The doorbell rang and Gabriella rushed down the stairs of her home to answer it as she smiled at Taylor, who was dressed in a purple knee length strapless dress with gems along the bodice and silver flats. "You look wonderful," said Gabriella as she hugged Taylor.

Taylor smiled in return and surveyed her friend. "You aren't that bad yourself, Gabriella," commented Taylor. Gabriella was dressed in a knee length black dress with a silk gathered bodice, spaghetti straps, and flared lace skirt with matching heels. "Actually, I'd say stunning."

Gabriella grinned back at her friend. "I knew I picked you as a best friend for a reason," kidded Gabriella as she followed Taylor to Chad's car.

"Hey Chad," greeted Gabriella.

"Hey Gab," returned Chad as he looked over his shoulder at her. "Wow, another wonderful pick for a dress, Gabriella. Too bad Troy isn't going to see it."

Gabriella sighed. "I know. This New Year's Eve party isn't going to be the same without him. Maybe we should go over to his house and see if he's feeling all right."

"No!" exclaimed Chad, "I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah, Chad's right, Gabriella. If he needed something, he would have called you by now. You know how guys are when they are sick, total babies," added Taylor.

"True. All right, let's go hit that party then!" said Gabriella as she thought back to earlier on that same day when she learned Troy would not be her date for the evening.

"Gabriella," called out Ms. Montez. "Make sure you clean your room! I want you to start the new year on the right foot with a clean room and everything, okay?"

"Yes, Mom," answered Gabriella, who had just made her bed that morning. She was in the process of pulling out the vacuum when her phone beeped, which indicated she had a text message.

Sorry, I can't go tonight, sick. Don't be mad.

Gabriella frowned when she read the text from Troy and texted him back.

Not mad, are you sure you are okay? I can come over.

Within the next minute or so, she got a response back from him.

No, enjoy tonight. Sleeping it off.

Gabriella nodded her head even though Troy couldn't see her so she texted back.

All right. Let me know if you need anything. Feel better. :)

Gabriella had spent the rest of her afternoon cleaning her bedroom even more than normal to satisfy her mom before she got ready for the party. 'I just wish Troy would could have come out tonight.'

They finally arrived at the party and Chad grinned as he entered the party with both Gabriella and Taylor on his arms. "I know I am so the envy of all the guys here. Two hotties on my arms, how great is that?" stated Chad before he earned a playful glare from Taylor.

The three got some sodas while they mingled with some people they met and somewhat moved with the rhythm of the music that was being pumped throughout the house. At around half past ten, Gabriella spotted Sharpay, who had also seen her. Before Gabriella could move, Sharpay, Tara, and Joanna were right in front of her.

"Who invited the lowlifes here?" asked Sharpay as she surveyed Gabriella and then Chad and Taylor who were behind her.

"You must be looking at a mirror Sharpay because I don't see anyone by that description anywhere else," returned Gabriella, which earned a few "oohhs" from people who were watching the two's confrontation.

"Did you really just say that to the girl with more money than your family will ever earn in a lifetime?" challenged Sharpay. "Me, lowlife? Please!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Whether you have more money than the entire free world combined or not, what really counts when it comes to a person's worth is sadly lacking in your case."

"And that would be?" questioned Sharpay.

"Where to start, oh yes, truth, honesty, loyalty, generosity, integrity, compassion, and love," answered Gabriella. "None of which I see in your possession."

Sharpay gestured with her hand to indicate that all that didn't bother her. "Please, those are just traits you poor people think are important. Anyway, as much as I would love to go at it more with you, I must leave. The night is still young and I have many more A-list parties to attend with my girls. Oh, and by the way, where's Troy tonight?"

"It's none of your business but he's sick," responded Gabriella.

"So sad you bought that story. I'll be sure to tell him you bought his lie when I see him in a few minutes," commented Sharpay as she turned around to leave. "Toodles!"

Gabriella stared as Sharpay, Joanna, and Tara left the party and turned around to look at Chad and Taylor. Chad reached out to Gabriella first and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't even give her words a second thought, Gab," he comforted. "99.5% of what she says is always a lie."

She let out a breath slowly and nodded her head. "I know but sometimes she just knows how to get under my skin. Not necessarily the Troy comment but all her comments about her being rich and having it all. Makes me sick sometimes that I can't shut her up more."

Taylor gave Gabriella a sympathetic look. "Completely understood, Gabriella. I would have slapped her by now but you have way better control than me," stated Taylor.

Before either could say more, Gabriella felt her cell vibrate from inside her purse and pulled it out. "One sec guys," she said before she headed outside to answer the phone. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Gabriella, I need you home. Can you come now?" asked Ms. Montez.

"Sure Mom, but is everything all right?" questioned Gabriella.

"Yes, now just come as soon as possible," answered Ms. Montez.

Gabriella hung up the phone and quickly found Chad and Taylor. "Something is up at home. Can you take me back home now? I hate to cut out but it sounded urgent from my mom's voice."

