Feel This Chapter 17: Winter Wonderland, a high school musical fanfic

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

A/N: Midterms are finally over!!! Anywho…thank you once again for all the lovely reviews! They mean the world to me! Enjoy…

Last Time…

Gabriella couldn't help but giggle. The giggle wasn't only expressed because of the playful seriousness in Troy's eyes, but also as a way to release the embarrassment. She'd been so worried about all the uncertainty she was facing and the thoughts that ran through Troy's mind. However Troy's acceptance of her at her silliest of moments seemed to ease her uneasiness. She now fully understood that Troy loved her for her. So it didn't matter that she didn't know what was coming or how she was supposed to go about loving Troy, all that mattered was that Troy was standing at the bottom of the hole, ready to catch her. In fact, he had her safely in his arms.

So did it matter that she was terrified?

No.

She was simply and happily in love.

Chapter Seventeen – Winter Wonderland

Sharpay plopped a bright pink binder right in the middle of the lunch table. Gabriella and Kelsi were startled from the middle of their conversation.

"Ok so since the boys have a basketball thing today and it's just us girlies, and Ryan of course, I need your opinions" Sharpay exclaimed.

Taylor sighed and rolled her eyes, "Ok shoot"

Sharpay grinned, "Ok, so the theme for Saturday is winter wonderland. Here are the sketches of the room" she opened her binder and showed the girls a variety of sketches. Gabriella gasped as she laid eyes on the magnificent sketches which had obviously been drawn by a professional. This worried her slightly. Sharpay's 'get together' was supposed to be in lieu of going to the school dance. Or at least that's what Gabriella thought.

"Woah, I thought we were just having a get together in place of the dance at school." Gabriella said.

"Oh it is most definitely in place of the school dance. This way we don't have to be jam packed into the gym where it's going to be a million degrees and eat whatever crappy food they have, but we still get to dance like no one's watching and get all dressed up." Sharpay explained "I mean, I know that's the only part of the dances I enjoy, getting to wear a fabulous dress!" she exclaimed.

That hadn't been what Gabriella had planned on. She'd seen this as a way to still have fun with her friends without having to spend money on a dress. Gabriella had meticulously planned out exactly how much money she could spend on each part of her life. Usually she stuck to a pretty loose budget, but since it was the holiday season she had no choice but to stick to her budget like her life depended on it. The truth of the matter was it really did. Spending 50 or even just 20 dollars on a dress would mean she'd have to take that money from something else, like food or rent. So in the scheme of things buying a dress was out of the question and she certainly didn't have a nice dress in her closet as of right now.

"So what do you guys think, should we go with just candles or do you think we'll need more light?" Sharpay asked thoughtfully as flipped through the binder of sketches, fabrics and decorations. "Or since the theme is winter wonderland, which means blues and whites, should we have blue lights? Hmmm"

"Oooh" Kelsi cooed, "That sounds pretty, blue lights. I would do a ton of candles with some blue lights."

"Yeah, I agree, you need some large lights source for a room that big" Taylor added.

"I'm glad you think so because the blue light will reflect fabulously off of the crystals on my dress. What do your dresses look like?" Sharpay asked excitedly.

Gabriella tried to figure out a way to kindly tell Sharpay that she wouldn't be able to attend anymore while Taylor and Kelsi gushed about their dresses. Her attempts failed miserably and she let out a long sigh.

All three girls turned their head to Gabriella, looks of question spread across each one of their faces.

"What's wrong?" Kelsi asked.

"Um, I don't think I can come really" Gabriella mumbled.

"What?" Sharpay exclaimed.

"I don't want to leave Luc and Lily home alone that late into the night" Gabriella answered quietly. That statement hadn't been a lie, but it also hadn't been the entire reason. Truthfully she was embarrassed by her finical troubles when Sharpay seemed to be able to spend more money on a party than Gabriella had.

"Oh that's not a problem. They can come and spend time somewhere in the house. We have plenty of room and plenty of things to do." Sharpay assured Gabriella. Gabriella looked down dejectedly. Kelsi sensed Gabriella's troubles,

"It's something else as well isn't it?" Kelsi coaxed gently. Gabriella looked up at her friends with worrisome eyes. "You can tell us Gabi, we won't hold anything against you" Taylor and Sharpay nodded quickly to show their agreement with Kelsi's promise.

