A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! And a special extra thanks to those with long reviews and constructive critisism. :D
I would like to formally inform that this story, which was formerly T rated, is now going to be switched to M. I'm not sure if profanity is allowed with a T rating, so just to be sure, I'm changing it. I was going to change it to M later anyway, because there will be smut later on, but I was thinking, 'What the hell? I'll just do it now.' So I'm changing it. Is that okay? If anyone has any objections...erm, PM me or something. Or just say so in review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Disney or any of these characters except the Wheatons. So far, at least.
The next day was Friday.
And the most dreaded of all the dreaded dreads started on Monday.
In other words, school.
As much as I loved schoolwork and learning, I hated starting new schools. I would be starting my thirteenth. When I told Eric this, I could tell he thought that was insane but I appreciated him for simply assuring me that I'd love East High.
Yeah…sure. Sure, I'd love it. They always told me that. Every time I started a new school it was always, "You'll love it." Yeah, sure. I bet everyone loved that hobo school I went to in New York City. I bet everyone loved that crucially religious Catholic school I went to in Maine with the strictest nuns I'd ever met. Yeah. Sure.
I spent the days leading up to Monday doing what I did best in these sorts of situations: nothing. It grew to be extremely boring; not like I'd expected anything different. I fell into the routine of staying in my room, staring out the window pensively in trances. Sometimes, I would just cry. And the more I did cry, the more I realized that it wasn't helping me express myself. I felt just as choked up.
"Gabriella?"
I made my way to the door, opening it to reveal Eric, who was smiling as usual.
"Hey," I said, my voice unnaturally forced. I slopped on a grimace, but it seemed to slip off.
"So…do you want to meet my friend Chad? We're taking notes on summer reading," he explained.
"You mean, playing video games," I smirked, a smug look crossing my face.
Eric snickered lightly. "Yeah," he sighed sheepishly. "Or that." We had definitely grown closer over the last few days. It was nice. Slow, but nice. Not what I predicted, but I was glad that it wasn't. I appreciated the fact that he tried to make me feel comfortable. Elizabeth, on the other hand, seemed to be the opposite, trying as hard as she could to make me feel uncomfortable. I wasn't sure what her problem was, but that was only the few times a week she was actually home. James was always cooped up in his room reading, researching, or conducting experiments, and Victoria…well, I wasn't sure what she did, but she certainly was very nice the couple of times I had encountered her around the house. My mother and Preppy were almost never home, going off and "doing things for the wedding." Overall, Eric was still my favorite. "Want to meet him? He'll be going to East High as well, so you know, you may want to get to know him a little bit."
I was bored, so I gave in.
Eric's room was spacey and large, though not quite as huge as mine. He wasn't that messy (thank God), but he also wasn't a neat freak. He had a good balance. The walls of his room were a soft calm blue, the color of the sky, and I suspected that had been the color the room was painted when he was a baby. They'd probably never even bothered to change the color. Chad was seated on the floor in front of the television, his hands glued to the remote and his fingers flying as he pushed buttons.
"Dude, I think I got a fucking new record! I think I beat the Captain's," Chad smirked, his eyes stuck to the screen as he continued to concentrate hard.
"Chad, I'd like you to meet Gabriella, my soon-to-be stepsister," Eric beamed, taking a step back as if to showcase me. I bit my lip, feeling shy and a little out of place.
"Wait like five secs dude, I'm almost done—" Chad mumbled, his fingers continuing to skip over the remote control. He pressed his lips together in anticipation and focus. "Aaaaaaand…DONE!" He jumped up excitedly, pumping a fist up in victory. "Dude, I BEAT TR—"
"—Chad, you're making a bad impression on Gabriella," Eric cut in, rolling his eyes. Chad quieted down quickly, looking embarrassed for a mere second, but just as quickly, he wiped it off. His eyes locked with mine for a second. They widened at the sight of me, but I was thankful when he didn't try anything. He just smiled genially.
