Troy lifted his fist to her door.
Yesterday after lunch he'd driven her back to campus and dropped her off at her dorm. As soon as he drove off he missed her. Which was probably why he'd been up at three in the morning for the first time in life reading Maybe This Time fan fiction. He'd never would have figured himself for fan fiction. But after reading two stories written by Jabriella he come to find… it wasn't all that bad.
The writing was amazing, refreshing and surprisingly original. Jabriella was humorous and clever when it came to dialogue. He hadn't really remember much of Maybe This Time from when it first appeared but he knew of it. Nothing he read last night was anything like what he remember.
He'd been aroused by the intimate scene between the characters. As odd as it seemed. And not by the leading actor but by Gabriella. By knowing he was reading something she may have wrote. Wondering just a little bit if she was exclusively funneling her own desires into her writing. He couldn't even picture the leading character, he just imagined Gabriella. Hear her voice in his head when he read, saw her saying the things that Lauren did.
And he now had a hunch that her favorite color maybe green. He'd never been more excited about figuring out something that minor about anyone before. But he was about her. He found himself curious to know everything about her.
Fake girlfriend, Fake girlfriend, Fake girlfriend. He tried to remind himself this wasn't real. It wasn't her that night at the beach. But God, he suddenly wished it had been. By now word had spread around like wildfire. He was officially Gabriella's boyfriend. Fake boyfriend. And with that came other obnoxious rumors.
That Sharpay and Gabriella had a cat fight in the country club bathroom.
That Gabriella was pregnant with the hire to the Bolton throne.
Honestly, people had nothing better to do.
The last time he'd seen his father the scowl on his face had not been happy to see him. The feeling had been mutual.
They had an exchange about the rumors. How the perception was the reality. How rumors could make or break his name in the business. He lectured him about cleaning up his messes, and to him Gabriella was a mess. Nothing but a complicated mess that was beneath them. Not even worth the Bolton time.
Troy rolled his eyes.
Shifting his bag on his shoulder he pushed away the memory of his father's lecture and then pushed away the one of Sharpay insulting Gabriella, when he'd told Sharpay to shut up. Despite the pretending, that part had felt… very real.
When she pulled the door open she stared back at him with wide brown eyes. Her hair was tousled and up with a pen sticking out of it. She was wearing a blue oversized t-shirt and basketball shorts. A bright green strap of fabric went over her shoulder. A sharp contrast to her skin. Almost like a highlighted sentence on a page, his eyes were drawn to it. "Um, Troy?"
"Hey, I figured we could study."
She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Now?"
"Yeah, I have putt-putt golf at three."
Her brow raised, "You play putt-putt golf?"
He smiled. "I know it sounds ridiculous. My mother is on the board at the senior center. We take a group of residents to play putt-putt gold every other week."
She shifted her weight as she crossed her arms. The cleavage it exposed sent a jolt straight down to parts that were suddenly beginning to stir. "That's awesome, but it so doesn't fit my image of you."
"So is it alright if I come inside?" he inquired. It was a better option than standing in the hallway with a growing erection.
She tugged at her shirt. "I'm a wreck. I obviously wasn't expecting company." She moved to the side and Troy crossed the threshold into her room. It smelled like chocolate chip cookies. Just as he expected.
"Why do girls always think they look bad when they're dressed comfortably?" he smiled as he looked at her rumpled bedsheets and laptop. There was notebook paper everywhere, even a few post-it notes on the wall. He liked the chaos.
When he turned towards her she was trucking loose strands behind her ear. "Gabriella, you look fine. Adorable, even. I like this look on you." He titled his head and smiled. "Don't you get it? Most guys don't give a shit about all the makeup and fancy outfits. We want to know what a girl's face really looks like under the junk they paint on." He came over and placed a soft touch on her cheek. "And when it looks like this? That's a good thing." He paused, taking a moment to admire her. "A very good thing," he said more softly.
She swallowed and licked her lips, and the image hit him hard and fast- pinning her against the door, kissing her. Tugging on those brown curls.
"Thank you," she murmured softly as she pulled away from him.
This was crazy. He didn't know why he felt this weird compulsion to be around her. To make her feel better.
To… kiss her.
