Perfection

- - -

Perfect.

That was what Gabriella Montez had always dreamed of being.

Sure, she had achieved perfection before, in many academic areas. Quite often, her studious habits and natural intelligence earned her perfect scores on tests, quizzes, homework, projects, essays, and just about anything she did that was related to school.

This, however, was about perfection in more than just education, and at that exact moment, she was almost there.

She'd done it. She'd led East High to victory with the Scholastic Decathlon, scored the female lead in the winter musical, and befriended some really great people. It was basically everything she had ever wanted, and as close to perfection as she'd ever been.

All she wanted now was Troy Bolton.

When they'd first met, he'd just been a talented, good-looking boy that she knew she'd never forget. But then she'd run into him at East High, and her entire life had changed. Together, they'd showed everyone else that dreams had no limitations. And from there, things had only gotten better.

Gabriella knew from the beginning that she and Troy had a special friendship. It was more than their mutual secret love of singing. Troy was the only one who saw Gabriella as more than just a freaky math girl, and Gabriella was the only one who saw Troy as more than just a basketball superstar. They could be themselves around each other, and in the end, that was all that mattered.

No, Gabriella didn't believe that she and Troy had met by accident. This was a twist of fate, a wish upon a star coming true. She knew she was lucky; this didn't happen to everyone.

A small smile graced her face. After all the drama that had happened at East High, it had all been worth it.

The after party was held that night almost directly after the game, in East High's Reception Room, which was reserved for only the most special of occasions. It was quite large, with lavish red and white decorations and the Wildcat mascot plastered all over. There was loud music, plenty of snacks and drinks, and an enormous and energetic student body occupying the impressive area. It was undeniably the most exciting after party that East High had ever hosted.

Gabriella had already congratulated a ton of people, been congratulated by even more people, and chatted amiably with most of her friends. She was having a great time, she really was. In fact, the only person she hadn't really had a chance to talk to since she'd gotten there an hour before was —

"Hey, Gabriella!"

Troy slipped into the seat that Taylor McKessie had occupied only a few minutes before.

"Hey," Gabriella smiled warmly.

"Having fun? What are you doing sitting here? You would've been welcome to listen to Chad's boring story with us."

"It's been great. I was with Taylor, but she went to get a drink. And I am listening to Chad. I can hear him quite well from here."

Troy laughed. "That's Chad for you."

"So what have you been up to? Accepting congratulations from gushing fans?"

He modestly made a face. "Hardly. I think it's been you that's getting all the love. Have I told you already how amazing you were, Gabriella?"

She felt her cheeks warm up. "Yes, you have. Quite a few times, actually. But I should remind you that I only had the courage to do it because of you. And you weren't nearly so bad yourself, for a Wildcats Superstar and everything." Gabriella nudged him playfully.

He chuckled. "I like to think that I'm a guy of many talents."

"Have I been forgotten already?"

Taylor was back, holding a drink in one hand and a plate of cookies in the other.

"Possibly," Troy answered, grinning at Gabriella. He stood up. "Sorry for snatching your seat, Taylor."

"Keep it," Taylor replied, waving her hand dismissively. "I was going to go see Chad anyway. He's my date, and yet he hasn't been spending any time with me. See you two later." She cast a meaningful look at Gabriella and hurried away, in the direction of Chad.

"I never would have imagined those two together," Gabriella mused thoughtfully. "But I really think they're going to have a beautiful relationship."

"Yeah, it sure looks like it. How about you? Anyone you'd like to be in a relationship with?"

Gabriella shrugged, shyly. "Yes. But we're leaving it at that. What about you?"

"Yeah. But we're leaving it at that."

"Alright, Captain. You don't question me, and I won't question you."

"You got a deal, Montez."

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Taylor, who was standing near the bathrooms, waving frantically.

"Um, I'll be right back, Troy. I have to use the restroom," she said quickly, standing up.

"No problem."

When she opened the bathroom door, Taylor practically dragged her inside.

"Has he kissed you yet?" she demanded.

"Taylor!" Gabriella laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think he even likes me that way."

Taylor stared at her in disbelief. "Honey, you're blind. Do you not see the way he looks at you? You two are crazy for each other. Everyone can see it!"

"He would have done something by now."

