Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, content or anything affiliated with the High School Musical franchise. All work is fictional.
Author's Note: For those who are reading my other story, Flames of the Heart, I'm having some trouble with chapter five because I really don't want it to be a filler, boring chapter. I don't want my stories to have filler chapters, so I need them to matter. I'm working as hard as I can to make sure it's right, but until then, please enjoy this next chapter of Once in a Lifetime!
Chapter Two
Troy Bolton was an asshole. A stupid one, too.
He should have never let her leave like that and he knew exactly what she thought of him, too. He could tell by the look on her face. In all honesty, he had rushed to the bathroom to catch his breath. Being with her had been the most amazing experience of his teenage life and, while lying in that bed with her, his heart had been racing. He needed to be alone somewhere before he did something stupid. Turns out, he did it anyway. He had acted so nonchalant because he didn't know how to act around her after that experience.
For one thing, he had no idea where she lived. That was another stupid move on his part. Why the hell didn't he ask her where she lived or even get her phone number? Why didn't he ask her to hang out with him before they docked? He made good enough grades in school and he normally knew how to talk to other girls. With her, he felt like the coyote from the cartoon plummeting off the cliff because he was too dumb to think things through. She was definitely a smart girl, too smart for him.
When she had left the room, he was surprised. Of course he wanted her to stay, but he understood that she wanted to get back before her mother and especially before his parents came back. The tone in her voice, when she had left, told him more than he wanted to know. She thought he didn't care about her, that their night together was something to throw away into a box and never open again. He knew she regretted it and, honestly, he didn't want her to. He didn't regret it. He only regretted acting the way he did and not having the courage to keep in touch with her.
Now, he was never going to see her again.
He knew this for a fact. The next morning, he had breakfast with his family as the ship returned to dock. He looked around for her everywhere in that room, but it was too crowded. People were saying goodbye to new friends and were having fun in their last few hours. When breakfast was over, he had to go pack his things. As soon as they packed their stuff and went by the gift shop one more time, the ship had docked and it was time to go. He still kept an eye out for her in the crowd, but there were more people than he thought. She was a small girl and he didn't really remember what her mother looked like. Plus, he didn't want his parents to be suspicious. He didn't really want to explain that he was looking for a girl he had known for less than 12 hours and had sex with. Not the time or place for that conversation.
When they reached a cab to the airport, he looked one more time in the terminal. Unfortunately, she never showed up. He didn't even know if she had a late plane or if she was staying in the city for an extra day. His time with her was inevitably over and he just had to accept that fact. It was hard to accept while on the plane as he watched the clouds below. It was hard to accept when they landed in Albuquerque and it was hard to accept when they came back home.
That night in bed, his things were still packed up. He didn't have the energy to unpack everything and organize his drawers. His parents were exhausted, too, so he wouldn't be surprised if they left their things unattended. Troy stared up at his ceiling, his hands clenching the blue comforter on his basketball-themed bed. He was surrounded by basketball: trophies from kiddie games to his latest high school game, medals, plaques, photos of the team and friends at after parties and games. His room was pretty neat for a teenage boy. The desk across the room had a closed laptop with a few notebooks prepared for his junior year in a few weeks, his backpack and gym bag next to his desk, a few more photos and an East High flag pinned to the wall. A large bay window was next to his bed, offering a view of the basketball goal outside the house. Next to the desk was a small plasma on the wall and all of his clothes were in the closet with a small dresser for casual clothes that didn't need hangers. There was also a connecting bathroom to his room. He had a good life and had everything he could need or want.
Except for the girl he barely knew, but again knew through and through.
When and how was he going to accept that he would never see her again?
The house wasn't bad looking. It was definitely bigger than their other house. As Gabriella stood next to the open garage door, the moving men helping behind her, she had to admit she was impressed. So far, on the drive to the house, Albuquerque wasn't some desert. There was plenty of greenery around. She saw a mall on the way and she even spotted her high school, East High. The neighborhood was definitely busy with nice houses and families. She spotted families outside with their little children on swing sets, older couples tending to their garden and a few teenagers playing basketball. She had thought about Troy at that moment, but quickly dismissed it. It had been almost two weeks since the cruise and since she last saw him. She wasn't going to see him again and she had to tell herself it was for the best. She was in a new city, a new home. She was going to meet new people before going to college in two years. She had to make the most of this move.
