A Cinderella Story

Troy and Gabriella did not spend Sunday together, unfortunately. For the past two days the new love birds had blissfully been in the new relationship phase, where they wanted to spend every waking moment with each other, and they still were in that phase, constantly thinking about one another and texting whenever they had the chance during that oh so ordinary Sunday. But because he had agreed with his team that because basketball season was over they would still have weekly practices, just to keep in shape, Troy spent his Sunday running laps around the track, hollering at his players to stop being lazy and pick up the pace. Meanwhile, Gabriella sat at home, being the ambitious one that she is, and decided to devote her Sunday to homework. However, she was grateful for the fact that it decreased in size drastically since disbanding from her stepfamily, Eliza and Fran's homework primarily given to them and only them to complete now.

But after spending almost every minute with her…significant other?...boyfriend…? friend…?

Yeah she still had no idea what to call him, since he had yet to ask her the official question of if she would be his girlfriend. Gabriella sighed. Anyway.

After spending the best two days of her life with Troy, she was going through slight withdrawl, trying to focus on the essay in front of her yet desperately glancing at her phone every five seconds and freaking out every time he would send her a message, which was scarce since he was conditioning with his team and couldn't really carry his phone around with him.

She bit on the end of her pen cap and drilled holes into the paper in front of her, trying-but failing-to not look over at her phone unnecessarily. She finally sighed and gave up, dropping her pen and closing her folder. The essay was due in two weeks, it could wait. She grabbed her phone and rolled onto her back, the mattress beneath her not creaking as she did so, which she wasn't used to. Her old mattress which was still in Regina's attic made it impossible for her to move even an inch, for the loudest shrill resulted from it if she did.

She smiled to herself at the soft soundless material, the one that Carly had already had in the room because it was originally supposed to be a guest room, fully furnished and all.

"Hey kiddo, you wanna go to the store with me?"

Gabriella pulled her head up lazily and glanced at the frame of her door, where Carly was now standing with a smile.

"The best part of living alone is the grocery shopping. You get to buy whatever junk you want and there's no mom's around to yell at you."

Gabriella giggled and swung her legs to hang off the edge of the bed, dropping to her feet and sauntering over to Carly with a grin. "Sure, my first time going to the grocery store with you...I've been looking forward to this day for a while."

Carly shook her head. "Oh child, this is gonna be fun." She turned on her heels with spunk and skipped down the hall. "I'll meet you in the car!"

"Okay!" Gabriella glanced at her cell phone one last time before sticking it in the back pocket of her jeans and grabbing her jacket off her computer desk chair as she made her way out the door.

…

One day was too long. That was a given.

To say that not seeing her for one whole day, not touching her soft skin or smelling her sweet scent, it was like torture for Troy.

He glanced around the busy hallway, trying to catch a glimpse of her between the mess of people.

Troy had offered her a ride this morning, he didn't want to waste any time away from her. But because of a stupid Student Council meeting she was going in early anyway and getting a ride with Taylor, insisting that she didn't want him to have to wake up earlier than usual just to drive her.

The thought of why they felt so jittery when not together at such an early stage of their relationship probably crossed both Troy and Gabriella's minds sometime between last seeing each other at her doorstep Saturday night, to now, when they were moments away from being within reach. It crossed their mind, but they didn't question it.

Both of the seniors-almost high school graduates- knew they only had a couple months left to be together, and then the inevitable would happen.

College, long distance, the whole hoorah.

So they would use this time sparingly, because both of them knew that what they had, and what was getting stronger every minute they were together, was something to hold on to. The idea of letting go after graduation, after having such little time together, after discovering that there really was that perfect someone, well…it was depressing. And no doubt something that both high school seniors refused to open their arms to.

"Dude, free period, Tyler and Evan challenged us to a game of two on two, you down?"

Troy glanced at his best friend, nodding absentmindedly as he scanned his peers, trying to spot her flawless face. "Uh, yeah…whatever, man."

Chad sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, enough is enough." He shoved Troy's shoulder and watched with disbelief as he didn't give any acknowledgement that he even felt it. "Dude, snap out of it!"

Troy shook out of his reverie and furrowed his brow. "Chad, chill out, I was paying attention."

