AN: So I think I referred to a new story, way back after Never Torn Apart. Well, this is it. I had planned on finishing this story before I began posting, but I feel like I need to post now so I actually have motivation to write. I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places created by HSM and Disney.
"And that concludes today's lecture. Remember, your papers are due the week you get back. Have a great Thanksgiving break everyone. "
The moment the words were out of his professor's mouth, Troy Bolton sprung up out of his seat, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder, before darting out of the classroom along with the other eager students. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and seeing he had a missed call from his mom, he dialed her number.
"Hello."
"Hey mom, it's me."
"Hi Troy. I was just calling to see when you'd be on your way," Lucille said in a cheery voice.
Troy rolled his eyes at his mother's cheerfulness. This had been the third time he'd talked to her that day, and he knew she'd been so excited that he would be coming home for a few days.
"I just got out of class mom; I'm headed for my room, and once I grab my stuff, I'll be on my way."
"Sounds good, sweetie. I'm just out picking up some groceries, and then I'm going to stop by the store. By the way, your dad says you need to pick up the morning shift tomorrow."
Troy sighed. Why almost every other student got to enjoy a few days off of school while he had to get up before the sun rose and work at his family's sports store, he'd never know. He knew his dad depended on his extra help though, especially during the holidays.
"Okay mom. I'll see you in a few. Bye."
With that, Troy hung up his phone as he pushed open the door to his room to see his roommate, standing in front of their TV with a guitar strapped around his neck and his afro covered head nodding to the beat coming from the TV.
Troy tossed his backpack on his bed just as he heard a yell of frustration.
"Ah, come on! I totally whammied that guy. What the heck?"
Troy laughed seeing Chad chuck the guitar in frustration onto their small couch before collapsing on his bed.
"Hey Chad. You lose again?"
"Yeah. This freakin' guy—Slash. I'll tell you what, I'd like to slash him…chop up his little guitar…then…"
"Chad," Troy interrupted.
"Yeah?"
"You're an idiot." Troy finished with a straight face, before grinning.
Chad rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well I'd like to see you beat this game. I've been at it for hours, and I keep getting so close. I promised myself I'd finish the game before going home."
"At this rate, you may not get to go home for break." Troy smirked, ducking his head when a pillow came flying at him.
"Shut up. Anyways, when are you heading back home?"
"In a few minutes. I just have to grab my stuff." Troy walked over to his desk and grabbed a few textbooks, stuffing them into his backpack, before grabbing his small duffel bag that was already packed and placing his pillow on top.
"You guys playing in the family basketball tournament this year?" Chad asked referring to the annual Holiday 3-on-3 basketball tournament that began the week after Thanksgiving in Albuquerque, and lasted until early January.
"Yeah, we're definitely playing. In fact, I probably should expect the hardcore practices to begin tomorrow. Wonderful," Troy added sarcastically, thinking of the long day he would be facing. "Alright man, I gotta go. I'll see you sometime this weekend."
Troy exchanged a high five with Chad before slinging his bags over his shoulder and heading out of the residence hall to his car. Tossing the bags in the front seat, Troy climbed in before putting the key in the ignition. Sounds of his favorite band filled his ears. Troy grinned, rolling down the windows and driving off towards home, excited for the few moments of peace he'd have.
---
Gabriella Montez walked through her front door on a sunny Friday afternoon.
"Hey guys, I'm home," she yelled taking the steps by two as she went upstairs to throw her bags down.
"Hey Gabi," Anna Montez greeted her once she was back downstairs. "How was school this week?"
"Good," she answered, smiling at her mom. "I'm excited for the break though," she sighed, referring to the one week break from the University of Albuquerque.
"Hey Gabs!" Gabriella looked over her shoulder and smiled at her older brother Matt who walked in from the backyard, sweat on his forehead and a basketball under one arm. "Home again? We just saw you last weekend. Seriously, you come home too often."
"Well at least I'm not a twenty-one year old single college graduate still living at home," Gabriella responded with a smirk on her face.
