Gabriella sighed angrily as she continued to walk down the sidewalk with her mother. She folds her arms and glares at the ground as if it would help the situation, but it was useless. She sighs again and looks down at her outfit. She was wearing a green and black swim suit underneath her jean skirt, a white cami and a pink halter over the cami for the party that she was going to after the baroque. The shirts fit her curves closely and her hair was half up. She knew she looked good, but it wasn't to impress anyone here. The plan was to get out of the Bolton household as soon as possible to get to Sharpay's party. She would just avoid all contact with Troy Bolton as possible. "Can I leave after ten minutes?" She whines as she and her mother continue to walk down the street where they could already see cars lined up. Troy and Gabriella had lived down the exactly five houses down from the other ever since Gabriella had moved to Albuquerque in fifth grade. A long time ago, she loved that idea. Now, she just hated it.
"No, you may not." Maria Montez states and shakes her head. "I don't understand what the big deal is honey. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton love you like their own daughter…" She says and Gabriella suddenly feels guilt form in her stomach.
"It's not them. I love Mr. and Mrs. Bolton." She says and Maria sighs, she knew exactly what it was.
"Troy's a nice boy." She states and Gabriella almost feels herself throw up in her mouth. Troy… nice? Hell no. Troy was the devil, and she couldn't understand why everyone loved him so much. "I still don't understand what happened between you two. You were such good friends."
"High school happened mom." She simply states but Gabriella knew this was not true. It was way more complicated then than high school, but it was something she tried not to think about too much. The two Montez women walk up to the front door and see the sign that said "Come in!" Maria opens the door and Gabriella waits outside for a moment, not wanting to step into the enemy household before her mom rolls her eyes at her.
"Come on Ella!" Her mother hisses and Gabriella takes a deep breath and enters the Bolton house. She had to admit, it was extremely nice, and it always smelled extremely good. This was probably because Mrs. Bolton was known for baking cookies all of the time. There were loud noises coming from further inside the house as the two walk further in. They reach what Gabriella knew was the kitchen and sees the back of a medium sized woman with dark brown hair. The woman turns around and smiles.
"Maria! Gabriella!" Mrs. Bolton says and walks over. "I'm so glad you guys could make it. Here, let me take that for you." She says as she takes the dish from Maria's hands and places it on the counter. She turns back around and smiles at Gabriella, who smiles brightly back. "Oh Gabriella. Gosh, you get prettier every time I see you. Come here." She says as she pulls Gabriella into a hug. Mrs. Bolton had always been like a second mom to Gabriella, even if she did hate her son with a passion. She smiles up at her as Mrs. Bolton looks from left to right, and then drops her voice. "I'm sorry but neither Chad nor his parents could make it tonight, I'm sorry I tried."
Gabriella nods. "I knew he wasn't coming, but thanks anyways." She knew that Mrs. Bolton was well aware that she and Troy didn't get along and always tried to make things more comfortable for Gabriella when ever they would invite her and her mom over. Mrs. Bolton loved her son, but she knew how the two felt about each other, and tried her best to help both kids.
"Gabs!" She hears a voice from behind her and turns around to smile as she sees a tall man with brown hair. "Come here!" Coach Bolton says and Gabriella feels him give her a tight hug. Mr. Bolton lets her go and smiles down at her for a moment. "It's so great to see you."
"You too." Gabriella says beaming up at him.
"So, how's West High treating you? We saw your last track meet, you looked incredible." He says and Gabriella smiles brightly.
"Thanks Jack. And West High is treating me a lot better now that I'm not going to have to go to it for another three months." She jokes and Coach Bolton laughs. She was on a first name basis with the Bolton's, well that was except the youngest one.
"Well, I gotta put these on the grill…" Coach Bolton says as he picks up the plate of hamburgers. "But I'll catch up with you later." He says as he walks outside once again. Gabriella turns around to find her mother and Mrs. Bolton had started talking happily with one of the neighbors. Gabriella sighs and walks out the door that Coach Bolton had just gone through a minute ago. She looks around the yard to find that at least fifty people were there already.
On the side where the grill stood, where a lot of the men talking with Mr. Bolton probably about sports. The patio held a giant long table that cups and drinks and snacks were on, and Gabriella figures that they would put the food on there as well. Also right off of the patio with an umbrella over it stood a single table with a bunch of middle aged women probably complaining about their kids or their husbands or something. In the center of the yard was a volleyball net that had been put up. A bunch of little kids were jumping around happily, probably not even noticing as some parents and middle schooled age boys were attempting to play the game. Off to the immediate right to that was a group of three girls who Gabriella knew lived down the street and were in middle school also. She knew these girls would probably turn out to be bitches when they were in high school but she also knew that they all worshiped her.
Last, and least, over the music she could hear a faint sound of thump, thump in the distance. Her eyes tear away from the girls and she looks over at the huge basketball court in the corner of the yard. A single figure stood out there with out a shirt on and Gabriella felt her eyes narrow. She had to remember to stay away from that corner as much as possible because knowing Troy; he wouldn't leave it until he got the clear to go to Sharpay's party. She continues to stare as if trying to kill him with her eyes when she suddenly jumps at the sound of, "Bre!"