A new review has been posted to your story.
Story: Crashing Into You
Chapter: 5. Chapter 5
From: MichaelFan89
When are you going to update?
Gabriella let out a sigh as she sat down on her bed. It was Friday afternoon, and Troy Bolton was in her dorm room. Taylor was going to have a fit when she found out she went to calculus instead.
"I can't believe it's already been a week."
"Neither can I." Troy pulled out her desk chair and took a seat. "What's in the box?"
She been wondering that herself lately. There was a strange feeling every time she touched it. Like an acknowledgement that she was about to leave a place. Like by going through the box not only would she miss Jenny but she would miss the person she was now at this time and place because by going thought it she would accepting that Jenny was really gone. "Jenny's things," she said quietly.
Troy raised a brow. "Have you looked inside?"
"No."
Troy made a face as he placed a hand on the box. "Why not?"
She didn't have any idea what to do with the things inside. She didn't have the time. She'd do it later. All of the excuses she'd told Taylor over the week seemed to dissipate. "I don't know if I can."
"What if we did it … together?" The last word seemed like a mutter.
"What?" her eyebrows pulled together.
"I go through it with you. So you're not alone." He said quietly. "My grandfather left me a cigar box when he past. I was afraid to open it for weeks."
"What was inside?"
"A rubix cube and picture of me and him flying a toy helicopter."
Gabriella couldn't help but smile. "What did he write on the back of the picture?"
Troy eyes shifted from the box to her causing her to still. As if he'd pinned her down. "To remember who you are, you need to forget what they told you to be."
Her mouth was suddenly dry.
"He wasn't a fan of my father," his lips pulled into a small smile.
Gabriella let out a breath. "You are nothing like who I thought you were."
"Well, we didn't exactly meet on the right foot, now did we?"
"No." Gabriella adjusted her glasses. Even before they met she thought he was an ego-centric rich asshole who just did whatever he wanted. Now she knew better. He was just guy with parents. Like everyone else. "No we didn't."
Troy smiled as he held out his hand. "Come here."
And like that she came. She was now standing in front of the box she'd been hiding from. Only this time there was a gentle hand on the small of her back and crisp clean smell that engulfed her and made her feel safe.
Troy. He made her feel safe.
Lifting the flaps she braced herself for the sadness that would surely overwhelm her. But they didn't. Instead she found herself looking down at random items. Gabriella smiled as she pulled out a framed picture of Jenny and her posing in front of the theater where they saw Maybe This Time 3. They were dressed as if they were walking the red carpet. Instead of just attending a movie premiere in their small home town.
"You look adorable."
"I was happy," Gabriella said with a smirk. "Whenever I was with Jenny, I was happy. She let me be me."
"What makes you think you can't be you?"
Gabriella held the photograph close to her chest. "Because I had other responsibilities. I was the oldest. I took care of everyone else. I kept things peaceful at home. I made sure I didn't upset anyone. I wanted to set an example for Derick."
"You're little brother?" Troy confirmed.
Gabriella nodded. "Yeah." Gabriella put the frame to the side. "Maybe This Time was an escape. It was something I had fun with and enjoyed privately and anonymously."
"But are you really anonymous when you have thousands of people reading your work."
"Yes," Gabriella huffed. "Are you kidding me? No one knows it me."
"And why not?" Troy shrugged, "Your stuff is really good."
Whoa. The hair on her arms rose. Her stomach bottomed out and she reached for the chair just in case she might fall down. "You've read it."
Troy's face shifted, "Was I not suppose too?"
"No. Yes. I mean, I don't know." She placed a hand on her head. This was so embarrassing. Oh my god all those love scenes.
Oh my god.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked with a small smile.
"I'm mortified."
"I liked it."
If he didn't think she was a freak before he definitely thought it now. He probably thought she was a loser. What story had he read? How bad was she going to have to beg him to forget everything? Wait. "What?" she looked up at him.
"I liked your worked."
"You're not just saying that are you?"
"You have my word." Troy smiled. "What the hell are you so afraid of?"
She tried not to laugh. Failed. "It's mortification not fear."
"Of?"
