AN: Special thank you to livelaughlove4life, Lia D, IrethK, Lola, perci, FenderHero, and xMeggyPopx for reviewing!
Arrival in Jesolo
Gabriella felt like a zombie.
After a long eight and a half hour plane ride, during which she stayed awake and alert, Gabriella wanted nothing more than to jump into her soft and comfortable bed, and fall asleep. But, of course, she was more than a thousand miles away from New York and she would have to wait until they arrived in Jesolo to be able to rest. And even then, Gabriella highly doubted that Mrs. Evans would let her and Sharpay sleep. Maybe Mrs. Evans would let them sneak in a nap after she bombarded them with questions of the flight and the weather in Manhattan.
Dragging her feet drowsily, Gabriella's tired eyes stared ahead. Her curled brown hair managed to tangle itself, resulting in a frizzy mess; while she bore resemblance to a character from Night of the Living Death, Sharpay was buzzing around happily, her hair styled in perfection as she skipped off the plane. She had gotten a reasonable amount of sleep on the plane and drank a cup of coffee right before the plane landed while Gabriella foolishly settled with green tea. All Gabriella could do now was wish desperately that there would be a Starbucks near the passenger waiting area, and try to focus on her steps to prevent herself from falling over.
"Tired?" Sharpay asked her as the two walked through the tunnel that connected the plane to the terminal. Gabriella simply shook her head yes. Sharpay smirked, her hand flying to Gabriella's wild hair, ruffling it into a bigger mess than it already was. "You look like shit. You might wanna fix your hair in the bathroom after we get our bags."
Great, leave it to my best friend to confirm my suspicions. That's the last time I'm ever leaving my hair down during a flight, Gabriella thought to herself bitterly.
Sharpay sighed dramatically, annoyed that Gabriella wasn't as talkative as she usually was.
"You know, I feel kinda dumb talking to myself. It would be nice if you responded," She snapped, tucking a mass of blonde hair behind her ears.
Gabriella groaned, the sleep deprivation finally getting to her as she snapped. "What do you want me to say? I didn't get a good night's sleep the day before we left and I didn't sleep on the plane either. I'm tired, Sharpay-"
Gabriella stopped in her tracks, taken aback by how small the terminal looked compared to JFK. The airport itself had a charming feel to it with its interactive television platforms and screens. Gabriella smiled slightly as she noticed a group of kids pointing their fingers at the screen and the television instantly registering which category the kids pointed at. She had to admit, it was impressing. Touch-screen was one thing, but when one didn't even need to touch and all one needed to do was point? It had a wii-kind-of feeling to it, except that it was a finger pointing and not a remote control. All the flights - the departures and arrivals - seemed to be in this one and only terminal. Yeah, it was nothing like JFK.
Sharpay grinned. "Well, good luck because my grandparents are throwing us a party tonight. Nothing like a good party to welcome the guests. And my mom will probably make it impossible for us to sneak in some nap time. I mean, we still need to unpack our bags, get a tour around Jesolo, meet the neighbors, see the shore-"
"Please, just stop talking," Gabriella begged her, resting her head on Sharpay's shoulder as she closed her eyes.
"Oh, no you don't!" Sharpay protested, lifting up her shoulder to get rid of her best friend's head . "We have to find our bags. As you know, my suitcases will be easy to find, but yours are black and plain and blech."
Gabriella sighed, scanning the conveyor belt as tons of suitcases circulated around, awaiting to be picked up by the rightful owner. Sharpay and Gabriella stood, watching suitcases pass by for about two minutes before a shocked gasp escaped from Sharpay's glossy lips.
"Someone's stealing my pink bag!" She shrieked, pointing at the man who grabbed the hot pink bag off the conveyor belt. "THIEF!"
A crowd of people from the flight stared at the blonde as she ran maniacally after the poor man who probably just mistaked the... extremely pink suitcase for... err... his own?
Just as Sharpay was about to let some very unkind words slip from her tongue, the elderly man holding her luggage wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.
Gabriella blinked, rather confused. Um, should I call security?
