Disclaimer: I do not own anything from High School Musical or John Tucker Must Die.
So I haven't been in much of a writing mood lately. I don't know why, my muse just left me for this one. So I've decided updates will be every Monday. This way, I will always have weekends to work on chapters when I'm super busy. The beginning of the school year until around November is always my busiest time of the year, so I hope updates will always be on time. If I feel like updating sooner, we'll just see how it goes. But you can usually expect one on Mondays unless I'm super busy. That way even if I'm not in a writing mood I'll be motivated to write. And I get my laptop back on Friday so I don't have to sneak around to write anymore! Which means quicker updates!
Sorry if this chapter is a lot like the movie, but I couldn't see a way to make it any different and I felt like these scenes were important. Like I said, sometimes it will be extremely similar, but next chapter you can expect something different. I'm personally excited for it! Please review! I got the lowest response so far last time, which kind of brought me down! I hope it's better this time around because I really need to know how you guys feel about this story, even if it is negative. I sincerely appreciate any advice or criticsm. Enjoy!
(P.S. Was anyone else really bummed runninequalslife left us, even if it is only for a little while (hopefully), today? I cried!)
Monday mornings. Most high school students hated them. It meant waking up early after an entire weekend of partying and sleeping in. It meant another five days of tests, assignments, and boring classes. It basically meant another week of hell. But not for John Bolton.
John Bolton embraced Mondays with open arms. He would never admit it to anyone, but the truth was, he loved school. It wasn't the fifty minute classes or the assorted teachers that taught them. His love didn't stem from the cafeteria food or the feeling of getting a good grade. No, it had nothing to do with that. What he truly loved was the power.
Some might say that principals were the head of the school, but anyone who attended East High could tell you that that was a lie. John had a greater influence over the students than any teacher or administrator could ever hope to have. He may not have been able to hand out detentions or pull students out of class, but he did have one thing that no other staff member could ever touch. He had people's respect. Most students respected him more than all of the teachers combined. Not only did he have their respect, but they envied him. They worshiped him and hung on his every word. And this all equaled power.
How could he ever bring himself to hate a place that provided him with so much authority? He could never hate coming to school when stepping through the double doors was like entering his own personal kingdom with loyal subjects at every corner. If people considered East High hell, then he was the devil. He could feel his supremacy radiating off the white walls whenever he would stride through the halls during passing periods. He noticed how everyone would look his way when he entered a room. He got a thrill out of running up and down the gym, watching his team obey every instruction he threw at them. He loved the way people loved him. It was what he lived for.
John was truly thankful for everything he was blessed with. Most people would never have the kind of authority he commanded, and he didn't take it for granted because he wasn't naïve. He knew this kind of power wouldn't last forever. This was his senior year, and in the fall he would be heading off to some other school where no one knew him. It would never be the same in college, where there were too many people to command. He wouldn't have all these years of building his reputation to fall back on there. He was lucky, really lucky to have what he had. So he was going to make the most of it and put his whole heart into things. That was why he loved coming to school and enjoying the time he had.
This Monday morning would be different, but no one could tell. Today would be the start of a revolution but the distracted teenagers couldn't see that as John Bolton entered the school. The common area was buzzing with students flitting from table to table, seeing which clubs were offering what for the week. John, with his best friend Tommy in tow, was greeted by a mass of his teammates who each gave him a manly handshake. Greetings were thrown at him from each direction, and he gave a dazzling smile and a quick nod to each one he saw. "Yo, Bolton!" he heard from the student store before one of the workers threw a free water bottle his way. He caught it with a, "Thanks, man!" and took a swig from the clear plastic, continuing to make his way through the common area.
He smiled when he saw her. Another thing he loved about school was the girls. John Bolton always had lots of girls, and there was one of them just yards away selling pep rally tickets at a grey table. She looked incredibly hot that morning wearing her red and white cheerleading uniform with 'Wildcats' written across her chest in loopy lettering. Her short skirt revealed her mile long, sun kissed legs and her blonde hair was set free in slight waves down her back. God, he loved cheerleaders.