"Yo, I'm Chad," he said, composing himself as neatly as he could, smiling radiantly and nodding.
"I'm Gabriella," I replied, rather nervous and fidgety.
Chad was a tall African American guy with an enormous afro of brown curls. He was built, like Eric, and I figured he was also on the basketball team. He already seemed like a nice friendly guy, and I could definitely see why Eric and him were good friends.
"You going to East High?" Chad asked, plopping onto Eric's bed and grabbing the remote control in his hands again. He started to set up the next game.
"Yeah," I nodded, biting my lip hard again. I was starting to feel more at ease as Eric joined Chad in his video game, and I sat down in Eric's desk chair and watched. The video game was boring with all the guns and canons and shooting, but the conversation wasn't so bad. At least the guy could carry a conversation at all! Penn Simmons from when I lived in Austin couldn't keep a conversation for more than ten seconds.
"You'll love it," he said, his eyes pasted to the screen again as his fingers worked their magic.
Again.
"Yeah," I nodded, sighing.
"Dude, we've got to introduce Gabs to the gang," Chad said to Eric, whom was also busily playing the video game, his eyes darting back and forth on the bright screen. "Is it okay if I call you Gabs?"
"Yeah," I responded monotonously, realizing that was the third time I had said it in a row. I swallowed, adding a little more to sound more interesting, "Brie is also fine. My mom calls me Ella, but she's pretty much the only one. Just don't call me…Gabi." I as literally choking on the last part, unable to force the name out of my mouth.
"Oh…and why is that?" he questioned, his voice sounding more interested than it had before.
"My…ex-boyfriend…used to call me that," I whispered dejectedly, unable to stop my voice from cracking. I looked down at my lap quickly.
Chad and Eric were quiet for a moment. The only thing that could be heard was gunshots and explosions.
"And…what happened?" Eric asked hesitantly in equal volume, his tone careful and kind.
"He left me," I whispered bluntly, my eyes glossing with a few tears.
Neither Chad nor Eric spoke for a moment.
"I'm very sorry," Chad sighed finally. Their video game was over. They stared at me for a simple second, but fortunately Chad sensed I was feeling uncomfortable, so he refocused his attention back to Eric. "So…dude, tell Taylor I'm picking her up Friday after the game."
"Why can't you tell her?" Eric muttered defensively, his expression annoyed. I could tell he was fed up with what was going on between Chad and whoever this Taylor was. He stood up, switching off the game system and putting back the remotes in their rightful places.
"I can't face her after that fight we had, man, but I need her for the big game," Chad explained exasperatedly, jumping up and leaning on the wall. "She's my good luck charm."
"Chad, stop fucking around with her and just freaking get serious!" Eric exclaimed irritably, sighing and shaking his head. "Sorry Brie, that you have to be around to hear all this shit," he apologized to me, rolling his eyes at Chad who continued to complain angrily.
"I can't get serious with her! She's like so fucking bossy and controlling—"
"Chad, remember," Eric sighed, dropping down to his bed. "You love her."
"I never said that!" Chad defended firmly, crossing his arms. Eric rolled his eyes again, knowing it was very well true.
"Whatever Chad. It's so obvious that no one would give a shit if you screamed it off the top of the Eiffel Tower," Eric replied, bored. "Anyway, let's stop putting Brie to sleep with this crap."
"Fine," Chad huffed in defeat. "But tell her, okay? C'mon dude, it's just three words."
"Three? It's not three! CHAD—WILL—PICK—YOU—UP—AFTER—THE—GAME—ON—FRIDAY," Eric counted on his fingers. "Last time I checked, that was ten words."
"Dude! Just make it three! CHAD—AFTER—GAME. See how easy that was?"
"Which Chad? Chad Michael Murray? Which game? Video game? Game in two weeks? How long after? Five hours? That's not enough info," Eric struggled to win the argument.
"Yes, it is enough info! Trust me man, she knows me. Just tell her, okay?"
"Fine," Eric sulked in a barely coherent mumble, sinking down on his bed. I knew he just wanted Chad to shut up.
