Disclaimer: I do not own 'High School Musical' or any related characters.
A/N: Well, seeing as TLNR is become dramatic and exhausting and a tad difficult to write, I needed to pull some humor out of myself. Not joking. I found this hidden as on my USB the other day and thought that maybe it would make an amusing five-six chapter story. I've used the premise before but I think it might work better here.
Don't fear, the story's basically written, I've been writing it in huge snatches here and there so I don't think there's going to be a lot of waiting on this one. I hope.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
Locked In
Chapter One: Unwilling
"Dude, why are you making me do this?" Troy Bolton didn't really care that it sounded like he was whining as his best friend, Chad Danforth, shot him an irritated look.
"Because if you don't, I might just have to kill you." Chad replied through gritted teeth, "And if I had to kill you, I would lose my wingman. And where would I be without my wingman?" Troy chuckled, his blue eyes trained on the distance between him and his exit.
"Shopping for matching poodles, probably." The comment was meant to come out wittily. Instead, it came out as a grunt as Chad shoved his shoulder into the middle of his best friend's back and Troy had to force his arms to stay straight.
Chad groaned and tried jabbing his elbow into Troy's side. Troy held back a wince and grinned when he heard Chad murmur something about 'damn solid muscles'. It was good to know that his muscles were solid and could cause some serious damage.
Troy snorted. "Ah yes, see, I have. There are some very nice girls at our school. She's just not one of them."
Chad pulled his weight back onto his left foot before throwing it forward. Troy grunted from the exertion the shove made on his arms and wondered, briefly, how long he was going to be able to keep it up. He had a feeling he could hold out for a few more minutes before his muscles gave way.
"She is my girlfriend's best friend." Chad swore silently when Troy gave no indication of moving as he barged him again.
"Uh-huh, I got that when you started dating Barbie. However, just because you're dating Barbie doesn't mean I have to make nice with her."
"Uh, yes it does. If I ever want to have sex again, you have to get along with her for an hour. Is that so hard?"
Troy couldn't help it. He snorted in laughter and nearly dropped his arms. Before Chad could realize his slip, Troy tightened the muscles in his arms and continued to laugh. "You're joking, right dude? Your sex life does not involve me behaving for a night, does it?"
"I'm not joking, Troy and seeing as you've been my best friend since we were eight, I'm asking you to please, please not fuck this up. You're a good friend but if you cut of my sex supply, I will kill you." Chad gave another measured nudge with his shoulder and Troy laughed again.
"Dude, how the hell did you end up in a relationship with a girl who manipulates you using your raging libido?"
"A question for the ages. Move." Chad snapped out the order in a commanding tone.
Troy tightened his arms. "No."
"Move."
"No."
"Troy, move!"
"Chad, no!"
"Why won't you fucking move?"
"Because I want to screw up your sex life. Oh, and I don't want to be here!"
"Fuck, dude – "
"Charles Danforth, language!"
At the sound of Haley Danforth's stern tone, Chad straightened and Troy let go of the doorframe. Both spun to face the petite women who had her hands on her hips and was watching the two with a hard glare.
Troy, rubbing his upper arm as discreetly as he could, offered the woman who he could only consider to be his second mother a sheepish smile. "Uh, you look nice Haley."
Haley eyed him, causing Troy to force himself not squirm the way he did when she used to catch him doing something naughty with Chad.
"Yeah mom, you look great." Chad nodded vigorously, rubbing his own shoulder as Troy flexed his arms to get blood flowing through them again.
Haley regarded the compliments with a brisk nod. Then she folded her arms. "What were you two doing?" She asked and Troy glanced at his friend.
"Um, mucking around?" He offered, ignoring the way Chad smacked his hand to his forehead as Haley raised her eyebrows and gave Troy the look he knew meant that he wasn't getting out of this without telling the truth.
"I was trying to force him into the living room." Chad muttered and Troy rolled his eyes.
