Brief Encounter

Summary: Can anything good come from a mix-up?

Disclaimer: High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney, I just have them on secondment.

A/N: Sorry this has taken longer than normal but I have been in London for the Première meaning I've been away from the computer for three days. I count myself very fortunate to actual see Zac and Vanessa in the flesh and can I just say she is even more gorgeous in person. The 'Hotness' so deserves his nickname, he had me spellbound for sure.

"Fair enough. You're still my shining star though," he reiterated smiling when he looked at her to find her fast asleep.

Pressure

Arriving at Burbank airport the following afternoon threw them back into the maelstrom of LA with a vengeance. Somehow the paparazzi had been tipped off, swarming around the airport like flies around shit, cameras flashed in their faces, blinding them with the dazzle, dumb questions were thrown at them rapidly much like a semi-automatic machine gun and not bothering to wait for a reply, even if one had been forthcoming. Chad darted off in front signalling silently to Troy with a nod of his head as he summed up the situation. Sharpay seemed to be the only one taking it in her stride, smiling broadly at the photogs as she strutted across the tarmac arm in arm with Zeke towards the terminal, taking some of the swarm with her. Troy swore under his breath, guiding Gabriella and Taylor swiftly through the terminal and out the other side with the minimum of fuss from the airport staff to where Chad was waiting with the trunk and back door open. Troy pushed Gabriella and Taylor into the back seat while Chad quickly helped the porter store their bags, pushing one of the pack out of the way who was still clicking away through the smoked-glass window before jumping into the driver's seat and driving off.

"Holy shit! That was freakin' scary," gasped Taylor.

"I'm sorry, Babe," apologised Chad from the front seat, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Now I can understand why you get so stressed," Taylor said looking at Gabriella in sympathy.

"How the hell did they know we'd be there?" demanded Troy frowning.

"Someone had to have given them a tip unless they've tapped into Traffic Control and I'm sure there's a law against that," sighed Gabriella.

"Morons!" huffed Troy.

"I'll second that," agreed Chad.

"There should be a law against them," grumbled Taylor.

"I agree but there isn't. It will take a tragedy to alter the stance of the dumb asses in congress and change this farcical invasion of privacy," growled Troy. Gabriella leaned forward and put her arm around Troy's neck, stroking him to calm him down.

"There's no point getting worked up about it, Troy. We just have to accept it comes with the territory of our chosen career path," she said softly.

"Maybe, but I don't have to like it," moaned Troy catching her hand and grazing his lips against it.

"Do you two ever stop," taunted Taylor.

"No," they replied in unison laughing at Taylor's expletive.

The break had been sorely needed. Troy, Chad and the team arrived back in training on Tuesday morning feeling fresh and pumped up, ready for the first round consisting of 7 play-off matches starting Friday against Phoenix Suns at the Staples Center with the second game occurring on Sunday afternoon again on home turf.

Gabriella was also thrust back into a hectic work schedule. Meetings held with Caroline, her record company executives and Ryan progressed over the next three days as they thrashed out the logistics of her forthcoming tour. Finally, by late Thursday they seemed to reach an agreement, 32 cities were pencilled in with an additional two concerts in LA and New York, which would at least give Gabriella a chance to catch her breath in between the marathon tour schedule. Assistants scurried from the room to begin making the arrangements as plans for another meeting the following morning was scheduled to finalise the decision on Gabriella's second single release and all the back room work that entailed including booking studio time, arranging photo and video shoots once that decision had been made.

"Jeez, whoever said the life of a singer was easy didn't know what the hell they were talking about," grumbled Gabriella as she left the building with Caroline and Ryan.

"At least the bulk of it is over now," consoled Caroline with a smile.

"Hmpf! I think it's just beginning," snorted Gabriella. "I need a drink."

"Now that's the best thing I've heard all day," grinned Caroline.

"Sounds good to me too," agreed Ryan leading them into a wine bar on the next block. The girls secured a table easily in the still sparsely populated room while Ryan went to the bar.

