Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Some may leave and some may lie,
Some they kneel and some they fly,
Some they lead and some they fall behind,
With nothing left to lose.
"

NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE, RON POPE.

For Geekriella, like jocks would refer to Gabriella Montez, the only girl known for getting straight A's without touching a book, the one that was genuinely intelligent, probably since the time she was still inside her mother's belly, all classes were a piece of cake.

All but one.

Physical Education. Gabriella's worst nightmare.

PE equaled torture to almost every geek at East High, a school filled with athletes that dreamed of being pro someday. It was simple how things worked there, some played and the ones that didn't qualify to play sports, wanted to date someone that was good at one. The East High population was severely divided in two groups: the athletic kids and the rest, the ones that couldn't practice sports for nothing in the world.

Gabriella was one of them, practically the leader of them all and the top of the list of clumsiest student at EHS. Since she could remember, PE had been a torture for her, not only because she couldn't find the balance to jump without falling immediately to the floor, almost as if she was being magically attracted back to earth the minute her feet stopped touching the ground, but mainly because she was never a sporty person and constantly let the ball escape her hands, or ever worse, she ended up unintentionally, scoring for the team she wasn't playing to.

If the classes alone and the fact she embarrassed herself too much wasn't enough to punish Gabriella for being like she was, everybody seemed to be in her PE class. Connor, Taylor, Anna and even Troy Bolton. Not that they talked in public, their friendship was still between the two of them, but they were frequently exchanging text massages now. Somehow Troy seemed to be the only person that could understand what she was going through right now.

Truthfully, there was something big happening to her, even bigger than sucking at sports and being hated by the crowd of students after losing the last ball of the game. What bugged Gabriella the most right now was the fact that the whole school seemed to be used to the way things were at East High. Who said sports were the only good thing in the world? What would happen to the human kind if it wasn't for the music, the plays, the books?

The loud sound of her own groan brought her back from her mind's monologue and into the cold reality in front of her eyes. Gabriella blinked twice as her face contorted painfully when her back collided with one of the benches. She bit her lip roughly and looked up, waiting for someone's help, waiting for an apology from the one that hurt her accidentally.

At least she thought it was in the beginning. As soon as she looked up and met the cold gaze of her cousin Anna, she knew her falling was not accidental at all. In fact, if she analyzed well enough, she would state she was clearly pushed because, at least till now, she was not a person to fall when she was just standing still. That didn't happen to her.

"Oops, you fell again Geekriella" Anna smiled calmly, looking around to confirm the PE teacher was still occupied with the boys from the basketball and soccer teams and she was free to do anything she wanted with her cousin without ending in detention. Gabriella ignored the pain in her butt and back and slowly stood up, breathing deeply through her mouth before she could make her way and pass by Anna and back to where Connor and Taylor were standing, looking very scared of Anna and her group of cheerleaders and constant admires.

"Where do you think you're going?" Anna's firm hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her back to where she was standing in the first place, pushing her body back against the wall. Not only once, but constantly as Gabriella tried her best to dodge between her cousin and the cheerleaders to get free of the pain.

"Anna…"

Push.

"Anna… let me go back to class"

Push.

"Ha, ha, ha, you call that attending class? You didn't do anything right since the beginning of the game! You scored for Taylor's team, you idiot" Anna teased with her meaning voice, her lips caressing her perfect bottom lip rapidly, her tongue moving in and out of her mouth as if she was a snake, prepared to attack and end Gabriella's life.

"Anna, I'm asking you politely… stop it" Gabriella tried one more time, her back aching with every new encounter her cousin forced her against the wall. Dang, where was the teacher when she needed him the most? Why her best friend and boyfriend kept staring at her without helping?

She breathed through her mouth, her hands trembling furiously as she fought the urge to cry in front of Anna and her friends. Friends, only if they could be called friends.

For Gabriella, they were the devil in person.

High school never seemed more like a jungle than today. Gabriella was the favorite prey, almost like the meal of the day, Anna was the predator and her friends, the great blond and cocky cheerleaders everybody cared about so much, the black vultures that were constantly flying around her, waiting till she was dead meat and could be devoured by them. Because they were sure she'd collapse one day and never find the strength to stand up again. She knew it was what they hoped would happen. Everybody expected it, Anna expected it. She could bet her cousin even counted the days to it.

