Chapter 11

It was a little over a month until Thanksgiving break, which also meant that most students were dreading the midterms that would be taking place over the next two weeks and would soon be swamped with studying. But for the five students in the gym on Saturday morning, studying was far from their minds.

Gabriella had woken up that morning excited to go to work for the first time in a long time because she knew she'd be seeing Troy there. After everything that had happened from the day before, she was feeling a little less confused about the two sides of him that she'd been seeing and was hoping that today she'd see more of the side of him that took care of her and took her to breakfast the day before.

When she had arrived at the gym, she was met with the sounds of shoes screeching on the floor and a basketball bouncing. She had stepped inside and gone down to the office for a few minutes before making her way back out to the bleachers to watch Troy and Jason finish their game against Zeke and Chad. After Troy and Jason had won, Troy left the three to play a game of 21 and made his way over to sit next to Gabriella, immediately falling into an easy conversation with her.

"So, how's my patient doing?" Troy asked with a cheeky grin, bumping her elbow with his.

"Better," Gabriella smiled, nervously playing with her fingers as she looked back at him. "Thanks again for yesterday."

"No problem. Post-party hangovers and their remedies are one of my specialties," Troy boasted, causing Gabriella to giggle, ignoring the small thought at the back of her mind as to what other things Troy 'specialized in' at parties. Gabriella was trying to give Troy the benefit of the doubt now and not base her opinions so much on his reputation but rather on the side of him she'd recently been seeing.

"So tell me Montez, how come you aren't back doing homework today? Couldn't resist me?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes as Troy winked at her, nudging her again. "Get over yourself Bolton. Unlike you, I am pretty much ready for midterms so I don't need to be studying all weekend," Gabriella lied slightly, knowing there were more reasons why she wasn't studying, including the opportunity to spend time with Troy.

"Whoa," Troy interrupted, pretending to look offended, "what makes you think that you're the only smart one here? I'll have you know almost all of my free time goes to my studies."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows at him, staring at him with an amused look until he finally cracked.

"Damn, I almost was able to pull that off," Troy chuckled, grinning as a smile took over Gabriella's face.

"Yeah, like I would have believed that. Besides, I wasn't saying that I'm smarter. I was just saying I spend more time preparing in advance for projects and tests," Gabriella finished, eyeing him suspiciously as he scooted closer to her on the bench, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Just because I'm not spending my time on my studies doesn't mean I'm not putting it towards important things."

"Is that so?" she asked as Troy nodded, a grin tugging at his lips. "And what's more important than the education you're spending thousands of dollars for?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him place his warm hand on her lower back before leaning towards her ear. "How about you, angel?" Troy whispered, his lips brushing against her ear.

Gabriella's heart sped up at his actions and words but quickly brushed it off, not wanting him to know his effect on her. Rolling her eyes, she placed her hand on his shoulder, pushing him back.

"Cheesy Bolton," Gabriella laughed, Troy joining in as he leaned away while leaving his hand wrapped around her waist, the action not going unnoticed by Gabriella. "Tell me, does that really work on all these girls you go after?"

"Of course," Troy answered, his thumb brushing lightly up and down on her back. "Besides, it had an effect on you."

"How do you figure that?" Gabriella questioned back in a doubtful tone.

"Well, from the way your breathing quickened and from this pink flush that appeared on your cheeks," Troy told her, his other hand reaching up to cup her cheek.

Gabriella felt her cheeks heat up even more and shyly looked down, cursing herself for letting Troy realize the effect he had on her.

"Hey, don't go all quiet on me now," Troy said after a few moments of silence, bringing his hand up once more to her cheek and tugging her face towards his. "I think you look cute with that pink tint on your cheeks."

Gabriella felt a grin form on her face and she knew she was still blushing as her heart began to race at the sensations Troy was causing in her. Not knowing how to reply, she let her eyes drift back towards the basketball court causing Troy's hand to slip from her face.

