AN: Thank you for the positive feedback! I hope you guys enjoy the next chapter.
Crush
"I can't believe your rents made us sit around and wait until stupid blondie and company arrived."
"Believe me, Chad, I'm not a big fan of Sharpay myself," The sandy-haired boy remarked grumpily.
Troy Bolton strolled along by the shore, his feet sinking into the warm golden sand comfortably. Casting his eyes down onto his gelato, he licked the melted cream off of his cone before it melted in the blistering summer heat. His shaggy chestnut brown hair blew in the warm wind, falling into his electric blue eyes.
Beside him, his best friend Chad Danforth grappled with his gelatto as his entire mouth pressed against the cone, biting off his ice cream. Pulling away from the cone, his cheeks and nose were covered in sticky cream.
"God, man. I can barely stand that bitch back in New York," Chad mumbled, his voluminous afro blowing in the wind as he took another bite out of his gelato. "It's bad enough that you and me have to deal with her and her little friend this summer, too."
Troy glared at his friend before his eyes fell onto the shorter girl next to him. Chad caught his gesture, smiling sheepishly as he apologized. "My bad. Bailee, you didn't hear that."
"Mkay," The small girl mumbled off-handedly, busy eating her gelato out of her cup. Standing beside her elder cousin and his friend who were both nearly six feet tall, she seemed out of place and reasonably shorter than the two. Her skin glistened in the sun, tan from year-round exposure to the sun, and her medium-length light brown hair blew in the wind.
"Seriously, dude. I can't stand Sharpay for the life of me, but watch your language when you're around my cousin," Troy said to him, taking another lick from his gelato. Bailee was Troy's seven-year old cousin, and thanks to the many slip-ups from her cousin and his friend, was well aware of the bad language and vowed to herself that she would not say those words.
"Yeah, Chad!" Bailee quipped, dimples forming on her cheek as her mouth formed into a slight smile. Her brown eyes - the one trait that she possessed which Troy did not - spotted Chad's messy face, and instantly she burst out into a set of girlish giggles.
"What?" Chad asked dumbly.
"Your face, man," Troy flicked a napkin in Chad's direction.
Chad wiped his face, tossing the napkin aside in a nearby trashcan. "I should've gotten a cup like Bails instead of the cone."
"Same," Troy agreed, his eyes staring down at the melted ice cream. "It's way too hot today."
"I know," Bailee said, her eyes staring straight ahead at the sea. "I wanna go for a swim!"
Troy sighed. There was nothing more that he wanted at that moment than to go windsurfing and hit the waves. But considering the fact that they were currently supposed to be on the Lombardi property, welcoming Sharpay Evans back to Italy, it was only a matter of time before someone realized that he, his cousin, and his best friend were nowhere in sight.
"Maybe a bit later, Bailee. We should probably head back-"
Chad's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, Lord. No, please... dude, can't we just hang around here for now?"
Troy shrugged his shoulders, cracking a small smile. "Maybe we don't have to go back right away."
"Yes!" Chad hissed triumphantly. "Awesome, I'm gonna go in for a dip."
"I changed my mind!" Bailee's voice rang out. "I see my friend building a sand-castle. I'm gonna go over there and help her build it," Bailee pointed her index finger towards the direction where a dark-haired girl busily dug a hole to represent the moat in the castle. "Troy, can you go look for sea shells on the shore so we can decorate the castle?"
"Uh... I don't know. I sorta wanted to head in for a quick swim-"
Bailee stuck out her bottom lip, pouting as she begged her cousin. "Pleeaase, Troy?"
Chad smirked knowingly as he mocked the little girl's tone, "Yeah, please, Troysie?"
Troy glared at Chad, punching him lightly around the arm. "Shut up, man."
"C'mon!" Bailee squirmed on her feet, folding her hands. "Please, please, please, please?"
Running a hand through his hair, Troy sighed in defeat. There was no point in fighting it when they both knew how it would end.
"All right, Bails. I'll find you some sea shells."
"Yay!" Bailee squealed, her small arms wrapping around her cousin's stomach as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Troy!"
Chad simply grinned in amusement, knowing fully well Troy's weakness - the little girl that he loved dearly and looked after like a big brother.
Gabriella stood idly by the shore, a smile forming upon her face as the warm water grazed upon her toes. The Adriatic water was warm and pleasant, unlike the chilly Atlantic, and she couldn't wait until Sharpay returned with both of their swimsuits. Restraining herself from jumping headfirst into the water fully clothed, she walked along the shore, her eyes peering down at the shells left imprinted into the sand. She smiled brightly once her eyes spotted a flat teal seashell that seemed to be in a perfect condition. She bent down to pick up the shell before her eyes fell upon another set of eyes, sparkling and cerulean. Taken aback, she jumped up and took a step back, letting the other figure pick up the seashell.
