I'm so sorry. Senior year of college is busier than I thought and I'm not doing as well in my classes. But I HOPE to give you all two more updates this weekend. Things come up though so no promises. Hope you all enjoy!

"Troy, are you okay?"

"GET OUT GABRIELLA!" He took a step forward and I took a step back. I really didn't know how to handle this. I knew something was really wrong if he was calling me Gabriella, but I was scared to be in this room right now.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to talk. Just let me sit here Troy. I won't say anything. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine Gabi. Please leave." That was a quick change. I looked in his eyes and could still see that my Troy was there. He was begging me to leave with his eyes and as much as I wanted to give him his space, I knew he needed someone.

"Troy, I can't leave because you wouldn't leave me. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but please just let me sit here." He just turned around so I took that as a yes. I sat on the floor and just let him calm down. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew it was serious. Troy never acted like this.

"You can sit on the bed."

"I'm good." Honestly, I didn't want to sit on the bed in case he blew up again.

He turned around and looked at me and my heart was breaking at how hurt he looked.

"Troy…" I got up to hug him, but when I took a step forward, this time he stepped back.

"Gabi, no." I knew right then why he wanted me to leave. Not because he was angry, but because he would break down at any moment. I ignored him and ran forward and hugged him anyway. At first, he didn't move but I felt his body shake and I knew he was silently crying. Eventually, he put his head in the crook of my neck and I felt a tear leave my eye. I quickly wiped it away. Troy was so strong, but I knew I needed to be strong for him right now. He started hugging me so tight that I felt like I was losing my breath, but I wouldn't dare say anything.

"I'm so sorry Gabi. I'm so, so sorry." I was confused. Was he upset cause he did something to me?

"Hey, why are you sorry? Whatever it is, I'm sure we can make it right."

"I'm sorry for crying like that. I bet you think I'm some weak guy now." He pulled back and wiped his eyes while he turned away from me. I couldn't believe he thought that. I interlaced our fingers and stood in front of him.

"Troy Bolton, I think you are amazing for opening up to me like that. You could be like some people and bottle things up, walking around mad at the world, but you're letting it out. It takes a strong man to cry whether you believe me or not." He just sat on his bed and looked up at me. He didn't let go of my hand though.

"So I guess you want to know what's wrong."

"No. I just want to know you're okay now. I can go get Chad if you like or I can sit here. I can even go up there and make Chad stay in our dorm if you just need space. What do you want me to do?"

"Stay. Please stay Gabi. I just need you to lay with me if that's okay."

"That's fine Troy." He laid down and I quickly decided to lay down with him. I slid off my shoes and my cardigan and snuggled up to him on the side closest to the wall. Oh if Derek could see us now. He starting rubbing up and down my arm and I felt strangely…comfortable.

"Thank you for this."

"Any time. You would do the same for me."

"I would in a heartbeat." He leaned down and kissed me hair. I smiled up at him. This is the Troy I knew and loved.

My mind started wondering and I didn't know if I would ever have this with Derek. Derek was everything I ever wanted in a guy. He was a perfect boyfriend, but that was the problem. He was the guy I always felt like I needed to dress up around and be perfect for. Even his family was perfect. I wanted a guy that I could wake up to in a t-shirt and sweatpants. That wants to challenge me in basketball. I wanted a boyfriend and a best friend all in one. I didn't know if Derek would ever be that to me.

"Troy…" I looked up to see he had fallen asleep. I probably would have to if I wasn't thinking so much. I got up and grabbed my phone. Thankfully, Troy didn't move. I went into their common area and called Chad.

"Hey Gabs."

"Hey, I just wanted to call because I knew you would be worried. He's sleeping now."

"Thank God. I've never seen him like that."

"It was bad. I was honestly scared for a minute, but I think he saw how scared I was and calmed down rather quickly."

"Did he tell you?"

"No. I told him he didn't have to."

"He'll tell you. I have a feeling he's going to start coming to you and talking to you about this."

"I'm not trying to take your place Chad."

"You're not. I just know my boy Gabs and he needs you whether he says it or not. He needs someone other than me to talk to."

"I understand. I think I'll stay here tonight. It's all clear though so you can come back to your room."

"I think I'll stay with Tay. She heard him yelling earlier when she called so she's a bit freaked out."

"Okay. See ya later bro. Love ya."

"Love ya too sis." He hung up and I went back in the room. I turned off the light and I snuggled back up to Troy. He quickly wrapped his arm around me. Within minutes, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I got up and Troy was gone. I immediately got worried. I grabbed my phone and saw a note next to it.

I'll be back probably a few minutes after you wake up. Don't worry. –Troy

I let out a breath and grabbed my phone to see it was just 8 o'clock. I'm not really a morning person so this is early for me. I saw Derek had text me. I quickly sent him a text back saying good morning. As soon as I hit send, Troy came through the door with some food and some cups of orange juice. He smiled when he saw me.

