The Ripest Peach Under the New Mexico Sun Chapter 1 Their Summer, a high school musical fanfic

This is my newest story and might I add, UBER (Newest word in my vocabulary... along with J'adore) GREAT! Hope you adore it!

Disclaimer- Yeah, I own High School Musical... it's UNDER MY PILLOW!

Murphy Verne stood, surrounded by peach trees, rubbing her fingers to her chapped lips. She wondered how she could have let a douchebag like Kevin Winn steal her first kiss. The trees overhead blocked most of the bright sun, giving off a sense of being in the jungle. But at that very moment, the one place she had always loved to be was the last place she wanted to be standing. "Murphy?" she turned as her mother emerged from the aisle of curved peach trees. It was almost as if the light summer breeze froze in her presence. "What are you doing so far out?"

Murphy found it hard to lie to her mother. She would muster the courage to fib, look right into her mother's piercing green eyes... then spill the truth. "Nothing." she shrugged, swatting the memory of Kevin pushing her against the rough bark of a peach tree and crashing his lips on hers away like the flies that swarmed the almost-ripe peaches. "Just trying to get some ripe peaches. Dad wants to make ice cream."she explained to the front pocket of her overalls.

"Well, your cousin just arrived." Ms. Verne explained, pushing her honey blonde curls away from her sun-tanned face. "I just don't remember where I left her..."

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Only twelve rows of thick peach trees over, Sharpay Evans sat on her avalanche of pink designer suitcases, examining her freshly powdered nose in her compact mirror. She wondered what she had done do deserve such cruel and unusual punishment. This was all Ryan's fault.

:Flashback:

"Admit it!" Sharpay screeched. "Just admit that you love Ryan more than me!" At that point, Sharpay didn't care that every single eye in the St. Silver's Dining Experince was pointed at her. She liked an audience. Maybe then her parents would reconsider sending her to their immediate family's peach farm. How come she had to go, but Ryan didn't? Her entire summer vacation suddenly flashed before her eyes. Lounging by the pool, maxing out credit cards, and even more lounging by the pool. "I can't believe this." Sharpay welled up, knowing that her tears could always sway her parent's decision. Especially her father. "Daddy..."

"That's not going to work this time, Sharpay. We thought it would be good for you to... get away for the summer. I promise, you'll adore it." her mother interrupted. Her mother made it sound like they were sending her first class to Palm Beach with a suitcase full of money and her closest friends, but Sharpay knew this was code for, 'The rest of us seriously need a break from your whining, nagging, and snotty attitude. Pack your bags, 'cause you're on the next flight to Verne's Peach Farm'.

Sharpay quickly gathered her bag and valet ticket stub. "I hate you!" she snapped, then looked right to Ryan. "All of you." she glared before storming out of the restaurant, every eye still following after her. But she didn't mind. She liked the audience.

:End Flashback:

Sharpay squealed at the sight of a bright peach being swarmed by ants at her foot. She curled into a little ball on her biggest suitcase and fought back tears. This place was absolutely repulsive, not made for a person as high-maintenance as Sharpay.

"Hey there..." Sharpay looked up from her pit of misery to see her Aunt Liz leaning against the bark of a tree. Her very shy daughter stood behind her. "I've been looking all over for you. You remember Murphy, don't you?" she asked just as she appeared from behind her mother.

Almost a head shorter than Sharpay, Murphy shyly hooked a piece of her unruly mouse brown hair behind her ear. Sure, she had heard of Murphy, but the last time they had ever seen each other was when they were beginning kindergarten. She had bunches of pictures, but the camera lens was aimed at Sharpay, and Murphy just happened to be in the way. Sharpay held back her grimace as Murphy smiled, revealing two rows of silver braces slapped over her teeth. They were the same age, but Murpphy still had a juvenile appearance. "How could I forget?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"I'll show you to your cabin?" Murphy's statement came out as a shy question.

Only a jungle of peach trees and a large field away, Gabriella Montez slammed the door to her mother's car shut and hoped the nervous tickle in her stomach would go away. She wondered if returning to Verne's peach farm for her entire summer was a good idea, and suddenly wanted to back out. She had spent her first week of spring break picking peaches and enjoyed it. It cleared her mind and gave her the sense of relaxation. But now, all she wanted to do was erase the memory of ever dating Troy Bolton out of her mind.

