A/N: This is the next chapter :)

Don't own HSM x

Chapter 10 – A nudge and a push

The days passed slowly for Gabriella. She was glad it was Friday. She didn't think she could take more of Troy's begging. He'd been insistently trying to talk to her but Taylor kept her ground and kept telling him to stay away. However, he was just as persistent and kept trying to apologise. Gabriella had told Taylor everything which had happened – everything she'd been through and everything that had happened with Troy. Taylor knew she was beyond nervous at school. Now that someone at school knew what she'd been through, she was terrified that everyone else would find out, too. The last thing she needed was either sympathy or another reason for people to class her as a freak.

Taylor had been her rock throughout the past couple of days and had skipped scholastic decathlon meetings for her and had barely seen her friends for Gabriella. However, Gabriella didn't feel guilty like she did before. She was thankful. She didn't want to chance coming face to face with Troy without Taylor there. Taylor had tried to convince her that Troy wouldn't spread it around no matter how mad he had appeared at her. But, Gabriella was still scared to the gut that she'd go to school and everyone would know about her.

"Gabs, come on. Eat up." Taylor pushed a bowl of cereal in front of Gabriella.

Gabriella shook her head, pushing it away again. "I-I feel s-sick."

"Just try it. You haven't eaten properly in days. Look, it's your favourite." She sang, scooping some onto the spoon and holding it up for her.

Gabriella shook her head. "Tr-Troy likes th-that cereal." She mumbled and reached for an apple. "I f-feel sick w-with-thout him."

Taylor sighed and dropped the spoon back into the bowl. "Well, you did say you needed him. But, did you ever think that Troy needs you more?"

Gabriella bit into her apple and shook her head. "B-But, T-Tay, you don't g-get it. I n-need him l-like air. Even aft-ter how he r-reacted. I c-can't blame h-him."

"I can. He knows how fragile you are. But, anyway, my point is that Troy needs you. It's like you haven't seen him these past couple of days. He hasn't showered, he hasn't slept and he certainly hasn't made a basket. Gabby, I'm not saying I approve of his reaction or reading something that was clearly for Mom and Dad, but it's obvious he needs you." Taylor whispered.

Gabriella shook her head. "It's n-not that s-simple. You d-didn't see th-the look he g-gave me."

Taylor rubbed her back. "I still think you should talk to him. I know I haven't let him near you but that's because I see the look on your face whenever he's around."

Gabriella slid off of the island stool and went over to the trash can to drop her apple core into it. "Th-This is all of m-my fault. I sh-should've told h-him as s-soon as he was s-serious about m-me."

Taylor kissed her foster sister's hair. "Come on, let's get to school. The sooner we're there, the sooner we can get home and we can have a totally girly weekend. We won't even leave the house. We'll watch movies, eat junk food and forget about Troy. He's a good guy but…Gabby, he never means to get angry. He knows he gets violent but he doesn't mean to."

Gabriella nodded and stood by the doorway, looking down at her bag which was resting against the island. Troy had always picked it up and carried it to his truck. Now she had to do it and then walk to school. "T-Tay?"

Taylor pulled the handle up on her pull-along bag and then straightened her jacket. "Yeah?"

"I-I actually th-thought he was saving m-me. Like he w-would make everyth-thing better." She whimpered.

Taylor picked up Gabriella's bag and handed it to her. "Honey, all I can say is that you talk to him. I honestly don't think he'll judge you and I don't think he'll tell anyone."

Gabriella pulled her bag onto her shoulder and sighed. "I just…I d-dunno." She turned around and made her way out of the house.

Taylor rushed after her, pulling the door shut behind her. "Gabs, Gabs, think about it. He gave up his friends for you. Kind of. I think they're on better terms on. But, he risked them. He's not going to give up without a fight."

Gabriella folded her arms and stared down at the sidewalk. "I-I'm just n-not ready."

