"Mel, what do mean you're breaking up with me?" Troy Bolton, asked, trying to keep his voice calm through the phone.

"I mean exactly that. I'm breaking up with you."

"But, why? You and I went on a date yesterday. You spent the night at my apartment. I made you breakfast this morning!"

Mel sighed, "Yeah, I don't know why I let get this far, and let it drag on this long."

"I'm so lost right now. Why are you breaking up with me?" Troy pushed his front door open to his penthouse apartment and closed it behind him. He threw his keys down onto his kitchen counter. He had a long day of practice and all he wanted to do was come home and go to sleep. Getting dumped via phone call was not a part of his plan.

"I'm just...not feeling this relationship right now. It isn't what it used to be."

Troy flopped down onto his couch. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not happy in this relationship any more. It's not you, it's me." Troy scoffed and pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the headache that was starting to form.

"Really?"

"Yes, look, I'll give you your key back and come my things from your apartment tomorrow, or the day after."

"Mel-" Troy was cut off by a click. She hung up on him. "Fuck."

There were three knocks at his door. Troy already knew who it was. "Come in."

Troy's best friends, Chad and Zeke, walked in. "Hey, Troy."

"Hi."

Chad picked up on Troy's sad demeanor. "What's wrong with you?"

"I just got dumped five seconds ago." Troy answered, tossing his phone into the air and catching it.

"By Melanie?"

"No, by my other girlfriend. Yes, by Melanie."

"Don't get snappy with me."

"I'm sorry. I just got dumped. Over the phone."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Why are you acting like this is such a loss? I'm going to say this in the kindest way possible, but Melanie Parks is a nothing more than a bitch. A gold digging, bitch."

Zeke slapped Chad's chest, "Dude! That's not nice."

"It's the truth! Melanie only dated Troy to be a basketball player's girlfriend. He's young, he's rich, he's successful. She got VIP treatment where ever she went, he took her on expensive dates, he got her expensive gifts. She didn't have a job!"

"She has a job."

"She is a professional free-loader."

"She's a model/actress."

Chad scoffed, "This is Los Angeles. Everyone is a "model", or an "actress"."

Troy grabbed a pillow and put it over his face. He groaned.

Zeke removed the pillow from Troy's face. "Come on now, let's not get depressed."

"Especially over someone like Melanie." Chad added.

"Chad, you aren't helping!"

"What do you want me to say? You guys know I don't like Melanie."

"Yeah, but you don't need to bad mouth her."

Troy got off of his couch, "Do whatever you want. I'm going to bed."

Chad grabbed Troy before he got too far away. "Whoa there, buddy. You can't go to bed."

"Why not?"

"We need to go out, and find you a super hot girl to hook with. We gotta get Melanie out of your system."

"I don't want to go out. I want to go to sleep."

"Yeah, and I didn't want to eat vegetables when I was a child, but did that stop my mom from feeding them to me? No."

"Chad did that have a point?"

"We can't all get what we want out of life, Bolton. So, go take a shower, and get dressed. We're going to a club."

"A club?"

"Yeah."

"Do I even have a choice in the matter?"

"No, not really. Go get ready."

Troy sighed in defeat. He knew he wasn't going to be able to win this argument. "Whatever you say."

Gabriella Montez was absolutely exhausted when she reached her bedroom. She had been up, running around Los Angeles all day for work, and she had just came back from the gym. Now she was laying face down in the middle of her bed.

Her phone rang, and she tried to extend her arm to get to her nightstand. It didn't work. She had to get up and move to reach her phone.

"Hello?" Gabriella greeted, not bothering to look at the caller I.D. before answering.

"Hey, it's me!" Gabriella's best friend, Taylor said.

"Hi Taylor."

"Why is your voice so muffled?" Taylor asked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm laying face down on my bed right now, and I have no intentions of moving."

"Why?"

"Because I'm tired."

"Why are you tired?"

"I just got home from the gym." Gabriella replied. "And I had a long day at work."

"Hey, you want to go out tonight?"

"No."

"Why, do you have plans?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I plan on taking a shower, making a box of macaroni, and then passing out until tomorrow morning."

"That does not sound fun."

"Yes it does."

"You can do that tomorrow. It's Friday night! And I have pretty good news."

Gabriella managed to roll over onto her back. "What's your good news, Tay?"

"Guess who got a job as Laura Wasser's assistant?"

Gabriella gasped, "Get out!" Laura Wasser was one kick-ass divorce attorney and Taylor idolized her.

"I'm super serious right now."

"Congrats Tay. I'm so happy for you."

"So go out with Sharpay and I."

"I don't want to go out."

"Yes, you do. You just don't know it yet."

"Trust me when I say I do."

Taylor huffed, "Sharpay and I will be at your place in 15 minutes."

"No, I'm-"

"See you soon. Bye!" Taylor hung up before Gabriella could finish her sentence.

