I'm baack, with a one-shot again. I've been writing this one on the sidelines as well, I lost interest in it and then I decided to finish it when I finished My Cinderella Story and Catch Me.

This one is based on the Backstreet Boys' song As Long As You Love Me. I was listening to it and then a story formed in my head. At some points I got a bit carried away, otherwise it's detailed and lengthly, just like all of my one-shots. Also it may relate to Catch Me at some points, but only because I was writing them alongside one another!

Disclaimer: Don't own As Long As You Love Me by the Backstreet Boys (another group of people I do not own). I don't own any of the High School Musical characters mentioned in this one-shot nor do I own those who are the main characters. I do own the plot as always, and I do own the characters that are clearly made up.

Anyway, enough of my rambling (I tend to ramble a lot) and on with the one-shot =) I hope you like it!

"I heard that he robbed a liquor store and then used the money to open up a tattoo parlour."

"...he was the only one who survived and apparently it messed up his brain..."

"...his mom was totally neglecting him so he crashed their car into their home..."

"...he's been to jail..."

"...made like all the kids cry on like his first day, and like he was so bad that they had to like kick him out..."

Okay, she had to snort at that last one. It was crazy and not worthy of being a rumour, especially a rumour about him. Gabriella flipped some of her curly locks over her shoulder as she strode down the hallway in search of the boy who was the centre of every conversation going on in that hallway.

"Gabi...!" She turned around and smiled as she spotted her best friend rushing towards her through the large crowd. Taylor McKessie clung to her messenger bag as she ran towards her Latina friend. She ignored all the whispers around her, knowing who they were all about and choosing to ignore them because they were about him. She reached Gabriella and took a deep breath. Gabriella watched her with an amused look on her face.

"Did you want something?" She asked as she watched Taylor place her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. The African American teen nodded her head vigorously.

"Yeah, yeah I do." She said, still sounding breathless. Gabriella watched her for another moment and then sighed impatiently. She looked at her watch and sighed again.

"Tay today would be nice." Taylor glared up at her friend. "What? I'm late..." Gabriella's sentence trailed off as she smiled.

"Late? Going to see him again?" Taylor's words didn't hold the same excitement as Gabriella's eyes did, instead they sounded bitter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabriella asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow.

"If you haven't noticed he has a bit of a reputation." Taylor gestured towards the crowd who were still whispering in the hallway.

"Yeah I have noticed, not that it matters. They're all rumours." Gabriella just shrugged.

"No they're not. I took the liberty in doing some research..." Taylor paused as Gabriella rolled her eyes. "And I found out quite a bit about the boy who's got you going crazy." She smiled.

"Okay, lay it on me Tay. Enlighten me." Gabriella feigned interest in what Taylor had to say.

"He didn't open up a tattoo parlour, he doesn't have a messed up brain and he didn't kill his mother, or make all the kids at school cry on his first day." She informed her friend. Gabriella pretended to sigh with relief.

"Wow, now that's all cleared up..." Gabriella turned to leave but Taylor stopped her.

"He did rob a liquor store, he was the only person to survive in an accident, his mother does neglect him, he did damage their home, he has been to jail and he was kicked out of school. The rumours aren't entirely true, but they do hold some truth." Taylor explained, waiting for Gabriella's reaction.

"So...?" Taylor sighed, it seemed like she had to wait a lot longer to gain the desired reaction from her best friend.

"So, Gabriella, he's dangerous, as if the motorbike isn't warning enough!" Taylor almost screamed the last part. Gabriella sighed.

"Tay, he's not dangerous. Have you actually talked to him? Have you actually heard anyone ask him about these rumours? First try to get to know him and then make assumptions about him." Gabriella advised her friend and then stalked off to meet him.

Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine
I'm leavin' my life in your hands

Gabriella charged down the rest of the hallway eager to get away from the rumours that were buzzing through the halls of East High. Her angry walk turned into a determined march towards the one place she was eager to get to.

It was completely like Taylor to go and do some research but Gabriella would've never guessed that Taylor would go and try to dig up dirt on the guy she loved. It just went to prove that Taylor wasn't a reliable friend; she didn't trust Gabriella's opinion or instincts. She didn't even try to get to know Troy. She just made assumptions based on what she had heard.

