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Troy reaches over and smacks his alarm clock, tempted to shove it off the nightstand as he groggily wakes up on the first day back to East High. 'Ugh, it's that time again. Why can't it be another week of summer?' he wonders as he flips onto his back and tries to open his eyes.
We're soarin, flyin', there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach…
'Oh shoot, I forgot to turn off my alarm!' panics Gabriella as she rushes from her bathroom to shut it off. 'I hope I didn't wake Mom up.' Gabriella goes back to the bathroom with a smile on her face, thinking of the musicale and their performance. "Breaking Free" was her favorite number that Troy and her did together and she had it playing on a CD in her alarm clock so she could always wake up to a nice memory. 'Thank you Taylor for recording it and putting it along with a few others songs on the CD for me!'
She finishes straightening her dark brown hair and applies light makeup before going back to her room to fish in her closet for the best "first day of school" outfit. '6:02, I've been up since 5:00…what's got me so wired up? It can't be nerves…can it?' she wonders as she starts to get that aching feeling in her stomach again, the feeling that woke her up, the kind she can only associate with intuition. 'Heaven help me if this means another year of drama, especially because it is the last year of high school!'
Taylor honks the horn outside of Gabriella's house at exactly 7:15, chuckling as she sees Gabriella bouncing down the steps of her porch and slips into the car with a smile on her face. "Morning Taylor!" she greets.
"Good morning sunshine. What has you so upbeat?" Taylor asks. "Did you have a triple mocha coffee again?"
Gabriella shakes her head. "No, just trying to put a positive spin on everything. No use starting the first day of school and our senior year on the wrong foot right?"
"True but I know you missy. Something is up. I'm not your best friend for nothing so spill!"
"Nothing is wrong, really. If you must know though, I had a bit of an intuition session this morning and it doesn't feel so good," Gabriella replies. "I don't know what is causing it but I don't have such a true good feeling about senior year right now."
"Hmm, and your intuition is usually pretty good. I guess we'll have to wait and see on this one huh? But, whatever it is, I'm sure everything will be okay Gabriella."
"I sure hope you are right."
The two girls change topics onto other things like their unknown class schedules and plans for the scholastic decathlon team. When they pull into the parking, lot the first person they see is a perky blonde who is stepping out of her car.
"Hey girls," Sharpay calls over. "How was your last week of summer?"
The three hug and share smiles. "It was great, you missed a great time here. I know Zeke missed you," Gabriella replies.
"Aww, I know, I missed him too. Fuji just wasn't the same without my boyfriend being around."
Taylor holds in a laugh at this and just smiles in return. "Shall we make our entrance into East High?"
The other two nod and head through the main doors, making their way to the gym to pick up their new schedules and for the first day assembly. They each line up in their respective lines, waiting their turn.
Gabriella and Taylor sit down on the bleachers and start comparing notes. "That's great, we have our A.P. classes together, plus Latin, and both lunch periods on Red and White days! Yay for the honors track!" Taylor notes, bringing a smile to Gabriella's face.
"Let me see your schedule," Sharpay says, sitting down next to Gabriella and comparing notes. "Gabriella, looks like you are stuck with me for Drama and Family Living but hey, looks like we have a common lunch on the Red day."
Troy, Chad, Zeke, Jason, Martha, Kelsi, and Ryan come over and join the three girls on the bleachers. Troy takes the seat right behind Gabriella since she was sandwiched between the two and peeks over her shoulder. He lets out a groan, which makes Gabriella look over at him with a questioning look.
"What's wrong?" she asks, wondering why he looked down.
"Only lunch together on Red day and one class together a day. That blows! Why did you have to be a smartie and be in A.P. classes?" Troy asks, giving Gabriella a smile that let her know he was joking about the last comment. "I only get to see you in PE and Drama!"
"Hey, it's better than nothing right? It seems like we all got a bit split up this year. And hey there buster, where's my good morning?"
Troy leans down and kisses her on the cheek. "Good morning," he greets. "Sorry, got a bit overwhelmed in the whole first day of school madness and of our senior year. This is the year we are supposed to rule the school!"
"Hi Troy, how are you doing?" a feminine voice greets from the left, right where the group of cheerleaders sat next to the group of friends.
Troy turns his head and gives Jasmine and her friends a polite smile. "I'm good, how was your summer?"
"Great but I missed you. It's so sad to be working on cheers without inspiration within sight. Although, my view of you at the carnival last week was rather, inspirational," Jasmine replies earning giggles from her friends.