Gabriella sighed, "Well, I guess I'm going out tonight."

"I'm so glad we did not have to wait in that long line to get in." Taylor said, holding hands with Sharpay and Gabriella, so they didn't get separated.

The trio was in the Avalon Club in Hollywood. Somehow the girls were able to force Gabriella out of her apartment. They really turned up the manipulation and begging.

"It's all thanks to Gabriella. All she had to do was smile and wink at the bouncer, and we were in."

Gabriella let go of her friends' hands and fixed her dress, which was riding her up thighs. "It's because you guys shoved me into this tight dress and my push-up bra."

"Well, it worked so the bra is good for something. Be glad your sister bought it for you."

"I'll call and thank her later."

"You guys want drinks?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella shook her head, "You aren't paying. We're out tonight to celebrate you. I'll pay."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Now what do you guys want?"

"Apple martini."

"Dirty martini."

"Great. I'll be right back." Gabriella walked away from her friends and towards the bar.

On the other side of the club, Chad and Zeke were eyeing the women that walked around them.

Chad subtly nodded to a girl who walked by. "Her?"

"She's ways too drunk." Troy said.

He tried a different girl. "That one?"

"I just saw her grinding on two different guys. It was like one big human grinding sandwich. No way in hell."

"Fine. The girl talking to the DJ. What about her?"

"No."

Chad groaned in frustration. "We're looking for a rebound girl, not a wife. Why are you being so damn picky?"

"I apologize for having standards."

"Standards and morals do not apply when it comes to the rebound girl. You pick a girl, you get drunk enough to consider going to her place, you sleep with her, and you leave before she wakes up. That's all."

Zeke slapped Troy's arm, and pointed. "There's a woman walking over to the bar. She's tall, she's wearing a white dress, and blue high heels."

Troy followed Zeke's finger and saw who he was talking about. The woman walked with fierce confidence. Her back straight, her head held high. Troy liked that.

"Alright. I'll go see."

Chad gave Troy a pat on the back, "Go get her, tiger."

Troy got out of his chair and walked over to the bar. He sat close enough to where he could see the woman, but not close enough to where he was practically breathing down her neck.

He grabbed his wallet and pulled out his credit card. He motioned for the bartender to come over to him. "Whatever she is buying," He pointed to who he was talking about, "I'll pay for it."

The bartender took the card out of Troy's hand and checked the name, "Sir thing, Mr. Bolton."

"Thank you."

Gabriella impatiently tapped the heel of her shoe against the bar stool she was sitting on and sighed. The bartender was in the middle of making her drinks, when he just stopped. Someone had to notice that the bartender was busy, but did that stop them? No. Rude person.

Finally, the bartender put the drinks on the counter top. "We have an apple martini, a dirty martini, and a blue cosmo."

Gabriella held up her clutch purse, "How much?"

"It's covered."

"What do you mean it's covered? Are drinks free tonight?"

The bartender pointed to Troy, who was sitting a few stools away from her. "He paid for your drinks. Somebody is a very lucky lady." He walked away from Gabriella, and over to someone else.

Gabriella turned her head to the side and saw Troy walking towards her. "Hi."

"I can buy my own drinks." Gabriella said.

"I just wanted to be nice."

"Well thank you." Gabriella slid off of the stool and grabbed all of her glasses. Troy gently grabbed her upper arm. "Yes?"

"Can I get your name, angel face?"

"Gabriella." Gabriella replied.

"Hi Gabriella, I'm Troy."

"Hello Troy. Thanks for the drinks, but I have to get these drinks back to my friends."

"Why don't you get your friends and come hang out with me and my friends?" Troy suggested.

Gabriella shook her head, "Sorry, we're having a girl's night out. No guys allowed. Maybe next time."

Troy gave her a pout, "Oh alright. Have a good night, Gabriella."

"Thank you. You too Troy."

Gabriella walked back over to Sharpay and Taylor, who were sitting at a table. Sharpay grabbed her drink.

"Finally! What took you so long?"

"I just met Troy Bolton." Gabriella said, taking a sip of her drink.

Sharpay's eyes widened. She didn't know how Gabriella could drop a bombshell like that and remain so nonchalant. "Troy Bolton. Like the basketball player, Troy Bolton?"

Gabriella nodded, "Yeah, he actually bought the drinks for me, and asked if I wanted to sit with him and his friends."

"So, we're about to go over and sit with him, right?"

"No."

"No?" Taylor's jaw dropped. "What do you mean?"

"You guys dragged me out of my warm, comfy apartment for a girl's night. Emphasis on the word girl."

Taylor scoffed, "And we also have you wear that bra to get us free drinks and VIP treatment. It was totally working in our favor, and you had to ruin it."

"Yeah, if a young, hot, tall, successful, hot, athlete wants us to sit with him, who are you to decline?" Sharpay asked. "How dare you?"

"You said hot, twice, Shar."

"Because he's that hot. And really tall. And God, I so hate you right now, Gabriella."

