A/N: Well, I had my English exam yesterday. My last exam is next friday but then I'm away for the weekend. But, then I have an extended summer :)

Don't own HSM x

Chapter 17 –

Gabriella watched Troy regrettably descend her tree and then reached for her cell phone, knowing he'd text soon. As she tidied her room, getting her bed sorted out and putting yesterday's clothes in the hamper, she couldn't help but blush at the thought of last night. They had made love a second time and Gabriella had contributed a little more, wanting Troy to feel the pleasure just like she did. After they had fallen asleep again, they woke up and got dressed. Troy had, of course, dressed in his shirt and shorts from the previous day but Gabriella had chosen a summer dress with blue flowers on it, falling just below her knees. It hadn't been on her body for more than a minute before Troy had taken it off again. They had almost made love another time but then they heard people getting up and had decided against it.

Troy had left so he could shower and change his clothes and to get Blitzen as they had agreed to meet at the park, knowing they wouldn't be able to go the day without each other after such a wonderful night. It had been perfect. Admittedly, she had been a little scared for two reasons. One, it was her first time and she was terrified that Troy wouldn't like it because of her inexperience. Two, her family had been in the house at the time. But, no one woke up; they'd been as quiet as they could've been and they'd both loved it.

Gabriella realised that she should probably go downstairs because she needed to see Daisy and it was quite late for her. Her family would soon think something was wrong when it was the opposite. She entered the kitchen to see Maria cooking pancakes, Greg reading the newspaper and Carl, Landon and Zeke were eating breakfast. She sat down next to Greg and kissed his cheek. "Good morning."

Carl frowned at her. "You had a nice lie in."

Gabriella nodded. "Last night, I got into this really good Nicholas Sparks book and I couldn't put it down."

"That's nice, mi hija." Maria commented as she placed some pancakes in front of her daughter. She winked at Gabriella, making her blush.

Gabriella began adding some jelly and cream to her pancake and then started cutting it up. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye and saw Zeke tapping the island counter rhythmically. "What's up with you, twitchy?"

Carl rolled his eyes as he ate his own pancakes. "He asked Sharpay to the movies yesterday."

"Really?" Gabriella asked excitedly.

Carl nodded. "Yeah. He was so shocked she'd said yes."

"I didn't see that one coming." She mumbled sarcastically.

"I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend." Zeke blurted out.

"Wow…And here I was thinking you didn't love her at all." Carl rolled his eyes.

Zeke glared at him. "Shut up."

"She'll say yes." Gabriella said softly.

"How do you know?"

"She's my best friend and we tell each other everything." Gabriella said softly, smiling at him. "She'll say yes."

"When you say everything…" Zeke trailed off.

"Not details!" She exclaimed. "You're like my brother. That's like Carl telling me how many girls he's slept with."

Carl's mouth fell open. "Gabs! For your information, I haven't slept with a girl."

"Right…and I am a leprechaun." She said sarcastically.

"Well…with your height, you could be." Carl joked.

"Some guys think it's cute." She exclaimed.

"Guys? What guys?" Greg asked hurriedly.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter, Daddy. Just think of it this way: I'm eighteen. I'm going to find a guy sooner or later."

"Yeah, when you're forty." He decided.

"No!" She exclaimed. "Daddy…" She pouted and crossed her arms.

Greg sighed as he looked at her. "Fine. As soon as you graduate college."

She turned back to her pancakes. "Better than forty."

Daisy suddenly bounded in with a rubber toy shaped as Santa in her mouth and stood on her hind legs to rest her front paws on Gabriella's thigh. Her owner ruffled her fur. "I love you too, Daisy. I'm sorry about last night. You can have my room again tonight." She took the toy from Daisy and threw it into the hallway.

"Why did Daisy sleep down here, anyway?" Landon asked.

Gabriella's eyes widened. "Why? Because I figured that she should learn to sleep in other places because of college and…you know."

Carl stared at his sister in disbelief. "Really?"

"College?" Greg asked. "I thought you were going to U of A to stay at home."

"Well," she looked intently at her breakfast, "I thought that I could live on campus." She wasn't lying. She was just living at Stanford's campus.

Carl put his knife and fork down. "Gabs, can I talk to you in the living room, please?"

