Troy paced, his feet moving him restlessly about the room. The day had went well. He was expecting more drama or more awkwardness, but the family lunch went smoothly. Feeling the space between himself and Chad was the worst part. He had a lot to fix there.
Seeing Gabriella was a rush. She knocked the wind out of him. She was so beautiful. The guilt he had in his heart over their break up should have make it harder to be near her, but her presence was still just as intoxicating as it had always been. He was already anxious to see her again and it had only been a few hours. Troy felt like he had said too much at the same time he knew he didn't say enough.
Gabriella needed more than just words from him, he knew that. But, an actual conversation would be a start. The reunion party was tomorrow night, and rather than half-yelling his feelings to her over the music, he could hopefully convince her to meet him tonight. It was selfish. It had only been a few hours since lunch. He wanted more time with her. At this point, it felt like a need. Troy was already imagining how tomorrow night would go in his head, spinning so many scenarios that his head looked like an over-edited script.
Troy turned his phone in his hand before pulling up her contact. He started typing a text.
It's Troy. I was wondering if...
He deleted the words. She would still have his information. His number hadn't changed in years. It was silly starting with his name.
It was great seeing you today and I was hoping...
Erasing the text, he hoped for the days of flip phones so that he could close it roughly in frustration. Screens didn't offer the same satisfaction of smashing down a real button or snapping it closed.
Would you like to go to dinner with me?
Chickening out again, he deleted the text just as a knock sounded at the door. His mom poked her head into the room with a smile.
"I can hear your footsteps from the living room," Lucille said. She looked at his still moving feet pointedly.
Troy made an effort to stand still. He now remembered that his room (now a guest room) was right above the living room. "Sorry, I was just, uh, thinking."
His mother gave him a knowing look, the shade of her blue eyes matching his. "About the reunion, or the people there?" Troy rubbed the back of his neck instead of answering. "Maybe just one person there, hmm?"
"Is it that obvious?" Troy laughed in a self-deprecating way. He sat on the bed roughly.
The mattress shifted as his mother sat beside him. She put her hand on his arm. "Only to your mother."
"God, I hope so." He took a deep breath. "I want to ask her to dinner tonight."
"Then ask her."
"You make it sound so simple."
She squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "You two were very close for a long time. If you want to get back to that," she paused to look him in the eyes, "then you need to get started."
Troy sighed as his mother left the room. She was right. He had so much history with Gabriella. So many firsts. Asking her out the first time after their break up would just be another one.
Dinner at Saggio's?
Before he could add anything else to the text, he sent it. Troy clutched his phone tightly, waiting for her reply.
Ryan ripped the cellophane wrapper off of the popcorn packet. "I hope big name actresses still like the extra buttery popcorn!"
Sharpay laughed from the living room. "Calories don't count on vacation!"
After the popcorn cooked in the microwave, Ryan put it in a bowl with two handfuls of M&Ms. "Snacks provided. What's the movie?"
Sharpay had a stack of DVD cases in front of her and the cabinet filled with more was open in front of her. Ryan watched as she finally narrowed it down to Mamma Mia! and put the disc in the player.
As the movie played, they snacked on the popcorn and sang along to every song. For two people that had been properly trained and performed songs on numerous stages, their talents were less than obvious during the titular song.
Between songs, Ryan kept asking Sharpay questions about her life in LA. Most of the questions centered around a certain ex-basketball player, and she knew that he was trying to get information for Gabriella. It was striking how the group had rearranged itself. Of course, she was still close to her brother, but they were no longer mistakable for the same person. Ryan had found that he loved sharing his joy of performing more than he enjoyed the act itself. His life was full of the eager energy of the students he taught, the doting love of his boyfriend, and the comforts of their hometown. Sharpay almost envied it. The hustle and competition of being an actress in one of the world's largest cities was daunting, exhausting, and not for the insecure. Thankfully, she had never struggled in that regard. If confidence was key, she had it. And, soon enough, she would get to have the career she dreamed of. All the warm and fuzzies were going to have to wait.
