AN; bam bam bam bam barambambaraaaam! [that was supposed to be the starwards song when darth wader comes into the room] well hello hello. I'm kinda a bit remorsefull (? :S) about this chapter, cus it kinda has something important to it. And I kind of like this chapter, and if you guys review and tell me what you think about the ending (vs. where it's going) I might just write the next chapter too. :) Because let's face it, I was not very happy with the amount of reviews from chapter 9 when I have 50 subscribers to this story. Just saying! anyways, enjoy this and please don't yell at me for grammar because it's not beta. This story might just have 1-3 chapters left, it depends. Just say the words and it might just be longer. Enjoy! (:

Chapter 10

Day's passed and Troy and Gabriella seemed to find themselves with each other more than they might have wished for, their friends' came up with excuses about needing food, feeling sick, going to the spa, work, everything you could imagine and more to leave the two mind-struck people alone with each other.

"Taylor, wait up!" Gabriella ran as good as she could in her snowboard boots after her friend, she hadn't really talked to Taylor for real in days and she missed it. Taylor was probably her best friend, the one you could really talk to. Of course Sharpay had her awesome sides, but she was a better comfort in a better mood.

"Oh, hey, Gabriella," Taylor said, smiling as she turned around to face her best friend. She had hoped that she could escape and see if Gabriella would end up with Troy yet another day, but apparently she had been too slow.

"Oh, come on, Taylor. Don't give me that shit, what's up with you, and Chad and Sharpay these days? You're all just, weird. It's weirding me out." Gabriella complained, looking her friend up and down, noticing that she was ready to go home and not a trip in the hills like she'd hoped.

"What are you talking about? We're not doing that." Taylor defended her voice a bit too high to be believable. Her gaze shifted but avoided to land on Gabriella, the last thing that gave her away.

"Oh really? Leaving me alone with the words 'tired' when I actually see you riding off in the other direction of the house? Telling me you feel sick and then turn your skis to the restaurant? Please, Taylor, I'm not stupid." She glared at her best friend. "And I'm not dumb either; I've noticed that it only happens when Troy's anywhere near. You can just try to make it a bit more obvious next time."

"I just wanted to hang out, that's all." She finished softly, her voice calm again.

Taylor bit her lip and looked guilty at her best friend before she rushed over and hugged her. "Of course, and I'm really truly sorry, Gabriella." She hugged her tight and Gabriella hugged back as tight.

"It's ok, Tay. So, do you want to take a cup of tea?" Gabriella smiled as Taylor nodded and they made their way to Taylor's hotel room.

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"So, you and Troy?" Taylor asked, as she smutted on her tea hours later. Gabriella narrowed her eyes at her friend and was just about to form the words "There is no Troy and me" when a loud bang was heard and the door to the hotel room was slammed shut.

"I do not care what you think about them, Taylor McKessie!" A loud shriek was heard from the hallway, followed by a loud thump. "Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are getting on my nerves. I can see the way they are looking at each other that they are attracted to each other, no matter what fucking act they are trying to put up in front of us. Do I look like I'm stupid?! And if I so will have to kidnap them and put his fucking dick in her core-"

Sharpay interrupted her heated talk when she appeared in the doorway, coming eye to eye with the girl in discussion. Her eyes narrowed like a cat seeing a rat. "Then I will." She finished off, making both Gabriella and Taylor to gasp.

It wasn't the fact that Sharpay had came so close to the truth that it almost burnt, but the fact that she actually had said the words that Gabriella feared the most. 'The act they are putting up.' That could only be a bad sign.

"Out, Sharpay." The brunette didn't notice her dark-haired best friend demand her other best friend out of her apartment, she was too caught up in the words that had flowed the room only seconds ago. She didn't feel anger towards Sharpay at all, because after all she was right, and Gabriella knew that. She was just so shocked that the words had been said out loud right in front of her, and hit her in the face like she'd just discovered them. The truth was hanging in the air, exposed to everyone to see.

