A/N: First thing first, my lato is broken so I'm on my sister's and that's kind of broken so the letter 'p' doesn't work. So, now I've got to have it on clipboard and paste it every time I need it. Sorry if I missed one.

Chapter 10 – I don't want you hurt

Dropping their bags down as they walked through the door, Troy and Gabriella walked towards the kitchen where they could hear faint noises coming from. Opening the door, they saw the backdoor open and heard Devon's signature laugh. Smiling, the two walked out to find out what was going on.

"Gavvy! Troy!" The youngest Montez flew at the two teenagers but Gabriella held out her hand to stop him attaching onto them just before he reached them.

"Don't even think about coming any closer, Don. You're soaking!" Gabriella warned jokingly.

Troy laughed and shook his head as he picked the young boy up. "Well I don't care if you're wet; I'm not a wuss like Brie." Gabriella punched Troy on the arm playfully. "Ow." He whined, rubbing his arm. "That hurt Brie. You hurt me in the gut."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her brother, letting her eyes take in his soaking wet body. "Why are you so wet anyway?"

"Mommy was fixing the garden and she started watering the flowers but accidentally splashed me and then I wet her too. And a little hose fight and buckets…" His voice trailed off thoughtfully.

Gabriella and Troy rolled their eyes as they for the first time since stepping out noticed Maria. "Hey, Mom." Gabriella greeted.

"What are you two doing back late?"She asked looking at her watch.

Gabriella gave Troy a look who in returned threw her a glare. "We may have ended up in detention." She started carefully.

"What did you do?" Maria asked in shock, knowing her daughter's squeaky clean record.

Troy caught Gabriella's pleading eyes as he let Devon down. He knew just as well as Gabriella that if he told her the truth, Maria would go mad at them as she didn't believe in violence and plus it would mean having to explain what happened with Chris. He let a sigh escape his mouth and – without letting Maria see – reached for Gabriella's hand. "We were caught talking in homeroom by Ms Darbus who decided that she couldn't let us get away with it." He caught Gabriella's eye and she smiled gratefully at Troy knowing her mom would have difficulty finding anything unusually suspicious about the lie, given how close they had become.

"Well don't make it a regular habit. You get enough time to talk outside of school." Maria pointed a warning finger at them both.

"Don't worry, mom. It's not something I plan on letting happen again." Gabriella relied honestly. Nodding, Maria went back to her gardening as Devon ran around. Gabriella turned to Troy and smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Troy nodded. "No probs. I promised I'd watch out for you."

Gabriella felt her breath hitch as her eyes fell on Troy's now wet t-shirt which clearly showed off his well defined six-pack. Her eyes widened even more as Troy lifted the wet clad t-shirt from his body revealing his bare abs. How had her six year old best friend – with whom she played moms and dads with and who she married with a hula hoop wedding ring – become such a…

"Wow." Gabriella let out in a voice which was barely audible.

Troy noticed Gabriella staring at him and couldn't help but smirk seeing her reaction. As he was about to come out with some smart comment, he was interrupted by a very excited Devon. "Troy, do you want to play superheroes with me?"

Remembering how much he loved playing with his school friends and pretending to be a superhero made Troy smile. Seeing Devon's begging eyes, Troy nodded. "Sure we can, Big D, but I get to be the one who rescues Gabriella." Troy winked at her and Gabriella blushed, turning her head to the side but he had already seen it.

"Aww but who will I save?" Devon whined.

"How about we both save her?" Troy suggested, trying not to show just how much he wanted to be the one to save his best friend.

Devon nodded. Maria, who was watching from behind, shook her head at how excited her son was and also caught the blush that was creeping onto her daughter's face as Troy winked at her. "Kids, I'm going inside." She called over her shoulder as she disappeared inside the house.

After running around, Devon called out to Troy, "Troy, quickly get to Gabriella because the monster is coming!"

Gabriella tried her best not to laugh at her little brother and Troy. Troy and Devon were both now shirtless, with Troy tying their shirts around their necks to give them capes; something Troy had done when he too was younger. As she watched them both run around, shirtless and yelling out to each other, Gabriella couldn't help but think about how he would be as a father.

Whoa. Hold up. Where did that come from?

"Don't worry, I got her Big D!" Troy called across the yard to the younger boy.

Gabriella closed her eyes and shook her head at the two. As long as they were getting along, they could do anything they wanted.

Sneaking quietly behind her, Troy scooped Gabriella into his arms from the hammock.

"Troy!"

"Sorry but don't worry I got you." Troy laughed.

"My hero." Gabriella whispered as she settled into his arms as he carried her into the house where Maria was calling them in for dinner.

***

Gabriella was sitting on her balcony doing her homework while Troy was off somewhere in the house with Devon. She couldn't help but smile thinking of how things had been with Troy over the past few days and how much he had been there for her. He had been the only one who had really been there and helped her get through everything in a way no one else could.

Realising something, Gabriella's eyes widened. Was she starting to feel something for Troy? Of course not she told herself but couldn't help but feel something bothering her even after trying to deny it.

Hearing voices, Gabriella stood up and looked over to see Troy and Devon talking to their next door neighbour who had a son the same age as Devon, Eddie, but also a daughter their age, Kirsten. Seeing Troy laughing, Gabriella couldn't help but feel something that felt a lot like jealousy.

She leaned her elbows on the railing and sighed. Kirsten was kind of good looking – she was blonde, way too skinny for Gabriella's liking, taller than Gabriella… For a while, people had called her a Sharpay in training until she had manipulated Ryan and Sharpay so she had the lead in the school musical. But, when it came to their relationships with Troy, who had more chance? Were they friends when they were six? No. Did they share a room? No. Was she wearing one of his favourite shirts? No…

"Hey, Brie." Troy's voice yelled.

Gabriella snapped out of her thoughts and smiled down at Troy. "Wildcat, Wildcat, wherefore art thou, Wildcat?" She joked.

Troy chuckled and grinned up at her. "I'll be up in a minute, okay? Let me wrap this up."

Gabriella nodded. "Cool." She watched Troy jog back over to the fence which separated the two gardens. She sighed and turned around to pick her English book u and she carried it into her bedrooms, setting it neatly next to her computer on her desk.

Why was she jealous of Kirsten Rover for heavens' sake? Troy? Was that the reason she was jealous? But, they were just best friends…right? Who shared a room… He had made it clear that she was more than welcome to wear his clothes… He had comforted her when she was broken… He was the one person she had wanted more than ever when her brother died and when she had found out that her Uncle Luke wasn't an uncle anymore.

She flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Why was her love life always so much better than those in Nicholas Sparks' novels? "Because I need to grow up and realise that life isn't like those books." She muttered, pulling a pillow over her head.

"Which novels?" A familiar dulcet voice asked.

Gabriella opened her eyes as the pillow was removed to reveal Troy standing there with raised eyebrows. "Nicholas Sparks."

Troy nodded understandingly. "I told you to stop thinking about Chris."

Gabriella sat up and rolled her eyes. "I wasn't thinking about him. But, thanks. Now I am."

Troy sighed. "I'm sorry. I just figured…"

Gabriella matched his sigh and turned to him just as he sat up. "I'm sorry, too."

"Why?" Troy whispered.

"I don't know." She admitted. "I guess, every time I think of Chris, I get all angry and upset and I take it out on you."

Troy reached out and curled a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"I do." She whispered in a hushed voice.

Troy sighed softly. "Trust me, okay? That guy that you told me about. The guy on the white horse? He's out there, I promise."

Gabriella nodded slightly. "Maybe…" As she got to her feet she let her imagination run wild. When she imagined her knight in shining armour in the past, the visor had been down. But, now, the visor was up.

She knew who her knight was.

* * *

"So, why did you call me?" Sharpay asked tiredly.

Gabriella sighed into her cell phone and continued clicking around on her computer. "I don't know what to do."

"With what? Gabby, you're going in circles. All I got is that Troy and Devvy played superheroes. What am I supposed to get out of that?"

Gabriella groaned in frustration. "Sharpay, are you with Zeke? Usually, you have my love life figured out before I do."

"No, but you're not making sense." Sharpay muttered before a silence fell between the two girls. "OH, MY GOD!" Sharpay shrieked.

Gabriella yelled out in surprise and held a hand to her heart. "What's up?"

"You are so over Chris." Sharpay exclaimed triumphantly.

"What?" Gabriella frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Stop acting so confused." Sharpay waved the comment off.

"I'm not acting." She cried.

"You're over Chris because of a new skater dude who is sharing your room." Sharpay explained slowly.

Gabriella sighed. "I'm going to kill him. Shall I tell you what I found? I found one of my sneakers with a flip-flop!"

Sharpay gave a fake gasp before turning serious again. "Back to business. Gabs, he's perfect for you."

"How?" Gabriella demanded.

"You both skateboard like champs, you listen to the same kind of music, you both play basketball…" Sharpay trailed off.

"I'm a freaky genius girl…" Gabriella muttered.

"Well, opposites do attract." Sharpay added thoughtfully. "I hate basketball but I'm in love with Zeke. And if that's not enough proof, take a look at Chad and Tay."

Gabriella laughed slightly and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"So, when are you making your move?" Sharpay asked casually.

"Sharpay, I wasn't talking about-" Gabriella was interrupted by a scream. "Shar, I've got to go." She hung her cell phone up and dropped it onto her desk before rushing to her bathroom and pushing the door open. "Troy, what's wrong?" Her voice got quieter as she swallowed nervously. There he was: Troy was dripping wet after having just stepped out of the shower and a towel was wrapped around his waist.

"You're on the pill." He choked out, holding up a small, pink box.

Gabriella sighed. "You went in the bottom drawer, didn't you?"

"Yes. But, that's not the point. I thought you were a virgin." Troy exclaimed.

Gabriella turned around and made her way back into her room, sinking onto her bed. "I told you not to go in the bottom drawer." She muttered.

Troy emerged from the bathroom, still clutching the pink box, and sat next to her. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"Not really. The only one who knows is my mom." She admitted.

"Your dad doesn't know?"

She shook her head and fiddled with the hem of Troy's shirt she was wearing. "No."

"So, why are you on the pill if you're not having sex?" Troy asked, holding her hand gently. "I won't tell anyone."

"What were you doing in the bottom drawer?" Gabriella asked, lifting her head.

"I was looking for my shaving stuff. I kept it in the bottom drawer when I was in L.A. so I must've done it subconsciously. I'm sorry." He apologised, gently massaging her palm with his thumb.

She stared intently at their touching skin. "It's okay. But, this is going to be really weird because you're a guy."

Troy nodded slightly. "It's okay."

Gabriella lifted her head and giggled slightly. "Well, your mom was the only girl in your house, right?"

"Yeah. But, it's cool. You're my best friend. Just tell me." Troy encouraged softly. He emphasised his point by dropping a soft kiss to her cheek.

Gabriella sighed looked away from his eyes. "When I was twelve, I started my periods, right? Everything was alright. It was weird and kind of gross for me but it was okay. Then I was fourteen and I got real bad stomach cramps. It was so bad that I had to have nearly a week off school every month." She let a sigh escape her mouth and closed her eyes. "Then I started fainting."

"Excuse me?" Troy exclaimed.

Gabriella shrugged slightly. "I faint when I'm on my period. And if I want to be a doctor, I can't have that much time off for something that can be avoided by taking a few pills. So, yeah, I'm a virgin."

Troy scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully. "So…"

"Kind of awkward to talk about to your guy best friend. Why do you think I didn't want you going through the bottom drawer?" She exclaimed, finally lifting her head and looking in his eyes. She felt the heat slowly rise in her cheeks.

"So…" Troy lowered his hand from his neck and squeezed her hand affectionately. "What's in the top drawer of the chest of drawers?"

"You want to see bras and knickers?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No." He muttered. "Can I ask a question?"

"Are we still on the same topic?" Gabriella asked quietly.

"Yeah…kinda… Well, I saw that you had those sticky, towelly things women have for, well, you know… If you're on the pill, why?" Troy asked, avoiding her eyes in embarrassment.

"I like to have some in case I forget. I never have but it's possible." She shrugged slightly. "Troy, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologising?" Troy asked in confusion.

Gabriella sighed. "Troy, don't you find it kind of weird? Sharing a room with a girl?"

Troy shrugged. "Yeah but it's not the height of my problems." He whispered, looking at the carpet. "I'm actually enjoying it. The last thing I want to be right now is alone."

Gabriella released his hand and wrapped both of her arms around his torso, despite his dampness. "You'll never be alone." She pulled back slightly and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "Troy, you keep looking out for me but, what about you?"

"Brie, I want to keep my mind occupied." He said softly, draping his arm around her shoulders.

Gabriella sighed into his skin. "No."

"What?" He muttered into her hair.

Gabriella lifted her head and felt tears sting her eyes. "Troy, don't do it. It'll hurt you and I don't want to see that happen."

"Brie, can I go and get dressed before we have a heart-to-heart?" He mumbled.

Gabriella nodded and watched as he disappeared into her bathroom once again, carrying her pills. She let a sigh escape her lips as she got to her feet and walked over to her desk and sat down on the chair. She pulled the bottom drawer open and lifted a large, ale blue, hardcover book. She opened the cover and felt tears roll down her cheeks.

Gabriella Anne Montez

May your fairytale be as real as ours

Uncle Jack

Auntie Lucy

and Troy

Happy birthday

The Bolton's had bought it for her for her second birthday and Aidan and Maria had read it to her every night. It was filled with almost every fairytale: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Robin Hood, Aladdin… And as a result, she had sent years re-reading it until the early hours of the morning and the belief that the content would one day become her reality.

"God, I'm stupid." She muttered, turning to her computer. She browsed through her music collection and played one of her favourite compositions by Taylor Swift. She felt tears roll down her cheeks as the gentle music flowed into the room and her thoughts drifted to the differences between Chris and Troy.

She had been blinded by her feelings for Chris and had somehow thought that Troy's characteristics were Chris'. Chris didn't care about Devon. He didn't make her laugh because he thought the sound was like music. He didn't love her. But, Troy? He treated Devon like his own brother. He made her laugh to cheer her up. And he loves- Okay, so I don't know about that last one.

Say you're sorry
That face of an angel
Comes out just when you need it to
As I paced back and forth all this time
Cause I honestly believed in you
Holding on
The days drag on
Stupid girl,
I should have known, I should have known

I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet,
Lead her up the stairwell
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town,
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
Now it's too late for you
And your white horse, to come around

Gabriella shut the cover of her fairytale book and let a sob quietly escape as she picked it up and threw it angrily across her bedroom, watching as it hit the wall and fell to the ground. The thud was muffled by the carpet and she wiped her cheeks furiously.

Troy exited the bathroom and tossed his wet towels into the hamper and stopped in his tracks when he spotted the large book open on the floor on the opposite side of the room. "Uh, Brie?"

"What?" She squeaked into her arms as she hunched over her desk.

He walked over and picked the book up, smiling slightly to himself when he saw that it had opened at her favourite story: Cinderella. He knew how she was kind of ashamed because of this but he felt some what privileged and proud for being the only one to know that about Gabriella. "What made you get this out?"

Gabriella turned around and raised a single eyebrow. "I got thinking. But, anyway… Troy, promise me that you'll talk to me, right? Because, I never really did. When my brother died, I locked myself in my room for three days. I only came out to eat. When I found out that my dad isn't my dad, I… Well, I had to act normal around everyone but when I was here, I'd just cry."

Troy walked over to her and offered his hand. He smiled when she accepted and they both comfy on the couch. "I promise."

"Do you promise not to tell people something if I confess something?" She whispered.

Troy nodded. "I promise."

Gabriella pulled Troy's shirt up so her stomach was visible and a long, dark pink scar was visible going from the underside of her right breast to her belly button. "No one knows." She whispered.

Troy lifted his eyes and shrugged. "What?"

Gabriella pulled her shirt back down and looked away. "When my brother died, I started self-harming myself. Then I stopped. Then I started again when I found out about my dad. Troy, don't tell anyone."

"Shh… It's okay. Calm down. I won't." Troy shook his head softly and kissed her forehead. "But, why are you telling me this?"

"This is what happened to me because I didn't talk to anyone. You have me, you have the gang and my parents. Even Don. Just talk to someone if something's on your mind." Gabriella pleaded.

Troy nodded. "Of course."

Gabriella smiled with satisfaction as she took the book from Troy's hands and blushed slightly. "I should really stop believing this."

"Don't." Troy whispered.

Gabriella sniffed slightly. "Troy, forgetting Chris and everything, I want you to know that I don't want you to be hurt."

"Same here." Troy muttered.

Gabriella got to her feet and placed her book back in her desk before turning her music off. As she glanced over her shoulder at Troy who was staring intently at the opposite wall, she smiled to herself. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that Troy's parents had died. She didn't think of it as a good thing – quite the opposite as she had adored Jack and Lucille when she was little – but she felt that there was no way her friendship with Troy could become this strong in such a short space of time without fate interfering. And without the loss of his parents and her dating Chris, she doubted if they would be as close as they were now.

And in that moment, her jealousy of Kirsten had disappeared.