Hey guys!!

I am so sorry that it took me so long to update! I had a family emergency, and I couldn't write! I hope y'all understand!!!

Okay, there is IM in this chapter, so here is everyone's IM names (Some of them aren't in the story yet)

Gabi: MathWhiz

Sharpay: DramaQueen123

Ryan: HatDude

?????: BasketballMan

Chad: Basketballroxs

Taylor: SuperMom

FYI: I made a couple of jokes about Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel, and I want EVERYONE to know that they are not offensive in anyway. They are just jokes about how Ashley played Sharpay, and Lucas played Ryan.

Disclaimer: Don't own HSM, blah, blah, blah

Chapter 8:

((Troy's POV))

The rest of the day, Gabi kept looking at the clock, as if she wanted the day to end. As the day got farther along, she seemed to bury her feelings deeper and deeper until I didn't even believe that any thing was wrong.

At three o' clock, the bell rang. Everyone walked out, and Alex and I stayed.

"Hey Alex, why don't you go play with Vanessa while I talk to Miss Montez?" he asked.

"Daddy, do you liiiiiiike her?" Alex asked.

I felt my face heating up, "No Alex, I just have a couple of questions to ask her," I said.

Alex seemed to except that answer and he and Vanessa ran out of the room, no doubt to the playground.

Gabriella walked over to her desk, and she looked like she was blushing. I knew why though. I was staring at her. I knew I was, but I couldn't help it. She was gorgeous. Her hair always looked perfect, she didn't have a single blemish on her face, her clothes were always form fitting, but not too much, and her smile; her smile is what really got me that New Year's Night.

I finally walked over to her, "I'm sorry," I said.

She looked up so sharply, it scared me. "What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Alex drew that picture. I never expected him to remember," I said nervously. Honestly, that was the last thing I was sorry for. I was sorry for pushing her over the edge, I was sorry for harassing her after she left me, I was sorry for everything, but I couldn't say that, so I hoped she understood.

"The NBA superstar is…nervous?" she asked. I couldn't help but smile on the inside. She remembered that moment back in sophomore year.

"No, I'm not nervous, I'm just…concerned," I said. So it didn't work as well as afraid did, English was never my best subject.

She laughed, "Just like old times," she said.

I held her chin gently, "There's that smile," I said. The moment I touched her chin, I felt something I never felt with Amanda. I felt like there wasn't a single stress in my life. I felt like I could walk on air, do anything, as long as she was right next to me.

That moment soon ended, and she started to get up.

"Um…I better go," she said.

I took my hand away, and I soon felt the way I had felt for the last nine years. Like something was missing from my life. Only now, I knew what it was.

"Yeah, me too. I guess I'll see you soon," I said. Yeah right. I would never talk to her again, except on Parent's Night.

When she started gathering her things, I knew I'd better go, so I sighed and walked out the door. But I didn't leave.

When I walked out the door, I heard sobs coming from Gabi's room. I heard her footsteps and I ran into a deserted classroom. When she walked out, I saw tears streaming down her face. I wanted to hold her so bad, but I knew I couldn't, because it was me she was crying about. So, I got Alex, said good-bye to Vanessa, and walked out to my car, feeling horrible, because I made Gabriella cry, and only thinking about what Alex had asked me: Do you liiiiiiike her? However, I wasn't the only one that saw Gabriella.

((Taylor's POV))

I have a habit. My habit is staying two hours after school to do my lesson plans. Not a bad habit, I know, but Gabriella doesn't do that. She goes home at 3:15 and does her lesson plans at home. Is that bad? No, but it is lonely when you are the only one here.

Now, you are probably wondering why I am telling you this. You probably want to go back to Gabriella's Point of View and see what is going on in her head. But, I have a good reason for interrupting.

Now, usually, it is very quiet after everyone leaves, but not today. Around 3:30, I heard the clicks of high heeled shoes, and sobs. I got up and ran to my door, and saw Gabriella's walking out toward her car. But that wasn't the only thing that caught my eye. I saw a face I hadn't seen in a while. The one and only, Troy Bolton.

"Troy?" I whispered.

Troy looked up and saw me, "Taylor!" he said. He ran over and gave me a hug.

"Hey, what are you doing to my wife?" Chad asked playfully from behind Troy.

Troy spun around, "Chad!" he exclaimed. He and Chad did their secret handshake, and I giggled.

"So, how does it feel to be with the old crew?" Chad asked.

"Great! It's nice to see you two again!" he exclaimed.

"And Gabriella?" Chad asked.

I shot Chad a death glare. I loved Chad to death, but he never thinks!

"She looked very…nice," Troy said. "It was good to see her again."

"Uh huh…did you feel anything?" Chad asked, grinning.

