Chapter 33

'Oh, to be back in this world,' thought Troy with a cringe as he was reintroduced to some other friends of the Evans family by Sharpay, who hadn't let go of his arm in the last forty-five minutes they were there. "Hello," he murmured to another peer of Mr. Evans.

Luckily, the next group of couples they traveled to were people that Troy had gotten to know better than other members from over the summer and he felt his unease lessening as he started to really enjoy himself at the gala, even dressed in the suit Sharpay specified.

Troy was so busy and so involved with the U of A alumni and their significant others that he was absolutely oblivious to the arrival of the gang through the main doors of the room to his right. Unfortunately, Sharpay was and smirked quickly at them before she turned her attention back to the conversation the group was having, making sure she stood that much closer to Troy.

"Wow," murmured Audrina, which voiced the amazement the entire gang felt as they walked into the room decorated elegantly in red and white colors.

Ryan smiled down at his girlfriend and patted the hand that was on his arm. When he looked back up, his gaze connected with Sharpay's just in time to see the smirk on her face before she turned back around. Ryan quickly looked over at Gabriella and could tell with the smile on her face that she hadn't noticed yet. Chad had though and threw Ryan a look. The two had talked on the phone earlier on in the day about the possibilities. Chad had wanted to hold off on telling her because he thought Troy wouldn't do it but Ryan wanted to because he knew the unfortunate pull Sharpay still had on Troy.

The two managed to steer the group in the other direction and towards a round table in the corner for them to place their things all together before they moved to mingle. Ryan and Chad made sure to put up a good formal front and greeted everyone they met with interest but were both keeping tabs on Gabriella and the movement of Sharpay behind them.

"So Zeke, is this your girlfriend? You make such a lovely couple," commented the wife of a booster member.

"No, actually she's just a good friend. She's actually the girlfriend of Troy Bolton, one of our teammates at East High," replied Zeke.

"Really, I thought he was dating Sharpay Evans," she returned. "Isn't that them over there?"

The entire gang turned their heads and saw that Troy was in fact talking to other people with Sharpay firmly attached to his side. Gabriella just shook her head as she felt tears well up in her eyes at the sight. "How could he?" she wondered aloud.

"Maybe it isn't what it seems," said Zeke, not knowing what else to say. "Come on, Gabriella. Let's go get some drinks."

Gabriella felt him steer her over to the bartender and absently heard him order her a cherry something. She couldn't take her eyes off the two people in the world she never wanted to see that close together again. Her heart started breaking as she heard his distinctive laughter reach her ears intermingled with Sharpay's.

Zeke turned around and shoved a drink into Gabriella's hand before he put a hand to the small of her back and escorted her back to the table they chose earlier. "Hey, are you okay?" asked Zeke as he sat down next to her. "Well obviously not after that, but is there something I can do?"

Gabriella shook her head and tried to smile at him as she continued to blink back the tears. "No, but you should go and mingle, Zeke. I'm just so sorry that I couldn't support you like I was supposed to. I doubt they would want to talk to someone with a close to tears girl on his arm."

"I'm not going to leave you like this alone at the table," said Zeke. "I appreciate your bigger person act but come on, you obviously need a friend right now."

"I just don't understand Zeke, and I hope my eyes were playing tricks on me back there," replied Gabriella. "Because if not, we've all been wrong about him, me most of all."

"Hey Zeke, why don't you let us take over from here? The guys want to introduce you to some of the players that are here," said Kelsi as she took a seat next to Gabriella while Taylor stood next to him.

Zeke, knowing they could do a far better job at comforting their friend than him, nodded and got up to join Jason and Chad, who were waiting for him with some of the players.

Taylor wrapped an arm around Gabriella's waist as Kelsi rested her cheek on Gabriella's shoulder. "It's going to be okay," comforted Taylor. "We're here for you, we promise."

Gabriella let out a sigh as she wiped away some tears that finally escaped. "I know you are, but I just feel so foolish right now. How could I have been so wrong about him?"

"Maybe he is here as a result of her threatening him or blackmailing him or something," suggested Kelsi. "I don't think you were wrong to believe in him, Gabriella."

"I agree with Kelsi. Maybe you should hear him out first, hear what he has to say," said Taylor. "As much as I want to believe he's the jerk that I think he is right now, in fairness to you and this relationship with him that you have worked so hard for, give him a chance to talk, hear what he says. If there's still no good excuse, then boot him, I'll help!"

"Me too!" chimed in Kelsi with a little laugh.

Gabriella smiled despite her confusion. "God, what would I do without you guys?"

"Cry in the corner by yourself?" teased Taylor. "At least I would in this situation if it was Chad and I didn't have any friends. Eww, could you imagine Sharpay and Chad? I think that's a scary thought for any of us."

