Gabriella turned around and saw Taylor Lautner. She felt herself blush and yelled over the music.

"Hi!"

"Can I buy you a drink?"

"You know, I'm not really drinking tonight."

"Okay, then let me get you a refill on the water," Taylor said, walking away before Gabriella could argue.

The girls all squealed and Selena said, "Oh my god! Have you seen something so fine in your entire life?"

Claire added, "Did you see him in New Moon?"

"I was drooling when he had his shirt off," Kristen joined the conversation.

"Gabriella, you should totally go on a date with him!" Massie suggested.

Gabriella shook her head and before she could respond, Taylor came back with her water. The girls all got up, claiming to have to go to the bathroom.

"Something tells me that they don't all have to go to the bathroom," Taylor said with a smile.

Gabriella laughed and said, "You're right. They just wanted to leave us alone."

"So what's going on between you and that guy?" Taylor said, nodding his head towards Cameron who was glaring at Taylor.

Gabriella looked to where he was nodding and said, "Nothing, he just can't let me go! Seriously, he needs to like move on."

The two of them laughed, causing Gabriella's friends to look over. Both Taylor and Gabriella talked well into the night. By the time Gabriella looked down at her watch, it was passed two in the morning. Having been up since six, she suddenly found herself tired. Trying to hide her yawn so Taylor wouldn't notice, she looked to see if her friends were ready to leave. To her disappointment, her friends were on the crowded dance floor, having the time of their lives. She turned back around to find Taylor sitting next to her.

"What? Getting bored of me already?" Taylor said.

"No, it's just I've been up since six this morning. Getting a little bit tired, but judging by my friends dancing out on the overly crowded dance floor, they don't look like they are ready to leave yet."

"Well if you'd like, I could give you a ride home."

"And how do I know you won't take me somewhere else?"

Taylor smiled and said, "Do you really think I'm that type of guy?"

Gabriella sighed and said, "I guess not. Alright, let me go tell Selena that I'm leaving. I'll be back."

Gabriella got up and made her way through the crowd of people, finally reaching Selena who was dancing with Joe. Selena was singing along with the song "Down" by Jay Sean.

"Hey! Taylor is taking me home! You still coming over after?" Gabriella shouted over the music.

"Ohhh Taylor is taking you home? Are you sure that's all he's planning on doing?" Selena yelled back.

Gabriella playfully punched her best friend and said, "Like I said before in the bathroom, Jealous!"

She then turned around and walked away before Selena could say anything else. When Gabriella returned, she found Taylor holding her clutch bag.

"You ready to go? I had the valet bring the car around."

"Alright! Let's Go!"

They were waiting at the front of the club. Minutes later, they got the go ahead to go outside. As soon as Gabriella and Taylor walked outside, the cameras started going crazy. Everyone was trying to figure out why Gabriella was leaving the club with Taylor and not with her friends. They reached Taylor's car and he opened the passenger side. Gabriella climbed in while ignoring all the questions that was being fired her way. Taylor jumped into the driver side and as soon as the paparazzi moved aside he pulled away from the curb.

"I think we just started rumors!" Taylor said. They were waiting for the traffic light to change.

"Yeah, I could just hear Ryan Seacrest right now 'Taylor Lautner and Gabriella Montez. Are they a couple?"

Taylor laughed and said, "So where to Miss Montez?"

"Hmmm well I am kind of hungry...."

"Are you implying that you want to go to like a fast food place?"

"Is there anything open so late?"

"I don't know. I guess we could try to find some place that's open."

"If you want. I mean it's cool if we don't find anything."

The both of them fell into a comfortable silence. Gabriella started to wonder why Taylor was being so nice to her. Didn't he have a girlfriend? Maybe those were just rumors.

"Oh, look there's a Carl's Jr. open right there! Wanna get something from there?"

Gabriella sighed and said, "Might as well."

Taylor turned into the Carl's Jr. parking lot. After a mini argument about who was going to pay, Taylor ended up paying for both of their burgers. They stayed in the parking lot, eating and talking. The topic of boyfriends and girlfriends came up. Taylor did had a girlfriend who, at the moment, was out on tour. Taylor knew that Gabriella was single and when he saw her at the club, he knew that what she needed right now wasn't a boyfriend, but just a friend. They were just about finished with their food when Taylor turned towards Gabriella and said,

"You know Gabriella, you're fun to be around."

"Aww why thank you! You're not so bad either!"

"Alright, ready to head home?"

"Ready as I'll ever be! I'm about to fall asleep right here in your car!"

After giving Taylor directions to her apartment, and getting lost, he finally stopped in front of her apartment complex.

"Alright, here we are!"

"It's about time! It's like four in the morning! I won't be too surprised if I find Selena already in my apartment sleeping!"

"Well, it's not my fault that you said right instead of left!"

"Um, I did say left! You're the one who turned...you know what? Thanks for the ride!"

"My pleasure! Hey wait! Whenever you need a friend to talk to, here's my number," Taylor said, writing down his number on a napkin and giving it to her.

"Thanks. I'll text you later, giving you my number," Gabriella said.

She shut his car door and hurried into her building. Gabriella was standing outside her door getting her keys, when her door suddenly opened, showing Selena in her pajamas with her hands on her hips.

"Where have you been? I get back, expecting you to be here! But no! You're not here! You could have been raped!" Selena said.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and walked in. She went into her bedroom and threw on her pajamas. Selena had followed her in. Gabriella was on her way to the kitchen when she noticed a tub of ice cream halfway eaten, sitting on her kitchen table. She knew that girls always sometimes eat ice cream only when they are heartbroken. She looked up at Selena, who looked back at her.

The two friends stared at each other until Selena said, "What! Why are you staring at me?"

Gabriella led her into the living room and sat on the couch. She sighed before saying, "Selena, is something wrong?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, considering that there is a tub of half eaten ice cream on my kitchen table, I'd say something is bugging my best friend. Besides, since when do you yell at me about being raped and all? I think someone has watched a little too much of Law and Order: SVU."

Selena giggled and said, "Yeah I think so too. And I guess I'm just too confused about this whole Ryan thing. You realize how much it sucked being single tonight? Whenever I looked around, I saw all of these couples. And then there was you and Taylor! It was soo frustrating because you already sort of have a boy! A boy, who I might add, actually TEXTS you! Does Ryan text me? NO! Oh, and don't even get me started on the whole Joe-Kelsi thing!!"

"Wow, who knew someone so tiny can keep all that bottled up inside!" Gabriella tried to joke around, but only made Selena somewhat angrier.

"I mean, was Ryan this way in high school?" Selena asked.

"Well, no, not really! But that's because he wasn't in charge of a country club. The only thing he had to deal with was if someone was having trouble with the dancing for the musical. I'm sure he misses you just as much as you miss him!"

"But! But! Ugh! Fine, I see your point!" Selena sighed before saying, "So why are you home so late? You left the club at like two and now its four-thirty!"

"Well, we got hungry, so we looked for someplace that was open. Then, we ate our food and talked a bit. Did you know he's going out with Taylor Swift? Yeah! Not rumors! Anyway, then he took the wrong turn coming her so that took a while, dropped me off, and now I'm here talking to you!"

"Wow, and to think you didn't even make out! So did you get his number or something? He looks like a cool guy to befriend."

"Are you just saying that so if you guys become friends, you have better chances of meeting people from the twilight movies?"

"Maybe!!"

"Oh my god! And to think you were really beat up over the Ryan situation a few seconds ago."

"Oh shut up! Now let's go to bed! I'm sooooo tired!"

Gabriella laughed and let Selena pull her off the couch. The two girls fell asleep as soon as they got into the queen bed.

Next Day – Albuquerque

The gang, minus Ryan, who was busy with the last minute plans for the grand opening of the amusement park, were all hanging out at Chad and Taylor's house. The boys were outside playing basketball while the girls were inside preparing the steaks so the boys could fire up the BBQ. The girls were all talking when they heard Gabriella's name on TV. They were watching The Girls Next Door when it cut to commercials. The room was soon filled with Ryan Seacrest's voice.

"Tonight at seven, find out if there is something going on between Gabriella Montez and Taylor Lautner. They were seen leaving the big birthday bas of Chris Brown together. Stay tuned for the story."

The girls all looked at each other and turned off the TV. Taylor was the first to break the silence.

"I mean, it's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, I mean Joe was texting me last night. He would have said something." Kelsi said.

"Since when do you have Joe Jonas's number?" Sharpay asked her.

Kelsi blushed and said, "Gabriella gave him my number. He was texting me all night last night until I fell asleep."

"I don't know whether to be happy for you or not," Sharpay said.

"Happy about what?"

The girls whipped their heads around and saw that the guys had finished their mini basketball game and were now in the kitchen, raiding the fridge for some Gatorade.

"Happy about what? Isn't anyone going to answer the question?" Chad said.

"Um...happy that you guys are done playing basketball so you can start cooking us food!" Taylor said.

"Oh, so is that all we're good for? Making you ladies food?" Zeke asked the group of girls.

"Yeah, pretty much," Sharpay replied.

"Alright, where are those steaks? I'll put them on the grill. So we have two bathrooms, both with showers. I call the first bathroom!" Chad yelled.

Jason, Zeke, and Troy looked at each other for a few seconds until they realized there was only one open shower. Troy took off, but Zeke was right behind him. Soon, the three boys were all fighting with each other up the stairs. They heard Troy's yell of victory and the other two boys moan. The girls stayed downstairs, glad that they didn't figure out their conversation.

"So do we pretend that we didn't hear that? Or do we, and by 'we' I mean Taylor, TIVO E! News and we all come back tomorrow while the guys are all at Lave Springs helping out Ryan, and watch that piece of news?" Sharpay asked.

"I have to say, Sharpay has a brilliant idea!" Taylor said. "Alright, take these out for Chad while I go and TIVO. Sound good?"

Sharpay nodded her head and took the plate of steaks out.

Everything was going great. The food was ready, the boys no longer looked and smelled like they were playing basketball earlier that day, and Troy heard his phone vibrate on the table. He smiled when it was a text from Gabriella. Last night, he sort of got worried when she didn't answer his text. Then he relaxed when he realized that she wouldn't be able to text back. He knew that she was surrounded by friends and no harm would come to her.

"Who's that? Didn't you break up with Haley?" Chad asked Troy.

"It's Gabriella and yes, I did break up with her, thank you very much!" said Troy.

Troy then went back to see what the text message said.

Gabriella: Hey! Sorry I never replied last night. Kind of forgot to check my phone throughout the whole night. Didn't know I had a text 'til right now, seeing as I just woke up. So how are you?

Troy chuckled when he read that she had barely gotten up. Knowing her, she had silenced her phone so no phone call or message could wake her.

Troy: You just woke up? It's like 4 in the afternoon? What time did you leave the club? I'm fine just here at Chad and Tay's having an early dinner with everyone.

"So, what she say?" Taylor asked.

"Just wanted to know how I was. She just woke up. I tell you those friends of hers keep her out 'til late! Or early, however you want to look at it," Troy replied.

Gabriella: Haha yea, well I got home at like 4ish. But I blame it all on my friend who offered to give me a ride home! But then I got hungry, so we ate, then he took a wrong turn and it took us FOREVER to get unlost. But I did make it home!

Troy frowned when he read the word "he". Who was the "he" and why was he hanging out with his Gabriella.

"Anything wrong?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing, but Gabriella just woke up. Remember how I told you it was one of her friend's birthdays so they all went out to celebrate? She asked one of her friends, who is a guy, to take her home! But like I said, nothing to worry about."

Troy: Well I'm sorry! I'll talk to you later!

"Alright Zeke! What's for dessert?" Troy said, putting his phone away in his pocket and ignoring the text that he knew was from Gabriella.

All the friends said good-bye and Troy got into his truck and stopped by his parent's house to see if they needed anything. He stayed for about ten minutes before going to his apartment. He unlocked his door and hung his coat. He walked further in and noticed he had a message on his answering machine. It was from Maria, Gabriella's mom.

"Hey Troy, it's Maria. I'm just calling because Nick has this business meeting down in LA next week. I got this brilliant idea that after the basketball game, you, everyone else, Nick, and I all go down and surprise Gabriella. I'm only staying the weekend because I have work and so do you guys. So what do you think? Don't worry about the cost. Nick's company is paying for everything! So let me know! I hope you agree! Alright got to go! Lots of love!"

Troy sat on the couch and thought about the idea. Surprising Gabriella meant getting to see her again. But seeing her meant seeing all of her friends. Troy sighed. He had no clue what to do. He'd have to see if the others were down on the idea. But for now, he had to come up with new plays for the basketball game.

alright guys here you!!!! oh and please please please review!! it can say anything! like how much you like the story! but please please review!!! more to come!!! :)