Bluebell- Yes he does ;)

I'llbesmilin- Just to refer to my A/N in chapter 1, I know sod all about racing lol! So I'm sure you're method was much improved on my made up suggestion! Glad it's your fave story. I didn't really specify what kind of racing this was but it's a track based rally type thing!

Kristenkay- you can always hope, right?

34nimmixey33- Thank you so much! I can't believe you read it twice. And the sex/dex thing made me laugh!

MissElenaSalavatoreEfron18- you did make me laugh with your ass-kicking comment!

Juli93- luckily I am an adult now and he has (kind of) accepted I will never wear dresses and be a girly type of girl, but my teens were quite hard! Thankfully I can use my stories to deal with that :)

Addy- thank you ;)

Pumpkinking5- I try now and then to add little HSM details :)

Midnight- hahahaha….hahaha!

Milly4- thanks!

Crystal- yay

Stars Walk Backward- be careful what you wish for ;)

Fudge- yeah my dad is that annoying too hehe!

Miss Romance-Lover- thank you! I'm always touched when people say something is funny :D

Troyella2468-good! And thanks!

Smartgirl- thank you!

Chapter 7

"Eventful night," Troy told Chad as he carried a sleeping Gabi into the house and his friend raised his brow questioningly at him.

"What's she got on?" Chad frowned; noticing her grease-stained over-alls.

"It's a long story," Troy explained lightly, wondering where he should take Gabi. "I might take her up to my room."

"Good idea, man. We don't want that grease all over our sofa…" Chad commented and Troy gave him a look.

"I'm more worried about her than the furniture," he pointed out.

"Want me to bring anything up?" Chad checked.

"No, we'll be okay. I'm sorry if we disturbed you, bro." Troy added softly.

"Hey, I like having her around; wake me up whenever you need me, ok?" His friend assured and Troy nodded gratefully, carrying Gabi through to his room and laying her carefully on the bed.

He quickly swooped around to tidy up the strewn socks and dirty underwear; giving her a little more of a nice room to wake up in.

He unlaced her boots while she slept on; like sleeping beauty with her black curls fanning on his bed.

"You wanna sleep in your overalls?" He asked on a murmur even though she was asleep.

"I guess so…" He sighed and rolled his duvet up over her small form and he sat for a moment to watch her, his fingers training tenderly across her forehead where a frown lay; even in her sleep.

"Sleep well, beautiful."

/

"What are you doing down here?" Chad asked as he munched on a tube of Pringles.

"Sorry do you have guests?" Troy replied teasingly, looking around.

"Nah, I mean you should be spooning with the girl," Chad explained.

"Oh. Well, I think it's best I don't," Troy sighed as he sank into the sofa and knocked his head back.

"Why, what happened?"

"Her brother happened," Troy shared. "He hates me."

"Wait a second, isn't this the guy that called you a god or something?" Chad remembered.

"Until he thought I was sleeping with his sister…" Troy led, flipping his head over to look at his friend and Chad's brows rose in realisation.

"Oh. He knows you're not though, right?"

"After he practically squeezed it out of her, yeah," Troy nodded. "But the guy is on the edge and I don't want to make it any worse for Gabi than it already is…"

"Hey, its worse that she's alone right now," Chad reasoned.

"She's not alone, she has us."

"Down here," Chad nodded. "What about up there?"

"She's sleeping, she won't even miss us."

"I'm not thinking she's gonna miss me," Chad teased. "You're the one she was snuggling up to on the sofa."

"One night," Troy argued. "It was an accident."

"She didn't look like she was complaining…"

"Chad," Troy sighed. "Just let it go. Her brother needs to calm down and she needs time to think."

"She needs you," Chad grumbled, always the one to get the last word in.

Troy licked his lips and looked over again, frowning a little. "You think I should go check on her?"

"Yes!" Chad nodded furiously and Troy got up, and then paused.

"How was the sickness tonight?" He asked.

Chad shrugged. "I didn't even notice I was too busy wondering what you two kids were up to."

Troy chuckled and groaned at his friend's constant matchmaking. "Okay, I'm going."

"Good, don't come back down this time!" Chad yelled after him.

/

Troy decided to change into cotton checked slouch pants and a white vest, choosing to sit against the headboard of his double while Gabi occupied a small amount of space beside him while she slept.

