Dangerous Fascination CHAPTER 1 CATEGORIES Troy Bolton stood, leaning against the lockers near the doorway to East

High. His blue eyes flicking over every student that filed through the doors, lingering on the ones that he had a feeling were going to be some trouble during the year, the ones that would freak if confronted, the overly confident ones and the one that wouldn't be any trouble. It was so easy categorizing every student walking through the doors; they'd all slipped into their little categories when they'd arrived for their freshman year and seeing as he knew nearly all of them, none of them were going to be out of place. Although, he knew it was superficial Troy had to admit, knowing which person belonged in which category helped when trying to remember someone's name and to Troy, knowing someone's name when they were positive he'd never even heard of them before, was, possibly, one of his favorite ways to start a conversation. "Dude! Did you see that girl?" Troy barely reacted to the loud, obnoxious voice of his best friend Chad Danforth. Chad glanced at Troy, saw the slight inclination of his head and knew that Troy had heard him and had also seen the girl. "To easy Chad." Troy replied carelessly, his eyes flicking from the crowd to the bushy haired AfricanAmerican whose eyes where still following the blonde girls head as she walked up the hall, apparently deep in conversation with the girl beside her, not realizing that Troy knew that her eyes were flicking back to himself and Chad as she walked. "Aww, dude, you say that every girl that walks through that door." Chad groaned and Troy rolled his eyes at his friend, amusement with Chad the only thing that was evident in his eyes as he returned to the assessing of the students. "That's because every girl that walks through that door is willing to throw themselves at you, as long as you say the right thing." Troy replied and Chad looked at him, a grin erupting on his face as he watched his friend. "And you always know just what to say to them, right?" He asked and Troy's eyes flicked to Chad's, the grin on his face cocky as he looked at him. "Of course." Troy replied and Chad shook his head at him as they were approached by two other boys. Both had their eyes flicking over girls as they walked by and commenting on them as they came to a stop by the two. "Hey guys." Zeke said, the tall dark-skinned boy, high fiving Chad and receiving a nod from Troy, who had seemed to tire from the students filing through the doorway and had turned his attention to his friends. "How was your summer guys?" Jason asked, the short dark-haired boy's eyes flicking around to see his friends reaction to his question. Chad's face light up, Zeke's seemed slightly less excited and Troy's expression didn't change at all. "Excellent. Parties, girls and no parents for most of it. What more could you want?" Chad replied to it enthusiastically and Troy rolled his eyes. "No hangovers, actually knowing the girls name when you wake up the next morning and making sure you don't get caught drinking by your parents?" He asked coolly, referring to Chad's string of hangovers, freak outs waking up next to a girl he didn't know and consistent groundings through out the holidays. Chad glared at his friend and Troy returned the glare with a cool look. Chad looking away first as Zeke decided to intervene. "Pretty good. Hawaii was awesome, the parties back here were great and Sharpay was interesting enough." Zeke replied. Avoiding looking at Troy, whose eyebrows had risen as his friend had spoken. "Never thought the words Sharpay and interesting would be used in the same sentence." Troy commented casually, the sting of his words carefully masked by Zeke who shrugged and folded his arms. Knowing that Troy's reaction was exactly what he had expected.

"Mine were tame; being locked away at a ranch for three months is not something I'm going to repeat. Although," Jason said with a grin. "My cousin's friends were pretty nice." He added and Troy didn't say anything. Silence descended on the four as the students around them continued to laugh and chatter. "What about you Troy?" Chad asked, already having a pretty good idea what his friend had gotten up to. "Besides making sure you didn't kill half the people at every party we went to?" Troy asked and Chad shrugged, knowing he had probably deserved that seeing as Troy always seemed to pick up his mess when he was smashed. "Yeah." He replied and Troy was the one that shrugged. Ignoring the people that had joined them as he studied his friend. Chad shifted uncomfortably as Troy's eyes watched him coolly and then felt relieved when Troy seemed to want to answer. "They were boring as hell." Was his reply as the bell signaling homeroom rang, Troy pushed off the locker he had been leaning against and picked up his backpack. Swinging it over his shoulder, Troy shoved his hands into his pockets and began his walk to homeroom, the other three slightly in front of him as they walked, all recounting their holidays, or in Chad's case, what they could remember of their holidays. Glancing around at the students scurrying to homeroom, Troy had to smirk. He'd never been inclined to hurry to something as pointless as homeroom. He still didn't get why he had to spend twenty minutes of his school day sitting in a room, with an over-dramatic drama teacher, listening to notices and waiting for the bell to ring. Glancing around again, Troy realized that they were going to be incredibly late to homeroom and shrugged. He'd never really cared much, besides; Darbus couldn't hand out a detention straight away. She had to give warnings. Troy was well aware of how the detentions worked at East High and knew for a fact that he could be late to homeroom twice and not get a detention, the third warning was the last. Hitching his bag higher on his shoulder, Troy followed the three into their homeroom and listened, leaning against the doorframe as Miss Darbus swooped down on them. "It better not happen again you three!" She screeched and Troy chuckled, loud enough to be heard and as soon as Miss Darbus saw him, her face turned an interesting shade of red that only ever appeared when Troy was in the room. "Darbus, telling them that was absolutely pointless." Troy said and watched as an identical grin flitted across, Chad, Jason and Zeke's faces. The three moved to sit down in their allocated seats, all at opposite sides of the room as Troy coolly watched his homeroom teacher. "Welcome back Mr Bolton. I suppose your going to tell me that your father held you up in the gym?" Miss Darbus asked through gritted teeth. "No. Don't you know that basketball season doesn't start until later this term?" Troy asked, raising his eyebrows at his teacher and watching as she tried to relax. "I do not keep track of your basketball Mr Bolton." She snapped at him and Troy smirked at her, he could tell just how close to the edge she was and wondered if one or two comments would push her over it. "I know. It's a shame though, everyone knows how much you love basketball, don't they Darbus?" Troy asked, folding his arms and watching his teacher in amusement. Surprised that it was the first day back and he already had her close to the edge. Last year it had taken around two weeks for him to push Miss Darbus this close to breaking point. He continued to watch her, his eyes cool and his expression hard as she managed to calm herself down. "Mr Bolton, I would appreciate it if you would take your seat and I could begin the class." Kathleen Darbus drew herself up to her full height as she looked at the amused, defiant eighteen year old boy leaning against the doorframe of her classroom. Troy Bolton was, possibly, every teacher's worst nightmare, she thought. The boy was arrogant, unreasonable and one of the smartest boys in the year. The combination was one of those things that left most teachers speechless, especially when they learned that the boy sitting up the back of the room, watching you with those surprising blue eyes, already had you assessed and knew exactly what to say to put you back in your place. Even now, after nearly four years of teaching the boy, he was still the one student she didn't have figured out. "Begin the class? Darbus, you do realize that this 'class' as you just put it, is completely pointless?" Troy asked, shifting slightly as the blonde woman rolled her eyes and moved to her uncaring tactic. Troy smirked

at her and waited for the cool, unperturbed tone of her voice. Before she could speak, a softer voice came from just behind Troy and Miss Darbus closed her mouth. "Um, Miss Darbus?" New girl, Troy thought immediately as he turned and his eyes flicked over the owner of the voice. Dark curls fell down her back, reaching just past her shoulders, her ebony eyes seemed worried as they flicked back and forth between the tall ball leaning against the doorway and the short, large woman standing a meter in front of him. She was short; Troy noted, almost a head shorter than he was. His eye flicked over her once more, took note of the conservative length skirt, blazer and white singlet shirt underneath and wasn't surprised when she bit her lip and the worry in her eyes changed to nerves. "Yes. Are you Gabriella?" Troy continued to study the girl as she nodded and Miss Darbus seemed to sigh in relief. "Yes. Is this my homeroom?" She asked softly and Miss Darbus nodded. "Of course, come in and take a seat. Bolton, seat." Troy glanced over at his teacher as her voice went from kind and caring, to hard and demanding. Gabriella too seemed to be a little bit shocked at the sudden change of tone and then hugged her books tighter to her chest, taking a deep breath before she made an attempt at sidling past Troy, who was blocking half the doorway. Troy felt her brush against him and instead of moving, knowing that she wouldn't fit all the way through, he turned his body slightly, and she tripped. Her books dropped to the floor and she bit back a cry as she landed on the floor. Immediately the class burst into laughter as she pushed herself up off the floor and into a sitting position. Troy looked at her for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should laugh with the class. Bending down to her level, Troy picked up one of her books and glanced at it, she was smart. That would explain the dress code; Troy thought with a smirk and then looked at her. "AP Chemistry. Interesting." He commented dryly, as her eyes snapped to his. Troy looked back at her and then she sighed, reaching over she took the book off him and placed it on top of the ones she had stacked. "Not really. It's just Chemistry." She said quietly, swallowing softly as she stood up and he stood with her. Troy looked at her for a moment, shooting the class a look telling them to be quiet. "Just Chemistry?" He inquired and Gabriella shrugged, avoiding looking him in the eye and instead concentrating on something just behind his shoulder. "Just Chemistry." She repeated and before he could say anything more, she'd walked to the spare seat at the back of the class. Her head down, ignoring the smirks of students as she settled herself into her seat. Troy looked at her with raised eyebrows; he'd expected something more than 'just Chemistry'. In two strides he was in his seat, smirking at his friends when they all sent him knowing grins and glancing back at the new girl once more, wondering which category she was going to fit into. Dangerous Fascination CHAPTER 2 UNNERVED The day hadn't gone well. The day wasn't ever going to go well though, Gabriella thought as she stared out the window of her AP Chemistry class. None of her first days every did and today had to be up there as one of the worst, including the time she spent an entire day in the wrong classes and ultimately the day in the wrong grade. It had all gone downhill as soon as she'd arrived at her new homeroom and interrupted an argument, which she had learned later on was a daily occurrence, between her homeroom teacher and one of the boys in her grade. An interruption she'd regretted when the boy had turned around and examined her, she'd known it was an examination because of the cool calculation in his eyes as they'd swept over her and she knew that he hadn't thought much of her as she'd lowered her head and tried to move past him and that's when her entire day had gone downhill. Just by his small, deliberate movement. She didn't even know who he was and yet he had managed to destroy any chance she had of getting through her first day at East High and her ultimate plan of getting through her senior year without any outrageous amounts of attention, which in Gabriella's case meant getting through the entire year without any attention. This had been blown out of the water when she'd fallen in front of her homeroom class and had spent the rest of the day being pointed at by numerous people. Which at one point had nearly reduced her to tears, being pointed and giggled at on her first day wasn't something she liked or was used to.

Hearing the bell ring, Gabriella jumped and snapped out of her recollection of the day. Sighing, she began to close her books and stack them in order of size as the rest of her Chemistry class filed out the door and joined the thundering students heading for the front doors of East High. They all seemed to be so eager to leave the constricting halls of the school whereas right now, leaving the school was the last thing that she wanted to do. It wasn't that she didn't want to go home; she just didn't want to go home to an empty house or a bright, happy mother. Sighing, Gabriella picked up her books, smiled politely at her teacher who was scribbling something in her book and slipped out the door and into the now creepily ghostlike hallway. Looking around in disbelief, Gabriella couldn't believe that the students of East High could clear out of school that quickly. It was, almost, like they were heading out for summer break again and nothing could stop them. Shaking her head, Gabriella clutched her books to her chest and began to walk towards the area she knew was vaguely near her locker. As she walked, Gabriella found herself relaxing. She wasn't sure why, but she knew that the overall atmosphere of the school was wonderfully warm and welcoming and although the students in her homeroom had laughed, some of the others had been nice and the teachers had been a great help. It was, all in all, a school that she wouldn't mind spending her final year of high school at. A school that had, possibly, no real bad points. Reaching her locker with a softly exhaled breath upon having found it, Gabriella pulled it open and carefully selected the books she would need for that night. Already knowing that most of her homework would be completed in the few hours she had before her mother got home from her work. As she placed them into her bag, Gabriella had to admit that the deserted hallway of East High was slightly creepy, and with that thought in mind, she quickly stuffed her phone and into her bag and held her car keys tightly in her hand as she began to navigate her way through East High's hallways to the front doors and ultimately the car park. "Great." Gabriella found herself muttering as she realized she'd gotten herself lost in the school, after school, so the odds of running into someone and them being able to help her were extremely unlikely. Sighing, she tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and kept walking. Hoping that she might come across something that seemed slightly familiar to her if she kept going. As she walked, Gabriella wondered what time her mother would get home and then sighed again. She never knew when her mother was getting home and she never knew if she was coming home. At all their old homes, Gabriella had spent a considerable amount of time alone, her mother working as hard as she could to provide a wonderful life for both her daughter and herself and while Gabriella appreciated what her mother was trying to do, the life she was making, she always craved extra company. The fact that they moved around a lot caused Gabriella to never have a pet and she had always dearly wanted a puppy. Turning a corner, Gabriella jumped a mile and stifled a scream when a loud bang echoed from the building next to her. Standing with her hand over her heart, her pulse beating a mile a minute, Gabriella looked at the building next to her curiously. Glancing at it, she made an educated guess that it was the gym and wondered what on earth could have caused a noise like that from the building. Especially since the school seemed completely and utterly deserted. Licking her slightly dry lips, Gabriella tentatively approached the doors that lead into the gym and leaned her weight on them. The door swung open silently and Gabriella slipped inside and let the door go, looking around the gym curiously in search of the noise. "The noise was the basketball hitting the wooden bleachers." A dry voice commented, causing her to jump again and bite back another scream. Spinning around, Gabriella found herself face to face with the boy that had knocked her over that morning. "Oh. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt anything." Gabriella said quietly, avoiding looking him in the eye. Troy raised his eyebrows as she studied the ground, this was a new one. Girls either threw themselves at him, something he had begun to find increasingly annoying, or avoided him like the plague. There usually wasn't any in between, so having one standing in front of him and avoiding looking at him was quite interesting. "You didn't. You're the new girl." It wasn't a question but a detached statement, which had her eyes snapping to meet his. For a moment Gabriella was startled by the brilliant blue of them, she'd never seen eyes that color before and then she snapped back to her senses. "Yes and you're the guy that tripped me over this morning during homeroom," That caught Troy's attention. The comment was said nearly as matter-of-factly as he'd said she was the new girl, but much quieter and she looked, and sounded, less than sure of her actions as he looked at her. "So you remember me? How interesting." Troy said, spinning the basketball on his finger and continuing to examine her. Maybe she didn't belong in the nerd's category after all, maybe there was more to her than met the eye.

"How could I not? You managed to humiliate me in front of everyone." Gabriella said, folding her arms and he smirked as he realized that he'd judged her correctly when he'd come to the conclusion she was shy and at least a little insecure. "Sure, tell me AP Chemistry, how was your first day at East High?" The question caught her off guard, almost as much as the fact that he'd moved closer to her did. Looking up at him, Gabriella only saw cool detachment and a hint of amusement in his expression and in his eyes. They unnerved her; she'd never met someone who could look like that before. "Um, it was alright. Why do you want to know?" It was genuine curiosity that had her speaking. She didn't think that he was the type of guy who was very interested in what happened to new students or anyone, for that matter. It was the way he seemed to have schooled himself to remoteness that had her concluding that. Troy's eyes flicked over her and he shrugged. "Well, I figured I might have set the tone for your day. Just wanted to know how it was." He said with a smirk and Gabriella swallowed as she realized that he had known exactly what he had been doing when he'd knocked her over that morning. "Shouldn't you know?" Gabriella asked quietly and Troy shrugged, barely moving his shoulders and finding it amusing that she was trying to cover being at least a little intimidated by him. "Maybe. Are you always this nervous when you're talking to someone?" He replied and Gabriella stepped away from him, feeling suddenly nervous about the fact that she was standing alone with a boy she didn't know and he knew exactly how nervous she was currently feeling. "How do you know I'm nervous?" She replied, folding her arms tighter across her chest and looking him dead in the eye. Troy's smirk changed to a grin and his eyes flicked over her. "You just became defensive, you've been avoiding looking me in the eye and your body language suggests you're uncomfortable. The folded arms give it away." He replied in bland amusement and Gabriella stared at him in disbelief as her stomach churned. "Do you always read people so well?" She inquired and Troy shrugged, starting to grow bored with the conversation now that she hadn't come up with anything interesting after his comment. "One of my many talents," Was his reply and moved away from her. Gabriella watched as he shot the basketball into the hoop and caught it. He repositioned himself to take another shot when she shook her head. "Wait, so you read people that well, to what unbalance them? Annoy them? Bully them? You seem to have the right attitude for that." Gabriella said the last part bitterly and Troy froze mid shot and dropped the ball, turning to look at her, his eyes were cold and Gabriella knew she had said the wrong thing as soon as he'd dropped the basketball. "What? I don't bully people." He snapped at her, struggling to control his temper that she had provoked with only a few words and feeling amazement that she had provoked something that was always, always, under his control. "Could have fooled me. I mean what you did to me this morning; wouldn't that suggest you like hurting people for no reason?" Gabriella asked struggling to keep her voice steady as his eyes bore down on her, the blue of them close to ice. "I don't do anything without a reason." Troy shot at her and knew he had her feeling frightened as her eyes dropped to her feet. "You're talking to me without a reason." Gabriella pointed out quietly and Troy stopped short when he realized she was right. He was talking to her without a reason, generally, when people interrupted his alone time in the gym, they either ran in the opposite direction or he ignored them. He didn't talk to them or even acknowledge them and they definitely didn't hang around to hear what he had to say. "You go through those doors," Troy gestured with his hand and Gabriella looked at them, confused. "Turn right and you'll be in the car park. I'll talk to you later Gabriella." Gabriella's mouth dropped open when he said her name and she turned to watch him exit the gym, smirking at her reaction to her name being spoken.

Gabriella jumped when the doors he had walked through banged shut and she was left alone in the gym, feeling very much like he had pulled the floor out from underneath her feet. He had actually known her name. Normally it took people forever to call her by the right name, the closest she'd ever come to her name being said on her first day was 'Gabrielle' and that had been today. Still feeling unnerved, Gabriella decided to follow his instructions and quickly walked out of the gym, turning right, she sighed in complete relief when her car came into view. Quickly walking up to it, Gabriella unlocked it and slid in. Throwing her bag on the passenger's seat, she leant her forehead against the steering wheel, still wondering about what had happened only moments before. Closing her eyes, Gabriella strained to remember his name. Baker? No, it couldn't be that, she'd heard it in homeroom, Miss Darby, or whatever her name was, had said it and then called it out as she'd taken the roll. Bolton, Gabriella's eyes shot open as the name flowed through her head. Troy Bolton, his name was Troy Bolton and he had something to do with basketball. Frowning, because she couldn't remember anything else about him, Gabriella started her car and put on her seatbelt. That conversation had unnerved her; really unnerved her and she had no idea why. Dangerous Fascination CHAPTER 3 DANGEROUS She was confident. That was something he hadn't expected out of her. The shyness and insecurity he'd expected. But the confidence, that had made their conversation all the more interesting. Confidence was, Troy thought, something that some of the students at the school lacked. Especially when speaking to someone they were either afraid of or didn't know too well. She wasn't afraid of him, she just didn't know him and her type never had any confidence when speaking to someone they didn't know. Or that's what he'd thought until their conversation. But her words had that underlying confidence that he hadn't been confronted with in quiet a while and the fact that the new girl had been the one that had shown it was almost interesting. He's always taken a passing interest in new students, whether male or female. The reason was always the same; he wanted to know exactly where they were going to fit into the school and how much trouble they were going to cause him. But that passing interest would only last around two days and he would have them assessed and have a good idea of their character. It had been nearly four and he was no closer to assessing Gabriella Montez's personality or being able to place her in the category that he had wanted to in the first place and he was beginning to get annoyed. And he didn't like being annoyed. "Yo Troy!" He ignored the yell as he opened his locker. Throwing his bag into the locker, his eyes flicked when someone banged into the locker next to his, breathing heavily. "Dude, what is up with you? You lookannoyed and I mean you actually look annoyed." Chad asked breathlessly and his friend's eyes flicked towards him as he turned his phone off and threw it carelessly into the locker. "What do you know about Gabriella Montez?" Troy asked, ignoring a group of cheerleaders who waved at both him and Chad and watching as his friends face screwed up in concentration and received the confirmation he needed that Gabriella Montez had not been noticed by many people. "Who's Gabriella Montez? Not that really smart chick that's started hanging out with McKessie?" Chad asked and Troy's eyes flickered with amusement at his friends words. Of course she'd take refuge with the smart group; it made sense especially with all the AP classes he knew she took. "Maybe," Troy replied and Chad examined his friend. They'd been friends since kindergarten and Chad was possibly the only person in the school that knew exactly who Troy Bolton was and why he was the way he was. Chad was the only person in the entire school who wasn't afraid of Troy or his moods and didn't care what his friend did because he always knew what was going on behind the cool amusement in Troy's eyes. "Maybe what?" A new voice spoke up and Troy's eyes flicked over to Zeke as he shut his locker door. He didn't bother to reply because he knew Chad would jump at the chance to tell Zeke he'd asked about a girl. "Troy wants to know about Gabriella Montez." Chad replied and Zeke raised his eyebrows at his blue-eyed friend who didn't move and didn't bother to take his eyes of the crowd of students that were walking down the hallway. "Gabriella Montez? She's the new girl," Zeke paused for a moment as he tried to remember her and then grinned. "The new, hot girl. That girl could get away wearing anything." He said and Troy's eyes flicked to him before returning to the person walking down the hallways.

"If she could get away with wearing anything, inform me why her skirt's never above her knees and every shirt she's worn she's worn something over it." Troy said, nodding towards her and both Chad and Zeke turned their attention to the girl walking towards them. Troy kept his eyes on her as she drew closer and knew that she was aware he was standing there. As she drew closer, her eyes flicked towards him and met his. Troy didn't react as he held her gaze, something in her eyes flickered as she bit her lip and tore her eyes away from his and Troy had a feeling that something was fear. He almost smirked as his eyes followed her up the hallway until she was swallowed by students and then he turned his attention back to his friends. "So, that's Gabriella Montez, if she didn't hang around McKessie there's a possibility I'd go for her," Chad commented and Troy's eyes flicked towards him. "That's only because you've been after Taylor McKessie since sophomore year when she poured milk all over you and are still trying to figure out how she didn't fold under your 'charm'." Troy said dryly and Zeke snorted as Chad glared at Troy, the memory of milk dripping from his hair still vivid and painfully embarrassing. "Shut up Troy." Chad growled and Troy shrugged as the bell rang. All three of them looked at each other and Troy rolled his eyes. "Who wants to face Darbus first?" He asked and Zeke shrugged. "Who cares? She'd just going to go after you." He pointed out and Troy grinned at the words. "She does make a habit of that doesn't she?" He commented as they began to walk to homeroom. "That's because she hates you dude. She's hated you since you arrived in homeroom on the first day," Chad said as they approached the door. Troy walked into the room casually and the chatter of the students stopped as Miss Darbus turned to face them. "Boys, please take a seat." She sighed when she saw them. "What's that? No detention threat?" Troy asked and watched as she rolled her eyes. Zeke and Chad quietly moved to their seats as Troy looked at their teacher who had chosen to not reply to his question. Smirking, he slid into his seat and tuned out as soon she started reading the notices. Glancing around the room, his eyes made contact with a brunette sitting a few seats away from him. She glanced up and their eyes met briefly, before she turned her attention away from him and towards Miss Darbus, Troy's smirk widened. Maybe he should try and speak to her again. HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM Gabriella carefully shut her locker door as students rushed past her, all in a hurry to get to the cafeteria for lunch and all chattering madly about their classes and how they had been going so far. Sighing, she watched as two girls walked past her giggling, it made her wonder where Taylor was. The two girls had become fast friends as soon as Taylor had been assigned her Lab partner and Gabriella still wasn't sure how they had become so close over such a shot period of time. Realizing she wasn't hungry, Gabriella reopened her locker and pulled out the novel that she had begun reading the night before as soon as she'd re-shut her locker door, the book was yanked out of her hands and she looked up to find herself surrounded by three boys. Feeling her stomach turn, Gabriella swallowed slightly and waited for them to speak. "Hmmm, you're the new girl right?" One of them asked and she nodded, wrapping her arms around herself as he tossed her book from side to side. "Wait I heard something about you, what was it? Oh yeah, you're the new brainiac." Another said and Gabriella's arms tensed slightly at his words. "Can I have my book back?" She asked softly and one of them snorted. Gabriella's breathing quickened in fright when she felt one close in on her. 'Not here, please God not again' She begged silently as she backed up against her locker. "Aww, look, I think she's afraid of us. Are we scaring you geek?" The one holding her book took a step towards her and Gabriella bit her lip as tears filled her eyes. She felt one brush against her side and tried to make herself as small as possible.

"Smith, Lions, Hall, aren't you all a bit to dumb to try this again?" A cool voice asked and all three of them tensed at the voice. "Are you going to answer me?" The voice took on an edge when it got no reply and Gabriella let out a shaky breath when they stepped away from her. Troy glared coolly at the three boys who turned to look at him; he could just see Gabriella leaning against the lockers, shaking slightly. Turning his attention back to the three, Troy focused on the middle one and watched as he dropped the book he was holding. "Bolton, didn't know you were into defending geeks." He spat and Troy didn't move at the menace in his voice. Instead, Troy smirked at him and ignored the way one of them cracked his knuckles. "Smith, don't you remember what happened last time?" Troy replied his features hard, his eyes like ice as he stared at the burly boy in front of him. "No I don't, its three against one Bolton, you'll lose," Smith shot at him and Troy let out a dangerous laugh that had Gabriella cringing. She'd never heard a laugh like that before, standing up straighter she caught sight of Troy and managed to stop herself from gasping out loud. He looked so casual, so careless, the only thing that gave him away was his eyes she'd never seen eyes so cold and she'd never seen someone set there jaw in such a dangerous way. "No, I won't. You'll lose." Troy said softly, the look in his eye confirming his words. Gabriella slid back against the locker, wondering what was currently terrifying her more, Troy or the fact that she was still surrounded by three boys who towered above her. "As if," Smith snorted and than let out a strangled sort of noise when Troy, in two swift movements had him pinned to the lockers next to Gabriella. She let out a strangled scream and backed away from him, her face white, and her eyes wide. The two boys who had been standing either side of her tore down the hallway as Troy smirked at the boy he had pinned to the lockers. His smirk was more dangerous than any other expression he could have had. "One on one Smith," Troy spoke softly and Smith squirmed. "If I catch you doing something like this again, you won't be able to walk out of this school again. Am I clear?" Troy continued and he barely managed to nod. Troy dropped him to the floor and watched with disdain as he scrambled off the floor and down the hallway. "Y-youw-why did you do that?" She asked her voice barely above a whisper and lost her voice immediately after when he turned back to her and his expression was one of mild disinterest. "Do what?" Troy asked and watched as she bent down to retrieve her book, apparently struggling with her reply to his question. "Don't worry about it, shouldn't you be at lunch?" Gabriella asked and Troy shrugged as he watched her lock away what had just happened. "Not hungry. Did I scare you Gabriella?" He asked. Her eyes snapped to his at the nonchalant question and Troy controlled the smirk he knew was coming when he met her eyes. "Yes you did. But you already knew that," She replied and Troy's eyebrows lifted in surprise at her words. So she did remember their conversation a few days ago. Gabriella saw his eyebrows lift and bit her lip. God, she already felt off-balance. She didn't like the way he could read her and she really didn't like the way he hadn't answered her question before. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Tell me Gabriella, has Taylor told you anything about me?" The question was so casual that she jolted and took in a quick breath. How could he have possibly known that Taylor had mentioned him? The look in his eyes told her he knew the answer before it left her mouth. "Yes. Are you always so dangerous Troy?" She replied and the smirk he'd controlled spread at his name flowing out of her lips. "I'm not sure. I guess that's something you're going to have to find out for yourself. I'll see you around Gabriella." He walked away with those words; no closer to figuring her out and feeling like there might be something more to the brunette standing motionless and dumbfounded as he walked away from her.

Gabriella stared at his retreating figure. Shaking her head, she looked down at her book and tried to figure out what had just happened. Turning her attention back to Troy's retreating figure, Gabriella had a feeling that he knew exactly how dangerous he was whether it was against an enemy or a girl cornered in a hallway. CHAPTER 4 BULLIED Gabriella walked into the Science Laboratory and was instantly at home. It felt so nice to be in a place where she could fully relax and not have to worry about the outside world and anyone in the outside world. It was the one place she felt completely comfortable in, the one place she truly felt like she didn't have to worry about other people. She just had a feeling that the one person, who she was trying to escape from, knew exactly where to find her and that made her edgy because she didn't want him to find her. It had only been a few hours since he had showed her exactly why Taylor had told her to stay away from him and Gabriella still felt shaken by what she had witnessed. She had never seen anybody who could be so dangerous and so in control at the same time. In fact, she had never seen anybody who could go from amused, to dangerous, to disinterested as fast as he could and did. She'd never thought anybody could have that amount of control on their emotions and he did. She'd known from only looking at him when Smith had torn down the hallway that the entire time he'd been in perfect control and she'd known then as well, just by looking at him that the control wasn't a faade that hid turbulent emotion, or a weakness in character. The control was there because it seemed to be part of his personality and, Gabriella had a fair idea about this, the control was something that he knew how to use to his own advantage. "Are you going to move or am I going to have to get pliers?" Gabriella jumped at the sound of Taylor McKessie's voice and spun around to see her friend examining her with the same cynical expression she examined everyone with. Only this time Gabriella was able to see the warmth in the expression and smiled at her. "Sorry," she said and moved into the room, placing her books on a desk, Gabriella turned to Taylor who was looking at her strangely. "You know Gabriella; I've only known you for, what? Four, five days? But I can already tell when something's up with you and, my friend, the way you were just standing there, chewing your lip, epitomized something's up. So spill." Gabriella blinked a little at Taylor's businesslike tone and then sighed, already knowing that Taylor would only ask about it until she'd told her. Looking away from her for a moment, Gabriella took a deep breath not exactly sure how to tell her friend about what had transpired during their lunch period. "Tay, who are Smith, Lions and Hall?" She asked and Taylor frowned, knowing the names and wondering exactly where this was going. "James Smith, Tim Lions and Sam Hall. They're all footballers; Smith's the captain for memory." She replied and Gabriella sat down, now understanding why they were so big. Looking at Taylor again, she gave her a small smile. "They cornered me today at Lunch, I was getting a book from my locker and they just surrounded me." She said and Taylor's face was immediately taken over by worry. Moving closer to her friend, Taylor looked at her sympathetically. "What did they do?" She asked softly and Gabriella looked at her, confused. "What? Nothing, they couldn't do anything. Troy showed up before they could even get started," Gabriella said and Taylor stared at her friend in disbelief as Gabriella hurried on before Taylor could interrupt her. "Yes Troy, Taylor, he just appeared while I was surrounded. I don't think I've seen anyone who had that amount of control." Gabriella said and Taylor kept herself from snorting. "Not control, Gabriella, danger." She corrected and Gabriella shook her head. "Taylor, just trust me on this okay? Whatever he was doing there and how he knew what was going on is beyond me. But," Gabriella shivered slightly as she remembered the smirk on his face when he'd had Smith pinned to the lockers. "Taylor, even when he was facing all three of them he never lost control of what he was doing. I know you said he was dangerous and I'm well aware of how dangerous he is now, but Taylor no one is allowed to have that amount of control when it's three on one and he did. Taylor, he stopped them doing anything and was in perfect control the whole time. Watching him, he went from amused, to dangerous, to disinterested in a matter of minutes." Gabriella said and this time Taylor really did snort.

"Gabriella, that's not control. That's just Troy. That boy has three emotions and you saw all three of them when he was playing knight-in-shining-armour and saving you from the football dunderheads." Taylor said with a definite bite to her tone and Gabriella sighed. "Taylor, what do you actually know about Troy Bolton?" She asked curiously, wanting to know if Taylor could tell her something about Troy that she hadn't already figured out herself. "Besides the fact that he's an arrogant jerk who rules this school and anyone who gets in his way comes out looking like they've just been to hell and back? Nothing and I don't intend to find out anything either. The so called 'mystery' of Troy Bolton is better left alone." Those words sparked Gabriella's curiosity. Looking at Taylor with raised eyebrows, Gabriella wondered if she should ask her friend to elaborate. "What do you mean by the 'mystery' of Troy Bolton?" She asked and Taylor shrugged. "Well, nobody actually knows Troy, apart from Danforth and he's the resident idiot," Taylor said with a dismissive wave of her hand and Gabriella smiled. "Chad Danforth? Isn't he the guy that you poured milk all over?" Gabriella, recalling the comment she'd made when she was pointing out people to know, and Taylor grinned. "Uh-huh. He was asking for it, anyway," Taylor looked at Gabriella imploringly and Gabriella stared back. "Gabriella, can I trust you to not get involved with Troy Bolton? He's not a nice guy, he'll hurt you and he won't care because he will have gotten what he wanted. I'm telling you this because it sounds like Troy's taken an interest in you and that worries me. Because once Troy takes an interest in someone, he doesn't stop till he's gotten what he wanted. I don't want you to get caught in his web; can you promise me that you won't get involved with him?" Taylor asked and, although Gabriella found it strange that Taylor was doing this, nodded her head. "Of course Taylor." She nodded and Taylor's face broken into a smile of relief, before she glanced at the clock. "Good. Listen, I have to go, so I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." With that, Taylor was out of the room. Leaving Gabriella alone with her thoughts. Sighing, she sat down and pulled her books towards her. Her aim to do at least some of her homework, even though they'd only gained permission to be in the Lab so Taylor could take her through some of the more complex experiments that she had to know for the Scholastic Decathlon team. Staring at the words, Gabriella found them going fuzzy as she thought about what Taylor had said. She didn't know Troy at all and already she was being warned away from him. In all her other schools, Gabriella was pretty sure no-one had warned her off anyone. The jocks she generally steered clear of because they were simply bullies. Bullies, who she remembered quite clearly, liked to torment her. But Troy wasn't a bully; she'd gotten too much of a reaction when she'd called him one for her to not believe him when he saw he wasn't one. But still, if he wasn't a bully, then what, exactly, was he? She'd never known anyone could have such an impact on the students, she'd been at East High for nearly a week and she'd only just realized that Troy had more control over the students than anyone at her old schools. If Taylor knew about him and despised him, it meant that he was revered by the students and if he could scare away three huge footballers the way he had at lunch, then it meant he was feared as well. Feared and respected, an interesting mix. Something that someone might say about a God, almost, Gabriella thought. "You know, I'm pretty sure the words are on the page and not the desk." His amused voice broke through her thoughts and Gabriella jumped and turned towards him. Not at all surprised that he'd known where she was, but surprised that he'd actually made the effort to come. "I-I, uh, I know." She said, shaking her head and avoiding his blue eyes. Troy looked at her in amusement, already having a fair idea as to why she was avoiding his gaze. "McKessie already warned you off me, didn't she?" He asked and Gabriella's eyes snapped to his, shock evident as she stared at him. "How do you know that?" Gabriella asked and Troy settled himself on the chair next to her and shrugged carelessly. "Taylor McKessie has every student in this school in three categories. One is the people she needs to know, two is the people she doesn't need to know but does anyway, and three is the people she dislikes with a slightly bitter edge. I'm in that third category and she takes great satisfaction in warning new students off

the people in my category." Troy replied and Gabriella stared at him. Trying to wrap her head around what he had just said. "How do you know that?" Gabriella asked and Troy raised his eyebrows at her. "Because I do it too. Only, I actually bother to get to know the person and then put them in their category and I have too many categories to tell you about," Troy replied and Gabriella turned her eyes away from him and back down at the textbook in front of her. Silence surrounded them for a moment before Gabriella spoke. "What category am I in?" She asked quietly and Troy looked at her, a smirk spreading across his face as he looked at her. "I'd tell you, but that would take the fun out of our conversations," Troy said and Gabriella looked at him again. "You've been bullied before, haven't you?" The question threw her off and Gabriella blinked. "What?" She asked and Troy shrugged. "You've been bullied before," he said and watched as a wall went up. How interesting, he thought as he watched her struggle with the comment, knowing that he had hit dead on as she faced him again. "I don't know what you're talking about," Gabriella told him and Troy raised his eyebrows. Leaning forward, he came within inches of her face and stared her dead in the eye. "Yes you do. I watched you today with Smith, Lions and Hall. You looked to used to trying to make yourself as small as possible and the tears in your eyes gave it away." Troy said with a hint of a smirk and Gabriella told herself to move away from him, instead of moving she took in a shaky breath. "You were watching me the whole time," she whispered and Troy nodded slowly. "Yes." He said and felt satisfaction course through him when he saw the flash of anger pass through her eyes. "You jerk. Why didn't you do anything before?" Gabriella snapped and Troy shrugged. "Because I know how those three work, they'd taunt you for a little bit and then move on." He replied and Gabriella stared at him. "So why did you interfere?" She asked and Troy pulled away from her, Gabriella saw the thoughtfulness in his eyes and found that the softness of it made his eyes so much lighter. The discovery stunned her and Gabriella shook her head slightly, before looking away from him. "I'm not one to sit around and watch Smith bully someone else. That boy never learns." The disgust in Troy's voice caused Gabriella to look back at him and she sighed. "I've had worse," she said softly and Troy looked at her, this conversation wasn't making much sense to him and her confession didn't ease the confusion. "I think the worst would have had to be when I was living in New York. I was like a play toy to them, the teachers caught them one day and the main three, all from the football team, got punished. As soon as they'd served out their punishment, they got it into their heads that the teachers' catching them was an elaborate scheme that I had concocted. I came home the next day with a black eye and two broken ribs. They were expelled and we moved straight after that. Bullies never learn." She wasn't looking at him directly. Instead, Gabriella had found a spot just behind him that deserved her attention and stared at it as she spoke, unable to believe she had told him that. "That's why you flinched," Troy said as he recalled the way one of them had brushed against her and she had shrunk away from him. "I guess that answers your comment about me being bullied, doesn't it?" Gabriella asked dryly and Troy shrugged. "Yes and no," Troy glanced at her and Gabriella looked at him. "I'd better get going, I'll talk to you later Gabriella." He left the room before Gabriella could get a word out, leaving her sitting in the Lab feeling more and more confused about Troy Bolton, his interest in her and the conversations they had. She didn't understand how her being bullied in the past, had anything to do with her now and she couldn't believe that

she had told him what had happened in New York without feeling embarrassed or ashamed about what had happened. The only thing she was certain of was the fact that at this school being bullied was the least of her concern. CHAPTER 5 ASSUME Gabriella Montez was turning out to be more than the simple brainiac he'd pinned her for and for once, something like this happening was a pleasant surprise instead of an annoyance. Troy wasn't sure what it was about her that surprised him instead of annoyed him and he wasn't in a hurry to find out. If Gabriella Montez still had his attention two weeks after she'd told him about her experience in New York than there was something about the girl that had him interested and for once it wasn't even about what she could do for him. That was what was part of the puzzle, he'd never wasted his time, or been interested in, a girl that literally couldn't do anything for him beside provide interesting conversation and even that, he suspected, hadn't ever really been enough for him and yet, he'd found his mind wandering to her every time it wasn't engaged by their conversations, which, more often than not, was when he was around his friends. He'd kept where his thoughts and attention, had been wandering to himself, knowing that if his friends found out about what he was thinking it wouldn't sit well with any of them. Casting his gaze around the classroom, Troy's eyes settled on the object of his thoughts and he was unaware of the smirk that formed on his face when she looked up and her eyes flicked over to his. The blush that spread across her cheeks caused his smirk to widen and he watched as her eyes lowered to her notebook again. Even though her eyes were on the notebook in front of her, Troy continued to study her, his eyes tracing the ebony curls which had escaped the hastily fastened bun she'd restrained them in. Just looked at her, Troy knew it would be a lie if he ignored how attractive she was, and an even bigger lie if he said he wasn't attracted to her. Which was just another piece of the puzzle, he mused. Hearing the bell ring, Troy tore his eyes away from Gabriella and stood up. Throwing the notebook he had taken out for show in his bag. Troy swung it over his shoulder and filed out of the classroom with the rest of his class. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Troy began to move toward his locker. "Yo Troy! Are you going to the park after school?" Chad appeared out of nowhere as Troy reached his locker and pulled it open. He sent his friend a cool look to which Chad responded with raised eyebrows. "I haven't decided yet." He replied and Chad snorted in disbelief as Troy shut his locker door and turned to face his friend. "Dude, come on, its basketball, you've never had to decided when it comes to basketball." Chad said loudly and Troy looked at Chad, the coolness in his eyes not betraying the annoyance he felt. "Chad, drop the subject before you end up in that locker." Troy's tone was light in comparison to the look in his eyes and Chad knew that if he pushed the subject anymore than he already had, which had been all day, the lightly said threat would come true. "Alright, alright, sorry," Chad asked raising a hand in surrender as Troy rolled his eyes at his friend. His attention turned to the hallway and Chad looked at his friend with curiosity. To someone else, it would seem that Troy was just examining the throngs of laughing, talking students. To him, he was well aware that Troy was looking for someone, he watched as his friends unemotional blue eyes flicked over the students and settled on the person he was looking for. The flash that went through Troy's eyes didn't change the cool mask of his face. Seeing it, Chad turned his attention to the hallway in a hope of finding out exactly who his friend was looking at and finding nothing but a loud group of cheerleaders. "Dude, who are you looking at?" Chad asked and Troy turned his attention from a laughing Gabriella to his best friend. "No-one," Troy replied and watched as Chad's eyes turned back to the hallways in a vain attempt to see what his friend was looking at. Troy knew that Chad wouldn't take any notice of Gabriella and wouldn't believe that Troy was looking at her anyway, so he considered it safe enough to look for her in a crowd. "Uh-huh." Chad said and looked at Troy in the hope that his face would betray something, even though he knew that Troy never betrayed any emotion unless it suited him too. It was one of the things that Chad resented in his friend almost as much as he admired.

"Chad, are you going to the park this afternoon?" Troy inquired lazily and Chad shrugged. Knowing he would sound like a hypocrite if he said no and had been at his friend all day to go. "Yep, all the guys are going, it'll be like a warm up for the season." Chad said casually and Troy nodded his head as Zeke approached. "So you guys going to the park after school?" Zeke asked and Chad glanced at Troy who didn't seem to respond to the question before Chad spoke. "Yep. Is everyone else going?" He asked spinning the ever present basketball on his finger and waiting for Zeke's reply. "Dude, you just said everyone else was going. Why do you need to ask a question that you already know the answer too?" Troy questioned and Chad's mouth opened and closed as Troy sent him the look everyone knew meant 'shut-up'. "Well guys," Troy pushed off his locker and turned his attention to his two friends. "I'm out; I'll see you at the park." Troy began to walk down the hallway as Chad registered what his friend had said. "No way dude!" Was all Troy heard as he headed down the hallway, it surprised him that Chad had registered what he had said so quickly as he walked down the hallway. Glancing around, Troy could see most of his grade chattering, most making use of the free period before the end of school. Rolling his eyes when he brushed past a couple of squealing girls, Troy headed towards the gym, knowing for a fact that no-one was in there. Reaching the gym doors, Troy yanked them open and walked in, letting the silence of it wash over him. Walking in a bit further, Troy's eyes flicked up to the bleachers and widened in surprise when he saw who was sitting halfway up the bleachers, her books spread out in front of her. Staring at her for another minute, Troy wondered exactly what she was doing there before he spoke. "You know, last time I checked, this wasn't the library." Gabriella's head shot up in stunned surprise when she heard his voice. Whipping it around, the curls that hadn't been tamed by her new attempt at a bun swung wildly as her eyes connected with Troy's. Feeling herself blush, Gabriella tried to calm her scrambling pulse as Troy looked up at her, amusement evident in his eyes. "Um, I know," she said quietly and Troy rolled his eyes at her response. Throwing his bag down on the bleacher closest to him, he slowly began to climb up towards her. "So if you know, why are you here?" He asked and Gabriella winced slightly at his tone, it sounded soterritorial. "I'm sorry; I didn't know I wasn't allowed to be in here. I'll go." She said quickly, reaching down and beginning to pack up her books as Troy settled himself down next to her. He watched her for a moment, before chuckling. "I never said you weren't allowed to be in here, you just assumed. Do you do that a lot Gabriella?" He asked and Gabriella looked at him in surprise. "Do what a lot?" She asked, still holding the books she had gathered in a hurry to her chest and eyeing Troy warily. "Assume that what people say, always means that you have the worst end of the comment?" He asked and Gabriella shrugged, not allowing herself to relax but placing her books on her lap and angling her body towards him. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said softly, her eyes searching his face for any other emotion bar amusement. She jumped slightly when Troy chuckled again and shook his head. "Sure you do. You just did it then, you assumed that because I asked why you were here, I was asking you to leave." Troy pointed out and watched in interest as a flash of something very close to anger went through her eyes before she had control of it. "I didn't assume that you wanted me out of here, I just-" Troy cut her off with a lazily knowing smirk that had her staring.

