Disclaimer: Maybe if I wish upon a star...
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic and I'm slightly nervous. I haven't been a member that long and yet, from watching HSM 2 I kind of had inspiration. This is an AU story and I hope you enjoy it. It's something completely different to anything I have written before and is my first for HSM. So read it and tell me what you think.
Fatal Attraction
Chapter 1: Nervous
Leaning casually against the wall, Troy Bolton scanned the room. His eyes fell upon the door that led to the girls locker room and he watched as a group of five appeared, their skirts remotely shorter than they had been previously. Yet it was unlike Troy to stay around for a gym class. He was normally excused to work on his jump shot for the latest game. Seeing them look over at him, he simply continued watching them, slightly amused. His status at the school left him the most popular guy to walk through the East High corridors, and every girl dreamed of dating him, even to just be near him. Yet his famous reputation kept many at arms length or even a few corridors away. He had always been the same, emotionless, cold and dangerous. His lack of emotions kept him a mystery and his use of fists made him all the more scary. Anyone new to the school was instantly scanned over by him and they were immediately safe or not. Many tended to not be.
Seeing a basketball fly his way, he caught it simply and tucked it under his arm. Removing his gaze from the group of girls, he headed over to his team mates who were sitting on the bleachers, deep in conversation about the next championship game. Bouncing the basketball a few times, he caught their attention and threw the ball over to the net where it sailed in with ease.
Falling down next to a bushy haired teen, he sighed and leant back against the bleachers. Chad Danforth looked his way and frowned, unsure how to take his best friends current mood. Deciding it was best to wait for Troy to speak, he turned to the other guys beside him and continued their conversation.
Troy was too preoccupied however as the door to the girls locker room opened and another group appeared, this time the nerds of the school. Troy pitied them, their lack of looks and bad style choices didn't make it hard for him to place them. He knew none of them would get a date whilst still attending this high school, but he couldn't do anything about it. He wouldn't anyway.
Seeing a certain blonde detach herself from one of the groups, she headed over to him and Troy's eyes narrowed. She approached him, her skirt reaching only mid-thigh yet it didn't do anything to Troy. It never did.
"Stephanie," he muttered as she placed herself carefully beside him, a hand laying innocently on his leg. She smiled sweetly at him, a small high-pitched chuckle escaping her extremely shiny lips. After spending the night with her the previous weekend, she assumed they were now an item. Troy had heard the rumour that morning but it hadn't swayed him. He would soon set her straight.
"Troy sweetie, I was wondering what you were doing later. Maybe we could pick up where we left off," she whispered in his ear and he simply cringed, pushing her away.
"What happened at the weekend ended at the weekend. So just drop it before I do something I regret," he hissed at her and she looked up at him, slightly taken aback.
"But Troy I-" But she stopped when he turned to her, his gaze harsh on hers. Simply nodding briefly, he moved off of the bleachers and grabbed a discarded basketball. Dribbling it in front of him, he headed casually over to the net. A second later the ball was bouncing on the floor, having once again flown through it's destination.
"Why did you talk me into doing this?" he questioned as Chad appeared beside him. Simply shrugging, he was saved from answering as the coach appeared. Turning, Troy felt his eyes narrow as he noted the absence of his father. Even when he decided to join gym class, his father let him off being the coach and all. But entering the gym was the schools substitute, Mr Kentwood his knowledge of gym as big as Troy's was of chemistry. Nothing.
"Silence!" he called as the final students appeared from the locker rooms. His eyes casting over the new arrivals, they finally landed on the person he had been searching for all this time. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes and they looked her over, his approval already apparent though it wasn't obvious to anyone else. They would never suspect her. He just wasn't her type and that just wouldn't happen. There were rules in the school.
Yet he continued to watch her, as a small smile flashed across her handsome face, a hand ran through her long dark curls and a short laugh escaped her lips. His eyes travelled over her petite frame and he smirked briefly. Two months she had been at the school. Two months and he had noticed her instantly. It hadn't been planned, there was no reason for it to be. But she was so different from any girl he had ever seen. So innocent, so sexy and so enticing. After scanning her briefly when he had first spotted her, she had fallen into two categories. Something no one had ever done before. She was instantly labelled a geek and yet her gorgeous face and fantastic figure made her qualify for the 'Cheerleader' category. He certainly wasn't in love with her but he was attracted to her. But he was Troy Bolton. He never crushed on anyone. Never, it just wasn't his style. One night stands were his style. His feelings were kept bottled up behind his stern exterior. Behind the exterior he had acquired since eighth grade.
