Remember: Gabriella's and Taylors Outfit can be found by clicking the link of my profile!
Disclaimer: I don't own Letters to Juliet or HSM.
Inspiration: Nothing on You by Bob ft. Bruno
Author: Alleycat
Story: A Love Letter to Troy Bolton
****AT ANY TIME IF THE SEATING GETS CONFUSING AT THE RESTAURANT I MADE 3 DIAGRAMS THAT SHOULD SORT IT OUT****
Chapter 7
Besides Taylor, the only people who knew what was going on were involved in it. Even though they did not know what was going on the rest of the group could feel the tension. Chad and Zeke had already walked toward Coach Bolton but Troy stayed where he was, his arm still wrapped Gabriella. "Do you remember Gabriella?" He asked.
"Of course," He paused grasping for some positive words. "It's always a pleasure."
"It's nice to see you too Mr. Bolton," She said meekly.
Troy squeezed her into his side before joining his father and best friends. He waved briefly to the group before they descended the stairs. Troy gave his father a nod of acknowledgment and a quiet 'thank you' when they passed him and went down the stairs.
The group still in the hall took their departure as their turn to get in the gym and get seats. When Gabriella was half in the door she heard her name.
"Miss Montez," Coach Bolton called. "A moment."
She waved Taylor, who had stopped as well, ahead and walked to the man who was still standing at the top of the stairs.
"I love my son and I only want what's best for him," He began as soon as she reached him. "I don't think you are it."
She frowned. "I'm sorry you feel that way sir." Gabriella said quietly. "But I think you misinterpret our relationship."
He crossed his arms and asked sarcastically, "Misinterpret? My boy moons over you."
"We are only friends, with an expiration date. I'm here to help your son finish something and then," She almost choked on the rest. "You'll never see me again."
"You said that the first day I met you. Sorry if I find it hard to believe you."
"It's understandable," She agreed.
"I may not like you but I want you to know that he cares for you deeply." At her protest and promises of friendship, he held his hand up to silence her. She eventually did. "Whether it's platonic or not, it doesn't matter. I just want you to know that you need to watch your actions and words. My boy is not gunna get heartbroken over an entitled little princess who thinks she knows everything and takes other's feelings for granted. Am I clear?" He asked.
"Crystal." She said tightly.
"Now I have a game to win." He turned to go down the stairs but paused. "Good day Miss Montez," He told her without turning around then continued on.
Gabriella did not reply but just stared at the wall. She was only knocked out of her reverie when a group of overzealous fans knocked into her in their rush to get into the gym. Maybe she shouldn't go in. Maybe she should leave here and never come back. She didn't belong here, this wasn't her school. Maybe she wasn't the matchmaker type. She had no experience, never having had a boyfriend herself.
Her parent's relationship wasn't a model relationship either.
"Gabriella?" A voice near her said softly. "Are you okay? What did he say?"
Gabriella turned and looked at her best friend, with tears in her eyes. "I'm fine," She sniffed.
Taylor just shook her head and enveloped her in a hug. "Coach Bolton's a jerk, everyone knows that." She revealed.
Gabriella laughed at her attempts to make her feel better and swiped at her eyes. "I think I'm going to get going." She announced, unwrapping Taylor's arms.
Taylor looked panicked. "What? Why?"
"Well," She hesitated, looking for an excuse.
"You are never supposed to give in to bullies!" Taylor admonished.
Gabriella giggled. "I guess you're right," She admitted with an embarrassed smile. "But I can't go in looking like this!" She gestured to her red face, bloodshot eyes, and runny nose.
"C'mon we'll just sit by the door."
The sheer volume of the game and the cheering crowd hit Gabriella as soon as Taylor opened the doors. She felt overwhelmed. Taylor noticed this and led her to the closest available seats. "He was looking for you, you know." She informed her as soon as they had squeezed in.
Gabriella knew better than to ask who she was talking about.
"Ever since he came in the gym, he kept glancing at our group searching for you." She smiled, shaking her head. "He got reprimanded a couple times for it."
Gabriella put her hands over her eyes and leaned her head back. As if his dad didn't hate her enough she was a distraction during the playoff game.
"He's found you!" She said excitedly.