"Did you know that Troy's a hopeless romantic? He's probably waiting for the right moment and all that stuff. But, Gabriella, this is the after party that's celebrating your triple win! You can't let the moment get away!"

"Taylor, there's no way I'm going to be the one to ask him out. This should be from him. If he feels something for me, I want him to realize it and make his move."

Her best friend clicked her tongue. "I get what you're saying. But just don't give up and don't let the night pass without some action, okay? Words of wisdom from your wise best friend."

Gabriella looked somewhat scandalized, but grinned all the same. "You're crazy."

"I know. But I'm also smart and you love me. Now, hurry up and go back to Troy!"

She pushed Gabriella out of the bathroom hurriedly, and Gabriella was left to wander back to where Troy was sitting.

She spotted him near the snack table, a few feet away from where she had left him. Their chairs were now occupied by two cheerleaders, whispering together in hushed tones and eyeing none other than Troy himself.

Troy seemed deep in conversation with Sharpay Evans as Gabriella approached. She was about to make her arrival known to them when she heard his next words.

"—I don't even know how to explain it; you just mean so much to me. I feel like a better person when you're around, you know, and I don't know what I would do without you. Nothing's been the same since you've come into my life, and everything has changed for the better. I want to be there for you no matter what, and I really care for you, so I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you go out with me and be my girlfriend?"

Gabriella froze, watching an impressed Sharpay. There was a few moments of dreaded silence, and then—

"Yes!" Sharpay threw her arms around Troy, squeezing him tightly as he laughed, clearly overjoyed. "Finally!"

Gabriella felt her heart sink. So Troy didn't like her; he didn't have feelings for her; and he most certainly didn't want to spend the rest of his life with her like she always dreamed. She felt tears sting her eyes as she moved away, wanting to escape as quick as possible without being noticed. They hadn't seen her, and she wanted to keep it that way; she didn't want to see Troy's look of pity or Sharpay's attractively smug, smirking face.

With tears rapidly blinding her eyes, Gabriella made a rush for the girls' bathroom once again, hurrying past the excited, good-natured crowd and stumbling inside. Unable to suppress a heaving sob, she let herself cry freely, her mind a complicated mush and her heart breaking. How could she have been so stupid to think that Troy would have ever liked her? She'd permitted herself to make that mistake once before; she'd been disappointed that time and, of course, she was now disappointed again.

She really hated herself for falling for Troy so hard. It had been a bad idea from the start… didn't people always say that all good things came to end? Wasn't this what always happened? She'd come so close to getting what she wanted, only to have it snatched away, out of her reach, at the last possible moment. Freaky math girls like her weren't meant to live happily ever after. She was back at the beginning, her hopes crushed and as far from being perfect as she could possibly be.

This day was not turning out to be the day she had thought it would be.

- - -

Gabriella didn't know exactly how much time had passed with her just standing there in one of the stalls, crying as inaudibly as she could.

A few girls came in every once in a while, loudly discussing the basketball game or the callbacks or boys that they thought were hot. They walked in, reapplied their makeup, and then left after several minutes, as Gabriella tried to pretend she wasn't there.

It wasn't long after a group of giggling freshmen left the bathroom that Gabriella decided it was time to gather her remaining dignity and self-respect and at least attempt to enjoy the rest of the party before her mother came to pick her up.

She unfastened the lock on the bathroom stall and stepped out, facing the mirror and trying to fix her hair while wincing at how horribly red her eyes were.

The door flew open and Sharpay strutted in significantly. The drama queen took one look at the disheveled, downcast Gabriella and paused, before making her way to the bathroom and straightening out her clothes.

"And why aren't you having a blast with the rest of the world?" Sharpay spoke, her impassive gaze focused on nothing except her own reflection.

Gabriella gave a halfhearted shrug. "I just wanted some time alone."

"Not content with the attention of the whole school?"

Gabriella noted the slight hint of bitterness in the ice princess's voice. "It's not like that, Sharpay. They barely know me."

"Hm."

"I guess I should congratulate you," she added. "I heard about you and Troy."

"What about me and Troy?" Sharpay took out a cosmetics case and began the complicated process of reapplying her eyeliner.

"You're together, aren't you?" Her voice cracked slightly. "Um, I heard some freshmen talking about it," she lied awkwardly. "So, congratulations."

