S O M E D A Y
PART ONE: Once Upon A Time
SUMMARY: Relationships and friendships both flourish and falter amidst the pressures of senior year and life in general. A hopefully original take of senior year at East High. All characters; TxG CxT. M for coarse language, sexual references/depictions
DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to be responsible for the creation of this brilliant set of characters. I just play with them. And make them act out my kinky fantasies.
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Chapter 2
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The Evans' family lounge room was an interesting sight the next morning. There were some empty premixed alcohol bottles scattered throughout the room; a collection of glasses and dirty plates; the PlayStation 3; microphones lying by the entertainment unit – and 9 teenagers zonked out on the floor, fast asleep.
They could have gone upstairs into the bedrooms; there was enough sleeping space for them all. But instead they'd chosen to stay up late together downstairs chatting until the wee hours of the morning. Ryan had supplied fold out and blow up mattresses, as well as blankets, comforters and pillows galore.
Gabriella was the first to begin to stir. The morning sun had filtered through the blinds and was shining right over her, warming her skin and making remaining asleep difficult. She took a moment to adjust to where she was – it was that moment when you wake up in a foreign bed and think 'now where am I?' It also took a moment to adjust to the warm body which cocooned her; and the muscular arm that was encircled around her tummy, holding her close. She smiled, enjoying the serenity of closeness. It was a different feeling, sleeping with someone so close to you. At first Gabriella had been afraid to move, concerned that her wriggling about would affect Troy's sleep. However she soon succumbed to the comfort, serenity and warmth that she felt, having him so close to her.
She was in the barely awake, still adjusting to the notion of no longer being asleep stage. She was rather enjoying lying so close next to Troy, and was perfectly content to continue lying beside him, listening to the comforting sound of his shallow breaths. Troy shifted a little in his sleep, not waking. He had shifted forward a little, nestling closer into Gabriella. Her bottom was nestled against his… hang on… what was that…
Suddenly, Gabriella was pulled right out of the 'barely awake' stage and right into the land of the very awake and very freaked out. Her eyes widened, cheeks literally blushing pink.
Gabriella Montez was a practical girl, a girl of logical thought processes, a girl who made each decision in her life on the basis of carefully weighed up positives and negatives, considerations of alternatives and ideal outcomes. In that moment however, she only had the capacity to maintain two strands of thought.
One. Fear/embarrassment.
Gabriella was frozen still, absolutely petrified of moving. Her eyes wide, impersonating a deer in headlights; cheeks blushing pink. She didn't want him to wake because then he would know that she was there and that he had that and… it was a conversation that Gabriella was damn right petrified about. In their entire time dating, only once had the three letter act been discussed in any way, shape or form. So yes, definitely a conversation she was petrified of. However she didn't want to stay WITH him because then she had to continue to feel IT and contemplate IT and again, it was a series of contemplations that she wasn't prepared for.
Two. Intrigue.
As she lay frozen, she was so busy contemplating her options and trying to work out how to entangle herself from his tight embrace without causing him to stir – that she almost forgot about what had her worked into a frenzy in a first place. Troy's sudden movement an inch further in HER direction served as a solid reminder. There was no doubt about it. She didn't need direct experience to know what it was that was poking her in the lower back. Certainly, it was through the soft material of his cotton pyjama bottoms and therefore providing SOME discretion – but nevertheless it was unmistakable.
She gave up trying to make logic out of the situation, and the most comprehensible thought running through the highly advanced brain of Gabriella Montez became something along the line of –
'Shit shit fuck damn shit shit fuck shit damn shit!'
She took a couple of deep breaths before making a decision. She carefully brought her hand to his which was resting on her tummy just underneath her singlet. Gently, she picked it up and rolled away, setting down his arm. Troy stirred slightly, and Gabriella froze.
"Triangle defence," he murmured sleepily, before rolling over and snuggling down in the comforter, clutching onto the bunches that were around his chest.
Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief, and eased herself off the fold out mattress and padded in the direction of the bathroom.
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Troy first started to stir when the sound of bickering interrupted his sleep.
