A/N: So… I wrote a multi-chaptered Gabriella/Sharpay fic. I've been very intrigued by this pairing for a while now and there's a lack of fanfiction for those two, so I thought I'd try to – at least partially – rectify that. Furthermore, the idea of an AU where Gabriella properly auditions for the musical has been swimming around my head for a while, and it's been very fun exploring that, even though the fic was a beast to write. This first chapter is still largely canon compliant with some small changes, but I hope it's still enjoyable!

As always, please leave a review, that makes my day! And you can find me on Tumblr at gabriellabolton (my main blog) and at bisexualsharpay (my HSM sideblog). Come yell at me about Gabpay and other HSM-related things!

New year. New semester. Yet another new school.

Gabriella sighs as she tightens her grip on her bag and attempts to ignore the nausea that has been plaguing her ever since she woke up this morning.

She hates doing this. She hates having to up and leave every single semester, every time she thinks she has finally settled in whatever place her mother has dragged her off to.

She doesn't blame her mother, though, for she knows that her mother has little say in all of these transfers. She just wishes things were different. She just wishes she felt at home somewhere, that she wouldn't have to feel so lonely all the time.

This new school is even worse than all the ones before, though. Sick and tired of all the transfers herself, her mother has made her employer promise that they won't have to move again until graduation. That means that Gabriella is going to be here for a year and a half. And she can't be the freaky math girl again. Not this time around. She refuses to be miserable. She has to make a fresh start.

She just has no idea how to do that.

She supposes she should have made a plan over the Christmas break, done some research about the school and the extracurricular activities it offers, but instead, she made the terrible decision to ignore her problems and focus her attention on a good book instead.

And then she got distracted from her book by karaoke. And a boy. A very cute boy.

They had been picked at random, and neither had wanted to sing – she had stage fright and he had told her later that he had a general lack of interest in music in general, even despite his beautiful voice. Yet both of them had found the experience strangely invigorating, and they had hit it off instantly.

For the next week, she hadn't been able to take her mind off what happened that night. She hadn't been able to believe that she, Gabriella Montez, would be up on stage and singing her heart out without fainting on the spot.

All because of those blue eyes.

However, even though she definitely can trace her enjoyment of that night to his presence, she also knows that it wasn't just because of him. She has been in desperate need to do something different, something crazy, for so long and that night, she finally managed to light that flame that's been trying to flicker inside of her.

If she could light that flame back then, she's sure she can do it now.

And as her mother told her, she just has to be herself.

She can do that. Probably. Maybe. Kind of.

So, with a deep breath, she steps into her new homeroom. Trying to move inconspicuously as possible, she pushes past a blonde girl dressed entirely in pink to take a seat in the back of the class, sighing with relief as she sits down.

She can do something different, but she can also just blend in and pretend she doesn't exist. That seems like a better, much safer plan. And it's one that she can pull off.

That is until the class quiets down and the homeroom teacher – an eccentrically dressed woman named Ms. Darbus – starts rollcall, which is the exact moment her phone suddenly starts ringing.

Feeling her face flush with embarrassment, she fishes her phone out of her bag, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she finds out who's calling her.

It's Troy from the ski lodge.

Why would he call her on a Monday morning during class? Isn't he supposed to be in school like her?

She barely notices as two other students dispose their cellphones in Ms. Darbus's bucket, before the woman appears before her, the older woman's eyes glinting with fury.

"I suppose we're going to get to know each other in detention, Ms. Montez," she barks, before raising her eyebrows as Gabriella stays frozen in horror for a moment, as the attention of the entire class seems to shift to her.

Her lip trembling with embarrassment, she slowly drops her phone into a bucket, and for a moment, she braces herself for the inevitable request to introduce her to the class.

It doesn't come. Instead, Ms. Darbus's attention has shifted, practically floating to the front of the classroom, where the blonde girl is sitting, next to a boy who looks a lot like... Troy?

"Mr. Bolton, it seems like your phone is involved, too. I'll see you in detention," Ms. Darbus says, and the boy sighs as his phone disappears as well.

Gabriella barely notices as another boy, with a giant afro, speaks up in a desperate bid to get his friend out of attention.

She never got Troy's last name that night at the ski lodge, but this Bolton boy, it's him. She's positive. She has thought about him too much not to recognize him. Maybe he recognized her, too, and that's why he called her.

Of course, she could just be wishing for it to be him, but she pushes that thought to the back of her mind.

If it is him, though, that would mean she can't disappear into the shadows like she wanted.

