A/N: This chapter is fluffy at the end, you have been warned. It's late, but I really want to thank jb1236 for using this story as the fanfiction of the week on Zaangels! That really means a lot to me, so thank you so much! And thank you to everyone who reads and reviews this, because trust me, your reviews are incredible.. :D

"You are so beautiful."

Troy watched as her slender fingers gently slid through Sadie's dark hair. Her tiny body was kneeling and rubbing her hands gingerly over her body. Just being in that black dress made Troy know that the words that slipped out of her mouth deserved to be aimed at her. After arguing for almost twenty minutes, it seemed that every perfect trait about her amplified to astronomical levels. He always believed it was physically impossible to be that perfect. Well, maybe not that perfect, but perfect for him.

"Yeah, you are…" He mumbled before suddenly, it stabbed his heart like cupid's arrow. There was a swell of emotion that bubbled through his stomach. He could not control it. Everything about her right now made him want to crawl to her and tell her how unworthy he was. In that moment, just gazing upon her, it suddenly dawned on him. The realization that only took a second to feel, but the effects lasted a life time. He felt something he had never felt before, something deep within the depths of his chest. A rise of an unfamiliar emotion that he had no idea what it was.

He never wanted to kiss another girl. He never wanted to touch another, breathe another's scent. His strong arms were only meant to fit around her body. The only body he wanted to see nude was the one staring back up at him. A magnetic force began to draw Troy away from the wall and to where she was calling to him on the floor.

After kneeling down beside her which ended up turning into a sensual make out session, Troy quickly found himself gliding above her wearing only his boxers on the comforts of his soft queen size bed. The comforter was a deep crimson red, but held Gabriella's body with such a tender touch that it was almost as though Troy was beneath her himself. She was only wearing the black lace bra she had come with, along with the matching black thong that Troy was slowly working on dropping to the floor with his long fingers.

"Oh god… oh god…" Gabriella whimpered erotically before almost ripping off her bottom lip with her teeth in response to Troy gently grazing across her clitoris. His lips curved in response to her writhing figure, finding that just the site was making him turn into a rock. "Troy… here…right here…"

She then did something that completely threw him to the wall in shock. Her trembling hand grasped his and slithered her fingers over his. Gabriella let her moans echo in the room as she forcefully pulled his hand downward, to were she was craving him most, letting his fingers brush aside the soaked panties. "And what do you want me to do there?" He questioned huskily before a tender kiss pressed against her sweaty skin as a sticky liquid was covering the rough skin on his fingers.

"Don't tease me…" Gabriella demanded just before Troy penetrated his warm finger between her legs, echoing a pleasurable scream from her lips.

But then everything changed…

Gabriella's wiggling body slipped beneath his sticky skin. Troy's hand disappeared from the memory and was replaced by another.

It all happened so fast. He was lying beneath the stove of the kitchen, with a ceiling tall flame bubbling from the top of the counter. Desperately he attempted to reach up to grasp the source of the flames, but the blinding smoke shielded him from all visibility. Sirens were echoing through the small shack, though Troy didn't see anything. He was almost in a trance, a fight for life to survive, to save the little house he had, to save his mother laying lifelessly on the weak table.

Common sense wasn't in Troy's vocabulary as his trembling hand reached up against the burning skin. His fingers closed around the side of the fire spitting pan and attempted to rip it from the shelves. But the heat was overpowering and caused his thin fingers to shrivel in mid air, causing the pan to drop. It caved to the force of gravity and crashed to the ground, but was cushioned by the hard torso that draped across the floor.

A sickening scream overpowered the sounds of the fire alarm. Nothing had ever felt this close to dying. The white hot skin bubbled and blistered, burning rapidly through the thin cotton of his boxers and grey sweatpants. He was certain he was going to die right there. Nothing had ever felt this painful in his life. Millions of sharp needles stuck into his skin at the impact point as his body writhed and tensed in pain.

He was burning in hell…

"FUCK!"

Troy's body sprung erect almost causing him to fly from beneath the thick covers of his bed. Slick sweat dripped down the side of his face as his chest expanded and contracted to grasp the oxygen that seemed all too thin. His eyes cleared the vision of the heated flames capturing him before it dawned on him that he wasn't laying in the kitchen of his old house. Instead he was attempting to grasp reality in his soft bed within the dark room.

