They walked into the party hand in hand. "Wow." Troy said quietly. "This is the biggest it's ever been." There were people everywhere. Everybody had cups, there was loud music that could be heard down the block. Troy held onto Gabriella tighter as they tried to wiggle their way through the crowd of people.
"We should find Chad and say hi." Gabriella said, thinking back on her mother's words about how it's not polite to enjoy a party without greeting the host first.
"He's probably downstairs." Troy said, leading her around his old best friend's house. He spend a lot of time in this house with his buddy. He missed Chad but he didn't miss the constant competition and pressure from his best friend to do the same things.
"Hello Catwoman." A random guy said.
Gabriella ignored it and walked closer to Troy down the stairs. "Chad!" Troy called out.
Chad's afro shook as he turned his attention over to Troy and Gabriella. "Bolton, glad you can make it. Gabriella Montez, you look smoking hot."
"I love your costume." She said, giggling at him. He was Bugs Bunny from Space Jam. "I love Space Jam."
"Help yourself to anything. Troy knows where all the good snacks are. If you want liquor, it's in my room, in my closet- don't let anybody else in there." Chad said quietly.
"Thanks, Chad. We're not drinking tonight. Gabi has to drive home and my dad would kill me if I came home drunk."
Chad laughed in understanding. "Hey, don't get my team in trouble. You saw nothing."
"Make sure they behave. That's your job now man." Troy said, sliding his hand around her waist. "Hey, do you want to go down to the pick and pull with me and my dad next weekend? We need some parts for the truck."
"Yeah, sure. I need a couple things for my hunk of junk." Chad grinned.
"Cool, my dad will be happy you're coming too. I will make sure he doesn't talk about basketball the whole time." Troy joked. "See you later, man."
"Later. Take care of my boy, Montez."
"I will." She said with a smile. "Come on, handsome, I want to dance." She dragged him up the stairs and out into the sea of people dancing in the living room. She pulled him close to her, wrapping her arms around his neck and moving her hips to the beat.
Troy enjoyed feeling her body pressed up against his. They didn't have much room so they were smooshed together with a bunch of other kids as the songs went on. Gabriella turned around after the third song and grinded her butt against his crotch. It felt so good, Troy didn't know if he wanted to stop or keep going.
She knew exactly what she was doing as she danced against him. His hands moved down her body to her hips, pulling her closer. She wrapped her arms up and around his neck, moving her ass in slow circles with the bass. He was able to kiss the curve of her neck as they danced together. His thighs were burning but he loved every minute of dancing with her.
"Do you want to get some water and sit outside to cool down?" He asked as the song ended and it was quieter for just a second.
She nodded her head and turned to face him. He pulled at his batman costume to adjust at the discretion of the dance floor. Her hand found his, squeezing gently as he led her the kitchen. He grabbed her a clean solo cup and filled it with water before handing it over to her. "Thank you." He grabbed another for himself before leading her out to the back yard. There was a bunch of people out there, smoking and chatting and dancing.
"Let's go grab that chair over there." He said, pointing with his cup.
She walked around the Danforth's pool and took a seat on the lounge chair. Troy took a seat next to her and they drank their waters. She chewed on her bottom lip in thought. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
He glanced over at her. "Probably nothing, why?"
"Do you want to come to my voice lesson with me? I want to sing something for you that I've been working on."
He grinned. "Sing it to me now."
"It's not the same without the music."
"I disagree. Acapella is very popular right now." Troy said, grinning. He really just wanted to hear her beautiful voice.
"I have so many songs that have just been coming to me. All these melodies playing in my head. I can't wait to just write them all down and put them together."
"What's your song about?"
"Daydreaming. I have another song, I think I'm writing about my parents. I had a conversation with Rose the other day before I left about like when was the defining moment that my parents didn't love me anymore. Well not just me, but Camilla and Mariella as well. I'm still debating on which one I'm going to sing for my audition. I want to make sure they hear my music so they know that I can be an asset to them."
Troy rubbed her back gently. "Julliard is going to love you. You are so extremely talented."
"I hope they do." She said with a small sigh. "It's not like here where it's all about Sharpay. Julliard is going to have a thousand Sharpay's."
"She gave you good practice." He said, kissing her cheek. "You can handle Sharpay any day. You are so much better than her all around and I'm not stroking your ego because I like you. You're incredible in every way."
Gabriella leaned against him. She let him hold her closer as she pondered the thought. "Ha- so the rumors are true. You're fucking Bolton, now." She heard Owen then saw him walk over in cloud of smoke.
"And this concerns you, how?" She asked, sitting up slowly. "Fuck off, Owen."
Owen smirked. "Yeah you didn't say that when I was fucking you a month ago."
"And Sharpay didn't say that either when you fucked her. Leave me alone."
Owen laughed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Nothing but a worthless whore anyway- both of you."
"You better leave before I knock your fucking teeth in." Troy said.
The blonde rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do about it Bolton? Go cry to daddy."
Troy clinched his fist and made an effort to get up. "Not worth it." Gabriella said, putting a hand on his leg. "Owen is just mad that your dick is bigger than his."
"Slut."
