The first chapter was kind of an introduction to the story. And it took place in the past, which explains the italic.:) I hope that all of you are satisfied with the story and that you'll review and read the future updates.

I STILL DON"T OWN ANYTHING AND THAT'S FOR THE WHOLE STORY

CHAPTER 2

Why did everything have to go the un-expected way?

But always the un-expected way in a bad way. The way that could always mark you for the rest of your lifetime. One second you are happy and in control of things in your life and in a blink of an eye, the second later, everything that you spend time building seemed to fade and get destroyed before your very eyes.

These were the painful thoughts that a certain brunette had as she walked in the hallways of her new school, in a new town, million of miles away from her original home.

Since her dad had left the earth, you would think that she would have lived miserably, but it was the opposite. The fact that he left, gave her more reasons to live. The fact that he wasn't there gave her more hope, confidence and happy moments. But her dad also left pain. Pain for her to whimper in, fear and sadness.

The loving dad that was shown to you disappeared a few months later, when he lost his job and started drinking, becoming an alcoholic.

That's when the nightmare started, when all the overwhelming beauty of the earth seemed to go away, become sepia all of a sudden. Her life had become a living nightmare, with nothing to be laughing nor smiling about.

All sparkles, happy moments, music, smiles had gone down the same way her dad had a few bottles of beer and vodka down in gulps.

Nothing had been the same.

And the consequences of that lost were, what made it all the more painful, Gabriella decided, because she didn't miss the alcoholic man that her mom happened to marry for seventeen years. She missed her dad. The one that she had loved, played and laughed with.

As she made a stop to study the way she needed to go for her first class, she felt a hard body hit hers, causing the things that she held in her hands to fall on the floor with herself.

She quickly got up to her feet, not paying much attention to the people that glared at her without helping, some laughing and making fun of the new girl, others just passing by not caring of if she had gotten hurt or not.

As she gathered her stuff, she felt a presence next to hers, helping her pick up the school supplies that were now all over the floor around her:

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." His apologies didn't seem to be false as Gabriella could sense the truth in his voice. "I was to busy laughing with my friends. I'm really sorry"

He got up with the rest of her stuff and handed them to her as she managed to get out:

"It's okay." She took her stuff from his hands still not looking up at the guy standing next to her, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. She just wanted to get to class and get the day over with.

"Are you sure?" The voice asked with more concern.

This statement made her look up. She hadn't met anyone caring for her this much in a while. Actually, not a lot of people were concerned for her, despite her family which was a normal fact.

Gazing into blue familiar eyes, she gave the sandy hair boy a little smile, but nothing farther as he was pulled by the hand by a curly puffy brown haired boy who told him something that she could barely hear but as she read his lips captured something like:

'What are you doing? She's a new girl!'. Then him and all his sport team mates synced into the morning crowd.

He's eyes were familiar to her, but she couldn't quite remember where she had met such friendly ones. She had never visited Mexico before and none of her friends had those kinds of blue orbs.

As Gabriella tracked down her next class, she figured that she could use a little visit to the girl's room, as homeroom was near it.

She pushed the revolving door open and got into a cabinet before setting her bag on the rack that was made for that purpose and sat on the bowl's cover, letting out a sight, her shoulders being weighed down with her heavy breathing.

After a moment of doing silent prayers, she got up to her feet, and managed to open the door, without success. The lock wouldn't release. Gabriella started panicking about how she could go out of the bathroom.

She looked up and saw no way of escaping from there. It looked really dangerous: she would have to hiss her self up on the bowl and try to crawl up the wall that separated her cabinet to the next one.

Looking down to her feet, she saw a way out but then revised her self from that idea as she saw water on the floor. She couldn't make a wet impression on her first day! But then again she could really careless about what people thought of her. And she doubt that anyone would pay attention to her: she was invisible.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the bell ringing fiercely into her ears.

'Oh no! Warning bell!' Gabriella thought.

If someone didn't come in the bathroom in less than ten minutes, she would be dead. Having been advised that her dramatic, homeroom teacher would give her detention even if it's her first day at East High School.

That at least was what the principal said. He wouldn't lie right?

I just had to go to the bathroom! , she thought mad at herself for this.

Doing a silent prayer as to how, the Lord almighty would send someone to come and rescue her as she was prisoner of a stupid bathroom, on her first day of school.

After a moment Gabriella resigned herself. She sat on the bowl, her hands on her face. Someone will find me, I mean it's the bathroom! It's not like no one goes to the bathroom.

