Hi. This is my new story. For those who have never read my stories before, I'm Kayleigh. I am currently writing another story for HSM called Meant To Live. I suggest you read it, a lot of people like it. But I got this idea in my head and it just won't leave, so I am writing it. My other story is up to chapter 36, but I don't think this story will get that far. It depends on how many storylines I think of that can work well with this story.

Note that chapters might take a little bit, because not only am I in school and one of those kids who actually study, I am writing Meant To Live. That story it ending though, so once that is finished this will be my main story.

Summary: Gabriella's parents died when she was twelve, leaving her and her five brothers parentless. With her being the youngest, they all vowed to protect her from everything that their parents couldn't. But the one thing they can't protect her from is falling in love with the resident bad boy Troy Bolton. Troyella.

Here are the actors playing her brothers: Shane-Taylor Lautner, Johnny-Joe Jonas, Noel&Cole-Steven Strait, Drew-Chace Crawford
I used Taylor Lautner in my other story. I'm just changing his name. This is just so you can match the names with faces.

Nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

-- All You Need Is Love, by The Beatles

Everybody at school knows who I am. It's not because I am one of the popular girls, or one of those people who get made fun of all the time. In fact, no one will ever make fun of me. For one reason: I have five brothers. Five strong, older, scary brothers, and it doesn't help that I am the youngest, and the only girl. But the only two actually in school with me now are Shane and Johnny. Me and Shane are in eleventh grade, while Johnny is a senior. But let's start from the beginning.

The oldest, wisest, and most annoying is Drew. He's twenty-three, and graduated from U of A, and is now some kind of supervisor at a four star restaurant. He got a culinary degree, and dreams of opening his own restaurant one day. He minored in business so it is doable. Drew is me and Shane's legal guardian. When our parents died, Drew was newly eighteen. They wanted to split all of us up, sending us to aunts and uncles, or cousins. Drew wouldn't allow it and applied to become all of our guardians. Since our parents already paid off the house, and left him a lot of money, it happened. Drew is like our parental figure, no matter how old we get, I know we will always think of him that way.

Next are the first set of twins, Noel and Cole. They're identical, and half the time no one can tell who is who. Not even me. Even though Noel spells his name like Noel, it is pronounced Nole. Like that guy on Felicity. Noel and Cole are completely different though. While Cole is a star baseball player, Noel is more of the artistic type. Noel enjoys reading a book, while Cole will just watch the movie. Noel likes emo rock bands, and Cole listens to rap. Noel is more understanding, while Cole will tell you to suck it up and stop acting like a baby. Get what I mean? Noel and Cole go to the University of New Mexico, and are twenty.

After them is Johnny, eighteen and a senior in high school. The regular All-American boy. He is perfect at any sport he plays, which is all of them, and gets straight A's in school without studying at all. But then again, he isn't in all the honors classes, but that doesn't mean he isn't smart, he is, he just would rather be in the easy classes and pass easily then struggle in hard ones. Cole and Johnny are a lot alike.

And last but not least are me and Shane. Me and Shane are twins, but he is older by one minute and twenty-eight seconds. He will remind me of that when ever I tell him that we are twins, and we're the same age. While Shane is on the varsity basketball team, he only plays because he thinks he has to. My dad did, therefore all my brothers did. Even Noel who isn't the sportiest person in the bunch. Shane is more like Noel. He is into theatre, which is where he met his best friend Ryan Evans. They both are in every theartric production at East High.

The youngest (technically), is me, Gabriella. I can't cook like Drew. I'm not into sports like Cole, and Johnny. I can't act like Shane. And I am not as angsty as Noel. I actually like school, take all the honors classes, am on the Scholastic Decathlon team, I run track in the spring, tutor after school, and am the only known person who can actually calm down Sharpay Evans. Sharpay in my best friend in the world and has been since we were six. Our moms were friends. While I was playing nicely with my doll, Sharpay was trying to get her mothers attention. When Daphne Evans wouldn't give Sharpay the attention she wanted, she proceeded to pick up her skirt, pull down her underwear and pee in her mothers six-hundred dollar designer handbag. Sharpay is the kind of girl you don't mess with.

My brothers only agree on one thing. Protecting me. They can fight for hours on whether Billy Joel's song Piano Man is named Piano Man, or The Piano Man, but when I say I am going out they need four things. One, where I am going. Two, who I am going out with. Three, when I will be home? And four, will any boys be there?

