Chapter 13

Gabriella dragged her tired body up the stairs of the Zeta Theta Mu house, too tired to notice some of the fraternity brothers who were checking her out in her skinny dark wash jeans and white form fitting short sleeved sweater. Normally Gabriella would have pulled a Sharpay and snapped at them to quite staring but Gabriella was beyond tired from work and midterms. Of course, knowing she was being checked out so openly would have blown her mind too.

Zeke though saw all this, crediting Sharpay and Taylor redoing some of Gabriella's closet now that Gabriella was more social for drawing some of the attention but also acknowledging that Troy's new attention on her had also brought about the attention she was now being given by guys both on and off Greek Row. Zeke quickly ducked into his room he shared with Jason so his best friend wouldn't catch him watching her make her way up while he was walking back from the bathroom to his room.

"Knock, knock," Gabriella greeted, hovering for a moment in the doorway of the room before coming in after getting a welcoming smile from her college best friend. "So, I know I'm a bit early but would you mind if I just crash out on your bed for a bit?"

Chuckling, Zeke shook his head. "Go right ahead. What's the matter Gabs? Midterms actually getting to you?"

"Hey, at least all mine are done except for this paper we have to work on tonight for our group project. You still have one more left so I'd stop teasing me if I were you," Gabriella shot back, throwing her small body onto Zeke's bed, closing her eyes as she allowed the exhaustion to finally weigh down on her. "How have exams been?"

"Tough but there's some odd comfort in the fact that there are only two rounds of finals and one more round of midterms to endure before we're out of here," Zeke offered in return, picking up his highlighter that was laying nearby his textbook and highlighting an important passage he wanted to return to later. "Lucky you missed out on a whole year of sets of both though."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, cracking her eyes open a little as she turned her head on Zeke's pillow to look at him. "Perhaps but I worked my ass off in the past two and a half years almost to get here. You know how much graduating with this degree means to me and my family Z."

Zeke thought back to the many conversations Gabriella and he had shared over the years and how many times he had heard the true, genuine want of hers to not be like Daniella or Samantha in several ways. Of course these were the same memories that puzzled Zeke a little when he thought of how Gabriella was now starting to behave with Troy, one of the last guys Zeke would have ever pictured her with and at the very least interested in.

"I know that Gabs and I'm glad that we could be part of this project together, so we both can work our asses off together. We're still going to enroll in those other courses you and I planned on last year right? Can't imagine the last semester without you."

Gabriella smiled at her best friend, meeting his gaze. "As I can't imagine it without you. Truly, you are one of the only real silver linings for me here at college, a nice break from all the other chaos like work and studying and this stupid Greek life."

"Hey now, Greek Row can't be treating you all that badly these days. I can tell you for a fact that the brothers have now had your name on their lips as of late," Zeke stated, watching to see how Gabriella reacted to the truth he just spoke. "Got your eyes on any frat guy?"

She scrunched up her face and shook her head, turning her head again so she was staring up at the white ceiling above Zeke's bed. "I think I could have done without the knowledge that I'm getting talked about. You know how I hate that attention."

Zeke waited for a few beats and realized Gabriella was done addressing his statement. "Yeah, well, when you become a target of our beloved fraternity president you start getting attention. Besides, I thought not being invisible would please you."

"And you figured that how exactly?" returned Gabriella, rolling her eyes as she let out a sigh. "I think being invisible is far better but then again it is what it is, right? I at least know that my true friends, the people who saw me when I was invisible, will always be there for me."

"That is true. So really, Gabs, are you not toying with any guy right now?" Zeke pushed, seeing this as his chance to get inside Gabriella's head to really see what her mind was thinking about this whole thing with Troy. From what Zeke had seen it didn't look like anything serious as Troy was still seeing plenty of other girls but Zeke sensed a change in him but more so whenever Gabriella was around, seeing the physical touches but really feeling the undercurrent that ignites whenever Troy and Gabriella are together.

When Gabriella opened her mouth to answer, she stopped as she heard familiar loud voices coming from down the hall after a loud bang of a door hitting a wall rather forcefully.

"Bolton, you are out of your fucking mind! How can you do this to me? We had a deal!" Nicole screamed, her high pitched voice easily reverberating around the fraternity house, at least on the second floor.

"Nicole, seriously, this is crossing a line! I will not do it and I will not put this fraternity through it. This is such a bad idea now, trust me. Why won't you listen?" Troy demanded, his voice rising to match hers. "This is a charity we are doing this for, not to do anything else!"

"But Troy, you know how important this is to everything else you and I have been talking about! Don't you see? This is perfect!"