"Dance is an art, something only a few can muster. You must have complete connection with your partner, the connection is never to be broken or the dance falls apart. Today we will practise the art of Ballroom. I will pair you all off and we will proceed." An audible groan echoed through the gym at the sound of assigned partners. Troy's eyes instantly darkened and his arms folded across his chest as he turned to his best friend who recoiled at the glare in his eyes.
"Dance?" he questioned, his voice dangerous and heavy. "Are you kidding me? Dance!" His voice echoed around the gym, catching the attention of the class. He didn't blush however or stammer as the teacher looked across at him.
"Mr Bolton do you have something to say?" Mr Kentwood asked, a few heads shaking in the process. Teachers tended not to mess with Troy. All they received was a load of backchat and even when a detention was distributed, it would turn into the worst hour ever and they wished they had just ignored whatever he had done.
Troy felt a hand place on his shoulder, but he simply shrugged it off. Moving slightly, he saw a few students to his left back away. His eyes flicked over to them and then on to her. She was watching him, her eyes narrowed slightly, a hand placed carefully on her hips. Sensing it would be pointless to retaliate, knowing it would return to his father and he would be in even more trouble.
"No, nothing," he said, and stepped back snatching the basketball from under Chad's arm. Bouncing it, he headed over to the basket, away from the class and their current silence. Never had they witnessed Troy Bolton stand down from a teacher. Never had he backed away from a fight. Violence was his lat resort, but arguments were his first.
A cough however rang through the hall, bringing the students from the deathly silence, and a small murmur began to circle the gym.
"As I was saying, I will assign you partners and……" The voice of the teacher trailed off as Troy moved over to the bleachers. Feeling his chest rise and fall, he dropped his head into his hands. His face crumpled and he shook his head. What had just happened? It had been obvious at the time to opt out of the argument but now he realised it wasn't the right thing to do. He had a reputation to maintain. Nothing could affect that. A more affectionate side of him was something no one was supposed to see and if anyone did see it, his façade would collapse and he would just become regular Troy Bolton. The façade was the most entertaining part about it. Watching people squirm at him presence, others grovelling at his feet.
"Dude, you ok?" came a voice and Troy's head snapped up as a figure stood before him. Nodding briefly, he stood, shaking off the thoughts that had just flashed through his mind. He suddenly heard his name called and his attention was turned back to the coach.
"Troy Bolton, you'll be paired with…" He waited, expecting to be partnered with the worst person and yet he was surprised as her name was called. "Gabriella Montez."
His eyes graced over to her and he watched as her head snapped up and her eyes sought him. Landing upon him, he noticed the flicker of fear in her chocolate orbs and couldn't help but smirk. Her hands suddenly began fidgeting and she pulled her gaze from his, turning her attention to a brunette beside her who Troy instantly recognised as Taylor McKessie. The girl he knew Chad had been crushing on but had yet to reveal it.
"Oh, sorry man," Chad said from his left and Troy glanced at him and watched as his eyes graced over Gabriella. He shook his head and his friend looked up at him, frowning slightly.
"Don't be sorry. This should be fun." Suddenly realising the meaning of his phrase, Chad smirked before heading off. Turning back, he now spotted her standing by herself, her arms crossed nervously over her chest. Deciding he had better approach her before she cut and run, he made his way across the room. A few heads turned his way as he passed through the class, but his eyes never left her. Two months of silently watching, observing and now he could finally meet her, discover what she was really all about, how she really worked.
"Nervous?" he asked simply as he arrived in front of her. She looked up, her eyes still full of nerves and yet he spotted something else. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"No," she said forcefully, her arms moving from her chest and he was slightly taken aback. He had expected her not to retaliate and yet she had, making her all the more intriguing.
"Well, you should be," he said, as he moved around her. His mouth came inches from her ear and he watched as she flinched. "You most certainly should be."
"You don't scare me Bolton," she muttered back, her eyes darkening as they came into contact with his. He smirked, now standing before her.
"The brainiac has a feisty side," he said impressed by her assertiveness. She simply frowned at him, her arms hanging by her sides.
"Brainiac? Seriously? Ok, so what are you? A Bully? A jerk?" Her arms folded across her chest as she looked up at him, her eyes searching his. He still noticed the glimmer of fear yet the other feeling that was in there was making him wary. He couldn't decide what it was and the thought of not knowing made him slightly on edge. He was never on edge.