"Haha. Nice one, lil' sis. Come here," Matt said dryly before pulling her into a big hug, wrapping his arms tighter when she tried to push him away, cringing at his sweat. "Good to see you. I'm serious," he added quickly, seeing the skeptical look on Gabriella's features. "I missed having you around."
"Wish I could say the same," Gabriella taunted, walking towards the kitchen. Suddenly she felt something tugging on her leg, a grin forming as she looked down.
"Hi Ethan!" Gabriella greeted, placing two hands on her three year old brother's waist and tossing him up into her arms.
"Gabi! I miss you," Ethan said before he kissed her cheek.
"Aww, I missed you too sweetie," she responded before dropping a kiss his head. "You want some ice cream?"
"Yay!" Ethan cried out, clapping his hands happily while Gabriella carried him towards the freezer. She went to grab the ice cream scoop just when her mom entered the kitchen.
"Hey you two. Don't spoil your dinner. We're eating with the Martinez family tonight."
"Alright mom, just a little though, okay?" Gabriella said whispering something to Ethan. Anna rolled her eyes and shook her head amusedly seeing them both put on their best pouting faces.
"You two are too cute. Okay, fine…I cave. But, just a little bit."
"Thanks mommy!" They chorused, scooping large spoonfuls of cookies and cream into their mouths.
"Hey kids!" Gabriella and Ethan glanced up simultaneously and waved at their dad, before scooping more ice cream into their mouths. "Gabi, you remember you have the first shift tomorrow, right?" Carlos asked.
"Yes Dad. I'll be there," Gabriella mumbled the best she could with her mouth full of ice cream.
"Good. Okay, I'm going to go get ready for dinner. We'll leave around 5:30. Gabi, I think Michael is going to be there tonight." Carlos added with a knowing smile causing Gabriella to subtly roll her eyes.
"Awesome," Gabriella forced out, uncertain if her sarcasm was well hidden.
"Carlos, leave her alone. Michael is a nice boy, but she doesn't want to date him," Anna chimed in, trying to help out her daughter.
"Well, he is a nice young man. She really needs to start thinking about dating," Carlos added, before walking out of the kitchen causing Gabriella and Anna both to shake their heads.
"Ethan, one day when you are a dad…let your daughter choose her own guy, okay?" Gabriella asked ruffling his hair.
"Okay Gabi," Ethan replied smiling and peering at the ice cream bowl the two were sharing before looking up at Gabriella innocently.
Gabriella laughed and put some on a spoon before holding it out in front of his mouth. Ethan clapped his hands together before taking the bite. Gabriella smiled once again and kissed the top of his head before taking her own bite of ice cream. No matter how much her father and his insistent need to butt into her life, coming home was always worth it if she could be around her little brother who never failed to put a smile on her face.
---
"Hey everyone, I'm home," Troy yelled, tossing his bags on the ground.
"Troy!"
Troy smiled seeing his mom rush towards him before wrapping him in a hug. She lightly ruffled his hair, as Troy groaned in protest before smoothing it out.
"Where is everyone?"
"Nathan and your dad are in the living room. Amy's in her room. She is taking a na-," Lucille stopped, letting out a sigh, hearing cries coming from the room at the end of the hall.
Lucille began to walk towards the room before she felt someone lightly tug on her arm.
"Don't worry mom…I got it. You relax," Troy assured her before walking towards his crying sister.
"Hey princess," Troy's soft voice filled the room. He gathered his sister in his arms and dried her tears with his hands before kissing her on the cheek. "I missed you. You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you."
Troy smiled as Amy reached up to touch his face.
"Let's go watch some TV, huh?" Troy asked, tickling her stomach while they walked towards the living room.
"Hey guys! What are we watching?" Troy took a seat on the couch, Amy in his lap.
"Lakers vs. Heat pre-game," Nathan responded, grabbing some chips from the bowl on the coffee table.
"So Troy? How's U of A?" Jack lowered the volume on the TV while turning towards his son.
"Awesome. The guys have been scrimmaging since the semester started, and we just had practice start last week. Classes are good; not as difficult as I thought." Troy kissed Amy's head when she wrapped her hand around his finger.
