VERY IMPORTANT A/N:

Hey guys! :)

First of all, I want to apologize: I have the feeling you are not enjoying this story or that you're disappointed with it and I need to say something: the rhythm of this story is different from the one my previous stories had. I needed to introduce a little T and G's worlds here so you understood a little more how things were…but things are about to change…with this chapter. I think this chapter and the next one are the ones you've been waiting for, and I hope with all I have that you'll enjoy them.

I ask you, again, to have patience with that story; it seems the plot doesn't advance, I know, but you'll understand in the future why those 3 past chapters are like they are, I promise. I only hope you'll still read the story, and that you'll give me your opinion about it: your reviews and words inspire me, and make me want to write a better chapter, a better story, so please, keep them coming! If you don't like the chapter or the story, talk freely; I don't mind bad reviews if they are sincere, because they help the story to be better, and as a writer, I want to write something good, you know? ;)

I'm updating now because I'm kinda disappearing for almost a month; I don't know when I'll be able to update, but I'll try and post the next chapter soon. I don't know when, but I promise I'll try :D

Thanks for all those of you who have reviewed the last chapter or have added the story or myself to your lists; those emails are the best ones :D you guys rooooock! :hug:

Anyway, I'm going to shut up and let you read…

Here is chapter 4. Enjoy! :)

'Meet me at 6PM today at the old oak besides the lake at the park. Gabriella.'

Troy looked confused at the screen on his computer; who the fuck was that Gabriella chick? He had no idea…though he was kinda used to receive weird mails from girls who wanted to meet him and then wanted a fuck. He would go for sure; he was no one to say no to a quick and easy fuck.

He'd been playing basketball with his friends, and he'd just arrived at his home not even thirty minutes ago. Knowing a teacher had to email him some important information for one of his exams, he'd decided to log on and check his mailbox…only to find this weird mail. The thought of someone kidding with him never crossed his mind; boys envied him and knew about his temper, and girls…well, he'd still had to meet the girl who would be a real dare for him, so he knew he was safe going to the park to meet this stranger.

He looked at his watch; he had almost an hour until the time the girl said, and he guessed the park was the one in front of his house, so knowing he had plenty of time, he decided to take a shower. Even though he barely had respect for those girls who threw themselves at him, the truth was that he knew they would talk with her friends once the did was done, and so he had a reputation to maintain: a good shave, a hot shower and clean boxers were primordial in order for those whores to have more good things about him to talk about.

Nodding to himself, Troy turned off the computer and stepped into the bathroom to get ready for this "date".

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Freaking out.

Gabriella was freaking out.

Why the fuck she'd had to send that email to all the addresses her mind had come up with during the night? She didn't know if one of those addresses was his, and still she'd sent the emails. What the fuck was wrong with her? Even though she didn't use her real address, the truth was that she was in front of her closet trying to find the perfect outfit to meet the real Troy Bolton.

But she didn't want to think about why she was doing so.

"Hey Brie," her brother knocked the door of her room and opened the door. "What's this mess?" He widened his eyes and pointed and the pile of clothes that were lying on her bed.

"Go away," Gabriella snapped. "I'm busy…"

"I see," Bobby nodded sarcastically. "You are re-decorating your room and your closet will be your bed from now on, right?"

"Go. Away." Gabriella muttered stopping between words.

"No thank you," Bobby said pushing away some clothes so he had some room to sit on her bed. "What's with you? You're never this cranky…"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Does this match?" She asked showing him a dress and a cardigan.

"Yes," Bobby answered unsure. "I think…" He stopped and looked in a mixture of bewilderment and amusement how Gabriella really was taking his answer seriously. "Gabs, I don't know if that matches. I guess…navy blue dress and white cardigan seems right, but I don't know…"

"Which shoes you think I should wear with that?" Gabriella asked ignoring blatantly his comment.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Bobby asked totally confused now. "Gabs…" He stood up and shook her body trying to gain her attention. "What's with you?"

"Nothing," she answered shortly. "Now go away; I need to shower."

"First tell me what's with you?" Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "You know you're really noisy, right?"

"Sure," he answered vaguely. "But I won't go away until you don't tell me what's with you…"

"Look I'm kinda nervous now," Gabriella explained trying to push him out of her room with no luck even though she was using all her strength. "And I don't have time to talk. Now go."

"Gabi," he repeated sternly. "Tell me what the fuck is with you now," he demanded.

