Hey everyone! Thanks again for all of the great reviews... you all had mixed emotions about it... and I'm pretty sure most of you have secret crushes on Charlie. :) We'll see what Troy is up to in this chapter. Enjoy!

I'll Email You

Chapter seventeen

He Better be Sorry

Gabriella was in a much better mode today then she was a few days earlier. Although she only got one email from Troy since then, it was much better than none and she was happy about it. She tied her tennis shoes as she sat at the end of the stairs, making sure they were tight before she went on a jog. Opening the front door, and yelling to tell Charlie that she was leaving, Gabriella made her way towards the sidewalk, stretching quickly before she started running.

When she got closer to Troy's house she sighed, wondering if he was okay and that their friendship wasn't suffering because of the time spent away from each other. Her heart pounded when she saw him playing basketball on his driveway and she slowed slightly to watch him. Turning as the basketball slipped from his hands and down the driveway, Troy spotted Gabriella and he waved at her, causing her to stop, standing across the street. He jogged towards the basketball, picking it up and tucking it under his arm as he walked towards her.

"Hey." He smiled as he made his way over to her.

"Hi." She said awkwardly, waving slightly.

"How are you? It feels like I haven't seen you in a while." He asked.

"I'm good." She nodded, shrugging. "Everyone is coming over today if you want to come over you can. I emailed you about it, but… you know."

"Oh, yeah, I'd love to come over. I haven't been on the computer in a while. Sorry about that." He said with a small smile.

"It's okay." She nodded. "Umm… I'd love to stay and talk, but I have a jog to finish." She said honestly.

"Okay, have fun." He smiled. "I'll see you tonight."

Gabriella nodded, walking first as he made his way up his driveway and then she started running, picking up her pace as she became slightly aggravated. Gabriella ran faster than she wanted to, deciding half way into her jog that she needed to get home so that she would have time to pick out the perfect outfit.

By the time Gabriella was done with her jog, her shower, and putting her makeup on, there was about two more hours until everyone would be coming. The doorbell rang and then the door opened, letting the chatting of Sharpay and Taylor be heard as they made their way up the stairs towards Gabriella's room.

"Hey!" Sharpay and Taylor said together as they came into Gabriella's room.

"Are you excited?" Sharpay asked with a smile, clearly excited.

"About what?" Taylor asked her with an eye roll. "We do this all of the time."

"Well, I don't know… I just feel like today is going to be great!" She explained.

"Okay Sharpay." Gabriella laughed softly.

"You look nice." Taylor told Gabriella as she walked out of her bathroom, humming softly.

"Thanks." Gabriella smiled. "I need help figuring out what to wear though."

"Thankfully we're here!" Sharpay said, walking towards Gabriella's closet to examine her clothing options.

"Perfect!" Taylor and Sharpay agreed together as Gabriella stood before them in her final outfit.

She had on a black dress that was casual, but made a statement. She smiled, twirling to show off her outfit. The two hours before anyone was supposed to show up had collapsed and as the girls admired Gabriella's outfit, the doorbell rang, indicating that someone was obviously there. They smiled, rushing towards the stairs, smiling when they saw Charlie letting Chad in.

"Looking good, girls." He smiled when he saw them, winking at Taylor.

"Not too bad yourself." Sharpay pointed out, smiling as the girls reached the end of the stairs.

"Thanks Sharpay." He said sarcastically, noticing the way Sharpay looked at him as if his outfit could have been better.

"Don't worry about her." Taylor said with a smile as the group made their way into the family room, linking her arm with his. "I think you look great."

"Thank you." He smiled, leaning towards her ear. "And I think you look beautiful." He whispered, kissing her ear with a small chuckle.

