Disclaimer: I do not own 'High School Musical' or any related characters.

A/N: Well, I'm a lazy, exhausted author who is going to use her exhaustion as an excuse as to why, exactly, I haven't been updating any of my stories, or even writing any one-shots. You all have to understand that for the past couple of months, I haven't had time for sleeping let alone writing. I've only just managed to stay alive under the pile of homework, hockey and life in general that every time I sit down to write I either fall asleep or my muse deserts me because it feels spent. On that note, no I am not taking a break from FF; I'm just going to take it easy for a while. So updates are going to be completely irregular and they will only come when I feel like I need to write something down, which, hopefully, will be a lot more regular now that I'm on school holidays for three weeks. However, I do have assignments to do; one is a two thousand word essay of 'The Spear of Destiny' so I'll be concentrating on that!

So, this is a new story that I really shouldn't be starting but am anyway. I'm not entirely sure why, I'm feeling quite restless at the moment with both my stories. I have a feeling it's because C&M is nearly done. Anyway, please bear with me on all my stories. I know I've become an erratic updater but with the load I was bearing with school, it's been incredibly hard for an interest in writing to arise! In saying that, I hope you all enjoy the story!

Memories that Last for Moments

Chapter One: Leaving For LA

Miss independent
Miss self-sufficient
Miss keep your distance, mmmmm
Miss unafraid
Miss out of my way
Miss don't let a man interfere, no
Miss on her own
Miss almost grown
Miss never let a man help her off her throne

Miss Independent – Kelly Clarkson

Gabriella Montez could only gape openly at her best friend of three years as Anna Danforth announced loudly that they were going to be joining her brother and her brother's best friend in LA for part of the summer holidays. Gabriella couldn't actually say why she was gaping at her best friend. It might have been because Anna hadn't asked her whether or not she wanted to go to Los Angeles or it might have been because, as soon as the words left her best friend's mouth, Gabriella's mind was filled with things that she would rather be doing than spending two weeks in LA with two men who probably had a lot better things to do than entertain her and Anna. Even as she regained control of the mouth that had fallen open in complete shock at her friend's announcement and finally felt some indignation at being told what to do. Gabriella found that she still couldn't voice any of the other things she would rather be doing than being in LA. Not because she didn't have a good grasp on what she would rather be doing, but because Anna had launched into what, Gabriella could only assume, was her explanation at why Gabriella should go with her and why it was such a good idea to visit her brother.

"…it's just that I haven't seen Chad in ages and when I was talking to him a couple of weeks ago, he suggested that you and I should come out. He wanted us too and he said that he and his friends would be happy to show us around LA and what they've been doing lately and – what?" Anna's tirade was cut short as Gabriella waved her hand in front of her friends face as not only a signal to shut up, but also to get a word in edgewise.

"Anna, I didn't actually say I wasn't going to not go. Though there are a million other things that I would rather be doing than visiting your brother who, for memory, once stuck his head in a refrigerator to see how cold he would get and ended up with mild frostbite. Who's Chad's friend?" Gabriella said and watched the dark-skinned woman in front of her rolled her eyes at her question, as if it was the dumbest thing anyone had ever asked her.

"Chad's best friend. You've met him once." Anna explained and Gabriella narrowed her eyes at her friend, trying to recall meeting someone that would willingly hand around Chad Danforth and failing miserably.

"Is he, like, a teenager?" Gabriella asked and watched in alarm as sparks flew through Anna's eyes, as if Gabriella had asked some sort of evil question.

"Uh-uh. He is one of the hottest guys I have ever met and he is definitely not a teenager. He's Chad's age. But that's beside the point, please say you'll come. I already told Chad that you would and he wants to see you again so he can prove he's not as insane as you think he is!" Anna said and Gabriella sighed, glancing around her beloved apartment which she had been looking forward to spending the summer holidays in and wishing that her best friend had consulted her first before agreeing to a summer vacation that Gabriella knew she probably couldn't afford on her own.

"How long?" She asked reluctantly, beginning to stir the coffee she had forgotten about upon Anna's announcement. Gabriella knew Anna was holding in a squeal of delight at her friend's question, evidently taking it as an agreement to go when Gabriella hadn't actually consented.

"Three maybe four weeks and Chad said that he'll pay for the tickets and we can crash at his place or he'll put us up in a hotel if we don't want to stay at his place." Anna replied and Gabriella raised her eyebrows, unsure whether her friend was being serious or whether she was kidding.

"You're joking, right? Can Chad actually afford that?" Gabriella asked, thinking that there was no way in hell that a twenty-eight year old guy could afford that without a really good income. Anna shook her head and Gabriella could see her excitement rising as she once again opened her mouth to speak.

"Yeah. Haven't I told you what he does?" Anna replied and Gabriella shook her head, raising her coffee and taking a sip of it. "Never mind. I'll tell you later. Are you coming or not?" Anna asked, dismissing the subject and leaving Gabriella wondering why her friend wasn't bragging about any of the achievements her brother had made. Instead, Gabriella sighed and took another sip before choosing to answer her friend.

"Alright. I suppose I have to come seeing as you've already told Chad we're coming and he's probably already sent you the tickets." Gabriella said and was rewarded with seeing her friend blush slightly, which only confirmed her assumption about what Anna had told her brother. Instead of being bothered by it, Gabriella was rather amused at her friend. She had known Anna long enough to understand her friend's temperament, which ran along the lines of act now and think later.

"Thank you! You seriously won't regret it! I promise! Once you've seen his friend, you'll be so glad you came!" Anna cried out, reaching over to hug her friend fiercely. Gabriella held her coffee up high, in an attempt to stop the scalding water from sloshing over onto her hand.

"Anna, I doubt one guy is going to affect me and my regretting going to LA to see your brother." Gabriella said as soon as Anna had released her and settled back down on the other side of the bench.

"You haven't met him then. I swear Gabs; he is one of the hottest guys to ever grace this planet. I spent half the time I was there last time just drooling over him." Anna said knowingly and Gabriella forced herself not to roll her eyes at her friend's words, knowing that Anna was probably over-exaggerating.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Need I remind you of Timothy?" Gabriella said and was surprised when Anna only waved her hand. Normally, she would blush and stutter about her former boyfriend who she had drooled over before discovering that he only looking good from a side angle.

"Who cares about Tim? I'm telling you, he looks good from any angle and I bet he's only gotten better looking. I haven't seen him in a couple of years. His parents began going out to LA for Christmas instead of him coming to Albuquerque." Anna said and Gabriella just nodded, she knew that while Anna was an incredible judge of looks, she could spot a hot man from twenty miles away but when it came to what lay beneath the surface, she usually hit rock bottom. Most of the men Anna had been out with, Gabriella knew, were guys who had more brains in their muscles than in their head. Most, she knew, thought it was cool to have burping contests and not shower for a few days.

"Alright. I'll take your word for it." Gabriella said when she noticed the dreamy look on Anna's face.

"Good." Anna glanced at her watch as she spoke. "Damn, I've gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?" Anna was already moving as she spoke, walking towards the door and speaking over her shoulder.

"Sure. When do we leave?" Gabriella asked and nearly groaned at the look which passed through Anna's eyes. She knew that look. It meant that Anna hadn't, exactly, given out all the information she should have when Gabriella agreed to go.

"Tomorrow. Ten o'clock. So I'll see you at eight." Anna said and had gone before Gabriella could even respond to the words which had left her best friends mouth.

Gaping at the door, Gabriella barely knew how to act but wasn't altogether surprised. Since she had met Anna at one of her lectures a little over three years ago, Gabriella had quickly learned to expect the unexpected when it came to her friend. Not that she didn't love Anna, she did. But her friend still had that ability to pull something out of thin air to leave the person she was speaking to gaping. Like now, Gabriella had simply assumed that Anna was talking about flying out in a couple of days, maybe a week. Not tomorrow.

Just thinking about flying out tomorrow made Gabriella's head hurt. There was so much that she had to do in the space of about, she glanced at her clock, fifteen hours. She needed to pack. She needed to call her mother. She needed to call her father. She needed to email her friends in LA to tell them that she was coming and she needed to cease job-hunting. At least for three weeks. At that thought, Gabriella really did let out a groan. How the hell was she meant to pay for herself while she was in LA? Her bank account wasn't all that impressive at the moment and while she knew that Anna would help her out, Gabriella didn't want to actually ask her friend for money.

Sighing, she picked up her coffee and headed for her bedroom, knowing that she was going to have to dig out her suitcase that she hadn't used in a long, long time and figure out what she was going to pack and what she wasn't. Setting her coffee onto her bedside table, Gabriella headed for her closest. Opening it, her eyebrows drew together as she saw her house phone sitting on the shelf that held her sweaters. As she stared at her phone, Gabriella jumped a mile when it began to ring loudly. Picking it up, she looked at the caller ID and wasn't surprised to see that it was her mother calling her.

"Hello?" She answered tentatively, wondering how many times her mother had called in the past few hours and suddenly understanding where the annoying ringing sound had been coming from all afternoon.

"Gabriella Elizabeth Montez, why haven't you been answering your phone?" Amanda Montez-Stuart demanded as soon as her daughter had answered the phone. Gabriella rolled her eyes when she heard her mother's earring clinking against the phone and wondered why she hadn't thought of taking her earring off when she had called her.

"Because, mother, it's been hiding in my closest for the past couple of hours," Gabriella replied, balancing the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she began to rifle through her clothes in search of her bag.

"Well. How did it get into your closest?" Amanda asked imperiously and Gabriella sighed, staring at a dress she had brought and wondering why on earth she had brought it.

"I have no idea. It must have walked." Gabriella replied sarcastically and could see her mothers frown of disapproval at her use of sarcasm.

"Your very funny darling. Are you coming to dinner tonight?" Amanda asked and Gabriella had to ground her teeth together as her mother's earring once again clinked against the phone.

"No. I have some things I need to do." Gabriela replied as she pulled out her bag with a sigh of relief and threw it onto her unmade bed.

"Like what? Gabriella, Jonathan and I are expecting you! You promised me last week that you were going to come!" Amanda said and Gabriella let out a breath, finally growing frustrated with the earring that she could hear and not see.

"Mom. Please take out the ridiculous earring you're wearing!" She exclaimed and waited until her mother's grumbling had died down before speaking. "Mom, I can't come to dinner tonight because I'm going to LA tomorrow morning. Anna's brother invited me and her to stay for some of the summer." Gabriella said and wasn't surprised by the silence that followed her announcement. She wished slightly that she had thought to call her stepfather first and have him soften the blow with her mother before she actually told her. It was one of the only things her stepfather was useful for.

"Excuse me? Gabriella Elizabeth, you cannot make an engagement and then break it! What if I had guests coming who were eager to see you?" Amanda demanded and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Uh-huh. And did you invite anyone?" Gabriella asked and was rewarded with a huff from her mother that reminded Gabriella of when she was three and hadn't gotten what she wanted.

"Well…no. But that's besides the point Gabriella, and you know it!" Amanda said and Gabriella decided that it was time to end the conversation before she developed a tick in her eye.

"Okay mom, sure. I'm hanging up now. Love you. Say hi to Jonathan for me and I'll speak to you when I feel like it. Ta-ta." Gabriella hit end call as soon as she finished speaking, terrified of what her mother would say if she figured out the jumble of words which she had spat out in a rush.

Throwing the phone behind her back onto her bed, Gabriella had to admit that as much as she loved her mother she could never speak to her for long, especially now that she had gotten remarried and had settled herself happily into the role of high flying society wife. It was one of the many things she had slowly begun to resent about her mother, especially when she had announced that Gabriella had to attend a dinner with her and her stepfather at least once a week. Shaking her head slightly, Gabriella pushed thoughts of her domineering mother out of her mind and instead once again began to rifle through her closest. Beginning to throw articles of clothing onto her bed and slowly beginning to not really care about what she packed in her bag.

Just as she reached a bag, her phone began to ring again. Knowing exactly who it was, Gabriella considered ignoring it and then decided that she would only have to call them back if she did. Turning to her bed, Gabriella began to push aside the clothes that were spread over her bed and finally found her phone, just as it stopped ringing. Sighing, Gabriella checked the caller and then hit call when she realized that she had to call them anyway.

"Hello Marla speaking." Marla Montez answered the phone sweetly and Gabriella relaxed slightly, glad that her stepmother answered and even happier that she wasn't wearing an irritating earring which clinked irritatingly against the hand-piece.

"Hey Marla. It's Gabi." Gabriella said and knew her stepmother would be delighted at the fact that she was calling back so soon.

"Gabriella! What a wonderful surprise. You're returning your father's call?" Marla asked, genuinely sounding like she was happy to hear from her stepdaughter and Gabriella couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah. Is he there? 'Cause I need to tell him something." Gabriella said and Marla made a sound of confirmation, before calling out for Alexander Montez. Who Gabriella knew was probably sitting by the pool and staring at it, wondering if he should or shouldn't get into it.

"Here he is, dear, please say you're going to come for dinner soon. It's been a while and your father and I worry about you all alone in that apartment." Marla said, sounding so motherly that Gabriella closed her eyes.

"Actually, Marla, I'm going to LA tomorrow. But I'll come and stay a few days when I get back." Gabriella said and knew that she would. Not because she'd promised Marla that she would to make her stepmother happy, but because she genuinely loved to go and stay at her fathers house.

"Oh that's wonderful! I'll talk to you later, okay? Your father's standing here." Marla said and Gabriella had barely uttered goodbye when her fathers voice boomed through the phone, making her want to laugh.

"Since when are you going to LA, young lady?" Alexander Montez boomed, his voice warm despite his serious words.

"Since Anna asked me this afternoon. How are you Papi?" Gabriella asked and heard her father chuckle.

"I'm fine. How's the job hunting?" He asked and Gabriella winced at the mention of her failure to actually look for a job.

"Uh…okay. Anyway, I'm going to LA and mom knows. Why did you call?" Gabriella said, trying to avoid any mention of her mother and her father's former wife. Her father chuckled again and Gabriella knew that he'd realized what she had tried to do.

"Because I wanted to make sure you were still alive. I haven't heard from you in a while and I was thinking about it while I was in the office today." Alexander said and Gabriella knew that he was shrugging.

"Oh. Well, I'm alive, eating badly and so far, I haven't reproduced. That's about all." Gabriella half muttered into her phone, opening her bag and beginning to shove the clothes on her bed into the bag.

"Wonderful. I'm so glad that you've managed that so far." Her father said and Gabriella giggled slightly, glad that her father had matched her sarcasm with his own and wondering what the hell she would have done if he hadn't.

"I am too. Listen dad, I've got to go. I've got to send some emails to some friends." Gabriella informed her father, narrowing her eyes at a shirt that she had a feeling was extremely dirty and had been sitting in her closest for the better part of a month.

"Alright. I expect to hear from you at least once, while your there." Alexander said sternly, reminding Gabriella that while her father could be incredibly cool and go along with anything she said, he was still her father.

"Dad. I'm twenty-two. I doubt that many twenty-two year olds phone their fathers to tell them that they're alive and well." Gabriella snapped into the phone and then wished that she hadn't because her father had never taken too kindly to being snapped at by his daughter.

"You don't have to use that tone with me. Alright, I'll let you go. I'll speak to you later." Alexander said and Gabriella just let out a grunt.

"Alright. Love you. Speak to you later." She murmured into the phone and hung up at the same time as her father.

Throwing her phone down for what she swore was the last time, Gabriella turned her attention back to her packing. Staring at it, Gabriella suddenly had an urge to recall the details of her conversations with Anna. They were going to LA, they were leaving tomorrow and they were going to be spending time with Chad and his best friend. Frowning slightly, Gabriella tried to recall what Chad's best friends name was and then realized that Anna hadn't said. Though she wasn't surprised, Gabriella felt rather irritated. She had no doubt that as soon as they met whoever Chad's best friend was, both Anna and Chad were going to assume that she knew exactly who she was talking too.

A coffee cup was shoved into her hand as Gabriella blearily stared at the plane seat in front of her. She hadn't meant to stay up so late. Now, she was sitting on a plane, trying to ignore Anna as she chattered incessantly about what they were going to do in LA and what they were going to see. Not to mention she wouldn't shut up about how cute Chad's best friend was. The best friend who was still nameless and Gabriella found that she was way too tired to actually interrupt her friend and ask what his name was. Besides, the coffee which was sitting in her hand smelt so good that all she could do was drink it gratefully and wait for the caffeine to kick in.

"What did you say?" Gabriella suddenly interrupted her friends chatter at her mention of nightclubs.

"We'll probably go to a couple of clubs. It'll be so cool!" Anna repeated herself and Gabriella stared at her friend, unsure how to respond to that and then not caring.

"Oh, yeah. Sounds so cool." Gabriella agreed absently, glancing down at her lap as the plane shuddered. She tuned her friend out again. It wasn't that hard really, especially seeing as Anna had started repeating herself.

The plane shuddered again and Gabriella had a feeling that they were going to begin the descent into the Los Angeles Domestic Airport and was rather surprised at how quickly the flight had gone. But then again, she shouldn't have been surprised. Her sense of time had been completely warped every since she had woken up at a quarter to eight that morning. She'd woken up, assumed that she wasn't running late and then had panicked when Anna had showed up at her doorstep and she had still been in her pajamas. After what had seemed like a rush that would never end, Gabriella had finally managed to get everything together and could barely remember what had happened between the time Anna had ushered her into the cab and now when Anna had shoved a hot cup of coffee into her hand.

"Why are you so tired?" Anna asked suddenly and Gabriella's eyes jerked from her lap, which she had found so fascinating before, to her friends eyes which were watching her curiously.

