"Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, and the things you never want to lose."

~Kevin Arnold~


I had expected Troy to ignore me for the rest of the trip. The hallowed image of his face burned into my dreams that entire night. Even after I heard him come in long after the others had followed me to bed, I couldn't look at him in case his eyes would shine that same pain as they did in the glow of the fire. He didn't say a word – if he knew I was up – as he slid onto the couch that had been his bed. My nightmares were haunted by his bloodied cheeks in the hospital and every time I snapped back into consciousness, I had to turn over just to be sure that he was still snoozing soundlessly.

Therefore, it surprised me when I awoke the next morning to find a cup of coffee sitting on the table for me and Troy waiting in his workout clothes, requesting if he could run with me again.

I didn't know how long we had been running for when Troy slowed his long strides. The lake that ran parallel to that specific path shimmered behind the filter of the trees. Being the early hours of the morning, all was still. Each chirp of a bird was like an instrument in a choir – I didn't even feel the need to bring my iPod anymore, given nature provided much more soothing sounds than Lil Wanye's innuendo by means of children's candy. Our breathing felt as though we were interrupting a private concert.

Due to the stillness of the atmosphere, I jumped when Troy finally spoke the first words since we had begun on our adventure earlier this morning, "Were Chad and Taylor… that bad in high school?"

I was surprised to find his breath slightly staggered; obviously being in shape due to his basketball experiences and just possessed much more testosterone than I made him more athletic, therefore he controlled the pace. Not that I minded. I didn't want to have to worry about whether or not he thought I was showing off or not.

"Wh-what?" I panted, trying to lift my knees to keep up with him.

"Too fast?" Troy asked and slowed his stride.

My natural competitive edge that only surfaced when I was in the presence of Troy Bolton roared, "No!"

He didn't halt his decline. Instead, his feet transferred to a shuffle in the middle of the path. At first, I felt a swell of feat that I had worn him out, until I realized that by the time he completely slowed to a jog, I was puffing much more than he was.

Squinting between the sweat that was dripping into my eyelashes, I looked up to watch him simply shrug, "It was too fast for me."

I took those few moments to continue my pants with my hands on my knees and my head dropped towards the ground. Cursing, I tried not to look up to see that Troy merely stood with his arms idly at his sides and leaned casually against a tree, his breathing only slightly sparatic. I felt unbelievably weak as he tilted his head towards me in curiosity.

After I finally caught my breath and was able to stand with my hands on my hips, I couldn't help but look up at Troy and find myself drooling over the perfection of his bare chest.

"So, were they?" He asked – I frowned at the easiness of his face.

"What," I paused to swallow the phlegm that collected in the back of my throat, "What are you talking about?"

"Chad and Taylor. Were they as bitchy in high school as they are now?"

I didn't understand where this was coming from. Troy hadn't said a word on our run and I was certain he was still aggravated with me after the previous night occurred. I honestly didn't care much about Chad and Taylor's relationship as much as I did over whether or not Troy was going to call me a tease and punish me for leading him on. He didn't appear if he was angry though, not by the way the sweat trickled down the calmness of his face. I wanted to look anywhere else but at him, however, he was far too dazzling to ignore.

I sighed, my breathing rate finally returned to a normal level, "It's hard to explain. They just... they don't fit together. They were so unexpected."

Troy crossed his arms, "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, I ran a hand down the bark of a tree behind me, "They're not exactly compatible. I mean. I love them both. But Chad's friendly and outgoing, but only really cared about winning the championship." I felt a pang in my heart, remembering that Troy was supposed to be the one to lead them to that championship when he was voted captain for the season of his junior year. Obviously, he didn't make it that far, "And Taylor's intelligent and knows what she wants, but won't let anyone stand in her way of that. She's not in it for games."

With a quirk of his eyebrow, he asked, "Then why'd they hook up?"

Awkwardly, I turned away, "It's um… it's complicated."

"Gabi, seriously?" He snapped, obviously understanding what I was referring too. I could see the veins in his arms beginning to pop as he glowered at me. The look on his face, raw and murderous, was enough to send shivers down my spine – I was frightened.

"Okay, fine." My fingers clenched harder on the wood, "We were all shattered when you left, Troy. They bonded over that."

