DISCLAIMER: I do not own High School Musical or any related characters.

A/N: Okay, so I know I probably should be updating Memories, but I can't get this chapter out of my head and I needed to get it down before I forgot what I wanted to write down. Anyway, response to last chapter was incredible and I'm so happy with how you all responded and I can't tell you all of what happened but, as always, I can't ruin the story so you're all going to have to wait! It's incredible; I can't believe that I have a story that's gone over fifteen chapters either and that still has a long way to go!

Enjoy this new chapter!

Dangerous Fascination

CHAPTER 16

EMOTION

She missed him.

She'd already known she was going to miss him, she'd known as soon as the words had left his mouth. But she hadn't realized how much she was going to miss him until she'd walked into school the day after and he wasn't there.

Even now Gabriella could still remember the blatant shock she'd felt when her eyes had gravitated towards Chad and he hadn't been standing there. It had been like a punch in the gut and she hadn't been sure why. It was confusing, Gabriella thought as she rested her chin atop her arms which were folded over her knees, because as the days had worn on, the terrifying longing had grown.

She wanted to know what had made him suddenly leave. She wanted to know where he was going. She wanted to know why he was going. If there was one thing she knew about Troy Bolton is that he never did anything without a purpose. Smiling a little at that thought, Gabriella rubbed her cheek against the collar of his jacket. She'd never been claimed by anyone before and, though she had to admit it might not have been his intention, according to everyone who had spoken to her three days before, Troy shoving his jacket in her hands was his way of telling the other guys to back off.

At the thought of another guy, Gabriella frowned as she remembered seeing Andrew Hanley that morning. She hated what Troy had done to him, his nose had been broken and his left cheek bruised slightly. What she hated more was the way Troy had looked at her after he had punched him. He'd looked so…broken, even as she searched for the word Gabriella wondered if that was even the way to describe the look in his eyes.

She'd never thought that someone who had always been so unreadable could have so much emotion swirling in their eyes. But his eyes, Gabriella closed her own for a moment; they had been so much more than broken. There had been pain and defiance. Vulnerability and resistance. His eyes, Gabriella thought, hadn't been broken, they'd been a contradiction. It had been as if everything inside him had been warring and he'd been desperately searching for the control that he was known for.

The contradiction had scared her as much as it had fascinated her. How had it been possible for his ice to allow someone to see what was going on behind it? There was more to him, Gabriella thought, there was more than the danger, more than the ice, more than the control and Gabriella could only hope that he would let her in. God, she wanted to be let in. She wanted to know who he was behind the ice.

Opening her eyes again, Gabriella blew out a breath as she stared out the window. She was curled up in one of the science labs, waiting for the Scholastic Decathlon team to arrive. Even though it was Friday afternoon, Taylor had insisted on a practice even though all Gabriella wanted to do was go home and curl up with a good book, hoping that it would distract her from the fact that Troy had been gone for three days.

Before she could wonder, once again, where, exactly, Troy had gone. Gabriella heard the door open and turned her head to smile as Taylor walked in.

"Oh, you're here. I waited at your locker for like five minutes." Taylor's voice didn't change despite her heart sinking slightly when she saw that Gabriella was wearing Troy's jacket once again.

"Sorry. I got out of class early and thought I could come and wait here. What are we going over today?" Gabriella was well aware of the way Taylor's eyes had traced over the jacket she was wearing and knew that if she didn't keep the topic neutral they were going to argue.

Taylor considered her for a moment, and then spoke. "Equations. You can help us with them; they're Doug's weak area." Gabriella nodded, reluctantly stretching her legs out and tugging on the sleeve of a jacket that had unrolled.

"Okay, cool." Gabriella said standing up and forcing herself not to rub her eyes. She doubted Taylor would approve if she found out that Gabriella hadn't been sleeping because she had slowly begun to be worried about Troy.

There was silence for a few moments as Taylor unpacked her folder and prepared for the practice while Gabriella snuggled into Troy's jacket even more, a faraway look coming into her eyes as she thought about what she would do if Troy decided to randomly show up before next week. Taylor eyed the jacket for a moment, disdain coursing through her veins before she sighed.

"Can you take your jacket off?" Taylor asked the question quickly, not wanting to provoke Gabriella who had buried her nose into the collar, inhaling the quickly fading scent of Troy.

"What? Why?" Gabriella's startled look was enough to make Taylor relax slightly. She didn't sound mad, which Taylor thought, was a good thing. It had been a while since Gabriella had spoken to her without getting mad.

