A/N: Okay, first of all... I think I need to clear something up. After I got the reviews, I went back and read the first chapter and didn't realize how much was actually like the book while I was writing it. I apologize for that. I should have warned everyone that Gabriella and Eric would have extremely similar pasts as Bella and Jacob. I'm sorry I didn't give that heads up. And these first two chapters are a lot like the book, but after this chapter it branches away quite a bit. I wanted the characteristics of the three main characters to reflect the three main characters in the book as well. Troy's background isn't as much the same, but I think you'll be able to tell he has some traits that Edward possesses too.

Anyways, I hope no one got really angry over that. Like I said, after this chapter, it's going to fall into the storyline and branch away from the book more. So thank you for your reviews though! They were phenomenal and really, they give me confidence. I know this is a lot different from what I've been writing for the past couple months, so thank you so much for having faith in me and giving me a chance! The updates probably aren't going to be a quick as this one was, but I tend to have a bad habit of posting frequently in the beginning of a story. Thank you again! :D


The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given me.

-Noah Calhoun, The Notebook


Gabriella shrunk in her seat shyly further as everyone continued to stare at her with wondrous eyes. She took in the gigantic cafeteria with awe. Certainly her last school, which had almost double the amount of students as this one, didn't even have something this extravagant. Glass windows revealed the rain that pelted on outside. What a surprise, rain. The florescent lights were bright white and illuminated the room in a haze. There was a balcony with two sets of stairs with red carpeting going up the sides to lead there. Gabriella's curious mocha eyes darted to see a giant mural with crimson "EAST HIGH" spelled out beneath the extravagant balcony, in the shapes of all sports and extra curricular activities.

She gazed down at her plain peanut butter sandwich, noting how it was not unlike her. Just… boring, yet all these people continued to stare at her like she was some successful actress. If she could enclose herself into a tiny ball and hide, she was pretty sure she would. It would be a lot better than trying to live through this lunch. Didn't their parents ever tell them it was rude to stare? Obviously the parental system in Crescent City sucked.

The dark eyes noted the crowded tables like they were stuck in Times Square. The table at the head just beneath the giant mural. hers held a teenager smirking happily as he looked distantly around the noisy lunch room. His black hair was standing out at separate ends across his forehead and in some way he had an oblivious look on his boyish pale face that was extremely rounded. The dark chocolate boy sitting beside him with a bright grin on his content face was dressed in a pale yellow polo and matching plaid shorts. His nappy hair was cut dangerously close to his head as he towered over Gabriella when they had stood next to each other only moments before. Taylor had introduced them as Zeke Baylor and Jason Cross when they first entered, but neither one had much to say to her. Though they seemed friendly enough.

"So Gabriella… right?" a small, perky black haired girl which cut off early in the back and cascaded in the front, reminding Gabriella of a Rihanna hair cut, questioned with a kind smile "… how was you first day so far?"

"It's um… okay." She responded softly, her shoulders almost collapsing in so she wouldn't have to been seen by the other four girls at the table.

"Meet anyone… interesting?" Another asked with pixy brown hair pointing straight down questioned, a curious look in her eyes. It seemed to be implied that she was questioning about members of the opposite sex. Gabriella almost laughed at that, for the last thing she had were skills when it came to guys. Or maybe the girl was just protective of the selection they had, and didn't want a newcomer stealing the potential boyfriends.

Either way, Gabriella was amused and giggled an almost silent laugh. "Not really." She recalled the friendly smile from Eric earlier. He seemed to be nice enough to at least maybe direct her again if she got lost or something.

The awkwardness of the conversation ended there as the three girls on the other half of the eight person circular table with a giant "E" that sat in the center caught uncomfortable glances towards each other. Taylor rolled her beady eyes at them before smiling brightly at Gabriella. To Taylor's immediate left was a girl with square mahogany glasses, her caramel colored hair framed her delicate pale face in waves that reached a few inches below her shoulders. The girl grinned brightly, showing pairs of tiny white teeth. "Don't worry…" the girl commented softly. "East High isn't that bad."

Gabriella coyly smiled at the short girl, what was her name again? Carrie right? Something of that matter. No, no, Casey? Some many names had been thrown at her today that it was hard to keep track. "Thanks err… Kelsi right?" A light bulb clicked at the last minute.

