Author's Note: Wow. I am absolutely BLOWN AWAY by all the reviews from you guys. Thanks so much! I can't stress enough how much they mean to me. Anyway, enough of my rambles, here's the chapter I know left on such a mean cliffhanger. XD

Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical.

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Gabriella stood in front of her door, shocked at what had just occurred. Troy's lips were now resolutely planted on her own, kissing her softly. Before her mind registered what she was doing, she returned the kiss slowly, and gradually leaning her body in closer to him. Her hands moved their way up his chest, where they rested right under his shoulders. His hand was still on her cheek, but soon moved down to her neck as he parted his lips faintly. Gabriella thought she heard a faint clicking noise in the background, but ignored it as she felt Troy's strong arm snake its way around her waist, pulling him closer to her. She somewhat smiled inwardly; his kiss was gentle but tender, just like how he used to kiss her in high school. This kiss was different however, it had a sense of longing in it; something she had never felt before. Gabriella felt so lost in the moment, but not soon after, her conscience unfortunately got the better of her, causing her to push him off of her softly.

"What are you doing?" she asked, looking into his cobalt blue eyes.

Troy's hand went up to his hair nervously as he looked down at the floor, deep in thought. Gabriella continued to look at him, lost in her own thoughts about the events that had just taken place. Troy finally switched his gaze from the ground and back up at Gabriella. He opened his mouth to apologize, but nothing came out of his mouth. For some reason, Troy couldn't bring himself to do it. In reality, he really wasn't sorry. He had wanted to kiss her; it wasn't a misunderstanding. Gabriella stood there, her feet glued to the ground. Her eyes were wide with fear and shock, searching his eyes. She then took in a deep breath and started to shake her head.

"Oh my God, no, not now…" she mumbled. Gabriella swallowed and looked back at Troy. "Troy…you, y-you shouldn't of done that," she stumbled, "I have to go," she finished, bending down to pick up her keys that she had dropped moments before. She swiftly unlocked the door and was about to go in, when suddenly Troy grabbed her arm. Gabriella's body spun around to face him, her face wearing a scared and painful expression.

"Gabriella, wait, please, I –" but he was cut off by her quiet and fragile voice.

"Troy, just, p-please leave me a-alone," Gabriella said painfully and quietly, tears becoming visible on the rim of her eyelids. Troy's expression softened, and he slowly released her arm, wanting to hold onto it a little longer. Once his grip was finally released, she swallowed and closed her door without a word. Inside, Gabriella let her purse drop on the table, along with her keys as she recklessly made her way to her bedroom; hitting and running into things on her path there. She threw open her door, and collapsed on her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. She gripped her pillow tightly, her face buried in it. Soon her pillowcase was drenched with tears, and she sat up abruptly. Her cheeks were red and damp; an effect of the tears that had fallen and soaked through her skin. Fresh tears proceed to roll down her cheeks, cascading and splattering on her satin comforter.

She leaned against the headboard, swallowing and closing her eyes. "I don't love him, I don't love him, I don't…love him," she repeated weakly, hitting the back of her head against the wall each time she repeated it. She opened her eyes, and started looking around her bedroom. Her fingers found their way up to her lips, and she ran a finger across them smoothly. She took in a breath, thinking about how minutes before Troy's lips had been on her own. She closed her eyes again as her hand dropped down to her side. Gabriella slid down on her bed, lying on her stomach. Her eyes closed slowly into a light sleep, but not before letting one final tear drip down her nose.

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Troy swallowed hard as he waited outside of the car shop in the car. He bit his lip, replaying the events that had happened in her apartment building. He hadn't planned for that to happen, it seemed that whenever he was around Gabriella, he had done certain things he wouldn't normally do. She had that sort of effect on him, an effect he couldn't place his finger on. He sighed and let his head hit the headrest on his seat, and he saw Melanie bounce out of the store, a smile upon her face. She hopped in the front seat, giving Troy a quick peck.

"Ready to go out to dinner with my parents?" she asked jovially.

Troy nodded glumly. "Yeah," he answered uninterested.

Melanie's brows furrowed. "Baby, what's wrong?" she asked, rubbing his forearm as he continued to drive.

He sighed and shook his head. "Nothing…can I ask you something?" he asked.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, you can ask me anything," she replied, now concerned.

Troy took a deep breath. "You love me, right?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

Melanie seemed taken aback by the question, but answered nonetheless. "Of course I do, what ever made you think different?"

He sighed and proceeded to drive down the street. Nothing did, I just wanted to…" he trailed off, stopping.

Melanie raised her eyebrows and had a puzzled expression upon her features. "Wanted to what? Troy, I will always love you," she said softly.

Troy smiled slightly, but didn't answer as they pulled into the hotel parking lot.

