I Hope You Dance, a high school musical fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical. If I owned it, would I need to write fanfics fantasizing about it? Uh, NO!! So clearly, I don't own High School Musical.

Author's Note: I posted this story quite a while ago, but my spacing was not good. And to be honest, it bugged the heck out of me. So, months later, I fixed it. I feel bad that this story isn't new, but the spacing was seriously bothering me and I had to fix it.

"Gabriella, I'm really sorry." Gabriella smiled at her friend.

"Tay, I told you, its okay. I really don't mind sitting here. Go dance with your date." Taylor smiled weakly at her friend before making her way towards a very nervous Chad. Gabriella turned back to the now empty table and sighed. She glanced around the room; almost everyone was dancing to Nelly Fertado's Promiscuous. She was at the formal after party; everybody knew that Chad was having the informal one later on at his house. East High had rented the grand ballroom at the local Hilton Country Club and it looked great. They had fifty tables set up on the carpeted area surrounding the gigantic hardwood dance floor. Thankfully, the teachers were in a separate room, so the DJ was free to play any music they wanted. Unfortunately, they were checking in once every so often, and that's what made it formal; that, and the fact that it was in the fanciest country club in Albuquerque.

Gabriella searched the large room for her other friends. Sharpay and Zeke were whispering something to the DJ, Kelsi and Jason were making their way across the dance floor towards Chad and Taylor, and Ryan was dancing with his date, Michelle. Gabriella looked around to the tables near her and noticed that the table directly in front of hers was full of cheerleaders. Great, just what I need; some cheerleaders to rub in the fact that I don't have anyone to dance with. Not like I care anyway. Gabriella suddenly heard them squeal and looked up. She rolled her eyes when she saw Troy making his way through the crowd towards her; no, wait, them. He began slowly inching his way around their table, never taking his eyes off of her; no, wait, he was watching Kerry, the head cheerleader, who was sitting in front of Gabriella. Gabriella sighed as Troy slowed near Kerry's seat. She wanted to be Troy's date; but instead, she was his best friend. Maybe, if Chad hadn't interrupted their kiss, they would be dating. But no; he just had to give Troy the game ball. Troy stopped, right in front of Kerry's seat, and tapped her shoulder. Gabriella winced. Here it comes. "Kerry, would you like to dance?" "Of course, Troy. Will you sleep with me?" She's such an air head. That's probably what she'll say too. She watched as Troy smiled, politely, and said something to Kerry. When she didn't respond, Troy waggled his fingers in her face and Gabriella could barely hold in her laughter. Kerry shook her head slightly and when Troy repeated what he had said, Kerry frowned. She crossed her arms, and Troy walked past her.

"Kerry, could you move your chair?" Kerry didn't move; she just kept staring at him. Troy raised his hand and waggled his fingers in front of her face. She seemed to snap out of her trance by shaking her head.

"Yes Troy?" Troy sighed inwardly and repeated what he had said.

"Kerry, could you move your chair a little?" Her sweet smile turned into a venomous frown as she slowly inched her way forward. She folded her arms across her chest and sat back in her chair. "Thanks Kerry." He walked past her and sat down next to Gabriella.

Gabriella looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What happened, did she shoot you down?" Troy frowned, clearly puzzled.

"I asked her to move her chair." Gabriella blushed and giggled nervously.

"Oh. I was thinking more along the lines of you asking her to dance because, you know, it is a dance." Troy chuckled.

"Well, she's defiantly not my type. She's a total air head. She's too superficial, and she thinks that she's the most beautiful person on the face of the Earth. Besides, I have my sights set on someone very special. And you're not dancing either, so don't go telling me that it's a dance." Gabriella blushed.

"I was only joking. And I'm always alone at these things." Troy sat up straighter and pointed to himself.

"What am I, chopped liver? I'm sitting right here; you're not alone." Gabriella gently shoved his upper arm.

"Stop making every conversation we have revolve around you," she joked. Troy smiled at her and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hey, that's what I do." Gabriella giggled, and then there was an awkward silence.

Promiscuous Girl

Wherever you are

I'm all alone

And its you that I want

Promiscuous Boy

I'm calling your name

But you're driving me crazy

The way you're making me wait

Promiscuous Girl

You're teasing me

You know what I want

And I got what you need

Gabriella could feel her face growing redder. Troy coughed and began playing with his hands. Suddenly, one of the cheerleaders, one of the most developed and slutty cheerleaders, walked past Troy. She ran her finger along the side of his face and then continued her strut to the table. Troy watched her walk, disgusted at how high the bottom of her dress hung.

"That's nasty." He shook his entire body and made a face. Gabriella slapped his arm lightly.

"Troy, that wasn't nice." Troy looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean to tell me that you didn't find that disgusting and inappropriate?" Gabriella looked at him and grinned.

"Look at you, using big words like inappropriate. And yes, it was disgusting." Troy smiled and stood up.

"So Gabriella," At that moment, the DJ stopped the music.

"I know y'all wanna kill me right now, but the old folks want me to play somethin' slow." There was a loud groan from the students as they stopped dancing. "Sorry. This is I Hope You Dance by Annie Lennox."

