Rather Be With You

Summary: When Troy's twin, Chris Bolton, has his eyes on the new girl, it's Troy job to go ahead and ask the girl out for him. Does Chris' idea go as planned? TROYELLA

Disclaimer: I don't own any high school musical characters, and I don't own Disney either. I don't think I really own anything, I'm just writing this for my own consent!

Author's Note: This was my first one-shot, but after the story had been posted for a while, I've come to the terms of hating this one-shot. I had to rewrite it. Hope this one's better. Enjoy!

Troy looked at his best friend and sighed. It was after Christmas break, and they were back at school in the East High cafeteria. There, his best friend stood, looking for another girl to ask out.

Who was Troy's best friend exactly? Chris. Chris had sandy brown hair, a killer smile, a well-toned body, and amazingly beautiful blue eyes. Not to mention he was a Bolton. Chris was Troy's older brother, and also his twin. The two-minute difference in birth set the two brothers apart, Troy being the younger of the two.

Troy's dad always preferred Chris before him, making Troy second in line of the varsity basketball team. Troy was also a little geekier and less hot out of the duo.

But Troy seemed to treat girls better to his affection. Chris was always the one to use a girl. It was strange how no one wanted to go out with Troy; they could have Chris...who was supposedly better than Troy would ever be.

Chris was East High's Golden Boy, and had been with all the girls in East High.

No one seemed to understand why Troy wasn't East High's primo boy; he had the fame…not as much as his brother, the looks...although his brother was said to look even better, the smile...still not as beautiful as Chris', and the talent...he was second in line after all.

Troy was Chris' shadow, only there for one simple, particular purpose--

"Troy!" Chris said waving his hand in Troy's face.

Troy snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah Chris?" he looked intently at his brother.

"You mind doing me a favor little bro?" Chris asked.

Troy knew what Chris was going at and sighed.

"Which one Chris?" Troy asked his brother.

"That one Troy. Bring her over for me will you?" Chris replied a huge smile plastered over his face.

Troy nodded and began to walk in the same direction as Chris' finger.

Gabriella looked at her surroundings and smiled. Her new school was so nice; she had a new friend named Taylor. East High was never what she expected. She wasn't the school's nerd, and Gabriella was thankful for that. She could tell this year was going to be great.

"So how do you like it here so far Gabriella?" Taylor smiled looking at her friend and her cascading curls.

"I absolutely love it here Taylor. It's amazing...who could ask for more?" Gabriella grinned taking a bite from her lunch.

"Oh...wow..." Taylor whispered softly.

"Hmmm?" Gabriella said looking at her friend.

"He's coming..." Taylor said wide-eyed to her friend.

"Wait who is coming?" Gabriella asked slightly confused.

"Him..." Taylor whispered. "OMG...he's looking at you."

"Wait...who?" Gabriella asked really confused. "Who...Taylor?"

"Him." Taylor whispered very softly. "Just be ready..."

"For what?" Gabriella replied softly.

"To get asked out..." Taylor gushed happily.

"Wait...what?" Gabriella said eyes growing big.

"Ladies." a voice said from behind Gabriella.

He sends a friend

To ask me if I'm interested

I see you coming my way with a smile

Gabriella turned around and gasped shyly. Her eyes connected with a pair of stunning baby-blues, and Gabriella felt her heart pump faster. She looked down at her shoes seeing him smile brightly at her.

"Wow...he's gorgeous," Gabriella thought in her mind. "Wait..." Gabriella said trying to process everything. "OMG...Taylor said someone was going to ask me out...is it him?"

"You okay?" the guy laughed gently as he watched Gabriella stare off into space.

Gabriella snapped out of her thoughts. "Um...yeah," she smiled shyly.

"I'm Troy," he said extending his hand out to Gabriella.

"Gabriella," she said smiling shyly and grasped his hand gently.

Gabriella jumped when she felt her hands connect with Troy's. Her arm felt a sudden tingle, and her face flushed.

She looked at Troy and smiled gently.

"Wow...she's really shy," Troy observed looking at Gabriella. "And she's insanely pretty," he thought pulling his hand away from Gabriella.

Taylor looked at Gabriella and squealed silently. "Gabriella is going to get asked out by the Chris Bolton," Taylor smiled. "She must be so lucky," Taylor thought.

"So..." Troy said thinking of something to say.

Gabriella smiled and looked away.

"Um," Troy said scratching the back of his neck. For some reason, Troy felt strangely nervous doing this. All of the girls Chris had picked in the past never had this feeling over him. Troy felt some kind of connection with Gabriella, he couldn't figure out what it was.

Gabriella blushed shyly once more.

"Well, care to join me at my lunch table? I want to introduce you to some of my friends," Troy spoke softly.

"Um..." Gabriella said blushing shyly. "Well, I don't want to leave Taylor here," she frowned and bit her lip.

