A month later, Gabriella found herself moving again, this time, heading northwest to Seattle. She was glad to be in a city atmosphere again, surrounded by the constant buzz or city traffic and excitement. It was summer, though, which meant no school to occupy her time with, and no easy way to make friends. However, after getting a job at a local library, she settled into a comfortable routine. Unfortunately, the busy two weeks of the move and settling in meant that she hadn't had time to call Troy, and because he was busy with finals, his texts had been sparse.

She was just thinking this as she walked into the apartment building she and her mom were living in, pressing the elevator button for the third floor, when her phone rang. Her heart leapt when she read the caller ID.

"Hello?" she answered, stepping inside the elevator.

"Hey, Ella."

"Troy! Gosh, I'm so sorry I haven't called, we've just been so busy with the move and settling in and everything – "

"It's okay," he laughed. "Relax, Gabriella."

"I really am sorry, though. I missed talking to you," she said. She slapped herself in the forehead.

God, why did I say that? I sound so clingy…

"I missed talking to you too," Troy said. She breathed a quick sigh of relief. "I had to find another math tutor and everything."

"What?" she said. There was a significant note of hurt or disappointment in her voice – she didn't quite know which.

"Chill, Ella," Troy said. She heard him laugh. "I'm kidding. I did get Taylor to help me out for a week, just for finals. But I like you better."

"Who's Taylor?" Gabriella asked, suddenly feeling defensive.

Jesus, she thought. Why am I jealous? He can hang out with any girl he wants, I live across the country.

"She's the president of the chemistry club here. You guys would get along, I think. She's really nice."

"Do you like her?"

Troy scoffed. "No. Absolutely not. Chad, on the other hand…"

Relief flooded her body and she laughed.

"Did you put in a good word for him?"

"It'll take a little more than that. She thinks of us as nothing but dumb jocks, basically."

"I don't think you're a dumb jock," Gabriella said sincerely.

"Thank you," he said. "That means a lot. You know, I did tell Taylor about you, and how you've been helping me, and I might have given her your name…you can probably expect a friend request within the next few days."

"You talk about me?"

"Well, yeah," he said sheepishly. "You're my friend, and they're my friends, and I feel like they should know about you and I want them to like you as much as I do."

"I'm not very good at making friends," she said.

"I don't think you're too terrible."

"Gee, thanks."

"Really, though, Gabriella. Talk to Taylor. You were practically meant to be best friends."

"If you say so, Troy."

"I wish I could talk to you in person," he said suddenly. "I just – I want you to meet all of them. My friends. They would love you."

"Why are you so sure about that?"

"Because – " Troy stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"Because?" she prompted.

"I just know it," he finally said. "And it's summer now! School is out! Maybe you can come visit or something!"

"I wish."

"Me too. My birthday is coming up next month and I have no one to celebrate with, not even my mom. She has to go on a business trip, fly back to her company headquarters for the weekend."

"I'm sorry, Gabriella."

"It's okay. I mean, it's not okay. But, it's okay. I don't want her to go, but I get that she has to."

"I wish I could come visit you. When is it?" he asked.

"I turn fifteen on July fourteenth."

"Hey! Fourteen is my basketball number," he said. She smiled.

"I didn't know that. Is it your lucky number?"

"Yeah, that's why I picked it," he said.

"Well, that's paid off, hasn't it? You were undefeated the whole season."

"Yep," Troy said. She could practically hear him smirk.

"All right, don't let your ego inflate too much. If it weren't for me you would have failed your math classes."

"Also true. Hey – I have to go, Mom's calling for me," he said.

"Tell her I said hello," she said, smiling.

"Hey Mom, Gabriella says hi," said Troy, his voice sounding distant through the phone. There was a slight rustling.

"Is this Gabriella?" said a voice. It was a woman.

"Yes, it is," she giggled nervously.

"Oh!" the woman gasped happily. "You're real! I thought he was making you up, he talks about you so much…"

"Mom!"

Gabriella laughed as Troy complained in the background.

"It's nice to meet you – err, hear you, Mrs. Bolton," she said.

"Please, call me Lucille. Oh, how sweet you are – Troy, I like her."

Gabriella blushed furiously, but she laughed. There was another rustling noise and Troy was on the phone again.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly.

