Hey All

Thanks for following me and my stories!

Here is one that was set to me in a writing challenge :)

Hi Rill, sorry I had no idea lol ;)

Please REVIEW!

Ang

The challenge: Gabi is famous and goes in disguise to East High

Set By: Just A Little Crazy

CHAPTER 1

***

"Gabi I know it's not what you want to do, but we have to leave." Maria said to her daughter as tears fell down her soft cheeks, her coffee-coloured skin shining in their tracks.

"I know, mom, I'm just going to miss my friends, that's all." Gabi sighed.

"And I know it's going to be hard for you not to do the show anymore, but we'll have a new adventure in Albuquerque." Maria promised.

"I'm gonna miss everything here…" Gabi admitted softly, her young shoulders curling inwards at the thought.

She had become a teenage sensation with her all-singing, all-dancing show, Gabriella's World and for most of the US; she was now a household name.

But her mother had found somewhere they had probably never even heard of her and chosen to take her there to get a proper education and leave her super-star lifestyle behind.

New York was her favourite place to be. She could shop and hang out with her friends whenever she wanted. But one little thing had changed her whole life and now she had to accept that living in some dorky little country town was her life for the next few years until she made college.

Gabi received hundreds of fan-mail letters and packages every day and the beautiful blue envelope hadn't looked any different to the others, but when she had opened it and seen the cut out letters, she'd felt a chill down her spine.

'I hate you bitch. I want you to die. You have the perfect life and you don't deserve any of it,' the words threatened and she had found her sobs answered by her mom's arm around her shoulders as she had taken the letter and read it too, shocked by the content and contacting the studio to inform them.

The police had taken the threat on her life seriously and suggested she disappear for a few months, disguising her most recognizable features and vanishing into normaldom.

They didn't know how hard that was for her.

She had a heart-shaped face with tell-tale cheekbones and pouty lips and she wondered how anyone could mistake her.

Her long, curly dark hair and sparkly brown eyes were always gleaming, her face made up lightly and her clothes always cute and girly. Now they wanted her to reverse all of that and dork herself out?

Getting into the car, which was packed to the brim with their belongings, Gabi considered how she could change her appearance so dramatically that no-one would recognize her, without becoming a total geek.

She pressed her lips together as she dialed her best friend's cell phone, ready to ask for help on this one.

***

Stroking her cropped, straight hair with a nervous hand, Gabi wondered if she could really pull off the blonde tone against her darker skin, her face make-up free apart from some eyeliner that gave her a feline look and she like to think she resembled Storm from the X-Men rather than some geek girl trying to look cool. The wig was itchy and hot but it was also surprisingly natural-looking and it was the best she could do in the circumstances. There was no way she was cutting her hair.

Her clothes were in muted tones- a khaki military style shirt dress and knee-length buckled boots covering her calves, the bare skin of her thighs appearing between the two garments.

She hitched her satchel onto her shoulder one more time with a deep, shaky breath and moved from the doorway to East High, bracing herself for the interested looks she would no doubt get. Or the blatant, unwelcoming stares, she amended mentally as she caught a blonde girl evilling her.

"Oof!" She was shunted forward heavily by the impact of a body behind her and she tripped on her own feet, landing on the floor ungracefully, her wrist taking the impact.

"Ouch!" She cried out, scrabbling to get up, curling her legs under her as she rubbed at the sore joint, eyeing the offending imbecile with annoyance.

"Oh man, I am so, so sorry," a soft voice apologized and a pair of blue eyes widened, staring into hers with concern as the boy crouched before her, his hair like a big brown mop on his head and the mess falling into his hypnotic eyes.

"It's fine." She lied, still rubbing her wrist as she clambered to get up.

"Let me take a look…" He begged and she held her wrist to her body as she considered him. He had lovely high cheekbones and a cute nose, leading up to a distinctive set of eyebrows that framed his sparkling, water-blue eyes; along with his dark, curly eye leashes. His lips looked soft and full and inviting and she noticed the tiny dimple in his chin and the freckles across his nose.

"No, it's okay thank you," she answered politely.

"Wait, do I know you?" He asked suddenly and Gabi felt her heart squeeze in panic. Please don't recognize me she begged silently.

"No, I'm new." She said automatically, keeping calm on the outside.

"You look familiar…" He frowned, cocking his head.

"Dude, just because you're in love with Gabriella Montez does not mean any girl who likes like her is the love of your life," a black boy teased from behind the boy who'd hit her.

She watched as the blue-eyed boy blushed and she found herself smiling inanely. He fancied her? Or more accurately, he fancied her television character. No wonder he'd recognized her.

"I'm Lauren." She stuck out her good hand, indicating he should take it, bypassing the awkward moment with his friend.

"Hi, I'm Troy and this is Chad." He eyed his friend with a glare. "That's not true, what he said…" He smiled with a flippant shrug, his eyes avoiding hers and she had to smile at him once more.

"That's ok, she's a beautiful girl and I understand why you'd have a crush…" She teased.

Troy's crystal clear eyes met hers and he pursed his lips.

"You do look like her, though; did anyone ever tell you that?" He queried.

"Dude, just stop!" Chad slapped his buddy on the shoulder. "She just got here; let her relax into East High before you scare her!"

Gabi smiled at his friend, too. "Could you show me where my form room is?" She asked shyly, her old confidence waning as these two attractive boys bantered between her.

"Absolutely." Chad beamed, taking the piece of paper she clutched and turning toward the hallway.

Gabi went to follow him, then cast a look back on Troy, his face still frowning in concentration at trying to work out where he knew her from. She bit her lip worriedly as she thought about him working out who she really was.

If he was that big a fan, it wouldn't take long. She already had to take out her belly ring and cover up her distinguishing back tattoo. The tattoo her mom had gone mental over, demanding to know who had done the body art on a 16 year old.

"Here you go," Chad said and Gabi smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Chad." She said.

"So, Lauren?" He asked and she took a moment to remember he was speaking to her.

"Mm?" she questioned, engrossed in her lesson plan.

"I'm on the basketball team; you wanna come watch us practice tonight?" He asked nervously.

"Umm…" She fished for an answer. "I just started today; I don't think I want to really start treading on toes and stuff…" She hesitated.

"Go on, it'll be fun!" Troy called over Chad's shoulder as he sauntered past into the form room and Chad looked at his friend in annoyance.

"I might see you later, then," Chad said and ducked off, leaving Gabi to face the classroom with trepidation.

She sidled in, clutching her books to her chest for protection and she glanced around the half-filled room, knowing there were no familiar faces but hoping for a lifeline all the same.

Troy tipped his head as if beckoning her to sit with him as he sprawled in his seat, his long legs stretched under the table as his athletic body slouched in the chair.

"Hi, I'm Taylor," came a friendly voice from behind her and Gabi turned to face the owner, a beautiful black girl with short, bobbed hair.

"Oh hi, I'm Lauren." Gabi introduced herself, using her pseudo name.

"You must be the new girl from New York; I'm here to help show you around. I think we have all the same classes apart from Art but Troy's in Art with you" Taylor explained, waving at Troy who was still slouched casually at the back of class, fiddling with his bag strap.

He lifted a lip and half lifted his hand in response to Taylor as they made their way over.

"Troy, meet Lauren," she introduced and Gabi had to giggle.

"We already met," she smiled at her new friend.

"Wow, didn't take you long, huh, Wildcat?" Taylor mused and Gabi frowned at the nickname, realising Troy was wearing a red sports jacket with the same name on.

"You're a basketball player too?" Gabi asked, wondering why on earth he was taking Art. Jocks weren't normally the arty types, at least not in New York they weren't.

"Yep." He smiled with his lips pressed together, his eyebrows lifting into his fringe as if challenging her to say something.

"Chad asked me to come watch practice later…" She commented and Taylor gave her a funny look.

Troy looked at the new girl and wondered why her strange combination of blonde hair and browned skin intrigued him so much. She did look an awfully lot like his crush of the moment, TV star Gabriella Montez; but she was nowhere near as vivacious and bubbly as the girl who adorned his screen every week.

"Why don't you two come along then?" He asked the pair of girls in front of him.

Gabi turned to Taylor "What do you say?" She asked.

"Um, I'm not sure, Lauren…" Taylor hesitated.

"Sorry Troy, I guess you and Chad won't have your groupies this time" She quipped gently as she sat down and the teacher swept in to call register.

Troy squinted his eyes, liking the flash of cheekiness Lauren exposed to him. Considering it was her first day and all, she was pretty brave to tease him like that.

He leaned forward so that his chest touched the desk and he poked Taylor in the arm with a pencil.

"You should come, Tay, it'll be fun," he insisted, wanting to get to know Lauren a little better.

"Troy, what is with you?" She wondered aloud.

"Yes Troy, do share?" The teacher asked across the quiet room and Troy froze, looking mortified at being caught out and he flicked his head either side of him as if looking for someone else named Troy.

"Nothing wrong with me." He assured in a sulky voice that Gabi couldn't resist grinning at, her lips curling as she twisted in her seat and semi-squinted at him.

He felt his mouth go dry and sweat bead on his upper lip at her look. "What?" he asked softly.

"Nothing." She shrugged and turned away, still smiling, letting out a giggle that made him itch to know just what she found so damn funny.