"Yeah, you know she would make him comb his hair out and slick it back. That would be quite the scene," joked Kelsi.

To their relief, Gabriella laughed along with them, which is the way the four boys and Audrina found them a little while later. "Well, I certainly am glad to see that someone has cheered up," said Chad with a grin at a smiling Gabriella.

"Girlfriends do wonders for the soul," replied Gabriella as she sobered up a little.

"Hey, what about us guys?" asked Chad, pouting like he had been hurt.

"Guy friends, especially close ones, are great too, but girlfriends know how to really lift the spirits of a down heartened girl, trust me," explained Taylor. "Especially ones that are like sisters."

"Well I'd like to test that theory. The music is starting and I see a few people on the dance floor. Gabriella, will you do me the honor of the first dance?" asked Ryan.

Gabriella first turned to Audrina, who nodded her head with a smile. "Go Gabriella!"

With that, Ryan took Gabriella's hand and escorted her onto the dance floor. It was actually a swing song, much to both of their delights. "Ready for some fun?" questioned Ryan as he immediately twirled Gabriella away from him before bringing her back.

Everyone at the table smiled at the pair as they danced, relieved to see a genuine smile and laugh from Gabriella as Ryan swung her around and kept her in pace with the fast moving song. "I never knew either of them could dance like that," murmured Jason.

"I did," said Kelsi, with a smile on her own face.

They were doing so well in fact that a number of the people at the gala turned their attention to the pair, who were doing more than above average moves. Ryan did one last toss in the air and then lift before the song ended, putting a laughing Gabriella back onto her feet. "See, I think that single dance cheered you up more than anything those two back there dished out," said Ryan as he caught his breath.

Both realized they were the center of attention though as applause erupted around them. Ryan did a low bow while Gabriella followed his lead and curtsied while she blushed at the attention. "As much fun as that was, I think I'd like to go back to the table, too many people staring," stated Gabriella in a quiet tone.

"Completely understood," said Ryan as he escorted her off the dance floor and back to a table full of friends who were cheering their heads off for them.

Someone who wasn't as joyful to see the pair together was Troy, who had just caught the tail end of their swing dance together and watched them move off to a table in the corner where Troy spotted most of the rest of the gang. 'They're all here?' he wondered as he strained to see who else was at the table.

"Wow Sharpay, I never knew your brother could dance like that. And his date is stunning, what's her name?" asked the wife of one of the Mr. Evans' college buddies.

"Gabriella Montez," gritted out Sharpay. "I'm surprised she's here actually."

"Well I am glad she is. We haven't seen great dancers like them in quite some time at these galas," commented another woman.

'They're not a couple and she's my girlfriend,' he inwardly seethed as Troy checked himself to make sure that he didn't say anything he really wanted to at the moment. 'Why is she here? I bet Chad had something to do with this.'

Troy heard Sharpay make some excuse before she steered Troy over to the Evans' table that was shared with some of their closest friends. Sharpay had to forcefully push Troy down into his seat in order to get him seated in time for the speeches as they began.

As Troy sat next to Sharpay and a booster member he had gotten to know well, Troy found he couldn't look away from the gang's table on the opposite side for long. He caught Ryan or Chad looking every once in a while in his direction but everyone else, especially Gabriella, made sure to keep their eyes away from him.

Once the speeches were over, Troy noticed that Chad excused himself away from the table and left the room. Not realizing what compelled him to do so, Troy excused himself and followed Chad out into the hallway. "Chad, what are you doing here?"

Chad stopped in his pursuit of the restroom and turned around to look at Troy as he continued to walk closer to Chad. "The same thing you are, enjoying myself with good company while I network more. That's what we're doing at least, me, Ryan, Zeke, and Jason. I can't say the same for you."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming tonight?" asked Troy.

"Why didn't you tell Gabriella you were going with your ex?" challenged Chad.

"I knew it would hurt her," returned Troy. "And I've hurt her enough."

Chad scoffed at the idea of this. "Really? You really think that by not telling her, you spared her hurt feelings? Troy, maybe my faith in you was totally misguided but I thought you were better than this, stronger than falling victim to Sharpay and her ways."

"You brought Gabriella here specifically to ruin our relationship, admit it Chad!" accused Troy.

"Actually, he didn't," said Ryan as he approached the two. "Look Troy, neither Chad nor I brought Gabriella here to witness what she did tonight. The rest of the gang didn't know about you going to this gala with Sharpay and suggested after you told Gabriella you weren't free that Zeke take her so she wouldn't sit at home alone."

Troy looked at Ryan and just shook his head. "Don't you start in on me too."

