A/N: So, umm...I got a new phone and a hsm mp3 for xmas lol. Don't own HSM or 'your anything' - Taylor Swift

Chapter 14 – Congratulations!

Gabriella paced back and fore on the stage in East High's grand auditorium as she waited to hear from Troy. "Shut up, Sharpay. I'm not going to stop pacing."

"You're making a hole in the floor though." Ryan muttered, looking up from his lying position. "Tez, calm down. You're more nervous than he is."

Gabriella folded her arms and spun around to walk in the other direction. "I will not calm down. Being captain means everything to him. He'll be crushed if he doesn't make it."

"He will." Kelsi said encouragingly. "He's good at basketball, he's committed and it's known throughout the school at how good he is at being a leader."

Gabriella sighed and paused, turning to face her friends. "I can't help it. It's like nothing can happen unless it makes Troy happy."

Taylor eyed her suspiciously before closing the book she was looking at. "What else?"

"What else, else?" Gabriella asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"We're talking about what else is troubling you." Martha said softly.

Gabriella slowly lowered herself into a cross-legged position on the floor and sighed. "I'm thinking of declining Stanford and applying for U of A." She whispered almost in embarrassment.

"What!?" Taylor shrieked, causing everyone to jump. "You can't decline Stanford. That's never happened before."

"That's if they accept me. I've only just sent off my application. The only reason I sent it this early is because I know how competitive it is. Anyway, the point is: I think I want to stay Albuquerque. It's got a pretty good medicine programme and if I stay in Albuquerque; I can stay at home, I'll be closer to Devon. Chad's going to U of A so I won't be alone… I'm still thinking about it." Gabriella said quietly.

"Stanford is amazing, Gabriella. You can't just say no." Ryan exclaimed, sitting up.

Gabriella hugged her knees and avoided everyone's eyes. "I know I've got a year to figure it out. But, right now I don't think I can leave Albuquerque behind."

"Just Albuquerque?" Sharpay raised a single eyebrow.

Gabriella shrugged. "Well, of course I'll miss you guys."

Kelsi coughed slightly and pushed her glasses up nervously. "I don't think that's what Shar meant."

Gabriella avoided their eyes, knowing what they were talking about. "Guys I just don't think I can leave anything behind. My parents, Devon and just Albuquerque in general. I'd miss it too much."

"And where does Troy come into this?" Ryan asked quietly.

"That's not fair. I don't like him." Gabriella muttered.

Taylor kicked Sharpay in the shin and glared, shaking her head. "But, you'd miss him more than everything else, right?" She asked knowingly.

Gabriella shrugged. "I'll think about it. I mean, I know Stanford has always been my dream but I just can't do it. Not after this weekend. Not after seeing Don in the hospital. Maybe I'll feel better about it next year but not right now."

A silence overcame the six friends and Gabriella spun around so she was facing the opposite direction. She wiped her eyes and breathed deeply. She would give up her dream to stay with Troy. What was that about? Well, she knew her feelings weren't exactly a secret throughout the gang. Whether Troy knew, she didn't know. She hadn't voiced her feelings but everyone knew.

Gabriella Montez was in love with Troy Bolton.

"He said that I'm the best person he's ever met." She whispered.

"Yeah?" Sharpay asked, using her acting skills so she didn't sound excited.

Gabriella nodded and fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "Yeah. He did. He said I was the one person he wasn't afraid to cry in front of." She got to her feet and glanced at her cell phone one more time. "Why hasn't he called yet?" She cried, spinning so she was facing her friends again.

Martha shrugged. "Coach probably wanted to talk to him."

I could be your favourite blue jeans
With the holes in the knees
In the bottom of the top drawer
I could be your little beauty queen
Just a little outta reach
Or the girl living next door
I'll be your angel giving up her wings
If that's what you need
I'd give everything to be your anything

Gabriella blushed slightly and frowned. "Shar, don't give me that look."

"I bet I don't have that ringtone." She muttered.

