Hi all, remember me…First off apologies for my absence, my computer completely freaked out on me and refused to be mended and then, well then I kind of got lost in Forks. I still haven't quite found my way out but the path is getting clearer all the time, so don't worry folks I will update much quicker now. I would like to dedicate this chapter to Ange for keeping me constantly updated on Zac's antics while I was technologically deprived- hopefully shouldn't have that problemo any more…Anyway on with the show. Love Tink. xxxxxxxxxxx


Gabriella stared unhappily out of the window of the plush private jet she found herself on less than a fortnight later. Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as she contemplated her immediate future, she was off on the start of her big adventure but she was doing it alone. Ten minutes ago she had bade a tearful farewell to her mom and Kelsi and was now waiting for the plane to begin to move.

She thought back to the chaotic last few weeks and was surprised she had accomplished so much in such a short time. Her agent, stylist and publicist had been hired, as well as an entourage for hair and make up. She had signed contracts stipulating that she would not engage in any activity that would result in any negative publicity, when she enquired about this she was told it was for her own protection. Still unsure she found herself blushing when her agent explain it meant things such as making out in public, drinking or taking drugs, being photographed leaving nightclubs drunk or anything else that wasn't wholesome family entertainment.

She'd endured a make over, her stylists embracing the feminine girly style she favored but giving it a more modern twist, bringing out the warm tones in her hair, emphasizing the subtle waves and curls. Gabriella couldn't help but admit she looked better and now every inch the up and coming young star she wanted to be. But for all that there was a down side. She would be leaving her friends and her mom, for many months and although Gabriella accepted this price, she was ill prepared for the pain it caused her, hence the tears now.

Gabriella couldn't decide if it was fear or sadness, which caused the tears to fall. She had a fear of flying. Suddenly this didn't seem like a good idea and she toyed with the idea of getting of the plane, running to her mom and asking her to take her back to her safe little world of East High. She sucked in a shuddering breath, trying to get herself under control so that the attendants didn't think she was a total fool. You can do this, Gabriella, she told herself, around another batch of tears as she blew her noise nosily on a tissue; the make up she had applied so carefully only a little while ago now ruined. Although the flight to LAX was only a little over an hour Gabriella knew she would feel every second of it. She looked unhappily out of the window, wanting to distract herself. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of a familiar figure crossing the tarmac and her heart began to thump heavily in her chest.

It was Troy, heading quickly towards the plane! She watched as he climbed the steps and then she heard his footfalls as he reached the top. Scant seconds later he appeared in the doorway. Gabriella's eyes ate him up, he wearing a pair of low slung cargo pants and another v neck t-shirt, blue this time, making the vivid color of his eyes pop. She fought not to faint dead away, when smiled his trademark smile as he saw her and crossed the plane to sit beside her. Her heart pounded and she silently chastised herself. She was supposed to getting over this silly infatuation she had with him. She had to see him as an equal, to relax around him for this to work. Any hesitation or distant would translate on camera and the movie would not work.

She hastily scrubbed at her cheeks with her damp tissue in an effort to disguise the fact she had been crying as he stowed his bag and settled his long, large body, next to her.

"Hi Gabriella, Gabriella" he joked, turning to look at her properly for the first time since getting on the plane.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted the first thought that came into her head.

"And it's very nice to see you too, glad you got the part and not one of those other unfriendly girls" he teased as she flushed, embarrassed by her candid response.

"I'm sorry, I meant I thought that you would have gone back to LA already" she said softly, apologetically.

"Didn't Chris tell you I was traveling back with you? Brendan thinks we should get to know one another, thinks it will look more natural when we come to film"

"Oh" she replied, unsure what to say, feeling awkward and embarrassed.

Troy studied her as she glanced out of the window, she looked different, still beautiful, yet more mature and not as child like. Her chocolate curls were shorter but still teased her face, highlighting her delicate features. Her cheeks were flushed, her nose red and her eyes watery, she had been crying and she was obviously still upset. He felt bad for her, he knew she was leaving behind all her friends and family to do this, and that for someone who had never been alone it would be hard. She was still a teenager after all.

