So where was I, right I had just called Troy to come to Albuquerque so I could clear up the fact we're still over...

"okay well now that you two have what you want, I'm going to bed because Chad and Troy probably won't be here till tomorrow or something" I said turning to leave the room to leave the stunned girls on the couch. I know I was acting irrational and crazy but I had every right to be crazy right now. As I was walking up the stairs I heard the bell ring. I quickly made my way back down stairs cursing whoever it was that would dare to turn up at my house uninvited in the middle of the night

"Ugh!" I grumbled as I unlocked my front door "Troy..." I managed to let out as I saw him and Chad standing at my doorstep

"You told me to come" He mumbled rubbing the back of his neck, I did do that didn't I

"Come in" I mumbled stepping aside as to let the two visibly exhausted boys. Chad walked through to the living room leaving me and Troy in the hall. We stood in silence for a while until he spoke

"I drove down after you left this morning" He mumbled which explained why he'd got here just five minutes after I phoned him

"oh" I replied looking at him nervously, oh? Taylor Mckessie is that the best you can do? You should be putting him through hell for what he did not coming out with stupid things like oh? Why would you let words fail you at this very moment in time.

"Taylor..." He said walking to towards me and stopping when he saw me back up

"No Troy... I don't wanna hear that you're sorry. I just want to know why!" I replied sternly finally finding my voice, that was more like it Tay, don't let those blue eyes fool you, he was still the same boy you found with his tongue down some girls throat.

"Taylor don't do this" He said shaking his head as the anger of the memory started building up inside me. I started pacing the hall trying to keep myself from crying.

"No TROY! Don't Taylor me! I WANT TO KNOW WHY!" I shouted as he flinched

"But that's not going to help you or us! It was a mistake Taylor, a big mistake!" He replied, I could tell he was trying to keep himself from raising his voice

"DAMN RIGHT IT WAS A MISTAKE! Now tell me why" I finished through clenched teeth, I could tell I was going to cry sometime soon, but I'd be damned if he saw a single tear fall from my eyes today

"Tay..." He started

"WHY!" I replied in the same hostile manner, stopping right in front of him "why troy" I asked more softly

"I don't know" he whispered sighing "I don't know..."

"Well it's not good enough!" I replied clenching my fist to stop my hand from shaking, I went and sat on the second stair, letting my head fall into my hands

"Did you sleep with her?" I whispered not really wanting to know the answer, but knowing I had to ask

"What? Why would you ask that?" He asked looking offended but still not answering my question

"Answer the question Troy!" I repeated looking at him

"No Taylor, I didn't sleep with her!" I replied kneeling down in front of me "I couldn't do that to you" he whispered taking my hand against my will

"No, you just kissed her" I replied bitterly snatching my hand away "how many times?"

"Taylor why are you doing this to yourself, I can see it's just you hurting more"

"No Troy. You hurt me, this... this is nothing compared to how I felt last night... nothing" I replied closing my eyes so the tears wouldn't fall. I took a deep breathe

"Once..." He said as I looked at him puzzled "that was the only time I kissed her" He sighed as I nodded reliving the memory of last night in my head. Then the tears started, they fell, they kept on falling and wouldn't stop no matter how many times I told them not to, no matter how much I longed for self-control I couldn't find it in myself. There he was kissing another girl, a prettier, taller, slimmer girl.

"But...y... you d...didn't even push her away Troy" I stuttered through the tears, pushing him away when he tried to hug me "Troy don't please" I asked shaking my head and furiously wiping at my face

"You didn't tell her you had a girlfriend Troy" I paused finding my composure, "I saw everything, you laughed and joked like friends did and I didn't think anything of it, then she kissed you and you kissed her back! Troy you kissed her back" I sighed

"I know Taylor..." He sighed sitting on the step next to me "But that's it, as soon as I did I knew it was wrong! All wrong, she didn't feel like you... because she wasn't you. She didn't make my heart skip a beat or leaving me lingering for more when she finished. Because only you can do that, I swear it was one big mistake, one huge mistake that made me realise I will never love anyone like I love you. So please Taylor I'm begging you don't leave me, please don't leave me" He said taking my hand in his as I looked at him

"Troy, I don't know. I need to know that after every fight we have you won't need to kiss another girl to remind you that you love me" I sighed cursing myself for even beginning to reason with him "It was one stupid fight Troy. We fight all the time, it's what we do but I wouldn't go and kiss another boy, ever!" I replied

"I know that Taylor, I swear I do but I don't know, I was just so angry all this week with you, with me and how I'd left things... and you and Tye and we both know he doesn't like me Tay, he wants you for himself Tay can't you see that? And the worst thing is I know he's a better man for you, he's everything you've ever dreamed of, smart, ambitious, Christian" He sighed looking into my eyes,

"But Troy he isn't the one I loved, I loved you! You're smart and ambitious and even if you aren't Christian you still make the effort to come to church with me. You're the one who fought for me and you're the one I wanted, I didn't want Tye. I never will and anyway he has a girlfriend now so I doubt he wants me now either" I explained softening towards him

"I'm sorry Tay... can we please try again, don't throw us away" He begged

"I...I... I don't know Troy, I mean since we started all we've done is fight for our relationship, it's like one hurdle after another, maybe we aren't supposed to be together, maybe this is just fate telling us it's over" I sighed, not really meaning what I said

"No Taylor you can't say that" He replied getting up "Maybe you just want out! I was always the one fighting for us, trying to convince you that we were meant to be together! I was the one who waited for you! Well you know what Taylor, now you have an excuse to walk away! You have what you always wanted so go on Tay LEAVE ME!" He shouted throwing arms up with his chest heaving up and down like he was finding it hard to breathe, his words felt like a big slap in the face as I got up taking in what he just said.

