Gabriella looked over at Troy as he bent down over one of the speakers he was frowning at something Ryan said. She instantly wished that she could hear what they were talking about. She suddenly wanted to be included in on what Troy was talking about or at least there to watch him say it. The idea of watching him seemed to send tiny little curls of excitement through her.

"I keep forgetting you work down here,"

Her attention shifted to Taylor who was now standing in the service window signing her name on the signup sheet for the readings.

"I didn't know you write poetry" Gabriella said looking up at her with a smile. "That's really brave."

"It's a way to relief some pent up frustration," Taylor looked up from her signature and offered a small smile. "College life can be stressful; sometimes pouring your heart out to a world full of strangers is freeing." Taylor shrugged a little, "Anyway, how's college life treating you?"

Gabriella eyes shifted from the signup sheet to her fingers she was picking at her nails again, "It's been different from what I expected." She said cautiously.

Taylor looked out behind her and Gabriella noticed Troy and Ryan now greeting Chad. "You can't trust things that you expect." Taylor said looking back at Gabriella. "Expectations are a means to failure."

Gabriella offered Taylor small smile of concern. "Is everything alright?"

Taylor looked down at the signature then back up. "I think he's cheating on Me." she said in a soft voice.

Gabriella felt her insides twist as Taylor looked back up at her. Racking her brain she sought out something to say but came up with nothing. So instead she reached out and took her hand. "What do you want to do?"

Taylor took a deep breath, "Well I'll be moving back into our dorm room." she said nervously. "If that's alright?"

"Its sounds perfect."

Taylor looked down at Gabriella's hand over hers, feeling an odd sensation of trust and friendship building just from a touch. "Thanks,"

"No problem," Gabriella said.

"Hey," Troy said coming in through the metal door to reach for a stool from off to the side.

"Hey," Taylor pulled her hand back and straighten her shoulders all signs of weakness gone. "You working hard or hardly working?" she teased.

"Ha, ha, ha." Troy said shuffling his way back out. "Everyone's a comedian." Troy paused in the door way for a moment as Kelsi squeezed past.

"Oh my god is he here? He's here." Kelsi came up to the window next to Gabriella and took a peek towards the stage. "He's so built." she said with a sigh.

Both Gabriella and Taylor did a double check then looked back at Kelsi. "I'm going to go find a seat." Taylor said offering an arched brow towards Gabriella. "See you later?"

"Later." Gabriella nodded.

Gabriella began to gather her books into her bag.

"You're not staying for the slam?" Kelsi said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Nope, I have an essay to write." Gabriella said with a sigh.

"Well," Kelsi said with a frown. "Now I don't have an excuse to be back here."

"Oh yes you do," Troy voice came into the room as he held up his phone. "I have to go, drama back at the dorm."

Kelsi began clapping her hands. "Score!"

Troy let out a chuckle and reached for his bag, what's not set up already Ryan is going to finish, Hopefully I'll be back before close."

Gabriella got up from her seat and picked up her own bag as she made her way to the door.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride back." Troy said coming up behind her.

Gabriella brought both her hands up to tuck her hair behind both ears. "It's alright, I'll walk it."

"Nonsense," Troy said walking besides her towards the door. "It'll break my heart if you rather walk alone at night then be in a car with me for 7 minutes."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she began to make her way down the path. "Something tells me you'll live to see another day."

"Fine, I'll walk with you." Troy said as he shoved his keys back into his pocket.

Gabriella turned on her heals and crossed her arm. "We're going to straight to the dorm?"

"Yes,"

"7 Minutes?"

"Promise."

Gabriella bit her bottom lip again and she let out a breath. "Fine."

Troy smiled as he pulled out his keys and motioned for her to follow. Once they were at his white pickup he walked over to her side and opened the door for her, allowing her to get in. "Just push whatever trash out of the way." he said with smile.

Gabriella hesitated and then with a side long glance she looked at Troy really hard the mood suddenly shifted. "Seven minutes." she said again before getting into the car.

Troy closed the door and with a confused curiosity he came around to his side and got in. When he started up the car the Music was turned all the way up making them both Jump. "Sorry," he said looking her way. She was huddled against the door hand on the handle ready to leave. "You alright?"

"Just drive, ok." She said holding her bag close to her chest.

"If this is because of what I said earlier, I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. Trust me, I'll be nothing but Gentleman." Troy offered her his best smile. "At least until you beg me not to be." When she didn't respond he turned off the car and Gabriella attention jerked his way and he held her glaze for a moment trying his best to be as non-threatening as possible. "Gabriella I have been respectful of all your wishes with reasonable flexibility to the rules." He added at the end with a wince, "and I have been trying my best to make things easier for you. Now I know you don't want to talk about it and I hope the guy who did this to you gets what's coming to him, but, you need to help me help you. You are perfectly safe with me, I don't intend to hurt you, ever."

Gabriella nodded slowly as she let out a deep breath. "It's harder, than you think" she said looking out the car window. "In all honesty, I should warn you that the list of things wrong with me is probably longer than any list of positives." She bit down on her lower lip as she looked back up at him. "And you're right; I should be at least trying to make this easier for both of us."

Troy started the truck again and then he adjusted so he could pull out of the parking spot. Once he shifted the car in drive he let out a sigh and gave her a side long glance. "In all honesty, there absolutely nothing wrong with you."

When they pulled up to the dorm Gabriella stared in amazement as all people standing outside. "What's going on?"

"Someone burnt popcorn and fire alarm went off!" Troy called as they both stepped out of the car.

