Ok so here it is, the first chapter! You wanna know what's going on during the first HSM with Taylor and Chad, well now you can see! You'll see what they're thinking and how one thing leads to another with them. You know it'll start out slow before things start to heat up with them. So anyway, everything will be told in first person so you can see both of their point of views about certain situations and -cough cough- each other -cough couch-. So if you're not liking the first person or I do better with third person than first person (XD) then I'll switch the point of views and change it all to third person but still only make it so we can hear each of their thoughts. That makes sense, right? Ok, so anyway I'm stuck in school this week unlike most people and I'm also working Thursday right after school till five so that means possibly less updates this week or so. I know I'm gonna be packed with homework, especially in my writing and economics classes so in case you wait a while for updates, you'll know why (that is, if you don't get bored by reading my long, boring a/n's). XDDD Ok so I will be quiet now and move on with chapter one!
And you do know that I don't own HSM, right? Good.

Chapter One: First Day Back (After "Start of Something New")

Aw man how sweet can things get? We just started junior year so you know us Wildcats are at the top of our game. And we'll be even more over the top come next year. It's a new year and everything. I gotta say, I spent it pretty much relaxing and preppin up for the championship game. Ok, so I went on vacation with my folks to Canada for the holiday break, but I still did a lot of stuff up there. I'm talkin sleeping, basketball, eating, basketball, girl watching…did I mention basketball? I was showin off the mad skills I picked up over the break to some of my teammates and those hot cheerleaders. Oh man, they look like they could use some lovin from the Chadmiester later if you know what I'm sayin. I stopped dribbling my basketball as I saw my best bud sine preschool, Troy Bolton, come off the bus. I automatically shot him with questions about his trip and asking if he was ready for the big game and everything. And as soon as he said he was ready, I knew we were goin for the gold this year.

"In two weeks we're goin to the championships. And you're gonna lead us to infinity and beyond!" I declared, handing him the ball. "Now what team?" I yelled.

Everyone around us automatically responded just as loud, "Wildcats!"

"What team?" I asked again, unable to contain the excitement.

"Wildcats!" they repeated.

We all cheered as we headed in. It felt weird to be back in school after two weeks. But what can I say? It was the perfect break from school, Darbus, and the nerd patrol. Darbus as in our homeroom drama teacher. And let me tell you, when that teacher teaches drama she really teaches it. I jumped back with the rest of the team as the mountain lion, a.k.a., Sharpay Evans, pushed her way through the crowd with her sidekick of a brother Ryan.

"Ice Princess has returned from the snowy north." Zeke Baylor observed.

I noticed his tone sounded joking, but not as harsh as we usually were with people we considered our enemies. And with the way Sharpay pretty much acted like she ruled the school and thought she was so much better than the basketball team, I'd say she was one of our top public enemies. So I turned everything around and made a harmless joke into a real one.

"Hey you know where she spends her holidays, right? Shopping for mirrors!"

I burst out laughing with the guys as we continued down the hall in our little posse. As we walked, I could see her from the corner of my eye. Yup, speak of the nerd patrol that I mentioned earlier it had to be the head nerd herself, Taylor McKessie. She thinks she's so high and mighty just cause she's like the smartest girl in school. Ok, so maybe she is the smartest girl in school, but that doesn't mean she has to put herself on a pedestal. But let me tell you a little somethin, just between you and me. She's a pretty fine lookin girl. Perfect curvy body, lively brown eyes, long wavy black hair, and some classy style. And if it weren't for her sass and complex vocabulary, not to mention the separation of us cliques, I'd almost consider asking her out. But that's just us.

So now here I am in homeroom bored outta my mind as Darbus walks in and breaks up our little conversation about vacation and basketball. She starts yakkin about announcements or whatever else she's yakkin about. I more or less started turning her out. I blew some hair out of my face loudly, making my curls fly up a bit. Hey, not my fault I was blessed with such unique and noticeable hair. Unfortunately for me, Darbus caught on my boredom.

"Mr. Danforth, this is a place of learning. Not a hockey arena." She projected her voice.

