Vote For Nick, I Mean Nicole!

Starr looked at the bulletin board next to the auditorium knowing but still hoping that her name would be on it. School would be starting in fifteen minutes and Nicole, Starr, and Chloe were looking at the papers that would determine what part they got, if they even got a part at all. "Sharpay Evans," Starr read out loud. She turned around with no expression on her face and stared straight at Nicole.

"Did you get it?" Chloe asked impatiently.

Suddenly Starr had a smile plastered on her face and she screamed, "Yes! I'm the new Sharpay! I'm gonna be a superstar!"

"That's awesome!" Nicole yelled and soon Starr and Nicole were jumping up and down with excitement while Chloe watched and smiled.

"OK, now it's my turn." Nicole said nervously.

"You're gonna get the part, don't worry." Starr reassured Nicole but she didn't look too sure. Nicole walked up to the bulletin board and looked for the part of Gabriella. When she found it, she looked at the name next to it. She turned around and by the look of disappointment on her face, they knew.

"I didn't get it. Chelsea did." Nicole announced.

"Wow, I can't believe it. I mean, you were so much better than her there must be something wrong with Miss Riggs! Ask anyone at the auditions they'll all agree that Chelsea sucked compared to you!"

"Well at least it says here that I'm the understudy! That means if Chelsea quits or gets sick I could be Gabriella!" Nicole said cheerfully, trying to find the bright side in everything like always.

"Whatever. I still think it should've been the other way around and Chelsea was supposed to be the understudy!" Starr protested.

Chloe looked suspiciously at nothing in particular and walked away.

"Were are you going?" Starr asked.

Chloe stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Starr. "Don't you worry your pretty little face about me. I'm just gonna...talk. With someone." Chloe turned back around and began walking again. Starr looked at Nicole who just shrugged. She never really understood Chloe anyways.

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"So Chelsea got the part? That's dumb. Nicole was way better!" Sasha Evans, the most dramatic girl you will ever meet, replied when Chloe told her and her drama club friends about the bulletin board. "You know, I've been so busy I haven't had time to check out what part I got." Sasha added. It was lunch time and Chloe didn't have lunch with Starr or Nicole.

"That's strange." Jasmine Russo said staring straight ahead of her.

"What's strange?" Chloe asked looking in the direction that Jasmine was looking.

"That guy is putting ketchup on his hot dog." Jasmine replied. Chloe was about to say that ketchup on a hot dog is not as strange as putting peanut butter on a hot dog but before she could reply, Jasmine spoke again. "But I talked to Miss Riggs and she told me that Nicole got the part of Gabriella. She even printed out the paper that said so. I guess she changed her mind last minute." Jasmine concluded by taking a bite out of her hot dog with peanut butter.

"That doesn't seem right. Why would Miss Riggs change her mind after printing out the papers?" Chloe asked herself. She knew something wasn't right so after school she managed to get out of going to the library to help Nicole make posters for the school elections but Starr helped so it didn't really matter. When she got to the auditorium she didn't see anybody. She walked backstage to see if the performing arts teacher, whatever her name was, would be there. She didn't find anyone so she began to walk back to the stage when she saw the teacher, with Chelsea following her. Now Chloe didn't want to be nosy, but she huddled behind a giant moon to listen in. Oh who am I kidding? Chloe loved being nosy!

"Miss Riggs I just need to tell you that Nicole doesn't want to be in the play." Chelsea lied.

"That's preposterous!" Miss Riggs replied.

"It's true! She told me!"

"Well why doesn't she tell me that herself?" Miss Riggs questioned while fixing some papers on her desk in front of the stage.

"Because...she doesn't want to...disappoint you! You know how much of a goody-two-shoes bitch she is!"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" There was a pause but Chelsea continued. "So anyways, Nicole told me to tell you that she's not gonna be in the play so you might as well give me the part. What do you say Miss Riggs?"

There was another pause and Chloe could tell that Miss Riggs was going to give in. That's when it all made sense now. Chelsea saw the bulletin board before Nicole did. Chelsea saw that Nicole got the part of Gabriella. Chelsea took the original paper and replaced it with another one, one which said that Chelsea got the part of Gabriella when that part really belonged to Nicole. And now Chelsea was convincing Miss Riggs that Nicole didn't want to be in the play when she did. And who would find out what Chelsea did? No one, because no one would ask any questions. Except Chloe. 'Damn, Nikki's lucky she has me!' Chloe thought. I mean,she wasn't going to let Chelsea get away with it. Chelsea had already took Nick away from Nicole and Chloe wasn't going to let her take anything else! She was about to get up from her spot but then an idea struck her and she swore she heard a light bulb turning on. So Chloe just let Chelsea convince Miss Riggs. 'Oh but don't worry Chelsea, you're not getting away so easily!' Chloe thought.

That same afternoon Chloe told Nicole and Starr what happened. As expected, Starr did not believe a word that Chloe said. Nicole cursed Chelsea for being such a bitch and Chloe told them her idea. They both agreed on helping.

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"OK everyone! Welcome to your first official rehearsal for High School Musical the play!" Miss Riggs exclaimed excitedly. "We will start off doing some exercises that will help your acting. Everybody partner up!" Without a doubt, Chelsea and Nick became partners. While the other students chose partners, Chloe and Nicole were outside watching and going over their plan.

"What if it doesn't work?" Nicole asked nervously.

"Don't worry! It'll work cause we have proof!" Chloe replied confidently while holding the papers up. You see, Chelsea took the original paper from the bulletin board and told one of her wanna-be friends to get rid of it. That friend forgot and when Chloe went to ask her if she knew what Chelsea was up to, the wanna-be friend got tricked into giving Chloe the paper. Chloe is clever that way.

"OK then. Let's go!" Nicole announced. They walked into the auditorium slowly, making everyone stare at them.

Miss Riggs looked surprised and asked, "Nicole! What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't the understudy learn the words to the play too Miss Riggs?" Nicole asked.

"Understudy? Who said you were the understudy? I specifically gave you the part of Gabriella!" At that point, Chelsea looked nervous.

"What?" Nicole asked with a fake surprised voice, after all, she knew. "But on the paper it said that I was the understudy!"

"What? No of course not! You got the part but you didn't want it!" Miss Riggs protested.

"Who said I didn't want it?"

"Chelsea did!" Miss Riggs replied.Then she asked, "And who told you I made you the understudy?"

That's when Chloe stepped in. "It said so on this paper here!" She handed Miss Riggs the papers. "But I found this other paper and it says that Nicole got the part! Which could only mean one thing and one thing only. Chelsea took the original paper and switched it with her own fake one! That means that the true Gabriella is Nicole!"

"That's ridiculous! I didn't do anything!" Chelsea defended herself.

"Well I think we should let Miss Riggs decide! Who should be Gabriella?" Starr exclaimed.

Miss Riggs answered quickly and without a doubt. "Well, I don't know what happened and who switched the papers, but I do know that I rightfully gave the part to Nicole, so congratulations Nikki, you're Gabriella!"

"But, but the paper said clearly that-" Chelsea started.

"But nothing Chelsea! Nicole is Gabriella and you're going to have to deal with it!" miss Riggs replied. Chelsea couldn't do anything else but to growl and stomp away, and that's exactly what she did. Nicole watched and smiled as Chelsea stomped all the way to the door, turned around, glared at Nicole and stomped off again. She had finally won a war. But the battle was just beginnning.

"Wait, this means that I have to pretend to like Nicole!" Nick hollered. Nicole turned around and gave Nick a dirty look.

'I can never win anything!' She thought.