Troy moved up in line from behind Chad, his eyes focused on Gabriella and Taylor from across the room. Taylor waved her hands around and made ridiculous faces while she told a story. Gabriella laughed so hard she snorted.

"It's going to be a long two weeks." Chad murmured as he moved up in line.

"Maybe, maybe not." Troy shrugged. "I kind of like her."

"Dude, girls like her aren't like the girls you're use too." Chad warned as he turned to place an order for his wrap.

"She's different." Troy smirked.

"No. She's cute. That's worse."

His best friend's logic was sometimes difficult to follow, but it was always entertaining. "Go on."

"Look at her," Chad gestured in her direction. "Take a hint. No makeup. Hair in a ponytail. That is not a girl interested in hooking up."

"Maybe she just likes to be comfortable."

Chad sniffed as he moved up in line. "Probably wears granny panties. Not like you'll have a chance to find out."

That sounded like a challenge. Not sure it was a game worth playing, considering the mess he'd made of things so far. "Sad but true."

Troy lifted his tray and placed an order for a wrap. Turning towards Chad he sighed.

Another snort from their table sounded and Troy smiled.

"Can you imagine what your father would say if you behaved that way in public?" Chad asked.

Since he'd been old enough to talk, his father had drilled into him that Whatever-you-do-reflects-on-our-family speech. He'd memorized it by the time he was seven. "Snorting while laughing is number twelve on the list of inappropriate behaviors." He shook his head. "Ever wonder what it would be like not to care about appearances in public?"

"No." Chad picked up a water bottle from the bucket willed with them at the end of the counter. "I enjoying being perfect."

Chad would never admit to pressure from his family. At his house, everything was perfect at all times. Seemingly without effort. At Troy's house though, everyone kept up appearances for his father's sake. Sometimes it was exhausting.

"Do you want to go to the driving range after lunch tomorrow?"

"Can't. I'm giving Matt Becker golf lessons."

"Isn't that the freshmen in the wheelchair?"

"Yes. He has adaptive golf clubs. They're pretty cool."

Troy reached for a bottle of water and paused as Chad motioned towards Gabriella's table. "Looks like someone is moving in on your territory."

Troy eyes followed to the situation at hand. Some thick-necked jock had taken a seat next to Gabriella. Did she know this guy? He put his arm around her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Her face turned red. She shoved him, but he didn't budge.

"Why does it always have to be someone bigger than me?" Troy said as they began making their way over.

"Get off." She pushed the jerk, but it was like trying to move a wall. Sometimes being a small female sucked.

"You should let go of her." Taylor's tone was calm, but her eyes were huge.

The guy laughed and whispered not-exactly-sweet nothings in her ear, which made it sound like he watched way too much porn. Her stomach churned. Maybe if she puked on him, maybe he'd go away.

She longed for the days were she used to be anonymous, invisible to the opposite sex. Whatever happened to chivalry? Whatever happen to normalcy? Apparently this was the beauty of being a girl, people hear you had sex once and BAM - you're a bimbo.

"Alright that's enough of that." Troy's voice sounded above them.

"Hey man," the jerk laughed as his arm around Gabriella got a little more possessive.

"Funny," Troy said bringing a hand to rub the back of his neck. "I see your arm there around my girlfriend and I can't help but wonder how fast my father might tear up that check for the football scholar ship donations."

The guy's arm slid off her back. "I was only kidding around man."

"I'm not." Troy responded. "Furthermore I wonder what would happen is she filed sexual harassment charges. Do you think something like that might affect your time on the bench given Coach Rosenberg has three teenage daughters of his own."

The jerk pushed his chair back and got up slowly. "I'm sorry about the misunderstanding."

Troy looked up at him as if he were a speck of dirt. "Out of my sight. Now."

Before he was two steps away Troy placed a hand on his arm. "And you can relay all that to your teammates. She's taken."

When he was gone Troy sat down beside her and inched his chair a little closer. "Are you all right?"

She nodded looking up to see Chad taking a seat as well.