Gabriella reached the door that led to their secret meeting place and smiled, knowing that she was closer to him made her feel a lot better and happier. It was as if he was the only thing she needed in her life, the one thing that she couldn't live without. The brunette opened the doors and ran up the staircase, until she reached the top. She walked into the beautiful rooftop garden and her smile widened as she saw his tall and lean figure standing near the balcony. Looking up at the sky, she felt peaceful just standing there and watching him.

People say I'm crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance

She took a few steps forward trying to be quiet but the soft thud of her pumps made him aware of her presence. He looked down and then turned around slowly. Gabriella watched him, and through her honey coloured eyes, she observed the perfection that was Troy Bolton.

When she first laid on him she was breaking up with her long-time boyfriend, Darren. Darren was trying to look cool, and was failing. But Gabriella saw Troy through the corner of her eye and he did look cool without even trying.

That was what did it for her. That one glance a year ago and she was intrigued by him. She wanted to get to know him. Fortunately for her, he wanted to get to know her too. After all he did make the first move to get to know her. He had asked her if she knew where the front office was. She hadn't replied with the directions, instead she had gestured for him to follow her. That was the beginning of their odd friendship.

'You're risking everything in a glance...' Gabriella could hear Taylor's disapproving voice in her head. Taylor was a big fan of Darren so it was no surprise that she hated Troy. But Gabriella knew that she wasn't risking anything by being with Troy, nothing important anyway.

And how you got me blind is still a mystery
I can't get you out of my head

"Hey." She greeted him quietly, he nodded back at her. This was his sign of acknowledgement. She walked over to where he was stationed, leaning over the balcony, looking up at the sky he was staring at moments ago. From the corner of her eye she saw his mouth curl up into a lopsided smile and then he turned around to join her. "It's beautiful." She whispered. The sky was a natural sky blue with clouds painted into it and it looked like it was painted as well.

"Yeah, it is." He said, glancing at her once before looking back up at the sky. If Darren were standing in Troy's place, he would've come out with, 'yes you are', or something equally corny. But Troy knew better than saying things like that to get her attention. He just had to be near her and she would notice him.

The pair stood looking up at the sky in complete silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was comfortable and effortless. Gabriella sighed inwardly, they never talked and yet she was still infatuated by him. After meeting him, she had never looked once let alone twice at another guy. It was as if he had blinded her from seeing anyone besides him and she couldn't get him out of her head.

Whether she was working at Starbucks, reading a book or even doing her homework. He was still there in her mind, settled into the corner, waiting patiently until the time came where her thoughts were centred on him.

Don't care what is written in your history
As long as you're here with me

"Ahem." Troy cleared his throat, and Gabriella looked at him. "I heard Taylor had some... interesting information for you." He said whilst rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. This was a sign of nervousness.

"Yeah she had some information, but none of it was interesting." Gabriella shrugged. Troy blinked once and then raised an eyebrow. He looked amused.

"Really...?" He sounded amused too.

"Yeah... really..." She replied, turning back to face the sky.

"So you haven't thought about what she's told you. Whether it's the truth or whether they're lies. You're not the least bit curious?" He asked her sounding extremely curious.

"Nope," She answered simply. "I don't care." She added.

"You don't care?" He sounded baffled now. "You don't care that I might be dangerous? You don't care about the fact that you could be in great danger, just by standing here with me now?" He asked her.

"No I don't care. If you were dangerous, if you did pose any kind of threat, then I wouldn't be within a mile radius of you. But here I stand." She spread her arms out to emphasize her words. "I don't care what you did Troy. As long as you're standing with me, it doesn't matter."

I don't care who you are
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me

"Wow, you always surprise me Gabriella. Always." He said softly.

"Well I'm full of surprises!" She replied with a smile.

"I just assumed that because she's a good friend of yours, you would... listen to her." He brought the conversation right back to Taylor and her stupid research.

"Okay then, I'll listen to you. Even though I don't care about who you used to be, where you come from or what you did, I'll listen to you." She turned to face him, her face was expectant.

"Why?" She looked confused at his question. "Why do you not care about all of that?" He elaborated.

"As long as you love me, all of that doesn't matter." She whispered, looking down. Troy's mouth curled up into a smile.

"What if that's a long term thing?" He asked. Her heart missed a beat at his words. It was the first time he had ever spoken about them, as a couple.

"Nothing changes." She replied, trying to sound calm and collected when in reality she wanted to jump and scream and just... hug him.

"Well then... I think I should tell you about me." She rolled her eyes at his words. "For my sake not yours, I want you to know what you're getting into." She smirked slightly.

"You make it sound like a crime movie." She joked.