Again, I couldn't meet his gaze, for I knew he would be able to detect my lie. It wasn't completely untrue – Chad and Taylor had bonded over his departure. But rather than comforting each other, they drew close because they were both afraid I was going to crumble into pathetic grains of sand and fade away in a breeze. That's why they hadn't stayed together in college: their relationship was based off of my broken heart therefore when I was gone they had nothing to worry about together. Eventually, they became bored with not having to care for someone. Their differences overtook whatever connection had formed and ultimately drove them to separation.

He wasn't happy with my answer; I could tell by the way his jaw tightened when I finally looked up at him that he was mulling over more than he needed to.

"How'd …how'd, you know…how'd you take it?" He hesitated coyly.

I tried not to close my eyes, knowing if I did, I would have been sucked back into a time warp that would remind me of the tear in my chest and the ghost it left in its place. Thinking quickly, I frantically tried to come up with an explanation to describe how broken I was without revealing the true reasoning behind it.

I took a deep breath before speaking, never once faltering my eyes from his, "It hurt like hell, Troy." I confessed, the rawness in my voice reflected the agony I had been put through, "We were best friends since I was ten. You don't know what it feels like to have your best friend look up at you and have no idea who you are."

There was pain in his face and I felt guilty. I didn't want to hurt him now, but it wasn't right to keep everything bottled up from him.

"Why didn't you come with Chad to Santa Fe?"

It didn't go unnoticed how bitter his voice was, representing how much it stung how I didn't make the effort.

Chewing on my lip, I took a step forward away from the tree to prove the truth of my words, "I was a coward, Troy. I was scared of seeing you and it hurting again. I'm so, so sorry."

He was silent for a long moment. Slowly, his sneakers scuffled against the dirt. I watch him keep his head down – thinking, regretting, wishing. My desire to rush over and throw my arms around his neck was overwhelming. I wanted to confess our love and tell him how much he meant to me: of how he was beautiful and my ex Chris had meant nothing compared to his presence. Before I could, however, the general in my head flashed the image of his repulsion to Sharpay. Unable to handle his rejection, my feet remained glued to the ground.

"Tell me something about him." Troy finally said after a long moment. His voice was quiet and subdued, his mind lost in thought.

"What?" I asked with perplexity.

His eyes flashed upwards and he gave me a one-sided smile – not happy, but calmed.

"Tell me something about my life. Not that I'm the shit at basketball or that I was supposed to be captain. Tell me something real."

There were a million things I could have told him; thousands of memories that had been stored and saved to make up for his that were erased. It was difficult to pick just one. I could have told him endless tales of the summer and how my brain was still electrified by the way he pushed back my hair or snuggled into my side whilst naked.

Finally picking a safer one, I smiled fondly to myself, "Um… okay, the third day of freshman year, you and I were having an argument over whether or not cafeteria food was make of rubber or not. We were standing and pushing your tray back and forth and suddenly my hand slipped and the chili fries just so happened to land on Sharpay's boobs."

Immediately, Troy snorted. His eyes were softening from their pierce of anger previously, "Awe man… that's why she hates us?"

By now, I was giggling too. Although I had the memory of his petrified face when Ice Princess whirled around and shoved her finger into my chest, my laughter was over separate things from his.

"She doesn't hate you… you two used to fuck every night, remember?" I teased while walking over to him, feeling the tension between us loosen.

His nose scrunched with disgust, "Ugh, don't even joke about that."

I continued my hiccups of laughter as he looked down at me differently than he had before. Curiosity was twinkling in his eyes as the air became thinner. Tilting my head, I tried to read his expression – it was nervous. Slowly, his hand arched around the back of his neck and he scratched it with a thread of awkwardness.

"Um…" He hesitated, never looking away from me, "You ready to head back or…"

Letting out a breath, I nodded and turned back towards the trail again, "I'm ready when you are."

"Race you back?" He smirked toothily.

Playfully, I slapped his bicep, "Last time you asked me that, I ended up dehydrated."

He winked before beginning our even pace once again, "If I can carry you back again, I'll take my chances."

God, help me.


For the first time since I had arrived at the cabin, I was going to experience an afternoon without Troy.

