SCHOOL'S OUT!!! Sorry for the long UD period (as I usually am) but I was too excited at the idea of me becoming a FRESHMAN!!! Yay, my friends and I are the little kids again...

Plus (and I know this is totally irrelevant to the story) but I'm turning 14 on the 10th :) So lots of reviews would make me very happy :D

Chapter 17 – Strength and Weaknesses

"Run it again, guys!"

The music spilled from the speakers like an avalanche, flowing right through the dancers and electrifying their bloodstreams with energy. Coach Hilson looked on his team and nodded approvingly, his eyes lingering on Brandon and his increadible feet. If there was anyone who could pull off any degree of advanced footwork in this whole team, it was him.

The team had just begun to really get into their routine when the stereo cut off abruptly. Everyone groaned and sent dirty looks to the brand new piece of equipment that the school had provided for them the previous week since the old one had mysteriously been pummeled to pieces sometime overnight. As Brandon took a closer look at it, he noticed a parallel set of lines that ran only two small inches. One was red and the other was black, a little obvious against the silver skin of the CD player. He just took a deep breath and walked away, refusing to think of the matter anymore than he had to. Still, he couldn't help but wonder, He said he was done with us, but he is known for lying. It couldn't be, could it?

Coach Hilson, greatly annoyed, walked over to the broken stereo and sighed. This was the third one and two had seemed to have some kind of internal problem, for the outside looked perfectly fine. He curled a fist and pounded the lid once. Still nothing.

He turned to the rest of the team who had wondered over and groaned "There goes another one, guys. Sorry, but we can't practice the routine without the song."

As he watched the rest of the team roll their eyes and slump their shoulders in disappointment, Brandon stepped forward and announced "Wait, I think I still have my iPod dock in my car. Do you think that'll work?"

"How's the volume? You know the echo gets pretty crazy in here."

Brandon shrugged "We can just borrow a mic from the music room. I don't see how it couldn't work."

The coach nodded and said "Alright, hurry up. Mike, go ask for a microphone from the music room."

The two boys ran out and were back in less than three minutes. Brandon plugged in the speakers and microphone, moving them out to the floor as far as he could. He positioned the mic directly in front of the speakers and switched it on. He clicked on the dock, plugged in the iPod, and tried out the song. It was a little cloudy, but the team approved of the sound quality.

The coach clapped his hands and called "Okay, let's get back to work! Competition's only two months away and we have five dances to work on! 5,6,7,8!"

After ten minutes and three times that the mic had rolled away from the speakers, the team seemed liable for a break out of frustration. They all went their separate ways across the gym while the pack of four friends, Brandon, Michael, Todd, and Drew, huddled up on the bleachers for the five minutes of rest.

Drew rolled his eyes "Dude, what's up with the whole stereo crap? It's like someone keeps breaking into our supply room to mess with the wires."

Brandon had to bite his tongue and chug down half of his water bottle to restrain himself from mentioning anything about his previous stalker. He kept his eyes on the floor and let his leg bounce up and down, a nervous habit of his that Mike didn't ignore.

"Brandon, you okay?"

Brandon's head snapped up, which made Mike even more sure that his best friend wasn't paying attention to their conversation. "Fine, why?"

"Your leg."

Brandon looked down and mentally groaned when he found his leg still hopping unconsciously. He nailed it to the floor and dug his elbow into his knee, forcing it to a stop. "What about it?"

Mike shook his head and sighed "Never mind. Did you hear about the West captain?"

"No, what about him?"

Mike began to answer him before Todd cut in and exclaimed "Dude! I heard he snapped a guy's head off and got sent to jail! And then there was this one where he got an F on a test, tracked down the teacher's house, and set it on fire!"

Mike rolled his eyes and said "Todd, don't be ridiculous. All he did was get into a fight with a guy and got suspended for two weeks. He got kicked off the team."

"Are you serious?" Brandon's eyes grew two-times bigger at the news.

Mike nodded with a smile on his face. "Yeah, he put him in the hospital and the family might sue since he was the football coach's son and he'll be out for the rest of the season."

Todd finished off his water and mumbled "I still think he set that lady's house on fire…"

Without looking at him, Mike squirted the remainders of his water onto Todd's chest, which sent him off saying "Jeez, you never let me have any fun…"

Mike turned his attention back to Brandon and began again "I don't think they're going to be as strong without their original captain, so there's a bigger chance that we'll beat them this time at the competition."

