Sick.

By Katie

Pairing: Troyella

Rating: K+

A/N: Yeah, it's pretty much just fluff. Fluff that's dedicated to a friend of mine! Miss Caitlin!!!

Dedicated to xoAlmostFamous.

Disclaimer: I definitely don't want to own any sicknesses!!

-

Troy Bolton woke up one morning, and he felt fine. He brushed his teeth, and then combed his hair. He dressed in a blue striped shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of blue jeans. He ate an apple and drank a glass of milk.

He kissed his mother good-bye and affectionately tossled his older sister's hair. He promptly got a lecture from her, in which he pretended like he was actively listening.

He got in his car and hummed along with the radio. He remembered he had musical practice at 3:30, and that he had a game at 6:30. Seemed like a pretty normal Friday.

He went to his locker and admired the picture of his girlfriend on his locker door. She was so pretty; it took him a few moments to get back to reality. He couldn't wait to give her the surprise. It was all he could think about last night.

"Hey, Troy," Chad, Troy's best friend, said as he lazily leaned against the lockers. "Oh, Chad. Hey, have you seen Gabriella today? I have something to give to her." Troy asked lowly. "Er, no. I don't track the whereabouts of YOUR girlfriend," Chad dryly stated. "Gee, thanks for the help; you're a real pal. Anyway, I think we should run Play 4 and Play 7 at the game. I hear Sherman's center forward is pretty sucky." Troy reasoned, pulling an American History and a Trig book out of his locker.

"I'm cool with that. Oh, hey, there's Taylor! Maybe she knows where Gabi is." Chad pointed out, opening his locker.

"Thanks, man! Hey, Tay!" Troy jogged over to the pretty African American girl, waving. "What's up?" Taylor smiled, walking down the hallway. "Do you know where Gabriella is? I need to give her something really important." Troy asked, wrinkling his forehead. Taylor pursed her lips. "Mmm...I dunno. She said something about a guy named Frankie she couldn't wait to see last night on the phone. I was really listening all that much. I was sewing a new hat for Ryan." Taylor said, frowning a little.

Troy's heart sank, a sick feeling building up in his stomach. He walked away from Taylor, his head hanging. Who was Frankie? What did he have that Troy didn't?

His thoughts remained on this Frankie guy until he heard a familiar laugh. Gabriella.

Troy's heart skipped a beat when he saw her.

She was wearing Troy's white East High basketball jacket and a pair of jeans. Her hair was pulled back into two wavy pigtails. And then there was Troy's favorite part of the outfit. The cheap, five-cent necklace that he'd found in a Cracker Jack box. Gabriella had deemed it the "Troyella necklace".

Even though she wasn't in a ballroom gown or that red, spaghetti-strap dress, she still looked stunning.

Anger pulsated through Troy when the guy gave her a hug and waved good-bye. His stomach churned; he thought he was going to throw up.

"Hi, Troy!" Gabriella smiled, kissing Troy's cheek. "Hey," he replied stiffly. She was Gabriella...she could be cheating on him. Right??

A worried look came upon Gabriella's features. "Troy, are you sick? You don't look very good. Maybe I should take you to the nurse." she placed a gentle hand on Troy's forehead, and his stomach knotted again. "Sick? Gabriella, I'm a different kind of sick. Who was that guy?" Troy asked, looking her in the eye.

"Who? Frankie? Oh my God, this is a big misunderstanding. Frankie's my cousin! He just moved here from Salt Lake City, and I offered to walk him around the school. Seriously, he's like my brother." Gabriella said, grinning a little. Troy softened, and brushed a flyaway hair from her face. "I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions. Being the jealous boyfriend I tend to be sometimes." Troy looked down. "Well, with a gorgeous girlfriend like me..." Gabriella exasperated, a silly grin on her face. "EXACTLY! Now, I ahve something to give to you." he smiled, taking off his class ring.

Gabi gasped, and her eyes widened. "I wanted to give this to you because...well, I...I love you." Troy blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, giving Gabriella the ring. She unclasped the cheap plastic necklace that hung around her neck, and slipped the ring onto it. "There! Now it is truly the Troyella necklace. And, for the record, I love you too." she giggled, capturing his lips in a warm kiss.

-

And, so, the day went on. Troy was practically floating on air. That is, until his second stomachache of the day arrived.

During free period, Troy and Chad set up a work-out. And, as usual, Gabriella came. Normally, she did homeowrk, occasionally looking up to give Troy one of those smiles that melted him like butter. But, today, she didn't bring any homework. She came with a notebook and pen.

Everytime Troy looked at her, her pen was poised on the paper, but from what he could tell, she hadn't written on word. She didn't look at him even once. She just sat there, staring into space with her pen on a blank piece of paper. Needless to say...Troy missed every basket.

"Troy! WHAT were you doing?!" Chad cried in the locker room. Troy shrugged, tossing off his practice jersey. "Seriously, man. What's up with you today?" Chad questioned again. "Sorry, sorry. Look, I just don't feel normal today." Troy mumbled. "...Does this have anything to do with Gabi? Look, Troy, man. I haven't seen you this messed by her since that big fight you guys had last month. No offense, but you played really crappy that week." Chad gave Troy a friendly slap on the back before exiting the locker room.

Troy really needed help. He loved Gabriella, he did. But he shouldn't be obsessing over her.

Stupid L word.

-

It had been a year since "Twinke Towne" and since Troy and Gabriella became a couple. You're probably thinking it was all fun and games for the entire year.

