LAST TIME-

"What…do you want…with me?" she managed to rasp out. The one with emerald eyes smiled and bent towards her. He brought his fist forward and Gabriella flinched before glanced at his class ring. The stone was blue, she couldn't make out the writing, but the graphic was defiantly a basketball. Her brows pushed together as the man's fist loosened; letting the small chain slid down from between his fingers. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of the small T. Her hand up to her neck. It was gone. Realization struck her and her chest tightened. Her head throbbed, her chest burned and her knee ached. It was all becoming too overwhelming and she was having trouble keeping a hold on her precious conscience.

"You…don't want…me," she whispered, black dots taking over more and more of her vision. "You want…Troy." His smile crushed her fighting spirit, her determination, and her will to stay conscious. She let her head roll to the side, eyes closing as darkness and pain consumed her.

Blue eyes opened to a loud, annoying voice. He sighed and rolled over, pressing his face deeper into his red pillow. Not time for school yet, he thought to himself. He could hear his father's footsteps coming up the stairs and he mentally counted to three before there was a loud knocking…no…banging at his door.

"Troy, get up, time for school," his fathers voice commanded.

Again, a heavy sigh was emitted from his body. Rolling over the edge of his bed, he made it to his feet in a sleepy haze. He smiled as his hand scratched at his, tan bare chest. His dream had been about her, they had all been about her. Happiness welled up inside of him as her face entered his mind, the butterflies finding there way to his stomach early this morning. He laughed to himself as he entered his closet, reaching for a dark blue t-shirt with 'let's get serious' printed on the front and some jeans. His shoes and belt were the last things to go on before he exited his room, taking the stairs two at a time and entering the kitchen.

"Someone's in a good mood." His mother's voice carried form in front of the stove, the smell of eggs and bacon entering Troy's nose.

"Mom, come on, its Friday, beginning of a new weekend, who wouldn't be happy." He practically sung at her as he reached for the glass of orange juice she had set out for him.

She eyed him before answering. "You still have a school day to making it through, Troy, don't overlook a quality education for the 'new weekend, new possibilities' fad," she accused, pointing at him with the spatula.

He choked on his orange juicy before smiling at her, "I can't believe you just said fad, and don't worry Mom, I take my education very seriously."

"You're the biggest liar I've ever seen, Troy Bolton," she said smiling at him. "Bacon and eggs?"

He eyed the eggs, "Just bacon." Before she could retaliate he continued, explaining. "I'm leaving and I can't drive while eating eggs, Mom, too messy."

He lunged for the bacon before she could argue and sprinted for the front door. He hopped into the driver's seat of his Honda Civic and backed out of the driveway. The school drive was surprisingly busy. He hit almost every red light and had almost gotten into a fender bender, twice.

"God dose not want me to go to school today," he said out loud as he pulled into his lucky number 14 parking place at East High. He got out of his car and glanced down the line. Chad and Taylor were standing outside of their cars, and he could even catch a glimpse of Sharpay's pink Mustang. His heart sank. No Gabriella. He made his way towards the school as his friends joined him.

"Where's Gabriella?" Chad's question broke through the silence as he looked around the group of friends.

"She seemed fine last night when I talked to her on the phone." Taylor put in. "Maybe she woke up with a fever or something."

Troy was caught up in his own thoughts as the walls of the school surrounded them and they entered the front doors, making a right to Ms. Darbus's classroom. Troy went to his seat in front of Chad, glancing back over his shoulder at Gabriella's empty desk. For some reason he felt uncomfortable, felt like something was wrong, that he was missing something. The butterflies were gone, a new feeling taking their place, dread. Ms. Darbus only made it worse, getting to Gabriella's name on the roll and calling it out several times before marking her absent. Troy shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the fact that she had made it final was bothering him.

Surely Gabriella would have called and told him she was sick, unless, that if it was so sudden or sever that she hadn't had the time or strength to. Again, his conclusion bothered him. There had to be some way to make it happy, but he couldn't think of it. At the end of the school day, he had devoured the ends of five of his pens, and broken ten of his pencils. Chad had asked if he was feeling ok at least five times and Ms. Darbus had insisted that he go to the school nurse at least twice.

"We know you're worried about her." Chad said, placing a hand on his friends shoulder when they stopped at their lockers. "But don't worry, she's fine, we'll go see her after practice."

His mentality didn't get better for practice, which was completely out of character. Troy tried shaking it off, taking a deep breath and practicing on his three pointers. To his friends and teammates surprise, he missed every single one, something that never happens.

