AN: I'm not going to lie... I totally forgot about this. The news from two weeks ago hit me and I was feeling all blah. Then I logged on FF at 2 in the morning and looked through the list of people who have this on alert and saw authors whose work I admire. That motivated me to attempt an update. I haven't written in months so I apologize beforehand if this chapter sucks.

Padova

"Mother fucking Evans," Troy whispered under his breath as he exited out of the car, slamming the door shut angrily.

The blonde stalked out of the car, deliberately slamming the car door as obnoxiously as possible.

Bailee, immune to the thick tension in the air, hopped out of the car gleefully before skipping down the cobblestone path.

Chad's eyes shifted from side to side as he scanned his surroundings. After the car ride, which consisted of Sharpay and Troy bickering and occasionally a threat or two from Sharpay to shove Chad out of the car like she failed to do when they were riding the Vespa, Chad wanted nothing more than to escape from this all and relax. The car ride, although barely lasting an hour, was already too much stress than he could handle.

Gabriella let out a sigh of relief once she stepped into the brisk summer air. She smiled in appreciation of the dry air which contrasted greatly from the mostly humid air of New York. The beauty of Italy never failed to stun her as she reminded herself of her luck.

"Hey Gabriella!" Bailee's youthful voice rang out, breaking her out of her thoughts. Bailee pointed to her floral print summer dress, "We match!"

Gabriella glanced down at her own floral dress that she bought from Urban Outfitters before her trip. She laughed at the realization. "You're right, we do!"

The light mood was ruined by a certain blonde's outburst.

"What the hell are we doing here? This isn't Milan!" Sharpay spat distastefully as she reached into her bag and pulled out a pocket mirror. Staring into her reflection, she carefully examined her skin, making sure that her foundation rested perfectly against her skin.

Troy took a deep breath before replying, attempting to calm himself before he blew up.

"Stopped for gas," He replied gruffly. "We're just going to walk through Padova unless you'd like to spend two more hours in the car without any exercise."

Sharpay huffed. "I see no point of being here. There aren't even, like, any tourists," Sharpay remarked as her brown eyes scanned the small town, noticing more locals than travelers.

"Padua's hidden beneath the shadow of Venice," Troy stated. "If you want a taste of the true Italian life, then you might as well visit a city that's not populated with so many tourists."

"He's right, Sharpay. Wouldn't you like to see how people in Italy actually live?" Gabriella's eyes suddenly lit up in realization. "Oh, Padova! That was the town in the Taming of the Shrew! I remember reading about it freshman year. I quite liked that play..."

Troy looked in the brunette's direction over his shoulder, shooting her a sly smile. God, she was adorable when she rambled.

"Hey, wasn't that dumb ABC Family sitcom based off that?" Sharpay put in her minimal knowledge into the conversation. "I laughed when it got cancelled."

Troy blinked. Not knowing how to respond to Sharpay's comment, he made an attempt to divert the topic of conversation.

"So, my mom gave me this brochure with the top attractions in every city," Troy proclaimed, flipping through the pages to find Padova. Upon finally finding the correct page, he paused for a moment to skim through the brief description of the city and find things to do.

"It says here that Scrovegni's Chapel is highly recommended and sometimes no reservations in advance are necessary."

"Oh, perfect!" Gabriella exclaimed, failing to hide her excitement. "We can go check that out."

"Chapel?" Chad showed no effort to mask his disgust. "Dude, I thought we agreed on no religious sights or whatever."

"Chad, c'mon!" Bailee scurried over towards him, pulling him by by his jeans. "Just come with us! Who knows, maybe you'll actually enjoy it."

Chad groaned, wishing to have no part in this but knowing there was no way to get out of it.

After spending fifteen minutes in a dehumidifying room and watching a brief informative video on the chapel, the five finally entered the chapel. They eyed the frescoes that covered the chapel from the ceiling to the walls. The paintings of the lower tier depicted significant moments in the life of Christ. Paintings on the second and third tier depicted moments in the life of Mary. The drawings were so remarkable that even a non-Christian could enjoy looking at them.

