An Awkward Twist of Fate Chapter 5, a high school musical fanfic

A/N: OK, I'm sure most of you have figured out by now that I had NO IDEA what Troy and Chad were going to do, and was stalling for as long as I could. I hope the final result is OK. :)

Gabriella gripped Taylor's hand harder than was necessary. When she realized what she was doing, she let go. "Sorry."

Taylor smiled. "It's OK."

The two girls were about to enter Starbucks. They'd decided that what they were sure to have to face sooner or later, was better to face sooner. They had talked themselves into it and they vowed not to run away. They could be strong, couldn't they?

Call it a coincidence, but both girls had put much more effort into their appearance tonight. Gabriella wore a jean skirt paired with a turquoise spaghetti strap, with a white cardigan. Taylor wore normal work clothes, but her makeup was much more carefully applied than usual, especially around the eyes.

The girls took a deep breath, almost in sync, and walked into the door. They each started surveying the room. After a few seconds, they looked at each other.

"They're not here." Taylor said.

They didn't know exactly why they were disappointed.

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"Dude, come on, we're late!" Chad yelled to Troy.

Troy came out of his room. "Sorry," he apologized.

"What took you so long?" Chad asked.

Troy shrugged.

"Freaking girl..." Chad muttered under his breath. "Now come on, let's go!"

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"Well, you ready to head out?" Gabriella asked. Taylor nodded.

"Sure, let's go."

They stood up to leave, but were stopped by the sound of someone on a microphone addressing the entire coffee shop.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is our pleasure as co-owners of Starbucks to announce the newest form of evening entertainment, karaoke! First up is a gentleman who will be singing a song by the artist Train."

Gabriella turned around at the mention of one of her favorite bands.

Troy stepped onto the stage.

When it rains it pours and opens doors
And floods the floors we thought would always keep us safe and dry
And in the midst of sailing ships we sink our lips into the ones we love
That have to say goodbye

And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that won't seem to let me go

Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here

And every word I didn't say that caught up in some busy day
And every dance on the kitchen floor we didn't have before
And every sunset that we'll miss I'll wrap them all up in a kiss
And pick you up in all of this when I sail away

And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that I hope will never leave

Whether I am up or down or in or out or just plane overhead
Instead it just feels like it is impossible to fly
But with you I can spread my wings
to see me over everything that life may send me
When I am hoping it won't pass me by

And when I feel like there is no one that will ever know me
there you are to show me

As he sang the last note, he looked straight at Gabriella. She looked away.

Troy walked over to Gabriella, and without even saying hello, he whispered, "I missed our date at the ski lodge."

To her utter mortification, Gabriella burst into tears and ran outside.

Without hesitation, Troy followed her.

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Meanwhile, this left Taylor alone. She looked around, knowing that Chad would be around somewhere.

Sure enough, there he came, with the biggest bunch of roses she had ever seen in tow.

"Chad," Taylor whispered.

Chad grinned. "Hey Taylor. These," he said, producing the bouquet of roses. "Are for you."

Taylor took the roses. "Chad, you have a lot of explaining to do."

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"Gabriella!" Troy yelled. "Gabriella, please don't run from me! Just listen!"

Gabriella stopped suddenly. "Why should I listen to you?" she asked.

Troy stopped next to her. "Because I love you, Gabriella."

Gabriella shook her head. "I think I've heard that song before, Troy," she said.

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"...So then we started looking through all the Starbucks we could find for you, because of course I knew about your caramel macchiato addiction. Then we saw you, finally, and waited for you to see us. Then it took us forever to figure out what to do next, and of course Troy was like 'Oh, I'll just sing to Gabriella!' which kind of left me out in the cold, you know, because of course I can't sing, and so I chose the old fashioned route."

Taylor fingered her roses. "I can't believe you remembered the exact kind I like."

Chad smiled. "The deepest red you can find, thorns still on, because you don't like anything to be too perfect."

A/N: Well, I had a million ideas for this chapter, but none of them were right, so I decided to just go back to basics. Thoughts?