I'm pretty sure you all know why this chapter is so late...so I will say it once. My computer died. Happy reading, I'm a little rusty. FYI. (:

Sometimes things happen for the best and sometimes they happen because a big jerk couldn't keep his mouth shut, either way everyone was about to learn this.

Gabriella walked into the school that she had been going to for the pass 2 going on 3 years for her life. The same school that she had feared when she was younger yet now was simply fearless when it came to high school. Though the drama that came with it, that went on in this large building she wasn't so fearless with. Something was wrong; you could just feel it in the air. It was strong and lung consuming like someone smoking around you when they know you have asthma. At this moment Gabriella felt like she couldn't breathe and may need her inhaler.

Everyone seemed to be walking in slow motion. Not too much laughter, not too much smiling or even PDA. This was because of the simple fact that the Wilcats had finally lost a game. The basketball game that occurred last Friday was one that made everyone wonder what had set the team off like that. They lost 45-79 to the Midtown Rangers. The team had never beaten the Wildcats and no one thought they ever would, yet it happened. No one really knew why but Gabriella wanted to find out.

Chad and Troy weren't in sync not that they were the only ones playing but they normally know where the other is without having to look up. It was part of this bromance that the two had going on. That was not going on this night; actually no one knew what was going on that night.

"What's wrong with Chad?" Gabriella asked Taylor after storming up to her locker. Taylor rolled her eyes but Gabriella had more to say. "Why were you ignoring my phone calls? You didn't even say bye after we got back to the school." Gabriella folded her arms over her chest and glared at her best friend who wasn't speaking at all.

"I don't know what's wrong with Chad. I didn't ignore you, I've been busy." Taylor said simply not looking at Gabriella. "You know homeroom is in 4 minutes, you better get to your locker."

"I don't care, you're more important and I know you're not telling me something." Gabriella said being as stubborn as she always has been.

"It's nothing Gabriella," Taylor closed her locker and sighed before brushing past her towards homeroom. Gabriella turned slowly and watched as Taylor walked away soon getting lost in the crowd.

"What the fuck was that?" Gabriella asked to no one in particular.

Giving up on her attempt to understand girls Gabriella walked towards her locker but not before the bell rang and she was issued a detention. The teachers must not be happy about the loss for the team either; they all have their knickers in a bunch.

Once Gabriella gathered her things she walked towards Miss. Darbus's classroom for homeroom which she wasn't in a hurry to get to. Most of the team is in this homeroom and most of the team will be in a bad mood. No smiles, no jokes, just quiet...too much quiet.

"Miss Montez you're late," Miss Darbus said as Gabriella walked into the room. Gabriella scanned the crowd and saw that everyone looked like someone had told them all that they lost their unlimited texting. Even Sharpay looked like part of her was gone.

Sitting in her seat Gabriella tuned out Miss. Darbus and looked at her classmates. Sharpay kept looking over at Zeke with this yearning look that made Gabriella ache for her. Jason was looking forward with this blank look on his face like he didn't know what was going on...well that's normal but this was a real look. Troy had his head down not allowing anyone to see his face. Taylor looked like she might cry as she stared at the back of Chad's head. But Chad was worst of all, he didn't have his basketball.

Gabriella jumped when the bell rang realizing that she didn't pay attention all of homeroom but figured that she didn't miss much. She moved from her seat and ran to find Taylor. Sure Chad was her best friend but sometimes you just don't want to talk to him.

"Taylor!" Gabriella yelled through the noise of the hall to get Taylor's attention. The girl slowed her pace and looked over her shoulder at Gabriella.

"What is going on?" Gabriella asked looking up at her friend in concern. Taylor looked over Gabriella's head. Gabriella hated when people did that but being short she didn't have a choice.

"I told you nothing." Taylor started walking away but Gabriella grabbed her elbow with some force.

"What Gabriella?" Taylor asked glaring at her friend which caught Gabriella off guard.

