It's Always Been You

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with High School Musical nor anything related to the magazines, T.V. shows, movies that I choose to mention in this story as well as anything having to do with the celebrity life. Take everything has fiction!

AN: I really like this chapter. A whole lot. In my opinion its rather pivotal for the story :)

It was fun to write. I hope yall like it.

Just a FYI... Im currently working on the next and final chapter of G-Force I hope to have it up by the end of the weekend. Thanks for sticking with me on that one. I just want it to be perfect.

Thanks for reading and all the support with this story.



Chapter 9

"Oh my God….could you seriously take any longer?" Gabriella complained in a whiney little girl voice as she threw herself into the big leather chair located outside the dressing room.

Troy chuckled, "could you have any less patience…I have been in here for maybe five minutes…plus, you're the one who picked out the mounds on mounds of clothes that I just had to try on"

Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes. She hated when he had a point, but her stomach was the source of her impatience. She was hungry. Something she had not realized thirty minutes ago when she was doing one of her favorite things ever…shopping, but not just shopping, Troy shopping. It was odd, yes she knew it, but seeing him in all those suits and Diesel jeans he loved so much, not to mention his signature t-shirts was a present for the eyes. She loved playing dress up. What girl didn't? Especially when the object of dress up was smoking and looked good in just about anything. He was her own walking, talking, joking, tickling, totally sweet Troy doll and she loved it. Yeah, it was kind of weird which is why she didn't tell anyone, but she just couldn't help the natural excitement she felt when he would come out of the dressing rooms looking absolutely amazing. Troy was none the wiser, thankfully because he would have totally make fun of her.

"I'm hungry Troy" she groaned.

Troy laughed as he pulled on the charcoal coat and tightened the belt of his jeans, "finished" he said in his husky sweet voice as he swung the door open and stepped out in front of her.

"Damn" Gabriella said without thought. The jeans fit to every ounce of his lower half like perfection and the white V-neck t-shirt look great, as usual, but the charcoal jacket brought out the dark hues of his eyes to the point that she felt a hitch in her throat, which was weird. She never had the hitch before. He looked amazing.

Troy playfully smirked and raised his eyebrows at her lingering gaze and comment.

She hadn't meant to say that aloud. Sure, she admired Troy's perfection on a regular basis. Seriously, what girl didn't? It was the natural thing to do, you know, like breathing. When you see someone whose good looking you take a peek when you get the chance. It didn't matter if he was just her friend; he was still a man…a hot one and she fully took advantage of that. She was a woman after all and not totally oblivious.

Troy narrowed his eyes as he watched the rosy tint creep her cheeks. The tip of his tongue traced the corners of his mouth quickly as he took the few steps between them lessening the space. He crossed his bulging arms that were now being perfectly outlined between the fabrics of the jacket and his gut curling twinkle looked down upon her, "careful Ella...I might begin to think you are developing a crush on me" he joked, but desperately wished on the inside.

Gabriella smiled as her eyes locked with his perfect sapphire spheres, "nope…well…maybe a little crush" she said as a sly grin began to form and her pupils slowly dilated.

Troy's eyes lit up as he tilted his head to the side. She almost looked serious. He felt a swell in his heart begin to rise and a hint of excitement build in the pit of his stomach, "really?"

Gabriella giggled, "oh yeah Troy…totally"

Troy rolled his eyes. Of course she was joking, "you're a tease" he said as he turned to look at himself in the mirror wanting to hide his annoyance.

Gabriella giggled, "And you're a flirt…like you need one more girl to have a crush you Heartthrob"

Troy rolled his darkened blue sphere again. Yeah, he could, "Whatever….you're still a tease" he said as he examined himself in the mirror.

Gabriella stood up in a huff. She wrapped her hand around his shoulder and turned him around, "why do you keep saying that?"

Troy shrugged, "because you are"

Gabriella's face contorted into confusion and her eyes narrowed, "no I'm not…no more than you are a flirt…actually I think I'm more of a flirt than a tease"

Troy smirked as he leaned down so that his face was a few inches from hers, "with girls it's the same thing…it goes hand in hand"

Gabriella's mouth gaped open, "oh…that doesn't sound pig headed in the least Troy Bolton…who would have thought that Mr. Hearthrob was such an oinker?"

Troy chuckled, "I'm not…far from it actually and you know it, but you little Miss. Ella are one in the same"

Gabriella slapped his chest, "I can't believe you just said that to me"

Troy laughed again and wrapped his arms around her waist as he brought his head to rest just below her ear; "teach you to tease me then" his husky voice blew out against her neck.

Gabriella felt a sudden heat rise up her spine. She silently swallowed as she watched Troy pull himself from the crook of her neck. Her eyes traced the depth of his deep pools that always seemed to read something she couldn't quite muster and right now was no different. She drew her upper lip inside her mouth, her gaze never leaving his, "um…that was…mean" she choked out.

