Hi everyone! Happy August! Okay this one is the last chapter, so I want to take this time to thank all of you dedicated readers and reviewers that took time out of your hectic lives to read this story. Thank you all so much for putting up with me and my sporadic updates. Also, this story just made "Fanfiction of the Week" over at ZA Angels (which I'm not a member of, so I didn't even know!), so thank you Ellie for picking this story! I'm glad everyone liked it, and I'm sad to see it end. :(

Oh and the song at the beginning of the chapter is "Graduation" by Vitamin C. I'm sure you all knew that, but I just wanted to be sure...

I own nothing, again. But do enjoy this last chapter of "Un Año En La Vida."

August

--

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives,

Where we're gonna be when we turn 25.

I keep thinking times will never change,

I keep on thinking things will always be the same.

But when we leave this year, we won't be coming back.

No more hanging out cuz we're on a different track.

And if you've got something that you need to say,

You better say it right now cuz you don't have another day...

--

"Oh he is not seriously going to have sex with that."

"Oh my god, he is!"

"Ew, she looks like a train wreck!"

"Why do they always pick the gross ones?"

"I know! They never pick the girl who's made for them, and instead they settle for a... whore like this chick."

"In some cases, the guy settles for a geeky virgin, who'd rather read a book than go out and party."

"Sharpay, are you not over that?"

"Well..."

Sharpay, Kelsi, Taylor and Gabriella were at the Evans household two nights before their gang would part ways. They wanted to have their last girl's night together before they spent time together as a group. They were watching a movie that they already thought was horrible, and were making fun of each of the actors every time they popped up on the screen. Sharpay was propped up against the headboard of her queen-sized bed with a few pink frilly pillows, while Gabriella was beside her, though on her stomach, her chin resting upon a few other pillows at the foot of the bed. Taylor was sitting in a butterfly chair on one side of the bed with Kelsi at her feet on the floor. The plasma screen television was directly in front of the four of them and was turned up loud, which caused Ryan to come in every now and then to ask Sharpay if she could please turn it down. She said no each time.

At the conclusion of the movie, Sharpay popped it out of the DVD player and placed it gingerly back in the case. "So now what do you wanna do you guys?"

They each shrugged and Sharpay felt their sadness. "I know how you all feel. You might think that I want to get out of here as fast as possible, but that's not exactly true."

"Seriously?" Taylor asked skeptically. "Because you always act like you can't wait to get the hell out of here."

"Well of course I want to get to New York to begin my acting career, but that doesn't mean that I really really want to leave Albuquerque," Sharpay explained. When the girls glanced at each other confusedly, she sighed and continued. "I guess I'm just kind of nervous about not having a reputation up there. You know how every single person at East High knew who I was and what I could do. That sounds conceited, I know, but it's true. But when I get to New York, no one's going to know who I am and no one will care. I'll be just like everyone else and that... that's scary."

"I thought you were going to school in Pennsylvania?" Kelsi pointed out.

Sharpay shook her head, a smile on her face. "Nope! It turns out Skidmore actually did accept me, and they sent me the wrong letter. This girl Sharry P. Evans was the one they turned down, but they sent her my acceptance letter instead! Isn't that funny?"

"Not for Sharry," Gabriella said.

She shrugged. "Well whatever. I got into Skidmore and that's all that matters right now. They've got an amazing arts program!"

"Are you sure Daddy Evans didn't just buy her way into the school?" Taylor whispered to Kelsi.

"Ha ha, probably."

Sharpay frowned. "I heard that."

"I think I'm just upset that we're all going to be so far away," Kelsi admitted after a few moments of silence. She and Taylor climbed up on the bed with Gabriella and Sharpay before she continued. "You guys know how reserved I was. I've been like that all my life. You guys are kind of like my first real friends since... ever, I guess."

"God, same here, Kels," Gabriella agreed. "I've moved probably thirty to forty times in my life, so making friends was never really an option for me. You guys are my first real friends too."

"Hey, at least you and Troy are going to be close." Taylor pointed out optimistically. "It's kind of cool how that worked out."

Gabriella grinned. Troy would be attending the University of Connecticut, or UCONN, in New Haven. She was headed to Yale, also in New Haven. In fact, the two colleges were only about twenty minutes away from each other. "I know. Thank God."

"Okay!" Sharpay clapped cheerfully. "This was supposed to be a fun sleepover and you guys are ruining it for me. Let's find something to do before we all sink into a deep pit of graduation depression."

They laughed, knowing there would be a time for saying goodbye, but now, amidst their fun and excitement, was not it.

It was August fifteenth, the day before the first of the group of friends, Kelsi, left for college.

