A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I lied! I lied because I said I was gonna post one week from Sunday, but instead, I'm posting it earlier! I really hope you guys like this chapter, I worked so hard on it. I think it's the longest first chapter I've ever written (Well, this is only my third fic so far, I guess that explains it). Anyway, thanks for those who reviewed and voted and already put me in their story alert list.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I don't even own myself! My parents do. Isn't that sad? I only own this plot line and it's the only thing I have! WHAAA! (Wow. I read too much sad novels)

This Is War

Chapter 1: It Started When They Ended (does it sound cheesy?)

Every hallway in East High School is bustling. Everybody, especially the seniors, are excited about one certain event. That's right, graduation is coming up. Some people are happy. After all, who wouldn't be when you've been going to the same school for four years trapped in its walls and now after just one special day, you'd be free to do whatever you want? But then again, some people weren't so happy. They would be leaving their friends behind and they're going to be living their own lives. Some people were grinning, some people were crying, and some people just don't know what to do. Friends were hugging, couples were breaking up, and enemies were making up. Yup, there sure was a mix of emotions among the halls of East High.

When the big day came, every senior and their parents are waiting impatiently out on the field waiting for the ceremony to start. And then… it started.

Everybody felt like it was all going by in a rush. Taylor was now up on stage ready to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, thank you for coming to this very special occasion. These four years have been a blast for me, and I'm sure it has been a blast for everyone too. We've all worked hard to make it to this day and I must say that I'm proud of everyone. We've all had ups and downs during the whole year. We've made new friends and made new choices. Some of us even became couples unexpectedly." Taylor said and then she looked at Ryan and Gabriella. "Some were bitter because they didn't get what they want." Taylor said as she looked at Sharpay. "But in the end decided to like it anyway. And of course there are the cliques. But one courageous girl came to our school and changed the way everything worked." Taylor said as she looked at her best friend. "And to top it all off, now we can do whatever we want without having to hide it anymore." Taylor said and everybody applauded. "Now we have Mr. Matsui with a few words." Taylor said as she handed the mike to Mr. Matsui and went down the stage and took her seat.

Mr. Matsui's speech seemed to go by fast. Now it was time for the diplomas. They started alphabetically. A's go first then B's, C's, D's and so forth. Zeke was the first one in the gang to be called since his last name is Baylor. Mr. Matsui described him as "East High's Personal Baker". Zeke received his diploma and returned to his seat. The same routine went for Troy, Jason, Chad, Ryan, Sharpay, Taylor, Gabriella, and Kelsi. Each of them shined with pride as they accepted their diplomas and switched their tussle from one side of their togas to another.

As soon as the ceremonies were over, the gang immediately got together in Troy's secret hideout one last time before they go on vacation and go to their separate colleges.

"So after summer break, which colleges are you guys going to? After my family vacations in Florida, I'm going to Harvard on an athletic scholarship." Jason said.

"Really? I'm going to Harvard too!" Kelsi said as she went and hugged her boyfriend.

"Well, I'm going to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) on an athletic scholarship after we vacation in Hawaii." Chad said.

"I'm going to Harvard but since they're both in Cambridge, I guess we'll be able to see each other!" Taylor squealed.

"Ryan and I are going to UCLA (University of California in Los Angeles) to study acting and stage productions of course, after we explore Europe." Sharpay said.

"That's great because I'll be going to USCLA (University of Southern California in Los Angeles)! So I can still visit you sometime!" Zeke shouted.

"That's great!" Sharpay shouted back.

"Wait, Zeke, did you just say you're going to USCLA?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I just got letter telling me that I got accepted to USCLA! This is awesome!" Troy shouted.

Gabriella was silent the whole time. She knew which college she was going to attend. In fact, she already knew where everybody else was going. Ryan saw that Gabriella didn't look very happy so he tries to comfort her.

"Hey Gabs, what's wrong?" Ryan asked her softly. Gabriella faced Ryan.

"You said you were going to UCLA didn't you?" Gabriella asked.

"Well actually, Sharpay said it, but yeah."

"Well, I just got a letter yesterday, saying that… I… didn't get accepted to UCLA." Gabriella explained.

"What!" the gang exclaimed. "How could you not be accepted? You're like one of the smartest girls in East High!" Ryan asked.

"I don't know, maybe I did something wrong in the entrance exam." Gabriella said.

"Well, what about USCLA?" Suggested Troy.

"My mom doesn't want me to go to college there for some strange reason. So I'm going to Yale on an academic scholarship. My mom and I are heading to New York tomorrow for vacation and after that, I'll be heading straight for Yale." Gabriella said.

