Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical nor do I own the characters or music pertaining to it. This is a work of fanfiction. Any shenanigans these characters engage in has nothing to do with the original story line.

It was a gloomy day. Not because it looked like it'll rain at any moment, but because of the feeling of death in the air. He hated being home. He hated that he was standing there, outside of where he grew up. He hated that she made him go home, and yet somehow managed to make him go alone.

He hated Albuquerque.

Okay… maybe not hated but disliked strongly.

Honestly, it wasn't that bad of a place to grow up. He lived in the part of town filled with decent human beings and good schools. It was a tight knit community where everybody knew each other, and everybody knew the Bolton family. They've been building and fixing homes in East Albuquerque for decades thanks to Grandpa John. They even put East High School on the map as the destination high school for sports in all of Albuquerque. If you played for East High School, you were bound to go to a Division I college.

Troy stared up at his childhood home. He had so many memories of running around the neighborhood and getting in all kinds of trouble with Zeke and Chad. Nothing illegal, but enough to make the neighbors threaten to call his parents if they saw him somewhere where he shouldn't be. He remembered the days of chasing his siblings around the house and the front yard. The bushes that lined the front porch still had a hole in it from where he fell trying to sneak out of the house for a girl. Troy chuckled at the memories. He had a big family filled with love and laughter. He was close to his parents and siblings - so why did he hate Albuquerque so much?

Simple… just that - it was simple.

Troy Bolton's dreams were too big for his small town. He wanted to play ball for the Lakers and hoped to someday become a sportscaster or coach a college team. He hoped to form his own charity or find some way to give back to the community. He wanted to be filthy rich because having money meant having no worries - not that he grew up poor or that his family struggled. He knew the value of hard work, but he hoped that someday he'll be able to spontaneously hop on a flight to anywhere at any time.

Unfortunately, his dreams of playing pro ball were cut short when he tore his ACL and meniscus during the NCAA tourney his senior year. He thought that would be the end of him. Basketball was everything, and suddenly it was over. What was he going to do now? Troy was completely at a loss until he met her, and then life became quite the adventure. As the saying goes, things happen for a reason.

Troy took one last hit of his Juul and slipped it into his pants pocket. It was time to face the music. Sighing, Troy popped the handle of his carry on and dragged it behind him as he walked up to the large white two-story house. It was a modern style farmhouse with five bedrooms, four and a half baths, and a finished basement. Troy raised his hand to ring the bell and paused. For a moment there he debated on not going inside at all. He could just turn around and leave. No one would know that he was there. It's been almost four years since he was last home. He wasn't kicked out or ran away. He didn't have a falling out with his parents or his siblings. Troy - as lame as it sounded - was busy. He dove himself into work and the opportunities it gave him. He called around the holidays and birthdays. He made the promises about dropping in some time, but he never did.

"This is stupid," Troy muttered to himself. There was no need to ring the doorbell like some stranger. The door was most likely unlocked, and if it wasn't, he still had his key.

And yet, here he stood… debating if this was a good idea at all. How could he just show up out of the blue? After all these years… like no time has passed.

It was decided. Troy will check into the nearest hotel and try again tomorrow.

But of course, just when he stepped back to go, the door opened to reveal a petite brunette. She was dressed casually in black sweatsuit. Her usual wavy, honey brown hair was tied up in a half ponytail do. Her green eyes widened behind her round glasses in surprised, a hand covering her small mouth.

Troy smiled uneasily. "Hey Kels."

"Troy!" The small girl exclaimed and launched herself at him. He let out a chuckle as he caught her in an embrace, astonished by her strength. "I can't believe you're here!"

Me too. "Yeah well… sorry it'd have to be under these circumstances."

Troy looked down at his little sister as Kelsi looked up at him. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too squirt." And he meant it. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but out of all his siblings, Kelsi was his favorite. She may be the youngest, but she was so talented and always knew how to make him laugh. Kelsi was the loudest, quiet person he knew. She was curious about how the world worked and came up with the most interesting views about it. For someone so young, she was growing up to be so wise.

The siblings let go and that's when Troy got a good look at her. Even though they video chatted often, Troy could see how much she's grown up over the past few years. She was no longer awkward looking, and her skin was glowing. He noticed new piercings on her ears that weren't there before and… wait - was that a tattoo behind her ear? Is she old enough to be getting tattoos now?