"Chad, you're such a pig! That is disgusting!" Taylor exclaimed.
"You love it," Chad responded teasingly, clearly unfazed.
Troy slowly opened his eyes. He spotted Jason still fast asleep on the couch, but other than that, the sleeping bags and mattresses had all been abandoned. The bickering was coming from the next room. Troy sat up, yawning and stretching.
And then he realised his predicament.
It was a regular occurrence for most teenage boys and especially for Troy. But normally he would be in the privacy of his own bedroom with the ability to alleviate the issue. If it was just the boys, it wouldn't be as big of a deal. But it was Mr and Mrs Evans, and Ryan, and Sharpay, and Kelsi, and Taylor…
And Gabriella.
Troy glanced in the direction of the nearest downstairs bathroom. It was just off the lounge area, he could see it from his position. The door was open, it was unoccupied. He reached over to where his overnight bag was sitting and pulled a change of clothes out, bundling them into a ball. He then eased himself off the mattress and stood up, casually carrying the clothes in front of him. He poked his head into the next room – literally, keeping his body out of sight around the corner.
"Morning all. Ryan, is it cool if I grab a shower?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Sure, go ahead. There's towels and stuff in the cupboard."
"Cheers."
Chad snickered as Troy walked past, seeing the bundle of clothing Troy was using as a nice little screen.
Troy heard the snickers and was mortified. Here he was trying to be suave, but unfortunately he and Chad had slept over at one another's houses often, and also talked about their bodily functions enough to know very well what was going on.
"Shut up Chad," Troy called back before disappearing into the bathroom.
"Didn't say a word," Chad replied.
Kelsi and Martha exchanged questioning looks.
"What was that about?" Kelsi asked.
"Private joke," Chad said simply, and continued to munch on his toast.
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They spent the rest of the day hanging out at the Evans house. Where else did they have a kitchen stocked to the brim with snacks and goodies of multiple varieties, as well as a pool to relax by? This was reason enough to keep Ryan Evans within their social circle.
The boys of course had to turn the relaxing afternoon into a competitive game, setting up a volleyball net in the pool to play water volleyball. They tried to coerce everyone to join in, however Gabriella wasn't particularly interested.
"I can't play, we'll have uneven teams," she protested.
"We could ask Sharpay to play," Zeke suggested.
"She's not here. She's at the club," Ryan said. "Javier is on today so she's probably strategically tanning by the pool."
Troy sighed. He had thought that maybe his conversation with Zeke the night before had done some good. Obviously not.
"So we're back at uneven teams," Gabriella said.
"So what, you girls are probably useless anyway so you'll need extra players," Chad teased.
"I'll have you know that I am VERY good at volleyball Danforth!" Taylor said haughtily.
"Oh really?"
"Yes really."
"Prove it!"
"I will!"
As Taylor and Chad squabbled, Gabriella quickly escaped, setting up her towel and a novel underneath a shady tree by the pool. She had found the perfect location where it wasn't too hot but she could still enjoy the warmth of the sun's rays.
Gabriella glanced up every so often, keeping track of the game. It appeared that Taylor was right and she was indeed very good at water volleyball. Chad, on the other hand, seemed to lack any sort of skill and finesse. Gabriella wasn't surprised to see that Troy was an excellent player – given his athletic midas touch. Kelsi and Martha quickly grew tired of the game, and Jason wasn't far behind them. The large assortment of pool noodles and banana lounges were a whole lot more appealing.
Troy hopped out of the pool to retrieve the ball which had been sent flying out of bounds, tossed it back to Chad and then ambled over to where Gabriella was lying on her back, sunglasses shielding her eyes from the sun's harsh rays. She glanced up briefly, noting that he was dripping wet.
"Don't you dare get any water on my book," Gabriella warned.
Troy rolled his eyes but obediently retrieved a towel, patting the water down and wrapping himself up.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"Lord of the Flies. It's on my reading list for Literature this year," she replied. "It's really good. I think you would like it. I've read it a bunch of times."
Troy proceeded to spread out his towel on the grass right next to her, lying on his side and propping himself up by his elbow.
"Maybe you can read it to me," he suggested.
