Enjoy :)

"TROY!" The little girl squealed happily, witch was way too loud for his ears nine in the morning. He smiles lazily to the little girl that had been running around like a maniac since she arrived a half hour ago.

"Dani you gotta be calm down a bit! Some of my neighbors are still a sleep even if your not." He explains softly to the little girl. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?" He asks and sinks down to her level still wanting to crawl under the warm covers again and sleep until noon and then go and watch Gab run. Had he already given her a nick name? Yeez! This girl is changing him and that is after like two dates! Imagine what she can do if they stay together for a longer time!?

"Mommy gave me a sandwich but I threw it in the garbage! It was with cheese! And it tasted ucky!!!" She explains to him and he chuckles softly at her. So he stands up and starts searching the cabinets for some cereal he had bought for her but had probably eaten it him self on one of his lazy days. Frostis are the best in front of the TV on a lazy Sunday, he knew this by experience.

When he finally found them hiding in the back. He puts them on the table were the little girl was looking like a sunshine while talking about whatever that came to her mind in that exact moment while he acted like mr Mom and put a bowl whit cereals and milk and a glass of orange juice and a banana so she had something that would keep her full for an hour or two. Then he gave him self a cup of coffee and sat down and just listened to her rants about kindergarden that week. And he realized that in the future he wanted a child or children of his own that would rant about kindergarden.

He couldn't wait.

--

The sweat was running down her back after the warm-up they had done together the whole track-team and she was now drinking water and talking among other team mates but her eyes was searching the small crowd that was starting build around the track course. But his beautiful eyes was nowhere to be seen, she stayed positive though it was still forty minutes until the first race would be ran and she was not in the race so she seemed confident enough that he would actually see her race. Sharpay had promised she would come and hoped that would bring Chad as well since he was whipped by her.

She pulled on a team sweatshirt and looked at the other teams did some last minute warm-up and stretching. She looked at her number one threat. Susanna Taylor she went to South High, she was awesome at the spurt and it didn't matter that she had been after someone an entire race at the end she would get new powers and just run ahead of every body else. She was indeed dangerous to her chance to get to nationals and for future scouts that might wanna sign her up for their collages. Susanna Taylor would always be number one and Gabriella Montez was the one that came after. Easy as that.

"Checking out the competition?" Kate interrupted her thoughts about Susanna. She saw her laughing slightly when she pulled up her perfect blonde hair in a ponytail. She turned to Kate and smiles softly.

"Guess you can call it that, Susanna will probably beat me today as usual." She sighs heavily.

"You know it's about time someone showed that bitch that she is not invincible." The senior grins and looks away for a second to see that their coach is on his way over to the girls. "Time for some pep talk." She ads quietly and Gabriella smiles and turns around to look at the older man that was gonna get them going before running like idiots.

She had to run at least three races, she competed in 100 meters sprint and 200 meters and the relay with Kate and an other junior and senior and this year they hoped for a chance and nationals. If they didn't she would going crazy! But today she had a new strategy to get Susanna's mind to think about something else then running.

Susanna Taylor adored Troy Bolton and who was gonna go home with him tonight?

Well it was certainly not Susanna.

A satisfied grin appeared on her lips and she gulped down some more water, maybe she had a good chance after all.

--

"Dani come on sweetie! We gotta go!" Time had just flown by and now Troy was really stressed because he was supposed to be at east high in 15 minutes and the drive from here took more then 20 minutes and not to mention he had to drop Dani of at her grand mothers house, but with some luck she wouldn't be starting in the first race.

He just wished she wouldn't be pissed if he missed her race.

"We are we going Troy?" The little girl asked.

"I am gonna drop you of at your grand mothers house and then I am gonna go see a friend." He explains to her feeling more and more stressed for each second that passed by. She could be really slow sometimes and not realizing that Troy was in a hurry and he needed her to hurry up a slight bit.

"Who are you gonna see?" She continues her question as she pulled on her shoes and jacket in a slow pace.

"Just a friend Dani." He answers her feeling like he was questioned by his mother instead of a five year old girl. "Are you ready to go?" He asks slightly rushed. She nods and they start the journey to the car and so his day begun.

--

She would soon run her 200 meters race and Susanna and her was starting to send each other death daggers both wanting the chance to run at nationals and neither of them would give up until one of them passed the finish line first. And both of them saw them self being the winner.

"Ready to lose Montez?" The voice was cocky she might as well gone and start working out for nationals. But it wasn't just the nationals that were important, there would be coaches for the national team both Junior and the actual National team and if she worked really hard she could actually have an fair chance at qualifying to the National team and the Olympics 2012 or 2016.

