A/N: HSMandChelseaFCfan is getting better. YAY!!! Hehe. But, my exams have started so :( Btw, I'm hosting my first contest on youtube!!! Check it out at doodlebug414
Don't own HSM
Chapter 15 - Alone
Ever since finding out the truth, Sharpay had been bugging Gabriella to meet Troy. She wanted to quiz him on his intentions with her best friend and if he was a decent guy.
"Ugh." Gabriella threw her phone down in frustration after Sharpay's last text asking her if she'd spoken to Troy or if she was with him at that moment. She'd given up replying because no matter whether she replied or not, Sharpay was still annoying her.
"What's up with you?" Gabriella jumped, as did Daisy at the smooth voice that flowed through the room.
Shaking her head, the brunette smiled as Daisy greeted her surprise visitor. "What are you doing here, Troy?"
The tanned boy grinned as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her hello. "Is it a crime for a guy to miss his girlfriend and want to see her after a hard day at school? A guy who still needs to make it up to his girlfriend for screwing up big time."
"What about homework? And I thought I already made it pretty clear, I forgive you." She smirked as Troy rolled his eyes.
"I don't deserve it." Troy saw the look on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. "Well I guess I could always listen to my gorgeous girlfriend because I trust her. But, well I have ... I will...." Shaking her head at her boyfriend as he struggled to find an excuse, Troy did the only thing he could think of; he gave her the most earth shattering kiss possible.
"Don't think I'm letting you make this a regular thing. I can't have you failing on me because then it's hello single Californian men and there will be no brothers there to stop them." She teased.
"Definitely. Now where was I?" Troy picked her up as he made his way back to her bed, determined to make up for the whole twenty four hours he'd gone without her.
Running her hands across his well sculptured chest that was being unfortunately covered by his tee and shirt, Gabriella was grateful it was only her Mom in downstairs and she'd be leaving soon for work. "I love you so, so, much."
Troy returned the heartfelt words as he felt his tee and shirt leave his body and Gabriella's delicate hands run across his chest. He smiled down at her as he looked deeply into her eyes. He knew Maria would be leaving soon for work which meant they had, for the first time, a whole house to themselves. He didn't know how far things would go but he was fairly certain it wouldn't go all the way. But, he needed to make sure she knew that she was everything to him. He ducked his head down to her neck, his lips massaging her delicate skin.
"Hey, Gab-"
The two teens broke apart instantly and turned to face the female who was smirking at the two. "Shar, what the hell are you doing here?" Gabriella exclaimed in shock as she sat up in her bed.
Troy leaned down and grabbed his clothes while Gabriella straightened herself out. "Well I did come to find out why my best friend was avoiding my texts again but I think I found out what was so distracting."
"Troy, meet my best friend, Sharpay Evans. Shar, this is Troy." Troy shook the blonde's freshly manicured hand.
"I guess I can see the physical reason why my best friend is into you but what about emotionally?" Sharpay asked as she folded her arms.
Gabriella scratched her head awkwardly as she turned to Troy. "Maybe you could warn me next time so I lock the door. The next thing we know, my brothers find out and you get killed." She reached across to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "I can't let that happen."
"How are you two going to make it?" Sharpay asked as she pulled up Gabriella's vanity stool next to the bed.
Troy wrapped an arm around Gabriella's shoulders. "It's simple: Brie's off to Stanford and I'm at Berkeley next year so we're at the other end of the country to Albuquerque and it's less than an hour between us so we don't need to sneak around anymore."
Gabriella kissed his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you, too, baby. But, I have the feeling that Sharpay is going to interrogate me." He said wearily.
Sharpay crossed one leg over the other and smirked. "You saved her?"
Troy nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess that's when I truly fell for her."
The blonde nodded with acceptance. "And when did you get the guts to ask her out?"
"Shar…" Gabriella moaned. "I haven't seen him all day. Can you please go?"
Sharpay stared in disbelief. "Gabs, what has he done to you? You've never really been into guys and suddenly he comes along and you can't go one single day without him?"
