I own nothing.

First story. Go easy on me, I beg of you. And if this story idea has been used before, I apologize.

Summary: There's a new rumor arousing the students of East High School. No matter what anyone says, Troy Bolton is NOT afraid of girls.

Inspiration: My best friend Liz, who's always spreading rumors, but never keeps track of them.

"Can I touch it?"

"No."

"What if I just poke it with my fingernail?"

"No."

"How 'bout I --"

"No."

Chad Danforth sighed in annoyance. "So what, you're gonna buy a glass case and just keep it in there, or something?" He crossed his arms and stared as his best friend held his new basketball with exaggerated carefulness.

Troy Bolton nodded. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Yes. Basketballs are meant to be --"

"Well then, deal with it!" Troy cut him off, holding the basketball up to his face carefully with his fingertips, admiring it with a smile. "This is the happiest day of my life."

"You said the day you met Gabriella was the happiest day of your life," Chad pointed out.

"Okay, this is the second happiest day of my life." Troy gently placed the basketball in his locker and closed the door slowly.

Chad shook his head at him. "Dude, you have --"

"Yoo hoo! Boys!"

Two cheerleaders, Hailey and Charlotte, waved at the two boys and approached them slowly. They kept their eyes on Troy as they inched closer, stopping about five or six feet away from him, which was unusual, since they normally had no problem invading his personal space.

"Emm, why don't you ask, Hailey?" Charlotte suggested, turning to her blonde friend.

"Uh, sure." Hailey hesitated. "Um, we were just wondering, since you're... you know --" she whispered the words "--does that mean you prefer guys? Or are you straight, but just afraid to confront us, like Michael?" She and Charlotte glanced at a scrawny little guy who had his shirt tucked in his pants and was wearing glasses so ugly that anyone would agree that he got them free at a car wash.

"What are you girls talking about?" Troy asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"You don't have to pretend, Troy," Charlotte assured him. "We still love you! You can come clean now and admit it!" She smiled warmly at Troy, who knit his eyebrows so closely together, they were almost touching.

"Are you saying I'm gay?" he asked, glaring briefly at Chad when he scooted away from him.

"No!" Hailey paused. "Well, I don't know. That's what we came here to find out," she explained with a smile.

"So are you?" Charlotte pressed.

"No! Why would you ask me that?"

"Oh! Good! Gosh, we were so worried!" Hailey put her right hand to her chest, sighing in relief.

"But Troy," Charlotte continued, "there's no need to be apprehensive about us. You're aware of that, right?"

"Apprehensive?" Troy stared blankly at the brunette, perplexed. "What makes you think I'm --?"

"Okay, girls," Chad finally stepped in, "why don't you two explain Chaddy Waddy what's going on?" Swinging his arms around each girl's shoulders, he lead them away, listening intently as the cheerleaders chattered simultaneously.

"Um, Troy?"

Troy turned away from Chad and the girls' retreating backs and grinned instantly at the sight of Gabriella Montez. "Hey, Gabs!" he greeted cheerfully, momentarily forgetting his situation.

"Heyyy..." Gabriella looked down at her shoes nervously.

"What's up? Are you okay?" Troy asked, sensing her discomfort.

"Oh, um..." Gabriella stammered. "I heard a... something... a-about you... and... I wanted to ask..." She shook her head. "Never mind, forget about it."

Troy was about press the matter when Chad's sudden burst of hysterics startled everyone in the hallway. Everyone watched with questioning looks as he crouched forward and hugged his stomach, his face turning red. He fell on his back and started kicking in the air with his legs, shaking with laughter. Tears were streaming down his face as he struggled to breathe. He wiped them away slowly, trying not to poke himself in the eye with his shaking left hand.

"Chad...?" Troy stared at his best friend, wondering what on Earth those girls could've said to have him writhing on the floor with laughter.

Chad looked up at the sound of his name, then started laughing all over again at the sight of Troy. "Dude," he said, his voice shaking, "you will ne-never..." he laughed again, more quietly than before. "You will never guess --" he cleared his throat to hide another chuckle "-- what new rumor is spreading through East High about you." He tried to stand up, his laughter slowly calming down to involuntary chuckles.

"Rumor?" Troy grimaced.

"Yeah," Gabriella started. "That's what I was about to ask you. See, someone started a rumor that you have --" she dropped her voice down to a whisper "--Girlphobia."

"Girlphobia?" Troy repeated slowly.

"Yeah."

"Is it true, Captain?" Chad asked. "Are you intimidated by the ladies?" He chuckled again, ignoring the glare he received from his best friend.

"No! I'm not. Well, I'll admit, some of the cheerleaders kinda scare me a little... with their sharp, claw-like fingernails... then of course, there's Sharpay..." Troy trailed off, eyes widening in realization.

"Evans."

