Author's Note--WOW! I'm so happy with the amount of reviews I got on that chapter. It's refreshing to an author when people take their time to read and review their stories. And I just want you guys to know how thankful I am that you do that. It's what inspired me to finish this chapter today instead of waiting for the next week to come around. Thank you.


Jason dreaded these types of things. He dreaded them for specific reasons. One, he hated dressing up. Two, his parents were on the PTA, and therefore, had to chaperone one or two dances that year, and they always chaperoned the homecoming dance and prom. Jason knew it was just another reason for his dad to magnify him underneath a microscope.

"Well don't you look handsome." His mother said with a smile as she was just grabbing her jacket from the coat closest when he stepped down their stairs.

Jason forced a smile as he was currently pulling off a nice Jake Sparrow look from Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Doesn't he look cute Andy?" Cassie asked as both men looked at her like she was crazy.

Jason slowly backed out of the living room and into their open and large entry way. "Okay…so that's my cue to say I'm leaving to pick up Gabi."

His dad's head shot up as Cassie smiled with approval. "So you two are dating now? Took you long enough to finally ask her out."

Jason rolled his eyes to his dad's comment. "We're best friends. I don't know what's so hard to understand." His tone came out harsher than intended, but he didn't care. Maybe if the topic was about something simple like school than he wouldn't get so worked up, but it was about Gabriella and he didn't like talking about her with his dad.

"Whatever you say son. Whatever you say."

Jason looked at his mom incredulously as he was just getting more and more irritated with his dad by the second. The condescending look in his father's eye doing nothing to help the uneasy feeling that was settling in his stomach.

Cassie looked between father and son who were so close to each other in the room, but yet the farthest anyone could be in their own little worlds. She forced a smile. "Gabriella won't like it if you're late dear, date or no date. Ladies don't like to be stood up."

Jason wanted to scream at his mother for not noticing the difference between him and his father, but instead trudged out the door.


"So rumor is you're being crowned Homecoming Princess as Jason's your Prince." Her mother's voice came from the doorway of her open bedroom. Gabriella didn't at first notice how tired and worn down her mother looked.

Gabriella blushed as she shuffled around in her bathroom; capping little make up containers as she didn't usually wear make up all that often, and poked her head out from her bathroom to see her mother standing there with a smirk.

"So let's see this Princess." It took all of Anna's strength to stand in front of her daughter without holding her aching head in her hands.

Gabriella blushed harder as she stepped fully out of her bathroom for her mother to see. She was wearing a very extravagant looking ballroom cream colored dress from the past. It slightly resembled a dress she would see on Pirates of the Caribbean, which was a good thing so it would at least match the theme of Jason's.

"You look beautiful Gabs. Exactly how a Princess should look. Jason's a lucky boy." Her mother gushed with a tight smile. A smile that warned Gabriella that something was wrong, but she didn't want to believe that.

"Mom, how many times do I have to say it? Jason and I aren't dating. We never will. It's too…" Gabriella tried to think of an appropriate word, but only one came to mind. "…disgusting."

Anna laughed quietly. "Well either way, he is still a very lucky boy for having you."

Gabriella looked down at the ground. Something was bothering her from the past previous days as they just lead up to the homecoming dance. "Can I ask you something?"

As being a mother for seventeen years, Anna noticed right away the shift of the air in the room. "Of course." She walked into the room and lead Gabriella over to her own bed as they both sat down. "What is it?"

Gabriella looked down at the ground as the words were awkwardly said. "Did you know Lucille Bolton during school?"

Throughout the years that Gabriella and Jason had been inseparable during, Anna had anticipated this question to come a lot sooner than what Gabriella prolonged it. In ways it was simple as Anna could always lie, but then again, Gabriella was her daughter who would be 18 in a matter of months.

"You have to understand that no matter what you hear around this town, it doesn't matter. People have various stories about Andrew Cross." Anna saw mixture of confusion pass through Gabriella's eyes. "You know how he was this big football quarter back, track athlete, and baseball pitcher?"

Gabriella nodded. Everywhere she went in the Cross' house, there were trophies and plaques everywhere from either Mr. Cross or Jason himself. "Yeah."

"Well with starring in three sports, he was pretty popular, and…let's just say that he was very popular with the ladies. Now, this is where Lucille Bolton comes in. She was a cheerleader, and rumor has it that they…" Anna stopped as she tried to find different words than bluntly saying, they had sex. "…they…conceived Troy that night."

"Oh." Gabriella said with fake surprise as she already knew this. She wanted to know what happened after that.

