A/N: Hey everyone! SO SO sorry it's taking me so long to update this story. It's even one of the stories that has gotten the most reviews and I'm letting you guys down right now…so yeah, I won't chit chat much!

Oh btw, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas or another kind of holiday! Lol. I know I did, and I know I'm back to writing:-)

PLEASE R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Chapter 17: Everything Just May Be Okay

Gabriella nervously opened the door to her house, letting Troy in behind her. She smelled his scent as he breezed passed her and into the house, and it made shivers go up and down her back.

She sighed, as she gently closed the door, leading Troy to sit on the couch, "Are you hungry or thirsty?" She asked him politely, knowing that the situation they were in is just a little bit awkward for them.

Troy just shook his head, avoiding her eyes. Those eyes were what made Gabriella so scared-she had no idea WHAT he was thinking. She didn't know if he hated her, or wanted to get back together with her. Or, even if he was thinking about being friends.

Troy cleared his throat, as Gabriella sat on the far end of the couch. "So…what was it that you needed to tell me?" He asked her curiously.

Gabriella felt her breath tighten up in her throat. She had completely forgotten about that. "Uh…" She stuttered, as she managed to look into his eyes.

They were filled with all different kinds of emotions: curiosity, despair, compassion, worry, and a few more mixed in. Suddenly, Gabriella realized she didn't want to hurt him, nor did she want to get hurt.

She looked down and fiddled with her hands, changing her whole mind about what she was going to tell him. "I was just going to say that…" He voice cracked, as she struggled a bit before she went on, "That I wanted to thank you for what you did today. I mean it. You saved me from my dragon of a boss."

She let out a small chuckle, which made the atmosphere much more comfortable than it was. He let out a slight chuckle too, although his wasn't as cheerful as hers. He seemed more interested as to what she wasn't telling him.

Troy sighed, as he finally searched Gabriella's eyes, for any sign of emotion, that may lead him to figure out why she wasn't telling him the truth. "Gabriella-what aren't you telling me?" He finally asked her, knowing he beat her to the punch.

Gabriella immediately snapped her head up towards him. "What…what do you mean Troy?" She stuttered a bit again, causing him to shake his head.

"You know what I mean Gabi…" He said in a disappointed tone, surprising Gabriella a bit that he finally called her 'Gabi' since the fight.

Gabriella gulped, knowing she probably couldn't get out of this one. "I-I-I don't know Troy. I just guess that I didn't know how to bring up the subject of you and me. You know…" She struggled yet again, hoping she wouldn't have to say anymore and that he would get it.

"Why?" Troy snapped back, which caused Gabriella's eyes to widen, wanting to know why his tone had changed so quickly.

"What is your problem now?" She asked him rudely, her eyes suddenly narrowing. Her voice became fury, as she just asked Troy a simple question which his only response was looking away.

Gabriella threw out a frustrated breath as she leaned on the side arm of the couch and let out a breath. "Look" She started again, "I don't want to fight about this. I just-I just don't know what to do" She finished, getting tears in her eyes.

Troy's face softened a bit as he slid over a little bit towards her and replied, "It's not supposed to be easy."

Gabriella looked up at him surprised and sighed. She knew he was right. That also made her laugh a bit, "How do you always know the right thing to say?" She asked him, a question that's been a wonder for a very long time.

Troy just laughed, as he wiped the little tears away from her face with his thumb. "It's a habit" He replied simply, know cupping his hands to her face and looking at her intently.

For a minute they both just stared at each other, the only sound being their breathing, lost into each other. Gabriella suddenly groaned as she stood up and started pacing around the room,

"Oh my, I have no clue what I am doing here. Ugh, Troy I just…I don't know if we can fall back into each other's arms for a third time in a row, expecting me just to forget about everything and…"

By that time Troy was standing up, smirking at her, as she continued rambling on. He edged closer and closer to her, which she couldn't notice because she was too busy rambling and also had her eyes closed while doing it.

"and…I'm nervous as heck, because I REALLY don't want to mess this up, I mean I did the first time and…well the second time…what if I do it again? I mean, really, are we just supposed to just PICK up where we last let off?" She finished taking in a huge breath.

Gabriella opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Troy standing just about a couple inches away from her, looking down at her and still smirking. She started moving backwards but stopped when she felt her back hit the wall.

Troy moved his hand up and started caressing her cheek with his thumb, showing her that he stilled had compassion for her. "Nobody knows Gabriella" He told her annoyingly, trying to show her that it's okay that she messed up.

"But how-" She started saying, but Troy immediately pressed his finger to her lips.

"Will you PLEASE let me talk now?" He sighed, as she hesitantly nodded. Troy nodded back and continued, "Listen Gabi. We all mess up sometimes, and it's okay to make mistakes. But the road bumps in our relationship are just as much my fault as they are yours. And why is that? Because…" He paused for dramatic affect, "Because I let you go the first and second time, and I'm not going to lose you this time."

Gabriella just stared at him, as she bit her lip, trying to compress herself from crying another time. Troy started rubbing her cheek again, trying to get her to understand.

