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Troy was putting his books back into his locker after a boring Wednesday at school when Sharpay found him and sauntered over. "Hey Troy," greeted Sharpay in her best seductive voice. "How was your day today?"
He watched as she leaned her blonde head against the locker next to his. "Okay I guess. What do you want, Sharpay?"
"Oh, ever to the point I see," replied Sharpay with a smirk. "Well if you aren't nice to me, I won't ask you then."
She made a move to leave but curiosity got the better of Troy. "Ask me what, Sharpay?"
"Well, the booster club is having this huge gala on Saturday night and my dad wanted me to cordially invite you to it. It'll be a great chance to seal the deal on the scholarship, Troy. After all, now is the crunch time," said Sharpay.
Troy knew she was right. "Okay, when and where? I'll see if Gabriella is free."
Sharpay tsked. "I guess you are a little slower than I gave you credit for. You are coming as Daddy's and my guest, Troy. Do you really think that it would look good for me to go by myself while our honored guest comes with some other girl? Let me remind you, Troy, that we are trying to help you reach your goal, both Daddy and me. So are you going to come with me as my date or not go at all?"
'Like I needed this to add to the confusion of thoughts in my head already,' he thought as he looked at her smiling at him. 'What do I do?'
Seeing the struggle Troy was going through, Sharpay decided to step it up a little. "Listen, Troy, I think it's in your best interest to come with me on Saturday. You'll get to meet everyone again, make one last personal impression, and hopefully leave the gala with the promise of a new scholarship offer. Think what this could do for you and your future that you have worked so hard for. This is what you thought about the start of senior year and during the second half of the summer. Let me do this for you, let my Daddy do this for you."
Troy swallowed before he slowly nodded his head. "I'll go with you, Sharpay, but on one condition."
"What's that?" asked a giddy Sharpay.
"We're nothing more than friends, all right? Do you understand me on that?" questioned Troy.
Sharpay's happy look faltered for a moment before she nodded her agreement. "All right, I get it. Do me one favor though, where that coral blue tie I got you with your navy blue suit, okay? That's the best formal look for you."
"Sure," agreed Troy before he watched Sharpay join a waiting Tara and Joanna as they walked back down the hallway.
"Please tell me I did not just hear you agree to a date with Sharpay, man," said Chad from behind Troy, which made him jump. "Please tell me I'm wrong."
Troy looked at Chad and heard the anger in his voice and looked away.
Chad just shook his head. "Just when we thought you had it all together, you go and do this? Don't get me wrong, we're brothers, but I'm starting to wonder about you."
Troy whipped around and looked at Chad. "You think you know me, man? Do you know what I am going through right now? Of course not, all you're worried about is Gabriella. Well guess what, maybe things do happen for a reason. Maybe I am supposed to go to this gala with Sharpay for a reason, even if we are going as friends."
"Yeah, to lose all the newfound respect and friendship you have earned back from the rest of us, even if you are going in the pretense of it as a date between friends. You are going to lose Gabriella for good, Troy. Don't be stupid man, don't go with Sharpay this Saturday," reasoned Chad. "You do it and it's all over, Troy. No third chances and for what, to be a pawn in Sharpay's games with your life and Gabriella's? It's not worth it, man."
"Who are you to decide what is right for me and what is wrong for me? Huh? I don't see you dealing with a girlfriend who won't let you be truly together while another girl is pursuing you with promises of not just the sexual nature but of a guaranteed future. I don't see you confused by what to do to fulfill his dreams of the future," replied Troy.
"Then maybe we need to step back out of the equation and make it easier for you," answered Chad. "Gabriella doesn't deserve that comparison you just made, not one bit, and if you think for a second that I'm going to stand by and let you hurt her in this quest of yours again, you're wrong. Troy, listen to me one last time, if you care at all for Gabriella and this relationship you share with her, forget everyone else. If you care for her, you won't go with Sharpay."
Without giving it a second thought and giving in to his anger at Chad who was the only one to ever oppose him like this besides Gabriella, Troy said, "I'm going on Saturday, Chad. Nothing you say can change my mind."
