Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate your comments. I know I am updating rather quickly but I hope you guys don't mind. I'm on a role on the moment and I better take advantage while I have the incentive.

I don't own High School Musical or any of its characters. I only own my ideas and my original characters.

"Easy man," Chad Danforth chided his lifelong friend as the basketball bounced off the backboard for the fourth time in a row, "You never miss so many baskets. What's up?" Chad threw himself down to the ground running his hand through his crazy afro hairstyle.

Troy Bolton sighed and dropped the basketball and then staggered over to his friend. He slumped to the ground his chest heaving, sweat trickling down his face, "Ah… nothing much," Troy sighed grabbing his water bottle and chugging down half of it and throwing the rest over his face.

"Ice queen demanding your attention again?" Chad smirked as Troy blushed and nodded, "You know you aren't like most popular kids…" Chad said slowly drinking some water from his bottle.

"What on earth do you mean?" Troy stood up and stretched before fetching the basketball.

"You don't play around with the girls," Chad jumped up and ran over to Troy stealing the ball out of Troy's hands, "I mean sure you have had a few girlfriends and you've obviously lost your …. You know… but you don't mess around with girls the whole time. How do you keep your hands… well, to yourself?"

"Nothing to it," Troy smirked stealing the ball again and dribbling it down the court, "I'm just waiting for the right one."

"Naaawww," Chad drawled sarcastically, "Isn't that just the sweetest thing you've ever heard?"

"Boys!" Lucille Bolton called out from the kitchen to the two best friends playing in the basketball court that the Bolton's had in their backward, "Come in from the cold you two and help me to set the table!"

"Yes, ma'am," both called out. They shoved one another laughing and have a fun time as they cleaned up the court, ran a lap around it and then headed inside. Lucille smiled fondly at her only child as he ran into the kitchen with his African-American best friend close on his heels, his electric blue eyes sparkling under his light brown mop of hair. He gave his mom a sweaty hug. Lucille laughed and pushed him away, gesturing for them to lay the table.

"We eat in twenty minutes," she said good humouredly, "So lay the table and go grab a shower. You two smell like sweaty boys." She cocked her head as the telephone rang and exited the kitchen.

Troy pushed Chad out of the way and raced up the steps of his home managing to jump in to the bathroom milliseconds before Chad.

"Dude! I am so gonna kill you!" Chad yelled furiously before heading downstairs again to go and set the table. Chad sighed in frustration as he lay the table, getting the silverware from the dresser and laying them on the dark wood dining table, taking care not to scratch the wood. Retracing his steps back into the kitchen he pulled some plates from the kitchen and then froze as he heard sobs coming from the living room.

"Mrs Bolton?" he called out putting the plates down on the kitchen island. He walked carefully into the living room and ran forward when he saw Lucille crumpled on the ground clutching the phone to her chest, sobbing, "Mrs Bolton are you alright?" he asked worriedly gently placing a hand on her shaking back, "Mrs Bolton?" but she refused to answer. Chad shot her a worried glance before bolting up the stairs, "TROY BOLTON, get your ass downstairs pronto!"

"What's wrong?" Troy stuck his head out of the bathroom clearly just finished showering.

"Your mom's crying her heart out on the living room floor," Chad pushed the bathroom door open and pulled a horrified Troy out. Troy clutched his towel around his hips tightly and fairly flew down the stairs.

"MOM!" Troy called out worriedly. Suddenly he stepped on the edge of his towel and before he could stop himself he tripped and almost lost his towel, "Damn," Troy muttered as he struggled to disentangle his legs from his towel and trying not to give his next door neighbours a show through the patio doors. He glared at his best friend who was going into hysterics at the site of him, "Shut up, Chad!"

He quickly clambered to his feet and moved into the sitting room, "Mom!" he gasped seeing her lying like a broken doll on the floor. He ran to her side remembering just in time to tuck in his towel, "Mom," he carefully took the phone away from her. She turned to him with red eyes and hugged him fiercely to her, ignoring the fact that he was still sopping wet and in a towel, "Mom, what on earth is going on?"

Lucille sat back and smiled tenderly at her handsome son who was looking at her so worriedly. Tears sprang to her eyes again and her head sagged wearily.

"Mom, should I call Dad?" Troy asked worriedly.

"No, no…" she waved a hand at him, "I just got some really bad news that is all…"

"Grandma's dead," a terror stricken look passed across Troy's face and he battled down a lump in his throat.

"No," Lucille sighed, "My best friend from when I was in high school died this afternoon from extensive injuries after she was in a car crash."

Relief crossed Troy's face for a moment before he schooled his face again, "I'm so sorry, mom. Where you two still very close?" Troy realised that even though he was glad that it wasn't his grandma this was still very sad for his mom

"She moved around a lot," Lucille sighed, allowing Troy to help her to a couch, "We kept in touch via email. She was still my best friend… I can't believe she is gone…"

Troy looked at his mother worried. He had never seen her so broken before, "Chad, watch her," he ordered before swiftly getting up and walking into the kitchen. Hurriedly he filled the kettle and put it on to boil, almost losing his towel in the process again.

"Next time that an emergency knocks on my door, it had better wait until I'm properly dressed," Troy thought annoyed as he tightened the towel around his waist. He picked up the phone and called his dad at the school office where he would be working late trying to mark school assignments.