She nodded and slid off of her island stool, leading the way into the lounge. "What?"

"Are you kidding me?" He whispered.

She shrugged. "I don't want him to be mad at me."

"Do you really think he would be?" Carl asked.

She wiped her eyes which had turned glossy. "I don't know, Carl. I just know that I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I'm scared. I'm scared to be away from you. You're one of my best friends."

Carl nodded as they both sat down. "I know, Bells. I know. I'm scared, too. I mean, there's a big difference between us. I actually want to play ball for my future. But, I'm still scared."

Gabriella sniffed. "I can't imagine you not being there anymore. You've always been there. Protecting me. Especially from guys." She smiled sadly. "And I'm scared of a lot of things. I'm scared of moving away from Albuquerque. This place is my home. I'm afraid of Stanford. It's going to be big. I'm scared of Dad's disappointment in me. And all of our brothers. And my friends. But, you, too. No one's really been there as much as you. I mean, there are some things we can't talk about but…"

"I know." He laughed to himself. "And if it's to do with guys, feel free to keep it to yourself. But, you need to tell him. Mom's behind you, I'm behind you and blondie, too."

Gabriella giggled. "I know. You have no idea how much your support means to me."

He kissed her forehead. "You're my little sister and you're going to be a great doctor someday. I promise. No matter what everyone else says."

* * *

Gabriella jumped into Troy's arms as soon as she saw him, leaving Daisy to greet Blitzen. "Troy, I've missed you so much."

"It's only been an hour." He chuckled as he held her in his arms, her feet not even touching the ground.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and shrugged. "Are you complaining?"

"You mean about holding my so beautiful, sexy, hot, amazing girlfriend in my arms the day after our first time making love? Hell no!" He exclaimed indignantly.

She giggled and leaned down to kiss him, her arms tight around his neck. She pulled back, just parting enough for her to speak. "Are you coming back tonight?"

"I'm not sure." He said seriously. "It's not that I don't want to but my parents are getting annoyed because I'm never home. Besides, after last night, I don't think it's a good idea, considering it's a school night."

She giggled and nodded. "I guess."

"You were absolutely amazing last night." He whispered as he set her on the ground.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"I mean it." He smiled encouragingly at her as he nudged her cheek with his nose.

"Blitzen does that to Daisy." She protested, looking up at him.

He kissed the tip of her nose and chuckled. "Well, believe me?"

"But, it was my first time." She muttered. "How could I be amazing?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. But, you were. I promise."

She suddenly smiled and nodded. "Okay. You were wonderful, too. Amazing."

Troy pressed his lips to hers and then they both lay down, his arm around her shoulders. "Where's Sharpay today?"

"Movies with Zeke. He actually asked her out. And he's asking her to be his girlfriend, too." She tilted her head to smile excitedly at Troy. "Shar might have a boyfriend by the end of today."

He nodded, chuckling. "You happy for her?"

"Of course." She giggled. "They're so damn in love, it's unbelievable."

"More than us?" Troy asked seriously.

Gabriella thought about it for a moment. "I'm going to say no. But, it's because we need to be confident that this isn't going to end. I want you, Troy."

"I know." He whispered. "You've got me. I'm not going away. I told you: you will always have me close. I'm not going anywhere. And…just for the record, I want you, too."

She giggled and heard Daisy bark happily with Blitzen barking straight after her. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. "You know, maybe I'll keep you instead of those Californian men."

Troy laughed as he shifted onto his side and slid his hand under the hem of her dress. His lips attached softly to her neck as his hand ran up and down her thigh. "Well, I'm glad you love me so much." He mumbled between kisses.

She giggled, stroking his hair. "Do you think you should be doing this?"

"Why not?" He muttered into her skin, his fingers dancing lightly over her thigh.

"Things could keep going…" She trailed off and pushed him away. She sighed and twisted her head to see Daisy lying down peacefully, panting from running around and the heat and Blitzen was lying beside her, licking her back.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked quietly, stroking her arm. He leaned up onto his elbow to look down at her. "Is it your dad? And brothers and friends?"

She turned her head to look up at him. "No, it's not that."

He shrugged. "Then…what?"

"Do you ever think about the future?" She asked quietly.

