AN: Almost two years and fourteen chapters from the day I posted this and we've finally reached the end. Finally. I can just hear a sigh of relief from those readers still reading this – if there still is any.

Pardon me while I go on a little spiel but seeing as this is most likely the very last story I will post in this fandom, I'm getting quite emotional.

I've been a ghost reader in the High School Musical fandom, among others here in FF, for quite some time now. Two years ago, I decided to try my hand at writing something, anything for this fandom. I started off with one-shots that I'm moderately proud of. Only moderately because looking back on it, my first few one-shots were not exactly crap but it wasn't exactly stellar either. Although it was nice to read back on my first one-shot and compare it to my stories now and realize how far I'm come. When I first started, I never categorized myself as a writer. Even now, I can't seem to bring myself to actually say that I am a writer. So to get the kind of response that I've gotten just blows me away. Once in a while, I'd get a PM/review where the reader wonders why my stories don't get as much reviews as other stories out here. I would be lying if I didn't say that it didn't warm my heart to get reviews like those. When I first started, I only expected two or three, and if I'm lucky, ten reviews for each chapter/one-shot. So to be able to reach more than a hundred is amazing for me. It has been a journey - filled with ups and downs. There were times when I just wanted to stop and completely abandon writing. But at the end of the day, I am extremely thankful that I decided to pick up a pen and write. I am extremely grateful for all the reviews that have come my way, even if it was just a one-liner telling me to update.

For the past five years, HSM and Zanessa has become a major part of my life. Being a member of ZF and FF, and the memories that goes along with it is something I'll always cherish. So thank you for all the readers that have stayed with me from the very beginning, despite my crappy update record. I know I haven't been the best in replying to every single one of you personally but that doesn't mean that I didn't cherish all those kind and encouraging words you've left me. You guys are the reason why I continued to write and persevered to finish any story that I have started.

I can't begin to express how much I have enjoyed writing for y'all. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. I am both extremely flattered and humbled by every response and feedback I got.

Thank you.

Now onto the story.

I apologize for any grammatical errors and changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It began on a summer day many years ago.

One ordinary day where a distraught teenage boy ran towards a girl. It was a day that the girl thought that she'll forever remember with sadness. But instead, as gentle arms enveloped her petite body, it was theday that changed everything for her. It was the day she realized that maybe, he wasn't just a boy – he was the boy.

This was how it all started.

~.~.~

The first thing she noticed when she awoke was the warm body right next to hers. Warm breath that seemed to caress her neck. The touch of skin that sent a tingle of pleasure up her spine. Despite the sudden onslaught of pleasant feelings that seemed to surround her, she felt weighed down. Maybe it had something to do with the arm wrapped around her waist, strong - and possessive almost, in its hold.

Then she felt embarrassment when full awareness of everything around her came in rapid succession.

Her best friend was in her bed.

Her best friend was in her bed, with his arms wrapped around her.

Her half-naked best friend was in her bed. Half-naked.

It was then memories from last night assailed her. Being dumped over the phone. Being comforted by her best friend, who surprisingly, she found out, was suppose to be on a plane to Fiji with the guys but instead, came directly straight to her upon hearing of her relationship woes. She remembered telling him about what happened, about how callously Chris broke up with her over the phone. She remembered how angry he was and the more he talked about all the things he wanted to do 'that bastard to teach him one hell of a lesson', as he put it, the more emotional she became. In the end, she ended up crying her heart out. He, in turn, crushed her in his arms and before she knew it, her tears just would not stop. It wasn't until he rocked her in a slow momentum, whispering nonsense in her ears with that soothing voice of his, that her tears slowly ebbed away. Emotionally exhausted, she remembered him carrying her to her bedroom, gently wiping away her tears as they settled on her bed.

She remembered falling asleep before he did. But not before she felt something else.