I was twelve when I first saw a dead body. Well, bodies. My mom and my dad. They were running late for dinner, because number one rule in the Montez house is that we all eat together, as a family. They ran one red night, and bam! We got a call telling us that my parents had died. Everything changed. I can still see the look on Drew's face as he dropped the phone and slid down the wall, and Noel jumped up and grabbed the phone, wondering what the person on the line had said to hurt our oldest brother so badly.

I cried once. As soon as I found out. I cried then. But when we had the funeral, and after the funeral, nothing. I didn't shed one tear. What would be the point? It wouldn't bring them back, it wouldn't make it better. My parents would still be dead. I would never hear my dad call me his Little Bear again. My mom would never let me jump into bed with her when I had a bad dream again. They would never pick me up and hold me when one of my brothers made me cry. They wouldn't do anything ever again.

But that was a long time ago. I'm not twelve anymore, I'm seventeen (or I will be in about a month) and a junior in high school. Which is the reason why I am hopping down the stairs while putting on one of my shoes. I'm running a bit late. It all started when I threw my alarm clock against the wall because it was annoying me. I think I need a new alarm clock. I was on the last step when Cole walked passed me, I grabbed his arm to steady myself and put my shoe on right.

I smiled, now standing on my own two feet and let Cole go without a word before running into the kitchen, where Drew would be making some kind of breakfast. He is the cook in the family. But even though he is, we trade off when we make dinner. Although when Cole or Johnny make dinner, Drew is always there watching in case they start a fire. It's happened before.

"You're late," he stated, handing me a already buttered piece of toast. Love him.

I nodded, biting into it. "I know," I agreed, taking another bite. "Thanks," I told him, signaling to the buttered toast. He waved it off as he went over to the stove and flipped a pancake. It isn't fair that I don't have enough time to eat some pancakes, because Drew is like the breakfast king. His pancakes are the shit. Really, they are.

I was staring at the pancakes adoringly when Shane yelled that Ryan and Sharpay are here. I shoved the rest of the toast into my mouth before running over to Drew and kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks for the toast, love you!" I shouted as I grabbed my bag off the chair and continued to sprint to the front door that Shane already walked out of, and slam it behind me. It's a good thing I am on the track team, because I beat Shane to the car, meaning that I get the front seat, next to Sharpay, and he has to sit in the back with Ryan. Don't get me wrong I love Ryan, I just like the front better.

Shane swore under his breath and climbed into the back. Sharpay looked over at me as I shut the door. "Woke up late?" she guessed correctly, I nodded. She reached into her purse and pulled out a makeup bag. I was about to ask her for it, I smiled in thanks and instantly started to rummage through it. Sharpay and Ryan pick me and Shane up every morning. Johnny rides with his best friend, Jason who lives next door. Jason is kind of like brother to me because he grew up with us.

"So, Gab, I was just telling Shar that you should sign up for the musical," Ryan mentioned from the back seat. I smiled faintly, holding the mirror up to my face as I put on eyeliner. "And before you say no like you have since freshman year let me remind you that you have one of the best voices I have ever heard," he added. Sharpay coughed from next to me, causing me to smile more. "Besides my wonderful twin of course," he corrected.

Sharpay loves being in the spot light, and I don't. Probably another reason why we are best friends. "Ry, I love you, but no, I am not going to sign up for the musical. Ms. Darbus has hated me ever since I accidentally told her she looks like a gypsy, and even though I may have an okay singing voice, I can't act to save my life," I answered, pulling out eyeshadow.

"You didn't accidentally tell her she looks like a gypsy, Gabi," Shane laughed from the back seat. "On the first day of freshman year in homeroom you wondered, quite loudly, why she dressed up like gypsy because quote 'it wasn't Halloween,'" he reminded me.

I laughed, remembering that. I can be blunt. I have five brothers, you learn to be blunt. One time I told them I had my period as they were going to the store, they bought disposable napkins. I literally had to write down what I needed, the brand name and where to find it on the list. "Well, that doesn't mean you have to hold a grudge for three years," I defended myself.