Chad just shook his head as Troy disappeared around the corner and banged his own head against the wall that was right behind him. 'God, Troy, what are you going to do to your life and our lives now?' he wondered before he closed his eyes tightly.
"I hope he's okay," said Gabriella as she, Taylor, and Audrina walked from the library to the gym. "It's not like him to skip tutoring."
"Maybe he just got sidetracked with basketball," suggested Audrina.
"I guess we'll see right now," said Taylor as the three entered the gym and took their normal spots on the bleachers.
'And there he is,' thought Gabriella as she saw Troy run drills with the rest of the team. His body language though spoke words to her. 'He's so tense right now, I wonder what happened before practice and the last time I saw him between classes.'
"He doesn't look too happy," commented Taylor as she turned her gaze to her own boyfriend and saw a similar intense look on his face. "Then again, neither does Chad. Do you think they fought about something for the team?"
"Or maybe they are just concentrating on the practice," suggested Audrina.
"No, something is definitely wrong," returned Gabriella. "Maybe we should go guys. It doesn't look like today would be a good practice to get on Coach's bad side with the way those two are acting."
Taylor shook her head. "I can't, promised Chad I'd meet him after."
"Me too," said Audrina. "With Ryan of course, not Chad."
Gabriella continued to watch the two best friends continue to run their team without talking to each other and felt her curiosity keep her seated where she was until the practice was over.
Troy wiped his face with his towel and took a big gulp of water as he tried to push his frustrations aside, disturbed that he wasn't able to release them even during a workout, which he usually could. As he put his water bottle down, he saw Chad and Ryan jog over to the corner where their girlfriends usually sat together. He watched as they greeted their girls and also Gabriella. Chad lingered a little bit talking to Gabriella, who all of a sudden looked over at Troy. 'Oh God, he told her,' thought Troy when he couldn't read the look on her face. Not able to take her stare, Troy grabbed his stuff and headed to his truck to drive home before any confrontation could happen. Almost home, his cell phone went off. Troy leaned over to grab it out of his bag.
"Hello?... Yes, this is Troy Bolton… Oh, are you talking about the booster club gala this Saturday?... Oh I'd love to accept the invitation, I'm actually already going with Sharpay Evans… Great, I guess I'll see you there sir, thank you… Good night," said Troy into his cell phone.
He parked in the Bolton's driveway and put his head on the steering wheel. 'Maybe Chad was right, I just got played by Sharpay Evans again. I could have taken Gabriella on Saturday but now I'm committed to Sharpay as her date. God, what did I do to anger the gods that be now?'
"So what happened between you and Troy, Chad?" asked Gabriella when Chad and Ryan came over.
"Nothing," lied Chad. 'I don't want to tell her he's going on a "friendly" date with Sharpay until it actually happens. Maybe he'll change his mind.'
"You are such a bad liar, big brother. Really, what happened?" questioned Gabriella.
Chad thought quickly and said, "Just a fight about strategy. He wanted the team to go out and run in the cold when I wanted the drills to be done inside. You know how we guys get, all upset at each other if one of us don't get our way."
Gabriella looked over at Troy, who was still standing where he was and back at Chad. 'There's something deeper going on, I can feel it, but neither look like they are ready to really talk,' she thought as she looked back at Troy just in time to see him get his stuff and go.
"Dude, what's up with Troy storming out like that?" asked Jason as he and Zeke joined the group.
"Yeah, something was eating him all practice," threw in Zeke.
Just then, Chad's cell rang, which saved him from having to answer the question about Troy again. "Hello?... Yes this is Chad… The University of Alburquerque Booster Members are having a formal gala this Saturday?... Sure, I'll definitely be attending… Yes, one guest… at The Plaza… Right, got it… I look forward to seeing you too, thank you."
"Who was that?" asked Taylor.
"You may have to get a new dress, Taylor, because I am taking you to a gala the booster members are having at U of A on Saturday!" exclaimed Chad.
Before he could say more, Jason's, then Ryan's, then Zeke's cells all rang, all about the gala. "Wow, are we all going then?" asked Jason as he looked at his friends.
"I'm in," replied Zeke. "Maybe I'll even find a date."
"And I have to ask Kelsi," said Jason.
