Yeah! Chapter two! I hope you guys enjoy! I won't hold you back for long, but thanks so much to all the reviewers and readers! It means a lot that all of you care enough to let me know what you think! I can't wait to hear your opinion on the rest of the story. And check out the banner I made, there is a link to it on my profile page!

Speechless Chapter Two: Fame

"If you came to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are."

-Oprah

"It s strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely."

- Albert Einstein

What is the purpose of a human life? What is the purpose of getting up everyday and going to work if you don't love what you're doing? Why does money have to be the driving force behind everything that goes on in the world, why is there blood shed for a single piece of paper that will be worthless in a couple years? Troy didn't understand how something so meaningless could be the driving force in the world that he lived in. And as he walked through the airport with his hood up, his aviators perched on his nose, and his i-Pod in his ears, it amazed him how many people rushed passed him, not paying attention to anything but their destination, or in other words, their future. No one was living today for now, no one was taking in the beauty that this day brought, and no one saw anything more of him than what he presented on the outside.

He was on his own. His mother hadn't come because she was too busy at work, and his father could care less about him, still believing that Troy had made the wrong decision and should have followed in his own footsteps and play basketball professionally for the rest of his life. But Troy was sick of his father trying to control his every move, so ever since Troy announced he was going to go the snowboarding route, Jack had refused to associate with his son. But seeing as Troy was now twenty-two years old, he didn't need his mommy there to see him off, and sure as hell didn't need his father's advice. He was following his own path, taking the road less traveled, and making a name for himself, by himself, with no one's help.

Finding a chair still vacant in the corner of the waiting area, he stepped towards it and took the seat, setting his backpack between his feet on the ground. He watched from unseen eyes as people passed, having no direction in where they were going, falling into step with the flow of other people.

Even over the noise of his i-Pod, Troy was able to hear the conversations that were going on around him. It amazed him how all of them talked without meaning behind their words, and how they appeared to listen but couldn't hear. They seemed to avidly avoid topics that would make the other uncomfortable, and stay away from ones that cause arguments. They talked about the weather, their favorite sports teams, or a new reality show, but avoided deeper conversation. Disgusted, Troy turned up the volume of his music and leaned his head back against the wall, trying to forget everything that was happening. He was only disturbed when his pocket bean to vibrate, signaling that his phone was ringing. He sat up, pulling the sleek black phone from his pocket and glancing at the name before answering the call.

"Hey Mikey, what's up?" Troy asked and turned his music back down so that he could hear the person on the other line. Mikey was one of Troy's best friends since they were little, and since his dreams of making it big were killed when he took at nasty fall a few years back, he decided to become Troy's manager, saying that if he couldn't live out his own dreams, he might as well live them through Troy.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were getting on the plane man, I know things are rough right now with your dad but this is for you, you need to get away for awhile, have some Troy time." Mikey was always there for Troy, being like a big brother to him, and it continued even now that they were older.

"I'm not gonna give up on my dream Mike, you can't get rid of me that easily." Troy laughed a little and watched as people started to stand up to board the plane. Troy opened his back pack and pulled out his boarding pass while continuing the conversation with his friend.

"Good, I'll meet you at the hotel when you get here. I arranged a car for you at the airport. It's a rental of a black Ford F150 truck, just like yours at home. I thought you would be happier driving yourself than having someone chauffeur you around all day, I know how much you hate that." Troy chuckled a little and shrugged his backpack on over his shoulders and began the walk towards the door that led to his plane.

"Alright, thanks Mikey, I'll see you when I get there." Mike said his goodbye also and Troy hung up the phone and turned it to airplane mode before shoving it in his back right pocket.

Boarding the aircraft, he sat in the first class seating next to an older gentleman who Troy assumed would be working on his laptop during the length of the flight. If one thing was for certain, Troy was glad to be out of his home for awhile. He needed this break, and the chilled air of the mountains was going to help clear his thoughts, it always did. As assumed, the man beside Troy instantly checked his email, not even aware that he was slowly being sucked into societies gravitating pull. With work always plaguing this man, he would never have time to live or to love; all that would ever define him would be his career. Troy shook his head and leaned back in his seat looking out the window, drifting in and out of sleep on what seemed to be the longest flight of his life.

Arriving in Vancouver was a relief to Troy. He was far from the restricting behavior of his father, and there was no one here that could tell him how much of a failure he was going to be. It was as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Trying to avoid being recognized, Troy pulled his hood up and placed his aviators on his nose before walking at a slow pace to the baggage claim section. He quickly recognized his black suitcase and then his snowboard bag came within the few minutes following. Grabbing all of his belongings, he made his way to the rent a car section of the airport and went up to the desk.

