With an enormous amount of thanks to Dani for your patience, support, encouragement, ‘made-up-on-the-spot’ writing exercises, guidance, being a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, my counsellor, my cheerleader, my beta, and my friend. You never give up on me or tell me to take a hike when I get annoyingly annoying, or just...forget how to write. Through everything - especially these past three weeks - you have been a constant in my life where everything else has been turned upside down and I couldn’t have gotten through it without you. So yeah...thanks!

To everyone else...Thanks for the amazing reviews, here is chapter 16. Enjoy.

Chapter 16: With My Best Friend

“I love you, Mom,” Gabriella said into the phone, a slight quiver shaking her voice as she blinked back tears. “You make sure Dr Gould calls me the second the surgery is over, ok? I want to know every detail.”

“Of course, sweetheart. There’s no need to worry – I’ll be fine, I promise. I love you too.”

Gabriella sighed, swatting at a tear that managed to escape. “I love you,” she repeated. “Bye Mom.”

As soon as she set down her phone Troy’s arms were around her – the display of comfort and affection was all it took for Gabriella’s brave face to crumble as she burst into tears. It had been almost a week since Gabriella’s graduation ball, and her and Troy’s newly re-formed relationship was flourishing. The two had spent almost every spare moment together since the previous Saturday, and were growing closer by the day.

“Hey, shhh,” Troy soothed, rubbing her back gently as he sat down on his bed, pulling her onto his lap and rocking her back and forth. “Shh, come on El, she’s gonna be fine – it’s going to be okay.”

“I know she will,” Gabriella sobbed. “But she’s my mom, and I can’t help but worry. I want to be there for her so badly.”

“I get that,” Troy said softly, “completely. But just think – you graduate tomorrow, and it’s only a few days until orientation at Boston Children’s, then you can go and see her.”

Gabriella’s sobs gradually began to subside and she nodded against Troy’s chest. “Yeah...yeah, I know. I’m sorry...” through the sniffles a light giggle sounded as she pulled back from Troy and dabbed at the damp patch she’d left on his t-shirt. “I wet your shirt.”

“Eh,” Troy shrugged nonchalantly, peeling off the t-shirt and casting it aside. “Problem solved,” he said cheekily, causing Gabriella to smile, her eyes shimmering with the last of her tears which Troy quickly kissed away. “And don’t you dare apologise – you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Except be a big cry baby,” Gabriella rolled her eyes.

“Like I said – you haven’t done anything wrong,” Troy replied simply, punctuating his sentence with a kiss pressed to her forehead. “Now. I understand you are worried about your mom, but I’m not going to let you sit here and pace until Dr Gould calls – because we both know that won’t be for hours, and we both know that’s exactly what you’d do. So I’m taking you for coffee and cake – before you say anything, calories don’t count on days of the week that end in ‘y’ – and then if the weather holds out, maybe the park or the harbour for a walk?”

Gabriella looked up at him, her chin resting against his bare chest and her arms wrapped loosely around his waist. “Thank you, Troy,” she said softly. She didn’t need to say anything else for him to know that she truly meant it. She wasn’t stupid – no matter what ramble he had fed her about malfunctioning sprinklers and flooding in the school gym, she knew he had taken an extra day off work so he could be with her while she waited for news about Maria (even though he had already booked the following day off to attend her graduation), and she appreciated it more than he would ever know.

Troy felt his phone vibrate in his pocket suddenly, and didn’t need to look at the caller ID to know who it was. He dug around in his other pocket for his car keys and gently pried Gabriella off him, handing them to her.

“Here, you go down and wait in the car – I’m just going to grab another shirt and use the bathroom,” he said, needing to get her out of his apartment ASAP.

“Oh...okay,” Gabriella replied, slightly confused. She took his keys nonetheless, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll just...see you downstairs,” she told him before slipping on her brown flip flops and letting herself out of his apartment.

Troy waited until he heard the faint ping of the elevator leaving his floor before whipping out his cell and redialling the number of his last missed call.

“Hi Taylor, it’s Troy...Yeah, sorry – Gabi was with me...Oh, awesome...Uh huh...Okay, yep...Yep, no worries...Okay, bye.”

Troy couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as he headed to his bedroom to get a clean shirt. He set his cell phone down as he rummaged through his drawers - pausing for as moment, however, as he was struck by a sudden idea.

