"Baby Girl are you ready to go?" Gabriella's mom called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah mom I will be down in like 3 minutes." Gabriella said taking one last look at herself in the mirror. Making sure every hair was in the right spot and that her lip gloss was perfectly spread across her lips. She smiled at herself and turned off the light in her bathroom and grabbed her book bag off of her bed and headed downstairs. Mrs. Montez was grabbing her keys off the kitchen counter when Gabi came down.

"You look beautiful today Gabi" her mother said looking at her daughter standing before here. Gabriella had red shirt that came down to the middle of her thigh with a white lace tank top underneath, black leggings and simple cute black flats to match. Gabriella's hair was slightly pulled back and her long brown curls fell perfectly around her face and onto her shoulders.

"Thanks!" Gabriella said cheerfully as she walked out the door and into the car waiting outside in the cold Albuquerque winter air.

"Oh, and I was talking to Troy last night, and I told him about Christmas this year, and he said it was totally fine that I spend the week with his family. Is it okay with you?" Gabriella said hopefully

"No, Gabi I don't want them to have to watch you." Mrs. Montez said. She wanted her daughter to go and she knew how much Gabi wanted to go, but it was too much for the Bolton's on their part.

"Mom! Troy already talked to his mom and dad and they both said it was okay. Please mom, please please please please!" Gabriella begged.

"Your sure that Troy asked his parents right." Mrs. Montez said slowing giving into her daughter.

"Yes so absolutly positive!" Gabi said hopefully biteing her bottom lip.

"I guess so, make sure not to be any trouble for the Boltons." Mrs. Montez warned.

"YES! Thank you so much! I won't I promise! Gabriella said with excitement. For once her Christmas wish might becoming true. Gabi was spending her Christmas with the boy she loved.

Gabriella just about jumped out of the car an ran into school looking for Taylor. She got to her locker and threw her books in. She didn't care about organization at this point she was bubbling with excitement.

"Gabi!" Tayor called from down the hall.

"Oh my goodness, I have amazing beyond amazing news!" Gabriella squealed

"What! Spit it out Gabi!!!!" Taylor said urgently.

"Well, my mom isn't going to be in town for Christmas this year, so I was talking to Troy..." Gabriella began

"Oh, boy here it comes." Taylor said sarcastically

"Okay do you wanna hear this or not???" Gabriella scolded playfully.

"Okay yeah, sorry you were saying." Taylor apologized.

"Well, I told Troy what was going on, and he asked his parents if I could spend Christmas with their family this year!" Gabriella said, trying to contain her excitement without screaming.

"Are you serious?!?! Thats insane. I'm so happy for you! What are you and Troy going to do?" Taylor asked quickly needing to know every little detail.

"Well I don't know yet cause the basketball team is coming home tonight from the tournament so he is picking me up at my house at like 6ish" Gabriella explained.

"Oh girl! You have to call me when you are all settled in at his place, oooo sounds so official." Taylor said teasing Gabi.

BRINGGGG!!!!

Everyone rushed into their classes not wanting to be swept on the last day of school until winter break. Gabriella couldn't focus on anything but Troy that day. That and the fact that they weren't doing anything in their classes because of the last day until break.

Come on, ugh. Hurry up!!!!Gabriella thought to herself staring at the small red second hand ticking around the school clock.Come on..... 5...4...3...2...1...BRINGGGG!!!!!!!!! Gabriella jumped from her desk and bolted out of the classroom door. As the hallways quickly filled with goodbyes and hugs, Laughter and Cheer, Gabriella found her way through the mob of people to her locker. She grabbed a few books and things she would need for the week at Troys.

"Hey Gabs!" Taylor said standing next to Gabriella.

"Hey Taylor what's up?" Gabriella said with a huge grin across her face.

"You got out of Ms. Tylers class fast, I mean I know you don't like Art History and all but jeez Gabi!" Taylor teased.

"Yeah I know, I am just so excited to see Troy!!!" Gabriella practically screamed saying his name.

"Oh yeah he is picking you up tonight huh, that will be fun." Taylor said with a little smirk.

"hahaha, yeah your funny Taylor." Gabriella replied sarcastically as she closed her locker and headed to the parking lot.

"Well I'm just saying; you...Troy...Christmas and New Years." Taylor said.

"Yeah, well... You know what Taylor?!?!?" Gabriella said trying to think of something to say to get Taylor off her back about how deeply and passionatly in love she was with Troy, but nothing came too mind.

"Yeah that's what I thought Gabi, I'm just saying, be careful honey, last thing I want is to see you back at school all sad." Taylor said. She always had Gabriella's back.

"Okay Thanks I will be don't worry about me." Gabriella said reassuringly as she opened Taylors new royal blue 2009 Corolla.

"So how long is your mom gone?" Taylor asked pulling out of the parking lot.

"Depends on how well her conference goes; if it goes smoothly like a week but max like a week and a half." Gabriella replied. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She took a deep breath trying to shake off the recurring disappointment.

" Thats good, so its not as long as her other trips. Where is she going?" Taylor said pulling into Gabriella's block.

"I think it's Seattle, Washington. I'm kinda jealous. hahaha I miss the snow. I used to live in Oregon and I loved playing in the snow" Gabriella said.

