Reluctant Hostility © Midnight113.

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or have any affiliation to it.

Synopsis: It's been three months since Gabriella left school so she could take care of her mom, three months since she had lied to Troy and three months since she'd last seen him… until now. Sequel to BH. T&G

A warning to all potential thieves, this work is copyright 2011 Midnight113. Reluctant Hostility is completely the work and property of Midnight113, to reproduce under any other name is theft!

Chapter Ten

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

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Gabriella's eyes slowly opened, her face heating up from the sunlight that was streaming in through the large display windows. Picking her head up from the makeshift pillow she had created by rolling Troy's leather jacket in a ball, she took in her surroundings. Her brow crinkled slightly as she rubbed sleep from the corners of her eyes and studied the room. Realizing she was laying on the blue couch in the middle of the bookstore, Gabriella blinked tiredly and questioned how she had ended up in her current position.

Then, as if a bucket of water was dumped over her head, Gabriella's eyes widened. Quicker then lightening, she bolted up now completely awake and looked around the store. A white sheet was securely wrapped around her body, covering both her and the couch. The morning light shining in through the window caught her attention first. Then tilting her head down, she noticed a figure sprawled out on the floor next to her.

Troy was laying on his stomach, using one of the white sheets as a pillow while another covered him from the waist down.

Smiling at the sight, Gabriella clutched her sheet tightly and stood up from the couch. Kneeling down beside him, she slowly crawled over his back and laid out on top of him. Her finger inched its way towards his neck, tapping lightly to wake him. "Troy?" She whispered, poking him with her finger to gain his attention. "Wake up."

Releasing a low grunt, Troy remained still for a moment until his back shifted slightly from her weight. "Mmm." Her hand brushed down his neck as a strand of her black hair skimmed his bare back. Troy's head jerked from the sensation. "That tickles." He mumbled.

Biting back a giggle, Gabriella nuzzled her nose against his cheek. "Good, that's the point." She strummed her fingers along his back and smiled when he moaned.

Lifting his upper body off the carpeted floor, Troy turned over until Gabriella was resting comfortably on his chest. "Mmm, you woke me up." He accused with a gruff voice.

Gabriella nodded, her eyes settling on the familiar scar that adorned Troy's upper left pectoral. "Well someone had to." She brought a finger up and traced the red scar. Troy's body stiffened from the act, causing her eyes to lift up and meet his brilliant bluish gray orbs. The gleam in his eyes from the reflection of light slowly disappeared, replaced with a dark cloud as he gradually regained consciousness.

They remained staring at each other quietly until a split second later, Troy's eyes widened. "Fuck!" Pushing her off his chest, he rolled over on his knees and got up. Not expecting the abrupt change in his disposition, Gabriella fell to her side and watched in shock as Troy grabbed his shirt and flung it over his head. "Shit, shit, shit…" The string of curses continued to spill from his mouth as he hopped around the small area looking for his clothes.

Placing her head against her palm, Gabriella rested her elbow on the carpet and looked up at Troy curiously. "What's wrong now?"

As if remembering she was laying out on the floor beneath him, Troy's eyes flickered over her body before he grabbed his shoes. "I, uh… I'm late for a meeting with the bank."

"Right now?" The incredulous tone of her voice seeped through as she watched him hastily put his socks on.

Troy lifted his watch up to his face and nodded. "Yeah, crap I can't believe this."

"Can't believe what?" Gabriella asked, getting to her feet and looking around for her clothes.

"This… us…" He began with a shaky voice which immediately got her attention.

Spinning around to stare at him, Gabriella gawked. "What?" Her nerves skyrocketed with the anticipation of his words, feeling the dread begin to build in her stomach as she eyed him.

"This was a mistake." Troy ran his fingers through his mussed hair, all the while keeping his eyes off of hers. "It was… stupid." He finished, placing his phone in the back of his pocket.

Letting out a scoff, Gabriella shook her head. "You're kidding right? You're not seriously pulling that card on me right now are you?"

Troy's eyes narrowed as he finally turned to face her. "Look, we shouldn't have-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence." Gabriella raised her hand to stop him before running it over her forehead. "Troy… why do you have to ruin this?"

"Because you ruined it three months ago. I'm just following your lead." He bit out, clutching his fist tightly to his side. "Now if you don't mind, I have somewhere I need to be."

Gabriella fixed him with a stern glare. "What's the hell's wrong with you lately? You're acting even more rotten than usual." She voiced her observation, irked with his unusually consistent behavior as of late.

"I don't want to talk about it. Can you just hurry up so we can get out of here?" Troy proceeded to clean their mess up, placing the lid over the forgotten container of paint.

Gabriella remained still, staring at him. "So that's it, huh? You just want to forget everything that happened here last night?" When Troy averted his eyes down to the floor, she knew she had her answer. Nodding slowly, she finished putting on her clothes and shoes. "Okay then, if that's what you really want… then maybe we shouldn't be friends either. Seeing as you crossed that line last night."

