September
Well…East High was not terrible. As he walked down the hall, taking in the rows of red lockers that were becoming increasingly familiar, Troy felt a growing sense of ease.
He still missed his old school like crazy, and the ache he felt when his friends called to talk about their schedules or upcoming weekend plans was excruciating. It hurt to miss out on such important senior year milestones, but he was adjusting. He had made friends easily, becoming a permanent addition to a lunch table. One that Victoria had suggested. She had introduced him to Chad Danforth almost immediately upon seeing Troy standing like a lost puppy with his lunch tray in hand.
Troy recalled that she seemed to know everyone. She had bounded over to Troy that first day, the skirt of her cheerleading uniform floating around her thighs.
"I can't have you cramping my style," Troy remembered her saying – the lightness of her voice doing nothing to mask the fact that she was serious. "You don't want to be known as the loser who lives next to Montez," she had warned before calling over to a bright-eyed boy sitting nearby.
"Chad, make room for the new guy, por favor," she reached for Troy's hand and dragged him to Chad's table.
"Why should I?" Chad looked Troy up and down, but there was humor behind his words.
"Because his dad is the new basketball coach," Victoria rolled her eyes and Troy could see her resemblance to Ana.
"Well, why didn't you say so. I've been saving a seat for my new best friend." Troy had later learned that Chad was hoping for a shot at captain of the basketball team.
Troy had laughed and stuck out his hand in greeting. From there, it was history. That was two weeks ago, and Chad had quickly become his friend – the two boys acting like they had known each other most of their lives.
He had met even more people and made more friends at East High's open house last week, but it was Gabriella who had made the most lasting impression; and he wasn't entirely sure why:
The school was abuzz with students and their families. They filled the hallways, stopping by tables set up with information about extracurriculars and clubs, and greeting teachers. Even though Troy was not on the basketball team, Chad and some of Troy's new friends – Zeke and Jason – had invited him to hang out with them at their basketball table. They had set up a slideshow on a laptop detailing East High's basketball history; and they had a sign-up sheet for both try-outs and intramural teams. They were also introducing Troy to everyone who stopped by; and the cheerleaders had a table right beside them, which Troy was glad for, because he could talk to Tori as well. She was a key reason that his integration into East High's social scene was going so well.
Currently, everyone was chatting about their plans for lunch. In fifteen minutes, they would end their shift at the table and the junior varsity teams would come stand there while the first shift went to have lunch.
Troy laughed as Tori rolled her eyes at Jason, explaining to him for the third time what their lunch plans were.
"Jason, ay Dios mio! I'm this close to punching you. Please, listen. We are all having lunch together," she emphasized the word, "but we have to drive separately. We aren't all going to fit in the same car."
"While you all figure this out," Troy interrupted, "I'm going to grab something out of my locker. I'll be right back."
He walked down the hallway, smiling and waving at some of the faces that were becoming familiar, when he saw Gabriella. She was stood behind a table that read "Scholastic Decathlon." And she was smiling brightly and talking animatedly with a girl about something on a paper she was holding. Troy smiled at the sight. He rarely saw Gabriella at school; and he spoke to her even more rarely. He had fallen into an easy friendship with Tori. They bonded over a love of athletics and a disdain for microbiology assignments. Plus, they were in the same grade, so they had all of their beginning of the year assemblies together.
He didn't think that he and Gabriella would have much in common; and since they were two grades apart, it didn't happen that they naturally ran into one another, so he wanted to take this opportunity to at least say hi to her.
Abandoning the path to his locker, he made his way over to Gabriella as he saw the other girl taking a paper and leaving. Troy rose an eyebrow in interest as he saw Gabriella immediately drop the exuberant expression on her face and let out a pronounced sigh.
"Hi, Gabriella," he waved, catching her attention.
"Hi, Troy," offered him a smile, but not nearly as big as the one he had witnessed. "Interested in scholastic decathlon?"
"Not really," he admitted, "but I wanted to say hi to you. I haven't really talked to you since my family came over for dinner."
She nodded and bit her lip.
"What was that?" Troy asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"What was what?" The confusion in Gabriella's eyes was endearing.
"I saw you talking to that girl," he explained. "You looked so excited and happy, but as soon as she left, you looked exhausted."
A visible blush colored her cheeks, "I'm…I'm not great at talking to people – especially when I feel like I have to be a salesperson. It is exhausting."
Troy sympathized, "Well, you're doing a great job talking to me."
