Disclaimer: I don't own HSM or any songs I mention!
Author: Alleycat
Story: Everybody Knows
Growing up is hard. It's a lot harder when you're in love with your best friend and everyone knows it-except her.
Dedication to: dyeitrogue, you asked about her feelings and here they are! And yes it would be so much more creepy if he took a sniff lol
So I usually just use a snippet of a song but most of it fit the chapter so I decided to include it.
And ever since I decided that they would spend the night together in the same bed, I knew I had to address this. It's mature but it only makes sense that they would run into the problem.
Also, be nice to poor Gabriella. She is so confused and overwhelmed.
Chapter 9
You cannot quit me so quickly
There's no hope in you for me?
No corner you could squeeze me
But I've got all the time for you love
The space between
The tears we cry is the laughter keeps us coming back for more
The space between
The wicked lies we tell to keep us safe from the pain
Will I hold you again?
These fickle fuddled words confuse me
Like will it rain today
We waste the hours with talking talking
These twisted games we're playing
We're strange allies
With warring hearts
What a wild-eyed beast you be
The space between
The wicked lies we tell that hope to keep us safe from the pain
Look at us spinning out in the madness of a roller coaster
You know you went off like the devil in the church
In the middle of a crowded room
All we can do my love
Is hope we don't take this ship down
The space between
Where you smile and hide
Is where you'll find me if I get to go
The space between
The bullets in our firefight
Is where I'll be hiding waiting for you
~ Dave Mathews Band, "The Space Between"
She grinned before taking her shirt off. He had to bite his lip from moaning when he saw that it was the flower set from her underwear drawer.
"Are you sure?" He asked for what felt like the millionth time.
She giggled and stepped forward. His knees buckled when he felt the bed stop his retreat any further.
"I love you," She purred and reached behind to unhook her bra. He couldn't stop the moan this time. "And you love me, why shouldn't we?"
Troy closed his eyes, the sight almost too much for him to handle.
He groaned when his eyes opened and he realized it was a dream. He was actually staring at the ceiling.
Not that dreaming about Ella was new; it had always been her since the first wet dream. He was always disappointed when he realized they were still just friends.
It took him that long to notice that he was not alone in the bed. One hand was gripping her small waist, he could feel the sharp jut of her hipbone, and the other was splayed across her stomach possessively. It was almost like he was clutching her desperately and in this current position there was no way she couldn't notice the bulge against her back.
Usually he could untangle them before she awoke but by the way she was stretching, it was already too late. And she just had to push her butt into it!
Shit!
There was no way this could be interrupted in any other way.
"Troy?" She asked, the sleep in her voice sounding husky.
He'd always wanted to hear her say it like that but always imagined it differently.
"Yes?" He croaked.
"Is t-that what I think it is?" She stuttered.
Because he was already going to hell, "What exactly do you think it is?"
She rolled away from him and Troy could swear that it would be the last time he could ever touch her."An e-erection."
He frowned but could think of nothing he could do to fix this, "Yeah it is."
He saw the back of her head nod before snuggling into his bed. It was quiet for a few moments.
"What are you doing," He cried, desperate to understand what she was thinking.
She finally turned around and shrugged, "I was going back to bed."
He gaped at her. "You were going back to bed? While I'm hard?"
"I am so sorry!"Her face turned red and she met his eyes hesitantly. "Of course you would want to take care of it. I'll leave."
"Gabriella!" He yelled and grabbed her arm. "Are you crazy?"
"Nocturnal penile tumescence is completely natural," Gabriella defended.
He felt like his grip on reality was slipping. "What?"
"A spontaneous erection commonly referred to as morning wood or a morning glory. It's completely natural and is not at all conducive to the surroundings. Don't worry, I won't take it-"
He placed a hand over her mouth. She immediately stopped talking and met his eyes. He didn't know what was worse: her acting like it was no big deal or her detached clinical way of describing was so Ella that it was turning him on even more.
"Don't be embarrassed," She told him when he removed his hand. "Masturbation at your age-"
"Please stop," He begged. He didn't know how much longer he could take this without pouncing on her. He could imagine her saying something like "Sexual dominance is completely natural."
"Troy?" His mom asked through the door. "Were you yelling Gabriella's name?"
They both froze and Troy was so happy he remembered to lock the door.
"It was a nightmare. I was sleeping," He called through the door.
"I'm sure you were," Lucille laughed and continued down the hallway.
They shrugged at her weird statement. Troy watched Gabriella until they heard her mother go back down the stairs.
"I'm so sorry," He told her, really meaning it. This was beyond embarrassing.
Gabriella waved his concern away."It's not a big deal."
He gulped before asking the question that scared him the most, "And you won't stop spending the night?"
"You couldn't keep me away." She assured him with a bright smile. "I'd rather deal with this every time than listen to my mom and her new boyfriend or listen to her cry when he leaves."
"Really?"
"Yes ," She stood up and stretched before walking over to the balcony. "I just hope you're this understanding when I have a wet dream."
