A/N: I am so overwhelmed on how much you guys like the story so far. I couldn't be happier with the reviews. I know at first the story was poorly written, but I found something that helps me write better. So hopefully it has improved. Hope you enjoy the chapter!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own HSM

Chapter Eight: Endings and Beginnings

Troy slowly opened his eyes and looked around. For a minute he had no idea where he was. Then he remembered that he had stayed with Gabriella. He looked over at her sleeping frame. She looked so adorable. Troy didn't want to wake her, so he quietly got out of her bed and started to leave. Just before he walked out of her door, he heard Gabriella murmur something. He turned around and walked over to her. Gabriella was still asleep but smiling. He brushed some stray hairs out of her face and kissed her forehead softly. Gabriella's smile got even bigger, and she started murmuring again. Troy quickly left before she woke up.

Gabriella pulled the covers to her chin. She felt unnaturally cold for some reason. She got out of the bed and walked downstairs to the living room. Taking a seat on the couch, Gabriella tried to remember what happened last night. She remembered drinking a lot of Tequila and dancing with a very ugly guy. Then she remembered Troy showing up. Slowly the memory him helping her get out of the party started to come back to her. She then remembered that he had taken her home and even stayed with her when she asked him to. But where was he now? Gabriella guessed that he left earlier that morning. "Why did I ask him to stay though?" Gabriella said aloud to herself. The thought rolled around in her mind before she realized why she was getting so tired of Josh lately. It was because she didn't want to be with him. She only wanted to be with Troy, and that's when it hit her. "Oh my gosh," Gabriella said, " I am in love with Troy Bolton." Gabriella knew exactly what she had to do.

Three hours later Josh was at Gabriella's door. She let him in and asked him to take a seat on the couch. She had called him earlier and asked him to come over so she could talk to him.

"So what did you need babe?" Josh asked her confused

"Well, this isn't going to be easy Josh, but I think that we should break up. I am in love with someone else."

"What do you mean you are in love with someone else? Who could be better than me? What did I do wrong?"

Gabriella was worried that he was going to act this way, "It's just we are different now Josh. People change. I know you have. All you want is sex now, and want something more than that. I just think we will be better off as friends."

Josh got up from the couch and stared down at Gabriella, "Friends my ass. I don't need you. Besides I already have someone that will have sex with me as much as I like. Yeah that's right. I cheated on you, how do you like that?"

"Oh my gosh! You are nothing but a fucking asshole. Do you really think that I care you cheated on me? Do you think that you getting me back in anyway by telling me this?!? Because if you do, then you obviously didn't hear me very well. I AM IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE. I DON"T NEED YOUR FUCKING ASS ANYMORE!!!" Gabriella yelled at the top of her lungs. With that Josh stormed out of her house, and left Gabriella alone. Breathing hard from all the yelling, Gabriella took a seat on the couch. A smile made it's way on to her face, because now she could be with Troy again. Well, if he wanted to.

Gabriella walked up to her bedroom and grabbed her cell phone off her nightstand. Dialing the familiar number, Gabriella took a seat on the foot of her bed.

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh hey. What's up?"

"Can you meet me at the park in twenty minutes?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah."

"See you then," Gabriella said as she hung up the phone. She was going to get this over with now before she chickened out. Gabriella put her curly hair up in a loose ponytail and put on her tennis shoes. She walked downstairs grabbed her keys, and made her way to the park.

When Gabriella got there she took a seat on a bench and waited for Troy to show up. She was really nervous now, and started to get up and leave until she saw him. Troy walked up looking better than ever and took a seat next to her on the bench.

"Hey Brie," Troy said smiling at her.

Gabriella smiled back at him. She loved that nickname. Nobody else had ever called her that. "So you're probably wondering why I asked you to meet me here?"

"The thought crossed my mind."

Gabriella took his hand in hers and looked straight into his blue eyes. "To start off, I wanted to thank you for helping me last night. I never should have drank that much. I wanted to know though, why did you leave this morning without saying goodbye first?"

Troy pulled his hand away from hers and said, "I couldn't wake you up while you looked so peaceful. I also didn't know if you were going to remember why I was even there. So I just left. I didn't want things to be awkward."

Gabriella looked down at her feet. Finally she looked back up at him. "Troy there are two more things I wanted to talk to you about. First, I broke up with Josh today."

Troy was in complete shock, "Why?"

Smiling at him, Gabriella said, "Well that's the second thing I wanted to talk to you about. The reason I broke up with him is because I am in love with somebody else."

Troy 's heart broke a little more when she said this. Taking notice to how Troy's face fell, Gabriella laughed a little. " What are you laughing at?" Troy asked her confused.

"I'm laughing because you obviously don't understand what I am saying."

"I understand perfectly. You broke up with Josh because you are in love with someone else. How is that funny?"

Gabriella started to laugh again and said, "Because you don't seem to get who I am in love with."

Troy was starting to get aggravated now. He wished that she would quit rubbing it in his face that he couldn't have her. "Well how am I supposed to know the guy?"

"Because it's you Troy. I am in love with you."

Troy's eyes lit up and he smiled at her. "Really? You love me? Oh, but Brie-"

Gabriella cut him off before he could finish, "I already know that you don't love me yet Troy. I am not asking you to. All I want is for us to start over. Do you think that we could be friends with benefits again?"

"Yeah, I would like that. I am sorry I can't say it back to you yet. I have just never been in love, and don't know what it feels like exactly."

"It's ok, you'll know when you know."

"Well look, I need to get going, but can I call you tonight?"

"Yeah, sure," Gabriella said nodding her head.

"Great. I'll call you tonight then Brie." Troy then leaned down and softly kissed Gabriella on the lips. "God I have missed that," Troy said smiling down at her.

"Me too," Gabriella said also smiling. Gabriella gave him a hug and the two parted ways.

A/N: So I know that this chapter was short, but I wanted you guys to be happy before I made you mad again. The next chapter will be sad, but it will get better. Review please!!