Sorry it took so long...and this isn't the best chapter. I'm still trying to feel my way through with this story. So please stay with me while I try to find my way!
"Why didn't you kiss him?" Sharpay asked, her head propping up on her pillow as she stared over at her roommate. It was seven in the morning. Way too early to be up during the summer in Gabriella's mind. But Sharpay was wide awake and wouldn't stay awake alone.
"Oh my God, I hardly know the guy!" Gabriella burst out, thrusting the blankets off of herself and getting out of bed. She was getting sick and tired of this line of questioning. "Will you stop?" Gabriella asked, throwing a pleading look over to Sharpay. Sharpay looked back, obviously disappointed, but she knew her friend so she regretfully gave up.
"Whatever you say." she mumbled, now getting out of bed herself and making her way to the bathroom. Suddenly there was a loud screech that made Gabriella jump.
"God, Shar, what?" Gabriella asked, walking into the bathroom. Sharpay stomped out of the bathroom hiding her face.
"I have a blemish." she moaned. "So much for all that expensive french face wash. What a rip off." she ranted.
"Okay, Shar. Makeup. Easy answer." Gabriella said. She didn't feel like getting into a beauty conversation this early in the morning with Sharpay so she made an excuse to leave. "I'm gonna go explore town a little." Gabriella quickly said, knowing it would be hours before Sharpay was convinced she put enough makeup on to leave the house.
"So, see you soon." she mumbled while throwing on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt.
Gabriella already walked through town yesterday with Troy, but the town seemed to look so much different walking without him. Maybe that was because she wasn't constantly distracted when his voice changed as he got excited about a spot in town. Or maybe because it was that she wasn't constantly trying not to look at him while she was being tempted to. Now, it was just her, the road and the ocean. Beautiful.
She breathed in the salty ocean air and suddenly remembered a summer down by the beach when her parents were still together. No, she told herself, don't go there. She kept repeated that to herself, that thought about her family felt like a stab to her chest. But she was good at distracting herself with other thoughts when her broken family came back into mind.
Like what she was going to do this summer. There were a million things to do, a million people to meet. This thought got Gabriella excited. She could be a different person this summer. Live a different life. For three months her life might not be filled with her dreary, cynical attitude. Maybe a summer in this place with her friend's could make her as Ryan would say, Ella. Or just, someone she wanted to be. Someone she lost a while ago. Someone she wanted back.
Somehow Gabriella's feet brought her to a coffee shop just as she was getting thirsty and hungry. As she walked in, she felt the aroma of coffee beans fill the air and quickly looked at the comfortable seating, but the window with the view of the ocean attracted her the most. The entire color palate of the place reflected that view, she was so distracted by it, she forgot to order.
"Miss? Miss?" the annoyed cashier asked. "What can I get you?"
"Um, a mocha frappachino please." Gabriella quickly said, recovering herself. The cashier basically demanded money, gave Gabriella a glare, and just walked away to get her drink, letting Gabriella stare back out the window.
Maybe this was destiny, she thought. Being here for a summer. Maybe Ryan and Sharpay were right, maybe things could be fun this summer. Maybe she just had to let go and relax.
With the ring of her cell phone Gabriella suddenly tensed though. It was a text message, from who of all people but Troy Bolton, that read... "So ur into girly drinks huh? I pictured you more daring. A mocha frap? Kinda pathetic."
How did he know what she ordered? Gabriella quickly turned around and saw Troy, still in his clothes from running, with his hair soaked with water looking at her with a crooked grin.
"Now you're not just a runner, but you're a stalker too." she said with a smile, walking a bit closer to him, his easy smile and manner drawing her in against her will.
"Well, you know, I gotta mix it up sometimes." he said his grin growing. Before Gabriella could say anything else, he quickly brushed past her and in a second her was back with her drink.
"That's Paulette," he said, pointing to the lady behind the counter. "She gets a little testy if you make her wait."
"Good to know." Gabriella mumbled, taking the drink from him. She quickly eyed Paulette, she looked about her own age. Shoulder length blonde hair, and dark eye liner surrounding her green eyes with earrings of the same color dangling against her face. She looked at Gabriella, then at Troy, and didn't look pleased.
"I forgot to warn you. If you treasure your life, don't look at her." Troy mumbled, gently grabbing Gabriella's shoulder and leading her to a table.
Gabriella let out a giggle, was he always this confident? "Um, who said I was gonna sit with you?" Gabriella asked, still smiling so he wouldn't be offended.
"Well," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Me, and trust me you don't wanna argue with that." he said, looking her directly in the eyes and Gabriella instantly didn't care about the direction this walk around town was going in.
"You're just full of information." she mumbled. She quickly glanced over again and saw Paulette staring at them, anger in her eyes.
"Did I just not tell you not to look at her?" Troy asked, lightly laughing like he was enjoying his own private joke.
"I don't exactly feel comfortable when strangers stare at me." Gabriella said, taking a sip of her drink.
"Well, I thought you would've been used to that by now." Troy said with a smile.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabriella asked, now grinning too.
"Well, I'm just saying with a girl as beautiful as you, you're bound to get some attention." he said, somehow their bodies had moved slightly closer to each other during this brief conversation. Gabriella felt herself blush. She always blushed. She hated when that gave her away. And Troy seemed to notice too, since he smiled a confident grin then jumped right into another conversation.
"Meet me at the beach tonight?" he asked. "Bonfire, fun, friends, and of course me."
Gabriella's hands slipped on her drink a little, almost causing it to spill. Now her heart was racing and panic mode came. "Um, I don't know. Maybe. I'll see if I'm free." she lied as she stumbled out of the seat and stood up.
If Troy looked hurt he didn't show it. "Okay, hope to see you."
"Yeah," Gabriella said, uncomfortably saying goodbye and leaving the coffee shop, silently cursing herself.
Why did she always do this. With her it was always fight or flight mode when she liked a guy. And the fact that she had to fly away, fast, meant she definitely liked Troy. "Crap." Gabriella muttered as she made her way back to her house. Ryan and Sharpay are gonna use this against her, that was for sure.