Okay, I redid this chapter. Long story short, when I started writing Chapter 14, I discovered something I had already written from the beginning – it was one of the parts I was looking forward to, and that was when my original plan sort of came back to me. I redid this chapter and in my opinion it is much better. You may not think so, but I had to do it for my peace of mind. It was really something I was planning (one of the reasons I started writing this story), and it would be a disappointment without it. Besides, the next chapter would be horrible if I hadn't changed this one, because I would have to change my initial idea around. It's the same up until Troy and Sharpay's conversation the morning after… the night of the party is mostly different, albeit with a similar outcome. Check it out, though, or you might be confused in the next chapter.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm not sorry I redid the chapter. I got halfway through the next chapter and it seriously sucked using the old plot.
--
Chapter 13: A Few Highs, A Few Lows
All the, small things Always, I know Say it ain't so, I will not go,
True care, truth brings
I'll take, one lift
Your ride, best trip
You'll be at my show
Watching, waiting,
commiserating
turn the lights off, carry me home
Na, na...
- All the Small Things, Blink-182
Gabriella Montez was cautious.
That was just the way it was – perhaps it was something she was born with, but more likely it had to do with the fact that in her family someone had to be the careful one, and it certainly wasn't going to be her brother, or mother, or even her father. Vincent was far too reckless, something he got from Coach Montez, and even if Gabriella's father was cautious, it wouldn't really count because they hardly ever saw him.
The funny thing was, Gabriella forgot to be cautious when she was with Troy. Sure, when they had first started dating, she was – but then their relationship transformed so that instead of being the most uncertain thing in her life, it was the most stable thing. Troy was the person she was the most comfortable around. Gabriella wasn't quite she what that meant, but she liked it.
Unfortunately, that meant the night that they were planning to celebrate their one-month anniversary (it was actually three days late, but that was only because Coach Montez wasn't home that night, so they could have their date at Gabriella's house instead of, you know, the park or something – after all, picnics could only be done so often), Gabriella wasn't nervous at all. She didn't bother changing out of the sweatpants and tank top she had worn to the mall that day with her friends, and for makeup she was only wearing some modest mascara and lip gloss. In fact, the only thing she did to change her appearance was slip her brother's West High sweatshirt over her tank top because the air conditioning in her house was up too high.
Including being cold, Gabriella was also very tired. Going to the mall for the day with Taylor McKessie and Colette Rivers, only to run into Arcadia Lee and Spencer Gates while doing so, was very trying. After all, Taylor and Colette made it very clear that they held Arcadia at a very low standard. Arcadia wasn't motivated in school, wasn't in honors classes, and at time had more friends that were boys than friends that were girls. Arcadia, well, she didn't really think anything of Taylor and Colette, and perhaps that was part of the problem. The two Decathlon team girl members hated that Gabriella had the choice to leave them behind and join Arcadia.
Gabriella had no intention of doing this (and Arcadia didn't really expect her to), but that didn't stop things from getting very awkward, especially due to the fact that Arcadia could sometimes, inadvertently or advertently, be rather bitchy.
The end result was an altogether exhausting trip to the mall that had results that weren't at all worth the effort. So, really, it was understandable that when she decided to lie down on the couch to rest before Troy arrived, she fell asleep.
And that was how Troy found her, curled up on the couch and sleeping peacefully. He smiled softly at her, biting his lip subconsciously as he battled with the decision of whether to wake her up or not. He deliberated for only a moment before deciding to wait until he had set up the food – Troy wasn't a big cooker (that being the understatement of the year), so when he told Gabriella he'd handle the food, they both knew he meant that he'd order takeout.
Despite his far-less-than-satisfactory culinary skills, however, Troy hoped that Gabriella would be mildly impressed. It had taken a lot of work to order all of the food, while making sure Zeke or any of his other friends had no idea it was him. At the same time, he still wanted the discount assured to all waiters and waitresses. Then there was the matter of brining it over to Gabriella's without his parents noticing. All in all, Troy was rather proud of himself, especially since he was able to set up a fairly elegant-looking dinner without waking Gabriella up.
Once Troy was done with setting up their dinner in the dining room – complete with candles, even – he returned into the living room. He stopped in the doorway for a second, just looking at her.
He couldn't believe that it had actually been one month, that he and Gabriella Montez were actually going out, albeit in secret. It was improbable, amazing, and worth every step he had taken to get to that point.
The thought that he loved her had, of course, crossed his mind. He had considered it several times in the past month, but lately these muses had become increasingly more frequent. Troy wondered if this was a sign. The truth was, he wasn't really sure what love was – did he want to love Gabriella Montez? That was up for debate. Did he actually love her? Well, that was up for debate, also. Troy supposed he did love her, or was at least awfully close to it. There was no way he would ever tell her that, though. Gabriella wanted to take it slow, and confessing his undying love for her wasn't exactly slow, especially since he wasn't even sure if it was love he was feeling or something else entirely.