"Welcome to Budget rent-a-car, how can I be of service to you?" the woman, probably around twenty seven years old asked without looking up from her computer screen. Troy shook his head and pulled the sunglasses from his face and hooked them in the V of his shirt.

"I'm picking up a car, well a truck actually." He said and leaned onto the counter. Watching as the lady didn't even take notice to him, not once looking up from the computer screen.

"Name please." She asked and typed something on the keyboard.

"Troy Bolton." He said and all of a sudden she stopped typing whatever it was that she was typing and her head snapped up to see if it really was the one and only Troy Bolton. Her jaw dropped and a smile broke out on her very overdone face, covered from chin to forehead with too much makeup.

"Oh. My. God." She said and started to breathe a little heavier. "It's really you." She fanned her face and Troy smiled a little bit, but swearing on the inside, she was going to make a scene, which was the last thing that Troy wanted. "Meg! Erin! Come here!" Troy's face dropped a little, and he sighed. Two more girls that were heavily over made up emerged from a door behind the counter and gasped at what they saw. "Troy Bolton is here!" she squealed and clapped her hands. One of the women had her shirt undone so much that Troy, though he didn't want to or like the view, could see that she was wearing a red bra. He turned his face away and tried not to focus on the overly tight shirt that she was wearing, he could never see himself with anyone that would willingly show their body like that for everyone to see.

Troy, like any other male on the planet, loved flirting with women, and loved their bodies which he considered to be one of the most beautiful gifts that God had created, but he would never take advantage of a woman. That was just sick and wrong; it was something that hit him in the gut every single time a rape story showed up on the news. A woman's body should be cherished, and touched delicately unless told not to. But one thing he could not stand was woman throwing themselves at him, they were belittling themselves and it pushed him away instantly.

And these women were doing exactly what made Troy sick. They were only putting out an invitation for sex, not allowing anyone to see beyond their physical appearance. Taking a deep breathe, he plastered a fake smile onto his lips and looked back at the girls, trying not to gag at the way they were all throwing themselves at him.

The other girls jumped a little and clapped their hands, reaching to their purses and pulling out their phones. "Can we get a picture with you?" one said and instantly began to walk around the counter and stand next to him. He reluctantly nodded and placed his hand on her waist behind her and looked at the camera that the original girl was holding. Each girl squealed and then another came over to take about ten more pictures each, but it wasn't the end. They pulled out everything that they owned and made him sign anything from a lunch bag to one of their arms. After about forty five minutes, they finally got all of his paperwork done and got him the keys to the truck. With a pained expression, he smiled one more time and left the counter, now in a worse mood than he was when he left his home.

But that anger didn't last long because as soon as he walked out to the parking lot Troy discovered that it was snowing. It wasn't just any snow, it was the kind of snow that falls in huge flakes and sticks to everything. He smiled and breathed in the brisk air, letting the coldness fill his lungs and sweep away the anger filling his mind. He once again pulled up his hood and grabbed his bags so that he could make his way to the truck and make his way to the hotel for some much needed rest.

"Troy! My man!" A smile broke out onto his face as he heard the familiar voice of his friend and manager. It had been a long time since they had last seen each other and that they actually hung out. Walking further into the beautifully decorated lobby of the hotel, Troy found where the voice was coming from and walked towards Mikey. Troy shoved the car keys in his pocket and rested his board bag on the floor when they met.

"Hey Mike, what do I have to do?" he asked and looked around the lobby again, spotting so many people from different countries, all supporting their nation by wearing the colors. He spotted the front desk and then glanced back at Mikey.

"Well, all that's left for you to do is to check in. I have to run to some meetings about training times and practice runs, but you're basically free for the next couple nights. You can get settled in and relax a bit. Meet some new people…" He was looking down at his phone and then back up at Troy. "I really have to get going, but everything is paid for, all you need now is the key for the room and you're set. I'll text you the times. Have a good night Troy." He said and smiled.

"You too Mikey. Thanks for everything, good night." He smiled too and they did their hand shake before Mikey answered a call and walked towards the entrance to the lavish hotel. Troy picked up his stuff again and made his way to the front desk to check in, taking a deep breathe.

Surprisingly, the woman at this desk were able to control themselves and treated Troy like just another person, maybe it had to do with the fact that they were all rooting for their home countrymen and not him. Either way, Troy was happy and relieved as he made his way to the room assigned to him, number 414.

Stepping into the dark room, he flicked on the light and smiled at the sight in front of him. The suite was more than one room, which made Troy happy; he had always wanted a suite like that. There was a dark blue couch and a flat screen TV on one side of the room, and a kitchen area on the other, there was a door on the left hand side which led to the bedroom. He walked that way and smiled again. There was a king size bed and with a huge headboard behind it. The comforter was white and soft, the top covered with many pillows and a throw blanket. There were small end tables on either side of the bed, and a TV in the corner on a stand with a DVD player and a cable box. There was a beige couch with pillows on it, and an attached bathroom with a claw foot tub and a shower. He smiled and realized he was going to have a great time here.

