A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me so much longer to get this up than I thought it would. Its finals time for me so school work has been taking over my life. After Thursday I have plenty of time off to get some good writing done. This chapter is based on one of my own personal experiences, so hopefully you guys like it and think it's just as suited for Troyella as I did. Thanks for reading, and once again please PLEASE review. xo Em.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Two: Thunderstorms and Lucky Troy.

Over the next few weeks Gabriella worked at adjusting to life at East Academy Prep, finding that the people there were VERY different from the other schools she went to. She also found herself focusing a lot of her attention on avoiding Troy, something that turned out to be harder than she thought. It seemed like Troy was everywhere, involved with every aspect of the school. Plus it didn't help that his best friend was dating her new best friend and roommate. Whenever he was around her thought, she kept catching herself stealing glances at him. What she found odd was that whenever she did her chocolate brown eyes were always met by his steely blue ones.

"Hey, what do you think of this one?" Taylor called from her closet, stepping out to reveal a blue satin dress with thick straps and a bow in the back that fell right above the knee (A/N pictures in profile). She had a date with Chad tonight to celebrate their anniversary and was trying to pick out an outfit.

"Oh Tay. It's perfect. You look gorgeous. Chad won't be able to keep his hands off you."

"Really? Aw thanks Gabs. What do you think, the Dolce & Gabbana silver sandals?"

"You'll look flawless. Honestly."

"So what are you going to do tonight while I'm out?"

"Um I don't know. I'll probably give my mom and a few friends from home a call. Plus that new movie Twilight (A/N I LOVE Twilight haha) is playing at the campus movie theatre. I could always go see that."

"That sounds like a good idea. You know you should call Troy, I'm sure he'd go see it with you."

"Uh no. I'll be just fine thanks." Gabriella said, tensing up at just the sound of his name, not going unnoticed by Taylor.

"Girl, what is up with you? What have you got against Troy? I've seen the way you look at him, and don't even try to deny it. So why are you so cold to him?"

"Ha, are you kidding me? That boy is just...he's so...GAH!"

"So good looking?"

"Well yes...not to mention also rude, offensive, disrespectful..."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Slow it down. What do you mean? Troy is a GREAT guy. I mean sure he acts a little different around you than he normally does, but that's just because you're probably the first girl he's met who doesn't go weak in the knees at just the mere sight of him."

Gabriella couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yeah, I guess he is pretty cute. That doesn't make up for his asshole tendencies though."

"I knew it! You DO think he's hot. I'm so calling Chad and getting him to set you two up. Girl, this is perfect. Troy is obviously smitten by you. We can go on double dates!"

"Back up. I never agreed to this. I may think that Troy Bolton is...a little bit more than decent looking. That doesn't mean I want to date him. In fact, I want absolutely nothing to do with him. End of story."

"Fine, ruin my fun."

"I'm sorry Tay, but that's just never EVER going to happen. Hey, weren't you supposed to be Chad outside at 6? Cause its 6:10 right now."

"Shit! Okay I'm going. Bye Gabs, love you. Have fun tonight, and whatever you do, don't wait up" Taylor called slyly as she ran out the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Troy was lying on his bed, trying to get through his history reading but finding himself getting distracted by the thunder storm outside that was growing louder and louder with each passing minute. He was so deep in thought looking out his window that it took him awhile to actually hear his phone ringing. He leaned over and grabbed it off the desk, taking a second to look at the caller display which read Unknown Caller before he flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Troy. Hi. It's um, Gabriella. Taylor left her phone here and I got your number out of her phone. I hope you don't mind."

"Uh no, not at all." He stammered while thinking to himself bewilderedly "Why on earth is she calling me? She doesn't even acknowledge me in person. Oh well, at least now I have her number without having to ask her for it and risk being shut down."

"Listen, I wouldn't be calling you if I had anyone else, but I'm new here and Tay is out with Chad and well..."

"It's okay; you're rescuing me from my homework anyways. What's up?"

"Okay well this is kind of embarrassing, and I'll completely deny it if you bring it up later, but I'm terrified of thunder storms. Do you there is any way you could come over or that we could go somewhere? I just really don't want to be alone right now."

"Um ya. Sure. Why don't we go see a movie or something? Twilight is playing on campus, and aren't all girls in love with that movie or something? That should help keep you distracted. Do you want to meet me there at 7?"

