G

The broom.

I glanced at it from afar, realizing that had to be my best shot, my escape, and my way out. I wasn't afraid. He never once scared me. I only wanted to scare him, petrify him, to be honest. I wanted him to be so terrified of me that he would leave me and never come back.

My universe went up in flames for a spare moment as I planned out my revenge. I yearned to cause him such pain, something like the pain he causes me having to wake up as his every day. Such dark thoughts in my brain, I couldn't find a light anymore. Everything I once knew had been taken away from me – my purpose, my dignity, my friends and family. He destroyed anything that meant something to me. And all I had left was insanity. No thoughts, no feelings, I was emotionless.

Adrenaline kicked in as I smacked him with that broom, watching him wince in pain as he attempted to reach out to me, to stabilize me, grabbing me by the shoulders, telling me this was crazy. However, I found it perfectly normal. I wasn't backing down any time soon. I wanted him to suffer. I hit him again, more forcefully this time, hoping to get my point across. With fire igniting in his eyes, he shoved me against the wall.

Tears of agony burned my eyes but I wouldn't let them fall. I wanted to be in control. I was sick and tired of being pushed around. I wanted to be strong and stand up for myself. If it meant literally kicking him where it hurts, I would, no hesitation. My heart was broken after all. It had turned to stone and I couldn't bring it back to life. Not now. Not ever.

The shove wasn't that bad. What's bad was what came next. He elbowed me in the stomach, causing me to fall to the ground, defeated. I cried out in discomfort as the tears spiraled down my cheeks. I was nothing now. He had won, as he always does. For once, there was no sign of regret in his eyes.

That was when I realized – I had fallen in love with a monster.

College was the light at the end of a dark tunnel. It was where I ran off to when things got hard. Actually, it's where I ran off to when things were easy. I buried myself in books often. One day, I would be successful, one day I would get into medical school, and one day, I would be put together again.

My roommate was asleep when I snuck out of the apartment. I did this almost every day. I would go off to the library on campus and fill my brain with Anatomy terms and images of the cadavers we were viewing in class. My roommate, Sharpay, thought I was foolish and that I should be out like every other college student, partying and hooking up with guys. At least, that's what she did.

I preferred the latter. He wouldn't let me go out. I could barely go out looking nice. It would make him suspicious, as if I were going to meet a guy or something. He was very insecure and did not trust anyone. If I ever defied him, things would only get worse. So I kept myself safe, studying and never going out.

Sharpay slept a lot, mostly because she was hung over half the time. We were like opposites. She was the outgoing, independent party animal, while I was the introvert. I barely socialized and I often depended on someone who wasn't reliable at all. He was anything but.

Sometimes, I envied Sharpay's freedom. I wished to go out and do what I pleased once in a while.

I was embarrassed that I lead such a boring life and I wanted to hide that from her as much as possible. Sharpay was the it girl on campus, after all. She had been with every good-looking boy that set foot in Albuquerque and she had tons of girlfriends.

In the University of Albuquerque, everybody knew Sharpay's name. Nobody knew my own. So in a way, I wanted to impress her, in hopes of one day, maybe becoming her friend.

That day was far from today though. I was still stuck in a nightmare and for some reason; I just couldn't break free of it.

The library was so quiet at night. It was so late that everybody already was off in bed or at some party at the Fraternity or Sorority house. On campus, the library stayed open 24-7. It used to have set hours but one student requested it would be open all hours, so students could study whenever they wished to. With a tremendous increase in grades, they decided it was for the better good.

Satisfied, I plopped down on one of the chairs and opened up my Chemistry textbook, taking notes on the chapter we reviewed the other day during class. Sure, the library was a bit eerie at this hour of the night but I was used to the silence. The silence actually calmed me and made me forget my troubles.

My cell beeped a few times and I was getting text messages from Vic.

Victor Bauswell was my boyfriend of almost three years. There was a moment in time where I believed Vic was my soul mate, the earth, the moon, and the sun. Now, things had changed. Control and manipulation had taken over and I was not strong enough to take him on, full force. I had assaulted him a few times, threatening him with a gun, a knife, and other dangerous objects. He didn't scare me. A part of me hoped he would severely injure me once, just so I had a reason to go to the police. Again, he didn't scare me. I knew he wouldn't dare kill me or anything like that. However, what he would do to himself, or some other person… that was a different story.