Sharpay did have her little fanclub - the Sharpettes, which consisted of about four underclassmen who aspired to be just like her. And occasionally, she would run into her adoring fans - AKA her stalkers - who would do something outrageous and strange, and then afterwards, Sharpay would act like it wasn't a big deal - as if it was something that happened to her constantly.
But as Gabriella watched her scowl transform into a slight smile, she instantly knew that wasn't the case. Sharpay obviously knew that man and from the looks of it, they were most likely relatives. After hugging the elder man tightly, Sharpay turned around on her heel, scanning the crowd in search of Gabriella. Once she spotted her, Sharpay motioned for Gabriella to walk over. Gabriella sprinted to the spot where Sharpay and the man stood, smiling as she greeted the man politely.
"Ciao Buongiorno!" He acknowledged Gabriella, shaking her hand firmly. He sensed Gabriella's cluelessness at what he just said, clarifying it for her in nearly perfect English. "Good morning, you must be Gabriella. I've heard so much about you all these years. It is great to finally meet you! I'm Ferdinando, sono piacere di conoscerla... it's a pleasure to meet you."
Gabriella smiled earnestly, shaking his hand mannerly. "Thank you, it's very nice to meet you, too. Are you Sharpay's grandfather?'
He nodded his head yes, smiling as he wrapped his arm around his grand-daughter's waist. "Mi sei mancato molto (I missed you)! Have you gotten taller since last summer?"
Sharpay giggled. "Oh, nonno (grandpa), I've missed you too! And no,it's just the heels I'm wearing."
How she managed to wear heels so frequently and not complain about it was beyond Gabriella's understanding. Walking behind the two, Gabriella couldn't help but feel rather lost. Gabriella studied French in school, so she really didn't know much of the Italian language; and much to her mother's dismay, Gabriella never expressed an interest to learn Spanish, so the ties between Spanish and Italian would not help her in this case. She did, however, know one phrase - "Non parlo Italiano", which she was sure would come in handy during her stay in Italy.
Gabriella spotted two suitcases by the conveyer belt and quickly lifted them off without too much effort. It was pretty light; she packed it light, expecting that she would end up buying lots of clothes and souvenirs during her stay, and if she packed as heavily as Sharpay did, there wouldn't be enough room to take everything home.
"How's nonna doing?" Sharpay asked her grandfather; she turned to Gabriella, mouthing, 'Grandma'.
Gabriella shook her head understandingly, silently thanking her best friend for clarifying it. Sharpay didn't speak much Italian, obviously, but her stays there during the summer must have taught her the bare minimum or, at the very least, the most basic words.
"Very well, she's excited for your coming," He answered, pulling at another hot pink bag that floated by on the conveyer belt.
"Grazie!" Sharpay thanked him in a chipper manner, grabbing the small hot pink luggage and wheeling it, letting him hold her other larger bags.
"Prego," He replied. Gabriella made a mental note to herself to remember the common phrases.
"The air feels different here," Gabriella commented, taking in the scent. It was definitely a little less humid. And considering the sun was shining brightly outside, she highly doubted that it was as rainy and gross as it had been in New York the day of the flight.
"Duh, Gabriella," Sharpay stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world when it... well, it was pretty obvious.
"European cars are so cool!" Gabriella gushed, her forehead pressed against the window of Ferdinando's car as she stared out into the highway. "They're so small and... cute."
"Cute? You must not be serious!" Ferdinando objected, his hands busy maneuvering the vehicle.
Sharpay wrinkled her nose in distaste. "They're too small, you'd never be able to drive those things in New York. And they all look, like, historic."
Ferdinando gritted his teeth, quipping. "This baby is about ten years old and still works as well as the day I got it. It's a precious gem!"
Sharpay scoffed, her hand laying lazily on the armrest. "Yeah, sure nonno. Don't act like nonna hasn't been telling you to buy a new car for the past four years."
Gabriella stared at the narrow streets as the car pulled off the highway, passing by a yellow hayfield full of crops. "It looks like a farm!" She exclaimed, eying the barrels of hay.
Sharpay yawned indifferently. "Yeah, definitely not the best sight to see in Italy."
Gabriella grinned, turning to her best friend in excitement. "You know, this really woke me up! Now, I really can't wait to see the sea that you talk about nonstop!"