A pressed kiss to her forehead when he thought that she had already gave way to slumber and the whispered, "He never really deserved you." She succumbed to sleep after that, with warm memories and a smile on her face, thoughts of Chris and their doomed relationship the farthest from her mind.

A movement from the corner of her eye broke her reverie. Slowly, she slightly turned her head, only to be met with broad shoulders, muscles rippling as he moved. And then she saw blue, as his eyes looked at hers with amusement, sleep still clouding his eyes.

"It's too early to be up, Gabi," he said, voice still husky from sleep. "Go back to sleep."

Glancing at the wall clock past him, she smiled and proceeded to tell him that it was already past nine in the morning. To which he delighted in reminding her that it's summer, therefore, "sleeping in is a must, babe. No school. Nothing to do but sleep. No need to be a spoilsport."

Ignoring the butterflies that decided to settle on her stomach upon hearing the word 'babe', she just poked him on the chest (a move she'll instantly regret since he was so hard and warm in her hands). "Fine, but if you're planning on get more sleep, you better do it in your own room. Grandma's gonna have a heart attack if she catches you in my bed. Again. And as much as she adores you, she ain't too keen about you corrupting her one and only grandchild."

"Corrupting you," he scoffed but followed her advice as he moved towards the edge of the bed. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he gave her one last playful look and muttered, "If only she knew what a harlot you truly are."

She lets out a mock gasp. "Harlot? You've been spending way too much time with Ryan and his theatre friends."

He stuck his tongue out, grabbed his shirt and made his way to the door. "Wake me when lunch is ready."

Before the door fully closed, Gabriella called out to him. Turning, he gave her a questioning glance.

"Thank you," she ruefully smiled and added, "For being with me, even when you could have been in Fiji with the guys, getting drunk and picking up chicks by now."

He shrugged and nodded with a contemplative look on his face. "I'll always choose you." Quickly realizing how sappy he just sounded, he amended, "Fiji was a bust, I heard. Didn't really miss much, according to Chad."

Her last thought, before her bedroom door closed and his view - dressed only in his boxer shorts, disappeared was that, there was nothing better than waking up next to Troy Bolton.

~.~.~

'If you love someone, if you truly love someone, you will put aside foolish pride and fear, and love them without regret, without worry, because you know that without them, there is no reason for caring.'

Promise

~.~.~

How does one go about healing a broken heart? A pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream? A good day of wallowing in one's pain and crying until there were no tears left to shed? Was there something she could take, Gabriella contemplated, that would speed up the process? Alcohol, maybe? That always worked in movies. Staring at the apartment door of her (ex, maybe?) best friend, she questioned if the numbness she was feeling will go away. Or if the broken pieces of her heart will mend in time. She'd often heard that time healed all wounds. But she knew that the pain and the guilt of hurting Troy will forever stay with her.

There were moments Gabriella wished she could take things back. Some, she could spot for miles. Like running away from Troy. Like proposing to Julian. Other moments… well, she never saw them coming until she was attempting to survive through the havoc her decisions and actions have caused. She wished she could ask for a do-over. A chance to go back in time and save all of them from all the hurt and pain she'd caused. But the problem with that was, she'd never have the night with Troy. The few precious hours where he held her and showed her what true love really felt like.

It was selfish of her, true. But she was done doing the right thing. She was done sacrificing her happiness to keep everyone happy. All she ever wanted was Troy. Just Troy. But as she continued to blankly stare at his door and pondered the man that was just beyond the said door, she realized that may be, this time, she was already too late.

When all was said and done, she wondered, will they ever be the okay?

~.~.~

Gabriella Montez was that kind of woman - the one woman that every womanizing bachelor dreaded meeting, and yet, couldn't wait to bring home to one's parents. She was the type of girl who symbolized the end of one's bachelorhood and the beginning of a life filled with a wife, kids and a white picket fence. She was simply Gabriella. And without even trying, she wormed her way into his heart.

