Paper Boy
One mocha orb opened up and looked towards the alarm clock. 7.04 am. The matching eye opened too and the eyes' owner groaned.
Gabriella Montez was never a morning person. She liked sleeping. It was probably one of her favourite hobbies. Why would you be up around this time when you could be asleep? Gabriella never understood her mother as she smelt bacon downstairs. She could be asleep, but no, she was up. On a Saturday.
Gabriella groaned again. The bacon smelt delicious. Now she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. She officially hated this day.
She yawned and stretched, before she sat up and left the bed. She walked over to her closet. It was filled with cute girly outfits. Overlooking the fashionable stuff, she reached out to pick baggy jogging pants and a sporty tee.
Why not go for a morning jog and get used to the neighbourhood when you wake up at 7 am on a Saturday?
Gabriella put on the clothes and walked downstairs. Maria Montez looked up surprised at the sight of her daughter. She glanced over at the clock and her eyebrows rose.
"Why are you up so early?" she asked, a small smirk appearing on her face. Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"Because you are making bacon right now and you know I love bacon," Gabriella replied, yawning again and plopping down on a chair. Maria chuckled and shook her head, before giving Gabriella a plate with bacon.
"Here you go, sweetheart," she said, laughing again when Gabriella dug in hungrily.
"This stuff is so good!" Gabriella exclaimed with a full mouth.
Maria smiled, "I'm still not sure you're a complete female."
Gabriella rolled her eyes again and the Montez women continued eating in silence.
When finished, Gabriella sprung up and put her plate in the sink. She kissed Maria on the cheek, "I'm gonna go take a morning jog."
Seconds later, she was out of the door, not hearing Maria bidding goodbye.
When outside, Gabriella stopped dead in her tracks. There was a guy opening a bag to pull what seemed to be a newspaper from it. The paper boy.
Gabriella always expected the paper boy to be a scrawny guy with a face covered with zits. Probably because the paper boy back in New York looked like that.
But this guy was totally different. His body was well-defined. Gabriella could even see it while he was clothed. His arms seemed tanned in the orange glow of the rising sun. His hair was a light shade of brown. She couldn't see his face – he seemed to be reading the headlines, something that made her smile. He was quite tall. She smiled. He seemed cute.
Then he lifted his face and her heart stopped beating. He was not just cute. He was tremendously handsome. He had a thin face with full lips, which were opened in what seemed to be awe. His teeth were pearly white. His cheeks seemed to be a bit scruffy and his nose had a cute form. Then she lifted her eyes to meet the most amazing eyes she had ever seen. They were cobalt, reminding her of the ocean. She loved the ocean. When they locked with hers, they turned into a stormier, darker shade of blue. They were even more attractive that way. His bangs were falling over his eyes and he moved his head to remove them. Sexy. Just sexy.
Then he averted his eyes. His lips pulled up in a crooked grin and he looked back at her. Gabriella weakly smiled back and stopped breathing when his grin widened. Then he nodded and dropped the newspaper on the porch, before jumping on his bike and speeding off. Gabriella almost didn't see him turn his head to smile back at her, his grin now so soft and gentle; it made her swoon inwardly. She blinked as he disappeared from her view and sighed, before moving her legs, trying not so look like a lost fool.
This boy was cute. Too cute.
She was going to jog a lot more often from now on.
Monday.
Usually Gabriella hated Monday. On Monday she had to get up early after sleeping in twice on Saturday and Sunday.
But today, Gabriella loved Monday. Monday meant that the cute paper boy was coming around once again.
And since Gabriella had been pathetically thinking about this boy she didn't even talk to all weekend (and getting suspicious glances from her mother), she was eager to see him again.
As the alarm went off at 6 am, her eyes shot open and she felt herself blushing when her lips pulled up into a wide smile.
She shot up and ran to her closet. She knew it was going to be a warm day, so she settled for a cute, form-fitting baby blue summer dress. She quickly brushed her hair into perfect raven curls and put a little mascara and some lip gloss on. Then she skipped downstairs and quickly ate her cornflakes, all the while ignoring Maria's amused and suspicious looks. She grabbed an apple and her lunch, before picking up her black school bag and kissing her mother on the cheek.
