A/N: I know it's short but it's nearly their prom. Mine's in May lol. I'm going with my two best friends :) no guy's gonna ask me out is he? HSMandChelseaFCfan didn't add anything to this because she was busy :( don't own HSM

Chapter 19 – Preparation

"So, we're all getting ready at my house. Agreed?" Sharpay asked all of the girls the following Friday. "Right, Gabby?"

Gabriella looked away from Troy, looking perplexed. "Huh?"

"We're getting ready at my house, right? And the guys at Chad's?" Sharpay asked impatiently.

Gabriella sighed. She knew her over-organised best friends would come up with something like that but was hoping that they wouldn't include. "Guys, I'm not going to Prom."

"What?" Kelsi gasped.

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she pinched a fry from Troy's tray. "I'm not going. I don't want to go, I don't care about Prom. Besides, my dad's in San Diego so I've got to babysit Don."

"San Diego?" Taylor asked slowly. "Yesterday you said he was in San Francisco."

"What did I say?" Gabriella asked quietly, turning to Troy.

"Brie, you said San Diego." He muttered through a sigh.

"Well, I meant San Francisco." She exclaimed in irritation.

"So, anyway," Martha said pointedly, "how come you're not going to prom?"

"I just explained that." Gabriella whispered, staring at her tray of barely-touched food.

Troy's arm tightened around her waist and he mentally rolled his eyes. "Guys, just leave it. She's not going to Prom."

"What about you, Romeo?" Ryan asked promptly.

"I'm not missing my prom. I'm under strict instructions to go to my prom with someone I want to." He said quietly.

"And who is that?" Chad asked.

"Someone special." He whispered. He lifted his head and caught Sharpay's eyes. "Don't give me that look!" He exclaimed.

Gabriella abruptly lifted her head and looked at Troy in surprise. "What?"

Sharpay jumped slightly. "Gabs, what is up with you?" She turned her attention to Troy and glared. "What have you done?"

Troy gasped. "What makes you think I did something?"

Gabriella stifled a giggle and sipped at her soda. "Guys, it not Troy…for once."

"Hey! I resent that." Troy exclaimed indignantly. He subtly stuck his thumb under the waistband of her jeans and lightly rubbed her hip. She snuggled further into his embrace and he sighed into her ear. Although their relationship had gotten slightly more physical in the week they had been together, with everything going on, they weren't all over each other whenever they were alone. Granted, Troy was usually the one to start any physical activity, Gabriella was slowly gaining confidence.

"Of course you do." She muttered as she stood up. "I'll see you guys later. Have fun at prom."

Troy's arm fell from her waist and he turned to Sharpay, grabbing her collar. "I need your help."

Sharpay's eyes were wide as she pried Troy's fingers from her shirt. "With what?"

He raised his eyebrows and sighed. "You must be losing your touch, Shar." He muttered.

"You want to ask her out?" She asked excitedly.

Troy sighed and looked at their other friends. He grabbed her hand and took her to a quiet corner of the cafeteria. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Troy," Sharpay placed a hand on his arm, "do you not trust me?"

Troy raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I'm sorry." She retracted her arm and sighed. "I might tell Zeke. But, only Zeke, I promise."

Troy sighed and sank so he was sitting on the floor. Sharpay knelt opposite him and smiled softly. "Gabriella's my girlfriend." He muttered.

"What?" Sharpay asked quietly after a moment.

Troy looked up at her brown eyes and sighed. "We're together."

Sharpay grinned and squealed. "Are you kidding me? When? How? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't she tell me? Oh, when I get my hands on her, she's got some explaining to do." She went to stand up but Troy locked his hand around her wrist.

"She doesn't know I'm telling you." He whispered. "Shar, you can't tell anyone at all. Not Zeke, not Tay, and please don't mention it to Bella."

"Bella?" Sharpay smirked.

"Long story." Troy muttered sheepishly. "But, the point is: she won't go to prom. Not because of me, not because of Chris…I can't tell you why. But, I want her to have a prom. And I need your help."

She shrugged slightly and reached for Troy's hand. "With what?"

"I'll pay you back." He promised.

"Just tell me." She sighed impatiently.

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "You are impatient, aren't you?" He got his feet and brushed his jeans off. He held his hand out and helped her stand up. "I'll text you. But, right now, Bella needs me."

"Is this why you've been disappearing every lunch time?" Sharpay asked with realisation.

"No." Troy said sarcastically. "OW!" He whined when she hit his arm. "You know, Bella will get you for that. She started wrestling Big D because he accidentally stepped on my toe."

Sharpay giggled and kissed his cheek. "Who asked who?"

"Me." He sighed.

"Really?" She asked in surprise. "I've just lost ten bucks."

"You bet she'd ask me out?" Troy exclaimed indignantly.

Sharpay shrugged sheepishly. "You were taking too long and she's so confident that I assumed… What?" She asked when she saw his joking smile fall from his face.

He sighed and shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Troy." She said sternly, stepping towards him.

"I said it's nothing, okay?" He partially yelled, causing a few people nearby to turn their attention to them. "Maybe it's something, maybe it's not. But, just drop it. Don't talk to Brie about any of this stuff!"

"I won't." She whispered. "But, you will tell me if things are horrible, right?"

He scratched his cheek momentarily before nodding. "I will. Thanks, Shar. I'll text you later about tonight, okay?"

She nodded. "Like I said, the girls are getting ready at my house, okay?"

He nodded and smiled, hugging her in a sisterly fashion. "You're amazing."

She pulled back and smiled modestly. "I am, aren't I?"

He rolled his eyes and started walking up the nearest staircase. "You need to get over yourself, Evans."

"Just text me what you want me to do." She yelled back.

