Gabriella opened the fridge and looked at the items inside. There was hardly anything to eat. Left over boxes littered the bottom shelve and a 2 litter of orange crush soda was half way gone. Letting out a sigh she began making a shopping list. "Eddie?"

Footsteps sounded behind her and she turned to see Troy walking into the kitchen, his white shirt drenched in sweat. His muscles even more defined.

"He's taking a shower," Troy reached into a cabinet and then poured himself water from the sink.

"You made yourself at home really quick," Gabriella looked back down at the list annoyed. Great just what they needed, another mouth to feed.

"Tomorrow is the homecoming game right?"

"Yup, then it's the dance." Gabriella looked back up at him as he pulled himself up on the counter top to have a seat.

"So I assume prince charming plans to win the game and whisk his Cinderella to the ball," Troy said with a smile.

Gabriella placed a hand on her hip. "What is your problem with Aaron?" Gabriella tilted her head a stray curl falling loose from her clip.

For the first time Troy's eyes left her own and Gabriella felt a rush as his eyes traveled over her body. There was something incredibly intense about the heat in his ice blue eyes as they wondered to places that made Gabriella flush. She found herself short of breath jerking her arms they came up and crossed over herself in an attempt to break the heat in his glaze. "He doesn't deserve what he has."

Gabriella felt the tingles under her skin almost as if he had touched her. "Who deserves anything these days?" she said nervously moving her attention back to the shopping list. "Are you and Eddie going somewhere?"

Troy pushed himself off the counter top and landed on the floor with a soft thud. Gabriella stilled as his scent surrounded her, his hand slowly came up and with the back of his hand he let his knuckle brush against the skin on her arm. "You're not as kept together as you seem to think you are?" he whispered.

Gabriella's eyes fluttered shut as she felt her entire arm spark with his touch. Gabriella felt a bubbled frustration in her stomach; Aaron's touch was never like this. Aaron never whispered in her ear like that, in fact Aaron never ignited so much sexual energy in her in such a short time. "What are you doing?" Turning around she looked Troy in the eyes. Troy eyes snapped up and he was staring into her eyes.

"And here I thought you wanted my attention," Troy walked past her and chuckled to himself. Gabriella watched as he walked to the door and paused to turn around. "I'm taking Eddie to small club, he doesn't know how to dance."

Gabriella nodded, "Troy,"

Troy stopped and turned placing his arms on the door frame. Something inside Gabriella flipped and she got a good look at his arms. What kind of guy just goes around with arms like those? "Yes,"

"Do you know how to do an oil change?" Gabriella asked looking at him and shrugging her shoulders. She had plans on paying for one before she went shopping but something made her want his attention, needed him to do something for her. Gabriella was nervous as she bit her lips and tried to look in his eyes rather than his arms.

Troy was silent for a moment. "Your jeep?"

Gabriella nodded. "I keep trying to get Aaron to do it but," Gabriella recalled as he laughed and gave her a 20 to take to a jiffy lube.

"Tonight, before I leave. I promise."

"Thanks," Gabriella watched him leave letting out a breath she brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck. She was losing it.

Gabriella led her cheerleaders as they practiced her new routine. This morning Eddie was out the door before she was. She'd even been shocked to find him riding down the street on his bike to meet up with Troy. Gabriella finished the routine and she took a deep breath, Troy was another thing on her mind. For the last few days he'd been hanging out with Eddie, he even got on a ladder after school yesterday to set up a basketball hoop on the garage.

She watched him do the oil change from her window, a safe distance from someone who was suddenly pushing all her buttons. Gabriella turned around to her cheerleaders. "Alright, the prep rally is in a little bit, then it's off to the game." Gabriella placed her pom-poms down. "We need to make the crowd excited, we need to step it up and bring out the wildcat in us so that we can pull it from them." Gabriella lifted a hand and wiped her brow. "5 minute break." She said as Aaron walked into the gym.

Her eyes rested on Aaron for a moment who was talking to some girl in the door way her hand reaching out to move a strand of hair. Gabriella got the pinch in her gut again and she looked away. She felt like she was intruding, which was ridiculous because Aaron was her boyfriend.