"If you want to go over there so badly, go over there."

"I can't. You don't just go to the VIP section, and demand to hang out with athletes. It doesn't happen like that, Gabriella. We had an in, and you decided not to use it! Have I told you that I hated you right now?"

Gabriella nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, you told me."

"Because it's true! I hate you that much right

"She turned you down?" Chad asked, incredulously. "She turned you down?"

Troy nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "Yup."

"After you bought her drinks?" Troy nodded again. "How rude of her."

"It's alright."

"Well was she attractive?"

"She is extremely attractive. Tall, extremely defined cheekbones, big eyes."

"Somebody's smitten." Zeke teased in a sing-song voice.

"No, I'm not smitten."

"Sure, you aren't."

"I'm not! But she seems like she's extremely...independent, and headstrong. I like that."

Zeke turned to Chad, "He's in love. Or lust."

Troy was about to reply when he Gabriella out of the corner of his eye. She was walking back to the bar with two other guys. "Hey Gabriella!"

Gabriella turned around, trying to figure out who was calling her name. She spotted Troy. "Yeah?"

"Where you going?"

"To the bar. You wanna buy me more drinks?" Gabriella asked, smirking teasingly.

Chad stood up, "Are you sure you don't want to hang out with us? There's a lot of space, and all this alcohol."

"No we're-" Before Gabriella could even finish her sentence, Taylor's hand clamped down over her mouth.

"Don't listen to her. She hit her head a few days ago and has been a little lost ever since. Of course we want to." Gabriella bit Taylor's finger. Taylor pinched Gabriella's arm, and they let each other go.

Chad motioned to the bouncer, "Let 'em in." The bouncer removed the rope. "Come on girls."

Sharpay squealed and excitedly walked over to Chad. Taylor and then Gabriella followed suit.

Gabriella looked at the time on her cell phone. 3:49 in the morning. She groaned. She had not intended on staying out this late, especially against her will.

Sharpay and Taylor had gotten completely trashed, so Gabriella was the designated driver, unfortunately. They were shamelessly flirting with Chad and Zeke, which left Gabriella and Troy.

Gabriella didn't really mind Troy. He was extremely nice, and funny. She just wasn't interested in throwing herself at a professional athlete like 99% of the women in the club.

"Gabriella, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem a little...irritated."

"Sorry. I'm just tired, it's late, and I didn't want to go out tonight." Gabriella said, running her hand through her hair.

"Really? Me either! My friends dragged me out of my apartment."

"Mine too." Gabriella laughed. "We're like lost souls."

"So what do you do for a living?" Troy asked Gabriella, snapping her out of her trance.

"I'm an event planner." Gabriella answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so if you ever want to throw a party, contact me."

"I will."

"So what do you do for a living?"

Troy almost asked Gabriella if she was serious when he saw the teasing look in her eyes. "I'm a circus clown."

"I happen to love clowns. They're so cute."

"Aw thanks."

"Gabriella!" Sharpay exclaimed, stumbling over to her fried. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek. She then turned to Troy. "This girl is one of my best friends and I love her like infinity times."

Troy chuckled, "Is that so?"

"Yeah."

Gabriella turned her head away from Sharpay's. "Ugh, you reek of vodka. It's time to get going."

"I don't want to go. Zeke and I were talking."

"Get his phone number, Sharpay."

Sharpay lifted up her shirt and pointed to her stomach. There was a phone number written on it. "I got it."

"Alright. Now go talk to Taylor."

"Yeah, Taylor's fun to talk to." Sharpay walked away from Gabriella and Troy and over to where Taylor was sitting.

Gabriella stood up, "Well this has been fun, but it's time to go home."

"Can I ever see you again?"

"No."

"No?"

"Look, last time I heard, you had a girlfriend. She was in a really crappy Lifetime movie. And I am not going to be a home wrecker, or a groupie who follows you around like a lost puppy."

"Well my girlfriend dumped me."

"I don't want to be the rebound girl."

Troy frowned. This girl was stubborn. "I think you're interesting. And funny, and witty. I would just like to talk to you more."

"You aren't getting my phone number either."

"You're killing me, angel face."

Gabriella opened her clutch and pulled out a business card. She handed it to Troy. "You can e-mail me."

Troy looked down at the card, "This is your business e-mail."

"Yeah." She leaned over to Troy. "You want my number, you gotta earn it. And if you're lucky, I'll follow you on Twitter."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed."

"Bye." Gabriella grabbed her friends and waved to Chad and Zeke. "Bye boys."

Zeke waved, "Bye."

Troy watched as Gabriella walked away. Chad walked over to him. "She sure is something, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

"I like her. She's a firecracker, that one."

Troy slipped her card into his pocket. "I like her, too. I like her a lot."

"What about Melanie."

Troy turned to Chad and smirked, "Melanie, who?"

Chad grinned, "Atta boy."