"You will be coming with me, won't you?" asked Gabriella looking worriedly at Caroline.

"Try and keep me away; isn't that what managers do, make sure everything runs like clockwork?" reassured Caroline, "Besides where else can a girl get free travel thrown in." Gabriella rolled her eyes but giggled at the sparkle in Caroline's eyes. "It will be fun."

"For you maybe, not for me. It will be bloody hard work," moaned Gabriella.

"We'll need to look at your wardrobe too, Gabi," commented Caroline as Ryan approached with their drinks.

"Hmm, I might have the answer to that, subject to your agreement of course," interjected Ryan.

"Really," said Caroline excitedly, "you never fail to amaze me, Ryan. How do you always seem to have the answer?"

"It's my forte," shrugged Ryan nonchalantly, "although Gabi might not agree to my suggestion," he added looking at Gabriella speculatively.

"Uh-oh, why do I get the impression I'm not going to like this," asked Gabriella biting her bottom lip as she looked at him.

"Sharpay could help you out," he supplied hurrying onwards as Gabriella groaned, "she's in the fashion business and owns boutiques around California."

"Thanks Ryan, but I don't want to look like pink candy floss," replied Gabriella sarcastically.

"That's her preferred choice admittedly but she knows her stuff, Gabi. She has a wonderful instinct for pulling designs together and no, they aren't all in shades of pink." he added with a chuckle as Gabriella opened her mouth to interrupt him. "You could at least talk to her and see what she throws into the mix."

"I guess I could," muttered Gabriella reluctantly taking a swift gulp of her drink before switching topics. "I really want to use Kelsi's song and I hope you'll back me up, Ryan. It's time she was recognised for the talent she is."

"I'm behind you all the way on that one, Gabi. If you can perform it like you did at Lava Springs they won't be able to refuse."

"Hey, are you giving free performances away?" demanded Caroline. Gabriella rolled her eyes and smirked at Ryan.

"Only to friends, Caro. I kinda got talked into it by his sister," she explained jerking her head at Ryan.

"Railroaded more like," chuckled Ryan. Gabriella nodded in agreement as her cell phone rang and she hastily took it out of her pocket, grinning when she saw the caller ID.

"Excuse me," she said walking away from the table towards the door, conscious of Caroline's speculative gaze and Ryan's knowing grin.

"Hey you," she said softly.

"Hey yourself. Are you nearly done?"

"Yeah, finally, it ran on later than I expected. I'm just having a drink with Ryan and Caro."

"Good, I'm missing you."

"Aw Babe, I'm missing you too. I shouldn't be too long," she promised.

"That's music to my ears, Darling. I love you."

"I love you too, see you soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise," she replied huskily before hanging up and going back to the table, her cheeks flushed.

"You look like you've been caught with your hand in the cookie jar," commented Caroline, "is there something I should know?" Gabriella looked at Ryan who shook his head letting her know he hadn't said anything.

"I guess I should," admitted Gabriella glancing again at Ryan who shrugged his shoulders indicating it was up to her, "but you have to promise to keep it quiet." Caroline's eyebrows rose but she nodded.

"I...I'm seeing Troy," she revealed.

"Troy as in Troy Bolton?" hissed Caroline quietly. Gabriella nodded.

"Bloody Hell!" she uttered her mouth opening and closing in shock. "Wow! Can I just say I'm freakin' jealous, I mean, Troy Bolton is just wow," she gasped trying to keep her voice down. Gabriella grinned at her.

"Yeah he is," she agreed dreamily. Ryan groaned looking from one shocked face to one grinning like a simpleton.

"Shit! Caroline, don't encourage her for god's sake," he moaned earning a playful thump off Gabriella.

"Did this all stem from that mix up at the airport?" asked Caroline.

"Uh-huh," admitted Gabriella looking guiltily at her manager and friend.

"You sly old fox, and I never knew?" gasped Caroline. "Well," she uttered flabbergasted. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks."