He closed the distance between them with a few short strides and pulled his leather wallet out of his pocket. He slipped out three bills and handed the money to the cheerleading captain, leaning in close to her ear to whisper a sweet hello. Sharpay smiled at him and handed him the pink ticket, knowing the only reason he had purchased one was so he could have a brief moment of closeness with her. He took the ticket, shot her one last smile, and continued his way down the large room. Say hello to girlfriend number one. Check.
The second he turned his head away from the blonde beauty, his eyes were welcomed with the sight of girl number two. She was leaning over a similar table, talking with the fellow members of her teen activist club, a petition right in front of her. John couldn't help but admire the position she was in as he made his way towards her. Her palms were resting on the hard surface of the table, the rest of her body leaning away, causing her back to curve and her butt to stick out in the air. God, he loved slutty teen activists.
He lightly slapped her ass when he reached her, and she let out a low giggle. She had practically been asking for it anyways with her ass sticking out in the air like that. "Hey," Kelsi greeted in a seductive voice, as she often did whenever in John's presence. He grinned while picking up the blue pen on the table and signed her petition for Chicks for Chicks, as if he really gave a crap. He shot her a smile before leaving and she mouthed bye in his direction. Say hi to girlfriend number two. Check.
Ah, and there she was, conveniently placed at the end of the large room at her bake sale tables. She was next to a friend with wavy brown hair, but Taylor was far more stunning than that plain girl. Her short black bob swung around as she handed out cupcakes to the students who paid for them, thanking each one with a perfect white smile. "Hi," she said with a smile reserved specially for John Bolton when he stopped in front of the table.
"Hey, got something sweet for me?" he asked, although just looking at her was sweet enough.
"Of course," she answered, picking up a cupcake with chocolate frosting. She gave him a sly glance, dipping her dark finger into the mound of creamy frosting. She raised the finger to him, inviting him to taste the sweetness of the chocolate. It never ceased to amuse him how unbelievably sexy she could be when she wanted to. Did he ever mention how much he loved smart girls?
He quickly looked around, confirming no one of significance was watching, before finally leaning forward and slowly taking his time to rid her finger of the icing with his wet tongue while looking into her dark eyes the entire time. He smiled one last time at her and walked towards the halls so he could head for his locker. Say good morning to girlfriend number three. Check.
After grabbing his books for first period, John headed towards the stairs, greeting more people as he made his way. Stepping onto the white stair, he saw his old gym teacher he had had as a freshman, Coach Claypool. She was a big woman, with greasy black hair and an equally oily red face. She also had a tendency to wobble around instead of actually walking. But she had always been nice to John so he gave her a smile when he passed her on the stairwell. She smiled back as he passed her by, but he soon heard a loud groan and turned to find the large coach sprawled facedown at the bottom of the steps. She looked unconscious, as if she had fainted or something. "Shit!" John exclaimed as he made his way back down the stairs to the teacher who was obviously in need of assistance.
"Coach Claypool!" a feminine voice from behind him shouted. He looked around to see a blonde girl in a blue sweater rushing down the stairs, concern filling her eyes as she witnessed the unmoving coach. Hmm, she was kind of cute. She knelt beside John, gently rubbing the coach's back. "What happened?"
"Um, I'm not sure. I passed her on the stairs and then she just kind of groaned and collapsed." John glanced at the girl's backside as she leaned further over the coach to check her pulse. Hmm, nice ass. "What do you think happened?"
The girl had a panicked expression on her heart-shaped face. "I'm not sure, but I think she might have had a heart attack," she breathed out, worry laced in her tone. "I'm gonna call an ambulance," she said before pulling out her black razor.
"Yeah, that's a good idea," he distractedly agreed, his eyes focused on the deep v of her sweater where her exposed cleavage was while she was busy with her phone. "I'm John Bolton," he said, holding out a hand.
She looked away from her phone to see his hand held out. She took his hand, giving it a wary shake, her focus still on the sick coach. "Caroline Williams. Nice to meet you."
He gave her his million-dollar smile with their hands still connected, all thoughts of Coach Claypool out of his head. "Nice to meet you too."
Arrive at school, say hello to oblivious three girlfriends, give Coach Claypool a heart attack, and flirt with hot new girl he just met all before first period. Check.