They walked through the chapel, gazing at the masterpieces painted by Giotto in the fourteenth century. Gabriella observed the paintings with a sharp curiosity, admiring every stroke of the brush. Bailee followed suit, smiling in awe of the art. Troy walked behind them, seemingly more focused on watching Gabriella's changing expressions at the sight of every painting and the way she tilted her head to view each at a different angle.

Sharpay and Chad lagged behind, for the most uninterested. Chad glanced down at his watch every minute, counting the seconds until their view time had allotted. Neither of them was appreciative of the arts.

"I'm hungry," Chad voiced his thoughts rather loudly, earning the glares of several ardent art fanatics who desired silence as they stared at the paintings.

"I can't believe they made us go through a decontamination room," Sharpay said, scrunching up her nose in disgust. "What the fuck is up with that?"

She too received glares from several spectators... more likely than not for her use of foul language inside God's chapel.

"They do that in order to keep the chapel in good shape, Sharpay." Gabriella answered her rhetorical question. She turned to Troy, sending him a shy smile which he reciprocated. "It's so amazing how they've managed to preserve this over the centuries, isn't it?"

Troy, too preoccupied with his own thoughts, merely nodded in agreement with her statement.

"Look, look!" Bailee squealed as she lifted her head to stare at the ceiling and pointed at it with her index finger. "The stars, the stars!"

Simultaneously, the five heads turned to the night sky painted upon the ceiling.

"Damn. Not gonna lie, that's actually pretty cool," Sharpay remarked before switching her attention to her manicured nails.

Chad seemed to be the only one who remained unimpressed, stuffing his hands into his backpack to pull a mysterious object out and quickly stuff it into the pocket of his hoodie. After their fifteen minutes of viewing time were over, the group was escorted out of the chapel and back onto the streets of Padova.

"I don't know bout you guys but I did not enjoy that at all," Chad grumbled, his hands resting inside his hoodie.

Gabriella shot him a weak smile, "I guess chapels just don't hold that much interest to you, huh?"

"Nope," Chad shook his head, his neck turning to observe other places he could go to. "They certainly don't."

Bailee looked up at at Chad with a curious glance, noticing that he was wearing an oversized Collegiate sweatshirt. "Chad, aren't you gonna be hot in that? Shouldn't you take it off?"

Chad laughed nervously, shrugging his shoulders. It was only eleven in the morning so the temperature was rather mild; however, once noon struck it would surge into the high 80s.

"Hey guys, I think I'm gonna take a walk," Chad announced, awkwardly stuffing his hands from his hoodie into the pockets of his baggy jeans. Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay turned toward him with suspicious glances, wondering what he was up to.

"Chad, where exactly are you going?" Troy cocked an eyebrow. "You don't know your way around here and I'd rather not spend hours looking for you when we're ready to leave."

The creases upon Chad's forehead became more apparent as he grew more uncomfortable. Beads of perspiration appeared upon his forehead.

"Relax, I'm just gonna go look for a shop that will let me use their bathroom," Chad chuckled nervously, swaying on his own two feet in an attempt to convince them that he really needed to pee. "I have my phone and don't you worry, I remembered to charge it this time. I promise you won't have to go looking for me."

The blonde eyed him with curiosity. Her acute senses told her that peeing wasn't the only thing Danforth was up to. Judging by his nervousness, he had an ulterior motive for 'taking a walk'. Intrigued, Sharpay bit her lip as he eyed him and attempted to figure out his intentions.

Sighing heavily, Troy glanced quickly at Gabriella who had an equally skeptical look upon her pretty face. Shrugging his shoulders, he finally obliged to Chad's request.

"Go ahead," Troy responded, his mind already forming assumptions about what Chad was going to do. He was not entirely dense; he had a nice whiff of the herb Chad carried with him on the airplane. Troy recalled shaking his head at Chad's stupidity, praying that the turn of events did not end up like that in Harold and Kumar, one of Chad's favorite movies.