His comment did nothing to alleviate the embarrassment written upon her face, but she did offer him another sweet smile, and he found that he liked the look of it.
"How much longer are you working the table?"
Gabriella looked down at her phone, "Next person should be here any minute."
"Do you have lunch plans? Me, Tori, and some of the others are going for lunch. You could come along."
"Thank you for the invitation," her appreciation was genuine, and he noticed her eyes go soft, "but I don't think having lunch with her nerdy little sister is at the top of Tori's to-do list."
"I'm sure she won't mind," Troy tried to persuade her, but she shook her head lightly.
"I hope you have fun, and I'm glad you've found friends here, Troy. I could tell you were disappointed about leaving Lubbock."
How did she know that? He had never said that aloud; and he had only spent one evening with her.
"Bye, Troy," she waved as a boy came to take her place.
"Hoops!" Troy was called from his reverie by his new friend. "Hurry up or Darbus is going to give you detention."
Troy finished grabbing his books from his locker and turned towards Chad's voice. Unfortunately for him, he had ended up in Mrs. Darbus's homeroom. She was exactly as Victoria described her. Eccentric. But that wasn't what bothered Troy. What bothered him was her blatant disrespect for sports – just like Ana had said. Because of that, he didn't want to be late for her class. As he swiftly made his way around the corner, he collided with someone, sending them tumbling to the floor with all their belongings.
It was a romantic comedy's perfect beginning – guy knocks down girl, romance ensues. However, Troy didn't have time to think about that for fear that he had serious injured someone. Once the surprise of it was over, he noticed who it was. Gabriella Montez sat on the floor still dazed. Books and papers littered the space around her. If he had known that thinking of her was all he had to do to conjure her up, he might have to start thinking of her more often.
He had seen her here and there. Around the school, in her yard, on walks in the neighborhood, but he had not talked to her since the open house, and he sort of hated that their first conversation in a week would consist of him making sure none of her bones were broken or injured.
"Shit! Gabriella, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I wasn't paying attention."
"I'm all right," she started to gather her things without looking up at him.
Troy stooped to help her. He took a second to look at her neat handwriting as he piled her papers together and stacked them on top of her physics book.
"Thank you," Gabriella finally looked up at him, her brown eyes catching him off guard. They stared at one another for a long moment, and it reminded Troy of when he had first met her. In the periphery of his mind, he heard the tardy bell ringing, but he ignored it.
"No problem," his voice was lower than he meant for it to be, and he wasn't sure Gabriella heard him until he saw the pretty flush of her cheeks. Something he was coming to both expect and enjoy.
She stood, several books clutched to her chest, papers sticking out of them. Troy raised to his full height and reached for Gabriella's backpack, slipping the straps off her shoulders, and hoisting them onto his own. Then, he gently plucked her belongings from her small hands.
Gabriella's eyes widened as she looked at him curiously.
"I'm already late for class," he began by way of explanation. "Can I walk you to yours? No sense in letting Darbus give me detention if it isn't for a good reason."
"Sure," despite herself, she continued to blush. No one had ever walked her to class before, and she knew it was silly to read into it, but it felt nice to pretend that this could be something it wasn't, if even for a moment.
"Got stuck with Darbus after all, huh?"
"Unfortunately," Troy looked at her sympathetic face.
"Volunteer to help with set design and she'll go easy on you," Gabriella suggested, not looking at Troy now but playing with a bracelet on her arm.
"Thanks for the advice," his blue eyes danced across her face when she finally looked up. He was fascinated with her. "So, Gabriella, where are we off to?" Troy asked conversationally.
"Jernigan," her teacher's name a simple explanation of her homeroom. She brushed a curl out of her face and began walking. "It's up one flight. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Troy assured, falling into step beside her. "I haven't seen much of you since open house," Troy continued making small talk. "Classes keeping you busy?"
Gabriella nodded, "I like my classes, but I haven't quite figured out how to manage them yet. This way," she led him up the stairs and down a corridor. "This is me," her voice was sweet. Troy liked hearing her talk.
He shuffled her books into one arm so he could open the door for her, but it didn't budge. He jiggled it gently in case it was stuck, but it wasn't. It was locked.
"I hate that he does that," Gabriella sighed. "It makes showing up late for class even more embarrassing." She reached out for the books he was carrying and brought them into her own arms.
