Brief Summary: Gabriella Montez is now 23… her sheltered life is upset when her mom passes away and a clause in her mother's will changes her life… for better or for worse…
An: hey all thought I'd try this out and see what you all think… ( if I don't get reviews or hits I'm probably not going to continue this so don't get to attached)… In my story Gabby and Troy haven't met just so that doesn't raise more questions…
Enjoy….
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Gabriella adjusted her tight, dark brown bun as she absorbed what her mother's lawyer just said… she replayed the last bit of the conversation in her head…
"I'm sorry Gabby but according to this clause you must leave the Montez plantation for 1 year and live in the apartment your mother set up in New York…"
Gabriella remembered looking up at the lawyer with contempt and confusion… but she said nothing as lawyer nervously gulped and went on… "If you don't complete this clause your inheritance will be passed on to a local charity…"
Gabriella picked a piece of lint from her navy, tweed skirt as she re-entered the present… she couldn't believe it, she had spent the last six years caring for her mother, as well as working to support her, but in the end her mother still had her trapped… if Gabriella didn't do as Vivian Montez asked she'd be left with nothing…
Gabriella stood and her mother's chubby lawyer coughed nervously…He handed a large yellow envelope to Gabriella, "She also left this, and she said it would get you started…"
Gabriella ripped the envelope from the lawyer's hands and nodded curtly, she turned and stalked out of the room up the stairs she walked into her room and slammed the door behind her… she quickly flopped onto her snow white comforter and ripped into the yellow letter… Anger built up in her as she read her mother's scrawled handwriting…
Dear Gabby,
I'm sorry to leave you this way… If you are reading this I am gone and you have just learned the contents of my will… I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry… I can't tell you why I did what I did; just know that I have your best interest at heart…
Gabriella scoffed at that but continued to read…
I just wanted to say that I love you Gabby, you meant…mean… everything to me… even if you don't believe it…
Your Mother…
Vivian
Gabriella crumpled the paper and pulled a wad of one-hundred dollar bills from the envelope… at that she stood and stormed into her closet returning to drop her plain black luggage on the bed, her mother had her… if she said no to leaving the plantation she would have nothing and no where to live… so she walked to her dresser and began to pack her modest wardrobe… muttering curses under her breath…
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Time passed and a week later Gabriella stood at the door of her childhood home… she coldly muttered goodbyes to most of the staff … nodding at each person as they said goodbye and quickly left the room…
The only one Gabriella embraced was her housekeeper…Ms. Blake… who was with her since childhood… The woman whispered in Gabriella's ear, "Be careful sweets I love you…"
Gabriella pulled back and briefly smiled at the elderly woman before she turned on her navy heels and walked away from the only home she'd ever known…
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Gabriella stepped away from the big glass doors of the airport and quickly placed her black plastic sunglasses over her eyes… Now she was officially on her own… her driver had driven her mother's lawyer and herself to the local airport in New Mexico, and the lawyer took her from the car to through the check in procedures at the airport…It was then that he gave her the letter he received from her new landlord stating that the man received her rent and would expect her on the first of the month…Even the stewardess on her plane escorted her to her seat….
She nervously eyed the streets of New York, and clutched her purses as it dawned on her that the only one she had to depend on now was herself…
She eyed the letter her mother's lawyer gave her and looked up again, it was then she noticed a elderly man with a dark mustache staring at her, "Need help honey you look lost…" he smirked at her and Gabriella tried not to gasp at the man's teeth…
She nodded, "I need to get here…" she held the letter out to the man who took it and laughed, "Well all you need is a cab sweetie, here let me help you…"
Gabriella again help in her gasp as the man rested his greasy palm against the small of her back and led her to the street… to her surprise the man lifted his other arm and whistled, immediately three yellow cabs screeched to a stop in front of her… she smiled at the man as he laughed and said, "Talk your pick…"
Gabriella picked the cleanest looking cab, quickly thanked the greasy man and asked the Cabby to take her to the address on the letter…
Gabriella leaned against the tattered seat of the cab and let her eyes glaze over the page as the man driving her yelled in some language she couldn't understand out the driver's window…
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About a half an hour later the cab slowed to a stop, Gabriella jumped, not really realizing she drifted off to sleep in the back of the car the driver nodded to her and muttered in broken English, "Dis iz it…" Gabriella cautiously pulled open the door of the cab and tried to gracefully slip out… she walked to the trunk and slide her bags out…
Gabriella paid the man and as he sped off she turned to stare at her new home, it seemed very cozy considering what she heard about New York, it actually reminded her of her home in New Mexico… the yellow stucco and terracotta roofing made her smile…
Gabriella gathered her things and with a deep breath she made her way up the stairs to what seemed to be the front door…she flopped her bags onto the step and reached up to hit the bell…
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Fifteen minutes later Gabriella was perched on top of her largest bag of luggage, she grumbled as she glanced down at her watch, late… I don't believe this…What a great start…
It was then that she noticed the door to the left of the stairs she thought…
Maybe I was supposed to ring the bell down there…
She stood up, and glanced at her bags…They'll be fine for a second she thought… and she slowly walked down the front steps of the house…
She watched her bags as she walked towards a light blue door and she again rang the bell… She waited for about five minutes then turned to stalk back up to her bags…
Before she knew what was happening she heard a deep male voice holler, "Heads" and suddenly a football basketball whizzed towards her… instinctively she took a step back, that mixed with her heels sent her teetering towards the heavy, iron poker that guarded the side door to her new home…
Gabriella closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain but was surprised when she seemed to stop in mid air…
She slowly opened her eyes and stared into the smiling, deep blue eyes of a man about her age…
Gabriella tried not to blush when she realized his heavily muscled arms encircled her, stopping her from hitting the fencing, she peered back into his piercing blue eyes and seemed mesmerized by his sunny, light, blond hair…
He to seemed to be hypnotized as he leaned in and softly kissed her on the lips…
Gabriella's shock quickly subsided and she returned his kiss, slipping her arms around his neck he eased back into a standing position as she let out a quiet, "Mmmmm"
It was then Gabriella heard deep male laughter from behind them, she quickly realized what she was doing and pulled back, the strangers eyes never left her face as he broke into a grin…
Gabriella turned to the two men who stood and watched as they started to joke with their friend… "Well, well who's this… Long lost love?" One smirked…
The strange man shot his friends a teasing glare then he turned back to Gabriella… "This is…"
Gabriella not one to be improper reached out her hand to one of the sweaty men in front of her, "Gabriella Montez," At that the strange man chuckled behind her, "Really?"
Gabriella turned to glare at him…she tried to ignore the way his muscles flexed beneath his shirt, "Yes really…" she spat out… "I don't see why that's funny…"
The man ran a hand through his wavy blond hair, "Um…" he smirked at her, "It's funny because I'm Troy Bolton…"
Gabriella continued to stare unsure of why that was important it was then recognition dawned on her, "Troy Bolton," she stuttered, "As in my LANDLORD Troy Bolton…" she stammered…
The man smiled again, "That's me…."
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(AN:) Alrighty what do you think? Reviews… constructive criticism, I like it all…
Thanks!