Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any of its characters.

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Can you believe it's 2009? I know I can't. Enjoy…

Last Time:

James Scott scowled as he walked to the exit of the East High gym. His encounter with Gabriella hadn't gone quiet as he had hoped. Although he knew he had shaken Gabriella, he hadn't gotten Troy as angry as he had hoped. He was happy though that Troy seemed protective over Gabriella, that meant that all he had to do was toy with Gabriella enough to make Troy do something that would get him suspended.

He pulled out his phone and quickly called his best friend's number. James waited impatiently for Max to pick up. Finally he picked up,

"How'd it go?"

"Ok. I need more though. Her name isn't enough. I want you to find out everything there is to know about Gabriella Montez"

Chapter Fifteen – Those Three Words

Have you ever read a book in which two people fall in love? Gabriella sure had. She read more books than the average teenager and most of them had some element of romance in them. She'd been able to live vicariously through the women in the books, slipping into their reality and feeling as though she was in love. Then she'd be yanked out of her fantasy and into her harsh reality.

However, she never quite believed it was possible for two people to be so closely connected so quickly - the most famous example being Romeo and Juliet. Despite loving the tale, she could never understand how two people would be willing to give up their lives rather than live without each other after only knowing the other person for three days.

That was until now.

Maybe she hadn't fallen in love with Troy in three days, but she had still only known him for about 2 months. The feelings she felt for him were stronger than she had bargained for. She hated the thought of going to work now, but only because she knew she wouldn't be in communication with Troy. She hated the idea of being separated from him. She could listen to his voice all day and never get tired of it. She cherished the feeling of his gentle touch after he had moved away from her. She could gaze into his eyes until the end of time. Troy was perfect.

And in Gabriella's opinion she was far from perfect. Troy couldn't possibly feel the same way she did. He couldn't possibly accept all her flaws.

Yes, she was terrified. She had fallen hard for him. She had fallen in so deeply that she wasn't sure she was going to be able to climb out without hurting herself.

--

Gabriella walked with Troy down a long path in the forest. The cool breeze of the evening hit the pair and Gabriella clung tighter to Troy's arm. Looking down at her, he smiled and whispered,

"You cold?"

"A little" she admitted. Troy pulled away a little bit so he could take off his jacket.

"Oh no, no, won't you be cold?" Gabriella protested as she watched him remove his jacket and hold it out to her.

"I was actually feeling a little warm." Troy smirked, still holding it out for Gabriella's hand to take. "But seriously Brie. Please take it, you're shivering"

Gabriella smiled gratefully and carefully put Troy's jacket around her shoulders. She leaned closer to his body again, loving the feeling of his body against hers.

"I love you" she whispered.

"What?" Troy asked, unfortunately not because he couldn't hear her, but because he was truly surprised.

"I love you" she repeated, this time a little louder – in case, by some miracle, the reason for him questioning her had truly been that he hadn't been able to hear her.

"No" Troy spoke, his voice stern. "You don't. You can't"

Gabriella looked at him disbelievingly, she could feel her heart ready to break and tears threatening to fall.

"I don't love you" Troy said finally, his eyes turning a dark gray color. "I hate you" His voice was even and clear. Those three words shattered her heart into a million pieces.

She stood horrified in the forest, looking up at Troy with tear-filled eyes.

"But…I thought…I don't understand. Why?" her voice was fragile, trembling with each breath she took as confusion filled her eyes.

"Because, no one could ever love you" Troy's voice became hard and cruel. Gabriella did not recognize the tone of his voice. Troy's usual soft, gentle voice had been replaced with the voice that belonged to a monster.

The voice of her father.

"I told you. Everyone you meet will hate you" her father's voice spoke clearly from Troy's lips.

She watched in horror as Troy's hair grew shorter and darker, his eyes turned from gray to dark brown and Troy's usual playful grin turned into the cruel, drunken smile belonging solely to her father.

Gabriella screamed as she saw that Troy's body had been replaced with her father's.

"Gabi" she heard her brother say. Gabriella whipped her head around quickly trying to see her brother, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Gabi" this time it was her sister's voice that spoke her name. Again, Gabriella looked around her, but as before she couldn't see Lily anywhere.

Her father began to laugh wickedly.

"Come here" he called.

"No!" she screamed. She didn't want them to come anywhere near their father. She was terrified he would take them away from her.

Gabriella was becoming increasingly more frightened as Lucas and Lily's voices became louder – they were still nowhere to be found. Gabriella twisted in her position, her feet seemed to be glued to the ground, trying to find the source of the voices.

"Gabriella!"

"Gabriella! Gabriella wake up!" Lily shook Gabriella as hard as she could. Gabriella's eyes finally shot open, her breathing heavy and erratic.

"We're going to be late!" Lucas cried. Gabriella sat up immediately, still breathing heavily.

"What time is it?"

"7:55!" Lily exclaimed. That left 5 minutes until both their schools started, there was no way they would make it on time.