Gabriella awoke to Troy sitting on the edge of the couch and leaning over her. He smiled softly and gently stroked her hair. She smiled sleepily up at him and snuggled closer to his warm body, shutting her eyes again. She heard his soft chuckle, and that was what made reality set in.
Her eyes snapped fully open, alert with all traces of sleep gone. Gasping, she sat up so quickly she almost hit Troy in the head (and would've if he hadn't had such good reflexes).
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Troy! I fell asleep – it was by accident, I–"
Troy cut her off with a soft kiss, and when he pulled away he told her gently, "Gabi, relax – it's fine. I got dinner set up for you, okay?"
"Really?" she asked, frowning up at him worriedly.
"Really," Troy confirmed, smiling widely at her.
Gabriella smiled back and leaned up against him, sighing softly as she said, "Today really sucked."
"What happened?"
"I went to the mall with Taylor and Colette, and we ran into Arcadia and Spencer while we where there – it didn't go well, to say the least," Gabriella told him. "Thanks for getting dinner and everything."
"No problem," Troy told her easily.
Then some of the cautiousness and insecurity she hadn't felt around Troy in at least two weeks returned. Gabriella glanced at Troy's clothes – a button-up shirt and kakis – and was acutely reminded of the fact she was still in jeans. He was freshly showered and looking incredibly sexy, neither of which she was. Feeling incredibly insecure, she said quickly, "I'll be right back, okay? Then we can eat. I just want to–"
She didn't need to say anymore, because Troy already knew. He nodded and gave her another lingering kiss before getting up and helping her up as well. Gabriella bit her lip and gave him one last look before making her way upstairs.
As soon as she was in her room, Gabriella ran to her closet and grabbed the nicest shirt she could find in the half of a second that she allotted herself to look. Pulling off her sweater and tank top, she hastily put on her alternate shirt before grabbing her mascara and lip gloss. Racing over to her full-length mirror, Gabriella gave herself a quick look before hastily putting on a coat of mascara and then moving on to her lip gloss.
Tossing both cosmetics on her bed once she was done, Gabriella glanced at the clock – two minutes had passed. She then looked back at her reflection, immediately noticing her lackluster eyes, flawed complexion, and far from luscious hair.
At that moment, Gabriella felt arms slip around her waist. She looked up in shock in the mirror to find Troy pressed up against her back, his arms wrapped tightly around her. He leaned in and murmured into her ear, "Stop. I know what you're doing – you're criticizing yourself and making up flaws you don't have, and I want you to stop."
"But you're so you, and I'm all…" Gabriella trailed off helplessly. She could feel the heat his body was radiating as he held her close to him, and his even hotter breath against her cheek. It was clouding her judgment, making her body melt into his and her hands slither up to rest atop his on her stomach. She looked into the mirror, reminded again of just how alluring Troy looked, and bit her lip to try and distract herself.
"I said stop it," Troy told her sternly. "You are beautiful and sexy Gabriella. I'd give anything to make you see what I see when I look at you, don't you know that?"
"I guess so," Gabriella muttered, eyeing herself distastefully in the full-length mirror.
Troy sighed, "Okay, you need to turn around now."
Gabriella let him take her by the shoulders and gently spin her around so that she was facing him. He was staring down at her with his lips set into a thin line. Hating that he was like this because of her own insecurities, Gabriella leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
Her arm reached up to play with the hair on the back of his head as she pulled away slightly. Troy smiled and murmured against her lips, "I like this lip gloss."
The temperature in the room seemed to rise twenty degrees as Troy's hands dexterously slipped under her shirt and drew invisible designs on her stomach. It made Gabriella shiver, despite the warmth of his hands, and she felt that familiar throb in between her legs.
"It's vanilla."
"Mhmm," Troy replied, leaning in and attaching his lips to hers again.
Gabriella kissed back eagerly, letting Troy's tongue pry her lips open and entwine itself with her own tongue. They danced inside each other's mouths, in a way that was familiar and yet an entirely new experience every time they did it. She allowed one hand to gently brush across his crotch as the other tangled itself into his hair, and Troy's moan vibrated into her mouth as he started walking them towards the bed.
As soon as the back of Troy's legs hit the edge of the bed, he fell back on it. Gabriella let out a little yelp as she felt him suddenly pull her down on top of him, but then Troy leaned down and attached his lips to her neck, finding the perfect spot that made her gasp for air. He pulled back hesitantly, telling her softly, "Dinner's getting cold."
His eyes, smoky and passionate, were cutting into her, and she could feel how much he wanted her as his groin pressed into her stomach.
"Yeah, but we're just getting warmed up," Gabriella told him, smirking devilishly and starting to unbutton his shirt. It was like some sort of non-established but at the same time mutually acknowledged signal, because a second later Troy's hands snaked up Gabriella's shirt and under her bra.
