Hey Everyone! This is my first Chaylor, which is the 2nd highest HSM couple I support. Anyway, I hope this chapter isn't too horrible. I always find that the first chapter for me is the hardest to write. Now that I'm finished babbling:

CHAPTER ONE

"East High. A place full of barriers and walls, barriers that divide clique from clique, and walls that keep them caged within that group. It's also a place of rules, unwritten rules acting as an invisible police force for the popular kids of the school.

Jocks are of the highest honor and the members of the Scholastic Decathlon were of the lowest. Drama club was just a step under the jocks and the rest of the cliques were filed somewhere in-between. It's an unwritten rule that a jock must a jock or someone near his or her rank. It's forbidden for a jock to date a math geek or chess-clubber or a science nerd.

But that rule was broken as a pair of students unexpectedly started dating. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez tore down these barriers and walls as they quickly befriended each other, soon their platonic friendship turning into something more. Yes, that's true and we already know this story. But this tale is about their best friends, who just can't seem to see past these barriers and still believe in these unwritten rules (with the exception of Troy and Gabriella)."

-zanessatroyellasupporter
Kat

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"Gabi! Can you just hurry it up a bit?" Taylor McKessie, head of the Scholastic Decathlon, pleaded.

"Just go ahead to Health class," Gabriella responded after a note fell out of her locker, "I'll be there in a little while."

"Okay, just don't be late. Mr. Levisk is assigning a project for partners and I wouldn't want you to get stuck with someone you wouldn't like."

"I'm sure I won't," Gabriella answered, her eyes moving quickly as she read.

Taylor looked at her watch. In a minute, the bell would ring and she had to run across the school to get to her class. "Gabi, the bell."

"Tay, just go ahead. I've got to go do something real quick," Gabriella said, folding up the note and sticking it between the pages of her notebook.

Without hesitation, Taylor sprinted down the hallway, flew down 2 flights of steps, and raced the remaining 5 seconds to reach the turn in the hallway.

"Mr. Levisk always checks the hallway before closing the door. Yeah, if you arrive afer he closes the door, then you're late. Anytime before that is fine," Taylor thought, pushing herself to reach the turn in the hallway.

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"Dude Troy, hurry up. We've gotta get to Health," Chad urgently said.

"Woah, Chad! I didn't know you were so eager," Troy joked, "For Health class. Is there someone you have your eye on? Like Taylor McKessie?"

"Ew...her? No way," Chad responded with a look of disgust, "No, it's because your dad's been on my case about my Health grade."

"You're failing Health?" Troy said, "That's one of the easiest classes in this whole school." He laughed, placing a couple of books on the top-shelf of his locker.

"Well, laugh all you want, but if you don't hurry up, you'll be short one team member in next week's game," Chad retorted with a worried look on his face as he leaned against the locker.

"Just go head. I've got something to do anyway."

"What do you have to do that's so important that you're going to be late for Health?" Chad asked, looking at the clock. 2 minutes before the bell would ring.

"What are you still doing here?" Troy closed his locker, placing his books on the floor.

Looking back at the clock, Chad debated whether to argue or race the second hand. Troy smiled, watching his best friend work the gears in his head.

"Well," Troy said, leaning against his locker, "What are you still doing here?"

Without looking back, Chad ran down the empty hallway, hoping he could make it within the last minute and a half.

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"Hey Troy. What did you need to talk to me about?" Gabriella called from the end of the hallway.

"Actually Darbus wanted to talk to us," Troy answered through his laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing," Troy said, catching his breath, "Now let's hurry and go see Ms. Darbus." Troy placed his arm around Gabriella's slender shoulders.

"Okay...Troy, you do know that Mr. Levisk is assigning a health project today?"

"Yeah. I know."

"Taylor said that it's a pairs project. Aren't you worried?"

"About what?"

"Getting paired with somebody you wouldn't like."

"Why?" Troy answered, pulling open the door of Ms. Darbus' room, "Mr. Levisk is pairing up people as they walk through the door. We're guaranteed to be to be paired up."

"Oh, good," Gabriella said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Come on," Troy grinned, closing the door behind them.

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"Ow!" Chad screamed as he collided head-on with Taylor when she reached the turn in the hallway. "Watch where you're going!"

Taylor didn't respond. She got up, scrambling to collect her scattered books in time.

Her mad efforts were futile. It was too late. The bell rang and Mr. Levisk slammed the door, the sound echoing down the hallway.

"I guess he's in a hurry today," Chad pondered, rushing to the door.

Not surprised that he didn't help her, Taylor grabbed her last notebook and arrived at the door behind Chad. He opened the door, the hinges squeaking loudly,

"Welcome to class, Mr. Danforth, Ms. McKessie. Take your seats," Mr. Levisk said.

Without looking up, Taylor slid into her seat in the front row. Chad, on the other hand, sat toward the back of the room and was greeted warmly by a group of friends.

"Before we were rudely interrupted," Mr. Levisk looked at Chad, "The project is about parenthood. Teen pregnancy numbers have risen in the past years, especially among high schools in urbanized areas."

Taylor pulled out her Health notebook and jotted down a couple of notes. She was the only one who was doing so.

"For this project, you will be working with your partner and take on the roles of parents... What is it Taylor?" Mr. Levisk asked as Taylor's hand was waving in the air.

"Did we already pick partners?"

"Actually, I assigned partners already."

"Well, who's mine?" Taylor asked, "Please let it be Gabi. Please let it be Gabi."

"I assigned partners as you walked through the door. So Chad, Taylor since you were both late, you'll be working together."

Chad, who was talking to Jason behind him, seemed to object to that idea. "With her?! Can't I work with Troy?"

"Yeah, anyone but him!" Taylor retaliated, pointing her finger at Chad without looking at him.

"Who says that I wanna work with you?"

"Who says that I want to work with you?"

"Stop your childish bickering...Chad, Troy has neglected to show up for class..." Mr. Levisk stated, "Don't snicker Ms. McKessie. Life isn't fair. Just put aside your differences and learn to cooperate."

"But-"

"Not another word, Mr. Danforth. Any objections Ms. McKessie?" Mr. Levisk shot a glance at Taylor, who didn't meet his eyes.

"Well," he continued, "now that we've gotten that figured out, the project is on teenage parenthood. You and your partner will take on the roles of parents and..." he reached into a box, "take care of your own child."

"You mean we're going to take care of a real child?" Chad stupidly asked.

"No, you will be taking care of a baby simulator. This advanced piece of technology will act and react as a real infant. It will constantly be needed to be monitored. If it cries, you will need to calm it down. If it becomes restless, you must play with it."

"Play with a doll?!" Chad exclaimed.

"Yes. There's a sensitive chip within the simulator that will record this information. Your grade is entirely dependent on how well you and your partner work together." He cast a glance in Chad's and Taylor's direction. "You will pick up the baby simulator at the end of class. Now, with today's lesson..."

The door opened and in walked Troy and Gabriella, hand in hand.

"We're sorry Mr. Levisk, Ms. Darbus needed to speak with me and Gabriella," Troy explained, handing Mr. Levisk the note that Ms. Darbus gave him.

"Okay, just take a seat. You both are paired up with the project." Troy gave Gabriella a 'told-you-didn't-I' look, which caused her to giggle to herself.

"She's so lucky," Taylor thought to herself as Gabriella took her seat beside her, "She got paired up with her boyfriend. And I got stuck with the real 'Lunkhead Basketball Boy' Chad Danforth."

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What do you think? Please send in your reviews!

With much love,
KAT