Sorry about the wait guys! I've been typing hard-out lately, trying to get another chapter of all of my stories done. I will have the others updated soon!

Her make-up was immaculate, her concealer and foundation all blended just right, smoothing into her Latina-golden skin. Her hair was pulled away from her face with a head band, the curls swirling around her face and tickling at her neck. Mascara lengthened her already long eyelashes, and her eyeliner was artfully applied along with her eye shadow, giving her a smoky, almost mysterious look. Three chains hung around her neck, one with a small cross, one with a silver love-heart and one with half of a pink heart with 'Best' scrawled on it, half of a best-friend necklace, the other half around another neck. She had a white blouse on, the sleeves short and puffed slightly; the first three buttons undone, showing a black boob-tube underneath. The top of a lacy, red bra showed slightly underneath her back boob-tube, which was clinging to her well-sized breasts. Beneath the top were a short pair of denim mini-shorts, clutching to her well-rounded ass and clinging to her slim thighs, showing off her long, tanned legs. There was a single, chain anklet around her slim ankle, and then a pair of black and white ballet flats on her feet.

An amazingly good knock-off Prada bag was thrown carelessly into the back-seat of a silver convertible, lying on the plush leather seats next to pair of expensive looking sunglasses. The girl slid into the front seat of the car, inserting the keys into the ignition, sending them swinging, three keys on the chain, along with the silver letter G. The engine started and revved as she backed down her driveway, putting the car in Drive and then taking off down the road, a black cat running off down in a driveway as she sped past.

The silver car turned down a road which was lined with large trees, their leafy produce shadowing the street even in the early hours of the morning. Houses the size of small castles lined the sidewalk as the car edged forward and then finally stopped in front of a house, and then horned sounded, echoing down the silent street. A moment later, two blondes came out of the house, making more noise. One was a girl with long, wavy hair which bounced around her shoulders. She had a pair of pink sunglasses which had glittering pink rhinestones encrusted around the edges. She had a white mini-skirt fringed with pink and a pink boob-tube on, the outfit showing off her tanned skin and her long, slim limbs. Beside her, a boy scurried along, wearing an immaculate white polo shirt, and black, pressed pants, topped off with a vibrant orange hat, which was tipped stylishly to one side. The Evan twins reached the car, both loudly kissing the girl on the cheeks and then climbing in with her. Sharpay Evans slid into the front passenger seat and Ryan Evans jumped over the door into the backseat, pushing the glasses and the bag onto the ground.

"Oi!" The brunette in the drivers' seat turned around and gave him a narrow look as she noticed the bag on the floor. "My mum got me that," she said, turning back around when he shrugged apologetically. Gabriella Montez stepped on the accelerator, and they once again were speeding down the road. As they neared the school, Sharpay took out her make-up mirror and quickly looked herself over, particularly looking at her neck. Gabriella glanced over, sighing as she did. "God, who are those from?" She asked in disgust at the sight of the faint purple marks on her friends neck which were partially hidden by make-up and hair.

"I dunno," Sharpay grinned. "But he was hot!" There was a slight laugh from the back seat and Gabriella looked in the rear-view at Ryan, who pulled the cut-throat signal. Sharpay caught the look too. "What?! He was!"

"The man had a terrible clothing sense—he had ripped pants, and an obviously ironed polo on—two items which do not go together," Ryan had obviously studied the guy well. "He also had black-heads galore all over his chin—I wouldn't be surprised if you caught them Sharpay." Gabriella and Ryan both shared a grin as Sharpay let out a yelp and grabbed her mirror again, inspecting her chin carefully.

"That would teach you not to get wasted and hook up with random guys," Gabriella said as she pulled into their usual parking space, which was reserved for them especially. Sharpay shrugged her head, obviously over the blackhead scare and just remembering the guy from the previous night. As the three climbed out of the car, a girl from the drama club ran over and started talking quickly to Sharpay, distracting her and pulling her away from the other two. Gabriella tossed her silky hair over her shoulder as she locked her car and secured it, turning to Ryan, who was looking after his sister with a look of dismay on his face. "How bad was she?" Gabriella asked under her breath as she fiddled in her bag, trying to find her timetable for the day.

"He was horrible. Sweaty and just after someone young to sink his teeth into. And as you saw on her neck, he did exactly that," Ryan winced as he thought about it. Gabriella shook her head, pulling her timetable out and studying it. "He looked about thirty." Gabriella's head snapped up.

"Please tell me you're joking," she said.

"Nah," Ryan shook his head. Gabriella rolled her eyes and put her timetable back in her bag, it instantly sliding down between a few books and getting lost. "Anyway, how was your weekend?" Ryan asked as they began walking up the stairs toward their school, becoming lost in the tangled throng of students.

"Not too bad. Mum is back until next Wednesday. She wants us to go out to dinner. Ya know, mother-daughter bonding time, since she's never around," Gabriella rolled her eyes as though it didn't mean much to her, but Ryan knew her well enough to know that she would be planning the dinner over and over in her head, fretting over what to wear, how much she wanted to tell her mother. Gabriella loved her mother, as all of her friends knew, even though Gabriella had never outright said it. Just seeing Gabriella in the days when her mother was home, her whole face lit up, and even though she was always happy, she just seemed to get a glow about her. "I went out to the party at Troy's on Saturday—how come you never showed?"

"I was helping mummy get ready for the dinner on Sunday," Ryan answered, thinking nothing of how he referred to his mother. People who didn't know Ryan very well would think he was gay, or a suck-up, or just some stuck up, spoiled rich kid who didn't have a brain of his own. But he was highly intelligent and very heterosexual, surprising everyone with a beautiful girlfriend who attended a school half hour away from their own school. And his 'mummy' comment was very usual, he was just very close to his parents, especially so to his mother, and the word just seemed to fit his vocabulary. Gabriella couldn't imagine Ryan referring to his parents any other way that 'mummy' and 'daddy'. It just suited him. It made him part of the Ryan they all knew and loved. "Did I miss anything world changing?" Ryan asked. He was hoping that something had happened between Troy and Gabriella—as all of their friends were. Gabriella and Troy had been so close since they were about seven, and even though they claimed there was nothing else between them, everyone hoped that they would realize they were truly meant for each other.

"Uh, not really. Kelsi hooked up with someone out the back. We don't know who he is, but we know that Jason was missing, as was Carlos, that big guy with black hair in the football team. So we think it was one of those two," Gabriella answered. "Someone spiked the juice, and Troy spent half the night in the bathroom with Zeke—who we all know can't hold his alcohol down."

"Jason to the first one, and Chad to the second," Ryan told her without a moment's hesitation.

"You think so?" Gabriella asked as they stopped at her locker. "I always thought that there was something between Kelsi and Jason. It just sucks that even if it really was the two of them, they were both two drunk to even remember they hooked up. And we had our suspicious about Chad and the punch." Gabriella laughed and shook her head. The next party they had with parents at home, they would have to keep Chad well clear of the drinks.

"I'll catch you later, I want to talk to Ms Darbus before form class," Ryan said. He waved over his shoulder as he walked off. Gabriella nodded, putting her bag in the locker and taking out the books she needed for the first period. As she saw her two other best friends near her, she grinned. Taylor McKessie and Kelsi Neilson approached her, and both gave her hugs. Their arms automatically linked as they began their way to their form classes. People moved out of their way as they passed. Gabriella walking down the hall, her arms linked with the two other girls, all of them laughing and talking. Troy Bolton ran up behind them and nudged her on the shoulder, smiling.

"We're studying after school?" He asked her. Gabriella nodded.

"If you buy me a latté with skim milk and—"

"Extra chocolate sauce and cream," he finished. "I know." He grinned at her, and Gabriella smiled back. From the perspective of those around her, she was carefree, harmlessly flirting with her friend, laughing with her best friends. She looked like a girl nearing the prime of her life. A girl who was lucky, happy…Perfect.

Please review and let me know what you think!

xx