"I don't know whether my voice would be the best to narrate the story of a group of young boys," Gabriella responded.
Her eyes had remained trained on the page, barely looking up at him as she spoke. He reached over, snaking his arm around her middle.
"I think maybe you should put the book down because I have a better idea about what you could be doing to pass the time," he said, a glint in his eyes, leaning towards her.
Gabriella didn't put her book down, but didn't protest as his lips softly met hers. As usual, his kisses performed their ability to sweep her off into their magical daydream world where only the two of them existed. She didn't even actively remember putting down the book. All she knew was Troy; and lips of Troy; and warm, muscular arms and abs of Troy...
The summer had brought the two of them much closer, and it had made them more comfortable with their attraction to one another. Without the confines of school and restrictions about public displays of affection, Troy and Gabriella were more and more frequently becoming immersed in one another.
At first it had been a little disconcerting for their group of friends. Sure, there were plenty of couples at school who they had seen getting it on; they'd been to parties littered with making out (and then some); many of them had participated in very public games of truth or dare or spin the bottle. However, there was something different about Troy and Gabriella. They had come a long way from the shy, demure kiss on the cheek on stage in the auditorium at the musical call back. They'd even come a long way from the kiss they'd all witnessed at the club after the couples reunion, as they were all out on the golf course watching the fireworks. Now, a person observing Troy and Gabriella might question whether they could actually feel the other ones tonsils.
The first time they'd had the opportunity to witness the sudden development in the relationship was when they were at Zeke's watching a movie. Troy and Gabriella were squished into an armchair to the side of the room. Gabriella remembered Cher dancing with Christian at the college party and then the next thing she knew, the lights were being flicked on and Chad was wolf whistling. Had she and Troy really been kissing that long?
At first, it was strangely uncomfortable being around the couple when they became immersed within their own world. It was like you were intruding. But gradually it became natural and even customary to be within eyeline of the land of 'Troyella' as Taylor had once dubbed it - to be met by leers and groans from the group. Just like most people found no need to question the need to breath or the importance of brushing one's teeth – those within eye line of Troy and Gabriella considered viewing the couple in a passionate embrace as a regular event that formed a part of the day.
And here it was again, the Troy and Gabriella bubble, now occurring in the Evans family backyard.
At some point Troy had removed her sunglasses and tossed them aside, which didn't really matter seeing as her eyes were closed throughout the session anyway. Gabriella was wearing a bikini top with a pair of short board shorts over the bottom half. As Troy's weight shifted from the towel to be slightly on top of her, their stomachs were skin to skin. A Troy in board shorts meant a chest of nicely developing abs for Gabriella's hands to roam over. However it was his upper arms which she loved the most, clutching onto them as she kissed him furiously.
There was a sudden pressure against her thigh… a pressure which she would barely have noticed if it weren't for the morning's incident. Except now, they were both wide awake. She froze for a second, and then made the very quick decision to pretend she hadn't noticed. She wasn't ready for a conversation about it, especially not by the pool with an audience of friends to witness.
Troy knew there and then that she knew just what affect she had on him. There was no way that she could not have noticed the pressure against her thigh, and if anything her momentary hesitation indicated that she had noticed. It wasn't the first time it had happened around her, and Troy was certain it wouldn't be the last. Of late, it seemed to happen all the time. He would normally be careful to ensure his weight was shifted away from her, that their torsos weren't mashed up together. He was glad that she hadn't made a big deal about it. Although a conversation about the matter was certainly impending, however Troy still wasn't sure how to approach the matter without being THAT guy. He contemplated just continuing to kiss her. If she was content to pretend everything was normal, he was more than willing to go along. However in his current state, a continuation of the present activities could very possibly lead to a messy situation.
Troy abruptly pulled away, shifting his weight away from her. "We have work soon."
Gabriella groaned. "Don't remind me."
"Come on… we should get our stuff and head home to get ready."
Gabriella nodded regretfully.
Troy quickly ran in the direction of the pool, bomb diving. Cold water. Always does the trick.
