Part Four

"I'm going to miss you…"

Me too, was her response. More than you think, she wanted to add. But there were rules 16-year-old Gabriella Montez had made when it came to Troy Bolton.

Never let on too much. Always disguise your feelings for him.

It was difficult to not run up to him every morning and kiss him on those pale, but gorgeous lips of his. Stupid, her friends would say. Screw his brains out, Sharpay would blatantly state whenever the subject came up and Taylor would respond with a shake of her head and a more useful advice to tell him about her feelings, because he would have told Chad for the umpteenth time that weekend that he liked Gabriella like he had liked no other girl before.

Her friends were getting sick of her oblivion. Troy was said to be getting sick of it. She was getting sick of it.

But she wouldn't make a move. If Troy liked her that much, he would have already told her. If he had liked her, she would be kissing him right now – even though that hug was lovely as well.

As the car honked, he sighed softly and she felt herself slipping from the embrace of his comforting arms. As she shot her mother the most aggravated look she could muster, she felt her body slowly, but surely becoming cold. She would go to Mexico for four weeks. Four weeks without her friends. Four weeks without Albuquerque. Four weeks without Troy.

Her sight blurry from the tears, she smiled sadly and bid her last goodbye, before slowly moving towards the car.

What was she hoping for? That he would stop her and tell her he loved her? That he would sweep her off her feet and they would drive into the sunset? Gabriella inwardly snorted at her thoughts. Yeah right.

But then she heard him call for her and her heart took leap.

She turned around to see her handsome best friend approaching her, waving a teddy bear around. She gasped and laughed quietly. He still had Bob.

As she advanced towards him, something suddenly caught her attention. His eyes were filled with a small glimmer of an emotion she couldn't quite grasp.

He came to a full stop in front of her, holding Bob out to her. As she looked up into his ocean blue eyes, she suddenly understood. It was love.

And then she decided to be bold. No more mixed signals, no more 'just friends'. Just Troy and Gabriella in love.

She reached up and pulled his face down to hers in the most earth shattering kiss her young mind had ever experienced. His tongue dancing with hers was the most euphoric feeling of the world. Until it got interrupted by another car honk.

Gabriella sighed as she released Troy again, Bob now remaining in her hands. As she walked to the car with a slight skip in her step, she heard Troy call again.

She turned around and again, love shimmered in his eyes.

"Be mine."

It was almost inaudible, but she understood the words fully. As she let out a gleeful laugh, she nodded and then finally stepped into the car.

As the car slowly started moving, Gabriella smiled down at Bob and hugged the bear tightly.

She wasn't dreading this trip anymore. She would come home to a boyfriend in four weeks, and that thought alone was enough to make the time go fast.

A/N: Thanks to Ashton for helping me out with this one and proclaiming it one of her favorite TGs, haha. Review? (:

~ Joyce