***
"Alright, girls! Coach Claypool's in the hospital, so we're combining all first period gym classes!" Coach Naff's loud voice boomed across the large gym of East High. A muffled groan rose throughout the group. Gym first thing on a Monday morning was not particularly a favorite among teenage girls, and Coach Naff was rumored to work girls the hardest out of all the gym teachers. "Yes, I know! We all hate each other, don't we?"
"No, we hate you!" Coach Naff rolled her green eyes as a couple girls from the group of fifty snickered at the rude comment. Ungrateful teenagers. Retirement couldn't come soon enough.
"We're playing volleyball today ladies! Teams of six! Heather, Elizabeth, Angelina, Ashley, Nicole, and Lynzee on this side!" She shouted, pointing to each of the girls and then one side of the net. "Richelle, Brieanne, Taylor, Kelsi, Sharpay, and……. what's your face on this side!"
Gabriella stood up from the hard bleacher, "Gabriella. My name's Gabriella," she quietly declared in the coach's direction, but Coach Naff had already begun walking across the gym to ref the game. In just a week and three days, this would be Gabriella's third month at East High and her gym teacher still didn't know her name. It was nothing she hadn't dealt with before.
She slowly moved her black sweatpant clad legs to her side of the volleyball court, taking the only position still open in the middle back, right next to cheerleading captain Sharpay Evans who was getting ready to serve. Gabriella looked up at the other thirty-eight girls still seated in the bleachers as she placed her arms in an awkward plank. Hopefully she would go unnoticed by them too. Volleyball wasn't really her best sport. Then again, she didn't exactly have a best sport to begin with.
While Sharpay waited for the coach's whistle to signal the start, several small conversations were being picked up amongst the girls across the gym, but the closest one to Gabriella was right there on the hardwood court between Taylor McKessie and Brieanne Schnitzler. She could clearly hear their gossip considering Taylor was in the position right in front of her. Brieanne, a starter on the varsity volleyball team, bent her long pale legs into a practiced ready position, "So how come you didn't go to Ellen's party Friday?"
Gabriella knew why. It was because she had spent the entire night shoving her tongue down John Bolton's throat while she had to watch in disgust. Taylor bounced on the balls of her feet, preparing herself for the first serve to go over. "Um, if I tell you, you have to promise not to say a word to anybody," she said as she bit her plump lip, her tone completely serious as she looked at her brown-haired friend.
Gabriella leaned in closer, now fully intrigued in their conversation. Was Taylor going to tell her friend the truth that she was dating East High's top guy? If she did and Gabriella could hear it, then surely all the other girls within earshot could hear her confession as well. Two of those girls also happened to be dating John Bolton. And Gabriella could only assume that if they were to find out about the secret while in the same room, the results would be anything less than pretty.
"Um…. Okay?" Brieanne agreed, although it was more of a question than verification that she would indeed keep her mouth shut. She was unsure of what could have the braniac so secretive, she wasn't normally one to keep things from her friends.
"No, I'm serious," Taylor insisted with a stern look. "No one can find out about this."
"Okay, okay! Just tell me already!" Brieanne finally agreed with a slight laugh. She wasn't taking this too seriously because her years of friendship with Taylor had taught her that it was probably nothing. Maybe she had failed a test and felt the need to study all weekend. It was something Taylor would do.
"Alright," Taylor sucked in a deep breath and leaned closer to her friend, cupping her chocolate hand around her mouth in an attempt to shield her words from everyone else. "I'm dating John Bolton," she said to her friend in a whisper, a very loud whisper. Gabriella's eyes widened. It was okay, maybe the other girls hadn't even been paying attention…….
PING!
'Or not,' Gabriella thought as she watched the volleyball ricochet off of Taylor's head. Taylor's hand flew up to the back of her short bob as her head spun in Sharpay's direction. "Hey, what the hell?!" she whined, glaring at the pink cheerleading captain. The entire gym of juniors and seniors was silent as the two gave each other the death glare. The two were from completely different social circles that typically did not willingly or peacefully intermingle with each other. Now everyone was left wondering what had possessed the popular blonde to slap the ball off of Taylor's head. Everyone, that is, besides Gabriella who was nervously observing right between them.