Turning her attention back to the box she pulled out a note pad. Her heart fluttered. It was their idea notebook. They would get ideas for stories and always write them in here. Like a filing system of sorts. "I think people feel comfortable mocking fan fiction authors because we're somehow less "real" or "legitimate" than other writers in their minds. Like they don't think we'll take personal offense to them mocking our work." She shook her head as she put the notebook to the side. "We're just as vulnerable as any other writer."
"People really make fun of you for writing stories?"
"I cannot tell you how many pieces of fan fiction I have thoroughly enjoyed writing that were then completely wrecked by someone tainting them with meanness. High school was miserable. We we're teased all the time. Hell it was the whole reason we came together and made Jabriella. So no one would know about us."
"Well I really liked it and I don't plan on tainting it with meanness."
"Good. Because I take our plots and the research that goes into them very seriously."
"Yeah, about that." He said with smirk, "I was going bring it up but thought we might not getting any studying done if I did." He gave her a simmering look that could've melted ice.
"No, no, no." Gabriella lifted a finger and pushed into his chest forcing him to take a step back. "You may not be who I thought you were, but you are still such a guy."
"Those scenes were admittedly my favorite parts."
Gabriella felt her cheeks get hot. "There is nothing wrong with writing sex scenes in fan fiction, as long as they are properly tagged for the sake of the young adult readers. That being said, "fan fiction" is not a synonym for porn." Gabriella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And sex is a natural and human part of life, if you don't like it, don't read it, and more importantly, just leave it alone."
"I won't argue with you on that," he said stepping closer. "I like sex. I think it's hot you like it too."
Her cheeks got hotter. Her mouth dried up like the dessert and she shifted so she was facing the box again. "Sex is what got us into this in the first place."
"No. Sharpay being delusional is what got us into this."
"Or maybe the fact that you gave up on her is what got us into this." Gabriella turned slightly to face him.
Troy's eyes narrowed. "It was… I didn't give up on her. We just… didn't mesh."
"Hmm. Mesh. Interesting choice of words." She studied him intently for a moment. The way he looked at her sent ripples of tingles through her body. "I think I know why she's stalking you."
"Because she's crazy. We've established that."
Gabriella shook her head. "Nope. She needs closure."
Troy's mouth fell open. "Closure? Who are you, freaking Dr. Phil?"
"It's basic relationship etiquette, Troy. If you dump someone, you should at least try to do it respectfully." Gabriella said with an amused smile.
He shot her a warning glare. "I'll remember that when I dump you."
"Whoa," Gabriella held up her hand. "I'm going to be the one who dumps you remember?"
Troy rolled his eyes. "I've never been dumped. I can't believe I ever agreed to that."
"First time for everything."
He snorted with laughter. "You're crazy, you know that, right? Tell me about the last time somebody broke up with you and did it reasonably. I bet all your exes ran away screaming."
"Way to treat your girlfriend, Troy. Really nice." She reached back into the box but he grabbed her arm pulling her closer to him instead and looking down into her wide eyes.
"The way I see it," he said, his eyes taking her face with a growing smile, "as of right now, you're still my girlfriend. Nobody's dumped anybody."
She felt caged, like a butterfly trapped under glass. Her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip.
"So instead of talking about who's dumping who, maybe we ought to put our energy somewhere else."
"Like where?" Her voice was barely whisper, and her gaze darted to his mouth.
"Like convincing everyone we're for real, not fake." He leaned in closer, his lips just millimeters from hers. "We need to sell it. So kissing might be a good place to start."
Her eyelids fluttered like a panicked butterfly. She couldn't help it; her entire body was suddenly on fire. "B-but there's no one around that we need to convince."
Despite her words she arched toward him, it was like a pull she couldn't control.
"Practice makes perfect, doesn't it?" he closed his eyes and brushed his lips across hers, barely making contact, but it was enough to light her up inside. She wanted more. A lot more. Fake, real, whatever the hell this was, she wanted more.
"Hey Gabi, class let out early wanna-" Taylor's voice sliced through the fog that had taken over her mind. Instantly she pulled away from him and he released her immediately.
"Hey?" Gabriella said adjusting her glasses and looking back at Taylor who was paused in the doorway staring at Troy with a certain curiosity.
"Hi Troy," she said with a knowing smile.