"C'mon… they're gonna freak!" Troy let out a laugh and followed Kelsi into the house. The smells of his mother's cooking enveloped him like an old friend saying hello. It didn't smell anything like his wife's cooking, but it made his mouth water nonetheless. It's been days since he had a home cooked meal and it felt like decades since he last had his mother's cooking.

Kelsi closed the door behind him as he took in the environment. It almost looked like nothing has changed. Photographs continued to cover the mantle above the fireplace. It also covered the walls of the whole staircase in a chronological order. The couches were new, but not. It was still a deep brown and suede, but they no longer held the imprints of a family who lived there for 35 years. The carpeted floor was now hard wood. But even with these slight changes, it was still the same.

"Look who's here," Kelsi said in a sing-song kind of way.

The occupants in the living room turned around. "Troy!" they exclaimed and all hurried to go greet the brother. Troy smiled sheepishly as he welcomed the ambush. Each sister and his brother gave him kisses, hugs, and pats on the back.

"Welcome home!"

"Good to see ya Troy."

"We missed you!"

"I didn't think you'd show!"

"California looks good on you!"

Troy smiled awkwardly, a little overwhelmed by the attention. His siblings were acting like he was coming home from the Army. It's only been, what – three, maybe four years? Things couldn't have changed that much, could it?

"Give my baby boy some room," a voice he could recognize anywhere said. Troy's siblings stepped aside to let their mother through. "Troy…"

He smiled sincerely at the aging blonde and welcomed her with open arms. "Hi mom."

"My Troy boy," she said affectionately, and he tried his hardest not to roll his eyes. He knew she means well, but god dammit - he's a 29-year-old man!

"How are you?" he asked, holding her at arm's length. "Where's dad?"

She averted his gaze and smiled sadly. "I'm good honey… your father's out with your uncles." Troy nodded understandingly. At a time like this, it was best to surround yourself with people who knew exactly what you were going through. It was one of the reasons she stressed that he'd go home. She knew how much his grandfather meant to him. Troy would be crushed if he didn't say a final goodbye. "You hungry?"

"Starving."

The Boltons herded into the dining room. Unconsciously they all took the same seats that they've been sitting in for years. His parents sat on the ends, and they lined the sides in age order. Kelsi ran into the kitchen to grab an extra plate setting for Troy. They weren't sure if he would show.

"Look at you all grown up," Troy's older sister, Martha teased.

"Yeah man… would it kill you to call sometime?" her twin sister Mary added. Troy hated it when they tag-teamed him. It was unfair.

Yes. "I've been busy…" he answered vaguely as he began to fill his plate up.

"Guys stop," Sharpay interjected. "Obviously, he's busy hanging out with Elon Musk."

He rolled his eyes. "It was one photo-"

Kelsi gasped. "Do you like live next door to him! What's it like living in LA? I bet you see celebrities all the time."

"Well-"

"It'd be so cool if I could come visit this summer."

"Yes! I'll come too!" Sharpay added, "in fact we should all go! We can get an Airbnb-"

Troy bit the inside of his cheek as Sharpay went on about checking flights and dates that worked for her. It's not that he wouldn't want his family to visit. Like Troy said, he's been busy.

"Oh my gosh I totally forgot you lived in LA," Martha remarked. "Mary, you've been on business trips to Los Angeles. Have you seen Troy's place?"

Mary took a sip of her wine. "I haven't… we went out to dinner once before I had to fly back. Troy was too busy to show me around."

Martha's eyes widened. "What? Troy, how could you be so busy that you can't show your big sis around?"

Mary smirked. "Yeah Troy… don't you ever take a break?"

"Of course he doesn't. He can't even spare a holiday," Sharpay stated.

Troy sighed and looked at his mother who just sat there giddy, quietly eating her dinner. This is why he doesn't come home that often anymore. His sisters just pick and prod at his life. They always want to know what he's doing, if he's doing someone, and where he's been. They mean well, but they hardly let him get a word in.

"Well actually, I moved to San Francisco," Troy managed to say when his sisters stopped talking to take a sip of a drink or a bite of their dinner.

"What!"

"Since when?"

"San Francisco's expensive."

Troy rolled his eyes as his sisters launched into another conversation about San Francisco - not that any of them have ever been. Maybe Mary since she travels often for work. She worked for a large advertising firm out of Houston.

"So Troy, what do you do again?" Martha's husband Jason asked. Troy almost forgot he was there.

"I'm in project management."

"Oh cool… with who?"

Troy always hated getting this question. Why did it matter so much where he worked? He had a job, and it paid well. He was also exceptionally good at his job.