He nodded, brushing some curls from her forehead. "Everyday."

"What do you see?" She whispered.

"What do you see?" He replied.

"I'm serious." She exclaimed as she sat up, making him sit up, too.

"You." He whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. "I see you."

She blushed and leaned forward to kiss him. "I love you."

"Ever since I've told you, you haven't stopped saying it." He laughed, kissing her nose.

"Well, it's true." She pouted, looking unbelievably adorably to Troy.

"I know. I love you, too." He whispered.

* * *

Sharpay grunted in frustration. What to wear? What to wear? Did Gabriella have this much trouble on her first date with Troy? Probably. When it was her first date with Troy, she wasn't able to call Sharpay and ask for her opinion. She'd had to struggle by herself. And this wasn't even going to somewhere as fancy as The Glitz. This was just the movies. She'd been trying to impress Zeke for years and now she was clueless. She was the fashion queen at West High. She always had the right outfit for the right occasion. She always had the perfect style. And now she couldn't think of anything that would look right.

"Ryan!" She yelled, pulling her bedroom door open.

Ryan appeared a few seconds later in his pyjamas and yawned tiredly. "What?"

"What do I wear?" She demanded.

He shrugged. "What do you usually wear?"

"This is a date, not some…whatever. What do I wear?" She repeated.

"How should I know?" He exclaimed.

"You're my brother!" She whined.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I honestly don't know. I'm going back to bed." He waved his hand dismissively as he retraced his steps to his room.

"Why Martha fell for you is beyond me!" She yelled before she slammed the door. She folded her arms over her pink sparkly nightdress and pouted. Gabriella was her last resort. Whether she'd just slept with Bolton or not, she was going to give her advice. She picked up her cell phone and dialled Gabriella's phone, holding it to her ear.

Sharpay assumed that Gabriella had checked the caller ID because the first thing the blonde heard was giggling and, "Troy, stop it."

"Okay, whatever he's doing to you is making me want to hurl." She exclaimed.

"Hey, Evans, mind your own business." Troy exclaimed. "Baby, don't run away from me!"

"Okay, I'm here." Gabriella giggled.

"Gabs?" Sharpay asked.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"Stop it!"

"It's not my fault. Troy's-" Gabriella started.

"I don't want to know." Sharpay interrupted as she went back over to her walk in closet. "Options for movies."

Gabriella immediately knew what Sharpay was talking about and took on a business-like tone. "What movie are you seeing?"

"Zeke said we could see Ghost of Girlfriends Past because I want to see it. I offered to watch that Star Wars movie he's weirdly into or Transformers but he said it was cool." Sharpay explained, sifting through her outfits.

"Right. Rom-com. Hmmm… Troy, stop it. This is serious." Gabriella protested.

"You're giving her advice on what to wear." He said, boredom lacing his voice. "What's more important: outfits or me?"

"You can't ask me that. Number one: I'm a girl. I love clothes. Number two: Shar is going on a date with Zeke. It's important." She whined.

"'Kay." He mumbled. "It's a good job I love you. I'll go and play with Daisy and Blitzen."

"Love you, too." She called happily. "So, you're seeing a rom-com, it's your first date and you're Sharpay Evans. What about that dress you bought last week?"

"He's seen that." Sharpay mumbled.

"Has he?" Gabriella asked. "Anyway, do you want to stick to pink?"

"Well duh! He'd think I was sick or something if I showed up in something other than pink." Sharpay exclaimed indignantly. "Yes, I want pink."

"Glitter?" Gabriella questioned.

"A little. Nothing overpowering. If I was going to The Glitz…" She trailed off.

"Hey! The Glitz is our thing. A little glitter…" She trailed off thoughtfully. "What about that white and pink shirt with the rhinestones and the matching skirt?"

Sharpay spied the outfit suggested by her friend and tugged experimentally on the sleeve. "I like it. Girl, we must be so lame. We know every outfit in our closets."

Gabriella giggled. "I guess. Ow! Blitzen!" She exclaimed through giggles. "Troy! Don't just stand there."

"I'm sorry, baby." He said through laughs. "Blitzen, go to Daisy. I love you."

"Hmmmm…Rescue me a little faster next time." She exclaimed jokingly. "Love you, too."