"Assumed that I didn't want you here. Don't argue, as soon as the question left my mouth you were packing up." He said and Gabriella glared at him even as his eyes held her gaze with a coolness that she was sure noone else could achieve. "But that doesn't mean that I assume every thing someone says means that I get the worst end of it." Gabriella said and Troy raised his eyebrows. "Don't you? Wouldn't the fact that you just assumed I meant get out of here, suggest you do that with nearly every comment or question that's made to you?" Troy asked and Gabriella's hands tightened in her lap as he examined her. "No. Why would you assume that?" She shot back and Troy's grin was quick and Gabriella had to blink as the blue eyes that had been watching her with such coolness before flashed to a much warmer blue before the grin disappeared. "I'm stating a fact and you know I am," he said and Gabriella bit her lip and looked away from him. Hating the fact that he was right, and fighting the curiosity to find out how he knew she did that. "How do you know I do that?" She asked and Troy shrugged, not surprised that she had taken the bait and annoyed slightly that she wouldn't look at him when she asked it. "You've done it a couple of times in our conversations, its hard not to notice." He said carelessly and continued before Gabriella could respond. "Do you always do that?" He repeated and looked at her coolly as she turned her attention from her hands to him. "Yes." She replied quietly and his face didn't change. "Why?" He asked and Gabriella shrugged, turning her head away from him to study the basketball hoop at the other end of the gym. "Because that way you don't get let down if what you assumed doesn't come true." She replied quietly. Troy looked at her more intently as he heard the faintest break in her voice. "What made you think that?" He asked quietly after a moment and Gabriella turned to look at him, frustrated with herself at her answer to his question and even more frustrated with the fact he'd heard the break in her voice. "Nothing, I just figured it was easier to figure that, than get let down." She said hastily and Troy rolled his eyes at the look in her eyes. "Uh-huh, why do you think that?" He asked again and Gabriella moved her shoulders as his icy blue eyes connected with her warm brown ones and she knew he would see through any lie she told him. "Because you always assume your parents are going to be together forever," she whispered and watched a flicker of realization passed through his eyes. "Or at least until you've left the home and are too worried about a family of your own." She said with a slightly bitter laugh and Troy nodded his head. "Your Dad left?" He asked quietly and Gabriella shrugged again. "I prefer to think of it as he went on a business trip that's gone on for seven years." She replied and Troy nodded as Gabriella suddenly realized what she'd told him. Her eyes dropped from his as she mentally kicked herself for telling him something that nobody else knew. God, what was it about him that had her spilling two of her most important secrets? Glancing at him, Gabriella blushed when she realized he had been watching her. "A business trip lasting seven years, nice." Troy commented and ignored the way Gabriella stiffened at his tone. He knew that she was kicking herself for telling him that and he leaned towards her. "How is that nice?" She asked, her voice holding a hint of anger that Troy enjoyed before leaning close to her. His lips came within an inch of hers and Gabriella had to force herself not to tremble as his eyes caught hers and held them.

"Now see, you just assumed I actually meant nice." Troy whispered, watching as her eyes darkened when his breath passed across her lips. His eyes flicked down as her lips parted slightly and for a brief moment, Troy felt the uncontrollable urge to push his lips up against hers and do things to her that he was sure she'd never even dreamed of. Before he could act on his urge or even pull away in annoyance at something so out of his control a loud voice spoke. "Troy, what are you doing?" Almost instantly, the two teenagers jumped apart from each other and Gabriella's face went bright red as they turned to face the person that had spoken. Troy looked at his father as Gabriella avoided looking at him. "Nothing, what's up Dad?" Troy asked casually as Gabriella stood up and clutched her books to her chest. "Uh, see you Troy." She said quietly as she began to make her way down the bleachers. When she reached the final step, Coach Jack Bolton offered her his hand, which Gabriella took gratefully as she stepped down. "Thank you sir," she said quietly as Troy watched her. Forcing a smile for Troy's father, she quickly headed out of the gym as Jack turned to his son. "Okay, now are you going to tell me what you were doing?" He asked as Troy got up and lazily made his way down the bleachers to his father. Jumping the last two, Troy straightened from the crouch he'd landed in and looked at Jack. "I told you, nothing." He said and then frowned as Jack raised his eyebrows at his only son and chuckled. "Sure, nothing was going on up there between you two, when your lips were just about to close over hers." Jack said and Troy glared at his father as Jack laughed at him. Rolling his eyes, Troy relaxed enough to laugh with him and then shoved his hands into his pockets. "Seriously Dad, nothing was going on up there. I just lost control." Troy said and Jack shook his head at his son. "I'm sure. Just go into denial and pretend this never happened, right?" Jack guessed and Troy glared at his father again as Jack laughed again. "Whatever. Listen, I'm going to the park with the team after school. I don't know what time I'll be home," Troy said and Jack nodded at his sons words. "I won't start cooking till you give me a time." He said and Troy grinned at his Dad, before Jack slapped him on the shoulder. "I've got to go, I'll see you when you get home than, alright?" Jack said and Troy nodded as he watched his Dad walk out of the gym. Still grinning, Troy turned around to face an incredulous Gabriella. "What?" He asked as she continued to stare at him. "Do you and your Dad always get along so well?" She asked quietly and Troy shrugged, before heading for the entrance that she was standing in front of. Pausing beside her, Troy looked at her as she turned her head to look at him. "Why don't you just assume that too?" He asked and Gabriella's eyes widened as he walked out, leaving her with no idea why she had reentered the gym in the first place. CHAPTER 6 DARK He had been so close, so close to kissing her. She'd seen it in his eyes, those eyes that always held amusement; she'd seen his control slip and she'd even seen the annoyance that had flashed through his eyes, at what she didn't know. And the fact that he'd been that close, scared her. What scared her even more was that she wanted him to do it; she wanted him to kiss her. Bringing a hand to her head, Gabriella massaged her forehead in an attempt to get rid of the headache she felt coming on. The headache was becoming familiar; she only ever got it whenever she thought about what had happened in the gym. But what confused her even more was the personality switch she had witnessed when she'd walked back into the gym. He'd seemed so different, so much more approachable and then when he'd seen her standing there in the gym, watching the scene, he'd almost seemed angry with her when she'd asked if he and his dad had

always gotten along well. It confused her. One moment he was laughing and the next almost mad and before that. Her eyes closed as once again she remembered how close he had been to kissing her and she leaned against her front door. What if he had kissed her? What would it have been like? Gabriella shook her head; it wasn't like she hadn't been kissed before. But that wasn't even a comforting thought when she realized that whatever experience she had, wouldn't help. Even if Troy decided to do anything with her, nothing would stop him from taking what he wanted from her or anyone else. "Uh, sweetie, the door usually opens if you use your hand and push it open." Gabriella's head snapped away from the door as soon as she heard her mother's voice. Looking around wildly, she came face to face with Alexandra Montez, who was watching her only child in amusement. "Oh. Uh, hi Mom." Gabriella said, feeling flustered even as Alexandra walked up the stairs and pressed a warm kiss to her forehead, before reaching behind her daughter and opening the front door. "Hi honey, after you," Gabriella grinned at her mother and walked in the door. Automatically, she headed towards the kitchen. Knowing her mother would want coffee as Gabriella told her about her day. Hearing her mother pad along after, Gabriella turned on the coffee machine that had been their latest splurge and got out two mugs. Concentrating on making the coffee, Gabriella absently accepted the cookie her mother had offered her and placed it in her mouth as she set aside the first cup of coffee, making the next one, she had to bite the cookie when it almost fell out of her lips. Adding sugar to her own coffee, Gabriella turned back to face her mother and handed her, her own cup of coffee. Alexandra accepted it and rested her hip on the side of the bench, studying her eighteen year old daughter who was absently stirring her coffee and looking out the window. Sipping the coffee, Alexandra waited patiently while Gabriella tried to think of how to phrase her next words. "Mom?" Gabriella looked at her mother as Alexandra continued sipping her coffee, taking it as a signal to continue Gabriella took a deep breath. "Did you ever meet someone you couldn't figure out?" She asked and Alexandra raised her eyebrows at the concentrated look on Gabriella's face. "No. You know how I am sweetie, I figure everyone out within three minutes of knowing them," Alexandra said, her smile exactly the same as her daughters as Gabriella narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, sure, you wouldn't have Troy figured out." Gabriella muttered and winced when Alexandra's eyes widened in delight at the sound of a boys name leaving her daughters lips. It was rare that Gabriella ever mentioned anyone from school, even rarer when it was a boy. "Who's Troy?" She asked and Gabriella shrugged uncomfortably, not sure what to tell her mother about Troy. "A guy at school," she muttered sipping her coffee as Alexandra waited for something more. "A guy from school who" She prompted and Gabriella rolled her eyes at her mother's eagerness. "Who is just a guy from school," Alexandra sent her daughter a disbelieving look and Gabriella crumbled. "Fine, he's a guy I met on my first day, who's" She trailed off not entirely sure how to end her sentence, while her mother watched her curiously. "Is he cute? Or hot, or whatever you call boys these days?" Alexandra asked and ignored the look of disgust on Gabriella's face. "Well?" She said impatiently and Gabriella's mind drifted to Troy. Yes he was hot, with those beautiful blue eyes, the strong, defined features of his face, the dark hair that always looked like he had just gotten out of bed and the strong body that you had to be blind not to see. "He is." She admitted quietly and Alexandra raised her eyebrows at the look on her daughters face. "And he's taken an interest in you?" She probed a bit more and Gabriella shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer the question. "If you call it an interest, he's so hard to read Mom; he's always in complete control. I've known him for two weeks and I've never seen him lose control of anything. You don't know what he's thinking, he's got these eyes and they never let in on what he's thinking or his emotions, unless he wants you to see them. And he's got this, I don't know, quality that draws things out of people, things they've never told anyone before." Gabriella said the last part quietly and Alexandra arched an eyebrow at the words.

"And what have you told this Troy?" She asked and Gabriella looked at her coffee, before sipping it. "Um, I told him about New York and Dad." She said and Alexandra very deliberately placed her coffee down on the bench, studying her daughter who refused to look at her with a mixture of plain disbelief and intense curiosity. "You told a complete stranger about New York? And your father? Gabriella, you never talk about those things." Alexandra said and Gabriella shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to her mother's question. "He's not a complete stranger Mom, I just don't know him." Gabriella frowned at her words as her mother raised her eyebrows at them, almost as if saying 'exactly my point' and Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh and you don't know him, yet you've told him about the two things you never talk about." Alexandra said and Gabriella moved her shoulders at the words, not sure how to respond to her mothers statement. Setting down her coffee, Gabriella rubbed a hand over her face and bit her lip. "I'm going for a walk Mom," Gabriella said and Alexandra smiled gently at her daughter. "Sweetie, if this boy has you talking about your father and New York, then maybe you shouldn't analyze it and enjoy it," Alexandra said, kissing her forehead softly. "Now, go for your walk, I have some work to do." Gabriella stared at her mother as she walked out of the kitchen. "You don't know Troy," Gabriella muttered quietly as she watched her mother disappear from the kitchen. Rolling her eyes, Gabriella walked out the kitchen door and headed towards the park, closing her eyes Gabriella turned her face towards the late autumn sunshine, enjoying its warmth which countered the cool breeze that brought the promise of winter. Coming to the park, she turned into it and smiled at some of the children that were running around the playground. She could clearly remember when she'd been that young. She could remember that every Sunday her dad would take her to the park and watch as she made instant friends with everyone there. She could even remember the picnics that they shared after she'd gotten tired, the sandwiches her mother had made for the two of them and the way he always bought her an ice-cream after they'd finished. She barely realized her fist was curled into a ball as she watched one of the little girls, she had to be no more than five, run towards a man she presumed was her father and throw her arms around his legs. Grinning up at him as he leaned down and picked her up. She could remember that too, the way he'd picked her up and the piggyback rides he always gave her as they walked home, the remnants of her ice-cream on her face. "You know, if your fist gets any tighter, you're going to break your fingers." Troy's amused voice broke through her thoughts and Gabriella turned her head to look at him, uncurling her fist as she did. "Did you just assume that?" She asked, blinking away tears that she hadn't realized had been threatening as he looked at her. "No, I was guessing," he replied with a smirk. Gabriella averted her eyes and Troy raised his eyebrows. "Have you been playing basketball?" She asked and Troy shrugged as he studied her face. She looked upset and he glanced around the playground, his eyes landing on what she was staring at and a wave of understanding washed over him. "Yeah, how long have you been watching the kids?" He asked and Gabriella turned her eyes away from the father and daughter she'd been watching, to him and shrugged. "I don't know. A couple of minutes," she said and he nodded. "You don't have to pretend you don't know what I was watching Troy." She said and his eyes flashed in amusement at her words. "I know, I just figured that you wouldn't want me to make you anymore uncomfortable than you are." He said and Gabriella's lips curved into a smile that Troy narrowed his eyes at. "Troy," she said and stopped as she realized what she had been going to say was pointless. "Yes?" He asked and smirked when she shook her head.

"Nothing," she said and he rolled his eyes as she began to walk away. Falling into step beside her Troy ignored the curious look she shot him. "So, do you always stand by a playground and watch people?" He asked and Gabriella shrugged. "No." She replied, looking down at the ground as she walked. "What were you remembering?" He asked and she shot him a look that told him the question wasn't a welcome one. "How do you know I was remembering something?" She asked and he shrugged, stopping as she did and turning to face her fully. Gabriella looked up at him, annoyed that she hadn't noticed how tall he was before. "You were staring at the man and girl with a glazed expression; most people do that when they're remembering something or exhausted. In your case, I'm guessing you were remembering something about your Dad otherwise you wouldn't have been looking at the girl with so much jealousy." He said and watched in pure fascination as Gabriella's face twisted with sudden anger at his words and then watched as she tried to get a grip on her emotions. "Why do you do that?" She demanded and Troy looked at her, nothing shown on his face but bland amusement. "Do what?" He asked and Gabriella rolled her eyes at his question. "Tell me what I'm doing even though I don't want anyone to know!" She exclaimed and Troy chuckled at the look on her face. "It's not my fault your so easy to read. Besides, it was kind of obvious, especially after what you told me today." He said and Gabriella closed her eyes at his words. "I knew I shouldn't have told you that!" She said furiously and began to walk away. Before she could get far, Troy had grabbed her hand and spun her around to look at him, ignoring the way she yanked at her hand; he looked at her, his face impassive, his eyes a shade darker. "Then why did you tell me?" He asked quietly and Gabriella just stared, her stomach clenching at the unfamiliar colour of his eyes. "I don't know," she whispered and he arched an eyebrow at her words, ignoring the way she yanked at her hand again. Instead, his grip on her hand increased and Gabriella bit her lip. "Yes you do. You know why you told me, so why are you so upset?" He asked, pulling her closer to him. Gabriella stared up at him, unable to stop herself from turning her hand over in his and so their palms were pressed together. The feeling of his large hand against her smaller one caused a warm feeling to seep through. "I'm not used to people knowing things about me that I nearly always keep to myself." She replied quietly and Troy nodded. He could understand that, more than he let on. Pulling her closer to him, Troy fought for some control over the same urge that had taken over him in the gym. Raising the hand that wasn't encasing her, Troy touched her face, his palm resting against her cheek as his fingers plunged into the hair behind her ear. Gabriella tensed at the contact of his hand and she looked in his eyes and saw the same look he'd had in the gym. Except this time he didn't look annoyed. Without thought, Gabriella stretched up to his lips as his lowered to hers. Troy wasn't exactly sure of what was happening as Gabriella pressed herself close to him, her hand tentatively touching his side as his lips slid over hers. The hand holding hers tightened at her touch, and then he pulled away. Gabriella looked up at him, her eyes shining with sudden fear at the sudden ferocity in his eyes. Troy looked at her unseeingly, letting go of the hand that he had caught in his and stepping away from her. The urge to kiss her again strengthening as he watched her trace her lips with her tongue before biting her bottom lip.

"Troy?" She asked, her voice trembling at how dark his eyes were. "Troy, why did you do that?" She said and he shook his head. "Get out of here Gabriella before I do it again." His tone would have scared her if she hadn't been so terrified of his eyes. Gabriella turned around and walked as quickly as she could, the darkness of his eyes etched into her memory. CHAPTER 7 READY He'd screwed up. For the first time ever, he'd screwed up and it wasn't sitting well with him. He hadn't meant to kiss her, especially in the middle of the park where anyone could have seen. But that wasn't what was getting him, what was getting to him was the fact that he had lost control over what he was doing just because of what she'd said and the way she'd said it. He'd understood and he'd lost control because of that, he'd screwed up by letting what she'd said get to him and acting on an impulse that had intensified into a need that he wasn't used to as soon as her lips had touched his. A need that told him to find her weak points and exploit them, a need that told him to touch her in places he was sure no-one had ever touched before. A need he'd squashed ruthlessly as soon as her hand had touched his side. It had all been so out of his control, the impulse to kiss her, the need that had surged as soon his lips had found hers, so out of control that he'd become furious. The temper that had always been in his control, breaking free as he'd pulled away and she'd looked up at him in that split second before fear had taken over, with a look in her eyes that told him what he had just done meant something to her. As soon as he'd seen it, anger had taken full rein and he'd told her to leave, to get out before he did something he would regret, she hadn't understood and he'd been grateful for it. He knew that what he had wanted to do to her in the park, would have taken over completely if he had responded to the urge to kiss her again and he knew that whatever she thought, there was no way in hell that she was ready for what he wanted from her. Getting out of his car, Troy shouldered his sports bag and locked the car. Shoving the keys into his pocket carelessly, he didn't even glance at the people who shouted out good luck as he walked towards the front doors of the school. For a moment, he paused and his eyes flicked over the students milling around the front doors, most dressed in red and white and many chattering excitedly about the first game of the basketball season. The start of the season that would dictate his future. Shaking the thought from his head, Troy shoved his hands into the pocket of his white tracksuit and began to walk up the concrete stairs that led into the school. Walking in, Troy immediately saw his teammates. The white home tracksuit they all had to wear stood out from the rest of the school and instantly made them the celebrities of a school that focused so much attention on basketball. Dodging a few students, Troy ignored the way some students ducked out of his way as he walked down the hallway. He thought it was a smart move to avoid him, he'd already had several outbreaks of barely controlled temper that had left some people trembling during the week and Troy figured that another one would see the entire student body avoiding him like the plague. Reaching his locker, he pulled it open for show and stood there watching as people chattered excitedly about the first game of the season and who was going to win. "Game Day!!" Troy barely moved at Zeke's loud, excited yell. Instead, a genuine grin spread across his face as he slapped hands with his over-excited teammate. "Game Day. You ready for it?" Troy asked and Zeke looked at Troy like he was insane. "Ready for it? I've been praying this day'll come all summer!" Zeke replied and Troy merely raised his eyebrows at how enthusiastic his friend was at the prospect of playing forty minutes of a long, hard game. "Dude, you waste all your energy now and you won't have anything left for the game." Troy said with a chuckle of amusement and Zeke opened his mouth to respond when he saw his friend's eyes darken. Glancing up the hall, Zeke's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Gabriella who glanced up at Troy. Curiously, Zeke watched as she bit her lip before looking away from Troy and turning her attention to the girl beside her who had missed the way her friend's eyes had strayed to Troy and the flash that Zeke interpreted as a mix of hurt and fear went through her eyes. Looking at Troy, Zeke noted the taunt muscle in his jaw and glancing back at Gabriella, pieced two and two together. "What happened?" Troy glanced at Zeke as soon as the question left his mouth. His blue eyes were dark and hard, and Troy knew if it had been anyone other than Zeke, they would have immediately made a stumbled apology about the question or bolted.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Troy said and Zeke rolled his eyes at Troy's denial, watching as he glanced back at Gabriella again. "Sure you do. You've been angry all week, and I'm guessing that it has something to do with the girl that just walked down the hallway, looked at you and then kept walking." Zeke said and merely stared back as Troy made a movement that suggested to Zeke that he would have been slammed into the locker if he had been anyone else. "Well, aren't you just the shrink." Troy snapped coolly and Zeke shrugged at his words. "No. I'm just guessing, and right now, I'm guessing something happened between you two that isn't sitting too well with you and whatever it is, it's hurting her." Zeke replied and folded his arms at the way Troy's eyes hardened at his last words. "How do you know its hurting her?" Troy shot at him and Zeke shrugged, narrowing his eyes slightly at something in Troy's tone that said a lot more than anything else he could have asked. "Her eyes when she looked at you." He replied and Troy didn't respond to it, instead he frowned and leant against the lockers. "So, here's my full guess. Whatever's been going on between you two in the last couple of weeks, hit something like its milestone when you were at the park. My guess is you ran into her while you were heading home or going to the courts and while you were exchanging your usual pleasantries with her, you did something that you're now furious about because whatever it was was completely out of your control." Zeke said and Troy stared at him in disbelief. Not quite sure what to make of someone being able to tell him exactly what was wrong with him; it was a new and very unwelcome experience that had his eyes narrowing after the disbelief had faded. "How did you put that together?" He asked quietly and Zeke heard the danger in Troy's voice, but answered anyway. "You only get this on edge when something happened that you wanted to happen, but happened when you weren't in complete control of yourself. I only figured something happened with you and Gabriella when you walked into school on Monday and refused to even acknowledge her, when we all know you've been entertaining yourself with her ever since school started. Now the only thing you're going to tell me, is exactly what happened to put you in this mood?" Zeke said and Troy's eyes darkened even further and Zeke suddenly realized he'd pushed his luck with Troy. Stepping away from him, Zeke's look of apprehension had a few students evacuating the area around Troy's locker quickly. "Do you want to run that by me again, Zeke?" Troy asked, so softly that someone might have missed the threat in his eyes. Zeke, however, saw the threat and swallowed slightly as he took a step away from Troy whose hands had curled into fists. "Is there a problem here boys?" Troy swallowed at the sound of Principal Matsui's mild voice and slowly uncurled his fist as he turned to face the principal and fought to keep the smile on his face. "No sir, just discussing the game." He replied and glanced at Zeke as he nodded vigorously. "Well, I do hope that's all," Principal Matsui said glancing from one boy to the other, when both nodded he smiled at them. "I hope the game goes well, I have to miss it, unfortunately, I have a meeting. But I'm sure you'll do East High proud. Now, get off to homeroom." Troy and Zeke both nodded as they watched the principal make his way down the hallway. As soon as he was sure the principal was out of earshot, Troy turned back to Zeke. "Push me that far again and you won't ever see the first game of the season." Troy said menacingly, slamming his locker shut and shouldering Zeke as he walked past. Zeke closed his eyes as Troy pushed past him and turned and watched as his friend walked down the hallway, ignoring people pointedly, whether they were saying good luck for the game or simply dodging him. Troy found himself standing in front of his homeroom before he realized he'd been heading there in the first place. Rubbing a hand over his face, Troy seriously contemplated skipping homeroom and his classes until it was time for the game. Glancing down the hallway, Troy could even see his escape route. For a moment, the serious contemplation almost turned into an actual movement before someone spoke. "If you skip, everyone's going to know." Gabriella's quiet voice had his jaw clenching as he turned around to look at her.

"How would you know?" He shot at her, his voice quiet and annoyed. She bit her lip at it and then shrugged. "Because everyone has been watching your every move ever since you arrived this morning. Skipping would gain heaps of attention." She replied and Troy closed his eyes as he realized she was right. "Since when do you pay attention to things like that?" He asked and watched as she became defensive. "Since the entire school has been talking about this basketball game for weeks," Gabriella shot back and Troy rolled his eyes at her words. "You hang out with McKessie, you guys barely know that a basketball game's going on, let alone pay attention to the hype that's going through the school." Troy snapped at her and Gabriella's eyes flashed at his words. "Just because you've categorized me into that particular one, doesn't mean I don't pay attention to what's going on outside it." Gabriella shot at him, her breathing hitching as he glared at her. "You're right. It doesn't mean you don't pay attention to what's outside your bubble. But tell me, if I wasn't involved in the hype, would you pay so much attention?" Troy asked her, his tone cold and emotionless. "How do you know I'm paying attention to the hype because of you? What if I was listening to it, enjoying it because I've never been part of a school as involved with something as simple as a basketball game?" She asked him furiously and Troy shook his head at her, his own eyes blazing at her words. "Because you wouldn't know the difference between a basketball and a football!" He snapped at her and Gabriella closed her eyes at his tone. "Why are you so mad at me?" She asked quietly and Troy nearly jerked at her the suddenness of her question. "What made you think that?" He asked her, struggling to control his temper that was much to close to breaking point as he watched her open her eyes and stare at him. "Why didn't you kiss me again?" Gabriella asked quietly and Troy's face hardened at her words. His temper froze at will and the coldness of his eyes had her stepping back as he looked at her. "Don't ask questions you don't need the answers too." Troy said harshly and walked into their homeroom, leaving Gabriella standing in the hallway, biting her lip and forcing away hurt that had sprung as soon as he'd spoken. Hurt that said more to Troy than he let on and convinced him more than ever that whatever he wanted from her. She wasn't ready for. CHAPTER 8 GIVE It was stupid. The way she felt about him was stupid, the fact that every time she saw him hurt her, was incredibly stupid and she didn't care at all. She didn't care that every time he walked into her room, her eyes would immediately seek him out and she'd bite her lip every time he decided to acknowledge her. She didn't care that Taylor would watch her with disapproval as soon as she looked away, fighting hurt and unfamiliar tears as she looked at her notebook. She didn't care that Taylor had a vague idea of what was going on with her and she really didn't care that every time she closed her eyes all she could feel was his lips on hers and she really hated the fact that it hurt her so much that she had to care. Closing her eyes, Gabriella leant against the closed door of the cubicle and took a deep breath. At the current moment, all those cares and that one hatred, couldn't compare to the fact that she really hated the fact that within the limited time she'd known Troy Bolton, she'd developed feelings for him. Feelings that ran deeper than she'd figured and she hated that. She hated the fact that she'd mistaken feelings for an attraction and she really hated the fact that those feelings were hurting her. Opening her eyes, Gabriella took a deep breath and rubbed a hand over her face as she heard the bathroom door open. Giggles filled the bathroom and hearing them Gabriella tensed, hoping that they didn't notice that one of three cubicles was occupied. "I wonder what's up with him. I mean seriously, Troy's never this angry. Did you see him in the cafeteria? He looked like he wanted to hurt someone!" Gabriella bit her lip as one of the girls spoke, hoping that neither of them brought her up.

"I know! It's so weird seeing something bothering him like this; I mean the only time something's bothered him soobviously was when those West High kids were on his back. Any idea what's up with him?" Another spoke and Gabriella suddenly realized that the girls talking were cheerleaders. She knew for a fact that no other girls saw Troy enough to see something was up with him. "I think it's got something to do with Gabriella Montez. I saw them talking the other day. He seemed reallyattentive to what she was saying and I think she's done something to get to him." The first girl spoke and another snorted, informing Gabriella that there were more than two cheerleaders. "What could she do? Unless she tried to seduce him, which is completely idiotic. Have you seen how she dresses?" The third one sniped and Gabriella bit her lip at the comment. "Oh be quiet Amber, Gabriella's really nice. I was partnered with her in English the other day and there's nothing wrong with her. You're just jealous that Troy seems to have an interest in her." Gabriella frowned as the first girl snapped at Amber, trying to place the voice of the girl that spoke. "Of course I'm not! I just don't get why Troy's taken such an interest in her. How interesting can she be?" Amber said and Gabriella cringed at the spite in her voice. "Interesting enough to hold his attention for the past couple of weeks." The second cheerleader spoke up and Gabriella swallowed slightly at the spite in her own voice, even though she knew that it wasn't aimed at her. "Fine. It's just weird, you know? Troy rarely ever seems interested in anyone outside who he knows and suddenly she comes to school" Amber trailed off, as if trying to figure out how to finish the sentence. "And she's getting more attention than anyone else ever has?" The first cheerleader spoke and Gabriella frowned at the comment. She couldn't be getting more attention than anyone else, Troy paid about as much attention to her as he did to anyone else that he bothered to speak too. "Exactly! It's so weird, don't you think? Out of all the girls that throw themselves at him, he goes for the one that doesn't really seem interested." Amber said and at the Gabriella closed her eyes again. "I don't think it's weird; did you see the way she looked at him in World History? She looked like she was about to burst into tears, especially when he looked away. You can't not have feelings for someone who only has to look at you to hurt you." Gabriella bit her lip harder at the words; it couldn't have been that obvious. How could something like that be so obvious? "I didn't see that. Though I did see the way Troy was looking at her during English, she was answering something and he was just watching her like there was something about her he couldn't take his eyes off. It was such a weird look; I've never seen it on him before." Gabriella suddenly recognized the first cheerleader's voice. It was Christy. She could only remember that because during the lesson were they were partnered together, she'd pointed out that Troy had been watching her. "Right. Sure." Amber snorted and Gabriella winced at the cynicism that laced her words. "Come on, we're going to be late for warm-up if we're not careful." The cheerleader Gabriella didn't know said and she sighed in relief when there were gasps of horror before all three girls exited the bathroom. Leaving Gabriella alone again as she tried to figure out exactly what had just happened. An interest in her. That's all they'd pinned it down to. Troy had an interest in her that confused them. She let out a snort of laughter at the thought; if Troy's interest confused them then they really had no idea he mystified her completely. Especially the way he reacted after that one kiss, Gabriella let out a sigh as it entered her mind. She hadn't known he could kiss that softly, hadn't known his hand could have felt so wonderful against her cheek. For a moment, she wondered what those cheerleaders would say if they found out the reason Troy was soaggravated was because that they had shared one simple kiss in the middle of the park. One kiss that was now hurting her more than anything else ever had. She didn't understand why he was so angry at her. She hadn't done anything except let him kiss her and she'd wanted it. She'd wanted him to kiss her. But she hadn't wanted the confusion or hurt that had followed it and she really hadn't wanted to be on the receiving end of Troy's temper. She hated that she'd allowed herself to be hurt by him and she really hated the fact that those cheerleaders had guessed that the reason he was so aggravated was because of her. But what she hated above everything else, above her feelings, above the cheerleaders knowing, above everything, was that she didn't know what she had done wrong. She didn't understand how he had gone from being mildly amused with her to on the edge of losing control around her.

Hearing the bell ring, Gabriella sighed as she heard the excited shouts that could be heard in the bathroom as everyone piled out the classroom headed for their lockers, chattering excitedly about the basketball game that was only minutes away. Leaning down, Gabriella picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder. Opening the cubicle, she stepped out and pushed open the bathroom door. Allowing herself to get caught up in the swarm of students heading for the gym, Gabriella clutched her bag tightly as she entered the gym. Her eyes flicking to the bleachers were Troy had found out about her father. Taking a deep breath, she began to climb up them to settle herself halfway up. Sitting down, she smiled at the people that called out greetings to her, even though she barely knew most of them and turned her attention to the basketball court were Jefferson High was already warming up. Feeling someone sit down next to her, Gabriella turned her head and sighed when she saw Taylor's annoyed face. "I thought you didn't come to basketball games." She said and Taylor glanced at her friend threw narrowed eyes. "I don't usually. Unless someone tells me my friend has decided to attend them." Taylor replied with raised eyebrows that Gabriella just shrugged at. "Oh. Who told you I was coming?" She asked turning her attention to the Jefferson High warm up. She felt Taylor shift beside her and ignored her. "Doug. He's got a crush on you and knew you were going to be here." Taylor said offhandedly and Gabriella blinked at the information. "Who's Doug?" She inquired just as the announcer began to speak. Taylor grinned slightly at her friend's question. "He's in nearly all your classes. He's blonde and quite tall." She replied and Gabriella furrowed her brow as she tried to place the description. Shaking her head slightly, Gabriella jumped when the bleacher erupted into cheers as the East High Wildcats ran out onto the court. Immediately, her eyes found Troy who had been leading them. He was standing next to his father, his arms folded, listening intently to the instructions. Without warning, his eyes flicked up to the bleachers and locked onto hers. Biting her lip as his eyes darkened slightly, Gabriella continued to watch him when he tore his eyes away from hers and went out to join his teammates. "What was that about?" Taylor asked suddenly, Gabriella turned to look at her, her eyes questioning. "What was what about?" She asked and Taylor sighed in annoyance at Gabriella's question. "Troy looking at you. Your biting your lip so hard its going to bleed in a minute and he's now so tense that he can't shoot properly." Taylor said, nodding in the direction of Troy who had just missed a basket. Gabriella shook her head at the comment. "Nothing. Nothing at all." She replied quickly as the referee blew the whistle and the players from both side jogged over to their respective coaches as they stripped off their tracksuit. Troy's eyes flicked back up to her and Gabriella wanted to force a smile but couldn't as the moment his eyes met hers she saw something in them she didn't know what to make of. Tilting her head slightly, Gabriella bit her lip again as he turned his attention away from her, that look etched into her mind as they ran onto the court for the first quarter. "I cannot believe I'm about to watch a basketball game." Taylor whispered into Gabriella's ear as soon as the game had started. Gabriella barely glanced at her, instead she watched as a game she knew she was never going to understand became hard and fast. To her, East High seemed unstoppable as they made basket after basket, even though she knew next to nothing about basketball, Gabriella could tell that Jefferson High had absolutely no chance of recovering from the beating they were being handed. She could tell that they knew it too as East High acquired another basket and their score rocketed to forty. Her eyes found Troy as he caught the ball, bouncing it lazily as he began to walk forward, towards the players set up around the basket. He barely made two movements and the ball was through the hoop. His eyes flicked to her and Gabriella offered him a small smile before he turned his attention back to the game. The game was over before it had begun. It surprised Gabriella that forty minutes had passed since Troy had scored that first basket and then she realized that she'd allowed herself to become caught up in the game and the way every chance Troy received his eyes would automatically find her. Standing up, Gabriella stretched as Taylor sat and continued to stare at the court a look of complete disbelief on her face.

"I did not understand a single thing that just happened." She said when Gabriella sat back down next to her. Gabriella burst into giggles at her friend's blank tone and patted her arm. "Neither did I. It was interesting though." Gabriella commented and Taylor turned her head to look at her. "Sure it was. It was like watching paint dry. I'm never coming to one of these games again." She declared and Gabriella laughed again as she pushed some curls behind her ear. "I know." She said and Taylor watched as her eyes flicked down to the Wildcats, who were jogging around the court slowly as a warm down, and locked on one player who had been continually looking up to her through out the game. "Gabriella, was Troy the reason you decided to come to this game?" Taylor asked spitefully and Gabriella turned to look at her friend. "No. Why?" She asked and Taylor shrugged, her eyes running over the team as they began to stretch. "Because you haven't been able to take your eyes off him since he ran out onto the court and he hasn't been able to take his own off you since he saw you sitting in the bleachers." Taylor replied sarcastically and Gabriella winced at the tone, unsure why Taylor wasn't happy. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about Taylor." She said, standing up again and tossing her bag onto her shoulder. Taylor rolled her eyes at her friend. "Sure you don't. Gabriella, I heard you two yelling this morning outside of homeroom. Troy-" Gabriella cut Taylor off before she could launch into the lecture she'd been hearing since the science room. "I know Taylor. Just leave it alone. Troy hates me and that's all there is at the moment." Gabriella said and Taylor bit her lip at the hurt in her friend's voice. "Gabriella, if Troy hated you, he wouldn't have been looking at you the way he is." Taylor said softly and Gabriella glanced down at the team again. Rolling her eyes she looked back at her friend. "Taylor, just leave it alone, please." She begged and Taylor nodded reluctantly. Unsure why her friend sounded so hurt at her comment. "Alright, I'd better get going. I'll talk to you later okay?" She asked and Gabriella nodded at the words. Reaching out and hugging Taylor tightly before letting her go. "Okay. We'll go see a movie or something on Sunday." She said and Taylor nodded. "Sure, see ya Gabs." Taylor picked her way down the bleachers as Gabriella watched her go. Running a hand through her hair, her eyes swept down to were the Wildcats had been only moments before and froze when they connected with icy blue ones. Swallowing, she began to make her own way down the bleachers. Stepping onto the court, she looked up at Troy who had watched her walk down. "Congratulations." She said quietly, glancing around as the few people left in the gym chattered excitedly about the game, ignoring her and Troy. "What are you doing here?" He asked softly, his eyes glinting and Gabriella closed her eyes at the cool tone. Reopening them, she looked at him and shrugged. "I came to watch the game. Isn't that allowed?" She asked and he took a swing from the water bottle in his hands and looked at her. His eyes flicking over her before finding her own again. "Why are you here Gabriella?" He asked coldly and Gabriella flinched at his tone. Hating the fact that it hurt her as she looked at him. "Because I wanted to be." She replied and he rolled his eyes, taking a step closer to her that had her freezing as she tilted her head slightly to see his face. "Really?" He inquired as she stared up into his face, seeing something there that hadn't been there before and that spark of anger that had her wary.

"Why are you so mad at me?" She asked, echoing the question of the morning. Almost immediately his face and eyes hardened and Gabriella bit her lip as she watched him tense. "Because I am. Does there have to be a reason?" He spat at her and Gabriella felt her own anger spark at the words. "Yes! There has to be a reason! You can't just be mad at me for no reason! I didn't do anything wrong!" She nearly yelled at him and Troy's eyes darkened at the words, Gabriella stared at him, waiting for retaliation. "Leave it alone Gabriella." His voice was dangerous and Gabriella barely trembled at it. She wanted the answers he hadn't wanted to give her that morning. "No! You can't toy with my emotions Troy! Why didn't you kiss me again in the park? I know you wanted to! Why do you think I don't need answers to my questions? Why can't you just answer me? What the hell have I done for you to be so mad at me?" She yelled at him, her eyes blazing as he looked down at her, his own fury barely controlled as she glared up at him. "Gabriella, leave. It. Alone." He said through gritted teeth and it only infuriated her more as she watched him try and control himself. "I just said I wouldn't. For God's sake Troy, you kissed me, you wanted to kiss me again, why didn't you? That's all I want. I want to know why you didn't kiss me again!" She said and his eyes flashed furiously at her words. "You want to know why? Fine, I'll show you why." Before Gabriella could react, he'd yanked her up by the waist and crushed her mouth with his. For a moment she immobilized as he forced her lips open and his tongue entered her mouth and then she was reacting to it. Her hands gripped his shoulders, which were slippery from sweat, as she tried to match his brutal pace. She found herself seated on the announcers table as his mouth tore away from hers and raced down her neck, her head began to spin as she felt his hand find its way under her skirt and up her thigh. She gasped in shock when she felt his teeth dig into the tender flesh of her neck and her hands gripped his playing jersey. His mouth moved back up her neck as his other hand found its way up her shirt and she found her mouth his captive again. The viciousness with which he ravaged it had her hands tightening as she felt for the first time since he'd started a jagged edge of need that seemed to flow from him to her. She whimpered slightly as his hand slipped beneath the barrier of her bra and suddenly understood why he was so mad. He wanted more than she was ready to give, he wanted to be the first one to touch her the way he was now and he'd known just from the one kiss that she wasn't ready to give what he wanted. Helplessly, Gabriella made a movement to pull away from him and found herself pulled closer, as his hand slipped from her thigh and his other slid from her breast to her waist as his eyes opened and he looked at her. "Y-you" Gabriella trailed off as he looked at her, his eyes dark and furious as she fought to hold onto tears. "You wanted an answer." He said softly and Gabriella bit her lip and looked away. Nodding her head slightly, she looked back at him and ignored the faint throbbing in her neck as she met his eyes. Sighing, she leaned her head against his chest, feeling him tense as her hand relaxed and flattened out on his chest. "How could you know?" She whispered against his chest, biting her lip when he was the one that sighed. "From the kiss in the park." He replied and she pulled away to look up at him. Reaching up, she touched his face gently, wiping away some sweat that hadn't dried out. "Why do you want more than I can give?" She asked softly and Troy sighed again, pulling away from her completely even though her hand stayed resolutely on his face. "I don't know. But I'm not going to take more than your willing to give." He replied and her hand slipped from his face as he turned around and walked out of the gym. Leaving her sitting on the announcers table, wondering how much she was willing to give. CHAPTER 9 SURREAL

He had feelings for her. Feelings that he hadn't known existed until she had asked why he wanted more from her. More than he had ever wanted from any other girl that he'd taken an interest in and the fact that he had feelings for her, feelings he couldn't turn on and off the way he usually did with his emotions, irked and confused him. They annoyed him because he had no control over them; no matter what he tried to do he couldn't quite get them under control. They confused him because he had truthfully never had any feelings for a girl that ran as deep as the ones he had for Gabriella. He'd had flings, maybe a girlfriend or two, but he'd never felt more for those girls than a simple attraction, none of them had ever interested him the way Gabriella did and he had never let any of them touch his face the way she had, if someone else had tried to do that he would have jerked his head away. It didn't creep him out when someone touched his face, he just found it to intimate, much, much too intimate. He'd always prided himself on distancing himself from people, both emotionally and physically. Hugs from him were rare; handshakes were more common though only with people he knew well. With girls, he wasn't ever affectionate and he expected them to be the same. He didn't hold hands, he didn't let them sit on his laphe didn't let them touch his face. Troy frowned as the memory of her hand against his cheek flooded his mind, the way she had wiped some sweat of his face and the way it had slipped from his face when he'd moved to far away from her. He'd liked it, enjoyed the way her fingertips had slid over his skin. Troy knew he could most likely blame it on the fact that those feelings and need was the reason he'd allowed her it just once, but that wasn't true. It was because it was her. Those feelings most probably had added an element to it, but it was because it was Gabriella that he'd let her do it, because she'd seemed to need it and he'd wanted her to do it. Troy felt his stomach jolt at the thought. How could he want her to do something that annoyed him so much when other people tried to do it? How could he want her to do what she did? Groaning, Troy dropped his head into his heads as the thoughts that had swirled in his head all weekend began to make his head ache. "Troy, when I told you to shoot some hoops before school, I actually meant do it physically not stare at the court in contemplation." His Dad's amused voice, had him jerking his head out of his hands as Jack Bolton sat himself down beside his son. "I know. I thought you were working." Troy stated, wishing that his head would stop aching enough to let him have a normal conversation with his dad. "Well, you seem to need my attention more than the papers on my desk," Jack watched Troy carefully, knowing something was up with him. When Troy didn't reply he sighed. "So, do I need to get pliers or am I going to guess?" He asked and Troy glanced at him, his blue eyes indecipherable. "Guess." He replied sarcastically, knowing perfectly well that his dad knew what was up with him and wanted to hear it from him. "Hmm, girl," Jack spooned some cereal into his mouth as Troy tensed slightly. "Small, quiet, smart, brown curly hair, am I getting warmer?" Jack asked and Troy nodded slightly. "Yep." He replied and Jack grinned at the disgust in his son's voice. "Hmm, lets think, ah yes, her name would be Gabriella Montez, would it not?" Jack asked and Troy nodded again. "Yes, that would be here name and let me guess; now you're going to tell me what I've done?" Troy faked enthusiasm as his father ate some more cereal. Jack grinned at Troy before he decided to reply. "You've gone and fallen for her. That's what you've done." He said and Troy froze completely when the words left his fathers mouth. Shaking his head, he tried to clear it slightly as the words slowly began to sink in. "Uh-uh. I haven't fallen for her-" he began and Jack cut him off, knowing Troy would bluster before he fell silent and got cranky that he hadn't seen it before. "Oh yes you have," when all Troy did was stare at him Jack continued. "Lets see, the first sign of you falling for a girl is that fact you're not playing basketball, the second is you've been thinking about her all weekend and the third you were about to bluster before you realized that those 'feelings' means you've actually gone and fallen for this girl." He said pleasantly and was incredibly pleased when Troy's eyes widened slightly before he turned his attention to the half-court that sat in their backyard. There was silence for a few minutes as Troy contemplated what his father had said, wishing that the feeling in his gut that told him his father was right, would go away.