"I'm so offended." Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Seriously, go away."
Owen flicked his cigarette towards them and turned to walk away. Gabriella stopped it out with her boot. "He's a tool."
"Don't waste your time. He's just going to end up knocking somebody up then going to jail for failing to pay child support."
"I can't believe you had sex with him."
She sighed. "I've had sex with a lot of guys, Troy."
"I know, I don't care but I've known him forever and he's always been a douche." He kissed her cheek. "I should have punched him. That would have spiced things up during Christmas at Nana's."
Gabriella giggled, leaning into him. "You're my best friend."
"You're my favorite dessert, cupcake." He said, moving his hand down to her hip.
She turned her body to face his. She leaned in to kiss his lips firmly. He grinned against her mouth, leaning in closer to her. She licked his bottom lip as she repositioned her lips on his. His tongue brushed against hers. She hummed quietly, reaching up to slide her hand around the back of his neck. Their tongues tangled for a little while longer before Troy pulled away.
"Troooy!" They heard and simultaneously groaned.
"What the hell does she want?" Troy asked, looking at Gabriella.
"I don't know." Gabriella answered, wiping off a smudge of lipstick from his face. "Do I look okay?"
"Beautiful as always, cupcake." He winked, making her roll her eyes. "You do have some, here." He brushed his thumb along her lip before wiping it on his costume.
"Thank you." She leaned in to kiss him again.
"Troy! There you are!" They both flinched at the proximity of Sharpay. "Gabi! Cute costume! It looked way better on me when I wore the same thing three years ago."
"What do you want?" Troy asked bluntly. Gabriella bit back a giggle.
"I wanted to see what you were wearing! Batman- so hot." Sharpay said, grinning. "Do you like my costume? I'm Regina George from Mean Girls."
"Before or after she got hit by the bus?" Troy asked.
Gabi laughed out loud and Sharpay was too busy turning in her outfit to hear. "What do you think?"
"Why do you care what I think?" He questioned. "Do you mind? I was a little busy."
"Gabriella! Want to come to the bathroom with me?"
"No, I cant take off this suit."
"Come on!" Sharpay said forcefully, reaching over for Gabriella's arm and pulling her up.
"Seriously? I'll be right back, Troy." Gabriella got dragged by Sharpay in the house and up the stairs to the guest bathroom. "What?"
"What is your problem? Your mom said you've been a total bitch all week."
"Who cares." Gabi said, annoyed. "She's been a bitch my whole life."
"Whoa, chill out. Are you- are you pregnant?"
"No, I'm not pregnant."
Sharpay gasped. Oh god, she really thought Gabriella was pregnant. "Have you told Troy? What are you going to do? Are you going to get an abortion?"
"Sharpay, I'm not fucking pregnant. Shut up before somebody overhears."
"I can give you a number to a clinic. They can make it all go away."
She groaned in frustration and turned to walk out of the bathroom. She opened the door, leaving it open with Sharpay inside. She pushed her way through the crowd and back outside. Troy was sitting there waiting for her. He sipped his water as she looked at him. She wished she would have gotten to know him sooner. She would have saved herself a lot of heartache.
"How was the bathroom?"
"If you hear a rumor that I'm pregnant, can you tell me so I can murder Sharpay?"
Troy laughed. "You're pregnant? Who's the dad?"
"According to Sharpay, you are."
He laughed harder, making her feel more relaxed about the situation. "We have to tell my dad ASAP or else he'll have a cow if he hears it at school." Troy leaned his back against the back rest of the chair, opening his legs for her to sit. "Come here, cupcake."
She smiled to herself as she sat in between his legs and leaned back against him. He wrapped his arms around her. "What should we name our fake baby?"
"Rumor." He suggested, making her giggle.
"Gossip for a boy." She suggested.
"Gossip is a pretty cool name." He said, kissing the side of her head.
Gabriella pulled Troy into the small building where she had her singing lessons. She was early so she could sing her song for Troy with the piano. She was excited to be singing and sharing her music with someone. He always complimented her. She hoped he liked it.
"Do you remember one of the days we got detention and we went over to the music room and I was singing, daydreaming and you popped in and said 'about me'?"
"Vaguely." He said, watching her sit down at the piano bench.
"Sit with me." She instructed. She pulled her book out of her bag and set it up. "I asked, because you asking me that then kind of inspired my song. Let me know what you think, okay?" She asked, moving the cover.
She stretched her neck out and relaxed her fingers. She took a deep breath as she started playing.
"You walked in
Caught my attention
I've never seen,
a man with so much dimension
It's the way you walk,
The way you talk,
The way you make me feel inside
It's in your smile
It's in your eyes
I don't wanna wait for tonight
So I'm daydreamin'
With my chin in the palm of my hands
about you, you
And only you
Got me
Daydreamin' with my chin in the palm of my hands
about you, you
And only you
For you
For you
For you
For you.
Now I cant wait
To hold you in my arms
I know I was made for you
I'm in love with all of your charm
It's the way you walk,
The way you talk,
The way you make me feel inside
It's in your smile
It's in your eyes
I don't wanna wait for tonight
So I'm daydreamin'
With my chin in the palm of my hands
about you, you
And only you
Got me
Daydreamin' with my chin in the palm of my hands
about you, you
And only you
But I want ya
Got to have it
And I need you
Like I've never had lovin before
Oh I want ya
I need you
Got to have it
Like I've never had loving before
So I'm daydreamin'
With my chin in the palm of my hands
about you, you
And only you
Got me
Daydreamin' with my chin in the palm of my hands
about you, you
And only you
For you
For you
For you
For you."
Troy was grinning ear to ear. It made Gabriella kind of blush as she looked back at the keys from him. She was suddenly nervous about what he thought because he didn't say anything he just sat there, smiling.
"I knew you were in love with me."
Gabi laughed, shaking her head. "You are so annoying!"
"It's so good, Cupcake. I'm going to have it stuck in my head for the rest of the day." He kissed her cheek. "I can't hit the high notes though. Daydreamin'" He tried to sing but his voice cracked, making her laugh harder.
Her voice instructor walked in five minutes later as they were mid-kiss. Troy blushed and sat in the corner while Gabriella got her voice lesson. He loved her voice and hearing it for an hour was like heaven. She sang the song again for her instructor before they worked on some of her other work. Troy was playing a game on his phone to keep him entertained.
"Troy! Sing the Cabaret song with me."
"Absolutely not. I am not on Darbus time and I am not singing the cabaret song."
"Seriously? You're not going to sing with me?"
"Nope." He shook his head, looking back down to his phone.
"What about a different song?"
"Like what?" He asked, still looking at his phone.
Gabriella sighed. "I don't know, you pick one."
"Maybe next time. We don't have a song to sing."
"The Cabaret song."
"No, cupcake."
"You suck." She said, turning around. "He's shy. He doesn't think he can sing." She explained.
After the lesson was over, Troy followed her out to her car. She didn't talk to him as he climbed in. She started the car and made her way back to the Bolton's. Troy groaned. "I forgot I have to do my paper for English. I don't want to go home."
"Too bad. Do it."
"Why are you mad?" He asked, glancing at her.
"I'm not mad."
"Is it about singing? You're an amazing singer, I have a hard enough time singing in front of you and Sharpay and Ryan. I don't want to sing in front of the person who makes you sing better. I'm going to look stupid."
"You wouldn't have. I'm not mad."
"Fine." He said with a sigh. "I really liked your song though."
"Thank you." She said softly. She pulled up to the Bolton's, parking her car in front of the house.
"You okay?" He asked, reaching over to brush her hair away from her face.
"Yeah, I'm just- I want to write more."
"Come inside and you can write music and I'll write my paper."
"I wish I had my piano." She said with a soft sigh.
"I think I have a keyboard in my attic, I could find for you. I'll set it up, I'm pretty sure it has headphones so you can be in the zone." He stroked her cheek softly. "I know it's not the same."
She smiled, leaning into his hand. "If you don't have it, it's fine. I'll work on some lyrics."
He unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out. He waited for her to do the same. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as they walked together in the house. "Hey, Mom, do we still have that keyboard you bought me when I was like ten? I want to find it so Gabi can use it." Troy asked, letting go of Gabriella and walking over to his mom.
"I didn't get rid of it, so it's probably still up there in the attic." Lucille said, looking over at the teenagers.
"Don't worry, Gabriella is amazing at the piano so you won't have to cringe when you walk by and hear it going." Troy said, making his mother laugh. "I'm going to go find it."
"What are you watching?" Gabriella asked, Troy's mom.
"Chopped. I've seen every episode but I can't not watch it. Its so good." Lucille smiled at the girl. "Come sit." Gabriella took a seat next to his mom. Lucille rubbed her back. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just in a weird mood and that's usually when my best songs come out." Gabriella tried to explain. "I need to write something good if I'm going to get into Julliard."
"What have you written about?"
"Love and the lack of. I want to write something better than a love song, ya know? I want to write an un-love song."
Lucille smiled. "It sounds like you already have an idea."
"I just don't know if it will be good enough."
"I'm sure it will be, honey. If you give it everything you have, then it is already worth the world."
"I found it!" Troy said, calling out from the top of the stairs.
"Okay." Gabriella called back. She looked over at his mother. She was smiling at her. A warm motherly smile that made her heart clench. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I just want to say…..Thank you so much, for letting me stay here. I really don't want to be a pain and I know I need to work things out with my parents… It just means a lot to me to know that I am welcomed here."
"Anytime, honey. I mean it. Day or night. Our doors are open for you." She reached over and squeezed Gabriella's hand tightly.
Gabriella wished she could do so much more than squeeze back. She gave the older woman a smile before getting up. She took a calming breath before she made her way up the stairs. Troy had set up the keyboard next to his big window in his room. He rolled over the desk chair so she could sit comfortably. He poked a couple of keys making sure it worked. He plugged in the headphones and did the same.
She smiled at him as he took the headphones off. "It's old but it works." He said with a grin. She walked over to him, kissing his lips hard before wrapping her arms around him. She kissed his face gently as he smiled. "You're welcome."
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season.
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Song: Daydreamin'- Ariana Grande