"Seriously, can she be more fake?" whispers Taylor to Gabriella who is trying her best to ignore the banter behind her.
"Jasmine, you humble this lowly jock. What repayment do you request for this round of flattery this morning?" Troy asks.
Jasmines whispers with her friends and gives Troy a dazzling smile. "A date of course!"
Gabriella whips her head around to the left to stare at the girl who had such audacity to ask Gabriella's own boyfriend out when she was right there. "Excuse me Jasmine, I think Troy is already taken," she says in a strong voice.
"Oh, Gabriella, I didn't even see you there. I would have expected that you would have been in the library studying away like a good little smartie pants," Jasmine replies nastily.
Sharpay, who still feels guilty about the summer, decides enough is enough. "Back up Jasmine, seriously. Troy is dating Gabriella and even if he wasn't, he has so many other choices that are way better than you. In fact, I think a piece of dry toast would be a better match!"
Jasmine and her friends gasp at this and are about to retort when the principal starts the assembly. 'Just you wait Gabriella. Soon enough, Troy is going to be all mine and you are not going to know what hit you.'
At fifth period lunch, Gabriella decides to duck into the computer lab with Taylor in tow to spend some time working on their stories. After the episode in the gym, Gabriella's bad feeling in her stomach got stronger and she couldn't deal with facing Troy already.
"Taylor, do you find it odd that Troy didn't say anything to Jasmine about the date proposal?" she asks her best friend who is sitting next to her, presently typing the end of a conversation.
Taylor shakes her head sadly. "Unfortunately, I have to agree with you that it is very strange that Troy didn't do or say anything after that. I mean, Sharpay did a good job of putting Jasmine in her place, but it just seems weird that he would not be the first one to turn her down. Having said that though, there is nothing to fear I think. I blame it on the male mind being too slow in the morning and too blinded by the flattery."
"Maybe you're right," Gabriella concedes. "I just don't know what else I can do if Jasmine goes on the attack. I don't want to keep having to battle every girl in this place for Troy's affection. It gets tiring after a while, and I am seriously looking for a senior year that's smooth sailing!"
"You have been through a lot already with that boy. I am sure this is nothing," Taylor says, trying to reassure her friend although she herself did not believe it. "Anyway, that is why we are in here writing right? To take our mind off of our real problems and to put ourselves in a fantasyland?"
"True. I'm just finishing the chapter where Hunter confesses his undying devotion and love. Now, if I could have my own happy, drama free relationship I would be a happy camper!"
"Sure you don't want anyone to know about these stories? Even Kelsi maybe who would definitely be discreet about it?" Taylor asks.
Without a moment of hesitation, Gabriella replies, "Absolutely not. I am so not ready for anyone to read this and know it was me. I'm not ready for that exposure and criticism."
"All right, your call boss."
The two continue their writing in silence when the bell rings. Before Gabriella could pull out her USB stick from the computer, Troy comes into the computer lab and sweeps her up in a hug. "I can't believe you skipped our first lunch together Gabriella! What were you doing in here with Taylor the whole time?"
"Nothing, just doing some homework is all," she replies, giving Taylor a look for her to play along.
"Right, you know us Troy. Gotta get a good jump on that Latin 3 homework!" Taylor chimes in, hoping Troy bought it.
"Well if Taylor hadn't told Chad where you guys were, I would never have found you to escort you to PE. Speaking of, we better book it before we are late."
Gabriella grabs her bag and runs out of the computer beside Troy, waving good bye to Taylor as she moves off in her own direction to the home economics wing, skidding into the girls' locker room just in time to get changed and make it into the gym for roll call.
Gabriella could not have been more relieved to see a class end than this PE period where the coach went on and on about her expectations and rules for the semester. As if that wasn't enough, the coach then handed out a thing of papers that talked about the exact same thing she made everyone read and sign. 'Ugh, talk about redundant!' Gabriella thought to herself, actually jealous that the boys were already out on the track running.
As Gabriella was putting her gym clothes away and opening her bag to take out her schedule to find out where her next class was, she panicked noting her USB stick was missing. 'Oh my God, I must have left it in the computer lab!'
She throws on her shoes, zips up her bag, and runs back to the computer lab relieved to find that it was still in the computer. 'That's odd, I thought I had closed the word application before I left,' she thinks as she closes it again and safely removes the USB stick. 'I wonder if anyone saw it.' Gabriella looks at her watch and realizes she only has 2 minutes to make it to Family Living and runs across campus to make it just in time for yet another class she was almost late to on the first day back to school.
