Title: In True Wildcat Fashion

Author: demander-of-logic

Disclaimer: Still don't own it. I own the plot of this story. And a couple posters, some CDs, 2 DVDs, a few magazines, and a rubber duckie named Gabriella. Yes. I named my rubber duckie after her. She has Gabriella eyelashes. I also own another little duckie. I named her Einsteinette. Hee! Visit my MySpace for pics, LOL!

Author's Notes: Speaking of MySpace!

http :// www . myspace . com / wildaceofhearts7 (minus spaces, of course!)
all the info on In True Wildcat Fashion!

LOGICITY: The Home of Everything D-O-L

Pictures, plot bunnies, blogs, merch contests, and previews of upcoming stories!
Friends who have reviewed the story also become members of the preferred list-
Giving them special access to previews of d-o-l's next chapter story, Finding Mr. Darcy!
Demand logic – friend Logicity today!
(Can you tell demander-of-logic is desperate for friends here?)

Yeah, anyway. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, your support and reviews have greatly helped me through a difficult time in my life. So this is dedicated to ALL CHAPTER 3 REVIEWERS! May your New Year be fantastic!

And now! The long-awaited, anticipated – Chapter Four!

WARNING: citrus ahead.
Flavors: lime; insinuation of lemon
Nothing explicit, just implication.
For my definitions of citrus, visit my profile.

In True Wildcat Fashion
Chapter Four: Torture

"So good to be seen, so good to be heard – don't have to say a word."

Gabriella wanders around her room aimlessly Saturday afternoon, eyes and attention entirely focused on the piece of paper marked What I've Been Looking For she clutches in her hand. She smirks a little, remembering the last time she heard the song – albeit a much more sugary, bubble-gummy version of the song.

"For so long I was lost, so good to be found – I'm lovin' having you around," she sings softly, twirling a strand of curly dark hair between her fingers.

Her phone begins chiming a familiar tune from her nightstand, breaking her concentration. She grins widely before ever picking up the phone. God bless ringtones. She takes the Blackberry in her hand and smiles at the picture on the screen as she answers.

"Shouldn't you be practicing for state?" she teases, falling back on her mattress.

She cannot see his grin, but her heart still flutters. "I was. But I'm finished now, and I would really like to see my beautiful, talented freaky genius girlfriend, if at all possible."

She giggles. "I don't know, Troy. What would your dad do if he thought I was taking you from your practice time?"

"My dad is in Santa Fe for the day. He, Darbus, and a bunch of other teachers are trying to get the State Education Board to sign some proposal – which will take hours. He won't be back until late tonight. And my mom is still visiting my aunt in Boston, so I'm over here all alone in this big empty house. Lonely and bored and sorely behind in memorizing my lines," he teases, but Gabriella feels a familiar heat pool in the pit of her stomach at the implications of his words.

"All alone in your house? Can I trust you, Wildcat?"

She can practically hear his blue eyes sparkling. "What do you think?"

"Be right over."

Ten minutes later, Gabi walks up in front of Troy's sprawling split-level house. "This feelin's like no other, I want you to know…" she sings under her breath as she walks onto the porch and rings the bell. "That I've never had someone that knows me like you do – "

"The way you do!" Troy chimes in as he throws open the door, grinning widely at her. She cannot help but grin back as she steps inside.

"Hey," she says almost breathlessly, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him hello.

He grins and kisses her back, shutting the door against the wind. "Hey yourself. Come on, my script's in my room." He begins to climb the stairs. Gabriella hesitates for a moment before following him to a room at the end of the open bridge.

"So I figured we could work on the last two acts of the play, since we seem to have a pretty good handle on the first two," Troy proposes as he walks into his room and flips on the light.

Gabriella begins to say something, but her words die in her throat as she enters the room. "Oh my god, Troy!"

