A/N: I don't normally do this, but this chapter is dedicated to four amazing authors: Savannah O'Ryan, Unproper Grammar, HPincognito247, and especially sunnycouger. Whether they're reading or not, their incredible support was there when I was really struggling. Their advice set me straight on a path that is going to make me happy while writing again, so thank you so much. The least I can do is play PR for them, so if anyone hasn't read their work, please shut down this window and go read theirs. If I could have the amount of talent in my entire body that these four authors have in their pinkies, I will be satisfied for life.
Thank you everyone else for not giving up on me yet. Your reviews and responses are amazing. I hope you're still enjoying the story.
Although Troy would never say it to her face, he hated that Alicia was a lawyer.
He wasn't going to deny her brilliance. In fact, there was no one more stubborn or flawless for the job than Alicia. Her tough skin and hard will was immovable. When push came to shove, she refused to be thrown around like a rag doll. Whether she was right or wrong was up to interpretation, but even if the gravel had been slammed, she refused to admit her incorrectness. Most importantly, it scared Troy shitless. He was terrified that someday, some psychopathic killer would sneak a gun into the court room and cap her when she least expected it. He couldn't deny that every time she strutted before the judge, he feared she wouldn't come out alive.
Physically deterring wasn't the only concern he had. Mentally, Troy had seen her shattered and beaten until the tears poured so commonly down her face that her eyes had been forever tainted red. The nightmare of leaping into his arms after day upon day with the worthless scumbag of a professor hammered into his brain like a broken record. Never had he seen Alicia so fragile, as though her skin would crumble like sand if he hand touched her, kissed her with too much passion. It was a year after she followed him to the east coast that she sobbed in his tight grasp, screaming that she would be dammed for letting the sick bastard walk free. Troy frantically hushed her, pressing his lips to every inch of her skin to promise that she was decent, that she would never have to experience that again. That night, Troy had been helpless while he caressed her, touched her with care. The strength she carried pooled to the floor with her clothes as he stripped her. It was the sole moment of vulnerability she had ever produced, and Troy prayed that he would never experience it again.
Therefore, he couldn't help but feel bitter as he sat on the wooden bench outside the towering building of the courtroom. The Roman columns that supported the structure loomed over the navy work polo he was dressed in. He scoffed the black leather of his shoes, not particularly caring if they became dirty, for he had an early appointment and was free of classes that day.
The few minutes he had been waiting, his eyes had gravitated towards the tiny mob of cameras that formed at the entrance to the court. He found himself squinting his gaze with an uneven pitter patter that maybe one of the reporters spoke for The Post, maybe one of them would know Gabriella by first name. That one of them would be able to confirm that Jason was indeed just a friend and nothing more.
Sighing, Troy dropped his gaze to the contrast of his shoes on the sidewalk once again, remembering the tiny green eyed monster that had stirred in his stomach the other day when he saw them at the coffee shop. He hadn't meant to rattle her, but before it was revealed that there was no romantic relationship between them, Troy felt a disappointment he hadn't remembered in a long time. He selfishly did not want her taken, a need he hadn't felt for so long.
The sudden eruption of sound cut through his thoughts and Troy lifted his head to be greeted with the sight of angry attorneys stomping in their business suits down the leading steps. The males were swarmed by reporters and lights flashed around them like Paris Hilton striking a pose. However, they all shoved their dirty hands away from the cameras and grumbled angry, "no comments" as they stalked out of the facility.
However, the second round of people who stepping into the sunlight was a group of four females exit, with the lead's twinkle triumphantly sparkling in her black eyes. Troy immediately stood as he caught sight of the chestnut shimmering ponytail that belonged to his best friend, attempting to mask her smile of victory as the woman casually chatted of their defeat with the journalists. He couldn't help but feel an immediate rush of pride that she successfully won her case without a bullet drilling through her head.
It was the olive tone of the skin beside Alicia that touched her arm to subtly notion his presence. Her emerald eyes briefly flashed in his direction, her smile sliding ever so slightly from her cheeks as she attempted to speak into a microphone. Alicia once again placed her poker face on and turned away from him as he casually shoved his hands into his pockets, slight irritation eating at his stomach.
