The Silent Girl

Disclaimer: I only own the plot not High School Musical characters.

Gabriella Montez was silent. It's not that she couldn't speak, she just didn't choose to. She was afraid she would sound stupid – that people would make fun of her.

Everyday she went to a normal school with normal people and normal classes. No special treatment was given to her and because of this, she struggled. Don't get me wrong, she was an excellent student. In fact, she got straight A's, with a lot of hard work of course.

Gabriella worked day and night to get the grades she got. Every single morning she would go for extra help. The teachers would write what they want to say on the board, and she would copy it.

Everyday she would hand in her homework and pray she was doing the right thing. She had no friends. Everyone in school would refer to her as 'the silent girl,' or 'the girl who doesn't talk.' She didn't even think they knew her real name, or even though she couldn't hear, she longed for friends that would accept her.

In gym when her teacher game some instruction, Gabriella didn't know what she was doing. She would follow what everyone else was doing. When she tripped or missed the ball when playing volleyball – no one would help her up or pat her on the back, saying, "Good try," or "Don't worry, you'll get the next one."

Her life was life was the same old same old. Her mother shook her awake at 5. She got in the shower at 5:20, got dressed at 5:30, ate breakfast by 5:45, and finally arrived at school at 6:00. The teachers came in early for her. They helped her with what she learned the day before and go over what they would do in class.

Though it was a struggle she did it. On weekends she and her mom went shopping. Her mother was the only friend she had. They made sure to text each other throughout the school day. It was hard not having anyone to talk to at school or not having anyone wanting to sit next to you just because you were a little different. Then again we are all different in our own ways.

Today she walked through the hallways waiting for her cell phone to buzz. Instead of wondering if that red bell was ringing, she set her own alarm for five minutes before the actual bell would ring. Groups of people passed her by without so much as an acknowledgement. People often bumped into her on a daily basis without an apology.

Gabriella skillfully unlocked her locker and stuffed her afternoon books in. She looked in the mirror that was hung on the inside of her locker. Though no one noticed her at school, self pride was very important to her. Despite what everyone else thought she still tried her hardest everyday to look some-what decent. To herself she was beautiful, and you know what? That was all that mattered.

She felt that familiar buzzing in her back pocket and closed her locker. Making her leisurely walk to Homeroom, she passed by tons of kids ranging from nerds to jocks. She didn't fit anywhere. If they did, no one would accept her. She tried. Gabriella was by no means stupid. She knew what people said about her. She could read lips to an extent. The thing that killed her the most was that teenagers could be so mean sometimes. People who didn't even know her and they judged her

As she entered the room, she took a seat in the back like always. No one lifted their heads from the conversation they were in when she walked in. No one bothered to include her.

Gabriella waited for her cell phone to give her another signal to leave this classroom. Taking out a notebook, she started to doodle on the cover. It was something she had often found herself doing in this classroom. While everyone else was socializing, she was excluded and left to find some way to pass the time.

Checking her cell phone, she found a new text message – from her mother no doubt. She was the only one who would talked to her, or had her number for that matter. Her father had passed away when she was seven, so her mother was the only one in the house to talk to. Don't get me wrong, she loved her mother with all her heart, but sometimes you just need another person.

To Gabi:

I hope you're having a great day.

How did your report go? Did your teacher like it?

I want to know all about it!

Love you!

From Mom

A smile formed on her face as she texted her mother back. At least she cared.

To Mom;

It only started about ten minutes ago.

I give my report next period and I am dreading it.

You know my English teacher hates me.

Tell you about it later.

G2g to English

Wish me luck

Xoxox

From Gabi

Once she slipped her phone back into her pocket, she stuffed her notebook back in her bag and slung it over her shoulder and took a deep breath. Next was English class. The class she always dreads. Gabriella didn't know why, but for some reason her teacher didn't like her. How could a teacher not like a person who stayed quiet through their class? The only one who didn't gossip he hated.

She had to work very hard in that class to get her A, unlike everyone else who passed easily. He never smiled at her or went easy on her for that matter. Still, she sucked it up and made the most of it. That was all she could do. He of course was the only teacher that made her sit up front. Almost as if he needed to keep an eye on her to make sure she wasn't cheating.

Walking into Mr. Riley's room, she took her seat quietly at the front. Reaching into her backpack, she took her report out and placed it on her desk. The title, The Great Gatsby, and six pages long doubled spaced. The teacher always started class on time no matter what. It seemed like he hated teaching and wanted to get through his class as fast as possible.

There weren't many kids in this class. While most English classes had about 20 or 25 kids, this one had about 11. No special reason, just luck. At least she didn't have to deal with twenty people staring at her.

One by one the kids presented their reports. She always had gotten excused from things like this. No one ever heard her talk. There was one good thing that came out of being deaf. You didn't have to listen to people giving 10 different reports on the same topic. She watched as the teenagers spoke, reading their lips as much as possible.

The reports went by quickly. Each person not taking more than seven or eight minutes each. Just as the teacher was about to continue with the lesson, the boy who sat next to her got up from his seat and stood in the front of the class.

"It's not fair that she never has to present. She gets special treatment for everything." It wasn't hard for Gabriella to figure out what he was saying. The angry boy pointed while he talked.

Gabriella's face turned a light shade of pink. This had never happened before to her. It hurt her that he didn't even know her name. He announced her as if she was just a thing not a person.

Gabriella watched as the teacher motioned her to stand up front. It was proven true. The teacher hated her. He wanted to see her suffer. Her hands were shaking as she obediently listened to the teacher. She faced kids starting at her.

"I..uhh," Everyone was laughing at her. She was afraid of this. She scanned the four rows of students, laughing, smirking, laughing, pointing and laughing, smiling, sincere, laughing. Wait a minute. Her eyes scanned back to the only person not making fun of her. His eyes were a deep shade of bright blue. His hair was a golden brown.

She took a deep breath and began to get ready to try again.

"Mr. Riley, I forgot to mention. Gabriella is needed in the office." Gabriella was startled as this boy grabbed her hand and rushed her out of the room. She had been looking at her paper again and not at him, the one who had just saved her from complete embarrassment.

What she didn't know was that he knew her name and frequently watched out for her from time to time.

Well, I know it's a bit different from what I normally write, but I would appreciate it if you guys will back me up on this. I decided to try something new. Please Review