Disclaimer: I do not own HSM

Chapter 12: True Friend

You're a true friend

You're here till the end

You pull me aside when somethin' ain't right

Talk with me now and into night

Till it's all right again

You're a true friend

The rest of Spring Break was pretty uneventful for the Wildcats. They still hung out, watched some movies, and listened to some music, but they missed their adventures in Florida. Before they knew it, it was the first day back to school.

"Ms. Montez. Just who I wanted to see."

Gabriella turned around and saw Principle Matsui approaching her. He was followed closely behind by a tall girl with strawberry blonde hair whom Gabriella had never seen before.

"How was your Spring Break? I heard that you and some friends were able to go to Florida."

"Yes. It was a lot of fun, but very tiring." She was happy that he was showing an interest at how their trip went, but she had a feeling that he was over here for a different reason. "Um…Principal Matsui, who's this?"

"Ah nothing escapes your eye, Ms. Montez. This is Ashley Appleton. She's just enrolled at East High. Ashley, this is Gabriella Montez. She was a new student not too long ago and has blossomed into a wonderful addition to East High. Would you be her guide today, Ms. Montez? She is in your homeroom."

"Sure. Hey, Ashley. Has anyone showed you where homeroom is?"

"No. This school is huge. I don't think I'll ever be able to find my way around."

"You'll get used to it."

"Go on, girls. Get to class."

Gabriella led Ashley through the hallways maneuvering through the mass of students each trying to get to their own homeroom. Gabriella pointed out class rooms as they passed them. Ashley didn't seem to take an interest in them. She was more interested in the boys that were walking past. It was starting to become clear that Ashley and Gabriella had different interests. They finally reached Ms. Darbus's room.

"Here it is." Gabriella said to Ashley.

Gabriella took Ashley to Ms. Darbus and introduced her. Ashley handed Ms. Darbus the papers that Principle Matsui had instructed her to give the homeroom teacher. After everything with Darbus had been settled, Ashley turned around and got a good look at the class. She drew her attention to a short girl with glasses who was with a girl who had a book in one hand and her iPod in the other. They were both talking to a girl who seemed to be quizzing them on a subject that they had later in the day.

She diverted her eyes to a group of guys. One guy was short and had dark hair; he was talking to a taller guy who was handing him cookies. A guy with an afro had a basketball, and he was talking to the hottest guy she had ever seen in real life. She was a big fan of Zac Efron's looks, but she had never met him in person.

"All set?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah." Ashley said not taking her eyes off Troy.

"I'll introduce you to a few people." Gabriella took her over to Taylor, Martha, and Kelsi much to Ashley's disappointment. She would rather be with the guy she had seen. "Hey, guys. This is Ashley. She's new."

"Hi, Ashley. I'm Taylor. This is Martha and Kelsi."

"Hi." The other girls said in unison.

"Hi." Ashley greeted still staring at Troy. She quickly changed the subject. "So um…who's that guy in the red and white shirt?"

Gabriella took the lead here. "Oh. That's Troy."

"So what's his status in this school? A jock or just a good looking guy."

"Um…he's the captain of the basketball team; he's on the golf team; he's the most popular guy in school; and he has a—" Taylor told her.

"Oh. A jock. He's really hot." Ashley said impressed. "So does he have a girlfriend?"

"Actually he does, and she's—"

Taylor was cut off when Ashley answered herself apparently not hearing a thing that Taylor had just said.

"What am I talking about? He's the most popular guy in school of course he has a girlfriend. So let me guess. She's blonde right. He seems like that type of guy." She saw Sharpay walk in and pointed to her. "It's her isn't it? She's his girlfriend. What's her name?"

"Sharpay." Gabriella smiled.

The way Ashley was thinking was exactly how she thought whenever she moved to another school, but this one was different. Troy was the difference. She didn't expect the new girl to expect her to be Troy's girlfriend. A lot of people wouldn't. He was a jock, and she was a braniac. They were different, but through everything they had pulled through and were still together.

"Actually Troy is—" Gabriella said but she was cut off by Sharpay.

"Attention, everyone." Everyone turned their heads toward her. "I'm finally back from Paris: the city of lights. AKA the most wonderful mall on the face of the planet. I just wanted to let you know, because I know that you all missed me terribly."

"I didn't miss you one bit, Evans!" Chad called out.

