Early on Monday morning Gabriella showed up to practice as usual. She raced to her locker to get her books out before heading to practice only to find Steven smiling at her as he leaned against her locker. Gabriella froze in her place as she shrugged her back pack over her shoulder. "What do you want?"
"Go to homecoming with me." Steven said with a shrug as he offered her a smile. She was wearing her hair down in with a braid in it. She was wearing a bright green button up shirt that was open revealing her black tang top underneath. There was an overwhelming urge to reach for her but he didn't.
"No." Gabriella said with a frown as she pulled her over shirt shut a little.
"Come on," Steven said pushing himself off the locker. "Admit it, you want to go to homecoming. You want it to be a night to remember."
"A night to remember, yes, a night with you, no." Gabriella crossed her arms as she looked at her locker behind him. "Now if you don't mind I have books I need to switch out," she said looking back at him.
"I could change things for you." Steven put his hands in his pockets. "Instead of being Sharpay's friend, or Taylor's friend I could make you popular." He said moving aside.
"Popularity isn't real." Gabriella said with disgust. "I want nothing to do with the life you have." Reaching for her lock she put in the combination.
"Is this about Troy?" Steven said with a sigh.
"Troy?" Gabriella said a little confused as she looked back up at him. "Nothing about anything has to do with Troy."
"So you don't have feelings for him?" Steven said taking a step closer to her.
"No." Gabriella answered carefully. "Leave him out of this." Gabriella added as she met his eyes. Steven was quite for a moment as he looked into brown eyes. Gabriella could feel her heart beat, beating in her chest and she prayed he couldn't hear it. Something felt wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it but she had a sudden urge to protect Troy.
"He likes you." Steven said, "He doesn't know you the way I do." Steven trucked a strand of hair behind Gabriella's ear. "He doesn't deserve you."
Gabriella stilled from the touch. "Steven, you don't know me either." She said shrugging away from his touch. "You never knew me."
"That's not true." Steven said, "Parts of that summer were real."
"Please the only real parts of it were the ending." Gabriella said turning away from him. "Just leave me alone."
"You're going to regret that. " Steven said walking away from her.
When she got to the gym instead of sitting with Sharpay, Taylor and Kelsi she sat off to the side alone as they sat away from her shooting her pointed stares or knowing frowns. She'd been trying her best all weekend to apologize. To set things right between her and Sharpay but Sharpay wouldn't answer her phone and when she called the house phone Ryan had answered instead and he informed her that Sharpay had instructed everyone in the household that she was no longer taking Gabriella's calls. This morning Troy had given her a ride to school. It was almost comical she thought to herself, five days ago she wanted nothing to do with him and now he was only one talking to her.
"Alright Wildcats, line it up." Martha shouted as she walked onto the gym floor from the locker room. "Homecoming is in two weeks and the homecoming game is a big deal. We need to stay focused and we need to in the team spirit mood." She said as she dropped her clipped board to the ground. Girls gathered on the floor falling into their squad positions Gabriella winced as Sharpay walked by deliberately shoving her as she made her way to her spot behind Kelsi. Kelsi frowned as she looked over at Gabriella but quickly looked away before anyone else could see.
"The school looks to us for leadership, to us for grace, we are the felines of this wildcat pack and it is up to us to show grace and poise at all times." Martha said as she clapped her hands together.
For the next hour the girls practiced their routine only the routine was not as graceful and poise with all the tripping and nudging Gabriella was going through as practice wore on. It seemed like the rumor about Gabriella scandalous betrayal had circulated more than she thought. She could whispers, hear the occasional murmured "whore, slut, or who does she think she is?" coming from all different directions.
When practice was over and she walked back to her bag she reached inside for her water bottle. She watched everyone avoid her, they walked around her they walked past her they wouldn't look her in the eye or even acknowledge her existence. Gabriella took a deep breath as she drank from her bottle, she rolled her head on her shoulders letting the stress roll off her back. She had to talk to Sharpay.
