"Troy, man!" Chad Danforth called to his best friend of thirteen years.

"Hey, bro!" Troy replied, enthusiastically, turning around. They did their secret handshake. "How was your summer, man?"

"Dude," Chad laughed, "We hung out like four times a week."

"Gabriella!" Troy yelled across the hall, getting momentarily distracted. The brunette beauty stood only about ten feet away, giggling with her friend, Taylor McKessie. Her long, brown curls cascaded down her back, her eyelashes were long and her eyes a dark chocolate brown.

Her face lit up as she looked for the source of the familiar voice. His cobalt blue eyes pierced her, as if seeing straight through to her soul. "Hey, Troy," she smiled sweetly as he approached her.

He was captured by her beauty as she wrapped her arms around his torso. He inhaled the sweet scent of her strawberry shampoo, a smell he had grown to love over the years. "Best buddy, I missed you. I haven't seen you since… yesterday."

Troy laughed and she giggled softly. Chad rolled his eyes. Those two were obviously in love. Why couldn't they figure that out? Was it honestly that hard? Her giggle slowly died away. Troy started to miss it immediately. It was music to his ears. Corny, right?

Yes, it was true. Troy Bolton was in love with one of his best friends. Hey, but they always said December babies fell easily for their best friends, didn't they? He sighed as she untangled herself from him. Troy grinned at her.

"Troysiekins!" A high-pitched voice squealed.

Troy groaned as he turned around. Sharpay Evans ran at him furiously and flung her arms around his neck, throwing herself at him. That was his girlfriend. Why, you may ask, did Troy Bolton have a girlfriend if he was in love with someone else? Well, you see, Troy felt that he wasn't good enough for Gabriella, so he tried to move on. It didn't work, obviously.

"Hi, Shar," he said. She kissed him full on the lips.

Gabriella frowned and turned back to her locker. "See you later," she told Troy, avoiding his eye, as she grabbed her books, slammed her locker, turned on her heel, and disappeared into the crowd of swarming people.

"Bye," he called after her. He watched her go.

"So, Troysie, what do you have planned for us today?" Sharpay asked, as she slid her hand into Troy's. Her fingers weren't as warm and soft as Gabriella's.

"Um," Troy replied. "I was actually thinking that I could maybe hang with my other friends today."

"You mean Gabriella, don't you?" Sharpay demanded.

"Well, I sorta promised her that we could go get pizza after school." Troy told her.

"Sounds great. Mind I if come with?" Sharpay asked, with a fake sweet smile. She could not let them be alone together. Gabriella was slowly rising to the top and becoming more and more popular and if she dated Troy, oh, she couldn't imagine how popular that would make her. That's why Sharpay set her eyes on Troy. She knew he was in love with Gabriella, and vice versa. It was the most obvious thing in the world, but oblivious to those two.

"Sure, but let me check with Gabriella."

"Look, there she is. Let's just ask her now," Sharpay said as the two ran to catch up with her.

"Hey, Brie," Troy greeted her for the second time that day.

"Hi," she replied, as she spun around, a smile on her face. It faded when she saw who he was standing with.

Sharpay gave her a fake sweet smile, in which Gabriella returned.

"I was wondering if, you know, Sharpay could come with us to get pizza after school?"

"Of course," Gabriella gave them both a fake smile. "The door's always open in the friendship club."

"Oh, and do you mind if I bring Ryan? He kind of has a thing for you."

"What?" Gabriella asked. "Really? For me?"

Troy's jaw dropped. But he swallowed hard and tried to act like it didn't bother him.

"Yeah, you're all he talks about. He wants to ask you out, but, he's never found the right moment. Tonight would be perfect."

"You're kidding," Gabriella breathed. A boy had never liked her before. At least, not that she'd known of. Of course, she'd like tons of boys, but they never liked her back. Troy was an example. She loved him, she really did, but she figured that it wouldn't hurt to go out with Ryan. He was smart, sweet, talented, and good-looking, so why not? What was there to lose? It's not like Troy was changing him mind about her any times soon.

"No, dead serious," Sharpay replied. "Ask him."

As if on cue, Ryan walked past them in the hallway. Sharpay grabbed him by his elbow. "Yes, Sharpay, I'll carry you're books," he said as he held his arms out.

She smacked him on his head. "Don't be silly. I don't want you to carry my books. Troy's going to do that, aren't you, Troy?"

"I am?" He asked, looking confused. "Oh, right, I am."

Gabriella giggled as Sharpay pushed her books on top of Troy's stack.

"Remember when you told me that you were crushing on Gabriella?"

"No?" Ryan said. He thought Gabriella was good-looking and all, but he didn't like her like that.

"Yes, you did," Sharpay demanded, in a harsh whisper.

"Oh, right," Ryan said. "I forgot. Must've slipped my mind. Silly me."

"We're going to get pizza after school. Wanna come with?" Gabriella asked.

Ryan smiled. "Sure. Sounds like fun." And with that, he turned and went to class.

"Okay, see you guys around 3:30," Gabriella said cheerfully as she also turned and went to class.

Troy turned to Sharpay. "Does Ryan really have a thing for her?"

"Duh," Sharpay said. "Don't you think they'd make a cute couple?"

"Of course," Troy said, forcing a fake smile. That smile pained him. This felt like the hardest thing he'd ever gone through in his life.

"So, I was wondering, what all do you know about Gabriella?" Sharpay needed things. She needed her darkest and deepest secrets. She needed something that would break down Gabriella and take her popularity down with her.

"Most likely, anything you ask me." Troy laughed. "After all, she is one of my two best friends. And she has been since we were like, seven."

"That's what… nine years?" Sharpay asked. "That's a long time. So I'm sure you know a lot about her." If Troy couldn't give her the info she needed, that's where Ryan came in. She'd use his fake crush on Gabriella and tell him to ask her out. Of course she would say yes, because she'd think that Troy didn't feel the same. It was all working out as planned.

"Yeah, I do. Where are you going with this?" Troy asked, as they entered homeroom.

Gabriella was sitting in the back of the room, where she always sat. Troy took his assigned seat in the front and Sharpay sat on his desk. "What was she like as a kid?"

"Well, she was like any other kid. We played stupid games like superheroes and stuff with Chad and she moved away to Minnesota when we were like 12. But we still kept in touch and she called me one night and said that she was moving back. I think we were like 13 by that time."

"Uh huh," Sharpay said. "And do you know if she's a virgin?"

Troy coughed and seemed to be having trouble managing words. "I don't know." He spluttered. He certainly hoped so. She didn't seem like the kind of girl to sleep around.

"Did she have any past boyfriends?"

"Not that I know of," Troy said.

"Miss Evans," Miss Darbus, their teacher ordered. "Take you seat."

"Yes, ma'am," Sharpay said as she took her seat two rows away from Troy.

Troy looked back at Gabriella. She blushed furiously. He grinned. She waved.

"Mr. Bolton, is there something you'd like to share?"

"No, Miss Darbus," Troy said, looking up at her.

"Miss Montez?"

"No," Gabriella shrugged.

"Very well then." She continued. "Today we'll be doing an exercise to broaden your minds. To wake you up and ready you for the long and restless day ahead…"