He couldn't remember a time when he had felt alone. If anything he had the opposite problem and was never given the chance to be alone, there was always someone wanting something, wanting him.

Gabriella was mortified, mortified that he had seen her crying, mortified that she had reacted to strongly to his unexpected appearance, mortified that she was trapped on this plane with him and was most likely going to have a minor panic attack once this plane began to take off.

"So what d'ya say Gabriella, Gabriella, think we could be friends"

"With you?" it seemed she had no tact. Open foot, insert mouth.

"I'm a pretty cool guy once you get to know me"

"I know" she burst out "I mean I'm sure you are, but it's just a bit awkward"

He tilted his head and looked at her, his blue eyes fixed on hers "How so?"

"Well you're Troy Bolton," she sputtered

He nodded calmly, hid a bemused smile "So they tell me"

"And I'm just Gabriella Montez, I'm… a nobody" she said softly.

"Not for long, by the time Zefron have finished with you, you wont even recognize yourself"

"But then who will I be?"

"Public property" he replied bitterly and dropped his gaze from hers.

Gabriella stared out of the window, sensing his anger, his annoyance, confused by the sudden switch in personality. It seemed that she was seeing Troy Bolton as she knew him and then suddenly a much darker side would appear. One minute he wanted to make friends the next he seemed distant.

Outside the sky was darkening and the plane was slowly moving towards the runway. Gabriella felt her heart began to race, but for entirely different reasons than Troy's proximity. She forgot all about the fact she was sat next to Troy Bolton and was about to entirely change her life, all she could think about was the fact that she was trapped in this small metal container and would be thousands of feet about the ground.

She felt her breathing grow shallow and she wanted cry, her whole body suddenly tensing in the seat. She hated to fly, especially at night and although it was a short flight, it was the first she had taken without her mom. Suddenly her thoughts were filled with what if's? What if they crashed? What if there was an accident? What if she died? She would never have the chance to see her mom again, she would never be able to say goodbye, to tell her mom she loved her.

Troy looked at Gabriella, her face pale and her breathing ragged. Her entire body was taut with nerves and she looked ready to cry, her face betraying her fear.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Gabriella shook her head, her gaze transfixed on the now quickly moving scenery "I hate to fly" she confessed in a whisper, her voice thick with unshed tears.

He was still for a second and then placed a large hand, palm up on the armrest between them and wiggled his fingers. Gabriella looked down at his hand and then up to his face and back again. He wiggled his fingers once more in invitation.

"Are you kidding?" she asked around ragged gasps, her breathing growing more and more unstable, like a fish out of water sucking in air.

He raised an eyebrow "Would I? Take my hand, it helps I swear"

Gabriella drew in a breath, was Troy Bolton really offering to hold her hand? Hoping he wouldn't notice the slight trembling in her fingers, she slipped her hand into his. Sensations bombarded her. His skin felt so hot and slightly calloused against hers as his large hand engulfed hers. Her skin tingled where they touched and she felt breathless, a sensation which had nothing to do with her fear of flying and everything to do with being close to Troy. She was holding hands with Troy Bolton! She stared down at their joined hands and a strange sensation began curling in the pit of her stomach. His hand looked so large, so capable, so strong, yet held hers with a gentle firmness that made her feel more than a little weak.

Troy hadn't thought through the wisdom of offering her his hand, he had simply reacted instinctively to her distress. Now he had regretted it almost the second she had slipped her hand into his. Her hand was so small and soft and delicate where it rested in his. His own skin was burning where it touched hers yet it felt so right, so natural, so comfortable. And that in itself was wrong, as wrong as the powerful tug of attraction he felt towards her, a teenager. For someone so small she had a powerful grip, he mused as he looked down at their clasped hands. He could see her knuckles were white, her fingers still trembling.

There was silence as the plane climbed to it's correct altitude, Gabriella unable to talk, only focusing on breathing, unsure what to say, not wanting to break the contact between them. It felt amazingly right, amazingly normal in a surreal way to be sat alone in the half-light with Troy Bolton holding his hand.

Troy tried desperately not to notice how perfectly they fit together, like two halves of a jigsaw piece, as though they had been designed this way. He stamped quickly on the thought as it appeared, wondering how else they would fit together.

