Hiii! It's been FOREVER, but I'm here now with an Andi Mack story! I've fallen in love with this show in the past year (and may have become a bit obsessed with it over the summer, lol!). It's been amazing to see these characters grow and develop over the past two seasons, and I am beyond excited by the prospect of what could happen next! I was thinking about potential storylines and how they could be portrayed, and this idea popped into my head. Honestly, I would absolutely LOVE if the show actually had a scene like this, even if it was near the end of Season 3, even if it was the only scene of its kind! I just want one of these kids to have the "movie moment" they so much deserve :).
And yes, the title was inspired by the High School Musical song; literally I had listened to it while writing this, and I suddenly realized it was the PERFECT title. I mean, it's set during a basketball game; what else could it possibly be :D? Also, there is a slight Hamilton reference if you can pick it out ;).
Anyway, hope you enjoy! Reviews and comments, as always, are welcome; I love hearing all the feedback and ideas from you guys!
Disclaimer: I do not own Andi Mack, nor any of its characters or story arcs (nor High School Musical or Hamilton). Michael the sweet precious cinnamon roll is the one thing that's mine :P.
Now or Never
This was it: the last thirty seconds of the game, the last thirty seconds of the season. And Jefferson Middle School needed only one more shot to win. T.J. Kippen had the ball, and he was racing across the court, dribbling the ball enthusiastically. The basket was directly in his line of sight, with no other person in the way.
This was it. This was the shot to win the game. No one would be able to stop him now. T.J. was in the clear.
Then suddenly he wasn't.
He had no earthly idea how the other team caught up so quickly. But in an instant, he looked up to find multiple red jerseys surrounding him, barricading him. And with a pang of disappointment he realized he could not see the basket anymore.
The ball had frozen in his hand, and it felt like time itself was frozen for only a moment. T.J.'s eyes quickly peered through the gaps of his enclosure in the hopes of finding some semblance of a solution. His stomach began to turn and his heart began to burn, and suddenly he began to worry that he was about to have one of those panic attacks that Cyrus and Jonah talked about.
That's when, in a final state of desperation, T.J. turned towards the crowd and locked eyes onto Cyrus himself. The two made eye contact, and T.J. knew the other boy was trying so hard to express the most soothing encouragement through his eyes alone. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of his teammates, and his eyes traveled towards him.
Michael was a newbie; he had recently transferred to Jefferson Middle and only recently was able to try out and join the basketball team. He was fairly young but wicked on the court. And right now, he was in the clear.
T.J. briefly looked back at Cyrus and saw Buffy Driscoll standing beside him, cheering T.J. on. T.J. was reminded of all the balls he never passed to her…and the missed opportunity that he could now resurrect with Michael. Now filled with new resolve, he flashed a subtle smirk at his two most important people and returned his gaze to Michael. He gave a covert yet direct wink at the younger player and started dribbling again, seemingly moving away from him. But in the last moment, he gracefully flanked back, propelling the ball over the heads and hands of the other team and smoothly into the expectant hands of Michael, who promptly sprung it across the court. Everyone watched anxiously as the ball soared and soared…until finally it touched the edge of the ring and casually rolled into the net.
Three points for Jefferson Middle School.
And the crowd exploded. Hundreds of people jumped up and down in the stands, screaming at the top of their lungs, and many of them even pooled onto the court itself. Immediately, the winning team ran towards both Michael and T.J., tackling them in the grandest of back slaps and bro hugs. They lifted the two boys in the air, prompting the crowd to begin cheering both of their names. T.J. and Michael took a brief moment to look at each other and exchange the brightest of grins, both immensely proud of their triumphant teamwork. Their teammates soon let the boys back down and broke off to find their respective friends and loved ones, and T.J. was left taking in the crowd and the overwhelmingly positive energy. He looked around and saw his teammates hugging friends and families, and he saw a few running over to embrace and kiss their girlfriends.
And T.J.'s euphoria started to fade.
He was suddenly overcome by a sense of loneliness, watching his teammates freely affectionate with their significant others while he settled for high fives and platonic hugs. He recalled all the locker room conversations he never felt he could join, the experiences he never thought he could share. And even now, when his life could not be better and happier, he stood in sadness with the thought that he was not free to express it.
And then, just as instantly, he snapped out of it. Why the heck SHOULDN'T he be allowed to express it? Everything he was feeling right now was EXACTLY like what his teammates were feeling, even if the details might be different. And you know what? He's the frickin TEAM CAPTAIN! He has just as much of a right as the rest of his team to have his moment.
Because he, T.J. Kippen, was no different.
He turned back towards the stands and found the Good Hair Crew beaming at him with pride. And that filled him with his own sense of pride. He didn't bother to smile back but instead began to move forward with fierce determination in his eyes. He squeezed past embraces and ducked under high fives, but he never lost sight of his destination.
This was it. It was now or never.
As T.J. approached the stands, Cyrus quickly put down his megaphone and hopped down from his seat to give him a congratulatory hug, with the rest of the crew about to follow suit. But T.J. was having none of that. Immediately he reached out with his hands and clasped the sides of Cyrus's neck in a strong but gentle grip. And without any more second thoughts, he pulled the other boy towards him until their lips finally met.
And finally, finally, he could feel again. He could feel his euphoria resurface, feel the tearful excitement and pride for winning, feel the overwhelming gratitude for his team and his friends and his Cyrus, feel Cyrus gradually holding onto T.J.'s arms as he realized what was happening, feel the other boy's lips respond just as lovingly and passionately as his. And for a brief moment, he felt every nerve in his body light up like the aurora borealis.
Soon they broke apart, gazing intently into each other's eyes. Cyrus was quite in shock at this bold move, but he saw T.J.'s face and saw the purest, most unadulterated look of happiness and relief, and he understood. He smiled warmly, and T.J. smiled back with tears glistening in his eyes.
As his smile grew even wider, T.J. threw his arms across the back of Cyrus's shoulders, hugging him like there was no tomorrow. Cyrus couldn't help but let out a joyful laugh as he returned the warm embrace. With a surprising boost of strength, Cyrus then lifted T.J. up and spun him around, both boys now laughing joyfully and freely in celebration. Neither boy noticed the rest of the team staring at them, eyes widened; neither noticed Buffy frozen in her spot, overwhelmed with happiness for Cyrus and pride for T.J.; neither noticed Andi and Jonah forming tears of their own, gazing sweetly at the couple before looking at each other to exchange an emotional smile. But for once that didn't matter to the boys; it didn't matter what anyone else was thinking or how they were responding or what could possibly happen afterwards. In that moment, the only thing that mattered was that they were both there to celebrate everything they were grateful for…together.
Finally, Cyrus set his boyfriend down, but they maintained hold of each other's arms. And as they gazed at each other lovingly, wearing the brightest of smiles, they came to a profound understanding that T.J.'s action was much more than a moment.
It was a movement.