The afro haired man gave his best friend a pointed look. "Yeah right man, and pigs fly." He scoffed. "You were looking for Gabriella and it's written all over your, whipped as fuck, face."

"Shut the hell up," He sent daggers to a snickering Chad. "I am not whipped. I haven't even asked her to be my girlfriend yet."

"Yet, my friend. Yet."

Troy shut his locker, leaning against it with his hands in his pockets casually. "Dude, you're the one who needs the girlfriend, someone to tame your cock."

It was Chad's turn to send daggers. "I don't need a girlfriend, they're annoying. A good lay is all a pimp needs."

Troy shook his head, looking over his fellow students in the hallway, simply smiling in acknowledgment as a bunch of girls grinned and waved flirtatiously at him. "Even a pimp can fall in love Chad." He muttered distantly, still looking for the raven haired beauty.

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Chad suddenly backtracked. "Wait…love? You love Gabriella?"

Troy snapped his head over to the chocolate skinned boy and his eyes widened. He had just started seeing Gabriella on Friday, no way was it the L word. It couldn't be…could it? "What? No! I never said that!"

Chad snickered. "Yeah right, you don't even have to say it. You swoon, every time she's within five feet of you."

"What? I don't fucking swoon!"

"Yeah, and my mother's a pole dancer."

"Ugh," Troy shivered. "Stop with the freaking analogies, that one was just weird."

Chad just shrugged. "Whatever. You're so in love."

Troy sighed. Yeah, he had somewhat known Gabriella for a while before actually meeting her, that didn't justify that he was in love with her, that didn't prove anything. They had talked online, even if they did talk about private stuff, and even if he did kinda fall for her text messages and emails first, and she always did seem to understand him, and on the day they first met at the dance, the fireworks that went off…He shook his head abruptly. It was too soon. He'd never even felt anything possibly close to it with any other girl, he had no idea what it even felt like. It wasn't freaking love.

"So, the basketball banquet, this Friday…" Chad scanned the crowd as well. "Who do you think I should bring as my lady?" He eyed a skinny girl with long red hair that smirked at him and Troy as she walked by with her friends. "And we have a winner! Ding ding ding!"

Troy shook his head and glanced at the red head briefly. "I don't know man, bring whoever you want."

The basketball banquet was a small formal party that the coach's organized for all the players and for some reason, the cheerleaders. It was held in the gym to celebrate the overall season, losses and victories all. At the end of the season the gym was nicely decorated with tables covered in white linen cloths and fancy looking cutlery, a tradition since the school was first opened.

All the players got to bring their families and more importantly, a date, usually the first hot girl that they spotted in the hallway the day before. But some, like the other senior guys that were more mature-minus Chad-brought their actual girlfriends, girls that they were serious about. And it was a big deal. The banquet was a big deal, you openly shared your date with the sacredness of basketball. Asking someone to the banquet was like second to asking someone to prom. Everyone noticed who you brought, everyone especially noticed who Troy Bolton brought every year. And that was usually some girl that he had been casually dating, and no one gave it a second thought because they knew it was just that, casual. But not this year.

Troy wanted to bring Gabriella.

"You're bringing her, right?"

He glanced over at Chad. "Huh?"

Chad sighed, exasperated. "Dude, are you deaf now? Cause you don't seem to hear anything I say anymore."

"Sorry," Troy sighed. "What did you say?"

"I said," He elongated. "You're bringing Gabriella, right? To the banquet?"

Troy rubbed his anxious palms on his jeans and nodded. "Yeah, I think so man."

"Yeah, I figured." He chuckled. He really did actually like Gabriella. Troy was Chad's best friend, and the dark haired brainiac was good for him. She seemed honest. And more importantly, she brought out a side of Troy, that at times could be annoying, that he sensed was more his best friend's true personality than it had ever been, he saw pure happiness for the first time in his brother's eyes. Chad liked that. "So, back to me." He smirked. "Seriously dude, who should I-" He smirked, catching sight of her at the end of the hallway. "Well, well, well, look who it is…"

Troy saw her before Chad did. A bright smile was already plastered on the captain's face. He distantly nodded to his best friend who was shaking his head with a smile before briskly walking down the hallway, people reflexively staring and making a path for him.

