Title: Fire And Ice

Summary: They repel like magnets; he's the mysterious boy, living the perfect life in LA, she's the determined girl, struggling as a journalist. Their worlds clash, one hiding, one digging. Fire and ice were never meant to be together, were they?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Gabriella leaned against a streetlamp, her shoulders heaving with sobs. Her calves burned from the way she'd sprinted away from the beach, away from his car, away from him. Her teeth hurt from ripping the napkins that he'd tied around her wrists. Tears dripped steadily down her cheeks onto her collarbone, and she wrapped her arms around herself, gasping for breath. Her beautiful white dress, the same one that had made her feel like a Greek goddess or Marilyn Monroe just a few hours earlier, was torn and sandy, whipped around her in the wind and she caught sight of a few dark scarlet drops of blood. Her sobs caught in her throat, and she felt like she couldn't breathe from the hatred, anger, resentment, and pure terror raging inside her. She hated him for doing this to her. He hated him with a burning passion, her insides twisting and her breath shortening just at the thought of those cruel green eyes. She was disgusted and regretful that she didn't stop it earlier. She hated herself for being so stupid, so incredibly stupid. She grabbed onto the lamppost as she spun around and heaved, puking out the dinner she'd eaten. Even after she was finished, her stomach clenched and heaved and her throat burned. As she turned around again, a few cars whizzed past her, sweeping up dust and she realized she was stranded in an unfamiliar town with no way to get home.

She closed her eyes, tilting her head back. Matt had only gone to the nearby convenience store to "get some supplies", by which she deduced meant more condoms, and had left her gagged and tied on the beach. With blurry eyes she glanced at her purple wrists. Matt would not be happy to find the napkins he'd used to tie her up broken in pieces… She sighed, fear and a burning hatred overwhelming her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, and all she wanted to do was curl up in a corner and never see anyone, ever again. A few more cars whizzed by, and she pulled herself together. She had to be strong.

"Help," she whispered, stepping onto the road, tears dripping down her cheeks, her bare feet stinging from the sharp gravel, her hair and tattered dress whipping around her in the unforgiving wind. "Help."

Troy had almost given up and gone home. He'd been waiting for hours, trying not to barf while Sharpay and Zeke cuddled together and made baby noises. Zeke sure had been spending a lot of time with Sharpay, Troy thought to himself. He'd studied them all night, being cute and romantic together, having fun doing the simplest things like playing Connect Four and baking brownies. Now, finally after Zeke had gone home and Sharpay had bid him goodnight, he felt more alone than ever in the silent mansion. Troy sighed, leaning his head back on the couch. Would he ever have the kind of love that Zeke and Sharpay had, the kind that movies and books and songs revolve around? Especially after what he'd done? He hated himself for what had happened that night. He'd never forgiven himself, and he'd never looked at sex the same again. There was so much that he had to explain to her… Nothing would justify what he had done, but he needed to tell her. He'd had his whole speech planned out…

Suddenly, his eyes lighted upon a piece of paper on the kitchen counter, and he immediately recognized the familiar neat, carefully printed handwriting. He reached over and took it, hesitating slightly before reading it. His eyes widened as he quickly skimmed the letter, and he froze. This couldn't be true. Gabriella couldn't have really meant what she'd said that night—he thought she'd only been saying that. He thought she was way too serious about her work and her dreams to just throw everything away like that. Suddenly, his hatred for himself was even greater than before, something he felt that was impossible. He stood up, letting the letter flutter out of his hands. He didn't deserve her. She was beautiful, strong, smart, and kind; and he was cold, faulted, judgmental, hypocritical, and she deserved someone a thousand times better than her. Someone to hold her when she cried, instead of making her cry. Someone to understand her and read her every emotion, instead of blindly lashing out and making up ideas. Someone who was kind and true and had nothing to hide, instead of a dark past enveloped in hurt. Troy walked shakily to the front door. He put his hand on the doorknob, his head bowed down in shame and resentment.

As he slowly twisted the doorknob and opened the door, a familiar dark-haired beauty fell into his arms, her entire body shaking with sobs.