"Because I went to bed late and I was exhausted when I went to bed. It threw me out." Gabriella replied and Anna eyed her friend suspiciously.

"Who were you speaking to before you fell asleep on your pile of clothes?" Anna asked and Gabriella eyed her friend balefully, knowing that Anna knew exactly who she had been speaking to before she had fallen asleep.

"Mom, Dad and Marla," Gabriella replied and watched as Anna smiled at her sympathetically.

"That would have been fun for you. Was it really that terrible?" She asked and Gabriella shook her head, knowing that Anna understood a lot more than she let on.

"Not really. Mom wanted me over for dinner tonight and freaked out when I told her I was going to LA and Dad was cool, though I'm meant to call him once a week so he can reassure himself that I'm not dead." Gabriella replied, feeling the plane begin to descend smoothly and Gabriella clutched her coffee tightly, feeling slightly thankful that she hadn't bothered to unfasten her seatbelt.

"Sounds like fun. At least you'll be getting away from your mother for a couple of weeks." Anna pointed out and Gabriella nodded, sighing slightly as she felt the plane hit the tarmac and jolting slightly as it began to slow down.

"That's the only thing that I'm grateful for. I don't think I can deal with her for all of summer." Gabriella agreed, ignoring the captain thanking them for flying with whoever they were flying with.

"I know what you mean. Your mother is possibly the most irritating person I have ever met." Anna said dramatically unbuckling her seatbelt and standing up to stretch. Gabriella giggled, nodding in agreement as she unbuckled her own seatbelt and picked up her handbag.

"You're telling me. I lived with the woman for sixteen years." Gabriella agreed and Anna laughed.

"Yeah and became miss independent." Anna said as they began to file out of the plane. Gabriella grimace slightly at her words, wondering if she was really that independent if she had to inform her parents of every move she made.

"Whatever. Where was Chad meeting us?" Gabriella asked as they walked down the corridor and Anna shrugged.

"I don't know. But I doubt we'll miss him, I think his afro has grown to the point where everybody knows Chad by his hair not him." Anna said and Gabriella smiled finding the disgust in her tone amusing.

"Probably. Is his friend coming with him?" Gabriella asked and watched curiously as Anna's eyes lit up and she began to nod enthusiastically.

"Yes. I can't wait until you meet him!" Anna exclaimed and Gabriella nodded, beginning to wonder if Anna actually had a crush on Chad's best friend. She jumped in surprise when her vision was obscured by a large mass of spiraling curls.

"Anna!" Chad Danforth exclaimed loudly as he embraced his little sister tightly. Gabriella laughed as Anna let loose a loud scream before she hugged her brother back. She was still laughing when Chad enveloped her in an exuberant hug.

"Long time no see Gabi." Chad said, drawing back to examine his sisters best friend and appreciating her petite figure and beautiful face before looking back at his sister who was looking suspiciously starry-eyed. Gabriella glanced over at her friend as well and noticed that a dazed expression had come over Anna's face.

"Oh, Gabriella…" Gabriella tuned Chad out as she sucked air into her suddenly stricken lungs. This could not be happening. Yet he was standing in front of her, his muscular frame clad in jeans and a simple white v-neck t-shirt that showed off his tanned, strong forearms. His dark brown hair was falling into amused blue eyes and Gabriella had to draw in another breath as she met them. The smirk on his lips telling her he was enjoying this more than he was letting on.

"Hey Brie. Long time, no see." Troy Bolton smirked at her, his blue eyes twinkling as her heart started to thump erratically. She couldn't manage a smile, she couldn't even think of a reply. She just stared.

'Fuck.' Gabriella thought as she stared up at a man that she hadn't seen in four years and had no intention of ever seeing again.

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not exactly sure what came over me, but I suppose that this'll do. I think it's a bit vague, but I was aiming for that. I know that the lyrics at the beginning probably don't fit but I couldn't think of anything else, besides I already have a good idea as to what songs I'm going to use later on in this story. The lyrics were simply there to try and convey a certain sense of independence about Gabriella. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, simply because I have no idea where, exactly, this story is going. Also, I'm desperately trying to work on the new chapters for C&M and DF and have, so far, come up with zilch although there is a lurking idea in my head for DF and hopefully I will start that tonight. But I may have said this before, please try not to tell me to update my other two stories soon. Simply because when I'm asked to update, I feel rather pressured and when I feel pressured my stories just don't end up as good as I want them to be and I end just not enjoying my writing and as purely selfish as it may seem, I need to enjoy my writing otherwise I stop writing! Anyway, I'll update everything as soon as I can!