"You have to understand Gabriella Anne Montez" He started again, using her full name, and now grabbing both her shoulders, "I would do anything for you. I NEVER want to lose you again and…and…I will always love you. So much."

Troy then kissed her affectionately on the cheek and gave her a sad smile before turning to walk out the door.

Gabriella stared after him a moment, but her mind was already made up. She ran out the door after him yelling, "TROY!"

He spun around and smiled slightly when he saw her running towards him. She stopped right in front of him and smiled. "I love you, too" She whispered.

Troy was now grinning from ear to ear, as he kissed her passionately, right there in Gabriella's driveway. Without breaking the kiss, he then picked her up by her waist and started spinning her around, causing her to smile against his lips.

Everything was alright now.

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Sharpay drove up to Zeke's apartment and rushed to the door, banging on it as soon as her heel hit the pavement by the door.

Zeke swung the door open and was taken by surprised as Sharpay shoved him inside his apartment again, allowing herself in and shutting the door behind her. She brushed her hair out of her face, as she turned to Zeke, who was looking at her like a mad woman.

"Do you have a habit of pushing guys into their houses?" He joked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah yeah" She replied, a little annoyed, wanting to get straight to the point. "Look Zeke…I don't know why, but after you left I realized something."

"What?" He asked her curiously, hoping that she was going to tell him that she was still in love with him.

Sharpay sighed and crossed her arms as she walked back and forth. "I well, you see…I realized that I haven't been really fair here. I mean, I still care about you. A lot. And I kind of pushed you away without giving you time to explain. I mean, I watched Gabriella do it to Troy and I saw the hurt in his eyes, and just couldn't bear to see it in your eyes."

"Sharpay…what are you trying to say?" Zeke asked her, still kind of confused to what she wanted to say to him.

She just huffed back and replied quickly, "I am willing to give you a second chance."

Zeke's eyes immediately lit up. "Are you serious?" He asked her and stood up from the wall he was leaning on and started walking towards her. "Thank you Sharpay" He smiled.

Sharpay smiled back, but stepped away as he tried to kiss her. "Uh-sorry Shar. Too fast, isn't it?" He asked her as she nodded slightly. Zeke just grinned as he held out his arms for a hug. "A hug won't hurt, would it?"

Sharpay laughed as she stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for understanding" She whispered in his ear.

Zeke just replied by hugging her tighter.

Just then, Kelsi burst through the doors, causing both Zeke and Sharpay to fling away from their hug.

Kelsi just narrowed their eyes and them and put her hands on her hips. "Oh I see how it is, you get to make up with your prince charming before me, huh? A few days ago, you never wanted anything to do with him again!" She said grouchily.

Sharpay just turned to Kelsi and raised her eyebrows, knowing that she was just really tired at the moment. "Since when was Jason your, Prince Charming?" She asked her friend, smirking, knowing that she had caught her there.

Kelsi opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out of it. Sharpay and Zeke just laughed at her, as Sharpay leaned her head against Zeke's chest.

"Glad you two are happy" Kelsi grumbled, now searching for Jason. "Is Jason here?" She asked a little nervously, but really wanting to talk to him at the same time.

"Yeah I believe he is" A voice coming from another room said.

Kelsi shot her head to the kitchen as she watched Jason walk into the room with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He smiled slightly and said, "Hey Kels."

"Hey" She said a little hoarsely, rocking back and forth on her feet.

Sharpay and Zeke watched the uncomfortable interaction between the two, and knew it was their time to part. "Well uh…me and Zeke will be in the other room if ya need us" Sharpay told them giddily.

"We will?" Zeke asked, looking confused.

Sharpay just glared at him. "Yes we will" She told him, as she grabbed him by his collar and pulled him into the next room, ignoring his yelp.

Kelsi and Jason both laughed slightly, but then soon enough, the laughter died down and they found themselves not wanting to speak. "Look Jason…" Kelsi started and Jason looked up at her curiously.

"Yeah?" He replied simply, not breaking her gaze.

Kelsi sighed. "I never knew that there was such a thing as true love until…" She paused but then let out, "Until the day I saw you again."

Jason just looked at her, in incredible shock. Did she really just say that? He asked himself slightly, then saying aloud, "What about what happened between us a long time ago? I mean Kels, I hurt you, and I don't know why you're…"

Before he could finish though, Kelsi cut him off by kissing him. When they both pulled apart they smiled at each other. "Jason…I don't care about the past anymore. And I can't deny my feelings for you anymore because truthfully, they've never gone away."

Jason smiled at her, and pulled her into a tight hug. "Ditto" He whispered in her ear, causing her to giggle and tighten the grip on the hug.

Jason then took Kelsi's hand and led her into the next room, going to join Sharpay and Zeke. What they saw, didn't surprise them at all, as they watched Sharpay and Zeke make out on the couch, with Sharpay in Zeke's lap. Kelsi and Jason just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Some things never change.

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Taylor tried to stifle a yawn as she just woke up from her nap. She groaned as she rubbed her eyes. She had a massive headache, and time seemed to be spinning for a couple of seconds.