Bending down she picked up her water bottle, for the last few weeks Gabriella's gut had been telling her that Aaron was sleeping around. It wasn't shocking, seeing as how she wasn't giving in any time soon to sleeping with him. She expected him to wonder, she almost knew he would. It was the way men were after all wasn't it. Find a girl, date her for the show, and then when she's not looking sleep with a secretary? Gabriella put her water bottle back down and looked over as he came through the door, the other girl gone from sight but not forgotten.

"Hello," she said running up to him and jumping into his arms. Aaron caught her, his hands rested on her ass and Gabriella leaned down to place a kiss on his lips. "How is my superstar?"

"Looking forward to seeing you in a homecoming dress tonight." He said letting her fall down to the floor landing on her feet softly. "Thought I come by and inspect for spanks."

"Aaron," Gabriella let out a giggle and Aaron grabbed a hold of Gabriella waist. This was the game they played this teasing loving couple they put on a show. Only she didn't know if it was for her or everyone else.

"If I win tonight is there a prize for me?" he asked jerking her closer and wiggling his eyebrows.

Gabriella playfully hit him in the shoulder. "Stop it."

Aaron let her go and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Well I have to get to the locker room, Coach is giving a prep talk."

"Good luck baby," Gabriella said as she watched Aaron jog off towards the locker room.

Gabriella looked back at the rest of the girls who were off in their own world. No one cared about the show she was putting on and the sound of whispers coursing through the girls let her in on the fact that people probably felt sorry for her. Gabriella let out a breath, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder. "You think we're going to win tonight?" Sharpay said leaning against her.

Gabriella let out breath, "Team spirit much?"

"You know it and I know it, the Knights are pretty tough," Sharpay said as she walked besides Gabriella. "God football's great and all but I'm looking forward to basketball season."

Gabriella let out a laugh, "That wouldn't be because of a certain boy called Zeke?"

"Guilty," Sharpay waved her pom-poms. "Hey Zeke said that Eddie wants to be on the basketball team."

"I happy Eddie's getting involved, I hope the basketball team wins a game or something," Gabriella fell to the bleacher seat to sit down. "It'd be a letdown for him if he gets in and then they cancel it… I'm so exhausted."

"Chad isn't going to let that happen." Sharpay took a deep breath, "How's that musical coming?"

"I don't know aren't you in it?" Gabriella nudged her, "God you got like the best part."

"I know." Sharpay smiled and both girls giggled. "I must admit I'm happy not to play opposite of my brother, it's creepy." Sharpay said lifting her water bottle.

"Your brother and I don't play opposites well either." Gabriella said rubbing her neck.

"You're voice is powerful, His dancing is amazing but …" Sharpay shrugged. "Just wait and see if it can pull itself together we don't have many male leads willing to sing on stage."

"Tonight is going to be amazing" Gabriella let out a breath, "I can't wait for the dance?"

"Me either," Sharpay let out a small sigh, "Slither against my lean boyfriend as we dance the night away,"

Gabriella giggled and lifted her gym bag, "Hey can you take over practice co- captain, I have to go make sure Taylor got the equipment to take pictures of the game for yearbook then go find Eddie."

"Go on I got it here," Sharpay smiled and Gabriella was on her way.

Troy took a step back from the canvas his hands covered in black charcoal from the drawing. His thumb came out to measure and he let his shoulders fall as he got up close again using his fingers to lightly brush at the image and shift it to his liking.

Drawing was his release; his father use to draw as well sometimes Troy felt like it was his link to him. There was nothing more beautiful to him then a blank canvas, it was filled with possibilities no constraints or socialite bullshit. Normally he had his IPod on when he worked on his pieces but today Eddie was also here working on something. Granted he left like ten minutes ago but Troy was already in a trace with his work.

"Hey," His fingers froze, he knew that voice. "I didn't know you had an art class?"

"Oh yeah. Well, I heard you can't draw a straight line?" Troy turned around and she was standing there in her cheerleading uniform her hair up in a ponytail her bangs slightly above her eyes. "What brings you here?"

"Looking for Eddie," she said with shrug. "He told me he had an art thing to do." She added looking past him and at the canvas. "Wow, did you draw this?" Troy moved aside and watched as her brown eyes scanned the image; "this is amazing." Troy looked back at the image. It was the high school only it was formed into a castle with flags flapping in the wind reading east high. "What's going right here?" she pointed to the empty spot in the corner.