"I don't have a dress and I don't have the money to buy a dress. I know how important that was to you Sharpay but I just can't afford to buy a dress right now." Gabriella explained quietly

"Oh Gabi, we shouldn't have assumed you had the money for a dress. Don't worry we can just go casual, we wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun. Right Shar?" Taylor said.

"There is no way I'm changing the dress code." Sharpay said seriously, "I'll pay for your dress, don't worry about it Gabriella"

"Oh Sharpay, I couldn't. Especially with the amount of money that's already going into this party, I don't want to suck anymore money out of your pocket." Gabriella insisted.

A grin spread across Sharpay's face, "Ok, well then neither you nor I will have to pay a dime. I have the perfect dress for you. Mother got a shipment of dresses from Paris for free through connections. There's a light blue one that just doesn't lay right on me. It's perfect for you!"

Gabriella looked un-easy. She felt uncomfortable wearing someone else's dress, "I don't know…" she trailed off.

"Oh come on pleeease! It will look fabulous on you! I know it will!" Sharpay pleaded.

Gabriella thought about her proposal for a few moments. However, Sharpay being an impatient person continued to try and persuade Gabriella,

"If you don't wear it, it'll go to waste"

Gabriella couldn't help but smile at Sharpay's last point. Sharpay knew that would convince Gabriella and grinned at her accomplishment.

"Oh okay. Thank you Sharpay" Gabriella said finally. Kelsi and Taylor smiled, happy that Gabriella had agreed to come to the party.

Sharpay squealed,

"Perfect! But I still need your opinion. Do you think 30 large pillows in enough for all us?"

Gabriella let out a chuckled. The tone in Sharpay's voice had changed from excitement to seriousness in a matter of seconds.

"I think 30 is plenty"

"So dude have you thought about what you're going to get Gabs for Christmas?" Zeke asked Troy as the passed the ball to him.

"Uh…"

Troy dribbled the ball down the court and jumped up at the three point line sending the ball sailing through the basket.

Chad caught the rebound ball,

"Take it from me captain, start thinking about it early. You do not want to be shopping Christmas Eve" Chad said as he dribbled down the court.

"It's not that I haven't thought about it, I have. I just don't know what to get her" Troy confessed. He was quite worried about screwing up their first Christmas together. He wasn't sure what kind of thing to get her. He wanted to make sure whatever he got her would send the right message.

"You'll think of something. Get something that will mean the world to Gabriella" Zeke advised before he made a quick lay-up.

"Just don't get her clothes or a ring. If you get them too small she feels fat and if you get it too big she thinks that you think she's fat" Chad explained grasping the ball.

"What?"

"For once Chad speaks the truth man. Trust me, I made the mistake of getting Sharpay a shirt that was one size too big and let's just say in didn't go down so well." Zeke winced slightly at the memory.

"Ok I'm I'll keep that in mind then" Troy said.

"Do earrings come in different sizes?" Jason asked.

"Yeah there are like a ton of different shapes and sizes that earrings come in" Chad answered.

"What? I thought all earring holes were the same size!" Jason exclaimed.

Troy stifled a laugh as he tried to concentrate on making his lay-up.

"Sorry I misinterpreted the question. No all earrings fit in al girls' ears." Chad clarified through laughter.

"Oh good" Jason nodded shooting a free throw.

"Remind me again why we have to get all dressed up for this" Gabriella sighed as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. As much as she enjoyed wearing a dress as the next girl she couldn't help but feel slightly silly about the whole thing. There were only going to be 10 people, including her there and yet she had to dress up.

"Because that's part of the fun" Sharpay expressed dramatically. "Just please come out! You're going to look amazing!"

Gabriella sighed and looked at herself one last time in the mirror. The light blue chiffon was perfect for a winter wonderland themed party. The color offset her skin tone beautifully. She carefully smoothed the chiffon that flowed effortlessly from under her chest. The bust of the dress was woven into a v with the light blue chiffon and metallic blue chiffon.

Slowly Gabriella opened the door of Sharpay's bathroom and walked out gingerly.

Sharpay squealed.

"Gabriella! You look. Amazing."

Gabriella blushed lightly, "Thank you Sharpay. You look fantastic as well"

Sharpay grinned and twirled in her white, crystal encrusted dress. Sharpay's dress was breath-taking and extravagant.

"Now all we have to do is your hair" Sharpay said, taking Gabriella's wrist and pulling Gabriella to her vanity. Gabriella managed to grab a small box from her bag before she was forced to take a seat.

