A/N: Two things. One, I'm such a dork, I realized I forgot to mention all these chapters have song titles as their names. Maybe some already caught on to this, but I just thought I'd throw it out there. :)

And two, I'm sorry this didn't go up earlier. My stupid internet broke yesterday while I was at school, and it didn't get fixed until last night. Hopefully the length of this chapter shall suffice! -love- Desireé

Chapter Fourteen, Unwritten

It would have been safe to say a catfight nearly took place in the girls' bathroom that night. Gabriella was standing in front of the mirror, re-applying her lipstick when Sharpay walked in. The few other girls in there, a couple sophomores and a chattery group of freshmen, stopped their conversations to turn and observe the situation: Drama Queen vs. Brainiac. "Well, well, well," the blonde jeered, her lips curling condescendingly into a smile. "Look who managed to keep her hands off my boyfriend and brother in one night."

"Save it, Sharpay." Gabriella smacked her lips together and capped her lipstick tube. "I'm not interested in fighting with you."

The smirk on the drama queen's face was hideous as her eyes lit up. "Oh, really?" she laughed. "You mean, you're not interested in losing a fight with me. Is that it, Brie? Is that what you're afraid of, Brie? Scared to face your alpha female, Brie?" Every time she said her name, her voice grew crackly and bitter, like she felt her head slam every time she spoke.

Hands on her hips, Gabriella turned to Sharpay. "No, Pay, that isn't it. The real thing is maturity, something you obviously don't have," she said icily, "But you've got Troy. And you can keep him."

The smirk heightened. "He isn't property, Gabriella," she said airily, her eyes narrow.

"You sure do keep him on a tight leash, though," the dark-haired girl snapped back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go enjoy myself with your brother. Oh, I'm sorry, you don't remember him, do you? I guess your appreciation for forced sympathy is little to none." She shoved past Sharpay for the second time in a week, and one of the ninth graders squealed in acclamation for the brunette.

The blond senior glared at the younger student. "Do not applaud her," she commanded. Stormily turning on her heel, she marched back out of the bathroom, falling into Troy's stiff arms by the punch table. Sharpay pretended not to notice the weak way he held her body.

The chaperones, by the end of the bash, seemed to have given up. Most couples were making out on the sidelines, some were grinding in the middle of the dance floor, others were sneaking cigarettes and booze in the darker parts of the school building. Gabriella sat on the bleachers next to Ryan, smiling and watching as an epidemic of laughter erupted when the speakers blasted 'Crank Dat.' "You dance much?" the drama king asked, grinning.

"Oh, not particularly," she replied as she watched Troy crisscross his legs alongside Sharpay and Chad, who were also leading the dance. "But I've got a better idea. You want to go for a walk? It's hot in here. I think I need to cool off."

"Okay." Ryan extended a hand to help her up and she stood up next to him, smiling gratefully. Their lips were close, and she wouldn't have protested had he kissed her. But that was the fine line between Ryan Evans and Troy Bolton. One was a gentleman. "Let's go."

They ended up somewhere secluded and private, where Gabriella gasped at the midnight beauty. "It's amazing from up here," she said, her jaw hanging open slightly. Ryan tapped her chin and her mouth closed, lips moving silently as she thought to herself.

"I used to come up here with my parents on summer evenings," he said fondly, "Sharpay came when we were younger, but I guess it got old after a while. Some time in the sixth grade, she stopped caring." Ryan sat on the edge of the cliff, his legs dangling over the side. For some reason, Gabriella didn't feel fear as she followed suit and leaned toward the canyon.

"When's the last time you were up here?" she asked, her voice echoing down the hill. Her heel jabbed into the brown earth and a rock tumbled down, crepitating in the darkness.

He shrugged. "Maybe a year ago," the boy said, running his fingers through his well-conditioned yellow hair. "I lost track of time by the middle of junior year, when our stage stardom really started kicking off. I guess I wanted to be a part of Sharpay's day again; there's always one twin that likes the other more than the other likes them."

A smile, sweet and gentle and sorely missed, blessed her lips. "I can't see why you're that twin," she sighed. "Ryan, you've always been sweet to me and you've been especially kind in the last few months, whenever you can be, at least. Please note there is specific gratitude in my voice for you. I know there's a hardship in befriending anyone outside of Sharpay's circle."

He rolled his eyes. "Drama kids get old. I don't exactly click with anyone other than Kelsi and my sister, and that's on a good day. It would be nice to go out for a team, maybe, just because I can. Or on the decathlon club… Group. Whatever." She laughed. "Sometimes I feel like I've already got my life set up for me, but I had no say in it. Like I have a pre-determined future that aligns with the drama queen's life. Sharpay's always one step ahead of me, making sure I follow her precisely and clean up any messes she's left behind."

