A/N: Well, here's my new story, guys. And guess what – it's a chaptered story. I know; it shocked me too!

I just want to say a huge thanks to Ashton for discussing this story with me – and giving me the gentle nudge of encouragement that I needed! :D

And well, that's that really.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm 16 – would I really own something as big as HSM?

Escaping to Love

She was in so much trouble.

Seriously.

This was bad.

Sitting tensely, Gabriella Montez gazed out of the small aeroplane window and down at the lush green fields that were getting bigger and bigger as the aircraft descended closer to the ground.

So that's what England looks like, she mused grimly.

A mere ten hours ago, Gabriella had been in her apartment in San Francisco, pacing around the living room in frenzy and now she was in England. How? She wasn't really that sure. Well, of course she knows how it happened because she had been the one driving to the airport…buying the ticket…and stepping onto the plane. But, HOW can she be here? She hadn't even told anyone! She didn't tell anyone she was leaving; she just…went; left without a single damn word to anybody. Not her friends, not her mom, not…him.

Oh shit – she was so screwed.

Shifting uncomfortably, Gabriella watched as the runway appeared and gripped the armrest as the plane met with the tarmac, bumping slightly as it sped along the road before gradually slowing down. She bit her lip as the plane pulled in to stop, and there was suddenly chaos as the seat-belt sign was switched off. She watched in bewilderment as everyone around her bustled about, yanking bags down from the overhead lockers and hurrying towards the doors that opened.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella stood from her seat – her legs grateful for the movement – grabbed her hand-luggage and made her way down the narrow aisle, hesitating slightly at the doorway. The air steward gave her an odd look as she took another deep breath before finally stepping out and down the corridor that would lead her into the airport. Gripping her bag tightly, she weaved in and out of other passengers before stepping out into the arrivals lounge, her eyes widening slightly at the sheer amount of noise and movement.

"Oh crap," she muttered as she took in the size of the room and the amount of people crowded in that room; some standing in bundles, some gripping screaming toddlers and the odd one chasing their suitcase on the luggage carousel. Biting down on her bottom lip, Gabriella looked up at the information board, searching for the carousel number for her luggage. Scanning it, she located what she needed but had no idea where to go. Casting her gaze over the room, she realised that it was impossible to see any of the carousels – people surrounded them in thick clusters. Huffing, she adjusted her bag strap before making her way to the nearest carousel, hoping by some miracle that she'd chosen the right one. But of course, it was wrong. The luggage being carried around had come from a flight out of Germany – and that was definitely not where Gabriella had just come from.

Where the fuck was carousel six? Which one was which?

Oh wait…there are signs above each one. Of course there are signs. A glowing number '6' flashed above a carousel three down from where she was, and Gabriella mentally berated herself as she fought her way through the crowds. You have an IQ of 115, yet you didn't think to look for signs? What is wrong with you?

Fighting her way through the crowd forming around the carousel, Gabriella forced her way to the front, determined to get her suitcase as quickly as possible so that she could get the hell out of the airport. She watched in mild frustration as suitcase after suitcase trailed in front of her, others being picked up and whisked away by their owners who were now able to leave. Scowling as another person beside her picked up their luggage, Gabriella ran an irritable hand through her dark tresses, growling slightly as her fingertips got tangled in the ends.

Eighteen minutes later and it was there.

Coming round the corner, a light purple suitcase appeared; the battered appearance standing out like a sore thumb as it lay next to others in pristine condition, not a single scratch in sight. Fingers twitching, Gabriella leant forward, ready to grab it – only to feel a sudden shove behind her knees, causing her to tumble backwards, shrieking as she did so.

"What the fuck?!"

"Oh, sorry, Miss!"

Gabriella looked up to see a boy no older than fifteen, staring down at her with a sheepish expression on his face as he held a black suitcase in his hands.

"Why-"

But he'd already gone. Charming little bugger, Gabriella thought sourly as she regained her footing, trying to ignore the muffled sniggers around her. Just as she'd straightened out her appearance, she looked just in time to see her suitcase turn the corner and disappear out of sight.

Gabriella came so close to screaming.

So she had to wait, again. It was another twelve or so minutes before her suitcase made another appearance. The crowd had more or less gone by now, leaving only a handful of other people and Gabriella, who was less than impressed. Grabbing her suitcase as soon as it was within reachable distance, she swung it off the carousel, before marching away. As she made her way to the 'Bureau de Change' kiosk, a couple of people smiled at her as they pass, and Gabriella slowly feels her frustration ebb as she saw more people smile at her. At least English people are nice…

"Hey." Gabriella approached the kiosk to see the man behind it staring at her, an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Hello. Erm…"

"What?"

Why does he look embarrassed?

"Sorry, it's just…Did you know that…" He gestured awkwardly to her front.