She just had to beat the crap out of Susanna Taylor first.

"Nope are you?" Gabriella replies calmly and starts taking the track suit of and the white and red spandex was shown. Her body was a small packet of muscles but still being lean and curvy in the right places, a weak hint of a six pack was on her tanned stomach.

"I always beat you Gabriella, you know that I am always number one and you'll always be second…" She says and cross her arms over her chest. Gabriella just smiles at the other girl letting her believe her own lies she could bring her down right before start so her chances of winning would be bigger then if she would say it now. Instead Gabriella went to do some last minute warm up. Because soon she would be running for the chance of a life time.

"Gabriella, get ready you are running in a few seconds!" Her coach informed her and she did as she was told and happily she was placed beside Susanna Taylor a smirk was put on her face as the words formed on her lips.

"You say you are always a winner right?" Gabriella asks lightly as she placed her self in start position.

"Of course I am!" She says proudly.

"Get ready!" The judge says.

"Then how come I am the one going home with Troy Bolton tonight and you will be al alone!" She smirks.

"Get set!" The judge continues and the contestant pulls them self up a bit.

"What!!?" Was al she said.

"GO!"

She got a good start and Susanna was after her.

But she felt confident she would win this!

--

He waited for her to change and people he didn't even knew said hello to him and he said hi as well to be polite, mostly to maintain a good reputation about him and the Hotel. He watched as people was hurrying out from the gymnasium and parents and friends that stayed behind to wait for someone of the runners, he though felt slightly uncomfortable with the flirtatious teenage girls.

Then he saw her, carrying the backpack on one of her shoulders the damp curls was up in a messy bun on her head, she was talking to a blonde girl and they seemed to laugh at something. His hands digs down deep in his pockets while he waits. The two friends hugs and Gabriella smiles when she starts approaching him. A smile plasters on his lips as well when he sees how beautiful she looks in casual clothing, the dark slim jeans showed her hips and legs of stunningly and she wore her brown jacket like she had done the other times as well. He looked at her face and she had no make-up and that made him smile even more because he never truly understood the meaning with the crap anyway.

"Hi…" She says shyly when she is at him, the joy and proud that glittered in her eyes made his heart swell and the butterflies make a circus in his stomach. He felt like a fourteen year old again asking a girl out for the very first time.

"You were awesome; looks like you are Americas hope at Olympics in the future." He says, he places his arm around her small shoulders, he decided against to place a kiss on her head. Scared it would rush things and just end up in a total disaster. He could feel her arm, hesitant, form it self around his waist then they walked to his car. They made some small talk around the competition and how his day have been she laughs when she hears that he hadn't been able to sleep in like the plan had been.

"Not funny.." He muttered when they reached the car, but she continues smiling knowing he wouldn't be mad, they parted and her cell phone sounded she brought it up as she stepped into his car and she blushed wildly at the text she had received from Sharpay.

Put a condom in your make-up bag,

Just in case. ;)

She put the phone down in her jeans again trying to regain some normal skin color. She was happy that Troy focused on the road and not her. She looked out the window as the small town flashed by wondering how Troy's place would look like.

--

"This is home…" He informs her when they walk inside to his apartment, for someone with loads of money it seemed like an regular person lived here. The furniture looked like IKEA and second hand but it looked so cozy and homey with warm colors and pictures placed all over the apartment.

"Its nice…" She smiles and look at some of the pictures from his younger years and she giggles, he escaped to the kitchen to fix something to eat. The picture that shocked her the most was one were he and two of his friends held on to each other and stuck their tongues out and Troy's tongue was decorated with a silver piercing, something she would have ever guessed he would have.

"Finding something interesting?" He asks, he stood right behind her and she jumped when she heard his voice. Damn he was quiet!

"You had a piercing?" She asks, disbelief laced her voice and a slight smile on her perfect lips.

"Yeah… Got it when I was 15 and took it out a year ago due to work. Apparently it looked unprofessional." He mutters, "I loved it." He ads.

"Shame you had to take it out…" She says.

"Yeah but I guess they are right, when I don't know what to say I start biting that thing so it looks better if I just look in my papers." He explains to her.

"Guess your right, must have hurt though. I was petrified when I pierced my ears and thought that hurt!" She exclaims.

"Yeah but it's the days after when you are swollen and can barely talk that is the worst…" He smiles remembering how pissed his mother had been when she had heard his lame attempts to talk normally. "I think the food is ready…" He says and she fallow him into the small kitchen where pasta was cocking on the stove.

"Advanced cooking I see…" She giggles teasingly.