"What time does your flight leave tomorrow, Kels?"

"Eight-thirty."

"Oh."

Silence.

"So it's your last day. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you guys want to do?"

"... I don't know."

More silence.

All nine of them were hanging out in Gabriella's backyard, drinking the lemonade her mother made for them and trying to find something to do on their last day together. Although, this time they were hanging out wasn't the lightest of times, since each person was so overcome with emotion that everyone was leaving. Kelsi left for New York tomorrow, the sixteenth, while Taylor's New York flight left on the eighteenth and Sharpay's on the nineteenth. Gabriella left for New Haven, Connecticut early morning on the seventeenth, while Troy left mid-afternoon on the seventeenth. Ryan's flight to Michigan left on the twentieth and Chad's on the twenty-first. Zeke left for Florida on the twenty-second and Jason brought up the rear by leaving last on the twenty-fourth.

"Do you guys wanna go swimming?" Zeke suggested.

"Not really."

"Wanna go see a movie?"

"Nothing's playing."

"I think that new mini-golf place is open. Do you guys want to go there?"

"I'm really bad at golf."

"Well come on, you guys," Gabriella sighed. "We have to do something."

"I don't feel like it," Kelsi said sadly. "I feel like wallowing in self-pity."

"Well we're definitely not going to do that," Sharpay glared at the girl. "I'm with Gabriella on this one. Let's get the hell out of here and figure out something to do."

"That new restaurant on Market Street opened yesterday," Zeke pointed out. "You guys wanna try it?"

"Is it a nice restaurant?" Sharpay asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know I don't eat in any restaurants below five stars in customer satisfaction."

Chad rolled his eyes. "We know. You're a restaurant snob."

Sharpay shrugged. "Well, is it?"

Troy and Jason shared a glance. "Um... yeah."

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "That's not very convincing."

"Oh chill out, Shar," Ryan sighed, linking his arm through his sister's and pulling her towards the car. "I'm sure it'll be just as good as the five-star one we went to the other night."

Kelsi pulled Jason aside as the others walked ahead. "Hey, where are we going?"

Jason smirked and whispered the name of the restaurant into her ear. She laughed.

"Oh god, Sharpay will have a fit."

"I can't believe I'm actually sitting in this restaurant."

The group groaned and tried to ignore Sharpay's further comments as they skimmed over their colorful laminated menus. They were seated in a large fire engine red booth that graciously accommodated the nine of them. The table was a bright chrome silver, with an old-fashioned straw and napkin dispenser and the bright red and yellow plastic ketchup and mustard bottles. The floor was a black and white checkerboard pattern, and all the waiters and waitresses were wearing the traditional '50s garb- white blouses and pants, black shoes, a black tie, and an old hat that looked like a nurse's hat from the second world war. Sharpay Evans had never eaten in a diner. Though, this wasn't your typical diner. This was Johnny Rockets.

"Hello, everyone!" A cheery girl in her early twenties greeted them. "My name's Holly and I'll be your server this afternoon! Would you like to start with some drinks?"

"I can't believe I'm actually ordering in this restaurant." Sharpay scowled again.

"Sharpay, shut the hell up," Jason sighed. "She's thrilled to be here. Really."

Holly just grinned as the group put in their orders for drinks and ordered each of the appetizers, stating that it was their last day together; they might as well just splurge. Moments later, after everyone's main course order had been put it as well and their appetizers brought out (onion rings, French fries, cheese fries, chili fries, chicken wings, and a bowl of chili, which no one was going to eat except Chad or so he claimed), they began to realize that this was their last meal together.

"So this is really it, huh?" Gabriella asked, swirling a French fry in some ketchup. "I can't believe it."

"Hey," Sharpay pointed out. "No one complained when Gabriella said 'I can't believe it.' What the hell?"

"Gabriella's not bitching about coming to Johnny Rockets instead of Le Chalet Enchante, or wherever you guys eat." Chad explained.

"Whatever."

"Anyway," Taylor started. "Yeah. That's kind of scary. It feels like just yesterday that school was starting and we were all excited about senior year..."

"... and now here we are saying goodbye." Zeke finished for her.

"You guys, we're never going to see anyone again!" Sharpay shouted in realization. "I mean, what's going to happen to geeky little Brittney Cohen? I never got to make her popular! And she so desperately needed my help!"

"Hey, Brittney is not a geek," Gabriella defended.

"You only think that because you're one too. A much less nerdy geek, but you're a geek nonetheless." Sharpay said. "You've come a long way."

"Um, thank you?"

