Chapter 3
During the next couple of months, nothing had really changed. Taylor still showed resentment toward Troy and Gabriella's friendship, but they still leant on each other for support. Coach Bolton continued to abuse Troy in subtle way, although Gabriella was sensitive enough to know when something bad had happened. Gabriella and Troy had completed their music assignment, which ended up scoring very highly because of Gabriella's ability to persuade Troy to sing and play guitar.
As Gabriella had predicted, Troy turned out to be an amazing singer. She normally didn't judge people like that, but since Troy kept arguing about his lack of singing talent, she wanted to test how strict he was with himself. On top of that, Mr. Harnonie kept hounding Troy and Gabriella to join the school musical. Troy was stuck on declining, but Gabriella was unable to attend rehearsals anyway, because of her schedule.
Throughout these months, Gabriella had begun to see how funny Troy could actually be when he was enjoying himself. He constantly cracked jokes, making her laugh her head off, but sometimes she just laughed at his sarcastic comments. Troy, himself, was very prone to calling Gabriella names, including 'Kitten', but he had extended that vocabulary to some… ruder terms.
On the other hand, Troy was finally finding peace in life when he was with Gabriella. She was funny, cute, sweet, smart and everything else that made her… her. To him, she was perfect and that would never change. Troy began to study more and actually do his homework. He began to attend trainings more regularly when Gabriella threatened him.
In conclusion, life was good.
It was the month of May, which meant that prom was coming up. Normally, Troy wouldn't be bothered to go to prom, but he figured Gabriella would beg him to go with her. Guess what. He was right.
Ms. Darbus floated into the classroom, spinning in circles with her arms stretched out. The silk cape that she was wearing fluttered behind her, just like the butterflies patterned on it should've. The class' 20 pairs of eyes followed her figure in wonder, as she gracefully sat down on her 'throne' at the front of classroom. She elegantly picked up her folder and took out a small sheet of paper.
"Good morning, class," she greeted in her very theatrical voice.
A few members of the class murmured their 'good mornings', but no one was really bothered to address their old-fashioned teacher.
"The middle of Spring is here and I am delighted to announce our theme and date from our Senior prom," she announced.
Some people cheered, some people groaned, some people stayed silent.
"Our prom will fall on Friday, the 1st of June, which is in exactly 2 weeks. You have these upcoming 2 weeks to find your dates, buy your outfits and get excited. The theme is… Romantic Fairy Tale!" Ms. Darbus declared. "Because this is a romantic themes, you are not permitted to wear casual clothes. Full formal dress is insisted on."
The boys muttered among themselves about plans for dates and the girls discussed the types of dresses they were going to wear. The only 2 people who weren't having a conversation were Troy and Gabriella. What did they have to say anyway? Over the time in homeroom, Gabriella decided to eavesdrop on the conversation that was taking place next to her.
"I really want a purple dress. I think it compliments my skin tone," a girlish voice said excitedly. "Do you think purple would impress my date?"
"Obviously!" a squeaky voice squealed. "Speaking of dates, who do you want to take with you?"
"Maybe Jason Cross. He's cute," said a third, lower voice.
"Zeke's cute too, although I would want Troy because he's hot, but he's a murderer so I'll pass," said the squeaky voice.
"Troy… hmm…" said the first voice. "Have you noticed that the new girl has been hanging out with Troy lately?"
That caught Gabriella's attention. She was all ears.
"Does she even know about what he did to his parents?" the lower voice said in a hushed whisper.
"Troy's probably lying to her."
"Yeah, that's probably it. How could she stay with him that long anyway?"
"Do you think they're dating?"
"Maybe. If they were, they would be the perfect couple. Loner and loner – soulmates."
"They're both loners, but he's a jock and she's a nerd. That doesn't fit."
"Can you even imagine Troy dating? He's better with flings. I reckon he's banged at least 20 girls and he dumped all of them that same night."
"I swear it was 30."
"No, it was 45."
"Do you think he's done it with the new girl?"
"Well, if he did, he would've dumped her by now, so no."
"Maybe he's just waiting for the right time. You know, draw the girl in and make them feel special, use them for personal pleasure and them leave them heartbroken. That's how Troy works."
RING
Gabriella laughed to herself as she picked up her books and got ready for the next class. It was weird how people believed such rumors. As she walked out of the room, she caught up to Troy and they fell into step with each other.
"Hi!" she greeted, feeling awkward under Troy's height. "I feel really short."
"That's because you are," Troy replied bluntly.
"Rude," Gabriella said.
"Maybe you should play basketball more. It'll help you grow a little bit," Troy suggested.
"I'd probably lose if I played against you," Gabriella stated.
"You would," Troy agreed.
"Rude," Gabriella repeated. "Okay, my class if here. Have fun in yours!"
"Sure will," Troy said sarcastically, walking off to his next class.
Gabriella sat down in her chair at the back of the classroom and waited for the teacher to begin her long lecture about philosophy.
Oh, how interesting… not.
