First bad habit Chapter 2: Caught up, a high school musical fanfic

Heya, guys! Here I am again and guess what's with me? Alright, not much to guess there, huh? Right, it's a new chapter for 'First bad habit'! I know, I know, I know that I'm way too late, but you know me: always the lazy one ;)

No, really, I'm kidding. Our teachers have suddenly decided that school's so important it should basically take over our complete life and guess what? I've got some really big exams coming for me at the end of this school year. And they're gonna decide over if I'm allowed into grade eleven, so I guess it's pretty important. So I decided to write during the holidays and guess what? Fate doesn't like me. First I got the flu (so not fun!!!) and had to lie in bed for a week, then I was fit again for Christmas, but to that time I was too busy to write. And then... fate has again decided it doesn't like me and I got ill again. And we're not sure what it was, but I did get aminocyclitol antibiotic against pneumonia. So yeah, no chance in hell to write. And then school started again and you know how it is.

Ha, there. Now you've got no more reasons to kill me for making you wait… Although you didn't quite know I would actually write this chapter, did you? But well, I had a poll up the last – what has it been? Three months? – days between the last chapter and today anyways and all of you that actually voted have told me to make a five-shot out of this story with a happy ending. So I'm really trying to make that work. But don't be surprised when you've finished reading this chapter. You know what they say: It's gotta get worse, before it can start getting better. :D And me being me… well, you'll see, I suppose. So, onto the next instalment!

And by the way, this chapter is dedicated to the one and only, ever staying faithful, best pen mate in the world, Anna aka england-till-I-die. Luv ya!

Disclaimer: Ah yes, I'm never gonna be able to get rid of this thing, hu? But really, my mind's out of funny things to write here (if anyone has any suggestions, tell me in your review [which I would appreciate very much, by the way]), so I'm just gonna say that the disclaimer of the last chapter still stands and I've only got one small but to add: I also don't own "Caught up" by Drew Seeley. It belongs to whoever has got the rights for it. And I did change one or two words of it, so it's on purpose, not a tipping error.

Summary:

Gabriella Montez is the usual goody-two-shoed student you know. No escapades, no major faults, no bad habits. None that you would know of, anyways. But what happens every time she's at Troy Bolton's mercy? Troy Bolton, bad boy, player and unchallenged king of East High? Could he be her bad habit?

Recap of the last chapter:

Gabriella really didn't know what she should do anymore. She knew she wouldn't be able to give him up. Never. But she also knew that it was dangerous close to heartbreak to keep doing this. It wasn't like Troy didn't like her. He never said it out-loud, but he had different ways to express it and she had her ways to read his body language. Gabriella knew that they would never be together as a real couple in a decent relationship and that what she had was all that she could ask for at the moment. And she had long ago decided to take it. She wasn't going to go back on her decision now. She would take what she got. And she wasn't going to lose hope. While there was life, there was always hope. And maybe – just maybe – Troy Bolton wasn't that much of a lost case as everyone else saw him.

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Chapter two – Caught up

Troy Bolton was God's gift to earth. Or so the majority of the female population of East High thought anyways. Not that it mattered what anyone thought about him, but still: It made things a whole lot easier. He had never had to ask for anything, had never been in the situation of something not going quite as he had planned. He had never missed anything in his life, had lived his life at full speed. Girls were falling all over his feet, his friends supported him in every way possible, he had never done anything completely out of line, he had never been too distracted to fail to see his goals right in front of him. But those facts - commonly known by everyone that really mattered - didn't really apply to him anymore. Anything but. And he was less than thrilled about it.

He couldn't even exactly recall how it had all started. Another thing absolutely new to him. He couldn't remember ever being out of control like this. He couldn't bethink when the last time had come and gone he had ever been dizzy enough to not remember something. The only thing he could remember was that party. That one faithful evening where everything in his whole world had been turned upside down and inside out. Troy Bolton was in control. Always. Forever. It was like some un-written law of nature. Or, more precisely, had been. Because now there was nothing right anymore. His world had changed. His universe had changed. Although it hadn't been long since he had sworn to himself he wouldn't ever let anything take control over him ever again.

