Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical or Hannah Montana.
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Gabriella calmly put her cell phone away in awe after having a brief conversation with her mother.
"I can't believe it." She looked blankly at the space in front of her.
"Me neither," Troy mumbled, holding his head in his hands. He sighed and turned to face his girlfriend that he knew was practically screaming on the inside.
"I can't believe it."
"I can't believe you like Hannah Montana, Gabriella. You're seventeen for goodness sake."
"Can't you be a bit more excited for me Troy? My mother just got me tickets to Hannah Montana's concert. And you will come with me, right? You can't let me go and enjoy Hannah all by myself."
"Of course I can. All that much Hannah-fun for you." He suggested lamely. No way was Troy Bolton, basketball captain of the East High Wildcats, was going to show up at Hannah-pop sensation-Montana's concert with a girlfriend screeching 'I love you, Miley' by his side. He'd take Gabriella shopping. He'd even carry her purse as she went through numerous articles of clothing.
He had to draw the line somewhere.
Gabriella pouted, looking up at Troy with sad eyes.
"Troy, the Jonas Brothers are going to be there too."
"Oh Gabriella," He started sarcastically. "You've found my weakness."
Troy felt like yanking out his hair, he promised himself he'd never give in to that look after the time when Gabriella used it to ask him to join the bake sale. 'Just make some cookies to help raise money for the Drama department, Troy' she had pleaded. 'Cookies. Fair enough.' he had thought. Later that day, Troy had almost caused his family to lose their house when he had created a small, accidental fire in the kitchen.
"You're sure your mother doesn't want to go too?"
"She's busy that day, Troy. Only you, my ever-so-wonderful boyfriend can take me."
"I'd go but," He put on an expression of mock disappointment. "Won't Taylor, you ever-so-wonderful best friend, be jealous that I get to go and she doesn't?"
"She's on a date with Chad that day." She grinned.
Troy scratched the back of his neck, running out of ideas. Chad had a way – a very successful way – of getting out of situations like this. Now if only he had been listening when his bushy-haired friend was talking. He contemplated the thought of faking an illness, but he couldn't do that to Gabriella. But he was also deathly scared of the idea of going to a tween concert.
"I just can't go, Gabriella. It'd be too …weird. I don't even like Miley Cyrus. What will the guys think of me if I go to her concert?"
"Remember what we learned last year, Troy?" Gabriella started; he knew she wasn't done with him yet.
"Learned what?" He stared at her quizzically.
"Don't be scared to try something new."
"I already know I don't like her songs. You sing them. A lot. And if I don't like your voice singing it, I know I won't like hers."
"When we auditioned for Twinkle Towne, we learned to not be ashamed to do what you love and not care about other people's thoughts of you; whether it's your classmates or a bunch of ten-year olds at a concert."
"But I'm not ashamed to do what I like."
"So you're ashamed of what I like?"
"No – well, come on, Gabri –"
"Just forget it; I'll bring someone else."
Troy opened his mouth to object, but before he did he closed it before he'd say anything he'd regret. She'd probably end up going with a younger cousin or …someone.
Someone who'd enjoy the Disney pop songs much more than he would.
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It was a bright and sunny Monday.
And Troy Bolton was enjoying it. His best Monday ever, he claimed. First period, he found out that he aced his Math test. Second period he found a five dollar bill underneath his desk. And now after third period, He found Gabriella happily skipping towards him, an overjoyed expression was evident. She happened to be humming. A Hannah Montana song he recognized.
"You get the best of both worlds…" She sang, happily.
"What did you say?" He imposed, struggling to find his History notebook.
"Oh nothing. Did you know Ryan's coming with me to the concert?" She chirped.
"What?" Troy dropped his books.
"I've found the inner Hannah fanatic in him. He's coming with me. We're going to have so much fun together …listening to Hannah …talking about Hannah …admiring Hannah …" She trailed off, sighing dreamily.
It was then when Ryan decided to come bouncing along, putting his arm around Gabriella's shoulders. They spontaneously broke out dancing and singing. Their voices echoed throughout the hallways of East High. Passerby's looked away; glad they didn't know and weren't embarrassed by the two. Gabriella laughed aloud, her messy brunette curls flying everywhere.
