Gabriella stared at the stain the carpet as she listened to the clock ticking on the wall. She was 20 minutes into her 50 minute session. "Who is this boy?" the doctor asked looking down at her note pad, "Troy? I've heard his name before during our last session."

Gabriella shifted. "He's my RA." She picked at one of her nails. "He also works down at the service counter after my shift."

"Would you call him a friend?" The doctor asked tilting her head.

"I'm not sure." Gabriella said after a moment's hesitation. "Sometimes we are." Thoughts of the blue blazing eyes peering over Sharpay's shoulder set her blood zinging through her body with incredible force. Just one look and she was rendered into this state she couldn't even describe.

"And those other times?" The doctor pressed.

What about those others times. His patience and acceptance, he never pushed her, never asked for any kind of future explanation. It seemed like whenever she was around she felt things. She felt feelings she hadn't been able to feel in a while, like amusement, annoyance, curiosity and desire. "It feels like he attracted to me." Gabriella said feeling the slight brush of red seeping into her cheeks. "But his ex-girlfriend is my roommates best friend and one of my new friends so," Gabriella folded her hands together as if to end the topic and that where the subject had to end. Sharpay was now a friend. Sharpay was someone who she reached out the olive branch and brought her into a conversation.

Despite her blonde, conceded, overbearing tendencies, Sharpay at least made her feel included. It was also clear that the feelings she had for Troy were obviously not all gone. There was still something there. She wouldn't care about his thoughts of her if she didn't.

"How do you feel when you're with him, do find yourself smiling?" The doctor said with a small smile herself.

The question was like a torpedo in the dead sea. She could lie or tell the truth. She'd come this far, talking about it only made it more real."Once," Gabriella said in a low voice as she looked up to meet the doctor's eyes. "Whenever he's around I feel the sense of him watching me." Gabriella said casting a sideway glance back to the stain on the carpet. She could help but wonder about the mystery behind the stain, how it came to be, why it was shaped like the head of animal she couldn't identify. It was a brownish color against the grey of the actual carpet.

"Do you find him attractive?"

Gabriella attention snapped back up, direct hit to her battle ship. "He's alright. I mean if you like that short of rogue, witty, and class clown but also Joe cool kind of look."

"What about his actual physical appearance?"

The blush was back and Gabriella released her hands so that she could once again pick at her nail. "I seen him once without a shirt, well he was wearing one it just wasn't on him all the way yet." She said looking back up quickly. "He's very much in shape."

"Despite the friendship you have with this girl, would you feel comfortable with the idea that he might want to spend more time with you?"

"I feel comfortable spending time with him," she said with a nod.

"Has he touched you?"

"No,"

The doctor leaned back in her chair. "Gabriella, in early sessions you said you felt haunted by the rape itself. Are you sure it's not of the man who assaulted you?"

Gabriella face furrowed in confusion, "I see him, not his face but I see him sometimes, out of the corner of my eye, behind me in a mirror, I hear his voice in my sleep."

"What does he say to you?"

Gabriella shook her head "Just random things, things I remember from that night." Gabriella closed her eyes and could feel the sharp sting all over her body as if he was still holding her down into the gravel rock. "Grunts, moans, slurs of curse words, name calling." Gabriella opened her eyes and a tear rolled down her check. "He told me…" she paused to catch her breath, "That if he couldn't have me no one else would."

The doctor was quiet for a long moment as they both sat there in silence as Gabriella took deep breaths to clam herself. "Gabriella, by shutting yourself off from other people and not allowing yourself to explore romantic interests, you're letting your attacker win."

Another tear rolled down her cheek as she nodded slightly.

"As long as you're pushing everyone away, the assault will never be over, you're always going to be right there under his thumb, letting this man control you." The doctor she pressing her right thumb into her left hand for a visual.

"I don't know what to do?" Gabriella said in a low voice, "I'm trying to be different."

The doctor stood from her seat and walked over to Gabriella, with hesitation she reached for her hand and Gabriella offered it to her seeking comfort. "Don't try, just do." The doctor said to her in a comforting tone. "Everything you need to know about what to do is all in here." She said pointing to Gabriella's heart. "Touch people, talk to people, take that right back, and don't let him make you feel like you can't because you can."

Gabriella nodded as she took a deep breath.