There was a pause before Gabriella heard Troy speak again. "Forget it Nicole, I will not do this. Deal or not, I will not allow Zeta Theta Mu to be disgraced along with Kappa Phi Sigma for some stupid idea you just have to do."

Out in the hall, Nicole was glaring at Troy, her eyes narrowing on the God of Greek Row. "Troy we made a deal, you promised! How can you back out on me like this? We were supposed to do this whole thing together! To unite the fraternity and sorority but also us!"

Troy shrugged, enraging Nicole even further. "Guess there is no real us so promise doesn't hold, especially when you are pushing the limits beyond where they are supposed to stretch. I told you, if you took out some of those pictures you chose I'd be on board, Zeta Theta Mu would be on board."

"Since when did you get so weak Troy? You used to be better than this! How can you just walk away, ruining this bond between our organizations because of one soft spot you clearly are developing against my advisement?" Nicole questioned, clearly frustrated with the situation but mostly with him. "You used to be the best Troy, the best in everything from basketball to sex. What's been going on with you lately?"

The muscles in Troy's cheeks flexed at Nicole's words, tasting a bit of blood as he bit down on his tongue as to not lash out at Nicole in the hallway as he saw curious heads of fraternity brothers begin to pop out from rooms. "If that's how you feel Nicole I suggest you take your supposed philanthropy project, which is really a mischief creator, and get the hell away from me and all my weakness. Zeta Theta Mu will find its own philanthropy event to raise money this semester and probably next semester as well if I have anything to say about it if you continue on with this ill-fated plan of yours."

"Fine! Have it your way!" Nicole shouted, shoving against Troy's chest before briskly walking down the hallways and down the stairs, leaving in her trail the iciness that rolled right off her body as she went.

Troy wavered a bit but otherwise wasn't affected by Nicole's attempt at a shove, throwing a look down the hall that caused all the other brothers to duck back into their rooms. Cursing under his breath, Troy realized that he now had to help the Philanthropy Chair find a new event and knew he'd have repercussions for this snap decision but knew what drove him and that it was a valid reason he used despite his personal feelings. Without a care for what time it was, Troy walked down the hall, focused only on the room he knew he would find said Philanthropy Chair in.

When Troy got there though there was no one in the triple room so he left a quick note on the whiteboard that hung on the door to be contacted as soon as the message was received. On his way back to his room though he slowed as he heard a familiar set of voices, his bad mood alleviated slightly as he heard some of her tinkling laughter float from Zeke and Jason's room.

The bad mood though returned with a vengeance as he stopped in the doorway of the room to see Gabriella laying down on Zeke's bed with Zeke tickling her sides, both of them laughing as Zeke sat on the edge of the bed with his upper body leaned over her. "Am I interrupting?"

Zeke and Gabriella looked towards the doorway where the owner of the room stood, a stormy expression on his face, his eyes ice blue. Both dropped their smiles and ceased laughing as Troy's negative energy entered the room, changing the environment entirely.

Instead, Gabriella exchanged a worried look with Zeke before she looked back at Troy who was now leaning against the doorframe, his hard eyes trained only on her. "No, we were just hanging out before our group meeting. If you aren't in the mood though…"

"No, let's go. I need to get out of here and a walk to the library will probably do me good," Troy stated, turning on his heel to get his stuff from his room.

Gabriella and Zeke were both silent as they gathered their stuff, Gabriella slipping on her jacket while Zeke put his shoes on. They waited there together until Troy paused outside the room until he saw them see him and continued walking on, leaving Gabriella and Zeke to follow in his broody wake.

"Is he like this often?" Gabriella whispered as she and Zeke walked several yards behind Troy, giving him all the physical space he could want.

Zeke sighed, looking back towards his best friend, seeing the tenseness in his body. "Not frequently, no. Whatever he and Nicole were arguing about must have been bad. Troy is usually pretty even keeled. Don't worry, he would never hurt her or anything if you are worried about Nicole."

"It's not her I'm worried about, believe me. I just am unsure of what to make of this side of Troy. He looks really upset," commented Gabriella, her eyes trained on Troy who ignored the appreciative glances he was getting and the flirty comments called out.

"Guess the bond between our organizations could be strained or severed soon from the sounds of it, whatever it was about. Both presidents having it out like that is never good because they hold quite a sway. No matter, you'll always be my little sister," Zeke teased, wrapping his free left arm around Gabriella's shoulder, bringing her body into his side to give her an affectionate squeeze and keeping his arm there in a sign of brotherly affection.

"Aww, and you'll always be my big brother Zeke," returned Gabriella, a smile on her lips as she looked up at him.

