Disclaimer: I obviously don't own High School Musical or I'd be filthy rich by now. High School Musical and all related characters, places, and plots are the copyright of Disney. I also don't own the lyrics used in this and/or other chapters. I do, however, own all the ideas for the Twinkle Towne musical, including the summary, plot, script, original songs, and anything else you might not recognize.

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song "So Sick" by Ne-Yo. I was originally going to use those lyrics, but these seemed more fitting. As you know, I've changed the musical to spring and so it's the middle of April in this chapter.

Us Against the World

Chapter Four:

So Sick

------------------------------

"Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart


It's the end of the world in my mind..."

-----------------------------

"Get up."

Troy grumbled softly and turned in his bed.

"Dude, c'mon!" exclaimed Chad, gently shaking him.

"Go away," mumbled Troy, pulling the covers over his head.

Chad sighed. "Man, you haven't been out of your room all weekend! It's Sunday; let's go do something."

"It's early," said Troy from under the sheets.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon!" Chad cried incredulously, pulling aside the curtains for evidence. Bright sunlight filled the room, streaming directly onto Troy's face.

"Leave me alone," said Troy, curling up under the blanket.

"Listen, you have to get up. You can't just keep moping around like this," Chad tried to persuade him.

"I'm not moping," came the muffled reply.

"It's been a week, Troy. Staying holed up in your room isn't going to change things," Chad told him. "Besides," he added, "you're going to get fat."

"I still work out," Troy protested defensively, finally sitting up and pulling the covers down to his waist.

"Nice to see your face again," said Chad with a smile. "I'd almost forgotten what you look like."

"Who let you up here?" grumbled Troy.

"You mom; she was worried."

Troy waved it off. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine."

Chad raised his eyebrows in skepticism. "Let me remind you again: you've been in your room since the minute you came home Friday afternoon. In fact, you've spent every minute that you weren't in school in this room. Look, whatever happened last Saturday, you've got to let it go. Or at least try to pretend that you're okay."

Troy glared at him. "I bet you wouldn't be saying that if it was you instead of me."

"Maybe, maybe not. But it didn't happen to me. It happened to you. And I've never seen you so . . ."

"Pathetic?" supplied Troy.

Chad shrugged. "Well, I was going to say 'miserable,' but pathetic works."

Troy sighed. "I'm miserable and pathetic. It's just that you don't know what I felt the day Tyler came into the picture."

"Actually, I don't think you finished the story," said Chad.

"Then let me tell you . . ."

------------------------------

Troy's breath caught in his throat as Tyler leaned down and kissed Gabriella. They broke apart, both with smiles on their faces. Tyler looked up and finally noticed Troy standing in the hall. He smiled, sticking one hand out in front of him, the other arm still wrapped around Gabriella.

"I'm Tyler Hemmings. You are?"

Troy took a second to regain his train of thought and stepped forward. "Troy Bolton," he said, briefly clasping Tyler's hand. "How exactly do you and Gabriella know each other?"

Tyler laughed. "Well, I'm her boyfriend."

Troy gasped softly, but sharply. No one seemed to notice. "Oh," he said quietly.

"Um, Tyler went to Sun High with me," Gabriella explained. She looked uncomfortably from Troy to Tyler and then back again. "We dated for a couple years."

"Technically," said Tyler, turning to face her, "we're still dating. We never broke up before you moved."

All this was too much for Troy to take in. He didn't want to think about Gabriella ever dating anyone, let alone the guy standing in front of him. "So, what are you doing here?" he asked in what he hoped was a casual manner.

"I actually finished all my classes during the first semester and have nothing to do until graduation. I missed Gabriella so much that I managed to track down her new cell number and we started talking a few days ago. Then I figured I had nothing better to do, so I drove all the way down here to Albuquerque to surprise her."

Troy tried to absorb this new information, but mind was hazy. "You're a senior?"

Tyler nodded.

"Uh, excuse us for a second," said Troy, as he pulled Gabriella into the living room and out of Tyler's earshot.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Troy asked her quietly.

She shrugged gently. "I didn't think it was important. We lost touch for a while and then, we were just talking."

"Wait a minute," said Troy, as he came to a realization. "Is he the 'friend' you were supposed to get an important call from today? He's the reason I turned around and came back?"

Gabriella looked down at the floor, seemingly studying the carpet.

