Troy's stomach clenched up at the sound of Gabriella's serious voice. The look of nerves and hesitancy on her face as Troy slowly rolled off of her, untangling their legs in the process as he sat with his back to the head board and Gabriella readjusted herself so she was right by him in the same position.
How could the sentence, 'you should sit up for this' ever by good? Troy glanced over at Gabriella as her hands played in her lap nervously and she lifted one of them to run through her hair.
"So…?" Troy asked as he turned his head fully expecting Gabriella to say something anytime now since she had the nerves not to answer him straight away which put even more worry in the back of his mind.
Gabriella sighed, "I've never lied to you." Troy heard her say in the bluntest way possible. "So don't jump to conclusions before I'm done talking, okay?" Gabriella turned her head to look at him as Troy saw the hope pass through her eyes and he nodded his head. How bad could it be?
"I'm sure you're kind of familiar with this…um, well you see the football team always has a banquet at the end of the season and I'm sure the basketball teams have one too, right?" Gabriella asked.
Troy nodded his head as he found that he was staring intently at Gabriella's hands that were nervously clasping onto each other. He remembered the banquets well, the only thing different about the football teams and the basketball teams dinner was that the basketball team had it halfway through their season and the football team had it at the end of their season.
Troy felt the corners of his mouth turn slightly upwards just remembering how this gave the parents of the three teams a chance to kick back and talk freely with each other on their own terms instead of having it revolve around basketball, and most of them were tipsy when they left Troy's house as their kids had to drive them home most of the time.
Troy looked up from Gabriella's shaking hands to her timid face as her eyes were running across his face trying to see what he was thinking of, but had no luck as Troy reached out and grabbed her hands and stroked them softly as her face gave off surprise.
Gabriella cleared her throat as she looked down at their clasped hands, "Right, well…I don't really know what happens at the basketball dinner, but the football dinner there's more than 200 people there maybe 250," Troy found the higher number to probably be more accurate since on freshman, jv, and varsity there were give or take 75 players and then their parents came it would round up to 250, and then the cheerleaders and dancers were invited, but their parents weren't. Troy didn't know who came up with that rule, but along the lines somewhere before he was a freshman it was created.
"Well we were in our freshman year, and I had been here maybe…" Gabriella looked up at the ceiling as she thought and then back at their clasped hands, "two months." Gabriella shrugged as she took a breath gaining back some confidence as she looked at Troy.
"We were friends and he asked me to come with him to the banquet." Troy sucked in a breath as he somehow knew this was coming now. Maybe this is how all the rumors started by Jake and Gabriella going to one stupid dinner together in front of over 200 people. "Now Wildcat, this was more than two years ago and we both were little 14 year olds. Neither one of use considered it a date until…" Gabriella trailed off as she ran another hand through her hair and sighed.
Troy turned his head more to look at Gabriella who was still staring down at their hands. Until what? Troy was growing anxious, he just wanted Gabriella to finish her story so he could sort out what he was feeling towards the situation. How could she say that she never lied to him when this contradicted what she is telling him?
"My mom and Tay talked to me saying how they knew that Jake and I would become a couple and then I guess Jake's parents were proud that he finally asked someone out and it was really awkward for us for about a week as we avoided each other at all costs until one night…" Gabriella took a breath as Troy stared at her not believing she just said that in one breath. "The night before the banquet I finally asked him whether it was or not and he said yes, and we both had no idea what the hell we were doing. It was so awkward, even more awkward than last nights dinner." Gabriella turned towards Troy now as his blue eyes connected with her brown ones.
Troy swallowed as he felt the hand that he wasn't holding of Gabriella's stroke over his callused knuckles. "So the next day we finally go to the banquet and," Gabriella let out a little laugh as Troy just stared at her not believing that she was laughing at a time like this, but then again, Gabriella was one to make situations less tense. "Jake and I ended up not even saying one word to each other as he was taken over by his friends and I found Sharpay there."
Troy didn't stop himself as he let out a sigh of relief. This he could deal with, at least her story didn't end with them sucking faces or more. Gabriella gave Troy a small smile as she continued, "So in a way you could say we went on one date together, but after that we decided that we would just put it behind us and say that it was just two best friends going to the same place at the same time."
There was a silence as Troy shifted in his seat. This was okay, everything sounded okay, and he could tell Gabriella was sincere, but why was she telling him this now? She could've easily kept it in the past where it belonged and not even brought it up if they never considered it a date?
Troy opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriella beat him to it. "You know…you asked me before when we first started dating whether Jake and I ever dated, and I would've told you this before, but…if Jake and I never bring it up and we don't consider it a date, then I just thought why make things even more messier?"
Troy nodded. "Why now?" He heard himself ask as Gabriella looked up at him with a scrunched up face as she looked confused. "Why did you tell me now when I asked? You didn't have to tell me because I don't consider that a date either." Troy said as Gabriella leaned into him and he untangled his hands from her to wrap his arm around her as her head rested on his chest.
