Every Year:

Troy Bolton glanced around the room. His girlfriend, Gabriella, wasn't in school and she never she missed school. Especially now that they were seniors at East High. Troy looked where Mrs. Darbus was before pulling out his phone. He lowered the sounded and sent a text message to Gabriella. Where r u? Troy waited for 5 minutes and when she didn't reply he sent her another. Gabi u there? Is something wrong? Still there was no reply.

Chad leaned over to Troy "Where's Gabi?"

"I don't know. She won't answer any of my texts and she isn't here. That's not like her."

"She's probably fine."
"Yeah I hope so." They group went about there day, Troy was getting more worried.

Sharpay noticed this and said "Why don't you just go to her house and check on her. All your missing is Chemistry, lord know you and Gabi got enough of that, and basketball practice and that we'll talk to your dad."

"Thanks guys." Troy turned and headed out of the school. When he arrived at her house he knocked on the door.

Gabi's mom, Amy, opened up. "Troy?"

"Is Gabi home? She wasn't at school and she wasn't answering my text messages."

"No she isn't home. She asked me to give you this if you show up." she handed him a piece of paper

Troy nodded and said "Thanks." Before heading back to her truck. Troy unfolds the paper. "An address?" Troy follows the directions. About 30 minutes later he was in the next town over. "A cemetery? This can't be right, why would I be there?" Troy got out of the truck at the front. "Gabi!"

Gabi smiled and hugged him "Hey."

"Are you alright? What are you doing here?"
"I'm fine and I want you to come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Gabi pulled him along the pathway. "Thank you for coming. I didn't think that you would."

"Gabi your weren't in school today. I was worried all day."

"You are the best boyfriend in the whole world."

Troy buries his head in her hair. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Gabi takes him in front of a grave. "Troy Bolton meet my father Greg Montez. Daddy meet my boyfriend Troy Bolton." Gabi sits and looks up at Troy "Sit with me."

"Okay." Troy sat down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It got better over the years. Now I smile more when I come here. I tell him everything that's going on in my life. I only come here once a year. On the day of his death."

"Want to talk abut it?" Gabi shrugged. "Tell me about him."

"People use to say that he and I were twins. I was the exact replica of my father. He was so warm hearted and he'd give the coat off his back to a stranger. He would do anything for me. All I had to do was puff out my bottom lip a little."

"Like you do with me?"

"Yeah and you cave every time just like him. He was my best friend, the person I could run to with anything. Then one day he was just gone my whole world was destroyed. At the time I was too young to know all about death and I didn't understand. I didn't understand how all the sudden I didn't have a daddy anymore." A few tears slipped down Gabi's face and Troy wiped them away "My mother was a mess afterwards. What you don't know is that I lived here before in this town."

"If you don't mind me asking…how did your father die?"

"He was shot in the head while he was getting robbed. When the police told my mother, I remember her breaking down. She didn't talk for 2 days. That was her rock, my rock, our world and in less then a second it was gone. Today is my mother's 3rd year sober. After dad died she turned pretty heavily on the bottle. Today, 3 years ago, she almost hit me for leaving to come see my father. She never touched the bottle after that."

Troy pulled her closer. "Gabi." Troy kissed her head "You are the bravest person I know."

"I'm just a girl."

"You're my girl." Then he noticed she was shivering "Here put this on."

Gabi took Troy's letterman jacket from him and put it on. "Thanks."

"Do you come out here by yourself all the time?"

Gabi nodded "People know where I'm going but you're the first person that I brought with me. The first person I shared that story with."

Troy leaned his forehead against her "Thank you for sharing this with me."

"Can you give me a few minutes? Then I'll be ready to go."

"Sure." The stood and Troy kiss her head then left.

Gabi turned back to the headstone. "Well daddy that was Troy. He's so wonderful and he make's me so happy. But I'm sure you already know that, I mean you always said you'll always be with me. I love you so much and miss you." Gabi closed her eyes and it was like she felt her father's hands brushing her cheek. "See you next year Daddy."

Gabi walked back up the path when she heard "Love you too muñeca de bebé."

Gabi whirled around. She thought she just heard her father say 'love you too baby doll' something he would always tell her as he tucked her in. Gabi smiled. "Bye."

She walked up the path and into Troy's arms. Troy said "You okay?"

"Fine. Let's go."

"Okay."

How did you like it? Was it good? Was it bad? Review please and tell me what you think.

---SexyPunk54---