A/N: Hey guys! I had a sudden inspiration to write again. I don't know if anyone remembers, but I had a story called Raising Stella that got deleted a while ago because it had a real couple in it. I'm going to stick to doing one-shots, since I never know when I'm going to be able to update. But hopefully, when I get a strike of inspiration, I'll write a little bit!

Anyway, go ahead and read! Enjoy!

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'What is the point of being a tired teenager if I can't even get eight hours of sleep?' Troy wondered, picking is head up from the pillow and groaning. He pulled the object out from beneath his head and shoved it over his face to try and block out the offending noise. His sister was downstairs, screaming her lungs out over something that Troy really didn't care to know about.

He rolled off the bed and onto his feet, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and stretching. Grabbing his cell phone, he checked his messages. A text from Gabriella, three from Chad, and one from Sharpay. He clicked on the one from the blonde haired princess and rolled his eyes after reading her demand to know what color tie he was wearing to the homecoming dance next weekend. He rolled his eyes and texted back a quick "I don't know, whatever color Gab is wearing." Checking the three from Chad, he groaned in exasperation as Chad reminded him of their plans to play four- on- four today at the park. He replied that he would be there and finally, was able to read the text from his girlfriend. His heart fluttered when he saw her name and her text made him smile.

Morning hot stuff! So excited for tonight(: I love you! Call me when you wake up!

Troy pressed speed dial number two and waited while the phone rang. After the third ring, his girlfriend picked up and greeted him in a bright and cheery voice.

"Hey baby." He cooed, running his hand through his hair.

"Hey! Just wake up?"

"Not even two minutes ago."

"You usually sleep longer… something wrong?"

"Nahh. My sister's screaming woke me up and then I got your message."

Gabriella laughed, and the sound of her giggle was music to Troy's ears. "Why is she screaming?"

"No idea. I should probably go down and check…can I call you after?"

"Of course. I'll be waiting, Wildcat. Love you."

"Love you too."

The couple hung up and Troy made his way downstairs, pausing only for a moment to slip on a shirt. He took the stairs two steps at a time and when he arrived in the kitchen, things were in full shouting mode. His little sister was standing, her face red and tears streaming down her face, in the doorway, facing his mom and dad. Both of them looked angry and Troy knew that when they got in this mood, it was best not to deal with them.

"You SAID I could go out with him tonight! I told him I could!"

Troy rolled his eyes as he heard his sister talk. He automatically knew what they were talking about: his 14 year old freshman sister had been invited out on a date by a junior, a guy only half a year younger then Troy. His parents had thought about it for a long time and they finally said yes provided they would be here to meet him first. Troy hadn't been supportive of the situation: he knew the guy was bad news, but his sister claimed that he had 'changed' and so he didn't really have any choice in the matter. He pushed past his sister and made his way to the refrigerator, grabbing the door and pulling out the jug of milk. He froze in the process of drinking it when he heard his parents say his name.

"Troy…." His mom sighed, looking at him pleadingly. "Can you stay here tonight? Please? That way you can be here if anything happens on your sister's date and she can still keep her promise." Troy's mom knew that Troy would do anything for his little sisters, and that he would probably be better protection for her then Troy's father was.

"Mom," Troy groaned. "I have a date with Gabriella tonight!"

"Do you think you could invite her to come here instead? I need someone to watch Ava anyway." Ava was Troy's 6 year old sister. She had both Troy and Gabriella wrapped around her finger.

"Where are you and Dad going? I thought you guys were supposed to be here tonight?"

Troy's mom sighed, running a hand over her forehead. "Your dad forgot that he has a Teacher dinner tonight and I have to go. It usually doesn't end til the early morning hours so I cant be back in time for your sister to get home from her date. Can you help me out on this one?" Troy's dad had been silent through all of this, just studying the situation with his eyes.

"How about we make a compromise, son?" He said, speaking up for the first time. "If you stay here and watch your sister, Gabriella can spend the night. I'm sure her mom will be fine with it since she's out of town anyway."

"Please Troy?" Haley, his fourteen year old sister, looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. He made his way over to her and ruffled her hair, smiling. "Sure Hales. I'll get Gab and we can hang out here tonight so you can go on your date."

"YES!" Haley cheered. She wrapped Troy in a quick hug before running off yelling about finding something to wear.

"Thanks Troy." His mom said, sounding relieved as she leaned up and placed a kiss on Troy's cheek. Troy smiled back at her and made his way out of the room, sighing slightly while wishing with all of his might that Gabriella wouldn't be mad for canceling their date.

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Luckily, Gabriella was completely fine with staying in for the night. She arrived at Troy's house about 6, coming in like he told her to. "Hello?" She called.