Gabriella walked into class taking her seat by Sharpay. Leaning back in her seat she looked over at Sharpay. "Are you really just not going to talk to me?"
When Sharpay didn't respond Gabriella let out a breath and turned to the front of the room. When Troy came in Sharpay went above and beyond the effort to greet him, making it even clearer that she was not talking to Gabriella. "So I heard someone had a good time Saturday." Sharpay said smiling at Troy. "Taylor and I were up all night talking to Kelsi about it."
Gabriella took out her sketch pad. No doubt in her mind that Sharpay was trying to let her know she was being excluded from the group. She also could guess that half of that night's conversation had been about her and Steven not just Kelsi and Troy.
Zeke came in and took his seat, jumping into it and knocking Sharpay's desk a little. "Zeke," she said disapprovingly. "Troy and I are having a conversation."
Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"Sorry," Zeke looked over at Gabriella, "Hey Brie,"
"Look at that I do exist." Gabriella said in Sharpay's direction.
"Did I miss something?" Zeke said looking at Troy who shrugged his shoulders. The rest of the day remained the same. Until 7th period when she ran into Taylor in the hallway, she been walking along and happen to look up and notice Taylor who at the same time noticed her.
"Hey, hey!" Gabriella called out as Taylor looked left and right and then headed for the library in an effort to avoid her. Gabriella followed her in walking past each row until she found Taylor in the last one. "I know you can see me." Gabriella said walking up to her. "You don't have to book it."
"Gabriella what do you want me to do," Taylor said pleadingly. "You knew how she felt about Steven, I don't even know what's gotten into you these days." Taylor said walking around her.
"Whatever you're thinking I did, I didn't." Gabriella said following her.
Taylor turned around to face her. "So Sharpay didn't catch you guys kissing on the porch?"
"No she did but,"
"And there isn't a rumor going on that you lost your virginity to him?" Taylor said with a disgusted look on her face.
"There's a rumor?" Gabriella said caught off guard.
"Is there truth to it?" Taylor said more persistently.
Gabriela winced, "Taylor I can explain,"
"Wrong answer." Taylor said turning around and walking away.
"Tay, you have to help me out." Gabriella pleaded.
"I don't have to do anything. In fact I didn't hear that last part and we aren't having this conversation." Taylor said shrugging her back pack more onto her shoulder. "You made your own bed, and I'd tell you to lay in it, but, it looks like you already did." Taylor said making her way out of the library and back into the hall.
Troy was sitting in the locker room tying his shoe. Practice today had been pretty tough; there was no doubt in his mind that he was on the bottom of the food chain. This was very much a world he never expected. His shoulder was killing him from landing on it. Then there was the stress from the shopping the day before on his muscles as well. Wincing a little he sat up and arched his back with some relief of tension. Just as he was staring on the other shoe the rest of the guys immerged from the showers laughing and swatting at each other as they all gathered around Steven who walked past with his towel hung loosely around his waist.
"Looks like someone had a rough day on the court," Steven said as he walked backwards through the locker room keeping his eyes on Troy. "The boy's weren't too hard on you were they?"
"No," Troy said with a forced grin. "Hardly feel a thing," he lied. Hazing wasn't a foreign concept to Troy, he'd read about it a lot when started looking to social studies of different cultures. Hazing was a practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group. To be honest he expected some form of it coming with the territory, he underestimated Steven Rodgers.
"It alright, you took a couple bad falls out there on the court today," Steven said with a smirk. "Hate to push you too hard."
Troy shook his head and reached for his bag from his side to retrieve his watch. It was then that he noticed Chad who was standing in the locker room frowning as he leaned on his locker. He met eyes with Troy and Chad's frown deepened. Chad quickly turned back to his locker avoiding his glaze.
Troy raised a brow fasted the clasp on his wrist watch, something was obviously wrong. Before Troy could react two boys from either grabbed his arms, and pulled them outright. Troy didn't fight back, didn't struggle or pull instead he stood up and took a deep breath.
"Dump it, dump it, dump it," the chanting was low and got louder over time and Troy could feel the energy coursing through the room.
"Settle down, settle down," Steven said as he came up in front of Troy and stood face to face with him. "We wouldn't want you to feel anything but welcome here at East High, hell, this is a tradition, a rite of passage." Steven said looking around the room, "Even for you Jungle boy."
Troy didn't say a word he kept his eyes focused on Steven the entire time. He wasn't going to fight it; he wasn't going to carter to Steven need to be superior.
"Pour it on him boys," Steven said with smirk.
Troy closed his eyes as the slimly substance hit his head, the smell became for potent and he quickly realized it was maple syrup. The boys behind him lifted the bucket higher and the syrup rushed over his shoulders trickling down his body and seeping into his clothes. Troy held his breath quickly as it began to spill over his head. There was cheering, roaring, and howling around him as everyone began to clap and celebrate. The loud clunk of the bucket hitting the floor let him know that the bucket was empty, but the hold on his arms got tighter instead of looser.
"Ready, aim, and fire!" Steven yelled.
The first hit one felt like a small rock in his side the second hit was on his cheek and he instantly knew what it was. Gasping he started to gag as the smell hit him, looking down in an effort to shield his eyes he seen the egg yolks hit the floor. He was getting pelted with rotten eggs.
The laughing got louder and the cheering roared. Both boys released his arms and just as he stood up straight he felt the air knocked out of him as Steven fist crushed into his stomach. "Oh what's wrong Jungle boy," Steven said leaning down to be heard, "I told you she was off limits, next time maybe you'll listen." Steven's smile grew as Troy winced and tried to catch his breath, the pain coursed through him and he knees give a little. "Jungle boy, want some more."
"That's enough." Troy said quietly.
"What was that?" Steven said bending down and coming closer to him, "I'm sorry did the pussy say something?"
"Steven, just leave it alone." Chad said stepping in between them. "Troy's right, knock it off."
"Shut it Danforth." Steven said pushing Chad out the way.
Chad tumbled back landing against some of the lockers his frown turning into a scowl as he watched Steven.
Steven let out a chuckle. "You got it all wrong jungle boy," Steven said with a smile. "This is how we welcome our new comers to East High, we do it out of love and respect for the brotherhood of the team," he said wicked grin.
"Fuck the brotherhood," Troy said standing up a little straighter. The room got quieter as the surrounding boys watched the scene unfold. "The syrup was annoying and the eggs were disgusting but if you want to get back at me because a girl be man about it and don't hide behind this petty bullshit."
The room started the buzz with the spreading rumors, the murmurs of what was going on and Steven looked around the room and shook his head. "I think you're a lot talk jungle boy. You have a lot things to learn about teamwork and following the rules."
"My name is Troy," he said with a small nod.
"You get a name when I say you get a name," Steven lifted his arms and shoved him Troy back a little. "And when it comes to my girl, if you so much as cock block me again, I'll make sure the both of you are as miserable as possible." In an split second Troy reached forward and before the doors to the locker room swung open, before he could feel someone's hands on his left arm pulling, before the sound around him muted and all he could hear was the sound of his fist against the bone of Steven's jaw. Upon impact Troy stood there with his fist up ready and prepared for Steven to fight back.
"What the hell is going on in here!" coach shouted as he yanked on his arm. "Rodgers, are you alright?"
"Troy," Chad was on the other side holding Troy back.
Troy blinked as the sound came rushing in as his breathing quicken and he looked down at Steven who was hunched over on the floor his lip bleeding and bruise forming on his cheek. "He attacked me, everyone saw it." He said once he was able to.
Troy took a deep breath as he took a step back from the situation putting space between them as coach bent down to examine Steven jaw. "Danforth escort Rodgers to the nurses' station, Bolton wash all that crap off and report to my office pronto." Coach said standing up and glaring around the room. "The rest of you go put your panties on and get the hell out of my locker room."