"You know…" Troy said as Gabriella felt him shift slightly besides her as the bright lights bored down upon them and the hard wooden floor beat into their backs. Gabriella blew out air quietly as she shut her eyes briefly. Her stomach rose up and down as she was still almost full from the Thanksgiving feast her grandmother made for her and her mom two days before. "The dance studio looks different."
Gabriella let out a little laugh at her boyfriend's comment. "That's because…" Gabriella turned on her side propping herself up on her elbow to look at Troy who had his eyes shut also. It was 9:30 in the morning on Saturday and Gabriella still couldn't believe that Troy got out of bed so early to just come and watch her instruct the little ones on ballet. "You're looking at everything on the floor."
"You know…you were really good with the kids." Troy said as he sighed and sat up only a little as he still leaned back on his elbows.
"Oh really now?" Gabriella asked with a smirk as she moved closer to Troy and he looked at her with a glint in his eye.
"Yes really. You make a great teacher." Troy said as his lips neared hers and Gabriella leaned in the final inch to send sparks through her body as Troy's one hand reached up and cupped her cheek as he shifted his body a little more closer.
Their lips tangled together as one of Gabriella's hands rested on his waist and their mouths simultaneously opened so their tongues could play tag. The simple kiss started to turn into something more as Troy moved a little more and brought his closest leg to Gabriella over her waist to straddle her.
Gabriella's tongue explored the familiar mouth as Troy's warm hands ran up and down her sides. Gabriella plunged her hand underneath Troy's worn out green light weight T-shirt as the white lettering was wearing thin. One of Troy's hands slid under her shirt and slowly crept up her flat stomach to the barrier of her bra and squeezed gently.
Gabriella let out a throaty moan that Troy swallowed into his own mouth as her one hand slid back down from Troy's chest and started to slowly maneuver Troy's shirt up his chest.
"Gabs!" Anna's strangled voice rang out as the bell above the door jingled and Gabriella and Troy both froze. Troy instantly pulled his hand out from under Gabriella's shirt as Gabriella pushed Troy off of her causing his shirt to fall back into place as they both laid on their backs again.
Gabriella and Troy were both slightly panting as they turned their heads and saw that Anna's back was turned towards them as she was struggling with putting an umbrella away with the pouring rain coming down hard.
Troy's hand found Gabriella's and squeezed it reassuringly as Gabriella sighed. At least her mother didn't see them, she didn't need her mom sitting them both down and discussing the affects of what teenage hormones could do.
The door finally closed as Anna was busy putting the umbrella in the stand. "Your grandmother wants to have dinner on Sunday. She wants me to bring Eric so she can give him the third degree." Anna called out.
Gabriella stiffened a giggle as she let her mother continue on with her rant. "I swear that woman is just trying to lay all this guilt on me because we never called her after we moved. But anyways, since Thursday she has been on my case and now we're going to that little cute Italian restaurant down the street and I'm bringing you with so hopefully she will be distracted by your little innocent personality and forget Eric is even with us." Anna said as her back was still to Troy and Gabriella.
Gabriella looked at Troy with a smile on her face. Her mom was known for one of these rants after talking to Gabriella's grandmother. It seemed she was a lot stricter on Anna than Gabriella which was a good thing for Gabriella.
Troy smiled back at Gabriella as Gabriella turned her head again to see that her mom was closing the blinds to the big windows indicating that the studio was closed for the day.
"But I don't see why she wants to meet Eric and she didn't say anything about your boyfriend. But then again she knows Troy, and it wouldn't be fair if she met him before your own mother."
"But mom, you already know Troy. You saw him at my competition and grandma has known him since freshman year so technically she knew him even before us. So it's not like she would need to meet him again, the same as you." Gabriella said with an eye roll as Troy bit his lip watching the mother daughter conversation.
Anna sighed as she went to close the other window's blinds. "That may be true, but…I want to get to know him a little bit more now that you're spending most of your breathing time with him. All I know is that he plays basketball and is Captain, and that's probably exactly what your grandma knows too so I want to have the upper hand on her for once. Maybe you should invite Troy over sometime for dinner, no…scratch that, we would have to go out for dinner. I don't want him to take his chances on my cooking." Anna said as she turned around and froze in her spot as her cheeks tinted red.
Gabriella let out a laugh as she sat up along with Troy at her side. "I would love to go out for dinner sometime Ms. Montez." Troy said politely as he stood up and offered Gabriella his hand and pulled her up.
