LAST TIME-

She felt his hold tighten around her and they walked in silence for a little bit. Finally, as they passed the back doors that lead to the parking lot, he spoke. "Screw it." He said. "If I'm right about what happened back there, which I know I am, taking you to the nurse isn't going to do shit. I'm taking you home."

Gabriella didn't argue. She was too tired to do anything and the nurse would really just be a waste of time. So she let Troy lead her out to his car, let him slip her into the passenger seat while he crawled into the seat next to her.

She rested her head against the window. "Troy?"

He turned on his car and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"I like it when you say my name."


"So," Troy leaned forward in his seat, placing his chin on the steering wheel, "this is your house."

Gabriella stayed silent and tried to get a hold of her feelings. She was sitting in Troy Bolton's car outside of her house. He knew where she lived now. "How did this happen?" She shook her head grimly and placed her forehead against the cold glass.

"What?"

She turned suddenly to the side, forgetting completely that the basketball superstar was sitting right next to her. For some reason, the hurt in his blue eyes made her feel guilty. "What? Oh, no. I didn't mean—What I'm trying to say is—I'm sorry." She sighed finally.

His head had tilted to the side during her frantic explanation. She was confused when his hand moved towards her face, her body drew back in surprise.

"It's okay." He said calmly and the back of his hand met her forehead. She closed her eyes as his cool skin came in contact with hers.

His eyebrows crashed together. "You're hot."

Her eyes snapped open. "What?"

His eyebrows did a reversal, arching towards his hairline. "No—I mean—you're not hot."

She lifted her eyebrows.

His eyes grew wide, slightly horrified at what he had said. "Oh, damn it—I didn't mean it like that. I meant—you are hot."

Her eyebrows rose even higher.

His blue eyes shifted from horror to panic. "I didn't—What I'm trying to—shit." He glanced at her and his face dropped. She was smiling at him, enjoying his frantic attempts to explain himself.

"You did that on purpose." He accused.

She shrugged and confessed, "maybe."

He grumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest. Seconds later he laughed to himself and shook his head.

Gabriella was surprised when he looked back at her, his eye crinkled up because he was smiling so big. "Why have I not noticed you before?"

She shrugged and placed her forehead against the glass again to hide her blush. "Maybe you aren't supposed to notice other people. Maybe they're just supposed to notice you."

He nodded grimly. "Though I don't want to admit it; that sounds about right." He gave a world-weary sigh and ran his hand through his chestnut hair.

"Well," she reached for the backpack at her feet, "I guess I should go."

"Do you want me to come with you?" He blurted out.

"What?" She looked to her front door. "Like, in my house?"

"No, I mean to your door."

"Why?"

"You can hardly stand."

"I'm fine."

"You passed out in class, granted, it was calculus, but still, you passed out." He held up his hand to stop her argument. "You're running a fever. You're pale and you have a really cold sweat."

"My mom's home, I'll get her to take me to the doctor."

"You're lying." He said flatly.

"Am I?" She gave an aggravated smile. "How do you know?"

He glanced to her driveway. "There's no car."

"My mom parks in the garage." She said flatly.

"No she doesn't." Troy countered. "There's an oil stain on your driveway. She parks outside." He gave her a smug smile and crossed his arms.

Her hands started to sweat. "I park in the driveway." She opened the car door and stepped out.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out as well. "No you don't." He glanced quickly to her mailbox. "The grass close to your mailbox is dying. Like a car has repeatedly parked on it. You park out there and your mom parks in the driveway."

Gabriella glanced to her mailbox, where the grass was dying in four, symmetrical tire marks. She clenched her jaw and glared at him. "My neighbor's dog loves to pee in my yard. Hench the yellow spots."

"He pees in just four spots?" Troy raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Does he have a cycle? I'll pee here, then here, then here and finally here?"

"You know what? You've just reached creeper status with this conversation." She laughed and turned towards the front door of her house.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" He called after her.

"I don't know, maybe if you notice me, I guess." She gave him a smile.

"See you tomorrow then, Montez." He returned her smile.

"Tomorrow, Wildcat." She lifted her hand and gave him a small wave before she disappeared through her front door.

He got back in his car and smiled to himself. "Wildcat." He repeated the words out loud. For some reason, the way Gabriella said the name made the smile grow on his face. "I kind of like that."