"Gabi!" Ava ran out of the playroom and into Gabriella's awaiting arms. Gabriella bent down to kiss Ava's forehead.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you?"

"Good! Troy and you are babysitting me tonight! I have so many things we can do!"

Gabriella giggled as the girl rattled off her plan for tonight, including playing with Barbies and watching Beauty and the Beast. She had a feeling Troy wouldn't be to happy with it, but he didn't really have the choice. Once Ava had finished talking, Gabriella took the chance to speak up.

"Sounds like fun Ava! Where's your brother?"

Ava ran back into the playroom while pointing upstairs. Laughing slightly, Gabriella made her way up the stairs, pausing at the first door. Just as she was about to raise her fist and knock, the door swung open. She took in the sight of her boyfriend of over two years. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a wildcat t-shirt. His hair was slightly wet from the shower and he had a giant smile on his face.

"Hey babe." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a hug. They stayed embraced for a moment before she leaned up to kiss him, not letting their kiss get too deep at this point in the night. She knew the girls were somewhere in the house and it would probably scar them to see their older brother and his girlfriend making out in the hallway. He pulled her into his room and they broke apart, hugging once more before sitting on his bed. He gently moved her in between his legs, leaning against the headboard and he placed a kiss in her hair.

"Hi." She whispered, tilting her head back and looking up at him adoringly. They cuddled for a few more moments in silence, just enjoying every moment they had together. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long because there was an urgent knock at Troy's door. Since his mom and dad had already left, he knew it had to be one of his sisters. Therefore, he didn't move the position they were in as he said "Come in."

Haley entered, dressed in a blue jean miniskirt, navy blue strappy top, and navy blue sandals. Her hair was straightened and her bangs were pulled back to form a poof at the top of her head. Her eyeliner was dark and her eyeshadow was as well. To Troy, she looked much older then barely fourteen. This was why he decided to do something about it.

"Go change." The order came from his mouth before he could stop it, and he felt both his sister and Gabriella turn to glare at him.

"What? You're dressed like you're eighteen. Hales, go change."

Gabriella could see that this already was turning out badly and she turned to her boyfriend. "Babe, she looks fine. Don't make her change. Just go let her have fun." Haley shot an appreciative look to Gabriella and Troy sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" he exclaimed to Gabriella. She laughed and shrugged, sending a wink in Haley's direction. Haley rolled her eyes at her brother and started to speak.

"Troy, James is supposed to be here in a few minutes. I know Mom said she wanted you to meet him so you can probably come downstairs now…" she trailed off, looking at him nervously. Troy untangled himself from Gabriella and patted the bed beside him. Haley made her way over and sat next to him, her eyes downcast. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"Hales… you're gonna be fine. I can tell your nervous and I get it but he's gonna love you. I just want you to be careful okay? I don't trust this guy. From what I hear, he's quite a bit of a ladie's man. It's not that I don't trust you, okay?" Haley looked up as he talked, her face relaxed. She quickly hugged her older brother before letting go and walking towards the door. Troy and Gabriella followed, linking hands as they walked downstairs. As if on perfect timing, the doorbell rang, and Haley rushed to get it, straightening her outfit and checking her reflection one more time in the mirror. Troy exchanged an amused glance with Gabriella and he moved to stand behind his little sister. She opened the door and immediately moved outside to stand beside her date.

"Wow, you look great." James complimented. Haley smiled and blushed and was quiet, waiting for Troy to start his questioning. Surprisingly, Troy offered his hand to the junior and gave him a firm handshake.

"I'm acting as my dad tonight since he's up doing some teacher thing. She needs to be home by 11. You hurt her, I hurt you. Got it?" Haley glared at her brother. She should have known that his nice-guy act wouldn't last very long. James nodded and smirked before grabbing Haley's hand and pulling her towards his car. Haley looked over her shoulder and gave a small wave to Troy and Gabriella. They waved back, and as the car pulled off into the darkness, Troy turned to his girlfriend. She stroked his bangs lovingly from his face and wrapped him in a hug, her hands rubbing up and down his tense back gently. He relaxed into her embrace and tried not to think about what his little sister would be doing on this date.

"Why are you so tense?" Gabriella asked quietly, not stopping her soothing ministrations on his back.

"I don't know Gab. I just, I don't trust that guy for all I'm worth. And I hate letting her go out with him. I just feel like something bad is going to happen and I cant stop it."

"Hey, hey." She cooed, hugging him tighter. "Nothing is going to happen to her…and if it does, there would be absolutely nothing you could do about it except be supportive, okay?" he nodded, knowing she was right, and they moved inside to shut the door.

