I know that I am extremely late on this and I'm sorry. You guys have been the best reviewers ever and I couldn't have asked for a better group of readers. 353 reviews, never in a million years did I think I would be one of those people writing a story and getting reviews. It's all thanks to you guys so thank you for being my motivation, and my inspiration, and now the final chapter of Tears of a Wildcat.

Chapter 28: Scars Fade, Memories Don't

No One's POV

Mr. Montez grabbed Gabriella tightly by her arm and pulled her out of the courtroom and onto the front steps with Ms. Montez following behind them cackling darkly. He threw her onto the ground tears streaming down her face.

"I told you I'd never get caught. You're stuck with me forever" he bellowed, laughing maniacally. Gabriella screamed as loud as she could hoping someone would hear her, but no help came and her parents began closing in on her, hate and anger in their eyes. Just as a pair of hands were about to wrap themselves around her neck she was jolted awake.

"Gabriella!" shouted Troy over her screaming. But she continued, her eyes closed, beads of sweat coming down from her forehead.

"Troy, I usually wait until she stops screaming and then wake her up. She never wakes up in the middle of her screaming" Sharpay stated from the doorway. Troy turned to her, his face perplexed.

"Usually?" he asked.

"This happens every night. She screams, I wake her up, give her some warm milk then she goes back to sleep peacefully after hearing some comforting words" Sharpay said normally. Troy contemplated responding but decided against it, focusing on Gabriella. He pulled her into him, her face buried in his chest, the screams muffled. He soothingly rubbed her back and gently kissed the top of her head until the screams stopped.

"That is so not fair!" Sharpay exclaimed folding her arms across her chest. "I endure her screaming for about half an hour everyday. Then here comes prince charming scooping her in his arms and she stops"

Troy just laughed, still watching Gabriella who was taking deep breaths, trying to even out her breathing. After a minute she looks up, opening her eyes.

"You're here" she said exhaling.

"Yeah, I'm here Ella" he said leaning his head atop hers.

"Shouldn't you be at the hospital?" she stammered, her breathing beginning to go back to normal.

"I fell asleep in the living room. Oh and I'll probably be grounded in the hospital for the rest of the week for this little 'sleepover' just so you know" he said.

"Does that mean you won't be able to do this every night?" she asked him sadly.

"I don't even know why this is happening every night Ella" he said lifting his head, looking down at her.

"It's just a bad dream" she said, turning her head away from his gaze.

"I think I'll but in here. She has had them same dream for about a week now" Sharpay added in. Troy looked curiously down at Gabriella but after seeing the tears begin to well up in her eyes he decided against asking her about it.

"Just go back to sleep Ella, all of your bad dreams will be gone by tomorrow" he told her softly.

"How do you know? He'll probably go free and I'll be sent back home" Gabriella said burying her face in his shirt again.

"He won't go free. And I swear that you will never have to go back home to either of them ever again" he promised her. He waited for her to answer, then after a minute looked down and realized she was sleeping. He chuckled and gently laid her back down on the bed.

"I guess those were the comforting words" Sharpay said moving to help Troy put the covers over Gabriella. Troy tenderly kissed Gabriella's temple then walked out of the room, Sharpay following behind him.

"… So you actually took her shopping?" Troy asked Sharpay while eating a bowl of cereal.

"Yeah she has a whole new wardrobe now" Sharpay said sitting beside him in a stool. "It's all in her closet in her new room"

"You've set everything up for a permanent stay and I haven't even asked your parents if we could stay here" Troy replied.

"Well it's not like they're going to say no. You're like a brother to me and who can say no to Brie, they're going to let you stay" Sharpay said confidently. Troy just shrugged and continued to silently eat his breakfast.

"Good morning" Gabriella sighed happily walking into the kitchen.

"How'd you sleep?" Troy asked pulling up a seat next to him.

"It was great" she said sitting down. "I had a really good dream"

Troy turned to Sharpay, puzzled, but she quickly enlightened him. "She always pretends the night before never happened" Sharpay whispered, leaning into him.

"Ok…" Troy said nodding

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, pulling Troy's bowl in front of her.

"Nothing" Both Sharpay and Troy said quickly.

