A/N: Okay, HSMandChelseaFCfan is busy so you're stuck with me for a while. Don't own HSM x

Chapter 7 – A date

Gabriella pushed her front door open and stepped inside, only to hear, "Piss off, Blondie," making her roll her eyes. Sharpay had obviously arrived before she had and she dreaded to think what had happened in her absence.

"I'm home." She yelled as she slipped her shoes off and made her way into the lounge. She set her books neatly on the coffee table and then dropped her bag to the floor. She saw Carl and Sharpay glaring at each other. She threw her hands up and sighed. "I'm not going to ask."

"Well, I'll tell you." Carl exclaimed. "Blondie, here-"

"It's Sharpay." The blonde yelled, her hands on her hips.

"Blondie, Sharpay, what difference does it make? Both are dumb names." Carl muttered, folding his arms.

"You do realise you just called yourself dumb, right?" Sharpay asked slowly.

"How?" Carl muttered.

"You began calling me Blondie!" Sharpay shouted.

Gabriella sighed and fell onto the couch. This was what she'd been afraid of when she left the library. When she was there earlier that day – with Troy – it was like nothing else existed. Even though they had only talked when he had caught her avoiding him – which had been beyond embarrassing – and when she had left, she had felt comfortable in his presence. And protected. She wasn't completely devoid of guy knowledge – she had had boyfriends – but it was kind of hard to convince a guy you're 'the one' when you have five extremely protective – and annoying – older brothers. She knew he admired her. He wasn't drooling over her appearance as if he was lusting over her, but he definitely felt something. Something a Wildcat and Knight shouldn't feel.

She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. Did she just admit to herself that she liked Troy Bolton? Sure, he was sweet and charming and there was no doubt that he was the most gorgeous guy she'd ever seen…but did she like him?

Who was she kidding? Of course she did. She'd be crazy not to.

"GABBY!" Sharpay yelled, knocking Gabriella out of her thoughts.

She groaned as she opened her eyes. "Yes?" She hissed.

Carl and Sharpay shared a worried glance before Carl spoke. "You okay, Gabs?"

Gabriella sighed. "Will you two ever get along?"

Sharpay and Carl looked at each other and spoke at the same time, "No."

"You know, I had a really nice, quiet morning. I got loads of work done. And I come home because you text me and I find you two fighting over who-knows-what." She replied quietly, glaring at her twin and best friend.

"Well, she comes waltzing in here, begins flirting mindlessly with Zeke and then turns to me and tells me that I'm incapable of thinking about anything other than girls and basketball." Carl yelled.

"Do you disagree Gabs?" Sharpay asked. "How many girls have you seduced from the cheerleading squad?"

Carl shrugged and turned away in embarrassment. "A couple."

"Shar, he's my brother. I don't want to have this conversation." Gabriella looked up at her best friend. "So, why'd you come…" Her voice trailed off and suddenly glared at the blonde girl. "Next time…Next time just call Zeke." She stood up and grabbed her books and bag. "Please don't use me as an excuse." She whispered before she turned around and rushed up the stairs.

She fell into her room and dropped her books and bag carelessly onto her bed. She walked over to Daisy's basket with her lip tembling. She fell to her knees and finally burst into tears. Daisy woke up from her slumber and whined as she stretched. She curled back up but looked up at Gabriella. She nudged her owner's hand with her nose and then started licking her fingers.

Gabriella giggled weakly and began stroking Daisy's head. She was losing it. She was losing her mind and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She was lying to everyone about which college she was going to. She had a twin brother and best friend who didn't get along. She was going to Stanford in a matter of weeks. She had feelings for the person she was brought up to hate - and she was positive that the feelings were getting stronger with every passing minute.

She was going to hell.

But, she concluded that if going to hell meant having the opportunity to be with Troy, she'd take the chance. It'd be worth it, wouldn't it? Spending one minute with Troy was worth an eternity of hell. But, not seeing Troy again would, in all honesty, be hell in its own right.

She sounded like she was unconditionally in love with the guy. She didn't know anything about him so how could she be in love with him? Her eyes caught something from the nearby shelves. Her DVD of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Had Romeo truly known Juliet when he fell in love with her? Had she known him in return? Gabriella had never really been a believer in 'love at first sight' but she wasn't stupid enough to believe that you couldn't instantly like someone.

She had instantly liked Troy.

There was a soft knock at the door and then it opened. Maria shut it behind her and walked over to sit on the floor next to her daughter. "What's going on, mi hija?" She brushed her fingers through Gabriella's hair.

"It's official." Gabriella muttered as Daisy whined and stood up. The German shepherd padded over to the other side of the room to near Gabriella's balcony to have some food.