"G is right though," Sharpay agreed. "She may know what she is talking about when it comes to acting and the theatre, but she really needs a personal stylist," she explained, pulling into school just as I was putting on lip gloss. I can put on makeup at a fast pace while it takes Sharpay three hours to get everything on just right. We all got out of the car and I swung my bag over my shoulder as I straightened out my t-shirt. Growing up with five brothers, I am not the ultimate girly girl like Sharpay, but also growing up with Sharpay, I am not a tomboy. I know how to dress to look good, and be comfortable. My fitted t-shirt today says 'Love the Life You Live' in an elegant black script. Which matches my black belt and low-riding light wash fitted jeans, along with black high-heeled shoes.

I handed Sharpay back her makeup bag as we walked into school after Shane and Ryan. I followed Sharpay in my peripheral vision as I dug into my large purse, that acts like a backpack because all my binders and folders fit into it. "Where is my phone?" I asked myself as we stopped at my locker.

"Uh, Gab, it's in your pocket," Sharpay informed me, pulling it out and waving it in front of my face. I smiled in thanks and turned it on.

"Oh, hey, you called me this morning," I said, sliding it back into my pocket, and opening my locker. "That is why I didn't wake up, my phone was off!" I exclaimed, grabbing the folders I needed for class and closing it again. Sharpay calls me every morning because she knows me and my alarm clock aren't getting along at the present time. She calls until I wake up. "It turned off last night because someone had to talk to me until one in the morning about her boyfriend, successfully running out my battery," I commented, lifting my eyebrows at her.

Sharpay and Chad Danforth started dating mid-summer. I was thankful because I was finally done being the middle man between them. The only problem now, is that they always have little annoying arguments every five minutes. They always make up though, and I will admit when they are not fighting they are the cutest couple ever. I don't care that he is annoying, always carried a basketball with him, and has the urge to call me his favorite Montez girl every time I see him, as long as Sharpay is happy, so am I.

"Well, I needed someone to talk to about him, and you are my best friend, that means when I need to talk, you are there," she replied, leaning against the locker next to me. "It's in the BFF handbook," she informed me, nodding her head.

"There's a BFF handbook?" I questioned, crossing my arms and waited for her answer.

"Yep," she told me. "Page fifty-four, when your BFF needs someone to vent to about their boyfriend, you being the BFF must listen and agree with everything they say about them," she said.

I crinkled my eyebrows. "Seriously, there is a BFF handbook?" I asked.

"No," Sharpay answered. I laughed. "But if there was, I bet it would be in there," she told me, laughing with me. Suddenly Chad appeared behind Sharpay and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her face to light up like a Christmas tree and lean back against him. See, they are so cute.

"You're smiling, could it be about me?" he questioned, and started nuzzling her neck. She giggled and closed her eyes. We've known Chad since middle school. And since middle school, Chad and Sharpay always flirted and fought. When they weren't flirting they were fighting, and when they weren't fighting they were flirting. I finally convinced him to grow some balls and ask her out. They have been doing the same flirting and fighting since then, now they just call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Some people would call it weird, but I just say it is Chad and Sharpay.

He whispered something in her ear that made her blush, and seeing Sharpay Andrea Evans blush is a rarity. I crinkled my nose at them. "It's gross isn't it?" a whisper said in my ear, and I turned towards the voice. I found Troy Bolton looking back at me, his usual smirk on his face, wearing a deep red v-neck t-shirt, black pants, and black converse. There was a chest pocket on his shirt, and aviator sunglasses were clipped to it. His black pants were low on his hips, showing off his black boxers.

Everyone knows Troy Bolton, especially females. He transferred in at the beginning of the year, and since it is only October he is still relatively new. He lives with his uncle who is the coach of the basketball team. I'm not a lesbian, so I will admit that he has the body of a Greek God and is probably one of the hottest guys I have ever seen. As if that wasn't enough to attract girls to him, he is the definition of a bad boy. He drives a motorcycle, plays guitar, gets into fights and trouble, and doesn't care what anyone thinks about him.

As soon as Troy moved here, him and Chad became like best friends. I looked back at Chad and Sharpay, who were still acting sickeningly sweet and nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen Sharpay blush before. So whatever he is saying, I never want to hear it," I replied, and I heard his chuckle in my ear.

