A/N: So, I just want to say, I know a lot of people didn't like the direction I took this, but please stick with me. I hope you see that I do have a purpose for this. THanks for the reviews!

He was scaring her.

She couldn't describe it. There was a different look in his eyes. Though it was evident through all of the guys, his was the worst. The piercing blue were suddenly swimming with excitement all the time. She could see the glint of the red stone on his finger wave up and down as he seemed to tap his fingers constantly. He had a nervous/excited look to him all the time. And as he's sitting behind her in study hall tapping his pencil on his notebook, Gabriella couldn't help but get the sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach.

Like she said, the rest of the guys seemed to have this same effect. Chad was still pissed about not winning like he was expecting to. Zeke seemed to be more excited also, and every time someone turned on the engine of a car, he seemed to have jumped with excitement. Jason was the only one who was acting normal, but it was evident that he missed out on the action on Saturday night. He wanted it too. But Gabriella had no idea why.

Gabriella small body turns around to see Troy's tan skin was looking a little pale. His eyes remain down at the notebook, but he didn't seem to be looking at anything. She could see the look in his eyes, and it wasn't for her. Was she jealous? Yes. Before if Troy was staring off into space, she was normally positive he was thinking about her. But now, she was certain all he had on his mind was something that had an engine. Where was the jock she was used to? Where was the basketball obsessed boy? Where was HER Troy?

"Troy… Troy come on wake up!" Gabriella says in a low voice since the rest of the study hall was talking. Her small hand grabs his forearm and gently rubs it up and down. His eyes immediately snap up. They look different, and Gabriella couldn't help but cringe as they lock on the deep brown.

Troy flicks his hair a little so it was out of his eyes. "Sorry… I spaced out there." He says but doesn't make any motion to touch Gabriella.

Deep down, she knew what was bothering her the most. It was the fact that Troy drag racing was out of her control. She couldn't control if he took a wrong spin and crashed, ending up in the hospital. She couldn't' take it. It was all back to her control issue. The one that would really never go away. Never. Not until she got it.

"Yeah… you've been doing that a lot lately." She says with a slight pain in her voice as Troy's eyebrows narrow a little. Her eyes were trying to beg for her Troy to come back, not this Troy.

Her body turns around so she facing the front as she hears a sigh from behind her. "Sorry ok? I've just… got a lot on my mind." He says while placing a hand on her shoulder. Gabriella immediately lets the shock waves course through her body. No. It wasn't going to be that easy.

"Like what? Cars?" She asks while immediately spinning around and letting her eyes narrow. Troy's widen for a moment before he shakes his head.

"No… I just… uh… practice tonight." He tries to cover up as Gabriella shakes her head. She needed to get back into control. Desperately.

"Really?" She says while Troy's face gets a little red from getting caught. "Troy, this needs to stop… now."

Troy's eyes narrow again and cloud over in a small dark blue storm. "You don't get it…"

Gabriella shakes her head. "Yes I do ok? Carlos was the same way and now look at him!" She says while throwing her arms up in the air. "It was something so simple as racing once."

Troy shrugs. "You love Carlos."

"I know. But I don't love what he does. And you're not Carlos. You're Troy Bolton. You're basketball god. Troy… be serious. I'm not watching you fall to this ok? Not on my watch." She says while Troy shakes his head and leans forward.

"Maybe if you'd let me do it just once." He says with a passion in his voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. She wanted to say what was on her mind though. So much more then stupid car racing. "Just one time Gab…"

Gabriella's eyes narrow again as she shakes her head. "No. Maybe you should help me with more important things, like coming up with a way to tell my dad!"

Troy rolls his eyes. "He hates me… end of story."

Gabriella angrily narrows her eyes. "He doesn't hate you for the thousandth time. And maybe if you'd stop obsessing over cars we could figure out a way to tell him together. You know, as a couple. But I understand if you're too busy for me or whatever."

She faces the front of the room and suddenly hears Troy sigh again. "Gab… I didn't mean…"

"Yeah Troy, whatever." She spits back as she crosses her arms, trying not to let the tears that were burning in her eyes slip down her face.

"How were you thinking about doing it?" Troy asks in the soft voice that Gabriella missed for the past couple days. But she still angrily shrugs her shoulders and continues to face the front. Gabriella told her mother on Sunday that they were official. Mrs. Montez assumed something was going on, but wasn't exactly sure what it was. But her dad? She had thought to keep that a secret until the right time, when he was in a good mood.

"It doesn't matter right? He doesn't have an engine so why would you care about it?" She asks in a sarcastic tone that was probably pushing things, but she was extremely scared.

