Chapter One

Troy rubbed his hand up and down Taylor's arm as they laid together on her bed with a thin white sheet barely covering their bodies. Taylor sighed and rested her head on his shoulder with her arm slung over his chest. She closed her eyes and listened to his steady heartbeat before trailing her finger along his abs. "We shouldn't have done this again." She murmured against his chest. Sighing he looked at her for a moment and shook his head.

"What do you mean?" he whispered "If we care about one another then it shouldn't matter, Taylor." He said slowly.

"We are both in a relationship."

"And they can end…I'm not going to stay with someone I don't love because I'm in a relationship with them." He said as he lifted his head to look at her. She slowly nodded her head and then sighed before pushing her body away from his.

"Well I never thought we would have a relationship I mean all we do is have sex." Troy eyes lit up at her words and he found himself sitting up as well. He shook his head and looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"You think that is all our relationship is about." He asked, Taylor simply shrugged but offered up no explained. Troy clenched his jaw and rubbed a tired hand over his face before looking at the girl he had grown to love over the summer. Taylor got up and grabbed her robe and quickly put it on over her body. Tying the belt around her waist she moved away from the bed and sat down on her chair by her desk.

"What is it then? We are hurting Chad and Gabrielle…they may not know it yet but eventually they will find out and then what, Troy." She asked as tears started to fall from her eyes. He shook his head and climbed out of the bed as well. Pulling on his boxers he walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her.

"This isn't about them."

"Troy it has everything to do with them." She snapped back immediately, he furiously shook his head.

"This is about me and you…no one else." He stated as he grasped her hands within his own. He looked at her for a moment before speaking again. "Just you and me, whatever happens after we tell them happens."

"So are you willing to lose Chad's friendship?"

"Are you willing to lose Gabrielle as a friend." He responded as he rubbed a hand up and down her arm before finally allowing it to go to her chin, and lifting her head so that she was looking him in the eyes. What he saw in her eyes reflected what he was feeling; she looked as if she was torn. Truth be told so was he. He didn't know what to tell his friend or for that matter his girlfriend. How do you tell your girlfriend that you had been cheating on her with her best friend, and then tell your best friend that you had been messing with his girlfriend behind his back for practically the first two months of summer. He tried to be without Taylor for a whole month he tried his best not to be around except when the entire gang met up for something. He had tried to get her out of his system, but some things you just couldn't get rid of.

"Troy I just don't know."

"What's there to know…do you love me?" He asked softly his blue eyes pleading with her brown ones. She slowly nodded her head, and he sighed in relief. "And I love you and we can get through this together." She nodded and allowed him to pull her into a kiss. Once they broke the kiss he stood and pulled her back to the bed. He laid down and motioned for her to do the same. She smiled and got into the bed with him and together they rested.

Taylor was in her room the next morning getting dressed for her the first day back to school. She had on one of Troy's favorite outfits, which was one of the ones he had brought her earlier that summer. When he had taken her on a shopping trip. It was a Los Angeles Lakers jersey dress, with matching jewelry and shoes. Bounding down the stairs two at a time she almost ran into her mother, Jackie McKessie. The older McKessie raised a questioning eyebrow at her daughter's appearance and smiled. "So all this for the first day of classes." She asked placing her hands on her hips.

"I just wanted to try something a little different…I wanted to see if this got Chad's attention." She said referring to her boyfriend but thinking about Troy the entire time. Her mother nodded and smiled.

"Well it is different." Her mother murmured before going up the stairs, Taylor shrugged and walked into the kitchen where her older brother was. Vince McKessie looked up from his plate and shook his head.

"You need to go upstairs and change right now young lady." He said in his best imitation of their father Roland McKessie. Rolling her eyes she fixed her plate and sat down across from him at the table. Vince watched her for a few minutes before speaking.

"You know you should never try to impress boys… just be yourself." He mumbled around a mouth full of pancakes. Taylor sighed and cut off a piece of her pancakes before looking at him and sighing.

"Don't worry big bro I'm not trying to impress anyone just trying out a new look." She said before returning her attention to her food. He nodded his head and looked at her for a brief moment before leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach.

"You need a ride to school?" she thought about for a moment and remembered that Chad's car wasn't working, and probably wouldn't be till he took it to the shop this weekend. Nodding her head, she swallowed the food in her mouth before answering.

"Yeah, thanks Vince."

"No problem." He said as he stood and walked over to sink and began to wash it, she sat silently for a moment before Vince's voice came crashing through her peaceful thoughts. Jerking around she turned and looked at Vince. Leaning against the sink he looked at her for a moment before repeating what he had said moments earlier.

"Why was Troy Bolton here till nine o'clock last night…you're lucky Dad and Mom weren't here." He said calmly as if he was discussing the weather. Dropping her fork on her plate she looked at him and shook her head.

"What how do you…"

"I saw you two when I was driving up to the house I came back because I thought I forget something…and there you were kissing someone who doesn't look anything like your boyfriend." He whispered.

"It was a kiss on the cheek."