"I can do better alright, but I am hungry and I just thought it would do.." He defends himself and she just smiles at him and he smiles back at her. "Hope you like pasta…" He smiles.

"Do you only eat the pasta?" She asks slightly shocked and not understanding what he was saying.

"No, fried vegetables and bacon to! Its the shit!" He says and she giggles again and he just smiles and thinks.

I can get used to this…

--

"I am scared to death of spiders…" She says quietly. It had become night and they were placed on his couch, she sat with her legs pulled up to her chest and he sat on the side with the leg tucked under the other so it dangled from the couch. It was dark just some lights on the coffee table shined in the dark giving his tanned skin a magical glow and his eyes sparkled in a certain angle and his hand was placed on her calf.

"I hate rats…" He shudders at the thought of the small animal.

"I am scared of letting the school down at nationals…" She says and glance up at him but lowered her gaze to his chest instead.

"You won't…" He says so sure and confident of his words. She felt his lips on her forehead. "Even if you don't come in first place you are still in the top of junior runners in the US." He says softly and places another kiss on his forehead. She felt tingly and warm inside, she was happy that they were sitting down otherwise, she would be on the floor seeing as her body had been turned to jello.

"I hope so…" She smiles.

"You'll do wonders…" He smiles gently. She just smiles at him feeling some what calmer inside. She glanced at the clock.

"I should be getting home…" She says with a heavy sigh, she didn't want to go. Not yet.

"I would prefer if you stayed…" He whispers. His voice sounded to deep like he really wanted her to stay.

"Its late and my parents probably want me home." She says trying to avoid his powerful gaze and his touch. She moves away slightly from him not wanting to surrender under him. She wasn't going to change just because of a guy.

"Okay.. I'll drive you home." He states. She nods thankfully feeling horrible for the way she treated him now when he had been nothing but nice to her today. But she wasn't ready for stay the night with him yet. It was to soon. They got dressed and walked out to his car.

--

"Thanks for today…" She smiles gently to him scared that he was angry at her for not wanting to spend the night with him.

"No problem." He answers shortly.

"Are you mad at me?" She asks carefully, not wanting to wake a sleeping bear. Her eyes kept wandering from his face down to her hands. Had she messed this up before it even had a chance to start?

"No…" He answers after a time of silence. "You are sixteen and that makes things different." He says. There is another silence over them she waited for the statement. "But different can be good right? And I want to be with you to mush to not respect your choices." He says and she smiles to him of gratitude and joy.

"Thank you Troy…" She smiles. He smiles as well.

"But just so you know. We are spending tomorrow together to! Because I need something to think about when I am in China…" He chuckles gently and she blushes at this.

"Sure why not." She answers. "When can I come over?" The smile on her face made his heart skip a beat.

"Noon? And hope I am awake?" He asks.

She giggles and agrees. Tomorrow at noon she would be at his place.

--

"Why didn't you stay?!"

"Because it felt to soon and I just didn't feel ready." She explains to her blonde friend on the phone.

"Okay I understand but was he mad?" Sharpay continues her questioning and Gabriella just smiles.

"No he wasn't… He respected it."

The girls talked some more before Gabriella gave up and turned in.

--

His Sunday was not like he had planned, worked called to early that it should be illegal to call someone at that hour. He had bolted out from his bed when he had heard what plans they had for him. He was leaving for China, today. And he had barely packed anything and now he had a phone pressed between his ear and shoulder talking fast while he ran around the place to pack clothes and other essentials he would need for his one week trip.

"DON! Shut up! I know what I am doing down there!!!" He says frustrated, he wasn't the idiot he knew half of the company pointed him out to be. He knew how to do his job, hell a monkey could do what he did. "When is the car here?" The answer was in an hour and he hangs up. He sighs heavily not wanting to go, he wanted to spend it with Gabriella and not going to China.

He dialed Gabriella's number with a pained heart. He sat down on the bed waiting for her to answer. He really didn't want to do this.

"You're up already?" Her voice sounded excited and joyful. When did this girl get up in the mornings?

"Yeah I have to rearrange our plans today." He begins slowly getting straight to the point. "We can't hang out today…" He says and he hears her letting out a small breath.

"Why not?" She asks probably feeling heart broken.

"Because of the idiots at work, I am going to China today. Instead of Tuesday." He says feeling horrible for running their day together, a day he really wanted to spend with Gabriella to get to know her better and… Just be with her!

"I understand… Work comes first right…" She asks her voice trembling a bit.

"It shouldn't… But as things are now work comes first…" He explains.

"Just call me when you land alright? I wanna know if you survived…" He smiles at her caring nature.

"I'll call you when I land…"