Julian could not pull himself away from her completely, valiant as he tried – although, if he were honest with himself, he never really tried hard enough. His relationship with Gabriella became one that survived only in stolen moments. Times when she allowed herself to feel, to forget about a certain best friend who had permanently taken residence in her heart (and clueless as he was, Troy didn't even know it). It were in those stolen moments where Julian accepted any piece of her heart that she could give him – pieces of herself that, if truth be told, she gave to him (un)willingly even when he knew, she wished she wouldn't. Glutton for pain as he was, he never truly minded. She was, and has always been, in love with that damn Troy Bolton. He knew it. Everyone did except for those two. But she loved him too, that much he was for sure. Maybe not as much as she loved Troy, but she loved him. He took whatever she could give. And for a while, that was enough.

Until he realized that the feelings (lust, as he repeatedly tried to convince himself) he felt for her soon turned into so much more. He loved her. And watching her as she dealt with the aftermath of his father's stupid plan, clearly heartbroken, he realized that his relationship with Gabriella could only ever the 'in-between's'. The relationship that some women referred to as "the one before the one." He could never been that guy for her. As much as he loved her, allowing her to settle with him was not option. It was never an option, not for him and certainly not for her.

As he watched her head into Troy's apartment while he waited in the car, trepidation settled in his stomach. Not because he wanted her for himself or because he wanted things between them to end, but because he wanted her to be happy. To finally be with Troy, without interfering fathers and nosy friends. He wanted her to ultimately find her happily-ever-after with the man that knew her inside and out. Except, Julian knew that it wouldn't be that easy. The male ego (and heart) was an easy thing to gratify. And even easier to bruise. Despite knowing all about Clyde's schemes, he knew that Troy was hurt by everything that she did. As a man, he understood what Troy felt. It wasn't easy to know that Gabriella was willingly giving up on the two of them – however noble her intentions were. The road to recovery for all them was going to be long one. Especially for Gabriella and Troy.

As minutes ticked away, his nervousness grew. Julian hated being wrong. He was right, always. But seeing Gabriella in tears as she ran downs the steps, towards him and away from Troy, he realized that for once, he desperately wanted to be wrong. He really hoped that those tears were of happiness and not because Troy did something stupid yet again.

With no hesitation, he opened the car door and enveloped her into his arms, trying to soothe the sobs that wrecked her petite body.

"Give him time," he whispered into her hair.

She hiccupped. "I know. I was foolish and optimistic to think that he'll just take me back with open arms but still…"

"You'll see, it's going to be fine. He'll come to his senses and realize what a stupid idiot he's being."

Gabriella moved away from his arms and wiped the tears from his face. She tried to smile at his attempt at making her feel better. But Troy's expression before she left his apartment haunted her. "I'm the idiot here. I never should have let him go. I never should have let this whole mess get this far."

"It's gonna be okay, I promise," he assured her. "Troy just needs more time."

~.~.~

"I don't know which one of you is more stupid," were the first words Troy heard as his friends came barging in his apartment. It was exactly four hours and twenty six minutes (not that he was counting) since Gabriella had left. And during that whole time, he literally stayed rooted in the same spot she left him, clutching his great-grandfather's ring and re-reading the words engraved in it.

You gave me a reason to stop running. To stand still, live and love.

"…Her for walking out and getting into this crazy mess? Or you," Sharpay exclaimed, pointing a well-manicured finger in his direction, "for being a stupid asshole for letting her walk out of here and allowing her to get in that mess in the first place?"

Physically and emotionally exhausted, he did not even bother arguing with her. What was the point? She was right on all accounts. Both of them have been incredibly stupid with how they handled this messed up situation, often forgetting the only thing that truly mattered – their love.

Not noticing – or plainly ignoring Troy's lack of response, Sharpay continued to voice her opinion. Insulting Clyde. Defending Gabriella, only to angrily question her friend's action at the same time. Insulting Troy, and then telling him that she understood what he was going through. All the while, his other friends just sat there, with worried expressions on their faces.