He pulled the first t-shirt he found over his head before grabbing his cell and scrolling through his contacts.

It was crazy, and it was a long shot...but it just might work out.

“Chad, man – how are you doing? Listen, I’ve got a huge favour to ask...How soon can you get on a plane?”

Troy and Gabriella walked hand-in-hand through the door of Second Cup Cafe a short while later, taking a seat at their favourite table in the corner.

Before either could pick up a menu, a bright voice chirped “Good morning Troy, Gabriella. What can I get for you today? The usual?”

Gabriella stifled a giggle, as Troy blinked up at the pretty young waitress. “Uh...Yeah, thanks Kayla. That would be great.”

After Kayla had bounced away, Troy turned to Gabriella. “Since when have we all been on first name basis?” he asked incredulously. “Do we really come here that often?”

Gabriella laughed, nodding. “Uh, yeah – we kinda do.”

“Wow,” Troy said. “We really do, don’t we?”

Gabriella shrugged. “What can I say, we’re creatures of habit,” she teased, raising one eyebrow pointedly.

The double meaning was not lost on Troy, who picked up her hand and kissed it gently, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “Well, I like habit,” he replied with a grin.

The pair were snapped from their own little bubble when Kayla returned with their order.

“Ok, so we have a Vanilla Chai for you Gabriella, and here’s your Hazelnut Latte Troy. Cake of the day is Double Chocolate Fudge - I took it upon myself to cut you an extra large slice, with whipped cream. Oh, and two forks of course,” she grinned as she placed the cutlery down.

“Oh yum!” Gabriella exclaimed. “Thanks so much, that’s so sweet!”

“Wow, that looks awesome,” Troy told Kayla, his stomach growling at the sight of the delicious looking cake. “Thanks!”

“No problem,” Kayla replied happily, her eyes taking in Gabriella and Troy’s joined hands. “You two are my favourite customers – it’s so nice to see a couple so...so happy. You’re just too cute together!”

Gabriella blushed, casting her eyes downward, and Troy squeezed her hand.

“Uh...Thanks,” Troy said, embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

Kayla smiled. “It’s just the truth. Well, I’d better get back to work...enjoy the cake!”

With a small wave, the pretty young waitress disappeared back behind the counter, leaving Troy and Gabriella to their coffee and cake.

With distraction in the form of the bubbly, chatty Kayla now gone, Troy observed Gabriella’s body language – her brow creased slightly, teeth gnawing at her bottom lip, hand opening and closing her phone every few seconds...She was as anxious as hell and Troy knew it.

He gently removed her phone from her hand and placed in on the table in front of her, taking her hand in his. He stroked his thumb back and forth across her soft skin, trying to think of something remotely intelligent to say that would take her mind off her worries.

“So... How ‘bout them Lakers, huh?”

The worry-related creases in Gabriella’s forehead suddenly disappeared as she burst out laughing, her reaction catching Troy slightly by surprise. “You honestly didn’t just use that as a conversation starter, did you?” she laughed. “This is me you’re with.”

Troy grinned sheepishly. “Well, you pick the topic then, if you’re so smart,” he teased – willing to go along with anything that would keep her smiling.

“Ok,” Gabriella said, her eyes glinting. “Did you know that your stomach produces a new layer of mucus each week so that it doesn’t eat itself? Uh huh,” she reinforced with an enthusiastic nod when Troy raised his eyebrow. “And your intestines – they mrrrghwrmmph...”

Gabriella was cut off, and Troy laughed at Gabriella’s expression – her eyes wide with surprise as she chewed furiously on the forkful of chocolate cake and whipped cream he had shoved into her mouth.

“What?” Troy asked innocently. “Your mucus-ey stomach was asking me for it!” he defended, reaching out to wipe away a blob of whipped cream which had stuck to her lip.

Gabriella choked a little on the huge mouthful, before swallowing and glaring at Troy. “Not funny!” she declared, although the smile tugging at the corners of her lips suggested otherwise.

“You’re so cute when you try to look mad,” Troy teased.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. “That cake is too good to be mad,” she stated, carefully breaking off another forkful of the chocolaty concoction, closing her eyes as she chewed. “Mmm...”