"We're not here to gang up on you," responded Ryan. "At least I'm not. I followed you out here to try to talk some sense into you. You have a special thing with Gabriella, and as much as I hate seeing her hurt, especially at the expense of my own blood twin and her desires for you, I'm standing here in front of you to try to make you see reason. Sharpay wielded something with you to get you here tonight, I think I know what it is, and I myself wanted to tell her about what you were doing but Chad wouldn't let me. See Chad here, he believes in you like a brother and best friend should. He thought you were going to do the right thing and back out and not show up with Sharpay, which would spare us having to break Gabriella's heart. But I'm sad to say that I was right, you did show, and she did get hurt. So the answer to your accusation is no, Chad didn't come here to break you two up. In fact, he was trying to defend you. Me, I'm just here because I knew my best friend, a young woman you claim to love, needed all the support she could get tonight. What you do from here on out is your own making, Troy. I'm not going to clean this up for you, but I will leave you with this: last time, you left Gabriella, yes you did leave her even though she broke up with you. You lost the most incredible person in your life and spent literally months to get her back. I even stepped aside so that you two could be happy together. You do it again tonight or any time in the future, some other guy is going to see her for what she is and not even think twice about not giving her back to you."

Troy just stared at Ryan, along with a surprised Chad, as Ryan gave Troy one last look before he returned back to the room where the gala was. "Whoa," uttered Chad before he turned his attention back to a shell shocked Troy. "Little too much?"

"He really loved her," murmured Troy in awe. "You can see it in his face, especially just now when he talked about her. Ryan loved her with all his heart and, if what he said is true, gave her up for me. No other guy I know would do that."

"I don't think I know of one," agreed Chad. "Look, as angry as I am that you did what you did tonight, I'm talking to you as a best bud here. You need to seriously think about what you are doing Troy before you lose it all, just as Ryan said. Think of what you achieved after literally months of working at it. You and Gabriella, well you are the couple that we all aspire to be, and yet you've had less time as a couple than any of us. You know I'm not sappy, although I admit I have been as of late, I blame that on the girls hanging around so much by the way, but I have to say, Gabriella is the one for you, Troy. Don't let her slip away, not this time. But if you do decide it's the time to part, do it fast, okay? I can't deal with having Gabriella moping around as you string her along. There will be a lot less pain for everyone if you do it that way."

Troy nodded as he silently digested everything that was just told and lectured to him in the past ten minutes from his best friend and the other man that's held, and probably still holds, a piece to Gabriella's heart. "I don't want it to be over, Chad," said Troy. "Everything I've even said to her and about her lately, I don't know who that's been that's been talking. I know she's scared of where the college choices will lead us and I know she's scared that I won't love her anymore because she isn't ready to be intimate and I've been a jerk to her again by not showing how much I truly understand that. God, I've been a total ass."

'At least he finally admitted it,' thought Chad as he watched the turmoil wash over Troy's face. "Acknowledgement of the problem's existence is always the first step to a resolution, or so Taylor preaches to me when I'm being stubborn."

Troy chuckled and looked at Chad with a smile. "Seriously, Taylor is the perfect match for you."

"I know, crazy huh?" replied Chad. "You good?"

"I will be, I just have to talk to Gabriella and hope we can recover," said Troy. "By the way, why were you so off the handle on Wednesday when you overheard about this gala thing with Sharpay?"

Chad gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you serious? You really need to ask?"

"Well I know it's because you are protective of Gabriella, I get it, but you just went into full attack mode," commented Troy.

Chad sighed and looked back at Troy, directly into his eyes. "I flew off the handle because I had just overheard my best friend agreeing to do something I knew was going to set back all of his efforts with not only his friends but his girlfriend, the love of his life, in quest of a scholarship. Does that sound a bit déjà vuish to you? Reminded me exactly like summer. What made you say those things about Gab though? I was honestly floored when you did."

It was Troy's turn to let out a little sigh before he explained. "I don't know, that's what I'm trying to figure out. I mean, I guess I'm a teenage boy with hormones who is having an overload right now or something. When I'm rational and I am with her, everything is fine, I understand her reasoning, but somehow lately, I've become just so sexually frustrated as a result."

"Okay, a little too much information there Troy, but I think I know what you are saying," replied Chad. "Let me put this together for you to give you some perspective though when you feel like you are going to vent about that frustration. There is only one Gabriella Montez, and there is only one first time. Do you really want to lose the first to gain the second, especially if it means losing the first for good?"

"Is that something you think about in your head when faced with the frustrations with Taylor?" asked a suspicious Troy.

