ET Chapter 28: Where We Stand

Why?

That was the question that had been on her mind all day. Starting on the way back "home" on the bus because she was still too hung-over to handle her bike and didn't want to be anywhere near her brother. The question took shape in her head when she glanced around the stony-faced passengers, her eyes taking note of an average-looking Joe in a bright blue t-shirt, one that was darker than the sky but lighter than the ocean, one that popped like neon against his pale skin, one that brought to mind a certain pup with eyes that color and what he had done for her.

Why?

Why did he do it?

Why did he care?

The questions rotated around her head over and over throughout the day, into the night, while she was playing with her nephew, helping Anita with dinner, trying to sleep off her remaining hangover, pointedly ignoring her brother. They spun around her mind like a merry-go-round, going faster and faster, until a question stopped the ride.

What did he expect for payment of his services?

Gabriella cringed at her choice of words, creating images of special sorts of payments and services that hit too close to "home"

Maybe she was over-thinking it. Pup wasn't Carlos, thank God. He couldn't be any more different from Scorpion. She doubted she would go to extremes to get his payment. Besides, as annoying as he was, he was a decent guy that did her a solid. If it weren't for him, she would be a shit-load of trouble with a permanent record attached to her name and more pests from the state to breathe down her neck. Because of his good deed, she was in the clear and life (school-wise at least) was over for Heather and her clan.

Everything was good. She was good. So why couldn't she shake the weird feeling of both tingling and uneasiness in her stomach.

Gabriella flopped onto the back of her bed, staring into the ever beautiful mocha brown eyes of Johnny Depp.

Maybe she was making it more horrible than it needed to be. Maybe she was overthinking it. But Lord knew a person couldn't get through life without thinking carefully about every decision and action involving them. If a person managed to do so without thinking, then they were two reasons: extremely dumb luck or karma waiting further down to bite them in the ass.

Over-thinking was one of the few weapons she had that kept her safe in the Bronx. It helped her stayed out of trouble and sticky situations, such as debt which was the last thing anyone wanted to be in. Debt meant payback. Payback meant favors. Favors meant that someone had power over you. Gabriella cringed as she remembered all the debt her mother landed herself into and cringed again, remembering what she had to do to pay her debtors back. Things that made Gabriella sick to her stomach.

The way she saw it, no one does nice things for the sake of generosity. People played nice for one reason only; they wanted something back in return for their good deed. Even all those worldly kids who've volunteered at local charities and started their anti-movements against bullying or homelessness hoped to gain recognition for their work. Thinking about the matter brought back her two questions. Why had Pup done it for her? She knew he said he would help clear her name, but she didn't actually think she was serious. People often said things for the sake of things, like I'm sorry or I wish there was something I could do. And, more importantly, what he expect in return for his services?

Pup, despite all, was a dude. And, Gabriella dealing with her count of dudes knew what they wanted from her. So did that-

Damn it! She growled. She lifted her head off her pillow and gave it a good punch, putting it more strength than what was needed, before she settled back down.

Her mind drifted back to what happened that afternoon Pup came over. To what took place on the couch. She remembered the soft feel of his lips, the gentleness of his hands. It made that strong feeling in her stomach got from a twinge to a full-on jolt, one that made her feel a bit uncomfortable in her clothes even though she was dressed in her standard tank-top and shorts pajamas.

She would be lying to herself if she said that the kiss was nothing. She wished it was nothing. She would lying to herself if she said the kiss had no effect on her whatsoever. That she didn't like it. It would be all too easy if she said that she hated it. Yet sadly, to her utter frustration and slight mortification, she didn't hate it. She wished she did. She really wished she did. But she didn't. She liked the kiss. She liked it more than she should, almost as much as Pup did, maybe even more. A part of her, one that was deeply buried in the dungeons of her steel walls, one that couldn't be still like the rest of her, wanted another taste of the Pup's sweet, beautiful innocence that baffled her rational mind.

Could that have been the motive behind Pup's actions? He wanted another go at the kiss? Or that he wanted more than just a kiss?

The thought didn't surprise Gabriella. That was the nature of most guys, especially the ones she knew: save the damsel and demand affection for his services. "Affection" meaning her lips, her body, and a place where they could be alone in peace. It was just the way they were. Julio was like that, saving her from reaching for her lighter, in hopes that he would get some. The bums from her old neighborhood and the snobs from her school. Scorpion and Carols were prime examples why girls should fear certain knights-in-shining-armor.

And, if she were truly honest with herself, with the way the things quickly heated up between them, she and Pup would have done a lot more than making-out.

A hell lot more, she thought. An un-easy, too-hot flush swept across her body as she pictured it.

"Fuck."

Goddamn you, Bolton.

To keep her skull from splitting open from too many thoughts and save from sore hands from overuse of journal-writing, Gabriella decided that this would be one of those rare moments that would require something other her mind and her journal to empty her thoughts. A person.

The problem was who could she talk to?

Anita would hold her mixed feelings over her head for the rest of their living days, never passing up the opportunity to remind Gabriella that she was right.

Javier wasn't an option.

Madame Gorksi was never one to judge and was one of the few people Gabriella could be real with and not worry about her weakness being used against her, but Gabriella knew she had other things to worry about such as the company.

Her precious one, young as he was, was a good listener. He understood her in a way few people did. And, no mater what, not only did she get the sense that he was listening clear, but he never stopped smiling at her. He was actually her first option. Issue was her problem required a person who didn't only listen and smile, but one who could answer back in complete sentences.

That left her one last option, one she almost immediately picking as that option nearly spat out his soda in the mix of his laughter when she finished telling him her story over fries and Burger King Whoppers.

"Oh God. Oh god. Oh sweet fucking God!" Rob roared in laughter, one hand over his face, the other over his stomach. "I can't."

Gabriella ignored the curious glances aimed towards their booth and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You're a bum, you know that?"

"Oh dear God, this is too rich," The boy laughed so hard, it physically hurt to look at him. "The Feisty and the Puppy. It's a Hollywood love-story in the making."

"Shut it, Robert." The use of his full name should have warned him of the danger that was close-ahead, but he was enjoying himself too much to pay mind to caution.

"I can see it now. You two going steady together. And getting matching promise rings together. And going to prom together-Shit!"

Rob nearly dropped to his knees as if he was about to pray to the dear Lord that the kick Gabriella delivered to his crotch didn't do permanent damage to his little soldiers. "God-fucking-damnit, Gabs!" he said in one angry, tight breath. "I'd like to have kids someday."

"A wish that might not come true if you don't know when to put your mouth shut."

Rob gave her the burning glare of death before he grabbed his half-empty soda and limped his way over to the soda machine.

Gabriella shook her head after him and looked out the window, watching a dark-haired dude a year or so older with a not-so-bad face than her climb out of his pricy Audi.

A few inches taller than him, but not as good-looking. There's no way he can have his eyes either. No one has crisp, bright blue eyes like Pup-What the fuck am I thinking?!

Gabriella shuddered, horrified, tearing her eyes away from the window. Even at Burger King and him miles away from her, the kid still was a pain in her ass. She was never more relieved to see Rob as he came back to their table.

"So let me get this straight," he said. "Puppy-dog pretty much decided to play Sherlock Holmes in the case of, Who Framed Gabi Rabbit," A slight smirk curled his lip as she saw her smirk. "By some miracle, he managed to get one of the culprits to confess to their involvement in the crime. Got the confession on tape and delivered it to the principal and the social bitch. And cleared you of all drug-related charges."

Gabriella shrugged. Rob pretty much summed it up.

"Damn."

She shrugged again. He smiled.

"Hot damn, Gabs. The puppy-dog really does have the hots for you."

Gabriella snorted as she shook her head and rolled her eyes, a combination she learned to master over the years. "More like have the hots for my body."

The mischievous smirk on her friend's face stilled for a moment. He looked slightly put-off. "What do you mean?"

"Rob, please. You may be a goofball but I know you're a smart boy. No one sticks their necks out for nothing. No guy does a favor that big for a girl, especially one he barely knows, unless he wants something in return."

Rob looked at her the way she imagined she looked at Pup when he had his special moments. Like common sense have immediately left the building. "Unless he wants sex, you mean?"

Oh brother. Gabriella rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Hey, that would your man. Not me."

Her man? Gabriella lunged for him, and Rob quickly drew his white flag, raising his hands slightly in surrender.

"Hey, hey, hey. Let's not take it out on my future children. The Mrs. Lewis might not take too kindly to our kids coming out deformed," Gabriella growled at him but lowered her fists, settling back into her seat. Once he was sure that his life wasn't in danger, Rob continued. "Okay. Look, Gabs, I got you. I really do. When certain people do favors, it means there are strings attached. But I think you're wrong about this."

Gabriella sighed in frustration and closed her eyes for a moment, resisting the urge to roll them. She could feel a migraine already working a number on her head. "Rob, please. You're a guy, You definitely know what you want from a girl."

"That's just my point," he argued. "Puppy-dog isn't me. He isn't Julio. Or any other asshole you've met before. I know it. He knows it. You know it. And it scares you. It scares the shit of you because you know how much he cares about you. It scares you even more because the feeling is not exactly one-sided now, is it?"

Gabriella turned her head away from him. She refused to dignify that question with an answer.

Rob's tone changed slightly, softening just a bit. "I've seen the way he looks at you, Gabriella. It's nothing like that creepy, devouring stare stoned Twi-hearts obsess about with Edward and Bella. Not even in classic Romeo and Juliet style. He looks at you like…like….you're the Daisy to his Gatsby. Like you're the Hazel-Grace to his Augustus. Like you're the Elena to his Stefan."

Damn him for using three out of her ten favorite fictional couples against her.

Damn her loose lips for telling him about her ships during a drunken one-on-one.

Damn the both of them for…for…not finding any false deception in his words.

Gabriella finished off her Whopper and pushed the trash aside. She set her elbows on the table and brushed back loose black curls, breathing in deeply. "Well, that's it then."

Robert's sober moment melted away in the form of a slight smirk that replaced the deep-thinker with the familiar goofball she didn't exactly hate. "So it would appear so."

It would appear that she was royally fucked.

But…it didn't have to be that way. Gabriella bit her bottom lip, thinking about it.

She could find some benefits in Pup's generous gesture.

Pup was right where he was supposed to be: at Vicznor's, where they've spent the past few weeks practicing their project for Creative Literature. Five o'clock on the dot. Just like her text instructed.

Punctual, Gabriella thought, stepping into the room with ease, as if this was just another meeting she had to get through. Someone give the boy-scout a badge.

Pup was sitting on the beat-up couch, entertaining himself with a half-empty bottle of water he stirred in his hands. At the sound of her footsteps, he dropped the bottle and leaped from his seat.

With each slow step he took towards her, the look in his eyes, the one she could never figure out, the one that was the fuse to the strange tingly feeling, increased. He looked at her, well, like he was amazed, as if he hadn't seen her in years, as if every feature of her face needed to be studied and burnt into memory.

"Like you're the Elena to his Stefan." Rob's words slammed against her. Gabriella pushed them away.

"Hey Gabriella-"

"Why the fuck did you do it, Bolton? Why go through the trouble of trying to clear my name?"

He took a step back, stunned by her forwardness. Not a surprise. A lot of people were. "I'm guessing you're never one for small-talk."

Gabriella glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Answer the question, Bolton. Why did you do it? What? Did you think I can't handle my own shit?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not-"

"Or were you hoping to get sex out of this? Was that the agenda? You finally got a kiss from me, and decided you wanted more?"

"No!" Bolton looked like he was asked if he enjoyed kicking newborn pups. "Of course not. That was the furthest thing from my mind-"

"Why? Because I'm a fucking, good-for-nothing distraction that will get in the way of your right future? Or, are you like most assholes and considered the possibility of slumming it for a bit, then backing up because it's too much for you to handle?"

"No-yes-I mean no-I mean. Fuck," Pup slammed the palms of his hands against his forehead and lowered his head, looking so small that Gabriella held back more acid-spat words that were ready to fire. He took in a deep breath and lifted his head up. "I didn't do what I did because I expected you to pay back. I swear on my life that was the furthest thing from my mind."

She didn't get a single sense of bull from his words. The strange tingle ripped through her stomach. "Then why go through so much trouble for me?"

Pup, taking after her book, didn't hesitate. "For two reasons. The first reason is because I can't stand bullying. I hate it more than anything, almost as much as I do my fath-" He cut himself off, shaking his head. "What Heather and her friends did wasn't just bullying. It was just plain wrong. And it was because you are one of few people who aren't afraid of her. Heather couldn't handle that and was willing to let you go to jail for it. I couldn't just stand by. And the other reason is because…is because..."

"Spit it out, Bolton." Her words came out harsher than she intended. Gabriella could only say her temper was more explosive than usual while her self-control wasn't intact like she'd like it to be. And those irritating thoughts weren't helping things.

"I like you," There it was: those three words that appeared so small on the surface yet between them, it ran deep. Far deep. "I like you, Gabriella. A lot. I like that you take no shit. I like everything about you, especially your smile. It's rare like a shooting star or being struck like lightening, but when it comes, I know that the wait is worth. You're worth it, Gabriella. More than worth it. And…I just…I just…I wanna be with you. As a friend, an acquaintance, whatever I is I'll take it. It's your call."

Damn. Goddamn. Goddamn. Goddamn. It was rare when a person managed to catch her off guard. It was rarer when that person was a Pup. Various hookups have wanted more from her, have said it in different ways, and she was able to push them all off and pull the chord on them. But with Pup, the option of cutting and running was no longer available to her.

Gabriella took in a slow, silent breath. Then another. And another. "Pup," she told him, looking him straight in the eye. "You don't what to get involved with me."

"Why?"

"We come from two different worlds. In your world, you spend it the rest of senior year with your picture-perfect girlfriend, being the school's Golden-couple. Take her on dates. To prom. Get those stupid matching rings couples love to buy. In mine? Relationship and I don't mix. I don't do boyfriends. I don't do dates. I sure as hell don't do attachments. You're into serious commitments. I'm into fun. If you're serious about this, then you should know that there is a big chance you'll be left with a broken heart."

He was thinking about her proposal. Good. It showed that he was a smart Pup after all. Most guys would be all for having no-strings-attached relationship, but, as others have often pointed out and as she had witnessed herself, Pup wasn't most guys.

He looked at her and took her hands in his. She didn't fight him off. He entwined their fingers together. Gabriella tried hard not to notice how warm he felt.

"Okay." he said after a moment of silence.

Gabriella could feel her heart slowing down to a pause, growing in tension. "I'm not into clingy. Nor am I up for being paraded around like a damn show dog. The second I'm treated like property, I'm gone."

"Okay," he said again, this time with no hesitation.

Her eyes narrowed. "And I do plan to be gone, Pup. Like I said, I don't do attachments. The second we graduate, I'm hopping on my bike and heading to California with nothing holding me back."

"Okay."

"This could be blow up in our faces."

He nodded. "It could. But a wise woman once told me that rules are meant to be broken. To take risks. I've been following rules most of my life. I at least want to look back at my high school years and know that I didn't miss out. That I didn't let something that was possibly good slip away from me because I was scared."

Despite herself, Gabriella could feel her lips curl slightly. "That woman was wise beyond her years."

She liked to think it was possible that neither of them knew how close they were to each other. She didn't know about Pup, but it was surprise to her to find that there was little space between them. Very little space. But, odd as it was, it didn't scare her. She didn't mind it at all.

Pup was still holding her hands. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and muttered about him being an old-fashioned dork before she pulled him into a kiss.

AN: Hey guys. First off, I want to say I'm so so so sorry it took forever for me to get back to you. Like I've said before, school has kept me busy. Not only that, but I've switched my major and had to switch my schedule around. Plus I've been working on other stories. But don't worry. I'm still onboard with ET. I hope you all were pleased with the chapter. The moment you've all been waiting for has finally happened: TROYELLA. And just in time for Valentine's day, too. I hope holidays were good for you all and that this year will kick ass.

Thanks so much for reading. Feel free to poke around my other stories. And keep on being awesome. Peace ;)