"Dad, no-one falls for a girl that fast. I've known her for what? A month, no-one these days does that." Troy said and Jack let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he finished off his cereal. "Sure Troy, whatever you say. Let's ignore the fact that you've already done it and don't seem to be very welcoming of the fact." Jack said and Troy's eyes flashed in what Jack knew was anger before dieing. "I have not! I've only just figured out I have feelings for her!" Troy exclaimed and Jack raised his eyebrows at his son's words. "Feelings, fallen, it's all the same. If you have feelings for this girl, it means you've fallen for her or you're falling for her. Take your pick, but trust me on this Troy, if you even try to ignore those feelings their going to turn around and bite you when you see her with someone else." Jack spoke wisely and Troy just stared at him, wondering how the hell he was meant to deal with the feelings in the first place. "So, what do I do?" He asked and Jack let out a laugh at Troy's frowning face, no matter how smart Troy was, Jack had to admit, he really could be clueless when it came to girls. "Do what you think you need too." Troy rolled his eyes at his fathers reply, how was that meant to help him? He'd never actually experienced anything like this before, he really hadn't and he didn't like it at all. Getting up, Troy threw the basketball onto the court and headed into the house. As he did, he wished he could be angry again. It was easier to be angry with Gabriella than it was to sort through things he'd never felt before and it would probably be even easier to do that if his mind stopped replaying the way she'd reacted to what he had done to her on Friday. Even now, Troy probably wouldn't have been able to stop himself from showing her exactly why he hadn't kissed her. She'd asked, he'd given an answer. It really had been as simple as that. He wished it had been as simple as that. He wasn't used to regretting things he'd done to girls before and he didn't plan on getting used to it either, the way she had whimpered when his hand had slipped beneath her bra had made him want to be gentle and he regretted the fact that he hadn't gone with that first instinct. Because he'd known that what had happened, the way he had touched her, had been a first for her, everything he wanted to do to her would be a first and Troy wasn't sure he liked that fact. He'd known from that kiss in the park she was innocent, it was the reason he'd been so furious afterwards. Because if something happened between them, and up until then he'd been making damn sure something was going to, and he took that from her, he'd hurt her and contrary to popular belief, Troy didn't particularly like hurting someone, especially someone who had slowly begun to mean something to him. Troy let out another loud groan at the thought, here they were again. The thoughts that went in circles and all led to one thing, he had feelings for her. Troy was trying to force the thoughts away as he headed out towards his car and knew it wouldn't work. His father had confirmed it, his gut had confirmed it and the only thing that refused to let him believe it was his brain because it was always set to freeze. He always froze emotions before they took hold and it was one of the things that annoyed him the most, these feelings he had for Gabriella had snuck up on him. He hadn't been given the opportunity to freeze them or push them away and now, well now they had roots and Troy was pretty damn sure that something was going to come out of the feelings. Opening his car door, he threw his bag into the passenger's seat and slammed the door. Starting the car, he nodded at his Dad as Jack waved goodbye and backed out of their driveway. Putting the car into gear, he took off toward the school, hoping that a fast drive would stop the thoughts rolling through his head and allow him to be calm enough to enter the school without someone seeing that something was wrong. It didn't work. No matter how hard he tried, Troy couldn't get rid of the thoughts as he pulled into the student parking lot. They were still there, admittedly not at the front of his mind but they were there and Troy began to feel irritated as he got out of the car and swung his bag over his shoulder. Locking his car, he headed towards the doors and ignored students that shouted out greetings towards him. Glaring at a freshman that didn't move fast enough, Troy shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and followed a group of students into the school. At a pace that let people know something was annoying him, Troy headed for his locker as usual and wasn't surprised to find Zeke, Chad and Jason waiting there for him. Ignoring them, Troy spun the dial and yanked his locker open with more force than intended. Throwing his bag into it, Troy glanced at Chad who had coughed slightly. "What?" He asked and Chad's eyebrows rose. Troy rarely, if ever, used any other tone with him than mild amusement. "Okay, you're either annoyed because we won against Jefferson High or something's happened and you're not happy about it." Chad said, shooting Zeke and Jason a look to get out of there as Troy shut his locker.

"Now, what would make you say that?" Troy asked, forcing his tone into one of mild amusement that had Chad rolling his eyes. "Because, unlike the rest of the student body who think you're simply being you, I actually have a little bit of insight to you and right now, something's annoying you." Chad replied and Troy rolled his eyes at the words. "Mild irritation." He replied coolly and Chad just nodded disbelievingly. "Sure it is." He replied and Troy rolled his eyes again as Chad leaned against the locker waiting for him to talk. "Chad, I'd advise you to leave it alone." Troy's voice was ice as he spoke and Chad studied him intently before deciding to notice the tone of his voice and nodding. "Whatever dude. Let's get to homeroom, so you can take this 'mild irritation' out on Darbus." He said and Troy shot him a smile that Chad took as a warning. "Alright." Troy nodded at the reluctance in Chad's voice before they began to walk towards their homeroom. Chad nodding at people, Troy merely watching them, turning a corner, Chad glanced at Troy in time to see his eyes narrow slightly. "Dude, go ahead of me." Troy said and Chad just looked at him, wondering why his friend was sending him ahead. One look from Troy was all it took for Chad to begin to walk again, following the rush of students as they began to move slowly towards their own homerooms. Taking a deep breath, Troy moved towards were Gabriella stood at her locker, a tall blonde boy standing next to her, speaking earnestly as she hunched away from him. Looking at him, Troy placed him quickly and smirked when he realized that Doug would be scampering the moment he spoke. Turning his attention to Gabriella, Troy wasn't sure what to expect from her and knew he had to risk it if he wanted to talk to her. Casually, he slipped past a group of cheerleaders before grabbing hold of Gabriella's locker door and swinging it so it was against the locker next to hers. Almost immediately he got a reaction, Gabriella glanced at him and froze as Doug let out a strangled sort of noise as Troy raised his eyebrows at him and smirked, his eyes holding nothing but calm amusement. "Doug." The sound of his voice had Doug making the strangled noise again and Troy held back a laugh, God this was amusing. "Bye Gabriella." The words were spoken quickly and Doug took off as Troy let out a snort that he knew Gabriella would take as disdain for Doug's actions before he turned his attention to the girl next to him. "Gabriella." His voice had her snapping to life and Troy searched for a smile and found a smirk as she spun to look at him, her eyes wide with a hint of fear that had him wondering as she looked at him. "I what do you want?" Her voice trembled slightly as Troy felt amusement drain and coolness find its way into him as she tried to glare at him. "I need to talk to you." He replied and watched as her eyes filled with tears that she quickly pushed away. Troy wasn't sure why, but it was like a punch in the gut as he watched her get a handle on her tears. "Its okay Troy, nothing happened on Friday, I know that." She whispered as the bell rang and the feeling in his stomach faded to be replaced by confusion. Gabriella made a movement to walk away and Troy grabbed her arm, keeping her in place as everyone ran to their homerooms. "Whoa, back up, who said that nothing happened on Friday?" Troy asked incredulously and she looked up at him, her own eyes filled with confusion as she stared at him. Troy knew it was partly because he was displaying an emotion that wasn't amusement and looking at her, could tell it wasn't what she expected from him. "I I thought-" Gabriella stammered slightly and Troy pushed away incredulity, running the hand on her arm down to her wrist so he could pull her closer. "You thought that I wanted what happened on Friday to be ignored right? You figured that it was a one off and once I came back to my senses, what I did and said on Friday will be something that happened in a fit of

rage isn't that right?" As he spoke in dry amusement that had her stiffening, Troy was slowly bringing her closer to him. His eyes flicked to her neck and Troy wet his lips slightly when he saw the bruise that he'd left on her neck, before his eyes returned to hers. Gabriella nodded slowly. "Wh-" Troy cut her off before she could continue and his hands found her hips as she tilted her head to look up at him, her eyes confused, curious and still slightly afraid. "I've got a news flash for you Gabriella, what happened on Friday did happen. I want more than you can give remember?" Her eyes flashed with uncertainty as he brought his face close. "Besides, if it didn't happen on Friday, don't you think I'd still be angry and if it didn't happen, I definitely wouldn't be about to kiss you now." The amusement he had controlled his voice to had her eyes widening as he pulled her as close as he could. Before she could speak, Troy touched his lips to hers and grinned against them when her eyes drifted shut, very carefully, Troy guided her so her back was pressed up against the locker next to hers before kissing her. Very slowly, he felt her respond to the kiss as his own eyes closed. She was hesitant as he kissed her slowly as the need that had coursed through him on Friday slowly began to build. Gently he took the kiss deeper and knew she was confused. The gentleness was a stark contrast to the roughness on Friday and Troy enjoyed her confusion as his tongue met hers. With a flash, Troy's stomach clenched slightly when he felt her hand on his face, her other hand slipping around his neck so that it could tangle in his hair. Slowly, Troy pulled away from her lips and pressed kisses from her mouth down her neck, tilting his head to the other side as he placed a trail kisses back up her neck, allowing himself only a moment to linger on the mark he'd left, before his lips reached her own to find them parted and willing as he captured them again. With much more reluctance than he showed, Troy pulled away from her, his eyes opening as she rested her head against the locker, her lips swollen slightly from his mouth. Letting his hands drop away from her hips, Troy smirked as her eyes opened and she looked at him. "Iumthat wasnice." She stammered as the hand in his hair untangled and slipt from his neck and the hand on his face dropped, Troy watched, still smirking as her hands found their way behind her back as she slowly turned red. "I'll see you around Gabriella." Unable to resist, Troy leaned down and pressed his lips to hers again before he pulled away, smirking and headed down the hallway, leaving her leaning against her locker, confused. As he walked, Troy wasn't sure what had happened. He'd been confused, annoyed, amused and thenhe didn't know how to explain how he had been feeling when he had been kissing Gabriella. It hadn't been amusement, or coolness or anything he'd ever felt before. It had been something calming, something that felt nice, which had let him be gentle without the need to make up for it somehow. Turning a corner, Troy stopped and rubbed hand over his face. Those thoughts were just a little too surreal for him. CHAPTER 10 WHIRLWIND It had been a little too easy to believe that he would still be mad after what had happened on Friday. It had been even easier to convince herself that what had happened wouldn't matter to him than even think about the possibility that what had happened on Friday had been the beginning of something completely new and foreign to her. She hated the fact that she'd thought it was going to be that easy. She should have known that when it came to Troy Bolton, nothing was easy and when he spoke, he always meant what he said and she had to admit, him telling her straight out that he wanted her was possibly one of the scariest things that had ever happened to her. It scared her because he really was the first that ever wanted anything more than a kiss from her. What scared her most though, was that she was seriously considering giving him what she wanted. She couldn't help herself, she'd caught herself thinking about it when she was meant to be concentrating on what her teacher had been speaking about, she'd found herself imagining what his mouth could do to her now that she knew how gentle he could be. Closing her eyes when the feeling of his lips softly moving up her neck, his hands holding her hips with cool confidence flooded her mind, she let out a longing sigh and her eyes opened. She'd enjoyed the gentleness as soon as she'd recovered from her confusion and now, every time she closed her eyes, all she could feel was his lips and knew that a stupid smile was stretching across her face as she looked at the board. Looking down at her notebook, she frowned at the absence of notes and then sighed. How was she meant to concentrate? Troy's kisses were still very fresh in her mind and although she wouldn't admit it, her feelings for him were in the process of rearranging themselves. Her feelings had run a lot deeper than she'd ever imagined and that's probably what was scaring her the most. Her feelings were running so deep that she was

considering giving him everything she wanted and running the risk of getting hurt. But right now, the risk of getting hurt was outweighed greatly by the fact that she was slowly and very unsurely, falling headfirst for Troy Bolton. A feat she knew many girls at East High had accomplished and never gotten the pleasure of acting on it, unlike her. Gabriella was well aware that she could act on what she felt, hadn't he told her he wanted more than she could give? Hadn't he told her he wasn't mad about what happened on Friday? Biting her lip, she felt a small voice in the back of her mind telling her she didn't know what he wanted from her. She didn't know if he wanted all of her or just her body. It was such unfamiliar territory with her that Gabriella was seriously considering ringing her mother and asking her about it. Jumping slightly when she heard chairs scraping the floor, Gabriella looked up and her eyes widened when she saw everyone beginning to pair off. Sighing when she realized that was going to be left partner less because she wasn't paying attention; she looked back down at her notebook and vaguely wondered exactly why they were pairing up. "Hey Gabriella, do you mind if we're partners?" Gabriella's head snapped up when she heard a girl's voice and her mouth opened and closed before she nodded. "Sure, I uh I'm not exactly sure what we're meant to be doing though." She said and Christy smiled at her, pushing some blonde hair out of her eyes as she sat down in the chair she'd dragged over. "That's cool. I don't know either. So we can sit and talk and pretend we know exactly what we're doing whenever Mr Lawrence walks past." Christy said and Gabriella laughed a little at her words. "Sounds like a plan. What do you want to talk about?" She asked, finding herself comfortable in the blonde cheerleaders company, the memory of Christy defending her in the bathroom coming to mind as she watched the blonde shrug. "No idea. Can I ask you a question though?" Christy asked and Gabriella blinked slightly before nodding. "Sure," she said, picking up her pen absently and beginning to doodle on her notebook page. "What's going on with you and Troy Bolton?" Gabriella froze at the question and her eyes snapped to Christy's, who's had immediately widened at Gabriella's reaction. "I'm sorry; you don't have to answer if you don't want to! It's just that I " Gabriella shook her head to stop Christy's tirade. "It's okay. I had a feeling someone was going to ask about it sometime soon. What do you want to know?" Gabriella replied, leaning her head on her hand and looking at the blonde who seemed speechless at Gabriella's lack of anger. "Well, what's going on? I mean, last week Troy was really angry and I kind of saw you two together a lot last week, so I assumed that since he hadn't beaten one of his friends up, him being mad had something to do with you and then I saw you guys on Friday after the game and wellI'm curious." Gabriella blinked slightly as words tumbled out of Christy's mouth and winced when she heard that the blonde had seen what happened between her and Troy on Friday. "Oh, well, for the record, I don't know what's going on. I'm just caught in it all." Gabriella replied hesitantly, unsure how to explain to Christy exactly what was going on between Troy and her because truthfully, she was still trying to figure it out. "Okay, well how do you feel about him?" Christy asked and Gabriella was surprised to find that she was genuinely curious about how she felt, something inside her fluttered and Gabriella found that it was relief. Relief because she was talking to someone who had nothing against Troy and probably wouldn't warn her away from him. "I don't know. Honestly. I feel like I'm caught in a whirlwind that's not about to end anytime soon." She replied and was relieved when all Christy did was laugh lightly. "Wow. Sounds like he's really gotten to you." She said lightly and Gabriella grinned at how easily the blonde said that. "Yeah well, if you've ever kissed him, you'd know exactly why I'm in a whirlwind." She said and Christy let out another laugh and Gabriella found that she found Christy's amusement much more warming than Troy's.

"No I haven't kissed him. Although, from the rumors I hear, he's a pretty damn good kisser," Gabriella let out her own laugh at the blonde's words and for a brief moment wondered why she was so relaxed speaking about Troy when whenever she was with him, relaxation was the farthest thing from her mind. "Yeah he is I guess and he's got really good hands too." Gabriella said and Christy raised her eyebrows as Gabriella went slightly red at her words. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant he hasreally good hands." She finished lamely and Christy shrugged and laughed again. "It's okay. I think I know what you mean. I have to say this though Gabriella, you've got a lot of girls upset." Christy leaned back in her chair as Gabriella's eyes widened in disbelief at her words. "Why?" She asked and Christy raised her eyebrows, finding it a little odd that Gabriella was oblivious to Troy's legion of female fans that he never noticed or bothered to acknowledge. "Because nearly every girl in this school has had a thing for Troy Bolton, most still carry a torch for him that he often uses to his advantage and right now, every girl in the school hates you in some way because out of all of them, he goes for you and that infuriates all of them. Especially the ones who had spent most of their time since freshman year throwing themselves at him, hoping for something more." Christy said matter-offactly and Gabriella winced at her words. For the first time, gaining some sort of inside to how many girls in the school actually wanted Troy. "Wow. Are you one of them?" She asked and Christy raised her eyebrows at her, not at all insulted even though Gabriella got the impression that she was slightly annoyed. "No. I've never had a thing for Troy and I think that it's probably a good thing too, that was I can relay to every girl who asks that no matter what he says, Troy Bolton is as good as taken." Christy said it absently and Gabriella nearly fell off her seat at her words. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound emitting from her throat and she couldn't seem to comprehend what Christy had just said. "What?" She asked dumbly and Christy shrugged, observing Gabriella with curious eyes. Finding it odd that Gabriella hadn't realized exactly how popular Troy was with the female population at the school and even more odd that she was reacting like someone who had been hit over the head with a sledgehammer instead of absent words that she hadn't thought about. "Uh, Troy likes you sweetie." Christy said slowly and once again all Gabriella did was blink. "No he doesn't. At least I think he doesn't. Does he?" Gabriella felt a familiar rise of panic that she knew associated with the fact that what she had assumed wasn't what she thought it was. If Troy had feelings for her, it would be more complicated than she figured on. If Troy had feelings for her than how the hell was she meant to deal with him if he didn't tell her? "Well, from what it looks like. He seems to. I mean " Christy was cut off by the bell and Gabriella raised her eyebrows as the blonde let out a groan at being interrupted. "Class, you may go." Gabriella and Christy exchanged a glance and Gabriella sighed. Closing her notebook, Gabriella gathered up her books and stood up, smiling hesitantly at Christy who had stood and was waiting for her. "Thanks Christy," Gabriella smiled hesitantly at the girl and Christy smiled back, opening her mouth to reply when a smooth voice that had Gabriella's pulse jumping cut through. "Christy didn't know you were into associating with people outside your group." Troy's voice was lazily amused and carried a sting that had Gabriella wincing and Christy frowning at him. "Troy, didn't realize you were so protective of something you say you don't care about." Christy replied coolly and Gabriella glanced up at Troy, who didn't seem fazed by Christy's words. "Nice speaking to you too Christy," Troy's tone was cool and Gabriella bit her lip as she realized that he'd closed the conversation. Christy barely flinched at his tone; instead she smiled at Gabriella and ignored Troy pointedly. "I'll talk to you later Gabriella." Gabriella smiled briefly at Christy as the girl left the classroom.

"Bye Christy." She said softly as the girl left the classroom. Turning Gabriella, found herself face to face with Troy who was watching her through cool blue eyes and felt her pulse jump at how close he was standing to her. "Be careful around her." The statement caught Gabriella off guard and her eyes widened at the amount of ice in Troy's voice. "I why?" She asked and froze when Troy raised his hand to skim his fingers along her jaw line. It was a move that was so quietly possessive that it didn't register with her until his fingers had dropped. "I like Christy but I know her too. She'll hurt you even if she doesn't mean too." The words made Gabriella's eyes widen even more than the cold tone he'd spoken them in. "But she's so nice," Gabriella wished her tone hadn't trembled as she spoke, wished even more that he hadn't decided to touch her face when she did. Wished that the whirlwind that had stopped last period hadn't started up again. "You're doing it again," His voice wasn't cold anymore, it was thoroughly amused and Gabriella felt herself stiffen at it even as his fingers traced her face again. "Doing what?" Gabriella breathed biting her lip as he moved to stand close to her. She could feel his breath on her cheek as she looked up at him, looked up into those darkly amused eyes. "Assuming. You're assuming Christy's nice when you've had two conversations with her, including the one now. Christy is more likely to go and tell her friends what you told her than keep it to herself. Did you know that?" Gabriella shook her head at his words, wishing that his hand would stop touching her face so that she could think straight. Instead, she found herself leaning into it as his palm pressed against her cheek, the whirlwind taking on speed and force as her books slid from her arms and onto the floor. "Why does it matter?" Gabriella whispered as Troy's other hand slipped onto her hip and pulled her closer to him, the hand on her cheek tangling itself in her hair. "Because having your feelings, and mine, discussed like they're the latest Britney Spears disaster is not on my agenda. I prefer to keep what happens between us private." Troy's words weren't spoken with the cool amusement she was used to. Instead, it was spoken with a seriousness that she'd never encountered before, which added fuel to the whirlwind already spinning inside her. Swallowing even as her hands skimmed tentatively up his sides, Gabriella tried to comprehend exactly what he had meant. "What is happening between us Troy?" She didn't think her voice had been audible at all, didn't think he'd heard it until she saw the gleam of amusement in his eyes and his lips had pressed themselves upon hers. This time he made no attempt to deepen it. Instead, he pulled away tilted his head and kissed her again. Soft kisses. Slow ones that simply caused the whirlwind to intensify into something she wished she could recognize. Her arms wrapped themselves around his middle as she found herself responding readily to every kiss he placed on her lips. This was so different too, different from the morning were it seemed he'd been trying to prove a point, different from Friday when he'd wanted her to understand how much he wanted from her. Right now, as his lips lifted and the returned to hers, it seemed he was simply kissing her because he wanted too. Because he felt like it and Gabriella found herself falling for the very idea that he was kissing her simply because he wanted too. Neither knew that if someone had bothered to look into the classroom they would have seen a couple, in love, kissing each other as if there was nothing and no-one else in the world. "I like kissing you." Gabriella found herself murmuring the words as he pulled away again; the whirlwind inside her had slowly begun to slow as Troy had begun kissing her. As soon as she said it, Troy stopped. "We need to get to our next class." His tone was cool and Gabriella's eyes opened to meet his ice blue ones. Biting her lip, she felt the whirlwind begin to pick up speed and became afraid of what happened next. "Troy I " He shook his head, cutting her off before she could say anything. Gabriella fell silent as something flashed in his eyes; her arms fell from around him and swung heavily to her sides as his own dropped from her hip and her hair. "Get to class Gabriella." Gabriella bit her lip at his harsh tone and then nodded, leaning down to gather her books, forcing herself to ignore the whirlwind inside her. Straightening, she looked up at his face again and

before she could stop herself, had stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. It was something so unexpected, she felt Troy stiffen as she lowered herself back down onto the ground. Instead of being frightened by the way his eyes darkened, Gabriella simply slipped past him and headed for the door, the whirlwind inside her escalating with each step she took away from him. CHAPTER 11 EVERYTHING There was a thin line between feeling so much and feeling too much and Troy knew that he'd crossed it the second Gabriella had murmured how much she'd liked kissing him. It surprised him slightly that it had only taken four simple words for him to cross it. He'd always thought that it would take more than words for him to cross over into feeling too much, especially with Gabriella because he'd been trying so damn hard not to let his feelings for her run out of control and so far, he hadn't been doing a very hot job. It was getting harder and harder to switch off whenever he was around her, harder still to be touching her and not let those feelings run out of control. But what was even harder was to look at her and see her feelings for him in everything she was and be cool and detached towards her, especially when he was aching to touch her and knew that he couldn't in front of everyone who was watching them curiously. He had told her the truth when he said he didn't particularly want the fact that there was something going on between them broadcasted around school, he could handle the rumors that went around about what he'd done mainly because that's what they were. Rumors. And nearly all the rumors that went around school weren't even close to the truth. Most of them were only really told because it was East High's way of warning new students about him, warning them to stay out of his way and never provoke him unless they wanted to suffer the consequences. Those rumors were easily dealt with, he always ignored them or, if one was really good, he encouraged them. Simply because if his name had been mentioned in relation to something big that had happened to a student, the teachers would hear the rumors and know that he wasn't involved, simply because East High's rumors were so absurd and stupid that believing them would be a waste of time. Those sorts of rumors had been surrounding him most of his teenage life and Troy rarely bothered with them anymore. But there was a big difference between those rumors and the ones about what was happening between Gabriella and himself. The difference was that another person was involved and while Troy was aware that no-one would dare mention rumors to his face, Gabriella was a different story. Troy wouldn't put it past some of the girls to make up something vicious and throw it in her face, simply because Gabriella had his attention and he knew Gabriella well enough to know that those rumors, no matter how petty they were, would hurt her. When it came to something like that, Gabriella was completely vulnerable and what made him furious was that he couldn't control what came out of people's mouths in relation to her. As scared of some of the students were of him, they wouldn't give up a good story and if they knew it hurt one of the people involved they would play into that simple vulnerability. East High had nothing on the tabloids; Troy thought with a wry smile as he heard the door to the gym open and then bang shut. Looking up from the row of seats in front of him, Troy simply raised his eyebrows when Christy came into view and shot him a look meaning that she wanted to talk to him, before beginning to climb up the bleachers towards him. When she sat down next to him, Troy shifted slightly before speaking. "Didn't you get enough information about Gabriella and myself in English?" He asked coolly and knew that Christy had rolled her eyes at his words before he even looked at her. "Yeah and I came to ask you what the hell your thinking screwing around with her." Christy stated harshly and Troy rolled his eyes at her tone. "Why do you care?" He shot back and Christy snorted slightly at the way he'd evaded answering her. "Because Gabriella's a sweet girl and she doesn't need you to screw her around Troy! God, do you have any idea how much she cares about you?" Christy snapped at him and Troy sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to let it go "Watch it Christy." He warned her quietly and Christy looked at him with narrowed eyes and Troy wished that he had the same affect on her as he had on most other people. "No I will not watch it, you watch it." She said just as dangerously and Troy's eyes flashed, knowing that she was going to push just like she always did when she knew there was something going on beneath the surface. It always infuriated him when she could see something that nobody else could and now was no exception.

"Jesus, you've had all of two conversations with her Chris, where the hell do you get off telling me to watch it?" Troy spat at her and Christy set her mouth in a straight line, letting Troy know that she was angry. "Because Troy, it's easy to tell from those two conversations that Gabriella Montez had fallen for you and knowing you the way I do, you'll probably end up hurting her because you don't want anyone close to you." Christy shot back and Troy rolled his eyes at her words, ignoring the way her hand kept twitching as if she wanted to slap him. "Your close to me aren't you Christy? And when have I hurt you?" Troy asked trying to sound amused and failing as Christy glared daggers at him. "You haven't. I've known you too long and know you too well for you to actually hurt me, but Gabriella's not me Troy. You'll hurt her." Her words were so matter-of-fact that Troy's jaw clenched tightly and his temper reared. "Don't tell me what I will or will not to Christine." Troy said coldly, standing up from his seat and beginning to walk towards the court. "I'm not Troy. I'm stating a fact. How many girls have I watched you hurt? How many girls have I seen fall for you and cry every time you switch off? How many Troy?" Troy stopped on the bottom step and turned to glare up at Christy, who was standing, her arms folded and staring down at him intently. "You forgot to mention how many girls got hurt by rumors that you started, not to mention the girls on your cheer squad who took it upon themselves to hurt whoever it was I'd shown a slightly interest in." He snapped at her and Christy shook her head, moving down to look him in the eye. Troy stared back, forcing his temper away as Christy studied him intently. "You actually care about her." Troy stiffened at Christy's disbelieving words and instead took a step away from her, furious that she'd seen it so easily. But then again, Christy had always been able to read him perfectly well. "And how did you deduce that?" He asked coolly and Christy rolled her eyes at his words. "Stop being a prick, I've known you my entire life Troy, of course I can read you," She snapped. "I'm not going to tell you how I know you care about Gabriella, because that'll just result in an argument which I'm not willing to have." She said, pulling the hem of her shirt down further as Troy narrowed his eyes at her. "Christy, we never argue, we dispute." Troy's voice was soft and Christy knew just from that, that she'd seriously pissed him off and, unlike the other students, couldn't care less. "Whatever you say. Just don't screw around with her okay? She has some serious feelings for you and, unlike the other girls, is more vulnerable to you than anyone of them ever was." She said with a sweet smile and Troy felt a spark of confusion at her words. "What do you mean by that?" He asked and Christy sighed, shoving her hands in the pockets of her skinny jeans. "She'll give Troy. She'll give and give and give. Once she knows its okay, she'll give you everything," Christy said and Troy felt something in his stomach clench at her words. "The problem is, she'll give too much and when you hurt her, she'll be left with nothing. That's how she's vulnerable Troy." Christy sighed softly when she saw something in Troy's eyes that told her he hadn't realized that. No matter how good he was at reading people, he hadn't read Gabriella well enough to realize how much she would give. "And if I give back?" He asked quietly, knowing that if it had been anyone other than Christy he wouldn't have even listened to them. "You won't." She replied simply and Troy's jaw clenched at the words, hearing a ring of truth as well as challenge in her voice. "You going to add to the rumor mill?" He asked after a moments silence and Christy flashed him a grin.

"I haven't decided yet," she replied and headed for the gym doors. Troy watched her leave and then she stopped and turned to him. "If you do decide to give back Troy, you have to tell her." Troy's eyebrows rose at her words, he knew what she was talking about but still feigned ignorance. "Tell her what?" He asked and Christy sighed at his words, knowing what he was doing and wishing he hadn't. "You have to tell her everything." She replied and Troy didn't respond as she headed out of the gym. He knew she was right. If there was one thing he knew about Christy Chamberlain in the eighteen years he'd known her, it was that she was never wrong, especially when it came to him and his varying relationships. She'd always made a point of talking to the girls that he'd shown an interest in and afterwards telling him exactly what she thought of them and this was the first time she'd ever warned him to be careful with a girl. This was the first time she'd ever told him that the girl had some serious feelings for him; this was the very first time that she'd told him what he should expect from the girl and that didn't worry him. What worried him was what she'd said and how she'd said it. Christy was never wrong. But somewhere, in the back corners of his mind Troy wished that she was wrong about Gabriella. He didn't want Gabriella to give and give to him and expect for him to give back. Because he didn't know if he could give back to her. Not to the extent that Christy had mentioned. He'd never been able to give back to anyone; he'd never been an open person either and Gabriella was both. He knew she was always open about everything and, now that Christy had pointed it out, he could see her give and give and he could see himself hurting her because he wasn't able to give back. What she wanted or needed. Before his thoughts could go any farther, Troy heard the door to the gym open and shut again and turned to face whoever it was that had just walked in. Immediately pushing every thought that Christy had provoked into the back of his mind as his eyes fell upon the object of his thoughts. "Gabriella." He nodded his head in greeting and felt his stomach churn as he watched her eyes light up when she heard his voice. "Troy! I why are you in here?" She asked, spreading through her eyes as she walked over to him, clutching the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles where white. His eyes narrowed slightly at the observation and then he let it go. "Isn't it obvious what I'm doing in here?" He asked trying to sound amused and knowing that he hadn't quite pulled it off. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Troy looked up and found that Gabriella had moved closer to him. "Uh, no, not really." She replied and Troy could see she wanted to reach out to touch him but wasn't sure whether or not he would let her. Troy knew that if she touched him, he wouldn't be able to control himself and he knew that if he lost control, she wouldn't benefit from it. "Gabriella, I'm in the gym, its after school, I'm work out clothes. Do the math." He snapped at her and then berated himself when he saw something close to hurt flash through her eyes. "You have practice, right?" She asked and Troy shrugged as her body moved closer to his. Desperately, he searched for the switch that turned off his emotions. The switch that Christy always unknowingly hit whenever she was talking to him and that he could never flick whenever Gabriella was around him. "You're a quick one aren't you?" He asked, sarcasm lacing his voice as she moved another inch closer to him. Damn it, he couldn't find the damn switch! "If you say so," she agreed and hesitantly reached up to brush away some hair that was dangerously close to falling into his eyes. The moment her fingertips touched his skin, Troy stopped trying to flick the switch. Instead, he pulled her even closer and lowered his mouth to hers. He felt her stiffen in surprise as he kissed her and then she was kissing back, the hand that had been brushing away his hair, tangled in it as her other hand wrapped around his torso. He felt her body melt into his and Troy kissed her even harder, dragging his mouth away only to take air and then kiss her again. His hand slipped his hand beneath her shirt and ran it up her back, feeling her shiver as he ran it back down. This time, it was her who broke the kiss. "Troy," she started and then let out a soft moan as he began to kiss down her neck, both were totally unaware of their surroundings as his hand slipped to the back of her thigh and gripped. "Gabriella, I need" Troy trailed off as she buried her face in the curve of his neck and he felt her nod.

"I know." She whispered and Troy let the silence fall as he tried to control his breathing. "When?" His voice was low and slowly returning to the amusement that most people would expect from him. Gabriella seemed to sense that whatever had just happened, their 'moment' was over and reluctantly pulled away from him. "I don't know." She replied softly, untangling her hand from his hair and letting it trail down the back of his neck as she looked up at him, her ebony eyes shining with something Troy refused to identify. "Okay." He nodded, not wanting to say anything more as they both heard the team just outside the doors, shouting and laughing loudly. Before he could fully pull away, Gabriella stood on her toes and placed her lips on his briefly. "I'll see you tomorrow." She whispered as he stood immobilized and then kissed him again before dropping back to her feet and letting go of him. Troy watched as she slipped past him, turning to watch as she walked out of the opposite doors of the gym. The door she went through shutting as his team burst into the gym. Troy barely moved as they all shouted greetings to him. Instead, he stared at the door Gabriella had gone through and wished fiercely that he'd read deeper into what was going on between them than he had before. CHAPTER 12 NEED She couldn't concentrate. How was she meant to concentrate when all she could think about was Troy? Gabriella's eyes drifted shut at the thought of him, she couldn't help it. There was just something about Troy that made her feelthere was just something about Troy that made her feel. She knew most people didn't particularly approve of what was happening between them, what ever it was that was happening between them, but Gabriella couldn't care less. How was she meant to care when he could make her forget everything just by looking at her? The whirlwind she experienced around him had softened, everything about what she felt around him had softened the moment he'd said the word need and she'd known what he was talking about. He needed her. Gabriella couldn't care less that he had been talking about what he'd said to her on the Friday of the Jefferson High game, the fact that she had registered was that he needed her. Gabriella knew enough about Troy to know that he never needed anything and had a feeling that the word 'need' seldom left his mouth and the fact that he'd used it in a context with her, had softened her so much. She'd never been needed. Not by someone other than her mother and Gabriella had always had a need to be needed, by someone else, someone who cared enough to tell her that they needed her. True, Troy hadn't finished the sentence but Gabriella knew that he hadn't needed too. She'd seen it in his eyes, felt it in the way he kissed her and the moment she knew she was right, everything that had an edge between her and Troy had softened. Her world was now so soft because he needed her. She didn't care what happened between them after she had given Troy what he wanted and she didn't particularly care either, what mattered was the fact that right now, she was needed. Sighing dreamily, Gabriella's eyes drifted open and the smile that was on her lips faded slightly as she realized that Taylor was eyeing her suspiciously and that Doug, who she hadn't really spoken to since Troy had scared him off a few weeks ago, was watching her in a way that made her uncomfortable. Straightening, Gabriella glanced down at her textbook as she heard a small giggle come from one of the other girls that was sitting around the lab and knew that everyone knew what she was thinking about. Embarrassed, Gabriella focused on the Chemistry textbook in front of her and pretended not to hear the whispers of two of the girls. Glancing at Taylor, Gabriella knew she was in for it. Taylor didn't tolerate people drifting off while they were going over the material for the upcoming Scholastic Decathlon, especially when it was so noticeable everyone knew that the person had drifted off. Glancing up from her book, Gabriella offered Taylor a peace smile and knew that her friend wasn't buying it. Instead, the brunette snapped her Chem textbook closed and announced that they were taking a break. "Thank God! How long have we been working for?" Gabriella glanced across the table at Doug, who had only just begun speaking to her after the Troy had scared him off a few weeks ago. Smiling at his question, Gabriella shrugged and glanced at the clock. "Close to three hours." She replied and he raised his eyebrows disbelievingly at her before shaking his head. "That's absolutely insane. The Decathlon's not for another two weeks and we're studying all of this now because?" Gabriella let out a small giggle at Doug's words and watched as he turned to Taylor with an accusing look on his face.

"Because if we don't do it now, when will we do it? I mean, the amount of material we have to get through is insane!" Taylor replied good-humouredly and Gabriella stared at her for a moment, wondering where on earth her friend's bad mood had gone. "So? It's called the weekend Taylor. We'll get it done, after all we've got Gabi on the team now and apparently she can kick butt." Doug said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. Gabriella laughed a little and pushed his arm off her shoulders, not feeling quite comfortable with it resting around her. "Don't believe everything you hear Doug. What happens if I choke?" Gabriella teased, placing her books in her bag as she realized that Taylor probably wasn't going to start on a new subject. "You can't. Imagine what Taylor would do to you!" Doug exclaimed dramatically and Gabriella choked back a laugh at the look on Taylor's face. The brunette was glaring at Doug as she too put her books in her bag. "I think I can imagine that." Gabriella said dryly and it was Doug's turn to choke back a laugh, as Gabriella stood up and straightened her shirt, before slinging her bag around her shoulders. "Glad you know her so well," Doug said and Gabriella smiled at him, her mind beginning to wander back to Troy. "So, are you walking home?" Doug continued and Gabriella only half-heard him as she began remembering the way Troy had kissed her and the rawness of his voice. "Uh-huh." She returned as she fought a shiver when her mind wandered to what it felt like when his hand was touching the skin of her back. "Mind if I come with you?" Gabriella snapped back to reality when she felt Taylor nudge her in the ribs. Blinking, she looked at her friend before looking at the blonde boy who was watching her with hopeful eyes. "Oh, uh, what were you saying Doug?" Gabriella asked blushing as she realized that she'd spaced out about Troy again. Taylor stared at her and Doug chuckled, not offended that she hadn't heard his question. "I asked if I could walk with you." Gabriella looked at him and smiled, realizing that it might be nice to have some company on the walk back to her place. "Sure. I'd like the company." She replied and missed the triumphant look that passed over Taylor's face. Instead, Gabriella tucked her hands in her pockets as she waited for Doug to finish gathering his things. "Like the company, huh?" Gabriella jumped when she heard Taylor's voice in her ear and her head whipped around to look at her friend who was grinning. "Yeah. Why are you looking at me like that?" Gabriella replied, raising an eyebrow at Taylor's rather gleeful gaze. "It's just nice to see you want to be around someone who's-" the look on Gabriella's face stopped Taylor midsentence and immediately Taylor regretted starting the sentence. She should have known Gabriella would get defensive or even angry any time she tried to talk to her about how bad Troy was for her and Taylor had a feeling that if she'd finished that sentence she really would have put her foot in it. "Are we ready to go?" Doug approached the two before Gabriella could snap at her best friend and she glanced at him before ordering herself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile at the tall blonde-haired boy and nodded. "Yes actually, I am. See you Taylor." Gabriella said and left the room with Doug trailing behind her. Why did Taylor have to bring up Troy at every opportunity? She'd made her feelings towards him clear to her when she'd warned her away from him and Gabriella knew that it annoyed Taylor that she hadn't particularly heeded that warning. What was she meant to do? Ignore Troy? At the thought, Gabriella bit her lip. How could she ignore Troy? Even at the start of term when she was more afraid of him than attracted, how could anyone ignore him when he spoke to them? And what about now? What about now that she knew he needed her in one way? What about now when her feelings for him had become something different than what she'd originally thought? What about now when she was willing to give him what he wanted and seemed to need? Clenching a hand, Gabriella wondered exactly what Taylor would say if she found out how much Gabriella had only just realized she was willing to give.

"Gabriella? Gabriella are you still with me?" Starting, Gabriella looked at Doug and smiled at him sheepishly. She felt horrible. She'd totally forgotten Doug was walking next to her. "Sorry. Spaced out again. What were you saying?" She asked and didn't notice the look of hurt that flashed through Doug's eyes as he realized that he'd been talking to himself for the past few minutes. "Nothing. Don't worry about it." He muttered and Gabriella bit her lip and felt even worse. Seeing the park approaching, Gabriella's face lit up and she turned to him. "Want to walk through the park?" She asked and he looked at her suspiciously before nodding slowly. Gabriella's grin grew wider as they turned off the street and into the park. "I love the park. It's so pretty and I like sitting and watching the world go by." She said and felt relieved when Doug's smile returned to his face. "Oh really? Who would have thought you would like being outdoors?" Doug teased and Gabriella laughed slightly and then tensed when Doug attempted to take the hand she'd taken out of her pocket. Pulling it away, Gabriella chose to ignore the visible hurt on his face and instead stopped to look at the playground. "Ah, the playground. Do you know I used to refuse to ride the slide? I was so sure I was going to fly out of the end of it and hurt myself really badly." Gabriella said, trying to lighten the mood and finding herself regretting the fact that she'd agreed to let Doug walk her home. It suddenly hit her that a few months ago, she would have been nervous and embarrassed to have someone like Doug walk her home. Just looking at him, Gabriella realized that she'd never actually given the rest of East High's male population a second glance. One because it always took her a while to warm up and notice the opposite sex, simply because she wasn't boy crazy and had always had a hard time dealing with crushes because she'd blush and stammer if one of them ever spoke to her and two, ever since she'd stepped foot in East High, Troy had taken up nearly all of her thought process. Frowning slightly, Gabriella wondered if Troy hadn't taken any special interest in her would she have noticed Doug before he had begun speaking to her. Looking at him, Gabriella knew she could safely say she wouldn't have. He was in too many of her classes and she probably would have seen a great friend in him, just not a boyfriend. "Hey Gabriella," Gabriella looked up from the ground she'd been staring at and smiled at him, wondering how Taylor would react if she found out what Gabriella had just realized. "Hmm?" She asked and Doug chuckled slightly at her as they came to a stop. Gabriella realized with a jolt, that they'd stopped where Troy had first kissed her. "What's this thing everyone's talking about with you and Troy Bolton?" Gabriella's brown eyes snapped up to Doug's green ones and her eyes widened slightly when she saw something close to hope in his eyes. Opening her moth, Gabriella went to speak and then stopped, unsure how to respond to the question. "It's complicated." She said hesitantly and then sighed at Doug's questioning look. "What's everyone saying?" She asked and Doug shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck slightly at her question. "Well, it's all really vague actually. I don't think people really want to say anything unless it reaches Troy. But, basically, they're all talking about how Troy seems so interested in you and is actually bothering to show that he's got this thing for you. Everyone's just really shocked and seeing as no-one really knows what's going on" Doug shrugged and Gabriella sighed again, wrapping her arms around herself and looking at the ground. "At least none of them really have any idea of what's going on." She murmured with a small smile and Doug laughed a little at her words. "No. Not really. So? Are you going to give me a heads up?" Gabriella looked back up at the Doug's hopeful voice and smiled slightly at the brightness in his green eyes. "Like I said Doug, it's complicated. I don't really know what to say 'cause I don't know how to explain it." Gabriella said and then furrowed her brow as Doug's eyes twinkled. "So, you guys aren't together, together?" He asked the hope in his voice obvious as Gabriella stared up at him.

"Uhno. I don't think so." She replied and then sucked in a breath when Doug took a step closer to her. Instantly, her hands clenched and she wondered how offended he would be if she took a step away from him. The only guy who had ever been that close to her was Troy and no matter how dangerous Troy may have seemed at the time, Gabriella knew that something about him relaxed her enough to let him get that close. It was that or she was too distracted by him to actually realize how close he was standing to her. "So, if I asked you out for dinner and a movie, on, let's saySaturday you could say yes because you and Troy aren't exclusive?" Gabriella mouth went dry at Doug's question. She knew what he was asking herand she didn't know how to say no. If there was one thing she really struggled at, it was her ability to deny someone something and standing with Doug a little too close for comfort, green eyes shining hopefully and a nervous smile on his lips made it that much harder. Swallowing hard, Gabriella opened her mouth, her mind going blank as she tried to think of a way of letting him down gently, and jumped. "She could, Howard, but she won't." Gabriella's whole body relaxed at the cold words and she turned her head in the direction of the voice and found herself looking at Troy and three other guys. All were covered in sweat and Gabriella found herself wondering why they all looked so interested in what Troy was doing. "I think she can make that decision for herself, Bolton." Doug snapped back and Gabriella bit her lip, as the one of the boys, the one with an insane amount of hair, let out a cough that suspiciously sounded like a chuckle. "I'm sure she can and I'm pretty sure I know what she was going to say too," Troy replied coldly and Gabriella took another step away from Doug and unconsciously moved towards Troy. "And how would you know what she was going to say?" Doug snapped back and Gabriella shivered slightly when Troy's eyes hardened. Troy didn't reply straight away, instead he casually strolled over to Doug, only sparing a glance at Gabriella as he passed her and Gabriella watched, fascinated, as he came so close to Doug that Doug took an involuntary step away from him. "Because Gabriella's one of those girls who can't really say no," Troy spoke softly and yet Gabriella could hear every word he said. "And you've been smart enough to realize that, so smart that you boxed her in." Gabriella suddenly had a very bad feeling about Troy's tone of voice. It wasn't cold exactly and it wasn't amused, there was something different about it. Hesitantly, as she heard Doug begin to stammer out a response to Troy's comment, Gabriella stepped forward and touched Troy's arm, forgetting that she had an audience and instead concentrating solely on Troy. She felt the muscles in his arm tense slightly and instead of taking that as a rejection, Gabriella ran her hand down and found his hand. "Troy," she said softly, when she had a firm grip on his hand, "let him go." She barely said the words and had a feeling that not even Doug had heard them, but Troy seemed to. Squeezing his hand, Gabriella felt herself blush slightly as she realized that her hand seemed to fit perfectly into Troy's. His was big, warm and rough from basketball and Gabriella knew her's was enveloped in it and he wasn't pulling his away. The fact that he wasn't surprised her, she hadn't thought Troy was one to even hold someone's hand, especially in public. "See you Gabriella." Hearing Doug's voice jolted her from her thoughts and Gabriella barely managed to smile at him before he had taken off in the opposite direction. Gabriella looked at Troy and then down at their joined hands when she felt Troy enlace their fingers. "You didn't have to do that, you know." She said after a moment and prayed that he would look at her. When he did, Gabriella nearly backed up. His eyes were so dark. So incredibly dark and unreadable that she bit her lip again. "Yes I did. You wouldn't have been able to say no to the jackass if I hadn't interrupted." Troy's voice was harsh as he spoke and Gabriella frowned slightly at it and was about to speak when they both heard a yell. "Dude! What the hell was that?" Both Troy and Gabriella turned as the other three boys approached them. The one who had spoken was eyeing Troy suspiciously as the other too looked at her. Suddenly feeling incredibly shy, Gabriella stepped as close as she could to Troy, who neither objected or accepted her presence next to him. "It was me telling off Howard." Troy responded dryly and the other two stifled laughs as the one with bushy hair eyed Troy, not pleased with what Troy had said.

"I could see that. But-" Gabriella watched as Troy shook his head and the bushy-haired boy stopped talking. "Let it go Chad." Troy said and Gabriella hid a smile as Chad huffed and folded his arms, very much like a child who had been denied something. As slowly as she could, Gabriella began to slip her hand from Troy's, realizing that it would probably be a good idea to get home and felt herself blush when Troy's grip on her hand tightened. "Uh-" She started and then fell silent when Troy's eyes flicked to hers and another six pairs turned their attention to her. "I've got to get Gabriella home." Gabriella's arm went limp with shock at his words and she stared up at him soundlessly as Troy tugged on her arm and began pulling her down the path. "You'd better tell me later dude!" Gabriella felt an involuntary smile find its way to her lips at the words as Troy gave no indication of hearing what his friend had said and instead pulled her down the path more quickly. "Troy! Troy, what are you doing?" Gabriella suddenly asked, pulling on her hand to make him stop. Her breath backed up in her throat as Troy suddenly stopped and rounded on her and she recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same look he'd had in the gym when he'd said he'd needed her. "I'm taking you home." His words were cool and calm and Gabriella nodded as she looked into his eyes and saw the need in them. Troy didn't say anything more, instead he began to walk again and Gabriella followed. Her mind numbly demanding whether or not she needed him the way he needed her and then Gabriella didn't care. She didn't care that he was taking her to her house, she didn't care that tomorrow she might regret what she was about to do. What she cared about was the fact that the same need she could see in Troy's eyes, was beginning to pulse through her and that the need pulsing through her was telling her to give. CHAPTER 13 CAUGHT

She clawed at his back as he slammed her into the wall beside the stairs. He had no idea where they were going but he did know that if they didn't get there soon, he was going to drag her too the floor and take her there. He slid his hand up her thigh to the hem of her shirt, gripping it; he pulled his mouth away from hers for the few seconds it took to rip the shirt off her body. They both heard it tear and neither cared as she dragged his mouth back to hers and her hips began to move against his. He pushed his pelvis against hers as his hand yanked at the clasp of her bra and it dropped down enough for her breasts to spill out. He yanked his mouth away from hers, ignoring her whimper of protest as his tongue slid down her neck, finding the spot that made her moan before he shifted her higher and closed his mouth over a hardening nipple. The surprised gasp that escaped her only spurred him on as he traced the nipple with his tongue and his hands slid to her skirt and he tugged at the zipper situated on her hip. He felt her hand slide down the back of his shirt as she moaned before she yanked at his shirt in an attempt to pull it off him. Pulling away, he dropped her to the ground and let her drag his shirt over his head, before dragging her back to him and feasting once again on her mouth. His hand slid up her side, abandoning the zipper of her skirt for her breast, she moaned deep into his mouth as his thumb brushed over a rock hard nipple and then she pulled away. "UpstairsOh God, Troy." His teeth sank into joining of her neck and shoulder as he lifted her again and began to climb the stairs, taking time to knock a picture off the wall as he did so. She moaned slightly when they got to the stairs, dragging an arm from around his neck to reach for her doorknob. Once he knew which door it was, he beat her too it. He shoved her against the door as he fumbled with the handle, his mouth working over her neck as the door opened and he opened his eyes enough to get a glimpse of the bed and its general direction. He barely stumbled as he made his way over to it, his mouth once again back on her breast as she arched her body into him. Pulling away from her breast once again, he moved back to her mouth and they dropped to the bed, her gasp of surprise at the unfamiliar weight not stopping him from tugging her skirt and panties down her legs. Pulling away from her, he ran a hand up her leg as they both heard the articles of clothing drop to the floor and then watched, his breathing heavy, as her eyes darkened even more as his hand cupped her, finding her

hot, finding her wet. She opened her mouth to say something and only moaned as his fingers began to stroke her. He watched her eyes as her hips began to move, moans escaping her lips as her body began to writhe beneath his, her breaths became pants and then she cried out in shock as her body reached flash point. Even though he was throbbing as he watched her body relaxed, even though she looked up at him as if there couldn't be more, he drove her up again, watching as shock flitted across her features before she let herself sink into the pleasure. This time when she came her body went taut and her cry was one of pure pleasure instead of shock. He was aching now, viciously, as her eyes reopened, light now as satisfaction and pleasure mingled and she looked up at him. Deliberately, he shifted and watched as her eyes widened as she felt him against her before darkening as her body responded, her hips rising to press against him tightly, arousal replacing satisfaction and pleasure in her eyes. "More?" Her voice was rusty, thick with arousal and he fought a groan as he recognized straight sex as well. His mouth came down hard on hers again and he tasted sweat on her lips as her hands found the edge of his shorts and began to tug them down, he felt her stop as he moved his mouth down to her neck and heard her fight a moan as his hand slid down to cup her once again and then he froze. His hand dropped away from her and he heard her whimper from the loss as he raised himself up on one elbow, listening intently and then he heard it again. A car door slammed, and it slammed too close for comfort. "Troy?" He closed his eyes briefly at her rusty voice and then looked down at her as he heard a car door open up again and knew that there was someone in the drive way. He was off her in a matter of seconds, pulling his shorts up as she sat up, fear quickly spreading across her features. "Gabriella, get up. I can hear a car." He hissed at her and watched as her eyes lost the erotic mix of pleasure, satisfaction and arousal and knew that this time they both heard a car door slam close. He watched as she flew off the bed, grasping her panties as she flew to her closet and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a large jumper. He watched, with regret, as her body disappeared from his view and she turned to him. For a moment, they simply looked at each other. "Is it your mother?" He asked and Gabriella nodded, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to tame it. Troy didn't bother pointing out that nothing was going to tame her hair or fix her swollen lips either and, he fought back a wince as he realized that he'd left marks all over her neck that the hooded jumper wasn't going to hide. "Oh my God. The clothes." Troy knew his eyes widened as he remembered that they'd discarded both his shirt and her shirt and bra down the stairs. She reacted much more quickly then he did and Troy had to assume it was because she didn't want her mother to know exactly what they'd been up to as he followed her down the stairs, reaching her as she picked up his shirt and threw it too him. Before grabbing her bra and shirt and looking around desperately for a place to hide them as they both heard a car lock. As he watched the door warily, Troy looked at Gabriella and felt shock run through him as she yanked off her jumper and pulled on both her bra and shirt as the doorknob turned. "Troy?" Troy glanced down at her when he heard her terrified voice. "Are youare you still-" Troy cut her off with a shake of his head as Alexandra Montez walked in the door and stopped dead at the sight of her daughter and a boy. Her daughter and a boy who both looked like they had tumbled out of bed, she thought with a start as she took in Gabriella's tousled hair, still swollen lips and a look in her eyes that said more to Alexandra then she would let on. The boy was just as tousled, however, he wasn't avoiding her gaze and he wasn't giving her anymore then what she could get from her daughter. Troy watched as Gabriella's mother took in the appearance of the two of them and knew that she was piecing what had been happening together as her eyes flicked over both of them. Her scrutiny of the two of them gave him time to regain control of himself as Gabriella shifted uncomfortably beside him. He felt her hand brush against his and knew that she wanted something to reassure her and couldn't understand why she was

asking him for reassurance. But he gave it too her, he didn't know why but he gave it too her, he shifted just enough to block his hand and hers from Gabriella's mothers view as he allowed her to slip her hands into his. "Hi mom." Troy looked down at her, surprised that she had been the first one to speak and then felt her grip his hand tightly as Alexandra's eyes shifted from her study of him to her daughter. "Hello Gabriella and?" Troy glanced at Gabriella at the question and watched as she moved even closer to him. He wondered whether or not she was going to answer the question and was beginning to contemplate answering it himself before she spoke. "Mom, this is Troy. Troy this is my mother, Alexandra." Gabriella said quietly and Troy realized that she was beginning to feel nervous as Alexandra glanced between the two of them and understanding dawned in her eyes. "It's nice to meet you Troy." Alexandra smiled at him and Troy realized that she wasn't going to call them out for what they might or might not have been up too and Troy wondered that if she knew what they had been up to why she was letting them off so easily, especially seeing as Gabriella was innocent. Remembering that, Troy felt something inside him catch as he realized that he had forgotten. He had forgotten until right now that Gabriella was innocent, he had forgotten because she had responded to him so feverishly and he realized that because he had forgotten, he would have hurt her and hurting her, no mater how cold, how unfeeling he acted towards her wasn't what he wanted. He couldn't hurt her deliberately, physically or emotionally. "Nice to meet you too Mrs Montez." Troy said and felt Gabriella squeeze his hand tightly at his cool, composed words. There was silence again as Alexandra studied them and Troy felt Gabriella move again before her mother spoke again. "Would you like to stay for dinner Troy? I don't feel much like cooking, so we'll only be ordering in pizza but your welcome to stay." Alexandra said and Troy heard Gabriella's gasp of surprise at her mother's question. Troy glanced down at her before looking back at Alexandra who was watching him with an expectant look on her face. "Let me give my Dad a call and see." Troy said, stalling for time. Alexandra nodded and, giving Gabriella a meaningful look, walked into the kitchen. Sighing, Troy looked back down at Gabriella and then pulled her out the door Alexandra had walked through. "Troy you don't have to stay. Mom was just trying to be nice." The words were out of her mouth before he had a chance to say anything to her and Troy rolled his eyes as he pulled her towards his car, which was parked on the curb in front of her house, stopping at it he turned around to face her and knew that she had no idea what to do now that they were both out of the passionate haze that had enveloped them ever since they had left the park. "Gabriella, I didn't say no and I didn't say yes. Don't put answers in my mouth." He tried not to snap at her as she looked up at him and he realized that neither of them had let go of each others hands. "I'm sorry." She whispered and Troy studied her as she looked down at the ground, he could read her like an open book and knew that she wasn't handling what had happened and what was happening as well as she could and, for the very first time, he wanted to make it easier on her. "Do you want me to stay?" He asked, somehow finding gentleness as she tilted her face to look up at him again. Gabriella shrugged and Troy rolled his eyes, sliding his hand beneath the jumper she wore and running his thumb over her hip, trying to ignore the memory of sliding his hands over it not twenty minutes before. "I don't know. Do you want to stay?" She asked and Troy glanced back at the house, trying to think as Gabriella stepped closer so their bodies brushed. Looking at her, he wondered what could go wrong if he agreed to stay and knew that nothing worse could happen. Somewhere, in a corner of his mind, something was trying to warn him away from agreeing to have dinner with Gabriella and her mother, warning him that he was already losing the coldness and detachment he was renowned for when it came to Gabriella and that if he wanted to clear his head and regain the control he used to have on his emotions, he had to leave, now. He had to leave before she became much too important to him. Shaking his head slightly, Troy cleared his throat slightly.

"I'll stay." He said quietly and Gabriella's eyes snapped to his and Troy felt something inside him catch and wondered what the hell it was as her eyes glittered happily up at him. Before he could pull away or stop her, she had leaned up and pressed her lips to his. "Awesome. What kind of pizza do you like?" She asked as she lowered herself back to the ground. Troy shrugged, feeling slightly awkward as he glanced around, hoping no-one had seen her kiss. "Whatever. Don't care really." He muttered and Gabriella nodded, seeming to sense that she'd done something wrong as he looked at the ground. "Okay. I'll go tell mom." She said and Troy breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she let go of his hand and stepped away from him. He watched her go and leaned back against his car as he heard her open the door and shut it behind her. When he knew she was safely inside, he groaned and rubbed a hand over his face as for the first time since he'd seen her with Doug in the park he had some time to think and gain at least a small pocket of control over what was happening. He knew that half of what had happened within the last hour and a half he hadn't processed yet and he had a feeling that he would need to be completely out of Gabriella's presence before he could actually do that. Whatever was happening between them was beginning to spin out of both their control and it was beginning to do that much too quickly for his liking. With another groan, Troy opened his car door and reached inside for his phone. Finding it, he hit speed dial one and waited for his dad to pick up the phone. "Hello, Jack speaking." Silently, Troy wished his dad didn't sound so chirpy and then ignored the thought as he realized that he needed to speak. "Hey Dad, it's me. I'm not going to be home for dinner." Troy said and knew that his dad would be curious as to why his son wasn't going to be home. So he prepared himself for the interrogation as the words sunk in. "Alright. Why not?" Jack asked and Troy glanced at Gabriella's house wondering what he should say before he sighed. "I'm having dinner at a friends place. I'll be home by curfew okay?" Troy asked and heard Jack let out a breath at his words. "Uh-huh. Which friend? Chad?" Jack asked and Troy rolled his eyes at the question, suddenly realizing that his father knew exactly where he was and who he was with. "Whoever you want Dad. I've gotta go. I'll see you when I get home okay?" Before Jack could reply, Troy hung up and threw his phone back into his car, not really caring where it landed as he shut the door and locked his car. With a sigh, he headed for the front door unsure what was going to happen as soon as he walked through it and not really sure if he was as ready for what was going to happen on the other side of the door as he needed to be.

He let Gabriella lead him out of her house, hearing her mothers warning to not dawdle too long and knew that the warning wasn't necessary. He needed to breathe. He'd never spent this much time with one person and he had never meant to spend as much time as he had with Gabriella. He wished he had listened to the little voice that had warned him he was beginning to lose his control around her and that if he wanted to keep that he needed to not have dinner with them, he needed to not sit at a dining room table and play cards with her and her mother, he needed to not let Gabriella lean against him when they had been sitting on the lounge or let her enlace their fingers while they'd been sitting there. He was beginning to become caught in something he didn't particularly want to be caught in. He was beginning to lose his edge around her and he knew he needed to push her away when he said goodbye. He needed to not be near her for a few days and clear his head and regain his control. He felt her stop and automatically he stopped too, looking down at her as she turned around to look up at him. He studied her silently, seeing that something had shifted in her eyes as she gazed up at him. "Thanks for dinner." He said and a smile pulled at her lips as she continued to look up at him.

"You're welcome. Thanks for staying." She replied and Troy wondered why it sounded like they were skirting around something and then realized that they were. They were both skirting around what had happened before her mother had walked in the door. Studying her again, this time a little bit more intently then he had before. He realized what had changed in her eyes. She didn't know what was going to happen next, she didn't know if he still wanted her or not. "Free meal's always a good incentive." He shrugged and Gabriella managed a weak smile at his words, Troy could see that she was almost nervous at being alone with him right now and felt like rolling his eyes. He'd had her naked and practically begging for him only a few hours ago and now she wasn't so sure of herself and it amused him slightly. "Well, glad we could help." Gabriella replied softly, once again examining the ground. Suddenly frustrated with himself and the way they were both skirting around the situation, Troy grasped her upper arms and pulled Gabriella into a long, hot kiss which only stirred up the need that was becoming an ache as he felt her give into the kiss and mould her soft curves to the hard lines of his body. Before he lost himself in the feeling of her against him, Troy pulled away from her. Hearing her whimper of protest, Troy very nearly pulled her back to him and then took a deep breath as her eyes opened to look up at him. "We're going to finish what we started Gabriella." He said it quietly, with purpose as she looked up at him. Troy looked at her and caught the trust in her eyes, the trust he told himself he was not going to abuse. "Okay. Alright." She nodded, and Troy narrowed his eyes as he studied her. She seemed like she was in a daze as she looked up at him and Troy gave her a gentle shove backwards as he unlocked his car and headed for the drivers side. "I'll see you around." He said and didn't wait to hear her response as he opened the drives door and slid in. Starting the car, Troy watched as Gabriella stared at his car for a minutes before she turned and headed for her front door. As soon as she was safely inside, Troy started his car and put it into gear and stepped on the accelerator. As he drove, he tried to process exactly what had happened in the past few hours. For the first time since he had seen her in the park, Doug standing a little too close to her for his liking, Troy was able to regain some control of what he was feeling, how he was acting. He was able to let the ice which had begun to melt rapidly in the few hours he was with Gabriella freeze again and as soon as it froze, as soon as he had locked away the feelings which he needed to examine when he felt just that little bit more in control and clear-headed, he realized something. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He breathed as he pulled into his driveway and killed the engine. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He pounded the wheel once as he ran it through his head again and then groaned, throwing himself back against his seat violently. He'd fallen for her. He'd managed to get caught in the fucking trap he hadn't been able to see. He'd managed to get caught in a trap he had set for himself. CHAPTER 14 BEAUTIFUL She wanted to look beautiful for him. It didn't matter that she had a nagging feeling that he probably wouldn't acknowledge her at all today. She justwanted to feel pretty for once in her life and she knew that Troy, for whatever reason, could make her feel pretty without even having to try. Even if it was just a glance, just one of those looks that had his eyes passing over her when the impassive look on his face barely flickered, she knew that he would make her feel pretty and she hoped that he would give her that look because the flicker, the one that nobody could see when he looked at her, allowed her to see what she wanted. He cared. At least, she wanted to believe that the flicker she'd begun to take notice of when he looked at her, meant that he cared. God, she wanted him to care about her. Shaking her head slightly at the thought, Gabriella brought her attention away from the thoughts that had been circling in her head since Troy had left the night before. Instead, she focused on her wardrobe and bit her lip slightly as her eyes fell on the miniskirt her mother had convinced her to buy on a rare shopping trip between the two. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch the jean miniskirt and knew she could get away with it. The day was going to be a warm one and Gabriella knew that if she showed up wearing a miniskirt it

wouldn't really be questioned. But did she really want to wear a miniskirt? Gabriella didn't know if she was brave enough to wear something that short. As quickly as she she'd pulled it out of the closet, Gabriella slid it back in. She wasn't brave enough. Why wasn't she brave enough? Yesterday, she'd been brave enough to take Troy Bolton's hand while his legendary ice had frozen Doug solid. Yesterday, she'd been brave enough to let him touch her, see her naked when no-one else ever had. Yesterday, she'd been brave enough to ask him to stay with her when she'd known he wouldn't want too. For God's sake, if she was brave enough to do all of that, why couldn't she wear a miniskirt? Because, Gabriella thought, that was yesterday and this was today. Because, somehow, she knew that wearing a miniskirt wasn't going to make Troy look at her. Because, though she knew that flicker meant something, it didn't mean he wasn't going to ignore her today. Pressing a hand to her stomach at the thought, Gabriella leaned against her door, wondering how she was going to deal with him if he ignored her. If her looking beautiful for him would be noticed by everyone but him. But then, how could she be sure he wouldn't just ignore her in the morning and then whisk her away in the afternoon? Sighing, Gabriella knew that she couldn't guess what Troy was going to do when she showed up at school and wondered if he would ever do what she thought he would do. He probably wouldn't and Gabriella couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, she couldn't help but hope she saw that flicker, whether or not he even spoke to her that day, all she wanted to see was that flicker. Snapping out of her thoughts, Gabriella shook her head slightly as she refocused on her wardrobe, eyes scanning the contents looking for something that would make her feel beautiful. "You know, I don't think he'll mind what you wear to school." Her mother's voice made her jump and Gabriella swung around to see her mother leaning against the doorframe, watching her with a curious expression on her face. "I I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I just can't think of anything to wear to school." Gabriella supposed it was instinct for her to get defensive. Especially with the knowledgeable tone her mother had used. Alexandra smiled slightly at the defensive stance Gabriella took. She stepped into the room, glancing at the bed where she was sure her daughter had been pinned beneath Troy Bolton yesterday. Shock wormed its way through her stomach, as did an overwhelming sense of astonishment at her own daughter's sudden jump from being so shy and uninterested in boys in general to being caught with a boy at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes soft and her hair tousled, both clues to what had happened before she had walked in. Instead of dwelling on it, Alexandra motioned for Gabriella to come over to her. "Gabi, I know you don't particularly like me prying but" Alexandra trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence. "But you want to know about Troy, right?" Gabriella asked and Alexandra nodded, watching her daughter closely as Gabriella wondered how much she could tell her mother and then fought a frown as she realized that there was nothing that she could tell her mother that wouldn't require a long, drawn out explanation. "Well, I only want to know about him if you want to tell me about him." If only it was that easy, Gabriella thought. Because she wanted to tell her mother about Troy, to ask for her advice, to see if Alexandra could decode Troy in anyway. But there was too much to explain. Sighing, Gabriella took the easy way out. "I want to Mom, really, but I don't think now's the right time to tell you," Alexandra studied her daughter as Gabriella shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Okay. Can I tell you something?" Alexandra asked and Gabriella, who had glanced back at her closet, turned her eyes back to her mother, whose tone was just cautious enough to send alarm bells ringing somewhere near the back of her mind.

"What?" Alexandra moved towards the bed, ignoring Gabriella's suspicious tone as she sat down and patted the bed next to her. Cautiously and with a sudden interest in the time, Gabriella moved towards her mother, settling herself just a little more away from her mother than Alexandra would have liked. "Gabriella, I'm not going to tell you to not see him if you think that's what I'm going to say," Gabriella glanced at her mother in surprise. She hadn't expected her mother to say that. "But, I am going to tell you to be careful around him." Gabriella wanted to roll her eyes, her mother reminded her of Taylor. "Mom-" Gabriella started, something close to a lie forming on her lips. Her mother cut her off before it had even fully taken shape in her mind. "No, sweetie, listen to me. Troy was very polite yesterday and he was also very cool. He never stopped assessing, never stopped storing things away in his mind. And he never once did anythin inappropriate with you. Believe me, I was watching for it." Gabriella blushed slightly at her mothers words, her mind flying to the minutes before her mother had walked when they were definitely doing something inappropriate. There was silence for a moment, Alexandra silently waiting for Gabriella to prompt her and Gabriella waiting for her mother to continue. "Okay, so, why do I have to be careful around him?" Gabriella wasn't sure if that was the question she should have been asking, but her mother didn't seem to mind. "Because I don't know who he is. I don't know what he wants from you," Gabriella winced slightly, already having a pretty good idea at what he wanted from her, "I watched him. Baby, I watched him with you, he seemed to barely acknowledge you and you didn't seem to notice. It worried me. I don't want you to be hurt, Gabriella and because I don't know him, I don't know if he won't hurt you." Alexandra paused, allowed her words to sink into her daughter. Gabriella stared at her mother for a moment, unsure what to expect next from her. Alexandra had never quite used that tone with her before, she'd never sounded firm, fearful and slightly upset and Gabriella wondered why it was the first time she was hearing this tone and then realized that it was the first time her mother had ever had to deal with her being interested in someone. Gabriella could only imagine that it was slightly startling for her mother and knew that it was even more shocking that she was interested in someone like Troy. "Mom, Troy-" Alexandra cut her daughter off and Gabriella bit her lip, wondering what else her mother was going to say. "Wouldn't put a foot wrong around me. Gabriella, I already told you that I won't stop you seeing him and I did say to be careful. But please, don't do anything that you'll regret with him." Gabriella opened her mouth to assure her mother that she'd be more than careful even as Alexandra continued. "Sweetie, in some ways you can be very grown up and in some areas you can be incredibly nave. I don't want him to take advantage of those nave areas." Something surged at her mother's words. Something Gabriella forced herself to ignore as she instead focused on her mothers words. Gabriella wasn't sure if her mother's words irritated her or made her grateful for the advice she'd just handed out. Either way, Gabriella found herself resenting how Alexandra had gently pointed out her lack of experience. Instead of responding the words or succumbing to the flickering irritation inside her, Gabriella deliberately looked at the clock before standing up and moving back towards her closest. "Thanks Mom. I'm going to be late." There was more Alexandra wanted to say, much more but she was stunned into silence by her daughter. Gabriella had clearly indicated that the conversation was over. Gabriella knew she had shocked her mother, she also knew that Alexandra would probably reprimand her for it later, after she had recovered from her shock. But right now, Gabriella didn't care less. She turned towards the closest and waited impatiently for her mother to leave her room. As soon as she heard her door shut again, Gabriella fought irritation. She'd expected something like that from her mother. She just hadn't expected her mother to point out something she hadn't thought about. Even as a wave of insecurity washed over her, Gabriella pushed it away. She couldn't let herself feel that, not when she already held the insecurity of him not caring about her at all. Even as she pushed it away, Gabriella wondered if it was going to come back to haunt her. Taunt her at times when she felt uncertain.

Gabriella glanced at the clock again, this time seeing what the time was instead of using it as a distraction. Her eyes widened when she realized how late she was going to be. Grabbing the first dress that she could lay her hands on, Gabriella stripped and pulled it on, all thoughts of looking beautiful for Troy escaping her mind as she hurriedly tied her hair up in a high ponytail, grabbed her book bag and ran out of her room, searching for anything that resembled shoes as she ran down the hallway. She didn't acknowledge her mother as she ran past her, a pair of black heels in her hands; instead she slammed the door hard enough to know it echoed through out the house as she ran out of it. --She knew she hadn't made it too school on time when she parked her car and the courtyard was deathly silence. There weren't even stragglers loitering around the front of the door, the way they normally did a few minutes after class. It was enough to make her very nervous. She'd never been late before in her life and, as she struggled across the courtyard in the heels she had snatched up on her dash for her car, the fact that she was late because of her mother irritated Gabriella even more. She hated the fact that her mother had made her late while lecturing her about her lack of experience. Though she knew Alexandra hadn't meant it that way, for once Gabriella didn't care. She despised the fact her mother had brought up her inexperience, her navet in aspects of her life and she despised her mother for awakening more insecurity in her when it came to Troy. She also hated that her mother had observed him as coolly as he'd observed her last night and she hated the fact that her mother thought he'd barely acknowledged her last night. She may be nave, but Gabriella knew that Troy hadn't ignored her the night before. He'd never been out of contact with her the night before, whether it was holding her hand discreet or his hand resting on her thigh. His way of acknowledging her last night had been physical contact, not verbal. Gabriella's steps slowed slightly as a thought struck her. Troy had never been out of contact with her physically but Gabriella doubted he would ever open up to her emotionally and maybe that's why her mother had told her to be careful. Maybe that's what her mother meant. Her experiences emotionally with boys were more than lacking, they were practically non-existent. Feeling her stomach drop at her thoughts, Gabriella stopped outside her homeroom. Peeking in, she saw Miss Darbus in speech mode, waving around a cell phone that she had obviously confiscated from someone. Her eyes slid from her teacher to the class and she smiled slightly when she saw Chad, at least she hoped his name was Chad, leaning his cheek on the basketball that sat on his desk, his eyes closed and his breathing even. Her eyes slid from him to her watch and Gabriella winced as she realized that there was no way she could not go into homeroom. There was still another ten minutes left. Before she could really think about what she was doing, Gabriella knocked gently on the door, interrupting Miss Darbus and jolting the class awake. Murmurs broke out as Miss Darbus turned narrowed eyes towards her and Gabriella stepped into the room. "Um, sorry I'm late Miss Darbus." Gabriella said meekly, clutching the strap of her book bag and knowing that she wasn't going to escape an interrogation when Miss Darbus folded her arms. "Of course you are," Miss Darbus' sarcasm wasn't lost on her and Gabriella bit her lip. "Now, do tell us all why you're late." There was no way she was going to tell the truth and Gabriella scrambled to find some sort of believable lie. "Traffic. It was really slow." It was a weak lie and one Miss Darbus was about to call out when a loud voice cut her off.

"Holy shit, Montez, you have legs!" Gabriella spun to stare at the person who had spoken and met Chad Danforth's incredulous, if sleepy, gaze. Before she glanced down at what she was wearing. She blanched. Actually felt the blood drain from her face as she realized she'd picked out a white dress that fell to mid thigh and hugged every curve she'd ever hidden. Looking back up at the class, Gabriella couldn't help but feel extremely exposed to everyone and wondered why she hadn't looked at what she was wearing when she'd left the house. It was a dress her mother had brought her a last year, a dress she remembered her mother saying, she could wear to school and feel pretty in. She'd never worn it until now. "Well, Mr Danforth, it appears we have woken you from your nap. I do apologize for it; just like I'm sure you're going to apologize for the use of language in this classroom." Gabriella assumed that the teacher's words were her queue to sidle to the back of the classroom and sit down. She did so quietly as Chad sputtered out an answer that made little to know sense and the class roared with laughter. Sliding into her seat behind Taylor, Gabriella ignored her friend's insistent looks as she sank in her seat and became aware of eyes on her. Swallowing, Gabriella tugged at her skirt, wondering if she pulled hard enough it would settle at least another few inches down her thigh. As she tugged, Gabriella scanned the room, looking for Troy. Her eyes settled on the back of his hand and she felt a small twinge of disappointment as she realized his eyes were possibly the only ones that hadn't noted her attire. She failed to notice how tense he was. "honestly Darbus, did you not see her legs? They're like something out of heaven!" Gabriella blushed as she tuned in to the argument between Miss Darbus and Chad. She sank even lower in her seat when she heard the ripple of agreement coming from a large proportion of the males in the room. "She is not a piece of meat Mr Danforth. She is a girl, who you seemed to have embarrassed in that momentary lapse of judgment you had after you awoke from you nap." Miss Darbus' tone was icy as she glared frostily at Chad from behind he glasses. "ButDarbusher legs," Chad attempted lamely and Gabriella silently thanked God that Chad seemed to have been affected by Miss Darbus' tone of voice. She didn't see the way Troy's fist had plowed into Chad's leg as he'd spoken. But the people sitting closest to them did and Gabriella chose to ignore the looks that were thrown at her from over their shoulders. Before Miss Darbus could continue her speech on cell phones, which was what she seemed prepared to do as she adjusted her glasses and peered at them seriously, the bell rang and Gabriella had never felt more thankful in her life. As quickly as she could, she stood up and exited the room, falling into step behind only a few of the quicker ones. She kept walking when she stepped into the hallway, heading straight for her locker with her head down. "Hey! Gabriella, wait up!" She heard Christy's shout long before she stopped and only stopped when she was within distance of her locker, so the blonde could catch up to her. "Well, you certainly caused a stir in homeroom." Christy commented, slightly out of breath from her run to try and catch up with Gabriella and leaving out the comment about causing a stir within Troy as well. Gabriella shrugged. "It's embarrassing. I didn't really realize what I was wearing." She said and Christy smiled slightly as Gabriella headed towards her locker. "I can believe that." It was said to ease Gabriella and instead it reminded Gabriella of her mother's words. How was she meant to wear clothes like this when she got embarrassed so quickly in them? "It shouldn't be that big of a deal, it's just a dress." She said it almost too carelessly and Christy studied her closely, realizing that there was something more to the comment than what Gabriella intended and knowing

that it had something to do. It probably would be easy to probe, Christy thought and very easy for Gabriella to tell her what was wrong but Christy wasn't sure if it would help Gabriella if she did tell. She decided to leave it alone. "Its not 'just a dress'. Gabriella, you look incredible. Really incredible." Christy said gently and Gabriella looked at her in surprise before sighing. "So? It's not like everyone's going to notice." And the conversation turns to Troy, Christy thought, trying not to be amused. She wasn't surprised that Gabriella had thought that Troy hadn't noticed her; he'd given nothing away when she'd walked into the room other than tensing slightly. Christy doubted even Chad had realized how affected Troy had been by Gabriella when she'd stepped into the room. Thought he might have become a bit more clued in when Troy had punched him as he'd argued with Miss Darbus. "Sweetie, I'm pretty sure everyone in that homeroom would have to be blind not to notice. Even Troy noticed." Gabriella felt something rise swiftly in her as Christy spoke. "I wasn't talking about Troy." Denial, Gabriella thought, why was she denying it to Christy? Christy knew that there was something going on between them and, Gabriella studied her out of the corner of her eye, probably knew more than she was being credited for. "Sure you weren't. But I'd better tell you something, Troy's heading this way right now and I'm sure you're going to be brave enough to tell him you weren't talking about him." Gabriella dropped her bag and spun around at Christy's words. Her eyes widened as she watched Troy weave through the crowd, clutching something in his hand as he shot a frigid look at a junior who got in his way. Her heart jumped as she recognized signs of cold fury in him. Why was he mad? Why were his eyes so blank when his body was sending off waves of temper that had students dodging out of his way even before he had reached them? She didn't have time to even formulate answers to her questions when he stopped in front of them and Gabriella blushed slightly, looking away from him as he glanced at her before focusing on Christy. "Christine, don't you have class to attend on the other side of the school?" His amusement was lethal as Christy stared at him for a moment, wanting to take his words for a question instead of an order to leave. She didn't have a choice when he ground out "Christy, you have a class on the other side of the school." She didn't bother speak to him; instead she squeezed Gabriella's arm and stalked off, throwing Troy a dirty look over her shoulder. "Gabriella, would you be so kind to put this on?" Gabriella recognized an order when one was given and she didn't hesitate to take the rolled up white jacket from him, gratefully pulling it on and zipping it up. She immediately felt less exposed to prying eyes as she snuggled into the jacket, breathing in his smell before tilting her head to look at him. "Thanks Troy. I, um" Gabriella trailed off at the look in his eyes. Possession, though she couldn't figure out how she'd recognized it, was swaying with fury and Gabriella wondered if the combination was meant to scare her. Troy was silent as he watched her and Gabriella realized he was waiting for her to finish her sentence. She didn't know how to. She didn't know what words she was meant to use to cool the fury and calm the possession. What she did know was that it meant something. Instead on thinking on it more, Gabriella followed instinct. Though she realized he might not want her too, Gabriella leaned up slightly and pressed her lips to his cheek gently, lingering there for a moment before pulling back. "Thank you." Even as she uttered the words and people glanced at her curiously, Gabriella knew what she was thanking him for, he'd known how uncomfortable she had been in that classroom and he'd brought her his jacket. It meant something.

She waited for Troy to say something, do something. Instead, she watched as the fury in his eyes died slowly, the possession in them slowly sinking as well and the cool, amused mask resettled itself over his face. "Get to class Gabriella. I'll see you later." Gabriella leaned back against the locker as Troy walked away from her, not once glanced back though Gabriella was pretty sure he could still feel her eyes on him. Once she lost sight of him, Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment, burying her nose in the collar of the jacket and inhaling his scent. It hadn't been a flicker like she had expected of him. It had been a wave of fury followed by possession. A mix, she knew, that would warn everyone away from her. The flicker would have made her feel pretty; it would have showed that maybe he cared. The furious possession made her wonder just how much he cared. It made her wonder if hoping he cared was something that was little compared to how he really felt. It made her wonder what would happen to the next boy that tried to talk to her, what would happen to Doug if he even attempted to ask her out again. It didn't make her wonder about what she felt though. The flicker would have made her feel pretty, pretty enough for him to notice. But the furious possession made her feel beautiful. CHAPTER 15 ICE What the hell was wrong with him? Hadn't he decided that he was going to stay as far away from her as possible? Apparently, he couldn't even stick to that decision. It was the first time he hadn't been able to put theory into practice and it pissed him off immeasurably. If he'd known he was going to react that way to her when she walked into the room, he would have skipped homeroom or school altogether. He would have taken the cowardly way and he wouldn't have given a damn. Bouncing the basketball, Troy wondered if Gabriella knew exactly how much of an effect she'd had on him when she'd walked into homeroom. It was the first time he hadn't been able to detach himself in someway from a situation and, Troy caught the ball and shot, he wondered if she'd known that when she'd seen him in the hallway afterwards. She'd been a little bit frightened of him in the hallway, Troy thought as he moved forward to catch the ball. Not as frightened as she'd been a month before, but there had been that flicker of fear in her eyes that had irritated some part of him. What had she expected? She'd walked into homeroom looking innocently fragile. Reluctantly, Troy remembered the way she had stood hesitantly in the doorway, clutching the strap of her bag and glancing nervously from the class to Darbus. Dressed, Troy thought, in a dress designed to make any male within a five mile radius shift uncomfortably as all the blood rushed southward. In that dress, the white flowing over the curves he'd possessed not twelve hours before, she should have looked the opposite of untouched. She should have looked ready for anything. But she hadn't. The dress had made her seem fragile, the look in her ebony eyes innocent, the blush which had spread graceful. Gracefully innocent, Troy thought, gracefully fragile. He could handle both at different times, but together they were a combination that made any resolve he'd made unimportant. A combination that had him feeling protective and possessive all at once. That, Troy thought as he glared up at the hoop, was what was pissing him off above anything else. The rush of emotions that he hadn't been able to control had irritated him; they had made him furious enough to punch Chad to get him to shut up. He didn't want every male in his homeroom to notice her legs. Part of that, Troy had to admit, was selfishness. He knew Gabriella was gorgeous, knew that she had a body that made males wonder what it would be like to explore it and he wanted to be the only one to explore it. The other part, well, the other part was because he knew Gabriella wouldn't be able to handle the attention. He

knew that Gabriella would be more terrified than flattered if she suddenly had to handle a hundred different guys wanting a piece of her. That part of him, the part that had begun to remind him constantly of what he'd realized the night before, was the part that was expressing worry over how Gabriella was handling being watched. Watched, Troy thought, like she was piece of meat. He wondered if the fact that she was wearing his jacket would deter any of them and then knew that it wouldn't. To deter them, he would have to show more of an interest than shoving his jacket into her hands and asking her to put it on. Troy wondered how much of an interest he was meant to show to scare them off. Before he could consider it, Troy glanced up as the gym door swung shut with a bang. He managed to control any semblance of emotion when he looked up to see Chad standing there with his arms folded. Troy sighed, letting the ball he'd collected drop to the ground, knowing where this was heading and wondering how much he could not tell Chad. If he knew his best friend as well as he did, Chad was already putting two and two together and coming up with the answer he wasn't going to be that impressed with. "Yesterday, you took her home, didn't you?" Troy shrugged before nodding. As much as he hated it, he couldn't lie to Chad. They'd been friends since kindergarten and Chad was the only person, aside from Christy and his father, who could withstand his ice and know what, exactly, was happening behind the frozen walls he'd constructed. "Yeah. I took her home. You're not going to turn this into a girly talk, are you?" Chad shrugged, scooping up the basketball and spinning it on his finger. "I haven't decided. Did you fuck her?" Something inside Troy clenched at Chad's question. He didn't like the way it sounded and he especially didn't like the way Chad used in context with Gabriella. "No." Troy controlled his voice to amusement, the touch of ice the only indication to the flare of temper he'd felt at the question. Chad raised an eyebrow, hearing the ice and wondering about it. "Okay." Chad studied Troy for a moment as Troy shoved his hands into his pockets in a deliberately casual movement. "Jesus, dude, you've fallen for her, haven't you?" Troy wasn't sure whether he was shocked at Chad's guess or impressed that he'd gotten it right. He decided to be neither and shrugged instead. He felt a twist of amusement when Chad nearly dropped the ball he was spinning and then frowned when he realized that Chad was going to want a confirmation of his guest. One that required him to say it out loud and Troy knew there was no way he could do that. He couldn't say the words out loud because it would make what he'd realized last night real and if there was one thing he'd learnt, some things were better left unsaid. Some things were better unreal than real. "Dude, what the hell are you going to do about it? You've never cared about any of the girls." Troy wasn't surprised when Chad brought up his history of girls he'd never given a damn about, the string of faceless, nameless girls who were all too willing to be with him, despite the reputation that clouded him. The girls, Troy thought with disdain, that knew what he wanted but made a scene when he finished it. "Thanks dude, you made me sound like a player then," Chad smirked slightly at his words. "Troy, you're worse than a player. You take what you want and then wait and watch for the girl to catch on that she isn't important anymore, somehow finding it amusing that it takes them so long to catch on." Chad watched Troy carefully as he spoke, not expecting his best friend to grow a conscience and feel guilty about the way he treated the girls that threw themselves at him but hoping that Gabriella Montez meant more to him than the others. "So? I tell them I don't want a relationship outside of what we do and if they don't take me seriously, it's their fault." Troy had never felt really guilty about the way he treated the girls. He always warned them, he always told them that no matter what they thought there was nothing more to what they were doing than the physical. He always found it amusing when he saw something flash through their eyes at his words, the flash that told him they were determined to make him care. The flash that meant they were determined to melt the ice.

Chad waited for a moment, trying to think about how to word his next question. "She didn't throw herself at you, did she? That's why she's different. She didn't want to make you care about her." He assumed he'd guessed right when a muscle in Troy's jaw ticked. Troy looked up from where he'd been gazing at the floor and met Chad's calm eyes. He couldn't lie. He could omit things with Christy, leave whole things out when talking to his dad but when it came to the Chad, his best friend who had been there for him through out everything, he couldn't lie; he could omit things or leave chunks out. Troy owed Chad too much to not tell him what was happening. Sighing, a rare sign of contemplation, Troy moved his shoulders lazily. "No. She didn't throw herself at me or offer to meet me at the back of the gym. She was just more afraid of Smith, Lions and Hall than she was of me." And that, Chad thought, was a rare thing. To be less afraid of him than a bunch of burly footballers was something that Troy would have grasped onto. There was something about Troy that made people instantly feel a quick slice of fear when they first met him and for Gabriella Montez to be less afraid of him than the goon squad, meant something that Chad had never been quite able to grasp. "What'd Christy say?" If Troy was surprised at the question, he didn't show it. Troy knew that Chad and Christy didn't get along, something he'd encouraged sometimes purely because of the amusement he felt when they argued. "Not to screw her over. To tell her everything." Chad's lips flicked downwards at Troy's words and he wondered why Christy was telling him to tell Gabriella everything. While Chad didn't like the blonde cheerleading captain much, he had to admit, she gave some good insight when she took it upon herself to talk to the girls that Troy had shown some interest in. Something about Gabriella must have shaken her for her to tell Troy not to screw her over. "Would you?" It was, Troy thought suddenly, the million dollar question. If he allowed the feelings he had for her take their course, if he allowed himself to see what was beyond the physical relationships he'd had in the past, would he be able to tell her what happened? Would he be able to tell her what only a few people knew? He shrugged. "I don't know." Chad paused for a moment. He'd been expecting a definitive answer. When it came to something like that for Troy, there was no gray area. It was black or it was white. "You don't know?" Chad asked in disbelief and Troy turned his eyes to the hoop, rocking forward onto his toes slightly before rocking back. He wondered if he could tell Chad what he'd only discovered the night before, when he'd been working himself into a frenzy in his backyard in the middle of the night. He wondered if it was worth mentioning and then realizing that it would come out anyway. "She gets this look in her eyes sometimes when she's looking at me," Chad glanced up, startled at Troy's soft voice. "It's like I could be her entire world if I just slip my hand into hers, like I could make all her problems go away if I just showed that I cared." Troy stopped for a moment and Chad felt something inside him rise as he found himself looking at the Troy Bolton he'd known since he was five. This Troy Bolton wasn't icy or amused. He didn't cut through people with a pointed comment or watch them fall for his own amusement. He didn't push people away using the ice he'd become legendary for or pull the strings and then watched the reaction. This Troy Bolton was the one that played x-box and ate junk food until the middle of the night. This Troy Bolton felt and showed more than ice and amusement. This Troy Bolton was the person he'd become friends with. The warm, slightly sarcastic person who could include anyone. This Troy Bolton only ever appeared when it all slipped because he was thinking about something more important to him than his ice. "And?" Chad prompted Troy, hoping that this Troy was going to stay a little bit longer, hoping that this Troy was going to tell him what the look meant to him. "It reminds me of Allie. The look reminds me of Allie." Troy's eyes widened at his admission and before Chad could speak, before he could attempt to convince the ice to stay at bay, Troy's eyes went blank and Chad knew that Troy was bringing the ice back. It was returning and the lethal cold was going to be aimed at him. "Troy, man, its okay if it does." Troy controlled himself from shaking, controlled the arctic fury bubbling that wanted a release. Controlled both only because Chad was his best friend.

"Don't you think you should get to class, Chad?" His tone was lethal. For a moment, Chad wondered if he should stay, let Troy take the anger out on him and then realized that Troy would control himself because of what Chad meant to him. Chad felt a brief flash of sympathy for whoever provoked Troy after him and then knew, simply by the way Troy lifted his hand from his pocket, that he only had a few seconds before Troy lost control. "You're right. See you later." Troy flexed his hand as Chad dropped the ball, his voice shaded by only the faintest hint of nerves. Ice was running through him, surging as it waited for someone to provoke him. Turning, Troy didn't even start when he came face to face with his father, who was watching him with sympathetic eyes. The ice flared, seeing its target and wanting nothing more than to take a hold of it. Jack Bolton watched Troy, knowing that he was furious for letting the ice slip, for letting something get to him. For letting someone see something other than icy amusement, even if it was his best friend. Troy waited, wondering only just what his father was going to say to him. Wondering why his father was looking at him as though he knew something he didn't. Troy clenched his hand into a fist, waiting for his to speak. "I know it's soon, son." The words jolted him, the kindness in Jack's tone cutting straight through the solid ice. It was enough; Troy thought savagely, enough that he'd slipped with Chad but he didn't want his father's words or kindness, that was too much. "I have to get to class." Jack nodded, knowing that he wasn't going to see his son for the rest of the week even before Troy's eyes had flared with a surprising heat before resettling into a cold pit. He didn't storm and he didn't hurry. He walked, his eyes a cold pit, ice running through his veins, the only signal to the turmoil brewing within him was the clenched fist that swung at his side. Troy rounded a corner, fighting with the ice that wanted to attack something. He always found it amusing that the ice inside him wanted to attack something, take a swing at it and watch as the solid edge of it took the person down. Ice was just as deadly as fire, Troy thought, but it didn't flare and then fade the way fire did. "listen, Andrew, I really have to get to class." Troy wasn't sure whether he was glad to hear Gabriella's voice or furious. He wasn't sure if the furious possession he'd felt when she'd walked into the classroom would crash over him again or if the ice would see her as a good target. "Oh come on baby, it's just a ride. Nothing too important." Troy heard the words and snorted, loud enough for Gabriella and Andrew to look towards him. "It's never just a ride with you, Hanley. It's always about riding you." Troy ignored Gabriella's quick gasp at his crude words. He watched as Andrew assessed him and then chose to give out a blistering reply. "Sure it is. With legs like hers, I'm hoping she'd give it a good go." The remark was calculated to provoke him, a dangerous calculation on a day when Troy was only icily amused but today, it was a deadly one. Andrew didn't see the fist; he only felt the blinding pain and heard the crunch of bone as Troy's fist collided with his face. The ice roared in triumph at the contact, reveling in finding a target and taking advantage of the situation. Troy watched emotionlessly as Andrew dropped to the floor, withering in pain as Gabriella choked back a scream of shock. Troy flexed his hand, before glancing at Gabriella who was white. She met his eyes, reaching up and pushing away strands of hair as her brown eyes began to look worried. "You idiot. What if you get suspended?" She only whispered it and Troy felt a twist of amusement as he realized she was afraid of him getting caught and not Andrew who had begun whimpering. "Doesn't matter. He won't say anything." Troy controlled his tone to carelessness, nudging Andrew's leg with his toe.

He waited as Gabriella stared at him, her eyes softening as she took a step away from the locker and towards him. Troy stiffened as she reached up, brushing her fingers over his face before cradling his cheek in the palm of her hand. "What's wrong?" Her voice was soft, concern highlighting an ability to see something that Andrew hadn't. Her hand was gentle and it felt so good against his cheek. Because he wanted to lean into the hand, because he wanted to tell her what had happened and because what he wanted crashed down on him all at once, he pushed her hand away. He took a step back, running a hand through his hair and ignoring Andrew's hapless plea for help. "Nothing. I'm leaving for a couple of days." Her eyes widened and hurt flashed through, darkening the brown and because Troy wanted to take those words back, he deliberately stopped fighting the ice. "What? Why? For how long?" She stumbled over the questions as she shoved the sleeve of his jacket up. Troy shrugged. "I'm leaving town for a couple of days. Because I can. I'll be back by next week." Cold enough to stop her questioning, Troy thought as he watched her blink. Cold enough to let her know he wasn't going to discuss anything else with her. "Okay," she glanced down for a moment then back up at him. "Will I see you when I get back?" She asked curiously and Troy shrugged. "Yeah. Keep the jacket." She looked like she wanted to say something else before she could; Troy stepped over Andrew and headed for the door. But he wasn't quick enough. Even with his back turned and few feet away from her, he heard it. "I'll miss you." His stomach twisted at the softness of her voice, the feeling in it that he refused to identify. Before he could think about what he was feeling the ice froze over it and the cold consumed anything else that rose at her words. CHAPTER 16 EMOTION She missed him. She'd already known she was going to miss him, she'd known as soon as the words had left his mouth. But she hadn't realized how much she was going to miss him until she'd walked into school the day after and he wasn't there. Even now Gabriella could still remember the blatant shock she'd felt when her eyes had gravitated towards Chad and he hadn't been standing there. It had been like a punch in the gut and she hadn't been sure why. It was confusing, Gabriella thought as she rested her chin atop her arms which were folded over her knees, because as the days had worn on, the terrifying longing had grown. She wanted to know what had made him suddenly leave. She wanted to know where he was going. She wanted to know why he was going. If there was one thing she knew about Troy Bolton is that he never did anything without a purpose. Smiling a little at that thought, Gabriella rubbed her cheek against the collar of his jacket. She'd never been claimed by anyone before and, though she had to admit it might not have been his intention, according to everyone who had spoken to her three days before, Troy shoving his jacket in her hands was his way of telling the other guys to back off. At the thought of another guy, Gabriella frowned as she remembered seeing Andrew Hanley that morning. She hated what Troy had done to him, his nose had been broken and his left cheek bruised slightly. What she hated more was the way Troy had looked at her after he had punched him. He'd looked sobroken, even as she searched for the word Gabriella wondered if that was even the way to describe the look in his eyes. She'd never thought that someone who had always been so unreadable could have so much emotion swirling in their eyes. But his eyes, Gabriella closed her own for a moment; they had been so much more than

broken. There had been pain and defiance. Vulnerability and resistance. His eyes, Gabriella thought, hadn't been broken, they'd been a contradiction. It had been as if everything inside him had been warring and he'd been desperately searching for the control that he was known for. The contradiction had scared her as much as it had fascinated her. How had it been possible for his ice to allow someone to see what was going on behind it? There was more to him, Gabriella thought, there was more than the danger, more than the ice, more than the control and Gabriella could only hope that he would let her in. God, she wanted to be let in. She wanted to know who he was behind the ice. Opening her eyes again, Gabriella blew out a breath as she stared out the window. She was curled up in one of the science labs, waiting for the Scholastic Decathlon team to arrive. Even though it was Friday afternoon, Taylor had insisted on a practice even though all Gabriella wanted to do was go home and curl up with a good book, hoping that it would distract her from the fact that Troy had been gone for three days. Before she could wonder, once again, where, exactly, Troy had gone. Gabriella heard the door open and turned her head to smile as Taylor walked in. "Oh, you're here. I waited at your locker for like five minutes." Taylor's voice didn't change despite her heart sinking slightly when she saw that Gabriella was wearing Troy's jacket once again. "Sorry. I got out of class early and thought I could come and wait here. What are we going over today?" Gabriella was well aware of the way Taylor's eyes had traced over the jacket she was wearing and knew that if she didn't keep the topic neutral they were going to argue. Taylor considered her for a moment, and then spoke. "Equations. You can help us with them; they're Doug's weak area." Gabriella nodded, reluctantly stretching her legs out and tugging on the sleeve of a jacket that had unrolled. "Okay, cool." Gabriella said standing up and forcing herself not to rub her eyes. She doubted Taylor would approve if she found out that Gabriella hadn't been sleeping because she had slowly begun to be worried about Troy. There was silence for a few moments as Taylor unpacked her folder and prepared for the practice while Gabriella snuggled into Troy's jacket even more, a faraway look coming into her eyes as she thought about what she would do if Troy decided to randomly show up before next week. Taylor eyed the jacket for a moment, disdain coursing through her veins before she sighed. "Can you take your jacket off?" Taylor asked the question quickly, not wanting to provoke Gabriella who had buried her nose into the collar, inhaling the quickly fading scent of Troy. "What? Why?" Gabriella's startled look was enough to make Taylor relax slightly. She didn't sound mad, which Taylor thought, was a good thing. It had been a while since Gabriella had spoken to her without getting mad. "Well, because the jacket intimidates everyone. We all know Troy's staked a claim on you, we don't need you to parade it around." Taylor's tone was businesslike and Gabriella blushed as something rolled within her stomach. "Are you kidding me? Taylor, I'm not parading the jacket around. I'm cold. It was in my locker. It's called being logical." The temper Taylor hadn't thought Gabriella had, flared up and she wondered just how much her friend had fallen for Troy Bolton. She wondered just how much her friend knew about the boy who coolly assessed everyone. "Sorry for asking a question." Gabriella rolled her eyes at Taylor's murmur. "Can I ask a question?" Gabriella carefully tucked her hands into the pockets of the jacket as she considered Taylor's question, wondering if she could make a joke about it before shrugging. "Why not? You're going to anyway." Gabriella muttered the last part and it was Taylor's turn to roll her eyes. "What the hell do you know about Troy Bolton? Besides the fact that he wants to get into your pants, what do you honestly know about him?" Gabriella winced, she should have known that Taylor would ask a question like that and, like her mother, Gabriella wasn't sure how to explain what she knew about Troy Bolton without the complication of an explanation.

Taylor waited, feeling smug about her question even as Gabriella answered. "I know enough." It was coolly said, as if she had been taking lessons from Troy himself and Taylor felt some of the smugness recede. "You know enough. That's it? Gabriella, you know more about Doug than you do about Troy." Taylor snapped without thinking and Gabriella's eyes went dark, instantly making her regret the words. She'd forgotten how Gabriella reacted when Doug and Troy were put in a sentence together. "Isn't it lucky for me that you think so?" Gabriella hadn't realized that she could be so cold, she hadn't realized that she could be so angry. "I don't think I'm going to be able to stay for practice, Tay. I don't particularly want to be subjected to another lecture on how I don't know Troy." Gabriella moved as she spoke, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder as she headed past Taylor. Taylor was momentarily stunned before she realized that Gabriella was actually leaving. "No, wait, Gabriella, don't go." Gabriella ignored her as she walked towards the door, not caring that Taylor was attempting to apologize. "I'll see you on Monday." Gabriella stalked out of the classroom, ignoring her teammates who were heading for the lab. Did she honestly look that oblivious? That nave? First, her mother and now Taylor. Gabriella wondered who was going to lecture her about how she didn't know Troy next. She wondered who was going to point out that she didn't know anything about him and she wondered why having sex with him was such a big deal. It was her decision, wasn't it? She was the one who had the power to say no and above anything else she knew about Troy, was that he would respect her decision. Even if he didn't like it. But that wasn't it. That wasn't what was irritating her about Taylor and her mother at all. Gabriella wanted to know why it was so difficult for her mother and her friend to believe that Troy would be interested in her. She didn't understand how it could be so difficult for them to see that maybe Troy was interested in her. Maybe he did like her. She didn't understand what was so difficult about seeing him with her. Was she that much of a geek, a nerd who no-one was supposed to notice, that they were all waiting for her to wake up from a dream? Gabriella wanted to growl in frustration at the thought. She fought the growl as she rounded the corner in the empty hallway and was too busy trying to suppress another that she didn't realize she was about to walk into a solid wall of muscle until she looked up a second too late. "Whoa, there." Chad caught her arm before she tumbled over onto the floor and Gabriella looked up at him for a moment, shocked beyond belief before feeling tears well up. "S-sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Gabriella attempted to draw in a deep breath and only succeeded in letting out a shaky one. Chad looked at her closely and had to admit, his best friend chose well when he wanted too. "It's okay. What are you doing here, anyway?" Gabriella barely heard the words as she tried to figure out how to make the tears that were threatening disappear and why on earth they had suddenly sprung up. "Uh, I was meant to have Decathlon practice," Gabriella looked up at Chad, who had yet to let go of her arm and wondered why he cared. "Why?" She asked, gently tugging on her arm. Chad looked down at her in surprise before realizing he still had a grip on her arm. Because she was tugging on it, Chad let it go. "Huh? Oh, I was just curious. It is Friday. Though I'm not surprised McKessie decided to hold one. The girls psychotic." Gabriella let out a giggle at Chad's bland tone. "I don't think I'm going to disagree with you. Why are you still here? I know there wasn't a game on today." Chad felt his cheeks heat up slightly at her question and he coughed, wondering if she was going to be comfortable with him after he mentioned why he was there. "I got a weeks worth of detention off Darbus, for the legs comment." Gabriella blinked slightly, wondering why he sounded so embarrassed and then realized what he was talking about.

"Oh, well," unable to help herself a giggle escaped her. Chad looked so uncomfortable standing there. "I'm not sure why she gave you a weeks worth of detention. It's not like your comment embarrassed me more than the dress did." Chad let out a chuckle at her words, knowing that Darbus wouldn't see it that way. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't see it that way. But hey, if you want to get me out of detention on Monday, I'll be eternally in your debt." Gabriella laughed at that, rolling her eyes slightly as she felt some of the tension in her shoulders fade as Chad joked. "Dream on. I only got away with being late because Miss Darbus was too busy being indignant on my behalf about your comment." Gabriella pointed out and Chad nodded, making a thoughtful face as he thought about it. "I should have stayed asleep then." Gabriella let out a giggle at the words and Chad realized that she would be a very easy person to talk too. Someone, he thought, that he could be friends with quite easily, someone who, once past the shyness, was a person that you had to like. "Yeah. Then you would have woken up while I was getting a lecture on the importance of being on time." Gabriella rolled her eyes at the thought of another lecture and was grateful that she hadn't been put through that particular torture. Even now, thinking back on that part of the day, she was sure she wouldn't have dealt well with another lecture. "Nah. Troy would have saved you by arguing with Darbus over the importance of being late." Chad didn't realized what he'd said until he saw Gabriella freeze. Instantly cursing himself, Chad had to hastily remind himself that she was the last one to see Troy before he had taken off three days ago. He wondered what, exactly, Troy had said to her and then realized that maybe it had nothing to do with what Troy had said, but what he'd done. Gabriella bit her lip, finally registering that she was talking to Troy's best friend. "Have youhave you heard from him?" Gabriella tried not to sound too hopeful. She wanted to pretend that it didn't really bother her that Troy had left. But as Chad turned his dark eyes on her, she knew she'd failed. Chad considered lying to her, telling her he hadn't heard a word since the last time she'd seen him and Troy together and knew he would feel bad for it. As he looked at her, seeing the hopefulness in her eyes, Chad suddenly understood what Troy had been talking about. The look in her eyes, the one Chad was pretty sure she had no idea about, was what made him want to tell the truth. She was looking at him like he held all the answers to tilting her world the right way again and the look was exactly the same one Allie had whenever he'd seen her without Troy. Sighing, Chad shrugged. "Yeah. I've spoken to him." Relief flooded through her before he'd even finished the first word. Fighting the smile that was threatening, Gabriella nodded, wondering how to say thanks without revealing how relieved she was. "Is he okay?" It was the first thing she could think of after the wave of relief had receded. Chad shrugged, apparently unwilling to tell her. "I guess so. He didn't say much, just that he wasn't going to be back for training and needed me to remember a few things." Chad admitted reluctantly, his mind wandering to the other part of their conversation when Chad had mentioned how Andrew Hanley had shown up with a broken nose. Troy's silence had been enough to confirm that he had had a lot to do with it and the question about Gabriella following the silence had made Chad wonder why he'd left when he wanted to know she was okay. "Oh. Well. As long as he's okay." It was enough, Gabriella told herself. It had to be enough. She'd known he wouldn't have called her. She'd assumed it when she'd realized that he didn't have her number. She didn't look disappointed, Chad thought. She didn't look disappointed at all. Instead, she looked happy and he couldn't figure out why. The only explanation was that she understood Troy better than anyone thought she did. "Yeah. He is." Chad nodded and Gabriella, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder, realized that she'd better get going in case Taylor decided to try and call her during the break she allowed.

"Thanks Chad. I've got to go. Bye." Gabriella smiled at him, wishing slightly that she could stay for a little bit longer and talk to him a little more. He was nice. He wasn't obnoxious or arrogant the way Taylor had first portrayed him. Chad raised his hand in farewell, staring incredulously at her back as she walked away from him. He would have thought that she would have asked why he hadn't called her. Why he hadn't spoken to her at in the time he'd been away. It surprised him that she hadn't and it shocked him that maybe, just maybe, she understood Troy's character better than anyone else thought. "God, Danforth, don't you have a home?" Taylor McKessie's annoyed voice rang out from behind him and Chad jumped at the harsh voice. "I do McKessie. But unlike you, I'm not here voluntarily." Chad snapped as he casually turned to face the narrow eyed brunette. "Like that makes a difference. Did you happen to see Gabriella Montez?" Taylor's eyes glittered menacingly and Chad rolled his own, knowing that she was furious that Gabriella had probably walked out of a Decathlon session. "Yep. She didn't look too happy either." Chad nodded solemnly, wondering if Taylor was going to pick up that he was taking a swipe at her. Apparently, he thought struggling to fight a grin, she was too mad to realize what he'd said. "Probably because you're best friends been messing around with her. Tell me Chad, did Troy tell you when he's going to drop her or is Gabriella going to have to figure it out all by herself?" Taylor snapped and instantly regretted it when Chad's eyes darkened. She wasn't in the mood to get into an argument with Danforth anymore than she was in the mood to chase down Gabriella and placate her. Unfortunately, as soon as Gabriella had left Taylor had realized how much they needed her patience and simple instructions. "I think, McKessie," Chad's voice broke her out of her thoughts and Taylor was surprised at the seriousness of his voice, "that you're underestimating both Troy and Gabriella. To write off Troy is one thing, you hate that he's smarter than you but your own friend? It proves that you're as narrow-minded about us as you assume we are about you." Taylor's mouth dropped open at Chad's words, hating that he had hit a sore point and hating even more that he was right. Before she could retaliate, Chad had turned around and walked away, leaving Taylor with the feeling that he had already given his blessing to whatever was going on between Troy and Gabriella. That meant that she was the only one who would be able to make Gabriella see what was going to go catastrophically wrong if she let Troy Bolton get to her. --Even as she turned onto her street, Gabriella was thinking about her conversation with Chad. She wasn't sure why she was so relieved that Troy was okay. Logically, she'd known that he would be okay because, above anything else, she knew Troy was smart enough to not get into trouble in a place where noone could get him out of it. But it was more than logic that had made her worry about him. Gabriella wasn't sure what had made her worry but she knew it was the same thing that had propelled her to say that she was going to miss him even thought his back was turned. It was the same thing that had made her want him in a way that she had never wanted before. It was that one emotion that trumped every other logical or irrational thought she had when it came to Troy and Gabriella knew if she put a name to it, things would most likely get messy. Messier, she admitted, than they already were. She didn't notice the black car that was sitting comfortably on the curb, nor did she notice the boy leaning against its said, watching as she pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. She was too caught up in a the terrifying wave of realization that if she put the name to the emotion, the name she knew it deserved, she was going to create something more painful than what he was putting her through now. Grabbing her bag and getting out of the car, Gabriella slammed the door shut, fumbling with her keys as she tried to lock the car. As the cars blinkers flashed, Gabriella looked up, over the roof of the car and froze.

Troy was leaning against the car parked at the curb outside her house. He lookedfresh, she thought. His were aviators glinting in the fading sunlight as he folded his arms across the white v-necked tee he was wearing. His ankles were crossed, crinkling the faded blue jeans he was wearing. Gabriella barely registered that she was walking as she walked towards him, torn between the fantasy of running to him and throwing herself at him and the reality that he wouldn't respond to her public display of affection. "Hey. I thought you said next week." She only breathed it when she was sure he could hear and wanted to berate herself for saying something so stupid. Troy shrugged. "I did." He agreed, reaching over to twine a curl around his finger. "But then I thought there are some things you and I need to clear up and what better way to do it than when everyone else thinks I'm not here?" He asked and Gabriella's eyes widened at his implication, butterflies swooping through her stomach at the thought. For a moment she didn't know what to say and then knew that there was nothing she could say outside that would mean anything when they were in the house. It would have to mean something in the house. "Oh. Um, mom's gone for the weekend, so I guess you can come in." Troy didn't give any indication that he heard the tremble in her voice or that he acknowledged the easy acceptance of what he had implicated. He nodded. "Okay. After you." Gabriella tried not to notice the sarcasm that seemed to touch his words and turned in case he knew she had. She knew he was following her when she heard a quiet chuckle from behind her. She wondered, for a moment, why he was laughing and then remembered she was wearing his jacket. Blushing slightly, Gabriella fumbled with the keys as the emotion she'd been thinking about, the one that had caused the worry, the relief, sighed and whispered inside her that everything she was, everything she knew, was about to change. CHAPTER 17 MISCONCEPTIONS The moment Troy heard the innocent sound of children's laughter, he knew he was awake. He refused to open his eyes, for a few seconds, knowing that when he did he would have to acknowledge that for the first time in a long time he'd made a very rash, very spontaneous decision that didn't sit well with him now that he was thinking straight. For the first time in, perhaps, ever, Troy didn't want to open his eyes and rationalize what he had done. He didn't want to pretend that this thing with Gabriella hadn't grown as deep as he knew it had. He didn't want to pretend that he hadn't given her a second thought when he'd taken off to Santa Fe three days ago and he really didn't want to pretend that he hadn't spent every waking moment with half his mind on her and half his mind on the projects his Uncle had kept shoving into his hands at every opportune moment. So Troy did the one thing he knew was right. He opened his eyes. He wasn't surprised when he found Gabriella's room bathed in moonlight. Nor was he surprised when he lifted himself slightly to see that most people were sitting down to eat dinner right about now. No, what surprised him was that he'd slept. Even as he thought it, Troy was lowering himself back down flat as the girl draped across his chest murmured something before trying to snuggle closer. He didn't want her to wake, not now. Not when he himself had just woken up and was too aware that when she woke, they would have to deal with the sudden, sharp turn their relationship had taken. A sudden, sharp turn, Troy had to admit, that wasn't exactly an unexpected turn of events. They'd both known that this was where they had been heading, perhaps even before he had caught her in the park with Doug. She'd accepted it as gracefully as she'd accepted his jacket three days before and he'd run. Troy hated the fact that he'd run.

He wished he could tell himself that he hadn't run. That he hadn't become overwhelmed by Chad's questions, his father's sympathy and the ice he could normally control. But knew that it was a lie. He'd run. It had been as much of a retreat as it had been to protect everyone from the ice Gabriella had caught a flash of just before he'd left. But even rationalizing it like that didn't change the fact that he'd run, Troy thought sourly. It didn't change the fact that he'd dumped his ice on someone else. His uncle had always promised that he would try and listen. Try and make things better. His uncle was a safety net that Troy had used time and time again, but this time had been different and Troy knew that his uncle had known it had been different the moment he'd opened up his front door. Almost, he mused, the way Gabriella had known it was all about to change when she'd seen him leaning against his car. Troy wasn't going to deny he'd been surprised by the way Gabriella had so easily accepted the fact that he was back. Some part of him had wanted her to dramatize his return. He'd wanted her to jump into his arms so he could take what he had come back for without having to coax her to come out of the shell he'd been sure she'd retreated into after he had left. But she hadn't. Troy wasn't sure why she hadn't and then he'd realized that maybe she understood him better than he thought she did. The thought had both amused and terrified him. The amusement had won though. Troy wasn't going to deny the flash of pleasure he'd felt when she'd turned to lead him into the house and he'd noticed she was wearing his jacket and the amusement he'd felt at her had escalated until all he could do was chuckle. Gabriella suddenly whimpered slightly, her legs tightening around his as she pushed herself deeper into his side. Troy wasn't surprised at her whimper. He'd figured she'd probably be sore but he was surprised at the way she continued to cling onto him, as if she thought he going to go away again. It wasn't surprising, Troy thought, as his mind drifted back to the moments before he'd touched her and both had lost all coherent thought.

He was slightly surprised when she didn't fumble as she opened the door. Something had flashed in her eyes moments earlier that had given him the impression that she wasn't quite sure how to handle him suddenly arriving, that she was nervous about the fact that he was back. Troy found that he liked that she was nervous. It made him feel less on edge. Less like he'd walked back into something that was different than what he'd left. He'd convinced himself that she was different than what he had spent month fascinated by. Sometime between rubbing grease on his cheek as he pulled apart a car engine and sitting on the back porch of his uncles house, his two year old cousin in his lap, Troy had managed to push away the Gabriella he knew he'd left behind and replace her with a Gabriella he told himself he didn't find interesting at all. A Gabriella who wouldn't wear his jacket just to smell him, as he'd suspected she'd been doing in the time he'd been gone, a Gabriella who didn't light up when she saw him or get nervous when he was near. He'd made up a damn Gabriella that reminded him of everything he wasn't interested in and she'd blown it to pieces by simply being nervous. "Where'd you go?" Her quiet voice broke through his thoughts as they stepped into the house and Gabriella took a step toward what Troy knew was the kitchen. It was a neutral place he knew she figured he wouldn't be able to press her. He'd respect for now, but Troy knew she was only using it as a way of giving her a few moments to adjust. "Santa Fe." He replied dismissively and watched in amusement as her eyebrows rose slightly at his words. It was an appraising look Troy had never really been given before and he found that, in the few seconds when she forgot herself, that it simply made her look cute. Amusement lost out to incredulity as Troy wondered if he really just thought that Gabriella Montez was cute. "Why Santa Fe?" Amusement returned as Gabriella moved so they island bench was between them. Troy shrugged, folding his arm as he crossed one foot over the other and watched her carefully. Nerves, he thought, they were there and already breaking down any other misconception he'd made of her while he was away.

"Because it was there." He wasn't ready to tell her he'd been with family, wasn't quite ready for those ebony eyes to darken slightly in mistrust at the thought of Troy Bolton staying with family when he'd stormed out of school, fighting with his ice. "Ah. Andrew came back to school only today." Troy couldn't stop himself. He rolled his eyes. "And was Andrew suffering the way he should be?" Sarcasm dripped at his words and Troy watched as Gabriella moved one shoulder carelessly. "I don't know. He wouldn't talk to me. I even asked how he was." Not that she'd wanted to, Gabriella thought to herself, she'd just felt bad. Troy snorted at her words not surprised that she'd asked and even less surprised that Andrew didn't reply. "Surprise, surprise. Anything else of insignificance happen while I was gone?" He saw her wince at his words and realized that she had wanted to tell him what else had happened. He felt something that felt like guilt twist suddenly at her wounded expression and opened his mouth to prompt something from her when she suddenly spoke. "I missed you." Troy froze, something rearing as she blanched slightly before color spread through her cheeks like a fire going downhill. She'd missed him. Troy found himself staring as that something began to push him to realize that her missing him had meant she'd been thinking about him. Her missing him meant she'd spent time and energy wondering about him. Where he was, what he was doing. Her missing him meant that he hadn't been foolish to spend his time thinking about her between fixing an engine, sitting on a porch and planting misconceptions about her in his mind. Troy discovered, with some uneasiness, that her missing him meant more to him than he'd ever thought it would.

Even now, thinking back on it, Troy couldn't quite comprehend the words that had come out of her mouth. He couldn't force himself to acknowledge what it encompassed and he didn't know whether he would ever adjust to the idea that someone had missed him. Gabriella shifted again, jerking Troy away from the thoughts that were lingering on what had happened hours before and making him realize he needed to move. He needed to think. He needed to think clearly, in a way he wouldn't when she was snuggled into his side, as if she had always rested her head on the curve of his shoulder. His movements where smooth as he lifted himself away from her, settling her head on the pillow he had been laying on and tucking a pillow where he'd been laying when she whimpered at the sudden loss of contact. Troy pulled the blankets up, over her, knowing that his body heat had been the main reason she'd been warm. When he was satisfied that she was comfortable and asleep, did he cast his eyes around the room that barely looked lived in. His eyes latched onto his boxers and jeans and he made for them, being careful to avoid anything that the moonlight didn't highlight. Even as he scooped them up, heading for the door, Troy glanced back to make sure Gabriella was still asleep, still curled around the pillow. He wondered, for a brief moment, what would happen if she woke. Would he go over to her or let her think he was gone? Because he didn't know, Troy chose, for the second time that week, to retreat. He tried to be quiet as he shut the door to Gabriella's room and headed for what he knew from his previous visit was the bathroom. He didn't know that Gabriella had woken up the minute he'd shifted away from her. He reached the bathroom and slapped on the lights. For a moment, all he did was stand there, blinking as his eyes adjusted and then he shut the door, locking it in case Gabriella had woken up. Dropping his boxers, Troy turned on the shower, making sure that the water was hot enough to steam the mirrors before he stepped in. The hot water made him wince at first, as he scalded his shoulders and ran down his back. But slowly, it began to wear at the knot of tension between his shoulders. The knot that had been there all week and had grown over the few hours he'd been with Gabriella. Rolling his shoulders, Troy raised his face to the spray, closing his eyes as it beat down on his face. The scalding water felt good, better than good and as it continued to wear down on him, Troy began to think clearer than he had all week.

There was more to this, more to him and Gabriella, than he thought there was, than he'd wanted there to be. But now, Troy opened his eyes and leaned against the shower wall which felt almost ice cold compared the knives of the scorching water, but now it had all changed because she had missed him. Nobody missed him when he was gone. Troy wasn't fool enough to think that the students missed tiptoeing around him, waiting for a bomb to drop or that the girls who fawned over him missed their chance at fawning. His father never missed him, of that Troy was sure and neither did his friends. It was a fact that Troy had adjusted to over time because nobody missed ice. Nobody missed the cold. It didn't matter what his own feelings were, it didn't matter if he'd missed them because in the greater scheme of things, he didn't seem to have any. Which was another misconception, Troy realized with a hard jolt. He had feelings. He was human. Human enough to realize that Gabriella was the reason he'd realized his own emotions did matter and resent her for it. He'd been perfectly happy not feeling anything. Perfectly happy to let people know he was only icy or amused, whenever he chose to be. But Gabriella had awoken something in him that was pushing for something other than ice. Something other than amusement. Leaning his head back against the wall, Troy closed his eyes and, unbidden, an image Gabriella in the kitchen hours before, rose to his mind.

She was looking at him nervously, as if trying to gauge his reaction to her words while not wanting to look at him at all. Carefully, Troy took the words and tucked them away in the corner of his mind, his reaction to them going with it even as he knew that what he was about to do next had everything to do with what she had said. Troy watched Gabriella's eyes widen as he stepped around the island bench, towards her. Troy noted the small step backwards she took and chose to ignore it even as he reached out and grasped the hand that was hanging limply at her side. "Did you really miss me?" He asked softly, silkily, as he pulled her towards him. Slowly, as if still trying to gauge his reaction, Gabriella nodded haltingly. She had no idea that he hadn't meant to ask it all. He hadn't meant to be desperate to believe that she'd really missed him. "I I did." She needed something more than a question from him, Troy saw it, knew how to appease it and, perhaps for the first time, wanted too. When her body brushed his, Troy slid his hand up her arm, tangling it in her hair as his other slid over her hip, settling there. He felt her slide her arms around his waist and held the position. "Do you know what I did the entire time I was away?" He didn't know or understand why he was admitting this to her, but Troy couldn't stop himself as Gabriella shook her head. "No." She sounded unsure, but hopeful. As if what he was going to tell her mattered more than anything in the world. His mind flashed to Allie once more and then he pushed it aside, he wasn't going to think about that just yet. He wanted Gabriella before he confronted the sticky emotions waiting for him just beyond what was happening between them. Troy lowered his mouth until it was a whisper from her, holding her eyes as she watched him warily. "I thought of you." Her eyes widened even as Troy pressed his mouth to hers. Troy waited, watching as Gabriella's eyes stayed on his for a moment, telling him that what he'd said meant everything. That he meant everything. Then her eyes were drifting close, her hands were fisting in his shirt and she was kissing back. It was so easy to sink into her, even as he drew out the kiss, Troy knew that he'd never felt like this before. He'd never felt a struggling need to be needed. He'd never cared that someone had missed him and he sure as hell had never cared that someone had cared about who he missed as well. Gabriella pulled away for a moment, her eyes flickering with indecisions before Troy kissed her again. His lips slid over hers and Troy knew that it was all about to change into something he wasn't sure of. For a moment,

just a brief second, he wondered if he wanted it too. He wondered if he could do to her what he did to other girls. Then she looked up at him from beneath her lashes, her eyes colored by shyness and a touch of insecurity. And trust. She trusted him and with that trust, Troy knew, came an inexplicable will to believe in him. It was enough for him to not care about the change. "I think should we" Just a little helplessly, Troy thought with a touch of amusement, she felt just a little helpless and he nodded. She relaxed at his nod and Troy let her take his hand and lead him to the stairs. Troy followed her up the stairs, noting where he'd slammed her days before and smirking slightly as he watched her cheeks turn pink as she passed the spot as well. He followed her into her bedroom, remembering the way she had moved against him days before as they'd struggled to get into her bedroom. Then she turned towards him, dropping his hand and biting her lip and his mind went blank as he realized how beautiful she looked. As he realized how much she was about to give up to him even if he didn't want to comprehend what it all was going to mean. "Gabriella." The tone of his voice was enough for her to shake her head. To deny to what he should have said but couldn't. "I want too. I want it to be you." She was always going to be much better than him with vocalizing her feelings, Troy realized even as he stepped towards her and she lifted her arms, sliding them around her even as she slid into his. It was never going to be what he'd thought, but Troy had no idea that it would test his control this much. He had no idea that she would push his control just by lifting her face for a kiss. Troy fought the thread threatening to snap even as he lowered his mouth to hers, sinking into the kiss, planning to stay there awhile as his hand began to stroke the length of her body firmly. She sighed against his mouth, as he dragged his hand back up her body, lingering over the curve of her breast before resting on her throat. Then, as he shifted his mouth to just under her chin, Troy slid his hand down and found the full curve of her breast. He heard her breath hitch, watched as her eyes lowered till they were half closed and the first leap of arousal ran through them as he rubbed his thumb over her rock hard nipple. "Oh Troy" Her head fell back and Troy took advantage of the exposure to the smooth column of her throat. He slid the hand on her breast down, till he had a handful of her shirt and he pulled it up and over her head, watching her sudden shock at being exposed even as he brought his mouth back to hers. Troy slid both his hands down her side, smirking into the kiss at her sudden whimper at skin to skin contact and waiting, patiently, till she forgot herself again and he could shed her of the next article of clothing. It didn't take long. Her arms were locking around him tightly as he slid his hands back up the clasp. Before she could comprehend what he was doing, Troy pulled away and watched as the bra fell away from her. Troy waited, watching as embarrassment replace astonishment and knowing that she'd thought it was going to be fast, hard, the way it had been before. She looked away from him, her cheeks beginning to burn at being exposed even as he grasped a handful of the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head, letting it drop to the floor between them and waiting for Gabriella to look at him. When she didn't, he speak. "Gabriella. Look at me." The demand that he so rarely put away was there and so was something bordering on ice. It was enough for her to turn her head towards him, her cheeks still tinged pink. Then she seemed to forget herself as she stared at him. Troy waited as she hesitantly reached out, her fingers touching just below his throat before they slid down, tracing, outlining before they strayed to his side. "Who's Allie?" Her fingers brushed over his tattoo. A tattoo, Troy knew she hadn't expected to see. He wondered why it felt like they were looking at each other for the first time. She traced the cursive letters, scraping her nails along his skin before skimming them to trace the date below the name.

Troy cursed slightly as he felt her trace the numbers. His dad hadn't been lying. It was soon. Troy found he didn't want to reply. So, he lifted his hand, slid it beneath the curtain of hair until it rested against the back of her neck. Her eyes flicked upwards and Troy took her under without a thought. He knew she felt the sudden change in the kisses. The sudden change in him. But he couldn't help it. He needed to do this without being distracted by the tattoo on his side or the thoughts that were plaguing him. He needed to do this for his own sake and he needed to do it now. He didn't think as his hands slid and exploited the weaknesses he'd found days earlier. He nearly stopped breathing when she cried out as his mouth traced the curve of her breast. He guided her when her knees hit the edge of the bed, falling with her as her hands fisted in his hair. Lifting his head, Troy caught her mouth again as he began to fight with the button on her pants. He felt he tremble as his slid his hand beneath the material, sliding beneath her panties and nearly groaning when he found her hot and wet. Gabriella gasped against his mouth as nipped her throat and tugged at her jeans. The clothes fell to the floor as Gabriella arched towards him and Troy slid his hand up her leg. "TroyI don't " Troy watched as something flew through her eyes, nerves maybe or indecision. Then he cupped her and watched as all thought fled. There was so much, Gabriella couldn't stop herself from responding to him, her body writhed beneath his, her hips rising to his command. There was so much to feel as he pushed her towards the edge of the cliff, watching as she staggered between the need to tumble and the need to fight what was building. Troy watched as he pushed her over the edge, he reveled in her cry even as he felt himself throb. She closed her eyes as she came back down, panting. Troy watched as sweat rolled down her neck, he leaned down, catching it with his tongue as her eyes flew open as he pushed her towards that cliff again. Her hips pulsed against him as she moaned. She arched as she sobbed out his name in shock as he felt her come. He kissed her again as she fumbled with his own jeans. She made a sound, low in her throat that made Troy want to groan. Then she was pulling away from him, watching him for a few moments. "Protection." She gasped out even as he found the muscle in her neck that made her body jerk when he bit into it, suckled. He wanted to chuckle at the practicality of her mind, then found her couldn't when something guttural escaped her as his hand ghosted down her leg. He didn't reply to her word. Didn't let her think about it again, though he knew she'd only said it to remind him. Not to ask. Instead, he struggled with his jeans, struggled even as she waited. Then he was stretching over her, holding himself steady as he settled himself between her legs. She gazed up at him, a new awareness in her eyes as he held himself for a moment, waiting until he saw full acceptance. As it slowly stole into her eyes, Troy slid into her. He'd thought it wouldn't change until after. He'd figured it would all be different when they woke up and were faced with the prospect of accepting what had been done. He'd had no idea that it was another misconception. The moment he slid into her, the moment he heard her gasp of surprise, Troy felt something fight and then break free. He felt the feelings no-one had ever let him have emerged and he dropped headlong into something he wasn't quite sure of as Gabriella raised her lips and kissed him.

Too many misconceptions, Troy thought as he stepped back under the harsh spray. He felt like he'd miscalculated until he was standing in a shower, trying to figure out what he'd dropped into and wondering what he was going to tell Gabriella about the tattoo she'd only discovered hours before. Absently, Troy raised his hand and rubbed the bold black script, wondering how much of it he could tell her and wondering if Chad was right, it meant something if he didn't know if he wanted her to know or not. He'd

never not known and Troy wondered if him not knowing had something to do with the fact that he didn't know what he'd gotten himself into. He'd spent six years training himself not to feel, training himself to see everything as black or white. He'd learnt the hard way what happened when the gray area became a place that was so blurred, even the black and white were distorted. He'd learnt the hard way what happened when feelings obscured the stark reality of truth. Troy shook his head hard once as the image of sad blue eyes rose in his mind. He wasn't going to go down that path yet. Not yet. Not until he had any semblance of control over the emotions that had chosen to roam free. With a flick of his wrist, Troy shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. Reaching over, he grabbed a towel and in smooth strokes, dried himself off. Leaning down, he plucked up his boxers and jeans, pulling them on and only bothering to pull the zipper up on his jeans. Troy attempted to place the towel back onto the rack, so it would dry and he could pretend he hadn't taken a shower in what he was sure was Gabriella's own bathroom. He frowned when the towel crumbled to the floor, reminding him why he never actually bothered to try something he wasn't good at. With a sigh, he threw it over the shower and let it hang there. Troy unlocked the door, swinging it open and stopping short when he came face to face with Gabriella. He watched as her eyes widened and then she looked down, another blush spreading across her cheeks as Troy forced himself to not rub the back of his neck. "I I thought you'd left." Troy controlled the quick flash of anger he felt. Not because she wouldn't look at him which is what he initially thought, but because she'd woken up alone and assumed that he would leave. He hadn't been lying when he'd said that there were some things they needed to clear up and Troy had hoped that she'd have enough faith in him to believe that he wouldn't just leave. Folding his arms across his chest, he shook his head. "Apparently I didn't." He watched as she winced slightly as the ice in his tone sliced through her. "Oh. Um, did you find a clean towel?" Troy told himself he wasn't amused at the way she looked behind him into the bathroom, searching for any mess he might have seen. He waited for a moment, simply looking at her as her eyes continued to flicker over the bathroom. She'd pulled on a robe that seemed too big for her, the shoulder of it was slipping down her arm even as she pulled it up again. "I dunno. I just used the one that was hanging up. Are you hungry?" Troy told himself that the reason he wanted to slip his arms around her and lower his lips to the smooth skin of her shoulder was because his control had begun to snap as he stood in front of her. His ice had begun to slip. It had nothing to do with the headlong fall he'd taken when he'd slid inside her hours before. Gabriella's eyes finally flicked to his, looking startled. "What?" She blushed as soon as she'd blurted it out and Troy found himself getting annoyed with the color that seemed to spread across her cheeks every time he asked a question. He reveled in an emotion he knew. "Are you hungry? It's a simple yes or no answer." Impatience colored his tone as he waited for her to comprehend what he was asking and wished to God that the robe stopped sliding down her shoulder. "Uh. I guess so." She looked slightly stunned and Troy forced himself to not roll his eyes as he brushed past her. The need to get out of the house shocking him slightly even as it rose swiftly. He didn't need to turn around to know that she'd followed him back into her bedroom. Snatching up his shirt, Troy pulled it over his head as he cast his gaze around for his car keys. Catching sight of them just near her bed, Troy bent down, briefly wondered how they had fallen out of his pocket before turning back to face her. "I'm going to get take-out. Is there anything you want specifically or are you good with whatever I bring back?" Troy asked coolly and Gabriella yanked the shoulder of her robe up again before shaking her head.

"I'm good with anything." Troy nodded, heading out of her room and for the stairs. He felt Gabriella hesitate just behind him before he knew she'd followed him. As he dropped down two of the steps, Troy wondered if she was going to say anything before he left and then realized with a twist of amusement that maybe she wasn't that brave. He had no doubt she hadn't expected him to be in the shower when she'd woken up and he figured he'd thrown her off when he was. She was probably still trying to adjust to the fact that he was still there. "Troy?" He stopped with one foot on the third step down. She was going to speak and Troy wondered why he felt so shocked. "Yes?" He replied, trying not to sound too testy and wondering why she didn't shrink away at his tone as she might have done a few minutes ago. "You're really coming back?" There was something in the way she said it that made Troy soften. Something about the hopeful disbelief in her voice that gave Troy the impression that she hadn't expected him to even consider it. For a moment, Troy considered telling her he wasn't. That he was just going home and hoping that she would pick up on the sarcasm. As he looked at her, Troy doubted that she would pick up on even the most obvious sarcasm and allowed himself to nod slowly. "Yep. I think there are a few things we need to talk about." He said, like Allie, he thought to himself and knew that she was thinking the same thing. "Okay. See you when you get back." She was backing away from the steps as she said it and Troy watched her for a moment before he turned and ran down the stairs. As soon as he felt the cool night air rushed over him, Troy knew that he'd been full of misconceptions. Misconceptions that Gabriella had single handedly destroyed in the few hours he'd been back in Albuquerque. Sighing, Troy unlocked his car and slid in. There was so many misconceptions that he needed to sort through them. The problem was now that he knew they existed, now that he was aware that there was so many of them, he didn't know if he could sift through them alone. He didn't know if he could do it with or without her.

CHAPTER 18 HANGING Gabriella hadn't known what to expect when she'd woken up. More than one scenario had flown through her mind, from the most romantic notion she could think of to the most likely. Out of all of them, Troy showering and then leaving to get take-out was the least likely. She'd assumed he'd left. When she'd woken up to discover she was wrapped around a pillow, she'd assumed he'd simply gone. Gotten up and left when he was sure she'd been fast asleep. It had hurt, but it hadn't hurt as much as if she hadn't been expecting to find him gone. And she had. She didn't know whether it was little faith in him or her own insecurities, but even as she'd been falling asleep with her head resting on his shoulder, cuddling into his side she'd known that he wouldn't be there when she woke up. She just hadn't expected him to still be in the house when she woke up. Some part of her had relaxed when she'd woken up and he hadn't been there. She'd thought that maybe she could adjust; get her head around what she had given him. Not unwillingly, though, she'd wanted it to be him. It surprised her slightly how much she had wanted it to be him. Troy had been the only person who she'd ever been able to imagine giving her innocence too. The only person, Gabriella thought with a jolt, and that meant something. She wasn't stupid. Gabriella knew what some of the girls in her year had done, how they had so much more experience than she did. She knew, too, that sometimes guys liked that more in a girl than they did anything else. But that hadn't stopped her from forming a crush on someone at her previous schools, nor had it stopped her from imagining what it was like to kiss them. But none of them had made her imagine, made her want, what Troy made her want, what he made her imagine.

None of them had made her feel what Troy made her feel. Curling her legs up to her chest, Gabriella shifted slightly on the lounge she'd stretched out on. She'd chosen to be in the living room when he arrived back. It allowed her to be still, muscles she didn't know existed where sore, and it allowed her to know when he arrived back, which, she knew, wouldn't be too much longer. Briefly, Gabriella wondered what he'd bring back to eat and then felt a swoop of apprehension as she realized that they had to talk. Closing her eyes, Gabriella wondered what the talk would consist of. She couldn't imagine Troy avoiding what he wanted to talk about but she could just see him leaving things out. Omitting things he didn't think were important to say. He would do that, Gabriella thought, because he didn't want her to know everything. Because he didn't want her too close to him. She wondered if she was too close already. That maybe the talk would be short and quick, like ripping off a band-aid. Maybe he would tell her that there was going to be nothing after this. That what was happening between them was simply a one time thing. The quick stab of pain made Gabriella gasp. Quickly, her eyes flew open and she sat up. She didn't want Troy to tell her it was a one time occurrence. She didn't want him to think so little of whatever was between them. He meant too much. Feeling tears threaten, Gabriella tried to hold them back. What would she do if he decided that this had run its course? That she wasn't worth it because she wasn't experience enough or that she was too shy? That she was too much of a good girl for the bad boy? The tears that had threatened began to fall at the thought of Troy rejecting her because she wasn't suited to the image that East High had created for him. Though a large part of her knew that he wasn't that shallow, that he would never end whatever this was because she was a good girl, Gabriella couldn't help but listen to the insecurities. She couldn't help but cry at the thought of seeing him give her one of those blank looks again. One of those looks that told people he thought nothing of them. That they weren't even worth his ice. That would hurt most of all. To be nothing to him and Gabriella could only hope as she tried to wipe away the tears even as more fell, would be the worst kind of torture. Letting out a quiet sob at the thought, Gabriella didn't hear the knock on the door. Instead, she pushed her face into her hands and tried to stem the tears. It was then, with her face in her hands, that she heard the second knock and thought it was strange that Troy had decided to knock. She'd thought he would simply walk in. Rubbing her cheeks, though she knew she looked like she'd been crying, Gabriella ignored her groaning muscles as she got up and headed to the door as the person knocked for a third time. Gabriella pushed her hair behind her ear as she opened the door, her eyes widening when she saw Taylor standing on the doorstep looking slightly irritated before the other girl leaned back on her heels to study her friend. For a moment there was only silence. Gabriella was aware that she looked like she'd been crying and knew that Taylor was going to take it the wrong way. Before she could speak and deny what Taylor was thinking, Taylor spoke. "I told you so." Gabriella blinked at the victorious words. "I freaking told you so. What did he do?" Taylor looked so smug that, for a moment, Gabriella was stunned. Shouldn't Taylor be more worried about her than the fact that she was right? Shouldn't she be worried about the fact that she was right instead of smug and triumphant about it? "He didn't do anything." Gabriella spoke coolly, briefly wondering how she was going to explain the fact that she looked like she'd been crying when Taylor snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. You look like you've been crying Gabriella. Don't deny it. If you tell me what he did, I'll track him down and kick his ass." Taylor brushed her friend, and Gabriella's words, aside as she sailed into the house, the concern for her friend coming a bit too late as Gabriella shut the door around to stare at her.

