A/N; So here it goes. I had to write, I couldn't stand it anymore. I don't know how the updates will look in the future, but I've been on a roll those past few dates. This chapter is kind of boring, at the same time important to the plot. I've planned this story out now, so I know how I'm going to write it, it's just a matter of time and lust now. I'm going away tomorrow-sunday so I thought I'd update before. Also, please don't ask for action, because it will come I swear it'll come, and some of you will hate me for it too. I'm getting a beta-reader too, though I thought she should finish school before taking my stories into her hands. lol. Uhm, so enjoy!

It was a gray morning; the storm had finally calmed down leaving a howling wind to whine over the resort. Some spruces laid spread over the white snow land, branches been cracked from its trunk. A lonely deer ran over the street leading up to the big resort, disappearing though the tight forest again, probably going back to the other deer's after yesterday's storm.

Without a human being in sight, the brown-haired guy left his home to walk the snowy and icy walk up to the hotel. It was a cold morning, one of the coldest in a while but he didn't really mind. The whole idea with a snow land is that it's cold, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Finally, stomping off the snow from his feet's he entered the hotel, greeting the always happy receptionist April with a 'morning' and smile before he turned his way over to the food restaurant. A few early morning workers were seated there, some talking with a friend while eating, some reading the news paper and some just eating. The guy greeted once again some of the workers with a nod as he made his way over to the buffet to pick up his morning coffee and a sandwich before continuing to a table in the far end of the big room, where a dark-haired, well-trained guy sat reading the sports of the day while sipping his coffee in-between.

"Yo Stephen," he murmured, and sat down in a chair.

The other guy lifted his head to greet his friend back. "Morning, early pass?" he questioned while taking another sip of his black morning coffee and placing the paper on the table to give full attention.

"You could say so, yes," a groan came back and he dunked his head on the table to make the whole situation a whole lot more dramatic. There was always a 'fight' between the workers for who should take the morning pass; even though they had a scheme to go after there would always be those who actually would trade a pass for something else. Could you blame them, though?

Stephen chuckled and smacked the groaning man's shoulder. "Come on dude, act up. It'll be over before you know it. And hey, think of it this way, you'll be the one to see all the hot chicks first and therefore, you'll be able to catch them before anyone else," he lifted his eyebrows jokingly.

"Ha-ha, now I feel so much better," he joked back and took a big bite from his sandwich.

"See, told you so." He laughed. "Well, I'm going to head off. Talking money with the boss in ten, so I have to prepare a good speech," he said and stood up, gathering all his stuff before turning back. "Any ideas?" he smirked.

"Piss off, Bentley," the brown-headed man chuckled and threw his paper at him.

His colleague chuckled back at him and waved. "See you later, Danforth." And with that, Chad was left to eat his breakfast with no one else but himself. So much for a good company this morning, eh?

After pouring the well needed cup of coffee in his mouth and taken the last bite of the better needed sandwich, Chad Danforth took the scooter to the Sunlight side of Croascount. Even though the early pass, he was glad that he got Sunlight as it was his favourite section of all the different ones at the resort. Weird name you would think, but he loved it no matter what. It was on the opposite side of the hotel and a good ten minutes ride with the snow scooter.

Swishing through the new fallen snow all too fast Chad enjoyed the moment to the max. Not a human soul in sight, the snow fluffy and pouring around him as he forced it away; the grey morning could piss off. This was his paradise, and that's final.

As he rode his scooter, Chad thought about his beautiful girlfriend who was probably lying in her bed, covers up to her jaw and her chest raising and sinking slowly. Her beautiful dark orbs closed while nothing but her steady breaths was heard in the room. He'd spent the night at hers. They'd had a peaceful night just sitting in front of the fireplace talking quietly about random stuff that came to mind. Taylor had told him about her worry for Gabriella, how she thought that 'after all that's happening with Troy' would make her cave and break her to the max. She'd come here to get some peace and now all she gets is Troy, Troy, Troy.

It wasn't like Chad didn't know about this; he wanted Troy and Gabriella to bond too but if that needed time then so let it. Troy had been his best friend since he couldn't remember, and he'd known Gabriella for a few years now. He loved them both but why rush them? In his mind he believed that people that got rushed into things did worse than people that could take their own time.

But despite those thoughts, the afro-haired guy couldn't deny that he wondered what ever went wrong between the two.

As he stood at the lifts half an hour later, Chad spotted a pink dressed girl. Smirking he waited for her to ski over to him, he was surprised to see the once drama queen this early but happy to have something to actually enjoy.

"Well hello Miss. Sharpay," Chad laughed as she stepped to the side to talk to him.

"Oh cut the slack, Danforth, it's not THAT early," she waved her hands in the air and ignored the chuckle that came from the worker.

"Oh yeah, I hadn't expected you here this early. It's a bit early, don't you think?" he pretended like he hadn't heard her words earlier, laughing when the blonde gave him the finger and glared at him.