"Ah, the Adriatic Sea?" Ferdinando inquired.
"Yeah!" Gabriella proclaimed loudly, her eyes widening as she heard the roar of a motorcycle passing by swiftly. "Whoa, more people ride motorcycles than cars around here!"
"They're called Vespas, you idiot," Sharpay stated bluntly.
"Oh," Gabriella blushed a shade of red. "Sorry, I thought it started with a 'V', but I wasn't sure."
"One time when we were kids, nonno picked me and Ryan up from the airport on his Vespa and drove us back on it while mom had our suitcases in the car," Sharpay smiled, looking back on the memory fondly. "Hey," She turned to her grandfather excitedly. "You should do that again!"
Ferdinando smiled sadly, shaking his head. "Maybe I could, if I was fifteen years younger."
Sharpay playfully swatted at her grandpa's forearm. "Don't talk like that! You're not old!"
"Tell that to mia moglie (my wife)."
Sharpay smirked. "Very funny."
The car came to an abrupt stop as Ferdinando parked the car seemingly carelessly, considering that all the other cars were parked in an opposite direction. Gabriella looked around, only to discover that all the cars that were parked on the side faced opposite directions, and some cars were even parked on the sidewalk.
"Wow," Gabriella breathed out. "This is - unbelievable!"
Sharpay's eyes stared at the front lawn of the house, decorated with balloons, colorful signs, and tables full of prepared food. She smirked, knowing Gabriella had no idea what it was like to come home to an Italian family, who prepared food and drinks and an entire party for a welcome home.
"Gabriella, I'm going to warn you-" Sharpay began dramatically, stopping for a moment of silence to add onto the effect, "when you get out that car, I'm pretty sure that about a dozen strangers that you have never seen before are gonna attack you and pepper you with cheek kisses."
"Okay," deadpanned Gabriella, raising an eyebrow. "Um, thanks for warning me."
Ferdinando bolted out of the car, shouting something in Italian that sounded like, "They're here!"
Instantly, a dozen of people ran to the car, screaming their greetings as Sharpay and Gabriella exited the car. Sharpay smiled, holding her head up high, imagining that the crowd was not family and friends, but adoring fans rather, and that she was not about to enter the same old summer house she has visited for so many years, but onto the red carpet.
"Sharpay!" An elderly woman with dyed golden blonde hair cried out, wrapping her arms around her granddaughter lovingly.
"Nonna!" Sharpay squealed, kissing the woman's cheek.
Gabriella smiled as she spotted a familiar face in the sea of individuals.
"Gabriella, it's lovely to see you again!" Derby Evans exclaimed, hugging her daughter's best friend tightly. "How was the flight?"
"Terrible," Gabriella admitted, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "But I suppose that's partly my fault because I didn't allow myself to rest at all in those eight and a half hours."
"Oh, what a shame!" Derby frowned, tugging the brunette by the shoulders. "I promise I'll let you and Sharpay have your rest later, but for now, let me introduce you to the family and neighbors!"
Gabriella smiled as she spotted Sharpay's grandmother, who she met a couple of years back when she visited New York during the fall.
"Gabriella!" Alessandra Lombardi, wife of Ferdinando Lombardi and grandmother of Sharpay Evans, wrapped her arms around Gabriella, squeezing her tightly.
"Mrs. Lombardi, it's great to see you again!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Alessandra!"
Gabriella smiled, nodding her head in understanding as Alessandra continued. "We were all very excited to hear that you were coming!"
"I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here for the summer," Gabriella expressed her gratification. "Grazie mille!"
Alessandra smiled warmly as she spoke in her charming Italian accent. "It is no prob-lem! We are more than glad to allow you to stay with our grahn-daughter and it is always a pleasure to have you here!"
An elderly lady with dark hair walked over to Alessandra, whispering into Alessandra's ears in Italian. Alessandra instantly smiled, turning back to Gabriella. "Gabriella, this is Loretta. Her daughter's family is staying in the home next door," Alessandra swiveled around, pointing at the small yet colorful house next door.
"Benvenuta!" The friendly woman greeted her, leaning in for a double-cheek kiss, welcoming her to Lido di Jesolo.