Finally, after what seemed to be in eternity she heard someone push the door of the bathroom. Gathering some courage, she said in a calm voice:

"Excuse me? Could you help please? I'm stuck in the bathroom"

She was only responded by silence. Feeling a little sick and sadness overwhelm her Gabriella sat back on the bowl and pushed her knees up her chest, wrapping her arms around them and rocking her self slowly. She let out a small sob and then she heard the person say her name. Her nickname to be exact.

Today was one of the weirdest days. First she bumps into this guy and now someone is saying her name, without her knowing anyone. It was her first day.

"Gaby?" Asked a high pitched voice, filled with shock, "Is that you?... I know it's you. You're my only friend that is able to sob this way. Gabriella?"

Recognizing her friend's voice, Gabriella smiled and got up her feet, quickly saying:

"Sharpay! It's me! It's Gaby!'' She paused letting her emotions sync in "We could talk, but it would be better if I wasn't stuck here."

"Why don't you just open the door?"

"Sharpay Evans, you never change now do you? I would if I could now don't you think? The lock is stuck!" She exclaimed with a giggle. Unable to stop herself from smiling.

"Well that explains a lot! Okay so move back. Nothing can resist to my heels. Put your self to the side as I'll try to force the door."

She did as she was told. Feeling happy as the idea of having a long lost friend from Malibu, be in the same school as her.

She felt happy. And happiness was one of the emotions that she had buried ,deep deep down in the ground, next to her mother's grave.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard a bang on the door that was being forced out by her friend on the other side.

After a moment of doing so, the door finally gave in and revealed Sharpay, dressed in a white shirt with pink sparkles and a bright pink mini skirt. The usual kind of Sharpay. Never changed, not now and probably not ever, Gabriella thought to her self a little smile on her face as she embrace the blonde's body in a thigh hug which she gratefully returned.

Then they both rushed to homeroom and got there as the bell rang. Unfortunately for them, all the sits next and behind Sharpay were already taken except for Sharpay's usual sit next to Ryan on the second row, so as Gabriella handed to her new teacher some papers, she spotted a seat at the opposite side of the room from Sharpay and Ryan, on the front row. It was isolated from the rest of the classroom. So she directed her self to that seat, sat on it and waited for morning announcements to begin, getting out a notebook and pencils to draw and write what had happened this morning.

And as their teacher started to speak a student got in the room, excuse him self for his late timing, knowing that he was probably going to end up in detention for that but didn't quite care. Moving to his usual seat, he found a girl with curled brown hair there, her face staring at a blank paper on the desk, not paying attention to what was going on in the room.

It's only when he racked his throat that Gabriella realized that the boy that had hit her this morning was now standing in front of her, a demanding look on his face.

It's then that it clicked. The puffy guy behind her was his friend. And the seat she was currently seating on was his.

As she gathered her stuff in silence, not wanting to get in trouble on her first day, she heard the teacher exclaim:

"Oh come on Mr. Bolton! Just find another seat! My patience has limits, and be a gentleman for once."

Gabriella looked up and saw that the boy had started to rub the back of his neck, a little excuse smile on his face. He didn't say a word but his eyes said it all: 'Sorry. Just stay there for today, but tomorrow; I would want my seat back please'

Gabriella watched as he moved away from where he was, being directed to the back of the room where an empty seat was.

Tomorrow, this would be the seat, she'll be occupying for the rest of the year. If her family didn't decide to move again, which she had started to be used to, even if each time it happened she was in the obligation to say goodbye to her old friends, and hello to a new life.

The day went by fast, nothing like the incident of that morning happened again, as Gabriella chose her seats carefully.

She had lunch with Sharpay on a table outside, celebrating the nice weather of Early February along with them meeting again unexpectedly after being separated for over a year and a half.

The best friends had met in their dance classes when they were younger, back in Malibu. And they hadn't really talked since they both moved but Sharpay was aware of everything going on in the brunette's life as her parents had often contact with hers.

She felt bad for her in so many ways.

Her life was way more difficult than hers. So pitiful. So filled of sadness, sorrow and pain. It had been terrible.

Sharpay had wanted to drive Gabriella home, but the petite frame girl had insisted on her preferring to take her bike and ride back home by herself as that was the way she went to school that day, as it was a nice weather to do so and the fact that also, the school wasn't far away from her house.