I slowly approached him, there were no words on this earth that could even begin to describe how angry I was at him at that split second, no words in the whole universe, except maybe a few curse word but I had morals!

"How dare you try and turn this around Troy!" I asked fuming "How dare you! Who asked you to wait! And who the heck asked you to go to Berkeley because I know it wasn't me!" I continued pushing him against the wall "I never asked you for anything so if you feel like this 'relationship' was a mistake then why on earth are you here! Gosh how could I be so stupid! You almost had me going there" I laughed as tears fell down my cheeks "almost had me reconsidering my decision, maybe you were hasty Tay! Maybe you should give him another chance! Maybe he really did love you!" I continued hitting his chest at every word "Maybe he loved you!" I sobbed looking up at him as I grabbed hold his shirt

"I do Taylor, you know I do! I didn't mean what I said, I was just so mad that you didn't want to consider giving us another chance, did I really mean so little to you?" He whispered lifting up my chin

"That's the problem, you meant everything" I choked back

"You still are everything to me" He replied as I shook my head no

"I think you should leave Troy, I need time to think about this" I said letting go his shirt slowly "I need time" I replied as he nodded

"I'll call you tomorrow" He said cautiously as I looked at him and sighed

"fine" I shrugged as he opened the door and left looking back one last time. I sighed and ran upstairs before I could be ambushed by Gabby and Sharpay who I knew had been listening at the door. I locked my door and fell on top of my bed, looking around my old room. The picture that Sharpay had taken of Troy and I was still by my bed, we looked happy then and that was before we even knew we were in love. He was playing with my hair on the school lawn, staring longingly down at me; I was smiling back up at him from his lap. I remember that day, it was during our project.

I looked across at my computer to find his old Wild cat jacket on my computer chair; he'd given it to me in the summer, after it started raining at the beach and I refused to give it back all summer. I wondered if it still smelt of him I thought but not having the energy to get up and check. Then I remembered the box of letters, cards and everything else from the summer, under my bed. I got off my bed and slide my hands underneath it, looking for the box, after five minutes of searching I found the dusty shoe box.

Sitting cross legged leaning against my bed, I brushed the dust off the lid of the box and sighed before opening it up. There lay the letters, the poems, the cards, the little bracelets we'd made when I made him attend an art and crafts workshop with me during the summer. I picked up a blue envelope and pulled out the small card inside. It was a small white card with three purple stripes at the bottom that he'd seen once in a store when he was with his Dad. He said it reminded him of the dress I wore once when we went to the beach. I opened it and inside it read

'Hey Tay,

I missed you... as usual. This card reminds me of the dress you wore at the beach last weekend; you looked beautiful... as usual. I just wanted to let you know, I was thinking of you.

I love you forever Tay.

Troy'

I smiled, it was so simply but it was perfect, he'd left it in my locker at the footlocker changing rooms and I remember finding it after a hard day of difficult customers and all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. I quickly put it back in the box. Then I saw the purple card, the very first card he'd ever given me with the poem from Pablo Neruda on the day before my eighteenth, I smiled reliving the happiness that lay in my heart that day. Then I opened a letter, my very first letter he'd ever given me, the day after my eighteenth. It said everything he wanted to say that night that he just couldn't say.

'Dear Taylor,

I wanted to tell you this last night but I couldn't find the words, maybe you already know what I'm going to say Taylor but I need to say it. I love you being in my life, I can't even begin to describe how happy you seem to make me. You annoy me so much, always telling me to get my work done on time, but I secretly love making you nag at me like you do. You drive me crazy with your need to analyse everything, including me because someday I'm scared you'll finally realise how unworthy I am of you. So I'm letting you know now, I'm not worthy to love you or even have you love me back but I can't help it that I'm addicted to you and I refuse to lose the best thing in my life right now. I have never ever tried to keep something so hard, but these eight months showed me that I'm ready and willing to do whatever it takes to keep your love... for the rest of my life. Taylor you are my forever, and I know we're young but I know, I know that there is no way on this earth that I could possibly live without your love. No way.

I just want you to know I love you; I love you more than life, more than basketball and definitely more than I love myself. I hope you never forget that even if I do something to screw it up, please don't give up on me.

Forever yours,

Troy.

He was such an idiot, but he was my idiot and I'd be damned if I let some hoochy get her paws on my rightful property. That's right I was ready to go get my Troy but I'd let him sweat it out a bit until tomorrow, I smirked at the thought. Yeah, everyone was right and I was... dare I say it, wrong. Troy and I belonged together, forever. Suddenly every doubt I had disappeared, it was one kiss and it meant nothing right? Our love could overcome this, and anyway it didn't look like much of a choice, I loved him too much and knowing him he definitely wasn't going to let me go without a fight.