HSM
"Where do you even go at lunchtimes?" Gabriella asked Troy, as she frolicked around the rooftop at free period.
"Somewhere," Troy replied, unsatisfyingly.
"Really? I thought you stayed in the same spot for the whole hour," Gabriella said sarcastically.
"No, I am definitely a mobile person… who can move."
"Speaking about mobility, do you know what involves mobility?" Gabriella asked. "Dancing," she answered her own question. "And do you know what involves dancing?"
"Prom. Yay. How exciting," Troy answered with the most bored tone ever.
"Oh, come on," Gabriella said enthusiastically. "It is exciting!"
Yep, just as Troy had predicted – Gabriella's excitement about prom.
"Kitten, I'm not social, I don't dance and I definitely don't do prom," Troy said.
"You don't have to talk to people there, but I'll definitely force you to go. It's a good opportunity," Gabriella explained.
"A good opportunity?" Troy scoffed. "As if!"
"Experience, then," Gabriella corrected herself.
"I don't know how to dance," Troy said.
"I'll teach you then," Gabriella offered.
"No thanks," Troy declined.
"Come on! You'll love it!" Gabriella assured him excitedly, grabbing his hand.
'Sure I will," Troy said sarcastically.
Gabriella placed her hand on Troy's shoulder and he put his on her upper back. Gabriella began to lead by swaying a little. Then, she started to move her feet backward as forward and left and right. Troy did his best to follow what she was doing. Soon, both of them were completely in sync and they didn't step on each others' feet.
"See? You're a natural!" Gabriella praised. "It's not that hard, is it?"
"The hardest thing I've done in my life," Troy replied.
"Let's try and kind of turn while we step," Gabriella instructed. "Yes... that's it. Now spin me."
Troy lifted his arm up and let Gabriella spin under it.
"Admit it," Gabriella said. "You like it."
"Only with you," Troy smiled.
"You're so corny," Gabriella teased playfully.
"You just ruined the whole vibe of the dance," Troy said.
"Did you like how romantic it was getting?" Gabriella asked.
"I'm not an intimate person, Kitten," Troy said. "You should know that by now."
"It's hard to notice. Strangers would think you would make a great boyfriend," Gabriella commented.
"And you?"
"Oh, I don't know. It's hard to judge what you would be like as a boyfriend. All I can say is that you're already an amazing friend," she complimented.
Troy smiled at what she said about him. It was definitely a confidence and self esteem booster to be thought of as an 'amazing friend'. He had never been called that since he had never had friends before. He hoped and prayed that their friendship would last forever.
Suddenly, Gabriella felt a drop of water on her hair and she looked up. Another drop landed on her face and she shivered at the coldness of it. Soon, it began to rain on the two of them as they continued to dance on the rooftop.
"Do you think people will notice that we're gone?" Gabriella asked.
"Maybe," Troy replied.
"I wanna stay here," Gabriella said, laying her head down on Troy's shoulder as the dance slowed down.
"In the rain?" Troy asked.
"In the rain," Gabriella said. "It's like a dream," she started thoughtfully. "I've always dreamt of dancing in the rain. It's romantic."
"I hope your dream came true," Troy said.
"It did," Gabriella whispered softly, closing her eyes.
They stayed like that for a while, even after the rain stopped. Their clothes were soaked, but they didn't mind because they had almost take their relationship to the next level. If this wasn't relationship material, then what was?
"Are you cold?" Troy asked caringly.
"A little," Gabriella said honestly.
"I have a hoodie in my locker," Troy said, starting to walk down the stairs, back into the school building.
When they arrived at his locker, Troy gave his hoodie to Gabriella and she happily accepted it and put it on. It was way to big for her, but it was extremely warm.
"Thanks," she thanked him. "It's comfy."
"Good," Troy said. "Don't want you catching hypothermia."
"I won't be anymore since I have this," Gabriella said, lifting her arms up and spinning around, showing Troy how warm his hoodie looked on her.
"Okay, now you're making me feel cold," Troy said.
"Bad luck," Gabriella said. "I'm afraid you'll just have to live with it."
"Bitch," Troy muttered under his breath.
Gabriella smiled triumphantly.
HSM
After 3 hours of serving customers at the cafe, it was finally time for Gabriella to walk home. Usually, Troy would give her a ride, but he had an extended basketball practice. Gabriella sighed as she hung up her apron and wondered whether she would ever get a break from work and be able to be a normal, free teenager.
Gabriella smiled as she wrapped her arms around her slim figure and savoured the warmth of Troy's hoodie. Hopefully Troy forgot about the hoodie so she could keep it. She started her journey home and plugged in her earphones, pressing play on one of the songs she and Troy made. This one was one of the romantic duets they did together and she smiled again, wondering if Troy and her could ever be like the song suggested. That would fulfil her whole life - just to fall in love and be loved in return.
'But I don't think Troy is into relationships much,' she thought as she listened to the song. 'He says he's not the intimate type of person,' she pondered. 'But not all relationships are intimate,' the other side of her argued.