And I quickly realized that an afternoon without Troy just plain sucked.

Had anyone else besides Sharpay Evans decided they were going to stay behind from heading out for another hike, I would have been perfectly content with attempting to spend the day in solitude. After a day of going out into the boat once again and watching as the boys attempted to fish for – and fail miserably – our dinner, I had been looking forward to an early evening in solitude to catch up on the book I had brought as my company. Despite Troy's pleads, I urged the gang to go on without me. Until, of course, Sharpay decided she would rather paint her toe nails and complain instead of heading out with the rest of the gang.

I cursed the higher power that was punishing me.

"Does this look pink enough to you?" I jumped when a sudden foot shoved into my face, flexing its toes with a shimmer and shine that appeared kissed by a feminine flower. My feet, which were crossed and rested on the coffee table next to a flashlight and a deck of cards from when Taylor was playing solitaire earlier, almost crashed to the ground in surprise.

Protecting my novel, I flopped the pages down so they rested upon my thighs and quirked my eyebrow, "Sharpay… everything you own is pink. It looks fine to me."

"Ugh," she groaned and fell back into the cushions, staring up at me with both annoyance and superiority, "not everything I own is pink. You should pay attention more."

I glanced over to see that, indeed, I had been mistaken. For what seemed like the first time all vacation, she was wearing a teal halter with an intricate beading embroidered into the dipping neckline. Her bright hair was pulled up; a bump arched where her bangs should have fallen as they were pinned back. Had I not thought she was obnoxious, I would have admitted that the white shorts curved around her ass actually made her long legs look good.

"Honestly, Sharpay… the color of your nail polish really doesn't interest me."

Lifting my book again, I tried to immerse myself with the world of murdered nieces and condemned journalists in Sweden when the diva shifted her position to smirk knowingly in my direction. It made me squirm uneasily as I truly attempted to concentrate on the words that leapt off the page before me. Unable to take her scrutiny any longer, I whirled around with anger in my stare and poison in my voice as I snapped, "What?"

She shrugged, "Nothing. I was just thinking about what might interest you."

Her fingers ran through the divisions of her toes. She didn't look at me, but I knew she was trying to tease. It wasn't worth the trouble, I knew this. So I dug my nose into the book once again.

"Okay, fine," the book flapped to my legs once again, "Humor me, Sharpay. What would interest me?"

"Oh, I don't know." Again, she sent me a smirk of true evil, "How about amnesia-prone football captains with rippling abs?"

"Troy played basketball."

Her eyes glistened with amusement and wickedness, "I didn't think you would admit to it so easily."

My face paled. Fuck her.

"I'm not talking about this with you." My body did its absolute best to turn in the opposite direction so I could, quite literally, give her the cold shoulder. Still, I could hear her snickers scratching my ears from across the couch. It was hard to ignore the cynical way she kept shooting me all too knowing looks. I tried ignoring her and failed miserably.

"I'm surprised he didn't drag you out the door. Figured he wanted some action after last night."

By now I was beyond irritated and practically threw my book down, "I didn't know anything happened last night."

"I saw you two under the blanket. Don't try to play Mother Tessa on me."

My eyebrows flew upwards, "Don't you mean Mother Teresa?"

"Same thing." She said with a wave of her hand.

"Not that it's any of your business." I emphasized, "But Troy didn't touch me last night." I winced at the raunchiness of this statement.

Her eyes rolled, "Sure he didn't, Montez. I'm sure his fingers just so happened to slip into your-"

Thankfully, her sentence was never finished when the door swung open.

"We fucking made it!"

The voice was unmistakable as it bellowed through the house. Immediately, my head was thrown to look over towards the screen door. Unable to help myself from finally smiling, I watched as Jason eagerly bounced into the cabin with his Redhawks baseball cap turned backwards upon his head and a chuckle upon his lips. Narrowing my eyes, I attempted to see if the rest of the gang was to enter the threshold as well. The only one, however, who followed was – my heart skipped a beat – Troy.

"Dude, I told you I knew where we were going." He said with an eye roll that ultimately caused them to land on me. I felt my breath catch when he flickered a smile in my direction given he hadn't even been in the house for more than ten seconds.

