Troy walked into the too familiar halls of East High the following Monday, the first day back to school. 'Stupid starting school two weeks early,' thought Troy as he wiped his eyes to clear some lingering morning stuff out as he literally had tossed on a clean shirt and a pair of jeans before making it out of the house in his truck that his dad and he rebuilt over the summer. He had woken up late, sped all the way there, and was now ten minutes early before the warning bell rang. 'At least I'm a senior this year, which means that we get to skip out on a week's worth of school at the end of the year. Yeah, like that matters right now when I'd much rather be sleeping.'

He made his way to his locker on autopilot, automatically smiling and waving at people as they shouted out greetings to him or waved. Troy saw new faces every once in a while, chalking it up to new freshman and maybe sophomores too he didn't know. When he finally made it to his locker, he opened it up and piled in the different notebooks his mom made him prepare for this semester's classes before pulling out three again for his next three periods. No books yet as the teachers were going to give them out today. It wasn't until he closed his locker that he started hearing the whispers of the current gossip. 'God, I pity the subject of that talk on the first day of school already,' thought Troy before walking down towards Darbus' homeroom while keeping an open ear to the talk.

"Can you believe it? She's actually here at East now!"

"Didn't she date that basketball captain at West before?"

"I heard she's a huge slut and got in trouble by giving the entire basketball team STDs!"

"She looks so sweet though."

"I heard the new girl got kicked out of West for leading a gang and killing someone."

"I heard she was expelled for smoking and drinking at their junior prom."

"She looks like the type of new girl who is going to come in and steal our boys away from us. Another popular wannabe."

"Her outfit is so last year!"

"I heard she's a real brainiac."

"Is it true she used to date our Troy?"

"Isn't she the girl that started the fight at the masquerade ball?"

"Did you hear? Gabriella Montez just transferred to East High!"

That final tidbit set off alarm bells in Troy's head as he whipped around to see a junior girl talking to some of her friends. He looked around and didn't see a hint of the dark brown hair he was searching for in the now crowded hall. 'Gabriella is back in Albuquerque and she's here at East now?' he wondered, picking up his pace to his homeroom but keeping his eyes open for her.

Just as he approached the classroom that Ms. Darbus always had for homeroom, which he would know because she had been his homeroom teacher since freshman year, Troy was rewarded for all his searching as he saw Gabriella standing against a wall in the hallway, talking to Taylor, her back mostly to him. He quickly approached, nervousness filling his body as he got closer. When Troy got close enough, he gently put a hand on Gabriella's shoulder, which made her jump and scream, spinning around at the same time. Taylor, having not noticed Troy's advancement looked worriedly at him, the looks vanishing for the most part as soon as she saw it was him.

Troy noticed Gabriella shake her head at someone behind him so Troy turned, seeing Paul and some other young looking guy with blonde hair with him, standing some distance away. He turned his attention back on the girl he had been wondering if he would ever see again. "Gabriella, I didn't know you were back let alone coming to East. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Umm, hi Troy," greeted Gabriella, not really looking him in the eye. "I was just so busy settling in, I guess I kind of failed to call you. I figured you were busy with your summer and any new additions you have in your life now that I didn't want to bother you."

"New additions?" asked Troy, confusion in his voice.

'Oh God, he's going to play it like he hasn't been seen with the same brunette all summer,' thought Taylor.

"GABRIELLA!" squealed a high-pitched voice that Troy instantly recognized as Sharpay Evans. "You actually are here and in my homeroom! Fabulous!"

Sharpay immediately came up and grabbed Gabriella's arm to escort her inside, Ryan Evans following in their wake, before Troy or Taylor could protest. Troy shot Taylor a questioning look before Taylor just shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

The warning bell rang so Troy and Taylor made their way into the homeroom, both of them watching as the blonde girl relinquished hold of Gabriella's attention so that Gabriella, Paul, and the other blonde could find their names on the seating chart that Ms. Darbus had planned out ahead of time. Gabriella smiled as she saw she was sitting next to Taylor, even if she was still between both Paul and Curtis who had seats in front and behind her. 'I wonder if Dad prepped the school on my situation,' thought Gabriella before she absently took her seat, shrugging apologetically on the way to Sharpay, who looked distressed that she wasn't sitting next to her new friend.