But now he was feeling as if he was falling out of blue skies and heading straight into the ground. And that although he had always thought nothing would ever take the world he knew so well off its hinges. But now someone definitely had done it. And it wasn't just anybody. It was a girl. A single girl had managed to get him out of control and he hated it. He hated it more than anything and he was more than sure that he wanted to change that again. He would change it again and if it was the last thing he was ever going to do.

Two months ago Troy Bolton had been everybody's dream. Well, actually he still was. The boys wanted to be him, the girls wanted to be with him. He had enjoyed the attention, had revelled in being the most popular boy at East High School. He had picked up girls as though he was collecting stamps and had thrown them away as soon as he was getting bored with them. His life had never been dull and he had had his friends with whom he could let loose once in a while - or every other weekend. It definitely had its advantages to be the golden boy of the school.

Sure, there were some drawbacks as well, but it wasn't as if he couldn't deal with them. He knew without his doubt that most of his teachers disliked him beyond belief and he supposed that it was their worst nightmare to have him in their class. He didn't even wonder why. The reasons were clear enough. The times he actually did his homework were rare and barely noteworthy, he never volunteered for any extra work and it was a miracle if he didn't back-talk to them while they were trying to make him see that he was going to ruin his whole future. Anyways, no one had ever dared to make an attempt of punishing him for his committed sins. After all, he was the captain of East High's basketball team. And being that he got away with lots of things.

So naturally, nothing had ever been difficult for him. Until now. Now everything had changed. Thanks to a girl. At first it had been no more than simple infatuation when he had first laid eyes on her on Bayler's party. He had been sure that he had seen her around already, but he hadn't been able to put a name to the beautiful face. And it had bothered him. But he had still continued to watch her. He had watched her dancing, drinking, talking and having fun. And he had become intrigued by her. She was a Latina, that much was obvious. The way her body moved, the way she held herself - unknowingly he supposed - and the way she treated the people around her, it had been enough to make him interested. And wondrously that interest hadn't worn off as soon as he had learned that she was, indeed, one of the straight A-students of East High.

If anything it had only intrigued him more that she was unlike all the other nerds he had ever known. He had always thought that they didn't understand a thing about letting loose, but Gabriella Montez obviously did. And he was going to find out what was up with her. And maybe... maybe he would even consider doing something else entirely with her. He would have to see.

That had been his thoughts. And then he had done what he always did. He had seduced her, had managed to get her addicted to him through only one evening of spending time with her. But something had not been going quite as planned. He himself had never wanted to become addicted to her, too. But it had happened. He didn't know why, he didn't exactly know when and he sure as hell didn't know why. It had to have something to do with the first night they had been together, but he couldn't quite remember what it was that had made him craving Gabriella Montez' touch. But even if he knew, he could have done nothing to prevent it from happening.

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Overly loud-played music was blasting from the big stereo boxes, safely hidden in a darker corner of the room. The furniture had been put out of the way, so that there was a dance floor available for the mass of people giving into the sweet temptation of the beat coursing through them. Standing amidst the smaller crowds in the room, Troy Bolton was listening to the entertainer of the group he was standing with, Chad Danforth. His best friend since kindergarten, through pre-school, junior high and now high school and the co-captain of the basketball team. But that didn't mean that he always had to be interested in what Chad had to say. Yeah, it was official. Troy Bolton was slowly dying from boredom.

He didn't even know why exactly he had agreed to come here. Oh right. He hadn't wanted to, but Chad had threatened him to take to drastic measures if he was going to sit this party out as well. Troy had already missed the last two, a fact that was worth worrying over in Chad's opinion. It wouldn't be good for his status on the social ladder of the school. Social ladder. Troy snorted briefly. That was what it was all about. He let his gaze flow over the boys and girls standing around him. Half of them he didn't even know by name and he was sure they only knew his because he was the most popular guy in school. He definitely wouldn't hang out with them if it weren't for those ridiculous social walls and prejudices.