He didn't quite have it in him to just lay down with her and assume she wanted him to share the bed; but Chad was right, she did need someone there when she woke to comfort her.

He argued in his head that he could have done that just as well downstairs but his friend was so hell-bent on pushing them together that this seemed a happy medium.

He still wasn't sure himself how he felt about Dex's little parade, but he knew he was walking on thin ice with both Gabi and Dex just by being between them. He didn't want to add further complications by giving into the feelings she roused in him.

And in those moments they had been kissing; the feelings she had roused had been strong. Strong enough to make him forget where he was in the world for a minute; and only care about the taste of her and the feel of her lips.

And then their bubble had burst and reality had set in. And he should remind himself not to get too involved with the Filipino because come the end of fall, he'd be gone.

"Troy?"

Gabi called out for him and he shifted behind her sleeping form. "Hey."

She turned over with a frown. "What are you doing?"

"Uh…reading CV's…" He held up the pages.

She flicked a look down him and the propped up onto her elbow. "You're avoiding me."

"I'm here," he remarked back.

"You're keeping your distance, then," she amended.

He looked at her. "I think it's best."

She nodded, and then flopped back over so she was facing away. "He got to you, too."

He sighed. "I'm just trying to prevent another reason for you and Dex to fight…"

"Right." She sighed herself, clutching the duvet tighter.

"Gabi…"

"You know what? Don't even say anything else because it's bad enough that he does this to every guy I meet, without me having to hear the pathetic excuses afterwards, as well…"

"He's done this before?" Troy's brows rose and he discarded the CV's to the night stand.

"Every time," she sighed again.

"It's not just because of the racing thing?"

"No," she squinted over her shoulder at him. "Is that what you thought?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know what to think…"

Gabi rolled onto her back and bit her lip. "No, I guess you just got stuck in the middle…"

Troy slid down the bed beside her. "I don't mind being in the middle."

"Well you're right. We have a history you know nothing about. So it's not fair that you got the blame tonight."

"Have you really never been able to have a boyfriend?" He looked over at her, his hands resting on his tummy.

"Nope."

"Kissing?" He asked next, intrigued.

"A little," she smiled secretly.

"Making out?"

She giggled and met his gaze. "Once or twice."

"Making love?"

Her smile faded. "Never."

Troy ached inside at her admission and then ached again at the vulnerable look in her eyes.

"Do you…" she paused, not wanting to ask questions when she would much rather just be able to enjoy whatever it was they might have without Dex to interrupt them. "Never mind."

Troy smiled softly at her and then moved his arm down so it lay between them, beside hers. He tickled the tips of her fingers with his and then with the tiniest movement; linked their fingers loosely together and licked his lips.

"I haven't made love since my accident," he shared huskily, looking away as he blushed.

"How come?" She wondered, rubbing her thumb down his hand in gentle strokes.

He sighed. "I couldn't, for a while. Everything hurt too much and then…then it just seemed like this huge mountain to climb…"

"It's not," she assured him softly, then let out a breath, almost in relief that he hadn't made a big deal of her virginity.

"It doesn't feel that way when I'm with you," he agreed.

Gabi smiled the most beautiful smile at him and he drank it in, awed by her. "You're full of so many surprises," she mused.

"If your brother could see us now," he teased, tightening his fingers through hers.

"He'd disown me again…"

"And hit me," Troy added amusedly.

"Not while I'm here to protect you," she rolled over and lay her cheek to his shoulder, keeping their hands entwined.

"Thank god for small mercies," he remarked.

"Thank god that you didn't give up on me," she sighed.

"Sleep tight, beautiful," he stretched his neck so he could reach to kiss the top of her head.

"You, too," she whispered before she fell asleep.

/

"Morning," Chad's smile was knowing as Gabi preceded Troy into the kitchen.

"Morning," Gabi went and hugged him spontaneously and Chad looked at her.

"You ok?"

"I've been better," she admitted. "What are we having today?"

"Hey, bro," Chad greeted a yawning Troy.

"Hey," Troy smiled back sleepily.

"You look like you could use a lay in," Chad remarked.

"Hmm, no time. We have auditions today," he reminded his friend.

"We sure do," Chad grinned. "I am so there."

"After chemo," Troy reminded him gently.

"Of course," Chad replied, chastised.

"Wish me luck," Gabi called from inside the fridge.