"What's his name?"

Mike took a second to think before snapping his fingers in remembrance. "Robbie Henderson. I remember overhearing someone talking about him at the last East/West basketball game."

"There's no chance of him going back to the team?"

Mike shook his head "Nope, West is harsh. They're even stricter than the private schools downtown."

Brandon let out a low whistle. This took off a little of the pressure he was feeling as captain of the East team. Now that there was almost a zero percent chance of West beating them for the third year in a row, he could breathe a little easier without feeling that heaviness on his brain.

Brandon asked "How did he take it when he found out he couldn't compete?"

Mike shrugged "I don't know. All I heard was that he doesn't even have fun with it like we do. He just wants to win and make sure everything is perfect."

Todd came back around, imputing "I heard he jumped Mike for almost winning last year. You know he-"

Mike finally huffed "Todd! Everyone knows that never happened! He just tried to scare me with his eyes!"

Ignoring Michael, Todd sat back down beside Brandon and explained "Last year after we did our first dance, we were standing across from West and since the captains had to be in the front, Mike and Robbie were staring right at each other. I seriously thought that the dude was gonna run up to Mike and stab him in the stomach! You should've seen the look he was giving him! It was like watching you and Troy about to square off back when you were fighting."

While Mike slowly explained to Todd how big a load of bull-crap that his theory was, Brandon found himself drifting off again. No matter how much he told himself to forget about Brick and his farewell letter to them, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was just going to pop out of nowhere and take him next. He wouldn't show up to the competition, would he? Did he even know about it or when and where it was for that matter? Did he know that Isabelle was going to be there? He could easily swipe her if she was ever alone to go to the bathroom or if she forgot something in the car. He swallowed. Oh God, Isabelle…

"Dude, your leg's shaking again."

Brandon gulped again, finishing his water to try and stop the perspiration that he felt coming to his forehead. He tossed the bottle into the trash can and clapped twice. "Okay guys, let's get back to work!"

Mike's brow furrowed. He just told Brandon that there wasn't anything to worry about, so why was he so eager to cut their well-deserved break short and start up again? In all the years he's known Brandon, he's been one of the calmest people he's ever known, rarely taking anything too seriously. He shrugged. Maybe he was just missing Isabelle too much and needed something to get his mind off of her. He stood up and got in his position. Brandon was fine, he told himself, just paranoid.

--

Tap, tap, tap!

"Eek!"

Gabriella's homework shot out of her lap and flew like tornado debris around her, blocking her sight of the living room window. Her breathing hitched in her throat and her pulse quickened in her chest. Who was it; a thief, stalker…Brick?

"Ouch, mother of Hell!"

Gabriella got up from the living room couch and sprinted over to the window, lifting it quickly only to let out an enormous breath at the sight of a beautiful head of shaggy hair tangled in the rose bush.

"Troy, there's a door, you know!" She exclaimed while grabbing the flat part of the branch with one hand and using the other to comb Troy's hair out of the plant. "What are you trying to do, kill yourself?"

Troy climbed in the window using Gabriella's arm as leverage. "That's not sounding so bad right now. Oww, watch my shoulder!" His right shoulder blade was scratched as well as his jawbone down to the middle his neck and the back of his ear. The side of his head accidently bumped the windowsill, staining the white paint with a few drops of red.

When his body was almost fully inside the house, he shifted slightly forward, throwing Gabriella off balance and sending her backward toward the couch. Troy landed on top of her and quickly braced himself from completely crushing her under his weight. With their faces only inches apart, he grinned and whispered "On the other hand, I think I can spare a few more hours of my life."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and replied "We're in the living room, Troy."

Troy looked around and shrugged "I don't see anyone in here but us. Unless Sherlock's hiding somewhere, I don't see why we can't have a little déjà vu…" He leaned down and molded their lips together in a suggestive kiss, moving his way down her chin and eventually ending up on the base of her throat.

Gabriella bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly remembering why this was wrong beyond reason. "Babe, my mom and Brandon could come home at any moment. We have to stop."

His mouth never left her skin as he breathed "A little PDA never hurt anybody. We'll hear them come in." He maneuvered his hands from the seat of the couch to her hips and hooked his thumb on the side of her jeans, tugging them down by only a fraction of an inch but enough to make Gabriella grip his shoulders and moan softly.

