It had been twelve days since the trip and since the stars had caught on fire. That's how Gabriella saw it as; a night where her passion taken a hold of her and mingled with her feeling for Troy turning her into liquid fire. But the beauty of the stars was gone, and Gabriella felt a bit used from Troy's rageful lust. She had no idea where to go from here. She kept telling herself she would love to get back with him, but another part of herself told her with anger that they were never really together in the first place. Gabriella threw her backpack over her shoulder as she trudged her way to school. She noticed, annoyingly, that everyone seemed to be snickering at her. She didn't like it. A group of girls passed her as they laughed at her pointedly. "What the hell's so funny, why don't you just say it to my face?" "It's what Troy is telling people." Gabriella turned so fast she had made Kelsi jump a mile. Gabriella looked at the timid girl in front of her, and instantly felt bad. She had always tried to be nice to Kelsi, the fact that school had defeated this girl so badly that she was too vulnerable for human contact made Gabriella lower her anger and ask calmly, "And what has Troy been saying?" Kelsi stared at the tiles on the floor, "That the two of you slept together at Sharpay's party." Gabriella's mouth went agape, she had given him something so precious, and tried so hard for him, and he had just pushed her facedown in the dirt. She was going to get him back, oh God was she. It maybe wouldn't hurt on the same level, but it would be enough.

She marched her way down to the chemistry lab, and found her friend Taylor mixing nitrates. She sat across from her who was busily focused on her task. When she sat her beakers aside and removed her goggles she acknowledged her friend with a smile. Gabriella licked her lips as she tried to place her words right. It was hard with Taylor to fit them perfectly, it had always been hard, but after what happened with Chad she thought it would be harder. But surprisingly it wasn't. After Taylor didn't hassle her about what happened with her boyfriend or what he did, instead she reassured her with open arms. Gabriella shook her head to scatter her thoughts. "I was wondering if you'd help me with something?" "Do you even have to ask, of course I will." Gabriella smiled, "Do you remember that tape we made from that dinner party awhile back?" "Remember? I still watch after I posted it on the YouTube site." Gabriella and Taylor laughed as they cooked up a plan.

Summer break was nearing and the school's faculty always saw it fit to tell them how they could have a "responsible" vacation. As the principal was making his speech, Taylor whipped out her laptop, and keyed in a few passcodes as the school's projector hurtled down. Some of the kids began whispering about what was happening. But the staff didn't seem to mind. A few more buttons and the film came across the screen. As the Boltons and Evans were stuffing their faces like starving Ethiopians. Taylor seemed to have added sound effects since it was last watched, Gabriella's favorite was when grunts and snorts of pigs came out of the bloated mouths. Everyone in the crowd howled with laughter which made the teachers turn to see what it was that plagued their students attention. The principal began waving his arms and screaming to avert their eyes that it was none of their concern. As the rest of the staff tried to shut down the monitors. When it was the principal turned with an immense fury. Telling the students whoever was responsible should come forward. Taylor and Gabriella laughed knowing full and well that the consequences would be worse than the small pang of guilt on their consciences.

It seemed the rumors about Troy and Gabriella had died instantly as everyone was recreating the film's moments. It seemed within seconds that Troy was behind her. "I know you're the one that did that." Gabriella smiled coyly, "Why just because it was my house and my camera?" Troy scowled, "I don't understand why you would do this?" Gabriella scrunched up her face in thought, "Spite?" "Spite? And what are you so spiteful about?" "Let me think, oh, how about how you told everyone we had sex?" Troy looked taken about. "I never told anyone –" "Yeah right and how would people know then?" "The closest I said was that we got back together at the party and that's it." Gabriella didn't understand now, maybe people heard that and created their own rumors, after all no one seemed to like the two of them together anyways. The back of her eyes stung. "Maybe it was a bad idea." "What?" "Us. Look at what has started. Everyone spreading gossip about us, I'm being a bitch, and now I'm crying." Troy took her hand to reassure her. "I like that you're a bitch," Gabriella laughed at that through tears, "that's what I want for both of us to just be us." Gabriella looked down, "Break?" "From us?" She nodded. "If that's what you want, I will be waiting for you though Gabriella Montez." She sobbed it's not what she wanted, but it's what they needed. A chance to start over to start the first day they met over. And as Troy dropped her hand and walked away she had to lean against the wall as she was crying.

Her tears fell harder, "How could you?" Came out from next to her. Sharpay was there looking deeply crestfallen. "Sharpay no I did it because of Troy." The blonde laughed, "And you didn't think what it would do to everyone else?" Gabriella shrugged her tears leaking. "You know I remember that I wasn't nice to you, and that's why I wanted to be your friend, because it wasn't right to treat you one way from rumors without knowing the person they are. But now…Maybe things were better before." With that Sharpay turned on her heels and left, leaving Gabriella more broken than before.

I deedicate this chapter to the High School Musical 2 song Gotta Go My Own Way sung by Gabriella listen to it you'll get it. It fots it so well. Also this is my second to the last chapter so let me hear some noise for it, and I'm thinkin' of making a remake of it soon so tell me what ya think.

Side Note:

I know a lot of people probably wonder why I made the whole Troy/Gabriella thing so wonky and mixed up. But you have to understand if you've seen the movies and read the books enough you'd know how much doubt there is in the relationship. So instead of sorrowful doubt I made it into rageful doubt. So there it is…