Back with yet another chapter! I know I'm taking my time on this one, but do you want it quick, or do you want it right? That's what I thought... right it is! ;-) Thanks, Anna- a second pair of eyes always helps! PS... I don't own anything, in case you've forgotten. Just the storyline. Enjoy and don't forget to review. We've been slacking in that department lately.

Chapter 7

"I've missed talking to you the past few days. Are you having a good time in San Fran?"

"Can I use you for a while?"

"For what?" the person on the other end asked with a smirk.

"I did something and I need to talk it out."

"And you think I can help?"

"Well, Chad, seeing as how it involves Troy and Gabriella, I think you might be interested," she told him, tucking her feet underneath her as she settled back on the couch.

"What did you do and how much work will I have to do to fix it?" he asked knowingly.

"And what exactly makes you think that what I did even needs fixing? Can I not call one of my best friends just to talk?"

"Well, yeah, you can. But Tay, you yourself just said you did something. This is just like when we were dating- you were always trying to throw me off then, too. And besides, do you ever call me 'just to talk'?"

"Chad! Of course I do. I enjoy talking to you."

"Taylor, seriously. The last time you called me 'just to talk' was... Well, I don't think you've ever called me 'just to talk'. Every time you and I talk on the phone we're either plotting and scheming or fighting or working our way into a make up. Now, which category does this phone call fall into? Since we haven't been fighting, I don't think it's a make up. Although that would be nice..." Chad let his voice trail off, expecting to hear a come-back of some sort, as he held the phone to his ear, listening to the silence coming from the other end. "Taylor? I also know that the only time you're silent like this is either when you're studying or something has happened and you're feeling bad about it. And since this is your Spring Break and you have nothing to study for this week, it must be the second option."

Taylor gave out a sigh as she took in what Chad had just said as she processed how she was going to explain the situation. "I think I might have messed up royally this time, Chad."

"Okay, you've got my attention. What happened?"

"Aren't you in Athens this week, too?"

"I am."

"Have you not talked to Troy? I figured he would have told you everything by now."

"Taylor..." he said in a warning tone. "You're procrastinating and you've never been good at it. Now you better talk to me before I do go find Hoops and get a one-sided story and form an opinion before I hear both sides, because you know I'm good at that and I'm trying to change that about myself!"

"I guess the best way to do this is just to start at the beginning, huh?" When she didn't get a response, Taylor rolled her eyes and took a breath, gathering all her courage. "Okay, so you know how in college almost all couples get engaged at some point in their junior or senior year? I mean, you told me yourself that your roommate just asked his girlfriend last month and that four out of the six seniors on your team are also engaged."

"That's because the other two don't have girlfriends to propose to," Chad pointed out reasonably.

"Chad, you're one of those other two," she said.

"And that's exactly how I know that's the real reason I'm not engaged right now and it's not because I got rejected," he joked.

"You never did handle rejection well," she teased.

"You're getting off topic, McKessie."

"You can't blame me for trying," she muttered. "Anyway, it occurred to me that I haven't gotten that excited, over-the-moon phone call from Gabriella. I just started getting concerned."

"Concerned about what?"

"Well, I just couldn't help but wonder if she and Troy were having problems or something. That's all."

"Wait, just because they aren't engaged, you think they're having problems?" Chad asked. "Who are we talking about here? Taylor, that's insane and you know it!"

"Well, I know that now. Especially after what I did."

"What did you do?" When he was met with silence, he continued. "Lucy, I think you have some 'splainin' to do," he said, using his best Ricky Ricardo imitation.

"Chad?" she said, trying to hide the smile from her voice.

"Yeah?"

"That was a horrible imitation."

"But did it get my point across?"

"Whatever," she said while rolling her eyes. "Anyway, like I was saying, I came out here and they looked happy, but I started wondering if they really are. I mean, is she hiding her disappointment behind her smiles? Is she really okay with the fact that Mr. Basketball Hot Shot hasn't proposed to her yet? He's putting her off and I think she's holding herself back waiting for him, Chad."

"Wait, you think? Gabriella and Troy know what they want for their future, Tay. So what is she holding herself back from,Taylor? Marriage? From being prepared for her future? From making sure she and Troy have everything in order and are really ready to get married?"

"No, Chad, from other guys who may be a better match for her and are ready to get married. She has to get herself out there, make sure she looks at all of her options and make it known that she is still available. There are other guys out there who can make her perfectly happy and are ready for marriage now. She just has to get out there and meet them."