Taylor was silent from then on, leaving Gabriella with her own thoughts which she was thankful for. She needed to figure everything out. She had promised Troy she'd tell him and she had planned to. She'd never planned for him to find out by himself. The thought had occurred to her but only briefly as she hadn't thought of a likely way he could find out by himself. The only people who had known were herself and Harry and Diane and they hadn't known the full story until Mrs Thompson had visited.

She knew Troy was sorry for reacting like he did, she could hear it whenever he attempted to talk to her, but she knew that she just couldn't face him. The fact was that he knew what she'd been through. And it wasn't because she had gathered enough courage to tell him. That made the whole situation completely different to if she'd told him. It had caught her off guard and his reaction hadn't helped. It had clearly knocked her confidence and she didn't know what to do. She was lost without Troy.

There were rumours that they had broken up but that's all they were: rumours. Gabriella hadn't made it official because of how she felt about Troy and she knew how he felt about her despite how he'd reacted. And he hadn't broken up with her because she hadn't given him the chance as she was afraid to talk to him.

But, she knew one thing. Being away from Troy had caused her to realise something very important.

She had fallen in love with Troy Bolton.

* * *

Troy watched in disbelief as the basketball bounced off of the rim again. He jogged forward and caught it easily before throwing it angrily to the floor of the gym. He walked over to the bleachers, hands on his hips and lay down on the bottom bench, his arms folded behind his head. His eyes fluttered closed, allowing his tense and tired muscles to relax somewhat.

He'd decided to catch a ride to school with Jack and he had hurried to the gym. He knew Jack was becoming concerned but had not yet voiced his worry, giving Troy a chance to come out of it by himself. Troy had decided, much to Jack's surprise, to get an early morning practice before school. However, Jack didn't know that Troy simply needed a way to work off his anger and frustration. He had barely slept since his new discovery, if only because Gabriella hadn't spoken to him since. At this moment in time, he honestly didn't care if she was his girlfriend. He just wanted her to talk to him about what had happened. He wanted her to know he wasn't going anywhere.

His friends had definitely noted the change in his character. They had all started to distance themselves from him. Not to give him space, oh no. They were distancing themselves from him because he was now suffering from a slight bodily odour due to his lack of showers in the past days. Hey, the woman he saw in his future wasn't talking to him, give him a break. So, his friends still talked to him, tried to cheer him up and would hint with a lack of subtleness that he should have a shower. He hadn't told them much, just that Gabriella wasn't talking to him. When he had been asked why he replied with a simple shake of his head. Once, at lunch, Chad had expressed his concern of Troy having a repeat from when Lucille died. Troy had walked away.

He couldn't care less if he became mentally ill because at the minute all he could think about was how his Ella had been raped when she was six. She'd never been held and loved like someone's first time should be. Hell, she hadn't been old enough to know what had really happened to her.

He had figured something out, though. Gabriella had saved his life. She'd given him something to live for and she stopped him from being caught up in Chad's stupid status quo.

Luckily, Chad hadn't said anything bad about Gabriella for a while which he was grateful for. He knew that if Chad had still been on his high horse about it, it would've made the whole situation way worse. He knew Chad didn't support them full but he knew that Troy was happy with her and had supposed that that was what was important.

"Troy?" A voice called.

"Go away." He grumbled.

A hand pulled Troy into a sitting position and his arms fell to his sides. His eyes opened and Chad folded his arms. "Okay, I'm getting sick of this. Please talk to me."

Troy swung his legs so his feet were touching the gym's floor and he sighed. "You know when Ella and I first got together?"

Chad sat next to his best friend and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"Well, I didn't need your intervention." He muttered. "I managed to fuck it up without you."

"How?" Chad asked softly.

Troy sighed. "You know, I want to tell you. But, I can't. I'd make things worse."

"Well, do you want me to talk to her?" Chad asked.

Troy forced a small smile. "Thanks, Chad. But, no. I know she needs some space before you talk to her. She just won't give me the time of day. You know, I was so proud of myself. I'd finally gotten her to trust me. To let me worship her and make her happy. And I blew it."