How could a memory of something as sweet as Gabriella less than six hours ago be mutated into something so hideous? He rapidly reached a hand up to run through the bed head on the top of his skull. Panic from the memory rippled through his stomach and he fearfully looked down at his bare torso. Slowly, his fingers stretched the fabric of the grey sweats he was currently wearing and stared at it. The mark of hell plastered on the skin. The mutated white scar taunted him disturbingly, making his stomach bubble in sick.

The room was spinning, and Troy needed stabilization. He needed a shot of numbness that would cure the twisting grip inside his stomach that he always got when a memory was relived. He needed one thing, and that was to hear a voice.

Instead of bolting to the bathroom as he would previously, his immediate reaction was different. Reflexively, his muscular arm stretched out and gripped the charging cell phone lying lifelessly on his light wooded nightstand. It took too long to ring in Troy's preference, but by the time a click echoed through his ear, a slight relief sent shockwaves through his body. "It's three o'clock in the morning!"

The voice was not angry, just tired and irritable. It didn't matter though, because a swell of antidote to whatever was eating him alive seeped through his veins as he gently pulled up the side of his sweatpants again to hide the mutation, even though there was no one else in the room. "I'm sorry… I just… say something again." He requested forcefully.

"What?" Gabriella's angelic voice was like a powerful medicine. Even though she wasn't there in the room with him, it was still drugging him as though if she was lying beneath him as she was just a few hours before.

Troy's chest was still heaving fearfully, but it wasn't as heavy as before. "I…I… bad dream… and I… I just need to hear your voice."

He could almost hear Gabriella's body jump up to a sitting position on the other side of the phone. "Are you ok? Troy…"

"I'm fine," he reassured her closing his eyes to see her beautiful portrait painted in his brain. "Just shaken."

He had no idea what it was, but when she was with Sadie, he felt something so unfamiliar to him he was pretty sure he hadn't experienced anything like it before. It was a soft pang against his chest to the way Gabriella's long cascading hair fell over her face. He never wanted to be around another girl again. It took awhile to realize, but Troy was sure that he knew what the emotion was. Impossible or not, Troy felt a heartbeat inside his ribs.

How could that be?

"Oh Troy." Gabriella cooed on the other side of the phone as Troy's body slipped backwards to rest on his back again, staring blankly at the white ceiling.

He didn't know how to think anymore. Nothing could hurt Gabriella, Troy was certain to make that his first priority. But now this unfamiliar pumping organ had a say in his decisions, whether he wanted it to have one or not. It had a mind and beat of its own, and that scared Troy. Now, he wanted more. He didn't just want to have her as someone to take away his pain. He wanted her to be his, and all his. "I'm ok… I just… you're voice… I needed it."

A small sad giggle whispered through the ear of the receiver, and Troy's body trembled from the perfection of it. Never did he want to hear another voice like that again. All he wanted was her… all of her only in his arms. "You don't want to have phone sex, do you?"

Troy chuckled lazily, knowing that everything inside was starting to numb from her. How could she work such miracles? "Are you offering it?"

"Well… it's three in the morning, and you need rest for the game tonight." Gabriella pointed out and Troy felt a frown melt on his face.

"Damn basketball," he murmured quietly. "Coach would understand."

Gabriella's laughter was hushed, which might have been all the more sexy in Troy's book. But then again, everything that she did was so erotic that Troy could barely contain himself. "Oh yeah, that'd be great. 'Coach, sorry I missed that free-throw, I was up late last night having phone sex with Gabriella'. I'd be hated by the school."

"Never."

"I already risk the chance of being hated by the full female population if they knew what we were doing." She commented and Troy let out a small breath. Everyone else knowing they were doing things? As dangerous as that sounded, it also sounded all so sweet. Every guy would look at her and know she belonged to Troy. He could walk through the hallway with an arm draped around her shoulder, or a hand laced in hers. His rapid heart increased pace at just the thought of kissing her in front of other people.

"What I can I say?" He let out cockily, yet sleep was lacing through his voice as his heavy eyelids began to close.

