ET Chapter 29: Symptoms, Expectations, Miscommunication
On Monday morning, bright and early, waiting in the halls with his friends with only a few more minutes till the final bell, Troy found himself in the mix of his train of thoughts thinking back to a project he did in sixth grade that covered mental illness.
He remembered this project for several reasons:
1). It was an extra credit project he didn't even need to do in the first place. Even back then Jack was on his tail to get high marks or else.
2). He only did the project because Chad, who at the moment was tethering towards a D+, roped him into his partner.
3). He remembered the type of symptoms his brain retained from research.
Living ninety percent in the mind and only ten percent in reality. Second-guessing almost every action and thinking too much over choices. Hearing voices that fed ideas and doubt into his mind.
The reason why he was remembering this project because he was wondering it was possible he was mentally-disturbed himself and just didn't know it.
Perk up, Romeo, evil snickered in his ear.
Troy clamped his mouth just in time to shut in the automatic "Shut up," that was close to slipping past his lips. If answering to a voice in his head wasn't madness, he didn't know what was.
It's not madness and you know it, logic told him.
From the corner of his eye, he caught the look of concern in Kelsi's eyes. He tried his hand at a smile, even though he had a feeling that was more crazed than sane.
He snuck a peek at the double doors, then over to her locker. Still no Gabriella. There were only ten minutes left till the final bell.
It's looove, logic and evil sang together.
Troy gritted his teeth together.
"Aww," Sharpay cooed. He rolled his eyes. "Look at him. He's anxious. It's so cute."
"Leave the man alone, Shar," Chad said. His words would've been taken more seriously if it wasn't for the knowing smile on his face Troy found to be annoying. "He's waiting for his true love to arrive."
Taylor rolled her eyes, annoyed. Zeke and Jason were trying (and failing) to hold in their laughter. Kelsi gave him a kind smile. Ryan winked at him.
"Well, it is his first girlfriend," Ryan reminded them, making them laugh like hyenas while Taylor rolled her eyes once more.
"Have I ever mentioned how much I don't like you people?" Troy asked.
They were delusional, all of them. Gabriella was not his true love. She wasn't even his girlfriend. She was…she was…
Troy wasn't sure what to call her.
It was still shocking to him that they were, well, together. Maybe not together-together like Chad and Taylor. Sure as heck were openly together-together like Shar and Zeke who couldn't keep their hands off each other any longer than five minutes. But still they were together.
Gabriella actually agreed to give them a shot. There were conditions she inserted, but he agreed to them without question. They spent the entire day together at the dance studio rehearsing some more for the project, going over the steps until he was sure his feet were bleeding. In between steps and lifts were kisses, kisses, and more kisses. Then some more and more kissing until his lips were numb.
Not that it stopped him from kissing her.
He smiled, remembering those kisses. His smile turned into a frown, seeing it was seven minutes till the bell and she still wasn't here.
Gabriella had told him that she was coming, unless something more interesting (her words, not his) than six hours of classes happened to come her way.
His friends were waiting with him, because, well, they were never one to pass up any moment that involved a flustered Troy.
"Aww. See that look," Sharpay grabbed hold of his cheek and squeezed hard. "It's a look of a puppy in love."
"More like a puppy bewitched." Taylor murmured loud enough for them to hear. Only Troy paid attention.
It was clear Taylor was less than pleased when Troy told them the news. The others cheered like they were told they had front-row seats to the Super-bowl. Taylor, on the other hand, grabbed him by the chin, pulled him down, and ran her hands through his head like she was searching for treasure.
"Tay?" he had asked. "What are you doing?"
"Checking your head to make sure you're not suffering from brain-damage."
Not exactly the blessing he would've liked, but she was here with them, waiting. Which meant that even though she wasn't in love with the idea of him and Gabriella being close, she was going to tolerate it. Barely but still.
Her feelings are nothing, Bolton, compared to how Jack the Ass will be if he finds out, logic reminded him.
Oh dear God. That was a terrifying thought. It wasn't a matter of it but when. When Jack found out, it was not going to be pretty. Troy hoped for the sake of his neck that he found out later, as in close to graducation later. That way he'd have the time to savor his happiness before his dad took it away from him.