A slow smile crept upon his face, "now whose pretending to be hurt?" Troy asked with a mildly joking tone, but underneath it was full of slight resentment and satisfaction. He didn't wait for her to respond before he walked back into the dressing room, "I'm getting everything" he said from behind the door.

"Great" she responded just above a whisper. She remained silent while Troy changed and gathered his things. She wasn't pretending. The possibility that Troy really saw her as tease or even remotely thought that she could be one really sunk hard. She didn't like it. She didn't want Troy to think she was a tease. She didn't think she was a tease. Actually, how could he think she was tease? He was never around her and other men. It was always the two of them and maybe Sharpay or Chad or their team of people and nothing she ever did or said to them would be considered teasing. So, how could he call her a tease? He said he was joking, but she knew Troy. She heard and saw the bit of sincerity. Not to mention fifty percent of every joke was the truth, at least that's what she heard. Being a flirt she was okay with, but not a tease and Troy claimed that they were one in the same with woman, and again he said he was joking, but she knew otherwise. What really bothered her was, why did she care? Why was she letting this little comment bother her the way she was? Why did she want Troy to think of her as perfection? She didn't want him to think she had any flaws. Friends accept faults in one another, but for some reason with Troy she didn't want to have any. She didn't want him to see them. This was an odd and new development. She had never really given it much thought but right now while Troy was probably pulling up his dark jeans over his long lean legs she was thinking hard. What she was thinking she hadn't really figured out yet, but it was something new and realization was probably right around the corner.


Troy looked up from his tuna burger to where Gabriella was silently pushing around the dark and light green leaves on her plate. She had been quite since they left the store. He went to speak, but her head popping up halted him.

"I'm not a tease Troy" she said assertively with a stern look on her face.

Troy did his best to hide the chuckled building in the back of his throat. He studied the tightness of her jaw and the sadness in her eyes. He truthfully had been joking. Well, a little bit was truth, but all girls had that line of teasing and flirting that they ventured over from time to time. It was no big deal. While the feelings of annoyance and such were real, they had nothing to do with the accusation. In that moment he had been playing around. Trying to lightened the moment of the pain of her not feeling the way he did. He never expected it to yield this result, "Ella, I was kidding."

Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms underneath her breast, "were you?" she asked with a cock of an eyebrow.

Troy couldn't hide the laugh any longer, "Yes."

Gabriella was quiet for a moment, "so you don't think I'm a tease?" she asked for clarification.

Troy rolled his eyes, "no…has this really been bothering you since we left the store?"

Gabriella shrugged, "maybe" she said under her breath as she dipped her head.

Troy smiled as he reached out from her hand, "Ella, you know I think nothing but the best of you"

Gabriella lifted her head and smiled. God, she was having such a girly moment. Aunt "pain in my ass" must be right around the corner, "I know…stupid girl moments"

Troy laughed as he rubbed the pad of his thumb over her knuckles, "I know…I hate them…ugh" he said in a girly voice.

Gabriella giggled her sweet honey laugh, "thanks heartthrob…you always know how to make it better"

Troy took a deep breath and said the words that made his chest constrict in pain and bile begin to rumble in his stomach, "of course I do…I'm your best friend"

Gabriella's smile widened as her face and stature perked up, "yep…you are my heartthrob"


Lunch went on from that moment as all their lunches or dinners went. They laughed, joked and just discussed what was going on in their lives. They were both excited about the interviews for the Where are they now feature with Vanity Fair next week. Well, Gabriella more so than Troy. Troy was just honored to be a part of it. The photo shoot part for the issue would take place a few days later.

"I wonder if they will make us the couple of the shoot again, or even pair us together? I mean, part of me wants them to, because it was sooo fun the first time, but another part of me wants something different." Gabriella rambled as she smiled at Troy who had insisted on paying the bill, "Wait, what am I saying….I sooo hope they pair us up together"

Troy laughed, "who knows, but its Vanity Fair, they always come up with something great and unique. It will be huge for the both of us either way"

Gabriella giggled, "you're such the politician when it comes to your career. I mean, you take humble to another level Troy…get excited…jump up and down," she said as the cheer in her voice rose. She stood from the table, "twirl around" she said as she did just that.

Troy laughed as he moved from behind the table, a swagger of a smirk suddenly creeping upon his face, "The only thing I will ever remotely twirl will be done in private" he stated in low voice with an eyebrow raise.

Gabriella stopped her spinning and held her hand up, "are you being dirty…that sounds dirty"

Troy let out a grunt of a laugh, "it's only dirty if you want it to be dirty" he said as his hand grazed the small of her back to ease her through the approaching tables.

"I think it was dirty" Gabriella continued as she hooked her arm in his and continued through the restaurant.

Troy shrugged as a short laugh left his lips, "then it was dirty"

Gabriella stopped them just short of the door and lifted her face to look at him, "Since when are you dirty?"

Troy laughed, "oh God, Gabriella…you seriously have beaten this to death, if it was dirty it's not anymore because you have stabbed and killed it."

