Okay, so here is the next chapter. Most of you liked the last one. I'm so glad!

Gabriella knew that what she had just done was wrong, but she couldn't help it. Something had been eaten at her heart lately and she didn't know what it was. She didn't know if it had to do with family, friends, or even someone she had never met. She didn't want to scare anyone, she just wanted to like about it. That was the reason she had wanted to go surfing so badly.

She jumped right into the water. Sure it was cold, but she didn't care, she lived in Albuquerque, the water was always cold. She paddled out into the distance, seeing a wave up ahead. She caught it and loved every minute of it. She always used to tell me that riding a wave was like spreading butter on bread. In other words, it had always come easy to her.

Why do I have this ill feeling inside of me? Why have I been so depressed lately? I feel like something's coming, something bad. Is it a friend, a family member, someone I've never met? Who the hell is it? What the hell is it?

She stayed out in the ocean for a few more minutes. She never wanted to leave. She didn't want to go to that party; she didn't want to dress up. She had to force herself to paddle back to shore and come out of the water. She hadn't been paying attention when she got out. All she knew was that she had to get home and take a shower.

"You've got some real guts, chick."

Gabriella almost jumped out of her skin. She looked ahead of her, but she didn't see anyone. She looked around, trying to find any sign of life. She saw nothing.

"I've never seen a girl who can surf like that."

It was a boy. That much, she could tell. But where was he? Who was he? Or was her mind just playing tricks on her again?

"Who are you?" She replied into complete darkness. She was too scared to move one step in either direction. Suddenly, she saw some movement. Someone was walking towards her. But, she couldn't make out his face or appearance.

"What are you doing out here this late? Let alone in this weather."

He stepped out of the darkness. He had hair the color of the sand on the beach, he was rather large in his muscle size, but still couldn't quite tell who he was. He kept walking toward her and it started to freak her out. She started stepping backwards, back towards the ocean. She didn't know who he was and it frightened her.

"Who are you? How long have you been standing there?" That was the only thing she could think to say.

"Not long, don't worry about it. But, how have you been surfing? You looked like a pro out there."

"Since I was a little girl," With that said, Gabriella started walking in the direction of her house. She had figured that he would stay behind and a wave of fear went through her body when he followed her. She stopped in her tracks, but kept staring forward, "Is there something you want?"

"No nothing at all."

Gabriella kept walking, but he kept right on following close behind, "Who are you?" She needed to know. Not because he was cute or anything, which he was, but only because he was scaring her and maybe if something happened she could call 911 and give them a name.

"Call me Troy." He held out his hand to shake hers.

"Troy, who…?"

"Bolton, Troy Bolton."

She reached out her hand and allowed hers to meet the warmth of his. It was a rather awkward moment for both of them, but that didn't matter much. Once their hands separated Troy spoke up, breaking the awkward silence between them, "Your hands are freezing."

"Yeah, well…See ya." Gabriella turned around again and started walking towards her house, but he still kept on following, "What do you want?"

"I was just really impressed by all that surfing."

"Alright, well you said it. You don't need to say anymore. Goodbye."

Gabriella walked away again. Hoping and praying that he wouldn't follow this time. He didn't, but she knew that he was still staring at her. She knew since he heard him call out to her, "Hey! I never got you name!"

"Happy New Year," Gabriella shouted with a wave of her hand, without turning around. She wasn't about to give up her name or anything else to a complete stranger. She just kept on walking, she only looked back when she got to her porch and he was gone. Thank God. She walked into her house only to find her mother there, waiting for her to talk.

"Start explaining."

"What, mom? Explain what? I went surfing; you know I never get hurt." Gabriella starting climbing the stairs to her room, she had fifteen minutes to take a shower, do her hair, and get dressed. Okay, maybe surfing wasn't the best idea, but I don't care.

"Yes, but you could. You never know and that's not what I was talking about."

Gabriella froze in her tracks. She knew exactly what her mother was talking about.

"You went you there to meet up with a boy didn't you?"

What on earth? "Mom, are you kidding me? I don't even know who that was!"

"You talked to a stranger who was a boy?"

"Mom, don't ride me about this, not now. I didn't give him my name, I didn't tell him anything personal, so just forget about it. I need to get ready."

Gabriella nearly ran up the stairs and into the bathroom. She stripped off her clothes and hopped into the shower. This is the place that Gabriella did most of her singing, either that or in her room past midnight. She would often sing the most random of songs in the world; it was usually a song that just came to her mind, or had something to do with what she was going through. She started to sing as she was shaving her legs.

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings

The 6 o'clock alarm would never ring

But, it rings and I rise, wipe the sleep out of my eyes

The tears of yesterday don't mean a thing

Cheer up, sleepy Jean

Oh, what can it mean?

To a daydream believer and the homecoming queen?

She moved to washing her hair, moving the silky soap through her long, black ebony hair.

You once thought of me as a white knight on a steed

Now you know how happy I can be

And our good times start to end without dollar one to spend

But, how much, darling, do we really need?

