CHAPTER ONE- THE REAL ME

I love to dance. I wish I could sing, but unfortunately I'm not too skilled in that department. I love thunderstorms. I love being outside when it's raining and just dancing in the rain. I love getting a hot shower when I'm cold, and a cold one when I'm hot.

I've always kept a diary, since it happened I think; it's part of my therapy. I remember I hated it at first, writing down my feelings. But now I don't think I'd live without doing it.

My mood changes with the weather, if it's nice out, I'm happy. I like to just sit around once in a while and read a good book. I'm a very picky eater. I'm a pretty quiet person until you get to know me. I guess that's why I don't have many friends at school. I just don't open up to people that easily.

Friends.

I really only have one good friend. I'm an only child but I'm not spoiled, or cocky. I always race through life, never stopping to take a minute to just breathe. I don't usually like to stay cooped up in my house, I'm always busy doing something, and even when I'm not I find something to do. I guess I inherited that from my dad.

For the past sixteen years I've been weird, so that means my whole life. But there is one person who's always looks past my oddness..

Troy Bolton.

He's been my best friend since the summer after it happened. He basically knows more about me than I know about myself. He knows how I'm feeling by just looking at me, and even if its cloudy and cold outside, he knows how to cheer me up. Whenever it's raining we always go outside and run around together, just goofing off. Troy has helped me through a lot, more than he'll ever know actually. He's the one that got me to really slow down and appreciate life, even though I don't think he realized it that much. He basically knows the real me.

Almost.

I paused for a moment, tearing my eyes away from the lined paper of my diary that contained my life story. I'd flipped to the very front of the diary, the first words I'd ever written in it. I wrote those words so long ago, three years to be exact. I heard my mom's voice at my door. "Troy's here Gabriella, can he come in?"

"Um, yeah, one minute," I called capping my pen and stuffing the diary under my mattress. "Okay." I said trying to sit casually on my bed, as the door opened and Troy walked in.

"So what are you doing?" he asked me lying down on my bed. He basically lived at my house, and was quite comfortable in it.

"Nothing," I said. Sometimes I wanted to tell him, especially when we were sitting having a deep conversation, him staring into my eyes. But I knew I couldn't. It was pretty hard pretending like none of it happened.

I lay my body down on the bed, so our heads were side by side. "I'm pretty bored."

"Want to go get ice cream or something?" Troy suggested taking a piece of my hair and curling it slowly around his finger. I'm pretty sure he didn't even realize he was doing it; he does a lot of things subconsciously.

"Yeah," I paused, "I'd like that." I said grabbing his hand and standing up.

There was only a week left of summer and we'd decided to make the most of it.

We walked to Troy's car, which was parked on the street, and I got into the passenger seat. As he started the car the radio automatically turned to Troy's favourite station. As the minutes passed the weather report came on and I waited anxiously.

"And for tonight, the weather reported said, "We going to have heavy rain and possible chance of thunderstorms. Not a pretty night so I advice all of you to stay inside."

I turned smiling in my seat to face Troy as he smiled back at me. "I guess we'll be outside tonight then." Troy said winking at me.

I laughed at Troy's face and nodded. I knew he didn't really like being out in the rain but he did it for my sake.

"Oh come on Troy, its not that bad!" I protested loosening my seatbelt from around my waist.

"Well after three years, I've gotten used to it by now." Troy says pulling into the parking lot of the local ice cream parlour.

I jumped out of the car and ran to line up, which was non-existent. It was late August now, but the weather was still warm enough to get ice cream.

Call me old fashioned but I always get vanilla ice cream. I know it's so plain and overrated but it's what I get every time I come with Troy. He ordered his ice creams, two large Raspberry frozen yogurt in cones and then my large vanilla cone. Troy literally never stops eating; he always gets himself two cones rather than one. He was a guy after all. He handed me the large cone and we went back to his car to eat it.

After several minutes Troy started back up the engine again and we headed back to my house.

By the time we were back into my drive way it was pouring rain and I almost couldn't wait to run out into it.

I quickly opened my door and jumped out into the rain as Troy followed.

I laughed loudly as the rain soaked through my clothes and I ran to Troy. He was laughing too and I grabbed his hand, running out into the street.

I held my arms out and spun around in a circle, my head facing the storm clouds above. Troy grabbed my arm and we ran down the street together as the thunder and lightening began to set in. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush it gave me, or the fact that what we were doing was actually pretty dangerous. But I'd always loved the feeling it gave me. As the rain pounded down on my skin it was like I was in another world, with Troy beside me. I was finally free.

So there you go, this story is going to be a lot different than the rest of the stories

I've written. Please tell me what you guys think, I've got a lot planned for this story, I'm already done the first 8 chapters! YAY for me!

This is what I've been spending a LOT of my time on, instead of updating my other stories…woops :D But I will get back to other stories soon!So I do realize this chap is very short, but they do get longer, and better. Actually now that I think about it, this chap is one of my worst, so it keeps getting better and better from here, please read and REVIEW!!

P.S- I'm taking both Troy and Gabriella way out of character so just bear with me guys!
P.S.S- I know this chapter was kind of uneventful but I'm just writing this so you get to know the characters first .. you know how it is.
I'd really like to know what you think so far so please REVIEW:D,
thanks!