Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed: comesinwaves, lovelylauren10, uniquegrl7, and independantHSMFAN23! You guys are great, hugs to all of you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you liked the last. :)
Time starts to pass, before you know it, you're frozen
-Leona Lewis
Another basketball hit the gym floor. The sound the ball made pulled Troy out of his fantasy land, where he had been dreaming for the past few minutes.
He couldn't help it. Even though Troy knew that he was exactly where he was supposed to be, he still couldn't get one subject off his mind.
Gabriella.
Though it had been years since he had last seen her, everywhere Troy went he felt reminded of her presence. It was almost if she was there next to him, whispering him those thoughts that were left unsaid so many times before.
He missed her, plain and simple. And though he tried not to make it obvious, his teammates could tell.
They could tell when he hummed showtunes under his breath with a wistful look in his eye. They could tell when he drove past a house with a balcony, because Troy would smile at nothing in particular.
But most of all they could tell because of her.
Shannon.
Some would say she was perfect, if you considered being perfect as having all the traits of a Barbie doll. Shannon was platinum blonde, naturally. Almost all of the clothes she owned were pink, and if shopping was a sport, she'd be in the Olympics.
Some considered Troy lucky for landing a girl like Shannon. Others considered her to be too slutty, and annoying with her constant whining. But only a few could see past her perfect interior, into Troy's point of view.
"Hey Bolton!"
Troy turned to see Mike, one of his closest friends and teammates.
"Wassup?"
Turning toward Mike, Troy held out his fist and Mike bumped his against it. It was their thing, just as the Wildcat cheer had been him and Chad's.
As the two reached the locker room, Mike grabbed a towel and buried his sweaty face in it, panting heavily.
"Hard practice today," Cory, another team member called, chugging down a bottle of vitamin water.
"I'll say. I can't believe the coach made us do all those sprints."
"I can remember in high school, I bet none of us thought pro basketball would be this hard."
"I know!" Troy called back to them, smiling as he remembered the days when Gabriella would stop by after practice at East High, and the two would spend time together.
To be honest, even though Troy loved the hardworking days as a LA Laker, he wanted nothing more then to go back and relive the days of high school. He longed for the sweet smells of New Mexico, for the days of sitting next to Gabriella up on the rooftop.
For Gabriella.
Everything he did, everything he thought revolved around her. If only he could see her again...
In a vast attempt to keep his mind off her, Troy grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.
As he had hoped, once Troy stepped under the hot, steaming water, everything flew out of his head.
"Yo Bolton, your girlfriend is here again!"
Underneath the shower nozzle, Troy grimaced. Here it came.
"Why do you date her? She's such a slut."
"Cory, you're one to talk! Who did I see in the newspapers with not one, but two girls on their arm?"
"Bolton, do you think you could set me up with her sister?"
The chattering continued.
Troy did his best to get it out of his head, but one question remained locked into place, no matter how hard he tried to push it out.
Why?
One thousand miles away in Alberqurque New Mexico, a lonesome Gabriella Montez sat, pondering her boyfriend's recent actions.
David, once considered to be the sweetest boyfriend, now had begun working late shifts; shifts that took up most of his time. In the beginning, Gabriella had been understanding, but now that it was happening almost every night...Gabriella had begun to miss Troy.
It was crazy; she knew, to miss someone you hadn't seen or let alone spoke to in five years. But recently, thoughts of her old boyfriend filled up her mind, clouding it with memories.
At times she wondered what her old lover was up to. Was he dating another woman? If so, was it as serious as their relationship had been?
She knew bits and pieces of things, but not enough to piece together the missing places of the puzzle.
Did he ever think of her? If so, in what way? As a friend, more than a friend....what?
With a sigh, Gabriella turned to the apartment her and David shared. They had been living together for almost a year, yet he still showed absolutely no signs of a proposal.
The many times she had spoken to Taylor about this, her old friend had just shaken her head, and told Gabriella that maybe it was good that he was waiting. Maybe it meant that she should take things slow as well.
Relaxing back into her old, worn sofa, Gabriella closed her eyes and felt all the stress of that day leave her. She raised her cup of coffee to her lips, and paused to take a small sip. Ahh...
Gabriella reached out for her remote control, and with a click of a button, she turned on the local news.
A segment about school children was on, talking about ways that you could help raise money for their school. Gabriella tried to watch, but quickly lost interest.
She headed into the small kitchen for a small bite to eat. Gabriella opened up the fridge, and couldn't help but savor the cool breeze that blew back into her face. Ever since she'd moved back to Alberqurque, she loved the warmth of the city, but every once in awhile, she couldn't help but miss the cold.
After grabbing a mini bagel, Gabriella buttered it, humming softly to herself.
....And as for sports news, the Los Angeles Lakers will be flying into Alberqurque this June to play against the New Mexico Lobos. Team captain, twenty 24 year old Troy Bolton plans on leading the team to victory.
For a moment, Gabriella froze. Was she hearing things? No. She was positive she wasn't. The knife she was using slowly slipped out of her hands, landing with a bang on the floor.
Gabriella didn't move a muscle to pick it up.
She was in Alberqurque. And Troy was coming.
I know, it's really not the longest or the most interesting chapter. There was supposed to be more, but it would work so much more better in a separate chapter.
Review please? Especially today, I really need it.
