A/N: This is my new multi-chaptered story. It's my attempt to give a more mature twist to the characters and situations of High School Musical. Naturally, it's AU. Starts from with Gabriella arriving at East High, there's no New Year's Eve meeting at the ski lodge, and the East High students are warped, distorted versions of themselves. Anyway, enjoy the first chapter. There are about five more chapters already written and about to be typed up. Enjoy. R&R! Thanks! –Mac
Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical.
Chapter One
He stares. And it completely unnerves her. When she catches him red-handed, her gaze coming up to meet his, he doesn't even have the decency to turn away pretend he hadn't been watching. He just continues to stare right at her, his eyes boring into hers. It takes her a long time to break the eye contact, but she finally wills herself to look away and she turns to focus her attention to the lunch in front of her. She can tell he's still staring because she can practically feel his eyes sliding over her form. The little hairs at the base of her neck begin to stand on end. She glanced upward, her eyes shielded by her thick curtain of bangs. Still he is staring, his gaze never wavering. Her stomach drops to her feet. She is suddenly both scared and excited.
Gabriella had been at East High for a week when she began to notice that she had attracted the intense attention of East High's most depraved of souls, Troy Bolton. It had taken her exactly six seconds, upon entering the school, to find out who he was. As she had passed through the halls on her way to the main office, she had come across the threads of at least ten different conversations all about this Troy Bolton. She wasn't one to eavesdrop—but when one is assaulted on all sides by girls squealing the same name before heaving dramatic sighs and guys grunting about his scoring record (both on the court and behind closed doors) before high fiving one another, how was one supposed to ignore it? Gabriella was able to deduce that Troy was the captain of the basketball team as well as the star of the team, he was the most popular guy at East High (obviously, as how could one dominate the hallway conversation otherwise?), and he was relentless when it came to getting something he wanted (namely girls that he wanted). She was curious enough to want to get a look at this Troy Bolton—just to see what the big deal was, of course. And then she was suddenly opposite a large banner, spanning a whole wall, promoting the basketball team. Dead center, the crystal-blue eyes and serious face of Troy Bolton stared down at her. Yes, she understood now.
She was still studying the banner closely when she felt someone walk up beside her. His voice filled her ears, "Troy Bolton, why am I not surprised?"
Gabriella turned to the boy, with very large hair, standing next to her. "Well, the banner takes up a whole wall it's hard not to notice."
"It's Troy Bolton, you don't have to make excuses," the boy chuckled. "He's even got the male population of the school enamored by him."
Gabriella raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, no! Not me," the boy shook his head vigorously, waving his hands wildly. Gabriella giggled softly at his antics. "But I could introduce you to him. I'm his best friend. See, that's me right there."
The boy pointed at the banner. Gabriella glanced back and forth between the banner and the boy, and sure enough, there he was standing just beside Troy. She was about to open her mouth to respond when another person suddenly joined them. This one was a girl with her curled blonde hair falling perfectly over her shoulders and her outfit entirely in shades of pink.
"Chad Danforth, the girl is new, not stupid," the blonde replied and Chad sent her a sneering smile. "She's not going to let you in her pants because you know Troy."
"Sharpay, I wasn't—" Chad started.
"Mmhmm," Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Shoo Danforth. She's not interested." Chad stalked away muttering something that sounded very much like 'bitch.' Sharpay waved shortly at his retreating back. Then she turned back to Gabriella, "Don't worry about him. You'll thank me later."
"He wasn't really bothering me. He just caught me looking at the banner and—" Gabriella began
"Yes, yes. I saw all that," Sharpay responded, giving a small wave of her hand—then on dismissing Gabriella's explanation. She started to walk down the hall and when Gabriella didn't immediately follow, she turned back, "Come on. You need the main office right? I'll show you. Let's go."
Gabriella took a few quick strides to catch up with Sharpay. Gabriella stammered, "I really don't think he was, you know, trying to…what you said."
"Of course he was," Sharpay corrected. "He tried the same thing on me when I moved here. Except, well, it worked. We had a thing in freshman year. I have a thing for basketball players, it's no big deal. I've had little things with all the guys on the team. Except for Troy, but we're close in other ways."
"What other ways?" Gabriella frowned.
"We're neighbors," Sharpay answered. "His father is the basketball coach here and he's the best substitute teacher ever, but his mother's family is old money. When his grandparents died, they left everything to his mother, including the house he lives in now. Four years ago, when my parents moved me and my twin brother Ryan here to Albuquerque we ended up in the house next door. Man, did I get an eyeful. My bedroom window overlooks his backyard, well the part of his backyard that has the basketball court. And he likes to practice shirtless, for hours. But I'm not his type. See, we're both Alpha personalities. Put us together and we would butt heads at every turn. On another note, he does have my brother all hot and bothered and their personalities are better suited for each other. Not as if that would ever happen. Troy Bolton is straight as a razor blade, much to Ryan's dismay. The boy can have any girl he wants and he chooses the only boy he can't have. Typical."
Gabriella nodded although she wasn't sure she had been able to retain everything the rambling blond had just spouted off.
"So, Troy Bolton, what's the interest?" Sharpay glanced sideways at Gabriella.
"No interest. I was on my way to the office and I saw the banner. I heard people talking about him, so I stopped to look. That's all," Gabriella answered.
"Right," Sharpay replied, sounding unconvinced. She stopped walking as they arrived in front of the main office. Gabriella started to pull open the door but Sharpay pushed it back closed. "It might not seem like it from the way you just saw us acting, but Chad and I are friends. And Troy and I are friends…so if you wanted an in with Troy, well, we can give you it."
"I think I'm okay," Gabriella said. "I'm just getting settled in here I don't have the time to…"
"Suit yourself," Sharpay shrugged. "But should you ever develop a serious interest in Troy Bolton, head this bit of advice: if he wants you, he'll have you and when he's done, it's over. You have to understand that. And a girl like you…so naïve…so naïve…He'll eat you alive."
"I think I can handle myself," Gabriella responded.
Sharpay reached over and pulled the door open for Gabriella, "That's what they all say. If you're lucky, you'll stay under his radar. Maybe he won't notice you at all."
With those final words, Sharpay walked off down the hall with her fuchsia high heels clicking loudly on the linoleum floor. Gabriella watched her go for a few moments before shaking her head to rid herself of the implications the girl had made. From what she could tell, Troy Bolton was not the kind of guy she would ever want to get involved with. In fact, he was the kind of person she would probably avoid at all costs, which was exactly what she decided to do as she entered the main office so she could get on with the rest of her first day.
But she couldn't avoid the fact that since she walked into her first homeroom class with a Ms. Darbus nearly a week prior, Troy Bolton had taken a borderline obsessive interest in her. Most people around her couldn't tell—as far as the hallway gossip was concerned, Troy had made no dramatic change in behavior. Yet Gabriella could tell. Every time they were in the same room, she could feel Troy's eyes wandering over her from head to toe, never wavering and barely blinking. The first time she had labeled a fluke. She had walked into Darbus's classroom and all eyes had turned to stare at her—it was the classic sizing up of the new girl. Sure, his eyes were the only pair that had remained on her, boring into the back of her head, for the rest of the period, but it was understandable, justifiable, and explainable. She was used to the whole staring act—the number of new schools she had attended had entered double digits years ago.
The second time she caught him staring could be waved off as a coincidence, but the third and forth times could not be ignored, nor could the fifth, sixth or seventh and so on). But for the life of her, Gabriella could not figure out why she had become the subject of Troy Bolton's unwavering eyes. But she was going to find out.