"That's so cool. I bet it was nice there. Man I haven't been able to get out of this state, well except for my People to People trip in like 8th grade." Taylor said envious.

"Yeah, well I'll text you about everything when Troy picks me up." Gabriella said grabbing her backpack and closing the car door behind her.

"Bye Gabs!" Taylor said waving goodbye to her best friend.

As soon as Gabriella closed the front door she dashed up the stairs and into her room. She threw her book bag on her bed and ran to her closet. She pulled out her pink duffel bag that she hadn't used since her move to New Mexico two years ago. She chose her favorite shirts, the cutest pants and of course a little on the sexy side for sleep wear, but still keeping in mide his parents were going to be there. She went into her bathroom and grabed her shampoo and conditioner make up and her essential things.

Bzzzz...Bzzzz...Bzzzz

Gabriellas phone vibrated in her back pocket.

Hey Gabs I'm about 5 minutes away from your house See you soon!!! ~ Troy

Gabriella read and re-read the text. She was bubbling with excitment. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs. She looked at the green glowing numbers on the cable box... 5:30.

Ding Dong

Gabriella practically jumped off the couch and ran too the door. Then she remembered she didn't want to seem so excited to see him, after all, to Troy they were just friends. But how much Gabriella wanted that to change within the next week. She took a deep breath and composed herself and opened the door.

"Hey Gabi!" Troy said his face brightening up.

"Hey Troy" Gabi said trying to hid her huge urge to just jump and hug him like she hadn't seen him in years.

"Are you ready to go?" Troy asked

"Yeah hold on let me grab my bag." Gabriella said turning back and getting her bag laying at the bottom of her stairs. She closed and locked the front door behind her.

"Hey were are the guys?" Gabriella asked a little supprised. She was expecting the whole team, after all they all just came home from a tornament.

"Oh, well we all stopped at my house and I got my car while my dad too his car and the guys so he could drop them off at their houses and he also had to pick up some papers i guess from the school; and i didn't want to be late to pick you up." Troy explained starting the truck.

"Okay thats cool with me. I was just supprized" Gabriella said.

"So, how was school did I miss anything important?" Troy asked. Gabriella knew he didn't really want to know, he was just being polite, but she took the oportunity to hear his voice.

"Nothing really. Sharpay and I hung out cause Taylor was doing collage applications or something like that." Gabriella said saving Troy the missury of school subjects. Troy pulled up into the driveway. Gabriella had butterflies in her stomach. She had been to the Boltons house before but she never slept there. To Troy Gabriella was just a friend...nothing more.

"Mom! Dad! Gabi and I are home!" Troy called as he took Gabriellas bag from her sholder and closed the door behind them.

"Hey Gabi nice to see you again! I'm so glad you are going to be with us this Christmas!" Mrs. Bolton said with the never failing welcoming warm smile and hug Gabriella was always greeted with.

"Thanks Mrs. Bolton for letting me stay, it really means a lot to me!" Gabi replied.

"Mom I'm going to put Gabi's stuff in her room." Troy said as he started heading upstairs.

"Well, thanks again Mrs. Bolton, I better go help Troy with it." Gabriella teased.

"Your always welcome here, Oh and dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes." Mrs. Bolton said as Gabriella followed Troy.

Gabriella looked at the photos hanging on the walls of the hallway. Finally Gabriella got to the guest room. She looked inside, there was her bag placed at the end of the bed, but she coudn't see Troy. She went further in the room, she found a bathroom and a towel already in there too. Gabriella walked across the hall and into Troys bedroom, and there he was waiting patiently on his bed looking at a magazine.

"Hey there!" Gabriella said.

"Hey, I put your things on your bed in the guest room" Troy said looking up from the magazine.

"Yeah, I saw, thank you!" Gabriella said smiling.

"My mom said that you can't stay in my room even though I have a bunk bed" Troy said a little dissapointed.

"Yeah, I can see that" Gabriella giggled. The thought that Troy wanted to be in the same room with her made her whole world spin.

"Well, we are still across from eachother so thats good enough for me!" Troy said relieved. Gabriella for the first time thought that maybe, just maybe Troy liked her back too.

"Awww you wanted to sleep together" Gabriella teased. After all she didn't want Troy to know she loved him, at least not right then.

"NO! I am just being a good host... You know making sure your comfortable." Troy said quickly. Gabriella heart broke at those words, she was destroyed; she was speechless But to Troy, those powerful 8 words were just used to cover his love for Gabriella. He fell in love with her the second he saw here that fateful new years eve.

"Gabi, Troy Dinner!" Mrs. Bolton called from the bottom of the stairs. Luckly for Gabriella she didn't need to think of another cover to hid the hurt, Mrs Bolton did it for her. Gabriella quickly dashed out of Troys room and down to the dinner table. She couldn't look at Troy because it broke her heart that the love of her life, didn't think anything more of her than just a friend. Troy followed Gabriella and for the rest of the night, nothing more was said between Troy and Gabriella other than the occational small talk over the dinner table. That night Gabriella cryed herself to sleep, and wished that she never went to the Boltons house for Christmas. And she had a plan, for just that.