Learning To Fall

by: LunarEclipse360

Disclaimer: not mine

A/N: you will be seeing a new chapter of Look Beneath The Surface soon but probably not until next Friday because I am going away starting this Saturday and I won't be back until Thursday so that's five days away from my computer.

Chapter 10

The next few days had been difficult for Troy and Gabriella. Both were trying to fight feelings for each other; feelings that neither wanted. Even with the pending feelings, they continued with their agreement, meeting after school to go to Troy's house and spend an hour each on their end of the deal.

"GOD! Why the fuck can't I get this?" Troy asked as he leaned against his headboard.

"You'll get it."

"No, I won't. I've been working on this for over a week and I still don't get any of it." He leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling.

Gabriella sighed and tried to think of a way to make it easier for him. "I know." He glanced at her. "How about you apply everything to basketball?"

"Huh?"

"Apply physics to basketball."

"I'm still not following."

"Ugh," she said with a roll of her eyes before grabbing his hand. "Come on." She dragged him downstairs and to the basketball court. "Okay. Say the entire court is 15 feet." She stood at the end of the court and he watched diligently. "Now if you dribbled the ball to half court, that is?"

"7.5 feet."

"Good. Now if you dribbled back to the free throw line, that is one foot. How many feet did you dribble the ball?"

"Um…8.5?"

"Right. And your displacement is?"

"6.5?"

"Correct." He grinned and she walked up to him. "See, you can get it. You just have to apply it to something you can actually pay attention to."

"I guess I can. Uh…thanks, for this."

"Don't thank me just yet. We have a lot of work to do."

For the next hour, Gabriella helped Troy using basketball as an example. Time ticked by and Gabriella found it was time for her to head home.

"I better get going before my mother starts to worry," she said as she walked into his room, grabbing her bag.

"I'll give you a ride," he said and grabbed his keys.

"Thanks."

The ride to her house was, for once, filled with conversation. They talked about anything and everything, feeling comfortable around each other for the first time. He finally pulled up into her driveway and she smiled at him.

"Thanks again for the ride."

"No problem. Hey," he said before she got out. "Since we've basically gotten through what I need to do in physics, I thought maybe we could focus on you tomorrow. Maybe I'll even teach you how to shoot a free throw."

"Sure. It gives my brain a rest anyway."

"Same here."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded and she smiled before getting out of his car. He watched her go into her house before making his way out of her driveway and back to his house.

-

-

Troy was ready for this. Mrs. Hughes had announced the day before that they were going to be having a test. It was the reason he was stressing out at his tutoring session with Gabriella. He didn't, however, tell her that he had a test. He knew that if he did, she would start stressing and that would make him stress even more.

"Okay, class, begin," she said and he turned over his paper.

Displacement. YES! He immediately started answering questions, going over it in his head as if he were on a basketball court. Question by question, he thought about last night and the examples Gabriella had given him. Finally, Mrs. Hughes called 'time' and Troy willingly put down his pen. He knew everything was right and he had Gabriella to thank.

The rest of the class was spent with Mrs. Hughes teaching something new and Troy made sure to pay attention, knowing he didn't need to fail this class and that he couldn't depend on Gabriella's help for the rest of the school year.

When class let out, he went in search of the brunette. He found her by her locker, once again in Ryan Evans' presence. A low growl escaped his throat as he watched the exchange between the two.

What the hell? Why am I growling? I'm not jealous of Ryan. Why should I be jealous of him? It's not like I like Gabriella. At least I don't think I do. No, I don't. I don't like her.

"Troy?"

He broke out of his argument with himself and stared into her brown eyes. "Huh?"

"Are you okay? You were making these weird faces."

His eyes shifted over to the blonde standing beside her and he glared at him. "Yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking." He turned back to her. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure." She turned to Ryan and smiled. "Talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Later." Both Troy and Gabriella watched the blonde walk away.

"So what's up?" she asked turning to Troy.

"How serious are you two?" he asked, taking his eyes off of the retreating boy and looking at her.

"Me and Ryan? We're just friends."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah. What's it to you anyway?"

"Just…curious."

"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No. I actually came here to say 'thank you'."

"For what?"

"Well, I didn't tell you yesterday, but Mrs. Hughes told us we had a test today and I just finished taking it and I know I aced it."

"How do you know if you haven't gotten the results back?"

"You know how when you're taking a test and the answers just come to you without you having to think them over?" She nodded. "Well that's how this test was. I didn't have to rethink anything and I have you to thank."

She smiled. "Well, you're welcome."

"So we're still going to help you with your free throws after school right?" She nodded. "Good. Then I'll see you then." He turned around and walked away.

Gabriella sighed, dejectedly. No matter how many times she told herself she didn't like him, his presence would always make her stomach flutter. She leaned against her locker and tried to soothe her out of control insides.

-

-

"So are you ready?" he asked as he picked up a ball.

"For?"

"To learn how to shoot free throws? Duh."

"Oh, right."

"Come on." She got up and walked over to where he stood at the free throw line. "Here." She took the ball from his hand and held it.

"Now what?"

"Right hand or left?"

"What?"

"Are you right handed or left handed?"

"Right. Why?"

"Hold the ball in your right hand and hold it above your shoulder." She placed the ball in her right hand and cocked her arm back, holding it straight over her shoulder. "Make sure it's right next to your ear without touching it. Now…" He moved behind her and took her left arm, "put your left hand on the side of the ball. Bend your knees slightly," he said, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her down. Gabriella could feel her heart speed up and her face heat up. "Now when I count to three, bend your knees and push up. One. Two. Three." She bent her knees then pushed her knees straight. "All your power comes from your knees. I'm gonna count to three again and this time I want you to throw the ball when you push up. Got it?"

"Got it."

"One. Two. Three." She bent down then came up, throwing the ball at the same time. She watched as it flew from her hand and went straight into the basket. "You got it."

"I can't believe I just shot a free throw."

"Well believe it." He squeezed her sides in congratulations and she froze. She hadn't even remembered his hands being on her until that moment.

She turned slightly, looking at him over her shoulders. He looked at her, staring into her brown eyes before his drifted to her lips and back up to her eyes. "Troy…" she said softly, but was cut off by his lips connecting with hers.

Her lids closed immediately and she kissed back. She absentmindedly reached up with her left hand and tangled her fingers in his hair. When they broke for air, they stared at each other, neither believing what they just did.

"Gabriella…I…"

"I-I should go." She detached herself from him and ran over to the back porch, grabbing her bag. "I'll, uh, I'll see you tomorrow," she said and left him alone in the backyard.