"Oh, you don't need luck," Chad told her. "You have it in the bag…"

Gabi giggled and rose from the fridge. "Eggs and bacon?"

Both guys grinned and her and she nodded back happily. "Something I'm good at…"

/

"Bolton is having his driver auditions today and I want you to go down there and watch him," Dex told Jody.

"Why?" Jody pulled a face.

"Because I know my sister too damn well, bro, and she's gonna try out."

"You think he'd let her?" Jody looked surprised.

"No-one seems to be able to say 'no' to my sister," Dex pointed out.

"Do you think she's dating him?" Jody worried.

Dex sighed. "I don't know. She's right though, I told her to…"

"Then why all the aggro yesterday when you saw them together?" Jody wondered.

"Because like I said yesterday, I didn't think she'd actually do it."

"Dex, you're never happy with anyone she dates. You need to start accepting that she's an adult now. She's going to date whoever she likes…"

"You sound like her," Dex grumbled.

"She has a point."

"The point is, and always will be, that my father begged me not to let her race. What would you do, man?" Dex beseeched.

"With all due respect, Dex, your father isn't alive anymore. And he couldn't have stopped Gabi doing what she wants any more than you can. He was wrong to put that burden on you, because she loves racing and you can't make that stop. You can only make sure she's the safest she can be when she's doing it…"

Dex stared at him for a moment until his friend squinted. "What?"

"When did you get so smart?" He asked and Jody smiled.

"Hanging out with your sister…"

/

"You're trying out then…."

"Jody!" Gabi twisted and threw her arms around his neck affectionately.

"Good luck."

"Do you mean that?" She checked, carrying her helmet in a nervously sweaty palm, her body wrapped in a fire-proof race suit.

"Of course I do," he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I miss you."

"I miss you guys too." She ventured under her lashes.

"Go out there and show those boys how it's done, Gabi," Jody championed her.

"You know it," she winked and slid on her helmet, covering her last remaining evidence of femininity in doing so. "Kick some ass," she whispered to herself.

/

"Two twenty, shit," Chad stopped the clock and looked up to Troy. "She's fast."

"She's two seconds under the top guy…" Troy awed.

"Buddy, you need to ask her out and quick," Chad chuckled.

"What?" Troy smiled at him bemusedly.

"When she takes that helmet off, every one of them damn drivers out there is gonna want to take her out…"

"Good point," Troy conceded, knowing that dating the very girl he might end up employing could work out to be very tricky indeed.

"So?"

"So what?" Troy looked down to his friend who rested in his wheelchair.

"Get over there," he lifted his chin where Gabi was surrounded by the other five guys.

"Would you quit bossing me around?" Troy complained.

"Someone has to or you would have lost her by now," Chad argued.

"So you go over there," Troy counter-acted.

"I'm not the one who likes her…"

"This is getting stupid," Troy finished the notes on his clipboard and then sighed, heading over to the group of chattering drivers.

"Hey, great laps, everyone."

"Who's top?" Ben asked eagerly, sipping a hot chocolate that he then offered to Gabi and she accepted with a small blush.

"Gabi, two minutes twenty," he repeated and she ovalled her mouth in shock.

"Oh my god, really?"

"Told you, you whipped it," Ben smiled at her and Troy flicked his eyes between the muscled Ben and the girl he'd spent the night with.

"Ben you're second, two minutes twenty two…"

"Yes!" Ben pumped his fist, then stood to hug Gabi, causing Troy to frown.

"Another race with you, awesome," Ben told her and Gabi giggled.

"Oh, stop!" she laughed.

Troy cleared his throat. "Luke, you're third. Two twenty four."

A round of congratulations and commiserations broke out as the six parted, leaving Gabi to face Troy, her face alight with joy.

"I did it!"

"You did," he nodded.

She squealed and threw herself at him; leaving him no choice but to catch her in his arms.

"Well done," he husked in her ear, and then let her down when she wriggled.

"Do you like the suit?" She asked mischievously of her all-in-one and he couldn't help his appreciative smile back.

"As if you need to ask…"

"Hey Gabi…" a voice came from behind them and she turned to see Ben there. "You coming for a drink?"

She looked back to Troy, then frowned. "I should go, so they don't suspect anything…I want this part because I earned it, you know?"

Troy nodded. "Of course. Have fun."

"I'll leave the suit on 'til later if you like…?" She murmured in his ear and he grinned widely.

"Now you're talking…"