Chapter One 180-Degree Turns
Troy Bolton stared glumly out the window, watching the bare desert pass him by. Long gone were the sunny palm trees, the gorgeous beaches, and even more gorgeous girls… He was stuck in the stupid minivan with his mom, dad and younger twin siblings Katie and Daniel going to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Goddamn it, he was going to live in a place that rhymes with turkey.
He mostly blamed his dad for all this, coming back to his hometown to reclaim his glory as the basketball coach. As if playing for the Lakers were enough. No, he had to come back to fricking Albuquerque (turkey) to coach basketball at his old high school, East High. And Troy, apparently, was going to study there—and play on the dumb varsity.
The sign "Welcome to Albuquerque" flashed before his eyes, and Troy bit back a groan. Great. This meant there was no turning back. "Aww, it's beautiful here, Jack," Lucille Bolton, his mother exclaimed. His father, Jack Bolton, glowed with pride.
"Isn't it? We're going to have so much fun here. Right, kids?" He glanced at the rearview mirror, looking at his three children. Fifteen-year-old Katie rolled her pretty blue eyes, waving a fake flag in the air.
"Wow. Great." Sarcasm laced her voice as she went back to her book. Her twin, Daniel, wasn't listening. He was humming a song that was playing on his iPod, oblivious to everything that was going on. Troy looked at his dad pointedly, spite glowing in his deep blue eyes.
"Fun. Moving to another town, leaving all your friends behind and going to a desert. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun, Dad." Troy sighed, tossing the basketball in his hand before looking back out the window. Lucille sighed, before patting Jack's hand slightly.
"They'll come around," she whispered. Troy, Katie and Daniel, each in their own worlds, simply replied in unison,
"Yeah, right."
&
"Are you done packing?" Katie tapped on Troy's bedroom door, leaning casually against the doorframe. She peeked inside her brother's room: dark blue walls, a twin bed, and a window leading to a balcony that overlooked the front lawn. Troy was on his bed, tossing the basketball up and down in the air.
"I suppose." Troy didn't look at her. Katie was never really that close to her brother. They were so different, but she felt that maybe the move would bond them, since they both hated it with a passion. "How about you?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Katie fidgeted uncomfortably at the doorway. "Well, uh, I guess I'll just leave you alone."
Troy felt a wave of regret wash over him. He never liked making Katie feel bad, much as he'd hate to admit. "Well, Kate, we can… take a walk or something. Let's see if this place is really as bad as we think it is."
Katie's face lit up with an angelic smile, despite the dark eyeliner that laced her eyes. "Really? We will?" She eagerly moved inside the room and grabbed his arm. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Troy couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, Kate, chill. Let's go ask Danny if he wants to come." He dropped the basketball, letting it roll on the floor. He grabbed his old Converse shoes and tugged them on, following his younger sister out the door. Katie walked down the hall and knocked graciously on her brother's door.
"Danny, get the damn hell out. Troy and I are going for a walk," she said loudly, rapping on his door. After a few moments, Daniel opened the door. His shaggy brown hair fell over his eyes gracefully as he tugged on his jacket. "Great, you wanna leave the hellhole too."
"Please. I miss my old room already." Daniel sighed and tugged off his earphones. "So, where we going?"
"Around the neighborhood, I guess." Troy shrugged. Daniel nodded his head, running his hand through his hair. Daniel was the most silent among the three, and he preferred keeping his emotions to himself. He was unpredictable as hell.
The three walked down the stairs and tapped on the door three times, usually signaling their parents that they're going out. Troy slid his jacket on and got the house keys on the dresser by the door, and they all headed outside.
Their house was situated in a very nice neighborhood, a typical suburban wonderland. The Bolton house was actually pretty large. It was white, with a porch and a porch swing, and two balconies on the second floor. One was Troy's, and the other one belonged to Jack and Lucille. They overlooked the pretty front lawn, dotted with cobblestones and a large willow tree.
