Troy lets out a sigh on Monday morning, finding Gabriella had yet again dodged his attempt to talk to her this morning, glaring at him for dramatic effect and then leaving to go with Taylor to Calculus class.

"All right, what did you do now buddy? I'm sort of afraid to ask," Chad asks.

Troy turns his attention over to his best friend and explains the situation. "Gabriella got a mysterious package on her doorstep of pictures of Jasmine and me supposedly kissing. She flew off the handle last night and ended it. I'm a single man, yet again," Troy says, frustration in his voice. "I can't believe she doesn't trust me."

"For someone with the chance of becoming East High's valedictorian, Gabriella sure is stupid," Jasmine says, approaching Troy. "I'm sorry Troy, I tried to warn you."

Troy eyes Jasmine and slowly nods his head. "I should have listened. I can't believe she would believe those pictures though. They weren't even real, you know that," Troy says.

"Of course not. I wasn't anywhere near you at the party after you turned me down. Do you think that maybe she made it up to give her reason to break up with you again?" Jasmine suggests.

"That would be shocking but not out of the question," Troy admits. "I need something to take my mind off of her and her moodiness."

Jasmine drapes herself over Troy, smiling seductively. "I know just the thing, me. Meet me after practice today?"

Troy just nods his head as he sees a satisfied smile cross her face as she struts down the hall to their first class of the day. He looks over and sees Chad nod at him and the two head down the hall to follow Jasmine to Math class.

The next period is early lunch and Sharpay is appalled to find Jasmine sitting herself on Troy's lap at their table. "Excuse me, trying to eat her," she complains, earning a nasty glare from Jasmine.

"Troy, can you tell Sharpay to mind her own business?" Jasmine asks in a childlike voice. "She's hurting my feelings."

Troy gently moves Jasmine off his lap to the seat next to her as he wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about Sharpay Jasmine, you're fine. Although, if I'm going to play well this year, I have to keep up my strength by eating so I can't have you in the way. I hope you understand," he says.

Jasmine nods and opens her bag to take her own food out. Martha, Jason, and Sharpay all exchange looks as they see Jasmine chew her food while trying to flirt with Troy, who is actually responding. 'Ugh, please!' Sharpay thinks to herself. 'This girl needs total lessons in manners and flirting!'

"So Troy, I guess those pictures Gabriella was telling me about this morning were actually true huh? You and Ms. Cheerleading Captain over here hooked up for the first time when you guys vanished from my party for a while?" Sharpay asks, looking at Jasmine, not Troy.

"Actually, Troy turned me down at the party, but now that he doesn't have his whiney girlfriend around, he is totally open to my type of distractions, isn't that right?" Jasmine looks to Troy for confirmation. "I personally think that Gabriella's insecurity is finally showing through. She's always been the quiet vulnerable one."

Jason laughs. "Gabriella make up pictures of you and Troy kissing? I know I'm fairly slow, but even I know that's stupid," he says.

Jasmine shrugs, trying to look innocent. "I don't know but I can tell you that those pictures are fakes, it's not me and Troy. Troy would never cheat on his girlfriend, he's proven that to me time and time again over the past few weeks."

"And what persistence you have," Martha mutters, not liking the image of the two sitting across the table from her and her two friends.

The five students eat the rest of their lunch until the bell rings. Sharpay is the first one up as she goes over to talk to another table real quick. As Troy is being dragged by Jasmine to their English class by the hand, he looks over at Sharpay and sees her give him a nod. He nods in return and follows Jasmine through the halls to their next class.

Troy approaches the last class of the day with a sense of apprehension, not knowing what would happen. He sits down in his normal seat, seeing Gabriella had changed seats with someone to be sitting clear across the room from him.

"Another fight?" Kelsi asks, sitting down next to Gabriella, who shakes her head. Kelsi, understanding that Gabriella does not want to talk about it any further, just nods and opens her notebook to start writing on some music sheets she had in progress for the winter musicale.

Sharpay enters the room and observes the two sitting far apart and smirks. 'I think this period is starting to live up to its name for sure,' she thinks as she sees Gabriella's determination not to even look at Troy and his attempts to get her attention.

Before Troy can corner Gabriella, she is out the door as soon as the end of school bell rings, leaving him to walk to the gym and the boys' locker room to get ready for practice with the entire team. The cheerleaders are practicing inside the gym as the clouds have started letting down rain, leaving the boys only able to safely run drills, which was fine by them. Troy sneaks a glance over at the cheerleaders and smirks as he sees Jasmine and Marlene both looking over at him, along with some of the other cheerleaders. 'Guess word is going around I'm back on the market,' he thinks, throwing them a smile.

After the strenuous practice, Troy takes his time in the shower, enjoying the water washing away the sweat and dirt but not his thoughts of what is about to happen. He finishes, drying off and changing, noticing that all the guys on the team are already gone. 'Good,' he thinks as he leaves the locker room and the gym only to be instantly slammed up against the wall of the gym.

"What took you so long sexy?" Jasmine asks, pushing herself up against him. "I've been out here for five minutes, all alone!"

"Sorry, had to get clean," Troy explains, grinning at her. "Didn't want me to be all sweaty for this little meeting did you?"

"Of course not," Jasmine replies, replacing her pout with a seductive smile. "So you were talking about needing a distraction right?"

Before Troy can answer, he feels Jasmine's lips on his neck and her fingers starting to already run down his sides and back up under his shirt. Troy gently pushes her away to hold her out at arm's length. "Jasmine, come on, it doesn't have to be this way. You can drop the act, it's fine with me," he says, confusing her.

"What act? What do you mean?" Jasmine asks.