But Troy Bolton had long ago accepted the fact that if he wanted to be somebody, he would have to do whatever it took to stay among the people he was with right now. And he would do it, no doubt about that. It didn't matter anymore, anyways. He didn't care about what he did as long as it saved his status as unchallenged king of East High, the playboy and the one always crowned with success whenever it came to girls. He had learned to not trust anybody besides his family and Chad and he had learned to take advantage of the fact that girls were throwing themselves at him. But that didn't mean he didn't like a challenge. And Gabriella Montez just happened to be the ultimate one.

Speaking about which... where was she? He had had plans for today, plans that he longed to put into action. And he had counted on that blonde girl - Sharpay what-was-her-last-name? -, the one that constantly hung around them. He didn't notice her most of the time, but sometimes her affectation was hard to overlook. And he had never cared about her, until he had been informed that she was best friends with Gabriella, his new goal. And so he had taken to start talking to her and ever so slowly had expressed his interest in Gabriella. And to his biggest surprise she had been excited at the prospect of him being interested in her best friend. And she had promised him that she would bring her here. He wondered if he had really asked the right person. But he heavily doubted that he should have talked to Gabriella's other best friend, Taylor McKessie. He wasn't actually sure if Taylor would have been so supportive of the idea, seeing as everybody knew what he did with girls after he got bored of them.

He was ripped out of his thoughts as suddenly movement came into the group around him. Three girls had arrived next to them and with relief Troy recognized Sharpay, the blonde, with her two friends, Taylor and Gabriella. Gabriella. His eyes became stuck on her and he watched her every move while she noticed absolutely nothing. He smirked slightly. She did look better than ever in that outfit she was wearing. Without doubt it had been Sharpay who had tricked her into wearing that. The clothes she had worn to other parties before hadn't been as revealing as that miniskirt she was wearing. With an amused look on his face he watched as she nervously tried to wiggle her skirt down a bit, so that it covered more than only a third of her thighs, huffing with exasperation as she noticed that the movement showed off her flat stomach. Damn, that girl had the body of a goddess.

Right at that moment Chad noticed the three late-comers and took to greet Sharpay in an ebullient way. Troy observed the looks that the members of the cheerleading team that had stood beside them were throwing at the three girls. Their captain shot a hostile look directly at Gabriella and the brunette seemed to shrink from her. Troy could only smirk slightly. Of course Melissa had noticed that Gabriella and Taylor didn't belong to the people she normally socialized with. But in his opinion Melissa could do with some time spent away from all her obnoxiousness. And it wasn't as if he really cared about what the others thought. He wasn't about to flaunt the fact that Gabriella Montez would most likely become his latest plaything.

At this very moment he redirected his gaze back to the petite brunette. And sure enough she was looking up right away and starring at him. Her rich chocolate eyes seemed to burn a hole in his own. Troy regarded her with interest. He hadn't met many girls that dared to lock their eyes with his... not that he had given them much opportunity, usually they were occupied with doing something else than just looking when he was with a girl. His eyes travelled over Gabriella's body and he had to keep himself from whistling out loud. Damn, how was it possible to long for somebody the way he longed for Gabriella Montez? He saw her shiver and grinned. Obviously she was affected by his look. He broke his gaze and turned to her blonde friend.

He really didn't like her, but right now he needed the others to be distracted from what he was doing. And what better way to do so than distracting them with Sharpay? "Lovely to see you with us. Doesn't happen often now, does it?" Sharpay looked at him funnily and he had to think for a moment. Or did she actually hang out with them often and he just didn't see her? Possible. Not that he cared anyways. Not since his mind was captured by the stunning brunette in front of him. With one quick look to the side he assured himself that no one was paying attention to him in the slightest – which was a rare, but not fully unknown event.

Well, time to pounce. He could feel his very own desire for Gabriella starting to boil in his blood as he observed the way she stood next to all the others. He could feel nervousness radiating off of her and smirked slightly to himself. He tended to have that effect on people. On girls, especially. "Gabriella, right?" Her name flowed from his lips as easily as if he had called for her way more often than this one time. And Troy found that he liked it. Gazing deep into that promising dark brown eyes, he saw her nod her head once and his mouth curled up in a satisfied grin. This would be even easier than he had expected it to.

