"Troy, where have you been?" Chad was sitting up on the couch in front of the television. The place looked like a storm had trashed the apartment.

"Out," he said grimacing at the pile of cans on the table. "I suddenly remember why I didn't want to throw a party."

"It's just a little clean up, no big deal." Chad touched his head and held it for a moment. "Hey was it me or was Taylor acting strange last night."

"I didn't notice." Troy said getting a disregarded half full trash bag to beg cleaning up. He hadn't noticed Taylor because he was so wrapped up in Gabriella. She was wearing low rise jeans, the kind that left a man in utter awe. Sleeping with Gabriella was something he always thought would be monumental. In honesty he was disappointed that it happened and he never got to actually experience it.

"Hey that's not the shirt you were wearing yesterday."

"How would you know, you were drunk."

"I'm 21 dude, not born yesterday." Chad lean forward and reached for his beer. "Who is she?"

"It's not relevant." Troy gathered cans and put them in the bag one by one.

"Whatever, not my drama," Chad put the beer down and leaned back in the couch watching the news.

Troy rolled his eyes as he continued to pick up the mess.

It was almost 4 when Troy took the last trash bag out to the dumpster. His back muscles ached and his mind was thumping with curiosity about his relationship with Gabriella. The sight of purple something flying by out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and at the same time jogged his memory. Suddenly the image of a purple and pink butterfly came into clear view on Gabriella thigh. He could remember placing a small kiss on it. "When did she get a tattoo?" he mumbled to himself. It was obviously hidden away where no one could see and only someone as intimate as a lover would know it was there. A small smile crept up on his lips, things were slowly coming back to him.

When he walked back into the apartment Ryan was sitting on the couch as well with long winded expression on his face. Ryan was recently back from studying aboard in Greece with his sister Sharpay. Last night instead of coming to the party he had to go to his parent's house for a welcome home dinner.

"What's wrong with you?" Troy said leaning against a clear spot on the wall.

"You know "that look" women get when they want sex?" Ryan said looking at Troy with a raised brow.

Troy didn't answer and Chad tilted his head in curiosity.

"Me neither." Ryan said with a sigh. "That my friend is depressing." he said as he opened up his beer.

"How long as it been since you got laid?" Chad asked.

Ryan did an air count. "Too damn long."

Troy held a small smile on his lips and then did his best to stop. Truth was even if he had gotten laid last night he sure as hell couldn't remember and he wasn't about to make Gabriella coffee table side talk. Speaking of which."Weren't you going to meet with Taylor for coffee?" Troy said looking at the clock.

"She canceled." Chad shrugged. "I'm telling you something is up with that woman." Chad let out a breath. "Part of me thinks she's going to dump me."

"She isn't like that." Troy said with a shrug and a shake of his head.

"Screw that if you feel the end coming, do it first man don't be the dumped be the dumper." Ryan said as lifted his beer to his lips.

"I'm sorry and when was the last time you got laid?" Troy asked looking at Ryan with annoyance. "Why don't we hold off on your advice column?"

Chad frowned and shook his head. "I don't know what I'm going to do without her."

"You'll wake up in three months and realize you have desert dick like I do." Ryan said.

"Whoa, do not bring up your dick in conversation like that ever again. What me and Taylor have is sacred, that right there is nasty. " Chad said pointed at Ryan and then looked over at Troy. "On a lighter note, Troy slept somewhere else last night."

"Really," Ryan said with a smirk. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." Troy said looking at Chad then Ryan. "Nothing happened last night." Troy felt the disappointment settle in his bones nothing happened last night that was ever going repeat again.

"Yeah, I believe that like a gorilla has a ten foot penis." Ryan said reaching into a pop corn bowl on the table.

"You need to get laid." Chad said looking at Ryan in disgust.

"Yeah I'll just choose from the long line of women who followed me here." Ryan rolled his eyes munched on his pop corn. "You'd think being rich would get me more action."

"It would if you weren't so cheap." Troy said reaching for his work shirt from the back of a nearby chair.

"What about Gabriella, she's single; she didn't come with anyone last night, didn't leave with anyone either."

Troy stopped and looked at Chad as if looks could kill and for a second the very Idea of killing his roommate on the spot didn't seem so bad. "Gabriella isn't meat in a market place Chad."

"I know," He said with a shrug. "But you know how she is, she's like us she understands and values the nature of a good hook up with no strings."

Troy clenched his fist. "Doesn't mean we can pimp her out,"

"Down there sparky, I'm just introducing to friends." Chad sat up and reached for some pop corn. "Excuse him, he's in big brother mode."

"Are you two related?" Ryan said looking back at Troy. "I mean I understand the dating your sister thing it happens to me all the time."

"No their not," Chad said giving Troy a sideways glance.

Troy shook his head. "Fine whatever, but I take no part in this. I got to get to work later,"

As Troy closed the door he could already hear Chad describing Gabriella appearance to Ryan. Ryan was a cool guy, he came from money, he had a promising future working for his dad. Troy rolled his eyes, now he was trying to convince himself about Ryan. Point blank Gabriella had always had sexual partners or short relationships, it never bothered him because he never saw it, she simply just wasn't the kind of girl for PDA or announced relationships.

Troy walked into the bar nodding at the manger who was working the register.

"Hey Troy,"

"Hey George," Troy went into the back room and clocked his time card. He was the male bartender at The Crank, most of the students from the school came down here to party. George in return hired nothing but college students looking to make a buck and survive. Troy just got behind the bar when his eyes fells on Gabriella who just entered. She was wearing regular form fitted jeans and spaghetti strap shirt underneath her open work shirt.