"What? No! How?" Gabriella was confused, she'd remembered setting her alarm. Why hadn't it gone off?

"I don't know. I guess we all over slept" Lucas shrugged.

"The only reason we woke up was because I heard you screaming and woke Lucas. Is everything ok?" Lily asked, clearly concerned about her big sister.

Gabriella stood slightly dazed for a second. It had been a dream, only a dream –well more like a nightmare. She didn't want to dwell the terrifying dream just now. Right now she needed to focus on getting Lily, Lucas and herself ready for school.

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream." She assured them. "You guys go get dressed. I'll meet you at the front door in five minutes. Get ready for a morning run"

--

Troy sat in Mrs. Darbus's class, staring at the clock. 8:18. Where on earth was Gabriella? It wasn't like her to be late. She wasn't sick was she? No. He had spoken to her last night and she had sounded as healthy and happy as ever. So where was she?

He was also being slightly selfish. He hadn't seen her since last night and he wanted, no he needed to see her again. As corny as it sounded, he missed her. Truthfully he missed her whenever she was away from him, even if it was only for a few minutes. Gabriella brightened his mood the moment she stepped into the room. He could be having the crappiest day, but Gabriella's smile or laugh always made it better. He could hold her in his arms forever, simply studying her angelic face.

Whenever Gabriella was around Troy felt butterflies in the core of his stomach that he had never experienced before. The girlfriends in his distant past had never made him feel the way Gabriella did. At first he thought the feeling might fade, that he'd grow immune to her beauty, her personality, to just her, but he hadn't. He was positive now that he wouldn't grow immune to her and it was a good thing because he loved the way he felt. He loved loving Gabriella. That's right, he loved Gabriella Montez.

Now all he had to do was tell her.

Just then the door flew open, "Ms. Darbus! I'm so so sorry! I overslept and I ran and I'm sorry!" A clearly exhausted Gabriella panted as she stumbled through the doorway. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she wore a simple t-shirt with a jacket and jeans. Troy couldn't help but smile. Despite her disheveled look, she still looked beautiful in his eyes and he was just glad to see her.

"No worries Ms. Montez, I'll just see you in detention today during free period. Take your seat please" Ms. Darbus responded.

Gabriella nodded and walked to her seat next to Troy's. He smiled sympathetically and reached over inconspicuously to rub his thumb over the back of her hand as a simple greeting.

Gabriella smiled back as she covered his hand in hers, quickly squeezing as her own greeting before Ms. Darbus turned around and saw the interaction take place.

--

"So why were you late this morning?" Troy asked curiously as the pair walked home from the diner that evening. Troy walking (or sometimes driving if it was raining or too cold) Gabriella home had become a habit. Troy hated the idea of Gabriella walking home alone and in the dark.

Gabriella sighed, "My alarm didn't go off for some reason. I think I might have hit it by accident while I was half asleep. Do you know what I mean?"

Troy chuckled, "I know exactly what you mean. I do that like twice a week"

"It was a good thing though that Lily heard me. Otherwise it would have been 9 or 10 before I showed up" Gabriella laughed lightly.

"What do you mean she heard you?" Troy asked confusion written across his face.

"I had a nightmare" Gabriella said quietly, "about my dad. Apparently I screamed" So she hadn't told him the first part of the dream, but it wasn't lying, she just left some parts out.

Troy pulled her close; wrapping his comforting arms around her he kissed her hair.

"You ok?" he asked softly.

Gabriella nodded, "It was only a dream" she murmured more trying to convince herself than Troy.

She'd been dwelling on the dream most of the day. Her heart told her that she loved Troy and she needed to tell him. But in her head she wouldn't allow herself to tell him. She was trying to convince herself that it didn't matter what she felt, he would never love her the way that she loved him. Just as her father had said, Troy was going to hate her eventually. Then he would leave her. She was sure of it. So for now all she could do was hold in her feelings and hold on to him for as long as she could.

A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about it that didn't go unnoticed by Troy. He began to pull his jacket off,

"You cold?"

"I'm fine" she answered. Truthfully she was actually a little bit cold now that he mentioned it. Troy didn't believe Gabriella's answer, so he held out his jacket for her to take.

Gabriella shook her head, "No, no you keep it. Aren't you cold?"

Troy smirked, "I was actually feeling a little warm" Gabriella froze, that was he'd said in the dream. It was just a coincidence though…right? Her dream hadn't been a warning had it?

"Brie, please just take it." Troy insisted. Ha, Troy hadn't said that in the dream. She just knew Troy well enough to know he'd say something like that. That was it.

Gabriella smiled gratefully as she took the jacket from him and wrapped it around her shoulders. As soon as she did she was happy with her decision. It was not only warm in the sense that it provided heat, but it also comforted her, relaxed her. On top of that it smelled like him – which was always a plus.

