Note to self: be nice to keyboard. If you don't already know, I have done this before, the writing thing I mean, and I have destroyed way too many keyboards for a lifetime. So, I'm going to be a tiny bit gentler this time. I'll tell you how that works out for me.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own high school musical or any of its original characters, hence I am sitting in a house, not a mansion, and typing this up on a laptop, not well-anything else.
Author's Note: In most good stories, you connect with the characters and fall in love with the characters, and then watch their journey. I'm going to warn you, in this story you're not going to be doing that. Well, you'll fall in love with Gabriella and you'll love her but you'll probably not know as much of the other characters to fall in love with them. What I'm trying to say is, this story is in first person.
You'll probably also find out that this particular plot has already had a presence on fanfiction. No worries, I am really good friends the author of the story and she gave me her permission and blessing to re-write it. It's not going to be entirely the same. But yeah, we'll figure it out.
Anyway, you read the preview and came here, now here's the story. Here goes:
There is something about the shimmering florescence of those underwater lights and a summer night sky that drags me to the pool every year at night on the last day of school. You can say that my life is a living hell. I don't like to think about it. Especially now, since my living hell is just about behind me for the next three months. I am going to my safe haven. My brainwash center, so to speak. The little town of Morton, Washington is where I was supposed to be born but God had made the biggest mistake of the century and put me in Albuquerque. Apparently, the universe has a sense of humor.
It's quiet in the resort. The employees of Lava Springs only see me once a year because I'm not a fan of becoming my step-sister's humble servant if she ever sees me here during the daytime. Needless to say, this was Sharpay's territory and I wasn't welcome. To her, at least. The other employees will smile when they see me; we would chit chat a little and then I would get changed for a refreshing dip in the pool. I have been continuing the tradition since middle school. At first, Mr. Fulton would stay in the building until I left and escort my sixth grade self safely back home. Three years later, I got my license and Mr. Fulton trusted me with the spare key to the place. Mr. Fulton is my step-father's right hand man. Like the rest of Lava Springs, I see him seldom but he's been nicer to me on the one day that I see him than anyone else has over the past years in Albuquerque. It's hard not to be nice to me after my mother died six years ago.
I submerged myself deeper into the water, closing my eyes so that all my senses focus on the feeling of the water surrounding me. Slowly, a foggy memory creeps up on me. It's of my mother bringing me here as a mere four year old. I used to be afraid of the water so I hung on to my mother's neck as she walked into deeper parts of the pool.
"Estás bueno, mija" her angelic voice cooed in Spanish as I whimpered in her arms. "Estoy aquí" My confidence grew slowly. My mother had taken us to a part of the pool where I could stand on the floor of the pool and the water would be up to my nonexistent bosom.
About an hour later, I had played and splashed in the water with my mother up until the point where I didn't want to leave. My mother, on the other hand, whisked me away from the pool and set me standing on the hot cement.
"Esperame" she told me as she left to get a towel for me. Curious, I took baby steps to the very edge of the pool. Without thinking, I jumped in again. I had willingly leaped into the 7 feet end of the pool to my horror. When I surfaced, I didn't have enough time to scream and let someone know that I was drowning. I thrashed around in the water, punching and kicking hoping that something will help me stay afloat. But, my body was getting tired and I could feel it. The next thing I remember is coughing up burning water and looking into the eyes of a blue eyed stranger.
"Can you hear me?" this man said. "You're okay now, honey. Don't worry" he reassured.
"Gabriella!" My mother was at a distance but I could hear the gut-wrenching terror in her voice. My head turned instinctively.
"Mi amor, mi hija" she repeated as my mother sprinted to my weak body until she hovered above me. "Qué pasó?" she caressed my face, a tear in her eye.
"Your daughter is okay, now. She might need some rest though" the man who had saved me said.
"Qué?" she questioned. English was completely foreign to my mother at the time. Her look was desperate and searching for a translation in his eyes.
"Oh" he hesitated, understanding the dilemma. "Su hija está bueno. Necesitar -oh shit, how do you say rest?" He stopped his broken Spanish and looked down at me, as if I was strong enough to answer him. He gave up and started to use hand motions. He clasped his hands together, put them under his right cheek, and said "rest".
Thankfully, my mother understood. "Está bueno? Sí?" He knew this one.
"Sí."
My mother gasped in relief, taking his hand and kissing it several times. "Gracias, Señor! Un mil gracias!"