"Gabriella, can you take this box to your room? It's upstairs and the first on your left." Her mother handed her a lightweight box and went back to the movers to tell them where the couch was going to go.
Gabriella went inside and took in the layout again. Upon entering the house, she was met with a white and wood staircase. To the left was a small den area that could be used for anything, maybe a small library or sitting room. To the right of the staircase was a spacious living room that had yet to be filled with furniture. There was a large window at the end of the living room that looked out onto the street. Through the living room and up a slight step was the dining room, offering another window that faced the backyard instead. The backyard was pretty decent, too. There was a space on concrete for patio tables and chairs. Gabriella noticed two trees near the edge and thought a hammock would look nice. She'd have to mention it to her mother.
To the left of the dining room was the big kitchen, all stainless steel appliances. There was a matching kitchen island and Gabriella could only imagine the meals her mother would make. Keyword, imagine. Maybe Gabriella would have to test out her own skills. In the same room as the kitchen was another sitting area with a fireplace. She wondered for a moment how many rooms this house really had. Did they even have enough furniture?
She noticed with a glance a room that must have held a washer and dryer and a bathroom. She returned to the stairs and went up. The hall was straight and narrow with closed doors, more than likely the extra rooms and bathrooms. She turned the knob on the door to her left and was surprised at the amount of space. It was a standard looking room with no hidden corners or elaborate turns. She'd have plenty of space even with her big bed and her desk. What amazed her was the fact that she had her own bathroom and a balcony. She set down the box and went to the double doors, walking out into the fresh breeze of the late summer air.
A large tree sat directly below her balcony. She could picture herself as Juliet. She regretted it when she thought about her Romeo, her thoughts going straight to Troy. Then again, what was the harm in fantasizing about him every now and then? He'd come up to her window after climbing the tree and they'd fall into each other's arms, recreating their night together. This time, maybe he'd treat her better than a one night stand.
That memory made her heart sink and she sighed, putting her chin into her hand as she watched the movers nearby drag in furniture and boxes. She took a moment and looked around further at her new neighbors. Across the way, there was a white paneled house that was a bit smaller. She spotted a dog sniffing around the backyard. She couldn't see but one other side, the house directly next to hers. It was a red brick house with a dark vibe, but still homey. She couldn't see much because they had a fence. She spotted a basketball hoop and a large bay window near it. Lights were off and she didn't see a car in the driveway. Maybe she could make a friend if they had someone her age.
She should stay and help with the movers, but she was starting to feel restless. She wanted to explore the neighborhood more. She needed to know how to get back to her house from school and other places since she didn't have a car of her own. The school wasn't too far from her house. She went downstairs and saw they had put the couch and a few other chairs in the living room. She spotted her mother in the empty den, though it was filling with a few shelves.
"Mom, can I go for a walk around the neighborhood? I just want to get a feel for things," she shrugged.
Her mother smiled at her and nodded, waving her off. "Of course, of course! We've got things from here. Don't be too long, though. I'm going to order dinner somewhere."
Gabriella nodded and kissed her on the cheek before leaving. She bypassed the movers as they carried in the television. She needed to remember to thank them. Her mother might forget and she didn't want the movers to feel like servants or something.
She began down the sidewalk, passing the red brick house next to them. She still couldn't see movement inside, but she made a note to introduce herself one day. The other houses were different from each other. She was glad they didn't look like the houses that were the same one after the next, coming out of a stepford film. That would just be creepy.
The sun was too high in the sky, but there was a slight breeze. She was thankful she dressed accordingly with jean shorts and a black tank top. She quickly threw her curls up, feeling the sweat beginning on the back of her neck. A cold shower was calling her name when she returned.
So far on the five minutes of her walk, she had waved to an old couple and smiled at a little girl riding her tricycle in the driveway. It was a quiet neighborhood, but it still seemed close knit. Maybe they had barbecues or neighborhood parties. Maybe they kept to themselves. She had two years to figure it out.