When it appeared the spotlight officially shined onto the head lawyer and the students were cast to the sides like rookie singers, Alicia finally looked over at him with her mouth tugging down. The porcelain skin of the Asian woman walking beside her blushed when she caught his eye and smiled politely. Troy immediately recognized her as one of Alicia's roommates and waved.
"Hi Troy." The twenty-three year old, Mel, greeted as they approached him.
"Hey Mel, how'd it go?"
Alicia's eyes were not quite slits, but he immediately picked up on the negative vibes that were drilling into his exposed forehead like lasers, "What are you doing here?"
Troy tried not to groan at her bitterness, obviously the way he turned her down the other night was still raw. The acorn shape of Mel's eyes shifted between the two as she awkwardly pointed over her shoulder to the speeding street below the stone steps, "I'm um, I'm just gonna let you two talk over there."
Neither friend made a motion of goodbye as Mel timidly stepped around the two, who only were staring upon each other. After the sounds of her heels faded on the stone, he narrowed his brow to intensify the seriousness of the oncoming conversation, "What's going on?"
Alicia was all but subtle when she shrugged her shoulder covered with a light jacket, for the fall days were becoming slightly brisker, "Why do you just assume something's wrong?" she asked with a bitterness underlying in her tone. "I'm fine Troy."
"Then why haven't you called me back?" He coached himself to keep the volume of his voice at a respectable level.
The grey toe of her heel circled around as she stared at the ground, "I've been busy with stuff."
He groaned in frustration. It was painfully obvious that she was not busy nor did she more "stuff" to do than normal. In other words, she was avoiding him since the incident that had unfolded. Removing his hands from the depths of his pockets, Troy carefully trailed his fingers down the side of her arm. She neither flinched nor welcomed the gesture, a sign he wasn't quite sure was positive or not. The sturdiness of her cheeks pointed off to the side, not quite looking at anything.
"Alicia look at me," the tone in his voice was hard, defiant. Alicia had no other option but to meet his gaze with her mouth opened in awe at the overpowering sensation his cobalt eyes drilled into her. He felt her tremble at the sensation beneath his palm as he delicately cupped her elbow. "You promised to tell me if this was too much."
Both stopped breathing.
His mind rewound four years previously, approximately a month after his fiancée's death to be exact. Still within the steaming boarders of California, they had been seated in the back of his all too famous white, well rusty would be a better word, pick up truck that he and his father rescued from the clutches of a junk yard the summer of his senior year as a Wildcat. Their kisses had been fierce, lustful, zealous as they rolled around the bed of the vehicle beneath the shimmering stars in an empty cul-de-sac. But there had been a red light in Troy's eyes, a halt that he could not allow her to become emotionally attached to someone who would not return her devotion.
At the time, he had been caught in a limbo of whether his feelings for her were legitimate, or if they were fueled by betrayal and loss. And just as she had reached to remove his sweats, his hand caught hers, blue met green in a gravitating stare much like they were in at the present day. Although his dick had cussed him through the process, Troy tenderly stated that they needed to stop if the emotions in the friendship ever heightened into something beyond what it was. He never wanted anything hidden between them; they were far too close for the wedge of unrequited love to tear them apart. Alicia swore beneath the lights, with her hand on his heart, that the attraction was nothing but physical. She promised that if it ever became anything more, she would sever the ties immediately.
Oh the irony.
"It's not too much," she shot back, fingers balling into thin, yet deadly fists. "I'm twenty-four years old, I don't need you fucking telling me whether or not I can handle something."
"You freaked out Alicia," he once again struggled with the even tone of his voice, "it's not like you."
"So? I was horny, you told me no," she bitterly snapped, "sorry if I didn't want to stick around to watch South Park with you. I've got better things to do with my time."
"Stop!" he ordered, irritation finally leaking into his veins like poison. Catching her wrist to not allow her to stalk away, he shook his head aggressively, finally matting her irritation. "Okay? I'm not gonna argue with you over something this stupid."
Alicia breathed evenly, calming herself down but she was so fired up by now that it was difficult to return back to earth, "I'm fine Troy. I appreciate your concern but I'm not glass."
