing this sooner." Jack complained.

"Dad, don't feel bad." Troy comforted his father. "We just had to hide it from you until I built up the courage to tell you and Brandon. It's not your fault."

"I know, but I still think I could've helped." Jack sighed.

He turned to Brandon. He was unwillingly receiving kisses from his mother while his father just laughed at the disgusted look on his face.

He turned back around to Troy and said "So you two are friends again?"

"Yup," Troy replied, grinning. "I feel so much better now. No more tension between us."

"That's good to hear. Okay, how about the adults leave and give you some time with your friends?"

Troy smiled thankfully "Thanks dad. Can you send in Chad, Zeke, Sharpay, and Gabby?"

"Sure son." Jack replied. After kissing Troy's forehead, he walked out of the room with Lucy, Gina, and Chase in tow. In a few moments, Chad, Gabriella, Sharpay, and Zeke stepped into the room with relieved smiles on their faces.

"Hey Troy," Sharpay greeted with a smile "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, but thanks for asking," Troy grinned back.

"So how long are you planning to be here?" Chad asked.

"Dude, I just got here."

"I know, but East High's gonna be asking questions. I wanna know how to answer them." Chad replied.

Troy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just tell them my wounds, tell them that me and Gabby are together again, and tell them that me and Brandon are brothers again."

Brandon said "What about me getting shot? I think they'd be interested in that."

"That too."

"Okay," Chad teasingly said, writing everything down on a piece of spare paper from Sharpay's purse. "Do you want fries with that?"

Troy gave Gabriella a look. Gabriella nodded and whacked Chad with her purse.

"Oww! What was that for?" Chad whined, rubbing his sore arm.

"For making fun of the situation, you idiot!" Gabriella scolded.

"Whatever." Chad rolled his eyes. He turned to Brandon and sheepishly said "Look. Brandon, about all those times that me and the guys...you know...kinda...beat the crap outta you...I just wanna apologize for that."

Brandon rolled his eyes with a smile and replied "Don't worry Chad. We're good."

"Really?" Chad beamed "So you're not gonna, like, get your boys on us or anything, right?"

Brandon shook his head. "They won't if I tell them the truth. Which I'm gonna do right now. Can I use somebody's phone?"

Sharpay tossed her sidekick to him. He gave her a thumbs up as a thank you.

"So we're all good? No more fighting between anyone?" Zeke asked, already knowing the answer.

Troy nodded. He gave Brandon a smile and replied "Yeah, we're good."

Brandon smiled back at his best friend, knowing that it was a true, genuine smile. He hadn't given Troy one of those in 5 years. It felt so good not having to hold anything back anymore. He loved every second of it.

--

...That Night...

Troy lie awake at 11:30 that night, staring at the ceiling. He had an idea.

"Brandon." He loudly whispered to his roommate. No reply.

"Hey Brandon. You awake?" Troy again whispered. Still nothing. Brandon was out cold.

Troy nodded to himself and pulled out his cell phone. He had hoped that Brandon was asleep.

He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. After it rang twice, a very tired and groggy "Hello?" was heard.

"Hey," Troy whispered, trying to not wake his best friend.

"Troy, what the hell are you doing calling me at 12:30 at night?"

"What? It's only 11:30." Troy said, confused.

"Time change, you idiot."

"Oh right. Listen, I need you to do something for me." Troy informed, taking a peek at Brandon, who was still asleep.

"If you think I'm getting off my ass and leaving my warm bed, then I swear to God Troy..." the person growled.

"I don't need you to get up right now," Troy interrupted "Can you come down next month?"

"Why?"

"One word: Brandon." Troy grinned.

"Wait, are you two friends again? You finally told him the truth?"

"Yup."

"Thank God! How'd it happen?"

"I'll tell you, but only if you promise to come down next month."

"I'll ask my mom and see if I can. I won't make any promises because it's gonna be rainy all month and she doesn't want me driving much."

"Okay. Just try to convince her. Oh, and can you bring your sister too?" Troy asked.

"Sure. I bet she'll be ecstatic to see the gang again, especially Matt." The person giggled.

"Yeah I bet he'll be happy too. Anyways, I gotta go. See you next month."

"Okay. Bye Troy."

"Bye cuz." Troy ended their conversation and flipped over on his side, closing his eyes. Tiredness took over him as he fell asleep, predicting the look in Brandon's eyes when he saw this person next month.

Didn't I tell you that it drags? Don't worry, it picks up. Who do you think Troy was talking to? There's only like 2 or 3 more chapters left, so we're almost done. Then it off to the sequal!

Yeah, and about the sequal. If you've read my story Cheated, I'm making a sequal for that too called Forgotten Secret. I'm gonna focus on FS, Protected by Heart, and The Cool Lie. After I'm done with at least 2 of those, I'll do this one. Don't worry, I'll write a trailer and a first chapter to give a little relief here. I may need a little bit of help with it, but at least it's something, right?

Okay, REVIEW!!

Rachel :)