"Yeah," she replied softly. "I would have told you, but I thought it would have been too weird."

Troy ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth in frustration.

"But I thought we . . . you and I were . . ." he trailed off. "Never mind," he said, coming to a sudden halt. "I have to go." He walked promptly to the front door.

"Okay," Gabriella said slowly, raising her head to meet his eyes. "Maybe we can go on our date some other time?"

Troy gave her a small smile, despite the negative emotions racing through his bloodstream. Perhaps there was still hope for them.

"Sure," he said. "I'll call you."


Gabriella nodded. "Well, I better get back to Tyler."

She shut the door behind him as Tyler came into the hallway.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Oh, just . . . a friend."

-----------------------------

"Wow, some story," said Chad, after Troy had explained the full scale of things.

"Yeah, some story," agreed Troy. "Now will you let me sulk in peace?"

Chad gave a short chuckle. "No way. I don't care how bad the Gabriella situation is; it's no reason to brood for a week."

"I think it's more than enough reason to brood," objected Troy.

"This isn't like you," said Chad. "You never let anything get you down, let alone a girl."

"Chad, this isn't just any girl; it's Gabriella."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know, it's Gabriella the Wonder Girl. This spell she has over you, it's—it's crazy! I've never seen you so hung up on girl. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you stew in your misery."

"What do you plan to do?" asked Troy.

"Oh, I've already got a plan. Get up and get ready, because we're meeting the guys—and Taylor—at the Flamingo."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Taylor?" he asked. "Does that mean you two talked it out?"

"Kind of," replied Chad. "I guess we're at least friends."

"What time are they supposed to meet us there?"

Chad checked one of his three watches. "Ten minutes ago," he answered. "I didn't think it would take this long to coax you out of hiding."

------------------------------

Fifteen minutes later, Troy and Chad arrived at the Pink Flamingo, a local diner where many students from East High often hung out. Zeke, Jason, and Taylor sat in a u-shaped booth in the back, sipping soft drinks and talking animatedly.

Troy turned on his heel when he spotted who was sitting with them.

"You didn't tell me they would be here!" he hissed at Chad.


Chad peered around Troy to the booth. Gabriella and Tyler were sitting across from the other three, laughing about something.

He frowned. "I might have told Taylor to call Gabriella, but I didn't think she would bring him. Doesn't she know he's the reason you've been living in a hole?"

Troy glared. "No. I've been pretending that everything's fine in front of her. She thinks I'm okay with the guy."

At that moment, Taylor spotted the two whispering by the entrance and waved them over.

"Oh, hey," Chad said loudly, waving back and acting as if he hadn't seen them.

"You two are so late!" she complained.

"Yeah, we've been waiting for half an hour," said Zeke.

"This is my fourth refill," added Jason.

"Sorry, guys," apologized Chad. "Troy took a bit longer to get ready than I thought he would."

Troy glared at Chad once more as Zeke, Jason, and Taylor moved over. Chad slid into the booth first, placing him across from Gabriella and Tyler across from Troy.

"Hey, nice to see you again," said Tyler. "You're the guy that was at Gabriella's house, right?"

Troy could only nod.

"So," said Chad, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Tyler," came the one-worded reply simultaneously from four people.

"I seem to be the new one in the group," said Tyler. "I guess it's a ritual to Twenty Question me."

'What makes him think he's in our group?' thought Troy with a sour look.

Chad laughed. "I guess we missed the interrogation." His face took on a serious look. "Mind going through it again?"

"Uh, sure," said Tyler, giving a weak smile. "I was born and raised in San Diego, I went to Sun High, where I met and dated Gabriella, I'm graduating next month, and I turn nineteen in December. That pretty much sums it up."

"Why are you here?" asked Chad, trying to keep the harshness out of his voice.

"I missed Gabriella," he replied simply, pulling her closer for emphasis.

"Where are you staying?" asked Chad in that same hard tone.

"Gabriella's guest room."

The waitress arrived at their table to ask if she could get anything for Troy or Chad.

"Um . . ." Troy looked around at the all the faces. "I'm really not feeling well. You shouldn't have dragged me out here," he said, stopping his stare at Chad. "So I'm going to go."

He got up abruptly and almost knocked over the waitress on his way out of the booth.

"Sorry," he mumbled, before heading out the door.

It wasn't until Troy had made it outside and around the corner to where they had parked that he realized Chad had driven.