"Did you practice that line?" Troy asked between kisses, giving a throaty chuckle. Gabriella moaned in response as his hands gently kneaded her, and her own hands moved down to the waistline of his jeans.
Fifteen minutes later all of Troy's clothes were scattered across the room save for his boxers, and most of Gabriella's clothes had been removed, leaving her in a bra and underwear.
She had waited so long for this – that was the only though circulating through her brain. She had missed him on top of her, she had missed Troy's hands, his lips… hell, she had missed everything about being close to him. Her hands ran through his hair, and that made her wonder if he was enjoying this as much as her… Gabriella suddenly understood why it had been so hard for him to control himself on certain occasions.
Troy's hands reached around to undo the clasp of her bra. As he yanked it off of her and threw it on the floor, his eyes met hers and he asked uncertainly, "Are you sure?"
"Very," Gabriella confirmed before crashing their lips together again.
And a few exceptions notwithstanding, they didn't speak coherently after that.
--
Gabriella awoke to Troy gently kissing her shoulder from behind. She followed her first instincts and snuggled closer to him. They were spooning on her bed under the covers, although Gabriella was sure they hadn't fallen asleep in that position. She let out a small contented sigh. Now knowing she was awake, Troy's lips left her collarbone and moved towards her ear.
"It's good to see you haven't tried to run away again," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear.
Gabriella smiled lazily, still half-asleep as she mumbled incoherently, "Mhmm."
Troy chuckled softly, pulling her closer to him as his hands roamed leisurely over her body. Gabriella shivered in delight, loving the feeling of Troy close to her. Why the hell had they waited, again? She didn't know how she had managed it. All she wanted to do was stay there forever – that is, until she was awake and alert enough to repeat the activities they had participated in the night before.
Gabriella whimpered in protest as she felt Troy shift away from her. Turning over onto her other side, she watched as he sat on the edge of the bed, reaching around on the floor for something. Seconds later, he pulled on his boxers – it took Gabriella a second to realize this, because of the angle she was looking at him from. The boxers were wrinkled, but then again everything about him was disheveled so it sort of worked. The thought occurred to her that she was pretty lucky to have a boyfriend that looked that good on mornings after. She certainly didn't look that alluring.
She glanced around her room – the blinds were open though they let in minimal light because it was a cloudy day. Her eyes found her alarm clock, and Gabriella's eyes widened as she realized it was already ten o'clock.
"How long have you been awake?" she asked Troy, sitting up. She held the covers close to her, acutely aware of the fact that she had no clothes on.
"Not too long," Troy said in a noticeably noncommittal voice. She didn't believe him, but decided not to press the matter. He leaned back across the bed towards her, cupping her face in his hand – the one that wasn't propping him up – and giving her a long, slow kiss. Gabriella melted into him, loosing track of all time as her mouth moved in harmony with his.
All too soon she forced her lips to move away from his. She leaned her forehead against Troy's – her eyes were shut, but when she opened them Gabriella found that Troy was staring at her, a serious expression on his face. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but instead said in a voice that she realized sounded needier than she had intended, "Do you need to leave?"
There was a moment of silence, and then Troy answered softly, "Not unless you need me to."
"My mom won't be home until later – I think. And Vincent's sleeping over Spencer's or something," Gabriella said, yawning.
Troy smiled at her, saying, "What about breakfast, then?"
"Okay," Gabriella agreed. "I'll meet you down there in a minute."
Troy nodded, giving her one last kiss before heading out of her room.
Gabriella stared after him for a moment before getting out of her bed. She pulled on underwear and a bra, glancing around for something else to wear. Finally deciding on pajama shorts and an oversized tee shirt that was probably Vincent's, Gabriella pulled her hair back into a ponytail, grimacing at how horrible it looked, and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Troy was already in there, standing in front of the open fridge and examining its contents. Hearing Gabriella enter, he shut the refrigerator door and looked up, explaining to her, "I don't know how to cook, well, anything – but there are eggs in here and some pancake mix."
"I think we have sausage in the freezer, too," Gabriella said. "Those would have directions, and the pancake batter might, too. Eggs, though…" she trailed off helplessly.
Troy took out the eggs, placing them on the counter and saying, "I can probably make the eggs."
"Have you tried before?" Gabriella asked warily, glancing at him as he took out the sausage package from the freezer as well.
Shrugging, Troy said, "No, but I've seen Zeke do it enough times, and my mom, too. Should be easy enough. Scrambled alright for you?"
"Sure – I can do sausage and toast," Gabriella said. She opened up a cupboard and took out a frying pan, handing it to Troy. He took it gingerly, and from the look on his face Gabriella knew that something would probably catch on fire. He looked utterly lost. Forcing herself to turn away and put her trust in him, she took out the bread.
