Chapter 9:

"Troy?" Gabriella said quietly. She was laying on the green grass with her hands behind her head in a relaxing manner.

"Yeah Babe?" Troy answered also with his hands behind his head. They had both been lying on the grassy hill in Albuquerque Park looking at the stars together. It was about 10:30 and it was a cloudless night, perfect for star gazing.

"We have been together 3 months and 9 days." Gabriella realized, still gazing into the beautiful night sky.

"Really?" Troy asked dumbly. He turned to look at her and propped his elbow on the grass and rested his head in his hand.

"Yep." Gabriella said. She copied his actions, but faced him.

"Is that what you were thinking about when you were looking at the stars?" Troy asked his girlfriend with a slight chuckle.

"Kinda…" Gabriella admitted, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

Troy just grinned at the rosy red color. "I love it when you blush." He said, wholeheartedly.

Those words made Gabriella blush even more, if that was physically possible. Troy reached out and brushed his thumb across her red cheeks before resting his hand on her cheek. They both leaned in and shared an impassionate, but incredibly sweet kiss.

…………………………

Gabriella sighed as she walked into the halls of East High Monday morning. Things hadn't really gotten any better or worse since the day she and Troy came into the school hand-in-hand the first day after getting together. Gabriella's mind drifted back to that fateful day.

"Are you absolutely positive?" Gabriella whispered to Troy as they turned into the student parking lot that morning. Gabriella was nervous on how the student body would react to her and Troy in a couple way… wait that was an understatement, Gabriella was scared shitless.

"Yes Brie. How could they not like it?" Troy said as he turned the key to cut off his cars engine.

"I can think of a few reasons…" Gabriella muttered, inaudible to Troy.

"Brie…" Troy said as he reached over to her seat and wove his hand into his own. "I don't care if they like it or not anyway, and you shouldn't either. This is our business" he moved his finger between their two bodies, "and they have no right to tell me who I can and can't date." He ran his pointer finger down her cheek to her jaw carefully.

Gabriella leaned into his touch. "I hate to admit this, but your right." She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. School was never supposed to be this stressful, nonetheless for a geek.

"Come on." Troy said and jogged over to the passenger side of the car and opened Gabriella's door. "Milady" Troy said in a funny accent and bowed. Gabriella giggled. Troy had lightened the mood a bit.

Gabriella opened her mouth to ,once again, ask if he was positive that everything would be fine but Troy beat her to the punch. "Yes Babe, I promise." Troy answered and kissed her hand that was entangled with his.

The entire walk to Gabriella's locker, whispers could be heard. And all of these whispers were directed straight towards the happy couple. Gabriella pulled her locker open and let go of Troy's hand. "I'm fine, go get your stuff so Darbus doesn't kill you for being late for class." Gabriella joked.

"M'kay." Troy mumbled. With a few glances around to make sure he wouldn't get a teacher busting him for PDA, he kissed he shortly and sweetly on the lips.

Right once Troy was out of sight, Taylor came directly up to her. "Talk." Taylor commanded, with a slight shock to her voice. Gabriella explained the whole incident in the park, with out missing a single detail, and elaborated on a few things.

After a second of thinking on Taylor's part, and a moment of hopefulness on Gabriella's part, Taylor spoke again. "So is he as good of a kisser as everyone says he is?" Taylor wondered, her shock replaced with a joking edge in her voice.

"Oh yeah!" Gabriella giggled.

"And by the way, I am so glad you can hear me so I don't have to write anymore notes!" Taylor said.

"Same here!" Gabriella giggled again, glad her friend seemed to approve of her and Troy's relationship, "No more accidentally sitting on the pen I always had to keep in my pocket!"

With a few more laughs, the girls headed to first period. Right before they were one or two feet in front of the door Taylor stopped her. "But do remember this, if that boy does one thing wrong, his butt will be on my mantle!" Taylor joked but was completely serious at the same time.

"I think he would know that." Gabriella said and entered the class. The rest of the day she had to undergo to constant stares and occasional questions and whispers, but it didn't really mind her. She had a loving boyfriend and a best friend that approved, who needed anyone else?

Taylor interrupted Gabriella's daydreams by jumping up behind her and talking in a loud voice. "So where's lover boy?" Taylor asked, referring to Troy.

"Meeting up with the team." Gabriella said, recalling her and Troy's conversation earlier that morning. "And even though I cant hear as good as you can, you don't have to talk so dang loud!" Gabriella joked to her friend, putting and hand to her ear for a little dramatic effect.

Taylor just laughed and linked her arm through Gabriella's. "Gabriella?" Taylor asked with a shy tone.

"Yes?" Gabriella answered and turned to look at her suddenly shy friend. .

"You… um… You would tell me if you and Troy ever… you know…" Taylor tried to say without sounding too blunt. Luckily, Gabriella caught her drift.

"Of course! Even though that won't happen for a while! You are my best friend, I tell you absolutely everything!" Gabriella said instantly. "Where did you even get that idea from?" She wondered.

"Sharpay Evans. She was talking to a few other cheerleaders and said that you and Troy did 'it' in the locker rooms after the game Saturday and that you were pregnant and our parents were going to disown you, trying to say that you were a slut or something. Truthfully, it didn't even look like her own groupies believed her on that one."

"She is getting even more ridiculous! Last week it was that I was on the cops wanted list and was moving to Mexico!!" Gabriella exclaimed, "Will she ever stop?"

"Not until she gets what she wants." Taylor said shortly but elaborated when she saw the puzzled look on Gabriella's face. "Troy. She won't stop until she gets Troy back, and back for good."

"Well she got to wait then! Cause I aint planning on loosing that boy… ever!" Gabriella fought. "I can't even imagine it…" Gabriella finished in a lot quieter tone. Gabriella Montez, geeky math girl who was hard of hearing before she hit 20, was deeply in love with Troy Bolton, basketball super star, and that was never going to change.