Gabriella smiled as raced over to Taylor who was in the library. "Taylor, Taylor" she called out as she made her way over.

"Miss Montez please." Said the librarian.

"sorry." She called back finally reaching Taylor. "Taylor I got accepted to Julliard." She said excitedly.

"but I thought you were going to accept to Stanford?" Taylor asked looking up at her confused.

"well yeah but." Gabriella paused and took a seat in front of Taylor. "I didn't think I would get in."

"so now what?" she asked closing her book and reaching for her cup of coffee.

"this is different" Gabriella said looking at the acceptance letter. "you've always known that you wanted to go to Yale." Gabriella was quite for a moment as her fingers traced the emblem. "my father wanted me to go to Julliard."

"so go to Julliard." Taylor said with a smile on her face.

"but my mom wants me to go to Stanford because she says I'll get a real education in a real career." Gabriella leaned forward "what am I suppose to do."

"what do you want to do." Taylor said reaching for Gabriella's hand and placing hers hand over it to comfort her. "this is your life."

"I know"

"and besides you are apparently more thrilled about Julliard then you are about Stanford." Taylor said leaning back her chair. "in my book you already choose Julliard." She said "follow your heart."

"what if my mother's right and then I mess up my future." She said sinking into her seat. "I'm just so scared." She said Taylor shook her head slowly and sighed. "I'm going for a walk." Getting up from her seat she waved good by and ducked out as soon as Chad came in.

"gabby." He said gently grabbing hold of her wrist. "I never really got to thank you for your help." He said. "I love Taylor with all my heart and I promise I take care of her."

"I know you will Chad, you're a true gentlemen." She said looking at him kindly

Chad pulled her in for a hug. "thanks." He whispered and soon left towards Taylor.

Gabriella watched the two greet each other with smiles and she turned around to leave the room. Walking aimlessly through the hall it was one thing to set aside her decisions for college but it was harder to put a side what she felt for troy. it had been two weeks since she last spoke to him and she was nervous about not ever being able to talk to him again. Now she wanted to be with him she regretted not giving him that last chance. He was the only thing in her world that made her feel so giddy inside and sexy, but you just can't force someone to change.

To think when she came back to school that Monday she was willing to give him another chance but when she saw Cindy with her lips on him she felt heartbroken. Gabriella prided herself on not falling into traps set by men. She wasn't like other girls; she would fit to someone else's desire or go out of her way. There one was only one man she ever cried of over until that night and that was her dad. In side she wanted to sing wanted to get up on stage and sing until she couldn't, she wanted to teach others like her father taught her. But what she wanted wasn't a rational plan or action.

She couldn't just throw it all way for a hobby and her mother was counting on her to be something special in her life. walking into the music room she sat on the bench and stared at the chalk board with musical notes drawn on to it from an earlier class. Taking a deep breath she laid down on the bench and looked up at the ceiling. How was she going to tell her mother she wanted to go to Julliard.

"fancy seeing you here."

Bolting upright she looked over at the source of the voice to see Troy standing by the window looking out.

"what are you doing in here?" she said.

"same thing as you I suppose." He paused and placed a hand in his pocket as he pushed himself off the wall. "needed some where to think."

"why not think in the gym." She spat as she stood up and straightened out her clothes.

"because matters of the heart lead you to odd places." He said looking at her. "this room reminds me of you."

"really?" she said crossing her arms.

"what's got you thinking?"he asked looking her over and taking every inch of her up in his mind.

A little self conscious for the first time she tried to hide her body with her arms. She didn't know why but for some odd reason she wanted to tell him her problems. She wanted to know his opinion on her situation. "I want to go to Julliard." Looking him in the eye she seen his blue eyes battling something mysterious but she looked away and continued. "but I don't know how to tell my mom I'm rejecting Stanford."

"well " he said with a shrug. "just tell her. I mean you guys went and got tattoos together your mom doesn't strike as someone who would want you to be miserable. " he said holding out a hand and walking over to the bench. "and by knowing you I know she raised you to be true to yourself."

For a moment she thought about what he said and smiled. She never thought about putting things in that aspect. She could follow her dreams and always stay true to what her mother had taught her and what her mom wanted her to be. "your right, she has." Gabriella sat down beside him. Maybe id she approached it like that instead of letting her mother down she would be helping her to see the Brightside and how much it meant to her.

