Not Always What It Seems
By: Dee ©2007

Chapter 6

We're soarin, flyin', there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach…

Gabriella cracks open her eyes and looks at her offending alarm clock. She rubs her eyes and winces in pain as she remembers the injury on her left hand and rolls out of bed, making sure not to aggravate her hand any further. She quickly makes her bed to the best of her ability and jumps into the bathroom to get ready for school.

7:15 rolls around just as Gabriella dumps her cereal bowl into the sink and grabs her bag to jump into Taylor's waiting car. The two drive to East High, talking here and there, both trying to wake up. When they neared the school, Taylor noticed Gabriella tense up a little.

"Are you going to be okay?" Taylor asks, keeping an eye on the road while also trying to study Gabriella's face.

"Sure, why not?" Gabriella fake cheerfully responds. "Just because I'm in pain and the brat who caused it is at school waiting for me is no reason to be apprehensive, right?"

"Gee, I'm glad your injury hasn't chased away your sarcastic side. I just wanted to make sure you were ready for school is all. We can turn back and go home if you want."

"I'm sorry Taylor, I didn't mean to kind of snap there. It's just that everyone keeps asking me if I am going to be okay and telling me that I'm so brave to be going to school right away. I just want to get back on track, you know?"

Taylor nods her head as she finds an empty parking spot and pulls in. "I completely understand what you are saying Gabriella. I just want to make sure that I am here for you, when you need me."

Gabriella leans over and gives Taylor a hug. "Taylor, you are the best friend any girl could wish for. Trust me, you are one of the first people I will turn to if I need anything."

The two head out of the car and approach East High, Gabriella scanning the crowds looking out for a certain brunette. Relieved she had gotten to her locker without seeing her, she turned her attention to getting her books out for White day, meaning she had Calculus, Physics, Lunch, and Drama today. It also meant they got done a little bit earlier than the Red days, by about fifty minutes or so. When she is zipping up her backpack she gasps as she feels a familiar pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind.

"Good morning beautiful," Troy murmurs into her ear, causing her to smile. "How's my sweetie this morning?"

She turns around and kisses him softly on his lips. "Better now that you are here. Thanks for spending so much time with me this weekend and skipping the basketball practices the other guys were holding. It made me feel a lot better just having you around."

"Hey, it was worth it then. Although, I hate to say it but I have to start going to practice again or my dad is going to kill me. He's going to talk to the cheerleading coach too by the way, about what happened. Let's just say he was outraged on Friday night when I came home and told him about it."

Gabriella eyes him warily. "Are you sure that's a wise thing? Won't that just make them more upset?"

"To be honest, let them be upset. They deserve worse than a scolding for what they did to you," he responds, meaning every word. "The way I see it, the talk from their coach could make them see the light. One can hope at least right?"

"Such the optimist," Gabriella kids as she closes her locker and grabs her bag. "Walk me to Calculus?"

Troy offers her his arm and the two walk down the hall their separate math classes.

Gabriella, once seated, takes out her notebook and pulls out her homework, getting it ready to turn in. Taylor had also come over this weekend to help Gabriella do her homework so she wouldn't fall behind. Kelsi enters the room and takes her seat to the left of Gabriella and smiles when she sees Gabriella calmly getting ready for class. Taylor's giggle is heard from the doorway as Chad leans in and kisses her goodbye before he heads off to his math class with Troy.

Gabriella and Kelsi both tease Taylor lightly as she sits down to Gabriella's right and one seat up. "What?" Taylor asks, trying to hide the grin that insisted on appearing on her face. The other two giggle but cool it as the bell rings to start class.

Five minutes into class though, a guy, about 5'10" with slightly spiked black hair in different directions, enters the room and hands the teacher a yellow slip of paper. Gabriella recognizes the note as it was the same note she carried in with her after New Years when she transferred her to East High. The teacher nods and motions to the empty seat next to Gabriella and behind Taylor. "Mr. Smith, please take the seat behind Ms. McKessie."

The guy turns his gaze in the girls' direction and smiles, slowly making his way to the seat indicated. As he got closer, both Gabriella and Taylor slowly begin to recognize him and mouth to each other, "Hunter Smith!" with huge grins on their faces.

"Hi," he greets, sitting down in his assigned seat. "I'm Hunter."

Taylor can't get words out of her mouth so Gabriella chimes in for both of them. "I'm Gabriella and this is Taylor in front of you and Kelsi over to my left. Nice to meet you."