We continued to talk after that, and I found myself lighten up, smooth as butter. Gradually again, but that was okay. I was always slow at this. And slow was good. You had less of a chance of tripping up.
I liked Chad. He was cool and kind. I hoped Eric's other friends were nice too. If I didn't make friends by the first two months of school, I'd just sneak into Eric's gang and hopefully find a home there. Until then, I crossed my fingers.
Three twenty-four…three twenty-six…three twenty-eight—
That was it. It had to be. I knew I was incredibly late, the squeaky-clean hallways deserted and quiet. I had gotten lost, taking a whole tour of the gigantic school twice before finding my first class. And here it was.
I drew in a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly before pushing open the wooden door, not sure of what to expect on the other side. I was met with a similar visual of what I'd pictured—a full, bored class all slouching in their seats lazily, an energetic teacher who thought people were paying attention, and a bright classroom with one too many posters. The sunlight was prolifically pouring through the windows, filling the summery room with a warm, comfortable atmosphere.
The teacher was a bit lumpy, with frizzy orange hair that just sat on her shoulders like an accessory. She hadn't noticed my quiet entrance, and kept on lecturing to the students, who were all either staring out the window longingly, sneakily passing notes, or falling into a slumber. The students didn't seem to notice me either. I closed the door behind me with an unintentional bang, making everyone jolt in their seats. One boy dropped a pencil, and the clink it made with the tiled floor was clearly heard in the sudden, intimidating silence. The teacher turned to me, revealing her pale face and stretched smile.
"You must be," she rushed to her desk where she had a list of all her students, "…Gab—Gabber elly?" I shook my head, pursing my lips together and trying to avoid the burning stares of all the students.
"Um, Gabriella. It's Gabriella," I corrected her nervously, shifting my weight on my feet.
"Oh!" the chunky woman offered a fake giggle. "Right, of course. Gabrielle Mow-on-tess." That old woman desperately needed glasses. Either she was blind as a bat, or really needed to go back to school.
"Gabriella Montez."
At this point, all the amused students started to laugh loudly. I felt blush creep up my neck, the crimson color flooding my cheeks. I twisted the material of my skirt in my fist uneasily, sinking deeper with embarrassment by the second.
"Of course! Right," the redheaded woman replied merrily, hopping back to her previous spot in front of the class. She went right on lecturing. I was appalled.
"Um, excuse me," I cut in. The teacher gave me a look as if to say 'How dare you interrupt my lesson!'. I ignored her. "Excuse me, but I don't have a seat."
The lady feigned a smile again. It came out as more of a stretched grimace. "Right. Sit next to—how about Taylor? Right. Go sit next to Taylor."
That was all she said before picking up right where she left off, and she kept on rambling about the areas of history we'd be covering for that term.
I was speechless, clueless; completely lost. Still. I looked out over the sea of deadly bored students, unsure which one was Taylor. I guessed this was Chad's ladyfriend, so that at least eliminated the boys in the class. I knew I wasn't supposed to interrupt the teacher again, who still remained nameless to me, because I knew I'd end up on her bad side. Thankfully, a boy in the front row gave me a smile and gestured over to the back corner of the classroom, right next to a warm open window. I nodded thanks. The corner desk was empty. Except there was a girl occupying the next desk over.
Was that her?
I quietly tiptoed over to the empty desk, leaning over cautiously and asking the pretty girl whom Taylor was politely, just to make sure.
"It's me," the African American whispered, smiling radiantly. I nodded, setting my things on the floor near my desk and sitting down quickly.
"Oh. Sorry. I'm new here—you know, and I didn't want to nag Mrs.—"
"—Miss Kramer," Taylor filled in helpfully.
"Thanks. Yeah, so Miss Kramer. She's a little…"
Taylor laughed quietly, "Yeah. You get used to her. I don't know. I had her last year too."
"That must've been terrible," I responded.