"Because I don't want to be in the living room. Someone decided to invite his girlfriend and her best friend over when he told me it was going to be a guy's night." Troy muttered before Haley could ask why her son was attempting to force his friend into their living room.
For a moment, Haley glanced between the two teenagers before rolling her eyes.
"For God's sake you two, you're both old enough to know better." The words, said so often to the two made both Troy and Chad roll their own eyes. "Now, I'm going to pick up your father. Please don't burn down the house, break anything or have a house party. We should be home tomorrow sometime. Am I clear?" Chad nodded, even though Haley had been addressing both of them. Troy shrugged.
"Sure mom. See you tomorrow."
Both Troy and Chad muttered goodbye as Haley gave them both a pointed look before kissing both their cheeks. The two boys waited patiently until they heard the car pull out of the driveway before they turned to face each other, arms folded in a mirror image of the other. Troy was the first to break the quiet.
"Why does your sex life have to depend on me?"
"Dude, ignore that. Please get along with her."
Troy blew out a breath at Chad's pleading tone. Of course his friend would use it. Chad knew that Troy couldn't deny him when he used that tone. Between the tone and Chad's last, last resort of using their friendship as a bargaining chip, Troy couldn't say no.
"Fine. But if she starts going on about that self-righteous crap, I'm out." Troy snapped and chose to ignore the way Chad clasped his hands together and shook them heavenwards.
Instead, he stalked into the living room and dropped onto the couch, glaring at the television set in front of him. He knew that he was being difficult and that Chad had been in his ear about getting along with her for a while now but he couldn't help it. The girl rubbed him the wrong way, she always had. She was a little too self-righteous, a little too know-it-all and he swore to God that if she started sprouting her feminist bullshit to him at any point during the night, he was walking.
Hearing the doorbell ring, Troy chose to ignore it. He knew they'd arrive the minute Haley left and, as he sat in the living room that was about to become contaminated by her, Troy wished to God his mother hadn't thought it was so normal for him to go over to Chad on a Saturday night. Maybe if his mother had been in a worse mood, he could be sitting at home playing on his x-box while pretending his parents weren't in the house.
But no, he had to put his mother in a good mood. He knew he shouldn't have offered to clean up the kitchen! He'd known it and still, he had offered to clean it and then there was the tea! What kind of son offered to make his mother tea in the afternoon? What kind of son did that? A good one? No! One that should have made her mad so she'd refused to let him go over to his best friend's house which would mean he would have avoided this disaster in the making.
How Chad could not see what he was making him do was a disaster, Troy didn't know. All he knew is that it was highly doubtful Chad was still going to have a sex life after this night.
Catching a flash of color in the corner of his eye, Troy turned his head slightly, flipping his dark hair out of his cerulean eyes Troy couldn't help the scowl that pulled at his lips.
Gabriella Montez stood framed by the doorway his friend had previously tried to force him through. Troy watched, the scowl deepening, as her ebony eyes surveyed the room before settling on him. The scorn that lit her face made Troy roll his eyes.
"Please tell me that they didn't set this up." Her voice may have been disgusted but Troy had to give her points for understanding the setup as quickly as she did.
"Right in one." He nodded.
"Are they stupid?" She asked and Troy shrugged. Instead of attacking him, Gabriella spun around to face their best friends. "Are you stupid?" She shrieked at the couple wrapped around each other.
For a moment, Sharpay and Chad looked like deer's caught in headlights before Sharpay murmured something to her boyfriend and Chad nodded quickly. Troy rolled his eyes as he watched Chad shift behind Sharpay and Gabriella begin to tap her foot impatiently.
"No, we're not stupid. We would just like it if our best friends got along so every time we're all out, we don't have to mediate an argument." Sharpay spoke reasonably and Troy had to give it to the blonde, she appeared to not quail under her best friends furious gaze.
"Oh, so you decided us getting along is going to happen tonight?" Troy snorted at the look on Sharpay's face. It proved that Sharpay had thought that exactly.