"Is T getting tired?"

Troy's closed eyebrows narrowed. "T?"

Gabriella giggled sweetly. "I needed a nickname. Would you rather me call you Troysie?"

Troy's eyes ripped open in fear. "Sharpay calls me that."

"Eww…" Troy could see her face scrunch up in disgust as he chuckled tiredly. A sad sigh let go from Gabriella's lips. "I should let you go."

"Don't…" Troy begged even though sleep was overwhelming him. He just didn't want to let her go.

"I'll just see you in the morning." She closed before Troy felt his breath being sucked from his chest.

"Ok… I…" His voice was cut off from the reflexive words that were about to spill out of his mouth. What? Never once had those words threatened to slip from his throat, ever. It was so unfamiliar to him, the three little words that were like a foreign language or something. It scared Troy to no end. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

The black and white striped ref held up two thick fingers.

"Two shots." He instructed with the bald head of his and passed the ball forcefully in the sweaty captain's direction.

He could do this. The adrenaline that scorched through his nerves as he found himself at the familiar place behind the free-throw line. This time it was different though. The Wildcats were up by twenty-three, and there was no chance of them loosing since they were stuck in the third quarter. It was times like these where Troy knew he was going to be subbed out soon, so they'd put a less played junior or sophomore in. But that wasn't what was on his mind.

His personal game was making his heart thump rapidly against his chest.

If I make this, I'll ask her out.

Troy had been thinking all day about it. It was a new obsession that seemed to circle his mind during every class, warm ups, getting dressed, peeing, everything. He was treading murderous territory. Was he stupid? Of course he was! This whole time it had been about protecting her, making sure she was safe. Now, he couldn't protect her from himself, for he would officially admit, he had fallen.

But did she really need protecting now if he HAD fallen?

"Come on Troy!" Coach Andrews screamed even though it didn't matter whether Troy made this shot to the sea of red. But it mattered to him. It mattered so much he was pretty sure he would explode beneath the white uniform he was wearing.

"You can do this Bolton." Troy whispered encouragingly under his breath. He wouldn't dare turn to the side to meet Gabriella's gaze. That was dangerous territory. Distraction was not what he needed right now. He needed to focus. He had to make this shot.

His new found heart was on the line.

Quickly, as though it was a hot potato, since he was sick of wasting time, Troy's knees curved and the bumpy orange ball grazed the tips of his fingers. The lungs locked inside his chest shut down as he stared up at the death rim. Fear stretched through his body as it bounced off the backboard. Troy was certain it was going to rebound and land into the opposing arms until he had to make another.

But fate was on his side.

It spun twice before sinking gracefully into the hoop. The cyan eyes jumped out of their sockets before a scream of cheers jeered from the crowd. That just happened? There was no way. He just made that shot? What?

A new fear settled in his stomach. Now he had to complete the promise…

"You've got to be shitting me."

Gabriella's head turned to see where the smooth voice was directing to and felt her entire stomach sink to the floor painfully. No. There was no way this was happening beneath the dim lighting of the house. Pigs just flew through the basement of the noisy house, Gabriella was certain. For there was no other explanation of why Chad was walking through the doors of the victory party… with East High's ice queen on his arm. "No fucking way."

"I'll kill him…" Zeke mumbled jealously, through no one else heard that.

Ryan's jaw dropped to the floor. "My sister?"

Kelsi, who was finding herself comfortable under the male Evans' lazy shoulder, shook her head pitifully. "Please no Chad."

None of their comments mattered through, for the five pairs of shocked eyes immediately ripped to the silent one. They were all standing behind a light gray granite countertop with drinks in front of them. The party was smaller than normal, for only seniors were there, though that didn't stop anyone from sneaking alcohol into the parents free house. The victory of the Wildcats was the topic of conversation, through Gabriella's mind was anywhere but in the game.

Chad was smiling all too brightly for her liking. With Sharpay leading him through the room, the five friends couldn't help but watch Taylor hopelessly. The normally excited eyes were dull and lifeless, completely washed over with a pain that broke her heart just to look at. Her mouth hung open horridly as though she had just seen the bloody movie they went to a week ago all over again. Taylor had been trying so hard all week to attempt to get on Chad's good side, but he wouldn't even look at her.

