Hey, thanxz for all of the awesome reviews! It took a while to figure out this chapter, but here it is! Hope it's good! It's almost...MANDATORY that it be a short chapter, because the ball scene is better in Kelsi's point of view, but I HAVE to get Troy in here.

"Hey, watch it!" I accidentally collided with a goldfish, making him stumble back a few steps. "Why can't people watch where they're going?" he snapped over the loud music, not even bothering to look at who he was talking to. He was busy straightening his costume. When he finally looked up from his glittery, scaly exterior, he looked bewildered. "Oh, I'm sorry, Troy." he apologized. Just because I was Troy Bolton, he suddenly thought twice about screaming at me. It was another thing that I hate: that people suddenly changed their attitudes around me and became what they weren't. "Nice costume," he complimented. "Weren't you supposed to be one of the Three Musketeers, though?"

"That's what I thought too." I felt a hand come down on my shoulder. I glanced to the right to see Chad. "What are you wearing?" he asked, obviously pissed about how I had backed out of the plan. "We were supposed to be the Three Musketeers, not... not..." he was at a loss for words. Jason appeared behind Chad, noticing my outift and completed Chad's sentence.

"Prince Charming?" he cocked his head to the right. A sudden strobe of neon blue light fell on the three of us, revealing Chad and Jason in very uncomfortable tights and awesome wide feathered hats. "What happened to the ladies digging a man with a sword?" I declined on explaining to my friends that my dad gave me the outfit, telling me that it suited me well. In fact, I was sort of glad that I had backed out. I didn't need Gabriella bashing our outfit choices... When did I start caring about what Gabriella thought? "Now we're just two freaks with swords." Jason shrugged, not as angry as Chad.

"Nice going, Troy." Chad elbowed me. The thumping music in the hotel ballroom suddenly became louder and a huge cheer washed over the crowd. We turned toward the carpeted staircase where everyone was making their appearances. "Looks like Gabriella has arrived." Chad rolled his eyes. I stole a glance as a huge spotlight unrealistically fell on them. Gabriella, slowly making her way down the staircase, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular was clad in the same pink bikini she wore every Saturday we lounged by the pool. But she wore it as if it was brand-new and unbelievably expensive. Two of Gabriella's outrageously bitchy-but-hot friends stood behind her both wearing bunny ears and mini skirts, not as breathtaking as Gabriella. I turned from them the second I felt myself actually wanting Gabriella and grabbed my friends' attention. But they were still wrapped up in their glorious entrance.

"Why does she have to be so hot? And such a bitch at the same time?" Jason shook his head, trying to figure out where Gabriella had gone wrong. But they were my thoughts exactly. As Gabriella and her friends continued to soak in the glory, I noticed her turn and lock glares with me, as if I still regretted dumping her. She was almost telling me with her eyes that I had still made a big mistake. And she made me believe that. And then... she smiled. I shook my head and turned from her, knowing that I was clearly going insane.

As the dance turned back to full swing and attention was drawn away from Gabriella, everything seemed to be back in its normal place. "We were supposed to take home first place in costumes, Troy."Chad spat at me. "Now, we're just a bunch a geeks in tights, and you get to be Prince Charming." If I had known that it was going to bother Chad that much, I wouldn't have bothered with listening to my dad. But it was too late now...

"I guess I'll be taking home the prize then." I shrugged, thinking that a little comic reflief would lighten up the tension. Chad opened his mouth about to spew out a comeback, but Taylor suddenly pushed her way through us, not even bothering to acknowledge us. Chad's eyes followed her in her red East High labcoat, and I suddenly realized why he was so touchy on the Taylor subject: It was because he just couldn't touch the world of Taylor McKessie. "Go after her, dude." I advised, hoping he would forget how angry he was at me. And it worked.

"Are you kidding? There is no way she would give me the time of day." Chad rolled his eyes at my ignorance. "She's probably going to find her date." he mumbled, pulling his sword out of its sheath, almost gesturing that he would take down any guy for Taylor's heart. In the dim lighting of the dancefloor, I suddenly felt a hand on my wrist.

"Come dance with me." The heat of Gabriella's warm breath rolled off of my ear and I was suddenly in a cloud of her signature scent. Who could say no to that? It was almost like her silent apology for being such a snobby brat. I looked to my friends who were both vigorously shaking their heads no. And there was no way they were hiding it. I came to realize that a slow song had mysteriously made its way over the speakers and I was being led away from my friends.

"Don't fall for it Troy!" Chad shouted after me.

"Yeah, we all know you're a sucker for slow songs and Gabriella's body!" Jason called.

But Gabriella just laughed before throwing her hands around my neck. She bit her lip before saying, "Maybe this was all a big mistunderstanding, Troy." Her body pressed to mine and I remembered she had shown up in a bikini. "I'm really sorry. I learned some things after we... broke up." she refused to agree that I had dumped her. "That I really am a bitch. So let's make a deal." she smiled. I quickly looked to my friends on the sidelines. They both held looks of disapproval. "You take me back... and help improve in my... bitchiness department." she giggled and smiled innocently. As my hands wrapped around her waist, I thought back to when I had first met Gabriella and all of the pressure that had been put on us to separate. But most of it had come from Chad. His exact words were, What spell has this elevated IQ temptress girl cast that make you want to audition for a musical? I felt like I was under the same spell all over again. "So... is it a deal?"

She was about to wrap me around her finger all over again. I coud feel it. But I couldn't pull away... I pursed my lips together hoping to keep back the words that were fighting to leap off of my tongue. This really was a spell. I felt a hand on my shoulder that turned me around, pulling me away from Gabriella and her hypnotizing ways. Just to get chewed out by Chad and Jason. "You've got to be kidding me, Troy." Chad lectured. "You're getting pulled in all over again. Come on, grow a spine! Tell her no!..." For a split second, I tuned out Chad as I saw another person coming down the carpeted steps. She didn't look familiar, but she sure was beautiful. I jabbed my elbow to Chad's ribs just as every dancing body at the Halloween dance froze and looked to the staircase.

"Dude..." I asked no one in particular. "Who. Is that?" I didn't notice how distant and awestruck I sounded. My eyes were fixed on the girl slowly making her way down the steps. The upper half of her face was shielded by a beaded mask, but there was still something about her... just two steps away from the landing, her shoe became tangled in the bottom of her white dress and she tripped, sliding down the rest of the stairs. The entire crowd gasped in unison and I pushed my way forward, hoping to be the only guy that wanted to help her stand up.

"Troy!" I heard Gabriella whine behind me. But I ignored her. And almost as if it was supposed to happen this way, the crowd parted, and I saw her sitting, surrounded by her white skirt.

"Hey," I smiled like I knew this girl perfectly. But truthfully, I still had no idea who she was. I extended my hand to her. "Need help?"

The next chapter is coming soon, I promise. Yeah, I know some of you people were thinking that it was going to be exactly like the movie... but it ISN'T... right? I mean, I don't think so. Tell me what you think!

One more thing: I'm not sure if you've noticed, bu every chapter title is either the line of a song or the title of a song. Anyone have any suggestions for the next chapter? It has to have something to do with a prince...