"You know, for two people who are meant to be intelligent, and Sharpay I'm referring to you thinking for Chad, you are so stupid!" Gabriella exclaimed and Troy nodded.
"I agree." Troy decided to call out without thinking.
Chad's eyes widened dramatically. "We're stupid! He just agreed with you!"
"That's not the point. He agreed with me because you two are stupid!" Gabriella threw her hands in the air and Troy relaxed on the lounge to watch the show.
"Gabs, please, give it an hour." Sharpay begged and Gabriella shook her head.
"Uh-uh. No. Not going to happen. How can you expect me to be in the same room as the Neanderthal?" Gabriella asked, waving her hand behind her at him.
"Which Neanderthal are you talking about?" Troy asked pleasantly, not appreciating the term but weighing watching Gabriella tear into his best friend between getting into an argument over her referring to him as a Neanderthal.
Gabriella whirled around at his question and pointed at him accusingly. "You! You are the damn Neanderthal!"
"Ouch. That hurts."
Gabriella rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Yeah, I'm sure trying to understand the word hurts."
"It's called sarcasm, Montez. Ever heard of it?"
"Oh I've heard of it Bolton. I'm just surprised you know how to use it!"
"It only appears when you're around. I'm a nice guy. Usually."
"Really? Does that side come out every once in a lifetime?"
Troy rolled his eyes. "No. You just make it shrivel up and die. Like every guys –"
"Okay! Troy, remember what I said." Chad shot his best friend a meaningful look as Troy leaned back against the couch, his scowl menacing as Gabriella glared angrily, a glimmer of hurt masked by fury.
"Gabs, please. An hour." Sharpay added, gripping Chad's waist as Gabriella glanced back at her best friend. Sharpay's pleading tone worked and she nodded once in assent.
"Fine." Troy folded his arms and Chad and Sharpay exchanged a glance. "I stand by what I said earlier. If she becomes unbearable, I'm out."
Gabriella's gaze hardened. "Same goes. If he becomes unbearably impossible, I'm gone."
"Bet you I'm gone before you." Troy muttered under his breath. She couldn't help but be self-righteous and irritating. It was intricately part of her and it irritated the hell out of him.
"Troy." Chad spoke warningly and Troy ignored him, knowing that if Chad had heard him then Gabriella would have. His eyes jumped to her and Troy felt a spark of pleasure at the look on her face. He knew there was a comment just waiting to burst from her lips and he wanted to hear what it was.
"Gabs." Sharpay's own warning had Gabriella huffing and folding her arms. Troy raised a mocking eyebrow at her look, hoping it would provoke her. For a moment, Troy thought that it was going to work until her shoulders relaxed and she stalked past him to sit on the couch.
Sharpay and Chad exchanged a glance, as Gabriella pressed close to the end of the lounge and Troy let his head drop into his hands.
"Um, Shar, are you sure this was a good idea?" Chad whispered to his girlfriend as Troy shot Gabriella a look of pure loathing.
"Yes. They need to get over whatever it is that makes them act like this." Sharpay gave a derisive nod and Chad raised his eyebrows. "I don't care if they end up killing each other or jumping each other, by the end of this night, they are going to get along or, at least, be somewhat civil with each other."
Chad snorted. "Jumping each other, babe? Troy and Gabriella are as a likely to jump each other as Miss Darbus is to admit her undying love for Coach Bolton."
Sharpay rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's short-sightedness. Only a real idiot would be able to miss the waves of sexual tension emitting from Troy and Gabriella. Something sparked whenever the two were in the same room, something, Sharpay thought with a private smile, that made her wonder what would happen if it was sparked a different way.
Though it was an old, worn cliché, Sharpay couldn't help but look at the two people in front of her and know that beneath the thin layer of heavy dislike was an ocean of tension just waiting to be released. She had no qualms in giving that ocean a reason to stir and she couldn't help but hope that in the next few hours the ocean would flood quite dramatically. If they did, it would make her life a whole lot easier and, apart from that, there would be nothing more pleasurable than watching Troy and Gabriella explode on each other.