Gabriella hadn't seen him yet and was glancing around the hall, already having spotted Chad for his locker was the first place that she looked. Suddenly as people started moving in front of her, she glanced forward and a bashful grin graced her already glowing face.

It was like in the one day that she was deprived of him, he had gotten even better looking than before. His gray shirt clung to his chest yet was loose on his torso, his jeans hanging low and showing his black Calvin Klein boxers. And his eyes. His beautiful dear eyes that she couldn't get enough of. They were ignited with light.

He stopped in front of her, immediately scooping her small frame into his embrace.

"Troy…" She breathed into his neck, closing her eyes and clinging to the fabric on his chest. He smelt so good, like mint and shampoo.

He breathed in her scent, lavender and strawberry, his face dug deep into the bounciness of her soft curls. "I missed you." He muttered sheepishly.

Gabriella giggled softly, a sound that he missed in the long 24 hours. "I missed you too."

He pulled back to get a view of her rosy cheeks and doe eyes. "You look beautiful today." And she really did. She was wearing a clean white unbuttoned blouse over a bright orange tank top, a dark jean skirt covering her long tan legs.

She smiled timidly and looked down at his chest, fidgeting with his t-shirt. "Thank you."

He smiled at her innocent nature and ran his hand down her arm and all the way down to her hand to lace their fingers. "Come on," He said, just as the warning bell rang. "We have English."

She nodded and squeezed his hand, allowing him to lead the way towards their first class of the day, and allowing his confident grip on her small hand to give her the courage to ignore the jealous and questionable looks that everyone around them shot at the couple as they walked together through the halls of East High.

…

She sat with her chin perched in her hand in the back of the classroom, staring dreamily at the back of his perfect head for the whole one and a half hours of their AP English Lit class.

Ryan 'psst' her three times before she finally broke from her hypnosis and paid him the time of day. She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

The blonde haired drama major stuck his finger metaphorically down his throat and pretended to gag, proceeding to place his arms around himself and make puckered lips. Gabriella shot him a cold scowl for his mocking before turning her head back forward and continuing to stare at Troy, the focus of every girl in the room's attention right now. It was true, every girl but two-an emo chick and some lesbian-were ignoring the boring lecture at the front of class and instead focusing on every little movement that the god in the front row made.

If he shifted in his seat the females froze, and if he sneezed…that was a different story all together.

But Gabriella didn't care about the other girls. She knew the god at the front of the class, his movements, sneezes, and all...They belonged to her.

Finally the bell rang and everyone shot up from their seats with relief, hustling and bustling to get out of the door faster. Troy just simply stayed in his seat and waited till Gabriella walked down the aisle to him before getting up and placing a hand on her back, a short girl with pigtails and bright pink lipstick shooting the brunette a mean scowl of jealousy.

"I hate that we only have one class together." Troy said quietly in her ear from behind her.

She smiled slowly and nodded. "Me too."

After getting out of the classroom and into the hallway, Troy stood in front of Gabriella and gripped her waist.

"I'll see you at lunch, right?" She asked quietly, only looking at him and not the others around them.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'll find you."

She smiled sweetly up at him and allowed him to place a kiss on her lips. "See ya." She breathed, her stomach in knots and her lips burning like they always did when he kissed them.

He winked, releasing her and turning for the opposite direction. "Bye, baby."

She watched him walk away, as usual a clear path in front of him. A group of guys walked up beside him and they did their guy handshake as they made their way down the hallway. She smiled to herself and turned around as well, heading for her next class when she almost walked right into Taylor.

"What the hell."

Gabriella cocked an eyebrow. "Tay?"

The darker girl grabbed her friend by the arm and pulled her to the side of the hallway so they weren't in anyone's way. "Please tell me it's not true."

She gave her a perplexed look. "What's not true?"

"That you, my pure friend, are not dating Troy lunkhead Bolton."

Gabriella was about to open her mouth and protest 'yes, I am dating Troy lunkhead Bolton' but considering he still hadn't asked her to be his official girlfriend, she didn't want to assume. "Uh, I mean yes, we're together, if that's what you're asking."

Taylor's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "What? When the hell did this happen? Why the hell did this happen?"

The brunette merely shrugged. "It just did." She slowly smiled, looking off at nothing. "I really like him, Tay."

The student body President scoffed. "He's Troy Bolton, Gabs. He's like, the biggest player in the school."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes defensively. "He is not, Tay. He's different."