"I'm not sure if this will match or anything, but when you said the dress was blue I figured it was worth a shot to bring" Gabriella said nervously as she handed Sharpay the small box. Sharpay looked at Gabriella curiously, but when she opened the box her mouth dropped open. Inside was a beautiful light blue crystal barrette. There were light blue stones shaped into three flowers. Light blue crystals sparked in the center of each flower and around the flowers.

"Oh. My. God. Where did you get this?" Sharpay gasped

"My grandmother gave it to me. Do you think it will look ok with the dress?" Gabriella asked.

"It's perfect! We can pull your hair into a half ponytail and then use the barrette to hold it in place. Oh, I just can't get over how pretty this is" Sharpay gushed.

"Thank you. I haven't had the chance to ever wear it. I always hoped one day I'd get to wear. It means a lot to me. When you said my dress was blue, I hoped it would match. You really think it will look nice?"

"Yes!" Sharpay had already started pulling Gabriella's dark curls into a half ponytail. "It's going to look amazing!"

It only seemed like a matter of seconds before Sharpay had Gabriella's hair in a flawless half up-half down do.

Gabriella smiled at her reflection in the mirror. For the first time in a long time she felt truly beautiful. She just hoped others would see her that way.

Troy walked into the Evan's Mansion with Chad, Jason and Zeke. Ryan led them through the house until they came to a set of large double doors. They could hear music already playing and the laughter of girls. Before opening the doors Ryan turned to the guys,

"Just a word of warning, the room is…very extravagant. Sharpay put it all together, so be fair warned"

Troy raised his eyebrow at Chad, who shrugged his shoulders. As soon as Ryan opened the door however Troy saw what he meant.

Everything in the room was either blue or white and most everything sparkled. There was a lounge area with large white pillows placed in a way that created a sofa like structure. Small light blue pillows were dispersed throughout. Surrounding the area was an array of candles that provided a soft glowing illumination.

Lining the walls were fake trees that were made to look snow covered and several ice sculptures. Sparkling snowflakes hung delicately from the ceiling. The blue light reflected off of the sparkles and created distorted rainbows around the room. Between two ice sculptures there was a white table with a variety of sweet and savory delights.

The rest of the room glowed blue from the hanging fairy lights, draped across the ceiling. A DJ stood in front of a DJ table on the dance floor, which was covered in flake snow and balloons.

The room simply looked magical.

Taylor, Kelsi and Martha seemed to be enjoying themselves as they walked about the room, mesmerized its aura

Troy couldn't help but wonder where Gabriella was. He guessed she was locked up in Sharpay's room somewhere getting ready. He knew she felt a little bit guilty about wearing Sharpay's dress even though Sharpay had assured her otherwise.

It didn't surprise him really though, Gabriella was just like that. She usually found a way to feel guilty or worried about something. Troy was glad he knew of her worries because he would rather she tell someone than keep them hidden. Although she wouldn't always come right out and express her concerns to him, (that just wasn't in her nature) she would open up to him.

Right now he knew finance was Gabriella's big concern. She didn't really talk about it all too much because Troy assumed she was slightly embarrassed about it. He did know that all she really wanted to do was provide the best possible Christmas for her brother and sister. She'd figured out some sort of budget that factored in income and expenses. Troy had no idea how much money was being spent and how much was being earned because Gabriella hadn't allowed him to look at her work, but he did know she'd been taking longer shifts on more days.

Troy felt guilty, as did their entire group of friends, that Gabriella was working extra hours to buy them presents as well. Troy had tried to convince her that she didn't need to get him anything. Gabriella however disagreed and refused to listen to him. He'd given up on trying to protest, knowing she wasn't going to budge from her position, but that didn't make the guilt go away.

He almost wished the holidays could be over so Gabriella could go back to her regular shifts and stop all this worrying. Tonight Troy would have to make sure she did nothing but have a good time. She needed a night to relax, without a care in the world.

Troy glanced up only to see the doors open again. Sharpay came out first, her dress sparkling brightly as the light hit it. Then Gabriella walked shyly through the doors. Troy felt himself inhale sharply, she looked absolutely breathtaking. He couldn't stop his eyes from roaming up and down her body, admiring its perfection. The dress's icy color made Gabriella's rich skin glow as she gazed around the room with her mouth agape in amazement of the extravagance of the room. Troy loved watching her expression change as she noticed different decorations.