Gabriella shook her head, hoping to get those thoughts out of her head. Why was she thinking about that anyway?
After listening to her playlist 7 times, Gabriella finally arrived at her small house and unlocked the door. She closed the door behind her softly, making sure that her mother wouldn't wake up if she was sleeping. But, Maria wasn't asleep. In fact, she was sitting at on one of the living room couches, staring at her daughter oddly.
"Gabriella?" she asked, drawing her daughter's attention.
"Yes, Mom," Gabriella said, placing her bag on the floor, next to her bedroom door.
"Where did you get that hoodie from?" Maria asked.
"Troy," Gabriella replied simply.
Maria's eyes narrowed as she sipped her cup of tea.
"Troy? Is that the boy with the motorcycle? The one I told you to be careful of?" she questioned.
"Yup, the same one," Gabriella said. "But please, Mom. Don't tell me to stay away from him again. You don't know who he is, but I do."
"What's he like?" Maria asked.
"Oh, I wouldn't know where to start," Gabriella said dreamily. "He's sarcastic, kind, smart and he makes me laugh until I cry, but he hides that under his icy and mysterious facade. Once you get to know him, you find out everything that's beneath it."
Maria analysed her daughter's dreamy face and her lips started twitching upwards at the thoughts she was having.
"Are you in love with him?"
Gabriella nearly choked, but regained her composure quickly.
"In love with him?" she asked, beginning to blush harder and harder. "I don't know. Maybe. How do you know when you're in love with someone? How did you know when you were in love with Dad, Mom?"
"That's a tough one," Maria said. "I guess it's when you would prefer them over anything else and when you enjoy spending time with them so much, that you want to stay like that forever. It's when they're on your mind every second of every day; that's when you know you're in love," she explained. "So tell me, Gabby. Are you in love with him?"
"I... I honestly don't know," Gabriella said.
"Invite him over for dinner tomorrow. I want to meet him," Maria said.
"Okay," Gabriella said, picking her bag up and going into her room.
She logged into her phone and messaged Troy.
Mom wants to meet u at dinner tmr xx
It seemed like Troy was online and he replied immediately.
K, see u there
Gabriella smiled and closed her eyes, imagining what a conversation between Troy and her mother would be like. Troy would probably say something sarcastic or inappropriate and that would annoy Maria, but Gabriella would find it amusing. Either that or Troy act way too polite for anyone's liking and scared the death out of Maria. Both of them were not the best first impressions.
Oh well, if Gabriella could learn to live with it, surely Maria could deal with it for a couple of hours.
HSM
Good first impressions were vital for any mother to be impressed by their daughter's choice of boy, not that they were dating or anything. If Troy wanted to be liked, he definitely had to put on the best manners he never learnt.
Since the only mode of transport he had was his motorbike, he was left no choice, but to use that. Usually, cars were better for a more formal entrance. Troy took off his helmet and shades and got off his bicycle. He pressed the doorbell and waited.
Relief swept over him when Gabriella opened the door and invited him in. She was probably the only person he was completely comfortable with. Troy went inside and glanced around the entrance, taking in the numerous amount of photographs that hung on the walls. Most of them were of Gabriella as a child, playing with her parents. Troy felt an itch of jealousy, but then remembered that Gabriella's present life was not much better than his.
"Gabby? Is Troy here?" Maria asked, loudly from the kitchen.
"Yes, Mom," Gabriella called back. "We're coming now."
Gabriella led Troy to the dining room and they sat down.
"Hi, Troy," Maria greeted friendlily, holding out her hand for him to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Same with you, Ms. Montez," Troy said politely.
"I hope you don't have any allergies because I forgot to ask you," Maria said.
"None, ma'am."
Gabriella stifled a laugh as she watched Troy grow tenser with every word he spoke. He obviously had no experience whatsoever with talking to adults.
"Okay, good. I made some pasta and please call me Maria."
Maria served the pasta for Gabriella, Troy and herself before sitting down for questioning time.
"So, Troy," Maria began. "Are you a safe driver? You drive Gabby around so I'd like to know if you value her safety."
"Uh... yes, I value her safety very much," Troy replied awkwardly.
"What type of car do you drive?" she asked, acting like she didn't know anything.
"I don't drive a car. I ride a motorbike."
"I see," Maria nodded. "How many helmets do you have?"
"One."
"So you don't value my daughter's safety."
"No, I do. She wears the helmet, not me," Troy explained.
"That's good. How are your grades in school?"
"They're alright, I guess. I don't have much time to study these days," Troy replied.
"Troy's really smart," Gabriella interrupted. "He's in all advanced placement classes."
"You are too," Troy said.
"I know I just complimented myself, but that's different," Gabriella said, speaking at a ridiculously fast pace. "He's way better than alright."
Maria turned back to Troy.
"And why don't you have time to study, Troy?"
"I have basketball training all day, every day. Sometimes even during classes."
"What are your plans for the future?"
"You mean like college. Well, I think I'm being signed up for basketball or something like that," Troy answered.
