A/N: Sorry it took so long, but I started writing in school. So here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Down the Hall

Chapter Five

After I talked to Chad, I sat on my bed thinking. How could one person be so judgmental? Who does she think she is that she has the right to pass judgment that quickly? She doesn't know me. So I knocked her down and wasn't nice enough to say sorry. Life's tough. Get a helmet.

I don't know why I'm getting so worked up about this. I mean she's just a girl. A hot girl. NO! Stop that! You do NOT have the slightest attraction to her. Yes you do. Stop it! Ok, I'm officially crazy. I'm having an argument with my head. Ok. I have to do something to take my mind off this.

Basketball.

I changed into my clothes and walked outside onto the court. It was already dark so I knew my dad wouldn't come out, which at that moment sounded like a good thing. I desperately needed some time to myself. I wasn't in the mood to be around people at the moment.

I grabbed the ball and after taking a few shots, I laid down on the court and stared at the stars. I started to throw the basketball in the air from my laying position. I eventually closed my eyes once I got the rhythm of throwing it in the air and catching it.

I threw it in the air again, but this time I didn't feel it come back into my hands. I opened my eyes and saw her with a determined look on her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I guess I'm just bitter about this whole thing, you know, moving, losing the people closest to me, that kind of thing," she said, attempting to make humor. "Anyway I-"

I cut her off, "Look, I know-"

She cut me off this time. "No let me finish. What happened between me and you could have been easily avoided, but it wasn't because I was on edge to start with and I'm sorry about that. I hope you can forgive me for overreacting and maybe we can get past this and be friends." She took a deep breath and I said nothing. "Ok now that I can see that I've obviously made an ass out of myself, I'm just gonna crawl back into my hole and stay there for a long period of time, or at least until tomorrow morning." She said, turning around on her heels and going back into the house.

I sat up from my position. "Wait!" I called out to her before she reached the door. She turned around and looked at me. "You're forgiven. And I'm sorry too." I told her. She gave me a small smile that I returned before disappearing into the house.

I laid back down, still with a smile on my face. I told you, you like her. I wiped the smile off my face. No I don't! Oh my god. I'm getting so tired of this.

I laid outside for a while longer when I heard my mother yell at me to get inside and do my homework.

Crap. I just remembered. What am I going to do when I have to face Gabriella with all my friends? I mean, I can't just avoid her completely. We just forgave each other. I know she won't be attached at my hip, but that doesn't mean she won't say anything to me at all.

I arrived in the kitchen where I left my stuff after practice to find my mom sitting on one of the barstools reading something. Another one of her books, I guessed. Mom was constantly reading. I like to read a lot too. I guess I got it from her. We share a lot of books, except her sappy romance novels and Danielle Steel and stuff like that. It's too mushy for me. I like the classics, Dickens, Hemmingway, Orwell, people like that.

I'm really not as stupid as people like to think jocks are, but if my friends knew I read like I do, I don't think I'd hear the end of it. I guess they just don't approve of the whole smart jock thing. They reject the unfamiliar. But I guess we all do that at some point in our lives. We can't help it.

When I was a freshman, the soccer team at East High, was really good, so good that they were undefeated. The captain was a junior; he was that skilled at the game. Anyway, at the end of their undefeated season, he ended up getting straight A's in his classes. The team kicked him out of his position as captain, ridiculous right? So, they got a new captain the next year and they didn't have a very good season, especially since their star player refused to play due to lack of justice.

You see? If I was ever seen reading an Orwell book, I would never see the basketball court.

I've always wondered why our school is so into cliques. The rules are so strict that I'm not even allowed to mingle with the skaters or the nerds or virtually anyone who isn't a jock or a cheerleader of a member of the drama club.

I once knocked a freshman down by accident, and I bent down to help him with his things, like I would have with Gabriella. The look on his face was filled with fear. He looked absolutely petrified and of course, Chad pulled me away saying, "Man what are you doing; you're not supposed to be helping those kind of people," and reluctantly, I stood up and mouthed an "I'm sorry" to the kid before walking away.

I don't know what happened to him. I've only seen him once since then and he practically ran the other way when he saw me.

Anyway, I went into the kitchen and my mom was reading. I was hoping I could avoid her somehow so I went behind her, unnoticed, or so I thought. "Troy, you're taking Gabriella to school tomorrow." She told me and continued to read.

I stood there with a bewildered look on my face. "W-what do you mean? W-why do I have to take her?"

She sighed and finally make eye contact with me, shutting her book. "Troy, do you really want that poor girl to walk all the way to East High when you're going to the same place in a car? Do you want her to think that we're going to be that cruel that we would make her walk while still making your car payment, which is very expensive by the way?"

"But mom-" I started.

"Just do this for me. If not for her, then for me."

I hate it when she puts that guilt trip on me. "Fine." I replied, less then enthusiastic.

"Good," she said gingerly, "Now go upstairs and do your homework." She ordered me.

I took my things and went upstairs. I got into my room and sat down on my bed. I sighed as I took out my chemistry book. I've always hated chemistry. I just don't get it. For two years of high school, I've avoided taking it, taking biology in the ninth grade and A.P. Biology in the tenth. But sadly, before junior year started, they told me I had to take the subject I dreaded the most.

At least it's a beginner, introduction to chemistry. It's not like they're pushing me straight into A.P. but it still doesn't sit right with me. We're working on the periodic table, right now, which may sound really eighth grade science, but Ms. Zamora, the teacher, said that we have to "start out with the basic components of chemistry and we must understand the periodic table in order to do so."

I took out my copy of the table and ran my fingers through my hair. After a long time of attempting to understand how many neutrons were in an atom of magnesium, I groaned loudly in frustration. It was now eleven at night and all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

I didn't know what else to do, so I crept out of my room and down the long, dark hallway and stopped when I reached Gabriella's door. I knocked lightly and waited. When I got no response, I knocked again, a little more forcefully this time. I heard shuffling in her room and she appeared in the doorway with an annoyed look on her face and squinty eyes.

"Troy Bolton, you better have a damn good explanation for waking me up after finally falling asleep after an hour of tossing and turning." She told me, now fully awake.

"I'm sorry; it's just that I was hoping you could help me." I explained per her request.

"With what?" She asked, a little calmer.

"My chemistry homework." I told her, kind of embarrassed that I had to resort to asking her for help because I wasn't smart enough to do it myself. "I'm sorry I had to ask about this, but I just can't seem to get it. If you don't want to help me it's fine, I just thought I'd ask."

"Troy, stop apologizing. It's fine, I'll help you." She said offering me a smile.

"Will you come to my room? All my stuff's in there." I requested.

"Sure, I'll be there in a second, just let me get my glasses." She said, going to retrieve her glasses from the nightstand.

I walked back into my room and waited for Gabriella to come in. she waked in and I noted her appearance. She was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. Her hair was in a messy bun and she had her glasses on. She looked like a normal person. Not like the girls I'm normally around who parade around in short shorts and tight tank-tops. I like that about her. NO! Stop that. You don't like her.

I shook my head and she spoke. "Are you ready?" She asked, sitting on the floor surrounding herself with textbooks.

"Yeah," I told her.

"Okay, well what are you working on?" She asked.

I almost didn't want to tell her for fear of judgment, but if I want help, then I'm going to have to tell her. "Umm, the periodic table."

"Oh okay, what don't you get about it?" She asked, trying to pinpoint what exactly she had to teach me.

"Basically everything." I almost felt like I was beneath her because I didn't get it. Chemistry is one of my biggest academic insecurities, I guess you could say.

"It's okay Troy; everyone has that thing they're not good at. For me, it's history. For you, it's chemistry. And that's okay; we just have to work harder at those things." That was creepy. It's like she read my mind. "Okay, so you know that every atom contains subatomic particles called neutrons, protons, and electrons right?" She asked.

"Yes." I told her.

"So electrons carry a negative charge. Protons carry a positive charge. And neutrons carry a neutral charge."

"Okay, I got that."

"Good, so the protons and the neutrons are located in the nucleus and the electrons are-" She trailed off. Well not really, but I got distracted watching her. She really was beautiful, you couldn't deny it, but I wondered how my friends would react to my association with her. Maybe they'd accept her, who knows? I really hope so because I think I'm starting to like the girl down the hall.

A/N: Reading over this, I'm not sure if I like it, but you guys can be the judges. Oh and about the chemistry thing, I didn't really pay attention to the whole chemistry between Troy and Gabriella, I just kinda wrote it because we're learning it now. Oh and shout out to my chemistry teacher, Ms. Zamora after whom the teacher was written! Review please!!