Troy Bolton knew from the day he met Gabriella Montez at the New Year's Eve Party that she was one of a kind. She wasn't like other girls. She was extremely intelligent, sweet, caring, talented, and overall beautiful. She wasn't like all the other girls at East High, who merely fell in love with him just because he was the star basketball player, but because for him. She was only person who saw the real Troy Bolton, which made him fell in love with her more. Yes, love. Troy Bolton was in love with Gabriella Montez. Ever since she and Troy auditioned for the winter musicale, the school's status quo went off balance, and people weren't sticking with their respective group. With the callbacks, the game, and the Scholastic Decathlon, things went out of hand. But after the game, they knew they were in this together. Now that the whole tornado of events died down, all Troy had to do was confess. But how?
"TROY!"
Tryo flinched and looked at his best friend since kindergarten, Chad Danforth. "Dude, I've been calling your name for ages! What are you thinking about?" he asked, then smirked knowingly. "Oh wait, I know! You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Troy's cheeks turn pink as Chad howled with laughter.
"Shut up, Danforth!" Troy muttered.
"Hey, I'm not the one who's laving girl problems!" Chad pointed out, still laughing.
"Who's having girl problems?" Zeke asked, walking over to them.
"Troy. He's thinking about you-know-who again," Chad explained. Zeke looked at Troy, who was fiddling with the basketball in his hands. "You still haven't told you?" Zeke asked, his eyebrows raised. "What happened to 'I'm going to tell her at the after party?'"
"Yeah, bro. What are you waiting for?" Jason asked, who was listening to the conversation.
"Well, I was gonna tell her, but someone had to come in and ruin the moment." Troy said. Troy, Zeke and Jason looked at Chad, who looked pretty lost. 'What? What did I do?" he asked. The boys nodded and walked out of the gym. "Look, dude, you need to make a move already. Chad's with Taylor, Jason's with Kelsi, I'm with Sharpay. What about you?"
"I know!" Troy yelled, then sighed and lowered his voice. "I know. But every time, I try to tell her, we somehow get interrupted. Then the mood's ruined"
Chad nodded and patted his best friend's back. "Well, I don't know about these interruptions, but I do know that we're here for you," Chad says, then digs into Zeke's bag and took out a bowl of cookies. "Let's eat. I'm starving." The boys agreed and helped themselves to the delicious chocolate chip cookies.
"Dude, you have got to tell me what makes your food so good," Chad said.
"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Zeke joked.
Troy chuckled and ate his cookies. He couldn't bake to save his life. The last time he tried, the home ec lab was on fire. And he was trying to bake brownies! But Zeke was a different story. The guy was a genius when it came to cookies. No one could resist Zeke's cooking. They'd have to be really dumb to not like it. Maybe, just maybe…
"I got it!" he exclaimed, shocking the boys. "I know how to ask Gabriella out!"
"You do?" Chad asked. "How?"
"Zeke, do you think you could make some sugar cookies with dash of East High Wildcat style by tomorrow?" Troy asked.
"Sure, bro. But what does cookies have to do with you asking out Gabriella?" Zeke asked, confused.
Troy smirked and walked out of the gym, leaving the boys confused. "Uh, what just happened?" Jason asked. Chad shrugged and made a three pointer shoot. "Score!" the afro haired boy cheered.
The next day, Gabriella Montez was making her way to East High with her friends Taylor McKessie, Kelsi Nielson, Sharpay Evans (the girls have decided to reconcile and a friendship was formed during the after party) and Martha Cox. The girls walked into the school building when Sharpay looked at Gabriella.
"So Gabriella, did you tell Troy that you like him?" the blonde asked.
Gabriella sighed and shook her head no. "Girl, what are you waiting for?" Taylor asked. "You practically have him at your fingertips. In fact, everyone at school thought you'd be together after the callbacks." Gabriella smiled as she remembered her and Troy singing "Breaking Free" in front of the entire school. If you asked for to sing in front of the entire school population, she would have blushed and turn down your offer. But when she met Troy, it was a whole different story. The moment the two met at the New Year's Eve party, they knew that the start of something new was coming.
