A/N: I hope you all had an exciting and joyful Christmas, as well as a great New Years, I wish you all the best in 2009! I'm so sorry for such the delay on this chapter, I just struggled so much to make it perfect. I just want you guys to like the story, and I'm such a perfectionist, so I have a hard time getting my thoughts across sometimes.

Please tell me your honest opinion, and feel free to PM or review me about any ideas or thoughts you have as far as what you'd like to see happen in this story! I'm always up for suggestions!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to HSM.

Everything About You

Chapter 3 – Feeling Alive

"Life is slippery. Here, take my hand."

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"Life is slippery. Here, take my hand." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Crave: to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly.

Used in a sentence: Gabriella Montez craves Troy Bolton every second of every day; like a vampire craves the taste of sweet human blood; like a woman craves chocolate, flowers and a romantic dinner with her perfect soul mate on Valentines Day.

And she had only known him for a week. Could you imagine more than that? A month? A year? Two years? God.. by then she'd be permanently glued to his side.

And the best part? Troy Bolton felt exactly the same way.

It was funny how showing Troy around school, and therefore having to be by his side basically the entire school day, somehow transformed into Troy pretending to get lost everyday that week just so he'd have an excuse to keep Gabriella close to him. You know, in case he forgot where the cafeteria was. Or the gym. Or the bathroom. All these necessary things he could only find with Gabriella's all too willing help.

But you didn't hear her complaining.

It was Gabriella's pleasure to help Troy out with whatever he needed, and she found herself having the time of her life doing so.

This past week had been one of the best weeks in Gabriella's life, and it was all thanks to the new male who had just entered her life. The funny part though, was that she felt like she had known him her entire life. They were both so comfortable around each other and they knew that they could trust each other and tell each other anything.

Laughter was one of Gabriella's favorite things to do, and it felt like as of recently, she couldn't stop laughing. Troy was always making her laugh, whether it was at him directly because he would trip and fall, or hit his head on her locker door, or if it was with him because he was telling her a ridiculous story from his childhood, like the time when he thought he was superman so he jumped out his bedroom window, only to go nowhere but down.

Currently, as Gabriella laid in her bed all by herself on that Saturday morning, she continued to laugh at loud as she replayed Troy's stories over and over again in her mind.

It was the sound of her cell phone vibrating, though, that brought her out of her dazed thoughts. She reached out to her bedside table to snatch up her cell phone before bringing it into her view point, before she instantly felt her heartbeat pick up. A huge knot formed in her stomach, making her toes curl, but in a completely good and blissful way. In a completely addicting and lovable way. And then her cheeks grew red for the idea that it was as if he knew she was thinking of him.

Or maybe he just couldn't stop thinking of her either..

She flipped open her cell phone to see a new text message from Troy had arrived.

I'm bored, kno no 1 in this town, & couldn't tell u where the local movie theater is. Somethings wrong with that.. any suggestions? ;)

A soft giggle escaped her mouth before she quickly thought of a reply.

Well good morning to you too! So what.. r u using me now? ;)

Gabriella turned over in her bed and her feet found the floor before she stood up and stretched. There was no way she'd be able to get back to sleep now, so she might as well get a head start on the day. The sound of her phone ringing again brought her back to her bed, though.

Oh sorry.. Good morning sunshine! & yes, I am using u, glad that's out in the open now.

This was definitely a great morning, Gabriella thought to herself.

Well if that's how it's going to be, what can I do for u 2day Bolton? Do u need ur laundry done? Or did no 1 make u breakfast? Or is ur mom telling u 2 clean ur room & u want me 2?

Gabriella walked into her adjacent bathroom and turned on the shower, giving it time to heat up before she got in.

Actually, I just want to go c a movie with my new best friend. Could that be arranged please?

An enormous smile fell upon her face and she felt that same knotted twist in her stomach form.

I'll c wut I can do.. ;)

-

-

Less than two hours later Gabriella stopped dead in her tracks as she made her way out of her bathroom at the sound of her door bell ringing.

He was early.

Shit!

Having no idea what to do now, but knowing she needed to do something, Gabriella let her eyes blink before it finally struck her that she needed to go answer the door. In the blink of an eye, Gabriella's body propelled forward and she raced out of her bedroom, down the stairs, and straight to the front door, silently thanking the lord that she hadn't fallen once. She didn't even have time to think before she swung the large wood door wide open.

After Troy had asked Gabriella to the movies that afternoon, they decided that they were going to go see the movie Four Christmases and Troy would pick her up.

The butterflies appeared in Gabriella not long afterwards and they hadn't gone away since.

"Hey Troy," Gabriella said as her eyes locked onto Troy's mesmerizing ones.

"Hey yourself. Uh.. you weren't thinking of wearing that.. were you?" Troy said apprehensively, not too sure if what he said was being rood or not.

"What?" questioned Gabriella confused.

Troy moved his eyes downwards motioning towards her body. Gabriella's eyebrows burrowed together before she looked down at herself and gasped out loud.

"Oh my god!" Heat immediately rose to Gabriella's cheeks as she closed her eyes in aggravation towards herself. "I'm uh.. not ready yet. Here, come in."

