Exotic Love

Disclaimer: Everything I write is highly fictional and I do not own High School Musical. I only own the plot and other additional characters.

A/N - Thanks for reviewing! It was a bit short, but, eh. It's alright, I still love your feedback. Here's the trial, and it would be awesome if you read the bottom.

Chapter Fourteen

Trial Love

She was sat in the front her sweaty hands clamped together in her lap. The heat was rising and most people were squirming around, waiting for Chris to enter. Her lawyer, Judy Hawthorne, placed a comforting hand on Gabriella's shoulder and Gabriella gave her a grateful smile. Finally, the large door case opened and everyone turned.

Chris walked in, a smirk plastered on his face and his hands pushed together in handcuffs. His eyes scanned the court, looking at everyone, and saving Gabriella for last. Their eyes met and his smirk grew wider. Gabriella immediately looked away and decided that the wood from the desk looked interesting.

"This honorable court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit with the Honorable Judge Johnson is now in session. All rise," the bailiff said.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this case involves the brutal and abusive rape of the plaintiff, Miss Gabriella Montez and Chris Matthews, the defendant," Judge Johnson said slowly. Gabriella swallowed tightly and snuck a glance at Chris. He was watching her, smirking as if he were reliving those moments two weeks ago. She felt sick, absolutely sick. She fell under his compulsion, letting her believe that he was her prince charming.

She glanced back at Troy to see him glaring hotly at Chris, raw hatred burning in his eyes. A smile curled at her lips. Chris was absolutely nothing compared to Troy. When Judy stood, Gabriella's attention returned back to the trial. "The evidence in this case will prove that on May twenty-eighth, my client Gabriella Montez was raped by Chris Matthews. He's been stalking her for months, following her to a variety of places."

"Is there any evidence to prove this, Mrs. Hawthorne?"

Judy let out a breath and pulled a file from her brief case. "Um, yes, your honor." She grabbed a small DVD sheathed with plastic and held it up. "These video tapes show Mr. Matthews on numerous occasions following Miss Montez to places like the supermarket and her job, your honor." Judy walked up and handed the disc to Judge Johnson. She took the disc, eyed it for a moment before nodding. "Finally, after months, Mr. Matthews snuck into Miss Montez's apartment without her knowing and raped her." Judy reached into the file again and pulled out some pictures. Gabriella cringed when she saw that they were of her. Her bruises. "These are the injuries created by the knife Mr. Matthews used. And this." She lifted a plastic bag with a knife inside of it. "is the knife Mr. Matthews used. The blood found on it is an exact match of Miss Montez's." Judy handed those over as well and Judge Johnson took a moment to look over the items. She nodded and looked at Judy. "Mrs. Hawthorne, please call your first witness."

Judy nodded and looked at Drake. "I call Drake Montez to the witness stand." Drake stood, walking to the front and sending Chris a sneer. Chris smirked and merely shook his head. The court reporter went up to Drake. "Raise your right hand, please,": he said and Drake obliged. "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Drake nodded. "Uh, yes."

"Mr. Montez, what exactly did you see the morning of May twenty-ninth?" Judy asked. Drake sighed. "Well, Chris was holding her, man-handling, actually. He had a knife to her throat and threatened to slice it if we came any closer."

Judy nodded. "Okay. What happened next?"

"He was going to rape her," Drake continued, his eyes briefly meeting Gabriella's. "But Troy, Gabriella's boyfriend, tackled him to the ground before he could."

"How did Miss Montez get in contact with you?"

"Uh, well, she escaped from her room where Chris had her and called Troy. Troy called the police, then me and we rushed over there as fast as we could." Judy nodded again and turned to Judge Johnson. "That is it, your honor."

"Defense counsel, do you want to cross-examine Mr. Montez?"

Chris's lawyer, Andrew Toyla, shook his head and sighed. Chris shot him a look. Judge Johnson quirked an eyebrow. "Very well, then. Mrs. Hawthrone, you may call your next witness."

"I call Miss Gabriella Montez to the witness stand," Judy said, looking at Gabriella. Her face instantly paled and she stood up on wobbly knees as Drake resumed his place. She sat down and the court reporter walked up to her. . "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yes."

Judy gave her a reassuring smile. "Miss Montez, what was your relationship with Mr. Matthews prior to May twenty-eighth?"

Gabriella let out a shaky breath. "Well, we dated for a few years. In college."

"Which college was that, exactly?"

"University of Southern California."

"Is there a specific reason why your broke up?"

Gabriella swallowed. Suddenly, the room smelt smaller and she somehow managed to nod. "Yeah...he, uh, he cheated on me."

Judy nodded. "How was your relationship with him, exactly?"

Andrew Toyla stood up, his eyebrows creased. Objection! The question is not relevant to the case."