"Comes with the territory." Chad said with a small smile. "Notoriety, for whatever reason, never seems to benefit the noted, only the 'notees.'"

"Well the territory sucks." Taylor said reaching a hand over to place it on top of Gabriella's. "Next time I'll just whack him with my tray."

The muscle in her jaw unclenched. "Thanks for helping." She smiled at Troy to show him she was still in control.

"Least I can do, I did drag you into this." He reached his hand up to her shoulder, offering a gentle rub. His fingertips grazed her skin

"Did you really mean any of that crap you said?" Taylor asked looking over at Troy.

"My father is always looking for a tax write-off. I don't think he'll mind."

"You made that up?" Gabriella couldn't believe it. He'd been so smooth about the whole thing and it was so nice of him to step up.

"My father says it's better to out-think someone than to resort to physical violence."

After dinner Taylor, Chad, and Gabriella walked down the path back to their room. Troy and Chad talked about this event at their country club that was coming up. Taylor hung back walking alongside Gabriella.

"He's not as horrible as I thought he was." Taylor let out a sigh.

"Don't get attached," Gabriella said quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "The situation has a time table."

"You're being pretty cavalier about this." Taylor nudged her playfully. "Aren't you supposed to be eternally in love with him and shit?"

"No." Gabriella shook her head. "It's just weird."

"At least his friend is cute." Taylor shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe we could go on a double date sometime?"

"If that double date happens within the next two weeks, sure."

Taylor smiled, "Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll start a rumor about me?"

"Trust me, it sucks."

They were quiet for a moment after that. "So are you really not going to write anymore?"

Gabriella shook her head. "I have no idea what to do. I posted the last chapter I had two days ago and people are demanding more. I just don't know if I have it in me right now."

"Are you at least going to go through the box. Because if not, can you at least shove it in the closet or something. It's weird."

"What's weird?" Troy said slowing down a bit a wrapping an arm around Gabriella.

"Nothing." Gabriella answered before Taylor gave her away.

Even after the Twilight and One Direction boom, when fan fiction was more prominently known than ever, she could see people getting genuinely uncomfortable when it was mentioned. For reasons unknown the sentence, "I write fan fiction" seemed to attract the same reaction you would get if you announced that you ate your twin in the womb.

People still have so many weird misconceptions about what fan fiction is, what kind of people write it, and it all results in lots of really awkward conversations that, frankly, it was better if she never mentioned it.

It was one thing for Taylor to know about Maybe This Time. There was no hiding the hand drawn Michael and Lauren Posters that had been sent to her by a reader. Or the mock cover art her and Jenny had worked on that one time they took Computer Imagery together. Then there was the topic of Jenny.

Jenny and Maybe This Time went hand in hand. They rarely if ever talked about anything else. This new quiet was… strange. She felt anxious. The voice in her head about the story line were now a dull constant whisper. A baseline to everything else she was going through.

She missed Jenny. She missed writing. She missed being able to take a breath.

"So tutoring?" Troy said with a smile.

Switching gears, she let out a sigh and decided to spread her current wealth. "I'll make you a deal for it."

"What kind of deal?"

"I'll tutor you if you arrange a double date between Taylor and Chad."

Troy raised a brow. "Deal."

"And it has to be a date, date. We're not just going to the same event together I want it to be an actual date." Taylor chimed in.

Troy removed his arm from around Gabriella. "Alright, I'll make it happen. Anything else?"

Gabriella looked over at Taylor for confirmation. "Nope I think that's it."

"Always a pleasure." Troy smiled as they approached the dorm. "Good night."

"Night." Gabriella smiled as she and Taylor excitedly began heading up the stairs. Chad who had been lingering behind came up besides Troy and they stood at the top of the stoop as Troy filled him in about the double date.

His mouth fell open as he looked up at them. Taylor smiled as she gave him a small wave good night. And they both erupted into laughter when he shook his head and went back to ranting at Troy.

A new review has been posted to your story.