She sighed in defeat. "I've done something…weird…being me…and…now…" Gabriella took a deep breath. "I'm freaking out."

"What've you done?" Bobby asked worriedly, placing a comforting hand in her shoulder.

She shook his hand off and went to stand beside the balcony doors of her room. "Remember that story I told you about the guy and I?"

"Yeah," Bobby narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Sighing, Gabriella turned around and faced her brother. "The other day I woke in the middle of the night and five email addresses came to my mind." She explained feeling herself mental. "Five addresses that could be his," she continued hesitantly. "And I've sent an email to all those addresses asking the person to meet me at the park in front of Kelsi's house."

"You what?" He shrieked. "I can't believe you!"

"Believe me because that's what I've done," Gabriella muttered. "Four mails have been returned because they were unknown addresses, but one of them not."

"So this Troy guy has received your mail, then?" Bobby asked trying to understand what Gabriella was explaining.

"Someone," Gabriella pointed out. "I don't know if this someone is Troy or not…"

"And why are you freaking out?" Bobby asked confused. "You've already done the worse…"

"The worse is to actually meet Troy Bolton there," Gabriella hissed. "Bobby I can't go there…" She said sadly.

"Oh no," Bobby said going to stand in front of her closet. "You'll go there and wait a little afar from where you've told him to meet you; if the guy is not Troy, then you come back home as if he being there had nothing to do with you." He said nonchalantly. "And you'll wear that…" Bobby said placing on her bed a white short dress.

"No way!" Gabriella protested. "I'm not going to wear that!"

"And why not?" Bobby sighed. "This dress looks amazing on you and you always say how comfortable you feel while you wear it. You need to wear something that you feel good with and that looks pretty on you," he continued patronizingly. "And this is the dress."

Gabriella giggled at how seriously her brother was talking. "Are you really serious?"

"Of course," Bobby sighed again. "Gabs, when I told you to go and talk with him I wasn't thinking about you sending someone a weird mail, but now that you've already done that, better continue with the plan, don't you think?"

"And what if Troy Bolton is the one appearing there?" Gabriella whispered.

"Then you go to stand in front of there and you introduce yourself," Bobby smiled sweetly at her. "I already told you that if he wants nothing to do with you is his lost. You don't have anything to lose here…"

Gabriella smiled at her brother enthusiasm. "Okay," she took a deep breath. "I'm going to do it but…"

Bobby saw her change on demeanour. "But what?"

"Can you come with me?" Gabriella said lowly. "If the guy is Troy, then you can go back home but first you'll need to slow down my heartbeat's rhythm. If the guy is not Troy, then I'll come home with you…"

"You'll feel better with me there?" Bobby asked confused.

"Well," Gabriella sounded unsure. "Only at the beginning…"

"Okay," Bobby nodded. "If that's what you need so you can be all brave and amaze him with how incredible you are then I'm going with you…"

Gabriella squealed and threw her arms around Bobby's neck, who picked her up and twirled her around, adding his chuckles at her giggles. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"No worries," Bobby said kissing her temple and lowering her body until her feet touched the ground again. "Now go get that shower and I'll clean this mess. But you're wearing the white dress…deal?"

"Deal," Gabriella grinned and soon rushed to the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom. "You're the best!" She exclaimed over her shoulder before the lock of the door was closed and Bobby shook his head amused by her excitement.

Putting on some cologne, Troy whistled while his mind wondered who that mysterious woman was. He was sure as hell she wasn't someone he already knew; he didn't know why, but he was weirdly excited for that "date"…and he knew it wasn't only because he would be a lucky guy that night but because he felt something different would come out of this date, something he didn't expect and something that would be more meaningful, more…important; he felt as if something big was waiting for him, and he couldn't help but think that maybe this girl or this date would be this "big thing".

Strangely, he hadn't thought about the mysterious girl for some days; he'd been busy with some things for the university and his friends, and only once he'd thought he was seeing her while being on the street, but that had been it. No encounters while being in the building or the elevator, neither while being walking on the street…it was as if the previous encounters never had happened because all of a sudden the girl had disappeared.

Though, and he never would admit that, when he saw his neighbour, and the girl's friend, while waiting for the elevator his heart fastened its heartbeat and a sudden cold sweat invaded his forehead…though the girl simply nodded at him and told him goodbye as if nothing. As if she didn't have any idea about the weird thing he had with her friend; that pleased and disturbed him at the same time.