"Okay… um what time do we have to be at the court house?" Gabriella asked, eating a spoonful of Troy's cereal.

"In about an hour" Troy said before looking down at the table noticing the disappearance of his bowl. He looked at Gabriella and she grinned widely at his scowl. She gave him a swift kiss on the cheek then left the room, still grinning.

"You can't say no to Brie" Sharpay said in a sing-song voice skipping out of the room. Troy shook his head, chuckling, as he finished eating his cereal.

"Ready?" Troy asked Gabriella as they stood in front of the courtroom doors.

"I'm as ready as I'm going to be" Gabriella said taking a deep breath. Troy gazed down at her, giving her a reassuring smile which she returned as they walked into the courtroom.

"We don't have to sit up front today" Troy said when they reached the middle of the courtroom, which was empty with the exception of Mr. Montez, his lawyer and their lawyer. Gabriella nodded and pulled him into a row not too far from the front. They sat patiently, Gabriella leaning on Troy's shoulder. Suddenly a rush of anxiety came over Gabriella.

"Gabriella doesn't think this is going to turn out well" Gabriella said sitting up.

"Ella, it's going to be fine. He'll be going to jail for a long time and you're never going to have to see his face again" Troy said, his blue orbs burning into her brown ones. Just as she was going to argue the judge walked in. They both focused their attention on him, their hands intertwined.

"Do we have a verdict?" the judge asked, turning to the jury. One member stood up, a paper in his hand. Gabriella's hand tightened onto Troy's and he took a deep breath awaiting the outcome.

"Yes we do your honor" said the man.

"Can the defendant please stand" the judge ordered, Mr. Montez slowly stood up "On the count of sexual abuse in the second degree…" the judge prompted.

"We find the defendant…guilty" the man said. A smile began to spread across Gabriella's face but she held in her happiness until the end.

"On the count of aggravated assault…"

"We find the defendant guilty" the man finished. Gabriella exhaled finally at ease.

"On the count of attempted murder…"

"We find the defendant guilty" Gabriella smiled up at Troy, pure happiness etched across her face. She was happy he had gotten just a taste of his justice and she had gotten most of hers. However Troy knew the charges were not over, he was now the nervous one as he awaited the final charge. This one was the one that counted to him.

"And on the count of murder in the second degree…"

"We find the defendant not guilty" the man said.

"Damn" Troy said walking out of the courtroom, containing his anger. Gabriella froze, baffled by what had just happened. She looked at her father who was looking toward the door, a smug grin on his face.

"Thank you members of the jury, sentencing will take place at the end of the day, take the defendant away" the judge said before standing up and exiting. Gabriella ran out the courtroom, ignoring her father's glare. As she ran down the hall she bumped into someone she had been victim to before.

"Hello Gabriella" Dan greeted, a wry smile on his face. He was wearing a black t-shirt, boots and a hat that covered most of his face. Gabriella stood frozen, unable to take her eyes away from this man who had caused her so much pain.

"You can't speak, can you?" he said chuckling lightly. She remained there, speechless, and unable to move. She tried to motivate herself to move or say something at least. She had not come this far to be stumped by a man that was completely witless.

"W-Wh- What are you doing here?" she managed to say even though she was still glued to the floor.

"Oh I just came to see what's going to happen to your dad" he answered.

"He's going to prison" she stated, more confident in her response.

"Well that's obvious but I wanted to know how long he's going to be in there" he replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"I don't know I didn't stay to hear that. My attorney will tell me" Gabriella told him.

"That's right. you had to run after your boyfriend instead. Don't let me stop you" he said moving to the side. She took this chance and began to move her feet slowly. As soon as she saw he was still behind her she began to walk faster. However before she reached the door she was pulled back by her arm and pushed against the wall. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was to come.

"We're in a courthouse I can't do anything to you Gabriella" he joked, shaking his head.

"Get away from me" Gabriella said slowly, keeping her composure.

"Oh I will. I can't hold you long or your friends might get suspicious. I just wanted to tell you that I'll be watching" he warned her, his facial expression proving he was serious. She said nothing and stood there, here eyes still closed.