Gabriella lifted her hands from her eyes to see Taylor standing and pointing at her sitting form. "He would have to be blind not to see me with the way you're acting." She said, amused before grabbing her hand and forcing her to sit down. She looked down at the court just in time to see Troy wave at her. She waved back shyly before asking, "So how long was I out there?"
Taylor pondered the question for a moment, "Long enough that it's about half time."
"I don't know what that means," Gabriella revealed with a chuckle.
"Me either!" Taylor admitted. They giggled and watched the Wildcats cheerleaders take the court and do some sort of dance to a song neither of them knew. They assumed it was popular.
The game restarted with the Wildcats down by ten points. They were playing the Roosevelt High Bulldogs. Gabriella watched as Troy and his team came back on the court. He sent a smile her way, she cringed at her fan girl thoughts. "Do you understand this game?" She asked her eyes still on the dribbling form of Troy.
"My understanding is basic," Taylor said with distaste. "This is the first game I've been to."
"If Chad has anything to say about it, it probably won't be your last," Gabriella commented slyly.
Taylor huffed, annoyed. "Will you just drop it? It's never going to happen!"
"Only if you leave me and Troy alone," She offered.
Taylor would not and Gabriella knew it. "Touché," She acquiesced and they turned their attention toward the dwindling game where they were still losing by six points. "I hope they won't come out if they lose. They'll be sulking and feeling sad for themselves." She complained.
"Taylor," Gabriella said, shocked. "That is so mean!"
Taylor shrugged. "It's true." Her tone changed drastically as she pointed at the score board. "Hey look! There's only two minutes left!"
"And they're still losing by two points," Gabriella reminded her.
Taylor waved that concern away. "You have no idea how the first half dragged on without you. Thank you so much for staying!" She spoke sincerely before hugging her.
While they were hugging, the crowd, which seemed to move as a whole, jumped to their feet. They let go of each other and looked around for the source of the excitement. Taylor went to ask her neighbor what was happening when a buzzer sounded and the din was deafening.
"I'm guessing we won?" Taylor asked, still the only two sitting down.
Gabriella smiled and laughed. "I don't think this the sound of defeat!"
Then before Taylor could respond the people in front of them parted and a victorious Troy appeared in front of the girls. He was breathing heavy, his sweaty hair glued to his forehead. "We won," He quietly stated, obviously aware that most of the crowd's eyes were on them.
Gabriella beamed at him, forgetting about the attention. She had never seen him look more beautiful or happy. "Congratulations Captain," She half yelled so he could hear her.
Taking that as permission, Troy grabbed the petite genius and swung her around. He set her down a second later but kept her close to him.
She shook her head, obviously dizzy. "You are so crazy Wildcat."
He laughed joyously. Then in a move that surprised everyone, Troy grabbed Taylor and hugged her. He let her go quickly and the three of them dissolved into chuckles. Troy grabbed Gabriella's hand and began pulling her to the court. Gabriella misinterpreted this gesture and grabbed Taylor's to lead her as well. Taylor just laughed and let herself be dragged.
"Are you going to tell Troy what his dad said?" Taylor asked as she and Gabriella were changing at her house. They were supposed to meet the rest of the group at the karaoke restaurant after they had changed and gotten ready.
"No," Gabriella said pulling up her stockings. They were both switching clothes in the same room. "I'm done." She announced after she stepped into her heels.
"Me too," Taylor agreed and they turned around at the same time then promptly began laughing. "We match!" They screamed at the same time.
Taylor was wearing a tight gray skirt with black peep toe heels. She had a purple shirt with a black blazer and a gray tie with purple and black stripes. Gabriella was wearing a purple dress with a black trench with a short purple dress. It was cold out so she had grey stockings and black platform oxford heels.
"Wait," Gabriella grabbed her orange canvas tote and pulled out an elastic headband with a feather on it. She walked to the mirror and put it on. "Now I'm done."
Taylor smiled, "Well let's go!" It was not until Gabriella began driving to the restaurant that Taylor spoke again. "You're outfit's more revealing than I have ever seen you wear."
"It's not too revealing is it?" Gabriella asked nervously as she got into the turning lane.
"No," Taylor said quickly aware of how her comment was taken. "I think you look great."
"Well, I think you look amazing! Chad won't know what hit him!" Gabriella teased.
"It's not Chad I'm worrying about," Taylor muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" She asked suspiciously.
"Nothing!" The decathlon captain pointed dramatically to distract the driver. "Oh look, we're here!"