"Grazie," Gabriella replied.
"Quanti anni hai?" Loretta asked. Gabriella blinked, confused. Loretta did not speak English very well, and Gabriella barely understood Italian.
Alessandra, luckily, sensed her panic as she translated. "She asked how old you were."
"Oh, um-" Gabriella considered telling Loretta her age with her fingers, but Alessandra seemed to beat her to it by replying in Italian to Loretta. Loretta grinned, nodding her head as she muttered words back in Italian.
Once again, Alessandra translated. "I told her you were age seventeen, the same as Sharpay. Her grandson is around your age and she wishes for you to meet him," Alessandra turned around, scanning the front lawn in sight of the boy. "He was just around here with his friend with the crazy hair-"
"Oh," Gabriella feigned a smile. "I would certainly love to meet him, but perhaps some other time? I'm still very exhausted from the long flight-"
"Nonsense, it would only take a few minutes!" Alessandra declared. "I'll have Sharpay introduce you two - I'm sure she would be delighted to!"
Gabriella gave in, sighing. "All right, I'll go find her."
Swiveling around, she collided into a built chest on accident. Gasping, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist, preventing her from falling over.
"Prestare attenzione," The husky voice said to her, chuckling drily as his hands left her waist once she regained her balance on the ground. Gabriella stared up at the tall, muscular figure, shooting him a grateful smile.
"Sorry," Gabriella squeaked, searching for the words to express herself in case the boy didn't understand English. "Um... mi scusi?"
The boy grinned, flashing his pearly whites. "You are excused," He responded in an Italian accent. Gabriella smiled, impressed at how almost everyone seemed to understand and speak English fairly well, with few exceptions.
The boy was tan just as nearly all Italians were, a result from tanning year-round. He had jet black hair, slicked back stylishly. His chest and arms were muscular and toned, giving Gabriella the impression that he exercised a fair amount.
"I believe I have not greeted you properly," He began, enunciating his words clearly as he winked at her slyly. "Ciao, bella."
Gabriella giggled, extending her hand. "Ciao! I'm Gabriella."
"Antonio," He grinned, his hand linking hers. "Is this what you... Americans do? Shake hands upon greeting?"
Gabriella nodded her head, smiling. "Yes, pretty much."
"Well, this is Italia. We greet differently here," Antonio winked before kissing one side of Gabriella's cheek and then the other.
Before the two could engage in a decent conversation, Gabriella felt someone pulling at her shoulders, turning her around.
"Gabriella!" Sharpay hissed viciously. "Get over here, now."
Startled, Gabriella mumbled a quick apology to Antonio, waving at him as she shouted before being dragged away by Sharpay. "It was nice meeting you!"
"What the hell are you doing?" Sharpay snapped, tugging her by the arm as the two walked towards the porch of the Lombardi summer home.
"Nothing! I was just talking to Antonio-" Gabriella mumbled. "I was before you decided to pull me away!"
Sharpay glared at her. "You should be happy that I did. Whatever you do, STAY AWAY from Antonio. Seriously, he's bad news."
"Really?" Gabriella asked, surprised. "He seemed pretty nice."
Sharpay rolled her eyes, scrambling up the stairs to the porch. "That's what he wants you to think. He's nothing but a dick, Gabs. Just try to avoid him at all cost."
"All right, Sharpay," Gabriella gave in with a sigh. "Whatever you say!"
Sharpay's hand pulled at the doorknob, opening the front door. "And here's the inside that you've been dying to see."
Gabriella's mouth hung open, her eyes glued to the red floral-patterned carpeting, the vintage European wallpaper, and the replicas of Leonardo di Vinci and Raphael's art that hung on the walls. The living room resembled an old room that once belonged to royalty and then transformed into a museum for tourists to gawk at.
Gabriella giggled, plopping onto the white leather couch, savoring the feeling of comfort. "Oh, gosh. The room is so beautiful, Sharpay! And the couch is really comfy," Gabriella added. "I could just fall asleep right now!"
