A/N: You guys are awesome, thank you so much for all the reviews! 300…wow. I know it's been really long and I'm really sorry. I've been busy and had another severe case of writers' block for this story. I've had a ton of tests and homework and also mid-year exams as well as the fact that I'm still recovering from my trip to New York for NHSMUN. New York is AMAZING! So is Cali! :)

Enjoy.

Summary: Troy-selfish, emotionless, cold, mysterious, arrogant, dark, every girls dream, gorgeous, bad boy, and King of EHS. Gabriella-shy, timid, new, quiet, smart, innocent, small, beautiful, secretive, caring, and sweet. When these two very different people meet, it could only lead to one thing. HATE, or perhaps LOVE (Unspoken attraction).

Chapter 21 – Breaking: Part I

Do you ever feel like breaking down?

Do you ever feel out of place?

Like somehow you just don't belong

And no one understands you

Do you ever want to run away?

Do you lock yourself in your room?

With the radio on turned up so loud

That no one hears you screaming

No you don't know what it's like

When nothing feels alright

You don't know what it's like

To be like me

To be hurt, to feel lost to be left out in the dark

To be kicked, when you're down

And feel like you've been pushed around

To be on the edge of breaking down,

And no one understands you

No you don't know what it's like

WELCOME TO MY LIFE!

Even though she had barely been conscious when it had happened she could still, quite vividly, recall the rough feel f his hands violating her body and each tine one of these disturbing images would launch themselves into her mind she would cringe, lose focus and wrap her arms around her body. Regardless of the fact that it had happened weeks ago she was still having trouble going back to her old self and old ways. She had gone from being fairly spontaneous and adventurous to mild and paranoid, and this had been noted by everyone. Her mother (who had just returned from a business trip in Lagos, only to be sent away a week later to Cairo), was at first frightened and confused at her daughters new and strange behavior, still having not been informed of the horrific incident that had occurred during her absence but she eventually became accustomed to it. She had tried to convince herself that waiting until her daughter was ready to talk was good parenting, but as she watched her daughter retreat further and further into an impenetrable cocoon she began regretting reading those Parenting Books. So she held it in and tried to make every day as normal as possible. She tried hard to take her daughters mind off of whatever was troubling her and it almost always worked.

And then there was Troy. Gabriella knew that he was in way more pain than she could ever imagine, what with the regular abuse he received from his father and his strong hatred towards Logan as well as himself, for not being there when Gabriella had needed him the most. The entire gang had tried, with no avail, to get him to understand that none for it was any of his fault and that it was Logan's. Even Gabriella had added that it was more of her fault than his, for not listening to his warnings about Logan but this only proved to worsen their situation. Because of this he became the same person he had been when he and Gabriella first met: withdrawn, cold and angry. His once bright eyes became empty and emotionless just like him. Now he rarely ever smiled a real smile; his lips would just twitch slightly before returning to a thin, hard line. His guilt and anger were eating him away slowly from the inside and Gabriella watched as the man she loved recoiled into the hard encasing she had tried so hard to break him out of. She was losing him, faster than she had anticipated and she was uncertain of how long it was going to be before he would come back to her.

"Troy?" she murmured one evening as they lay, strewn across the couch in the living room, both staring blankly at the television screen. Gabriella was curled up on the love seat, a thick comforter draped across her small frame whilst Troy was stretched out on the sofa adjacent to her, his muscular arms folded beneath his head, acting as a pillow; he did not seem to hear her at all, too lost in his thoughts. His eyes continued to stare at the screen, void of emotion as Gabriella analyzed his lean figure with a sad smile, from the dark low riding jeans covering his muscled legs to the stark black hoodie concealing the bulging biceps she loved running her fingers across, to his unkempt brown locks falling into his icy eyes. She smiled mischievously as she thought of the number of girls that would kill to be in her position. Of course, unlike her, they would be on the couch with him instead of sitting feet away feeling sorry for him.

"How long are you going to sit there and stare at me?" Troy's amused voice startled her. He had caught her staring, cue blushing. She opened and closed her mouth several times, thinking of an excuse to fend off his remark but it seemed her body was acting against her. No coherent words could form on her tongue; her brain power was reducing due to the intensity of Troy's smug stare. His darkened eyes sparked something foreign that left her speechless.