"Dance with me." The girl seemed to comprehend that it wasn't a question, but an order. But still she didn't move one bit. Troy inwardly rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward to grab her wrist, gently dragging her away from the group of friends and towards the dance floor. On the way there he leaned down to her. "Are you ever going to say something? Or did the cat get your tongue?" He didn't even know why he asked. Usually he preferred it when his girls didn't talk too much; it prevented him from having to hear them blab on about pointless nonsense for hours. But something was different this time. He wanted to hear her voice, wanted to be given the opportunity to hear her laugh. But as he felt her shiver next to him, he laughed quietly to himself. Obviously she was too stunned to use her ability of talking. That, however, didn't apply to any other use she could put her mouth to, as he soon discovered. Eventually having reached an empty spot on the dance floor, Troy didn't even bother to pretend he wanted to dance with her.

Naturally he had noticed what kind of an effect he was having on Gabriella. She definitely would be the next one falling for him. And he intended to make the best of it. Something about Gabriella had enraptured him and he could see that she was just as infiltrated by him as he was by her. A predatory glow appeared in his smouldering eyes and he grabbed her hips, pulling her as close to him as possible. She involuntarily bucked against his hips and he let escape a low hiss. She was really asking for it, wasn't she? Swiftly his head crashed down and he claimed her soft lips with his, the fire of his desire nearly burning his whole body.

And the moment she responded to his advances he lost control of his actions. Devouring her lips with his, he felt her moan into the kiss, letting loose just as he was. Their bodies melted together as if they both were the fitting parts to a puzzle. Troy had never felt like this, not even once before. And he wanted more. He wanted to keep going feeling like this. And it seemed that Gabriella was the only one who could provide this to him. And if that was true… well, then it would take a very long time for him to let her go again. His lust for him overwhelming and heightening his senses, he reached for her waist once again and pried his lips away from hers long enough to ask: "You want to get out of here?" He didn't really think there was any other answer than the obvious yes and once again she caught him by surprise. She froze. Troy couldn't believe it. She wasn't actually second-guessing this, was she? Here he was, Troy Bolton, offering her the chance to make out with him and she was considering in earnest to refuse? She was mad.

Then he heard her voice. "I don't even know you!" She was demurring. Unbelievable. The first time he heard her voice and it was her expressing reservations? She couldn't be serious. But nevertheless, he tried to reassure her. "You do know that I'm Troy Bolton, so called golden boy of East High, don't you?" The brunette nodded her head, while his mind was screaming at him to cut the small-talk and get down to business. If she was having doubts, then she simply wasn't the right one for him. There were hundreds of girls out there that would take him in a heartbeat. But it made him hesitate. That was exactly the point why he had chosen her. She wasn't like any other girl out there, which made her a definite challenge. And Troy Bolton wasn't one to back down from a challenge. "Trust me; there isn't much to know about me besides that."

Gabriella wasn't convinced by that. "Well, there's this little thing that you use girls for your fun and discard them as soon as you get bored of them." She was really arguing back. But even he could read in her eyes that she wasn't into fighting back. Her resolve was crumbling by the second and it got harder for her to resist as she looked into his eyes. Knowing that, Troy smirked and bent down to kiss her. Moving his lips against hers, using the gasp of surprise to invade her mouth with his tongue and fighting with hers for dominance, he once again pulled her flush to his body, letting her hands feel his abs and the heat radiating off of him. As they broke apart again, he had her breathless. "And you care about that?", he taunted her, knowing fully well that this time he would meet no resistance whatsoever.

