AN: The snowball fight seemed to be a hit last chapter. It was fun to write, and we're glad you all liked it. Hopefully you guys like this one too!
All I Want
"Knock, knock."
Gabriella looked up from her breakfast to see Troy walking in the front door. She gave him a small smile.
"Hi Troy."
"Hey." Troy came and sat down beside her as she finished up her bowl of cereal, "So I was thinking, since Chad and Taylor haven't seen each other in awhile, why don't me and you go do something today and leave them to themselves?"
Gabriella smiled, "That's a great idea. What did you have in mind?" She stood and brought her bowl to the sink and rinsed it out.
Troy turned in his chair to face her, "It's a surprise. Go get a coat, I'm going to go tell Chad."
Gabriella nodded and disappeared up the stairs as Troy smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to take Gabriella out today.
"Hey man."
Troy looked up to see Chad coming down the stairs, "Yo, I was just about to come see you."
Chad poured himself some coffee and looked at Troy expectantly, "'Bout what?"
"I'm going to take Ella out today so you and Taylor can have some alone time." He winked at Chad with a knowing smile.
Chad's face was expressionless as he put down the cup, "I dunno man. I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
"What part of 'she has a boyfriend' don't you understand, Troy? She's not just any other girl, she's really sensitive."
Troy felt a small bit of anger arise out of Chad's words, "I'm not planning on fucking her while we're out Chad. I just wanna take her out and show her a good time while you and Tay get some alone time together."
Chad nodded not wanting to argue, "Fine. If she wants to go she can, but I'm serious Troy. Don't get involved with her, she's happy with Patrick."
Troy was about to say something but noticed Gabriella coming down the stairs, "Oh hey Chad! Me and Troy were just going to go out so you can spend some time with Taylor, is that okay?" She felt the need to ask.
Chad nodded his head and looked straight at Troy, "Yeah it's fine." He pulled Gabriella into a hug, "Have fun and I'll see you guys at dinner."
Gabriella smiled and waved to him as Troy opened the front door for her leading her out. Before Troy closed the door to follow, Chad spoke again, "I'm serious Troy."
Troy nodded his head and fought the urge to roll his eyes as he followed the innocent woman that had captured his attention.
"So you're really not gonna tell me where we're going?" Gabriella asked as Troy placed his hand on her lower back and led her towards his truck.
"You'll just have to wait and find out Ella," Troy said with a cheeky grin, opening the door for her and helping her in.
Twenty minutes later, Troy pulled into a dirt parking lot next to a building with a sign on it that read "Eagle Rider's ATV".
Gabriella glanced at Troy skeptically. "What are we doing out here?"
"Ever ridden an ATV before?" Troy asked, turning in his seat to face her.
Gabriella looked at the hills behind the building, seeing a few people riding four-wheelers on the many trails there, dust flying everywhere.
"You mean one of those?" Gabriella asked nervously, pointing at one in the distance.
"Yeah, one of those," Troy chuckled slightly.
"I've never even seen one of those before, let alone ridden one," Gabriella responded, growing more nervous by the second.
"Well, that is about to change." Troy quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed around, opening her door and helping her out.
"And this is our only option?" Gabriella's shaky voice asked, not letting go of Troy's hand as he closed her door.
"Well, since we don't have sledding as an option, this is our only choice by default," Troy responded sarcastically. "Come on, don't worry," Troy smiled as she gripped her hand more tightly. "Trust me, you're gonna love it."
"That's what you think," Gabriella mumbled, reluctantly following Troy who pulled her towards the front of the building.
---
Troy couldn't help but smile as he saw Gabriella nervously chewing on her bottom lip as she stood beside the ATV he had just rented.
"It's more fun if you actually get on it," Troy told her with a cheeky grin, from his place on the ATV next to hers.
"How about you just go ahead and ride yours, and I'll watch from here?" Gabriella suggested, taking a few steps back.
Troy quickly hopped up off of his ATV and jogged towards her. "No, no, no," Troy said, grabbing her wrist gently and spinning her back around. "Come on, I'll teach you how to ride it. You'll be a pro in no time."
Gabriella eyed the 4-wheeler uncertainly, dragging her feet as Troy pulled her towards it.
"Okay, now hop on," Troy patted the seat of the ATV, smiling encouragingly at Gabriella who tentatively got on being careful not to touch anything.
"Now, before we start it up, you'll need this." Troy grinned at her, taking the helmet hanging off of the handlebar. Troy placed his hand on her chin, turning her head towards him before placing the motorcycle helmet on her head, allowing her to pull it down. "And these," Troy added, grabbing the goggles that were on the other handlebar.
Troy placed the strap around the back of her helmet and pulled the goggles down so they were covering her eyes. "Beautiful," Troy said softly, unable to hide his smile.