"Who said, who said I can't be superman?" Gabriella and Ryan trilled in unison, mimicking the latter's twin sister.
Troy glared at the two, supposedly having the time of their lives making fools of themselves. He felt …jealous as Gabriella sang some more, she had gotten a lot more outgoing since he'd met her. And Ryan had definitely stepped out of his sister's shadow; he was now free to do whatever he liked …including winning the heart of Troy's girlfriend by belting out Hannah Montana songs. They were dancing pretty close. Too close for Troy's liking. He slammed his locker shut, making the entire hallway silent. The singers looked at Troy with innocent eyes.
Ryan inquired, "What's wrong, Troy?" The blond looked carefree, shrugging his shoulders before looking at Troy with a defiant smile on his face.
"Are you okay? Sorry for singing too loud, I'm kind of excited." She blushed, breathless from the vocalizing she'd done earlier.
"Actually, your singing was awesome. I think I might appreciate Hannah Montana – I mean Miley Cyrus more now. The lyrics are just so …amazing." Troy forced out, gritting his teeth.
Ryan looked down, putting his hands in his pocket. "Then you should take the other ticket, Troy. You guys have a nice time together. Don't forget to tell me all about it. I want all the details." He waved good bye, and bolted away hastily.
Troy ignored Ryan and his quick departure. "So it's on a Saturday?" He asked Gabriella.
She beamed and nodded. "Don't be late picking me up, Troy." She pecked him on the lips, but before he could pull her closer, she ran as if scared he was going to change his mind about the concert.
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Three hours and a bunch of screaming fans after arriving at the concert, Troy Bolton was not a happy person.
He was sure he was permanently deaf in his left ear. And to his horror, halfway through the show, one of the guitar players winked at Gabriella! His girlfriend Gabriella was winked at when he was standing right there, next to her. The singer's accent still rang through his ears as he drove himself and Gabriella home. He hadn't remembered the last time he'd been to a concert, but this one was enough to traumatize him. His feet were sore from being stepped on countless times by fans who were determined to get as close as possible to the infamous singer, even if it meant being rude to people in the way.
And all his suffering was caused by Hannah freaking Montana.
Gabriella was still bouncing to a beat in the passenger's seat of his car. She couldn't look any happier. So maybe there was an upside to this. But just one, the rest of the trip had been torture.
"Wasn't that fun?"
"You mean, fun when you got winked at?"
"Stop bringing that up. I'm never going to see him again. Besides, that meant nothing."
"Oh so guitar players are supposed to wink at every hot girl they see. I get it now." Troy huffed, "Wait – does that mean if you did see him again, you'd hook up with him and leave me in that stampede of fans who have lost their sanity listening to that crap?"
"Hannah is not crap, Troy. You think too much sometimes." The brunette sighed.
Guilt consumed Troy. He really wanted his girlfriend to make the best of this concert and he wasn't helping with the constant complaining.
"Maybe you should have just gone with Ryan." Troy confessed, keeping his eyes on the road, "I only wanted because I thought you guys would get close. And that's the only reason why I agreed to come, Gabriella. He would've enjoyed this much more than I did. I'm sor –"
Gabriella cut him off, "Don't be sorry, silly. Ryan hates – no, loathes Disney pop singers."
"Huh? Wait, what? We're talking about the same Ryan here right? Ryan Evans, the blond. He has a twin sister, wears hats, and likes musicals. He's in our homeroom along with a bunch of other classes. I'm pretty sure you've seen him around. I'll point him out for you next time I see him. You guys were dancing in the hallway after third period the day I agreed to come. That 'Who said …superman' song? People were staring. I was embarrassed. Ring any bells?" Troy was now more befuddled than ever.
There was a pause as Gabriella sat in her seat, thinking. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers as she realized what Troy had been rambling about. Her face reddened. "We just did that so you'd come with me." She admitted, whispering.
There was another pause as Troy sat in his seat, thinking.
Then he remembered.
Then he groaned, realizing his mistake and wishing he'd remember that event from five years ago.
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A twelve year old Troy fumbled with his lock, trying to get it to open as he stood in front of his beige-colored locker. He glared at Ryan Evans, who opened his lock two lockers down from his with ease. But there was something about Ryan that day. He and Ryan weren't as close as he and Chad were, but they talked occasionally. The boy's blue eyes were opened wide as he shook violently. Troy watched as Ryan cautiously, but casually, glanced around the hallway. Troy naturally assumed that the poor boy had seen a horror movie the previous night. But in reality, it was far worse than that (or so Ryan claimed).