"I-I wasn't staring!" she exclaimed coyly trying to hide her blush. Troy chuckled and shook his head disbelievingly. "Shut up." She grabbed one of the cushions on the chair and flung it lamely at him only to have him catch it with one hand and send a sly smirk to her. He laughed lightly at her failed attempt and stuffed the cushion beneath his head. "Screw you Bolton."

"You know you want to Montez."

Gabriella feigned an annoyed scowl and pretended to find whatever they were watching way more interesting than him, which, pretty obviously to both of them was untrue. After a little over a minute of staring at the television screen, Gabriella turned back to Troy only to find him watching her intently with clouded eyes. Her lips curled up into a smug smile when their eyes locked, "now who's staring?"

Troy breathed out a small laugh and sat up slightly, leaning his back against the arm of the chair to watch her properly. "Well it's not crime, especially if I'm staring at perfection."

Gabriella flushed, "G*d! You are so cheesy."

"Yeah, but you like my cheesiness." He winked sexily, hiding one of his dazzling cobalt irises from her for that split second. Her plump lips curved upwards into a shy grin, highly accentuating her rosy cheeks. Even though he was right, there was no way she was going to admit that to him out loud. She loved everything about his "cheesy ways" no matter what her condition they always made her laugh. She wasn't sure whether it was because of his words, his cuteness or the way her chest would erupt with warm, fluttering butterflies that tickled her, that forced her to react this way, but she didn't really care.

"…"

Passing a large, bronzed hand over his weary face, Troy spoke "I thought so."

Gabriella missed these moments, when they were both carefree and comfortable with one another, when all their pains and worries just evaporated and were left forgotten. They could be themselves in their own little bubble for a limited time, no one could reach them. She felt a strong surge of courage. She unfolded her slender, tanned legs from beneath her petite body and confidently strode over to him, her dark mocha orbs never once tearing away from his expectant and amused navy eyes which trailed greedily down her figure; from the gray baggy sweatpants to the oversized T-shirt with the Stanford logo emblazoned on the front, to her wavy tendrils tie together in one large and messy braid that fell neatly on her chest. Somehow, Troy found this adorable and hot at the same time. He was slightly confused by this. Sure he had seen tons of girls dressed in a lot less (and even naked) yet none of them looked as hot, beautiful and sexy as Gabriella did as she padded over to him in her mismatched socks (one black one red) with the blanket in hand.

He wanted her so, so badly. He could feel his heart racing wildly and his palms moisten as she wordlessly plunked herself onto the couch, cuddling comfortably into his side and spread the blanket evenly across their bodies. Troy found himself reflexively folding her into his arms, mentally marveling at the way their two bodies molded together perfectly. "Comfy?" he found himself asking as he buried his face into her sweet smelling locks.

"Very." she sighed contently, sliding her legs between his jean-clad ones. "You?" She felt Troy shift nervously behind her before he whispered, almost inaudibly,

"More than I should be."

It had been a while since he last came here.

He had not dreamt of her in weeks or even thought about her.

So he was quite surprised when he found himself standing beneath the silvery glow of the moonlight, dressed in nothing but his old pain of jeans and socks he had been wearing when he had fallen asleep. The calm and warm breeze wisped softly around him, raising his unkempt hair out of his face and sending rippling shivers through his bare torso. Here he was at peace. No one could reach him, except her. It was perfect.

"Troy!"

Gabriella? He whirled around wildly at the sound of her voice calling his name. He looked to where he believed the sound came from but it was empty, just an endless stretch of silver blades of grass.

"Troy!" her calls were fainter as if she was moving farther and farther away from him. As if they had minds of their own, Troy's feet began running, leading him closer and closer to her.

"Ella?" his heart was pounding rapidly in his chest as his eyes flitted across the vast landscape. "Gabriella!"

A tiny body collided with his, molding itself into his form. Gabriella pressed herself into his side, trembling, her hair wild and her white dress torn. Her small hands clawed at his chest, as if to dissolve her body into his. She whimpered softly into his heated skin. Confused and surprised, Troy draped his muscular arms around her fragile, quaking body, bringing her closer to him. "Ella. What's wrong?"

"L-Logan…" she sobbed into his torso. Her body buckled against his and she went limp. Troy tensed, struggling to keep her upright. He tightened his hold around her waist and pushed her head back to catch a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were squeezed shut tightly, her face a deathly white; her lips were slightly parted and her breathing was faint.

