The bright sun was shining through the window of Gabriella's room when she woke up. The smell of freshly baked pancakes and syrup filled the air. Gabriella took a look around her and everything from last night and the silent broken heart memory came back to her. She climbed out from under the warm covers and went into the bathroom to fix her hair before she went down to breakfast.

"Good Morning Gabi!" Troy said from the couch as Gabriella came down the stairs.

"Oh, Hey Troy, good morning!" Gabriella said emotionless.

"My mom made pancakes for us, but then she and my dad went off to work, my dad still has to finish out the week." Troy said getting up from the couch.

"Oh okay, Thanks." Gabriella said. She didn't have much to say to Troy, well more the fact she didn't know what to say to him.

"Do you want some?" Troy asked as he walked toward the cabinet.

"Oh, yeah sure I'll have some, but I can get it, it's fine." Gabriella said as Troy took down a red plate.

"No, it's fine with me, you can sit down." Troy said putting 2 pancakes on her plate.

"Oh, thanks Troy." Gabriella said. She started to feel bad that she was being rude to him.

"Sure anytime Gabi" Troy said as he handed her the plate and the syrup. Troy sat down across from her.

"Can I ask you something Gabi?" Troy said looking down at his fingers.

"Sure Troy." Gabriella said freely hiding the fear she had about what was coming.

"Well, I was just wondering if you were mad at me, cause you didn't say anything last night" Troy said nervously.

"Well..." Gabriella started. Then she thought that she didn't want to tell Troy right then about how she felt. "I just didn't know what to say last night. I'm not mad at you is what I'm trying to say." Gabriella covered. She was mad at him. She was mad because he mad her seem like a fool when he said he was being a good host; She was mad because he didn't love her back, and she was mad that she couldn't tell him how she felt.

"Okay. That's good." Troy said relieved. Deep down Troy knew he messed up, but luckily for him Gabriella had forgiven him, or so he thought.

"Yeah." Gabriella said quickly ending the conversation.

"Well, I still have a little more Christmas shopping to do, so I was going to go today, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along. I don't want to leave you here alone, and...well...I want to hang out with you. I miss going to the mall with you." Troy said slightly apologizing again for his screw up.

"Uh...Yeah...Sure I would love to come with you, I still have to shop too." Gabriella said. Right then she knew everything was going to be okay, so she forgave Troy.

"Okay how much time do you need to get ready cause I don't want to rush you or anything." Troy said caring.

" Ummm I don't know like 45 minutes and hour, is that too long?" Gabriella asked

"No of course not that's cool with me." Troy said getting up from the table.

"Okay I'll be ready then. Thanks Troy!" Gabriella said as she put her plate in the dishwasher and walked upstairs.

Ahhhhhh! Oh My God!!!!! I can't believe it!!! how could I ever be mad at Troy he is so perfect! Gabriella screamed in her head. She went straight to her bag and found a ocean blue T-shirt with a silver peace sign in the center and her skinny jeans and uggs.

Knock Knock

"Hey Gabs can I come in?" Troy said.

"Yeah sure!" Gabriella called from the bathroom.

"Are you ready?" Troy asked as he leaned against the doorway of her bathroom.

"Yep just finished!" Gabriella said as she finished her eyeliner.

"Okay cool," Troy said turning around and headed towards the hall. "oh, and by the way Gabi, you look really cute!"

"Thanks!" Gabriella tried to say without jumping up and down. She took one more look in the mirror and turned out the light and followed Troy downstairs to the car.

Troy and Gabriella walked out of the cold Albequrque winter air into the warm heated local mall. The rush and noise of the crouds of people shopping for last minute holiday shopping, pulled them in.

"So is there anything in particular that you want to get?" Troy asked Gabriella filling the silence between them.

"I don't know, just looking around seeing if anything catches my eye," Gabriella said "What are you looking for?"

"Well, something for my mom, and I was hoping you could maybe help me with that." Troy confessed.