"CHAD!" I exclaimed.

"What?!" he asked.

I slapped my hand to my head.

"I gotta go, press thing tonight," he said scooting pass Chad.

"Okay, bye dude," Chad said, oblivious to anything he said.

"Nice seeing you again, Troy," I said.

He waved and walked down the hallway.

I knew it! They liked each other! Gabriella likes Troy, Troy likes Gabriella, it's perfect! Now I just need to figure out how to get them together…

"CHAD!" I exclaimed.

"What?!" he asked.

"How could you say that to him?" I asked.

"Say what?" he asked, still not knowing anything to him.

"Ask him if he felt anything!" I exclaimed.

"I was trying to get them together!" he exclaimed.

"That's not the best way, they are just gonna deny it! Do you ever think?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think! You wanna know what I think?" he asked.

"What?" I asked.

"I know that because of them, I can do this," he said. He spun me around so I was facing him and kissed me.

He broke away, "That's why I asked, because they got us together by breaking the cliques, and now we need to return the favor," he said.

I nodded, blushing furiously. He grinned.

"So, how do we do it boss?" he asked.

I started pacing, "I don't know! All my ideas are so obvious!" I exclaimed.

Chad sighed, "You are probably underestimating yourself," he said sitting down on my desk.

"I don't know," I said.

"Come on, let's go get Vanessa and James from after school care and go home," he said.

I nodded, "I guess," I said. I grabbed my stuff and followed Chad out the door.

I still needed to think of a way to get Troy and Gabi back together. And, as dumb as he could be sometimes, Chad was right, we owed this to Troy and Gabi, and I was going to do my best to think of a plan.

((Gabi's POV))

I walked to my car and got in, but I didn't go anywhere, because tears were still streaming down my face. I leaned my head against the steering wheel and waited for the tears to stop.

Finally, after about five minutes, I could see, and I started up my car. I drove the quick ride home and went inside. I sat down at the computer and logged on to Yahoo! Messenger. I saw that Sharpay and Ryan were on. I smiled, we had actually gotten pretty close during college, and we kept in touch pretty often.

MathWhiz, you have been invited to a chat with DramaQueen2018, and HatDude!

I giggled as I saw Ryan's screen name. I clicked accept, and started typing.

DramaQueen2018: GABI!!!!!!

MathWhiz: Hey Shar! How was work?

DramaQueen2018: Ugh, terrible! I had to work with these two people, Ashley and Lucas, and they were SO much like us, it was terrible!!!

HatDude: It was kinda freaky…

MathWhiz: Shar, are you sure you aren't exaggerating?

DramaQueen2018: No! They looked like us, sounded like us, they could be our twins!

HatDude: But we are twins…

DramaQueen2018: Duh!

MathWhiz: I miss you 2! When are you coming down??

DramaQueen2018: me 2! It all depends if get this role as a detective in this movie "Albuquerque Detectives".

HatDude: Wonder where they are filming it…

DramaQueen2018: You are kidding right?

HatDude: Yeah, of course!

HatDude: Okay, not really…

DramaQueen2018: Shut up Ryan!

HatDude: Okay!

MathWhiz: LOLOLOL

DramaQueen2018: (sigh) its good to be Queen…

MathWhiz: LOLOL

DramaQueen2018: Aww man! We G2G, the other 'twins' are here

HatDude: I don't know why you don't like them, Lucas is pretty cool…

DramaQueen2018: (sigh) Let's go….

DramaQueen2018 has left the chat

HatDude has left the chat

I sighed, she was just about to sign off when she got a message. Some one from Albuquerque wants to talk to you!

I sighed again; she hated it when her IM did this. If you aren't talking to someone for five seconds, they pair up with someone random. But, I was bored, so clicked accept.

BasketballMan: Hey

MathWhiz: Hi

BasketballMan: a/s/l?

MathWhiz: 25/f/NM you?

BasketballMan: 25/m/NM

MathWhiz: cool

BasketballMan: I know I don't know you at all…but u okay?

MathWhiz: I guess, my old flame came back to where I live and I wanna see him again…

BasketballMan: Oooh, that's rough…I know how you feel.

MathWhiz: what happened?

BasketballMan: basically the same as you, only I came back…

MathWhiz: I guess we are two of a kind!

BasketballMan: I guess we are.

I sighed. It was so weird, I didn't even know this guy, and yet, I could just open up to him. I knew there was a risk he was a 45 year-old man, but I knew in my heart he wasn't. It was almost as if I knew him! What are the chances of that though??

More than I thought. Way more.

dun dun dun! LOL Like it? Hate it? Late it? (Like/Hate) Lemme know!!

TTYL!