A/N: I honestly don't know how to thank all of you for the support and response I've gotten for this story. This has seriously far exceeded my expectations of how you guys are taking it. Just... thank you so much for allowing me to share this with you. You guys are amazing.


"Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events."

~Albert Einstein~


In the next two days, I decided to commence a goal that was the complete opposite of what I first set out to do upon arriving at the cabin: spend as much time with Troy Bolton as humanly possible.

"Troy… mmm…Troy…" I moaned softly as my fingers slowly drew circles around the back of his scalp, massaging tender points. However, I found it difficult to maneuver my hands due to the fatigue that spread over my body.

"God, I love the sound of that." He murmured into my ear before taking the lobe into his mouth and sucking on it hungrily. I would have reacted more if my eyes weren't already half closed, preparing for sleep.

Tauntingly, I felt his hand begin its journey as it snuck its way from my kneecap up my thigh. My entire body was under the command of his magical fingers and I couldn't help but increase the pulsation of my hips from beneath his, my legs widening with every inch he stroked. His pelvis was between my parted legs and I was leaning back against the pillows of the couch –the arm was keeping me in the limbo between a seated position and a completely horizontal angle. It allowed Troy a better access to pleasure the lower half of my body while still attaching his lips to mine.

Needless to say, we weren't exactly hiding our want for the other after we kissed by the lake that afternoon.

"You taste like bug spray." Troy commented randomly, licking the long surface of my neck before suckling his lips to it and contradicted his words. He pushed up beneath my boxer shorts and squeezed the joint that connected my thigh to my waist. Moaning, I attempted to open my leg further so his ministrations would turn towards an organ in my body that was calling to him, but he merely chuckled and rubbed the waistband of my thong between his fingertips.

My lips grazed the surface of his forehead, "Then why are you still trying to give me a hickey if I taste so bad?" I whispered, with my eyes closed in pure bliss, kissing his hairline.

The hand that was playing beneath my shorts crept up the side of my bare stomach and reached for my sports bra. My head threw back in pure ecstasy, giving him an easier access to the plane of my skin.

I heard his chuckle, low and husky, in my ear, "That's why."

I was happy we were no longer in high school – we completely skipped over the awkward "I like you and I want to kiss you but I don't want to offend you" phase. The unforgettable summer – no pun intended – had had a slow start, due to the fact that both of us had fallen for each other over the course of sophomore year and we were finally breeching the line between friendship. He had been eager, but he hadn't wanted to lose me. It was in the latter half of the summer that suddenly the physicality between us exploded.

This, however, was different. We were older and more mature, therefore not run off of hormones but much less restricted to pleasing each other. If I learned anything from college, it was that hook ups were as common as skipping classes and one had to embrace the moment for what it was. This worked in my advantage, for I didn't have to make an excuse for how much I wanted him - given that he had no idea I was used to this position between us.

Troy's lips were suddenly nipping against the exposure of my chest my sports bra created. There was a sense of something I couldn't really describe into mere words that rushed through my body. With Chris and the other meaningless guys I had given permission to touch me in such a way, they seemed to be stroking and kissing and caressing for one sole reason: for my panties to drop. But with Troy, there was a sense of worship in the way his eyes were folded to a close and the corners of his lips curling into a smirk. It seemed that Troy was truly enjoying what he was doing to me. He wasn't expecting me to begin to begin my ministrations on his body. Every time I cupped his chin to reach up and kiss me, he tenderly swatted my hands away until our fingers laced together and fell against the pillows, squeezing.

Suddenly, a rushing noise exploded from above. I jumped, which ultimately made Troy's head bounce against my clavicle. It was lucky that I actually had natural cushion for Troy to fall upon, for his chin jerked to the fabric of my top. Instead of acting through his arousal at where his face landed, his eyes peered upwards simultaneously with mine. We both held our breath as footsteps rumbled against the ceiling, indicating whoever was returning from their midnight bathroom break was on the way back to the safety of their bed. By the time the door closed, my fingers were running through Troy's hair in a soothing manner. Sure, the rest of the gang knew we had reunited – or just united, however you looked at it – but I wasn't comfortable with them knowing we were having midnight make out sessions down in our bed settings.