Chad nodded. "Sure, Taylor you can stay here and I'll drop off Gab and come back for you or do you want to come?"

"I'm coming, you are not leaving me alone here, Danforth," stated Taylor as the three made their way out of the party.

The drive to the Montez home was silent as Gabriella was running a million different scenarios through her head until they pulled into her driveway. Gabriella called out her thanks and goodnights to Taylor and Chad before she ran up to her house only to stop when she found a note on the door:

Gabriella, I didn't mean to scare you with the phone call. I'm fine, actually at a party right now, but was a part in what is about to happen when you walk through this door. Don't worry, it's something I think you will love. Lead with your heart, not your mind, and you will find happiness tonight. I love you dearly, Gabriella. Love, Mom

Gabriella looked over her shoulder and saw that Chad and Taylor had made themselves scarce. 'I wonder what this is all about,' she thought as she stepped through the door using her key and took the note with her. She locked the door and then turned around to see a tea light next to a small white daisy. Gabriella took off her heels then picked up the daisy while she blew out the candle. Next, she saw another tea light with a red tulip next to it at the foot of the stairs. Curious as to what was going on, Gabriella picked up the tulip and blew out the candle again and repeated the process as she continued to find more pairs similar to the first two, just an alternating flower. When she reached her bedroom, she had a white daffodil, yellow orchid, and pink carnation in her hand as well.

Gabriella put her ear to her closed bedroom door but couldn't hear anything. She took a deep breath and opened the door to see that her bedroom was also dark, like the rest of the house, except for a tea light with a sunflower next to it a few feet in front of her, and then another candle with a yellow rose this time right in front of the doors that led out to her balcony. As she blew out the last candle, Gabriella slowly drew open her curtain and gasped at the sight in front of her.

As she reached out for the door, Gabriella found that her body was trembling with anticipation. "Hi Troy," greeted Gabriella in a soft voice, taking in all that he had done.

"Hi Gabriella," returned Troy from where he stood in the middle of the balcony. Around him on the ground were red rose petals scattered with tea lights all along the railing of the balcony. There was even a table set up with two chairs with tall candles burning in the middle with a vase of mixed colored roses in the middle. "Do you like it?"

Gabriella felt tears well up in her eyes as she nodded, so incredibly touched. "I love it," she got out before she rushed over to Troy, who had already opened his arms to embrace her tightly. "Thank you, Troy."

Troy smiled as she pulled away and kissed her softly. "So I'm not sick, I admit that. I was actually here since almost the moment you left with Chad and Taylor for the party, setting up. Don't be mad at them or your mom for not telling, okay?"

"Of course not," replied Gabriella, who leaned her head back onto his chest. "This is just so beautiful."

"Speaking of beauty, you look stunning tonight, Gabriella. I've been wanting to tell you that since I saw you leave with Taylor earlier tonight," stated Troy as he slowly let go of Gabriella's waist. "Come on, have a seat."

Troy helped Gabriella take a seat at the table as he placed a plate with her favorite dessert on the table and filled her champagne glass with apple cider. He then took a seat across the table from her and grinned as he watched her savor the taste of the chocolate cake on her tongue from her first bite.

"Troy, this is delicious!" exclaimed Gabriella. "Did you bake this?"

"No," admitted a sheepish Troy. "I got Zeke to whip it up for you. He even did fresh whipped cream for you."

Gabriella took a sip from the glass and smiled at him. "You really have outdone yourself, Troy. You didn't have to go through all this but I really do appreciate it."

"And this is just the beginning," teased Troy as he ate some of the cake himself. "So, I wanted to do this for you for a reason. It was one year ago almost that you and I fatefully met at one ski lodge far away from here. At about this time, twenty minutes after eleven, I was quickly getting dressed to go to this lame junior party my parents were forcing me to go to while you were fighting to read your book and being forced to attend the same party."

"Right, I thought I hid well enough from my mom but she found me and insisted I go to the party for the teenagers," recalled Gabriella with a smile.

Troy smiled back as he reached over to hold her left hand with his right. "One year seems like such a short time in retrospect but so much has happened. For me, I was enchanted by this amazing young woman, who is not only pretty on the outside, but gorgeous on the inside too. Lucky for me, she transferred to East High, my high school, after I failed to meet her or call her the day after we met. We started to get closer, dated, and then got involved in a relationship together. Unfortunately, I made the wrong set of calls this summer and chased her away, stupid idiot that I was. But fortunately for me, this beauty has a heart of gold and slowly let me back into her life. Friends first, then best friends, then dating."

The two shared a smile and a look at this, Gabriella squeezing his hand to encourage him to talk more, which he did. "So, in a very, very, very broad sense, that was my year. Along the way though, I found out that this beauty was not only my best friend but someone I had to have in my life to feel complete, the love of my life." Troy brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand before his alarm on his phone went off.

