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Disclaimer: Not mine. Nor is Hanson.

I'm sorry for the ridicously long wait. I'm not going to bore you with reasons, I just hope you enjoy this chapter.

" Taylor? Taylor?" someone was shouting down the hall.

It was the end of the day. Taylor, who was hiding behind a line of lockers, turned around quickly. Gabriella still hasn't found her. Just what Taylor wanted. Taylor loved Gabriella like a sister, but today she clung onto Taylor like a life preserver. Taylor really just needed some air.

Taylor crept to a more elusive spot before she hit a backpack and stubbed her toe. She knelt down and grabbed her toe while she silently yelped in pain.

This didn't go unnoticed by Gabriella. She followed the sound until she went passed Taylor's former hiding spot.

" Hello? Taylor McKessie? Ollie, Ollie oxen free!" she yelled. " Taylor? Taylor?" Gabriella took one last scan of the empty hallway. If Taylor was here, she obviously would've seen her by now. Gabriella eventually gave up and headed towards the door. Taylor watched her close the door behind her before she snuck off to the gym to find Chad.

Taylor secretively made her way into the gym, carefully avoiding any airborne basketballs and empty water bottles. She spotted her curly headed beau near the basket. She walked in.

Chad spotted Taylor making her way into the gym. " Hey, Tay. Is something wrong?"

" I can't stop by and say hi to my boyfriend?" Taylor gave him a hug.

" No, of course not. How are you?" he said smiling.

She pulled away. " I'm just great."

" That didn't sound too convincing."

" Ugh, it's a long story."

" Heads up!" a teammate yelled. Chad looked up and caught the airborne ball just in time.

Chad stated, " Did you wanna talk about it then? I'm all ears."

" I think this is one of those girl talk moments. You know, eating popcorn, watch a movie, doing your nails, listening to your old Hanson CD from way back when; blasting out from your five year old stereo," Taylor described.

" Ok, I can eat popcorn with you, and watch a movie, but we may have to modify those other activities," he smiled as he dribbled the ball.

Taylor giggled, " I may have to take you up on that offer, but not today."

" Well, did you want to stay and watch my awesome moves on the court?" he asked spinning the basketball on his pointer finger.

" As much as I would love to see you run around and get all sweaty, I may have to pass."

" Aw, you're breaking my heart, Tay," Chad joked.

Taylor replied, " I'm sorry, but I should be heading home. I…Oh great."

" Oh great? What's great?"

" I am actually grounded," Taylor remembered.

Chad looked confused. " How did you get grounded when you've been here?"

" No, that's not it. I got grounded yesterday, and it's for the rest of the week. I really gotta go!"

" Ok, I'll see you tomorrow," Chad said. She kissed him on the cheek and turned towards the exit before Chad grabbed her arm. " I know you can do better than that," he concluded with his all to familiar swagger.

Taylor smiled before giving in and kissing him on his lips. " Now I really have to go. Bye." Taylor walked out of the East High gym.

" Chad! Over here!" Troy yelled from across the court.

Chad snapped back into reality when Troy's pounding voice filled the room. He slow jogged his way over to the fellow captain.

"I'm here man," Chad stated.

Troy clapped his hands together and addressed the team. " Let's start with ten laps around the gym before coach gets here, and we'll start our stretches if we have time."

Everyone groaned as they began to run around the gym. Troy stopped Chad before he began to run.

" Hey man, what was Taylor in here for?" he asked.

Chad said, "She just stopped by to say hi. Why?"

" Nothing. I just wanted to make sure she doesn't interfere with your game. We need you to be in top form, not all lovey dovey and…"

" Ok, calm down Coach Jr. I won't do anything drastic and try out for the school musical or anything.," Chad reassured.

" That's not funny. My dad was going to wait and tell the team later at the end of practice, but I think you should know."

Chad gasped, " You signed us all up for the spring musical?"

" No, Chad. At our next game, there's going to be a college recruiter watching us."

" Wait a minute. A scout? Coming here?"