I rolled my eyes and put my basketball on my lap after removing it from the top of my desk. I watch her walk away slowly and then notice that Troy keeps looking towards the back. No way. He couldn't be watching our drama teacher, could he? She must've been like ninety-five for all we know! Not to mention there's absolutely nothing interested about drama. He has to be lookin at somethin else. I turn my head around briefly but all I see behind me, other than Darbus circling the room reading the announcements, is McKessie in the seat behind me, who was actually listening. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Troy He wasn't watching her, was he? There was just no way! I would totally kill him…. I mean, be totally worried for the guy.

"Hey, you ok?" I whispered quietly, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah." He whispered back with a nod.

I believed him for now, but he still seemed out of it. I look back once more but I still see nothing. I gotta say, somethin's not right with this boy sometimes. I got my suspicions. Anyway, Darbus continues her announcements and I'm awake now, so I barely start paying attention. I heard her talk about the Scholastic thingy and if people wanted to sign up. I smiled as Taylor raised her hand, helping Darbus show that she was president of that club. What was so great about it, anyway. Just a smarty-pants competition between the smartest kids in schools. Not like it's ever mean anything. But then I snapped out of my thoughts about Taylor – I mean thinking about what those competitions must be like – when I hear a phone ring.

"Ah, the cell phone menace has returned." Darbus announced. She automatically walked over to Sharpay and Ryan, seeing as how they had their phones out. "Sharpay and Ryan, cell phones and I will see you in detention." I smirked as the twins put their phones in her old paint can. Someone was in trouble! But Ms. Darbus continued around the room, going to some new girl in the back row. Well, I think she was new since I never saw her before. Then again, when you're a top notch basketball player like me you don't need to know everyone. But it looked like the girl was in trouble, too, cause I heard Darbus say, "We have zero tolerance for cell phones here Ms. Montez. So hand over your cell phone and I will see you in detention." But trust me, she wasn't finished yet. "Mr. Bolton, I see your phone is involved so hand it over and you will be in detention as well."

Troy put his phone in the can, like the other three had, but I wasn't gonna let him get stuck with detention. So I, being the loyal best friend that I am, speak on Troy's behalf. "That's not a possibility Ms. Darbus, your honor. See cause, we have basketball practice and Troy-"

And wouldn't you know it? She has to cut me off even before I can finish my argument. "That will be fifteen minutes for you, too, Mr. Danforth. Count them!"

I gasped as my face fell. There was no way she just gave me detention, did she? I mean, I've gotten my share of trouble and detentions, but this was the first day back! Cut a guy some slack, would ya?

But no slack was cut today. I could hear McKessie from behind me. "That could be tough for Chad since he probably can't count that high."

My eyes widened at her comment. And I heard snickering. They didn't really see me as like, dumb or something, did they? This was ridiculous. Did she seriously just insult me? When we weren't even standing face to face exchanging insults?

But I had to smirk when I saw not even she was off the hook. "Ms. McKessie, fifteen minutes!"

I had to turn around to see the look on her face. Little Miss School Genius ain't such a teacher's pet anymore is she? Oh man, look at her face! The expression is priceless! Her mouth is open and everything. And her big brown eyes are so wide I swear, she's not even blinking cause of the shock wave! But that's what she gets for mocking one of East High's best basketball players. And if we weren't sworn life long enemies I would almost say that McKessie was lookin…well, cute.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

I stepped into East High quite casually, holding my head up high for specific expectations for the new year. I couldn't help it; I had such a powerful feelings that things were going to change for the better. Really, the feeling was that strong. After losing competitions in the Scholastic Decathlon for so long I really believed that something would turn it all around this year. And as head of the academic club, I had to keep my team's spirits up. Speaking of my team, there they were looking at the bulletin board for new announcements. I straightened my look and walked over to greet them.

"Happy new year, everyone." I greeted with a smile.

Martha Cox turned to me, seeming just as happy. "Hey Taylor. How was the new year?"

