Lost.

Troy stared at his computer screen, the report he was writing looking blankly back at him. But that was only because it was blank; and it had been for the last hour. He fingers tapped the edge of the nearly empty coffee cup beside him, another sigh escaping his mouth. He's been sighing all day.

He went back to what he was doing: not a lot. The last 2 hours had been occupied by going through all his documents on the computer, deleting things he didn't need, and going back to the beginning. It was a nice easy circle. One which would have been a lot easier if he didn't click each thing separately, drop it in the litter bin and delete them, also separately. But there was a purpose to all this nonsense. She's been in his mind all day. Never leaving. And the only thing that kept away the pain of leaving her was this. A never ending task. Which might last a couple of years, because the chances of seeing her again were slim.

He threw his hand down of the desk and it landed hard, thumping. Anger moved through his veins and he punished himself for being so utterly stupid. Why hadn't he left an address? A phone number? His mobile? Or why hadn't he checked her street name when he had left in the taxi? The answer: he was so stupid! That's the first thing he should have done. But no, he had to get to work. And all for nothing. They'd wanted him in early, and now he was sat in his quite untidy office, either staring at the walls or clicking uselessly on his computer. Nothing ever seemed to go right.

His head fell on the desk, turning to the side to look out of the window. She was out there somewhere, wandering the world with no idea what to do; no-one guiding her; no-one helping her live her life. He'd always imagined Gabriella as a porcelain doll, very breakable. And to him that was what she was. Breakable. Like even the simplest touch could break skin, cause a wound. And that's exactly what he'd done this morning. Hurt her.

He'd done the one thing he'd told himself not to do. Swore he wouldn't do. He'd broken the promise to himself. But that wasn't what hurt him the most. It was knowing that he'd hurt Gabriella in the process. She would be sitting in her house, or walking the streets, thinking she'd done something wrong. When in fact, the night had been perfect. In every way possible. And he'd ruined it. He'd tainted the night they'd had together, by leaving without telling her. Stupid, stupid Troy.

He got out of his seat, mug in hand. He was moving so fast the cold liquid fell over the sides and poured onto his hands. But he didn't care. He kept his eyes to the ground, afraid that if anyone saw him he'd be caught out. He knew he looked terrible. Ill. The disease: leaving Gabriella. He finally reached the coffee machine, the numerous buttons all telling him to do something, when his brain was in enough mess as it was. He punched a button, not sure what would appear in his cup, but not caring either way. As long as it was caffeine, that was fine. He needed to stay awake. Let's face it, sleeping last night hadn't been an option.

He heard someone cough beside him and he scrunched his eyes, wishing they'd just turn and leave. Then he felt the person clutch his arm, and he reluctantly raised his eyes.

The person in front of him looked so happy. His brown, clear eyes shone brightly. His skin looked like it had been pasted on in Photoshop, and he looked amazing. He looked fresh; excited; just happy. It was clear what he'd got up to last night.

"Troy, my man!" Jason's words flew out of his mouth at an alarming rate. Or maybe Troy wasn't keeping up today. Troy was surprised.

"Dude, weren't you really drunk last night?"

Jason cleared his throat, a faint blush appearing on his already rosy cheeks. "Well, uh… Kelsi… she had these hang over tablets." He hung his head, but Troy could see through that.

"You and Kelsi, huh?" Troy questioned.

Jason rose his head and nodded slightly.

Troy grabbed his mug and smiled softly. "Well, good luck with that, dude. Got to get back to work." He nodded his head in the direction of his office and his feet began to take him, before Jason grabbed his arm.

"Whoa! Not so fast, Troy. Didn't you leave with Gabs?"

Troy felt his heart crack. Her name gave him goose bumps and he felt like he was about to cry. The pain shot all around his head, and he felt ready to faint. He had to get out of here, quick.

"Uh…yeah. We did. But, yeah.. That's a different story."

Jason's eyebrows raised.

"One that I'll tell you another time." Troy was final.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, man. I'll leave you be, got to get back to the desk anyways. How's that report coming on?"

Troy smiled reluctantly. "Yeah. Great. Nearly finished. Bye."

He turned on his heel, waving behind him to Jason who was filling his cup up. He walked through the doors of his office, slamming the door shut as he went. Sighing, he sunk down onto his chair, feeling the cushions satisfy him slightly.

Stretching his hands out in front of him and hearing the familiar click of his knuckles breaking, he tried to channel all his energy into this report. But, as soon as he'd started he knew he wasn't getting anywhere. He'd have to sort out his mind first.

What had happened with Gabriella had been amazing. He'd been wanting that to happen ever since he'd never saw her again. All those years had taken its toil (sp?) on Troy, and seeing her again, the image made him smile. But he'd had to leave. And not thinking, he'd left one of the stupidest notes ever. But every word he'd said was true. He knew he loved her; had ever since he'd seen her, walking towards him in the corridor of East High. He missed her, even right now. And knew that the next few weeks, months, would be the hardest. He'd find it hard to put her to the back of his mind, she already occupied it too much. But he'd have to move on. With no source of contact to her, he'd have to let her go. It was just as well he was a firm believer in 'if it's meant to be, you'll find each other'.