A bitter breeze let itself lose and Gabriella shuttered at the cold contact it made with her bare olive skin. Troy saw and moved inside her warm home as quickly as he could before Gabriella shut her door.

"Uh.. the kitchen's right in there, feel free to take whatever you want. I'll be uh.. right back."

Troy nodded his head and did his best to hold in his laughter as he walked towards her kitchen. But as he heard her small feet practically sprint up her stairs, he tilted his head backwards to take one last glance at, what he know knew without a doubt, was a gorgeous body.

Mortified, Gabriella quickly slammed her bedroom door shut and leaned up against the back of it, her eyes closed as she muttered profanities towards herself.

After taking a shower, and having to deal with her blow dryer and curling iron, things can get pretty hot for Gabriella, so she usually wears a pair of boy shorts and a tank top, which, in reality, left very little to the imagination.

Today was no exception.

She quickly pushed all embarrassing thoughts out of her mind and got dressed and ready as fast as she could. Not too long later, Gabriella was bouncing down the stairs in a pair of tight fitting dark wash skinny jeans, her gray Uggs over them, and a purple deep v neck sweater on top.

"You look a lot warmer now," said Troy smoothly from her kitchen entry way, his hands in his pockets and an adorable smirk on his face.

"Well for your information, mister, I am," said Gabriella in a know-it-all way.

Troy just chuckled before helping her into her coat and guiding her to her front door with his hand resting on her lower back the whole way there.

Gabriella just smiled the whole way to his car, where he proceeded to open her door for her, offer her a sweet smile once again before running around the back end and getting into his seat.

-

-

Both Troy and Gabriella had spent the past two hours laughing their heads off, completely enjoying the movie and spending the quality time with one another. The movie had been beyond their expectations and been absolutely hysterical.

It was approaching dinner time on Troy and Gabriella's Saturday as Troy drove his sparkling black Audi S5 with absolute confidence through the back roads of their town. She heard it purr alluringly before she returned her attention back to the gorgeous young boy sitting next to her.

"So, big plans for the night?" asked Gabriella freely.

Troy snuck a quick glance at Gabriella's flawless face, offering her a quick wink before returning his gaze back to the open road in front of him. "Yeah, actually. I'm spending the whole night with this amazing new girl I just met. I'm so excited about it. What about you?"

Thankfully, Gabriella quickly caught on to his suggestion and decided to play along. She turned her body towards his and stared at his chiseled jaw, as she brought a finger up to curl her hair in a toying manner. "Well, I'm not exactly sure yet. See, there's this new guy, who's just so cool and funny. But I'm not sure if he'd be up to a wild night with a girl like me."

Troy glanced over to her attempt at a serious face and immediately burst out laughing. Not seconds later Gabriella followed him and they were both gasping for air.

"Hmm.. a wild night with a girl like you? I'm not sure how I feel about that.."

"So I assume you're coming in?" asked Gabriella in response to their conversation as Troy expertly pulled up into her driveway.

"I'd love to," replied Troy sweetly as he put his car in park, gave Gabriella one of his knee buckling smiles, and quickly exited his car. He made his way around the back of his car before opening Gabriella's door before she even had a chance.

"Thanks," she whispered before accepting his strong hand to get out of his car. She let her foot hit the pavement and felt Troy bring her body up to his but she stumbled on a rock and came crashing up into Troy's hard chest.

"Oof!" muttered Troy, before pulling Gabriella's small body to his much larger one. "Trying to crack another rib, Montez?"

Gabriella blushed before looking down at her uncoordinated feet. "Sorry," she muttered shyly.

Troy smiled at her embarrassment before sliding his hand from her back down her arm and to her hand, where he laced his fingers through Gabriella's, sending immense waves of pleasure through her body. "Don't worry about it. Come on, I'm starving!"

Gabriella forgot her blush and lifted her head up with a huge smile on her face, just as Troy rushed them to her front door.

"Soo.. this is where the one and only Gabriella Montez lives, huh?" asked Troy, his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the foyer they were standing in. To his left was a large entry way to the dinning room, and to his right was a large entry way to living room. The house was filled with warm and rich colors, dark and gorgeous hard wood floors, and an over all feeling of home.

"I uh.. yeah.. it is," replied Gabriella, not sure if Troy thought her house was a bit too much.

"It's nice, I like it. Is your bedroom up here?" questioned Troy, a sparkle in his eye as he walked forward and turned right towards a large stair way.

"Well uh.. no.. uh.."

"So that's a yes." Troy quickly sprinted up the wooden stairs, laughing at the sound of Gabriella's screeches and protests from below.

Troy had no idea where he was going, but luckily something inside him led him to the right door. He reached the top of the stairs and the second floor loft/hallway. To both his left and right were two separate doors, which Troy deemed not Gabriella's. Going in the opposite direction, he walked a little ways before he came face to face with yet another shut door. This time, the crisp white door held a small sign on it.

"You can't think about it; you just have to do it," Troy read aloud to himself. And so he did just that.

His strong hand came in contact with the silver brass door nob and he easily opened the door, revealing his desired treasure.

