A/N I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! I ONLY OWN THIS PLOT! Thanks to my beta Elena Rain. Ok so...this is the last chapter, I want to thank everyone for leaving a review and adding my story/me to your alerts/favorites. You guys always making me want to write more and update as often as I can.

Now before you read i have to tell you guys a small story, I was in my kitchen the other day and we have our pots hanging like in HSM 2 the Lava Springs kitchen, I was putting one away the other day and it hit the other one making it's normal noise and I had this sudden urge to grab a spoon and start tapping on them like Troy does in that "Work this out" scene. :P That's how you know you truly are obessed with High School Musical.

Anyway now on with the story:

After lunch Troy and Gabriella agreed to watch a movie and cuddled on the couch. Lucille walked in just before the movie started.

"I've got to run out for a bit, will you two be ok here?"

"Of course, Mom." Troy said.

"OK, call if you need anything."

Lucille left and Troy and Gabriella started their movie. Gabriella moved her feet onto Troy's lap. He softly started to massage them as they watched the movie.

A little later Gabriella felt Troy start playing with her toes. She giggled a little and asked "What are you doing?"

"Playing with your toes." he said simply.

"Why?"

"Because, you have cute toes."

"Stop!"

"Why are you ticklish?" he asked tickling her feet.

She threw her head back in laughter. He stopped and just watched as she got her breath back.

"Yes. I'm very ticklish on my feet. My feet are my second most ticklish spot on my whole body." she said

He smirked at her. "Oh really?"

"Troy, I'm warning you don't you dare."

He grabbed her ankle tightly into his hands. He tickled her foot she broke into laughter.

"N-no! sto-stop!" she cried out in giggles

"Not a chance!"

Gabriella laughed hard as she struggled to pull her foot free but he was too strong. Troy stopped when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Who could that be?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm not sure, unless my mom forgot her keys."

Troy got up and went to the door. He looked through the peek hole. He gasped.

"Who is it?" Gabriella asked coming up behind him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Troy opened the door and Gabriella gasped. It was Chad along with the entire basketball team. Gabriella flinched back instinctively, cowering behind Troy. At her old school the entire basketball team was always after her and always wanted to hurt her for, as they said, 'hurting their captain'. Now, she felt, the East High basketball team was after her.

"What do you want?" Troy asked wrapping his arms around Gabriella from behind.

"Can we talk?" Zeke asked.

"If you're here to tell me to break up with Gabriella because she'll hurt me, or tell me that I'm an abusive pig and should spare Gabriella that pain just leave because I am not in the mood to hear it."

"Troy, stop, just listen to them. Trust me, I wouldn't have brought them here if I thought they'd upset you." Chad said.

Troy sighed. He turned to Gabriella. "Can I invite them in? If you're not comfortable we can go talk outside."

"No, you're here. I know I'm safe."

Troy nodded and turned back to the others.

"Ok, you may come in."

Everyone went inside and sat down in the living room. The boys on the couch and chair, while Gabriella and Troy sat together on the other chair.

"What's going on? Shouldn't you all be in school?"

"Actually…that's why we're here." Zeke said again.

"What?"

"Well…after certain events….the entire school was warned, by the Principal, that if the rumors and teasing about the two of you didn't stop, then the entire school would lose free period and there would be no more free time at the school. It would be all day of working and learning. Also that whoever was involved in this act would be expelled for the rest of the semester."

"So, what, you finally want us to come back to school just because you were warned?" Troy asked. "The entire school has been warned a million times before to stop, they never have. Why should now be any different?"

"Because we finally realized how wrong we were. You're not abusive, Sharpay is a liar and we're idiots for believing her over you. We're your teammates and we should have listened to your side of thinks and believed in you like Chad has. Sorry, will never be enough for the pain we've caused you but that's why we're here."

"It's going to take time before I forgive your even trust any of you again. You'll have to earn that, as well as earn Gabriella's trust and forgiveness."

"We understand that. That's why we're hoping this could be a start….We want you back on the team and back as our captain."

"I can't accept until I know I can trust you as my friends and as well as my teammates. So, no I will not come back on the team, at least not yet. When Gabriella and I return to school in a few days we can talk more about it but until then I need to think about what just happen and I need to figure out what to do."

"We understand. Thanks for hearing us out."

The boys got up and left. Troy sighed.

"Troy, if you want to join the team do it. Don't let me stop you." Gabriella said.

"Thank you, but you're not what's stopping me. They abandon me when I needed them the most. The rumors started just a few weeks after my father died. You and Chad were the only two who stuck by me. So I not only lost my dad I lost my friends and I lost my team so it will take time before I can trust them enough to join the team. Their actions when we returned to school next week will determine if I join the team or not."

"Do we have to go back to school?" she asked softly.

Troy smiled softly. "I won't let you be alone. I'll make sure nobody bothers you."

"It's not the teasing I'm worried about, Troy." She said, her voice in a soft whimper.

Troy sighed. "Baby, listen to me. I promise nobody will ever treat you that way again. Nobody will ever lay a hand on her. I don't care what I have to do."