"Gabriella. Stop it ok?" He warns as she shakes her head slightly.

The sound of the bell suddenly fills the air as Gabriella immediately gets up from the seat she was sitting in. She doesn't wait for Troy to catch up before smiling at Cody and walking towards the door. "Gab! Gab stop!" She hears his voice yell as she gets out into the crowded hallway and starts to make it towards her locker. "Gabriella stop." His perfect voice says as she was suddenly stopped. He was standing in front of her now with his hands out right over her chest to keep her from going anywhere. "Please stop? Please, I want to figure something out ok?"

Gabriella crosses her arms and looks at him with anger still in her eyes. "You just saying that so I won't be pissed?" She asks as Troy immediately shakes his head, not even giving it any thought.

"No… I want to do it right." He says with the small hint of desperation in his voice.

Gabriella lets out a sigh. "Fine. Come over for dinner tonight. We'll tell him then. Maybe he won't blow up if your face like he would if I was alone." She says, still angry.

Troy seems to sigh in relief as he attempts to move out of the way and grab her hand, but she refuses. "Er… right." He says, probably not sure what else he could say at that moment. "And… I'm sorry I guess." He almost has to jog to keep up with her strides that were fierce and mean.

"Yeah? You guess?" She spits out as they make it to her locker which she grabs the locker for and spins it immediately.

Troy sighs as he gently touches her upper arm. "I am sorry. You just… you know how it is when it's something new and exciting right?" He tries to explain.

This only makes Gabriella angry as she throws her books in her locker and grabs her bag. The deep brown storm look up to see Troy was trying to put on a convincing smile. "New and exciting right? Something new like trying to loose five pounds and how exciting it gets when you do? But in reality you're a fucking eighty-four pounds?" She says with her eyebrows raised, trying to get this through Troy's skull that his new obsession was dangerous.

Troy narrows his eyes a little. "It's not the same." He states while Gabriella shakes her head.

"You're right Troy. Mine would have been a slow and painful death." She says while shaking her head slightly. "Yours will be a fast and immediate flip of a car." She states while Troy stands there with nothing to say. "I'll see you at six-thirty." She says while turning on her heels and walking away.

Troy couldn't keep his legs still.

They were shaking, along with the rest of his body. For two main reasons. One: He was sitting at the kitchen table with the guy who hated him. He tires his hardest not to look up at the eyes that matched Gabriella's perfect ones. What if this didn't go right? What if Mr. Montez told him he didn't want him ever seeing Gabriella again? This could be bad. No, this could be worse then bad. This could be a complete disaster. He needed Gabriella. He needed her and couldn't live without her.

Second: Chad just texted him that even though it was a Friday night, he, Zeke, Sharpay, Olivia and Jason were headed out to 167.

"Thanks Mrs. Montez, this looks fantastic." Troy says while he finally looks up to see the less scary of the two Montez parents place down a plate of chicken in front of him. He feels his hands shaking underneath the table as his eyes look to Gabriella's deep brown and lock. She smiles softly, obliviously in a better mood then she was after school, which was a good thing.

He didn't want to be a complete ass, but he wanted to try it. So badly did he want to try it. Once he did, then he would be completely satisfied. He wouldn't do it again. Right? Of course. He'd get his fix and everything would be ok. He could go back to thinking about basketball and Gabriella. He wouldn't have to need the scent of gasoline in his nose, nor hear the roar of engines. He could go back to being the jock he was.

"So Troy, how's basketball coming?" Mrs. Montez asks as she sits down at the table. Troy was wearing a black polo with light jeans while Gabriella was wearing a black tank top with a white sweater over it. They decided together that they weren't going to dress up so it wouldn't look too suspicious. This shouldn't be that bad. He had dinner with the Montez's all the time. Why was he so nervous right now?

"Uhh, good I guess." He says while taking his knife in his hands. The piercing blue eyes glance over to see Gabriella's father was cutting a piece of chicken with his knife. He was getting the image of that knife going straight through his stomach. The piercing blue eyes immediately look to Gabriella with his eyes wide. She shoots him a look to calm him down, but it only makes him more nervous. "The team's good this year, so I'm hoping we go far."

"Your father must be pleased." Mr. Montez's intimidating voice says. Troy slowly looks over to him and feels his stomach flip. He bites down hard on the chicken he was eating and Troy gulps, preying he wasn't trying to show how he'd rip Troy apart.

"Uh… he is I guess." Troy says slowly while taking a sip of milk.

"He probably doesn't want you having any distractions though." Mr. Montez states while glancing at his daughter. Troy's stomach flips again. Gabriella's eyes move to her father as she smiles sweetly.

