A/N: Ummmmm...not much to say about this chapter. Pure fluff!!! Hope you like it. I'm going to be writing chapter 4 of 'concrete angel' but I keep getting distracted by facebook :( lol HSMandChelseaFCfan is still busy :( don't own HSM x
Chapter 8 – Romeo and Juliet
Gabriella jumped gracefully from the last branch and glanced wearily at the kitchen window where she could see Maria, Greg, Landon, Carl and Zeke all eating dinner. The men seated around the table were talking animatedly about – what she assumed was – basketball. Maria glanced out of the window and winked at her daughter.
Gabriella sighed and adjusted her backpack she was carrying before jogging out of her backyard. She headed towards Mack and Mickey's apartments and thanked the heavens that she had worn her old sneakers and not her new ones which still hadn't broken in. She had pulled on an old hoody and jeans over her dress in case she got caught sneaking out. Her hair was tucked neatly under a Knight Baseball hat and she planned to fix it whilst on the way to Santa Fe.
She slowed to a walk when she entered the parking lot and saw Troy leaning casually against his old truck. He straightened up when he saw her and he raised his hand in a wave. She wandered over to him and smiled in admiration. He was wearing some dark blue jeans, a white button up shirt and a black blazer. "Hey."
"Hey. You look lovely. Although," He murmured as he traced her cheek with his finger, "I remember asking you to wear a dress."
"My dress is underneath, Einstein. I didn't want to get caught sneaking out with no liable excuse – other than being mad at Carl and Sharpay – wearing a dress." Gabriella explained. "Besides, I didn't want it to get torn whilst I was climbing down my tree."
"You have a tree?" Troy asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Gabriella nodded. "By my balcony. Why? What are you thinking?"
"My job just got a whole lot easier. Now get in before anyone sees us." He smirked and opened her door. He helped her climb in and made sure her clothes and fingers were in no danger from getting trapped in the door before he shut it. He jogged around to the driver's side and climbed in. He twisted the keys in the ignition and clicked his seatbelt in place once the engine roared to life.
"Are you sure this thing is going to make it to Santa Fe?" Gabriella asked unsurely as she placed her backpack by her feet.
Troy nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. "Yes! And that 'thing' is my truck. She's quite capable of getting us to Santa Fe." He sniffed as he shrugged sheepishly. "Getting us back to Albuquerque, however…"
Gabriella rolled her eyes as she kicked her sneakers off and began undoing her jeans. "If I get stranded on a highway in the middle of the night, I'm blaming you." She wriggled out of her jeans and straightened the pale blue skirt of her dress.
Troy glanced over at her and smiled to himself. "Blame me all you want."
Gabriella pulled her cap off of her head, allowing her brunette curls to tumble gracefully around her shoulders. Her cap lay in her lap while she pulled her hoody over her head, revealing a spaghetti strap, pale blue dress with a waistline just under her breasts, highlighted with a thick white ribbon. She folded her hoody neatly and set it in her lap. She unzipped her backpack and brought out some silver strappy heels and a white jacket. She shoved her sneakers, hoody and cap back in and zipped the backpack back up.
"You okay?" Troy asked through a chuckle.
Gabriella nodded, folding the white jacket neatly in her lap. "Yeah. I just can't believe I'm doing this."
Troy slowed the car as he approached a stop sign. "Do you want me to turn around?"
Gabriella turned to him and shook her head. "No. I want this…I just can't believe I'm doing it, you know?"
Troy sighed as he took off again. "I know what you mean. I've never lied to Kelsi before."
Gabriella released a deep breath. "So…"
Troy chuckled and reached to take her hand in his. "You didn't have anything else to do on a Saturday night?"
Gabriella intertwined their fingers and shook her head. "Hell no. In West Albuquerque it's all parties and stuff. Shar, Zeke, Ryan, Martha and Carl go. But, I'm not the party person." She explained.
"I didn't think you were." Troy admitted. "What do you do, then?"
"I read." She whispered. "And read. And read. Feel free to stop me anytime. And read."
"I get it." Troy chuckled. "Why are you mad at Carl and Sharpay?"
Gabriella sighed. "They don't get on…at all. And when I left the library because Shar wanted me, that's what I was afraid of. I enjoyed it this morning. And then I went home to find Shar and Carl yelling at each other. Shar had used me as an excuse to get to my house to flirt with Zeke." She whispered. "That's why."
"Sounds rough." Troy mumbled.
