A/N: I know, I know, I lied. But on the bright side, I made this chapter EXTRA long for you guys! (:
As the morning sun shone through the black tinted windows. The morning was quiet, yet peaceful. 10am and no one in the household was awake, yet. That was, until the male laying in bed heard his phone ring, loudly. Groaning, he opened his eyes and tried to bend over to receive his phone, but his eyes widened and he fell back down in his bed when he felt a huge pain in his head. Bang! Bang! His inside felt like a drum, thumping hard on his skull, trying to get out. His mind swirled with pain as he held his head in his hands to try to stop the banging and the dizziness. He rested his head back on the pillow behind him and closed his eyes tightly, trying to get himself away from the pain that he felt.
"How are you feeling?" A feminine voice asked, as Troy opened his eyes slightly. Turning his head, he saw a short brunette in a black dress, wrapped around in a red cardigan. Her hair was down and straightened, while her curious chocolate eyes looked at him, worriedly. She dropped her belongings on the floor beside the bed, and fixed her jacket a bit.
"Hmm," Troy grunted, rubbing his eyes, painfully, looking into her eyes, confused, "Gabriella?"
"Yeah?" Gabriella questioned as she walked towards Troy, pulling her hand out to touch his forehead.
"Wh-what are you-?" Troy began saying, but stopped when the throbbing in his head began to come at a hard, strong pace.
"Your head's throbbing," Gabriella pointed out; looking at him painfully, "Let me get you some Advil."
And with that, Gabriella dashed over to his bathroom and dug into the cupboard below his sink. Digging through his personal things, Gabriella found a box of Advil, right next to Troy's large lifetime size of condoms. Rolling her eyes, Gabriella went back to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, before going back to where Troy was and handing him the medicine.
"Here, drink this," Gabriella ordered, as Troy took it from her, and swallowed the product down in seconds. Soon, he put the glass down on the bedside table and looked over at Gabriella, who was sitting by his feet at the edge of his bed.
"What happened last night?" Troy asked, curiously, trying to remember himself, but then stopped when he felt pain encircle his thoughts.
"Well, last night around midnight, you seemed to be a bit… Drunk, so I drove you back home," Gabriella answered as Troy scrunched his eyebrows, still confused.
"Why?" Troy asked. He thought she hated his to his inner core, so why would she waste her "Precious" time taking care of him.
"I know, it seems out of the ordinary for me, but just think about what would've happened if I didn't take you home? You would just get even more drunk, girls would use you as their sex toy, and you would've woken up the next morning at the club with a HUGE headache, and no one to help you. Then, if you were to walk out of the club, paparazzi would catch you leaving and I would be known as girl who dates drunken moron," Gabriella answered, repeating her thoughts out loud from the night before. Troy smiled at her and chuckled a bit at the last sentence she mentioned.
"Of course. You would only help me just to keep your clean image," Troy added, as Gabriella smiled at him. Troy then stopped laughing when his skull banged with pain and started to groan.
"Here, I got you something at Starbucks," Gabriella suggested, reaching down beside her and grabbing adark colored cup and handing it to Troy. Troy thankfully took it, sipping it down bit by bit, tasting the sweet tea inside the cup. Gabriella then stood up and grabbed her purse, and her own drink, staring at Troy for a few seconds.
"Well, I better get going. We're going to some Hollywood event later today, so get ready soon," Gabriella informed as she started to walk towards the exit.
"Hey, Gabriella?" Troy called, as Gabriella turned around to face him.
"Yeah?" Gabriella questioned, looking at him. Troy took a deep breath, and set the tea beside him.
"Thanks for…. Everything," Troy replied, nervously. That was probably the first time he actually said something nice to Gabriella. Shocked, Gabriella looking at him, not believing what was happening before her.
"Huh?" Gabriella questioned, as if she couldn't hear him.
"Gabriella," Troy rolled his eyes, "I said it once, and that was painful, I'm not repeating it."
Smiling Gabriella gave him a small wave, while trying to walk out of the room, but crashed into the door instead. Almost falling to the floor, Gabriella quickly regained balance and heard Troy laughing in the background. Glaring at him, Gabriella shook her head and opened the door.
"Watch yourself tonight, Bolton," Gabriella warned, walking out of the room, while Troy sat in his bed, grinning.
As Gabriella walked towards his front door, she couldn't help but think if she should tell Troy that his car was parked at her house? Hearing a loud chuckle come from Troy's bedroom, Gabriella shook her head in disgust and opened the front door. Maybe later.
Gabriella entered the tall local business building, feeling the sun blaze through her short black dress. Clicking her heels on the black tiled flooring, she walked over to the elevator and pressed the 'up' button. She was called into her boss's office that morning, to get information on what to do at the premiere later today. They even made her a customized dress for her to wear at the premiere.