"That sounds perfect. Thanks Troy, you're honestly a life saver. I owe you one." And with that she hung up. "Wow," Troy thought to himself "I really didn't see that one coming. Well, my night just got about 10 times better." He looked down at his watch and saw that he had just enough time to have a shower before having to leave.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Troy arrived at the theatre just minutes before Gabriella did. As she walked through the doors, the sight of her in a pair of Ed Hardy sweatpants, Ugg boots and a plain tank top (A/N pictures in profile) forced a huge grin onto his face. Even in sweat pants with her long wavy hair thrown up into a tangled pony tail, she still looked like the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

"Hi." Gabriella greeted him awkwardly, taking in the sight of Troy in a pair of dark wash jeans, a white v-neck shirt and navy cardigan (A/N pictures in profile). "Sorry I'm late; I got a little lost on my way here. Apparently I still don't really know my way around campus."

"Not to worry. It's a big place, you'll get used to it eventually. I got us our tickets already."

"Oh. Uh thanks Troy. You really didn't have to do that, I could have paid for myself."

"I know. But I wanted to."

The pair continued to make awkward small talk as they walked over and joined the concessions stand line, where Troy once again refused to let Gabriella pay.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After the movie, and after much persuasion, Gabriella had agreed to let Troy walk her home. The two evidently felt more comfortable around each other and were having a very animated conversation about life at school while they walked. Troy didn't really enjoy the movie himself; it just wasn't his type of thing. He did however enjoy watching Gabriella as she evidently enjoyed the movie. As they were walking, a large group of students came from the other direction, forcing Troy and Gabriella to walk closer together on the sidewalk in order to let them pass. Troy bravely took this opportunity to sling his arm casually over her shoulders. Needless to say, Gabriella didn't protest, although she did look up at him with curious eyes which he responded to with a carefree shrug. Once they finally arrived back at her residence, Troy waited with her outside while she looked for her keys.

"Shit. I must have left them in my room. Let me just call Taylor, she's going to kill me for interrupting her date."

"So don't. Just come back to my place. You can stay the night. That was if the storm comes back you don't have to be scared and alone again. Besides, Chad and Taylor won't be coming back to campus tonight. Chad got a room at one of the hotels as a surprise anniversary present."

"Well, I guess I don't really have much choice then." Gabriella said, with a little hint of annoyance in her voice. She had really been looking forward to just climbing in her bed and figure out what exactly her feelings towards Troy were.

"Exactly. So let's go." Troy couldn't help but smile at the prospect of waking up with this beautiful girl next to him. "My luck just keeps getting better and better" Troy thought to himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here, you can wear these to bed." Troy said tossing Gabriella a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. "You can change in here. I'm going to go into the bathroom." When he returned he found Gabriella changed and sitting on Chad's bed. When she heard him enter the room, Gabriella looked up to see Troy with an odd expression on his face.

"What?" She inquired gently.

"Nothing." Troy said with a subtle shake of his head. "It's just...well, I really wouldn't suggest sleeping in Chad's bed. I honestly couldn't say the last time he washed his sheets and ever since he and Taylor became official they've been having A LOT of sex."

"EW!" Gabriella squealed as she jumped off the bed. Troy couldn't help but chuckle. She just looked so adorable, especially since she was wearing HIS clothes. God, he was one lucky bastard.

"You can sleep in my bed with me. Don't worry, I promise I won't bite. There is plenty of room for both of us without us having to even touch."

Gabriella hesitantly agreed, and both of them climbed into bed. It wasn't long before both had fallen into a deep slumber, with Troy lying on one side of the bed and Gabriella lying on the complete opposite. The peacefulness only lasted for a few hours though, as Gabriella was woken up around 3 A.M. by a loud crack of thunder. Her body reacted before her brain could and she curled her tiny body up against Troy's larger muscular one. Her sudden movement woke Troy up, and he smiled looking down at her, noting how perfectly her body fit next to his. Gabriella felt him stir and suddenly felt embarrassed, rolling away from him.

"I'm sorry, it's just the storm came back. It startled me a little. I didn't mean to wake you up." Gabriella spoke softly, and Troy could see the fear in her eyes. What he couldn't deceiver was whether it was only from the storm, or whether she was afraid at having being caught too close to him.

"Shhh, it's alright Brie. I'll protect you." And with that, Troy wrapped a strong arm around her tiny waist, pulling her back towards him.

"Brie?" She asked quietly, feeling sleep taking over her body again.

"Ya, Brie." Troy said, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head before falling asleep again.

A/N: Thanks for reading guys. I love you all for it.