This was her interpretation of make-up sex? Troy tried to calm himself by breathing slowly, closing his eyes, and imagining his grandma.

He was about to go insane. He and Gabriella had been going through what Chad called a Break-Up-Make-Up phase. A time in each relationship where one of the members would become overly irritated with some aspect of the other, and they would fight about it for a few hours before getting back together again. And then break up again. And make up again. Until... well... they broke up or got over it.

Troy remembered the conversation. It was after the third fight Gabriella had started because Troy hadn't called her the night before like he said he would. They were sitting on the benches in the locker room after basketball practice. "It's a phase, Troy-" he had said, "It happens in every relationship." Well, this phase had been going on for two months. And they weren't broken up and they weren't getting over it. None of the fights were even lasting more than twenty-four hours. Chad had also said that the make up part of this phase was supposed to make the girl counterpart ridiculously aroused- resulting in make-up sex. Troy had yet to reap the rewards of such arousal; arousal he was starting to believe didn't exist.

Gabriella shifted slightly next to him, her arm that had been crossed across his bare torso sliding to rest atop his belly button. Troy opened his eyes and looked down at his girlfriend, clad only in her boy shorts and her tank top. Troy restrained himself from looking at the blue lace bra he knew was peaking out of from underneath it. This is how it always ended. Gabriella would fall asleep with the faintest smile on her face, and he was left awake trying to relax the tent in his pants- a feat he always found difficult due to the beautiful half naked girl in bed next to him. As he carefully brushed a strand of brunette curl behind her ear, he couldn't help but muster up a tiny grin. He loved Gabriella. He did. But three fights a week for two months? That was twenty four cases of blue balls. No…twenty three. Somewhere in-between there naive Gabriella was feeling generous enough to sneak in a hand job. Then again, Troy could do that himself.

Careful not to wake her, he slid his arm out from underneath his girlfriend and walked straight into the bathroom. He turned the shower on, making sure it was as cold as possible before shedding his boxers and stepping underneath the water. He leaned his forehead against the tile wall and let the chill of the water temporarily distract him from the erection he was sporting. After about two minutes of uselessness he gave up and decided to go a different route, turning the water to hot and leaning his back against the wall as he relieved himself of his pent up energy.

Troy could only think of three reasons why Gabriella did not want to sleep with him. Theory one; Gabriella was planning on joining a convent, and she was preparing herself for all the sex-free years ahead by not having sex with him now. Theory two; there was something wrong with him. Something about him that Gabriella didn't like about him or didn't trust about him that made her feel she couldn't share the experience with him. And theory three; she was the biggest tease in Albuquerque. But every time he found himself looking into her chocolate eyes, he would forget this theory. There was no way someone so smart and innocent could be a tease.

But if she wasn't planning on becoming a nun, and she wasn't a tease, that only left one theory to be true- that there was something about him that was putting her off. Did he need to spend more hours at the gym? Was it because he wasn't at smart as her? Every other girl at East High didn't seem to mind. What. The. Hell.

Once Troy had finished his task, he rubbed some shampoo into his hair and washed it out, trying to prolong his going back out to his girlfriend. He dried himself off, keeping the towel wrapped loosely around his hips as he walked back into his room, stopping in front of his dresser and rummaging through for a pair of boxers. As he pulled a pair out, his cell phone vibrated loudly atop his bedside table. He cringed, turning to see Gabriella shuffling underneath the dark red sheet. He padded over to the wooden table and picked up his phone, opening the text.

Can I interest you in a box of pepperoni pizza? My brother ordered enough to feed a small army. –S

"Why so smiley?"

Troy looked up from his phone to see Gabriella's brown eyes staring up at him. She slowly sat up from the mattress, chestnut ringlets cascading around her shoulders. Troy, unaware he had been smiling, shut his phone and set it back on the table. "Uh... nothing... Dinner invite. You sort of came over right before I got the chance to eat."

Gabriella's lips formed a pout, and she crossed her arms across her barely covered chest. "Well, I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have come over to make up until after your stomach's needs had been satisfied." She smirked and slid off the opposite side of the bed, picking her jeans off the floor. "I'll make sure to call next time."

Troy sighed and walked around the bed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind as she buttoned her jeans. "You know that's not what I meant. You're better than food, Brie." He leaned forward to kiss the sweet spot just below her ear, smiling against her skin as he felt her shudder. "Way better."

She turned around slowly, and he could tell she was trying hard to keep the pout on her face. Gabriella let her fingers scrape down his torso, stopping at the towel hanging around his hips. Looking up at him, she grasped the terry cloth fabric in her hands, her pout amplified as her eyes grew sultry. "You showered without me?"

"I'd be more than happy to take another."

"I'm sure you would." She leaned forward, kissing his chest. "You horny-" She kissed his shoulder. "Teenage." She stood on her toes to meet his lips. "Boy."

"Wanting to be with my girlfriend does not make me a horny teenage boy."

Her not wanting being with her boyfriend was making him a horny teenage boy. But he wasn't about to explain that situation to her.

"I'm with you right now, Troy."

"I know you are. I just-"

"Want more?" Troy blinked and looked down. Gabriella took a breath and unclenched her hands from the towel, "I'm sorry."

Troy looked up and caught her eyes. He shook his head and raised a hand to cup her cheek. "There's nothing to be sorry for." When Gabriella didn't respond, he racked his brain for the right thing to say- but he drew a blank. "You know I'm not pressuring you, right? I would never."

At this Gabriella smiled and pressed her cheek against his chest. "I know that. And I want to be with you… like that... You know I do. I just- I'm just not ready right now."

Troy nodded and let his hand drop from her cheek. As she looked around for her sweatshirt-or his sweatshirt, really- he took the opportunity to pull his boxers up underneath the towel. She walked back over to him, and as her arms snaked around his neck for their usual good-bye kiss he couldn't help but think: Well, at least she's not becoming a nun.

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