It also means that there's a constant reminder that she could just try to do something different, try to show more of herself, to try to keep that flame alive.

She doesn't know if that's a good thing, but a part of her finds it exciting.

So, as she watches the back of the boy's head for the rest of the period, wondering if he is or isn't Troy, the nervous jitters in her stomach turn pleasant.

Maybe this new start might not be so bad after all.

When the bell finally rings and Ms. Darbus finally stops lecturing the class about the evils of cellphones, there's only one thing on Gabriella's mind – find Troy.

In her determination to get out of the classroom, however, she doesn't watch where she's going and quickly bumps into something. Or rather someone.

As the person blocking her path turns around, Gabriella comes eye to eye with the pink blonde from before. Her hazelnut eyes are alight with fury and her lips are curled down into a scowl, but somehow, the only word Gabriella can think of is pretty.

She knows girls like her. They're always so physically perfect, so pretty that Gabriella finds it hard not to envy them, even despite her lack of interest in beauty.

However, it's not just this girl's physical beauty that strikes her. That coldness in the girl's eyes, she recognizes it and she dreads it. This girl could ruin her if they ever crossed paths. This girl needs to be avoided at all costs.

So, with an apologetic smile, Gabriella ducks her head and mutters a quick apology, before resuming her mission to find Troy.

Her mission is completed rather quickly, because she feels a hand land on her shoulder the minute she walks out of the classroom.

And when she turns around to meet a sea of blue she has dreamed of so much the past week, she can't help but smile.

She also can't help but notice how kind his eyes are, especially compared to the brown fury she just briefly experienced.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaims as a grin blossoms on his own face.

Suddenly, she feels giddy, like a little schoolgirl. "Me neither. I can't believe you live here. I couldn't find you at the lodge on New Year's Day."

Troy's grin only grows as he holds out his arm to lead the way. She quickly grabs the map of the school that Principal Matsui handed to her, before they start walking.

"Sorry I didn't call," he whispers in her ear as they move down the hallway. "I left first thing in the morning and then I got busy."

"It's okay," she says, before raising her eyebrows in amusement. "But why are you whispering?"

Troy blushes a little with embarrassment as his hand flies up to his neck. "I didn't tell my friends about what happened on New Year's Eve."

"Was it that embarrassing?" she teases him, but a part of her does worry. Maybe it didn't mean as much to him as it did to her.

However, that doubt quickly evaporates as their eyes lock again and Troy assures her, "No, I really, really enjoyed it."

She can sense that isn't everything, though. "But?"

"It's just that it's not my thing, I guess," Troy admits with a shrug as they enter the big hallway. With a grin, he points to a sign-up sheet on a bulletin. Musical Auditions, it reads.

"It seems like it is your thing, though, so I'm sure you'll want to sign up for the musical."

Gabriella bursts out laughing as she shakes her head furiously. Her? In a musical? That's insane. She'd collapse and die the minute she'd go up on stage.

"I told you I have stage fright. Besides, I'm not signing up for anything right now. I just want to get to know the school first."

She also still wishes to blend in and not draw attention to herself. Even though the plan seems to have failed already, as she's already captured Troy's attention, she'd like not to cause any further disturbances to the lives of the students of East High.

However, she can't help but feel intrigued by the musical. She did love how free she felt on stage with Troy, and she'd love to feel like that again.

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to sign up.

Or she could take the safer route and watch people on stage and live vicariously through them. She could definitely enjoy watching Troy in the musical.

So, raising an eyebrow, she tells him, "I'd definitely buy a ticket if you were in the show, though."

Troy laughs. "Impossible."

"What's impossible, Troy? I wouldn't think that word applies to you."

Both Troy and Gabriella look up at the presence of another voice, watching as a girl pops up from behind the bulletin board. Gabriella feels nervous as she realizes it's the pretty pink girl from before.

The girl's eyes runs over her for a second, before she smiles condescendingly. "Oh, you're showing around the new girl."

Then, she grabs a pen and turns to the sign-up sheet.

Gabriella sneaks a quick glance at a wildly uncomfortable Troy, before returning her attention to the sign-up sheet, where the girl's name now covers the entire pair's auditions section.

Sharpay Evans.

What a peculiar name.

Sharpay turns back to Troy and Gabriella, before her eyes widen. "Oh, you were going to sign up? You're welcome to, there's a lot of supporting roles."

Somehow, Gabriella doesn't believe that she's being earnest, especially as Sharpay smirks at her patronizingly.