"What's official?" Maria asked as she kept her eyes on Gabriella's face even though her daughter's gaze was fixed on Daisy.

"I'm going to hell." She whispered as she finally reached up to wipe her cheeks. "Mom, do you love Daddy?"

"Of course I do. I love him with all my heart. Gabby, you're scaring me." Maria said worriedly.

"It's nothing." Gabriella muttered as she got to her feet and walked over to her bed. She started sorting her books out and ignored her mother's hand which rested on her shoulder.

"Is this about… Is this about Troy?" Maria asked softly.

Gabriella snapped her head to face Maria. "What? Why? Why would you think that? I mean, he just saved me from drowning is all. Nothing more, nothing less."

Maria rolled her eyes. "The first step is denial."

"Denial of what?" Gabriella asked as she turned her attention back to her books. "I mean, he's just this guy. That rescued me. And is sweet. And is charming." Gabriella sank onto her bed to look up pityingly at Maria. "And…perfect."

Maria sat next to her daughter and hugged her close. "Baby, do you like Troy?"

"That's the thing." Gabriella whispered. "Mom, how did you know you loved Dad?"

"I see where this is going." Maria realised. "Mi hija, it's different for everyone. And I expect it's harder for you. You were brought to hate him so I can only imagine how confused you are. But, when I fell in love with your father, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I kept thinking about all of his perfections…and even all of his flaws. His obsession with basketball, for instance. I couldn't help knowing that we'd somehow be together. I mean, I was like you. I was the science nerd and we weren't supposed to be together. But, I knew we were. There wasn't a doubt in my mind."

"You've never told me that before. I assumed you were head cheerleader." Gabriella mumbled.

"Like your sisters-in-law?" Maria asked in amusement. "And Landon's girlfriend?"

Gabriella nodded. "Pretty much."

"Well, yeah, I was the nerd." Maria whispered.

"That's where I get it from. I doubted it was from Dad." Gabriella joked.

Maria smiled. "But, we're together. And we're happy. Nothing stopped us. What do you think about Troy?"

Gabriella shrugged. "He's heroic and selfless. Doesn't hate me because of who I am. He's sweet and caring and stubborn. He wants to be friends with me and more than friends if I give him a chance. He's trustworthy and interesting. He's not afraid of my brothers."

"So…" Maria pressed when Gabriella didn't continue.

Gabriella twisted her head to face Maria and a tear leaked from the corner of her eye. "Do you think Dad would be mad at me?"

"Because…" Maria persisted. "Gabby, to know your true feelings you need to say it out loud."

Gabriella bit her lip as she broke from her mother's arms and reached under her pillows for Troy's denim jacket. She lifted it to her nose and sighed contentedly. She set it in her lap and then turned to face Maria once again. "I'm in love with Troy Bolton."

Maria smiled proudly at her daughter and kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

"You won't tell Dad, will you?" She asked frantically.

"Of course not." Maria said softly. "If you don't want me to, then I won't. Besides, it's your place to tell him."

Gabriella's cell phone suddenly started ringing and she brought it out of her jeans pocket. She looked at the caller ID and gasped. "Oh, my God."

"It's him, isn't it?" Maria asked knowingly.

"Possibly." Gabriella squeaked.

Maria smiled and stood up. "I'm going to go and start dinner, okay? But, whatever you decide, mi hija, I'm always going to be proud of you."

Gabriella nodded as Maria left the room and shut the door. To save embarrassment – and possible death – Gabriella stood up and locked the door. She took her previous position on the bed, picked up Troy's jacket again, and slid her phone up. She held it tentatively to her ear. "Hey, Troy." She whispered.

"Hey, are you alone?" He asked hastily.

"Uh, yeah, my mom just left my room. She knows about you, by the way." Gabriella mumbled.

Troy laughed. "My mom knows about you, too. Look, I don't know why I'm doing this but…are you free tonight?"

"As far as I know." She replied honestly. "Why?"

"Doyouwanttogooutwithme?" He asked quickly.

"What? Huh?" She asked in confusion.

A deep breath was heard over the phone. "Do you want to go out with me this evening?"

"But, I mean…"

"You promised." Troy whispered.

Gabriella swallowed a large lump in her throat. "Like on a date?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Do you want it to be?" He asked nervously.

"Kind of." She admitted.

"Then it'll be a date. But, here's the thing: there's a production of 'Romeo and Juliet' at the Glitz tonight. My parents had tickets but my dad needed to go and see my grandparents so they can't go. And I noticed you had a copy of 'Romeo and Juliet' and wondered if you'd like to go with me." Troy explained kind of shakily.

"The Glitz?" Gabriella gasped. "Isn't that in Santa Fe?"

"Yeah." Troy mumbled. "Do you want to go?"