"Tay?" The soothing voice questioned beside her before she watched him place a gentle arm around Taylor's almost shaking shoulders. Gloss lined the coverings of her eyes, though she attempted to blink them away. As her best friend, Gabriella knew that Taylor hated crying. She didn't make any motion as Troy attempted to pull her closer to his black zip up sweatshirt that covered his body. "Are you…"

"That fucking stank," Taylor mumbled under her heavy breath. Gabriella's eyes shot up to Ryan's apologetically and his locked with hers only to nod in understanding. Taylor hated Sharpay right now, whether she had a thing with Matt or not. "Why the hell would be pick her?"

That was easy. It was because Chad needed something right now. Gabriella knew his desperation just to feel anything, even if it was from someone he couldn't stand and usually wouldn't touch with a six foot pole. She knew he had been numb inside without talking to Taylor, and unrequited sex seemed to be the only thing that could cure it. She only knew this because that was the nasty habit of his best friend, have sex with multiple people to kill pain. That is, before rounding on two months now. Before her.

Gabriella looked over to see that Sharpay laughed flirtatiously at something Chad had just said, but then noticed the small flash of her light brown eyes towards where the group was standing. Hunger draped within them, and Gabriella couldn't help but see them stop on the boy standing next to her with his elbows now on the table after letting go of Taylor, gazing at the two. His dark eyebrows narrowed suspiciously along with Gabriella's. What?

A hint of jealousy sparked in Gabriella's gut before she saw Troy's muscles tense tightly. No one else seemed to have caught the glance, but the cerulean blue eyes gazed upward to meet her, both knowing the same thing. She wanted nothing to do with Chad. It was all about getting to Troy. What better way to do it then flirt with his best friend?

"Hey guys." Chad excitedly greeted everyone as he finally made his way over with the pink drama queen at his side. Taylor angrily bit her bottom lip and Gabriella was certain she almost saw the normally dark skin turn white hot with anger. Troy's tired body was still tense as Gabriella took a drink of the alcohol that was in her hand. Neither wanted to be around Sharpay, especially since her eyes were locked on the basketball captain.

"Uh… Chad… Sharpay…" Zeke greeted slowly with a fake smile plastered on his face. He eyed Sharpay slowly, though no one else was paying attention. Everyone was staring at the way that Chad seemed to be only looking at Taylor, as though he was saying 'look, I can mess around too'. Troy and Gabriella were the only ones who were staring at the ice princess with starvation evident as she licked her lips. Gabriella's mocha eyes flashed a shade of lime green.

She suddenly jumped, almost knocking her knee against the counter when she felt a hand slip on her thigh beneath the table. Her flexible legs were bent to the point were she as almost squatting, so Troy's rough hand began to caress up and down, giving her conformation that he wasn't interested in the Barbie that wouldn't remove her craving eyes. "Hi Troy…" She waved her manicured fingers in his direction. The top of the counter hid Troy's stroking hand from all to see.

Troy just nodded and Gabriella couldn't stop but feel the sick pang of possession wave over her. She craved something to take her mind off it, so she slowly pealed herself from Troy's hand, only to see him look at her questionably. "I need more alcohol. Come on Tay."

Taylor's sad eyes sprung into action as she turned around, thankful that Gabriella was pulling her out of the hell she was in. Troy looked disappointed she was leaving him, but was silent as the two girls walked away.

About an hour and a half later, Gabriella could feel the small ounces of alcohol vibrating through her blood stream. She wasn't drunk, and you couldn't even say she was tipsy. She was too afraid of what she would do if she got drunk. Her and Taylor were standing off in a corner, observing Sharpay sitting on Chad's lap, playing with one of his dark ringlets. Her starving eyes were on Troy, who was standing in the back of the basement talking to one of the members of the football team. Gabriella's grip on her cup almost exploded it.

"She's fucking slut! How the hell is she doing this anyways? She thinks he's beneath her! Too dirty… And he smells too bad after playing basketball… Sharpay Evans would not want someone who smells." Taylor complained before crossing her arms in a pout.