"believe it or not I had to tell my dad I wasn't taking the scholarship at Uof A." he said resting his hands on his lap. "and trust me you haven't seen devastation like a father who just learned his only son isn't going to be following in his footsteps." He chuckled at the end making her giggle as well.

"I guess not." She said "but you have seen the tears in your mothers eyes when you play the guitar and remind her of her late husband." She said looking at her thumbs.

"trust me I'm betting she misses him like crazy and I bet every time you play you bring a piece of him back and she feels like he's around again." he said looking down at the ground. "your gift is amazing you should pursue it."

"you have a gift to you know" she said nudging him.

"making baskets isn't that impressive they can teach a dog how do that." He said shaking his head.

"not basket ball silly." She said looking up at him. "dealing with people." Troy looked up at her and smiled as he thought about what she said. "Troy you know how to handle people and that's not a common skill." Placing a hand on his thigh she smiled at him as he stared out into the open space. "you got Chad and Taylor together, you practically run the school and your class president, captain of the basketball team. You're a people person."

"its just popularity."

"no you didn't just wake up popular you made you popular by taking a position and using it to your advantage." She corrected.

"doesn't that make me bad?"

"it's always a bad thing." She said rubbing her hand a bit up and down his thigh. "depends what you use it for."

Troy smiled and looked down at her and leaned in close to kiss her on the forehead. "thanks." He said pulling away and looking to the board.

A bit taken aback she looked up at him and wondered what was going through his mind. "troy what are doing." She asked.

"talking." He answered

"smart ass." She mumbled. "I mean about us,"

"well you have turned me down a total of eight times do you know what that does to a man." he said looking down at her.

Shaking her head as she smiled she looked the other way.

"it makes us pretty damn unsure of ourselves." He said with a laugh.

"so you stop trying." She asked a bit unsure.

"are you kidding me I've never been more sure about being with someone in my life." he said looking into her eyes. "I even asked my dad how he asked my mom out." He said. "hell I've been debating stand on top of the school to make a fool out of myself." He uttered in frustration.

"well I heard of this one time long long ago where boys would write down on a slip of paper if you wanted to be their girlfriend with three little check boxes." Pause to let out a laugh she leaned forward and then back. "one would say yes the other no and the last one would be maybe."

"well that's lame." He said waving away the idea. "boys back then didn't understand the rules."

Gabriella frowned and then he got up from his seat and for a moment she doubted what she was feeling.

She watched as Troy began to ease the board and mess around drawing pictures on the board. Gabriella walked up to the board and she began to doodle as well the both of them silent. Troy stepped back to admire his work and turned to look at her with a smile. "now that is how its done."

Gabriella looked over at his artwork and instantly giggled as she looked at the musical notes and instead of every good boy does fine, the lines read: will you be my girlfriend, with only two boxes under it. yes and yes.

"with an offer like that what's a girl to do." She said leaning on one foot and looking at the board.

"maybe you should check a box." He said with a shrug as he looked around the room "I mean why leave the poor guy hanging?"

Laughing she looked at him and smiled. "are you always so cheesy." She asked shaking her head. Staring at him now she knew she couldn't resist him she knew she was about to fall hopelessly head over heals for a guy who was Mad Bad and Dangerous to know but at the moment she couldn't care as along as it happened.

"I can get as cheesy as it takes." He said stepping closer to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. Pulling her to him he felt her hands rest on her chest and her breath intake sharply. Leaning down he covered her lips with his own and he this time he didn't hold back. his hands wrapped around her body bringing her closer to him and his kiss was deeper as he tasted all the forbidden pleasure he been deprived of so long. The two kissed passionately until air for both of them became a need.

Pulling away from him she walked over to the board and marked both boxes smiling as she turned around. Everything she wanted was staring at her, and she wanted it. "with kiss like that you expect a girl to say no, now I got to find out what else you can do." she said with a devious smile.

Troy took three steps and within those three he had boxed her between him and board. "Where have you been all my life." he said looking into her eyes.

"New York city." She said in a hushed voice.

"and now were both going back" he said with a smile. "I got accepted to the University of New York. For business," he said leaning down to kiss her.

"stalker." She said narrowing her eyes.

"More like boyfriend."

The two laughed and then went silent as Troy wrapped her in another kiss.

The End.