"Gabi, last night was okay, right?" Gabriella looked up. Troy was watching her nervously, running a hand through his hair before saying, "It's just, I wasn't sure if it was the heat of the moment that made you say yes or something."
"It wasn't," Gabriella said. She then hesitated and continued, "Well, maybe it was, but I'm okay with it. Better than okay, actually."
Troy visibly let out a breath of relief, grinning and returning his attention to making the eggs as he said, "It was good sex, wasn't it?"
"Definitely," Gabriella agreed, laughing. She put four pieces of bread into the toaster and asked, "Do all people have it that good?"
"I don't think so," Troy said thoughtfully. "At least, from what my friends say. Besides, if sex was that good for everyone, people would never divorce – the makeup sex would always more than reciprocate any wrongdoings."
Gabriella nodded and said, "Good point. Besides, when I tried sex with my boyfriend it really sucked-" She froze, turning to Troy as she added, "I think that just broke a key dating rule – don't compare your boyfriend to exes." She bit her lip uncertainly. "Sorry about that."
Troy shrugged and responded, "Well, sex sucked for me before you, too…" He smiled at her. "Now we're even."
Gabriella tried to hide her smile as she nodded in agreement, secretly elated that he thought that.
They talked like that while they made the food – Gabriella was surprised at how it was so easy to converse with him, even about sex they had the night before. It wasn't awkward, it was… nice.
Ten or so minutes later, Troy and Gabriella stood back and surveyed their work. The eggs were just finishing up, and both the toast and sausage was done. Troy had poured them both orange juice (Gabriella had cringed, seeing him abandon the scrambled eggs so easily – but amazingly nothing was burned). It all looked somewhat put together, with no major mishaps along the way. Troy looked notably proud of himself, which Gabriella found comical.
"We should probably take cooking classes or something if we're going to be doing this more often," Gabriella said thoughtfully.
Troy laughed and told her, "We're going to make breakfast together every morning after sex now, just because you said that."
"Classes," Gabriella reminded him, smirking.
He frowned in thought before brightening and saying, "How's this, once we tell everyone about our relationship, I'll get Zeke to give us free lessons."
Gabriella hesitated, and Troy – realizing a second later what he had said – did as well.
The fact that their relationship was a secret that had to eventually be revealed was not often discussed, although they both thought about it separately. It wasn't that one of them was unwilling, but more the fact that both were unwilling.
After a moment, Gabriella said in a strange voice, "Okay."
Silence fell over them again, broken only when Troy told her softly, "I'm sorry."
Gabriella shook her head a bit too violently, telling him, "It's not your problem – it shouldn't be mine, either… it's just..." she trailed off, busying herself with dividing the sausage up evenly between the two plates. Once she was done, she looked up at Troy, who was waiting patiently for her to continue, and said, "I have no idea what's going to happen. We've sort of fell into this pattern, haven't we?"
"I know – I've seen it, too," Troy said, sighing unhappily. He was finished with the eggs. In Gabriella's opinion, they looked surprisingly good for someone who had never made eggs before. He turned off the burner, and Gabriella held out the plates one at a time so that Troy could put the eggs on them. "We should've been smarter about this – realized that the more time it was a secret the more we'd fall into the trap of not telling anyone."
"Well… it's only been a month." She said, trying to sound optimistic. Troy gave her a small look. "But, then again, that's a pretty long time for not telling anyone," Gabriella admitted. She watched as Troy placed the toast on their plates and then took his from her. They sat next to each other in the stools at the island, their chairs so close that their shoulders were pressed together. Neither of them minded.
That was how they ate, in a companionable silence that wasn't nearly as awkward as one might think. Every now and again Gabriella would glance towards Troy and smile, or Troy's hand would reach over and draw small, invisible designs on her thigh. They continued like that until most of their food was gone, with only a bit remaining on each plate.
Troy finished his last piece of toast, chewing slowly as he thought over their predicament. Gabriella speared the last of her scrambled eggs with her fork and tasted them just as Troy swallowed and said, "How about this – if everyone hasn't found out about us by our sixth-month anniversary, we'll tell everyone."
Gabriella frowned. Six months? Sure, they had made it one, but she had no idea if they could do five more. She thought they could – she couldn't imagine her life without Troy anymore. But whether he thought that way about her or not was an entirely different situation.
She contemplated this in silence for a minute or so before asking carefully, "Do you think we'll last that long?"
Troy didn't answer right away, and she was certain that he was trying to find a way to say no. But then he turned to her and said with mind-blowing sincerity, "Honestly, yeah."
She smiled back and, right before leaning into to kiss him, said, "Me, too."
Troy's lips eagerly reacted to hers, and his arms pulled her closer, so that they didn't part until five minutes later, when Troy reluctantly broke off their kiss, still keeping his lips near hers.
