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"Gabriella!" screamed Tessa, being the first to spot their best friend as she made her way out of security between Paul and Curtis. Tessa rushed towards the brunette while Gabriella ran towards her at the same time, instantly hugging each other tight, being shortly joined by Taylor and Sharpay, making it a nice, big group hug.
"I've missed you guys so much!" exclaimed Gabriella, so happy to be back in New Mexico, even if it was just the airport. "God, so much has happened recently!"
"How were the meetings in D.C.?" asked Taylor, thinking that was what Gabriella was talking about.
"They went well, Dad let me even sit in during a few of them," supplied Gabriella. "Come on, let's go get something to eat! I'm starving!"
"Aww, poor baby didn't like first class food?" teased Tessa, already leading the group of girlfriends out of the airport and towards the garage. "Paul? Do you need us to stay for you guys to get your usual tinted windows car?"
"No need," replied Paul. "It's waiting with a driver outside. Are you girls sure you don't want to drive in that car instead?"
"Are you kidding? It's a sunny, beautiful day here! We are so driving with the top down in my Mustang!" exclaimed Sharpay, rolling her eyes in the process. "Really Paul, I thought you were much smarter than that!"
Paul threw up his hands in surrender. "All right, I guess it's just you and me in the car Curtis. Where are you girls going? And don't lie to me Tessa."
"Like I would ever," returned Tessa, batting her eyelashes at the bodyguard.
"Tessa," warned Paul before Curtis could jump in.
"Fine spoilsport. We're going to Gaby's favorite pizza place since she's so hungry. We'll meet you there?" offered Tessa.
Curtis nodded his head. "We'll meet you at the parking garage's exit."
Sharpay sighed. "Fine, have it your way and make it obvious my car is carrying special royal guests," said Sharpay, hoping it would cause the two bodyguards to back off.
"Not working either Sharpay," stated Paul as he shook his head.
"Hey, a girl has to try," replied Sharpay, shrugging her shoulders as the girls continued on to the garage while Paul and Curtis went to look for the hired car. "God Gabriella, they are still so overprotective!"
"Only here," answered Gabriella. "Back home they give me a lot more freedom. I think they're like on high alert here because of the history here and that they don't have every place wired like they do in Copanvy. We even have a bigger team than you see back there. They just don't know that I know."
Taylor wrapped her arm around Gabriella's shoulders. "Well, we'll do our best to ignore them this week. We have our best friend from high school back and there's nothing that is going to spoil that for us."
Gabriella grinned back at Taylor, instantly relieved that she was back with people who knew who Gabriella really was as a person and not the image she had worked herself into being over the past years. 'Thank God for true blue friends!'
"Do you remember the time we came here right before senior year started Gab? When that hot waiter guy gave you his number?" asked Taylor before she bit into her slice of pizza.
"Oh my God! I totally remember that! He was so into Gabriella Sharpay, you wouldn't believe it! And our girl here wouldn't have any of it! Did you ever call the poor boy?" questioned Tessa.
Gabriella shook her head. "I didn't. Shortly after, things with me and Troy picked up and I didn't think of the guy here after that. Now those were the days that I sometimes wish I could capture in a bottle and relive whenever I wanted to."
"Despite all the hardships?" asked Taylor, a bit surprised by this admission.
Gabriella thought for a few moments. "I guess I should rephrase that. I wish that I could relive those moments that left me in such happiness and bliss while still keeping those hard times. Those times that I cried, that I hurt, they've only made me that much stronger in truth. Yes, it was hard to deal with Riley Sutton's attack and rape, it was terrible going through Alicia's attack months after, but both events served as reality checks for me and tested me into showing my real strength and character. I don't know if I'd be the same person I am today without all that."
Tessa grinned at Gabriella. "And we all know that you would be a complete wimp otherwise, right?"
"Hey!" protested Gabriella. "I didn't mean that either! It's just, things happen for a reason. You know I believe in that a lot."
"I do, otherwise you wouldn't be wearing that ring on your right hand still," replied Tessa, looking at the promise ring of years ago shining on Gabriella's right hand that was resting on the table. "That's a true testament to faith."
"Still harboring a secret hope that Troy will come after you as a proper knight, or rather a prince, would do for his princess?" asked Sharpay, watching Gabriella's expression carefully.
After a few moments of being silent, reflecting on Sharpay's question, Gabriella slowly nodded her head. "I think that may be why I haven't really wanted to date anyone for all these years. Well that plus going on a date with bodyguards, visible or not, is hard plus never knowing if a guy likes you for you or for the fact you are royalty of the country. I know I was hurt when I saw Troy with that redhead on New Year's Eve those years back but I got over it, knowing that I was the one that let him go freely after all. I was the one that dropped the ball by not returning his emails and calls as often as I had in that first year until it finally just tapered off."