"What is it?" She asked before looking down and freezing in mortification. Somehow, her baby pink t-shirt has slipped down as she'd been walking, revealing an ample view of her bra; her white lace bra that had a noticeable rip in the cup that is on display. So that's why people have been staring at her; not because they're nice people, but because they could see her ripped bra.

…Great.

"Thanks," she muttered as she hastily corrected her top, her cheeks hot with humiliation.

"It's fine…" The man cleared his throat. "How may I help you, Miss?"

Gabriella fumbled with her bag before withdrawing her purse. "I'd like to change these dollars into pounds, please." She pulled out $300 and placed them on the revolving disk.

"Of course, Miss." He took the money before typing something into the computer. The dollars disappeared, and were replaced by a mess of notes and coins. "That's £181.74, Miss."

Gabriella hesitantly took the money before tucking it into her purse. "Thank you."

The man smiled and nodded his head politely. "Enjoy your stay."

--

She'd made her way from the airport to train station without any more mishaps, and it was only when she was standing in the queue for a ticket did Gabriella realise just how out of her depth she was. She had no idea what she was doing next. Where does she go from here? She didn't have a plan; she barely had any money due to the fact that she's still trying to pay off her student loan from University, and she didn't have any clue as to what she's even doing over here.

Other than trying to escape from her life in America. Well, not so much her life…just him.

There wasn't much in her life that Gabriella could fault. In the whole twenty-two years of her existence, she could count on one hand the bad events of her life. The first one caused the most heartbreak and suffering she'd ever known; the death of her father when she was eleven years old. Sure, it had been something that Gabriella had known would happen after his cancer relapsed – but, the morning she had come downstairs to find her mom slumped on the kitchen floor, sobbing relentlessly after receiving the news had been the day her heart had shattered into a million tiny pieces. And it wasn't until about seven years later that someone slowly placed her heart back together.

Riley Bennett had entered Gabriella's life at the beginning of senior year; he was a transfer from Long Island and upon his sudden arrival at Lowell High School in San Francisco, he'd been under the watchful eye of almost every girl in the senior year. He was tall, with tousled blond hair and piercing green eyes that if stared into long enough, girls would often find themselves weak in the knees. And Gabriella hadn't been an exception. Much to her delight and to the dismay of her fellow female classmates, Riley was assigned as her Chemistry and Biology partner, meaning they were sitting next to each other for eight lessons a week. Needless to say, the two of them grew rather close, and after two months of first meeting each other, they began to date – something that Gabriella had very little experience in.

Despite the difficulties that senior year brought, Gabriella and Riley survived the last year of high school, closer than ever and even when they started separate universities, they remained together, determined not to let the distance between them affect them. And it didn't. After three years, Gabriella had graduated from Stanford University with Riley sitting in the crowd with her mother, his face beaming with love and admiration.

It was only until Riley declined her offer to live together after graduation that Gabriella began to notice the something was wrong. They'd been together for nearly four years…why didn't he want to live with her? The previous month or two before, he'd been acting distant, becoming more and more withdrawn – but Gabriella had merely deduced that to the stress he was feeling with starting his new job.

Oh, but it turned out that it was much more than that.

It was three days before their fourth anniversary that Gabriella found out that Riley had been cheating on her... for almost eight months.

She'd walked into his apartment with some of his clothes that she'd so dutifully washed for him, only to find a blonde girl stretched across his sofa, wearing nothing more than a shirt that Gabriella knew was Riley's. Gabriella had frozen in shock in the doorway and as Riley had emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn, the blonde girl had sat up, smirking at Gabriella – her eyes twinkling with laughter and malicious pity for the shaking brunette.

Gabriella had stood in the doorway staring at Riley, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, the bag of his washing hanging limply at her side. As Riley opened his mouth, the blonde stood smoothly from her position from the sofa and moved towards Riley, a slim hand coming to rest on his shoulder – and it was the glinting of a diamond ring on her left hand that caused a broken sob to escape from Gabriella's lips.

"Gabs-"

"Fuck you, Riley," she'd hissed before storming from the apartment, only pausing to stuff the bag of washing into the trash chute. Ignoring the vehement protests, Gabriella stormed towards the elevator and it was only until the two doors had shut that she collapsed to the ground, her petite body racking with sobs as once again, she felt her heart break.

And when Gabriella had returned to her apartment, there had been a message from Riley on her answering machine saying that he was sorry and for her not to do anything reckless – and could he please have his things from her apartment back? A minute after listening to that message, her answering machine was laying in pieces on the ground after being thrown at the wall. And it was ten minutes after hearing that message that Gabriella realised that she needed to get the hell out of there.

That had been two days ago.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

Gabriella was shaken from her thoughts and remembered where she was standing, only to find that it was her turn to buy a ticket.

"Oh!" She rushed forward, and the woman behind the glass smiled politely. "I'd like a ticket for…um…" Gabriella trailed off. Where the hell was she going?

"Miss?"

