"You are you training everyday?" Shane, my trainer asked me. He lived in Vegas, where I first started boxing a couple years ago. We lived there for eight months and he's the only person I kept in contact and had regular visits with. He was pretty much the only man I trusted. He understood my daddy issues and my misconception of men because of it. Unlike a lot of men that walked in and out of my life, he proved that he wanted to stay in my life.

"Yes." I said, as I got in my car from home. I turned on the car and plugged in my phone. "This kid in my class decided he wanted to be my running partner yesterday. We had dinner with my mom." I said, sighing. "He wants to do it again."

"I see. A boy who would run six miles just to spend time with you. He likes you." Shane said, chuckling.

I rolled my eyes, backing out of the drive. "That's what mom said. How can somebody like me if they don't even know me? I've only known him for three days."

"First it's attraction. He thinks your pretty. Then he probably talked to you, and knowing you, you probably cussed him out… or some variation of it. He's intrigued and now he follows you around like a lost puppy." Shane said. His intuition was definitely on point.

"Do you have hidden cameras somewhere?" I asked, laughing quietly.

Shane chuckled. "No, I just know you. I've seen you with Boys. You don't understand how beautiful you are Gabriella."

"I am not beautiful. I'm just a girl." I said. I tapped on my steering wheel, waiting for the light.

"Please Gabriella. If any man was able to get to know you like I do, than he'd be the luckiest man in the world." I smiled at his kind words. I just wished I could believe them. "So are you sure you're ready for the rematch against Megan Greene next weekend?"

"I'm positive. I'm ready. I can't wait to get back into the ring. It felt like it's been so long, even though it's been a month." I pulled into the school parking lot and parked my car. "I've been doing that work out you showed me through Skype. I think it's making my shoulders stronger."

"Good, it should. Today I want you to work extra hard, maybe add another mile or another rep of workouts. You have to catch up. I know that boy is bound to distract you. Have him do his homework while you work out, okay?" Shane pleaded.

I laughed, getting out of the car. I grabbed my things and locked my car up. "I will. Hopefully he won't be at my house when I leave to run like he did yesterday." I made my way to my locker. I opened it up and put my lunch inside.

"Hey Buddy." Troy said, nudging me.

"Hi Pretty boy." I said flatly.

"Pretty Boy? Who's that? Is that him?" Shane asked into the phone.

"Yes." I replied to him. I closed my locker.

"Who are you talking to Gabi?" Troy asked me.

"Shane." I said.

"What?" Shane asked.

"I wasn't talking to you." I said into the phone.

"What?" Troy said.

I groaned in frustration. "Shane, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright Gabi. Remember work hard." He said, hanging up the phone.

I wiped my screen off and stuck it in my pocket. "Who's Shane?" Troy asked me. "Ex-boyfriend?"

I scoffed. "God no. He's my trainer."

"He calls you every morning?" Troy asked, blinking.

"Yes." I said simply. I closed his locker and walked away from him.

I walked to home room and sat in the back. I suddenly felt tired. I'd kill for a cup of coffee right about now. "Hey Gabi." Sharpay said, sitting in her seat. "Love those shoes. So fab"

"Thanks." I said, looking down at them. I was wearing heels today to go with my dress. I didn't wear dresses often but I felt like it today. I pulled out Lord of the Rings out of my purse, flipping to the last page I left off.

"Gabi, you're in my seat again." Troy said, looking at me. "What are you reading?" He took the book out of my hand. "Lord of the Rings? You're such a nerd."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "We're still not friends Troy. You can sit up front with you poodle and forget I exist, 'kay?" I took my book back from him and turned the page.

I heard Troy sigh. He walked up front and took a seat in front of Chad. They talked quietly and I turned my focus back to the book. I never understood the point of homeroom. All we did was sit there and listen to Mrs. Darbus talk and talk and talk about nothing. We had some free time to do some homework but there was only so much you could do in twenty minutes.

Once the bell rang I put my book in my purse and walked out of the door. I walked to my locker and sat Troy getting his books out of his. I was waiting for a sly remark or an annoying question but instead I got silence. It was a little weird, he was probably pissed at me. What else was new in the world? I grabbed my books and walked away from the locker. I'm sure he'd be over it by lunch time.

I was wrong. I saw him and Chad sitting at a table in the cafeteria when I walked to the front of the school. I sat on the fountain and ate my lunch quietly. I was trying to focus on new techniques to make me better at boxing but Troy just over took my mind. God, I had no idea what was wrong with me. I knew this kid for three days, why was I feeling like this because he wasn't talking to me?

I pulled out my phone and dialed my moms familiar number. "Hello?" Mom asked me.

"Hey Ma." I said, taking another small bite.

"Are you at lunch?" She asked me.

I nodded to myself. "Mhm" I hummed. "I want to get a tattoo."

"Tattoo's are forever Gabriella." Mom said. "What are you thinking about getting?"