"You okay, man?" Ryan asked, stopping his sister from her long tirade.

"Love is supposed to be easy," he answered, with a thoughtful expression on his face as he twirled the ring on his finger. "It's what everyone always told us. It's simple and straightforward. It just happens, as grandma often said. So why is it that my relationship with Gabriella is anything but?"

Taylor looked up and grimaced at Sharpay, trying to find the right words to open Troy's eyes and make him realize how stupid he was being.

But it was, surprisingly, Chad who eloquently retorted, "Maybe because this isn't some Disney fairy tale and shit? Maybe because we're living in reality? Don't get me wrong, our grandmothers were right in one respect. Falling in love is easy. It happens. But it's the after part that complicates everything. Take now, for example. You are complicating a very simple situation."

"You call blackmail, meddling fathers, disastrous weddings and everything else that happened between Gabriella and I, simple?"

Chad shrugged. "Are you really angry at her for saying no because in her mind, she was trying to do an honorable thing for her family?"

Taken aback, Troy took a moment to respond. His brow furrowed but he answered truthfully nonetheless, "No."

"You were hurt, but never really angry at her, right?"

"Yeah," came his more wary response.

"See, your problem is pretty simple," Chad declared, "Falling in love with Gabriella was natural for you - unmistakable, even. So let me ask you this, the one question that really matters - do you still love her?"

"Yes," he replied in a heartbeat, a hint of annoyance obvious in tone. What did Chad think? That he could easily forget about her. That he could fall out of love with the one woman who truly meant the world to him. He didn't even have to think about it. He loved her. Wholeheartedly. Despite the drama, despite the pain, he loved her.

"Can you imagine the rest of your life without her? Can you really let her go?", Chad asked in quick succession, not giving his friend time to think.

"No."

Uttering softly, his curly-haired best friend asked next, "Then what the hell are you still doing here?"

Chad never did get a reply.

Troy was halfway out the door even before he could finish his question.

~.~.~

"Time's up, buddy."

Taken aback by the angry statement, Troy almost dropped his phone into the pond. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair and turned around. "Have at it, although you should know that my friends have already knocked some sense into me."

Julian smirked. "But it wouldn't hurt to knock some more, now would it?"

Troy could only roll his eyes. Both men took a seat at the park bench, staring at kids playing in the park.

"How is she?," he asked, almost in a whisper.

Julian did not even have to ask who he was referring to. When it came to the two of them, it was always Gabriella. "She's fine, given the circumstances. She stopped crying, at least."

"That's good, I guess."

Resisting the urge to punch the guy, Julian retorted, "That's good, I guess? That's all you can say? You broke her damn heart."

"And she broke mine first."

"Oh, what are we, in kindergarten? Man up, dude."

Looking straight into his eyes, Troy stated, "You love her." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, so what? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's just, I've often wondered. Why help me? Why tell me about your dad's plan? You love her. You could have married her by now. Why tell me?"

Rolling his eyes, Julian responded, "It was the right thing to do. When I found out about dad's plan, I was disgusted with myself. Disgusted for being so selfish as to actually accept Gabriella's proposal even though warning bells were ringing loud and clear. Disgusted at my dad for being so heartless. If we're being honest here, I could have kept it a secret. For one single moment, I thought about it. Really thought about it. I love her and I really wanted to be selfish and go ahead with the engagement. And no one will ever know."

"So why didn't you?"

Julian raised a brow. "You really are an idiot, you know that? I do love her, yes. And truthfully, she loves me too. But see, the crux of the matter is, she doesn't love me the same way she loves you. I can't even compete, dude. As much as I wanted her for myself, I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't trap her into a marriage built on betrayals and blackmail. Now answer me this," he asked, looking Troy straight in the eye. "Why did you stop the wedding? You knew about the plan to get Gabriella out of my dad's scheme. Heck, you planned it all yourself. You suggested the provisions to the pre-nup. You even hired the fake priest. So why interrupt everything? Why march into the cathedral and stop the fake-wedding?"