"I never said you were," the exasperation in Troy's voice sound strained. Alicia was his best friend, and no matter her stubbornness, the worst position he could wiggle into was leaving the steps raging and not on speaking terms. The tight pull of his eyes softened, and he pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead in frustration. "Please, Alicia, I don't want to fight."
Alicia didn't make a motion to step down, however her muscular shoulders dropped ever so slightly at the caress of his pleads, "There's nothing to fight about." She replied, throwing her head back to see that her colleagues were shifting around and glancing in their direction. Clearly they were beginning to be impatient with their waiting.
He hesitated before he curled around her elbow once again. Slowly, he engulfed her in an embrace that made her jump with surprise, however she didn't push away as he anticipated. She did not wrap her arms around him either though.
"I love you Alicia," Troy truthfully confessed. No matter what was said or what they did, he would always love her on some level. She stiffened as his proclamation, which only induced his squeeze tighter. "You're my best friend and I don't want to see you get hurt. Sure as hell not by me."
Pulling away from him, Alicia seemed to have completely dropped her guard as she sent a weak smile up into his face. Whether or not the co-workers had a free show of this touch was unimportant, at least she didn't scold him for being unprofessional, "I promised you that night Troy that I would tell you. So please stop questioning my judgment."
"I just care about you," he guiltily released her. Alicia shivered into her jacket again by the lack of his touch. "I don't want you to feel like I'm abandoning you if we don't, you know." He subtly hinted at his future agenda, but wasn't quite sure if she had indeed picked up on the request.
"I know. I know you'll be there no matter what," throwing a look back to see that the eldest of the women was tapping her wrist in warning, Alicia cast her green eyes back at him. "I hate to do this, but…"
Troy let out an airy sigh, "I know, the law calls."
She nodded and took another heavy breath and started her journey to the street, "I'll call you, alright?" She promised before retreating backwards, though never once leaving her stare from him.
"Promise?" He called after her as she hurried backwards, stumbling in her heels though refusing to turn around.
"Promise!" Alicia yelled back before finally ripping away from his gaze and jumping back towards her lawyers. Quickly, she hopped into the awaiting cab and shot him one final look before climbing into the car. Troy blew upwards before closing his eyes, completely fooled by the lies that had been spilled just a few minutes before.
"Hey Gabriella?!" Taylor yelled with her body wiggling inside the oven and her dark hand searching blindly for something atop the counter.
"Hmm?" Gabriella called from her spot curled on the couch, never once shifting her eyes from the fixation she had on the baseball game flashing across the McKessie-Danforth television. Her slender body was rigid, tense with stress in her shoulders and lower back. Carefully avoiding the arm draped across the back of the furniture but not quite touching her, she twisted around to see Taylor fumbling inside the appliance and couldn't help but snicker.
Eyes watering from the heat, Taylor cranked her head towards her friend, "Can you get me the hot pad?"
Sighing, Gabriella rose from her spot and didn't dare glance back at the cyan eyes which she could feel penetrating into her ribcage. She trudged in the direction of the kitchen, not noticing the foot that jutted out in a tease before she tumbled over his leg. Catching herself on the edge of the large chair, Gabriella whirled around with rage as the perpetrator snickered his chocolate face. "What the fuck Danforth?" Gabriella snapped with more irritation than she intended.
Chad raised a slightly bemused eyebrow at her uptightness and chuckled, the dim, nightly glow dancing over his face with his mockery, "Jesus Montez, who pissed on your house?"
Gabriella tried her utmost hardest to train her eyes not to shift in the direction of the figure furrowed on the couch, "Long day, cut me some slack." She grumbled before spinning towards the kitchen once again.
She lied, of course. Her day had been anything but long until she crossed the hall to spend the evening at Taylor and Chad's apartment to watch the ongoing Yankee's game. Originally eager to discover the basketball coach was invited as well, the excitement quickly died a few moments after stepping into the apartment. Taylor had greeted her cheerfully and took her cheaply bought French silk pie from her grasp while Chad and Troy's heads were bowed together in the living area of the apartment. Their voices, however, carried more than anticipated, for Gabriella picked up key words that involved "sex", "visit this afternoon", and the biggie- "Alicia".