"So the court side tickets?" queried Caroline slyly. Gabriella groaned and rolled her eyes as Ryan smirked.

Taylor rolled her eyes yet again as Troy once more rose from the chair and roamed around the room in a restless state.

"She better be here soon or I'm gonna hit you with something," she promised. Troy smirked at her and Chad chuckled.

"Getting on your nerves, Tay?" he taunted.

"I'm more concerned for the state of our floor. I swear there's a groove where you keep walking," huffed Taylor.

"What's got your boxers in a twist anyway?" teased Chad clearly perplexed since Troy had come over half an hour ago he'd hardly said a thing.

"I need to ask her something," replied Troy cryptically. Taylor looked speculatively at Chad and made an 'O' sound.

"Like what, you...you're not gonna pop the question are you?" asked Chad looking shocked.

"Please," smirked Troy, "with you two here? Get real, I have more finesse than that."

"Spoilsport," taunted Taylor, "it could have been fun watching you fumble through a proposal. Would you get on bending knee, I wonder?"

"Keep on wondering, Tay," chuckled Troy when Taylor hmphed with disappointment just as they heard the key in the lock. "Weren't you two going out?" he hinted. Taylor smirked and shook her head enjoying his crestfallen look.

"Not at the moment. The movie doesn't start for another hour," she informed him.

"Hey, I'm home," shouted Gabriella from the hallway followed by keys hitting the sideboard then her stilettos tapping on the hard flooring drawing nearer.

"A good day?" queried Taylor her eyes twinkling at Troy's groan knowing Gabriella would respond to her question.

"Not sure if you'd call it a good day," replied Gabriella kicking her shoes off with a heartfelt sigh before hugging Troy, planting a kiss on his waiting lips. "It was more productive than the last two days I guess. They've outlined plans for a thirty two cities tour, it's going to be a marathon, Tay," sighed Gabriella continuing with the conversation. "And I still have another meeting tomorrow to decide the next single but I have Ryan to back me up and fight for Kelsi's composition, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Sheesh! You're not joking, Gabs. Do I need to look for a new roomy?" joked Taylor trying to lighten the mood.

"Now where would you find one as lovable as me?" teased Gabriella. Chad coughed theatrically and both Taylor and Gabriella burst out laughing. "I guess he does offer services I can't supply."

"Maybe but he's not really house trained," chipped in Troy with a chuckle.

"It wouldn't take me long to lick him into shape," said Taylor with confidence.

"Eww! Tay, I don't think I needed that mental picture, thank you very much," groaned Gabriella scrunching up her face.

"Hey, I am here you know," grumbled Chad, which made the other three laugh. "I'm not that bad, am I?" he asked looking at Troy.

"Of course you're not, Buddy," teased Troy rolling his eyes giving lie to that statement.

"Come on, Tay. Haven't we got a film to go to?" said Chad standing up trying to divert the conversation away before Troy incriminated him any more and put Taylor off for life.

"We have indeed," agreed Taylor taking pity on her boyfriend, "See you later," she added as she and Chad walked down the hallway.

"Thank god for that," said Troy with feeling when he heard the door close behind them, grabbing Gabriella to pull her in for an in-depth lip lock. "Hmm! I needed that. I've missed you."

"You only saw me this morning," she giggled resting her head against his.

"I know but that's way too long," he insisted. "God knows how I'll cope when you start touring."

"I know, it will be hard," she sighed drowning in his eyes. He gave her a crooked grin.

"The phone company will love us, that's for sure," he commented lightening the conversation.

"That's true. Wonder if we can get a discount?" she wondered with a grin making him chuckle in response. "Have you eaten?"

"No, I was waiting for you," he replied. "I don't feel like going out, shall I order in?"

"That sounds heavenly cos I don't feel like moving from here either." Troy smiled.

"Good answer," he said kissing her sweet lips again, losing himself in their softness.

"Er Troy, food," she giggled moving away.

"You're no fun," he grumbled moving towards the phone.