Bidding them all farewell, Chad made a U-turn and headed toward a narrow street that resembled an alley. Once Chad was about twenty feet away, Sharpay made up a lame excuse to follow him.

"I think I really need to pee too," Sharpay remarked, waving to Troy, Gabriella, and Bailee. "Text me Gabs!"

With that, the blonde twirled around and maneuvered her way toward the direction Chad headed. Gabriella shot her friend an incredulous look before rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Gabriella leaned down, brushing her forearm against Troy's before whispering, "They are so not going in search of a bathroom."

Troy grinned wryly, chuckling. Shrugging his shoulders, he focused his attention back onto Gabriella and smiled brightly at her. Nudging her shoulder with his, he whispered back, "I personally don't mind at all. Gives me an excuse to spend time with you."

Gabriella giggled as a red flush appeared upon her face. She cast her eyes shyly down upon her sandal clad feet as if she was a thirteen year old girl again in the presence of her first crush.

Bailee cleared her throat, earning their attention. Once both teenagers looked upon her, Bailee smiled sweetly, clasping both her hands behind her back.

"Troy, can I look at the brochure?" Bailee asked in a saccharine tone. Troy nodded with a smile and handed it to her.

"Grazie, Troy!" Bailee exclaimed, flipping through the pages rapidly with intrigue. Gabriella observed the young girl who exhibited a curiosity that reminded Gabriella of herself at that age.

'Hey, what's this?" Bailee's eyes widened with wonder as she stared at a picture of a large circular centre. Squinting her eyes, she read the words off the page, "Prato della Valle. Guys, it looks like a giant peace sign!"

She animatedly skipped over towards Troy and Gabriella, pointing towards the picture in the brochure, "Can we go here?"

Troy stared at the photograph thoughtfully. It certainly looked nice in the brochure. He flipped the page to look at the map, searching for their current location and the location of Prato della Valle.

Turning to Gabriella, he consulted her before answering, "What do you think, Brearley? Should we even bother to wait for Chad and Sharpay?"

Gabriella bit her lip nervously at the sound of the nickname he picked up for her. Although her nerves were running wild, she willed herself to remain composed and answered him calmly, "I'm sure they're rather busy at the moment. Don't worry, they'll show up some way or another. I think we should definitely go and check it out."

"Yes!" Bailee shot her fist in the air triumphantly, hopping up and down in growing excitement. One hand grabbed Troy's and the other Gabriella's as she tugged them toward the direction of Prato della Valle. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon let's go!"

"Whoa, Bailee, wrong direction," Troy laughed heartily, pulling on his cousin to stop. "Prato della Valle would be that way," He used his free hand to point in the opposite direction.

Bailee knit her brows in confusion before responding, "Oh."

Her calm and composed demeanor merely lasted a few seconds before the wide grin returned upon her face and she began pulling Troy and Gabriella towards the landmark.

"Hurry up and move it, you guys!" Bailee ordered in an authoritative manner, as if they would miss a plane or train if they did not rush.

"Hold up, Bails. What's the rush?" Troy thought aloud, wondering where his cousin's pent-up energy was coming from.

"I don't know!" Bailee answered truthfully, her eyes gleaming in a childlike manner as she discerned the landmark in the town center, "I'm just really happy."

Gabriella smiled at Bailee's innocence and excitement. She glanced at Troy, who had the same admiring smile tracing his features.

Never before in his life had Troy been more grateful for his best friend's bad habit than at this moment.

Troy strolled through the town square, which was surrounded by an oval-shaped canal with statues adorning both sides of the stream, alongside Gabriella. The two had fallen into a comfortable silence as they walked down the pavement. Gabriella was busy admiring the scenery and watching Bailee prance down the streets on her tippy-toes, practicing her side-leap that she learned through ballet classes. Troy had been caught up in his own thoughts, battling his own nerves as he wondered how to start a conversation. Normally, he'd have no problem talking to girls but with Gabriella, he was never quite sure where to start. Luckily, he didn't need to take the initiative this time since Gabriella had just made a passing remark.

