Yeah umm I have a lot of stories going on but I wanna update this ff now. I think this story is very confusing so I'll try and explain it in the other chapters.

Chapter 3

'Books and intelligence' that's all she had ever known. Hormones were a distraction - she found that out to her cost her big time. She was never successful in actually getting a date.

Admittedly she herself did fall prey to jealousy and frustration of wanting to get the attention of a man. At the time her need was to have Zac Bryson at least do something to indicate he actually liked her. Zac, her old crush from her old school. She had suffered his jealous bouts and angry taunts long enough to know he liked her…well in some sort of crazy mixed up way.

Being friends with someone as long as she had, Gabriella had understood that Zac was just not forthcoming with words, but more of an action type of guy. Except his actions where on the other end of Jessica Brown's lips and that had thrown her into a rage of dreadful proportions. Rachel had been witness to this and had found it both shocking and amusing. It hadn't quietened down her temper and she knew then she was just as bad as the rest of them.

Hormones, now who had thought of that ailment in life's greatest mystery? What sick scientist had thought of that word to describe the physical changes in a person's body that made them become something close to a nethanderal in men and a neurotic soppy wet sponge in a woman?

Always one to understand theories and possibilities that circled the great universe, in which she inhabited did nothing to dispel that she was hopeless when it came to the male species.

Arriving at the Danfoths for Bryan and Helene's wedding was to be a place where maybe she and Taylor could talk out what exactly happened between her and Zac. To get rid of her thoughts of him. For three days he had continued just as before, speaking to her like she was another part of the furniture, his best friend – the girl with the books and the intelligence, but other than that…nothing!

Her frustration was that he wouldn't even talk about it, used every possible excuse to avoid going for a walk, saying he needed to do some preparation for the speech he would be giving at the wedding. Which was almost laughable because Zac did not prepare for anything, he never showed up.

So she had spent the days on her own, or in the company of Taylor who wanted nothing better to do that nonsense on about her latest boyfriend, seeing as Troy no longer was the object of her affection or infatuation, or whatever it was she felt about him. Reading was her relieve, her strength, and her comfort.

Troy?

A puzzled frown marred her brow as she rubbed it absently. His arrival meant that what little she saw of Zac now seemed actual company compared to the hushed speaking and closing of the boy's bedroom door. She didn't even get the chance to say hello to him herself before the drama that Zac had got himself into was more important.

She had however duly noted that Troy looked at her as he was pulled up the stairs by Chad, and smiled as he did so and that is when she felt slightly off kilter.

Gabriella smiled at Troy, and Troy smiled back? Seemed perfectly normal…

They had been smiling at each other as soon as they laid eyes on one another; there was nothing wrong with that. It was like a greeting between them always followed by a 'Hello' and yet…

It felt different, it felt weird…it felt…hard to describe how it felt when she didn't even know herself.

Feelings for Zac had not been complicated. She knew Zac had liked her for years and that was safe, secure, constant, normal.

Troy and her feelings towards him had always been friendship, loyalty, caring, worrying…and now she was depressing herself. She sounded like the typical description of a mother hen to her chicks!

Was that how he had ever seen her, his mothering friend, the worrier? Was that why so many of the girls in school made fun of her?

"Watch out here comes Gabriella, Troy Bolton's conscience!"

She had never been one to listen to idle gossip or to examine the mocking looks that where always thrown her way. It was bad enough she still got blamed for the failing relationship between himself and Jessica and how if it hadn't been for her interference in his life, there might have been another successful relationship.

When he started dating Jessica she was very happy for them both, it was what he needed. A distraction in what was going on at the school. It left her to try and work out the tangled mess that she found herself in with Zac. But alas as it was pointed this is why she was sitting here now a day after the wedding, under a shady oak with her books as her comfort and no beau on her arm.

Which brought her right back to Troy and what the hell was going on?

She had looked up last night out of her warm daydream and straight into his eyes as he watched her. Not too far away that she could outline his features like drawing with chalk as he stood beside the willow, his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the tree. He had changed so much over the summer since school finished with an air of finality. Gone was the childish look that had followed him since they first meet, to be replaced by a more defined outline in his features. He looked taller too his body had developed muscle where scrawniness had always been and his arms strong and taunt from keeping himself fit either from basketball.

The young sixteen year old that had left them that day, still looked the same…but something had changed in both of them.

Closing her eyes, Gabriella uncrossed her legs from the position she had been in and spread them out in front of her crossing her ankles as she leaned back more into the tree.

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Sam