The man chuckled. "Denada. Uh, me llamo Noah. Y tú?"
"Sí, me llamo Maria y esta es Gabriella" she put a hand on my shoulder.
"It's nice to meet you, Maria" he put a hand out for my mother to shake. Not knowing what to do with it, she just left it there.
"Sí".
"Mamá?" I croaked for her attention and she gave it to me.
As the memory faded I recalled the result of my mother and Noah meeting. It was the start of a love story. My mother found him many times at stores, where she worked and picking me up from kindergarten. Finally, he asked her out on a date, which I had to translate to her. She accepted. Two weeks later, she met his daughter and son. A year later, they were married and six years later, my mother died in a hit and run car accident.
Noah was a young lifeguard at Lava Springs at the time. After he and my mother got married and couple business deals later, he owned the resort and turned it into what it is today. I knew he loved my mother very much, as my mother did him. They both tried their hardest to blend me into the family but somehow I got left out. My mother was my only link to Noah Evans and his family. When the link disappeared, there was no connection at all. When I was younger, Noah was as much a father to me as he was to his own children but once my mother died, he drowned himself in work and he missed seeing his children growing up for the past six years.
Sharpay, her brother Ryan and I are all seventeen now. Sharpay and Ryan lived life luxuriously through their father's well earned money. I was grateful that Noah kept me in his household so I didn't ask for more.
Noah did notice that after my mom died I was having a hard time in school and at home. A couple weeks after the accident, he booked a ticket to my grandmother's place in Washington and that was the first summer I traveled to my grandparent's house for the summer. Ever since, Morton was my home.
It would be nice to say that nobody sees me at school because everybody does. They all see me as the poor girl who when she lost her mother, she lost everything. There are brave ones however, who don't see me as the poor girl. They don't know me as the one that lost her mother but they do know me as harmless. So, the mess with me and bully me. And, I put up with it. After all, it doesn't matter what happens in Albuquerque as long as I go back home every year.
I hold my breath under water until all my grievances fade away. They didn't matter. Nothing mattered now. Tomorrow morning I am on a straight flight to Washington and I won't look back until September. As my head surfaced again, I decided to depart the pool. It was midnight and I still needed to pack a couple of my things. I lifted myself out of the pool and headed the locker rooms again.
After changing, I walked slowly toward my car. It used to be my mother's. I convinced Noah to keep it and that I will pay for its checkups and repairs. He did, reluctantly.
Once inside, I had to turn the key twice for the engine to roar alive. It was a cool Albuquerque night so I left my window open and drove home. As I approached, the lights in the house were still on and I could hear music blasting. Of course. Sharpay's annual last day of school party.
I can't believe I forgot. It's the biggest party of the school year. I parked the car in the old garage and entered the house through the back door. Obviously the music was melting my ears. I spotted Ryan in the kitchen, a cup in his hands.
"Hey Gabriella!" he yelled. "Aren't you supposed to be in Wyoming?"
"Washington. And no, not until tomorrow" I responded, trying to make myself audible.
"What?"
"I am going to Washington tomorrow!" I was screaming at the top of my lungs.
"I can't hear you! The music's too loud!" he gestured with his hands as he said it. I didn't bother saying anything else so I just turned and left.
"Bye! Have fun in Wyoming!" was the last thing he said to me.
Rolling my eyes, I climbed the stairs up to my room. There were people talking above the music, some were eating one thing or the other and some were challenging the amount of PDA needed to be seen by the public. Not to mention, the majority of people dancing crazily in the living room. I dodged all of them until I reached the serenity of my room which was unfortunately occupied also. I groaned, my head swing back in frustration. I scanned downstairs, wondering where Sharpay was to see if she can give me hand. As I placed my hand on the door knob, I bit my lip hard, contemplating the consequences of what I was about to do.
"Oh, Troy" someone inside moaned. "You're so…" I winced, walking away. Like I said, there are brave ones who think I'm harmless.
Folding my arms, I looked down on the party from a small indoor balcony. Obviously, I was afraid. Troy Bolton was my designated tormenter. And I, his tormentee. What are you thinking about? A voice inside my head scolded. You're not going to see him this summer. He's probably too drunk to remember anything in the morning. Just go inside and kick him out, my mind coaxed. My stomach dropped at the idea. Kick him out? Just like that? Just like that the voice repeated.