Troy let out a breath of air when he thought it was safe, lifting his eyes to mine. Slowly, he pushed up on his arms until he was hovering a mere inch above my mouth, "What time is it?" He mumbled before kissing me softly.

I was tired, obviously, but the idea of going to bed while Troy was atop my straddling legs seemed idiotic. Starting from his shoulders, I traced the grooves and crevices of his biceps - his shiver made me feel powerful.

Finally, I found the strength to reach to the ground and fumble around until I retrieved what I thought was my cell phone – it ended up being his.

"Ummm…oh…!" I jumped when Troy's tongue flicked over my earlobe, "Two fifty-four."

"Fuck…" He groaned, a rumble vibrated against my chest as he brought himself forward to stare into my eyes again, "we should sleep."

Despite my inner body's plea to listen to him, I shook my curls, rubbing the back of my head against the cushions, "Don't be responsible…" My whisper was as tempting as I could make it. Teasingly, I leaned up on my elbows and press together – cheek to cheek. I watched as his bright eyes fluttered closed and his nose softly caressed beneath my eyelid. Sneakily, I cupped the back of his neck and tried to bring him closer.

A warm breath blew over my face as he let out a low chuckle, "I don't want any of them bitching about us being loud."

I kissed the side of his mouth, "We can be quiet-"

"Gabi," my name was strong on his lips, "there's no fucking way I'm gonna be quiet with you."

This comment, no matter the raunchiness of it, made me blush with pride.

Slipping into the division of the couch and my back, I felt a protective arm drape around my stomach. The blanket also rose upon our bodies, covering us from the complications of the outside world. Due to my fatigue, I couldn't bother to fight back. Instead, I nestled into his chest and allowed him to rest his bicep beneath my head – a far more comfortable pillow.

His fingers brushed through my hair until he finally leaned over and kissed my temple, "Night, Gabi."

"Promise me-" I was cut off by the yawn that released.

"Promise you?"

I smiled to myself and laced my fingers between his, "Promise me we'll be alone tomorrow."

There was another kiss in my hair before I heard the two words that would finally allow me to sleep.

"I promise."


It was a promise he couldn't keep.

I should have known, given that we hadn't been drinking for the past few days, Sharpay would have soon fished out her tequila from one of the four obnoxiously large suitcases just before dinner. Chad and Jason had looked eager to return to the partying ways. Taylor, the responsible one, had simply rolled her eyes and continued to chop lettuce for her salad. Zeke had been indifferent and I had barely registered Troy's reaction, for his hands had been too busy holding my stomach from behind and digging his nose into the curve of my neck.

"You two should fuck."

I rolled my eyes, not expecting anything less from the boy swaying before me. In my hands, a soccer ball rotated beneath my fingers. Several paces from the fire, it was difficult to see his face, but I imagined his dark eyes were dilated and his cheeks were kissed with a pink shade.

"I thought you were the one who wanted to take my bra off." I commented teasingly, dropping the ball at my feet and balancing it on the tip of my toe.

Jason smirked at the memory, which looked like a cross between a rabid hyena and a child who had eaten too much candy before bedtime, "Yeah, but that was when I was in the game…when it was important! Duh,now I want you two to bone like before…"

"Jason!" I hissed with pure panic exploding from my eyes. Immediately, I whirled around to see that Troy was laughing over something he and Zeke were discussing over around the circle of the fire. Letting out a sigh of relief, I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head slowly, "Troy and I never fucked, you understand me?" I glared at him as I faced him once again.

Tipsy, Jason's eyebrows furrowed curiously, "Yes you did! Remember? The guys… they wanted to play two on two…I walked into his room that one time and his mouth was sucking your…"

"Jason!"

"What? I saw it! I remember!" He wildly announced to the night sky.