"Have a great first day!" Maria called after her, amused at her daughter's giddy mood.
Quickly putting on her silver 2 inch heels and taking a deep breath, she walked outside, hoping to see the paper boy already there.
Unfortunately, he was not.
Gabriella frowned and started walking down the steps of the porch, missing one step and falling flat on her ass. She groaned. Why did she have to wear 2 inch heels to impress the paper boy of all people?
Suddenly, she heard someone chuckling quietly. She looked up and her mouth gaped open in horror.
Was this guy a magician? A few seconds ago, he was not there.
"It's embarrassing to fall down on your own porch, huh?"
Gabriella blinked in awe. His husky, masculine voice was the sound of angels singing. Wow. He really was perfect. Though she didn't like being made fun of. Even not by handsome boys like this one.
"Hmm, sounds like you've experienced it yourself," she retorted snappily. The paper boy grinned.
"No, but I've seen it happen a lot," he teased, his cheeks turning a bit red with amusement. Gabriella rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Sure you did. You're a bad actor, you know," she said, trying to get the dust from her light dress.
The paper boy raised his eyebrows, "Oh, really? Why's that?"
"You're blushing." Gabriella giggled at his widened eyes. He hastily rubbed his cheeks, biting his lip furiously. He looked incredibly cute doing that, making her giggle a bit more.
They locked eyes and the boy grinned again, noticing her amused expression. He put his hands in his pockets.
"So… You're new here?" he asked, smiling sweetly at her. Gabriella melted inside, but she wouldn't show him.
Gabriella nodded, "Yeah. I moved here on Friday."
"I thought so. I hadn't seen you around before. Where are you from?" the boy asked. Gabriella smiled. He seemed genuinely interested.
"New York," she responded, before checking her watch. Shit. She had eighteen minutes left to get to school.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, but I've got to go. I'll see you around?"
He nodded, his smile still evident. While Gabriella quickly left, she heard him whisper, "Welcome to Albuquerque."
Gabriella was in a daze when she arrived at school. The only thing that she saw was blue. Blue, blue and more blue. She only got out of her daze when she bumped into someone.
She fell to the ground, papers flying everywhere. She groaned. Great. Just great. Then she looked up and saw another girl standing in front of her. She was wearing a pink jacket. Underneath, she wore a white tank top and she was wearing a pink skirt. She wore her long, straight, blond hair down and Gabriella noticed how many jewellery she was wearing. The girl had finished her outfit with white heels. Her light brown eyes were staring into Gabriella's own darker brown eyes furiously.
The girl let out a huge breath, still glaring.
"Watch out where you're going!" she exclaimed in a high, shrill voice. Then she flipped her hair over her shoulder and started strutting off. Gabriella looked after her. Bitch.
"Are you okay?" a male voice asked. Gabriella looked up and almost gaped with surprise. The guy that towered over her looked like a male version of the girl she bumped into. He was just as fashionable clothed – but of course more manly -, had the same features and looked about the girl's height. He was kindly smiling down at her, his eyes a blue colour, reminding her of the paper boy again.
"I think so," she said shakily. The boy smiled and picked up her stuff for her, before holding his hand out to her to help her up. Gabriella smiled and took it. Dusting off her dress again, she thanked him.
The guy laughed, "It's okay. My sister can be a huge bitch. I'm Ryan Evans."
Gabriella smiled, "Gabriella Montez. She's your sister? You really look like her."
"We're twins. Both juniors. And you? You seem new."
"Yes, I am. Just moved here. I'm a junior too. But you don't wanna be friends with me," Gabriella warned. Ryan raised his eyebrows.
"And why is that?" he said, grinning.
"I'm really clumsy. That's not the only time I fell down today," Gabriella explained, giggling.
Ryan smiled, "Oh, don't worry. I can handle that. I'm really clumsy too."
Gabriella smiled back. She liked this guy. He seemed nice enough. Maybe if she found the paper boy and became friends with Ryan, she would be fine in Albuquerque.
"I'm not sure Sharpay would though," Ryan added as an afterthought.
Gabriella looked up at him confused, "Sharpay?"
"My sis," Ryan explained.
Gabriella showed Ryan her schedule and it turned out she had all her classes with him or Sharpay. Ryan walked her to their homeroom. She took a seat in the back of the class, behind Ryan.