"Sorry," Sharpay innocently apologized with a shrug of her bony shoulders. "It slipped."
It was still quiet as Taylor registered this. Anyone who had witnessed the act could tell that it was no accident, but Taylor had been facing Brieanne and couldn't vouch for that herself. Since she was a reasonable person who used hardcore facts and evidence, she warily let it slide even though she had a feeling Sharpay wasn't entirely telling the truth. "Um… ok." She turned back towards the net and began bouncing on the balls of her Nike gym shoes in an attempt to forget the incident and reestablish a friendly atmosphere. "Let's play!" She turned to give Sharpay a smile and-
PING!
Gabriella let out a shocked gasp when the volleyball violently connected with Taylor's smooth face, the force and surprise of the impact knocking her with a thud onto the gleaming hardwood floor. Just as she had expected, she could see what this was leading too. Sharpay wore a satisfied smirk while her eyes were screaming something foul at Taylor. Her light brown eyes had darkened with hate but they were also warning that she was ready for a challenge. She had just heard this girl state the unthinkable. It was a lie, it had to be. This nerd was just jealous of her because she was ten times prettier and way more popular. There was no way it could be true because John Bolton was hers and only hers. Anyone who said otherwise would have more coming their way than a simple volleyball to the head as far as she was concerned.
Taylor launched herself off the floor in fury. She had let it go the first time, but this obviously wasn't just a mistake anymore. She was beyond pissed now that this rich little snob thought she could randomly pelt volleyballs in her face for no apparent reason. She had done nothing to her and she expected to be treated with respect. If someone was going to treat her like this, she wanted answers now. She marched over to where the blonde was positioned with her hand on her cocked hip. "You know what, that was no accident!" Taylor yelled in the cheerleading captain's face, strongly jabbing her hand into her shoulder.
The entire gym was now watching as Sharpay slightly stumbled backwards. Fights between girls did not occur often at East High and the heat and malevolence between them was sure to lead to something worthy of tons of gossip. Sharpay regained her balance and her face contorted into an expression of pure rage as she shoved the loser back. "He's mine! Stay away from him!"
Taylor's oval jaw dropped. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Instead of letting her reasonable side rationalize this in her mind, she followed her animalistic instinct to being attacked take over and slapped the blonde bitch upside her pretty little head.
The two were leaning in to attack once more when a sudden force was propelled between them. Kelsi Neilson, with the abandoned volleyball under her pale arm, had lodged her petite frame between the two battling girls. She may not have been friends with either one, but violence was never the answer and this needed to be stopped. "Girls, girls please! Peace and love! No guy is worth fighting over!" She desperately preached as the two teens struggled to cut at the other, but they couldn't manage to break through the activist.
"John Bolton is mine!" Sharpay screeched above the grunts of the tangled girls. They were both stilled in disbelief. Taylor's jaw dropped while Kelsi gasped. Her pledge to peace was tossed out the window as her reaction propelled her to chuck the volleyball at the captain's taut stomach. Sharpay's polished fingers clasped around the ball as it connected with her abdomen. The force of the ball knocked the wind out of her, and she momentarily hunched over before stretching out again with a confused and pissed demeanor. "What the hell is your problem?!"
"I am dating John Bolton!" Kelsi declared, shocking both of the girls. Sharpay had had enough of this! There was no way in hell! She hurled the ball with all the strength she had at the activist's head. Kelsi was quicker though and ducked, leaving the ball to collide with Gabriella's forehead. Gabriella wished she had backed away as she fell to the floor, her head throbbing with the sting.
She stood up in time to see Taylor slap Kelsi who quickly fired back with a slap of her own. A shrill whistle blew in the background, freezing the girls in their spots. Coach Naff was rushing towards the girls, her stride showing she was to put up with no nonsense. She planted herself in the middle of the fuming enemies as they finally stood apart from each other. "Alright ladies, that's enough! Get back to the game!" She demanded in annoyance. She was so sick of these girls and they were lucky they weren't in any further trouble.
