AN You've all been so great in your reviews so I wanted to get this Chapter out as Soon as possible. SOhere itIS :)

ChapterSEVEN.

Friends

Gabriella got home as quick as possible from school after a long lecture from Coach Bolton about how Violence is not tolerated in school and how wrong she was. As she got in she heard the phone ring, quickly closing the door behind her she picked it up.

"Hello"

"GABS! Omg, what happend? Coach literally pushed us out the Gym. Are you okay?"

"Yeah Tay I'm fine" Gabriella said with a sigh. "Just had to sit for nearly an hour listening to what an angel Tracey is and how violence is not tolerated in school blah blah blah.." She said as Taylor laughed.

"Well what are you up to now?" Gabriella asked.

"I'll be round in about half an hour" Taylor said as Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks"

"Oh is he back yet?" Gabriella's smiled turned into a frown thinking about Troy.

"Dunno, don't really care to be honest"

"Good Good" Taylor replied. "Well i'll see you soon..Bye"

"Bye" Gabriella said shutting off her phone, and falling back on the sofa with a sigh. Looking to her right she picked up a photo of Jack and Maria, feeling the anger and tears all coming back to her. Looking at the photo just made her feel even worse about her dad, after what Troy said and seeing her Mom all smiles with another man.

She threw the photo down on the ground smashing the glass to peices before ending up in tears at the end of the couch as she lifted her hand to her head and seeing blood on her hands she noticed a cut from the broken glass, as the blood gushed out she was knocked out of her thoughts by the one and only.

"Gabriella?" Gabriella turned to see a sweaty Troy in his basketball uniform walking concerningly over to her seeing her glossy eyes with blood on her head and hand.

"Are you okay? What happend?" He asked walking closer to Gabriella as she stood up and walked the other way around the couch.

"What do you care? Huh? You just want me to leave. JUST LIKE MY DADDY DID! Those I BELIEVE WERE YOUR EXACT WORDS!!" She screamed as she felt all the anger and hurt run through her. Troy ran over to her and held her, which shocked himself and Gabriella but either way she held tightly onto him as he kept a hold of her Sshing her as she cried.

As Gabriella felt a wet patch appear on Troy's shoulder where her face lay she suddenly snapped realising why she was crying in the first place. Pulling away from Troy abruptly she ran past him ignoring his calls running to her room and slamming the door behind her. As she left Troy turned to the ground picking up the glass shattered and then looking to the picture falling out of the broken frame. He sighed looking on at it, knowing that it was all his fault, he hurt Gabriella but why was he feeling so guilty?

A week ago he dispised of Gabriella, anything to hurt her he wouldn't think twice to laugh about, but everything had changed. He actually flirted with her over the weekend, and now. Now it was back to reality.

"But what if I don't want to go back? Troy thought aloud, then shook his head he just had to say sorry and get on with things, just like they were. Right?

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It was now about 5.00pm and Taylor and Gabriella had been in Gabriella's room for about half and hour, as Troy was outside with Chad playing basketball.

"OMG Look how hot he is?" Taylor asked lifting up the magazine in hand to Gabriella as Gabriella chuckled.

"Corbin Bleu?" She asked as Taylor nodded before looking back at it. "Can I keep it?" She asked as Gabriella just nodded laughing along.

"Now THIS is hot!" SGabriella said smiling as she opened up the poster to Taylor. "Zac Efron?" Taylor asked.

"YESSS Have you not seen the film Hairspray? When he winked..." Gabriella ended softly as she drifted into a day dream.

"...Troy, yeah that's it!" Taylor said as Gabriella's head shot up at his name.

"What?" She asked.

"I said, he reminds me of someone, Troy" As Gabriella looked back at the poster, shaking her head. "No way" She said as Taylor protested.

"YES way" Gabriella just shook the thought of her head, Troy Bolton? NO, NO way. They were brought out of their covnersation by Jack calling them both down for dinner. As they went down Taylor saw Chad from the stairs and started to push back onto Gabriella.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She whispered back to Gabriella pointing to the kitchen as Gabriella's eyes went wide and smiled looking back to ehr best friend's reaction.

"So I was right? You do like him" She said smirking as she walked past Taylor to the kitchen, not before long Taylor joined her smiling through gritted teeth trailing behind Gabriella. As Gabriella sat down with Taylor next to her, Jack on the end looking ahead she found her eyes connecting with Troy's. Gabriella pulled herslef away from his gaze to Taylor laughing as she sat there shyly with Chad the exact same in front of her. She giggled slightly as Taylor kicked her underneath the table, Gabriella stopped but Troy couldn't help but look on at her caught by her laugh. Chad looked on at his best friend and smiled, shaking his head knowing Troy too well, looking ahead of him he found himself smiling along with Taylor at Troy's actions as they caught eyes they both shared small smiles before getting on with their meal.

"So guys hows school been?" An eager Maria asked as she sat down quickly enterring the room from work.

The room filled up with "Good" "Usual" "Boring"... Gabriella stayed silent playing around with her food, as thinking about school was getting her mind too in mind with her dad, and Troy.

"Gabriella?" Maria asked, Gabriella ignored her mother as Troy looked down knowing why she wasn't answering as Maria looked to Jack for answers.

"Gabriella got into a little srcubble today didn't you Gabriella?" He said sighing placing his fork down as Gabriella shrugged.

"No big deal" She said quietly taking a small bite of her meal.

"Scrubble? With who?"

"A girl in their year.. Stacey, Tracey? I think her name is what was it?" Jack asked questioning the kids, before anyone could reply Gabriella mumbled quietly.

"Troy would know" Or so she thought. "What was that Gabi?" Jack asked Gabriella, Gabriella's eyes widened at this and so did Taylor's and Maria's both knowing why no-one was to call her Gabi.

"Don't call me that." She said sternly as Jack looked on confused. "Huh?"

"Don't call me that ever again." She stated more tone in her voice, as Jack looked to Maria she signalled not now an he understood.

"Kay, Sorry.. Gabriella. But what happend today?" He asked as Gabriella relaxed at the change of name before tensing up again at the mention of today. Before she could reply Troy did for her.

"It was my fault" He said quickly as everyone's head shot up including Gabriella's. What was he doing? She thought as she listened on.

"Troy?" His father asked looking on at his son.

"It was my fault, you see I said something to Gabriella, and Tracey carried it on. But it was me, I started it and I'm sorry, I'm sorry Gabriella." He said looking directly at her but all Gabriella could do was stare back, with an emotionless look on her face.

"Is this true..Gabriella?" Jack asked looking at Gabriella. As Gabriella just looked straight to Troy still, with an emotionless face.

"Gabs?" Taylor asked turning to her friend, now with everyone looking on concerningly at Gabriella she suddenly pushed out from the table and stood up running out of the room, out of the house. As Maria stood up to go, Troy stood up too, and stopped her with his hand.

"I'll go" He said softly as he turned round and went out the door after Gabriella as the table all shared confused faces, Chad and Taylor caught eyes they shared a smile, both knowing that Troy and Gabriella, no matter what 'fights' they had, did like each other, and the same could be said for their best friends.

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Troy walked out of the house to the front Garden to see no sight of Gabriella, hearing the sound of basketballs he walked round to the back to see a teary eyes Gabriella bouncing the ball and shooting it, with nothing but net.

"Gabriella" Troy said taking a step foward into the court as Gabriella ignored him going round him to shoot once more, with again, nothing but net. As she came back around to shoot again Troy stood in front of her taking a stand.

"Gabriella!" He said once more, with much more tone in his voice.

"What do you want Troy? I mean why are you pretending to care all of a sudden?" Gabriella asked putting the ball under her arm looking into his eyes.

"Who said I'm pretending?"

"Oh so telling me to basically die like my dad did is really good care isn't it?" Gabriella asked with a tear falling down her cheek as Troy shook his head.

