Short chappie sorry :/

Thanks for the comments, made me laugh how everyone mentioned the fight and only a couple of you mentioned the dance scene haha.

Here's the next bit…

CHAPTER 6

Luckily for Troy it was dark when he got back. All the lights in the house were out. All but one. His room light burned and he frowned, wondering if his mum or dad had decided to wait up for him and figuring tonight wasn't the best night for them to see him coming home late.

He climbed the stairs, his ribs aching, his face throbbing, coming to his room and nudging the door open, a soft gasp leaving his lips as he saw Gabi's small body curled up on his bed, fast asleep.

At least she was until he woke her. Quickly turning before she could see him, he headed down the hall for the bathroom, diving in even though he didn't pull the door up in time before Gabi caught him.

"Oh my god." She whispered, reaching out to touch his face, not knowing where to put her fingers in case she hurt him.

"It's not that bad." He assured quickly, knowing he had beaten Chad and that Chad was a lot worse off.

"For me?" She asked, touched.

He shrugged.

"Sit down." She said, pushing him onto the closed toilet seat, stripping off his jacket with care, followed by his t-shirt.

"Hey, you told me to keep that on…" he complained.

"Shh." She commanded, kissing his mouth where he hissed in pain as her lips touched his split lip.

"Oh, sorry." She winced.

"It's okay." He said.

"I can't believe you did this." She commented.

"I can't believe my mom and dad let you in…let you stay…" He frowned.

"I told them I was your girlfriend. That we'd had a fight…" She explained.

He smiled until it hurt to.

"Gabi Montez, you little liar." He accused.

She began to clean his wounds carefully, gently, so far from her usual brash self he wondered where the real Gabi had been left behind.

"You're all bruised…" She worried, stroking his face gently now he was clean.

"Am I ugly? Do you not fancy me any more?" He wondered with animated eyes.

"I think I demonstrated enough tonight exactly how much I fancy you." She huffed. "I don't see how a few bruises would change that."

He caught her wrist in his hand, bringing her in between his thighs.

"To some it might. To some…fighting is ugly." He broached.

"You fought for me, Troy. That's not ugly. That's amazing." She stated softly, brushing his fringe back, pinning it there with a curby grip she took from her hair.

"What about here?" She asked, gently running her fingers over his sore ribs.

"Nothing a few of your kisses won't heal." He smiled.

She knelt before him, leaning forward and brushing her lips against the skin so softly so as not to hurt him, gently raking her fingertips down his ribs.

"See, good as new." He said tightly, holding his breath.

She held out her hand to him and led him to his room, laying him on his bed where he wriggled out of his jeans and laid back, face screwed up in pain.

She unzipped her jacket, revealing her tight top that accentuated her breasts, reminding him what this had all been for. To protect her, to stop anyone else touching her when she didn't want to be touched.

She rolled onto the bed next to him, allowing herself to be tucked under his arm and he still waited for the ball breaking Gabi to surface.

"Thank you, Troy." She said softly, hearing his breaths slow down while he dropped to sleep.

For the first time in her life she had let somebody else protect her; and she quite liked the feeling.

--

"Troy! Time to get up!" Mrs Bolton called as she opened the door to find her son in bed with his girlfriend, spooning.

"Ooops!" She quickly said and turned away.

"Hi, mom." He croaked, cuddling Gabi's back for a few more seconds, before sitting up.

"Uh, good morning son." She replied, still not turning round.

"It's okay we're not like, naked or anything." He assured her as he watched Gabi sleep on in his bed next to him, brushing her hair back gently.

"I should hope not, seeing as we only just found out you have a girlfriend…" Lucy Bolton accused, folding her arms as she faced her son. "What in the heck happened to you?" She shouted.

"Oh, jeez, wake up the neighbourhood," he complained.

"I don't like the fact this girl turns up for you and you come home –after curfew may I add- and you look like a punch bag!" Lucy accused.

Gabi stirred on the bed and rubbed her eyes, flipping over to look between Troy and the source of noise.

"Hey, beautiful." Troy greeted her, smiling and she reached out to touch his swollen face delicately.

"Hey, Troyby." She greeted back.

"Gabriella, it's time for you to get home." Lucy stated coldly and Gabi swallowed, sitting up.

"Of course, Mrs. Bolton. Thank you so much for having me." She quickly said, standing up.

"Gabi, wait…" Troy said from behind her and she twisted, kissed her fingers and placed them on his lips.

"See you soon." She told him, then grinned at his mom and snuck by her and down the stairs.

"I cannot believe you just did that!" Troy accused.

"Tell me what happened…" His mother insisted.

"I had a fight with Chad." He said openly.

"About…" His mom prompted.

"About Gabi, okay?" He admitted.

"Because…."

"Because she goes to West High. And he was trying to be an asshole and get her to be his girl and she didn't want to be. I kinda ended up falling for her amongst it all." He explained.

"And losing your best friend." Lucy said gently.

"I don't need friends like that, mom." Troy said firmly, getting up to get ready for school, not quite knowing what he was facing.

--

"Is it true that Troy and Chad had a fight because of you?" Kelsey asked Gabi as she walked into the cafeteria at lunchtime.

"What?" She asked, pretend dumb.

"The Wildcats, they're all on two sides, Troy or Chad. There was a bust up last night. Over some girl." Kelsey added.

"Why would it be me?" Gabi asked.

"Because Chad is forever tailing you and Troy was betting on sleeping with you."

Kelsey said in a 'duh' tone.

"Wow, nice that I am included in this somewhere…" She said drily, sleepily.

"You stayed the night with him though, didn't you?" Aidan asked from the edge of the table.

"With who?" She shot back, spitting out her drink convincingly. Her heart pounded in her chest as she panicked at being found out.

"With Chad. I saw a girl sneaking out of his house this morning." Aidan said.

Gabi laughed. "You think I'd go near that punk after what he said to me?" She looked at him like he was crazy.

"You want a piece of that, don't you?" Aidan sneered.

"Funnily enough, no, I don't." She replied.

"Don't lie to me!" He yelled and Gabi stood up, her eyes glowing with her anger.

"Wanna say that again, Aidan?" She asked, very controlled.

His face dropped.

"No, I'm outta here." He said and vanished quickly, Gabi smiling in triumph.

"Gabi, there's something I have to tell you." Taylor whispered across the table and Gabi bent close to her.

"What is it, Tay?" Gabi asked, concerned.

"It was me that Aidan saw, leaving Chad's house. I was at his house last night."

--