As the bell rang at 2:55, Troy happily gets out of his seat in Physics and walks with Taylor and Chad, who are holding hands, down the halls to their lockers. Troy spins the lock with his combination and opens it to take out the books he needs to do homework and is surprised when a few slips of paper come falling out.
"Aww cute, did Gabriella leave you a love note?" Chad teases, seeing Troy unfold the paper.
'Not likely with the way she's feeling and thinking,' Taylor thinks, eyeing the paper that Troy is now reading.
"Hmm, 'True Love Always Lasts' by Gabriella Montez?" Chad reads out loud over Troy's shoulder. "Did she write about you two for an assignment maybe?"
"Shut up Chad, I'm trying to read this," Troy responds, scanning the second and third page.
'Why does that title sound familiar…OH MY GOD!' Taylor thinks, trying to hide her shocked expression from the boys who are not paying her any attention anyway. 'That can't be Gabriella's fan fiction, no way!'
"Dude, Troy, who is this Hunter guy?" Chad asks, scratching his head. "Is that a nickname for you?"
Troy shakes his head. "No, but that name sounds really familiar. I wonder if she has written any more of this. It's only one chapter."
"Why would she slip that into your locker? That's strange Troy."
"I know Chad, it is odd. Hunter Smith, Hunter Smith…"
"Taylor, isn't that the name of that actor and singer you and Gabriella talk about once in a while?" Chad asks, turning his attention back to his girlfriend who can only nod her head. "So Gabriella is writing a romance story about her and Hunter Smith? That's way weird Troy."
"Not necessarily," Troy responds, looking over the papers in his hands. "I know she has been writing for a while now but never knew what. From the looks of this, she's actually very talented."
Chad waves a hand in front of Troy's face. "Umm, Troy, are you not bothered by the fact that this story is about another guy that Gabriella obviously has a crush on? It's not even a made up character, it's a real person!"
Troy shrugs his shoulders and closes his locker after getting out the books he wanted. "Why should I be? It's just a fiction story."
Taylor has been quietly observing this exchange, hoping Troy would brush it off like he did. 'God, I have to tell Gabriella right away. Thank heavens the boys have basketball practice right now otherwise it would be Troy giving Gabriella a ride home today and not me!'
She kisses Chad good-bye and runs out to the parking lot to see a smiling Gabriella at her car. "You are not going to believe this Gabriella!" Taylor exclaims, unlocking the car so the two could talk privately.
"What's wrong, you look like you have seen a ghost!" Gabriella says, worried about her best friend.
"So we were at our lockers getting our stuff out when Troy unfolds this group of papers that were slipped into his locker. To my horror, he was reading your first chapter to your fan fiction," Taylor rushes out, holding her breath as she observes her best friend's reaction.
Gabriella stays quiet for a few minutes, not knowing what to say. "Umm, did he like it?" she asks.
Taylor stares at Gabriella as if she has grown a second head. "Did he like it? Gabriella, your boyfriend has the first chapter of your fan fiction about Hunter Smith in his hands and all you can ask is if he liked it? After all this talk about you not wanting him to know?"
Gabriella shrugs her shoulders in response. "I don't know what to do or say Taylor, it isn't like I can take it back and I certainly didn't do it myself. Someone must have gotten a hold of it today when I left my USB stick at the computer lab."
"I have to give you credit Gabriella, I would have thought you would be flipping out about this," Taylor confides.
"Truthfully, I am. Not only have I had a rough start to senior year with the classes, my relationship with Troy is on the rocks, and I don't know if there is any recovery within sight. I am beyond flipping out, I think I have just gotten better at hiding it," Gabriella replies back. "I don't know what to do Taylor. It's only the first day back and so much has happened, so much drama."
Taylor leans over and hugs Gabriella the best that she can in the car. "Do you want me to take you home?"
Gabriella shakes her head. "No, I think maybe I should stay here and talk to Troy about everything. I am not going to sleep or study well without resolving these issues."
"Well, do you want to go in and watch them practice instead together?"
"You would stay with me?"
"Of course, that's what best friends are for silly. Besides, seeing Chad workout isn't exactly torture, even if it is basketball."
The two laugh and get back out of the car and make their way over to the gym where they guys have been playing a game. Since it was the start of the year, tryouts were being held for the few open varsity spots and the junior varsity team. Taylor and Gabriella find seats in the bleachers, not being noticed by the guys who are running around and concentrating on the game on the floor.