"I don't know. Fake wedding or not, I couldn't watch her get married to anyone but me."

"..which brings up another question that's been irking me since I saw Gabriella run out of your apartment crying this morning. Why did you let her go?"

Troy smiled. "Sharpay and Chad asked me that too. I don't know if anyone can understand it but despite knowing about Clyde's plan and us making a plan of our own to save Gabriella, it still hurts. I love her, don't get me wrong. There's no one else for me. But it still hurts to know that it was so easy for her to give us up."

"Whoever said it was easy for her? If anything, she's the one who's been hurting the most."

Perhaps he was right, Troy thought. Actually, there was no perhaps about it. Julian was right. Maybe it was time that he stopped running. And started living the life he so desperately wanted with the woman of his dreams.

"Where is she?"

Grinning, Julian replied, "Where else would she be?"

~.~.~

Troy walked into the rooftop that evening more uncertain about a woman than he'd ever been in his entire life. He knew that forgiving her was going to be easy. She was Gabriella, after all. The one girl – besides his mother, that he trusted, that he loved wholeheartedly. But forgetting was entirely different matter. The hurt was still there. Even though he knew why Gabriella did what she did, it still hurt, still stung.

She, the root of all his internal dilemma, still hadn't seen him as he walked towards her. She looked fragile, sitting there on the bench and staring off into the sky. She looked like a mess, truthfully, her clothes disheveled, her hair in disarray. But to him, she'd never looked so beautiful. He may be angry at her but all that aside, his attraction and love for her was something he couldn't deny – not even to himself.

Per usual, the first strings of Bach sounded in the air as Gabriella's neighbor started her midnight ritual. Gabriella's eyes closed for a moment, savoring the memory and the melodic sounds. Upon opening them, she was startled to see that she wasn't alone.

"Troy," she exclaimed.

He smiled. Or at least tried to. He was sure that his effort only amounted to a grimace. "I looked everywhere for you. Been looking for the better half of the day, even called your house phone and cell. But I really should have known you would be here."

Brushing away the bangs that have fallen on her face in a nervous fashion, she explained, "It's always been a place where I could think."

"I know," he whispered.

She looked up at him. "What are you doing here, Troy?"

"Is there any other place where I should be?"

Ignoring his pointed gaze, she bit her lip. "I just thought, after everything, especially this morning, that where I am is the last place you'd rather be."

His left hand came to her forehead, surprising her at his close proximity, gently brushing away her bangs that managed to escape from her now messy bun again. His other caressed her cheek to wipe away the tear she didn't even know was there.

"You asked me before if maybe we weren't meant to be together. That loving someone was never suppose to be this hard or to hurt this much…"

She glanced past him, avoiding his gaze and looking at anything but him. She braced herself for the inevitable pain. For the next few words that she knew would break her heart all over again.

"… maybe you were right," he finished.

A moment passed. His words quickly sunk in. But there were no tears. There was no heartache. No burning pain in her chest. No fervent need to cry or do anything that most heartbroken women do. She almost felt calm. Odd, she thought to herself. Then her cinnamon brown eyes met his. His eyes were gentle. Warm. And the pain she'd somehow managed to hold at bay welled. She wanted him in her life. She needed to have him in her life. He was the one. And what they had deserved something better that just her giving up and letting him go without a fight.

She opened her mouth to argue, to say anything to convince him that their love was worth fighting for.

"Gabri-", pressing one finger into his lips, she more or less screamed, "Stop", to halt whatever he was just about to say.

He blinked, wariness creeping in.

She drew a deep breath. In the back of her head, she wondered why she never planned for this. Why she never had a speech prepared, a plan - any kind of plan on how to get him back. She was the organized one. She made lists. She had her entire life planned out to the minute. But when it came to him, everything just turned upside down.