--

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"You know what? You asked me that just in time! See, I have a quiz here that will tell you exact--"

"I know you did it."

"Yes!" Sharpay Evans clapped her hands excitedly. "I did do it! This quiz is in fact made by yours truly." She ran her hand through her blonde mane. "How ever did you --?"

"You started that rumor," Troy accused, struggling to keep his voice calm.

"Pardon?"

"The rumor."

Sharpay snorted. "You actually think I keep track of all the rumors I start? Be more specific if you want to jog my memory, Bolton. And with your happy voice," she instructed, which did nothing to ease Troy's increasing irateness.

"The rumor about me being afraid of girls," he said slowly, emphazing every other word as if he were talking to a preschooler.

Sharpay tapped her left temple with her fuzzy pink pen, sensing a flashback coming on...

Her cheeks were rosy red; a mischievous smile was plastered on her face; there was an odd twinkle in her eye. Only someone as close to her as Ryan Evans could recognize these symptoms as Gossip-itus. And if, by some miracle, he was having an off day and didn't notice, her next words were enough to tip anyone off.

"Ryan, I'm feeling gossipy."

Ryan gulped, resisting the powerful urge to yell "NOOOO!!" at the top of his lungs, and merely nodded. "What do you have in mind, Shar?"

"Well, I haven't started anything about Bolton in a while." She bit her lip as she thought. "Hmm, well, there's really nothing interesting going on with him right now. He has yet to ask Gabriella Montez out. It's pathetic." She snorted. "You'd think he was afraid of the girl..." Her mischievous smile turned into a full out grin. "I've got it!"

Ryan gulped again, not liking where this was going. "Shar..."

"No worries, Ry," she assured him, jumping up from her seat on the Evans' enormous couch. "This will be fun." She pulled out her phone, her fingers moving rapidly over the numbers as she dialed someone -- most likely a reliable gossiper to spread the news about whatever Sharpay had in mind.

Ryan sighed. Clearly, this was going to be long week.

--

Snapping back to reality, Sharpay shook her head, her freshly cut bangs swaying back and forth just above her eyelids.

"Huh," she said. "That is some of my work! To think I'd remember something that genius!" She laughed at herself stupidly.

"So you did start the rumor!" Troy snapped his fingers.

"Huh?" Sharpay raised her eyebrows innocently.

"The rumor?" Troy repeated.

"What rumor?"

"The one about me!"

"You actually think I keep track of all the rumors I start? Be more specific."

"Sharpay..." Troy fumed.

"You are confusing me, Troy Bolton. And you know I don't like to be confused." Sharpay narrowed her eyes pointedly to warn him.

"Okay!" Ryan, who remained quiet through this whole... ordeal (on Troy's part), finally stepped in. "Everyone, why don't I lead you to the door," he suggested. He started 'shoo'-ing Chad, Troy, and Gabriella out with his hands.

"No! I refuse! Not until she admits it and helps me!" Troy did his best to resist -- failing miserably -- as Chad and Ryan pulled him out of the classroom.

"I hate her! I hate her!" Troy yelled. "I hate her! I hate hate hate her!"

"Troy, calm down --" Gabriella tried to soothe him.

"NO! I hate her! Sharpay Evans is Satan!" he shouted at the closed door. "I hate her! I. Hate. Her. I. Hate. Her."

"Troy, take a breath," said Chad, cautiously stepping away from his best friend.

"I hate you Evans! You and your stupid, sparkling self!" Troy continued as if he didn't hear Chad. "You have split ends!"

"Troy --"

"Your breath stinks!"

"Troy --"

"You scare young children!"

"Troy --"

"I hope you poke yourself in the eye with your mascara brush-thingy!"

"Troy --!"

"You were named after a dog breed!"

"... Are you finished?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Ryan rubbed his ringing ears. "Now, if you can wait here, I will persuade Sharpay to take pity on you and fix this." He walked back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Chad whistled casually as they waited and suddenly, about five seconds after Ryan disappeared, they all heard tumblings of desks and Sharpay shrieking at the top of her lungs. Everyone covered their ears in a useless attempt to block out the horrible noise. Five minutes passed before the ear-piercing screams were finally replaced by a dramatic gasp.

"Ryan!" they heard the blond screech in a scandalized tone.

"I'll do it, Shar!" Ryan warned. "Now say you'll fix this!"

"Traitor," she said, quieter than before.

"Sharpay, fix this!"

"Fine."

The door opened to reveal an angry Sharpay, who glowered instantly as soon as she saw Troy.

"You big baby."

--

"I can't do that!"

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"No. I can't."

"Yes. You can."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"You wanna know how game ends, Bolton? With me murdering you with my Louboutin heel."

Troy sighed. "Shar, I'm not ready."

"So you're not ready for Gabriella Montez to be yours?" Sharpay raised an eyebrow at him.