"Gabriella?" Sharpay said as she opened the door to the courthouse and saw her friend leaning against the wall. Gabriella opened her eyes and swiftly looked around seeing no one but a bewildered Sharpay in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Sharpay questioned, placing her hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

"I'm…fine" Gabriella nodded, still perplexed. She did not imagine what had just happened, did she? No, she couldn't have, she could still hear his voice, and fell his breath on her face. Sadly, it was real, and she had a new fear. She shook her head, in an effort to clear her mind and focus on what was important.

"Where's Troy" she asked

"I don't know he just said he needed to get away and sprinted off" Sharpay said, still bewildered. Gabriella immediately knew where he'd be and darted out the building, hoping her hunch was right.

"You'd better be home by dusk" Sharpay shouted from behind. But Gabriella paid no mind, for she was focused on her destination.

Troy walked along the water, his sneakers and jeans not of much importance to him at the moment. He let himself succumb to his thoughts, the main subject being his mother. As he walked he continuously wondered why it was that he had received his justice but she had not. It didn't seem fair to him. For once, he had done everything right and it didn't come out the way he wanted. Then again, if he had done everything right he wouldn't be here wallowing in his own misery. Surprisingly he wished his father was here, at least then he could understand what went wrong, even if it was yelled at him. For at the moment he was confused, along with disappointed, enraged, and miserable. He gazed into the horizon and watched the sun, still high in the sky, beaming down against the shores. Everything seemed so calm out there. Peace. That is exactly what he wanted. He tried to picture how many steps into the ocean it would take him to finally be at peace. He slowly began to walk right into the waves. The water rising from his ankles, to his knees, to his waist but once it had reached his shoulders he stopped. What am I doing? He thought to him self. It began to dawn on him that if we were to go through with this action, it would be very selfish. Not to his family, because he had none left, not to his friends, they would get over it, but to Ella. What would happen to her? Obviously she was strong but could she fend for her self? Grief overcame him as he realized he hadn't even thought through his actions, and if he hadn't stopped, what would be the consequences. Unable to handle his thoughts alone he turned and began to head back to shore.

Just as he made his first step he felt himself being tackled downward into the depths of the sea. Using his good arm he pushed the body away from him and swam away, resisting the urge to clutch his abdomen which was now throbbing. When air was necessary he rose to the top, able to stand fully now, the water at his waist. He shook his head, and then regretted it as he began to feel lightheaded. Suddenly he saw the figure of his love in the distance, gradually coming toward him.

"Troy!" she shouted, trying to run faster, as waves pushed her further to shore.

"Ella, what are you doing here?!" he exclaimed when she was close enough to hear him over the roaring of the waves.

"I'm trying to stop you from injuring your self" she explained, now a few feet away.

"Yeah and tackling me into the water really helped" he retorted. Expecting this, she paid no mind to his bitterness and walked closer to him but he backed away.

"Troy, are you okay" she asked, extending her arm out to him.

"That's a loaded question isn't it?" Troy commented a small grin plastered on his face.

Gabriella sighed as she realized she had been through this before. She had seen Troy behave like this once, coincidentally at the same place. First he completely avoided the problem like he just attempted to.

"Then again it really doesn't matter if I'm okay does it? Everything I want will be taken away from me anyway. There's just no way to be perfectly okay anymore!" he continued.

Then he became angry, first at himself. .

"It's really my own fault though. If I wasn't such an idiot everyone would be just fine! You would be in less danger, my mother would still be alive, and my father would be happily married and not in jail!" he shouted, turning away from her.

"It's not your fault" she countered, her voice barely audible over the waves.

Then he became angry at everything in general.

"Maybe your right, it isn't my fault. It's the people that refuse to let me live my life happily and the way I want to. It's the people who strive to make my life a living hell" he said solemnly, walking back toward the shore.

Now it was Gabriella's turn. She followed the current and ran towards him, and wrapped her hands around his chest from behind. Reluctantly he stood in place, still refusing to turn around.

"Troy, those people are in jail and will never hurt you again. Yes, it was their fault and you don't need to blame yourself. Troy I've told you this time and time again but you never seem to get it. You are strong, and anyone who has ever met you could tell you that. Those other people can tell you that too but they're just scared to. You will succeed in life and you know what, I'll be right there to cheer you on" she encouraged him, placing her chin on his shoulder. He turned to face her and embraced her fully, not caring about the pain that shot through his arm, just burying his face in her hair. She gladly accepted it, clutching onto him tightly not wanting to let go. When he finally pulled back, to her dismay, he smiled her favorite smile causing grin widely. After a second of gazing at each other, Gabriella shivered and wrapped her hands around herself.

"Cold?" he asked her wrapping an arm around her. She nodded quickly, draping both of her arms around him. A wave from behind crashed onto their legs, splashing water over the both of them. Gabriella squealed and Troy laughed, pulling her closer to him.

"I would give you my jacket but it's soaked because someone tackled me into the water" Troy hinted, looking away. She playfully pushed him and he dropped into the water dramatically. She laughed and continued walking, leaving him behind. After looking back and realizing he wasn't there she ran back to find him sitting up spitting out water as the current pulled him back and forth.

"Your joke backfired on you didn't it?" she asked, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Help me up, please" he pleaded, extending his good arm out. She pulled him up and he shook his head, spraying water over her. She shielded her face with her hands, giggling. He began to move around without direction, becoming dizzy. Gabriella took his hand and pulled him out of the water. Once they were out she sat him down and kneeled beside him.

"You okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a little light headed" he replied, resting his hand on his forehead.

"Well you need to relax now, okay?" she told him, pushing him softly to lie down in the ground. After extending his legs and arms he laid down, his head already beginning to clear up. Gabriella lay down beside him, curling up into his chest. They both lay on the sand basking in the other's warmth, as the afternoon sun began to dry them off.

"Ella, how do you know just how to handle me?" he asked her, breaking the silence.

"Because I know you all too well" she said, looking up at him. He chuckled.

"Since you asked one, I get a question too. When did you arrange to get that last charge against my dad?" she inquired, noticing the reluctance etched across his face but still persisting.

"It was an impulse that I just needed to see unfold. It didn't work out the way I wanted it to and that's that" Troy admitted.

"Well you tried the best you could and that's all that matters" she told him softly. He smiled and kissed her temple.

"Thanks Ella" he said, happy she didn't try to pry anymore. They stayed there in silence, enjoying the other's company. Easily enough, they both fell asleep in the other's arm right there on the beach.

They awoke, almost simultaneously, and sat up still holding onto each other. Troy yawned as Gabriella stood up and stretched.

"Remind me never to take a nap on the beach again" Gabriella groaned, dusting the sand out of her hair.

"Agreed," Troy concurred as he released another yawn. Gabriella helped him up and they began to walk back to the street, sand and all.

Sharpay was pacing back and forth in the foyer, biting her nails and running her hands through her hair. Chris sat nonchalantly on the steps, not wanting to get upset. Instead he thought about a quote. What was it? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. He was definitely a fool for letting this happen. He vowed to himself he would not allow this a third time. The door began to open slowly, interrupting his thoughts. Troy and Gabriella entered stealthily, although it did not make a difference. Then the room stood as still as the moon. After a few minutes Chris decided to break the silence.

"Why do you continue to deceive me Troy? If you have some hatred for me somewhere deep down in the depths of your heart let me know so I can understand why you disregard everything I say" Chris scolded Troy. Troy ran his hands through his hair, thinking about his response.

"Its not you Chris, it's me. I just have a proclivity to get myself in trouble. Believe me, if I hated you, you would know. I just do things spontaneously I guess" Troy said, shrugging.
"So you like getting into trouble?" Chris asked, stepping off the stairs. Troy laughed bitterly.

" Oh yeah I just love having to go to court and stay in the hospital for days and miss out on what actual teen hood is supposed to be like. It's awesome" he retorted, the sarcasm in his voice irritating Chris.

"Look Troy I understand your upset and tired of going through all of this but I'm innocent here. I'm not the one who put you in the hospital nor am I the one who made you go through all this. I'm just someone trying to help you. So don't aim your anger at me, ok?" Chris snapped back, causing both Gabriella and Sharpay to begin walking in the other direction.

"No don't go" Troy said to the girls "We're done"

"Oh no, we're not done until you're in the passenger seat of my car and we're heading back to the hospital," Chris told Troy seriously.