"I'm sorry, Gabs. I don't know what's up with her these days," Taylor apologized, but her thoughts were on the same level as her blonde friend's was. Something was definitely up with the two, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I slept with him."

The room went dead-quiet. The African-American girl's movements stilled like she'd frozen. She wasn't sure that she'd heard right, when she turned her head slowly towards the Latino girl that sat just as frozen, she could see the truth written over her features.

"What did you say?"

Gabriella's eyes were big, her mouth closed, and the right name of the expression on her face was shock. She sat frozen apart from her head that moved to look into her best friend's eyes. Yeah, shock was definitely the right word. "I… Me and Troy… We- I... Troy and I slept with each other." And as soon as the words were out there, she let out a deep breath that she hadn't known that she was holding. And she felt as if a big weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

"WHAT?!" Okay, maybe telling Taylor was an underestimated thing to do. She was best friend with Sharpay Evans after all.

Gabriella drew in a deep breath and began to explain. "It was that night when Troy fell and got that cut on his forehead. We were snowboarding 'together' and he took a wood track." She bit her lip and met her friend's gaze, her eyes glimmering. "Oh, you should've seen him, Taylor. He was so amazing, and he looked so god damn gorgeous and professional. People were looking after him as he swished by them, and I'm not going to deny that I did too." She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands in her lap, and Taylor rubbed her back, smiling.

"You were snowboarding together, huh?" She smiled knowingly.

"And then, I couldn't see him so I stopped. I got really worried, Taylor, I thought that something might have happened to him. And I don't even know why, because I don't like the guy. He's a bastard, only out for a good lay." Taylor raised her eyebrows, and Gabriella quickly continued. "Anyway, so I found him and he told me he fell and he was bleeding. So I acted on instinct you know. I took him to his house and cleaned the cut. And then, oh God…" she trailed off, hiding her head in her hands.

"What happened, hun?" Taylor asked softly, rubbing Gabriella's back again soothingly.

Gabriella thought back on the night's events. How he'd came up behind her and been so sexy, dared her to step back. But she'd never been one to lose a battle like that, and so she wouldn't start then either.

"… and it was amazing, Taylor, it really was. The guy really is…" she paused. "I don't really know, but it was amazing, no matter how much I might wish I didn't go to his place, it was the best sex I've ever had." She finished, her cheeks filled with colour by now.

Taylor sat quiet for a few seconds; taking in everything she'd been told. She should've seen it coming. Their teasing games, the looks they sent each other, everything. It was so obvious that something had happened, now that she thought about it, and it annoyed her that she hadn't been able to put two and two together at the time. "But what's the problem now then?" She finally asked, the question she wanted answered the most.

"He's a bastard." And suddenly, the old Gabriella was back. Her angered feelings towards Troy coming back to the surface again. "He thinks everyone likes him and that he's some king or something. He acts like a cocky bastard with a dick that's too big for his own good."

"Gabriella," Taylor groaned.

The hotel club was filled with people dancing to an old Michael Jackson remix that was pumping from the DJ, talking or drinking. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, a perfect place to hang out in on a normal Thursday night.

However, for Gabriella Montez, it might not have been the best. Especially if Troy Bolton war to be the bartender.

"Who the hell got up with this idea?" She asked her two friends', ignoring a male that was clearly checking her out. "And how many fucking jobs does that guy have on this resort? Can't I go anywhere without having him near me twenty-fucking-four-seven?" There was no question that she was furious, but could you blame her? She was tired of having his drop-dead sexy body and gorgeous face in front of her all the time, everyday.

"Technically, it's not twenty-four-seven, 'cus you see, Gabs, if you don't sleep with him-"

Gabriella cast a furious look at her friend. "Just shut the fuck up, Sharpay." She took a long zip of the Martini she'd ordered (and discovered that Troy was the bartender) before she treated again. "And I swear, if you were the one to come up with this idea, which I'm ninety-nine percent sure that it was, you are in some deep shit."

