Hello, all! Here's another chapter for you. Please remember... I don't own anything about this story. Not the characters, not the University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!), nothing. Just the plot line.

Enjoy and review, please!

Chapter 8: Decisions, Decisions

Troy stopped his pacing and turned to face Chad. He stared at his friend for several seconds while he processed what he had just said before bursting out in forced laughter.

"I'm sorry, Chad. Man, it just sounded like you said that Gabriella was thinking about going to lunch with this other guy." He continued with the fake laugh until he looked at Chad's face and saw the unsmiling expression. "Chad?" Again, he was met by silence. "No. No, she can't be," he said, shaking his head.

Suddenly, without warning, he picked up the closest basketball from near his feet and threw it with all his might against the lockers that were ten feet away from him, causing Chad to begin an internal battle with himself.

Should I stop him from destroying the place?... No, let him get it all out. Better here than over the phone to Gabs.

He crossed his arms and watched as Troy turned almost animalistic: punching the lockers, turning his duffel bag upside down, ranting about 'that guy'... It was a side of Troy that Chad had rarely seen in all of their almost twenty-two years of friendship.

If someone sees him like this, he'll be benched for the game. Maybe even the rest of the tournament.

With that thought, Chad stood from his spot on the bench in front of the row of lockers and stepped in front of Troy, calmly placing his hands on his friend's shoulders. The look in Troy's eyes didn't match his angry outburst. Instead, it showed Chad the hurt that was in his heart. Chad took a deep breath and nodded to let his friend, his confidant, his 'brother', know he understood his pain and confusion.

"Troy. Hoops. Dude, it's real, but listen to me. First off, she said she's thinking about it. That may not mean squat to you right now, but it's what she said, okay?" Chad waited for some kind of reaction, a sign from Troy, letting him know that he was listening. When he received an eye roll in response, Chad continued. "Second, think about where you are right now- where we are. I know it's hard, but you've gotta push the confusion outta your mind for now. You have to focus on your game. Focus that angry energy on the net and let that ball fly. For the next couple of hours, the game is all that matters. We're in your backyard, going at it like we always have, okay? It's East versus West, all over again, Man. I know you love her; I know that. But right now, it's not the girl. It's the game." Chad paused once again, watching as the blueness in his eyes brightened up slightly. "Alright. Now, give me your phone. I'll hold on to it while you're playing. If someone calls, I'll handle it. Just get out there and play your ass off like you always do."

"But-" Troy started, only to be interrupted by Chad shaking his head and holding his hand out. Troy sighed, pulled his phone from his pocket and slammed it in Chad's open palm, then continued with a nod. "You're right. I can't think about what's going on back in San Fran right now. It's too distracting. The game is what matters right now. After that I'll try to call later and hopefully we can work through it all. Thanks."

"Hey, Man, you're welcome. I'm no sap, but I care, okay? I don't like this anymore than you do. But I couldn't just sit here and let you take it out on the locker room... too risky. If someone had seen you-"

"I could have been benched. I know." Troy turned to exit the locker room, only to stop in the doorway when he heard Chad call out to him.

"Hey, Hoops!"

Troy turned around and Chad approached him, speaking quietly so only Troy could hear him.

"What team?" he asked with a smile.

"Wildcats, of course. Always..." Troy responded with a grin of his own. The two 'brothers' gave each other their signature fist pump before going their separate ways- Troy out to join his team in their warmup activities on the court and Chad to find his seat in the bleachers.

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When the game was over, Troy didn't take the time to shower and clean up. He just changed his clothes and met up with Chad out in the gym. With it being their last night in Athens, the two already had plans in place to grab dinner before their good-byes, knowing that it would be two and a half more months before seeing each other again. Those plans were in place when the guys first found out about the tournament and long before this whole mess with Gabriella. Given everything that Troy found himself dealing with, he was looking forward to this night with Chad and the two beers that he would set as his limit.

Within minutes, he and Chad found themselves sitting in a booth tucked away in the far corner at the bar and grill that was within walking distance to Stegeman Coliseum and the campus of the University of Georgia. Chad was talking excessively about the tournament, about his classes, and about finals and graduation which were quickly approaching.

"...and then Sharpay called and told me that Ryan would be in town and would I be willing to get together with them while he was home-" He stopped talking when he realized that Troy wasn't listening. Instead, he was playing with the phone that he had been holding in his hands ever since the two left the coliseum about fifteen minutes prior. "Dude?" he said, trying to get Troy's attention. No response. "Hoops?" he tried again. "Troy?" Again, the same result. Finally, Chad tried a different approach. "Hey, look! There's Gabriella! Hey, Gabster, over here!" Chad stood and waved his arms in the air, causing Troy to finally look up at him.

"What? How can Gabriella be here? She's in San Francis- Hey, wait. What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"I was trying to get your attention! It worked, didn't it?"

"What are you talking about? I've been paying attention," Troy told him.

"Oh, really? What have I been saying?" Chad challenged.

"You've been talking about... um, about the uh... the Balloon Fiesta coming up back home?" Troy asked, hopefully.