"Right," Kelsi. She could get used to this other somewhat shy kind of girl. "Kelsi Neilson."

Gabriella nodded gently that she heard her, before turning her attention back to her dull sandwich. Maybe she could convince Jose to let her be home schooled for the next year of her life. Why couldn't she just go straight to college again? That seemed to be the question of the hour. Even if she just met another really nice girl, but what appeared to be a friendly guy. Still, that was only two people out of how many?

"Hey Taylor…" The girl who had just attempted to strike up a conversation before smirked teasingly before nodding her slightly large head towards the bright doors that she and Taylor had just wanted into about ten minutes before. "The boys are back. With the dumb blonde."

"What, where?" The excited girl beside her practically leapt out of her seat just to look up at the mob that had just strutted into the lunch room. Gabriella's eyes narrowed questionably. As the group of people had done so, she couldn't help but feel almost he air shift around in a cyclone manor. It seemed that everyone at the table turned to look at the crowd, Gabriella straining to see all of them.

They were all headed towards the table that Zeke and Jason were stationed at.

The first girl was beautiful, tall and lean with a completely flat stomach. The platinum blonde locks fell straight as a board to her hip. Her high cheekbones held an air of dignity, a mischievous smile on her face that she had everything at her manicured fingertips. Confidence radiated off of her perfect figure and Gabriella was certain that she had never seen someone so stunning in her live. A slight film of green covered her chocolate lenses at the thought of how easily it seemed to be to her to work the room. The girl was dressed in a bright pink sparkling halter and a white mini skirt that revealed her slender legs. It reminded Gabriella cruelly of a Victoria's Secret model with the grace this girl held. She was jealous of her ease.

Behind her was a boy. His skin tone reminded Gabriella greatly of Taylor's, maybe a shade lighter. What she noticed and recognized first about him were the tight brunette ringlets that hung messily in front of his cheeky face. There was a look of excitement that seemed to be permanently lodged into his beady black eyes. He seemed to be the kind of guy she would want to be best friends with, the one that would have her back no matter what happened. A passion for something was written in his visage. She had seen pictures of him sent over email and by the blush of her friend's rosy cheeks, it confirmed she had just spotted the boyfriend of Taylor McKessie.

Finally, her eyes shifted slowly to the last, but certainly not least one. Gabriella's jaw had the reflexive reaction to smash to the floor at the sight.

He was beautiful. Shockingly beautiful. He was around the same height as Taylor's boyfriend, maybe an inch taller. His bronze skin sparkled beneath the florescent lighting, if it was possible for skin to do that. Seeing his long light denim covered legs took long powerful strides across the cafeteria was like watching a perfect dream come to reality. His hair fell over the fronts of his matching brows, but she couldn't pin point the exact color of it. It was a light chestnut color, but also had hints of a dirty blonde hidden within its depths. Sandy brown maybe? Whatever it was, the silk locks were inviting. His white simple t-shirt was laying on his torso beneath a crimson colored track jacket with the letters "EHS" over his stone chest. His perfectly carved face held a sexy smile that caused Gabriella's tiny heart to skip twelve beats.

East High's cafeteria suddenly seemed so much more appealing to her than it did moments before.

"They look like they own the place." Gabriella's subtle voice questioned curiously as she almost hid behind Taylor's frame to continue staring at this Abercrombie model as he sat down next to the ringlet haired boy, laughing blissfully at something someone had said.

Taylor's head moved up and down to agree with her. "The Barbie is Sharpay Evans. Her parents are loaded. She's a pain in the ass, but…" The perfect model at the other table glanced up with her baby skin face and grinned brightly before waving obnoxiously towards their table, holding up a straight finger as though she would meet them in one second.

"We love her." Kelsi finished exasperated before the other three girls at the table annoyingly rolled their eyes. Obviously they didn't feel the same way about Sharpay.

"The guy in the red jacket…" Gabriella's stomach somersaulted as her face flushed in a hot blush. His slender fingers smoothly slid what looked like a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich into his tempting mouth. The magnitude of his attraction was so overwhelming Gabriella had no idea how she remained in her seat. "… is Troy Bolton."