Facing him squarely, she began. "If I could take back the last couple of months, I would. I would have handled the whole Clyde situation better. I would have handled our situation a whole lot better. But I can't take it back. I can't erase the past. But I can change our future. And yes, I did say that love was never suppose to be hard or painful. But I've come to figure out that if our love story was easy, it would just be plain boring." She ruefully laughed, "And we can't have that right?"

"If our love story was pain-free, well… that's just a load of bullshit and make-believe. Because I will make more mistakes in the future that will hurt you and vice-versa. I'm not perfect. And neither are you. But I don't want anyone else. I don't want a perfect man. I don't want a fairy tale, drama-free relationship."

"Gab -"

"No, let me finish." She paused, hesitating. "There are a million things in this world that I want, a million things that I can have with just a snap of my fingers," she uttered in a rush, "but all I ever needed was you. Just you."

Her words resonated between them. And in that singular moment, he realized how obtuse, not to mention foolish, he was in letting her walk out. Suddenly, he was the one who couldn't face her. He turned around, crossing his arms and stared out, not really seeing the moon up above or the Christmas lights that still glittered her apartment's rooftop. It reminded him so much of that night. Waltzing with her. It was easier back then. No pain. No blackmails. No heartache. Just Troy and Gabriella – with less baggage. But with all that mess came the understanding. The realization of how nothing that's worthwhile was easy. Love was something that you fight for. And how much, despite it all, he wanted her. Needed her. Only her. His best friend.

"I could leave, let you go because that's the unselfish thing to do," her voice cool and serene but her body throbbing in nervousness as she moved in front of him, "but the problem with that is, I'm learning that I am selfish. There's no one else but you."

His gaze lowered to her trembling hands and he tried to fight the itch to wrap his hands around hers – to soothe her frayed nerves. "You remember when our cross-country coach got so mad at me for throwing that game during high school?"

She was surprised by his question, so off tangent to the subject matter at hand, but answered nonetheless. "Yeah. You were coming in first but one of the runners came and told you I'd taken a bad fall. You ran back and gave me a piggy –back ride to the finish line."

He asked softly, "You know why I come back?"

"..because I was your best friend and I was hurt?," she replied, confusion laden in her voice.

"Because even back then, you meant everything to me."

His words left her speechless, but what he said next will forever be ingrained in her mind.

"And you have to know, no matter what, I'll always come back to you" Troy continued, looking straight into her eyes and repeated the words he said to her all those summer ago when her heart was first broken, "I'll always choose you."

He watched as a myriad of emotions washed her face. Just the thought of spending another day without her filled him with a sense of fear. Regardless of her earlier outburst and subsequent reassertion of her feelings, it still scared him. She walked away from him once. Heck, he did too. Their journey towards finding each other had been tumultuous at best, filled with blackmailing fathers and ex-boyfriends. Had it been any other woman, he would have walked away the first moment trouble seemed to be brewing. But with her, he had to try. Despite his momentary lapse of judgment, he could not afford to just let her go. He couldn't afford to live a life without her.

Gabriella's silence worried him but as a timid smile appeared in her face, he sighed with relief. They may have a lot more problems to work through but it was a start because at the end of the end, as long as they had it each other, it was all that mattered. This time, he was sure, things were going to be okay.

After his declaration, she had no qualms about telling him. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you," she proclaimed. "My future is you." She was his. Had been for a very long time now, and it was time to let everyone know it.

He couldn't help but grin. Troy was sure he looked like a lunatic but he didn't care. "Is that a promise?," he cheekily replied.

She took a deep breath as fresh tears fell down her face. "If you want it to be."

"Don't cry," Troy said gently, as his fingers met a telltale tear. "I love you," he confessed in a roughened voice.

His plainly spoken words were her undoing. Her hands rose up to meet his, so that she could cradle his palm against her cheek. "I love you too, Troy."