She then shook it off, as she slowly made her way out to the living room, where she saw Chad watching TV. She laughed and shook her head, causing him to look at her, "How many times are you going to watch that UCLA game? You've watched it like a zillion times!" She exclaimed.

Chad started chuckling but then stopped when he realized what she said. "Wait a minute-how did you know that?" He asked her, hoping her memory finally came back.

Taylor just looked at him, a little confused at what he was asking. "What are you talking about? I've been watching YOU watch THAT for like, over a month. I should get the pattern by now" She told him, a little weirdly.

"When's my birthday?" Chad asked her out of the blue.

Taylor looked at him like he had just lost his mind. "Uh February 22, 1990" She replied, not really knowing if Chad was sick or not. She was seriously considering taking him to a doctor.

"Where did we get married?" He asked her again, not taking his eyes off her, them darting at her in a serious manner.

"The Albuquerque Cathedral but Chad…honey, what's wrong with you? Do you wanna see a doctor?" Taylor asked, wanting to know take him to a therapist. Something is definitely up with this boy.

Chad stood up and yelled loudly, "YESSSSS! YOUR MEMORY IS BACK I AM SO HAPPY!" He then picked Taylor up and spun her around, causing her to squeal.

"Chad…STOP!" She laughed, as he put her down and kissed her squarely on the mouth. But a few seconds later, Taylor pulled apart, looking at him confused.

"Wait-what? What do you mean my memory is back? And know that I think about it, why aren't we in Hawaii? And the last thing I remember is being on that bridge…wait, what?" Taylor started talking to herself, very confused with was going on.

Chad laughed at her curiosity, and gently sat her down as he started to explain, "Tay, you lost your memory when we were on our honeymoon. We were on the bridge and you were spinning around and uh…hit your head on a pole and blacked out. At the hospital they told you that you had lost your memory and we flew back here so you can have a more familiar surrounding that could maybe help you remember. You've been out for about a week."

Taylor's eyes widen, as she tried to process all of the information. "Wow" She finally said, "I lost my memory?" She asked him, making sure this wasn't a joke or anything.

Chad nodded but added, "Well not actually all of your memory. Just the last 7 years of it", and Taylor nodded back but then looked at him.

"Oh. Wow. That was back when I thought you were…" She told him a little awkwardly, remembering those days. It's still hard to imagine that Taylor and Chad came out as a couple.

Chad sighed and nodded, adding, "And that was um…a little while before Gabriella arrived and changed the whole school…" He laughed slightly.

Taylor's eyes widen and she put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god…I forgot about that!" She exclaimed but then lowered her voice to a whispered, "How did Gabi react?" She asked her slightly, hoping her best friend was okay.

"She's fine" Chad replied but then frowned, "She's had a hard week Tay. Her and Troy um…they broke up" He told her, because that's the latest news he had.

Taylor gasped and looked at Chad. "Oh my god; are you serious?" She asked him, that last news shocking her.

Chad nodded and continued on, "And then…well you know your guys' boss?" He asked her, and when Taylor nodded he continued, "Well, she stated getting mean to Gabriella and so she quit finally today, but with the help of Troy. She was practically dying in that torture chamber and someone had to save her, and thankfully he was the one that did it."

"So does that mean they're…?" Taylor asked Chad, hoping that they were back together again.

Chad just sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, Troy called me earlier from his car, and he said that Gabriella quit her job and he was now heading over to her house so they could talk. Apparently she had something to say to him."

Taylor bit her lip as she clutched onto Chad's arm. "I hope everything goes well for them. They are like the best couple ever, and for them to waste it would be rubbish…"

Chad looked at her with amusement. "Since when do you say rubbish?" He asked her, as she slapped his arm in return and rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, I can't believe our boss was mean to Gabriella. I think I'm gonna quit you know…" Taylor said to Chad as she leaned back on the couch. "Besides there are SO many more places we can work at in Albuquerque."

Chad laughed and held Taylor in his arms. "Well that's good, because you already quit anyway!" He said, as he broke into laughter as he looked at the shock written on her face.

"No way, you just knew I was going to quit didn't you?" She asked him smartly as she threw a pillow at him.

Chad caught the pillow and wagged his eyebrows at her. "Oh yeah-and here's some more news. Well Jason and Zeke surprised us all by returning to Albuquerque, and Sharpay started talking to her brother again, who warned her, and just a little while ago, Sharpay and Kelsi ran out of this house to go make up with their lovers" He said, not really seriously, even though he was dead serious.

Taylor just burst out laughing. "Yeah right" She told him, as she closed her eyes and rested for a moment, totally not believing a word Chad just said.

Chad just shrugged and grinned widely, as he rested in her arms. "Oh well, guess I'll try again tomorrow" He whispered to himself as they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

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Tada!!! That was a great chapter for me, seriously! Sadly, the next chapter will be the last. Actually the next chapter is the epilogue. Heh. Well anyways, sorry if the ending was a tad bit confusing, I wanted Taylor to not believe Chad when he told her that stuff about Jason and Zeke returning.

Wow is she in for a surprise! Lol. Well, hope you guys enjoyed this, and so sorry again that it took so long to get this up. Later!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!