No need to spend gas to do the small distance: less pollution in the world. She was trying to go green, her little sister being right behind her in that decision.

As she rode back home, the warm wind on her face, she couldn't help but think about her parents. They were both gone. Forever.

At that thought a tear fell down her some cheek and her features were destroyed by the pain that was felt by her heart and into her body.

As she got the big house thought, she forced a smile on her face, dropped her bicycle on the grass in front of the house and rushed to greet her aunt and sister. She changed into comfy sweats and rushed back down the stairs.

As she had promised her sister, they both took their bicycle and headed towards the small town, being claimed not to be late for dinner by their aunt.

They rode downtown familiarizing them selves with the stores and restaurants, spotting a huge park, a pizza parlor, some of their favorite stores to shop in, other brands they didn't know, a Mc Donald and as they rode some more, spotted their favorite ice cream store: 'Dairy Queen'.

Even if dinner was coming up, they both couldn't resist the urge to get in and order their favorite sundaes with brownies and chocolate fudge all over.

Then, they walked around the town, finding places where they knew they would spend lots of time like a dance class and an ice rank.

They loved to go ice skating. It didn't quite matter if it wasn't real ice. They had promised them selves to find stuff to make keep them occupied and maybe, just maybe they might find happiness again.

Something told them that it would be the best for them if they found stuff to do in their free time. That something was probably their aunt. And they had agreed to her statements and suggestions.

After finishing their sundaes, they went back to their bicycles and drove to the park, which was a short cut to their house.

They arrived home as their aunt was putting the last plates on the table.

Gabriella and Ana washed their hands before they sat on the table, prayed then ate their delicious dinner. You would think that the girls would be filled with their sundaes but they were so starving that the sundaes wouldn't have filled them up.

They ate in silence before broke the silence by addressing herself to her younger sister

"Hey Ana. Guess who I met at school today?"

"Who?" the little girl asked back. Being clueless at who that would be.

"Sharpay!"

"What? No way!" she exclaimed startled.

"Wait… Are you talking about the Sharpay Evans?"

"Yup the same one. She hasn't changed a bit."

"And I wonder why that doesn't surprise me" She giggled.

Gabriella was startled. She hadn't heard her sister giggle in basically two months. It was like music to her ears.

"Who's Sharpay?" asked the adult in the family, shocked also by the giggle of the younger girl.

"Shar is Gabriella's best buddy from dance class. They had lost contact since they both moved away from Malibu like two years ago. She's a really fun blonde to hang out with. And she LOVES pink. It's crazy. I have never seen Sharpay wearing something that doesn't have pink sparkles or bedazzled stuff on it. It would be history and should be marked in Guinness records if one day I spot Shar without wearing something that hasn't pink in it." She smiled at her statement and added "Even then, I think she would have pink undies or a pink head band or bracelets…"

Ana's sentence was cut off by the sound of the door bell. Who could that be? They had just moved here a week or so ago. They didn't know anyone, except the people that worked with their aunt at the workshop store. And they didn't visit her.

The three of them got up from the table and walked to find three people standing on the porch a smile on their faces.

"Hi! Montez family? We are your neighbors. We realized that you guys had just moved in and we wanted to say welcome and greet you in the neighborhood." The woman said. Smiling she added: "I know you have been here for over a week but we just thought it would be better to bring you these home made brownies at least on the first day back to school as our son here was also out of town" The woman said, handing Anette the box that contained the brownies.

The girls greeted them in for a piece and it's then that Gabriella saw him. That sandy haired boy with adorable blue eyes.

She gave him a little smile before leading them to the living room. He sat on the couch next to Ana while Gabriella sat near them, on a comfortable chair.

She didn't know what to say. She had met him somewhere before, but couldn't figure out where exactly. So many stuff had happened in her life and there are some stuff, some happy moments, and some friendly people she had totally forgotten about. And that boy was not an exception to the list.

She had buried them in boxes that were now in the ethic.

Then it came to her as he told her his name. They really had met before. Two years ago, to be exact. Maybe he didn't remember either.

"Hey! I know that name!"

He let out a relieved sight

"I thought you had forgotten me Gabriella.'' He smiled

She smiled back, loving the way he had pronounced her name. But her smile quickly faded away as she thought of something. Something that was so painful, she could keep it inside her.

She wouldn't fall again. Not now. Not ever. She wouldn't let that happened. She had suffered too much last time. She wouldn't go back.