Hunter smiles back at her but changes his focus to his bag as he pulls out a notebook, noticing that the teacher started the lesson already. He turns his attention to the board and copies down the homework assignments that are still on the board from last week so he could catch up. 'Gotta make sure I grab a book on my way out,' he notes to himself, still trying to catch up with the teacher's lesson.

Gabriella had a very tough time focusing after Hunter Smith had entered her Calculus class. Usually Gabriella would never be the one to completely space out in class but that's what happened until the teacher came by to pick up homework and had to ask for hers twice before she noticed her. She gulped as she handed it to the teacher and shrank down in her seat a little lower not believing she had just made a fool of herself in front of her celebrity crush. Gabriella glances over in Hunter's direction and blushes as he catches her and smiles. She quickly looks away and starts to copy notes down from the board furiously to catch up on what she missed.

The bell soon rings and she gathers up her stuff, placing everything back in a bag. Gabriella winces as she tries grabbing it with her left hand, the usual hand she used to pick up her bag from these desks at school but uses her right instead. She makes it into the hallway, clutching her left hand, when she hears her name being called out.

"Gabriella, wait!" Hunter says, running up to her. "I hate to be the new kid here but where's the science wing? I have Physics and have no idea where it is."

She smiles at him and replies, "It's right down here. I am actually heading to the same class and don't worry about being the new kid. That was me last year. Why don't you come with me?"

"That would be great," he replies, returning her smile, which she couldn't help but stare at. "Umm, Gabriella, you know who I am don't you?"

Gabriella guilty turns her gaze away from him and blushes. "That obvious huh?"

"It's okay, at least you and your friends didn't scream when you recognized me. I'm sadly used to that and trust me, as much as I love my fans, I am starting to go deaf from it."

She laughs and starts walking down the hall. "Well, at least you know that I know who you are. I hope that doesn't scare you."

"Unless you are one of those stalker fans, I'm not scared of you at all. If anything, flattered that I have such a pretty admirer."

Gabriella blushes again and turns her attention to an all too familiar cackle coming from Jasmine whose locker is down in the science wing. "Oh God, not her."

Hunter looks down the hall and sees a brunette cheerleader shooting daggers at the girl next to him. "What's the deal? Queen Bee or something?"

"Captain of the cheerleading squared," she murmurs, never taking her eyes off of Jasmine. "We had a little run in on Friday and let's just say that I didn't come out of it unscathed."

He looks down at the hand she had been holding this whole time and realizes that it is bandaged. "Oh, bodily injury. Don't tell me that cheerleader attacked you."

She shakes her head. "Not with a knife. Pushed me and my friends with her crew as we were ice-skating and just my luck, I sliced my hand on one of the ice skates I was wearing when I fell. She is really the last person I want to see right now."

"Ah, not the fighting type huh? I understand and admire it. Let's get to class shall we? I think the bell is going to ring soon and I have to check in with the Physics teacher," Hunter replies, putting his arm around her shoulder in a comforting gesture as they walk past Jasmine who is now looking over at them with an interested glance and head to class.

'Hmm, maybe I don't have to do much more to break up Gabriella and Troy after all,' she thinks, closing her locker and heading to lunch with her friends. Jasmine walks out to the cafeteria and smiles as she sees Troy sitting with Sharpay, Martha, and Jason at their usual table. She grabs one of her friends and positions themselves close enough to the table for them to be able to hear their projected voices.

"Shannon, can you believe it? How could Gabriella be so sweet and nice to that new guy? He was practically all over her. I mean, what would Troy think if he walked down the hall and saw the two of them going at it?" Jasmine says in a little louder of a voice than normal.

Shannon giggles. "I know, Gabriella is such a slut! Attaching herself to the hot new guy. Doesn't she have any self respect?"

"Oh well, I guess she is the way she is. Who are we to judge her?"

Jasmine innocently asks, walking away from the group with Shannon. "Nicely done Shannon. Now that the seeds are planted, let's see what happens!"

Back at the table, sure enough, the foursome heard every word. Troy has a worried look on his face and Sharpay could not believe what the two cheerleaders had just pulled. "Troy, seriously, get a grip. She is totally lying about this new guy. Gabriella is in love with you, she's not going to throw her affections elsewhere that easily."

Troy thinks about what Sharpay just said and gives her a small smile. "I guess you are right. I can't believe that I even considered there to be any truth in that. After all, that was just Jasmine and Shannon talking we are discussing here."

"Exactly!" Martha chimes in. "We all know after Friday that she's desperate in her plans to separate you two. I wouldn't put it past her to make some story up!"

Unfortunately, the word was starting to get around at that moment in the cafeteria about Hunter Smith becoming an East High Wildcat that morning. Sharpay overhears the news from two tables down, which was made of musicians, and gasps. "No way!" she exclaims.