"And when she found out Andrew wanted nothing to do with her or Troy. She finished school early and that was the last that anyone saw of her in this small town. That is before she came back seven years after, and moved in next door."

"But what about Jason? How does he mix into this?" Gabriella found herself hanging onto every word her mother said.

"After Lucille left, Cassie Rose came into the picture, and the cycle repeated. Andrew and Cassie got pregnant, and instead of abandoning her like he did Lucille, he stuck with her. That happened in the last couple of months of their senior year, so she was able to finish with the rest of their class."

Gabriella knew that her mom was a year younger than Jason's parents in school, but her dad graduated with them, but he had told her that he never associated himself with Andrew Cross because he was just a person you would want to stay away from.

Gabriella looked at her mom. "Eventually Cassie and Andrew got married, and I think you and I both know how that's going." Gabriella knew all too well. It wasn't going good.

"Thank you mom."

"For what?" Anna smiled at her daughter.

"Just thank you." Gabriella didn't know if it was a thank you for having a good marriage with her dad, or if it was a thank you that she wasn't raised like Jason, but whatever that thank you meant, it meant something great.

Anna smiled appreciatively at her daughter, but she let out a big yawn seconds after. Gabriella frowned as she didn't like the sound of that. "Mom, it's six o'clock, and you're tired already?" Gabriella forced a small laugh as in the back of her mind it worried her from past experience. She looked at her mother closely now, and she could see the hurt in her eyes.

Anna also forced a smile as she didn't want to ruin Gabriella's night. "I'm fine sweetie."

Gabriella's serious as she looked at her mother skeptically. "Don't lie to me mom." If it was anything else. Anything ranging from the flu to a cold, Gabriella could handle it. But she refused to believe that nothing was bothering her mom.

Anna kinked an eye brow. "Excuse me?" She laughed a good chuckle that awoke her senses. "I believe I'm still the mother, and what I say goes."

"And what are you saying?" Gabriella wanted to keep it light hearted, but she was just concerned.

"I'm saying go downstairs and wait for Jason. You're gonna knock him dead when he sees you." Anna patted Gabriella on the back with a soft smile. "You're giving me a headache Kid. I'm fine."

"You have a headache? When did this happen?" Gabriella asked alarmed now.

Anna forced a smile. "Who's the adult again? Hmm? Go wait for your date sweetie."

Gabriella stood up with an eye roll. "We're not together. How many times do I have to tell you guys that." She grumbled some more as she made her way down the hall and stairs.

Anna sighed while standing up also, and waiting a moment as Gabriella disappeared from sight; wishing that Gabriella hopefully will forget anything about her being tired so early into the night.


"You okay? You look shaken." Jason comments as he shuts the door to his car and starts it up.

Gabriella glanced back at her house one last time before it disappeared into sight, and wished she was better at hiding her emotions. "It's nothing."

"Don't lie Montez. I know when you have something to say."

Gabriella can perfectly remember the last time her mom had a headache that looked that bad. It was a huge one where they had to take her to the hospital and that's when it all started a year and a half ago. She had some afterwards, but they cleared up.

"I'm just thinking." Gabriella lied again while biting her lip and looking out the window as she sees all the houses they're passing.

Jason sighed. "I'll let it go for right now, but I'm not gonna let you keep this to yourself. It's not right holding in feelings."

"When did you become so deep?" Gabriella taunted as she got back into the mood, deciding that her mother just had a hard day at work.

Jason smiled sincerely. "About the same time my best friend showed up with a troubled face on."


"So when are they crowning you two? I want to go to Zeke's already." Sharpay whined in her pink fairy costume that gave off a lot more cleavage than what the dress code allowed.

One of the slow songs were playing as usually at homecoming, they didn't play a lot of them. Only a couple throughout the night, and then the last song was a slow song for all the couples.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I don't even know if we're being crowned Shar. It's just a rumor."

Jason scoffed as he spun Gabriella around. It was very rare to see him dancing to a slow song as he mostly didn't like to dance at all, but since Sharpay and Zeke, and then Taylor and her date went out to the dance floor for that song, Gabriella gave him the big puppy dog eyes which he couldn't refuse.

"And who else would get crowned besides you and me?" Jason asked with a teasing tone in his voice.

Gabriella smirked as they ventured away from Sharpay and Zeke to be mixed into the sea of people dancing. "Oh, I don't know? Maybe…the football captain and his ACTUAL girlfriend?"

"Yeah right." He scoffed again. "People believe we're a couple more than they believe that Josh and Kate are."

