Hi. This is the first fanfic I've ever written. Please tell me what to improve by reviewing. I do not own anything, unfortunately, except the plot. Enjoy. :D

"The start of something new..."

"Troy!" he handed out his hand.

"Gabriella!" she shouted, taking his hand and shaking it.

They had just sung at a karaoke, in front of nearly a hundred teenagers. It was New Year's Eve, and they were both at a ski lodge to celebrate it with their parents. They headed outside, to watch the fireworks that were soon presented. They were slowly sipping their burning hot chocolate, head toward the sky. Whoever talked was just disturbing the comfortable silence between them.

"So… We are you from?" he asked, trying to find a conversation subject.

"New York… But I'm moving to Los Angeles in a few days. How about you?"

Her answer broke his heart. He knew he'd only known her for some minutes, but he felt something for her. Her beauty overtook him. Her chocolate curly hair, her mocha eyes, her puckered up lips… Everything seemed perfect. Why couldn't she just live near him? Why did she have to go live in freaking California?

"Albuquerque, New Mexico," he quickly answered, hiding his disappointment. As he talked, fireworks exploded, people cheered and went to wish a happy new year to their relatives and friends.

"Oh, that's cool. Um… I should probably go tell my mom happy new year though. Why don't you just take my number? We could still keep in contact," she asked.

With hope gleaming in his eyes, he took out his cell phone from his pocket, snapped a picture of what seemed like a beauty and let her enter her number. She did the same with hers, taking a picture of Troy. After that, she just left with a sweet smile, leaving him broken-hearted and confused.

---

Two years later, a 20-year-old Troy, in his bedroom, went through his phone book, cleaning up his contact list. Something caught his eyes. Wide-eyed, he stared at that name, belonging to the one he hadn't talked to for two long years. Yeah right. We could still keep in contact.

After he left the ski lodge, the day after his meeting with Gabriella, he went back to school, like nothing changed. Actually, his best friends noticed some change in him, but no one dared to ask him what was wrong. He thought constantly about her. He saw her in his dreams. He fell asleep watching her picture on his phone. She was basically his obsession, his addiction. But a few weeks after he went back to school, she called. She had before, but this time, he felt something was different in her voice. She still asked the basic questions: how he went, how was school, how were his friends... But she also told him something that would change their friendship, forever. She told him about her soon-to-be-discovered-fame. Her mother sent a demo to a music producer, and she was wanted the next week at the studios to sign some contract. He was then even more crushed than before. He knew it was now impossible to have her back, to be friend with her, without all the press and medias following their every step.

That was the last time they spoke. He was now still staring at her name. He decided to delete her from his list. It was impossible that they talk again. She was now famous. She was now the next big thing, if she wasn't already it. She was Gabriella Montez, for God's sake! Her name was on everyone's lips, including his own friends and classmates. They never knew he had known her. No one ever knew about them. She was a successful singer, with two CD, with excellent reviews, and an actress too. She had just finish shooting her new movie, called "The Beast", in which she plays one of the lead roles. He was really proud of her, he admitted, she deserved the best of all, he always thought. The only thing he felt sorrowful for was their friendship. Her celebrity ruined it. She was busy, and never had time to call him again.

---

In California, Gabriella, now 19, was getting ready for a morning show. As she stepped on the set, claps were heard. She smiled, wave to the audience, shook the hands of the presenters and sat down. Questions were being asked from the hosts, but fans also had their word to say.

"Hello Gabriella. My daughter is a big fan of you. She wanted to know when was the first time you sang in front of people," a woman asked.

That question brought back a flood of memories in Gabriella's head. She thought about that New Year's Eve, the night where she sang that song. That song was also his ringtone, Troy Bolton's. The first time she saw him, his ocean blue eyes caught hers. She got lost in them and lost her balance. When she left him there alone, she felt nothing but guilty. How she wanted to be with him couldn't even be explained with words. That's why she called him right away when she arrived in Los Angeles. She knew it was a long-distance call, but she didn't care. Hearing his voice again was truly comforting; she needed a friend like him. She realized that wherever she went, wherever she lived, she'd always have him. That was before she told him about it. A few days after she settled in, a man called her. He apparently was a music producer, who worked with big, famous stars. He received a demo from her, was interested of hearing her sing in front of him, and maybe get her a contract. She always wanted to be a singer. She didn't care about the fame, but her dream was to live her life as an artist. When she heard the producer, her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe he wanted her! So she told him she'd be there next week, at the studios, to meet with him. When her mom came back from work, Gabriella learned that it was her who sent the demo to the producer. She was thrilled, but was a little afraid of the media coverage of the thing. She was afraid of not being able to live a normal life anymore. And she was right.

"Gabriella? Are you okay?" Mark, the host asked.

"Uh? Oh yeah. Sorry, I was kind of lost here," she giggled, "Well, to answer your question, the first time I sang in front of an real audience must be a little over two years before. It was New Year's Eve and I was forced to sing at the karaoke there. I didn't want to, but I did have a blast there."

"Thanks"

The show went on, but Gabriella's mind was on Troy. She couldn't stop thinking about him. When it finished, she went back home, and decided to call him. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she wanted to. She had to. She ran her eyes through her contact list and ended up on his name. She hesitantly pressed on the button and waited for him to answer. One ring. Two. Three. "Hello?" He did answer. She couldn't answer back though. "Hello? Who's there?" She couldn't stand it, so she instantly hung up, and let her emotions take control of her.