"Because…" Gabriella sounded unsure as her right hand drew invisible patterns on Troy's dark blue shirt. "I saw the way you looked at him this morning, I felt the way you were tense just walking to class, and I continue to see the little doubt in your eyes."
Troy looked down at Gabriella as he held her tighter finding some reassurance that she didn't sound mad. "I don't mean to--"
"I know." Gabriella silenced quietly as Troy stopped talking and let Gabriella cut in. "And I don't know if I say this enough, but I'm glad that you're my boyfriend and you're all mine. But the better thing is…" Gabriella said slowly as she turned in his arms and smirked at him seductively as her face neared his and Troy looked up into her eyes that shined in the light. "I'm all yours." Gabriella said into his ear as Troy couldn't help the smile that same onto his face as his hands reached up to her waist and flipped her so that she was under him and he heard her erupt a giggle.
Troy smirked down at her now. He had nothing to worry about. Jake and Gabriella were just friends, he should've known that, after all they were going out for two and a half months now. The only thing Troy was worrying about was if they dated and that's why they were all buddy-buddy, but now he knew better than to think like that. They were just best friends.
"I like you a lot Wildcat, more than a friend, and it's kind of scaring me that we've made it this far considering both of our track records, but Jake is apart of my life too." Gabriella said as Troy nodded. He could accept that. "And I see the way that you two are around each other and even though things have gotten a little rocky with the whole studying thing a while back…I'm proud of you two for accepting each other and I don't think I could ask for anything more."
Troy didn't say anything. He knew from the first week that they were dating that Jake played a big part in Gabriella's life, and he was working his way up on the top list too, hopefully number one, but things didn't happen over night and they both knew that. And even though Troy felt that slight pang of jealously towards Jake that morning, it was natural for any guy to feel like that with your girlfriend and he knew that they had nothing to worry about.
Troy leaned down and connected their lips as their two mouths moved slowly with each other as if savoring every little detail. The way Troy's hand would move up and lightly stroke her cheek or the way Gabriella's fingers would brush against the little hairs on his neck making him want her even more.
"So what about this pair?" Gabriella asked as she put on a pair of black sunglasses that were huge, and had a lime green outlining like a little kid would wear.
Jake made a disgusted face as he sifted through the racks of the dark little store in the strip mall. The walls were dark as music was blaring and hard rock was coming out of the speakers. This was the kind of store that had various trinkets in it, many cd's, and records, also necklaces, sunglasses, and basically any little thing you could think of.
"Nah, they make your face look small." Jake said with a laugh as Gabriella playfully hit him on the arm.
They both laughed as they continued just sifting through the racks. Gabriella felt good that she had no dance that day on Saturday and she knew Troy was busy with Chad doing their own thing. She looked at Jake as he was busy looking at a very old record.
It felt like old times before their two relationships took off almost three months ago. Before it was just them and occasionally Taylor when all three of them weren't busy so it felt really good to just be messing around with him without a care in the world. The only thing different was that Gabriella's mind would occasionally wander back to Troy when she would see a shade of blue on something, or hear any sports team name, and see someone with tan skin.
"Hey, you still like that one band, Beastie Boys, right?" Jake asked as he walked away from the counter with something in a brown paper bag. Gabriella didn't even know that he bought anything.
Gabriella smiled though as he mentioned her favorite band before their generation. "The earlier albums." Gabriella and Jake said at the same time as Jake almost beat her to her own punch line and laughed at the shocked face she made as they walked out of the store.
"Don't forget, I've seen you almost every day for the past two years, I know you more than you know yourself." Jake teased as Gabriella rolled her eyes and tried to see into his bag.
"What did you buy, and it better not be that cowboy hat you saw in there because I don't think I could walk around with you and your pink cowboy hat." Gabriella joked as Jake simple shook his head no and didn't say anything. "Are you gonna tell me what?" Gabriella kept up as she tried to make a grab at his bag and he just held it above her head and she pouted.
"Nope, that's for me to know and you to find out on January 11th." Jake said with a smug look and Gabriella's face broke out into a smile.
She stopped trying to reach for the bag and he lowered it again slowly and moved it into his other hand, furthest away from Gabriella. "Fine, I'll wait 'til my birthday…hey are you hungry?" Gabriella asked as they found themselves walking through the food court that held wondrous greasy foods, deep fried foods, and smoked foods. There were foods representing different nations, different cultures, and different beliefs as some of them didn't serve meat and just tofu.
"Yeah, I could go for some fried twinkies." Gabriella made a face at her best friends taste of food as she rolled her eyes.
"Well I was thinking more along the lines of let's say...some ice cream, so I'll meet you back here?" Gabriella asked as she pointed to the empty table next to the water fountain that had barely any people around.
Jake nodded as Gabriella walked to the other side of the food court when Jake barely had to walk twenty feet. Gabriella rolled her eyes as she looked back and saw Jake waving his hands crazily at her and let out a laugh as some people were looking at the blonde haired teenage boy like he had three heads.