I didn't even feel guilty when I chucked the ball into his abdomen and watched as he doubled over with groans on his lips at the impact – in fact, I was disappointed I hadn't aimed better towards his crotch. The black widows speckling across the side of the cabin cracked at the sound of his whines. First, I glanced over to see that everyone else was too intoxicated to notice the way Jason was cowering in agony and for that I was grateful. After staring at him for a few minutes, I rolled my eyes and swiped the ball away from his feet.

"You bitch." He growled as though his drunken insults would affect me.

"Can you try not to be a douche for five minutes? Kay, thanks."

He chuckled and threw an arm around me, "Babes, babes, babes… chillax."

Quickly, I shoved him off, "If you ever call me by a pet name again… I will rip off your testicles and feed them to the bears."

"That sounds painful."

The voice surprised the both of us. Immediately, I jumped backwards and crashed into a stone wall. The stone, however, decided to wrap its arms tightly around my waist and pressed a delicate kiss to the inner skin of my neck. By reflex, my fingers laced with his and felt someone dig their lips into the ponytail I was sporting.

Turning around, I looped my arms around his torso and snuggled into his sweatshirt. As I breathed in his scent – a concoction of his musky natural aroma, his cologne, and bug spray – I didn't bother questioning why this was as easy as breathing. Normally, I would not have been this comfortable with a guy I had "met" a week previously. A part of me liked to believe that there was a subconscious pull towards each other, that my Troy was still inside and making sure that he took advantage of this situation. We were flying from zero to sixty regarding our relationship – it was hard to put the brakes on when I wasn't falling in love him, I long passed that.

Which made him and me uneven – I was hopelessly in love with him and he was most likely just looking for ass.

I then noticed that Zeke was on Troy's rank, snickering at the pain that Jason was clearing enduring. This made my head crank around so I could see the flickers of the fire dancing off Taylor's face. My eyes narrowed – it appeared she was alone. Mentally counting, I realized that there was missing gang members. I knew Chad had gone up to lie down a half hour ago due to his consumption of hard liquor, but where was Sharpay?

"Why are you dismembering Jason's balls?" Troy asked, looking down at me with a smile crossing his face. It was ligament and untouched by alcohol.

"Because she's a bitch."

I stuck my tongue out in his direction, "It's not like he needs them anyways."

Jason sneered, "Tell your bitch to watch her back, Bolton."

I knew Jason was kidding, but I suddenly felt Troy tense around me. His foot strategically curled in front of my body, protecting me from harm. Rolling my eyes annoyingly, I kicked his shin and attempted to fight my way through his arms. However, he was immovable. His body was crouched in a fighter position and I could see the way his back, sculpted and pristine, rippled with an animalistic snarl on his lips. His eyes were bright with ice, dangerous and deadly.

"You don't fucking touch her, hear me?" Troy growled, shoving me backwards every time I stepped on his foot to stampeed forward.

"Troy, calm down. He's drunk and lonely."

This didn't cause him to simmer. However, I finally managed to shove his arm out of the way so I was standing by his side, as an equal. He was frowning, a clear sign of his irritation, but I simply crossed my arms and glowered at my friend.

"Yeah… well… well… fuck you, Montez."

With that he shoved between the two of us and stalked back towards the fire. His anger was evident – cusses and curses spilled from his lips and echoed in the chirp of the crickets. The three of us caught bemused glances at each other before Zeke stepped forward. His stance was staggered and he swayed ever slightly.

"I should… make sure he doesn't do something… you know…" He shuddered before quickly following where Jason escaped to.

My arms were still crossed when I turned to Troy, rotating the ball that sat at my feet, "Jase is one of my best friends, Troy." I told him in neither scolding nor irritation. It was a simple fact stated.

"I know." He said.

I anticipated his attempt of a swipe of my soccer ball before he actually attempted it. With skills of an athlete, I performed an intricate scissors and winded up smirking five feet away. He grinned at my smugness as I passed the ball between my bare feet.