~.~.~

Central Park Boathouse, June 2010

"Why did you do it?"

Turning around from watching Chad and Troy make a fool of themselves as they danced to Hall & Oats' You Make My Dreams Come True, Julian was met with a petite young woman who looked familiar, no older than twenty five, maybe, curls framing her face and a smile on her lips. "Pardon?"

She shrugged, "I've always wondered. Why'd you let her go?," her head pointing to Gabriella who was shaking her head as she tried to fend off Troy's attempts to get her into the dance floor, "Don't you love her?"

"I do…" In spite of his confusion as to the stranger's (very) personal question, he answered. "But sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, they will never love you back the same way you love them..." He looked back onto the dance floor, and onto Gabriella, looking captivating in white. "… and somehow, you just have to learn to be okay with that."

The woman beamed, obviously affected by his sweet words and somewhat mesmerized by the vulnerability and hurt she'd seen in his eyes. Taking two champagne flutes from the passing waiter, she handed on to him before clinking their glasses, "You know what I think, you're gonna make some lucky woman very happy someday. You deserve so much better than being anyone's second best."

He laughed. The first real laugh he had in months.

She sent him a quizzical look.

"Its nothing. It's just," he paused, remembering the conversation he once had with Gabriella, "an amazing woman said that to me once."

She smiled at him again and Julian thought that she had a very pretty smile. "You're going to be okay, Julian Rutherford."

He looked at her. Actually looked at the woman standing in front of him. And for the first time, he really believed that everything was going to be okay.

"I'm Chelsea." She extended her hand, "Chelsea Smith. One of the bridesmaids. We already met, well not really. I'm Gabriella's assistant too but we've never actually been formally introduced. You might have seen me around the Gabriella's office, manning the front desk, answering calls, that kind of stuff. And I'm usually not this forward but I kind of figured…", she rambled, a habit she often does whenever she's placed in awkward situations – only this time, it was actually one she placed herself in.

Julian smiled to himself as Chelsea continued to drone on about the most random stuff, her delicate hand still clutching onto his. Had it been any other girl, he would have been annoyed, but with her, he found it oddly endearing.

He shook his head in agreement at something she said, and he thought, "Yup, everything was going to be okay."

~.~.~

It began on a summer day.

One ordinary day where a trail of white calla lilies and magnolias swept across the cathedral's central aisle, as she walked in a dress of silk and tulle while he stood, eyes glistening as he watched her approach.

That is how it ended.

Or maybe, for Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez (now Bolton, as she would often remind her father), two best friends whose life changed on that fateful night, it was how their future began all over again.

Thank you for reading. Words can't even begin to describe how grateful and honored I am. Special shout out to Arlyn for truly being my number 1 fan. You're the best, girl! Yes, Troy knew all along about Clyde's plan (well, technically, he found out after Julian did). Yes, Troy and Gabriella did get married.

Reviews are much appreciated.

~.~.~

Also, I know some will be confused by the chronology of the scenes so here's a breakdown:

First scene (Troy and Gabriella in bed): yes, it's a flashback from when they were teenagers. It was a scene that I actually mentioned a few chapters back and just elaborated on in this chapter. I thought it was a nice tie-in and provides a nice TG background.

Second Scene (Gabriella): Present time. This one is right after the TG scene from last chapter. After she left Troy, she just stood there, outside his door, lamenting about what happened.

Third scene (Julian and Gabriella): Present time, minutes after the aforementioned scene.

Fourth scene (Troy with friends): Present time, a few hours after Gabriella left.

Fifth scene (Troy and Julian): Present time, after Julian was with Gabriella from the last scene, he confronted Troy. Also, this scene was after Troy was confronted by his friends (see second scene).

Sixth scene (Troy and Gabriella): Present time, after Julian and Troy talked.

Seventh scene (Julian and Chelsea): One year later, an epilogue of sorts. This scene takes place in TG's wedding reception.

Again, thank you for reading.