Gabriella now turned off the shower and grabbed her towel. It was probably the fastest shower she had ever taken, yet she kept right on singing even without the water rippling down her body.

Cheer up, sleepy Jean

Oh, what can it mean?

To a daydream believer and the homecoming queen?

Gabriella looked at her reflection in the mirror as she finished off the song, her white towel wrapped around her body, Homecoming Queen…yeah right. She walked into her room, dried herself off and swept her hair in a half up, half down look. She spent so much time alone; she had taught herself to do many things, including her own hair. She dressed herself in the white long sleeved shirt and light blue jeans that she had picked out to wear to the party, with the matching 5 inch heel boots and white scarf as an accessory. Gabriella wasn't one for fashion, she never cared what she wore, she hardly ever wore make up either, but for an occasion like this, she figured it would be good thing. She looked at her reflection once again and started humming the song Reflection from Mulan. It would probably come off as random to anyone else, but it can naturally to her.

Who is that girl I see

Staring straight back at me?

Why is my reflection someone I don't know?

Somehow, I can not hide who I am

Though I've tried

When will my reflection show who I am inside?

When will my reflection show who…

"GABI, STOP SINGING TO YOURSELF! WE'RE RUNNING LATE! HURRY UP!"

"I'M COMING," Gabriella grabbed her clutch and ran out the door. She didn't want to go to this party, but one of her pet peeves was being late. And she wasn't about to make everybody late, "Sorry, guys, I got held up." She said as the got downstairs.

"Yeah, you were hypnotized by your own voice." Madison sternly said with no amount of joke in her voice. It hurt Gabriella to hear her sister say that.

"Well, tell me how you really feel."

"Okay, girls," their mother cut in, "let's not do this now. Get in the car, both of you."

The car ride was a half an hour. When the family arrived, the party had only just begun. They all walked in to a house full of people holding up glasses of Champaign, wearing funny glasses. People kissing, friends greeting each other and the rest were eating like pigs.

"Gabi!" Her friend Taylor Mckessie surprised Gabriella by hugging her from behind the back a screeching in her ear

"Taylor, you scared me to death!" She said as she pulled Taylor in for a hug.

"Sorry about that. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year to you too," The broke the hug and started walking through the large crowd of people, "So, how have you been? I haven't talked to you all of break. How was New York?"

"It was great; I wish you could've come with us."

Taylor had been Gabriella's best friend since kindergarten, she had just returned from a trip to New York with her parents. Why she didn't stay there to watch the ball drop, Gabriella never quite understood.

"Oh, I know Taylor, but I've couldn't leave the waves of Albuquerque."

Taylor looked at her friend with a surprised expression, "You went surfing in this weather?"

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?"

"Well, I don't really want to see my bff get sick and die."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Your exaggerating, Taylor. You know that's one of your worst habits."

"Did I ever tell you that the thing that always scares about surfing is trying to get back up to the surface when waves are crashing down on you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when you fall of your board and you forget which way is up, you know, to the surface."

Gabriella laughed, "You just swim towards the light."

"But, in night surfing there is no light."

Gabriella was about to respond when someone inside screamed, "It's the YMCA everybody!"

"Come on, Gabi!" Taylor pulled her friend into the living room right as the song started and everyone started dancing.

"Tay, you know I really hate this dance."

"How can you hate the YMCA? It's a classic."

Everyone started dancing around and doing those crazy hand motions. In fact, Taylor started doing them for Gabriella. She'd lift up her hands and put them into the hand motions for her. Gabriella got fed up with that and decided to do the motions herself.

Y-M-C-A

Its fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A

They have everything that you need to enjoy

You can hang out with all the boys…

Y-M-C-A

Its fun to stay that the Y-M-C-A

For the first time in her life Gabriella actually started having fun doing the little dance to the song. She ended up doing the Macarena as well. She had never enjoyed the Macarena either. Yet, today she was.

"They ball is dropping everyone!"

Everybody ran inside, squishing together with their glasses of Champaign or Apple Cider if you were a kid and watch the ball drop. They all started counting down together…

"10! 9! 8!..."

Danielle ran up to her older sister and Gabriella picked her up, a small smile on her face as she watched and counted the final seconds.

"4! 3! 2! 1!"

Celebrate, good times, c'mon! That song that seemed to be a tradition at New Years started playing and was barely audible through the loudness of the crowd both on the TV and in the house.

Everyone started screaming, kissing, drinking and going down right crazy. Gabriella lifted Danielle in the air. Taylor hugged her best friend; Hunter twirled Madison around and messed up Gabriella's hair. Chloe ran up to her parents and started laughing.

"Happy New Year, Everyone!" The TV announcer said.

Gabriella looked around, happy to be where she was at the moment, What will this New Year bring? Was all she could think. She had no idea what was in store for her this year.

Hope you guys liked it! I spent a lot of time on this chapter.

Okay, I know that Daydream Believer was probably the most random song to have her sing in the shower, but I had it stuck in my head at the time I wrote that scene so, I just figured I'd put it in. REVIEW!