Gabriella giggled lifelessly. "Not really. It's the least of my problems."
"What do you mean?" Troy asked worriedly as he paused at a red light. He turned to face her and sighed. "What's up?"
"It's my dad." She confessed. "He sees the last name 'Montez' on a birth certificate, he thinks 'another son who'll be basketball captain and go to U of A'." She exclaimed pitifully. "It's annoying. I'm a girl, not another precious son!"
There was a honk from behind them and Troy realised that the light had turned green so he regrettably let go of Gabriella's hand and sped off. "Your father's forcing you to go to U of A?"
"Unfortunately." She muttered.
"And you don't want to go?" Troy guessed.
"No. Not at all. Not to study basketball or anything else. I'm not my brothers. And that's the problem." She whispered. "Ever feel like you're living someone else's life?"
"Everyday." Troy muttered.
"What?" Gabriella asked in surprise.
Troy sighed. "We're more alike than either of us initially thought." He murmured as he concentrated on the road. "My own dad wants and expects me to go to U of A and study basketball."
"And it forces you to consider other options even more?" Gabriella whispered, staring at her lap.
Troy nodded, gripping the wheel even tighter. "Yeah. Believe it or not, I enjoy the theatre and music and acting…"
"And you want to pursue that?" Gabriella asked, lifting her head to look at him.
Troy reached for her hand again and nodded. "Yeah. I do. I don't want to give basketball up – far from it – but I don't want it to run my life anymore." He whispered.
Gabriella looked down at his hand and held it in both of hers. "East High's macho playmaker likes the theatre?" She teased.
Troy laughed in disbelief. "We were having a serious conversation, Miss Montez."
Gabriella giggled. "I didn't think you were that kind of guy. If you turn out to be a guy version of Sharpay, I never want to see you again. I can't cope with two Sharpays."
Troy chuckled. "I'm not a drama queen, I just like drama…and, yes, there is a difference."
"I'm sure there is." She giggled.
Troy let go of her hand briefly while he turned left and then he took her hand again. "So, how's your head?"
Gabriella bit her lip at his obvious concern. "Troy, I'm fine. I've been fine ever since it happened. I had a bit of a headache but, like I said, a little Tylenol and a nap cleared it on up." She paused slightly and looked across at him. "You're more worried than any of my brothers were."
Troy squeezed her hand affectionately. "That's because I care about you…a lot."
A gentle blush spread over her cheeks and she released an embarrassed giggle. "Thank you, Troy."
* * *
Troy and Gabriella entered the Glitz and Troy gasped. It was the first time seeing Gabriella in the light that evening. Her dark hair was curled elegantly around her shoulders and it was clipped away from her beautiful face with two silver barrettes. A silver butterfly hung from a delicate silver chain around her neck and glittered in the light. Her white jacket was now around her torso and contrasted perfectly with her dark skin. Her dress fell to just above her knees and her shoes made her a couple of inches taller, but she was still considerably smaller than Troy.
"Troy…" She sang, waving her hand in front of his eyes.
He jumped slightly and blinked rapidly. "Huh? What?"
She giggled and squeezed his hand which was wrapped around hers. "We step inside and you zone out on me. Am I really that boring?"
"No." He exclaimed. "I just…I saw you in the light. You're so beautiful."
She blushed prettily and bowed her head. "Thank you." She whispered.
"Hey, what's up?" He stepped closer to her and gripped both of her hands in his, his face just mere centimetres from hers.
"Nothing." She murmured, still looking at their shoes.
They had arrived a little early, thus there were only a few people milling about the lobby but Troy ignored them, his gaze focussed on the girl in front of him. "Brie…" He whispered, pressing his lips firmly to her forehead. "Please tell me."
She lifted her head and rolled her eyes. "Have you always been naturally stubborn or is it something that occurred once you were a jock?"
"Naturally." He grinned. "Please?"
She sighed and shrugged. "No one's ever called me beautiful before. I mean, my dad has, but that doesn't count."
Troy led her over to a few chairs lined up against the wall for customers to sit on. As they were early, they were not allowed in the actual theatre yet. He sat them both down and held her hand. He brushed her cheek with his fingers with his free hand. "You've never been called beautiful?"
She sighed and looked away. "Well, I've been called good-looking and sexy and gorgeous but I can't trust a guy's opinion."
"Why?" He asked slowly, dropping his hand from her cheek.
She lifted her head to look at him. "You're the most popular guy at East High – the most popular guy in Albuquerque, I'd bet, if my brothers weren't your competition. Don't girls ever use you?"