As she was being led to Cabin A, the same cabin she had slept in during spring break, the anxiety grew. But for some reason she didn't know why. As soon as she stepped through the door, all of her worries melted away. The familiar smell of damp wood mixed with spiced peaches hung in the air. As she walked down the bright corridor to the last room on the right, doors swung open and familiar faces appeared. She knew why she had come back now. When she reached her door, she saw a frantic blonde, trying to make their tiny room as homey as possible, taping posters to the walls and spraying the thick summer air with freshener at the same time. "That's a violatioin of the rules, you know." Gabriella pointed out, Sure, it wasn't the proper way to greet her roommate, but still...

"Like I care." she scoffed to the wall. "It's not like I plan on being here long so..." she turned and her brown eyes widened in surprise. Gabriella was just as shocked.

"Sharpay?"

Murphy held an armload of bed sets high enough to block her vision. As she stumbled towards Cabin A, she feared confronting her obnoxious cousin again. She had seen the way Sharpay had given her a once-over, probably disapproving of the braces and the frizzy hair. Little did Sharpay know, her braces were coming off the next week. But Murphy didn't care... or did she? All she knew was that someone like Sharpay wouldn't survive ten seconds out here. She was used to the high life and would throw a fit when she found out that she would actually have to work.

Murphy smiled at the thought of Sharpay teetering unsteadily at the top of a ladder, reaching for peaches. But of course, the blonde would somehow make it look graceful and beautiful, because that was just the kind of person she was. Truthfully, Murphy thought Sharpay was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as her mother with her blonde ringlets and intense green eyes. But there was actually a positive energy behind her mother's eyes. All Murphy saw behind Sharpay's were... ice.

As Murphy distributed bed sets to the workers, she came to the conclusion that everyone had something nice about them. Maybe if something could melt Sharpay's iciness, then they could get through an entire summer without hating each other. Murphy made it to the last room on the right, and saw her cousin sitting stiffly on the edge of her naked bed. She lightly knocked on the door even though it was opened, and hopend that the girl sitting next to Sharpay would proceed first.

Both girls looked to Murphy and a smile appeared on the dark haired girl's face. "You're Murphy Verne, aren't you?" she asked. She was just as pretty as Sharpay, but in a less obvious way. And at least she looked like she wouldn't bite Murphy's head off... "It's really nice to meet you. I'm Gabriella, and this is..."

"She knows who I am, okay?" Sharpay snapped next to Gabriella. "You can leave now." she glared at her cousin, almost right through her. But Murphy was too excited that someone had the courage to rub Sharpay the wrong way, that she didn't mind being screamed at... again.

Murphy gave Sharpay a smug smile, knowing that she would be paying for it eventually. She held her cousin's gaze as long as possible and said, "We start working tomorrow, bright and early 5:45 sharp." Sharpay gaped in surprise and utter shock. The look was priceless to Murphy.

And Sharpay's scream could be heard all the way to the peach jungle.

"And... she's your cousin?" Gabriella asked as if she finally understood.

"You can stop saying that now." Sharpay growled. Having a genetically-screwed cousin was a touchy subject for her. And she was still angry that she was actually there in the first place instead of taking a lap around the mall with her friends and credit cards. She haphazardly threw her itchy comforter onto her tiny bed and fell over it in defeat. She had to think of a plan to get out of there and back to the civilized world...

"She seems pretty nice." Gabriella stated. Sharpay bit back the urge to ask her why Gabriella like to find something good about everything. Some things were meant to be horrible. Like this place. "We're going to have so much fun this summer, Sharpay. I was here for spring break and..."

"Eww..." Sharpay squealed. "You actually like it here? And mark my words, Montez: I'm getting out of here!" she barked.

"Whatever you say, Sharpay." Gabriella shrugged and pulled sheets over her bed.

But little did they know, that for once, Murphy Verne wasn't going to be the ugly duckling.

For once, Gabriella Montez wouldn't find the good in someone, but the absolutely wonderful.

And for once, Sharpay Evans would let her icy appearance melt away. And let one person see who she truly was.

It was their summer. The summer where they would discover love, their true selves, and their unusual love for New Mexico peaches.

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