Where She Belongs

A/N: All I can say is thank you for reading and reviewing my story, and enjoy this chapter! ;D

Disclaimer: I really, really wish Zac Efron was mine! I totally do. But, he, sadly, is not. :(

The following day at Northbrook, students were already piling into the school much earlier than usual. At a table under a shading tree just outside of the school, Sharpay Evans sat with her legs crossed and her Sidekick in her hands. Her two friends, Alicia and Charlotte, mimicked her and giggled every now and then.

"So, Sharpay, have you found a dress yet for the winter dance?" Alicia asked, glancing at Sharpay for a second before reading a text.

Sharpay shook her head. "Not yet. But we've still got plenty of time, girls. The dance isn't in weeks."

Charlotte put her phone down and looked at her manicured nails. "We should go together to shop for the dresses."

Alicia nodded. "Yeah, are you free this Saturday?"

"Sorry, this Saturday won't do," Sharpay said. "But I promise we'll go when I'm available."

"So, has Troy asked you yet?" Alicia questioned. "You two are going together, right?"

Sharpay laughed. "Of course. He hasn't asked me yet, though."

Alicia gasped. "He hasn't?"

Sharpay slid her phone shut and tucked it into her purse. "No, but poor Troy's been busy."

Charlotte smirked. "Yeah, too busy flirting with the transfer," she mumbled.

Sharpay raised her eyebrows. "What did you say, Charlotte?"

"Nothing," she replied.

--

Gabriella sighed as she parked the car and stepped out onto the student parking lot. Her first day hadn't been so bad – it had been the usual, quiet, invisible new girl day. Especially when she had her little trip going up the stairs and a certain blue-eyed boy had stopped her fall.

She smiled at the thought of when Troy had wrapped his arms around her waist and when he had smiled and winked at her. Gabriella had to admit that he was definitely attractive. But he hadn't shown any real interest in Northbrook's newest student. Gabriella shook her head to clear her thoughts as she stopped at her locker.

As she was about to shut it, she saw a group of guys – apparently jocks – coming down the hallway. Leading them was Troy, which was no real surprise to Gabriella. It was only her second day but she had already figured out that Troy was Northbrook's golden boy – the cheerleaders in the girl's locker room had pretty much given that away.

Gabriella stared at him as he came closer to her. Then his eyes connected with hers, and Gabriella blushed and looked away. She glanced upward and noticed that he was still watching her. Gabriella quickly turned around and hurried to her homeroom.

--

Troy paused as he spotted who he had been looking for since yesterday. There she was, just as beautiful as Troy remembered her from yesterday. Her dark chestnut eyes, her raven curls, and her olive skin – he departed himself from his friends and was about to walk up to her when she turned around and left. He followed her around the corner, but lost her in between the other students. He sighed and went back to his friends. Troy guessed that getting her name would have to wait.

--

Gabriella held her books close to her as she entered her Organic Chemistry classroom. She recognized a few of her classmates from yesterday, but she knew that they had no idea who she was. Gabriella took a seat in the back of the classroom and flipped through her notes she had taken from the previous day's lesson.

She had been reading for just a few minutes when an African-American girl came and took the available seat next to her. She set her books neatly on her desk before she noticed Gabriella beside her.

"Hello," she said, opening her book to the corresponding page, "Taylor McKessie, chem. Club president. And you are?"

Gabriella smiled shyly. "I'm Gabriella Montez."

"Huh, Montez," Taylor responded. "Your dad's the one who cut down all those trees in South America in the Amazon just to sell the land and make a profit." Taylor pursed her lips. "Wasteful, if you ask me, but, I'm not one to judge."

Gabriella looked away and rested her chin in her hand, propping it up with her elbow. Great, now I'm the new girl with the planet-hater of a father, she thought.

For the rest of the class, Gabriella didn't look at anything besides the floor. Maybe being the invisible type hadn't been that bad at all.

--

Gabriella turned around as she felt someone tap her shoulder as she paid for her lunch. It was Taylor.

"Care to join me for lunch?" she asked, and Gabriella nodded. The two girls took their lunches outside and tried to find a table. All were filled except one.

"Look, let's go to that one over there," Gabriella said. She began to walk to the table conveniently located in a shady area, but Taylor stopped her and shook her head.

"There's a reason why that table's empty," Taylor warned. "Everyone knows that that's Sharpay Evans' table. No one except her and her posse sit there."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "Sharpay Evans?"

