Title: Basketball
Rating: T
Author: mylifeismine
Summary: The new gym unit is basketball, a unit the school loves. Except Gabriella. But will basketball be the thing that brings Gabriella and Troy together? And how will their best friends react? Troyella.
Genre: Romance/Drama
Based on: A dream I had, hehe

Chapter One-You're My Friend
Gabriella's POV:
"Girls! Would you hurry it up a knotch? We don't have all day just to get changed," Coach Bolton called through the girl's change room door for the remaining girls.

"To them, yeah, we have all day," Taylor said to me, we were sitting on the bleachers waiting for the cheerleaders to come out of the change room.

I laughed.

I moved to Albuquerque about three months ago, and the cheerleaders have always taken this long.

a/n: Nothing in the movie happened, except that she moved to Albuquerque and she's friends with Taylor.

Ten more minutes of waiting, the cheerleaders finally came out in the red and white gym clothes.

As the cheerleaders took a seat, the coach started to talk, "This terms new unit is basketball."

Some girls cheered, others weren't so happy, and the rest of them didn't say anything.

As Coach Bolton launched into a long talk about the rules of basketball, my thoughts drifted.

"Gabriella," Coach said sharply.

My head shot up.

"Pay att----"

"Sorry coach, they wouldn't let me out of class," Troy said as he rushed into the room wearing his red and white t-shirt and shorts.

I couldn't help but to roll my eyes.

Coach waved it off.

"As I was saying..."

I let out a sigh.

"Miss Montez."

"Sorry," I said.

As Coach once again started his talking, I was tempted to do something, anything. Even though I have only been to East High for three months, I already learned how to play basketball.

"Off the bleachers," Coach called out.

"Finally," I muttered.

"Is there a problem, Gabriella?"

"No, coach."

Coach sorted us into teams.

And I ended up on Troy's team.

Troy smiled at me as I passed by him.

What.?

Since when the school's hot-shot smile at the freaky math girl?

Whenever someone passed me the ball, I passed it over to Suze, the cheerleading captain, then smirked.

The game ended to what seemed like three hours after, I went to ask Taylor what the score was.

"Gabriella, can I see you for a second?" the coach called at me as I had begun to walk to Taylor.

Troy once again gave me a smile.

Okay, is there like spinach between my teeth or something!

We went to his office. His old office in the boy's change room had needed to be used as another locker room, so they had given him another office.

As I sat down on one of the two chairs, I started to squimer.

"So Gabriella, do you like to play basketball?" he asked.

Ex-cuse me?

"It's okay I guess," I answered nervously.

"Look, I know you love basketball, and that you're trying to hold it in."

I looked up.

Wow, he's smart for an ex-jock.

"A lot of students have come to East High, and try to hide their love for basketball. Whether it's about beating Troy, or just being judged," he explained.

"I have a question. Do you pick out random students and do this speech?" I asked him.

He smiled.

"I can tell if someone's holding in their passion," he said.

I opened my mouth.

"And don't ask me how I know," he frowned.

I closed my mouth.

"There's a co-ed basketball team that I want you to join. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's after school."

So...Wait, today is Monday, and this is last period.

Uh oh.

"Go get changed and I'll have the school call your mom," he said, then opening the door for me to get out, "I'll meet you by the flag pole when you've put all your books away."

Aw man, I was gonna go shopping with Taylor after school today.

As I sat on the grass by the flag pole, hot-shot came along and sat next to me.

I kept looking through the corner of my eyes to see if he would leave, as I read my novel.

People waved to him, and he waved back.

As the crowd started to shrink, he stared at me.

I started to get nervous, and started to turn around.

He pulled my arm back, "I'm Troy."

"Gabriella," I said sticking my hand out.

"So who are you waiting for?" he asked after shaking my hand.

"Coach."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask."

As if on cue, Troy's dad pulled up along the road, and Troy pulled me off the ground.

As Troy and his dad joked around about yesterday's basketball game, I sat nervously in the back seat.

We finally stopped, and Troy ran out of the car into the building.

"Inside, Gabriella," Mr. Bolton said.

I slowly got out of the car, with my backpack on my back, and went inside the building.

I stood nervously on the side as Coach was greeted by another man.

"Jack!"

"Dave!"

I stood there for a few minutes, watching other teenagers practicing their free throws.

"Gabriella, over here," coach called, and I walked over.

"This Gabriella Montez," Coach introduced.

"Ah, I see. Let's get you a uniform," the guy named 'Dave' said.

Dave handed me a uniform and I went to the change room to get changed.

Apparently, it's a co-ed change room.

Great.

I hope Troy's not changing in the middle of the hallway.

I slipped on the uniform, and went back to the gym.

"We are practicing our free throws," Dave said handing me a basketball.

