DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'High School Musical' or any related characters.

A/N: Okay, I have to say how much fun I'm having with this story. It is just so much fun to write, especially all the cute moments with Troy and Gabriella. It's so natural to write them the way I am.

Convincing You To Fall

CHAPTER 4

SOMETHING MORE

Sixteen-year old Troy stared in complete disbelief at the screen as it faded to black. Beside him fourteen-year old Gabriella sniffled and wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face as the boy next to her continued to stare incredulously at the screen.

"I don't believe it. After all that she just died?" Troy asked incredulously and Gabriella turned to him and belted him with the pillow she'd been crying into for the past five minutes. Troy raised his hands in mock surrender and tried not to laugh at her tear-stained face.

"Yes Troy. She died and he loved her so much……why are you laughing?" Gabriella asked through the tears that had started to well up again, she watched as Troy tried to control the shaking of his shoulders.

"Because it's a movie and you're crying like someone actually died." Troy said through a burst of laughter and Gabriella belted him with the pillow again as he continued to laugh.

"It's not funny. You're not meant to laugh! Stop it!" Gabriella snapped at him and Troy grinned and shook his head at her. Gabriella sighed and stood up, walking over to the television set, she took out the DVD and placed it in the case and then turned back to Troy who was still sitting on the lounge and laughing at the tears that were still falling down her face. Gabriella glared at him and picked up a pillow that was lying on the floor next to her and threw it at him. The pillow hit him in the face and Gabriella burst into giggles as Troy stared at her, his mouth open in indignation as Gabriella laughed at him.

"Mistake Montez!" Troy suddenly said and before Gabriella could comprehend what he had said, a pillow had hit her side.

"Ooooh, you're going to pay for that Bolton!" She said with a laugh and managed to pick up a pillow as Troy hit her with another one. Shrieking, Gabriella hit him back with her pillow and laughed as he tried to hit her and missed.

Ten minutes later, Troy and Gabriella collapsed on the lounge again, both completely out-of-breath, and surveyed the living room that had, before the pillow fight, been in order and no chairs had been upturned. Dropping her head on Troy's shoulder, Gabriella breathed deeply and closed her eyes. Troy turned his head and looked at her, reaching up he pushed the strands of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear and smiled as she moved closer to him.

"So are you going to tell me why you were crying over that movie? Cause really, it was just a movie." He asked after a moment and Gabriella's eyes fluttered open to look at him thoughtfully.

"It's sad Troy. The whole story is sad, the way he loves her so much, the way she doesn't want to be in love with him at first, the way the two of them learn from each other and the way he continues working for what he wants after she dies. It's just so sad and sometimes……" Gabriella faltered for a moment and Troy raised his eyebrows curiously at her.

"Sometimes what?" He asked and Gabriella shrugged uncomfortably.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have somebody love me like that. Somebody who's always there for me and holds me when I need to be held, who loves me the way Landon loves Jamie. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if someone saw something more……and now you probably think I'm stupid." Gabriella said with a half-smile, she turned her eyes from her lap to Troy's and the half-smile faded when she saw that his eyes were completely unreadable. She wasn't sure whether it was the look in them that she'd never seen before or the fact that it was the first time she'd never been able to read his emotions that unnerved her, but she knew that it was the first time she'd ever had to avert her eyes from his gaze. After a moment of silence, Troy spoke.

"Come on, let's put on another movie. One that doesn't make you cry." He said and Gabriella nodded as he shifted.

"Sure, as long as it's not a horror movie were a girls finger gets cut off." She said and Troy grinned at her teasingly.

"Damn and I really wanted to watch 'House of Wax' too." He joked and Gabriella laughed as he came and sat back down next to her. Gabriella resumed her previous position and then laughed when she saw the title of the movie.

"Troy……since when do you watch black and white moves called 'Hold That Ghost'?" She asked and Troy shrugged.

"Since now." He replied and Gabriella glanced at him and Troy met her gaze before grinning and turning his attention back to the screen.