Taylor raised her eyebrows. "I'm fine with that really; I'm just lucky I didn't get Mr. Hull for homeroom again." She leaned back in her chair, resting her chin on her palm.
I smiled kindly back at her, and she gave me a genial smile in return.
Taylor laughed again before adding in her soft velvety voice, "Yeah, Mr. Hull teaches English. You'll know him when you see him. He's really ugly. His gray hair—at least the few strands he has left—sticks up like he'd been electrocuted, and he's got this huge, enormous nose that's all round near the bottom. His face literally looks like some kindergartener formed it out of clay."
I laughed. "I think I have him."
Taylor's eyes widened empathetically, but she waved her hand to me as if not to worry. "It's okay, really. He's just really boring. But extremely easy."
"Ahem, and deadly ugly. If I have to stare at him all year long, I think that's pretty bad!" I scoffed lightheartedly.
I watched as she brushed her dark hair away from her face, and as it perfectly shimmered down her back. Her brown eyes glimmered, sparkling so extravagantly and glamorously that I felt envy rush through my veins. I could definitely see why Chad was in love with her.
"I guess so. Don't worry though. At least you didn't get Mrs. Ruby," she sighed to me, slouching further back in her chair. "So…where'd you move from?"
"San Diego."
"That sounds gorgeous…I'd love to live in California," Taylor laughed, shrugging. "They have a lot more educational programs, and overall, it's a lot more interesting than dry New Mexico."
"Yeah, that was the same thing I loved about California, too!" I exclaimed, surprised, leaning in across the aisle.
Taylor immediately abandoned her slouch and leaned forward in her seat.
"Really? Awesome!" Taylor nodded eagerly. "I take school very seriously."
"Me too," I smiled. "I think it is sad when people don't take their studies seriously." I liked that we had something in common at least. Maybe this place wasn't going to be so bad if I had some friends. I had been so miserable without Him.
"I know! They don't even think about how their grades will affect them in the future," Taylor agreed.
"They'll end up working in the food court at the mall," I giggled.
"Yeah. Speaking about malls, would you like to come with me after school?" Taylor suggested. "This school doesn't give homework on the first day."
"That'd be wonderful!" I said a little too loud. Taylor laughed.
"Okay, great! I'll meet you here right after last period ends. Great?" Taylor asked. I was at a loss of words. I'd never made a friend so fast in my life.
"Yeah…um, great!" I breathed exasperatedly.
"Fantastic! I'll drive you." My face broke out into a huge smile, and I just couldn't help myself.
"Thanks," I smiled.
"No problem!" Taylor smiled.
"Dan Jacobsen!" My heart jumped at the sudden sound of Ms. Kramer barking at the boy in the front row. "Would you pay attention? Now answer the question: What is it called when a man has more than one wife at the same time?"
The poor boy's face went completely red, and he chewed on the inside of his cheeks nervously. His eyes glanced at the class before shrugging a little and answering hopefully, "Cheating?"
"No!" Ms. Kramer shook her head, her orange hair staying still. "Ms. McKessie, would you care to give us the right answer?" Ms. Kramer's expression quickly changed to sweet and suck-up, and it was as if she worshiped Taylor for being the only good student in the class.
"Yes, Ms. Kramer," Taylor answered skillfully, "When a man has more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygamy."
"Very good, Ms. McKessie!" Ms. Kramer clapped happily as if she were speaking to a kindergartener. "See, class? We need more people like her!"
Taylor went white with embarrassment, the whole room seeming to shift as its contents glared at her. She bit her lip again, trying to hide from their glares. They looked away as Ms. Kramer continued to drawl on, picking on other victims. I knew she'd never call on me, because she'd began to call people twice, so I figured she'd forgotten my name.
Suddenly, I heard a vibrating sound, and Taylor pulled out her cell phone and hid it under her desk. She flipped it open and a look of confusion crossed her face as she read the text message.
"It says…Chad—after—game…" Taylor trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing together. She took to biting her lip. "It's from Eric Wheaton. What do you suppose that means?" It was so hard to keep myself from laughing. Instead, I was smirking. "What?" Taylor snapped, not thinking it was funny. "What's so funny?"
"Chad is going to pick you up after the game on Friday," I sniggered.
Taylor rolled her eyes as she texted back: "NO!! HE—ASSHOLE!!"
"Eric is actually my—" I was cut off by the bell, and I was surprised at how the time had flown so quickly. Or maybe that was because I'd been so late.
"See you after school?" Taylor asked me as everyone hurriedly shuffled out of the room.
"Yeah," I responded excitedly.
The mall trip with Taylor had been loads of fun. We found out we had a lot more in common than we thought we had, and we got along really naturally. The next day, Taylor invited me to go to a different, larger mall with her friends, and I agreed excitedly. That was also tons of fun. I really liked her friends, and they were all so nice and helpful to me. There was Kelsi, the shy but musically talented girl. There was Martha, the "pop-and-lock" dancer with the curly hair, and then there was Sharpay, the shopaholic and actress, who was a drama queen but still nice. By the end of the week, I felt truly adopted into their clique. I sat with them at lunch and everything, and I was proud. I told Eric that I became friends with them, and he seemed ecstatic for me.
Maybe Albuequerque was going to be all right.
troyb-ballboy1 has just signed on.
chadizzbadddd has just signed on.
chadizzbadddd: heyyyyy dude how u fairing?
troyb-ballboy1: shit. feel so lonely. feel so sick.
chadizzbadddd: dude z school izz compltly empty & lifeless w/o u. cum bak now. eric got a nu stepsister & she izz HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
troyb-ballboy1: his dad finly remarried?
chadizzbadddd: ya 2 sum 4in lady…but i swear this babe izz hotttter than latishia yu after she came back from paris
troyb-ballboy1: god i wish i could be there 2 see her
chadizzbadddd: total chick seems like a good fuck
troyb-ballboy1: mmmmmhhhh ok ill remember that
chadizzbadddd: ya but id never do her…………….i mean, shes erics sister!!
troyb-ballboy1: rite…whats she look like?
chadizzbadddd: brown hair, gorguss brown Is…petite small kinda short skinny…ur type
troyb-ballboy1: hhhhhhhhmmmmmm mayb wen I cum bak ill chek her out
chadizzbadddd: ya shes a little nerdy but then id b a total hypocrite cuz shes in the same level as tay…
troyb-ballboy1: oh…
chadizzbadddd: ya but shes so hotttttttt it totally makes uppp 4 it
troyb-ballboy1: whats her name?
chadizzbadddd: Gabriella.
troyb-ballboy1 has just signed off.
A/N: Fine? Horrible? Terrific? Gross? Review? ;)
I absolutely postively definitely infinitely endlessly love constructive critisism. Think of it as your good deed of the day.
Here is a translation of the IM convo:
Troy has just signed on.
Chad has just signed on.
Chad: Hey, dude, how are you?
Troy: Shit. I feel so lonely. I feel so sick.
Chad: Dude, the school is completely empty and lifeless without you. Come back now. Eric got a new stepsister and she is HOT.
Troy: His dad finally remarried?
Chad: Yeah, to some foreign lady…but I swear, this babe is hotter than Latishia Yu after she came back from Paris.
Troy: God, I wish I could be there to see her.
Chad: Total chick. Seems like a good fuck.
Troy: Okay, I'll remember that.
Chad: Yeah but I'd never do her…I mean, she's Eric's sister!
Troy: Right…what does she look like?
Chad: Brown hair, gorgeous brown eyes…petite, small, kind of short and skinny… Your type.
Troy: Hmm…maybe when I come back I'll check her out.
Chad: Yeah, she's a little nerdy, but then I'd be a total hypocrite because she's in the same level as Tay…
Troy: Oh…
Chad: Yeah, but she's so hot, that it totally makes up for it.
Troy: What's her name?
Chad: Gabriella.
Troy has just signed off.