"As happy as I am to get out of here," Chad began. "I'm really going to miss all of you guys. Our friendship is like unbeatable. I don't think any other group of friends is as close as we are and it's going to be really hard getting used to not having you guys around. I like how whenever there was something wrong, we always had such a great support group. We were kind of like... Alcoholics Anonymous."

They each shot glances with one another. Taylor groaned. "Chad, it started it out so nice... and then you ruined it with that last comment."

He only laughed. "It's true!"

"I don't really want to leave," Kelsi admitted quietly, and Ryan's grip on her hand tightened. "I've never lived anywhere but here, and Chad's right, you know. You guys are the greatest friends I've ever had. And, as this might seem a bit pathetic, the only friends I've ever had."

"Aw, Kelsi! We love you!" Taylor cooed and she laughed.

"My mom and I have been moving all over the country since I was nine," Gabriella affirmed. "I think I've lived in almost every state in the U.S. But for some reason, moving to college feels a lot different. I guess it's because, like Kelsi said, you guys are my first real friends too and I have to say goodbye this time. I never made friends purposefully so that I wouldn't have to go through the pain of saying goodbye to them. And now... I do."

"Well it isn't goodbye forever," Troy said in assurance to the rest of the group. "We'll be back for holidays, right?"

"Of course," Zeke agreed. "Plus, we're all pretty close, right? Well I mean, except for me and Jason."

"Jason and I," Taylor corrected. Zeke rolled his eyes. "But yeah. We'll all be in the northeast. That'll be good."

"Hey you know what we should do?" Sharpay suddenly thought aloud. "We should plan a big trip together for spring break this year. Kind of like a... reunion sort of thing. We can go to Cancun!"

"Sharpay, everyone goes to Cancun on spring break," Ryan said in a 'duh' tone. "Be more original."

"Yeah you're right."

"But that's a great idea," Gabriella agreed. "We'll have so much fun together."

"We always have so much fun together," Kelsi pouted. "That's why it's so hard to say goodbye."

"That's true."

"What if you guys were horrible friends? Like if you never returned phone calls and were backstabbers and stole each other's significant others and stuff like that? And told each other's secrets and fought every single day? Then it would be easy to leave each other." Jason reasoned.

Troy stared at him. "Jason, why would we be friends with people like that in the first place?"

"Well I don't know," He shrugged. "But it'd be easy, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Zeke laughed. "Anyway, I just want to say that it was a pleasure going through my high school years with all of you."

"That's sweet, Zeke," Taylor smiled. "I agree. We had some pretty good times in that place."

"We did have good times," Gabriella nodded in agreement, a grin upon her face. "We had great times and we'll always be friends. And that's what we'll have to remember come tomorrow."

"Flight 2016 to Hartford, Connecticut now boarding. Flight 2016 to Hartford, Connecticut now boarding."

Gabriella pulled out of her embrace with Troy to look him in the eye. She couldn't believe it was already time for her to go. "Oh my god, I'm really leaving now."

"I know," He looked heartbroken but tried desperately to cover it up for her. "This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."

"Me too. I don't want to say goodbye."

"I don't either," Troy sighed. "I wish I was on that plane with you."

"I do, too." She reached up and kissed him long and hard on the mouth. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Gabriella," He brought her close to him once more. "You don't even know."

"I'll call you as soon as I get off the plane." She whispered softly, squeezing him even tighter.

"I know you will. I'll be waiting for that call."

Gabriella turned and said a tearful goodbye with her mother before wiping the remnants of her tears off her cheeks and gathering her carry-on luggage. It was hot outside but she couldn't feel colder as she walked back over to Troy. She shivered a little and he allowed her to fall carelessly back into his arms, consoling her as she cried and trying not to cry himself. He watched as the others on her flight boarded the plane, and knew she really had to go, but coming to terms with this realization was one of the worst feelings he'd ever felt before.

"Babe," He started, his voice cracking a bit. "We'll be fine. We're going to see each other soon. We're in the same state. Hell, we're in the same city. How many other couples can say that?"

She looked up at him, drying her tears once more. "I know. We're only about twenty minutes away, right?"

"Yeah. So we'll be okay. No, we'll be better than okay. We'll be amazing." Troy said, not only to assure her but to reassure himself as well. "I love you. Now go board that plane."

She giggled a little, despite the situation. "I love you too."

Kissing him one last time, Gabriella gathered her things and headed towards the gate slowly. Troy sighed. "This year went by so fast."

And she heard him, and turned around slightly to whisper. "Un año en la vida, Troy."

Troy watched her go and smiled. "A year in the life."

And that's what that means. "Un año en la vida" means directly translated "A Year in the Life" in case you all were wondering. Please review for the last time, and I'll see you all in my next story! Bye!!