Rubbing his eyes in his hands, he let them travel the journey to the keyboard, resting them on the keys. Getting comfy in his chair, he began to write. Subconsciously, he knew this report was good, and he'd only just started. Maybe it was the pain being put into it?

A knock on the door startled him. He felt his heart rate increase. His palms began to sweat. His mind whizzed. Was it Gabriella?

"Come in!" Troy called.

His heart sunk when he saw it was only his boss.

In his doorway was a short, stumpy man. With a receding hairline, ginger going gray, he wasn't the best in the looks department. But Troy smiled anyways. He was possibly the nicest man you'd ever meet in your life. When Troy had started working, Mr Banks had been the one of show him the ropes, helping him go up in his line of business. Troy now sat just under Mr Banks, but was happy that way. Mr Banks was the kindest boss ever.

Troy watched as he walked into the room, his hip jutting slightly from the operation he'd just had. He smiled at Troy warmly, before it fell.

"Troy? Whatever is the matter?"

Troy groaned inside. If there was anything wrong with you, trust Mr Banks to know.

"Nothing, Mr Banks. Everything's fine."

Mr Banks nodded slowly. "Okay then…" He sat himself down of the chair opposite Troy and put him hands in his lap. Troy watched him curiously as his eyes wandered over the room innocently.

"What can I do for you, Mr Banks."

Mr Banks turned to him, smiling as always. "Just wanted to see how that report was getting on. Anywhere near finished? I need it by Friday."

Troy sunk unnoticeably into the chair more. "Well, its getting there. Should be finished today. I think its some of my best work Sir."

Mr Banks nodded. "Good, good." Troy watched him rise from the chair, walking towards the door slowly. He turned around.

"Keep going Troy. And don't let the woman get you down."

Troy smiled back. He'd try not to.

Gabriella sat staring out of the window into the shining sun of New York. It was a pleasant day outside, and usually Gabriella would be itching to get out, into the sun and top up the tan. But today Gabriella wasn't ready. Not ready to face the world again, and doubted she'd be able to for a long time.

Sighing, she watched as she saw the birds outside her window tap gently on the glass. For the first time that day Gabriella smiled, and she thought that was a step in the right direction. But no sooner had that thought come, that Troy had appeared in her head and she broke down again.

The tears rolled down her face, any traces of makeup long gone. She wiped then away with a shaky hand, not wanting then to fall into her coffee. It was the only thing keeping her awake.

What had she done wrong? Everything had been perfect hadn't it? She didn't know. It had seemed that way. But then, why would he say he loved her. Surely those words meant something to him. And surely he knew the pain he was causing her. And yet she knew he'd never appear again. And she'd never be able to talk to him again, unless by pure chance. Because there was no source of contact. Maybe that was what irritated her the most? She was utterly confused. But wasn't that the first thing guys did? Leave a number, address, something?! The whole thing was messed up, and she was hurting bad. She didn't realise he was too.

Rising for her chair, she walked over to the sink to rinse out her cup. She felt the ice cold water run down her skin and for a few seconds the pain was numbed. Gathering some water into her palms she splashed the face, trying helplessly to get some feeling back in her features. The door was unlocking.

Sharpay walked in to see Gabriella looking like she'd seen a ghost. She rushed over to her friend, dropping all bags in the process, at the moment not worrying about all the designer labels which were now in a heap. As soon as Sharpay's arms were wrapped around her Gabriella broke down again, but this time not caring. She needed to be comforted.

Sharpay led her over to the couch, collapsing beside her, her arms still holding on.

"Honey, what happened?"

Gabriella let out a shaking breath. "I saw… him."

Sharpay's eyes jumped out of her sockets. "Him? Troy?!"

Gabriella nodded and felt Sharpay pull her closer as she continued. "He spent the night… and when… when I woke up… he, he wasn't there." She wailed.

Sharpay pulled her closer, and Gabriella felt like she couldn't breath. She just held still while Sharpay whispered comforting words in her ear.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sharpay asked.

Gabriella felt her shaky legs reach the ground as she stood up. Shaking her head she turned away, walking down the hall, occasionally gripping the walls for support. For now, she was lost. Completely lost.

She slipped into her studio, the paint waiting for her. Today, it was her only means of escape.

A/N; I'M BACK! Yes, I've got my ideas together, and I've managed to write this chapter. I'm so sorry for the long wait, almost a month, I know! I hope some of you haven't left this story. What do you think? I hope I managed to get the feelings across clearly. Yep Yep! I'll be updating, probably not as regularily, because I've got WLP and the sequel to Love And Let Go, but it's all good. At least I'm back on track, right?

Any Harry Potter fans out there? If you are, my friend has started writing a story. It's called Trapped, and it's amazing. Please read it. And review! Be nice, its her first fic. Link on my profile.

Talking of reviewing, I'd love it if you would!

:D