"I told you Gabriella, I'm sorry about that."

"Sorry? Is that all you can say? After Saturday I thought..." Gabriella stopped mid-sentence.

"You thought what?" Troy challenged, slightly smirking hoping for the answer that he was thinking about since.

"That maybe we could..." Gabriella stopped realising what she was about to say, and then changing it knowing that if she said, what she was going to say things would get too awkward. "..That we could..be friends?" Gabriella said more questioning.

"I never said I didn't" Troy said smirking lightly as Gabriella just glared at him.

"Oh yeah, cause you've been such a good friend right?" She asked shaking her head feeling more tears falling turning away from him and running to the other net shooting once more, with again another effortless score, she wiped her face from the tears before picking up the ball and dribbling slowly.

"When did you start playing?" Troy asked walking over to her knowing that she was right, but he didn't want his friendship with Gabriella to be ruined by his stupidity.

"When I was younger" Gabriella said whilst stil staring down to the ball bouncing on the ground.

"When did you stop?" He asked as he walked round her but Gabriella just walked back his way still eyes on the dribbling ball.

"I didn't stop. I just haven't played in a while, Mom took down the basketball net when..." Gabriella stopped remembering things she'd rather forget. Without another word she walked over to the side of the court and sat on the grass the ball in her legs. Troy followed sitting closely to her confused as to what she was saying.

As Gabriella looked up at Troy he motioned for her to carry on.

"I used to play with my dad." She said sighing, as Troy silently cursed himself for being so stupid.

"Im sor-" Troy started to say but was shocked at Gabriella's interruption.

"Don't be. The only reason I haven't played in a while it just brings back memorys of Dad, but I do play, just Mom doesn't know. Every time we'd get into an argument, after Dad died I'd go off in the garden and just start playing Basketball. After a while Mom got annoyed cause I was spending so much time out there she got rid of it, so I just ended up running off to a park once and a while. It was the only way I could remember Dad in a good way, in memory of all the fun I used to have with him. Of just being with him really." Gabriella finished with tears still in her eyes, as Troy looked on at her sympathetically he just made her speak about him, but she was happy?

"I wanna be happy when I play basketball, not remembering anything bad." She said with a smile looking into Troy's eyes as Troy found himself smiling too as they both looked lovingly into each others eyes. They found themselves like this for what seemed like a lifetime until Gabriella pulled her face down blushing as she realised what she was doing.

Troy chuckled before standing up and offering her his hand which she took smiling brightly, with no tears in sight. They started to play some basketball Chad and Taylor joined them on the court and the four played along for at least an hour until Taylor and Gabriella took some time out and sat on the grass watching Chad and Troy playing, laughing along with them as they joked around on the court, they really looked like a pair of couples.

Jack and Maria looked on from the window from the kitchen washing up Maria sighed turning to Jack.

"They seem to be getting along again" She said as Jack smiled down at her placing an arm around her as they both looked on out the window.

"Yeah they do don't they" He said as he placed a small kiss on Maria's lips.

"When do you think we should tell them?" Maria asked as she pulled away, as Jack sighed.

"I don't know, I want them to know, I want everyone to know..." He said as Maria nodded in agreement.

"I just don't want them to go back to hating each other, at least not yet" Maria continued as Jack chuckled.

"Yeah, let's just give them some time" He said as Maria nodded and they held tight in an embrace before breaking off and cleaning up the kitchen, both thinking in their minds how Gabriella and Troy would take the news. Maria was talking about them becoming brother and sister, but Jack knew his son, not wanting to upset Maria he didn't say anything but he knew that Troy has never apologised to a girl. Ever, he knew that Troy wasn't in mind to become a brother to Gabriella and Jack knew he needed to speak to his son, before their rather big announcement.

This Chapter doesn't really do much I know...

It's just really a filler to further the Story.

What do you think? What's going to happen? What do you want to happen?

REVIEWplease Ox