The room is enormous, painted a warm navy blue with white accents. A huge king bed takes up the wall to their left; on the same wall is a sleek wood and oak desk bearing a computer monitor. The wall directly across from the door is all windows; a set of French doors in the middle of the wall lead out onto a deck. On the wall opposite the bed, a huge flatscreen television takes up almost the entire upper portion of the wall. Two speakers are situated on floor stands on either side of the screen, and a series of cabinets are mounted on the wall below it. Framed, artsy black-and-white photos of empty basketball courts are on either side of the screen, as well.

On the same wall as the door to his room, a door leads to what she presumes is his closet; between both doors is a bookcase filled with expensive-looking books. In the center of the room, directly in front of them, are two comfortable looking easy chairs, a coffee table and a loveseat, facing the television. And scattered around the room are various shelves, all bearing the same things: medals, ribbons, trophies, awards, and picture frames, all basically shouting his athletic prowess.

"This is your room?" she breathes, walking as if in a trance towards the couch.

He grins sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Troy, this is amazing!" Gabriella makes her way to a shelf beside his bed, amazed by all the awards. One in particular catches her eye.

She picks up the bronze statuette and turns to him with a raised eyebrow. "You play football?"

He shrugs, walking over with one hand in his pocket. "Played, past tense. Freshman and sophomore year. I was toying with the idea of playing this past year, but when I was made captain of the basketball team, I let that one go."

Troy takes the shiny brass trophy in his hand. "I sort of wish I hadn't. I liked football. Still do – although my dad would probably disown me if I ever admitted to it," he adds wryly, and Gabriella takes the trophy back, replaces it on the shelf.

"Well, he let you become a musical singer person," she says, wrapping her arms around his waist. "And he let you start dating me." She smiles up at him lovingly. "Who knows? He may let you play football, too. Zeke does it – and he somehow has time to bake and date Sharpay, too."

Troy groans and rolls his eyes. "And god knows that's a time-consuming job right there."

Gabriella slaps his chest affectionately. "Hush! Sharpay's our friend now. And Zeke's been your best friend since preschool. Play nice, Wildcat, claws in."

He rolls his eyes again, draping an arm around her shoulders as he begins to lead her back towards the couches. "Fine. But only because you say so," he grumbles good-naturedly, and she giggles as they sink down on the loveseat.

His script is already spread across the coffee table, and Gabriella unrolls her script, flipping to the pages for Act 2, Scene 4. "Okay. Wanna start from the third scene?"

Troy sits forward, takes his own script. "That's the scene after the dressing room argument, isn't it?"

Gabriella grins and nods. "Yep."

"The one that introduces us to Arnold and Minnie's secret relationship?"

She grins again. "Yep."

Troy grins too, sitting back and making himself comfortable. "Alright then. Let's get started."

"Okay." She clears her throat. "ARNOLD is once again sitting in the middle of the stage. Now he is in full costume for his character Ollie. Enter MINNIE from STAGE LEFT…"

Two hours later, the play and practicing for it have been all but forgotten.

"Remind me again how she knew it was him for sure?" Gabriella asks, wrinkling her eyebrows and pointing to the couple fighting on screen.

Troy rolls his eyes affectionately. "She knew from the job footage – the way he did the thing with his foot, remember?" He winces as the woman onscreen punches her husband in a particularly… delicate spot. "See, that's just mean, right there."

Gabriella smirks, shifting into a more comfortable position. She and Troy are cuddled together on the cushiony leather couch, her head pillowed on his shoulder and his arms around her waist. "Okay, fine. I still don't think it's plausible, but whatever."

Troy groans good-naturedly. "Gaaaabi," he chuckles, tightening his grip on her waist. "We've been through this! Twice!"

She grins. "I know, and I still don't think she could have identified him just from that footage, even if she is that good!" She cuts herself off with a shriek as her boyfriend begins tickling her mercilessly. "TROY, stop it!" she screams in laughter, attempting to writhe out of his embrace.

"No ma'am, Miss Montez, not until you admit defeat!" Troy laughs, ruthlessly and strategically torturing his helpless and very ticklish girlfriend.