"It's much worse than that." He mumbled, but loud enough for her to hear. She just waited for him to carry on. "My Dad left us when I was two and my older brother was ten." He paused for a moment. The only thing she found significant in that sentence was that he had an older brother.

"Mom was heartbroken naturally. She loved him and he left her. Jake and I were too young to understand why she was always crying, why she never got out of bed. We had to fend for ourselves for a while, until our neighbour decided that she would help us with stuff that we didn't know how to do. It was on my fourth birthday when Mom was sober enough to remember and to actually get me a present. It wasn't much but that didn't matter to me because she bought it for me. That was one of the happiest days of my childhood..." His deep voice cracked with emotion and trailed off. Gabriella looked up at his eyes and saw his normally crystal blue eyes turn a deep blue.

He moved away from the balcony and took a seat on the nearby bench. Gabriella imitated his actions and sat down next to him. Instead of making sure that there was a small distance between them, she made sure that she was right next to him. So that he would know that she was there for him. Her left hand moved to settle down on his right knee, another sign of comfort.

"That was a day that went as quickly as it came." He said after recovering from his nostalgia. "Mom got worse by the day, drinking was a recurring problem. Breakfast, lunch and dinner would consist of food for Jake and me. For Mom it would be another couple of glasses of cheap beer, gin, vodka and sometime Smirnoff ice, but only when she was able to nick some. Then come the men obviously. Some of them were just downright horrible." He shuddered at the thought of his mother's partners.

"They took up a lot of her time and when she was free, she was drunk. So she neglected Jake and me a lot. We bought ourselves up and looked after her as well since she did give birth to us and the whole nine months issue. But that was our life. Soon Jake went off to university, he wanted to make something of his life and I was thirteen, just starting school. That was when the first incident happened. I was spotted by the toughest crew at school, they knew about my troubles at home and they used that to their advantage. Thus the liquor store rumour which isn't fully a rumour." He snuck a look at Gabriella, trying to see her reaction to his words. She looked unfazed.

Every little thing that you have said and done
Feels like it's deep within me

"Troy." Her voice was soft and laced with genuine concern. "So far it's not as bad as everyone – and you – make it out to be." Gabriella was trying to be understanding. She didn't know what Troy had been through so she wasn't able to know exactly how it had affected him. In reality she wasn't bothered about the rumours, so what if he had robbed a liquor store? But what she did like was that he trusted her, and judging by the way he winced at his memories it seemed as if this was the first time he had recited it to someone else. "Go on..." She prompted.

"Luc was the leader of the gang. He was really muscular and really tall, so naturally they had chosen him as their Hades. The liquor store owner had gotten Luc and his mates in some trouble because he had reported them various times for committing various crimes. They had also assaulted the owner and got sent to juvi for a while. The owner didn't know me because I was the newest edition, so they asked me to walk into that store with a gun in my hand and rob it. So I walked in there ready to avenge my new friends. When I looked at the owner and saw that he was an old man, I realised that I didn't want to do it and that he was just innocent. I did a u-turn, handed the gun back to Luc and ran home. Luc was infuriated with the fact that I didn't listen to him and so they followed me home. They waited until it was dark, until I had gone to bed before they set the house on fire. Luckily I was a light sleeper and the smell of the fire woke me up. I dialled for an ambulance whilst trying to wake up my mom. But she was drugged up in her room and the door was locked. The fire was getting more unbearable so I did the most selfish thing ever. I ran away, I turned my back on the woman who gave me birth. I survived and she didn't." Gabriella gasped; she could see the flames of the fire reflected in his eyes.

She placed her arms around herself, trying to block out the burn of the fire. Troy noticed her anxious expression. He beckoned her forward and for the first time, he placed his arms around her. That was all it took for her to forget the fire, Luc and Troy's mother. She smiled to herself and clung to him, waiting for him to proceed with his story.

"My plan wasn't to reunite with my brother. It was to avenge the death of my mother. Luc had murdered her and he had to pay for that. Even though I had been the one to leave her, I still blamed him for starting the wretched fire in the first place. So I burnt his car, he loved his car and treated it like his girl. An eye for an engine I guess. Even though he knew it was me, he had no proof so we were saved from jail. I dropped out of school and went to meet Jake. He had set up a good life for himself here in Albuquerque, attending the U of A. I attended West High for a few years. The out of nowhere we got a letter from our father, asking us to meet him in jail. He was down for fraud. Jake wanted nothing to do with him but I wanted to see the man who had left us. I visited Dad and he told me about his parents. So I tracked down our grandparents. They're now our, well my, legal guardians. That was when our lifestyle changed and I transferred here." Troy finished. He hands were running through Gabriella's hair and the Latina's head was resting on Troy's chest.