Troy took the same seat he had last year assigned to him and twisted around in his seat so he could watch as Gabriella picked up talking to Taylor again, both girls huddled together, giving him a clue that they must be talking about him as he saw Taylor glance quickly over her shoulder in his direction. 'How could she not have called or emailed to tell me she was back and that she was starting at East? Were my assumptions about her moving on correct over this summer? And what new additions?' wondered Troy. 'And the way she reacted to me, the panic in her eyes. Was that because it was me or was it because she got a flashback? Is she still having those? Is she even better?'

After walking into the room himself and finding his spot back behind Troy, Chad took a quick seat in his assigned desk. "Hey dude, what's up," greeted Chad, not really realizing until there was complete silence from his best friend that he didn't have Troy's attention. Chad looked back at Troy and saw he was absently looking at something. He turned his head and saw the cause immediately as he spotted Gabriella Montez, in the flesh, sitting in their homeroom talking to Taylor. 'Oh crap…'

The bell to start their first day as seniors rang and Ms. Darbus got up from her desk to stand in front of everyone. "Welcome back my young students! Hopefully you all had a wonderful summer full of learning and expressing yourselves! Mr. Bolton, do you have something you'd like to share with the class? You seem to be deep in thought and not looking towards the front of the class," said Ms. Darbus, staring at the brown haired boy.

Chad discreetly poked Troy in the side, startling Troy to attention. "I'm sorry, what?"

Ms. Darbus just shook her head. "I see that some of you are still adjusting to being back to school. I will let your lack of attention slide for today Mr. Bolton but do not let it happen again," stated Ms. Darbus before she started in on announcements.

She finished a few minutes earlier than the scheduled bell so she left them free to talk while she took attendance.

"Dude, you need to snap out of it," commanded Chad as he saw Troy spacing out again, looking in the direction of Gabriella again. "Troy!"

"Huh? Sorry Chad, I just can't believe she is here and she didn't tell me," explained Troy, looking back at Chad.

Chad stared back at his best friend and saw the hurt in those blue eyes. "She didn't at all?"

Troy shook his head. "I had absolutely no clue until I started hearing stupid rumors flying around about her already. I guess her reputation has proceeded her arrival here or something. No one seems to know the real truth, guess it helped that the media hasn't revealed our identities in this whole upcoming trial and in reports of the incident those months ago."

"I thought you were still hoping to rekindle things," responded Chad. "Why does it seem like I may be closer to the girl than you then?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," returned Troy, still confused by the events of this morning. 'Could this all be a dream?'

The bell rang, interrupting any further conversation at their desks. Troy walked out of the room with Chad but stopped right outside the door as he waited for Gabriella to come out. "Gabriella!" he called out as he saw her cross the threshold with Taylor.

Gabriella turned to look at Troy, uncertainty in her brown eyes. "Hey," she returned, continuing to walk on with Taylor, the two guys close behind them.

Seeing that Gabriella didn't really want to talk to him, Troy decided to follow her a ways once he realized she was going in the same direction he needed to go anyway for his next class. The four stopped at a locker that he figured out was Gabriella's as she opened it and put stuff in and pulled stuff out before closing it again and following Taylor's lead to their next class, which was in the science wing but not in the same classroom as Troy's next science class. 'Damn,' thought Troy as he picked up his pace and made it into the classroom just as the bell rang.

He took his assigned seat according to the diagram on the first seat and sat down, noting none of his friends were in this one. 'Oh well, guess it forces me to concentrate, right? But what really is going on with Brie?' wondered Troy as he forced himself to start listening to the teacher's welcome.