Troy rolled his eyes. "More times than I can count."
"Then you know what it's like. Guys want to be with me because of my brothers and who I am. And now, the one guy who's supposed to hate me, says the thing I've been waiting to hear." She whispered.
Troy wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. "I would never hate you." He whispered.
She pulled back and raised her eyebrows. "Who called me an 'ugly little bitch who was ashamed to go outside'?"
"I didn't know you then." He muttered, blushing in sheepishness. "I didn't even know your name."
She giggled and kissed his cheek. "I'm teasing. I mean, if people told me I'd be on a date with Troy Bolton, I wouldn't have believed them."
Troy squeezed her shoulders. "Well, you are on a date with me. I mean, the only people who know are our moms but…"
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed softly. "Why do our families hate each other?"
Troy copied her sigh and rested his free hand hesitantly on her knee. "I don't think even our parents know."
"My mom doesn't." She mumbled.
"Your dad?" Troy asked curiously.
"Pfft." Gabriella exclaimed, sitting up. "You know how you're never supposed to say 'Macbeth' in a theatre? My treats your last name like that. You say Bolton in our house and you're cursed for life – unless it's when my brothers come home from one of your fights."
"How many times have you said it?" Troy asked curiously.
"More times in the past week than ever before." She whispered.
He grinned across at her. "Can I safely assume it was to your mom?"
Gabriella nodded. "Yeah…I figured something out, though."
"What?" Troy asked curiously.
"A couple of weeks ago, you were walking Blitzen and you bumped into a girl reading, right?" Gabriella asked.
"How do you know that?" Troy asked.
Gabriella raised her eyebrows. "Because on the same day, I bumped into a guy walking a German shepherd."
"It was you?" Troy asked in amazement.
Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. It was me. That was the day when my dad asked the dean of U of A to our house."
"How did that go?" Troy questioned.
Gabriella shrugged. "I wasn't listening. All I had to do was smile and nod. My dad and brothers were the ones convincing him that I'm such a great basketball player."
Troy smiled sympathetically. "Well, we've got months left before we leave for college. Just don't tell them until you have to leave."
She smiled slightly and nodded. "I guess. I just hate being compared to my brothers."
"I hate being called 'the playmaker'. It gets old after a while." He muttered.
"I don't think you're the playmaker." She whispered, looking at her hands. "I think you're a really down to earth guy."
Troy smiled softly. "Thanks. I like it when I'm with you."
* * *
Troy pulled up in front of Gabriella's house, a little down so that the truck wouldn't be in view through the windows. He looked across at her as she tucked her hair back under her baseball cap. "Did you enjoy tonight?"
Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. I did. It was really sweet. Thank you."
"Don't think anything of it. I'm just glad you enjoyed it." He smiled admiringly at her.
"It's my favourite play." She admitted softly.
"That would explain why you liked it so much." He teased.
She laughed gently under her breath but it trailed off when she saw him staring at her. "What?"
He shook his head and looked away. "No. It's…nothing."
She nodded to herself and breathed out. "So, how much did my ticket cost?"
Troy lifted his head and frowned. "You expect me to let you pay?"
"I want to." Gabriella protested.
"Well, tough. I'm not letting you." He kissed her cheek and sighed.
"Please tell me what's on your mind." She pleaded.
He looked across at her and shrugged. "Don't you find it ironic?"
"What?" She asked in confusion.
"Oh, come on! You're smart. We go and see 'Romeo and Juliet' together, but it had to be in a completely different town and we had to sneak out. Ring any bells?" He asked in a whisper.
Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. It does."
"Brie?" Troy said in a voice much more confident than his previous question.
She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Yeah?"
"Ummm…" He sighed and shrugged. "I know it's kind of awkward, with the sneaking out and stuff, but do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Gabriella looked away and swallowed nervously. "Troy, that's sweet and all, but-"
"I get it." He muttered, looking back at the dark street in front of him.
"I was going to say," She started pointedly, "that it's sweet of you but you have to understand that we'd both be in trouble if people find out."
"I know." He whispered, still staring out of the windscreen. "And I don't know about you," He paused to look at her affectionately, "but you're worth it."
Gabriella felt a smile tug at her lips. "You're the sweetest guy I've ever met. We don't have guys like you at West." She whispered.
"We don't have girls like you at East." He murmured. "So…"
Gabriella breathed out deeply and leaned across to kiss his cheek. "Yes."