Coach Bolton blows the whistle to signal the end of tryouts and practice an hour later and sends the guys off to the locker room for showers.
Troy grabs his towel from the bleachers and is in the process of wiping his face when he spots Gabriella and Taylor. "Well hello ladies. Enjoying the view?"
Gabriella blushes and responds, "Yeah, Jason sure has gotten a lot more muscular over the summer. I hardly noticed until today."
"Gabriella Montez, take that back!" Troy jokes back. "Seriously, what are you two doing here? I thought you left already."
"I better leave you two alone," Taylor breaks in, patting Gabriella's arm. "Hey Chad, wait up!"
Taylor dashes down the bleachers and runs over to a waiting Chad who smiles at her but then shoots a silent question to her about the other two behind them. She shakes her head and motions that now isn't the time.
Gabriella walks down to the floor and stands next to Troy. "Do you want to go get changed and maybe we can go for a walk?"
"Umm, sure. Am in trouble?" Troy asks, walking towards the locker room.
"We just need to talk Troy. I'll wait for you in the parking lot," Gabriella returns, heading out of the gym.
After throwing on his clothes from earlier in the day, Troy grabs his bag and heads out to his car where Gabriella is waiting. They get in and Troy drives them over to their favorite park. When they get out, they continue the silence as they walk towards the swings and sit down.
Troy, unable to withstand the silence anymore, asks, "So, what's going on?"
Gabriella lets out a harsh laugh. "I can't believe you have to ask me that Troy. Maybe you haven't seen that I have been upset since this morning's assembly?"
"Well I have but you seemed okay in PE, bored maybe but okay. Is this about Jasmine?" he asks, noticing that she diverted her gaze at the mention of the other girl. "It is, isn't it?"
She nods and begins to swing a little, just back and forth with her feet on the ground. "Troy, I can't be with you if I have to worry about you all the time. First, it was Chad and Taylor trying to break us up with good intentions, although selfish, then it was Sharpay, and now Jasmine. Seriously, I never knew that relationships were filled with this much drama."
"Gabriella, they aren't supposed to be but they aren't all about smooth sailing either. Don't you remember what we said at the beginning of the summer? No matter what happens, as long as we are together, it's all good," he responds putting his right hand out to slow her swinging. "I don't want to see the end of us just because of some stupid girl flirting with me."
"But that's just it! If it was just her flirting, I could ignore it the way I have been ignoring all the other girls. Today, you flirted back, in front of all the rest of the senior class and East High. How is that supposed to make me feel?" she asks, looking directly into his blue eyes.
"I didn't mean to flirt back! I mean, I guess I sometimes do cross that line between being friendly and flirting, but it isn't a conscious choice. I just like being a nice guy. You inspire me to be a better guy Gabriella."
Gabriella looks away, not knowing what to say to him anymore. 'I want to believe him but that old fear of being heartbroken by him is still there,' she thinks. 'He seems so sincere but can I stomach another episode like this morning?'
Troy interrupts her thoughts by asking a question. "Why didn't you show me your story earlier Gabriella? It's really good."
She turns her head so she is looking at him again and searches his face for any traces of joking. "You really think it was good?"
He nods and smiles. "I wouldn't tell you that if I didn't believe it. Why leave only one chapter for me though?"
'Troy deserves to know the truth,' she thinks before replying. "Troy, I didn't leave that for you. I left my USB stick in the lab when you got me for PE and when I got back I noticed the story had been open. I think someone purposely printed that out for you and stuck it in your locker."
"Okay, but why?"
"I don't know. Maybe an attempt to break us up? I mean, I am writing a fan fiction story about Hunter Smith. Any guy would be expected to get a bit broken up about that. Aren't you?"
Troy gives her a questioning look. "Broken up about you writing a fiction story? No, that's silly. It's your imagination at work, maybe also your sense of fantasy. I'm not going to be jealous of some star just because my girlfriend has a crush on him."
"Really?" Gabriella asks shocked. "I never shared with you because I thought you would be upset with me, like many other guys would probably be with this scenario."
He chuckles and brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Gabriella, in all honesty, I am not upset. If anything, I am only upset that you didn't share the story with me yourself instead of it having been dropped in my locker like that. I don't know who did it but whoever they are, whether intentions were good or bad, I have to thank them because now I know exactly how talented a writer you are."
Gabriella smiles at him softly with a sparkle of happiness returning to her eyes. "Troy, you are amazing, you know that?"
"Just for you," he says, leaning in and kissing her sweetly on the lips. "Only for you."