AN: Thank you to all of you who reviewed, I know that there has been a little trouble with the sight on not loading pages, saying that the chapter is not there, it is driving me insane, I hope you all are having more luck than me. So here is the last chapter before an epilogue unless I decide to do a sequel. I need some ideas for a sequel if I decide to do one so if you have any, I would be glad you hear them.
Chapter 13
The next Monday when Troy and Gabriella they acted a little awkward around each other. Their friends knew why but they pretended that they didn't know why. "What is up with him, he's acting all funny?" Gabriella asked Taylor after the two girls were walking away from Troy. They had shared an awkward good morning before skirting around each other and walking away.
"You were acting weird too you know," Taylor said.
"I was?" Gabriella asked, "I thought I was acting normal."
"You guys were all darty eyed trying not to look at each other, are you guys having an off fight?"
"No, I didn't think so. Maybe he is mad at me and if he is, then I'll be mad at him too."
"Because that makes perfect sense."
"It does, now what else was weird with him?"
"Besides the fact that he was staring at you after you left but not when facing you?"
"He was?"
"Yes now other than that, it just seemed like he didn't want to talk to you."
"That makes me feel great."
"You wanted to know."
"But the weird thing is I don't want to talk to him either. I think I hate you. You made me think too much over the weekend."
"What, you lost me."
"The whole do you like him thing that you asked me. It has gotten me all confused."
"How?"
"Before it was just a straight no way, he was a jerk to me, how on earth could I possibly like him kinda thing. Now there is a maybe there and little voice is talking to me about all the not so bad things about me. It is like the angel and devil thing on my shoulders."
"Ok, which leads to the question, which side is the devil on and which is the angel."
"Devil is on the left, Angel on the right."
"I meant what do they stand for. Is the devil saying you like him or is the angel?"
"That is the problem. Sometimes the devil is saying that he's hot and why not like him. Others the devil is saying look at what all he's done to you, he's an asshole."
"I say you figure out what is what side before you trying to pick a side."
"I don't think that will help because I will put the side I want on the angel side so I will pick it."
"So then you have your answer."
"Yeah but what I put on the angel side keeps changing."
"Well then you are screwed."
"This little talk, so did not help."
"Then you can figure it out on your own."
"Maybe I should make a pro and con list."
"That makes you sound like Rory Gilmore."
"Maybe I won't. Can you please help me figure it out and like talk it out with me? I really value your opinion in what you think of all this."
"Ok, let's go to my house after school," Taylor said. Gabriella and Taylor walked into their homeroom and sat down in their seats. Troy gave Gabriella an odd look as she passed by.
"Dude what's up with you and her?" Chad leaned forward and whispered to Troy.
"I have no idea now. You screwed me over by asking me if I liked her," Troy whispered back
"Do you?"
"The answer used to be such an easy no, now I'm thinking about it and for every bad reason I am coming with a good one. It doesn't make any sense anymore."
"You aren't supposed to like her."
"I know that dude!" Troy said in a yelling whisper. "I just can't figure it out, and I am blaming you. Which means you have to help me figure it out."
"Fine, come to my house tonight around seven, my parents are going to some fancy dinner party."
"I want you opinion on this just keep an open mind."
"Opinions I am good at, open mindedness, not so much," Chad said as the teacher started the class.
----------------------
That day on the rooftop during free period, Gabriella and Troy were going over the plan of what they would do with their friends later that day when talking to them. "Don't seem over excited about liking me, as hard as it is, it should seem reluctant," Troy told her.
"You should be very reluctant since you aren't suppose to like me," Gabriella said.
"I know, it is going to be so hard, I want you to be mine all mine," Troy said in a joking manner.
"I know you do, who wouldn't want me?" Gabriella said in a drama queen way."
"Who has an ego now? You are always complaining about mine."
"Well, I was just having a moment, maybe step into the shoes of Sharpay and see what it is like to be hated by all but think that I am loved by all."
"Please don't do that. Don't ever change. You are the most wonderful girl I have ever met. And you have put up with me this long, I just want it to stay the same. I really like where we are at."
"I think that that may be the sweetest thing you have ever said to me."
"Look at me softening up for you."
"I was kinda diggin' the bad boy image."
"I'm not like that anymore, so you just have to settle for the good guy."
"You are so not the good guy but I'll take you anyways."
"If I am not the good guy nor the bad boy, then who am I?"
"Comic relief everyone loves more than the good guy."
"I like this role," Troy said smiling, ducking down to kiss her, "Especially if it meaning I get to kiss the pretty leading lady."
"Then you are pretty luck."
"Meet me here before school tomorrow?" Troy asked.