He grabbed a pillow and held it over his face while he screamed. He now knew that Gabriella was put on this world to kill him.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up," Gabriella chanted as she called Taylor. She tried to act calm when in reality as soon as she got in her room she started hyperventilating.
"Just getting home from lover boy's I see," She teased, her voice clear.
"Stop please," She begged. "I'm losing my mind."
Taylor was instantly serious. "What's wrong?"
"Something happened." Gabriella said mysteriously. At Taylor's insistence, she explained the whole story. She was just happy that Taylor had found out almost a month ago so she could have someone to talk to about it.
Taylor laughed.
"It's not that funny," Gabriella argued, sure that her face would never be its normal color again. She started giggling too after a few minutes. "How am I ever supposed to face him again?"
"Don't be so dramatic," Taylor scolded her, restraining her laughter. "I'm more interested in your reaction."
Gabriella opened her closet after she noticed the time. She had spent too long freaking out and would be late if she didn't get a move on it. "What do you mean? You know how embarrassed I am." She responded, absently shifting through her clothes.
Taylor rolled her eyes. That was not what she meant. "When you felt… him how did it make you feel?"
"It was more than that, he was rubbing and thrusting and moaning in my ear." She admitted and plopped down on her closet floor. "It made me feel weird."
"Weird as in disgusted?" Taylor prompted, already knowing the answer.
"No," She said quietly. "Just weird, like skin tingling and achy."
Taylor grinned, happy they were finally getting somewhere. "So you were turned on?"
"No," Gabriella shouted, jumping up in her closet in response."That would be weird! He's my best friend and he's like my br-"
"Don't you dare finish that," Taylor interrupted. "I would never voluntarily sleep next to my brother nor would him thrusting into me make me tingly. It makes me nauseous just thinking about it-" She broke off gagging.
Gabriella frowned, realizing that was the exact opposite of her reaction. In fact, she wanted to stay in his arms and continue. She stopped that thought. "How am I supposed to face him if I was turned on by him? I'm going to freak him out."
"Right," Taylor said sarcastically. "Because you are so disgusting and all."
"He thinks of me like his sister," Gabriella's hand tightened on the phone. "He's going to respond like you."
"Sometimes I wonder how you are so smart," Taylor responded. "He was the one doing the thrusting you idiot."
"He was dreaming of someone else," Gabriella said and then paled. "Do you think it was that girl he went on a date with in California?"
Taylor groaned. "Are you kidding me? How are you getting this stuff? He was most likely thinking about you." She didn't want to lie but she didn't know for sure.
"Do you think that they did anything?" Gabriella continued, ignoring her friend completely.
Taylor was like two seconds away from driving over to her friend's house and smacking some sense into her. "Because he would have all the time in the world to screw around with her while he was texting and calling you so worried you thought he was dating someone else. Seriously Gabriella this is not normal friend behavior, you have to see that?"
"I just have to continue acting like it was no big deal," Gabriella said, still not paying attention. "He can't know how I feel about him."
Taylor held her breath. "How do you feel about him?"
"Obviously that I want to do sexual things with him," Gabriella gasped as she looked at the time. "I have to go, wish me luck."
She hung up before Taylor could respond. She grabbed a pair of shorts she bought on the cruise called Piñata shorts and a plain black shirt. She grabbed tan strappy heels and went to do her makeup.
Usually, she went for a natural look.
Now that all she could think about was Troy panting in her ear, the natural look didn't seem like the best idea. She needed to get him to see her in a new way. So maybe next time he was panting, it would be because of her.
Gabriella shook her head. These were extremely inappropriate thoughts about her best friend. She felt guilty.
She was lusting after Troy. It was too weird.
As weird as it might be, it was all she could think about.
She almost knocked on his front door she was so distracted. If she did that, he would know something was wrong. She took a deep breath and called her usual "good morning."
He met her in the hallway with a worried look.
"Are we okay?" He asked before she could say anything.
She smiled with her teeth. "We're great."
He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the kitchen. She wondered if the tingling was always there and she just noticed it or was it new. She tried not to notice how close they sat either. Her whole body was on alert.
It seemed the only way she could think clearly was to be away from him.
"Can I have a word?" Eric asked as the bell rang for lunch, jolting Gabriella out of her thoughts.
She nodded and started gathering her stuff when she noticed how slow Eric was moving. So he wanted to wait until everyone was gone? She started to get nervous about what he wanted. Eric was nice but she didn't want to date him since she wasn't really attracted to him.
In fact, the only attraction she felt now was to her best friend.
She hoped it would go away. That it was just an adolescent phase that she would grow out of and they could return to the platonic bond they had prior.
"As you know," He started once only the teacher remained and Gabriella stopped her movements to listen. "We need to get started on this project soon."
She relaxed. "I agree, the earlier the better. I'm thinking we should brainstorm topics."
He grinned at her approval. "Then we can meet up, get dinner, and talk about it."
"I'm not sure if meeting up is really necessary at this juncture," Gabriella bit her lip. She did not want him to get the wrong idea and it was starting to sound like a date. "I was thinking communication through email first."
"We need to plan a course of action," He took a step forward with a strained smile. "I think dinner is essential."