"But… you'll be in Connecticut. And I'll be-"

"Way over in Los Angeles, California. I know. So, now you know why I'm so depressed." Gabriella finished for Ryan.

A tear fell on Ryan's cheek. He's not really the type of guy to get emotional over something, but this time was different. This time, he couldn't control his tears and he can't help himself. He's never going to see Gabriella anymore. Sharpay went over to Ryan's side and tried to comfort him.

"Ry…" she started. But she didn't get to finish because he bolted from his seat and ran back downstairs to the school.

Gabriella on the other hand, stayed glued to her seat, staring out at the sky, while fresh tears flowed from her eyes, messing up her makeup. But she didn't care. She didn't care because she knew she wasn't going to be able to see Ryan anymore.

That evening, the Evans twins were hosting a farewell party. Although, everybody was invited, not everybody came. Some didn't come because they had to leave for college early. Some didn't come because their parents didn't let them. And some didn't come because they didn't want to. But whatever the reason, they were sure missing out on a lot because the Evans seem to have every sort of appropriate entertainment you could possibly think of.

Of course the whole gang showed up. Including Gabriella. Ryan has to show up because he's a host. They all thought that it just wouldn't be a real goodbye unless they spoke in person. But before they say goodbye, they tried to have fun first.

"Shar, this party is off the hook!" Chad complimented.

"WHAT?" Sharpay shouted through the loud music.

"I said this party is off the hook!" Chad shouted again.

"Your panties are lost in a nook?" Sharpay asked.

"THIS PARTY IS OFF THE HOOK!" Chad shouted one more time.

"OH! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO? THANKS!" Sharpay said.

Troy chuckled at Chad and Sharpay's conversation and decided to turn the music down a little. For his and everybody else's sake.

Everybody seemed to be enjoying the party. Except for one particular couple. They wanted to say that they were having fun, but they knew deep down inside that they were lying. That couple is Ryan and Gabriella.

Gabriella decided to isolate herself by sitting on a bench outside at the Evans' huge backyard.

Taylor decided to cheer Gabriella up a little so she went outside and sat next to her.

"Hey Gabby, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Never been better."

I swear, I don't know how she got the lead roles of the musical with those acting skills. Taylor thought. "Gabs, I've known you for one and a half years. Don't even try to use that excuse on me."

"Tay, I'm fine, seriously, I just need a little time by myself."

This time, Taylor forced Gabriella's head to lean on her shoulder. "Look Gabs, I want you to know that I'm always here for you and you can tell me anything. And if this is about you and Ryan, just go ahead and let it all out. You don't have to keep it all in. I understand why you're upset and I'm sure Ryan is just as upset as you are."

The next thing Taylor knew, her shoulder was getting very, very, damp. And then, Gabriella just exploded in tears.

"Why do we have to graduate? Why can't we just stay in high school forever? Why didn't that freaking UCLA accept me? Why does my mom not want me to go to USCLA? Why am I hurting so much?" Gabriella shouted all in one breath. Taylor put her hands around Gabriella and started rocking her.

"Ssshhh. Gabby, it's going to be okay. Everything's going to be alright." Taylor whispered.

"No it's not! It's not going to be okay! It's never going to be okay!" Gabriella said as she dashed from Taylor's shoulder, into the mansion and finally, locked herself in one of the bathrooms on the top floor.

As all of these events were happening to Gabriella, Ryan, on the other hand pretended to enjoy himself by chatting with his guests and laughing.

He's such a good actor. Sharpay thought. Apparently, I've trained him well. But I can still see right through him.

Sharpay walked over to Ryan and the group he was talking to.

"Excuse me, but can I borrow my brother for a split second?" Sharpay asked, putting on the sweetest voice that she could muster. The guests nodded. "Thank you." Sharpay said as she grabbed Ryan's arm and practically dragged him out to the front lawn.

"Okay, what is your deal?" Sharpay asked.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, pretending to not know what she was talking about.

"You know exactly what I mean Ryan. We both know that you're just pretending to enjoy yourself to keep your mind off of Gabriella and the whole being apart thing." Sharpay said. Ryan was silent for a while. Sharpay realized that she shouldn't have said what she said.

"Ry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. And-"

"So what if this is about Gabriella? I'm pretending to enjoy myself because if I think about it too much, I just might have to explode in tears! Shar, I'm already in a lot of pain, okay. I'm not going to be able to see my girlfriend anymore. At least you'll be able to see Zeke." Ryan defended.

"Ry, I didn't mean to shout at you like that. It's just that, it hurts me to see you hurt. And I wanna at least try to make you feel a little bit better. If that's possible."