Troy tore his eyes away from Gabriella for a moment to follow her gaze, noticing her eyes were on Zeke. His eyes drifted back towards her as he heard her soft giggles after seeing Zeke score over Chad which led to a short trash-talking exchange between them.

"What?" Gabriella asked, noticing that his eyes were still on her.

"Nothing. So you and Zeke are close huh?" Troy asked, hoping to get the conversation between them going once more.

Gabriella nodded, "One of the closest friends I have."

"But you guys didn't know each other back in high school?"

"No, I actually met him my freshmen year one day in the gym. We only later found out that we were from the same area and went to rival high schools."

"So what made you come out to California for school then?" Troy asked curiously, not surprised that he wanted to learn more about this girl that had intrigued him.

Gabriella sighed, shifting her body to face Troy a bit more. "I guess I just wanted a fresh start, someplace away from home."

"You didn't want to be by your family?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I love my family. But, being the youngest of three girls, there are so many expectations on me…everyone wanting me to do some of the things the way they did, but more importantly not make the same mistakes that they frequently did. I just wanted to go somewhere where I wouldn't exactly have that looming over my head."

"That makes sense. I get the whole having tons of expectations on you."

"Yeah?" Gabriella probed, suddenly curious.

"Yeah, my dad is that way with basketball. All through high school he was pushing me to be the best at basketball, so I could get a scholarship and have that future."

"So is that why you're here? A basketball scholarship?"

"Basically. Senior year, I started getting offers from various schools and I had some options for some bigger name schools but I knew at most of those places I wouldn't be getting as much playing time. I'm not exactly the type of player who can really make it in the NBA so I figured I'd go somewhere where I could play the sport I love and get a good education for whatever I want to do later in life. Plus," Troy paused, Gabriella following his eyes that trailed towards where the guys were playing, "I couldn't pass up the chance to play for four more years with these guys."

Gabriella smiled, enjoying that Troy was being so open with her. "Well, I think you made the right decision," she honestly told him.

"Thank you Brie, I think so too." Troy smiled back before leaning closer. "And I can definitely think of some more positives now that I'm here."

Troy leaned back a bit, his hand once again resting on her waist as her eyes connected with his.

"Hey Romeo!"

"What?" Troy hissed, glaring at Chad who had interrupted them.

"We're going to go grab some lunch. You comin?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second," Troy called back, glancing back at Gabriella before the two of them stood back up.

Troy stepped down to the court from the bleachers, holding his hand out for Gabriella who timidly placed her small hand in his while smiling gratefully at him.

"How long do you work till?" Troy asked, walking her back towards the doors that led to the office.

"3:00," Gabriella answered, feeling tingles go up her arm as Troy laced his fingers through hers.

"Do you want me to bring you some lunch or something?"

Gabriella couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. "I'm okay, I have some snacks that I brought with me but thank you."

"You're welcome. Can't have my patient not getting enough to eat," Troy smirked, nudging her hip with his.

Gabriella giggled, looking up at Troy and leaning a little closer to him as they took a few more steps before stopping in front of the doors.

"Thanks for keeping me company today," Gabriella said sincerely, trying to ignore the sensations running through her body as Troy's thumb rubbed circles on the back of her hand.

"My pleasure," Troy said softly, his eyes glancing down towards her lips.

Gabriella felt her heart race once more as she saw this. Before she knew what was happening, Troy leaned closer, brushing his lips softly against hers.

Troy pulled back after a few seconds, smiling as her eyes fluttered open. "Bye Brie."

Troy took a few steps back, his eyes still trained on her as he slowly released her fingers from his grasp, winking at her once more before jogging back towards the guys who were waiting by the door.

Snapping out of her daze, Gabriella looked over towards where the guys were standing, her eyes connecting with Zeke's. In return, Zeke gave her a curious and somewhat confused look. Hoping he wasn't upset at her, Gabriella raised her hand to wave at him, feeling relieved as he grinned at her and waved back before following the rest of the guys out the door.

Hearing the doors shut, Gabriella turned around and made her way back towards the office, her thoughts shifting from the inevitable talk she knew she'd be having with Zeke to thoughts of the blue-eyed guy who was quickly making his way into her heart and consciousness.

"Come on Gabi," Gabriella rolled her eyes and flopped back onto her bed. "There has to be something exciting going on there in your life. You're at college, away from home!"

"I told you Daniella," Gabriella sighed, "things are great, just normal."

After finishing up at work, Gabriella had called her sister on her walk back to her room and had spent the majority of their now almost hour long conversation trying to convince her nosey sister that nothing was going on.

"Well I don't believe you. I can tell by your voice Gabriella. You sound a lot happier than normal."

"Thanks sis. You saying I'm a grump all the time?"

"No," Daniella's laughter rang through the phone. "But since you first said 'hello', I could tell you had a smile on your face."

"Maybe I'm just excited to talk to my sister who I haven't spoken to in weeks," Gabriella countered.

"I'm touched Gabi but I know that's not it. You sound just like Samantha did when she first started dating Thomas. Wait a second," Daniella gasped while Gabriella nervously bit her lip. "You met some guy huh?"

"No," Gabriella lied unconvincingly.

"There is a guy! What's his name? When did you start dating? Do you have a picture?"

Gabriella shook her head in amusement at her sister's quick firing of questions. "Daniella, I'm not dating anyone."

"But you don't deny there's a guy?"

Gabriella sat up in her bed looking towards the door as someone knocked on it, "Come in! Hold on Daniella," Gabriella said to her sister, covering the phone as Taylor appeared behind the door.

"Hey Gabi, we were going to go out tonight for dinner. You want to come?"

"Sure, when are we leaving?"

"Half hour?"

"Okay, let me take a shower and get ready."

"Alright sounds good," Taylor replied before softly shutting the door once more.

"Sorry about that Daniella."

"It's okay. You have to go?"

"Yeah, some friends and I are going out to dinner."

"Friends that are girls?" Daniella questioned, amusement evident in her voice.

"Yes, Daniella," Gabriella sighed, grinning at her sister's persistence. "Sorry we couldn't talk longer."

"Don't worry about it Gabi. It was fun catching up. We can talk again soon."

"Yeah, I'll see you in a few weeks for Thanksgiving if nothing else."

"Oh good," Daniella smiled. "Then we can talk about this new guy."

"Bye Daniella," Gabriella laughed, ignoring her sister's comment.

"Bye Gabi."

Gabriella shook her head, flipping her phone closed and tossing it on her bed before grabbing her things and heading towards the bathroom to get ready.

"Mmm, pizza…" Chad eyed the pizza on the platter that the waitress was carrying, his stomach grumbling as he watched the people next to them chow down on their food. "How long does it take to make a pizza?"

"Chad, we just ordered a few minutes ago. This isn't fast food," Zeke told him, his eyes still on the TV in the corner where a basketball game was on.

"I knew I should have eaten those chips before we left," Chad mumbled, resting his chin on his hand as he watched the game.

As the door opened to their left, Chad's eyes trailed towards the door, smiling as his girlfriend walked through the door along with Gabriella and Sharpay.

"Hey! Tay's here!" Chad said excitedly, causing Troy and Zeke to glance in that direction.

Troy smiled as his eyes connected with Gabriella's, who sent him a shy smile, the glance between them not going missed by Zeke.

After standing up to greet his girlfriend with a kiss, Chad made his way back towards the table with Taylor beside him, Sharpay and Gabriella following closely behind.

"You guys mind if they join us?" Chad asked, pulling out a chair for Taylor and helping her sit down before taking his seat once more.

"Nah man, it's fine by me," Troy grinned at Gabriella, getting up and grabbing two more seats, setting one between Taylor and Zeke for Sharpay and placing the other between Zeke and himself for Gabriella.

Gabriella smiled appreciatively at him before taking a seat next to him, not minding as Troy scooted his chair closer to hers and placed his arm on the back of her chair.

"So what brings you girls here tonight?" Troy asked, his eyes still on Gabriella.

"Food, what else?" Taylor piped up.

"That's my girl!" Chad commented proudly, pulling Taylor into his side.

"Can I get you girls anything?" The waitress asked as she stopped at their table.

"We'll have a supreme pizza," Taylor ordered for them.

"Anything to drink?"

"A pitcher of iced tea please. Oh," Taylor added, "can we also get a plate of breadsticks for an appetizer?"

"Sure thing, I'll bring those right out," she said, quickly jotting it down before making her way towards the kitchen.

"I think I love you," Chad said gratefully as he turned towards Taylor. "Thanks for the breadsticks babe."

"Who said they were for you?" Taylor responded with a serious look, laughing as Chad began to pout.

"I'm just kidding Chad. You can have some breadsticks."

Chad smiled widely, planting a kiss on her cheek. "You see guys? She knows the way to my heart."

"It would seem so," Troy agreed as he laughed, bringing his arm up from the back of Gabriella's chair to subtly wrap it around her shoulders, the action not being missed by the two other girls at the table who smiled knowingly at each other.

"So do you girls have any plans for after dinner?" Chad asked, smiling as the waitress brought the breadsticks out, immediately reaching for one.

"Studying," Taylor replied seriously, smacking Chad on his arm as he began to laugh.

"Come on Tay, studying on a Saturday night? I won't allow you girls to waste your night like that. You can hang out with us."

"Chad, I don't think the girls are going to want to watch basketball and play video games all night," Troy told him.

"That's cool, we can do something else."

"Like what?" Zeke asked.

Chad shrugged looking around the room and grinning as he saw a sign across the street. "Mini golf?"

"Mini golf? Why would you want to mini golf?" Zeke asked, looking a little confused.

"Why not? It'll be fun."

"Well last time we went miniature golfing, you got into a fight with those nine year old boys behind us," Troy reminded him.

"It was their fault for continually putting their balls into our hole when it was my turn," Chad defended. "They deserved me throwing their balls into the pond."

"At least you were the more mature one," Troy retorted, causing everyone at the table to laugh except Chad who was pouting as he ate a breadstick.

"Whatever man," Chad grumbled while finishing his breadstick. "Anyways, what do you guys say?"

Chad smiled as everyone nodded in agreement, his eyes stopping on Sharpay who wasn't looking too thrilled with the idea. "Come on Sharpay, we'll give you a pink ball. If you don't want to though you can just sit on the side and cheer us on so you don't break any nails."

"Bite me Danforth!" Sharpay retorted, glaring at him. "I'm in."

Troy gently pulled Gabriella closer to him, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. "Remind me to stay on Sharpay's good side."

"Scared there Bolton?" Gabriella asked playfully as he leaned back.

"Terrified."

Gabriella laughed, looking up at him, ignoring the curious looks she was getting from Taylor, Sharpay, and Zeke as she felt Troy place his hand on top of hers before boldly flipping her hand over and allowing her fingers to lace with his as their hands rested on his lap.

After filling up on pizza and breadsticks, the six of them found themselves across the street on the miniature golf course, each with a club and golf ball in hand.

"Okay, so for teams, how about we pair up?" Zeke suggested as the group stopped in front of the first hole.

"I'm with Tay!" Chad called out, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's waist and pulling her into his side.

"So Chad's made his decision. Troy?" Zeke turned to look at Troy who was standing next to Gabriella, his eyes drifting to his best friend as he saw her nervous look. Knowing she was debating between being on his team or Troy's, Zeke spoke up for her. "How about you go with Gabi and I'll be on Sharpay's team?" Zeke suggested, earning a nod and a sigh of relief from Troy.

"Alright, let's do this!"

As the game went on between the six of them, it was obvious they were pretty well matched. Taylor turned out to be the best of the girls which worked well since Chad seemed to be the worst out of the guys, even taking seven shots at one point on a par three, his ball ending up all over the place from the pond to the road to even the hood of a car in the parking lot.

Troy was the best out of all the guys which was expected because of his interest in golf back in high school but Zeke was also surprisingly pretty good. Sharpay and Gabriella on the other hand were both showing their lack of golfing skills as the two struggled to consistently putt well.

"No pressure there blondie," Chad called out tauntingly to Sharpay who was setting up her putt of about two feet. The game was nearing the end, and with only a few holes left, Zeke and Sharpay were tied with Chad and Taylor as they all trailed Troy and Gabriella by one stroke.

"Shut up Chad. At least I didn't fall into the pond trying to retrieve my ball that I'd hit in there for the fifth time tonight," Sharpay smirked at Chad whose shirt and hair were dripping wet. "Nice hair by the way."

"Still looks better than yours," Chad taunted back.

"Hey, shut-up and stop distracting my teammate," Zeke told Chad before smiling encouragingly at Sharpay.

Sharpay quickly took the putt, squealing as the ball spun around the top before dropping in. Sharpay glared at Chad, taking a bow before walking over to Zeke and exchanging a high five.

"Looks like we just passed you up Danforth," Sharpay smirked before following behind Troy and Gabriella who were leading the way towards the final hole. "And we're tied now with Troy and Gabriella."

"Not for long," Troy grinned cockily as he sunk a hole in one before stepping aside and letting the others putt.

After everyone had gone, including Zeke who also made a hole in one, it was down to the final shot. Gabriella was kneeling down on the green, eyeing up the long putt she was about to take.

She smiled as Troy leaned down next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder for support. "Looks like it breaks a bit to the left. No worries, we just need three strokes to win and this is a par three."

"We'll see about that. I haven't been able to get it close on the first shot all night long."

"Just focus. You'll make it," Troy encouraged her, taking a step back and watching as she lined up.

Just as Gabriella was about to take her swing, she felt a hand placed softly on her arm which caused her to loosen her grip and turn around.

"Whoa, hold up." Troy told her, stepping a bit closer. "Your stance is a bit off. Let me help."

"Hey, no cheating!" Chad called out, halting Troy in his steps momentarily before Troy chuckled and stepped closer.

"Okay, first thing is your stance is too tense. Relax a bit," Troy told her, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently kneading them causing her to relax. "Good but now your grip is a bit off."

Troy placed his hands down on the club on top of hers. "First, bring your hands closer together," Troy instructed her, sliding her hands a bit closer. "Now, softly put your right hand on top of your left, so the edge of the palm on your right hand is resting on the thumb of your left hand, with both thumbs facing downwards."

Troy picked up her hand that was tensely holding the club, bringing it up to the other hand that was loosely gripping the club. "Great," Troy encouraged her as she finished. "Now, keep your eyes focused on the ball, bring the club back slowly, and through!"

Troy led her through the motions, smiling as the ball trailed down the hill dropping in for a hole in one.

"Nice shot!" Troy pulled her into a hug, the two of them oblivious to the four pairs of watchful eyes that were on them. "Way to go Brie!" Troy said encouragingly once they pulled away before seizing the opportunity to kiss her softly on the corner of her mouth.

Gabriella pulled away from Troy's grasp after a few moments, going around to exchange high fives with everyone else and congratulating them on a good game.

As the six made their way back to turn in their equipment, Gabriella felt a hand tug on her wrist, pulling her back from her place next to Troy.

"What was that Gabi?" she was asked after being whirled around to come face to face with Sharpay and Taylor.

"What was what?" Gabriella asked innocently, hoping and praying that they would forget all about it.

"You and Troy flirting back and forth and then the kiss he gave you after you won," Sharpay replied seriously.

"I wasn't flirting," Gabriella attempted to protest. "And the kiss was just a friendly one on the cheek!"

"Nice try Gabi but I witnessed the whole thing. And believe me, the second we get back to the house, you are spilling every little detail. That little exchange was anything but friendly."

Gabriella shook her head in amusement, falling back into step with Troy who looked at her curiously before placing his arm around her shoulders and tugging her closer.

As the six of them made their way back towards the cars, Gabriella caught Sharpay smiling knowingly at her and Troy, causing Gabriella to groan under her breath, realizing she was in for a long talk once they got back to campus.