Troy Bolton. The name slid off the rolling tongue so perfectly. Troy Bolton. She didn't seem to be the only one who thought so. It could have been her imagination, but it seemed like the threesome opposite to them sighed dreamily as well. "He is looking so good today." The pixie hair girl giggled stupidly, Gabriella couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment towards her.

Kelsi shook her tiny head as though she was disgusted by their doting. "He's captain of the basketball team." The Rihanna haircut female, Gabriella suddenly remembering her name was Tina, replied bragging for him.

"Co-basketball captain," Taylor hissed defensively. "Chad's the other."

"Whatever." Tina's violet nails shimmered in the light as she waved the thought away.

"So… he must be a jerk?" Gabriella asked sadly, a stone in her heart beginning to form that maybe this perfect boy was stereotypical. Taylor's beady eyes swiveled in her lids, an amused look plastered on her face.

"Do you just think all guys are assholes or something?" She asked teasingly, Gabriella suddenly remembering that she asked if Eric was a player in the hallway. Well, she assumed that this stunning guy would be, because his appearance was flawless, so he couldn't be perfect. She just assumed in came in a poor personality, plus Kelsi seemed to be repulsed by the gossiping girls' obsession, so she must have believed that there was something wrong, right?

"Um… no…" Gabriella stuttered, her short breath being ripped from her body as Troy Bolton flipped his perfectly aligned bangs away from his eyes. It was too far away to notice the color of them, so assuming his hair was dark; they must have been a milk chocolate. Brunettes tended to come with matching eyes, right? "I just thought… since he was captain and… well…" Her olive face blushed.

"Gorgeous?" Tina helped with suggestive eyebrows.

Taylor clicked her tongue annoyingly. "No, he's not an asshole. He's one of the nicest guys ever to step into East High."

Gabriella almost shrank back at Taylor's defense. Obviously she was friends with Troy Bolton, and Gabriella didn't mean any harm by it. So why didn't Taylor just send pictures of this boy for her to see and prepare for? Did she want Gabriella to have a heart attack the first day at East High? "So… is that Chad then?" Quickly changing the subject, though her head was completely focused on the basketball captain's perfect eating ways.

Taylor's face flooded the color of the Wildcat mascot on the wall. "Yeah… that's Chad Danforth. You'll love him."

"You have to say that, he's your boyfriend!" Kelsi giggled a laugh that was as quiet as a sneaking mouse.

"Well… you know…" Gabriella couldn't remember a time ever seeing Taylor this embarrassed.

Gabriella was unable to remove her curious eyes from the basketball captain. It was like the air around him was different from all others. Difficult to breathe. Her limbs didn't seem in control, in sync with her body. Slowly, still watching the depths of his holiness as she examined the so attractive face, her hand twitched and knocked over a carton of opened slimy milk. "Damn it!" She exclaimed as running white liquid flooded the table, Tina and her friends immediately ripping any objects that could be ruined from the dangerous path of the milk.

"Ewww!" One of the three girls screamed before it seemed as though the entire cafeteria silenced and looked to see where the noisy ruckus was coming from.

"I'm so sor…"

But all thoughts of apologizing were completely stripped from her. Gravity was demolished furiously in an instant. She hadn't changed her unbreakable gaze from the Wildcats' superstar, until she was faced with a force more powerful than the breath that had just been vacuumed from her shrinking lungs. It was like her heart was ripped violently from her small chest by some magnetic force that clung to the boy who just raised his glorious eyes from the table. Wait, it would be a complete insult if someone described them that way. No words could give the sensation of the color. It was a complete shock from someone whom expected a milky brown. They were shockingly blue. It was like Gabriella stepped onto the beaches of Mexico and gazed out into the depths of deep cyan. They were perfect, heaven itself.

And they were staring right at her.

Immediately, Gabriella dropped her now blood red forehead, a rush of embarrassment waved angrily over her silky face. No! Troy Bolton did not just catch her staring intently at him. That did not just happen, did it? She was dreaming. Obviously she was. No one could be that perfect in reality anyways. Of course she would wake up in her bed in Albuquerque, going to her normal school. That would happen, right?

Wrong.