"I can be," she teased, "later." He gave her a toothy grin and a wink before dialling for food. Gabriella walked into her bedroom, slipping out of her clothes and taking a quick shower before changing into a silky ivory slip and matching robe.

"Now if you'd told me your plans, I could have delayed the food," moaned Troy from the bedroom door, his eyes gleaming in anticipation when her nipples involuntary tautened against the silky fabric.

"I need sustenance first," she replied with a giggle. "You forget I know you, Bolton. Get me into bed and I'll never get out again."

"Are you complaining?" he teased walking up to her and running a finger along her cheek. His musky scent filled her nostrils and she shook her head.

"How could I, I need you to breath," she said huskily slipping her hands over his shoulders leading up to his neck, pulling his head down until she brushed her lips over his, nibbling his full lower lip with her teeth, her breath catching in her throat when he gathered her close deepening the kiss by allowing her access to his minty mouth, delicious shivers of need hit her nerve endings when their tongues touched.

"The feeling is mutual," he replied several minutes later when they came up for air. "Shall we skip dinner?"

"I don't think so Buster, I'm famished," she said with a giggle moving away but leading him by the hand back into the lounge just as the door buzzed.

"I am too but not for food," he leered at her before going to answer the door.

After they'd eaten they snuggled up on the sofa, Troy's arms entwined around Gabriella, his head resting on her hair, her back pressed closer than close while they watched Armageddon. Troy's arms tightened their hold when he felt moisture fall on his forearm as the film neared the end.

"Sorry," sniffed Gabriella, "I always cry when Bruce dies for the sake of mankind."

"That's another film I won't be watching again then," announced Troy. Gabriella twisted to look quizzically at him. "I hate seeing you cry," he revealed pressing his lips to her eyes, mopping up the tear drop that hung from her lash, his hands held the side of her head as his thumbs moved across her face to wipe the moisture away before following through with a comforting kiss that gradually changed to one of passion as his tongue received admittance as Gabriella twisted on the sofa, flattening her breasts against his hard torso as she pressed her body against his feeling his body spring to life against her.

"Are you allowed to..uhm...you know the night before a big game?" she asked huskily when breathing became a necessity. Troy smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement at her delicate turn of phrase.

"Who's to know?" he whispered, "besides I play out of my skin when we've...uhm...you know, so coach said any way," he teased chuckling when she blushed charmingly. Gabriella thumped him on the arm playfully then pulled away, sitting up on the sofa. "Hey where do you think you're going?" he moaned. Gabriella smiled as she stood up.

"Relax, I'm only going to the bathroom," she answered with a smirk, "If you want something to do, I'd love a drink," she hinted as she left the room. Troy sighed and stood walking into the kitchen to carry out her wish, filling a glass with Muscadet and grabbing a bottle of beer for himself.

Placing them on the coffee table, Troy sat back down on the sofa just as Gabriella came back in and nestled down next to him, reaching over to take a sip from her glass.

"I got a call from dad today saying they're coming up tomorrow for the weekend to watch the games," informed Troy.

"Hey that will be great. I'd love to see them again," said Gabriella excitedly.

"Does that mean you're coming tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"But of course, I enjoyed the last game," she said with a giggle, "didn't think I would but I guess I did have an extra incentive," she added with an impish grin, "and besides I have to support my man." Troy couldn't resist planting a kiss on her lips.

"I'm glad to hear that and talking of support I was wondering if Chad and I could stay over here and let them have the run of our place?" asked Troy.

"Do you even need to ask, Troy. You and Chad practically live over here anyway and I'm sure Taylor will be more than happy. Who knows, she may even start house training Chad," finished Gabriella with a giggle.

"Now that I have to see," chuckled Troy.

"Does Chad know that he's moving out?" she queried.

"Not yet, I wanted to run it by you first but I'll let him know when they come back or maybe tomorrow if they decide to crash at our place but only if you promise to square it with Taylor," he replied with a grin.

"Don't say you're scared of Tay?" she teased.