Grinning, Sharpay turned to link her arms around her boyfriend's neck. "Yes, jumping each other Chad. Can't you see all that hate is actually just your buddy being irritated with himself because he finds Gabriella hot and wants to pin her to a bed and do all sorts of unspeakable things to her?"
For a moment, Chad simply stared at his girlfriend, unable to formulate an answer that would adequately cover what he thought of her question. "Uh. No."
"Mmm-hmm. Can't you just see that Gabriella's annoyed at herself because she wants Troy to pin her to a bed and do all sorts of unspeakable things to her?" Sharpay asked again, leaning forward to tease his jaw with her lips.
"Again, no."
Sharpay drew back, annoyed at her boyfriends flat tone. "Then you really are unobservant. Watch them tonight. Troy'll spend the next half hour eyeing Gabriella's legs because they look awesome in her jeans."
Before Chad could respond to the statement, Troy spoke. "Are you two going to stop sucking face so we can do whatever it is you brought us over here to do?"
Troy chose to ignore Sharpay's indignant noise as he told himself he needed to look somewhere other than Gabriella's legs. And he needed to stop himself from appreciating that the jeans seemed to cling to her legs like a second skin. It irritated him that those legs, those perfectly shaped legs, were attached to such an annoying girl.
"So, Chad has Saw III. I was thinking we could watch that." Sharpay stated matter-of-factly, she knew that if she spoke innocently Gabriella would know she was planning something so she kept her voice flat and her face passive.
"Uh-huh. Looking forward to blood and gore tonight, Shar?" Troy asked, his eyes flicking over to look at the blonde who screwed up her face at his question.
"Sure. Why not? It gives me an excuse to cuddle with my boyfriend." Sharpay said and Troy snorted.
"Uh-huh. Want to make Chad feel like the man in the relationship tonight?" Troy said and chose to ignore Gabriella snort of laughter. Instead, his eyes slipped to her legs again and he cursed himself silently.
"Shut it Bolton. Are we watching Saw or not?" Chad snapped, letting go of his girlfriend's waist to stalk toward the TV cabinet. Troy chuckled at his friend's irritation and leaned back, watching as Chad turned on the television and DVD player.
"Apparently, we're watching Saw." Troy muttered and watched as Chad slipped the disc into the player and then headed over to the plush recliner, remote control in hand. Troy watched as Chad sat down and Sharpay settled comfortably on his lap which was a strange site, Troy thought with a frown.
He didn't think he'd ever seen Chad and Sharpay curl up so comfortably together before. Generally, Troy thought, they weren't into huge public displays of affection which was surprising considering their personalities. Sharpay was loud, demanding and occasionally rude and Chad was amusing, obnoxious and demanded attention. They were, Troy had thought privately, the type of couple to over indulge in public displays of affection. Except now they didn't seem to, instead they seemed to be acting like a couple comfortable in their affection for each other.
"Hey, how long have you two been together?" Though he knew he was going to regret asking the question, Troy couldn't help himself. Sharpay shot him a disgusted look and he raised an eyebrow. "What? I don't exactly listen to him when he talks about anniversaries and shit."
"A year, Bolton, they've been together for a year." Troy's eyes snapped from the couple sitting in the recliner to where Gabriella was sitting and he raised an eyebrow.
"Was I talking to you?" He snapped and Gabriella shrugged.
"Did you want Sharpay to take chunks out of you?"
"No. But I didn't think you were going to willingly talk to me either."
That caught her, Troy thought smugly as her eyes widened a fraction and she quickly turned her gaze away from him to look at the television as Chad pressed play. Instead of turning his attention towards the movie, Troy watched Gabriella for a second longer, noting the blush spreading across her cheek and wondering at it.
