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"Ugh, can you believe those two girls up there Troy? Honestly, who would dare wear that sweater with that skirt and then her friend who is wearing clothes from three years ago? Totally a big faux pas!" complained Sharpay as she sat next to Troy in a dimly lit movie theater. "How could they let each other leave their houses like that? That's just atrocious!"
Troy fought hard not to roll his eyes at Sharpay as she continued to ramble on and on about what people were wearing in the movie theater. His own thoughts were focused on the fact that Gabriella hadn't been at her house when he went to pick her up for their long established date last night. 'Maybe it was wishful thinking that she would be waiting for me when I got there, after all the time she has spent ignoring me this week, but I thought at the very least she'd be there and then slam the door in my face or tell me to go away through the door. Maybe she forgot? Yeah, that's it, she forgot all about our date and went out with Taylor and the rest of the girls,' thought Troy to himself, effectively blocking out Sharpay and her ramblings as she moved onto a couple sitting two rows down from them, to their right.
"Troy, you aren't even looking at them! Look, I'm telling you they are just so out of date, they look like they could have walked out of the sixties!" stated Sharpay as she grabbed Troy's head and forced it in the direction of the couple who was happily seated and talking to each other.
"All right Sharpay, I see them, I see them," said Troy, relieved when Sharpay gave him a satisfied look and released his head after kissing his cheek quickly. As she started talking about her next unknowing victim, Troy's gaze shifted from the couple Sharpay had him look at to other people in the theater, focusing on the newest couple who entered the theater, the guy's arm around the girl. He watched as they sat down in the center, four rows in front of Troy, and felt his breathing stop as the girl turned her head to face her date and instantly recognized the profile to be of Gabriella. In the next moment, Troy felt even worse as he watched the guy she was with chuckle before he turned his head and kissed Gabriella softly on the lips before the lights dimmed and the previews started. Troy barely suppressed a groan, having his view of them hindered by the lack of light, so focused on the couple in front of him that he didn't feel Sharpay lift his arm up and over her shoulders so that his arm rested like a dead weight on her.
Throughout the movie, Troy tried to force his attention to the big screen in front of him but found that he couldn't keep his eyes on it for long before he dropped his gaze to look at Gabriella and her date again, clenching his fist tighter than the moment before as he saw the guy's arm around her shoulders, her head on his shoulder, or any other gesture of affection the two were sharing, unaware they had an audience of one totally captivated.
As the credits rolled, Sharpay let out a sigh and looked over at Troy, expecting him to be smiling back at her. Of course she was disturbed when she found Troy staring intently at something in front of him. She followed his gaze and saw for herself a couple in the darkness, their heads together as they watched the credits rolled. 'What has him so bothered by that?'
Troy saw Gabriella and her date get up and knew this was his chance. He got up from the seat and moved quickly to exit the theater ahead of them, and out of the movie theater complex, waiting for Gabriella to come out. As soon as she did, he seized his opportunity. "Gabriella! We need to talk."
Gabriella, who was in the middle of laughing at something Tristan said, snapped her head to the right and saw the owner of the voice was none other than Troy. She worriedly looked between Tristan and Troy and shook her head at Troy. "Not right now Troy."
"No, now, please," pleaded Troy as he walked closer to the pair. "Please Brie."
She swallowed hard as she stared back at him, unsure now of what to do as she saw the genuine pain in his blue eyes. Gabriella opened her mouth to say something when a loud screech was heard, interrupting the quietness of the peaceful night.
"TROY BOLTON! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME IN THERE?" demanded Sharpay as she quickly advanced on the other three teenagers. "SHARPAY EVANS DOES NOT GET LEFT BEHIND, DO YOU HEAR ME?"
Troy groaned as he saw that this was the distraction Gabriella wanted to wiggle out of talking to him, already seeing Gabriella and Tristan starting to make a quick getaway. "Brie, we really need to talk. I need to know."
"Know what Troy?" asked Gabriella, instantly angry that he had the audacity to make demands of her after the past week. "Whatever you have to know, it can wait until after this weekend. Tristan is only here for the weekend and you have Sharpay as your date tonight. Maybe it's best we keep it this way."
"She's right Troy, it is better this way," joined in Sharpay, liking Gabriella's thinking for once. "You deserve so much better than her, someone who can give you much more than she can give."