Doesn't really matter if you're on the run
It seems like we're meant to be

There were a few moments of silence between them and the only sounds that were heard were their deep breaths.

"So...?" Troy broke the silence. Gabriella sighed.

"Troy, the only thing I got from that was that despite all you've been through, you're still a strong guy. I don't care if you did some things that you shouldn't have or got involved with the wrong people. You're not there anymore, you're here now. I can tell that you've changed and I don't like to dwell in the past." She reassured him. He nodded once. "Besides after all of that you were lead to me. I think we're meant to be Troy." She spoke quickly and looked down.

"I think so too." Troy replied lifting her chin up with his hand. She smiled and he enveloped her in a hug.

"Good." She said as she buried her head in his chest. The pair was peaceful just sitting there but the bell rang. "Great. I have to go." She said, jumping off his lap and grabbing her bag from the floor where she had dropped it earlier.

"You don't have to." Troy said with a smile. Gabriella stopped and looked at him longingly.

"Yeah I do Troy. Taylor's already annoyed with me and I don't want her to get annoyed with me more. Besides now I can say that I know everything about you." A smile crept up her face as she gave Troy a peck on the cheek before running down the stairs and away from their safe place.

I don't care who you are (who you are)
Where you're from (where you're from)
What you did
As long as you love me (I don't know)
Who you are (who you are)
Where you're from (where you're from)
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me (yeah)

Gabriella walked through the halls of East High once again, feeling much happier than before. She loved that Troy trusted her. It made her feel so special, like she was a part of something really... special. She smiled and held her head up high as she walked past all the students, this time she ignored the rumours because she knew the truth behind them.

"Gabriella." She snapped out of her trance and managed to conjure up a smile for her best friend.

"Hey Tay" She greeted her. Taylor looked at her feet before looking back up at Gabriella.

"Did you go to meet him then?" She asked trying to control her disgust but it seeped through and showed clearly in her voice.

"Yeah I did." Gabriella replied. "We had a good time. He actually talked to me, unlike the boy you think is perfect for me. I was just arm candy for Darren. You know we never had a proper conversation." She added. Taylor shook her head.

"But he wasn't a psychopathic freak!" Taylor yelled. Most of the students around them turned to stare at the girls. The two girls, didn't even realise.

"How dare you say that! He is not a psychopath, he's misunderstood. People say so much crap about him, and hardly any of it is true." Gabriella fought back. "I don't care what you think he did, who you think he is or where you think he came from. He loves me and I love him." Gabriella turned around and moved away from Taylor, not wanting to say another word to her so called friend.

"Why don't you listen to me, you know I'm right." Taylor followed her. Gabriella turned around immediately, her anger clearly showing in her eyes.

"You're not right Taylor! You were never right about him. Why don't you just trust me? If you were really my friend you would trust me." Gabriella's voice lowered and tears welled in her eyes. This was her first major fight with her best friend. She hated it.

"Gabs..." Taylor began to say. "Okay, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. It seems as if he means a lot to you. So I should do it for you." She said reluctantly. Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Thanks." She said, reaching out to give Taylor a small hug. "This means a lot to me."

I've tried to hide it so that no one knows
But I guess it shows
When you look into my eyes

"...she said she loved him..."

"...fought with her best friend over him..."

"...what a downgrade from Darren..."

"...like why does she like get all the like hot guys?..."

Gabriella sat with her eyes down, she didn't know that all of her English classmates were listening to her 'quiet' talk with Taylor - which wasn't quiet after all. Now she had to endure the talk and the looks.

"You okay?" Taylor whispered to her.

"Yeah I will be." Gabriella replied, knowing that in another hour or so she would be with him again and that made all the talk and the looks tolerable. "Once everyone stops looking at me." She added, looking up. The students around her looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught looking at her.

"It'll blow over Gabs. Of course this wouldn't be happening if you just listened to me." Taylor couldn't help but add in an anti-Troy sentence. Gabriella's fists clenched as she looked over at her best friend.

"I thought you were going to give him the benefit of the doubt?" She asked.

"Yeah I am, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop trying to get you to see sense." Taylor replied. Gabriella scoffed.

