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Protecting Miss Montez

Chapter six

Interview

Gabriella and Troy had gotten little sleep on the plane, but Gabriella would think otherwise. She got no sleep because Troy was snoring the entire time while he slept peacefully and when she accused him after of his sleeping habits he denied that he was a snorer and told her that she should wear earplugs if she's such a light sleeper. But other than that, they had said nothing else to each other.

Now, they were sitting in the kitchen, Gabriella drinking down her coffee as she waited for her omelet. Troy sat in front of her, yawning, as he looked everywhere but at her and she seemed to notice, peeking up from her coffee cup to see him cleaning off the top of his watch with his sleeve.

"So are you sure you're not hungry?" Gabriella asked him for the second time, tired of only hearing the sizzling of the buttery pans behind her. She was used to talking to someone, the chefs at least, but now she was hearing no other human commentary.

"I'm sure." He replied quickly, rolling his eyes at her question.

"Can you at least try to be friendly?" She replied taking another sip of her coffee as a plate of food was set in front of her. She thanked the chef quietly, looking at him still.

"Can you just eat your food?" He retorted, scratching his forehead as she stabbed a strawberry in response, eyeing him annoyingly as she bit into it.

"Did you go to college?" She asked after a moment, already halfway done with her breakfast.

Troy sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with his hands as he shook his head, looking back up at her to see that she was waiting for an answer. To save himself from hearing her whine, he decided to answer this question.

"Yes." He replied, seeing her raise her eyebrows in surprise, wondering what made him change his mind about not talking to her.

"Was it fun?" She asked him, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I wouldn't exactly call it fun, but it was a part of life." Troy answered, looking up into her eyes. She glanced away quickly when he did, noticing the coolness of them.

"See, that's what I hate. It's a part of life. So does that mean I don't have a life?" She ranted to him, wondering honestly about this new confusion of hers. She wanted so badly just to go to college. Presidents' daughters and sons before her went to college and were just fine, but something made her dad want to keep her close and watched.

"I'm sure your online courses are going according to plan." Troy replied. "Tons of normal people do that too."

"Yeah, whatever." Gabriella rolled her eyes, shrugging at his response to her questioning. "So… there's a Lakers game on tonight."

Troy furrowed his brow as he looked at her, wondering where she was going with this current subject change.

"Too bad I'll miss it."

"You don't have to." Gabriella told him with a happy nod, pushing her plate away from her, done with her meal. "When there's a Friday game I always take the security members to the theater and we watch it there. It's kind of like my gift to the guys…you know… for protecting my family."

"Oh." Troy nodded, not sure if she was inviting him or just explaining.

"Since I'm going, you kind of have to go…" She added.

"That's my job." Troy replied with a sigh, standing up slowly from his seat because he knew that she would be heading somewhere else soon.

"You don't sound very enthused." She commented, standing up as he did, walking with him to the hallway.

"Look at that, you figured something out about me without asking a question." Troy said in a teasing manner, but his cold expression and no change in the upside down shape of his lips gave off the impression that he was serious and Gabriella didn't reply, figuring that he really was.

***

Gabriella was bouncing around her room, dancing to the music that was blaring from the speakers on either side of her desk. She was applying her lip gloss, but laughed as it smeared slightly with her energetic warm up before the Lakers game. As she bounced to shut her closet doors, she stopped by her body length mirror and made sure her Lakers t-shirt wasn't riding up or wrinkled. Her jeans were tight and her white socks made her laugh as she wiggled her toes, seeing them moving through the thin fabric of her sock as she looked in the mirror.

Tossing her lip gloss on her desk when she heard a knock on her door, she jogged over to it, opening it quickly, expecting to see her dad there to say he wished he could come, but he was too busy, and although she expected that, she didn't expect Troy there, knocking on her door. Sure, he was standing there all day and was there every time she opened it, but he never bugged her.

"Yes?" She asked him, smirking as he sighed.

"It's seven o'clock." He told her, as if she had somehow missed the time in her moment of singing and dancing in her room.

"When does the game start?" Gabriella asked, shouting as she trailed back into her room, pressing the power button on her radio, taken back slightly by the quietness of everything around her now that there was no loud music.

