sry everyone that's read my story! I've been stuck at a roadblock for a while, trying to decide where this story's going to go. You won't be able to tell in this chapter, or probably the next one,but I just want you guys to know that I DO have a plan for this story, and it's NOT going to just be a "epilogue" of the movie. D

-TaSh

.:Chapter Four:.

Gabriella was spritzing her hair when she heard Troy pull up. She rushed out of the bathroom and put her shoes on, and then she collected her jacket and her purse. When the doorbell rang, she took a breath and answered it with a bright smile.

"Hi Troy!" she said as she slipped her purse handle onto her shoulder.

He smiled. "Hey, ready to go?"

She stepped out of the doorway and shut it behind her. "Yep!" They walked to his car together and he opened the passenger side door for her.

How cute… he really isn't being very discrete about this, maybe I shouldn't either.

She thanked him as she ducked into the seat. When he was on his side, and turning the key into the ignition, he noticed the gas gauge on empty.

"We're gonna have to go to the gas station first, it'll only take a minute." Troy drove down the street and onto the main avenue. A minute or two later he had pulled into a shell station.

"Would you mind going in and paying this for me?" Troy handed her fifteen dollars.

"No prob." She took the money and glanced at which pump he was parked at. In the store, she had given the money to the cashier. "Pump three, please."

Waiting for the receipt, she noticed a bulletin board with ads all over it. One stuck out from the others; it was light blue, and had bold lettering which read, 'West Albuquerque High School Musical Production of The Phantom of the Opera. Show times: $1 dress rehearsal Saturday at noon. $6 show Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 pm'

"Ma'am?" the cashier pulled her attention away from the announcement, her receipt held out for her to take.

"Oh, sorry. Thank you." She took it, and made her way out of the store and back to the car.

"Thanks," Troy said when she handed it to him. "any ideas yet of where to go?"

Her eyes brightened. "I just saw a flyer in the store, West high is doing a play, Phantom of the Opera, they have a dress rehearsal today at 12."

"Hey, we should go see it! How much is admission?" he looked interested. Gabriella hoped he wasn't just acting into it to please her, and that he wouldn't be dead bored through the whole thing.

"A dollar, but we don't have to go if you don't want to. We could do something else—"

He cut her off. "No, this sounds great. The last time I seen a play I was… 8 I think? And I was with my grandmother. I'm really starting to get into this singing thing, I'm glad you mentioned it. It'll be fun."

She smiled. The lever clicked, and Troy pulled the pump out of the tank and set it back in the station. After screwing the cap back on, he was behind the wheel again.

"So, we have about 50 minutes to kill until noon, what do you want to do?"

Gabriella thought for a moment. "Well, it's pretty nice outside for January, why don't we go walk in the park or something?"

"Okay, the park it is."