Gabriella pulled out her phone, checking a few text messages and social media posts from her friends back in Los Angeles. She missed them already and she hoped she'd easily make friends at East High. What kind of clubs would she fit into? Would her teachers be nice? Where would she sit at lunch?
The whole idea was making her anxious that she didn't even register another body collide into her, causing her feet to slip. She gripped her phone hard in her hand as she could slowly feel her body fall backward toward the sidewalk. Instead of hard concrete that should have bruised her tailbone, strong and familiar hands stopped her fall and held on. She gripped a pair of strong biceps that her memory never forgot since that night as she stared into a pair of icy blue eyes and a to-die-for smile.
"We've got to stop meeting like this," he said in a low, husky voice.
She kept her grip on his arms as his hands stayed on her body, slowly bringing her back to an upright position. "Troy," she breathed.
Was she dreaming? Did she really fall and just pass out from the impact?
Gabriella was so sure of this dream that she brought her hands to his face, her thumb grazing his smooth skin. Her left thumb brushed across the bottom of his lip and he let out a slight gasp at the touch, not expecting it.
Troy let out a chuckle and brought his hands to hers, removing them from his face but keeping a hold of them to his chest. "It's really me."
It all came rushing back to her. She remembered their night together and the way he had acted afterward. She let go of his hands and took a step back, putting a hand on her chest and willing her heart to calm down.
"What are you doing in Albuquerque?" she asked him.
His face had fallen a bit when she stepped away from him. He recovered and smiled again. "I live here. Just down the street."
She took notice of him, finally. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and he was shirtless, just her luck. He must have been jogging for a while because he was sweating and his hair was stuck to his forehead. God, he looked so unforgivable. She had to tell herself that he was a one night stand and nothing more.
"You've seen it all before," he quirked, noticing the way she stared at him.
Gabriella blushed and looked away, letting out an awkward laugh. "Very funny."
Troy began walking in the other direction and gestured for her to follow. They took their steps slowly. Her skin kept brushing against his and it was driving her crazy.
"Why didn't you tell me you lived here?" he asked her.
"I lived in Los Angeles, but we just came down here for the move. I'll be here for the next two years until college."
"So, you're a junior. Just like me." He nudged her shoulder. "We'll be classmates."
"Yeah," she murmured.
Suddenly, Troy had stopped. She looked up from the ground and saw they were standing in between the red brick house and her own house. She looked at him with furrowed brows. "How did you know I live here?"
He matched her expression and pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the red brick house. "I live here." He looked over at the moving van and his smile couldn't have been any bigger. "You're my new neighbor? This just gets better and better."
Gabriella didn't know what to say. What kind of weird fate was this?
"Here I thought I wouldn't see you again," he smiled down at her. His fingers brushed down her arm and grabbed her own lightly.
She looked down at his grip in surprise. This wasn't the boy she had left behind, the boy who was so dismissive of their time together. Then again, maybe he just wanted to get in her pants again. The thought made her sick and she didn't realize he had such an effect on her until his other hand was on her cheek. She could feel the heat behind her eyes, which only meant she was letting her emotions get to her.
"Hey, hey." Troy stepped closer to her. "What's wrong? Are you...you don't want to see me?"
Gabriella didn't want to be caught by her mother and questioned about him. She shook her head and stepped back from him again. "No, I do. I mean...after that night...it was amazing."
"I know," he smiled tentatively. "I've thought about that night and you constantly. I wanted to see you again before we docked."
"It didn't seem like it when I left your room," she blurted out, wincing as she saw him flinch back at the accusation.
Troy's hand came to the back of his neck and he sighed, not meeting her eyes. "Gabriella, I know I was an asshole afterward and that's not what I wanted to happen." He looked at her and she was taken aback by the passion in his eyes. It made her stomach flip.
"Look," he started. "That night was amazing and it wasn't because of what we did. It was also because of the connection I felt we had. You've been on my mind since I met you and I don't know who to thank that you're here, as my neighbor."