"I'm sorry – I don't actually know where I want to go."

The woman frowned in confusion. "Okay…"

Gabriella bit her lip. "Is…there anywhere you'd recommend?" She asked hopefully – if anyone knew somewhere to go, it'd be a woman who worked at a train station.

"…London?"

Gabriella beamed. "Alright, I'll go to London." She'd heard about London before from her friend Sharpay who had claimed that it had been very English but very cool.

"Okay…that'll be £25.00, please."

Handing over the money and receiving a little orange ticket, Gabriella smiled again. "Thanks."

"Your train is leaving in six minutes from platform three," the woman informed her and Gabriella nodded. "Enjoy your trip, Miss."

"Thank you," she replied before moving away from the queue and following others to the ticket barrier. Gabriella paused, watching a man put his ticket into the little machine, and the small gates of the barrier opening to let him through.

Just as she approached one of the small barriers, dragging her suitcase behind her, Gabriella heard someone calling and she looked up to see a man standing by a wider barrier gesturing at her.

Uh oh. What've I done now?

Biting her lip, she made her way towards him, trying to think of anything she'd done to could've got her in trouble…

"Here you are, love," the man said as Gabriella approached him, and he opened the gate for her.

"Huh?"

"It's just that your suitcase wouldn't fit through those ones, so you can use this one." He smiled at her again and Gabriella relaxed.

"Oh right. Uh, thanks," she replied as she walked through.

"No problem, love."

Gabriella smiled again before walking towards the platforms. What platform was she meant to be going to, again? Two? Three? Four? Suddenly, the electronic Departures display board renewed its information and the group of people who were standing next to Gabriella, quickly pick up their bags and head towards platform five. That must be my train – surely, all of these people will be going to London. Gabriella followed the throng of people onto the train and quickly sat in an empty seat, stowing her suitcase in the compartment above her.

The train pulled of out the station and Gabriella slumped her head against the window, thinking about what she had just done. Without telling a single person, she'd left the country and gone to England – and was now sitting on a train bound for London. Hesitantly, she pulled out her phone and turned it on, biting her lip as the screen flashed with 14 texts and 11 missed calls.

Gabriella, where the hell are you? You were meant to meet me for lunch four hours ago! What's happened? Let me know, Tay x x

Ella – where the FUCK r u? Ur mom's going ballistic. Get ur ass over here now! Shar x

Seriously Gabs, if this is some sort of joke, it's not funny!

Has ur phone run out of battery? Seriously Ella, ring me! Shar x x

Sighing, Gabriella switched her phone off and dumped it back in her bag, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. She should ring them and she knew she should. But…she couldn't. Not yet, at least. They would all be furious – especially her mom…

"Refreshments, dear?"

Gabriella shifted her gaze away from the window to see an old woman pushing a trolley, beaming at her. "We've got tea, coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches or alcoholic beverages…"

"The last one, please," Gabriella replied, hoping she didn't sound too desperate. "A double. Of…anything."

The woman nodded and mixed a double gin and tonic. "Rough day, dear?"

Gabriella took the drink, nodding her head glumly. "The worst," she responded before taking a deep gulp of her drink.

The woman nodded her head sympathetically before moving along the carriage. Gabriella turned back to the window and watched as suburbs and buildings slowly rolled into fields. The alcohol made Gabriella's eyes feel heavy and she couldn't resist the temptation of sleep as it enclosed her.

It was only until the train came to a shuddering stop that Gabriella jolted in her seat, her eyes blinking dazedly.

"Are we here?" She asked aloud, to no one in particular, but a man sitting on the opposite side of the carriage looked at her with a blank expression and nodded his head, before getting up and walking away. Scrambling up, Gabriella grabbed her suitcase and pulled it harshly from the overhead compartment, only to curse loudly as it bounced off her shoulder on its way down. Suitcase in hand, and bag over her shoulder, she rushed down the carriage and out onto the platform – only to stop in her tracks, her brow furrowing in confusion.

She was standing on what looked like the only platform of a tiny station – if that's what it even was. There was a bench, a vending machine and an open desk with 'Information' written on a sign above; however, the person behind the desk was leaning back in the chair, his feet resting on the desk with his hat pulled down over his face to block the sun from his eyes.

Wait…was this London?

Where was the tall clock tower thingy? And that big wheel Sharpay had told her about? Glancing to her left and right, Gabriella couldn't see anything that looked remotely like Buckingham Palace, only a country road that split off in three different directions and a pub called 'The River Bend'. And lots and lots of fields.

Somewhere in the distance, a cow mooed.

This definitely was not London.

"Shit."

*bites fingernails nervously*

Well? It's a little different to what I've written before…but, do you guys like it? Should I continue?

If you guys like it, this will hopefully be a story; nothing huge – somewhere between 5 and 10 chapters (well, that's my guess at the minute!)

Please let me know what you think, guys! :D

- xo