I'm not afraid. I'm just... scared.
Gabriella Montez walked down the carpeted hall of East Coast Academy, anxiety bubbling in her like popcorn in a microwave. To her right was a seemingly endless wall of smooth, floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked several acres of manicured lawns dotted with kids playing Frisbee or enjoying the sunshine. To her right was a long expanse of bulletin boards overfilled with flyers and papers of every florescent color imaginable. The only fractures in this sea of paper were the occasional hallways that branched off into a maze of doors and corridors. When she finally reached the end of the hall, she made a left, then veered right into the next opening in the wall, then finally started counting the doors. Three twenty one, tree twenty two, the gold letters on the red doors read. Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief that she had followed the instructions correctly when she saw she was getting close. Three thirty, three thirty one, the doors zoomed by. Finally, Gabriella arrived at three thirty nine. She guessed her roommate was already inside because the door was slightly ajar and she could hear voices on the other side. Arguing voices.
"Will you stop unpacking her things already? I've got to be in New York by nine tomorrow. She can do it herself!" a man said, clearly exasperated.
"Don't worry, your flight will be fine," a woman replied crisply. "Excuse me for taking some interest in our daughter."
"Buying her things with my money isn't interest. If you want to show some interest, leave her alone already. Oh, God, it's already three."
Gabriella peered into the room. Through the small crack, she managed to see a small black boy sitting on a bed in a crisp school uniform, slouched over a thick book with tiny print. Gabriella wondered how the boy wasn't affected by the fighting in front of him. Deciding against knocking and interrupting the people, Gabriella leaned against the wall and sighed.
"And since when does she wear this kind of underwear?"
"Richard, it is underwear. Leave it alone. Jonathan, don't slouch!" the woman snapped.
Without glancing up from his book the boy sat bolt upright.
The man sighed. "Whatever, Katharine. Let's just get the hell out of here."
Just then, a very pretty girl, possibly the boy called Jonathan's sister, turned a corner, carrying a can of soda covered in water droplets from the vending machine. She walked up to the Gabriella, looked her up and down, and asked in a sneering tone, "Can I help you?"
"Um, yes, maybe. I just, thought this was going to be my room. I didn't know I was interrupting. They must have made a mistake. I'll go back to the office and-" Gabriella rambled, clearly intimidated.
"Oh, I'm sorry. No, forget that. This is your room. I'm sorry," the girl said, suddenly smiling warmly. "Really, it's nothing personal. People just tend to eavesdrop in this school; it gives them something to talk about. I'm Taylor."
"Gabriella."
"Nice to meet you. Okay, let's go clear my folks out."
"What-?" Gabriella started, but Taylor had already flung the door open, revealing a very good-looking, aristocratic couple that stood face to face, arguing heatedly.
"If you didn't use so much Botox, I – oh, hey sweetie." Just like Taylor, the man's face quickly melted into a grin. "Is this a friend?"
"Mommy, Daddy, this is my roommate, Gabriella."
"Pleasure to meet you!" both parents exclaimed as they shook hands with Taylor.
"Well," her father began, "I think it's time for us to clear out. Goodbye, Taylor, Gabriella. Come on, Jonathan."
The boy on the bed quickly got up and scampered after his father, who couldn't seem to leave the room fast enough. The mother, on the other hand, seemed much more reluctant.
"Oh, my God, Taylor!" She exclaimed as she rushed to hug her daughter. Tears filled her eyes as she squeezed the girl tightly, and Gabriella suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "My little girl. All right, your father insists that we leave now, but I'll miss you so, so much. Oh, also, I raised the limit on your credit card, just in case." Finally, she released her daughter, who seemed completely unaffected by her mother's gushing emotions.
"Bye, mom."
"Goodbye, sweetie. It was nice meeting you, Gabriella." The woman sniffed as she left the room.
Gabriella looked around the room, not quite sure what to say.
"Freak show, aren't they?" Taylor asked as she scooped the carefully-folded clothing out of a drawer and dumped them on the floor. "She never listens. I specifically told her, don't touch my stuff." She started folding the pile of clothing again and rearranging it in the drawers. "Ok, so that's your bed, and your closet," she said as she nodded toward a small, but cozy bed with a closet door next to it. "Bathroom's across the hall. I don't tolerate messiness or lights on after I've gone to bed. Don't use my shampoo, don't touch my stuff, and turn off the sounds on your AIM. Other than that, we'll be completely cool. You in?"
"Sure."
"Oh, one more thing. If you ever even touch Zeke Baylor, terrible things will happen to you. Got it?"
"Yes." Gabriella didn't know how to feel about Taylor. She was hot one minute, cold the next, and it was hard to judge what kind of person she really was.
"All right. So, is there anything you want to know about our fabulous institution?"
"Um, no. I'm okay for now."
Taylor shrugged and went back to unpacking.
"Um, I feel kind of gross from the long train ride. I'm going to go take a shower," Gabriella said as she took her toiletry bag out of her duffel bag.
"Go for it."
As the hot water beat down over Gabriella's body, she tried to reflect on her day. It was always hard saying goodbye to her mother before a long time apart, and it didn't help that she had to take a five hour train ride, followed by a bus, just to get to school. She was so nervous that she was practically shaking as she approached the main office and got her room assignment, school manual, and welcome speech. Then, finally, she thought she would have a panic attack when Taylor showed her so much attitude when she didn't know her. It was always so hard to start out in a new school, and Gabriella had never been to one as elite as East Coast. Though the admissions board would've begged to have her, she thought she barely made it in.
Suddenly, the door to the shower slid open, and Gabriella stared in shock at a beautiful blonde girl that stood before her expectantly, her eyebrows raised.
Gabriella turned off the water and grabbed her towel in an attempt to cover herself. She didn't realize she'd left the door unlocked. "Um, uh, hi," she stammered.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" the blonde asked. "I need to do stuff in here. Get out."
"Oh, all right. But, is there possibly another bathroom-?"
"Yes. Down the hall, to the right. Now get out."
"Oh, well, all right. Just, I need a minute for my clothes and stuff, if you don't mind that is." Gabriella hated how easily she was intimidated, especially by these East Coast girls, but couldn't help it; they all seemed so powerful next to her.
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Are you Taylor McKessie's roommate?"
"Yeah, I think. Her first name's Taylor anyway." Gabriella felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted more than anything for the other girl to leave.
The blonde rolled her eyes. Once the shock started to wear off, Taylor got a good look at the girl. She was dressed in tight white skinny jeans, a bright pink tank top, and white heels. She looked like a regular Bitchy Barbie.
"Hey! What the fuck are you doing, Sharpay?" Taylor barked from the bathroom doorway. Gabriella sighed in relief, hopeful that Taylor would save her.
The girl called Sharpay scoffed. "Um, this is my bathroom now, and I want it, so this little newbie needs to skedaddle. Okay?"
"You are seriously fucked up, Sharpay. Leave the poor girl alone."
"Excuse me?"
"Excuse me?" Taylor mimicked.
"Oh! You are such a-"
"Guys!" Gabriella interjected softly, "can I have like, a minute?"
"Yes. We'll leave." Taylor decided for the both of them.
"I'm not-" Sharpay started, but was forcibly dragged out of the bathroom.
"Finish your shower, Gabby!" Taylor yelled before slamming the door.
Gabrielle's heart was hammering. She had never encountered so much conflict in a day. She heard occasional snippets of gossip, but most of it didn't compare to heated arguments in bathrooms. She was used to all things tame, to drama only in her books, and screaming mostly from afar. This was going to be an interesting year.