"Objection sustained," Judge Johnson said, narrowing her eyes at Andrew. He sighed and sat back down. Judy turned back to Gabriella. "Do you have any idea how Mr. Matthews got into your apartment that night, Miss Montez?" Gabriella sat still for a moment, thoughtful. The idea of how Chris wounded up breaking into her apartment without breaking anything was beyond her, really. "No," she answered finally. Judy nodded. "What did Mr. Matthews do when he confronted you? Or did you confront him?"

"I confronted him," Gabriella answered wearily. "I hear a noise, so I went to check it out. I told him to leave, but he wouldn't. So, I tried to run for the door, but he locked it inside and out. He grabbed me, took me to my room and...and..." Gabriella trailed off, the feeling of the room being small creeping back up on her. Her eyes darted to Chris who was smirking again, a challenge in his eyes. Gabriella took a deep breath. "And he tied me to the bed."

"Then raped you?" Judy pushed. Gabriella nodded mutely. Judy turned to Judge Johnson. "That is all, your honor."
"Defense counsel, do you want to cross-examine Miss Montez."

This time, Andrew nodded. He gathered a couple of papers together and stood. "Miss Montez, is it true that you've had a lot of sexual activity before May twenty-eighth?"

Gabriella swallowed and nodded. "Um...yes."

Andrew nodded. "Uh huh. So, is it possible that this could all be a scam? That maybe Miss Montez was asking for all of this? For Chris? That maybe he didn't rape her, but she welcomed him to her bed?" Gabriella gaped at this. Could that man actually believe that?

"Objection!" Judy said. "My client has scars and bruises to prove that she was brutally raped by Mr. Matthews."

"Again, a scam," Andrew said, narrowing his eyes. He turned back to Gabriella. "Is it also true that you and Mr. Troy Bolton are a...no strings attached couple?"

Gabriella's face reddened. "No...yes. I mean...we were. But not anymore. Not recently." She looked at Drake and her family for a moment to see shock cross their faces.

"Objection!" Judy shouted again. "That question is extremely irrelevant to the case."

"Mrs. Hawthorne," Judge Johnson hissed. Judy sighed. Andrew smiled and nodded at Judge Johnson. "No further questions, your honor."

The rest of court flew by. Gabriella was shaking through most of it. A couple of times she turned to look at Troy, to see that he was pained to sit through this was well. She was nervous as fuck, but it wasn't until the jury was ready to decided where she felt like she was ready to shit her pants. She sat up a bit straighter, her eyes glued on the mahogany wood in front of her as the jury decided. The jury foreman handed over the verdict to the bailiff, who took it to the Judge Johnson.

"Mrs. Foreman, members of the jury, have you reached this verdict unanimously?" she said.

"Yes, your honor."

Judge Johnson nodded. "Chris Matthews is guilty for the brutal rape of Miss Gabriella Montez. Court is adjourned." Gabriella let out a breath and something between a laugh and a sob and besides her, Judy smiled and squeezed her hand. Chris's eyes widened as reality slammed into him hard. He stood immediately, his face showing confusion, shock and anger. "What? I...I..." He trailed off. The two police officers were by his side, taking each of his arms. Gabriella watched him walk away, a serious of mixed emotions flooding her mind. Suddenly, a pair of warm, welcoming arms wrapped around her and Gabriella jumped. She turned to see Troy standing there, a look of elation on his features. "You did good, baby," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"It's real, isn't it?" she asked thinly. Troy nodded and helped her stand. "Real as it'll ever be."

She was ready.

She didn't exactly know how since Chris's rape was still fresh on her mind, but she was ready. Maybe it was because of how loving and caring Troy was after the trial. Or how he held her in the car, whispering sweet words into her ear. It was almost surreal.

Gabriella swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared at herself in the mirror. The scars were faint, pink lines sketched across her skin, and the weren't that ugly anymore. And you could hardly recognize the one on her neck. She had slipped on a teddy, one that was see through, excluding her breasts. She had applied a small layer of make-up, nothing too big because it'd get ruined later on, anyway.

Gabriella reached up to cup her breast and a small frown overtook her lips. They were small, and a bit saggy. Was that unattractive? Almost every time they had sex, Troy always said her breasts were "fucking sexy", or somewhere along those lines. Was there really anything attractive by low, small, saggy boobs? Gabriella thought about it for a moment and was snapped out of it when she heard the door to her apartment open. The frown was replaced by a smirk. Troy had ran out to get some peanut butter because Gabriella had complained there were none and she couldn't possibly get through the day without some. He, of course, had ran out and now he was back.

Perfect.

