He screwed up. Big time.
"Shoot it Troy!" Coach Andrews screamed in fury as the orange sphere connected to his fingertips released and soared in the air. It collided with the matching rim, before it bounced off and landed in the hands of the opposing team dressed in green. "COME ON BOLTON! GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!"
They were down by four points, with two minutes left in the game. Troy's head was anywhere but in the visiting gym. His mind couldn't get around last night, the feeling of her soft lips against his tingling ones. The way her body moved and curved when they grinded. How could one focus on a basketball game when all he could think about was the girl who was making his fingertips numb? The girl who was standing in the front row of the bleachers belonging to the away team decked out in red and white screaming his name.
The girl who he had to stay clear from. He had to protect her.
"W-I-L-D, WILDCATS!" The cheerleaders who had led the entire East High student body to the away game screamed as the crowd went wild in delight. The Wildcats had just as many students in the stands at the home team did, though that was not surprise to Troy. School spirit at East High was more than any other in Colorado. Well, West High came close to, but not as much as the Wildcats.
"Focus Bolton." He instructed himself forcefully while the opposing team in the lime green jersey's took the ball down past center court. He had to take his mind off of Gabriella. Basketball was supposed to release him from thinking, but why couldn't her soft eyes leave his vision? Troy's long arms attempted to block the other point guard from shooting, but the taller of the two took it and the ball went into the net with a swish. They were now down by seven.
"Time out ref!" Coach Andrews requested angrily as the sharp whistle blew. Beads of sweat dribbled down Troy's tan face as each teammate nervously stole glances from each other. Guilt was sinking in Troy's moist skin as he realized half the reason they were down was because of him. His head wasn't in the gym right now. It was back in the lodge with his hands snaked around Gabriella's body, dancing dangerously together. The team huddled together around the metal chairs as Andrews let his hard eyes stare down the captain. "Are you sick or something Bolton?"
Troy's eyes shut in pain as he shook his heavy head. "No Coach."
"Then pick up the shit you're playing, or I'm pulling you." He threatened forcefully, even though both he and Troy knew that on Troy's bad days, he could still run circles around their back up point guard, along with the rest of the team.
"I got it alright?" Troy responded determinedly as his cobalt eyes glanced up hopefully to see in the front row, wearing a crimson beater with a snow white one beneath it along with a denim jean skirt that teased Troy at how short it was and high red socks, gently tugged a smile on her lips. A swell of adrenaline at the action rushed through his blood stream as he nodded to no one and placed his hungry fist in with the rest of the team. "WILDCATS!"
"Let's go!" Chad shouted pumping up the visitor's section. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Troy's body was now backing into over drive. He could do this. Two minutes left. Don't think about Gabriella for two minutes and everything would be ok.
The ref blew the whistle again to restart the game as Chad forcefully passed Troy the orange sphere. He took it down the court, being abruptly stopped for a second by the opposing defender, before Troy faked right and took it left, risking it all by taking a three point shot, and somehow managing to get it into the net.
Only four more points to go.
Gabriella was ripping off her nails with her teeth nervously as she watched Zeke pass the ball desperately to Chad, who took the risky shot in the paint and made it in. "THAT'S IT CHAD!" Her chocolate colored best friend screamed next to her. Gabriella couldn't help but roll her coffee brown eyes at the action as she watched the players in bright yellow take the ball back past half court, her heart beating as though she was out there with them. "Damn it, come on Danforth play defense!" Taylor ordered as Kelsi rolled her eyes beneath her thick rimmed glasses annoyingly.
"Come on boys, you got this!" Kelsi cheered softly as Gabriella's eyes were locked on the brunette who was now dribbling the orange basketball, sweat sliding down his smooth body, making her want to feel what it would be like beneath her the pads of her fingertips.
Taylor and Matt had, much to Chad's protests, left early last night. Gabriella knew that nothing happened, but it still sickened her to think that Taylor had the perfect guy running around on the court right now, while Matt was someone getting wasted in some dorm room. Other than that, she hadn't seen anyone else for the rest of the night, though she knew whisperings were running through the crowd at the beginning of the game about seeing her and Troy at the party last night.