"Total drama queen, your typical popular type," Taylor explained. "But, you mess with her and you get kicked in the ass."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. She had dealt with at least one of these types of people in all her other different schools. "It's not like she owns the table. It's school property. She doesn't have the right to claim it as her own." Gabriella glanced at the table. "I'm going to sit at that table and eat my lunch. It's your decision whether you join me or not."

Taylor looked at Gabriella, expressionless. "Okay. Good luck," she said, and left.

Gabriella walked over and sat at the table, ignoring the shocked faces that were staring at her. She began to eat and everything was quiet, but then the whispers resumed as Sharpay Evans came walking toward her table. Everyone watched as Sharpay stood in front of her accustomed seat, and realized that it was currently occupied.

"Um, excuse me?" she said, placing her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side.

Gabriella smiled normally. "Um, I think not. This is public property. Anyone can sit at this table. It's not like you paid for it, anyway."

Sharpay widened her eyes at this newcomer. Who did she think she was, talking back to her like that? Anyone else would have already cowered away from her. But this girl, she just sat there as if Sharpay was just like the rest of them.

Sharpay narrowed her eyes dangerously at Gabriella. It looked like she was just about to hit Gabriella when Troy called from a nearby table.

Both Sharpay and Gabriella turned their heads to stare at him. He motioned for Sharpay to come over and sit at his table. Sharpay instantly forgot about Gabriella and strutted over to Troy.

Gabriella watched as Sharpay sat in his lap and kissed his cheek. She felt something in her when she saw it that made her want to go to Sharpay and have a little word with her. It almost felt like Gabriella was envious of Sharpay with Troy.

Taylor hurried to Gabriella and pulled her by the arm. "Whoa," she breathed, "you just shot Sharpay Evans down. No one has ever even dared to do that before."

Gabriella took her arm out of Taylor's grip and grabbed her lunch. She walked quickly into the school – with Troy watching her the entire time.

--

After school, Gabriella decided to start an essay due for next week in the library. It's not like she had anything better to do at home. Her dad had left just this morning for a business trip and wouldn't be flying back until Friday. Gabriella had the house all to herself. Usually that would seem like a good thing to anyone else. But it wasn't to Gabriella.

Gabriella took a break about half an hour into writing. She put her pen down and glanced around to rest her eyes, when she caught a glimpse of him.

Troy was two or three aisles away, flipping the pages of a book, probably for his own essay. Gabriella watched as he shut the book and put it back in its rightful spot on the bookshelf, then took another one and skimmed its pages. He sighed and turned around, facing Gabriella. He hadn't noticed her yet.

Gabriella shook her heard and resumed to write. Every now and then she would look up and see if Troy had seen her yet. A few more glances passed before Troy met Gabriella's gaze. She quickly ducked her head and pretended not to have noticed. But she did.

How could she not notice those bright azure eyes under those caramel locks, and those perfect lips? Gabriella had to admit it. The cheerleaders had a reason to make Troy Bolton all they talked about. Gabriella would definitely not mind doing so herself.

Gabriella tensed up as she felt him walking toward the table she was sitting at. He pulled a seat and sat across from her, flashing her a smile. Gabriella didn't look at him at all.

"Hi," she heard him say.

She looked up and him and tried not to smile. "Hey," she responded back.

"So, what you did at lunch today, that was pretty brave," Troy chuckled. "Sharpay can be a total bitch sometimes."

Gabriella stared at him. "I thought you two were together," Gabriella admitted slowly.

Troy laughed. "Yeah, like I'd ever date her. She's way too fake for me."

Gabriella forced a giggle. "Oh. Right," she said. "Then why'd you tell her to sit with you at lunch?"

"I did that to save your butt," Troy grinned. Gabriella smiled. "You're welcome."

Gabriella laughed. "Thanks."

"No problem. Um," Troy stuttered, "I didn't catch your name yesterday."

"Oh, I'm Gabriella," she said.

He smiled. "Gabriella."

She almost fainted when he said her name. It sounded so right coming from his mouth.

"Gabriella what?" Troy asked.

Gabriella stacked her essay papers together and slid them into a folder. "Montez."

Troy instantly froze. "Montez?"

Gabriella eyed Troy curiously. "Yes. Gabriella Montez."

Troy stared at her and sighed. "You've got to be kidding me. Your last name can't be Montez. It just can't."

Gabriella stared at him, confused. "Why not?"

Troy sighed. The rest of the year wasn't going to go according to plan.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think! ;D .x