It wasn't.

They fought about couple stuff, they didn't always agree on things, and had even broken up for a couple of weeks once.

But, today, Troy felt strange about his and Gabriella's relationship. So she was helping her cousin out, and she was writing in a notebook...or, rather, staring into space. Big deal! He was definitely overreacting.

"Hey, you!" he heard Gabi's voice in the distance. "Oh, are you talking to me?" Troy pretended like he didn't know who Gabriella was. That always nade her pout and cross her arms. He loved that pose. "Haha, funny. Okay, I have some bad news. Ms. Simmons, that evil English teacher, assigned us this essay, and it's supposed to be about someone that's important to you, and who's influenced your life. And I'm having a really hard time with it. So I probably won't be at the game tonight...I'm sorry, Troy! I just really need to focus." Gabriella looked at Troy, and he knew she genuinely felt bad.

"Yeah, sure. Fine." he mumbled, walking away.

'What are you doing?!', Troy thought.

"It's just one game! I...I haven't missed one game in a year! I'm really having trouble with this! Troy...Troy, please. Don't walk away." he heard Gabriella's voice crack, and he could feel his heart break. He hated doing this; it seemed like his feet were just moving by themselves and he couldn't stop them. Sure, he was a little disappointed that she wasn't going to his game, but this was just immature.

-

She didn't go to musical practice; she felt sick. How could he be so insensitive? How could he just...walk away?

She glanced at the clock, fingering her necklace. The Troyella necklace. She took it off, and slipped the ring off of it. It was a beautiful ring; a rich red stone in a gleaming gold casing. 'Wildcats. 2008.' was etched around the ring.

Troy had given her the ring, had he not? So why was he so touchy today? Did he not trust her with the ring?

Although...Gabriella HAD been kind of neglecting him today. She'd been showing Frankie around most of the morning, and during free period, she had been so absorbed in the essay that she'd barely given him the time of day.

During Trig, they'd looked at each other the entire period. Well, Gabi had been looking at Troy at least. She'd admired his strong facial features. The strong jaw. The sapphire blue eyes. The piece of brown hair that flopped in front of his eyes,

Not that Trig wasn't important; it was one of her favorite classes. It was just...Gabi felt distanced from Troy today.

And, as if by magic, she knew who she was going to write about in her essay. The person who made her feel fifty different things at once.

The person she wanted to spend her whole life with.

-

The East Wildcast had won! No thanks to Troy, of course. He'd been majorly distracted the whole game. His gaze often wandered to Gabriella's usual seat. It was empty, except for Sharpay and Taylor's purses. Normally, Kelsi would sit by Gabriella. But, her and Jason had just gone through a pretty nasty break-up, and it would have been a bit awkward if she would have come.

Troy lazily opened his locker, ignoring Chad and the rest of the team's shouts of "WHAT TEAM?! WILDCATS!".

In it, he found a note and a neatly typed essay.

Dear Troy,

The note began.

Well, today's been interesting. I wrote my essay and I wanted you to read it before anyone else. Let me know what you think!

XOXO,

Gabi

P.S.-I'm sorry. I'm just really, really sorry that today ended up like it did. I wish I could be in that locker room with you right now. No, really. Haha. :)

Troy smiled smally before reading the essay. The essay that had given him in second stomachache of the day.

My Influential Person

by Gabriella Montez

Period 5

April, 9th, 2007

I met him on December 31st, 2006. He had sandy brown hair, and the most captivating blue eyes of anyone I'd ever known.

I felt kind of stupid that night, because I didn't know what to say.

As we got to know each other, though, he never, ever made me feel stupid. Maybe a little nervous or at a loss for words, but never stupid.

He helped me in more way than one. He encouraged me to join the school musical, and I even went out for the girls' basketball team. I didn't make it, of course, but I still tried out, did I not?

When my dad got remarried, he was my crying shoulder...not because my dad was getting remarried, but because I hadn't even known about the wedding until three weeks after it had taken place. I've never been able to trust my dad, but I've always been able to trust my influential person.

My influential person has helped me open up my heart, and trust people again.

His name is Troy Bolton, and I am in love with him.

As Troy set down the essay, his stomach turned. He felt sick. Sick with guilt. Sick with hope.

Sick with love.

He quickly pulled out his cell phone, and dialed Gabriella's phone number.

"Hello?" a feminine voice answered. "Gabi." Troy sighed, running a hand through his boy. "Oh...hey, Troy." Gabriella sounded a little nervous, like this was the first time they'd ever talked.

"I overreacted. I was acting like an immature jerk. Gabriella, I'm so stupid, I should have just accepted the fact that you needed to work on that essay. You do way to much for me for me to have been acting like that. I'm sorry. I so sorry. I'm sorry you have to listen to the ridiculous drabble that's coming out my mouth. I think I've already said enough, but I just feel like I need to apologize to you over and over again-" Troy rambled, but was interrupted.

"Troy, I love you. And your rambling."

"I love you too. Wait, what's your name again?" Troy joked a little, and he heard Gabriella huff on the other end.

"Really funny. Reaaaaaally funny. You know, my mom's not home tonight, and I was about to invite you over, but, I'm not so sure-" Gabriella began, sighing in an exasperated manner.

"I'll be right over."

-

And that was it. What'd you think? I revised it so many times, I'm just going to leave it.

Hope you enjoyed it, Caitlin!