"Seriously Chad, what do you think of me? Anyways, I'm not here to have a cute talk to you even though I have some serious manners to discuss with you about your dear friend Troy Bolton." Chad sighed, right. "Oh well, I do want to discuss a part of it now, we'll have to have a meeting later about the other part. Moving on, what's wrong with him?" Chad snapped out of his inner thoughts at the last question. His attention snapped to her and saw her dead serious face looking questioningly at him.

"What?"

"What's wrong with him?" Sharpay asked again.

"No, I heard you but, what the heck do you mean?"

"What's wrong with your friend Troy Bolton?! What's taking him so goddamn long?!" Sharpay nearly screamed at the poor guy. He looked around and sighed thankfully when he realized the still early hour keeping other people to not be around.

"Please Sharpay, I'm aware of that you have problems talking clearly to people when you're in your own little pink world, but please try, because I have no idea what you're talking about. Troy's taking long time with what?" Chad pleaded.

Ignoring the comments about her being blunt, Sharpay decided to let Chad into her worries. "Why won't Gabriella tell me that she and Troy's all over each other and planning their wedding?" she actually sounded sad now.

Chad just looked at her for a second, wondering what exactly she meant. When it finally clicked to him that she didn't mean it like that he rubbed his face tiredly. "I don't know Sharpay, I honestly don't know. Troy hasn't told me anything and I'm not going to ask him either, all I know is that he thinks Gabriella's a bit too snappy."

Sharpay watched Chad for a few moments trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or not. It finally got up to her that he was, and she just nodded sadly. "Okay, I'll see you later then, Chad."

"Yeah, see you, Shar," he said softly, giving the lift to her and watched as her pink form disappeared up the hill. He loved Sharpay, he really did. He'd known her almost as long as Troy and he knew that she was lying or 'just not telling' as she would say herself, to Gabriella about not knowing Troy. The real deal is that the three of them went to the same College.

~*~

Troy had woken up that morning finding Gabriella gone. He didn't really expect her lying on his side waiting for him to wake up and go for a round two, but he couldn't deny that he wondered how she thought when she just walked out on him because really, they needed to talk about what happened.

And what happened really? Neither of them was drunk, so it couldn't have been something like a one-night-stand between two drunken persons. She hadn't been fighting against it and so it just couldn't be something like in the heat of the moment, he told himself.

Deciding to take it as it comes and wait till he met Gabriella to think about it, Troy had made himself breakfast in his own kitchen deciding that he wasn't in the mood to eat in a propped restaurant with the rest of his co-workers. At 9:30 he made his way to the scooter store to ride his way over to Chad and his pass.

"Well look who we have here. Morning Dude, where have you been?" Chad immediately asked when Troy stepped off from his scooter and cut the engine beside Troy's. Moving his ski-glasses to sit on his head, Troy walked over to his best friend and sighed tiredly. Did he mention that he hadn't slept that good last night?

"Hey Chad, I don't have the pass until 10 so you should be happy that I'm here 15 minutes early," Troy told him, making Chad shut up and look a little concerned at his friend.

"What's with you anyway? You look a bit… drained?" he asked, deciding it was best to leave the object to be and move on with something that didn't make him all snappy.

Troy sighed and fixed his jacket while he talked, "I've had a restless sleep. It's nothing really, I'm just waiting for the coffee to stick in and I'm fine. Though I'm not really that up for a day of handing hundreds of lifts at the moment, but I'll pull it together."

The almost-afro haired guy watched his best friend closely, Troy Bolton never complained if it wasn't necessary. He was known to be tough and he could handle most any situation with a calm that made the girls' drool after him. Troy Bolton complaining about lack of sleep wasn't really one of the most normal stuff either, which only meant that something was up.

"Hey man, you know, if you want me to I could take the pass. I mean you're probably not feeling that well, and don't even bother trying to say something else because it's pretty obvious," Chad offered and hurried to convince Troy when he frowned.

Troy hesitated for a moment, it would be nice to just go lay back in bed for a while. He sure could use a couple of more hours to sleep, and collect his thoughts. But on the other hand, did he want to see Gabriella the biggest chance would be out riding her snowboard or skis, and not at his home in his bed.

Like last night.

"Thanks for the offer man, but its okay, really," Troy sighed. "And besides, I don't want my bad sleep to come out over you." That was completely true. So what if he hadn't had a good sleep, Chad shouldn't be the one to work extra because of that. Even though he was his best friend and only meant it for Troy's best.

Chad paused, but after a few seconds he seemed to decide that he believed Troy. "Okay man, whatever you say." He patted Troy's back and they both turned to the lifts again. "Hey, by the way, are you up for a ride with the girls' tonight? Taylor and I were thinking of heading up north to Sunset Hill."

Troy thought for only a second. The girls' would mean Gabriella, and even though he was tired as never before he did need to talk with her. "Yeah sure."