He was asking where I was, where I disappeared to. He needed to know my every move, to make sure I didn't stray from my leash. My concentration was now gone and I couldn't bear to look at my text books anymore. I was torn up by the constant nagging and I could barely handle myself any longer. So many things bottled up, so little people to confess my feelings to.

I headed back to the apartment, throwing my bag and extra books onto the counter in the kitchen. As you would expect, the kitchen and the living-room were connected. The space was small, nothing to really brag about. College kids never had that much money so rent was a problem.

How I managed to get stuck with Sharpay as my roommate was a whole new story. I had placed an ad in the newspaper and she must have sought it out. She was desperate to get out of her parent's mansion and wanted to relocate to somewhere closer to the party houses. Well, she got what she wanted and barely said three words to me since. She was always sleeping or out having a good time when I was around. Hence, we never really had the time to converse…

I laid my head down onto the bed after changing into my pajamas and put my phone on silent. I had wished Vic a good night and told him I loved him. Who was I kidding? I had stopped loving him the day I hit him with that broom and he slammed me into the wall. I felt sick at just the thought.

One day, I promised myself, I'd reach my happy ever after.

T

Basketball.

The greatest sport known to mankind. Basketball always took the edge off for me. And right now, I really needed it.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I was brought up watching Bryant, Bynum, Gasol, and Blake play for the Lakers, earning front row seats with my dad. I spent plenty of time going to the hills and partying with Miley Cyrus, Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag, and Paris Hilton. I had grown accustom to the constant warm weather, the tall palm trees, and the Oceanside right behind my house. In LA, I had a life. And now, my life was in shambles.

I glanced around wearily. I hated being the new guy, the one that everyone gawked at and gossiped about. I never knew what it felt like. Now was my chance.

I was brought to Albuquerque; New Mexico by what I considered was the worst day of my life. It was on a Tuesday, at the end of July. It was a normal day, just like any other. I spent the day at the beach, surfing the waves and hanging out with a few of my closest friends. California, probably one of the greatest places to live if you have the money. Fortunately, my parents could have bought an island had they wanted to. My father owned half a billion dollars. Then again, this was one of the main reasons why things happened like it did. Luck never lasted, nor did happiness.

I lived on a street called the Stratford Circle, in a house that was worth about 8 million. My father probably could have gotten a nicer house but there was no real point. Mostly because there was only me, him, and my mother. My parents never had any more kids and they didn't plan on it. In spite of being filthy wealthy, my dad was a penny pincher, probably the reason why he had so much money. Sure, he whipped out a thousand for me and told me to take a hike, but he thought I was a good waste of space and time. I was just a punk kid – coming in drunk and living the Los Angeles lifestyle that every adolescent dreamed for.

My father bought a couple houses here and there when he was younger, thinking nothing of it. He had a little dream and he just continued to pursue it. He remodeled the house with some help from his friends and then resold the house, doubling the price he originally started with. Eventually, after moving away from a small town with a couple hundred thousands, he was out to make mansions. He became the king of reality and owned half the mansions in Los Angeles. But on the side, I had no idea he was doing other things – such as dealing… dealing in the wrong places.

There were a couple of times I'd come and spot strange men parked alongside the road. They had no way of entering our house; we had topnotch security, after all. I figured they were paparazzi, trying to find one of the local celebs half-naked or something along those lines. Because of my dad's fortune, I often got the chance to hang out with the celebs. And honestly, a lot of them were just like you would think – stuck up their own asses.

That fateful Tuesday something happened. I came home and things were eerily silent. The kind of silent where you'd hear a coin fall onto the floor. And when I arrived, my mom was waiting for me. She had a look on her face, the kind of look I would expect her to have if someone in the family passed away. It's like, she wanted to tell me something, but she couldn't find the words to say. It was written all over her face. She was miserable, and hated to make me feel her pain.

I was never a respectful kid. I always liked to run my mouth. I was a smart-ass. I was disobedient and never followed the rules. Like I mentioned before, I was out every night, partying like every kid dreamed of doing. College was a possibility in my future, since I was out of high school. I decided to take the summer off to have some fun. I was planning on attending USC. I had already been accepted and it was pretty much set in stone. Their basketball team wasn't so bad either. That's all I really wanted to do – play some basketball.

I was bound to be rude to my mom, ask her what was up. But something about that look on her face told me not to say anything, to just wait for her, patiently. When she did speak, she was speaking in a hushed voice, like it was a secret I should never tell.

