Disclaimer: I do not own HSM

Chapter 8: Black Roses Red

Can you turn my black roses red?

Cuz' I feel like I've never known love

Troy walked into East High ready for the day. Today was Wednesday and the golf tryouts. He had been on the golf team the previous year and planned on doing it again. It didn't give the exciting or exhilarating feeling that basketball gave him, but he enjoyed playing the sport.

He spotted Gabriella at her locker and made his way over to her. He kissed her on the cheek. "Hey." He said.

"Hey, Wildcat." She replied turning toward him.

"You're here early."

"Taylor called for an early practice session for this Friday's decathlon. Am I going to see you this afternoon?"

"I don't think so. We have those golf tryouts today."

"Oh yeah. I forgot." She said as she closed her locker. She entwined her fingers with his, and they walked down the hall to their homeroom.

"Why do you seem so surprised?"

"Well, basketball and golf are so different. Not that I know much about the two sports anyways."

"Well, I guess that you're right."

The rest of the week flew by. Troy, of course, made the golf team, and Chad was on the track team for the 400m and the relay race.

Troy and Gabriella went to as many rehearsals as they could. The musical was going to be in one and a half weeks and they had to get as many rehearsals done as possible.

With all the tryouts and rehearsals and decathlon (the wildcats won it, by the way), the week flew by quickly. Ms. Darbus even scheduled extra rehearsals over the weekend to make up for the time lost with her two leads.

Gabriella was used to organizing her time between the decathlons and actual school, but she had never thought to put rehearsals for a musical into her equation. She was having a fun time at rehearsals though. Since the first rehearsal, she had started to come out of herself, and Troy helped her.

Troy, however, was not used to scheduling this kind of stuff. Basketball and golf season weren't at the same time, so he found time to keep up with his homework and studying. But this was new for him. Like Gabriella, he had never thought to put rehearsals for a musical into his schedule. Usually, he would do his sport and then do his schoolwork, but over the past few weeks, he's had to switch some stuff around and make time for everything.

Apart from basketball and golf, performing was a totally different thing. It gave him the same adrenaline rush as basketball just with a different twist. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone but Gabriella, he was enjoying himself a lot.

Finally after the rehearsals for the weekend, Troy and Gabriella tiredly made their way to the car.

"When I go home, I am going to straight to sleep." Troy told her.

"Did you even get your homework done, Wildcat?"

"No, I still have to do some of the World History…and English…and Chemistry." He admitted.

"Troy, you can't neglect your work." She scolded.

"I know, but I haven't had time all this weekend. We haven't even had time to hang out outside of rehearsals."

"Well, just come over to my house for at least an hour to do your homework. I can help you out if you get stuck."

Troy thought about it for a minute. "Okay. I'll text my mom when we get there."

The ride to Gabriella's home was silent. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, more of a tired silence.

When they reached her house, they wordlessly collected their stuff from the truck and went into the house. While Gabriella went into the living room to set up her books on the coffee table, Troy took out his phone.

Hey, mom. I'm going to do some homework here at Gabriella's. I'll be home in an hour or so. Thanx. Love you.

She texted him back after a minute.

That's fine. Be sure to tell her thank you. I'll see you soon. I love you too.

After everything with his mom had been settled, Troy sat on the floor next to Gabriella so that they could start on their homework.

Troy got relatively good grades in school, but since Gabriella had come, his grades had slowly gotten better. She was after all a genius.

Much to their surprise, they got their homework done within forty-five minutes with fifteen minutes to spare. Gabriela suggested that they go over their lines. Troy, after going through a weekend of rehearsals, objected to the idea and suggested that they just sit and talk for the remainder of the time. But Gabriella reminded him that the show was nearing, and they still had to work out some scenes. Troy still wouldn't yield. Some scolding and a puppy-dog face later, Troy finally gave in and rehearsed with her.

Maria came home early from work that day and walked into the house with that familiar feeling she had acquired over the past few days. She found Troy and Gabriella running through their lines in the living room. She had to admit though they were good. Really good.

"Hey, Mom. You're home early." Gabriella said.

"Uh huh." Maria said rather tired as well from her weekend at work.

"Oh. Rough day at work?" Gabriella guessed.

"Yes." Maria said sitting on the couch. "Rough day at rehearsals?"

"Just tiring." Troy answered. "Actually I gotta go. I think I'm going to catch a little sleep before school tomorrow. Thanks for letting me come over. I'll see you later." Troy gave Gabriella a quick kiss on the cheek and went out the front door.

After Troy had gone, Gabriella sat on the couch next to her mom. "Can I ask you something, Mom?"

"Yes, Mija."