"Dad," Troy started speaking the moment that his dad, Jack Bolton, answered the phone, "You better get home quick. Mom just got some really bad news. She's sitting on the living room floor crying her heart out right now."

His dad let out a startled gasp, "Is it… is it Dad?"

"No, dad," Troy said smiling slightly. He and his dad were so alike in many ways, "It was one of her best friends from high school. She died this afternoon in a car crash."

"Oh… " he heard his father sigh and then the creak of a chair as his father sat down, 'Maria Montez…. No…." Troy listened in surprise as he heard a sob escape from his father's mouth.

"Dad? DAD!" Troy yelled into the headset, "Mom needs you right now so get home and then you can cry here, ok? I am so sorry, but I think mom is about to have a breakdown."

"You're right, Troy," his dad said. Troy listened as his dad spoke hurriedly to East High's secretary, "I'm coming home right now. Don't leave your mom…"

"Yeah, dad," Troy rolled his eyes and put the phone down and went back to making tea for his mom. He shivered as a blast of cold air entered the kitchen and tickled his bare chest. Quickly he peeked into the living room and saw his mom crying into Chad's chest. Troy chuckled at Chad's face. He looked as he wanted to run… anywhere.

Quickly he tiptoed out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs and into his room. Quickly he dropped his towel to the floor and pulled on some boxers and a shirt before picking up the towel again and wrapping it around his waist once more and then sprinting back downstairs to finish the tea for his mom. His mom looked up at him as he walked into the living room bringing her the tea.

"That's better," Troy thought to himself, "At least if my towel falls of this time, it won't be so catastrophic…."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Waking up in a hospital sucks. Like badly. The sanitized smells, the constant scurrying around of the nurses and doctors. The beeps from the machines that feed you oxygen, and your medicine through the drip pounds into your brain after a while. But the worst part for me was the pain. I awoke to utter agony. I groaned as the pain almost shot me straight back into unconsciousness.

The moment I moved a sensor must have gone off because within in seconds my bed was surrounded by doctors, nurses and medical staff. They all felt me, asked me questions until my poor brain couldn't take it anymore and I screamed at them to keep quiet. In the shocked silence that followed I looked around and then asked for one simple thing.

"Where is my family?" I asked the closest doctor. I grew worried as I saw pain and apprehension flit across his face, "Where is Alex?" I asked sharply, "Where's my mom?"

One of the nurses pushed forward and started speaking sympathetically, "Alex is in the men's ward busy recovering from his injuries like you are. The doctors are investigating what exactly is wrong with him. I'm afraid I have to give you grave news about your mother…" she paused for a moment as I desperately read her eyes, trying to see anything.. Anything at all, "You mother died of her injuries three days ago…" she finished simply moving forward and squeezing my arm carefully. I stared at her in shock, not breathing, not blinking… everything just went numb, "I am so sorry…"

At the sympathetic words all my barriers broke loose and I fell back on the bed, crying. The world blurred around me as they mercifully injected me with morphine giving me the solace of sleep.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Lucille Bolton swallowed away her heavy tears as she stopped before the hospital door, gathering her courage to go and face the daughter of her former best friend. Alex was still in a coma and hadn't woken up yet. But with the amount of injuries he sustained being barely alive was better than nothing at all. Carefully she pushed the door open, her eyes darting from one patient to the next trying to recognize Gabriella Montez from the pictures that Maria had sent her. He eyes lingered on one patient who was the youngest in the room and her hand flew to her mouth as she saw how many dressings covered the young girl's body.

Carefully she moved closer being careful not to disturb the other occupants in the room. The girl was asleep, but there was a look of intense pain in her face even as she slept.

"Oh!" Lucille gasped as she saw how the girl's body had been mutilated, a plaster on her forehead slowly seeping blood. Softly and gently so as not to wake her she traced her fingers on the soft skin on the girl's inner arm.

With a start the girl woke up and stared around her with terror, before resting her panic stricken eyes on Lucille.

"Ahem," Lucille cleared her throat, "My name is Lucille Bolton… you are Gabriella?"

"Hi," her soft voice could almost not be heard in the quiet room, "Yes…"

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Tears pricked at my eyes as I looked at the motherly figure sitting next to my bed. I missed my mom so badly. I don't know how I was supposed to live without her.

"Yes," I answered her question, "I'm Gabriella…"

"I am so sorry about your mom," at those words I looked away, trying my best to gulp down the hot tears that threatened to trickle down my cheeks and just managing it. I turned back to her and saw grief on her face as well, "Your mom was my best friend since high school…. I… I'm going to miss Maria so much."

Softly tears rolled down her cheeks but she didn't bother to stop them or to try to wipe them away. After a few minutes she straightened and turned back to me. I was probably zstaring at her blankly trying to place who she was.

"Um… can I help you?" I asked tentatively.

"You.. your mom never told you about me?" she asked hesitantly.

I swallowed and looked at my folded hands on my lap, "Mom wasn't at home a lot. She spent a lot of hours at work. I think she basically slept at home and lived at work…"

"I see…" Lucille looked around and then leaned closer slightly, "I am very sorry to have to tell you this… Maria made me your and Alex's guardian. Once you are recovered enough, you will be moving in with me and my family.

I looked at her dazed and fell back on the cushion… I was going to move in with Lucille Bolton…