"Hey," he waved. "Stopped by for a tutoring session."
"Right," she crossed her arm and took a step into the room, shutting the door behind her. "Well don't mind me. I've got some stuff to do." She said pointing at her desk.
"Yeah," Troy nodded. After a moment of silence between them he let out a sigh, "I'm gonna go use the restroom for a moment. I'll be back."
Gabriella nodded and watched as he left the room. As soon as the door closed her eyes flew across the room to Taylor whose sparkling eyes danced with speculation. "I can't tell if you want to kill Troy or kiss him."
"Me either," Gabriella whispered.
"Do you want me to disappear?"
Gabriella shook her head. "I can't be trusted."
Taylor let out a laugh as she took a seat at her desk. "Obviously."
She turned back to the box and pulled out a laptop that was at the bottom cause some other random things to shift around. There was a simple plain white card taped to it. On it she recognized Jenny's hand writing from the many letters they send back and forth.
Her fingers went numb. Her heart thumped.
"Hey Gabi, you alright?" Taylor asked softly.
"Yeah," she said nodding in Taylor direction but not able to look away from the note. Her knees shook and she backed up so she was sitting down on the edge of her bed. She gently pulled the note off the laptop. Placing the laptop aside she held the note with both hands.
Brie,
I've learned a lot this year. I learned that things don't always turn out the way you planned, or the way you think they should. Like that time, we planned on being college roommates, or like the time we planned to run into the cast of Maybe This Time and become best friends.
I've also learned that there are things that go wrong that don't always get fixed or get put back together the way they were before. Like your parents, it was never your fault. It was never your obligation to step up the way you did. But that's what I admire about you the most. You're the peacemaker in your family and maybe even the strongest person I've ever met.
Most importantly, my condition is has taught me that you can get through the bad times and keep looking for better ones as long as you have people who love you.
Even if we say goodbye and our paths never cross again, I hope carry a piece of me within you. I hope you remember our wordless conversations, our inside jokes and silent exchanged smiles.
I hope you never forget to believe in yourself, I hope you never lay alone at night doubting your own self-worth, I hope you always know that your loved, beyond measure.
Inside this box is my laptop. I want you to have it. I also want you to have everything that's on it. There is no one else I trust more than I trust you with its contents. Everything for Crashing into You is on this laptop. I am very grateful to have found a friend in you and the best co- writer a friend can ask for.
You were never just a Beta Reader.
These last few weeks at the hospital have been unbearable and these stories have probably kept me alive more than you know. Please believe in yourself and please give Michael and Lauren the ending we both know they deserve. I've included the account user and password so that you now have full access the account.
Love always Jenny,
P.S. You can do this!
Username: jabriella
Password: J$Nny125
A sob escaped from her lips and she was immediately pulled against a solid surface as warm arms wrapped around her. She hadn't been aware that he'd come back, or how long she'd been staring at the note before she fell apart.
But she was grateful for the way his strength felt against her when she felt like she had none.
A new review has been posted to your story.
Story: Crashing Into You
Chapter: 5. Chapter 5
From: Lesliefan9
Update soon.
Troy sighed and glanced across the room towards Gabriella as she silently sat with Jenny's laptop. Friday had been hard. She cried for a while and he sat there holding her until it subsided. It was the least he could do. He just wished he didn't have to leave right after to meet his mother and her group for the putt-putt event.
It was Sunday and he hadn't seen her in since that afternoon. Now there she was sitting in a big chair with Jenny's laptop in her lap and her fingers vigorously typing away like a mad woman. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to walk up to her, kiss her forehead and just make sure she was okay.
Mostly he just wanted to sit with her.
He held her pink bubble gum pen in his hands. He'd never returned that day they had lunch. He couldn't explain why. He just wanted it. The same way he couldn't explain why he wanted Gabriella. He just did.
Making a decision he tucked the pen away in his bag and made his way over. She didn't even notice him approaching her. Didn't even pause when he stopped in front of her. The clicking of the keys filled the air between them. Each tap as punctuating as the last.
"Hey,"
The typing stopped. And her eyes looked up at him. "Troy?"
"How's it going?" Lame. He wished he had something better to say. He wanted to be cool. He wanted to impress her.