"Seven o'clock." Troy repeated in the same tone he used earlier.

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed, running towards the door and out the hallway. "Why didn't you get me sooner?" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"You seemed pretty occupied with singing to 'My Life Would Suck Without You' by Kelly Clarkson." He explained, seeing the surprise in her eyes at the fact that he actually knew a normal song and that he heard her.

"My bedroom door is soundproof." Gabriella said to him, stopping her speed walking to the basement.

"I think it's soundproof when you're having a calm conversation… But when you're screaming, attracting the neighborhood dogs, you're heard." He replied, sticking his hands in his pockets as they descended down the stairs, walking down a carpeted hallway towards the theater room.

"Oh, please! I was not screaming! I was simply rocking out to a good song."

"Rocking out, dying. I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference." Troy replied, bumping into her when she stopped quickly.

"Take that back!" She said suddenly, poking him in the chest, feeling that it was rock hard underneath her tiny finger.

"Fine. I would have been able to tell the different." He replied in a monotone, glaring slightly into her eyes.

She swallowed shaking her head at him.

"That's not what I meant." Gabriella said to him, wanting him to admit that she didn't sound that bad.

"We're missing the game." He replied, pushing open the door to the theater, holding it open for her and once they stepped in they were greeted by the loud sound of the surround sound.

"Where have you two been?" Charles asked when they walked in. The only two seats left were next to him and Gabriella smiled as she plopped down next to him, giving him a giddy side hug.

"Troy was complementing my singing." She smiled, patting Troy quickly on the arm as he sat down next to her. "Right?"

"Yeah, sure." He rolled his eyes, knowing that she wasn't happy with his insults towards her earlier and wanted an apology. Charles chuckled next to her, turning back to the game.

The game was intense as it always was on Friday nights with all of the security members watching as they sat at the edge of their seats and Gabriella was currently the only one standing up, cheering and hollering as the Lakers finally started to catch up. Troy sighed at her excitement and exchanged a look with Charles who was laughing at her.

"Miss Montez, we can't see!" A few members behind her called with laughs.

Gabriella turned to them, smiling as she squatted down slightly.

"What did I say you're not allowed to do on Friday night games?" She asked them, raising her eyebrows as they all smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Gabriella." They all chimed in together, glad to see her sit back down in her spot so that they'd be able to see the game.

Gabriella squinted her eyes, peeking through her long eyelashes as the men around her cheered, all except Troy though who had been in his seat calmly the entire time. And as she held her breath, she grabbed onto the armrests of her chair, barely noticing that although she meant to grab the arm rest on her right side she was currently clenching Troy's arm tightly in her hand, watching as the ball flew through the air and through the basket.

"Woooooooooh!!!" She hollered as everyone else did, cheering that the Lakers had won the game and as she gave Charles a victor hug, she noticed that Troy was watching the screen intently still, keeping his eyes on Chad Danforth; the guy who was engulfed in the middle of his team.

"Alright men." Brian Wallace said from the back of the theater. "It's time to get back to work."

"No one's going to stay to watch interviews with me?" Gabriella asked the guys leaving the room.

The men groaned, knowing that they had to go to work and that they never actually watched the interviews. Gabriella always did though and she stayed up late into the night watching replays because she got a good feeling out of staying up with the players who had just worked hard to win. Charles scouted his way out of the row that Gabriella and Troy were still sitting in and he smiled as he looked behind him, seeing that they were talking.

"So, are we staying?" Troy asked her as he folded his hands over his stomach.

"Yeah. I think I'm the only one in the country who stays up to watch the interviews." She laughed, leaning her head against her hand that was propped up on the armrest.

"I wouldn't say that." Troy replied, leaning comfortably into the cushiony lazy boy.

"Why? Do you know someone who stays up all night just to watch weird commercials and five minute interviews?" She asked with a soft smile. "Because if you do, I might just cry because there's someone out there for even me."

Troy tilted his head to look over at her and he hid his smirk as he pretended to yawn. She looked back at him, wondering if he was going to answer her or just continue to stare at her.