"I don't trust you. I didn't want to get eaten by a fucking bear."

"Hey guys!" I greeted, not bothering to stand up or make a notion to acknowledge them. Both swiveled in my direction and beamed fondly, completely ignoring the diva who was humming obnoxiously from the other end of the couch, "Where's everyone else?"

Troy shrugged, "They were feeling adventurous."

It seemed out of character for Troy to give up an opportunity to prove his strength or perform an athletic feat. I tilted my head slightly, sending him a look of curiosity without saying a word. He gave me a look that spoke silently of how he understood my perplexity, and his smile shortly followed.

"It was getting dark," he explained and nodded towards the window where I was able to see the sunburst of purples and oranges to indicate nightfall, "And I had to be sure Jason got home in one piece."

Something told me it wasn't the only reason he wanted to be back.

"Whacha guys doin'?" Jason asked and he circled the sofa, popping down in the middle to divide us. His dark eyebrows rose as he noticed the book in my hands. Unexpectedly, he snatched it from my grasped and frowned, "Why the fuck are you reading?"

I giggled, attempting to reach over and steal the novel back from him. However, Jason's ball handling skills in high school were being tested as he played a game of one-man keep away from me.

"Some of us…don't spend hours… playing Call of Duty…"

"Come on, Shorty," he poked fun at my height as he raised the novel above his head, "can't reach?"

"Ugh… don't touch me!" Sharpay fanned the crinkles of her nose when Jason almost fell on top of her by arching backwards. We immediately stole a glance from each other – his much more cynical than mine. Bending back so I was now pressed up against the arm of the couch once again, I suddenly felt a presence looming behind me. It didn't take a genius to guess who had subtly gripped the curve of the couch so my exposed back tickled against his hands. I sighed, content, trying not to draw attention to the possessiveness he carried.

"There's no way in hell I'm gonna let you read this shit anymore." Jason tossed my thriller to the coffee table.

"Dude, it's not like we've got anything else to do." I heard Troy's voice behind me, "they won't be back for at least another hour."

Jason seemed to ponder this. With his finger tapping his chin and his dark eyes surveying the cabin, I felt a sense of foreboding. He wasn't a stupid guy, but his motives were slightly less than innocent. Sharpay didn't seem to notice, nor care, as she sat with her arms folded and attempted to remain as far away from him as possible. Troy, on the other hand, was tensing behind me. I had to resist the temptation of run my fingers up his arms in comfort.

Suddenly, Jason's gazed stopped as it rested upon the wood of the coffee table. A long smile drew over his features as he glanced up at Troy, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Unable to help myself, I looked up at Troy to see his eyes were slightly wide and panicked.

"Dude." He warned.

"Come on, man. Live a little."

"What's going on?" I demanded, looking up at Troy with both fear and pleads of comfort.

He swallowed and turned his attention back down towards me. Slowly, his hand trailed up my shoulder and squeezed – a gesture to comfort me.

"Jason's just being a perv and thinking through his unusually small dick." He responded, as though to assure me.

"Please, Bolton… I know you of all of us want to-"

Troy was silent, not denying this fact as Jason's lips curled triumphantly.

I suddenly needed to know this scheme, knowing that it was something both forbidden yet desirable in his eyes. My hand reached out before I could stop it, squeezing his wrist tightly and penetrating every ounce of persuasion possible through my eyes. He stared at me with his nostrils flaring and attraction leaking from his skin. I was too desperate to try and pretend like the gaze was platonic – it was far from innocent.

"Troy." I whispered, attempting to speak to my Troy make him cave, "What is he talking about?"

He didn't have to answer me – I suddenly heard a slap against a thick surface that made me whirl around to see Jason holding up the deck of cards with pure evil casting over his face.

"Two words, Montez," his teeth showed animalistically, "Strip. Poker."

My entire body froze just as Sharpay slowly spoke.

"Well it's about time someone had a little fun around here."


Never had I felt so exposed in my life.

"Awe… stop being a fucking party pooper, Montez!"