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While the majority of their friends were slaving away, hard at work on the night shift at Lava Springs Country Club; Chad and Taylor were sitting across from one another in a cosy, quiet restaurant. It was a very unChad like selection. Taylor had been expecting he would take her to Chuck E. Cheese, or maybe if he felt like splurging, the local pizzeria. However he had upped the ante and brought her to a restaurant, a real restaurant – one with menus and table service and waiters. From the conversation he'd had with the maitre de, she could deduce that he had requested this cosy little romantic corner on the balcony.
As a matter of fact, his behaviour in general was very unChad like. He was being polite, opening doors, pulling chairs out. Not once had he argued with a thing that Taylor had said. He was even dressed in an unChad like manner – wearing dress slacks and a navy blue button down shirt. The truth was that she found this Chad rather disconcerting.
"Chad?" Taylor asked tentatively.
"What?" he asked nervously.
"Did you ask Troy for advice about tonight?"
Chad looked at her sheepishly. "Is it that transparent?"
"Kinda, yeah."
"This restaurant is where Troy took Gab on their first date."
"I felt like I'd been here before!" she exclaimed. "Even though I knew I hadn't. I just had it described to me in such detail that it was familiar!"
"Don't you think it's nice though?" Chad said, a little anxiously.
"Yeah, it is," Taylor said. "It's one thing getting advice on where to take someone but seriously Chad – I feel like I'm living one of these dates which Gabriella spends way too much of her time telling me about," Taylor commented. "I don't wanna be here with some Troy gimmick. I wanna be here with Chad."
"I just… I guess I wanted to make a good impression. We've kinda… kinda been dancing around this whole, going on a date thing for a while now. If I fucked it up, that kinda would have blown."
"Well it's not too late. Stop acting like Troy and start acting like Chad. Argue with me, dammit!" Taylor exclaimed, a smile toying on her lips.
He grinned. "You did make a very inaccurate remark earlier about the Lakers that I let slide."
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Gabriella and Ryan were strolling around the Lava Springs grounds. Gabriella's shift had been short, the pool closed at 9 so once she had cleaned up the area she was free to leave. However her ride home was of course Troy, and he was on waitstaff duty until at least 10:30.
"Thanks for hanging with me," Gabriella said. "You didn't have to."
"It's cool, not like I have anything better to do. I could give you a ride home though, I drove my car here today so…"
"That's okay, I'll wait for Troy," Gabriella said with a smile.
"You get this silly little look on your face when you talk about him," Ryan teased.
Gabriella's mouth dropped open, and she slapped him gently on the arm. "Shut up!" she protested.
"I think it's cute."
She was blushing, but she didn't try to deny it.
"I can't believe there's only a few weeks left of summer," she said, trying to change the topic.
"Tell me about it. In a month we will officially be in our senior year. In less than a year, we will be high school graduates."
"Don't talk about it, it's scary. I am perfectly happily living in the land of denial where I believe that summer is going to just continue forever and ever."
"Yeah, but you like school, don't you?" Ryan queried.
"I don't hate it. But… I guess there are other things I would prefer to be doing."
"Making out with Troy?" Ryan supplied.
Gabriella glared at him, but a smile was toying on her lips. She couldn't help but novel at how quickly she and Ryan had become comfortable enough with their bond to so blatantly tease one another in such a way. It didn't feel forced though, it felt right. She'd learned over the years that there are some people who you are able to forge a bond with very quickly. Like she had with Ryan. So she had no qualms about admitting to him that he was right on the mark.
"Well, yes. That is rather enjoyable. But not just making out with Troy. Also... just hanging out with my friends. And reading the books that I want to read."
An exasperated groan sounded, and Gabriella and Ryan looked up to see Kelsi coming out of the back door.
"What's wrong Kels?" Gabriella asked.
"I never thought I'd say this but I am so, so, so, sick of the piano. If I have to play another piece of 'mood music' again in my life, I think I might officially shoot myself in the head."
"You're getting paid to play the piano. Just look at it that way," Ryan said optimistically.
"Believe me, the dollar signs are the only reason I manage to get through a shift."
"Was it busy in there?" Gabriella asked Kelsi.
