A/N: Thanks so much, TroyandGabriellafanFOREVER and mylifeismine, for my first two reviews! Sorry if this fanfic is kinda unconventional Troyella… I have a fiction license. xP I'm kind of getting into this story… give it a chance, because it'll probably get more interesting later on. I hope. Cross your fingers!
FYI: In this story, Gabriella's family is entirely Filipino. HA. ♥♥♥
Troy and Gabriella were rested on top of a grassy hill overlooking the country and the city. They had "hiked" up there and had put their backpacks down to enjoy a snack of hoagies and Gatorade. Troy was leaning against one old, gnarled tree, and Gabriella had willingly rested her head on his chest. The couple had often climbed this hill if they wanted a break from the norm or simply a peaceful place to talk and discuss things.
"Gabbie… when we get married, how would you design our house?" Troy asked casually. Both of them had plans to marry each other but had agreed to live "freely" for at least a year or so more… or at least until Troy's parents finally learned to accept Gabriella after almost five years. Since Troy was expected to inherit large amounts of money from his parents, he was planning to design his house with Gabriella.
"I'm not sure…" Gabriella sighed contentedly. "But I want our bedroom to have a view…"
"…uh… yeah, of course." Troy couldn't help but feeling a little shocked. He'd never imagined sharing a room with Gabriella. He wondered what she'd look like in the morning, then quickly stopped himself.
"…maybe a view like… right here… not a house on a hill, of course… just… a nice view." Gabriella giggled. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"
"Maybe…" Troy laughed, too, running his fingers through her hair. He couldn't help but notice how soft and curly it was. Gabriella's hair, to him, seemed like a chocolate milkshake waterfall cascading from her head in ringlets. Just the thought of a chocolate milkshake made him hungry, but he couldn't eat his girlfriend's hair.
"Why do you always do that to my hair?" Gabriella asked absent-mindedly, dissecting a blade of grass into tiny green threads.
" 'Cause… I like to."
"Well, that's no fair. Can I touch your hair?"
Troy chuckled. "You're a weirdo."
"I'm a fun weirdo," Gabriella shot back, suppressing laughter.
"Okay, c'mon, fun weirdo. Let's go down the hill and back to Sandara's house." Troy picked her up by the waist and whirled around quickly, ignoring her pleas.
"Put me down, Troy! Tro-oy! Please! Put me down!"
"Oh, put 'cha down, you say? As you wish, madam." Troy let go of her and caught her again before setting her gently on the grass.
"You always know how to make a girl feel like royalty," Gabriella said sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips.
Troy gave an overdramatic bow. "Thank you, your highness."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, slung her backpack over one shoulder, and grabbed Troy's wrist. "Come on, Prince Charming. Let's go to Sandara's."
---
"We were expecting you two," Sandara smiled as she let her younger sister and Troy inside. "Sorry, but Josh is at work… I do, however, have two people I know you guys will be surprised to see." Her eyes twinkled; Gabriella and Troy cast her puzzled looks.
"Wha… wow… Chad… and Taylor? You're here? How? When? Why the heck didn't you tell us?" Gabriella sputtered her eyes wide.
"Hello to you, too, Gabbie," Chad laughed in amusement.
"Wow, Taylor, you look great," Gabriella smiled. Her first friend from East High looked prettier than ever in a red, pink, and white paisley summer dress, white heels, and a red cropped cardigan. Instead of being pulled back as usual, Taylor's hair was delicately clipped back perfectly to frame her face. The happiness that she obviously felt, being Chad's fiancée, showed on her face, which glowed with radiance and pride.
"Hey, you, too…" Taylor blushed a little.
Troy and Chad exchanged hellos and caught up with each other, as Taylor and Gabriella did. Sandara smiled to herself and went about preparing dinner like she used to in Albuquerque while Gabriella was in high school… after she had completed her online college courses, of course.
"So…" Troy began. "Why're you guys here? Besides to see us? I mean… I thought you guys were planning your wedding and all."
Taylor shrugged. "We got the call from your sister," she told Gabriella, "and she said that she wanted us to come over for a second so… well, there wasn't really a reason."
Sandara fought to keep a straight face as she set the table, topping each plate with a stainless steel top, like they did in fancy French restaurants. "Dinner's ready," she called out softly.
"Great! I'm starving," Chad was one of the first to slip into a chair. He looked at the steel lid curiously. "Sandy… what's up with the…uh… this?"
"Well, tonight's special." A mysterious smile played on the hostess's lips.
"Oh… well… what is it?" Chad removed the top and looked even more confused when he saw a plain white business envelope where his food should have been. He pouted. "I'm hunnnnngry," he whined.
The others laughed. "I think you're supposed to open the envelope, Chad," Troy offered good-naturedly, his blue eyes twinkling. Everything was like it had been—only without the rest of the gang.
"Oh," Chad repeated simply, tearing the envelope open. "Whoa… what's this? A ticket to Tokyo?"
The other three murmured the same response, and all four turned their heads to look at Sandara, requesting an explanation.
"Me and Josh were going to go with Maya and Jericho… but we can't. You guys'll enjoy it a lot more, anyway."
Gabriella opened her mouth to protest, but Sandara continued: "Maya and I are pregnant."
"That makes more sense," Gabriella finally said.
"It does… so, will you guys go? For me?" Sandara made puppy dog eyes.
"So that's where Gabriella got it!" Troy exclaimed.
"Tolja it was foolproof, sis," Sandara laughed. "So…?" she raised a questioning eyebrow.
"We'll go."
