Sorry it's been so long! I am suffering major writer's block, and warning you now this chapter is nothing special. But I promise a better one is in the works! Please R&R! Thanks[

Troy and Gabriella were causally joking about something that had happened in Ms. Drubs' class earlier that day when they stopped in their tracks. They were standing at the edge of the parking lot where they saw Troy's truck covered in toilet paper. Wildcats SUCK! had been sloppily spray painted on the left side of the truck bed. Gabriella looked up at Troy, whose face was getting redder by the second.

"Come on Troy, let's clean this up." Gabriella grabbed his hand and led him to the truck. They put their backpacks in the front seats and then started to gather the toilet paper and threw it in the back of the truck bed. Gabriella grazed a piece of the toilet paper across the paint and watched it wipe away. "This paint is fresh." She whispered to herself.

"Hey sexy." She heard a voice behind her. She slowly turned to see Jimmy Cooper and what she could only assume to be more West High jerks.

She snorted and turned back to Troy's truck. Troy had jumped out of the bed at this point in time and stood right next to Gabriella and started to help her wipe away more paint. He had taken her lead and paid no mind to the West High group.

"What's a matter didn't hear me the first time?" Gabriella felt a hand on her shoulder. Her ignoring plan was not't working. She whipped around and grabbed Jimmy's hand and twisted it.

"I have a name you jackass!" She sneered through her teeth. Troy was now behind her, both his hands resting on her shoulders, starting to form a grip.

"And it's almost as beautiful as you are, beautiful." He smirked and started to lean into her. She let go of his hand and gave him a hard shove. She watched as Jimmy Cooper stumbled back into his three other friends.

"Come on Troy, let's go." She said, starting to walk around to the passenger side. Just then one of Jimmy's friend grabbed Troy by the shirt collar.

"You want to go Bolton?" The harasser spat. Troy pushed away the strong hand and tackled the boy to the ground.

"Troy, stop it!" Gabriella screamed as she ran around the front of the truck. She tried to pull Troy off of the West High jerk, but suddenly felt the strength of Jimmy Copper pulling her away.

He pushed her up against the hood of Troy's truck and whispered in her ear, "Forget him baby, he won't be there for you like I will."

"Jimmy get off of me." She started to shove him, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her body into his.

"You know its true Gabriella. What would Troy Bolton want with you? If he doesn't want you now, what makes you think he'll want you later?" Gabriella stared deep into Jimmy's eyes. She let her wrists go limp and was completely speechless, almost like she was frozen in time. Just then Jimmy was being pulled away by his friends. They hopped into a nearby car and sped off. Coach Bolton had come out and broken up the fight. Gabriella shook herself out of her daze went over by Troy who was sitting on the sidewalk holding his bloody lip.

"Troy are-are you alright?" She started to put her finger up to his lip but he winched and turned away.

"I'm fine!" He snapped and put a hand up so she couldn't touch him.

"What did I tell you kids about fighting with the West High Knights?" Coach Bolton scolded Troy and Gabriella as he opened up a first aid kit and handed Troy a piece of gauze.

"It wasn't his fault Coach Bolt-"Gabriella started but Coach Bolton cut her off.

"Gabriella, I think you better find another ride home." He was stern, like the first time she ever met him. He had slightly warmed up to her because he believed that she was key to Troy's game, but at that moment she was to blame.

"Okay Coach Bolton. See ya Troy." Troy did not't even look up to see her get her bag out of his truck and start her walk home.


The next day at school Gabriella avoided Troy and vice versa so she tried her best to approach Taylor. She found her in the library during free period.

"Tay, please talk to me." Gabriella whined as she followed Taylor up and down rows of encyclopedias.

"Gabriella, I don't speak cheerleader-ese and since when do you whine?" Taylor retorted.

"Since my best friend quit talking to me. Come on Taylor, I have so much to tell you." Gabriella pleaded as she sat down facing Taylor.

Taylor sighed and gave in. Gabriella told her everything that had happened with Jimmy Cooper and Laura and lastly Troy.

"You should date Jimmy Cooper." Taylor said finally.

"Taylor are you kidding me? He's a jerk!" Gabriella gasped that that was all Taylor had to say about Gabriella's stressful situations.

"Gabriella, Troy can't figure what he wants from you. Jimmy Cooper might be the only way for him to find out." Taylor's tone of voice convinced Gabriella that she was right.


"Troy, Troy, Troy!" Chad shook Troy out of his daydreaming stage and he shot a three-pointer only to air ball it.

"Dude, what's your problem lately?" Zeke asked as he stood next to Troy, taking the same shot, except for fact that he actually made the basket.