"Um…well" Gabriella suddenly felt shy talking about this with her mom. "Valentine's Day is on Wednesday, and I don't really have a clue what to do for Troy. Any ideas?" She admitted.

Maria turned her head towards Gabriella and smiled at her. "Mija, you'll think of something. I think that this is something that should be from your heart. I'm sure that Troy will love whatever you do for him."

Gabriella sighed that wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she knew that her mom was right. This was something that she would have to think of herself.

Troy walked into his house and headed for his room. He was really tired after the weekend, and he planned on getting in some extra sleep. On the way to his room, Troy saw his mom on the table writing something.

"Hey, Mama." Troy said as he kissed her cheek.

"Hello, how did Gabriella's go?"

"It went fine. We got all our homework done early, but considering that it's Gabriella, that shouldn't be too much of a surprise." Troy turned his attention to the piece of paper his mom was writing on. "What are you writing?"

"Oh, it's just a first draft for my Valentine's Day card to your dad."

Troy nodded and then stopped. "Oh, shoot. Valentine's Day. Gabriella. Mom, I have no idea what to do for her."

"Troy, honey, what are you talking about? You've done plenty of stuff for her already."

"But it's Valentine's Day, Mom. It's the day when it absolutely has to count."

"Honey, calm down. Just be thankful that it's not Sharpay that you have to think about. She would want the whole shebang."

Troy chuckled. "Yeah she would. Gabriella's the total opposite of her. She doesn't like things to be too over the top."

"Well, coming from a woman's perspective, just make sure that you be yourself."

Troy sat there in thought for a minute before he got his ideas together, but he still couldn't think of stuff. "I think I'm going to go sleep. It's been a long weekend."

Troy, still groggy from sleep, made his way to homeroom. He managed to get a few more hours of sleep in, but with everything going on, he was still tired. And he wouldn't get to completely relax until Spring Break.

Troy sat down at his desk and just sat. He propped up his head with his hand and remained silent.

Chad walked into homeroom looking just as tired as Troy, but he didn't have as much a load on him. He was simply tired because it was Monday morning. Chad's philosophy was "Monday mornings are a cause for mourning."

"Hey, Man. Why are you tired?" Chad asked.

"I had a pretty long weekend, Chad." Troy said. "I had to practice for golf, and Darbus scheduled some extra rehearsals over the weekend because the play is on Friday, and, on top of that, I had to do all my homework."

"The show's on Friday?"

"Yeah, you're still going to be there right?"

"Yeah. Just making sure so that I don't plan anything for Friday."

"You plan?"

"Only because Taylor makes me."

"Oh and I have to decide what to do with Brie on Valentine's Day too."

"What?! Valentine's Day?! Are you serious? They don't really expect us to do anything for them. Do they?"

"Well, yeah, Chad. It's Valentine's Day. Of course the girls expect something."

"Hoops, I don't do romance okay? I'm not like you where I can think of the most romantic stuff to do for girls."

"Hey, I'm still thinking about what to do for Brie okay? Should I bring her flowers—"

"Hoops."

"Or maybe I could bring her somewhere like the ice skating rink-"

"Hoops!" Chad called out finally getting his attention.

"What?"

"Hoops, listen to me. Gabs is going to love whatever you think of okay? So stop putting so much pressure on yourself."

"Well, this is her first relationship, and it's…sort of mine too, so I just want Valentine's Day to be a memorable one for her."

"I know you do, Hoops. Just don't overwork it. You still have to do the show and golf, and we have that Chemistry test on Thursday."

"Oh shoot. I forgot about that."

"Just relax and take a deep breath." Chad told him.

Troy took a deep breath. "Thanks, Chad. I never knew that you had this soft side."

"You aren't the only one Gabs has changed, Man."

Gabriella came into school that day the most tired she had ever been in relation to school. This week was going to be very long and tiring. The show was on Friday; they had a Chemistry test on Thursday; the decathlon team was going to meet early everyday this week; and she still had to think of something to give to Troy for Valentine's Day.

She walked into homeroom and gave Troy a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Wildcat."

"Hey, Brie. Did you get some extra sleep?"

"Yeah. I gotta go do some stuff before homeroom starts."

"All right. Oh and, Brie?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry about planning anything for Wednesday. I got it. What's your favorite movie besides 'Nightmare before Christmas'?"

"'West Side Story.'"

"All right."

He smiled at her, and she smiled back as she took her seat and got ready for the school day.

"Hey, you look tired." Gabriella heard Taylor say as she took her seat.

"Yeah. We have a lot going on. I have to go to rehearsals, study, and, on top of that, think of something to get Troy for Valentine's Day."

"Don't worry. You'll think of something. Troy will love anything that you give him."