She was dying…

Feeling another presence Troy raised his head to be met by two pairs of eyes;

Logan's and his fathers'.

Troy awoke with a start, his body shaking and drenched in sweat. He was panting. It wasn't real, none of it was real; it was just a nightmare, he convinced himself. But it felt so real…

A soft moan brought him from his thoughts. Beside him, Gabriella was curled into his side, her legs tangled in the sheets and her dark hair splayed across his naked chest. Her face was peaceful, her plump, pink, lips slightly parted allowing steady breaths to pass through. One of her arms was wrapped around his torso and her face was half buried in his chest.

She was perfect.

Something he wasn't.

Sighing, he combed his fingers through his damp hair and tried to pry her off him without waking her. She whispered something incoherent before stretching out her body slightly causing her oversized shirt to rise. This left Troy in a very precarious situation. He tried to ignore the large amount of skin that was left on show, directly in his line of vision. The last thing he wanted was to think about her in that way just after his dream. He tried to look away but something about the smooth olive skin kept his eyes glued to her. His hands twitched by his side; he was dying to feel its silky smoothness but he didn't want to scare her. Without warning his trembling landed lightly on her flat stomach. Her skin was warm to touch. Electricity and flames shot through his hand as he slowly and lightly caressed her skin, inching higher and higher until his thumb brush the underside of her breast. At the contact, molten lave raced through him, trickling down his body and pooling down in his lower regions. His breathing was strained and he could feel the sweat forming on forehead. This was wrong, so very wrong. He was violating her…he needed to stop. But unfortunately he was too far gone to stop.

His shaking thumb caressed the warm skin of the curve of her breast, once, twice before she sighed. This was enough to snap him out of his reverie and still his movements. With lightening speed his hand shot out from under her shirt and he was off the couch within seconds far from her.

"Shit, damn. Fuck!" he grunted, falling into the armchair and repeatedly combing his fingers through his wild hair. What the fuck was he thinking? First Logan now him! He refused to let him compare himself to Logan. At least he would have stopped if she asked him to. But what if she had woken up? She would have yelled at him, insulted him and probably kick him out and ask to never see him again.

"Dammit!"

He buried his face in his hands, letting his elbows rest on his knees. He was screwed. He couldn't think about her in that way after what she had been through, let alone touch her like that! He raised his head and rested his chin on his palm. Troy watched her sleeping soundly; unaware of what he had been doing just moments prior, of what he had wanted to do to her. He got off his butt and squatted next to her on the ground. Exhaling loudly, brushed aside the curls falling into her face.

"I don't deserve you." He whispered to her as though she was awake. He stroked her cheek lovingly and pressed his lips gently against her forehead. "I love you." He confessed against her skin. "G*d. I love you so fucking much." He was not only telling this to her sleeping form but also himself. He pulled and stared at her, his hand still on her face. Then his vision blurred and silent tears trickled down his face.

He was crying.

Troy Bolton was finally breaking.

Muffled, angry cries echoed off the walls of the Montez living room sounding almost thunderous in the black silence that consumed the house. Tortured and raw they consumed the body crouched on the floor in the far corner of the room, leaving it shaking dangerously with every violent sob that took over the figure. His eyes were fused shut as were his lips as he attempted to muffle his cries.

Something wasn't right.

She awoke with a start; her small body twisted in the blanket. She was still on the couch but she was alone. She wondered if he had left whilst she had been asleep and this created a large swell of emotions to build in her chest; sadness, anger, heartbreak. It was clear to her now that he did not want her in the way she thought, in the way he let on; he was just using her. She scowled at her insecurities as she tried to convince herself hat she was being stupid, that none of that was true, that maybe he had just gone to the bathroom. But as she laid her hand on the side he had been laying on she was meet by coldness. He had been gone for a while. It was clear to her then that he had indeed gone home, left her.

Then she heard the crying.

At first she thought it was her mind playing tricks on her and that it would go away soon. But it didn't. It just continued, muffled and raw and it was close. Dazed and confused, she sat up and detangled her legs from the sheet. "What the…" she trailed off as her dark eyes frantically scanned the dark room in search of the person. A tight knot formed in her chest.

In the far corner slumped against the wall was Troy.

A/N: REVIEW!