"Well, because the jacket intimidates everyone. We all know Troy's staked a claim on you, we don't need you to parade it around." Taylor's tone was businesslike and Gabriella blushed as something rolled within her stomach.

"Are you kidding me? Taylor, I'm not parading the jacket around. I'm cold. It was in my locker. It's called being logical." The temper Taylor hadn't thought Gabriella had, flared up and she wondered just how much her friend had fallen for Troy Bolton. She wondered just how much her friend knew about the boy who coolly assessed everyone.

"Sorry for asking a question." Gabriella rolled her eyes at Taylor's murmur. "Can I ask a question?" Gabriella carefully tucked her hands into the pockets of the jacket as she considered Taylor's question, wondering if she could make a joke about it before shrugging.

"Why not? You're going to anyway." Gabriella muttered the last part and it was Taylor's turn to roll her eyes.

"What the hell do you know about Troy Bolton? Besides the fact that he wants to get into your pants, what do you honestly know about him?" Gabriella winced, she should have known that Taylor would ask a question like that and, like her mother, Gabriella wasn't sure how to explain what she knew about Troy Bolton without the complication of an explanation.

Taylor waited, feeling smug about her question even as Gabriella answered. "I know enough." It was coolly said, as if she had been taking lessons from Troy himself and Taylor felt some of the smugness recede.

"You know enough. That's it? Gabriella, you know more about Doug than you do about Troy." Taylor snapped without thinking and Gabriella's eyes went dark, instantly making her regret the words. She'd forgotten how Gabriella reacted when Doug and Troy were put in a sentence together.

"Isn't it lucky for me that you think so?" Gabriella hadn't realized that she could be so cold, she hadn't realized that she could be so angry. "I don't think I'm going to be able to stay for practice, Tay. I don't particularly want to be subjected to another lecture on how I don't know Troy." Gabriella moved as she spoke, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder as she headed past Taylor.

Taylor was momentarily stunned before she realized that Gabriella was actually leaving. "No, wait, Gabriella, don't go." Gabriella ignored her as she walked towards the door, not caring that Taylor was attempting to apologize.

"I'll see you on Monday." Gabriella stalked out of the classroom, ignoring her teammates who were heading for the lab.

Did she honestly look that oblivious? That naïve? First, her mother and now Taylor. Gabriella wondered who was going to lecture her about how she didn't know Troy next. She wondered who was going to point out that she didn't know anything about him and she wondered why having sex with him was such a big deal. It was her decision, wasn't it? She was the one who had the power to say no and above anything else she knew about Troy, was that he would respect her decision. Even if he didn't like it. But that wasn't it. That wasn't what was irritating her about Taylor and her mother at all.

Gabriella wanted to know why it was so difficult for her mother and her friend to believe that Troy would be interested in her.

She didn't understand how it could be so difficult for them to see that maybe Troy was interested in her. Maybe he did like her. She didn't understand what was so difficult about seeing him with her. Was she that much of a geek, a nerd who no-one was supposed to notice, that they were all waiting for her to wake up from a dream?

Gabriella wanted to growl in frustration at the thought. She fought the growl as she rounded the corner in the empty hallway and was too busy trying to suppress another that she didn't realize she was about to walk into a solid wall of muscle until she looked up a second too late.

"Whoa, there." Chad caught her arm before she tumbled over onto the floor and Gabriella looked up at him for a moment, shocked beyond belief before feeling tears well up.

"S-sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Gabriella attempted to draw in a deep breath and only succeeded in letting out a shaky one. Chad looked at her closely and had to admit, his best friend chose well when he wanted too.

"It's okay. What are you doing here, anyway?" Gabriella barely heard the words as she tried to figure out how to make the tears that were threatening disappear and why on earth they had suddenly sprung up.

"Uh, I was meant to have Decathlon practice," Gabriella looked up at Chad, who had yet to let go of her arm and wondered why he cared. "Why?" She asked, gently tugging on her arm.

Chad looked down at her in surprise before realizing he still had a grip on her arm. Because she was tugging on it, Chad let it go. "Huh? Oh, I was just curious. It is Friday. Though I'm not surprised McKessie decided to hold one. The girls psychotic." Gabriella let out a giggle at Chad's bland tone.

"I don't think I'm going to disagree with you. Why are you still here? I know there wasn't a game on today." Chad felt his cheeks heat up slightly at her question and he coughed, wondering if she was going to be comfortable with him after he mentioned why he was there.