Gabriella sighed and picked some loose cotton from her comforter. "Well, we're not normal teenagers, Shar." She looked from Troy to Sharpay. "We can't just go to the park and hang out. How many people know about us? Four? Besides, Troy's still making up for his screw up, even though he already has." She smiled up at him. "No matter what you say, I've forgiven you."
He stuck his tongue out. "I still feel guilty so I'm going to keep making it up to you. And, if that means bringing homework over when I visit you, so be it. But, you know how easily distracted you get when I'm around." He teased, winking at her.
"Hey, I manage my distractions just fine. You, however…" She leaned over and kissed his chastely.
Sharpay smiled softly. "I don't understand something, though."
"What now?" Gabriella exclaimed.
"What about your wedding?" Sharpay asked indignantly.
Troy's eyes widened. "Wedding? Brie, I didn't ask you to marry me, did I? I don't remember asking you."
Gabriella shook her head. "You haven't asked me to marry you. Shar, what are you talking about?"
Sharpay looked insulted. "Gabriella Anna Maria Juanita Costa-Brava Montez!"
"That's your full name?" Troy asked quietly.
Gabriella nodded. "Yeah and Shar's apparently memorised it."
"Do your brothers have that many names?"
She shook her head. "No. They only have one middle name."
"Gabriella!" Sharpay exclaimed again. "My point is, you seem to have forgotten your wedding!"
"My wedding?" Gabriella asked slowly.
"You're getting married? To a guy that isn't me?" Troy exclaimed.
"I'm not getting married." Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Shar, what are you talking about?"
"The wedding." She got to her feet and placed her hands on her hips.
Gabriella gasped and rushed to her feet. "Oh, my god. This past year has been so stressful, I actually forgot. As if!"
"What wedding?" Troy asked.
A dreamy smile graced Gabriella's face. "My wedding. When we were seven years old we planned my wedding. You know the small church by my school? It's going to be there. I won't tell you about the dress, for obvious reasons. But, your tux is going to be black with a pale blue handkerchief and matching tie. I didn't know it at the time, but it totally matches your eyes. I want the flowers and my bouquet to be blue lilies. I hate roses. So cliché. The bridesmaids' dresses are going to be pale blue with white lace over the skirt. I want a summer wedding and then we honeymoon in Paris for three weeks." She sighed blissfully and fell back onto the bed, her head resting in Troy's neck.
"So, you haven't thought about this at all?" He asked sarcastically.
She lifted her head and glared.
"And I love it. Paris…Lilies…Good choice." He grinned and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'm sorry. It does sound wonderful."
"Exactly." Sharpay said as she sat back down on the vanity stool. "How are you going to have your dream wedding if you guys can't even go out with everyone knowing?" She sighed. "You always wanted your dad to walk you down the aisle, didn't you?"
Gabriella slouched slightly and nodded. "Yeah…Shar, remember what I said the other week?"
Sharpay smiled slightly. "I know, Gabs. And don't think I don't support you guys, I do. Just…think of the practicality. I don't want to see you hurt."
Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella. He kissed her temple. "We know, Sharpay. We know it's risky."
Gabriella nodded. "Please remember what I told you. Troy means a lot to me and if my family can't deal with it then it's their choice but I've made mine. Troy is my choice."
* * *
"What did you think of Sharpay?" Gabriella asked as she shut the front door. After fifteen minutes more of talking, Sharpay had finally gotten the hint that Troy and Gabriella wanted to be alone and she left. It was the first time for Troy to see the rest of the Montez house and he was extremely impressed. Whilst part of the walls were covered with pictures and awards of basketball towards each Montez male, there was also a great amount of awards for attendance, piano recitals and academic competitions for Gabriella.
Troy grinned and placed each of his hands beside her head on the glass of the door, caging her in. "She likes to talk."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know. But, she's my best friend."
Troy smiled and nodded. "I gathered from the way you actually ignored me."
"Hey, the only time I get to see you is after school and weekends. If I want to take advantage of that, sue me." She smiled up at him.
"Except when Sharpay is here." He muttered jokingly as he leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers. He smiled into the kiss the moment he felt her tongue lining his bottom lip and gladly opened his mouth. He pulled back breathlessly. "God, I love you. I'm never letting you go."
