Masked Feeling

Chapter 1: The Surprising News

The sun rose and Gabriella sneaked inside Troy's room. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez have been best friends since they could ever remember, and until now, with Chad of course. Gabriella opened the curtains as the alarm clock went off.

"Arrgghh… Gabriella!" Troy screamed as the sun shine went shining through his eyes.

"Ok. Weird. How did you know it was me?" Gabriella asked as she jumped on the bed.

"You are the only person I gave my spare key to." Troy said as he sat up and kissed Gabriella on the cheek. "Good morning by the way."

"Good morning to you too." She said as she stood up from the bed and took Troy's hand, and tried to get him to stand, but no luck was found. "Get up!"

"Why?"

"Remember? You promised me that you'd go shopping with me today?" Gabriella pointed out to Troy.

Flashback

"I'm ready, Troy." Gabriella said as she walked in Troy's household.

"Ready for what?" Troy had a confused look and so as Gabriella.

"To go shopping, remember?" Troy just raised his eyebrow at his confusion. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Oh! I'm sorry Gabriella! I'm so sorry. It probably slipped my mind and I forgot to put it in alarm on my calendar." Troy said.

"Its okay, Troy. You can just dress up and we can go." Gabriella said in a hurry.

"Well, I made plans. Chad and Taylor asked me a favor to babysit their kids."

"Oh. Well then, maybe next time." Gabriella said.

"Tomorrow! I'll pick you up at your house at 9 am." Troy said.

"Sounds good. To make sure that you won't forget," Gabriella grabbed Troy's phone and put on a reminder for tomorrow that he will be going shopping with Gabriella. "I made a reminder on your phone, and it's on alarm also." Gabriella grinned.

"Thank you, Brie." Troy said as he kissed Gabriella's cheek.

End of Flashback

"Oh yeah. But who shops at 6 am where the mall is still closed at that time?" Troy looked at Gabriella with a sarcastic look.

"We're going to walk beauty in the park, Troy. Silly, silly wildcat." She as she took in her precious dog into her arms. "Now, get up! And change."

Troy got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face and change his clothes to have a walk with Gabriella and beauty. After that, he and Gabriella with beauty went downstairs as Troy wore his shoes.

"Hmm… isn't it too weird to name a dog beauty?" Troy asked out of the blue.

"Why'd you ask that?"

"Because your dog, beauty here," He pointed at beauty. "is a beast." Gabriella glared at him. "Who is not that beastly at all?" Troy questioned his statement where Gabriella just nodded at it.

"Well, I assure you that beauty's owner is beautiful that's why she's named beauty." Gabriella grinned.

"Sure, I can see the resemblance… between mother, human, and child, beast."

Gabriella hit him playfully. "Don't talk about my baby beauty like that. She's a wonderful dog." Troy chuckled. "And besides, she's the only one I have."

Gabriella's parents died when she was still little. Her aunt, Maria, and her uncle, James, were the once who took her in and took good care of her when her parents passed away. She then lived on her own after college allowing herself to be alone with her dog, beauty.

Troy played along with Gabriella, putting on a hurt face. "I'm hurt, Brie… very hurt." Gabriella giggled.

"Com'on, let's go before beauty feels rejected." She said as she pulled Troy to the door.

"I didn't know a beast like beauty has a soft spot." Troy continued teasing as they reached his car and got in.

"Shut up, Troy and drive."

Gabriella and Troy walked beauty in the park and after that, they headed back to Troy's house and dropped off beauty. They also took a quick shower separately before going to the mall. The mall had opened when they arrived, they ate their lunch at McDonald's, sharing small conversations when all of a sudden Troy's phone rang.

"Excuse me." Troy picked up his phone and answered it "Hello?"

"Hey Son." Came a voice from the other line.

"Dad? I mean… Dad! Hey! What's up?" Troy looked at Gabriella confused. Jack Bolton, Troy's dad, never called that much unless it was something important.

"I just wanted to inform you that we are coming for a visit!"

"Why?"

"Well, first, we want to meet our future daughter-in-law, which you haven't introduced to us." Jack said with a questioning tone.

"OH! YEAH! I forgot with all the wedding preparation and stuff!" Troy laughed nervously but his father didn't notice it.

"It's okay. Your mom and I went through those craziness too, except that the difference is that we told our parents." Jack laughed. "But it's okay!"

"Yeah Dad." Troy chuckled and gulped.

"Anyway, we'll be there by tomorrow at 6pm."

"Great! In time for dinner! We can all have dinner at a restaurant."

"Well, your mom and I would like if we can have the dinner at your place. So we can taste how good our future daughter-in-law cooks, right?" Jack chuckled.