She was about to walk back to her ref position when Kelsi let out a furious growl and ran straight for Sharpay, pushing her with all the strength she could muster. Sharpay shrieked and charged for the environmentalist, shoving her straight into a dazed Gabriella. All hell broke loose as Kelsi bounced off of Gabriella's thin frame and into the coach's stocky one. Sharpay raced for the ball cart at the edge of the court, picking up the white balls within and wildly slinging them in every direction. A ball flung off of the coach's red face and flew into the side of Taylor's head. Everything was moving in one huge mad rush as Sharpay abandoned the dwindling ball supply and snatched at the bag full of balls next to the cart. In one powerful motion she whipped the heavy bag at Kelsi, hitting her side and nailing poor Gabriella in the stomach. She clutched at her sore abdomen while Sharpay continued to frantically swing the bag back at Kelsi, smacking her in the back. Kelsi let out a pained grunt and bent over, diving for a ball when she recovered. She chucked one at Sharpay, hitting her in the head while another one was aimed at Taylor. The ball hit both her and the coach as excited shouts went up from the onlookers. Chaos continued and shrieks were screamed as the activist aimlessly threw another ball that collided with Gabriella.
Kelsi scrambled through the mess of fumbling bodies and propelled herself towards the ball cart, a battle cry burning from her lips while Taylor was busy pulling at a yelping Sharpay's long locks. The short blue-eyed brunette throttled herself behind the ball cart, roaring as she drove the cart towards the tussling girls with Gabriella and the coach stuck in the middle. The cart roughly collided with the frazzled coach and Sharpay. They went flailing to the floor in a mass of limbs and screams, bringing down Gabriella and Taylor with them. The sudden brake of the cart sent Kelsi rocketing to the ground too, right next to the shrieking cheerleading captain.
An onslaught of slaps and scratches attacked the three battling girls. They clawed mercilessly at one another as if they were starving lionesses fighting to the death over a carcass. Coach Naff attempted to settle them, but all her efforts were earning her were bruises and scars of her own. Gabriella was huddled in the middle of the brawl, desperately trying to shield herself from the blood hungry savages. She cried out when she felt something brutally jab her in the ribs and something scratch at her arm. She couldn't take anymore of the screams and slaps, not when they were aimed at her.
As she lay there in the midst of the commotion, she suddenly found the answer. The coach was frantically shouting at the uncontrollable girls to stop when all the while the solution was dangling from her thick neck. Through the wall of waving arms, Gabriella grabbed for the glistening whistle. She sat up slightly and placed the silver metal between her lips, closing her eyes as she gave it one long blow. The high-pitched screech of the whistle abruptly silenced the quarreling girls as they looked towards the source of the sound. Gabriella had known this would happen as soon as Sharpay had served the first volleyball at Taylor's head, but it still amazed her how immature these girls were being over a stupid guy. Didn't they realize who was really to blame here? "This guy is cheating on all of you and instead of taking it out on him you're beating the shit out of each other?!"
"Language!" the coach scolded as she rose to her feet. Her anger was apparent through her bulging eyes and the veins that were popping out of her neck. Punishment was on its way. "Detention! You, you, you, and you!" She barked, pointing her dirty fingers at Kelsi, Sharpay, Gabriella and Taylor with each emphasis of the you.
She stomped to her office, completely done with this gym class even though the period was far from over. Gabriella's face flushed with anger. She was completely innocent of any crime, yet she had still payed the price because these petty girls were so wrapped up in John Bolton. Stupid girls! Stupid dumbass John Bolton! Hadn't enough players already screwed with her life? She huffed as she rose to her feet in an angry rush and stormed out of the gym, wanting to be anywhere besides with these foolish girls.
The girls watched as she marched out the doors, breathing deeply from their fight. "Who is that?!" Kelsi asked, still annoyed from what had just occurred. She climbed to her feet as well, making her way to the locker room to cool off some more.
"I don't know, Bella something!" Sharpay breathed out in an upset voice. She was still unnerved too. But what bothered her most as she walked away was that she had come into this gym thinking that John belonged to her, and now she was leaving wondering if she had been wrong. She was not one to be played. If someone dared to mess with Sharpay Evans, someone would pay.
Taylor was the only one left on the court now. She quickly got up and went her own way as well, confused and upset. She left knowing, along with everyone else in the gym, that one thing was abundantly clear.
John Bolton had a lot of explaining to do.