"You didn't mention any girls there, little bro," Nathan piped up with a smirk.
"Nope." Troy responded nonchalantly, his attention on his baby sister.
"Nathan, Troy doesn't need to worry about girls. Right now he needs to focus on basketball and his grades. I'd be happy in fact if he doesn't date for awhile," Jack said.
"Thanks Dad; glad I have your support on that one," Troy said sarcastically causing Nathan to laugh.
Troy just shook his head. In his eighteen years, he'd dated a few girls here and there, but having an over-zealous dad as a basketball coach left little room for a life outside of basketball. Even though he'd never had times for girls or been in a serious relationship, that didn't mean he didn't want to date or have a girlfriend.
"So," Nathan began, "what time are we practicing tomorrow?"
Troy groaned at the mention of the upcoming annual 3-on-3 Holiday basketball tournament. As much as Troy loved basketball, he was dreading this knowing how competitive his family got.
"Well, you two are working the morning shift tomorrow at the store. I'll be in around noon. How 'bout we practice after I get done around 5:00?"
Nathan and Troy simultaneously groaned. "The early shift?!" Nathan whined. "Dad, I had the early shift today."
"Do we have to start practicing this early? I just got on vacation. Can't I have a day to relax before we get into the hardcore practices?"
"No days off Troy," his dad answered sternly. "We need to practice hard this year so we can beat the Montez family."
"Fine," both of the boys muttered before turning their attention to the TV watching the opening tip-off of the game.
Troy shook his head once again, thinking about the upcoming weeks. The rivalry between the Montez family and the Bolton family went as far back as he could remember.
From what his dad had told him, Carlos Montez had attended West High and was the basketball captain there, while Jack went to East High where he was basketball captain. A few years later, the cross-town high school rivals had become cross-street business rivals, both of them owning sporting goods stores on opposite sides of the street.
Troy couldn't remember a time when the families weren't at each others' throats. Well, he and his mom didn't get too involved, and he knew it was the same for Mrs. Montez and Gabriella. But that didn't stop the men, and their firstborn sons, from pushing each others' buttons. To make matters worse, the two families also lived right by each other, with their backyards back to back, but both Jack and Carlos were too stubborn to move, each claiming they would outlast the other.
A wiggling Amy brought Troy out of his thoughts. Seeing she was getting a little restless, Troy decided to get up.
"Hey guys, I think I'm gonna go outside and shoot some hoops. I'll take Amy out there with me."
Grabbing her seat by the front door, Troy placed her in it and grabbed a basketball before heading outside, glad for the momentary freedom from his dad's pestering.
--
Gabriella felt a smile form on her face as she opened the sliding door and walked into her backyard. She had just changed into a light blue sundress for dinner that night. She was dreading the dinner with the Martinez family, but looking forward to having a few moments of peace on her own. Grabbing the latest issue of ESPN magazine, she situated herself on the lounge chair in the backyard.
As she turned the page reading an article on the NBA season, she heard a basketball bouncing in the neighbor's yard.
'So the Boltons are already practicing. Ugh…I hope I don't have to practice before my shift tomorrow,' Gabriella thought before she focused her attention on the Lakers' section of the article.
Suddenly she heard something land on the grass in her backyard, and looked up to see a basketball lying there. She just shrugged and kept reading, not wanting to throw the ball back in case Matt or her dad saw and an unnecessary feud began. Hearing the sliding door shut next door, she figured whoever was shooting went inside to get another ball like always.
Just as she was getting back into the article, Gabriella heard something else land on the grass and looked up, shocked to see Troy Bolton standing in her backyard.
"Um, hey." Troy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, straightening up from his previous crouched position.
"Hi." Gabriella replied, slightly confused as to why he'd be in her back yard, her look causing a sheepish grin to make its way onto Troy's face.
She grinned at her blue-eyed neighbor, the guy she was supposed to hate, but never really could. Standing up, she walked closer, checking over her shoulder to make sure her family wasn't watching. Despite their families being enemies, Troy and Gabriella both had never had any problems with each other, but out of respect for their families they rarely interacted.