"I'm think I'm stuck."
Troy made a face as he took in her positon on the big comfy chair. She'd kicked off her shoes revealing a pair of orange socks with white poka-dots she had slung over the arm. "You don't seem stuck."
Like she read his mind. "With my story," she let out a sigh and looked at the screen. "Lauren is being difficult."
At that he laughed. "How?"
"She won't do what I want her to and it's frustrating."
Yeah, because that made a lot of sense. Troy lifted his bag off his shoulder. "Mind if I have a seat?"
Gabriella looked at the empty chair across from her and shrugged. "I don't mind."
He smiled wickedly and placed his bag against her chair, then he picked up her laptop from her lap earning a surprised look as he ushered her into a standing position. Then he sat down pulling her into his lap and handing her back her laptop. After a moment of shifting so she was comfortable he leaned back in the chair and smiled as she sat in her lap with her feet hanging off the side of chair.
"Is she here?" Gabriella asked adjusting the laptop on her lap.
"No, but we're not alone either." He said enjoying the pink tint on her cheeks. She felt good against him. It was nice holding her like this. "So tell me, why you're frustrated?"
Gabriella let out a sigh and she relaxed against him. "I want Lauren to open up to Michael, but so far there hasn't been the right moment for her to do so."
"You know that you're the writer right?"
"I know that." Gabriella said with a knowing smile.
Troy made a face, "So why not just write it the way you want it to happen."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Because that's not how it works."
"It isn't?"
Gabriella smiled. "Writing a story is different. It's not so much as writing something down but more like watching something happen and documenting it."
"Like a movie?"
"More like dreaming while your awake." Gabriella shrugged. "I let the characters tell me what they want to do, I may create them but once their alive and real to me … I'm not the storyteller anymore. They are."
Troy felt goosebumps on his arms. She was sweet. Funny. Feisty. Smart. A whole bunch of things he wouldn't have guessed after watching her flutter around campus. "You're something else, you know that."
"I've been told."
"Did you always want to be a writer?"
Gabriella smiled. "I always have been. I can't remember a time in my life where I wasn't making up stories, writing them down, or even drawing them out when I didn't know how else to express myself."
He smiled to himself as he let his hand rest on her thigh. "Read me what you got."
She whirled her eyes up to meet his. "You're joking?"
"Nope." Troy grinned, his confidence rising. "Read it to me."
He watched her look back down at her laptop. After a moment she took a deep breath and began reading.
Before heading to the hotel they stopped at a small mini mart. They made their way through the aisles coming to a stop at the cookie display rack. Lauren eyed the cookies debating between Oreos and chocolate chip.
"I'm an Oreo cookie fan," Michael said reaching for the package of cookies.
"Bet you're a twister."
Michael smirked. "Oh yea, well I bet you're a dunker."
Lauren shrugged her shoulders as she picked up a bag of chocolate chip cookies. "I am, what I am."
Michael let out a small laugh as he began to follow her towards the register. They quietly paid for their items and then began walking again.
"Your hair looks nice like that," he said pointing at it.
"Jackie did it."
Michael didn't say anything.
"So what's up with you and Alyssa?" she said opening her bag of chocolate chip cookies.
"I don't know," Michael said opening his own bag of cookies.
"But you like her?"
Michael shrugged, "She's hot."
"And that's all it takes to be date worthy?"
"Kind of," he nodded. "Yeah."
"So just like that, that's all it takes to be with the infamous Michael Hilton."
Michael's eyes widen as he glanced over at her. "You make me sound like a super star."
"Aren't you?"
Michael frowned. "Well yeah, but it's not like that."
"Then what's it like?"
"My friends know me as Michael Hilton, the popular guy. It can be exhausting pretending all the time to be a certain type of guy when you're not."
"Then don't be that guy. Be you."
"That's not easy either." Michael laughed nervously. "The expectations are… I mean people think..." He let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "It's complicated."
Lauren rolled her eyes as she walked alongside him. "Well I think we need rules."
"Rules?"
Lauren nodded, "I think the problem back there was that we weren't expecting it. So we couldn't sell it was well as we would have." Her stomach tighten as she thought about kissing him again. "Next time we'll have a plan."
