Just Perfect

A/N: This is the re-write for Good Enough for Me because I felt it was too… short… and not good. Well, enjoy!

September 10, 2009 Albuquerque, New Mexico

East High

2:00 p.m.

2:01 p.m.

2:02 p.m.

"Ack!" 18-year-old Troy Bolton yelled.

"Mr. Bolton!"

"Sorry Ms. Darbus…"

He returned back to gazing at the clock. First, he took a moment to sneak a peek at the back of the room. Jealousy filled him as he saw Gabriella Montez talking with his basketball buddy, Jason.

"Dude, green is not a good color on you."

Troy looked directly behind him where one of his best friends, Chad, was eyeing him with a mocking look.

"Shut up, Chad," Troy said glaring while Chad laughed.

"Mr. Bolton and Mr. Danforth!"

"Sorry Ms. Darbus," they said smirking at each other. Troy took a look back at the classroom to find that Gabriella was listening to something that Jason was saying. Jealousy overtook him until Gabriella turned her head to him. His breath caught in his throat, and his cheeks burned when she smiled a breathtaking beautiful smile at him. She returned her head back to Jason.

Troy sighed. He didn't know when he had fallen in love with Gabriella Montez, his best friend since he was three years old. All he knew was that Gabriella was on top of his list of things that mattered to him most. There were no words to describe how much she meant to him. The only thing wrong with this is that she was his best friend, which implied that he would never ruin that for a relationship with her.

He groaned. Oh, he had wanted to hold her, to be able to tell her 'I love you', to kiss her. But those things were to never happen as long as he was being a chicken, and as long as he knew that Gabriella didn't love him back.

Oh, how he was so wrong. Gabriella Montez sat at the back of the class pretending to listen to how Jason's movie date went that weekend. Instead of listening, her thoughts were on a certain blue-eyed basketball captain at the front of the room. As if on cue, she heard an 'Ack!' She turned her head to where Troy was sitting and saw that he was looking at the clock frustrated that it had only been three minutes since the last time he checked it. She smiled and turned her attention back to Jason when Ms. Darbus started yelling at Troy.

"Wow," Jason said. "Thanks so much for your attention, Gabs."

"Huh?"

"I asked you a question."

"Oh… uh…"

Jason shook his head.

"What?"

"I really hate situations like these, like yours. Guy loves girl. Girl loves guy. Girl doesn't know. Guy doesn't know. EVERYBODY else knows. Guy and girl are too stupid to do anything about it."

Gabriella raised her eyebrow. "What are you talking about Jason?"

"You and Troy!"

"What about me and Troy, Jason?" Just the mentions of Troy made her cheeks go red.

"You see! You are completely in love with the dude!"

"Yes, Jase. I am completely and irrevocably in love with Troy…" she said dazing off into a daydream.

"Gabriella," Jason said snapping her out of her reverie. "Stay with me here."

"Sorry." When she heard Ms. Darbus call out Chad and Troy again, she turned her attention back to the front of the room. She spotted Troy staring at her and gave him a smile. She turned back to Jason, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. Jason shook his head.

"Oh," Gabriella said finally realizing something. "What was the question you wanted to ask me?"

"Nothing," he said giving her a knowing smile. He slumped back on his desk, sleep taking over him. She stared open-mouthed at him. Gabriella could never understand how he could fall asleep so fast. She turned her attention to Ms. Darbus who apparently had an announcement for everybody.

"Now remember, class. The annual Schools' Rivalry Dance will be coming up soon so please make sure you make an effort to attend. We don't want West High's drama teacher thinking our school is 'incompetent'," Ms. Darbus huffed.

Gabriella smiled. She knew that the Schools' Rivalry Dance was important to literally everyone in the school. From the brain jocks to the basketball jocks, this dance was for those who wanted to find out who they were facing up against this year. She also knew that this was a pretty big deal for all the girls in East High. She frowned. Troy needed to pick an 'East High Queen' for his date to this dance. All the basketball captains had this unspoken competition about which girlfriend was the best. The whole idea about it was stupid to her. Male egos…

2:30 p.m.

RIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!

There goes the bell, Gabriella thought. She started picking up her books when she noted that a presence was beside her. She looked up and saw Troy's blue eyes staring down at her.

"Hey, Gabi," he said. "I caught you earlier ogling at me."

"I was no 'ogling' at you, Troy Bolton," she said. Although, she could feel the beginning of a blush coming on. "I was just wondering why Ms. Darbus started yelling at you this time."

It was his turn to blush. She finished putting all her books in her bag and tapped Jason on the shoulder causing him to wake up and fall out of his chair. Gabriella laughed.

Troy stood there watching Gabriella. He watched the way her hair fell over her face, and when she took her right hand to brush away the bangs from her eyes. He listened to her laugh when Jason had fallen and smiled, not because of Jason, but because of the melody that sounded like wind chimes to him when she laughed. He loved her if you simply put it.

He felt her tug on his arm when he finally noticed that she was done prodding Jason, and everyone had left the classroom.

"I need to go to my locker really quickly," Troy said. "But can you wait for me at yours so I can drive you home?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Thanks. Meet you there." He winked at her and sprinted off to his locker.

She shook her head out of her daze. Why did he always have to do that to her? She pursed her lips and started heading off to her locker to put in her books and wait for Troy.

Troy skidded to his locker and dialed the combination as fast as he could. When he couldn't get it on his third try, he decided to slow down to enter each number correctly.

"In a hurry, aren't we, Troy?" Chad asked basketball in hand, yet again.

"Gabriella is waiting for me," he answer quickly giving Chad and his basketball a quick look before spinning his last number and opening it, relieving him.

"Of course," Chad said shaking his head knowingly. "It's always Gabriella that you have to get to, huh?"

Troy turned to him and his eyes glazed. "I love her."

Chad's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He didn't even notice Ms. Darbus pass them and tell him to 'close your mouth, Mr. Danforth. I will not have it.' Before stalking off to the teacher's lounge. He quickly recovered and grinned.

"I always knew it. So…"

"So… what?"

"So… are you gonna tell her?"

"Are you crazy? I think you're crazy…"

"Why am I crazy, Troy?"

"I can't just randomly out of the blue tell her I love her."

Chad shook his head causing his Afro to swish from side to side.

"You don't have to just randomly out of the blue tell her I love you. You can do something romantic or gushy or whatever… Just not around me because that would be just gross." Chad made a face to prove his point.

"Hardy har har, Chad," Troy said deadpanned. "You're funny."

"How so?"

"Thinking that I should tell Gabriella, 'I love you.' That, is hilarious…"

"Troy…"

"No, Chad. It would ruin our friendship."

"Oh, great. Not this again. 'She's been my best friend since we were three! I can't ruin that just because I have feelings for her!'" Chad mocked him.

"It's true!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it for the birds." Troy scowled at him. He then realized why he had to come to his locker and where he had to go.

"Oh shit! I'm supposed to meet Gabriella to drop her off at home!" Troy exclaimed. He quickly grabbed the books he needed, close his locker, and sprinted off to where Gabriella's locker was.

"By the way!" Chad yelled. "I suggest you tell her soon! The dance is coming up, and we don't know if she's taken or not!"

Troy scowled. As much as he hated to admit it, Chad was right. He would have to do something soon, or the many guys just waiting in line for her will take Gabriella. He skidded to a halt in front of her when she was just closing her locker.

"Allow me to drive you home, miss?" he asked, grinning.

"Why, of course, sir," she replied looping her arm through his, sending jolts of electricity through both of them. They entered Troy's truck and headed toward Gabriella's house. The ride there was completely quiet due to both of them deep in their thoughts, when Troy decided to do a leap of faith.

"Gabriella?" he asked nervously.

"Hmm…?"

"… I need to tell you something important."

She turned to look at him with a concerned expression. "What is it, Troy?"

"Will you go to the ice cream parlor tomorrow so I can tell you?"