And something inside his chest roared with triumph as he observed her nodding and looking back up at him. "Then what are we waiting for?" He turned around and walked in the direction of the door, aware of her following him. Once outside he only let them round one corner until he had her in his arms again. He wanted her. He knew the feeling of want, but never before had he felt it this strong. It was as if his desire for her would burn him from the inside if it didn't find satisfaction soon. He counted on Gabriella not to disappoint him in finding an outlet for the heavy tension that had built up between them in the last few minutes. And he was right. As soon as her lips moved against his, she had elicited a moan from him. Damn. She really was incredible in this department. There had been girls that had satisfied his needs before, but never had one had the skill to educe a moan out of him.

Smiling, he released her lips shortly."And maybe you're much more interesting than the other girls I met until now? Who knows? I just might decide to keep you around a little longer." He grinned again at that thought and his eyes lit up. She really was something. Could it be? Could he have finally found someone to match his own intensity? He didn't know, but he would find out. And what better way to do that was there than keeping her around him? That shouldn't be too hard, seeing as she was already willing to oblige him. She was reacting to his touch in a way that left him breathless as well as her and he liked it. It was settled. She was his.

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Lately, you've been changing
Not the same as when we started this

She was his. Had been since about three months now and he was still wondering how that could be. There was no doubt in the world anymore that she had captured something of him that he didn't even know had existed in him. And he hated it. It was dangerous, feeling anything for anyone besides himself. It made him vulnerable. It wouldn't really matter as long as no one realised that vulnerability, but Gabriella seemed awfully close to discovering it. She had changed. At the beginning she had been intimidated by him, he had felt it. But she had fallen for him just as quickly as any other girl. And he had become hung up on the way she made him feel. And now that mistake was coming back to bite his ass. Gabriella started to become attached to him. And even worse, he to her.

And now, three months after the whole thing had started, things had taken a different course instead of the one he usually had them. She was starting to become self-confident in his presence; she was starting to take over a bigger place in his life. And at first he had done nothing to stop her. He hadn't even noticed that they had stopped entirely focusing on the physical parts of their relationship and had begun to talk way more often than ages ago. She was opening up to him and while he still hadn't talked to her about himself, he had been too close to do so for more than one time. And that was why it was becoming dangerous. She shouldn't have any power over him. It just wasn't what Troy Bolton did. And so he came to the conclusion that he needed to stop whatever it was that was going on.

She was changing. He was changing. They were changing. And he was the one to stop it. Before it was too late. His friends were already starting to become suspicious of him. And that was something he absolutely couldn't afford. His social status was worth more than anything else. It had made him to the one he was today. And he wasn't ready to give up the post of East High's golden boy to anyone. So this was going to change. He would get his lost control back. Whatever the cost. He would do it. Even if it should cost him Gabriella and therefore the feelings she evoked in him.

You knew our situation
Now you're tripping, what's the reason?

I'm not leaving what I've got at home
Why you asking? You already know

Troy could remember the first time he had noticed that something was changing, that something wasn't quite going as planned. He had called upon Gabriella earlier and had told her to meet him in a place well hidden from any publicity. No one would be able to find them there. As he had walked in on her two hours later, he had found her on the ground, crying her eyes out. He had been at a total loss. Never had he had to deal with a girl's tears before, unless he had caused them and in that case he had never cared before. So now he had had absolutely no idea about what do make of it. But he hadn't had to make the first step. Gabriella had heard him coming in and had slowly raised her head, the tears still rolling down her reddened cheeks. "I'm breaking, Troy.", she had confessed to him, her voice breaking at the mention of his name. "I'm breaking on the inside and there's nothing I can do about it. You're destroying me, destroying my life."

Troy had gone into shock. Whatever he had thought might have been wrong, that hadn't been it. He had blinked a few times, trying to regain his composure. And eventually he had succeeded. "Again." His tone had grown cold, emotionless. He simply had no other way to deal with this, seeing as he had never had to do it before. Gabriella was the first one to be around him for that long and it obviously didn't do her any good. But that really wasn't his fault. She was free to walk away and she knew it. Hell, she had threatened to do it a few times before, but she had never actually done that. Well, that was her fault. And he soon had found out that her statement hadn't been meant as an accusation towards him. "That's not entirely your fault, I know that. I should be strong enough to walk away from you, I should be able to leave. But I'm not, Troy. I'm weak. And that's my fault." She looked ready to break down in hysterics and Troy hadn't known what to do. So he had left.