"But Gaby, it's not like you ignored him on purpose. I remember how infrequent you got with all of us during that time too. You had a lot going on, actively going to meetings with the king and your dad, having to attend all those royal social functions, and trying to go to school. It's understandable," returned Tessa.
"That may be true but I could have done better. I talked to him a few times sporadically via email even after New Year's Eve four and a half years ago but it just didn't feel the same, I felt weird knowing that he was with some other girl that wasn't me. Maybe what I'm hoping for really isn't necessarily Troy again but to feel what I felt when I was with him, to be loved in that manner again," confessed Gabriella. "God only knows I'm desperately hoping I find it in order to keep my sanity in my near future."
Taylor, who had been quiet for most of this portion of the conversation as she didn't want to slip up about something Chad informed her about, took this as a chance to change the subject that clearly still stung Gabriella. "What's going on in your near future?"
Gabriella opened her mouth to respond when she heard a scream from a table across the room. "Oh my God, there's someone famous here!"
All four heads in the booth they were occupying turned to see a pretty brunette grinning in their direction while Gabriella quickly moved her head back so it was resting against the booth, safely hiding her face behind Tessa who didn't even notice. She said something quickly to the guy with dark brown hair who was sitting across from her before getting up and making her way to the girls' table. "Aren't you Princess Gabriella of Copanvy?" asked the excited girl.
Gabriella looked around the table for help but didn't see any as Sharpay and Tessa both gave the girl curious looks while Taylor averted her face from the girl, instead looking at Gabriella. "Umm, yes?" offered Gabriella, giving the girl a weak smile.
"I am so excited to see you! What are you doing here in old Albuquerque, New Mexico?" questioned the brunette. "I've seen you in so many magazines in the last few years. It's refreshing to see a princess in the news and a good role model at that instead of all these crazed celebrities and even princes misbehaving. I'm Celeste by the way."
"Nice to meet you," returned Gabriella, reaching out her right hand and shaking Celeste's offered one, signaling Paul and Curtis that they could go back to eating their pizza. "I'm flattered you know who I am."
"What girl couldn't?" asked Celeste. "Wait, is that you Taylor McKessie?"
Taylor groaned in her head before turning her attention back to the brunette standing at their booth, somewhat thankful that the pizza place was pretty empty at the moment since they were between lunch and dinner rushes. "Hi Celeste."
"You never told me you knew a princess! How very bad of you Taylor. It's okay though, I'm sure you didn't mean to brag," returned Celeste. "Is it okay if I take a picture with you and of course your friends Princess Gabriella?"
Gabriella anxiously looked around the table and saw Taylor reluctantly nod while Sharpay and Tessa both had huge grins on their faces, finding this encounter to be extremely funny. "Sure, if it's okay with all of them."
"Great! Troy! Can you come over here with my cell phone please? I need you to take a picture!" called out Celeste, turning her attention to the dark brown haired boy for a moment before smiling back at Gabriella. "This is so cool! My friends are never going to believe this."
"Yes they will," grumbled Taylor, bracing herself for what she knew what was coming next.
"Here babe, I have your phone. Who do you want a picture with?" asked the guy, walking towards them while he tried to navigate through Celeste's phone to find the camera option.
"Princess Gabriella silly!" replied Celeste, grinning at Troy as he snapped his head up at the name.
Troy felt all the blood leave his face as his blue eyes connected with all too familiar brown eyes that reflected as much shock as he felt at the moment. "Brie?" he managed to say, which was a miracle to Troy as he felt his throat tighten while his stomach twisted into knots.
A familiar pang was felt in Gabriella's heart as she stared back into those blue eyes that always used to be the windows into her young love's soul and feelings. It got worse as she heard him say her name, the name only he called her. "Hi Troy," returned Gabriella, putting a small smile on her face. "I think you remember the girls."
Troy, having realized for the first time there were three other girls with Gabriella, looked around the table and saw Sharpay's and Tessa's curious faces while Taylor had an almost pleading look on her face. "Of course. How is everyone doing?"
"Fabulous," returned Sharpay. "What are you doing here in Albuquerque? Last I heard you were part of some NBA team, working your way up."
"I am but it's not basketball season so Celeste and I thought we'd come and visit my hometown," explained Troy. "So she could meet my parents and everything."