"Should I answer?" Gabriella asked quietly.

"YES!" Her friends shrieked simultaneously.

Gabriella slid her phone up and cautiously held it to her ear. "Hi, Wildcat. How'd it go?"

"I need to see you right away. If you're my best friend, you know where I am." There was a beep, signalling he had hung up.

"He hung up." She muttered, sliding her phone back down and clutching it tightly in her hand as she had no pockets.

"Well, what did he say?" Taylor asked impatiently.

"He said to go to the rooftop garden." She said quietly before turning around and rushing out of the auditorium. In her eyes, she didn't get there quick enough, but she soon got there. As she climbed the stairs, she looked up and saw Troy leaning over the railing. "Hey." She greeted as she reached the top stair and rushed around to where Troy was standing. "So?" She let her eyes wander up his body – something that was happening way too often for someone who didn't 'like' their best friend – only to notice he was still in his red basketball uniform, a large, white fourteen in the middle of his torso.

He straightened up and stretched his arms behind his head. "I didn't know where else to go."

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked quietly as she cautiously stepped closer to the young jock.

He shrugged. "I made captain!" He exclaimed as a grin immediately appeared on his face in pure elation.

Gabriella screamed in delight and leapt forward into his arms. Giggles escaped her lips as he spun her around before setting her back on the floor, his hands still resting on her hips, a lighter touch than before. She looked to his face and her brain immediately registered what had changed. His eyes had changed colour to almost a dull grey, the corners of his mouth drooped down to the ground and he was avoiding her eyes as if they were the plague. "Troy? Troy, what's wrong?" She reached up and brushed her palm against his cheek before moving it to the back of his head. "Tell me."

He lifted his head and sniffed loudly. "It was a Friday morning. And I was nervous."

"What is this?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"I was the only sophomore on the varsity basketball team, the first and only sophomore to make it to the team." He continued as if she hadn't said anything. He took a sharp intake of breath and his arms curled tightly around her waist. "And on this Friday morning, I made captain. I remember the look on my dad's face when he was counting the bits of paper and he looked up from his clipboard, looked me in the eyes and smiled. And when Coach Benson said that I'm the captain of the wildcats, I kept seeing my dad over and over again."

"Troy…" Gabriella whispered quietly as she buried her nose into his neck. She pulled back and shrugged slightly. "He's proud of you." She breathed. "I'm proud of you."

His arms tightened around her waist, causing a soft gasp to escape Gabriella's mouth. His eyes flickered to her lips and before his brain registered what was happening, he pushed Gabriella up against the railing and placed his lips over hers.

* * *

Taylor kissed Chad quickly before pulling back – she had never been a fan of public displays of affection. "I'm so proud of you, Co-captain."

He shrugged slightly. "Thanks, Tay. I hope Troy's okay, though. He looked awful upset."

"Well, Gabby will be sorting him out, won't she?" She tried, knowing how close Chad and Troy had become. "He'll be fine and you know it."

Chad sighed and rested his head on her shoulder as he stretched his legs out in front of his body. Chad, Zeke and Jason had joined the rest of the gang in the auditorium in their usual clothes and had all congratulated Chad on becoming co-captain alongside Troy. "I know."

"If he isn't, I'll bake him a cake. I'm starting to think everyone's using me for my cakes." Zeke exclaimed, tightening his hold on Sharpay.

"Well done, Sherlock." Sharpay joked but kissed him reassuringly. "I love you." She whispered.

Zeke kissed her forehead and sighed contentedly. "As long as you're in my life, Pay, everyone else can disappear."

Kelsi giggled and leaned back into Jason who was sitting behind her. "You're as whipped as your cream doughnuts."

"Not half as whipped as our new captain." Jason muttered.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked as he interlocked his fingers with Martha's.

Chad rolled his eyes. "The first thing he did was run into the locker room; grab his cell phone before running away, yelling 'I need to tell Brie.'"

Martha laughed. "Well, if Troy's more whipped than Zeke's cream doughnuts, he had better ask her out sooner or later."