Without answering her, Troy opened the keypad on the wall and began putting in the alarm code. "Do you need a ride back?" He finally asked after she brushed past him out the door.

She let out a cruel laugh. "After that mistake last night, I'll pass on getting anymore rides from you." She emphasized her words. Sending him a small glare, Gabriella forced a twisted smile. "Thanks for the offer though… buddy."

Ignoring her, Troy walked to his truck and jumped in. She watched as he hesitated a moment before speeding off down the dead road, his tires screeching from the force of his foot on the pedal

Feeling nothing but despair for the way the day had started off for them, Gabriella pulled out her cell phone and called the one person she knew could help.

"He's just being an ass." Sharpay leaned forward in her chair, slurping her hot chai tea. After calling her best friend that morning, Gabriella had suggested the two head to the café around the corner so that they could talk. "You of all people should be use to it."

Gabriella rolled her eyes at the blonde. "Yeah, well… it seems to be even more prominent recently. Has Chad mentioned anything to you lately?"

Sharpay shook her head. "Nope. Then again, we don't really talk about Troy. I usually bug Chaddy about both of you though, I love getting other people's opinions about things." She grinned.

Gabriella scoffed, taking a sip of her coffee. "That's helpful."

"I know." Shifting forward in her chair, Sharpay lowered her voice. "So what are you going to do now about… you know, your plan with school."

Staring down at the hot liquid, Gabriella frowned. "Well, once I talk my mom into renting the house out... things should go smoothly from there."

"Hmm…" Sharpay nodded. "And Troy?"

Gabriella scrunched up her nose, tilting her head to the side. "That's still a work in progress." She admitted with a smile.

"Well after last night, I'm sure that statement's true." Gabriella blushed, taking her eyes off of her friend and focusing instead on her coffee.

"I didn't even tell you about the key I found."

Sharpay's eyebrows raised with curiosity. "A key?"

"Hey guys." Kelsi approached the table with her coffee in hand. "What's up?"

Sharpay began waving her hand in the air. "Shh, Gabriella found a key."

"That's… nice?" Kelsi gave the both a confused glance before joining them.

"Damn right, now tell me about this key." Sharpay demanded, leaning forward eagerly.

Biting her bottom lip, Gabriella slowly began her account of the discovery. "Well, I was sort of snooping around for soap at Troy's apartment last week and I found a key in one of the drawers."

"What's so weird about that?" Kelsi asked.

"Um..." Gabriella looked between both of them before revealing, "It had my name on it."

Sharpay leaned back in her chair, a contemplative look crossing her facial features as she listened. Her brow knitted together, scrunching her face up as she considered her friend's words.

"He made you a key?" Kelsi's head cocked to the side as she spoke. "When?"

Gabriella sighed, slumping back in her seat. " I don't know, I didn't ask him about it." Remembering how she felt about the little silver key, she shared, "I think he made it before I left and just never gave it to me. You guys don't think he was always thinking about breaking up with me, even before I left… do you?"

Kelsi shook her head. "No I don't think so Gabs." Just as Kelsi finished speaking, Sharpay's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute! I know… that's what Chad was talking about."

Gabriella's curiosity peaked. "What?"

"Remember when I came to visit you the day you got that call from your mom's school about her being sick." Gabriella nodded. "And remember when I started telling you about a secret your lover boy had shared with Chad that day? Something that was really good and had to do with you and Troy?"

It suddenly dawned on Gabriella what her friend was talking about. "You think Troy told Chad about the key?"

Sharpay nodded. "Mmmhmm. Chad wouldn't tell me all the details that day, just that Troy had something he was going to ask you… something big."

"And then I left and went to New Mexico." Gabriella finished her thought with a frown appearing on her face. "I screwed everything up."

Kelsi placed her hand on Gabriella's arm comfortingly. "It's okay Gabriella. What matters is that your mom's alright and you came back just like you said you would."

"Yeah and if he's stupid enough to not forgive you and let you slip through his fingers than he's just a bigger ass than I gave him credit for."

"He's not an ass." Gabriella whispered. "I am."

Sharpay just leaned back in her chair and began examining her nails. "No comment."

Kelsi shoved the blonde slightly with a scowl. "Come on, she's needs our support right now."

"Hey, I've been supporting her for a long time. I can't help it if I agree with her though, she should have told him." Gabriella looked up at Sharpay as she spoke. "Now this whole thing has just gotten completely out of control and I have the perfect solution."

"Oh no." Kelsi whispered, her eyes widening.

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella nodded. "Okay Shar, what's your perfect solution this time?"

"Road trip."

"Huh?" Gabriella and Kelsi spoke, both looking up at her.