But even though he was amazed and excited about his room, his stomach wouldn't let him forget the fact that he hadn't eaten anything since around seven o'clock that morning for breakfast. Grabbing his phone and his wallet out of his back pack, Troy took his key and walked out of the room, making sure that the door locked behind his before heading to the elevators to go to the lobby. In about five minutes the doors opened and he entered hitting the "L" for lobby and leaning back against the wall while the elevator dinged at every floor. Eventually he exited when it reached the lobby and was distracted when he stepped out, there was a show going on to his right. It was a comedian from what Troy could tell, and he had attracted a crowd. Troy watched for a few seconds before walking to the front door, but not without looking back at the show hoping to catch a good laugh.

But things were interrupted when he felt himself run into something or someone. He whipped his head around and saw someone on the ground, Shit… he though instantly. What if he had hurt them, or her rather? He saw a mass of curly brown hair that was long and looked really good actually. "I'm so sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going." She said in a soft and rushed voice. Her hand went up to her face and tucked the hair behind her ear and Troy squatted down in front of her.

Her gaze lifted from the current position of looking at the floor and met his eyes. The deep brown pools shocked him, capturing his attention. There was so much warmth and trust in them that he couldn't look away. But when he looked at the rest of her shocked and blushing face, he immediately realized who she was, the one and only Gabriella Montez. She was considered to be one of the greatest figure skaters and she wasn't even twenty yet. He smirked a little at the fact that she was so embarrassed and insecure around him when she was in fact really beautiful and she probably didn't even realize it. But this only caused her to blush again and look away.

So deciding not to let her suffer any more, he spoke. "Don't you think I should be apologizing, I mean you're the one that is currently sitting on the ground." He chuckled a little bit and smiled, holding out a hand to help her up. After a few seconds she smiled a tiny bit and slipped her smaller hand into his and let him help her to her feet. He held her hand for a few extra seconds before letting go and taking a step towards her. "And for the record Gabriella, I wasn't paying attention either." He smiled a little bit and bent over to retrieve her purse and to pick up her other bag for her. When he stood back up a clear expression of shock was written on her delicate features.

"How did you know my name?" She spoke in a surprised voice and looked back into his eyes, causing him to smirk at her. He laughed a little and stepped closer to her once again, now only about a foot between them. He knew that he was making her nervous, but he liked it. He could tell by the way her fingers were playing with a stray string that came off at the end of her shirt.

"How could I not know you're name, you are America's Angel if I'm not mistaken." He held out his hand that was holding her purse and smirked a little. Her eyes brightened at this and a sly smirk played on her lips for the first time since their initial meeting.

"Actually, that's the president's daughter." She reached forward and grabbed her purse gently and slid it to hang from the bend in her arm. Troy crossed his now free arms across his hoodie clad chest and lifted an eyebrow at the new information presented. "I'm America's sweetheart, but that's just if you want to get technical." She full out grinned at her remark and waited for his response.

"Touché Gabriella." He said coolly and glanced at her full lips as she brought her lower one a little between her teeth. "Anyways, I'm…" he was going to formally introduce himself because they hadn't done that yet, but before his name could leave his mouth, she interrupted him.

"Troy Bolton… America's Best Body" he raised an eyebrow once again as the words slipped out of her lips. He had heard everything from America's heart breaker, to sex symbol and poster boy, but this was the first time that he was called America's best body. He smiled and looked at her questioningly.

"Really? Is that so?" Troy asked in huskier voice than before causing a huge and true smile to appear on her lips, causing Troy to feel a little skip in his heart beat. "Where did you hear that?" The smile reached all the way up to her eyes and instantly lit them up with emotion. It was at this moment that Troy realized that maybe this trip wouldn't be such a bad thing, especially if he got to know the one and only Gabriella Montez.

I know that it was a little slow at times and it was shorter than my normal chapters, but It needed to be in there to show how Troy's character was going to act and think. So, now that the main two characters are developed, time to move on to the twists and turns of the main plot! I'm excited! I will be leaving in less than a week so I'm not sure if I'll get another one out before then, but let's hope!

Thanks again to every single one of you that reviewed the first chapter! Annie-Lovely- I'm not sure how many chapters there are going to be but probably around 20 would be my guess at this point. Thanks for the review! And to everyone that is curious to where I am going to take this… so am I! lol I have ideas but they change constantly so let's take the journey together!

Remember these words of wisdom that I once read…

Days to write, but only seconds to review!