She rolled her dark, almost black eyes. "Yeah, and my grandma's a pole dancer."

Gabriella scrunched her nose, not knowing that Taylor was much like Chad in the category of comparisons. "Okay, ignoring that comment." She sighed. "Taylor, you don't know him, okay? If you got to know him than I bet you wouldn't see him as a 'lunkhead basketball boy' anymore."

"You know what, fine, maybe you're right." She gripped Gabriella's shoulders bluntly. "All I'm saying is, be careful. He may be okay, but his world isn't so nice."

Her neat eyebrows furrowed with skepticism. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Taylor glanced at her ignorant peers around her before locking back onto the petite brunette. "You can take the boy outta the strip club, but you can't take the strip club outta the boy." She cocked an eyebrow. "If you get what I'm saying."

Gabriella's brows furrowed even more. "Okay…Taylor, have you been sniffing sharpies or something?"

The plaid wearing chocolate woman straightened up and gave Gabriella an authorative look. "Just think about what I'm saying, okay? Just be careful. Keep some walls up."

She nodded slowly and watched as Taylor brushed past her and walked away.

Shaking it off, Gabriella walked off as well, distantly running through what Taylor had said. Should I be worried? A little more, cautious?

She shook her head with a smile. She knew him, and she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

Little did she know, even if he, himself, didn't hurt her, his world of basketball, popularity, and jealousy, was waiting to pounce.

…

As soon as Gabriella walked into the cafeteria with Ryan, she scanned the mass of people for her prince. Peering at the large round table where all the jocks and popular people sat, and where Troy usually sat, she made him out in the middle of the table, Chad by his side and a cheerleader on his other. She just mentally shrugged and decided to talk to him later, or maybe he would come to her, because there was no way that she was going over there.

"Hey." She smiled, sitting down next to Ryan at their usual table where Taylor and Kelsi Nielson were already sitting.

"Hey Gabs," Kelsi greeted quietly, glancing at Ryan timidly and giving him a small smile. Everyone knew she harbored a crush on him, well, everyone except for Ryan. "Hey Ryan." She said softly.

He shot her a dazzling white smile, making the composer gulp. "Hey Kels."

Gabriella watched them with a smile before turning towards Taylor who sat across from her. "Whatcha writing?"

Taylor was furiously scribbling down something on a piece of paper. "Uh, nothing, just some notes." She gestured to the open history book next to her.

The brunette nodded. She opened her brown sack lunch and took out her sandwich, looking up just as Sharpay came huffing up to their table and sat down next to Taylor. "I hate people." She declared, flipping her platinum hair over her shoulder.

Gabriella giggled, biting into her turkey on wheat. "What's got your panties in a twist?" She asked with amusement.

Sharpay snapped her fingers, a small blonde girl scurrying up to the table and placing a formally prepared tray of food in front of the drama queen. "Thanks Carrie." She said hurriedly, shooing the freshman away. "Well," The irritated blonde began, forking some of her salad. "I walk onto my stage today to find that they haven't adjusted the freaking overhead lights." She chewed harshly. "I mean, how hard is it to readjust some damn lights." She looked over at her brother. "Did you know about this?"

Ryan tried not to burst out into laughter. "No, Shar. I didn't know about it."

"What's the big deal about the lights?" Gabriella asked.

Sharpay's head snapped towards her and her jaw dropped. "Are. You. Fucking serious?"

"Uh…maybe?"

She scoffed. "Gabs, if the lights aren't perfectly adjusted to my caliber then my performance is completely ruined! The lights currently hit too much of my right side!" She glanced around the table, looking for someone to agree with her vain logic as if it were obvious. "My left is my good side!"

Gabriella and Ryan shared an amused glance before looking back at the overdramatic blonde.

"I'm so sorry, sis. I'll make sure they're fixed before our next rehearsal."

She nodded gruffly. "That's what I like to hear."

Gabriella snickered and just continued to focus on her food. "I'll be right back." She said, holding her yogurt as she got up to get a spoon. As she approached the plastic utensil stand a familiar presence came up behind her.

"Guess who." He said huskily in her ear from behind, holding her waist in front of his body.