"I feel like you have this super hero complex right now." I curved my heel and felt a ripple rage up my calf when I kicked the ball on its side and watch it speed towards an unsuspecting Troy. By athletic reflexes, he managed to cradle the sphere with the cushion of his foot. He looked up at me with a glint in his eyes, one that I easily recognized as cockiness. But there were still lines of confusion as he passed the ball back in my direction.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I shrugged, rolling the ball up and began to bounce it upon my knee, "You have this obsession to save the day. When I was dehydrated, when the kayak flipped over, and now with Jason. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, Bolton."

I was serious, but my eyes were wicked as they glanced back at him.

"I know." He assured me, "I'm not doubting."

Stepping over the twigs that separated us, I pressed the soccer ball against his defining chest and held my stance. His eyes lowered, looking through the thick frame of lashes made him appear dangerous. His fingers brushed the tips of mine, separating us from each other.

"I'd look better in spandex anyways." I teased, pushing the back further into his chest and immediately released. Spinning on my heels and smiling to myself, I attempted my best impression of a swagger while approaching the fire. It didn't take long until I felt his presence beside me again, twirling the soccer ball on his pointer finger with a smirk that could only be considered as cocky on his lips. I rolled my eyes at his actions and elbowed his bicep playfully – a gesture that reminded me of the days before our lips had first fused.

"Evans still taking a shower? Isn't that like, the fifth one today?" Troy asked when we finally made it back to the fire. The heat spilled over my face as my hand curled around the back of the mesh chair.

Zeke, the most sober of the three, shrugged.

"Maybe she'll drown."

"Don't get my hopes up."

Troy snorted and dropped the ball to his feet. However, for once, I wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, my eyes were glued on the way Taylor's head was drooping on the chair. A few hours before, I had watched her uncharacteristically drank more than she had been the past few days. Apparently, the after affects of alcohol were beginning to settle in, for her eyes were closing and her head was swiveling around on her neck. I felt sympathy – there were plenty of times when the post-drunk fatigue had settled for me as well.

"Tay?" I called softly while bending down so I was eye level with her. Having a few glasses of mixed vodka myself, my body swayed slightly and the world momentarily became light fuzz.

She looked towards me, more in focus than I expect her to be. However, her eyes still shined midnight when she rubbed her forehead, "I'm gonna go to bed."

I offered my arm for her to lean onto as she slowly rose from her seat. She didn't need it, for after a quick stagger of steps, she was able to poise herself while turning towards the entrance of the cabin. I caught a glance with Zeke who seemed to be watching her cautiously as well, before I heard the screen door rattle to a close and echoing against the crackling fire.

Sighing contently, I dug my hands into my sweatshirt pockets and stared at the flames for a long moment. A part of me was hoping that Troy, who was currently mimicking my actions beside me, would pull me close. But there was something about the innocence of our lack of contact that gave me the comfort that our relationship used to harbor – the days of our friendship. It gave me a sense of recognition and ease, that this really was my Troy instead of someone new and exciting.

"I think I'm going to get a drink." I stated candidly to no one. Jason was off to the side, attempting to poke a s'mores stick into the fire even if the marshmallow had dropped into the flames minutes before and he was just simply left with burning wood. Zeke had his phone out, most likely texting one of his college friends or potential pursuers back home. I glanced up to see that Troy had a low smirk on his face.

Not waiting for a reaction, I turned around and began to follow Taylor's footsteps in the darkness. It was difficult to be able to tell what was beneath my feet, given that the stars sparkling above did little to shine a light on my journey. Therefore, when I heard the crunch of feet behind me, I felt my entire body tense with fright and my mind already planning escape routes.

"Gabi – wait up!" There was a pant behind me. Immediately after recognizing his voice, my body relaxed and I threw my head over my shoulder to see the outline of Troy jogging behind me.