"Tay, Baby, this is Troy and Gabriella we're talking about. You may not think they're perfect for each other- although I still can't figure out why, because even Sharpay sees it finally." He let his voice trail off with that thought before he quickly jumped back in to finish his first comment. "With anyone else, she'll be miserable for the rest of her life. Taylor, listen to me. Troy is ready. He'll get on one knee and pop the question to her today if he thought it was the right thing to do."

"Why would it not be the right thing to do, Chad? If you ask me, he's just slowly pushing her away and he doesn't even realize it."

"Taylor, I hate to tell you this, but you do realize that your opinion doesn't count in this situation, right? Did you know that Troy already has a ring for Gabriella?" Chad let out the one nugget of information that he knew he shouldn't have. He couldn't help himself, though. He was slowly getting frustrated at Taylor and the direction in which the rest of her story was going and he had to say something to get her to see how foolish what she was saying really was.

"He what?" she asked, making sure she heard Chad correctly. "Then why hasn't he given it to her yet? What in the hell is he waiting on?"

"He's waiting on a decent job after he graduates so he can not only pay for a decent honeymoon, but also make sure he can save some money up for him and Gabriella and their future. He knows that she's going to law school after Stanford and he doesn't want her to feel like she has to work for the next three years and study her butt off at the same time. He wants to take responsibility and be able to fully provide for her. He's actually doing the right thing by not proposing to her yet."

Taylor hesitated with the new information she had just been given. "I guess all of that does make sense," she relented. "But it may be too late for them."

"What did you do?"

"I maybe kinda sorta stepped in," she told him as she pulled one of the thumbs up to her mouth and started chewing on the nail.

"'Maybe kinda sorta'? Taylor, why am I suddenly nervous?"

"Gee, Chad, you make it sound like I always meddle."

"Cricket, cricket," Chad joked.

"Charles David Danforth! I am so not a meddler!"

"Well, Taylor Elizabeth McKessie, why don't you tell me what you did and let me be the judge of that?"

"Well, there's this guy-"

"Oh, man. Taylor, really?" Chad asked, rolling his eyes despite the fact that she couldn't see him.

"Will you let me finish?" she asked. When she didn't hear a response on the other end, she continued. "Look, last night, Gabriella and I went to a study session for her LSAT prep class. There was a guy there. I mentioned that he was good looking and she kinda convinced me that I should give him my number. I walked over to him and started talking and found out that he's actually liked Gabriella for some time now. Since freshman year, actually. So I picked up a pen to write down my number, except..." Taylor said, allowing her voice to trail off at the very end.

"Except what?" he prompted her to continue.

"...except it wasn't my number I wrote down."

"Taylor, tell me you didn't," he warned. Taylor opened her mouth to continue with the story, but was cut off by the sound of a knock on the door on the other end of the phone.

"Is that your door?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is. Hang on a sec." Chad pulled the phone from his ear and held it in his hand as he stood from his spot on the bed in his hotel room and made his way across the floor to the door, opening it without looking through the peep hole.

"You will not believe what she did this time! I can't believe I even considered agreeing for her to visit while I'm not there!" Chad's eyes grew wide when they focused on the person who had just pushed his way past him and into the room before he brought the phone back to his ear.

"I'll call you back later." Chad then hung up the phone without waiting on a response from Taylor before shutting the door and turning to greet his best friend and rival who was currently pacing the length of the room, setting his phone on the dresser as he passed in the process. "What are you doing here, man? Aren't we supposed to be rivals this week?"

"We'll go back to being rivals in a little bit. Can't I visit my best friend for a while?"

"Hell yeah, but... let me guess... you need to vent about Tay?" Chad asked, receiving a glare from Troy in response.

"Can we not mention her name? Can't she just be 'that other girl' for the duration of this conversation?" Chad chuckled at Troy's request.

"Is she that bad of a house guest?" he asked, not letting on that he already had some inkling as to what Troy was talking about. "I'll tell you what," he continued after Troy didn't answer. "Why don't you tell me what she did and let me decide about what kind of house guest she really is? Don't forget that she and I have- well, you know. We've been house guests toget- you know what? Nevermind."

"Dude, I don't need the details of that week again," Troy told him, referring to the time during their sophomore year when Troy, Gabriella, and Taylor all returned to Albuquerque for a week during Thanksgiving. All three stayed with the Boltons for a few days- for the purpose of spending those days just catching up. Troy and Gabriella returned from a grocery store run for Troy's mom only to walk in on Taylor and Chad playing their own game of 'catch up' in Troy's bedroom. "I've not been able to use those sheets since."

"Sorry," he said with a grin. "So what happened?"

