The `High School Musical` co-stars ended their five-year relationship in December and the actress thinks that because they had been together for such a long time, there was no question they would not want to have remained a part of one another`s lives. She said: "After being in a relationship with someone that long, you stay friends." The brunette beauty has recently been romantically linked with her `Journey 2: The Mysterious Island` co-star Josh Hutcherson but Vanessa insists there is nothing going on between them. She told TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres: I▓m single. Can▓t a girl have friends? Aww, I love him. We just did a movie together and we had the best time." Vanessa, 22, can next be seen in fantasy action adventure movie `Sucker Punch` - which follows a group of tough girls trying to escape from a mental institution - and she admits she felt "empowered" after seeing the finished film for the first time. Recalling seeing the movie, she told the new issue of Nylon magazine: "My energy, my spirits were so high that I literally felt like I had just walked out of a rock concert. "When I saw it, I was literally like, `Woo, yes! I can do anything! Yay! Go women!` Like, I feel so empowered."