Chapter 2
"We Will Still Be, Friends Forever…"
A silence spread through the auditorium, seeming to tighten the jaws of the students who were aware that their final moments as one bunch were approaching. The silence lingered in the room, almost bringing tears to those who were extremely emotional, but was thankfully broken by the words of the principal.
"Good evening family and friends," he began casually, then he nodded his head towards the seniors seated in the front section, "And seniors. Seniors. Where do I begin?" He tossed his head back as the audience laughed pleasurably. "Now, as you all know, I've been principal here at East High for quite some time now, and I've seen my share of students come and go. And, I might add, that I've been saying the same thing at each and every Graduation…."
The audience chuckled. The principal smiled and continued, "But, those familiar words no longer seem to fit this graduating class. Now, you may think I say this to every class…but you're wrong," he grinned slyly, "This class, well, this class I will remember for years to come." By now, Principal Matsui had obtained the attention of each and every viewer of the ceremony, especially that of the seniors.
In the front row, Gabriella leaned next to her towards Taylor, and whispered quietly in her ear, "This is going to get good…I haven't heard everything that happened before I came," she grinned and returned to her upright view. Taylor laughed quietly and did the same.
"I still remember freshman year, when the boys' basketball team stunk so badly we had to move to the 8th grade league…" Laughs flowed from the mouths of the audience, especially the seniors and particularly the girls seated in the front row. The boys weren't laughing…because; well…it was them who had stunk so horribly.
"Then again I remember the comeback that was made the third year clapping you all attended East High. I also remember the ruckus that occurred often in the cafeteria…especially during the Winter Musical call-backs." The principal winked at Gabriella and Troy, who blushed, and continued, "And then that championship game, I mean, WOW!" the audience applauded once again, and Chad stood up avoiding Taylor's protests and took a bow.
"The Decathlon, the Chess Club Tournament, the Softball win…I don't even know what to say of you all," he smiled at the class, who's stares bore into him as he continued, "You are champions, you are students, you are family, you are friends." Tears had now nestled inside of the principal's eyes, doing their best to come out.
The crowd was also teary eyed. The seniors had fallen upon each other, resting their heads upon their friends shoulders (usually the girls) and high-fiving others as well (usually the boys), all relishing the words being spoken, and the last moments being spent together.
Gabriella laid her head down on Troy's shoulder, turning her head slightly so as not to let the tears create a water stain on his gown. Troy grinned sadly, resting his arm tenderly around her shoulder.
"Gabriella, pull yourself together, you've got to go up there soon…" the strong but near-to-breaking Taylor leaned over to her friend. Gabriella nodded and sat up, wiping her eyes and cheeks of the salty tears.
The principal paused for a moment, letting the deep words settle into the minds surrounding him. "And now, without further ado, our Valedictorian, Gabriella Montez, and the Athlete of the Year, Troy Bolton!" Troy stood up and instinctively reached for Gabriella's hand. She grabbed it immediately for support and followed him out of the row.
Gabriella smiled as they reached the aisle, but then reluctantly let go of his hand. As she passed Troy she said over the applause, "Go get 'em Wildcat," he smiled and followed her to the stage.
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Gabriella looked out over the audience, her eyes already filled with tears. Her stomach tightened as the viewers watched her intently, and she froze, forgetting that her speech lay right in front of her. But the she felt a comforting hand on her back, and Troy had making his way next to her, a smile gracing his features.
"Just follow my lead," he whispered into her ear. And then, through the microphone, he spoke, "Now, before Gabriella here gets to her speech, we have a little surprise in store for you."
Looks of confusion and excitement arrived on the faces watching them, and Gabriella immediately noticed Taylor's open jaw for Gabriella had practiced her speech many times to her friend. She shrugged as she caught Taylor's eye and glanced at Troy.
Troy leaned in toward the microphone, looking at Kelsi the entire time. He pulled back at cupped his hand over his lips and mouthed something to Kelsi who nearly jumped up and ran to the piano. She placed her fingers on the keys, a grin on her face. And as she played, Gabriella recognized the tune. She smiled at Troy, and as the cue came along, they both leaned in to the microphone.
"As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
As our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends forever."
Troy nodded at Kelsi and she let the music die down and the crowd immediately applauded with loud hoots and hollers for their favorite singing duo.
Gabriella smiled and nodded to Troy, her thoughts relieved of fear. "Thank you." She then began her speech, "Okay," she laughed slightly, looking down at the sheet in front of her. Sighing, she pushed it aside, took a deep breath, and began a new version of her speech, "So I'm gonna start from the beginning. I came to East High because my mom transformed. Haha, real original, right?" she laughed, "But there was something different about East High…I don't know, maybe it was a vibe or something, but I made friends actually pretty quickly even with my shyness…" she looked down at her friends.
"Sure, I had a rough start…but once I showed who I really was…myself…you were all there behind me…" she grinned again, "Like…like…" she paused, choking back the tears as she looked at her classmates, "A family. Soon, things fell into place. It was like all of those silly problems people shared in middle school and in their first three years of high school were gone, and it was just us; a bunch of friends who knew their last minutes as a class were approaching…"
Tears sprung freely from Gabriella's eyes now, but her voice was steady and calm, and full of truth. "I guess you could say I love you all…and no matter what, we will always be friends forever…" she gulped, wiping the salty tears from her cheeks.
A silence filled the auditorium, but it wasn't uncomfortable, for it was full of awe and wonder. And then Chad stood up, followed by the entire first row, and applause erupted in the theater, a loud noise that had never even sounded within the walls. And Gabriella smiled.
As the cheering finally ceased, the beaming Gabriella took a step back, allowing Troy to step forward.
"Wow," he spoke relaxed, "I don't think I'll ever be able to beat that one." Troy turned and smiled at Gabriella and laughing returned his remark. "Well…I'm not usually that creative, but I decided to renovate our team cheer…so after we finish the normal course, instead of 'Getcha head in the game', I thought we'd say 'We're all in this together!"
The crowd laughed and nodded their heads.
"Alright, so…what team?" he shouted.
"Wildcats!" the crowd responded.
"What team?"
"Wildats!"
"What team?"
"Wildcats!"
"Wildcats!"
"We're all in this together!"
You like? Haha, second to last chapter! I know its short, but...I did write the rest of the story and have it posted on a message board (BF), but I wasn't all that happy with the way the future part was written, so I have decided not to post it here. If you absolutely need to know the end, email me or PM from whats in my profile and I'll give you the link to the board.