It was lunchtime and Gabriella had told Taylor she would find her in the cafeteria after she changed out her notebooks and grabbed her lunch that her mother had packed that morning, even when the cook protested against it. Gabriella smiled as she remembered the way her mother looked at her that morning, with such love that Gabriella knew today would be all right in the end. When she finally got the combination correct to open her locker, a slip of paper fell out and onto the floor. She picked it up thinking it was from Taylor when in fact it was from Troy.

Please meet me up on the rooftop, my own private spot at lunch. I think we really need to talk, even if it is good-bye. Go down towards the water fountain at the end of the hall, take a right and then a left, it's the unmarked door on your right. ~Troy

Gabriella let out a little sigh, ready to ignore it until she noticed a single wet spot on the paper. 'Was he crying when he wrote this? No, he probably just got something on it,' thought Gabriella, although she truly wasn't sure. She decided to follow his instructions but only after texting Taylor to let her know what's up. When Gabriella found the door, she opened it and realized that Paul and Curtis were following her up the stairs.

"Guys, can you give me some privacy here?" asked Gabriella.

"We will once we find out what's up here. We can't be too careful princess," replied Curtis, who refused to call her by her given name unless they were around other people.

Gabriella let out a sigh as she continued up the stairs, Paul ahead of her, signaling it was okay for her to continue the finals steps after he surveyed the area and saw only Troy up there. Paul and Curtis then disappeared from sight, a soft click echoing up the stairwell as they now stood back down in the hallway.

"Should I guess at the fact that you now have two bodyguards?" asked Troy, breaking the silence.

Gabriella nodded her head while she looked around at Troy's spot. "I didn't realize you had such a green thumb. All these plants and flowers, they're beautiful," commented Gabriella, walking over to an orchid and smelling it before turning her attention to the view from the open railing.

"I can't take credit for this. The Science Club does their thing up here and I kind of just stumbled upon it sometime sophomore year. No one else comes up here except for them and that's after school usually," replied Troy.

After neither of them spoke for a few moments, Troy having difficulty in getting Gabriella to look at him, he decided to be the first to speak. "When were you going to tell me you came back? Or were you ever planning to?"

Gabriella turned around at this, her heart twisting at the hurt tone in his voice. She allowed herself to finally look into his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes of his that she had missed so much over the summer. "I was planning on it but then we lost touch with each other towards the end there. I didn't know where we stood Troy. I thought you maybe could have moved on, which it looks like you did, and I didn't want to be coming back assuming that we could pick up where we left off. I'm not the same Gabriella I was before I left but I'm not as bad as I was either. Plus on top of that, after all that time to think, I thought the drop off in talking to me was a result of you being uncomfortable with who I am."

Troy immediately shook his head. "It dropped off because I started working two jobs after only a few weeks of working at the summer camp teaching basketball to kids. I started working at night at a small market bagging groceries to earn some extra money. Yes I did give thought to what you are and it does still intimidate me, but I accept what you are because I know who you are and I'm still very much in love with you Brie," confessed Troy.

Confusion became written clearly across Gabriella's face as she absorbed his words. "But what about the brunette you were with last Friday night? Taylor and Tessa thought you were dating her," countered Gabriella.

Troy sat back for a few moments, shocked that he had been at the same place as Gabriella without realizing it while trying to also figure out what girl she could be referring to. "A brunette? Oh, Amy! Amy is my cousin who was around this summer. She's actually starting University of Albuquerque this semester and was living with us so she could get acclimated. Her family actually lives in Arizona. No, I didn't date anyone, I told you I wouldn't Brie."

"But I gave you the option Troy so I wouldn't be upset if you did," returned Gabriella, inwardly relieved though to hear that the girl her best friends had spotted was just a cousin.