Both Gabriella and Zeke stopped abruptly as they bumped into a solid body, both looking up from each other to see Troy standing there, the hard angles of his face clear even in the darkness. Feeling the lethalness of the stare directed his way, Zeke dropped his arm from around Gabriella's shoulders, not caring to get into an altercation with Troy in that very moment. Zeke wasn't afraid of Troy, far from it, but he didn't want to cause a scene right outside the library with Gabriella there too.

"If you two are done with your lover's walk I'll go sign in for the study room." Troy let his words hang there between them for a moment before he turned back around and went into the library, leaving the pair outside standing dumbfounded while Troy himself was wondering where in the hell his attitude came from when it came to his project team members. 'It's simple really, you are plain jealous with a capital J, you are riled up about Nicole, and your defenses are up because you don't know what Brie heard.'

Taking a bit longer than he needed to retrieve the key from the desk in exchange for his school ID card, Troy walked up the three flights of stairs a bit slowly to let himself cool down, knowing that he needed to let go of everything that happened back at the frat house before it corrupted his night any further. By the time Troy made it to the study room that was actually their normal now every time they met as a group, Gabriella and Zeke both were leaning up against the wall next to the door, quietly talking between them.

Troy felt another pull at his gut but he ignored it, instead showing Gabriella and Zeke a crooked smile. "Didn't want to break into the room huh?"

"Not our style man, especially in a library," replied Zeke, relieved a little to see Troy in a slightly better mood. "What's up with the speed though? Since when did you go old man on us?"

"It was either take some time to unwind coming up here or pound on your ass a bit," Troy joked, going to the door and unlocking it before flipping on the light switch. He turned and held the door open for Gabriella and Zeke, Gabriella giving him a tentative smile as she entered. As Gabriella passed, Troy couldn't help but extend his arm to grab her hand to hold in his for a moment before he kissed the back of it, delighted when she grinned at him albeit a bit shyly. "Sorry for not properly greeting you earlier."

Gabriella shrugged her petite shoulders. "You clearly had other things on your mind, it's okay, I understand."

"And that is one of the amazing things about you angel." Troy let go of her hand and sat down at the table across from her. "So, what do we have left for this paper?"

After setting up her laptop, Gabriella stuck in her flash drive and waited for a moment to open before locating their team's paper that was due to their professor at the end of the week. "I'm missing your piece Troy but other than that, we need to edit and then do the bibliography. Luckily this is just a draft of our business plan but we need to start seriously thinking of how we want to present the final draft, the floor plan designs and everything."

Troy dug into his pocket for his keys and slid them across the table towards Gabriella who stopped them before they could fall off the side of the table. "My piece is in the USB stick and it was edited a few times by me but please, do your best."

Gabriella saw the smirk on his face and only shook her head, smiling slightly as she found him to be actually charming in a cocky way if that was at all possible. "I think I just may take you up on your challenge Bolton."

"Better break out the red font Gabs, it'll need it," Zeke added, chuckling as Troy glared at him for a few moments before opening his notebook. "Guess I can start on the bibliography?"

"Baylor, do you really know how to do that in MLA format? Really?" Troy studied his buddy as Zeke nodded his head only to pause and then shake his head.

"Maybe not, come to think of it. Does it have to be in MLA?"

"Sorry bud, I think so. I'm sure there are books though here in this library, imagine that, which can help," Troy suggested, watching as Zeke eyed him a bit while Gabriella obliviously continued working on integrating the team's paper together. "Do you need help finding it?"

Zeke, deciding it was safe to leave Troy with Gabriella unattended in the library, refused the help. "I'm good. I'll be back so no disappearing on me, all right?"

"Course not."

Gabriella gave Zeke a faint wave as she zeroed in again on the text in front of her, her brow furrowing as she concentrated on editing the intro paragraph to Troy's part, again not noticing as Troy openly watched her work while Zeke left the room.

A few minutes passed as Troy let Gabriella continue to work, content in just observing her, a small part of him beginning to feel anxious as he thought back to earlier in the night, wondering what Gabriella was able to deduce from his argument with Nicole. 'It can't be much otherwise she wouldn't be so calm around you Bolton.'

As Gabriella finished a one-over of Troy's part, she glanced up and caught the pair of cerulean eyes staring at her. She felt her cheeks flush as she stared back, feeling the undeniable connection that always came to life when she was with Troy, no matter the environment. "You're doing that staring thing again."

The corners of his lips curved up, chuckling as Troy knew that Gabriella was right and that he had been caught yet again, as he had been every time they had been together in the past few days whether it be at the gym, the library, class, or anywhere in between. "Perhaps I am. What are you going to do about it?"