"For someone who's in love with Matt, you haven't been able to stop talking about Chad." Gabriella let out almost annoyingly. Not that she didn't mind bashing Sharpay right now, but the whole Matt thing was starting to eat under her skin.

"I don't know what to think anymore." Taylor mumbled while she sloshed the drink her in hand around.

"Well… maybe it's your chance to go talk to him…" Gabriella pointed out as Chad slowly let Sharpay slide from his lap as he stood up. His dark chocolate eyes glanced in their direction for a moment, before he crossed the room and attempted to walk up the stairs.

"No… he doesn't want to talk to me." Taylor responded sourly before letting out a sigh.

But Gabriella didn't hear what she said, for her eyes were now locked on the blond who had an evil smirk on her face. She smacked her luscious lips before walking in the shimmery gold heels she was wearing to cross the room, light eyes locked on one figure.

Gabriella's body wouldn't accept oxygen as Sharpay walked up behind Troy's tired body. She could tell he was exhausted, probably from the game and being up late last night plus waking up at three to call her. "Don't you touch him…" Gabriella hissed under her breath, only making Taylor's eyebrows raise.

"Gabriella?" She questioned her best friend who made no movement to answer her.

Sharpay's snake like arms wrapped around the back of his strong torso. Troy smiled lazily and closed his eyes blissfully for a moment, making Gabriella's heart stop beating. What? But she was certain he hated her! His body slowly turned around and reached out as though he was going to grab her hips, but then suddenly his eyes grew to the sizes of four moons. He almost jumped back as though Sharpay had AIDS. A triumphant smile crossed Gabriella's hard face as relief rippled through her stomach. His stunning eyes shot a glance to the side to see meet Gabriella's stare. That confirmed he had thought Sharpay was her.

Satisfied, but not in the mood to stay around to watch Sharpay attempt to woo her man over, Gabriella turned to Taylor. "Bathroom, I'll be right back."

She placed her cup down and strode towards the stairs, not noticing Troy's eyes horridly lingering on her. Her long legs carried her up the steps, before looking to see that the bathroom was closed and occupied. She sighed and then took another turn towards the first floor stairs to walk towards the small upstairs bathroom.

Before she could even reach for the door, something warm shot out and grabbed her arm in mid reach. Surprise took over, fearing coursing through her veins. But her eyes shot to the side to see an out of breath Troy who looked like he had just seen a ghost. Did he race to meet her there?

"I didn't know it was her." Troy defended, making Gabriella's eyebrows scrunch in confusion. What was he talking about?

"What?"

"Come here." He desperately begged before ripping a bedroom door open and almost throwing her inside. This was scaring her. He looked like he had just committed a crime and was attempting to make things right. But she just saw him a moment ago. His desperation was confusing her.

"Troy… what's going on?" She questioned before Troy ran a hand through his hair. She could see the evident bags under his eyes under the shadows the moon cast through the window. It made him look so desirable.

"She just came up behind me… I swear Gabi I thought it was you," he forcefully tired to convince her before reaching for her hand tenderly. It suddenly dawned on Gabriella that he thought she had stormed out after seeing Sharpay attempt to make a move on Troy. Oh man. A round of amused giggles slipped from the depths of her throat as Troy's eyebrows rose in confusion. "Why are you…"

"Troy, I had to go to the bathroom… I know you can't stand her." She continued to giggle as Troy nervously looked from left to right, before Gabriella pushed her lower body up against his, reflexively making him grasp her lower back to steady her. She needed to touch him.

"Wait… I thought…"

"You thought that I stormed out?" she asked before Troy's face flooded in an embarrassed flush. "Well, if you want to screw Sharpay, I mean…"

"Fuck no," he huskily whispered before leaning towards her, replacing his embarrassment with his inhuman sexuality. Gabriella giggled again before snaking her arms around his neck. "And I'm gonna have to kill Chad for being an ass and picking her."

Gabriella smiled amusedly, their lips inches apart from each other. "They're find each other… miracles can happen." She whispered referring to their best friends, before Troy's lips curved into a smile.

"Just like I found you…" He responded before their lips connected in a sweet kiss that Gabriella would have traded for one night of sex any day.