"Can I ask what you did? You know, leave out as many details as you want." Chad asked.

Troy nodded. "Sure. Well, Gabriella has trust issues. It's not her fault and I can't blame her. And she finally trusted me. It was fantastic. You know, she wouldn't flinch when I touched her and when she talked to me, she stuttered less and I thought it couldn't get any better. But, I got angry. Um, I reacted badly to something and I kind of took it out on her. I didn't hit or anything, just yelled. But, it scared her and she just...ran. It's my fault. I should've just talked to her. Then, she might've been in my arms right now."

"Man, I've never seen you so whipped." Chad muttered.

Troy chuckled lifelessly. "I know. But, I mean, I actually felt like I was giving someone hope and someone was giving me hope."

"We haven't talked like this since your mom passed away." Chad whispered.

Troy nodded. "Ella reminds me of her in so many ways. I mean, she's not outgoing like my mom but she cares about everyone and thinks about everyone else before herself."

Chad smiled slightly. "I should've given her a chance. I'm so sorry."

Troy shrugged. "I don't know if she'll ever forgive me. I just want her to be safe and happy."

Chad smiled softly. "Man, you are whipped."

"Like you aren't." He mumbled.

"What?" Chad asked in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Taylor." He spoke the name slowly.

Chad's eyes grew wide. "Troy. I know you didn't just suggest that."

"I have three words for you: de-ni-al. Give it up, dude."

Chad sighed. "Well...you're insane."

Troy whacked him over the head. "I'm your best friend. I won't tell anyone."

"Well, I'll admit she's quite hot and smart and she stands up for what she believes in. I like her a little. Happy?" Chad asked sarcastically.

"Ecstatic." Troy grinned proudly.

Chad laughed and they hugged each other. They separated and Chad sighed. "You feeling better now that I've been humiliated?"

Troy shook his head glumly. "She still isn't talking to me. I feel so lost without her."

"Well, I know you stink without her." Chad muttered.

Troy sighed. "Sorry, man, I just can't find the energy to do it."

Chad spotted the basketball lying lifelessly in the centre court. "Any luck?"

Troy shook his head. "None at all."

"Dude, you need to get her back. We need you, captain." Chad said softly.

"I need her." He muttered.

* * *

Chad took a deep breath and mumbled a short prayer. He didn't need an argument with McKessie today. He had Troy stinking the cafeteria out, the team losing hope of winning the championship because of Troy's sudden lack of talent and he really hoped this would work. He knew that Troy didn't want him to talk to Gabriella so he had thought up something which shouldn't go against his wishes which he had voiced.

He strode from the jock table, twisted around the skaters and the geeks until he reached a table at the back. There they were: Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi, Taylor and Gabriella. An odd combination of friends considering his view of the status quo but with Troy's never ending friendship with Kelsi and Sharpay's known ice queen title, he had left them be. He took a deep breath and took a seat. "Hey, guys."

He heard Gabriella whimper and shuffle closer to Sharpay. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered.

Taylor glared. "Are you suffering from a concussion?"

"Funny, McKessie." He said sarcastically. "No, I'm not. I'm worried about my best friend. Can I talk to you?"

Taylor turned to Gabriella. "Gabs, you'll be okay while I'm speaking with Chad?"

Chad thought he had misheard. Did she just call him by his first name? Oh god, this is huge! But, then again, maybe she was simply trying to calm Gabriella down. He knew that he was the last person who he deserved trust from her but he also knew that Troy was the first. Whether he would get it any time soon, he didn't know.

Gabriella shook her head timidly. "T-Tay, you c-can't leave me."

"Shh...I'll only be a minute. I promise. Shar's here. Just listen to her ramble on about clothes and drama. Don't say anything. If anything's going to hurt you, she'll stop it. I promise. And if you've got a real problem, just come over to me."

Gabriella nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Taylor hugged her tightly. "You'll be fine." She pulled back and rose from the table. "This way, Danforth." She said softly, gesturing with her hand to a free table.