Gabriella smiled. Taylor was right. She would think of something.

Monday and Tuesday were hectic for both Troy and Gabriella. They were both expected to attend all final rehearsals for this Friday. At the same time, they were both expected to stick with the commitments that they made for their teams.

Somehow, Troy found the time to plan his date with Gabriella for Valentine's Day and get her present.

Gabriella was relieved that she finally thought about what to get Troy, but she would have to get it quick.

Before they knew it, it was Valentine's Day. Gabriella was asleep but not for much longer. At six o'clock, her phone started ringing.

"Hello?" She answered, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" She heard the other person say.

"Troy? What-"

"Well, I thought that I'd give you a wake up call and be the first one to say happy Valentine's Day, and I decided to call you on your phone. My first idea was to just climb the balcony, but I doubt that your mother would approve of that, so I settled for this."

"Thank you. But if you say that this was your present, then you-"

"Don't worry, Brie. You know me."

"I suppose."

"Well, get up, Beautiful, and I am going to pick you up and escort you to school."

"All right. I'll see you in an hour. Bye."

"Bye."

Gabriella sat up in her bed and wiped her eyes. She had gotten Troy's present wrapped up earlier, so that she could sleep in a little bit, but that didn't work out, so she decided that she'd better get ready.

When she was done getting dressed and getting her hair done, she went downstairs to find that her mother had already gone to work and noticed a folder on the counter with a card next to it addressed to Gabriella. It read:

Dear Mija,

It's hard to believe that you are so grown up. But whenever I see you, I still see my little girl. We are fortunate to have such a good mother-daughter relationship. I love you with all my heart.

Love, Mom

P.S. This gift is something that you and your friends will enjoy. We've been planning it since the night we went to dinner at the Bolton's. We'll be going during your spring break.

Gabriella curious to see what her mother meant, opened the folder and in it were two plane tickets to go to Orlando, Florida. She also found two park hoppers for Disney World.

Troy hung up his phone and got ready for the day. When he went to eat breakfast, he saw his mom and dad sitting at the table looking over cards that they had exchanged to each other. He got his cereal and took his seat.

"Here you go, Troy." His mother handed him a folder.

Dear Troy,

Happy Valentine's Day! We love you. We are so glad that you were able to find a special someone this year. We really like Gabriella and would like to spend more time getting to know her over Spring Break.

Love, Mom and Dad

Troy looked opened up the folder. "Mom, what are these?"

"Just read them, Troy."

Inside were three plane tickets to Orlando, Florida and three park hoppers to Walt Disney World.

"Dad, are you serious?"

"Yeah. We've been planning this ever since that dinner that we had."

"Wait; I thought you said that you wanted to get to know Gabriella more during Spring Break. How are we going to do that if we're in Florida?"

Jack and Lucille just looked at him and smiled waiting for him to figure it out. They smiled even wider when they saw his face dawn with understanding.

"Are you serious?! She's coming with us?!"

"Not only her Troy, but at around this time, all of your friends are getting the same present as we speak." Lucille told him.

Troy got up and hugged his parents. "This is the best present ever! Thank you."

Lucille and Jack returned the hug, before Jack looked at his watch. "Hey, Troy, you'd better get going. Just grab a to-go breakfast today. You still have to pick up Gabriella. I'm going to drive your mother to work."

"Okay. I'll see you later. I think I'm going to come home and freshen up before I put my plan into action."

"Okay. I'll see you later." Lucille said as Troy gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you at school." Jack said.

Troy went out the front door and drove over to Gabriella's house.

Troy knocked on Gabriella's front and waited for a moment before she answered it.

"Well, if it isn't the alarm clock himself." She teased as she invited him in.

"Good morning to you too. Happy Valentine's Day. These are for you." He kissed her as he gave her a bouquet of lilies and roses.

"Thanks, Wildcat. I'm still finishing up washing the dishes from breakfast so…"

"That's okay. I was early."

"Wait right here. I have to go get something from my room." Gabriella left Troy alone in the living room and came back with a present in her hand. "Happy Valentine's Day, Troy."

Troy politely took the present from her and opened it revealing a framed picture of Gabriella sitting in the cafeteria on the steps posing.

Gabriella watched his face carefully to see what his reaction would be. Relief washed over her as she saw a smile play on his face.

"Thank you. This is amazing. Oh. Here you go." Troy handed her his gift.

She opened it and smiled. It was a picture of him outdoors wearing a blue shirt that made his eyes stand out. She traced the picture with her finger.

"You like it?"

"I love it." She said. "How did you take this? It looks really recent."

"I asked Sarah from the show to do it. Yours looks recent too."

"Sarah took it." She replied.

"Great minds think alike."