"This is kind of awkward." Anna said as she walked around the counter. "Wow…" Anna trailed off as the phone went off and she held up one finger indicating she would only take a minute.
"That phone has been going off for the past hour." Gabriella said.
"Hello?" Anna answered into the phone and shut her eyes in disgust as she crinkled her nose. "Hello mother…no, Gabriella was teaching a class, she couldn't make it to the phone." Anna said as she covered the bottom part of the phone with her hand and mouthed, 'grandma'
Gabriella nodded as the conversation went on and Troy turned towards her. "So your mom and Ms. Darbus really don't get along?"
Gabriella shrugged, it wasn't that they didn't get along because sometimes they did, it was just sometimes they didn't see eye to eye. "Sometimes…half of the time...not often." Gabriella muttered as Troy chuckled.
"No mom, I do not leave her unsupervised when she's with Troy." Anna said with an eye roll as Gabriella and Troy both saw her crossing her fingers. "Mom, could you please refrain from calling him that boy." Anna said and Gabriella silently gulped. Gabriella knew her grandmother was harsh about either one of them dating and Gabriella didn't know if her grandmother was talking about Eric or Troy, but either way it probably wasn't good.
Gabriella still remembered when she first was seen walking with Jake in the hallways freshman year by her grandma, she made it deliberately obvious that the two teenagers were breaking the rule that said no PDA even though they weren't even touching each other except when Jake was brushing off a piece of fuzz from Gabriella's black shirt which might have looked like something else to some people, but it was all innocent.
"Darbus still never ceases to amaze me." Troy chuckled.
"It's for you sweetie." Anna said through gritted teeth. Gabriella smiled at her mom giving her a reassuring smile, whenever Anna talked to her mother it always put a damper on her mood.
Gabriella took the phone and held the mouth piece so the sound wouldn't be picked up. What in the world would her grandmother want now? From what it sounded from her mother's half of the conversation her grandma was checking up on Gabriella and Troy.
Gabriella turned towards Troy who was now walking along the wall and looking at all the trophies and pictures. Gabriella smiled, it seemed whenever Troy was at the studio he was always so fascinated with that sort of thing. Maybe it was because of the shine they produced from the glint of the sun that drew him in?
"Hi grandma." Gabriella greeted.
"Hello dear, I was just calling to see if you want to have dinner with your mother and I on Sunday?" Gabriella looked over her shoulder to see her mom in the far back shutting off some of the lights. Gabriella always found it somewhat amusing at how her mom and grandmother could go from yelling and tense talking to acting all sweetly around her. Ms. Darbus would never dare yell at Gabriella unless she did something really bad or they were in school which was just her way of looking out for her when Gabriella was around all those 'boys' even though that never stopped them from talking to her in other classes.
"Um…yeah, but…I thought Eric was going?" Gabriella asked.
Gabriella heard Ms. Darbus click her tongue in annoyance at the matter. "Yes, it must have slipped my mind that that boy was coming. So…you know Eric?" Her grandmother pried as Gabriella held in her sigh.
Instead she looked over at Troy who was still looking at one of the pictures of her when she was 15 and was doing jazz.
"Yeah, they have been dating for a month or two now." Gabriella defended.
"Oh." The voice dropped in disappointment. "Well, thanks for your time dear, I have to go so I can change the number for dinner with the restaurant. I'll talk to you later honey." Ms. Darbus said.
Gabriella knew she was going out on a limb. She knew that her mom would owe her big time if it worked. She knew that she was entering the lions den and dragging Troy along, but maybe it would kill two birds with one stone?
"Wait, grandma?" Gabriella asked.
"Yes dear?"
"You should add two to the dinner on Sunday, I would like to bring a guest if you don't mind?" Gabriella asked as Troy whipped his head around and stared at her curiously.
"Oh." Ms. Darbus acted surprised not that she should be, after all she knew that Gabriella was dating The Troy Bolton. The King of their school. "Would that guest be a boy?"
Gabriella could almost hear the smile or would it be a smirk through the phone? "Yes grandma, I would like you to meet Troy outside of school." Gabriella said as Troy's jaw dropped.
"It sounds wonderful, now I really must go." Ms. Darbus said. "Remember, the theatre waits--"
"For no one." Gabriella finished with a smile. For some reason she could never not smile whenever her grandmother would say that. "Bye grandma." Gabriella hung up and put the phone down as Troy just stared at her in shock.