Realizing that someone was watching him, Troy quickly pulled his eyes away from her ignoring the look Sharpay was giving him as he turned his attention to the opening credits of Saw III.
It was halfway through the movie when Troy found that he was thirsty. Glancing around the living room, Troy raised his eyebrows at Chad who was murmuring something to Sharpay as his girlfriend clung to his neck. His eyes slid from the couple to the girl sitting next to him and he noted, with amusement, that she was sitting rather rigidly her eyes squeezing shut every time she was sure that something bad was going to happen.
Standing, Troy mimed drinking to Chad who had looked up at him curiously. Chad nodded and then pointed towards the basement. Troy lifted a hand in understanding and headed towards the basement door. Opening it, Troy headed down the stairs, hitting the light on his way down.
Reaching the stack of soft drinks sitting in one corner of the basement, Troy looked longingly at the old television with the x-box hooked up to it and wished that Haley hadn't banned them from the basement when she'd found the alcohol they still swore wasn't theirs. It was unfair how Haley had jumped to conclusions and eliminated one of the only spaces where it was possible for him and Chad to hang out by calling his parents and telling them what she'd found. He supposed it hadn't helped that both he and Chad had been sarcastic about the discovery, telling their parents at least they hadn't found syringes or that strange smell that hung around one of their teammates, Jason.
Eyeing the couch and then glancing up the stairs, Troy made the split second decision to flop onto the couch, crack open the bottle of coke and wait until he was sure she'd gone. That way he avoided her, her legs and the look she gave him that just riled him up. The only downside of his plan was that he'd leave Chad and Sharpay's sex life intact.
But still, Troy thought philosophically opening the bottle and taking a long drink, at least he didn't have to deal with the devil incarnate up there.
Closing his eyes and swinging his feet up onto the couch, Troy sank down and rested his back against the arm of the couch. This, he thought, was so much better than watching Saw III.
Gabriella wrinkled her nose slightly as she opened her eyes and was met with an image that she was sure would scar her for the rest of life. Sharpay had shifted so she was straddling her boyfriend and they were, Gabriella thought with disgust, attached at the mouth.
Glancing towards the television, Gabriella saw blood and felt her stomach turn. Without a thought she stood up, adjusting her shirt and Gabriella glanced at the two and then decided to interrupt.
"Ahem."
Sharpay shifted slightly and Gabriella rolled her eyes as Chad's hand slid up Sharpay's back and into her hair.
"Guys? Sharpay?" Gabriella rolled her eyes as Sharpay shifted again and they continued to kiss. "Okay, Chad? Where are your drinks? Because I'm actually kind of thirsty." At her question, Sharpay suddenly pulled back and turned her head.
"What did you say?" The blonde asked, clamping her hand over her boyfriend's mouth before Chad could answer Gabriella's question and say something possibly damaging to the plan that was forming in her mind.
"I need a drink. So, where are they?" Gabriella asked and Sharpay smirked slightly.
"In the basement." The blonde replied and barely flinched when Chad bit into her hand. Gabriella eyed her and Sharpay smiled. "Go out, turn to your left and I'm pretty sure the doors already open." Gabriella raised an eyebrow and then shrugged.
"Okay then. Do you guys want anything?" She asked and Sharpay yanked her hand away from Chad's mouth and pressed it against his chest in order to cover the bite mark on her hand.
"Actually, yeah – "
"No. No. We're good." Sharpay smiled innocently and Gabriella nodded and cautiously headed out of the room. Sharpay watched her go and then slid off Chad's lap.
"Hey! First you deny me a drink then you deny me alone time?" Chad complained and Sharpay turned around to glare at him.
"Oh be quiet. We'll get alone time, I just have to lock the basement door." Sharpay snapped at him and Chad's eyes widened at his girlfriends words. Before he could grab her hand and stop her, Sharpay had left the room and Chad, swearing under his breath, followed her.
