Chapter 4: Tomorrow

If the school hadn't already had enough to talk about, it did now. Gabriella's incident with Vince spread like wildfire. In less than a day, the entire school knew all the details. Their eyes grew wide with fear when they heard that Vince had forcefully attacked Gabriella and had stalked her past school hours, they were awestruck as they listened to others tell how Troy had come to Gabriella's rescue, destroying Vince in the process. Many of the girls now looked at Troy, spellbound by his physique, and would stare him down eagerly.

"He's not a piece of meat…" Gabriella would irritably say to Taylor, who would just smile knowingly and nod.

Troy and Gabriella had gone straight to the principal the next day, informing him of how dangerous his football captain really was. As proof that they weren't weaving some tale to get a fellow classmate in trouble, Gabriella revealed her bruise, which had now turned a deep shade of bluish-purple, and also, the letters Vince had sent her. The principal read them, and as his eyes narrowed and widened as he finished them off, he told them that this was not the first time he had heard of Vince doing something like this. Although, he said, he should've expelled him a long time ago, he never thought he could be capable of such treachery. But now, since they had solid proof, he would be expelled immediately. Much to Gabriella's relief, he indeed had been taken care of. Just to be completely safe from harm, Gabriella's mother filed for a restraining order against Vince that forbade him to be anywhere within five hundred yards of Gabriella.

Meanwhile, the musical practices had begun and most of Troy and Gabriella's time was now devoted to the stage. Practices only lasted a few hours after school, but once opening day drew nearer, they would be prolonged to all-night practices, ending somewhere early in the morning. Troy and Gabriella didn't mind one bit though. They had worked hard for this, and intended to do the best they could, no matter what the cost. The only one who was less than thrilled with the arrangement was an envious blonde, watching every practice bitterly in the shadows.


Sharpay Evans sat resentfully in a seat at the very back of the auditorium, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She was watching Troy and Gabriella singing their duet for Mrs. Darbus, who was positively beaming with delight. Sharpay growled angrily as Troy and Gabriella really got into the song, moving closer to each other and singing as if their emotions of their characters were real.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be her up there, singing in the spotlight like she had been doing for years. She was supposed to be on stage, swirling and twirling and smiling and grabbing the glory. She was supposed to be on the receiving end of all the raves and compliments and awe-filled stares. This was her thing. Not Gabriella's.

She was supposed to be the girl Troy couldn't keep his eyes off of.

The door opened and a petite brunette in a white mini skirt and pink tank top walked over to Sharpay, clearly unaware that she was hiding.

"Hey, where've you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!" The girl said loudly.

"Shh! Allison, shut up! Quick, get down!" Sharpay said as she pulled her down into a seat next to her.

"Ooo, someone's spying…" Allison whispered with a grin.

"Not spying," Sharpay said. "Just here for practice."

"As an understudy." Allison pointed out. "You don't really need to be here."

"Yes I do!" Sharpay snapped. "They don't realize what a huge mistake they're making, and I'm going to be here when they finally figure it out." Her eyes turned from her friend and back to Troy, who had stopped singing and was listening intently to the tips Mrs. Darbus was giving him. He looked so hot when he was serious…

"I think there's another reason why you're here." Allison said. When Sharpay didn't answer, she took hold of Sharpay's head and turned it to face her. "You're here because of Troy."

"You're an idiot, Allison." Said Sharpay.

"Oh please," Allison said as she rolled her eyes. "You've had eyes for Troy since elementary school, don't tell me those feelings haven't changed."

Sharpay smiled and felt her cheeks blush.

"Look, I don't wanna bring you down or anything, but you need to face it sooner or later. Troy Bolton's not into you. He never has, never will. There are so many guys who fall over you when you walk by. There's six hundred people in this school, and all you can think about is Troy Bolton? I mean, he's good-looking and all, but there's so many others you could choose from." Allison said.

"No, Allie," Sharpay said softly. "This one's different. I've never felt this way around anyone but him." She turned to look at her. "I can't just let that go… I've always had a knack for getting what I want." She smiled spitefully, all traces of tenderness disappearing as she began to stare at Troy again. "I want Troy Bolton… and I don't intend on being denied."


"All right Mr. Bolton, Miss. Montez, that'll be enough for today. Both of you need to work on the second act a little more, and Troy, for goodness sakes, work on memorizing your lines! Honestly, you should've had at least the first act memorized last week!" Mrs. Darbus said exasperatedly as she headed for the door.

"Tell my dad that… if you dare." Troy muttered under his breath. Gabriella giggled and stuffed her script in her bag, making a deal of tightening the strap to perfection.

Troy stood, watching her. He was mesmerized as her long hair gently cascaded down her back, creating a sort of veil around her head when she leaned over. She gently pushed it behind her ear and looked up at Troy.

"Is something wrong, Troy?" Gabriella asked, breaking his transfixed gaze.

"N-no, everything's perfect." Troy stammered.

"Oh… ok then. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Gabriella said, a little disappointed.

"Yeah, tomorrow." Troy said as Gabriella walked past him. He turned and watched her graceful walk down the middle of the auditorium. Suddenly, without thinking, he jumped off the stage and ran after her.

"Gabriella?" He called.

Gabriella turned around, surprised to see him right behind her. "Yeah?"

Troy became tongue-tied and gulped apprehensively. "Um, well, I… I was just wondering…"

"Yes?" Gabriella asked as she took a step closer anxiously gripping her bag with anticipation.

"I just… wanted to know if… you might, want to come over tomorrow evening… to my house. Maybe we could watch some movies or something." Troy said slowly.

Gabriella's heart beat quicker and she smiled. "I'd love to, Troy."

"Great!" Troy said enthusiastically. "Um, how about you just come over right after school?"

"Yeah, that's, that's fine." Gabriella said as she felt her hands grow cold while her face felt like an oven.

"Ok, well, I uh… I'll see you tomorrow." Troy said. Without another word, he rushed out the door, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Gabriella stared after him until he was out of sight. As she closed her eyes and silently said a prayer of thanks, she sighed, feeling more excited and joyful by the second.

"Tomorrow…"


Sorry this chapter's shorter than usual. I had writers block this morning and I couldn't figure out where to introduce Sharpay... and now I need to find someplace to put Taylor... for all you Kelsi-lovers, sorry, but she's probably not going to have a big part in this fanfic. The next chapter is going to be good, trust me. It's the first stepping stone of Troy figuring out what his feelings towards Gabriella really are, and Gabriella... well, let's just say that Gabriella uses more actions than words in the next chapter ; )