Story: Crashing Into You

Chapter: 5. Chapter 5

From: DJClubNut53

Finally, an update! It's been soooo long! I find it a little strange that he hadn't found her attractive or hasn't noticed how beautiful her face is. At least know he's noticing her. I understand he's supposed to be in love with Alyssa and just think of Lauren as a little pest next door, but come on. I do love your Lauren, she's fun, quirky, smart and beautiful (at least to other boys LOL).I hope he realizes how shallow and selfish Alyssa is (which it seems he's been as well) and sees there is more to life. Can't wait to see what happens next. Please update soon. And not in like three weeks like last time. That sucked.

The next afternoon Troy spotted her on her way into town, slowing down he lowered his window and pulled up to the curb. "Wanna ride, little girl? I've got candy. And puppies."

Gabriella smiled as she leaned down to stare through the open window. "Perv."

"Is that an accusation? Or a proposition?" Troy smiled as she leaned across the passenger seat and opened the car door. "Get in, Little Red Riding Hood. The Big Bad Wolf is going to the same place you are."

Gabriella raised a brow. "I'm going to Starbucks."

"Great, I'll let you buy me a drink."

Gabriella laughed as she got in the car. "You have such an ego."

"I do," he said with a smile as he pulled away from the curb. "So I googled you."

Gabriella raised a brow. "Why?"

"I was looking for these online stories, I've heard so little about." He said shifting so he could flex his arm while he drove. Why did he suddenly care about impressing her?

"I told you, I'm not a writer."

"Bullshit."

She let out a laugh, "Fine, I do write. Just haven't in a while."

"Why not?"

"Because it's strange without her. Jenny was always the brains of the operation. I just followed along."

"There are many things I can believe about you," he said with smirk, "the idea that you follow anyone is not one of them."

"I only wish I had that kind of confidence."

Troy smiled, "You got more than confidence, you have spunk." Troy glanced at her as he spoke. "Do you know how many people would kill for spunk."

He took a moment to appreciate that the skirt she had on shifted up a bit as she sat back into her seat. God bless legs like hers. They were shaped nicely, begging for his hands to just touch one. He gripped the steer wheel a little better. Lord have some mercy on him.

"What do you write?"

"What is your obsession with this?"

"You like it; I want to know about it." And he meant it. Surprisingly he meant it a lot. When she didn't say anything he let out a sigh, "Fine, Golf." He said understanding this was going to take some giving. "I've been giving lessons to this kid who is in a wheelchair. He has adaptive golf clubs. They're good, but I think I could design better ones."

"So what, you're an in the closet adaptive-golf-club engineer?"

"Yup, my father would probably kill me if he found out about the few engineering classes I've been taking."

"That makes no sense."

Troy let out a sigh, he shouldn't be telling her any of this. "For now it's best to follow my father's plan to keep the peace at home. When we argue, my mother has to deal with the fallout."

"What's that mean?"

"My father has a way of freezing people out when he doesn't get his way."

Gabriella raised a brow. "Must be nice. I rather be ignored than be yelled at."

"If someone is yelling, at least you know they care." Why am was he sharing this with her? he never talked about his home life. Not even with Chad.

"Then my family must care about each other a lot." Gabriella laughed. "Mom and dad are going through a separation and my younger brother is still finishing off high school. He complains all the time that I got so easy. As if I wasn't a venting outlet for the last 10 years for both my parents. I know things I don't want to, I've heard things I can't forget, sometimes two homes really are better than one."

"That's rough."

"Sometimes people just fall out of love."

Troy lips pulled into a thin line. "You practically have to schedule an appointment with my father to see him. Mom and dad, they go to charity events and the country club together, but I wouldn't say those are dates." Sometimes it seemed like his father took his mother out just to show her off, like he would any of his other possessions. Like he had a few times with Troy."

"Is that why you do the golf-a-thon every year?"

"No." Troy shook his head. "My grandfather died of lung cancer even though he never smoked." The memory of it all still made him angry. "He used to hang out at the country-club bar with his friends before the club went nonsmoking. Inhaling all that secondhand smoke over the years did him in."