Just when the elevator doors were about to shut close, a tall chestnut haired man reached his hand into the small area and pressed the doors back open. He then stepped into the elevator, smirking, and pressed the top floor button. The doors shut with a click, leaving Gabriella and the male alone in the tight area.
"Bolton," Gabriella muttered, not daring to see Troy's stupid smirk spread across his face.
"Nice seeing you, too, Montez," Troy added, looking over at Gabriella.
"Late are we?" Gabriela questioned, looking down at her watch seeing that they're five minutes past their told time.
"I could say the same to you," Troy pointed out, as Gabriela shrugged, carelessly. The atmosphere heated up by the second, and Gabriella felt comfortable in his presence. It wasn't awkward, or nerve racking, it was relaxing and nice. Somehow, ever since last night Gabriella felt more comfortable around Troy, but she still hated him, no matter what. He was an ass, and once an ass, always an ass.
"You coming, Montez?" Troy called, stepping out of the elevator, looking at Gabriella worriedly. Nodding her head, snapping back into reality, Gabriella stepped out of the elevator, following Troy in suit, heading over towards Tom's office.
"Agreed?" Tom questioned, sternly, eyeing Troy and Gabriella. Troy and Gabriella shifted slightly in their seats, located across from Tom. After about thirty to forty-five minutes of listening to Tom's strict instructions on what Troy and Gabriella should do tonight, they weren't so sure they were able to pull it off.
Tom stated that tonight, Gabriella and Troy would have to arrive, same limo of course, hand-in-hand, which was a not so bad start. Then, during the premiere they would have to walk down the 'red carpet' as a couple, never leaving each other's sight. They would stop at a few of the interview stations, answering questions on how they became a couple, and it would have to be believable. After interviews, they would have to attend a music performance, acknowledging most musicals of the century. Since they were sitting in the front row, paparazzi would be snapping pictures like mad at them.
Problems? Troy would check out every girl's ass as they past him, which the photographers would clearly catch. And it was worse enough being Troy's "Girlfriend" for the night, but she also couldn't leave him, too. Plus, how could they describe how they became a couple, when neither of them knows what it's like to be in a relationship of some sort? Man, was Tom stupid. He chose the least committable people in the whole department to pretend to date.
"We'll give it a shot," Troy agreed, being the schmoozer he was. Gabriella rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Suck up.
"Look Tom, we'll try this relationship thing, but we aren't going to promise it's going to be believable, due to the man whore sitting next to me," Gabriella warned, using her index finger to point at Troy.
"Excuse me? If you don't mind me asking, how many guys did you sleep with last night?" Troy asked, smirking, knowing he's cornered her.
"Well, I do mind you asking. So, keep your nose out of my personal life you fucking-," Gabriella started to say, but Tom stood up and held a hand up at her, motioning her to sit back down and be quiet.
"Gabriella, Troy, you guys need to stop it, now," Tom punished, looking at Troy and Gabriella as if they were his own children.
"Our whole company depends on you two to keep this image to the press. Do you know what's going to happen if the press finds out that you two really hate each other? Gucci can get sued for breaking the company's rule, you two are guaranteed to lose your jobs, and out sales can drop so fast, we'll have to shut down the whole place," Tom explained, as Gabriella and Troy gulped. Now feeling pressured to get this job done correctly, Gabriella slowly nodded her head and smiled slightly.
"We'll try our best," Gabriella agreed, standing up from her chair, as well as Troy.
"I'm glad to hear it," Tom added, smiling at Gabriella's enthusiasm.
The screams, the yells, the flashing lights, all play a role at Hollywood events. Gabriella stomach turned with nervousness. Looking down in her lap at her hands, she slightly fixed the hem of her violet Christian Dior dress. Her stomach turned and she felt nauseous. Looking over at Troy, he was holding a semi-large mirror in his left hand, while using his right to fix his hair. He's so conceited. Rolling her eyes, she looked away from him. She had to pretend she was dating that, thing? Why couldn't he just date himself? Obviously, he loved it more than life itself.
"Mr. Bolton, Ms. Montez, we're here," The driver called, as Troy grinned, happily. While Gabriella sat next to him, eyes widened and her heart was beating rapidly.
"Thanks Joe," Troy added, as he saw someone open Troy's side of the car. Nodding his head, Joe watched as Troy stepped out of the vehicle, while Gabriella remained inside. Looking at her confusingly, Joe pointed his hand to the door.
"Uh, Ms. Montez? You can go now," Joe urged on, as Gabriella laughed nervously.
"Oh, uh, right," Gabriella stammered, sliding herself towards the exit.
