"So onto our next topic, William shakespear.." Mr Boyer trailed off as he saw Gabriella asleep in her seat in the back. he walked towards the back, Troy watched from the front looking back and Mr Boyer slammed his ruler on Gabriella's desk.

Gabriella jumped up, "Miss Montez, Welcome back to my english class, enjoy you're nap?" Gabriella bit her lip she had bags under her eyes, her legs were shaky, and her body ached from all the bruises she had hidden under her clothing.

"I'm sorry Mr Boyer, I haven't had enough sleep in a few days-" "No exscuse, no more falling asleep, And I know something that will keep you up, why won't you give you're oral report first."

Gabriella gulped but nodded, she got up, her knees shaky cause of the lack of sleep and the lack of food she wasen't eating.

her mom was out of town, and Jason wouldn't feed her, she fed him. Troy looked at her, he hadn't talked to her for about a week, he missed her so much, but she seemed really sick, and that worried him the most.

Gabriella made it to the front, "My book report is on the hunger games...my favorite character is.." she trailed off, the room began to spin, her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the floor.

Troy jumped out of his seat, rushing over to her wrapping her up in his arms, "Brie!" The gang surrounded them, "Gabriella!" Sharpay shook her.

Gabriella opened her eyes slightly, it was all blurry, then everything went black. Chad looked at Troy, "Troy, I'll take her to the nurse-" "No. I'll take her." he carried her bridal style and out into the hallway down to the nurse's office.

Gabriella rubbed her head, and looked up to see Troy and a nurse. she bit her lip, "What happened?" The nurse sighed, "You fainted Gabriella." Gabriella sat up, "W-what..when?" the nurse layed her back down, "Relax, in english class, I just need to ask you a few questions."

Gabriella gulped, "um yeah, sure." The nurse sighed, "Have you been getting any sleep or eating lately?" Gabriella bit her lip, "umm I have lunch here, and I..I have dinner at home-" "Gabriella, you fainted, you have bags under you're eyes so we know you haven't been getting any sleep, I'm just asking about eating because that could make you pass out too."

Gabriella bit her lip, "Umm yeah I have, and I'll start getting more rest." The nurse nodded, "Well, Gabriella, that's good, but I will have to get you a slip so you can go back to class." Gabriella nodded as the nurse walked into her office.

Troy looked at her, "Brie, what's wrong-" she shook her head, "I don't wanna talk about it-" "I think we should.. why are we staying away from each other? it's crazy." he said stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Gabriella looked down, "Troy, we have too..I have to-" "Protect me, protect me from what Gabriella?" she bit her lip, looking down, tears brimming in her eyes, "Jason said that he can make something bad happen to you if we didn't break up.. he said that something can happen to you while you're driving.. I don't want to lose you Troy..I just can't take that pain.. but being away from you is hurting me too.." she whispered.

Troy sighed, "Brie," he sat next to her, taking her hands gently; but she flinched away. "What's wrong?" She shook her head, "nothing-" Troy grabbed her hand again, pulling down her sleeve only to see purplish bruises on top of one another on her tan skin.

"Gabriella..did-did Jason do this to you?" Gabriella yanked her arms away, covering them up again to her fingers. "Troy, please...just let it go-" "No, I won't, all right...tell me, did he do that to you?!" "NO! I'm...I'm a klutz all right? Just...leave it!"

She grabbed her bag hopping off the bed but he grabbed her hand gently, "No. come here. tell me, did he do that to you." Gabriella looked into his eyes, not able to speak.

Troy tried to search for answers in her eyes but nothing. "Brie-" she whimpered, tears scattered down her cheeks, "Oh Troy." she cried into her palms, "I hate him..he hits me everyday..and I can't tell anybody and I can't do anything about it.." she sobbed dropping to the floor.

Troy sat down next to her, rubbing her back; he was appalled when he felt her spine. "Brie...is -is he feeding you?" Gabriella sniffled, "No...he-he...says that I'm ...too fat, I need to lose some weight, so he doesn't allow me to eat."

Troy looked at her, feeling this ugly pointy feeling in his gut: oh yeah, that'd be anger. "I'm going to kill him."

Gabriella gasped, "Troy no! please-" he shook his head, "No! I'm not letting him hurt you!" Gabriella sobbed, "Troy! no please! he'll hurt you! please-" he cupped her cheeks crashing his lips on hers. Gabriella moaned into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

he leaned his forhead on hers, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb, "I will protect you." he whispered. Gabriella shook her head, "No. I..I can't allow you to do that Troy..I can't lose you...I can't.." "I want to see you again-" "Troy-" "please-"

Gabriella shook her head, "No..I'm sorry, I can't see you anymore, I can't be with you..just..just please, other girls want you, you can move on from me.. please."

"I don't want to." Troy said, "I can't. I don't want to. Gabriella"-he moved to kneel in front of her-"I love you. Only you."

Gabriella sighed, biting her lip and looking down at her hands. "Troy-" "No," he said, "Don't you dare say goodbye, don't you dare push me away. Cause I'll keep coming back...Gabriella," he lifted her chin to see into her eyes. "I'll always keep coming back."

Gabriella bit her lip, "Troy-" "Sh..read my lips." he tilted her chin standing up and kissing her passionately. Gabriella wrapped her left arm around his neck, and let her right hand rest on his chest.

She pulled away, leaning her forehead on his, looking into his eyes, "I don't want you to get hurt-" "please let that go, cause I'm suppose to be protecting you." Gabriella looked away, then back at him, "I'll have Chad pick me up, Jason allows me to see chad, and I'll have drive me to your house to make Jason think I'm going to Chad's."

Troy nodded, "I think, ..." "What?" he smiled, opening his mouth to speak, but the nurse came back at that point. "Here's your pass sweety-what happened here?" She looked down to where both teens were sitting on the floor.