As a stewardess appeared with a flirty smile, Troy pulled his hand from under hers, releasing it as though stung and Gabriella felt bereft, confused.

"Can I get either of you anything?" she cooed as she bent over them, batting her eyelashes and displaying her generous cleavage to best advantage.

Gabriella shook her head, her stomach still in knots, which seemed to be a permanent thing these days. Troy ordered a soda and chips, smiling warmly at the woman, while Gabriella just stared at him. Just when she thought she was getting used to him, she would be reminded of who he was and what she was doing here with him and it all seemed too surreal.

She watched him as he twisted in his seat to undo his seat belt, fascinated by the play of muscles in his hands, the flex of his shoulders. The taut material of his shirt, emphasizing his biceps, the snug fit drawing attention to his chest as he moved, his shaggy brown hair brushing his collar and falling over one eye. Gabriella had never been so intrigued by anyone, fascinated by his smallest movement or gesture. She just couldn't stop staring at him.

"So Gabriella, Gabriella-" he began, turning his attention to her again, once they were alone.

"Do you have to call me that? My friends call me Gabi or Brie," she told him somewhat shyly.

"Brie" he tested, liking the way her name sounded on his tongue.

Gabriella felt a little tingle as he spoke, his deep voice making her name sound sexy and she gazed at him in open adoration.

Troy caught the look and wanted to wince, he knew that this was a possibility, he wasn't blind and had already guessed Gabriella had a crush on him. Lots of girls he came into contact with had crushes on him but for it to be a co-star, well that could make things pretty complicated between them, especially given the way he responded to her.

If it was the only thing he did right during this shoot, he couldn't let her know how she affected him, he may have inappropriate feelings towards her but that didn't mean he would have to act on them.

He had to sort things out, had to make her see he wasn't the guy she had a crush on, to make her understand she didn't even know him.

"Gabriella" he began again, his tone kind "I just want to you know, that if we are to work together, well you know that I can't get involved with anyone…. anyone at all…especially not someone from the cast…. You think you know me but you don't… I'm just an ordinary guy who's good at dicking about on camera…I play xbox and love to shoot hoops… I'm a pit monster who loves to sleep late and I snore, terribly…. I'm just Troy…if we are be co stars you need to get rid of any childish illusions you have about me right now…. you have to know nothing could ever happen between us" he finished, hating the look on her face, a mixture of embarrassment and devastation.

He hadn't wanted to do it like this but it needed to be said, she had to get over this love struck reaction she had to him otherwise this movie just wouldn't work.

Gabriella knew she was staring at him but she couldn't reply, she didn't know what to say to his little speech. She was mortified that she was so transparent and her crush on him was so obvious. Even worse was that he had talked about it, couldn't he just ignore it? She felt tears of shame burning at the back of her eyes and she blinked them away. Christ he must think she was such a crybaby.

"Gabriella, I'm sorry I had to bring this up, but it's better to get this over with now then later….I'm sure you're a great kid but you are still just a kid" he said gently, forcing himself to remember that fact.

Gabriella nodded and pasted on a wobbly smile, while inside she was dying.

"I know, but you can't blame me can you, you are Troy Bolton," she said with an attempt at humor, her forced smile fading as he shook his head gravely.

"That's just it, no I'm not…I'm just Troy" he held out a hand to her and she looked down at it blankly, confused.

"I'm Troy" he said again "I Love to play basket ball, I have one of the highest kill death ratios on Halo, I can't stand Mac and cheese despite what people think and I snore. Pleased to meet you, you are?"

Gabriella smiled slightly, more bemused than amused "Gabriella Montez, Future Stanford graduate, lover of math, science and English, freaky genius girl, who just so happens to be as good in front of a camera as I am in class…nice to meet you Troy"

He allowed a warm smile and it was all Gabriella could do not to melt into a puddle at his feet. But he was right she would have to get over this silly adolescent crush, she didn't know him at all, she just hoped that in time she it would wear off. It was for the best.

"Pleased to meet you Troy, I'm Brie" she smiled and this time it reached her eyes.