(A.N. This was the first story I'd ever written and I was quite young when I did (probably about 10 ish) so with that in mind, there's likely to be a lot of pet names and possibly some unrealistic situations but IDK, I hope you enjoy the story and let me know what you think)
Troy Bolton walked through the doors of East High after the winter break, marking the beginning of the second half of his junior year.
"Yo Captain." Troy silently groaned at the voice of his best friend as he stopped at his locker. Chad Danforth was like his brother in all but blood, but that didn't mean that Troy agreed with all of the boy's actions.
"What's up Chad?" He said hi-fiving the boy.
"Ready for another semester with Darbus?" Both groaned at Chad's question.
At that moment, both boys attention was caught by a girl, but for different reasons. Troy hid his soft smile as he looked upon the shy girl who had been occupying his thoughts for the past few months. Gabriella Montez had transferred to East High at the start of their junior year, she was a very bright girl who had been keeping to herself. Troy had always found her to be gorgeous, with her naturally tan skin, chocolate brown eyes and dark wavy hair. She wasn't like the cheerleaders. She didn't possess the obnoxiousness and annoyingness Troy viewed them with and her minimal makeup, petite figure and conservative clothing made her more beautiful to Troy.
"Excuse me." She said softly, trying to pass the two boys. Troy wiped the smile quickly off his face which would always appear when he heard her soft, sweet voice. His thoughts were interrupted by Chad.
"Oi nerd, watch it." Troy could see the pain in her eyes at the name and menacing voice Chad spoke with.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Gabriella felt really uncomfortable with the dark brown eyes on her, along with the soft gaze of the piercing blue eyes of the Wildcat Captain.
"Chad, give her a break, the hall is packed." Troy said, sensing her tense and uncomfortable state.
"She's a nerd and I won't tolerate her rudeness."
"Chad that's enough, leave the girl alone or you'll get detention and miss practice on the first day." His dark tone put a small amount of fear in both Chad and Gabriella, making the former back down.
"Fine, but this doesn't end here nerd, watch it." Chad growled as he walked off.
Gabriella let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding then she heard a sigh. Troy spoke in a soft, gentle voice, "Sorry Gabriella, enjoy your day," before he walked into their homeroom.
Gabriella stopped at her locker with thoughts running through her head. She had never heard Troy's voice be so gentle, a large contrast to the dark tone he was known for. She was shocked that he knew her name, the wildcat superstar knew her. She knew Troy wasn't like the other wildcats, he didn't seem to possess the arrogance and clique mentality of him deserving respect, though he always received it.
Gabriella had to admit that she found him attractive, his dirty blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and athletic body fit from basketball, made him appealing to almost any girl. But she was also attracted to his mind. She knew he received good grades and though he wasn't in all AP classes like she was, she knew he wasn't as dense as the wildcats often seemed. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't like him. With that thought, she walked into homeroom and sat at her desk at the back of the room.
Within a few minutes, the bell rang and Ms Darbus was giving her daily speech. Gabriella went through her day as normal until the bell rang for free period. She packed up her books and made her way to the empty music room. She sat down and took out her lyric book. Unknown to East High, Gabriella would always use her extra free periods to write lyrics.
After 20 minutes, she turned back a few pages to an earlier song and started singing.
Sometimes I feel like I'm a bird with broken wings /
Sometimes I dread my now and envy where I've been /
But that's when, quiet, wisdom takes control /
At least I've got a story no one's told /
I've finally learned to say /
Whatever will be will be /
I've learned to take /
The good, the bad and breathe /
'Cause although we like to know what life's got planned /
No one knows if shooting stars will land
(Credit to Vanessa Hudgens, Whatever Will Be)
Unknown to her, Kelsi Nielson had accidentally walked in and heard her singing. Amazed by the unknown voice, Gabriella became aware of Kelsi's presence after the first chorus when she heard a quiet 'wow'. Gabriella panicked, no one was supposed to know that part of her.
"I'm sorry to walk in on you, I wasn't aware that anyone used this room during free period. You have an amazing voice."
"Umm thanks." Gabriella said shyly.
"What song was that, I've never heard it, do you write your own music?"
Startled by the number of questions, Gabriella spoke quietly. "A little."
Sensing her shyness, Kelsi responded. "Me too. I composed for the winter musicale, that's where I just came from. I'm Kelsi, nice to meet you." She put her hand out for Gabriella.
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Gabriella." Shaking Kelsi's hand, a frown formed on her face. "I thought the auditions were meant to go for all of free period."
Kelsi smiled gently at her. "They are, unfortunately for me, Ryan and Sharpay decided to change my arrangement." She finished with a huff. "Do you want to hear what it's supposed to sound like?" Gabriella hesitantly nodded after a few seconds. "Come on, we'll both sing." Kelsi said cheerfully as she began playing the piano.
It's hard to believe that I couldn't see /
You were always right beside me /
Thought I was alone with no one to hold /
But you were always right beside me /
This feeling's like no other /
I want you to know /
That I've never had someone that knows me like you do the way you do /
And I've never had someone as good for me as you /
No one like you /
So lonely before I finally found /
What I've been looking for
(Credit to Disney, What I've Been Looking For (Reprise))
Meanwhile Troy stood outside listening to them. He hadn't heard Gabriella sing before but it was another factor that added to her beauty.
"Alright, I'll let you get back, thanks Gabriella. I'll see you around." Kelsi said walking out, taking no notice of Troy.
He waited for a few seconds before knocking and walking in, he noticed her tense almost immediately. He didn't like her reaction but he also couldn't blame her. He quietly took the seat next to her, turning towards her. "Hi Gabriella."
"Umm hi Troy." She greeted quietly, fidgeting with her closed notebook on the table.
Troy noticed this and gently placed one of his hands overs hers and with a soft smile, reassured her. "There's nothing to be nervous about Gabriella, I'm not here to do anything, I just wanted to talk." She only nodded in response. "Is everything ok?"
She took a deep breath. "Troy, how do you... know my name?"
He smiled at the question. "You're Gabriella Montez, you transferred here at the start of the year. You're very smart, all AP classes but you haven't exactly found a clique yet. You don't seem to trust easily and seem a bit insecure and nervous except when it comes to your studies. You're a gorgeous girl who is bright, sweet, and my newest discovery, has an amazing voice."
Gabriella was stunned. "Bu-but, why me?"
He shrugged. "Like I said before, and you haven't found a clique which is a good thing, you could definitely fit into multiple groups. You're different from all those other girls." He spoke as he started rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. She sat speechless. "I know we haven't spoke much since you came to East High, but I have taken notice of you during that time and I'd really like to get to know you better."
He looked up at her and placed his other hand under her chin, rubbing his thumb over her smooth skin to release her bottom lip from its place between her teeth; one of her nervous habits he'd picked up on.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" She whispered and he moved his hand up to stroke her cheek.
"Because Gabriella, if I wasn't being honest, I wouldn't be here talking to you like this." He smiled gently, trying to soothe the indecision in her eyes. He didn't know what possessed him but he leant forward until his lips were gently on hers. She hesitantly started to return the kiss after a few seconds from the initial shock. He pulled back to ensure that he didn't push her too far.
Gabriella was startled by the realisation that she felt safe with Troy and in a rare act of confidence, moved from her chair into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He smiled at the sight, the peaceful look she had on her face, which he now realised had been scarce in the past and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't think I've felt this safe since I got here." She stated softly and he kissed the top of her head.
"Gabriella, I like you and I know everything's going a little fast but I want you to be my girlfriend."
Gabriella looked down at her lap. "I like you too Troy and I think I trust you, but I'm scared. I don't want them to hurt me." He sighed but nodded, pulling her closer and kissing her head. "What do we do Troy?"
He staying quiet for a few seconds, softly rubbing his thumb over her hip. "I don't know."
"What if - what if, nobody knows but us?" He crinkled his eyebrows in confusion so she continued. "I know I'm not ready to give this up Troy, this is the first time I've felt so safe in a long time. But if we do this openly, the cliques are going to cause trouble and try to break us up. I'd rather not have you here but know I have you outside than to not have you at all."
He smiled down at her. "You really want to give this a go?"
She nodded. "I do Troy."
"Ok let's do this. But I have one question: Gabriella will you be my girlfriend?"
She blushed and nodded. "Yes." They both smiled and once again leaned in for a kiss, pulling away after a few seconds.
"There's one more thing we need to do." He said holding his phone. Gabriella understood and put her number in his phone while he did the same in hers. They sat for a few more minutes just holding each other until he broke the silence. "The bell's about to ring, I should probably get going Brie."
She looked up. "Brie?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, is that alright?"
She nodded, "I like Brie, I think it's pretty."
"Me too." He smiled at her and lifted her up, placing her back on her chair. He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you in gym Beautiful."
After he left, a whirlwind of thought began: 'I just had my first kiss, with Troy Bolton!' Then some worries started setting in. 'We'll have to talk about everything sometime out of school.' Just as she finished the thought, the bell rang, so she packed up her things and walked to her next class.