"What was that?" asked Gabriella.

"That was a reminder that a year ago, I just set my eyes on you for the first time. And I know this may be cheesy but I thought this would be appropriate," he explained as he hit the play button on the CD player he had behind him.

A familiar melody reached Gabriella's ears as she watched as Troy got up from his seat and then extended his hand to her, which she took, to help her up. Troy led her over to the area in the balcony that had some clearing as he started to sing:

Living in my own world, didn't understand, that anything can happen, when you take a chance.

Gabriella smiled as she caught his motion to join and sang:

I never believed in, what I couldn't see. I never opened my heart, to all the possibilities.

Together, hands still linked, they sang together:

I know that something has changed, never felt this way, and right here tonight, this could be the start of something new…

Troy and Gabriella continued to sing the song that was responsible for bringing the two together one year ago, each drawing the other one closer to them with each verse until they were as close as they could be standing. They finished singing and Gabriella found herself staring into Troy's emotionally filled baby blue eyes.

"And the song was right, the DJ was right. We do have to thank him now, a year later, for bringing us together for this very night one year ago was the start of something new," remarked Troy. "Even with all the bumps along the road, I will never regret it."

"Neither will I," confessed Gabriella as she returned the kiss Troy just placed on her lips.

He pulled back a little while he still held Gabriella in his embrace. "So right now we were getting hot chocolate and then walking outside talking about singing and our lives before that night. You revealed your fear of singing in front of people caused by you fainting in church and I told you about my singing in the shower."

"Right, and I found it so funny that a guy with a voice like you didn't use it. Little did I know that you were allowing your dad and your friends to force you into hiding some of your strongest talents," said Gabriella. "I'm glad you broke out of that force though and showed all of the world what you are made of."

Troy laughed a little at this. "Well that was in large part due to you, Gabriella. You showed me it was okay to be different and to actually embrace it."

His cell went off again and he grinned at Gabriella. "And that alarm meant?"

"One minute to midnight, the new year," answered Troy. He looked at his watch and waited until there was only ten seconds left.

Together they started the countdown, "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1! Happy New Year!"

Before she even recognized what was happening, Troy leaned down and captured her lips in the most intense and emotionally filled kiss they had shared yet, bending Gabriella over backwards for effect. When they came back up, he pulled away slightly to catch his breath and grinned as Gabriella rewarded him with a dreamy look on her face. "Amazing," uttered Gabriella as she never broke contact with his eyes.

"Well, I do have one last component to this evening. Now that we have celebrated our one year of knowing each other, I want to start this new year right," said Troy as he reached over for a small light blue bag that was next to his chair. "Open it."

Gabriella looked at Troy with a question on her face but did what she was told. She reached in and pulled out a light blue box. Giving Troy one last look, Gabriella opened the box and found a silver chained bracelet with a solid heart dangling from one of the links. She saw some engraving and pulled it closer to her face so she could read it:

T.B. and G.M.

It also had the date of New Year's Eve one year ago. Gabriella looked up at Troy for the second time of the night with tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. "It's simply beautiful."

Troy smiled down at her and helped her put it on. "So I wanted to get you something this year to celebrate our history but also as a symbol of our new relationship, one that has grown and matured quite a bit from when we first met a year ago. We discovered each other and had instant chemistry last year but now, now I would say that we have shared love now, something much more precious. With all that being said, I have a question for you."

Gabriella searched his face for a moment before asking, "What is it?"

"Gabriella Montez, do you deem me worthy to be called your boyfriend once again?" questioned Troy as he immediately held his breath.

With only a moment of hesitation, Gabriella smiled and nodded her head. "Of course Troy, you are more than worthy actually. And I have something to say to you too."

Troy looked at her a bit puzzled but never dropped the grin that was now residing on his face. "And that would be?"

"I love you, Troy Bolton," confessed Gabriella, who smiled even more as she saw the shocked look on her boyfriend's face. "With all my heart."

Troy leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes before he opened them again as he said, "I love you too, Gabriella Montez, with all of my heart, and all of my being."

The two shared a goofy, in love grin before they shared a kiss, followed by many more as they rejoiced in this wonderful feeling they had between them, out in the open, for all the world to see. Eventually, with the wind picking up a bit and the candles burning out, Troy and Gabriella moved to the inside of her room but continued to share in the moment on her couch just inside from the balcony.

After kissing for a while, Gabriella pulled away slightly to look up at Troy with that still evident smile. "Thank you Troy, for everything you did tonight. I know I will always treasure this night, and this moment with you, for the rest of my life."

He returned her look and kissed her forehead. "For me, it was all worth it just to see you smile. Your confession of love also made it rewarding too," confessed Troy. "I'm just happy I was able to make you happy again."

"I have faith that you always will," replied Gabriella before he drew her back to him for another deep kiss as they cuddled together there in her room, blissfully unaware of anything outside of their love filled environment.

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