Sorry again for the late update, what can I say? School sucks. And thank you to every one who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are the best! Also, Lil-Evans helped me with the Spanish in this chapter, thank you so much, it was much appreciated!
After I finally managed to escape Sharpay I tore down the hallway (I may have knocked over a freshman or two, I definitely ran into a senior) but I was still late to French. So I got a detention. Fortunately Taylor, being the amazing person she is, saw Sharpay talking to me and decided to wait for me. Unfortunately, she was late too. So now we both had detention during our ninth period study hall with this Darbus lady that Taylor assured me was crazy (a bit of foreshadowing here, she wasn't lying).
I had never in my life had detention before (I was a good student, top of my class, I shuddered to think what some of my old teachers would say about me now) and I wasn't the only one. Taylor had a small break down in the bathroom on our way there; her words weren't exactly intelligible and I don't even want to repeat what she called Sharpay (because somehow it was Sharpay's fault that she stood around the corner of the hallway waiting for me). Being the strong person that I am I didn't cry about the detention (I've always suspected that my mom has always wanted me to get a detention, what with all the detention stories she fondly tells me. 'Those were the best days of school, Gabriella, those days that I had detentions.' Of course smoking pot was also acceptable back then so…) but I did almost start bawling when I realized that I had no idea how to get to the auditorium (our detention site) and Taylor was in no state to help me. One detention I can deal with, I mean collages ignore it if there's just one on your record right? But two detentions (I assumed I would get another detention if I was late to this one)? I might as well just settle for a community college.
Then the bell rang. So community college it was.
"What's this? Gabriella Montez is…late?" As soon as I heard that familiar voice (isn't funny that I've only known Troy for about a week or two and yet I feel like I've known him forever? Alright no, it's not funny its clichéd and pathetic but so what? I've seen the movies I know how these things work out!) I spun around (and almost dislocated Taylor's arm in the process).
"Troy! I know your already late, which I don't condone by the way, so I'll make this quick. Where the hell is the auditorium?" It's actually a good thing I ran into Troy when I did because if I hadn't then I wouldn't know where the auditorium was when it came time for the auditions (oh god where they really in forty minutes?). Troy smiled and took my arm in his (like they do in line dancing, I wondered if Troy was into that, line dancing I mean) leaving Chad, his team mate who I'd only met a few times, alone with Taylor.
"Follow me, Chad and I were just on our way there." What choice did I have? I followed him like an obedient puppy, something which I'm glad Taylor didn't notice seeing as she was too busy trying to ignore whatever idiocy was spilling form his lips (not that Chad's stupid though, he just seems to act like an idiot around Taylor…I don't know why but I think Troy teases him about it sometimes). After a semi-awkward pause in which Troy seemed to notice that we still had our arms linked (but he didn't drop his arm so I didn't drop mine) he spoke again.
"Hey Gabriella, what's someone who doesn't 'condone' things like being late doing to get detention?" Naturally I didn't want to tell him that I'd been late to a class (can you imagine the embarrassment?) but I didn't want to lie either. I'm pretty bad at lying to people I like anyway, my face gets all red and I stammer (if it's someone I don't like I can lie though, strange right?) and I can't even lie to my mom. Seriously I try and no sound comes out. I think the way I got out of this one was pretty clever actually.
"Well…estaba hablando con Sharpay y la campana sonó. Yo llegué tarde a la clase de Francés y Mademoiselle Fleming, que, a propósito, me odia, me puso una detención. Ah, y a Taylor también porque ella estaba conmigo". I was hoping to god that Troy didn't take Spanish (because you know most people do) but I couldn't have done that in French, I suck at French.
"Gabriella I have no idea what you just said." So my gamble paid off, not that I condone gambling either (I made my mom stop buying lottery tickets, she didn't get that she was never going to win. If I hadn't stepped in we might be poor and living on the streets right now).
We stopped at what looked like the doors to the gymnasium but when Troy opened them I could see that it was much different. The room itself was huge, there must have been like, thirty rows of chairs (give or take ten rows) and the stage rose up like a ship over the sea of seats. On the stage kids of all grades were painting props or sitting around doing their homework. It was the most avant-garde detention I had ever seen, to say the least.
Of course when I met the woman who was running things I began to understand a little bit better. Ms. Darbus was a stereo typical theater person, dramatic and a little bit eccentric; I actually liked her regardless of what Taylor had said.
"Umm hi I'm Gabriella Montez. I'm sorry we're late (I gestured to Troy, Chad, and Taylor who had caught up with me) but-" With a sweep of her scarf (why do theater people always have scarves? Is it like a symbol of being involved in the theater? Is it how they know if there's an imposter among them?) she cut me off (people, I've noticed, do that very well here in Albuquerque).
"The theater waits for no one." She informed me simply before walking away. Which left us standing awkwardly in the middle of the stage with nothing to do.
"Well, I don't have any homework." Chad said before walking over to a leafless tree.
"Me neither, well none worth doing anyway." Troy followed him; it was strange because I had pegged Troy to be the studious type (though maybe not so studious as myself or Taylor). Curse this inability of mine to figure that guy out.
"Oh crap," Taylor moaned, "I forgot my math book in my locker. Ms. Darbus! Ms. Darbus!" She called running after her. So again I had nothing to do. I sat next to a box and only began painting it when Ms. Darbus shoved a paintbrush in my hands and clapped in my face.
"You're not here to reflect about what you've done. I have a show to put on and I need my props suitably painted!" And here I was thinking that I was here to reflect on what I had done. Stupid me, of course I should have been painting…
And I did paint, for about the next three minutes (I was painting with blue paint by the way. Who paints a box in blue paint?) until Taylor came back and practically fed me a piece of paper (it really was that close to my face). She squealed a few times and hugged me.
"Of course you can join Gabriella! You could have just asked though and I would have said yes but now that I've seen your credentials I simply won't take no for an answer!" The girl had obviously gone mad; there wasn't any other explanation (maybe she was channeling her inner-Darbus).
"What are these?" I quickly grabbed and scanned the papers that she was holding in my face. They seemed to be various papers (news articles I think) praising my genius. Why did I let my mother convince me to join that decathlon in ninth grade? 'We're moving in two months' she'd said, 'It can't possibly hurt you.' Well guess what mom, you were wrong.
"Gabriella! We'd love to have you on the Mathletes!" Taylor squealed again, all this squealing of hers was highly unpleasant. It kind of reminded me of a Sharpay/pig mix. It also annoyed me because, you know, I'm trying to be cool around Troy and I highly doubt that he's gonna want to hang out with a mathlete.
"Taylor!" I hissed, "Not so loud, Troy's right over there!" I kind of gesture-pointed to him and he waved. Naturally I waved back and when I turned around Taylor was rolling her eyes.
"Are you serious? Guys like Troy Bolton don't like girls like us." She told me, which I thought was kind of mean, I mean I had seen her walking with Chad (Well I hadn't actually seenher, but I had heard her and for all Taylors insults she likes him, I know it. I can actually understand the way Taylors mind works, so I know I'm right), and Troy I were currently friends so he had to like me a little bit. Right?
"Troy and I are friends; we're trying out for the musical. Remember?" And I could tell that she hadn't remembered because her eyes got all wide and she shoved the papers in my hands.
"Right, well I have to get back to my math. Think about joining us, ok?" She walked off. I was just thinking that my life would be easier if all I had to do was paint my box when Ms. Darbus called all of us to the center of the stage. I took my place between Troy and Taylor and turned my attention to the insane lady in the scarf (we've covered the scarves, right?). Yeah because I noticed that Sharpay and Ryan we're standing behind Ms. Darbus, (when had they gotten there?) and they were both wearing scarves. I'm telling you if Troy and I make it into the musical I'm buying us scarves so that we don't get beat up by crazy drama freaks.
"I believe the props have been sufficiently taken take of?" She asked it like a question but no one dared to contradict her (for fear of actually having to paint the props I believe), "Good. Then let us partake in some exercises to loosen the body. Become an animal! Follow Sharpay and Ryan, they've volunteered their time to help convert you all the thespians!" She announced. Now loving grammar as I do I knew that thespian meant somebody who acts on the stage or relating to the theater or the profession of acting (yes I have read section of the dictionary, don't ask, please), but I saw Troy and Chad exchange glances. Sharpay strutted around the stage as a flamingo (or was it a stork?) and Ryan scampered all over as a dog. Troy and Chad were monkey-ing around (literally) and Taylor pretended to pull her head into her 'shell' as a turtle. Sighing I crept into a dark corner and widened my eyes (I've always identified with the lesser mouse lemur.
This school was turning my life upside down.