Troy graciously took a beer from the oldest Bolton sibling, Andrew. He twisted off the top and took a gulp. Troy wasn't a fan of Jason Cross. There was something about him that always rubbed Troy the wrong way. Even back in high school Troy didn't like him. He couldn't put his finger on why or what it was, but the guy just gave off weird vibes. Maybe it's because Jason was so nosy. He always inserted himself in other people's business. But Martha loved him, so Troy had to tolerate him.

"Montez Incorporated."

Jason let out a low whistle. "Wow… you must be really good, huh? Maybe after dinner we'll talk."

Troy tried his best not to make a face. "Sure thing," he quipped, and he turned his attention to his brother, wanting to keep the conversation with Jason as short as possible, "What's new Andrew?"

Being the oldest, Andrew was groomed since high school to one day take over the family business. Troy's father owned a small home improvement business with his brothers, Joe and John Jr. Uncle Joe was a skilled plumber and John Jr. was an excellent electrician. Andrew didn't mind staying in Albuquerque and working for their father. In fact, he enjoyed it and working with his hands. Troy was nothing like him and always thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't forced down the same path.

"Ah nothing much… oh wait- we just hired this new guy. Yeah, he's an interior designer. I'm hoping with his set of skills we can take the business to a whole new level," Andrew said. He took a sip of his beer and set it down.

"Like Chip and Joanna Gaines?" Sharpay asked.

Andrew chuckled. "Yeah something like that."

Troy nodded his head and managed a "Sounds awesome" with his mouth full. Troy cleared his throat and turned to his younger sister. "And what about you Sharpay? How's Chicago? Wait - did you graduate yet?"

The smile on Sharpay's face faltered a bit as she contemplated what to say. "Actually… I transferred back here. It was way too cold up there."

"They have fashion design here?"

Troy caught his mother's smirk. "Of course not… what's your major now Pay?" Lucille asked.

Sharpay averted her eyes and poked at the food on her plate. "Communication and Journalism," the young blonde answered quietly.

Comments fluttered around the table, making Sharpay slump in her chair a little more. Obviously, she was uncomfortable about her frequent major changes. She just couldn't figure out what she wanted to do as a career. Troy reached out and gave her arm a light squeeze. "I think journalism suits you."

Sharpay beamed, relieved that at least her brother was on her side. After not getting into the schools of her choice for musical theatre, Sharpay stuck around Albuquerque and took Troy's advice to take general education courses, and eventually transfer somewhere else. That somewhere else was an art school in Chicago. She wanted to be a fashion designer. Sharpay double majored with business, but after a year and a half, she told her parents she was coming home. No one really knew why, and she was quite ambiguous about the whole ordeal. She took about a year and a half off and worked a bunch of odd jobs in hopes of finding something that she wanted to do as a career. First, she wanted to be a nurse, then a lawyer, then a teacher. Now she wanted to go into broadcasting and reenrolled at the University of Albuquerque with baby Kelsi.

"So Troy… are you dating anyone?" Mary asked as she refilled her wine glass.

Troy's pulse began to race, and he tried not to tense up. These people have known him his whole life. They could smell his bullshit from a mile away.

Troy's blue eyes bore into his sister's brown ones as he answered with a resounding, "I am not."

Technically, the man was not lying. Troy wasn't dating; he was married. But no one outside of their immediate circle, her mother and Grandpa John knew this. It wasn't meant to be a secret. But life happened and he couldn't figure out how to drop the bomb. He certainly wasn't going to do it the night before his grandfather's funeral.

"You know I have a friend who would be perfect for you." Mary went on about a red head that Troy couldn't give a shit about. He was half-listening - even added an 'oh yeah?' or a 'that sounds nice' to seem interested. Martha joined in and dragged Jason into the conversation by mentioning they had a 'lovely' single friend too. Lucille spoke of a friend of hers whose daughter was now recently divorced. But it didn't matter how 'wonderful,' 'lovely,' or 'amazing' those girls were. None of them could hold a candle to his wife.

After dinner, Troy retreated to the basement. Now that he got a look around, he realized that they did a ton of renovations since Troy was last home. They converted Andrew's old room into a home office. The twins' room was redecorated as a guest bedroom that Mary often used when she came to visit.

Sharpay took over Troy's old room when he left for UCLA. If he came home for break, they set up a cot in the home office. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it was always temporary because of basketball. They threw it out months ago and had every intention of replacing it, but never got around to it.