Chad was surprised by her kindness but once again guessed it was for Gabriella's sake and not his. He smiled the leftover occupants of the table. "See you guys later." He followed Taylor and they sat down at the table.

"What's up?" Taylor asked.

He took a deep breath. "How's Gabriella doing? With the whole Troy situation, I mean."

The look of pure shock on her face told him that she was surprised at his concern. "Well, she's, um, had her confidence knocked and she pretty much only trusts me now. And my mom and dad but they're not around everyday at school. Troy found something out about her, something that shocked me when she told me. But, I've grown up with foster brothers and sisters so I've got experience with how to handle it. Troy, however-"

"Reacted angrily and scared her." Chad finished. He chuckled. "Troy told me. I'm really worried about him. Beyond. He hasn't made a basket, he hasn't showered and he's getting depressed again."

Taylor nodded slowly. "But, the thing is: she's not ready to talk to him. She can't face him. But, she shouldn't be. I trust Troy immensely but..."

"I get it, McKessie." Chad mumbled.

"So, what are we going to do?" Taylor asked quietly.

Chad shrugged. "I don't want to force Gabriella into anything. I don't want her to be even more scared of me."

"It's not just you. She struggles with everyone. Troy eased her into it and I know how to handle it. You've got to be patient with her. Don't expect miracles. She still doesn't talk to Shar, Kels and Ry." She said softly.

Chad nodded and took a deep breath. "I think we need to just nudge them in the right direction. Like I said: I don't want to push her. Well, you nudge Gabriella, I'll push Troy."

Taylor released a quiet giggle despite herself. "If he's anything like he was in middle school, you'll need to push him and kick him in the right direction. When we were friends, I used to call him my own personal mule and I'd make him carry my stuff and persuade people when I was losing an argument."

Chad laughed and nodded. "He's gotten worse. He's as stubborn as ever. Especially about Gabriella. It's more annoying than anything."

"Well, um, we need to think of something. We can't keep Troy like this and Gabby's just plain scared now. I can't tell you what this is about but I can tell you that she's terrified that Troy will tell people." She said quietly.

Chad frowned. "He wouldn't do that. If it's truly upsetting her, and he loves her, he wouldn't do it. Hell, he wouldn't do it to you."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment." She said wryly.

He grinned sheepishly. "You should. You really care about her."

"Troy, too. You know, recently, since he's been close to Gabby, it's seemed like old times. When we were friends. It's been really cool." She admitted.

Chad smiled slightly. "Well, he's a really cool guy and I've been too rough on him about Gabriella. Seeing him like this made me realise that she's beyond good for him."

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. So, do you have a plan?"

Chad flicked his collar. "It's time for operation: Wildcat and Mouse."

"Wildcat and Mouse?" She asked sceptically.

Chad shrugged. "You got a better name?"

Taylor frowned. "No." She paused and raised her eyebrows at Chad. "Are you going to tell me what operation: Wildcat and Mouse is?"

"I don't know! I just came up with the name!" He exclaimed indignantly.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatev. Call me tonight and I'll think up an actual operation." She brushed past him but then turned around to face him. "You know, when you think about it, you can actually be a human being if you think about it."

"So, I can actually think now? The last time you commented on my ability to think, you called me a Neanderthal and that they were more progressed than me." He raised his eyebrows.

She shrugged. "You surprised me. For once."

"For once. Funny."

"Don't get used to it." She said smugly before she spun on her heel and strutted back to Gabriella, immediately hugging her in comfort.

Chad lifted a hand and ran it through his mass of uncontrollable curls. What the hell just happened? He and McKessie just had a somewhat civilised conversation. That had never happened before. If he was honest, it was the way her eyes blazed, her voice growled and the evident hatred towards him that had made him realise how deep his feelings for her ran. Maybe it was slightly backwards – liking someone who despised you – but he couldn't help it.

And now she had been nice to him. Oh, that Gabriella has changed everything around at East High.