Gabriella's coffee eyes daringly shifted to the peripheral, though the last thing she wanted to face was the terrible effects that probably just occurred. She was surprised to see that his symmetrical dark eyebrows were narrowed curiously. His strong shoulder nudged Chad beside him, and never taking the mind blowing orbs off of her. The slim mouth moved rapidly, if Gabriella hadn't been paying attention it would have been like he wasn't talking at all. Oh no, he must have been commenting to him about how much of a stalker she was. Great, the very first day at East High and the basketball captain thinks she's going to follow him home and snip off a lock of his hair. This was just perfect.

"Let me go get napkins!" Kelsi exclaimed before scurrying to grab some paper to clean it up. Why did that happen? Why did he look at her? Why couldn't she have just stopped gazing at the gorgeous boy?

Thankfully, after Taylor and Kelsi cleaned up the milk since Gabriella was too horrified to do anything, to tear her away from her misery, the savor bell silenced the cafeteria glumly for everyone else. No one wanted to go back to class, well no one except Gabriella who could escape to AP Human Anatomy and not have to think about the mortifying experience again. Maybe he'd just forget about her. It wasn't that bad, was it? Just because he caught her when she probably looked like she was drooling over his sculpted body, it didn't mean that he thought she was creepy, did it? But then what was with his whisperings to Taylor's boyfriend?

She followed closely behind Taylor before her friend left to find her boyfriend, which she had begged Gabriella to come with but Gabriella was too humiliated to even talk to someone whom Troy Bolton touched. After going to her locker and grabbing the books that would be necessary for the next science class, she met up with Kelsi again, who she had discovered was in AP Biology across the hallway from her, so the two bolted towards down the large red staircase.

She waved to her new friend who swore no one cared about the milk accident. It was a good excuse for why she was so humiliated, even though it had nothing to do with milk and everything to do with the god at the other table. Maybe that would be the last time she would ever see him. Hopefully. Why… why didn't Jose just let her graduate early?

She stepped into the compacted Human Anatomy room slowly. The large glass window caused a mysterious emerald shadow along the painted rain blue walls. The desks were the color of a dead crow, with single chairs that were uncomfortably welded to the tables that Gabriella A Small green plants stood tall in the corner, giving the room more of an impression of a green house than an anatomy room. The final bell rang and Gabriella finally noticed everyone had filled the chairs. Her eyes scanned the room before feeling a terrible pull of terror behind her navel. There was only one open seat, left in the corner next to a single senior boy.

And that person was wearing a crimson track jacket.

"Ahhh… you must be Miss. Montez…" A high and squeaky voice emerged from beneath the depths of a large desk in the center of the room. She could barely see the top of balding head with gray hairs protruding from beneath the large ears as he walked to her. He must have been two inches shorter than Gabriella herself, but he looked to be about five hundred years older. He had a large hook nose with bug-eyed glasses that amplified his curious navy eyes. He looked more to Gabriella like a chubby frog than a teacher.

The only thing she could do was nod as the entire class shot their heads to the back of the class like the president walked in instead of the frightened seventeen year old. She violently forced her brown eyes to remain on the teacher instead of meeting the two blue lasers that she could feel burning into the side of her silky face. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening.

"Wonderful! I'm Mr. Dimple. Everyone… this is Miss. Gabriella Montez," he greeted enthusiastically. Another scorching blush flooded her face. Did everyone want her to implode from the staring? Obviously. And there was seriously something wrong with this guy. A little too much time with the fertilizer maybe? Gabriella hoped he wasn't sane enough to realize where the only open seat was. Hopefully he'd set her on the floor, away from all the curious eyes. "I guess you can take a seat next to…" Please say the plant in the corner. Please say the plant in the corner. PLEASE say the plant in the corner. "Ah ha! Mr. Bolton."

Fuck him.

Gabriella picked up her shame and hurriedly shuffled towards the back of the room. Unfortunately, a large smoky backpack barricaded her path, causing her foot to catch on her latch and her ballet flats stumbling. The slender hand reached out and gripped the edge of the desk before she could crash to the floor, not before she heard a couple snickers from the judging students. There were the blushing cheeks again. Great, now she was a stalker who couldn't even walk. She just sunk down to a toad level.

"Shoot…" Her honey voice mumbled under her breath before finally making it to the seat. She could feel the cold edges of her fingers twitching rapidly in fright as her cascading midnight hair covered her face as a shield from the right. The air of the room suddenly rounded to unbearable heat, or maybe it was just sitting across to this god. Maybe Mr. Dimple would let her move if she caused a pool of sweat just being so close to him.