My father was in trouble. He was caught doing a very sly drug deal, with one of his best buyers. Turns out, his best buyer had been an undercover cop the entire time. My mother also mentioned that apparently my dad was having some trouble with money, which is why he was doing the drug deals to begin with. Even with a billion dollars, he couldn't handle all the money. He had invested a lot of it into a house in a different country, hoping to triple his money and because the market was down, he couldn't sell it, leaving him short of a couple billion.

A part of me wanted to believe it was a joke. My throat dried as she continued to tell me. As she persevered, her words began to sound like a jumbled mess. My mom was trying so hard to keep herself from falling apart. And I admired her for that. The fact that she stood by my dad and didn't leave him when he was doing all of this kind of shocked me. A part of me was angry, wishing she had left, or at least told me about it. I hated my dad for putting us through such a thing.

My mom's eyes were always animated and happy. I rarely saw her upset. And looking into her eyes, on that Tuesday, I could see right through her. With a teary smile she mentioned to say, "We'll get through this, Troy."

A whimper escaped her lips for the first time and I knew she was going to break. Feeling for her and for the situation, I held her, letting her languish. As a guy, I was never one to show deep emotion. Even when girls broke my heart, I never shed a tear. But it was so hard for me to be upbeat while holding my fragile mother in my arms. I felt so betrayed by my dad, like he never thought of us. My mother was unemployed. She didn't need to work. And now, what was going to happen?

Were we left with nothing?

While she was sobbing, there was shouting heard from the upstairs. Minutes passed and my eyes rested on the man that ruined our lives as the police helped him descend down the stairs. The multibillionaire had nothing left now. He was once so high and now he was so low.

I watched him and noted the handcuffs at his backside. Blue eyes met blue and I knew the look I gave him was too much. He averted his gaze, finding the floor more interesting as they headed outside. He could see my millions of questions just by my look alone. And he could see the hatred and the hurt. The humiliation. How I was just disappointed in him. And how Mom was so broken, shattered on the ground.

Mom told me I needed to get away from Los Angeles, especially when my dad's trial hit the front page. I was no longer the cool guy that could go out and have a good time. Instead, I was left with absolutely no money and was forced to move out of my house, that million dollar house my father remodeled so well.

My mother went to my grandparents in search of comfort. She dragged me along and I was so uncomfortable there. My grandparents lived in Northern California, up by the Sierras. It was absolutely beautiful but a hell lot colder and mostly old folks resided up there. Plus, the only young people that did live there knew about my dad and stayed far away from me. My mother noticed how miserable I had become and decided the best thing for me was to get out of California.

I had an old friend in high school that I stayed in contact with. We always kept up to date on our lives and he was one of the few guys that I kept real with. I really valued his opinion and didn't want to lose his friendship. His name was Chad Danforth and he had left Los Angeles California after sophomore year in high school, heading towards Albuquerque, New Mexico. His parents had family there and he was kind of forced into the move, though he never wanted to leave California. When we talked on the phone, he often complained about the dryness of New Mexico, and the chill that came around winter time, dipping down to about 40 degrees. But all in all, he absolutely loved Albuquerque.

"Hoops, I've never met such great people." He once told me.

Chad thought the world of these people. He said he had made so many friends within such a little amount of time. When I told him about my dad and the whole situation, he was the only friend that really wanted to still hang around. He actually offered me a place, with him, at his apartment.

I declined his offer several times. That was a stupid idea. Wasn't it?

However, being around my grandparents and my mom, always wailing on about my father and how they had no money, I couldn't take it any longer. I was stressed out every day, being around them. They never did anything and I felt like I was losing my youth just being around them. So I did what I felt was best. I packed up my bags and headed off to New Mexico, to stay with my best friend Chad.

And now I was regretting that decision.

Everything was so… dry. There were mountains, and it was kind of a semi-desert atmosphere. It was all dirt and lucky for me, I wasn't wearing white shoes… or nice shoes.

It was gorgeous, nonetheless. I couldn't deny it took my breath away. But my heart was still in California. Realizing I wouldn't see the ocean for a long, long time, my heart ached.