Sharpay, who was seated in front of Ryan, turned around and glared at her brother. "Ry! Where have you been?"
"I was talking to the girl you kindly told off after bumping into her," Ryan said, giving Sharpay a look and pointing behind him to Gabriella.
Gabriella gave Sharpay a nervous wave and greeting. Sharpay gave her an once-over and huffed.
"You know, you bumped into her. Don't you owe her an apology?" Ryan asked. Sharpay rolled her eyes.
"Sorry," she said shortly and then turned to the front. Ryan pursed his lips, before turning back to Gabriella and striking up a conversation.
But then Gabriella's attention got on something else. Two guys were entering the room. One of them looked very familiar. The paper boy.
The other one was an Afro-American male. He looked like the average teenage boy. But one thing really stood out. He had an afro. She loved afros.
The paper boy took the seat next to Sharpay, the afro boy seated himself next to Ryan. Maybe they were Ryan and Sharpay's friends? That would give her a reason to get to know the paper boy without giving a stalker vibe. She desperately hoped they were friends.
"So, how was your weekend, Evans? Went shopping for mirrors again?" the afro boy asked, him and the paper boy snickering. Gabriella inwardly sighed. Definitely not friends.
"How was your weekend, Danforth? Did you finally shower?" Sharpay retorted. The guy huffed.
"I'm sorry that I don't shower five times a day, like you and your brother do," he said, looking over to Ryan, and then noticing Gabriella.
"Well, hello, hottie. You're new here?" he asked, winking. Gabriella raised her eyebrows. Definitely a womanizer.
"Leave her alone. She's with us," Sharpay hissed. Gabriella and Ryan both looked at her surprised. When did she suddenly got protective over Gabriella?
"Oh. Such a shame. Are you sure you want to be friends with Ice Princess and her Poodle over here over me and him?" Danforth asked, elbowing the paper boy. The paper boy looked up and his eyes locked with Gabriella's.
Both of them didn't dare to look away. Sparks were flying and the other three could easily notice it.
"Er, Gabriella?" Ryan asked, Gabriella finally averted her eyes from his. She looked over at Ryan, Sharpay and Danforth, all three of them confused.
"Do you know him?" Sharpay asked, pointing at the paper boy with a disgusted look at her face.
"We saw each other when I was delivering the news paper Saturday. So, only by face," the boy explained, smiling at Gabriella and sticking his hand out.
"I don't think we've met properly. I'm Troy Bolton," he introduced himself. Gabriella almost got into a daze again at his name.
Troy. Troy. Troy. Troy.
Perfect.
"Gabriella Montez," she said shyly, taking his hand and shaking it. She felt a delicious spark run up her arm and judging by the look on Troy's face, he had felt it too. She let go and smiled up at him.
"Dude," Danforth whispered. Troy looked at his friend and shrugged.
"And this is my best friend Chad Danforth. But he's a bit bonkers," Troy said, smiling flirtatiously at Gabriella. Gabriella giggled and Ryan and Sharpay laughed along quietly.
"Dude!" Chad said harshly. Troy looked at his best friend with an amused smirk.
"Sorry?"
It was weeks after Gabriella's first day at East High. She had formed a close friendship with both of the Evans twins. It was not hard to become friends with Ryan. He was one of the nicest persons she had ever met. Sharpay was a little harder. But when you got to know her and she trusted you, she could be just as nice as Ryan. And her snappy and sometimes cold attitude could be a good help whenever someone tried to hurt you. Sharpay was protective of her new best friend and no one – except Chad – had the courage to stand up against Sharpay, making Gabriella's time as 'new girl' easier.
It was a Friday afternoon and Gabriella had been invited over to the Evans mansion.
Currently, Sharpay was braiding Gabriella's hair, while Ryan was laying on Sharpay's bed, listening to his iPod.
"I want Troy Bolton," Gabriella randomly thought aloud. Sharpay dropped her comb and Ryan pulled out his ear in shock.
The twins shared a look and looked at their friend as if she had grown two heads.
"I-I'm sorry? What did you just-t say?" Sharpay whispered, her brown eyes sharply staring at Gabriella's face.
"I said that aloud, didn't I?" Gabriella asked, feeling completely embarrassed.