"Who me? Nah...okay well maybe a little," he confessed. "After the tongue lashing last weekend I don't think I could stand anymore aggravation."

"Aw poor baby, it was stressful but at least it worked out right in the end. Did I say Ryan suggested that Sharpay could help with my tour wardrobe." Troy spluttered as he took a pull of his beer.

"Freakin' hell!" issued from his lips, "Is he serious?"

"Uh huh," she concurred with a slight nod.

"How do you feel about that? To be honest he's right, she does know all about fashion and you must admit she does have a certain flair but it's whether you want to be in close proximity to her, she does kind of dominate proceedings."

"Don't I know it, that's why I'm very hesitant to agree to it. I'll talk to Caro about it then we'll see," she said with a sigh.

"Don't get pushed into anything just because you feel obligated to Ryan. This is business, not personal," warned Troy pulling her closer to him until she was lying across his lap.

"Uhm, I know you're right. Forget business, getting personal sounds more interesting," she said huskily, a seductive smile lit up her face as she pulled his head down.

"Now you're talking," he whispered his eyes darkening as he stared into her mesmerising chocolate eyes until she moaned pulling herself up to take her fill of his lips and the nectar beyond.

The meeting the next morning went without a hitch, within half an hour Ryan and Gabriella had convinced the powers that be that 'Sunshine' would be her next release after Gabriella gave an impromptu acappella performance and the rest of the morning was spent in hastily arranging studio time for the following Monday and discussing possible scenarios for the accompanying video with the creative team; photo-shoots were arranged for the following week and another meeting fixed for Friday to review the progress. It felt like she was caught on a roller-coaster such was the speed with which the record company was pushing to rush the next single out, determined to take advantage of the roaring success of the first one that had reached number three on the billboard charts and was still holding it's own at number seven.

She was back in her apartment by 12.30, glad of the small respite and the chance to spend a relaxing afternoon pampering herself before going to the first play-off match. Taylor walked in at 3.00pm in her scrubs having been in work since 7.00am, looking weary.

"You look shattered, Tay," said Gabriella. "Bad day?"

"It could have been worse, I'm just so tired," replied Taylor with a sigh.

"Why don't you take a bath and get your head down for a couple of hours?" suggested Gabriella, "I'll wake you in plenty of time for the game, besides we get preferential treatment since Chad gave you that pass, we can drive straight into the players car park so why not use it?"

"I forgot about that," replied Taylor with a tired smile. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Gabs. See you in a couple of hours."

They made it with twenty minutes to spare and were shown to the seats reserved for the players families with the minimum of fuss. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd in good spirits eager for the game to start. The cheerleaders were in full voice, inciting the crowd to join in with the chants. Gabriella and Taylor had just settled in their seats when she heard her name called. Looking around she spotted Amy walking at the side of the court with Jack and Lucy bringing up the rear, waving energetically and wearing a huge smile so like her brother's. Gabriella waved back, standing as Amy neared to hug her before she sat in one of the three empty seats to Gabriella's left.

"Jack, Lucy, it's good to see you again," she greeted each of Troy's parents with a hug before turning to Taylor. "This is my best friend, Taylor. Taylor, these are Troy's parents."

"Hello," said Taylor, shaking hands with each of them.

"Hey Taylor, you must be Chad's girlfriend," greeted Lucy with a smile. "I hope you're keeping him in line." Taylor laughed.

"Oh I am," confirmed Taylor. Lucy laughed before sitting next to Gabriella. Jack sat on the other side of Amy just as the PA system crackled into life as the announcer introduced the Phoenix Suns. The crowd cheered with enthusiasm, knowing the game was about to start. When the Lakers were announced one by one the place erupted into thunderous cheers and whistles as each of their heroes ran onto the court. Gabriella cheered along with the crowd, caught up in the excitement, her voice getting louder and louder as Jason, Zeke then Chad was announced leaving Troy until the last. Her heart thumped madly when she spotted him, her eyes hungrily raking him from head to foot and back up again. He waved to the crowd on each side before taking a ball and firing it into the basket, turning as it swished through the net to look directly at Gabriella, with a smile and wink, he turned back to his team for last minute instructions from the coach.