She smiled, rolling her eyes as Sharpay sent her a "SO CUTE" look as she sat down on the couch. Bringing in the groups usual drinks (water and iced tea), Gabriella smiled as she sat down on the couch with her friends, tucking her legs underneath her as she realized the other late members of the group. Sharpay looked at her sparkling pink watch, raising her eyebrows as she saw that Zeke was late and she sent Gabriella an annoyed look. Hearing the doorbell ring, Charlie got up to answer it, coming back a few seconds later with Zeke walking with him. Sharpay held up her wrist that had her watch tightly secured to it and showed it to Zeke as he sat down next to her, kissing her softly, smiling at his annoyed girlfriend.

"You're late." She pointed out. "I hate when people are late."

"Chill, Shar, I'm here now." Zeke said with a small smile.

"Where's Troy?" Sharpay asked him, taking the opportunity to ask as Gabriella went into the kitchen.

"He's going to be way late." Zeke explained to her, watching her frown. "He was having a serious conversation with Will about something."

"What was it about?" Sharpay asked curiously.

"Not sure." Zeke told her with a shrug.

"Well, shouldn't you know? I mean, you live with them." Sharpay asked.

"That doesn't mean that they tell me everything." Zeke replied, shrugging.

"When is he leaving?" Sharpay asked with a sigh, whining slightly.

"What? Do you not like my good friend Will?" Zeke asked as if he was hurt by her comment, but he laughed softly, indicating that he knew what she meant by the question.

"He's a nice guy, Zeke, but I feel like he's causing more problems then he's solving." She answered, leaning her head against the back of the couch.

"What do you mean?" Zeke asked her.

Sharpay nodded towards Gabriella as she came back into the room, smiling softly as she sat back down on the couch.

"She's secretly pissed. I can tell." Sharpay told him, sighing.

"Maybe pissed isn't the word to use." Zeke said as he watched Gabriella laugh with Taylor about something. "Maybe she's just lonely."

"Either one sucks." Sharpay answered. "Where is he?" She asked in annoyance, looking at her watch.

"It's as if you're more excited to see him than you are me." Zeke joked, nudging her softly, making her laugh quietly.

"Never." She smiled.

A half hour later, Troy and Will appeared in the family room, not bothering to ring the door bell, and they were talking about something as they came in, stopping when they realized that the group was watching them.

"Hey, guys. Sorry that we're late." Troy said with a smile.

"Yeah, it was my fault." Will told them, sitting on the arm rest of the couch, nearest to Sharpay as Troy walked over towards Gabriella, sitting next to her.

Charlie, Taylor, and Chad went on with their conversation that they were having before Troy and Will got there, leaving Will to start up a conversation with Sharpay and Zeke while Troy and Gabriella talked.

"You smell good." Gabriella pointed out to Troy as he put his arm across the back of the couch.

"Thanks, so do you." He smiled, inhaling her scent, making her laugh lightly.

"So what have you been up to, Wildcat?" She asked him with a smile. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I know, it's been crazy." Troy agreed, nodding. "I've been hanging out with Will. He's leaving soon." He added.

"I hope he had fun here." Gabriella said honestly, looking up at Troy who was smiling at her. "And that you're not missing California too much now." She nodded.

"I'm pretty sure he is having fun. He's been dying though being away from the ocean." Troy explained with a laugh. "You can take the boy out of the ocean, but you can't take the ocean…"

"Out of the boy." Gabriella nodded, remembering Troy saying something similar before.

"It's what my mom always says." Troy laughed.

Gabriella smiled as Troy's familiar laugh was heard and she leaned her head against his arm, giggling as he pulled her closer to him. Charlie looked over at Gabriella, winking at her as she caught his gaze and she rolled her eyes as she listened to Troy's heartbeat against her ear.

"So man," Chad started, directing his question to Will. "How much longer do you have here?" He asked, making Sharpay smirk softly.

"Three days. Maybe less." He said as he glanced at Troy.

Gabriella furrowed her brow when Troy's heartbeat quickened slightly and she sat up slowly as Troy nodded at Will who was giving him a secretive look. Sharpay glanced at Zeke who scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and Taylor sighed, sensing something was wrong.

