Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. The song belongs to Bon Jovi.
A/N: This is for lola bunny xo. Enjoy! (Prompts at end) My first pure fluff, so be kind. :D
"At the mirror you fix your hair and put your makeup on
You're insecure about what clothes to wear
I can't see nothing wrong
Gabriella Montez sighed, turning a page in the chemistry textbook balanced on her knees. She was sitting on the steps outside East High, waiting for the first bell to ring. Throngs of students surged around her, walking into the building, laughing and talking. Gabriella silently wished she was part of a group, part of something.
The bell rang, and Gabriella snapped her book shut, sliding it into her bag and keeping her head down as she walked. The previous week's "triple-win" day had gained her recognition among her classmates, but that fame had quickly died down, as did Troy Bolton's seeming interest in her.
"Gabriella!" a voice to her left called out, causing Gabriella to stop and turn. Taylor McKessie was running toward her, a grin spread across her face as she waved a slightly crumpled piece of paper.
"Taylor?" Gabriella asked, looking at her friend with a mixture of confusion and amusement. "What's going on?"
"We got invited to the state tournament!" Taylor cried, shoving the paper under Gabriella's nose. Startled, she took it, pulling it away from her face in order to read it. An official letter announced that the East High Scholastic Decathlon team had been chosen to compete for the state title. Smiling, Gabriella looked up at Taylor.
"Wow, Tay, that's just-wow!"
"I know, isn't it exciting!" Taylor replied happily, hooking her arm through Gabriella's and leading her friend down the hall. "We're going to the state tournament!"
This time, Gabriella's smile was only half-hearted. Troy and his friends had walked past them in the opposite direction.
To me you look so beautiful when you can't make up your mind
It's half past eight, it's getting late
It's OK, take your time
Troy Bolton was not one to let girls get to him. He had had several girlfriends, none of which had lasted longer than a few weeks or months. He was used to the attention he received from the opposite sex, used to girls sidling up next to him in the hallway and slipping their arms around his shoulders, whispering in his ear. He was accustomed to receiving notes and small gifts from "admirers," to turning down countless offers for dates.
Gabriella Montez was different, though, Troy thought, watching her walk past with Taylor McKessie. She was the first girl who hadn't chased him down, who didn't spend every moment fawning over him. Gabriella intrigued him, made him wonder, made him want more. He had thought they'd had something, but after the callbacks her interest seemed to have died away.
"Troy, man, you okay?" Chad Danforth's voice floated into his consciousness, startling him from his reverie. "You kinda spaced there."
"What? Oh, yeah, Yeah, I'm fine," Troy said, shaking his head. "It's nothing."
"You sure? You look, I don't know, funny."
"I'm sure. It's nothing."
As they continued down the hall, Troy found himself looking over his shoulder at Gabriella's retreating form.
Standing here my hands in my pockets
Like I have a thousand times
Thinking back it took one breath
One word to change my life
"People, we are five weeks away from our winter musicale!" Ms. Darbus shouted at her cast members two weeks later, shaking her head as she halted rehearsal for the twelfth time that night. "This is unacceptable!"
She started toward the stage, picking up a script as she went. Troy and Gabriella were standing apart, heads low as they waited for the outburst.
"What is going on?" Ms. Darbus asked, ascending the stairs to the stage and staring down her two leads. "What happened to the chemistry? The sparks? The pizzazz? There's nothing here."
"Ms. Darbus, I-" Gabriella began, but Troy cut her off.
"We'll fix it, Ms. Darbus. We'll work on it."
"I should hope so. Let's do it again, closing number, from the top!" Ms. Darbus threw her hands up, stepping down from the stage and nodding to Kelsi. The actors readied themselves, and, as the first notes flowed from the piano, Troy began to sing.
"No, this is all wrong!" Ms. Darbus cried out, stopping the music again. "Bolton, do you even know your music?"
"Yes," Troy replied, staring at the floor. "I just-"
"I can't deal with this," Ms. Darbus sighed, shaking her head. "That's it, rehearsal's over. Everybody, be here tomorrow at three-fifteen sharp, or it will be the last time you ever see the inside of this theater." She turned on her heel, stalking from the theater, leaving her subdued cast behind.
"Way to go," Sharpay Evans muttered sarcastically, glaring at Troy and Gabriella. "The two of you are completely ruining the show."
"Sharpay, leave them alone," her twin, Ryan, told her, taking her arm and pulling her from the stage. "It's not worth it." Troy and Gabriella were suddenly alone on the stage, alone to deal with their own issues.
"Gabriella, I-"
"Forget it, Troy. Let's just work on this, okay?"
The first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello
"Gabriella, wait up!" Troy called, jogging to catch up with her as she walked briskly through the parking lot, her jacket held tightly around her to ward off the slight chill permeating the air.
"Troy, I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow," Gabriella called over her shoulder, ignoring the fact that he was closing in on her.
"No, Gabriella, wait. I have to talk to you."
"What, Troy?" Gabriella asked, whirling around to face him. "What do you want?"
"I want to talk to you, Gabriella," Troy said, putting a hand to her arm to keep her from walking away. "I want-"
He trailed off, stepping closer to her.
"Troy? What are you doing?"
"Gabriella," Troy whispered, his face inches from hers. "Gabriella, don't tell me you don't feel it."
"Feel what, Troy?" Gabriella asked, her voice slightly high-pitched as she tried to step back, but Troy pulled her close again.