She hadn't been able to think about anything else all day. All that was welded inside her mind was the lips that were pressed up against hers last night. They hadn't spoken since. Should she be worried? Not a single word? Though they hadn't seen each other all day, except for right now as she watched him sprint down the court in a fury to score and beat the tie score with a minute left.
"Come on Troy." She whispered encouragingly under her breath while the cheerleaders on the ground were going wild to pump up the crowd. Gabriella couldn't help but feel Troy's adrenaline through her own veins as the reflection of the bright yellow lights from the ceiling glistened on his moist body.
In slow motion, Troy's hands passed the ball to Chad, who was open down in the paint. He tossed the ball in the air letting it soar for a moment, the entire gym held its breath. The ball seemed to tease everyone, players, the coach, and of course the fans. Gabriella nervously watched as it sunk into the basket perfectly, when a sudden round of cheers encircled her as Troy's hand reached out to slap Chad on the back in support.
After playing defense for the remaining few seconds, the clock on the bright score board switched to zero. They won. After being down ten points at the beginning of the forth quarter, they won. The Wildcat's screamed in triumph just before storming the hardwood. The administrators from the other school unsuccessfully tired to contain them, but the fans were too much like loose animals at the zoo. Gabriella's small body was being pushed towards the center in the wave of students, all screaming like they had just won state. The adrenaline in Gabriella's body radiated as she bounded up and down in excitement with Taylor and Kelsi. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" Taylor screamed loudly as her face crunched up in happiness.
Gabriella's hopeful eyes were searching for the one person who everyone else seemed to be looking for as well. For much different reasons though. She wanted to congratulate him, and also see if he would touch her after their kiss last night. A sudden wave of fear crushed her body at that thought. What if he didn't want to talk to her? What if he didn't even want to look at her? Bodies were being shoved into her back as she ping ponged off of the ecstatic East High. "WILDCATS!" A familiar voice screamed and Gabriella turned around to see a sweaty and out of breath, yet high Chad and Zeke both giving each other hugs.
"You played amazing!" Taylor praised energetically as she pushed past everyone else who matched them in their school colors and leapt into Chad's now tired arms arms. Chad's face shed confusion, before he then beamed like he had just gotten a slice of to die for cake.
But Gabriella didn't have time to listen to the response. All life was sucked from her throat as she saw him. His normally dark caramel hair now was almost the same color as hers and clumped together in strings from being completely drenched in sweat. His cerulean eyes danced in delight as microscopic balls of sweat rested on top of his chapped red lips. The bulging biceps on his arms were swollen from being worked so hard, along with the formed calf muscles on his legs. Troy's head turned slowly to the side and locked as Gabriella's face flustered in a blush. Now the ball was in his court. Would he come to her? Or just ignore her like some other girl.
Seconds turned into decades, Gabriella's chest heaving nervously up and down. The drenched head whipped to rid some of the sweat, just before he took a step forward. Gabriella's nerves rose to unbearable levels as his cyan eyes remained on her, but he seemed to be pushing through the entire crowd to get to her. She suddenly craved what she felt last night and desperately needed to be in his arms.
Both of them began ripping people out of the way to get to each other. A magnetic force that Gabriella couldn't describe drew them through the red sea, each step to each other making the temperature in the room shoot up ten degrees. Finally, after what seemed like weeks, Troy grabbed some random junior's arm and shoved him into someone else to leave a clear foot between him and Gabriella.
Her mouth was fiery sandpaper as Troy's sweating hand reached out for her. Gabriella ignored it, working on the hormonal impulses surging through her body, throwing her arms out and gripping them around his slippery neck before she felt the clammy body push up against hers in a hug. "Congrats." She whispered softly, though desperately letting her smooth chin trail across the damp scarlet uniform and his sticky neck.