She smiled at him sending shivers up his spine. "Of course, Troy."

She turned back to the road trying to figure out what Troy wanted to tell her.

September 11, 2009 Albuquerque, New Mexico

Headed toward the ice cream parlor after school.

2:37 p.m.

"Mmm… just thinking about ice cream is making me hungry," Gabriella said licking her lips. Troy laughed suddenly remembering something. "What?"

"Remember when we were, like, seven?" She nodded. "You and I would play basketball in my backyard, and when we heard the ice cream truck we would both look at each other and just know what the other was thinking."

"… And we would both go racing toward the ice cream truck, sharing money and ice cream if the other didn't have enough," she finished for him laughing.

"… I wish I knew what you were thinking right now," he said gazing at her for a moment before turning his head back toward the road.

"I'm think about what you wanted to tell me today."

"Who are you going to the dance with?" It's been killing him all day, and Chad giving him reminders by pointing at the guys who were ogling at Gabriella were not helping him at all.

"No one… yet," she said sadly.

"No one's asked you yet?" he said disbelievingly.

"Well, a few have asked me… but I turned them down." His heart flipped.

"Why did you turn them down?"

"I'm waiting for that special guy to ask me…" His stomach dropped. So there was another guy.

"Oh… who's the guy?"

"Whom are you going with?" she asked ignoring his question. That was a pathway that she did not think he would appreciate.

He frowned. "You didn't answer my question, Gabriella."

"Answer my question, and I'll answer yours."

"The girl I want seems to have eyes for another…" he said sadly. He noticed that they were at the ice cream shop, but neither of them made an attempt to get out.

She felt the tears brimming in her eyes. No, she thought. She had to stay strong.

"Who's the girl?"

He ignored the question, but instead looked at her with an intense gaze. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe this will ruin their friendship. But right now, sitting next to the most beautiful person in the world, he decided he didn't care. He was going to take a leap of faith and find out what it would be like to have her lips on his. Besides, what's life without a bit of risk?

He started leaning towards her, and he couldn't help but notice that she was leaning towards him as if he were a magnet. Finally, he couldn't take the space anymore. He crashed his lips onto hers in a sweet soft, but demanding way. His heart flipped when he realized she was kissing him back and not pushing him away. He pulled away slowly and looked at her uncertainly.

"I'm sorry, Gabriella. It's just that I've wanted to do that since forever, and Chad was badgering me with all the guys that have been looking at you all day. By the way, which made me really jealous, and I know you must have feelings for that other guy you were talking about. But I wanted to show you that you had other options…" He was cut off by Gabriella's lips on his again… not that he was complaining. She pulled away and laughed.

"I feel the same way." He looked down.

"What?"

"Well, I don't think you feel the same way I do…" She started panicking. Was the kiss some other sign he was showing? He saw the panic in her eyes.

"No, no, no," he said and he saw her sigh in relief. "It's just the way I feel…" He took a deep breath and open his eyes determined.

"I love you."

Those words hung in the air, and he tensed. He didn't know how it happened, but Gabriella's lips were on his again with an iron grip around his neck. They pulled apart and laughed.

"I love you too Troy. So much."

"You don't know how good it is to hear that. Does this mean you're my girlfriend?" he asked half teasing half serious.

"Does this mean you're asking me?" He smiled. "Then yes. Of course I'm you're girlfriend." He tightened his grip on her and kissed the crown of her head. He buried his face in her hair.

"I love you," he mumbled.

"I love you," she mumbled back. He pulled away and frowned.

"What is it, Troy?"

"I'm sorry. Chad said I should do this as romantic as I can get, but we're in my truck. That's hardly romantic." She pecked him on his lips and smiled.

"This is just perfect."

A/N: Okay… so this is an oneshot for my writer's block on Best Friend's Boyfriend. I'm sorry for all the delays and such. Life gets tough and I got this fantastic email that I should keep going with the story. I was so touched that keep going with the story I shall! Love ya guys!

Passion Is My Key