Chapter 10: Where Do We Stand?

Troy walked up to Gabriella's door and knocked twice. It had been four days since their fight and Troy finally decided to just tell her how he felt. He waited patiently for a few moments. Suddenly he heard someone coming down the stairs. The door opened and he turned around.

Gabriella's eyes widened and she looked down at her feet, "What do you want Troy?" she asked quietly.

"I want to talk to you Gabi. I really do," he said. Gabriella looked up and saw his eyes, pleading with her. She felt her heart melt.

"Come in," she mumbled, opening the door. Troy felt his heart jump for joy as he entered the house. He looked around and saw the whole place was dark.

"Are you home alone still?" he asked. She nodded and turned on the light in the living room. She sat down on the sofa and looked at her hands.

Troy followed her and sat on the couch a bit away from her. He couldn't stop staring at her. She looked so perfect and he missed her so much.

"Well you wanted to talk so talk," she said, looking at him. She blushed and quickly looked away when she saw he was staring at her.

Troy shifted, "Look Gabi I want to tell you Ididn't mean any of that stuff. None of it is true. Chad was bugging me about being friends with you so I said that to shut him up. I know it was stupid but you were never meant to see. I completely regret it because not one bit of it was true. You mean so much to me. More than words can describe and that's why I'm begging you to forgive me. I'll do anything just please believe me when I say you mean the world to me," Troy said, looking deep into her eyes.

Gabriella looked back and felt her eyes watering as she listened to him. "I don't know Troy," she said.

"Cause without love,

Life is like the seasons with no summer

Without love

Life is rock 'n' roll without a drummer

Gabi I'll be yours forever

Cause I never wanna be

Without love

Gabi never set me free

I ain't lying

Never set me free Gabi no, no, no"

Gabriella felt the tears run down her cheeks as she listened to Troy singing. Suddenly she stood up, "You have to go," she said.

Troy stood up too and looked at her, his eyes welling up, "Please Gabi. I'm sorry. I mean it. I can't be without you," Troy said.

Gabriella walked to the door and opened it, "I'm sorry Troy," she said, shaking her head, tears streaming down her face. Troy watched her and saw she was serious.

He walked out the door, tears falling from his eyes. Once outside he heard the door bang. He had lost her forever.

Gabriella walked into school the next day, keeping her head down. She had decided to just avoid Troy completely. It was just easier that way. She walked slowly into her homeroom and took a seat down the back. She kept her head down and read over her notes from a class yesterday.

Suddenly she heard a group of people enter the room. She looked up and saw Troy, Chad and the basketball team enter. All the guys were laughing and her eyes immediately settled on Troy. He was the last to enter and was not laughing. Instead his eyes looked puffy and he looked exhausted. Gabriella felt her stomach churn as she saw how upset he was.

Troy entered his homeroom, not listening to his friends ramble on about a game on TV last night. He immediately saw Gabriella sitting in the corner reading over some notes. He continued to stare at her and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her look at him. Suddenly he felt embarrassed as he remembered his puffy eyes and dark circles from the few tears he shed last night and his lack of sleep for the same reason.

He quickly sat into his seat at the front and kept facing forward for the whole of homeroom. He exited the classroom first and went to his next class, trying to avoid all his friends. He really didn't want to speak to them right now and seeing Gabriella made him feel even worse.

Chad walked into his math class and frowned when he saw Troy with his head in his hands. Chad slid into the seat behind him.

"Troy are you okay?" he whispered. Troy didn't move. "So how did it go with Gabriella? Did you apologise? Did she accept?" Chad asked.

Troy looked up and turned around to Chad, "She heard me out but didn't accept. She told me to get out. I've lost her man," Troy said. He could feel his eyes stinging again but he blinked away his tears. He wasn't going to lose it in the middle of class and in front of all his friends and Gabriella who had just walked in the door.

"Wow. I'm sorry man. Are you sure you're okay? Troy I've never seen you like this, never," Chad hissed.

"I'm fine. I just need to be on my own for a while," he said. Chad nodded and leaned back in his chair just as their teacher entered into the classroom.

Lunch time finally arrived and Troy quickly ran up to his secret spot on the school rooftop. Not many students knew about this place so it was the perfect place for Troy to go to escape from everything and just think. He walked up and sighed. He looked out at Albuquerque and took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a few moments he turned to walk to the bench but stopped. His eyes widened as he saw Gabriella sitting on the bench.

"Hi," he said, quietly.

"Hi," she replied, barely audible. They stayed in silence for a few minutes. Troy stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked up at her.

"I'm sorry I'll come back later," he said. Gabriella shook her head, "No...it's ok. I'll be going in a minute," she said. Troy nodded and walked towards the edge of the balcony, staring out at the city again, trying to calm himself down. He couldn't believe that his heart went ten times faster when she was only a few feet away from him.

"Do you come up here to think too?" she asked, shyly. Troy turned around, "Yeah all the time. That's why I'm up here now," he said.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, playing with her hands, hoping that his answer would involve her. She knew she had made a mistake but she didn't know what to do. Maybe Troy no longer felt anything for her. Maybe she was too late.

"I don't know...school, basketball," he said. Gabriella nodded sadly and continued looking at her hands. Troy turned and looked back out over the city, "You," he finished, loud enough for Gabriella to hear. Her eyes widened and she blushed.