"Yet I didn't use it, you can ask Chad or Zeke or J, they'll back me up and not just because they are my guys. Is that why Tessa and Taylor started going all cold shoulderish to me?" asked Troy, everything starting to make sense.

Gabriella shrugged. "Honestly, most likely it was but I can't be sure because they didn't really say much to me, even after they said what they did to me about who they thought your cousin was after we saw you at the pizzeria Friday night."

There was a buzzing sound and Gabriella pulled her cell phone out, a different one than the one Troy last saw her with before the summer. She rolled her eyes as she texted Taylor back to let her know she was fine before she slipped it back in her pocket. "Sorry," apologized Gabriella.

"It's okay. Well with that behind us, how are you?" asked Troy, patting the empty spot on the bench next to him.

Gabriella walked over and put her lunch down on the ground before sitting in the indicated spot. She looked off into the distance for a few moments while Troy bit into his sandwich while looking at her before she spoke. "In actuality, I'm doing much better. Fine is a word I've learned is relative so I don't really use that much now. Do I have the sudden emotional episodes still? No, but I do still have nightmares every once in a while but I'm learning to master all these after effects. Do I still consciously think about Riley and what he did? Yes, but I limit myself because I've learned it isn't worth living in the past, not when it hurts so much to do so. Before you say I'm strong, I'm really not. I now have a personal therapist who has been helping me through things for most of the summer who is here as an on call for me but I still do have scheduled weekly sessions. Have I adjusted to royal life? No, and that's mainly because I was never really in the public light, I was never introduced because of my sorry state. My parents and grandparents cared for me the best way they knew how, especially my parents, but most of my recovery was me. And I am not sure why I'm confessing this to you but I never let that teddy bear you gave me go when I struggled to reign in my fears and the nightmares. Call me a little kid but it gave me a sense of safety that I needed, something similar to what you came to represent to me during those darker moments."

Troy developed a silly grin on his face after hearing this news. "I don't think it's childish at all. I think it is really sweet and it tells me that we most likely won't be saying good-bye after this talk after all," responded Troy. "You probably should start eating, we are now half-way through lunch."

Gabriella gave him a grateful smile, despite the blush on her cheeks, for letting her know while picking up her bagged lunch and pulling out some grapes to eat. "So the silly grin means you still want to call me girlfriend huh?" teased Gabriella, instantly find herself able to relax with Troy again.

"Only because I know you have searched the earth for a better guy and have failed so you are now settling for me," countered Troy, a bigger grin forming on his face, his hopes silently rising. "Can we pick up from where we left off?"

She started in on her sandwich, giving it some thought. "Don't you think you are rushing this a bit?" asked Gabriella. "I mean, we didn't talk for most of the summer and now you are proposing to start a serious relationship again?"

"Brie, we may not have talked but my feelings for you haven't dimmed one bit. It's been killing me to be apart, to give you the freedom and space I knew you needed. If you still need it I understand, but to answer your question, yes, I do want to be in a relationship again with the most amazing young woman I know," stated Troy, hope in his eyes as he searched her face for a clue as to what she was thinking.

Gabriella finished the first half of her sandwich while she stared back at him, trying to get her fighting mind and heart into harmony. 'My mind says to tell him no, that it's too soon yet my heart feels this is right, reminding me that getting back together with Troy was a frequent dream over the summer. Why else do you cling to that teddy bear besides it being cute? And oh those eyes, those blue orbs are always my undoing, especially when he looks at me like that, true, unaltered love in his eyes.'

Slowly, Gabriella felt herself nodding her head, a smile spreading across her face, causing his to react by practically beaming. "Yes? Does that mean yes you take me back as your boyfriend?"

"Yes," murmured Gabriella before she was immediately scooped up into Troy's arms, bringing her to sit on his lap in the process.