"Hey Georgie!" Gabriella leaned on the counter top and reached over to give him a high five. "Pass my mass theory quiz."

"That's my girl," George smiled as he continued to count the money.

Troy leaned on the counter and quietly watched Gabriella disappear behind back to clock in. He should warn her about Ryan, part of him hoped that after Chad's descriptions Ryan would assume she wasn't the girl for him. Upon her reappearance his faith in that last thought dissipated, her hair was in two long braided pig tails and tonight she looked like a naughty school girl. She must be looking for tips, or maybe trying to prove a point, who knew?

"Hey," Gabriella murmured as she tied her small apron around her waist.

"Hey," Troy responded in the same fashion.

"I'm spit shooting in a old Jack Daniels bottle tonight." Gabriella said motion to dark glass bottle she brought with her from the back room. Because Gabriella was a female bartender, guys constantly made passes and brought her drinks, in order to get repeat spenders. Gabriella would take shot with them and accept their deranged flattery. In short she was working what she had and all the while she be spitting it all out into that bottle and they would be to dumb or drunk to realize that wasn't a chaser. George taught her the trick her third night, Gabriella was losing costumers and leaving work buzzed, once she picked up the trick of illusion she made the most money when where she wanted to.

"Got it." Troy responded getting a clean hot rag from the bucket of them under the bar. Sundays were slow with the promise of business getting heavy, depending on who walked in.

"Hey Troy, we need more brandy," Gabriella said looking over at him holding up the near empty bottle. "There isn't any under the shelf."

"I'm on it." He said nodded as another employee walked in. As Troy grabbed an extra brandy bottle in storage he turned around to come face to face with Gabriella. "Holy crap…."

Gabriella smiled and small giggle escaped her lips. "Consider us even."

"What else did you need?" he offered letting out a breath.

"Do you remember anything?" Gabriella asked biting her lip, "About last night."

Images of butterflies fluttered his mind. "Do you?"

"No," Gabriella scratched the back of her ear.

"Me either." Troy lied.

"Good," Gabriella grabbed the bottle from him and turned to go back out into the bar.

It was mid service and the place was slightly busy. Troy was mixing drinks and Gabriella for the moment was carrying a tray of glasses to the back for one of the dish washers to starts cleaning. His eyes followed her waist as she moved, he couldn't get his mind off the idea of hold onto those hips while driving himself inside her. What killed him the most was knowing that he done just that but couldn't remember.

"She's is a good looking woman." A man's voice carried over into his thoughts and Troy attention was brought back to the drink he was mixing.

"Sorry sir," Troy said pouring the well shaken martini into the glass.

"Son, if I worked with a girl like that I'd probably couldn't think straight either." He took a sip. "Shit if my wife looked like that I wouldn't need pills." He grunted.

Troy made a sour face a rinsed out the shaker.

"You ask her out?"

Troy looked back up at the man. "We're friends."

"Friends with benefits?"

Troy let out a huff and then shook his head.

"Take advice from an old man." He said picking up his drink. "Life's too short to have friends that look like that."

Troy nodded and watched as the man walk away into the bar finding a table to sit and watch the young people mingle. Troy picked up his counter rag and tossed it over his shoulder as her continued to do his best not to think of Gabriella. However here she came again shirt unbuttoned showing off her cleavage and flipping a pigtail back. Troy lips tugged she had marks on her neck, not just any marks either.

"What?" Gabriella said propping one hip against the bar and crossing her arms.

"Nothing," Troy said with a shrug.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and starting tending to the new costumer. "So how is Chad taking the news?"

"What?"

Gabriella took the woman's order and got a glass which she filled up with Miller Light. "Yeah , the baby thing." Gabriella said with a nod and then handed the woman her beer.

"Baby!" Troy eyes went wide and he as soon as Gabriella got the money and the costumer left he grabbed her by the arm taking her full attention. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh fuck me." Gabriella let out a breath. "Did Chad and Taylor go for coffee?"

Troy shook his head. "What the fuck is going on?"

"I have a pussy for a roommate that's what's going on." Gabriella pulled her arm away from him. "You can't just man handle me you know,"

"Apparently I can." Troy smirked brushing a pigtail back to reveal the marks on her neck.

"Try it again sober." Gabriella warned pulling her pig tails back down. "I dare you; we both know I'm not someone to be man handled."

"So why last night?" Troy asked keeping his eyes on her as she moved back from him.

"I was drunk, bored, and stupid."

"Good to know how you really feel." Troy pushed himself off the counter top.

"What am I suppose to say Troy?" Gabriella shrugged. "Whatever we did might have lasted all of three minutes for all I know. Plus we're not exactly in that kind of relationship." Gabriella popped the top off a beer. "Besides I thought we were going to forget about that."

"Already forgotten," Troy said wiping the counter top. After a moment's hesitation Troy placed a hand on her upper arm gently. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Oh god," Gabriella rolled her eyes. "You're not that huge."

Troy let out a breath tipped her chin up. "I mean with Valentine's around the corner?" He worried about her sometimes, he knew better than anyone did and he knew no matter how tough she seemed to be, she was still human.

"Oh," Gabriella looked up at him and smiled slightly. "I hadn't noticed."

"I know you Brie, I'm just saying if you need to talk I'm here." But he knew she wouldn't, he knew was going to bury whatever feelings she had way down deep until eventually he was picking her up in the middle of the night from some crazed party or bar where she settled for the comfort of alcohol to cure her problems.

"And I'm saying I'm fine." She said with a half smile as she backed away from him.