"Ella!" Chad exclaimed, noticing me standing in front of them. Sharpay snapped out of her trance and looked over at me. I waved, and she cleared her throat. He let go of Sharpay and hugged me quickly. "How is my favorite Montez girl?" he asked, pulling back and wrapped his arm around Sharpay's shoulders.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm the only Montez girl," I reminded him. "So I have to be your favorite." He shrugged and went back to Sharpay. I tell him this every time he says it, and he always repeats it. Ah-noying.

"What? I don't get my hug, and here I thought we were friends," Troy commented from behind me. I sighed and turned to him. I am in heels and I still have to get up on my tiptoes to hug him. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me all the way to his chest. I ignored the zap of electricity I felt and fought the urge to close my eyes and stay in his arms, and pulled away. I looked back at Sharpay and Chad and they were both staring at us. Sharpay raised her eyes at me. I do not want her to start giving me the same talk she always does when she sees me and Troy together.

I gave her a pointed stare and was about to say something when Johnny appeared next to us. "Drew told me to give this to you. You forgot it this morning," he informed me, handing me a folder. I nodded in thanks and shoved it in my bag. "Hoops Man, " Drew greeted, slapping Troy's hand and did that half hug thing guys do. Oh yeah, and Troy is on the basketball team. Shocker, right?

Johnny stared at me for a second. He saw the hug. The only guys I can be around with out my brothers questioning me are Chad, Ryan, and Jason. Troy Bolton is definitely not on the list, and if the rumors are true, for good reason. "Thanks, Johnny, I'll tell Drew his full proof method of handing stuff off from sibling to sibling still works," I told him, a fake smile on my face.

He gave me a long hard stare before he started walking down the hall again. Over us, the homeroom bell rang. I tightened the strap on my bag and started walking with Sharpay and Chad. "Yo, Troy, you comin'?" Chad called behind us.

Troy shook his head slightly. "I'll be there in a sec, I have to grab somethin'," he answered as he turned around and fell into step with some girl and swung his arm around her. And, Troy Bolton is the biggest player in school.

"So, G, what was with that hug?" Sharpay asked, linking hands with Chad.

"Yeah, Ella, what was with the hug?" Chad repeated, smiling at me over Sharpay's head. I glared at him.

I shrugged. "It was just a hug. Troy flirts with every girl he comes in contact with, I just happen to be a girl. I can hug someone without expectations you know," I answered, stopping some kid who was walking by me, and hugged him. "See?" I said, pushing the kid away and continued to walk with Sharpay and Chad.

"True, but you didn't hug that kid the way you hug Troy," Sharpay informed me, walking into homeroom.

"And how do I hug Troy differently than I hug other people?" I questioned, interested in hearing this answer.

She let go of Chad's hand as a kid on the basketball team called his name and he went over to them. "First of all, when you hug Troy, you close your eyes," she told me. What does that have to do with anything? "That means you feel comfortable with the person. Second, when you hug him you lay your head down on his shoulder," she continued. Um, that is where my head falls. He is a tall guy. I can't help it if I didn't get the tall gene in my family. Shane is shortish too. "And third, you get this serene look on your face," she finished.

"How do you know that I close my eyes when I hug him? I was turned away from you when I hugged him. My head just lays on his shoulder because I am kinda short, he's tall, my head just happens to land there. And define the word serene," I responded. But before she could the bell rang and I had to walk to the back of the class and find my seat.

Troy, like normal, walked in a minute after it rang and just strolled over to his seat, ignoring Ms. Darbus who was making an announcement about some kind of club. "Mr. Bolton, late again. I'm beginning to see a pattern forming. And pray tell what is the reason this time?" she asked. I could practically see his grin and I sit in the last row. "Wait, let me guess, your Suzuki stalled and you had to roll it to school?"

"Actually," Troy cut in. "It's a Harley, but go on," he told her. Half the class laughed, including me.

She got the same look on her face that she did when I said she looked like a gypsy. "Don't be late again, Bolton, or I will have to give you a detention," she warned him.

"You can't really do that. I have basketball practice today, and we all know what happened when you tried to give me a detention on a day I had practice. Uncle Jack didn't like it much," he reminded her.

She opened her mouth to speak but the bell rang, signaling first period, and we all got up. Sharpay waited for me outside the door like she usually does. "Calm, peaceful, or tranquil," she told me. I looked at her confused. "You told me to define serene. Calm, peaceful, or tranquil. Or in your case you might need a few more adjectives because you tend to deny so easily. Um, happy, content, safe-" I cut her off by speaking.