"I don't know-" She stopped talking when he took another step forward. He was too close for her liking.
"Come on Gabriella," He said softly, his tone completely changing. "It's just dinner. What do you think about this Saturday night at Panera?"
Maybe she was putting too much thought into this. She opened her mouth to agree when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and butterflies erupt in her stomach.
"She has plans that night." Troy answered, wanting nothing more than to strangle the kid who was encroaching on his territory.
"What about Friday night," Eric asked as he took a step back, his eyes on Gabriella.
"She's busy then too," Troy answered again and pulled her closer. He grinned triumphantly when he felt her thin arms encircle his waist.
Eric gave up acting like he was asking Gabriella and looked directly at Troy. "So when is she available?"
"For you?" Troy paused like he was thinking over the question. "Never. Now email her like she said."
Troy grabbed her books and walked out, still connected to Ella. He waited a few minutes for the backlash and he was not disappointed.
She removed her arms and took a step back. He missed the contact immediately. "That wasn't very nice. I do have to work with him the rest of the year."
He rolled his eyes and faced her. "You didn't want to go and that little punk was trying to pressure you into a date."
Gabriella huffed. "It was not a date. He wanted to discuss the project. It is actually a big deal. It's 20 percent of our entire grade so while dinner already seems premature he was probably worried."
"It was a date." He snapped.
She laughed, her eyes blazing. "You would know wouldn't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked incredulously. "I never date!"
She opened her mouth to respond when he growled.
"Don't you dare mention California! That was not a date!"
"Right," She pursed her lips. "I forgot Troy Bolton is known as East High's biggest flirt."
"That's bullshit and you know it," He said exasperated. "I can't talk to a girl without her assuming something."
"Because you're so innocent," She replied sarcastically. "Like you don't use it get to what you want. Give me my books; I'm done with this conversation."
She wrenched them out of his hands and stormed down the hall. It took him a second to realize what was happening and he raced after her.
"Where are you going?" He grabbed her arm and spun her around. She was glaring at him and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. "We're not finished."
She opened her mouth when she took notice a pretty blonde in a sparkly outfit behind him. "Yes?" She snapped, already knowing the girl was there for Troy.
Troy turned around and groaned. "What do you need Sharpay?"
The blonde held out a packet. "Hey Troy, Mrs. Beaucroft wanted me to give this to you. It's the expectations on our project. I really-"
Troy grabbed it and turned around, effectively dismissing her. Sharpay stared at his back for a second before stomping down the hallway.
"What?" Troy snapped when he saw the look she was giving him.
"You didn't tell me you have a project partner."
"Why does it matter?" He wondered. He knew why he didn't like Eric; he was trying to take Gabriella away from him.
"You're such a hypocrite Troy Alexander Bolton!" She screamed in frustration. "Go bother Sharpay and leave me alone."
He followed her as she tried to get away again. She was always the one running from their fights. "Where do you think you're going? It's lunch time."
"To my AP Physics class and guess who is in that class?" She shot him an evil grin over her shoulder. "Eric."
He snapped and ripped the books out of her arms, effectively stopping her. "Ella! What the hell is going on with you?"
It seemed like she was trying to make him jealous. And it was working a little too well.
Gabriella looked at him and sighed. She couldn't tell him the truth when she wasn't even sure herself anymore. She was acting crazy and it was over him. Taylor was right; this was not normal friend behavior.
"I'm sorry," She told him with glassy eyes.
"Hey, it's okay," He folded her in his arms and squeezed. "I'm sorry too. Let's just forget about it."
She pulled away and nodded, still frowning.
"You still can't go out with Eric," He reminded her completely serious and was rewarded with a smile.
"What would you do if I said that about you and Sharpay?" She teased.
He grabbed her hand and tucked it in his elbow as they walked to the cafeteria. They had spent most of lunch arguing but they could still get a snack to hold them over until dinner. "I would listen." He told her honestly. She was too blonde and stuck up for his taste.
But most importantly, she wasn't the petite genius next to him.
"She's kinda stupid anyway," Troy commented with a laugh.
"She is in your class blue eyes," Gabriella quipped with a smile. "What does that say about you?"
Troy scoffed. "Classes are not indicators of intelligence. I mean they let you in Physics AP and Chemistry II. Big mistake!"
"You've lost your talking privileges," Gabriella retorted. "Just shut up and look pretty."
"Deal," He agreed, extremely pleased at the compliment.
So Gabriella is realizing but still resisting!
Enter Eric and Sharpay as the dreaded project partners! And Eric is acting a little too pushy for my liking!
You guys did so well with the last challenge so ill make it 23 this time. If not, see you within a week!
You guys are ah-mazing!:
dyeitrouge, LoveIsnNeverUgly, jackxoxo, wildcats2016, gee, xoxojokubauskasx3, ju-cy nurse, turkishZturquoise, mattnme04, Guest, pumpkinking5, Guest, hisboo13, head in the clouds 14, zanessafaithx, Guest, londongirl123, hopefulextinction, Katie, Porkayla, and Eric.