"Put a paper bag over your head?" offered Gabriella, giggling as he rolled his eyes at her silly suggestion. "I could always blindfold you so you couldn't stare at me anymore but would allow you to breathe at least."

"Blindfold huh? Didn't know you were kinky like that Brie," Troy teased, smirking more as the blush on Gabriella's cheeks spread. "Actually, would you help me find a book?"

By the way Gabriella's eyes sharpened as she looked back at him, Troy got the feeling that she saw through his thinly veiled question. "Exactly what type of book are we looking for Troy? We are supposed to be working on the group paper that's due and that doesn't require any additional resources."

"Fine, so I just want to talk to you, alone, and I keep seeing people pass us by and stare in via the windows. Just a few minutes Brie? Please?"

Unable to resist the invitation any longer, especially as she suspected Troy really did need to talk, Gabriella nodded her head, saving the paper on her flash drive before closing it and pulling the drive out. Gabriella tossed Troy's keys back to him and slipped the flash drive in her pocked before locking her computer, getting up from the table and walking out of the room with Troy. Both turned as they heard Zeke's voice from nearby, smiling as they saw Zeke casually talking to Sharpay a few yards away near the stairwell.

"Doubt he'll miss us. Guess we should close the door to the study room and lock it while we're gone," murmured Troy, going back into the room and grabbing the key to the room before closing it and making sure the door was locked.

Before Gabriella could decide which way to go, she felt his calloused hand gently grab hers, sliding his fingers between hers as he tugged on their now intertwined hands towards the opposite direction of where Zeke and Sharpay were talking. Gabriella didn't think anything of the direction in where they were walking until she noticed they were walking into the less frequented area of the library, deep in the opposite corner of where their study room was up here on the third floor, an area Gabriella had never had a reason to venture through before.

Troy glanced back and saw Gabriella piecing together where they were and found himself wondering if she really hadn't ever been to this part of the library with a guy before, curious if she knew what usually this part of the library was used for, not that Troy had that on his mind right then necessarily. "This an okay place for us to talk?"

Gabriella looked around from where they had stopped walking to see not a soul in sight in either direction from where they were in the middle of the book shelves and shrugged. "Looks quiet enough with no eavesdropping ears. What's going on?"

Chuckling a little at Gabriella's naivety of where they stood, Troy pushed his amusement aside as he took her other hand in his, running his thumbs over the tops of her hands. "How much did you hear earlier at the frat house?"

Unable to look away, Gabriella returned his gaze, studying them for a moment before she said, "Not too much, just that it sounds like our organizations are probably not going to do a charity event or fundraiser together this academic school year if either of you have your final say, which of course you do. Not sure why or what happened before that. Do you want to talk about it?"

Troy swallowed as he saw the genuine concern in Gabriella's brown eyes, complete openness residing there. "Just that I hope whatever happens between Zeta Theta Mu and Kappa Phi Sigma won't ruin what is growing between us."

The huskiness in Troy's voice caught Gabriella's attention, her gaze snapping back to his face from where it had been studying some faded books a few shelves down while she listened. "Growing between us?"

Troy shook his head slightly as he chuckled, untangling his right hand from her left so that he could brush back some of her dark hair, savoring the feel of the silky strands under his touch. "Come on Miss Smartie. I know you are pretty smart, you must see what I am seeing, how our bond and chemistry just keeps growing in strength. I'd say that makes for something to be growing between us. Not many girls can say they've slept in my bed for a whole night with me twice in the same first half of a semester and in clean sheets to boot."

"Cause that just made me feel so special Troy, really. How many notches do you really have anyway?" Gabriella questioned, fighting the strong desire to just melt into his hand that was now cupping the side of her face. "Thought I was just another conquest for you."

"You? A conquest? Angel, I'm surprised in you. You are far more than just a conquest, for me or any other."

"Flirt," countered Gabriella, smiling as she saw the lopsided smile grace Troy's face. "I know you use that line and nickname on at least ten other girls on this campus."

"Perhaps but you are the one right here, in front of me, the main focus of my attention and I wouldn't have it any other way," Troy murmured, searching Gabriella's face before dipping his head down to capture her lips with his.

At first Gabriella felt his lips ghost across hers a few times but soon realized this was no chaste kiss as Troy abandoned holding her right hand with his left in favor of resting both hands of his against a shelf right behind Gabriella, essentially caging her in. Gabriella strangely found herself comfortable there as she allowed Troy to deepen the kiss after licking at her lips, her hands somehow finding their way into his hair as she unconsciously pulled his body closer to hers.