"Is it about finals coming up? Is it work?" Taylor sighed looking anywhere but in Gabriella's direction. "Taylor I can't help you if you don't say something-"

"We broke up!" Taylor snapped, though the halls were clearing so no one heard.

"Who?" Gabriella asked hoping maybe she heard wrong.

"Me and Chad, we broke up Christmas Eve. There I said it." Taylor started walking away tears forming in her eyes. Gabriella stood there in place letting the information sit in her brain. Then it clicked and she rushed after Taylor stopping her again. This time her friend had tears rolling down her brown cheeks.

"What Gabriella?" Taylor asked trying to keep it together but it obviously wasn't happening. Gabriella just pulled her into a hug and let Taylor cry not caring that they were late for first hour. This was more important.

When they pulled apart a while later Gabriella asked the golden question. "Why did you break up?"

"He found out."

"You told him?" Gabriella asked her eyes becoming large and Taylor shook her head.

"No, Brady did."

"So are we going to try and talk to Chad?" Gabriella asked Taylor as they walked to lunch.

"No, he won't even look at me." Taylor had a frown on her face. Gabriella sighed as they went down the stairs to the cafeteria.

"I don't think what you did was that bad...I mean it was bad. It just wasn't as bad as it could be. You and Chad are perfect for each other. You can't let something you did when you were 16 get in the way. I mean we all do stupid things at 16." Gabriella said knowing she had a few things in her closet to hide.

"Like what? What could be worse than that?" Taylor asked stopping and looking at Chad who was in line with Troy.

"Well look at me. Troy and I had sex when I was 16, right after that I missed my period. I thought I was pregnant but I didn't tell anyone. I went to the clinic and took a test and thankfully it came up negative. I never told Troy." Gabriella confessed getting a look from Taylor.

"Wow, that's life altering. What would you have done if you had been -"

"Abortion. I wouldn't want to ruin things for him...or have my dad hate me." Gabriella said with a shrug.

"Wow, but that still is nothing like cheating."

"I guess but it's still a secret. Want me to talk to him?" Gabriella asked. Taylor smiled shaking her head.

"Knowing you you'd end up having him in a headlock forcing him to talk to me."

"Hey if it works." Gabriella said with a smile nodding her head for Taylor to follow her to their table.

Troy watched Gabriella as she took a sip from her water bottle after their run. She was in a gray sports bra and short black shorts that showed off her legs. Her snickers were gray and neon yellow on the bottom. Her hair was pulled back in a high messy ponytail. Her whole body shined with sweat but Troy found it sexy.

"Checking me out Bolton?" Troy slowly brought his eyes back up towards her big chocolate colored eyes and grinned.

"Maybe, maybe not." Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully

"Mhm sure Bolton." Troy looked down and playing with the draw string on his shorts a moment before looking back up at her. Her eyes were laughing at him as she took another sip of water. "Come down here," She said, Troy frowned slightly before bending down so he was closer to Gabriella's height. She brought the bottle over his head and poured the contents over Troy's head giving him a sweet chill. He opened his eyes and winked at Gabriella standing straight again and opened his bottle putting it over her head and pours the water all over her.

"Thanks," Gabriella said stepping closer to her boyfriend grabbing the draw strings that he had been playing with earlier. Her fingertips tickled his skin around his hips. "You like that?" She asked huskily looking up at Troy with lustful eyes. If she knew how much simple things she did turned him on.

"Yea," Troy said trying to think of other things, they were outside his house. Gabriella brought her hands up his chest making her fingers walk. She pulled on his shoulders to make him bend down and Troy was only at her command. Once she was low enough Gabriella closed her eyes and kissed him slowly. Troy instantly went limp wrapping his arms around her his hands falling around her ass. His hands had a mind of their own back there, his left rubbing and squeezing while the right just rest with his thumb under her waistband.

As the kiss became deeper their sweaty fronts touched and Gabriella stood on her tip toes in pleasure moans when delight hit her. They separated a moment catching their breathes before slowly going at it again completely lost in each other or the fact they were outside Troy's house, or that his parents and cousin had just pulled up.