He was glad what was between them was really only between them…but another part of him wanted for her to freak out, to blush…he wanted for her to be really bothered by him. Because apart of the occasional blush, the girl didn't seem to be bothered or flustered by him at all…and that was a shocking first for him.

"Are you going out?" Lucille asked entering in his room with his clean clothes. Troy nodded, reluctant to add anything more; Lucille picked that up and narrowed her eyes. "With who?"

"A friend," Troy answered vaguely.

"Which friend?" Lucille pressed. She didn't know how womenwhore her son was, but her mother instincts kicked in each time she saw him getting ready to go out. He'd only introduced one girl to her, and she was the worse: only good body-no brain-focused only in Troy's look-and just plain rude. The comments that girl did while being sat at the table were all sexual innuendos towards Troy, freaking a little out both she and Jack. A genius wasn't needed to know Troy was more than sexual active, and she couldn't help but worry; towards them he was kind and sweet, but his attitude when he was with his friends or with a girl was colder, more distant…as if he thought he was better than them somehow, and that bothered her, because she couldn't understand how her son could be so heartless with everybody but be the sweetest one with them.

"One," he answered flatly. "I'm not sleeping here; I think I'll crash at Chad's…"

Lucille narrowed her eyes at the blatant lie that her son told her. "At Chad's?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yeah," Troy nodded. "Bye mom," he said kissing her cheek and disappearing down the hall, leaving a worried and disappointed Lucille behind, who exited from her son's room, turning off the lights and shaking her head.

Lucille couldn't understand what had made Troy to be like that; he'd always been the sweetest guy, but then, one day while he was in high school, he began to change. Where he'd been sweet he became flat, where he'd been warm and tender he became cold…it was as if he was another person altogether, a person she didn't know. Of course with them he always behaved the same way, but his attitude towards the rest of the world worried her; neither she nor Jack had ever been the controlling type of parents, but there were times, like this one, where she would have liked to be more over him.

But he was 22 at the moment, and it was too late for her, or anyone, to change him; her hope had disappeared long time ago.

----------

"Gabi please," Bobby sighed exasperated. "Be still," he complained while he was driving towards the park. "You're making me dizzy with so much movement…"

"Sorry," Gabriella blushed. "But I can't help it…"

Bobby placed his hand on her knee, stopping at a red light. "Look, you only need to be yourself; be trust to who you really are and then go with the flow. You don't need to see him again if you don't want to and he's a jerk with you. He's not in your life now, so you don't have anything nor anyone to lose, is that clear?"

Reaching for his hand, Gabriella squeezed it with hers and planted a soft kiss to his cheek. "Thank you Bobby, I'm so glad you're here with me those days…" Her voice failed down and she lowered her eyes. "I've missed you so much…"

"I've missed you too," he smiled and used his hand to lift her chin. "Now, I want a big smile, come on…" He ordered playfully. Gabriella giggled and he nodded. "See? Much better," he said satisfied.

Parking the car, Bobby stepped out of the car and soon realized Gabriella was still inside. "Gabs come on! Do you need me kicking you out of the car?" Gabriella poked her tongue at him and exited from the car glaring at her brother, who chuckled clearly amused. "Come on big girl," he said passing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her body towards the park's entrance. "Let the show begin!"

Gabriella gulped aloud. "If he's not him we're going home," she muttered lowly.

"I swear," Bobby promised squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. "I'm not about to force you to talk with a stranger…"

"Bobby," Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Troy is a stranger too…"

He rolled his eyes as well. "Maybe, but it seems someone out there wants you to meet him, right? So there…plus, you know where he lives, you know which high school he went to, you know his name…so he's not a stranger-stranger…"

"Of course not," she said sarcastically.

"Where did you tell him to meet with you?" Bobby asked stopping in the middle of the main path of the park.

"Besides the lake," she sighed fidgeting with her fingers.

"I don't know where that is," Bobby sighed. "You need to lead the way…"

"But he'll see us!" She protested alarmed.

"Calm down," Bobby said placing his hands on her shoulders. "Take a deep breath and relax, ok? I'm here…" Gabriella followed his instructions. "Better?" He asked tenderly and nodded when Gabriella nodded as well. "Okay then, let's go…"

Gabriella lead him towards the park and they hided behind a big a bush, waiting for "a guy" to arrive at the big old oak she'd specified on her mail.