"What?" Jason asks, wondering what Sharpay had just heard. "What did you just eavesdrop?"

"Hunter Smith is here at East High! He must have just transferred here. I heard he was moving with his parents in between projects but I didn't hear he was moving here to Albuquerque! That's so exciting!" she exclaims, causing Jason to roll his eyes. "I wonder where he is."

Martha and Jason were so busy watching the very animated Sharpay get up and look around for this supposed star in their midst that they didn't see Troy pale and let out a huge gulp as he recognized the name. 'The star who is Gabriella's fantasy and subject of her fan fiction. Hunter Smith, the one guy that I never wanted to meet, especially now. Oh my God, what if Jasmine was talking about him and Gabriella?' he thinks, putting his head in his hands. 'If this is true, what am I going to do?'

***

Troy could truthfully say he did not absorb a bit of what went on during English today. He just could not get his mind off of the idea that Gabriella could have classes and be in touch already with this hot shot star, Hunter Smith, that she has fantasized about. Much to Jasmine's frustration, Troy hadn't even noticed she was flirting with him in class, as bold as she got, he just wasn't there beyond physically.

Sitting down in Drama, he is still so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn't hear Gabriella calling his name while making her way to her seat in front of him. It isn't until she gives him a quick peck on the cheek before taking her seat that he snaps to and sees her smiling back at him. "Troy, where on earth have you been?" she giggles, watching as he blinks his eyes a few times.

"Just thinking," he says, feeling better having her close to him again. So much better in fact that he leans over the front of his desk and hugs her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Not that I mind or anything but what was that for?" she asks, still smiling.

"Just cause?" he replies, suppressing the bad feelings that had plagued him since lunch.

Ryan, Kelsi, and Sharpay plop into their seats nearby and Sharpay immediately turns her attention to Gabriella. "So, Gabriella, is it true? Is Hunter Smith really here?"

Gabriella turns her attention from him to Sharpay and nods her head. "Yup, and can I just say he is so down to earth!" she exclaims, causing Sharpay to shriek in excitement. "He was in my morning classes and had the same lunch as us, Kelsi and Ryan met him."

The two nod in agreement. "He is pretty cool. I would have expected major ego the way these girls around the halls have been drooling not to mention his fans worldwide but he seem pretty chill," Ryan says, noticing a change of emotions on Troy's face. "Troy, bud, you okay?"

Gabriella turns her head back to Troy with a look of concern on her face. "Yeah Troy, you don't look too good. What's the matter sweetie?"

"Were you by chance making out with this Hunter guy?" he asks, instantly regretting his urge to speak and saying what was on his mind.

"Troy Bolton, how dare you even think of asking me that! Of course not. The only boy I made out with today was you!" she exclaims in disbelief. "At most, I showed him to the classes we shared and introduced him to our friends so he wasn't sitting by himself. Do you really not trust me?"

"Gabriella, it's not that I don't trust you. It's more that I don't trust him! I don't even know the guy but a few rumors were running around and…"

"Bolton, you better not be talking about what that vicious Jasmine was gossiping about again!" Sharpay interjects, noticing the heated argument the couple was getting into. "Gabriella, he's referring to some projected gossip Shannon and Jasmine were having, implying you were getting awfully close to the new guy who turns out to be Hunter Smith."

"Is this true? You actually believed what you heard from those two?" Gabriella asks, searching Troy's face for the truth.

Reluctantly Troy nods. "It's not that I want to believe them, trust me I don't. I just had to ask for my own peace of mind. Any other guy and I wouldn't think twice but come on Gabriella, this is the guy you are writing about in your story!"

Ryan, Sharpay, and Kelsi have questioning looks on their faces as they did not have an inkling about the stories Gabriella and Taylor have been writing but hold their silence. Slowly, Gabriella understands the fuel behind Troy's sudden jealousy. "Troy, honestly, I wasn't anything but friendly with the guy. Yes, he's a famous actor and singer, yes he is the hero in my story, but he is not the guy for me in reality. You are!"

Troy studies his girlfriend's face for a minute and nods. "I'm sorry, I was being stupid again. I shouldn't have doubted you. I guess his star power got to me."

She pats his hands that are on his desk with her left bandaged hand and smiles. "Just don't let it happen again," she says before turning back around and looking at the board that Darbus was writing on. 'Wow, I don't think I have ever seen him that jealous before or upset,' she thinks before starting to jot down the notes from the board. 'I just hope he truly feels more secure now, I would hate for him to start doubting us again.'

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