"Yeah absolutely! I would love to help!! Plus I want to get her and your dad something for letting me stay at your place this Christmas." Gabriella said excited.

"That's nice, but really Gabi they don't mind, we are all really glad that you can be with us." Troy said sincerely.

"I'm glad too!" Gabriella said as she looked into the perfect blue eyes of her almost lover. "So, what kind of stuff does your mom like?" she said quickly realizing she was staring at him.

"Oh, ummm... I don't know really maybe something like... I don't know girl stuff" Troy said cluelessly. Gabriella walked a little ahead too look at the store around her.

"Really Troy!?!?! Girl stuff for a girl?!?!" Gabriella replied sarcasticaly turing around to face Troy.

"ha-ha-ha your funny Gabi!" Troy said teasing her back. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close. His hands fit perfectly in the small of her back, like they were ment to hold her tight. Gabriellas hands rested on Troy's perfectly toned sholders, she looked up and it seemed that the conversations of the crouds of people around them just dissapeared. Troy and Gabriella's eyes locked, neither of them dared look away, for the fear of what would happen if one did, or the fact that the moment was perfect and they wanted it to last; it didn't matter. For Gabriella the moment was everything she was hoping for just like a storybook ending, at least thats what she thought.

"TROY!" someone called from behind them. He turned around

"Yo, TROY!" Zeke called

"Hey dude what's up?" Troy said a tad annoyed but he still didn't want to be rude. Troy's hand still was around Gabriella's waist, and she hoped it would stay there.

"What's up with you man?" Zeke said "Hey Gabi" Gabriella gave him a sweet smile.

"Nothing, Gabriella is helping me Christmas shop for my mom." Troy said bringing Gabriella even closer together, if that was even possible.

"That's cool, yeah I just finished mine, and my aunt said that she would help wrap them, so I got to get to her house.

"Okay see ya later!" Troy said.

"Later man! Bye Gabi!" Zeke called as he left them.

"Hey, Ummm I'm going to go and look in Abercrombie too see if anything is on sale, do you want to come with?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I'll be in there in a few, I'm going to check out what they have in Bath and Body Works." Troy said semi-confidently. "Wish me luck."

"ha. You'll be fine!" Gabriella said encouragingly. Gabriella went to the left towards the purfum smelling Abercrombie as Troy went to the right into the sweet smelling Bath and Body Works.

Gabriella's POV

Gabriella walked in hoping no one would notice her, there were plenty of other people there, looking at the semi-resonable prices of the jeans and shirts; but without fail Gabriella got the....

"How are you today?" the peppy sales lady said.

"I'm good thank you" Gabriella said politly.

"Well, if there is anything you need help with today just come and ask" The sales lady said, handing Gabriella an In Store Shopping Bag.

"I will thank you!" Gabriella said taking the bag.

As Gabriella walked around looking at the plain solid color T-shirst in the corner in the dim light; another sales person came up behind her.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" The person said, but this time it was a guy asking.

"Oh, no I don't...I don't think so." Gabriella stuttered as she turned around. She looked at him; he was wearing a blue and white striped polo, obviously from Abercrombie along with light blue semi-ripped jeans. He had dirty blonde short hair with gorgeous green eyes.

"Are you looking at these T-shirts?" He ask inching closer to Gabriella, she started to scoot back.

"Yeah, I don't know if I wanted to get it, I was just looking." Gabriella said trying to wiggle her way out of the conversation with the guy.

"Well if you do end up getting a shirt, I would definatly go with the dark blue, I think it really complements your beautiful brown eyes" he said as he pushed some of Gabriella's curls out of her face and behind her ear.

"Hey Gabi!!!!" Troy said confused and angry as he broke up the silence between Gabriella and the Abercrombie model.

Troy's POV

"Hello and welcome to Bath and Body Works! Just to let you know we have a 50% off sale on everything in the store. My name is Amber, if you need help finding anything just let me know!" the happy sales lady said handing Troy a bag.