Giving Joe one final wave, Gabriella stepped out of the vehicle, to see Troy standing there offering her his hand. Lights flashed in her face as she squinted towards all the chaos taking place before her. This was a Gala event that took place outside, instead of inside for once. There was a long carpet that started almost to where Gabriella was standing, to about at least a mile or so. This event was different from all the other Gala events because more people came, therefore they needed to make things bigger.
"Took you long enough," Troy grunted, as Gabriella scoffed at him. She rudely grabbed his arm and wrapped hers' around it, both making their way down the pool of photographers.
"Troy! Gabriella! Look over here!" Paparazzi screamed, once Troy and Gabriella set foot on the carpet. Feeling her stomach turn inside out, Gabriella clutched onto Troy's arm tighter, only to hear him sigh angrily at her.
Troy led both him and Gabriella more onto the red fabric beneath them, smiling towards the cameras. Smiling also, Gabriella leaned her body more towards Troy's', signaling that he was hers, or so they thought. She wasn't going to risk her job just to show the camera how much she hated Troy, so she played along, trying to remember what the other celebrity couples do. Smiling up at him, lovingly, Troy looked back down at her and smiled, also. She could tell her was faking it, like herself, but it looked believable to the camera.
Walking down more towards the carpet, Gabriella stumbled a bit on her five-inch heels, but since she was attached to Troy's arm, she only bumped into his a little. Troy noticed her clumsiness and rested his hand on her upper back. She looked into her eyes, trying to hide his disgust, and scrunched his eyebrows.
"You okay?" Troy asked, "Worriedly" as Gabriella nodded a bit. Then, looking at the cameras again, she snuggled her body in his chest, while Troy wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Oh, yeah, this is believable.
"So, how long have you two love birds been dating?" The E! News reporter asked, interested. Gabriella and Troy stood opposite of her, their hands intertwined together, comfortably.
Gabriella stood close to Troy, as if their bodies were joined together. Somehow, Gabriella has become comfortable with the closeness between her and Troy. It wasn't as awkward and weird like Gabriella thought it would be. Plus, Troy didn't seem to mind at all. It started out odd, and hateful, but it soon became comfortable and she felt as ease in Troy's presence.
Looking at Troy, to see if he was going to answer, he looked back at her and smiled. She couldn't tell if it was real or fake, but she felt her knees weaken towards that warm, sexy smile.
"Well, we've been great friends since we met, and it has always been a pleasure to be around someone sweet, caring, and beautiful, but I think we started out dating a few months ago?" Troy lied, looking at Gabriella when he was finished talking to see if what he has said was okay. Gabriella gave him a small nod, and a small smile, before turning back to the interviewer.
"Aww, well aren't you two cute!" The interviewer cooed, "Moving on. What would you two usually do on a date together?"
"What we would do? Hmm, it would be between either going out to a nice dinner, or staying at home, snuggling on the sofa, watching movies," Gabriella answered, giggling a bit at her last answer. How stupid did she sound?
"Well, doesn't that sound nice! Well, it was nice talking to you two, have fun tonight!" And with that, the camera was off with a beep, while Troy looked over at Gabriella and leaned down to her ear.
"Can we go…. Now?" Troy asked as Gabriella shrugged, looking away from him.
"Where's my make-up?!" The blonde haired woman, carrying a microphone, shirked. Gabriella shuttered at her loud, whiney voice and quickly looked at Troy.
"Let's go," Gabriella instructed, holding onto Troy's hand tighter, and pulling him away.
"Let's slow down a bit there, speed racer," Troy replied, stopping his pace a bit, while Gabriella shot her head at him.
"Oh, c'mon, I haven't had a drink all night!" Gabriella reasoned, trying to pull Troy along with her. She would've left him by now, but "They couldn't leave each other's sight". Stupid.
"It's only 6:30pm," Troy pointed out.
"Yeah, well, uh…," Gabriella trailed off as Troy smirked at the fact that he won Gabriella's little ramble.
"Just stop asking questions and come on!" Gabriella snapped, pulling Troy's arm harder. Rolling his eyes, Troy let himself be dragged all the way to the performance location, where they gave free drinks to all the celebrities attending.
Walking down the red aisle way to their seats, Gabriella held onto Troy's arm, Troy leading the way to the front row of the room. Gabriella chugged down the little bit of wine she had left in her glass and swallowed.
"Man, that was good," Gabriella sighed, sitting down in her seat, which was a couch shared for just her and Troy. Troy sat down next to her and swung his arm around Gabriella's shoulders. Paparazzi is going to make their over towards them soon, so why not start now?