Gabriella and Jason were silent again as they just let the music play around them. Gabriella was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Jason when he spoke.

"What? Can you please repeat that?" She asked sheepishly.

"You know you're my best friend right?" Gabriella nodded her head. "So I'm asking you one last time if everything's okay? You seemed really shaken in the car coming here." Gabriella looked up at Jason who was a good couple of inches taller than her as she came up to his shoulder wearing three inch high heels.

She didn't want to talk about it. She was probably just worrying about nothing, but the end of sophomore year played over in her head. She didn't even have time to react to the tears that glossed her eyes.

"It's probably nothing Jase. It's just my mom." She left it at that. She didn't need to lay all her thoughts onto him; especially since it's their homecoming dance.

He pulled her closer and dropped his hand that was connected to hers, and pulled her into a hug. "Everything's okay with her, right?" He couldn't even stand to think about what happened earlier as he felt his heart drop to his stomach. Anna Montez had been like a mother to him, ever since Gabriella and him became best friends, and he couldn't bare anything happening to her, just as much as Gabriella couldn't.

"Jase, it's nothing. Just me worrying about her being tired and getting a headache. It's nothing to worry about." Gabriella coaxed as she had to convince herself and Jason that.

Before Jason could say anything Taylor came by and grabbed Gabriella by the arm. "Bathroom break?"

Gabriella looked at Jason who rolled his eyes. "Why do girls go to the bathroom together?"

Gabriella and Taylor both ignored him as he shooed them away jokingly with a flick of his hand. "What's up Tay?" Gabriella asked her girl best friend who she's known since second grade.

They pushed past people as they made their way out of the gymnasium. "Nothing big, just…Kyle asked me to be his girlfriend, and…oh yeah, Shar is looking for you again. Said something about you and Jason getting lost dancing?" Taylor looked puzzled.

Gabriella blinked while taking in the information. Kyle a football player asked Taylor out, and Sharpay was looking for her too? The little information was mixed in with Gabriella's emotions about her mom, and it was very obvious that something was wrong.

"Gabs, what's up? You don't seem that excited." Taylor pointed out. "Do you not like Kyle?"

Gabriella quickly shook out of it. She knew Taylor and Kyle had only gone out on one or two dates, but she had nothing against him. "Uh…no. Everything's great. I'm happy for you."


Troy didn't go to homecoming the previous year. He truly didn't see the point in dressing up if all he was going to do was hang out with Chad and go to an after party. Although he was in the same predicament as he was the previous year, there was a difference. A difference because this year he was challenged. It might've not been said out loud, but it was a silent challenged. And he wasn't about to let Jason Cross win just because he didn't go to some petty dance and after party that year.

But now as he entered the gym that was decorated with cheesy red and white banners, posters on the wall, and hundreds of streamers that clashed due to using Halloween orange and black colors mixed in with wildcat colors, it didn't seem like he missed anything his junior year. Music was blaring, a DJ was set up in the corner, about half the school was already dancing, screaming with excitement, or eating.

He only had an hour and a half at the dance left before the teachers and parents who got stuck on the staff for hosting this party started clearing everything down, and then he was expected to head over to Zeke's house with Chad who brought some cheerleader who wasn't Gabriella or Taylor.

Troy looked around at the dim setting that would be pitch dark if it wasn't for the disco balls overhead. The air was heating up already as all he was doing was standing by the bleachers that were pulled out for anyone who wanted to sit down or take a rest.

"Young man! Have you seen Jason Cross?" Troy turned around as he presumed he was being spoken to by an oncoming voice. He was about to reply as a man who was around six feet appeared. He had dark brown hair that could almost pull off as being black, a short hair cut, and a muscular build. The man froze as he came face to face with his other son who he never came into contact with. "Oh." His voice dropped with the tone.

Troy gritted his teeth. Just hearing Andrew Cross talk about his other family set something off in Troy. "No." He forced out harshly. "I don't know where your SON is." He put a lot of emphasis on the word 'son'.

Andrew straightened up even more as Cassie came to his side. She looked between the father and son, and automatically put her arm through her husbands. She recognized Troy through pictures she stumbled across in her husband's study, but never once brought that up. "Hello Troy."

Troy looked warily over at the formally dressed Cassie Cross. "Hello Mrs. Cross." He said stiffly.

Andrew cleared his throat as it was becoming too awkward. His eyes narrowed on Troy. "Well if you see my SON, then can you tell him I'm looking for him." Andrew threw Troy's words right back at him.