"Same as usual." I merely shrugged. "Nothing more than watching the ball drop and catching up on some extra credit." Hey, I couldn't help it. I had almost no homework to do so it was the perfect change to earn a ninety-nine instead of a ninety-eight for the class. No…that doesn't mean I don't have a life. I mean, I do have a life. I just have my own ideas of spending it. And that includes not attending crazy parties or going out of town or the country except to visit family.

We started exchanging conversation, just us "nerds" as we were called. But we weren't ones to let labels affect us or our schoolwork. We knew that there was much more important things than cliques. And talking about solving complex chemical equations was far better than exchanging insults with certain people. And speak of the devil himself, there he was passing by with his little group of cheerleaders and basketball buddies. I personally call them lunkhead basketball boys, but that's just me. And it happens to be true. It's been that way since sixth grade, so why go changing everything now? Besides, they were not a part of my plan for a better year.

I rolled my eyes as I watched that map top bounce away with the rest of its body and our peers following him. I pinned up a sheet of paper to the bulletin board as an announcement for the next Decathlon meeting as they left. "Behold the zoo animals heralding the new year." I observed to my friends. "How tribal."

The warning bell ring and I smiled at the group, seeing them off as we left for our respective homerooms. Hey, normally I'm in class before the warning bell but I had a good reason to be a few seconds later than I usually was. I mean, it was a new year and the first day back from vacation, not to mention I was technically posting a new announcement for my club. Wait, what are you thinking? No, that's not true! I didn't spend five extra minutes longer staring at Danforth's hair than I usually do. I mean, I do stare at it and can't help but wonder if it really is his hair or just some wig, but I never actually watch him. Please, that would make it seem like I had a crush on the lunkhead. And Taylor McKessie does not get crushes!

Back to the current situation. I take my seat in Ms. Darbus' drama class, as my elective for homeroom. A variety of classes does look great on a college application, after all, and now that I'm a junior I have to start looking into everything. I make sure to listen carefully to her announcements, since there might be something important that I would have to put my full and complete attention onto. And luckily I was listening.

"The Scholastic Decathlon will have its first meeting this week. Chem Club president Taylor McKessie can answer any questions for you." Ms. Darbus announced.

I smiled and raised my hand for anyone who didn't know me or what the club was. Well…I'll admit, the Scholastic Decathlon wasn't exactly East High's prominent activity nor its most praised, but some people might still take interest and they had to know they had a reliable captain to turn to. I slowly placed my hand down and actually caught Chad watching me from the seat in front. Yes, Chad Danforth, who else? I couldn't believe it. What was his deal? Was he just waiting to shoot an insult and make a joke in front of the whole class? I mean, I knew he could stoop pretty low when it came to a good joke, but this would be a whole new low for him.

I shot him a look and gave him a taste of my McKessie Ice. In other words, a cold and stoic response. "What are you looking at?" I mouthed, not allowing him to get to me. I saw him shrug and turn back to the front of the room. That made things so much better. So now he's left me to stare at his hair. No, I mean observe. There's nothing overly interesting about his Afro anyway. So there I am, following one curl of his hair into another and seeing how they all intertwine. Even though from afar it appears so unkempt and knotty, up close it looked so tamed and relaxed. What was that boy doing to control such incredible hair? No, no! I was not just thinking that!

Luckily, Ms. Darbus pulled me back into reality. She demanded Sharpay's and Ryan's (also known as the Evans Twins or the Ice Princess and Captain Clueless) cell phones and told them they'd be in detention. I'd say it was pretty ironic, as they were co-presidents of the drama club and a pair of her best students. But Ms. Darbus didn't seem to stop there. I watched carefully as she took a cell phone from a girl in the back. Hm, that triggered my intrigue. Was she new? What was she like? Would she be a good fit for the Decathlon? This had to be something . I had to do some investigating and find out more. Maybe that was the good feeling I was getting about this year. Maybe she was the key to our success!

But then my head shot back to the front as Ms. Darbus took Troy Bolton's cell phone. And trust me, everyone knew Troy. From what I could tell, he was the leader of the lunkheads, but still a decent student. In other words, hardly any detentions. This time was different. The teacher gave him one right on the spot. And then I noticed Chad speak up.

