A/N: I don't even know if she reads this, but this is for Diana. I promise, as soon as we find out who this girl is, we'll use my expertise on explosives to take her out. *hug*
And Happy Birthday, Van, Kate, Abby, and all you other November babies...we rock!
"She lives in fear that if the car goes below half a tank, it may stop, leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere. So she's obsessed with keeping my tank full."
"Okay, so I thought we'd start by going to the mall."
"Wow," Troy started, "and you ruined my day with one phrase."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, keeping her attention focused on the traffic in front of her as she maneuvered the car in the direction of their mall, "Come on Troy, try to be cooperative. Your mom's birthday's coming up soon and I know you haven't gotten her a gift yet."
"Not true," Troy retorted, "I got her a really cool shirt when I went to New York."
Gabriella brought the car came to a halt in front of a red stoplight, sending Troy an incredulous look, "A t-shirt? You're getting the woman who gave birth to you a t-shirt for her birthday?"
Troy shrugged, "It's a really cool t-shirt." He defended lamely, "Plus there's some other stuff I have for her. The band went to one of those after parties during fashion week or something and I got a purse for her. One for you too."
Gabriella nodded, "Not gonna lie, that's more than I expected." Troy sent her a glare over the top of his sunglasses, "What kind of purse?"
Troy frowned, "The useful kind?"
"No, I mean like designer." Gabriella elaborated, "Prada, Gucci, Dooney & Burkes, Balenciaga…"
Troy shook his head, "I don't know, what does it matter?"
Gabriella pressed on the gas pedal as the light changed to green in front of them, "I don't know, what does it matter, Mr. Four hundred dollar jeans?"
"These jeans were a gift!" Troy shot back, an edge to his voice that Gabriella couldn't help but giggle at. Troy went to great lengths to make sure his four hundred dollar jeans and hundred dollar t-shirt looked like they were about an eighth of the price, and Gabriella went to great lengths to make sure she could tease him about it. Troy crossed his arms angrily, glaring through the windshield, out towards the car in front of them, "You know, girls don't get made fun of when they buy expensive purses or shoes."
Gabriella made a left turn, "Yes, well girls don't pretend to hate shopping."
Rolling his eyes, Troy huffed, "Fine, I'll go to the fucking mall." His eyes took in where they were and his brow furrowed in confusion, "This isn't the mall."
Gabriella maneuvered the car around the parking lot, "Thank you captain obvious."
Troy glanced around the gas station before double checking her gas gauge just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, "Babe, you have a half of a tank."
"Actually, I have three eighths of a tank." Gabriella corrected, bringing the car to a stop next to one of the pumps.
Troy sent her a look, "Tell me you don't still have that thing? I thought that was just something you were doing because you were a new driver."
Gabriella killed the engine, "I was not a new driver, I've been driving since I was sixteen, I just didn't have a car, nor do I need a car."
Troy lifted his eyebrows, "The ten thousand miles on this car say differently."
Gabriella grabbed her purse from the floor, dropping/throwing it purposely onto Troy's lap, causing him to stiffen and release a small groan, "That's because I have to drive to visit my stupid boyfriend."
Gabriella retracted her wallet from the confines of her purse just before Troy picked it up and dropped it onto the center console between the two seats, "You know, if we injure that, both of us suffer."
Gabriella pushed open her door, fishing through her wallet for her credit card, "That's you assuming that I only get that from you."
Troy rolled his eyes, "Please, you called me in tears sophomore year when your lab partner kissed you thinking I'd break up with you."
Dropping her wallet onto the seat, she yanked her purse towards her as her hand disappeared inside, "I wasn't crying, I was just upset." Grabbing the bottom of her purse, Gabriella overturned it, emptying the contents onto her seat, "Shit…"
"What?"
"I can't find my credit card." Gabriella informed Troy, searching through her purse's contents to no avail.
"When was the last time you saw it?"
Gabriella sighed, lifting her gaze to meet Troy's, "Last night…we bought groceries, I had it then."
Troy looked up, appearing to be searching his memory, "I think you put it in your pocket…are you wearing the same pants."
Gabriella patted her empty pockets, "No."
Troy nodded, "I'm sure I remember you putting it there." He reached down and grabbed her wallet, pulling out a card, "Just use your other one, we'll get it…"
"No." Gabriella cut him off.
Troy sent her an odd look, "What?"
"Not my credit card," Gabriella told him, "that's your credit card."
Shaking his head, Troy pointed to the front of the card, "That's not what the card says."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Yes, well, the card does not know that we don't pay it off every month."
Troy nodded, "Yes we do."
"No we don't."
"Yes we do." Troy repeated, "And I resent the implication that I don't, I have an excellent credit score."
Gabriella pointed at him, "Exactly, you have an excellent credit score because you pay it off every month, not me. You won't even take money from me!"
"Why would I take money from you?" Troy asked, "You never use the card."
Gabriella groaned in frustration, "Troy, I am freaking out right now, do not do this." She began to stuff everything back into her purse, "I need to go home and get it."
"Fine," Troy relented, "but your gas tank's gonna get lower. Maybe even down to two eighths."
"One fourth." Gabriella corrected.
"Same difference." Troy held out the credit card, dangling it in front of her face, "Fill up, you know you want to."
Gabriella studied the card for a moment, obviously battling with inner voices, before snatching it from his hand, "I will pay you back."
Troy snorted, leaning back against his seat, "No, you won't."
Gabriella returned, and Troy could hear the sounds of the car filling up in the background as she shoved the credit card back into her wallet, "Yes, I will."
"It's unnecessary." Troy told her.
"It's completely necessary." Gabriella bit back, turning and facing toward the pump.
"Thank you, honey." Troy mocked, "You are so welcome, baby. You know I'd do anything for you because I love you so much." She rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet, glaring at the pump, "Aww, I love you too, Troy. You are such a better person than I am." Troy continued, "Aww…darling…"
"Keep it up and the conversation will remain one-sided until you fly to Vegas." Gabriella interrupted.
Troy grinned, "I'm gonna have to be the one that teaches all of our kids their manners, aren't I?"
An unwilling smile tugged at her lips, despite that she tried to repress it. She sighed, "Thank you."
Troy smiled victoriously as he heard the click signaling the end of fueling, "You're welcome."
Gabriella quickly finished the transaction, grabbing her receipt before climbing back into her car, "Don't gloat, it doesn't suit you."
Troy's smile didn't falter as Gabriella started the car and moved it out of park, "Actually, I happen to think gloating suits me perfectly." Troy informed her, "Are we still going to the mall?" Troy inquired as Gabriella made a right back onto the main street.
"No, first we're going home to get my card," Gabriella explained, "and then to the bank so that I can pay you back."
Troy shook his head, "No, I have other ways I want you to pay me back…like back massages…and brownies." Gabriella knew he was trying to cheer her up by making jokes, but she wasn't going to crack a smile. Not only did she hate to use Troy's money for anything, she was panicking over the possibility that her card wasn't in the pocket of her jeans. "Oh." Gabriella glanced over as Troy spoke up, finding him staring oddly at a credit card he had just pulled from his pocket, "Is this the credit card you wanted?" Gabriella's jaw slackened and her eyes widened as they connected with his, a cocky grin gracing his lips to reveal that this was no accident, "Oops."