"I don't need to go back to the hospital!" Troy snapped. Gabriella and Sharpay took a step back.

"Yeah because you're definitely responsible enough to take care of yourself" Chris said, pointing to Troy's shoulder. Troy then realized he no longer had his cast or bandages. He would have never noticed.

"Now that was my fault" Gabriella interjected "I might have pushed him under water at the beach"

"You were at the beach?" Sharpay asked, speaking for the first time.

"Now that was all me" Troy cut in "She followed me there"

"You guys can never stop blaming yourselves can you?" Sharpay asked. Gabriella and Troy laughed, actually enjoying their flaws at the moment. Gabriella looked up at Troy and tilted her head toward Chris. Troy realized what she meant and reluctantly walked over to Chris.

"I'm sorry for going off like that but I just don't want to be locked up in a hospital room. It used to feel great, and it always made me happy" Troy turned toward Gabriella "But now I have someone I can't bear to be away from and I'd do anything to stand by her"

"Troy I completely understand—'' but he stopped himself when he realized he was no longer being listened to. Gabriella and Troy had once again created a bubble no one could penetrate. Except Chris that is.

"Hello" he said, pulling Troy away from Gabriella's grasp "I was speaking"

"Sorry" Both Troy and Gabriella said. Chris gave them one last stare, and then headed for the door.

"You have ten minutes" Chris told Troy, resulting in a groan.

"Twenty" Troy countered.

"Fifteen and I'm not going any lower" Chris stated before he left to his car.

"How about you two go get cleaned up? You're all…sandy" Sharpay suggested while walking away up the stairs.

"Will do" Gabriella chuckled before turning back to Troy. He was checking the wound on his shoulder. "Is it ok?"

"Yeah it's fine. I guess the stitches are doing their job" Troy replied, shrugging. He began walking toward the living room but Gabriella pulled him back. He gave her a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Well I think you should go with Chris now" Gabriella said.

"Why? I have fifteen minutes" Troy complained, his voice turning into a whine.

"Troy you've already went against him by spending way more time than he let you. You should go with him now"

"Do I have to? I want to spend more time with you" he whined.

"You know there's something called obsession…." She began. He scowled at her, causing her to laugh. "But really, today has been crazy and no amount of fun can distract either of us from the remaining thoughts in our mind. This is something we each need to do alone"

He stayed quiet, knowing she was right.

"So when will I see you?" she asked.

"Whenever this guy sets me free" he responded "It won't be too long. I'm healing really well"

"Well that's great but Troy remember, scars fade, memories don't"

"Are you being all wise again" he asked interlacing their hands.

"Why yes I am" she answered smugly "You ought to listen to me sometimes"

"I do" he scoffed "Sometimes"

Gabriella smiled and embraced him. He buried his face in her hair. She could feel his breath on her neck tickling her ear. She enjoyed the feeling of his body against hers; sometimes he needed to hold her just as much as she needed to hold him. After some time she pulled away, kissed him on the cheek then walked away.

"Ella" Troy called her when she was no more than a few inches away. She turned around and was met with his lips on hers, though taken by surprise she welcomed it. Yearning for more she pulled him closer as he gently touched the side of her face with his good hand. When she wrapped her arms around his neck he pulled away chuckling.

"You know, there's such thing called obsession" Troy said grinning.

"I'm not obsessed Troy, I'm in love" she told him, leaning in one more time for another kiss.

A/N

I actually had another part after that but I cut it out last minute. It's like a deleted scene in a movie…not really needed but interesting anyway. Either way I hope the end was still agreeable for everyone if not I can send you the "deleted scene". Thank you guys so much for sticking with me even though I update so slowly. Even though this was the last chapter there will be an epilogue and maybe a sequel (depending on how many people want it) I'll have a summary for the sequel in the epilogue. Also I suggest you guys read a story made a great author and a good friend of mine 2pinkstar and 7blackberry. It's called The Secret Life of the American Teenagers (it was inspired by my story which I am so honored by). Also read Stranger 2: Pain is not for Gain, which is another great novel that I actually co-write with her. Well I really want to read some reviews so please press that review button and bring me happiness this new year. Tell me your overall and final thoughts on the story. The epilogue will be up soon…I promise. Review!!