"I'd love to. I'll have to talk to my mom and get our stories straight and if she'll let me." Gabriella explained.

"Of course." Troy said with understanding.

"How should I dress?" Gabriella whispered.

"Nice." Troy replied.

"How do you mean? Do you mean jeans or a dress…skirt and tank top? I'll need some help, Troy." Gabriella exclaimed.

"Well, I'm wearing jeans and a button up shirt so maybe a dress, okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled slightly. "Okay. I'd love to go. I'll call you later to tell you what my mom says, okay?"

"Yeah. That's cool. If you can come, I'll pick you at about five thirty, okay? The performance is at seven." Troy said softly.

"Cool."

"Bye, Brie." Troy whispered and then hung up.

Gabriella slid her phone shut and bit her lip. She had a date with Troy Bolton! She grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her face and began screaming into it.

***

(A/N: This is HSMandChelseaFCfan)

Troy flipped his phone shut and chucked it over his bed. The hundred mile thumping in his chest was letting him know that Gabriella truly was something special as he'd never felt this way about any girl ever before. She was so different and just being near her made his heart race.

"Yo! Troy!" Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he heard his best friend shout for him. The smile that had been on his face just moments before had instantly slid from his face.

Turning, he walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen to see all of his friends hanging out. "How'd you get in?"

"Your mom let us in on her way out. You up for a game of hoops?" Chad asked.

Troy gave a fake smile. "Sure." Chad, Troy and Jason headed out into the backyard while Taylor and Kelsi hung back in the kitchen to make drinks; they knew the Bolton kitchen like the back of their hands as they were always there and Lucille had told them to make themselves at home, literally.

"Troy's hiding something. Did you see that smile? It was so fake. He's been avoiding us for days, too distracted by something else." Taylor commented as the thumping of the ball started up outside followed by shouts from the guys.

Kelsi rolled her eyes. "I guess, but I just think he's stressed. His dad is putting so much pressure on his about living up to the Bolton name. Lucille was telling my mom the other day she wishes Coach would back down a bit and let up on Troy."

Taylor nodded in agreement. "Come on, how about we go spy on the boys? I don't hear any yelling which is worrying."

Kelsi laughed. "Taylor Mckessie, you are such a bad influence on me."

The two laughed as they walked closer to the back door and saw the guys sitting on the steps. Opening the door slightly, they leaned forward to listen. "Have you told her, yet?" Troy asked quietly.

Jason seemed to tense up at Troy's question, confusing the girls. "No and I'm not going to any time soon. I'm not ruining what we have."

Chad shook his head and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Dude, you're stupid. She feels the same."

"No she doesn't. Why would she love someone as stupid as me?" Jason muttered, staring at the concrete.

Troy and Chad groaned as Taylor saw Kelsi's face fall at hearing the conversation. She was the only one who knew about her feelings towards Jason apart from Troy. "You okay?"

Kelsi nodded as the two remained where they were and Troy spoke up. "Jase, you need to tell her. Just go for it. Do you really want to end up regretting never telling her before this year is over because if she feels the same, think about all the time that could go to waste."

"Guys, listen, Kelsi will never feel the same way about me as I do for her." Jason mumbled.

Taylor smirked as Kelsi's eyes went wide and her face paled. Taylor moved behind her ready to catch her if she fainted because she wouldn't discard that happening. "What?" Kelsi whispered.

The three guys turned around in surprise, Jason paling at the sight of the two girls. "I think we should give these two some time alone." Troy said softly as he stood up.

Taylor and Chad nodded at Troy and followed him into the house as Jason stood up and hesitantly moved closer to Kelsi. "Kels?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice was weak and could be barely heard but Jason heard it clearer than anything.

Jason sighed deeply before taking her hands in his. "I was scared you wouldn't feel the same and I would ruin the amazing friendship we have and-"

Kelsi cut him off with her finger. "You should have told me sooner because then I would have been able to tell you that I think, no I know, I'm in love with you."

Jason felt elated. She felt the same. She loved him just like he loved her. Before he said anything else, he grabbed her by the hips and kissed her passionately.

From the window, Troy, Chad and Taylor grinned seeing their two closest friends so happy. In Troy's mind, one thing was spinning in his mind, if only he and Gabriella could be as happy as them knowing that they would have their friend's backing but knew it was a farfetched thought that wouldn't happen as long as they were in Albuquerque.

* * *

(A/N: This is me)

Gabriella entered the kitchen to see Maria hunched over the oven, stirring something in a large pot. She wandered over and sighed softly. "Mom, can I talk to you?"

"Sure you can." Maria muttered absently.

"Mom!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Yeah?"

"Mom!" Gabriella yanked on Maria's arm to make her face her. "I'm serious."