She didn't know what to say as she listened and watched him.
"But, if I've made you uncomfortable after that night, I understand and I apologize. We don't have to go that far again," he told her.
She didn't expect that. Knowing that he had thought about her just as much as she thought about him, this changed a lot. He felt a connection with her and now they were together again. But, he felt the need to protect her and withhold that connection? What was she supposed to do?
"I still want us to hang out, be friends." He smiled sheepishly. "If you want."
She didn't want to throw herself at him when he was being so chivalrous right now. He was a gentleman at such a young age. If he wanted to withhold any other affections, all she could do now was agree. Yes, there was something in the fates that brought them together again. Right now, she was confused on what exactly. Maybe they were just meant to be friends, but she didn't want to forget that night. Maybe he wanted to, but she didn't. She could move past it with him, but it was going to be hard for that moment to leave her heart.
Gabriella could never forget that night, just like she could never forget him. "Of course."
Troy couldn't believe his luck. He was just on the cusp of accepting that he was never going to see Gabriella again, deciding on his run that he needed to move past it and get on with his life. Granted, he could have just looked her up on social media, but he thought that would just make things harder. Trying to talk to her when she lived somewhere else, even if it was across the country, and also trying to forget about how he felt with her that night? He had decided that it would just be too much for his heart, so never seeing her again was going to have to be some kind of blessing.
Then he ran into her...literally.
The feel of her in his arms again, just like when she tripped into his lap, felt like deja vu. It took him a moment, as he held her from the sidewalk and stared into her shocked expression, to tell himself this was real. He wasn't dreaming and he wasn't having some illusion due to running too much or dehydration. Gabriella was here, in Albuquerque, going to his school, as his fucking neighbor. The fates couldn't have blessed him more in life than at that very moment.
Until he had noticed her hesitancy around him, until she had told him how she had felt after their night of passion. He had hurt her, he knew this, but seeing it on her face and hearing it from her own beautiful voice cemented it for him. He didn't want to hurt her again like that, so his stupid brain made him blurt out the f-word. It had to be the worst decision, especially when he wanted to see her again, hold her again, kiss her again, feel her again. He couldn't ignore that connection and he knew damn well it was going to be hard seeing her in school, seeing her next door.
That same evening, late into the night, God had granted him another swing of fate. He had been at his desk, preparing his notebooks and pencils for school the next day. When he got up and turned to face his window, he saw the room next door with the balcony. Sitting on the balcony in a wicker chair was Gabriella herself, reading with her delicate feet up on the railing.
He could see her perfectly from his window, making this whole "friends" thing even harder. He knew immediately that she was going to be the kind of person that would spend plenty of time outside on that balcony. The tree next to it was calling to him, to climb it and spend time with her. He wasn't Romeo, though. They weren't lovers. Friends couldn't be lovers.
God, he wanted to be.
For the rest of the night, he tried so hard to not stare out the window like a creep. He kept himself busy with his computer, social media, video games, even reading. When his eyes grew heavy around midnight and he got himself ready for bed, he took one last glance at the window. The lights were off and the doors were closed. She wasn't a night owl, which he kind of liked. He wondered what she slept in, how she slept. Did she sleep with her leg up or did she sleep with her legs criss-crossed and on her back? Did she have any pets that slept with her?
He cursed his stupid brain again for not getting her cell phone number earlier. They both had their phones, but he was just so amazed to see her again and so dumbfounded at his stupidity to say the f-word that it went over his head.
He got under the covers and placed his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. The last time he did this, he was trying to figure out how to forget about her. Now, two weeks later, he didn't want to lose her. He made the decision right there. Tomorrow, he'd meet her at school and offer to show her around. He'd introduce her to his friends, allow her to get comfortable around them. He had no doubt they would accept her and make her comfortable, too. He'd remember to get her number.
What else could he do? Could he take back his suggestion of being friends and admit that he wanted to know her more and explore beyond a friendship? He could get to know her more either way, but after remembering how comfortable he had felt around her the whole time on the cruise and their night together, he wasn't sure if a friendship would ever be enough.
Tomorrow was definitely going to be a memorable first day.