Chapter One
An unusual feeling washed over Gabriella. It was a lot like confidence but a lot less boosting. Beside her, Ryan squirmed nervously for a few minutes. Kelsi, by an easy process of elimination, was casually making conversation with Troy about composing four new pieces for the winter musical. The conversation, from Gabriella's perspective, seemed awfully stilted. Troy seemed off in his own world, which wasn't that surprising. As great a singer as Troy was, basketball easily won the battle of his heart. The school, his friends, and even his dad were supportive over music, but Gabriella realized that was one thing was weird.
Over the summer, Troy took advantage of his newfound popularity and became a teen, singing sensation. He was a heartthrob to thousands of teenyboppers within a fifty mile radius of Albuquerque. Troy was easily adapted to the new 'attention' but something was wrong, and Gabriella could feel it. It was his sudden drop from her life that had been surprising more than anything.
The way that everyone fell silent, mouths agape, worried Gabriella. Attention was something she intended to avoid, like the plague. It was the reaction of her so-called friends that riled her up. But amongst the utter chaos, Taylor seemed to be the only one okay with it. Of course it was. Taylor just had to point out how amazing Ryan was and how available he was. If that was the case, she wondered why he didn't have a girlfriend? Was he pining for the love of his life the same way that Gabriella was?
"Gabriella, can we talk."
Those words, no matter what content, never turned out good. She felt guilty as Troy leaned over, kissing Kelsi on the cheek. She flushed a shade close to crimson and returned the kiss, at the corner of his lips. Gabriella, angry as ever, got to her feet. She was jealous; she could admit that. But they didn't have chemistry. Why were they even bothering with the whole dating thing?
"Sure, Troy," she added, following him as he stomped out of the cafeteria.
The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach stayed with her as she turned a dark corner. Troy seemed upset—more than anything. She could tell that he was about to rant, but Troy never raised his voice. For a teenage boy, he was level-headed when compared to his peers or even the rest of his basketball team.
"It's...about..."
"Me?" she interjected. "Right?"
He frowned. "No. It's about Chad."
Embarrassed. That's how Gabriella felt. That and stupid. It was cruel of her to think that he was affected by Gabriella's sudden interest in Ryan. Wasn't that more important than anything else? Chad, he was a decent a guy. A little rough around the edges but nice. Until it became all about basketball. Things seemed to be improving until he did a three sixty after the winter musical. He was harassing Troy to give singing up—that it was a one time thing. Chad was convinced that Troy was in over his head. And the two had a rather large falling out.
They remained teammates. On the court, Chad was civil. Off the court, he was unbearable. Gabriella never understand why he was so unsupportive for his best friend. It took her upwards of a year to understand what was wrong with Chad. But it was Gabriella that Chad hated.
"What now?" she asked.
"He's on the warpath again, and I wanted to give you a heads up. Lay low, watch what you do." Troy lowered his voice to a whisper. "Chad wants to blackmail you."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
The look in his eyes told Gabriella else wise.
"Are yo u telling me this because I kissed Ryan?" she questioned.
Troy laughed. "No way. Don't you know that Ryan's gay? The way he acts..."
"Troy," she warned. "Who told you that?"
"I think it was my dad, actually. About four years ago, mom dragged us to one of the schools musical. It was a spring one. Anyway, my dad heard Ryan speak and sing and he was sold. Ever since, he's sworn that Ryan's gay."
Gabriella frowned. "He isn't, Troy. You've got the facts wrong."
Troy sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I'm not trying to spread rumors or anything but he does—"
She grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. "Troy. What's wrong with you? You used to be such a decent guy—"
"It's just Ryan and I go way back," he stated softly. "We were close growing up, ya know? But I got into basketball and Ryan's parents pushed him to do something artsy. Sharpay was always the star of the Evans family and even though Ryan was big on basketball, he started to do duets with Sharpay. His parents were so impressed, that he didn't even show up to basketball tryouts."