She ignored him but not before glaring at him and continuing. "Anyways, I would just like to remind you that my—" Ryan cleared his throat. "Our birthday party is going to be this Friday. Sadly, only a few people can come to it. The five-star hotel wouldn't allow more than fifty teens in the room. Don't be disappointed if you don't make the cut. Remember it's not because you weren't cool it was just because I don't know your names. That's all." A few people rolled their eyes. "Hi, Troy!"

"Ah. See? I knew it. It's the same thing everywhere I go." Ashley watched as Troy waved at her though she didn't notice the expression on his face.

She was proud that she had already pin-pointed everyone. The jocks and the braniacs. She knew that Gabriella and her friends were braniacs by the way the poured over the books. She would have to find some other people to hang out with before she was labeled as one of them.

She was caught off guard when Troy got up and walked over to where they were. Ashley excitedly began to fix herself and purse her lips. Maybe she had been wrong this time. Maybe he didn't have a girlfriend. Maybe he was coming over to her to ask her out. Maybe—

Hold on.

Troy walked past Ashley and over to Gabriella and gave her a chaste kiss. "How was your spring break?"

Okay, what just happened? Ashley asked herself. Was I somehow tossed into another dimension in a second? The hottest and most popular guy in school, possibly on the face of the planet, just walked up to a braniac and kissed her! Kissed her!!!

Taylor enjoyed watching the silent reaction on Ashley's face. She didn't like the way Ashley interrupted her or how she was judging Troy. He was one of her best friends. Not to mention her best friend's boyfriend.

"What are you talking about? You saw me for most of it." Gabriella replied back giggling. She could see Ashley's face just over Troy's shoulders. She didn't mean for Ashley to find out that way. Oh well.

"It's nice to know all the same." She gave him a quick kiss. Luckily for them, Ms. Darbus was talking to Sharpay about the upcoming Spring Musicale.

"Does that say enough?" She asked.

"Maybe. Could you repeat that please?" He asked her.

Gabriella repeated her past action and pulled back to smile at him.

"You guys are extra gross today." Chad commented from his seat. "Did you guys have fun during the rest of Spring Break?"

Troy rolled his eyes and turned to look at his best friend. "Do you mind, Chad? You really have no sense of timing do you?"

"Actually. He's right." Taylor defended. "You guys are flirting more than normal. What happened while we weren't with you?" Taylor asked.

"Don't know; don't care." Troy said. He turned back to Gabriella and gave her yet another kiss. Chad said something about having to sterilize his eyes later, and Troy turned to give him a witty comeback. He stopped and noticed Ashley for the first time. "Oh. Hello." He stepped towards her and shook her hand. "I'm Troy."

"Oh. Ashley. I just moved here." She said batting her eyelashes at him. He was completely oblivious to them.

"Ah. Where did you move from?"

"Michigan."

"Oh. Sweet." He replied without enthusiasm. She didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, Ashley, I'm Chad. Official best bud of this guy right here."

That interested her. "It's nice to meet you."

"And I assume you have already met this great girl right here." He said motioning towards Taylor.

"Yeah."

The warning bell rang and Ashley made her way to an empty seat across the room and started to think up a plan.

Troy stayed near Gabriella's desk to talk to her a little more. "So what's the deal with Ashley?"

"She's a new student, and Principal Matsui asked me to be her guide for the day."

"Why?" His tone sounded less than approving to Gabriella's ears.

"Troy, you have no idea what it feels like to be the new student at a new school with kids who've known each other for years. It's a scary thing. I'm just lucky that when I came to East High I knew you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm glad that you are going out of your way to befriend her. But there is a difference between Ashley and you."

"And that would be?"

"You," he said pulling her chin up so that she was looking straight at him, "Are absolutely without a doubt way more beautiful."

She smiled and tilted her head up as he brought his head down. The bell rang as soon as they were done with their lip lock.

Troy took his seat, and Gabriella looked over at Ashley and swore that she had the same look that Sharpay wore when she was thinking about something devious. But maybe it was just her imagination.

Gabriella was walking over with Ashley to the cafeteria. They got their lunches and went over to where the gang was sitting.

"Hey, guys." Gabriella greeted.

"Hey, Gabs." Chad said. "Hey, Ashley."

"Hi." Ashley replied shyly.

She thought about her plan to keep her popular streak. Ever since her dad told the family that they'd be moving around, she promised herself that she would become popular within one week and get a boyfriend. In the years prior, she had succeeded.

