I trembled slightly, caught off guard by his words.
"I've been in love with you since I saw you," Ryan explained, "but TROY BOLTON got to you first, leaving me no chance."
He took a step forward, and I jumped a step back.
"I've been watching you," he admitted, "and you're the most perfect girl ever. I don't know what I'll do if you don't say yes."
I couldn't speak. I always was a little scared of Ryan, but his creepiness factor had just reached an all time high.
"So? What do you say?" he asked, daring to take another step toward me.
I flinched and hopped back almost a foot, running into someone.
"I say you leave Gabriella alone," said the person . . . Troy of course.
The two boys glared at each other for a moment. Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, I leaned back into Troy's arms for comfort.
"So that's who you choose?" Ryan asked sharply.
I nodded wildly with agreement.
"Just back off man, seriously," Troy warned him.
"Fine," he agreed, "I'll back off alright."
With that, he stormed away. When it came to drama, Ryan was sure good at it. I pushed away from Troy and tears burst out from my eyes. He came next to me and folded me into his arms.
"Gabriella, I'm sorry he scared you, but it's going to be okay," Troy said.
"It's not that," I admitted, "Troy, he knows your secret."
"But . . . how?"
"He overheard when you told me at Starbucks," I explained, "You know I would have gone out with him to keep your secret. . ."
"No! I'd rather any secret be told than for you to be blackmailed into anything," he said, "but thanks for caring Gabriella."
I smiled at him, "We're going to be late for class."
He laughed, "You and school."
"We have a love-love relationship," I joked.
"Oh, should I be jealous?"
"Yeah," I giggled, as he wiped the last of my tears away with his thumb.
We walked to homeroom together, but I couldn't help but feel apprehensive about my situation.
When would the world stop throwing curveballs at me?
By lunchtime, the entire school knew about Troy's scholarship. I couldn't help but think it was a dumb move on Ryan's part, because now he had nothing to blackmail me with. Chad out of everyone was the most disappointed with Troy's news.
"What about the team? What about next year?" he drilled Troy, dipping his French fries in mayonnaise.
"Dude, I already told you I'm not going," Troy tried to convince him, peeling a piece of pepperoni off his pizza and popping it into his mouth.
"I can't believe coach wants you to go," Chad said, dripping mayonnaise on his chin.
"Chad you have-"
Troy cut me off, "I bet he'll rely on you as caption if I'm gone."
"Chad you have-"
Chad cut me off too, "Me? Me as caption, you really think so?"
"There's mayo-"
"I would make a good replacement caption wouldn't I?" Chad boasted.
"A nice replacement for Caption Crunch," Troy joked.
Chad punched him, "That makes you the previous Caption Crunch."
"You spilled mayo-"
"So maybe you should think about taking the scholarship," Chad decided with his eyes distant and dreamlike as he thought about being caption.
"So now you want me gone?" Troy joked, "It's probably not going to happen."
"Hey Chad there's-"
"Don't you think I would make a good caption Gabriella?" Chad asked, drinking his chocolate milk, "Hey were you trying to say something before?"
I erupted into a Gabriella volcano, "YOU HAVE MAYONNAISE ON YOUR CHIN!"
Half the cafeteria spun around to stare at me. I sunk low into my chair. Troy was laughing so hard I thought he was going to erupt too.
"Thanks," Chad said, simply wiping it off with a napkin, "So what do you think Gabriella? Am I Caption material?"
I didn't bother to answer. Boys were so impossible! I could almost see where Taylor was coming from. But then I glanced at my guy, choking on his lunch and smiled. I was so lucky.
I spent the rest of the period trying to dodge the watchful eyes of Ryan. Troy and I were approached by an excitable Sharpay toward the end of lunch.
"So Troy, I heard the news," she informed him, checking her make-up in a compact.
"I'm not going," Troy told her.
"Well, let's pretend you did go, hypothetically I mean," she said, "and if he did . . . Gabriella?"
"What?" I asked, somehow being thrust into the conversation.
"If Troy weren't here, you wouldn't try out for the musical next year, would you?" she asked, narrowing her gaze at me.
"Uh . . . probably not for a lead," I admitted.
"Really . . . not for a lead huh?" she repeated slyly, "That's all I wanted to know! Toodles!"
Sharpay threw her hair back, and trotted away. I glanced at Troy, and he made a weird face at me. He could always make me laugh during an awkward time, even when I didn't feel like it.
"What was that all about?" I asked, standing up to throw out my garbage.
"Who knows . . . I don't want to know what goes on in that twisted mind of hers," Troy laughed.
It was probably nothing. I had previously misjudged Sharpay, and now that we were somewhat friends, I wasn't going to make that mistake again. I guess I would give her the benefit of the doubt.
By eighth period, Troy's news was still spreading like a forest fire. As I went to meet Troy by his locker, he was swarmed with people staring at him, and reading papers.
"What's that?" I asked a girl standing nearby.
"You haven't seen it?" the girl asked surprised, "It's the East High Gazette."
"Oh! Troy didn't they interview you for that?" I asked excitedly, grabbing the paper from the girl's outstretched hand.
"Um . . . yeah, but Gabriella?" he asked.
"What?" I scanned the cover page.
"Did I mention Sharpay was also the newspaper editor?"
"No, why?" I asked, but then I saw it.
The cover story headline read: Is East High's Favorite Wildcat Leaving Us?
And the story was all about Troy's scholarship. Obviously, Sharpay had done some editing alright. She was obviously trying to drive Troy out to set herself up for the lead next year's musical.
I had misjudged her yet again.