"Absolutely," Gabriella said before leaning over to kiss him again, "Yeah, you are really lucky I like you."
"And the same goes to you."
----------------------
That day after school at Taylor's house Gabriella was pacing in front of Taylor's bed, as Taylor was laying on it and watching her walk back and forth, "So are you going to actually talk to me and let me know what you are thinking? If not, I am not going to be much help," Taylor said.
"I know that I shouldn't like him. He is a dumb jock and a history of being a jerk, so why could I possibly like him. But yet now he is really nice and saved me Friday."
"But do a few good things make up for all the bad things he's done?" Taylor asked.
Gabriella let out a frustrated yell as she threw herself on a chair by Taylor's desk. "It shouldn't. He was so mean. But he changed, he changed for the good. And the little voice says everyone deserves a second chance. And then another voice says he's already used it."
"He has?"
"Apparently to that voice. I have too many voices inside my head, is that a bad thing? Am I insane?"
"You are not insane. What is the loudest voice?"
"They are all about the same. Taylor, what do you think?"
"I'm not the one in the panic attack."
"Which is why you are a good voice of reason."
"Well I have always seen him as a stupid, egotistic jock. But he has seemed to change over the last few months. As much as I don't understand that weird friendship between the two of you, you guys seem to click. I don't know how, but you seem to click."
"Yeah, but do we click enough to have a go at a relationship?"
"That is up to you?"
"This is insane, I don't even know what he thinks. If I decide I like him, he'll probably put off vibes that he doesn't like me and I will be harboring a secret crush. Or I'll decide that I don't like him and he will put off vibes that he does like me and then I will be back in the same position as now or I'll crush his spirit."
"Ok, so honestly do you see liking Troy as a bad thing?"
"Yes, no, maybe, if he doesn't like me back, yeah it is a bad thing."
"So you are being insecure about what the consequences will be of liking him?"
"Yeah," Gabriella said pitifully.
"Then I think that means you like him, you are just afraid of what will happen."
"Yeah, but I am not suppose to like him."
"You can't decide who you like or don't like sometimes, fate or destiny or whatever steps in if you believe in that crap."
"Taylor would you freak out and hate me if I said I like him?"
"I would be taken back by it, but you are my friend and I could never hate you. And you guys definitely do have some fireworks. I could always see it when you use to argue all the time. You both had a passion when fighting, I just never wanted to admit it."
"Ok, so then, I think I like him. But what am I to do now? I can't just walk up to him tomorrow and say hi Troy, I know we use to hate each other, but now I think I like you as in more than a friend."
"What's wrong with that?"
"He'll stare at me as he comprehends and then say I'm insane and walk away. Later he will ask me if I was kidding and I'll have to tell him I was so he won't hate me."
"So wait a day to see how he is acting towards you and then say it."
"I can't I'm too afraid. It is a big enough deal as it is figuring out that yes, I think I do like him, now I have to act upon those newly discovered feelings?"
"No you can harbor them until graduation and then never see him again unless you go to the same college."
"I can't do that, I have to do something. Maybe I should just talk to him."
"Why, big show or tiny show, they will both come out with the same result. Might as well be remembered."
"That is a good idea. Ok, so lets figure out what I can do, and we have to do it fast before I lose all my courage," Gabriella said.
-------------------------
Later that night in another house a similar conversation happened. "You can't like her," Chad said.
"I know, I know, it is just weird. Sometimes I feel like maybe I do and then I step back and think, dude that is such a stupid idea, don't do anything like that. It is weird enough as it is being friends with her, don't do anything more. But then another voice inside my head says she's actually kinda hot and she put up with you for this long."
"You have too many voices inside your head."
"I know, check me into the clinic, I am going insane. It is a bad thing right? If I was to like her, it would be a bad thing."
"Well to the school it would be, but it is all about you bro, is it bad to you?"
"Every voice inside my head is saying yes, it would be a bad thing. But one little one starts to shout no and then other voices change to say no and then they drown out one another so I am left with no answer."
"You should definitely see a psychologist."
"Would you think it to be a bad thing?"
"I can't see the basketball captain dating the Einsteinette of the school."
"Yeah, that is what I thought."
"But I can see my best friend dating the girl he is friends with even though the friendship makes no sense at all."
"Really?" Troy looked at him surprised.
"You guys always had a lot of passion fighting, maybe you are turning it into a different kind of passion now."
"Yeah, but even if I did like her, what would I do?"
"That is yours to figure out."
"I think I like her Chad," Troy said after a moment of silence. "As weird as it may seem, I think I like her."
"Ok," Chad nodded.
"Are you ok with that dude?"
"As long as you are happy and don't turn into a jerk again."
"I don't think I will, but if I start, knock some sense into me quick."
"I can do that, now enough with acting like girls, lets shoot some hoops," Chad said.
----------------------
The next morning, Taylor and Gabriella drove to school together in Gabriella's car. "Ok, I can't believe I am going to do this," Gabriella said for the umpteenth time.
"Just don't lose your nerve and at least pretend to be confident."
"Girl power, jeez reminds me of the power ranges from the nineties."
Taylor laughed, "You can do, I am behind you after what all we went through yesterday."
"Good, thank you, so no matter what I will always have one friend, right?"
"Right," Taylor said as Gabriella pulled into a parking spot.
"Do you see his car?"
"Um," Taylor and Gabriella got out and looked around, "Yeah, over there."
"Ok, I can do this, I can do this," Gabriella was psyching herself into what she was about to do.
"Ok Juliet, lets go, and if it doesn't work out, no killing yourself."
"I won't as long as you are my friend."
"I will be since this was my idea."
"Oh yeah, ok, here I go," Gabriella said as she and Taylor walked into school. It didn't take them long to find Troy talking to Chad in hushed whispers. "There he is and here I go," Gabriella looked at Taylor one last time. Taylor gave her an encouraging look.
Chad saw Gabriella coming so he took a step back. Troy turned to look at Gabriella. "Hi," he said nervously.
"Hi," She said just as nervous. She remembered that Troy didn't know the plan. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye before grabbing his neck to pull him down and kiss him. "Please don't hate me," She said as it was over.
Troy looked at her and crashed his lips on hers again. "Please don't hate me," he said.
"What the heck happened to us?" Gabriella said awkwardly.
"I have no idea," Troy said shaking his head.
"So you aren't mad at me?"
"Gabriella do you like me?"
"Y-Yeah," She stuttered looking at the ground.
"Then I'm not mad at you. Are you mad at me?"
"Troy do you like me?"
"Yeah," he said sort of sheepishly
"Then I'm not mad at you."
"So where do we go from here?"
"I don't know, you like me, and I like you, so…" She drifted off.
"Maybe we could try a date this Friday?" Troy said hopefully.
"Ok, just one, and figure out if this is a good thing or not, or if it will even work."
"With all the arguing we've done, it may be kind of hard."
"Will you stick with me as we muddle our way through it?"
"As long as we don't get stuck," Troy said with a half smile at his joke.
"Ok, I am going to go now and start to freak out."
"Me too," Troy said and they both walked away in opposite directions towards their friends.
With the girls Gabriella was screaming, "I can't believe that just happened!"
"I can't believe you are going on a date with Troy Bolton," Taylor said.
"I know, I can't either. You have to help me out and make me look cute and then pray for me that I don't make a fool out of myself."
"And that you don't get killed by the rest of the female population at East High."
"Yeah, oh my god, I am dead in the locker room for gym, I have at least a half dozen cheerleaders in my class."
"Good luck girl, you are going to need it."
----------------------
With the boys, "I can't believe I did that!" Troy said.
"Me neither. Well at least now you have it all figured out."
"It is so unreal."
"I can hear the heart break of all the girls in the school, or at least 98 of them."
"I am going to go think ok? Now I have to figure out what to do Friday and hope I don't look like an idiot," Troy said. He nodded a goodbye to Chad and went up to the rooftop. He waited for Gabriella to show up, hoping she would remember to meet him up there. Finally he heard someone coming up the stairs. "You didn't tell me you were going to do that," he said.
"Because I didn't know either until it was one of the ideas that Taylor and I came up with after we figure out that I liked you, even though I was faking the whole confused thing."
"Yeah, did the same thing with Chad, only we didn't come up with a plan, it was up to me to figure out and I had nothing so I knew it was up to you."
"Think we looked too familiar with the kisses?"
"Nope, because if felt like the first time."
"Good. So what are we going to do Friday?"
"Catch a movie and I can do the whole fake yawn to drape my arm across your shoulders and then you can give me a look and I can fake innocence."
"You are anything but innocent Troy Bolton."
"I think we are good actors then, maybe we should try out for a play and knock Ryan and Sharpay off their ivory tower."
"You can do what ever you want, I will be on the sidelines laughing my butt off."
"Thanks," Troy laughed, but leaned down to kiss her.
-------------------------
AN: FINISHED! And there you go, they let the school in on it, but not really. I think that will be in the epilogue that they let at least their friends know. Sort of sad that is it is all over now, but I think I will be starting a new story soon. It will be called Probably Wouldn't Be This Way be on the look out for it in the next few sleep. It is just passed one am where I am at so I am going to catch some Zzzs. And again, if you have any ideas for me for a sequel I would love to hear them.