Two days later, Gabriella was laying on her bed. She missed Troy, and they had spent the day at school together, smiles shared in the hallways, notes passed in the classrooms. But they hadn't moved on from anything, they hadn't decided anything, there had been no agreement. There were the fuzzy feelings that filled her stomach whenever she saw him, and she saw the way his eyes lit up when she was near. But there was nothing offcial-nothing even unoffical!

It was Friday, and her mother still wasn't home. Gabriella wasn't sure when she was due back, but it hurt than whenever Gabhriella tuned into her email account, there was nothing from her, no message saying she was missed or when she was going to be back. Sitting around the house moping wasn't going to get her anywhere, Gabriella decided, adn so she got up, grabbed the keys from the table beside her bed and made her way down the stairs. She hopped in her car, turning the key and backing out of the drive, not even bothering with her seatbelt. She was at Troy's house in minutes, and a smile was already on her face. She parked her car outside, and got out, shutting the door and pulling her hoodie closer around her against the night time breeze. She walked up the drive, smiling even wider. She ran up the concrete steps to the front door and raised her hand to knock, when she heard a banging noise inside. She frowned and lowered her hand. She took a step closer to the door, pressing her ear against the wooden panel. There was the muted sound of someone yelling. Frowning even deeper, Gabriella stepped away from the door, walking backwards down the steps and then around the side of the house. There was a window, at shoulder height, which looked into the lounge. She could see David yelling at Troy, who had a vicious scowl on his face, his arms crossed. Gabriella wasn't quite sure what she was meant to do. On one hand, she didn't feel right going in there and interuppting what ever family feud was happening, afterall, David had been left in charge of Troy, and if Troy had done something wrong, David had the right to give him a telling off, or a yelling, in this case. On the other hand, though, David looked really angry, his body was tensed, his fists were clenched together, and from the half of his face that Gabriella could see, he looked red enough to explode. Gabriella bit her lip wondering whether or not once again if she should go and knock on the door, to interupt the argument and make sure that Troy was okay.

Then Troy looked up.

His peircing blue eyes met with hers and for a moment, they seemed to share a thought.

He said he was okay.

He lowered his eyes.

He asked her to leave.
She nodded, and as much as she didn't want to, she turned and left. She got back in her car, closed the door was quietly as she could, even though she doubted they could hear it over David's yelling, and turned her car on, returning back home moments later. She went back upstairs after locking up her car and sat down on her bed. She stared out the window, at the tree outside, the leaves moving gently in the breeze. The sun was lowering in the distance, and the room was beginning to darken, shadows falling in her bedroom. She continued to stare outside, not making a move to turn on the lights and spread light throughout the room once again. The shadows turned to darkness, the room practically pitch black, save the slight light coming through the window from a street light.

Gabriella continued to sit.

To think.

She missed her mum.

She missed Troy.

Her phone rang and she looked at the ID. It was Sharpay.

"Gabriella Um Can you pick me up? Sharpay s words were slurred, and it was obvious she was drunk. Gabriella checked the time. It was only just going on half past nine. She frowned.
"Shar, how are you drunk already? It's not even ten o'clock!" Gabriella asked. "And why do you need a pick up, why haven't you arranged your own ride?"

"Oh don't get mad at me, Gabi," Sharpay whimpered. There was rustling in the background, and she could hear music pulsating somewhere close by. "I just...I don't know anyone here."

"Then why are you there?" Gabriella asked, trying not to sound angry.
"Gabi, can you come pick me up...?" Sharpay's voice sounded as though she was falling asleep, and Gabriella felt the worry begin to set in. She hated the way Sharpay drunk, the stupid phone calls that she continuously got, and the way she had to run around after her blonde, alcoholic bestfriend. But no matter how much she hated it, she still felt worry knock in everytime Sharpay rang, and it sounded as though she was drunk enough to fall into the arms of a random stranger and then never return.
"Okay, Sharpay?" She asked, making sure her friend was still awake.

"Mm, Gabi?" A slurred, quiet voice replied.

"Where are you? Where do you want me to come and pick you up from?" She asked.

"Um...I'm not sure," there was a giggle, and then a hiccup. Gabriella bit back exsaperation.

"Do you have your car with you?" Gabriella asked. There was GPS in the car, and Gabriella had long ago figured out what frequency the GPS was on, using Ryan's great computer knowledge, which was another helpful tool used to track down their haywire friend and sister.

"No, I walked from my house, it's only just around the corner," Sharpay replied, another hiccup following.

"Then walk home, Sharpay," Gabriella said.

"No, can't," Sharpay answered. "I'm drunk, mummy and daddy would be verrrrrrry mad." Gabriella rolled her eyes, thinking about what to do. The Evan parents did know that their daughter drunk, although they probably didn't know quite how often she did it, how bad the habit was, and what it often led to.

"Okay, Sharpay? Sweetie? I want you to walk to the end of the driveway," Gabriella instructed. "I will drive around your block and find where you are."

"Thanks Gabi," Sharpay breathed, sounding once again as though she was going to pass out. "You're the best." Gabriella nodded, and then shut her phone, grabbing her keys once again.

"Yeah," she muttered to herself. "I know."

x