TITLE: All of the Above (Chapter One: I Am)
AUTHOR: Jessa
RATING/GENRE: PG-13 for now/Romance & A/U
FANDOM/PAIRING: High School Musical /Troy & Gabriella (some Gabriella & OC)
SUMMARY: Troy finds himself suddenly interested in the school's smartest student when he sees her outside the classroom. (TROYELLA)
DISCLAIMER: High School Musical, all its characters and settings belong to Disney. I claim no ownership over them, I just like to pretend. Claire Littleton is a character from ABC's LOST and Mandy Moore is a real person who doesn't belong to me either.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's taking me so long to update my Troyella sexiness known as "Insatiable". I've hit writer's block but I promise I'll have it up soooooon!
Btw, the Bronze is a club stolen from the amazing TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". The song sung by Neon Gems in this chapter is "I Am" by Killing Heidi. I recommend a download if you get the chance. Also, may I just randomly throw out that the Troypay pairing makes me gag? It's stupid since he clearly hates her in the movie and they barely interact. Laaaame. Anyways, onto the fic!
Troy couldn't believe he'd agreed to go to some stuffy, over-crowded night club with his brother and three of his brother's friends. It was in the next town over from their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Luckily for the boys it was an all ages club called The Bronze so they had no worries about being IDed. Even Troy's brother, James, and his friends were only eighteen and consequently still underage. Troy had just turned seventeen but he and James were extremely close, practically like twins, so he was welcomed into the group. He was kind of regretting accompanying them on this particular outing. Troy wasn't much of a partier.
The sign outside the club had advertised a live all girl band by the name of "Neon Gems". Apparently the girls were super hot and played fairly decent music. James' best friend Dean had seen them at a couple of other clubs and got an odd dazed look whenever he talked about them. Sometimes there were even hints of drool.
When they passed through the huge metal door of the club, the band had not made their appearance yet. Music from a CD was pouring from the speakers, working the dance floor into a frenzy. The boys weren't much for dancing; they were mainly about the hot rocker chicks, so they rushed to grab a recently vacated table near the back of the club.
A cheer erupted from the crowd when three girls in their late teens burst out onto the stage, one after the other. Judging from the level of noise the audience achieved, the Neon Gems seemed to have a pretty large fan base.
A very petite girl with a mess of long blond hair settled herself behind the drums near the back of the stage, twirling her sticks in the air. Her face was angelically magnificent, her lips set into an adorable smile. A second girl who scooped up the red bass waiting for her was close to six feet tall with long arms and legs and a whole lot of energy. Her hair was dark brown and cut into shaggy layers around her shoulders. Her choppy bangs hung in front of her eyes as she took her position on the left side of the stage. Both girls were decked out in punkish fashions, including thick black eyeliner and wristbands that went halfway up their arms.
The blond drummer seemed to have a bit more of an earthy style as she contrasted hardcore with a fawn colored camisole, black skinny trousers and straw flip-flops. The bassist had more of a fun Technicolor edge. She was clad in a hot pink sundress with an empire waist and black army boots that reached mid-calf.
The third and final member of the band stepped up to the mic at center stage after strapping on her bright blue electric guitar and Troy did a double take. This girl was truly beautiful. Her skin was a deep gold due to her presumably Spanish heritage. She had wavy black hair that almost reached her elbows and wide eyes that Troy could inexplicably recall as a sparkling brown. She glowed in her simple attire – a white wifebeater and distressed skinny jeans that had wide rips in the knee. Her choice of jewelry was limited to a silver heart on a thin chain around her neck. Her feet were cradled in silver flats and her make-up, just like her band members, consisted of black eyeliner and nothing else. Troy could have sworn he'd seen the girl someplace else but couldn't quite remember where. He found it impossible that he'd forget anything about such a gorgeous girl.
He watched her intently as she strummed a single chord on her guitar and swept her eyes over the crowd.
"Hey everyone!" she said into the mic. Troy recognized her sweet voice… somehow. "I'm CJ. To my right is Mandy on the bass and the cute blond in the back is Claire. We're the Neon Gems." She paused for thunderous applause, her head bowed modestly.
CJ? CJ… Nope, doesn't sound familiar, Troy thought.
"Our first song is called 'I Am'. Hope you enjoy the show!"
CJ nodded to Claire and Mandy, signaling the start of the song.
An easy guitar intro lead into a flowing melody from the trio and then CJ opened her mouth to sing.
I know, I know, I know what you'd say, yeah
And I know, I know, I know all the games you play
I am, I am, I am not afraid, yeah
'Cause I know, I know, I know what to say
I feel it, it's coming
It's here if you want it
And I am out on my own
Moving in shadow, nobody knows who I am
Standing alone and it's me but you can't see who I am
CJ glowered over the top of the mic, such passion going into her singing. Her voice ripped right through Troy. It was as if she were using her music to transfer all her feelings into him.
I'd like to rip you out of your skin
I'd switch us around and put you back in
And I know, I know, I know what to say
But it couldn't be any other way
Guess I feel it, it's coming
It's here if you want it
And I am out on my own
Moving in shadow, nobody knows who I am
Standing alone and it's me but you can't see who I am
I am out on my own, moving in shadow, nobody knows who i am
Standing alone, and it's me but you can't see who I am
Troy was transfixed solely on CJ. He shivered slightly when her voice dropped to a rough whisper for the bridge.
So close but you don't know, and it's me but you can't see,
So close but you don't know, and it's me but you can't see,
So close but you don't know, and it's me but you can't see,
So close but you don't know, and it's me but you can't see,
So close but you don't know, it's me but you can't see,
So close but you don't know, it's me but you can't see,
I feel it, it's coming, it's here if you want it,
I am out on my own, moving in shadow,
nobody knows who I am,
standing alone, and it's me, but you can't see who I am.
The volume and effort behind her words picked up again and she began slamming on the strings of her guitar, lost in the music she and her friends were making. Her head banged in time with the beat, tossing her long hair about her face. It gave her an endearingly undone look that Troy was finding more and more attractive by the second.
So close but you don't know,
and it's me, but you're never gonna see who I am,
so close but you don't know,
and it's me, but you just can't see who I am.
When the last strains of the songs faded away, the audience was completely responsive, clapping madly and demanding another song. Troy was probably clapping the loudest.
"I told you they were awesome," said Dean from the seat next to Troy. The entire table seemed to find Troy's captivation with the band amusing. Embarrassed by the attention, Troy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and returned his gaze to the stage. His eyes were immediately drawn back to CJ. Why was she so damn familiar!?
TO BE CONTINUED...