"It's fine Gabriella," Taylor quipped. "Don't worry about me," Taylor smiled.

"Oh...right. Right. You can come with us Taylor. Yeah, both of you can come," Troy replied. He needed to find a way to get Gabriella over to Chris; he figured Chris wouldn't mind too much.

"I don't want to be a bother. It doesn't really help that your friends don't really know or like me," Taylor confessed.

"Nonsense Taylor, I'm sure they like you," he smiled gently.

"Yeah Taylor," Gabriella said attempting a smile. "Please..." her eyes spoke silently to Taylor.

"I think it's best if I stay here, I need to finish up my lunch," Taylor claimed.

"Um...well...I think I'll stay with Taylor then. I don't want to leave her behind and all." Gabriella said looking at Troy.

Truth was, Gabriella didn't want to be alone with Troy.

"Gabriella...I'll be fine, I jus-" Taylor rambled.

"I'm fine Taylor, and you're my friend. I want to stay with my friend."

"Well," Troy paused. "How about I bring my friends over here?"

You say

He's the guy, you caught his eye

But he's afraid to come over he's a little shy so,

Why don't you come talk for a while?

"Yeah, it's a good idea right?" Troy smiled and looked at Gabriella. "One of them...wants to meet you." Troy smiled. "Um," Troy said thinking of an excuse. "He's kind of wanted me to come over and talk to you, so he could chat with you--"

Gabriella smiled gently back at Troy and nodded slightly disappointed.

"Great!" Troy said.

The disappointment in Gabriella's eyes didn't hide from Troy. He could see it all, and Troy wished that he could make Gabriella feel better. He had an urge to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her into an embrace.

But I see your smile baby

The messenger may take the prize

And you see the look in my eyes

Troy smiled back at Gabriella hoping for the best. "She's so beautiful," Troy thought silently inside of his mind. "But my brother would kill me..."

"So, Gabriella, I'll go call him over, if that's all right with you," he said trying to put a smile on his face. "You can meet him too Taylor," he added.

Gabriella grabbed a piece of hair and twirled it around her finger. She always did that when she was nervous. Gabriella's eyes twinkled when she stared into his electrifying eyes. "I guess I could meet your friend," she whispered.

I'd rather be with you, baby

You know what you're doing to me

You're the one, the only one

That sets it all on fire

Yeah you, baby

And I can see you want to be with me

Yeah you know what I'm saying is true

I'd rather be with you

Troy searched the cafeteria for his brother. Spotting him, Troy used his eyes to call Chris over. Chris looked at Troy before nodding and getting up from his seat.

Taylor's eyes widened when she saw Chris walking over towards their table. "Um, Gabriella...I have to go to the bathroom," Taylor blinked. "I'll be right back..."

"Taylor..." Gabriella said nervously.

"Right back Gabriella, right back." Taylor said getting up from her seat and rushing out of the cafeteria.

"Ummm," Gabriella said nervously looking into Troy's eyes.

"He's coming over." Troy nodded. "He really wants to meet you." He tried his best to keep his smile up. It was so hard for Troy to Gabriella's disappointed face.

It's you and me

But then you call him over

And your buddy makes three

I know you're just trying to do right

"Hey," a guy said coming up from behind Gabriella.

Gabriella turned around and met an exact replica of Troy. "Wow, he looks exactly like Troy...the looks, the smile, the eyes..." Gabriella thought dreamily. "But, he's not Troy," Gabriella whispered softly.

"Chris...Chris Bolton." the guy said flashing her a million watt smile and extended his hand.

Gabriella smiled gently and grabbed it. No spark.

Gabriella looked over at Troy and tried her best to smile.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled back.

Gabriella grinned shyly, and touched Troy's hand ever so slightly. Realizing what she did, she looked away and blushed turning herself in Chris' direction.

A glance, a touch

Tryin' not to stare just a little too much

Baby, it's impossible to fight

Gabriella tried to listen to what Chris was saying, but she couldn't. Thoughts kept on going through her mind...and it definitely wasn't Chris she was thinking about.

She squirmed in her seat her legs fidgeting back and forth. She kicked her leg and she blushed when she felt it land on Troy's foot.

Troy looked at Gabriella and his face flushed. But Gabriella had no intention of moving her foot away from Troy.

Best of intentions

Do you really wanna give me away

I'll take this moment to say

"I'm captain of the basketball team," Chris said proudly. "I'm one of the most popular guys in our grade," he added. "You might have known that already. I mean, who doesn't?" he laughed loudly.

Gabriella nodded and stared back into Chris' blue eyes. They looked so delectable. She could see the outline of Troy's body in Chris' eyes, and she smiled. Yup. Chris' eyes looked really good right now.

"Um, Troy, do you know what time it is?" Gabriella asked. Just hearing Troy's voice made her melt.