"Will you please stop trying to tell me that I feel something I don't?" I asked as we walked to first period. "Troy is just a guy, a guy who happens to hug me once in a while. He hugs you too," I told her.

We stopped at my first period which is family sociology, and hers is sewing, which is next door to mine. "Yes, but almost every time we see him, he hugs you, he only hugs me when I mention it. You like him, and he likes you," she said.

Ryan walked past me with Shane and I called his name. They both walked over. "Hey, Ry," I greeted, and hugged him, making sure to close my eyes and smile as I did it. "Thanks," I told him as I pulled away. "See, that doesn't mean I like Ryan. You really have to get over this idea you have about me and Troy," I said, turning to Sharpay.

Ryan and Shane looked at each other confused before they continued walking to first period. "Did I hear my name?" Troy asked, and I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders. Sharpay smiled in triumph. Damn her. "You see, I have this like weird power that whenever someone says my name, I know when they say it. So don't deny it, I know you two were talking about me," he said, his arm moving around my neck.

"We were just talking about what you did in homeroom. It was funny, wasn't it, Shar?" I said and stomped on her foot.

"Ah, yeah, totally hilar," she agreed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I gotta go, first period is cooking with Mrs. Ferguson. She hates me and if I am late she might stab me with a knife or something," he told us. He pulled my body against his and hugged me. "I'll see you later, Brie," he said as he left.

"See, Troy even has a nickname for you!" Sharpay said, almost squealing.

"I heard my name!" Troy shouted down the hall and turned around as he walked. I rolled my eyes and went inside my first period where Sharpay couldn't follow.

I only heard Sharpay wonder, "How does he do that?" before the bell rang and Mrs. McLachlan closed the door behind me.

-

I usually get to lunch first out of my friends because they all go to their lockers and I just go to lunch. When I got there, Johnny was sitting on my table, and talking to Jason. "We need to talk," he informed me, hopping off the table.

I nodded and set my stuff down. "Why don't we start with the fact that I forgot to ask Drew for lunch money this morning. Do you have some?" I asked, he sighed and pulled a five dollar bill out of his picket and handed it to me. I smiled widely and began walking towards the lunch line.

"What was with Troy this morning, hugging you?" he asked. Oh, my God. I swear if one more person asks me about that damn hug I will kill someone. Sharpay badgered me about it this morning, made Chad ask me about it in history, and Ryan and Shane asked why me and Shar were talking about Troy this morning, so I had to explain it to them.

I took in a deep breath and tried to refrain from killing my brother. "It was just a hug, John, nothing more. People hug me all the time. You guys do, Chad does, Ryan does, my friends do, and once in a while, a guy does tend to hug me. Last time I checked that wasn't a crime," I told him, taking a plate of fries from a lunch lady who handed them to me. Doris knows me so well. I also grabbed a couple brownies, a fruit roll-up, and a lemonade before paying and walking back to my seat.

"It's crime when a guy I don't approve of hugs you," he corrected, sitting next to me. A guy he doesn't approve of?

"What are you? Drew? It wasn't like he was groping me in the hall," I replied, opening my lemonade. "Why can you all get over it? I hug Jason all the time, and he is your best friend," I told him.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "Jason is my best friend, and I know when he hugs you he isn't getting any ideas. I'm just trying to protect you, Gab, Troy isn't a good guy. I mean, look at him," he said, and looked over at Troy who was over near the steps, surrounded by girls. As soon as I looked, he turned his head towards me and grinned, winking at me. "See!"

"Just because I hugged him doesn't mean I am in love with him or anything, okay?" I replied, trying to get this conversation over with.

He squinted his eyes at me and slowly nodded. "Keep it that way," he said and got up and walked away.

"You said my name again," Troy stated and sat down next to me. "That makes it a total of four today, Brie. I think you are starting to like me or something," he added.

"Maybe I wasn't talking about you," I responded. He smirked and leaned closer to me. "I could have been talking about the movie Troy. You know with Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom. It's not my fault that you have the same name as a movie, bud," I told him.

"Maybe," he agreed, nodding his head. "But you said could have, if you really weren't talking about me, you would have said you were talking about the movie. So in the end, you were talking about me, and I should know what you were saying," Troy said.