He remembered that she had acted as if nothing had happened the next day. But it hadn't been for long. Only a few days later she had pried her lips loose from his and had asked a question he had never expected to hear from her. "Have you ever imagined how it would be if you'd just drop your playboy antics and go for a real relationship, Troy?" Caught by surprise he had stumbled away from her, starring at her with incredulousness written all over his face. He hadn't known why she would even ask such a question. She already knew what he was to say. There only was one answer to a question like that. "No, of course not." After that she had left the topic alone, but Troy had never been able to forget the look of dejection on her face after hearing his answer. She really was changing. Was she starting to look for something more than just what he would, what he could give her?

What I'm gonna say, the answer is no
There's no time to play, time for you to go

So much had changed in the last weeks. Gabriella was now constantly showing him her soft side and he despised it. Not so much her presenting him her strengths and weaknesses, but more the fact that he was starting to fall for it. He could feel it. His heart was nearly anticipating it. It wanted Gabriella to open herself to him. And Troy couldn't let that happen. Listening to his heart had always brought him heartache and he wasn't going to fall for that again. And so he had made the most difficult he had ever had to make in his entire life. He would go back. He would go back to his old life, forget about Gabriella, have his ways of doing things and enjoying life without worrying over anything and anyone besides himself. He would dumb Gabriella. For good. She had this hold over him that needed to be removed completely, because it was starting to take its toll on his life. And that was one thing that was to never happen. He knew that it wouldn't be easy; there was no way denying that he had somewhat become attached to her in his very own way, but it had to be over now. He had to undo what she had done to him and he would do so. And if it would cost him his life. He wouldn't let anyone rule over his life in any way possible. He could never again lose his control.

No more, so get on out the door
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for
If you can't handle what we've got, I'm a have to cut it off
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for

And so he had done it. It had been a rainy afternoon, just as you would expect it to be if life was one sappy romance novel. Troy snorted. What a coincidence, since Gabriella loved to read those. Romeo and Juliet was her favourite book. He shook those thoughts from his head and concentrated on the deed that lay before him. He had sent her a text about half an hour ago and she still wasn't there. That made him nervous. What if she wouldn't come? But he didn't have to worry for long. There she was, storming towards him, breathless and with reddened cheeks. Laughing she fell down beside him. "What's wrong that I had to leave Sharpay and Taylor behind?" Smiling, she looked up to his face and grew serious as she saw the storm brewing in his cerulean blue eyes. He simply said two words. "It's over." He would never forget the look of horror on her face.

Everything that starts must come to an end
We can't even be friends 'cause you're catching feelings
It's a shame girl you had to pledge allegiance
Now I've gotta be blunt, you're caught up, you're caught up
Everything that starts must come to an end
Don't wanna see you again 'cause you're catching feelings
It's a shame girl you can't see the reasons
But it's here till the end, you're caught up, you're caught up

He couldn't believe it. She had actually tried to hold him back from breaking it off with her. He had never experienced that before. Usually the girls he went with accepted it without much of a fight; simply because they had known it would come down to this. But Gabriella… Gabriella had acted as if she had actually hoped that he would stay with her for good. And now he knew for sure. She had feelings for him that went deeper than friendship and desire. And he couldn't deal with it. Wondering why it was that big of a problem for him and why he hadn't already moved on, he reflected his own feelings. No, he had never felt more than lust for her, he was sure of it. It could have gone so well. For so long she had been his outlet for everything not going along with his plans and then she had to go and become one his plans gone wrong. Why the hell couldn't have everything stayed the way it had been? They wouldn't have any problems if she hadn't developed feelings for him. Heck, maybe they would have even been able to stay friends after his interest had worn off. But as soon as that thought crossed Troy's mind, he swore at himself for it. Friends. That was even more foolish than anything Gabriella had done. They would never have been able to become friends. The tension between them had been too tangible and the social walls would have never allowed for it to happen, anyways. It was probably really for the best that things had ended now. It was clear that Gabriella had been caught up and that would have never gone well.