"Damn!" he whispered, lightly slamming his fist on the hood of Chad's car. He would have to go back and get the keys.

As he turned around, he saw Chad pushing open the door of the Pink Flamingo. He walked towards Troy, jingling the car keys in front of him.

"C'mon, I'll give you a ride home. It's my fault you're out here in the first place."

"I told you I didn't feel up to it."

"I know. I didn't know Tyler was going to be here. I thought it would be a good excuse to get you to talk to Gabriella. You know, works things out."

"There's nothing to work out," said Troy. "She thinks we're just friends now . . . not that we were ever anything more before. She hasn't even mentioned our date."

"What about that Tyler guy?" asked Chad as they got in his car. "Is he with Gabriella again?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know, but I hope not. He's with her all the time. He takes her to school, picks her up from school, drives her around everywhere . . . I even called the other day and he picked up the phone. Safe to say, I hung up without saying a word. I don't think Gabriella has caller ID or she would have called me back." He sighed. "I haven't really talked to her since he arrived. I miss it."

Chad stopped at a red light and turned to look at Troy. "I can't believe he's staying at her house."

"Her mom's too nice to say no. Besides, where else would he stay? It sounds like he's going to be here for a while."

"But they used to date!" exclaimed Chad. "Isn't Gabriella's mom worried about him sleeping down the hall?"

Troy shook his head. "Ugh . . . I don't know, but I wish you wouldn't give him mental images like that."

"Sorry, dude," said Chad as he pulled into Troy's driveway.

Troy unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

"I had a great time," he told Chad, as he leaned down into the window.

"I said sorry. Oh, by the way, I told the guys you had a nasty stomach bug. Just thought you should know in case they ask you how you're doing tomorrow at school."

Troy gaped. "Thanks. Couldn't you have just said the flu or a fever or something doesn't include puking my guts out and diarrhea?"

Chad shrugged one shoulder. "Hey, it was the first thing I could think of."

"Yeah, thanks man."

Troy made his way into the quiet house after Chad drove off. His mom was at a conference and his dad wasn't home. He began to climb the flight of stairs to his room when he a car pull up in the driveway.

'Please let that be next door,' he thought. He was in no mood for visitors.

But of course, fate wasn't on his side. The doorbell rang a few seconds later.

Troy grumbled as he padded down the stairs and flung open the door.

"What do you want?" he asked in a rude fashion without even looking to see who it was.

"Uh, Chad told us you were sick and so I came by to make sure you were okay."

It was Gabriella.

"Oh, well, thanks," said Troy in a softer tone, "but I'm fine, really."

He heard a door shut and soon, Tyler joined Gabriella outside the screen door.

"Hey, man," greeted Tyler.

Troy gave a small wave and pushed open the door. "Why don't you guys come in?"

"I know we haven't spent much time together this week," Gabriella said, as Troy lead them into the living room.

She and Tyler took a seat across from Troy. They were sitting a little too close to each other, in Troy's opinion.

"You look awful," said Tyler. "It must be some bug."

"Thanks, yeah, it's a terrible bug that just won't go away," said Troy, giving Tyler a pointed look.

"I was thinking maybe you and Tyler could get to know each other a bit," said Gabriella, looking hopefully at Troy. "That way, the three of us can hang out more often. I miss spending time with you, Troy."

"Yeah, me too," said Troy. "But this week's been a little crazy."

"So what do you like to do?" asked Tyler.

Troy rubbed the back of his neck distractedly. He really didn't want to spend any more time with Tyler than necessary, but if it made Gabriella happy . . .

"I play sports," answered Troy. "It's mainly all I do. Basketball's kinda my thing."

"Oh, so you're a jock. You look like one," said Tyler.

Troy furrowed his brows. "Um, thanks?" He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult. "Hey, how about a round of one-on-one?" he asked.

"Troy, you shouldn't," interjected Gabriella. "You need to rest."

Troy was about to ask why when he remembered he was supposed to be sick. "Oh, I'm fine," he said. "I mean, I can still play. The bug comes and goes."

"Cool, let's do it," said Tyler.

"All right," said Troy, rubbing his palms together as he stood.

Gabriella worriedly followed them into the garage. "Are you sure you won't faint or something?" she asked.

"I don't faint," said Troy, grabbing a basketball. He tucked it under his arm and walked backwards so he could see Gabriella. "Chill."