"Yeah, I know the just the place too. A little inn up in Vermont. It's got shops and food and a pool…" Sharpay trailed off, listing the different amenities and such of the inn. "We can leave for the weekend and be back on Monday. And since the bookstore is closed for the renovation Kelsi, you don't have to be back for work and class is out right now so no worries about that. What do you guys say? You in for a little girly weekend away from all this drama?"

"Just the three of us?" Gabriella quirked an eyebrow.

Sharpay nodded. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Kelsi and Gabriella both shared a look before Kelsi shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

Biting her bottom lip, Gabriella considered the idea before finally nodding. "Sure, why not…"

"Great, I'll call and make us a reservation in the three bedroom suite… Daddy won't mind." Sharpay began rattling off her plans for the weekend, not noticing the small smiles playing on her friends' faces.

Gabriella leaned back in her seat and stared out the window thoughtfully. She was more upset now than before concerning the situation with Troy that had managed to escalate thanks to her obvious lack of thinking ahead. Now with her new knowledge of the key and Troy's intentions, her heart felt squashed against her ribcage. Maybe a trip away for a couple days would help them both clear their heads, or it could make things more awkward between them.

Either way, Gabriella was having trouble believing Troy's reaction that morning. Did he really have a meeting with the bank or was it something else? Something that had to do with whatever had been bothering him so much. Knowing it wouldn't help to obsess over the issue, she put it aside. One thing at a time. When she got back from Vermont, she'd talk to Troy about everything. The key, the store and their ever changing relationship.

"Ugh, how much longer!" Sharpay complained from the backseat. The girls had decided to rent a car and drive up to the inn while enjoying the scenery on the way. That was before Sharpay had learned that she was naturally an impatient person and became bored fast when sitting still for too long. "I'm getting hungry." She added, crossing her arms.

Gabriella looked in the rear-view mirror and giggled. "Shar we just had lunch an hour ago."

The blonde waved her hand in the air, focusing her attention out the window. "French fries and a salad don't count. What's the GPS say?" She leaned forward eagerly, staring at the little contraption on the dashboard.

"It says sit back and enjoy the ride before I come back there and strangle you with your seat belt." Kelsi replied through her teeth with a sweet smile.

Sharpay tilted her head and stared at the device. "Huh… where's it say that?" Gabriella laughed at both of them before turning on her signal light.

"Relax guys, we're here."

Pulling the vehicle through a stone archway, the three friends couldn't help but lean forward and gawk at the marvelous view in front of them. The Sterling Inn was situated on a hilltop, overlooking lush gardens and wooded forests. The majestic looking blue mountains sat far off in the distance, adding a sense of escape and appeal to the grounds. The bright sun was streaming down through the treetops, causing shadows to dance along the windshield of the car as it drove down the cobblestone pathway. Gabriella found it difficult to focus on driving when they passed over an old covered bridge that followed the river down to a waterfall.

"Wow… this is nice." Kelsi mumbled, her eyes wide as they approached the main building of the inn.

Sharpay's head nodded dumbly in the backseat as she looked over their shoulders and stared straight ahead at the property. "Yeah, I sure know how to pick 'em huh?" Gabriella and Kelsi shared a mute look before turning ahead.

Gabriella pulled the car up to the front door and parked. She leaned forward over the steering wheel and studied the impressive architecture of the building, its beautiful red brick and white wooden trim.

"Is there a pool here?" Kelsi asked, unlocking the door and hopping out.

"Three actually." Sharpay replied, stepping out behind her. "One is an indoor pool, it's heated too." She winked as Kelsi squealed, showcasing her enthusiasm.

Not being able to resist, Gabriella pushed her car door open and spoke. "I have to say, this was a great idea Shar. It's gorgeous here." Slamming the door behind her, Gabriella inhaled the fresh, clean air and smiled. It was a beautiful summer day, the kind with a light breeze that cooled you down when the beating sun on your forehead became too much to handle. "I think this is going to be a perfect weekend."

"Thanks… I think I might just have to agree with you." Sharpay announced, placing her hands on her hips and looking around the property grounds. "Now, let's go check in."

The three of them quickly made their way to the lobby of the large building. Kelsi and Gabriella would stop every few feet to admire the décor and atmosphere of the intimate resort. The marble floors shined from the elegant chandeliers up above as Gabriella looked around her in awe. "Whoa, can Sharpay even afford this place?" Kelsi whispered in her ear once they were far enough away from the front desk. "It seems more like a resort than an inn."

"Well she insisted on it so my guess is… yes." Gabriella shrugged, watching as Sharpay conversed with the concierge and one of the bell boys behind the counter, no doubt informing him on the assistance they would need with their luggage.

Gabriella decided to do some more exploring of main building and nudged Kelsi in the side gently. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to go to the bathroom and check out the restaurants for later."

