A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've been really busy lately. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and left suggestions! I would like more please! Thanks, Lisa

The music blared and one the room was spinning. The crowded club was just a sea of colors, blending and swirling. Gabby laughed at the man in front of her but couldn't seem to remember what they were laughing about. She fell onto a chair with him, knocking many cups along the way. Then suddenly they were upstairs, and the lights were way too bright. Gabriella tightened the band on her arm as the man kissed along her neck and she giggled with pleasure. He held up a needle and came at her with it, and suddenly, he had needles for fingers. Scared, she looked into his dark eyes. "So dark", she thought, "black as night." They were getting darker and darker, and she was falling…

Gabriella sat up in her bed, covered in a cold sweat and shaking. This was not the first dream she had since she had come clean almost seven months ago. They normally started out the same, with the parties and laughter. They made her want to use again, want to experience that high that allowed her to become carefree. But lately, they had turned into nightmares. Derek, she thought. She had not thought that name since she arrived in Albuquerque nearly a month ago. She shook her head. She would not think of him now. Her life was shaping up. She had a good job working in Sharpay's father's office, and she and Taylor had finally renewed their friendship. She was beginning to feel like she belonged, and she could forget her past. There was a blue-eyed boy that had started to make her stomach flutter every time she saw him. Smiling at this last thought, Gabriella lied back down on her pillow, unaware that several miles away, that very same blue-eyed boy was having a nightmare himself.

"Higher, Troy! Higher!" The young girl giggled. She looked to be about thirteen, and was being pushed on a swing set by a young boy. When Troy had pushed her high enough, she jumped off the swing and soared into the air.

"Beat that, Bolton!" the girl coughed. Troy laughed, and then looked at her, concerned.

"Amy, maybe we shouldn't do this. Your dad said not to overexert yourself…" he trailed as she glared at him. She got up angrily, and ran away from him. Troy chased after her, calling. He didn't want her to get sick again. He ran and ran, but somehow she was always far ahead of him. Suddenly she stopped and turned to look at him with a sad smile on her face. Then she disappeared.

"Amy!" Troy called, crying.

Troy woke up with tears on his face. He could still see the young girl, but as he tried to grasp onto his thoughts, Troy realized he could not remember what she looked like. How could he forget? He had pictures, but he couldn't bring himself to take them out to look at them. With an even guiltier jolt, he realized that he had not even thought about Amy since Gabriella had arrived in town. He turned over, restless. He would not go back to sleep that night, afraid that Amy would be in his dreams again.

"Mr. Evans' office, please hold." Gabriella said into the phone. She sighed and put her head on her desk. After her nightmare last night, she could not stop thinking about what was in the dream. Even the thought of using made her shaky and weak.

"Excuse me, miss," a deep, sexy voice said softly. Shocked, Gabriella looked up and saw Troy standing in front of her. Troy looked just as bad as she felt, and she found herself wondering about him.

"I thought maybe you could use a break. Want some lunch?" he asked, holding up a bag. She smiled and nodded, and left a note on her desk saying she was taking her hour lunch.

"Where are we going?" Gabriella asked Troy as they walked down the street.

"You'll see." He said, causing her to frown with impatience. Since the movie night last weekend, Gabriella had seen Troy almost daily. They had flirted and laughed, and now Gabriella found herself thinking about him almost constantly. He had not called her Brie in a long time, however, and she wondered why. She thought, with a slightly sad pang, that maybe he was not flirting, but just being polite. Troy turned a corner, and Gabby realized that they were on a playground. She looked at him wonderingly, but he just smiled and walked over to the swings.

"Very romantic, Troy," she kidded.

"Hey, you looked like you could use some fun," he said. "In fact, you look like crap."

Gabriella put on a shocked face and smacked him lightly on the arm.

"I just didn't sleep well. You don't look so hot yourself."

"Meaning on a normal basis, you think I'm hot?" he joked. "Yeah, didn't sleep so well myself."

"Bad dreams?" She asked. Troy nodded. Gabby decided to drop the subject, since he had probably come to get away from his dreams.

"So, Troy, tell me." She said, turning towards him.

"Tell you what?"

"Everything. I find you very interesting." Troy raised his eyebrows at this.

"Well, let's see. I was born here, grew up a couple of miles away. I met Chad in like, preschool, and we've been best friends ever since. I met Taylor senior year of high school when she moved down here and she started dating Chad. We're all going to be seniors at U of A, as you very well know, and I'm captain of the basketball team. I love pizza, root beer, and rock music."

"Very nice." She laughed, noticing that he said nothing about his life when he was a kid.

"Your turn," he said, taking a bite of his burger.

"Me? Ok, well, I was born in a small town in Florida, and then I moved to Miami when I was twelve. I met Taylor there, and we were best friends until she moved. I'm not in school, as you can see, but I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do, so it may come in the future." She shrugged. The truth was that she had perfect grades in high school until about junior year, and that's when the partying really hit her hard and she spiraled downwards. She lost her scholarship opportunity and any chance to get into a good school. She didn't want Troy to know any of this, however. "I moved here to kind of get away from everything back in Miami. I love scary movies and loud music, and French fries are my favorite."

"What was wrong with Miami?" he asked, knowing she hadn't told him when they first met.

"Oh, well, you know. Not a lot of good influence. I got into a little bit of trouble here and there, and I decided New Mexico would be a good way to settle down."

"I didn't take you for a troublemaker, Montez," Troy laughed. Gabriella threw a French fry at him, and a small fry fight ensued.

"Well, you don't know me very well." Gabriella sighed. Troy studied her for a minute, then leaned in very close. Gabriella thought he was going to kiss her, and her heart started beating rapidly.

"Maybe we should change that," Troy whispered huskily. He leaned closer, then suddenly pushed Gabriella off her swing. She fell over backwards, shrieking.

"I'm going to get you, Troy Bolton!" she ran towards him, but he ducked out of her way. Troy made her chase him all over the playground, then turned and spun her around when she tried to grab him. They collapsed, laughing, onto the merry-go-round.

"You're a jerk, Troy," Gabriella said as she punched him. He sat up and flashed her a dazzling smile. She sat up, and asked seriously ,"Why did you stop calling me Brie?"

"I thought you didn't like it," he said, looking at her. She has beautiful eyes. They're the color of espresso, he thought.

"I didn't mind," she admitted. "You're the only one who calls me that."

He smiled again, then made up his mind. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on her mouth before pulling away again. She remained there with her eyes closed for a few moments, then opened them to look into his piercing blue ones.

"Time to go, Brie," he said as he helped her up. They walked in silence back to her office building, occasionally looking at each other and smiling. As they approached the door, Troy started to speak but was interrupted by a high pitched squeal calling his name.

"Troy!" they turned to see a tall, busty brunette with big green eyes running towards Troy, "Hey, baby," she crooned, making Troy wince.

"Hey, uh, Lara," he said.

"You never called me back after last weekend." She pouted. Troy glanced at Gabriella, and noticed that she looked slightly downcast.

"Don't worry, I'll call you this weekend. We'll have some more fun," she said seductively before walking away, swinging her hips. Troy turned back to Gabriella.

"Um, that was Lara, she's a, um-"

"Friend?" Gabriella asked with her eyebrows raised. She turned towards the doors.

"Thanks for lunch Troy, it was fun," she said lightly, smiling at him. "I'll see you later."

Troy looked at her, confused. Was she upset? Why does he care if she saw Lara? He walked away, thinking of big, chocolate brown eyes as he left.