I bit me lip and tried to hold back a smile. "Sorry, can't do that," I replied, picking up a cheese fry and put it in my mouth.

"If you don't, I'll hold your food as ransom," he warned, turning his body so he was facing me, and I did the same, causing our knees to brush past each other every so often.

I shook my head. "No you won't. You're forgetting that I live in a house with five boys, I know how to fight for my food," I replied. He chuckled, his smirk permanently on his face. "I learned at a early age that if you want something to eat you have to dive in for it, or else Cole will eat it all. And Cole eats everything," I added.

"You are different than most of the girls in this school," he stated, watching as I ate a couple more cheese fries.

I shrugged. "You mean in the sense that I don't eat salad for every single meal. And I don't feel the need to go on a diet because I like my body the way it is. And I don't straighten my hair so it looks like paper because the fashion world says I have to. And last but not least, I don't giggle at everything you say, and go along with it," I explained.

Troy's smirk grew at my last sentence. "I don't know, I think you giggle at some of the things I say," he said. He looked over my head and back into my eyes. "And for the record, I like that you are different than most of the girls in our school," he added. I blushed for some unknown reason and turned back to the table just as Sharpay set down her salad and handbag.

"Hey, G," she greeted, sitting down next to me.

"S," I acknowledged her. "I would like to thank you for making Chad annoy the hell out of me during history, I really needed that," I said, and she turned to Chad, scolding him for telling me Sharpay asked him to talk to me about Troy.

"You just broke their streak," Troy mentioned from next to me. I looked at him with confused eyes. "They haven't fought all day, and now they are," he explained, nodding his head toward them.

I opened my mouth to speak when a girl walked past our table and ran her hand along the back of Troy's shoulders. "Hey, Troy," she said as she past.

Troy turned and looked to her. "It was a nice talk, Brie, but I gotta go," he told me and got up to catch up to her.

"Hey, Gab," Sharpay nudged me on the side I turned to her. "If you didn't like him, there wouldn't be any hurt in your eyes right now," she whispered so no one else would hear.

I cleared my throat and stood. "I have to finish some homework," I lied, and picked up my tray and walked over to the garbage bins. As I put my tray on top of the other ones and began to walk in the direction of the doors that led to the hall, someone caught my hand. It was Sharpay.

"Look, I'm sorry about the way I have been bugging you about Troy all day. I just.. want you to be happy, and I think you could be with Troy, if you wanted to and really put yourself out there," she admitted. I smiled faintly at her. "So, I'll stop. Okay, I won't, but I'll try to be more subtle about it," she corrected herself.

I laughed. "Shar you don't know how to be subtle," I responded and she laughed too. "Besides, even if I did want a boyfriend, Troy or someone else, it's not like I could actually be with the person. My brothers hardly let me do anything. A question they ask soon as I walk out the door is whether any boys will be where I am going," I added. "But I really have to do some homework, so.." I trailed off.

"Go up to your secret garden on the rooftop and do whatever you do," she said, seeing through my lie. I laughed and hugged her. "Just promise me when you do realize that you like someone, don't let your brothers hold you back," she whispered in my ear and I nodded. "Love ya!" Sharpay called as I walked out of the doors.

"You too!" I shouted and walked to the rooftop door. I've been coming to this rooftop since freshman year, and all of my friends know, but they don't come up here. They know that I don't get much alone time at home, and school is well, school. I need some time to just be alone.

Since it's a sunny day, I walked out from underneath the shadows and layed down on one of the skylights. I don't need a boyfriend to be happy. I am happy. I love my brothers, they are there for me everyday, and would do anything for me. And I love Sharpay, who has been there for me through everything. My parents dying, my brothers annoying me, just everything. If a girl at school was being a bitch towards me, I know Sharpay would deal with it for me. And I have my friends, Chad, Ryan, and others that I hang out with who make me laugh and entertain me like friends should. I don't need anything else.

My eyes were closed, but I could tell when someone stood over me, blocking the sun. "Getting a tan?" Troy guessed, and my eyes fluttered open. His hands were tucked into his pockets and his sunglasses were on.