"Shut up Sharpay! Gabriella, please, don't say that," begged Troy, not caring any more what he looked like at the moment. "Don't give up on us this easy."
"It's done, it's over Troy. I'm done getting hurt by you," returned Gabriella, this time being the one to initiate her and Tristan's departure.
Not knowing what came over him, Troy moved quickly and grabbed Gabriella's right hand and held it in his in a firm grip, halting their walk to the parking lot. His eyes met Gabriella's pained brown ones and knew then that she still cared, despite her words. Troy pulled at her hand but felt the resistance, looking over at her again to realize that it was Tristan holding on that was causing them not to go any further.
"She said no Troy," stated Tristan, anger flashing in his green eyes. "Back off."
"No, not until I can talk to her," returned Troy, maintaining his hold on Gabriella's hand as he turned back around to face Tristan head on. "You don't own her Tristan, if she wants to talk to me, she can."
"That's just it, don't you see? Ella doesn't want to talk to you, now get lost!" exclaimed Tristan, taking one step closer to Troy.
"Why don't you let her talk for herself? Brie wants to talk to me, don't you Brie?" returned Troy after he took his own step closer to Tristan.
Gabriella, hating the grip that both guys now hand on her hands, barely suppressed a scream over the high levels of testosterone that was in the air at the moment, knowing she would have a fight on her hands in a moment if neither male backed down. "Enough! Tristan, I'll only be a minute, promise. Troy, if this will shut you up, let's go talk but only for a minute."
Troy couldn't help it as he smirked at Tristan as the other guy worriedly looked at Gabriella before letting her hand drop from his. He quickly walked with Gabriella down toward the side of the theater complex, pausing only when he heard another screech from Sharpay.
"Bolton, you better not think I'll stand for this behavior. You get back here right now!" demanded Sharpay, her hands firmly placed on her hips.
"Back off Sharpay!" called out Troy, beyond frustrated at the situation at hand. He dragged Gabriella behind him until they were out of sight of the blonde girl and black haired guy, stopping when he and Gabriella were face to face. "Brie…"
"What the hell is wrong with you Troy? What just happened back there? Have you gone crazy or do you not remember what you did to me on Monday? After such sweet words days before, you go off the deep end and rub it in my face that you like Sharpay!" burst out Gabriella, surprising Troy a little before he felt his own annoyance and anger at the situation bubble back up.
"And so what? You decide to fight fire with fire and call Tristan to come back out to rub it in my face that you have a thing with him too? Very mature Gabriella, really," retorted Troy. "Shit, I only kissed Sharpay in homeroom on Monday to make you jealous! I wanted you to see what you would be giving up!"
"Yeah, a cheater to the core," replied Gabriella, beyond livid at Troy's accusation. "Not that it's any of your business either but Tristan came out on his own and surprised me yesterday. I had no idea he was coming but to be honest, I welcomed him. He was a good change from you and your stupidity! You really thought making me jealous of you would make me come running into your embrace? You, Troy, are the immature one of if you honestly thought that would work!"
"I didn't cheat on you Gabriella, we aren't even together! You'd have to let me in for me to cheat on you!" returned Troy, feeling his voice get sharper with each word. "You couldn't even pick up your cell to call me to tell me our date was off last night? You just had to stand me up didn't you?"
"Wait, you actually thought that we still had a date last night? After a whole week of not talking, you still thought I'd go out with you? Troy, you sure aren't a student of human nature if that's what you thought! And as for you not being a cheater, you may not be a cheater this past week but you have the tendencies now and I'm never letting that happen to me again, I will not play that victim again," declared Gabriella.
Troy caught himself and stopped his reply as he saw the anger on Gabriella's facial expression give way to pain. "Wait, what? What do you mean again?"
Gabriella sighed and looked away as she debated on whether she wanted to tell Troy. "It's nothing Troy, just forget it. Just go on your merry way with Sharpay and we'll all be happy, okay?"
Before Gabriella could take a step to leave, Troy's hand shot out and grabbed Gabriella's right hand again, this time much more gently. She slowly turned her face back towards him to look into his blue eyes that showed his confusion now. He thought for a few moments and started remembering what Kelsi had said to him the day before at school, about Gabriella's fear of being cheated on. "Something has happened in the past, something you haven't shared with me before hasn't it? Some idiot of a boyfriend actually cheated on you."
