AN: Thank you to all of you who reviewed, it really brightened my day. I am glad so many of you were excited over them getting together, I hope that I don't ruin the good thing in this chapter simply because I am not all that great of a romance writer. And I have to unfortunately inform you that updates may take a little longer since I am at the end of what I have written on paper, I never actually finished this chapter in my notebook so near the end it will become whatever comes out of my head, and the next few chapter will be too until I finish the story. That's just a heads up for you if you care to read this all.
Chapter 11
The first thing that Troy and Gabriella changed in their school lives was calling each other by their first name again. Their friends found this a little weird, but the couple handed them identical half lies about unintentionally meeting over the weekend and working out a few of their differences and problems. They told their friends that the other annoyed them, but they didn't hate them anymore. But in all truth, they had never hated each other; it was just perceived that they did.
The two lovers kept frequent escapes up to the rooftop. This is when they really got to know each other. They got to be jus a guy and a girl talking and slowly falling in love. They were just two teenagers and they couldn't be happier.
This is when Gabriella really got to know Troy, the guy behind the basketball jock. He was extremely funny and kept her in stitches of laughter. She complained to him afterwards of her sides and cheeks hurting from laughing so much, but he never backed off the humor. And Gabriella didn't mind, she kept smiling, never happier in her life.
Troy got under the layers of Gabriella to the parts she tried to keep hidden from the rest of the world. She loved to sing and would for him often, she had an amazing voice, she was just scared to share it with everyone. She said she always wanted to skydive sometime, but she was too scared to try. She had a graceful air about her, and could be really graceful sometimes, but others she was dead clumsy, tripping over dust.
They had a mutual love of dogs and want to keep their inner child alive. Sometimes at night they would meet at a park by her house and just be five-years-old again. Those were some of the most beloved times shared by the two new, young lovers. Gabriella loved piggyback rides, which Troy was always willing to give.
Down in the jungle of school they still kept their fiery arguments. But for every argument they had a civil conversation too in front of the school. Slowly it went from a one-to-one ratio to a one-to-two ratio of arguments to civil conversations. The number of civil conversations continued to grew, but the arguments barely diminished, at least one every week. And the ignorance stage from before was still there, only it didn't last as long and it didn't lead to an argument. They just 'ignored' each other for a few hours before returning to a haughty civil. And through all this, their friends became so very confused.
"What is up with you and Troy?" Taylor asked Gabriella one day after Gabriella had a rather polite conversation with Troy.
"I honestly don't know, he's not that bad sometimes and others I am ready to strangle his neck," Gabriella lied to her friend. She didn't like lying, but Taylor would know in due time, at least she could hope she would.
"In January you hated each other, it is the beginning of March now, what happened?"
"Things change I guess."
"You were laughing this morning."
"He was being funny, I can't explain it to you, but it was quite hilarious."
"Whatever, I just don't understand what has happened. I use to have to tear you away from an argument so you would get detention, now I have to tear you away if I want to talk to you."
"He's not a bad person under the basketball guy image he puts out, at least not all the time. Some of the time, yes, he is an ass, but others he's remarkably funny and sort of nice in a sarcastic way."
"So what exactly are you guys, I mean do you consider him your friend? What did you guys work out the weekend weeks ago?"
"Whose fault it was the first time we bumped into each other. Why he has to be a jerk sometime and why I have to be a bitch sometime."
"You don't act like that."
"I have sometimes around him."
"But you're not like that normally."
"I know, which is what I pointed out to him. He's not always a jerk like he pointed out to me. And it was his fault."
"I guess I won't ever understand"
"Try talking to him once in a civil conversation, and believe me the first one is the hardest."
"I'll try, but I don't think he'll talk back to me. We just don't click the way you two seem to."
"Just try," Gabriella said walking away. She slipped up the stairs to the rooftop where Troy was waiting for her. When she got to the top of the stairs, he surprised her with a mind-blowing kiss, "Wow, what was that for, not that I am complaining?"
"What can I say, I miss you, I need you, I can't live without you, I may kill myself when you leave," Troy said seriously, but Gabriella could tell he was joking. His mouth twitch just barely for a second and there was a small crinkle by his eyes as he tried not to laugh. Gabriella laughed, and he soon allowed himself to too. "What held you up?"
"Taylor, you have to hold a nice conversation with her because I told her to talk to you. She doesn't understand why we can stand each other now when we couldn't months ago," Gabriella said rolling her eyes.
"Do I have to?" Troy whined like a little kid, but he really didn't care.
"Just be your normal, charming self like you are with me," Gabriella said.
"I'm charming," he perked up.
"Until now," she laughed. They settled on the bench. Troy wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head on his shoulders, "Just play nice with her."
"I can do nice," He said, "You know sometimes if I really want to."
"Does Chad get mind-boggled by all this?"
"Yes, but he isn't as smart as Taylor so I think he has already given up hope trying to understand it all. Though I think if I have to have a conversation with Taylor, then you have to have one with Chad."
"Yeah, that will dumb me down."
"Don't be mean to my best friend, he's not that stupid."
"I'll just take your word for it rather than finding out for myself."
"So what next in our high school image makeover?"
"Beats the heck out of me."
"Ok then moving on. What are you doing tonight?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I am doing something with my wonderful boyfriend."
"Felix is in town?" Troy joked.
"Arrived yesterday," Gabriella nodded. They had an on running joke of Gabriella having a Spanish lover named Felix. While Troy had a Swiss maiden/lover named Heidi.
"Will he be meeting you in the park tonight?"
"Yeah, I think he will be."
"Sweet, ok, meet you around nine?" Troy pulled out of the joke to be serious.
"Absolutely," Gabriella nodded.
"Should I bring some hot chocolate?"
"If you want me to bring some cookies."
"Then I will bring it."
"By the swings?"
"Yes, as always," Troy nodded.
"Come on a bell is going to ring soon," Gabriella stood up pulling Troy up with her. He soon had her against the railing with a hand one either side of her body as he kiss her. It surprised her but she did welcome it, "What was that for, not that I am complaining."
"You want me to repeat what I said earlier so we can go through this whole thing again, or can I just say because I wanted to," Troy said as one of his hands moved to her face and landed on it softly.
"Just as 'because I said so'."
"Gabriella," Troy said in soft voice as he looked at her with one of those looks. Gabriella had learned to look at his eyes to express and say all that he couldn't. They sometimes told of sorrow or of happiness. Now they held something they had never before. They held deep affection, "Gabriella," he repeated.
"Shh, I know," She said in a gentle whisper. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly to say that he didn't want to let her go. They stayed wrapped up in this moment for a too short period of time.
They both groaned as a warning bell rang. "Maybe we could just skip it," Troy said still in he soft, smooth voice.
"I would, but you just made me stand up so there is no use skipping now that I am up."
"Let's go," Troy said taking her hand as they walked down the stairs. He dropped it as he reached the door. She walked out into East High and about twenty seconds later so did Troy.
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Later in the hallways Troy noticed Taylor talking to Chad. It stuck him as odd as he had never seen it before. They must have said some departing words as Chad walked away. Troy remembered that he had to talk to Taylor, but he would only do it if she approached him. It couldn't seem like he was expecting it or knew it was coming. He needed to change facades as Taylor hesitantly approached him.
"Hi Troy," she said
"Hello Taylor," he said with a nod.
"So…How is basketball?" She tried. She had not a clue as to what to talk to him about.
"Fine, you probably know we won the championships, but I am playin' on a rec team with a few of the guys for fun obviously, but also keep up skill and endurance," Troy answered understanding her discomfort trying to make small talk with him.
"Yeah, forgot about that," She said feeling quite stupid at that point.
"Dad's already talking about next year's season and I am ready to go insane," Troy helped her out just a little.