Sharpay didn't look as terrified as Taylor did, and Gabriella didn't feel as bad as she should, since after all, Sharpay had said all that about her and Troy so why would she care? Did she mention that she was furious?

"I didn't know he worked here," she responded, but her eyes told otherwise as they were glistering with delight that her friend was so worked up on Troy working here; it obviously meant she had some feelings toward him after all.

"Like hell you did, I'm not stupid." And with that, she snatched her purse from the bar and made her way towards the dance floor.

Gabriella quickly avoided another guy's tries to grab her by her arm to dance with him, and she made her way to the middle of the floor. Apart from skiing, snowboarding and running, dancing was probably one of her favourite things. She could let herself loose control on the dance floor easily and get rid of any thoughts that occupied her mind at the moment.

"Come on, Gabriella," Taylor tried to talk softly, but ended up shouting over the music. "Sharpay didn't mean to make you mad or anything, you know that too, don't you?" Gabriella glared at Taylor while they moved to the music. "Oh come on, have you already forgotten what I told you? He's not like that."

"Oh really?" Gabriella pointed towards the end of the bar where Troy were fixing drinks while flirting openly with two blondes, with too little clothes to be anything else than whores. Taylor looked back at Gabriella as her eyes were black.

"Gabriella…" she tried, but Gabriella just shook her head and mumbled something about 'doesn't matter anyways' and they continued dancing.

Back at the bar had Sharpay found out the same thing as Gabriella had pointed out for Taylor, and she was not happier than Gabriella about it. Her eyes turned dark and she slammed her glass on the bar table, excusing herself from the Ryan Kwanten copy and made her way towards the end of the bar.

"Troysie! Baby, I've missed you so much." The two blondes looked disgusted at Sharpay, but you don't mock with the Sharpay Evans glare and before anything else was said, the blondes were gone out of sight.

"Sharp-"

The blonde put her hand up in front of her signalling for him to be quiet. "How dare you, Troy Bolton." She grabbed his arm and dragged him behind the bar into his office; not caring about his complains and struggles. "How fucking dare you, Troy Bolton? Flirting with some blonde whores while there is clearly someone else you're interested in."

"What are you t-"

"Oh don't you go all 'what are you talking about' on me, you know exactly what I'm talking about, jerk." She shoved her finger in his chest with every word, making Troy flinch. "And if I see you talking to those girls' again, or any other fucker for that matter, I swear I will make sure with my own hands that you won't get any grandchild's." And with that, she left the office, a very confused Troy still standing in front of his desk. Trying to understand what Sharpay Evans' parents ever did wrong with her.

"Hey, guys'. What do you say about dinner at my place tomorrow night?" Troy asked as the gang stood outside the bar later that night, about to say goodnight and take off to their own places for a good night's sleep.

Gabriella had danced off her anger at Troy, and Troy himself didn't have Sharpay's words ringing in his ears anymore. The tension was the same as it had been any normal time when they'd all been together before everything started to blow up and cross the lines. Though, six pair of eyes was glued on two of them, every two pair focusing on different moves.

Taylor looked for some spark between the two. Sharpay looked for any movement that meant joining each other as one. And Chad just looked for some peace between them.

"Sure, Troy. That'd be great, what time?" Taylor replied sweetly, her head resting on Chad's shoulder while he had his arm around her waist. They were clearly not going home to their own tonight.

"Say 6:30?" Everyone nodded and said their goodbyes, Troy taking off towards his house alone, Chad and Taylor towards Chad's and Sharpay and Gabriella to the hotel.

"Are you ok, Gabs?" Sharpay asked when they stopped outside Sharpay's door. She was a bit concerned about her friend; she'd been quiet for a few hours now.