She had known Troy for almost two years, and the way he had been acting were nothing short of weird. They had been really close—as close as platonic relationships get. But something about the way that Troy wore his heart on his sleeve softened Gabriella's view on him. She had met Mr. Bolton once and he wasn't the kind of guy that she wanted to cross paths with. It was true that he was as supportive as possible over Troy's fascination with singing, but Gabriella knew that a part of his father was hoping that singing was just a phase.
Troy wouldn't go against his father's word.
Gabriella tried to absorb it all. "I can't imagine Ryan wanting to play sports. He's terrified of jocks!" Gabriella pointed out.
"It's not that easy, Gabriella. Ryan's naturally shy and jocks naturally aren't."
She scoffed. "Okay. Forget about Ryan and Sharpay and everyone else. I want you to tell me why you've been so distant all summer. Please," she begged.
There was probably less than ten minutes left of lunch and Gabriella wanted to get to the bottom of Troy's unusual behavior. Best friends, as close as them, were supposed to tell everyone everything. But the past summer, she felt like the one person she could trust with all her heart was hiding something. The possibilities were endless. What was Troy Bolton hiding?
"I spent the summer with the Nielsen's, Gab. You said you were okay with postponing our summer plans to the upcoming summer." He paused. "Kelsi, as you've noticed, doesn't exactly have a lot of friends."
Troy spending all summer with his girlfriend hurt Gabriella. The past summer, they had plans to go on a road trip. She had been looking forward to it until Troy dropped the ball. Kelsi, his girlfriend, was suddenly more important. And Gabriella prided herself on believing that she wasn't jealous. It wasn't about jealousy. It was about keeping a promise. But, as much as she tried to believe that, it was impossible. Every time that she saw the two of them together, it reminded Gabriella that she waited too long. She let the opportune moment whiz by.
"I'm asking Ryan to the Sadie Hawkins Dance. What do you think he'll say?" she asked tentatively.
Troy looked around. "He hasn't gone to a dance with a girl since middle school." He smiled. "I'm positive he'd say yes."
Gabriella sighed. "Are things between us okay?
Troy forced a smile. "Of course."
But why couldn't she believe him?
- - -
Having Ms. Darbus for study hall wasn't the easiest thing. Ever since Troy stopped singing, Darbus was really rough with Gabriella. She didn't have a singing partner. And even though Gabriella was actively involved with the drama club, it was never enough to please Ms. Darbus. The one thing Gabriella tried was to find someone to sing with, but the school wasn't exactly flowing with male singing potential.
"Ms. Montez. I'm surprised to see you again," Darbus spoke, entering the classroom just as the bell rang.
Gabriella flushed, embarrassed. The class seemed to have full attention on her. Then again, Darbus was great with singling out the students she didn't really like. After Gabriella dropped the spring musical because Troy was done with singing, she had gone back to the cellphone biased drama teacher, who thought that her "productions" were as great or as almost comparable to Broadway.
"And Mr. Bolton. I'm equally surprised you still show your face with the drama productions."
Troy, being the outgoing person that he was, was not as dismissive as Gabriella. Darbus had insulted two of her very own drama club members—well, ex drama club members. Gabriella put her head in her hands, unable to watch Troy as he butted heads with her. To a lot of the student body, Darbus was worse than Coach Bolton.
"Just because I don't sing anymore, doesn't mean I could care less about the productions," Troy added confidently.
Gabriella winced. Troy was still her best friend whether he was avoiding her or not. "I agree," she piped up.
Darbus dropped the books she was carrying onto the desk. She smiled. "I'm glad you both feel the same way." As the class sighed in relief, she spoke again. "And for that, you both can enjoy detention after school."
Gabriella and Troy's smiles fell.
Darbus had her moments and that definitely wasn't one of them.
Glancing over at Sharpay, Gabriella noticed that she was biting her tongue. Two years ago, she wouldn't have imagined Sharpay to be upset with Darbus, but she clearly was. Even the look on Ryan's face reflected his abhorrence for the drama director. She caught Chad out of the corner of his eye and he seemed angry. His fists were clenched tightly together and a couple of his pencils were broken right in half.