"Never!" she manages through her giggles, arching her back and attempting to pull out of his arms.

"Then neither shall I concede!" His grin only widens as her laughter fills the room, blending prettily with the sounds of a dirty fight and Charles Wright's remix of 'Express Yourself'.

"OKAY! Mercy, mercy!" she finally shrieks, her face glowing and tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks. "I give up!"

Troy grins as she collapses against him, not even bothering to fight back anymore. "Tell me you love me!"

"I love you!" she squeals, and finally he relents, just wrapping his arms around her. She gasps for breath, glaring up at him. "Now who's evil?"

He just shrugs, grinning wildly. "All is fair in love and war."

She rolls her eyes, smiling back and punching his arm gently. "Such a jerk."

"Ah, but I'm a jerk who loves you, so we're even."

She just rolls her eyes again and turns back towards the screen. "Whatever," she mutters playfully, and he chuckles.

Their playful mood fades, however, as the fight onscreen turns to physical contact of another nature entirely.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room has transformed from playful to sexually charged and tense, and neither are quite sure what to do, so they just sit in awkward silence.

Troy is the first to break the quiet. "Well…yeah, maybe we should…" he says in a strained tone, grabbing the remote. "Forgot…that…I'll…just…"

Gabriella swallows hard as she hurries to agree. "Y-y-yeah, sounds like a good idea…"

Both are silent as Troy quickly turns off the movie. He turns back to her with a sheepish, slightly uncomfortable grin. Gabriella smiles back at him, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Well, this is -

"Do you have any idea what you do to me when you smile at me like that?" he asks suddenly, stunning her out of her train of thought. His tone is neutral, but his eyes are dark with something she can only classify as desire, and it makes her tremble.

She blushes, getting up to retrieve her script, spread out across his desk. "What do I do to you, Troy?" she says after another tense moment, cursing the tremor in her voice.

For a moment, there is silence, and Gabriella feels her heart begin to pound. Say something, Wildcat…

She bites down lightly on her lower lip as he suddenly places gentle hands on her hips. His body is warm and tall behind her, and she swallows hard as he leans down, his cheek brushing against her hair.

In a voice meant only for her, Troy whispers, "You torture me."

She swallows again, her eyes fluttering closed as he lightly kisses the side of her head. She begins to say something, but her words die with a gasp as he begins to kiss a fiery trail down the side of her throat. Oh…god…

"W-W-Where did you say your dad was?"

"He's in Santa Fe, he won't be back for hours," he mutters into the curve of her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair and her citrus shampoo.

She inhales sharply and swallows hard as his hands slip from her hips to wrap around her waist from behind, his fingers sliding ever so slightly beneath the hem of her shirt. She shivers as his fingers begin to trace invisible designs on her bare skin.

"Y-Y-You're sure about that?" she manages, willing her knees not to buckle as she grasps the back of the task chair for support.

He nods wordlessly, kissing the sensitive skin at the back of her neck. It is getting harder and harder for Gabriella to breathe. His hands are widening their area of exploration.

His fingers lightly brush the area of skin just below the waist of her jeans, and she cannot help it. A tiny little moan of pleasure, barely audible or existent, slips from between her lips – and it is all over.

He whirls her around, and their lips crash together in an explosion that rivals that of any unstable compound. The script falls from her hands, scattering hopelessly across the floor. His hands wrap around her waist, hers thread through his hair; sexual frustration combines with the aphrodisiac known as complete privacy to form an extremely erotic cocktail.

He pushes her up against the desk, and she fists her hands in his hair, opening her mouth fully to his exploration. He tastes her greedily, unable to get enough. Her knees give out completely, but it makes no difference; his arms around her are keeping her upright.

Another moan, this one unmistakable. His hands slip down to her hips, and he moves to stand between her legs to kiss her better. She does him one better, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He holds her slight body effortlessly, slides his hands beneath her thighs to support her weight. She whimpers against his lips as he shifts her higher, carries her over to the bed. They fall back, tangled together, her long brown hair splaying across the sheets, his hands pinning her wrists above her head.