Gabriella giggled, shaking her head. "Hmm…I don't know, is it my super hot foreign boyfriend Lorenzo?"

Her body was spun around and she came face to face with a smirking Troy. "You think you're funny, but you're really not."

She giggled again and shrugged. "I try."

He just narrowed his eyes the slightest bit in a playful scold and shook his head, before smiling at her and gesturing towards the cafeteria doors. "You wanna get outta here? I'll buy you a smoothie."

Her eyes lit up with joy. "Sure." She nodded, lacing their fingers and walking towards the exit with him. She tossed her yogurt in the trash can on her way out and caught sight of Ryan and Sharpay staring at her from their table. At their sly looks, she nodded towards them with an amused smile.

…

Gabriella sipped from her strawberry banana smoothie as she sat across from Troy at a small table at Robeks, only a mile away from East High.

"So," He said, holding his own smoothie and switching it between his hands. "I kinda have something to ask you."

Gabriella froze for a second with anticipation before nodding calmly and offering him a bright smile. This was it, she thought. He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend.

"Well, I was just wondering…"

She nodded, urging him to get on with it. "Yes…?"

"Uh, well, I was wondering if you were doing anything this Friday…"

Her shoulders dropped slightly before her brow furrowed. "Uhm, no I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, you know the season's over…and every year at the end we have the banquet..."

Her eyes widened slightly with realization. The basketball banquet. She had nearly forgotten about that, it was usually the talk of the school for the whole week after it. She gulped nervously. Only the most popular people were at the banquet…the cheerleaders, the players, and even Vivian went every year, even if she wasn't a cheerleader she always went, of course her little minions in tow.

"Oh, yeah." She said, suddenly feeling small. She knew what he was going to ask, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings. The basketball banquet was a big deal, and ignoring the criticism from everyone during school was bad enough, but surrounded by all the intimidating royalty of East High, plus all the girls that tortured her daily? Not Gabriella's cup of tea. And also the fact that she would be on Troy Bolton's arm, the guy that everyone worshipped…she couldn't measure up to him, she was just going to embarrass him, hurt him, make him look bad. She couldn't do that.

"Uh, I was hoping that, well…you'd go with me?" He smiled hopefully. "As my date?"

She tried not to let her smile falter as she looked down at her drink and racked her brain for some excuse to make. Saying no was a big deal though, and she really didn't want to see his eyes after she said it. "Uh…I don't know, I might have something going on that day."

She could feel his face falling, she could just feel it without even looking up. "Oh." Was all he said.

Clenching her eyes shut, she couldn't take it anymore. Looking up to meet his disappointed eyes, she sighed. "Look, Troy, I'm sorry. It's just…"

He furrowed his brow. "It's just what?"

She gazed at him for a long moment before sighing regretfully. "I don't think it's my place." She said almost inaudibly.

His brow furrowed even more. "What? Your place? What does that mean?"

She shrugged, feeling even smaller. "It's just not my scene, Troy. The banquet's your big night, I don't want to dampen it for you."

She gulped as his face hardened with an emotion that was unrecognizable to her. "Gabriella," He said roughly. "I'm asking you, I want you to be there with me, I want to share it with you. I don't give a shit about anything else."

She bit her lip and looked down. "Troy…"

He sighed and grabbed her hand from across the table. "Look, Ella,"

She glanced up at the new softness in his voice, loving how her new nickname rolled off his tongue.

"Do you remember last Friday? After the game?"

She nodded. "Our first date." She said softly.

"Yeah, but before when we were in the gym, before I went to take a shower."

She nodded slowly, confused. "Yeah…"

"I asked you to come to the victory party with me, but you said it wasn't your scene. And now you're doing the same thing."

She looked down, realizing the connection. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

He shook his head and lifted her chin with his finger. "Gabriella, I really like you. Just like before, I don't want to share my big night with anyone but you. It's your scene if it's my scene. So please, just come with me to the banquet." His eyes twinkled with hope. "Please, it would mean a lot to me."

She bit her lip and stared deep into his mesmerizing blues, finding it impossible to disappoint him again. She sighed with defeat. "Okay." She breathed. "I'll go with you."

Slowly, a bright grin erupted onto his face and he kissed her hand. "Thank you."

She nodded, knowing that she would go to the end of the world and back for him. It would always be yes.

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