Feeling Troy's alarmed eyes on her, Gabriella quickly shakes her head. "No, I'm just looking around."

Sharpay nods slowly, retaining her phony smile, but Gabriella can still see the suspicion in her eyes.

Gabriella just offers her a smile. "Well, I've gotta go. It was nice to meet you."

Then, she waves at Troy, and takes one last look at the sign-up sheet and Sharpay's name.

This girl is used to power, that much is obvious. But she's made a promise to herself. She's not going to let herself be walked over at this school.

Therefore, she casually comments, "Nice penmanship."

It's a quick comment, but it seems to work, for Sharpay's face falls, and Gabriella feels a sense of pride that she has gained the upper hand, even if just for a moment.

She throws Troy one last smile, before walking off. When she's at the end of the hallway, though, she can't help but turn back one more time to see Troy and Sharpay in conversation. However, Sharpay doesn't seem to be paying much attention, for her eyes, still furious, remain focused on Gabriella.

With a shake of her head, Gabriella turns back around and keeps walking.

It's definitely not a good thing that she's caught this girl's attention, she thinks.

But she's not going to let Sharpay get her down.

There's something about this new girl. Something suspicious, something freaky.

Since meeting her this morning, Sharpay hasn't been able to shake her and she doesn't know why.

Maybe it's how she was looking at the bulletin board earlier, when Troy Bolton – of all people! – was showing her around. Even though she denied profusely, Sharpay could tell that she was interested. She doesn't think she has anything to worry about, though, since she's a shoe-in for the lead as always, but she always feels fiercely protective of her drama club on the rare occasions an outsider tries to intrude.

It's just her natural instinct. There's nothing weird going on besides that.

Yet she can't quite seem to shake the sparkle in the girl's dark eyes. There's something in those eyes that Sharpay just doesn't trust, that sends a shiver down her spine.

So, as any rational person with a suspicion would do, she decides to follow up.

Glancing around the library to see if no one is watching what she's doing, she types in the two words that make up the name that's been sitting on her mind all day.

Gabriella Montez.

She watches as the results appear on the computer screen and her eyes widen as she clicks the first hit and the girl's face appear on screen.

Apparently, she won some big prize at an academic tournament. Apparently, Gabriella Montez is an Einsteinette.

That should ease her mind. Gabriella is a nerd. Nerds don't turn up at the musical auditions – well, at least not nerds of this kind. East High is a school of boxes, where everyone does what they're supposed to do, and anyone who would dare to step out of line would be punished recklessly by the hive mind. People like Gabriella are part of the chemistry club, not the drama club.

However, while this is comforting, it doesn't really answer any of her questions. It doesn't explain that look in her eyes or her possible interest in the musical or the fact that she's hanging out with Troy Bolton, the Wildcats basketball superstar.

Furthermore, a voice in her head whispers that how Gabriella doesn't know East High yet. She doesn't know about the status quo and what social rules she must obey. And Sharpay doesn't know what it was like at Gabriella's old school. Maybe the social hierarchies that exist here, didn't exist there.

Maybe she thinks she can be both in the science lab and on stage.

She needs to be taught that this is not a possibility here at East High. She needs a proper welcome.

She needs to be far away from the stage, she needs to be fit into a box that much better suits her interests.

It's a good thing Sharpay knows everything about everyone, because she knows a club that could make good use of Gabriella's talents.

So, she smirks at the screen as she prints out the article she found, finally feeling a little relieved as a plan forms in her mind.

She is going to help Gabriella and she is going to teach her a lesson.

And she knows exactly how to do that.

"The answer is yes!"

Sharpay perks up as she hears Taylor McKessie's excited voice ring through the theatre. Looking up from the prop she's been painting – damn Troy Bolton for inadvertently getting her in detention –, she watches as Gabriella Montez's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"How did you get that?" Gabriella replies, pointing to the papers in Taylor's hands, the ones that Sharpay had disposed in her locker.

A satisfied smirk grows on Sharpay's face as she recognizes the panic in Gabriella's voice. She has regained the upper hand.

Ignoring her brother's questioning eyes on her, Sharpay keeps watching Taylor and Gabriella as a hawk as Taylor animatedly tells Gabriella about the wonders of the scholastic decathlon in a desperate bid to get her to join.

Her little scheme is perfect, really, she thinks smugly. The scholastic decathlon will certainly be very welcoming to Gabriella, more welcoming than any other club will ever be, and the scholastic decathlon needs any help they can get to stay afloat. Furthermore, Gabriella will realize where she belongs and Sharpay won't have to worry about her intruding on the drama club she's put her heart and soul into all these years.