"That's not even a possibility Ms Darbus, your honor. See cause, we have basketball practice and Troy-"

Aw, what a shame. He never got a chance to finish. "Mr. Danforth that will be fifteen minutes for you. Count them!" Ms. Darbus bellowed.

I merely shrugged at the outcome. What could I say? Chad deserved it. Granted, he was attempting to defend his best friend and do it for his team, but sadly for him it didn't work. Some people would just never learn.

"That could be tough for Chad since he probably can't count that high." I whispered to a couple of friends at the seats around me, mainly to my left. I intertwined my fingers with each other on top of my desk and continued sitting in the lady-like position that I was, figuring that even if I kept up my perfect student image then Ms. Darbus wouldn't even notice my little comment. Unfortunately, my prediction was wrong this time.

"Ms. McKessie, that will be fifteen minutes for you as well!" Ms. Darbus yelled.

I can't say that I blame her for yelling. As far as grades in the class went, I knew I was one of her best students, like in my other classes. So naturally she would be disappointed in me for saying such a thing or actually earning myself a detention. But I still couldn't help but drop my mouth in surprise. She couldn't really give me a detention, could she? I mean, I've never even gotten a detention in my life! I've been a perfect student my entire public education career! And now it's all over. Thanks to Chad Danforth, of all people! I couldn't believe it. And now he was even looking at me like he was enjoying my pain. Could he be any more cold-hearted?

"Now are there anymore questions?" Ms. Darbus demanded.

My expression changed into somewhat of a pout, hoping that she would catch my unasked question and change her mind about giving me a detention. After all, it was a little mistake. And Chad just happened to be asking for it. She couldn't put all of the blame for that on me, could she? But then I turned my head to the student behind me, another lunkhead player Jason Cross, as he raised his hand.

"So, how were your holidays Ms. Darbus?" he asked cheerfully.

The remainder of the class, including our teacher, looked at him like he said something stupider – no offense to him – than he usually does. I just shook my head and rubbed my forehead. Really, he had to be joking, right? And Ms. Darbus was the one who just insisted that holidays were way over. Could he not take a hint?

The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. I smiled as I gathered the books off of my desk and placed them into the rolling backpack beside my desk. I had to hurry if I wanted to get to my next class. After all, I had AP US History and I couldn't miss that. Or let Chad distract me from the work. Wait a minute…did I just call Danforth a distraction? No, of course he wasn't capturing my attention or anything of the sort. He just happened to be there, was all. Well, sort of. I mean, he was going in the same direction. But the advantage was on my end, since I did get the last word in before we walked out separately.

"Next time don't interfere with my perfect record." I warned him. "Just because you can handle being one of detention's most common members doesn't mean I'm about to join that club."

"Aw, and here I thought you were looking so forward to it." Chad replied with a smirk, tucking his precious basketball under his arm. "Besides McKessie, you were the one askin for it."

"And you're going to be the one asking to be sent to a private all boys boarding school come next fall if you keep this up." I retorted simply. "So have fun here while it lasts." I made my way out until I heard his voice, which had to throw me off guard.

"See you in detention."

I stopped in my tracks, freezing. Why did he sound so content about that? What was his angle? I mean, this is Chad Danforth we're talking about. Why would he say that to me? Unless he was just rubbing it in? And I was hoping that it was the case. After all, there was no way I'd ever associate out of school with the boy or exchange friendly comments with him. But I had to hurry and make one of my intelligent counters before he left the room.

"You wish."

At least I got the last word in this time as he left. And the last thing I saw of him, at least for now, was that playful, cute smirk on his face. No, scratch that. It wasn't cute. It was annoying. Because there is no way in an infinite amount of years that I would never admit Chad Danforth was actually cute.

And I just completely admitted to thinking that, didn't I?

So what did you think? Now you know what's going on when the movie first starts, doncha? ^^ So each chapter will start at certain points, whether it's after songs or at certain points. I'll try and diagnose (is that even the right word choice?) those in the chapter titles but if not, then I'll write them down before the chapter starts or something. But not in the long a/n's for those of you who don't read them because they're boring and take up too much space. =P Oh c'mon, I can joke around can't I?