"Don't get too comfortable, you still need to meet the neighbors," Sharpay reminded her. "For some reason, my nonna and Loretta are ecstatic about introducing you to Loretta's grandson," Sharpay rolled her eyes, "You know old ladies. They have nothing better to do."
Gabriella's mouth flew agape, shocked at Sharpay's comment. "Sharpay!" Gabriella chastised her, "That's a horrible thing to say."
Sharpay shrugged innocently. "It's the truth. They're so old-fashioned, they always try to set up their kids. At one point, they had a plan for me and Troy to be married to carry on the family traditions or whatever, but that was way back when."
Gabriella raised an eyebrow knowingly, hiding a smirk from surfacing onto her face. "So, that's his name?"
Sharpay flushed, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "Shut up! He's a dick now, don't pay much attention to him. Like I said before, he's still not over my breaking his arm."
"Yes, because your pushing him off a wharf must have not been the least bit traumatizing," Gabriella quipped sardonically.
"He could've taken it like a man!" Sharpay fired back. "Whatever, I still have some tourists to check out at the beach later. Jesolo is based off tourism in the summer time, and most of the tourists happen to be European, so they're often extremely hawt."
"Mhmm," Gabriella mumbled, her eyes getting lost in the painting "The Last Supper", which hung above the white leather loveseat.
"C'mon," Sharpay anxiously grabbed her hand, pulling her off the couch before Gabriella dozed off. "Sleep later, it's shoretime for now!"
"Sharpay," Gabriella groaned sullenly, her eyes refusing to open. "Later."
"No," Sharpay barked. "Now."
And that was that.
"Move it," Sharpay bellowed her command, her hands resting on her hips as her eyes followed Gabriella apathetic figure down the streets of Jesolo.
"Sharpay, where are you dragging me to?" Gabriella questioned her best friend, willing herself not to fall over out of exhaustion.
Sharpay gaped at Gabriella incredulously. "Are you really that out of it? I just told you twenty minutes ago that we were heading down to the shore! And we're almost there, so if you would walk a little faster, we would be on the beach by now!"
"Oh," Gabriella mumbled dumbly. "Right. Um, sorry. It's just that I'm really, really tired."
Sharpay smirked knowingly. "Trust me, you're not gonna wanna sleep after what you see."
Ushering her to follow, Sharpay ambled through a narrow alley that eventually lead to the beach. Gabriella trailed after her like a lost puppy, picking up her speed to catch up.
Up ahead, a group of boys swaggered down the alley, laughter audible from the tan, muscular Italians. The leader of the pack, holding a cigarette in between his index and middle finger, fixated his stare at Sharpay, smirking as he breathed out a puff of smoke. His buddies hooted at the blonde and her brunette friend; a few cat-called, and nearly all of them exchanged hushed whispers about them, presumably in Italian considering neither Sharpay nor Gabriella understood the chatter.
Gabriella resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she passed by the leader, her eyes concentrating on the pools of blue that she spotted in the nearby distance. The curved corners of her mouth formed into a small smile, resulting in the formation of two dimples on her cheeks.
"Ta-da!" Sharpay sang, extending her arm to present the gorgeous beach. "Ain't it lovely?"
Gabriella gawked at the sight. Sharpay had babbled on and about the wonder and beauty of her Italian vacations, and she had seen postcards and pictures of Sharpay on the beach, but none of the pictures represented the scene as perfectly as she saw it with her own eyes. The sand was golden at the edge of the water, but the rest of the sand bore an apricot shade. The color of the sand in the Hamptons was lighter and paler, and the Adriatic Sea's vivid blue color definitely stood out. Even from a distance, she could tell that the water would be a lot cleaner and brighter than the Atlantic.
Sharpay took off her heels, letting her feet sink into the warm sand as she bent down to pick up her heels. Gabriella did the same, sprinting after her to catch up.
"You were right," Gabriella stated simply, "It's amazing."
Sharpay smirked, "I told you so!"
Gabriella peered down at the beach, noticing several wharf broadwalks extending out into the sea straight ahead. She smirked, nudging Sharpay. "So, which one of those did you push what's-his-name off of?"