"What's wrong Troy?" Jason asked at a water break. "Get your head in the game."

"I don't know what's wrong." He replied, not only to Jason but his whole team. "I've never felt this way before."

Jason smiled. "I think our captions in love."

"It's not that—what I mean—I am—but that's not what's bothering me," he semi-explained to his teammates. "Something feel's wrong."

"Wrong?" Zeke asked.

"Lets just play, I might get over it." Troy replied with a shrug. For the first time that day, he didn't focus on Gabriella, didn't worry about her, and didn't think about her. He gradually got better, and by the end of practice, the team was saying that they had gotten their captain back. He smiled and joked with his friends in the locker room after practice and walked out with Chad to the cars. As usual, the parking lot was empty and Taylor was waiting for them.

"Someone's in a better mood," she smiled at him. "I take it practice went well?"

"Yeah." Troy answered as his cell phone vibrated from within his gym bag, his eyes going wide in excitement.

"Gabriella?" Chad asked a hint of a smile on his face.

"God I hope so," he replied, the butterflies finding there way back into his stomach. He dropped his bag and clawed through it. The tiny black flip phone was at the bottom under his gym shorts. Troy smiled before opening it, the tiny spring in the phone opening it way to slow for his liking.

Accept picture text message?

He gripped the phone before pressing ok. Blue eyes widened; the moment would be burned into his mind for all of eternity. He had lost track of time before Chad's questioning voice brought him back to reality.

"Troy?" Chad had advanced forwards. "What's wrong?"

Troy tore his eyes away from the tiny screen to stare at his friends. His mind hadn't registered that he had collapsed to his knees, tears starting to stream down his face. Chad's eyes were full of concern as he lowered himself to his captions level, Taylor close behind. Troy reached out and gave Chad the phone as he sent his hands through his hair.

The picture showed a beaten Gabriella, unconscious on the ground—her kitchen floor to be more specific. Troy had recognized the tile immediately. There was a thin line of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth and her white t-shirt was stained with the red substance as well. She'd never made it to school, or even out of her front door.

The butterflies were disintegrated as he heard Taylor's choked sob and Chad's strong curses. Troy's chest tightened as he sent a hand over his heart. His breath caught in his throat as he leaned his back against the door of his car, pulling his knees to his chest. He had known. He had known something was wrong and he had chosen to ignore it! His hands ran over his face, trying to stop the tears. He had left her. He hadn't called when he felt something was wrong, he had shrugged it off. He brought his head back hard against the cold metal of his car door, why had he not called her!

His fear, desperation, helplessness and blame were all eradicated from his being as a new, stronger feeling emerged. Fury. He had decided then and there, in that moment, that these people were not going to get away with this. Chad's hand on his shoulder made him look up; the black cell phone was shoved into his hands.

Accept Video and Text Message?

You want her, Bolton, come and get her! But be smart, Troy, NO COPS! We'll give you a sample of what more might happen if you don't follow the rules.

Troy's anger rose as he felt Chad and Taylor's eyes over his shoulder. He pressed ok and the video played. Troy almost smiled at the sight of her. So defiant in the line of danger, those beautiful chocolate eyes full of determination. He gripped the cell phone as he saw the blood running down the side of her face and matted in her shoulder length black hair. He clamped his teeth together when one of the men behind the phone kicked out at her. Her scream of pain, however, crushed everything he had built up. The anger and fury was washed away as her agony filled scream played over and over in his head. He had not protected her…he had failed.

The tiny black cell phone was catapulted into the air, landing with a shatter against the asphalt on the other end of the parking lot. Troy got to his feet, his hand shoved into the handle of his car door. He wrenched it open and stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you going to do?" Taylor asked, tears sliding down her face.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" he said through clenched teeth.

"Troy, don't go and play hero." Chad's level voice sounded so distant to him. He turned slowly and found Chad's stern eyes. Did Chad really think he wasn't going to do anything? Troy apparently had pissed off the wrong people at some point in his life and he'd be damned if he was going to let Gabriella pay for his mistake.

"She needs me." Those were the only words that he let slip from his mouth. His jaw was clenched so tight that he did think he could have talked properly anyway.

"Troy!—wait!—just think for a second." Chad's please were cut off.

"What if it was Taylor?" Troy asked, slamming his car door shut and finding his friends eyes for the last time. "I'm going to go get her." he bit out before pealing out of the parking lot, leaving his two friends in his dust. Thunder rolled over the two's head, the wind blowing and howling like a hunting wolf.

A storm was coming.