"Yeah, of course, I'm just really tired," Gabriella smiled back softly, speaking the truth.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow." They hugged and said their goodbyes, and Gabriella made her way to her own room. She was exhausted from everything that had happened that day, the only thing she wanted to do was to lie down in her bed and sleep till the dinner the following day.

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Gabriella stood in front of the mirror at 6pm the next day, studying her figure carefully. She had her favourite pair of black skinny jeans on, a white tank top and a big grey cardigan over. Light make-up was applied on her face and she had her hair down in soft waves.

She hadn't been skiing that day because she was too tired, she'd only met up with Sharpay to have lunch and then she'd immediately went back to the hotel.

She found herself outside Troy's house 25 minutes later, and when he opened the door she had to stop herself from breathing a deep breath. Faded jeans hung low around his waist, an ocean blue shirt that brought out his eyes to the part where she didn't know if she would be able to look away. And to top it off, his brown hair fell over his eyes in a beautiful manner, so distracting that all Gabriella wanted to do was to run her hands through it.

"Hey," he spoke with a smile on his face, stepping aside to let her in.

"Hi," she smiled back, stepping inside as a breeze caught her hair and a shiver of cold ran over her.

"It's really cold outside tonight," Troy said lightly, making an easy conversation. "Here, let me take your coat."

"Thanks," Gabriella murmured, looking around for the others but finding none of their clothes. She frowned, they weren't here yet? "Where are the others?"

"They haven't arrived yet," Troy spoke in a daze as he turned around to look at her. She looked stunning even though she didn't wear anything more glamorous than jeans and a cardigan. Her hair was perfectly waved, and he had to stop an impulse to run his hands through it.

"Oh, okay." As she spoke, Troy's phone rang and he signalled to her to follow him into the kitchen while he answered. As he took the phone and placed it to his ear, a beep was heard from her own cell and she fished it up from her pocket to reveal a new text from Sharpay.

"That was Chad," Troy explained when he hung up. "He and Taylor didn't feel very well, so they're not coming."

"Well that's weird, because I just got a text from Sharpay, telling that some 'mega-fabulous-sparkling-things' got in her way so she couldn't make it. Though I have no idea what that means, and I'm not sure I want to either," she added.

Troy laughed at her comment and somewhat disgusted face. "Looks like it'll only be me and you then."

Gabriella hesitated, the two of them, alone in his house? That hadn't turned out like she'd thought it would the last time, and there was a big risk that it wouldn't do this time either. "Y-you and me? I can, you know… just…"

"Don't bother, I've made enough food for six, please don't abandon me here to look like something rolling tomorrow," Troy exclaimed, his eyes pleading with her to stay. And it wasn't like she could resist those eyes so she shrugged and smiled.

"Sure, it's not like I have anything to eat at home anyway, and I have to eat after all since I'm not a vampire or immortal." Troy laughed at her joke, placed his palm on the small of her back and guided her towards the table.

"Sit down; I'll just grab some plates. It wouldn't be that fun to sit in the dining room only two. Would look funny though, we could sit on each end of the table and look like the king and queen in some movie." It was Gabriella's turn to laugh, and she found herself very comfortable with Troy's presence right now.

When she had arrived there, she had thought it would be a weird tension between the two of them that night, and especially as their friends' left them to hang out by themselves later. But when Troy had started off with those jokes, everything had changed and she felt like this could be a good evening after all.

"So, what have you been up to today?" Troy asked as he sat down and they began to eat.

Gabriella took a bite of the lasagne Troy had made before she answered. "Nothing really, I've been too tired to actually rise from my couch. I've just been lying around, watching some movies and eaten away on a lot of candy," she laughed.

"Oh really, I thought your cheeks looked a bit rounder." Gabriella glared at him, and he put up his hands in surrender while he laughed. "Just kidding, just kidding. You look as beautiful as ever," he said truthfully, a genuine smile showing off and his azure eyes sparkling.

Gabriella bent her head as he blushed as his comment. "Thanks," she murmured.