I do not own HSM or anything Troy and Gabriella.

Before I Knew Your Name

It was her first day on set. Gabriella woke up early in order to allow herself plenty of time to primp. Meeting Troy Bolton was no little thing and she wanted to make an incredible first impression. It was 5:15am and she didn't have to be on set for a read-thru until 8am. She had plenty of time. She took her shower, did her make-up and fixed her hair to perfection…even she was impressed. She was having a hard time deciding what to wear. She wanted to look hot and sexy but being a production assistant, she was in for about a 14 hour day. She needed to be smart and wear something comfortable. She settled on a pair of her favorite jeans that hugged her ass just right and a navy blue v-neck cotton tee that showed off a small amount of cleavage; hopefully enough to make him want to see more. She added a medium length gold necklace for a little flair and finished it off with a pair of black Privos. They were a kind of urban looking sneakers but were so comfortable.

Time check. It was 6:50am. She had to leave at 7:15am in order to miss the traffic and get a decent parking place. She grabbed some toast, even though she didn't usually eat breakfast. She didn't know when her next opportunity would be to eat so she took advantage of the time while she had it. After breakfast, she grabbed her oversized bag and headed out the door. As she closed the door behind her, it hit her. She was going to meet Troy Bolton. She could feel her heart start pounding and it was almost as if the world was spinning around her like a tornado. She recalled the last movie she saw him in…she saw Hairspray 12 times in the theater. She couldn't get enough of him. After being mesmerized by his talent, she found herself daily checking the celebrity blogs looking for new information about him; He was just so intriguing. She was starting to feel weak in the knees as her thoughts overtook her when her cell phone rang.

"Hello…" Gabriella said as her hand shakily held the phone to her ear.

"Gabby? You there?"

Her heart slowed down and she regained her strength as she heard her best friend's voice on the other end of the phone. Sharpay had been Gabriella's best friend since the first grade. They had been through everything together. There were many occasions that Gabriella wondered how she would survive without her.

"Sharpay! I am so glad to hear your voice!" Gabriella said as she sat down on the step outside her house.

"Hey, are you on your way yet?" Sharpay asked her in a 12-year old voice.

"I'm about to get in the car. I am freaking out Shar! What am I supposed to say to him assuming I get the chance, which is a very strong possibility, oh my God?" She rambled as she rubbed her forehead and checked the time.

"Ness, here is my piece of advice: Make sure to……"

Just then, Gabriella's cell phone died. She had been so excited about the day she completely forgot to charge it, which is not good. She cursed herself for forgetting and got in the car. She could at least charge it a little on the way to the set.

Her drive there consisted of wondering what Sharpay was going to say. Make sure not mention something? Or Make sure to have a breath mint because your breath smells a lot. Or Make sure to tell him you give really good head? What was it?

20 minutes later, she arrived. She parked her black Jeep in the assigned parking lot and climbed in to the van which would take her to the set. She fluffed her hair, grabbed a piece of gum, and checked her make-up before getting out of the van. She walked confidently in and was corralled to the room they were using for the read-thru. She was the first of the production assistants there. Glancing around the small, stuffy room, none of the cast members were there yet.

The next half hour whizzed by meeting new people until she finally met the 2nd Assistant Director. Brad was her "boss." He was the one she reported directly to and he seemed really cool.

"So, Gabriella, we have a small problem." Brad pulled her over to the corner of the room and sat her down.

This was it, she thought. I'm going to get fired before I even meet him. Oh God.

"Ok, what's the problem?" Gabriella asked trying to act like she wasn't freaking out inside!

"One of our assistants, Becca, backed out this morning and now we are short one." Brad said as he fumbled through some papers.

"So, what does this have to do with me? I am already an assistant." She said, really not understanding what it was Brad was trying to tell her.

"I want you to take her place. Would you be willing to consider this?" He asked her with a slight plead in his voice.

"Sure, I guess…but if we are both assistants then what's the difference in what I'm doing and what she was supposed to do??" Gabriella was really confused. She was being offered to take another girls place that was hired to do the exact same thing as her.

"Oh, I'm sorry Gabriella. Becca was not a production assistant. She was hired to be Mr. Bolton's personal assistant."

Whoa, whoa, whoa! She was being offered to follow Troy Bolton around for 40 days and do whatever he asks her to do? And she would be getting paid for this so it wasn't like stalking. WHAT??

Gabriella could tell that Brad was still talking. He seemed to be mumbling about why Becca quit but Gabriella could care less about that. She had to figure out how the hell she was supposed to handle something like this. She had so many emotions running through her that she didn't know which one she should portray on the outside. She really couldn't believe this was happening and was, honestly, more terrified than excited. She realized Brad had stopped talking and was looking at her like he was waiting for an answer. She had to say something quick….

"Can I think about it for a few minutes?"

What was she saying? Of course she would do it, but she wanted to seem professional.

"No problem. Just let me know after the read-thru. I gotta go check on some things but I'll see you in there." Brad disappeared into a hallway of people and Gabriella sat staring at the floor.

She realized she was going to have to convince herself that the 'Mr. Bolton' she was about to work for and the 'Troy Bolton' she Googled every day were two different people. That was the only way she could do this and keep her job. As she stood up and headed back to find her seat, she felt someone's shoulder brush past her. Well, she thought it was just a brush until she realized she was lying on her back in the middle of the floor with, what seemed to be a script, flying into the air and landing all over the room. Everything was almost happening in slow motion as she felt a strong force land on top of her. She heard a loud crack as she realized what had happened.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes.

There he was.

Her eyes melted into his beautiful blue pools and she found herself finding it hard to catch her breath.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked with a concerned look on his face.

She really was finding it hard to breathe as he starred at her. Then she realized that her right side was throbbing.

"Yea." she managed to get out. Troy scooted off of her and held out his hand to help her up. As Gabriella reached out, she winced at the growing pain in her side and slowly rose to her feet.

"Seriously, are you ok? I fell pretty hard of top of you." Troy said as he bent down to get a good look at her face.

"Yea. Really, I think I'm ok." She said as she tried to act normal. She was partly scattered because it was him, and partly because her side was getting worse.

"Ok, well, I'm really sorry about that. I guess I'll see you around." Troy extended his hand to shake hers.

As Gabriella's hand reached out to meet his, her side sent shooting pains through her entire body. She tried to hold it together but the weight of the pain was too much and she began to sink the floor. Troy reached out and caught her petite body in his arms, slowly lowering her to the floor. As the set nurse arrived, Troy backed away to give her plenty of room. He watched Gabriella lying there and, though he knew she would be okay, he longed to be holding her in his arms again. But how could that be? He didn't even know her name…

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! This is my first story and I am ready for your reviews! Suggestions welcome! Look for chapter 2 soon!