Hey everyone! I'm actually not new to this site, but I haven't written in forever. I deleted my old stories and wanted to start fresh since I feel like I'm a brand new person since returning to FanFiction. Hope you guys enjoy! Story is similar to my own life so consider this my diary High School Musical style! LOL thanks for reading!

I couldn't believe I was finally here. After living my whole life in a small town in Alabama, I was finally going to the college of my dreams…New York University. After being in the country for so long, I was finally becoming a city girl.

"Gabriella!" I looked over to see my mom snapping her fingers trying to get my attention. "I know you're excited, but this is my last time seeing you for a while, so please listen to me."

"Sorry mom. What were you saying?" I pretended to listen as we finally got to my dorm building, Brown Hall. As I waited in line at the table to get my room key, I finally decided to listen to my mom.

"-if boys try anything, you have your pepper spray. Don't mix white and brown alcohol. Always walk with a buddy and one last thing."

"What's that mom?" I said as I rolled my eyes. I could only imagine the sex talk coming next. I was surprised when she hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Always remember that I'm only a phone call away and I love you Gabi."

As I pulled away, I saw tears in her eyes. "I love you too Mom."

"NEXT!"

As I walked up to the table, I saw a brunette girl with short hair. She had on an RA shirt with some jeans and a pair of black converse.

"Hey, I'm Charlotte. One of the RAs. What's your name?"

"Gabriella. Gabriella Montez."

She looked for my name then handed me a key, card, and a few welcoming gifts. "Awesome! Here ya go! I'm the RA on your floor, so I'll be seeing a lot of you. Your suite number is 214 and the card is to get in the building. After 7 p.m., the doors are locked to make sure no random people walk in. If you need anything, I'm in Room 220. Welcome to NYU," She said with the biggest smile. She seemed cool.

"Thanks. See you lat- OW!" I dropped my purse and

"I'm so sorry. I was running because I was about to be late for my shift. I have to take over for Charlotte. Are you okay? Did you-", I couldn't stop giggling which is probably why he stopped rambling.

He blushed when he reached down to pick up my stuff and handed it back to me.

"It's cool. I'm Gabriella by the way. Or you can call me Gabi." As I looked at me, I realized how hot he was. He had sandy brown hair and even though he was dressed in jeans and the RA shirt like Charlotte, I could tell he worked out a lot. That's when I looked into his eyes. They were a deep green.

"I'm Derek. One of the RAs here. I live on the first floor." He sent me a smile and I tried not to blush as I realized my mom was standing right there.

"Well, it was nice meeting you even if it was a little painful," He laughed, "but I'll see you around hopefully."

"You definitely will. See you later." He gave me a wave as he turned around to Charlotte. I could definitely get used to New York…and Derek.

As I walked in the dorm, it looked even better than the pictures. There was a study area and a small computer lab on the first floor. There was also an entertainment section where the students could watch movies and hang out. Getting on the elevator, I saw a guy with the poofiest hair running with some other guy with shaggy hair racing down the hall as the doors closed. Guess everyone in New York is literally living life in the fast lane.

As I walked in the suite, I couldn't stop smiling. This was perfect! There was a tan couch in the living room area with a couple of bean bags and a flat screen in front of them all. There was a small dining area with four chairs off to the left of the room. No stove though. Guess they didn't want a bunch of college kids starting a fire.

"Hey, you must be Gabriella Montez. I'm Taylor McKessie." I turned and looked at the girl shocked.

"How did you know-,"

"They have our names on our bedroom doors. Not a stalker," She said with a smile.

"Good to know," I said laughing. "This is my mom."

As I turned around, I noticed my mom had moved to talk to Taylor's parents. Apparently, they were exchanging numbers. Typical…

"Well, I'm sure I'll meet her. Come on let me show you our side."

As I followed Taylor, I noticed Room A and B on one side, while C and D were on the other. Apparently, I was in Room B since my name was on the door. My room was simple. It had a small full size bed with a desk and a chair. There was a small closet on the right. The rooms were a Jack and Jill because I shared a bathroom with Taylor.

"I brought a couple of things for the bathroom. Just some rugs though and a few things to decorate. I hope you like blue."

"That's perfect Gabriella! I brought a shower curtain that's blue and purple so it'll fit great. Thank God you didn't bring pink."

"I hate pink." As I pouted, Taylor started laughing and linked her arms with mine.

"Gabriella Montez this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

"It is and as friends, you can call me Gabi. Gabriella has too many syllables," I said with a laugh.

"Cool. Tay is good if you want to call me that. We might be friends, but I must tell you our suitemate Sharpay seems like the queen of pink. She almost frightened the poor girl Kelsi, but you'll meet them later. They left a little before you got here."

"Hopefully, we don't have a drama queen on our hands. So where are you from?" I realized I haven't even asked here any of the basic questions yet.

"Savannah, Georgia born and raised. You?"

"Greenville, Alabama. You probably haven't heard of it."

"Who cares? We're southern sisters! We're meant to meet." I laughed and as we continued talking, I heard a knock on the door. I looked up and saw my mom standing in the doorway.

"Seems like they're forgetting us already." I heard Taylor's parents laugh from behind her.

"We could never do that mom." As everyone finally introduced themselves, our parents decided it was time to leave. My mom was staying in a hotel until her flight in the morning, since she had a job interview the next morning, but I wouldn't have time to see her since she would be leaving so early.

"I'm going to miss you mom. Call me as soon as you land tomorrow."

"I will. You be safe. If either of you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or Taylor's parents. We seem to have bonded rather quickly so I'm sure we'll all get along just fine for the next four years." As soon as my mom said that, a tear slid down my cheek. It finally hit me. I'm in college. I pulled her into a hug for as long as I could then I kissed her cheek.

"Thanks for everything mom. Can't thank you enough." I had never truly thanked my mom enough for everything she had done for me.

"No, thank you Gabi for being such an amazing daughter. I couldn't be more proud of you," She said as she started to cry a little bit. As I walked her to the door, I hugged her one last time and kissed her goodbye.

As I turned around, I saw Taylor's parents had already left. Taylor came out of her room jumping.

"We're free! We're free!" She grabbed my hands and I couldn't help but start jumping with her around the living room. We fell on the couch laughing.

"Hey, I think the school is having a little freshman get together in about an hour if you want to go." I forgot I saw a sign for it as I was walking up here. Apparently it was a way to get to meet the other freshman.

"Sure, guess I better finish unpacking. See you in a bit Gabi."

As Taylor closed her door, I walked to my room and laid on the bed. I looked out the window and saw my view was to the front of the building. I saw Derek talking to some more students checking in, I rolled on my back and smiled. I was ready to take a bite out of The Big Apple.

"New York…here I come."

Not the best ending, but hopefully you guys enjoyed. Updates will hopefully be pretty frequent. Bet you were surprised the guy wasn't Troy. Don't worry! He's coming, but Derek plays a big part in the storyline. Give me feedback please!