Chapter 9

"You know, I still don't know how your mom knew I was the Gabriella who saved you," she used her fingers to put air quotes around "saved."

"I don't really think she did," it was free period and they were sitting on a sofa in the library. Gabriella was snuggled up, lounging on Troy, and he played with her hair lazily as he spoke softly to her. "I think the name just sparked a memory; and she was lucky it was actually you she was talking about."

"Well," Gabriella looked up from the book she was only partially reading, "how did you know it was actually me?"

Troy chuckled and ran his fingers tenderly down the side of her face, "She said you told her I was in anaphylactic shock. No nine year old but you would know what anaphylactic shock is."

She blushed. He made a good point. "Sharpay used to tease me about my vocabulary. She called my wordsnerdy. I guess my nerdy words came in handy. Now she teases me for other reasons," she added the last comment as nearly an after thought and it caused her eyebrows to knit together in concentration.

Troy had to stifle the grin that threatened to spread across his face as he noticed how adorable she was when she was thinking of something serious. Then again, he thought she was pretty adorable all the time.

"She doesn't still bother you does she, Gabriella?" He asked.

Gabriella shrugged, "I'm really quite used to it now. Everyone has mostly left me alone since we started high school."

Troy didn't like the way she accepted other people's actions, but he especially didn't like the fact that he had never noticed people bullying her. He had spent years watching her from afar. How could he have missed it?

"Babe," he mumbled softly before wrapping his arms around her a bit more snuggly, "no one has ever, like, really hurt you have they?" He caressed her cheek and held her face steady, searching her eyes.

"Just my feelings, Troy," she assured. "When we were kids a few girls used to pinch me and leave bruises, but no one ever really, really hurt me physically."

He kissed her then, slowly and gently. When he pulled away, Gabriella could see a pain in his eyes that mirrored her own, "I am so sorry," his forehead was pressed against hers now, "how could anyone ever want to hurt you, Gabriella? You're perfect."

She offered him a shy smile at how much he sounded like her mother, before lightly kissing him, "Thank you. I'm glad you think so. It's not true you, know." She added with a smirk. "I'm not perfect."

"I think you are," Troy defended.

"You haven't seen me roll out of bed yet. Literally, roll, Troy. Like, tangled up in bedsheets, rolling onto the floor, and smacking my face."

He laughed, "I think you rolling out of bed would be pretty sexy."

She flushed at his words, no longer able to hold eye contact. She looked down at her lap, biting the corner of her inferior lip in embarrassment.

In order to alleviate some of it, Troy kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear, "You haven't seen me after I eat Mexican."

It elicited the intended result from her when she squealed and nudged him away, "Eww, Troy! That is disgusting and way too much information. You do realize we've only been dating for a few hours, right? You have to work your way up to telling a girl those things."

"Why? You're going to find out eventually."

"Really?" She asked teasingly, "How long are you planning on keeping me?"

"Pretty much forever."

Xxx

Troy kissed Gabriella goodbye at her classroom and promised to meet her for lunch before racing down the corridors that led to his own class. After waving goodbye to Troy, Gabriella turned to enter her classroom and realized that all eyes were on her. Somehow she had forgotten that Troy was East High royalty, and she was not. Her face flushed a deep red as she made her way to her seat and pretended that everyone was not staring at her. This didn't last long, however, because Gabriella happened to share this classroom with none other than Sharpay Evans. Who, Gabriella (and everyone for that matter) knew, had a huge, not-so-secret crush on Troy Bolton.

Sharpay tapped her pink nails on Gabriella's desk, successfully gaining the timid girl's attention, "Playing Cinderella?" she asked in a sickly sweet manner.

Gabriella looked up at her, determined not to let the Ice Princess ruin her happy relationship, "I don't know what you mean, Sharpay. Have there been auditions for a play I don't know about?"

This sarcastic comment earned Gabriella a crowd of hushed comments, and one sharp comment from the sparkly girl in front of her, "Cut the bullshit. First, we see you sneak away with Troy at prom; and now we see you two kissing in public. If I didn't know any better, I'd say someone's been spreading her legs to get to the top of the high school food chain."

Gabriella bit down on her bottom lip until she tasted blood. She would not dignify that with a hurried response. Whatever she said would label her a prude or a slut. So she counted to ten before replying.

"I've spent the last thirteen years at the bottom of the high school food chain, as you label it. A few more months at the bottom isn't going to cause irreprable damage. Besides, I'd rather not associate with some of the more sparkly members of your particular trophic level. I'm perfectly content being a producer." In final thought, she also added, "The relationship I have with Troy is none of your business, or anyone's for that matter." she looked around the room for emphasis.

"You have been screwing, haven't you? Well, well, well, I would have never guessed the school prude could be such a slut. But what's that saying? Never judge a book by its cover. After all, everyone knows you're desperate; and everyone knows Troy's a man. He'd fuck anything with a vagina. As in your case, it doesn't necessarily have to be something attractive."