Ryan looked over at Audrina. "Ready for a nice formal event with my family's friends all around?"
Audrina nodded her head. "Only if you stay by my side."
"Of course," he said while he leaned down and kissed her.
Gabriella picked up her cell phone as it rang as she saw Troy's picture pop up, a new one they took on New Year's Day. "Hello?"
"Hey Gabriella, I totally left without thinking about how I usually give you a ride home," said Troy. "Do you need me to come back and get you?"
Gabriella walked down the bleachers and away from her friends. "No, I can catch a ride with someone here. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" asked Troy.
"Just wondering, Chad told me that you two had fought about basketball practice. You took it rather hard though for that being what it was. Plus, you missed tutoring today," said Gabriella as she fished for the truth.
"Oh, well, we're fine now. I just needed to cool down and I'm sorry about missing the session. I guess I was so frustrated with Chad that I forgot. I'm sorry, Gabriella," replied Troy.
Gabriella turned and saw her friends smiling as they planned Saturday night and thought she'd fish again. "That's fine, I guess since your dad hasn't mandated you for tutoring this semester that it's not as much of a priority now. So, on Saturday, I was thinking you and I could spend some quality time together, maybe just the two of us spending the night watching DVDs and eating popcorn like we used to?"
There was silence on the other line for a few beats before Troy spoke again. "Actually, I have other plans. I'm sorry, Gabriella. Can we do it maybe Friday night?"
"I can't Friday night. The scholastic decathlon team is meeting for the entire night to go over everything for State. Remember, state competition is the start of March for us," reminded Gabriella.
"Right, I remember that," replied Troy. "I guess we'll do something on Sunday then?"
"Maybe," answered Gabriella, disappointment in her voice. "I have to go, I think Taylor is signaling me over to go home. Good night, Troy and, I love you."
She hung up the phone and walked back to where the gang was still gathered. "Guess I'm the lucky one who gets to sit home alone on Saturday while you party people go out and have a great time."
"What about Troy?" asked Jason.
"I admit I fielded him out about Saturday and he just said he was busy, had plans," said Gabriella. "If he is going to this thing, he's not taking me, but I doubt that's what it is."
Ryan all of a sudden got a picture in his mind of his twin roping Troy into being her date for the night. Anger fizzled in his blood as he saw that concerned look on Chad's face as he looked at Gabriella. 'Sharpay Evans, I swear it is impossible for us to be related. How could you do this to Gabriella? I have to find some way to fix this.'
Jason got a sudden look of brilliance on his face. "Zeke, why don't you take Gabriella for Saturday?"
Zeke and Gabriella just stared at each other as both of them shook their heads. "No, it's okay, Jason. I'm a big girl and I can stay home on my own. Zeke has plenty of other girls he can ask," replied Gabriella.
"And I don't want Troy to get the wrong idea as gossip spreads among East High that I am taking his girl out," returned Zeke.
Taylor laughed at Zeke's fear. "Don't worry, Zeke, we'll defend you. Come on, you'll have a gorgeous date to show off in front of the booster club members. How much more impressed can they be with you if you show up with lovely Gabriella on your arm?"
"Yeah, besides, we need to bring Gabriella with us. I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself if she wasn't there with us," said Audrina.
Zeke looked at his friends and then at Gabriella, who looked just as reluctant as him. "What do you say, Gab? Will you be my date for the night?"
"After all the twisting of the arm these guys did just now?" asked Gabriella. "I know you don't really want to ask me."
"Not true, I just have a certain fear of a brown haired boyfriend you have kicking my butt. However, if you swear to protect me, I would be honored for you to come to gala with me," declared Zeke on one knee in front of her.
Gabriella giggled. "All right, in that case, I accept. Pick me up?"
"Actually, why don't we all go together? Maybe caravan?" suggested Jason.
"Sounds good," agreed Zeke.
Ryan and Chad stared at each other and knew in that instant they shared the same secret they were both protecting Gabriella from as they took in the troubled look on both of their faces.
"Chad? Ryan?" asked Jason.
"Umm, sure man, sounds good," agreed Chad. 'Gabriella is going to need all the friends she can get if Troy goes through with this thing with Sharpay, that's all I can say.'