She wasn't even that concerned, Gabriella realized as she followed Taylor into the kitchen. Because Taylor had been her before, Gabriella didn't bother to direct her to anything as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen and stared at her friend, incredulous. "He didn't do anything." Gabriella repeated as Taylor dug through a drawer for a spoon, the tub of yoghurt she'd gotten from the fridge sitting in front of her. Taylor only paused mid dig before she studied her friend as she resumed digging. "I don't believe you. Of all the things that have happened too you since you came to Albuquerque, Troy Bolton had been at the root of all your problems." Or problem, Gabriella thought as Taylor found a spoon and leaned back against the sink to eat the yoghurt and watch her friend. Taylor viewed Troy as a problem, Gabriella thought, she thought that her feelings for Troy weren't as strong as Gabriella knew they were. Her mind flashed to the stab of pain she'd felt when she'd been thinking about what he'd say to her. She felt too much for him for her feelings to be indispensable because Taylor thought they were. "Taylor, Troy hasn't done anything to me. That's three times I've said that and I won't say it again. What are you doing here?" This time the cold tone she'd used apparently got through to her friend and Gabriella had the satisfaction of watching uncertainty flash through Taylor's eyes as she set down the yoghurt. "I came because I wanted to apologize for this afternoon. But, apparently, you don't want to see me." Taylor's voice was as cold as hers had been and Gabriella found herself taking a note from Troy's book and infusing her own chill with amusement. "I never said that. Besides, you don't want to apologize for this afternoon. You still want me to have nothing to do with Troy and everything to do with Doug. That's not going to change. So why don't you tell me why you're really here?" Because what Gabriella was saying was too close to the bone and the cold amusement Taylor could only assume she'd learnt from Troy, was so much more effective than she'd ever thought it would be, she threw out the tub of yoghurt and folded her arms. "I really did come to apologize, but seeing as you won't believe that, I'll begin with the other reason." Gabriella simply raised an eyebrow at her and Taylor found she'd never been made to feel more small and petulant than she was now. "Do you know why Troy ran away?" The spite in Taylor's voice had Gabriella drawing in a quick breath. So did the fact that she didn't know why Troy had gone, which meant it was another thing Taylor had gloat about. Gabriella opened her mouth. "I " Gabriella felt the presence behind her and snapped her mouth shut as she felt the wave of fury as well. "She doesn't McKessie, nor do I think that it's your place to tell her." Troy's voice wasn't coldly amused the way Gabriella's was and it didn't make Taylor feel small and petulant. His voice was steely ice and as cold as the Antarctic. It made her feel afraid. "What are you doing here?" Taylor scrambled to regain her poise as she spat out the words. Troy didn't reply as Gabriella turned slightly to him, she saw the ice she'd seen when he'd hit Andrew and feared it. Without thinking, she placed a gentle hand on his arm, hoping that maybe it would calm him. The way it had calmed him when Doug had tried to ask her out. "I'm here with dinner. You know that thing people are eating right about now. It's become a tradition in many cultures to eat an evening meal." Troy's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he held up the plastic bag he was holding. Gabriella felt her stomach grumble at the smells wafting from the bag and pushed it away, it wasn't a good time to think about her stomach. "Don't try sarcasm with me Bolton. It doesn't work." Gabriella turned her head away at the tone of Taylor's voice, looking up at Troy and wishing he would glance down at her, so she could silently plead with him to not tear Taylor to shreds. "I'll use whatever I please, McKessie. Just as I'll tell Gabriella why I left when I please. Good night." It was a curt dismissal given in a tone that warned Taylor to not argue. Gabriella wondered if her friend would hear the tone instead of the words. She hoped she would. Swallowing hard, Gabriella managed to tear her eyes away from Troy, from the face that was watching Taylor fight to not give into the tone. Her eyes found Taylor and Gabriella shrugged when the look Taylor gave her was to say something. To say anything. She couldn't because she knew Troy was right. It was his prerogative to tell her why he left and Taylor had no right to interfere with that.

"Fine. Bye Gabriella. I suppose I'll see you wherever Troy is." Gabriella drew in a sharp breath at the menace in Taylor's voice and closed her eyes as Taylor stormed past her and Troy. She jolted slightly when the slamming of the door cracked through the silence like a whip before reopening her eyes. Before she could speak, Troy pulled his arm away from her and placed the plastic bag on the bench. "I got you noodles in black bean sauce." His voice was tense and Gabriella felt the insecurities prickle at his cold voice. Wasn't this what she was afraid of? Drawing in a deep breath, Gabriella stepped forward. "Troy, I didn't know she was coming." He glanced back at her and Gabriella bit her lip at the ice in his eyes. He snorted and she felt shock tingle through her. "Yeah, right. McKessie would never have come over unannounced. It's not in her character." Because Troy had known Taylor longer than she had, Gabriella felt a twinge of fear as he pulled out several cartons. "I didn't though. Don't you think that if I had I would have tried to get her out of her as soon as possible?" Gabriella asked, pushing away the fear as Troy turned to her, his face hard and his eyes cool. "I wouldn't know. I've been away. How am I meant to know she hasn't convinced you to have nothing to do with me and everything to do with Doug?" Gabriella's mouth dropped open at the violence in her ear and then she felt her own temper begin to boil. There was silence for a moment as Gabriella tried to convince herself that getting mad was a bad idea, that it would just make him colder than before. But her emotions, already vulnerable because of her tears and the tension that had sprung up between Troy and Taylor, refused to coincide with her brain. "How dare you say that?" Troy raised an eyebrow at the fury in her tone, and Gabriella only briefly wondered if he was surprised before she kept going. "How dare you insinuate that I'm using you when it seems you're the one using me?" Gabriella knew that it had been the wrong thing to say the moment she'd said it and her mouth snapped shut as Troy's face grew dark. "I'm using you? Me? I haven't been able to concentrate on anyone for months and I'm the one using you?" Gabriella felt a flicker of pleasure at his words and squashed it with anger as she realized she wanted to meet him blow for blow. "Using is probably not the right word, but it does explain everything. You leave me hanging. Every time you kiss me, you pull away and leave me hanging there. What the hell is that? You leave and suddenly, after everything that happened the day before you left, I'm left hanging. I'm left wondering what the hell was going on." Gabriella took a step closer to him as she spoke, unaware that her voice was getting louder as she looked up at him furiously. "Sure. You're the one left hanging and I'm the one left furious. Do you know what you've done to me?" Troy spat at her and Gabriella didn't blink as his own voice rose. "You've made me feel. Do you have any idea how much that pisses me off? I. Don't. Feel. Ever." Troy ground out the words as Gabriella looked up at him, hurt by his words and angry that he would say them. "So I piss you off?" She shoved at his chest as she yelled, Troy didn't budge. "You don't give a damn do you? You don't give a damn that maybe what you make me feel pissed me off as well. Who cares about what you make someone else feel, who cares that maybe they're terrified of what they're feeling because you don't have any of your own." Gabriella shouted and Troy's eyes went black at her words. "Did you hear what I just said?" Gabriella had never thought Troy could shout but the explosion rocked her to her core. "You make me feel. It pisses me off. I've gone six fucking years without feeling a thing. I've gone six long years making sure no-one could turn them on and then you give me that fucking look and it all comes back!" He grabbed her wrists as he shouted, managed to stop himself from shaking her as Gabriella stared up at him, fear and fury intertwining in her system. "What look? I have no idea what you're talking about." She was lost and felt his grip tighten as she tossed out the words, her tone insulting as he drew her up close to his face. Arousal sprang up at the look in his eyes. The look of his control slipping, Gabriella thought as she braced her hands on his chest. "How could you not know? How could you honestly not know? Even you're not that stupid." She flared at his words, hating the fact that he'd called her stupid when she prided herself on her intelligence.

"You're calling me stupid? I'm not the idiot who threw his emotions away and is pissed because they're coming back." The words cut to the bone even as he realized how beautiful she looked furious. Anger guided his actions and Troy kissed her. Fury still coursed through her as his mouth plundered her own. Gabriella fought, pushing at his chest, the argument wasn't over and he wasn't going to get away with this. Even as she thought it, her hands began to pull at his shirt in desperation. His tongue fought hers, as he yanked at the zipper of the jumper she was wearing. The flashing fury changed to a dizzying need so swiftly, Gabriella couldn't fight it. But that didn't mean the force of what had been started dissipated. Instead it increased. She moaned as he cupped her breast, as he teased her nipple into a tight point. As his mouth left hers to suck harshly at her neck. Her hands slid down, beneath his shirt scraping the muscles of his abdomen as she pushed it up. He pulled away and tore the shirt off; Gabriella felt a flash of pleasure at the toned body and then groaned as he lifted her, his mouth finding a nipple and his hands yanking at the pajama shorts she'd pulled on after her shower. A leg hooked around his hips, the soreness in her thighs forgotten as his fingers found her ready and wet. Gabriella felt the familiar drive even as a hand slid down to undo the clasp of his jeans. Tearing her mouth from his, Gabriella tumbled over the edge with a cry, her muscles contracting violently as he dug his teeth into her collarbone. The pleasure and pain made her want more. Made her need more. She didn't feel the coolness of the kitchen bench as she struggled to push his jeans down, she didn't notice the way his eyes watched her. But she heard his gasp as she wrapped her hand around him, too far gone with need to remember to be shy or embarrassed this second time. She felt her body throb as he jerked when she moved her hand slowly. Then felt herself thrown back into the whirlwind as he drove her up again, her hand abandoning him to grip the edge of the bench. She wanted him inside her. She wanted him inside her now. "Inside. Troy." She barely gasped out the words as the need screamed and then she cried out as the force of his own anger drove him deep into her. She was so aware of him. He was hot and hard inside her and her body was pulsing as he withdrew and drove in again. And again. Gabriella stopped thinking as he pushed her on a ride that she knew would leave her bruised. She could feel the pleasure mounting, feel the painful tug deep in her stomach that warned her and then he slammed into her. The pleasure burst and Gabriella cried out in shock, her body thrashing as she clenched around him viciously. She felt him swear as her body shuddered and then felt him go still as he let go as well. The silence was deafening as Gabriella fought for breath. She suddenly realized her nails were digging deep into Troy's back, that they were still connected. The anger was still there, but the force behind it had dissipated. Instead, the force had been replaced by shock. She was in love with him. In love. That emotion she'd been so careful not to name had reared with her anger and Gabriella couldn't avoid it. Not now. Not when they were so raw, their anger breaking his control and pulling her love into the foreground. "Troy" She murmured, releasing his shoulders so she could pull back a little bit. So she could see his face. He didn't reply. Instead, he pulled away, his eyes avoiding her. Gabriella felt something sting at his withdrawal and she pulled the jacket Troy had never torn off her back around her. She watched as Troy pulled on his shirt, still not looking at her. Gabriella closed her eyes slightly as she realized what he was doing.

"Troy. Don't leave." She whispered softly as he headed out of the kitchen. He stopped and glanced back at her and for a moment, just a moment, Gabriella thought he was going to say something. She thought maybe he was going to say something important; there was something about his eyes that told her he wanted to say something to her. For that one split second, Gabriella felt something rise inside her, a hope that he was going to say something. Then he turned and walked away. Leaving her hanging once again. CHAPTER 19 TALK Troy stared up at the ceiling of the Danforth's basement and wished to God he wasn't as emotionally involved in Gabriella as he was. It hurt. Knowing he had left her sitting there in her kitchen hurt him. It wasn't so much as guilt, as the fact that he knew that he could have fixed that look in her eyes, he could have stayed, he could havehe wasn't sure what he would have done, but damn it, he should have stayed. It was the second time he'd run in the last week and it pissed him off that he'd run because he'd been terrified because of what Taylor might have said to her. He knew it was stupid. He knew that he shouldn't have been afraid of what Taylor might have said but he couldn't help it. All through the three days he'd been away from her, he'd wondered how he could tell her what happened; who Allie was and he'd wondered how she would react. He'd wondered whether she would have curled her arms around him tentatively and held. He'd enjoyed thinking about that scenario, enjoyed the thought of resting his head on her shoulder as she accepted who and what he was. He hadn't thought about what would have happened if she'd found out form someone else. In the moment he'd walked into the kitchen and seen the look in her eyes as Taylor had asked her if she'd known why he'd left, Troy had seen a different scenario to the one he'd enjoyed at his uncle's. He'd seen her standing away from him, looking at him with dark, unforgiving eyes as she asked why he hadn't told her, why he hadn't trusted her enough to let her know what he was, what his past was. Who Allie was. It had been enough to make him panic. Make him want to blurt it out before Taylor had. Because he had, he'd done the only thing to protect himself from doing it. He'd fought with her. It had been a stupid, uncontrollable urge that his ice hadn't squashed and her own temper had provoked. He'd gone with it. He'd given himself over to his temper, his insecurity at her knowing and the fear of her never speaking to him again if she found out. He'd never regretted one thing more. He'd walked out. He'd actually walked out. After he'd told himself he would tell her. Tell her everything so he could clear the air and figure out how to work their feelings into something thatwasn't what it was now. He'd left her sitting on the bench, hanging as she pulled her jacket around herself and asked him not to leave. He'd left anyway. Reeling from what he'd admitted to her and wondering if she would think about what he had said to her in the middle of the kitchen, during their argument. Fighting a groan, Troy grabbed a pillow and shoved into his face. He'd never been quite so honest in his entire life, never told anyone what he was feeling in the heat of a moment and he wished to God that he hadn't told Gabriella when he was mad and trying to defend himself against her words and the need to tell her what he thought Taylor had known. He wondered if she could read between his words; see the feelings that he'd been talking about and not the anger that had made him spew them out. Then he found himself wondering when he'd started hoping someone could read between his words, read between the lines. He'd always prided himself on being cryptic, on knowing that very few people understood what he was saying when he was saying it. It saved him from having to talk to people who he didn't want to talk to and it also provided him with the amusement of watching people try and figure out what he was actually trying to say. Now he wanted her to understand, to read between the lines. He wanted her to be one of those few people he knew what he was saying when he was talking and he wanted her to be the only person who he would rest his head against, as she accepted whatever it was he was telling her.

And that scared the shit out of him. "Okay, dude, seriously, you're either going to have to tell me why you're here or continue to smother yourself with that pillow." Troy barely moved at Chad's voice, finding it interesting that he'd only just managed to extract himself from his mothers questioning, when Troy was sure he'd arrived over a half hour ago. "What do you think of her?" Though his voice was muffled by the pillow, Troy knew that Chad had heard him. He also knew that Chad knew who he was talking about. Chad was quiet for a moment. "I think she suits you a lot better than you think she does." He replied and Troy made a face into the pillow, only beginning to think that maybe he needed to breathe properly for a few seconds. "How do you figure that?" Troy threw the pillow away, wanting to hear what Chad had to say and knowing that he would do his best to make sure his ice wasn't a factor in this conversation. "She gets you. Don't ask me on what level and how. She just does. She may not know the whole story, but she knows you right now." Chad said it airily, as if it was something that Troy should have already known that about her. "And?" Troy prompted, knowing that there was more to what Chad wanted to say and wanting to know what it was. "Well, I wasn't exactly planning on telling you that she didn't take your jacket off while you were gone and I was going to tell you that I spoke to her as well." Troy turned his head at Chad's words, finding it interesting that Chad had spoken to Gabriella. He'd known at some time Chad would want to become better acquainted with Gabriella, he just hadn't expected it to be done while he was away. "Really?" Troy asked and Chad nodded. "Yep. She asked if I'd heard from you. I said yes and she just nodded, said something about you being okay and then went on her way. None of your other girls have ever known you like that, known that you calling me means your okay." Chad hadn't really been clued in on what had taken place in the last few hours. What he did know was that Troy had showed up on his front door at close to ten o'clock at night, silent and with a look on his face that Chad had never seen before. Troy was quiet as he thought about what Chad had just said. He supposed that if Chad thought Gabriella understood him than he shouldn't be worried about whether or not she could read between the lines. "We had sex." He didn't wince at the words. "Twice." Troy added as an afterthought. He wasn't sure what Chad's reaction would be, though he was pretty sure his friend had known it was on his mind the last time they spoke. Troy heard Chad's slow, deep breath and knew that his friend was taking in his statement, adjusting to it and then thinking it over. "And what? You ran away from her because you slept with her?" Troy forced himself not to wince at Chad's bluntly asked question, knowing that his friend was only voicing what he had been thinking minutes before. "Not exactly." At Chad's disbelieving look, Troy amended. "Kind of. Maybe. I don't know dude, this is all justweird." Chad choked back a laugh at Troy's words and furrowed brow. "Not exactly? Dude, what the hell happened to you? You've never not known what you did." Chad said and Troy forced himself to not throw the pillow lying on his stomach at his friend for stating something that Troy considered was obvious. "I don't know what happened to me Chad. One moment I was fine with walking back into her house for round two and the next we were yelling at each other." Chad kept quiet for a moment, unsure how to understand the sentence when Chad knew there had to be something to trigger the yelling in the first place. "What happened to make you yell?" He asked and Troy shifted slightly, turning his head to look at his friend.

"McKessie was there when I got back. She was going to tell Gabriella, actually going to tell her so Gabriella would stay away from me." Troy said it bitterly and Chad raised his eyebrows, wondering why he had thought that it would all get easier when the sexual tension between Troy and Gabriella had dissolved slightly. "Why the hell would McKessie do something like that?" Chad asked, not quite understanding Taylor's motives and curious to see if Troy knew them. "Because she hates me, she hates the fact that Gabriella's been hanging out with me and she really hates the fact that Gabriella's not interested in Doug Howard because he's the one McKessie can see with her and not me." Troy sounded bored as he listed off the reasons and knew that Chad was thinking over what he was saying. "You've got to be kidding me. Damn, for somebody who's meant to be smart McKessie sure is stupid." Chad muttered under his breath. "Troy " He started again when Troy cut him off. "I told her that I was pissed off because she made me feel. I told her that the look makes me feel." Because the wind had just been knocked out of him, Chad blew out a breath. He'd expected the sex, even figured there'd be an argument. He just hadn't thought that Troy would say so much in the argument, hadn't honestly thought that Troy would tell her about the look or that he felt. "You seriously told her that?" Troy rolled his eyes at Chad's question. "Would I say that I had if I hadn't?" He replied coolly, silently beginning to wish that he hadn't started the conversation and knowing that he would have either had to have it with Christy or Chad sooner or later. "Troynot everybody can read what you're trying to say when you say it." Because Chad's answer had been too much in tune with what he'd been thinking before, Troy moved his shoulders slightly. Throwing an arm over his eyes, Troy spoke. "I know that, Chad. Do you honestly think that I don't know that? Why do you think I called Christy in the car to tell her to go over there? If Gabriella's still wants to speak to me, she'll tell Christy." Chad made a face at that. "Isn't that a bit girly? Sending someone over to make sure she's not mad at you or whatever?" Chad asked and Troy shook his head, suddenly feeling unbearably tired as he thought about all that had taken place in the last few hours. "She's not mad at me, Chad. She's hurt, knowing Gabriella, she's confused but she's definitely not mad at me." Troy spoke so knowingly that Chad had a feeling he'd been thinking about what Gabriella would be feeling when he'd left. Even before he'd left. "So, why are you afraid she won't speak to you?" Troy sighed, knowing that he was confusing Chad. "I'm not afraid she won't ever speak to me. I want to make sure she can read between the words Chad and who better to make sure she can than Christy?" Troy asked his tone cold and final. Chad shrugged, realizing that Troy had closed the conversation and still not sure why Troy had called Christy and told her to go see Gabriella. Troy knew that Chad was thinking over what he had just said and he was happy for Chad to try and dissect it as he closed his eyes and wished to God he knew where to go from here. He supposed that he would have more direction when Christy came over to speak to him but until then, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to have a nap to reduce the headache that was slowly beginning to pound at his temples.

Christy fought back a groan of exhaustion as she turned into Gabriella's street and silently cursed Troy for calling her just as she'd been falling into a deep sleep that she'd needed for the past couple of days. She wondered why she had to go see Gabriella, why couldn't Chad have gone? She frowned as she realized that maybe it would have been weird for Chad to show up at Gabriella's door at ten o'clock at night. It was probably going to be weird enough that she was there. Seeing the house Troy had described, Christy pulled up to the curb and shut off the engine. For a moment, she considered calling Troy to ask him what, exactly; he wanted her to talk to Gabriella about. Then realized

that he would probably give her as much information as he had before and she didn't feel like butting her head against a brick wall again. Sighing, she grabbed her bag and got out of the car. With a flick of her wrist, she locked the car and headed for Gabriella's front door, noting that there were still lights on in the house. As she reached the front door, it swung open and Christy was startled as Gabriella appeared and the hopeful look on her face crumbled as soon as she saw Christy heading for her. "Hey, are you okay?" The way her face had crumbled startled Christy and she cursed Troy again as she realized that whatever he'd done, had inflicted a good amount of damage to Gabriella. "Um, yeah, sure. I guess. Why are you here at ten o'clock?" Gabriella folded her arms across her chest and Christy suddenly realized that Gabriella had been hoping she was Troy. "Because Troy called me and asked me to come over and see you." Honesty, she thought, was going to be the best policy right now. There was something about Gabriella that told her the poor girl needed something to cling onto. "I really?" Gabriella felt her heart swell at Christy's words. It meant something; he may not have come himself but sending Christy meant something. It meant he cared. "Yep. Really. Do you mind if I come in?" Gabriella shook her head, stepping aside to let her in. Christy stepped through the doorway and struggled to hide a yawn as she realized that something big had happened. She knew that Troy coming back from Santa Fe without telling anyone and going straight to Gabriella's was something big. But there was something else that had happened. She'd heard it in the tenseness of Troy's voice and the way Gabriella looked like she'd been crying only recently. Something had happened between the two of them that had shifted what was between them. Christy only hoped to God neither of them had hurt each other. "So, are you okay?" She asked the question carefully, hoping it wouldn't open floodgates and knowing that it would at least give her some idea of what had gone on. Gabriella was silent as she led Christy into the living room, apparently thinking about her answer. She gestured for Christy to sit down and flopped down next to her, pulling a pillow onto her lap as she let out a low breath. "Have you everhave you ever done something that you can't regret, but know you should but can't because it lead you to realize that your feelings are so intense your okay with whatever comes next?" It was much too late for Christy to try and follow Gabriella's question without getting a headache so she settled for a simply shake of her head. "No. What are you talking about?" Christy hoped that Gabriella wouldn't ask a similarly confusing question to answer her own simple one. If she did, Christy would have to conclude that she'd been spending too much time with Troy. Gabriella was silent for a moment. "We slept together. I gave himhe was my first." And that, Christy thought, said it all. "I can't regret it." Gabriella said and Christy suddenly understood the question before. "Why can't you regret it?" She asked gently, already having a pretty good idea why she couldn't regret it and having a feeling that it was going to complicate whatever Troy thought her role was. Gabriella shook her head. Suddenly feeling a frightened urge to not tell Christy why she couldn't regret, Gabriella shook her head and hugged the pillow tighter. Needing to change the subject so she didn't have to say it out loud, Gabriella swallowed. "Why did Troy call you? I was under the impression that Troy didn't like you." Christy sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course Troy gave Gabriella the impression that he didn't like her. For the last six years, Troy had been giving off the impression that Christy was a thorn in his side and Christy had never really minded until right now when she hadn't thought Gabriella would change the conversation like that.

"Yeah well, Troy gives off that impression a lot. It's part of his charm. Gabriella, why can't you regret it?" Oh she was so going to make Troy pay for making her do this, especially if Gabriella started crying, Christy thought as she watched the girl in front of her shrug. Gabriella bit her lip, shaking her head slightly. She drew in a deep breath as she closed her eyes, feeling unbearably tired. She didn't want to talk about it. She needed time to process. To think over things and to figure out why she couldn't regret it. She needed time to figure out what to do about it all and she needed time to think about what Troy had said, how he had said it and how she was meant to face him when she saw him again. "I justChristy, thanks for coming over. And thanks for wanting to talk. But I'm tired and I want to go to bed. Tell Troytell Troy that I'll see him at school and I know he's not using me." Christy frowned at Gabriella's words, wondering what they meant and then realizing that she was going to have to contaminate herself by going to the Danforth's house after this. "Um, okay. I'll see you at school, then." Christy stood up, wondering why on earth today was her day to messenger. Gabriella nodded slowly as Christy headed out of the living room. "Yeah. See you at school." She said and Christy watched as her eyes focused on something just behind Christy. "Hey Gabriella?" Christy looked back at her as Gabriella's eyes refocused on her. "He wouldn't have sent me if he didn't care." Even as she said it, she wondered if it was the right thing to say. She wondered if it was the right thing to say because Gabriella's eyes only clouded in confusion even more. Because she realized Gabriella wasn't going to say anything, Christy turned on her heel and headed out, knowing that she had to get to the Danforth's house and then turn off her cell phone for the rest of the weekend.

Troy knew Christy had arrived even before he heard her storming down to the basement to yell at him for whatever she had found out from Gabriella. He'd heard Chad's curse from the basement as soon as he'd answered the door. He just wondered if Chad's mother was up so he could listen to Harriet Danforth tear into her son. Keeping his eyes resolutely shut, Troy picked up the pillow and shoved it in his face, wishing that he was still asleep so he didn't have to handle Christy yelling at him. He'd known she'd been asleep when he'd called her and he'd also known that the weekends were the only time she got any real sleep. But he'd had to know if Gabriella was okay and he knew that he couldn't exactly go back to her house. He'd doubted she would want to see him. "Troy Bolton, you are so dead." He kept his eyes closed even as Christy yanked the pillow off his face. "Open your eyes and look at me." Troy opened one eye and took note of the pale face hovering above hers. "What'd she say?" He asked bluntly and Christy raised one pale blonde eyebrow at the demand in his voice. "She said that you two slept together. Now, I know you didn't sleep with her and then leave. Did you?" She asked menacingly and it was Troy's turn to raise an eyebrow as he heard Christy's own demand. He vaguely heard Chad come into the room and take a seat on the recliner that was to the left of the lounge Troy was lying on. "Yes. I slept with her and left and I don't need a lecture from you about it." Troy said forcing himself to not sound tired as he watched Christy's eyes darken. "What I need is what she said." Troy said and Christy sighed. "Fine." Because she knew she wasn't going to get anything from him, Christy relented. "She said that she'll see you at school and that she knows you're not using her." Troy forced himself not to react outwardly to the words. Instead, something in him relaxed as he realized she meant it. She knew he wasn't using her. It was enough for now.

"Okay, good. Thank you Christy. Go home and sleep." Snatching the pillow back from her, Troy covered his face again and waited to hear Christy leaving and Chad's goodbye taunt. Instead he felt her tug at the pillow again. "You're going to tell me what happened later, right?" She asked as half his face was uncovered. Troy shrugged. "You know the high points. We slept together. Twice. I think that covers it for one night, don't you?" Troy deliberately used his cold, amused voice as he answered Christy's question. Christy eyed him disbelievingly as he said, wondering how he could be so cold about something like that. "Oh you've got to be kidding me. Troy, I don't know what's happened between you guys. I don't. But she's seriously going to break if it's not all out there soon." Troy's mind flashed to the image of Gabriella's arm around him and his head on her shoulder. He knew that, somewhere he'd known that he was going to have to tell her before something inside her snapped the way something inside him was threatening to snap. "Bye Christy." Troy said and the pillow dropped back on his face as she huffed and moved away from Troy. "Nice seeing you Christy. I'll remember to call you when I need to try and get Troy to listen." Troy ignored Chad's farewell and Christy's own answer to it. He knew Christy was right. He and Gabriella needed to talk. They needed to sit down and he needed to force himself to talk, to tell her things he hadn't told anyone. Things Christy and Chad knew because they'd been there when it had happened. They just needed to sit down and talk to each other, instead of their friends. CHAPTER 20 EXHAUSTED Gabriella felt unbearably tired. It wasn't a type of tired that she was used to either. She'd known the exhaustion one felt when they'd finished an assessment task they'd worked hard at. She'd known the deep, physical exhaustion that came from strenuous activity and she'd known the emotional exhaustion that came from trying to understand why things happened the way they did. She'd just never known exhaustion quite like this. It was something close to all three, but it was entirely different at the same time. She was tired of questioning everything, tired of trying to figure out if she was really in love with Troy and if he really felt something. She was tired of trying to regret giving herself to him even while she knew she couldn't. Most of all, she was tired of trying to figure out who he was. She'd come up with so many different scenarios that might explain who Troy was over the weekend, they'd all overlapped in her mind and still none of them fit. She only had two bare facts to go with as she'd conjured them. There was a girl named Allie in his life six years ago. It had been the only thing she had grasped fully when she'd been able to think straight. She had relinquished the tight grip she'd held onto that fact when she'd realized that Allie had meant something to Troy, had meant more to him than she probably did. It had hurt and the idea that Allie had been important to him and she'd had no idea that Allie had existed before seeing the tattoo. Her mind, which had already been exhausted from questioning everything from her feelings for Troy to the decision she'd made when she'd opened the door and let Troy follow her into her house on Friday, had sped up as she'd suddenly become terrified at the thought of Troy having loved someone before she had come along. Loving someone so much she was merely a distraction, a short interlude that had made him forget for a moment who he really cared about. She'd toyed with idea, pushed it until a sinking feeling in her stomach had made her sick and she could barely see straight through blurred tears. Then she'd realized that it wasn't how Troy was. Troy wasn't the type of person to pine and he wasn't the type of person to freeze his feelings because someone he'd loved as a boy didn't care about him or had abandoned him so cruelly that he'd convinced himself to never care about someone else again. If anything, Gabriella could only imagine what type of revenge he would have taken upon someone who had abandoned him. She'd heard stories from different people about what Troy had done to people who had challenged him or had been foolish enough to threaten

him. She'd heard how Troy had pulled the strings and watched the people who got too close fall, either from something as dramatic as being found with drugs or having their reputation destroyed so the star player of the football team was reduced to a nobody in a matter of days. The stories had been enough for her to know that Allie wasn't a girlfriend he loved above everything else. A girlfriend who had walked away. If she had existed, Gabriella was sure that there would have been a story about that. No, Allie wasn't a girlfriend who had walked away from him but she was an important person to Troy and Gabriella was so tired of trying to figure out who she was. None of the other scenarios she'd come up with had even seemed to fit. They didn't match the Troy she knew now and none of them had been terrible enough for her to imagine someone closing their feelings off from the world. But then, she supposed, her dad had left her and her mother without a word and that was enough for someone to refuse to feel, so she was even unable to even convince herself the reason she couldn't imagine what had happened to him was because she wouldn't understand. Because empathy to her was as natural as breathing and she would, on some level be able to empathize with whatever had happened to make him not feel. Closing her eyes, Gabriella leaned her head back against the headrest of the driver's seat as she felt another wave of the crippling exhaustion crash over her. She had no idea how she was going to get through school. She wanted to go through school and ignore everyone. She wanted to ignore Taylor and Doug. God knows they'd both caused her enough problems in the past week. She wanted to ignore Christy and Chad. It was mean, especially seeing as they'd been roped into her world because of Troy, but she wanted to ignore them because they would both be preaching the same thing. They would both want her to talk to him. Then there was Troy. At the thought of him, Gabriella opened her eyes and wished that she didn't feel so torn about what to do with him. She wanted to ignore him. She wanted to spend the day not speaking, not looking, not acknowledging his existence. Just so he could understand what it felt like when for her when he'd been gone. But she wanted, so badly, to walk through the doors, straight into his arms and nestle there. To simply pretend that she didn't care about the tattoo on his side or the fact that he'd walked out. A few days ago she might have done that. She might walk into school and simply let Troy tug her whichever way he pleased. But she was through with letting him do that to her. When she'd found the confidence to yell back at him, Gabriella had found that, perhaps, she could ignore him as well. That perhaps she wasn't as afraid of him as she'd thought. It helped that, for the first time, they seemed to be on equal footing. There were things they both didn't want to do and there were things that they both agreed needed to be said. Being on equal footing with him, Gabriella found, gave her a new, liberating power. It gave her, Gabriella thought as she opened her eyes, the power to ignore him and get away with it. With that thought swirling in her brain, Gabriella grabbed her book bag and got out of the car. Shutting the door and locking it, she chose to ignore the looks some of the students loitering in the car park gave her. She understood the looks and, for the first time because she'd only realized why she received them, she resented them as well. She didn't want to ignore Troy with an audience. It was going to be hard enough to ignore him when a large part of her was terrified she would see him walking towards her and crumble so far she would reach for him before she knew what she was doing. But to do so with an audience would be more painful than she planned on it being. "You know, if you think any harder those lines are going to become permanent." Gabriella barely jumped at Christy's voice, wondering why she hadn't thought she would run into Christy in the car park and wishing she'd thought about it for a little longer. "Good, at least it gives me some sign of intelligence." Gabriella replied, remembering what Troy had said about her intelligence and how much the comment had hurt. "I'm not even going to ask why that's important to you." Companionably, Christy slid her arm through Gabriella's, the contact a warning to those watching them and a way to keep Gabriella near.

"Then don't." Gabriella's tone was short as she contemplated shrugging off Christy's arm and then realized that Christy would still remain resolutely at her side even without the contact. "Oh I won't. I'm not even going to ask you why you're in such a bad mood, although it's actually really tempting." Gabriella forced herself to roll her eyes at Christy's conversational tone, why hadn't she thought to ignore Christy as well? It would have saved her the idle conversation she knew they were going to engage in. "I probably wouldn't tell you. Though," Gabriella turned her head to the blonde. "You've probably guessed by now." It was a credit to Christy that she simply raised an eyebrow at Gabriella's exhausted tone. For a moment, the two girls simply walked side by side silently, Gabriella trying to not close her eyes and give into the exhaustion that she was struggling to push into a box. While Christy contemplated what she should say next in case it caused Gabriella to be pushed a little further over the edge. "You know, he's not going to let you ignore him." Gabriella glanced at Christy, surprised by her blunt honesty and wishing that the blonde hadn't bothered to bring up Troy because her stomach turned at Christy's words, Gabriella drew her arm away from Christy's and folded them across her chest. "For once, Christy, I don't care what he thinks I can and cannot do. If I want to ignore him, then I'm going to ignore him." Gabriella schooled her tone to coolness and watched as Christy's brow rose. Ignoring the disbelief in Christy's eyes, Gabriella nodded once and stalked off. Well Bolton, Christy thought as she watched the brunette go, she may be in love with you but she's definitely not going to make it as easy for you as you think. Fighting a smile, Christy shook her head and headed for her own locker. As she approached her locker, Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if this bad mood would fade or if it had something to do with her decision to ignore Troy. She found it didn't matter as she opened her eyes and met the stares of a group of sophomores who were all watching her curiously. "Oh for God's sake, take a photograph it lasts longer!" Her temper frayed as the sophomores all went red and looked away, all of them made a grateful escape as the bell rang. Gabriella wasn't sure what she was more grateful for, the sudden rush of students staring to get to homeroom or the knock she received as they all rushed past. She banged into the locker, off balance and with a reeling temper that was more volatile emotion than real anger, and slid down to the floor. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be stared at. She didn't want to ignore Troy. She didn't want to be exhausted. She didn't want the fact that she was in love with him to hurt. She wanted him to tell her who Allie was. She wanted him to stay instead of leaving her hanging. She didn't want to be in this limbo where they were something and nothing at the same time. She wanted Troy. That's all. She just wanted Troy. All of him. She wanted the ice, the amusement, the rare temper. She wanted the touches that told her he cared; the strength she knew was there. Tears welled up as she curled into a ball, exhausted, hurt, angry but most of all aching with the need for him to let her in fully. To be something to him. "Gabriella?" The gentle, confused voice had her drawing in a ragged breath as she realized there was someone crouching down beside her. Wiping her eyes on her knees, she looked up, hoping that what she was feeling didn't show. Chad looked down at the girl with gentle eyes, realizing that she was more of a mess than his best friend and wanting nothing more than to soothe the pain she was feeling. "Hi Chad." Her voice cracked as he took a seat beside her, sliding his arm around her shoulders in an offer of simple friendship and comfort that had Gabriella's eyes filling again. Rubbing a hand down her arm, Chad spoke. "I know he isn't the easiest person to deal with but he cares about you. A lot." The gentle words had Gabriella's throat clogging and she fought the tears that wanted, desperately, to spill over.

"If he cares so much, why can't he just tell me what he wants to tell me? Why can't he just accept that I want him for who he is?" She asked sniffling slightly as Chad's hand continued its path up and down her arm. "Because he's spent so long pretending that he doesn't need anyone, he's spent so long knowing that no-one will ever be able to handle who he is to the world and accept who he thinks he is, that you opening yourself up to him is wreaking havoc on his system." Chad answered gently and Gabriella fought back a sob at his gentle answers, knowing that they made sense and wishing that they didn't. "Why can't he just take a leap of faith? Why can't he believe that I really do want him, that I love him?" Gabriella asked and Chad's hand paused slightly at her second question, wondering if Troy had any idea of the effect he'd had on Gabriella before it continued up her arm. "I can't tell you why, exactly, he can't. Because it's not my place," Chad hastened to add when Gabriella shifted her head from his shoulder to look up at his face. "But Troy's still trying to figure out how to handle it. He's human, Gabi, not a machine. Some things have caught up with him and he wants to make sure he can handle them before sharing them with you." Gabriella wasn't sure whether it was the quiet assurance in his words or the casual use of her name that had the tears falling, but Chad's gentle assurance was more than anyone could have given her and she laid her head against her knees and gave way to tears. Chad's arm remained resolutely around her shoulders as they shook with silent sobs that she had spent the weekend fighting. Though she knew that tears were useless and they would exhaust her more than she already was, Gabriella was too tired to fight their rapid fall. Her cheeks were wet even as she tried to wipe them and she shuddered with violent sobs. "Gabriella? What's wrong?" The alarm in Troy's voice had her head snapping up as people began to mill in the hallway, some walking past without a second glance, others standing around, watching her. For a moment, she stared at Troy, his eyes showing concern he hadn't thought to mask as his hand rubbed the side of her leg. Her temper bubbled even as tears kept streaking down her face and she scrambled to stand, Chad's arm sliding from her shoulders as she moved. "What's wrong? That's all you can come up with? What's wrong?" She hissed at him as Troy remained crouched down, looking up at her. She saw his eyes go blank, watched as the light switched off the concern and felt her temper boil. "I think it's a generally asked question when one comes across someone who's crying. You were crying, weren't you?" Troy rose from his crouched position stealthily, his voice cool in contrast to the heat of her own. "Of course I was crying." Gabriella snapped back. "But then, I'm surprised you know what crying is. It requires emotion." His eyes went black so suddenly Gabriella wasn't sure why it provoked her temper. "Careful Gabriella, don't say anything you don't mean." Troy warned and she pushed a hand through her hair, ignoring the way a circle was forming around them as she stepped forward so she could glare up at him. "Anything I don't mean?" She repeated furiously. "It's better than saying one thing and meaning another. Isn't that what you're good at? Saying something to someone and then watching them fumble around as they tried to figure out what you mean. What the hell happened to saying something and meaning it?" She spat out at him and Troy's hand rose slightly before it curled into a fist and dropped to his side. "Saying something and meaning it? Where have you been living? La la land? You're an idiot if you expect people to say something and mean it. No-one does." Troy's words were bitter and Gabriella had the fleeting impression that he was speaking from experience, before she resented his words. "I'm an idiot?" Her voice rose slightly as she pushed against his chest. "I know I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot because I actually believed I might mean something to you. I'm an idiot because every time you told me we needed to talk, we had sex. I'm an idiot because I want you to say something and mean it; I'm an idiot because I actually believed there was something more to you." A muscle ticked in his jaw as she shouted the last part, forgetting about the audience and wanting to provoke him into another shouting match.

"Why does it matter to you to believe that there's something more to me?" The explosion had people rocking back on their heels and heading off Miss Darbus as Gabriella barely flinched at his words. Her own temper, provoked already by his cool words, burst at the first sign of his own. "Because you matter to me! Why can't you accept that? Why can't you accept that I care?" She hadn't thought she could get louder, but she managed. She managed to be louder than him as she gave herself over to the temper that was a fragile defense against the tears that wanted to escape. "Because you can't care about me! What the hell did I do to make you care? What did I do to make you believe that there's something more to me?" Troy shouted and Gabriella refused to back down as he advanced on her, gripping her arms tightly as he looked down at her. "Why can't you just accept that I do? Why is it so hard for you to believe that maybe I like you because of you? God, why are you so intent on pushing everyone away!" She pushed at his chest again, wriggling free of the iron grip he'd held her in place with. "Because you have no idea who I am." Troy replied icily as Gabriella pushed away the hair that was falling into her eyes. "Why don't you enlighten me then? Why didn't you tell me who you were before we ran into this little roadblock called feelings?" Gabriella snapped at him, furious with herself for feeling the tears that had dried up at the temper that had boiled before and furious at him for believing that he was less than what he was. Troy's fist clenched as he raised a hand to rub over his face. "I'm not doing this here." He spoke resolutely and Gabriella closed her eyes in a desperate measure to control her tears. "When will you do it then? Never? Cause that's what it feels like!" Gabriella barely realized how desperate her tone was as Troy opened his eyes and looked down at her. For the first time, Gabriella realized how drained Troy looked. The look of exhaustion in his eyes matched her own and for a moment she wondered what that meant. She wondered if it meant he'd spent the weekend trying to figure out what he wanted and didn't want. Why he'd walked and why it hurt. "Now." He spoke quietly and, for the first time, Gabriella heard the collective gasp from the crowd as they witnessed something they all thought they would never see. Troy seemed to hear it too and Gabriella watched as his eyes went from weary to ice in a matter of seconds. "As entertaining as I believe this has been for all of you, I'm sure your teachers have been expecting you." The authority was there, as was the warning in his voice and Gabriella watched as every one of the student's winced slightly before a furor of movements began. She didn't get to see the way the students began to talk, didn't hear the scenarios that began forming as they began to try and pull together a back story for the argument between Troy and Gabriella. She didn't notice the way their eyes followed her or the way some of the girls sneered at the thought of her breaking the untouchable Troy Bolton. She didn't hear any of them because Troy had taken her hand in a vise-like grip and pulled her away from the crowd. His eyes focused ahead and his body taut. There was enough temper left in her for Gabriella to resent the way he pulled her along the hall. There was enough exhaustion to offset any sought of scathing comment that might set off another public argument between them. She barely comprehended being pulled up a staircase or the blast of fresh air as they reached a landing that was more exotic, leafy jungle than school science experiment. Instead, she yanked her hand from Troy's stepping away from him with a look of resentment twisting her features. "You could have asked me to follow you instead of yanking me along the hallway." She snapped at him when he didn't say anything. Troy didn't respond, instead he looked away from her, up and over the healthy green plants and towards the mountain range that loomed in the distance. Gabriella noticed the look in his eyes, the melancholy turn of his face and it worried her. Before she could stop herself, she reached over to touch his back, letting her hand settle there as her temper fizzled slightly.