"I'm not sure he will." Taylor admitted quietly as she stroked Chad's leg. "I mean… I know it's frustrating but I'm not allowing anyone to play cupid. This is between Gabby and Troy."

"I think we have a bigger chance of Gabby asking him out." Kelsi agreed.

Sharpay groaned. "Can't I play cupid just a little bit? I got all of you guys together, didn't I?"

"And yet you went seventeen years without noticing Zeke's obvious flirting." Taylor shot back. "I'm not letting anyone match-make Troy and Gabriella."

Ryan laughed at his sister's heart-broken expression. "Shar, let it go. It's okay."

She whined incoherently into Zeke's neck. When she finally pulled back, she pouted and folded her arms. "Just a little?"

"You can only help him ask her out. Not push him into it." Taylor said sternly.

Sharpay smiled in satisfaction and sat up a little straighter. "I know. I agreed to that. I was just seeing if you'd cave."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Do you not know Tay at all? I've tried for one year to get her to let me buy us a tarantula but she's never letting me."

"You guys aren't even living together." Martha exclaimed.

Chad shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Taylor rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's a good job that I love you, isn't it?"

Chad kissed her temple and smiled softly. "I love you too, Tay."

* * *

(A/N: This part is HSMandChelseaFCfan's work)

Maria and Devon were sat quietly together on the sofa at home after Devon had been released from hospital early. The young boy had been very fidgety all day; something that hadn't gone unnoticed by his mother.

"Devon, honey, are you sure you're feeling ok? You're not in pain are you?" Stroking his brown locks off his face, she studied her youngest son closely.

Devon's brown orbs looked up at his mother and gave her a smile. "I'm good, Mommy."

Maria raised her eyebrows, giving him a look. "What's bothering you then? You can tell me anything, Devon."

"Gavvy told me today was a big day for Troy." Maria gave him a confused look, cuing him to continue. "He would find out if he's going to become captain today."

Maria nodded in understand. "You worried about him?"

Devon nodded. "I hope he gets it because he's really good."

Maria smiled. She was so happy that Troy and Devon had bonded so well and it was so obvious just how much Devon looked up to Troy. She viewed the relationship the two had as the one she used to dream Cody and Devon would've had. "How about we go and make him something?"

"Can we make him and Gavvy some cookies and sundaes?" He asked excitedly.

Maria laughed. "Easy. We don't want you to hurt yourself anymore do we? You just had an operation so you need to take it easy."

"Fine." The small boy mumbled, hating the fact he was being restricted to barely being able to do anything; something he wasn't good at.

Two hours passed and Devon was sitting on a stool in the kitchen as Maria washed up the utensils used to make the cookies. The kitchen was in a bit of a mess after the first batch of cookies they'd attempted to make ended up around the kitchen rather than in the bowl thanks to Devon who kept pinching some of the sweet mixture. He'd accidentally flicked some at Maria who in return flicked some back at him and the after effects could now be seen around the kitchen. Neither Devon or Maria cared though because it was nice to spend some time together alone which wasn't something they got to do very often due to Maria's job.

"Mommy, do you think Troy will ever tell Gavvy how much he loves her?" Devon spoke, finally asking a question that had been bugging him for the past few days.

Maria turned to her head to Devon as she dried her hands on a cloth. "I don't know, Honey. It's not something we can force Troy to do because it's Troy's decision. Plus, he probably doesn't want to ruin their friendship."

"Gavvy loves him too, though." He whined as he reached for the glass of drink he was drinking.

"Devon, it's something you have to stay out of because it's not something for you to worry about. How about we go and find that new film Daddy got you to watch while the cookies are in the oven cooking?" Devon nodded as Maria sighed, thankful that she had managed to get Devon to drop the subject. Having him worrying about Troy and Gabriella like that was the last thing she needed as he was too young to understand fully the concept of what was and has happened to the two in the past few weeks.

"Mommy, when is Daddy coming home?" Devon asked.