Troy watched her angelic features until her eyes landed on him. A light blush crept onto her cheeks when she noticed he had been staring. Troy smiled reassuringly because he could tell she felt self-conscious. Troy started his approach towards Gabriella, smiling as he went.

Gabriella walked towards Troy and despite being a little unsteady in heels; she made it to him without falling.

"You look amazing" Troy murmured as he took Gabriella's hands in his. From up close Gabriella looked even more incredible. Her eyes twinkled happily and sparkled from the light.

She replied with a soft, "Thank you" and smiled.

Troy smirked slightly as he watched Gabriella's eyes do a once over on him. His attire consisted of dark jeans and a light blue shirt, which made his cerulean eyes pop.

"You look very handsome" Gabriella commented. "I don't think I've ever seen you all dressed up. I like it a lot" she confessed.

Troy grinned, "Well this is the first time I've seen you all dressed up and I must admit I like it as well"

Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm
Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm
Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance
Dance, dance, just, j-j-just dance

Gabriella was out of breath after dancing to one of her favorite upbeat songs. She'd been dancing most of the night, letting all her worries fade away for those few hours. Truthfully she had no idea what time it was – but she didn't care, she was enjoying herself.

"Ok, I think it's time for the last song of the night" The DJ announced. "Enjoy…"

The first notes of the piano in 'Bless the Broken Road' began to play. Gabriella recognized the song immediately. She hadn't heard it in a long time, but she loved it. She started looking around the room for Troy, they'd gotten separated when 'Every Time We Touch' came on a few songs back. Just as she thought he was nowhere to be found Gabriella felt a familiar pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind her.

"Would you care to dance my love?" he asked. Gabriella turned around to face him and smiled,

"Of course" she whispered. Troy took her hand in his and twirled her around once, before pulling her close by placing his other hand on the small of her back. Gabriella placed her free hand on Troy's forearm. Troy supported Gabriella's hand slightly out to the side of them. Their eyes locked together as the lyrics started,

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Their bodies molded together as they waltzed simply together. It didn't really that they weren't twirling and moving extensively, they both just enjoyed the comfort of their lover's arms.

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Gabriella let her gaze fall from Troy's mesmerizing eyes and rested her head on Troy's chest. She listened to his steady heartbeat as they continued to dance together.

"Is this possible?" Gabriella mumbled.

"Is what possible?" Troy asked, looking down at Gabriella. Gabriella looked back up at Troy with curious eyes,

"Is this possible? Is it possible to love you as much as I do, in this short amount of time?"

"If it wasn't possible I wouldn't feel the same way" Troy answered. Gabriella smiled softly,

"I love you" she whispered.

"Mmmm, me too" Troy murmured.

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Troy dipped his head down and laid a simple kiss on Gabriella's lips. When Gabriella stood slightly taller to kiss him again, Troy let his hand slide up to support her neck as he kissed her again, more deeply.

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

As the song played its final note Gabriella kissed Troy one last time before she pulled away and rested her head on his chest again.

"What time is it?" Gabriella asked, yawning in the process.

"A little after 1:30 in the morning" Troy answered, glancing at his watch.

Gabriella's eyes widened, "Really? No wonder I feel so tired"

"Let's go sit down" Troy offered. The two walked over to the pillows. Troy sat down first and then pulled Gabriella with him. Gabriella nestled her head in the crook of Troy's neck and Troy draped his arms over her shoulder, pressing her against his side.

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded her head, "I had a wonderful time. I'm so glad I came"

"I'm glad" Troy said. Truthfully he was ecstatic that she had had a great time. A smile had never dissolved from her face and she had been radiating happiness the entire time. She'd spent most of the night dancing. Half the time she'd been dancing closely with Troy and the other half she'd spent dancing to girly songs with the girls and belting out lyrics.

The guys had spent less time dancing than the girls and more time eating. Troy, although he spent a lot of time eating as well, had also been intoxicated by Gabriella's dancing. He loved the way her body moved as she swayed to the music, the way she threw head back as she belted out lyrics and twirled around. He could have watched her all night long.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and looked down at the beautiful girl in his arms, who was looking up at him with excited, but tired eyes,

"It couldn't have been better"

Gabriella smiled and closed her eyes gently for a moment before they shot open and she sat up.

