Gabriella looked out into the empty game room, it was a quarter after 6 and people were off doing bigger and better things she supposed. Looking back the words on the screen she let out a sigh, she'd been trying to do her English literature essay for the last hour and so far all she had was a page.

"Hey girly?" Sharpay voice chimed as she peeked her head into the service room from the window.

"Hey," she responded.

"I was just in the building," she said looking up at the clock, "Kind of wondering if anyone was alive down here." She chuckled nervously.

"He doesn't start for another two hours." Gabriella said following her glaze up to the clock.

"Who?" Sharpay said with a frown as she adjusted the bag over her shoulder.

Gabriella arched an eyebrow in sympathy. "Troy."

Sharpay's shoulders slumped as she looked at Gabriella with a frown. "God am I that obvious?"

"Only to the trained eye," Gabriella offered with a comforting glance.

"I'm so pathetic." Sharpay let her shoulders slump.

"No you're not." Gabriella offered as she minimized her Essay.

"It's just that I feel so lonely, you know?" She motioned to Gabriella and let out a sigh. "How do you do it?"

Gabriella arched her brow in confusion. "Do what?"

"Be alone."

"I think it's easier for me because I'm socially awkward." Gabriella said with a small grin.

Sharpay was quite for a moment as she around biting her bottom lip. "Gabriella," she said turning back to face her.

"Yes," She responded closing her text book and coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to get any work done.

"Do you think you could, maybe," Sharpay paused before she finished her sentence to look around again. Which made Gabriella arch her own brows as she looked around the empty game room.

"I think we're alone." Gabriella teased.

"I know." Sharpay said looking back at her with a nervous smile. "Do you think you could figure out if Troy still thinks there's a chance between us?"

Gabriella froze as she bit down on both her lips. A rush of cold and burning heat rippled through her so hard that she actually thought she might lose the ability to stand. "I don't know if that's a good idea?"

Sharpay shrugged her shoulders, "I just want to know if he's thinking about me," she said giving Gabriella a pouty lip. "Plleeeassseeee."

"I barely know him," Gabriella protested.

"Which is why he'll give you an honest answer, I can't have Taylor ask him." She said as if the whole thing made all the sense in the world.

"Sharpay?" Gabriella said slowly. "Why did you end things with him if you still have feeling for him?"

Sharpay shrugged. "I don't know, I mean he's a great guy and I love him, but we seem to just fizzle out you know," She smirked a little as if ashamed to admit it.

"So why didn't you just go on break or something?" Gabriella suggested.

"Because Troy wouldn't understand. He's an all or nothing kind of guy you know?"

Gabriella shook her head and considered responding with a blunt no she didn't know but she stayed quite.

"Point is, I miss him, he has this way of looking at you that just makes you feel soo..."

"Important?" Gabriella supplied.

"Plus he has really good hair."

Gabriella eye brows took flight as she tried really hard to not roll her eyes. "Sharpay?"

"So you'll do it!" Sharpay smiled as she gave her a grateful look. "Thanks Gabi, really I owe you." she said as she shifted her bag and begun to leave. Gabriella remained behind the service counter her mouth hung open in disbelief.

It was about an hour later when she saw Troy descending the stairs with his back pack over his shoulder. He was wearing basketball shorts that came down to his knees with red t-shirt. He had a black baseball cap on backwards he was holding a book in his hands. Gabriella lips tugged in the corner as a small smile began to form. Looking down she focused on her essay, the one which was now half a page. Only 5 and half more pages to go till she's got the minimum.

The beep of his key card made her eyes look up again and he walked into the back it was then that she notice he had Addis sandals on. "You look comfortable." Gabriella said in low voice as she turned back to her work.

"I had a few meetings today nothing worth a suit and tie." He said winking her way, "There's a poetry reading tonight," he said putting his bag on a chair and walking over to the sound equipment. "Do you mind working the counter until I've finished setting up?" he said grabbing a mic stand.

"Isn't there an AV guy who's supposed to do that?" Gabriella asked as she turned to watch him pull out some wires.

"You're looking at him," Troy said with a chuckle, "That's why I work the night shift, they won't have to pay me double if I'm already here." Troy said with a huff.

"That sucks," Gabriella looked back at her essay, she stared at the screen for a while trying ignore the noise of him behind her. The room was now filled with his scent, a musk spice, she smelled it before but she couldn't put her finger on it. After a moment's thought she let out a sigh, "Sharpay was here," she said deciding to rip the band aid off.

"Really?" he said uninterested.

"Do you miss her?" Gabriella said turning around to watch his reaction. Troy eyes were now on her and she wished she wasn't asking him these questions because for reason she felt like the answer was going to kill her.

"Yes and no," Troy said looking back down at the wire. "A two year relationship means something; you can't just shrug it off or forget it." Troy said with a shrug. "On the other hand we're kind of like fire and gasoline you know, one spark of trouble and we always went up in flames."

Gabriella nodded, "Isn't fire supposed to be a good thing in a relationship?"

"Not when it's the bad kind of fire." Troy said propping the metal door open and carrying out the stand and cords, she watched him plug in wires and adjust the stand. When he came back in he paused in the doorway. "She asked you to ask me if I missed her didn't she?"