Their fingers brushed and Troy stepped closer to her so that he could help hoist her backpack onto her shoulders. They stood so close together that Troy could smell her perfume. It was spicy and sweet all at once and not at all what he would have imagined of Gabriella. But it also made his stomach tighten and flutter for the beautiful girl in front of him.
His hands were still curled loosely against the straps of her backpack, and they were staring into one another's eyes when the door opened.
"Nice of you to join us, Miss Montez. And Bolton, right?" he addressed Troy.
Troy nodded, not stepping away from Gabriella or letting go of her.
"Well, as chivalrous as this scene is," Gabriella's homeroom teacher began, "the young ladies of East High are perfectly capable of finding their own way to class. I imagine you are as well?" The question was pointed.
"Yes, sir," Troy's hands slid away from Gabriella, but he let his fingers ghost against hers that held her books. "I'll see you later, Gabriella." As was becoming habit, his voice dropped to a husky octave when he spoke to her.
"Bye, Troy," she turned and walked through the door Mr. Jernigan was holding open for her.
…
"Punctuality is important to us here at East High, Mr. Bolton," Mrs. Darbus's high, lilting voice greeted him upon entering the classroom. "Being a new student will not dissuade me from giving you an hour of detention," her glasses were low on her nose as she looked down at him.
"I understand, Mrs. Darbus," Troy began remorsefully. "Would it be possible for me to serve detention during free period instead of after school? Maybe help paint some sets in the theatre department?" he asked.
Her blonde eyebrow rose slightly before a wide, beaming smile spread across her face, "My, my! What a wonderful idea, Mr. Bolton! I shall see you during free period."
Troy smiled at her before finding his seat. He sat down and almost immediately felt Chad shove at is shoulder gently.
"Nice move," his new friend whispered to him. "She loves that shit, and you don't have to waste your afternoon."
Troy lifted his hand, palm up on his shoulder for a subtle high-five. Troy kept facing forward, pretending to listen to Mrs. Darbus drone on about school-wide announcements. He only had fifteen minutes left of homeroom and it was torturous! He wanted to talk to Chad, but he didn't want to land his friend in detention as well.
The sound of the bell ringing was almost glorious. Chatter and shuffling of feet and chairs filled the air. Troy turned to face Chad who was still collecting his books and backpack.
"Dude, what do you know about Gabriella?"
Chad looked at him for a moment longer than necessary, "Montez?" Chad asked for clarification.
"Mmhmm," Troy's head bobbed in a vigorous nod, knowing they didn't have long to talk before they parted ways to go to their first real classes.
Chad started walking out the door, Troy following closely behind.
"Victoria's sister?" Chad thought about the question as he walked in the opposite direction of Troy's next class. "Not much. Sophomore. Quiet. She's on the decathlon team with Taylor," Chad referenced his smarty-pants girlfriend that Troy had met. "Tay says she's sweet. Super smart – like genius level."
"I'll bet," Troy mused quietly. "I thought they only let juniors and seniors into decathlon."
"Like I said, genius level smart."
…
Troy had thought about Gabriella all day. Why hadn't he talked to her again before now? He talked to Victoria almost daily because they shared a couple classes and lunch period. He had even talked to Ana a few times when they crossed paths in their neighborhood, but he had never talked to Gabriella for more than five minutes – even though he had seen her in the neighborhood just as many times as he had seen Ana or the rest of the Montez family.
"Hoops!" Chad called from down the hallway, breaking Troy's concentration. Troy turned, smiling at the nickname he had been given upon learning that he was a hotshot basketball guy at his old school. Chad stood down the hall with his arm slung around Taylor's shoulder. "You coming over to chill tonight?" As was their regular Friday routine, Chad was hosting a few guys and their girlfriends at his house. Usually, they played video games, ate pizza and generally interrupted his parents' otherwise quiet life. He liked the Danforths. His mom was funny and welcoming. She had a habit of asking them if they were hungry – even after dinner. She offered lots of snacks and encouragement that they eat and enjoy themselves, calling them all growing children. Mr. Danforth was much the same. He joked with the teens and seemed to really enjoy having a house full of kids.
"Sure thing!" Troy affirmed. "Just got to head home for a couple hours first."
"Oh yeah!" Chad smacked his own hand against his head, remembering something, "My folks said to invite your parents this time too. I forgot to tell Coach earlier today."
"I'll let him know."
"Awesome, dude. See you there."
By the time Troy turned back to his locker, most of the hallway had cleared out, everyone in a hurry to begin their weekend. As he walked toward the exit, he saw the shape of a person down an adjacent hallway. What caught his attention was her mass of black curls, spilling down her back and over her shoulders. It was Gabriella.
"You better hurry before you miss your ride," his voice was friendly and held a bit of teasing. "I saw Tori heading out to the parking lot a while ago," he told Gabriella. He and the elder Montez shared last period calculus; and she had told him she was headed straight to her car to begin her weekend as soon as the bell rang.
Gabriella looked at him, raising one shoulder in a shrug, "I take the bus home," she looked down at the phone in her hand. "I've got time." Then she turned back to her locker. Her attention on the task of gathering up various books.
"The bus?" he was confused. Why wouldn't she just ride home with her sister?
"Yeah," Gabriella stretched the word out slowly, not exactly sure what Troy's reaction meant.
By now he was standing beside her, close enough to have a view of the inside of her tidy locker, "Why do you ride the bus when you're going to the same place?"
"She doesn't have enough space in the car for me," Gabriella answered each of Troy's questions matter-of-factly, her voice never revealing how she felt. "She takes her friends home and picks up Ana from school."
Troy was still just as perplexed. But it didn't seem like this was a mystery he was going to be able to unravel, so instead he asked her, "Do you want to ride home with me?"
"Oh you don't have to do that," she shook her head, curls bouncing. "You don't have to go out of your way for me."
"Gabriella," he laughed. "It's not out of the way. You live next door. C'mon," like he had done earlier today, he slipped his hands against hers, retrieving the few books she had not already stuffed in her backpack.
"You know, if they won't fit in your backpack, then you probably have too many," he referenced the stack now in his own hands.
Gabriella smiled and Troy watched her cheeks warm to a soft pink – something he decidedly liked about her – but she didn't say anything. She just followed him out to his truck.
His truck wasn't much to look at. He and his dad had seen the for-sale sign in its window two weeks ago and had spent the weekends fixing it up so that it would at least run. Troy was proud of the work, and he loved the hunk of junk, but as it came into view, he felt briefly embarrassed by what Gabriella might think. As he glanced at her inconspicuously, he noticed that her serene face did not hold even the slightest amount of judgement.
This emboldened Troy, "Wait!" he called out suddenly, startling their otherwise quiet trek to the parking lot. "Stand right here."
Gabriella threw him a suspicious glare but did as he requested. She watched as he rushed to the driver's side of the truck to unlock the door before climbing in and flailing around comically as he reached to unlock her door.
When he emerged, he saw her still standing there, but this time stifling a giggle. He rounded the front of the truck so that he could open her door, "Okay. Now you can come over."
"All that just so you could open the door for me?" she asked with a lilt that turned into the giggle she could no longer suppress.
"Hey," he admonished teasingly, "I'm trying to be a gentleman."
"Well, thank you," her smile was genuine, "but just so you know, carrying my books and walking me to class was enough to convince me that you're a gentleman." She felt a flutter in her chest, and the bashful look she saw on his face made her want to freeze time just so she could look at him forever.
Troy did not respond verbally. Instead, he sent her the most heartfelt look he could muster and closed her door. Once he climbed in and started the car, he was hit with her sweet, spicy scent once again. The closed quarters made it even more potent. She smelled amazing.
He cranked his window down just a bit so that the intoxicating aroma didn't inhibit his ability to drive. He watched as Gabriella followed suit, her own hand reaching out for the hand crank.
"The breeze is nice," she told him as they pulled onto the main street.
"You can ride home with me every day if you want, Gabriella."
"Thank you, but I don't want you to feel obligated. I've been riding the school bus for years. It's not so bad."
"It's not so good either," he countered and watched Gabriella shrug out of the corner of his eye.
"You get used to it. The only thing I don't like is sitting in the very back. I get nauseous."
"Even more reason to ride with me," a grin spread across his lips and when they stopped at a traffic light, he turned to her. "I don't feel obligated, Gabriella. I want to. Think of it as doing the new guy a favor. I get to make another friend, and you won't get motion sick – hopefully."
She turned to look at him, tilting her head to the side, "You want to be my friend?"
"I…is that okay?" Troy asked unsurely.
"Yeah," Gabriella bit the corner of her lip, looking demure and beautiful all at once, "I would like that."
"Me too."
The rest of the ride home was quiet, but it was comfortable. When they pulled into his driveway, Troy turned swiftly to Gabriella, wanting to tell her not to open her door, but she beat him to it.
"I know," she smiled, "Wait right here," she said what she knew he was thinking; and Troy could tell she was proud of herself for essentially reading his mind.
"Ha ha," he deadpanned, but the sparkle in her eyes told him that she knew he was teasing.
In a matter of seconds, he was out of the truck and at her door, opening it and helping her down. He then reached inside for her books and backpack, not needing to explain to her that he intended to walk her to her door.
"Do you want to come in?" Gabriella's voice held a hint of insecurity, unsure of what his answer would be.
"Yeah," Troy answered, his voice just as insecure. "I mean…if that's okay."
Gabriella nodded her affirmation, "It's okay. Tori and Ana have friends over all the time."
Troy didn't have time to question her – wondering why she mentioned her sisters' having friends over but not herself – because as soon as they entered the house, he heard Victoria's voice.
"Gabriella, is that you?" She was shouting from the other room.
"Yes," Gabriella called back, wincing at the loudness of her own voice.
Victoria began speaking again, her voice getting closer, "What the hell is this I hear about Troy Bolton walking you to class?" as the question was asked, Victoria came into view. Her own features looked startled at seeing the two of them standing together in the entryway. Troy still had Gabriella's backpack slung over his shoulder and her books in his arms. He was confused. He had never heard Tori sound so angry; and what exactly was she angry about?
"Troy," Victoria asked incredulously. On either side of her stood her friends, girls Troy recognized as cheerleaders even though he couldn't remember their names.
"Hey," he waved awkwardly. Not entirely sure what this confrontation was about. He could feel Gabriella's presence beside him, but something in the air between them had shifted, something that made him want to wrap his arm around Gabriella protectively, but he resisted the urge.
"I ran into Gabriella today," Troy began explaining as an answer to Victoria's question. "I knocked her down and wanted to make sure she was okay, so I walked her to class."
"And why are you here with her now?" Victoria asked, crossing her arms, but the venom in her voice gone. Apparently, she saved that for Gabriella. Now she simply sounded suspicious.
"Troy gave me a ride home," Gabriella finally spoke, and Troy noted that her voice sounded a little desperate. Victoria looked Gabriella up and down briefly before turning her attention back to Troy.
"You seriously do not have to babysit her, Troy."
Troy heard Gabriella's soft inhalation of breath and watched as her face flushed hot and humiliated while Victoria and her friends laughed. Gabriella reached for her books in Troy's arms without making eye contact.
"Thanks, Troy," she mumbled, grabbing for her backpack as well, but Troy grabbed her hand, gently stopping her. He could hear the appreciation in her quiet words, but there was something else. Something forlorn.
He didn't like the way Victoria teased her younger sister. From everything he had seen of Gabriella, she was introverted and didn't seem like the type who enjoyed confrontation, so he wasn't sure why Victoria was making this a big deal.
"I wasn't babysitting her," he scratched at the back of his neck uncomfortably before removing Gabriella's backpack and sitting it on the floor. "If anything, she's babysitting me."
"How so?" Victoria's voice was even, but Troy recognized it as a challenge, hoping to catch him or Gabriella in some sort of lie. He wasn't sure why, though.
"Just trying to find my footing at East High. I can't tag along with you or Chad everywhere," he said it lightly, jokingly, "Thought spending time with a friendly face might do me some good," he answered honestly, looking at Victoria, but desperately wanting to read the expressions that he knew were flitting across Gabriella's features.
"Oh," Victoria hedged uncertainly, her tone changing, not used to anyone advocating for Gabriella.
"Thanks for putting up with me, Gabriella," he turned purposefully so that he was looking directly at her, his voice going low and gentle for the girl in front of him. "I better go. I'm meeting up with Chad," his hand reached out to cup her elbow affectionately. When she looked up at him, he smiled at her. A warm, personable smile meant just for her, "Talk to you later, yeah?"
She nodded, her face open and vulnerable as their gazes lingered. Troy let his hand slide down Gabriella's arm, and he squeezed her hand in an effort to comfort her. He didn't have siblings, so he didn't know what it was like or what the dynamics entailed, but he didn't like the way Victoria seemed to take pleasure in making Gabriella feel bad. Why would anyone want to hurt her?
The pressure of his hand against her own slowly evaporated as he looked back at Victoria, "Bye, Tori…ladies," he added as an afterthought, still unsure of their names; and he turned to walk out the door.