"If I am, you're standing in my sunlight," I responded, making a hand movement for him to move. "Seriously, don't you have some other girl to go flirt with in the cafeteria?" I asked, and was surprised at the harshness in my voice. I couldn't see his eyes because they were covered by his aviators, but his smirk stayed on his face. "The silence is kinda getting annoying now."

"If I knew any better, I would say you are jealous," he finally said, sitting down next to me, and I sat up and turned to him.

"Well, I'm not. So, again, why don't you go back to the cafeteria and hang out with that one girl and leave me to myself. Because that is what I do up here, be by myself. In case you forgot I kinda have a full house," I told him. I just wanted him to leave, I wanted to be by myself, I wanted to think of more reasons why I am happy and don't need a boy to make my life better. I couldn't do that with him here. He's.. distracting.

Troy took off his sunglasses and stuck them back into his chest pocket. "You said my name again, when you were talking to Sharpay," he informed me. Ugh, I am beginning to hate this little power of his. "And since that makes it about five or six times today, I think I should finally know what you were talking about. And don't tell me it was about that damn movie," he said.

I expelled a breath. "It doesn't matter, Troy," I told him. "Wh-what are you doing up here anyways? I thought I was the only one that came up here," I asked.

"Well, you're not. Every once in a while, I have seen you come up here. I wondered what it was, and when you left I came up to see what it was. And I found this. I usually don't come up here when you're up here. But when I saw you leave the cafeteria, I knew you would end up here. I figured this is the best place to corner you so you can tell me why you've been talking about me all day," he explained.

"It hasn't been all day, it was like, three times," I let slip. He grinned. "And all three times someone else brought you up, so wipe that all-knowing grin off your face," I ordered, but he didn't. "Wait, you have seen me come up here? Like you have been watching me? That is a bit stalkerish, Bolton," I told him.

He chuckled. I don't think I've ever seen him actually laugh. It's always this chuckle, like he is too cool to have actual fun. "I wasn't watching you like a freak, more like observing," he corrected. "You know, you never really walk alone in the hall?" he questioned. "It's usually Sharpay that is with you, or Shane and maybe Johnny at times. But sometimes it is Chad, or Ryan, or that really shy girl with with the glasses," he told me. I laughed at his description of Kelsi. "And, when Sharpay says something that is Sharpayified you roll your eyes and once in a while you blush. When you do blush, you push a stray hair behind your ear. And sometimes when you are talking to someone, you just stare off in the distance, and I always wonder what you are thinking about," he finished.

"I don't know about you," I said, leaning in closer to him. "But I would define that as stalking," I told him. "But really, you watch me in the halls? Why?" I asked.

"That, Brie," he started, standing up, and held a hand out for me. I took it and stood with him. "Is for me to know, and you to find out," he said. I noticed that he didn't drop my hand, and my hand started to feel warm because it was encased in his. But it wasn't a bad kind of warm, it was the comfortable kind. My hand seemed to fit perfectly inside his. "What are you thinking about, Brie?" Troy asked, his voice was almost a whisper. I looked up, do I really zone out like that?

I tilted my chin upwards, and he took a step closer to me. "Why do you call me Brie?" I asked, my voice was as soft as his. His thumb started to rub the back of my hand gently. "I mean, no one else does, so why do you?"

"Because no one else does," he answered easily. "Does it bother you that I call you it?" he questioned as he took another step closer, and our bodies were almost touching. My body temperature rose as my heart rate picked up. I unconsciously intertwined our fingers so they were laced together.

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "No, I like that you call me Brie, I was just wondering why," I confessed. Below us the bell rang, I silently cursed it.

"Good," Troy replied and wrapped his free arm around my waist, pulling our bodies all the way together in a hug. I breathed in his cologne and looped my arm around his neck, hugging him back. I felt his nose brush against my neck and I took in a quick breath. He pulled away a couple seconds later. "I'll see you around, Brie," he murmured and started to walk backwards away from me. Our hands unlinked and he turned around, shoving his hands into his pockets and disappeared underneath the overhanging.

Maybe, just maybe a hug isn't just a hug. Maybe it means something more. And maybe I'm not totally content in my life. I have my family and friends, yes. I feel loved and cared for by them, yes. But maybe, just maybe, I might be missing something. Maybe I am missing love. And not the kind of love that I get from my family or friends, but the kind of love where you are in love with another person. Maybe, just maybe, that's all I need. Love.

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Please, -- Kayleigh