Gabriella sighed as she reached her right hand to her toes while stretching in the gym. She had hoped for an exciting winter break, one with fun parties, meeting new people, most of all boys. She was staying at an amazing ski resort, shouldn't she be out having a blast?

'Tonight's the New-year, I should be happy, right?' Gabriella thought to herself has she finished off her stretches. But happy was the farthest thing away from what she felt, because Gabriella knew that once this vacation was over the training for spring season sports would begin, and she didn't think she was ready to handle the pressure.

Back at her school in Albuquerque, soccer was a big deal, and since her dad was the coach and she was the captain, everyone expected another undefeated season. No one really knew how she felt or actually cared. As long as their school was declared champions, that's all that mattered.

"Come on Gabriella I want to run another set of drills," Coach Montez shouted impatiently, snapping Gabriella from her thoughts. She groaned as she rose to her feet and jogged leisurely over to her father who was setting up obstacles around the gym. Just as Gabriella was about to open her mouth to complain, her mother entered and beat her to it.

"Guys you have to be kidding me! Did we really come here to play more soccer? It's New Years Eve! Don't you know there's a party?" Mrs. Montez said as she twirled to emphasize her words, revealing her dress.

"Right…the party," Coach Montez mumbled remembering his previous engagement. Gabriella knew that she'd have to make up for this later, so before anyone could leave, she held up one finger indicating for her mom to wait.

"Please, just one more set of drills, then we'll go," Gabriella convincingly pleaded, even though she only wished to leave the gym immediately. Her eyes traveled to her father, then back to her mother, trying to read what her parents were thinking at the time.

Mrs. Montez studied her seventeen-year-old daughter's face suspiciously. "Fine… but you'll need to wash up before you go to the kid party," She said while motioning her hand pointing at Gabriella's sweaty body.

Gabriella rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Kid party?"

"Young adults," Mrs. Montez said as she turned around. "Now hurry up so you can get ready," she added before exiting the gym.

Coach Montez sighed and waited until his wife was gone to continue timing Gabriella on her sprints across the gym. "Ready, GO!" He yelled as his stopwatch began to count and Gabriella started to sprint to the other side of the gym and back again.

"Troy Alexander Bolton! It's New Year's Eve, enough reading," Mrs. Bolton said as she snatched a book from her son's hands. His eyes wandered around the room, half unaware about what just happened.

"But Mom-" He started to protest but was quickly cut off.

"Don't answer back!" She said half joking. "Now go get ready for that party…in the lounge I think," she frowned, questioning herself. "Yeah, it is in the lounge," Mrs. Bolton stated, confirming what she already had thought.

"Fine, I'll go," Troy said finally caving. "But can I please have my book back?"

Hesitantly, Mrs. Bolton gave him the book and shuffled out of their hotel room. "I'm going to the adult party, so I'll be back later. Be home around 1:30 at the latest…I mean it!" She yelled through a closing door.

'She has nothing to worry about.' Troy thought chuckling to himself as he started to read again. Back at their home in San Francisco he never stayed out later than ten. He never really had any interest in girls, sports or just hanging out. Being a straight "A" student and the captain of his school's scholastic decathlon team, he never had much time for friends.

Troy glanced at the clock on the wall that read 10:00. His eyes wandered to the window, wondering who could possibly be out there waiting to meet him. Troy laughed a little to himself, shaking his head.

'Maybe I'll just go to the party. Maybe I could try something different for once.' He never was one to do anything that was exactly what people call "fun". After all, it's not like he'd meet anyone that he'd ever see again…right?

Ten minutes had passed and Troy was making his way to the lounge that carried the heavy sound of music and teens enjoying each other's company. Awkwardly he sat down on a chair in the corner and pulled out his book that he'd been reading earlier.