Troy smiled, "Every castle has a Cinderella,"

Gabriella turned to face him her brown eyes looking into his blue ones. "What about her prince?" she said in a low voice.

Troy blue eyes smiled back at her and he shrugged her shoulders. "Fairy tales never talk about the prince." Troy shrugged his shoulders. "He's just an accessory,"

"Not true," Gabriella responded with a small smile. "Someone always has to save the princess."

"A small detail," he said reaching for a rag to wipe his hands. He thought about touching her, placing his dirty hands on her pristine uniform. He wanted to unravel her, like a tootsie roll. Wanted to watch her come undone, maybe just blush. "I changed your oil and also did a small tune up."

"Thank you," Gabriella nodded as she watched the grime on his hand transfer to the rag. His hands seemed rough and at the same time they looked smooth, the hands of an artist. Gabriella eyes jerked towards his arms as they flexed and moved. Her mouth went dry, that intense silence from the day before flirting with her insides. Both of them were silent as they watched each other.

Troy slowly felt his lips pull from the side; she was just as interested as he was. His insides seem to dance around as he watched her bite her lip. Most girls do it because they've been told at one point or another that it's sexy. When she did it, it wasn't a move, it wasn't cutesy or overtly seductive, in fact he was positive she had no idea she was even doing it.

Most cheerleaders wore an overwhelming about of makeup, perfume, anything for attention yet here she was, natural beauty and a faint if barely there scent of apples in the air. She was interesting, the more he watched her the more she proved him wrong and the more time he spent this close to her there was a pull that was getting stronger. "Your brother isn't here." He said with a smirk.

"I can see that," Gabriella said her expression shifting as she looked into his eyes.

"Question is," he paused shifting his weight a little, "why are you still here?" Troy placed the rag on the table and took a step closer.

Gabriella took a step back and she bumped the table. "I, uh, I was being nice, I thought we were talking." Gabriella's shoulder got a bit higher and her breath hitched. What was she doing? Had she learned nothing? She needed to be very far from Troy Bolton, problem was her feet weren't coming to the same conclusion.

"I don't need you to be nice to me," Troy crossed his arms. "And I don't hear any talking."

Just then the sound of sneakers squeaked in the hallway and Troy took a step back. Gabriella relaxed a little only to jerk at the sound of Eddie's voice.

"Hey Troy you seen Gabs?" Eddie let out a laugh and waved at Gabriella when she turned around.

"I was just asking him where you were," Gabriella walked towards Eddie as fast as she could without running.

"I left here to go get my stuff, when I got to the gym Sharpay said you left to go get me," Eddie shrugged. "I love cheerleaders, their hot."

Gabriella reached over and hit her brother over the head.

"You know in a respectful way," he corrected.

"Right," Gabriella shook her head.

"Don't blame him; Cheerleaders are man's true weakness, all that team spirit jumping up and down screaming and kicking their legs up really high?" Troy winced. "Cheerleaders are kind of the Marlin Monroe's of high school."

"And boys are dogs." She replied crossing her arms.

"Hey don't look at me," Troy held up his hands. "I watch cheerleaders, I'd never touch one."

Gabriella arms fell. "Like one would ever touch you?"

"They wish,"

"You wish!" Gabriella took a step forward. "What did cheerleaders pick on you at your old school?"

"I can assure, I've never been picked on."

"Yeah right I bet you were nothing but an A class loser in your other high school?"

"Instead of what? Being popular like you and having the entire school in the loop about what kind of lip gloss you're wearing?" Troy said placing both hands on the desk in front of him.

"I'm not a bimbo, I've got opinions and the motivation to put things into action. I am a powerful woman and if that scares you, too damn bad."

"Yeah, and when you're jumping around on the court that's what everyone cheers for … your motivation."

"Asshole,"

"Cheerleader."

"Alright. I think we should go." Eddie stepped up in between them, "You guys need to work out your issues some other time, and we're already running late." Eddie looked at both of them then turned to leave the room.

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "See you later Cinderella," he said with smile on his lips. Gabriella felt her heart skip as she walked backwards until she came into a hard reality check with the door. "Careful," he cautioned.

Gabriella eyes narrowed at the smug look on his face and before anything else could happen she turned and left the room.