I'm at school again, which means...Don't expect too many updates!! But I've only got about three or four chapters left, so bare with me!!

Ms Silverstone was around at the house with Jeanette in the tow about an hour later. The two women hugged and then Troy came down the stairs. They hugged and Troy started crying. Gabriella and Mrs Montez dwindled by the door, not sure whether to get involved or not. When Troy pulled away, his face was red and tear-stained. Ms Silverstone gave him a final rub on the back and then turned to Gabriella.

"Thank you so much, sweetie," she said with a sad smile. Gabriella nodded awkwardly and backed out of the room. Jeanette looked at her crying brother and her tearing-up mother and quickly bolted after her. Mrs Montez walked into the room and hugged Troy and then Mrs Silverstone. " Troy, honey, go and talk to Gabriella and Jeanette," Ms Silverstone sniffed. "We need to sort out what to do about your father." Troy nodded and took a deep breath, walking out of the room to find Gabriella. It wasn't too difficult, since Troy heard Jeanette talking. They were in Gabriella's room, sitting on the ground with their legs out on her balcony. Troy paused by the door as he heard Jeanette talking.

"I love him and he says he loves us…but—but he keeps drinking!" Jeanette wailed. Troy looked in quietly and saw Jeanette was crying, and Gabriella's arms around her. "And—and then we left…but we left Troy behind!! And now Troy— Troy gets hit! I hate it!" Jeanette sobbed. Gabriella made soothing noises and rocked Jeanette back and forth. "I hate him! I hate him!" Jeanette hiccupped. Gabriella pulled away from Jeanette and forced Jeanette to look at her.

"You do not hate him," Gabriella said firmly. "You may hate what he does when he is drinking, but you do not hate him. He is your father, and it doesn't matter what you say or what he does, he will always be your father, and you will always love him deep down…" Gabriella trailed off. Troy stepped out from around the door frame and walked over, sitting down in front of them. Jeanette sniffed and crawled between Troy's legs, wrapping her arms around his waist. Troy hugged his little sister back, burying his head in her hair and tears running down his face as well. Gabriella sighed and shook her head, pushing her hair back from her face. "You guys want anything? A drink? Something to eat?" Jeanette turned around slowly and gave Gabriella a wan smile and sniffed again.

"A tissue?" She asked. Gabriella smiled and stood up.

"Sure."

After leaving Troy and Gabriella, the group had all gone to a pizza parlor downtown. It had been about an hour an half since they had gotten there, and they were on their tenth pizza and third round of drinks. Taylor had texted Kelsi and she had turned up, flushed and worried, looking slightly guilty and yet proud of herself for skipping school. She had slipped in beside Jason and helped him to finish of his coke, listening to everyone around her talk about Troy and Gabriella.

"I told you that it wasn't Gabriella who was distracting him," Taylor told Chad. Chad shrugged and went back to sipping his drink.

"So what? I didn't know the rumors were true…they were just rumors," Chad stated. Taylor shrugged as well and picked up another slice of piece. " Taylor, that's the last slice of pizza." Taylor shrugged and took a bite out of it. "And I like that pizza." Taylor took another bite, a much bigger bite, out of it. "Seriously, you wouldn't eat it all…" Chad said in a whiny voice. Sharpay rolled her eyes. Taylor was going to tease Chad, and then give it to him. Taylor might not know it yet and Chad didn't know it yet, but everyone else at the table knew it. " Taylor…" Chad whined. Taylor laughed and handed him the other half of the pizza.

"How unpredictable," Sharpay muttered sarcastically. The others at the table, minus Taylor and Chad, laughed. Even Ryan got the joke. Chad looked up from his pizza in surprise and Taylor just rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we were worrying about Troy, not your guys failing love-life." Chad's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest. "Don't even start, Danforth, I'm getting sick of your guys stupid games!" Sharpay snapped. "You say anything and I will seriously hurt you." Chad quickly snapped his mouth closed and Zeke and Jason burst out laughing.

"That was sweet!" Zeke gasped.

"You've been snapped twice today, Chad! By a Blonde!" Jason said, his shoulders shaking from laughing. Chad sent a glare in their direction and quickly wolfed down the rest of his pizza.

"Now, back to business," Taylor announced, glaring at Sharpay, who just shrugged and sipped on her drink. "I don't think we should do anything at the moment—"

"That's your big plan?" Chad sniggered.

"Because," Taylor continued, glaring at Chad. "Gabriella and Troy's mum seem to have in under control. We should just be there to support Troy." Chad's face went from amused to serious in downright seconds and he quickly nodded. "He will want support from his parents—mum—but it will mean a lot to him if we support him as well—especially you guys, coz you've been friends with him forever."

"Yeah, I've known him since pre-K," Chad mumbled. "And Coach. I can't…I can't believe he actually done that to Troy." Chad shook his head, a wounded look on his face. "Although, I guess I shoulda known… Troy never told me the reason his mum and sister left…"

"Okay, guys," Kelsi stood up. "I need to get home. The bus leaves in five minutes…" Kelsi got her bag and hugged Sharpay and Taylor. Jason stood up.

"I'll take you," he said. "You'll never make it to the train station in five minutes." Kelsi smiled. "See you, guys!" Jason called over his shoulder as they left the pizza parlor.

It was dark, and Mrs Montez and Ms Silverstone still hadn't come out of the lounge. Troy and Gabriella had ordered dinner and it had arrived. Jeanette had had a shower and borrowed some of Gabriella's clothes. Gabriella let Jeanette sleep in her bed, since it was getting on ten o'clock, and she and Troy went and sat in the kitchen.

"What do you think will happen?" Gabriella asked as she dried the last of the dishes and put them away. Troy swallowed hard and shrugged. "You worried?" Troy let out a short, dry laugh.

"That would be the understatement of the century," he muttered as he hopped up on a barstool. Gabriella paused on the other side of the bar and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," she told him. Troy clasped his hands together on top of the bar and looked down. " Troy…Your dad does care about you…" Troy snorted, and Gabriella sighed. "It may seem difficult to get, but he does. Like I was telling Jeanette, it's just the way he acts when he drinks—"

"Then why doesn't he stop?!" Troy yelled. Gabriella looked taken aback, and stayed quiet for a moment.

"It's an addiction," she murmured. "It's like with drugs. You can't just stop taking drugs, you have to slowly stop, with a lot of help. And he will stop!" She told him determinedly. Troy half-smiled.

"You know, I've never met a girl like you before," he murmured. Gabriella smiled back.

"And believe me, you never will, Wild-Cat," she replied.

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