"I'm sure," Gabriella mumbled under her breath.
"Okay, now, this one is the gas, and there's your brake," Troy pointed out to her, quickly teaching her the parts of the ATV and how to operate it.
Gabriella listened intently as Troy briefly taught her how to operate the ATV, praying that she'd make it back to Chad's house in one piece.
"Got it?" Troy asked as he finished.
"I think so?" Gabriella stated in more of a question, going over everything in her head once more.
"Don't worry, you'll be safe. I won't let you get hurt, alright?"
"Okay," Gabriella responded, uncertain if he could keep his word.
"Okay then," Troy clapped his hands together, starting it up. "Go for it."
Gabriella nodded reluctantly, placing her hand on the gas, and twisting it, revving the engine a couple of times and suddenly taking off, quickly slamming on the brake after only going a few feet.
She jumped slightly as Troy came up behind her, placing his hand on her back. "Hey, don't worry. Just go a little slower this time alright?"
Gabriella nervously placed her hand back on the gas, twisting it slowly and grinning as she drove a few feet forwards, stopping more smoothly this time.
She tilted her head to the right as she heard another ATV beside her, glancing to see Troy flashing her a thumbs-up.
The two rode around through some of the easy trails along the hills, Troy leading the way as Gabriella followed, quickly picking it up.
After riding for about thirty minutes, Troy pulled up to a stop on an overlook. Gabriella pulled up next to him, quickly removing her helmet and goggles, shaking out her curls which were slightly damp with perspiration from the helmet.
Gabriella looked up at Troy who had a lazy smile tugging on his lips as he watched her.
"That was almost right out of a shampoo commercial," Troy teased before he removed his own goggles and helmet, his dark hair was also slightly damp and it flopped into his eyes.
He reached up a hand to push it away, wiping the sweat from his forehead, which made Gabriella's breath hitch in her throat.
"Water?" Troy asked, taking the backpack off his shoulders and unzipping it, producing two bottles of water, one of which he held out to Gabriella.
"Thanks, you thought of it all, didn't you?" Gabriella said softly as she took the bottle of water, opening it slowly as her eyes fixed on Troy who was drinking his quickly, finishing off the bottle in record time, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.
"Well, I made the mistake of forgetting to bring water once before, and let me just tell you, that was not the smartest idea," Troy chuckled, tossing the empty bottle back in his bag. "I mean, who comes out to ride in the desert and forgets water?"
Troy smiled as Gabriella erupted in laughter. He couldn't help the smile on his face that was growing wider by the second as he realized just how beautiful she was in that moment. Chad's words of warning came flooding back to his memory, but Troy shook his head, pushing them aside.
Determined to enjoy his time with Gabriella, Troy got up off of his ATV and walked around it towards her.
"I'm glad you were amused by my stupidity," Troy commented wryly before holding his hand out to her. "Come on, I want to show you something."
Gabriella glanced down at his hand momentarily, before placing her small hand inside his, allowing him to help her up off of the ATV. Still grasping her hand in his, Troy pulled her gently to his side and began to walk towards the edge of the overlook.
Troy led them towards a large rock about five feet off the ground sitting near the edge, and before Gabriella even realized it, Troy placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up, setting her on the edge of it before hopping up himself and sitting next to her, their shoulders brushing.
"I give you, the desert," Troy said emphatically, holding his arm out in a sweeping motion before chuckling to himself. "I admit, it'd be a prettier view with some trees or lakes or something a bit more exciting, but out here, this is about as good as it gets."
"I think it's pretty," Gabriella admitted softly, gazing out on the landscape, looking at the different colors of rock along the hillside and seeing the city in the distance.
"Yeah," Troy agreed, finding himself gazing at the girl beside him for a few moments before quickly averting his eyes back to the view in front of him. "I used to come here all the time in high school. Whenever I needed to get away and think, this is one of the spots I'd come to. This was my safe haven."
Gabriella found her eyes drifting towards Troy, suddenly curious about what Troy was like in high school, and what would cause him to need to get away so much. Feeling a newfound sense of boldness, Gabriella asked the question on her mind. "What was it that made you feel the need to get away so much back then?"
Gabriella watched as Troy sighed, his fingers running through his hair. "Having an older brother creates a lot of pressure, and I couldn't always take it. There were the things he did right that I absolutely had to do as well, and then all the mistakes he made that hung over my head as well."
"Like what?"
"Well for starters he was one of the best basketball players in our school's history. And since my dad was the coach of my team, he expected me to not only match, but exceed all that my brother had done. But then, there are the stupid mistakes he made. Like he got way into partying his first semester at college and got in some trouble, his grades slipped, and he had to come home." Troy sighed once again, shaking away those thoughts. "That's just one example. We'll stop there because I didn't bring you up here to depress you."