-XxX-

Gabriella shut the door and pressed her forehead against the cold wood. Now that she was alone, her body started to shake uncontrollably with chills. She hadn't realized how difficult it was to appear normal in front of Troy, but now, breaking down was an understatement.

Her legs shook and she collapsed to her knees. She sent her hands out in front of her when her world titled, head spinning. Nausea crashed into her like a hurricane wave. She took deep breaths, trying to ignore the bile rising in her throat, and staggered up the stairs to her bedroom.

The full length windows in her room that led to her balcony let in too much light and her head split, making her concentration slip. Her stomach rolled and she staggered to her bathroom, reaching the toilet just as her lunch came up.

The taste was disgusting. She hadn't been sick in so long. Acid burned her throat as she threw up again. Weakness swept through her body, chills shaking her limbs and goose bumps appeared on her arms. She took another breath and gagged, leaning over the toilet again. It was horrible; the pains that attacked her stomach and head at the same time, and nearly toppled sideways with the dizziness.

When her stomach was empty and her teeth started to chatter, she crawled to her bed. Grabbing one of the four wooden banisters, she hauled herself up. It was a nice feeling to sink into her fluffy covers, mentally thanking her mother for the memory foam she had bought as a moving gift last year.

It was such a weird feeling, but suddenly Gabriella had the intense need to burrow. She wrapped her comforter around her body and sank into the softness of semi-consciousness. She found it rather annoying that she could be both burning hot and freezing cold at the same exact time.

It was easy enough to close her eyes, that action didn't require too much effort. She knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep. Her body was tired, but her mind was sharp and still latched onto the memory of what happened the last time she fell asleep. He would come if she fell asleep, and she really wasn't in the mood to fight for her life right now.

A knock came from her door and she rolled over lazily, the small action making her stomach do summersaults.

"Gabriella?" Her mother entered, concern written across her face. "The school called. You skipped class?"

She groaned and rolled back over, her teeth starting to chatter again. The bed shifted and another cold hand found her forehead. "Oh, baby, you're running a fever."

"People keep telling me that." She groaned, afraid that if she opened her mouth to talk normally, she might throw up.

"I'll go get some ice packs to cool you down." The bed shifted again and Gabriella's head spun with the small movement. "Do you want some chicken noodle soup?"

"No food." She groaned. The thought of eating made her stomach shift uncomfortably. Her mother returned shortly after departing, and icepack wrapped in a cloth in one hand and a thermometer in the other. It was comforting when her mother placed the cold rag on her forehead, and she sighed, relaxing the best she could.

"I'm going to take your temperature and please, this time, remember to breathe through your nose," her mother stuck the thermometer in her mouth. They waited for what seemed like forever before the stupid machine beeped.

Gabriella spit it out and took a deep breath, making a face. "I hate that thing." Her mother's eyebrows grew together slightly, a small movement that only Gabriella could notice. "What's wrong?"

"Your fevers over 104°F." Her mother switched the rag with the back of her hand. "I wonder if I should take you to the hospital."

"No!" Gabriella said quickly and then lied. "I'm fine."

Her mother's eyes softened. "Gabriella."

"Mom, seriously. I'm fine. I don't need to go to the hospital." She was almost pleading.

They sat in silence for a little bit and Gabriella was sure her mother was going to drag her off to the hospital. Finally, the Montez matriarch sighed and shook her head. "Okay, but baby, if it gets worse, I'm going to have to take you, deal?"

Gabriella tilted her head to the side and looked like she was contemplating the answer. "Deal," she said finally.

"Okay, good." Her mother stood up and the bed shifted again, sending Gabriella's stomach into overload. The older woman didn't seem to notice her daughter's uneasiness and paused at the bedroom door. "But you are not going to school tomorrow."

Gabriella groaned and looked out her window, still wrapped tightly in her soft comforter. "Sorry Wildcat, guess I lied."

-XxX-

It was probably the strongest disappointment that had ever washed over him. Staring at her empty calculus seat all class period the next day almost enraged him. She lied! He clenched his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest. He was going to have a serious conversation with her later. A little voice reminded him of what she looked like yesterday. Maybe she really was sick. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, suddenly getting the feeling that he was in the wrong place.

Was she alright?