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Three hours later, Troy, Gabriella, and Ava were sitting in his living room watching Beauty in the Beast. Troy had made Ava macaroni and cheese and played Barbies with her, just waiting for some alone time with Gabriella. Now, they were watching the final credits rolling across the screen. Ava was cuddled up on his chest and he had one arm around her and one around Gabriella. He looked down, saw his sister sleeping peacefully, and gently removed his arm from around Gabriella. She looked at him quizzically and he stood up, shifting Ava in his arms so he could carry her easier.

"I'm going to take her up to bed." He whispered, leaning down to kiss Gabriella's head. She nodded and he made his way out of the room. He quickly changed his sister into her pajamas and tucked her in, kissing her forehead and turning off the lamp. He looked back to check on her one more time before making his way out of the door.

Back downstairs, Gabriella was waiting for him. She cuddled up to him on the couch and soon, a make out session ensued, with Troy on top of his girlfriend, running his hands up and down her body. He was in the process of pulling her top off when his cell phone rang. He groaned and ignored it, murmuring to his girlfriend to ignore it as well. However, she sat up, smiled, and reached into his pocket to pull out his phone.

"It could be your sister, babe." Gabriella said, checking the caller ID. "Ahh, I'm psychic!" Troy glanced down at the Caller ID and laughed as the name "Haley" appeared. "Wow Gab. I'm impressed."

Troy answered the phone, greeting Haley with an annoyed "hello." However, that annoyance soon turned to worry and concern when he heard sobs on the other end of the line.

"Hales? What's wrong?"

"Troy…" Haley broke off, unable to speak.

"Hales, talk to me, what's going on?"

Haley's voice broke as she explained her situation. Gabriella watched as Troy's face as it became darker and darker, his eyes becoming an almost stormy grey color. She rubbed up and down his arm, her face also laced with concern.

"Haley, listen to me carefully okay? Stay right where you are, and stay away from the lamp light so people can't see you. What's the name of the street? I'm coming to get you."

"Sun-sunset street. Will you stay on the phone with me until you get h-here?"

Troy replied that he would and covered the mouth piece to tell Gabriella to stay here with Ava until he came back. She nodded without asking any questions and he was out the door in a second, grabbing his keys and wallet from the counter.

As he drove, he mentally cursed James in his head while murmuring reassurances to his sister. He had a sick, queasy feeling in his stomach. He knew something bad was going to happen tonight. This was all his fault. He had let his sister go out with the douche-bag and now, she was scared, hurt, and violated on the corner of some street with no way to get home. He shuddered imagining what the guy had done to his baby sister and it nearly made him throw up. He pressed the accelerator a little harder as he drove, now going about 15 miles over the speed limit. As he pulled onto Sunset Street, he searched for his sister.

"I'm here Hales, come out into the light where I can see you okay?"

"Okay."

He saw her move out into the light of a street lamp about 100 yards away and sped to the location. He got out of his truck, leaving it running, and rushed over to his little sister. He quickly scanned her over: she was hugging herself, a red handprint on her cheek and her clothes slightly torn. She had a blank look in her eyes as tears streamed down her face, bringing her mascara and other makeup with it. She was shivering with cold and fear. He felt his heart break at the sight but didn't let her see.

"Oh Hales… come here." He gently pulled Haley into his arms and held her as she cried harder then ever. Her sobs worsened and so did her shaking. He pulled away form her for just a second to pull of his shirt and put it over here, trying to keep her warm. She snuggled back into his body, just happy to be back in her brother's arms.

"It's going to be okay…" he murmured, stroking her hair gently. He swung his arm under her legs and scooped her into his arms, putting her in the passenger seat of his truck and buckling her seatbelt gently. She was still sobbing, but quieter now in the safety of Troy's truck. He ran to the other side and climbed in the drivers side, and put the car in drive. He reached over and grabbed his sister's hand, keeping a hold of it as he drove all the way home.

Pulling into the driveway at his house, Gabriella opened the front door and made her way out. She was still clueless as to what had happened. Troy opened the passenger door and unbuckled Haley's seatbelt. She was quiet now, her eyes blank and downcast.

"Hey Hales…" Gabriella whispered, shooting Troy a worried look. Haley climbed out on her own pushed her way past both of them and into the house. Troy was about to follow her when his girlfriend pulled him into a loving hug. He relaxed into her embrace and she held him, whispering into his ear that everything was going to be fine. Even if he didn't believe her, he let her speak to him. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

"Troy…what happened?"

"James took her to the movies and to eat, and everything was going fine, she said. But they were going to his house to hang out after and when she got out of the car, she said he started kissing her and then tried to come onto her. She tried to push him away and he slapped her and kept making out with her. She didn't tell me much else but somehow she got away and ran a couple of blocks away and then called me. She's really upset Gabs…and it's all my fault. I'm going to kill that kid."