Both groaned as their kissing continued, Troy slowly breaking away from the lips that always teased him to place kisses along Gabriella's neck as she herself explored how her lips ghosting over Troy's exposed skin on his shoulder, right above the collar of his t-shirt, affected him, making him groan more, giving Gabriella pleasure in knowing she could have just as equal of an effect on his body as he did on hers.

Their heated embrace was suddenly interrupted as a loud, and repeated, cough filled the air, fighting its way through their passion filled minds until both Troy and Gabriella pulled slightly away from each other, turning their heads in the direction of the source to see Zeke uncomfortably standing there.

Seeing the embarrassed but concerned look on Zeke's face woke Gabriella up enough for her to realize that she had her hands under Troy's t-shirt as his were under her sweater, quickly, removing her hands from Troy's toned stomach, almost flinching at the forced break in contact. A deep blush filled her cheeks as she felt Troy's hands slip out from under her sweater, letting her straighten it out before she scurried away, past Zeke, not saying anything but feeling a burning sense of regret that she had let things go so far with Troy, especially in the library, and yet finding that a part of her really enjoyed it.

Zeke let Gabriella go, knowing she would need a few moments to collect herself, instead focusing on Troy who gave him a sheepish smile as he straightened out his own shirt. "Troy, I thought you said your intentions were good."

The quietness in Zeke's voice surprised Troy, forcing him to look up and meet his friend's gaze that was far from friendly in that moment. "They are Zeke, honest."

"Then why the hell are you here? Where you and I both know you go only if you plan on carrying on a private act in a place open to the public? Gabriella is not that type of girl damn it!"

"Zeke, calm down man. Nothing happened, nor would it have happened. I brought her here to talk and things just started to happen. I know you love Brie like your baby sister but you can't keep her protected from every guy out there! You know me, you know I won't hurt her."

Zeke shook his head though, a clear sign that he disagreed. "That's the thing, I do know you and I know your history Troy. You've burned so many since senior year in high school man. Troy, you're like a real brother to me but I can't let you hurt Gabs like you have every other girl."

Troy cleared his throat, suddenly finding it a bit dry, but managed to find his voice again as he clearly heard Zeke's deeper message. "Look, I'm not going to fuck around with her for the sport of it Zeke. That's not what this is about."

"Then what is it about?"

Troy thought for a few moments, trying to figure it out himself. "When I figure it out, I'll tell you Zeke but I don't even know but this, what's between me and her, it doesn't feel like anything I've ever felt before. I'm still trying to work it out but I know it's different, that it's unique to her."

"It's because she is unique, Gabs is special. Dude, I don't mind that you guys are friends, or even casually dating or whatever but don't fuck around with her okay? She deserves better than that."

"You've got some really tainted picture of me don't you Baylor?"

Zeke could only shake his head as he heard Troy's question. "It isn't tainted as much as a sad realization of who you have evolved to be. Don't keep letting the past haunt you Troy or you'll one day wonder exactly what you've given up to keep that haunting alive."

Troy dragged in a deep breath as he filled his lungs and then slowly let it out, absorbing what his best friend had to say. "Guess we better go, finish off this paper. We cool man?"

There was a minor moment of hesitation before Zeke nodded, bumping fists with Troy. "We're cool bro. Come on, let's go find Gabs and finish this thing."

Both guys were relieved when they walked back to the study room and found Gabriella patiently waiting there, a smile back on her face, her cheeks still a bit pink. "I was beginning to think I'd have to find you two."

"Nah, we wouldn't ditch you like the way you guys ditched me," answered Zeke as Troy unlocked and opened the study room door again, letting Gabriella and Zeke to enter first.

"Didn't look like you needed our company the way you were working Sharpay," Troy joked, laughing as he saw the goofy smile of Zeke's appear as he thought about Sharpay. "Did you at least solidify a date for this upcoming weekend?"

"Yup, I did, thank you very much."

Gabriella squealed in excitement as she heard this, throwing her arms around Zeke in a congratulatory hug. "You did it! Sharpay must be so stoked!"

"Hopefully," got out Zeke, returning the hug before Gabriella settled back down into her chair. "Now, all distractions aside, are we good to finish this paper? I'll still do the bibliography, Gabs you can finish editing, and Troy, well, can you maybe start thinking of how we can finalize the paper for the end of the semester deadline and what else we may need?"

"On it," agreed Troy, giving Zeke a salute before picking up a pen nearby and jotting down a few thoughts right off the bat, glad for the distraction Zeke had given him from the thoughts Troy was having, all sparked by his talk just a few minutes with Zeke, wondering about the real truth in Zeke's words.