"So, how was he?" Sharpay asked softly as she took her desired outfit into her bedroom.

"How was who?" Gabriella asked slowly.

"How was Troy?" She repeated.

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked quietly.

"In bed. Is he really as good as he looks?" Sharpay asked.

"Sharpay!" She exclaimed through a laugh. "I'm not telling you that."

"Was he bad?"

"Shar." Gabriella laughed.

"He was good?"

"Shar!"

"He was! Admit it. He was great." Sharpay said triumphantly.

Gabriella laughed softly. "Well, I've got nothing to compare him to."

Sharpay shrugged to herself. "But, did everything happen together?"

"I am definitely not telling you that." Gabriella decided. "Have fun."

Sharpay rolled her eyes as she hung up. "The cheeky girl. That boy has changed her more than she knows."

* * *

Gabriella sat on her balcony that evening with Daisy after returning home from her afternoon with Troy. Although they'd only parted a few hours ago, Troy was already on the phone to her.

"What are you doing now?"

Gabriella gently played with a curl in her hair as she replied. "I'm sitting on my balcony waiting for Zeke to come home or for Shar to ring – by the way you are probably holding that call up – because I'm nervous in case something has gone horribly wrong."

"I can go if you want seeing as it sounds like you're more interested in your best friend than your boyfriend." Gabriella could hear the joking tone in his voice but also knew he was being serious at the same time.

"Trust me it's fine. Once Shar has tried a few times, she'll get annoyed when I'm engaged and will ring the house. Besides who knows what time they'll get in even though it's a school night." Gabriella's attention was suddenly drawn to the car that pulled up in the Montez driveway. "Zeke's back."

Troy could hear her perk up at the sight of her friend. "How's he look?"

Assessing him for a few seconds, she frowned seeing the blank look he wore across his face. "Troy, I gotta go. Something's up. I'll call you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too, babe. Goodnight."

Hanging up the phone, the petite teen walked through her room and down the stairs just as Zeke entered the house. "What happened?"

Zeke just shrugged and walked past as Carl appeared from the living room, too. "What happened, dude? You ask her?"

Turning to the Montez twins, Zeke just shrugged. "Nothing really. Took her to the movies, grabbed a bite to eat, took a walk in the park and asked her to be my girlfriend and took her home. You know, nothing a normal date doesn't consist of."

Gabriella looked at Carl before turning back to the boy in front of her. "And what did she say?"

"Oh she said yes obviously."

Carl slapped hands in congratulations with their friend. "Way to go, dude."

Carl and Zeke flinched as Gabriella squealed and pulled them into a hug. "This is so awesome. I have to go call Shar."

The two boys just laughed as she ran out the kitchen and up to her room in excitement.

***

"You should have seen how nervous he was, Gabi. His whole body was shaking with nerves, I just wanted to jump up and say yes but I was scared in case he hadn't been planning on asking." The whole phone conversation between the two girls had been full of 'aww' and 'really' in near enough every sentence.

"I was worried you'd turned him down when he got back. He barely said anything and just looked blank."

Sharpay laughed. "Yeah that was kinda my idea. I wanted him to make you wait a few minutes longer because I knew you would have been spying on him, hoping to judge him straight away."

Gabriella pouted even though no one could see her. "You're mean."

"Well that's what you get for failing to give me real detail earlier." Gabriella rolled her eyes. "You do know that if you could somehow find a way to tell Zeke all about you and Troy because he wouldn't freak, we could double date."

Sighing, she tried to ignore the thoughts that filled her head if Zeke or her brothers or even her dad ever found out about her and Troy. "Not happening, Shar. Zeke will kill not only Troy but me too for dating him when I know full well the relationship they have with any Wildcat."

"This sucks. How is it the one time we both have boyfriends we can't double date because of a stupid rivalry?"

"Tell me about it. You don't have to live being torn in your heart." Gabriella whispered.

"It'll get easier, Gabs, I promise. And remember no matter what happens you'll always have me and your Mom. Heck even Zeke because we both know I have him wrapped around my little finger so tight he's stuck."

Gabriella smiled. "Thanks, Shar. Plus, make sure it's only your little finger Zeke stays tied around." The two girls laughed as they carried on talking long into the night.