" Troy, listen to me baby. Listen. It's not your fault. It is no way YOUR fault. It's that douche bags fault. You have to understand that. You couldn't have done anything to prevent this."

"I let her go out with him!"

"You warned her not to Troy. It was against your better judgement but in the end your parents had the final call. You didn't want to let her go. This isn't your fault, its not Haley's fault, it's not your parents fault. It's James' fault."

Troy sighed and nuzzled his face into his girlfriend's hair. "I just... I know that but I just feel horrible. We should probably go take care of her and make sure he's already. Although, I am still going to beat that kid up and there's nothing anyone can do to stop me."

Gabriella nodded; she had expected this. It wasn't like her boyfriend to lay low when something happens to someone he loves. She remembered the fight he had gotten in over her the previous year when someone made a crude comment about how they wanted to "nail Gabriella to the moon and back." Needless to say, Troy hadn't been happy and the guy had a black eye for the next two weeks.

They linked hands and made their way inside. Ava was downstairs, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She blinked as Troy and Gabriella walked over to her, Troy scooping down to place Ava on his hip.

"What are you doing up, squirt?" He asked, using his special nickname for his younger sister.

"I heard Haley come in and she was crying and when she ran past my door it woke me up." Ava replied, sleep present in her voice.

"I'm sorry cutie, let's get you back to bed." Troy said.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" She asked. She loved to sleep in Troy's bed, sometimes during the night he would wake up to his sister climbing under his arm and falling asleep. It used to annoy him but it was just normal now.

" I don't know squirt. Gab and I are going to be in there in a little bit."

"Can I sleep on the floor in your room then? I don't want to sleep in my bed, I'm afraid of the big monster in my closet."

Troy knew this wasn't true, but he couldn't resist his sister's sweet voice. "I'll put you in my bed for now alright? And later I'll move you." His sister nodded and he quickly tucked her back into his bed. He and Gabriella then made their way to Haley's room.

"Maybe I should wait out here…" Gabriella trailed off, a concerned look on her face. Troy was quick to deny this, saying he needed her in there to help him control himself and keep control around Haley. She nodded and they opened the door, not knowing what they would find.

Haley was laying face down on her bed, her body shaking. There as a smashed picture frame on her floor and Troy was quick to spot this, warning Gabriella so she could step over it. Carefully, they made their way to the bed and sat down beside the upset teenager. She sat up, and Troy grimaced again as he saw the red mark on her swollen cheek.

"Hales…" he began. "It's going to be okay. I know it seems like it won't…but really, it will. You have to believe that."

Haley didn't answer, just continued crying. "Why me?" She finally said, the words coming out forced and hoarse. She sat up snuggled in next to Troy. He rubbed her back gently and didn't answer…he didn't know how to.

"Hey Haley," Gabriella began. "Can I tell you something? A secret?" Haley nodded. "When I was a sophomore, and your brother and I were still only friends, I went out with a senior on the football team. He tried some stuff with me that I wasn't ready for and that's when your brother and I got together. Troy showed up at my house and saw the boy pushing me against the car. The boy never bothered me again. I know how you feel, degraded, violated, and upset that it all went so wrong. But he's not worth it Hales, he really isn't."

As she finished talking, Haley scooted towards her and fell into her arms. Gabriella held her, rocking her back and forth. Troy looked on with a sad smile and continued to pull his sisters hair back from her face.

"Its gonna be okay Hales." He repeated hoarsely. "I love you, so does Gabriella and this whole family. You're gonna get through this okay? One step at a time. Let's put some stuff on your cheek and clean up the glass and then you can come watch a movie with us downstairs."

Haley nodded and stood up, pulling some sofie shorts and a tank top our of her closet. She went to wash her face while Troy and Gabriella cleaned up the glass. When she came out, Troy rubbed some anti- swelling cream on her cheek. Gabriella picked a funny movie to watch and they all settled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn Gabriella had made. Troy sat in the middle, right in between Gabriella and Haley. Not long after the movie had started, Troy felt a heavy weight on his shoulder and realized Haley had fallen asleep.

At the end of the movie, Gabriella was asleep as well, her head rested on Troy's lap. He gently removed her head from his lap and carried his sister upstairs, placing her in her bed and kissing her forehead gently. He went back downstairs and found Gabriella awake and cleaning up the popcorn bowl.

"Let's go to bed, baby." He murmured, kissing the back of her neck gently. They made their way upstairs and Troy moved Ava over to the side of his bed, and then laid down in between her and Gabriella. They were both asleep within 10 minutes, with her back pressed against his front and his arm wrapped around her waist. Finally, they were able to enjoy the night they had planned for.