Troy pulled her close to him again. His arm wrapped securely around her waist as they strolled along with only the streetlight and the moon as their light source.

"Do you have nightmares often?" Troy wondered aloud.

"I usually just have flashbacks every so often. I can handle those, but this was different." Gabriella admitted softly. "In this dream, I was walking with you and then you..." she trailed off.

"I what?" Troy encouraged her to go on.

"You told me you…you hated me and then you turned into my dad and he reminded me that everyone would hate me" Gabriella whispered tears filling her eyes.

Troy stopped so he could engulf Gabriella in a proper hug. Troy couldn't stand the pain Gabriella was in. He hoped that her father understood just how much pain he was putting Gabriella through and he hoped that her father suffered from it one day.

"It's ok if you do. I would understand. I know I'm not as pretty as all the other girls at East High. My dad was probably right, I mean look at me. If I were you I -" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy hated that Gabriella believed her father. Troy hated that she doubted him, that she doubted herself. He loved her more than anything. He was sure of it and he needed to tell her, right now.

"I love you" he murmured, interrupting her ramble. Gabriella froze, staring up at him with terrified eyes,

"What?" she whispered breathlessly.

"I love you. Your father was wrong, he will always be wrong, because I love you more than I ever thought possible" Troy said, speaking more clearly this time, looking directly into Gabriella's eyes.

Gabriella took a deep breath in. She wasn't sure whether she could believe him. Her heart wanted to believe him, needed to believe him, but her head kept telling her that he didn't love her, he couldn't. But Troy's eyes looked so sincere that she knew he wasn't lying. His eyes could always tell Gabriella what he was feelings or if he was lying. They had a truth to them that couldn't be denied. He really did love her.

She was ecstatic that he loved her, on top of the moon, because she felt the same way. She just didn't know if she could say it, utter the simple four letter word. Not just any four letter word though, with those four letters a person gave his or her heart to another person, praying that that person wouldn't shatter it. Those four letters could make a person feel as if they were floating on cloud nine surrounded by all the happiness he or she could ever hope for. However, those same four letters could also cause someone more despair than any one person deserved.

The two people in the world that were supposed to love you more than anyone else had betrayed Gabriella's love and had broken her heart more than once. They'd taken away her beloved grandmother and caused her pain by being the cause of her siblings' pain. She had been forced to entrust them with her life. They were supposed to be there for her, protect her from all things evil, but they had become the evil in her life. Those two people were her parents.

As of a result of her parents disaffection Gabriella was terrified of entrusting some else with her happiness and heart. That didn't mean that she didn't love Lucas and Lily, because she loved them so much. However she protected them, so she didn't have to worry about them leaving her or betraying her.

But now she stood in front of Troy, ready to give him her heart just like he'd given his to her and she was petrified.

"Brie?" Troy whispered, "Brie, what's wrong?"

Just as Gabriella saw truth in Troy's eyes, Troy saw fear in Gabriella's. He was thankful that he saw a love in her eyes that matched his own feelings for her, but he was alarmed at the fear her eyes portrayed.

His minded raced as he tried to come up with a probable cause of the fear until it hit him like a ton of bricks. It was no longer a question of probable cause, because Troy was now positive of the cause.

Her parents.

They'd left her – well not her father in the physical sense, but emotionally he was no longer her father. Everything clicked into place immediately. Gabriella was afraid that if she told Troy she loved him, he would hurt her. Troy was not about to let himself hurt Gabriella. He loved her too much to watch her suffer. He couldn't drive her away – he needed her too much.

All he had to do was convince her he wouldn't hurt her.

"Brie, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to turn into your father or your mother. I won't let myself do what they did to you. I refuse to let it happen. You're safe here. I won't let anyone hurt you." Troy said sincerely. He glanced down at his hand and remembered the class ring that he wore on his right hand. He pulled it off carefully and even though Gabriella looked at him with confused eyes he placed it in her hand.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but please wear this as a reminder that I promise I won't hurt you, that I'll always be there for you and that I love you" Troy said softly.

Gabriella fingered the warm metal ring carefully and she looked up at Troy with glossy eyes. The ring meant the world to her and even though she knew it would be too large for her small fingers she held onto it tightly, promising to wear it around her neck. It was all that she needed to be reminded of the other three words she had already said to him. I trust you. She trusted Troy and she loved him too.

Love and trust: the two hardest words for Gabriella to say, but also the two most important to Gabriella. She'd already told Troy she trusted him and now she was ready to tell him the other the three words.

"I love you" Gabriella whispered, before she sealed her proclamation with gentle kiss. She couldn't help but smile into the kiss. Those three words felt incredible to say. She felt her heart flutter as Troy pulled her closer to him, showing her just how much the words meant to him as well.

A/N: I just finished typing the chapter and I literally pulled my hands up from the keyboard and made a heart :) I know…I'm kinda weird.

I hope you enjoyed it!! Please review with your thoughts!