"Good because you can't get rid of me that easily." She giggled as she ducked under his arm and took his hand, leading him up the stairs.
"Brie, where is everybody? I mean, I know your mom's at work but what about your dad?" Troy asked as they went into Gabriella's room and she locked the door.
She let go of his hand and shrugged. "The last I heard, they had an after-school practice. They somehow found out that the Wildcats are practicing everyday after school."
He shrugged. "Maybe there's another school with a Wildcat as a mascot. My dad hasn't said anything about practicing everyday after school."
She giggled and walked over to her desk. "Knowing my brothers, they probably made it up to get my dad to practice them more so they'll definitely win." She turned to him and smiled innocently. "Good luck?"
He rolled his eyes and sat down on her bed. "Thank you, oh-so-supportive girlfriend of mine."
Gabriella sank gracefully onto her desk chair and sighed, staring at the many books stacked on her desk. "Troy, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, here." She opened her laptop and turned it on. "I want you to win. I want you to do the best you can and be the best Wildcat ever." She twisted in her chair smiled slightly. "But, Carl's my brother and Zeke is like family. The championship should be fun for me." She mumbled as she turned back to her laptop and logged into facebook.
Troy stood up and leaned against her desk, looking down on her. "Brie, I understand. At the championship, just cheer for the Knights, okay?"
"But, I want you to win, too." She muttered as she changed her status.
"And maybe I will. But, maybe Carl will win. Brie, I don't know what to say to make you feel better. I just…don't." He sighed. "God, I must be the worst boyfriend ever." He walked over to her bed and flopped down onto it.
Gabriella laughed to herself and stood up. She climbed onto Troy and rested her head on his chest. "Troy, you're the most wonderful boyfriend I've ever had." She lifted her head and smiled down at him. "Troy, you make me so happy. You've just got to understand that my brothers are important to me, too."
He nodded and stroked her cheek. "I know, I know."
"But, listen, in September, we're in college. We don't have to hide." She said brightly.
Troy wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and rolled them over so he was hovering over her instead. "I know. I can't wait."
She giggled and pushed him away as she got up. "You do know that medicine is one of the most intense degrees out there?"
He shrugged and smirked up at her. "How will you cope with having me as a boyfriend?"
She rolled her eyes and walked back over to her desk. "So, have you told your dad about Berkeley yet?"
"Have you told your dad about Stanford?" He replied with a question of his own.
She sighed and shook her head. "No." She whispered. She reached for her science text book and opened the front cover, revealing the acceptance letter from Stanford which seemed to be taunting her. She had yet to tell the rest of her family about her impending studies at the university and she also had to tell Troy that she was leaving straight after the championship game.
"Brie? You okay?" Troy asked worriedly as he sat up.
"Troy, I haven't told you everything." She mumbled. She twisted to face him as he sat up. "About Stanford, I mean."
"Okay…" He said slowly. "What's up?"
"I'm going there straight after the championship." She whispered as tears stung her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but, I…" She broke off with a sob.
Troy stared at her. "The championship? That's what? Two weeks away?"
Gabriella nodded. "I'm sorry."
"But, why? Why leave now? Aren't you graduating?" Troy asked quietly.
"I'm coming back for graduation. I'm going to Stanford for their freshmen's honour programme. I get to take a couple of classes there with twenty nine other students before September." She explained quietly.
Troy suddenly leapt to his feet and Picked Gabriella up like a bride. He held her to his body as he dropped her feet to the ground. "You are incredible, you know that?"
A confused look crossed her face. "Huh?"
He rolled his eyes and pulled her closer to his body. "Gabriella, you got into Stanford early. Oh, my god. You're amazing."
"But, I didn't tell you…" She whispered.
He shrugged. "At the minute, I'm so proud of you, I don't care. Brie, you're perfect."
She giggled in embarrassment. "I'm glad you're not mad at me."
"Well, let me think. Two weeks until the championship. So, that's when you leave. Graduation for both East and West is exactly one month after the game. So, we have two weeks together, four weeks apart-"
"Three weeks. I'm home for the week before graduation." She explained.