"Shar, as much as I love you, this is stupid! Troy's down there!" He hissed as Sharpay grabbed the door handle, glancing down the stairs in order to make sure that Gabriella wasn't standing on them.
"Duh. Double purpose, dork. They can work out their problems and we can make out without interruption." Sharpay hissed back at him and carefully shut the door.
"Uh-huh. One problem, the door locks from both the inside and the outside." Chad folded his arms. While he enjoyed making out with his girlfriend without interruption, he liked having his best friend around more and Sharpay's plan gave him a feeling that the best friend he liked more wouldn't be around for much longer.
"Well, it can't open when the handle doesn't turn, can it?" Sharpay asked smugly, reaching for the chair that sat in the hallway with no particular purpose.
Seeing what she was about to do, Chad groaned out loud.
He was so going to regret helping his girlfriend.
Troy heard footsteps on the stairs and groaned out loud at the thought of someone interrupting his solitude. With another groan, he sat up assuming it was Chad coming to get him and drained his can of coke.
"Jesus, dude, I didn't think you – oh. Its you."
Gabriella paused on the second last step at his greeting and glared at him as he crushed the can and threw it in the bin in front of him. Frowning, he rose from where he had been quietly laying and took a step toward her.
"Get any closer, Bolton, and I'll castrate you." She warned, her eyes flashing and he raised an eyebrow.
"Gee, Montez. Don't you think it's a little early to pull out the threats?"
"No." She snapped back and he bit back a chuckle. "Where're the drinks?" She asked after a moment.
He gestured towards the stack where he had gotten his coca-cola from.
"Over there. How's the movie going?" He asked, watching as she headed over there, making sure to give him a wide berth.
"Wonderfully. Chad and Shar are attached at the mouth and people are dying on the screen in front of me, I'm sure I'd be scarred for life if you hadn't already taken care of scarring me to within an inch of my life." Gabriella replied dryly as she opened a can of coke.
Troy snorted. "What can I say? I try."
"Don't I know it." She muttered.
"Oh, so you have noticed I try?"
She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to try, Bolton, you do admirably just by being."
"Ooh. That sounds like a compliment. Are you complimenting me, Miss Montez?" He said coolly and Gabriella snorted.
"Why would I even want to compliment someone who's ego is the already the size of Australia?"
Troy considered her analogy for a moment, his head tilted to one side slightly before he grinned.
"The size of Australia? That's not bad. Not true, but not a bad comparison."
"Oh, and you know its not true because its your ego, right?" Gabriella sneered, irritated that he hadn't taken the bait she'd thrown him.
"Of course. Just like you know that you're brains really not the size of Russia, at the time of Stalin of course." Troy said with a satisfied smirk as her eyes flashed.
If there was one thing he knew that would rile Gabriella Montez, it was bringing her intelligence into the argument. Whether sneering something about how her intelligence would never help her snag a date or snapping out something about the size of her brain, she always, always, responded in a way that entertained.
"Oh, for the love of God, anything is better than this." She suddenly snapped out and whirled around to stomp back up the stairs, all but growling as she climbed the stairs.
Disappointed that she hadn't taken the bait, Troy frowned before following her up the stairs. At a distance.
"Wow. I never thought I'd see the day you didn't have a comeback to something I said." He started conversationally as she reached the top of the stairs.
She shot him a deadly look that warned him just how far he could go before she decided to act on her earlier threat. He raised an eyebrow in return. Then chuckled as she shoved at the door.
"It's a door, Gabriella. You turn the handle and you pull it open. Quite simple, really."
"Thank you, Troy, for telling me you know how to work a door." She snapped at him. "It won't open. I think we've been locked in."
Troy stared at her. There was no way in hell she could lie about something like that because it meant she was stuck in exactly the same situation as he was. Locked in a room with someone they couldn't stand.
"Fuck."
A/N: Well, I hope that was okay! Anyway, I'll try and update TLNR tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. I hope you guys liked it!