Sharpay finally pried her hazel eyes away from her reflection. She stared blankly. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Troy," Gabriella repeated to the other girl.

Her face dawned with abrupt realization. "You heard Troy talking to me," she said simply. "God, Gabriella, how stupid are you?"

It certainly hadn't been the response Gabriella had expected. "What do you mean?" she asked weakly.

"Do you really think I'm that much of a bitch, Gabriella? I wouldn't do that to you. I'm not some freaky ice princess with family problems or bulimia or a vendetta against the world, okay?" She looked straight at her. "Troy doesn't like me. Get it through your head. I've already gotten it through mine."

Without another word, she grabbed her things and turned on her heel, sweeping out of the bathroom with her confident sway.

Gabriella had never felt so confused in her life. What was going on? What did Sharpay mean?

She took a deep breath and made one last effort to fix her hair before following Sharpay's lead and leaving the bathroom. It was time she began enjoying the after party. She'd earned that right, hadn't she?

Gabriella had no idea where to go. Should she try to find Taylor? Should she talk to some members of the scholastic decathlon team? Should she just —

Her decision was quickly made for her.

"Gabriella," Troy called out, practically sprinting over to her. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you, but no one knew where you were… hey, are you okay?" He peered at her, seemingly genuinely concerned, as he took in her red eyes and crestfallen demeanor.

"I'm fine," she answered. "It's not important. Where's Sharpay?"

Troy raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. You're looking for Sharpay? Why?"

"Well… isn't she… kind of… your girlfriend?"

He shot her a puzzled look before laughing. "She's not really my type," he chuckled. "What made you think that?"

Gabriella was tired of lying and pretending. "I heard you asking her out," she said, looking down at the floor.

Troy paled considerably. "You… you heard that?"

"Yes. I was coming back from talking to Taylor… I looked for you… but you… well…" she trailed off, looking at him expectantly. "It sure looked like you were asking her out to me."

He looked nervous, suddenly, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "What else did you hear?"

"I caught the tail end of your speech," she admitted. "About how much you cared for her… and I heard her accept. That's all. I figured you didn't want to be bothered, so I… I went to talk to some other people." She saw no reason to share her little trip to the bathroom.

"Gabriella… it wasn't what it looked like."

"Then what was it?" she inquired bravely, meeting his intense gaze. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"Well, I… we… can we go somewhere else?" he mumbled hopefully, looking anywhere but at her.

"Troy, if you're uncomfortable… if you don't want to tell me… it's alright, really. I understand. You don't have to tell me —"

"No," he interrupted gently. "This is something I want to tell you. It's just so loud here, and I can't really… I'd rather not talk about it here. Can we go to our secret spot?"

Gabriella adored how he referred to it as their secret spot now, and not just his. She found it appealing and very sweet of him. Sure, it was a small thing, not a big deal, but Gabriella had never overlooked the tiny details.

"Sure," she agreed readily. "You can tell me up there."

- - -

Troy and Gabriella sat next to each other in their secret spot, neither saying a word for a few moments.

"Gabriella," Troy said finally, breaking the silence, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while."

She nodded encouragingly, too transfixed to articulate anything.

He reached for her hand, meeting her eyes in an intent stare as if asking for permission. She gave a small nod of consent and he grasped her hand in his, looking rather anxious but grinning all the same.

"Before I met you," he began, "I was just the basketball boy. No one saw me as anything more. I was happy, I guess, but not nearly as happy as I could be. But then I met you, on New Year's Eve, and everything changed. Everything that I had known, my whole life… it was all shaken up, and I didn't know what was happening or if things would ever be the same again. And then I saw you again. You came here, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to East High. We became friends. We changed the school. So many things happened, so many things changed. But I knew, for sure, that I liked it. I liked how much you affected my life." He paused, sending her a cautious glance.

She returned it with a welcoming smile, waving her free hand to allow him to continue.

"In the blink of an eye, nothing was the same. I know I keep saying that, and you already know this, but it's true. All of a sudden, we're here, wherever here is. I'm still a basketball player, you're still a genius, but we're also the leads of the winter musical. We're something more, we're something better. I feel so complete. So thank you, Gabriella, for making my life so much more than it was before I met you. I'm having the time of my life right now, and I owe that to you."

