"So you know of any place I can get a good cup of coffee?" Troy said as he shot his ball into the basket.
"It's New York man, just pick a place." Chad said looking up as Troy made the basket, "you know if you get this job I'll be happy and all but honestly I think you're better than this."
Troy looked over at Chad. "Look man I appreciate you and Tay helping me out while I hammer out a few things but I really want to coach."
"It's the least we can do man, I'm sorry about you and Rebecca" Chad said giving his friend a smile of encouragement.
"Yeah some nightmare she turned out to be." Troy said bouncing the ball "women like Rebecca make me want to be celibate and live in a studio, a studio with just me and my dog."
Chad let out a chuckle and stood up from the bleachers. "Yeah women are just impossible. They think marriage solves everything. Like a fairy tale is the answer."
"Every woman has a fairy tale their out to write." Troy said as he tossed him the ball. Chad caught it and dribbled past Troy.
"Go figure mean while we get yelled at if we don't live by the same script their writing." Chad said making a basket. "Yet we aren't allowed to read the damn thing."
"Not all women." Troy sighed as he reached down for the ball. "Some try to adapt and in the end it just doesn't work." Coming back up he looked at the ball with a grim smile on his lips.
Chad looked at Troy and then at the hoop. "Bet I can take you one on one." He said avoiding his eye.
Troy was silent for moment and then looked up at Chad. "she doesn't know I'm here, does she?" Troy looked at Chad as he leaned from one foot to the other and shook his head.
"Taylor thinks it's for the best and part of me feels the same." He said placing his hands on his hips.
"Part of you?" Troy looked at Chad who was staring at the hoop like it suddenly had all the answers.
"The other part of me tells me to bud out and let things be." He said looking back at Troy.
Troy let out a breath he'd been holding and he didn't even know why he was holding it. It's not like she would be thrilled to see him, let alone happy. In fact the last time he seen her she was engaged to a guy named William. For a moment Troy let memories swarm through his mind. Gabriella Montez was the one that got away. The one woman he wanted and could never have. "I guess you right it's a big city, once I get settled in I can fade into it."
"dude" Chad said as he reached for the ball in troy's hands. "your going to run into her sometime, her and Taylor are tight man." Chad dribbled the ball. "I don't want to lose my best friend because of some chick."
"she isn't just some chick Chad, this is Gabriella." Troy hit the ball out of Chad's hands and ran around him to make the basket.
"all the more reason we should all just let it be." Chad said running after Troy.
Troy made the basket and turned around to face Chad who was going for the ball.
"did she ever marry that William guy I seen her with at your wedding."
"nope, in fact she cut him loose a bit after me a Tay got back from Jamaica." Chad dribbled the ball and looked at Troy. "you know if you get the job here it going to be tough, the kids here aren't like the ones back at home man."
"Is she seeing anyone?" Troy asked not ready to let the topic go.
"I don't know but then again she might be engaged to someone" Chad rolled his eyes and shot the ball. "William was number three I believe."
"Might be engaged to someone" Troy smirk "how do you not know I though Tay and her were tight.?"
Chad watched the ball bounce off the rim of the basket and then looked back at Troy "a lot has happened while you were out there playing the basket ball star."
Troy tilted his head and looked at Chad with a angered expression. "You got a problem with me?"
It was silent for a while and then Chad sighed as he threw his head back and closed his eyes. "no I don't, I'm thrilled for you."
"Then?"
Chad looked back at Troy. "Look man we picked two very different paths I got married settled down and got a job. I have a kid on the way and I'm happy. I would never change a thing about my life. So trust me when I say I'm happy that you got that spot light and not me."
"Then what is with the attitude."
Chad bit his lip and looked down the court and back. "she loved you, you loved her. You both had every shot at making it and you blew it all away. You may be my boy Troy and I consider you my best friend I really do but Gabriella, that's like a sister to me and when you shut her out like that and broke her heart you lost a bit of my respect. Because the Troy Bolton I knew was a never a womanizer."
"I know"
"now you want me to watch as you break her again." Chad paused and walked up closer to Troy. "when that spot light called you changed. You may not have meant it but you pretty much told us all to fuck off while you go live your dream of Troy the basketball boy. And fine you might be done with it but what if you're not what it calls again are you just gonna up and leave us all. You're just leave her, again because you found something you want to do."
Troy was silent as he looked at the space behind Chad. For a moment the gym was quiet neither of them knew what to say.
"I'm sorry."
Troy broke the silence and looked into Chad's eyes. "I know what I did was wrong I regret it every day I get up and I'm unhappy. But I learned something when I was out there in that nightmare of Troy the basketball boy. Living a dream isn't worth a cent if you don't have anyone to live it with, or if you don't stay true to yourself and your own dreams." He paused "I want to make it right. And I think I deserve that chance"
Chad slowly worked his grim expression into a warming small smile. "Your right and I'm sorry for not taking you seriously."
They were quite as Chad looked at the court "well I'll put in the good word for you I'm sure you'll be staring on Monday. We need another coach."
"Thanks." Troy said as he patted Chad on the shoulder "for everything."
"what are friends for."