"I'm so sorry," her hand came over and she placed it on his right thigh. Nothing suggestive about it. Just a warm touch for comfort. He appreciated it.

"Thanks. I started the golf-a-thon to raise money for cancer research. It doesn't raise a ton of money. I know that. My family donates a ton of money to different causes, but I wanted to do something on my own. Does that make sense?"

"Yes." She was quiet for a bit as she watched things pass by, "Jenny and I wrote Fan Fiction together."

"Fan fiction… what like 50 Shades of Grey stuff?" Hot. His eyes traveled to her exposed thighs again.

"Oh god no," Gabriella shook her head. "I mean props to E.L. James. I've never actually read the books, but as a fan fiction author, I do feel a sense of pride for anyone who can launched career from it."

"So like what then?"

"We wrote stories about the two leading characters from Maybe This Time. Or at least we use too. I'm not really sure about it these days."

"Maybe This Time? Like the Disney Movie?"

"Yes." He heard her wince at the admission. "I know it sounds stupid. It's a hobby and it's really not a career anything." She paused for a moment. "I guess it can be seen as a waste of time."

"It's not stupid, or a waste of time," Troy heard himself rising to her defense. "It's a hobby, we don't go up to kids on little league baseball teams and tell them there's no point in enjoying themselves if they aren't planning to make a career out of it."

They were quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry it's just that, people normally make weird assumptions about fan fiction and get super judge-y." Gabriella shrug her shoulders. He could tell she felt uncomfortable. "That's why I don't talk about it."

It was strange seeing her this way. She'd been so confident, so independent. This side of her who seemed embarrassed and shy was … different. Something yielded from deep inside, and he suddenly felt a growing need to make her smile again. It was what he would have done if he were her real boyfriend, so even without meaning to, at least he was playing the part.

"So how did you and Jenny make it all work?" Troy asked, finding that he was actually curious.

"She wrote the stories and I proof read, at least that was how it work when we first got together as Jabriella."

"Jabriella?"

Gabriella smiled. "It was our pen name. Jenny came up with it." She let out a long breath. "After the first two stories I started adding things here and there. We found a rhythm and it worked really well. Before we knew what happened we had a following."

He jerked in surprise, "a following? You guys had a following?"

"Well Jabriella still does. I haven't really decided what to do. Our stories generally cultivate 5 thousand hits per chapter. That's a lot of people. People who expect the story to continue. People who don't know that Jenny…"

Troy understood. He could hear the pain in her voice, see it in the way she looked down at her lap. "How about we get something to eat instead?"

"I'm okay, I didn't mean to make you feel weird."

"I don't feel weird. I just want to take you to lunch."

"Are you asking me out?" she said, but the words came with an uncertainty

Maybe she didn't want to say yes. Most girls would have started smiling and giggling at that question. But not her.

"I mean yeah, it's just for our cover anyway. Might help if people saw us out and about." He'd hoped she couldn't tell that he actually wanted to spend time with her, it was probably best if they kept whatever this was light and easy. "I mean we're together, it's lunch time…"

He needed to stop talking. She still hadn't said yes.

"Well if it's part of our cover, I guess I could be hungry."

Sitting in the car with him, was intense. Nothing between them but the smell of his aftershave, sharp, pungent, mingling with smell of her own soft vanilla and spice perfume. It was easy to relax around him. To tell him things. To open up to him about her Fan fictions. She was embarrassed by how sincere she'd been about her emotions. She was so used to keeping it secret, use to assuming people would think she was a nerd or a freak … or a pervert.

Maybe Troy did think all those things. Maybe he was just being nice about it all.

When they stopped in front of the country club her stomach fell right down into her flats. "Here?"

Troy put the car in park and removed his keys. "Here."

"This is…"

"Yeah I know. It looks intimidating, but I'm more than sure you can handle it."

"Right," she said, feeling her lips twist. "I guess you girlfriend would be use to things like this."

"Got that right," Troy smile seemed to widen when she said the word girlfriend, or was that her imagination?

