Changes in Paradise

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any of the characters. All the rights go to Disney.

Overwhelmed.

When my mom and I arrived in Los Angeles one June morning, I was overwhelmed with it all. Mom's company transfers her to everywhere and anywhere, but we've never been close to Los Angeles. This wasn't permanent by any means, and maybe that's why it was so strange coming into a new city knowing that I really did have a few months to be here. It was nice to know when we were going to leave for a change. Usually when my mom's company transferred her, I knew that I shouldn't get too attached because I would end up leaving sooner rather than later. But I never knew if I had days, weeks, or months. I just leave. There was no slowing down. It seemed that after my parents divorced; my mom has just engulfed herself into her work completely, leaving her no time for relaxation or even me, her only daughter.

Getting off the plane, I was immediately welcomed into the sudden heat. I wasn't used to this heat, considering the last place we lived at was Minnesota. But this was summer vacation. It was a time to wear shorts and tank tops, and have an excuse to run around in your bathing suits all day. It was a time for relaxation and family/friend fun. But for me, Gabriella Montez, you learn that there's more to it than meets the eye.

Mom had called for a rental car, and sure enough, it had been waiting for us outside of LAX Airport. The driver, Sebastian Lee, helped us put our suitcases into the trunk before opening the door for us and closing it once we were seated. He drove us to the Beach House Hotel where mom and I would be staying at for the next two and a half months. We mainly chose this resort because of the walking distance from the beach and from the great reviews saying that it was 'family-friendly.' I think mom wanted to reconnect or something on this vacation. I gave it a day with me before she starts checking her Blackberry every five seconds. I doubted she'd even notice my absence if I actually left. But mom was like that ever since the divorce: busy.

The drive there was relatively silent. I could tell mom was trying to resist the urge from reaching into her purse and taking out her precious Blackberry to check her email. She had promised me before we got onto the plane that this would be work-free. I rolled my eyes at the comment, but nevertheless, I smiled. I loved her, I really did, and I had gotten used to being alone. Who knows where my dad was now. Ever since mom gained custody for me, my dad was nowhere to be found... And that was fine by me.

"You're here, Ms. Montez," Sebastian announced as he parked the car in front of the resort. There was an extravagant fountain in the front, water shooting out and supplying a helpful mist for passersby. Since the hotel was near the beach, it was beach themed. A bellhop was waiting for us. He smiled at my mom and me, giving us each a shell necklace, and welcomed us to the Beach House Hotel and Resort. We entered, and as I look around, I saw paintings of beaches and sunsets everywhere. The chairs in the main lobby were white with blue cushioning. The tables had sand and seashells on them with a glass covering on top of it. The floor was white-tiled with the occasional trace of sand from the people walking around when coming back from the beach. Once passing the main lobby, you enter the dining area, where there was an enormous window overlooking the gorgeous beach. The bellhop was explaining that the dining area was the only place in the hotel where we got breakfast, but we got to choose where we wanted to go for lunch and dinner. He then gave us a few ground rules for the beach, and he led us to the front desk where we signed in and got two room keys; one for me, and one for my mother. The bellhop placed our suitcases onto a trolley, and he led us to the golden elevators. He took us to the tenth floor, and led us to our hotel room. He put our suitcases into our rooms, since he had to take the trolley back down to the lobby, and he smiled at us.

"Enjoy your stay."

I look around the hotel room. Yup, overwhelmed was exactly how I felt. I hadn't been on a normal vacation in, well, forever it seemed like. The last vacation I took was when we were still a family, and we went to Pennsylvania to visit my dad's relatives. I was nine back then; I'm sixteen now. Do the math.

I jumped onto the bed nearest the balcony doors.

"I want this bed," I proclaimed, feeling my body mold comfortably onto the bed. Closing my eyes, I sigh contently.

"Enjoying yourself?"

I nod. I opened my eyes, staring up at my smiling mother. "Well, come on, let's unpack. Maybe we can go check out the beach before it gets dark out." I smile enthusiastically, instantly sitting up and swinging my legs off the bed. My mom and I unpacked with the television being the only sound filling the hotel room.

Changing into my black and white checkered bikini, I began applying sunscreen onto my already-tanned skin as I waited for my mom to emerge from the bathroom. I was giddy with excitement about going to the beach. I've never really enjoyed the beach. I'd always feel rushed, like I was on a time limit. But now, I had all the time in the world to spend at the beach here. The last time I had been at a beach, I was thirteen. Back then, I loved it, even though I got sand in places that shouldn't be mentioned, and my parents were already experiencing marriage problems. But now, I didn't care. I just wanted to enjoy myself without worrying about anything else. Maybe even make friends. I knew I wouldn't be staying here long... But I had a good feeling about Los Angeles.