The play was fast and furious, going from one end to the other as both teams fought for the break and it wasn't until the end of the third quarter when Zeke anticipated a pass, intercepting the ball and sending Chad on his way, the crowd roaring their approval when he made a two point basket. Phoenix tried to fight back in the fourth quarter but the Lakers defended well, ensuring the two point lead remained in their favour and as the crowd started to count down the final minute, Troy stole the ball and made a three pointer putting the game beyond their opponents. Gabriella's heart was beating fast as she watched the seconds tick by, willing the game to be over, standing up and cheering when the final buzzer sounded.

"And that was from a girl that doesn't know the first thing about the game," smirked Taylor standing next to her.

"Oh shut up, it was exciting," exclaimed Gabriella.

"What have I been telling you for months?" taunted Taylor.

"Hush, Tay," begged Gabriella glaring at her friend. "I still don't really understand it." Lucy stood on her other side laughed.

"Neither do I," she admitted putting her finger to her lips before looking apprehensively at her husband. Gabriella and Taylor giggled at Lucy's answer as they watched the team wave to the crowd before disappearing back to the locker room.

A waft of cloying perfume hit them before a vision in pink came into their eye line warning of Sharpay's presence.

"Hey, Gabi, Taylor did you enjoy the game?" she asked hugging each of them, not waiting for an answer before rushing on, "You are coming to The Lemon Tree right?" she stated rather than posed the question. Taylor rolled her eyes but Sharpay missed her reaction when she squealed in delight.

"Lucy, I didn't realise you were here," she screamed hugging Lucy. Sharpay then spotted Jack and squealed again, hugging him too.

"We've come up for the weekend to see Troy and Gabriella," explained Lucy.

"Oh...so you've met Gabriella already?" commented Sharpay sounding put out.

"Indeed we have," admitted Lucy proudly. Sharpay's eyes narrowed as she speared Gabriella with a look before flinging her hair back over her shoulder.

"Fabulous," she gushed covering up her shock, "you must come to The Lemon Tree too, for the celebration," she invited. "Have you left Amy at home?"

"I couldn't keep her away," laughed Lucy shaking her head and pointing to Amy who was talking to her dad, "She wanted to see Gabriella again." Gabriella winced sending Taylor a nervous look.

"Super," said Sharpay smiling when Amy looked up and waved to her, "I'd better ring through and let the restaurant know the numbers, I'll see you later," she added as she turned and walked away.

"Whew! That was close to another Sharpay tantrum," muttered Gabriella.

"Uh huh! She looked like she was going to blow a gasket for a moment back there," smirked Taylor, "It killed her to bite her tongue."

"Well I'm glad she did. I've had enough drama to last me a life time," replied Gabriella. The court was emptying fast and only a few stragglers remained. One of the officials came over to the players families and led them through to the back room area to wait for the team. Sharpay joined them chatting to Lucy and Jack as they waited. Amy came over to stand beside Gabriella talking to her and Taylor until the locker room door opened and Zeke appeared, followed by Troy. Zeke hugged and kissed Sharpay before turning to speak to Jack.

"Great interception, Zeke," congratulated Jack proudly.

"Thanks Coach, I learnt from the best," replied Zeke with a grin. Gabriella hugged Troy and he bent his head to claim his prize.

"Where's Chad?" Taylor asked when they separated. Troy smirked.

"Last seen fighting with his mop." The girls giggled as the man in question finally emerged from the locker room.

"About time, you're worse than a girl," taunted Zeke. Chad glared at him thinking twice about giving him the finger in front of Lucy and Amy.

"Are we ready, I've booked The Lemon Tree for 10pm," announced Sharpay linking arms with Zeke and walking ahead of the others. Troy looked quizzically at Gabriella who shrugged her shoulders.