"Where do you want me to start?" His voice was strained when he spoke and Gabriella snatched her hand back at the chill it had acquired and the lifelessness. "Wherever you think it begins." It was an open statement because she knew she had forced him into the corner. She knew she'd forced this out of him and guilt, never a nice feeling, stole over her. "How about we start with the very beginning of my sordid tale?" He asked scathingly and Gabriella bit her lip at his bitter tone. "Okay." She nodded, wanting to get somewhere as much as she wished for the cold ice she'd grown accustomed to. There was so little life in his face when he turned to her that she wondered what was happening inside him. "I was a mistake. A one night stand gone awry. Mom and Dad were both in their early twenties when they got drunk and high one night at a party and had sex. I was the result." His voice was emotionless as he spoke; giving Gabriella the impression he was reciting something, not telling. "Mom found out she was pregnant and, being a two years younger than Dad, freaked out. She was going to abort; she always said that her mistake had been telling Dad that she was pregnant. He stopped her. They went to Vegas and got married instead." His eyes had gone black as he spoke and there was no warmth in the way he was speaking about his parents. "Troyyou don't " Gabriella started and he cut her off with a scornful look, reminding her that she wanted this. "Christy and Chad don't know that. They don't know Mom was going to get rid of me. I never told them because it was one more reason to hate her. Anyway, they got married and moved out here to Albuquerque, Dad had gotten the job here and Mom moved because she had too not because she wanted too." Troy took a deep breath as he spoke. "She had me. And I was the problem. She hated me from day one and vice versa. It was bad enough that I'd messed up every plan that she'd made but I was also the reason she'd married a man she didn't like and grew to hate." Gabriella closed her eyes as he spoke, trying to imagine what he would have gone through and opening them when he let out a humorless laugh. "Don't bother trying to imagine it. You can't. You're too nice." Gabriella frowned at him and waited. "I'm told she liked me for my first year of life or something like that. I was a distraction for her but then I began to favor Dad more than her and it pissed her off. The one thing she could use against my Dad actually liked him. It was unfathomable." His voice was flat, emotionless and Gabriella wondered how someone could ignore a baby, hate a baby for loving both parents and not just one. "I was three when she got into hard drugs. Coke, E, Speed, you name it, she took it." Gabriella jumped when he interrupted her thoughts and she paled as she comprehended what he'd said. "I'm surprised she didn't overdose when I was under five." Troy muttered and Gabriella suddenly felt sick, wondering if she really wanted to hear this. Unconsciously, she stepped closer, reaching out to touch him and then snatching her hand back when he fixed his eyes on her face. "She hid the drugs from Dad; she even hid the excessive drinking from him. He worked long hours because he didn't know she was draining his resources going to her dealer. I was six when they finally split. Somehow she got custody of me. Dad fought hard though and I spent more time at his house than I did hers, anyway. He's probably the only reason my heads not fucked." Troy let out another humorless laugh and Gabriella felt tears welling as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Dad, Chad and Christy all saved me from ending up with depression and a psychiatric ward. I spent more time with them than anyone else." Troy muttered and Gabriella nodded. "I was nine when she got pregnant again. I don't know how, honestly, she just came home one day and told me that maybe this one wasn't going to ruin her life because it was already fucked. I always got a feeling that it was her dealer. When she didn't have money she just offered whatever she had and because she wasn't a sparkling conversationalist, I doubt she offered him stimulating arguments." This time she did touch him, not because he needed to but because she heard a glimmer of something in his voice. Her hand slid over his wrist and she held on. "Allison Amanda Grey was born a couple of months later." This time Gabriella heard grief and felt lost when Troy tugged his wrist away. "She was perfect and the only thing that had me staying with Mom. I was already telling Dad I wanted to live with him before Mom came home with her. I'd had enough before Allie came home. I'd had enough of Mom getting high in the living room and then proceeding to remind me how

much she didn't want me. I'd had enough of how drunk she got when she didn't have the money for drugs. I'd had enough of hiding in her room every time her friends came over because all they did was get high or drunk and then proceed to pick on the one thing that was defenseless." Gabriella took a step away from him as he spoke, there was something else now. Not quite grief and not quite anger. It was dangerous and volatile and, perhaps for the first time, Gabriella felt truly frightened of Troy. "Troy Iwhat happened to Allie?" Gabriella asked tentatively, terrified of the answer and wondering how it could get worse. "She got depressed. Straight after Allie was born. Post-Natal Depression, apparently. It wasn't. She'd been off the drugs and alcohol too long. She was fucked up before, but going off them screwed with her even more. She began to hallucinate and then she went back on them. She nose-dived. I spent more time with Chad's family than I did with her in the last three years of her life." Troy shook his head and Gabriella realized he was forcing himself to remain emotionless. She wanted to curl an arm around him, hold on until the story was over and his shoulders slumped. She forced herself to remain still, knowing he would reject it. "I was twelve. Allie was three. I'd spent three years trying to protect her from Mom, trying to make sure she wasn't harmed by the drugs or the alcohol or her friends. God, I was raising her and I was only twelve. She knew it too and she hated me even more for it, because I was twelve and I was refusing to allow her to twist Allie around, use her for her own purposes." Troy sighed and closed his eyes. "I was with Chad. We'd gone to the park and I'd left Allie with Mrs Danforth. I figured she'd be okay there. Mom had been gone for a couple of days and I'd finally made the decision to tell Dad outright what was going on. We needed to get out of that house. Anyway, Mom was high. Completely off her face when she arrived at the Danforth's place. I don't know, really, what happened but she wound up running out of the house with Allie and Harriet's got a scar on her shoulder where Mom stabbed her." Gabriella could see what was coming, she could see it in her minds eye even as Troy looked over the top of her head and out into the mountains, his eyes far away as he kept his face carefully blank. "I was walking home with Chad. I heard Allie screaming even before I knew what was happening. She was crying. Crying even as Mom shouted at her to shut up. I ran for them, furious because Mom had shown up off her face and furious because she was holding Allie. She was holding my sister and she had this look in her eye. Like she'd finally let go of whatever sanity she was holding onto." Gabriella opened her eyes as he let out a breath. "She just gave me this look. She wanted to watch me try and save my sister. I was frozen and then she got into the car, set Allie on her lap and calmly, very calmly, ran the stop sign at the end of the street and got hit by a semi-trailer. They were both dead on impact." And you watched, Gabriella thought, horrified, you watched your mother and sister die. Troy's shoulders slumped and she realized that it was the end of his story for now. It was the end of the emotionless recitation. "Troy." Gabriella stopped, unsure of what to say and he turned to her for a moment. "Now you know why I am the way I am. My mother was a drunken drug addict who killed my sister. Happy?" His tone was scathing again and thought it should have relieved her, it didn't. Instead, it made her stomach twist. He looked away again and Gabriella bit her lip. Silence stole over them. Gabriella wasn't sure how long they stood there. Troy facing the mountains, her looking at him, watching him. Her mind reeled over everything he'd told her, lingered on things that he would need to clarify and found holes he would fill in later. She realized he felt guilty, realized that he blamed himself for what happened to Allie and hated his mother for being who and what she was. He was cold because he had been taught not to feel early in life. Then her mind shut down. She stopped thinking as she realized now wasn't the time to poke, prod or analyze. Instead, she let what she felt for him guide her actions. "Oh Troy." Her arms slid around his waist and Gabriella pressed her forehead to his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." The words slid out easily, as easily as the way she forgot she'd goaded him into telling her. She closed her eyes and then felt him slip his hand into hers and link their fingers together. It was enough; Gabriella thought tiredly, it was enough for now. CHAPTER 21

STICK Troy felt sunlight on his face and forced himself not to groan. Instead, he buried his face deeper in Gabriella's shoulder and sighed sleepily. He didn't want to open his eyes and he really didn't want to place the call to his dad to tell him that he'd skipped school again. His father might have understood last week when he'd taken off for Santa Fe, but Troy highly doubted his father was going to be impressed that both Troy and Gabriella had skipped school together. In fact, Troy wouldn't be surprised if he found his phone and discovered three very angry voice messages from his father because he'd heard what had gone on before his son had told him. Then, because he didn't want to actually think about his father, Troy placed a sleepy kiss on Gabriella's clothed shoulder and tightened his arm around her. He liked this, he discovered. He liked the way her body curved into his and the way her hand had loosely intertwined with his when they'd curled up together only hours before. He liked being this close to Gabriella; he liked the easy intimacy that came with curling up with her like this. It was something he'd never really allowed himself, the girls he'd been with before Gabriella had tried to cuddle like this, they'd tried to convince him to stay with them and sleep and he'd always left when he was sure they'd gone to sleep. Troy had known that he'd left because the last person he'd ever spent a night sleeping with was Allie. He smiled slightly at the thought. He remembered one instance particularly. She'd been thirteen months old and had just begun to crawl. His mother had disappeared, she'd been gone for days if Troy remembered correctly and they'd both been left on their own. They'd spent the afternoon playing, peek-a-boo, hide and seek and being happy. He remembered that the most perhaps, how happy he'd been to playing games with his sister without the fear of his mother coming into the living room and destroying the fragile peace that had surrounded them at that time. Then when he'd seen her tiring, he'd scooped her up against his chest and settled himself flat on his back on their ratty lounge, her head snuggled on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as they'd both drifted off. Gabriella's soft sigh brought Troy out of his thoughts and he refocused on the girl lying next to him. He should be furious at her. She'd pushed him into a corner that he hadn't wanted to be in. She'd taken the decision to tell her out of his hands with her simple belief in him. As they'd argued, Troy had been astounded by how much faith she'd had in him, how much faith she'd had in the fact that there was something more to him. It had trapped him because no-one had ever seemed to have that much faith in him, apart from Christy, Chad and his father; her faith had trapped him into telling her what he'd come from, what he'd witnessed. It was strange, now that he could think back on it, how easy it had been to switch off when he'd been telling her. When he'd been speaking about his mother it occurred to Troy that he hadn't been telling a story, he'd been telling her chronological facts. Whatever he'd felt for his mother, before the accident and after, had sunk into indifference. He didn't have the energy to hate her for what she'd done to him before Allie was born and he didn't have to energy now to hate her now. His mother was someone who he thought about on the most remote terms. She may have been part of his life for the better part of twelve years, but she had only been in his life for a year, if what his father told him was true. Allie was different. She'd only been in his life for three short years; three years that Troy wished had stretched into three hundred. He hadn't been cold when talking about her; he couldn't because when it came to Allie's memory, he felt too much. Troy had discovered that hurt didn't fade with time; it could be as fresh and sharp today as it had been the day the police had told him there had been no hope for her at all. But then, his love for his little sister had faded either. Troy was sure he would love Allie today as much as he had when she was thirteen months and asleep on his chest. Knowing that, knowing that the love and hurt wouldn't fade made him wonder if the ice was there as a way of pushing people away or protecting himself from feeling either one too much. Absently, he ran a hand down over Gabriella's side, unaware that he was taking comfort from the softness of her body until she murmured and shifted, rolling over to face him. Pulling back slightly, Troy found himself opening his eyes to look at her. She was beautiful. Beautiful in a way he hadn't seen before. He supposed it was because she seemed to be so negligent of her looks. He didn't think he'd ever seen her wearing make-up, not even when she'd shown up to school in that dress, the dress he hoped she never wore in front of anyone but him again, Troy found himself surprised at the possessive voice that reared its head as he remembered her in that dress. Then he wasn't very surprised. His instinct to protect her from every single one of the guys at East High had been as insistent as the need to stake his claim. It had been an interesting combination that had infuriated him even though he knew it had come from the feelings he hadn't wanted to accept.

Now, Troy had to admit, he didn't have a choice. His feelings for Gabriella were there and they weren't going to go anywhere. Especially now that he knew she wasn't going to recoil at his past. He'd been afraid of that. He'd been terrified that she was going to step away, going to leave the rooftop garden without a word to him. He'd never felt so relieved when he'd felt her arms wrap around him. He'd never felt so purged either. He'd never told anyone what happened. Chad had been there when Allie had been yanked into a car and died seconds later. Christy had been exposed to some of who his mother had become, after he'd made the mistake of inviting her over to help with a joint project. His father knew, because his father was involved. But his mother and his father ex-wife was not something they spoke about. Sometimes Troy brought up Allie; if something reminded him of her while his father was around. But he'd never really talked about it. He'd never relayed the story to anyone and he'd never done it to someone who hadn't given him the choice. He'd never given in to anyone who hadn't given him a choice. He had his own defenses against the people who didn't give him a choice. Most of the defenses included his reliance on his ability to talk himself out of anything. But he couldn't have done that to Gabriella. He'd known she didn't deserve him if he couldn't tell her the truth and it helped that he'd already made the decision to tell her. At least, that's what he told himself. There was no way he was going to admit out loud that he'd perhaps needed to tell the story. That he'd needed someone besides his father to know about the life he never wanted to remember. About the mother who he could feel nothing for because it was a waste of energy trying to hate her. That he'd needed to tell someone about what happened to Allie in a string of continuous words, instead of short, sharp sentences as an answer to questions thrown at him by the police. He just hoped to God Gabriella wasn't going to expect him to talk about what he felt when Allie had died. He would handle a lot of things, but Troy doubted he could handle being pushed into talking about what he felt when he'd seen the semi-trailer slam into the car. "Troy?" Gabriella's sleepy voice yanked Troy back out of his thoughts and his eyes quickly found the sleepy ebony eyes that he hadn't realized had opened. For a moment, they gazed at each other and then Gabriella's eyes drifted shut and she snuggled into him. "Going back to sleep on me, Montez?" He asked his voice low, husky and just this side of teasing. Her eyes flew open at his voice and he found himself amused at the sluggish alertness in them. She drew in a quiet breath, insistently tangling her legs with his. "No. Just resting my eyes." She replied sleepily and Troy rolled his eyes. "Sure you were. You do realize that you've been asleep for three and a half hours at least, right?" Troy found himself amused when Gabriella rolled her own eyes at the words. "Whatever. I don't mind." Troy could tell she didn't when she snuggled her head on the curve of his shoulder and sighed. "What were you thinking about?" The question caught Troy off guard and he wondered how to answer it without revealing his thoughts. "Allie." He admitted, deciding to fall safely on a subject he doubted she would press him about. Her eyes were interested when she tilted her head to look up at him. "What about Allie?" She asked and Troy moved his shoulders nonchalantly as he wondered if he could get away with telling her his memory without telling her why he was thinking about it. "I was actually thinking about the fact that we were sleeping." Troy decided suddenly that he might as well tell her the truth, he doubted that this lazy, casual intimacy was going to last when she woke up a little more. "I was remembering one time when Mom had gone off on a bender and we'd been home alone. We'd been playing all afternoon; it was actually kind of fun. I fell asleep with her on my chest. It was one of those afternoons where I didn't have to be afraid that Mom would come into the room and start on something or that the doorbell would ring and one of her friends would storm into the living room." He felt Gabriella's hand tightening around his and felt better about telling her.

"That's nice. You really loved her, didn't you?" Troy highly doubted that she would have asked the question of him so easily if he hadn't told her what he had been thinking about. He stiffened slightly as he remembered not wanting to talk about his feelings and he realized that he wasn't open to discussing what he'd felt for Allie as well. "Yes." His voice was curt and Troy knew, he knew that she noticed the wall go up. Just as he was conscious of it going up. He wanted to wince at his own reaction to her question but knew that he couldn't. He couldn't because he suddenly felt that he'd already said to much to her. Seeing the look on Gabriella's face, Troy found himself fumbling inside him for an elaboration. Some way to add to the curt yes. Before something could spring from his mouth, Gabriella had leaned up and kissed him. "It's okay. We won't talk about it." Gabriella murmured against his mouth and Troy closed his eyes as she kissed him again. It drifted over him slowly that Gabriella had read him as easily as he could read her. Before he could analyze it, Gabriella's kiss changed. Her mouth became more persuasive, her tongue sweeping his mouth as her upper body slid onto his chest, the hand that had clasped his slipping up into his hair. Troy ran his hand up, under her shirt as the other cradled the back of her head. His hand began to tease the smooth skin of her back, enjoying the way her breath caught in her throat as he scraped his hand up her back to the back of her bra. He tickled the clasp for a moment, and then smoothed his hand back down to the small of her back. Holding it there, Troy waited until Gabriella pulled away slightly for breath before he rolled them. His mouth came back down on hers, hard and he felt her gasp as he pulled at her bottom lip with his teeth. His hand slid down, up her shirt until he traced the base of her bra. He felt her moan against his mouth, felt the insistent tug in his lower body as she arched up to strain against him. Then he didn't want it. He didn't want to have sex with her right now. He wanted tohe didn't know what he wanted but he did know that he didn't want to do what she thought he wanted. So he pulled away, hovering over her as they both tried to catch their breaths. Drawing in one last deep breath, Troy slipped his hand from under her shirt and he balanced himself on his elbows. He watched as her eyes opened and he could see the hurt hidden in the depths of them. "Got any food?" He asked and watched as Gabriella's eyes darkened in confusion at the question. "I uh sure. I think so." Troy had to force himself not react to the husky timbre of her voice. He wondered if this was how she always sounded after he'd kissed her or if it was because he'd kissed her just after she'd woken up. He decided quickly that it didn't matter now because he highly doubted they would leave the bed if she spoke again. Not entirely willingly, Troy forced himself off her and the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it even more as he watched Gabriella sit up and stretch. Her shirt rose up over her taut stomach and Troy found himself swallowing. Hard. She really was absolutely gorgeous and Troy found himself wondering why she was still there. Why she'd pushed so hard about his mother, about Allie. Why she'd stuck when he was sure no-one else ever would. Why she'd given a damn when from the very first time they'd met, he'd tormented her. Why can't you accept that I care? Troy heard her voice in his head, heard the desperation and frustration in her words and found that he couldn't accept that she cared. There had to be something more than caring for her to push him so hard and still be there when he'd walked out. "Troy? Are you coming?" Her voice swirled around his mind and Troy noted that, perhaps for the first time, she didn't sound unsure or intimidated. She was simply asking a question that she needed an answer too. It stunned him that he wasn't irritated by the progress. "Yeah. Lead the way." He gestured with his hand and followed her out of her room, making sure not to touch her as he gazed at the back of her head and surprised himself with the fact that he was glad that Gabriella wasn't unsure around him right now. That she didn't seem to be second guessing herself. He supposed it was

because he would have gotten more irritated with her if she had continued to allow him to leave her hanging every time something happened between them or if she had allowed him to continue to speak to her as if she was worth little of his time when, in reality, Troy was beginning to comprehend that she meant more to him than he'd originally planned. Just thinking that she meant more to him caused something in his gut to twist. The last time he allowed someone to mean the world to him; they'd died because he'd thought they were safe. He wasn't sure whether or not he could take that risk again. He didn't know if Gabriella would be worth the risk of letting her close. Too late, Troy frowned at the knowing whisper, you've already let her in and you know she's not going to go anywhere. No, he agreed silently, if she had wanted to leave she would have already left. She wouldn't have let him jerk her one way and than the next if she honestly thought he wasn't worth it. Even thinking back on how she had been before this, before she'd found the courage and strength to push him to tell her what had happened, Troy could only accept that she wouldn't have let him take what he wanted so easily. "So, uh, what do you want?" Troy was brought out his thoughts not by her voice, but by her touch. She'd reached for his hand, taking it and intertwining their fingers as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do. It scared him to realize that it was the most natural thing in the world to do. Just as it was natural for him to squeeze her hand reflexively before he answered. "Food would be good. A phone would be useful if you find that you don't have food available." The dry humor in his voice surprised him and, apparently, it surprised Gabriella as well. She turned her face towards him, her eyes wide with shock before her lips curled upwards and Troy was wary of the way her shoulders shook slightly. "Okay. Come on." She pulled at his hand as she stepped into the kitchen. Troy watched her carefully as her hand suddenly stiffened in his and a blush stained her cheeks. Curious, he followed her line of vision and couldn't hold back his chuckle as he realized what she was looking at. As he looked at the kitchen bench, Troy found the grin fading as he remembered how rough he'd been with her. Unconsciously, his other hand lifted to run down her side, as if searching for bruises. His fingers lingered on her hip, vaguely remembering his hand digging into it then his hand was caught in hers. "You didn't hurt me. Not physically at least." Her words were quiet and Troy was once again stunned by the way she managed to read what he was thinking. It was reflex, and perhaps terror, that had him trying to tug his hand away from hers. "Good." He said his voice gruff as he tried, unsuccessfully, to extract his hand from Gabriella's. To gain some distance because he felt he had too have some. "No. Listen to me," the command in her voice made him look at her. The nerves in her eyes made the cool comment die on his lips. "You did hurt me, Troy. You hurt me when you assumed that I was going to listen to Taylor about Doug and you really hurt me when you walked out." He'd known that, Troy thought sourly as she looked up at him searchingly, he'd known he'd hurt her, so why was she spelling it out for him? Why was she telling him this when the twist in his stomach told him he had to do something to make it up? "Okay." He nodded, not sure what else to say and hating himself for not being able to read between the lines of her words. Gabriella stared at him for a moment, giving Troy the impression that he was meant to say something, anything, else and Troy had no idea what he was meant to say to her. He didn't know what she wanted but how was he meant to tell her that hearing that he'd hurt her from her own mouth tore something in him? "Okay. Take a seat." She let him go; untangling their fingers and Troy nearly breathed a sigh of relief. To disguise the relief at her letting him go, Troy found himself doing what she'd asked. He settled himself into one of the chairs at the bench and watched as Gabriella opened the fridge to search through it.

He'd hurt her. He'd hurt her and he wasn't sure what to do now. God, why did she have to tell him that he'd hurt her? If it was to get his mind of everything he'd told her earlier, it was doing a damn good job and Troy found himself irritated with the fact that while he wasn't open to discussing anything to do with what he'd told her, he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to dive headfirst into a conversation about who felt what and what, exactly, they were. Maybe they could do it in pieces. Maybe he could tell her something, let her process it and then pick it up another day. Another day. Troy stared at Gabriella's back as he realized that this, whatever it was, was going to continue. She wasn't going to drop him any sooner than he was going to drop her and Troy could only stare as he realized that, perhaps for the first time, someone other than the people who had known him since birth was going to stick. That someone other than his father, Christy, Chad cared about him and who he was. It was a little difficult to understand, a little difficult to accept but Troy couldn't help himself. She cared. She actually cared about him. She cared enough to get through months of him pulling her this way then that, months of him leaving her hanging with no indication that he so much as cared. But there was more to their feelings than simple caring, if there wasn't, Troy knew he wouldn't have any qualms about ending it here. Absently, he thought about the headlong drop he'd taken when he'd been inside her for the first time. Then he shook his head. He couldn't think about that right, he just couldn't. It was too much, too soon. She mattered. Gabriella mattered and that was enough for him at the moment. What he really felt, he could analyze later. He could sit down and sort through when she wasn't within easy reaching distance and glancing back at him every now and then, to make sure he was still there. Pushing aside his thought, Troy rose from his chair. As quietly as he could, he walked over to her and, though it was tempting, forced himself to not slide his arms around her waist. Instead, he reached up and tangled the ends of her hair with his fingers and leaned around her. "You've got no food, right?" He asked quietly, choosing to ignore the cartons of food he'd abandoned on Friday. He heard her breath stutter, than whoosh out softly. "Wellnot really." Gabriella admitted sheepishly and Troy smirked, amused at her as she shut the fridge door and turned her face towards him. Troy felt something catch in him as he saw the look. Similar to Allie's but without the cheeky grin. The look could destroy him, Troy knew. Totally destroy him if she ever realized what she was doing. He cursed and watched surprise flit through her eyes. Without much thought, Troy turned her to face the fridge again, his arm sliding around her waist to keep her in place. "I need to tell you something," he kept his mouth close to her ear, knowing it was less likely for her to turn her head and look at him if it was there than if he was speaking above her head. She went very still at his voice. "Okay." He heard her utter and then cursed mentally as he tried to figure out what to say to her. "I don't like talking when pushed. I don't like to be put in corners, either. I don't talk about how I felt then, and I'm not very good at telling people what I'm feeling now." He blew out a breath. "I don't want you to expect me to change that overnight. I don't want you to say something and expect me to be able to tell you what I feel right now. I can't do that because the last time I said anything remotely near 'I love you' was six years ago to Allie. I'm still probably going to leave you hanging, I'm still going to cold, cruel and amused to you sometimes. Which means I'm going to hurt you. But" He trailed off, fighting with the words that wanted to spring out of his mouth to let her know that this was going to go somewhere. What they felt meant something. Swallowing, Troy lowered his forehead to her shoulder and closed his eyes. "But you matter to me Gabriella." His throat closed and Troy had to force himself to keep talking. "You matter a lot and I don't want you thinking that because you do, I'm going to stop being who I am today and hold your hand whenever you need me too." Her body tensed at his words and Troy wondered if she'd heard them or not. Then she was turning around in his arms, her arms sliding up around his neck as he raised his eyes to hers. "You're an idiot if you honestly think I'd want to change you." Gabriella's eyes gleamed up at his and her words were surprisingly strong for someone who had been as quiet as a mouse when he'd first met her. Then he comprehended her words and felt a smile working its way across his face. The smile seemed to stun her as he ran a hand up her spine.

"You're going to stick, aren't you?" He asked gently, unsure about her answer even as he smiled down at her. Gabriella's hand stroked through his hair once, a gentle, reassuring touch that had Troy wanting to close his eyes and enjoy the moment. "I'm not going anywhere. Even if you told me to take a hike, I'd probably still be here. I want to be with you, Troy. Nothings going to change that." She admitted and Troy drew in a deep breath at her words. "ButI want you to promise me something." Her voice wavered slightly and Troy was instantly wary. Promises, he knew from experience, were as easily broken as twigs on the ground. "What?" He schooled his voice to coolness and Gabriella swallowed as she looked up at him, trailing a hand through his hair again, her fingers lingering on the ends of hair and her fingertips warm against the back of his neck. "Promise me you won't walk out again. Please. Promise me that." Troy stared down at her and then he sighed. He could leave her hanging with an unanswered question but he knew how much damage someone walking out could cause. But he couldn't promise her that because he was terrified of breaking it. Even though she'd only just asked it of him. "I can try." His voice was low and, Troy knew, honest. He would try but that was all he could do. To make a promise was a responsibility that was too much to handle. Gabriella nodded slowly, her eyes searching his face before Troy lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her slowly, enjoying the way she came alive when he touched his lips to hers. She mattered and she didn't want him to change. It was enough for Troy to know that she wasn't going anywhere. Dangerous Fascination CHAPTER 22 QUESTION The moment Gabriella walked through the doors of East High. She knew something was wrong. She wasn't sure how she knew. She just knew something was wrong. She supposed it might have been the air. The air was too still. Like the students were afraid of something that she had no idea about. Glancing behind her, she noted the way Troy's eyes immediately darkened slightly. Like he'd sensed the same thing she had and Gabriella had a feeling that whatever it was had something to the person walking behind her. The person, Gabriella thought as her lips curved, that had spent last night with her, shocking her mother into silence when he'd walked down the stairs with his hair wet earlier that morning. She wanted to send him a small smile, something that would turn his attention away from the freshmen who hadn't yet learnt that staring at Troy made them targets for an arrow of words that left them bleeding. Before she could think of something to turn his attention away from the freshmen, Troy's eyes turned to hers and his careful mask was softened by the lighting of his eyes and the brush of his hand against hers. "Um, I need to go to my locker." Gabriella wasn't sure why she spoke quietly, only that she didn't want someone to hear the affection she knew warmed her voice as Troy nodded. "Okay. I'll see you in homeroom." Troy's voice was indifferent and Gabriella nodded, taking a step away from him and wondering if she should ask him if he was actually going to acknowledge her when in homeroom. She was sure that his habit of acknowledging her only when he wanted wouldn't change, despite what had happened the day before. Even as she turned to ask him, Gabriella knew that he'd vanished the moment he'd said 'see you in homeroom'. Readjusting her grip on her bag, Gabriella chose to ignore the looks the freshmen were giving her as she walked past them, her mind drifting back to Troy, who she'd spent all of last night curled up against, first on the lounge while watching a movie she hadn't paid any attention to and second in bed sleeping comfortably for the first time in a long time. They hadn't talked. Gabriella could suppose that after what he'd told her

yesterday he'd run out of things to say and she hadn't wanted to push him. Especially seeing as he'd already revealed so much to her. Dodging a flailing arm, Gabriella felt her mood shift slightly as she thought about what Troy had told her. She had been expecting something; she just hadn't been expecting what he'd told her. What would it have been like if her father hadn't left and instead had fallen into drugs and alcohol? Would she have turned out like Troy or was his mother's addiction nothing compared to what had happened to his sister? What would it have been like, Gabriella wondered, to have someone there who loved you unconditionally, who put faith in you, who was there one day and gone the next? She shuddered at the thought, especially when the image of a smiling, blonde haired, blue eyed baby floated before her eyes and she pushed it away. She had no right imagining what Allie looked like; she was going to have to wait until Troy felt like she needed to know. Until Troy felt it was safe enough for him to reveal something like that to her. This time, though, Gabriella wasn't going to get impatient nor was she going to demand he tell her. She was going to wait. She knew enough now to wait. Reaching her locker, Gabriella pulled it open and pushed her bag in. As she began to search through her locker for her history textbook, she became aware of the stares that were pinned to her every move. Straightening, Gabriella turned her head and was startled when she found no-one looking at her. Returning her attention to her locker, Gabriella gathered up a notebook and pencil case. Tucking them in the crook of her arm, she once again felt someone's eyes on her and whipped around. Her eyes widened when, instead of finding no-one, she found a group of girls watching her from across the hall. All looked away quickly, glancing back at her once or twice and snickering. Tilting her head slightly, curious as to why they were snickering, Gabriella took a step towards them. "Oi! Gabi!" Chad's loud voice broke through her curiosity and the girls; Gabriella noticed, pulled their bags tighter against themselves and, with one last conspicuous look, fled the scene just as Chad slung his arm around her shoulders. "What's up, Chad?" Gabriella fought the blush on her cheeks as she remembered the last time she'd seen him. She hoped he wasn't going to bring up her sobbing on his shoulder. If he did, Gabriella thought, she might just have to kill him. "A roof, the sky, stars. You know. All those things." Chad grinned down at the brunette, pleased when she giggled and noting that she looked less fragile than she had the day before. "I see you've got an answer to the question all worked out." Sliding the arm that wasn't cradling her books around Chad's waist, Gabriella held on and rolled her eyes. Chad squeezed her shoulders, sending a warning glance at two girls who raised their eyebrows at their stance. "Oh yeah. Did you get your answers yesterday?" Chad asked and was surprised with Gabriella long, low breath. "Yes." She breathed out. "I'm still processing it, though." Gabriella admitted, having a feeling that Chad would know what she was talking about and understand. Chad nodded. "I know. I spent weeks waking up from nightmares after what happened. He wouldn't have told you, but he saw the bodies. He didn't care about his mom's but Allie's" Chad trailed off slightly, remembering the bloody, bruised body of the still little girl he'd thought of as a sister. "I'm surprised it didn't destroy him." Gabriella said softly as Chad steered her around a group of boys loudly exclaiming over some magazine in the centre. It would have, Gabriella thought suddenly, the stark reality of his sisters lifeless body would have destroyed him. "I think it did." Chad muttered. Then, for Gabriella to hear. "He left for Santa Fe. Jack, his dad, sent him off the minute the funeral was over. He was gone for six months, no contact, nothing." Except for once, Chad thought. Looking down and contemplating the petite brunette at his side, Chad wondered if he should tell her what he had just remembered.

Gabriella frowned. "Really? He didn't talk to you for six months?" She didn't know if Chad was telling the truth when he spoke. But then, she supposed, it wasn't like she could understand what Troy had gone through in the six months after his sister's death. Deciding that he might as well tell her something Troy wouldn't, Chad spoke. "He did call once. It was like two in the morning and my phone just went off. I answered it, fully intending to yell at anyone who interrupted by sleep. It was Troy." Even remembering it now caused Chad a type of pain he didn't understand. "He was a mess. A complete and total mess. He'd always seemed older than me cause he went through all that shit with his mom and then looking after Allie, you know? I'm still not sure what triggered it, whether it the psychologist he had to see while in Santa Fe or something else but he cried. It was the first and last time I've ever heard him get that close to emotion." Gabriella looked up at Chad. He'd been twelve as well. They'd both been twelve and Troy had been going through something only few people had to ever experience. Feeling tears well up, as well as an insistent need to wrap her arms around the solid body of Troy. Gabriella pulled away a little from Chad, willing away the tears as the approached homeroom and noting the looks she was receiving from some of the students walking past. "He doesn't want to feel because it still hurts, doesn't it?" Gabriella mumbled, not really intending for Chad to hear and surprised when he stopped to look down at her. "I don't think something like that will ever stop hurting." Chad admitted. "But he's better now that you're around." Gabriella blinked slightly as Chad spoke and dropped his arm from around his shoulders. She looked at him curiously and he nodded for her to turn around. Turning, Gabriella saw Troy heading towards them, Christy beside him and two other boys trailing behind him. His eyes flicked from just ahead of him, to Gabriella and Chad standing by the door. Meeting his eyes, Gabriella offered him a tentative smile as she wrestled with the urge to slide into his arms for a moment and hold on. "Yo, Zeke, I heard you got some girl good." Chad's shout had the two tall boys behind Troy grinning as the boy Gabriella assumed was Zeke nodded and raised his hand for a high five. Ducking under Zeke's outstretched arm as they reached the two, Gabriella slipped over to Troy and Christy. Though she'd fought the need to slide into his arms down to a simply a need to touch, Gabriella was hesitant as Christy gestured with her hands, speaking rapidly in a low voice and Troy's eyes darkened. Then his eyes flicked to her, though they lighted slightly, Gabriella noted that they didn't linger on her long. Instead they returned to Christy and she took that as a signal to touch him. Sliding just behind him, blocking any view of what she was doing from anyone watching them; Gabriella slid a hand down his forearm, trailing her fingers over the muscles that tensed then relaxed at her touch. Her fingers reached his hand and, intending to withdraw her hand, Troy stunned her by capturing her hand and loosely interlocking their fingers. Standing there, immobile as the warmth of his palm seeped through her, Gabriella squeezed his hand tightly. He didn't wince, instead, not giving any indication that he'd done anything out of character at al, Troy returned her squeeze, rubbing a thumb over her knuckles as he nodded at Christy's words before shooting out a low, dangerous growl that had Christy smirking. Not hearing his words, Gabriella jumped when he spoke. "What's wrong, Gabriella?" She looked up, frowning and amusement warmed his dark eyes. "You look like you've been hit over the head with a mallet." "Nothing. Nothing. What were you talking to Christy about?" She asked, knowing that what Chad had told had been in confidence and that one day, hopefully, she might hear it from Troy. Looking up at him, Gabriella tensed slightly at Troy's contemplative look. "Things." Gabriella frowned, knowing that Troy was probably being deliberately evasive. "What were you and Chad talking about?" Deciding that if he wasn't going to tell her what he and Christy had been talking about, she wouldn't tell him what she had Chad had been talking about, Gabriella grinned up at him. "Things."

Troy chuckled. He was more relaxed around her than he'd ever thought possible. Standing with her, right now, in the hall with students milling around them, Troy doubted he would ever feel this comfortable with someone again, even when he was challenged by his own demons. "Funny." He muttered to her and Gabriella's grin softened to a smile as the bell rang. Almost immediately, she let go of his hand and stepped away from him as students began to rush to their classrooms. She watched as Troy considered her for a moment then gestured towards their homeroom. Folding that hand that had held his across her books, Gabriella stepped into the classroom and was met with the dark glare of Taylor. For a moment, she stopped, startled by the daggers coming from Taylor's eyes and then she felt a presence behind her and watched as Taylor's mouth turned from a thin line to a sneer. Glancing back, Gabriella watched, interested, as Troy's mouth tilted into a knowing smirk. It was an interesting contrast, considering the last time Troy and Taylor had seen each other, Taylor had provoked Troy into showing a temper that she had only sparked further. Feeling Troy nudge her forward, Gabriella snapped back from her thoughts and was surprised to see Taylor had gone. Glancing back at Troy, she was surprised to see him still smirking and sighed quietly as she slipped into her seat. Ignoring the looks she was receiving from some of the people already seated, Gabriella waited patiently for Miss Darbus to start talking and didn't see Doug trying to catch her attention. Instead, she focused on Troy and was surprised when she saw him leaning over to where Christy was seated, his mouth moving rapidly as Christy nodded. It occurred to her that she hadn't ever seen Troy talk this much and about something that was obviously important. Tilting her chair back slightly, Gabriella continued to watch as Troy's shoulders tensed and his eyes flicked to Chad, who seemed to immediately understand whatever silent command Troy had issued and extracted himself from whatever conversation he was in to head over to Troy. Seeing Miss Darbus stand up, Gabriella shifted her attention from the curious congregation near the front of the room and up to the teacher knowing that she shouldn't let Troy's presence distract her from paying attention. She didn't notice the way Chad's eyes kept flicking back to her nor the looks Troy shot her when Chad or Christy were talking. Instead, she concentrated on Miss Darbus as the older woman cleared her throat and the little group at the front of the class broke up. Even Miss Darbus started to speak, Gabriella's mind started to wander, drifting to the night before. She'd ordered take-out when they'd discovered she had little food in the kitchen and then, in a move that surprised her, he'd asked to watch a movie. So they had. She still wasn't sure how they had shifted from opposite sides of the couch so she was curled up against his side nor did she remember falling asleep. What she did remember was waking up in the middle of the night. She'd tried to roll over and had woken up, disorientated, because Troy's arm had been resolutely around her waist, holding her firmly against his body. It had taken her a moment to realize what was holding her in place, when she had she had closed her eyes and snuggled back into his body. She'd assumed that her movement had woken him up until she had felt a long, sleepy kiss on her shoulder, a senseless murmur and the tightening of his arm. It had been endearing and warming and she had closed her eyes and known that if he would give her something like that from time to time, she would be happy. She'd woken to that as well. The long kiss on her shoulder. Except she'd kept her eye shut as she'd felt him shift away from her, knowing that if she gave any indication that she'd felt the light touch of affection he would pull away slightly, just to give him some sort of control. Troy's need for control had made her curious before and knowing why he needed that control now, it made her wonder just what would happen when he was comfortable enough around her to not need it anymore. Would his displays of affection around her be less sporadic and initiated more by him? Would she be able to slip her hand into his without the need to block the sight with their bodies? Would he be able to accept the fact that she was in love with him?

Jolted by the thought, Gabriella picked up a pen and began to doodle on her notebook. She had a feeling that he would. He would accept her love because he was the one that had brought up the topic first. Maybe it would take him a long time to admit more than that she mattered to him but the fact that he brought up the topic of love gave her hope. Not paying attention to the shuffling and murmur of students, Gabriella concentrated harder on the doodle she was making; unaware that the heart she was drawing was becoming larger as she traced the curve over and over. "GM loves TB? Really?" Gabriella jumped at the husky voice in her ear and blushed as she dropped her pen and met Troy's amused eyes. Turning in her seat, Gabriella slid her elbow over the heart and fought back the heat in her cheeks. "Why are you here?" She blurted out and tensed slightly as Troy placed his hand on her desk, successfully caging her into her seat. He lowered his mouth slightly. "Because I though someone better tell you the bells gone and there is no-one else here in the classroom." Gabriella jerked slightly at his words, her eyes widening as she realized that he was right. "Damn! I need to go to my locker." She exclaimed and Troy chuckled, his breath washing over her face and Gabriella relaxed slightly, tilting her face towards him a little more, so their lips were a little closer. "I thought you went to your locker earlier." He murmured softly, pressing a kiss to her lips that had Gabriella sighing softly. "Uh. I did." She replied and stretched up to kiss him again. "Why are you still here?" She murmured, this time saying it because she was curious and not to cover up the fact that he knew what she'd been writing. "Because you are." He replied and caught her in a deeper kiss, lingering over it as Gabriella settled herself into the kiss and lifted a hand to press it against his side. Drawing in a deep breath as he drew back, Gabriella gazed up at him beneath her eyelashes. "We should get to class." She spoke softly and Troy nodded. "Sure." He pulled away and Gabriella stood up, gathering her books. Holding it against her chest, she looked at Troy, who was standing watching her closely. "Do I have something on my face?" She asked and had a feeling that Troy was contemplating something much the same way Chad had contemplated telling her about Troy's phone call when he was twelve. Troy took a step toward her and raised his hand, pushing a curl behind her ear. "No. Brie, I need to tell you something." Gabriella blinked, freezing at the name that fell from his lips and wondering at it. "Brie?" She repeated dumbly and, for a moment, she thought Troy was going to falter before he shrugged. "Easier than saying Gabriella all the time." He pointed out, brushing it off quickly even as it filled her with a warm glow. "Don't be alone today, okay?" The question made Gabriella blink. "What? Why?" Her brow furrowed in confusion and Troy smirked, seemingly unable to resist sliding his arms around her waist and drawing her close. Gabriella, though still confused, went willingly, tilting her face upwards towards him and smiling up at him. "Just because." Gabriella frowned slightly at his words, knowing that there was a lot more to the request than he was telling her. Before she could open her mouth to ask him what else there was to his question, Troy kissed her again. Relaxing slightly, Gabriella slid the hand that wasn't clutching her books up into his hair and pressed close. Troy continued drawing out the kiss parting her lips and delving into her mouth gently. She pulled away from him, her eyes closed and her hand clenched in his hair. "You going to be alone today?" He asked, murmuring it against her lips and Gabriella sighed.

"No. Are you going to tell me why not though?" She replied, kissing him again and Troy smirked. "In good time. Just don't be alone. You'll probably find out at by the end of today anyway." There was such assurance in his tone that Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. As long as you tell me." Gabriella pulled away from Troy as he nodded, watching her movements to the door. Stepping out of the classroom, Gabriella turned her head away from Troy and stopped as she came face to face with a nervous and pacing Doug. Furrowing her brow, Gabriella stepped closer to the nervous boy and coughed gently. "Are you okay, Doug?" Her voice was tentative and Gabriella was shocked when Doug jumped. "Yeah. I'm fine. Are you okay?" Gabriella blinked at the intensity of his voice and took a step back, not sure why he was so nervous and unsure as to what he was talking about. "I'm fine. Fine." Doug nodded and Gabriella took a step towards her classroom, wondering how to get out of this conversation. "Stay away from Taylor today, okay?" Before she could ask what was going on and why she should stay away from Taylor, Doug had taken off. Watching him go, Gabriella threw her hands in the air. There was something going on and it involved her, most likely Troy and Taylor. Which really, Gabriella supposed, shouldn't surprise her because of what had happened at her house days before. The problem was she was in the dark. How was she meant to know if she was okay if she didn't know what was going on? Troy obviously did and so did Doug which meant, Gabriella thought, that Christy and Chad knew what was going on. Which, she thought, brought her to the question. What was going on? CHAPTER 23 FAIL He'd spent the entire day doing two things. Watching Gabriella closely and studying Taylor McKessie's movements. The first had given him a certain amount of pleasure. He supposed that it was going to become a favorite past time of his, watching Gabriella move through the hallways, waiting for her eyes to flick to his in class as she realized that he was looking at her again as much out of a need to silently stake his claim on her and the pleasure it brought him. Studying Taylor McKessie's movements through the day, knowing what she had spread with a few well chosen words to some well chosen people and what she was going to have done to Gabriella hadn't given him anything but a sour taste in his mouth. He would have considered himself a fool to believe that he and Gabriella could come to school and try and figure out whatever their relationship was out without anyone trying to interfere. That particular cynicism was the reason he'd been prepared for whatever information Christy had dug up about what everyone was saying about them. He just hadn't expected what Christy had told him. Even now, as the day neared an end, he was still surprised by the guts Taylor was showing by orchestrating this plan and trying to see it through. He was also surprised at the one major flaw in her plan. The choice people in the school had been the girls in Christy's squad and Christy had snickered slightly as she'd relayed to him what they had said, adding with an burst of laughter that they had told her because they were afraid of Troy getting angry. Troy had smirked as she'd told him finding Taylor's underestimation of how the school thought of him amusing. A revolution only succeeded if the masses were willing and the masses at East High were not willing.

Leaning back in chair, tipping it until two legs were airborne, Troy wondered when Taylor had become desperate enough to try and turn the school's population against him instead of focusing on the rather small issue of his and Gabriella relationship. He had a feeling that it had begun the night she'd come over to tell Gabriella why he'd left. Though he couldn't be sure of her thought process and how she had arrived at the conclusion which had led her to not only try and destroy Gabriella's interest in him but him as well, he had to applaud the way she had gone about it. It had been very sneaky, very clever and very Troy-like. Unfortunately, Taylor had neither the reputation or knew enough of the right people to actually pull it off properly. So now all he had to do was execute the counter attack which he had planned so meticulously during Homeroom. It had taken him a while to figure out the best opportunity, challenging him slightly until he'd realized that he'd actually missed the challenge of trying to outmaneuver someone. Then the pleasure of being challenged had dissipated slightly as he'd realized that she was trying to destroy something that, though he hadn't quite figure out how to handle it, meant something to him. Something which meant a lot to him. Which was why, instead of having it happen at the beginning of the day, Troy had chosen to bide his time, making sure Chad or Christy were with Gabriella when he couldn't be and noting that Doug was hovering around her too, no doubt worried about what Taylor had planned. Though it had amused him at first, Troy had reluctantly began to accept that Doug's presence wherever Gabriella was had been part of the reason Taylor had made her move yet. Apparently, Doug knew something and Troy was going to find out exactly what it was when his teacher finished talking. "Mr Bolton, can you please inform us what a revolution is?" Mrs Kent's eyes challenged him slightly as the question pulled him away from his thoughts. "A violent and bloody overthrow of government." Troy smirked slightly, the answer falling from his mouth before he even registered the question. His teacher raised her eyebrows. "And can you tell me the revolution we're talking about?" She asked and Troy shrugged, letting the chair fall back onto four legs. "The nineteen-seventeen Russian Revolution when the Romanov's were thrown overthrown and the Bolsheviks came to power after a civil war." Troy replied, knowing the material Mrs Kent had been trying to teach his World History class backwards and already bored with the Russian Revolution. "Uh-huh. Thank you Troy." Mrs Kent dismissed him as the bell rang and, swinging from his desk without a glance, Troy took two strides and had caught up with Doug, who was packing his books slowly. "We need to talk Howard." He muttered under his breath as Mrs Kent, who watched the two from behind square frames which made her lined face harsher than it should have been, pretended to be interested in her next lesson plan. Doug's green eyes widened slightly as he glanced back at him. "I don't what about Troy." Forcing himself not to roll his eyes and remembering that he'd scared Doug the last time he'd spoken to him, Troy spoke again. "Yes. You do. And you're going to help me because I don't want Gabriella to get hurt." It was said slowly so Doug understood every word and, as he spoke, Troy tried to keep his voice indifferent but was afraid that his voice had hitched a little on Gabriella. Doug bit his lip and Troy leaned back a little, knowing he'd gotten his message across and gesturing towards the door. Doug, after a moment's contemplation, walked out first, his grip on his books tight. Troy followed and scanned the halls for anything unusual. "What do you want to know, Troy?" Doug asked glancing around as well, except instead of looking for something unusual, Doug was searching nervously for someone as Troy deliberately steered him in the direction of Gabriella locker.