As Tyler made his way to the court, Troy started dribbling to warm up.

"So do you like basketball?" Troy asked him.

Tyler shrugged. "It's okay, but I'm more of a lacrosse kind of guy."

Troy nodded appreciatively. "Lacrosse, huh? I never really got into it, but it seems cool."

"Yeah, I love it. But more than that, I'm into poetry."

"Poetry?" Troy asked skeptically.

Tyler seemed embarrassed. "Yeah. Most of the guys on the lacrosse team make fun of me, but I don't regret it. It's how I met Gabriella, at a café where there are regular poetry recitals."

"That's . . . weird," said Troy, as he stopped weaving the ball through his legs.

Tyler laughed. "No weirder than a basketball player who sings." At Troy's look, he explained, "Gabriella told me about the musical."

"Okay, so we're even," said Troy with a sheepish smile.

Tyler grabbed the basketball from Troy's hands. "So are we going to do this or what?"

"Oh, we're going to do this," said Troy. "Just remember one thing: I don't go easy on anyone."

-----------------------------

Forty-five minutes later, Troy and Tyler made their way back into the house, dripping with sweat and panting hard. Even though Tyler was a couple inches taller, he hadn't known Troy was so good and so, he had lost . . . by a lot.

"Jeez, you really don't go easy, do you?" panted Tyler.

"Nope," replied Troy with a chuckle. "I've got a standard to live up to," he said jokingly.

Gabriella had come inside ten minutes into the game.

"Are you two finally done?" she asked, upon hearing their voices inside the house.

"He killed me," Tyler told her.

Gabriella smiled. "I could have told you that before you even began."

Troy smiled, too. At least she had faith in his skills.

Tyler checked his watch. "It's getting close to dinner time," he said. "We don't want to make your mom wait," he told Gabriella.


She nodded and went to get her purse. Tyler turned to Troy.

"But hey, it was fun hanging out and stuff."

"Yeah," replied Troy. As much as he hated to admit it, he did have fun and Tyler wasn't that bad.

"Um, you can call me at Gabriella's . . . you know, if you want to hang out again or something."

Troy flashed him a genuine smile. "Sure, if you're willing to get your butt kicked again."

Tyler laughed. "Next time, we'll do something I'm good at, okay?"

"Deal," said Troy. "As long as it's not poetry," he added as an afterthought.

Gabriella came back into the room and started to follow Tyler out. "I know we still haven't really talked," she told Troy from the threshold. "But I promise we will."

"Yeah, okay," said Troy. "Like you said, maybe we can all do something together."

She grinned. "Okay."

-----------------------------

"You said you wanted to hang out with both of them?" Chad asked dubiously.

"Well, I didn't say it exactly like that."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dude, that's how she's going to take it. I can't believe you had your chance to be alone with Gabriella and you decided to bring Tyler into it."

"I didn't bring him into it, he was already there. I couldn't just say I only wanted to spend time with her," disputed Troy.

"Dude, I feel bad for you," said Chad. "Really, I do. I can't believe that guy would just come in and take Gabriella away from you like that."

But Troy shook his head. "No, he didn't take her away from me, Chad. She was never mine. In fact, she's been his since her freshman year."

"It must be rough."

"You know, the worst part about it is that I can't even hate Tyler."

"Why not?" asked Chad. "I would definitely hate him if I was in your position."

"It's not that easy," said Troy. "Besides," he added guiltily, "I kind of like him."

Chad gawked speechlessly. "What?!" he exclaimed. "You like Tyler?"

Troy shrugged half-heartedly. "He's cool," he said. "We don't have a lot in common, but he seems like a nice guy."

However, Chad was still incredulous. "And you get all this from a game of one-on-one?"

"You can talk and play at the same time. Gabriella wanted us to be friends and I'm trying my best here."

"Oh, so you're doing this for Gabriella?"

"If being friends with Tyler is the only way I'm going to hang out with her, then I'll do it. It just so happens that Tyler's also a decent guy."

------------------------------

"Because you live, girl


My world has twice as many stars in the sky...

Because you live there's a reason why


I carry on when I lose the fight..."

------------------------------

"So, Gabriella," said Tyler, as he used the metal tongs to flip the chicken on the grill, "Just how close are you and Troy?"

He seemed nonchalant, but Gabriella shrugged in an uncommitted fashion as she brought the glass pitcher of lemonade to the patio table.

"I haven't known him very long, yet I feel as if we've been friends for years," she told him truthfully. "He's so easy to talk to and he's a really good listener."

"I'm assuming he knows you pretty well then?" asked Tyler, still keeping his eyes on the grill.

Gabriella stopped and looked up at him. "Well, he doesn't know everything about me, but yeah, he knows a lot." She eyed Tyler suspiciously. "Just what exactly are you getting at?"

"Nothing, nothing," Tyler told her, rotating whole cobs of corn to grill the sides. "I was just wondering. It's good to see you've made a friend here."

"Wow, we haven't had a barbeque in so long," said Ms. Montez, as she joined the two teens outside on the deck. "That grill hasn't had a man to fire it up in ages," she said, nodding towards Tyler.

"Oh, it's no problem," Tyler replied easily. "After all, I was in charge of the Sun High Annual Clam Bake and Cook-Out for two years."

Ms. Montez smiled in reminiscence. "Yes, I remember that. I had to drag Gabriella out there the first year. That was before she met you, of course."

Tyler's tongs clacked as he lifted the food off the grill and onto the serving plates. "Well, dinner's ready," he said, carrying the plates to the table.

The three of them took their respective seats.


"How was school today?" asked Ms. Montez, as she passed the corn to her daughter.

"Um, okay. Ms. Darbus gave us a new rehearsal schedule since opening night is only a month away. I'll be staying late everyday until then."

Ms. Montez's eyes widened a little. "Everyday?" she asked. "Isn't that a bit much? After all, you have schoolwork to keep up with . . ."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, mom, it's fine. We only practice for a couple of hours. Besides, Ms. Darbus said we're lucky she doesn't call us in on the weekends—yet."

"And what do you do while Gabriella's at school all day?" Ms. Montez asked Tyler.

Tyler waved it off as he took a bite of his vegetables. "Oh, just this and that. I've been filling out some stuff for college in the fall and catching up with the guys back home. Are you sure you don't mind if I stay with you all summer?" he asked doubtfully.

Ms. Montez looked surprised. "Tyler, you know you've always been welcome to stay as long as you like. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical when you called to say you were coming to surprise Gabriella. I still can't believe you drove all the way down here for her."

"Well, Dad's always been cool about letting me do what I want and when I told him I wanted to do this, he said, 'Have fun; see you at graduation.' I'm so glad you're letting me stay, though. I was afraid I would have to head back after the weekend."

"No, no; stay," said Ms. Montez. "You're practically family."

Gabriella, who had been pushing her corn around her plate with her fork, decided to cut in at this point. "Speaking of your graduation," she said loudly, "When is it?"

"May 20th," Tyler answered around a mouthful of chicken. "I was hoping the two of you would come with me."

Ms. Montez frowned. "May 20th," she repeated. "That's in three weeks; I'm not sure I'll be able to make it. We've got a major project that deadlines that week."

Tyler frowned, too. "That's too bad. I really wanted you to be there." He turned to Gabriella. "But you'll go with me, right? We used to talk about graduating like it was some unattainable goal, and now, I've got less than a month to go." He shook his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable."

"Yeah, count me in," said Gabriella. "You know I wouldn't miss your graduation, Tyler." She smiled broadly. "I only hope Ms. Darbus doesn't decide to hold dress rehearsals that weekend. My opening night's the week after, you know."

"We'll come up with something," Tyler guaranteed. "There's no way you're missing my big night."

------------------------------

The next morning, Gabriella's mom had to leave for work a little before eight, so Tyler insisted on dropping Gabriella off at school. He stopped near the front entrance.

"What are your plans for today?" Gabriella asked before she got out of the car.

"Uh, I think I'm going to see what kinds of places are hidden here in Albuquerque. Maybe I can find a poetry café or two? Oh, and I have to call Michael to remind him to pick up a cap and gown set for me next week." He raised his eyebrows, "It's not a graduation without a cap and gown, is it?"

Gabriella laughed. "I think the mortarboards have always been my favorite part," she conceded.

A shrill bell rang through the grounds, signaling a warning for students lingering on the quad.

"Well, you better get up there," said Tyler, pointing to the school building. "And if you see your friend, Troy, tell him to stop by and see me sometime. We'll have a rematch or something."

She smirked at him. "Do you enjoy losing horribly or do you seriously think a rematch will make a difference?"