"Quietening down."
"I might go in and see how long Troy is going to be."
"Are you waiting for your mom to come pick you up?" Ryan asked Kelsi.
"Yeah, I was about to call her."
"Do you want a lift?"
"That would be awesome," Kelsi said gratefully.
"Are you sure you don't want a lift Gabriella?" Ryan persisted.
"I'm fine. You guys go. If it's quiet, I'm sure Troy won't be long."
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The ride across town from the restaurant to the cinema was relatively quiet. Chad had borrowed his mother's car, and spent the first ten minutes of the drive trying to change the radio station.
"Chad, watch the road!" Taylor had snapped.
"Backseat driver," Chad grumbled.
"I'm not sitting in the back."
They were now seated in the back row of the theatre, watching the previews intently. Taylor was sitting to Chad's right; her left hand was resting beside her thigh. She glanced down and saw that Chad had moved his hand just short of hers, and was inching in her direction. Taylor boldly closed the gap, taking his hand in hers, fingers entwining. She glanced up at Chad, smiling shyly. He grinned, and licked his bottom lip slightly.
"Hey Tay?" he said softly.
"Yeah?"
"You know how you told me that you didn't want me to act like Troy? And that you wanted me to act like Chad?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you find it inappropriate if, as Chad, I wanted to kiss you right now?"
"I can't believe you're even asking me that question."
Chad grinned and leaned over, capturing Taylor's lips in his own. She responded quickly, probing his tongue with her own. The joined hands parted, the armrest between them being pushed up. Taylor's hands were resting on the back of Chad's neck, under his mass of curls.
He abruptly pulled away. "Hang on…"
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and switched it off. "Last thing I want is one of those dickheads calling me to see 'how it's going' and interrupting. You and you alone have my undivided attention."
Taylor giggled. "Good."
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Gabriella wandered in through the back staff door, and poked her head into the kitchen area.
"Hey Gabriella, didn't know you were still around," Jason greeted her. He was by the industrial sized dishwasher, using the hose to spray the gunk off a tray of dishes.
"Yeah I'm waiting for Troy."
"He keeps coming into the kitchen to hide in the corner and send a text message, so I assumed you'd gone home and you were the one he was texting."
Gabriella shrugged. "Sorry, wasn't me."
Troy came into the kitchen, carrying a giant stack of dirty dishes and plonking them down on the dish rack.
Jason groaned. "Do you like BREED dirty dishes Bolton? They just keep coming and coming."
"We had a busy night, I'm sorry that we provided the customers plates for their food," Troy said sarcastically. "Next time I'll serve them their steak on a napkin, shall I?"
He then realised that Gabriella was standing in the doorway between the staffroom and kitchen. "Hey! I thought you might have disappeared on me."
"I told you I was going to wait. I was just outside hanging with Ryan."
"Oh okay. Well I'm just about done, all my tables have left and I just have to help clean up for a bit."
Troy whipped out his phone, quickly typing away.
"Who have you been texting man?"
Troy cleared his throat. "Uh, Chad. He keeps asking my advice. Doesn't have a brain of his own, as we all know."
The phone sounded with a response nearly straight away. Troy glanced at it and then shoved the phone back in his pocket.
"Right… finish cleaning… then Gabriella time awaits," he said with a smile, kissing her gently.
"Go on then, the faster you clean the sooner we can get out of here."
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Author's note: I head to Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow (am currently back in London as I went to Wimbledon on Monday) and don't know what the computer access will be like at my hostel there; but I know that in Manchester (where I go AFTER Edinburgh) I won't have free internet. So I decided to treat you and already put up the next chapter just in case I find myself with a week without any regular computer access. Do you love me or what? I will NOT be updating this frequently all the time. So just appreciate it and review me for it. :-) I was so so excited about the response to the first chapter, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and put Someday on alert and what not. Despite my excitedness about this story there's always that part of you that questions whether people will respond well or not. I'd love to hear from everyone again and those of you who I hope just didn't have time to review and so just clicked story alert... ha. Sorry. Shameless review hint yet again. -Dani xo