"Oh, god, Troy," she gasps as he breaks away, pushes her shirt up a few inches and begins attacking the smooth, toned exposed flesh of her stomach with kisses.

"W-w-we can't –" she bites down hard on her lower lip to contain a shriek as he covers her body with his, moves to continue his exploration of her throat. "Troy! We can't…do…this…" her little moans of pleasure somewhat defeat her nobly-intentioned statement.

"Why, Gabi?" he mutters between kisses before pushing himself up on his hands, looking down into her eyes. "Why are you so scared of this? Of us?"

She shakes her head emphatically, pressing her face into his chest. "It's not that, Troy, I swear. I want this…but…"

"But what?" he asks, inhaling sharply as she shifts into a more comfortable position beneath him.

She pulls back, meets his intense blue gaze. "But what if we get caught? Or what if, somewhere down the line…we break up…and this just ends up being one huge mist-"

He cuts her off with a searing kiss that causes her to melt. "Listen to me, Gabriella Cristiana Montez. Us being together is not a mistake, do you hear me? I love you, Gabi, and I know we're young, but –" it is his turn to cut himself off.

"But what?" she echoes, unconsciously mimicking their previous exchange.

He looks her square in the eye as he answers. "But I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That's how I know we're not a mistake, Gabi. Because I know we're going to last."

She is grinning brilliantly, and she throws her arms around his neck, pulling him back down on top of her. "I love you too, Troy. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She leans back as best she can, raising an eyebrow. "But that still doesn't answer my first question. What happens if we get caught?" Her eyes widen. "What happens if your dad walks in?"

He grins suddenly, and her other eyebrow joins its partner. "What?"

"You expect us to be doing this for another six hours?" he smirks as she reddens.

However, Gabriella smirks back, and begins to unfasten his jeans. "Well that depends."

She bites her lip with a seductive little grin. "How long can you go, Wildcat?"

His eyes widen a little, and she laughs aloud as she pulls him back down into a kiss.

Two hours later, the two collapse back on the bed, both sated and utterly spent.

Gabriella is gasping for breath as she crawls towards the pillows, her heart rate finally beginning to slow down. "…Wow," she breathes as she curls herself around a pillow, trembling with pleasure as she closes her eyes. "I…that…just…wow."

Troy grins, landing beside her as he too attempts to catch his breath. "Yeah, that's just what I was thinking," he chuckles, running a hand through his unruly hair, as if he is unable to believe the events of the last few hours.

Gabriella giggles, crawling over to cuddle up against him and draping an arm across his chest. "Remind me to challenge your endurance more often." Troy chuckles, too, wrapping his arms around her.

He begins caressing the sweat-slick skin of her back, drawing gentle, lazy circles on the silky-smooth flesh. "You're not too shabby in that department, either, Miss Montez. I think you're the real Wildcat in this bed!" He laughs as she hits him softly. "And I had no idea you were into that kind of thing!"

She hits him again, blushing furiously at the far-from-innocent thoughts and decidedly adult images now coursing through her mind. "Shut up," she pants, returning her head to its position pillowed on his shoulder. "Just…shut up."

He laughs again, and she grins at the rich, husky sound. "What, no witty comeback?" he teases, and she shakes her head a little.

"Nope. I'm exhausted," she murmurs, angling her head to glare up at him affectionately. "You kind of wore me out," she accuses, smirking wildly.

He smiles back, now stroking her long, perspiration-soaked hair. "Ditto," he replies simply, and for a moment, they just lay there, content to regain their strength in silence.

After a few minutes of quiet, Troy murmurs something into her hair, and Gabriella looks up at him again, a question in her bright brown eyes. "What was that?"

He is silent a moment, and Gabriella is suddenly struck by all kinds of overwhelming doubts. "Troy?"

"I said I love you," he mutters, unable to meet her gaze, and all her fears disappear as quickly as they arose.