"She didn't give us a choice," she whispered with an eye roll, "but don't worry she's also invited your family too." Troy caught her smile as she finished and returned it, breathing easier when she didn't seem bothered by Sharpay's manipulations.

"I guess we better get going then," he replied grabbing hold of her hand as he guided his parents out to the car park.

The weekend had been good. Gabriella had taken Lucy and Amy shopping to Fox Hills Mall on Saturday while Troy took Jack to Brentwood Country Club to play a round of golf with Chad and Zeke. In the evening Troy took them to the small pizzeria when he and Gabriella used to meet, ensuring they escaped the glare of the paparazzi. Sunday saw the Lakers trounce the Phoenix Suns, taking a two game lead into their first away game on Wednesday. The Bolton's left after the game on Sunday promising to return in the near future.

The following week passed in a blur for Gabriella as she was kept so busy she didn't have time to think, even when Troy left for Phoenix on Wednesday morning she didn't have time to miss him as she worked solidly on various photo-shoots that had been set up for her, falling into bed as soon as she reached home in exhaustion. The easiest part had been the actual recording process that was wrapped up on Monday, the video was proving the hardest with the director demanding take after take. The buzz from the back room staff intimated that the tour schedule was coming together better than they thought, promotional material had been Fed-ex'd to the cities on the tour, local and national radio stations had been notified even before Gabriella was given the bombshell by Ryan that the tour would begin a week on Sunday in Miami. To say she was shell-shocked at the speed was an understatement but like Ryan said the record company wanted to strike while the iron was hot and take advantage of her popularity.

She called a meeting with Caroline on Friday to discuss the finer points including her wardrobe detail, panic was starting to set in and she didn't know if she could cope with all the pressure that seemed to be piling up on her. As a result of the meeting, she knew she needed help and called Ryan asking for a meeting to be set up with Sharpay, threatening him with death if his sister even suggested pink in any shape or form.

"I'll come with you to make sure that doesn't happen," he promised with a chuckle when he called her back ten minutes later to tell her that a meeting was set up for the Sunday morning at Sharpay's flagship store.

When Troy called that night after the game Gabriella was never happier to hear his voice, needing the strength that only he could provide.

"Hey Sweetheart, how are you?"

"Better for hearing your voice."

"Are you okay? You sound upset."

"I am, they've brought the tour forward and it starts a week on Sunday," she replied her voice shaky.

"Oh."

"Yeah, I know. It only gives me a week to sort out the finer points, like wardrobe," she sighed.

"But I thought it wasn't going to be for at least another couple of weeks?"

"It wasn't but the record company wants to get it on the road as soon as possible. They are releasing the second single on Monday for crying out loud."

"Shit! They aren't wasting any time, you only went in the studio on Monday."

"I know and now I have a meeting with Sharpay on Sunday," she told him with trepidation in her voice.

"Whatever else she is, Shar is good at her job, Gabi. Have faith in her, she may surprise you."

"We'll see," she sighed. "Anyway enough about me, how was the game?"

"We played our butts off and won so we only need a win on Tuesday night and we're through to the Conference semi's. It's a pity we lost on Wednesday or we'd already be there."

"Congratulations Troy. I'm glad it went well. I know you sounded down when we spoke on Wednesday."

"Pissed would be a better word but yeah, I'm stoked." he replied with a chuckle.

"It's good to hear your voice, Troy. I miss you."

"Hang in there, Sweetheart, I'll be home tomorrow, okay?" he promised.

"I can't wait, I need you," she said a catch in her throat.

"I need you too, Gabi, so very much. Try and get some sleep and I'll be home before you know it," he promised wishing he could get a red eye right now.

"I will. Goodnight Troy, I love you," she said softly before hanging up the phone, feeling infinitely calmer now that she'd spoken to him. It was crazy, she'd always coped with the pressure before, admittedly not the kind of pressure she was under at the moment but she'd taken it in her stride. Why should this be any different? Was it the thought of being away from Troy for months? She didn't know but she did slip easily into a dreamless sleep, his voice floating in her head.