Push.

"Anna" she said in a whisper, "you're hurting me"

Her eyes stared at her with such disgust Gabriella felt tiny. It was though she was really scum, she didn't have the opportunity to be happy, to be in the same environment as they were. And Gabriella hated it. She hated to feel like she was not worth it. Because she was worth it. She was a better person than all of them together - Troy Bolton had told her this and she never thought she'd feel so strong at only thinking about someone's words. Someone that she had just two encounters with; someone that a month ago was untouchable to her.

But Troy, the Troy Bolton, believed in her. She saw sincerity in his eyes and his words.

And, surprisingly, that made her feel strong. That feeling, that hope he had in her made her think of herself as a different woman, as if she was really capable of changing their futures... capable of saving them all. In Troy's eyes, she was like a superwoman and she wanted to be like this, to please him and to end her torment. To become a better person, to breath in relief everytime she was in school and passed by a jock. She no longer wanted to be bullied.

"Boo hoo, you're gonna cry?" Anna mocked, that nasalized and extremely irritating laugh escaping her lips and taking Gabriella's nerves to a climax. She had finally understood that the girl in front of her was no longer her best friend. No longer the cousin she saw in her, the one that grew up together with her. Anna Montez had turned into her enemy, the one that caused the biggest pain in her life and haunted her days. Gabriella realized that day that she had nothing left to lose, because her friendship with Anna was already gone and she couldn't be friends with someone that didn't like her. Anna wouldn't change her mind in a blink of an eye... she was very much decided to make her life hell.

"No Anna," her narrowed brown eyes met the eyes of her former best friend and she could swear she saw a glimpse of curiosity in the other Montez's gaze, "I will not cry"

That was it. She did no longer pity herself. Gabriella was just angry this time, pissed off like she never felt before. She could literally feel the madness rushing through her blood, filling not only her body but her soul. She was tired, no... She was exhausted of being treated like shit. She felt confidence boiling inside of her, giving her the encouragement she needed to end this mess already.

She could do it.

She could do it.

"You can do it, Gabriella" her mind confirmed and she bit her lip, "I hope Troy's really right"

For a second, her eyes wandered around the gym and everybody seemed to be staring at them now. She was surrounded by Anna's friends, her best friend Taylor and as she already expected, her boyfriend Connor Matthews, the one that had promised he'd always be there for her, was no longer in the gym. But she was not thinking of him now. He was not the person she wanted to see. The person that would help her out right now.

And her eyes... her eyes found him easily in the middle of everybody else, in the middle of all the common people in there. The God like boy that had influenced so much the changing that was about to happen in her life. And he gave her strength once again, as if he was whispering that she was capable of doing it. Fighting Anna off was the most risky thing Gabriella Montez would do her entire life, she knew it. She also knew that it was only the beginning of getting free of obstacles in her life, because if she didn't end it up right now, she would lose track of her own life. And she wanted a happy future and she wanted to feel free and safe again. No more hiding, no more fear and no more insecurity.

A new woman was starting to develop inside of Gabriella since she talked to Troy for the last time and was about to come out for everybody else. He believed in her.

"Ooh... I bet you will" Anna pronounced every word paused, her eyebrows raising with amusement, "You always cry... you're a cry baby"

"Nah Anna. You know why I'm not crying? Because you are not worth it" the words rolled off freely from her tongue at the same time the crowd that gathered around the two Montezs groaned in shock and awe. "You were never worth it but for some unknown reason I always thought you were going to wake up one day in a good mood and we'd be best friends again"

Anna's eyes widened as she continued her speech, attracting the attention of the whole student body, even the teacher that had stopped his work with the basketballers and soccer players and came closer to listen to her. She was one representing all now. Her mates, the geeks that were severely damaged since they stepped inside East High for the first time.

"Gabriella..." Taylor warned in a whisper, her whole body trembling as she held her best friend in place, trying to protect her from the danger that was Anna Montez.