I set my sandwich down. "A quote from this book I was reading today. 'Not all those who wander are lost.'" I said. "I was thinking maybe on my shoulder blade or my ribs."

"Ah." She said. "We'll talk about it when you get home."

"Okay." I said, picking up my sandwich again. "What are you doing?"

"Unpacking little by little." She said. "I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Because I got a permanent position over here." She said.

I licked my lips. "Permanent, really?"

"Yes. I'll still have business trips but no moving. I signed a contract." Mom said.

"Well then, I guess I'm going to be spending all of my holidays in Albuquerque then." I said quietly. I bit into the sandwich.

"How do you feel about that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't really have a say, since I'm leaving for California in a couple months any way."

"I should have asked if there was an open spot in California." Mom said sighing.

"You don't need to do that. I know you'll like it out here." I said. "I don't know what I'm going to do about boxing though."

"What do you mean?" Mom asked, sounding confused.

I scratched my head with my free hand. "Well, I don't think I'm going to compete forever. I'm going to have to focus on college. I might take a couple classes if I find a good gym in California."

"I really think you should consider meeting up with your dad. You're going to be an adult Gabriella, at least hear him out."

"I don't want to talk about this right now." I said, closing my eyes. "I'll see you when I get home." I hung up the phone and put my sandwich in my bag. I walked into school and threw my half eaten sandwich away. I looked down at the floor and collided with somebody in front of me.

"Sorry." I looked up to see Troy. "You alright?"

I nodded and looked up at him. "You're not ignoring me anymore."

"We're not friends remember." He said, tightening his jaw.

I looked away and rubbed my arm. "I'm sorry." I said, looking up at him. "Looks like I'm going to have to come back here for a while. It'll be nice to have a friend to come back to."

He just looked at me confused. The bell rang and Troy sighed. "I'll see you later." I nodded and we went our separate ways.

After school I drove home and made myself a snack. I heard a knock at the door. I took my sandwich with me as I answered the door. It was poodle. "Hey is Troy here?" Chad asked, looking at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "No, he's not. Why? What's going on?" I asked.

Chad sighed. "Troy has been acting weird all day. We were going to go play ball at the park after school but he hadn't showed up yet. I went to his house and his mom said he wasn't there. I checked at school and his truck wasn't there. So I thought I'd check here."

"Did you call him?" I asked.

He nodded. "He's not picking up."

I frowned. "Where could he be?"

Chad sighed. "I don't know."

"I'll help you find him." I said, turning to go back into my house. I put my sandwich on the counter and tied my tennis shoes on. I walked out of the door. "I'll modify my normal running route. I'll meet you back here in 45 minutes."

I took off running, leaving Chad Danforth at my door step. I took a side street, running to the end of the road before turning down a main street. If I was Troy, where would I be? I had to admit I was worried about him. He may be annoying but I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I kept running until I realized I was in the next town over. I was about to turn back around when I saw a familiar looking truck. I ran over to the truck and smacked my hands on the drivers side window.

By the look on Troy's face I had scared the shit out of him. He rolled down the window and looked at me. "You scared me." He said, he looked out the window at me. "Did you run all the way here?"

"Yes I did. Because poodle comes up to my door step, worried looking for you. You don't meet him at the park or answer your phone. We thought you were dead. When you decide to do AWOL can you call somebody first?" I said, breathlessly.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "You care an awful lot about somebody who isn't your friend."

"Don't make me regret running all the way over here, looking for you. Give me your phone." I held my hand out. He placed it in my hand. I scrolled through his contacts and called Chad's number.

"Hello? Dude? Where the hell have you been?" Chad yelled into the phone.

"It's Gabi. I found him. We're… I don't know where we are, but here's Troy." I handed him back his phone. "I'm glad you're safe." I said to Troy, turning and running back towards home.

I figured I was about half way home when Troy pulled up next to me in his truck. He opened the passenger side door. I slowed down and stopped, walking over to him. "Let me drive you home. You ran more than six miles."

I shrugged. "Shane said I needed to work harder today, what's another four miles?" My legs were starting to get sore so I stretched out my muscles.

"Please, get in the truck." Troy said, his blue eyes seemed less blue today.

I let out a breath. "Okay." I climbed in the truck and closed the door behind me. I buckled my seatbelt.

"Wow, I expected you to put up a fight." Troy said with a small smirk. "You're going soft on me." I turned to climb out of the truck. Troy put his hand on my thigh to stop me. "Gabi, I was joking."

His hands were cold against my skin. His hand moved back to the steering wheel and I crossed my legs to hide the goose bumps. "So why did you stand up Chad?" I asked, leaning back against the seat.

"I had a long day." He said, letting out a tired breath. He didn't say much more as he turned back on the road. I rubbed my bare thighs. I needed to finish my workout before a much needed ice bath tonight. "You alright?" He asked as he pulled in front of my house.

I looked over at him. "I should be asking you that. You're the one who has barely said anything to me. I've known you for three days and I know that's not like you."