" Yeah. Chad, this could be it, our chance. We head off to college, full ride, and be first round draft picks, no doubt. We could make it into the majors together. We'd be pros, bro!" Troy exclaimed before he patted Chad's back and began to jog.

" Pros, yeah," Chad muttered slowly to himself as he followed suit with the other wildcats.

Taylor quietly crept onto her front porch. Seeing both of her parents' cars parked in the driveway, she knew a brigade of questions will be waiting upon her arrival. Once Taylor entered her house, she was confronted with a boat load of questions. Mainly from her parents, seeing as how school ended almost an hour ago.

" Taylor, where have you been? I believe you were grounded, young lady," her father stated.

Her mother added. " This is not like you. What could've possibly kept you to a point where you couldn't call?"

Taylor lied, "I'm sorry I didn't call. I had one moment of carelessness, it won't happen again. I was busy looking for community service projects to do once I'm off my grounding. You can't never do too much for your community." She quickly ran upstairs before her parents could pester her anymore.

Taylor gazed around her room. She took her phone out of her pocket. Seven texts and five missed calls from Gabriella. Ignoring those she dialed Sharpay's number.

" Hello, your highness speaking," she answered.

" Hey, Sharpay, this is Taylor."

" Duly noted. Is there are reason for this call?"

Taylor could hear her filing her nails as she spoke. " I just wanted to talk."

" As flattered as I am, don't you have Gabriella for this?" she asked.

" Well, right now, I think the best thing for me and Gabs is a little space, right now."

" Is this gossip I hear? By all means, do tell."

Taylor shifted the phone to her other ear. " I kinda don't wanna talk about that right now, could we changed the subject?"

" I guess," Sharpay sighed.

" So," Taylor began, mentally looking for a conversation starter, " how are you and Zeke?"

"Ugh, don't say that Neanderthal's name around me!"

Taylor seemed confused, " I thought you two were…?"

" Please. Taylor, what happened between me and Zeke was a complete and uber disaster."

" Did you want to tal…"

" I began to note the cracks in our so called 'relationship' a few days ago. I didn't want to bring anything up, of course, knowing that full and well I was and still am the best thing to ever happen to that man since he picked up a cookbook. I would call but he would always make up some silly excuse as to why he had to leave."

And this went on.. Not for a few minutes, no, but for an hour. One whole complete hour of Sharpay's sordid details of her and Zeke's breakup. Taylor almost thought this was her monologue instead of a breakup story.

" Sharpay, I'm sorry, are you ok?"

She could hear a sniffle. " Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed to vent. A little closure."

" Well, I'm truly sorry about you and Zeke, and I hate to leave you like this, but I really should go," Taylor confessed.

" Oh, well thanks for listening Taylor. We should do this 'talking' thing more often."

" That would be great, Sharpay. Goodbye." She hung up her phone, just as her little sister walked in her room.

" Ah, Tay was using her phone, Tay was using her phone," she sang in a singsong voice.

" Quiet, you little twerp!" Taylor quietly scolded.

Her little sister didn't seemed to hear her. " You know you ain't supposed to be using your phone, cause you're grounded! I'm gonna tell mom and dad on you!"

" Shh, ok, what did you want? How about a nice shiny quarter?" Taylor bribed.

Her sister tapped her chin before coming up with her answer, " I want twenty dollars."

" What are you insane?"

" Ok, then I can always tell mom and dad…"

" How about five?"

" Twenty."

" Ten?" Taylor bargained.

She huffed while standing in the doorway. " Twenty, Tay."

" Fine, fine, ok, just keep quiet." Taylor reached over to her nightstand and pulled out a twenty from her drawer and handed it to her sister. " Here you go, you little extortionist."

" Thank you. It's always a pleasure doing business with you." She turned away, down the hallway, and out of Taylor's view. Taylor wondered if she had the mental strength, and apparently the money for her mini extortionist of a sister, to survive the remaining five days of this week.

Once again I hope you liked it. Please review and be nice.