Gabriella wins, Taylor wins, Sharpay wins. It's a win-win-win situation.

However, it seems like it isn't working out as perfectly as she's expected, since Gabriella seems to be be having doubts about Taylor's offer.

"I still need to get caught up on the curriculum here, so I don't know if I have the time for extracurricular activities," Gabriella explains, while Taylor's face morphs into a disappointed frown.

Sharpay purses her lips. Okay, so Gabriella is not falling for her scheme without some intervention. Maybe she should step in, help Taylor steer her towards the right path.

So, putting on a smile, she walks over to the giant moon that Gabriella is painting. "Ah, I see you've met Taylor. She can certainly help you get to know the school!"

Then, she turns to an utterly confused Taylor. "You're so kind to help, Taylor!"

When she turns back to Gabriella with a smirk, she feels an uncomfortable shiver run over her again as Gabriella is staring at her again, her gaze just as penetrating and unnerving as earlier.

Of course Gabriella isn't a fool. She knows exactly what game Sharpay is playing. However, it's up to her to decide to play along or to go against the grain. Sharpay just hopes that Gabriella is smart enough to realize that she shouldn't make an enemy out of her.

After a moment of intense eye contact, Gabriella turns back to Taylor. "You know what, I am actually trying to get to know the school a bit better, so would it be okay if I just came and attended a meeting sometime? I'm not signing up for now, though."

Taylor squeals with excitement as she nods vigorously. "I'm going to make sure you'll love it!"

Gabriella smiles at Taylor, and Sharpay smiles, too, satisfied that her plan seems to have worked out after all, before turning around to walk back to her own prop.

"Wait."

Sharpay turns back and quirks an eyebrow as she faces Gabriella, who suddenly seems nervous.

"I was wondering if it's allowed to come watch the auditions?" Gabriella asks, her voice a little shaky, averting her gaze from Sharpay and casting her gaze downwards as she taps her foot nervously.

From the corner of her eye, Sharpay can see the surprise on Taylor's face, but Sharpay can't say she feels similarly.

If anything, she just feels more suspicious. She knew it. Gabriella is interested in the musical after all. This is bad. Really bad.

Gabriella was supposed to befriend Taylor McKessie and join the nerds and be right where she should be. She wasn't supposed to be show interest in both the scholastic decathlon and the musical. She wasn't supposed to intrude in places where doesn't belong.

Sharpay is going to make sure she knows she's not welcome.

"Well, usually, no one really comes to auditions unless they're auditioning and the deadline for signing up was an hour ago. Sorry."

Gabriella blinks, before nodding despondently. "I get it. I don't want to intrude. I just wanted to get to know the school, see something new."

Sharpay barks out a laugh, before shaking her head condescendingly. "We don't do new things at East High."

Gabriella frowns, appearing disappointed, before looking to Taylor, who nods in confirmation. Biting her lip, she asks curiously, "Why not?"

God, this girl doesn't give up. If she wasn't so annoying and acting against Sharpay's interests, Sharpay would almost respect her for her persistence.

"It's just the way things are," Sharpay responds curtly as she narrows her eyes at Gabriella in a menacing glare.

When Gabriella looks to Taylor again, who merely shrugs, and she sighs, before shaking her head. "Sorry, you're right. That was silly of me."

And that's the end of it. At least, that's what Sharpay hopes. Something tells her that it may not be as finished as she thinks.

Shooting Gabriella a fake smile, she says, "Well, if that's all, I have props to paint. It was nice talking to you, ladies."

And as she walks off with her head held high, she scoffs as she hears Taylor hiss, "What was that?"

She would like to know that, too.

When she arrives back at her prop and Ryan opens his mouth to say something, she just scowls and holds up a finger to stop him.

"Don't."

Then, she turns back to shoot Gabriella one last vicious glare.

She doesn't know what this girl's deal is, but she does know that she hates her.

Why did she ask Sharpay about the auditions?

Gabriella has come to this new school with one clear goal – to blend into the crowds and finish her high school career without any further harassment by her peers. It has been less than a day and she already knows that this is probably going to be impossible, and it's her own fault.

She already knew that she was going to catch more attention than she bargained for the minute she ran into Troy, but that doesn't mean she should actively aid in her own demise by bringing the wrath of the school's resident ice queen upon herself.