Chad's apartment was on campus. Campus was pretty cool, I'd admit. The weather was miserable though. It was summertime so of course, it was around ninety degrees. The white t-shirt I was wearing stuck to me, as did my G-star jeans. (My absolute favorite pair of jeans)

I didn't bother getting a haircut before leaving LA. I probably should have, since I spent all my money to get here. Another words, for once in my life, I was broke. Not the usual kind of broke, where you had about 50 dollars to your name. No, I had about 10 and that had to get me through the week. Luckily, I had an emergency account that had about 20 grand. I planned on putting that towards U of A, my new college.

This was definitely a whole new world for me.

The apartment I was looking for was Lido and Conquistador. I imagined they were probably the cheapest apartments you could find. Chad wasn't exactly made of money. Actually, most normal college kids were broke. I just grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth.

I parked my car on the side of the road, unsure where else to put it. I drove a '09 Audi Cabriolet. My father had bought it with cash. The car was a nice, shiny silver color and I hated leaving it around here unattended. I shivered at the thought of something happening to it then locked it up.

It was about noon when I headed up to the apartment's entrance. Most of the people I seen were about my age, probably college students. I could tell it was a rather big school, but at the same time, they all looked at me questioningly, like I was the new student, the outsider. And it really made me feel even more nervous. Sure, I was used to being the center of attention but… this time, I wasn't sure if I was going to make a good impression. I had no money, I had nothing left but my badass car and my pretty boy swagger and that just didn't seem good enough anymore.

I found Chad's apartment easily. It was in that moment, I realized I hadn't seen Chad in years. Sure, we spoke on the phone daily, and we sent tons of emails and text messages to each other. He knew me better than my friends back in LA. Still, there was a part of me that was a bit uneasy about seeing him. I didn't want him to feel sorry for me, or treat me like I was anything less of a man just because my dad was a total asshole. I just hoped he wouldn't bring it up.

Chad opened the door with a big smile on his face and I then knew I was in the right place. Instead of us doing some handshake like we used to do, he surprised me by pulling me into a very big hug. I knew anyone could see my discomfort. Chad was definitely more… benevolent then I was. I often called him a douche because he liked to get all mushy on me when he was drunk. There were nights when he called me, crying over how he was hopelessly in love with a girl that never noticed him. And then at the end of the conversation, he would tell me how great of a guy I was for listening to his sob stories. Basically, Chad wasn't afraid to be expressive.

Realizing he was practically crushing and freaking me out a little, Chad backed up. "Hoops, it's been so long!"

"Yeah, I know."

Chad definitely looked about the same though. He still had the same crazy curls. He wasn't so scrawny anymore though, he gained some muscle. He was about as tall as I was now.

He directed me into his apartment which was a complete mess. The kitchen and living-room were connected. I noticed there were a few pizza boxes stacked on the kitchen counter. They looked aged too. I wasn't exactly a clean freak but…

I laid my bag down on the kitchen table, taking in the environment around me, observing my new home. It wasn't bad.

"So, what do you think?" Chad asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I scratched the back of my head – a bad habit of mine. "It's cool. Quaint, but pretty cool, man."

"You think? It's so cheap. Still puts me in the hole, but ya know, it's a place!"

I chuckled.

"So, your new bed will be the couch… for now. My roommate is kind of a dick. But hey, if you bribe him enough, he might let you have his room. He's never home." Chad informed me, tilting his head towards the living-room.

My blue eyes scanned over my new 'room'. It wasn't bad. It was more like a gaming room then a living room. There were an endless amount of video games scattered on the floor, an Xbox 360, along with some other accessories for the game system. The couch looked… alright. It didn't look very comfortable. It was a ripened brown color. I bet Chad found it at a garage sale. Seriously. He was that frugal.

I tried not to cringe at the thought of what's happened on that couch.

I was about to make a smart-ass comment when Chad's roommate barged in. He didn't look like he was in his right mind. His eyes were all bloodshot and he was huffing as he stormed passed us, heading to what I presumed was his room. I raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Chad.

"What's with him?" I asked.

Chad exhaled sharply. "That's Vic. He's a little odd. He spends more time getting drunk then going to class. But he still pays his share of the rent. Once you get to know him, he's kind of cool."

Cool? He didn't seem so 'cool'. I analyzed Chad's expression – there was something he wanted to say but he was holding back.

I decided not to dwell on it. "So what's the game plan?"

Chad grinned. "I'm gonna give you a tour of the campus… or well… the cool parts of the campus."

"Sounds good."

I grabbed my bag, throwing my IPhone in it as Chad looked for his keys.

I hadn't seen his roommate creep into the kitchen, beginning to raid the fridge until he was looking right at me. "Who's this?"