Gabriella shook her head. "You're not depressing me Troy. It means a lot to me that you'd trust me enough to share all of this."
"Of course. So what about you Ella?" Troy asked, nudging her shoulder with his. "Any safe havens back in New York?"
"The outdoor ice skating rink downtown," Gabriella answered softly, surprised at how comfortable she was with this conversation. "Whenever I need to get away and think, I usually go there."
"You skate?" Troy asked curiously.
"A little bit," she admitted shyly. "But, I don't even have to skate. Sometimes, I just sit on one of the benches to the side and let my mind wander. It's so peaceful and carefree there."
"Well to me, skating would be far from peaceful and carefree. I've only been a couple times, but both times I've spent more time sitting on the ice then skating on it," Troy added jokingly, trying to lighten their conversation.
"You just need a little more practice. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it."
"Maybe we'll have to add that to our list of things to do then this break," Troy suggested. "Along with getting lunch right now, because I am starving," he admitted, his stomach echoing his confession, much to Gabriella's amusement.
"Here," Troy said, standing up and holding out his hand to her. Gabriella smiled and accepted his help up before pulling her phone out of her pocket.
"One second, I need a picture of this to show my mom," Gabriella said, quickly taking a picture of the beautiful view in front of her before closing her phone.
"Hold up, you should show your mom more than just that picture. She needs to see more than just scenery. Here," Troy told her, gently taking the phone from her. "We'll take a picture with the background, okay?"
Gabriella nodded as Troy smiled at her before leaning his head into hers, his arm stretched out in front of him as he snapped the photo. After taking the picture, Troy closed the phone just in time for his stomach to growl again.
"Okay, I think I should get some food in me before my stomach starts a riot. You ready?"
Gabriella nodded before following Troy back to the ATVs, and getting on hers, following Troy's lead back towards the rental station.
---
After eating lunch at a local hamburger place, Troy drove them back home, pulling up into his driveway before jogging around and opening Gabriella's door. With his hand placed gently on her back, Troy led her back down his driveway and over towards Chad's front door.
"So thanks for today Troy," Gabriella said appreciatively. "I had a lot more fun than I thought I would."
"See? I told you it wouldn't be bad. You caught on pretty quick."
"Well, I had a good teacher," Gabriella admitted, blushing as Troy grinned cheekily at her.
Suddenly Gabriella's phone began to ring, halting their conversation. Gabriella pulled her phone out, and Troy watched as a small smile tugged at her lips when she read the caller ID.
"Do you mind if I answer this?" Gabriella asked, not wanting to be rude.
"Nah, it's fine," Troy assured her, his curiosity building as he wondered who would put that smile on her face. "I'll just head inside and talk to Chad."
"Okay, thanks," Gabriella smiled before flipping open her phone. "Hello."
Troy kept walking as Gabriella stopped and began her conversation, but he was still listening as he walked up to the front door.
"Hey Patrick! No, I just can't believe you called. How is everything?"
Troy felt jealousy run through his veins as he heard Gabriella happily chatting with her boyfriend. He knew it shouldn't bug him. Chad had told him that she was dating Patrick. But he had developed the slight hope that maybe they weren't as serious as he thought, and that maybe he had a chance with her. However, the excitement in her voice was telling him otherwise as Troy shook his head and opened the door, hoping to shake his feelings for a few moments.
"Hey man!" Chad greeted as Troy walked into the family room.
"Hey," Troy breathed out, plopping onto the couch and looking out the window, unable to tear his eyes away from Gabriella.
"You guys have fun?"
"Yeah, it was cool. I took her to the ATV park to ride."
"You got Gabs to ride an ATV?" Chad asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Troy nodded.
"And you brought her back alive?"
Troy chuckled. "Of course."
"Where is she?"
"Outside on the phone," Troy told him, his eyes shifting back towards her.
Chad followed Troy's eyes, smiling as he saw Gabriella's eyes light up as she walked back and forth across the front lawn.
"She looks happy. Who's she talking to?"
"Patrick," Troy informed him, the tone of his voice not hiding the jealousy underneath, his eyes still fixed on the girl outside.
"Troy, I told you man," Chad began, only to be interrupted.
"I know, I know Chad. She is happily in love with her boyfriend," Troy repeated in a monotonous tone, his eyes still following the brunette outside.
The words of warning from Chad and the "I told you so's" were still racing through Troy's mind, but Troy realized in that moment that something even louder was drowning that out. The jealousy that seeped through his veins in that moment confirmed what Troy had been suspicious of for a few days now. He was falling for Gabriella, hard and fast.