"Oh ew! That is just disgusting! Troy you're all sweaty!" Troy groaned as Gabriella pulled away with a laugh moving from her boyfriend a blush rising on her cheeks.

"How can you kiss him?" Bridget Troy's cousin continued looking at Troy in disgust.

" Bridget leave them alone," Lucille said with a smirk.

"Lucille, Bridget has a point; we may have to keep a sharper eye on these two." Jack said eyeing Troy and Gabriella as they awkwardly picked up their water bottles. "And poor Mrs. Jenkins sure is having a time looking out that window." Jack continued waving at the elderly lady across the street who shook her head before closing her certain.

"Uh we're just going to uh go -" Troy started looking at Gabriella

"Shower to freshen up." Gabriella finished getting a raised eyebrow from Jack, Lucille and Bridget.

"NO!" Troy and Gabriella said in unison

"Not- not together...we meant -"

"Seperately..." They looked at each other with a blush before heading for the house in a rush.

"I'll shower in my parents room..."

"I'll use yours..." They stood there in the hallway kind of awkward before smiling and without a word kissing each other.

"Hey," Troy said walking into his room to see Gabriella in his shorts and a t-shirt obviously not wearing a bra.

"Hi," She responded seeming deep in thought. Troy frowned closing the door and tossing his towel in his hamper before crawling on the bed next to Gabriella.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked laying his head on a pillow grabbing Gabriella's wet hair wrapping it around his finger.

"Chad and Taylor broke up, did you know that?" Gabriella said after being silent for a few moments.

"What? Why?" Troy asked obviously shocked.

"Taylor cheated on him." Troy was silent letting this run in his head.

"Taylor? Cheated?"

"Yea,"

"What? Why?"

"She heard that Chad had made out with Courtney."

"Courtney? I thought we got rid of that one?" Troy said still confused.

"Yea well Taylor was mad; we went to this party with Shar. She made out with this guy and well yea. Brady knew."

"Wait. What the fuck does Brady have to do with this?" Troy asked putting his arm over his eyes trying to stay focused on the information he was getting.

"He told Chad, Christmas Eve."

"Damn. That bastard how does he know?" Troy said. Gabriella sat there and thought through what she planned to say next. Finally she decided some things could stay quiet.

"No clue,"

Finals Day

Gabriella walked down the hall towards the library since students aren't allowed in the halls during finals period. Though rules are always meant to be broken, just make sure you have a reason to do so.

"Taylor?" Gabriella bent down slightly trying to get a look at the girl sitting on the floor in front of the trophy case with the basketball trophy.

"Hi," She looked up at Gabriella with tear stained cheeks obviously not having a good day. Gabriella looked around the hallway and sat down next to her best friend.

"Tay I –"

"You know the worst way to miss someone?" Taylor asked rhetorically, Gabriella shook her head allowing Taylor to continue as more tears came to her eyes. "When you're sitting right next to them, and you know you can't have them. It hurts like hell, and there's nothing you can do especially when that person won't even give you the time of day."

"Chad still won't –"

"NO! And it hurts Gabriella!" Taylor looked at Gabriella with this heartbroken look that made Gabriella want to cry herself even though she fought against it. "I can't even breathe anymore. It's like someone took one of my lungs out and every time I see Chad a piece of my one lung dies. That leaves me with no air and it hurts, right here." Taylor sobbed touching the place over her heart. Gabriella listened silently as her friend vented tears rolling down her own cheeks.

"I swore I would never get attached to a guy, I mean I've seen what it does to people. I swore Chad was just a guy I had around to kiss and make out with and just have to show off. I mean think about it, I'm not into PDA, I try and not seem interested and I hate the little things he does. Like those damn shirts he wears, where the hell do you buy a shirt that has a donkey on it and says 'Take Away the Jack, and Just Give Me Some Ass'? And his table manners are just horrid! He isn't teachable, and he's always trying to crack jokes when there's a time to be funny and a time to learn. There are other things I know but…what about that basketball? I mean what's with that…" Taylor sobbed harder clutching her hands to her chest. Gabriella watched her before wrapping an arm around Taylor's shoulders and pulled her close allowing her to rest her head.