A loud whistle ripped through the hallway, calling attention to the front. Jason was the first one to turn his head, eyes widening, before he tapped Zeke. Zeke joined in with the band of whistlers, tapping Chad, who then tapped Ryan. Troy turned his head and nearly whistled himself.
Like Sandy at the end of Grease, Gabriella cleared the crowds easily like they were nothing, attracting stares and more whistles. Light reflected off her sunglasses.
She was dressed in a color he'd never thought he'd see her in-pink. Pink, pink, and more pink. A bright pink fuzzy vest underneath a long-sleeved black shirt with a pink rock'n'roll guitar shooting musical notes. A pink plaid mini-skirt with chains and a pink rose pinned to the side that showed off her incredible legs. The only thing non-pink on her was her shoes. Black biker boots she paired with fishnet stockings.
Sharp nails dug deep into his arms, pulling his attention from Gabriella to the pain. Sharpay clung to him as she stared at Gabriella in wonder. "You," she breathed. "are so getting me a VIP tour into her closet."
Zeke stepped forward to free Troy from his girlfriend's claws. "Maybe if you're lucky, Troy can arranged a shopping trip between the two of you."
Sharpay grinned at the idea. Troy pondered over it.
His shop-obsessed best friend dragging his edgy "friend" to shops like Chanel or Gucci, stores he knew Gabriella wouldn't step foot into was so bizarre it was almost laughable.
"Yea. I'll see you guys around."
"No PDA in the hallway, Mr. Bolton," Chad cried after him.
Troy waved them off. He took in a deep breath and leaned against the locker next to hers. "Hey."
"Pup." Gabriella unzipped her vest and put it inside her locker. Balancing her denim bag on her hip, she grabbed several heavy textbooks she stuffed into the bag.
"How does it feel being back in school?"
" Let me see," she said. "I went from being able to sleep in till noon and enjoy nice ice-cream with Netflix from the comfort of my home to being woken up at seven on the dot and having to drive my ass through the morning cold-air to get to here. So…I'd say barely decent."
"I've forgotten how crabby you could be in the morning."
Even the early-morning couldn't faze the intensity of Gabriella's dark glares. "If that's your idea of a compliment, you're losing points."
Troy produced a surprise he hid behind his back. An extra large black coffee from Dunkin Donuts. "Does this earn me back points?"
Gabriella looked at the cup, then up at his earnest face. "Mmm. Lucky for you, I can be a flexible person when caffeine comes into the mix."
She accepted the cup and took a big sip.
"Does carrying your books for you help me earn back more points?" He took the bag from her and hoisted it over his shoulder.
The look on her face, left brow slightly arched, said otherwise, making Troy wonder if he was pushing his luck. "Glad to know chivalry isn't dead yet."
She took back her bag to stuff a few more things. A few notebooks, her journal, a book called A Court of Thrones and Roses, and her hairbrush after she ran it through her hair a few times.
The bell went off again. Five minutes left. People rushed to their homerooms.
Groaning, Gabriella shut her locker. "Time to see the oh-so lovely Dumbass."
"You know you're quickly on your way on becoming her least favorite person. And that was a title that belonged to my best friend, Chad."
"I'm sure disco-fro wouldn't mind being dethroned."
Disco-fro. A new nickname to add the mountain of names people made in regards to Chad's hair.
"Have I mentioned how quiet East High has been since you were gone?"
Gabriella smirked, taking another sip of her coffee. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Only the highest." Troy bowed low before her and took her hand, placing a soft kiss on it.
He looked up just in time to see her eyes roll.
"You're a class-A act, pup. That's for sure."
"True, but is one of the reasons why you like me."
There it was-the tiniest glimmer of a smile crossing her face. "It's definitely one of the reasons why I find you interesting."
The rest of the morning went on unhinged. A surprise quiz in Cal he barely passed. A new experiment in lab that almost went up in flames thanks to the wandering eyes of a jock. A twelve-page paper for History the teacher expected to be done the next day. There was one small issue that followed him. News traveled fast of the school's newest item and people wanted the details.
"Dude," a sophomore who idolized him and preferred to called Rocket-man rushed over to clap Troy hard on the shoulder after a quick practice. "Congrads!"
"Uh. For what?"
"Duh. For getting with the hottest girl in school."
"I gotta say, Bolton," Paul Sawyers said. "I'm kinda surprised. I thought your virgin ass wouldn't get some action until college."