"I do." He replied when she nudged him.

"You do." She repeated, looking away from him and turning her attention to the back of the seat in front of her.

"Yup." Troy said casually, looking up at the screen that was currently advertising some kind of alcoholic product.

"This is awkward." Gabriella said quietly, hearing him chuckle.

"Only if you make it awkward." Troy answered, glad for the interruption of the interviews that were now on. The key players sat at a long table while cameras flashed and questions were shouted out to them.

Gabriella cleared her throat, suddenly wanting to go back to her room because she basically just admitted that the person who stayed up and watched the interviews would be perfect for her. She never thought Troy would be that guy. As Chad talked about his strategy, smiling thankfully at everyone, Gabriella looked over at Troy who had a soft smile on his face.

"Do you miss him?" She asked him slowly.

"Yeah." Troy's eyebrows scrunched in confusion and then he shook his head quickly, sitting up slightly from his relaxed position. "No. What? Huh?" He said quickly, causing Gabriella to giggle softly.

"Chad." Gabriella said with a raise of her eyebrows, glancing over at the screen. "Do you miss him?"

"No." Troy said almost in disbelief. "How? I mean, how would I miss him, I don't know him."

Gabriella nodded, leaning back in her chair, knowing that Troy was obviously not in on the secret that Gabriella knew all about his. She sat there, waiting to see if he would say something about it and after a while he finally did.

"What just happened here?" He asked her in a regular tone, not anything professional or on guard. "Where did that question come from?"

"I know things about you that wouldn't exactly be answered in twenty questions." She gave him somewhat of a sad smile, and he shook his head, not wanting to see someone give him a pity look like she had again.

"How? Did your dad give you a lesson all about me or something?" Troy asked and Gabriella's eyebrows creased slowly, sensing that he was mad.

"No." Gabriella shook her head. "I just found out. It's no ones fault."

Troy put his face in his hands, leaning his elbows against his knees as he shook his head, rubbing his eyes slowly. Gabriella breathed softly, not sure what to do. Pat him on the back? Tell him not to be mad, that everything would be okay? But before she could do anything he was looking back at her.

"So Sharpay told you?"

Gabriella opened her mouth to reply, but said nothing, not wanting to rat Sharpay out.

"She's the only one who could have. Taylor knows not to say anything." Troy explained to her, shaking his head again angrily as he thought about his friend telling this poor girl every bad thing that has ever happened to him.

Gabriella nodded when he looked into her eyes, wanting a straight answer.

"This is what I don't get." Troy said suddenly turning towards her so that they were face to face, his arm leaning against the back of his chair as she looked on in surprise. He was actually talking freely to her. "That was my business and someone still thought they had the right to tell someone who didn't even know me about it."

"Well," Gabriella started unsurely, seeing that he was honestly trying to fathom why people talked about other people. "If it makes you feel any better, at least your business isn't broadcasted in the newspaper… or on the news like mine is."

Troy sighed, running a hand over his face again, tired.

"That must be tough."

"Well, it's not like it's ever about anything important. I am locked up in my room like Sleeping Beauty being guarded by dragons, so it's not like anyone sees me dancing around and singing. I'm not some kind of YouTube sensation." Gabriella answered, trying to lighten the mood as she made weird references. Troy smiled softly, causing her to as well.

"So am I one of the dragons keeping you in your room?" He laughed quietly, glad for the subject change, hoping it wouldn't go back to his past.

"Nah, it's mainly my dad. You're just an obstacle that Prince Charming is going to have to pass in order to save me from a dreary death." She smirked, rolling her eyes at herself.

"I take it you're one of those girls that believe in fairytales and happily ever afters." Troy said, watching as she ran a hand through her hair as she leaned against her chair sideways so that she was still facing him.

"It's the only thing that gets me though my day." Gabriella admitted. "But it doesn't sound like you're much of a believer."

Troy shrugged, nodding.

"I'm not." He told her. "Too much has happened."

Gabriella nodded, understanding somewhat that he had reasons to not believe in good things happening to him. She glanced over at the TV for a second, seeing that interviews were still going on, but realized that they were creating somewhat of an interview of their own.