"Daddy, Troy doesn't get distracted easily." She says while shooting him a look, Troy suddenly thinking that maybe what she said had nothing to do with basketball. "I'm pretty sure he knows where his priorities lie."

"Really?" Jose Montez says while raising his eyebrows. It was as though he was looking straight through Troy. "How do you stay so focused? Most guys would crack under pressure."

Troy could feel his hand grip the hold on his fork a little tighter. "I'm not like most guys…" He says while glancing at Gabriella.

"How so?" Her father asks.

Troy looks at Gabriella. "Because I know what I want. And I know what's best for me. No one else needs to tell me." He says while Gabriella's eyes narrow a little on him. He could tell she was trying to keep the racing off the table. But he couldn't help to get the feeling of wanting to be there with Chad and them. Of course he'd bring Gabriella too, but this dinner was starting to scare him.

"That's a bold statement." Mr. Montez says. "How do you know? You're seventeen years old. How can you be sure you know exactly what's best for you?"

"Daddy…" Gabriella warns.

"Jose…" Her mother also warns as Troy shrugs his shoulders.

"Because sir, I have friends, like Gab, who, no matter how stupid decisions I may act, will still support me because they know that I need to learn for myself." He says while looking at Gabriella. "And because they care."

"But maybe that's why they want you to learn from their mistakes. Because they care and don't want to see something worse happen to you." Gabriella says while Troy glares at her a little. Wasn't she supposed to be on his side? Oh wait, that's right, she didn't want him to race.

Neither parent respond, Troy assuming because neither one knew what was going on. Their eyes don't leave each other until Gabriella finally rips hers away first. He watches as the hair that was curly and half up falls back behind her shoulders a little. "Well… how's the chicken?" Gabriella's mother asks.

"Great." Both Troy and Mr. Montez say at the exact same time, making Mr. Montez glare at Troy a little.

"I'm actually full." Jose says while he stands up.

Gabriella places her fork and knife down, Troy noticing she only ate half of her chicken. It wasn't like her to be like that now. She didn't seem to have touch anything else on her plate, but it just proves to Troy how nervous she was. "Daddy… actually… there's something I… we… want to tell you."

Mrs. Montez tenses up as well as Troy. Mr. Montez raises his eyebrows as his body becomes stiff also. Oh no. He was towering over Troy. This could get extremely dangerous. Couldn't they stall more? Her father swallows slowly. "Really?"

Troy closes his eyes as he feels Gabriella glance at him. "Um… yeah…" She says while clearing her throat a little. Troy opens his eyes again and looks to see how beautiful Gabriella really was just sitting there. She was gorgeous, and even if Mr. Montez killed him, at least he'd be able to see Gabriella's incredible features. But then again, he wanted to get behind the wheel just once. Please don't murder him alive. "Troy and I… er… we're um… well…"

Mr. Montez raises his eyebrows again. "You're what?"

Gabriella reaches up to her neck and Troy smiles a little while she holds the basketball pendent in her small fingers. Her eyes glance to the piercing blue, who gives her a small nod to let her continue. He was going to have to face him sometime. "Um… well… we're dating."

A sudden thick heavy wave of air fills the kitchen. Troy takes a deep breath and looks up into Mr. Montez's eyes. They close, almost as if in pain. He picks up it was the way Gabriella's were when she knew something was eventually going to happen, but didn't want it to. He opens them back up as he looks at Troy. "You're… you're dating…"

Troy chews on the inside of his cheek as Gabriella bites her bottom lip. He couldn't help but stare up at the older man. He refused to look at Troy, but his eyes remain on his daughter, the eyes that were completely unreadable. Troy glances over to her mother who seemed to be holding her breath too. To say this was awkward would be an understatement. "Dad…" Gabriella says in the sweetest voice she could muster.

"Troy… let's talk." Mr. Montez states while he nods over to the door. Troy's eyes grow wide as he immediately looks back at Gabriella. Her own eyes were wide with fear. She gets up from her chair as if to follow them, but Mr. Montez shakes his head. "I want to speak with Troy alone." His voice was unreadable, which made it the scariest. Troy slowly stands from his position and looks to Gabriella, who looks almost as scared as she did on Saturday night. But he looks to her father and watches as his hand coaxes Troy. He walks over and Mr. Montez pats him on the shoulder a little. "It will only be a minute."