---

"What was that?" Troy thought. Someone had called him, but hadn't said a word. He decided to ignore it, maybe it wasn't so important after all, and returned to his one-on-one game with his best friend, Chad. When the sun set, he went back home and turned on the TV. "Entertainment TV" was on. It was the biggest show, with gossips of Hollywood's biggest stars. He usually didn't listen to that, his mother did. But tonight, something startled him. "Gabriella Montez, who has just finished filming her new movie, is going on tour in a few days! Her first stop is Albuquerque, New Mexico! For more information and her tour dates, visit our website, !" the host announced. He couldn't believe it. Gabriella was coming to Albuquerque in a few weeks. He was finally going to see her, after these two years. He sat in front of his computer, praying that there were still tickets available for her concert. He searched for about an hour, but there wasn't any ticket left. "Dude, how do you think there would be some still available? She's Gabriella Montez! All her tickets must have been sold in just a few hours, or minutes, it's not impossible at all", he told himself.

The next day, he had a call from Chad. Before he could even tell him "Hi", his friend started complaining. "Huh. Taylor wants me to give her a ride to Gabriella Montez's show next week. Uh. I have better things to do, you know? Huh. Girls." That was Troy's wake up call.

"I can take her there if you want," he quickly answered. Chad practically choked.

"What? You, as Troy Bolton, would go? That's weird, but okay. I trust you enough not to hit on my girlfriend. But don't you have anything better to do?" he laughed.

"Do you really want to waste your time giving a ride to her?" Troy defended.

"Yeah. Okay. You'll give her that ride. I'll stay home and wonder why you're doing that…"

"Good."

And so their conversation went on, but Troy wasn't really listening to his best friend. All he was thinking about was Gabriella, and his chance of maybe meeting her. He just wished he could be meeting her. He just had to meet her.

The week flew by and the day of the concert finally arrived. Troy, excited and nervous, but mostly nervous, went to Taylor's house, where she and Sharpay were waiting for him. "Aww. Thanks for taking us there, Troy. Chad didn't want to. You're a sweetheart," she said. "Yeah…" he absentmindedly responded, and drove nearer and nearer the girl he fascinated about, while the girls were squealing like little girls in the back seat.

---

"Thank you Albuquerque! You were amazing! I love you!" Gabriella stepped out of the scene, blowing kisses to her screaming fans. "Good job Gabriella, you were awesome out there," her manager told her. The artist replied with a tired "Thanks".

She walked back to her bus, but saw a figure standing beside it. It was dark, so she couldn't really recognize anyone. "Pete…?" she called out, thinking maybe it was her bodyguard. "Pete?" She moved closer and saw a smaller silhouette than the one she expected. "No, it's not him. Than who is it?" she thought. "Hello…? Who's there?" she hesitantly asked.

"Hey," the voice quietly said. As she moved in closer and closer, she slowly started to distinguish someone. He was the one she dreamt about for years, the one she hadn't spoken to for years, the one she just left there, alone, guiltily. But he couldn't be, could he?

"Troy? Is that you?" she shyly asked.

"Yeah. It is."

"Oh my God, how did –"

"I get here?" he finished. "I had my ways. How about you? How are you right now?"

"Right now, I'm just feeling overwhelmed. I just met the guy that was on my mind for over two years now," she smiled, "I just can't believe it's you! I thought… I thought we'd never get to see each other again…" He frowned. "I'm so sorry for not calling and keeping in touch after I got signed. Things were just happening too fast and –"

"Why did you choose Albuquerque for your first stop? Couldn't it be… I don't know, LA or New York?" he interrupted.

"Uh… Well, to be honest, I chose it because of you. I was feeling guilty and well… I was dreaming of this moment for a long time, you and I finally together. I just never thought you'd be here, waiting for me at my concert, at my tour bus. Actually, for these two years, I couldn't stop thinking of you. You were like my addiction, my obsession." She finally admitted her feelings to him, and now regretted it, seeing the look on Troy's face. He sighed.

"I know what you feel. I've been feeling like this for a pretty long time, you know. I missed you." He grinned.

Gabriella slowly walked forward and wrapped her arms across his waist, telling him she felt the same. He rested his head in her hair, smelling her vanilla shampoo. Everything seemed perfect, or that's what they thought. Troy's phone vibrated in his leather jacket's pocket. "Argh. Stupid Chad and his bad timing. What?" he answered, annoyed. "Oh crap. Tell her I'm on my way."

"Sorry, my friend called because I'm actually his girlfriend's and her friend's ride, and well, I kinda forgot them with all that stuff happening. Yeah, it might not be very clear to you," he replied, seeing the puzzled look on her face. "Uh… You're staying in Albuquerque for a bit, right? What are you doing on, let's say, Friday night? Maybe… we could go out somewhere? I'll try to get away from the paparazzi, I promise." She smiled and agreed without even thinking about it, but that was a decision she'd never regret.

He started walking away but she pulled him in and kissed him sweetly. He kissed her back, stunned, but still content with what was happening. As they pulled away, as he smiled and ran out of the lot, all Gabriella was able to think of was that two years and later, he was still on her mind, she was on his and it would stay this way for a pretty long time.