-My Guys-

-Prologue-

My teachers would always tell me that the subjects I really excelled in were science and English. Oh, I was good at math too. But that's irrelevant. So when we got our final assignment in English this year, to write about a turning point in out lives, I decided to write about my dad leaving and how it resulted in my older brother, Aaron, leaving too. That was a really big turning point in my life, because it meant that from that point on, the only close family member I had was my mother, and I was all she had, too.

But I was also inspired to write about my guys. I also decided to put it in book form. It takes you through this two week period of my life with my guys where everything changed. I thought that if it was arranged in chronological order, it would make it easier to understand. Especially for the slower people I know – cough Jason cough – who even if they were there, would read and not know what was going on. (Now I bet everyone else is going to be wondering why they didn't get a shout out as well.) Looking back on it, I decided that, at some points, it was necessary to see other peoples' points of view. And so, I asked my guys to do me a favor and think back as hard as they could. And then I asked them to write down what they remembered. Thankfully, they complied.

So…this is my story…and theirs.

-x-

-x-

I have been "one of the guys" for as long as I can remember. But I'm not your typical 'one of the guys' girl because I'm not a tomboy. I'm not wearing sweatbands and oversized jeans, running around belching and screaming and fighting because that's just odd anyways. I'm semi-girly. Semi. As in, there's a girly-ness in me that likes to show itself, usually when it's least opportunistic. I've never felt the need to be full-on girly. It's not me. The guys at my school are all jerks who think they're the greatest thing since ever, and I don't feel compelled to impress them with skimpy outfits or pounds of makeup which make me look like an easy hooker. (And besides, I don't particularly care for skirts. They're hard to play basketball in.) Well, all the guys are jerks all except for my four. Yes, I often refer to them as my guys – although its usually in my head. Because in reality, they are my guys. They come first with me, and I come first with them. That's not going to change.

The funny thing is that my four are the four most coveted guys in East High. Let me introduce them: Mine include Troy Bolton, Chad Danforth, Zeke Baylor, and Jason Cross.

Troy is the basketball team captain and we're probably the closest because I've know him the longest. I can go to him for anything. He's a goof-ball that can be incredibly serious when necessary. He's the supportive one. The one you go to for encouragement or a life-sized tissue to cry into. Just being in the same room as him and you can't help but grin. Something about him has had the girls flocking for years though, and it's rather irritating to see hundreds of sluts throwing themselves at your best friend all day long. Especially when you are standing right there, waiting for him after school, and you can hear them trying to convince him to come over because their parents are out of town and they're whispering, "I can give you everything she can't." And by 'everything' they usually mean sex. And I don't need to hear that about my best friend. I just don't. Who the heck talks to a guy they're flirting with about him not having sex with his best friend anyway? Is that some sort of new flirting technique that I missed? But something that keeps me smiling throughout the day is the reminder that they can throw themselves at him all they want; it's me he's going home with at the end of the day. (We happen to be neighbors. His house is directly behind mine, with this tiny little gate connecting our yards. And he's the only one of us with a rich grandfather who bought him a car – a nice car. A really nice car.)

Chad. What can I say about Chad… Chad is insane. But in a good way. He's awesome. He's the one you should go to when you need help on two subjects; comicality or revenge. He can make anyone laugh, no matter what. He also happens to have one of the most twisted minds I have ever encountered. He comes up with the strangest revenge plans. And the truly scary thing is…they work. In a way, I feel bad for him. He's always striving to be the best, but everyone always sees someone else first. And that someone else is usually Troy, his best friend. He can't seem to escape that 'side-kick' role. But I'm starting to think he likes it. He gets the same amount of glory and he only has to do half the work. Did I mention he's lazy?

Zeke is defiantly not your typical jock. Take, for example, the fact that his life passion is cooking. Not basketball, the sport he plays almost year round, but cooking, the class he takes for one semester. Actually, I think he took a course over the summer on year, too. However, give him the respect he deserves. That boy can make a wicked crème brûlée. His cakes are awesome pick-me-ups. And he's always there; he's my "shoulder to cry on" …if Troy isn't around. It sounds mean, but it's true. Troy's probably the best to go to for support. Chad… not so much, and Jason… You don't even want to go there with Jason. But Zeke will listen, and he'll give you a tissue or a hug, depending on which one would work better, and he won't complain and he won't say that helping you out makes him look like a wuss.