Troy crossed the big ironed doors and began to feel some butterflies floating in his stomach, a sensation he'd never felt before; he didn't know why he was so excited about this date, he didn't know the girl and he had had a lot of dates before, so it wasn't as if he had to try and impress anyone.

But still an unknown feeling made an appearance and made him uncomfortable somehow.

His feet walked him surely towards the lake; even though it was somehow hided in the park, Troy knew where it was because that was the place he went when he wanted to think. It was a little cosmos inside the city; the place where nothing but the birds and the music the leaves of the trees made when the wind blew could be heard…and the place where he felt he could be really himself.

Not only the lake but also the old oak was a place known by heart by Troy. That tree had always amazed him; all the initials surrounded by hearts grabbed there were like a reminder for Troy that there was something more out there. He, usually, avoided to think about it so much but there were times when he wanted that; he wanted to have the need to grab in a trunk his initial with another one's surrounded by a heart, to feel the need to show he was in love, to feel the need to really love someone…but he didn't know what love was.

Of course he loved his parents, his family, his real friends, but the love for another someone, the love he wanted to feel towards a woman was something totally unknown for him; the butterflies, the dizziness, the perpetual excitement, the giddy feeling, the shivers…he hadn't ever know what those things were, and he was craving them.

He loved his life; he loved to feel needed for a girl, to have girls falling under his feet, to fuck with a different girl each time he wanted…but in the deepest part of his core, he wanted more. He would never admit that aloud, but he wanted to know how to love, to know what love was, to know how love felt.

Arriving at the oak, Troy took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down; he couldn't show his flaws, he needed to be arrogant and cocky so the fuck was assured. He needed to show himself as the cold guy, the hot guy, the guy who didn't care for anything nor anyone, and he knew he needed to get rid of those thoughts before the girl arrived.

----------

Gabriella gasped when a tall guy arrived at the oak and Bobby knew right there and then than that guy was Troy. "Is he, right?" She nodded wordlessly and Bobby hugged her. "Calm down, pretty girl," he whispered. "Be only you, okay?" He felt her nod into his chest and he kissed her hair. "Good luck," he said lowly pushing her body out of the bush taking advantage that the guy was giving them his back.

Gabriella stumbled and almost fell but good luck was on her side and she could still her feet before the fall. Turning around, she glared at Bobby who shrugged apologetically and took a deep breath.

That was it.

The guy was Troy Bolton.

Her brain had come with his email address on its own…an address which, by the way, didn't seem to be his because only had Bolton and some different numbers on it.

But her brain still had found the correct address.

With slow steps, Gabriella approached the oak.

Troy could feel someone's steps closer each second by but he decided to not turn around, suddenly afraid of what was about to come.

Tentatively, Gabriella took the last step, stopping at three steps away from Troy. She turned around alarmed, searching with her eyes her brother's, but in the bush there wasn't anyone. She was alone there, and she was sure as hell Troy had already heard her…so she couldn't back away.

She needed to do that.

She wanted to do that.

And then she took a deep breath again.

"Hello Troy," she said lowly…surprising herself at how steady her voice had sounded.

Troy's shoulders lifted and his body tensed; he would have recognized that voice everywhere…and he was sure as hell it was the last voice he would have expected there.

Turning around slowly and holding his breath, Troy came face to face with The Girl's face, with the two brown pools he knew by heart, and his eyes immediately locked with them, searching the comfort, yearning the warm feeling he felt run through his system each time he lost himself in them.

When he was about to speak…though he didn't know what he would have said so shocked he was, the girl talked again. "My name is Gabriella."

And the sweet smile that adorned her face when she said her name and the special brightness he saw in her eyes relaxed his body totally and he couldn't help but reach out his hand, waiting for her to grasp it. Once she did, he talked for the very first time. "Nice to meet you," he answered smiling sincerely...surprising himself.

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Bobby was looking the interchange of words and gestures between Gabriella and Troy hided behind another bush; he knew Gabriella would freak out while going to where Troy was, and he didn't want for her to feel he was there…he wanted for Gabriella to face her fears on her own…though he would keep himself closer in case she really needed him.

But he knew she was brave enough to face her fears alone.

She only needed the push.

And he'd pushed her.

And seeing Troy's face…he knew he'd done the right thing to do.