High School Musical: A New Start

Summary: A High School Musical –REBOOT– of "What If's". What if Troy had walked off the Karaoke stage at the New Year's Party? What if Gabriella had still sang, only with someone else saving her the embarrassment of singing alone? While she may not have developed feelings for the basketball captain, she did feel something when she sang. What if she wanted to do it again...? What if someone else was there to help her? What if...?

Genre: Romance/School Life

Movie: High School Musical

Pairing: Gabriella/Ryan

Rated: ...T for Teen

A/N: If I write REBOOTS of the Second and third movie, then maybe the Rating will change for those. We shall see!

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A New Year's Eve

Resolution

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Held in the hands of a young girl with long brown hair and brown eyes, was a book by the name: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West. Not seeing the woman coming up behind her, she was so enthralled in the story's plot, the lead female character that somehow reminded her of herself. No real social life, just her mom and her studies, yet always wanting more…more than to be that smart girl.

"Gabby, its New Year's Eve, enough reading." This voice could only be her mothers, and she found herself forced to look up at her as her mom had pulled the book she'd been reading from her hands.

"Oh, but mom, I'm almost done, and I-"

Her mother stopped her, from continuing with whatever she was going to say. "The teen party? I laid out your best clothes, come get ready."

Her eyes never leaving the book in her mother's hands, happy at least that her mom had the heart to hold onto the page she was on. "Can I have my book back?"

Giving her a look, her mother fixed the bookmark in the book to the page she was on, then closed it before handing it over.

"Thank you,"

"Come on." Her mother ushered her to her room in the Cabin they were staying in. Getting dressed quickly, she made to leave her room and sneak off to a different quiet location, but was caught by her mother before she even made it down the stairs. "Gabriella..." her voice was stern, as if she'd been expecting her daughter to try and hide away during the New Year's Eve party, and she was right to think so.

"...sorry, I'll go."

"Please do, you'll have fun, I'm sure of it."

Gabriella wasn't so confidant, but she did as her mother requested, and made her way to the teen party, or young adults...whatever they wanted to call it. She smiled as a boy in a large foam cowboy hat tipped it her way with a 'howdy ma'am' in a funny southern accent. Though, not quite accurate in the tenor, it was a cute attempt. She found a place away from most of the chaos, near the Karaoke stage, and pulled her book out to finish reading. Her mother just wanted her to go to the party, she never gave her a list of things to do while there. So mingling and making friends weren't quite at the top of her to-do list, not like finishing the book in her hands.

"Alright! How about that for a couple of snowboarders?"

It really was loud, but she would manage, even if she had to re-read a line or two. She could hear the Emcee, or host, was talking on the stage beside the couch she sat on, and while she wasn't listening, he was truly getting the rest of the room excited. As she had opted for not paying any attention to what was being said, a light shined down on her and forced her to look up. Narrowing her eyes in confusion as a hand gently took hers, her book sliding off her lap and onto the side. "Wait...wait a minute, my book-"

"Will be there when you are done singing." The Emcee said as he watched a guy nudge her up on stage. "Hey, you know what, someday, someday you guys might thank me for this. Or not..." he added as he placed the mic in the hand of a boy that was standing next to her.

'I don't know what to do...my hearts beating so fast!' Gabriella tightly hugged herself as music started, the guy beside her didn't look like he wanted to be up on the stage either, so it wasn't too much of a shock when he simply replaced the mic on the stand and stepped off the stage, leaving her alone. He also didn't seem to notice or care about the booing of the crowd as he walked off elsewhere. She was about to climb off the stage herself, her heart truly pounding painfully against her chest, when a hand reached out gently and took hers. She turned back and found another guy standing there.

"I'll sing with you, New Year's Eve, don't let one jerk get you down."

"...but...I don't...I can't-"

"Try, don't focus on anyone else, but the song, and what you feel inside." He grinned, brushing light brown hair out of his blue eyes before turning to the Emcee who started the song. "Living in my own world, didn't understand. That anything can happen, when you take a chance." He turned a smile to Gabriella who took it for the boost of confidence that it was intended to be.

"I never believed in, what I couldn't see. I never opened my heart, to all the possibilities." He felt her heart pick up speed again, but it was so much more than fear, it was something she hadn't expected, something she was shocked at feeling. It was enjoyment, not just...it was also blissful...and contentment.

"I know, that something has changed, never felt this way, and right here tonight, this could be the start, of something new. It feels so right, to be here with you, ooohh~ and now looking in your eyes, I feel in my he~art, I feel in my he~art, the start of something new."

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The cheering by the end of the song could still be heard as Gabriella had quickly rushed off the stage, flustered and filling...happy. She grabbed her book and made her way to the balcony as she tried to catch her breath, her heart doing all sorts of flips and freestyle dance moves. "...amazing..." she whispered almost breathlessly as she finally found some form of stability in herself at the sight of the cool night and the white snow, letting herself calm at the touch of the nights chill. As she leaned against the balcony, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see the guy who had walked off the stage moments before she sang.

"...hi," she was nervous again, the feeling she had before singing had returned. She kind of wished it would just go away, and if at all possible, never come back.

"Hey...uh, you have an incredible voice...I felt bad, for walking off like that."

She wondered if he really did, but looking at his eyes, she felt he was genuinely upset, perhaps more so with himself than with the fact that he hadn't sung. "Its fine, I honestly didn't want to sing either, and would have walked off too it the guy I sang with hadn't stepped up there to sing with me."

"...you...don't know who that was, do you." It wasn't a question, and somehow, she felt embarrassed to admit that no she didn't know who it was she'd sung with.

"Should I?"

"I figured you both were here together, being that you sang so well, and he's a singer..."

Her eyes widened, "...huh?!"

"Yeah, Drew Seeley, he's famous among the girls at my school, I merely thought you two knew each other, I'm assuming I guessed wrong."

Gabriella nodded, "I had no idea...though, I don't think it matters, I will probably never see him again," she laughed.

"Nine! Eight! Seven!"

"Oh..." She looked out as counting could be heard.

"Six! Five! Four~!"

"...three...two...one." She felt herself close her eyes and a thought crossed her mind, 'I want this year to be different. This school year...I want...to breakaway from being just the smart girl at school. I want to try something new!' She smiled, opening her eyes, she looked back to the guy who was still standing by her, "I should go find my mom, wish her a Happy New Year."

"Yeah...oh, my name is Troy, by the way. On the off chance that I see you again, what's your name?"

She smiled, "Gabriella, it's was nice meeting you Troy, and Happy New Year!" She yelled out over the crowd of people that were coming out to the balcony to see the fireworks. Turning, she disappeared into the crowd and left to find her mother. 'A new year...I'm going to do something...that makes me feel like I did on that stage! That wonderful, freefalling sensation~!'

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Me: Here is chapter one of...dun dununun nuuun~! High School Musical: A New Start. Tell me what you guys all think, nyan~!