Gabriella followed him inside, wishing she'd worn something a little more grown up rather than her old black Bowie Goblin King scoop tee and worn favorite green skirt. At least she'd braided her hair. When they were inside the hostess greeted them and a made a big deal about seeing Troy for lunch, going on and on about what an honor it was that he was here and if there was anything she could do to make his meal better.

"Just seat us, please," Troy said quietly.

They were taken to a table in the back. As they walked through the restaurant, Gabriella felt every eye on them. The people at the tables were her parents' age and so probably didn't really know Troy, but that didn't they didn't know who he was, didn't wonder who she was.

Once they were seated, the waiter dropped off menus and did a suck-up job similar to the one the hostess had performed.

"Dom, two glasses please," Troy said shooing him away.

Was this what it was like to be him? The power of just being a Bolton. Telling people what to do and waving them away.

"What did you order?" She whispered.

"Champagne," Troy smiled as he leaned forward with a smile.

"Oh, I don't drink," Gabriella said quietly leaning forward.

"There's a difference between not drinking and never having tried it," he said with a small smile.

Right. This was Troy after all, why wouldn't he just assume he knew best. Her eyes wondered over the items on the menu. There was nothing recognizable. How rich did you have to be in order for food to be unrecognizable? She wondered if the food itself would be recognizable. Gabriella raised a brow as she looked over at the prices, "This place is very…"

"Quiet."

"Expensive," Gabriella corrected, "Normal college students eat bad pizza and on occasion an order of really soggy cheese fries."

Troy's lip curved up in a smile.

The champagne arrived. The waiter poured their glasses. Then he was gone.

"Alone at last." Troy's eyes focused on hers. "Tell me more about you fan fiction."

"Oh I don't know if you want to hear about-"

He lifted his glass and held towards her for a toast. "I do."

Gabriella smiled and lifted her glass to meet his. "I feel like I'm on an episode of Gossip Girl, with Chuck Bass."

As the first bit of liquid hit her lips, her tongue. She was enchanted. The bubbles tickled her nose and throat as she took another sip.

Holding the beautiful crystal glass in her hand made her feel like a princess. She'd never held anything like this.

"You like it?"

"I do."

"Great, now tell me why Maybe This Time?"

She smiled again, feeling a little warm and uneasy. "Why golf?"

"I enjoy the sport."

"I enjoyed the movie." She sat back in her seat, fighting back a triumphant smile.

Troy not to be out smarted for long, he bounced back quickly. "So you write stories about the show."

For a moment she wasn't sure what to say. It sounded absolutely childish when said out loud. Then again to call them stories, well… of course they were stories but they felt like so much more. Like the word stories was just too confining. Like it suffocated the concept of what she was doing.

"I wouldn't say that their stories."

"But aren't they?"

Gabriella frowned. "A story is Goldilocks and The Three Bears. A story is … I mean what I do… what Jenny brought to the table… it was almost real. It giving life to a world and joining a conversation that way beyond-"

Troy chuckled.

"You think this is funny?"

"Yes," Troy nodded, "But also sort of cool. You have a lot of passion for it. It's adorable. Tell me more."

Adorable. Her mind tried to wrap around the world. Did she want to be adorable?

"I write other stuff too." She said softly as she looked down at the menu. "Fan fiction, for many people, is just a gateway drug to all other fiction writing." She shook her head. "I've never published anything, but I mean one day I might. I can only dream about it. Just the thought that people might read my words. Consider anything I have to say important. To able to start conversations about things that matter to me."

Her heart fluttered at the thought and she felt goosebumps ripple down her arms. She couldn't help herself, talking about her writing was just so… she never really done out loud to a total stranger before.

The waiter approached the table and she closed her menu. "We'll both have the linguine and two Ceasar salads to start," Gabriella said looking up at the waiter.

He bowed and walked away before Troy could say anything.

"What the hell was that?" he laughed.

"I knew you were going to try to order for me, so I beat you to it," she said folding her hands in front of her.

"The guys you go out with order for you?" he asked, still surprised.