"Gabriella?" Troy sucked in a breath, his blue eyes wide. Gabriella was disoriented and disheveled, her curly hair in tangles and her dress in pieces. She was crying, long, heaving cries, and he automatically swooped her into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu before pushing the feeling away and carrying her into her room. His heart broke at the sight of her, so small and fragile, shivering and shaking in her bed. His eyes flickered to the dark bruises stretching across her tan skin, the purplish-red welts along her wrists and ankles, and he felt overcome with rage. He wanted to go and kill that son of a bitch, give him a good, painful death, but one more look at the shaking girl in his arms and he knew that wasn't important right now. "Oh, Gabriella," he murmured, wrapping her tighter. "What did he do to you?"

"He…" Gabriella gasped for breath. "He raped me. He tied me up and raped me Troy." She looked at him with red eyes, her eyelashes wet, stuck together in little triangles. "Raped me," she murmured, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Like you did to that girl." She started crying even harder, and ducked her head down onto his shoulder. He felt her tears soaking into his shirt, and he closed his eyes. He'd never felt so many emotions boiling inside him at once. Regret, for getting drunk and letting his animal instincts take over that one night all those years ago. Hatred, for himself, for Matt, for hurting the least deserving person in the world. Sadness, for the cruel world they were a part of. Love, for the girl crying in his arms, beautiful even with her dress torn, beautiful with her makeup running down her face, beautiful inside and outside.

"I know," he whispered, his eyes red and rimming with tears. "I know." He waited for her to push him away, for her to yell and scream at him for being a rapist, for being a heartless excuse of a man. He wanted her to; he deserved it. But she was silent except for her hiccupping sobs.

"Tell me what happened," she murmured so quietly Troy had to strain his ears to hear. "All those years ago. Tell me."

Troy sighed, smoothing a hand over her dark curls as she pressed her face into his neck, her warm breath uneven, her chest pressing against his as she struggled for breath. He could feel the quick, drumming beat of her heart against his, and he pulled her tighter into him.

"My friends dragged me to that bar that night, just like you. I wasn't popular in high school. I was a wallflower, a nerd, barely noticed, only recognized for being on the basketball team. I had my two friends, and I was content. That night, they decided we needed fun in our lives, instead of either playing basketball or video games. They were also trying to cheer me up, as my girlfriend Sarah had just broken up with me. "So I got drunk, extremely drunk, to the point where I couldn't see properly and I didn't even know what I was doing. I was drunk, depressed, and lonely, as my friends were long gone screwing some random girls they'd met.
That's when she came up and started talking to me. She looked about a year younger than me, and was pretty, short and cute, just like my girlfriend was. She reminded me so much of my girlfriend, that I can remember calling her Sarah multiple times. She kept on coming closer to me, her hands brushing my hair, her lips so close to my face, teasing me. It was hot and stuffy, so she suggested we go out for a walk. She dragged me out the back door, and then she kissed me, her hands running under my shirt and undoing my belt. But as soon as things started to get serious, she pulled away, laughing. 'Gotcha,' she laughed. I'll always remember that laugh—it was more like a cackle, like a witch standing over the girl she'd poisoned. In that moonlight, her blonde hair glowed silver, and I was suddenly convinced that this was Sarah, come out to get revenge on me.
"It was stupid, I know. I was an idiot, a jackass, every bad word you can come up with. I regret everything I did that night, and I remember everything as clearly as if it had happened only minutes ago. I can still smell her perfume, and her voice haunts me at night. I was so drunk that if I hadn't been so scarred this would've faded away into a blurry memory years ago. But it changed me. I regret it more than anything, and she has always haunted me in my dreams. It changed the way I see life, the way I see sex, the way I see everything. Especially what happened after.
I regret raping that girl, and I hate even thinking that thought. But I did, and after that, she called me and told me she was pregnant. I remember passing out, and my dad having to pour cold water on my head. Her name was Grace Walker, and she was convinced that I was the father of her baby. I was horrified. My life was falling apart around me, and the only person I told was my father. He encouraged me to get a paternity test, and so I told her that I wanted to. But before I could… She had a miscarriage, and the baby was gone. After that, I never saw her again. But she's always in the back of my mind, what happened that night always waiting to pounce, waiting to remind me that I'm not perfect. That I have scars deeper and darker than anyone else.
"I regret it, Gabriella. And I am unbelievably sorry that you have to go through this," Troy took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He looked down at Gabriella, whose face was finally relaxed, her breathing finally even. Troy sighed again, carefully disentangling himself from her. His heart ached, like it hadn't ached since his father had died, and he carefully tucked her into the bed. He ran a hand along her cheek, brushing her damp her out of her face. As he stood up, he suddenly felt a small hand cover his.

"Stay," he heard Gabriella whisper faintly.

Troy looked down at her, her dark hair fanned out across the pillows, her cheeks tear-stained. He felt a pull towards her, like a magnetic force, and he wrapped his arms around her. She settled into him, and they fit together perfectly, like puzzle pieces. Troy sighed, closing his eyes. Her breathing became deep and even, her heartbeat even. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.

He swore he heard four faint words, almost imperceptible, like the breath of an angel. "I love you too."

The next morning, Gabriella awoke to the feeling of warm sunshine on her face and a pair of strong, muscular arms around her. She opened her eyes slowly. She'd had the most horrible nightmare, about Matt and the beach and wine and being gagged and pain, unbelievable, unbearable pain… But as she looked at Troy's sleeping face, her destroyed dress, and felt the aching pain between her legs, she sighed. It wasn't a dream, it was reality, something that you can never escape from, no matter how hard you try. The fact was she'd been raped, losing her virginity to some lying asshole, and then she'd come home and straight into the arms of… Troy, the rapist? She didn't dare breathe, and she closed her eyes tight. She had two choices; the first was to rush out of the bed screaming, to leave LA and her life and her friends and try to forget everything that had happened to her in these few months, and the second was to understand what had happened with Troy that night, to forgive him, to stay in his arms and with her friends, and to accept everything that had happened to her. The coward in her wanted to run away, to lock herself in a steel box and just hide from the world, but she knew that that was impossible. There was no way she could take back what happened, there was no way she was going to forget anything. She'd been hurt, both physically and emotionally, but she would move on. She had to. She opened her eyes slowly, gazing at Troy's sleeping face before her. Basking in the warm, golden sunshine, he seemed to glow, like an angel. In his sleep, he looked so peaceful, so content, his lips curling up in a gentle smile, like he was having a good dream. His cold, hard wall was gone, and she remembered the first time she'd seen him like this, that first night when she'd stayed and looked after him, that first night when she'd written the first article about him, that first night when he'd let down his walls for her. She shifted slightly, lifting a hand to caress his forehead, to smooth his golden hair away from his forehead, the same gesture she'd made what seemed like lifetimes ago. He pulled her closer to him, and his eyes slowly opened, his cerulean blue eyes meeting her chocolate ones.

"Why did you stay, Troy?" Gabriella asked quietly. She had to make sure she was making the right choice. She had to be absolutely positive. Flashes of her own experience and what she'd witnessed junior year flickered in her mind as she felt Troy tighten his grip around her, as she looked him straight in the eye. She felt a flutter of fear and queasiness, but she steadied herself. Troy had changed. He wasn't Matt.

"It just felt right," Troy murmured, leaning his forehead against hers. Gabriella was suddenly transported back in time to when he'd asked that same questions, and she'd said those exact same words. She smiled, a real, genuine smile, and she closed her eyes. She relaxed into Troy's arms, her head resting on his chest, and he tucked her under his chin, cradling her close to him. Troy grinned as a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. He grinned like he hadn't in what seemed like years, as his past was out in the open, forgiven, and he held the girl he loved in his arms. All of a sudden, the gaping hole that his father had left in his heart wasn't filled, but was softened slightly. He was happy, because of her. Because of her, the beautiful, kind, smart, fiery Gabriella Montez, he was complete.

"I'm sorry, Gabriella," he whispered. "I'm sorry about everything." About being a rapist, about her being raped, about blowing up at her, about judging her…

"It's okay, Troy," Gabriella breathed quietly against his neck. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. We're only human, after all."

"I wish…" Troy sighed. "I wish I could redo everything, take everything back."

Gabriella shook her head and looked up at him, pulling back slightly. "No. This is just the way we are, Troy. We'll always be like this, fighting and judging and misunderstanding each other. We'll always have disagreements and arguments. But that's just the way things are. We're both so similar, both so extreme. We're like fire and ice, Troy, on opposite sides of the spectrum. But that just makes things all the more interesting, all the more passionate. If we were both perfect, we would never love each other like we do now, just because." As Gabriella said the words, she realized the ultimate truth behind them. Just a day before she was Matt's girlfriend, she hated Troy, and she believed she loved Matt. But now, everything was clear. All along, though all the arguments and the blowing up and the hatred, it'd been Troy that she'd loved, from the very beginning. She loved his composure, his mysteriousness, his humor, his strength, and his big heart. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"'I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You

I do not love you except because I love you;

I go from loving to not loving you,

From waiting to not waiting for you

My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it's you the one I love;

I hate you deeply, and hating you

Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you

Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume

My heart with its cruel

Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who

Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,

Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.'" Troy closed his eyes and smiled as Gabriella curled into his body, and they fell back asleep.

Sharpay glanced up from her pregnancy book as she heard a knock at the door. It was 6am on Monday morning, and it was way too early for anyone to be here, and on a weekday nonetheless. She put her book down, and opened the door curiously. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw both Zeke and Chad at the door.

"What's going on?" Sharpay bit her lip, looking between the two men standing in front of her. Zeke reached for both her hands while Chad scowled, stomping after them into the living room. "What's wrong?" Sharpay asked again as Zeke sat her down on the couch. Chad leaned against the wall as Zeke started pacing in front of her.

"Babe," Zeke began as Chad rolled his eyes. "I got a promotion."

"That's great," Sharpay said, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "That's good news… right?"

Zeke rubbed his temples, closing his eyes. "A bakery wants me to be their head chef… In Paris."

"Paris… France?" Sharpay asked, her voice trembling as she unconsciously cupped her hands around her stomach. Her eyes flickered towards Chad.

"I told him already," Zeke said, glancing at his scowling friend. "But the thing is, I need to know for sure that this baby is mine, Shar. If it is, I'll stay here and be with you and the kid, and we'll be a family together. But if it isn't… Paris is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Shar. I love you… But this is important to me." Zeke sat down next to Sharpay.

"I'm not important enough for you?" Sharpay pursed her lips together, her eyes tearing up. "I'm sure that the baby is yours…" her voice faltered as she remembered the night she and Chad had spent together. Again, her eyes flickered up to Chad's pained expression.

"I need to be sure," Zeke repeated, taking Sharpay's hands. "Positive."

Sharpay sighed. "Okay. We can go get a parental test now."

A/N: Hey there. So I'm truly sorry about the late update, but I've been busy lately and this chapter was really depressing to write at first, especially since I write mostly at night. I hope you guys like it though! Tell me what you think, about Matt raping Gabriella and Troy and Gabriella finally, finally, getting together. Good? Bad? And I know this last part was a bit random but what do you guys think? Will the baby be Zeke's or Chad's? If you haven't voted yet, please do so, as in the next chapter we'll see the results! This is extremely important so please, please vote!

Anyways, I really hope you guys liked this one. Troyella at last. The poem was "I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You" by Pablo Neruda, and I thought it was extremely fitting and cute. What did you think? Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews! They really make my day and I would never have gotten this far without you guys. So thank you, truly and deeply from the bottom of my heart.

As I have exams coming up, again, I will not be able to update until later this week. I'm really sorry. This story is coming to an end and I am really happy to have gotten this far. So remember, reviews equal love, and I'll try to post as soon as I can!

Lots of love,

Lexi