Chad nodded his head without embarrassment. "And it works, trust me it does. It's not worth having ten minutes, an hour, or a whole day, of that type of satisfaction if it means you'll be miserable for days, months, years later. We're a rare breed Troy, the type that will wait for their partner to be ready, but we have two very good reasons to wait it out. I know most girls wouldn't believe that it's true, but we do exist and we have to assure them it's fine. Now of course, I will deny all this if you even breathe a word of this to any of the other guys."

Troy laughed before he said, "Your secret is safe with me Chad, just as I know mine are with you. Come on, I want to go find Gabriella."

When Troy and Chad walked into the room, a slow song started playing and Troy saw Zeke trying to coax Gabriella out to the dance floor. He walked over, hoping for the best, and tapped Zeke's shoulder. "Hey man, I'm sorry about being a jerk here but can I have this dance with your date?"

Zeke gave him a look but turned his attention to Gabriella for her to make the call. She nodded her head so Zeke handed Gabriella's hand over to Troy, who took it to lead her onto the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around her and knew he did damage again when she loosely placed her arms around his shoulders. Of course, the avoidance of her gaze was another sign that should have tipped him off as to her displeasure with him.

"I'm sorry, Gabriella," murmured Troy in a soft voice.

Gabriella snapped her head up to meet his gaze and shook her head. "You don't get to say you're sorry for this Troy Bolton, especially after we had just talked about how I felt about seeing Sharpay draped all over you. You said you understood," replied Gabriella. "Did you really?"

Troy saw the tears glimmer in his eyes and could have kicked himself for the number of times he had made her cry in the last year. "Look, I'm stupid when it comes to these things. I will be the first to admit it. I don't see what I should see when it comes to Sharpay, just like you said. When she asked me to escort her to the gala and I found out I couldn't bring you, I told her no. Sharpay knew the right cards to play though and brought up how essential it was for me to be here with her tonight, that she could finish her father's plans of making me well known to the booster club here to help with the scholarship to U of A. I admit I was weak and I said yes, but I told her it was only going to be as friends."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Why leave me to find you here with her all over you again?" questioned Gabriella. "If I didn't know how important this event is to your future as well as the guys' futures, I would have reacted quite differently to be honest, but I controlled myself so I wouldn't ruin it for you or them."

"I know you probably did and that's one thing I love about you, your consideration for others that you put before yourself. As for not telling you, naïve little me thought by not telling you, I would spare you the pain, but that was before I knew the guys were coming, and you along with them," admitted Troy.

"So if you hadn't gotten caught tonight, you would have never have told me?" pushed Gabriella. "You would have omitted this whole evening from your life?"

"If it had meant hurting you more then yes, is that so bad? Me not wanting to hurt you?" replied Troy.

"No, it's nice to hear that you didn't want to hurt me, but you should have not hurt me by saying no to Sharpay or at least telling me the truth of what you committed yourself to," said Gabriella. "It would have still hurt, quite a bit, but then you would have been honest with me and we could have worked it out instead of having this huge emotional thing which could have easily been avoided. If we're going to keep at this relationship Troy, you need to start to level with me more. I'm tougher than you think I am."

Troy leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. "I know you are one tough cookie, I know that, but me, I just want to protect you from the world. So, and I know very well how much I don't deserve to ask this, will you let your lowly boyfriend apologize now and try to make it right?"

Gabriella stared into his blue eyes as she recognized the truth of his words in those windows to his soul. 'Well Gabriella, you have a choice. You can walk away from him now and never look back or you can stay and fight for him, fight for what you share. What's that old saying? Choose your battles wisely? How very fitting that is right now...'

After a few more moments of silence, Troy finally heard her decision. "He can try," whispered Gabriella before his lips met hers for the briefest of moments before he pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Gabriella, with every pore in my soul I am sorry. I promise, no more lies, no more omitting information, and no more egotistical, out for the scholarship Troy. He's gone, promise," said Troy.

Gabriella smiled a little at him. "I forgive you on the condition that you stick to this promise, Troy. I want to work this out between us as much as you do, but that doesn't mean I am willing to be a doormat for you to walk over and use whenever you want."

"I know and I plan to cherish you and our relationship even more than before," replied Troy.

"Then I say, let's continue to give this our all," returned Gabriella with a full smile for him. Troy grinned back and kissed her one last time before the series of slow songs they had been dancing to turned into faster music. This, of course, brought all of their friends, all relieved that Troy and Gabriella had just survived another Sharpay attack, back onto the dance floor as they danced together and enjoyed the night.

Sharpay may have had a pleasant smile on her face as she continued to sit at the table with her parents and their friends but inwardly, Sharpay was seething. 'You may have won this battle Gabriella, but I will win this war. You are never going to know what hit you next time,' thought Sharpay as she narrowed her eyes at the sight of Gabriella and Troy dancing closer together. 'And that's a promise I intend to keep.'