"Well, Shar, I think that's going to be impossible because nothing makes me happier than getting to see my girlfriend everyday. It doesn't matter if I could still talk to her over the phone because I wouldn't be able to see her. I haven't been crazy in love with anybody until Gabby, and now after this night, I wouldn't be able to see her again." Ryan said as he stormed back in the house leaving Sharpay in the dust.

Ryan ran straight to his room without even giving a second glance at Sharpay or his party guests. All he wanted to do right now was have a good cry. And he doesn't want to cry where everybody can see him.

He ran to his room and locked the door. He plopped on his bead and decided to cry for a while. A few minutes later, when his whole face is damp with his tears, he couldn't control his anger any longer and decided to throw something. He threw his favorite pillow at his bathroom door. But before it could hit the door, it opened and revealed Chad Danforth. So, instead of hitting the door, the pillow hit his face.

"Whoa. Good thing that wasn't something else, or that might've hurt." Chad said, attempting to cheer Ryan up. But Ryan didn't move a muscle. Chad sighed.

"Dude, you should go talk to Gabs. It's the best thing you can do right now." Chad said as he turned to the door to leave. "Oh, by the way, you might not want to go in there just yet. See, I ate pork and beans for lunch and I think it went out the wrong way." Then Chad left leaving Ryan smiling. Chad always knew how to make people laugh and Ryan was going to miss that about him.

Ryan decided to take Chad's advice and talk to Gabriella. He wiped his face, making sure that there was no evidence that he'd been crying. He ran out of his room and down the stairs. He was soon looking for Gabriella, but had no success.

"Excuse, me but have you seen Gabriella?" Ryan asked one of his guests.

"Uh yeah, she just ran through here then minutes ago, she went up the stairs." The teen replied.

"Okay, thanks." Ryan said and started sprinting for the stairs. He went up two at a time and went through the second floor. When he found out that Gabriella wasn't on the second floor, he decided to go to the top floor. He suddenly heard faint whimpers in one of the bathrooms.

Ryan knocked on the door. "Gabby?"

"Go away!" Replied Gabriella.

"Gabs, it's Ry! Can you please open up? I really want to talk." There was a few minutes of silence but fortunately, Gabriella unlocked the door and went out. And looking at her face and her messed up makeup, it was obvious that she had been crying.

A few minutes after Gabby got out of the bathroom, Ryan and Gabriella were almost finished with their conversation.

"Gabby, you know I really care about you. But I heard that long-distance relationships don't turn out so well, so I think it's best that we stop right here." Ryan said. Gabriella was silent for a while.

"Okay." Gabriella finally said.

"Okay? So you're okay with it?"

"Yeah. But I just want you to know that throughout my college years, I will never forget my high school sweetheart, and that you can never be replaced by anyone. Mark my words, Ryan Evans. Mark my words." Gabriella smiled her first real genuine smile in a long time.

Her smile is so infectious. Ryan thought as he also smiled a genuine smile. Then they did something that they haven't done in a few days. They kissed. Passionately.

Jason, Kelsi, and Troy were ordered by Sharpay to look for Ryan. As they were going up the third flight of stairs, they saw a sight that they haven't seen in a few days. Ryan and Gabriella kissing.

The trio started grinning like crazy and Kelsi got her digital camera out. She took a picture of the couple kissing and a big flash disturbed the couple causing them to break apart. Ryan and Gabriella looked at the three that were grinning.

Jason just waved at them. "Um… pretend we were never here." Jason said.

"Yeah, we'll be going now." Troy said as she started to go down the stairs.

Kelsi tried to go down the stairs two by two. She would've had a broken neck for stumbling if Jason and Troy weren't there to catch her.

When the three finally got to the bottom floor, they went straight to Sharpay.

"Well, did you find him?" Sharpay asked.

"Yeah, and more." Kelsi said.

"What do you mean?" Sharpay asked. Then Kelsi showed Sharpay her digital camera and the last picture that she took.

"Maybe it'll be a happy ending after all."

A/N: So how'd you guys like that? I know, dramatic, but I can't help but put a little drama in. Let me know what you think in your review!

By the way, is it just me, or is Gabriella a bit OOC in this chapter? Because I'm not sure if she would actually shout at Taylor like that, but I just had to put it in. Anyway, tell me what you think.

QUICK POLL:

What do you guys want me to do in the next chapter?

a) Go straight to the part, six years after college.

or

b) Go to the part, three years into college and tell you Ryan's mistake.

Just a quick poll so I know what my readers want!