"No, Taylor, let go of me" she asked softly, smiling confidently at her best friend, "Aren't you tired of being bullied? Don't you want to come to school without having to hide behind things, aren't you tired of thinking that being intelligent is a curse?" she looked back at her cousin's pale face and half-smiled, "Because Anna, you know what? Being a dumb cheerleader won't help you out of high school. The power you worship so much will only last till you're part of that team" she pointed to the girls behind Anna, "If you all think you can bully people outside of school, I'll tell you what... someday you're gonna scream at someone, and that someone will scream at you... even louder. If you hit that person, she'll hit you back with the same or more strength you have. Because if someday you have a baby, what I'm sure you'll have plenty before you're 25, and one of them are bullied and comes crying to your help, you won't have anything to say, you won't be able to protect your own child because you abused someone's child as well someday. And you're gonna feel like shit... because seriously, you are not better than anyone here" she raised both of her hands in exasperation, her eyes wandering around the gym, the shocked faces mixing with the encouraging looks she received, every single person there helping her out somehow, giving her more strength to fight for something she believed in, "Every person here is special in their own way. Everyone here wants to be able to do what they want, what makes them happy without a bunch of teenager judging them just because they think it's fun. We don't care if you" she pointed to Anna and her cousin flinched, her eyes widened with horror, "can shake your booty, we don't care if you," she pointed to a basketballer, "can shoot a basket... We only mind our own business, and you should mind your own as well. Stop taking care of other people's lives. You know what it seems? That yours' so pathetic that you have to make other's feel bad to have some kind of fun. So do me a favor, prove me your life is better than bullying someone, prove me you're different Anna. Do something productive with your life. We only live once... then live it right"

Gabriella breathed deeply after ending her speech, her heart beating as fast and as loud as ever, "The jocks are not different than us. They share the same passions, they are very friendly when they want...." she looked back, Anna still staring at her, "We share the same blood sometimes..."

A loud 'ooh' filled the room and Anna closed her eyes painfully, the secret she always kept to herself being cruelly reveled in front of her friends and school, the feeling of humiliation filling her body rapidly. If that was what Gabriella felt all the time, then she got it. It sucked. Being embarrassed in front of everybody was a position she never wanted to be again.

"Gabriella..."

"What Anna?" she raised a single eyebrow, "Are you going to yell at me again? Hit me? I'm not afraid anymore—"

"No" she interrupted slowly, shaking her head negatively. "I never knew that's how you felt" she admitted in a whisper, somehow her low words echoing in the entire gym, "I'm....... sorry"

Gabriella's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as well as she heard the words she never expected to leave her cousin's mouth, at least not towards her, "You… are?"

Anna nodded her head up and down fervently, "I'm sorry for turning your life into hell... the truth is..." she breathed in and out loudly, "I was jealous of what you had..." her frown was so obvious that her cousin rolled her eyes, "I am not the person to tell you that... but I was jealous for a very good reason. You are everything I am not... You are so intelligent and determined and I was wanted to be like you..."

"W..." she rubbed her head confusedly as the words sink in, "Wow... I never thought I'd hear it from you, because I always wanted to be as beautiful or popular as you are..."

"I think we're all learning something here today, kids" the PE teacher said happily, obliging them all to turn their heads and stare at him in curiosity. "You all have brilliant skills and can complete each other if wanted. If you decide to live in peace, I bet high school years are going to be the best memories of your lives...."

The time stopped as Gabriella saw Anna raise her hand and her body automatically flinched, getting used to all the beating that came from her older cousin. Instead of a punch, or a push, or a slap, Anna smiled for the first time at her, not in a mocking way, not because she was watching her contort in pain, she truly smiled and offered her hand.

"Truce?"

Gabriella swallowed the bile that was the entire time in the back of her throat and she never realized and her shaky and cold hand finally made contact with her cousin's warm and feminine one, "Yeah..."

A burst of applause made it impossible for her answer to be heard, but only the fact of the two Montez shaking hands were enough to prove everyone that miracles could happen and that Gabriella Montez had just saved them all. Some people cheered loudly, others wrapped their arms around a few students, celebrating the truce. The atmosphere relaxed completely as everyone's enthusiasm grew intoxicating and the PE teacher laughed out loud, patting his assistant on the back tenderly.