All of a sudden her phone began to dance across the table and Gabriella almost jumped off her seat in her haste to answer, not bothering to check the caller ID. “Hello??” she said frantically, her smile disappearing with the rapid return of her anxiety. “Oh, hi Tay,” her face fell. “Sorry, I just...I thought it was going to be Dr Gould...Yeah, no not yet...Of course I will – hey, where are you? I can barely hear you...Oh, okay...Yeah, thanks Taylor. Bye.”

“Taylor?” Troy asked even though he knew it was her, re-taking Gabriella’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah,” Gabriella replied, setting her phone back on the table and quickly wiping her eyes – determined not to get upset.

Troy’s heart ached seeing her anxiety and concern, unable to even imagine himself in her position – if it was his own mother in surgery thousands of miles away. He stood from his chair, moving around to Gabriella’s side of the table and squatting beside her seat before reaching up and tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

“She’ll be ok, El. Dr Gould will call, and everything will be fine – you’ll see. Your mom is a strong, strong lady...just like her beautiful daughter,” he told her sincerely, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand as he spoke.

“Thanks, Troy,” Gabriella murmured, her boyfriend wiping the tears that now fell down her cheeks – tears of worry and fear mixed with tears of happiness and gratefulness. “I really...I’m just so...I know I said it before but thanks for...for being here.”

Troy pulled her into a tight hug, pressing a firm kiss against her forehead. “Don’t mention it – I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be,” he told her as he gently released her from his grasp and returned to his seat, draining the last of his coffee and forking one final mouthful of cake – pushing the last bite towards Gabriella. “Here, eat this – it’ll make you feel better, I promise – and then we’ll get out of here. Go for a drive and just chill.”

Gabriella smiled softly and gave him a small nod. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

Troy took the long route to their destination, wanting to prolong the time he and Gabriella were sat side by side – chatting on and off as he drove - for as long as possible. So it was over a half an hour later that Gabriella climbed out of Troy’s car as he pulled up at Boston Harbour and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

“I love the smell of the ocean air,” she commented. “It’s so...fresh.”

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist from behind and she tensed momentarily before relaxing into Troy’s embrace. He kissed her cheek softly before whispering in her ear.

“Hey, what would you say if I suggested a picnic lunch?”

Gabriella smiled and turned herself in his arms so she was facing him, wrapping her arms around his waist and nodding her head. “Yeah, that would be perfect,” she decided.

“Of course, by ‘picnic’ I mean burgers and ice cream by the water...I’m pretty sure I have a blanket in the trunk of the car, so it might just pass as one...” he scratched his chin in a dramatisation of a ‘thoughtful’ look.

Gabriella rose onto her tip-toes and pressed her lips against his, taking him by surprise. He came to his senses quickly, however, pulling him flush against him and accepting the deep kiss she was instigating.

“Wow, what was that for?” he said – still slightly dazed – when Gabriella broke the kiss a moment later.

Gabriella shrugged. “Just for being you,” she told him, reaching down to join their hands. “Come on – let’s walk.”

The pair walked in a comfortable silence – interrupted only once by the buzz of Gabriella’s phone: she jumped a little, before realising it was just a text – her friend Mya was checking in to see how Maria was, and confirming details for their graduation the following day. They continued walking until they reached the pier which they wandered out onto, hands linked loosely – comfortably – together.

Gabriella let go of Troy’s hand, leaning on the railing and looking out at the water where a fishing boat was making its way back to the dock. Troy moved behind her, resting his hands either side of hers on the railing, caging her in. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head before resting his chin on her shoulder. He could tell she was deep in thought, and that it was probably about her mother, but he decided to see if she wanted to talk about it anyway.

“What’s on your mind, pretty girl?” he asked gently.

“This and that,” Gabriella replied softly. “Mostly Mom. How I wish Dr Gould would hurry up and call. But also how peaceful the water looks out there, despite the hustle and bustle of the boats and the city behind us. How good that chocolate cake was,” she giggled for a moment before her face became serious again, and she turned to look up at Troy – her eyes full of sincerity. “And how happy I am that I’m here with you...”

Troy’s hands were still resting either side of her, and he leaned his head forward so that their foreheads were touching. Both closed their eyes as their noses rubbed together gently, savouring the intimacy of the moment, before Troy brushed his lips against Gabriella’s – just barely. He pulled back slightly to make sure she was okay, and then kissed her again.