Sawyers reminded him why he was close with a only a few people on the team. "Ha, ha, ha."
"What?" The question seemed innocent enough, but Troy wasn't fooled by the smirk on the boy's face. "Heather has been throwing herself at you since middle school and nothing. I was honestly thinking that you were playing for the other team. I even betted twenty bucks you'd lock lips with Danforth before graduation."
Oh my…first his friends, now his team were questioning his sexuality? Who was next, his dad? His mom? Troy shuddered at the thought.
"Well, you just flushed down twenty bucks, Sawyers," Troy told him. "First off, I'm not gay. Least of all for Chad. Second, Chad has a girlfriend. Third, who I'm with or what I do is not of your damn business."
"No need to get all fired up, Cap. Question though. As soon as you're done with Montez, mind tossing her my way?" He smirked. "I mean if she's with you, then clearly her standards aren't too high."
Troy had no clue how close he was to punching in that smug smirk till Chad reeled him back, holding him tightly.
"I wouldn't repeat that to her if I were you, Sawyers," Chad warned him. "After all, Montez did have on the ground in less than five seconds with a kick to the dick. The next kick might actually have you spitting it out."
"Fuck you, Danforth." Sawyers had to almost yell over the roar of laughter.
"I'll do that and more if you repeat that, Sawyers." Troy repeated before he left the locker-room, making a note to himself to keep a close eye on the boy.
When the lunch bell rang, students quickly rushed out of their classrooms, as if they only had five seconds to escape before they got recaptured. Troy knew the rush wasn't because they were dying to call dibs on the newest creations the lunch ladies whipped up for them. It was rare when lunch consisted of something appetizing. Most times it was plain nasty. Take today's lunch for example: tuna noodle casserole surprise.
While most headed to the café, bracing themselves for the food, Troy was up on the roof, waiting for Gabriella. After the less-than-pleasant conversation in the locker-room, he left a note in her locker to ask her to meet him.
The last time the two were up here, good and bad things happened. The good: he finally kissed her, though that was something he didn't think he'd get out of the meeting. He also told her how he felt, and how he saw right through her walls. He even managed to break through them. Then again, if he thought about it closely, that good thing also tied to the bad thing. Though he managed to get through her walls, he nearly broke her. And then got punched for his efforts.
To this day, his bottom front teeth still tingled whenever he brushed them.
The sound of footsteps broke him free from his thoughts. He turned his head.
Gabriella climbed up the steps, cigarette in mouth, shades pushed back.
"Hey." He walked over and kissed her cheek, smiling as the scent of Jasmine and honeysuckle hit his nose. His smile fell slightly as he caught the strange look in her eye when he pulled away.
"Pup." She took out her lighter and lit her cigarette, which she deeply inhaled. "Not that I'm complaining,but is there a particular reason why you wanted me to come up here?" Taking another hit of her cigarette, a smirk curled her lips. "If you were up for a game of kiss and grope, then we could have easily done it in the janitor's closet."
His cheeks burned. Her smirk broaden. Troy cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck until he felt the heat in his cheeks slowly drop. Once they cooled down, he took her hand and led her further down the roof, where a red picnic blanket was laid out holding goodies.
"Being as that may be, I figured you deserved a good welcome back lunch," He waved his hand at the food he had called in. "Unless of course you prefer choking down on hard tuna noodles."
Gabriella swung a punch at his arm, trying to play off cool, but he could see the flicker of surprise that went through her eyes, letting him know that he did good.
Deciding to indulge in his connections, he arranged for a few friends at Bertucci's to make their lunch. A basket containing their incredible bread with a side of chicken wings, a large well-done pepperoni and chicken pizza, and a five-later chocolate cake for dessert.
"Don't suppose you managed to snag champagne?" She asked, taking a sit on the blanket.
"No, but I did snag us these." Joining her on the blanket, he unveiled another piece of his surprise. Two cokes with red licorice as their straws.
"Keep it up, Bolton, and you'll boost up my ego even more," Gabriella traded her cigarette for the soda, smashing the cigarette with the heel of her boots while taking a big sip. "And fair warning. My ego is already huge."
Chuckling, Trot shrugged. "Only the best for my girl."