Let's get it clear – never been your man
But if you want something I can't have I'm sure that no-one can

Don't understand, girl, where you get off
Stressing out, my girl, blowing up a spot

Trying to get me caught in some kind of lie
But I won't play your games 'cause I know your kind

Girl I ain't blind, I see what you're trying to do
But you can't have it 'cause there's no me and you

"Troy!" If he hadn't been listening intently, he would have missed the soft, lifeless voice that called out for him, begging him to stop for a minute. His heart clenched in a mix of anger, helplessness and pity. Why was she doing this? She knew that he didn't want anything to do with him. He had told her and as long as he recalled his words correctly he had been more than clear. Leave me alone. Sharply turning around, an expression of coldness and lack of emotion on his face, he regarded her with a look that made her shy away from him a bit. "What?" His tone was harsh, ice-cold and indicated that he was going to blow up any moment now. But Gabriella wasn't going to back down now. She hadn't wasted her time on nothing and Troy could read the determination in her eyes. He prepared himself for a very ugly scene. "I thought it was obvious that I don't talk to people like you?" Gabriella only rolled her eyes. "Drop the act, Troy, there's nobody around to buy it!" He looked around. Really, there was no one in sight. She was getting better at picking times they wouldn't be interrupted.

Unwillingly he snarled: "Then what do you want? I already told you that it's over." Gabriella snorted. "Like there was even something to be over to begin with." Troy cocked his head to the side. That was something new. Had she finally understood what was going on? She had, but she had drawn conclusions that he didn't like. Maybe because there was way too much truth in it? Gabriella obviously felt the need to explain herself, as she was fidgeting. With a nod he indicated for her to go on. "I know that you never were interested in anything else than using me. But that doesn't mean that it was the same for me. I don't know if you ever thought about it, but I've fallen for you." Troy smirked nastily. "I know that part already. What's the news?" A flicker of uncertainty crossed Gabriella's face. Then she composed herself. "I love you." Troy froze on the spot. This wasn't happening. She hadn't said… She couldn't have… She had. Emptiness overcame him and he did the only thing that came to his mind. He denied it. "That's a lie." She didn't love it. It was some sort of trick, to get him to disconfirm what he had told her when he had broken things off with her. But he wasn't going to fall for this. "You're only lying. Please. As if I would buy it." He looked her square in the eye and saw them glistening. Were that tears threatening to fall?

Gabriella shook her head. "No, it's not. And you know it." Troy had already turned to walk in the other direction, but her statement hold him back. Why would he know it? He could hear Gabriella breath heavily from behind him. "I would have never done what we did two months ago if it weren't that way. You know me, Troy. I was a virgin." His breath caught in his throat and his blood froze in his veins. What the hell? "That's… not… true!" He denied it, denied her. It couldn't be true. That would mean she had given herself to him. That would mean that she really had hoped for him to change. Foolish girl. She should have known that it was different. He heard her taking two steps towards him, then hesitating. "It's true. I wouldn't lie. Not to you." Troy's heart was agreeing, but his mind was screaming at him that she was only telling that because she wanted him. And his mind won. Whirling around, he put up a smirk on his face and told her: "Oh yes, you would. Girls do everything to climb up the social ladder, don't they? You'd even stoop that low as to claiming you loved me. That's rubbish. And even if you did: It wouldn't matter. What were you hoping? That your claim would make me realize that you are the one for me and that I've done the biggest mistake of my life dumping you? Well, it's not working. I only used you. Get that in your head!" With that he turned around and walked out on her, missing the soft whisper: "I wasn't expecting anything. I just wanted you to know."