"See sense, or do what you want? You're not my mother, nor are you my keeper. So stop trying to do me favours that I don't want you to do!" Gabriella exclaimed her eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. Taylor's eyes narrowed.

"I have to because he's changed you. I don't like that." Taylor lowered her voice towards the end realising that they weren't alone in their conversation anymore. Gabriella glared at the students around her and then directed the glare at Taylor.

"It doesn't matter whether you like it or not because I like that I've changed. I used to try so hard to be someone else besides me, and that was wrong of me. Troy's taught me that it's okay to be me." Gabriella told her.

"God Gabs, I just... I don't know. Let's just leave it at that." Taylor mumbled and just turned to face the front. Gabriella sighed; this was not how she wanted to enjoy her senior year. Yeah, she was glad that she had Troy to enjoy it with, but she needed her best friend too.

"Taylor." Gabriella tapped her friend on the shoulder. "Tay," Her voice softened. "I just need you to understand in some way that Troy is important to me, and he's a very valued member in my life. In face I won't be surprised if I'm still in love with him come ten years from now. Let's put it this way, if you liked a guy that I didn't like, or got a bad vibe from I'd learn to tolerate it. Because being with him would make you happy and therefore make me happy." Gabriella stopped, looking over at her friend. Taylor's face held a thoughtful expression.

"I know that he makes you happy and I know that you love him. No matter how hard you try to hide it from me or all these guys..." Taylor gestured towards all the students who were still listening to the girls. "... it still shows when I look into your eyes, I can see that you're hopelessly in love with him. Gabriella's face reddened as she realised that maybe she was easy to read and despite how much she had tried to cover her love for the bad boy, it still showed.

What you did and where you're coming from
I don't care, as long as you love me, baby

"Thanks Tay." Gabriella spoke softly and reached over to give her best friend a hug. They two grinned at each other, both glad that their friendship had been renewed and was even stronger than before. They turned to the listening crowd and just smiled, making the students wonder why they were smiling.

"We've made up. Show's over." Taylor told them. The faces of the students reddened as they realised that they had been caught eavesdropping. Gabriella giggled softly at their faces.

"Okay class, sorry about the lateness. Wow. I did come extra late didn't I? I guess I'd better give myself detention." Mr Vickers marched into the classroom and rambled on about being late. There were a few chuckles and giggles around the room as they listened to their teacher. But all of that ceased when they laid eyes on the lad who had followed Mr Vickers into the classroom.

"What's he doing here?" Gabriella wondered out loud. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she took in his beauty once again.

"Right, Mr Bolton." Mr Vickers turned around and looked surprised upon seeing Troy. He studied the boy for a moment, before realising why he was standing in the classroom. Gabriella laughed quietly at her teacher's short term memory and tendency to forget things. "Yup, he'll be joining our class. Apparently he is one of the greatest writers in his class and Mr Mtsaui decided that he needed to be in the class that best suited his abilities. So here he is. Does anyone know Mr Bolton, since he is still fairly new to the school?" Mr Vickers looked around the classroom.

"Put your hand up." Taylor whispered to her. Gabriella's hand shot up immediately and Mr Vickers smiled.

"Taylor move next to Mr Danforth please." Taylor looked over at the basketball captain and sighed, whereas Chad looked happy to sit next to her. Gabriella giggled earning a glare from her friend. "And that leaves Mr Bolton with Gabriella." Mr Vickers smiled warmly at the Latina and watched as Troy made his way over to her and sat down next to her. The teacher turned away, remembering that he still had to teach a lesson as well.

"Hey." Troy spoke to Gabriella. She heard his chair move and then was aware of the fact that his chair was right next to hers. Their shoulders touched and his hand rested on her thigh. Gabriella moved her own tiny hand and laid it over his large one.

"Hi." She spoke, going a cute shade of red. She heard him chuckle and then forced herself to look at him. She was overwhelmed with excitement as she looked into his eyes. They were full of happiness and nothing else but love. Love for her.

"I love you." He whispered. She grinned at his words.

"As long as you love me, I love you too." She replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

I don't care who you are (who you are)
Where you're from (where you're from)
What you did
As long as you love me (as long as you love me)
Who you are (who you are)
Where you're from (where you're from)
Don't care what you did (yeah)
As long as you love me (as long as you love me)
Who you are (who you are)
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are (who you are)
Where you're from (where you're from)
As long as you love me
Who you are
As long as you love me
What you did (I don't care)
As long as you love me

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