A/N: I'm well aware that most of you hate me. But, I can't help the fact that I get tired of writing stuff. Which is why I have gotten ahead on this story.  I really hope you enjoy it

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The College Years

Chapter One "The Neighbor"

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Gabriella Montez had always been perceived as perfect. She had never been to a party. She had never done drugs. She had never had sex. She had never had even a tiny sip of alcohol. She had never really seen the point to all of that stuff. It had earned her the best GPA though. Her tuition would be paid for at any school she had chosen.

That was when things got slightly messy. Gabriella had not decided to go to Princeton, Yale, or Harvard. Instead she had chosen the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. No one understood her reasoning.

Her freshman year had been slightly rough for her. She had never spent more than three days away from her best friend, Taylor McKessie. Here she was thousands of miles away from her for at least four years. Making friends was not simple due to the fact that she wasn't interested in parties. She had gotten rather close with her dorm mate, Sharpay Evans though. Sharpay was the cutest thing Gabriella had ever seen. She had the classic southern accent yet she was a complete drama queen. Sharpay's twin brother, Ryan, was also a good friend.

This year was slightly different though. She had decided to not stay in a dorm. Gabriella, Sharpay, and Ryan had gotten a cute apartment in town.

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"Gabs, set that box in my room?" Ryan asked. They were almost finished moving in and Gabi was so ready to take a nap. She had not done so much physical work in years.

"Sure," she replied with a smile. After dropping the box in his room she headed to her own room. They were extremely lucky to have found a three bedroom apartment near campus. They had gotten it at exactly the right time, thanks to Sharpay and Ryan's dad. He was willing to do anything to keep his children close to home.

Gabriella sighed as she fell backwards on to her unmade bed. Usually she would have been freaking out due to the mess around her room, but at this point she was too tired to care. She was asleep within two minutes.

She was disturbed from her peaceful slumber about an hour later. She heard an unfamiliar voice in the apartment. It would have scared her if she hadn't also heard Ryan's laughter. She slowly got up and 

fumbled into the living room. When her eyes met those perfect blue ones of the stranger, her breath stopped.

"Oh, Gabs, meet our neighbor, Troy. He stopped by to give us some cookies," Ryan smiled.

Gabriella smiled nervously as she sat down on the couch. "Hi, Troy, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said coyly.

Troy grinned at her, "The pleasure is all mine," he replied.

The three of them made small talk while munching on the cookies Troy had bought. He had confessed that they were store bought, but Gabi didn't care. She discovered that Troy was her age. He had grown up in Moundville, Alabama which was just south of Tuscaloosa. He was going to school to be a basketball coach.

His voice was what drove her mad though. After a year in the south one would think she was used to that sexy southern accent, but something about his long draw sent chill bumps down her spine.

Ryan could tell that there was an attraction between the two. He made up some lame excuse to disappear into his bedroom.

"So, Gabriella, do you like the south?" Troy asked.

She smiled, "I love the south. I'm pretty sure that I should have been born here," she giggled.

"I like it here. It's a lot easier to have morals in the south. Everyone goes to church on Sunday morning so it isn't expected for you to be out partying every night."

Gabi's smile grew and her eyes brightened, "Oh my gosh! I know exactly what you mean. I was the only one in my high school that had never been to a party. I'm just not in to that stuff."

Troy smiled "We're soul mates," he joked.

--

The next morning Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, and Troy headed to campus to get their books. Ryan had asked Troy to tag along. Gabriella could tell that Ryan had some sort of plan to get her and Troy together. She just hoped it wouldn't back fire.

After they had purchased all of their books, Ryan suggested that they go grab a bite for lunch. He didn't wait for anyone to answer. He took them to Pepito's, a small Mexican restaurant on the strip.

"I'm so ready to start class," Gabriella smiled.

"You would be ready," Ryan sighed. "I wish that the summer would never end."

"Same here," Sharpay agreed.



"I like the summer, but I'm ready to get college finished," Troy shrugged. "I guess I'm on Gabriella's side."

Ryan smirked in Gabriella's direction, causing her to blush. Just then, Troy's cell phone went off. He looked at the caller id and quickly excused himself.

"Gabs, he totally likes you," Ryan whispered after Troy was out of ear shot.

"I bet he doesn't. I bet that's his girlfriend calling,"

Ryan rolled his eyes as Troy returned. Something was obviously wrong by the worried look in his eyes.

"Guys, I really hate to ask this. But, I need to get to the hospital," he said in a panic.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

"Can I explain in the car? I really need to get there."

Ryan didn't hesitate. He jumped out of the booth and sprinted for the door. Sharpay threw a twenty dollar bill on the table as she and Gabriella followed the boys to the car. Once they were on their way to DCH Medical Center, Troy quickly began to explain that his mom and little sister had been in some sort of car accident. His dad hadn't known much other than the fact that they would be arriving at DCH immediately.

When the group arrived at the hospital, Troy thanked them for the ride and said it wasn't necessary for them to wait.

"I feel bad leaving him," Gabriella said as they pulled away.

"Do you want to go sit with him?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, I do as a matter of fact."

That's exactly what Gabriella did to. Once she was in the emergency room waiting area, she spotted Troy sitting alone in a corner. She rushed over to him and was shocked to see the smile that she brought to his face.

"You came back?" he asked. "You're going to be awfully bored sitting out here," he mused.

"Well, we're friends, right?" she asked.

"I guess you could put it like that," he laughed.

"This is what friends are for."

"Gabi, you're a keeper," Troy smiled.