Anymore, so get on out the door
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for
If you can't handle what we've got, I'll have to cut it off
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for

He had done it. He had managed to get his life back on track. The last two weeks had proven it all too well. He was back in control and he was damn glad about it. It felt good. It felt amazing to be the one deciding over what he did and what he didn't do. He had never noticed while being together with Gabriella, but he had subconsciously changed his ways of life to fit better in hers. He had tried to not hurt her, had beat about the bush on some subjects, had never told her off on some things he would have never allowed to other girls. Looking back, he couldn't believe that he had ever had a girl for longer than a week. But now Troy Bolton, the playboy, was back and everyone noticed. It was apparent that he went to every party that was out there, came with a different girl every time and had a fantastic time in general. Nothing that would have been uncommon three months ago, but even the dullest pupil of East High had noticed that Troy had been absent a lot until now. But nobody dared to question him about it and he wouldn't have answered anyways. Couldn't have, as he was trying to forget Gabriella. And slowly he could feel that his efforts were being taken into account. Gabriella mostly was no more than a shadow on his mind. And at the times he was forced to remember her – such as when he was seeing her in the hallways, looking quite drained and lifeless -, he had his methods to supersede the guilt that threatened to resurface.

Troy Bolton's cold gaze was directed to a weeping girl that had slid down the wall of one of East High's corridors not too long ago, not longer being able to stand on her feet any longer, since her body was shaking terribly with every sob she let loose. Her long ebony curls cascading down her back and spilling over her shoulders, she hid her face from the attentive student body of the school, protected from all to nosy fellow students by her two best friends. Troy didn't need to see her face and he didn't need to be told the reason she was crying. There had hardly been any day that had gone by without her breaking down in tears. And he knew that he was to be hold responsible for that. Gabriella was strong, yes, but there was only so much that a single person could take and it seemed that her limit was being reached over and over again these particular days. What was no wonder, with him being back to his old self. Troy knew that he was treating her terribly. Ignoring her should have been what he had done after breaking things off. What had he done instead? Tried to hit her where it hurt the most. And all of that only to convince himself that she really wasn't the right girl for him, that it was best how things were now. And it seemed as if he had reached his goal. He was unfeeling once again. He couldn't care less what he had done this time to bring her to tears. She wasn't worth the concern. Troy Bolton turned around and left the school, without so much as a second glance backwards. This episode of his life was forever closed.

You used to know this day would come
The only one to blame is you
Thinking I would never leave
Can't see you no more

At least that was what he had hoped it to be like. In the loneliness of his room, Troy Bolton was starring out at the rain. The little drops falling onto his window reminded him of the tears that Gabriella had cried after realizing that he was, indeed, breaking things off with her. He snorted haughtily, not believing that she had actually thought she would be able to hold him. He had always known that there would come the day he would do this – but, to be honest, he had actually counted on her breaking things off way earlier. He still couldn't think of all the parts of her life he had changed by simply being in her vicinity. And she had let him. That was the most ridiculous thing ever. If it had been him he would have never let that happen to his life. Yes, he convinced himself, it was her own fault she had come out of this heart-broken. She had known he would leave her for good sooner or later. If she hadn't, then she really was the foolish girl he had first thought her to be. He had seen her change, yes, but still… to think that anyone would ever be able to hold him, Troy Bolton, down, it was ludicrous. He would never change, he was convinced of that. So it really was for the better that things between him and Gabriella were over. Better for her, far better for him. But deep down, in his very soul, Troy Bolton realized that she had left her traces on his life as well. He had changed; she had changed him.

Hey! Sooo, anyone wanting to kill me right now? I'm very sorry, but I did warn you: It's gotta get worse, before it can get any better.

And I just wanted to say sorry to the ones I'm writing to on a constant basis. It's just the fact our whole computer system was being reworked (yeah, I got my very own laptop to Christmas!! and my entire family got new computers, too, and let me tell you: it was necessary) and I couldn't do anything like writing e-mails and such. So, not hard feelings, yes please?

I don't really know when I'll be updating again, but please take notice that it won't be as long as I kept you waiting this time, 'kay? I really hope that this chapter met everyone's wishes and if it didn't, please tell me what you would have written differently. And if you liked this one, please tell me also. You just need to click that little pretty button right down there and your computer will do nearly all the rest for you :) You just need to write down your opinion. Thanks!!!

xoxoxo oxlovelyxo

Lena