Summary: AU. Troy and Gabriella have never met before. He is 23 and a promotional director for a show on Broadway. Gabriella is 22 and a single mom working at Starbucks. The story is based in New York. Gabriella was born and raised there. Her mother lives down the street from her.

A/N: Hey there guys. This is my first posted HSM fan fiction. I hope you guys like it. Review and let me know. :

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Chapter 1: "The Meeting"

Gabriella was bored out of her mind. She was all alone at work and there was nothing to do. She had read all of the magazines that were behind the counter. Since nobody was there to say anything to her, she decided to listen to her iPod. She turned it to her favorite song, "Without Love" from the musical Hairspray and began to sing along. She was so caught up in the song that she didn't notice that a customer had walked into the shop.

Troy walked towards the counter. He realized that the girl behind the counter had a gorgeous voice. She would be perfect for the lead role in Mambo!, the musical he was working with right now. Although Troy had no say in who got cast, he had a pretty good idea that she was what they were looking for.

Gabriella was dancing and when she spun around, she saw the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes she had ever seen in her life. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours. Gabriella's face turned bright red as she pulled her earphones out of her ears.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, barely audible.

"Don't worry about it," he grinned, "You have a great voice. Have you ever considered pursuing a singing career?"

"Oh, no. That's not my stuff. I just enjoy singing when I'm alone."

"Well, I really think you'd be great in Mambo!"

"You mean the Broadway play?" she asked, skeptically.

"Yea, I'm the promotional director for it. I mean, I have nothing to do with the casting, but the casting directors have been complaining about the girls that have been auditioning lately and you seem to be exactly what they are looking for," he smiled.

"I don't think so," she sighed.

"Will you at least consider it?" he asked, hopeful.

"Well, I don't know. It's kind of hard to find a time when I'm not busy."

"Ok, listen, I'll give you my card and you just call me if you want to set up an audition. Will that be ok?" he asked.

"I guess."
He smiled and pulled a card out of his wallet. He wrote a number on it and handed it to her, "That's my cell; call it instead of the office."

"Thanks," she smirked. 'He gave me his cell number? Why not his office number?' she thought.

"So, can I get a caramel latte?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure," she smiled and completed his order. They made small talk, and

about five minutes later she handed him his drink.

"So, Gabriella, don't forget to call me," he grinned as he walked out the door.

'How did he know my name was Gabriella?' she thought, and then it hit her that she was wearing a nametag. 'Duh,' she said to herself.

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Later that evening Gabriella rushed to the day care to pick up her three-year-old daughter, Natalie.

"Mommy!" Natalie called as soon as she saw Gabriella walk into the room.

"Hey, baby girl," Gabriella grinned, picking her daughter up. She walked over to the clipboard and signed Natalie out before grabbing her backpack and walking out to the car.

"Mom, guess what!" Natalie grinned.

"What?"

"I got to lead the line to the play ground today. It was so cool. I made us all walk in… umm… squiggly lines."

"Oh really?" Gabriella asked. She put her daughter in her car seat and drove home.

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A few days passed and Gabriella had almost completely forgotten about Troy from the coffee shop. She was trying to find her checkbook so she could pay for Natalie's day care when Troy's card fell out of her purse. She picked it up and smiled. She stuck it in her pocket and grabbed her checkbook.

After getting home with Natalie that evening she pulled the card out of her pocket. Troy Bolton. She thought about calling him. She had never been a very outgoing person. However, it wouldn't hurt to audition. She could get her mom to watch Natalie. Troy had been very cute. She decided she could at least call him and talk to him about it. She picked up her phone.

"Hey, mom, I want some pickles," Natalie said walking up to her.

Gabriella set down the phone and the card without a second thought.

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A/N: So, that was chapter 1, let me know what you think. :