Taking a sip from his drink, Troy watched the people gather around to his side, waiting for the upcoming performance. Looking down at Gabriella, he saw her hand her glass over to one of the waiters that came around collecting dirty glasses. Watching as Gabriella smiled up at the guy, he winked at her, before walking away. Troy's eyes darkened with hatred. How dare he make a move on Gabriella. Did she appear single to him? Hello?! Where the hell has he been?! Surely, he would've gotten the hint when he saw Troy sitting next to her! Or was it not that obvious?
Whoa, whoa, wait. Why would he care if some basterd flirted with Gabriella? His lost. Surely, she isn't that good in bed, or was she? Who was he to judge? She had long legs, big breasts, a firm ass, how couldn't she be good in bed? God! It's happening, again! What was wrong with him? Has he gone mad?
"Troy, Paparazzi's here," Gabriella warned, leaning up towards his ear. Nodding a little, Troy thought to himself. Time to kick it up a notch.
Awaiting for the show to start, Troy sat in his seat, arm wrapped around Gabriella's shoulders, protectively. Okay, it was a start, but he still looked like he was her brother. There were a few paparazzi hiding far away, up on the balcony's above the stage, it's not like they were in their faces. But anyone could clearly spot them, since they were all faced towards the stage. Glancing down at Gabriella, again, Troy leaned down to her ear, flirtatiously.
"Want some of my drink?" Troy offered, holding her drink up to her. Gabriella looked at him, relieved before answering.
"It's like you read my mind," Gabriella added, as Troy handed her then drink and Gabriella took a large sip of it. Handing it back to Troy, Gabriella patted his knee and smiled.
"That was a well deserved drink," Gabriella replied, as Troy took a sip of it as well.
"Hmm, someone seems like they want to get drunk tonight," Troy stated, nuzzling his nose into her mess of curls. Gabriella laughed, and put a hand to Troy's chest, grabbing his shirt a bit.
"Let's not repeat of last night," Gabriella teased, moving closer towards him.
"Well, it's not going to be like last night, because for one, you'll be going home with me," Troy whispered, seductively in Gabriella's ear.
Scrunching her eyebrows, Gabriella looked at him confused. Paparazzi weren't in a hearing range of them, so why was Troy flirting with her? Although his comment was totally arousing and sexy, he was Troy Bolton for crying out loud! She hated him with passion. Of course, he was hot, of course, he was every girls dream, well most, but he was arrogant and conceited! Always thinking of himself and taking girls for advantage. How could she possibly be turned on by him? Then again….. it couldn't hurt to play along? I mean, it would only benefit her career.
"Is that so?" Gabriella whispered back, her fingers trailing up to Troy's collar. She playfully tugged on his collar, biting her lip suggestively.
Troy grinned, mischievously, at Gabriella as he could see from the corner of his eye, the waiter coming back towards Gabriella. The waiter soon turned around when he saw Gabriella with Troy, which only made Troy happier to see that jack ass go away. Of course, this flirting thing wasn't actually real. It was for the benefit of his career, and to get creepy guys to stop flirting with Gabriella while they were a 'Couple'. About to continue with his plan, his head turned over towards the stage, only to see the curtains open, slowly, while the lights flicker off.
"Show's starting," Gabriella whispered to Troy, as she grabbed his hand, that was holding his glass, and placed her hand on top of his'. Smiling, Troy over at the sow and watched as the dancers came out to sing on the stage.
Throughout the show, Gabriella and Troy were caught up in the musical, they almost forgot about their whole couple situation. Gabriella's hand remained on Troy's, but when he was finished with his wine and the waitress took it, their hands intertwined together. When a slow song, or a completely boring part came on, Troy and Gabriella would whisper in each other's ear, acting like it was something important, but really it was the random, stupidest things. By the end of the show, during the loud eruption of applause, Gabriella and Troy looked around the auditorium tiredly and Gabriella crashed against Troy's chest.
"That was so boring," Gabriella complained as Troy wrapped his arm around Gabriella's shoulder and caressed it.
"Well, there's an after party next, want to go?" Troy questioned, looking down at Gabriella.
"Aren't we forced to go?" Gabriella questioned back, confused.
"No, we could just go home if you wanted to," Troy answered, shrugging. Gabriella smiled up at him, he was so caring tonight.
"If you're ready to go now, I'm ready," Gabriella hinted. Looking around, Troy noticed only a couple of people were left in the room. Thinking it was time to head out now, Troy stood up and took Gabriella's hand in his'.
"Let's go," Troy announced, as Gabriella stood up as well.
"Fine, but let's stop and get some rum on the way because I feel like getting wasted tonight," Gabriella sang, strutting down the aisle way. Troy looked at her, eyes widened, following her path. If she was another woman, we would so have sex tonight.