The sound and vibration of Gabriella’s phone ringing in her pocket jerked the pair from their reverie, Gabriella’s hands shaking almost violently as she fumbled to pull out her phone and answer it.

“Hello?”

Troy knew the identity of the caller immediately, just from Gabriella’s facial expressions. He took her hand in his, giving it a gentle, supportive squeeze - letting Gabriella know he was there. The fact that Gabriella had begun to smile whilst speaking to Dr Gould triggered a flood of hope that rose through Troy, until he couldn’t help but smile as well.

It was good news – it had to be.

His gut feeling was confirmed when the phone call wrapped up with a grateful expression of thanks from Gabriella, before she hung up and threw herself into Troy’s arms. He caught her with a grin as she buried her face in his neck and spun her around and around.

“She’s okay! She’s okay! Everything went perfectly; she’s going to be fine! She’s okay!” Gabriella repeated over and over, tears of relief streaming down her face as Troy set her down and kissed her hard on the mouth before hugging her tightly against him and peppering the top of her head with feather-soft kisses.

“That’s such good news, Ella – I just knew it, I knew everything would be alright. She’s made of steel, your mom!”

Gabriella pulled back and nodded, happy tears still damp on her cheeks and a huge smile gracing her face, her eyes bright once more.

“She is, she’s amazing.”

“Come on,” Troy said, wrapping one arm around Gabriella and beginning to walk her back up the pier. “This calls for a real celebration! Burgers and double scoop ice cream cones all ‘round!”

“Wow, that’s a real celebration, Troy,” Gabriella giggled, Troy revelling in the sound of her laughter.

He grinned cheekily at her. “Who said anything about lunch being the real celebration,” he said with a raise of his eyebrow. “No, no – that comes later...back at my place...”

The following morning, Troy arrived at Gabriella’s apartment building fifteen minutes before he had told her he would be there, and loitered around the front door - praying she didn’t come downstairs for some reason.

After seven minutes of nervous pacing, a bright yellow cab pulled up in front of where he was standing on the sidewalk. He grinned as the voices of his childhood brother and Gabriella’s best friend floated towards him, Taylor squealing with excitement when she saw him standing there.

“Troy!” she exclaimed happily as she set down her bag and gave him a friendly hug. “It’s good to see you again – we didn’t exactly, uh...get the chance to catch up last time,” Taylor said, referring to her last visit, when she had arrived in the midst of Gabriella’s heartache over Troy, who was still with Alexis at the time.

“Yeah...”Troy replied awkwardly. “Well, it’s good to see you too! Thanks so much for coming!”

“Well well well, Troy Bolton – how the fuck are you, man?” Chad Danforth grinned as he and Troy clapped their hands in a tight handshake before exchanging a brotherly hug.

“Never better, man, never better,” Troy replied with a smile.

“I see that Gabriella has snapped your ass out of that male depression you had going on a couple months back. Good to see.”

Troy rolled his eyes. “How were your flights? Did you find each other ok at the airport?”

“Yes,” Taylor replied. “It’s not hard to spot that hair in a crowd. Chad’s flight was delayed a little, but I could see him disembarking from a mile off when it eventually did land,” she joked, Chad patting his hair – which was still as bushy as ever – proudly.

“Yeah, we had a great old catch up on the drive over. I still can’t believe you were dating a guy named Robert Bobby,” Chad smirked, glancing at Taylor. “Robby Bobby,” he sniggered. “Can you believe it Bolton?”

“I can’t believe I dated someone named Chad Danforth,” Taylor muttered under her breath, causing Troy to snort with laughter.

Despite their break up almost seven years earlier and lack of contact since, Chad and Taylor were still quite the comic duo – Troy knew that he and Gabriella were in for a lot of laughs over the next couple of days.

“Anyway,” he spoke up - distracting Chad and Taylor from their squabble, “Plan is - I’m going to go upstairs and see Ella. You two wait here until I give you the signal – I’ll call Chad’s phone, let it ring twice and hang up – and then come up. Here is the number and everything,” he explained, handing over a post-it. “Just knock on the door and I’ll get Ella to open it and...yeah...” he trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously.

Taylor picked up on his apprehension and smiled. “You’ve done a really great thing, Troy. She’ll be so excited.”

Troy relaxed a little. “Thanks, Taylor.”