"What do you mean by that?" Maria asked. "You're making someone else choose your course for you?"
"No… well yes. My uncle, who is one of the coaches at East High, kind of dominates my life," Troy explained.
"And what do your parents think of this?" Maria asked unknowingly.
Gabriella looked at Troy, concerned, as he uncomfortably shifted in his seat. It was the good old 'family' topic again.
"They don't talk about it," he replied. Well, that wasn't a lie since his parents were unable to talk.
"What do your parents do for a living?" Maria asked.
"Uh... " think of something quickly, Troy! "They feed worms."
Maria's face turned slightly shocked as Troy regretted what he said.
"Feeding worms? I've never ears of a job like that before. Does it pay well?"
"My parents aren't really doing it for money. They're... old, and they don't have anything else to do," Troy half-lied, wishing that Gabriella would change the subject. Luckily she did.
"Hey, Mom? Did you know that not only is Troy on the basketball team, but he's the captain of it?" Gabriella asked.
"No, I did not know that. Does that mean you're a full on jock? You're popular?" Maria asked.
"No, I'm quite the opposite of popular, actually," Troy said.
"Do you have many girls worshiping the ground you walk on and making out with posters of you?" Maria asked strangely.
"I hope not."
"Have you been in a relationship before?"
"No."
"How many girls have you slept with?"
"Mom!"
Troy cleared his throat uncomfortably and shifted again.
"Uh... none."
"Okay, Mom. That's enough. Let Troy eat. He hasn't eaten anything yet," Gabriella said, cutting off the conversation.
For the first time since they sat down to eat, Maria smiled at Troy warmly.
"Congratulations, Troy. You've passed the awkwardness test."
HSM
After they finished eating, Maria invited Troy to stay a little longer, so Gabriella begged him to watch a movie with her. Of course, Troy reluctantly said yes and let her choose a movie.
"Let's watch... Frozen," Gabriella said. "It's one of my favourites."
"Really?" Troy said, scrunching up his nose. "Oh yeah, you're a Disney kinda girl."
"Is that bad?" Gabriella asked, pushing the DVD into the player.
"Not necessarily, unless it's you," Troy replied emotionlessly.
"Rude," Gabriella snorted, grabbing the remote and configuring the movie's settings.
"Don't tell me you're gonna scream along to the songs like a dying cat," Troy said, spreading himself out on the couch.
Gabriella scoffed. "I don't scream."
"You sure do."
Gabriella stuck her tongue out a Troy and grinned.
"Then, my style of singing would definitely suit you," she said.
"It sure would," Troy said. "But you're the Kitten, not me."
"Why'd you even start calling me Kitten anyway?" Gabriella questioned.
"Because..." Troy trailed off.
"Because what?" Gabriella led on, eager to know the reason.
"Because you're sweet, funny and cute," Troy admitted.
Gabriella could've melted right there, where she was sitting on the floor, just like a human version of Olaf.
"Aww," she cooed. "That's so sweet of you to say."
"You can thank me for melting your heart," Troy said.
"Thank you, Troy, for melting my heart," she said, actually meaning it. "So you thought I was sweet, funny an cute like a kitten when you first met me, huh?" she asked, smiling as she sat on the couch next to Troy.
"Yes," he replied shortly.
"That is so adorable," Gabriella said, leaning her head on Troy's shoulder.
"Are you happy now?" he asked, leaning his head on top of his.
"More than happy," Gabriella whispered, as the men in the movie began to break the ice.
Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Gabriella's eyes slowly drooped and she drifted off to sleep. Troy felt the weight on his shoulder get heavier as he realised she had fallen asleep. He sighed and continued to watch the movie. When it was over, Troy shook Gabriella awake. Her eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the light of the room.
"Kitten?" Troy asked. "You slept through the whole movie."
"What?" Gabriella asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"Maybe you should think about sleeping more," Troy suggested.
"Yeah, I should, but with school and work, it's almost impossible for me to get a decent sleep," Gabriella explained.
Gabriella stood up, stretched and walked into the kitchen to get a cup of water.
"Hey, Troy?" she called from the kitchen. "How did you get let off from basketball today?"
"I didn't," Troy replied simply.
"So you just skipped it… again?"
"Pretty much," Troy shrugged.
"How does Jack take that?" Gabriella asked, not caring about the formality of how she addressed people.
"Like the world is coming to an end," Troy replied. "He usually just catches me at home, gives me a long lecture and then tells me to go away."
"And what is involved in this lecture?" Gabriella questioned.
"It's always about keeping his reputation as a good coach who can make his students work hard. Sometimes he blames me for things that I never did and rants on about how he hated my parents," Troy answered.
Gabriella sat down next to Troy and cuddled up to him.
"That's horrible," she said softly.
"You learn to live with it," Troy said. "Happens every day, so now it's like a ritual."
"Do you ever wish that… that your life was the complete opposite of what it is now?" Gabriella asked slowly. "Loving parents who spoil you rotten, a bank account that's overflowing with money and all the fun and luck you could ever get?
