Floam

Last Chapter:

"Gabriella, what are we? Are we friends? More? Enemies? I felt you kissing me back the other night, and I want you to know that I didn't just kiss you because I was forced. I really wanted to. I like you, Gabs. More than you could ever imagine," he finished softly.

A tear came to the corner of my eyes. I was about to answer when someone shone a bright light in my eyes.

"Hey! What are you youngsters doing," a voice exclaimed. "Are you having sex? You better not be!! Sex is bad. If you have sex, you'll get syphilis. And breast cancer. Come to think of it, that also will happen if you play tackle football. I don't approve of tackle football. It always leads to sex. Bad bad bad. And you'll also probably get gonorrhea. And you'll get pregnant. And, you'll probably die."

Troy and I both felt very confused. At least, until we looked at who the person was.

"Brett!" I exclaimed. "You're on mischief patrol, aren't you!"

"Why yes. You two seem to be up to mischief if you ask me."

Troy and I looked at each other, rolling our eyes.

"Brett, we were just talking, I swear," said Troy.

Brett rolled his eyes, then walked away, muttering to himself.

"Keep it PG!" He shouted as he left. I sighed gratefully. Finally. Maybe now we start up where we left off.

I shifted my attention back to Troy. As I turned to face him, I caught him staring intently at me. I blushed a deep shade of red. Troy noticed my blushed and patted my arm.

"Gabriella, I don't want you to ever feel embarrassed around me. I want you to feel comfortable, at ease."

"Thanks Troy. It's just…I've never…" My voice cracked a little, and I trailed off.

"You've never what?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I never thought I'd ever have a boy like me in that way. Love has always seemed like a fairy tale, or a fantasy story. It's never been attainable."

"Gabi, have you never had a boy like you before? In that way?"

I twiddled my thumbs a little, embarrassed. Troy was going to realize how inexperienced I was. He was going to think I was too naïve and innocent. He was going to find out that our kiss earlier had been my first one.

"No Troy. I haven't," I admitted, a tear welling up in the corner of my eye. I looked down at the ground afraid to make eye contact with him. I was sure that his strange desire for me was going to dissolve, now that he knew I wasn't exactly the most sought-after girl in the world.

Troy moved a little closer to me, and put his arm around my back.

"Gabi," he asked gently, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

I turned to face him, surprised.

"Don't you not like me anymore now, since you know how much experience I have with guys? Wouldn't you rather like a more sought-after girl?" I started crying harder.

"Why me, Troy, why me?" I sobbed.

Troy pulled me into an embrace, rubbing my back. The gentle circles he traced somehow soothed me. After I let out my last shuddering sob, he spoke.

"Gabriella, I don't care that you have 'no experience' with guys. That just makes it more special for me. When we hug, or kiss, or hold hands, or whatever, I will always know that I'm the only guy who has ever done those things with you, the only guy who has ever held that special place in your heart. That is, if you feel the same way about me as I feel about you." He looked at me expectantly.

"Of course I do!!! But I just don't understand how you can like me. Why? I'm not special. I'm just your boring, average freaky math girl."

Troy sighed.

"Gabi, do you really think you're just average? You are above average. You're as beautiful as the stars tonight. You're so smart, and your singing is amazing. Honestly, the first time I heard you sing, my legs turn to Jell-O. The effect you have on me is enormous. I'm having trouble believing that I'm sitting here with my arms around you. It seems so surreal, like a dream come true. You have an amazing personality. You are so kind and gentle, even to people who don't deserve it. Like Sharpay. Your patience with her is amazing. And I just feel like I've known you forever. There is no other girl in the world I'd rather be right here with than you."

I smiled up at him, more tears forming in my eyes. I started crying even more. I just couldn't believe it. This was a dream come true. For the first time in my life, a boy loved me. And I loved him. Wow.

I looked up at the stars. They were so gorgeous. I saw a shooting star, arching through the sky. I knew it was a meteorite, a piece of rock that was burning up due to friction as it blasted through the earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds. I smile. I truly was a nerd, thinking about such scholarly things on summer vacation.

Troy and I sat for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. We watched the stars and the Northern Lights, also called Aurora Borealis. I explained to Troy how Aurora Borealis is created when solar wind hits the earth's magnetic field, and the particles cause friction with it, resulting in the bright and beautiful colors we see in the night sky. He just laughed, and took my hand. After a few more minutes of talking, we decided it would be best to return to the campsite.

"After all," I pointed out, "We don't want Brett to come…uh…disturb us again." I giggled. Troy let out a little bit of a giggle too. Then he turned red.

"Don't you ever tell Chad I giggled, ok Gabs/" He demanded anxiously. "One time I accidentally giggled when we were watching TV at his house. He teased me for months before I finally managed to convince him that it had been a hiccup. I'd rather not have that happen again."

I laughed a little.

"Don't you dare tell Gabi!" He exclaimed. I giggled some more. "Whatcha gonna do if I tell him?" I teased. Troy grabbed me and started tickling. I was laughing like crazy.

"Don't tell!" He warned. I laughed even harder.

"I won't!" I exclaimed. He kept tickling.

"Promise!" He demanded.

"I promise!" I said breathlessly. He let go.

"Come on, let's go back. But you better not tell! I'm warning you!"

I smiled at Troy. "Don't worry," I assured him, "Your secret is safe with me." He took my hand, and we made our way back to camp.

When we emerged from the path, we were smack dab in the middle of the campsite. I saw Taylor and Chad a few feet away, at a picnic table. They were moulding shapes out of something glow-in-the-dark.

We approached them. As Chad saw us approaching, he jumped up and hid whatever he'd been making behind his back.

"Troy! Nice to see you! It's been awhile!" Chad started winking furiously. "Did you get the goods?" He asked, obviously attempting to whisper, but not quite succeeding. Troy glared at Chad, then his look of anger turned to one of curiosity.

"So Chad, what's that behind your back?" He asked.

"Oh, that? Nothing. What are you talking about, you crazy boy?" Troy reached behind Chad's back and snatched the object away. It was an extremely ugly and extremely bright yellow duck, made of a weird looking material.

"Chad, is this made of…Floam?" Troy asked, barely managing to contain his laughter.

"Uh…maybe…you see, we were really, bored, and-" Troy cut Chad off.

"Where did you get this? Chad, my 6-year-old sister uses this to decorate her dollhouse. Are you trying to get in touch with your artistic, feminine side, or what?" Troy started laughing.

"No – wait, I can explain…see, I get bored easily, so I usually pack some Floam in my backpack to keep me entertained." Troy started guffawing. Even I couldn't contain my laughter. But then Taylor changed the subject.

"So, Gabriella, where were you? Why were you and Troy gone for so long?" I gulped. We had a lot of explaining to do.

A/N: So what did you think? Sorry I took so long to update. I've been pretty busy. Anyways, please review!!! I love reviews. They rock. They inspire me. Also, I would love some suggestions. I'm not exactly sure where this story is headed right now. Thanks!

-freakymathgirl