Gabriella hardly found it fair that Troy treated her with a cold shoulder when she walked in with Jason the other day, yet he was probably still receiving blow jobs from his best friend. Whether she was acting like an immature school girl or whether she had a justifying reason was not the point. Gabriella was angered, frustrated by both jealousy and confusion. She wanted the intimate caresses to stop, but more importantly she wanted to know WHY he was screwing her if he had no romantic feelings for her. Or so he claimed.
"Here." Gabriella tossed the blue and gold weaved pads in Taylor direction before leaning tiredly against the counter.
"You alright?" her friend asked softly as she removed the tinfoil off the makeshift cover of the glass pan holding sizzling enchiladas –or… at least they were supposed to be enchiladas. "You've seemed quiet since you came."
"I'm tired," she fibbed once again and took a giant breath of air, "sorry I'm being boring."
"You're not," Taylor's voice was hushed as she shifted her gaze to stare into Gabriella's dark eyes, "I just want to be sure everything's okay."
Gabriella was not blind to the way her eyes flickered towards the person on the couch as she spoke. Although she was tempted to glance over as well, she fought with her reflexes, "Really Tay, I'm perfect." She responded and almost squished her elbow into the pan of Mexican.
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say Gabs."
"I smell food!"
The sound of Chad's voice ripped both girls away from their intense stare. His hands rubbed together hungrily as he peered into the steaming glass that appeared to me a mess of scarlet and tangerine goop, "What do wet got, babe?" Chad asked while smacking a sloppy kiss to her cheek. Though still in the mindset with Gabriella, she tossed her stained apron to the side as Troy approached the food as well.
"Smells good." He mumbled in that all too hypnotic voice that Gabriella was desperately trying not to listen to. She was also making as much effort as she could not to look at the way his maroon t-shirt amplified his already built biceps.
Chad scrunched his eyebrows in a rude disgust. "It looks like, red mud."
Taylor scowled angrily, "Well if you don't want it, then don't eat it!" She spat before shoving dishes in the direction of the other occupants.
"Dude, can you guys not fight for like, five minutes? My head fucking hurts." Troy moaned and rubbed the lids of his eyes. Drawing blood, Gabriella bit her tongue to hold in the bitter comment about a post-orgasm headache he was most likely experiencing. However, she remained mute as both boys took a plate from the stack and joined just as Chad stabbed mercilessly at the slimy shell, Troy at his heels.
"I know I'm not Zeke, but I tried." Taylor did not blush, but she almost coyly glared at the entrée.
Chad chuckled and kissed his girlfriend's nose after reaching over for the frosty beer waiting for him on the counter, "It's the thought that counts. As long as I'm not poisoned."
Even in her sour mood, Gabriella couldn't help but snicker at their spat. Taylor and Chad pranced away almost giddy as Gabriella stepped to the stove to watch the simmering surface of the pan. She gathered a chunk of the meal and slopped it onto her plate, careful not to splatter sauce all over the violet cotton of her knit. Assuming that the other were once again snuggled into the cozy seats in front of the television, Gabriella mulled around the food, wasting time so she did not have to fight with her inner desires to break her silent treatment and speak with Troy.
That was, until a hand caught the curve of her elbow and caused her to almost leap out of her jeans, "Jesus!"
The bright sparkle of Troy's eyes engorged as her own trailed over every corner of his bronze face, "Shit, I didn't mean to scare you!"
"No, I just wasn't expecting that." Her hand placed over her heart to steady the erratic beating. Momentarily, Gabriella forgot her jealousy and bitterness towards him and absorbed the sensation of his warm palm curled around the curve of her elbow. However, the bliss vanished once she remembered his hushed whispers earlier.
Troy nodded, a sense of hesitation washed over him, "Um, can I talk to you for a second?"
Gabriella shrugged off his grasp rudely and crossed her arms over the small swell of her breast, "I guess."
After setting her plate beside his, Gabriella stiffly followed him through the entrance of the apartment. Chad and Taylor shot them a curious look as they exited the home, but Troy called after that they would return in a few minutes. Immaturely pouting, she backed into the neutral hue of the hall, facing the dim label of the "8G" that marked her door. Troy maneuvered himself directly in front of her, searching over the crevices of her face to be certain the truth would be told.