Jason is… out there. He always has been and I think he always will be. He doesn't really fit in, a lot of the time, just because he's the only truly stupid one. I love him like a brother and all, but he'd really dumb sometimes. He's pretty much the underdog, the weakling. It's kind of sweet, in a way, just because he's the little guy making it with the big dogs. Ugh. I think I just had a full-on girly moment. (I have those sometimes. I hate them all the time.) He's really good at imitating though. He's always watching Troy and Chad and Zeke, trying to learn what he's supposed to act like. He's always been a follower, not a leader. But he's doing pretty well.

And, I might add, they are all adorable. Just because I'm not an outright girly girl doesn't mean I don't have eyes. And it's not like I would ever consider them as more than friends.

People used to say, "When you get (insert one of my guy's names here), you get Gabriella." Sometimes, girls don't like that. In fact, there are a lot of girls who don't like that. Half the girls in East High hate me. Sometimes, when I get home, I just sit on my bed and laugh at them; they think I'm stealing their men. First of all, none of my guys are dating anyone, and second of all, we would never date each other.

I once caught a girl in the bathroom talking about how cute we were. 'We' being the five of us, the 'five of us' being me and my guys. I probably spent twenty minutes staring at my reflection in the mirror (something I very rarely do), trying to figure out how anyone could think I looked cute. I spent most of my years trying to avoid looking cute so that the guys at school wouldn't try to approach me. And why would I look cute with them specifically, if I have to look cute at all? They're like my brothers. Isn't that incest? (Well, I knowthat it's not, but it's almost as gross.)

In all honesty, sometimes having only guy best friends can get very tiring. They rarely do their homework. Correction; Chad rarely does his homework. And in the spirit of good friendship (and the horror of Wet-Willies), I often end up "helping him." Translation: I often end up doing Chad's homework. Not that he doesn't pay me back, of course. He does. He's the mastermind behind all of our evil plots. (Like the one where I soaked Jackie Carter's cheerleading uniform in barbeque sauce. But that was only because she kept slamming her crotch against Troy's leg while I was standing right there. And because I was sick of seeing her bleach-white skirt hiked up so high that whoever she wanted that week could see her too-tight Victoria's Secret panties with that damn glittery elastic part. See! It's disturbing that I know that!)

And seeing as they're all athletes, their second favorite thing to do, other than tickle (torture) me, is to play basketball. Now, this wouldn't be that bad if I played sports year round. But I don't. Because the girls basketball team only plays during the season, whereas the boys' basketball team practices years round. (Stupid sexist school board.) They can play for hours without getting even a little tired. It's sick, really. And they make me play with them. Even when I can barely stand because I'm cramping up or my lungs are about to give out; I play and they play until we're all going to pass out. And then we go inside and drink gallons of water and then collapse on the couch and watch a movie. Troy and I are the only ones awake and we're throwing the remnants of snacks at everyone else while they sleep. Ah…good times.

So that's really all you'll need to know about them. Anything that I've left out, I'll just tell you about later, I guess.

And now, I'm being forced to talk about myself. I have to "let the public know the writer" apparently. Well, you know what Troy, maybe I don't want to let the public know me! And now I have Chad's drool in my ear. So I guess I'll be letting the public get to know me.

My name is Joyce Chanuman. I'm a blonde with bright blue eyes.

I'm a swimsuit model who enjoys sunsets and long walks on the beach.

556-9431: Call me!

Alright, I've had my fun. More like my name's Gabriella Montez and I'm a brunette with brown eyes. Sorry boys, I'm not a swimsuit model and that's not my number. However, sunsets can be really beautiful and I used to love walking on the beach when I vacationed in Florida a few summers ago. I'm a branded nerd. I always have been. I always will be. But, that's okay. I really don't care what the kids at school think about me. I'm pretty sure that I would be at the bottom of the 'food chain' if it weren't for Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason. Being friends with them, makes me cool. Ish. Cool-ish is more like it. I've never really been cool to other people. I've just been cool to the cool. 'The cool' being my guys. The only reason that I'm not beaten up every day is because people – respect? – me. If I'm good enough for my guys, I'm just plain good enough. Understand? It's pretty confusing, even to me.

All the slutty girls hate me. The guys mostly ignore me (which I'm not complaining about). That's the basic rundown. I guess you could say I'm a four-person-maximum kind of girl.

Don't get me wrong; I talk to other people. Like, I talk to Taylor McKessie in science and math. And sometimes I'll talk to Eric Davis during our Scholastic Decathlon meetings. (Yes, I'm on the Scholastic Decathlon team.) I have friends at school.

But when it boils down to it, it's always going to be me and my boys. Always.

I think.

-x-

-x-

Author's Note: Alright, I've decided to try my hand at writing a full story and not just oneshots. This story will be AU and a majority of the narration is from Gabriella's point of view. This is the first time I'm really writing something with an extended plot so, please be gentle. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!