I was climbing up the porch steps when he finally caught up to me and skipped two at a time. It didn't take long before his hand so easily slipped into mine, entwining our fingers together with an unbreakable bond. My lips couldn't help themselves from smiling contently and giggling. He lifted our connection and brought it closer to the red fabric covering his chest, just above his heart. It was a simple action I was certain he didn't realize he was doing, but it induced a Pavlovian response to press my forehead against his shoulder and squeeze my eyes shut, reveling in the perfection of this moment.

We both reached for the door simultaneously. Before he could stop me, I slapped his hand away and gripped the handle of the screen door; it swung open with a loud clatter that would have certainly awoken Chad, even in his deadly sleep.

"I was gonna come back out." I assured him as he stepped through the threshold and dragged me through quickly after.

"Mmm… maybe I don't want to head back out there." Troy purred softly in my ear. Without warning, his hands were whirling me around so we were chest to chest. His lips were suddenly on mine, slowly pulsating pressure and causing my toes to curl. He tasted incredible – vodka mixed with a tang of desire.

I wasn't drunk, but I suddenly felt intoxicated. The sensation of the world spinning and jolts of adrenaline surging through my veins were nothing compared to the euphoria I felt when his arms encircled my waist. Hungrily, yet carefully, he backed me in the direction that I knew was towards the kitchen cabinets. My hypothesis was confirmed when the poke of the drawer handle rammed into the divot of my back. With my fingers running frantically through his hair and my mouth turning to access the back of his mouth better with the duels of my tongue, I felt his hand creep subtlety up my shirt and drew sloppy circles around my bellybutton ring.

"We're…finally alone…" He murmured when he came up for breath. His pelvis, hard with arousal, pushed against mine to create more friction between our bodies – electricity shooting between us. "They're too… knocked out… to notice…"

His kisses erased all coherent thoughts in my mind. He traced my jawline with his tongue until it dropped into the crevice of my neck. Without caution, I moaned and closed my eyes in bliss.

"This is like…when you took me to homecoming… and we played Halo until three while they were sleeping two feet away, remember?" I reminisced between gasps of breath.

I didn't realize my words were a mistake until I ceased to feel his nips upon my neck. Troy froze mid-suckle. At first, I was perplexed and attempted to curl my calf around his to rub my groin to his – stimulation to commence our grope. However, Troy was stone. It was then that our current situation dawned upon me – a morning sun interrupting the beauty of the night sky. Gasping, I reeled my mind for damage control while Troy lifted his eyes to mine – icy and shining with longing.

"No." He replied wryly, "I don't."

Trembling with regret, my palms cupped his cheeks. I felt my eyes smoldering into his as I tried to gather as much passion and conviction as I could muster, "Troy… I didn't mean-"

Before I could continue with my apology, his hands were suddenly running down my spine. Despite the seriousness of my slip, I shivered beneath his touch, feeling the lightning leave a trail of sharp wind over the ghost of his fingers.

"Is this," his hands dipped beneath the hemline of my shorts, "weird?"

The essence of my womanhood suddenly throbbed. There was suddenly nothing more that I wanted in this world than for him to unzip his fly and unleash what both of us needed. I could hear my heart thumping loudly against my chest in the blackness of the cabin. Zeke and Jason's easy conversations floating through the open windows were ignored; the stomp of feet from above went unheard. I was hanging onto every musical note that sung from his mouth, drowning in the intensity of the conversation.

I swallowed thickly, "What-?"

"You said I was like your brother." He whispered, spilling hot breath across my face, "If this is too weird, I get it."

His implications of his statement were suddenly very clear: if I was uncomfortable with our rapidly progressing relationship due to the status of best friends, he would sacrifice his desires and leave me to peace. Had I still been attempting to keep things platonic between us, it would be the perfect opportunity to save my heart from complete destruction. Common sense was reminding me that I had absolutely no idea what Troy's intentions were – whether he wished to see me after the trip was over or if he just wanted me to scream his name and then drop me – and therefore, should end things now before I was shattered once again.

Common sense was annoying.