Troy shook his head.
"No, not really," he said. "The abuse makes you stronger."
"But you've been alone for 16 years. I can't imagine how lonely and depressed you could get," Gabriella said.
"Well, the good thing is that I'm not too alone anymore," Troy said, looking down at Gabriella who closed her eyes and rested her head on Troy's chest.
"Will you ever tell me where you go at lunchtimes?" Gabriella asked.
"Maybe. Depends on when it's the right time," Troy replied thoughtfully.
"I hope it's soon."
"I hope so too."
HSM
On that same night, Chad was shooting some hoops in his backyard while waiting for Taylor to arrive at his house. Knowing that he would too lazy to go to her house, Taylor was able to drag her feet to her car and drive there. She rang the doorbell and was invited in by Mrs. Danforth to go to the backyard.
"Chad? Hey!" Taylor greeted, staring at his arm muscles which were exposed because of his jersey. Very untypical Taylor behaviour.
"Hi, Taylor. Why'd you want to come over again?" Chad asked.
Taylor could've face palmed right there, but she didn't.
"Our plan didn't work," she reminded him. "Gabriella's even more attached to Troy, now that she knows that Troy is alone.
Chad tucked the basketball under his arm.
"Taylor, are you sure this is the right thing to do? If Troy and Gabriella are happy together, let them be happy."
"Ew, they're not together. That's disgusting," Taylor said, wrinkling her nose. "Listen – when you become attached to someone, your whole focus is on them. You have no time for anything else because you want to be with them. I know that Troy is just sucking up to Gabriella to make her feel sorry for him and it's working, but I also know that Gabriella's going to end up heartbroken when he leaves her. If Gabriella is solely focusing on Troy, the scholastic decathlon team will never be able to make it to nationals. We're a person short and Gabriella's perfect for the role. Troy is stopping her from doing everything she could be doing."
Chad paused to think for a second.
"Have you thought about this – maybe Gabriella was not meant to be on the decathlon team. Maybe she was meant to be with Troy," he said wisely.
"Danforth! You don't get it, do you?" Taylor said.
"No, I don't!"
"Okay, look. Gabriella being with Troy is a risk to her safety and a risk to her self-esteem. Troy might be acting all nice and loving now, but sooner or later, he's going to dump her and break her heart in two. It is also stopping her from doing everything she wants to be doing," Taylor explained, more clearly.
"But what if the decathlon is not what Gabriella wants to be doing? What happens then?" Chad asked.
"It's still a risk to her safety and we need to help her," Taylor said.
"Taylor…" Chad began slowly. "I don't think Troy's like that. He's not the type of guy who sucks up to girls, in fact, he doesn't talk to any girls except Gabriella."
"Then Gabriella's his first victim," Taylor said. "I'm asking for one tiny thing – tell Coach Bolton that you think that Troy's basketball skills are deteriorating. That will make Coach focus on Troy more and keep him away from Gabriella. That's all I'm asking for."
Chad thought about it for a second.
"Okay, I'll do it."
HSM
"TROY!" Jack yelled when he spotted Troy coming into the house.
"What's up?" Troy asked casually.
"Danforth and a few of the other kids on the team called me and said that your skills are getting worse. Why is that?" Jack asked.
Troy shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Okay, then. Tomorrow you start at 4 am. 1 hour of gym and then 2 and a half hours on court. Understand?" Jack ordered.
"Yeah, sure," Troy replied lazily.
"I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" Jack bellowed.
"Yes, sir," Troy said mockingly.
"Good," Jack said, smiling.
Honestly, how hard could it be to get up at 4 am and train until school started? For some, it might be hard, but for others, like Troy, it was quite the opposite. The only problem was that Gabriella wasn't getting the attention she sought. It wasn't that Gabriella was and attention seeker, she just needed it. Ever since Carlos died, she was in need of a male being in her life. When Troy came along, her needs were satisfied, but his forced dedication to basketball changed that.
Over the course of the week, Gabriella had constantly been calling Troy to see if he was available to hang out. Each call, Jack was right by his side, telling him the words to say to her. Every time, Troy had to decline the offer, causing Gabriella to feel lonely and unwanted. Now that Taylor had stopped talking to her, she had no one to talk to or do anything with.
On the Monday of the week of prom, Gabriella confronted Troy.
"Troy?" she said, catching up to him in the hallway after home room. "Why have you been ignoring me?"
Troy looked at her strangely and confusedly.
"Ignoring you? When did I ignore you?" he asked.
"Don't play dumb, Troy," Gabriella said. "You've been ignoring me all week."
Troy bit his lip, wondering what to say. Maybe he would just tell her the truth.
"Apparently, my basketball skills are worsening, according to some of the guys on the team. They told Jack and now he's been bugging me to train all day and all night. I have to wake up at 4 am every morning and train until school starts and after school, I have to train until bedtime basically," Troy explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if I'm starting to fail school."