Gabriella shook her head and pulled into a parking spot. "Just remember I've got my eye on you." To prove her point, Gabriella opened the door and got out but her eyes still trained the amused girl in the passenger seat.
"Gabby?" A voiced near a little too near her asked.
The girl in question screamed shrilly and whirled around to face the speaker. Her panic passed as she saw the familiar face of Troy Bolton. "You scared me!" She accused, jabbing a finger at his chest. "What are you doing outside in a dark parking lot?"
"Waiting for you," He admitted still tickled by her outrage.
This caused Gabriella to glance around. "Isn't anyone else here yet?"
"Besides us two, I don't know." He gestured to Chad, which Gabriella just noticed. "We were waiting for you."
Chad cleared his throat.
"For you guys," Troy amended with a quick grin to his friend. "Are you guys ready?" He offered Gabriella his arm who giggled and took it.
Taylor almost scoffed. "As I'll ever be."
The foursome headed to the front to the restaurant. "You look great," Troy whispered in her ear so the other two wouldn't hear. Not that he was embarrassed, he just didn't want her to be.
"You always say that," Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully.
"You always say that," He shot back before holding open the door. They walked into the restaurant and quickly spotted the group. "Can I help you with your coat?" He asked before they made their way over.
"Why thank you kind sir," Gabriella responded before letting him slip off her coat.
Troy felt the wind get knocked out of him. With the long coat, he didn't notice the above the knee stockings or the short dress. The outfit was still modest but to Troy and on Gabriella, it looked positively sinful. He was dumbstruck and just gaped at her.
She grabbed her coat from his immobile arms. "Cat got your tongue Wildcat?" She teased though she was unsure what caused this reaction.
"I change my mind," He finally forced out. "Without the coat, you look…illegal."
Her face scrunched up, as she trailed after him to the table. "What does that even mean?"
She never got her answer because a platinum blond sitting at the table caught sight of the basketball star. "Troy!" She squealed loudly, moving from the corner seat to the empty one to the left of it. "Troy!"
The aforementioned boy groaned before putting on a fake smile and approaching the table with Gabriella right behind him. "Hi Sharpay and everyone else," He mumbled.
There was a chorus of hellos to the new additions.
"I saved you a seat!" Sharpay exclaimed loudly, while patting the recently vacated seat conveniently next to her.
Gabriella resisted the urge to frown, or pick a new table with only two chairs.
Troy quickly scanned the rectangle table to see if there were any empty seats besides next to Sharpay and preferably an extra one for Gabriella. There was none because Chad and Taylor had already sat down.
"I guess this is your seat then Gabriella," Ryan mimicked his sister by patting the empty seat to his right. It was to the left of Sharpay's seat.
Gabriella just laughed and sat in the chair, eager to get her mind off the sparkly blonde. She looked exactly like someone Troy should be with and it irked her more than she was willing to admit. She tried to convince herself it was for the letter girl, but that excuse was running thin.
Troy resisted the urge to sigh and plopped down in the chair. He leaned back to try and get a view of Gabriella and Ryan but Sharpay kept blocking it. He smiled politely at her, not listening to her chatter before looking at the menu.
"I wonder why Sharpay moved," Zeke complained, sitting at the head of the table. Sharpay was sitting on his left before she switched seats. Now Troy was on his left.
"I know why," Taylor mumbled, on the right side of the table. She was sitting next to Chad, who was on the right of Zeke.
"Why is that?" Zeke asked sharply.
"She wanted to separate Troy and Gabriella." She whispered to the Chad and Zeke. "It's so obvious; they would have sat together if she didn't move."
"Your menu is here and the list of songs is here." Ryan handed both to Gabriella.
She took them with a smile. "What did you get?" She asked conversationally, knowing already that it was better him than his twin sister.
"Their nachos are really good here," He gestured to his plate, as if proof enough of their deliciousness. "You can have a chip if you like," Ryan offered.
She looked at the plate, as if considering it when a voice on the stage interrupted.
"Now the first singer of the night is Ryan," A middle aged man shouted into the microphone. "Ryan come on up!"
"Duty calls," He told Gabriella before getting up and heading for the stage.
Gabriella shot him an encouraging smile before looking back at her menu. She finally decided on the mozzarella sticks when she felt a presence next to her. "Done already?" She asked eyes still on the menu.