"God, our house looks like it came out of a 60's sitcom." Katie groaned, tucking her hands in her jean pockets. Troy nodded in agreement, a small grin crossing his face. "The only thing lacking is a vintage car, a swing set, and a girl with blonde pigtails running along."
"You can be the blonde girl, Katie!" Daniel tugged at his sister's lighter brown locks. "All you have to do is highlight your hair—"
"Shut up, Bolton!" Katie growled. Daniel smirked as he started jogging up the sidewalk. "Where do you think you're going? Come back here, dumb ass!"
Daniel laughed and started rushing down the sidewalk. Katie chased after him just as quickly. Troy couldn't help but laugh as he followed them down the sidewalk, making them run a few blocks down the road. Daniel turned around a certain street.
"Can't catch me, Katie, your legs are too short!" Daniel teased, making Katie scowl and chase him faster. The twins chased after each other until Katie caught him, making him fall back on the lawn of a yellow house with a front porch as well.
"Ha! In your face, dimwit!" Katie yelled triumphantly, sitting on top of him. Troy laughed and panted, flopping on the grass next to them. "You guys suck. I mean, just because I'm the only girl doesn't mean you guys can bully me all the time!"
"Uh, actually, Kate, it does mean that," Troy replied, making Daniel burst into laughter. Katie pouted, hitting her older brother's arm. "Hey! That hurt, you little—"
"Excuse me?" a feminine voice said slowly, making Troy, Katie and Daniel stand up hurriedly. A girl dressed in a nice sundress was looking at them curiously, an amused smile on her face. Four girls and a boy were also with her, dressed in casual summer wear.
"Uh, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to, uh," Katie stammered out, jabbing her twin in the arm. Daniel flushed a bright red, looking at Troy instead.
"Sorry, my younger brother was being a jackass to my younger sister, and we just started running and ended up here," Troy explained, glaring at his two younger siblings warningly. Katie fought off a snigger, faking an innocent look.
"Well, he started it," she stated, pointing at Daniel. The girl who had spoken laughed, unknowingly sending shivers down Troy's spine. She seemed his age, and she seemed beautiful—dark brown hair that cascaded down her back in waves, slightly tanned skin and pretty brown eyes.
"It's okay, really. My friends and I were just wondering what the heck was happening out here." She outstretched her hand to Katie. "Hi, I'm Gabriella."
"Hi. I'm Katie, this is Daniel and this is Troy." Katie shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Gabriella."
"Yeah, and these are my friends, Taylor McKessie, Martha Cox, Sharpay Evans and Ryan Evans." Gabriella pointed out each one. "Guys, this is Katie, Daniel and Troy." She turned back to the Bolton trio and smiled. "So, you guys seem new."
"Uh, yeah. We just moved into that white house a few blocks away. We're all starting out at East High or something," Daniel answered, finally speaking up. Gabriella smiled even wider.
"Great! We all go to East High. We're all incoming juniors."
"Wow, just like Troy!" Katie tilted her head to Troy, who had been silent the whole time. "Troy? Hello? Earth to Troy, dude!"
Troy hadn't been speaking, because he was too busy staring at Gabriella Montez. A blush crossed his cheeks, before he cleared his throat and looked at Katie. "Huh, what?"
"Thank you for ogling at Gabriella like a loser." Katie rolled her eyes. "They're gonna be your classmates or something at East High."
"Great! Hey, class starts day after tomorrow. We can all pass by your house and pick you up or something," Gabriella offered, smiling sweetly at him. Troy shrugged before nodding slightly and smiling.
"That'll be okay, thanks." He checked his watch. "Well, we gotta go. Our parents might be wondering if this place is like Disturbia or something."
"Okay. See you guys around! Nice meeting you all!" Gabriella waved, before she and her friends entered back inside the Montez household. Troy smiled slightly and waved back.
Damn, it was nice meeting her too.