"Your cousin is so adorable, Troy. Look at her dancing through the streets without a single care in the world. God, I remember myself at that age…"

Troy's lips formed into a slight smile as he observed Bailee perform several Chaînés turns, oblivious to the fact that the eyes of several pedestrians were on her. "Seems like everything's simpler when you're a child," He remarked.

Gabriella nodded to his statement, smiling widely."It really is," She responded with a whisper as they locked eyes. He looked at her with an intense gaze and it was killing her. Throughout the day, he kept things platonic between them in order to avoid questioning from Sharpay and Chad. Now that they were finally alone, with the exception of his younger cousin, he still seemed reluctant to touch her and it was killing her. What exactly were they? Where did they stand after making out by the beach in Jesolo and stealing shy kisses throughout the week when they thought they weren't being watched. And now with his stare and the expression upon his face which she could not decipher, she wished more than ever that she could read his thoughts.

"Tell me what you're thinking," She whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear. Troy was overcome with the feeling of déjà-vu when he thought back to the night by the shore a few weeks ago when he repeated those same words to her.

With his eyes glued onto hers, he bit his lower lip out of nervousness before responding to her question."I'm thinking about how much I want to kiss you right now," He admitted with a husky whisper, his hand slipping past her waist in search of her hand. When his hand finally reached hers, he intertwined his hand with hers and let it swing freely back and forth.

Gabriella opened her mouth but hesitated to respond. After a few seconds, she finally mustered up the courage to encourage him to do so, "Then why don't you?" She rested her intent gaze upon him, noticing how he pursed his lips before releasing a heavy sigh.

His hand reached down to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear before leaning down and whispering, "As much as I want to, you know I can't… not with Bailee a few steps ahead."

Gabriella swallowed the gulp that formed in her throat as she tried to rid herself of the nervousness she felt every time he was near. This isn't normal, she reminded herself. She had never been so nervous around a guy before in her life. Why was his presence making her so tense?

Deciding she needed to break contact with him before she completely lost it, she untwined her fingers from his and pulled her hand away. Troy's features contorted into a confused frown as she turned her back on him.

"Gabriella?"

"Is this how it's going to be like all summer?" She snapped.

Troy blinked, slightly taken aback at the change in her tone."Um, I don't really – I, uh, what are you talking about-"

She narrowed her eyes. "You know what I'm talking about, Collegiate boy. Don't pretend like you don't."

Releasing a deep breath, Troy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly."I mean, do you want them to kill us?" He said, referring to Chad and Sharpay. Well, mostly Sharpay.

Gabriella shook her head before sighing. She turned to look at Troy, hoping that the hurt was not visible in her eyes. "What are we, Troy?"

"We're… we're whatever you want us to be."

She raised an eyebrow curiously. "What do you want us to be?"

He furrowed his brows. "I don't really know."

Gabriella felt her heart sink. That certainly was not the response she was fishing for. Neither of them knew what they were or what they wanted. And to top it all off, they were hiding whatever it is that they are from their best friends. This couldn't be more of a mess, Gabriella thought to herself.

"You know, how about I let you think about what it is that you actually want, Troy."

Gabriella reached into her clutch, pulling out her cell phone. Instinctively, she did what her best friend told her to and sent her a text.

"I think I'm going to catch up with Sharpay," Gabriella said, avoiding his stare as her eyes remained glued on her phone.

"I'll see you later."

With that, she swiveled back in the direction they had come from.

Troy stared at her retreating figure, his mouth agape. What did I say to upset her, Troy thought to himself as he frowned.

AN: I realize this chapter sucks and most likely has a ton of grammar errors. Sorry if anyone's disappointed :( I promise I'll go back and edit it.