There it was again-the strange look in her eyes. Just like the one he saw this morning, and the one he saw again when he kissed her on the cheek. The brief but unmistakable look that spoke of shock, disbelief, and, oddly enough, a bit of annoyance. Gabriella told him that she was never been in a relationship, but she did have fun. It made him wonder how she treated and what she was used to during those "fun" times.
"Yea. Okay, Mr. Corny. Let's eat." Flipping the box open, Gabriella grabbed herself a slice of the pie.
Half an hour later, there was little left of the pizza except for two more slices. The wings were all bones, the bread basket empty. They were slowly working their way through the cake.
Toy found himself half sitting, half-lying on the blanket, taking another bite of the cake. Gabriella was curled up against him, sitting on his lap, head against his chest, eyes closed. He could tell she was still awake, though.
"Now I know why cats are so happy after they had their milk." She mumbled.
"You know," Troy said. "You kinda remind me of a cat."
A brown eye popped open, looking up at him. "Is that a compliment, pup?"
He chuckled, making sure it was low in case the tamed cat decided to claw him. "Only the highest."
She murmured something in Spanish, but didn't claw him. She didn't pull away from him when he started to stoke her hair. If anything she leaned more into his hand, wanting the touch.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Aren't you already doing that, pup?"
Smart ass, he thought. "What exactly are we, Gabriella?"
She sighed, leaning more against his chest. "We are two teenagers enjoying our lunch break."
Troy wondered if she came into the world with sass or if something that started during puberty. He was leaning more on the former. "You know what I mean."
"No, Bolton," Now the claws were starting to the sharpen, as just the tone of her voice was starting to. She pulled away from him, pushing his hand. The look she gave him was anything but friendly. Or warm. "Humor me."
"Are we…you know? Boyfriend-girl-"
"We're friends."
He scowled at her. "Friends? What type? Friends-friends? Friends with benefit?"
She shrugged. "If you wanna put a label on it, sure."
A memory flashed across his mind of her and her friend. The two of them giving the people of Starbucks a show as they danced to the Shakira song, touching and kissing. How close Rob held her when he approached them, and how Gabriella didn't seem to mind it. "You mean like you and Rob?"
Her eyes went from lukewarm to downright cold in only two seconds. "Rob was the reason why I decided to give this a shot. Now you're beginning to make me realize why I shouldn't trust pot-heads."
She got up from his lap, grabbing her bag, but he quickly grabbed her before she could leave.
"Gabriella, wait."
"Remove the hand, Bolton."
He got up, but didn't let go. He grabbed onto her other arm. "Why are you being so frustrating?"
"Probably because you're being so annoying. This is why I don't do relationships. They're nothing but pains in the asses."
"Will you please let me explain? Please."
She glared again but didn't protest.
"Look, I didn't bring you up here because I wanted to fight with you. I wanted to spend time with you. I want this to work. And I know you do, too."
She sighed, shaking her head. "Then why are you trying to make things complicated? We're here. We're enjoying ourselves. No need for things get serious. Or to have a label slapped on us."
The thing was he wanted that. He wanted the labels. He wanted the exclusive label and all that came with it. He wanted to announce to the whole thing, even to his dad, that she was his girlfriend. That she was his. Problem was he could see Gabriella wasn't into that. Plus she finally agreed to give them a try. He didn't want to do anything that would make her change her mind.
"Okay."
"Turn that frown upside down, pup. You're forgetting that there are certain perks to this."
"Like what?"
A smile that matched the wickedness of the Chesire cat curled her lips. She pulled him into a kiss that wiped his mind clean of any thoughts that didn't have to do with the warmth that sparked from their joint lips, curling around his body like a snake. When she slowly pulled back, it took him moments to remember his name.
"That…is definitely a perk."
Pleased, she kissed him again. Troy was more than happy to oblige in the perk, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
Hey guys. First off I can't tell you how sorry I am with the late update. All I can say is that college consumes time, and reading and working on other fanfics. But I promise you guys I'm not bailing on ET, though I am stuck on what I should do next. Any ideas? Also, for any HP or ATLA fans, be sure to check out my other stories. Even if you're not totally fans, I'd love you forever if you'd tell me what you think. I promise the next chapter won't...hopefully take as long.
Before I sign off, here's something for you guys to ponder on. Have you ever noticed that Gabriella has yet to call Troy by his first name?
