AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed for me. It seems that it always comes down to the day I said I'd update by that I actually find time to type. This chapter is a little bit shorter than the others, but not extremely short.
Chapter 9
Troy and Gabriella continued to fight and cycle like normal, only now they were filled with more fiery passion than before. And in between some of the glares and snipes were glances with the complete opposite effect. A small smile or a knowing look dared to pass between them when no one else would notice. Their eyes lit up more when they looked at each other. And even more energy built up in the ignorance stage before coming out in an ecstasy of colors in a fight.
But they kept everything subtle enough that their friends didn't notice. Only Troy and Gabriella could see the difference. And not only see it, but they could feel it. They could feel the heat of battle and the sparks of lightning in a glare. They could feel the tension building ever stronger in the ignorance stage, always ready for the next explosion to release it.
And secretly, in between the fire works were polite conversations on the rooftop that only they knew about, sprinkled in randomly if they ever met up there. Like the one they were having right now. Gabriella was sitting sideways on the bench with one leg bent so the connecting foot was on the bench and the elbow on the same side was resting on the back of the bench. Troy was sitting on the ground, leaning against the railing with his knees bent in the air.
"We should totally pull one of those!" Gabriella said excitedly.
"Get a bunch of people from different groups and make them sit in the library for eight hours and see what happens," Troy nodded in agreement.
"And Darbus would be the mean teacher. I don't know who would be what."
"Well I think I would be the jock. You or Taylor would be the brain. Sharpay is no doubt the princess. Ian Penning is the criminal, and Gecko our crazy."
"Who's Gecko?"
"You don't know Gecko? He's hilarious, and really smart, but about stuff that you won't learn until college. He can confuse the hell out of you talking about how I know and can prove I exist but you can't prove anyone else exists. And it was all this other stuff that went with it something about clouds and aliens and dreams. And I've heard him talk about quantum physics that I totally didn't get, something about a photon and a mirror and I don't have a clue as to what he was talking about but everyone says he's crazy."
"He sounds like a brain."
"It's crazy too. He has his own like philosophy of screwing the government and how the little people are something, you just have to get him talking, sit back and listen. You won't get half of it, but it is fun to listen to."
"So why is he called Gecko?"
"It's something to do with a club or a band or something he is in. His real name is like Greg or something."
"I'll have to find him and get him talking, and you just said something three times is like one sentence."
"There were two sentences in there."
"So who is Ian Penning?"
"You know the fire drill we had two weeks ago? That was him. And the day with the messed up bell system and the bells went off randomly at wrong times, that was him too."
"Let's hope I never run into him."
"He's worse than jerk me."
"I don't know about that, jerk you was pretty bad."
"Trust me when I say he is a lot worse."
"Class 'A' ass?"
"Class 'A' double plus ass."
"So you seem to know everyone in the school."
"It seems that way."
"Then what can you tell me of Steven Richards?"
"Captain of the swim team, big time underage drinker, druggie, smoker, why?"
"He asked me out and I didn't even know his name, I had to ask Taylor to know."
"All the varsity captains of teams are asses, myself included. But maybe excluding the golf captain, not that anyone knows who it is if they even have a captain."
"David Halls, he's in my Chem. class," Gabriella said.
"Ok, most people don't."
"He's a smart-ass if it counts. He thinks he knows everything, but doesn't. Every time he gets an answer wrong he makes a sarcastic comment."
"Maybe I was wrong."
"First step to becoming less of an ass."
"What are you telling Richards?"
"No, I don't know him and I don't think I can take it."
"Are you talking about that broken heart of yours? You know you have to open up to someone sometime."
"I just don't know if I can. I am protective of it. I mean I would like to, I want to, I just don't think I can."
"Then I dare you to," Troy said, "So I am stuck in little kid mode and I am daring you to do it. I dare you let yourself feel for someone like never before. I dare you to maybe actually need someone more that anyone else. I dare you to want to be with someone. I dare you to let someone know you like only you know yourself. I dare you to let someone in and not care or think twice about it. I dare you to do something for you and not care about what happens or what the consequences are. I dare you let someone grasp and hold onto a chunk of that broken heart of your and not fight them for it."
"Well I don't know if I can do that," She said looking at the ground.
"Then there is no further use for me here," He said getting up and dusting himself off, "Tell me if you ever complete it," he walked away down to the jungle they called East High.
"I'll try," she said to the air after he had gone. She sat there thinking a while about what he said.
Could she really do that? She hadn't let anyone in a long time. At all her previous schools she had hidden behind her books and academics so no one would try to do that. And at East high it had been relatively the same. Everyone else just skirted around the edge. Taylor was the closest of her friends having taken in one step from the outside to the inside. But it was just a baby one, she wasn't too much more closer than all the others.
Of course there was Troy. He had taken a rather gigantic leap in. They'd both let each other in some. She had told him about her dad, a first for anyone. And he had let her in, telling her of Belle and Ellie. She wondered how many other knew that fact. She bet Chad knew and many some other people from the team like Jason or Zeke did. Yes, she had let him take steps inward with the free throws and lay-ups. He's let her in as she called him a jerk and argued with him. And if she thought about it, with every argument they had, he stepped a bit closer to her heart. And she knew that with every argument, she took down one of those bricks he had enclosed his heart with. So what now?
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"You thought about my dare any?" He asked her in the parking lot the next morning.
"Just a little bit. It happens to be really hard for me. But I am trying to find a person that wouldn't make it so hard. But that itself is rather hard as every guy in this school is either a push-over or an ass."
"Very true, good luck with it."
"Should we start an argument so this doesn't look as weird?"
"It was MY parking spot!" He said loudly with a small nod.
"I didn't see your name on it," She said just as loudly.
"I park there everyday!" He shouted, stopping outside the door to the school.
"Then get here earlier!" She stopped too.
"This is early to me!"
"Not to everyone else! Not all of us need hours to primp!"
"I don't PRIMP!" Troy shouted, "I'm not a conceited bitch like you who I am sure spend many hours vainly in front of the mirror!"
"I am not VAIN!" Gabriella yelled.
"Keep telling yourself that."
"Oh yes, because you as the self-proclaimed basketball king don't have an ego at all!"
"I am the one who led my team to the championships and won it!"
"I doubt you could have done that all on your own."
"I made the game winning basket."
"Just one of fifty."
"You don't know anything about the game!"
"I know that there are five players from each team on the court, not just one!"
Troy let out a frustrated yell and walked off. He couldn't come up with anything and was about ready to laugh at their petty argument. Gabriella had it easy, as she was able to smile with her 'victory' as Troy tried to act moody. He wasn't pulling so he went up to the rooftop to get in the mindset and then came back down when he was sufficiently moody.
He had often wondered how Gabriella was coming with his dare. He had no clue as to where it had come from. But they had been talking about childhood and all the good movies and TV shows from back then. He had to be in that little kid thought process. Because when he was a kid if you wanted someone to do something, you dared them to do it. They couldn't back out and not do it with out looking chicken. So he had dared her to do it. He found it a bit childish now, but he couldn't take it back and he wanted to see what she would do with it.
He sighed and walked through the door to his next class. He glared at Gabriella a few times that day and they shared one knowing look before they fell into the ignorance stage for the weekend.
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AN: See I told you it was shorter. Right now I am at my grandparents house for a week, which is a good thing for you because I usually have a lot of time to type late at night around midnight or so. I might type up the next chapter tonight or it may be tomorrow night. Either way, the next chapter will be done really soon in the next day or two. Please leave me a review tell me what you think, it is very much appreciated.