"Oh come on don't lie to me…Taylor, I know what a kiss on the cheek looks like." He said crossing his arms over his chest. "You're lucky I was the only one who saw that." Taylor shaken now buried her head in hands and shook her head.

"So what are you going to do?" he pointed to himself and sighed.

"What you think I'm going to tell on you…this is your life and you do with it what you want." He said immediately. "Besides I'm not one for drama." Taylor got up out of her chair and went to the sink and washed her plate before grabbing her bag and going to find her brother, and as usual he was in the garage. She walked over to the car and got in and moments later they were pulling off headed towards East High.

"So Vince how's college?"

"It's not going that how it's going." He said as he pulled onto the main road.

"I guess this is the morning of secrets." She said leaning her head back on the seat and closing her eyes. Vince looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"Look Taylor I dropped out and I am currently working on opening my own garage."

"Dad is going to kill you."

"I'm Twenty-two years old…he won't do anything to me…he might be disappointed but at least I am doing something with my life. I mean I'm just not a genius like you and pop." He grumbled as he sped down the road. "Besides cars are what I am good at." He said calmly before stopping in front of her school. "Have a good day at school." He said "Will I pick you up this afternoon." He asked.

"No I'll just walk home with my friends." She said as he nodded and pulled away. As she turned around she suddenly felt self-conscious about the dress she had decided to wear to school. Everyone was staring at her and whispering among themselves. She smiled when she saw Chad approaching her; he looked her over with a smile on his face.

"Wow, baby you look great." He said as he grasped her hand within his and they walked over to her locker, he leaned against it and smiled at her. "I called you last night." He said "But you didn't pick up." Her mind immediately flashed back to the night before.

Troy grabbed her around the waist as soon as her phone went off pulling back onto the bed. Kissing her neck he held her to him and didn't let her go. "Baby let it ring." He breathed in her ear sending a shudder down her back.

"But it could be important." She whispered back as he kissed her neck and then turned her around so that she was straddling his waist. He captured her mouth and kissed her until they both ran out of breath. Once they were finished he glanced over at the phone and smiled.

"If it is important they'll call back." He said before capturing her mouth again and laying her back on the bed covering her body with his.

Snapping out of her memory she smiled weakly at Chad and rubbed a hand through her hair."I was busy."

"Studying already." He said with a shake of his head. "But that's my baby." He said more to himself then to her. "You got your schedule."

"Do you?" she playfully asked back just as Troy and Gabrielle walked over to them. She immediately placed herself at Chad's side and looked at Troy for a moment before allowing herself to be pulled into a hug by Gabrielle.

"Tay, I missed you so much." She exclaimed hugging her friend and smiling. "Like the dress." She said with a wink "Did Chad get it for you."

"No I didn't this is the first time I saw it." Looking at everyone and ignoring the smile that was on had become plastered on Troy's face she thought quickly and replied."Well I was out with my mother and I saw this dress and I decided to spend my money and get myself something nice." She said completely unaware of how Troy's eyes were devouring her form. He cleared his throat as he felt a familiar tugging, and smiled.

"Well you look lovely Taylor," glancing at his watch he sighed. "Well we better get to homeroom before Mrs. Darbus catches an attention."

"Can you believe we're seniors?" Chad said with a smile on his face, as they walked down the hallway. "We are the kings…"

"Queens." Taylor chimed in by his side; he looked down at her and winked.

"Right we are the Kings and Queens of East High." He said pumping his fist; Troy laughed at his friend and nodded.

"Yeah man this year is going be different."

Troy finally caught up with Taylor right before lunch moving quickly he pulled her into an empty classroom and crossed his arms over his chest blocking the doorway. "Troy what is it?" she asked

"Can't believe you got that on." He said as he hungrily looked her over before shaking his head and smiling. "Told you I had taste."

"And you must have lost your mind, what if Chad or Gabrielle sees us in here." She whispered at him, he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You worry too much." He said waving her off and turning around and opening the door so he could go to lunch but her next words stopped him cold.

"Well I have too…we obviously aren't good at keeping things a secret." She said back as paused and closed the door turning around he looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"Wait who knows."

"My brother." She said with a shake of her head. "He saw us kissing right before you went home yesterday. He confronted me in the kitchen this morning during breakfast."

"Is he going to-?"

"No he says it's our business but I get the impression that he doesn't approve of it at all." She said with a sad smile. "I mean we are cheating."

"We are about to get out of the relationships anyway." He said calmly as he looked at her for a moment trying to make her understand. "We got together because we love one another not because we were in lust with one another." Walking towards her he smiled as she nodded her head. "I'm glad you understand that now how about we go have some lunch." He said as he led her out of the classroom. Pausing at the door he looked at her and kissed her on the lips, and then kissed her cheek. "Can I come by your house tonight?"

"Troy."

"Come on I promise I'll behave." He said wiggling his eyebrows, she slowly smiled and nodded her head before going ahead of him into the lunch room; he smiled and leaned his head to the side watching her butt as she walked away. Feeling eyes on her Taylor turned around and shook her head at him.

"Stop staring at my butt." She whispered shouted across the hallway, he smiled and began walking after her into the lunchroom.