"So that's it then? Six months?" he asked breathlessly. She nodded, and he kissed her again.
Both Gabriella and Troy seemed to hear it at the same time – breaking away from the kiss in unison with identical looks of alarm on their faces as the sound of a car pulling into the Montez family's driveway met their ears.
"Oh my God," Gabriella whispered.
Troy gave her a quick kiss before replying hastily, "If you distract him for a few seconds, I can get dressed and go out through your balcony."
Gabriella nodded mutely, watching in shock as Troy ran up to her room. Moments later, she heard a car being shut off and then a car door slam. Hastily, she shoved the remainder of Troy's food into the trash and shoved the plate under the sink – she'd clean it once the danger was gone. Then she returned to her food, taking several deep breaths to calm herself.
Seconds later, Vincent came in – but by then, Troy was already climbing down the tree in Gabriella's backyard and making his way towards his car in an unbuttoned shirt. His belt was clutched in one hand, and the other held his shoes and socks. Hey, at least his pants where on.
Troy reached his car, getting in and quickly slamming the door shut. He locked the doors before letting the shock wear off. He just sat there, breathing heavily for a moment before getting his shoes and socks on. Then he turned on his car, taking one look in the direction of Gabriella's house before driving away.
It was a close call, and he knew it was because they had become too secure, too lenient.
--
The sun was beating down especially hard that day, burning Troy's skin to the point where he was somewhat worried his sunscreen wouldn't work. He considered pulling his shirt back on, but couldn't be bothered to move. Somehow, the grass was still in pristine condition, which was surprising given the weather, but then not very surprising when you considered the fact that he was lying on the lawn of Lava Springs Country Club.
Troy squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the sun and with it Sharpay's voice that was narrating some story about something or other. He didn't really care. Shifting only slightly, Troy allowed his thoughts to turn to that morning, and what had happened before Gabriella had awoken…
Troy jolted awake at the sound of something vibrating. He shot up, momentarily startled because he wasn't in his room and wasn't wearing any clothes. He relaxed a second later when he felt someone shift at his side and move closer to him. Gabriella. He glanced around, his eyes quickly finding Gabriella's phone, which was vibrating on her bedside table that happened to be very close to Troy's head. He hastily silenced it and put it back on her bedside table. The urge to see who had called was strong, but he resisted. One look at the clock told him it was 7:12 AM. Sighing, he looked down at Gabriella's sleeping form.
She looked beautiful, the type of beauty that was impossible to accurately put into words. Everything about her was perfect, even when she was lying in her bed sleeping after sex. Her hair was messy and she didn't have any clothes on, but still there was this glow she had to her – no, not the I-just-had-sex glow (although she had that, too), but the sparkly glow that makes people look at you. She had the type of glow that makes people smile even when they're sad. Gabriella was perfect, and Troy couldn't for the life of him understand how she couldn't see it.
Troy leaned into her, burying his nose gently into her hair. It still smelt like vanilla – just like her skin, and her lips. She had a slight obsession with vanilla, he knew, but he didn't mind. Troy wondered, if Gabriella didn't use anything that was scented vanilla, and used something like lavender or coconut instead, if she'd still smell like vanilla. He thought so.
I love you, he wanted to say desperately. I want to be with you so bad I can't even describe it.
Troy restrained himself, but just barely and only by repeating in his head multiple times that confessing his love while Gabriella was sleeping was way too clichéd for him.
Coming back down to Earth, Troy realized Sharpay had ceased taking. He sighed, refusing to give Sharpay the satisfaction of him looking at her. Troy knew the question was coming. And sure enough, a few moments later…
"Troy, where were you last night?"
The question hung in the air as Sharpay stared penetratingly down at Troy. He remained immobile, still stretched out on his back in the grass, his eyes shut. They stayed like that for a few moments, Sharpay sitting cross-legged in the grass on her front lawn with Troy lying horizontally in front of her. He was internally battling with himself, and had a sneaking suspicion that Sharpay knew it.
That was why, when Troy opened one eye slightly and looked up at her, he decided on a variant of the truth, instead of an outright lie. He told her flatly, "De-stressing."
She had known that already, of course. Sharpay had known from the moment she had heard his voice on the phone – slightly groggy, annoyed and yet sounding strangely content. And then there was something else. Sharpay didn't quite know what it was, but it was the type of thing a best friend recognized.
And then she had seen him, and the sex eyes – coupled with his wrinkled clothes and mussed hair – cast aside any fleeting doubts she might have had in her judgment. Admittedly, however, there weren't really any doubts. Sharpay Evans was confident, sometimes to a fault.
Sharpay sighed. "Heidi, again?"
"No, Christina."
She frowned, saying confusedly, "Andrews?"
"Yeah."
"But I was hanging out with her last night at the party. She couldn't have been with you. We stayed until the morning and I took her keys because she was wasted. They're around here somewhere… I would've taken her home, but you know that's not my style."