"Thank you, well actually could you help me out now?" Troy asked.

"Of course, what are you looking for?" Amber said, bringing Troy deeper into the store.

"Well, something for my mom, and something, for a girl that I know." Troy confessed.

"Oh okay well, do you know what either of them like?" Amber asked.

"Well, not my mom, but the girl says she loves the smell of...I think she said it was Winter Candy Apple?" Troy said unsure.

"Oh, Okay thats good! I love that smell too! I would get her this hand soap lotion combo." Amber said as she showed Troy the package on the shelf.

"That sounds good," Troy said putting the product into the bag.

"As for your mom I would get her....this." Amber handed Troy a basket with hand soap, lotion, body spray, everything all different smells.

"My best friend got this, and she says she loves it. I'm pretty sure this is a good choice" Amber said confidently.

"Thanks so much. I don't know what I would have done." Troy said as he walked towards the counter and paied for the gifts. After Troy paid he took the blue plastic bag and walked over to Abericrombie to find Gabriella. Lucky for Troy he didn't have someone one to greet him. As he looked around for Gabriella in the darkend store, his eyes spotted her out. There she was, just flirting with another guy. Troy's heart completely broke in half, and soon turned into anger.

How the HELL could she do that?!?! She is staying with MY family, and she just goes and flirts with someone else!?!?! I love her DAMN IT, I should have told her! DAMN IT Troy how could you have chickened out, you had the perfect chance to tell her!!!!!!!!! Troy screamed at himself, the anger, dissapointment, betrayl built up inside him.

"Hey Gabi!!!!" Troy said trying not too loose his cool.

No POV (regular)

"Ummm... Troy, can we talk outside?!?!" Gabriella stammered as the tention roase in the dimmed store.

"Yeah, I think that would be very helpful!!" Troy said storming out of the store. Gabriella dropped her bag and quickly followed Troy. He was sitting with his hands on his face resting on his knees, staring at the ground thinking about where to begin.

"Troy I know what it looks like but I can explain, " Gabriella started. " I was just looking at the T-shirts and he came on too me, he just started complementing me and everything. I tried to back away, thats when you came in, Troy you have to believe me" Gabriella's voice began to shake. Tears were starting to form in her dark brown eyes bluring her vision until they trickled down her warm face.

"Gabi, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at that guy. I just don't want anything to happen, your my best friend" Troy said as he looked up into Gabriella's eyes. His heart ached to tell her everything. As Troy said those last four poisiness last words Gabriella coudn't take it anymore, she ran off into the sea of people. Troy jumped up and chaces after her. The rush of faces everywhere. He was running at full speed scanning everyone that had perfect brown curls gently cascading ther sholders. There finally was a break in people. Troy took the opertunity and jumped, he turned in a circle looking for his love; and there she was, her knees pulled close to her body and her face burried under her arms.

"Hey buddy!" A voice came from behind. Troy spun around. "Yeah, I saw what you did to Gabriella, and you shouldn't even be aloud to even come near her!" It was Danny from Abercrombie.

"Dude you don't even know so I suggest that you get the hell away from her!" Troy threatened.

"No man, you back off! You broke her heart, I don't even think you really love her!" Danny said inching closer and closer until Troy and Danny were only feet away from eachother. The anger between them was clear.

"STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" Screamed Gabriella. She had seen what the two boys were doing. Though most people would be flattered by it, she was annoyed. She had pushed apart Troy and Danny. "Danny I really appreciate you sticking up for me, but this is my battle, I need to do this by myself, this doesn't concern you" Gabriella turned to face Troy. She needed all her courage to finally face him. "Troy, can we just go home please?" Gabriella said sweetly. She set aside all the drama of the day and just wanted to get home and so did Troy.

The silence filled Troy's car as they drove home. No one dare said a word. And for the rest of the night as well. Luckly Mr. and Mrs. Bolton got home late, so they didn't know anything about the fight the two had with eachother, and until they worked it out, neither of them said a word, their secret kept for another day.