"Thank you, Troy. This was an amazing gift."

"You're welcome. Thank you for yours."

"You're welcome."

They stood there and smiled at each other until Troy's phone went off indicating that it was time to hear for school.

"We'd better get going. You ready?" Troy asked her.

"Yeah. Let's go."

They walked out the front door and went to the car.

"Oh. Before I forget, we're doing something later."

"We are?" Gabriella asked confused.

"Yeah. We are. Just be ready six."

"Okay."

"Did you find out what you're doing during Spring Break?"

"Yeah. My mom and I are going to Disney World, but she said something about my friends, but I have no—" Gabriella saw Troy smile. "Are you serious?! You're coming too?!"

"Yup. Our parents are pretty cool."

"Do you think that the others are coming too?"

"That's what my dad said."

"This is one of the best presents ever."

"I agree completely." Troy said.

The rest of the day was sort of a blur. The whole school was in the Valentine's Day spirit. The campus was decorated in red, white, and pink. A lot of girls were walking from class to class holding flowers and whispering excitedly to each other. Chad had even gotten Taylor some flowers.

Troy and Gabriella's theories were confirmed about Disney World when all of their friends came up to them saying how great a time they were going to have.

Later in the day after two hours of rehearsals, Troy and Gabriella were able to go home and get ready for their date.

True to his word, Troy arrived at the house at six. Maria opened the door and told him to come in while Gabriella finished getting ready.

"I take it that you found out what we're doing during your Spring Break."

"Yes, that was all that we talked about today. Everyone's really excited to go."

Gabriella came downstairs and was reminded by her mom about her curfew. After Maria was done talking to her, Gabriella and Troy went to the car and started driving.

"So where are you taking me?" Gabriella asked.

"It's a surprise. Just be patient."

They drove for about ten minutes before Troy pulled over at a park.

"This," He said. "Is East Side Park. Chad and I used to come here as kids and shoot hoops, but ever since they opened another park on the west side, no one really comes here anymore."

Troy and Gabriella got out of the car, and Troy led Gabriella to a picnic that he had set up before he picked her up. It was set at the base of a hill and only a few yards in front of them, was a small man-made lake.

Gabriella noticed a sheet was thrown over a branch of a tree. "What's that for, Wildcat?"

"Let's eat first and then ask questions later. Tonight we will be having peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches, and for dessert, I've brought hot cheetohs."

Gabriella laughed. He had listened when she told him and the group all about her life.

Troy and Gabriella ate and talked, but Gabriella was still curious to see what the sheet was for.

Troy, noticing her interest in the sheet, got up and started the movie. Gabriella looked at the sheet and smiled. The movie it was playing was "West Side Story." It was her favorite besides "The Nightmare before Christmas."

"Ah…so this is why you wanted to know what my favorite movie was." She said to him as he sat down next to her once again.

"Yup. I've never seen this movie before though."

"You've never seen this before?" Gabriella asked shocked. "Natalie Wood is amazing. She's my favorite actress."

"I don't even know what it's about." He confessed.

"Well, let's watch the movie and find out shall we?"

Troy put his arm around Gabriella's shoulder and relaxed as they watched the movie.

Almost three hours later, Troy got up and stopped the movie while Gabriella wiped her eyes. (If you've seen the movie, you know why she cried.)

"I have to admit, Brie. You have a great taste in musicals. That was a pretty good movie."

"I know. It has romance for the girls and action for the boys. I love the scene when they sing 'America.' The choreography is amazing."

"Yeah. That was pretty cool. Well, we should get you home."

"What, no guitar?"

"No, sorry. I knew that that movie was going to be long, and I wanted to get you home at the designated time. Your mom approves of me, and I want to keep it that way." He started to pack up.

"I'll help you." She said.

After they had gotten everything packed and in the car, Troy drove Gabriella home. He walked her to the front door and kissed her.

"Thank you for today, Troy. To be honest, I've never really done this sort of thing since my dad died. And I've never really done it with a boyfriend."

"Same here. Well, the girlfriend part anyways. I'll see you tomorrow."

Troy left and Gabriella went inside the house.

"How did it go, Mija?" Maria asked when she walked in.

"It went fine, Mom. I haven't really done stuff like this before so it was all pretty new to me, but Troy's never done it either so…it was a learning experience for the both of us. Um…I'm tired so I'm going to go upstairs. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Gabi."

Gabriella went to her room. It was the best Valentine's Day that she had had since her dad died. She hoped that they would get even better in the up-coming years.

Author's Note: Sorry that I didn't upload this earlier, but I've been really busy. I hope that you enjoyed it. I didn't really like how I did their date, but that's just me. Tell me if you liked it. Thanks.