"I hope he didn't call seat check."
She looked up to see a smiling Troy Bolton in Ryan's seat. "That's mean!" She said, halfheartedly. Gabriella would much rather be next to Troy and have him away from Sharpay.
"Can you pass this down to my old seat?" Troy questioned to Martha, who Gabriella just noticed was sitting across from him. Kelsi sat across from Gabriella, and was smilingly adoringly at the captain.
"Of course," Martha responded breathlessly.
Troy sent her a grateful smile as he handed her the plate of nachos and soda. She giggled.
Gabriella clenched her fist under the table, annoyed. They might be his admirer, she reminded herself, but it didn't quell the feelings. You're going to have to get used this after you find her.
"What are you thinking of getting?" Troy leaned his face in close to hers which was still studying the menu.
She was only still staring at it because Gabriella didn't want to witness Troy being fawned over. "Mozzarella sticks," She struggled to keep the anger out of her tone.
His bright eyes scanned the menu quickly, forming a plan. "How about I get the nachos and then we share?" He offered.
Gabriella narrowed her eyes threateningly but to Troy it was adorable. "Is this your way of trying to pay for my meal again?"
"No way," Troy held his hands up in mock surrender. "We both knew I was already paying for it."
She laughed sweetly, "You are spoiling me!"
"This would only be the beginning," He promised quietly, all joking aside.
"What did you say?" She peered at him, curious.
"Nothing," He patted her on the arm in a condescending gesture. "You must be hearing things," Troy said absently.
"Yeah," Gabriella said slowly but they were interrupted by the return of Ryan to their table. "You did great!" She congratulated, even though she had not heard any of it. Being around Troy had some common side effects like forgetting everything but him.
"Thanks," He accepted the praise and slid into the seat next to Sharpay and Zeke. He leaned forward and took a big gulp of his soda before saying, "Are you going to sing anything Gabriella?"
"I don't know," Gabriella grabbed the binder that held the songs and the sheets. "I'm not sure I know anything."
She was still flipping when the waiter took their order.
"C'mon Gabriella, I bet you know at least one song!" Kelsi encouraged, after four pages of songs.
"Doubtful," Troy challenged while taking a sip of his soda. He got one for Gabriella too. "This girl only has classical music in her cd collection."
"Ha!" Gabriella screamed triumphantly, pointing to a song on the page. "I totally know this song well enough to sing," She deflated. "except it's a duet."
Troy noticed Ryan open his mouth to likely volunteer himself. Even though he told Chad adamantly that there was no way he was going to sing because he was a hoops guy and they just didn't do that type of thing. "I'll do it!" He shouted, drawing all attention from their table to himself.
"You will?" Gabriella wondered, pleasantly surprised.
"You will?" Chad repeated, shocked.
Troy looked at Ryan, who was waiting (at least in his mind) for an ounce of hesitancy, and nodded emphatically. He would embarrass himself in public for the sake of Gabriella. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.
Well except let her go, he was too selfish for that.
*****I hope their seating was not confusing ( I did my best!) but if it is here's some help:
Before Troy, Gabs, Tay & Chad:
Martha Kelsi Empty Empty
(lala-this is the table) Zeke
Ryan Empty Empty Sharpay
After:
Martha Kelsi Taylor Chad
(lala-this is the table) Zeke
Ryan Gabriella Sharpay Troy
Then when Troy steals Ryan's seat:
Martha Kelsi taylor Chad
(lala-this is the table) Zeke
Troy Gabriella Sharpay Ryan
OOH their duet is next! I'm excited! The response was so well for the last chapter even though it was two days late I decided to update this Tuesday instead of skipping one and posting it next week like I originally planned! Basically, this is my sorry! As always please review!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed:
hopeful extinction, zanessa14, maccanut53, xZANESSA4LIFEx, kristenkay0606, nicolypoly, pamylz, bubzchoc, jade destiny, pinkwildcat94, zan lil, whackedout101, zac-vanfan01, fairyvixenmaiden, and roseloveshighschoolmusical.
IMPORTANT-I have bad news: my schedule is going to summer hours so I work ALL the time! I guess I should be happy I even have a job (and I am!) but yeah I won't be able to update as frequent. So I guess lots of reviews and I'll update next Tuesday and if not, the Tuesday after that! If I have any spare time trust me I will update it faster.
Alleycat