I took a deep breath and turned around, a new energy burning inside me. It must have been the excitement of tomorrow that leads me to do much more than just kick them out.
I banged the door with my hand hard. "Guys, quick! It's the police!" I yelled feigning a frantic voice.
It took at least five seconds to process.
"Fuck" I heard Troy swear from inside following a series of other misused words.
Immediately, I jump out of the doorway and stuck myself against the wall behind the door. It sprung out against my toes, giving them a definite bruise. Two half naked people emerged from the door and sprinted down the hallway, looking for no signs that it was a joke. I suppressed a giggle as they stormed down the stairs, their clothes held to their chests.
Without giving them a chance to come back, I snuck inside my room and locked it shut. Instantly I noticed that my bed sheets were mess and an amount of dinner came back to my throat. I reached into my closet and brought out a spare white sheet. After spreading it over the comforter and pillows, I collapsed the two hours swim coming back to me in fatigue. Tomorrow was awaiting me and I couldn't wait to get there.
"We will miss you, sweets" Gladys, Sharpay's hired nurse said. I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Okay, I will miss you. It won't be nice for me to handle the Evans children without someone else there" she complained.
I give her a smile this time. "I'll miss you too Gladys" I put my arms around her pleasantly and pressed my cheek to hers.
"Are you sure you want to go there? Washington is horrible this time of the year. Honestly, it's never sunny there, it just keeps raining"
I rolled my eyes and let my head drop to the side as she said this. Ever year she'll say the same thing.
"I am sure I want to go ,Gladys" this stops her. I'm still tired from last night. The residue from the party was horrible to look at. And Gladys can tell.
"Alright. Well, you better be taking yourself well up there. Don't play in the rain too often, you get pneumonia and don't stay out the sun too long, you'll get sunburned" she warned.
"I will" I told her.
A voice cackled through the speakers of the airport. "We will now be boarding the first class seat 1-4 for flight A348 at gate N5".
I looked up and behind me toward the couple of people who were walking toward the gate. "That's me" I tell Gladys. I kiss her quickly on the cheek and squeeze her hand.
"Take car, honey" she says and waves sweetly goodbye as I step backward.
I don't say anything else to Gladys before I turn around and head towards the gate like the others.
As I drag my bag and shuffle down the tunnel, I think about last night. I wonder if Troy got home without realizing that the interruption last night was a joke. My heart races a little when I think that he might've figured out that it was a joke and found that it was me who initiated it. I bite my lip and reassure myself that he won't find me 1,000 miles away.
I found my seat easily upon boarding the plane and tucked my baggage away under the seat. I popped my headphones on and gazed outside. The sun is just rising. It's overcast but I can see sun rays darting against the windows of the building.
At least fifteen minutes later, I watch the plane lift off into the sky. As soon as I was in the air, my shoulders relaxed and a sense of relief engulfed me. Slowly, I pushed down on a button and my seat reverted into a bed. Thanks to Noah, my ticket was expense-free. He insisted to my grandparents and if it meant a guaranteed trip to Washington every year then I honestly could not refuse.
Three hours later, my flight arrived in Sea-Tac Airport. It was sprinkling down rain from very large gray clouds when I walked the terminal to the baggage claim. Typical I thought to myself. At baggage claim, after hauling my suitcase from the conveyor belt, I propped myself up on a chair to search for my grandmother. A new type of energy coursed through my veins. I was excited to get this summer started.
"Gabriella!" a mature voice called out to me and my head sprung in the direction of it. A huge grin splattered on my face when I saw an elderly, tall, loving woman. I squealed, a flourish blossoming in my chest. Like a little girl, I ran to my grandmother and let her surround me with her arms.
"Oh, mi hija, I missed you so much this year" she says into my ear. I take in her soft scent of roses deeply and close my eyes. She is an old woman, but she's my pillar. Everything about her is like my own mother. As long as she's there, I will never forget what my mother was like.
My grandmother guided me to her truck and both of us climbed into the front seats. It was a rusty old truck, faded from the vibrant blue it was when my grandfather was young. As soon as the engine turned on, a soft tune erupted from the speakers. Grandma turned the volume down and grinned at me.
"Tell me, hija, how are you?" she asked lovingly.
I smiled back at her, "I'm good, abuela".
"How is school been treating you?" she added.