He rubbed his hands against the steering wheel. "My mom has cancer." I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn't find the words. "She told me last night after you left. She said she'll be fine, but it's still scary."

I unhooked my seat belt and wrapped my arms around his neck. He seemed to be taken back. He wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry about your mom." I said quietly. Troy gave me a small smile. "Do you want to come inside, do some homework?"

Troy nodded quietly and I climbed out of his truck. I closed the door behind me and I walked over to Troy. He threw his back pack over his shoulder. We walked together in my house and we were about to walk up the stairs. "Hey Gabi, Troy." Mom said, stopping us.

"Hey Mom. We're going to go do some homework." I said, looking at her.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked. I nodded.

"Go on up, I'll be a minute." I said, rubbing Troy's arm. He nodded quietly and walked up the stairs. Mom lead me into the kitchen and she sat on the stool. I started making Troy and I a snack. "What do you need to talk about?"

Mom sighed quietly. "I really think you should consider seeing your father."

"I'll consider it, even though both you and I know the answer is going to be no. I haven't seen him in eleven years and I don't plan on seeing him now." I said, putting some meat on the bread. "I have no interest in seeing him."

My mother studied me for a moment. "If you see him, then I'll let you get your tattoo."

"I'm eighteen, I don't need permission." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'll pay for it." She said.

"I have my own money." I finished the sandwiches and started putting stuff away.

"Gabriella…" She said, thinking of something else. "I'll let Troy go with you."

I laughed. "Who says I want Troy to go with me?"

"Gabriella. You are going to see your father and that's it. I tried to comply with you. You are going for a weekend and you won't ever have to go again. Alright? Alright." Mom said firmly.

I rolled my eyes. "We'll see."

"Yes, we will see. If you don't see your father this weekend I won't let you go to your competition next weekend." Mom said crossing her arms.

"You can't do that! Everything is booked and paid for. My whole boxing career rests on this match. You can't just do this to be cause I didn't want to see my father. That's bullshit mom." I grabbed my plate and walked up the stairs, shaking my head.

"I don't know why you don't want to see him!" Mom yelled from the kitchen.

I scoffed and closed the door to my room behind me. "I made you a sandwich." I said, setting the plate down on my desk. I fell on my bed next to Troy.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"My Mom wants me to see my dad and I don't want to see him. She threatened to not let me go to Vegas to box if I don't see him this weekend." I said sighing.

"Why don't you just go see him?" He asked.

"Because he's an asshole." I turned to face him. "He cheated on my mom, left her for a younger woman. Hell, they're not even together anymore according to my mom. He wanted to keep me there with his… mistress, when I was younger. Mom wouldn't allow that. I last spoke to him when I was seven. When I started hating him, my mom seemed to stop."

Troy nodded. "I see. You hate him because he left your mom."

"I hate him because he left. I hate him because he walked away from me and my mom. I hate him because he drove our family apart. I hate him because he broke my moms heart. He doesn't deserve to see me. He made his choice thirteen years ago and he didn't pick my mom and I." I sat up and yelled to my mom down stairs. "He doesn't deserve to see me!"

She didn't respond. "This explains a lot." Troy said, looking at me.

"I'm an insecure girl with daddy issues. I don't want to burden anybody with my problems." I said falling backwards. I landed on something hard in the middle of my back. I realized it was Troy's arm when he wrapped his arms around me.

"Everybody has problems, Gabi. You won't burden me, I care about you." Troy said, pushing my hair back. His fingers trailed down my face slowly. "I want to know everything about you." His fingertip touched my piercing above my lip. "When did you get this?"

I licked my dry lips quickly. "When I was 16, for my birthday. I only take it out when I fight. I'm gonna get a tattoo soon." I said, my eyes studying every inch of his face.

"What are you going to get?" He asked, his thumb bushing against my bottom lip, his fingers fitting perfectly against the curve of my neck.

"Not all those who wander are lost." I said, meeting his eyes. "It was in a quote from the book I was reading in homeroom."

"That's from The Lord of the Rings?" He asked, curiously.

I nodded. "All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost."

"It seems to fit you." He noted.

I shrugged. "I liked it… are you doing anything this weekend?" I asked looking at him.

"Not sure, why?" He asked quietly.

"Do you want to drive to Phoenix with me?" I asked with a small smile.

Troy figured out what I was talking about. "To meet your dad? I don't think that will fly with your mom."

"She already said you could." I said. "It was in the process of her bribing me to see him. I have to fight next weekend and I don't know if I can go see him alone."

He smiled at me. "Does this mean we're friends?"

"Does this mean you'll go?" I asked, hopefully.

"I'll have to talk to my parents and they'll probably have to talk to your mom, but if they'll let me then I'll go." He said, smiling at me.

"Thank you." I said, hugging him tightly. "And yes, we're friends."

I know I said it would be out later but I wanted to get it out before i got to school today. So Enjoy your friday! I love you guys, i might put another chapter of this up tomorrow ;) What do you think about that? Let me know. I love you guys! Don't forget to review!