Gabriella, over the course of a school year and a half:
- Frequently uses a condescending, patronizing, and even aggressive tone of voice with Troy, and makes at least one joke about his appearance: “Nice tie. Your shoes don’t match, though!”
- Refers to Troy by a nickname (Wildcat) that serves to remind him of the pedestal he’s been unwillingly placed on by his father, peers, and surrounding community, even after Troy has confided in her his desire to just be “a guy”. Personally, I believe it would have said a lot more for their relationship if Gabriella was the only person who refers to Troy as “Troy”, but, wouldn’t you know, that person is Ryan.
- Holds Troy solely accountable for things he was backed into a corner and manipulated into saying- “No one forced Troy to say anything”- even after Taylor confesses that she and the Decathlon team “knew Chad could get Troy to say things to make [Gabriella] want to forget about the callbacks”.
- Expects Troy to get her a summer job when he playfully dubs himself her “summer activities consultant”: “I hope one of those activities will include a job”.
- Dismisses Troy’s concerns about his future and turns the conversation back to herself: “So let’s just focus on right now! ‘Cause I’ve never been in one place for an entire summer.”
- Assumes Troy is cheating on her because she sees him doing his job as the junior golf pro by assisting Sharpay with her swing, and never takes Troy aside to address these concerns.
- Guilts Troy for accepting opportunities that have been offered to him at work (“Italian golf shoes, new clothes, golf carts… it’s crazy stuff. Hard to keep track of it all, I bet”), and befriending the members of the basketball team at the university Troy’s father wants Troy to attend (“'The guys’? Oh. You mean those tall people”).
- Lectures Troy on promise being a “really big word”, but then goes on to break every promise she makes, such as breaking up with Troy after having him promise that they’ll be together all summer and returning the symbol of that promise (the T pendant necklace), and refusing to fly in to attend the prom with Troy even though she accepted his invitation (“In every language; oui, si, ja, yes”), and extensively planned to make an appearance.
- Accuses Troy of changing into a new person- “It just doesn’t seem like new stuff. It seems like a new Troy”- because he’s prioritizing his future.
- Uses Ryan to toy with Troy’s feelings and make him believe that she’s moving on because Troy, in her mind, neglected her.
- Refers to Troy as a “prize”: “What’s the prize? Troy?”
- Takes her anger at Sharpay banning employee participation in the Lava Springs talent show out on Troy, hefting more guilt trips and accusations at him.
- Dumps Troy for caring about his future- “The club talent show is a big deal to Sharpay, and, evidently, for your future. So, it’s cool. Make it happen. Wear your new Italian shoes”- and not giving her a summer she deemed worthy of remembering: “I want to remember this summer. But, not like this, Troy.”
- Has to be forced by Taylor to return to Lava Springs for her reunion with Troy. A reunion that Ryan orchestrated.
- Nudges Troy, glaring, for so much as implying that he might have dated someone before her.
- Sincerely laughs right along with Zeke, Jason, and Chad, at Troy’s name being called as the fourth applicant for the Juilliard scholarship, then chastises Troy for being reluctant to admit to his love for performing.
- Stares blankly and apathetically when Troy draws a complete blank for his plans for his future, and, once again, turns the topic of conversation back to herself when Troy tries to discuss college with her.
- Is utterly apathetic to Troy’s situation with his run-down truck that requires constant maintenance in order to function, even laughing as Troy, half-joking, tells her, "If my truck breaks down because I’m spending all my time onstage, it’s your fault”.
- Stubbornly refuses to tell anyone other than Taylor about her acceptance into Stanford’s Freshman Honors program, despite Taylor repeatedly urging her to do so.
-Is annoyed with Troy when he asks why he was the last to know about the Freshman Honors program (he had to find out about it from Sharpay), providing “Because I knew what you would say”, as her justification for withholding this crucial information from him.
- Tells Troy to his face that she “always” does “the right thing” in spite of all of the things I’ve previously mentioned, while Troy is selflessly encouraging her to go ahead and accept her admission into the Freshman Honors program and, essentially, leave him behind.
- Moves to California, 1,053 miles away, while Troy is at school, so she won’t have to face him.
- Calls Troy two days before the senior prom to dump him over the phone. Mind you, she had a time window of two weeks to do this, but spent that time window stringing Troy along with false promises, and even went so far as to schedule a flight and pick out Troy’s tux and, presumably, a corsage.
- While dumping Troy, she complains about how hard the relocation has been for her- “It’s taken me two weeks to get used to being away from you, away from East High and all my friends”- with no regard, at all, for how difficult her absence has been on Troy, who basically shut down without her and now has to act opposite the girl who spent a large chunk of their summer vacation sexually harassing him.
But, “OMG, RELATIONSHIP GOALS”, am I right?