Sharpay sighed overdramatically, sliding her oversized D&G shades down the tip of her ski-slope nose. "Must you really remind me of that? I told you about it just so you wouldn't be surprised if he acted like an ass around me. I didn't intend for you to tease and guilt-trip me about it."
Gabriella giggled good-naturedly. "Sorry, I'll stop if you want."
Sharpay smiled, enjoying the warmth of the sun's ray on her backside. "I'd appreciate that. Now, what would you like to do?"
Gabriella pondered on the thought, her eyes travelling towards the water and the sight of children and adults playing around in the waves. The waves were miniscule compared to the waves in Long Island. Seeing an inflatable far off in the distance, she presumed that the water must not be too deep the farther that one ventured. She grinned as she saw jetskiers enjoying the speed and the feeling of water splashing upon them.
"I would love to go in, but I'm not wearing my swimsuit now," Gabriella replied.
Sharpay's eyes widened. "Crap! I forgot about that. I was going to grab mine, but I left it on my bedsheets."
Gabriella shrugged helplessly, "Hey, it's not a big deal. We have the whole summer to enjoy on the beach!"
Sharpay tilted her head, her brown eyes narrowing and her smile widening, revealing the glistening pearly white teeth. "Did you honestly think we were going to stay in Jesolo the entire time? I mean, really, Gabriella. It's lovely to spend a week here, but after awhile it gets a little old."
Gabriella gulped, furrowing her brows. "Well, I suspected that we would pay a visit to Venice since it's so close by..."
"How do you feel about seeing Milan, Florence, and the capital?" Sharpay asked her abruptly.
Gabriella stared at her blankly. "The c-capital? As in... Roma?"
Sharpay chuckled drily. "The one and only!"
"That would be so awesome!" Gabriella squealed in excitement. "But-but how would we get there?"
Sharpay blinked, wondering how her friend could possibly be so dense. "Um, hello, I can drive."
Gabriella blinked, puzzled. "Uh... I wasn't aware that you had an Italian driver's license...?"
Sharpay guffawed, her hand flying to her stomach. "Ahaha! Good one, Gabs. You can use an American driver's permit here to drive, but I wasn't thinking of driving in a car persay-"
"Oh, no," Gabriella cut her off, shaking her head wildly. "Hell, no, Sharpay. I am not driving hundreds of miles south with you on a motorcycle, especially not if you're the one driving."
Gabriella knew Sharpay's reckless driving habits rather well, and the mere thought of sitting backseat as Sharpay sped beyond the limit and barely missed pedestrians and vehicles alike was simply terrifying.
"Um, first of all, it's a Vespa," Sharpay asserted haughtily, "Secondly, I am not that bad of a driver!"
Gabriella interrupted her with a scoff.
Sharpay sighed, relinquishing. "Okay, fine, I'm a sucky driver, but who says I have to drive?"
Gabriella frowned in confusion. "Well, who else would?"
Sharpay brushed the thought away with her palm. "Eh, details! We'll talk about this later. Right now, we've gotta go back to get our bathing suits."
"Can we not?" Gabriella asked quietly. "I don't think I have the energy to walk back home and then to here again."
"Ugh," Sharpay rolled her eyes. "You lazy bum. Fine, I'll go back myself to get some towels, my swimsuit, and one of yours."
Gabriella smiled brightly. "All righty, thanks a lot, Sharpay!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sharpay replied in a monotone. "Just try not to get lost while you're waiting here. Oh, and don't get into trouble because then my mother's going to blame it on me, and I could live without her constant nagging."
"I won't," Gabriella promised. "I put my swimsuits in my Juicy Couture bag. Just pick a random one out of there."
"Okay," Sharpay responded, turning at her heel to begin walking back to the house before waving at Gabriella. "I'll be back in, like, fifteen mins tops!"
"Bye!" Gabriella called out to her. She heard someone snicker from behind; glancing over her shoulder swiftly, her keen eyes spotted a set of teenage boys staring hungrily towards her.
"Oh, great. Just what I need," Gabriella muttered to herself sarcastically as she braced herself for the worst to come, unaware that within her moments, her life would instantly become a tad bit more interesting.
AN: Hopefully, you guys are enjoying it so far! R&R! Next chapter will pick up with Troy and his adventure. (: