ps – i don't own anything (except my own ideas)

They were best friends all through elementary school.

They "dated" all through middle school.

But then high school hit and basketball got in the way. Every girl in the school all of a sudden found him hot and he quickly rose to the top of the social chain, leaving her and everything they had behind.

He was all she had, and now she had nothing. Gabriella could not believe Jake would do something like that to her, they were so close... Even two years later she was still a nobody, with few friends and only her grades to focus on. So when her mother told her they were moving to Albuquerque, she was thrilled to get the chance to start over.

When she met Troy Bolton, Gabriella got a new perspective on things. Troy Bolton was just like Jake Rivers only he was sweet and kind and respectful. He also got bonus points in her mind for being a good singer and (in her opinion) much more attractive than Jake. That one night she spent with him at the ski lodge helped her to believe that there were better things out there than Jake Rivers. Gabriella only hoped that she would see Troy again.

The end of Winter Break and the start of school came as a relief to her. It wasn't just because she disliked winter; Gabriella could not wait to start at East High School. The butterflies were definitely flying around in her stomach but as her mom pulled up to the school they eased. She took a deep breath, and stepped out onto the school grounds. Large, but manageable, she told herself about the campus.

Winter Break, a time to get refreshed, thought Sharpay Evans. Winter was her favourite time of year because she could spend the break at Lava Springs without getting bothered. Winter Break was her quiet time, and Sharpay loved every second of it. She was sitting in the passenger's seat while her twin brother Ryan drove them to East High School for their first day back. Sharpay had spent a few hours the night before picking out the perfect outfit to wear; she wanted to look perfect, to knock Troy's socks off. She and Troy had been flirtatious since the beginning of the school year and even hooked up once at one of Emily Talbot's parties. Over the break, Sharpay decided that she wanted their relationship to have the possibility of going somewhere; the challenge was seeing if he wanted the same thing. She was confident though, after all she was Sharpay Evans.

Now walking up to the school with Ryan on her left, she slid on her "Ice Queen Mask". This mask made her feel like she was on top of the world. It gave her the confidence to be the bitch-y rich girl that everyone expected her to be. With her head held high she came closer to the door, until, she wasn't on her feet anymore. Someone had run into her, knocking her and her things down to the ground.

"Oh my god! I am so, so sorry!" Sharpay looked up to see a small Hispanic girl on the ground with her babbling and gathering her things. Ryan reached down to help the spluttering girl up, Sharpay waited for him to help her up as well but he did not extend the same courtesy.

As she got up on her own, she turned to the girl who had still not stopped apologizing, "Watch where you're going next time." The girl started to introduce herself but it was too late, Sharpay had already turned on her heel and headed directly into the building.

Gabriella tried to introduce herself to the blonde girl but she was already gone. Instead, she settled for the girl's brother, "Hi, my name is Gabriella, I'm new here."

Ryan chuckled, "Obviously, any sane person from around here knows not to mess with Sharpay. Oh, excuse my manners, I'm Ryan."

Gabriella gave a small smile back, "I'll keep that in mind..."

The two talked their way into the school and realized they have some of the same classes together, including homeroom. Once they reached homeroom, Ryan took a seat next to Sharpay and Gabriella took one closer to the back of the class. This interrupted the silent flirting taking place between Sharpay and Troy.

Troy saw her when she walked in with Ryan, he thought she looked familiar but couldn't place his finger on it so he turned his attention back to Sharpay. He really did like Sharpay, they have been flirting for months now and when they hooked up at that party in November it made him look at her differently, in a good way. He knew how the school saw her, how everyone steered clear of "The Ice Queen". A year ago Troy would have agreed, but now he thinks otherwise. However, if he acted on this the status quo will be turned upside down or he would be totally shunned... He watched her flip her long blonde hair off her shoulder and shot her a flirtatious smile. She sent one back and some kind of fluttering went on in his stomach. Yeah, he thought. I might just like this girl. Chad is going to kill me...

The bell rang, Troy, still sitting on top of his desk got a better look at the familiar looking girl. In the background Ms. Darbus started talking in her "Theatre Voice", but Troy was too busy staring at the girl. "...Sign-up sheets will be in the lobby for new activities, Mr. Bolton." He turned around sliding into his seat sheepishly. It's her, from New Years, it has got to be. But what is she doing here? Troy could not pay attention to Ms. Darbus even after she had called his attention. Over Winter Break Troy and his family went to a ski lodge where they spent New Year's Eve. That was where he met Gabriella, and was forced to sing with her. She seemed like a very nice girl but was more interested in him than he was in her. Before he knew it, Troy had his phone in his hand and was calling her, just to make sure he wasn't losing it.

A phone started to ring and every member of the class took out their phone. "Ahh, the cell phone menace has returned to our crucible of learning," Darbus grabbed her 'phone bucket'. "Sharpay and Ryan, cell phones and I will see you in detention! We have zero tolerance for cell phones in class. So, we will get to know each other in detention. Cell phone! And welcome to East High Miss Montez. Mr. Bolton, I see your phone is involved. So, we will see you in detention as well."

And so it went on, Chad tried to protest Troy's detention sentence because of basketball practice but that just got him his own detention slip. Ms. Darbus gave many other students detention that day, just for opening their mouth at the wrong time.

After the bell rang, Troy caught up with Gabriella. They started talking and when they reached the sign-up board for the school musical, he joked about her signing up.

Sharpay had witnessed the entire thing and she was not all that impressed. She was the one who walks with Troy to their next class and everyone knows it. Now they were standing in front of the sign-up sheet for the school musical, which was her turf. What kind of game was he trying to play here? Walking around with the girl who knocked her over this morning; but he didn't know, she reminded herself.

Sharpay came around the corner, "Oh hi Troy, so nice of you to show our new classmate around." She took out a pink Sharpie and signed the sheet taking up a large amount of space. "I'm sorry were planning on signing up too? My brother and I have starred in all the schools productions, we really welcome newcomers. There are a lot of supporting roles, I'm sure we could find something for you," she really wanted to rub it into this girls face. Back off bitch—that was really what she was implying.

Apparently, Gabriella had realized and stepped up to the challenge. She wasn't the shy girl you would assume she was. She casually commented on the bulletin boards and how many activities went on at the school, and then she went after Sharpay's penmanship. Her tone was perfectly sweet, but her eyes said otherwise. They challenged Sharpay, saying "bring it, but I know that I will win". Gabriella stared her down as she walked away turning only at the last minute to shoot a flirty smile and wave at Troy.

Gabriella's flirting with Troy and challenging Sharpay went on for the rest of the year. It put a wedge between Troy and Sharpay, he never got to explore his feelings for her and by the end of the Winter Musicale they dissolved. In turn, he gained feelings for Gabriella and they started dating. They stayed together through graduation.

Sharpay never got her chance with Troy and this hurt her more than she would ever admit...well out loud.

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought!

xoxo