It was then that everything started to click in Gabriella's mind as she looked at the adoring way Celeste was looking up at Troy, the manner with which her right arm was wrapped around his waist. 'This is no Amy situation with Troy, like last time I saw him here with another girl that turned out to be his older cousin. They're together. Once again, I come back to Albuquerque to find Troy taken by another girl. I guess I'm fated to have it repeatedly told to me that he is no longer mine nor my future.'
"Aren't I the luckiest girl in the world? A hot and up and coming fiancé who is so committed to me heart and soul," exclaimed Celeste. "As Taylor already knows, Troy and I are getting married next year!"
Tessa felt her mouth drop as she looked at the brunette and then back at Troy, shaking her head slowly. 'God Troy, I know you have no real responsibility to Gabriella but why did you let her find out this way?'
Sharpay didn't fare much better as she just stared at Troy as she saw panic slowly creep into his blue eyes. 'At least you have the decency to look scared now as to what is about to happen you creep. Wait, Taylor knew?' thought Sharpay, whipping her head around to look at the girl next to her who was currently finding the table suddenly interesting.
"Umm, congratulations to you both then," replied Gabriella when no one else at the table said anything, forcing herself to try to stay calm. Her eyes darted to the sparkling engagement ring on the other brunette's left hand and silently counted backwards from ten to try to get control over the tears that were starting to choke her as she pushed them down so they wouldn't be visible.
"Brie," Troy managed to start saying, stopping when Gabriella shook her head.
"I'm happy for you Troy, I'm glad that you have found happiness and love. That's great news," replied Gabriella, giving Celeste the best smile she could. She then remembered the now heavily weighted item that was sitting on her right hand's ring finger and quickly moved her hand to sit on her right leg under the table.
The sudden movement caught Troy's gaze and he felt his stomach drop further as he saw the flash of gold on her right hand. 'The promise ring. She's kept it all this time? Oh God, what have I just done?'
Tessa also saw Gabriella's actions and knew that Gabriella was most likely on the verge of breaking down. "Well, as lovely as it was to see you again Troy, and to meet you Celeste, we have to go. Gaby is here for only a short amount of time and we have promised a visit to some other high school friends."
Sharpay caught onto Tessa's efforts and nodded her head, calling to a waiter to bring the bill and a box for the remaining pizza. "Yes, we are so sorry we have to leave but when a high school best friend is here from out of town, every second counts right?"
Celeste nodded her head showing her understanding. "Do you mind if we take a picture before you girls leave?"
Tessa and Sharpay both nervously looked over at Gabriella who was now looking down at the table, just as Taylor still was. "Sure," mumbled Gabriella, forcing herself to look back up and at the woman she so wanted to be at the moment.
After the waiter placed the box and bill on the table, Tessa made quick work of putting the pizza in the box while Sharpay pulled some money out of her wallet and placed it on the bill. Tessa shot Gabriella a worried look after she scooted out of the booth, allowing Gabriella to scoot out after her. Sharpay had to nudge Taylor before Taylor looked up and realized that they were leaving. Once all four girls were out, they gathered together with Celeste at the end next to Taylor and smiled at the cell phone, Gabriella struggling the most to smile at the cell phone for the promised picture, dropping it as soon as Troy lowered it back down.
"Thank you so much! Wow, I am so honored to have met you and to especially know that you and Troy must have gone to East High together with Taylor and the others. What a small world! You simply must come to our wedding!" exclaimed Celeste, unaware of the silent knife she was driving in and twisting in Gabriella's heart.
"Umm Celeste, I'm sure Gabriella has other things to do than to come to our wedding," murmured Troy, reminding the five girls that he still could speak after being silent for so long. "It was nice seeing you again Sharpay, Tessa, Taylor… Brie."
"You too," returned Gabriella, looking at Troy again despite how much it pained her. "Congratulations on your happy news."
"Thanks!" replied Celeste, wrapping both arms around Troy's waist, not registering the fact that he didn't return the embrace as was usual.
With that, the four girls left the restaurant, leaving two familiar men Troy recognized to follow after. "Paul!" he called out, stopping the younger of the two. "Please take care of Brie for me."
Paul silently nodded his head, knowing in his own heart that Troy meant no harm today and was most likely as shocked and as hurt as Gabriella was at that same moment. "Always."
Troy watched as the two bodyguards got into a tinted car while Sharpay's pink Mustang, which had been upgraded to the current year's model, zoomed by, giving him one last glimpse of his past, who currently was in the back seat with her face in her hands, most likely crying, leaving Troy with the worst feeling of helplessness that he had felt in quite some time.