The wave caught me by surprise, and next thing I knew, I was flipping under water uncontrollably. Salt water came into my mouth and onto my lips, and sand got in my eyes. Once I was on shore, I rushed to where my mom was situated at, reading her magazine. I rubbed my eyes with the towel, and drank from the water bottle that I brought. I frowned as I took down my hair from its messy bun and saw my hair was covered in sand. I plopped myself down on my towel, placing my sunglasses over my eyes, and I just laid there for a little bit, enjoying what the sun had to offer.

Stupid, immature teenagers interrupted my tanning. I was good at first; drying off from the sun's rays, and feeling the nice burn on my skin. But then, next thing I knew, I felt something hard bounce right off my stomach. I sit up, taking my glasses off, and I saw what hit me. A volleyball. I look around and I see an African American male running toward me. He had an insane afro atop of his head, and he was wearing a white tank top with blue swim trunks. He flashed me a smile, and grabbed the volleyball.

"I'm so sorry about that. You'll have to excuse my friend over there," he points in the direction where a girl in a conservative one-piece bathing suit was staring at us. One hand was covering her mouth, and her eyes were wide, as if she couldn't believe the ball smacked me. "I'm trying to teach her how to serve, and well, she's not very good." He laughed heartily.

"I can tell," I snapped.

I didn't mean to be rude. It's just; I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was the fact that the group of teenagers by the volleyball net represented the friends I once had. Or maybe it was that this guy was laughing when a ball hit me. The boy seemed taken aback for a minute before he grinned. He took his hand out, "I'm Chad."

I was slightly surprised that he didn't say anything about my snap at him. But nonetheless, I shook his hand, "Gabriella. I'm here for the summer." Chad grinned, "Well, Gabriella, I can already tell we'll become terrific friends. Say, how about you come join us for a game of volleyball? You can meet the rest of the gang."

This surprised me even more. Not only was he not angry or confused by my snap, but he was inviting me to actually go and hang out with him and his friends. I heard a throat clear, and I turned around, noticing my mother giving me a look that said Go join them and make new friends. So I stood up, grabbed my denim shorts, and followed Chad to the rest of the 'gang' as he put it.

The girl who had supposedly thrown the volleyball rushed over to me. She was African American, her hair a dark brown and fell right to her shoulders. "I am so, so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you. I just, well, I suck at sports, but Danforth here convinced me to try a swivel-" Chad chuckled as he interrupted to correct the rambling girl, "Serve, McKessie." The girl ignored Chad and kept talking, but I decided to block most of what she was saying. I smiled at her, and took my hand out, interrupting her before she lost her breath.

"I'm Gabriella."

The girl stopped her rambling, and smiled warmly. "I'm Taylor. I haven't seen you around here before…"

"This is my first summer here. Do you guys come here often?"

Taylor nods, with a big grin on her face. "Every summer. It's like a tradition of ours. Where are you from?"

Gabriella sighed, "Everywhere. I move a lot because of my mom's company. But recently, I lived in Minnesota."

Taylor nods, as if she completely understood me. "I see. Oh I'm so sorry. I'm just being rude today. Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Kelsi..." Taylor points to a girl who was sitting nearby on a pink striped towel. Kelsi wasn't in a bathing suit. Instead, she was in a tank top and shorts, with her hair down and a green hat on her head. She was holding Pride and Prejudice in here hands. She looked up from hearing her name called, and smiled shyly at me. "That's Jason and Zeke..." She pointed to two guys who were throwing around a football. "And that is Sharpay, otherwise known as the drama queen… Or Ice Princess. Whichever you prefer. Oh, and the boy next to her on the chair with the magazine is Ryan. They're twins."

She pointed to a girl with blond hair that was lying on a towel, a hat blocking her face. She wore a pink sequins bikini, and she was working on her tan, just like I was ten minutes ago. Then, my gaze traveled to her twin brother, Ryan, who was wearing a white fedora. He was sitting in a bright yellow chair, reading a magazine.

Gabriella looked around at everyone again and she smiled sheepishly at Chad and Taylor. "I'll probably not remember the names in an hour." Chad and Taylor laughed. "Don't worry. You're in our group now; you'll be forced to remember our names. You'll be tired of us by the end of summer, and that is a promise," Chad said with a goofy grin.

I smiled back, my first real one in quite some time. Friends come and go, and I knew that these friends I was making right now would end up being left behind like the rest of them. But, for some reason, looking at them, I knew it'd be okay. I would be sad, who wouldn't be? But I've grown stronger. I was sixteen, going onto seventeen in July, and I was ready for whatever life threw at me. Whether it is a new friend, whether it is an old friend or even another move...

I was ready, and I wasn't going to go down without a fight.