"OMG, look Gabi, Troy Bolton is coming near us!" Sharpay Evans exclaimed to her best friend Gabriella Montez.

"Really? How do I look?" Gabi immediately checked her reflection on her locker mirror.

"Why would you care?" Taylor McKessie asked.

"No reason." Gabriella replied. She knew that sensible Taylor, and drama queen Sharpay would never let her go for Troy Bolton. He was a punk; she liked ballet. It was a total clash.

"Mmmm," Sharpay said, giving a knowing look at Taylor.

"Whatevs," Gabi replied as she rolled her eyes. "Is he still coming?"

"OMG, you so like him!"

"Ew, he's a total zero. Look at his clothes," Taylor scolded.

Gabi looked at his clothes. He was wearing a skull shirt, skull Vans, and black skinny jeans. As disgustingly punk as it was, it looked hot on him. She grinned.

"Gabi, don't go out with him."
"How do you know that he's going to ask me out?"

"You see, you do care. You do like him!"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"It's not good for our reputation!" Sharpay cried.

"We're in the freakin' eighth grade! We don't even have a reputation!"

"Yes we do," Taylor replied calmly. "According to my rep book, our status is a 8.7. Troy Bolton is very well known, but because of his punk rep he is a 5.8."

"So," Sharpay concluded. "Hanging out with him would lower our score to an-" she did a few moments calculations- "7.25"

"Which," Taylor replied. "Would destroy our chances of getting into Stacey Carmine's party; which is only open to 8's and above. And then, not getting invited to Stacey's party would further lower our score to a… A 5.7."

"Ouch. You better watch what you're doing Gabi. I want to date Zeke, and you know he only dates 9's and above. And if we did go to Stacey's party, then we'd be a 9.2. You know how much he means to me."

"Fine then, I won't date him," Gabi finished sadly.

"Wow, Gabriella sure is hot," Troy whispered to his best friend, Chad Danforth.

"I wouldn't know man, but it's Taylor that I want."

"Taylor? No way man. She's a nerd."

"So Gabi's into ballet and you're a punk. Yeah, that's a match made in heaven." Chad added sarcastically.

"So, she won't be able to resist my charm."

"Dude, she can't resist what's not there," Chad laughed.

Troy laughed and shook his head. "What's that in Taylor's hand?"

"That?" Chad scratched his Afro. "That's her rep book. It has everyone's reputation score. In fact, the only reason that we're invited to Stacey's party is because she has a crush on you."

"Really? She doesn't seem like the 'punk' type."

"Well look at her now."

Troy turned his head to see Stacey Carmine strutting down the hallway wearing a leather mini-skirt, purple tights, and a tight purple short-sleeved shirt.

"Whatever. She tries too hard."

"Well her trying is gonna give you a chance to ask Gabi out."

"What?!" Troy snapped, his eyes still on Gabi.

"Dude, you are so whipped." Chad shook his head.

"Whatever. But if she does say yes then you have to ask out Taylor."

"'Kay dude. Stacey's party."

"Shake on it?" Troy asked.

"Shake on it," Chad replied. And then they both spat in their hands, and shook on it.