She let her cry as loud as she wanted, as much as she wanted. Gabriella cried with her staring forward thinking many things but mainly how things weren't supposed to be like this. Taylor and Chad were always okay; they always had it together and hardly ever had a serious fight. They weren't her and Troy; the two who kept their love private in fear that maybe it wouldn't work out. Yet Gabriella is the one sitting here with a heart necklace on her neck and a boyfriend to go home to. Taylor didn't deserve this, she didn't, and neither did Chad.

"I want to hate him," Taylor spoke up after the long silence. "I want to get on Facebook and write a note tagging all of my friends telling Brady's secret. I've actually set it up and everything but when it comes to publishing it…I just can't. I'm not that type of person –"

"That's a good thing," Gabriella said her voice breaking.

"But I want to, I should I have ever right to! I mean that was the deal right? I'll keep your blackmail if you keep mine. Right?" Gabriella pulled Taylor closer.

"Taylor I'm not good at this…girl stuff but sometimes it takes heart break to learn what we want and need in life." There was silence.

"I need to breathe. I need Chad; I need him Gabriella, so bad."

And they stayed there, crying about the love from guys. Taylor was crying over Chad, Gabriella over her dad.

"How were finals?" Gabriella looked up at the door of her bedroom and saw a stranger standing there leaning against the doorframe. Gabriella stayed looking another moment before looking back at her laptop.

"Fine," She replied shortly.

"Oh come on Sport, I'm sure they were great at least." Awkward silence came after but Gabriella did her best to ignore her dad. "Listen why don't we go to the game this weekend? You and I like old times."Gabriella looked up at her father and opened her mouth fully ready to say no.

"Yea, that'd be…fun." Alex grinned and walked over to Gabriella his arms spread making her think he was going to hug her. Gabriella smiled and stood up opening her arms to hug her dad but he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and used his right hand to mess up her hair. Something you'd do with your best friend…or son. Gabriella backed away looking down at the ground.

"I can't wait! You know the team has missed you coming around campus. We'll have a guy's night afterwards." This caught Gabriella's attention, sure she used to live for guys nights but the thought of it just made her cringe a little for some reason. She wrapped her left arm around her waist and used her right hand to grab the heart around her neck that one reminder that she was a girl.

"That..that sounds like…fun." She forced out trying to seem excited and considering her father knows nothing about her, he didn't notice the lie. He grinned and walked out of the room and back downstairs.

Gabriella stayed in that spot looking where her father was last standing. This had been a long day of trying to be the hero for everyone when she's having problems at home. Tears started to sting her eyes and blur her vision. Maybe she needed a guy's night, she'd been crying like such a girl forever and that's not something Scabs does. It's just not something Scabs does.

Gabriella stood at the front door of a house she hadn't been to in a while nervous but knowing this needed to be done. The door opened to reveal just the person she was looking for.

"Hey Scabs…what's up?" Chad asked looking at Gabriella through the screen door. Gabriella looked at him a moment before walking over to a bench that was on his front porch.

"We need to talk, now." Gabriella looked away from him before he could see the tears in her eyes. Chad watched her before turning back into the house letting his mom know he'd be outside talking.

"What's up?" He asked cautiously walking over to her sitting on the railing of the porch.

"A lot," Gabriella said her voice catching on a sob, she covered her face and Chad just watched not moving but not leaving either.

"Gabriella –"

"You know I love you right?"

"I love you too but –" Gabriella held up her hand for him to stop, she had some things to get off her chest.

Hehehehehe. I LOVE it! yes for once I loved a chapter! (:
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xoxo Zoe