"Too much basketball for the jock?"
"You make it sound like a bad thing. And yes for this 'jock' for lack of a better word, there is such thing as a little too much basketball. I just want to think about spring break."
"Go to Florida and party?"
"Arizona with my parents."
"No beaches, so no bikini clad girls."
"Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Navajo stuff."
"History stuff."
"History can be interesting."
Taylor snorted at this and laughed, "Yeah, sure."
"I've learned that the Incan did brain surgery, I think that is interesting," Troy said remembering something he had written about in one of his papers for that old history project.
"You actually pay attention in class?"
"Yeah, I do sometimes when I get really bored. But that I learned writing a paper for that project in history class."
"Some of it actually interests you?"
"Not history, but some of the physics stuff did. All the things that are happening when I am shooting a basketball. I didn't know all the stuff I was doing, I was just having fun. Now I look at it a little bit different than I did before."
"And that interested you?"
"Not the way it probably did you, but I definitely thought about it the next time I went to practice."
"You think?"
"That was a definite insult to my intelligence, but yes I think. Even better is I can count too so I know how much I am ahead by."
"And you are sarcastic."
"Yes I am, now as much as I welcome this derogatory conversation, I do actually need to be on time to my next class," Troy said and left her in the middle of the hallway.
"Did he just use the word derogatory?" Taylor asked to no one.
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"Did you talk to Taylor?" Gabriella asked Troy later that afternoon during free period when they were on the rooftop.
"Yes I did, and I did it politely even through her belittling comments. I was a good little boy," Troy said and with a small smirk continued, "So do I get a reward?" Gabriella let out a short laugh, but leaned over and kissed him. "I think I like this reward."
"Shut up and kiss me," Gabriella said.
"Can do," Troy said pulling her closer to him. He always found something intoxicating about her kisses. They were something he was beginning to crave whenever she was around. And that made it really hard in the middle of school. But it made the time they spent together alone all the more special to him.
"You know what I want," Gabriella said breaking apart from him, "I want an argument. We are getting too sweet down there and I want to see the fire in your eyes like they use to be."
"They're not the same now?"
"They are just not the same magnitude, more a toned down fire that is under control."
"That's hard to believe as I am barely hanging onto control right now. But I am sure I can find someway to make you mad at me as long as you aren't really mad at me."
"Meet me up here five minutes after and I won't be," Gabriella said, "but wait until tomorrow so I have proper time to psyche myself into being mad at you."
"You have to psyche yourself into being mad at me?"
"It is quite hard to be mad at you after you kiss me that way you do," Gabriella said.
"What, like this?" Troy said giving her an earth-shattering kiss.
"Yes like that, now stop it," Gabriella said as she sighed rather contempt, "They make me just about as dumb as Chad."
"As much as I don't want you that stupid, I can't stop kissing you like that, I'd explode," Troy said.
"That is actually a good answer because I thrive on those kisses," Gabriella smiled, "Will you wait for me after school? I have a short quiz I have to make up from when I went to my dentist appointment yesterday."
"How long will it take?"
"Not long, it is only 15 questions, but it should give time for most of the school to clear out and the buses will have left."
"Room number?"
"152."
"That's right by the student lot, come out to my car after you finish. I'll wait for you."
"You think everyone will have cleared out by then?"
"If you answer the questions as thoroughly as you usually do."
"It is multiple choice."
"That is a rather stupid and pointless quiz. Just make sure to read all the answers and maybe more than once."
"I can do that," Gabriella said.
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AN: Ok, so kind of an abrupt ending, I know, but that is as far as I have written in my notebook and it sort of seems like an ok place to stop. Now I have to go write on it some more so I can get the next chapter up for you tomorrow night. Please leave me a review telling me what you think even though there isn't much in this chapter. I am trying to work out in my mind how they will let the school in on everything, which may or may not be in the next chapter but it is definitely coming up.