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"Gabriella?" Taylor called into her apartment as she pulled her spare key out of the lock. She entered the apartment, spotting the purse and keys scattered on the table and the thrown jacket on the floor. She looked around the living room and kitchen, but found no sign of Gabriella. Taylor sighed as she started to walk towards the bedroom. When she opened the door, what she found made her sigh. On the bed was a sleeping form of Gabriella, her head lying by the end of her bed. There were abandoned tissues on the side of her bed, and her blue pillowcases were damp. Taylor sent her friend a look of sympathy, looking at her best friend with a pillow clutched to her chest tightly. She quickly walked over to her friend, and shook her slightly. Gabriella stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. When she spotted Taylor, she sat up immediately.

"Tay, what are you doing here?" she asked, rubbing her eyes trying to get rid of all the tearstains.

"I came to see you. I mean, we haven't seen or talked to each other in a couple of days, and I wanted to see how you were doing," she answered, "and I see that hasn't been too great," she added, looking at the mascara that had run down her friend's face.

Gabriella let her hands drop to her lap as she started to play with them. "Yeah…" she mumbled.

Taylor sat on the bed and embraced her in a hug. "What happened?" she asked, rubbing Gabriella's back. She took a deep, shaky breath and pulled away.

"He…he kissed me," she mumbled, now playing with the edge of her shirt.

Taylor's eyes widened. "Who? Who kissed you?" she asked anxiously, sitting closer to Gabriella.

Gabriella sighed. "Troy," she said quietly.

Taylor smiled and jumped up from the bed, positioning herself on her knees in front of Gabriella. "When? Why? How? Details, I want details!" she squealed.

"It's not like that, Taylor. I mean, he's getting married! How could he just kiss me? It really only proves how faithful he is. Do you know how devastated I would be if I was in Melanie's place right now?" Gabriella asked incredulously.

Taylor sighed, and sat fully down on the floor. "Gabi, but that's the thing. You aren't in Melanie's place right now. And I think we both perfectly know that Troy has always loved you, so why would he stop? Keeping you away from him for a couple of years doesn't change his feelings. Not one that strong."

Gabriella bit her lip as she looked at her friend. "Taylor, Their wedding's coming up real soon. How could I let him kiss me?" she asked, more to herself than to Taylor.

"Because, you love him, and you want to kiss him, just like how he wants to kiss you. I wish you would just stop being so damn stubborn," Taylor replied, mumbling the last part.

"Troy and I are over. We were when we finished high school," Gabriella stated bitterly.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Sure, if you say so. Tell me that in about six years when you guys are married and have little Troy's and Gabriella's running around," she said, lying on the floor, putting her hands behind her head.

Gabriella threw her hands down at her sides. "Troy and I are not getting married! If you haven't noticed, I've been planning his wedding to another woman!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It doesn't change our views," Taylor replied, looking up at the ceiling.

Gabriella furrowed her brow. "Our views?" she inquired curiously.

Taylor switched her gaze to Gabriella. "Yeah, our. As in me and Chad," she answered.

Gabriella's eyes widened as she threw a pillow at Taylor's head. "Oh, and have we been getting cozy with Chad, now?" Gabriella asked in a mock tone.

"No, Gab, it's not like that," Taylor said, moving into a sitting up position.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? 'I think we both know that he loved you. Why would he stop? A feeling that strong doesn't change over time,'" Gabriella mimicked.

Taylor narrowed her eyes. "Eh heh heh. Funny," she commented, standing up. She then turned to Gabriella. "Take out or raid your fridge?"

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"Troy, sweetie, I asked you what you were going to get," Melanie said, shaking Troy's arm slightly.

Troy snapped back to reality, looking at Melanie. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked, sitting up in his chair.

Melanie chuckled. "Sweetheart, what are you going to get? I've been trying to talk to you for the past five minutes. Are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm great, dandy, fantastic," he said a little too cheerfully. Melanie nodded, but not before giving him a weird glance. Throughout the night, Troy would always find his mind drifting back to earlier that day, when he was with Gabriella. The kiss had been something he hadn't felt in a really long time; his and Melanie's kisses were nothing like that. His and Gabriella's had been with so much more fervor, something he never felt with Melanie. He tried to convince himself that he was doing the right thing; Melanie loved him, so he would surely be happy…right?

"So, honey what are you going to order?" Melanie asked, once again.

Troy looked down at his menu and read the first thing that he saw. "Uh, the crab cakes," he answered quickly, but then mentally kicked himself as Melanie raised her eyebrows.

"Sweetie, you're allergic to seafood," she said slowly, now feeling his forehead, "are you sure you're all right?"

Troy took this opportunity to go and think. "Uh, you know what? I am feeling a little…ill. I'll just go back to the hotel, but the dinner is on me, so get whatever you want," Troy said standing up, smiling at Melanie and her parents.

Melanie nodded and stood up to kiss him goodbye. "See you later," she whispered in his ear. He smiled and nodded as he started to walk off in the direction of the exit. He exited the building, hands in pockets, letting the breeze hit his face. Troy started to walk off nowhere in particular, letting his legs lead him wherever they wanted to go. He was lost in his own thoughts, before he soon realized he was standing in front of Gabriella's apartment building. He sighed as he looked up to her window, and saw her light was on. He was about to walk away, when suddenly Taylor stepped out of the building. She paused and looked at Troy, but then suddenly smiled and pulled him aside.