Troy made an unknown fist with his hands, but before he could reply a sweet voice overcame the music.

Gabriella had been watching from a far as she walked back into the gym from going to the bathroom. She was supposed to meet Sharpay, Zeke, and Jason back in the center of the dance floor, but she momentarily stopped as she saw that Mr. Cross confronted Troy. She really didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it was hard after finding out from her mom that everyone in their town thought Mr. Cross just abandoned Troy and his mom. It sparked an interest in Gabriella, an interest that pushed all thoughts of her own mother's health out of her head. It gave Gabriella a relief to think of something else, and so be it if it means she had to eavesdrop.

"Mrs. Cross! Mr. Cross. I haven't seen you in so long!" Gabriella mustered all the cheerfulness she had knowing that by just the looks of Troy, things were going bad. She could tell by just looking at his rough outlines that made his hard body up, that he was getting angry. More than angry as fire shot through his eyes when they connected eyesight for a second.

Gabriella had never really had a problem with Cassie. The only time she did have a problem with her was when Jason made some comment about how she always stays oblivious to her son's and husband's relationship, but other than that she had always made Gabriella feel welcomed to her house. It was Andrew Cross Gabriella had a problem with. If anyone could look past the fact that he already abandoned his first son, then it was his constant nagging and comparisons that he would make between Jason in high school to himself when he was in high school. It wasn't healthy doing that, and Gabriella didn't like it.

"You look beautiful dear." Mrs. Cross gushed as Andrew now stood like hard metal as both him and Troy were sharing a vicious glare. "How's your mother and father doing?"

Gabriella bit her lip from saying anything as she knew she was one of the worse liars ever. "You know. They're doing just fine. But uh…sorry for interrupting, it's just…I have to borrow Troy for a while. School stuff, and all." She came up with a lame excuse as Troy looked at her and cocked an eye brow at her reason.

He knew what she was doing, and just one look at Andrew, Troy could tell he knew it also as Mrs. Cross stayed oblivious to it, or she was just a good actress.

"Oh honey, I hope you're not working too hard. It's the weekend, and you're at a dance nonetheless." Cassie looked truly concerned.

Gabriella plastered on a huge smile. "Don't worry about it. I just need help with something. We'll be back before you even know it. Come on Troy." She gripped his arm as if they were long term friends and pulled him over to the side.

She kept walking as she didn't disconnect their hands and arms until they were on the other side of the gym where the second exit was. She finally let go of Troy's arm as she decided they were far enough from Jason's parents and Troy's dad.

Troy looked at her like she was crazy. He had avoided her stares all week. Ever since they talked after he got invited by Jason to the party, Gabriella had been staring at him a lot more, or maybe Troy was just noticing it now, but he didn't like it. He had told her not to intervene, and here she was…intervening.

"What the hell was that?" Troy hissed.

Gabriella wasn't expecting Troy to welcome her with open arms as she intervened, but she didn't expect him to snap either like that. "That was me saving your ass from being expelled."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Expelled from what?" He looked down at the petite girl in front of him who only came up to his shoulders, and he quickly diverted his eyes back to her face as he found himself looking down at her cleavage that was nicely shown. The anger subsided only a little in him as he swore to himself the previous week that he wasn't going to let her intervene again.

"Expelled from hitting a parent?!" Gabriella exclaimed. "I think anyone that was watching from a ten mile radius could figure it out that that was what you were thinking Troy!"

Gabriella watched as emotions floated through his blue eyes that strikes something in the pit of her stomach. She saw confusion, frustration, and fury pass over. The fury look staying on his face.

"I had things under control," he snapped viciously.

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she was getting tired of his childish and rude behavior around her. "Obviously!" She said sarcastically. "That's why you were getting ready to hit the guy!"

Troy watched the girl that continued to interfere in his life. The girl that he hardly knew and would constantly be somehow reminded by her that she had things under control. That she was the one who could handle Jason, and that's why she interfered all the time. The girl who occasionally pulled his strings.

"Instead of fucking bothering me and my life, why don't you worry about your own perfect world." He seethed dangerously as he knew in order to calm down he needed a nice place to think. A place where the air was cold. A place where no one else was.

That hit Gabriella right in the gut. He thought her world was perfect? She opened her mouth to retort; to tell him off, but she couldn't. Why would he think that?

Troy smirked at seeing her speechless. "That's what I thought Princess. Some people aren't perfect like you." With those words, he left her. She stared after him as he exited the gym as if nothing happened, but the way his shoulder were squared, the way his hard body moved, the way his jaw was set, gave away everything.