Gabriella turned back around away from Jake's childish ways of having fun and drawing attention to them as she sighed. Things weren't always going to be like this. The school year was halfway done and then she would have less than 90 days with Jake before he actually moves to Ohio for school.
Of course she could always visit him he always tells her, but she couldn't when she still had school, and he couldn't always come home because that would cost a lot of money too and it would also be time consuming. Gabriella stepped forward in line as it was almost her turn to order and she found that she was in back of a couple that looked to be getting a little too friendly with the man's hand in the girl's back pocket moving around as his other hand Gabriella could barely see as it was slipped under the girl's top and she wondered if this was what their friends had to witness when she was with Troy?
Gabriella shook her head as she erased the thought. She missed Troy, usually they didn't go more than a couple of hours without texting or calling each other and it had been seven hours so far. But maybe that was a good thing, they both were doing their own things for a day and they weren't attached at the hip. Her mom always said that it sometimes was best to give one another space so you don't get sick of each other.
Gabriella made it to the front of the line as she ordered two ice cream cones since she figured Jake would end up eating half of hers anyways. She paid and got them almost right away as she turned around and started heading back to the table as she scanned around the fountain for her blonde haired friend.
Gabriella did a double take as she saw Jake sitting down with his Twinkie and soda on the table and saw a male figure standing next to him with his back turned towards her. He had light brownish blondish hair, tan skin, built arms, wearing a faded green shirt that brought out the color of his skin along with khaki shorts. There was no mistaking who it was, and the other person bounding over to Jake confirmed who it was also.
Chad's afro could be made out a mile away as Gabriella continued her walk over to the table and saw that Troy and Jake were talking with Chad just standing there waiting for Troy to be finished probably.
Gabriella neared them as Chad nodded at her and Troy looked up and he kept his grin on his face. "Hey Beautiful." Troy greeted as Gabriella finally stood at his side and he leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips.
"Hey Wildcat, what are you doing here?" Gabriella asked puzzled as she thought that Chad and Troy were going to do basketball that day along with some work outs and 'guy' things.
Troy rolled his eyes as he pointed at Chad. "He got hungry and he nearly ate everything in my house besides the vegetables." Troy said as Chad got a slight blush and shrugged himself as Gabriella and Jake both laughed.
"So…anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Gabriella asked handing Jake an ice cream cone.
Jake shook his head and Gabriella smiled as she didn't sense any tenseness. The past four days at school, Jake and Troy hardly said anything to each other, but they weren't sending glares either, and if they did happen to be near each other then they would say 'hey,' or at least some sort of acknowledgment.
"Not really. Just talking about Christmas Break coming up." Jake shrugged as he gratefully took the ice cream from Gabriella. Jake looked at Gabriella and then at Chad and Troy. "You two want to take a seat?"
Gabriella looked up at Troy. Even though it was supposed to be her and Jake's day today, celebrating their own way that he got a scholarship, if Jake was offering a peace treaty towards Troy once and for all then maybe it would be a good thing if Troy stayed to just talk and get to know Jake outside of school, parties, and alcohol.
Troy shook his head, "No thanks man. We got to get back soon anyways, I'm supposed to be cleaning out the garage." Troy said as he smiled down at Gabriella and she stared back getting lost in his eyes. "Call me later?" Troy asked as he leaned down a little and Gabriella leaned up to connect their lips.
"Okay Wildcat." Gabriella murmured as she pecked him one more time briefly and waved at Chad. "Bye Chad." He had a mouthful of food already as he waved at her and the two disappeared into the throngs of people now.
Gabriella smiled as she no longer could see their backs and took a seat across from Jake. Gabriella could tell that Troy understood that it was their day and as much as she wanted Jake and him to bond a little more, she wouldn't push it and she felt even more grateful that Troy was okay that Jake and her were spending time together and he didn't invite himself to 'baby-sit' them.
"So…two more weeks until the big English test." Jake brought up as they shared the same AP English class. "I can't believe that she would put a test right before Christmas Break."
Gabriella nodded, "Yeah, but let's not talk about that." she suggested as Jake raised his eye brows and continued eating as Gabriella licked her ice cream cone occasionally. "What's new with you and Haley?"
"Well…I met her parents, she's met mine, not much more." Jake concluded in the simplest answer possible.
"And?" Gabriella drew out as she watched her best friend drink half of his soda in one gulp.
He lifted his shoulders up and down. "And what about you?" Jake turned the tables as Gabriella couldn't help the smile that came onto her face. "Look at you Montez." Jake teased. "Someone looks happy."
Gabriella shrugged herself, "I am. I don't think things could get any better." Gabriella told him with a dreamy smile thinking how Jake was okay with Troy and Troy was okay with Jake again. Things were going to work out for the best as Gabriella and Jake talked about everything and nothing at the same time. The same way they did when it was just them two against the teenage world.
Author's note- I know...crappy chapter, but it was a filler chapter as I am predicting that in about two or three chapter the real drama chapters are going to begin with everything tumbling down. Oh, that sounds bad, review and I'll get the chapters up as soon as I can. Please and Thank you.