"So why are you here today?" he asked, turning back towards her.

"Well I think I made a huge mistake and I don't know how to fix it," she said. Troy nodded, not realising she was referring to the incident at her house the previous night.

"Well just do your best. You always were good at sorting stuff out," he said, smiling faintly. Gabriella nodded and decided to go for it.

"So where do we stand?" she asked, loudly, avoiding Troy's eyes. Troy looked at her, surprised at her sudden outburst.

"Where do we stand?" he repeated as she nodded, "I don't know. I mean I guess we're not anything anymore after everything," he said, kicking the ground softly with his foot.

"But do you want it to be like that?" she asked, feeling more bold.

"Gabi you know I don't. I told you last night. None of that stuff I said was true," he said.

"Troy I know but what do you want us to be?" she asked.

Troy looked at her, confusion written all over his face, "Huh?"

Gabriella sighed, she was becoming impatient and needed to know if he felt the same, "Do you like me?" she asked.

Troy continued looking at the ground, "Of course I do and that's why I never meant to hurt you. It was just some stupid mistake...," Troy rambled on.

Gabriella stood up and walked quickly over to him. She put her right hand on the back of his neck and pulled his lips onto hers and kissed him softly, putting all her emotions into the kiss. After a few seconds she pulled back, keeping her hand on the back of his neck.

She watched Troy's shocked expression, "Wow," he said.

"Do you like me as more than a friend?" she asked. Troy snapped out of his daydream and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, "Yes Gabi. I do. I like you as more than a friend," he said. Gabriella smiled and pushed herself into him, breathing in his scent and burying her face in his chest. She had never felt so safe before.

"I think that I even...lo-love you," Troy whispered but Gabriella heard. She pushed herself against him more and smiled, "I love you too Troy," she replied.

Troy breathed a sigh of relief and lifted her chin up and softly kissed her. Gabriella smiled into the kiss and felt herself shiver as Troy's tongue entered her mouth. Soon their tongues began softly caressing each other as the kiss became more passionate. Troy wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and Gabriella ran her hands through his soft shaggy hair.

Suddenly the bell rang and the pulled apart, breathing heavily but both smiling. They had never experienced anything like that before.

"So I better get to class," Gabriella said, grabbing her bag.

Troy nodded, "Me too, but meet me here after school there's something I want to ask you," he said. Gabriella nodded and took Troy's hand and went back downstairs to the school, both holding tightly onto each other.

Gabriella closed her locker door and quickly walked into the bathroom across the hall. She checked her hair in the mirror and took a deep breath. She was about to go and meet Troy but for some reason she felt more nervous than any other time she had arranged to meet him. She quickly shook any negative thoughts out of her head and made her way towards the secret staircase.

She ran softly up the stairs and saw Troy was already up in the garden. She smiled as she walked over and stood beside him.

"Hey," she said, softly, smiling at him.

"Hi," he replied, quietly, staring at her. Gabriella blushed and looked away. The both stood in silence for a few minutes, both unsure of how to proceed with conversation. It had become awkward between them again.

"So...," Gabriella said, breaking the silence, "Why did you want to meet up here?" she asked, walking over to the bench. Troy turned and followed her, sitting down beside her.

"Um...I wanted to ask you something," he said, while fidgeting with his hands. Gabriella smiled, "Well shoot."

"Um...first can I just ask how do you feel about me?" he asked nervously, avoiding eye contact. Gabriella sat for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Maybe he didn't like her back even though he said he loved her earlier and if he didn't then would she make a fool of herself by admitting she liked him. Had he changed his mind? She shook her head, angry that she was thinking negative thoughts again.

"I like you...a lot. I really like you," she said, quietly, looking at him, searching for some sign on his face. She saw his eyes light up and his lips curved into a small smile, which he tried to keep from his face.

"So...," she asked, urging him to continue. Troy nodded, "Well I like you too and that's why I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend," Troy said, looking at anything but her face.

Gabriella's eyes widened and her mouth formed an 'o' shape. That was the last thing she had expected him to ask. She sat in shock and disbelief for a few moments.

Troy looked at her and saw her expression and cringed, "I mean you don't have to say yes. It's completely up to you and don't feel like you have to say yes if you say no I'll understand-," Troy said but stopped when he felt Gabriella's hand on top of his.

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend Troy. I was just surprised you had asked me of all people," she said, smiling. Troy grinned but then frowned, "What do you mean you 'of all people'?" he asked, curiously.

Gabriella smiled shyly, "Well let's face it Troy. I'm not exactly what you would call popular. I mean I'm not on the cheerleading team, I'm on the Scholastic Decathlon team now and I'm not the prettiest girl in our school. And you, you're the Troy Bolton. Captain of the basketball team, hottest guy in the school as well as most popular. Everywhere you walk a herd of girls follow. You could have any girl in our school but yet you choose me. It's just strange," Gabriella said.

"Gabi you see me for who I am. I'm not what everybody sees. The same with you; you're more than just brains and good looks. You're one of the greatest people I have and will ever know," Troy said sincerely, as Gabriella smiled and blushed, "And I love you," Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck and softly brought their lips together in a sweet kiss, "I love you too," she whispered as they pulled apart. Troy slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and crashed his lips onto hers once again in a more passionate kiss.

Good old fluff. Can't beat it!! Only one chapter left :(