This is long overdue D: I apologize. I was supposed to have this up a few days ago but I told myself that I should update White Horse first but right now that isn't really happening. I'm kinda dead when it comes to the next chapter. I have the beginning ready I just need to finish the rest, I keep deleting what I'm writing and I'm getting really really REALLY frustrated with myself right now. Gah anyways. This makes me happy. There might be some mistakes I didn't catch when I reread this a while ago so don't mind them, I'm going to edit it.

Please review! I love reading them, they motivate me~ I'm on chapter 7 as we speak right now. The chapters are starting to become longer (in my opinion anyways) haha. So enjoy guys!

Disclaimer: Stolen? No. High School Musical? No. The idea of this story? Yeah that's about it.

'I watch you spin around in your highest heels, you are the best one of the best ones
We all look like we feel…'

Monday November 18th 2013; 10:45am

Gabriella smiled softly as she heard the beginning of the song that was number one on the CD. She still couldn't believe she was at one of the most romantic places in the world with her husband, now of a year, on their anniversary. The guitar riffs and the soft beats of the drum made her sigh in contentment before turning to look at him.

"You're going to make me cry and we haven't even made it through one song yet." she stated as the lyrics of Dashboard Confessional's 'Stolen' ran through the speakers and she forced her tears back.

Kissing her head before he nuzzled his nose against hers, Troy gave her lips a soft kiss before grinning, "I love you," he whispered. Placing a hand on his slightly rough jaw she smiled again.

"I love you too."

Friday, October 19th 2007; 8:12pm
East High School Gym. Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The newly aged 17 year old junior watched from the sidelines as his friends and team mates danced with their dates that night. It was a typical school dance in East High- the first dance of the year. He never liked school dances, he usually just came to the school events because it was his duty as East High's current basketball captain to be there - no matter how stupid that sounded.

Sometimes he wished he wasn't the captain of their sacred basketball team. He loved basketball but it wasn't everything to him. Sure he's kissed a couple of girls, made out with two of them and almost went all the way with one, he hated the attention, the girls hanging off his arm, the cheerleaders wanting his full and undivided attention during their practice or a game, hoping he would dedicate a shot to them. The only shot he would dedicate to anyone would probably be his mother but he wouldn't say that in public. Not at all.

"Hey Hoops!"

Troy Bolton turned his head towards his bushy haired best friend grabbing a cup of punch and nodded, "Hey."

"What are you doing here on the sidelines man? You just turned seventeen yesterday and today's the school dance. I thought you would be celebrating?" his best friend joked.

"Haha man. Nah, I don't want to be stuck in the middle of a girl fight if I dance with a girl. God knows how many jealous girls I'll be dealing with." Troy chuckled lightly. He wasn't cocky, he was just stating a fact. Once he sat at some girl's table during lunch and all hell broke loose in the cafeteria. He just didn't want it to happen again.

"So what man? You're finally seventeen-"

"It's not like it makes a difference, Chad. I just turned up an age. It's not like I'm twenty-one-"

"And when you turn twenty-one dude we are going to get so smashed-"

"We already get smashed, dude." Troy interrupted.

"It doesn't matter! Dude embrace your age!" 17 year old Chad Danforth exclaimed. Troy raised an eyebrow at Chad before laughing, "I feel no difference to when I was sixteen."

Chad huffed before taking a swing of his drink. "You need a girl."

"Did you come all the way over from dancing with Amy just to tell me that?" Troy wondered.

"No. Well kinda. The guys and me were talking earlier while you were talking to Jimmie… Zara? That freshman that worships the ground you walk on… anyways we just think you need a girl. I mean you could have any fucking girl you want yet you don't even give any of our East High chicks another glance."

"They're not my type." the shaggy haired boy shrugged. He didn't really want to talk to Chad about this right now.

"You're the basketball captain though! You need a girl!" Chad exclaimed as if it were in the rule book.

"No I don't, Chad. Can you just drop it? I don't want to talk to you about this anymore." Troy said annoyed. Chad gave him a hard stare before rolling his eyes and heading back to his date.

Running a hand through his hair Troy loosened the top buttons of his blue dress down shirt and shoved his hands into his dark faded jeans, gripping the keys to his beaten up white pick-up. Maybe it was time for him to go. He had been there for an hour or so, talked to people, ate the food on the table, drank some of the punch, worth the $5 he spent on a ticket. Grabbing his black blazer he took his keys out heading for the gym doors.

But then he heard it.