"Hey, morning. I was hoping you would be sleep, but I wrote the note just in case." I got up to help him.

"You didn't have to get food."

"I did. It's not much. Just another way to say thank you."

"Well, you're very welcome. Like I said, I know you would do the same for me." I saw that he got Waffle House and I immediately started smiling. This is my fav. A waffle with bacon. Troy got the same with bacon and sausage. We started eating in silence. Totally different vibe from last night.

"It was my brother." I looked up and was completely confused.

"Huh?"

"My brother was the reason I saw upset last night."

"I'm sorry Troy, but I'm confused. We talk all the time and you've never said anything about a brother."

"I don't talk about him."

"Well you don't have to know. I told you I was fine not knowing."

"I know, but I want to. I need you to know because you're important to me."

"Okay, go ahead."

"My brother, his name is Charles. We call him Charlie. He's a few years older than me and he was always my role model. We used to play basketball together and he gave me advice about girls when I needed it. Everything was great. He was like the perfect older brother. Alex and I hated being compared to him though, but I'm sure everything younger sibling has that problem trying to live up to the oldest expectations." I nodded to let him know I was listening, but this was his moment to speak so I didn't interrupt.

"When Charlie turned 18, he decided to go to the Army. He always wanted to serve his country. We didn't want him to leave, but we were all proud he was being so noble. He loved it. He passed his basic training and got to travel the world. Well, eventually he got deployed to Iraq." Troy paused for a minute and all of a sudden, his eyes got black.

"Hey, stay with me Troy. I'm right here." I sat closer to him and started rubbing his hand.

"We were all sad, but we knew it was something that could happen one day. He had to go for a year. He didn't even last the full time. We don't know the whole story, but after about 5 months, he got sent home. There was this big shoot out and all of a sudden, an explosion. A few of his friends got killed and he barely made it out. We were just happy to have him home, but he wasn't the same. He was quiet all the time and rarely made eye contact with us. It was like he was dead on the inside. But we just learned to live with it until one day it all changed." Troy got up and faced the window. He had to grab on to the wall for support and I knew this had to be hard for him. I got up and just rubbed his back as he continued.

"It was the beginning of my senior year and Alex, my sister, was sick that day so she stayed at home. Charlie was there too. My mom told me to go right home since she was at the bakery to make sure Alex didn't need anything. So I go home and I immediately go up to Alex's room to check on her, but she wasn't there. I didn't see Charlie either so I thought he had went out for a walk. All of a sudden, I hear this banging so I run downstairs to see what it was." Troy started shaking again and I heard his voice start breaking.

"He was choking her Gabs! He was choking his own sister and she was banging on the wall for help! I immediately pulled him off of her and she kept trying to get her breath. Apparently she dropped a pot and he had a flashback or something." I felt tears come to my eyes, but I couldn't let them fall.

"He even tried to grab her again, but I punched him before he touched her again. I still remember the face he made when he realized what he'd done. He didn't even remember doing it. Alex was terrified for months and my parents didn't know what to do. They did make him see a psychiatrist though who diagnosed him with PTSD. That's why I was so shocked when you said you wanted to be a Psych nurse."

"Eventually it became another routine. Alex nor anyone was ever around him alone. He started talking more since the psychiatrist was helping. My mom and dad started talking to him more, but Alex and I were still cautious. He did it again last night…this time to my mom."

"Oh Troy."

"I know I should love him, but my brother is not there anymore Gabs and he's endangering my family." Troy cried some more and I let him.

"I wish I could do more for you Troy. I wish I could take this all away, but I can't. But I'll be here from now on Troy. I promise you that." I didn't know it at first, but I started crying too. I just couldn't believe Troy had been holding all of this in. I didn't know what to say, but this was way more than I imagined. This was something that no family should go through, but unfortunately, many families do. That's why I wanted to do mental health, because it was a silent killer. People never talk about it, but he eats away at people every day.

Troy eventually stopped crying and I got myself together. I wiped his eyes and he smiled at me.

"This means a lot Gabs."

"I mean it Troy. I'll always be here."

In that moment, I realized how quickly things can happen. I realized how one second can be so long, but so short at the same time because one minute I was looking into Troy's eyes and the next I was kissing him. There was so much emotion in that kiss that it scared me. I couldn't understand how I felt all his pain and love in that short amount of time. As quickly as it happened, it ended just as fast. He immediately said he was sorry, but I knew it wasn't his fault. Because I was the one who had leaned in to kiss him. What did I just do?

Hope you guys liked it! You finally got to see what was going on with Troy. I'll update as soon as I can. Please review.