Maria nodded. "Yeah…"

"Can I go out tonight? Like, to Santa Fe?" She asked in a small voice.

Maria raised her eyebrows. "Is this because of Mr Bolton?"

"Mom!" Gabriella hissed. "They could hear you."

"I doubt that. They're playing basketball." Maria exclaimed.

"Where's Shar?" Gabriella asked.

"She was pretty upset about what happened and went home. I'm sorry, mi hija." Maria mumbled.

Gabriella shook her head. "It's okay. She should just grab him and kiss him and get it over with."

"And you?" Maria asked.

"He wants to take me to Santa Fe to see 'Romeo and Juliet' at the Glitz." Gabriella said softly and bit her lip.

"The Glitz? Fancy. What are you going to do?" Maria asked.

"Oh, actually, I was planning on going from Santa Fe to Vegas, eloping and going to live in Hawaii, abandoning my dream of going to Stanford and becoming a doctor. What do you think I'm going to do?" Gabriella asked sarcastically, leaning against the island.

Maria looked amusedly at her only daughter. "Hawaii?"

"Mom, look, you promise you won't tell Dad?" Gabriella asked.

Maria nodded. "Of course, I promise. So, back to my original question: what are you going to do?"

"Well," Gabriella started off in a voice which was unusually high-pitched, "I figured it out. I'm mad at Carl and Shar, so I can lock myself in my room."

"And…" Maria raised her eyebrows.

"I have a tree right next to my balcony and if I go during dinner, they won't be playing basketball." Gabriella explained.

Maria eyed her daughter. "So, you're serious about this boy?"

"Well, yeah. I am. And, the thing is, if I don't tell dad or my brothers until after I leave for Stanford, they can't kill me." Gabriella whispered.

Maria reached forward and embraced her daughter. "Mi hija, they wouldn't kill you."

Gabriella pulled back and raised her eyebrows. "No, Dad would kill me. My brothers would kill Troy."

"Sounds about right." Maria whispered.

Gabriella smiled weakly.

"Is Troy worth it?" Maria asked curiously.

"Worth what?" Gabriella asked obliviously.

"Lying to your father and brothers." Maria whispered.

"Mom, I'm already lying to them! And, hell yeah, he's worth it. I would take on a lifetime of hell for one more moment with him." Gabriella admitted sheepishly.

"You are so in love." Maria teased.

Gabriella blushed and rolled her eyes. "Mom."

Maria shrugged. "So…"

"What?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"Go and call him." Maria said softly.

Gabriella bit her lip to hold back her smile before taking her cell phone out of her pocket and running back up the stairs. She locked her bedroom door behind her and sighed softly. The dial tone seemed louder than usual as she softly padded across her bedroom. Daisy lifted her head and whined in confusion at her owner.

Finally, the dial tone stopped and Troy's melodic voice floated into her ear. "Hey, Brie, what's up?"

"Hey, um, is the offer still open?" She asked as she sank into her desk chair.

"To go to Santa Fe? Sure it is." He replied.

"Well, I talked to my Mom and she said I can go." She whispered.

"Yeah? That's awesome." He said enthusiastically. "I mean, uh, I'm glad you can come."

Gabriella released an uncontrollable giggle. "Excited much?"

"Shakespeare excites me." Troy joked.

"Or is it me?" She asked slyly.

Troy chuckled nervously. "Busted." He muttered.

Gabriella bit her lip. "My brothers would so kill you for saying that."

"And you, Miss Montez? Do I excite you?" He replied cheekily.

"At least I can admit it." Gabriella whispered.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. If you're feeling guilty or pressured in any way by doing this, just…don't. I don't want you to ruin anything you have with your father and brothers." Troy said softly.

"It's not that. It's the opposite. I don't care about my brothers, okay? No matter who I am or what school I go to or who I've been brought up to hate, at the end of the day, I make my own choices and it's their problem if they can't deal with it. You're one of those choices." Gabriella said softly, looking across at Daisy who had walked over and was wagging her tail at the sound of Troy's voice.

"Only if you're sure…" Troy trailed off uncertainly.

Gabriella laughed softly. "Troy, trust me on this. I want it. Besides, I think we're going to have to go on a play-date for Daisy and Blitzen. Daisy's been more than enthusiastic to go for walks."

Troy chuckled. "That is a brilliant idea. Blitzen really likes her."

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you pick me up in the parking lot by Mack and Mickey's place?" She asked, referring to the block of ridiculously expensive apartments just down the road from her house.

"Sure. I guess I didn't think it through when I said I'd pick you up, huh?" Troy asked.

Gabriella giggled. "I guess not. So, I'll see you later?"

"You most definitely will." Troy promised.