"Okay, now that we're all settled, open your notebooks to a clean page." Gabriella saw through her black brow that his stubby fingers were pulling down a white screen, which meant that they would be taking notes. She scrambled to open her baby blue spiral and was careful not to make any motion to the right on the off chance that he would see her. Maybe if she just didn't look at him for the rest of the year, then it would just make up for her obsessive staring at lunch.

Gabriella tried her best to act as though he wasn't there through the lecture, but finding the magnetic force in her chest fighting viciously to be closer to him. Before taking a large breath for courage, she shifted her eyes ever so slightly so she could catch the bronze sparkle of his hand that crossed the surface of the gray desktop. A perfect hand. The knuckles were slightly wider, yet his fingers were slim. On his third finger was a glistening scarlet stone on a gold band. A class ring.

Battling against her temptations was nearing towards impossible. The thump in her chest was so ear bleeding that Gabriella was shocked no one turned to look at her. Unable to control herself anymore, the toffee orbs daringly looked past the black shield, her breath was murderously stripped from her throat again when she was slammed face to face with the glistening cobalt eyes that captured hers.

Her heart leapt into her throat as both of them turned away at the exact same moment. Her olive face paled as she did her best to pretend to be copying down what Dimple was pointing to on the screen. But her muscles were numb. He was looking at her before she even glanced towards him. At the moment, she couldn't realize if that was good or bad. Until her head caught sideways again curiously to catch his eye for a second time in the past ten seconds, a blissful smirk curved onto his lips before he turned his head away, his rosy cheeks matching the color of his jacket.

Did Troy Bolton just smile at her? Or was he making fun of her? Gabriella's mind cycloned in a rapid circle, trying to come up with reasons for this. And she found none. Instead she decided to turn her head again, in taking his perfect profile as his slender fingers scribbled the notes down. He must have felt her gaze upon him once again, because a crooked smile rose from his lips as he stared concentrated at the front of the room. Now seeing him from up-close, it was like staring into a fantasy she had always dreamt of. How his flawless face was so smooth she could put satin against it and the cloth would be no comparison. The sandy brown locks were calling for her twitching fingers to run through just to feel them. The shadows of his sculpted muscles peaking through his white t-shirt.

Beautiful was a complete insult to him. There was only one way to describe him.

Troy Bolton was dazzling.

"Your homework," Gabriella finally shot out of her gaze as Dimple stuttered to find a stack of bound papers. The period was done already? "Is to read section two and fill this out as you go. Any questions?"

Blue and brown caught each other again as the both reached for the same flimsy paper that missed Gabriella's desk and floated lightly to the floor. She bent to grab it, but then saw another golden hand and felt her lungs gasp. But just before the two skins could touch, Gabriella's tiny hand pulled back fearfully. She knew his skin would be burning hot; it had to be didn't it? If he was that good looking physically, his touch must have been scorching, right? Though she wouldn't find out that day, for quickly her hand ducked to grip the homework he was holding for her before they could brush. Again, she looked away nervously, though Troy Bolton had a desirable grin on his face as she saw him last.

Finally, the bell rang once again, causing Gabriella to reflexively bound from her seat and shyly cross the room towards the door and into the bustling hallway before Troy Bolton could even raise from his seat. Catching the glint of a pair of thick rimmed glasses, she quickly parted the sea of students to meet Kelsi.

"Ugh… AP Bio homework…" The tiny girl mumbled as she and Gabriella caught step together, Gabriella practically sprinting out of the room before Troy Bolton gathered his things. "Are you okay? You seem jumpy."

"Oh… still just first day nerves I guess." Gabriella completely lied as a crowd of students swallowed her whole; her only lifeline was Kelsi trotting next to her.

"East High's not that bad." Kelsi stated somewhat proudly just before Gabriella glanced over her skinny shoulder to finally see the brown haired model glide out of the classroom, someone immediately jumping to his side to start a guy handshake she was familiar with in Albuquerque.

Kelsi was sort of right. The view was fantastic even if it frightened her.

"I guess it's just getting used to." Her quiet voice mumbled before Gabriella followed Kelsi up the stairs, though she caught one more mental image of perfection itself for safe keeping until she could see him again.