When he finally let go a little bit, Troy leaned back and smiled at Gabriella before leaning and kissing her with all the joy and love he felt, getting the image she felt the same way by the way she wrapped her arms around his neck and responded in kind. After kissing for a few more minutes, both having their fantasies of this exact moment from over the summer play out, they just savored the taste and feel of being in each other's arms again after what could have been the definite end.

They separated eventually as they realized they only had eight minutes left of lunch and neither had really eaten much, at least what could be called a lunch. As they quickly ate their food, their eyes never left, Gabriella hearing herself giggle for no reason but that she was happy, indisputably happy, something she didn't know she was actually capable of feeling now. She had just finished her last grape when the ball rang, signaling the end of their little blissful escape.

"I hope Taylor isn't going to kill me for abducting you for the entire lunch period," murmured Troy as he offered his hand to Gabriella to help her up.

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "I'll see her next for AP English and make sure it's all good," assured Gabriella, blushing as she realized Troy had no intention of letting go of her hand as they started to walk down the stairs. "Afraid of one of my best friends are we Troy?"

"Taylor, not so much. Tessa? Yes!" returned Troy as they made it the last few steps. "What are your fifth and sixth periods?"

"Umm," started Gabriella, pulling up the folded class schedule from her pocket. "Drama and then P.E. Ugh, what a way to end the day."

Troy's eyes lit up at this. "Well we sort of have a class together if that brightens up your day at all. I guess I'll see you then? I'm headed the other way."

Gabriella nodded her head at this, throwing away her trash in the trashcan nearby, sensing Paul and Curtis in her presence without having to even look at them. "Bye Wildcat!"

Troy winked at her before he headed off to Spanish class, a huge grin on his face that told Chad, who was waiting for him down the hall, exactly how things went.

Gabriella parked her car and chuckled as Paul slowly got out. "Have I ever mentioned to you that your foot is made of lead?" asked Paul, exaggerating his expression of getting sick as Troy pulled up.

"Shut up Paul! Why do I deal with you anyway?" asked Gabriella.

"Because I'm your faithful bodyguard and one of best confidants now," returned Paul, grinning.

"True," replied Gabriella, smiling back. She and Paul had gotten close over the summer as he really was the only one close to her age that Gabriella felt she could trust and relate to. They never truly hung out as he was her bodyguard first and foremost but they had fun times and she was glad that Paul healed as well as he did, even if he had pains in his right arm every now and then. Gabriella had half expected Paul to quit or be pissed at her but he wasn't, assuring Gabriella it wasn't her fault and it was his job to protect her. After exchanging apologies one day, they both agreed to never talk of faults again and to just drop it. Ever since then, it had been a very easy vibe. Curtis, on the other hand, refused to be less than formal unless he let his guard down every once in a while around Paul and Gabriella. 'One day he'll crack,' she thought as Curtis dutifully waited for Gabriella to go ahead of him into the mansion.

Gabriella waited for Troy to walk up to her and grabbed his hand as they started to walk towards the mansion. "Guessing you need to put me on that approved visitor list?" stated Troy, noting earlier how hard it had been to get in past the guard and gate until Gabriella sent Paul out of her car that was already on the other side of the gate to have Troy let through.

She nodded her head. "Paul is already working on that as we speak," she replied as she indicated to Paul, who was doing something on the PDA like thing he held in his hands. "Oh yeah, don't piss off Paul. He's got the keys to the kingdom right there in his hands."

Paul looked up at this and chuckled, especially after seeing Troy look at him and flush. "Don't worry loverboy. Unless you break our princess' heart again or hurt her physically, which I will not let you do so don't worry, you're in my good graces."

"Thanks man," replied Troy, turning his attention to a much bigger threat at the moment, a certain brunette who had a confused yet very upset look about her. "Umm, Brie, remember what I said earlier about being scared of Tessa?"

"Uh huh," responded Gabriella, giving him her full attention.

Troy gulped a little, seeing a murderous glint in Tessa's eyes just then. "You'll protect me if she tries to murder me unjustly, right?"