Tyler shrugged. "Troy's cool. Besides, I need some kind of man-to-man social interaction."

"Oh, I forgot; guys don't talk to other guys on the phone for more than five minutes." Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I'll tell him, though. It's nice to see you two get along."

"Hey, su amigo es mi amigo," assured Tyler. "Now, get to class before you're late."

"Yes, mother," Gabriella said jokingly, as she shut the door of Tyler's Jeep and ran up the brick steps.

------------------------------

"Hey! Gabriella!" a voice cut through the loud ramblings of dozens of teenagers exiting the school.

Gabriella stopped walking and turned to look back in the direction of the voice. Troy stuck out a hand to get her attention as he fought his way through the crowd. He finally made his way next to her.

"Hey," he said, slightly breathless from his effort to find her. "I've barely had a chance to talk to you."

"Um, I've been busy, Troy," she replied easily.

"Well, do you need a ride home? I know Tyler's been taking you to school and everything, but you could tell him not to come or something. It's not like we've spent a lot of time together lately."

"Oh." Gabriella seemed to think it over. "Well . . ."

As she was about to respond, two loud honks came from a white Jeep by the curb.

"He's here already," she finished, as Tyler stuck his head out of the window

"Gabriella, let's go!"

She hugged her books to her chest. "I've got to go, Troy."

With that, she left Troy Bolton standing on the brick promenade, dazed and confused.

Once in the car, Tyler asked, "Hey, was that Troy?"

Gabriella nodded.

------------------------------

"I'm back!" exclaimed Tyler, as he shut the door to the Montez house behind him.

Gabriella came out to the foyer upon hearing his voice. His cheeks were flushed, he was out of breath, and he had a pair of cleats tied together, dangling around his neck.

"Have fun?" asked Gabriella.

Tyler grinned and nodded. "It was awesome," he told her.

"And just where exactly did you go?" She wasn't sure if Tyler had told her his plans this morning, but she couldn't remember if he had.

"I went rock climbing with Troy," he replied. "We went down to the sports complex first and then we climbed some real rocks. The guy in charge of the rock wall at the complex had a flyer with directions to this awesome spot. We did get lost a couple times, though. Turns out, Albuquerque roads can be longer than you'd think. Oh, and we passed this little coffee shop . . . twice. Anyway, we pulled over because I wanted to check it out, you know, in case they had anything going on."


By this time, Tyler had made his way to the living room, where he had collapsed on the sofa and then started untying his shoes. Gabriella had followed and now sat and watched as he placed his shoes, along with his cleats, next to the sofa.

"Troy said he asked you to come," Tyler said softly, looking up at Gabriella.

"Oh, um," Gabriella looked around the room uncomfortably. "I must not have got the message."

"I told him it wasn't your type of thing, but he insisted that you would appreciate something new."

"Maybe," she said wistfully. "Now, what were saying about that café you found?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject.


Tyler was caught up immediately. "Oh, it's great!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "Not exactly what you'd find in San Diego, but brilliant, nonetheless. It's a bit small, but I think that makes it kind of cozy. I picked up a list of upcoming events; they're having a poetry reading on the twelfth. It's open to the public."

"Really?" asked Gabriella with half-hearted interest.

Tyler didn't seem to notice. "Mm-hmm, I'm thinking about signing up. What do you say, Gabriella? Next Friday, you and I at a coffee shop, listening to the works of local poets? Just like old times?"

He looked at her expectantly.

"Hey, if you recite poetry, then it will be old times," she said with a smile.

"Great, so don't make any plans, okay? I'm thinking we'll go at about seven-ish. That's after your rehearsals, isn't it?"

Gabriella nodded.

"Great!" Tyler exclaimed again. He grabbed his two pairs of shoes and bound up the stairs in excitement.

------------------------------

"Because you live, girl


My world has everything I need to survive


Because you live, I live...

I live"

------------------------------

_________________________________________________________

A/N: Lyrics – Jesse McCartney, Because You Live

I originally had a lot more to this chapter, but the draft was handwritten a very long time ago and I'm not quite sure where it is… Anyway, I decided to go ahead and post what I had, even though it isn't exactly what I planned. Most of the next chapter is also typed up and once I fill in the missing pieces, I'll post it as well. Sorry for any mistakes; I'm not sure how much I proofread this version. Sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait as well.