"Yeah daughter-in-law." Troy laughed nervously but again, it came unnoticed.

"So, we'll see you tomorrow then. Bye!" Jack hung-up.

As Troy hung-up, he looked at Gabriella and she was wearing a confused look.

"Since when did you have a wedding preparation?" Gabriella raised an eye brow.

"Just now."

"Well, any chance you can tell me what's up?"

"My parents are coming home! Tomorrow!"

"That's great! So I'll be meeting them!" Gabriella said with joy.

"But there's—"

Gabriella interrupted. "But what's with the wedding and stuff?"

"That's the thing!" Troy exclaimed. "It's like this; I am supposed to have a fiancée by now. Actually, I'm supposed to have a fiancée 3 months ago but yeah, I disobeyed by dad and took advantage of everything."

"Oh you are in big trouble mister!"

"You are not really helping out."

"Sorry." Gabriella apologized and looked Troy with curious eyes. "So what are you gonna do?"

"I…"

"I mean, I really wanted to finally meet your parents and all because I should because we're best friends and stuff…" Gabriella blabbered as Troy was on his own world trying to figure something out.

"Completely…" Troy was trying to make out his sentence when all of a sudden; a thought crossed his mind as he saw Gabriella.

"But you had to lie and blow things up and stuff… plus—"

"KNOW!" Troy stood up and shouted.

Everyone in McDonald's turned to him and screamed 'IT'S TROY BOLTON!'.

"COVER BLOWN!" Both shouted and ran. "To the super market." Whispered Troy to Gabriella, and she nodded.

As the two were in the super market starting their grocery hunting, they continued their talk.

"Okay, so why did you shout?" Gabriella asked as she took some seasonings from the counter.

"I have a plan." Troy snickered.

"Wha—"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Umm… sure, anything for a friend. What is it?" Gabriella asked.

"Will you marry me?" Troy knelt in one knee and held Gabriella's hand. I know she'll get a little mad but it's worth a shot, even though I have no ring… the show must go on. Troy thought.

"What?! Are you crazy? What are you doing? Would you get up." Gabriella said as she helped Troy up.

"I mean, it's the only way I can get out of this mess… without humiliation! Please Brie? For me?" Troy pleaded.

I know putting my feelings first is wrong but what can I say, you must follow your heart. Gabriella thought. "Sure. But I'm only doing this to save your butt!" Troy hugged Gabriella as tight as he can and kissed Gabriella on the lips. She was shocked! The magical feeling was running through her, inside. She felt like she was flying—without wings! What she felt was magical! After the long time she had hidden her feelings for Troy, it was now official and out—pretending only.

Gabriella sighed in her head. She wished that Troy really knew what she felt, at least she would know how he felt about her, but she wasn't brave enough to confess her love.

"Why'd you kiss me?" She asked all of a sudden.

"Well, you're my fiancée now; well in pretend that is, but we still need to make it look real. So I will kiss you whenever I want."

"Ok. Weird." Gabriella said as she walked to the other sections of the super market.

"Come on." He shouted after her. "Brie! Wait!"

After the two went around the super market to buy some groceries for tomorrow night, they went to the department store.

"Okay, what are we doing here?" Gabriella asked as she stepped in the department store.

"We are going to some stuff for the house, so pick whatever is necessary." Troy said.

"I don't quite get it. Why are we doing this?"

"Because you are my fiancée and you should be living with me. We should be living together. So, we need to arrange the house like a loving couple is living in it."

"Oh, okay. Got it! So that means my stuff should be in your house, right?" Troy nodded in response. "I need a mover's truck!" Troy just chuckled at how funny Gabriella acted.

After their tiring shopping of so many things, they went home. And the stuff they bought was going to be delivered later at evening.

"Home!" Troy said as he went out the car and grabbed some of the groceries.

As they got in the kitchen, Troy put the stuff on their respective corners.

"You know Troy, you being the 'Golden Boy' has its perks. Like maids and butler and so on." Gabriella said before they left Troy's mansion house.

"Well Gabi, my dear, hate to break it to you but they'll just be in the cleaning duty. You become fully time future Mrs. Bolton. First of all, you get to cook tomorrow night!" Troy said.

"What?" Gabriella said with a 'give-me-a-break' tone. Troy just laughed at it before starting the car engine.

"Anyway, the mover's truck is already in place at your house." They made a small take along the way.

"That's nice."

"Oh and Gabriella?"

"Yes?"

"You are not bringing everything from your closet." Troy said as he parked at the garage of Gabriella's apartment.

"What? It will take me forever to choose from all my fabulous things."

"Uh huh. All your fabulous things which are mostly given by me. Uh huh."