Her ragged breathing got worse as their lips met again, this time in a tongue-tangling frenzy that ended up in Gabriella feeling Troy's chest and eventually finding the buttons of his shirt, which he borrowed from Brandon.

When the top was nothing more to them than a puddle of fabric on the floor, Troy fixed himself into a straddle, letting his hands slide up her tank top and ending at the base of her bra. His fingers teased her sweaty skin before he relocated to the hem of her top, pulling it halfway up her body, feeling his need for her growing and growing with each passing second. As her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, all he could think was-

"Oh my God!"

"What the hell?!"

The next thing Troy knew, he was being shoved off of the couch and his shirt was being thrown in his face. He sat up and blinked for a few seconds before his vision focused on the two figures standing motionless in the doorway, holding what seemed to be multiple plastic bags with the Giant logo printed on the front. Brandon and Gina were home from grocery shopping.

Oh shit!

Gabriella stood up, shirt pulled back down and hair smoothed back down slightly and pulled Troy up by his elbow. Still horrified by the realization that he and his girlfriend were caught almost having sex, he didn't see Brandon hiding behind his mother and start crying from laughing so hard. He set the bags down on the ground in fear of dropping and ruining them.

Gabriella held her hands in front of her and, looking down at the carpet, mumbled "H-hey, mom." She looked up under her long lashes to see Gina looking rather suspicious and embarrassed, a small grin on her face. Brandon was convulsing on the floor so hard it began to worry her.

Gina cleared her throat and quietly said "Hey yourself. Sorry we interrupted."

Gabriella just swallowed. "It's okay."

Gina slowly nodded twice, staring at Troy's naked, sweaty torso. His eyes quickly looked down at his jeans to check himself and he internally took a deep breath of relief. He thanked God that his excitement wasn't yet visually noticeable. Any later and…well Brandon didn't exactly need anything else to laugh about.

Gina sighed and then piped up "Well, we got enough food to last us for probably another two years. Gabby, can you help me put these away?" She raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

Gabriella gave an ashamed nod and murmured "Sure…" She flashed Troy a quick look and followed her mother out the door, leaving Troy and Brandon alone.

Troy stood in uncomfortable anticipation as Brandon eventually heaved himself off of the ground and steadied himself on the wall, taking a deep, reassuring breath. His eyes closed. Troy took that quick second to grab his shirt from the ground and begin making himself decent again.

Brandon looked over at him and started "You do realize that you were about to fornicate in my favorite shirt, right?"

Troy rolled his eyes, fastening the last two buttons . "Shut up, it was off. Who keeps their clothes on during sex?"

"Who has sex in their girlfriend's living room when her mom and brother will clearly be home any second? She did tell you that, right?"

Troy mumbled "Yes…" He nearly kicked himself for not listening to her warning sooner as he backed up and sat down on the couch, throwing his head in his hands. "I can't believe that just happened."

Brandon walked over to his best friend and took a seat beside him, looking over his flushed face and tussled hair. The window that he came through was still open and the rosebush was a little messed up, letting him know right away that Troy once again refused to come through the door for whatever reason. All laughter died inside of him as he seriously asked "She won't tell me. Has Gabriella been taking her birth control every day?"

Troy nodded. "She has an alarm set on her phone for 7:00 every day. She's got this under control, Brandon. She's a smart girl."

Brandon replied "I know, I'm just making sure. You know what happens if she skips a day."

"Health class isn't just for the hell of it, dude."

"Health won't stop her from getting pregnant."

"I know. Her common sense will."

"Both of yours will. Is yours in check?"

Troy huffed "Yes, Brandon, we're fine. We've got this down, okay? We're being careful and safe."

"Good. Because you know what I'd have to do to you if you make a mistake."

Troy looked up at him and inwardly cringed. The look on Brandon's face would make even the meanest, most evil man back away from him. His glaring eyes were stone cold and authorized, his facial features hardened into what looked like a statue of the devil. He even looked like his father for a second. What he'd have to do, not what he would choose to do. They were best friends as they both would admit, but Brandon was Gabriella's older brother first and he couldn't use he and Troy's friendship as an excuse not to punish him if he ever hurt Gabriella.

"Yeah, I know."

Brandon nodded and slowly let his guard down. He sighed "Look, Troy, you're my best friend and I love you. But Gabriella's my sister and I promised her when my dad left that I'd take his place if she ever got into situations like this. If she ever gets hurt, I'll be forced to forget about us and just see you as someone that made my little sister cry. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have, but I will if I have to. Do you understand?"