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat

But always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

Troy looked at Gabriella and blushed. "I was wondering, since the name of the song is I Hope You Dance, and you have no one to dance with, and I have no one to dance with…" Gabriella smiled and looked down. "…would you like to dance?" Gabriella looked up into his blue eyes.

I hope you still feel small

When you stand by the ocean

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

She blushed furiously.

"Sure. I have nothing better to do. Oh, I didn't mean it like that," she said, realizing how he might interpret her words. Troy smiled.

"I hope you didn't." He held out his hand and she gladly took it. As he led her past the cheerleaders, she couldn't help but stand a little taller; for once, they were wishing that they were her. He led her onto the dance floor near Chad and Taylor. She smiled and looked down when she felt his hand on her waist. She raised her hand and rested it on his shoulder. Their hands were entwined. Troy and Gabriella began swaying together. Gabriella quickly glanced over Troy's shoulder and saw Taylor grinning at her; while she was dancing with Chad, she gave Gabriella the thumbs up and it made her blush.

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance

Troy slowly, almost reluctantly, released Gabriella's waist and twirled her out. When he twirled her back, Gabriella decided to be bold, and rested her head on his chest. She sighed, quietly and happily, wishing that the song would never end; even though, she knew when it would.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Living might mean taking chances

But they're worth taking

Lovin' might be a mistake

But it's worth making

Don't let some hell bent heart

Leave you bitter

When you come close to selling out

Reconsider

Give the heavens above

More than just a passing glance

Troy twirled her out again, and when he twirled her back in, Gabriella did something that she never, in a million years, thought she would ever do.

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Gabriella noticed how very close Troy was and couldn't resist. She reached up and gently pressed her lips against his. When she came to her senses, she pulled back and bit her lip; Troy looked slightly stunned. "I'm sorry. Was that really wrong?"

I hope you dance

Troy looked down at her and smiled. "Not at all." He stopped dancing and cupped her face in his hands. He leaned down and kissed her passionately.

I hope you dance

When they pulled apart, Gabriella couldn't stop smiling, that is, until she remembered something. "What about that very special someone you had your sights set on?" Troy smiled at her.

"I've still got my sights set on her. In fact, I'm looking at her right now."

I hope you still feel small

When you stand by the ocean

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

Gabriella began blushing furiously. She moved her mouth as close to his ear as it could get and whispered, "I love you Troy Alexander Bolton, I really do."

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Troy looked down at her, smiling furiously, and said in a normal voice, "I love you too Gabriella Maria Montez." His declaration drew attention, but not nearly as much as the kiss did.

Dance

I hope you dance

Troy grabbed Gabriella's hand and yanked her off the dance floor as soon as the song ended. He led her back to the empty table "You do realize that you are now officially my girlfriend, right?" Gabriella grinned at the word.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Troy smiled.

"You also realize that we are about to be bombarded with questions by our closest friends?" Gabriella turned around to find Taylor, Chad, Sharpay, Zeke, Kelsi, Jason, Ryan and Michelle running at them. She turned back to Troy and they burst out laughing. They collapsed onto one chair, Gabriella sitting on Troy's lap, burying her head in his shoulder. When they caught their breath, they looked up to find everyone crowded around them.

Gabriella managed a weak, "hey," and Troy remained silent. Sharpay stepped forward.

"Are you two, like, together now or what?" She pointed between the two of them, raising her eyebrow each time. Taylor crossed her arms.

"Yeah, what's going on? We saw you two lip-locking." Troy and Gabriella exchanged glances.

"What do you think is going on?" Kelsi groaned.

"Are you two dating yet?" Gabriella frowned.

"What do you mean yet?" Kelsi blushed and Chad cut in.

"You two are obviously head over heals for each other." Troy glared at his friend.

"I would be so pissed at you right now if Gabriella wasn't already my girlfriend." Oops. There was a loud squeal and Sharpay started jumping up and down, clapping her hands.

"Thank God! You guys were driving me crazy!"

---

"Come on Troy! I'm not going to bite you!" Troy pouted.

"Aw, why not?" Gabriella rolled her eyes as she continued to pull him down the passageway. Finally he started walking on his own, and they were able to move at a normal pace.

"Where are you taking us Gabriella? I like that, us." Gabriella giggled and Troy could feel his heart start to beat faster.

"I'm taking you to see something truly breath-taking." Troy kissed her hand as he held it.

"More than you?" Gabriella smiled at him.

"Flattery will get you almost everywhere." They continued walking until they reached a glass door. Gabriella pushed it open and waited for Troy to walk past her.

"See, isn't this beautiful?" Troy was still focusing on her.

"Yeah, you are." Gabriella blushed and looked down.

"I was talking about the room, but thank you." Troy looked around.

"Whoa." Gabriella grinned. The room was made entirely of glass. You could see up into the starry sky; there were plants all around the floor (in pots of course). There was also a cute little table set up for two people. But what caught Troy's attention were the stones in the small garden.

"Gabriella, did you see this?" He pointed to the stones.

"What, the garden?" "No, I mean the stones. Look at what they spell out." He traced the letters with his fingers.

"No way."

B-R-E-A-K-I-N-G F-R-E-E.

Author's Note: Well, that's all folks. That's the end. Tell me what you think; please review.

Once again, I apologize for the repeat post, but I'm a perfectionist. A picky perfectionist.