Chapter 8
"Montez!" Gabriella heard someone call out. She turned around to find Coach Wu walking up to her. She had a big smile on her face.
"Good news," Coach Wu said. "I found a way you can raise your gym grade up."
Gabriella's mood lifted. "Really! Great!"
"All you have to do is win the Annual Dance Competition,"Coach Wu said.
Gabriella's mood went down. The Annual Dance Competition was a partner-recquired competition. "But...I don't have a partner."
"I found you one," the gym teacher told her with a big smile. "I'll let you use my gym as practice if you want. You'll meet your partner after school."
For the rest of the day, Gabriella wondered who her partner was. Hopefully someone who was good-looking. She didn't wanna be stuck with a dork or anything. But the guy was obviously a good dancer or Coach Wu wouldn't have chosen him.
"Hey, Troy," she heard Tiffany's shrill voice say. "I'm thinking of entering the Annual Dance Competition. But I need a partner."
Troy started to walk away, but Tiffany stopped him. "So I was wondering if you wanna be--"
"Can't," Troy said. "Already got a partner. See ya."
Gabriella almost laughed out loud. Tiffany looked just like Sharpay when she was angry.
"I feel bad for the girl who ends up as his partner," Gabriella said to herself.
Of, course, she had no idea that she was feeling sorry for herself.
Troy got to the gym as quickly as possible. Coach Wu said he and Gabriella could use the gym to practice after school.
"What's taking her so long?" he asked as he glanced at the clock. Five minutes had passed already.
Might as well warm up, he thought. He took out a CD he brought and popped it into the boombox Coach Wu had taken out.
He pressed play and went to Track 5:The Voice
I hear your voice on the wind
And I hear you call out my name
"Listen, my child," you say to me
"I am the voice of your history
Be not afraid, come follow me
Answer my call, and I'll set you free"
I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain
I am the voice of your hunger and pain
I am the voice that always is calling you
I am the voice, I will remain
I am the voice in the fields when the summer's gone
The dance of the leaves when the autumn winds blow
Ne'er do I sleep thoughout all the cold winter long
I am the force that in springtime will grow
I am the voice of the past that will always be
Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields
I am the voice of the future, bring me your peace
Bring me your peace, and my wounds, they will heal
I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain
I am the voice of your hunger and pain
I am the voice that always is calling you
I am the voice
I am the voice of the past that will always be
I am the voice of your hunger and pain
I am the voice of the future
I am the voice, I am the voice
I am the voice, I am the voice
This was the first song Troy had learned to dance to. He knew this song was a bit more the girls' dancing team, but he liked dancing to it...in private.
As Gabriella made her way to the gym, she heard a distant sound of a song playing.
She knew the song was The Voice sang by Celtic Woman.
She peeked through the door. She saw a boy, dancing with twirls and leaps and steps.
"Wow," Gabriella said softly. She felt her heart soar. Her partner was GOOD! There was no way she could lose the Annual Dance Competition next month!
The boy stopped dancing and turned off the boombox. He looked up at the clock and sighed. "Where are you, Montez?" he asked himself.
How does he know my name? she asked herself. Then suddenly, a single beam of light hit upon him. Gabriella could see his eyes.
Blue
Bright blue.
Gabriella gasped. Surely, her partner wasn't...
"Bolton?" she said, walking into the gym. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you," he said. "Are you ready to practice?"
Those words hit Gabriella cold. "Practice? What are you talking about?"
"Uh, hello? I'm your dance partner," he said. "Didn't you Coach Wu tell you."
Gabriella's jaw dropped. She had to dance with Bolton.
She remembered what she had said to herself earlier that day: "I feel bad for the girl who ends up as his partner."
Correction: I feel bad for myself, Gabriella corrected mentally. Ugh! Why?
"Apparently not," Troy answered his own question.
"Why did she pick you?" Gabriella asked. "You out of all the good dancers out there! Why you?"
Troy shrugged. "She came down to my aunt's school and saw me dancing."
Gabriella wanted to scream at him, hit him, injure him, make his day hell. But deep down, she knew why Coach Wu chose him out of all the others. He was obviously the best dancer...thatCoach Wuknew.
"Hey," Troy said. "I'm just doing this so you won't have to fail gym."
"Well, you don't have to do it!" Gabriella exclaimed.
"Exactly," Troy shot back. "So Ican march up to Coach Wu tomorrow and tell her you're absolutely impossible to work with. Then you'll fail gym for the semester...and the year. So you'll have to retake it during the summertime."
Gabriella was silent.
"And I'm sure you don't want that to happen," Troy said with a smirk.
Gabriella resisted the urge to wipe that smirk off her face.
"So, you're choice," Troy continued. "Either treat me with respect or no competition."
Gabriella took a deep breath. It was a lose-lose situation anyway. "Fine. I'll be nice."
Troy grabbed her hand. Gabriella thought this was odd. Didn't people usually shake hands with opposite hands?
Then Troy pulled her toward him.
"You know you're clumsy, right?" he said.
Gabriella just stared. She was too nervous to nod.
Troy smiled. "You're tense, too. Loosen up."
Gabriella let go of all her muscles. But when Troy placed a hand on her waist, she almost suffocated.
Gabriella didn't understand what was going on. Why was she feeling like she didn't wanna mess up? She felt like she actually wanted to impress Troy.
Then, without warning, Troy dipped her and brought her back up.
Gabriella hissed, "What was that for?"
"You seemed sorta tense," Troy said. "Had to loosen you up. That always works withSharpay. Fun, wasn't it?"
Okay, she couldn't help it. She smiled.
"See, nothing to be scared of," Troy said. He smiled back.
Gabriella felt herself blushing.
What the--
"You know, your brown eyes are just like Sharpay's," Troy said randomly.
Gabriella didn't know what to say to this. So she decided "thanks" would be the best idea.
But before she could say anything, Troy added, "But yours are prettier."
"Thanks," Gabriella said. Did Troy really just say her eyes were prettier than Sharpay's?
For half an hour, Troy and Gabriella interacted with each other. Troy even taught her a few simple salsa steps. All too soon, it was time to leave.
"We'll come here again after school," Troy said. "My aunt says I don't have to come to dancing classes until the competition is over."
As Gabriella watched Troy leave, she started to notice his smile. Like really notice it.
But Gabriella stopped herself.
She couldn't be falling for Troy...
could she?
i finally made gabi fall for troy. don't worry. it'll be troy's turn, soon.
the next chapter is gonna introduce tyler or zeke. or maybe both. or maybe neither. i'm not quite sure (sorry)
and there's also a link in my profile to the video of 'The Voice.' it's a really good song.