Unable to lie to Troy, Gabriella reluctantly nodded her head, hating the tear that escaped her eyes at the moment. Before she could brush it away, Troy's hand reached up and gently caught the tear before it could fall below the middle of her cheek, wiping it away just as gently. "It's true," she whispered, surprised herself at her emotional response to the memory. 'I thought I had gotten over that, I thought that was behind me and Tristan. Maybe it really isn't and I'm just suppressing it.'
"Brie, why didn't you tell me? I would never cheat on you, honest. I care for you too much Gabriella and I know how very idiotic that sounds considering what I did this week but I just was so frustrated that you didn't feel as strongly as I did you, at least enough to be able to choose me over Tristan. Anyone who cheated on you in the past, anyone who would even think of doing so even for half a second doesn't deserve you," said Troy in a much softer voice, as he now stroked Gabriella's cheek. "That's not in me to do that to any girl and especially not to you. If we end up together, in a relationship, I will be one-hundred percent yours, so much that you'll get sick of me but that's the way it is. Brie, I would never do that to you."
Gabriella struggled with these words, feeling her heart and mind go to war again, as she was used to them doing whenever she thought of her love life lately. She stared up into Troy's blue eyes and saw the sincerity there, the love, and the truth. Her mind however was forcing visions of Sharpay in Troy's lap back on Monday in front of her eyes at the same time, confusing Gabriella.
Troy saw the confusion now on her face and knew he had to do something. He thought quickly and found a memory that he knew would help her. "Brie, do you remember when we went hiking with the gang last year? I didn't let you down then and I certainly won't now."
Troy and Gabriella had split up from their friends right after an impromptu lunch they had brought with them, choosing to hike up a little more higher to get a better view. Troy made sure to stay close behind Gabriella during the up climb so that he was close enough to catch her in case anything happened. When they finally made it to the top, they paused and took in their surroundings. Seeing a large tree nearby, Troy got an idea and gently led Gabriella over to it.
"I bet you the view is even better a little higher up," suggested Troy, looking at the tree now in front of them and then back at Gabriella. "What do you say?"
Gabriella bit her lip as she looked at the tall tree that loomed over her. "I don't know, we could get hurt."
Troy gently turned Gabriella so that she was now facing him. "Brie, I'd never let anything happen to you, promise. I'll be with you each step of the way, I won't let you fall. Do you trust me?"
Gabriella knew in that moment that she did. "Of course," replied Gabriella.
Troy grinned at this and then pulled her towards the tree. "Here, why don't you go up first? In case you slip, I'll be right behind you and I'll even tell you where to put your hands and feet."
She gave Troy one last look before she turned her attention back to the tree, focusing on following his instructions as both of them continued to climb the multi-branched tree with rather thick branches. When they were finally as high as they could safely go, as judged by Troy, he had her stop and found his way to climb up right behind where Gabriella was now leaning against a thick branch that extended a little ways over the cliff.
Feeling Troy's arm securely wrapped around her waist made Gabriella relax a bit more as she allowed herself to take in the beauty around them again, silently agreeing that this was a great idea to see everything better with no trees obstructing the view and being able to see what was over the cliff. "It's beautiful Troy," murmured Gabriella before she turned her face to look Troy in the eyes.
"I was thinking the same thing," replied Troy with a smile as their lips came closer to each other.
"Hey Taylor, there's monkeys up in that tree!" exclaimed a loud voice belonging to Chad, disrupting what would have been Troy and Gabriella's first kiss, as well as breaking their concentration on keeping their balance in the tree.
Gabriella panicked as she felt herself slipping from the branch she was standing on, trying to grab at something to steady herself but found nothing but air as she began to teeter toward her left, seeing nothing but open air right below her. Before that could happen though, she felt Troy quickly make a grab for her before she was pulled back into the safety of his arms and the solidarity that was available up in the tree.
After a few minutes of Gabriella clinging to Troy's shirt as she caught her breath and let a few tears slip down her face, she pulled back and gave him a watery smile. "Thank you for saving me Troy."
"Hey, I promised you I wouldn't let you fall and that you wouldn't get hurt. I always live up to my promises," returned Troy. "Do you think you can climb down now though if I help you?"