"Dude, shut up. The Fiesta's not until October; you know that! You've so not been paying attention to me."

"Sorry, Man," Troy mumbled.

"Whatever," Chad said. "If I didn't know what was going on with you, I'd be offended."

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Chad," Troy pointed out forlornly. "I can't do anything while I'm not there, not until I get back. Anything can be going on right now while I'm gone."

Chad grabbed Troy's phone from him and instantly found Gabriella's number. He brought it up on the screen and held it out to Troy. "Call her," he instructed.

"What?" Troy asked.

"Call. Her." He watched Troy as he appeared to be contemplating what Chad just said. "What would you say to her if you did talk to her?"

"I don't know, to be honest with you," Troy admitted.

Chad finally gave up on waiting for Troy to take the phone back from him and hit the green send button before holding it up to his ear, hearing the familiar Katy Perry ring-back tone on the other end, and then placing it against Troy's ear. "Well, you better think fast. It's ringing."

Troy sat there frozen in his seat, his eyes the size of saucers. He just stared at the phone in Chad's hand and watched as the seconds on the timer increased. Finally, he shook his head to release himself from the daze he was currently in and grabbed the phone, bringing it to his ear.

"When did I ever become scared to talk to my girlfriend?" he asked Chad, rhetorically. "I haven't been this nervous since she first came to-" He stopped talking when he heard her voice on the other end.

"Hello?" she said. "Troy?" she asked when she was met by silence. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, hey. I'm here, sorry. Chad was distracting me." Troy looked up in time to see Chad shaking his head in disbelief. "Hang on a second, Babe. Let me go outside. It's a little less noisy out there."

"Okay."

Troy pointed to the picture of a Sam Adams on the table tent, signifying to Chad to order him one. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, receiving a nod from Chad in response. When he exited the restaurant, he continued with his conversation.

"Oh, Baby, I miss you so much," he sighed into the phone.

"I miss you, too. How was the game this evening?"

"It went okay. Our defense was all over the place and allowed way too many points for their offense. I got fouled a couple of times. Andy, Nick, and a couple of the others did, too. It was a game we ended up winning, but we didn't deserve to."

"Hey, a win is a win, right?" she told him, repeating words that she'd heard him say on numerous occasions in the past.

"Yeah, you're right."

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for several seconds. Finally, Troy broke the ice.

"Gabriella, what in the world is going on?"

"What do you mean?"

Troy sighed, fighting to keep his frustration at bay. "Gabriella, Chad told me that you're going out with-"

"Thinking about," she clarified.

"Fine, thinking about. Whatever." He paused as he ran his hand through his hair, trying to get his thoughts in order. "Gabriella... I just..." His voice trailed off with his uncertainty of what he really wanted to say.

"Troy? It's just lunch. It means nothing."

"To you!"

"What?" she asked, not sure if she understood what he was getting at or not. "What do you mean to me?"

"Brie, this guy wants more than just lunch with you. He has since our freshman year," he pointed out. "Every time I turn around, this guy is trying to swoop in and push me out of the way."

"Troy, it's not like that." He couldn't help but notice the pleading tone in her voice.

Why is she trying to convince me? he wondered.

Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself before his next question. He breathed out slowly and opened his eyes. "Brie, Baby, don't do anything until I get home."

"Troy, I think the decision is mine. It's not like we're-" she stopped talking when she realized what she was about to say.

Troy's breath caught in his throat when he caught on to the unspoken ending of Gabriella's previous statement.

"Go ahead and say it, Gabriella. You were going to say that it's not like we're engaged. I don't own you. I have no say in what you do. That's it, right? That's what you were going to say?"

"Troy, don't do this please," she pleaded. Troy felt his heart break a little more as he heard the emotion in her voice.

How can she do this to me? To us?

"Don't do this? Gabriella, I'm not the one considering going out with another guy!" he spat out. "I think I should be the one telling you to not do this!"

The two slipped back into their uncomfortable silence that was typically uncommon for them. Troy leaned his head back and banged it on the window that was behind the bench he was sitting on while- back in California- Gabriella played at the hem of the tee shirt she was wearing... an old high school basketball practice jersey of Troy's that she always seemed to find comfort in. Finally, Troy spoke up again.

"Brie, Baby, I need you to promise me something."

"What's that?" she asked in a small voice.

"Please don't do anything until I get back. I'll be home tomorrow; we'll talk this out and make a decision then."

"'Make a decision'?" she asked, as her voice cracked with unshed emotion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Please, Brie. If you cherish what we have together at all, please. Just wait."

Gabriella couldn't believe what she was hearing. Is that... an ultimatum?

"Fine," she told him.

"Thank you," Troy said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you," she told him as she pulled the phone from her ear and hit the end before he could say anything else.

Troy stood from his spot on the bench and went inside, weaving his way through all the other tables on his way back to his seat. He immediately picked up his bottle of Sam Adams and took a big swig before he turned his attention to Chad.

"Well?" Chad asked. "What'd she say?"

Troy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Chad, it was almost like she was trying to convince me that it'll be okay for her to go out with this guy. That lunch is 'no big deal'."