That included not hanging out with Gabriella and her friends. It didn't matter if Gabriella was dating the most popular guy in school. They were still braniacs in her eyes and the rest of the school. Too bad Ashley didn't know what had happened earlier in the semester.

She decided that Sharpay was her best shot at that popularity. So she would spend some her free time trying to woo Sharpay into being her friend.

And then there was the matter of the boyfriend. She saw some cute guys between classes, but none of them compared to Troy. Well, if she got Troy to be her boyfriend, then that would solve the Gabriella problem. This was going to be a competition. Too bad she didn't know that Sharpay was in the competition too.

"Hey, Ashley. You okay?" She heard Zeke ask.

"Oh yeah. Just thinking."

"About what?" Jason asked.

"Oh…just about how…lucky I am to have new friends."

"We're glad too." Gabriella added.

Troy was less than thrilled with this new addition to the gang. He didn't know why Ashley bothered him. It was just this feeling that he got.

"Well, Hoops and I are going to go shoot some hoops before class starts. I miss the hard court. Besides, I need something to distract me from the next class with Darbus." Chad said.

"Aren't you worried about cramps?" Taylor asked concerned.

"Don't worry. We won't work ourselves up too hard." Chad assured her.

"Hey, Gabriella. Maybe we could go see them. Basketball season is over, and I want to see just how good these guys really are."

"You don't—She doesn't…she doesn't know how good we are?" Chad asked shocked. "Ashley, we won the New Mexico state championships. That's how good we are."

"Prove it." She challenged.

"Oh. Okay. Just come when you're done." He challenged.

And with that, Chad and Troy were on their way to the gym.

"Man, she is cool. Don't you think?"

"Um…she's okay."

"What? She's totally cool. Why aren't you okay with her."

"I don't know. I just have this bad feeling about her. Like something bad is going to happen." Troy tried to think of something that Chad could relate to with this. "It's like the feeling you get when you let the basketball fly from your fingers, and once it's gone, you know that you're going to miss the shot. Like that bad anticipation."

"Ohhh." Chad said. Understanding finally dawning on him. "Are you sure that you aren't a little jealous?"

Troy scoffed. "Why, in the world, would I be jealous of Ashley?"

"I don't know. She's been hanging out with Gabs a lot lately…"

"Only this morning. I think I have been away from Brie a little longer than that. Don't you remember how I got along without her for a weekend thanks to you."

"We promised that we would put that behind us. Besides that is totally different. She's actually hanging out with another person willingly, and she's not mad at you. This morning pretty much proved that. No matter how disgusting it was. I thought that she didn't like showing that much public affection."

"I don't know what came over me. But once it starts, I can't seem to want to stop. Can you blame me? I mean she is—"

He put his fingers in his ear and chanted "La la la la, I can't hear you. La la la la la la."

"Why are you doing that?"

"Hoops, since Gabs has joined our big happy family, I've thought of her as my little sister and Lord knows I don't think about my little sisters like that."

Troy sighed. "Fine. I don't see how it matters. You've talked about Taylor like that in front of me, and I don't mind."

"Are you saying that Taylor isn't like your sister, Troy?"

"No, I'm saying that-I mean-oh. Just forget it. Besides, here we are. Ready to get your butt kicked?"

"That sounds like a challenge. You are on, my friend."

Ashley ate rather quickly wanting to put her plan into action. Gabriella was forced to bring the rest of her lunch to the gym.

They walked in to find Troy kneeled down next to Chad laughing so hard he looked like her was crying. Chad, on the other hand, looked like he was in pain.

Gabriella ran up to them. "Are you all right?"

Chad groaned. "Ugh. No. Cramp."

"What happened?"

Troy had to take a few deep breaths before he was able to talk. "He was overdoing it just a bit much."

"Come on, Chad. I'll take you to the nurse's office to get some pain killers." Gabriella offered.

Troy helped Chad up so that Gabriella could take him over to the nurses. By the time they were gone, Troy had stopped laughing.

"Aww. I never got to see you play." Ashley complained.

"Oh, really there's nothing extraordinary about it. You just shoot the ball into the basket."

She suddenly got an idea. "Would you mind showing me?"

"Showing you what?"

"How to shoot a basket. I've never picked up a basketball in my life."

Troy had no idea that she was flirting with him, so he didn't think anything of it. "Um…yeah. Sure." He stood off to the side at first and attempted to show her how to shoot it. "Are you left handed or right?"

