NINE – Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad
Gabriella was laughing hysterically as Ryan twirled her around at such a speed that his hat fell forwards on her head and covered her eyes. Her lack of vision was causing her to get dizzy so she slowly pushed Ryan away and lifted the hat back up; trying to get her bearings back. Ryan, out of breath and grinning profusely, took a small bow as Zeke, Martha, Jason, Chad, Taylor and Kelsi clapped enthusiastically. As her mind stopped spinning, Gabriella took a courtesy and started to clap as Ryan pulled Chad to the centre of the small circle.
"You want me… to do that?" Chad face spoke volumes about how impossible he thought the dancing would be for him. "Sorry to break this to you, Evans, but I'm not up for embarrassing myself on stage."
"It's only a short number." Ryan explained. "The big dance numbers are reserved for Jason and Martha."
"I can't dance like that!" Jason exclaimed. "Please tell me you're not thinking of getting me to dance like that."
"No, no; just Chad and Taylor. And just the one dance." Ryan grinned in Gabriella's direction and took his hat back and placed it on his head. He couldn't explain why, but he always felt naked if he didn't have a hat on his head.
Chad took in a gulp of air and looked over at Taylor, who looked very excited at the prospect of being taught how to dance like that. "I haven't even said I'd sign up for Darbus' 'circus' show yet." He tried to ignore the fact that he actually did want to sign up, having already made his mind up about the whole idea. "The Lava Springs show was great but Darbus… if I spend all my time rehearsing for Twinkle Towne Part Two with Darbus constantly on my back, I'll need counselling before we graduate!"
"It's not going to be Twinkle Towne Part Two." Gabriella put in. "Ryan and Kelsi have full direction over the show. Darbus will just be there supervising. I'm telling you, this show is going to be absolutely amazing with these two geniuses at work. You've got to sign up, Chad." For extra effect, Gabriella put on her best pout – a pout she used for special occasions when she wanted Troy to give in during another one of their petty arguments. It always worked like a charm.
Taylor tugged on Chad's arm a little too aggressively, nearly pulling it out of its socket. "Come on, Chad! We'll get our own dance number!"
"Yeah," Chad nodded. "That's the bit I'm worried about!" He suddenly pictured the entire Wildcats basketball team witnessing him falling flat on his face on stage and cringed.
"Why you worried? You can dance; you've proved that." Ryan joined in with Gabriella and Taylor – his urge to convince Chad just as strong. "I'll teach you both everything you need to know and wall-ah!" He snapped his fingers in true show biz style. Chad tilted his head from left to right a few times, his teeth gritted as he toyed with the idea. Ryan, Taylor and Gabriella slowly leaned forward, scared that they wouldn't hear his answer over the loud music.
"Er…maybe…" he finally answered, causing the three of them to jump up and down on the spot excitedly. "Woah! Woah! I said maybe. That doesn't mean 'yes'. It doesn't mean 'no'. I'll think about it."
Ryan patted his back eagerly. "That's all we need for now." Upon hearing Chad's answer, Martha and Kelsi joined in on the short celebrations before pulling Ryan back towards them.
"What do you have in mind for me?" Martha asked, starting to dance her infamous hip-hop moves. "Please say something I can really jam with."
As Ryan started to follow Martha's lead, Gabriella pulled Chad and Taylor closer to her. "Where did Troy go off to?" She asked, scanning the room quickly.
Chad shrugged. "Maybe the pink jellies found him. Maybe he's passed out somewhere."
Taylor giggled and lightly nudged her friend. "That's not a good sign. Especially if you were hoping he'd tell you tonight."
Chad folded his arms and shook his head. "I can't believe you told her, Tay. After you promised me."
"I never promised anything, Danforth, and you know it. Besides, she needed to know after all the stressing she's been doing over him."
"She's been stressing over Troy? About what?"
"Hello?!" Gabriella waved her arms frantically in front of her friends. "She is stood right here and she can speak for herself!"
"So…she," Chad looked at her with an amused smile. "Why are you stressing over my captain?"
Gabriella sighed aloud and looked upwards. "Look, it's really not a big deal. I-"
"Troy won't give up the goods." Taylor interrupted, causing Gabriella's mouth to open wide in shock. "And she wanted to know why and when you told me what Troy had told you, I had to tell her to reassure her. I was being a great friend."
"A great friend who blurts out my private life?" Gabriella crossed her arms and looked to the ground bashfully. "Thanks a lot."
"Woah, woah, woah," Chad stopped Taylor from responding to Gabriella's comment; a large smile on his face and a look of disbelief in his eyes. "Let me get this thing straightened out. Troy loves you. You love Troy. You know Troy loves you but he doesn't know you love him which is why he's scared to tell you because he thinks you won't say it back…"
"He thinks that?" Gabriella was stunned, not believing that Troy would actually assume that she wouldn't say it back. What? Does he think I'll throw it back in his face and storm off? "Why the hell would he think that? Of course I love him-"
"Wait, wait; I'm still trying to work this thing out." Chad stopped her. "And you want to have sex and so does Troy. But he's holding back because he wants to tell you he loves you. But he's scared that you won't say it back so he's taking his time so he can build his confidence… but until he does you guys won't have sex even though you both want it and… oh god, I've got muddled up." Chad crossed his eyes and pretended to stab himself over and over again with an imaginary knife. "Will you two just get it together, already? You're both driving me crazy!"
