Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious.

Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?

In schools all over the country, whether it is elementary school or high school, there was always that one particular season that everyone waited for since the day they would actually start a new year of school. Summer break. It was three months of pure freedom to do whatever the hell you wanted to do, unlike the chosen few who were forced to work instead of party. It was the time of year where somebody would pass out in the middle of a strangers' yard, where a family would say goodbye to their high school graduate, or where summer love would ultimately blossom. The only thing that was horrible about it was having to wait at least 8 months for it to arrive.

There was the numerous sounds of tapping pencils, feet, and whispers inside a small classroom that was covered wall to wall with renaissance paintings and masks. The classroom belonged to the drama teacher, Ms. Darbus. She was hated by almost half the student body, only because she was obsessed with the theater. The only people who didn't hate her were some teachers and the drama students.

The number one person who definitely hated her, not to mention had the hate reciprocated by Ms. Darbus, tapped his feet in a random beat as he stared at the clock above the teacher's "throne". It seemed to be moving as slow as a snail, yet there were only 3 minutes left until the official bell rang to begin summer break.

Troy Bolton was the king of East High. All the girls worshipped him and all the guys wanted to be him. He was the captain of the basketball team for three years in a row, being voted as MVP every season. He got all the girls with a snap of a finger. All he had to do was look their way and they were hooked. There was only one girl he didn't have hooked, but that was a different story.

He turned his head to the left side of the classroom, accidentally catching the eye of a certain brunette. She sneered at him and put up her middle finger automatically. He narrowed his eyes with a glare and turned back around to face the clock that continued to taunt him. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head to stare at his best friend.

He and Chad Danforth had met in preschool after being paired up for a coloring project. Ever since they shared a love for basketball, they had stayed best friends ever since. Chad let a grin slip. "You stoked for the party tonight?"

Troy high-fived him loudly, smirking. "You know it, dude."

"Mr. Bolton! I-"

Before Ms. Darbus had any chance to give punishment to Troy for interrupting her lecture, the bell finally rang. Papers flew in the air as people rose from their seat cheering and giving people hugs. A girl draped herself over Troy as he stood up. She whispered something in his ear then left with a smirk. Troy merely shook his head.

People assumed he had a player status. They would see a girl go to him in the hallways or at a party and believe that in at least 10 minutes, they would hook up. Of course, they were right. It's what Troy did. It's who Troy was. It's what made Troy Bolton.

He headed out to the hallway with Chad and Zeke Baylor, another member of the basketball team who happened to have a love for baking. Two girls joined the group. There was an African-American girl with short brown hair. Her name was Taylor McKessie. She was the girlfriend of Chad. They had met sophomore year and immediately fell for each other. The other girl was a sparkly blonde. Her name was Sharpay Evans and she was known as the richest girl in school. She wasn't very fond of Zeke at first, but she soon grew to love him as he continued to pursue her.

"Troy, you are coming to party tonight right?" asked Sharpay. She was the one holding the party.

"Have I ever missed one of your parties, Shar?" Troy tested, arching an eyebrow and smiling.

Sharpay shrugged with a smirk as she followed Zeke down the hallway, separating from the rest of the gang. "See you tonight!"

Troy stopped at his locker, rummaging through and throwing stuff away in the nearby trash can. He heard a slight thud as Chad and Taylor leaned against a pair of lockers near his own.

Suddenly, the air became tense. It was as if a chill took over the entire hallway. Hell, the entire school. Troy could feel it. He gripped his locker, not daring to close it to see who was nearby. He could hear her voice perfectly.

"Hey Taylor, Chad." He was aware she didn't acknowledge him.

"Hey, Gabriella." Taylor smiled at her best friend.

"Gabs, you coming to the party tonight?" asked Chad, placing an arm around her casually. Chad was like a brother to Gabriella. She could always talk to him about anything. Well, almost anything.

"I suppose I have no choice, do I?" Gabriella giggled.

Goosebumps ran over Troy's body at the sound of her giggle. He tried to shake them off, knowing they were completely unnecessary.

"Bolton."

He froze and closed his locker, sending a matching glare towards Gabriella. "Montez."

"So, I hear you're going to the party tonight." Troy crossed his arms over his chest, leaning a shoulder against the lockers. He held a slightly evil smirk.

Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes. "I hear you're going, too. Is that going to be a problem for you?"

"Well, I don't think people would enjoy having a crabby bitch at their party. Especially when it's your friend, Sharpay." Troy knew he was hitting something inside her.

"Oh, good one Bolton. Is that all you got for me?" challenged the feisty brunette. She took a step towards him.

"You're getting dangerously close to me, Montez. I always knew you wanted me." Troy watched her, looking her up and down.

"In your dreams." Gabriella gritted her teeth. "Unless you forgot. I have a boyfriend, you asshole."

Troy set his hands to the side and balled them into angry fists, having his knuckles crack at the action. "I don't give a fuck about your jackass boyfriend."

"Sure you don't." They were completely unaware of a small crowd watching their altercation. "You could've fooled me."

"And you could've fooled me, Montez." He got closer to her. "Do you still have that leash around your neck or have you finally let him stop pushing you around?"

Gabriella narrowed her eyes, knowing he hit a nerve that he was never allowed to hit. "You're such a fucking bastard," she whispered, adding rage to it.

"Did I hit another nerve, Miss Gabby?" teased Troy, smirking as he placed a hand on her arm.

"Bolton!"

The crowd parted to allow the co-captain of the basketball team to come through to face his mortal enemy of the entire high school. Jason Lewis looked at Gabriella then at Troy. He narrowed his eyes at the captain. "You trying to get with my girl?"

"Why would I want to get with someone like her…" He looked over at Gabriella then back at Jason. "…when I have so many other potentials lined up waiting for me?"

"They must be pretty desperate to settle for you." He looked Troy up and down then turned to Gabriella. "Did he touch you anywhere else?"

"No, he didn't." Gabriella sighed. "Can we just go?"

"Hey, you don't need to talk to me like that." Jason held her wrist, causing Taylor and Chad to look at each other with furrowed eyebrows.

Troy glared at Jason, moving his knuckles angrily. He hated this man with a passion. He thought he was better than him. He thought he could hit every angry nerve that Troy had. He was only mad that Troy got captain and he didn't. He was mad Troy got MVP every season and he didn't, no matter how hard he worked his sorry ass off. It wasn't enough. The better man always won.

Gabriella wriggled her wrist. "Jason, calm down. Let's just go and get ready for the party."

"I don't need my girlfriend telling me what to do," Jason said, rolling his eyes as he let go of her wrist.

The fighting couple seemed to be oblivious that there were still people around them. It always happened on a regular basis. They would fight over something so small. Sometimes it would annoy the other students while it would worry some of the teachers.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do. Dammit Jason, I'm so sick of this." Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows angrily as her voice rose slightly.

"I won't have you speaking to me like the dick of East High over here," said Jason, pointing his thumb back at Troy.

Troy chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, that's original."

Jason turned to Troy, getting close to him threateningly. "You got something to say to me, Bolton?"

"No, it's entirely entertaining watching you and the bitch fight day after day. Where's the popcorn when you need it, huh?" Troy had hit a nerve. Jason gripped his shirt and collided him against the lockers.

"Jason, stop it!" Gabriella gripped the back of Jason's shirt, hearing it slightly rip.

Taylor grabbed Gabriella away from the altercation as Chad stepped in to separate the two. He pushed Jason away who immediately took a hold of Gabriella's hand and walked away from the scene. Troy stared after them and sneered, straightening his shirt out. "What a dick."

"I understand the situation between you and Jason, but I still don't understand why you and Gabriella have to argue every day," Chad said.

Troy shook his head, refusing to speak of it. It wasn't worth his breath. It never would be. It wasn't important anyway. Gabriella wouldn't speak of it either, though she more than likely had a different reason for her hatred towards him. Of course, he knew why.

"Let's just go to this damn party already. I've had enough of being in this hell hole."

Author's Note: Thanks so much for taking the time to read this story! I've been trying to plan a story for this page for quite some time and I can honestly say that it feels good to get back into the rhythm of updating every week or so. This is the only story that will only be up until it ends. I want to keep things on the new page as clean and organized as possible. If you have any ideas for this story for future chapters, feel free to review and tell me your ideas. Freedom of speech! Thanks guys!