His heart was pulled one way, towards compassion. Gabriella Montez was nice, sweet, and perfect. But his mind was pulled in another direction, towards reason. He had a State Championship game next week for crying out loud! He couldn't concern himself with some silly girl at a time like this! But in a dire time, Troy Bolton was ruled by his emotions, the strongest one being his heart.

He counted down the seconds and was out of his seat before the bell rang. Tearing out of class, he headed towards the back exits, the doors closest to the parking lot. He had to see her. It was indescribable, how strongly he felt for her. What was it? It was something he couldn't figure out, but he needed to see her. She had to be alright. She had to. She needed…

A body invaded his vision. "Where the hell were you yesterday? You skipped practice."

"Not now Chad." He sidestepped his best friend and continued walking.

Chad followed and matched paced. "We have practice right now, where are you going?"

"Chad!" Troy stopped and turned. "Not. Now."

"What's going on with you man?" Chad's voice dropped to a whisper. "People are talking. They say you left with Gabriella Montez during 7th period yesterday."

"And you believe them?"

"I don't want to but only you can set the record straight." Chad paused as a group of noisy freshman passed them. He glanced nervously over his shoulder and then leaned closer. "Did you?"

Troy sighed. "You run practice today, I need to go." He turned on his heels and practically ran for the exit.

It was a quick drive to Gabriella's house, it helped that he was speeding. He had to know what he was feeling. Why did this one girl have so much power over him? Why did he care so much? They were all alien feelings and he knew that Gabriella was the cause of them. It annoyed him at the same time. How dare she have this control over him? His life was perfect before he met her.

He smiled to himself when he parked across the street from her house. Her iceberg blue Honda Civic was silent by the mailbox, just like he had predicted, but there was no car in the driveway. He ran to her front door and rang the doorbell, waiting. No one came. He rang again, shifting back and forth on his feet. Again, nothing.

He clenched his jaw and made his way around the house. He unlatched the door to Gabriella's backyard and entered, smiling at the hammock tightly secured between two trees and the small white table with two chairs on the back patio.

A rough cough ripped through his mind and he looked up to the balcony. A small smile crawled across his face and he walked towards the tree closest to the house. Grabbing one of the lower branches, he climbed up the tree, finally swinging his legs over the balcony railing and to solid ground. He stood still on Gabriella Montez's balcony for a split second, wondering why he had climbed the tree in the first place. He had met her three days ago, and he had already climbed a tree to her room. He had worried about her when she didn't show up for class. Hell, she could have been in a meeting with the principal for all he knew. Why did he have such a strong urge to see her?

He caught movement on the bed through the long windows. Gabriella rolled over, still wrapped up in her fluffy comforter. A white rag fell off of her forehead and when one of her hands reached slowly out to grab it, she froze.

Chocolate brown met electric blue.

Troy smiled sheepishly and approached the sliding glass door. He put his hand on the handle and said, "Can I come in?"

Troy's heart beat increased when Gabriella didn't respond. She laid there, mouth open, eyes wide in shock. When a minute passed without speaking, he slid open the door and walked inside her room. She watched him, still not believing that Troy Bolton was in her room.

"Yeah," she broke the silence and he walked towards her bed. She relaxed into her comforter, "you've definitely reached creeper status."

"I just—I just had to make sure you were okay." He said quietly. "When you didn't come to calculus, I don't know. I guess I freaked a little."

"Why?" She was confused. He was worried about her?

He was silent for a long time. His only movement was to place the cold rag back on her forehead. "I have no idea, Montez." He laughed softly.

She smiled and pushed the side of her face deeper into her covers, forgetting her uneasy stomach or splitting headache. Her cheeks burned with a deep blush, but Troy couldn't tell. He looked her up and down, trying to get a feel for how she was doing. Most of her body was wrapped up in her comforter, even though it was at least eighty degrees outside. Her teeth were chatter and her body was shivering. She was so pale it couldn't be healthy.

"You look like hell." He said flatly.

"I feel like it." She admitted, then her eyebrows crashed together, confusion clouding her face. "How did you get up here?"

The right side of his face pulled up into a smile. "I'm a Wildcat remember," he explained simply. "I'm very good at climbing trees."

.-.-.- Insert Happy Music -.-.-.


Author's Notes: Yay! I updated! So long, I know. But please, review, drop questions. I love reviews! Also, I'm looking for someone who would like to make banners for Welcome to the War and this story. I would greatly appreciate it! PM me the final product or an idea if you want to.