I crossed my arms over my chest which, by now, was only concealed by the sapphire bra that strapped around my torso. I watched as Jason, who was seated on the floor next to me and still magically wearing his shorts and socks, smirk at me with pure bemusement. With disgust, I glanced over to see Sharpay's plucked eyebrows were raised in a challenge – one that I wasn't willing to take.

"I already told you, Jase. If you want to me to take anything off of Sharpay, then you're going to have to take off Troy's boxers next."

Had I not been trembling in my toes, I would have caught sight of Troy glaring at me from across the three cards that lay in the center of our quad.

I had never played strip poker before, nor had I had any desire to. Honestly, I always thought it was just an excuse for a group of people to have an orgy. But Sharpay and Jason had been insistent after he suggested it. The entire time we debated, I tried my absolute hardest not to blush in front of Troy. It wasn't like I cared if he knew how uncomfortable I was with the situation – it really wasn't a secret that both of us were feeling something slightly more than platonic towards the other. Just the thought of him completely exposed had caught me on the edge of purely adulterated horniness.

Just like the way I felt as I caught sight that he was now only dressed in a pair of plaid boxers.

I had never heard of the version where each person takes a turn of stripping the loser of the hand, if it even was a version verses an idea Jason made up because he wanted to see Sharpay and I touch each other far more intimately than I ever wanted. Immediately, I shut the idea of same gender action down. I didn't judge those who swung the other way than I, but it wasn't a lifestyle I wished to ever experience. Besides, I already knew I was straight – the burning desire every time I caught gazes with Troy within the depths of my intimate regions was a reminder of that.

"Mmmkay." Jason collected the cards and shuffled, arching the deck into a bridge to show off. Lustfully, his eyes lingered on Sharpay's and then mine, "Which bra am I taking off next?"

Troy hissed possessively, "Don't get too comfortable." My heart fluttered as I watched his fists ball.

I glanced over –not lingering too long, of course – to see that Sharpay was only in a lacy push up bra that she barely filled – colored pink, naturally. She wore a thong that matched – the source of my avoidance. Thankfully, I chosen the boy shorts style that morning, therefore I didn't have to worry about spreading my legs and giving Troy a pure crotch shot as Sharpay was doing with Jason.

Jason dealt out two cards each. On the ground, I peaked beneath the flaps: a two of spades and a four of hearts. Dammit.

I tried to read everyone else's poker faces – Troy's and Jason's were perfected while I was already able to tell that Sharpay had been dealt a fairly decent hand given her low smile. Flickering towards the diva, Troy immediately turned towards me to read my expression. I was a rock, petrified and praying that he would save me if it happened to turn out terribly.

Jason placed down the first card face up – we were playing Texas Hold 'em.

An eight of diamonds.

Fuck.

"You look nervous, Montez." Jason wiggled his eyebrows.

"Just put the fucking card down, Cross." Troy hissed; his eyes were dangerous and penetrating.

An eyebrow quirked, "Testy, Bolton?"

He growled – it suddenly made me want to pounce on him.

Jason's hand lowered again and I held my breath, anticipating the worst: a jack of hearts.

Double fuck.

His fingers flitted the final card before he dropped it: four of clubs.

I could deal with that.

It was silent for a long moment. All of us were catching each other's eyes, waiting for the first person to place their cards down. Even Sharpay seemed to be intrigued with what was concealed. I wasn't oblivious to the way Troy was burning his eyes into me. I dared to look up and felt my heart race. There was a shimmer of possession behind his stare – it was obvious he didn't want Jason to touch me. I felt my breath catch when I thought I saw a shimmer of the old Troy, of my Troy, baring his teeth – prepared to fight.

"Two tens." Sharpay broke the silence, grinning with triumph. It surprised me; I would have thought she would have wanted to strip.

"Three pair… suck on that, bitch!" Jason threw down his matching pair of jacks.

And that left Troy and I.

If he had less than I, we would continue with the game and Jason would not be removing my lingerie. Troy wouldn't need to remove his boxers either. The second scenario was just as dangerous – my boy shorts would dampen even more than they already were if he completely lost.

Swallowing, Troy placed his cards down upon the hardwood floor and mumbled, "An eight and a king… a pair."

My eyes immediately closed in defeat. His pair beat mine.