Reaching for her glass of Champagne she lifted it as a reminder. "You did."

He smiled again, a genuine one. She was beginning to learn the differences. Most of the time he seemed to have this aloof personality but she was beginning to understand that wasn't how he was at all.

"I wasn't going to order for you. I only got the champagne," he said bringing hand up to rest his head on.

She winked. "Now we're even. I hope you like linguine."

"You know, I have to admit, it's refreshing being with someone who do doesn't expect me to take the lead all the time." His blue eyes seemed pleased and amused at the same time. Did he know what looking at a girl like her that way did to her insides?

She shallowed. She should know better than anyone that her like would never be a fairy tale. Fantasies didn't happen when your mom was a Guidance Counselor, when your dad was a construction worker. When you'd never really kissed a boy before.

She needed to remember that stuff like this didn't happen to girls like her. Don't fall for the lie we're telling.

Troy was glad Gabriella was sitting across from him. It made it easier to get away with staring at her… and God did he want to. She was a sight to watch once she got going about her writing. Since they met he always found her to be attractive. Only now that he'd gotten to know her a little she was the kind of attractive that made it hard for him to think, hard to do anything other than stare.

When she ordered he'd been stunned. Stunned that this smart, confident, hot girl had taken control of their fake date. She maybe just a normal girl but she acted like some CEO in a Hollywood movie, of course he was beginning to learn that the girl sitting in front of him was anything but just.

Who was this girl?

"So enough about me," she said relaxing a little in her seat. "Tell me one thing you rather be doing right now than sitting here."

Nothing. The automatic response made him shift a little, "You mean right now?" he replied. His eyes shifted to her lips. He wondered if they tasted like a soft warm cookie.

"Yeah, what are you passionate about." She tilted her head bring her hand up to adjust her glasses and he wondered what she would look like without them.

"I've always liked putting things together with my hands." Troy admitted quietly. He had dreams and aspirations, wants like her. "But I'm on the legal track."

"So you're pre-law. I've seen some of Taylor's stuff out and about. Law … It's a big thing."

Troy nodded. "It's interesting." It had to be interesting. He had no choice. He'd never been given a choice.

"Sure it is," she smiled knowingly.

"When you understand things, they start to get interesting," Troy replied. It was what one of his high school teachers had told him. He studied so much because he was still searching for that. But Troy knew some of his knowledge had nothing to do with smarts. It had to do with pressure, with expectation. With what his family demanded of him.

Chasing what that teacher had promised that still hadn't come true.

"Tell me more about your engineering classes."

Troy smiled. As he began telling her about his ideas for the golf club he was designing. By the time their salad arrived he had a design drawn out on a napkin with a pink bubble gum scented pen. Because of course, her pens were scented. It was cute.

He looked up from his design and she was smiling pink cheeked, clearly buzzed, her smile a little droopy on one side, but adorable.

"You're really good at that," Gabriella nodded towards his napkin.

"Hobby," he said stabbing his salad with his fork.

"I bet it's more interesting than anything you've ever read in a law book."

"Troy?" the sound of her voice might as well have been the sound of glass breaking on the tile floor of the kitchen.

"Sharpay," he said looking up with a tight smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Having lunch with my mother, I didn't expect to see you here. Or her for that matter."

"Her name is Gabriella," Troy said putting his fork down.

"Right. How could I forget, I'm sure I've seen you name on a few bathroom doors."

Troy opened his mouth to say something but someone beat him to the punch.

"Hang out in a lot boys bathrooms?" Gabriella said shifting her salad around with her fork. "Isn't that like the whore calling the slut easy?"

Troy raised a brow.

"Honestly, you and her." Sharpay snapped. "Are you kidding me?" she glared at Troy. "You dumped me for this freak show?"

"Shut it, Sharpay." His voice was a threatening growl.

Her mouth fell open, then it shut. Before either of them could comment she turned around and scurried off.

"She's cordial."

Troy shifted his attention back to Gabriella. "Whore calling the slut easy?"

"It's complicated. First draft insult at best."

Troy chuckled.