Kelsi nodded. "Okay, you do that while I go inspect the pools." She wiggled her eyebrows with a grin before walking off in the opposite direction.

Giggling quietly with a shake of her head, Gabriella began her walk to the bathroom. On the way, she examined the menu to one of the restaurants located on the premises. She decided to save time and just make a reservation for the three of them now instead of having to wait later on. She figured she'd treat them both to a nice meal considering it's the least she could do with everything Sharpay had done for her and with Kelsi helping out with the store.

Stepping up to the host, she waited patiently for him to acknowledge her. "Hello Miss, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I'd like to make a reservation." While Gabriella settled their dinner plans for the evening, she noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the side and observed the broad back of a man standing in the lobby. Her eyes trailed over his arms, appreciating his tight shirt that hugged him just right. Her heart began to speed up, pounding in her ears as she continued to stare at the man's back. He was speaking with one of the blonde receptionists at the desk, his hands shoved in the pockets of his black dress pants.

Gabriella's heart skipped then with the oddly familiar stance. Her eyes stayed glued to the back of his head, the chestnut hair looking more recognizable. Strangely enough, it almost looked similar to the head of hair she had been running her fingers through a couple of days ago.

But it couldn't be, could it?

"Miss? Miss… are you alright?" Gabriella shook her head and turned back to the host standing at the pedestal.

"Oh, yes… I'm sorry."

"That's alright. Is there anything else I can help you with today?" Yeah, you can tell me that isn't who I think it is. Instead of wording her thoughts, Gabriella smiled.

"No, thank you."

"Enjoy the rest of your stay." He nodded as she thanked him again and began walking away. Her head twisting once more towards the lobby and she noticed the man was now gone. A frown appeared on her face but she quickly brushed it off and disappeared into the bathroom. Reminding herself that this was a drama free weekend and that it wouldn't help much to be worrying about what she thought she saw, Gabriella cleared her mind and prepared herself for a weekend of relaxation.

It had taken the girls two hours getting settled in their suite. Gabriella had wanted to unpack immediately, to Sharpay and Kelsi's dismay. So after resting from the long drive and then showering, the three friends were finally prepared for their eight o' clock dinner reservation.

They walked together down to the elevator when Gabriella realized she had forgotten her purse. "We'll wait for you." Sharpay told her, as they exited the elevator.

Shaking her head, Gabriella smiled. "No, you go ahead. I'll only be a minute and I don't want to be late." With one last wave, the doors to the elevator shut.

Stepping off onto the third floor to the main building, Gabriella quickly walked back to the suite and retrieved her bag before calling once more for the elevator. She waited patiently, looking around at the plants and artwork before the loud chime captured her attention.

Boarding the elevator, Gabriella immediately began fishing through her purse in search of her lipstick when she noticed she wasn't alone. Her eyes dragged over the shiny black shoes of the person next to her, shoes that she knew she had seen before.

Her breathing hitched as her heart plummeted in her stomach. Her brown eyes slowly trailed up the man's body, her head mimicking the action as she came face to face with the same person she had seen earlier in the lobby.

Deep blues eyes stared intensely back at her. Then widened in surprise before turning away. They both simultaneously whispered over the light music that was playing in the confined space.

"Fuck."

"Sharpay you didn't." Kelsi quietly scolded, looking around the lobby right outside the restaurant. "She's going to kill you…"

Sharpay gave a nervous giggle before shrugging. "No she won't, we're best friends. She loves me. Besides, it's not entirely my fault."

"She's going to kill you." Kelsi repeated looking away. "When she finds out you and Chad came up with this stupid idea and tricked both of them into coming here-"

"It's not stupid, it's going to work." Chad suddenly appeared from behind Sharpay, smiling brightly before leaning down to plant a kiss on his girlfriend's head. "And if it doesn't," He continued with a scared look in his eye. "Blame her." He pointed to the blonde in his arms who giggled and whacked his chest playfully.

"Believe me, they'll thank us by the time we leave Monday." Sharpay nodded. Just then, the elevator in the lobby chimed and all three heads turned to watch as Gabriella stepped out of the small space. Her eyes were slits, narrowed as she scowled in Sharpay's direction.

Chad gulped when he watched his best friend step off the elevator right behind Gabriella. The look in his eyes said it all. "Or not…"

A/N: Heh, hey everybody! Okay, so feel free to throw rotten cyberspace vegetables in my direction... I deserve it for making you all wait so long. I could go on and on about why this took me so long to get out for you all, but I'll save you the boring excuses and just say thanks... if you're still even reading that is. ;) To everyone who predicted Troy would react the way he did, congrats. And to everyone who suspected it was Troy in the lobby, you didn't really think I would have Gabriella go away for the weekend and not have their friends complicate things between them right? Where is the fun in that? That said, I have no idea when the next chapter will be out but I promise I won't make you wait so long again. So I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading and as always my apologies for any grammatical errors.