She felt tears prick her eyes as she rethought his words. If anything, her life was far from perfect.


"A nice quiet night." Carlos said cheerfully as he sat down next to his wife with a bowl of popcorn and a blanket. "Finally."

Anna kept the same smile on her face as she slowly ate a piece of popcorn before starting one of their favorite movies.

"Honey?" Carlos asked casually.

"Hmm?" Anna kept her eyes on the TV; hoping Carlos didn't notice anything different.

"The hospital called just to remind you that you have a check up scheduled for two weeks. Just the basic MRI testing." Carlos patted her knee for reassurance before putting his arm around her shoulder and drawing her closer. "You'll pass again. Just like you do every three months."

He sounded so sure.


Gabriella rushed outside and into the cool breeze. "HEY!" She shouted after Troy who was walking down the path that lead in a big circle around their school. She picked up her dress a little as she jogged after him. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"Yes Gabriella?" The way his voice sounded just ticked her off even more as he sounded so much calmer than a minute before.

She was huffing as she tried to catch her breath. "I just…and that was…and YOU are…" She couldn't finish her sentences as they were forming way too fast in her brain.

Troy, no matter how mad he was a minute ago, couldn't help the laugh that erupted from his throat at how cute and funny Gabriella looked in that moment. The way her chest rose with each deep breath she took, the way her hair had loose curls framing her face, the way her tongue got caught in her throat.

"Take your time Gabriella. We have all night." He gave it a second thought as he thought it would take a while for him to calm down, but somehow the person who almost started his anger, was slowly taking it away by just being near him in that moment. "Unless you want to get crowned, which they're doing soon?"

Gabriella huffed now as you could see their little breaths with how chilly it was becoming. "I don't care about that. I'm not that shallow to get upset about a stupid plastic crown." She snapped. "And as a matter of fact, I'm not perfect. I'm no where near PERFECT." She spat.

Troy had to take a moment to think of what she was speaking of. But he was soon reminded that his last words to her in the gym were about her being perfect. In ways she was as various girls dreamed of being like her, and various guys dreamed of being with her.

"Let's recap here, shall we?" Troy said in a smart ass tone. "You're co-captain of the cheerleading squad. Your dad coaches the basketball team to victory almost every year. Your mom does so many charity events, along with her job, people think she's wonder woman around town. And oh yeah…you can't forget that everyone at school knows you."

Gabriella ran her mind through the words Troy said. "So what if I'm a cheerleader?!" She shrieked louder as she found that yelling let out the frustrations she felt ever since sophomore year. She kept everything bottled up since then, or at least she kept everything worthwhile bottled up. "So what if my dad is good at his job?! So what if my mother helps other people who needs it!? Does that make her a bad person?! No! Before you start saying things about my family, you better get the facts straight! I'm not perfect. No matter what you think, I'M NOT!"

Troy backed up in the middle of Gabriella's outburst as he was surprised that no one else heard her from inside. He held up two hands defensively as he didn't know in the slightest that she would get so worked up. The better side of him, the side his mother raised was fighting to come out as he knew deep down that Gabriella didn't deserve his judging.

"Whoa…calm down. I really didn't mean anything by it. I was pissed, you were, well…" Troy thought about the past and present tense of the word, "are still pissed, and I might've said some things that I might've not meant."

Gabriella burned holes into Troy's face. "You know what? I don't care if you or me were pissed off. I'm done being nice to you. I've tried, and tried again, and all you do is lash out on me in some rude way."

"And you yelling at me isn't rude?" He asked incredulously as he let out another deep chuckle.

Gabriella rolled her eyes as her heart stopped beating so fast. "And then you laugh at me?" Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Just know one thing, I'm not perfect." It felt so good admitting it.

Troy looked at her through wide eyes. Maybe dances were entertaining to watch. "Okay."

Gabriella nodded her head in a confirming matter as she was starting to feel silly for standing out in the cold, admitting to someone who she did not want to get to know now, that she wasn't perfect.

"Right, well…just remember that. I'm not perfect. Okay?" Gabriella backed away slowly as she was still facing him.

Troy kinked an eye brow. "You're not perfect?" It came out more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah. I'm not perfect."

"You're not perfect." He repeated with a smile toying at his lips.

"I'm not perfect." Gabriella mumbled.


Author's note--So I'm kind of iffy with where I'm taking the story plot with Gabriella's mother, but it fits into the story, and in ways it's a way to work everything together. So tell me what you think in a review please?