"I'm sure you're not," Gabriella assured him. "Anyway, I'm sorry for not knowing. I should've been more understanding," she apologised.
"No, don't apologise. I should be apologising," Troy said. "I should've told you. I promise I'll make it up to you... when Jack thinks I'm improving."
"That'll take forever. You're already the best of the best," Gabriella complimenting.
"You've never seen me play before," Troy said. "What did I say about assuming?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes but still smiled.
"That was ages ago."
"And it still applies today until forever," Troy said. "Oh, what fun. We have Math now. Speaking of Math, how are you and Taylor?"
"Not good," Gabriella said, shaking her head. "She acts like she hates me now."
"It's because of me, isn't it?" Troy asked.
"No, well yeah. Kind of," Gabriella admitted. "But don't blame yourself for our unfriendliness. It's her fault for being so small minded about you."
"You're complimenting yourself again, Kitten," Troy said. "You're the only person who's bothered to talk to me, therefore, you're the only person who's not small minded. You do that a lot."
"It's unintentional. I don't mean to do it," Gabriella defended.
"Well, you still do it," Troy said, allowing Gabriella to go into classroom first.
"Everyone has their habits. You wanna know one of yours?" Gabriella asked slyly, as she and Troy both sat down at the back of the classroom where they usually sat.
"Oh no, I'm scared," Troy said sarcastically.
"Sucking up to me," Gabriella said.
"I do not suck up to you," Troy argued.
"Oh yes, you do. You always, always over-compliment me," Gabriella said.
"Just saying what's true," Troy said.
"There you go again," Gabriella said, proving her point.
"What else do you want me to do?" Troy asked. "Insult you?"
"Well, no," Gabriella replied. "Compliments are nice but they make me blush too much."
"Even more reason to do it then," Troy said.
Their conversation was interrupted by Mr. Calk, who began to explain the concept of year 7 algebra. The cheerleaders probably learnt a lot during that lesson, but Troy and Gabriella certainly did not. After the class, they both sighed with relief because there was no more Math, which meant no more boring class. Now they had gym.
"Aren't you happy that our gym teacher isn't Jack?" Gabriella asked.
Over the months, Gabriella had learnt not to refer to Jack as 'Troy's uncle' because Troy was not proud of his blood relationship with him.
"Very," Troy replied.
The class was split in a very viable way on the bleachers. On the far left sat the nerds like Taylor and her decathlon team. They were the kids who didn't really enjoy sport and usually liked to sit out of it. Towards the centre were the theatre geeks. About half of them tried their best in the class, but trips over their shoelaces and embarrassed themselves. The other half only cared about theatre and making their injuries seem as dramatic as possible. In the centre sat the jocks and the cheerleaders who basically threw themselves all over the jocks. The cheerleaders flirted with them and tried to seduce them, but all the jocks wanted to do was to play their sport. On the right side of the bleachers, the liners were scattered around in a variety of rows, none of them speaking to each other. Then there was Troy and Gabriella. They sat together behind everyone else and tried their best to go unnoticed. Occasionally, the cheerleaders would flash dirty looks at Gabriella and Taylor would glance at her awkwardly, but they normally just kept to their own conversations.
"Class!" the gym teacher, Mr. Jim yelled, so everyone could hear him.
All the students put their conversations on hold and turned to listen to Mr. Jim.
"As you all know, prom is in 4 days. A number of you do not have a clue about how to dance, so this lesson will be dedicated to learning how to do so," Mr. Jim explained.
Much of the class groaned in resentment and disgust.
"Please choose your partners and come down to the floor," Mr. Jim instructed.
Every time an activity was done in partners, Gabriella and Troy always went together, since no one else wanted to go with them. So naturally, today they also went partnered up together.
"Today, we will be learning how to ballroom dance," Mr. Jim announced. "Boys, use your left and take the girls' right hand in yours. Hold it at shoulder level. Girls, place your left hand on your partner's shoulder and boys, on their upper back."
The class did so obediently, although there were a few obnoxious giggles here and there.
"Now, ballroom dancing is one of the most romantic dances created. Green and Tobey! Stand closer together! In ballroom dancing, you have to be passionate. You have to dance with your heart, not just your feet. This dance is lead by the guy, so I will tell the guys what to do and girls, do the opposite so your footing does not clash."
Some of the class nodded and some shifted uncomfortably.
"Forward step, backward step, left and right, now repeat that. Now girls, twirl under the arm of the boy. That's it... GREEN! STOP STEPPING ON TOBEY'S FEET! Now dip and up and forward and backward, left an right. As you get the hang of it, you can slowly start turning as you do the steps."
After Mr. Jim had finished instructing the class on how to dance, they continued to follow the steps and tips he gave them.
"So you didn't actually need to teach me dancing because they were going to teach us anyway," Troy said.
"It's always good to know beforehand, besides, it was just a bit of fun to waste our time at school," Gabriella replied.
"So you're telling me that you're not as nerdy as you look?" Troy teased.
Gabriella stuck out her tongue.
"Rude."