"I don't play basketball," I said plainly.

Coach Bolton looked up from whatever that he was doing.

"I'm serious. I don't play basketball," I exclaimed, "Ask Troy."

Troy looked up when I said his name, he had just left the change room, "Wha?"

"Do I play basketball?" I said, "Honestly."

"Well...You see...You don't----"

"See!" I said throwing my hands up.

"Come on, Gabriella."

"Hey, you did get every shot at the park court," Troy shrugged.

Dave handed me the ball, I snatched it, then hissed at Troy, "I swear I'm gonna kill you later."

Troy took a basketball, then follwed me to the furthest basketball net.

"Why are you so afraid of showing people you play basketball?" Troy asked as my basketball swirled around the rim of the net.

I took my basketball back, and let Troy have his turn.

"Think of it this way, you're the basketball captain. What if...let's say, you joined the Drama Club," I explained, "It's not your thing. Your friends wouldn't be happy about it, right?"

Troy thought about it, "Right."

"Now I'm the freaky math girl. And if I show that I play basketball really good, people might end up thinking that I'll take your place. Which...won't happen. And when people think, more people will hate. And I'm fine with the number of people who already dislike me," I said.

Troy didn't say anything.

"And anyways, it's not my thing," I shrugged.

Dave blew his whistle, and the people around us had gathered around him.

By the end of practice, I met a few new people.

Madison, she's really cool. Her dad had found out her like for basketball and got her to join. Brunette, hazel eyes.

Ava, she's okay. Blonde, brown eyes.

Tylor, he was really nice to me.

Logan, he was really nice too.

Justin, he was weird.

After I was back in my regular clothes I went outside with Madison to the parking lot.

Troy's dad had left as soon as Dave had blew his whistle, so now, I'm the last one with Troy.

"Hey, are you gonna play basketball at school?" Troy asked me as he scooted over beside me, " As in actual basketball."

I thought for a moment, "Probably not."

"Come on," Troy whined, "I'm always playing against Chad or something, I'm not saying that I hate Chad or something, but there's never anything new. And you even play better than me."

"Yeah right," I snorted.

End of Gabiella's POV

Troy's POV:

Tomorrow at School Lunch

"Hi...do you know where Gabriella is?" I asked the people at Gabriella's table.

Taylor looked at me suspiciously, "You wanna talk to one of us?"

"Yeah," I said akwardly, I could feel the whole cafeteria's eyes on me.

Taylor perked up, "Over there."

I walked over to the cafeteria lineup.

Gabriella was leaning against the wall reading a book, the last person in line.

"Hey."

Gabriella looked up, "Oh, hey."

"There's practice today, cause Dave's busy tomorrow," I told her.

She shrugged, "Okay."

I stood there beside her, until she nudged me.

"Everyone's watching us, you know?"

My eyes darted around the cafeteria, everyone was staring at us.

I winced.

"After school at the flag pole," I whisper before walking to my table.

After I had taken a seat at my lunch table, everything was silent for a moment, then buzzes flowed through the room.

"What were you doing talking to that girl?" Chad said sharply, as if Gabriella was posiness.

"Talking," I mumbled.

I was not in the mood of having a million question piling over me.

Would it kill the school for me to talk to a girl?

"She's not one of us!" Chad exclaimed.

"She is! She plays ba-----" I started before I caught Gabriella glaring at me as she passed by the table.

I shrunk into my seat, "Never mind what I said."

I could see Gabriella's friends also poundering her with questions.

I sighed, "I'll see you guys later."

I wasn't in the mood of eating, I tossed my lunch into my locker, and went to the school's roof.

I climbed up the fence, and sat on the edge of roof, my legs dangling in the air.

"Hey," a voice said behind me.

I turned my head and saw Gabriella standing on the bench, then swinging her legs over the fence.

"Hey," I said glumly as she sat crossed-legged beside me.

Gabriella would peak over the edge of the roof, then shrink back beside me.

"Scared of heights?" I grinned.

She looked at me sheepishly, "Kinda."

I put my arm around her waist and pulled her closer, "Don't worry."

I froze as soon as I realized what I had done, but Gabriella didn't seem to notice, so my arm stayed there.

"You coming clean anytime soon?" I said looking at Gabriella.

"I don't think so."

"Mm-hmm."

"Shoot, I have basketball practice today," I said suddenly.

"You know, you should come to basketball practice," I suggested.

Gabriella turned her head and stared at me, "I went to that thing yesterday cause it was co-ed, and that there was girls there..."

"Just once? You're seriously not gonna sit by the flag pole for an hour."

"Fine, oh and since when did you care so much about me?" she asked.

My face turned pink, "You're my friend."

We heard the bell ring, we jumped over the fence, and dashed down the stairs.

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