Despite Gabriella's resolve to withold the tears that threatened, it hurt to hear her fears put into words. As wonderful as Troy was, Gabriella did have a little piece of her brain that kept telling her it was too good to be true, that she wasn't pretty enough or good enough; and Sharpay's words easily crumbled the wall Gabriella had crafted around that particular thought. With much remorse and fight, Gabriella let a single tear slip down her cheek.

Keeping a bit of dignity for herself, Gabriella responded to Sharpay before hurrying out the door, "You're just angry that he chose me over you. He'd rather have the school pariah than Sharpay Evans."

Xxx

"Have you seen Gabriella?" Troy asked Chad as he sat down for lunch.

Chad raised an inquisitive brow, "I haven't but I've heard that the pair of you are getting awfully snuggly with each other. Care to explain?"

"Not now," Troy ran his fingers through his hair, "Something's wrong. She said she would meet me at lunch. I went to her class and she wasn't there. She's ALWAYS in class. She's Gabriella."

"I know," Chad commented pointedly, "which is exactly the reason you and I need to talk."

Troy conceded. It was bound to happen sooner or later, "Okay. We can talk, but not now. We can talk after practice today." He stood from his table to go find Gabriella. He had a suspicion of where she may be.

"You know," Troy began as he sat down beside her on their bench, "being stood up for a lunch date doesn't do much for a guy's self-esteem. Let's not even mention the fact that she is this guy's girlfriend and without a doubt the prettiest girl in school. When you add those factors it's a real stab to the chest."

Gabriella looked up at him, "I'm sorry. I just needed some fresh air. I needed to think."

"About what?" He laced their fingers.

"About me. About you. Us. High school. Chad. Sharpay. University. Everything," she admitted. "Everything, Troy."

He kissed the side of her forehead, "You weren't in class."

She shrugged in way of explanation.

Troy didn't press her. Instead he affectionately stroked his thumb down the side of her hand that he was holding, "Do you know how incredibly happy I am to have you as my girlfriend? I've never been happier, Gabriella."

"You mean a lot to me already, Troy," she admitted, "I've never had a boyfriend before. I've never had anyone care about me the way you do; and it's amazing, but are you sure we can handle this? We're going to have to face two and a half months of breaking the high school status quo."

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella, "I'm all in if you are."

Gabriella pecked his lips lightly and smiled gently, teasingly, "You really want me, huh?"

"More than anything."

"Good, because I want you too. It's going to be hard," she admitted, "And I don't know how I'll handle it all when it happens. I might even become an emotional wreck, but you'll remember how much you mean to me even when I'm being crazy, right?"

"We'll get through everything together, Brie, even an emotional wreck; and if I ever seem to shut you out you'll remember that you're the only one I want, right? The only one I'll ever want?"

Xxx

"So, what is it about Gabriella that you want to know?" Troy had just finished showering and he was putting his gym equipment into his duffel bag.

"Nothing now, man. I've heard enough of it all day to understand what's going on." Chad chuckled. "I don't know why you've picked her, but whatever."

"What do you mean?" Troy shoved the last of his things into his bag before heading out of the locker room with Chad. "Have people been talking about me and Brie? What are they saying"

Chad laughed, "You sound like a girl who needs the dish on school gossip, which, I guess, you kind of do."

Troy rolled his eyes, "Whatever, just tell me what the hell you're talking about."

"Once you disappeared from lunch Sharpay showed up and cleared up all the confusion. I have to say, I was really confused about the whole you and Montez thing until Sharpay came over. It makes a lot more sense now."

"Chad, you really need to tell me what you are talking about, because I am so confused right now."

"Oh! Yeah, right, so Sharpay came to sit down with us and she told us that you were only with Gabriella because you were sleeping with her. Apparently Gabriella admitted it during class right before lunch."

Troy stopped walking. He as at a loss for words.

"Like I said, I don't know why you'd want to sleep with her when you could have any girl in school, but hey it's your bed she's warming. You can choose whoever you want for that."

"Oh my god," Troy sighed. "Oh my god. This is why she was so upset during lunch period today. Chad, I'm not sleeping with her. We're dating. She's my girlfriend, and I really like her. Sharpay lied. How could you even believe her? I wouldn't use Gabriella, or anyone for sex."

"Hey, I didn't mean to say you'd use a girl for sex, man. I just couldn't understand why you would be interested in Gabriella. I mean, what's she got?"

"She's special, man," Troy grinned lop-sidedly. "Did you know she saved me when I was nine? It was when I was stung by the hornets. She told my mom to call 9-1-1." Troy looked at Chad sincerely, "She's meant a lot to me for a long time; and she's finally mine. I'm not going to let Sharpay, or high school, or anything ruin that."