A confused look crossed Gabriella's face. "What are you talking about Troy?"

Instead of answering, Troy tilted his head to the right, in the direction of Gabriella's best friend where Tessa stood against the door of her car. "Tessa!" called out Gabriella, immediately breaking her grasp with Troy as she ran over to her best friend.

"Hey Gaby," greeted Tessa, immediately embracing her best friend while shooting daggers at Troy, who was nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I came to see how your first day of school at East was but it seems like I need to knock some sense into you. Are you back with Bolton?"

Gabriella glanced back to see Troy talking to Paul about something but saw he was anxiously looking in the girls' direction. "Tessa, it isn't what it looked like this summer," started Gabriella.

"What part? That he stopped talking to you half way through the summer really or that he was seen around town with another girl when he was supposed to be pining for you?" returned Tessa.

Gabriella bit the corner of her lower lip, knowing Tessa was very fired up about this. "Look, I wouldn't have said yes to being his girlfriend again unless I knew in my heart this was the right choice, okay? You know how much I missed him this past summer, just as much as I missed you and that says a lot."

Tessa reluctantly nodded her head. "Fine, I'll give you that, but what are his sorry excuses?"

"Well he got a second job at night, which is something I can respect. He could have told me, yes, but Troy had his reasons. And the girl you saw him with? Says her name is Amy, at least I think that is what it is, and that she was staying at his house all summer. The girl is Troy's cousin Tess," explained Gabriella, watching her best friend's face for her true reaction.

She didn't have to wait long as Tessa's face started out having an outraged look on her face before she calmed it down. "Well we'll see about that. Why don't you go on in Gabriella?"

"And what are you going to do out here?" asked Gabriella, eyeing Tessa with deep suspicion in her eyes.

"Never you mind. Now get that cute butt of yours inside, I promise I won't hurt him, much," replied Tessa, already sizing Troy up.

Troy looked up at that moment and knew that fear was evident in his eyes as he looked back at the brunette. He shot Gabriella a pleading look, which caused Gabriella to say one last thing to Tessa before she came back over to him. "It's going to be all right but Tessa wants to talk to you," informed Gabriella as Tessa walked towards Troy. "You going to be okay?"

"Can you leave Paul out here with me?" asked Troy, immediately regretting this request as he knew it showed his fear at the moment.

Paul chuckled at this. "If you really need me here to defend you against a girl, I'll stay Troy," stated Paul, chuckling more as he saw the dangerous look Tessa gave him. "Then again, Tessa isn't any ordinary girl."

"Exactly my point man," murmured Troy.

Tessa gave Paul a look, who threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "All right, I'm heading in the house with Gabriella. I just better not find a body out here in thirty minutes, all right Tessa?"

"Since when did you grow a personality Paul?" threw back Tessa.

Paul shrugged. "Getting stabbed in the arm makes you realize that if you don't give your friends hell, even if they aren't truly your own, who will?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Weird guy, I don't know how you can be trusted guarding Gaby. Now off with you!"

"Good luck Troy!" called out Paul before chuckling again and walking inside to find Gabriella to talk about some security issues.

When the two were alone, Troy stayed silent, trying to squelch the feeling of doom as Tessa stared at him for a few silent moments. It wasn't until Troy looked Tessa in the eyes that she broke the death look and placed a smirk on her face. "Are you really that scared of me Bolton?"

"You have no idea," replied Troy, figuring honesty was the best policy here. "I know how very close you are to Brie and I respect that. I'm protective of her too."

"Are you now?" challenged Tessa, getting serious again. "Why'd you let her go then?"

"She needed her space and Gabriella was so emotionally and physically traumatized that I recognized that she needed to get away, from everything. I think seeing her now that I made the right call of letting her have space," returned Troy, gaining back his confidence as he knew the real truth in what he said.