Troy gestures between his body and hers. "I heard rumors you were fast but I didn't think you'd do it out here, on school property," Troy answers. "What would your friends think if they ever found out you really did live up to that reputation? Don't you rule that team by respect?"

Jasmine thinks very quickly and shrugs her shoulders. "They know I am the way I am and would be behind me getting with you 100 percent. However, even if they didn't want this to happen, I'd tell them all to go mind their own business. I don't give a rat's behind what they think of me or what I do, they're nothing to me. You're all that matters," Jasmine purrs, getting closer to Troy again.

"So you would quit the squad for me?" he asks. "After everything you've done these 3+ years, you'd quit cheerleading in a heartbeat to just, as you say, get with me?"

"If that was the price to pay maybe but I don't think it will come to that. Are you asking me to?" Jasmine challenges.

"No, of course not," Troy answers immediately. "Is it possible for the rest of your squad to take away your captain status? I'm just wondering because I know it's possible for my basketball team."

Jasmine steps back for a moment and thinks. "I think they could if it was 100 percent vote, but that would never happen. I have that team under my thumb. They do what I say, when I say it. No one on that team has back enough to stand up to me," she declares.

"Because you have ruled the squad for some time," Troy comments. "Look, I know you've been after me for a while, and I'm flattered, but I move slower than what you're after."

"Then what was all that in the hall this morning?" Jasmine demands.

Troy shrugs. "I was upset at Gabriella and needed someone to talk to. You offered and I thought that was what right now was about."

Jasmine gets a wicked look in her eyes. "Troy Bolton, you are a liar. You knew what you were getting yourself into," Jasmine says, stepping closer to him and pressing herself up against him. "You're not going to leave me wanting, will you? That would surely ruin your reputation as the ladies' man."

Seeing that Jasmine is pretty persistent on this topic, Troy decides to appease her by suggesting, "All right, how about Wednesday night? Seriously, this just isn't my style but maybe Wednesday?"

"But today is Monday," Jasmine pouts. "Why not tomorrow?"

"Can't, basketball practice and then work out. Want to be dating the captain of the basketball captain and not a loser right?" Troy throws out, happy she accepts it.

"All right, Wednesday it is," she reluctantly agrees, backing off, but not before kissing him again on his neck, hoping to drive him crazy.

Troy gently pushes her away. "Good night Jasmine."

"Bye Troy, see you tomorrow, but I'm really waiting until Wednesday," Jasmine purrs, sauntering out to the parking lot, leaving Troy wondering what he got himself into.

Troy shakes his head and pushes off the wall, heading back to the locker room for some time before reemerging with another pair of sweats on to work out in the weight room to get some of the tension out of his body.

Ryan enters the Evans' mansion with Gabriella following behind him. "So, ready for the rematch?" he challenges, happy Gabriella had agreed to stop by the Evans' estate before heading home. His real motive was to distract her from what was going on in her life at the moment.

"Bring it on!" Gabriella exclaims, following Ryan into the game room of the mansion. "Have I mentioned how very crazy it is that you have a TV and speakers dedicated to each game console? I never would have imagined you as a gamer."

Ryan laughs at this. "I doubt anyone at school would believe you if you tried to tell them," he says. "I'm the gay thespian right? Sharpay's now part-time poodle?"

"No you aren't, not to the people who really care about you," Gabriella says, hugging Ryan quickly. "I hope you know that."

He nods. "I know, I just wish the rest of the school would get to know the real me instead of the stereotype," he says with a sigh.

"Don't we all," Gabriella adds. "I've had more than enough gossip and rumors spread about me to last until I'm a hundred years old or older! Then again, this is what it is all about right? Going to high school?"

"Sad, but true," Ryan responds. "Anyway, enough of this self pity. Want to take off your shoes so we can get our dance on?"

Gabriella does just that, kicking off her heels and joining Ryan on the mats. Ryan goes right after the difficult levels as the two start dancing to the music, trying to match the computer and each other step for step. After about thirty minutes nonstop, the two drop to the ground laughing, as they both try to catch their breath.

"Gabriella, can I steal you away from Troy and make you my partner for the winter musicale? It's so much fun dancing with you," Ryan says, looking over at Gabriella who is now sitting up against a footstool. "I think Ms. Darbus is way undercapitalizing on your dancing skills."

Gabriella laughs. "Maybe, we'll see Ryan. I honestly don't know what Troy will want to do in the future," she says, sobering up.

Ryan gets up and gets a few bottles of water from the mini-fridge in the room and hands one over as he sits down next to her. "You know, it seems for better or for worse, you and Troy are forever tied to each other. I don't know if either of you have realized it, but the rest of us certainly have. I know this is still a rough time for you two, but I think you'll make it through with flying colors," Ryan confides. "Otherwise, I'd be the first in line for your hand next Ms. Montez."

Gabriella giggles. "Thanks Ryan, you've always been very sweet to me, well after we started hanging out after the winter musicale and all. And don't worry about what everyone else thinks about you. It only matters what you think of yourself."

"Aww, you two sound like a cute little after school show," Sharpay greets them from the door. "Thanks Gabriella for the help for the show on Wednesday. I'm sure it is going to be a hit. Coming over to help tomorrow afternoon with all the final planning and editing right?"

"I'll be there," Gabriella says with a grin. "Actually, since I'm doing that, I better get going home so I can make the final adjustments on my Physics project. Ryan, can you take me?"

"Sure," he replies, getting up and giving Gabriella a hand up. "Wednesday is a big day for Sharpay."

"It's a big day for all of us," she murmurs back, picking up her bag and following Ryan out of the mansion and to his car.

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