Troy stood up first. "Oh uh...just thought she might find it more relaxing if we sat on the floor." The nurse cocked an eyebrow, "Really? Are you a doctor?" "No.." Troy said, shaking his head. The nurse scoffs, "then don't prescribe anything for my patients."

Troy nodded, "Okay." Gabriella smiled taking the slip from the nurse and they both walked out of the nurse's office.

Chad pulled up into Troy's drive way. Gabriella looked at him, "I can't thank you enough for doing this for me-" "Gabs, don't sweat it, you and Troy are meant to be together." she smiled, "See ya in an hour." she got out of the car shutting the door and knocking on the door.

The door opened to reveal Troy. she smiled as he pulled her in, shutting the door behind her and pulling her close, and wrapping his arms around her waist.

His lips traveled to her neck, "mmm I've missed you." Gabriella moaned, "Troy, you're dad-" "His at a game with my uncle." Gabriella smirked, looking at him, "Protection?"

Troy smiled, "always.." he kissed her lips, heated, passionately and his hands resting on her hips as he pulled her closer. "Hmm," she moaned, running her hands through his hair. He pressed her into the wall.

Troy lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed her up against the wall, groining up against her. "Oh!" she moaned out loud as her hand went to the back of his shirt lifting it up a little bit.

He carried her into his bedroom upstairs and closed the door with his foot and crawled ontop of her on his bed. Gabriella smirked undoing his belt, and slipping off his shirt.

Troy was kissing her neck, "Brie..I've missed you so much.." His hands went up under her shirt, and he unclipped her bra. Gabriella looked at him, breathing heavily, "Be careful, okay?" she whispered.

Troy kissed down her neck; trailing hot kisses down her throat to her breasts and then capturing her nipples in his lips and sucking them with his tongue. "Oh..Troy..." she felt her insides tighten and clench.

Troy teased her other breast and nipple with his other hand, she wrapped her legs around his waist, matching him when he pressed her into the mattress by pushing her pelvis up.

"Hmm..." Gabriella moaned, scratching her nails down his back. "More...Troy...more.." he kissed up her throat again, sucking on the sweet spot on her neck and then going to her lips to kiss her senseless.

He pumped in and out of her fast. Gabriella moaned loudly, "Oh Troy! Faster!" Troy did as she asked and went faster then he did before.

Gabriella ran her fingers through his damp hair as he panted heavily pulling out of her and looking into her eyes and pecking her lips as he collapsed beside her and pulled her close as he sat up against the headboard, holding her close.

Gabriella rested her head on his chest. Troy stroked her hair, kissing her forehead. Gabriella grabbed Troy's fingers and kissed each individual fingertip looking up at him with her brown eyes.

"I love you," Troy said, kissing her forehead and tracing circles on her sweaty skin. Gabriella giggled, Troy missed hearing that sound. "I love you too, Troy..." she played with the light hair that covered his chest in damp curls.

She sighed, kissing his soft skin and inhaling his scent. "Brie, what are you doing?" "Committing your smell to memory." "Why?" Gabriella looked at him, "Because...I'm so dead when I get home and I smell like sex."

He kissed her lips tenderly, "Why won't you go take a shower, and I'll make the bed." Gabriella smiled kissing him chastly, "Okay. I'll go take a shower." He smiled, as he she got up picking up her clothes and going into the bathroom.

Troy got up from the bed, pulling up his boxers and jeans and fixing the bed, and grabbing a shirt from the laundry basket in the floor that he forgot to put away in his closet and pulling it on, and walked downstairs.

After the shower, Gabriella walked downstairs, leaning against the counter, "So, I just got a text from chad, his on his way." Troy came over to her wrapping his arms around her, "When can I see you again?"

Gabriella sighed, turning around, and resting her hands on his chest, "Troy..I..I don't know..." "Brie-" "Troy, Jason will do anything in his power to hurt you, I can't let him do that...He can hurt me, he won't hurt you." she cupped his cheek, "I promise."

He leaned his forehead on hers, "I can't protect you...if you don't let me." Gabriella lifts her eyes to look at him, "What do you mean?"

He flutters his eyelashes on her skin, "I promised your dad..before he died; that I'd protect you." "From what?" "From assholes like Jason...Brie, please...let me protect you."

Gabriella looked down, and grabbed a hold of both his hands, and lifted them up to her lips kissing them softly. "Troy, I-" he cupped her cheeks, kissing her lightly but passionately. Gabriella let her fingers run through the back of his hair.

He leaned his forehead on hers and kissing her lips more passionately then pulling away, "Don't push me away, cause like I said, I'll keep coming back."

Gabriella bit her lip, looking at him as he tilted her chin, "I just don't want to be away from you.. and..and I can't keep you safe." "I want to protect you-" "I know you do! but what if you can't? what if something happens to you if you're with me.. then you can't protect me.."

Troy sighed, cupping her cheek, "remember this, I will always protect you, cause I will always be in you're heart." Gabriella had tears rolling down her cheeks, "I just don't want to lose you-" "And you won't.. you definetly won't-" "I know I won't...cause that's why I can't be with you anymore." "Brie, please-"

She shook her head, "I..I can't do this Troy.. I'm being selfish.." she took off her necklace that he gave her, "I want you to be safe. I need you to be with someone else.. please just do that for me, please just.. just be with someone else.."

There was a honk outside which meant that it was chad. Gabriella looked at Troy and kissed his cheek, "Please don't be mad at me.."

"Brie.." he said, watching as she left in a hurry, "Brie!?" he went after her, she got into the passenger side of the car when he got onto the front step. "BRIE!"

He called after her, but by that time Chad had pulled out and was taking her home. Home to that hell. Troy sighed, feeling his throat close up and his eyes sting.