Gabriella turned out the light and sat down on the bed. "Brie?" Troy called out. There was some rustling before the door opened and Troy stepped in. He was just a silhouette in the dark room and Gabriella bit her lip, squirming around a bit. "Brie, what are you doing?" Troy asked, flicking on the lights. He opened his mouth, ready to say something else, but instead nothing came out and his mouth was left open. Gabriella's smirk grew and she stood up, walking over to him. With two, soft, small fingers she lifted his chin up and grinned. "Taking a picture lasts longer, you know."

"Now that I've seen you in this, I probably won't be able to stop if you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting," Troy warned, gripping her upper arms. Gabriella shook her head. "Once you get naked, I guess I can say the same thing." Troy's own lips grew a smirk and he pulled his shirt off. Gabriella trailed her cool hands down his torso, leaving a trail of inferno behind them. Troy pushed his pants off and then picked her up, holding her close as he laid her down on the bed. He peppered kisses across her face, along her jaw and towards her chest. Gabriella sighed in content, reached her hands up to gently scratch his scalp. Troy pushed the bottom of the teddy up some and slowly licked his way down, leaving a damp, hot shadow as he went. Once he reached her thighs and pantie-clad sex, he kissed each inner-thigh and the fabric covering her. Gabriella moaned softly, then bit her lip afterwards. Troy smirked and moved back up her body, fusing their lips together in a steamy, hot kiss once they were face-to-face. Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding their pelvis's together and Troy groaned. He pulled back, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her neck and Gabriella took a deep breath. "Are you sure you're sure?" Troy asked, sitting up and bringing her with him.

Gabriella nodded. Troy looked at her once more before lifting Gabriella off of him. He pushed his boxers off the best way he could sitting down. While he did that, Gabriella pulled off her teddy and tossed it where Troy's jeans and shirt were. After a spilt second, Troy lifted her like a child and positioned herself over his length. With their eyes connected, a deep passion being exchanged, Troy helped her lower herself on him. They both moaned at the new warm sensation rolling through them. Gabriella slowly rolled her hips forward and Troy gripped her hips, helping her. He leaned his head down to gently suck at her earlobe. Gabriella moaned. "Troy..." It was a breathy whisper, but Troy heard it and it made him smile. He moved down to her neck, kissing, nipping, sucking - everything, and it was all too wonderful.

Gabriella closed her eyes and moaned as Troy moved her hips against him harder. The friction, along with the fullness of him made her feel like she was on cloud nine. "Troy," she gasped when he awkwardly pushed his hand between their bodies and started to rub his thumb against her pulsing clit. "Oh, my God. Fuck, I love you. Oh, shit." She cried out again, arching and making her erect nipples caress his pecs.

"Come on, Brie," Troy muttered. Gabriella ran her nails down his back and he cursed loudly, along with emitting a throaty groan. "Fuck, Brie."

"Are you almost there?" Gabriella managed to ask, her pace increasing greatly. Troy nodded, unable to string anymore words together. He instead pushed his lips forcefully against hers and they partook in another hot, hungry kiss. The bubble was boiling in their stomach, pushing them both over the edge and into deep elation. Troy continued to slowly thrust up into her while Gabriella shuddered, a fine layer of sweat coating her body.

Once completely soft, Troy gently lifted her up and down next to him. He pulled the covers over them and snuggled up close to her. "I love you," Gabriella said softly after a moment. Troy smiled. "I love you, too."

"I'm still scared," she whispered.

"About what? Chris?"

She shook her head. "No. About us. I'm scared that after the honeymoon faze...well, things'll go down hill. Troy, you're too perfect...too perfect for words. I can't loose you." When Troy noticed the sniffles and some wet droplets he instantly shushed her. He ran his hand through her hair and pulled her in for a soft kiss. "Shh. That's not going to happen. I won't allow it. I don't care what anyone says, we'll be together."

Gabriella smiled. "Promise?"

Troy nodded. "Promise."

There was short silence before Gabriella said, "Did you get me some peanut butter?"

Troy chuckled. "Way to ruin the moment. And yes, I did."

"So, how come you lied to us?" Drake asked, sitting back in the couch. The Montez family, except for Rose, was still a bit shocked that Gabriella and Troy hadn't really been exclusive. But Gabriella didn't feel like dealing with them. This morning, she had shot out of bed, ramming into the bathroom and puking her guts out. Troy had been next to her, of course, rubbing her back and holding her hair back. Then they decided that it was most likely a stomach virus.

"Because I know you'd react like this," Gabriella said, looking between her father and brother. Both had disapproving looks on their faces. "Look, I'm not ten anymore, I can make my own decisions."

"Yeah, well, being a slut isn't exactly a good one," Drake said. Maria turned to her son, eyes wide. "Drake!"

"What? It's true. She goes whoring around after her break-up with Chris, and I let it slide, but this? Then you lied to us."