Gabriella watched as Troy approached the firefighters pulling out his wallet for id. Crossing her arms she looked around at all the girls standing outside, some in their pajamas, others in jeans. One girl was standing in her flip flops and a towel soap suds dripping from her hair. Taking a deep breath she looked back at Troy who was signing something for the firemen and talking to the other Ra's from the other floors. Gabriella looked into the crowd of people standing around and her eyes stopped at Sharpay who was running over to her side.

"Hey," Gabriella said cautiously.

Sharpay grabbed hold of her hands tugging on Gabriella's arms vigorously and making her body jerk around as a result. "What did he say? Did you ask?"

Gabriella politely tugged her hands back towards her body, and guilt pulled at her harder than she would have predicted. "Well... I did ask him."

"Oh my god." Sharpay said with a frown, "He hates me."

"No," Gabriella said quickly. "He said that a two year relationship wasn't something someone could ignore or just forget."

"Well what does that mean?" Sharpay asked as she look over where Troy was talking to the firemen.

Gabriella looked over in that direction as well. "Well..." she offered not sure what else to say. Her eyes rested on him as he removed his hat to scratch his head and look up at the dorm before turning around and beginning to walk back to the truck.

"Oh my god he's coming this way, what do I say?" Sharpay said clinging onto Gabriella's arm and giving it another tug.

Gabriella looked down at her arm then back up at Sharpay with a raised brow. "Just say hi?"

Troy approached them shooting Gabriella a raise brow as he pointed toward their linked arms. "You two became close." he said resting his hands on his hips.

"Hey Troy," Sharpay said flipping an invisible strand of hair back.

"Hey Pay," he said in a low voice. after a moment of silence he point behind him at the dorm. "Well Zeke from upstairs is handling my floor so you can go check in with him," he said looking at Gabriella, his eyes shifted toward Sharpay, "and tonight is an Open mic night, you know?"

"Yeah," Sharpay said with a small smile.

"You didn't sign up?"

"Home work." she said with a shrug.

"Yeah, Ryan told me," he said looking back at Gabriella. "Kelsi is not going to be happy this only took 20 minutes."

"Well I'm going to go get back to my homework then," Sharpay said a little too loud which actually made Gabriella smile in amusement. At the release of her arm she instantly felt the cold take over and watched as Sharpay leaned into awkwardly give Troy a hug, who returned the hug with one arm around her lower back. Gabriella quickly looked away. She was instantly envious. She felt guilty about that too, as if she were betraying Sharpay even though there was no actual friendship to betray. Sharpay had been nice to her, invited her to go out with them as a group, included her in girl talk. Gabriella bit her lip as she took a deep breath, she still had some loyalty to maintain didn't she?

"Well that was weird." Troy said, catching her attention so she could look up and find that Sharpay was walking back towards the dorm and out of earshot.

"Yeah," Gabriella said tucking a stray strand behind her ear.

"That's cute." he said with a smirk.

Gabriella stilled as she looked at him caught off guard. "I'm sorry what?"

"That thing you do when you're uncomfortable, you tuck your hair behind your ears." he said with a shrug, "It's adorable."

Gabriella felt the blush seeping into her cheeks. "Thank you, I think?" she said looking up at him with a small smile pulling at her lips.

"It's also very easy to make you blush," Troy said rocking back on the heels of his feet.

Gabriella looked away from him and let out breath as brought her hand out to his and offered it to him. "Thank you for driving me to the dorm. You didn't have too."

Troy stared down at her hand, it was shaking. "Careful there Montez, keep this up and you just might give that little heart of yours a freight." he said eyeing her hand with caution they were both quite for a moment and Gabriella reasserted her hand only to jerk a little when Troy moved towards her. "You know what," Troy shook his head and shoved his hands back in his pockets. "It's alright, it will happen when it happens." He said with a small wink. "Night Montez."

Gabriella shoulders fell as she watched him walk back to the driver's side of his truck. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she adjust her t-shirt. Crossing her arms she began to walk off, her eyes focusing on the path in front of her. That was when she heard the crunch, the sound of some one behind her following her. Gabriella uncrossed her arms and held them at her sides. Suddenly she could see her own breath, the autumn sun position late in the afternoon and her shadow barely casted on the ground. Autumn her favorite time of the year when it was just the right weather to be warm and chilled at the same time. If she wasn't running late she could have slowed down, the peer tutoring session was only three more blocks away, and everyone seemed to be inside despite the nice weather. Not a soul insight, slowing down she shook out her feet a little. They were tired and heavy the craving of a single slice of apple pie from the bakery just down the street made her taste buds quiver in excitement.

That's when it hit her, the instinct the one that told her to turn around. Her head spun around this time her entire body ready for him. Her teeth gritted and her fist up. Her foot planted firm in the ground, no one was dragging her away this time.

"Hey, hey?" Troy voice sounded and he held out both hands in front of him her back pack dangling from his right hand.

Gabriella let out breath as she looked around she was back in the parking lot in front of the dorm. It was almost dark out and a curious Troy was staring at her with caution. "Sorry,"

"You forgot your bag," he said holding out and keeping his distance.

"Thank you," she said taking it and avoiding his glaze.

"You alright, you don't look so good?" Troy asked holding his hands out.

"I'm fine," she said hoisting her bag over her left shoulder. "Night Troy," she said spinning on her heel and making a beeline for the door. Her hands were shaking, her breathing was heavy, her eyes wet with tears. Quickly shoving pass some of the other people standing outside mingling she made her way inside and into her room locking the door and resting against it as she took deep breaths, her entire body trembling now.