"I got a weeks worth of detention off Darbus, for the legs comment." Gabriella blinked slightly, wondering why he sounded so embarrassed and then realized what he was talking about.

"Oh, well," unable to help herself a giggle escaped her. Chad looked so uncomfortable standing there. "I'm not sure why she gave you a weeks worth of detention. It's not like your comment embarrassed me more than the dress did." Chad let out a chuckle at her words, knowing that Darbus wouldn't see it that way.

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't see it that way. But hey, if you want to get me out of detention on Monday, I'll be eternally in your debt." Gabriella laughed at that, rolling her eyes slightly as she felt some of the tension in her shoulders fade as Chad joked.

"Dream on. I only got away with being late because Miss Darbus was too busy being indignant on my behalf about your comment." Gabriella pointed out and Chad nodded, making a thoughtful face as he thought about it.

"I should have stayed asleep then." Gabriella let out a giggle at the words and Chad realized that she would be a very easy person to talk too. Someone, he thought, that he could be friends with quite easily, someone who, once past the shyness, was a person that you had to like.

"Yeah. Then you would have woken up while I was getting a lecture on the importance of being on time." Gabriella rolled her eyes at the thought of another lecture and was grateful that she hadn't been put through that particular torture. Even now, thinking back on that part of the day, she was sure she wouldn't have dealt well with another lecture.

"Nah. Troy would have saved you by arguing with Darbus over the importance of being late." Chad didn't realized what he'd said until he saw Gabriella freeze. Instantly cursing himself, Chad had to hastily remind himself that she was the last one to see Troy before he had taken off three days ago. He wondered what, exactly, Troy had said to her and then realized that maybe it had nothing to do with what Troy had said, but what he'd done.

Gabriella bit her lip, finally registering that she was talking to Troy's best friend. "Have you…have you heard from him?" Gabriella tried not to sound too hopeful. She wanted to pretend that it didn't really bother her that Troy had left. But as Chad turned his dark eyes on her, she knew she'd failed.

Chad considered lying to her, telling her he hadn't heard a word since the last time she'd seen him and Troy together and knew he would feel bad for it. As he looked at her, seeing the hopefulness in her eyes, Chad suddenly understood what Troy had been talking about. The look in her eyes, the one Chad was pretty sure she had no idea about, was what made him want to tell the truth. She was looking at him like he held all the answers to tilting her world the right way again and the look was exactly the same one Allie had whenever he'd seen her without Troy.

Sighing, Chad shrugged. "Yeah. I've spoken to him."

Relief flooded through her before he'd even finished the first word. Fighting the smile that was threatening, Gabriella nodded, wondering how to say thanks without revealing how relieved she was.

"Is he okay?" It was the first thing she could think of after the wave of relief had receded. Chad shrugged, apparently unwilling to tell her.

"I guess so. He didn't say much, just that he wasn't going to be back for training and needed me to remember a few things." Chad admitted reluctantly, his mind wandering to the other part of their conversation when Chad had mentioned how Andrew Hanley had shown up with a broken nose. Troy's silence had been enough to confirm that he had had a lot to do with it and the question about Gabriella following the silence had made Chad wonder why he'd left when he wanted to know she was okay.

"Oh. Well. As long as he's okay." It was enough, Gabriella told herself. It had to be enough. She'd known he wouldn't have called her. She'd assumed it when she'd realized that he didn't have her number.

She didn't look disappointed, Chad thought. She didn't look disappointed at all. Instead, she looked happy and he couldn't figure out why. The only explanation was that she understood Troy better than anyone thought she did.

"Yeah. He is." Chad nodded and Gabriella, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder, realized that she'd better get going in case Taylor decided to try and call her during the break she allowed.

"Thanks Chad. I've got to go. Bye." Gabriella smiled at him, wishing slightly that she could stay for a little bit longer and talk to him a little more. He was nice. He wasn't obnoxious or arrogant the way Taylor had first portrayed him.

Chad raised his hand in farewell, staring incredulously at her back as she walked away from him. He would have thought that she would have asked why he hadn't called her. Why he hadn't spoken to her at in the time he'd been away. It surprised him that she hadn't and it shocked him that maybe, just maybe, she understood Troy's character better than anyone else thought.

"God, Danforth, don't you have a home?" Taylor McKessie's annoyed voice rang out from behind him and Chad jumped at the harsh voice.

"I do McKessie. But unlike you, I'm not here voluntarily." Chad snapped as he casually turned to face the narrow eyed brunette.