Gabriella hesitated but nodded her head, biting her lip in that nervous manner that told Troy that she wasn't in any condition to attempt it on her own. Cursing Chad in his mind as he shot one last glare at his best friend that had almost cost Gabriella her life, Troy thought quickly as to how to get them both safely down, coming up with something that was still risky but would leave the hard part to him.
"Gabriella, do you think you can climb onto my back?" asked Troy, seeing the fear in her eyes as she looked back at him. "I know you're freaked right now, I don't blame you, but we need to get out of this tree before something does happen. I won't let it but at the same time, we can't stay up here forever. I'm going to let go of you and I want you to hold onto the branch behind you until I have my back to you then I want you to climb on. Got it?"
She shakily nodded her head again, wrapping her hands tightly around the branch and securing herself before Troy let her go and looked around to see how he could make this work. He adjusted his stance and then looked over his shoulder at her. "Come on Brie, let's get out of here."
Gabriella didn't have to be told twice as she immediately crawled onto Troy's back, securing her arms around his shoulders while she wrapped her legs around his waist. It took some time but eventually they finally made it down, Troy handing Gabriella down from the split of the branches to Chad, who felt beyond guilty now for what he almost caused. Once Troy jumped down himself, Gabriella immediately rushed into his arms, burying her face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Thank you so much Troy," whispered Gabriella, still in some disbelief that she had almost died in one simple act of gravity.
"I promised you I wouldn't let you down and I always keep my promises Brie," murmured Troy, kissing the top of her head.
"Umm Troy, you're bleeding," commented Chad, seeing the blood ooze out of one of a few cuts Troy had on his exposed arms.
Gabriella quickly pulled away and saw that Chad was right, that Troy had numerous cuts and a few were just deep enough to bleed. "Oh God Troy, I'm so sorry!"
Troy shook his head as he took the tissue that Taylor offered him and wiped the blood away, keeping it on a cut that seemed to bleed the most. "It's fine, just a few cuts. The important things here is that you are safe. I'll never let you fall Brie, never."
Gabriella came back to the present time and stared at the small white line on Troy's upper arm that made that memory more real. "Thank you," whispered Gabriella, still feeling the fear and the anxiety she felt at that moment while also feeling that sense of security by just being with Troy.
"For what?" asked Troy, a bit confused.
"For saving my life, for not letting me fall. You hurt yourself and risked your own life to save mine, we could have both easily have tumbled out of that tree," returned Gabriella, a few tears gathered in her eyes again.
Troy gave her a bit of a crooked smile before he approached her and wrapped her in his arms. "But we didn't fall out of the tree and sure I have a scar from it but nothing worse. You're alive and that's all that matters Brie. I just want you to realize that you really can trust me, that I won't break my promise to you, even if it costs me my life."
"God Troy, why do you have to be so sweet?" asked Gabriella after a few moments of staying snuggled into his embrace.
She felt the chuckle in his chest before she heard it with her ears. "It's all part of my charm Brie. You bring that side out of me, and only you."
"Ella, are you okay?" called out Tristan, his voice sounding much closer than where Troy and Gabriella had left him and Sharpay.
Hearing Tristan's voice broke the moment for the two as they quickly stepped apart, both looking at each other with soft emotions in their eyes, not feeling bad for what they just shared but not wanting to put Tristan and Sharpay in an even more awkward predicament. Troy quickly leaned in and kissed Gabriella softly on the lips just before Tristan and Sharpay rounded the corner.
"Everything all right?" repeated Tristan, eyeing both Gabriella and Troy.
Gabriella studied Troy for a few moments and smile a little. "Yes, everything is fine, everything is going to be just fine."
Tristan gave her a confused look but approached despite that and grabbed her hand while Sharpay went to Troy, a sweet smile on her face that Troy and Gabriella both knew was forced and fake. "Troy honey, let's go home. I'm really tired."
Troy shot Gabriella a look only to have Gabriella nod her head. "It's fine, we should be heading back to my house anyway. Have a good night Sharpay, Troy."
"Toodles!" returned Sharpay, that twisted smile on her face again as the two parted, Sharpay and Troy walking to Sharpay's pink Mustang with Sharpay's arm around Troy's waist while Tristan and Gabriella walked back to Tristan's rented sedan, their hands intertwined. Gabriella and Troy shared one last look from across the parking lot before they got into the separate cars, a look that acknowledged that something had yet again changed for both of them tonight, something that made a huge difference in this battle for Gabriella's decision as well as Troy's on their future.