However, she supposes that it wasn't entirely her own fault, for she's certain that it's Sharpay who alerted Taylor McKessie to Gabriella's past, and that was before Sharpay had any reasonable worry about her.

She still shouldn't have any justified reasons to hate her, though, since Gabriella truly only wants to watch the auditions. New Year's Eve was a fluke and her church choir days are long behind her for a very good reason. The fact that she enjoyed that feeling of freedom when she sang with Troy doesn't mean that she wants to get up on stage again. She truly just wants to watch safely from the sidelines instead of becoming the centre of attention.

However, judging from the anger that's been growing in Sharpay's eyes with every meeting they've had, she knows that she doesn't believe a word Gabriella says. And as long as Sharpay is wary of her, Gabriella is catching unwanted attention.

Furthermore, she's also catching attention from Troy. She hasn't spoken to him since they ran into each other this morning, but she has seen him in the hallways multiple times, and each time, their eyes have met and she has felt a tidal wave of sparks ripple through her body.

She is also afraid of his attention, though, but not at all for the same reason she fears Sharpay. Sharpay scares her because she can destroy Gabriella's life, but Troy has the power to destroy her heart.

It scares her that she already has such strong feelings for him, especially when she doesn't know him. The only things she knows about him is that he has incredibly blue eyes, he can sing very well and he makes her feel at ease.

She doesn't know anything about his personality, his interests, his goals in life. She shouldn't feel this way about someone is practically a stranger to her.

Furthermore, his presence in her life is the reason why she has this inexplicable curiosity about the school musical. His presence is the reason why she acted so foolishly and caught the attention of the one person she should avoid.

At least, one good thing has come from it, though. Taylor.

Taylor might be pushy about Gabriella joining the decathlon, but she is also smart, friendly and helpful, and she's exactly the kind of friend that Gabriella could use at this school. Sharpay may have set them up with malign intent, but Gabriella is grateful to have Taylor by her side.

Perhaps Taylor could also ease her anxieties about the two people who have been plaguing her mind all day.

So, when they're walking out of the school at the end of the day, Gabriella decides to just ask.

"What do you know about Troy Bolton?"

Taylor's eyebrows shoot up. "Troy?"

When Gabriella shrugs and nods, Taylor lets out a laugh. "Well, I don't particularly like to concern myself with that particular subspecies, but you could say that Troy is a hottie superbomb."

"Hottie superbomb?" Gabriella repeats with an amused giggle as Taylor nods and rolls her eyes.

"I didn't coin that," she assures Gabriella, "but it's a good way to describe him. Other terms would include heartthrob, superstar, king of the campus. You know, all those terms they use to describe basketball captains who have their heads way too far up their asses."

Gabriella bites her lip. So, Troy is apparently very popular. She probably should have known, with him and his basketball-carrying friend being dragged off by the basketball coach during detention, and the rather extreme school spirit amongst students.

Yet she finds it hard to believe that this sweet, dorky boy she's met on New Year's Eve is as arrogant as Taylor says he is.

"He seems kind of nice," Gabriella comments, and Taylor scoffs and shakes her head.

"Trust me, he isn't," she says firmly, before pointing to the group of cheerleaders standing a yard away from them. "He only gives the time of day to girls who like to discuss their nailbeds."

Yet he gave Gabriella the time of day and she's definitely not type of the girl. And even though she can sense that Taylor is biased, this does make her feel insecure.

She feels like she can be herself around him, but what if being herself isn't enough?

"Seriously, though, you don't want to befriend Troy Bolton," Taylor continues, before pausing briefly and glancing at Gabriella cautiously. "And you don't want to befriend Sharpay Evans either."

Gabriella sighs heavily. Just as the detention debacle hasn't left her own thoughts, it's obvious that Taylor hasn't been able to let it go either.

"I'm just going to watch the auditions, nothing more," Gabriella reassures Taylor, who just purses her lips and shakes her head.

"Look, I'm just trying to look out for you," she says. "It's not just that I don't understand your interest, which I don't, but I know Sharpay. Even if you just sit in the audience of the auditions, she will see you as a threat and she will come after you. She's dangerous and you need to be careful."

There's a sense of genuine worry in Taylor's eyes and Gabriella musters a small, grateful smile in return. "I will, I promise."

She doesn't need Taylor to tell her that Sharpay is dangerous, though. She has already figured that out by herself. But for some reason, she just can't help herself.

She just hopes that this newfound and irrepressible curiosity about the musical won't cause her demise.