Troy grinned a little at the memory as he slowed his car to a stop and waited for the traffic light to change from red to green. He could remember very clearly the way she'd reacted to 'Hold That Ghost' and still brought it up on the odd occasion when she refused to watch movies she'd never even heard of before. He could also remember quite clearly that she'd found the movie one of the funniest she'd ever seen, even though as she put it, it was nineteen-forties humor and would have probably looked better in colour instead of black and white. Troy pressed the accelerator when the light changed and groaned when he heard his phone go off. Picking it up from where it sat near the gear stick, he looked at the number discovered it was one he didn't recognize and hit end call with a look of disdain on his face. He knew that it was more then likely a girl ringing him to ask him prom. Ever since Chad had blurted it out to one of the cheerleaders that he still didn't have a date to prom, Troy had found himself being bombarded with girls begging him to let them be his date to prom. It had gotten to the point where he'd been forced to 'accidentally' lose his phone for nearly three weeks so he didn't have to hear his ring tone every five minutes. Gabriella had found the whole thing amusing and had spent an entire night answering his phone and working on her different accents just so she could hear the reactions of some of the girls. Although Troy had found it amusing at the time, he hadn't when he'd gotten to school the next day and had to convince half the school he wasn't going out with a German named Anja.

Shaking his head, Troy pulled into the senior's car park at East High and parked his car. Reaching into the back, he picked up is bag and frowned as he saw one of Gabriella's sweaters sitting on the backseat. Rolling his eyes as he realized that she'd left it there when he'd dropped her off the night before, Troy got out of the car and grinned as he saw Chad's afro moving towards him. Locking his car, Troy leaned against it as Chad approached, Jamie-free, he noted with relief.

"Yo Troy! What's up?" Chad yelled and Troy winced as Chad stopped in front of him.

"Dude, I'm standing right here you don't have to yell." He said and Chad shrugged as he turned back to look at the front entrance of the school.

"Sorry. Now, dude, tell me seriously. Who are you going to take to prom? Because I know you've had you're eye on Vanessa Barker for a while and I was thinking that I was going to ask her but, you know, if you want to ask her then that's fine. But, can you let-" Troy cut Chad off.

"Dude ask Vanessa. I really don't care." He said, his eyes scanning the crowd of stream of students that had gotten off Gabriella's bus. He grinned when he saw her get off the bus, in deep discussion with a girl that she knew from one of her classes. Chad, glancing in the direction that Troy was looking, rolled his eyes when he saw what Troy was staring at.

"Alright, I'll ask Vanessa. Now I can see your dying to go and talk to the love of your life, so I'll see you in homeroom." Chad said and disappeared before Troy could retaliate to his comment.

Rolling his eyes at his friends comment, Troy adjusted the strap of his bag and headed towards the school doors. As he walked, he wondered whether he should see Gabriella first and then talk to Sharpay, or the other way around. Nodding his head at the people who shouted greetings at him and managing only just to get through the group of cheerleaders that had surrounded him when he'd only been a few feet away from the door, Troy walked through the doors of East High and sighed in relief. Weaving his way through the crowd inside, Troy headed towards Sharpay's locker. He blew out a breath of relief when he saw at her locker alone. Walking up to her, Troy leaned against the locker that was next to hers and raised his eyebrows as he watched her examine herself in the mirror of the overly decorative locker.

"You know Troy, if you're trying to scare me; it would help if you didn't stand right behind me so I wouldn't be able to see you in the mirror." Sharpay said matter-of-factly and Troy chuckled.

"I wasn't trying to scare you. I, uh, needed to talk to you about something." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Sharpay watched him carefully and managed to control the grin that she felt forming as she made a guess as to what he wanted to talk to her about. Turning to him, Sharpay folded her arms and looked up at him, her face showing only curiosity.

"About what?" She asked and Troy coughed slightly as she waited.

"Um, it's about prom and who I want to take." He said and Sharpay wanted to laugh at the look on his face.

"Let me guess, you want to take Gabriella, right?" She asked and Troy wasn't surprised that she'd guessed, if there was one thing he knew about Sharpay, it was that she never bothered to flounder around with words; she always got straight to the point.

"Um, I guess." Sharpay watched Troy shrug uncomfortably and rolled her eyes at him.

"Troy, stop being uncomfortable, you know very well that I know you're in love with Gabriella, so being embarrassed about it and get to the point." She said flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder. Troy frowned at her and Sharpay shrugged at him.

"Can you not do that? Its not like I've actually come to terms with my feelings for her." Troy snapped at Sharpay, who just rolled her eyes at him again.

"No, let's be correct. You haven't come to the terms with the fact that I know, as well as Chad, Zeke and Jason. You came to terms with the fact that you loved Gabriella a long time ago, when you made that promise to yourself." Sharpay said and Troy looked at her sharply.

"How do you know about the promise?" He asked and Sharpay moved her shoulders noncommittally.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why you never acted on your feelings for Gabs Troy, besides just because I don't know you as well as Gabriella, doesn't mean I don't understand your temperament. You were afraid of hurting her the way you hurt the countless girls you went out with." Sharpay said and Troy stared at her in disbelief.

"How long did it take you to figure out?" He asked and Sharpay shrugged.

"A month. I figured you had feelings for Gabriella when I saw the way you looked at her once when we were all out together and then the promise part was something that seemed like something you would do." Sharpay said and Troy ran a hand through his hair as he stared at the blonde.

"Shar, you either have way too much time on your hand to figure stuff like this out, or your brains wired to figure out stuff like this. Either way I don't think I'm comfortable with you knowing stuff like that, when you're so close to Brie." Try said and Sharpay laughed at the look of slight panic in his eyes. Troy glared at her and Sharpay shook her head at him.

"Troy you can be so dense sometimes. I've had two years to tell Gabriella all this. Do you honestly think that you admitting it would make me turn around and tell her?" Sharpay asked and Troy shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't understand girls." He said and Sharpay laughed again.

"Alright, alright, now what did you want to ask me about prom?" She asked and Troy ran a hand through his already disheveled hair and looked at her.

"Look, I want to take Brie to the prom, but……" Troy trailed off and this time Sharpay looked at him sympathetically. This was the first time Troy had ever been uncertain about a girl and Sharpay could tell he was nervous about what Gabriella would say if he asked her.

"But you're afraid that she won't feel the same way and say no?" Sharpay finished off his sentence and Troy shrugged before nodding reluctantly.

"And I wanted to know how I should ask her. Don't give me that look Shar," Troy said when Sharpay stared at him incredulously. "Gabriella isn't another girl, okay? And because of that I have no idea how to ask her. Besides, it's the taking her out of the best friend category and putting her in the dating one I guess." Troy continued and Sharpay sighed and shook her head at him.

"Troy, you're not putting Gabriella in the 'dating' category. You're putting her in the one she should have been in a long time ago, which would be somewhere along the lines of 'love-of-my-life' category. Don't bother arguing because it won't work." Sharpay said warningly when she saw Troy open his mouth to argue. "As for asking her, Gabriella won't need anything special when you ask her. Just ask her when it feels natural to you; knowing you, the wording will be perfect so don't worry about that. Just do it when it feels natural. Now, I have to go, so I'll see you later." Sharpay said, shutting her locker door and Troy stared at her as she walked off.

"Sharpay!" Troy called suddenly and Sharpay turned to him. "What if she says no?" He asked and Sharpay smiled at him sympathetically.

"She won't." She called back and Troy stared after her, wishing Sharpay had been slightly more helpful. Running a hand through his hair, Troy blew out a breath.

"Just do it when it feels natural." He repeated under his breath. "Easier said then done Shar." He muttered and pushed off the locker when he heard the bell ring.

HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM

Troy let out a relieved breath when he heard the bell ring signaling the end of the day. He hadn't had a good day. He'd spent half the day trying to figure out whether Sharpay had been serious or not when she'd said that Gabriella wouldn't say no and the other half trying to figure out how he was going to ask Gabriella. He knew very well that he should have probably taken Sharpay's advice and to just ask Gabriella naturally. But that wasn't normally the way Troy worked things, he liked to figure it out how to ask the girl first and then put the theory into practice and nine times out of ten, come out with a date. He'd never been nervous and had never actually thought that a girl would say no. But that had been every other girl he'd wanted to ask out. Not Gabriella.

As he walked towards his car, Troy seriously contemplated not asking her and going with one of the various girls that had been begging him since the date for prom had been set. The contemplation was halted as he was forced to stop as a girl stepped in front of him and smiled up at him flirtatiously. Troy looked down at her, she was okay looking he supposed.

"Hi Troy." She giggled and Troy forced back a frown as she batted her eyelashes at him.

"Hi." He said, trying to not sound like he wanted to be as far away from her as possible.

"Listen," she started, placing a hand on his arm. "I heard that you don't have a date to prom and seeing as I don't either. I was wondering whether you'd want to go with me." She said. Troy sighed and shook her hand of his arm.

"Look, I'm sorry, really I am, but the answers no." He said and ignored the annoyed look that flitted across her face, which told him that she'd expected him to say yes to her request.

Moving past her, Troy reached his car and unlocked it. Getting in, he threw his bag in the back and saw Gabriella's sweater lying on the back seat. Looking at it, Troy suddenly realized that it was one of her favorite sweaters and chuckled as he remembered that last time she'd lost it, she'd torn apart her room looking for it. Starting the car, Troy picked up his phone and hit speed dial two.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered the phone breathlessly and Troy chuckled.

"Hey. What's wrong? You sound a little out of breath." He asked and Gabriella laughed.

"Nothing. I left my phone in the kitchen and had to run from my room to get it. What's up?" She replied and a million answers to the question flashed through his mind as he stopped at a traffic light.

"The sky." He replied and listened to her laugh again with a grin on his face.

"No seriously, why are you calling? Because I'm looking-" Troy cut her off.

"For your sweater which is in the backseat of my car. Would you like it?" He asked and could see Gabriella frowning at the way he'd cut her off.

"Yes. I would. I'll come and get it tonight." She said and Troy rolled his eyes.

"Too late Brie, I'm already on my way." He said and Gabriella sighed.

"Alright, you can come over as long as you don't carry me out of my house and take me to the ice-cream parlor again." She said and Troy laughed.

"Uh-huh. I only did that because you needed a break and I felt like ice-cream." He said and Gabriella groaned.

"Fine. Be that way." She snapped and Troy laughed again.

"Oh I will be. I'll see you in a few minutes." Troy said before she could hang up. Gabriella muttered something incoherent and hung up on him. Troy chuckled again and snapped his phone shut as he pulled up to her house.

Reaching behind, he grabbed her sweater and then stopped as he realized that he was going to be alone with her. The thought didn't scare him, but the realization that he could ask her to prom now, did. Running a hand through his hair, Troy wondered for a brief moment if he should just drop her sweater off and make-up an excuse as to why he couldn't stay long and then remembered that Gabriella generally saw through all his excuses. Troy sighed and figured that he might as well stay instead of giving her a reason to worry about the way he was acting. Getting out of the car, Troy headed towards her front door and knocked. He heard feet running down stairs and then a loud 'OW!' and opened the door.

Gabriella looked up from her spot at the bottom the stairs as the door opened and glared at Troy who had stared at her for a split second before bursting into laughter. She glowered at him for a moment and then stood up. Placing weight on her right ankle caused her to wince and Gabriella grabbed the banister for support.

"Shut up Troy!" She snapped suddenly and Troy stopped laughing and looked at her. He suddenly realized that she'd hurt herself and walked over to her.

"Okay, Brie, no offence but I think that's like the third time ever you've fallen down your stairs." Troy said and Gabriella glared at him as he threw her sweater carelessly over the banister and then looked back at her.

"Thanks Troy. I really appreciate the sympathy." She snapped at him and he shrugged.

"Your welcome. Come on, you shouldn't be standing on that foot." He said and Gabriella rolled her eyes at him.

"I know. Can you help me into the living room?" Gabriella asked and Troy nodded.

"Yep." He replied and Gabriella narrowed her eyes when she saw the look in his eyes. It was the same mischievous glint he got when he was planning something like a practical joke. Before she had time to accuse him of thinking about doing something stupid, Troy had her off the floor and in his arms like a bride. Gabriella shrieked at the unexpected move and clung to his neck as the shock subsided.

"Can you warn me when you're going to pick me up please?" She snapped at him as he carried into the living room.

"I would, but the look on your face is just too funny when I pick you up without warning." Troy replied and Gabriella hit the back of his head.

"You're a jerk." She informed him imperiously as Troy set her down on the lounge. Troy shrugged and then sat down and pulled her feet onto his lap and looked at her with a hurt look on his face.