"Lucas! Lily! Oh god, they must be exhausted!" She scrambled to get up from the pillows. "How could I forget them?"

"Woah, woah, it's ok. I'm sure they're fine" Troy tried to assure her as he stood up as well. Gabriella seemed disoriented as she looked around the room frantically searching for an exit.

"I forgot about them Troy! How could I do that?" Gabriella stopped only momentarily to face Troy, her eyes full of worry and anger aimed towards herself.

And it was ruined. His wish that Gabriella would have nothing to worry about tonight was over. Now she stood in front of him angry at herself and worried about her brother and sister.

"Who'd you forget about?" Sharpay asked curiously, her stilettos clicking as she walked up to the couple.

"Lucas and Lily, where are they? We have to get home, they must be exhausted." Gabriella answered quickly.

"Oh they're fine. They went to bed hours ago. If it's ok, they're sleeping in the guest rooms. I didn't think the party would go this late, but now that it has I say you all just sleep over" Sharpay suggested.

Gabriella let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you. Thank you"

"Don't worry about it. Now come on, let's get some pjs on, my feet are killing me" Sharpay pulled Gabriella away from Troy and towards one of the doors. Troy watched as Gabriella was pulled past the large doors along with the other girls. He sighed, for once he needed to remind himself to thank Sharpay

An hour later the whole gang lay on the pillows asleep. After getting changed and then chatting excitedly the time had finally caught up to them and the exhaustion set in. One by one the gang had fallen asleep, leaving only one awake, Troy.

Troy laid face up, his hands locked behind his head. He could hear Chad's loud snoring fill the room and was slightly surprised it hadn't woken any one up. However, Troy didn't let Chad's obnoxious snores consume his mind, instead he focused on listening to the deep breathing of the beautiful girl curled up near him.

Gabriella was curled up, facing away from him about a foot away. The whole situation had been slightly awkward for the two. Troy didn't want to pressure Gabriella into sleeping in his arms as much as he would have loved that. Gabriella seemed slightly nervous about the whole thing and Troy didn't want to give her a reason to be. She was definitely the take-it-slow kind of girl. Their relationship despite being very intense emotionally was physically innocent.

Troy had never experienced feelings as strong as the ones he was feeling at this moment in time. It was like he needed the air she breathed to survive. He wasn't sure how he had been living before he'd met her.

He felt protective of her which is why he was angry with James Scott. Whatever that low-life was up to could not be good. Anything having to do with James was never good. He had contemplated confronting the West High team about their behavior, but he had decided against it, figuring it would be better if they didn't know Troy knew they were up to something. They might be less secretive that way.

Even so, Troy was still nervous. He knew James Scott hated him with a passion and that was why he was planning something. And that killed him. It killed Troy that it would be his fault should anything happen to Gabriella. Given Gabriella's broken past, she didn't deserve anymore misfortune, so Troy was going to do whatever it took to make sure that didn't happen.

He sighed and looked over at the girl sleeping next to him. He wished he could see her face, the last time he'd seen her asleep he could have watched her for days. As if Gabriella could read his mind she turned in her sleep until she was lying on her back and her head fell to the side facing Troy.

He watched, mesmerized, as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. Her face looked soft and serene as if she didn't have a care in the world. He sighed, if only that were the truth. Gabriella had more worries than any 16 year old should have and Troy hated that. He wished there was something more he could do, something he could say to erase all the worry, to take away the pain. He hoped just loving her was enough.

Just then Gabriella stirred again in her sleep. This time however she rolled towards Troy. She rolled close to him, her head moving so it was resting on top of his shoulder. She snuggled close to him as she let one arm rest on his chest.

Troy was afraid to move. He didn't want to wake her and he didn't have any idea what he was supposed to do. Carefully, he moved his hand from the back of his head so one fell to his side. With the other arm, he bravely wrapped it around Gabriella. He closed his eyes and breathed in Gabriella's sweet scent, enjoying the closeness they were achieving.

He felt his eyes begin to droop, as the tiredness started to take its toll. He hoped the night would creep slowly by; he didn't want to move from this position. Ever.

A/N: Did you like it? Hopefully you did. The song I used for the slow dance was "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts – I will put a link in my profile. The other song, in case you are wondering is "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga – which is one of my favorite song to dance to :). I will also put pictures of Gabriella's dress and barrette in my profile. Please review! Thank you for reading!