She turns around and a smile immediately grows on her face. A girl, a little taller than her, with long blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, but not as bright as Troy's, beams at her. Gabriella quickly runs over and the girls give each other a tight hug. "Cassie! Oh god how are you?" She says a lets go. Cassie Freeman was Troy's cousin that was a year older than Gabriella and Troy. She was a senior at West High when Gabriella was a sophomore. They had become extremely good friends Gabriella's freshman year because they were both on volleyball together. But like most of the other Boltons, she was a basketball star also.
"Good. USC kicked my butt this year. But other than that…" She says with a smile. Gabriella laughs. "How've you been?"
Gabriella shrugs. "I'm hanging in there. Thankful to be out of the hell hole." She says and Cassie smiles.
"Join the club. I was hoping to see you here, but I didn't know with the whole..." She nods over to where Troy was still shooting the basketball in the corner of the yard. "You guys must be better though, since you're here."
Gabriella rolls her eyes. "I'm leaving soon. I'm here because of your aunt and uncle and because my mom made me come. Let's say things haven't changed much since you left."
Cassie nods. She, like most everyone who went to West and East High, knew Troy and Gabriella hated each other. No one knew why though. And that meant no one. Not even Chad or Taylor. It was something that was never discussed, because no one wanted to piss off Troy nor Gabriella. "Well I'm glad you are. I don't think I'd be able to make it with these old ass people." Gabriella laughs. The two girls look up to see that a line had formed around the long table and they figure that they were starting to serve food. Gabriella looks at Cassie who smiles. "Let's get in line."
They both walk up to the buffet table and stand behind a father and a little girl who must have been five. Gabriella could tell that they would be waiting for at least ten minutes before they would get any food. "How long are you staying here for?" Gabriella asks her and Cassie shrugs.
"The summer. I got a job at the Lava Spring's country club. Two of Troy's friend's parents own that place." She says and Gabriella nods.
"Yea, Ryan and Sharpay Evans. They're a couple of my best friends." She says. "I'm looking for one; my mom's been on my ass about how summer jobs look so good on college applications." Gabriella says with an eye roll.
"You should apply there. I know they're really short on people." Cassie says and takes a step forward. "Plus it'd be so much fun." Gabriella thinks about this for a moment. It might not be a bad idea, working at a country club. Plus, she would get to hang out with Cassie. She puts that thought in the back of her head for when she saw Sharpay and Ryan tonight to ask them about it. Finally, they get to the food and Gabriella grabs a small plate. She really wasn't hungry, but she had to eat something. They sit down on a bench next to a cooler and begin to eat. "So… do you have a boyfriend? How are you and Bradin?"
Gabriella shrugs at rolls her eyes. Everyone believed that she and Bradin should date again. He was the king of West High and Gabriella was the queen. They belonged together. The only problem? Gabriella didn't like him that way. "We're friends. And that's all we're going to be." She says and takes a bite of her cheeseburger.
"Last I knew everyone was saying how perfect you two were for each other." Cassie says and Gabriella shakes her head.
"We tried the dating thing. It didn't work." Gabriella says and sighs. She didn't understand why everyone thought they were so great for each other. Sure, he was hot, but they were just too good of friends. Cassie shrugs and takes a bite of her hot dog. Ketchup drips down onto her white tube top. "Fuck!" She says and Gabriella laughs. It was all over the shirt. "Don't laugh, it's not funny!" She says which makes Gabriella laugh even harder.
"Yes… it… is!" She manages to get out. Cassie glares harshly at her.
"I'm gonna go see if I can get this out." She says and stands up. "I'll be right back." Gabriella watches as she walks into the house and she sighs. Her mind begins to wander back to the job idea. She and Taylor were going to start looking for jobs on Monday, but if she could talk to Sharpay tonight and get a job there, that would be even better. She had taken a course on lifeguard training two summers ago and would probably just have to refresh on it a bit. It would be perfect and a Country Club meant good pay, right?
Gabriella feels herself come out of her thoughts once again. She walks over to the end of the deck and turns around. A body moves in front of hers and goes for the cooler. The atmosphere suddenly changes. Her eyes narrow and she feels her hands form a tight grip on the side of the deck. Her body tenses and she stares at the person who was frozen directly in front of her. If it were possible, her eyes narrow even more. "You know…" The person says loudly. "I can feel your eyes burning two holes in the back of my head."
Troy turns around and smirks at her. Even though she would never admit it in front of anyone else, Gabriella knew Troy was the hottest guy she had ever met. He was wearing a green polo with light jeans. His hair lay flat on his head and his skin was so tan it was almost as if he was glowing. But the thing Gabriella loved, or hated, most about him was his eyes. He had the most crystal blue eyes that she had ever seen in her life. It was no wonder why every single girl at East and West High wanted him. Gabriella suddenly shakes her head out of her trance. "Bolton."
He smirks even more when she greets him. "Gabi." Gabriella glares at him when he uses that nickname for her, but she didn't stop him. "Wow, I can't believe you'd stay here for this long, I thought you would have bolted after three minutes."
Gabriella rolls her eyes. "I'm surprised you're not upstairs fucking a girl yet."
Troy smirks again and shrugs. "Gotta save it for the good ones at the party tonight." He says and Gabriella rolls her eyes again.
"You disgust me." She says and turns away from him, resting her elbows on the deck. He was a pig and she knew it. For a second, she wonders how any girl could ever fall for someone like him, but that was stupid. Troy was hot and could charm his way into anyone. Anyone except for Gabriella.
"You annoy me but there's nothing I can do about that is there?" He asks in a low voice and she feels a body brush up against hers and she takes a step to the side to try and distance her from him. "So why are you still here? Starting to want me just as much as everyone else?"
"Don't talk to me." Gabriella spits out at his cocky comment.
"Don't tell me what to do. It's my house, and if you have a problem with that, then get out." Troy says angrily. Gabriella looks over at him and shakes her head.
"It's not like I want to be here anyways." She says as she glares at her mom talking with Mrs. Bolton. She hated talking with Troy. Even though he was really good friends with all of her friends and tended to hang out with them while Gabriella was there, she still hated talking to him. On very rare good days, he would just ignore her. But normally, they both loved to piss the other one. It was almost like a game, to try and piss off the other until they broke. But Gabriella hated this game, because she couldn't remember a time when Troy lost. But that was because Troy Bolton never lost anything.
"You know, having something shoved up your ass all the time is kind of a turn off." Troy says and Gabriella's head whips around and she narrows her eyes at him. "But then again only I get that special treatment."
"Brie!" Gabriella hears a voice echo in her ear behind her and she turns around to find Cassie walking over with a sweatshirt over her tube top. Gabriella sighs thankfully that Cassie was finally here again and she didn't have to be by Troy. "I couldn't get it out…" She starts but her eyes drift over to Troy. She looks at Gabriella and then back at her cousin. "I thought you said you weren't leaving the basketball court."
"I wasn't, but then there was food involved." Troy says and Cassie rolls her eyes. Gabriella continues to glare at Troy. She knew he and Cassie were close, why she had no idea. "And I ran into Gabi here."
"Don't call me that." She snaps at him and Troy shakes his head. She only told him not to when they were around other people, because she didn't want anyone else to pick up the nickname. But when they were by themselves arguing, she never said anything since he had been calling her that since they were ten.
"You call me whatever you want, so I'll call you whatever I want." He says and Cassie sighs angrily.
"Guys, can we not do this now? You guys can kill each other when you two leave." Cassie says annoyed and Gabriella keeps her mouth closed, but continues to glare at Troy. "Speaking of that, here comes Uncle Jack."
Gabriella turns her head to see that Coach Bolton was walking toward the three of them. He smiles and Gabriella tries to muster up a smile, but found it difficult because Troy was standing next to her. "Hey guys, enjoying the party?" All three of them nod, even though Gabriella had to bite the side of her cheek to keep from making any comment about Troy. "Gabs, I talked to your mom. She said that you could leave if you wanted to." Gabriella sighs in relief. "And Troy, mom said you could leave too."
Both of them sneak a glare at each other and then Gabriella turns back to Cassie. "Damn, you're leaving me?"
Gabriella nods. "Consider yourself lucky." She hears Troy mumble under his breath and Gabriella feels her eyes narrow on him. Cassie rolls her eyes and turns back to Gabriella.
"Let me know about the job thing. It would be so great if we could work together." Cassie says and gives Gabriella a quick hug.
"I will. And if I don't get it, I'm sure I'll see you around here." Gabriella says and picks up her purse that was lying on the bench. "Bye Cas!"
Cassie waves and Gabriella begins to make her way over to the door. She thanks Mrs. Bolton and Coach Bolton for having her, and then waves to her mom. Gabriella walks out into the front yard and walks down the driveway to get to her house so she could get her car. She makes it to the sidewalk when she suddenly hears rap music blaring in the street. Her head turns and she sees a familiar black Infiniti pull up to the curb and the tinted windows roll down. "What the hell are you doing?"
Gabriella rolls her eyes at Troy. "Going home to get my car, what does it look like?"
Troy matches her eyes as he rolls his own. "No shit, but get in. I'll drive you."
Gabriella raises her eyebrows at him. "Why the hell would you give me a ride?"
His fingers tap on the steering wheel impatiently. "Because even though you don't think so, I can do something nice for once." Gabriella raises her eyebrows again and Troy sighs impatiently. "Fine, I haven't shown up to a party by myself since like… sophomore year. And I'd even settle so low as to taking you."
Gabriella laughs sarcastically. "I'd rather stick knives in my eyes than go anywhere with you." She says and then continues to walk back to her house, leaving Troy looking angry.