"Oh, fuck yes." Jason groaned as I revealed my failing hand. I didn't notice the way he was rubbing his hands together excitedly, I was too busy watching Troy's chin ground with pure hatred. Unable to control myself, my hand reached out to grab his wrist and squeeze in comfort. However, the action was immediately intercepted. Before I knew what was happening, Jason had twirled me around and had desire leaking from his smirk, "This is going to be epic."

"Fuck you, Cross." I muttered, already feeling my body burn with pure mortification that I was about to be exposed to two people – technically three, since Troy couldn't remember – my naked body. Panic was bubbling through my stomach as Jason encircled his arms around me, taking his time by feeling the grooves and bumps along my spine. His breath was hot and husky as it spilled over my neck. He didn't think of me anymore than a friend, but I knew the opportunity to see an almost naked girl was driving him wild.

As Jason finally took hold of the clasp, I looked up at Troy once last time with apologetic eyes.

"Wait!"

I let out a breath of relief.

"What? I'm a little busy, Bolton!" Jason hissed as he turned his direction towards Troy. He was now up onto his knees and a smile wide with victory.

"She still has her bellybutton ring in."

If I hadn't been head over heels for him before, I would have fallen in love with him just for that statement.

I immediately pushed Jason away and slapped his bare chest, "Take that, Cross!" I teased, feeling giddy and high that I wouldn't have to be revealing my boobs for at least this round. He glared viciously at Troy and then at me, probably planning out his mass murder as he grudgingly reached towards my stomach to unscrew the top ball that held my jewelry together. I didn't even mind that he took more time than necessary to brush against my stomach – I was too elated I was still partially clothed.

"I owe you." I mumbled towards Troy when Jason muttered his profanities back to his appropriate spot and chucked the deck of cards at me.

"I better lose this round." Jason grumbled as I began to shuffle the cards, "You're taking my shorts off as revenge, Montez."

Feeling drunk off of relief, I shrugged my shoulders, "We'll just have to see how the cards lay."

"Yes!" Sharpay squealed, not even bothering to hide her excitement as I began to deal. I wasn't quite out of the woods yet, of course, I could still have to remove my own bra if I happened to lose this round. I was praying that my nine of clubs and my queen of hearts would keep me clothed.

That hope only increased when I flipped the first of three cards down to find it was a nine as well.

Jason was frowning when I placed the second card to the ground to reveal a jack – I figured it meant that he had a match. Sharpay was still swinging her sunshine hair back and forth, delighted. I looked up to see that Troy had a small, and utterly sexy, smirk upon his lips as his eyes drilled into mine. It was difficult to read, but it made my skin crawl with eroticism.

"I have a pair of queens." Jason mumbled with disappointment after I placed down the final card: a two of diamonds. His frown grew deeper as I laid down my matching nine as well and Sharpay happily tossed her two twos into the center, making it a three of a kind.

I watched as the cocky grin exploded onto Troy's face as he dropped his cards and stood up, gazing at me with a look that could only be described as lustful.

"A three and a ten." His eyes darkened as he pointed to his boxers, ready for me to remove.

My eyes widened and I gulped.

I was about to see Troy Bolton buck-naked.

And I was going to be stripping him.

Oh fuck.

The sexual tension that lingered among the group finally ignited and exploded. The mood suddenly shifted from a playful competition to pure and raw desire. The other experiences suddenly became forgotten; Jason's teasings of pulling Sharpay and my shirts off and Troy's removal of my earrings and headband were nothing compared to the essence of hunger that sweat from his face. I was petrified and wary of exposing him, but those thoughts were erased from my mind with the rest of the world. Suddenly, I was the victim of amnesia. I had completely forgotten how inappropriate this was when he lifted his hand upwards and wiggled his finger - a coax dripping with seduction.

I was bewitched as I obeyed. Standing, I didn't even notice as my feet completely destroy our card game. Both aware of the sexual past Troy and I held, I didn't even feel Jason and Sharpay's eyes drilling into the two of us. Troy was the only one who existed in my world.

And I wanted him. God, I needed him.

I stopped just before him, watching as his eyes trailed approvingly over my body and back to my face, sending a look that was covered with filth. I, however, never left his eyes. Stronger than gravity, they kept my balance as I lowered to one knee, and then the other. Our breathing was begining to stagger in harmony, and we hadn't even touched each other under the hazy orange and black dim of the room.