"No," Troy shook his head. "I'm not ready for her rejection."

Sharpay scoffed. "You're stupid. Gabriella loves you. Probably more than half the girls -- and one eighth of the guys -- here at East High. She just has more self-control than most of them."

"Shar, I -- one eighth?" Troy gave her a questioning look.

"Most of them were either straight or bi until they met you. Proud of yourself, Bolton?"

"That's not what I mea--" Troy shook his head. "Whatever. I'm not willing to risk our friendship. Telling her will just make things too weird." He looked down nervously.

"Unless she loves you back. Which she does," Sharpay pointed out.

"She doesn't."

"She does."

"She doesn't."

"She does!"

"Doesn't!"

"Does!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"We're back on this ride, Bolton?"

Troy groaned, surrendering. "Fine. But if she yells 'eww' and runs away, it's on your head."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Sharpay rolled her eyes. "That's something only I would do. And we're not talking about me, here... which is a problem. We should be talking about me! So let me tell you about my day. I got out of bed --"

"Shar?" Troy interrupted.

"What?"

"There are only two things keeping me from killing you right now. I promised to never hit a girl, and I'm pretty sure you can kick my ass."

"Hmm.You're smarter than I thought, Bolton."

"Whatever."

--

"I, Troy Bolton, have something to say!" Troy yelled from the staircase. Once he had everyone's attention, he continued, "To start, no matter what Satan Evans has told you --" he shot dirty glance at Sharpay "--I am not afraid of girls! Nor am I gay!" He turned briefly to Hailey and Charlotte. "And to prove it," He grabbed Gabriella by the hand and twirled her into his arms. He smiled at her bewildered expression and leaned in to give her a giant, "Bolton-style" kiss.

"I love you, Gabriella Montez," Troy declared. "I always have."

Despite her shock, Gabriella couldn't help the grin forming on her lips. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Gabriella beamed and wrapped her arms around Troy's neck. "I love you, too," she whispered in his ear.

Troy closed his eyes and smiled in content, returning Gabriella's hug. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that."

"Aww!" Sharpay cooed. "That is so sweet! My plan worked perfectly!"

"Plan?" Ryan raised his eyebrows in question.

"Yup!" Sharpay clapped her hands with such chirpiness, Ryan half expected her to say, "Yay me!".

"So you... planned this?" He asked.

"Yes. I arranged this whole thing so the school will think that Troy was scared of girls, knowing he would have no choice but to come to me for help. Then I would tell him that the only way to convince the school otherwise was to admit his love for Gabriella. And it worked!" She squealed the last three words.

"Wow," Ryan said. "For once, my sister used her... 'satan' powers for good." He smiled and wrapped his arms around his sister in a tight embrace. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Ryan, let go of me!" Sharpay squirmed in her brother's arms. "This is weird! Stop it!"

"I never thought I'd see the day!" Ryan went on.

"Ryan! Let. Go. Now!" Sharpay continued squirming. "Or I'll throw your hat collection in the fireplace when we get home!"

Ryan immediately pulled back. "Sorry."

"That's what I thought." Sharpay straightened her white sweater and quickly ran a hand over her pink skirt to smooth it out. Then she turned to Ryan with a smile.

"It was a good day."

"You think?" Ryan joined the crowd's cheers and applauding as they congratulated the happy couple.

"Yep. I am a genius. Bolton better throw me a party."

"He just might," a new voice said. "Just as long he doesn't find out about your little 'plan.'"

"Danforth," Sharpay narrowed her eyes at the bushy-haired guy. "One word and I'll pluck you to death with my tweezers," she threatened.

Chad held his hands up in defense. "No worries, Evans. I won't tell. It's about time someone did something to get those two together. Now relax that pretty little face of yours, okay?" He smiled flirtatiously at the blond girl.

Sharpay struggled to fight a smile. "So, why didn't you do anything to help them? Bolton is your best friend."

Chad shrugged. "Too lazy," he answered, stretching his arms.

"So," Sharpay started. "Do you think Troy has what it takes to plan their first date?"

Chad laughed. "No. They'll need help."

"Help from me," Sharpay added. "And you, if you're not 'too lazy'," she mimicked.

Chad swung his arm around the girl casually. "Why don't we meet up after school and discuss it?" he suggested, leading her away from the crowd. "Maybe grab a bite to eat?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Just remember the food you order will be for two people and if you dare touch my plate, I'll stick a french fry in your eye."

Chad smirked, unfazed by her threat -- which was a first for him. "No worries. I like 'em feisty."

"There are two things keeping me from ramming into you right now: my son is sleeping nextdoor and I'm pretty sure you can kick my ass!" -- Angie Lopez, The George Lopez Show.

Kind of a crappy ending, but whatever. Sorry.

Reviews? Pretty please! (: