Disclaimer - I don't own the song "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus or "Bad" by Michael Jackson (R.I.P.)

Chapter 25 – Spring Fling

The next morning, Gabriella walked through her front door and smiled. Troy was so sweet it killed her. Last night was one of those nights where they had not had sex or anything close to it; they just took a long, peaceful walk by the lake, holding hands, and occasionally commenting on whatever randomly came in contact with their lines of vision. And as usual, they eventually reached their favorite oak tree and just lie under its protective branches for an unknown time span. Time never existed during those comfy moments as they rested in each other's arms. Even their sweet kisses seemed more loving during these times. She was his angel and he was her rock.

She stepped into the kitchen to find her mother cooking an egg and pancake breakfast like always. Gina looked up at Gabriella and smiled. "Hey, Gabby. How was your night?"

Gabriella beamed back. "Perfect, as usual. We did absolutely nothing and I feel like I've never been happier. Have I mentioned that I love him?"

Gina laughed. "I think it slipped out a few times."

"Good." Gabriella flopped herself down on a stool and, crossing her arms before leaning against the kitchen island, looked around the room confused. "Where's Brandon?"

Gina turned back to the eggs and smirked knowingly. "Still sleeping. I didn't want to disturb him." The smile on her face got even bigger.

"Why not? Peanut butter pancakes are his favorite."

Gina's grin grew into a light giggle. As she drew four plates from the cupboard, she replied "Don't worry about him, sweetie, I'm sure he has a reason to be tired."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I don't know why; it's not like he and Izzy are doing anything."

Gina just kept grinning.

Gabriella sighed and pushed herself up from the stool. "I'm going to go see what's up. We girls have hair appointments in twenty minutes, anyway."

"Brandon's door is locked."

"I have the key."

"Gabriella," Gabriella turned around impatiently. "I'm telling you, just leave them alone. You can be a few minutes late to the hair dresser."

"You're forgetting that we're friends with Sharpay, mom," Gabriella finalized, as though it were obvious, "I'll be back down in a second."

With that, Gabriella made her way over to the staircase. As she walked, she noticed the faint aroma of roses and looked over into the living room, arching an eyebrow. Half a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream sat on the coffee table along with rose petals all over the floor. Brandon's new guitar lay on the floor with what looked to be tear stains on the glossy surface. Then she saw something that she really couldn't believe.

Isabelle's shoes lay in between the two sofas. Why were they still here? Isabelle didn't go anywhere without shoes, let alone walk outside barefoot without a purpose. If her shoes were here then that could only mean that she was still here, but that was obvious. What Gabriella really didn't understand was that if the couple wasn't sleeping on the couch then they could only be sleeping in...

"Wait a minute…" Gabriella whispered, tearing up the stairs frantically. She ran to her room, got the key to Brandon's room from her bookcase, and ran back. She approached the door and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she might—and halfway knew what she would see. She stuck the key in the hole, twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open a crack, peering inside the room carefully. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming when she found Brandon's shirt on the floor. That tiny, casual detail would've kept her from getting suspicious if it weren't for the feminine blouse on top of it. Brandon never slept in a shirt, but Isabelle wouldn't be caught dead sleeping in anything short of a tight cami.

Gabriella kept her gaze off of his bed and looked around at the floor some more. She groaned annoyingly when she found two pairs of jeans lying side by side near the bedside table. She rolled her eyes when Brandon's green boxers hanging off of his spinning office chair on the other side of the room came into her sight. Isabelle's favorite lace bra and matching panties were wildly thrown on his desk. The brunette just ground her teeth in aggravation.

Gabriella took another deep breath and finally looked at the bed. Even though she strongly predicted it, she let out a loud growl. Brandon lay there, his arms wrapped around the blonde's waist and his face resting in her messy, wild hair. Isabelle had her head buried in his still sweaty chest and her hands planted firmly beside it. Her back was in clear view. It was bare. Gabriella could also see some of Brandon's back as well and she winced when she saw the claw-like nail marks that looked painfully deep. He still had dry blood trickling down his back, which didn't help her anger much; it just fueled the longing for him to hurt for his hypocrisy. Gabriella closed her eyes and sighed. Brandon slept with Isabelle. She couldn't believe him.

"Gabby?" a voice whispered in a gasp. Gabriella's eyes flew open and widened as she looked into Brandon's shocked and slightly scared eyes. Isabelle stayed put, not waking up due to the fact that she was a very deep sleeper when she had reasons to be this tired.

"Wow..." Gabriella replied back, unable to find the words to speak out against her rage.

"This is not what it looks like." Brandon pathetically defended himself and the sleeping beauty beside him.

"Yeah," Gabriella nodded slowly and sarcastically, "I think it is."

Brandon took a deep breath and hung his head. Busted.

"Gabby!" his mother called from the kitchen. "Did you get his door open?"

Gabriella stayed silent for a second. She yelled back "Yeah, but he's not in here." Brandon's head shot up like a rocket as he loudly whispered "Huh?!" With this word, his body jerked towards the mass beside him.

That made Isabelle stir. Her eyes unfortunately fluttered open and looked up at Brandon's shocked face, becoming confused. She followed his gaze and drew in the breath to scream, but Brandon covered her swollen mouth with his hand before she had the chance to do so.

"What?" Gina quarried. Her voice was also confused now.

"He's not in his room," Gabriella sighed, rolling her eyes. "I think he want over to Michael's."

"Oh…um, okay. Can you go get him, please?"

"Yeah, sure. Just let me get dressed first." Gabriella turned back to the frightened couple and whispered agitatedly. "You two owe me big time!"

Brandon nodded and removed his hand from Isabelle's mouth. She smiled. "Thanks, Gabby."

Gabriella politely grinned back and said "I suggest you get dressed, sneak out of my balcony, and run back to Troy's house. You do the same, Sherlock. Only stay on the ground for a few minutes until I give you the cue to come in."

Brandon and Isabelle nodded while ushering her out the door. Gabriella closed the door and took a deep breath. That was unexpected. Her brother and her boyfriend's cousin having sex. She shuddered. Even though she supported their decision and expected him to cave eventually, she couldn't believe that she had to be the one to find out for herself. Wouldn't the couple telling the gang at Spring Fling be a little more appropriate? And way less sickening?

After slowly getting re-dressed for no reason at all, she ran down the stairs and could faintly see Isabelle and Brandon outside, their arms around each other and kissing like mad. She rolled her eyes and internally groaned.

"Be back in a few, Mom." She called, running out the door before even getting an answer from her mother. She ran over to the two and barked "Hey! Lovebirds! Didn't you have enough of that last night?!"

Brandon parted from his girlfriend to smile. "Like you always say, Gabs. Enough is never enough."

Gabriella placed her hand on her pained forehead and pointed in the direction to her boyfriend's house. "Go get ready for our appointment, Izzy."

Isabelle gave Gabriella a tight hug and whispered in her ear "Thanks so, so much for covering for us. You really are a good friend."

Gabriella hugged her back. Telling the blonde that Gina already knew wouldn't exactly be the best idea, she decided. Brandon embarrassed her and Troy the morning after their first time. Why should she make a fellow victim suffer?

"You're welcome. Now go before my mom sees you."

Isabelle nodded, gave Brandon one last chaste kiss, and took off down the road to the Bolton house. Brandon watched after her, love shining in his wanting eyes, until he was pulled from his daze when he felt a painful whack on his arm.

"Oww!" he cried, "what the hell was that for?!"

"You little hypocrite!" Gabriella nearly yelled, "and losing your virginity while mom was in the house?! Isn't one of her kids bad enough without her hearing all your bus-"

Brandon loudly cut her off. "Shh! I'm sorry, okay, but you know how it is. And as for mom, she wasn't even in the house while it was happening. She came home around one and luckily didn't check on me."

Gabriella groaned once more. "Whatever. Just worry about Troy or Izzy's mom finding out. You're screwed if that happens the way I found out."

"I've already been screwed..." Brandon grinned sexily as he watched Isabelle walk up to the Bolton residence, her hips swaying naturally in a successful attempt to make him want to drop to his knees. Brandon could clearly see Troy's head poke out from his doorway and ask "Why didn't you change?"

Isabelle looked in the direction of the Montez house and grinned "Didn't get time."

Troy followed her gaze and gave Brandon a suggestive look, raising his eyebrow. Brandon shrugged and smiled back, winking. Troy's eyes widened as he ran out of the house and over to his best friend one house over. He gripped Brandon's shoulders and said "Did you two do what I'm assuming you did?"

"Is that a suggestive comment?"

"Yes."

"Than yes, we did"

"LIAR!!!" Troy bellowed, making Brandon and Gabriella jump but still laugh, "I thought you said you were saving your virginity until you were married!"

"SHH!!!" Brandon impatiently stopped him, almost feeling the need to slap his hand over his best friend's loud mouth. But he just shrugged, "If things keep going the way they're going with Izzy, I'll be married to her in no time."

Troy drew in the breath to begin his fatherly rant, but quickly glanced at Brandon's beautiful twin standing next to him shaking her head. The words "You'll be a hypocrite, too" were practically written across her forehead. Troy let out the air in a slow groan and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't get her pregnant."

"Got it."

Troy's parental and defeated face suddenly melted into a sly grin and a careful, curious gaze. "Soo...how was it?"

Brandon's, however, changed into major shock and revulsion. "Are you serious?"

Troy nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Duh! This is one of the biggest parts of your life that you just have to tell your best friend. Remember? We tell each other everything!"

"Even if you probably don't even want to hear what happened?" Brandon sarcastically, but still half seriously, reminded him.

Troy's ever-changing expression suddenly twisted into a mixture of curiosity, suspicion, and disgust. "Did she give you a…"

Brandon immediately cut him off. "Oh God, no, I didn't even want her to. You know me better than that." He could pretty much sense Gabriella's mocking dry heaves beside him.

"Good to know that you were somewhat thinking. I don't think you know how hard I'd be laughing if your mom walked in on you two going really intense on your first time. Just knowing that you did it at all is hilarious to me."

Brandon's eyebrows furrowed and his head cocked to the side. "What are you talking about? My mom has no idea."

"But-" Once again, his eyes connected with his girlfriend's. Gabriella was shaking her head again a little more frantically with wide eyes and mouthing "No, leave it!" Troy got the message in time to stop himself. "Lucky you. My mom won't stop dropping hints that I need to be extra careful and not slip up."

Brandon chuckled. "I can believe that. At least you didn't get a big talk like my dad gave you."

Troy gritted his teeth. "Yeah, remind me to thank you for that one later, Sherlock…"

The dancer flashed his beaming teeth in a cheesy smile and laughed. "You're welcome."

Gabriella's voice interrupted the two from their sarcastic conversation. "If you two don't mind, we girls have a beauty appointment and if we're a second late, I'm notifying Sharpay that it was your fault. Let's go back in, Brandon."

After kissing Gabriella goodbye, Troy dismissed himself. "See you later, Brandon."

"See ya." Brandon waved. He turned back to his sister and begged "And as for you, please don't tell mom!" He got down on his knees and grabbed her legs, grasping them like a little kid wanting to stay up at night watching his favorite show. "I'm begging you, dear sister, PLEASE don't tell mom!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and shook Brandon off of her. "Chill. If I wanted to tell mom, I wouldn't have sneaked you two out, now would I?"

Brandon smiled brightly and crushed her in a tight hug "Thanks, Gabby. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Gabriella huffed. "Oh, please. The only reason I'm doing it is because I remember how I felt when you forced me to tell mom when Troy and I had sex for the first time. Don't think that I'll ever let you live that one down, dear brother."

His head ducked in embarrassment. "Now that one I am sorry for."

"Damn right you are."

The cocky, after-glowing attitude returned to Brandon's body and he smirked. "Don't you have a hair appointment to get to?"

"I'm waiting on your girlfriend. If she doesn't hurry up, Sharpay will beat her down so hard you won't be able to recognize her."

The door to the Bolton house opened and closed, revealing the blonde in a fresh pair of black sweats and flip flops. Simple, but absolutely stunning to Brandon all the same. Her head turned and the smile that never disappeared from her face got even wider, reaching her eyes and making them shine like the sun above them. Even if Sharpay did kill her for making them late to the hairdresser, Brandon would always be able to pick out the blue orbs quicker than it took him to learn a dance move.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" he whispered before turning and making his way back into the house.

--

"Can you believe this?" Brandon asked excitedly, straightening out the skinny tie of his tux.

Troy shook his head with a smile, "No, but I guess we're just going to have to slap ourselves in the face and accept it as one of the greatest nights of our lives." He answered, finger-combing through his chestnut bangs.

Brandon smiled and took a deep breath. Tonight was it. It was their night to shine. It was finally Spring Fling night. No one could deny the excitement that was building up, ready to explode. The dance was being held at the local Hilton hotel, just ten minutes away from Troy's house. Brandon was over there getting ready while Gabriella and Isabelle were preparing at the Montez house. He could barely stand the anticipation of seeing his soul mate in whatever attire she had planned for the evening. Whatever it was, he was certain that she would turn out absolutely stunning.

Troy had rented a limo for the night so that he, Gabriella, Brandon, Isabelle, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi could arrive to the hotel in style. Everyone had rented black limos, but Troy decided to stand out a little and got a sleek white one.

Brandon, anxious and ready to leave, said to his best friend "Okay, looks like we're set. Let's get this show on the road."

Troy stopped him and objected "Whoa, whoa wait. Before we go," he walked into his bathroom momentarily and came back out with a blue and green glass bottle in his hands. "We need to put some of this on."

"What is it?" Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Troy rolled his eyes and ordered "Hold out your wrist."

Brandon was about to do so before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh no. That's cologne, isn't it?"

"You are correct, sir." Troy grinned matter-of-factly.

Brandon shook his head and backed away, refusing "No way. You know that I hate that stuff now."

Troy sighed. "Come on. Don't you want to smell nice for Izzy?"

Brandon replied quickly. "Nope. She already told me that my natural scent was her favorite smell in the world."

Troy, again, rolled his eyes and argued "Come on, man. Just change it up for one night. I promise that she'll love it."

Brandon stubbornly shook his head and said "Nope."

Troy sighed and, tossing the cologne on the bed from behind his back, shrugged. "Whatever, that's fine," He went over to his window and looked down on the street. He smiled. "God, I can't believe this is finally it!"

Brandon laughed. "Troy, it's just another formal dance. It's not like we've never done this before."

"But this time we have dates that we're actually in love with! Last year I spent this night in the hospital and you went with Amy. Isn't this just so much more exciting?"

Brandon smirked and nodded. "I guess it is, then."

Troy nodded back and, raising his hand, said "High five on our scores."

Brandon laughed and slapped his best friend's hand for a second, then froze. Troy just grinned evilly. Brandon asked "Why is your hand wet?"

Troy laughed shortly and whispered "Gotcha."

Brandon pulled away and looked down at his palm, which had a clear liquid on it that was definitely not water. He sniffed it and glared at Troy, then at the cologne bottle on the bed. He knew that something was up when Troy had tossed it from behind his back and not in front. "I hate you." He muttered.

Troy patted his brother's shoulder and teasingly replied. "Love you too, bro. Let's get going."

--

Not even five minutes later, Troy and Brandon found themselves at the Montez doorstep. Brandon knocked on his house's front door and waited for an answer. Feet came pounding down the stairs inside and then the door flew open. Gina gasped and shrieked when she saw her son and her technical son standing there with smiles decorating their gorgeous faces. Gina pulled Troy into a hug first and complimented "You two look so handsome! The girls are going to love you!"

She hugged Brandon next and after noticing something different about him, sniffed his neck. "Honey, are you wearing cologne?"

Brandon turned his head and glared at a grinning Troy. "Yes, unfortunately…"

Troy just rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, saying "Dude, I was just trying to help you out."

Brandon ignored him, not wanting to push the subject further, and asked "So, mom, are the girls ready yet?"

"They're upstairs right now. I'll call them down."

Brandon nodded and waited while Gina went to the top of the stairs for a moment before coming back down with a huge smile. She announced "Brandon and Troy, I am pleased to announce that you two are very lucky. Please welcome…Gabriella and Isabelle."

The sound of heels clicking could be heard slowly cascading down the carpeted steps. Troy and Brandon closed their eyes and took a deep breath as the girls finished their trip down the steps. They heard Gabriella giggle. "Ta-da."

The two men opened their eyes and gasped in unison, their eyes widening. Troy's heart nearly stopped when Gabriella smiled, her glossed lips just begging to be kissed. The only way you could tell that she was sporting her mother's old grey and black gown was if she told them. She gave new life to the beautiful garment as it hugged her curves tightly and flowed to the ground over her legs that went on for days. Her black locks were softly waved and fell down her back with a kind of grace that made Troy want to lose his fingers in them. The elegant almond-shaped orbs above her nose were dressed up in lightly applied, but dark makeup. She wore sheer eye shadow that gradually got darker as it reached the edge of her eyelid, with thickening mascara and perfect eyeliner on her bottom lid. Finally, Troy knew that she had put some thought into her blush, which could barely be seen. She knew that she'd be blushing naturally for almost the entire night. All in all, she was absolutely show-stopping.

Brandon, on the other hand, was surprised that he didn't kneel over and die as his eyes fell upon a wave of pink. Izzy bared a floor-length gown that was ruffled neatly from the curvy waist down. She added to her intense beauty with a simple pink diamond necklace on a gold chain. Naturally, she was wearing her pink and blue promise ring for she too hadn't taken it off since it was first placed on her finger. She wore dangling silver earrings that could be seen under her shiny, curled hair. Brandon just wanted to marry her on the spot.

The boys were too caught up in staring to notice their dates walking over to them and linking their arms together. Gabriella's free hand came up and snapped her fingers in front of her boyfriend's face. "Earth to Troy!"

Izzy added "Yeah, sweetie, do we need to go get some ice water and mess up your amazing hair?"

The mention of Brandon's 45 minute project quickly brought him from his daze. But nothing could save him from the ocean of her beauty that he was currently and forever drowning in. "You look amazing." He whispered in awe.

"Yeah, she looks good," Troy murmured, never taking his eyes off of Gabriella. "But nothing beats you, Gabs."

"Thanks, Troy. You clean up pretty nice yourself." She grinned back.

"Did they come down yet?" A masculine voice erupted from the living kitchen area. Brandon was too far gone into Izzy's eyes to notice his father stepping out of hiding. "Wow, they do look gorgeous."

"I told you. Do you have the camera?"

"Yup. All we gotta do is bring them back down from their little cloud—BRANDON AND TROY!!!"

His sudden booming vocals didn't make the boys jump; instead they just casually turned their heads for a second to see Chase holding his digital camera in his hands. "Welcome back. Group picture!"

The girls giggled as they heard their boyfriends groan in annoyance, but still posed nonetheless. After a few of those, the couples stood together and snapped some loving pictures with their arms around each other. Brandon and Isabelle were even bold enough to model a tender kiss for his parents. Gina smirked knowingly again.

Troy darted up the stairs for a second and came back down with two pairs of sun glasses in his hands. He chuckled. "Come on, Sherlock, you can't have dance shotspics without stupid ones."

Brandon grinned along with him and took one from the brunette. "I thought you didn't want any pictures at all. Now you want more?"

Troy shrugged. "If we're doing it against our will, we might as well make the best of it," He slid them on and popped his collar. "Besides, my stunna-shades are so much better than yours."

Brandon let out a loud, sarcastic laugh and leaned back to back with Troy, commenting "Keep dreaming."

"It's all I ever do. And that's good enough for me."

--

From seeing Troy and Brandon's reactions to their girlfriends coming down the stairs, you think that you'd know what true beauty unto itself was by now. It was something like a dream that you never wanted to end or a feeling that you wanted to remember for the rest of your life. Beauty is what Isabelle was to Brandon and Gabriella to Troy. Just seeing their girlfriends light up this mess called Earth made Heaven fall onto their shoulders.

But what they saw in front of their eyes when they walked into the hotel ballroom came pretty close to their definition.

"Oh my God!" Gabriella squealed, gripping Troy's arm tighter.

"Holy crap." Chad's voice came from behind Brandon and Izzy's shocked bodies. Taylor waltzed in behind him and repeated the same reaction.

The dim room was astonishing. The theme, which was previously announced as "A Night Under the Stars", surely lived up to and flew beyond everyone's average expectations and shone brighter than Sharpay's sparkly fuchsia dress. The high ceiling played host to many recurring silver stars hanging down to about five feet above the students' heads and the walls were decorated in elegantly designed Christmas lights. A huge purple and black banner reading "Spring Fling '10" hung from wall to wall towards the back behind the DJ's club-like setting, where he was already starting to take requests. Brandon grinned in satisfaction when he spotted the platform centered in front of the DJ. He knew what it was intentionally put there for and, just like the Back to School dance in the beginning of the year, his left side twitched in eager anticipation. Izzy knew him well enough to smile along with him and squeeze his hand tighter.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. Despite her low volume, Brandon heard her loud and clearly over the booming tracks coming from the speakers set up in all corners of the room.

He shrugged. "But if the walls could talk, they'd be whispering behind your back all night in envy." The blushing blonde turned to him, smirked thankfully, and pulled herself tighter against him.

Once the entire gang was together and with their significant other, they headed out to the floor in search of other friends whom they refused to call sidekicks. For Brandon, this meant his dance crew and ex-girlfriend. Amy's floor-length red corset wasn't all that hard to point out. Michael, Todd, and Drew were, as usual, within breathing distance of each other.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do we have here?" Brandon teasingly made his presence known in Amy's ear.

She turned and squealed when she flipped her head around to see her favorite ex-boyfriend. Amy wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head close to hers, an easy replacement to jumping and choking him with her short legs. After letting him go, she quickly looked him over. "Wow, someone's never looked hotter."

"Touché, Ms. Red-Carpet-Worthy. How many evil stares have you gotten tonight?"

It was then that Amy noticed Izzy standing beside him. She grinned. "Not as many as your girl, most likely! Izzy, you look like one of the stars themselves! How are you?!" Amy buried the blonde in her arms and heard her giggle into her chest, "F-fine, Amy. Thanks, you look amazing, too. That gown is fantastic!"

"Mine? Please, you're the one looking like a damn queen who was blessed with diamond eyes."

After quickly blushing again, Isabelle replied "Yeah, well I wasn't the one who was blessed with European silk for hair." Amy rolled her eyes and hugged her again.

Brandon cleared his throat nervously. "Not like this isn't all good and awkward for me, but I'll have to steal the queen back. She's only here for one more day."

"You of all people should be the master of awkward situations. And I know you well enough to see that you're perfectly comfortable with me being friends with your current girlfriend. You look happier, both of you do."

Brandon and Izzy shared a short sly gaze. She purred "We're with each other. What else do we need to be happy?"

The look that Amy flashed Brandon deeply reminded him of Troy's stare earlier that morning. While Izzy was looking at the floor, Brandon quickly winked at his friend. Amy's eyes nearly popped out of her gorgeous head and landed at her heeled feet when the realization washed over her. She turned away and crushed her head against Michael's shoulder, laughing her little heart out. The blonde watched down on his girlfriend curiously and asked "What's gotten into you?"

Amy answered in between harsh giggles. "Nothing, not me yet. Them on the other hand…"

Michael lifted his eyes to Brandon's and raised a bushy brow. The head dancer shook his head lightly, the unwritten code for the simple word "later".

"This is supposed to be a night of fun; stop confusing me."

Todd slid over to the couple and flashed his brightest smile. "That's how I feel all the time. Welcome to the club."

"We know, Jumpy, go loosen up and get ready for 8:30."

Now it was Brandon's turn to become confused. "Jumpy? What's that?"

Todd replied "My new nickname, dude, where have you been? I'm high energy and love my dance flipping, duh! And Mike said something about ADD, but I still don't get what that's supposed to mean."

Brandon groaned. "I feel so left out!"

"I'll say. What kind of Sherlock are you for not knowing this obvious stuff?"

Brandon ignored him. "What part of 'don't do anything funny until I'm there' don't you people understand?"

Mike answered this time. "We get all of it. You just have a habit of never actually coming back to the group when you leave. I think the only way to keep you around for more than an hour and a half is to have a party next weekend." Michael wiggled his eyebrows suggestively like a guest list was already starting to form in his head.

"Great minds must think alike."

"Good to have you back, Mr. Jackson."

Brandon smiled weakly, as if the locker room incident with Brick didn't pop back into his mind the very second that those words left Michael's mouth.

What are you doing? His conscience scolded into his head, It's a beautiful Saturday night at one of the chicest hotels in town, you're about to dance your feet off in an hour and a half, and you have God's most treasured creation hanging on your arm. You're on fire right now! Forget about Brick Wolf; he's in jail and you'll never see him again. It's finally over.

As if he couldn't believe himself, his favorite pair of lips suddenly planted themselves onto his ear. "Dance with me?"

Her sensual invitation couldn't be passed up if the building was on fire and everyone was running around screaming, he figured. Brandon took Izzy's hands in his and rhythmically relocated them into the sea of swaying hips and everlasting feet.

"Forever." He whispered before his self-control was ripped away by the familiar beat of the musical roar.

--

"…I'm bad!"

The ground trembled under the applauding audience's feet when the dance team struck their final pose from the routine, an amazing rendition of "Bad". They weren't dressed in their usual red and white sweats; the group had watched the music video countless times and put together uniforms matching the outfits as well as they could. Brandon had raided his father's closet and (with a little extra help from Hot Topic), created an exact replica of MJ's leather ensemble, chains and all. They even had a double extra-large room fan rolled up a few feet from the platform and switched on at the right moment. Brandon was proud of himself. Michael would have been proud.

When they were all changed and returned to their friends, Brandon was bombarded with a praise that was much like the one he received at the championships. He and Troy's handshake was exchanged while Gabriella showed him the footage that she recorded on her digital camera. The guys mimicked moves that they remembered as they laughed at their stupidity but the only person that he cared about was the one that just simply hugged him tightly and whispered how proud of him that she was into his ear. Brandon hugged Izzy back, stroking her curls lovingly.

"All for you," he warmly reminded her, "you're my reason for being anything at all. I love you, Isabelle. Thanks for giving me the strength to even do stuff like this."

Isabelle knew that she'd need waterproof makeup for the night. Her crystallized eyes bulged with tears at his honey-sweet words. "You're always welcome, Superman. And if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be here to cheer you on. Thanks for always being my guardian angel, even when you weren't supposed to be."

Brandon's mocha eyes lit up. He looked down at the beautiful blonde in front of him and smiled coyly, saying "I'll be right back." With a light kiss to her forehead, he stalked off towards the DJ's setup. As Izzy watched her boyfriend leave, his biological other half tapped her on the shoulder. "Where's he going?"

Izzy shrugged. "I don't know what he's up to. You're his sister; shouldn't you know these things?"

Gabriella shoved her friend's shoulder teasingly and replied "I wouldn't be surprised if you know him better than me. I'm not the one talking to him for at least three hours straight each night."

Just as Izzy was about to reply, Brandon came back and wrapped his arms around her lower waist. "Miss me?"

"Depends on where you went. What's going on, Sherlock?"

Brandon slowly spun her around so that he was still tightly holding her, but her torso was pressed against his. He took hold of her hand and let his other slide around her, like he was about to compose a slow dance. "You'll find out in a few seconds."

"What's that supposed to me-"

The current fast-paced song suddenly cut off and the slow guitar ballad flooded Izzy's ears, immediately reaching her memory. She gasped in shock and gazed up to see a very smug man in front of her.

"You remembered?" she tried to whisper, but the motion was completely inaudible.

"I'm not trying to get laid again, I swear," he joked, pulling her even closer to him so that he could feel her hot breath through his shirt, "I just figured that since your dad made you this promise, too, maybe this song would get his attention and he could see how beautiful you look tonight."

It didn't matter if her make-up was waterproof or not. Someone could've run in, washed her face clean of all its make-up, and made her look like a clown and she wouldn't care. Nothing mattered to her now except for her soul-mate standing in front of her, gazing down on her and looking the most passionate that she's ever seen him. Izzy unconsciously enclosed her arms around his neck and didn't dare of breaking the moment by looking away from his eyes. Brandon led them in stepping to the beat, his heart keeping time with the music.

When I see your smile,
Tears roll down my face, I can't replace
And now that I'm strong I have figured out
How this world turns cold and breaks through my soul
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay

Seasons are changing
And waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer
And nights grow shorter
I can show you I'll be the one

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven

'Cause you're my, you're my, my
My true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away
'Cause I'm here for you
Please don't walk away, and
Please tell me you'll stay, stay

Use me as you will
Pull my strings just for a thrill
And I know I'll be okay
Though my skies are turning gray

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven…

For the second time in 24 hours, a song was dedicated specifically to Izzy making a similar promise. Both songs were discovered by Brandon through her in small, irrelevant conversations that they'd had several months ago.

And for the second time in 24 hours, she found herself at the mercy of her tears. Every unimaginable feeling of painful memories, soulful appreciation, and immeasurable love for the two males that she loved the most poured out of her crystallized orbs and fell down her stained cheeks. Izzy never wanted to leave Brandon's arms; she couldn't dream of it.

Albuquerque was where she belonged.

--

Eventually, the gang had to recollect the time that they left behind a long while ago. Before they knew it, it was time for the Spring Fling King and Queen votes to finalize. Principle Matsui took the stage and cleared his throat into the microphone, which he had to lower by about a foot. The student's giggled,

"How's everyone feeling out there?" He plugged his ears when the deafening response was delivered.

"That's what I like to hear. Now, I'm pleased to announce that the moment you've all been waiting for has finally winded down completely and the royal Spring Fling couple is about to be revealed! The votes have been collected and counted multiple times, so we have our winners," He removed a slip of white paper from his jacket pocket, unfolded it, and smiled. "Your Spring Fling King is…Troy Bolton!"

Troy's mouth dropped open while he heard the roaring applause make his ears want to bleed. Being announced as a candidate was shocking enough, but how could he actually win? At the very least, he thought the prize would go to Brandon.

The brunette subconsciously walked up the few stairs to the platform and smiled as Matsui placed the plastic crown on his head. As if he believed it wasn't there, Troy reached above his face and felt the synthetic, but meaningful symbol rest in his thick hair. He looked out into the sea of teenagers and mouthed 'Thank you', knowing very well that they wouldn't be able to her him.

"And your Queen is…Gabriella Montez!"

Gabriella's hands flew to her mouth, but not before a surprised shriek escaped her lips. Happy tears automatically rushed to her eyes while Sharpay, Izzy, and Taylor wound their arms around her in a friendly group hug. She broke it, however, when Troy beckoned her to him with his hand outstretched for her. She climbed onto the stage and let Matsui place the crown in her carefully styled curls. Her eyes met with her boyfriend's, and he mouthed "You look beautiful." Gabriella blushed, squeezed his hand, and replied "So do you." He grinned and planted a deep kiss on her forehead.

"Congratulations, guys. Get down there and have your dance."

Troy helped his beauty down off of the stage and pulled her to the middle of the floor, taking her fully into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his strong neck and laid her head down in his chest as the soft piano melody spilled from the speakers. Closing her eyes, Gabriella heard Troy whisper "No other girl on the planet could look more like a princess than you do. You're a real Queen, Gabs."

"And I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else. You're my only King."

She jumped a little when someone's hot breath came to her ear. "He's your Prince; I'm your King. That's what you said last week."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Brandon. I only said that to cheer you up when Three Days Grace lost the number one spot on iTunes." She heard Izzy giggle, so she assumed that her brother was glaring daggers at her right now. But she couldn't care less. His heated stare melted along with the rest of the world when she returned her eyes to Troy, her King, her rock, her everything.

I'm sure that ending will grow on me, but I'll leave it for now. I really wanted to get this out, because guess what's finally happening next chapter???

FINAL DRAMA SETUP!!!

Wow, I can't wait to get started on the next chapter! I'm sure you won't believe what I have in my evil mind ;) I'll just say this: pay attention to the lyric "Though my skies are turning grey" It's a sense of foreshadowing. Mwahaha!

REVIEW!!! Thnx :)

~Rachel :)

P.S: Gabby, Izzy, and Kelsi's dresses are in my profile (under Haunting Memories, of course). Just thought you'd like to know that little piece of info...