Pausing, Gabriella surveyed the city lights and smiled. "I'm one of those messes," she said suggestively, feeling herself being replaced with a different character. "You still up for some good old-fashioned disinfecting, Evans?"

…

They hadn't done anything, really. The limo drove them home, and Ryan kissed her sweetly when they stopped in front of her house. "Thanks again," she whispered against his lips. "I had a great time, and that's the truth." He waited until he saw she got safely inside, waving from the porch before closing the door behind her.

Theresa sat on the couch, watching a late night talk show with a cup of coffee in her hand. "How was the dance?" she asked. "Have fun with Ryan?"

"Yes, actually," Gabriella said pleasantly, taking a seat beside her mother. "We had a good time. He likes to listen and he only kissed me once."

"The boy can't be straight," Theresa teased, and Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't give me that look. There's no way in heaven or hell that a guy could keep his hands off you and give thoughtful responses to your conversation."

As the show switched to commercial, Gabriella made a face. "Maybe he's just a nice guy."

"Nice guys can be gay."

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Goodnight, Gabi."

"Goodnight, Mom."

The Bolton children have a little midnight discussion upon Troy's return.

When her brother got in the door, April Bolton was waiting patiently for his stumble to sound and his body to sway toward the couch. "Nice going, little brother," the blue-haired girl laughed. "Mom said you still took Sharpay. No go with the Montez girl?"

"Don't talk to me," he moaned into a pillow.

"Don't act like such a dweeb," she retorted, coming to sit on his back. Troy groaned and April laughed. Big sisters could be such a pain. "Look, I'm going to take the chance when I say you're not really into Sharpay. Am I right?"

He said something, his voice muffled by the weight of her body. She shifted, and Troy repeated, "Yes, you're right."

"Of course I am. I just needed to hear it from you in order to continue." She smiled and ruffled his hair. "Now, let me ask you this. Are you in love with Gabriella?" There was a silence. "It's not exactly a difficult question, Troy. Just answer, yes or no."

"Nyef."

"What?" She shifted again. "Was that a mixture of no and yes?"

"I said yes."

April rolled her eyes. "I thought so." She inhaled slowly and looked at the clock. Eleven fifty-three. "So, it's nearly midnight, Cinderella. What exactly were you doing with Sharpay for so long and what did you do to manage curfew and keep the glass slippers on?"

"Haha, very funny." He finally pushed off the couch with his arms and she tumbled backwards, sliding off of him. On the floor, Troy stared at the ceiling. "We were in her limo."

The blue-haired girl on the couch hummed. "A limo? Well, that's fancy. And here I thought we Boltons had it made. Go on."

"We just kind played around. She kissed me a lot. My neck, my jaw, the usual stuff. She kept implying going further, like we were being timed or something. I kept nudging her off me; I mean, damn, a limo? I kept thinking to myself, Tacky. But it was like Sharpay had to keep reassuring herself that we were back together."

The clock on the wall ticked. April stared at her brother through the darkness. "Are you back together?" she asked.

He picked at a loose thread in the carpet. "Maybe," he replied. "I don't know."

The conversation between Gabriella and Troy over the phone had been painstakingly brutal. He felt wretched. She hated him that much? Enough to snap at him and hang up on him? He barely had time to contemplate the rest of the situation when the phone rang again. "It's me," a voice said. Oh, fuck. Sharpay. Fuck.

"Hi," was all he managed for a moment. His voice was dry and nearly gone.

"Doyouhaveadateforthedance?" It shot him square in the chest, all one word but perfectly coherent. She started again, "Do you have a date… for the dance?"

"N-no," he stammered.

"Great!" Her voice suddenly perked up. "I thought we could go together. I want you to know I'm so sorry for all the crap that's happened in the last few days. Maybe we can try again?"

"Sure," was his vocal achievement. "I'll see you at seven."

The flashback sent chills down his spine. April cleared her throat. "Well, do you think you guys are back together?"

He shrugged. "Sure," he said softly. "I mean, Sharpay's cute and she's a good girlfriend. I just don't know if I can give her everything she demands."

In the darkness, he couldn't see much, but only heard these words: "Can you give Gabriella all that she wants, which, I've heard, isn't anything but love?"

A/N: Chloe, that little conversation between Gabriella and her mother about Ryan's sexuality is dedicated to you. xD Please review, guys! Love love love. -love- Desireé