Tessa shook her head though. "Not then. Middle of the summer or a bit earlier? Why'd you drop off from speaking to her without explanation? What's a girl to think when the boy she loves, yes loves Bolton, just kind of slips away like that?"

"Well to be honest, I didn't really think she'd jump to the conclusion she did about me seeing my cousin. Speaking of, thanks a lot for filling her head with that rumor," stated Troy, a bit angry now that he thought about it. "If Gabriella and I didn't trust each other like we do, I could have lost my chance with her today because of your gossip Tess."

"Hey, if the shoe fits, so be it. So how do I know this girl is who you say she is Troy? Your friends will lie to protect you so I can't ask them," pointed out Tessa.

Troy thought for a few moments and then shrugged his shoulders. "Other than getting a blood sample from her and having it tested in a lab, I don't have any other way to prove it to you Tessa. If you are set in believing though that I would lose hope on Gabriella coming back to me on her own time and terms, that quickly, then you don't know me at all Grainger. You say Gabriella loves me right? Well has it ever occurred to you that I love her just as much if not more? That I could have been missing her lots this summer, that the reason why I didn't tell her about working the second job was because I was ashamed?"

That struck a cord with Tessa. "Ashamed? Why would you be ashamed? You're East's Golden God."

He let out a groan at this. "I really hate that title, have I mentioned that? I was ashamed to tell Gabriella I was working a second job because I'm not some rich guy who can take care of her with ease and give her everything she wants."

"Well duh but hello, she's a princess. Gabriella doesn't need a boy to provide for her," stated Tessa.

"Which hits the other point. I was ashamed because I couldn't and still can't offer her anything she can't easily obtain herself but who I am and my love for her. Yes, we weren't together this summer but I never stopped caring or loving her Tessa. I thought that if I worked all summer, it would help me pass the time faster until I saw her again and also help me earn extra money to go towards college as well as to take Brie out to a nice place every once in a while. Before you even say it, I am aware that she could have fancy dinners every night and pay for it herself, but that's not the point of a special romantic date is it? For the guy to mooch off his girlfriend? I wanted the ability to treat her, to surprise her, and not be the jerk who says, 'oh yeah, I don't have money, you have to pay for all this' at the end of the night," stated Troy, finally feeling strong enough to defend himself against Gabriella's intimidating best friend.

Tessa's features softened as she thought about everything Troy said. 'There's no real way to validate his cousin's identity but I'd be crazy to miss the adoration and love he has in his eyes when he just talks about Gabriella and his feelings. I can also see why he would feel ashamed in some ways to tell a princess he has to work two jobs, that is quite a status change,' thought Tessa, letting a smile grace her lips.

"Does that smile mean I'm through with the third degree interrogation here?" asked Troy, hope in his voice.

Tessa nodded her head. "You pass but barely Troy. And if you ever act stupid again like neglect Gabriella in any way, even think of cheating on her, or God forbid, actually hurt her physically or emotionally, you will have me to deal with. Gabriella has gone through enough thanks to a stupid ignorant yet arrogant jock I'd like to slowly torture to death but as that won't happen, I'll have to settle on directing that towards you if you make her suffer in anyway, do you hear me?"

Troy, suddenly beginning to fear Tess again, just nodded his head. "Crystal clear Tessa. And for the record, if I did any of those things, I'd torture myself before you even had the chance. Those are things not even in my cards or even in the card deck. I know she doesn't need any more pain, grief, or any other negative emotion. My whole goal here is to make her feel better, loved, not hated or worse, promise."

Tessa sized Troy up one last time before she grinned. "Good, now that we have that out of the way, let's go inside and join said girl of your heart," said Tessa, switching back into the friendly and sweet girl she was most of the time.

'Heaven help me if Tessa ever thinks I did anything like she mentioned. I know for sure I'd be a dead man, but if I could spend more time with Brie before then, I'd die happy,' thought Troy as the two walked into the house, a relieved Gabriella waiting for them in the game room.