"I wouldn't say a bully," he said as music suddenly blared from the speakers, making the petite brunette jump. "And a jerk is a little too harsh, don't you think?" She snorted briefly before walking past him and into the centre of the gym with the rest of the class. Turning, he watched as she stopped and faced him. She shrugged and he headed over to her, his hands placed in his pockets.
"Now, you need to just feel the music, just go with it!" Mr Kentwood called loudly over the rising music. Gabriella unfolded her arms and looked up at Troy.
"What is it about you? Why are you so cruel?" she questioned and he simply shrugged. Deciding he wouldn't stand around doing nothing, he grasped her hand in his and pulled her body close to his by her waist. As their bodies collided, she gasped and she saw his eyes flash with amusement. She glared at him as they began to move slowly in time with the music.
"I know all about you," she said and he felt his eyebrows raise at her words. She simply shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Troy Bolton, East High's reigning bad boy. I hear your bite is worse than your bark and you certainly proved that with your kind public display against Jonathon Anderson the other day." Troy smirked, the memory of last weeks fight outside the school flashing into his mind.
"He was insulting Chad. I couldn't let him get away with that. He needs to know whose boss," Troy replied and Gabriella smiled.
"And that's you? You're the boss?" She watched as he thought about it momentarily before nodding.
"I was the boss for a long time, even before you showed up." Gabriella watched him as they slowly moved across the polished gym floor.
"Why would me showing up affect your status at the school. I'm an inconvenient brainiac, remember?" Troy's eyes narrowed slightly and Gabriella felt his grip tighten on her waist.
"I never said inconvenient. Besides, being the boss has its perks," he replied and spun her suddenly, her long hair twirling around her shoulders. Moving back into him, her hand suddenly fell onto his chest and she looked down and then back at him. He simply watched her and she saw a dangerous glint flash through his cobalt eyes.
"How can being the boss have its perks? All you do is bully people," Gabriella said sternly. Troy's face flew past hers and she found her head against his shoulder. He suddenly spoke and she flinched, feeling his breath tickling her ear.
"Now I've already told you, I'm no bully and I will more than happily prove that to you," he whispered, his voice agitated and heavy. "Besides, I know how you work."
Gabriella pulled away from him and looked up into his face, her hair falling across her cheek. Quickly brushing it away, she spoke.
"Have you been watching me?" Troy let out a dry chuckle at her accurate observation.
"In a way, yes," he muttered. "I know you have taken every AP class there is, you're a member of the Decathlon team and you tend to live in that big house of yours alone." Gabriella's head snapped up.
"How do you know that?" she questioned angrily. Troy frowned, the nervous look in her eyes gone. A hint of anger passed through them and he continued to glare at him until he answered.
"So I know you live alone, big deal. You seem to know a lot about me too," Troy hissed. Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and pulled her hand from his chest and placing it carefully on his shoulder.
"I don't know where you live and for the record, I don't live alone. My mom is just away on business a lot." Gabriella frowned suddenly, unsure why she had just told him that. Troy noticed and grinned.
"Very touching," he whispered as the music finished and the class was dismissed. They both stayed put however, their hands still interlinked.
"I think I'm going to enjoy this," he said, his hand reaching the edge of her t-shirt and slowly rising up it. He saw her eyes flash up to his and her eyebrows furrowed.
"Enjoy what?" she hissed, her voice dangerous and low.
"Getting to know each other. It'll be fun." Gabriella suddenly pulled back from him, the space between them suddenly feeling like miles after their elongated closeness.
"Who said I wanted to get to know you?" she muttered and Troy shook his head, his brown locks falling into his eyes. Looking down into her chocolate orbs, he suddenly recognised the look he had been confused about. It suddenly unnerved him, something he hadn't felt for years.
"Oh you will," he whispered and before she knew it, he was half way across the court, a cool breeze chilling her arms from his swift escape.
Pushing onto the door of the locker room, Troy was submerged in thought. That conversation wasn't what he had expected. He pictured himself talking and her too nervous to object to his plans. But her stern and forceful answers had stunned him slightly, never having known someone with so much brain and yet so much bottle. But the one thing that had actually unnerved him was that look in her eyes. Utter confidence. He had never seen that in anyone's eyes beside his fathers. No one dared to be confident around him, confidence only getting them in even more trouble. But her total confidence had caused something to stir in Troy Bolton, something he hadn't felt in a few years. He had felt nervous.
Author's Note: Ok, so Troy in this story is definitely cocky, but after meeting Gabriella is sort of put in his place and will find that he can't always be in control, especially of his feelings. I also thought, since watching HSM 2 that Gabriella should have more confidence. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and reviews and critisism are welcome.