"Just fine"
I look away. My grandmother knows that I don't like school at all. She doesn't know, however, the extent of how much I don't like it. The highway is wide as my grandmother's truck rumbles south toward Morton. Washington is known for its green-ness but a lot of those extremely tall, skinny trees are centrally located in the north western region. There is plenty of farm land here also. It's not flat farmland, but still.
Three hours later, the sky is gleaming red. We drove past the rain about forty minutes ago and suddenly came to a break in the clouds. We were also going excitingly near to home.
"Your abuelo has been working so hard on the house ever since it started to rain a little bit less" grandma said to me as we neared the old house that they lived in. "He installed a brand new dishwasher in the kitchen around March and ever since he's been working on the new porch out back".
"He isn't working too hard is he?" I ask, slightly concerned. As much as they would like to think it opposite, my grandparents were getting really old.
"Oh, no dear. He says he doesn't mind the extra work" she says cheerfully. She turns into our gravel driveway and stops underneath a separate garage.
"Alright" I accept.
When she stops the engine, we both exit the car, me stopping for my luggage, and then enter the house. It's a one floor house. Once entered, the floor is tile, a dark green shade. To the right, there is a doorway to the kitchen and right across from the front door is a rather large living room. The place has a theme of green including the carpet and furniture. To the left as a hallway. At your first right in the hallway there is a thin wooden door to the closet, then is the first bathroom. Across from the bathroom is my bedroom. This room is a shade of blue but on one wall my grandmother and I ricocheted tiny balloons of paint two years ago so now, there are splatters of bright colors on the wall. At the end of the hallway, is my grandparent's room and neighboring that is a guest bedroom. The house lacks space for one extra arm other than us, but nonetheless it's home.
A smell filtered through my nose as soon as I stepped into the building. It warmed my heart, as if the vital organ had been locked up in an icebox the past year. The first thing I saw was abuela's newest creation. She was an art teacher at the local high school in Morton just two years ago before her retirement. This time, my grandmother had painted a sunset with lively colors streamed across the canvas.
"Wow, abuela, you've really out done yourself this time!" I appreciate, excitedly. She was already in the kitchen.
"I hope she has!" an old man's voice cackled. "That took nearly all over winter and it left a horrible smell while at it"
"Abuelo!" I cry and duck into his embrace. He is an extremely tight hugger, with hard pats on the back.
"There's my sweet hija" he said into my ear. When he pulled back he looked me up and down.
"Ay, you have grown sweetheart! Hope those boys aren't giving you too much trouble!" he jammed a finger into my side. I laughed. He was joking, of course.
"No, papi. They're staying away from me" I told him, being honest.
"That's because they know you still have a healthy abuelo to beat them up!" I laughed again.
"That's exactly why" I tell him and he gives me a toothy grin.
"How was your flight, mija?" he asked, leading to me to the kitchen.
"Too long" I yawned, leaning into my grandfather.
"How 'bout you sit yourself down here" he pulled out a chair for me from the kitchen table. "and I'll give you a nice snack to cheer you up".
I grinned at him as he shuffled a bag of his own cooked potato chips into a plate in front of me. My grandfather was a chef at Las Margaritas, a restaurant that is probably the closest thing to fine dining in Morton. It was the one place to go for every celebration: birthdays, weddings, graduations, anniversaries. And, my grandfather is the chef. The restaurant is closed for the summer for reconstruction so now, my grandfather has submitted to feeding my mother and me during the next two months and rebuilding the whole house and fixing everything that squeaks.
I munched happily with my grandparents watching me with delighted eyes. They asked me questions in between mouthfuls rounds about school and Noah. My parents had only seen Noah twice and that was at my mother's wedding and her funeral. They asked about him often, wondering how he was doing now that my mother was gone. I couldn't answer much, mostly because I didn't know much.
After my grandparents had filled me up with good old carbohydrates, I dismissed myself to go to the restroom and take a shower. I still smelled annoyingly of chlorine from last night and I was itching to get the stench off of me. Once inside the bathroom and naked, I slipped inside the shower. Almost as immediately as the hot water sprayed my body, a wave of sleepiness washed over me. The three hours of sleep I got last night, from after the party had faded into the occasional violent thumping to the time I had to get up to catch my plane, were not sufficient. I almost dizzied myself right in the bathtub. My grandmother's knocking startled me just in time.