She wondered if Troy was right. Was Chad on the warpath? If so, what had Gabriella done to Chad?
Confused, she closed her eyes and tried to think straight. Chad was dating Taylor. Taylor practically transformed into a cheerleader to spend more time with him. And then Gabriella wondered why Troy changed the subject earlier when she asked about Chad's blackmailing. None of it made the least bit of sense. She didn't have anything that he wanted, right?
And then Gabriella heard the last thing she wanted to hear.
"Ms. Montez," Darbus warned fiercely. "Is that your cellphone I hear?"
At that exact moment, another one rang. Darbus's eyes became wide as she walked up and down the isle. A few times, she stopped beside Sharpay but didn't dare to say anything. For as much as a suck up that Sharpay was, Darbus clearly refused to believe that it was one half of Adams. It seemed that she was going to get it slide. Gabriella's stomach was in knots as a thoughtful look crossed Darbus's face.
"Ms. Adams, I'd like to speak with you after class." She pulled her reading glasses from her face and stared critically at Sharpay. Gabriella felt slightly guilty that her new friend was risking a lot to stick up to Darbus—especially since Sharpay was obviously her favorite.
Darbus coughed uncomfortably as the class continued to stare at Sharpay. "It's—it's about a new musical." She grinned—almost like she was brewing a master plan in her head.
Chad, at the other end of the room, snorted. "Why does little miss teachers pet get a free ride? She should be punished—not as severe as detention, Darbus, but nonetheless she broke a school rule. Doesn't that automatically constitute as some form of punishment?"
Hostile. That was one word Gabriella never thought she'd say in reference to Chad Danforth. As Troy's best friend, Gabriella had always thought of him as a genuinely nice guy. And the fact that Taylor McKessie saw so much in Chad... it really said a lot. Taylor wasn't in any way a 'typical' cheerleader. She was athletic and had been going to gymnastic classes for ten years. It must've been why Gabriella always saw her friend exhausted—especially in the past year.
Still, the leap from being a member of the scholastic decathlon team to the cheerleading team was quite a gap. The girls were always giggling over the boys on the basketball team. Even when it was out of season, a few girls would see them in the halls and shout, "go wildcats." But Taylor wasn't like that. Right?
Gabriella groaned as she watched Chad. Behind him, Taylor was giving Chad a back massage. She seemed more into it than she was because he was frowning. How could one person be that angry when he was getting a world of attention from his girlfriend?
- - -
Detention lasted for four, agonizing hours. A kid, sitting behind her, was gnawing his pencil like a beaver and then spitting the food at the back of Gabriella's head. She managed to ignore it before she finally exploded. The splinters were starting to hurt. Unfortunately, Darbus was watching over the class—seeing as a musical for the winter season wasn't given the green light by Principal Matsui. And Darbus wasn't feeling very forgiving that afternoon, so she gave Gabriella a month worth of Saturday detentions...personally with Darbus.
So, it was no surprise, that Gabriella wasn't looking forward to going home. Her mom was laid back, but she didn't stand for detentions. The first one, way back when, was a misunderstanding. Gabriella didn't think that her mom would be very understanding this time around..
Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door. It was just about seven. Dinner, every night, was at precisely six thirty. And as long as Gabriella could remember, she never missed it. Eating together was one thing that Mrs. Montez was strict about. Gabriella didn't have curfews. But she knew that was all going to change when her mother met her in the foyer.
"Gabriella, where have you been?" Mrs. Montez asked, angrily, in Spanish.
Any hope of making peace with her mom was unlikely. To escape completely unscathed from her mom's ferocious wrath was nearly impossible.
"Detention but—"
Mrs. Montez shook her head before she started in Spanish again. "It was your first day! Your first day, Gabriella! Are you trying to repeat your first year at East High? Or is this some student senior prank?"
Gabriella's stomach growled. She could smell dinner. It was chicken fajitas, and she desperately wished her mouth would stop watering. She was about to be grounded and all she could think of was eating. Her mom's food was amazing.