"I called Brie this morning," Troy began with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"Yeah? So why so down? I thought talking to Gabster usually cheered you up?"

Troy ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath before continuing. "Not when she tells me that Taylor has given her number to some other guy and that she's actually thinking about what she wants and is starting to doubt me and the fact that I have a plan."

"She said that?"

"Not in so many words, but I know her, you know? I can tell she's got some new thoughts in her brain. I know what she's saying without her actually saying it."

"Why don't you tell me about the conversation? Maybe it's not as bad as you think," Chad offered, not letting on that Taylor had already told him.

"Maybe if I just tell her about the ring-" Troy started as he sat down on the bed, only to be interrupted by Chad.

"No!" Chad practically yelled, catching Troy off guard. "No, Man," Chad said, a little calmer. "You can't do that. I mean, you have this whole plan of how and when. You've thought this through. You are so close; you can't ruin it all now just because Taylor's on a rampage or because some other guy has Gabriella's phone number."

"But what if he calls her?"

"Then he calls her," Chad said pointedly, shrugging, as he leaned against the low dresser across from the bed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, tucking each of his hands under his armpits. "Do you doubt Gabriella's love for you?"

"No," Troy answered without hesitation.

"Then trust her to make the right decision. Just let it go for now. So another guy has her number. Does this guy know that she has a boyfriend that she's practically married to already?"

"You've heard me talk about this guy from her study group, right? The one who's been after her since our freshman year?"

"Yeah," Chad said slowly. "What was his name again? David or something like that?"

"Davis," Troy corrected him. "He's the one that Tay gave Gabriella's number to. This guy has been after her since our third week out in California."

"But she's turned him down every time, right?" He paused to see Troy nod in agreement. "Then why do you think this time will be any different?"

"Because of Taylor," Troy told him honestly.

"I'm not quite sure I'm following where you're going with this..." Chad admitted.

"Taylor is the one who's trying to convince Brie that she absolutely has to be engaged by the time we graduate. She's telling her that if I haven't proposed by now then I'm apparently not going to."

"So you think that due to Taylor's incredibly persuasive ways, Gabster's going to freak out about you and the relationship you two have and have had for the past how many years now?"

"Almost five and a half years," Troy said while looking down at his feet.

"But now that's all going to hell in a hand basket just because of some crazy idea Taylor has? And I bet it's one that she probably got from her sister who has crazy ideas to begin with."

Troy looked at the ceiling as he silently pondered what Chad told him. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right. I should just let it go for now. There's no use in worrying about something that is more than likely not going to happen. Right?"

"That's right. Just concentrate on your game this afternoon. Your team needs you to be 500 percent today."

"You've been watching?" Troy asked as he looked back in Chad's direction.

"Oh, yeah, Man. Gotta check out the competition," he joked as he ducked a pillow that Troy threw in his direction.

"Yeah, I'll see you later. Thanks for listening."

"Hey, that's why I'm here, right?" Chad said. The two stood and walked towards each other, meeting for a brotherly hug and giving each other a few manly pats on the back. "This is Gabriella Montez we're talking about. The one who for some crazy reason is head over heels in love with you- although I can't understand why- no matter how many times Tay or anyone else has tried to change her mind."

The two said their goodbyes and Troy left his friend's hotel room. Chad waited until the door closed before picking up his phone from the top of the dresser where he set it when Troy first came in. He found her name in his contacts list and quickly hit send, waiting patiently and smiling to himself as he heard the ring back tone of Katy Perry's "Firework" on the other end.

"That song is so you, Gabster."

"Hey! You've reached Gabriella. I can't get to my phone right now. Please leave me a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Have a blessed day!"

"Gabster!" he practically yelled into the phone, as per his standard greeting in anyone's voicemail that all his friends have grown so accustomed to hearing. "I'm sorry you missed me. We both know that talking to me is the highlight of your day. Call me. I need to talk to you. Bye for now."

Chad busied himself getting prepared for the afternoon's games and it was just a few minutes later when he heard Bruno Mars' voice sound throughout his room.

"Today I don't feel like doing anything. I just wanna lay in my bed. Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone. 'Cause today I'm not doing anything."

He picked up his phone and smirked when he saw the name and picture show up on the screen of his phone as he answered it.

"If this isn't a brunette, smarty-pants, Stanford student, then I don't want to talk to you."

"Hey, Chad," she greeted her friend.

"This must be a good day for you," he pointed out.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it sounds like you're smiling. Are you having a good visit with Taylor?" he asked, not letting it known that he not only had talked to Taylor and Troy but also knows what's been going on. He listened as Gabriella let out a frustrated sigh.

"I can't believe her. Let me tell you what she's done."

"Honestly, you don't really have to. I've um, I've already talked to her and to Troy both."

"Oh," she said softly. "So um, so you know about what's going on?"

"Yeah," he told her, trying to tap into the brotherly role that he had perfected over the years. Despite the fact that Gabriella was older by exactly two months, Chad still felt like an older brother to her and she didn't hesitate to let him step into that role whenever necessary. This was one of those times in Gabriella's opinion.

"What are your thoughts?" she asked, hearing him release a sigh.

"How did I know that question was coming?" he asked with a sigh. "That's a tough one, Gabs. I don't know. I mean, on the one hand, Taylor is just looking out for you. Or at least she thinks she is. But there's this part of her that doesn't know Troy like you and I do. She doesn't see how happy you really are. She just knows that there are other guys out there who see how hot you are."

"Chad..." Gabriella said with a roll of her eyes. She had become more confident in herself in the recent years, but was still uncomfortable with being called 'hot' by anyone, including Troy.

"On the other hand," he quickly rushed on, "I can see how what she did would bother you and Troy. I mean, here you two are, happy and ready to start planning for your future soon. All it takes is her doing what she thinks is helping to really throw a wrench in all those plans."

"'Think' being the key word, Chad. If you're not sure that something is going to help after all, then by golly, keep your nose out of it!"

"You know this is part of the reason she and I broke up, right? I mean, other than the distance. Her sister convinced her that she needed to play the field and see who else was out there. Maybe in our case she was right. But in your case, I don't think she is. What she did really ticked you off, didn't it?"

"Uh, yeah!" she told him sarcastically.

"Why?" he asked. When he was met by nothing but the sounds of breathing, he continued. "Oh my God, you're thinking, aren't you?"

"What?" Gabriella asked him, confused, as she sat down on the bench near her favorite tree on the campus of Stanford. The same tree that she and Troy came to many times to 'get away'. The same tree she and Troy waltzed around when he came to convince her to go back to East High their senior year.

"You're thinking. Why are you thinking? It's fine to be angry at her and hurt. What she did... she shouldn't have done. I'm not going to defend her on this. But don't think about what she did, Gabs. Just roll your eyes at her and move on. You were perfectly fine and dandy, happy with the way things were for you and Troy. Taylor walks in with her crazy ideas and gives your number to some other guy and now all of a sudden, you're thinking. She's got you thinking that maybe things aren't as peachy as you believed. She's made you think about the others that are out there. Oh, Gabriella, tell me you're not. Please tell me you're still happy and all that." Chad's tone turned to pleading and it didn't go un-noticed by Gabriella.

"Don't worry, Chad. I am still happy and everything." Chad released a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding, only to catch it again with her next words. "But what if-"

"No!" he yelled. "Gabriella, no 'what ifs', okay? Things are fine. Things are the way they're supposed to be. I mean, you and Troy... that's the way it's supposed to be. You guys have a plan-"

"We do?"

"Well, yeah. Don't you?"

"Not one that I'm aware of. Other than conversations we've had here and there, but that's not a plan. There's been no mention of when or how or even if he's going to propose. At least, nothing that has been brought to my attention. Do you know something that I don't?" she prodded, trying to get some information.

"But you have talked about marriage. You've talked about your future together, and you've talked about that with each other. Your future is you and Hoops. You know that," Chad pressed seriously.

"I thought I knew that. But, you know, maybe Tay has opened my eyes to other possibilities..."

"Well, stop listening to Taylor!" Chad ordered. "My point is," he continued, "don't do anything rash. I mean, if someone calls-"

"They already have."

"What?" Chad asked, shocked at this new puzzle piece. He was not expecting the other young man to have the guts to move so quickly, especially with Troy still in the picture. "What do you mean 'they already have'?"

"I've already gotten a phone call from the guy that Tay gave my number to."

"And?"

"He left me a message on my voice mail asking if I wanted to get lunch today."

"And are you?" he asked her. Please say no. Please say no. He tried hard to ignore the voice inside his head and focus only on Gabriella.

"I don't know," she said. Chad pulled the phone from his ear and beat it against his forehead a few times, pulling it back to his ear when he heard her voice continue speaking. "What would it hurt if I did?"

"I can't believe that I'm hearing you say that. Gabriella, do you realize what that would do to Troy? Just hearing that you are even thinking about going to lunch with another guy- and we're not talking a study date here... Gabs, seriously?" He felt his own heart sink a little at her admission.

"Chad, we're just friends. Me going to lunch with Davis-"

"Wait, with who?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as his eyes grew wide.

"A friend of mine. His name is Davis. Why?"

"Gabriella, I'm telling you now as someone who loves you, don't go to lunch with that guy."

"And why not, Chad? It's my life."

"Gabs... I just-" Chad stopped to really think about what he wanted to say, what he wanted her to do, and how her decision could affect his very best friend. "I just want you to think about everything. How will this affect Troy knowing that you're having lunch with this Davis guy? This isn't just some random guy. We both know what Troy thinks of Davis. You call it jealousy, I call it fear. Either way, it means it hurts him." Chad hoped that what he was saying would somehow penetrate into her thick skull.

"Are you going to tell him?" she asked pointedly.

"No, but I think you should."

"Why? So I'm going out to lunch with a friend. I can do that. It's not like Troy and I are engaged or anything."

"Wow. This is a side of you I don't know... and I'm not sure Troy does either. If this is what Taylor brings out in you, I can see why Hoops is so upset. You've been talking to Taylor way too much. Gabs, you asked for my opinion and here it is: I think that if you go to lunch with this Davis guy, you'll be making a huge mistake." When he was met with silence, he leaned his head back in frustration and looked at the ceiling. "You know what? Do what you want. You're right; it's your life. But do me a favor, okay?"

"What's that?"

"When this all blows up in your face, don't say that I didn't try to warn you." Chad didn't give her a chance to respond before he hung up. He ran his hand along his face and shook his head. "Oh, Hoops, man." He looked at his watch, noticing the time and grabbed the key card to his room before walking out with plans to set off in search of Troy.

TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF

It didn't take long for Chad to find Troy. He headed straight to the gym where he knew Troy would more than likely be and found him in the locker room. As he sat down on the bench in front of the lockers across from where Troy was, he heard Troy's side of yet another phone conversation. It didn't take much for him to put two and two together and figure out that Taylor was on the other end. His heart broke for his best friend, his brother, and the situation that was going on, but he also felt bad for Taylor. Yes, what she did was wrong and she shouldn't have stuck her nose in where it didn't belong, but at the same time, she thought she was helping. That was the kind of person Taylor was; could anyone blame her?

"The longer you are there the more upset she gets and the angrier it makes me. We've lived together for seven months and have loved each other for a lot longer. Just because you can't find the same kind of love doesn't give you the right to barge in on what we've got and try to break us up... I don't care, Tay. You know Gabriella is sensitive and naive when it comes to love and dating and just friendships in general. You know she questions herself every day about me loving her and not some cheerleader bimbo and there are times that I have to reassure her of that - and I'm happy to do so every time! But she has enough of her own doubts without you coming in and making things a hundred times worse... Come on Taylor, she's supposed to be your best friend. Can you not just keep her company while I'm gone and tell her that I love her? Do you have to take the chance to drive some wedge between us that doesn't belong there?"

Chad watched as Troy stood and started pacing, running his hand through his hair and then rubbing the back of his neck. He signaled for Troy to turn on the speaker phone function, and then heard Taylor's voice come through the phone.

"I'm sorry, Troy, but I just think she deserves to know that other men are interested in her. If you're not going to marry her, then she needs to know that someone else will. You aren't the only man out there. There are bound to be others who can satisfy her needs just as well and are willing to promise her forever with real commitment."

Troy turned his eyes to meet Chad's and the fire that Chad saw there caused him to shrink back in fear. In all the years that he'd known Troy, he'd never seen him this angry.

"Damnit, Taylor!" Troy seethed, making Taylor very happy that they were several states away from each other at that moment. "I have promised her forever, Taylor! I have given her every piece of my heart and I am committed to her more than I'm committed to anything else in my life. I love her and she knows that. There is no reason she should question that! NONE! You're sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong, Taylor McKessie. You may be brain-smart but with your heart you are obviously clueless. For your information, Gabriella and I have talked about marriage. We are working on a plan for our lives, our marriage, and our future. And guess what? None of those plans involve your opinion. So keep it to yourself!"

Troy quickly hung up and turned to face Chad. "Now do you see what Gabriella and I are dealing with?"

"Then I guess this would be a bad time to tell you that I've talked to Gabriella."

"You did?" Troy asked, interested yet still hesitant. "What did she say?" he asked almost shyly.

"She's uh-" Chad watched his best friend pace one way, then turn and practically stumble as he paced back in the other direction. "-she got asked out to lunch by a 'friend'," he said, using his fingers to make air quotes, causing Troy to stop, catch himself, and lift his face to stare at Chad.

"And?" Troy prodded.

"And she's thinking about going," Chad told him softly.