Gabriella blushed a deep crimson and put her face into her hands with a groan. Taylor wrapped an arm around her shoulders sympathetically. "It's not her fault her boyfriend moves at a glacial pace. If he goes any slower, he'll be going backwards."
"That really helps, Tay." Gabriella responded sarcastically.
"Why don't you just tell him, Gabs?" Chad suggested with a look on his face like he'd thought up the best idea in the world. Like nobody else had suggested the obvious…
"She wants him to say it first." Taylor answered as Gabriella went to open her mouth to speak.
"You know, I said that without even moving my lips." Sarcasm and embarrassment was not a good look on Gabriella Montez.
Taylor ignored her comment. "I thought that she could seduce him and then he would get so horny that he would just come out and say it. What do you think?"
Chad scratched his chin. "Well, I can't say I've ever seduced Troy Bolton so I wouldn't really know if that would work… Oh!" He clapped his hands together. "She could flirt with loads of other guys and make him really jealous!"
Taylor opened her mouth to answer but Gabriella stopped her. "Just quit it, you two! I'll wait for him to say it and everything will happen when we're both ready for it. I can sort out my own love life, thank you very much. And please stop referring to me as 'she' when I'm stood right here!"
"That's boring." Chad and Taylor answered together and they pouted and rolled their eyes.
"I'm going to look for him," Gabriella declared and smirked at their expressions. "Did anyone ever tell you guys that you're perfect for each other?" She turned on her heel, leaving the secretly besotted couple alone to do some serious making out. Gabriella squeezed her way through the crowds, ignoring suggestive remarks from drunk guys and out-of-tune singing from the 'skater dudes'. She saw Sharpay sneaking a taste of Zeke's crème-brulee that was resting on the kitchen counter and then try and hide the pleasure she felt in that first bite. Jess McLean and the rest of her cheerleading posse were hanging by the stereo, flicking through Chad's records and not liking what they had found. When Jess looked up and caught sight of Gabriella, she smiled at her in an obvious sarcastically-nice kind of way and Gabriella knew that girl was definitely up to something.
She began to get worried when she ended up back in the dining room where her friends were still dancing and Chad and Taylor were still making out for the world to see. Still no sign of Troy… Gabriella started to walk around again, entering the hallway where she saw that the security light was on outside. She suddenly remembered the basketball net Chad had nailed to the top of his garage and realized that if Troy was going to be anywhere, he'd be somewhere near to a basketball hoop.
She was right… She opened the front door and saw Troy dribbling the basketball on Chad's empty driveway; his gaze focused on the hoop above him. Gabriella smiled and leaned against the doorframe, watching as her man took perfect aim… and missed. Gabriella frowned as Troy let out a loud frustrated groan and angrily picked up the ball and tried again. He missed the next shot. And the next. In a rage, he picked up the ball and threw it angrily at the garage doors and put his hands over his face and tried to slow down his breathing.
Gabriella started to walk towards him, the worry clear on her features as she approached him. "Wildcat?" Troy let his hands fall from his face and he looked at her with those piercing blue eyes. Gabriella took his hands in hers and laced their fingers together; her eyes searching his face for any clue as to why he was acting this way. "Are you okay?"
Troy cleared his throat. "I'm…fine… I just…" he paused. "I needed to get out of there."
Gabriella ran the back of her fingers along his cheek and Troy could feel himself succumbing to her touch. He closed his eyes as her fingertips traced his cheek and jawline. "You're lying." Gabriella whispered and tapped the tip of his nose with a small smile. "Don't lie to me, Troy Bolton."
Troy let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up close to his body. Gabriella was confused by his actions, but enjoyed his embrace, feeling more safe and secure than she'd ever felt in her life. She opened her mouth to speak, but could not find the words as Troy gently pressed his face to hers, their foreheads rested against each others and his nose gently grazed her cheek. As he closed his eyes and melted into the embrace, Gabriella wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, caressing the back of his neck with her thumb. Is he going to tell me now? Her eyes shot open and her heart started pumping wildly.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Wildcat?" Gabriella whispered, trying to coax his eyes to open by giving him soft Eskimo kisses; knowing how much he loved it when she rubbed her nose against his.
Troy paused for a few seconds and Gabriella bit her lip in anticipation. "I… It's… It's nothing." He finally answered and Gabriella couldn't hide her disappointment.
"You can't tell me?" Her fingers started to thread into his hair. "I thought you could tell me anything."
Troy let out a small sigh and finally opened his eyes, their faces still pressed together. "It's just me being stupid, that's all. Everything's okay."