"Oh, Troy," Gabriella whispered, leaning in and giving him a hug. "Everything you've just said… you don't know how true that is for me, too. This feeling… what's happened and how much everything has all changed… it's so unbelievable, so indescribable… all I know is that I couldn't be happier. Don't thank me, Troy. You had the strength to break free inside you all along. You always have and you always will. Thanks to you, now I know that I do, too. I owe you just as much as you owe me."

He grinned, taking a hold on her hand once again. "There's just one more thing, Gabriella. I have to tell you something else."

Her eyes sparkled invitingly. "What is it, Troy?"

"You probably heard some of this when I was talking with Sharpay… so I guess I'm going to have to wing it." He took a deep breath. "I'm not really the best when it comes to words," he muttered. "But I want you to know… that I'm really grateful we're friends."

She had to admit that she was a little dissatisfied. While it was too good to be true that he returned the feelings for her that she felt for him, she still wanted him to tell her all the things she wished he would tell her.

"I'm grateful for that, too," she said honestly, putting on a smile.

"I'll always be there for you," he continued earnestly. "Our friendship really means a lot to me. You have to believe me when I say that."

"I do, Troy, I really do. Don't ever think I don't."

"All the same, Gabriella, I…" Troy held her hand just the slightest bit tighter, staring straight into her eyes with a mixture of admiration, high regard, and something else she couldn't quite name. "I want something more."

Gabriella couldn't help herself; she took a sharp intake of breath. "So what was going on with Sharpay?"

"Nothing. She cornered me, basically, trying to get me to admit my feelings for you. I told her that I didn't know how to tell you how I felt, and she was helping me. I had to pretend, the best that I could, that she was you, and that's what you caught me doing. When she said yes, she was only excited that I finally came to terms with how I felt."

"Troy… I jumped to conclusions… and it wasn't any of my business. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. And actually… it has everything to do with you. Because I know I'm lucky to have you as a friend," Troy told her. "Hell, I'm even lucky to have just met you, and to have shared so many important memories with you. Maybe I'm just being insatiable or something, but god, Gabriella, you're just so sweet and beautiful and smart and funny and perfect and you make me feel things I've never felt before."

She giggled. "Troy… I don't know what to say… you really amaze me. That someone as great as you could like someone like me, that's so crazy. But I know, Troy… I know exactly what you're talking about, because I feel it, too. Together, we're so undefeatable, so unstoppable, and so complete."

"Just like kindergarten."

"Exactly."

"I can't stop thinking about you. I… I really, really like you, Gabriella."

"I adore you, too, Troy. I really do."

He grinned. "So… Gabriella, will you go out with me? Will you be my girlfriend?"

Gabriella beamed. "Of course."

Suddenly, there was nothing more that needed to be said.

Their eyes were locked in a zealous and powerful gaze that couldn't be broken by anyone or anything in the world. They leaned in at the same time, and their lips met slowly but indisputably in a sweet kiss that was filled with appreciation, adoration, and passion. For both Troy and Gabriella, it was even better than they had ever imagined. The best feeling swept through them, even as their lips separated so that they could take a much needed breath.

Finally.

Blue eyes remained locked with brown ones. To each, the other was perfect.

"Wow," Troy breathed. "This is the best night of my life."

They shared a laugh.

"I can definitely agree with you there," Gabriella consented.

So this day hadn't turned out to be the day she had thought it would be. It had turned out even greater.

East High's favorite freaky callback boy and freaky math girl shared an elated smile as they simply benefited from each other's company, sitting under the stars. Anyone watching them would have gotten the best feeling inside just seeing the lovely sight that was Troy and Gabriella.

Perfection had never felt better.

- - -

Disclaimer: High School Musical belongs to Disney Channel.

A/N: Hey, everyone; thank you for reading. This was actually my first High School Musical fic, and who better to write about than Troy and Gabriella? They are just so perfect together… my favorite HSM pairing and fictional couple by far… don't they give you that warm and fuzzy feeling inside? XD. Anyway, all types of feedback are welcome. I'd really appreciate it if you commented on my writing so I know how to improve, which would help me grow as a writer. So, please make my day and review! Thanks again. Peace and love.

---Cira (xBREAKiNGFREE)