"Yeah, and that's my perks for being best friends with the star player of Lakers." Gabriella said as she walked up to her room.

"Nah, you'll have more perks for being the fiancée of the star player of Lakers. Make sense, right?" Troy said as he followed Gabriella to her room.

"It makes a lot of sense! Of course! DUH!" Gabriella slammed the door at Troy's face.

"Oww." He said as he entered Gabriella's room.

Troy looked at his surroundings, it was clean and orderly arrange. He just shrugged and said to himself, I picked the right person for having a fiancée.

"Troy can you get the trolley bag under my bed?"

"Sure." Troy did what Gabriella asked for. "Here…" He said as he handed the bag to her and helped her put in some clothes. "So… umm… how are you going to fit your clothes in there?"

"Shut up. Just get me another bag from that cabinet and help me pack, especially if you want to start arranging the house by tomorrow morning."

"I'm on it ma'am!" Troy left with a salute.

After a couple of hours packing some stuff, Troy was already asleep on the bed and Gabriella was cleaning the stuff in her closet.

"That's it Troy the mover's will send the stuff to the house and I will let Alfred open the garage for them to put the stuff in. Does that sound good?" Gabriella asked as she was still finishing up the last dress she had to put back in her drawer. "Troy?" Seeing Troy sleeping as she got out was cute to what she thought. She walked up to him in the bed and just stared at him for 5 minutes.

Why does he have to be so darn handsome and torture me like this? I just... I just have to face that I am not good enough for him. Gabriella sighed as she thought of it. But maybe a little kiss, which he won't know, won't hurt him. As they said, "what you don't know can't hurt you." She thought as she was about to kiss Troy when he suddenly woke up. Gabriella quickly stood up and just looked at him as if nothing happened.

Troy rubbed his eyes and looked at Gabriella. "Were you about to kiss me?" He scrunched up his eyebrows. "On the lips?"

"No! I mean, what would make you think of that? I wouldn't kiss you… b-but, I have to because we are having this pretend marriage. If I were to be in-charge, I wouldn't kiss you at all! A-all t-those kooties! But, yeah, I'm not in-charge." Gabriella was babbling. "You are."

Troy couldn't help but laugh but he didn't because she looked serious and he didn't want her to get mad. "Not really." He chuckled.

"I think you're just doing this to make me feel horrible. I feel like you're empowering me." Gabriella complained. "You have this way where you try to look all innocent but you're not! And everyone thinks that you are but you are definitely not, and everyone doesn't agree with me because you always get away with how charming you look and—" Gabriella complained again.

"I'm charming?"

"What?"

"You just said that I'm charming." Troy said with a cheeky grin.

"No, I didn't." Gabriella said as she walked away from Troy, heading for the door, but he beat her to it.

"You think I'm charming, aye?" He said as he cornered Gabriella.

"Nope. I think you just misheard the whole thing I was saying." Gabriella closed her eyes so she wouldn't get caught with his eyes, which always make her melt. "Now, I am tired and we still have lots of work to do tomorrow. Can we please go to your house now?" Troy chuckled and nodded.

The drive to Troy's house was silent because Gabriella was now sleeping tightly. She was so tired from all the things that she needed to pack; from make-up to clothes to shoes and stilettos. She looks so beautiful sleeping; she's like an angel in disguise as a human. Troy thought as he stared at her and tried to keep his focus on the road.

As they got home, Troy parked his car in the garage and saw Gabriella's stuff. "The mover's did a nice work." He chuckled to himself. "Now, time to wake up sleeping beauty."

Troy opened the car door at Gabriella's side and looked at her before shaking her. "Gabs? Wake up, we're home." Gabriella just moved and murmured something that Troy didn't understand. Troy shook and tried to wake her up gently but nothing seems to work.

When all fails, carry her to the room! Troy said to himself as he carried Gabriella to his room. "Well, I think I won't mind company. Thanks Gabs." He said as he talked to a sleeping Gabriella which he gently put on the bed. "Now to get you dressed!"

Troy took off Gabriella's shoes, shirt and pants gently. "That's not the only thing I've seen in a girl, Gabs. So don't react." Troy talked to a sleeping Gabriella again, trying to think of the possible things that he may answer back to Gabriella when she finds herself in different clothes tomorrow.

"Okay, I think a plain tee and one of my boxers will do you good." Troy talked to himself as he tried to gently put clothes on his best friend and pretend fiancée.

After dressing her up, he turned to himself and wore the same thing, a white tee and boxers. After all things were done, it was time for bed; he crawled beside Gabriella in his king-size bed and hugged her tightly. He closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent. I can get used to this. He thought as he slowly drifted to sleep.