She surveyed both her best friend and her boyfriend before she was satisfied neither were physically injured. "This is good, no bruises, no blood, no cuts. I was getting worried here," said Gabriella.

Troy grinned before he walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close to him. "Now why would you worry? It's only your best friend who puts you before all others it sounds like, even poor Zeke," teased Troy, wincing as Tessa slapped him on the back of his head. "Hey, that hurt!"

"Take it like a man Troy," retorted Tessa, her playful side coming out again. "That's what you get for teasing me and not even being provoked that time!"

"Oh, threatening me with violence if I ever hurt Gabriella isn't grounds enough for me to tease you even a little now that the tense moment is over?" questioned Troy.

Gabriella looked up at her boyfriend, who still had his arms around her, and then over at her best friend who was smirking at him. "Wait, Tessa actually threatened you? YOU?"

Troy looked back down at her and nodded. "It's okay, I can take on Tessa as long as she is happy with the way I'm treating you currently and she has no weapons."

"TESSA!" exclaimed Gabriella, somehow not very surprised this happened.

"What? He's fine, you said it yourself. Troy's a big boy, he handled an interrogation from the best friend of his girlfriend, he did well, so stop panicking," defended Tessa. "Besides, I know as your best friend if I ever hurt Troy while he is in your heart as he is now, I'd be a dead one so there."

Gabriella giggled. "True."

It was Troy's turn to smirk as he looked back at Tessa before turning his attention back on Gabriella, tightening his grip on her before he leaned down and kissed her, grinning against her lips as Troy heard Tessa groaning somewhere in the background.

Gabriella giggled as she pulled away from the kiss, suddenly looking at his arms that were around her and running her hands over his upper arms. "Babe, did you work out, like a lot over the summer?"

Troy sheepishly returned her look before nodding his head. "Besides working two jobs I trained with the guys to keep in shape and made sure I kept myself in top condition. This year is a big year to be scouted by colleges so I want to make sure I'm on top of my game and my health. You felt the new muscles huh?"

She nodded her head, a pink blush on her cheeks. "I feel them and I see them and wow. No wonder I was getting some death glares as we walked out of PE together holding hands. I think East girls are starting to realize their Wildcat Superstar may actually be taken, just as he got sexy."

"Hey, I wasn't sexy before?" protested Troy, feigning hurt.

"No, you were sexy before but now you are 'damn sexy' as Tessa would put it," replied Gabriella, remembering that Tessa had been witness to this. "Right Tessa?"

Tessa scoffed. "Troy Bolton damn sexy? That would be the day!" teased Tessa, knowing she was getting under Troy's skin and loving it. "I guess he would barely make my top five hundred sexy and hot men in this world."

"Grainger, I swear if you weren't Gabriella's best friend," started Troy.

"You'd what?" pushed Tessa, her eyebrow quirked.

"I'd feed you to the cheerleaders," returned Troy, laughing along with Gabriella as Tessa got that indignant look she wore the best.

"You wouldn't dare!" exclaimed Tessa.

Troy chuckled at this challenge. "If you don't believe me, push me a bit more and we'll see if the cheerleaders ever leave you alone and I'm not talking about harassing you either. I'll tell them you want to be one of them, that you have been dying to be part of them."

Tessa just shot daggers at Troy with her eyes as she sat down, hearing the promise in his words. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at this. "Wow, you really do have a way with words Troy."

"Revenge is sweet, what can I say. So are you and your kisses though, even more so," said Troy, leaning his head closer to hers, feeling the chemistry they shared pull them closer together until they kissed again, both smiling against each other's lips as they heard Tessa actually pull a Chad move and fake gag as they purposely kept going. Eventually, they stopped and settled down with Tessa for a game of billiards on the nice billiards table off to the side of the game room but not without teasing peppering their talk between all three, who were finally all relaxed and able to enjoy each other's company, all the questions and doubts put behind them.

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