Andrew offered to put Troy up for the weekend, yet Troy didn't want all the fuss. He was already there and didn't have the energy to walk up the street to his brother's house. The basement was perfectly fine. It was like having his own studio apartment. There was a large TV with cable, a pullout couch, and a full bathroom. Troy made note of the new minibar and a microwave. Best of all, he would have the most privacy. The basement had its own entry and exit, so he could come and go as he pleased. Troy was exhausted and wanted to turn in early. He flew in from New York and his body was still adjusting to the constant time changes. He was there for a project update when he got the news about his grandfather.

Troy emptied out his pockets and dropped his stuff on the TV stand. He picked up the Juul and took a much-needed drag. Tonight honestly could've gone a lot worse, and he was grateful dinner was over. Two more days. Just two more days.

Taking another hit, Troy took his wallet off the TV stand and tossed it between his hands. A small smile graced his lips as he opened his wallet and pulled out a photo. It was a bit worn from the many times he's taken it out from its snug spot. It was a picture of his wife. He had taken it the morning of their wedding day while they were relaxing on the beach. She was walking along the edge of the water, smiling like a fool in love. The wind whipped her wild curls around and her floral kimono danced with the breeze. She ran ahead of him and laughed as the water skimmed her feet. She twirled in circles and the kimono slipped off her shoulders, landing halfway down her arms. Then she looked back at him, and the sun hit her perfectly. And just like that, he managed to capture an angel.

Her ringtone sung, bringing him back from that amazing day. "Hey love," he greeted softly and slipped her photo back into its safe spot.

"Hey," she replied in the same manner, and he imagined her blushing like crazy, "how are you?"

Troy shrugged and crossed the room to sit on his bed. "Better now that I have you."

She giggled. "You're such a cheeseball."

"And you love it." A beat passed between them. "I miss you."

He could hear her smile. "I miss you too… I'm sorry I can't be there with you."

Troy shook his head and fell onto his back. "Nonsense… you are exactly where you need to be. Besides, before you know it, it'll be Monday. And you and I will be on our way to more tropical pastures for a well-deserved vacation." The sound of the basement door opening and a knock grabbed his attention, "hang on… yeah?"

"Can I come down?" Kelsi called out.

"One sec!" Troy lowered his voice. "I gotta go love… I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay… if you ever need me, don't hesitate to call. I love you."

"Love you more." The dial tone beeped twice, signaling the end of conversation. Troy stared at the phone's background of her in their bed. She was wrapped up in the white sheets, little pieces of her skin exposed. Her back was to him, and her dark curls were sprawled out on the pillow. He sighed when the screen timed out and the phone went dark.

Missing her was an understatement.

Troy laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, imagining that he was home in their soft, but firm bed, and not on this backache just waiting to happen.

He felt the weight shift on the bed, and he opened his eyes to see the youngest Bolton sitting on the edge with a bunch of blankets in her arms.

Kelsi studied him for a moment. "Mom wanted me to check in on you," she finally said. "It gets pretty cold down here." The girl placed the blankets on the armrest of the couch.

"Thanks… and you can tell mom that I'm fine," Troy grumbled and turned back to the blank ceiling. "I'm just tired… it's been one hell of a week."

Kelsi scoffed and looked around the room. "You can say that again."

"Hey…" Troy called and nudged his baby sister, "you okay?" Kelsi didn't look at him. Her eyes watered and a single tear fell down her face.

Troy frowned and sat up, gathering Kelsi into his arms. He let her sob into his chest. Their grandfather was Kelsi's most favorite person. She called him every day and enjoyed teaching him the wonders of technology. Kelsi would always stop by twice a week to check in or drop off meals her mother made for the man. But above all, Grandpa John was Kelsi's biggest fan. When she was a child, he would sit there patiently as she fumbled her way through a song on the piano. He sat there for hours just listening to her practice. Throughout high school, Grandpa John listened to every song she composed and gave her his opinions on them. His notes helped her land the composer gig for the Spring Musical as a sophomore. No other kid in the history of East High had ever done that. He was the sole reason she stayed behind and attended the University of Albuquerque. Grandpa John wanted her to go somewhere like Julliard or NYU, but Kelsi couldn't phantom being so far away from him.

"Who will listen to me practice now?" Kelsi mumbled sadly.

Troy looked down at her tear-streaked face and his heart tugged at the sight. "I will…"

Kelsi gave him a watery smile and held onto Troy even tighter.