Taylor shrugged. “No problem. And just for the record, I’m very pleased for the two of you. Gabriella sounds really happy – genuinely happy – over the phone.”

Troy grinned, looking down at his feet. “Thanks.”

“Oh, but Troy?”

“Yeah?”

“If you fuck her over again, I’ll smash your fucking head in.”

Troy gulped. “Right.”

Upstairs, Gabriella was pacing around in her bathroom, preparations for her graduation ceremony well and truly underway. She had washed and dried her hair, applied her makeup – which was simple but flawless - and was now waiting for her hair straightener to heat up so that she could transform her unruly ebony curls.

Still adorned in her fluffy white robe, she heard the sound of knocking at her apartment door - knowing instantly that it was Troy. She rushed out to answer the door, unable to control the smile that was spreading across her face.

"Hey!" Gabriella exclaimed warmly, her breath catching slightly in her throat as she took in his appearance. Black dress pants secured with a black leather belt, white button up shirt – tucked into his pants, but with the sleeves rolled back twice - to mid forearm – a sky blue silk tie completing the outfit...he looked amazing. “Wow, you look haaandsome,” she told him, her tone teasing in an attempt to cover the butterflies that seemed to gather in her stomach every time she saw him.

Troy grinned at Gabriella, his hands slipping around her waist and pulling her close, allowing him to kiss her soundly on the lips. “And look at you,” he said as he pulled back, Gabriella smiling somewhat dazedly up at him. “Completely rocking the bath robe look. Although I have to admit, I wasn’t aware terry-towelling was the fabric of choice in Graduation outfits this season.”

"I'm still getting ready," Gabriella informed him with a roll of her eyes. "I just have to straighten my hair and get dressed. I won't be long."

Troy followed her into the bathroom, content to watch her primp and get ready - he loved watching everything that Gabriella did. After so many years apart, he hated the thought of missing a single moment with her.

"You nervous?" he asked, hoisting himself onto the counter next to the sink as Gabriella clipped up the top layers of her hair and slipped her straightener expertly through the bottom layers.

“Not really,” she shrugged, pulling the next layer of hair from the clip and straightening out the curls. “More like relieved, you know?”

Troy nodded. “I get it. I was the same. It was like this massive build up to the point where I was just so ready for it to be over and done with.”

“Exactly,” Gabriella agreed, unclipping the top layer of her hair and working the straightener through. Troy picked the clip up off the counter and began to fiddle with it, looking up in concern when Gabriella sighed. “It’s just...”

“Just...?” Troy prompted, jumping down off the counter and moving to wrap his arms around Gabriella’s waist, dropping a kiss in her silky straight hair. Gabriella reached around him to set her straightener down, before settling herself against his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, his scent comforting and familiar. She felt him run his hand through her hair and kiss her again. “Just what, Ella?”

“I wish my mom was here,” she mumbled into his shirt.

Troy cuddled her tighter. “I know you do, but just think – in a weeks’ time you’ll be right by her side.”

He felt Gabriella nod against his chest and couldn’t help but smile as he thought of his surprise for her – a surprise which he was about to set in motion. He pulled out his phone and pressed ‘dial’ letting it ring twice before hanging up.

“Um...Hey, El?” he began.

“Yeah?” Gabriella replied, pulling back from his chest to look at Troy as he spoke.

“I know you’re really missing your mom right now but...well, I might just have something that will make up for that just a little bit...”

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door.

Gabriella’s nose crinkled in confusion and Troy impulsively kissed the tip of it, enchanted by the adorable look on her face.

“Who...?” she wondered aloud, looking at Troy as if he held the answer.

“Don’t look at me,” he told her, trying to keep as straight a face as possible. “Go on, answer it!”

She looked at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowed. “What are you up to Troy Bolton?”

He held his hands up. “Me? Nothing...Now go and answer the door!”

Gabriella continued to glance back at him with an expression of suspicion as she headed out of the bathroom and towards the door, Troy trailing behind her as she placed her hand on the knob and turned, opening the door slowly.

“I hear someone around here is graduating today?”

“OH MY GOD!” Gabriella shouted - shocked, frozen to the spot.

Taylor stepped aside, revealing Chad standing there as well.

“Wow, Gabriella, look at you – even in a bathrobe you’re just as pretty as ever!”

Up next: A graduation to remember.

Please review :) It really makes my day.

Kylie xox