Gabriella smiled with tears in her eyes. "I love you, Troy."

"I love you too, Brie."

They kissed passionately and continued to cuddle and watch the movie. The rest of the week was spent having fun, laughing, kissing, and of course cuddling and tons of tickle fights.

It went by fast and soon it was Monday. Gabriella was scared to death but she knew she'd have Troy by her side, she wondered if she'd have the rest of the team on her side too.

They both stood outside the school.

"Are you ready?" Troy asked.

"No, I'm never going to be ready. I just have to do it." Gabriella answered.

Troy sighed and nodded. "Just remember, we're in this together. I've got your back."

Gabriella nodded and they walked inside. Everyone turned to stare at them.

Gabriella gulped and flinched back.

"Just ignore them, and remember I'm right here."

Gabriella nodded and walked to Troy's locker with him. Once he got his books they went together to her locker to get her stuff. Homeroom went by without a problem.

After class Gabriella and Troy walked to the math classroom. They stopped. They shared a look and continued to walk. Troy knew Gabriella wasn't comfortable being alone yet so he allowed her to go with him to his next stop…the gym.

They went inside and the guys were practicing their throws. Chad noticed Troy walk in and went over.

"Look, I know you don't trust them. You have every right to, but you trust me so trust this…you can trust them. They are very honest and serious about what they said. They want you back on the team and they know you didn't hit or rape anyone."

"What about Gabriella? Do they believe she slept with all the guys at her old school?"

"No, they know she's too kind of a girl too hurt you like that."

Gabriella smiled and blushed softly. Troy chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"Ok, I'll come back to the team but…you guys still need to earn mine, and Gabriella's, trust before we're friends again."

"They understand that and they respect it. Welcome, we just working on some free throws."

Troy looked to Gabriella. "You can go sit on the bleachers if you want. I'll be done in about an hour and we can grab lunch."

Gabriella nodded and smiled. She went over to the bleachers and sat down. She loved watching Troy play, he always looked so happy, but also so into the game. A hurricane could rip through the room and Troy still wouldn't even notice. Gabriella giggled at the thought. Troy heard and looked over to her. He winked and smiled at her. She blushed and blew him a kiss. He blew her one back and went back to the game.

After practice Troy ran over to her. "I just got to shower than we can go ok?"

"Yeah, I'll grab us a table?"

"Great, meet you there."

He kissed her on the lips and rushed off. Gabriella smiled and headed to the lunch room.

As she walked down the halls people called out to her.

"Hey, Montez, didn't think I'd see you without a boy on your arm. What happen? Troy got tired of hanging out with a slut?"

"If you're lost I can lead you to the gym. That's where all the basketball players are."

Gabriella turned to face them. "Say whatever you want. I know the truth and Troy knows the truth. That's all I care about. So shut up and get a life…better yet, go get a brain!"

She turned back around and headed to the lunch room. She grabbed her lunch and sat down at an empty table. Taylor came over to her.

She sat down. "Hey, um…I'm Taylor, we're in math together." She started slowly.

"I know who you are. What can I do for you?" Gabriella asked.

"I wanted to say sorry. I brought into the rumors and I was rude to you and to Troy and I just…I'm an idiot and I wanted you to know that I'm sorry and that I feel bad about how I treated you and Troy. I don't believe either of the rumors anymore. I know Troy isn't abusive and I know you're not a sl….you don't sleep with different men."

"Thank you. That's very nice of you to say. But it's going to take time before I can fully trust you or even consider you a friend. Please under that."

"I know, I do understand. I'm going to try to gain your trust and your friendship. You seem like a nice girl and I want to be your friend."

Gabriella nodded and smiled nicely. "I'd like to be your friend too."

They smiled at each other.

"Well, I should be going. I'm meeting some friends for lunch. I'll see you around?"

"Yeah…"

"Great."

Taylor got up and walked away. Gabriella sighed. Slowly but surely everything was getting better. Less and Less people believed the rumors so she and Troy had more friends which was also nice to have. Nothing was perfect yet, but Gabriella knew in time, everything was going to be just fine…..

Troy and the others came over to sit with her. Troy kissed her cheek and they talked and laughed all through lunch.

Suddenly, Gabriella overheard two girls talking as they passed the table.

"So did you hear the news?"

"What?"

"West High's captain was kicked out of the school for sexually assaulting another student and so now he's transferring to this school."

"When is all this happening?"

"Next semester…."

Gabriella looked up to Troy, she turned white as a ghost and she felt like she was going to throw up. What was she going to do now?

A/N Don't worry I'm doing a sequel to do this story, but this is just to give you a little taste of what is to come in the next story. Here is the summary for it "The True Gabriella Montez-West High's Captain transfers over to East High, Gabriella is forced to work with him on a school project...a marriage project. What happens when he actually starts to believe he and Gabriella are married? How will Troy handle all this? Leave me you thoughts in a review!

For updates, sneak peeks, and even sometimes fun pictures, FIND and LIKE me on facebook at "hopelessromanticgurl"