I didn't voice my answer – instead, I slammed my lips against his and shut my eyes with a fleeting intensity. This seemed to be good enough for him, for his hands dropped lower until he was completely cupping my bare ass, frantically kneading at my skin until my legs were parted and he stood between them. We were both breathless; our fingers and legs and arms were encompassing every inch of skin we possibly could. I wanted to touch every bit of him – his eyelids, behind his ears and the divisions of his toes. No organ was less important than the other: they all compiled to create the perfect blueprint of the man that always held my heart.

"I…want you…" He breathed between ravishes of my mouth. With precise skill of a basketball player, his fingers were inching closer to the core of my pulsations. As my dampened underwear reminded me, I was more than willing to oblige.

"Troy…" I whimpered as my head slowly began to fall backwards. Too far on cloud nine, I didn't realize what I was pleading, "I lo-"

"I HATE YOU!"

My heart stopped beating when I suddenly realized the scream belonged to neither of us.

Everything suddenly happened at once. There were shutters of stamping that thundered down the steps, vibrating the very floorboards that we stood upon. I retrieved my mouth from Troy's and felt him immediately – and regrettably – swipe his grasp from the intimate regions of my body. Our heads knocked against each other as we whipped around to watch a storm explode from the entrance of the cabin. Taylor was suddenly standing there, her face contorted and menacing. It didn't appear human – instead it was snarled into a catlike slit. I felt fear and confusion rush through my veins.

That was, until Chad stepped into the dim lighting – buck naked and exposed.

I heard Troy gulp and whisper exactly what I was thinking.

"Oh fuck."

"Tay… Tay… calm the fuck down, sweetheart …" Chad rambled. By the stagger of his words and the distance of his voice, it was clearly evident that he was still hammered. His body was swaying - each foot had to continuously step onto the hardwood floorings to keep from crumbling to the ground. Beneath the inflamed afro, I could see his eyes were as black as the pits of hell and his body was flush with a white sheen – sweat. I avoided the pure display of way more than I wanted to see of one of my best friends. Instead, I concentrated on the merciless glower of his face.

"Calm down! Calm down?" Taylor hissed. She looked like a stranger – twisted and foreign by hatred. Her usual collectiveness disappeared; Satin himself was not quite as cruel, "You're fucking Ice Queen in my fucking bed!"

"Technically," he emphasized in a voice that didn't sound like his, "It's my bed… or my parents… or…"

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Taylor screeched, cracking the glass upon the windows.

Troy's grip on my body tightened with horror. I returned his fright, squeezing my eyes shut and praying that this was a nightmare. Instead, when they flashed open, I was once again greeted the battle field that was about to explode.

"Taylor… babe… I'm sorry… I thought that you were done with me…"

"I am done with you." Taylor said, knives jabbing into his gut, "But with her? And in my bed?"

Chad suddenly took two steps forward, breaking the distance between the two. I clutched Troy's waist, feeling he was doing the same to me – waiting for the onslaught of the hurricane. Reach out, Chad attempting to cup her elbow with his palm.

Before he could, the earth rumbled with a sharp clap of Taylor's palm rubbing the skin on Chad's cheek raw with a slap. Immediately, Chad fell to the floor without a sense of balance. Neither Troy nor I moved from our frozen positions as he moaned in agony.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She screamed, standing above him with power and hatred. No tears slipped from her eyes, but she was just as lethal and frightening.

"…fuck…"

"I'm sleeping down here with Troy and Gabs. Do not say a word to me for the rest of the week. Understand?"

Chad moaned in response. For a moment, I thought that she was going to kick him. Instead, Taylor whirled around on her heels – a tornado ripping through the earth – and stomped in the direction of the steps to most likely gather her pillows and blankets for the fort we had harbored in, alone. For a long moment, Troy and I remained petrified in our positions, too afraid to breathe too loud or the world would collapse upon us. The only noise that could be heard were Chad's antagonizing groans and drunken clutches.

Finally, Troy then let out a breath of frustration, "There goes our privacy." He whispered painfully.

And for that, I selfishly hated Sharpay Evans even more than I had before.