"You know, I expected better from you, Montez," Martha teased her. "For someone so brainy and beautiful, you still haven't come up with a plan, or idea, to confess to Troy. Shame."
"She's right. This is Troy Bolton we're talking about. Star basketball player in East High," Sharpay pointed out. "What is it that you're scared of?"
Gabriella sighed and looked at her friends. "Well, it's just that we've became such good friends lately, and I'm worried that if I tell him how I feel, it will only ruin the bond we have," she explained. "Besides, what if he doesn't like me? I won't only be rejected, but utterly embarrassed, too."
"Troy's not the kind of guy to embarrass someone," Kelsi assured you. "He's too nice to do something that."
Gabriella nodded and opened her locker. A piece of paper fell from the locker and Gabriella picked it up and read it. "'Hello, beautiful. Did anyone tell you how beautiful you look when the Albuquerque sun makes your skin glistens off your beautiful skin?-Troy,'" she said.
"Troy wrote that?" Sharpay cried, grabbing the note from Gabriella's hands and reading the note. A pair of hands covered her eyes and a familiar voice purred out "Guess who?" Gabriella giggled and pretended to gasp. "Zac Efron?" she teased.
"No. Guess again," he said. "I'll give you a hint: This could be the start of something new. It feels so right to be here with you, oh."
And now, looking in your eyes, I feel in my heart. The start of something new," Gabriella chimed in, giggling. "Hello, Troy Bolton. Your note was very sweet. I love it." Troy removed his hands and turned around, locking his eyes with hers. "Well, I'm glad, because that's just the appetizers. Which reminds me," he smiled mischievously and handed her a red gift bag. "This is for you, Brie." Gabriella beamed and blushed a bit when Troy called her by her new nickname and dug her hand in the bag. She pulled a stuffed animal plushie of the school's mascot and she hugged it close to her chest.
"Wildcat, I love it! Thank you!" she cried, pulling the boy into a hug.
"Thought you could have some East High Wildcat spirit in your room. It's dull," he joked, putting on a serious face.
"Wildcat, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever given me, Thank you," she said. The two gazed at each other, slowly inching closer together. Their lips were centimeters apart, eyes closed, when once again, Chad interrupted the sweet sentimental moment.
"Hey, bro, ladies! What's going on?" Chad exclaimed.
"Nothing anymore," Troy snapped, glaring at his friend. Chad looked at him, confused, and at Taylor. "Come on, Chad. We have to talk," she said, taking his hand and leading him down the wall. The group watch then walk away and heard Chad say "What did I do?"
"Anyways, I gotta go pick up something from Zeke," he said. He leaned down and softly kissed Gabriella's forehead, which made her heartbeat quicken. He pulled away and winked. "Later, Brie!" Gabriella waved goodbye and leaned against the locker.
"Um, hello? Remember us?" Kelsi asked, breaking Gabriella from her daydream. "Still here."
"Recorded the entire encounter with you and Troy," Sharpay added.
"D-did you really?" Gabriella asked, blushing. Sharpay giggled and held up her phone. "Oh, this is gold. And totally going on my Facebook!" Gabriella blushed and decided to occupy herself by looking through the bag once more, and found a note at the bottom of the bag. She opened it and read the message inside.
Meet me at our secret place during free period. I have something to tell you
-Troy
"Wonder what he wants," Sharpay said, looking over her shoulder. Gabriella shrugged and smiled. The bell rang, and the girls sighed to each other. "Come on, we're gonna be late for homeroom," she said. The girls agreed and walked down the hall to their homeroom class.
At last, free period came and Gabriella immediately rushed out of her English class. She ran up the stairs that led to the rooftop garden and a smile immediately came to her face. She walked over to Troy, whose back was facing her and stood there silently to her him sing.
We're soarin', flyin'
There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach
"If we're trying, so we're breaking free," Gabriella chimed in. Troy turned around and smiled when he caught sight of her. Gabriella felt her stomach do a somersault, and she sad to fight the urge to collapse. "It feels like only yesterday we scored a triple win."