Troy shook his head slightly as he made the same journey Gabriella had taken just moments ago. He spotted her on the bench, hugging her knees and staring out over Albuquerque. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" She whispered.

He sat next to her, her back facing him, and wrapped an arm around her waist. "They're worried."

She shrugged. "I know."

"You can't keep this charade up." Troy said sternly.

Gabriella slid down the bench a little bit and lay down so her head was in his lap. "What would you do?"

He ran his fingers through her thick curls and sighed. "I wish I knew, Bella. But I don't. I promise that whatever you do, I'll be behind you."

She sighed and leaned up to plant a kiss on his lips. "I know."

* * *

Gabriella watched from her lying position on her bed as Troy removed a black clothing cover – his tuxedo, obviously. "Have fun." She whispered.

He nodded as he placed the tuxedo neatly on the bed and turned to her desk. He picked up the framed picture of his parents and kissed it before placing it down again. "I'll call you when I get there, okay?"

She giggled, knowing how she had started begging him to text or call her when he arrived somewhere and she wasn't with him. "I'll be waiting."

He turned to her and sighed. "What's Big D going to do tonight?"

"Well, my mom's working and my dad is… So I said that I'd really appreciate it if I could have some alone time so he said he'd watch some TV in his room." She explained quietly.

Troy crawled onto the bed and sat beside her. "Let's just get prom and tonight over with, okay? I promise we'll figure something out."

She smiled the first sincere one in the whole time they'd been together and pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. "I love you."

Troy stroked her hair and sighed softly. "I love you, too."

"Have fun." She murmured.

He kissed her forehead. "I will. Um, I better be going. Chad's picking me up."

She nodded and smiled when he kissed her. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He chuckled and slipped his cell phone and wallet into his pocket. He quickly tied his sneakers up and shrugged a denim jacket on. "Hey, Babe, if you need me, you know where I am."

She climbed off of the bed and held his hands. "Troy, I'm serious. Enjoy yourself tonight. Be with our friends and have fun."

"And I've told you. I will." He said softly.

She nodded and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

"You know I never get tired of hearing that." He muttered with a suggesting smile on his face.

She slapped his chest. "I said I love you."

He nodded. "I know."

"Do you want to get slapped?" She threatened.

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "And I love you too."

She nodded with satisfaction and reached for his tuxedo. "You chose a good tux."

He bit his lip guiltily and shrugged. "I didn't get that one. I got a different one."

"What?" She exclaimed as she fumbled with the clothing cover.

He snatched it from her grasp and he grinned. "Not until I get home."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "One little peek?"

"No. Not even if you kiss me. Not going to happen." He smiled down at her when she pouted. "And that's not going to work. And before that happens, I'm leaving." He kissed her again, wrapping his free hand around her waist.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Come on. You know you want to show me." She gave him a cheesy smile and he kissed her nose.

"As long as you keep that beautiful smile on your face, you'll get to see it." He chuckled at her victorious face. "After I get home." He dashed out of the room as she grabbed a pillow.

"I'll win, Bolton!" She called after him.

* * *

"Dude, what is up with Gabs?" Chad asked as he attempted to tie a not in the material hanging limply around his neck.

Troy expertly tied the correct knot in his bow tie and then sat own to slip his shiny black shoes on. "She's just stressed." He wasn't lying, exactly.

"About…" Ryan prompted as he looked in the floor-length mirror in Chad's bedroom and placed his hat on his head.

Troy shrugged. "Well, she's getting worked up about her exams, coursework… And she doesn't know what to do if Stanford accepts her."

"Yeah, I don't understand that." Jason exclaimed as he pulled his pale blue blazer on.

Troy sighed and brought his phone out of his pocket to check the time again. "She's worried about Big D." He whispered. "I think I'm a part of it but I don't want to be the reason she doesn't go to Stanford. When we were kids, she went on and on about how Maria attended Stanford and became a doctor and how much she wanted to be like her mom. I don't want to be the reason she gives that up."

Zeke looked at his best friend and sighed sympathetically. "You can't leave her. You're the first person she's talked to…ever."

Troy nodded. "Oh, I'm not planning on leaving her. I just have to be a little more persuasive."

Chad nodded slowly. "Right. So, what are you going to do?"

Troy's cell phone suddenly rang and he jumped, flipping it open. "Talk to me."

"It's ready." Sharpay's voice said simply.

"Really? He asked excitedly.

"Yeah. She should be outside Chad's about now." She said softly.

"Thank you so much, Shar." He said sincerely. "I owe you."

"Just have fun, okay? And make sure she does, too." Sharpay said sternly. "How are you guys getting on?"

"Uh…it's only me who can do a tie." Troy muttered. "I better go. Thank you so much. Shar, you're awesome."

"I am, aren't I?" She asked with a giggle. "Have fun."

* * *

"What was that about?" Taylor asked as she applied some light blusher to her cheeks. She eyed Sharpay through the vanity mirror suspiciously.

Sharpay placed her pink cell phone neatly on her bedside cabinet and turned back to painting her toenails silver. "Oh, nothing."

"Shar…" Kelsi trailed off in exasperation. "What are you hiding?"

"I'm just doing a favour for Troy." She sighed. "It's nothing. I promise. You'll find out soon."

"So, does anyone know why Gabby isn't going tonight?" Martha asked as she emerged from the bathroom in a robe and a towel wrapped around her hair.

Taylor shrugged as she turned around. "She didn't tell me anything. Just that Devvy needs babysitting because Maria and Aidan are working."

Sharpay sighed. "Something's not right. I know that. And Troy knows something."

"Well, like what?" Kelsi asked worriedly.

Sharpay sighed again. "I don't know. But, I know that Troy's there for her. She's in safe hands."

Martha nodded and began to dry her hair with the nearest hairdryer. "But, I hope everything starts calming down soon. We all want Gabby back. Our Gabby."