"Gee Gabriella. You cut me to the quick there. What have I ever done to you?" He asked with sad eyes and Gabriella kicked him with her good foot and giggled at his expression.

"How does picking me up without warning sound to you Mr Bolton?" She replied and Troy raised his eyebrows at her.

"Ooooh. Mr Bolton. I guess I'm in real trouble now." He said mockingly and Gabriella nodded at him seriously.

"Yes. You're in so much trouble Mr Bolton." Gabriella agreed and Troy narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well then, seeing as you're my partner in crime Miss Montez, I'd have to say that you're the one in real trouble." Troy smirked and it was Gabriella's turn to raise her eyebrows at him.

"Really? And, if I am you so called partner in crime, do tell me what the punishment would be. I'm just dying to know." She replied and Troy grinned at her.

"Well, seeing as your just dying to know. I'll show you." Troy said and Gabriella's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what he was going to do. Before she could scramble away, Troy was on top of her his fingers attacking her stomach mercilessly. Gabriella shrieked with laughter as his fingers continued their attack.

"Troy……stop……can't……breathe." Gabriella gasped out and Troy laughed at her expression and his hands stilled as she gasped for air.

He looked down at her, his hands resolutely planted on her waist, and silently thought how cute she looked when her face flushed from laughing hard and a smile that seemed permanent on her face. Sharpay's words floated into his thoughts as he stared down at the girl, he was lying on top of. 'Just do it when it feels natural' and Troy suddenly realized that this was the best time to ask her, when they were so comfortable with each other. When he didn't have to worry about her thinking about how other people would react, when it was only them.

"Hey Brie," Troy started and Gabriella looked up at him. The laughter in her throat dying as she saw how serious he was.

"Yeah?" She questioned and then felt her breath catch in her throat as he pushed some curls back behind her ear.

"Do you want to go to prom with me?" Troy asked softly and Gabriella's mouth went dry as he looked down at her. For a moment all she could do was stare up at him wordlessly, her mind drawing a blank as she tried to think of something to say.

Troy stared down at her and felt panic start to rise as he realized that she'd been silent for almost a minute. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to ask her after all, maybe he should have just gone with the girl who had asked him after school, maybe he shouldn't have even considered asking her. He was about to speak when Gabriella spoke.

"Yes." She whispered and Troy stared at her.

"What?" He asked and Gabriella giggled as he stared down at her, confused.

"Yes Troy. I'll go to prom with you." She said softly and Troy was suddenly very glad that he'd listened to Sharpay.

"Seriously?" He asked and Gabriella laughed at him again.

"Seriously. I'll go to prom with you, as long as you get off me." Gabriella said, feeling both her heart and pulse racing as she stared into his ocean blue eyes and saw utter relief in them. Had he really been worried that she would say no?

"I don't know Brie. I seem to have a definite advantage over you when I'm on top of you." Troy teased, feeling giddy with relief and wondering why he had been so worried that she would say no.

"You do. But at the moment I need you to get off me, because you're meant to be at home." Gabriella said and Troy stared down at her, confused.

"Why am I meant to be at home?" He asked and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Because you have to cook dinner tonight and we both know it takes you longer to cook dinner because you burn everything and have to start again." Gabriella replied and laughed as Troy's eyes widened when she realized that he was right. With speed that didn't surprise Gabriella, Troy was off her in a matter if milliseconds and looking down at her as she sat up.

"Thanks for reminding me Brie. I'll see you tomorrow." Troy said and then, moving on impulse rather then sense, leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Gabriella's hand came up to touch the place his lips had touched in stunned pleasure. It was the first time he'd ever done something like that before and as she thought about what had just happened felt a blush spread across her cheek. What had happened between then had been so natural and it had felt so right. Giggling softly, Gabriella suddenly felt a spark of hope rush through her as she realized that maybe, just maybe, she and Troy might become something more.

Troy shut the door to the Montez house and stood on their front porch for a moment. He'd done it. He'd asked her to prom and she'd said yes. As he headed to his car, Troy suddenly realized that, whether he'd realized it before or not, the chance that he and Gabriella would become something more had increased. Maybe they would become something more.

A/N: Done! He asked her! Anyway, I hope you guys all liked it and there was a kiss in there. Sort of. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it!