"You, Mr. Bolton have to give me details. I don't know what happened today, because Miss-he's-getting-married-and-I-am-so-damn-stubborn won't tell me anything. So what happened? All I know is that there was a kiss involved," she said smiling, wiggling her eyebrows.

Troy sighed, but smiled a bit at Taylor's remarks. "It just sort of happened. I mean, I didn't plan it…or count it on happening…but…it just did," he said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Taylor grinned. "Well, go talk to her," she said, pushing him into the inside of the building.

"What? Taylor, oh come on," Troy said as she proceeded to push him up the staircase.

Taylor gave him a big shove, causing him to practically fly up the stairs. "Troy, I'm not letting the two most oblivious people on the planet blow their chances together because one is a babbling idiot and the other one is a stubborn mule," she said, now tugging him up onto her floor.

Troy let his head fall back as he finally arrived in front of her door. Taylor knocked loudly, but Troy turned to her curiously. "Hey, was I the babbling idiot?" he asked, Taylor's words just sinking in.

Taylor grinned and started to sprint down the stairs. "That wasn't nice!" Troy called down to Taylor. As he turned back to the door, he saw Gabriella standing in it.

"Uh, hi," he began.

Gabriella's hands were crossed uncomforting, just like on New Year's Eve. "What are you doing here, Troy?" she asked, moving away from the doorway and into her apartment.

Troy cautiously followed her inside, shutting the door behind him. "Well, I wanted to apologize," he stated, looking at her standing with her back to him, by the window.

She snorted, but then turned around quickly, and looked him in the eyes. "You don't know what you want, Troy," she said with no emotion.

"What do you mean? I know what I want, I'm getting married," he said back, his eyebrows furrowing.

Gabriella searched his face. "No you don't."

Troy put his hands out. "What do I want then, Gabriella?" he asked.

"I don't know, but you don't want to get married," she replied, still looking him in the eyes.

Troy looked at her questionably. "What are you talking about? Of course I want to get married," he answered as she came closer to him.

"Then why did you kiss me?" she asked, now standing in front of him. Troy gulped; he had not expected this. When she received no answer, she backed away, going back to her spot by the window. "I told you," she stated.

"You know, you're not making this any easier," he said, folding his arms at his chest. She whipped around, staring at him.

"Me? What do I have to do with it? Your fiancée is the one who came to me! You're the one who came waltzing back into my life, without having any contact or communication for the past four years! Who knows Troy, maybe if you'd call me every once and awhile, then we wouldn't be dealing with this!" she exclaimed.

Troy looked up at the ceiling and laughed coldly before looking back at Gabriella. "I could've called? You could have too! Don't just blame this thing on me!" he shouted back.

"Well for someone who thinks everyday about the promise you made me, you sure had a good job of showing it! Really Troy, if you honestly thought about it everyday, why didn't you bother to pick up a phone and call me? And what are you really apologizing for? For kissing me? Leading me on? Being unfaithful to Melanie? Which one is it? Or is it all of them?" she asked angrily, her voice cracking terribly.

Troy sighed and gripped his hands on the back of a chair, looking at the ground. "For everything, Gabriella. But what I meant before, you weren't making it any easier on me…because I had to see you as just a friend, something I hadn't done since high school. But it's not your fault, because you were simply just being you…trying to do your job. I guess it was just hard, seeing you again…and in the most awkward situation," he replied quietly, not taking his gaze off the floor.

Gabriella's face softened at the tone of his voice. She gulped; she felt bad for talking to him in such a harsh tone moments before. She started to fiddle with her hands, hesitant to answer. When she finally found her voice and courage, she started to speak. "I-it was hard s-seeing you again too," she said in a low voice, so low it was barely audible.

Troy lifted his hands and gaze from the chair and looked at Gabriella. She was looking down at the floor, her brown curly hair falling evenly on each side of her face. He was about to say something, when Taylor burst through the door panting, a newspaper clutched in her hand.

"Whoa, Tay, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked, snapping her head up, though her voice was still unstable.

Taylor chuckled nervously. "Well, I don't think I have to ask for details on that kiss, because apparently, it's all over the evening newspapers," she said, slamming the newspaper on the table.

Gabriella and Troy rushed over to the table, Gabriella picking it up in her wavering hands. On the cover of the sports section, was the headline, "Bluffing Bolton?" and underneath it, was a picture of Gabriella and Troy kissing.

"Oh my God," Troy and Gabriella breathed in unison.

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Author's Note: Sort of another cliffhanger. Anyway, any unanswered questions will probably be answered in the next chapter. In case you didn't remember, Troy and Chad are famous basketball players in the NBA. So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I will update soon. Now, please click the "go" button below and write something to make me smile. Lol. Just kidding. But please review! Thanks!