Author's Note: Hi Readers, thanks for visiting my newest fanfic. I know I still have to finish the epilogue to Forever Yours, but I was inspired today to start my newest story. I hope you like it!

For this story, my chapters will be the titles of songs from various artists.

~Dee

CHAPTER ONE : I CAN'T HELP MYSELF

"I swear if I eat another one of your mom's brownies, I won't fit into any of my new school clothes." Sharpay Evans said to her best friend, Gabriella Montez. The girls were hanging out in Gabriella's room looking at magazines and gossiping about the new school year. It was the Saturday before the first day of school. The girls were excited because they were going to be seniors this year.

Gabriella stared at her friend and rolled her eyes. "Please, Shar, you could eat anything and not gain an ounce!"

Sharpay pouted and grabbed the side of her pink tank top and lifted the bottom and pinched what little excess skin was there, "See? I'm fat!"

Gabriella shook her head and chuckled, "Shar! You are not fat. Your stomach is flat as can be. Half the girls at East High want to look like you and be you! Please stop saying your fat, or else I'll have to hurt you." Gabriella giggled.

Sharpay dramatically fell back on Gabriella's bed. "Fine. You win. No more complaining from me." Then she gave Gabriella a devilish grin, "Alright, hand me one more brownie!" Gabriella laughed as she passed the plate of her mom's famous brownies to Sharpay. Everyone loved her mother's homemade brownies. The girls went back to munching brownies and browsing through copies of Teen Vogue, Seventeen, and CosmoGirl.

"So, you know what day it is today, right?" Sharpay asked.

"Duh, it's Saturday," Gabriella told her.

Sharpay wrinkled her nose at her friend, "It's not just any Saturday, Gabs. Troy and the Wildcats are coming back from their basketball retreat today. They get in later this afternoon!"

Gabriella smiled at her friend. "I bet you're thrilled! How long have the guys been gone for?"

"A whole month! Which is way too long to keep me and Troy apart. We barely spoke in the last two weeks." Sharpay lamented.

"Why? I thought cell reception was fine out there." Gabriella said.

"Coach Bolton put the guys all on curfew. He wanted them to focus being that it's senior year and all. He wants them to go for back-to-back championship."

"But that game is like months away." Gabriella told her.

"Not to Coach Bolton, it isn't," Sharpay said. "The pressure is going to be a lot harder on Troy and the seniors on the team for many reasons. One: it's their last year to do something phenomenal as a team; two: colleges are recruiting these guys like crazy; you wouldn't believe how U of A is all over Troy and Chad, so they have to play as best as they can; and three: it's our final year at East High and these guys have to leave a legacy."

Gabriella smiled. "Well, those are all very great reasons and all, but will the guys even have time to just have fun and relax?"

Sharpay narrowed her eyes at Gabriella, "Gabs, you're not getting it. This is really important to all of them. And if it's important to Troy, then it's important to me."

"Hey, I get that," Gabriella told Sharpay, "but how are you going to feel being second to everything in Troy Bolton's life in the next months to come?"

"It's just something I'll have to get used to, I guess." Sharpay said quietly.

Gabriella reached over and hugged her best friend, "I'm sorry, Shar, I don't mean to be so negative. I just want to make sure that East High's golden couple is okay."

"Don't worry about it, Gabs. Troy and I have a strong relationship. We can survive anything." Sharpay smiled confidently at her.

Gabriella had to admit, her best friend's confidence was something almost every girl at East High wanted and admired. Of course, it didn't help that Sharpay was blonde, tan, slender, and gorgeous. Even more, Sharpay's boyfriend was Troy Bolton, East High's basketball captain and one of the hottest guys in the school. If Sharpay wasn't her best friend, Gabriella would probably hate her.

Gabriella thought about Sharpay and Troy. They were one of East High's top couple. They had started dating in the fall of their junior year. They looked like they belonged together. Gabriella couldn't help but feel jealous at times when she saw Troy and Sharpay walking down the hall holding hands or when she caught them sneaking kisses between classes. She kind of wished it was her holding hands with Troy and that he was sneaking kisses with her. Gabriella shook her head to get the image out of her mind.

Troy Bolton was an Adonis. A god. She knew she shouldn't think he was hot, but she couldn't help it. He wore his brown hair a little on the longish side and sometimes part of it fell in his eyes; on some guys it would've been grungy, but on Troy it was cute. And his eyes were so blue it was as if one could swim in them. Besides his looks, Troy was a great guy. He was nice, sincere, considerate, and so cool that everyone at East High wanted to be his friend. The guy pretty much owned the school. Gabriella could feel herself blush as she thought about him. Stop it, she told herself, Troy Bolton is your best friend's boyfriend. Stop thinking about him. This was a constant fight that Gabriella had been having with herself in the last six months or so. She wasn't sure what caused her to all of a sudden focus her attention on Troy, but it was torture to see him on the arms of Sharpay.

Sure, there were guys in the school that had asked her out on a date but she always turned everyone down. She was turning down so many dates, that the guys in the school gave her a nickname, the Ice Queen. She hated the nickname name but the truth was she wasn't interested in going out with any of them. There was only one guy in all of East High she wanted and he was already taken – by her very best friend. Gabriella knew she was an awful friend, but she couldn't help it. She was secretly in love with her best friend's boyfriend. She did what anyone would do in this situation; she avoided any real contact with Troy and kept their conversations light and quick.

Gabriella snapped out of her reverie as Sharpay cleared her throat. "Sorry, Shar, I was just thinking."

"About what? Or more importantly, about who?" Sharpay chirped.

Gabriella turned her head away from Sharpay's so that she couldn't see her face getting red. "Nothing. Just about school."

"Right," Sharpay said, without believing her. "Anyway, like I was saying, I'm not worried about me and Troy, okay. Besides, let's worry more about finding you a boyfriend!" Sharpay teased.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Sharpay, I don't want a boyfriend. I'll be too busy with my honors classes to even think about boys."

"What about all the dances we'll have this year? You have to have a boyfriend to take you." Sharpay whined. "The dances won't be fun if you're not there."

Gabriella laughed, "If you think school dances are going to entice me, think again my friend."

"But I'll have so much more fun if you're at the dance with me." Sharpay told her, and then her eyes lit up as the smile on her face grew wider. "I just had the most genius idea."

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"I am so going to set you up with Chad Danforth!" Sharpay screamed. "It'd be perfect. You're my best friend. He's Troy's best friend. It'd be awesome. We'll have so much fun together." Sharpay went on excitedly.

Gabriella put her hand up to stop her friend's rambles. "Sharpay, as cool as Chad is, I'm not interested in him like that."

"Why not? He's cute, funny, and spontaneous. You could use some spontaneity in your life, Gabs."

"I don't know, Shar. Chad's just not my type."

"And what is? I've seen you turn down at least eight guys in our class. What does a guy need to have for you to go out with him?" Sharpay inquired.

Gabriella walked over to the doors that led out to her balcony, she closed her eyes as she smelled the fresh air. I know what he doesn't need, Gabriella thought to herself. She sighed as she said, "I don't know, Shar, but can we leave the subject alone for now, please?"

"Fine. I'll leave it alone for now, but we'll talk more about this later. Anyway, I better get going. Troy gets in a couple of hours. I need to get ready!"

Gabriella laughed, "You need two hours to get ready?" Gabriella teased her friend as they made their way to the front door.

"Of course," Sharpay giggled. "Anyway, toodles!"

"Toodles," Gabriella said. As she closed the door after Sharpay, Gabriella leaned her back against it. News flash,Gabriella, she thought, Troy Bolton is not available. Move on. If only she could.