"This," Troy replied, suddenly closing the gap between them, his lips meeting hers. Gabriella stood, shocked, unable to respond as Troy pulled away, looking expectantly at her.
"You felt it, didn't you?" he asked, his eyes locked on hers. "I felt it."
"Troy, I-" Gabriella stammered, breaking his gaze. "I'm sorry," she whispered, turning and running in the opposite direction. Troy was left standing alone in the cold, his hands still held out as if he was waiting for Gabriella to come back and fall into his embrace, laughing as if she had been joking all along.
When we walk into a crowded room it's like we're all alone
Everybody tries to kidnap your attention
You just smile and steal the show
"Gabriella, about last night-" Troy began, blocking Gabriella's entrance into the theater with a hand held across the doorway. "I'm sorry. I thought you felt the same way."
"Troy, I-" Gabriella began, but she quickly switched gears. "We have to get to rehearsal." She ducked under his arm, throwing her bags into an empty seat near the back of the theater and grabbing her script as she walked up to the stage.
"Gabriella, wait!" Troy called, dropping his own things and running after her. He caught up to her on the stairs.
"Troy, rehearsal is about to start."
"It doesn't matter, Gabriella. You do feel it, don't you? I can see it in your eyes."
"Troy-"
"Gabriella, I can't explain this feeling. I can't stop thinking about you, about us."
"There is no us," Gabriella replied, trying to extract her arm from Troy's grip.
"Gabriella, I need to know."
"Know what, Troy? I have to get ready for rehearsal." Gabriella succeeded in pulling her arm from Troy's hands, and she finished walking up the stairs, turning when she reached the stage to face him.
"Gabriella, will you-will you go out with me? Like, like on a date?"
Gabriella stared at Troy, clearly shocked.
"Please say something," Troy whispered, searching her face for an answer.
"I-" Gabriella began, but she cut herself off. "Yes, Troy. I will."
He smiled, sprinting up the last few stairs and pulling her into his arms.
"Troy, what are you doing?" Gabriella asked, a note of panic in her voice. "There are people watching."
"I don't care," Troy whispered, leaning in to kiss her gently. Their lips met as before, but this time, Gabriella wasn't taken by surprise. Letting Troy take the kiss deeper, she wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her.
"Alright, people that's enough!" Ms. Darbus' voice echoed through the theater, startling the couple. They broke apart, smiling broadly as they looked at each other. "Miss Montez, Mister Bolton, are we ready to continue? Excellent, let's take the finale, from the top!"
Troy and Gabriella broke apart, headed for their positions at the opening of the song. Moments later, the song began, and Troy hit all the right notes, his eyes locked on Gabriella the whole time. He had finally found his answer.
You come to me and take my hand
We start dancin' slow
You put your lips up to my ear and whisper way down low
"Troy, when did you know?" Gabriella asked, reaching across the table to take his hand, smiling happily at him. The candles surrounding their table framed her face with soft flickering light, and to Troy, she had never looked more beautiful.
"The first time we met," he whispered, bringing her hand to his lips, brushing them across her knuckles. "You had me from hello."
Gabriella giggled, ducking her head slightly and looking up at Troy.
"Love at first sight?" she teased, taking her hand back.
"You know it," Troy returned, laughing along with her. He held up a hand, reaching under the table for a moment.
"Troy, what are you doing?"
He pulled a small gift bag adorned with red and pink hearts, bright pink tissue paper spilling out of the top.
"Troy, what is this?"
"Happy Valentine's Day, Gabriella," Troy said, motioning for her to open it.
"Oh, Troy, you shouldn't have," Gabriella squealed, pulling the paper from the bag and taking out its contents. "No, actually, you really shouldn't have." She added, her face falling as she held the gift up.
A small blue bear was dangling by one paw from her fingers, it's stuffed-animal smile almost satanic in the low light.
"What, you don't like it?"
"Troy, it's blue. This is Valentine's Day. I kind of thought you had a little more common sense."
"It's the only thing I could find," Troy said, frowning slightly. "I thought it was cute."
"No, it is, it's just-"
"I know, it's weird," Troy laughed, pulling a small jewelry box from his pocket. "Happy Valentine's Day," he whispered, handing her the box.
Gabriella laughed, setting the bear on the table as she opened her real gift. Lifting it from the box, she gasped. A delicate crystal heart was dangling from a thin silver string, the candlelight playing off the stones shining on Gabriella's face.
"Let me help you with that," Troy said, standing up and walking behind her. He took the necklace, unclasping it and laying it against her chest. He fixed the clasp, his hands sliding down her neck to rest on her shoulders.
"I love you, Gabriella," he whispered, leaning close to her ear. As she turned toward him, their lips met, the kiss soft and tender. They pulled apart, and Gabriella smiled up at Troy.
"I love you, too."
From the first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello"
A/N: I believe it's the first purely fluffy fic I've written. I hope it was readable. The song, FYI, was "You Had Me From Hello" by Bon Jovi.
These were the prompts from lola bunny xo:
STORY REQUEST
Three things you want your fic to include: Description. Err, romance? A little blue stuffed bear. )
Two common cliches you don't want: ONE: I don't want any Sharpay-Troy, Gabriella jealous junk. I'm tired of that. And TWO: I don't want Troy and Gabriella to already be dating. Sorry. It's cliche to me.
One central pairing: Troyella