Gabriella scrunched her forehead and perched her lips as she pulled down her aviators, "I still think it was dirty."

They stepped out of the restaurant with a smile on their faces. Troy from the cuteness that was Gabriella and Gabriella, well, she just smiled all the time. She epitomized the token phrase "happy go lucky." She powered through anything with a smile, grin or smirk. Oh the powers of the mind.

"Looks like they found us" Gabriella said under her breath as they stepped out from the overhang of the building.

Troy groaned as he caught the approaching cameras. His encounters with the shutter roaches thankfully had grown less over the past weeks thanks impart to a great deal of work on his end. Most the pictures they had gotten of him were from afar and he had taken up running just about everywhere so the few they probably got were not that great. It pissed them off. He knew it did. The questions had become more harsh and the attempts more outlandish. A few days ago when he was leaving the gym, a gym he sought out for the sole reason that it was out of the way from prying eyes, they caught him driving out of the parking garage. They followed him all the way to the interstate. No matter how fast he sped up they kept on his side snapping away. It was crazy fucked up and beyond dangerous.

"I knew I should have fucking parked closer" he said as he let out gruntal sigh.

Gabriella tightened her hold on his arm as she pulled him closer. She turned her head into his shoulder and spoke, "Come on…just start walking." She smiled glancing up at him, "look at me when you feel like you want to rip their heads off…kay?"

Troy softly smiled, "fine…but only because I don't want to be on the cover of US weekly with the title..."He's snapped" next to my picture."

Gabriella giggled as she nuzzled her head into his shoulder, her arm still linked with his, "seriously…you really should look into that blog" she said under her breath as they began their walk and the flashes slowly began to erupt.

Troy rolled his eyes as he looked down at her.

"Is it true the two of you are engaged" One of the leeches shouted.

Troy inwardly rolled his eyes. They were so fucking stupid.

"Gabriella, did you just use Michael to make Troy jealous?"

Gabriella snickered as she turned her head into Troy's bicep. She got annoyed with them sure, but honestly she thought they were pathetic and pitied them, hence, the constant laughter and ability to blow them off.

Troy on the other hand she knew didn't have that ability. She felt him tense up and she looked up at the tightness in his jaw and the rapid pulse in his neck. She gave his forearm a couple squeezes as she smiled up at him though her dark tinted glasses.

Troy looked down at her angelic face and he softened…a little bit, the fuckers were still snapping away and begging from them to look this way, that way.

"Troy, Miller's trying take your girl…how does it feel?"

The Miller shit would never die apparently. When one thing didn't work they tried another and Michael Miller accusations seemed to be a regular. Gabriella just took it with stride. He didn't understand how she could do that. She truly didn't care if they thought she was being tied to Michael. She didn't care that they thought she was with him and apparently Miller was the devil trying to invade, he was, but that wasn't the point here. She just didn't let it bother her because in her mind it was all bullshit. They weren't together; there was no Michael Miller in the picture. There was no possibility of an engagement. Not even a little. He felt like he had swallowed a heavy weight. He cared because he loved her. He cared because he really truly wanted to be with her. He let it get to him because in his mind he wanted there to be truth in the scums shouts. He wanted to have the right to be jealous. He wanted there to be a possibility to engagement rumors. He wanted her.

Troy opened the door for her and quickly ran to his side and jumped in. He shut the door and started the engine.

"Don't let them get to you Troy. That's what they want. They make up that shit in hopes of a rise" She said trying to sooth him.

Troy sighed, "yeah…made up" he said under his breath.

She reached over and honked the horn, a light giggle then erupted from her sweet mouth at the camera bitches jumps. She did it again, "mooove" she shouted as she waved them away. Her laughter continued.

Troy put the car in gear and sped off when sea slightly parted.

Gabriella hummed her sweet tune as she text away on her phone, "Chad's having people over…he wants to know if we want to come?"

Troy grunted, "I don't know"

Gabriella giggled, "are you going to pout all night?"

Troy shrugged, "men don't pout Gabriella…we sulk"

Gabriella snickered, "whatever…pouter…I think we should go"

Troy groaned, "I don't know"

Gabriella turned in her seat to fully face him, "come on…we can get Chad drunk again and make him sing "I'm a little tea pot"

Troy looked quickly at her, "I think that was a onetime thing…unfortunately."

He had a point. A sudden smile curled her lips. Chad's new girlfriend, Taylor and her had become kind of close friends and she had confided a few things in her. She would so be breaking girl code by doing this, but for Troy it would be acceptable. He was different. He was worth breaking the rules, "I'll show you where Chad keeps his poem collection"

Troy froze and whipped his head over to see if she was being for real. A gleeful smile suddenly adorned his face when he saw the truthful smirk on her features, "they better be good"

Gabriella laughed, "Oh they are…but not in the Robert Frost way…more along the lines of Doctor Seuss with a spelling problem"