"Do you really? Mean it, I mean?" she asks after a moment of composing herself. She pushes herself up a little to look into his ocean-blue eyes. "I mean really, really mean it?"

He nods, meeting her gaze without flinching. "I really, really mean it. I meant it before, when I said I want to spend my life with you, and that hasn't changed in the last two hours. I mean it now."

He grins softly at her, brushing a strand of hair out of her beautiful eyes. "I love you, Gabriella Montez, and I always will."

Her smile nearly splits her face in two as she blinks away sudden tears. "I love you too, Troy Bolton. You have no idea how much." And she presses her lips to his. He relaxes and begins to kiss her back.

Within moments, the kiss has gone from gentle and loving to passionate and erotic, and suddenly neither is so relaxed.

"I thought you were exhausted," he mutters around her lips, rolling over to pin her beneath him and stifling a low groan as she presses the length of her body against his.

She suddenly turns the tables, rolling over so she is on top. She smirks down at him as she straddles his hips, tosses her hair over her shoulder. "I was. I always was one to regain my strength quickly."

She slides her hands up his rock-hard stomach and chest to rest behind his head. "Now the only question is if you're tired, Wildcat."

She catches her breath as his hands find the soft flesh on her sides, his eyes burning as both they and his hands roam across her skin.

"You're so beautiful…" he manages as her eyes flutter closed, her head falling back at his gentle caresses.

"Mmm, stop telling me and show me," she breathes, trembling as his hands slide lower on her body.

He grins and obliges, sitting up and capturing her lips with his again as he pulls her closer. She responds energetically, throwing her arms around his neck and arching into him. A sharp intake of breath, a whispered curse -

"Troy? You inside?"

The sound of Jack Bolton striding in the front door causes both hearts to stop dead.

He is home four hours earlier than expected.

The young lovers break apart hurriedly, eyes wide and pulses racing yet again.

Troy swears vehemently, and Gabriella nearly kills herself getting out of the bed.

"I thought you said he'd be gone for hours!" she whispers stridently as she untangles herself from the sheets.

"I thought he would be!" he grumbles back, getting up himself. "He said he'd be back around midnight!"

She dashes around as quietly as possible, picking up hastily discarded garments and throwing them on. "Ohh, we're so going to get busted," she moans quietly, pulling on her jeans with adrenaline-induced strength, wincing a little. "Damn you and your Wildcat stamina!"

Troy cannot help but grin wildly as he too redresses, pulls his sweaty T-shirt back over his head. "Don't worry, beautiful. I've got a plan."

Downstairs, Coach Bolton is shutting the door behind him. "Troy? Are you here?" He drops his keys and briefcase on the entryway table and loosens his tie.

He walks into the kitchen. No Troy. He checks the living room. No Troy. He pokes his head into the office. No Troy.

Jack is beginning to become suspicious. "Hello…anyone home?"

He moves to the foot of the stairs, yelling up to Troy's closed bedroom door. "Troy!"

When there is still silence, he raises an eyebrow. Coach Bolton places a hand on the banister, lifts his foot, and –

"Dad?"

Jack whirls around, stumbling at the sudden lack of balance. "Troy, there you are. I was calling for you, where have you been?"

Troy removes his I-pod headphones as he shuts the front door behind him. "Out for a run. I thought you were coming back around midnight," he pants, raising an eyebrow.

Jack nods. "Well, I was going to be. But the State Education Board signed the proposal much quicker than we all expected, so I just came home early."

His son nods, as well, wiping the sweat from his face with the hem of his shirt. "Well, that's good. Oh, hey, what time is it?"

The coach checks his wristwatch. "About ten till eight, why?"

Troy grins widely. "Gabi's supposed to be here at eight – I finished practicing and asked if she'd come over and help me memorize lines."

As he speaks, the doorbell rings behind them. Troy's grin widens, if possible. "Right on time," he laughs as he opens the door.