I'd rather be with you, baby

You know what you're doing to me

You're the one, the only one

That sets it all on fire

Yeah you, baby

And I can see you want to be with me

Yeah you know what I'm saying is true

I'd rather be with you

Troy looked back at Gabriella as he tried to listen to his brother rant on about how great his life was. Troy heard this conversation so many times; he bet he could say the exact words coming from his brother's mouth.

But right now, he would deal with whatever Chris wanted to say. The more Chris talked, the more time he could spend looking at Gabriella.

Troy blushed when he thought about Gabriella. He had just met her, but he felt like he had known her forever.

I'd rather be with you oooohhhhh

I'd rather be with you yeaaaahhh

I'd rather be with you oooohhhhh

"So," Chris smiled at Gabriella. "Do you want to go out sometime, maybe like Friday night or something?" Chris smiled. No one refused that question.

Well, someone did once. But that was only to change the date to Saturday. So, that didn't count.

Gabriella looked at Chris and smiled gently. Stealing a look at Troy, Troy nodded silently to Gabriella, urging her to say yes. It's what Troy had to do; his brother would be angry if Troy encouraged Gabs to say no to him.

Gabs. The name had a beautiful ring to it.

It's only time

I'll make you mine

You know you can't deny me

Come a little closer baby

"Um...well..." Gabriella said trying to think of words to say.

"Yeah?" Chris said grasping his hand with Gabriella's.

Gabriella put on a small smile as she pulled her hand out of Chris' grasp.

She had no idea of what to say. She looked at Troy begging him to say something.

Troy gave Gabriella an apologetic smile. He couldn't help her; he couldn't do it.

And tell your friend

That I'm not really interested

There is nothing more that you can do

I'd rather be with you, baby

"Did you just hear what I asked you Gabriella?" Chris joked. "I could say it for you again if you like. I'm free this Friday night. We could go catch a movie or something. And you know, maybe later we could have some fun on our own," he smirked.

Gabriella frowned and looked down at the lunch table.

She grabbed her carton of milk and took a long sip from it. She would need all the strength she could get to turn down an offer like that.

You know what you're doing to me

You're the one, the only one

That sets it all on fire

Yeah you, baby

And I can see you want to be with me

Troy's eyes glanced back at Gabriella's and towards Chris. Chris looked at Troy asking him to help him out.

Troy shrugged telling Chris that he couldn't decide Gabriella's answer for her.

Chris glared.

"Going out with Chris sounds like a good idea," Troy choked. "You should go out with him Gabs."

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled sadly. She hoped Troy was lying. But, he did call her Gabs. Gabriella liked that name immediately. But right now, she had to answer Chris' question.

"Um...Chris..." Gabriella paused. "Thanks, but no thanks..."

"Yeah, I knew you would say, wait--what?" Chris said eyes searching Gabriella's.

"You seem like a great guy, but I'm not interested," Gabriella said shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Well...well..." Chris said trying to control his anger. "Never mind...c'mon Troy...let's go."

Troy nodded and looked at Gabriella a wide smile on his face as he got up from his seat.

Yeah you know what I'm saying is true

Yeah you know what I'm saying is true

Yeah you know what I'm saying is true

"Wait, Troy..." Gabriella said grabbing his hand gently and pulling Troy towards her.

Troy looked intently at Gabriella. He blushed. Gabriella was holding his hand. Troy was such a softie.

Gabriella tried to forget the stares Troy was getting from Chris. "Don't think Gabriella...just act," she thought to herself.

"Troy, I kind of wanted to tell you something," she said softly.

"Wait, what?" Troy asked as he brought his head closer to Gabriella so he could hear her.

"I kind of wanted to tell you something," she repeated ignoring Chris.

"Oh. Okay. What is it?" he questioned.

"I think it's better if I show you," she whispered, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pressed her lips gently against Troy's.

Troy's eyes widened for a moment, and he didn't do anything. He soon realized what Gabriella was doing. She didn't pull away from him yet; this must be a good sign. Troy intertwined his hand into Gabriella's and pulled her closer.

Gabriella smiled into the kiss and pulled back slowly.

"What was that for?" Troy grinned.

Gabriella looked away red in the face realizing her instinct had been right. Troy really did like her. She felt very awkward staring into his eyes. But she was a happy kind of awkward.

"You know, Chris is going to kill me once I'm out of your grasp. But I don't care now," he smiled a true smile at her.

Gabriella giggled. "That's good. Cause I wanted to tell you--"

"I'd rather be with you."

I'd rather be with you

Yeaaaahhh Yeaaaahhh

Oh I'd rather be, I'd rather be

Yeaaaahhh Yeaaaahhh...Ooooohhhhh

O-O-O-O-O oohhh

I'd rather be with yooouuuu

Yeah you know what I'm saying is true

I'd rather be with you

Disclaimer: The song previously used in this chapter was Rather Be With You from Vanessa's Hudgens Album V. I don't own it, so no suing! Always, schoolgirl 101