Messy

By: xoAlmostFamous

Pairing: Troy//Gabriella

A/N: Yep, I'm back to my Troyella roots. I know that usually the girlfriends in TxG fics are bad, but in this one, she isn't. Just wanted to clarify! I was really happy with the response to my Troy/Sharpay, so I may write more of that in the future. Also, on a special note, I have decided to dedicate this to Katie, who dedicated her Troyella story Sick to me. I hope you like it!

Troy Bolton opened his locker at the end of a Friday afternoon. There was nothing out of the ordinary: his two-day old lunch he kept forgetting, Chad's biology book he "borrowed" earlier that week, and his red "WILDCATS" gym bag. That is, until he noticed a small note tucked between two books. Troy already knew who this note was from- his best friend, Gabriella Montez

Gabriella was the only one besides him who knew his combination. Not even his girlfriend of a month, Haleigh Robinson had access to his black hole he called a locker. He trusted Gabriella with a lot: his feelings, his grades, his locker combo, and most importantly, his heart. Troy looked over the dainty handwriting the note given to him.

Hey Troy,

Meet me in the gym after practice.

I need to talk to you.

Love, Brie

Troy read the note a couple more times. It wasn't like her to leave a note. They could talk about anything, anywhere. It was worrisome to Troy. What could this be about? He thought to himself, Is she okay? Troy slung his gym bag over his shoulders and raced off to practice. The sooner it was over, the sooner he could see Gabriella.

HSM-HSM-HSM

Gabriella was sitting atop her and Troy's secret spot. It was around 4 o'clock. She had already been there for an hour. She once again began to ponder her actions. Should I have given Troy that note? she wondered, He probably doesn't even feel the same way. She didn't want to tell Troy how she truly felt about him, but inside her heart, she knew it had to be done.

To be honest, she and Troy were different. Their feelings for each other tangled with other relationships, a drunken kiss (kudos to Troy), and a very lucky girl named Haleigh Robinson. Gabriella liked Haleigh a lot. She was sweet, caring, and was never jealous of her and Troy's friendship. And as weird as that sounded, that's what bugged Gabriella. She was perfect for Troy.

But Troy just didn't seem to get it. He didn't know that Gabriella spent countless nights crying over him, and that every time she looked at him her heart ached. As Gabriella started to compose herself, she looked at her watch. It was 5:00- and she just wasn't ready.

HSM-HSM-HSM

"Whoa, man. What's the rush?" Chad asked Troy, who was shoveling clothes on in a hurry. "I'm meeting Gabriella." Troy responded quickly. "Ahh… Ms. Montez. And you guys are so 'not going out', right?" Chad asked with air quotes. "Man, you do know Haleigh is my girlfriend, right?" Troy countered. Chad shrugged and said quietly, "But you and I know that she's no Gabriella." He then walked out, leaving Troy with his thoughts.

HSM-HSM-HSM

Gabriella's heart was racing as Troy walked out of the locker room, but this time it wasn't just because of how he looked. "Hey, Brie." Troy said as he enveloped her in his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked her, pushing a loose curl behind her ear. "Yeah, I guess." she responded quietly, "Come sit with me." She motioned for him to sit with her.

When Troy said down, he grabbed her hand and interlaced their fingers, and she began to speak. "Troy, you're my best friend. You know that, right?" Troy nodded and acknowledged her. "Okay," she continued, "I've decided that you need to know something."

Now Troy's heart was racing. "Gabi-"Troy began to say, but Gabriella cut him off. "Troy, just listen to what I have to say first, okay?" Troy nodded, and she continued. "I know," she paused to keep herself from crying, "that you have Haleigh. I like her too, I think she's great." Gabriella glanced at Troy, who was still holding her hand. "But you need to hear me out. If you hear what I have to say, and feel too awkward to be friends, I understand. But I just can't pretend like this is nothing anymore."

Gabriella's eyes began to water. "Troy…" she looked into the cobalt blue eyes staring at her, "I think… I may… be… in love with you." And with that, Gabriella burst into tears. She got up to walk away, but a strong arm pulled her back. "Oh, Brie," Troy instinctively pulled her into an embrace. "I'm… so… s-sorry, Troy." Gabriella sobbed into his chest.

Troy looked at Gabriella. Even though she was crying, and her face was running with mascara, she still looked beautiful. "I really have to go Troy," Gabriella started to walk away again, but Troy stopped her. "Brie, you never heard what I had to say." Gabriella turned back again, and listened.

"Gabriella, you are the most beautiful person, inside and out. You are my best friend, and I trust you with everything. I started going out with Haleigh because I thought you were too good for me. That I would hold you back from the best you can be. But, Brie, you drive me crazy. I thought that when I started going out with Haleigh, these feelings for you would go away," Troy looked at Gabriella, who was listening intently. "But they didn't. So I tried to just forget about it- but I couldn't. God, Gabriella, I just don't know what it is about you." Troy stopped for a moment. "But you are so amazing in every way. Brie, what I'm trying to say is I think I'm in love with you, too."

Gabriella sat in shock. Did he really just say that? She thought to herself. She looked up at Troy. He started to lean down, and finally closed the gap between their lips. The kiss was soft and fairly short, but it was enough to send tingles down Gabriella's spine. When they finally pulled apart, Gabriella spoke. "But, what about Haleigh?" she whispered almost inaudibly. Troy smiled slightly. "I think she'll understand." He kissed her again, this time it more firmly, with more passion than the first. He could feel her smile against his lips.

"I love you, Brie." Troy said to her lovingly.

"I love you, too." she said smiling, and leaned in to kiss him again.

A/N: Truthfully, I wrote this on July 4th, but revised several times. I thought this fic turned out pretty good. I hope you liked it Katie!

-Caitlin:)