At the top of the stairs, Gabriella stood amused as she watched Troy try to find her bedroom. There was a small part inside of herself that was telling her to keep screaming and to stop Troy. But there was a much bigger part of her that just didn't care. She knew that Troy wouldn't think of her differently because of the color on her walls, or the picture above her bed, or the bulletin board hanging above her desk.

He wouldn't tease her about her stuffed duck laying on her quilt, or how clean and tidy her bedroom appeared. Well, he might, but he would only be doing it because he wanted to see her smile, or he wanted to make her laugh. He wouldn't be doing it because he meant it.

And that's why she let him go in.

Across from Troy's line of sight, at the other end of the room, was a large bay window that was allowing an enormous amount of sunlight into the room, causing everything to shine with an extra sparkle. The walls were a soft cream color, but that didn't make the room seem dull or boring.

Gabriella's large wrote iron Korbell bed in a satin nickel was pushed up against one of her walls, looking extremely comfortable and fluffy with all of her pillows and blankets on top of it.

There was a sitting area in one corner of her room, with both a chaise lounge and small chair next to a table with a lamp. Behind the chair was a gorgeous dark wooden bookshelf that stood tall and high.

On the other side of her bedroom was a gorgeous vintage vanity that held all of Gabriella's makeup and accessories. And in a separate corner was Gabriella's large dark wooden desk.

Troy walked into her room with eager eyes, wanting to take everything in that was Gabriella and memorize it. From the fresh pink Daisies sitting next to her bed, to the black and white picture of Paris mounted on her wall by her desk, to the endless photo albums and books sitting on her bookshelf, to the vintage plates above her window. Everything just screamed.. Gabriella.

"I know.. it's kind of well, dull, and boring, but.."

Troy was taken out of his trance be the sweet sound of Gabriella's unsure voice, as she finally entered the room.

"No." Spoke Troy, not stopping his wandering eyes from surveying the room more. "It's prefect. I love it," he cut her off shortly.

Gabriella felt her cheeks heat up at his confession, and eyed his back carefully as he continued to move forward towards her bay window and large desk. She heard him move her Victorian upholster chair back from her desk so that he could get closer, and felt a small tug on her heart as he picked up a photo.

Slowly, she walked forwards into her room and held her breath, waiting for his reaction to what he saw.

"Who's this?" Troy questioned softly, the hand made picture frame sitting safely in his strong hands.

Gabriella felt her throat close and her heart beat pick up before she struggled for words.

"It's uh.. my Dad and I."

Troy's heart softened at the sound of Gabriella's sad voice.

He quickly turned his head around to stare deeply into her brown eyes, a way of comforting her.

"You look just like him," he said softly, before looking back at the photo.

A small tear dripped gracefully down Gabriella's cheek at the memories and thoughts parading through her mind. She quickly whipped it away though before Troy would see.

Sensing the thick cloud of uneasiness in the air, Troy gently and carefully placed the prized picture back down in its exact spot on Gabriella's spotless desk before turning around to see her once more.

"And this is where the one and only Gabriella Montez dreams?" questioned Troy teasingly before making his way over to her huge and inviting bed.

Thankful for the distraction, Gabriella followed Troy over to her bed before plopping ungracefully down on it and laying down, her legs dangling down off the edge. "Yup!"

"I like it," said Troy as he plopped down on her bed on the other side, laying down and letting his legs dangle down as well. His toes just barely hit the hard wood floors beneath him. "It's extremely comfortable, I think I might just fall asleep," confessed Troy, his head laying right next to Gabriella's.

Gabriella giggled at Troy's cute confession and let her eyes drift closed, enjoying the comfortable silence that she and Troy were sharing. The sound of her small stomach growling, though, brought both teenagers out of their thoughts.

"Food! You need food, my lady," announced Troy eagerly before he jumped up from his position on the bed and ran around to Gabriella.

Her face was covered in joy as she laughed at Troy's actions. But before she could say anything else, she felt her small hands slide into Troy's larger ones as he pulled her up easily, before he bent down and threw Gabriella's petite body gently over his shoulder.

"Troy! Troy, put me down! What are you doing?!" Her feet were kicking in front of Troy's face, making it a much harder task for him to find her bedroom door and not kill them both by falling, while her small hands punched and slapped his back.

"Just because you're small, doesn't mean you can just wiggle your way out of this one. I'm quite strong, if you haven't noticed," teased Troy, grasping her legs tighter to prove his point and stop her from kicking.

"Oh, and we're going to get food, to answer your question," replied Troy smoothly, completely enjoying having Gabriella in his arms.

"You know.. this is a lot better than walking actually. Plus.. the views not too bad," teased Gabriella right back.

In that moment, Gabriella felt so beyond happy, so beyond complete, so beyond beautiful. She felt alive. She felt invigorated. She felt craved.

A/N: I tired, I really tried, and I'm so sorry if I disappointed you. Please, don't hesitate to leave comments, suggestions, or advice, I'm open to anything! Oh, and if you're looking for a new profile avatar, in my profile you'll find a link to my photobucket album full of Zac/Vanessa/Zanessa avatars that are free for you to use!

Review please!

FiFi

xoxo