"And?" Chad prompted.

"And I asked her to please wait till I get home before she does anything. I told her we'd talk about it and we'll make a decision together," he said as he stared down at the bottle in his hands.

Chad let out a low, disbelieving whistle.

"What?" Troy asked, picking at the corner of the label.

"Dude, you realize that you just basically gave her an ultimatum, right? You're basically pushing her into this other guy's arms." He watched as Troy froze in his motions, considering the words just spoken, and slowly lifted his head so he was looking Chad in the eyes.

"Damnit," he mumbled, taking another long sip from the bottle.

"Can we get another round, please?" Chad called out to the passing waitress on behalf of his best friend.

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Back in California, the mood in the apartment was filled with tension. Gabriella hung up her phone and crossed the room. She selected a movie from the shelf and inserted it in the dvd player, settling down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Ten minutes into the movie, Taylor emerged from the bathroom, fresh out of the shower, and spotted Gabriella on the couch. She took a deep breath and tentatively approached her.

"May I?" she asked, pointing to the spot next to Gabriella. Gabriella eyed her guest and scooted over, making room on the couch.

"This doesn't mean I've forgiven you," she pointed out.

"I'm okay with that," Taylor told her. "For now," she added after a short pause. "I know it's going to take you a while to get over what I did, but you'll realize that it was for your own good. I had your best interest in mind. I just want you to know that I don't want you to miss out on anything. You deserve to be happy."

"I am happy with Troy, Taylor. That's all that matters. But I'm not going to talk about that right now. I just want to enjoy Twilight and the joys that are Robert and Taylor."

"I can do that," Taylor agreed. The two girls locked gazes; Taylor's eyes were hopeful- hopeful for forgiveness and longing for her apology to be accepted- while Gabriella's look was one of confusion. The two broke their stare and turned their focus back to the television set.

When the movie was over and the credits were rolling an hour and fifty minutes later, Gabriella hit the power button on the remote, bathing the room in silence.

"Have you decided yet?" Taylor asked hesitantly.

"Does it matter? Whatever I decide is going to be the wrong decision to someone."

"Gabriella-"

"No, Taylor. If I go out with Davis, I hurt Troy. I hurt us and what we have. If I don't, I hurt Davis. And what's more important, I hurt you and perhaps ruin one of the best friendships I've ever had only because you don't approve of what Troy and I have. So regardless of what I decide, I come out as the bad guy and I'm not sure I want to deal with that."

"Can I just say one more thing and then we're done?"

"Can I stop you? I mean, I've tried stopping you for the past three days and haven't been successful yet. Is there a stop button for you when it comes to butting into my personal life?"

"I deserve that," Taylor softly admitted.

"You think?" Gabriella snapped. Taylor looked down at the floor while chewing on her lip, but not before Gabriella caught the look of pain on her face. She let out a sigh before continuing. "Look, Taylor, I know that you're just doing what you think is best. You think that you're looking out for my best interest. You think I'm just wasting away while waiting on Troy. But can I tell you something?" She paused, waiting on Taylor to nod. "As harsh as this is going to sound, it's true and I don't mean for it to hurt you. But Troy and I have been having problems these past few days that he's been gone. Do you know why?" Taylor lifted her eyes from the floor to study Gabriella's face.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"Because of you," Gabriella told her. "Because of all this crap you've had me thinking about. Troy and I have been trying to talk about all of it and come up with a solution together, but every time we do, we end up arguing. So for that, I say thank you. Thank you for practically destroying my perfect relationship that I already have. Or maybe I should put that in the past tense- my perfect relationship that I had. We'll find out when he gets home tomorrow." Having said what she'd been holding in, Gabriella stood from the couch and picked up her phone from the coffee table and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and leaving Taylor sitting on the couch with the tears silently falling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the silence of the living room before standing from her place on the couch and following Gabriella's lead and locking herself in the other bedroom for the evening.

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Gabriella found herself pacing the length of the bedroom, casting glares at her phone every few seconds.

"How could the two of you be against me so much?" she asked the inanimate object, obviously not expecting a response. "I know she was the instigator, but you're on her side!"

She stared at the device for a few seconds before groaning in frustration. "That's real nice, Gabriella. Talk to the phone like it's going to respond. Is there a safe place to hide from the nice men with the white coats and restraints when they come to get you?" She rolled her eyes at herself as she resumed her pacing.

She flopped herself down on the bed with an over dramatic groan.

"What to do? What to do?"

Suddenly, as she laid on the bed trying to make sense of everything, Taylor's words from the other night came rushing back at her.

"...just 'having a boyfriend' isn't enough anymore...".

"It's been over 5 years and he hasn't put a ring on your finger yet! How much longer are you going to wait?"

"You know what?" Gabriella said out loud into the silence of the bedroom. "I won't have answers otherwise." She leaned over and picked up the phone from the it's spot where she set it on the bedside table and found the number she was looking for in her contact list. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering her courage before she hit send. When the person on the other end answered, she voiced her greeting.

"Hey, it's me. Um, do you have a minute?"