When the boy stood up, Gabriella found herself lost in his brilliant blue eyes that complimented his sandy hair and tanned body rather well. He offered her a small smile, extending the seashell towards her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. You can have the shell-" Troy stated, extending his hand to hers while scanning her facial features, taking note of how stunning this girl was. He could only hope she spoke English and understood what he just said...
"Oh, no, it's okay. You got to the seashell first, you can have it-" Gabriella replied.
Troy grinned. So, he knew she was American... that was a good start.
"No, really. I insist that you take it," Troy remarked charmingly, placing the shell into her hand. "Trust me, I have a billion of these at home. I was just looking around for some seashells for my little cousin's sandcastle, but there are plenty around, so I'll just find some others."
Gabriella smiled shyly as her fingers graced the beautiful shell. She lifted her gaze upon him and thanked him. He smiled, noting her beautiful smile among other features that he already liked about this girl.
In a feeble attempt to strike up a conversation before the dark-haired beauty before him left, Troy struggled to find words to say.
"So, uh... where are you from?"
"New York."
Troy's eyes brightened in alarm. "The city?"
Gabriella nodded her head, "Mhmm. Are you from here?"
Troy let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Nah, my grandparents invite me and my family to visit every summer. I live in the city too, actually."
Gabriella's mouth widened in shock before her lips slowly spread into a grin and she let out a melodious laugh, "You're kidding!"
He shook his head no, smiling widely. "Dead serious. Small world, huh?"
She nodded her head eagerly, her foot playing with the sand, "Definitely."
"So, what brings you to Lido di Jesolo?"
Gabriella looked back towards the direction that Sharpay took off. "Oh, I'm here with my friend whose visiting her relatives too."
"Wow," deadpanned Troy. "It just so happens that one of my friend accompanied me while I visit my relatives. We seem to have so much in common, huh?"
Gabriella giggled, her heart skipping a beat every time the gorgeous boy offered her that striking smile and winked.
"So, what school do you go to?" Troy asked. He could easily have 40+ mutual friends with her on facebook and not even know it. That was just how it was in New York, everyone seemed to be linked. He made a mental note to himself to catch her name before she left.
Gabriella tilted her head in wonder, biting her lip nervously as she scavenged for the familiar name, unable to believe the effect that this guy had on her - to the point that she couldn't remember the name of her own school!
Troy simply chuckled, watching as she struggled to remember. He shook his head as he laughed. This girl was as adorable as hell.
"Brearley," she finally stated, her cheeks flushed.
"Oh, really?" Troy quirked his eyebrows, not bothering to hide his amusement. He knew quite a few girls from the school and certainly knew the reputation the school - it was famous for the smart, hot girls. Of course, he knew a certain blonde who went there who was anything but that, but for the most part, that phrase certainly seemed to encompass the majority of the student body.
Gabriella nodded, offering him a smile. "Yeah... you've heard of it?"
Troy laughed whole-heartedly. "You could definitely say that... I know quite a few girls who go there. And Chapin girls, too."
Gabriella scrunched up her nose at the sound of her rival school. Troy predicted her reaction and let out a laugh, enjoying the cute look on her face.
"You totally mentioned them on purpose to make me mad!" she accused him, sticking out her tongue at him. He nodded his head, unable to contain his laughter.
"Hmph," She flicked sand towards him with her foot, "Meanie!"
He shook his head, stifling his laughter. "So, you're an Upper Eastside girl? How have I not met you before?"
She shrugged, "New York's a pretty big city. Just out of curiosity, what school do you happen to go to?"
"Collegiate," he answered, enjoying the look of shock on her face. "Upper Westside."
"Wow," she stammered. "I-I...um...wow. I probably have a lot of mutual friends with you."
She thought of asking him about Milton Heindick, her very own personal stalker, who probably left her a dozen wallposts on Facebook by now.
"Good to know. I'll ask around when I get home," he winked at her charmingly, causing her to blush.
Hearing Bailee's shouting from a few meters away, Troy sighed, hating to know that he would have to cut this meeting short.
"Sorry, my cousin's calling me. She's probably wondering why I haven't found her any seashells yet-" Troy tried to explain himself, mentally cursing himself for not having his phone with him to get this Brearely girl's number.
Gabriella simply smiled, masking her sadness at his having to leave so soon. "Oh, it's all right. I understand."
"Um, yeah. I guess I'll see you around?" He asked a little too hopefully. She nodded and flashed him a smile before turning around and heading another direction.
Troy sighed, running his fingers through his hair, desperately hoping that this was not the last time he caught sight of the dark-haired beauty.