Gabriella could feel his sweaty face rub up against her bouncing hair as he seemed to be taking her scent in. A small smile grazed her face at the gesture. It was small, but enough to satisfy her that he had been thinking about her at least a little. But the moment was short lived as his head retrieved from her shoulder and brought her own head to face his sparkling yet determined blue eyes. "We need to talk." He stated plainly, Gabriella's heart suddenly sunk at the sound of those words. The death words that no one wanted to hear from a crush ever.
Her now heavy head nodded slowly, cheers still filling the gym while the administrators were trying to break up the mob. "Let the team through!" The adults were yelling uselessly. But then another head popped up from the student population that was tall and hard. "Bolton!" What Gabriella recognized as the basketball coach yelled. "Get your team to the locker-room!" He ordered loudly, but a grin was bursting through his obviously satisfied hard face.
Troy's head spun back around to meet Gabriella's gaze. "Meet me back at East High alright? We'll talk before the after party." He mumbled as Gabriella's now nervous head nodded slowly, remembering that the team always took the bus to games, along with the rides home as well.
He reluctantly pulled away from her and turned around. Gabriella watched Troy's retreating figure attempt to fight his way through the sea of ruby and snow to gather his team. The nauseous feeling bubbled in her stomach at what would happen in less than an hour. She now officially hated talking.
Troy's nerves were doing the Irish jig beneath this crawling skin as he was now uncomfortable with being in his body. This was the last thing he wanted to do right now.
But he had to.
"See ya at the after party Troy!" Zeke's voice rang out through the locker-room as Troy turned around to hold up his hand in a small wave. The rest of the winning team also screamed yells of goodbye, but his ears had tuned them out. He wasn't focused on the cream colored walls of the boy's locker room right now. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to slam his lips up against Gabriella's soft and desirable ones, but how he couldn't because he had to protect her from himself.
He swung the light brown door that led to the gym that only had half the lights on, for they had no reason to waste energy during the weekends if no one was going to be there. The thin air that traveled across it suddenly grew thicker as his twinkling eyes landed on the small figure who was staring at the adjacent wall. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her that he couldn't be with her or do anything with her. Just by the way her slender body moved in perfection made Troy want to fall to the ground at her feet. But he had to be strong, for her. If he kept telling himself this was for her, maybe it would be ok.
Slowly, his white shoes took several steps towards her, the air becoming heavy with each one. He was wearing his white warm up sweats, which also came with a white zip up sweatshirt with the famous East High wildcat on the hood and a red t-shirt underneath. The scarlet gym bag that hung loosely on his shoulder somehow became heavier when he noticed how short Gabriella's denim skirt really was, and how desperate he was to run his hand up her thigh.
Her slender body was tense as he approached her, but she refused to turn around to greet him. So he stopped his death march behind her before he realized she was staring at a bulletin board holding newspaper clippings of the athletes that had been in there. Sitting in the center was Troy himself, shooting a lay up from last year at the championship game. "Best game of my life." He stated after swallowing his nerves so he could actually speak.
Her eyes didn't turn to him, but a tiny smile grazed her kissable lips as she nodded. "I remember that. It shot your ego through the roof even more if that was even possible."
Troy nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, I played pretty good, so you know…"
Gabriella smiled shyly again before finally turning to him, taking his breath away. Her brown eyes glistened in a sad way, yet it seemed so beautiful to Troy. Her hair draped over her face loosely, as though she was trying to hide from the possible pain that was about to come next. This wasn't making the task on hand any easier for Troy. "So, you wanna talk?"
The baseball sized lump in Troy's throat grew to the size of a grapefruit before he unsuccessfully attempted to swallow it. "Yeah… uh… let's go for a drive." He suggested fearfully while nodding to the doors to the gym that led to the empty parking lot where he knew his lone care would be.
Her gorgeous head nodded slightly in agreement before the two began to walk across the hardwood floor to the doors in silence. The air was tense, along with both of their bodies, for they knew what was coming, but neither one wanted Troy to say it. He just had to keep telling himself this was for her. It was for the best.
They reached the doors and each opened a different one, but it was in sync with the other. Chills rolled down Troy's back as they walked into the calm, crisp night. Blackness enclosed them as they marched towards the back parking lot where all the teachers parked and the athletes when they had events on weekends. He glanced over to see that Gabriella's thin arms were wrapped around each other to guard her from the cold and whatever else was going to come. He realized that she hadn't brought a jacket, or left it in her car or something. Even though the move would be extremely hypocritical to what he was about to do, Troy stopped abruptly only to have Gabriella turn around in surprise. He let his shoulder dip in order for the heavy gym back to fall off of it and removed the toasty sweatshirt that covered his shoulders. Once it was off, he took a small step towards Gabriella and gently wrapped it around her shoulders to protect her. "Troy… you don't have to…"
"You're freezing." He cut her off and tried to give her a warming smile. Gabriella's shy one fell onto her face in a picture perfect moment that Troy could have saved forever. They began to move again in silence. It was so bizarre to him that one moment, she was sweet, caring, and had a somewhat mysterious shyness to her, like how she was at that moment. But then there was this other side to Gabriella, a sexy confident vixen who knew what she wanted and when, like last night. Both drove him crazy and would make telling her what he was going to so much harder.
After reaching the car that blended in with the night, Troy opened the door and unlocked it, letting Gabriella slide smoothly into the passenger's seat before tossing his red stink bag into the trunk to let that air in there. He hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine, immediately cranking up the heat that wasn't present, for Gabriella was still shaking slightly and the little hairs on Troy's bare arms were starting to stand up with tiny mountains of Goosebumps beneath them.
"Let me know how that is." Troy noted before waving his hand in front of the burst of energy from the heat that didn't come in the car fast enough. Gabriella's tiny body attempted to wrap the white sweatshirt around her closer, though Troy couldn't tell if it was the cold, or maybe the scent of him. Somewhere deep down, he was praying it was the latter.
They pull out of the parking lot in silence and make their way up the dark and winding road in a mysterious silence. Both knew exactly what Troy was going to say, and neither one wanted him to say it. The pre-game nerves he always got were mutating in his stomach now, making his nervous hands practically shake the wheel violently. The sparkling cyan eyes kept sneaking glances at her, just to see the gorgeous profile he couldn't get enough of. Though her own head was locked straight ahead in deep thought. She was going to hate him after this, he knew it. But he wanted to be friends with her, no, he NEEDED to be friends with her.
After a few minutes of mindless driving, Troy parked on the slope of a mountain in an empty park and ride. Blackness surrounded them, though there was a white holy street lamp that beamed onto the black car. The heat was running but the engine was turned off, leaving an empty silence as Troy turned to stiff Gabriella, who seemed to refuse to look at him.
"You warm now?" He asked concerned as Gabriella simply bowed her head in the smallest bit. That shot Troy's nerves through the roof of the car again. She wasn't talking. That wasn't good.
Gabriella finally turned her head the smallest bit so her chocolate eye shimmered in the light a little. "Just spit it out ok?" She ordered painfully, Troy's shaking hand immediately shot to his chestnut hair to run through nervously.
He took a deep inhale but found that the oxygen was way too thin for his lungs. "Look, about last night…" He stated and immediately, Gabriella's hand raised to her lips to gently bite down on her nail. Troy shook his head and chuckled a little. "God, I can't stop thinking about it." He mumbled, Gabriella's head shooting around in shock. That wasn't what she was expecting, nor did he even realize he said it before it came out of his mouth.
"Me neither." She whispered softly while her sparkling eyes gazed into his longingly. Why was she torturing him like this.
Troy let out a depressing sigh before he tried his hardest not to rip his gaze from the perfect head that had a strand of midnight curls dancing in front of it. Elephants were stomping on his stone heart, making this almost impossible to do. "But what happened… it…it can't happen again."
Gabriella's dark eyes shut painfully as her head dropped. He blew it. Any chance for a friendship was now gone. He just blew everything. "Uh huh." Was the only thing that left her lips as Troy practically smacked his head against the window to punish him for doing this right now. It was the exactly opposite of what he wanted, but it was what was right.
"Gabi…" He tried to explain, but found that he didn't know what to say.
Gabriella's hand was trembling before her twinkling eyes lifted to meet his, making his stone heart beat with life once again. She wasn't crying, but the upsetting look on her innocent face was crushing him just the same. "Why not?" It was barely audible, but it floated like a breath.
Because my mom's a drug user and my dad's a bastard who left me so I have no heart to fall in love with you like I want. "I'm so fucked up Gabriella." He let out like it was a heavy weight on his chest. Her eyes scrunched as though she was trying to find out what was wrong with him, but couldn't see it in his brow. Slowly, another rough hand ran through his silk hair as she looked like she was about to protest angrily. "No, you don't understand… I'm fucked. I've been to hell, come back, been sent again, then spit back out violently."
Gabriella bit her bottom lip with force. "I told you I have issues too."
Troy shook his head forcefully. He needed her to understand. "Not like mine. Gabriella, I want to do this, honestly you have to believe that I do…" he begged but Gabriella's face was still as hard as his heart. "But you're too amazing. I can't put you through my past ok? I want to be friends, but I can't put you through anything beyond that…"
A heavy silence filled the air as Gabriella's dark eyes set to analyze him like a science project. Her soft kissable lips were a thin straight line, along with anger coursing her face faster than what she ran at state. Troy's body was shaking nervously. It was like a time bomb about to explode. Gabriella's tongue clicked annoyingly before she shook her head. "If you don't want anything to do with me, just fucking tell me…"
"No!" Troy practically screamed, almost sending Gabriella crashing into the window behind her. She didn't get it. She thought he didn't want to be around her. That was the last thing he wanted. Another long breath let out of Troy's wet mouth. "You… you know I've had I thing for you since freshman year?" He more stated than asked as Gabriella's brown orbs grew wide in surprise. Troy chuckled half heartedly and let his head move from side to side. "It just took me until music pro to say something to you cuz I was afraid you'd turn me down again."
Gabriella bit her bottom lip, which Troy was certain was about to grow numb from how many times she had done that. "You're Troy Bolton…" She informed him weakly as her small hand tried to pull the open sweatshirt to her body closer, like she was trying to make him closer to her. "You're not afraid of anything…"
Troy chuckled weakly again before reflexively brushing his hand against her small arm tenderly. "If you think that, then you don't know anything about the real me."
Her dark eyes glanced down at her small lap that was curved so perfect and mysteriously. "Then show me the real Troy Bolton." She whispered seductively though she hadn't tried it to be before connecting their eyes again sending fireworks through Troy's bloodstream. A sudden familiar throb pulsed through the center of his two legs as he stiffened. She didn't even have to try to be sexy to actually be sexy. And the best part about her? When her lips connected with his, there was no pain.
"I can't." Troy breathed agitated with himself for getting tempted to go against what the right thing was. "I can't lead you on… I… I don't have a heart to fall back for you… I'm so fucking screwed up. And you're… you're so perfect."
Gabriella's straight face finally broke. A maniacal giggle cut through the air like a shape knife as she was actually laughing. Troy's nervously stared at her like this was someone he had never seen in his life before. After the giggles subsided to little spits, Gabriella's thin hand reached across and suddenly snaked around his larger wrist. Tingles trickled through his arm at their contact as the deep brown orbs never left the cobalt. The hand that wasn't holding him carefully grasped the bottom of her crimson and snow beaters.
She slowly lifted up the two shirts to reveal the glowing olive skin beneath her. The higher she pulled, the harder Troy was growing rebelliously as he gulped a huge wad of drool that was threatening to form. His stare burnt two holes next to her bellybutton as she stopped lifting her shirt up just as it would have brushed her chest playfully. Her small hand that held his wrist pulled him to her, letting his cold fingers graze against her toasty skin, letting it brush the three white lines that covered her stomach. "If you think I'm perfect, then YOU don't know the real me."
Troy had seen them before, in times where she was at the gym with her sport's bra or by the poolside as he watched longingly. Curiosity tickled his bronze skin on how they were formed, but Troy couldn't find words. His tips were feeling each crevice of her soft skin, and he was doing his best to try and not break out into a sweat. He was fully hard now, the tent in his sweatpants shooting up like the mountain looming above them. And what shocked it was the erection didn't hurt. It was more of a, desirable pain. "Gabi…"
"I'm fucked up too," she whispered painfully as the cyan eyes left her tan stomach and locked with her mocha brown. Her bottom lip quivered, though no water streamed from her orbs. Slowly, her hand guided his away from her bare skin, Troy's fingers twitching in longing as she recovered her marks again. But her soft hand tenderly rose from his wrist until the pads of her fingers trailed a line of fire up his palm. They found the bottom of his and each four of them slipped into the opening that Troy's left for her. A perfect fit. Their hands closed in a lace as sparks erupted from their touch. "You have no idea."
With that she moved her body from where it was pressed against the cold glass and leaned towards him. Troy met her half way and placed a rough hand forcefully on the outside of her left cheek, leaning his dark hair covered forehead against hers while Gabriella's eyes closed in bliss and she opened her mouth as though to breathe in Troy's carbon dioxide. He somehow found it the most arousing thing he had ever witnessed. "Gabriella… I'd hurt you…" He weakly tried to protest as Gabriella's soft tempting lips parted even more.
"You'd help me…" she whispered erotically back as shivers crawled down Troy's now clammy skin. Gabriella's rosy cheek leaned into Troy's palm as another round of fireworks shot through his hand as her wet tongue grazed the calluses. His manhood was on the verge of exploding, in pleasure, not pain. "And I could help you…"
"I can't be with you." A husky whisper was produced as Troy's wall he had built in defense was crumbling to the floor quickly with Gabriella's cannons. Condensation began to form on the ice windows while Gabriella's body started to move closer. He wasn't going to be able to resist her much longer. His body, his mind, and his hormones especially were bowing at her feet. The little sanity that he had left was hanging on with its pinky.
"You don't have to be," Gabriella breathed as Troy's own sparkling blue eyes closed. Her open warm hand placed on his muscular shoulder as her slender flexible leg moved past the barrier separating the two seats. Troy gasped pleasurably as Gabriella swung the other over his torso so she was straddling him in the front seat of his own car, pinning his body to the cloth behind him. Every inch of him was being thrown into a rage of fireworks. His lips tingled in longing to be pressed up against Gabriella's slightly pink ones. "We can just take away the pain. I can be your…"
"Savior…" His hitched whisper finished before he couldn't take it any more. The brick wall he had attempted to keep up fell down in a heap as Troy's longing lips slammed up against Gabriella's sweet ones. Her tongue immediately grazed his bottom lip which he gave her full access to, letting him taste the sweet feel that he did last night. Ripples of sensual ecstasy raged through his body as his moan was stifled into her mouth. He was expecting to feel knives down his back as Gabriella gripped him for support, but instead he felt a passionate pleasure surge into his blood stream. No other girl had made him do that. No other girl had made this feel, good.
Troy's rough hands purged into her cascading hair while Gabriella attempted to bite at Troy's tongue seductively, only making Troy desire kissing her more. A high moan rolled from her own throat as Troy gently snaked his wet tongue out from her mouth and forcefully pressed his lips against the smooth side of her neck, making her slender fingers run through his caramel hair to pull him closer to her. "No… strings… attached… right?" His voice vibrated against the velvet skin as she gasped at Troy's strong arms slithering around her waist.
"No strings attached." Gabriella promised before shoving her lips against his angrily.
A/N: I'm so happy you guys liked the last chapter. And I'm estatic that now one shot me for taking this story faster than my normal pace. But unlike some of my past stories, this is supposed to be about Troy and Gabriella's relationship, not getting to the relationship. I hope you guys liked this chapter. And just a warning, my scheduale is about to get busier, so please just stick with me if I don't post after two days. Fall is the worst time of year for me, but I'm gonna try the best I can to put out fast, but more importantly, quality chapters. So anyways, thanks for reading and your reviews! I'm blessed you have readers like you! Thank you!