"I am honoured," Troy said sarcastically, making Gabriella laugh.
"You should be," Gabriella laughed. "Are you going to prom?"
"No."
"Is there any way I can convince you to go?" Gabriella asked.
"Probably not," Troy replied.
"Oh, that's too bad," Gabriella said sadly, looking down. "But do you really want me to feel so alone there?" she asked slyly, trying to make him feel sorry for her.
"No," Troy said.
"Then..." Gabriella said, leading him on.
Troy narrowed his eyes at her.
"I know what you're doing," he said. "But there's one solution I can think of to not make you feel lonely."
"And that is?" Gabriella asked hopefully.
"To not go," Troy answered flatly.
Gabriella sighed.
"What will you be doing instead?"
"Most likely basketball practice," he replied. "Last night, Jack said that my abs weren't hard enough," Troy said, rolling his eyes.
Gabriella's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Oh, how inappropriate!" she exclaimed. "That's disgusting. He touches you... on your stomach?"
Troy rolled his eyes again.
"No, Kitten, he does not touch me like that."
Gabriella scrunched up her nose.
"So he ogles at your body?" she asked.
"I hope not," Troy said. "But I'm sure that's your favourite past time."
"Of course," Gabriella said sarcastically. "My absolute favourite."
"I'm so happy. I must be dreaming," Troy said with no emotion. "A girl is finally appreciating my very shaped body."
"I'm sure it's shaped nicely," Gabriella said honestly. "Just don't get too obsessed with trying to please me. That would be weird."
"It would be," Troy agreed. "Oh my god. How long do we have to dance for?"
"Are you getting sick of me?" Gabriella asked, putting on the cutest face she could manage.
"Yes," Troy replied shortly.
"That's a very nice thing to say," Gabriella said mockingly.
"I'm glad you're happy," Troy said.
"You're totally not," Gabriella said. "I know that deep, deep down in your heart, you are so jealous of how happy I am. Look at me. I am smiling. You can see my teeth and my lips are stretched out too far. My cheekbones are more than visible and my eyes shine like the sun shines on water," she said, in the most inspirational-speech voice she could.
"Consider applying for a job as a motivational speaker," Troy said.
"I'll pass," Gabriella shrugged. "I'm not that inspirational anyway. I'll just stick with the jobs I have now."
HSM
"Guess what," Troy said to Gabriella the next day.
"You bought me a dog," Gabriella replied excitedly.
"No, I'm too poor for that," Troy said.
"Then what?"
"Jack is going to New York for a few days, which means he's not at home to boss me around and watch me play basketball and work out. Therefore, I can finally sleep more and you don't have to feel like loner anymore," Troy said.
"That's lovely," Gabriella said excitedly. "How long is he gone for?"
"Until Monday. That's 6 days of doing whatever we want," Troy replied.
"Wonderful!" Gabriella said. "I can't wait! We should totally go to a fair. That would be amazing!"
"Why, so you can get cavities from the fairy floss?" Troy asked.
"No," Gabriella said. "You know that game that if you knock down all the objects will a limited amount of balls, you can choose a prize."
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm gonna force you to do it so I can get something," Gabriella said, smiling triumphantly.
Troy narrowed his eyes playfully.
"So, you're just using me?" he asked.
"Basically."
"Nice to know," Troy said.
As discussed, Troy and Gabriella skipped school to go to the fair, which wasn't a very studious thing to do. At least Jack wasn't there to report them.
"That ride looks cool," Gabriella said, pointing to a ride here the passengers were screaming their heads off.
"Are you sure you can handle that?" Troy asked.
"You doubt me?" Gabriella asked.
"Maybe," Troy replied. "How much does it cost?"
Gabriella squinted her eyes to read the sign above the entrance to the ride.
"$5 each."
"Okay, let's go," Troy said.
Gabriella jumped up and down and ran ahead in excitement.
"2 please," Gabriella asked the man at the register.
"That will be $10," the man said.
Troy gave the man the money and joined Gabriella, who was already in carriage.
"So, what do they do on this. Do they like spin you?" Troy asked.
"Not just spin you, they fling you everywhere, in every direction," Gabriella explained.
"What fun," Troy said sarcastically. "Why do you like these types of rides?"
"I like to make the most of my opportunities," Gabriella said.
"You say that a lot," Troy said.
"I feel like it needs to be repeated," she replied.
"Okaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!" the ride began.
True to Gabriella's word, every carriage was flung in different directions by the mechanical arm. Troy noticed that Gabriella didn't even scream when they began swinging. When the ride was over, Troy looked over at Gabriella, whose hair was a complete mess. It was worse than bed hair.
"Don't laugh," Gabriella pouted. "It's not my fault if I have crazy hair."
"Sure it isn't," Troy said.
Next, Gabriella dragged Troy to the object-knocking game which he smashed. The lady who supervised it looked extremely surprised.
"Surprise me," Gabriella said, after Troy asked her which prize she wanted.
After about 2 minutes of searching for the perfect prize for Gabriella, Troy finally found one.