Gabriella stood up, tears threatening to fall. "You know what, Drake? Fuck you." She turned and stormed out, and once she was out of the house, the tears started to fall. She could handle being called a slut in court and by other people, but by Drake? He breather, her own flesh and blood? It hurt more than anything. Sure, she hadn't made great decisions in the past, but that was the past, wasn't it? Weren't you supposed to forget it and move on?

The door opened and Gabriella sat down on one of the chairs on the porch. She looked up to see Vasilisa walk out, looking frail and small in her cozy, blue snuggie an puppy slippers. "I don't want to talk, grandma," Gabriella muttered. Vasilisa grinned and sat down. "You just did, miel. But if you don't want to say anything else, let me." She sighed. "Life is too short to sulk, you know. I've learned from experience."

"You're always happy," Gabriella said.

"When I was your age, actually, I was pretty sad and stuff. My boyfriend had dumped me for some model. And you know what, she wasn't even pretty. She looked like Hillary Clinton mixed with George Washington." Gabriella laughed and Vasilisa smiled. She loved her grandmother's humor. "Anyway, like I said, life is too short for sulking.

We have had, continue to have, and will always have wars, and grief, and struggle...we will climb up and fall down...but each time we climb a little higher, and in the end, we do build the world that our ancestors would have wanted for us... we do leave the cradle at last, and we take our place among the stars teaching those who follow us. I would take credit for that, but it's by J. Michael Straczynski. Great man."

"Awesome quote, grandma, but what does that have to do with Drake calling me a slut?"

Vasilisa squinted and frowned for a moment before shrugging. "Nothing, I guess. But I've got some words, he's an asshole and I will have him carry my garden bricks up and down the stairs twenty times."

Gabriella grinned. "I'm glad you came back."

Vasilisa smiled. "I'm glad to be back. Haven't seen you since you were a little girl. Now, because I am awesome and superior, I give you permission to hurt Drake. But not too much, okay? Who else will carry my bricks? Your stupid father won't. Now, come one." they stood and walked back into the house. Maria was yelling at Drake in furious Spanish, her face hot and livid. Gabriella placed a hand on her shoulder and Maria stopped. Gabriella looked at Drake and sighed. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He shrugged and Vasilisa smacked him upside his head. He exclaimed and Vasilisa rolled her eyes. "It's called speaking. Now say yes."

"Yes," he mumbled. Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest and walked out of the living room to the kitchen, Drake following after her. She turned around and sighed. "What you said was out of line, Drake."

"Yeah, well, "fuck you" isn't appropriate, either."

"Well, you called me a slut! And you aren't even sorry."

"That's because I'm not," Drake said and Gabriella flinched. Why was he making such a big deal out of this? "How do you think it makes me feel to see my little sister acting as a whore and sleeping around with any guy who has a penis?"

"I'm not a whore," Gabriella said. "And don't be a hypocrite, Drake. Before LeAnne came along, you'd step into any girl's pants."

"That's different," Drake said.

"How?"

"You're my little sister!" Drake exclaimed. "You're not supposed to do that."

"I can do whatever I please. I'm twenty-three."

"Maybe you should start acting like it."

"And maybe you should stop being an inconsiderate asshole!" Gabriella took a deep breath. "You wanna know why I became a slut? You probably think it was because Chris and I split, but it's not just that, Drake. People called me a slut because of what he said. Day after day, that's what I was called and I was ready to throw myself into a ball and cry out everything I had bottle sup inside. But, I didn't because as people said it, I started to believe it. I started to believe it and became a dirty, filthy slut. I slept round so many times, it's a wonder why I haven't gotten pregnant. Then I met Troy...At first, it was nothing. But...he stayed...and for some reason he just seemed different. He was a friend, and it seemed like he could be something more." She sighed. "Call me a slut, bitch, whore, whatever the fuck you want. But I don't regret anything I've done because it brought me Troy." Gabriella turned to leave, but Drake grabbed her arm. She turned around and stared up at him. "Do you...you love him, don't you?"

Gabriella nodded. "And he loves me."

He sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just...seeing you in pain and seeing you being used make me want to kick something. You're my little sister, Gabi."

Gabriella smiled softly. 'Don't get too soft." Gabriella wrapped her arms around him and Drake returned the hug. They stayed like that for a moment before pulling back. "Hey, and if Troy messes this up, I get to mess up his face, alright?"

Gabriella grinned. "Fine by me."

Crappy, sappy, horrible. I guess so. I told you, I don't know how to write a trial, so if I got it wrong, please inform me. Thanks for reviewing and there's a shocking discovery in the next chapter. I want people to guess. I bet, if no one skimmed, some of you'd guess correctly. Thanks, and review, please!

Thanks!-Brittany