"Okay, three weeks, which is even better, one week before graduation, six weeks of summer and then we're in California together! So, really, we only have to be apart for three weeks. We can still call each other and I have facebook, too. Although, I think I'd better set up a fake account." He joked.
She giggled. "Thank you, Troy." She smiled up at him and leaned up onto her tiptoes. Her lips were just about to touch his when her phone started ringing. She jumped and Troy caught her in his arms to steady her. He reached over and handed her phone to her. She slid it up and held it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Bells, Dad's going to take us out for a burger and fries. You want to come?" Carl asked.
Gabriella heard a muffled door slam and assumed Maria had just left for work. "Actually, I'm studying tonight." She ran her finger up Troy's chest. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?" Carl asked as Troy tightened his arms around Gabriella.
Troy and Gabriella shared a smile. "Yeah. I'm positive."
"Cool. Has Mom left for work?" He asked.
Gabriella led Troy over to her bed and smiled brightly at him. "Yeah. She just left." They lay down together and Gabriella held her phone between her ear and shoulder as she tugged Troy's shirt over his head. "I'm fine, Carl. I'll do myself some dinner, I'm fine."
"You sure? You never turn down a burger." He said suspiciously.
Troy rested a hand firmly on her hip as he leaned down to lightly nuzzle is nose into her neck. Her fingers played with his hair as she lay back comfortably into her pillows. "I know. But, you know how I get with tests. These are finals, Carl. I need to study."
"You don't and you know it. You're the smartest person at West High and," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "you got into Stanford early! You're smart."
Gabriella smiled at her ceiling. She had her brother complimenting her choice to go to Stanford and her boyfriend holding her. Amazing. "But, still. If I wasn't studying, you'd think there was something wrong with me."
"True." He muttered. "We'll see you later. Bye, Bells. Love you."
"Love you, too." She replied softly as she hung up and dropped her phone onto her bedside cabinet.
Troy lifted his head and quirked a single eyebrow. "I'm classed as studying?"
She nodded certainly. "Yeah. I want to be a doctor and I'm studying the male anatomy."
He glared playfully, leaning on his forearms to prop himself up. "So I'm something to study instead of your loving boyfriend who is still incredibly sorry."
"Let me put it this way: I can either study you or study my biology book, leaving no time for physical contact tonight. And then, I'm off to California where I hear there are men with movie star looks on every corner." She sighed dreamily and held a hand dramatically to her forehead.
He frowned down at her. "I feel really unloved right now. First I'm something to study! And now you're choosing movie stars over me."
She wrapped her arms firmly around his neck and brought him down to kiss him fervently. She pulled back and smirked up at him. "What about now?"
He smirked down at her, wrapping his arms tightly around her torso. "I love you, too."
She giggled and ran her hands down his back. "Good. I'm not letting you go now. Not after everything we've been through. And, you never know, I might need rescuing."
"Stay away from lakes while you're in Cali." He ordered softly.
She giggled as he kissed her sweetly. "I promise I will. Daisy's coming with me." She whispered.
"Blitzen won't like that. Not one bit. Wow, we'll be a right pair. I'll be missing you, he'll be missing Daisy."
Gabriella nodded. "I guess so. Is Blitzen neutered?"
Troy shook his head. "No. My parents wanted me to but he isn't aggressive. Quite the opposite, actually. So, I didn't want to pay for something that was pointless. And even if he got given the chance to mate with another dog, he probably wouldn't know what to do, anyway."
She giggled and shrugged. "Well, as long as you'd know what to do."
Troy suddenly realised the second implication of the statement and he held back a moan of her talking like that. She could've been talking about Troy knowing what to do if Blitzen got Daisy pregnant or talking about Troy being experienced with girls and sex. He leaned down and kissed her. "This is the first time we've truly been alone."
She nodded. "I know."
"Aren't you nervous?" He asked sceptically.
She shook her head. "No. Should I be?"
"That's not what I meant. I meant, are you nervous of how far things could go?" He asked quietly.
She shook her head. "I trust you. I trust you enough to know that you won't do anything unless I say its okay."
He kissed her nose. "I love you."
She giggled and kissed him on the lips. "I love you, too."