Saturday morning Gabriella woke up early to get a head start on her morning jog. To say her session with the doctor had been progressive was yet to be determined. As a result she stayed up late last night after Taylor had gone to bed writing an e-mail to her old roommate Martha, craving some sense of familiarity in the strange land of silence that Taylor had given her. In some ways she missed her old life, her old routines and her old friends. In reality everything about that world had been tainted by the attack. Putting her inside a prison, incasing her into this helpless creature everyone felt sorry for.

Gabriella feet pushed harder, running was something she didn't know how she ever lived without before the incident. It wasn't the only thing that had changed. Gabriella found herself 2nd guessing everything about herself. Her taste in music had changed, placing her iPod in disarray as she removed every song that reminded her of the attack, of all the songs that made her sad, or angrier. Instead she was venturing out into indie rock, alterative and some sort of dub step world, anything that kept her mind busy. She'd stopped reading romance novels, she begun reading biographies instead finding it much easier to read about others triumphs. Everything about her seemed to be changing almost like she was growing up from her past self and becoming someone else.

Coming back to the front of the dorm she stopped dead in her tracks as the site of a familiar face from Stanford.

"Gabi!"

"Martha?"

The girl came running up to her embracing her in a hug as she jumped up and down with delight. After the shock wore off she let out a breath. "What are you doing here?"

"You do not get to send emotional jarring e-mails and expect me to not show up!" she said with shoving her slightly. "You're my friend," she said warm smile. "I'm here for you no matter where you are. "Especially, when your birthday is tomorrow?"

Gabriella smiled as she let out a breath and placed both hands on her hips. "I can't believe you remembered and that you're here." Gabriella said with an old sense of relief then her eyes looked behind her at the duffel bag. "And you're staying for …"

"The weekend," Martha responded with a smile.

Gabriella nodded "Taylor going to just love that." She mumbled under her breath.

"So what are we gonna do for the big 2-0." Martha said with a nudge, "Any cute football player around?"

Gabriella let out a soft laugh as she shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't know what there is to do around here on a weekend. I've been spending a lot of my time working out or studying."

Martha shook her head, "Gabi what would you do without me?"

"Not celebrate a birthday?" Gabriella said with a frown.

Martha let out sigh and she came more to her side so she can put her arm over Gabriella's shoulder. "You and me, were going to show these California girls how we roll."

Troy looked out into the deserted game room. Today he was working the morning shift, something that didn't happen often but when it did Troy knew it was going to be four hours of boredom.

"Yo," Chad came over to the window leaning in a little to make sure they were alone. "50 cent beers at the Hell Boyz tonight."

"Great," Troy said with a sigh, "Just what I need," Troy said with a yawn as he got more comfortable in his chair.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Chad said looking around the empty game room.

"You're looking at my back breaking labor now." Troy said with a shrug.

Chad smiled as he motioned to the ping pong table. "Wanna go a few rounds?"

Troy reached over for a ball and two paddles. "Thank god!" he said as he walked over to the door and let himself out propping the door open a little bit with a chair. They walked over to the table and took their places."So you and Taylor get back together or what?" Troy asked as he hit the ball first.

"More like the or what?" Chad said with a sigh as he hit the ball back. "What about you and Sharpay?"

Troy moved to the right to hit the ball. "She's trying," he said shaking his head a little. "I'm avoiding."

"Damn," Chad hit the ball by dodging left for it, "And what's this whole Gabriella thing?"

Troy missed the ball and let out a sigh as he turned around to chase after where the ball bounced off to. "There's nothing going on there," he said coming back to the table. "She's just another girl on my floor." Troy said serving the ball again. "She's new to the campus and I just wanted make sure she was making friends." Troy lied as he watched the ball bounce on the table. He didn't quite know how he felt about Gabriella, other than she was a stunning individual who he was intrigued by. If he had to put a finger on it, it had to be her mysterious allure. The way she kept to herself and yet always surprise him.

"Yeah, but I mean at one point before Sharpay's little tantrum there was something going on wasn't it?" Chad said hitting the ball back. "Ryan said you guys were looking mighty cozy the other night."

"Ryan is full of shit." Troy said hitting the ball back. "I don't even know her all that well." But it didn't stop him from openly hitting on her. Troy mentally kicked himself for hitting on her, how could have been so stupid and careless.

Chad shook his head as he missed the ball turning around he paused as Sharpay and Taylor came walking over.

"Mind if we join in?" Sharpay said with a grin bending down to get the ball.

Chad turned back to Troy who was waved a hand and rolled his eyes, "I'll go get two more paddles."

Sharpay smiled as she perked up. "I'm on Troy's team."

"Shocker," Chad said flaring his hand with obvious annoyance.

Taylor came to stand beside him her arms crossed not facing him. "Chad,"

"Taylor," he responded bouncing the ball on the table.

Troy came out of the back room and walked over to Taylor to hand her, her paddle and she took it without saying a word. Walking towards Sharpay he tried his best not to frown as she gave him her flirty eyes. He wasn't at all comfortable with Sharpay at the moment, ever since he was threaten, his feelings about a lot of things including Sharpay changed.

"So what were you boys talking about?" Sharpay asked as she watched Chad serve the ball the ball bounced off the table twice before making its way into Troy's reach. Sharpay admired his muscles flex as he hit swung the paddle. "Is there nothing you're not good at?"

Troy furrowed his brow as he kept his eye on the ball watching it bounce before Taylor took a swing at it. Apparently was piss poor at keeping his hormones in check. Recovering quickly he let out a sigh, "We're just talking about going out for drinks later at Hell Boyz. You guys are welcome to tag along."

Chad narrowed his eyes as he let Taylor go after the ball. "Sure why not?" He said with an obvious strain to his voice. "Not like it was a guy only thing?" He added giving Troy a grim smile.

Troy shook his head, two months ago before any of these issues had come between them they never hid anything from each other. As far as their group was concerned there was nothing to hide. Taylor and Chad were always the couple who fought but never broke up and Troy and Sharpay where the couple who dramatically fought over everything and took frequent breaks from each other to cool down. In a sense non of that had changed but the ability to speak freely, the freedom to talk to each other openly about anything no matter what. These were the things that seemed to have slipped away from them. "It's going to be Fifty cent beers, you know." Troy said as Sharpay hit the ball.

"I'm so there," Sharpay said with a smirk. "Maybe if you're luckily I'll let you buy me a drink?"

Troy felt his jaw flex as he bit down hard, in his attempt to keep his groan mute. Sharpay was on a mission and Troy wasn't about to let her accomplish it.