"She thought you were making me up," Gabriella teased. She started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

"Hey," she said, calming down. She sounded slightly breathless. "Tell your mom I like her, too. But don't worry – not as much as I like you."

"Good," Troy said stubbornly. She laughed again.

"Go help your mom. I'll talk to you later."

/

The next few weeks passed uneventfully. Gabriella continued to work at the library, entertaining the smaller children on Tuesdays and Thursdays with crafts and games. She'd gotten a friend request from Taylor a few hours after she'd spoken to Troy, and she had chatted with her a few times. Troy was right – they had a lot in common, from favorite movies to an intense love of chemistry.

Gabriella's mother had agreed to let her take a course at the local community college to pass the time. She hated moving in the summer because she had limited ways to make friends when school wasn't in session, and anyways, Troy and Taylor had been occupying a lot of her time.

It was finally the weekend of her birthday, which fell on a Sunday. Her mother had left for her business trip last night, and Gabriella was currently spending her Saturday reading her chemistry textbook for class, which she had on Mondays and Wednesdays. She was distracted, not absorbing anything she was reading, and she had just decided to give herself a break when there was a knock on the door.

When she opened it, there was a delivery woman standing at the door with a box.

"Are you Gabriella Montez?"

"Um – yeah. Is that for me?"

The woman nodded. Gabriella took the box from her and signed a form saying she received the package, thanking the woman before she left. She held the box with both hands and kicked the door shut, then walked over to the counter and dropped the package on top of it. She double-checked – it was addressed to her. Her jaw dropped when she looked at the return address.

"Albuquerque?" she said aloud. She reached for a knife from a kitchen drawer and cut through the tape. There were wrapped gifts inside, with a card taped to the top. She shook her head and laughed incredulously, pulling out her phone. He answered on the first ring.

"Talk to me."

"What the hell is this?" she asked, amused.

"What the hell is what?"

"A delivery lady just dropped off a box at my apartment," she said. "It's from Albuquerque. I'm sure you had nothing to do with it, though."

"Oh, yeah," Troy laughed. "That was me."

"Why? What is it?"

"Why? It's your birthday, Gabriella, that's why," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You got me a birthday present?" she said.

"Yeah."

"Oh my god, Troy." She removed her phone from her ear and put it on speaker, placing it on the counter. "Should I open it?"

"That's what you do with presents, isn't it?"

She giggled, taking the wrapped gifts out of the cardboard box.

"I can't believe you," she said as she opened the card. His handwriting was neater than she expected.

Ella –

Getting to know you these past few months has been amazing. I wish I could be there in person, but this will have to do. I hope your birthday is wonderful, just like you are, and enjoy your present.

-Troy

"Troy, oh my god," she said, holding her breath to keep from tearing up. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"Did you open it?" he asked.

"I just read the card," she said. "I'm opening it now." She shook one of the boxes. It didn't make a noise.

"What is it?" she asked aloud, excited. Troy laughed.

"Open it and find out already."

She tore through the wrapping paper and opened the thin cardboard box on the inside.

"Oh my god, Troy, is this your sweatshirt? The one you let me borrow on New Years?"

"Yeah," he said. "You told me it was comfy – I could tell you liked it. And it's pretty hot in Arizona, so I don't wear it that much, and I know it rains a lot in Seattle – "

"Thank you," she interrupted happily, immediately taking the blue sweatshirt out of the box and pulling it on, leaving it unzipped. It was too large for her, hanging off her small frame, the sleeves way too long, but she loved it. She buried her face in the jacket and inhaled.

"You're welcome."

"You smell good, if this is what you smell like," she said. He laughed.

"Thanks."

"What's the other one?" she remembered suddenly, reaching for the smaller box. She tore it open and her jaw dropped.

"Oh my god, where did you find this?" she squealed, holding the stuffed turtle in the air.

"Do you like it?"

"Like it? Troy, I love it! This has to be the best present I've ever gotten – it's adorable!" she cried as she hugged the soft toy. "I'll call him Thomas."

"Really Ella? Thomas?" he laughed.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to, Gabriella. You deserve it."

She stared at the phone on the counter, clutching the turtle to her chest, wishing more than anything that he was there, that she could hug him instead. She felt tears welling up, clearing her throat before she answered.

"Thank you, Troy."

She could practically hear his grin through the phone.

"You're welcome."