"I actually have to tell you something." Troy said to the group, glancing at Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded slowly, feeling her heart pound inside of her as the group looked from Troy to Gabriella. The room was still, the air seemed to thicken as Gabriella inhaled and Charlie rolled his eyes.

"I'm going with him." Troy said slowly after a few seconds of silence.

The group stayed quiet, confused.

"Like on a vacation?" Taylor asked him as her eyes became darker.

Troy shook his head, hearing Sharpay gasp.

"I'm moving back. I'm staying at my grandparent's house and I'm leaving when Will does." Troy explained to them.

"What?!" Sharpay shrieked, looking over at Zeke in anger. "You're just leaving? Like that?!" She asked.

"I've thought a lot about it, Sharpay. I just…" He was cut off by Sharpay as she stood up, holding her hand up to stop him.

"Thought a lot about it, my ass!" She said as she glared at him, looking over at Gabriella who wasn't reacting at all. "Why aren't you doing anything, Gabs?" She asked.

"I… um… don't know." Gabriella said as she looked over at Troy, seeing the sorrow in his eyes. "I can't say that I'm surprised." She explained.

"What?" Sharpay asked in sadness. "I… can't…" She looked over at Zeke who was sitting as if it was his fault and before any of them could guess it, she started to cry.

"Shar!" Taylor said in a worried tone, standing up as Sharpay turned and quickly left the room, running up the stairs to Gabriella's room.

Gabriella watched as Taylor followed after Sharpay and she stood up slowly, giving a secretive look to Will and then walked towards the stairs.

"Gabriella." Troy called after her.

She turned facing him as he stayed on the couch and looked at the boys left in the family room. She shook her head and sighed.

"My friends need me, Troy. I wouldn't expect you to understand." She said, leaving him with that thought as she raced quickly up to her room to find Sharpay sitting limply on her bed with Taylor trying to calm her down.

"What the heck, Shar! What's wrong?" She asked as she sat down on the bed.

"I love him." Sharpay said as she hiccupped, wiping at her tears.

"Troy? Wow, Shar, way to tell me." Gabriella said with a smirk.

"Shut up, Gabs." Sharpay whined as she shoved Gabriella lightly. "I was talking about Zeke."

"And you're crying because?" Gabriella asked her.

"He's going to leave." She answered, taking a deep breath that shook as she exhaled.

"No, Shar, he's not." Gabriella told him, moving a piece of Sharpay's hair out of her eyes.

"How do you know?" Sharpay asked as she took the tissue that Taylor offered her.

"Because he loves you too." Gabriella told her with a smile.

Taylor smiled softly and nodded as Sharpay looked at Gabriella and then at her in shock.

"But Troy loves you." Sharpay told Gabriella, making Taylor nod once again in agreement.

Gabriella's eyebrows creased in confusion, but she shook her head, sighing softly as she looked at her friends.

"No he doesn't." She said. "But this isn't about me, Shar. This is about you being upset right now."

"How can you say that?" Taylor asked Gabriella softly. "Your best friend is leaving you, Gabs. Sharpay is just being dramatic like always and we all know that she and Zeke will get married and have a whole bunch of mini Sharpay's and Zeke's running around."

The girls laughed at the thought, and Sharpay nodded as she agreed with Taylor.

"You're my best friends." Gabriella smiled. "It's going to be fine."

"No it's not." Taylor told her friend, voicing her opinion.

"You're going to sit and cry when he leaves and then you're going to blame yourself when he leaves, Gabs." Taylor told her.

"Do you see me crying, Tay?" Gabriella asked with a small smile. "Sharpay will do the crying for all of us." She joked as she gave Sharpay a quick side hug.

"Are you going to talk to Troy?" Sharpay asked her as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Not right now. I have to let this sink in." Gabriella answered.

"So are we going to just sit up here and avoid the guys downstairs?" Taylor asked with a small laugh.

"I don't know." Gabriella sighed, smiling as Taylor's phone rang.

Taylor smiled when she saw that Chad was calling her and she answered the phone, laughing quietly.

"Hey, Chad."