"Whatever it is that made you tell Gabriella to stay away from Taylor today." Doug's eyes widened in surprise at Troy's words and he darted Troy a look. "I was in the classroom when she walked out." He explained, feeling that he had to tell Doug something like that in case the boy was worried that the reason Troy wanted to talk to him was so he could cut through any hope he connected to Gabriella. "Oh. Well, I overheard Taylor saying something about talking to Gabriella being the signal for Smith or someone to threaten her about being near you. Something like, 'if you don't leave Troy alone, we'll bash him up'." Doug finished and Troy felt something cold creep into his stomach at the thought of what Gabriella would do if Taylor had enlisted the help of the football captain. The last time Smith had been anywhere near Gabriella she'd been cowering away in fright. "Hmm. Now, I suppose for Taylor to do that, I'm not meant to be anywhere near her, right?" Troy asked already knowing the answer and intrigued by the idea of interrupting the moment instead of being there when Taylor approached. Pulling out his phone, Troy's thumb flew over the keys of his phone and he hit send. Tucking the phone back in his pocket, Troy rounded a corner, hardly noticing that Doug had fallen behind him. Feeling his phone vibrate against his leg, Troy pulled it out and read the clipped reply from Chad. As he typed his last text, Troy stopped walking and leaned against the wall. Glancing up, he caught sight of Gabriella laughing by her locker, her ebony curls shaking as she shook her head and Chad standing beside her grinning at whatever they were laughing about. Hitting send, Troy watched as Chad said something else and Gabriella burst into laughter again as Chad pulled out his phone. Troy tilted his head slightly when Chad's eyes scanned the halls and latched onto the shadowy figure of his friend as Gabriella turned back to her locker. Troy watched carefully, glancing up the hallway and seeing Taylor hovering near the classroom opposite Gabriella's locker. He only just acknowledged Chad saying something to Gabriella and the hug they exchanged before Chad strode away. "What's going on, dude? I thought you were going to wait a little while longer." Troy raised a hand to silence Chad as he approached, nodding to Taylor as the brunette glanced down the hallway cautiously and then made her way over to Gabriella. Glancing at Chad, who looked slightly confused, Troy decided to explain. "Apparently, she's got Smith lined up to threaten Gabriella to leave me alone. I though it'd be more interesting to interrupt them than to confront her about the other things." In full view of everyone in the hallway, too, Troy thought, frowning slightly. He didn't particularly want to cut Taylor down with an audience, having done it a few times before and not enjoying the harsh reality of the scenes. "You're kidding me! Gabi's terrified of that guy." Chad snapped back and Troy glanced behind him at Chad's outraged tone. "You sound like an outraged older brother." He commented and Chad glanced at him even as Troy looked back to see Gabriella running a hand through her hair frustrated. Scanning the hall as Chad scoffed slightly; Troy caught sight of Lions and figured that Smith was nearby. "Yeah well, she'd make a pretty good little sister." Chad muttered darkly as he watched Taylor take an earnest step forward and Gabriella take a careful step back. "You know, you could look more worried." Chad snapped at Troy, who glanced at his friend. "Why? I'm going to intervene, just not yet. Gotta wait until Smith is there." Troy glanced up the hall again and caught sight of Smith advancing down the hall with measured steps. He didn't look particularly happy, Troy thought, more like he'd rather be going to have a tooth pulled than talk to Gabriella again. He supposed it had something to do with their last exchange and watched as the burly footballer hesitated slightly. "Smith's there. Are you going to go over now?" There was a touch of animosity in Chad's voice and Troy wasn't sure whether it was because he wasn't going to interfere soon or because Smith was talking to Gabriella. "In a second." Troy replied, watching closely as Taylor glanced over at Smith and, with a slight tilt of her head, indicated for him to approach.

Calculating the time it would take for Smith to form the words and how quickly he could cover the distance between where he was and Gabriella's locker, Troy made the mistake of glancing at Gabriella and felt something in his stomach jerk at her pale face. "Shit." He cursed and pushed away from the locker before Chad could ask him what was wrong. Walking as quickly as he could, Troy wove through the students as Smith took a menacing step toward Gabriella and Taylor fought to keep the smirk from her face. He didn't have to turn to know that Chad was following him closely and, upon reaching his destination, Troy spoke. "Well, well, what do we have here?" He didn't know that his tone of voice froze the blood pounding through Smith's veins nor did he know that Taylor had gone very still. What Troy was aware of was the shaking of Gabriella's pale frame and the instinctive fury at it. "Troy! Hehe said " Gabriella's small voice had fury pumping as he took a step so she was shielded by his body. "Something about if you didn't stay away from me, he was going to hurt me?" Troy's question obviously shocked Taylor whose mouth dropped open in surprise as Smith's hands clenched. "Yes." Gabriella whispered and Troy shook his head. "Desperate McKessie." The sneer in his voice was obvious as he saw Chad place a menacing hand on Smith's shoulder. "I seem to recall, Smith, telling you if I catch you doing something like this again, you wouldn't be able to walk out of the school." The quiet warning in Troy's words wasn't hindered by Gabriella's desperate grip on his arm. Smith's eyes widened and he made a choking sound. "She told me to do it." Troy's eyes flicked to Taylor, who had folded her arms a nasty expression on her face at Smith's juvenile answer. "I know." Troy said and jerked his head slightly. Chad forcefully turned Smith and pushed him away, a smirk on Chad's face as he watched the big football captain stumble slightly as his body moved faster than his feet. Troy noted that Chad shoving Smith away had garnered the mild interest of some standing in the hall as he turned his attention back to a scowling Taylor. "Now, McKessie, maybe you should think about who you're dealing with before you try and pull a stunt like that." Troy spoke calmly, watching as Taylor's scowl deepened and knowing that her mind was ticking over. "I did think Bolton, why do you think I did it?" She spat it out at him and Troy sighed patronizingly, as if a particularly bright student had missed something. "Because you hate the fact that I'm just that little bit smarter than you." He replied and Taylor scoffed. "Oh and you hate the fact that Gabriella didn't fall into your plan for her to help you win the Scholastic Decathlon, start an innocent, puppy love relationship with Doug and become your best friend." Troy watched with pleasure as Taylor stiffened at his words. "I did not plan that!" She snapped as Gabriella's grip on his arm lessened somewhat and he had the distinct feeling she was peering around his side to stare incredulously at Taylor. "Yes, you did. See, I know you Taylor. It pissed you off when Gabriella didn't fall into your plans the way she was meant too and it pissed you off even more when she chose to get involved with me." Troy smirked slightly. "So instead of letting it all go, you decide to try and manipulate East High into hating me and threaten Gabriella into not seeing me anymore." Troy spoke casually, as if it was common knowledge and watched as Taylor's folded arms fell away in shock. "You're such a liar Bolton." Taylor hissed lividly, her shock short lived and her fury heightening slightly. Troy shrugged, tugging his arm away from Gabriella hand and folding it across his chest. "No. See, with me, I choose to omit things, so, technically, it's still the truth, just not the whole truth. But with you, with you it's definitely lies." Troy shook his head slightly as if he couldn't believe Taylor could stoop that low. Instead, he was watching her carefully and waiting for the right time to provoke her into spitting it all out.

Then he would step back and let Gabriella defend herself. "It isn't lies!" Taylor spat and Troy raised an eyebrow. One more poke, he thought to himself, just one more pointed comment and she'll lose it. "No? So its morefairytales?" Troy smirked and Taylor threw her hands in the air. "Its not fairytales!" Taylor shrieked. "Everyone knows you are a user Troy. Everyone knows you got into the hard drugs when you were young! So what if I may have mentioned that the reason Gabriella was spending so much time with you because you'd gotten her onto a little bit of crack? It's not like it's not true!" Taylor spat out and Troy risked a glance at Gabriella's face as Taylor breathed heavily. Oh, wasn't this going to be entertaining, he thought as Gabriella stepped forward. "You said what about me?" Gabriella's voice was quiet as Taylor's hand flew to her mouth as she realized what she'd said. "You said what about me Taylor McKessie?" Gabriella's voice was dangerous as Troy took a step back, placing himself behind her in an offer of support. "I Iit was nothing Gabriella. Just nothing." Taylor offered the words weakly, as if she was struggling for a way to work it all out before Gabriella exploded. "You told people I was on crack!" Gabriella suddenly shouted. "How is that nothing? Do I look like a drug user to you Taylor? Do you seriously think I would ever let myself get into that position?" Taylor shrank slightly at the menace in Gabriella voice even as Troy found himself amused by an anger he'd only ever seen directed at him. "It wasn't mainly about you, Gabriella, what I said" Taylor trailed off helplessly as Gabriella waved a hand around mercilessly. "I heard. What is wrong with you? Do you seriously hate somebody you barely know so much you tell someone that they're a drug user and convinced someone else to do drugs?" Gabriella's voice bordered shrill and Troy glanced at Chad who was shaking in what he supposed was silent laughter. "You know what, don't answer that. Because you know what? You're a shallow minded bitch who can't see that there's something more to everything." Gabriella spat the words out furiously and, though Troy couldn't have found a better way to put it, he was more than surprised by the fact that it had flown out of Gabriella's mouth. Before Taylor could form a coherent response and the crowd who had slowly begun to surround them could murmur, Gabriella turned around and pushed past Troy. Instead of catching her close the way he wanted to, Troy let Gabriella go, knowing he had to finish dealing with Taylor before he could go after Gabriella. "Thanks Bolton." Taylor's hissed words had Troy looking back at her. "You totally destroyed my friendship." Troy raised an eyebrow as he noted Chad backing away slightly. "I think you did that all by yourself McKessie." Troy replied, stretching his arms above his head leisurely. "Now, let's finish off what Brie started. Number one, pulling a stunt like the one you just did with Smith was not a very smart way of going about getting rid of me. Smith's terrified of me and no matter how much you paid him; he wouldn't have gone through with a threat like that." Troy said his voice low, cold and laced with fury. "Number two, insinuating to someone that I'm a drug addict and have convinced Gabriella to use is plain stupid. My mother was a drug addict, Taylor, as if your brother apparently, so I know you didn't think that one through." Troy watched with satisfaction as Taylor's eyes widened and shock ran through her at his words. "How do you know that?" She asked spitefully and Troy raised his eyebrows. "I just do." He whispered. "Number three, trying to destroy me when everyone at East High refuses to see me angry is probably the dumbest thing you could have tried." Leaning away from her slightly, Troy smirked. "You underestimated me McKessie. You underestimated my reputation, my sources but most of all, you overestimated yourself. Revolutions only occur when the masses are behind it." Troy bowed his head slightly, hiding his smirk as Taylor stood there in shock.

Turning, he walked away, ignoring the whispers that broke out as he walked. Turning a corner, he was surprised to see Gabriella leaning against a locker as Chad spoke to her quietly. Walking carefully, Troy approached the two. "Brie?" He asked quietly and she looked at him, her eyes suspiciously bright and Troy sighed. "Thanks Chad." He muttered quietly. Chad nodded once and then backed away from the two carefully. Troy waited until he was sure Chad was a fair distance away from them before he reached over and carefully pulled Gabriella into his arms. She snuggled into his body the same way she did when he'd slept with her and Troy whispered his lips through her hair as she clung. "How could she do that to me?" Gabriella whispered and Troy sighed, knowing that Gabriella wouldn't listen now. It surprised him slightly how quickly she'd gone from angry to upset and then speculated that maybe her rant would have been longer if it hadn't been induced by shock at what Taylor had said. "If I tell you now, you won't listen." Troy murmured into her hair and the arms around his waist tightened. "Come on, let's go." Troy didn't move just yet, knowing that Gabriella would need a few more seconds of clinging to him before she would willingly move. Forcing back a sigh, he absently drew circles on her back. He had to admit, he hadn't thought it would be that easy but then again, Taylor had underestimated him in her haste to get rid of him. She obviously hadn't thought he would find out something like that so quickly and she clearly hadn't thought through any sort of argument if he had found out. But that wasn't what he was sodisappointed about. No, what had disappointed him was that Taylor had stooped low enough to get someone who Gabriella was scared of to scare her again. What had disappointed him was that Taylor had underestimated not only him but the students of East High. Rubbing Gabriella's back gently, Troy sighed. "Come on, let's go." He said softly and Gabriella nodded. Stepping away from Gabriella, Troy wondered if she was going to let go of him and then decided that she wouldn't. Keeping his arm around her shoulders, Troy steered Gabriella towards the entrance and ignored the looks he was receiving. He knew that Gabriella was going to want to talk when she recovered and he knew that he was going to have to explain why Taylor had done this when she recovered from the shock and hurt which were currently haunting her now. Even as he steered her out, Troy knew that he was going to be okay talking to Gabriella. Especially after Taylor's failed revolution. CHAPTER 24 FUTURE He felt overprotective, worried and restless. Three emotions she had managed to evoke in him because she'd been silent in the car ride back to his place and had barely said a word when he'd settled her in his bed so she could get some rest. He wasn't sure if he was pissed off because she had caused those emotions in him or that, for the first time ever, he felt like a worried boyfriend or there was still that leaden feeling in his gut caused by seeing Smith near her. Troy settled for Smith because he knew that feeling like an overprotective boyfriend and blaming her for his feelings was not a fair thing to do. Unless he was very much mistaken, Gabriella hadn't chosen to cause any of those feelings in him; it was his own fault he'd gotten caught in the trap he'd woven. Though he was going to feel uncomfortable about it for a long time yet, Troy knew that he was grateful for letting himself get caught in his own trap. Falling for Gabriella hadn't been something he'd ever considered would happen. Not even when he'd kissed that first time in the park, not when he'd realized she was innocent and especially not when she'd let him hold her for the first time. She'd been afascinating distraction at the beginning. Someone who was easy to

pull whichever way he chose and easy enough to discard when he tired of her, especially, he mused, after he'd categorized her. He wasn't sure when it had changed, when he'd decided to discard her would be too hard. Maybe it had been when she'd displayed more resilience than he'd thought or maybe it really was when she hadn't been afraid of him. But when he'd realized that she mattered, well, that was an altogether different matter. Now, he supposed, it wasn't about the fact that she mattered or that he had fallen for her in a way he'd never thought would happen, it was about the fact that she was settled firmly between Chad and his father in the people who cared he cared about. So firmly, she had him feeling like an overprotective boyfriend while she slept in his room, unaware that he was sitting in the living room staring at the ceiling and contemplating how she had settled herself so completely in his life. He should have seen it coming, Troy thought closing his eyes, when he'd found himself liking hr far too much for his own good. The problem was, Troy doubted he could have seen it coming and if he had, well, he wasn't sure he would have stopped it. Especially if they had ended up exactly where they were. In the middle of something they couldn't figure out, with feelings that they wouldn't voice and a strange contentedness that settled with him sitting on his couch, worrying like an overprotective boyfriend while she slept in his bed as his hurt girlfriend. How in the world had he gotten himself in this position? Troy opened his eyes slightly and knew that it was going to take a while for him to call Gabriella his girlfriend and he knew he was going to do it when she was least expecting it. Which, Troy mused, would be a fascinating reaction to watch, especially if he did say it while they were in the middle of a fight. Troy heard the front door open and he lazily turned his head to see his dad walk into the living room, swinging his keys on his finger. "Should I be worried that you are, once again, skipping school?" Jack Bolton's tone was cool and Troy knew he had to think of a reasonable explanation because, if his fathers tone was anything to go by, Jack was not happy. "No. Should you be worried about it?" The knee-jerk reaction to evade his father's question had Troy forcing himself not to wince. "Troy, you have to stop skipping school. I can't keep coming up with excuses to keep you out of getting in trouble." Jack snapped and Troy sighed, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head slightly. "I know Dad. Okay? I know. It's just that some shit went down at school and it messed up Gabriella some." Troy didn't bother to point out to himself that he was telling the truth and that it was probably not an excuse that Jack wanted to hear. "Gabriella?" For a moment, Troy thought he'd shocked his father, and then Jack shook his head. "Troy, I want to be furious with you." Jack sighed and Troy, who had closed his eyes briefly, opened them as his father sat down next to him. "And?" Troy prompted as Jack leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling the way Troy had been staring earlier. "I guess I should be mad at the girl. She's got you skipping more school in two weeks than you have since your mother." Jack's words weren't bitter, instead they were matter-of-fact and Troy gave no reaction to the mention of his mother. "But I can't be. She's good for you." Troy jerked slightly at Jack's word and his head snapped around to look at his father. "She's good for you." Jack repeated and then stood up. "Right, I'm going back to school and I'm going to be home late. I'll write up excuses for you two. But it's the last time, Troy, am I clear?" Jack warned as he stood up and Troy nodded slightly, not bothering to give any indication that he cared about what his father was saying but knowing he was going to have to wait a while before he decided to take another day off. Troy didn't say anything as Jack headed out of the living room, stopping only to give him one warning look over his shoulder before Troy closed his eyes and waited for the sound of the front door closing before he chose to move.

Getting up, not particularly wanting to continue to sit in the lounge room if he was going to think about his feelings for Gabriella, Troy wandered into the kitchen deciding that if he wasn't going to sit in the living room, he may as well have something more substantial than the coffee he'd downed this morning. He wandered over to the fridge and opened it, staring at its contents, Troy wondered aimlessly when Gabriella was going to emerge from his room. She'd been asleep when he'd checked on her a little while ago and Troy had had a feeling then that she'd only been pretending. He'd contemplated crawling into bed beside her and going to sleep with his arm around her but had changed his mind at the last minute. He'd rather not be in bed with her when she'd recovered from the shock of what Taylor had done. It seemed smarter to be out of a bed when Gabriella woke up. Not because something would happen but because Troy didn't want something to happen because Gabriella was feeling vulnerable. Instead, he wanted her to blow off the steam outside of bed because if they were in a relationship, didn't it make more sense for him to try and listen to her when she ranted? He had a feeling that listening to her rant while they were in bed wouldn't actually allow her to relieve any of her frustrations. Reaching inside the fridge, Troy grabbed the carton of eggs and some bacon. Turning he placed the food on the bench before he caught sight of a flash of movement in the doorway. "You're awake." He didn't bother to turn to face Gabriella, instead he opened a cupboard and leaned down to pluck out a bowl. Straightening, he placed it on the counter and stopped as Gabriella hesitantly walked over to him. Turning to face her, Troy had to hold back a groan at her appearance. She'd changed out of her school clothes into a pair of his boxers and a button up shirt she'd found in the back of his closet. Though he knew she hadn't slept, her appearance was disheveled and her eyes were dark and lazy. She was gorgeous and desirable and Troy found himself torn between the wishing he had crawled into bed beside her and being thankful that he hadn't. "Why are you making breakfast?" She looked like she wanted to reach out and slide into his arms but, as she stepped over to him, she kept a distance. Troy shrugged, folding his arms and leaning against the bench. "Because I woke up late this morning and only had a cup of coffee because I wanted to pick you up." Troy replied and Gabriella looked up at him, her hands fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Well, you didn't have to pick me up if you missed breakfast." She replied quietly and Troy forced himself to not worry about the fact that she was speaking so quietly. Instead, he forced himself to fight the urge to tangle his hand in her hair. "I told you I would." He pointed out. Gabriella nodded slowly, her eyes dropping from his face to her hands. "Do you want some food too?" He asked. "Sure." Gabriella nodded, just as quietly as she had answered him before. Forcing back a sigh, Troy reached out and grasped her wrist, tugging her over to him, Troy slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Though she looked surprised for a moment, Gabriella slid into his arms and settled against him. "Okay, are you going to talk about it or am I seriously going to make you a breakfast you're going to pick at?" Troy murmured into her hair and Gabriella shook her head slightly. "Brie, you've just spent an hour thinking about it. You have to say something." Gabriella's arms tightened around him at his words. "Why'd she do it?" Gabriella murmured against his chest, her voice was still quiet and Troy knew that she was ready to listen to him now. "Because you didn't fall into any of her plans for you." He replied. "She wanted you to help her win the Scholastic Decathlon, be her best friend and go out with Howard." Troy pressed a kiss to her hair, ignoring the fact that it was a gesture very unlike him and felt her sigh. "And what? Being involved with you was what set her off?" Troy nearly sighed in relief when he heard some bitterness creep into her voice. Troy smirked into her hair. "Pretty much. She doesn't like me. Never has. Probably never will. She was probably set off by the fact that you made it very clear that you're not going to give up on me." Troy didn't add that he was grateful for the fact that she had chosen to not give up on him.

"Why would I give up on you?" Gabriella asked. "You eventually told me what was going on. Eventually." Gabriella said and Troy didn't bother to not groan at her words. "I have to ask this, because I sense that you're probably going to bring it up in the future," Troy didn't bother to hide amusement in his tone nor did he notice the way Gabriella pulled away from him slightly so she could see his face. "Are you going to hold the fact that you had to scream at me for me to tell youeverything?" Troy asked teasingly, trying not to notice that she was staring at him in shock. Gabriella closed her mouth slowly. "There's a a future?" She asked slowly, as if unsure she'd heard him right and Troy furrowed his brow. "Obviously. You can't call what's going to happen the past because that's called history." Troy smirked, deliberately avoiding what she was asking and knowing that she was going ask again. "That's not what I meant and you know it." Gabriella tapped his chest with her fist. "You see us having a future?" Troy chose to ignore the fact that her words were a little stronger and a little more concise. "Well," Troy diverted his gaze. "Obviously. I mean, you are in my life now and I doubt that you're going to go anywhere. So I guess you could call what's coming afuture." Though he was reluctant to call it that because Troy knew that nothing was permanent, the way Gabriella was looking at him now, as if she had just said everything she wanted to hear and more made him tilt her face upwards and press a kiss to her lips. "Have I told you that you remind me of Allie when you look at me like that?" He murmured it gently, as if he were telling a well kept secret and, Troy thought suddenly, he was. Only Chad knew that the look was one of the reasons Gabriella had settled so completely under his skin. Gabriella's lips curved slightly. "I saw a picture of her in your room. She's beautiful." She kissed him again and Troy slid the hand on her chin into her hair and held her there as he thought about Allie's curling blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes and cheeky grin. The photo on his nightstand, with Allie grinning into the camera as she held out her new teddy bear, was one of the only things he had left of his sister. He pulled away, resting his forehead on Gabriella in an intimate gesture he was unaware had her heart bumping. "Do you want to see another picture of her?" He asked quietly, wanting desperately to pull away as he realized that, perhaps for the first time, he was placing himself in a vulnerable position. Her eyes sparkled slightly as he felt her hand creep up his back. "I'd love to." Her reply was gentle, as if she understood something he didn't and Troy, not wanting to dwell on it, let go of her waist to delve into his pocket. Pulling out his wallet, Troy opened it. Gabriella turned her head, her forehead never leaving his as she gazed down at the picture of a younger Troy, his hair a little too long, holding his smiling sister, neither were looking at the camera. Allie was reaching up to tug at her brother's hair and Troy was laughing as he dodged the hand. "She was two." He murmured without thinking. Gabriella's eyes flicked away from the picture. "We were at the Danforth's place when Harriet whipped out the camera and started taking photo after photo of us." Gabriella's hand had started trailing up and down his back gently, as if trying to comfort. "You look happy." She murmured and Troy flipped his wallet close. "We were. It's my favorite photo of her. Out of all the ones that Harriet took, I wanted that one." Troy suddenly felt more than vulnerable as how much he missed his sister crashed down upon him. Gabriella was watching him carefully as he shut his eyes, her hand carefully beginning to knead at the place between his shoulder as he fought to push away how much he wanted his sister to come back to life. How much he wanted to simply hear her laugh again or feel her pull at his pants because she wanted him to pay attention to her or feel the weight of her sleepy body in his arms, her steady breath against his neck. He felt Gabriella's arm lift to encircle his neck and the hand that had clenched into a fist tightened as he felt her lips on his. She pulled away before he felt her lips up against his again, softly pressing and coaxing.

He responded to her kiss because he needed a distraction. He needed to feel something other than an overwhelming longing to hear his sister. He fell into the kiss because Gabriella meant something more than forgetting his longing for his sister. His fist gradually relaxed as she pulled away for a breath and then kissed him again. As it relaxed he felt a need to feel more than her kiss begin to consume him. It was so easy to bend, to gather her up in his arms and feel her easy acceptance of what he wanted. Her mouth became persuasive as he stepped through his doorway and pushed the door shut behind him. He let her slide down his body, felt the curves of her body and felt heat slice through him as his fingers moved to the buttons of his shirt and he began to flick them open. The need was different this time, Gabriella thought hazily, her mouth moving under his as he slowly ran a hand up her stomach. It was slower, gentler, lovelier. It was different, Troy thought as he slid the shirt from her shoulders. There was no inevitability to it, no need to prove a furious point. Instead, he thought as he felt her hands tug at his shirt, there was something deeper. Something that came not from his need to forget his sister's laugh but from what felt and how she understood it. Her hands ghosted over him even as he released the clasp of her bra. Fluidly, her mouth rose to his as his lowered to hers and for the first time, they met halfway. Together, they lowered themselves to the rumpled bed. The heat simmered as he stroked and she shuddered. Mouths met and clung as Troy felt her complete trust in him turn her boneless. Her gentle gasps for air were the only thing that broke the dense air, as it surrounded them and shut the world out. He stroked, coaxed, felt her respond and watched as she gave herself over to him completely. She was beautiful in the sunlight, as her skin glowed and a fluid moan broke her gasps as he watched her eyes go opaque. He felt the first gentle shudders, tasted the column of her throat as it arched as her first climax settled over her. He went willingly when she pulled him back down to her. Helped when her hands fought with the button of his jeans. The heat continued to simmer as he distracted her with his mouth as he found protection. Her hands slid down, trailed over the fine hair under his belly button, wrapped around him as tore open the package and groaned. "Troy" the gentle whisper made him watch her as she shifted, straddled him. She clung to his shoulders as he held her neck. Her mouth a hairs breadth from his as she took him into her. He guided her as her hips began to move. He watched her watch him as the slow pace began to quicken as her movements became fluid, as her mouth moved to his and she kissed him. He watched her, their bodies pressed together, as soft moans began to sound. As a hand slid into his hair and gripped. He felt the push towards the fall, felt it as her movements quickened and the heat began to boil. His hand held her neck as his other arm banded around her waist, as he felt the push become more insistent and Troy felt the vibrations of her moans against his mouth. Her forehead pressed harder against his, her mouth opened and her eyes darkened as something deeper than mattering darkened her gaze. He knew, it didn't matter how or why, but he knew what she was going to say and in that moment, Troy knew he felt the same. "Troy, I " He felt the push become a tug and cut her off, cut off something neither was ready to say or hear yet. "Me too, Brie." Her eyes widened and then she fell. He felt her fall and, holding her close, fell with her.

They must have slept. Though he wasn't sure for how long, Troy felt as if they'd been asleep for hours instead of minutes. He felt refreshed, relaxed and repaired. Which was a much better change from feeling overprotective, worried and restless, Troy mused. His hand stroked down Gabriella's back and he smirked when he felt her shiver slightly, her head shifting as she murmured against her shoulder. Looking down at her, Troy lifted his hand to push at the dark curls that were falling in her face. She looked, he thought, content. Like she was holding everything she wanted and even more. He doubted that she was going to stay that way from long, though. Especially when she awoke and realized what she had been going to tell him. Though he knew that he was probably going to regret telling her he felt the same in the future, Troy wondered just how much more it would have meant to him if the words 'I love you' had come from her mouth. It would have meant something, Troy thought stroking her back, but it would have meant very little if he hadn't been able to say it back. He would let her say it to him in the future; when he was sure he could say the words back to her. Troy knew how difficult it was to say the words and not hear them back when you needed them the most. He'd learnt that the hard way and he wasn't going to put Gabriella through the same thing. Not when he felt the same. He felt her shift, the hand on his chest curling into a fist. "Troy?" Her murmur had him smirking and he stroked his hand back up to her neck. "That would be me." He confirmed as she tilted her head and her sleepy gaze met his. He felt her fist loosen and her hand spread out on his chest. Her eyes drifted shut again. "You're warm." Her cheek rubbed his shoulder. "Are we going to have some of that breakfast?" God, she was beautiful, Troy thought absently, not registering her question as he watched her wake up a little more. Sunlight from his window fell onto her face, making her skin glow as she arched into him a little. "Troy?" She repeated her voice husky and he blinked. "Hungry, are you?" He smirked and was rewarded with a blush that had him leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. "Me too. Come on." He slowly removed his hand from the back of her neck, sliding his shoulder from beneath her head as she sat up. Raising himself on his elbows, Troy watched, fascinated as Gabriella leaned down and snagged his boxers off the floor. She pulled them on, before slowly walking over to his shirt and picking it up from where it had dropped to the floor. She turned back to him as she slowly began to button up the shirt and the smooth expanse of skin he'd been admiring was covered. Gabriella glanced up; pushing away her tumbling curls as she met his eyes and offered him a shy smile. Even as his lips curved, it settled over Troy that he could do this. He could wake up with Gabriella curled next to him, her breath on his neck every morning in the future. He could watch her come to life as she pulled on his clothes and smiled at him. He could simply see her in his future. CHAPTER 25 FASCINATION Troy stood, leaning against a locker near the entrance to East High. His stance was casual, his arms folded loosely across his chest, his expression blank. One jean clad leg was crossed over another and the black shirt he wore emphasized the powerful lines of his body. His hair, a little too long now, was hidden beneath a gray beanie and only peaked out beneath the gray material.

He looked, Gabriella thought as she approached him, sexy, slightly dangerous and more than a little annoyed. It made a little thrill race up and down her spine as she dodged some students and continued to approach her boyfriend. As she walked, Gabriella caught bits and pieces of the conversations going on around her and smiled. Summer was only days away and the students of East High were preparing for the times of their lives. She caught mentions of trips to various parts of Europe, a three month stay in New York and a tour of the pyramids of Egypt. Even as she processed them, Gabriella continued to smile. Personally, she was looking forward to moving out to California, preparing for her first year at Stanford and organizing the apartment that Troy had found for himself. Even as she dodged a flailing hand, the thought of organizing Troy's apartment when he was already so disdainful of the fact that she thought he had things to organize made her grin. It had been, Gabriella thought, nice to discover that one of the most meticulous people she'd ever known was one of the most disorganized. Not that he would have ever let her find out if he hadn't been inclined too. She'd discovered at Christmas when she'd stormed into his room because he was running late only to find him searching for her Christmas present amongst the mess on his desk. The scene she had walked in on had been so astonishing she'd stopped dead and had simply stared at him as he'd sworn loudly before turning to face her. He hadn't bothered to hide the fact that he was disorganized nor had he made up an excuse, one thing she'd learnt very quickly when she and Troy had begun to settle more fully into their relationship was that if Troy wasn't hiding something nor making up an excuse for something, then it simply didn't exist to him. The fact that he acted like that when it was in relation to something as unimportant as how organized he was, still made Gabriella giggle. Not that she ever let him know outright that she laughed at his tendencies, she always got the feeling Troy knew exactly what she was giggling about when he misplaced his keys. Instead, she approached him half-expecting some sort of appraisal for being late. When he gave no sign that she was standing next to him, Gabriella rolled her eyes and reached up, grasping onto his beanie and tugging it off his head. Troy's eyes snapped to her and Gabriella smiled at him as she pulled the beanie over her curls and wagged her fingers at him. "You're late." He pointed out as Gabriella adjusted the beanie before taking in her boyfriend's hair. "And you haven't washed your hair in, like, a week." Gabriella raised a hand to touch what looked like his greasy hair when Troy shook his head and she felt specks of water fly from his dark hair. "Or maybe I washed it this morning and your just assuming things like you always do." He muttered and Gabriella rolled her eyes at his words. "You know if I'd known you were going to be this late I would have picked you up." Gabriella snorted slightly and dodged his grab at the beanie on her head. "No you wouldn't. You and I both know that meeting my family is not at the top of your to-do list and if you'd picked me up this morning, you would have had to come in and met all of them." Gabriella shot back and Troy rolled his eyes. "Besides, you told me you were getting up early this morning for a specific reason and I would have just intruded." Gabriella pushed at the beanie as it began to fall into her eyes even as Troy shrugged. She knew she was right. Troy had mentioned to her the night before that around this time of year he visited Allie. What he did there and why he did it, Gabriella hadn't asked. Instead, she'd nodded her head slowly and murmured that she would drive herself to school. It meant something to her that he'd mentioned it to her and, even if he had offered to pick her up, Gabriella knew she would have declined. To her, Troy's visit to Allie was an intensely personal thing that Gabriella didn't dare intrude upon. Especially considering that he only had a few more months before they officially moved away from Albuquerque. "You seriously cannot have that many relatives. Why are you so worried about me meeting them?" Troy cocked his head to the side slightly and Gabriella raised an eyebrow at his question, noting that he'd deliberately overlooked her last comment and knowing that if he wanted to talk about it, he would.

"I'm not worried about you meeting them. I'm worried about them meeting you. You've only just managed to convince mom you're not a cold-hearted jerk who likes to tug innocent, nave girls around for amusement." Gabriella snapped at him and a shadow of a smile touched Troy's lips before he reached up and tugged at one of her curls, gently tilting her face up towards his. "Uh-huh. But you weren't an innocent, nave girl that blushed because Chad informed you that you have awesome legs, were you?" It was a sore point for her and Gabriella knew that Troy knew that. So he was either deliberately trying to provoke her or working towards an innuendo that would make her blush. Either way, Gabriella knew she was going to fall into the trap. "They're not that good." She muttered her eyes downcast even as Troy chuckled slightly. "Brie, you're legs are amazing." He leaned a little closer. "Whether they're covered by those old sweats you wear or wrapped around me while I " Troy was cut off by a loud greeting and Gabriella was grateful for it. She was bright red and Troy was taking pleasure in it as she glanced up before being caught in a bone crushing hug. "There she is!" Gabriella burst out laughing at Chad's dramatic proclamation and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly as he mimed choking. "There he is!" She repeated cheekily before Chad set her back onto her feet and turned to greet Troy. It was nice, Gabriella thought, having a friend like Chad. He'd been there for Troy through so much and he'd been there for her too, Gabriella mused as she watched Troy fall into what looked like a serious conversation with Chad. Chad had, Gabriella knew, been witness to some of the most explosive episodes in her and Troy's relationship yet. He'd been there when she'd stormed into Troy's house, hurt and angry at his apparent lack of concern when telling her where he was going for a week. That fight, Gabriella remembered, had lasted the week Troy had been away. He'd gone off to his uncle's place in Santa Fe without so much as mentioning it to her in passing. Then there'd been the fight they'd had over his apparent lack of concern about college. The fury in that fight had been a mixture of exhaustion, insecurity and Gabriella's own frightening realization that she didn't want to leave high school and Troy behind all in one go. Troy had solved that problem by shouting at her, as she'd thrown DVD cases at him, that he'd applied to schools in California as well and she was overreacting. He'd then promptly frozen her out and Gabriella had met with an ice wall when she'd calmed down enough to apologize. Not that the ice wall had lasted all that long, Troy had a baffling ability of forgiving her without her ever realizing she'd been forgiven. And through out all those fights had been Chad. He'd never taken a side and he'd always been the one that had calmed her down and convinced Troy to use his rational side after one or both of them had stormed out in frustration. "You know Gabi, that shade of gray so does not suit you." Gabriella blinked slightly at Chad's teasing tone, wondering what on earth he was talking about before remembering she was still wearing Troy's beanie. She shrugged. "Well, it feels good." Troy smirked slightly at her reply and Gabriella rolled her eyes at him. "Does it really Brie? Or were you too busy with your own thoughts to come up with a better answer?" Gabriella narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend as she realized that he thought she was thinking about what he had said to her before Chad had interrupted them. "Actually, I was thinking about what a good friend Chad is." Gabriella shot back, deliberately answering what Troy had implied and not caring that Chad shot her an odd look as she folded her arms. "Hmm, now isn't that an interesting image?" Troy taunted her, his lips curling in amusement even as Gabriella's jaw dropped and she had to fight the urge to slap him. Chad glanced back and forth between them curiously, knowing that he was missing something and happy to simply observe their interaction. Oh how she hated that Troy had a dirty mind when it suited him, Gabriella thought sourly. The first time he'd ever made a sexual innuendo, with a grin tugging at his lips, had been in front of her mother and it had stunned her so much that she hadn't been able to reply. He'd kept on doing it too, whispering things in her

ear or mentioning it in front of their friends, like he was doing now until Gabriella had learnt to trade innuendo with innuendo. But then there were moments like this, when Troy said something and she hadn't been quick enough to catch on. The grin he sent her was triumphant and appealing and Gabriella shook her head at him as Chad cleared his throat. "Troy, are you going to come to park with us this afternoon?" Chad asked and Gabriella leaned against the locker next to her boyfriend and watched him answer. She didn't need to look down to know that the hand that was touching hers was Troy's nor did she give any indication that she let him link their fingers loosely. Instead, she began to rub her thumb over his knuckles while thinking about how far they'd come in such a short time. After the Taylor incident and with their arguments being the only real problem in their relationship, Gabriella had found herself slowly beginning to know Troy so much better than she ever thought she would. She'd discovered that when he was asleep, Troy liked to keep her close and that when he was only just waking up he liked to bury his face in her neck until he was fully awake. She'd found that his sense of humor was dry and sarcastic and he hated watching movies silently. She'd been surprised when he'd revealed a softer side, one that had had him replacing a necklace she'd lost because it had meant something to her. Not that he was ever going to admit that he had been the one to replace her necklace. Even as her hand rose to touch the silver heart that she never took off, Gabriella squeezed Troy's hand gently. There had turned out to be so much more to Troy than she'd first assumed. Aside from the innuendo and his disorganization, his ice and temper, Troy had somehow become so much more human now that she was so much closer to him than ever before. She'd fallen in love with his ice, the way he always seemed constantly amused and the rare temper that only flared when it was warranted. She'd found herself even more in love with him when she'd discovered that his sense of humor matched her own, when she found herself listening when he told her a funny story about Allie or when his face darkened and he'd spat something out about his mother. She'd found herself in love with him when Troy became more than ice and rare temper, when he became human to her and allowed her all the way in. Now they were heading off to California together and, despite not knowing where it was all going to lead too and how they were going to get there, Gabriella knew that, one way or another, Troy was always going to be a part of her life for a very long time. "Hey, Brie, you still in there?" Gabriella jerked slightly when Troy's voice broke through her thoughts and she yanked herself out of her thoughts to see him watching her with raised eyebrows. "Yeah. Yes, sorry." Gabriella stared up at him and tried not to glare as Troy smirked. "Thinking about something special?" He mocked her slightly, giving Gabriella the impression he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Reaching up with her other hand Gabriella tapped his cheek. "No. Not really." She replied cheekily and Troy's eyebrows rose a little more. He tugged her closer and Gabriella glanced around nervously. She and Troy were not big on displays of affections and it had taken him more than a little while to hold her hand the way he was doing now. "Really? Hmm, why don't I believe that?" He murmured gently and Gabriella rolled her eyes slightly. "Because you and I both know what I was thinking about." She said and sighed. "Do we have to go to homeroom?" She asked, knowing that it was a bad idea to mention it to him because she knew they would end up anywhere but homeroom. "Nah. Come on." Gabriella tried not to laugh at how quickly Troy jumped at the chance to not go and argue with Miss Darbus. He threw a quick 'see you later' over his shoulder to Chad before tugging her towards Their Spot. Gabriella followed Troy, smiling slightly as they both slipped through the door that led to the leafy jungle where he'd first began the process of letting her into his life. Gabriella let go of Troy's hand when they

reached the top and rested her hip against the railing as he wandered over to the ancient wooden bench that was surrounded by the plants. Watching him as he settled himself comfortably on the chair, Gabriella wondered how it was he'd ended up with her. She wondered what it was about her that had caught his attention from the very first moment that she'd bumped into him in their homeroom. She wondered why he'd suddenly decided to pursue her, to not cut her off when she got to close "Why was it me?" She asked suddenly, watching as he closed his eyes for a moment before they snapped open to look at her. "Hmm?" He stretched slightly and Gabriella sighed. "Why was it me?" She repeated and then sighed when she realized that she needed to elaborate. "I mean, why'd you suddenly decide topay attention to me? There are heaps of other girls falling over themselves to be yourfriend." Oh God, she wished she could be more tactful, Gabriella thought remorsefully as she watched Troy's eyes darken in thought before they flickered in amusement at her question. "Gabriella, when have I ever once given you the impression that those other girls interested me in the slightest?" He asked, deliberately avoiding answering her question and causing Gabriella to stiffen. "You haven't." She replied quietly, choosing to turn her gaze away from him and concentrate on the mountains on the horizon. She didn't know why she'd expected him to answer, nor did she know why she'd bothered to ask the question when she'd known he was going to avoid answering it. She didn't hear his sigh, nor did she hear his rustle of clothing as he stood from where he'd been sitting and stepped over to her. She felt his arms slip around her waist and Gabriella closed her eyes, feeling the familiar press of his body and trying not to relax to noticeably against him. She felt his lips against her head and wondered why he always seemed to do that when they were alone. She felt his breath on her ear before he spoke. "You really want to know?" He asked and Gabriella nodded. "I think that I was fascinated by you, Just Chemistry. Actually, I know I was fascinated by you from the start." He murmured it against her ear and Gabriella shivered slightly. "But why were you fascinated? And don't use that clich about me being different." She warned before he could reply to her question. He chuckled and Gabriella felt the vibrations of his chest. "Alright, I won't use it. You weren't that afraid of me, that's probably one of the easiest things to realize." Gabriella stiffened slightly. "What?" She asked incredulously. "You were fascinated by me because I wasn't afraid of you?" She repeated and Troy laughed again. "Don't sound so surprised Brie. It's true. You were more afraid of Lions, Smith and Hall than you were of me and that's something that's never happened to me before. Instead, I'm always stuck trying to have a conversation with someone who's convinced that I'll plant drugs in their locker if they say the wrong thing." Gabriella felt his lips press behind her ear for a second. "You weren't. In fact, I'm pretty sure that you were the first person, besides Chad and Christy, that actually took anything I said seriously and without fear. It was fascinating to be confronted with that." Gabriella nodded slowly, trying to understand what he meant and grasping some sort of understanding at his words. "And then? You could have dumped me when you discovered that I wasn't afraid of you." Though, Gabriella thought, that hadn't been the truth. She'd been terrified of Troy but for a totally different reason to the people around her. It had been terrifying feeling what she'd felt for him so early on. He laughed again. "Ah, but by then you were under my skin and while it pissed me off considerably, it was still fascinating how you'd somehow managed to get under my skin and stay there." Troy dipped his head to skim his lips across her neck. "So, Brie, while you pissed me off, made me feel in a new way and made me so furious with you all at the same time, there was always some degree of fascination because you've been the only one so far who's got anything like that out of me." Gabriella frowned slightly. Though she knew that a few months ago she wouldn't have even gotten that much out of him by simply asking, she wasn't sure whether or not being fascinating to him was a compliment or otherwise.

"SoI was fascinating? That's why?" She asked tentatively, hoping he wouldn't make a dismissive sound. His lips moved back up to behind her ear before he spoke. "Among other things. What about you? Why'd you choose me?" Gabriella could hear the irony in his voice and elbowed his stomach before turning around so she could look up into his eyes. "Technically, you chose me. But, since you asked, I'll answer." Gabriella reached up and draped her arms around his neck. "You were fascinating too." She replied cheekily, despite knowing how true her words were. "Really? I was fascinating?" Troy asked and the humor in his voice wasn't lost on her as she nodded. "Yep. You were dangerous and that was fascinating to me. Then I started to feel something and you became this dangerous fascinating on a whole other level." Gabriella replied and Troy smirked. "Am I still you're dangerous fascination?" Troy asked, leaning down to kiss her slowly before she answered. Gabriella returned his kiss just as slowly, enjoying the simmering hint just beneath it before she pulled away to answer. "Uh-huh. You, Troy Bolton, are always going to be my dangerous fascination." Even as he leaned down to kiss her again, Gabriella knew how true those words were. Troy was, no matter how different he became when they were just alone or with people, no matter how many sexual jokes escaped his mouth or angry truths delivered in a brutal tone, always going to be her dangerous fascination. The End