It only takes a minute to murder someone. Troy thinks to himself as he slowly walks through the all too familiar hallway. Mr. Montez opens the door and lets Troy walk outside into the crisp night. Troy immediately folds his arms, both in trying to show that he wasn't going to back down and because it was cold. The wind plays with his chestnut hair as Mr. Montez turns around, Troy finally realizing how much taller he was than Troy. This was it. His life was going to end here.

His deep, dark chocolate brown eyes lock on the piercing blue. Gabriella's eyes. Troy watches as Mr. Montez takes a step forward. Now is when he took out the knife. "You and my daughter are dating?" He tries to confirm.

No shit. He didn't want to piss him off, but it was obvious. "Yes sir."

Mr. Montez takes another intimidating step forward. Troy could almost see the pain in his eyes. "I've been dreading this day from the day you two hit age thirteen." He says as Troy tries not to wince. That didn't sound good. "Do you know why?"

Troy wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer or not. "No sir."

He sighs a little while letting his face relax a little. Well, that was a good sign, wasn't it? "Because you're the only son of a bitch who could actually take her away." It was suddenly clear to Troy. Mr. Montez didn't hate him. He hated the fact that Gabriella had always belonged to him. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say anything or not, so he looks down at his black tennis shoes. "You listen to me alright?" He says as Troy's eyes look up again. "If you break her heart, it will be the last of you."

Was that an acceptance? Troy suddenly feels a sparkle in his eyes. Was Mr. Montez not going to murder him? This was good. Troy takes a deep breath and suddenly feels his heart beating faster. All thoughts of cars were wiped from his brain, at least for now. "Mr. Montez, I love your daughter. I have for a really long time." He says, letting his heart do the talking right now. He hadn't even told Gabriella he loved her yet. "I know it's taken me awhile to realize it. But I'm not letting her go." He says.

Mr. Montez lets out a sigh. "Break her heart?"

Troy smiles a little. "You'll break my body."

He doesn't smile, nor does Troy expect him to. But he opens the door and Troy finally lets out a breath. Inside, he could see Gabriella and her mother looking at each other nervously in the hallway. Immediately, Gabriella runs to Troy but doesn't touch him, since her father just walks in the door. "Are you done?" She asks while looking over Troy's tan skin to see if there were any evident wounds.

"Yeah… We had a great talk." Mr. Montez says while patting Troy on the shoulder, a little too hard for Troy's liking. But Jose then walks to his wife and puts his arm around her, Troy finally knowing that all he was trying to do was protect his daughter.

"Ok then…" Gabriella lets out; a little scared since it seemed to go well. "We're just… gonna go upstairs now." She says while grabbing Troy's arm and beginning to drag him up the steps.

"We'll be outside. If I hear anything…!" Mr. Montez calls, even though Troy knew they had been alone in Gabriella's bedroom a million times before.

They make it up the steps and Gabriella pushes Troy inside. She then slams the door and turns around with wide eyes. "Did he hurt you?" She asks while running over and running her hands down the front of his shirt, checking for "bruises" but making Troy tremble beneath her touch.

"I'm fine ok?" He says while lifting her arms up so she was looking into his eyes. His lips lean down and touch hers gently. He suddenly feels shockwaves throughout his body that somehow were forgotten in the past couple of days. Troy backs up a little until his legs hit her bed. He slowly leans back so his back was touching the soft mattress and moves back a little, Gabriella's legs straddling him. "Gab…"

"It wasn't that bad huh?" She says seductively. His hands run up and down her sides on top of him as her tongue gently slips inside his mouth. He could feel his erection already stirring as her hips grind against his. A small smile was playing on her lips as she was taking control. Her small fingers inch up his black polo. Touching his smooth bare skin, Troy moans in her mouth as his hands reach down to grab a hold of her butt.

But suddenly, Troy feels a vibrating in his pocket, suddenly reminding him about the text that Chad had sent earlier. Yes. Now they were done with dinner, they could head over there and everything would be perfect. Maybe Gabriella would feel generous. But her tongue remains in his mouth as she slowly brings his polo up to reveal his tan skin. "Leave it…"

Troy pulls back as his tongue sucks out of his mouth. "Just one second…" He says while he reaches down and attempts to pull the phone out. Gabriella's eyes were wide with hurt as he leans up a little and flips it open.

Where are u man?

He doesn't even notice the pain in her eyes as he gently slides her into his lap and kisses her head. "Chad and the gang are at 167. If we hurry we can get there in time." He says while standing up, making her slide onto the bed. Gabriella stares up at him with her mouth open in disbelief.

"You're fucking serious?" She asks as Troy's piercing blue eyes look to Gabriella. "There is no way in hell you're going."

That was the answer Troy completely didn't want to hear.