"It wasn't Christina?" Troy asked, frowning confusedly. "Well, then it must've been some other tall girl with black hair…"
"Maybe Rebecca?"
"Maybe…" Troy mused, looking confused enough that Sharpay bought it.
"Troy," she sighed, shaking her head, "what is up with you?"
He didn't answer, just shrugged the question off and then proceeded to say bluntly, "She was good."
Sharpay shook her head again, but didn't comment. The topic changed, and neither brought it up again.
Later, though, when Sharpay had time to speculate, she wondered. This wasn't the Troy Bolton she knew. He wouldn't sleep with so many random girls like this, let alone not remember who it was.
Something was going on. Drugs, maybe? She frowned. No, he wasn't stupid like that. And he wasn't trying to look cool by lying about having sex, because firstly Troy was the epitome of cool, and secondly if he wasn't having sex, why would he have sex eyes? She considered other options (was he gay and trying to hide it?) before finally she hit the jackpot. He was sleeping with a girl – and liking it. He was just lying about with whom. But why would he lie?
Sharpay could answer that one easily enough: because it was someone he wasn't supposed to be with. And that meant it was a steady relationship, and he really liked her – because if he was just in it for sex, he'd do it with someone he could be open about, and he wouldn't make it clear it was a different girl each day.
The question was: who?
It had taken her too long to find out what he was hiding, how long would it take Sharpay to answer this next question?
Only time would tell.
--
Troy Bolton categorized his friends. There were three separate "boxes", the first of which containing people he had no intention of associating with, the second of people he didn't want to waste time on but had to anyways, and the third that consisted of those people he tentatively labeled as ones he liked.
There were very few people in the third box, although the contents of this particular box shifted rapidly. For example, Troy generally was tolerant of Ryan Evans.
"Generally" being the operative word, of course.
That would be why, when Ryan called up Troy and explained that he needed to get really drunk, Troy didn't ask questions. He just asked where they should meet up – and, luckily for Ryan, Troy didn't have any problem with attending some party a U of A guy was hosting. And that was how Troy Bolton ended up at Jamie Deacon's house, sitting on the kitchen counter between Ryan and some senior girl from his school that had drunkenly followed them around the house for the better part of an hour.
"Dude, what is this stuff?" Ryan slurred, taking another swig from whatever bottle he was holding.
Troy took another sip of his beer – his first and only, seeing as it was quite clear he was the designated driver – and bent his head slightly so that he could catch the name printed on the label of the bottle Ryan was animatedly swinging around. Inwardly wincing, Troy said, "Vodka."
From the other side of Ryan, some college guy grinned wolfishly and finished his bottle that looked identical to Ryan's. He slammed it down on the counter beside him and said to Ryan and Troy, "No way! Deacon's a rich bastard, then? Kinda figured – he went to… what's the place? Athpshen?"
"Aspen," Troy corrected. "Aspen Preparatory School."
"That's what I said."
Troy sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he asked agitatedly, "Ryan, why the hell are we here?"
Ryan's smile faltered. He shook his head and grabbed Troy's bottle from out of his hand and took a gulp. Troy took that as a sign he didn't want to talk. Shaking his head, Troy told him, "I'm going to get another drink – I'll be right back. Don't move."
Like a puppy, Ryan nodded his head, his dopey grim once again plastered across his face. The guy next to him clapped him on the back and said to Troy, "We ain't going anywhere, buddy."
"Don't call me buddy," Troy said menacingly, but was secretly glad that the guy was going to keep Ryan where he was. It would've been hell to try and find Ryan through the sea of people. Because Deacon was from U of A, there were a lot more people than at a high school party – there were people from East High, West High, some of the private high schools around, and then U of A, which was a very large college. Troy assumed there were probably people from other colleges as well, but he didn't really care enough to try and figure out which ones.
Pushing his way through all of the people, Troy headed towards the door. He wasn't going to get a drink – he needed fresh air.
Unfortunately, God didn't seem eager to grant this simple request, because as soon as he opened the door a body rammed into him, and the smell of beer surrounding him was so pungent that Troy had to fight back a cough. Pushing the person off of him disgustedly, he gave a surprised jerk when he realized who it was. Jason.
Jason seemed to realize who Troy was at the exact same moment.
"Troy, my man, some party, hey?" Jason slurred, wobbling unsteadily on his legs.
Troy didn't reach out to steady him. He just surveyed his teammate objectively and said, "You're drunk."
"I'm not drunk," Jason said, and then promptly tripped over nothing, falling to the ground. Giggling, he amended, "Well, maybe a little – but jus-just a little." He held his index finger and thumb very close together to show just how much "a little" was, as if Troy didn't know. Troy shook his head.