"Those West High dudes need to get it good." As if on a cue Jason Cross burst into the gym.

"Guys come on come on!" He yelped waving his hands furiously in the air. Coach Bolton was in a teachers' meeting so the team followed crazy Jason out the back gym door and into the parking lot only to find the football team, cross country team, soccer team, and cheerleaders all gathered around something, or someone. The basketball team quickly joined the group only to see the infamous White Knight. White Knight was the name of the pure white horse that West High's mascot rode out on at each football game.

"Careful what you wish for Bolton." Chad laughed as he smacked his best friend's back.

"Man, I'll say." Troy stared as one of the linemen held onto the reigns.

"Coming through, excuse me." Troy heard a familiar voice behind him and watched as a short bouncy, brunette dashed past him. "Here, I found these." She presented the lineman with carrots.

"How about I hold him and you feed him?" The lineman suggested. Gabriella did as instructed and held up one of the carrots to let the horse munch on it. She started to stroke it's snout in a soothing downward motion.

"How-how- did you guys." Troy couldn't form the words because he was still so astonished by the sight. Others were making up for him and throwing out questions mainly at the football team. The lineman who was holding the reigns put up a hand for everyone to be quiet and Frank McCall, the starting quarterback for the wildcats, started to explain.

"Those West High Knights had it coming! Trashing our cars and yards is one thing, but our own school? And then starting fights with our basketball team," he respectfully pointed at Troy and the rest of the team who received many pats on the back and small sighs from the female portion of the crowd. "They've crossed the line this time, so we did something drastic, tonight we will return White Knight to the football field, but he will now be a red Knight." Frank sneered, he was too cocky for his own good, but the Wildcats were utterly impressed at this point in time.

"How are you going to transport him?" Gabriella asked and heard some snickers around her.

"Oh darling, we got horse trailers, this is New Mexico." The lineman who was holding the reigns replied kindly, trying not to make Gabriella feel foolish, but it was to late for that.

"What about paint?" Zeke spoke up. He had been towards the back but had somehow worked his way to the front and coincidentally next to Sharpay.

"Covered." Frank replied and snapped his fingers (literally) and five freshmen football players held up cans of paint and brushes. Every student's jaw was gaped, but only Troy was looking at Gabriella. Yesterday flashed through his head;

He had tackled that West High jock to the ground. He recognized him as Scotty Thomas. Scotty was starting center for the Knights, meaning he certainly had some height on Troy. Troy was throwing punches left and right and so was Scotty, but in a brief moment Troy caught a glimpse of Gabriella, shoved up against his truck. Troy wrestled with Scotty, mainly so he could attempt to save her. Suddenly it looked like she didn't need saved. At the beginning it seemed like Gabriella had put up a fight with Jimmy, but instantly stopped. What had Jimmy said to her? What made her back down? Then typical Troy had pushed her away, not wanting to know what had really happened and only could assume something from the pieces of the scene that he was able to see.

Troy continued to stare at her, and realized she was walking away, as were most of the students who were returning to their practices. The football team hauled White Knight into a horse trailer that was hooked up to one of their trucks. "Troy you coming?" Chad's voice called out. Troy turned and followed his teammates into the gym and Gabriella lingered watching him not even pay her any attention.


"Students! STUDENTS!" Ms. Darbus' voice shrieked so loud that the pencil holder on her desk fell over. It was Friday and Wildcat spirit was in the air. Not only had it been rumored that the cheerleaders had saran wrapped the West High cheerleaders' cars, but White Knight had been painted from mane to hoof in red, not an inch of white showed, at least not in the picture that the class was passing around.

"Please sit down." Ms. Darbus demanded as she collected herself as well as her pencils. Gabriella passed the picture off to Sharpay who slipped it into her binder and took her seat in the back of the room. "Now I have a very important announcement, with homecoming quickly approaching the student government has asked that each senior writes down one male and one female that you would like to see represented on this year's homecoming court. The top ten will then be announced at tonight's football game. Now hurry up." She ordered, talking with her hands the whole time. Gabriella was sure she was the only one struggling, just like the time she had to vote for the cheerleading captain. Taylor? No way, she hates this kind of stuff. She'd rather be valedictorian, can't blame her. Christine? Nope, she's only a junior. Sharpay will be on it for sure, she doesn't need my vote. Gabriella scanned the room to see her fellow classmates scribbling down obvious names without thought. Her eyes landed on two people that she was upset had never even crossed her mind. She watched as Jason tapped Kelsi on the shoulder to show her his vote. She smiled and showed him hers. They looked so genuine, so sweetly in love. Kelsi Neison and Jason Cross Gabriella wrote and passed her slip to the front.