"A plan? You mean …a.."
"Kissing plan. Yeah." She nodded. "So let's work this out. Maybe each time we run into Alyssa, I kiss you." Her cheeks grew hot.
"Right and when we see Mitch, I'll kiss you."
"Hold on," Troy tilted his head as he stopped her from reading. "Why didn't we think of a kissing plan?"
Gabriella gaffed. "You're the only one of us making someone jealous."
Troy shook his head. "I don't want to make anyone jealous. We're just doing some damage control after my rumor flopped." He watched her shake her head. Rolling his eyes he shifted and glanced around at the causal people hanging around. There were a few girls at a table a few feet away. Their phone pointed in their direction. People were always using him. Always throwing his name around like it meant something to be associated with his family. Even in the smallest way. Maybe this was his chance to use them for a change. "Besides they're probably going to want us to kiss."
Gabriella jerked in his lap her eyes shifted around at table in question. "Buttons." She mumbled. "Why can't people mind their own beeswax?"
"Do you just not curse?"
She spun around to face him. "What?"
Troy smiled. "Fart, buttons, beeswax." He rattled off. "Don't get me wrong it's adorable, I'm just curious? You don't curse do you?"
Gabriella shook her head. "Words are powerful. If you're going to use them, you might as well make them mean something."
He liked that.
Troy smiled as he watched her look back at her laptop and type something out. She had this crease in her forehead that seemed to appear whenever she concentrated. "I want to kiss you." He arched an eyebrow, keeping his gaze pinned on hers.
She jerked as she looked up at him caught off guard. Her cheeks went pink. "What?"
Had he been reading her wrong? He'd thought she might agree to that suggestion, but instead she seemed terrified.
"Or not if the idea is that unpleasant," he said with a sharpness in his voice.
Gabriella's pink face turned redder. "It's not that." she hesitated. "I've just never kissed anyone before."
He'd figured she was less experienced than him, but this was beyond even that. How could a girl this beautiful have never been kissed? And if she'd never been kissed, that also mean she'd never … wow.
"You have no idea, it's more like a pity relationship."
And without a second thought Gabriella launch herself at him. She'd only meant to sit up but her momentum sent him back into the chair and she was now inches from his lips.
"Um… hi," he said quietly.
"Hi." His eyes were amazing up close- crystal blue.
Sharpay's voice was louder now, just around the corner, less than seconds away from discovering them.
He reached a hand to the back of her neck. He pulled her towards him, the desire in his eyes spelling out his intentions.
"Don't do it unless you mean it," she whispered, inches from his lips.
He immediately paused, his eyes changing from desire to worry. He turned her head and kissed her cheek instead. She was disappointed and relieved all at once. She reminder herself what they were really doing.
"Oh," she heard Sharpay gasp.
Gabriella shifted in Troy's lap as if they'd been caught. "Oh, hi shar," Gabriella meant it to come out as a joke but it came out breathy and serious.
Troy ran a hand through his hair, trying to hide his frown. "Hi, Sharpay. Did you need something?"
"No," she said shifting her designer bag further up her shoulder. "Just passing through." Her and her friend exchanged a look and Gabriella shift a bit, suddenly uncomfortable. Then Troy looped his arm around her waist he was holding onto her.
"Hey," Sharpay said as if whatever she was about to say had been fleeting thought. "So you're mom's charity dinner on Friday? Does she need me to help out? I know how stressed out she gets about these things."
Exactly. Gabriella smirked, how long had she been holding that in her back pocket? "Actually I'm already helping out. It's all taken care of."
"Sure is." Troy added as he leaned forward and kissed the nook of her neck. The feel of his lips there caused shivers and tingles to course through her.
"Right." Sharpay's smile faltered just for a moment. Then she recovered as if nothing had happened. "Well, then have fun."
Once Sharpay was far enough away Gabriella shifted so there was more space between them. "That went well."
"Yeah."
"It was alright that I said that right?" Gabriella asked suddenly sense he wasn't happy about something.
Troy leaned back in the seat bringing a hand up to shuffle his hair around. "You're going to have to meet my mother." He murmured resting his head in his hand as he stared at her.
"Oh," Gabriella felt a small blush of heat spread over her face.