Sharpay, Ryan's twin, flamboyantly skipped down the hallway, gracing everyone with her presence. Her hair was tied up in pig tails, and they bounced around as she started to dance. She was beaming …and singing. She was singing a tune that Troy found vaguely familiar. An equally flamboyant Kelsi joined the hyper blond after a few lines into the song.
"…THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF…"
Sharpay and Kelsi sang. But the latter seemed to be tone-deaf, influencing her decision to become a composer later on in life as opposed to a singer. Ryan collapsed, trembling some more.
"M-make it stop." He moaned, pressing his hands to his ears. He continued noticing the stare Troy was giving him, "She's been singing nonstop since she's seen the Lizzie McGuire movie last week. At dinner, in the shower, in the morning and at night she …hums it. I've been asking her to stop, but she just sings louder, saying I have no taste in good music."
Sharpay and Kelsi broke out singing again, "…YESTERDAY MY LIFE WAS DULLER, NOW EVERY THING IS TECHNICOLOUR..."
Troy awkwardly reached out to pat the boy on the back reassuringly. He had gone through a similar experience. His eight year old next door neighbor, whose room was coincidentally right across from his, constantly blasted the peppy Hilary Duff songs late at night, bugging him so much he wanted to march right over to her house and punch her in the face, yelling 'SHUT UP'. His mother had forbid him from doing so. From then on, he stopped sharing his schemes with her.
"I know, dude. I know."
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Ryan did loath Disney pop singers. He had a fear of them ever since Sharpay started to like Hilary Duff a couple of years back. Ryan had even gone through therapy for a while to help him move on from the bad memories.
During his flashback, Gabriella started to sing again. Usually, Troy loved hearing her melodic voice. 'She has a voice like an angel's,' he'd brag to his friends. But he didn't enjoy it when her voice was ruined, singing those dreadful songs from Hannah. He mentally kicked himself for not letting Ryan go. He should have been happy when the thespian offered, but no. Troy had to be jealous, and take her to the concert instead.
Gabriella decided that the car was too quiet and sang louder.
"…If we were a movie, you'd be the right guy..."
Troy took three deep breaths.
"…And I'd be the best friend that you'd fall in love with…"
Troy counted to ten.
"…In the end, we'd be laughing, watching the sunset…"
Troy gripped the steering wheel harder.
"…Fade to black, show the names. Play that happy so-ong."
Troy squeezed his eyes shut.
"TROY, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!"
That wasn't a Hannah Montana lyric.
A split second later, what his girlfriend had screeched finally registered in his brain. He opened his eyes and was staring at the back of a black Audi that was close. Very close. He slammed on the brakes and both he and Gabriella were sent forward, their seatbelts preventing them from going any further, much to their relief. He breathed heavily.
"Are you alright?" He asked Gabriella, concerned.
"Fine, you?"
"I'm good. Sorry about that."
Gabriella looked down, avoiding eye contact.
"No, sorry for singing even though I knew you didn't lik – I mean …that you hated it. I'm sorry for getting so hyper about it." She apologized, sheepishly. "I've never been to a concert before. My mom was always too busy to take me, and I've always had quite a different taste from my friends. I'm kind of trying to relive my childhood now."
He smiled, "Its okay. If you take away Hannah, the …um, those brothers and the mob of fans, I really enjoyed hanging out with you."
Gabriella blushed and looked up again. "I like hanging out with you too. But if you add Hannah, the Jonas Brothers and my fellow Hannah fans, it makes it all that much better."
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Author's note: Well, it may seem immature, but I hope you enjoyed that. I'm currently trying to make my stories longer. It's working, no? Troy and Gabriella are more friends in this fic – not a lot of couple stuff even though I wrote them as one, but I like it that way sometimes. I, myself, don't like Hannah Montana, and I'm sorry if I've unintentionally offended or mocked anyone by writing this. I've researched the tour dates and locations for the concerts and I don't think that she came to New Mexico. But let's just pretend.
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Review; and check out my other stories? kthnx.
