A/N: My new story. I hope you like it. I decided to do this 'just friends' and 'my music, my troy' , okay? The others will come back and there may be odd updates but i'm gonna concentrate on these

I don't own:

HSM

A streetcar named desire - Tennesee Williams

I do own:

Stella

Storyline

Prologue

A seven year old Troy Bolton tried to bounce the basketball and it bounced back up and hit him in the face. "Ow." He grumbled, rubbing his forehead. "Stupid thing. Daddy makes it look easy."

Laughter caused Troy to look up and he saw a small girl walking into his back yard. "You Dad makes it look easy because he's an adult. It's their job to make everything seem easy when in reality, it's hard."

"Who are you?" Troy asked, picking his ball up.

"Gabriella. What about you?" She asked politely, walking towards him.

"I'm Troy." He replied, dropping the basketball. "Where are you from?"

"I've just come here." She explained.

Troy nodded. "It's pretty cool around here. I mean, there's Chad and Zeke and Jason. Taylor's alright. Sharpay is cool if you stay on her good side. Her brother's nice too."

"You mean there are." She corrected.

"Huh?" He asked in confusion.

"You said there is but it should be there are." She explained slowly.

"Oh." Troy nodded slowly. "Anyway, do you play basketball?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No. I can't hold the ball anyway."

"Why?" Troy asked.

Jack walked out onto the court. "Son, dinner's nearly done. Who were you talking to?"

"Gabriella." Troy replied honestly.

"Where is she?" Jack asked, bending down to Troy's level.

Troy pointed to Gabriella. "There."

Jack chuckled. "Is she invisible or something?"

"That's why I can't hold a basketball." Gabriella explained to Troy. "Only you can see me."

Troy furrowed his brow but turned back to Jack. "Okay Daddy. One minute."

Jack nodded. "Come straight inside." He warned as he started back inside his house.

Troy turned back to Gabriella. "Why am I the only one who can see you?"

(A/N: If you don't get it, they're having the same conversation as ten years ago and it carries on...)

Gabriella sighed. "Because you need a friend."

A seventeen year old Troy looked up from the book he was reading to look at Gabriella who was sitting next to him on his bed. "You've been here for ten years."

"Not my problem." Gabriella replied. "I just get told who to be friends with."

Troy sighed. "But, no seventeen year olds have imaginary friends."

"Tell people. They might put you in the Guinness book of world records." She replied sarcastically.

"Or lock me up in a mental institute." He replied. "Argh! Physics is so complicated!"

"Not really. And you're just studying ionic bonding. It's not that difficult." She shook her head slowly.

"Says the imaginary genius!" Troy shot back. "It's completely difficult." He whined.

Gabriella sighed. "You want my help, don't you?"

"We've known each other for ten years. I'd be surprised if you didn't figure it out." Troy rolled his eyes and smiled softly when she giggled, throwing her head back.

"It's really simple if you relate it to actual things that you know. So, if I were a non-metal, I'd form a negative ion. If you were a metal, you'd form a positive ion. So…" She nodded her head, hoping Troy could figure it out.

Troy sat there for a moment, thinking. "Well, I think we'd form an electric attraction and form an ionic bond. Wait, that's wrong, isn't it?"

"No!" Gabriella exclaimed in disbelief. "That's right!"

"It is?" Troy frowned, reading over his book.

Gabriella laughed, nudging his shoulder. "See? You know it."

"Yeah. If you explain it. Mr Hudson doesn't relate it to normal things." Troy said in exasperation.

"What? So every time he explains something, you want me to translate?" She asked sarcastically, standing up and walking over to his balcony.

Troy slowly closed his book and followed her. "Well…" His voice trailed off as he looked at her hopefully.

Gabriella snapped her head to his. "No. No way!"

"Well, what else do you do during my lessons? You sit on Chad's desk and sing. Do you know how distracting that is?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't have any mid terms coming up."

"You don't go to school, period." He said nonchalantly, leaning against the railing and folding his arms.

Gabriella closed her eyes briefly as she took a deep breath. "Well, you know I only want the best for you so…okay."

Troy shook his head slightly. "I still don't get it."

Gabriella frowned. "Why? I thought I just explained it."

Troy laughed. "I mean, I don't get why I still have an imaginary best friend."

Gabriella shrugged. "Me neither but, I'm not complaining."

Troy gave her a lop-sided smile. "I'd never complain."

"You know, it's always been the same. I'd get a best friend and as soon as it was time, they wouldn't see me anymore and it always…hurt. But, now that I've been around for ten years, it's got me thinking that this time might hurt a whole lot more. I don't want to not be here anymore, Troy." She started to cry and she took a deep, shaky breath.

Troy furrowed his brow. "What happens when your best friend starts to not see you? I mean, like, what causes it?"

Gabriella thought back and sighed. "When they get what they want from life. I don't know what you want but you obviously haven't found it yet."

"Well, I don't know what I want. I want a million bucks but that's not going to happen." Troy replied.

"I don't mean like that. I mean, like, a dream. What do you want from life?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm only just a senior." Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. "I know, Troy."

Troy was silent for a moment. "Do you, like, know when your friends can't see you?"

Gabriella thought about it. "Kind of. They just want you at some point and they can't find you even though you're sitting there in front of them." Tears formed in her eyes and she shook her head. "Will you remember me, even when I fade?"

"I don't even want you fade, Brie! You've been with me through everything. Elementary school, middle school, high school, my driving test…" His voice trailed off.

"I know." She interrupted. "But, I want you to just be happy."

"I am happy." He defended.

Gabriella sighed. "Look, Troy, if forgetting me is going to help you find something better, then its okay."

Troy nodded. "Okay." He whispered.

"Troy, are you okay?" Lucille, his mother, shouted.

"Yeah, Mom. I'm just rehearsing something for drama." He called back.

"Okay, honey. Dinner's ready."

Troy sighed. "Okay. One second."

Gabriella laughed. "Why do you always use the same lame excuse?"

Troy shrugged. "They believe it." He made his way out of his room and down to dinner.

Gabriella sat down on the unit opposite where Troy sat, behind Jack, and smiled at him.

"So, Troy," Jack started as he helped his younger daughter, Stella, to cut up her meat. "What are you studying in Drama now?"

"A streetcar named desire." He replied truthfully.

Gabriella giggled. "You know, I love that play."

As hard as it was for Troy not to reply to her, he forced himself not to as that would be silly, right? "I actually like it."

Stella, who was nine, stared at Troy. "Daddy, did Troy just say he likes the play he's studying?"

"Lucy, feel his head." Jack said seriously.

Lucille reached out but Troy swatted her hand away, causing Gabriella to giggle. "I'm serious. It's awesome!"

"Troy, don't over do it." Gabriella warned.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Guys, just leave it." He looked up at Gabriella to see her smiling at him. He glanced at his family before frowning at her. What? He mouthed to her.

She giggled. "I'm glad we're friends."

A smile spread over his face and nodded in response. Of course he was glad they were friends but why was it that he was seventeen and had an imaginary best friend. He didn't want to lose her, that was for sure. He knew what he wanted. He'd never tell anyone. But, if he stayed around Gabriella all of the time, he'd never find it. Thus, Gabriella would have to stay. A sly smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he cut his chicken up.

A/N: Just for reference, Troy can touch Gabriella but no one else, okay? Please be nice and click the review button?