"I'm going," he said flatly, and made to go back inside. He was jerked back, however, by Jason grabbing his arm.
Trying (and failing) to get up, Jason grinned widely and told him, "Wait, dude, I'll come, too! Bolton and Cross, living the good life!"
Troy cringed, prying himself away from Jason's clutches and saying, "Hey, er, I'm going to go to the bathroom – what about you meet me in the kitchen? I think I saw…. Chad in there. And Raleigh."
Jason's face fell, which wasn't really what Troy had expected. A shadow fell over Jason's face and he said coldly, though his words were still slurred, "That bitch? I don't want anything, anything to do with her."
Troy blinked in shock. He had never heard Jason refer to his sister that way before – and he wasn't really sure he wanted to know why he was now. Hastily amending his words, Troy said, "I didn't meant Raleigh – I meant… Ryan. So why don't you head over and I'll meet you in the kitchen?"
"Ryan?" Jason said, "That's cool man; cool."
Troy nodded vaguely and pushed his way back into the house, leaving Jason to get up on his own. Troy had no intention of meeting Jason in the kitchen and knew that Jason would forget the plans as soon as another distraction caught his attention.
Glancing around, Troy watched all of the drunken bodies for a moment before a scene by the couch caught his eye. Frowning, he moved closer…
--
"So, are you glad you came?"
Gabriella exchanged a glance with Taylor before turning back to Arcadia and shouting over the music, "Uh, yeah… I guess." Which, of course, was codeword for 'no'. Arcadia didn't seem to notice, but Spencer Gates (who was sitting in-between Arcadia and Gabriella) rolled his eyes in Arcadia's direction and gave Gabriella a small smile.
It was only about a half hour into the party, and Gabriella knew that it would last all night. She wanted to go home, but was afraid it would be rude. Besides, she had come with Taylor, who had only come to see Gio, one of the seniors on the Scholastic Decathlon team. Taylor had confessed before to Gabriella that she liked him, but Gabriella had only just that night convinced her to do something about it. Gabriella couldn't just demand to go home then – she was Taylor's partner in crime, or whatever the female version of a wingman was called.
Arcadia was on her third drink already, making Gabriella half-heartedly wonder if she had a designated driver. Why Arcadia had sat down with them was unclear – she hated Taylor. But, then, it could've had something to do with Spencer Gates, who leaned in and whispered to Gabriella, "Sometimes I don't get why I hang out with her."
Gabriella nodded vaguely, secretly agreeing, though she would never say so out loud. Glancing around, she tried to hide her disgust. She wasn't quite what people like Arcadia and her brother saw in endless partying. It seemed pointless to her, and no way to live. She sighed, and Spencer must've heard because he turned to her and said, "I can drive you home, if you want."
It was a tempting offer. Gabriella sent a longing glance towards Taylor, who was facing Gio, not her. Gabriella wondered when he had arrived, assuming it must've been a minute before at the most. They were deep in conversation, but Gabriella knew she couldn't leave.
"No," she said, her eyes not leaving Taylor and Gio, "I'll stay."
Her stance on this wavered somewhat five minutes later, when Gio stood up and Taylor followed, giving Gabriella a big smile as she walked away. Gabriella forced a smile onto her own face, inwardly groaning. Perfect.
Gabriella felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, quickly silencing it. She glanced around, making sure no one was looking at her. She quickly slid her phone out of her pocket and snuck a glance at the text message. Reading it, she smiled and looking around, her eyes locking with Troy's for only a moment before he broke away.
She watched, her smile faltering slightly, as she saw a girl approach him, a confused look on her face. They were speaking to each other, and Gabriella tried to push away the bad feeling stirring in her stomach. Unfortunately, it only grew when Troy's hand reached out and grabbed the girl's arm. Troy glanced back at her, and then towards the doorway that Gabriella knew led to the kitchen. Troy shook his head adamantly and told the girl with him something in an urgent voice, gesturing to the direction opposite the kitchen.
Frowning, Gabriella pushed her uncertainties away. She didn't have to worry about Troy cheating on her, or something stupid like that. The girl was probably just a friend… or something. It was fine. Everything was fine.
Just to make sure, though, she opened up her phone and sent a text message back to Troy, a simple 'yes' that was unnecessary. She knew that her gaze before had been all the reply Troy had needed. Still, the text message helped. Gabriella could see Troy open his cell phone, and the small smile that graced his face as he saw it was from her. Just that simple expression made Gabriella feel better.
From across the room, Alejandro Manzano watched with wary eyes as Troy Bolton closed his cell phone and walked meaningfully towards the door.
"What do you know?" A distinctive voice asked from behind him. Alejandro turned to look at Sharpay, whose gaze was focused on the same person his gaze had been on a moment before.
Alejandro sighed. "Absolutely nothing."
Smirking, Sharpay eyes drilled into him as she asked, "Do you want to find out?"
--
"Hey," Gabriella breathed, getting into Troy's car. She had followed his text just as he had instructed – waiting five minutes before heading towards his car, which was parked around the corner from the house. As soon as she shut the door, Troy leaned over and gave her a long kiss. Smiling, Gabriella kissed him back.
She pulled away sooner than Troy had wanted, and ordered, "Drive."
Troy eyed her and asked, "When do you want to be back?"
"I can be gone for a few hours – the party just started, and I'm sure it won't be over for awhile," Gabriella said. "Your house? It's closer."
"Okay," Troy agreed, starting to drive. "My parents are out at a party, I think."
Gabriella giggled. "Parents actually do that?"
"Trust me, mine do – there's this whole group of parents that include most of my friends' parents. They trade off having parties and get drunk and dance. How weird is that?" Troy asked, laughing along with her.
"Are they all having a mid-life crisis?" Gabriella asked.
Troy shook his head, "No, there are too many of them. All of them can't be having mid-life crises at the same time – that would be too weird."
They sat in silence for a moment, until Troy pulled his car into his driveway. The lights were off, leaving the secret couple cloaked in darkness as they walked up the front steps and into the house. Troy locked the door behind him, although it wouldn't do much good if his parents came home early.
Grabbing Gabriella's hand, he pulled her up the stairs into his room. As soon as they got there, he didn't waste any time. Eagerly, he connected their lips, immediately nibbling on her bottom lip, asking for permission. Gabriella complied, her arms wrapping around his neck and grasping his hair as Troy's tongue explored the crevices of her mouth.
This, Troy thought blissfully, this is where I want to be.
And at that precise moment, Gabriella pulled away. Why, he wanted to moan, why would you want to do anything but this?
Then he heard the door downstairs open, no doubt the sound that Gabriella had heard a moment before him. She jumped up as Troy muttered, "Damn it, can't we-"
"Complain later," Gabriella ordered, out of breath. Troy inwardly grinned at the effect he had on her. "Where do I hide?"
Also out of breath, Troy told her as he stood up, "The closet."
Gabriella nodded and hid where he had directed. Troy straightened his clothes and looked out the window – the car was Chad's, and Troy cursed himself over and over – why had he told Chad the code to their garage door again? He had no idea. Troy could hear Chad thunder up the stairs, and didn't even have time to do anything but throw himself back on the bed before Chad threw the door open and strutted in.
"Dude, what the hell are you doing here?"
Troy raised an eyebrow. "Are you my mother?"
Chad shrugged and sat on the bed, bouncing a few times before saying, "You left, and then the next thing I know Rebecca Simmons is demanding that I tell her where you are, because she's looking for you." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I heard, by the way. When Sharpay told me I thought it was just a rumor, but then Rebecca started giving me details… she was drunk, obviously. But it sounds like she was good fuck."
"Or I was," Troy said dryly, and Chad made a face. "Anyways," Troy continued, "what the hell are you doing here?"
Chad shrugged, "Besides wanting you to get your ass back to Deacon's house? I wanted to know if she really was as good as she sounded. I mean, better than Stacey Willard?"
Troy shrugged and said, "I guess. You should fool around with her. Rebecca, I mean, because I swear if she tries to come onto me I'm making her regret it."
Chad laughed, "Well, if it's for a friend…"
Troy knew he had done that perfectly, and then aimed for the kill. "Go for it," he said. "I'll be over in a half hour or so – my head hurts like hell. As soon as the Advil starts to kick in I'll make my way over."
"Cool," Chad said, grinning. "You don't want the hangover before you've even begun drinking, right? Oh, and wish me luck, man. Call me when you get back. If I don't answer, you'll know where I'll be…" He trailed off suggestively and left.
As soon as Chad was gone, the closet busted open. Troy stood up, saying, "Hey, sorry about that it took forever to get him to…"
He trailed off, staring confusedly into the furious gaze of Gabriella. Her eyes were on fire, although Troy also noticed that she was perilously close to tears. He frowned, not understanding. Uncertainly, he asked, "Gabi?"
The tears were definitely coming now, and Troy wanted so badly to wipe them away. He tried to, but she jerked away, leaving him with a hurt expression on his face. Right then, with her silent tears and her body all folded in, she had never looked so vulnerable.
"I can't believe you," she whispered. "I trusted you and you were just sleeping with a million other girls, too." Gabriella watched Troy pale, and she knew that she had caught him.
"Gabi," he said worriedly, taking a hesitant step towards her. She stepped back, her arms crossed over her chest. She noticed the hurt look that crossed his face, and felt a little better. "You don't actually believe anything Chad said, did you?"
"Fuck you, Troy Bolton."
Troy took that as a 'yes' as he watched Gabriella run out the door.
--
Yes, the next chapter is already posted. Go read it, if you're not too angry at me for not updating in so long.