"Alright Montez, what's going on?" He asked with defiance in his voice that was not to be reckoned with.
Feeling a rush of cockiness, Gabriella tilted her head in mockery and parroted the words he spoke the other day inside the coffee shop, "Why would you think there's something wrong?"
"Gabriella." Troy warned, obviously making the connection to the reference.
She wasn't quite sure why she was so irritated. It was not Gabriella's business who he thrust himself into every night. But she couldn't deny that every day she spent with him, she was drawn more to him. Whether it was hunting for his past, or just discovering who he was in the present, she was becoming much more attracted to him than she ever imagined after their first meeting. The bratty teenager within was slowly tainting her normally composed nature as she felt the whites of her eyes bleed with jade envy.
Her eyes blackened with fury, "You want me to stop Troy? Stop what?"
The irises in Troy's eyes darkened to a dull navy, but he shook his head before anger could consume him, "Gabriella, don't okay?"
"Why not?" Gabriella fumed, her brown eyes sharp with annoyance. "You fucking act like an ass when I brought Jason in, yet you're railing your best…"
Simultaneously, their eyes swelled with a rush of both panic and embarrassment. Gabriella almost cupped her mouth in pure regret as her sentence trailed off. It had never been revealed that she was indeed aware of the cohesion that transpired between the two. Her stomach felt empty and her blood ran cold as Troy's eyes darted across her face with pure concern. It was as though her lashes, cheekbones, and nostrils would reveal what she had uncovered.
Chest heaving, Gabriella couldn't help but allow her face to release its tense. Not exactly aware of the reasoning, her pulse hammered wildly against her wrist. She was at a complete loss for words, as though the previous statement stripped her of her vocal cords. The only sound she could manage to release was, "Troy…"
Troy swallowed what appeared to be a lump in his Adam's apple, "I'm not sure what Sharpay has told you," Troy began, lifting up the penetration of his eyes as he spoke. Gabriella was almost slammed to the back wall, just as he carefully placed his palm above her shoulder to cage her in –reminding Gabriella much of when a high school fling imitated the identical action. His breath was toasty against her cheeks as he spoke in the husky, yet hypnotic tone of his voice, "but I don't think it will be an issue much longer."
They had never been this close before apart from a friendly hug. For the first time since their meeting, Gabriella's body was calling for him in away she never knew how. Before this moment, -apart from knowing he was smoking hot and the innocent crush she had had on him- her draw to him had brewed from her curiosity and desire to truly know him. But this? The burn of her skin and the stagger of her heart were bubbling from a thirst of lust. A need surged to touch him, hold him, taste him, feel him.
She suddenly absorbed, him. Physically and personality wise. The way his powerful muscles rolled and the twinkle of his baby blues. The air of mystery, the longing to unearth his past made him a perfect, unique match to her reporting nature. Everything about him suddenly appeared holy, flawless in her eyes. No longer was her need to discover him derived just from her curiosity, no longer was she just merely flirting with the appeal he carried. The tables had suddenly flipped. She wanted to discover him because. She wanted to discover him because he was Troy Bolton.
Gabriella had to steady her rapid breathing; otherwise the peak of her breasts would rub against his covered pectorals her chest was raising so desperately, "Why?" She dared to ask, pupils dilating with attraction.
Troy's lips curled to a mysterious, closed mouth smile as his hand slid down the trail of her arm, sending mountains of goosebumps everywhere across the valley of her body, "I don't like lies Gab," he confessed, voice dropped to a sensual level of softness, "and if something came up, I don't want to be in a bad situation and hurt someone."
Helpless and under his trance, all Gabriella could do was nod as he pulled away, the air becoming much colder in his emptiness. Her eyes fluttered closed, missing the intoxicating scent that had just lingered within her nose.
"I think they're starting to miss us," Troy mused, though there was nothing more that Gabriella wanted than to stay in solitude with him. Allowing her lids to lift once again, he flashed her a warm smile, unaware of the effect he just had upon her. "We good?" He asked to be sure that they were indeed, no longer on sour terms.
Gabriella swallowed, "Yeah, we're good." She whispered with her heart drowning in this newfound feeling before following back inside.