The soft melodic giggle that suddenly made his heart speed up and he didn't know why. Even with the speakers thumping loudly around him he could still hear it. Turning slightly his eyes fixated on the source of the sweet sound that caused him to stop.

Gabriella Montez.

She was dancing her a couple of her friends, one of which Troy knew very well- Sharpay Evans, the blonde haired Ice Princess and his friend Zeke Baylor's obsession.

The brunette twirled as the skirt of her blue and brown dress flowed around her. Her hair was down, showing off her natural curls, a locket hung around her neck and her brown heels completed her ensemble.

He didn't know how long he was staring at her but when she finally figured out someone was eyeing her she looked up and they locked eyes for the first time.

They had a couple of classes together, but even so he still didn't know her as in talk to her face to face and stuff. All he knew was that she was the city girl from New York. She moved to Albuquerque once her parents' jobs transferred them to the small town. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a doctor, she excelled in all her classes, tutored, joined the drama group, the Scholastic Decathlon team, the dance committee- which they did a pretty good job with the current dance- as well as the volleyball team and track team.

Never once had they ever looked at each other. He knew she stared at him, she knew he stared at her but that was it. Both sets of eyes never truly made eye contact with each other

Until now.

Her head ducked down as he saw her blush at the fact that she had an audience before looking up and giving him a soft smile. Troy could feel his heart pounding wildly and as much as he wanted it to stop, he couldn't. It was as if there was a single spotlight on her and all he could focus on was her.

Giving her a smile back he waved before turning around and headed towards the door again. He let out a huge breath, shaking off the tingling feeling in his nerves when he saw her having fun. He couldn't explain how he was feeling when he saw her. It was different when he saw her in the halls or in homeroom. He felt like she was the only one for him at that moment. Stupid right?

Making his way out of the East High building, being greeted by darkness outside, he headed towards the parking lot where his truck was, lost in thought about the Latina he locked eyes with moments ago, not hearing the clicks of high heels behind him as if they were going to catch up with him.

"Troy?"

His head whipped around, his breath caught in his throat as he heard her voice. Gabriella.

"Hmm?" he asked, suddenly finding it very difficult to speak and form coherent words. The wind blew around them, causing her to shiver slightly and her dress to float around her. This was the first time she ever talked to him and he longed for her to keep talking.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked gently, "It's only 8 o'clock, the dance isn't over until 10."

"Oh, umm…" Troy raised a hand nervously to the back of his neck, a habit he picked up when he was nervous from his father. "I'm kind of tired, Gabriella, I ate, talked to friends, drank the punch.. I think I'm going to call it a night."

"Oh." Gabriella nodded with a hint of sadness in her voice, but Troy was probably imagining things, there was no way that Gabriella Montez would ever be sad over him or anything.

"Yeah. Great job on the dance though, the committee did a great job." he phrased, noting the light tint of pink on her cheeks underneath the outdoor post lights.

"Is there anything you didn't like? We're always taking suggestions into consideration." she added. She hadn't even been at East High for a semester and she was already acting like a true Wildcat. He smiled at the thought, before shaking his head, "It's been great, perfect really. You guys truly outdid yourselves."

"I just managed the money is all, Sharpay did most of the work." Gabriella grinned.

"Well even so you did a very good job managing money. I'm surprised we're not broke yet." he teased. The Ice Princess was known for spending money and going all out.

Gabriella giggled softly, "Are you sure you're not going to stay? I'm pretty sure you haven't busted a move on the dance floor with your date tonight."

"I didn't bring a date." he shrugged causing her eyes to widen slightly. Who could blame her though? The notorious Wildcat basketball superstar didn't have a date.

"Oh, I just… assumed you would've brought one because you know you are the captain and such…" she blushed at her own words, hoping she didn't seem like a complete judgemental idiot at that point.

Shaking his head, Troy shrugged again, "I'm not one for bringing dates. I don't think I want another fight at school." Seeing the look of confusion on her face he laughed lightly, "Don't worry about it Gabriella. It happened last year, you don't want to know."

She nodded before giving him another smile, "Well I guess you should get on your way. A big basketball superstar like you needs his rest. Especially since everyone knows he's got a big day planned tomorrow."

Troy had to laugh at that. His team mates were throwing him a "surprise" birthday party but Jason Cross had texted everyone at school and accidentally sent it to Troy as well and now the party wasn't a surprise anymore, more of a "It's our boy's birthday! Let's get wasted!" party.

