Disclaimer: Zef is pretty cool and all, and I can't wait to see Seventeen Again, but I'm going to let him chill with Disney for now. Once I do formulate a plan to kidnap him, however, who wants in?

Troy Bolton

New Years Day 2006

9:07 a.m.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. My head was supposed to be filled with stress-free memories of skiing, basketball, and hot chocolate.

Instead, this trip gave me a hell of a lot to think about.

For one thing, I met this crazy amazing girl. I'll probably never see her again. I don't even know where she lives. But I have never, ever felt this way about a girl before. The girls at East High are mostly either giggling cheerleaders who worship the ground I walk on (which is nice, don't get me wrong, but I would never actually date someone like that - my head would get too big too fast), or annoying nerds who clog up the halls spouting equations and other crap I know nothing about. I'd look really stupid if I went out with one of them.

And then there was Sharpay. The girl hadn't left me alone since freshman year. She's gorgeous, and smart to boot, but not girlfriend material. She's so full of herself. She thinks she's all that and a bag of chips. And what's almost worse, she thinks I'm all that and a bag of chips. (See my reasons for ignoring the cheerleaders.) I guess I don't exactly discourage her; we flirted up a storm in science last semester. But on most days, I try to pretend she doesn't exist.

If I was desperate, I'd say yes to Sharpay. But I'm not desperate. There are more important things in life than girls. (Tell Chad that and I'll be forced to kill you.) But really, there are. Basketball, for one thing. And the guys on the team. And keeping my grades up so I can get a scholarship.

So you see, I'm a very busy man. No time for dating.

I actually believed all this junk I'm spewing to you right now. Until last night, that is.

Last night, I met this girl named Gabriella. Don't get me wrong, basketball is still everything. But she really made me think about my life.

Gabriella is the most normal girl I've ever met. And I mean that as a compliment. She's pretty and yet totally unaware of it, shy but sweet, a great singer, and her voice blends perfectly with mine.

I'm also thinking about something else. Something I really would rather not think about. I've always known I have a good voice. It's just a fact. I can hold my own in the shower, at least. But the second that spotlight hit my face last night, and those random dudes pushed me onto the stage, I felt completely different. I never sang in front of anyone before. The fact that I did without puking, and that people actually liked it…

I can't believe that my life changed so much in less than a second. I fell in love with singing, and with her.

I really think I am in love with Gabriella. The moment she opened her mouth to sing, I looked at her, really looked at her, and I swear it was love at first sight. Like I said, I'll probably never see her again, but I've never felt this way before. I keep smiling every time I think of her.

My dad's going on about strategy while we're driving home; he thinks my smiles are in response to his brilliant new plays. But I've heard my dad talk about basketball enough to tune him out while nodding only every so often. It's working now: he's oblivious. I get to have Gabriella all to myself in my head, my dad is happy, and my mom is asleep in the passenger seat.

I replayed our song in my head. Who'd have ever thought that/We'd both be here tonight

The world looks so much brighter/With you by my side…Yeah, that could not have been a more perfect song for us. The start of something new for sure.

I know she felt it too. I know it. People just don't click like that right away.

And then there's the singing thing. I felt like a rock star up there on that stage. I'm used to being in front of crowds and performing under pressure, of course, but I'd never done something with such an intimate feel to it. In basketball, I'm constantly aware of everything: my boys on the court, Dad yelling from the sidelines, the cheerleaders waving their pom-poms, the roar of the crowd.

When I was singing last night, it was me. Me and the stage. And then when Gabriella joined in, it was me, the stage, and her. It was like I was on autopilot, in a good way.

My mind wandered back to Gabriella. Why didn't I kiss her at midnight? I had the perfect opportunity. We were outside, alone, and she was all too willing. But I didn't do it. I guess I didn't want to press my luck. Everything felt so perfect, you know? What if I had been misreading her signals and ended up scaring her away?

And then I'd lost my chance. She wanted to go wish her mom Happy New Year. I made some lame joke about how I wanted to do the same thing, but not to her mom, to my own parents. I am an idiot.

If I tell Chad about any of this, especially about the singing, he will not let me live it down. He never passes up a chance to mess with me.

Last night I told her I'd call her. I told her I'd call her today. We exchanged numbers, and when I turned back to her, she was gone. What does that mean?

Was I supposed to have just those few minutes with her, and that was it? Why did she leave so fast? Man, I am so confused right now.

I flipped open my phone and pulled up her picture. I was dying to call her right now, but I couldn't do it with my parents here.

What is the right thing to do in this situation? I mean, I want to call her. But what if I find out she lives in like, Idaho, or somewhere really far away? What could possibly happen between us? Maybe I should leave her be, as this amazing memory.

This sucks. I can't even talk to my best friend about her. He'll call me a wimp for not making a move. I could tell my dad, but I feel like he doesn't want to hear about my girl problems. He just wants me to be Mr. Basketball. And I can't talk to Mom about it, either. Too awkward.

I guess I really am going to have to just let it go. Last night was perfect, and I can't ever top perfect, right? So I probably shouldn't even try.

I flipped my phone shut again, adding an enthusiastic "uh-huh" to whatever Dad just said. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat. We still have awhile before we get home. I can spend the rest of vacation daydreaming about being on stage with her, singing.

Yeah, that's definitely perfection.