"Dinner? Sunday? With…Dar…Darbus?" Troy stuttered as Gabriella winced a little.
"Now remember Wildcat, you wanted to meet my mom and this could be a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, you'll meet my grandma too and my mom and then we can finally get all this parent crap out of the way." Gabriella explained in a small voice. If she was in Troy's position she would probably be acting the same way.
"But…but Gabi." Troy whined. "I know Darbus already and she hates me." Troy continued to whine.
Gabriella sighed, "But think of it this way…she will be too distracted by giving Eric the third degree that she won't notice you or me so then after this dinner we won't have to do it again since we already had an official meeting." Gabriella prompted.
Troy sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "And Wildcat…" Gabriella cooed as she stepped closer to him and put both of her hands on his waist. "My mom likes you already so it's not like she's gonna be giving you the third degree also."
Troy cocked his head both ways as he weighed out the possibilities. "Maybe…"
"So what did your grandmother want Gabs?" Anna asked oblivious to the fact that Troy and Gabriella was discussing something.
"Oh…" Gabriella took her hands off of Troy's waist as Troy's cheeks flushed pink. "She asked me about dinner--"
"yeah, because God only knows that I would forget to ask you." Anna muttered sarcastically.
"And Troy's also gonna go." Gabriella continued as if Anna didn't interrupt her.
Anna's face lit up. "Maybe that will take the spot light away from Eric."
Troy looked at Gabriella incredulously. "See, I told you I will get the third degree."
"Mom…" Gabriella groaned.
"Oh…well she already knows you Troy, so maybe she won't ask that many questions." Anna added a bright side even though all three of them believed differently in the back of their minds. "Well…I'm gonna head home, are you two gonna stay?" Anna asked grabbing her purse and umbrella she brought in with her.
Gabriella looked at Troy who shrugged. "Maybe just a bit longer." Gabriella answered.
"Just lock up and call later." Anna said before going out into the pouring rain.
Troy sighed as Gabriella turned to him expectantly. "So?" Gabriella asked as Troy shut his eyes briefly.
"Why don't I just come a different time like…let's say when our homeroom teacher isn't running the plans?" Troy suggested with a hopeful smile.
"Wildcat…" Gabriella cooed again as she leant up one hand to cup his face gently as he leaned into her touch. "I met your parents." Gabriella said softly as their eyes stayed connected. "And you did want to meet my mom 'officially.' Whatever that means." Gabriella said as she pulled back her hand.
Troy sighed again, "Well a guy is allowed to change his mind and like you said before, I already know your mom."
Gabriella let out a small laugh, "Yeah, through passing by, you've never actually had a full conversation with her."
"What do you call that?" Troy asked with triumph in his voice.
"I call that me talking to my mom with you listening within five feet." Gabriella said with a smirk as Troy's face fell. "Hey, how about we make a deal?" Gabriella suggested as she brought her body closer and her arms wrapped around his lower back and her hands connected with each other as if to keep Troy in that place.
Troy looked down at the brunette as he couldn't keep his hands to himself and let them find the side of her hips. "What did you have in mind?" Troy asked.
Gabriella kinked an eye brow, "You know the saying…you scratch my back I scratch yours?" Gabriella asked as she brought her pelvis forward to rub against Troy's. "Well consider going to dinner scratching my back and then…the rest is up to you?"
Troy smirked down at her as he leaned in lower and connected their lips for a brief second. "I think we might be able to rearrange something." Troy huskily said close to Gabriella's ear.
"See Wildcat, it could be fun." Gabriella said with enthusiasm.
Troy laughed at how joyous his girlfriend sounded. Maybe dinner would be so bad? Maybe Gabriella was right and Ms. Darbus would be too fixated on Eric to even talk to him? Because what Gabriella said sounded kind of right, Ms. Darbus already knew him through school, what more could she possible want to know other than his name, age, and who his parents were. All of which she knew, what more could she possible want?
If only the two teenagers knew…Maybe then it could prepare Troy for what was to come.
Author's note--So slow chapter and kind of short for me, but it was just a filler and I have some plans for dinner. I want to thank everyone who is reviewing, it really means a lot to me, and I'm offering you guys something, the next chapter is the dinner and if you want Darbus...a.k.a. Gabriella's Grandma to ask Troy any question that comes to your mind right now...(as long as it's something reasonable) just put it into a review and I will fit it in. Review please and thank you--