"So, what made you become a part of the secret service?" Gabriella asked him. "You know, it doesn't seem like you like it."

Troy smiled, giving her a look that indicated that he didn't think it was as bad as she thought he did.

"I did it on a bet." He admitted to her, ready for any kind of swat she most likely would give him, but she stayed on her side of the armrest.

"You dedicated all of this time being here because of a bet?" Gabriella asked in surprise, wondering why guys took bets so seriously. "Why?"

"Zeke told me I had to get on with my life somehow. He knew I'd do something if he made it into some kind of challenge." Troy explained to her.

"Oh, Zeke. Sharpay's future husband?" She nodded, remembering hearing of him.

"Is that was she told you?" Troy asked with a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Why not?" Gabriella asked in disappointment. Sharpay had talked about Zeke with her more than a few times and she really thought they were a couple that would actually make it.

"I mean, yeah, they love each other." Troy shrugged, not sure where he was going with this. "I just can't see it working with them being apart all of the time because of their jobs."

"Sometimes that can work." Gabriella nodded.

"Maybe." Troy nodded back.

"So, does Chad like Taylor still?" She asked him after a moment of glancing up at the screen seeing a reply of one of Chad's shinning moments. "I heard Taylor asked about him at Yale. I assumed they were together at one point."

"It's complicated. They're far away from each other." He shrugged, and then stopped answering the question. "Should I be talking to you about other people, or is that hypocritical of me since I was so mad about Sharpay talking to you." Troy quizzed her, wondering this too.

"Well, I think it's okay because Taylor said she liked me so it's not like you're talking to someone that she doesn't like. But when Sharpay talked to me, it was different because you don't like me." Gabriella answered.

Troy nodded, glancing at the screen and then back at Gabriella somewhat awkwardly.

"It's not that I don't like you." Troy said, surprising Gabriella again. "I do… I just can't mix my job with my personal life."

"Personal life?" Gabriella questioned. "What do you mean?"

Troy blushed lightly, hoping that she would have gotten that without him having to explain it to her.

"When you broke up with Drew…" Troy started, hesitating when Gabriella seemed to flinch at the mentioning of his name while she looked down at her lap sadly. "Your dad brought me in for a talk."

"Oh God." Gabriella groaned with a sigh. "What did he say?"

"Well he started explaining to me that unlike you and Charles, we can't be all buddy-buddy." Troy explained. "He specifically emphasized that I couldn't fall in love with you."

"Fall in love with me?" Gabriella exclaimed loudly, quieting down when her voice echoed in the room. "What? Huh?" It was Troy's turn to laugh as she was caught off guard. "That can't technically happen unless you are attracted to me and we all know that it takes a crazy person to be attracted to me because I'm the President's daughter and I have guards following me and that would be impossible. Plus, I talk too much when I'm nervous and my sense of style is just terrible. And, while I may like the Lakers I have that weird habit of staying up really late just to watch interviews and commercials." Gabriella took a deep breath, panicking. "But… so do you."

"Whoa. I'm sorry I even started this conversation." Troy said with a chuckle. "You have that whole deer-caught-in-the-headlights look going on."

"No. I'm sorry. I just…never thought of that." She nodded. "What time is it?"

She watched as he pulled back his suit sleeve, revealing his silver watch that was snug against his wrist. He looked back at her when he saw the time.

"Two."

Gabriella's eyes widened in surprise, shocked by the fact that they had stayed down there so long talking to each other. She slowly got up, followed by Troy.

"I think it's time to head back."

"Yeah." He nodded.

The two of them walked quietly back to Gabriella's room, not talking since they had already been out of character enough that day. Troy stood by her door, smiling softly at her as she opened her bedroom door.

"Goodnight, Miss Montez." He said quietly.

She stepped back out slightly, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Sorry." He mumbled. "Goodnight… Gabriella."

Gabriella smiled softly, whispering goodnight to him in reply and as she closed the door behind her, she put a hand over her mouth, tiptoeing over to her bed so she could grab a pillow from her bed, pulling it over her face so that she could squeal as she fell against her bed, kicking her feet in the air excitedly.

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unknownbyhim22