Gabriella pulled away from him slightly at that comment and her eyebrows knitted together. "Tell me."
Troy started to blush and he avoided her eyes. Gabriella shook her head and lifted his chin up with her index finger, forcing him to look at her. "I saw… you and Ryan…dancing…"
Gabriella still looked confused. "And?"
Her nonchalant tone was like an alarm going off uncontrollably in his mind; the alarm blaring out 'How Could You Be So Stupid, Bolton?!' His face was now a maroon colour and he knew that he had started to dig himself into a very deep hole. A hole that he was going to have a lot of trouble getting out of.
"And?" Gabriella pressed; her voice alone showing how annoyed she was starting to get.
Troy tried to speak without getting tongue-tied. "Well…I…I just saw… and then I thought… Actually I have no idea what I thought. But then Jess came over and said-"
"Wait." Gabriella held a hand up to stop him and Troy prepared himself for the verbal battering he was sure to get. "Did you just use the phrase 'Jess said' in a sentence?"
Troy's stomach sank as he realised his girlfriend's very good point. "…Might have…"
"You saw Ryan and I dancing and Jess said… what?" She gestured with her hands for him to continue and Troy grimaced inside, suddenly wishing he had not listened to the scheming cheerleader in the first place. He scrunched his face up and tried to smile, but Gabriella did not look like she was in the mood to play lovey-dovey games with him. Instead, Troy buried his face in her neck and held her close. "Well?" she moaned in annoyance as she tried to push him away with no success.
"She said the whole school thinks you and Ryan make a perfect couple and that you make more sense then we do." His words were muffled by her neck, but Gabriella heard every word. She held his shoulders and harshly pushed him off her and stepped out of his embrace.
"And you listened?"
"I didn't! I told her to leave me alone… in a way. And I came out here to play basketball and-"
"You've missed every shot because of her? Because of what she said, you couldn't even concentrate on your game?"
"…I wasn't paying that much attention…" Troy reached out to grasp a hold of her again, but Gabriella took another step back.
"Troy, you never miss a free throw. Never. Except when your mind is elsewhere and something is bothering you. I can't believe you don't trust me." Gabriella turned to walk away, but Troy reached out and grasped her arm and pulled her back towards him.
"Of course I trust you, Gabi." His hand went to cup her cheek. "I told you I was just being stupid for listening to that wench. I swear I'm not thinking you and Ryan are… doing anything." Gabriella's face went back to shock mode. "I know you, Gabi, and I know you'd never hurt me so can we please just kiss and make-up real quick and forget all about this stupid night?"
Gabriella's face softened and she looped her arms back around his neck. "Why don't you men ever think before you act?"
Troy rubbed his nose against hers; giving her his own Eskimo kiss. "Because Taylor's right when she says women are the dominant sex and that all men need to be educated by the alpha female? Educate me, Gabi…"
Gabriella chuckled. "Well, I can't disagree with you on that one."
"So…are we okay?"
Gabriella kissed him softly, melting as his lips stroked hers gently. "We're okay. Well, until you screw up again."
Her lips crashed against his with raw passion, her arms holding onto him so tight, it was a wonder that he could still breathe. Troy responded to the kiss without delay and wrapped his arms around her legs so he could pick her up. Gabriella lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist; neither of them breaking the passionate kiss that made their stomachs spin wildly out of control. Troy smiled against Gabriella's mouth as he slowly started to spin her around; but she didn't seem to notice and let out a small groan against his mouth as his smile made it very difficult for her to pry his lips apart and caress his tongue with hers.
"Hey, Gabi?" Troy breathed as he pulled away; their lips still only millimetres apart.
"Hmm?" She answered, her eyes focused on his kiss-swollen lips. She was desperate to kiss him again…
"I…" He paused and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. This caused Gabriella to snap her head back and look directly at him. This is it… She bit her lip again as his eyes opened. "I…I just wanted to tell you…"
"Yeah…?" She rasped, holding onto him that little bit tighter.
"I need to ask…actually. Will you be my date to the fall ball?" As he got the words out, Gabriella tried to hide the disappointment by hugging him softly.
"Who else would I go with?" She kissed his ear as she spoke. "I thought it was pretty obvious, Wildcat."
Troy clenched his eyes shut, silently cursing himself for chickening out again at the last minute. "Just… I just wanted to make sure, that's all."
Gabriella let out a small laugh. "Well, that's one issue out of three sorted," she mumbled.
"Huh?" Troy frowned as she pulled back and looked at him.
"Nothing." She replied before resuming the kiss and drowning in the sheer brilliance of it. Nobody could kiss like Troy Bolton. He made no move to place her back on the ground; she was so light, he could have stayed like that with her in his arms all day.
God, I love him so much… Gabriella thought as the kiss became hungrier and more urgent. And just knowing that he felt the same way too made her feel like the happiest woman on the planet. Sparks flew; electricity passed between them… and all the while they were in their own little world where nothing or nobody could get them down.