"Are you done yet?" Gabriella whined.
"Yes, but don't look," Troy said.
Gabriella closed her eyes and Troy took a deep breath. He unclipped the hook of the necklace and put the chain around Gabriella's neck. Gabriella opened her eyes and looked down at the necklace. It was the yin necklace from the yin and yang pair. She looked up and saw that Troy was wearing the other necklace.
"Aww, Troy," Gabriella cooed, stepping forward to hug him. "This is so sweet."
Troy wrapped his arms around her thin frame, but then she stepped out of the embrace.
"I'm gonna wear this all the time now," she announced.
"Well, at least I didn't use all that effort for nothing," Troy said.
"As I've said before, you have such a lazy ass," Gabriella said.
"That's better than fat," Troy replied teasingly.
"Hey!" Gabriella exclaimed. "I do not have a fat ass!"
"Sure you don't," Troy said.
Gabriella started running after Troy as he ran away to escape her wrath.
"I'll get you back for that one!"
HSM
"It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you," Gabriella sang to herself as she wrote down the lyrics.
"Gabriella?" Maria called from the kitchen.
"Coming, Mom!" Gabriella said, getting up from her desk and going into the kitchen. "This looks yummy."
"I hope it is," Maria said, sitting down opposite her daughter.
After they thanked the Lord for their food, they began to eat the delicious meal that Maria had cooked.
"Honey," Maria began. "Where did you get that from?" she asked.
"What?" Gabriella asked, with her mouth full.
"The necklace."
"Oh, Troy got it for me," Gabriella said. "Actually, he won it at the fair."
"Does her have the other one?" Maria asked.
"Who else would? He's my only friend."
"Friend?" Maria asked.
"What else is he supposed to be?" Gabriella questioned.
"Ahh, I don't know," Maria replied. "But you two seem so in love."
"We are not in love!" Gabriella contradicted.
"Well, let's see," Maria said. "If a stranger were to guess whether you were friends or lovers, they would choose lovers. It's so obvious!"
"Is it really?" Gabriella asked shyly.
"See? You admitted it!"
"No! That's not what I meant!" Gabriella complained, blushing madly.
"That was unintentional," Maria said. "Lovers do things unintentionally."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not in the mood to argue with you," Gabriella said, still smiling.
After they had finished eating, Gabriella went back up to her room to sleep.
HSM
"Troy!" Jack growled. "What the hell is that on your neck?"
"Oh, this?" Troy asked, looking as unknowing as possible. "It's a necklace."
"Is that the yang symbol?" Jack asked. "Who the hell has the other one?"
"Gabriella."
"TROY! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Jack bellowed. "HOW CAN YOU GO OFF WITH THAT… GIRL AND NEGLECT YOUR BASKETBALL PRACTICE? WHY IS YOU STUPID HEAD SO… IDIOTIC SOMETIMES?"
"Most of my genes probably came from you," Troy mumbled.
"SPEAK UP, BOY!"
"I said that most of my genes probably came from you," Troy repeated loudly.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Jack yelled in Troy's face, grabbing him by the hair and flinging him against the wall.
Troy's head hit the wall first and he could already feel the blood streaming through his hair. Another blow came to his jaw, and he cringed in pain when he felt it.
"YOU FILTHY IMBECILE! I AM ASHAMED TO CALL YOU MY NEPHEW!" Jack roared, slapping Troy on the cheek and kicking him in the gut.
After that, Jack left Troy on the ground to bleed and feel the pain in his whole body. Troy stayed there until the next morning.
HSM
As Gabriella was walking to school, her phone rang. Wondering who could be calling her at this time, she pulled out her phone from her pocket to see an unknown number. She hit the answer button.
"Hello?"
"Miss. Montez," the man greeted. "This is Coach Bolton."
Gabriella gulped in fear.
"So, Miss. Montez, how's life been treating you?" Jack asked randomly, with a hint of evil in his voice.
"It's very good, thank you," Gabriella said politely.
"How has Troy been treating you?" Jack asked, in the same tone.
"Very well," Gabriella replied awkwardly.
"Did you know that Troy is not allowed to be in a relationship with a girl?"
"Oh, we're not… we're not in a relationship," Gabriella clarified.
"Are you sure?" Jack questioned. "You know, there's no need to hide it from me."
"We're certainly not in a relationship," Gabriella said.
"Well, I advise you to stay away from Troy," Jack said.
Gabriella's face turned to one of shock, but she quickly changed back to her normal expression.
"What? Why?" she asked.
"You see, Troy is not mature enough to be socialising with girls, let alone boys. He hasn't learnt the basic skills to communicate," Jack explained illogically.
"But that's because you never taught him," Gabriella argued. "Besides, he's not even bad at talking to me. He's quite interesting actually."
"I still order you to stay away from him," Jack demanded.
"Why?" Gabriella asked. "Troy and I… we don't deserve this."
"Yes, you do," Jack said. He put his mouth closer to the speaker and whispered, "Or else… I'll kill your mother.