As she answered Ryan's questions, she realized that most of her warm and fuzzies came from Troy. She quickly cleared up that there was no romance there. It was more camaraderie in battle. They spent their time in the trenches together, and they were both starting to rise out of it. Troy was getting contacted more and more frequently about location scouting, and A Girl's Best Friend was getting a second season. With Troy, they could always celebrate each other's successes without ever being in competition. Making friends with other up and coming actresses never ended well because they would always end up auditioning for the same role and hurting feelings. Her friendship with Troy was easy and comfortable, and he was a great guy. Ryan should already know this.
"Ryan," she said, "I know what you're doing." She waved a finger between their heads, referencing their twin connection as if it was what gave him away.
He smiled softly and chuckled. "Then just tell me what I want to know!"
"He isn't dating. In the last seven years, I've seen him talk to so few women that he's basically a eunuch. Troy likes to act like it's some kind of focus tactic."
"Sounds like he might still be hung up on someone…," Ryan let his sentence drift off.
"You said it," Sharpay pointed at her brother. "Not me! Do not let him think that I told you that!"
Ryan laughed and they turned their attention back to the screen for "Super Trouper".
Gabriella walked down the stairs to find Sharpay, Ryan, and Mark singing "Take a Chance on Me" with exuberance. When the song ended, they all shifted their attention to her. She watched as each one of them drank in her appearance and came to their conclusions.
"Well, your sense of style hasn't changed much," Sharpay said. Gabriella was wearing a patterned sundress in reds, yellows, and blues that fell to her knees. Her hair was curled lazily to her waist. Mark insisted that she do a twirl, and when she did, the low back of the dress was revealed. "Or maybe it has," Sharpay amended her previous statement.
"So am I safe in assuming that someone has a date?" Ryan asked.
"No," Gabriella's blush betrayed her answer, "I'm just going out to dinner."
"Dinner," Ryan repeated, "Should we wait up?" Sharpay and Mark laughed lightly with him.
Gabriella told them all a hurried goodbye. Thankfully, Troy's black sedan was pulling up and she could escape quickly. She got in and shut the door quickly. As Troy pulled away, she looked back to see the living room curtains moving.
"Prying eyes?"
Gabriella nodded. "You'd think they had no lives at all!"
"I got the same looks from my parents as I left the house. I felt like I was right back in high school, that white truck and everything."
"Some things never change, do they?" Gabriella realized the possible implications behind her words only after she had spoken them. Rather than making it worse by trying to wiggle her way out of the situation, she held her tongue, trying to wait out the awkwardness. Troy changed the subject, and Gabriella found it easy to talk with him. The dim light of passing street lights illuminated his expressive face. He was going on about how Zeke and his wife looked like they belonged on a magazine cover.
They had moved on to discussing Martha and Jason's adorable kids by the time they entered the restaurant. Gabriella found herself looking at him more than listening to him. She made a conscious effort to focus. Over a shared pizza, he answered her questions about what exactly a Hollywood location manager does. He was much more talkative about his job than anything in his personal life. Troy shied away from her question about a girlfriend and directed the conversation back to her.
"I've never been the greatest at relationships," she said, ignoring the contradiction to her words that was seated directly across from her. "Doesn't always mesh well with the plan."
"The plan?" He chuckled and it made her feel self conscious. "What's the plan?"
"Same as yours." She tried not to make her voice sound defensive. "Land the dream job, get an apartment without a roommate."
He nodded. "So, you've found it then."
"What I've been looking for?" She thought of her new job and her apartment waiting for her back home, full of boxes, but no roommate. "Yeah, I guess I have."
Even to her own ears, her words sounded hollow. She had it all. At least, she had what she had been working so hard towards since middle school. Her job was stimulating and difficult, already challenging her mentally. Gabriella was in a position to learn everyday, to strive for more and accomplish amazing things.
Troy was more honest than she was. "I've still got a ways to go." He seemed to speak of the empty places she was trying so hard to ignore.
AN: I know this Troyella date might not have been as perfect, slip into old habits, favorite pair of jeans as some of you may have wanted, but our duo has to work back to that. And they will! Pinky promise. I have had a couple reviews about Gabriella being too perfect, so I hope you're starting to see where her character struggles. Each of our wildcats has something to work through, and some are more obvious than others. Anyway, thank you for your patience and continued love of HSM. This is the halfway point for this story, and we will be picking up the pace!