Gabriella smiles at him, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "On time for what?" she asks sweetly, grinning at Jack as she comes inside. "Hello, Coach Bolton!"

Jack smiles back. "Hello, Miss Montez. And please, Coach Bolton is for school hours. Off-campus, you can call me Jack."

Gabriella nods, fingering the edge of her script. "Okay…Jack. Is it okay that I'm here? Troy told me he was done, and we do both need a little practice, so I figured you wouldn't mind if – "

Jack cuts her off with a smile. "Yes, Miss Montez, it's perfectly fine for you to be here. I appreciate your concern for my approval." His expression changes from one of lightheartedness to slight shame. "And…I owe you an apology, Miss Montez. My actions a few weeks ago were inexcusable, and I am truly sorry for being so rude."

Gabriella smiles the 'Gabi grin'. "No harm done, sir. And please, call me Gabriella." She shakes his proffered hand as Troy breathes a silent sigh of relief.

Jack nods again and then turns to pick up his briefcase. "Well, don't let me interrupt you, kids. Have fun, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Troy and Gabriella both fight to keep from blushing as the coach begins to walk away. "Okay, Dad. We'll be downstairs if you need us."

Jack waves over his shoulder and proceeds into his office, leaving the two teens alone once more. Troy then blows out his breath and takes Gabriella's hand. "Come on, I'll show you the den."

She follows without hesitating, suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of adrenaline.

They make their way down a flight of stairs directly off the living room and through a short hallway until they enter a room painted spring green. Gabriella does not notice any of this.

The instant her boyfriend collapses on the chaise lounge, she is on top of him, kissing him thoroughly. Troy responds instantly, grinning when she straddles him. He sits up a little more, threading his fingers through her sweat-dampened hair and pulling her closer.

When they finally come up for air, he smiles roguishly. "I can't believe we got away with that," he gasps, brushing loose strands of hair out of her eyes.

She grins brilliantly, slightly smug as she watches him swallow hard. "I thought we were goners," she laughs. "Thank god you have stairs from your balcony."

He laughs, too, untangling one hand from her hair to rub at the back of his neck. "Yeah, unlike someone else I know, with only a big tree to climb." He chuckles again as she sticks her tongue out at him.

"Well, sorry. I don't think the architects had escape routes for teenagers in mind when they designed the house. Especially teenagers about to get caught having sex." She rolls her eyes as he laughs aloud.

"Well then, Ms. Montez, we'll just have to make sure that we won't get caught next time," he smirks up at her, shifting her around on his lap to fit more comfortably against him.

She smirks, too, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. "What makes you so sure that there will be a next time, Mr. Bolton?" she teases.

His eyes darken considerably. It is Gabriella's turn to swallow hard as he smiles impishly, hands on her hips. "Well, Gabi, I don't know about you, but after that little encounter, I'm not sure I could keep my hands off of you." He illustrates his point by sliding his thumbs beneath the hem of her shirt again and tracing the familiar designs on her skin.

She rolls her eyes. "You're insane, did you know that?" she whispers with a grin, leaning down to rest her forehead against his.

He grins back, and begins to say something smart. But her lips on his cut him off, and grinning into the kiss, Troy lowers them both back onto the chaise.

Only for you, Gabi.

Author's Footnote: LOOKIE! Update! AND the previous teaser, as promised!

Teaser:

"Troy, are we really going to do this here?"

"Can't think of a better place at the moment."

Ooh…juicy.

Game: first ten people to review and tell me which movie T&G are watching get a sneak preview of the next two chapters - and honorable mention or something of the kind, ya know. coughcoughlikeit'shardtoguesscoughcough

Next chapter info: almost complete– look for it within the next week or so! If 10 review by tomorrow, I may be generous…;-)

Stay tuned for Chapter Five: Focus! And please review – feed my creative muse, she only eats when you review! Come on – do YOU want to be responsible for the starvation of a cute little muse? Please – her life depends on you!

;-)
-d-o-l-