"Most definitely. Watching Chad get wasted while everyone draws on his face while he's passed out is probably going to be the most fun I had in a while." he joked. He felt his stomach clench when she giggled uncontrollably at that image he put in her head. God she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Well I hope you have fun tomorrow." Gabriella smiled. Troy furrowed his eyebrows. Everyone at East High was invited even the people the jocks didn't associated with, "You're not coming tomorrow?" he asked.

"My best friend Taylor from New York is visiting for a couple of days tomorrow. Her parents are doing some things about their divorce and she wanted to get away so she's visiting." Gabriella explained.

"You could invite her as well." Troy added. There was no way she wasn't going to go, now that they had started talking, he wanted to get to know her more than what was said on her student file.

"I couldn't impose Troy. She's already frightened of meeting Sharpay especially since now Sharpay claims it'll be nice to have another person to go shopping with this weekend. I don't want her to get freaked out even more." the brunette said, "But I'll see what she says when she lands tomorrow and I'll text Sharpay so that she can tell y-"

"How about you just text me?" Troy asked grabbing the phone from his pocket and handing it to her. "I'm guessing your phone is still inside so leave your number and I'll text you later on tonight with my number."

Smooth, Bolton, smooth.

Gabriella stared at the hand in front of her, her eyes wide in shock. The most popular guy at East High wanted her number. Was she dreaming? She didn't want to pinch herself to make sure just in case it was real.

Taking the phone from his hand slowly she nodded before blushing, looking down at the phone in her hands and typed furiously at the keyboard. "Sure."

He wiped his hands on his jeans discreetly, hoping the sweat that suddenly built up in his hands went away. When she handed him back his phone he had the need to grab her hand, pull her to him and kiss her right then and there, but like a true gentleman that he was he refrained. He'll stick to being her almost friend right now, the last thing he wanted was for her to run away from him.

"So I'll text you tonight?" Troy asked trying to not sound hopeful. Gabriella blushed again and nodded, "Yeah. Good night Troy."

Smiling he gave her a quick nod, "Good night Gabriella. Have fun."

With one last giggle and wave he watched as she headed back towards the building as swiftly as she could in heels. Turning on his heel Troy let out a huge deep breath and ran a hand through his hair in a daze. The familiar pounding in his chest was picking up again and he felt giddy knowing that she was now a text message away.

He ran towards his truck with a little leap in his steps before opening the door of his truck and made his way home. He wasn't going to act desperate and text her right away. Now he couldn't wait for the dance to be over. He couldn't wait to text the beautiful Gabriella Montez.

Friday, October 19th 2007; 11:47pm
Bolton Home. Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Later that night Troy sat in bed before starring at his phone debating with himself on whether or not he should text her at that moment. Since she was part of the dance committee she probably did have to stay behind and clean so he didn't want to push it until she was actually home. Deciding it was time he flipped open his phone before looking through his contacts, looking for her name and then typed a message.

guess who? - t

He waited impatiently as he stared at his phone for a long time hoping she would text back quickly. A long 2 minutes later his phone vibrated and he flipped it open immediately.

dude wtf u left the dance. wtf man u didn't even tell me - chad.

Running a hand over his tired face he sighed. He didn't want to deal with Chad right now.

you'll fucking survive dude - t

Knowing that text message came off strong, Troy knew Chad wouldn't be bothering him for a while. A minute after he sent that message he got a new one.

Oh right I forgot I gave you my number. Sup Brad Pitt? xG

Smiling widely he let his fingers do the talking.

brad pitt? seriously gabriella? - t

Okay fine. Hi Troy. Better? xG

much. haha. hey what time is your friend landing tomorrow? - t

Around 9 or something. I'll let you know what she says after lunch xG

alright then babe- It was a force of habit when he was texting most girls. He knew he shouldn't say it but it just happens.. -I'll be awaiting your text message lol. see you tomorrow. maybe ;) - t

Hopefully she says yes? *crosses fingers* haha. xG

Hopefully she does. Good night Gabriella -t

Goodnight Troy xG

Troy closed his phone and put it on his night stand and just as he shut his eyes he groaned when his phone vibrated. Thinking it was finally Chad texting back after he snapped, he flipped open his phone ready to send a pissed off text back. But it wasn't Chad.

And happy belated xG

His heart did leaps in his chest and for the first time in a long time. Troy Bolton slept with a smile on his face, dreaming of the long curly brunette that had captured his heart a few hours ago.

'You have stolen my heart.'

- Dashboard Confessional; Stolen