The question caught her completely off guard. "No," Gabriella squeaked as she shook her head.

"God bless your soul, you're a horrible liar." Troy said with a smile. "Answer me this Gabriella?" he said placing his hands on his waist. "Why do you keep staring at me?"

"I'm not staring," Gabriella said, her hands were actually beginning to shake a little. She glanced up at the clock there was still an hour of her shift left. Biting down on her lower lip she looked over at her essay again. He was now staring at her. "Why do you keep staring at me?" she said matter of fact.

"Because I like you."

That answer made her jerk and she nodded. "Thanks, you're a nice guy," she said biting down a little harder on her lip.

"You like me too," Troy said with a soft chuckle. "Otherwise you wouldn't be trying to make that bottom lip of yours a meal."

Gabriella looked back at him to see him smiling at her and quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I already told you I'm not interested."

"You got a boyfriend back at home?" Troy asked.

"No,"

"You like girls?"

"No,"

"You taking a vow to god and becoming a nun?"

"No," Gabriella turned away from him and looked back at her computer. "Just not interested," when he didn't respond she turned to look at him and he was over by the sound equipment adjusting buttons and knobs. "I'm not ready to be in a relationship."

"That's funny," Troy said with a shrug, "I don't recall asking you for one?" he said turning to smile her way. "Do you always hear things people don't say or is that just with me?"

Gabriella bit down on her lip again and felt a blush come over her cheeks looking away from him she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Why are you blushing?" he said turning back to the wires and pulling out another one then grabbing a speaker.

"Are you always this intrusive?" She asked with narrowed eyes in his direction as he moved across the room.

"I'm honest," Troy shot back as he carried the equipment toward the metal doors. "Normally people appreciate that."

Gabriella watched him walk out up to the stage and she let out a breath, she looked back up at the clock only four minutes had passed. Slumping in her chair she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. This was a nightmare.

"Excuse me?"

Gabriella eyes opened to see a beach blond boy standing in front of the window. "What do you need?"

"I got the signup sheet for tonight's open mic." He said "My name's Ryan." He said with a smile, he reached out his hand and Gabriella stared at it. This was what her doctor meant by taking back her life, and not letting someone's touch intimidate you. Before she knew it Troy was at her side.

"Hey, don't feel bad. She's a germaphobe." Troy tossed her a wink as he took Ryan's hand. "We can leave this right here on the counter if you like?"

Ryan smiled as he looked from Gabriella to Troy. "Yeah man whatever," Ryan let out a sign. "Heard about you and my sister, sorry."

Being this close to Troy was sending shock waves through her body. She wondered if he could feel it too. That cold flashing sweat that seemed like excitement and fear rolled all into one. What would it be like to touch him? She needed to stop day dreaming before he caught her again.

"Don't be, I'm growing to like my new found freedom." Troy said with a laugh as he held up the list to read it. "Speaking of the devil, she's not signed up already?"

"Nope, believe it or not she said she was going to do her homework for Ferguson." Ryan said leaning on the service counter and eyeballing Gabriella. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Ryan, Sharpay's older brother."

"Older by two minutes," Troy said with a huff as he slumped down on the desk besides Gabriella. The vibe of being around her was like an electric current. He was almost positive that they could supply energy to some foreign country. Giving a sideways glance he watched as she bit her bottom lip again, a nervous habit that was adding some serious plush to her already tempting lips. Rebounding! His bringing a hand up his rubbed his left eye and swiped some hair away. He had to remember he was her Ra, she was supposed to trust him. He needed to be alone right now anyway.

"Gabriella, just a mutual friend." she said crossing her arms in front of her.

"Kelsi's told me about you," Ryan said.

Gabriella put on her best forced smile as she flipped her hair behind her ear, Troy took the queue. "Hey Ryan you want to help me do the mic check?"

"Yeah sure," Distracted by the offer he made his way to the stage and Troy picked up a pen to put down on top of the list.

"You got this chief?" He asked looking down at her for any signs of communication.

"Yeah," she said letting out a breath a placing her hands flat on the table, "No problems."

"That's my girl." Troy lifted his hand to give her a pat on the back but stopped. They both stared at each other for what felt like forever. "So yeah, get people to sign up." he said slowly after he took a step back for distance.

After escaping the awkwardness he was back on the stage helping Ryan. Troy handed him another mic Wire and then took a glance back at the service counter where she now sat staring off again.

"So what's her story?" Ryan voice called to him and he turned to see Ryan glaze directed at Gabriella. "Kelsi says she's a criminal justice major."

"At this point you know a lot more about her than I do." Troy admitted with annoyance he didn't understand.

"Sure didn't seem that way back there?" Ryan said plugging in the mic.

"I mean I know of her and I know she has some trust issues with men but I don't really know anything about her." Troy said with a shrug.

"You know if my sister gets wind of this she'll kill you." Ryan said with a sigh, "I don't think she expected you to bounce back so fast."

"I'm not bouncing," he countered with frustration. "and she dumped me remember?" he added before turning to look back at the speaker equipment.

"Good luck reminding her of that." Ryan said shaking his head.