"Hey, Tay. Are you all okay?" He asked.

"I don't know. Are you on speaker phone or something, letting the guys listen to this conversation?" She asked before she gave him any information.

"No, I'm going to the bathroom…okay, I'm technically not going, but I'm standing here, talking to you." He told her in somewhat of a whisper.

"We're okay, Chad." She answered him, laughing at this thoughtfulness.

"Are you coming back down?" He asked her.

"I think we're going to stay up here for a while." Taylor answered. "Is Troy still there?" She asked, watching Gabriella shift in her spot.

"Yeah, he's here." Chad answered. "He got in an argument with Zeke before I left to call you, so I don't think he'll be here much longer." He answered.

"What was the argument?" Taylor asked.

"I think the question is: who was the argument about." Chad told her with a sigh.

"Mmhh got it." She nodded.

"I'll let you girls bond, or whatever." Chad said with a chuckle.

"Thanks. Bye." She said with a smile, hanging up the phone as she looked at her two best friends in front of her. "They're still down there."

"Okay." Gabriella nodded slowly, smiling thankfully at her.

"So, I think it's safe to say that you're in love with Chad." Sharpay said with a smile, causing Taylor to whack her with a nearby pillow.

"Love gets people in trouble." Taylor said gesturing towards the two. "And breaks peoples' hearts."

Sharpay laughed as she fixed her hair that was out of place because of Taylor's need to hit her with a pillow. Gabriella nodded, agreeing with her somewhat. Later, after about a half hour, Taylor and Sharpay decided it was time to leave, going together to face the guys still in the family room. The guys were sitting quietly; staring at basically nothing as they waited, for what, the girls weren't sure. Chad smiled at Taylor and stood up when he saw them.

"We're leaving." Taylor said to him, knowing that he'd probably want to go with her to escape from the awkwardness.

Sharpay smiled at Zeke, watching as he breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he walked over to her.

"Yeah. Um… I'll explain in a minute. Do you want to go?" She asked him quietly.

"Sure." He nodded, glancing back at Troy, Will, and Charlie as he made his way out if the house with Sharpay.

"Let's go." Taylor said to Chad in a whisper.

He nodded, turning towards the guys.

"I'll talk to you guys later. I hope everything turns out okay." He said to Troy as he backed up slowly with Taylor.

"Thanks man." Troy said with a sigh.

Now that Troy, Will, and Charlie were suddenly alone in the Montez's family room it became awkward. Charlie sighed, sitting forward from his leaning position on the couch.

"I'm going in my room. You can stay if you want, but this event has definitely tired me out." Charlie said as he stood.

"Will you make sure Gabriella is okay?" Troy asked him as he started to leave.

"She's not, man." Charlie said without turning around. "And I'm not sure she'd going to be." He said, disappearing out of the family room.

"I think that's our invitation to leave." Will said to Troy with a sorry look on his face.

"I think you're right." Troy said with a nod, standing up and walking with Will out of the family room and towards the front door.

Gabriella walked out of her room after she heard Charlie's bedroom door close, assuming that everyone went home. She ran a hand through her hair, sighing as she walked towards the stairs to help herself to some ice cream in the kitchen and to watch reruns of Gilmore Girls for the rest of the day.

She took a few steps down the stairs and stopped suddenly when she saw Troy at the front door with Will. She held her breath, hoping and praying that her wouldn't look to the stairs, that he wouldn't see her, but of course he had to look at the stairs, wanting to see if he could get a glimpse of her upstairs at all, and to his surprise, there she was, standing frozen on the forth step of the stairs.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he knew better. She wouldn't talk to him in a moment like this and that is why he opened the front door and stepped out of the house, walking away, not waiting for Will. Will looked at Gabriella on the stairs and she was looking at him as if she was seeing him for the first time and he sighed as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Gabriella." He said.

She blinked as she heard him, nodding her head slightly as she turned away from him and went back up the stairs. He better be sorry, she thought as she went into her room. He better be sorry.

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Much love,

unknownbyhim22