"Right."

"Okay, well you bring your left hand up. And your right hand goes there. Now, you're not going to move your left hand. That's your guiding hand. And your right hand goes up…" She tried, but she didn't too much of a good job at it.

"Could you help me?" She asked innocently.

"Sure." He took the position behind her and put his hands over hers.

She made it this time. Taylor chose that exact moment to walk in.

"Wow. You are really good." Ashley told him.

Okay, maybe this girl isn't as bad as I thought she was. Troy thought to himself.

Taylor cleared her throat. "Oh, hey, Taylor." Troy quickly took a step behind Ashley. "I was just showing Ashley how to shoot the um…ball."

"Mm hm." Taylor gave him a skeptical look.

Ashley sensed the tension. "Well, I'd better go and um…find my next class. I'll see you guys later."

She grabbed her books and went out of the gym. Troy looked at Taylor who still had the skeptical look on her face. "What?" He asked.

She continued to stare. "What was that?"

"What was what?" He asked not really sure of what she was accusing him for.

"That. Just now. What I walked in on. I came in here to get Gabriella's purse for her, and I come in here seeing that."

"I was just teaching her how to shoot the basketball. Nothing happened." He held up his hands in defense.

"Did you want anything to happen?"

"What? No! Of course not."

"Troy, I don't think that you should hang out with her anymore."

"Why? Nothing happened."

"That's not my point, Troy. Something could've happened. And it looked like something was happening."

"But nothing did!"

"But what if something did?! What if something happened, but it wasn't me who walked in on you? It could've been Gabriella."

"I don't…"

"Really, Troy. You aren't that stupid. Just put two-and-two together. What if it was Gabriella who was in your position, and you walked in on her with a guy doing what you were doing with Ashley?!"

"Taylor, that wouldn't happen because Gabriella doesn't play basketball, and she already knows how to shoot a ball. I've seen her."

"That is not the point!"

"Taylor…"

"Troy, I'm just looking out for my best friend, all right? It's more than what you're doing." She walked out of the gym leaving him alone.

"So why was Taylor so mad when I talked to her?" Chad asked Troy.

He sighed. "After you left, Ashley wanted me to show her how to shoot the ball, so I did and that's when Taylor walked in."

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's not like you were showing her how to do it by…oh."

"Oh?"

"You didn't tell her how to do it did you? You really showed her how. Ah, Hoops, no wonder she's mad at you. It could've been Gabs instead of her."

"I don't get why it's such a big deal, and since when do you know anything about girls? You said that they were an alien species that invaded our planet."

"Well, that was before I met Tay. Look, Troy, I know that you didn't mean any harm by it, but please picture Gabs."

"No problem." Troy thought about her.

"You got her in your mind?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay. Now picture her in Alan Salazar's arms."

"Does it have to be Alan Salazar?"

"Yes. Just do it."

He did it, and he didn't like what he saw. "Oh, I'd better not do that anymore."

"Thank you, Hoops. Now if I'm not mistaken, you owe someone an apology."

"So what's up with you guys today?" Taylor asked Gabriella as they walked to their last class of the day.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean this morning. I thought you were opposed to that much PDA."

"I don't know. I was a little lazy with enforcing it today. You know, back to school and 'getting my head back in the game' as Troy and Chad would say."

"Um…about Troy…" She continued to relay to Gabriella what she had seen earlier in the gym.

"Taylor, I seriously think that you overreacted." Gabriella told her friend when Taylor told her about recent events. "He was just showing her how to shoot the ball."

"Well, she looked like she was enjoying a lot more than that. I told you to picture her in Troy's arms."

Gabriella really didn't want to think about that, but she didn't say anything. "I don't know, Tay. Troy would never do that. I trust him."

"I know that Troy would never do something to hurt you or betray your trust. He's a good guy. It's her I don't trust. I'm just looking out for you."

"I know, and I appreciate that, but can't you let me handle this on my own? I trust her."

"Gabriella!"

They turned around to find Ashley walking towards them. "Thank you so much for helping me through the school."

"You're welcome." Ashley gave her a hug, and Gabriella gave Taylor an I-told-you-so look.

A/N: There you go. This chapter is for making you all wait for so long and for not doing a fantastic job on the other one. I didn't start it off where the last chapter ended because I couldn't think of anything really. Anyways, please review.