"Ms. Darbus called about fifteen minutes ago. She was distressed, Gabriella! She said something about you corrupting Sharpay. I don't know who she is, but Ms. Darbus says she's the sweetest girl in drama."
"Mom." Her voice slightly wavered. "It was an accident. Sharpay was trying to turn her phone off and she accidentally speed dialed my number. It rang right in the middle of study hall with Dar—Ms. Darbus and she wouldn't give me the chance to explain," Gabriella finished in one breath. "I promise it was an accident."
Mrs. Montez's features softened. "Gabriella. Ms. Darbus didn't want to look like a fool, so she invited the Evans over for dinner tomorrow night. I agreed because she had to give Sharpay unfair punishment."
"Why? Why would Sharpay be punished?"
She sighed. "Oh Gabby. She would've looked like a fool if she didn't punish Sharpay. Ms. Darbus panicked. She said something about a Chad ranting about unfair punishments."
Gabriella ran a hand through her hair. "Fine. I'll agree to dinner, but I want you to understand that Sharpay and I are friends, real friends, mom. We're practically best friends, but I know how hard it is for you to keep up with work and me, so I didn't mention that we worked out our differences."
Mrs. Montez frowned. "Sweetie, I know that this move has been really hard on you but I want you to be okay. Just promise me that this is the last detention you'll have and I'll let you off the hook."
Gabriella frowned. "I have a month worth of Saturday detentions."
"What?" Mrs. Montez exclaimed. "How? Why?"
The world felt like it was falling beneath her. Gabriella's first day had been a complete menagerie. She wished things would've gone down different, but it was high school. She was doubtful that things would turn out different now that the Evans duo were being friendly with her. While losing old enemies and gaining new friends, she also gained new enemies—like Chad Danforth and the rest of the Wildcats.
They didn't even get into the playoffs last year. Mainly because the team captain, Troy Bolton, was off. All year of last years normal season, his points had been low and his free point throws even lower. He had a ton of turnovers and he was sloppy with the ball. Suddenly, Troy wasn't making simple passes to his friends and they were getting frustrated. Gabriella overheard them talk, once, in the locker rooms. They were arguing with Coach Bolton about taking Troy off the team. As a coach, he said that Troy was in a funk and that he was fine. As a father, he just wanted his son to stay on the team. Basketball was a huge tradition in the Bolton's family. Gabriella knew that much.
"A kid was going at a pencil like a woodpecker goes at a tree!" Gabriella defended herself fiercely. "I have splinters in the back of my neck. I asked the stupid beaver/woodpecker dude to knock it off. He didn't really listen. So I yelled."
Mrs. Montez was nothing short of disappointed. "Gabriella, didn't I raise you better than that? What would your father think about your behavior?"
Tears welled in Gabriella's eyes. "Why does it matter? He's dead anyway!"
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm all for dramatics. And I felt that a lot of last chapter was filler, so I stepped it up a few notches here. I'm sorry for the slight delay. I was checking out my dorm this weekend and I didn't have computer access until Monday. I've set up a FAQ section so that I don't have to answer the same question over and over again in review responses.
FAQS:
Q. Is this going to be a Troyella fanfic?
A. I thought I made it pretty clear in the summary and the prelude that Gabriella and Troy would be the center for Wanting Something More. Gabriella mentioned that she's in love with Troy and that they are in the 'friend zone'. She's very hung up on him, and she will do whatever it takes to get Troy to see her as more than just the best friend.
Q. Will this be a long story?
A. It all depends on the length of the chapters. But, to put it simple, yes it will be long. It will max out before thirty chapters.
Have a question you'd like answered? Ask. But please note that I'm not giving ANY spoilers out. General questions...anything...stuff about me. Whatever that'll make you understand everything better. And please review. I am very spoiled and excited. Twelve reviews? Holy effing crap. You guys are the best reviewers. But I see all the story hits. Don't be a lurker. Let me know you're reading it too.
-i ate nemo