Until I curled my palms around each of his hips, letting out a breath of relieved frustration – God, I had missed them. I heard a groan when my thumbs hooked beneath the elastic waistband of the red and black material. My breath hitched again, but I sucked in my courage and slowly began to pull the fabric down.

Without even looking, I knew he was a rock.

I saw his fantasy shining in his midnight eyes – cooled azure darkened with desire. Reflected back was a much more erotic version of me– still strapped in my bra and boy shorts – rocking forwards and back with moans mewling from my occupied lips. It made me blush, knowing exactly what he would have sold his soul for in that moment. The originality of his personality washed into a pool of on the hardwood of the floor. The complexity of Troy Bolton no longer existed. He was suddenly a man; a man with one simple need that he was silently begging to be satisfied.

And he wanted me to give it to him.

Growing overeager, I dipped my hands beneath his boxers before they could completely crumple to the floor. I avoided the reason for the tent that popped and concentrated on the way he felt beneath my fingertips. Like the yellowbrick road, I followed the trail of hair that pointed to the direction of euphoria, splitting my hands just before reaching what he desired me to touch. The skin down on either side of his arousal felt different than the rest of his body. His arms, legs, neck and chest were weathered by exposure. This area, so sacred and private, was hidden from the elements by his clothes; therefore, it was smoothed and perfected, with few straggles of hair just above his organs. I was one of the few who had had the pleasure of being able to touch such an intimate region. And it felt like heaven.

"Jesus…Gabi…" He groaned, making no attempt to veil how turned on he was as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. And I hadn't even touched his dick.

I curled my lips as seductively as I could, anticipating being able to release him from the imprisonment of his clothing…

"What the fuck is going on?"

The booming voice startled me. I jumped, immediately introduced to reality once again and realized what I was about to do. Troy's eyes widened as well, breaking the spell of desire between us. Panicked, I pushed his pelvis away from me and whirled around to see Chad, Taylor, and Zeke standing just beyond the couch with their jaws dropped to the floor and their faces purely horrified.

"Gabriella?" Taylor hissed with astonishment. The shadows of the room were drawing slowly over their faces, making them appear lethal.

"It…it's not what… it's not what you think!" I attempted to defend as soon as I found my voice. Troy was still standing, frantically trying to cover the clearly obvious bulge that was sticking out beneath his underwear.

"Dude… if she's gonna fucking blow you, don't do it in front of these two!" Chad's fingers pointed towards Jason and Shapray, who looked just as guilty as we did.

"No! I wasn't… look it's…" My words came out as vomit as I staggered to a stance, remembering I was now only wearing my panties and bra, "It's not what it looks like… I swear!"

"Then what the hell?" Chad demanded.

"We're playing strip poker." Jason finally answered, holding up a pair of cards. I glanced over at Troy again to see he was running a hand through his hair and taking deep breaths. Fighting the urge to rub his back to calm him down, I looked at the ground instead and prayed this would all just disappear.

"Strip. Poker?" Taylor asked, looking up at me for the truth.

"It's true." Troy responded with his voice slightly higher than usual, "And uh… I just lost..."

The three of them looked between us; judging the way that most of us were practically naked and a deck of cards were spilled across the floor if we were being honest. Taylor looked the most upset, Chad appeared slightly bemused at our uncomforted behavior and Zeke was slightly disgusted, yet guilty. By now, Troy was holding up his pair of shorts, but breathing just as roughly as he had been a few moments before. We avoided looking at each other, trying to calm ourselves down before we told them all to fuck off so we could pick up where we left off.

Finally, Taylor shook her head and said, "I don't even want to know." Her hands lifted as she turned away, "Get clothes on – we're making dinner." With that she briskly stalked away.

For one last time, Troy and I caught an awkward glance that was both hesitation and lust.

So much for just being friends.


A/N: I know I'm slightly rusty with the sexual tension, given that I haven't really done it in months, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyways. I honestly don't know how to express my gratitude for you guys. The response that has been left has been unreal, so thank you so incredibly much. You guys are amazing.