Chapter 2
The next day, Gabriella woke up with a throbbing headache. She had stumbled into her dorm room at 4 am, after finding Sharpay in the darkest corner of the nightclub. Sleepily, Gabriella stumbled out of bed, grabbing her red silk robe and made her way to the kitchen. She could hear the coffee machine whirring and she smiled faintly at the sight of her best friend hunched over a steaming mug of coffee, her head in her hands, clearly nursing a hangover. Sharpay heard Gabriella's feet walk over to the coffee maker and she groaned pitifully.
"Hangover?" Gabriella asked, sitting on the stool next to her best friend.
"You have no idea. What the hell happened last night?" Sharpay asked.
"I couldn't find you for about an hour. I was so close to just going home,"
"God, Gabi, I'm so sorry," Sharpay looked up meekly at Gabriella.
"It's alright. I found you later," she snickered.
"Doing what? Where? With who?"
"You really don't remember? You and Zeke Baylor were kind of getting it on in the corner of Club 23," Gabriella smiled.
"No! Not…not Zeke," Sharpay whispered, her hands flying to her mouth.
"No, after that it was Darren Kingsley," Gabriella reached over and grabbed an apple.
"I'm never drinking again,"
"As if,"
"What did you get up to? Please don't tell me you spent the whole night looking for me," Sharpay said, slowly making her way to the fridge to grab a cup of yogurt.
"I didn't. I kind of…well, I danced. It was fun," Gabriella said quietly. She felt hesitant to tell her roommate about the man she danced with.
"Who with?"
"I don't know, actually. I never caught his name. We just danced, that was it,"
"Sounds fascinating," Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I've got some errands to run today, so I'll be in and out. Do you need anything?" she asked, putting her finished yogurt into the trash.
"I think I'll just hang out in the park today, actually. Maybe read or something," Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "Take it easy, you know,"
"Alright. I'll catch you later, then. Girl's night in tonight or not?"
"We'll see," Gabriella got up from her seat and made her way upstairs. After a quick shower, Gabriella stood in front of her closet, hands on her hips, deciding on what to wear. Living with Sharpay had its perks. First, there was the free rent, thanks to the fact that Mr. Evans paid for the living costs. Second, there was the gorgeous townhouse that was offered. Third, Sharpay loved to shop and she was generous. Gabriella selected a pair of denim shorts and a white, flowy, peasant top, adding a pair of gladiator sandals to her feet. Grabbing a sling bag, she stuffed her necessities inside and made her way out the door.
Madison Park was a popular hang out spot for most of the students that attended Albuquerque University. They would either be there studying in the nice weather, playing Frisbee, reading, and picnics also often took place. On vacation, the students that lived close by still made regular outings to the park to catch up with friends and to sometimes catch the local attractions, such as the many music festivals and open-air concerts that were held. That day, Gabriella propped herself up against a large tree, opened up her book, and began to read. The tree gave her the right amount of shade, allowing the sun to warm her body. She became engrossed in her novel, delving deep into the lives of the characters. Suddenly, Gabriella was very aware of another person who was sitting near her, also propped up against the same tree. She turned her head slowly and gasped.
He was the most gorgeous man she had ever laid her eyes on.
Clearly taller than she was, he had floppy brown hair that fell into his face at all the right places and the bluest, most amazing pair of eyes. He was also reading a book and sporadically shook his head to the side to get the strands of hair out of his eyes. He was muscular and built, and he was dressed casually in a pair of khaki shorts and a blue polo t-shirt that managed to make his eyes more noticeable than ever. Gabriella sucked in her breath, taking him in. He must have heard the sound, because he slowly turned his head to face her.
"Hi," he said in a deep voice, acknowledging her.
"Uh. Hey," Gabriella stuttered. She winced at the sound of her voice, it was far too tinny and squeaky against his confident tone.
"Gabriella, right?" he asked. Her eyes widened, stunned that he even knew her name.
"Right. That's me. How do you…how do you know me?" she asked.
"Sorry, I assumed Sharpay told you," he shrugged his shoulders and turned his entire frame to face Gabriella. "Sharpay and I go way back. She used to live in California, same as me,"
"Oh," Gabriella replied, as if that answered everything.
"You don't remember last night, do you?" he asked, a twinkle in his eyes.
"I remember looking for Sharpay. Why?"
"No reason," he shrugged his shoulders again, the mischievous grin still spread across his face. "Anyway, I better be going," he stood up abruptly, dusting off the leftover grass on his shorts. Gabriella gazed up at him in awe.
"Why should I remember last night?" she demanded, standing up to face him. He still had a smile on his face and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, come on. It couldn't have been that important then, if I didn't remember it," she scoffed. Suddenly, his hands turned her around so that her back was facing him and his arms wrapped around her body tightly.
"Shh," he whispered in her ear. Gabriella gasped as shivers made their way throughout her body and she trembled at the familiar voice that brought back the memories of the night before. She spun out of his grip and took a good look at him. He merely shot her another lopsided smile and left.
A/N: What do you think? Read and review, guys! I'd really love some feedback on all this, so you can criticize it if you want, too. I've got no qualms about it! Thanks!