But one person that was not applauding, one guy that had his arms crossed all the time, a proud smile and a relieved expression on his face caught her attention. Before she knew it her legs were taking her towards him, towards the brown haired, blue eyed boy that had started the revolution at East High without even knowing. His grin widened as she approached him, suddenly blushing at the fact she was close to him in front of the entire school.

"I knew you could do it" Troy Bolton's voice was the best sound in the world and echoed pleasurably inside her head several times, almost bursting her eardrum. In one swift moment, she had wrapped her arms around his waist, her forehead touching his muscular chest lovingly, the 'thank you' she wanted so much to say getting stuck as his firms arms embraced her thin body as well, making the bunch of students disappear in a blink of an eye. "You were amazing" he whispered to her, his arms holding her tightly against his frame, "Thank you so much"

"No..." she shook her head furiously, looking up at him with adoring eyes, "THANK YOU. If it wasn't for you I'd never have the strength to fight Anna off"

He smiled tenderly at the same time he touched his lips to her forehead, letting a kiss linger on her skin and assault her body brusquely. Her tummy filled with butterflies as he stroked the side of her head and his eyes became serious, "It was the least I could do after being the reason Anna started picking on you so much..."

"Y... you?"

Troy bit his bottom lip, his eyes rolling involuntary, "I see you didn't do your homework Gabriella" his arms fell numb to the sides of his body and she obliged herself to step back to look him in the eyes. Troy sighed and ran one hand through his floppy hair slowly, as if considering what to say to her. "You see Gabriella.... Anna was mad at you... because I...." he closed his eyes and breathed through his nostrils deeply, "Because I" he reopened his eyes and the most penetrating gaze she had ever seen warmed her body immediately, "I fell in love with you...." he admitted, "I am still in love with you...." he swallowed, "And I kept asking her about you.... what you liked, what you didn't like... and she got mad, because I think she liked me the same way I liked you"

"What...? You... in love... with me?"

"Yes" he confirmed under his breath, "For a long time now..."

"Troy... wow"

He nodded, "I know. I also know you have a boyfriend and I'll respect that... but if you ever break up with him and you feel like going on a date... you should definitely call me... You should come to me" he rubbed the back of his neck and blushed, "Because I'll be waiting for you..." he nodded his head again, clearing his throat and stepping closer to Gabriella to cup her cheek as he planted a kiss to her forehead. As they pulled away, Troy smiled sheepishly, looking around before he chuckled lightly, "I hope you don't mind things are not between the two of us anymore...." she looked around and observed the students scanning them curiously, a sly smile playing on Taylor's lips, not one on Anna's face, but she didn't look mad at least...

And at last, Connor.

Her boyfriend was looking at her with an unknown expression, not pain, not anger, not jealousy. Something she couldn't describe in words. Connor just smiled a tiny smile at her, mouthing a clear 'I understand' that left her confused. What did he understand? What was Connor talking about?

And as she looked down, she realized that her hand was clasped together with Troy's and it fitted perfectly, like hers and Connor's never did. She realized that his warm skin was the perfect combination to her cold one. That the jock and the geek looked really good together.

Gabriella looked at Connor again and he nodded at her, and she saw no more her boyfriend, but just a friend in him. She knew it that moment she was no longer in love with the geek like her. She was in love with Troy Bolton.

"Do you think this could work out?" she asked in a whisper, "Me and you... hanging out... going out"

Troy smirked, "I have no doubts"

"But you're a jock… and I'm a geek"

"You are not only a simple geek, Gabriella" he leaned down, smiling happily as she closed her eyes, anticipating the kiss that was about to come and whispered the words that for the first time in her life made her proud for being who she was and the way she was. "You are the queen of geeks"

"The things you forgive and learn to forget,
In the pitch black dark,
Recall what it meant to believe,
In things you can't feel with your hands.
"


A/N: Just because I loved when Matt said that and Zac kept repeating so proudly, lol. Thanks for reading the story, be sure to check out Inked and Brantwoods' cowboy as well.

Take care!
- M