"I thought you'd be gone to Harvard," Troy commented, making small talk.
"Harvard? Where'd you hear that?" Gabriella replied laughing softly. "I didn't even apply there. I wanted to stay close to home. I go to U of A."
"No way!? Same here! That's weird we haven't seen each other."
"Well it's a big school."
"Yeah, I guess. You playing ball there this year?" Troy asked curiously.
"Yeah. Practices just started last week. You?"
"Yep. Man, that's strange we haven't seen each other yet. I guess our practice schedules haven't overlapped yet. You live at home?"
"No, I live on campus. In Warren Hall."
"Crazy! I live in Weston," Troy replied referring to the other freshman dorm right next to Warren Hall.
Gabriella smiled, not sure of what else to say.
"Catchin' up on the upcoming season?" Troy broke the awkward silence, pointing at her magazine.
"Yeah, the Lakers look good this year. They might just win it all," Gabriella replied smiling.
"I hope so," Troy said excitedly, shocked because most of the girls he talked to knew nothing about sports. Gabriella actually knew what she was talking about and she was holding her own in the conversation. A silence fell over them while they looked at each other, smiles on both of their faces.
"Gabriella!?" Carlos yelled from inside the house, the two glancing at the house in fear.
"Hide!" Gabriella whispered at Troy.
"Where?" Troy asked, both of them nervously looking around the yard.
Panicking, Gabriella hurried closer and grabbed Troy's wrist dragging him around the side of the house. She opened a door and pushed him gently into a closet before shutting it and spinning around.
"Coming daddy!" Gabriella yelled, walking back around the house just in time to see Carlos stepping into the backyard.
"Sweetheart, we're going to leave for dinner in about five minutes. I just wanted to make sure you're ready."
"Yeah I am," she replied distractedly, glancing back at the outside closet where Troy was.
"Any Bolton practices going on?" Carlos nodded his head towards the Bolton's house.
"Um, I heard someone shooting hoops a few minutes ago. But they went inside." Gabriella lied, glancing again towards the closet, hoping Troy was okay.
"Ah, well we are going to practice even harder than them, and we are definitely winning this year. Last year they got lucky, and there is no way we are letting them win back-to-back. Matt and I were thinking we'd practice tomorrow around 4:30. Does that work for you?"
"Sure daddy." Gabriella lightly kissed his cheek, hoping he would go inside so she could get Troy out of her backyard before someone noticed.
Carlos smiled at her before going back inside. Once the door shut, Gabriella ran towards the side of the house again and swung open the closet door. She smirked and laughed slightly at Troy, who was oblivious to her standing there, his attention on a squirt gun he'd discovered in the closet full of pool toys.
"What?" Troy looked up grinning at her, shooting a stream of water over her shoulder.
"Nothing. But you better get back over to your house before my parents come back out. I have to leave in a few minutes and they are bound to come back out and get me." Gabriella lightly grabbed his wrist trying to tug him outside.
Troy stepped out, but tripped when his foot got caught in a volleyball net, propelling him forward. His body crashed into Gabriella's, his hands on her shoulders while hers landed on his waist, both managing to stay upright.
"Clumsy much?" Gabriella smirked raising an eyebrow, her hands returning to her sides.
"Haha," Troy deadpanned with an amused smile, rolling his eyes playfully at her before walking over and picking up his basketball that was still on the lawn.
"Thanks for the talk, Gabi," Troy told her as he turned back before climbing the fence. "Hopefully we will see each other again this break."
And with that, Troy hopped over the fence, disappearing from her view. Unable to help herself, Gabriella felt a grin tug at her lips, going into a slight daze as she realized he had called her 'Gabi'. She snapped out of it when she heard a basketball swish through a net and hit the cement next door.
"Better get this over with," Gabriella said quietly to herself making her way towards the house, suddenly realizing that there now was more than one reason she wasn't looking forward to the dinner with the Martinez family.