"Gabriella, it is the Caton family's turn to host the summer harvest party today. Should head over there soon. We don't want to be late"
I groaned. The summer harvest party wasn't really a harvest party; it just celebrated that summer is finally here and the rain would go away for only about a week. My grandparent's and the Catons would alternate years to host the party. The Catons were the sweetest elderly couple I've ever seen, aside from my own grandparents, but their grandkids were way too young for me to relate to. Last year, I was their designated baby-sitter and it did not go so well, let's say.
"Ugh, do I have to? Can't I just stay home" I complained while lapping soap suds over my skin.
"Stop whining, dear. Taylor will be there, she's home from her father's last hospital visit" I immediately brightened up. Even though it's very unoriginal, my sweet little Morton came with my very own best friend.
Unlike my grandparents, Taylor knew everything about me, even about the people at school. She knew that they weren't the nicest and she knew how much Morton mean to me. If there was anyone I had to trust my life with, if my grandparents had gotten some sort of disease that loses their memory, I would go to Taylor, no questions asked.
I freshened myself up in the bathroom and left smelling like fresh lavender with only a towel on. It seemed that my grandparents already got a head start on walking to the Caton's house. I stepped a white long skirt once inside my room and pulled a blue tank top over my head. It was warm outside now but I was 100 percent sure that it would get chilly by the night. I grabbed a sweater from my suitcase, thrashing my room with random clothes in the meantime. I pinned wet my hair into a half up-do, getting it temporarily out of my face.
I was out of the house with the key in my hand in the next ten minutes. The Caton's house was just about a five minute walk from my grandparent's. I can kick a rock from my house to theirs and not get bored of it the whole time. The road was old, cracked in some places making it impossible to drive over without hiccupping too many times. One year, the city council wanted to fix it, seeing as it is the main road of the city, but instead they left it as it is hoping that it would slow down the frequent drunk that sped across this street.
At last, when I reached the potluck it was already bustling with people. No one would miss this one, or any of the annual parties because even though it was no place for unruly teenagers to spend the first night of their summer, the food was amazing. I expect that my grandfather's recipes will make up half the menu.
"Gabriella!" I searched for the mouth of the voice that called me. My eyes landed on a waving elderly woman. "Oh, my, you have grown so much this year!" Mrs. Caton told me. Her soft hazel eyes settled into mine welcomingly. She held my hands with her aged ones.
"Hi, Mrs. Caton" I greet politely. "It's good to see you again"
"It's nice to see you too, Gabriella. So you're done with your junior year, now, honey?" she asked.
I nodded. She continued, "Oh, that's wonderful. You're already so grown up…off to college in a year" she hummed. My mind hummed along with her. The idea of college was so far away to me right now.
"Listen, you enjoy yourself tonight and I'll see you around town later. Okay?" She bid me farewell.
"Yes, Mrs. Caton" I agreed. I scanned the party for a lovely dark girl. I called out to Mrs. Caton again, "Sorry, did you see Taylor anywhere around here?" I asked.
Her mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Oh, sweetie, she called from Seattle yesterday and said she won't be able to make it. The hospital is keeping ol' Bill tied to his bed"
I sighed, sulking a just a bit. "Alright"
"I'm sorry, dear. My nephew just flew in this morning. I'm sure he's around here somewhere looking for something to do to. I'm sure he'll love you" her voice trailed off.
I sighed again and scanned the party again as if Taylor would magically appear. Mrs. Caton patted my on the shoulder and left to find her nephew for me. I pursed my lips and hung my arms from my shoulders, bored.
There was another tap on my shoulder and I turned around. It was Mrs. Caton again. Her face was bright and happy, now.
"Gabi, dear, this is my nephew"
I looked up to the grown boy that her arm was attached to. Suddenly, my mind reeled as a pair of electrifying blue eyes stung mine. Just like that, I saw my whole, relaxing summer snatched away from my grasp. It was Troy Bolton.
He stared back at me with a smirk playing in his eyes. Mrs. Caton smiled at us caringly, not knowing an inkling of the warning flags that just flew up in my mind right now.
"Get to know each other!" she prompted. She patted me on the shoulder again, this time playfully as if she was intentionally leading me into this path of doom, and turned around to greet some of her new guests. I stared up at Troy as the amusement in his eyes grew brighter. He opened his mouth to say something, darting out his tongue to wet his lips and then said:
"Damn, Gabriella. You look like you've just been caught by the police"
"Hatred is blind, as well as love"
~Oscar Wilde