Hey sexy people, thanks to all those who reviewed :) I hope you like this chapter!

Troy couldn't stop thinking about Gabriella. He hadn't been able to get to sleep last night either. He had tried everything, warm milk, saying the alphabet over and over again in his head, saying the rosary. Nothing seemed to work, all he could see was the look on her beautiful face after she had walked, well practically ran, away. It was a look of sadness and self-doubt. He had done that to her. He had.

He kept trying to think of a way to see her again, but short of rocking up to her hotel room, apologising only to have her yell at him again, which was definitely not a good idea, he was out of options. The reunion was supposed to be his way in. He didn't think that it would be that hard. He didn't know he was going to feel like this. 'Ok, so I did have a major thing for her back in high school' he thought to himself as he crossed the road to get to the street that "Maria's place" was on. 'But that was decades agoThe plan was to give her the necklace, be nice to her, enjoy the reunion and then go back home. I wasn't supposed to feel like this!!! Why the hell did she have to kiss me?'

Troy sat down at a nearby bench, took a deep breath and leaned back against the seat. 'There must be something I can do'. Troy got up, sighed and continued walking to Maria's, 'maybe some pancakes will help'.

Troy found out only minutes later that they certainly would. Well only in the sense that Taylor and Chad's desire for pancakes had led both Gabriella and Troy to the same place. Not in the sense that everything turned out fine.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

'Damn these pancakes are good' thought Gabriella. 'Just what I needed! I don't care about Troy Bolton! He's a jerk! He means nothing to me! He's not even a good kisser! Ok maybe he is, but I'll bet the only reason for that is because he imagines that he's kissing a mirror! Narcissistic bastard!'

It had been like this all morning ever since she had gotten her treasured necklace back. She had been trying ever so hard to convince herself that Troy was a bad person and that she never wanted to see him again. However the truth was that she did. She couldn't stop wondering if maybe he had changed. He had chased after her, he had apologised even after she had embarrassed him and after all those years of believing that he could be cruel enough to steal something important from her and just give it away, she couldn't deny that she had recently been proven wrong.

"Ugh! It doesn't matter because I'm never going to see him again anyway" she muttered softly to herself.

"Talking to yourself?" asked a friendly male voice at her side.

It was him. Troy. She was dumbfounded. How could he know she was here? She began to panic. Maybe he had had a few drinks last night and that's why he was nice to her. Maybe now that he's sober, he's mad and wants to get even?

She looked into his eyes, but saw no trace of the anger she was expecting, he looked a little scared though. He was afraid of how she would react.

Gabriella was determined to act as if she didn't care. After losing the little control that she had last night, she wanted to prove to him (and herself) that he had no influence or effect on her. So instead of slapping him for daring to speak to her, like she wanted to do, she smiled and said...

"Yeah well it's the only way to get a good conversation around here" and she laughed.

Troy sighed softly in relief to her casual response and smiled back at her. 'Maybe things are ok now that I returned the necklace' he thought hopefully to himself.

"I didn't think I would see you again" he blurted out. The brunette's eyebrows raised in surprise. It was true, he had been more than shocked to see her sitting at the very cafe he was meant to pick Chad up from. 'Oh crap' he thought. 'Chad's waiting for me, I have to leave her'.

"I-is there any way that you would possibly consider giving me your number?" he stuttered. 'Frigging hellI'm acting like a damn lovesick teenager'

He could fell his palms getting sweaty out of nervousness.

Gabriella's heart was pounding. And it was this that made her mad. After everything he had done to her, he was able to make her feel like this. No other man had (not even her last boyfriend Michael). She hated Troy for being able to do that and she hated herself. 'I have to get a handle on this!' She thought desperately.

"I don't think so" she answered him coldly and went back to eating her breakfast.

'So this is what rejection feels like' thought Troy. And even though it was quite a blow to his ego, he still knew how to play the game, he had been playing it since high school, and he was a pro by now. In less than a second his nervousness was nowhere to be seen. He had plastered a smirk on his face to hide it.

"Why? Too scared that you'll actually have a good time if I asked you out? Or too scared that I'll just take your number and never call you like all the other pricks you've known?"

Gabriella's head shot up at this cocky remark. And so did her anger.

"You son of a bitch" she said viciously

"Why thank you" he laughed, his smirk still intact.

This of course only infuriated Gabriella even more.

"You should go sit over there" she pointed to a nearby chair that had the word 'asshole' grafitied on the back. "It has your name on it".

This didn't faze Troy in the slightest; he smiled and shrugged, walked over to it and sat down.

"So you think I look sexier in this light do you? I don't blame you I..."

But an enraged Gabriella cut him off.

"Do you honestly think, that I would give my number to someone as self centred as you are? You're more stupid than Sharpay Evans. I didn't even think that was possible."

And with that she picked up her things and walked off.

Troy followed her.

"You haven't even finished your breakfast yet" he teased as they walked past the local church.

"Believe it or not lost my appetite" she snapped and turned onto the next street.

"Well that happens to most ladies who've spent time in my presence, they're so honoured that they lose all other desires but the one regarding me".

Gabriella grit her teeth, walked faster and turned to the next street. She knew he was teasing her, but she refused to go along with it and make it a light hearted conversation. He can't get off that easy.

As they turned another corner Troy's phone began to ring.

"Hey Chad...give me a few minutes...I'll be there soon...ok...later"

"Please don't be late to wherever you have to go on my account" Gabriella said sarcastically as she crossed the road to the next street.

Troy ignored this and kept following her.

"Where are we going anyway?" he asked.

"You are going away, very far away, please. Go. Now. Bye"

"Not a chance, I like it here, I have a beautiful view".

Before she was able to call him a sleaze, he pointed out the fact that she had just walked around in a circle and that they were almost back at Maria's place.

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"Yes" she snapped even though she had had no clue. It had been a while since she had lived in Albuquerque. She headed towards the church and when she got to the entrance she turned around to face him.

"Look someone like me is not going to argue with anyone in a church so I think it'd be best if you just leave".

"What you don't think someone like me would not be accepted in a church, I'll have you know that my faith is just as deep as yours".

"Really? 'Cause I don't think that catholic's condone thievery" she mocked as she reached for her necklace.

However, to her horror it wasn't there. She began frantically patting at her chest and looking at the ground around her.

"What..." Troy began.

"My necklace, I had it on at Maria's and now it's gone".

Please, please, please review!