Ryan nodded vigorously and Sharpay sat down, blankly staring out of the window.
"Well… I kind of like him," Gabriella said. Sharpay snapped out of her stare, rolling her eyes.
"That's obvious. You two have chemistry. It was evident the first time you two met. But seriously – why Troy Bolton?"
Gabriella shrugged, "He's just so cute. And he's funny. And he seems sweet," Gabriella ignored Sharpay's snort, "and he seems interested in me. Gabriella. No one has ever been really interested in me."
"Ella-" Sharpay started, but Gabriella put up her hand and cut her off.
"I know you two don't like him. But I've talked to him a few times and he even showed me his secret hiding place at the rooftop and I think I really like him."
"Did you just say rooftop?" Ryan asked, his eyes bulging out of its sockets.
Gabriella nodded and Ryan started ranting, "He never shows people to his rooftop. Only Sharpay and I know about it, because we've found it one day. But this is… wow. He showed you the rooftop. This is huge!"
Sharpay smirked at her brother, "I know exactly the way to make him want you."
The next Tuesday, the school got shocked by Gabriella Montez.
She was wearing a tight fitting, red tank top, her black bra showing through. Her jeans were just as tight. Her hips were swaying from side to side, a confident smirk on her face.
Guys wolf-whistled. Girls looked at her, jealous looks on their faces.
She was hot.
But she didn't feel hot.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" she whispered to Sharpay. Sharpay gave Gabriella a frustrated look and pushed her forward.
"Yes, I'm sure. He will die when he sees you. Now go!" she exclaimed, Ryan also giving Gabriella a small, encouraging push.
Gabriella smiled back at her friends and started running towards the door that led to the rooftop.
She quickly ran up the steps and smiled when she saw Troy sitting at the bench on the rooftop, looking at a paper. She was sure it was the note she send him Monday afternoon.
"Hey," she said seductively, grabbing Troy's attention. At the sight of her, his eyes bulged and his mouth opened in awe.
"Gabriella?" he asked, his voice an octave higher than normal. Gabriella giggled at the adorable boy.
"The one and only," she said, sitting down next to him. She felt him squirm nervously when she laid her hand on his thigh.
"Hi," he said nervously and then he smiled up at her, "You look gorgeous."
"Thanks," Gabriella said softly, feeling shy for a moment again. She always felt shy around him.
"So… What's the special occasion? I mean, you never look like this. Not that it's bad. It's good. I like your style. But I also like the way you look right now. You look hot. Not hot-" he started to ramble, and she cut him off.
"I get it, Troy. And to answer your question… It's you."
Troy stared at her, confused. "Elaborate?"
Gabriella sighed and looked at the view, trying to keep her eyes off the hot male in front of her. "These past weeks here in Albuquerque have been bliss, Troy. Pure bliss. And it's not just because of Sharpay and Ryan. They're amazing, but it's mostly because of you. You're just so sweet and kind and cute… I can't help but really like you."
Then she looked at him shyly, seeing him smiling dreamily. "You like me?"
"Yeah," Gabriella answered, taking her hand from his thigh and fiddling with her hands.
Troy grabbed her hands and made her look at him. He was smiling radiantly and she couldn't help but smile back.
Then he leaned in and her breath got hitched in her throat. He was going to kiss her. He really was going to kiss her. Why wasn't she freaking out more?
Then his lips landed on hers. She swore she felt fireworks. She freed her hands from his and put them behind his neck, pulling him closer. He put his hands on her waist and ran his tongue along her lips, asking permission. She opened her mouth and let his tongue in. He smiled at the sigh she let out at the feeling.
After a few minutes of making out, he pulled back and whispered in her ear, "I like you too."
Then he kissed her again. After another few minutes of zealous kisses, she pulled back.
"I've got my own paper boy."
He laughed. "You've got your own paper boy."
A/N: Ending sucks. Majorly. But anyway, just a little Troyella fluff, before starting my newest project, 'The Irony'. I'm really excited for that one, because it's my first M and I really like the plot I've come up with. But I just had to write a little fluff story before starting that. I hope you like it and review?
- lipstickdisaster
Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical, its characters and anything involved. It's all Disney! Unfortunately.