"Yeah, I still can't get over that," Troy chuckled. "Before I met you, I was Troy Bolton, the playmaker, the star basketball player. And now-"
"You're Troy Bolton, the guy who made the callbacks, won the game, and the sweetest friend a girl can ever ask for," Gabriella finished. Troy smiled and took her hand, and for a moment, Gabriella's heart skipped a beat. She looked at him and drowned herself in his gentle blue eyes. "I'm glad that I met you. None of this would have happened if I never met you."
"Troy," she whispered.
Troy sat her down and dug his hand into his backpack. "You know, I thought we could talk," he said, pausing dramatically and taking out a bowl. "Over some treats." He topped the cover off and Gabriella peered in the bowl and she nearly drooled at the sight. They were sugar cookies with red frosting with the Wildcat logo sketched on the treat in red and black.
"And yes, Zeke made it," Troy said.
Gabriella giggled and took a cookie. She savored the sweetness the minute she bit into it and looked at Troy suspiciously. "Okay, Wildcat. You're up to something," Gabriella said. Troy gasped and put his hands on his chest. "Why, whatever gave you that impression?" he teased. Gabriella smiled and gently shoved him. "Seriously, Troy. You give me a plushie, cookies and now this. Is something on your mind?" Troy looked at her for a while and sighed.
"Gabriella, there's something I need to tell you," he started.
Gabriella noticed the nervousness on his face, and nodded. "I don't know where to start. Ever since we met at that party at the ski lodge, I knew there was something special about you. You're not like all the other girls here at East High. You're not only Einstein smart, but you're sweet, caring, compassionate, loving, beautiful and really talented. I've never met anyone like you before. You saw the real me, not the playmaker or the star basketball player, but me. And honestly, I love you," he admitted. He stopped to brush a strand of hair off of Gabriella's hair and caressed her tear stained cheek. "These past three weeks have been crazy, but I'm glad I got to spend time with you."
"Troy," Gabriella choked out, but didn't say anything. "Okay, before you say anything, I want you to see something," he said. "Look down and tell me what you see." Gabriella raised an eyebrow and looked down. She saw the basketball team holding up a banner that read "Will you be my girlfriend, Brie?" Gabriella looked at Troy and gave him a teary smile.
"Troy," Gabriella cried. "Yes! Of course, I'll be your girlfriend!" She tackled him with a hug and cried on his shoulder. They pulled away and looked at each other, slowly inching closer to each other. They closed their eyes and filled the small gap that was between them, locking their lips together. A shiver of excitement slid down Gabriella's spine as she snaked her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. After a while, the two broke away and smiled at each other. Troy looked and shouted. "She said yes!" The crowd below cheered and you could clearly hear Chad hollering over the others. Gabriella giggled and nuzzled her face into the nape of his neck.
"You know, I never knew how lucky a guy like me was until I met you," Troy said.
Gabriella's cheeks turned pink and looked down at the ground, giggling. Troy tilted her chin upward with his finger and smiled. "I mean it, you know." Gabriella smiled and took another cookie, resting her head on his shoulder. "You know, you're responsible for breaking the school's status quo," he said, pretending to be mad.
"Oh, no!" Gabriella teased.
Troy chuckled and nuzzled his nose with hers into an Eskimo kiss. "But it's okay now. I don't want to be "Troy Bolton, star basketball player, aka player." I want the world to see who I really am. And I don't care what anyone says." Gabriella smiled at this and slipped her hand into his hair, gently running her hair through it.
"So you're breaking free?" she asked.
"No. We're breaking free!" he corrected her, launching into song.
We're soarin'
Flyin'
There's not a star in heaven
That we can't reach
If we're trying
Yeah, we're breaking free
Ohhhh runnin'
Climbin'
To get to that place
To be all that we can be
Now's the time
So we're breaking free
We're breaking free
Ohhh, yeah
The two stared at each other, deeply entranced by each other's eyes. They gently chuckled and leaned in for another kiss. From that point forward, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez were no longer sticking to the status quo. They were breaking free from the stereotypes, decided to wait to see what the future had for them. After all, they were in this together.