Troy nodded "Yeah. I get it."

Brandon added "I'll just say this much more. You know you'd do the same thing if anything happened between Isabelle and I. You would have to defend her if I ever showed her nothing less than the love and respect that she deserves. Remember last year when you first found out that we were together after I hit Gabriella? Family comes first."

"Of course it does. I'm not doubting that."

Brandon patted his shoulder. "Alright then. We've come to an understanding."

Troy said "They're lucky to have you to protect them. I don't think you realize how important you are to them and how safe they feel with you around."

Brandon smiled. "Touché. I'm always hearing stories from Izzy about how you'd fight off the guys while you were all on vacation."

Troy chuckled "Remember when you even pretended to be Gabby's boyfriend at the mall a few years ago? The guy wanted proof and told you guys to kiss."

Brandon blushed and answered "I was so confused when you came over and stopped it. I thought you'd have wanted us to embarrass ourselves."

Troy shrugged "I never hated you, remember? I did, however, get in tons of trouble with Wolf, I remember that part very clearly."

"Beat you shitless?"

Troy nodded "I had to skip school for the next two days because I was so sore. My mom was the only one who knew what really happened."

"What'd you tell your dad?"

Troy recalled "I told him some middle scholar hit me with his bike when I was walking home. That's how I got him to take me to the hospital without getting suspicious."

Brandon shook his head. "I still can't believe your mom let you handle that whole situation without her help. My mom would've had 911 called before I even got into how I got hurt."

Troy told him "No, she helped me out more than I thought she ever would. She called into the school when you broke my finger and Wolf still forced me to play football. That got him suspended for a week, remember?"

"How much trouble did you get in for that?"

"More than I want to remember."

Brandon lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Troy. No matter what anyone says, I'll always blame myself for what Wolf did to you."

"Why? Because his daughter was a total freak? It wasn't your-SHIT!!!"

Troy doubled over on the floor and held his temple with both hands, feeling the blood trickle between his fingers. He pried his eyes open just enough to see the baseball lying beneath him.

"Holy crap, what the hell was that?!" Brandon exclaimed, getting down on his knees to check out Troy's head wound. He picked up the ball in his hands and then looked over at the window, which he forgot was still open. "Are you okay?"

Troy nodded dizzily and groaned "Yeah, I'm alright. Can you go get me a wet paper towel?"

Brandon ran out of the room and was back in a flash, pressing the ice cold compress to his temple. "Those stupid kids must be playing ball again. How many times do we have to tell them that dyslectics shouldn't be playing sports that require coordination?"

Troy laughed a little, but stopped short when he realized that it made his head throb. "God, that was hard. Did they move closer or get a weight lifter to join their team?" His eyes widened. "Or maybe it was karma."

"Huh? Karma?"

Troy nodded "Didn't I say something about Samantha right before I got hit? It was like she was standing right there and threw it when I insulted her…"

Brandon lifted Troy to his feet and said "Dude, it hit you pretty hard. I think you're delusional."

Troy let his gaze stray to the window again, which Brandon was hurrying over to close. "Yeah, maybe…" But he didn't say what he was really thinking inside.

"That couldn't have been a coincidence…"

--

Gabriella rolled her eyes and groaned when she heard the knocking on her bedroom balcony doors. She strode over and unlocked them, letting the cool night air and her grinning boyfriend in. It was strange, even with four bandages on his upper region from the rosebush and the baseball, he still had the common decency to look this amazing.

"What do you want, Troy?" Gabriella giggled "I think you've suffered enough for one night."

Troy stepped forward once and grabbed her face, crushing his lips to hers. Gabriella's common sense suddenly flew away from her and allowed her to wrap her arms around the back of his head. Her fingers became lost in his hair while he lifted her legs to secure around his waist. He walked the short distance to her bed and threw both of their bodies down onto it, removing his shirt before she could even retort.

He separated them for one short second to whisper "I don't think so."

Yeah, I know it's short, but I thought it was pretty funny lol. And I'm sure some of you older readers can relate to Troyella's latest predicament haha you know who you are.

And sorry for not really following the last chapter's Sneak at Next Chapter. It kinda got away from me when I got to writing this. But I'm running out of idea stalls for the upcoming drama, so it'll most likely come up next chapter. Promise!

Sneak at Next Chapter:

- Skip next few months (for real this time)

REVIEW!!! Thnx :)

~Rachel :)