He was kind of rude and that irritated me. I wasn't as easygoing as I used to be. I was never down with people like him, thinking they were hot shit when they really weren't. Yeah, I was pretty egotistical. But I hated people that were anything like me.

"This is my friend, Troy. He moved here from LA." Chad told him, warily.

Chad looked at me, almost apologetic for Vic's shitty attitude.

"What's up man?"

Vic's eyebrow rose at my question. He got out a beer from the fridge. "Nothin'. LA, huh? What brings you here?"

I hated this dreadful question. "You know, needed a change of scenery. Plus Chad and I go back."

"Course. You two would be a match made in heaven," He took a swig of his Bud Light. "How long you stayin'?"

"Actually, I was gonna… get a job here." I had to force the words out of my mouth. Troy Bolton, a job? God, that was so… wrong.

My whole life I never had to work. My dad always gave me money. I've basically mooched off of my folks. And now, the thought of actually going into the real world, getting spit on and making minimum wage sounded like a nightmare. I wasn't oblivious. I watched other people bust their ass and I always snickered and thought, "Glad that's not me."

"A job? Do people of your kind even work?"

I frowned. "Of my kind? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He slammed his beer down on the counter. "I dunno. You just seem like the type of guy who… doesn't work? You just sit around and look pretty." He kind of giggled, drunkenly.

"Screw you, man, you know nothing about me." I fought back, biting down on my lip. I had to my restrain myself from kicking this guy's arrogant ass.

"Hey, Vic, stop being a dick," Chad jumped in, "Troy's cool. He's been through a lot. And honestly, he could totally kick your ass."

I smirked.

Vic just threw the beer bottle in the trash, grabbing his car keys and slamming the door on his way out.

"Evidently, it's his time of the month." I snickered.

Chad just shook his head. "He's been like that a lot lately. Think him and his girlfriend are just going through something, you know?" He looked elsewhere, as if lost in his thoughts. "Anyways. You ready for a field trip?"

Chad pretty much showed me the highs and lows of U of A. It wasn't something special. There was no comparison to UCLA. It was a nice college but there were a few things missing. The athletics weren't half as great and the fitness center sucked. The girls were ordinary girls next door and nothing about them interested me.

We headed towards the Center of the Arts. Chad had told me what every building consisted of, where I'd find my general classes, where I'd find the bookstore/library, etc. He even told me about where the 'love of his life' resided most of the time. I could only roll my eyes. He was still dreaming.

However, as he was wheezing on and on about a girl named Taylor McKessie, a beautiful blonde goddess had stumbled out of the building, dragging a boy who could have been her twin with her. My eyes wouldn't stray away from her as she came closer to us, arguing with the boy next to her. Her voice was venomous but it didn't matter.

Chad was still rambling on about Taylor when the girl noticed my eyes. She reacted with a small smile and then handed the boy next to her all of her books and sauntered towards us.

I panicked. She was hot as hell, and she was coming towards me!

"Hey Chad… new guy," She greeted.

She wore a pink dress that barely covered her thighs.

"Sharpay." Chad's attention was now on the jewel in front of us.

The boy that was next to her came up from beside her. "Sharpay, what—"

"Shut up, Ryan." She tossed her golden hair to the side. "We haven't met yet, have we?" Her golden eyes seduced me in the sunlight.

Chad was grimacing from beside me. It seemed like they knew each other.

"Not yet," I breathed. "I'm Troy, Troy Bolton."

She smirked. "Hi, Troy Bolton. I'm Sharpay, Sharpay Evans." She then looked over to her twin next to her. "And this is my brother, Ryan."

"Nice to meet you." I said, genuinely.

"Sharpay, what do you want?" Chad asked, folding his arms.

"Who says I want anything?"

"… With you, there's always a motive." He responded, shaking his head.

Yeah, they must have had a run in at one point. Chad seemed to disfavor Sharpay a lot. Even Ryan seemed a little aggravated with this conversation.

"There's a party tonight, Troy Bolton. You can come if you want. My best friend's holding it." Sharpay gave me a tantalizing grin. Then, she glanced over to Chad, frowning. "And I guess he can come too. Only if he behaves."

She grabbed her brother by the arm, leaving us.

I watched her walk away.

"Troy. Don't," Chad lectured.

"Don't what? By the way, I take back what I said… there are some hot girls here, Chad. At least, I found one." I smirked.