"Like that makes a difference. Did you happen to see Gabriella Montez?" Taylor's eyes glittered menacingly and Chad rolled his own, knowing that she was furious that Gabriella had probably walked out of a Decathlon session.

"Yep. She didn't look too happy either." Chad nodded solemnly, wondering if Taylor was going to pick up that he was taking a swipe at her. Apparently, he thought struggling to fight a grin, she was too mad to realize what he'd said.

"Probably because you're best friends been messing around with her. Tell me Chad, did Troy tell you when he's going to drop her or is Gabriella going to have to figure it out all by herself?" Taylor snapped and instantly regretted it when Chad's eyes darkened. She wasn't in the mood to get into an argument with Danforth anymore than she was in the mood to chase down Gabriella and placate her. Unfortunately, as soon as Gabriella had left Taylor had realized how much they needed her patience and simple instructions.

"I think, McKessie," Chad's voice broke her out of her thoughts and Taylor was surprised at the seriousness of his voice, "that you're underestimating both Troy and Gabriella. To write off Troy is one thing, you hate that he's smarter than you but your own friend? It proves that you're as narrow-minded about us as you assume we are about you." Taylor's mouth dropped open at Chad's words, hating that he had hit a sore point and hating even more that he was right.

Before she could retaliate, Chad had turned around and walked away, leaving Taylor with the feeling that he had already given his blessing to whatever was going on between Troy and Gabriella. That meant that she was the only one who would be able to make Gabriella see what was going to go catastrophically wrong if she let Troy Bolton get to her.

---

Even as she turned onto her street, Gabriella was thinking about her conversation with Chad.

She wasn't sure why she was so relieved that Troy was okay. Logically, she'd known that he would be okay because, above anything else, she knew Troy was smart enough to not get into trouble in a place where no-one could get him out of it. But it was more than logic that had made her worry about him.

Gabriella wasn't sure what had made her worry but she knew it was the same thing that had propelled her to say that she was going to miss him even thought his back was turned. It was the same thing that had made her want him in a way that she had never wanted before. It was that one emotion that trumped every other logical or irrational thought she had when it came to Troy and Gabriella knew if she put a name to it, things would most likely get messy. Messier, she admitted, than they already were.

She didn't notice the black car that was sitting comfortably on the curb, nor did she notice the boy leaning against its said, watching as she pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. She was too caught up in a the terrifying wave of realization that if she put the name to the emotion, the name she knew it deserved, she was going to create something more painful than what he was putting her through now.

Grabbing her bag and getting out of the car, Gabriella slammed the door shut, fumbling with her keys as she tried to lock the car. As the cars blinkers flashed, Gabriella looked up, over the roof of the car and froze.

Troy was leaning against the car parked at the curb outside her house. He looked…fresh, she thought. His were aviators glinting in the fading sunlight as he folded his arms across the white v-necked tee he was wearing. His ankles were crossed, crinkling the faded blue jeans he was wearing.

Gabriella barely registered that she was walking as she walked towards him, torn between the fantasy of running to him and throwing herself at him and the reality that he wouldn't respond to her public display of affection.

"Hey. I thought you said next week." She only breathed it when she was sure he could hear and wanted to berate herself for saying something so stupid. Troy shrugged.

"I did." He agreed, reaching over to twine a curl around his finger. "But then I thought there are some things you and I need to clear up and what better way to do it than when everyone else thinks I'm not here?" He asked and Gabriella's eyes widened at his implication, butterflies swooping through her stomach at the thought.

For a moment she didn't know what to say and then knew that there was nothing she could say outside that would mean anything when they were in the house. It would have to mean something in the house.

"Oh. Um, mom's gone for the weekend, so I guess you can come in." Troy didn't give any indication that he heard the tremble in her voice or that he acknowledged the easy acceptance of what he had implicated.

He nodded. "Okay. After you." Gabriella tried not to notice the sarcasm that seemed to touch his words and turned in case he knew she had.

She knew he was following her when she heard a quiet chuckle from behind her. She wondered, for a moment, why he was laughing and then remembered she was wearing his jacket. Blushing slightly, Gabriella fumbled with the keys as the emotion she'd been thinking about, the one that had caused the worry, the relief, sighed and whispered inside her that everything she was, everything she knew, was about to change.

A/N: Okay, so I can honestly say that I didn't know I was going to turn this chapter out this way. I suppose that you're all going to have to wait to see what happens on the weekend, who Allie is and what, exactly, Taylor's going to get up too. Um, if you think its a bit fast than, well, I guess we're both going to have to see what happens next chapter.