Maria sighed as she turned to her son and picked him up. "Daddy has gone away again. A client called from Boston and he had to fly out there."

"Again?" Devon muttered.

Maria smiled sadly as they sat down on the sofa and she stroked his hair. "I miss him, too." She whispered, kissing his head.

* * *

(A/N: This is mine)

"Hey, Tay." Gabriella greeted at the end of the day.

"Afternoon, Sunshine." The African-American girl smiled in returned. "You okay?"

Gabriella pulled her locker open and stuffed her needed books into her bag. "Tay, is it okay if I come to your house?"

Taylor closed her locker and pulled up the handle of her pull-along bag. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Gabriella shrugged slightly and closed her locker. "I don't know." She replied honestly.

"Okay. Um, you can totally come round, Honey. You can tell me everything." Taylor replied worriedly.

Gabriella nodded and pulled her bag onto her shoulder. "I'd like that."

"Hey, Brie." A voice whispered, causing her to turn around, startled.

"H…Hi." She stuttered before swallowing.

"Do you need a ride?" He asked quietly, avoiding her eyes.

"No. No, it's okay. I'm going to Tay's house." She whispered, gesturing to her friend.

He nodded and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "I'll see you at home."

"Yeah. Will you tell my mom that I won't be home for dinner?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course." Troy said sincerely.

"Hoops." Chad hollered down the corridor, addressing Troy.

His eyes stayed glued to Gabriella – though, not landing on her eyes – as he replied. "What?"

"You want to come around to my place and watch the game?" He asked, oblivious to the tension between the two best friends.

Taylor shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Chad, Honey, can I speak to you?"

"Taylor!" Gabriella gasped, whipping her head around to face her best friend.

"Just one second." Taylor promised before taking Chad's hand and dragging him away. "Leave Troy alone."

"Why?" He whined.

"Oh, God, you sound like Sharpay." Taylor muttered. "Just leave him. Something's happened between him and Gabby. Just leave him."

Chad glanced over at his friend and the girl he thought of as a sister to see them both avoiding the other's eyes. "Do you know what?"

"No idea." She whispered. "She said she'd talk to me but I'm not holding my breath."

Chad brought her into his arms and kissed her softly. "I know. Shall I come?"

"I'll call you if I think she needs you." Taylor reassured him.

"And who is going to tell Aidan, Devon and Maria that something has happened?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Hopefully one of them and not one of us." She said softly, leaning up to kiss him one more time.

He smiled sadly at her before nodding in agreement. They joined Troy and Gabriella again. "So, Dude, what's it going to be?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Troy forced the best smile he could – which wasn't really that of a big one – and shook his head. "No, it's okay. I can't. I've homework to catch up on. Can you tape it?"

Chad nodded. "Of course. But, you know, I've been behind the homework since pre-school."

"That doesn't surprise me." Troy attempted a chuckle but trailed off miserably.

Gabriella stayed silent.

Taylor glanced at Chad. Then at Gabriella. Then at Troy. "Well, Gabby and I must go. Like you said, homework is calling our name."

Gabriella nodded in agreement, looking at her feet. Her lips were set in a straight line. "We'd better go."

"Right." Taylor added. "Bye, Chad." She said softly, smiling in satisfaction when Chad pressed a light kiss to her cheek.

"Bye, Tay. I'll call you later on tonight." He smiled gently.

Taylor turned to Troy and smiled brightly. "See you tomorrow, Troy."

Troy nodded. "Bye, Taylor."

"Bye, Chad." Gabriella tried nervously, lifting her head to look in the African-American boy's eyes. She turned her head to Troy and immediately averted her gaze to her shoes. "Goodbye, Troy. I'll see you at home."

Troy finally managed a bright – granted it was an 'ish' bright – smile and nodded. "Yeah. Absolutely."

Taylor linked arms with Gabriella and started leading her away. "So, Honey, are you okay now?"

Gabriella finally shook her head. "I'm even worse." She muttered.