Disclaimer – I only original characters.


Chapter 2 – Meet the Parents

'Troy, will you calm down, please?' Gabriella ordered as they turned onto her street.

'But the houses and just so…big' Troy said in amazement. Gabi realized his uneasiness and took hold of his hand. Troy stared down at their hands and interlaced their fingers, which made Gabi smile.

She walked up to her door and opened it. 'Mom? Dad?' she called and she heard her mother's voice in the kitchen. Gabi dumped her bag next to the door and Troy placed his next to hers.

'Follow me,' Gabi said softly and lead Troy into the kitchen to meet her mom. 'Hey mom,' she greeted.

A woman with long surly hair like Gabriella's turned around and smiled at Troy. 'Hello, mija. Who is this?'

'This is-' Gabriella started to be interrupted by Troy.

'Troy Bolton, pleased to meet you Mrs. Montez' Troy held out a hand and Mrs. Montez shook his hand.

'Hello Troy, and call me Marie.' Marie smiled.

'Okay, but I have known you for a matter of seconds…' Troy stated.

'Maybe, but you were formal enough to shake my hand…you seem nice enough, so I don't want us to be too formal.' Marie replied. She turned to Gabi. 'So how was your first day?'

'It was great! The school is really nice.' Gabi grinned.

'Fantastic. Your father is outside if you want to see him,' Marie said and Gabi dragged Troy out of the door and out to the garden.

Troy stared in disbelief at the beauty of her garden. The downstairs was amazing, but the garden was breath-taking. The lawn was huge with beds bursting with colorful flowers. There was a pool and a basketball court. A man was sitting on the decking reading newspapers. Troy gulped as he followed Gabi to meet the father. He turned around and saw his daughter and smiled and stood up to give her a hug. 'Hey Princess, how was everything?'

'It was amazing. I'm already on the girls' varsity!' Gabi laughed when Carlos hugged her again out of pride. Troy smiled at the closeness between the father and daughter. 'Dad, this is Troy Bolton.' Carlos smiled at him and shook his hand.

'Pleased to meet you Troy, my name's Carlos. Don't call me Mr. Montez or I may have to kill you!' Carlos laughed when Troy gave a shocked face.

'Will do! Your garden is amazing…especially your court…' Troy looked at the basketball hoop longingly.

'Ah, you're a hoops boy,' Carlos said, realizing why Gabi brought him home.

'He's captain of the team, Dad,' Gabi said and Troy blushed. Gabi walked over to the court and grabbed the ball near the post. She passed the ball to Troy and he looked at Carlos silently asking him if he could go and play.

'Go ahead. Actually, let's play 2 v 1. You and Gabs play together, and if you are too good, then we will switch!' Troy laughed and he ran onto the court with Carlos and they played hoops with Gabi. Troy and Gabi played well together having already played in gym class already in the same team. Soon Carlos switched with Troy and Troy played against the Montez team. Carlos was a good player, but he couldn't sprint or play too roughly, as if he was scared of hurting himself.


After about 15 minutes the three of them packed it in and walked into the house to get some water. 'You're a great player Troy,' Carlos said as Troy downed a glass of water.

'Thanks, you're seriously good too!' Troy smiled.

Carlos smiled back. 'Where do you live?'

Troy answered the question, embarrassed. Carlos noticed this and said, 'There is a fantastic view of the town from there.'

Troy laughed, 'Well I would prefer a rubbish view and an amazing house to a great view and a joke of a back yard.'

Carlos nodded and asked the million dollar question, 'Are you interested in a career in basketball?' Gabi looked at her father in disbelief.

Troy's eyes widened at the blunt question. 'Yeah…I guess it is my dream, but I think it will be a massive challenge for it to come true. The first step is to get a scholarship to college. I can't afford it otherwise.'

'Ah. What do you want to study?' Carlos asked.

'Probably Law, but that is the option if I can't play.'

'You're really serious about the game?'

'Yeah, I guess so. But…I don't think I can achieve that dream…how could a guy like me make it into a NBL team?' Troy looked down, just like he did with Gabi earlier that day.

Carlos took hold of Troy's shoulder to make him look at him. 'Troy, I came from the same background as you…I never left California, I lived in the low end of the town…I was a basketball player; as serious as you are. I was discovered by the Lakers and they signed me. Unfortunately I got a bad injury that meant I was out of the game. Torn ligaments all the way up my left leg. But I still got found before then by a scout looking around the high schools. I never went to college. Now I have a fantastic job which has rewarded me immensely.'

'Without going to college? What do you do?' Troy asked, amazed.

Both Gabi and Carlos faltered. 'Err, I am a consultant. I give people advice on some things. Somehow I managed this without college education, don't ask how. But what I am trying to say is that you can achieve your dream, you just have to keep trying and fighting.'

'So I don't have to necessarily go to college to get signed by a team?' Troy asked.

'No. Moving on…are you a Lakers fan?' Carlos smiled. Gabi secretly kicked his shoe.

'Are you kidding? They are amazing. I love the new guy!'

Carlos laughed, pleased with himself. 'He didn't go to college.'

'Seriously?' Troy said.

Gabi decided to cut in before Carlos said way too much. She grabbed Troy's hand, 'We are going to go upstairs for a bit…' Gabi started to tow Troy away.

'Okay, sweetie. Hopefully I will come watch you play with your team some time, Troy.'

'Definitely.' Troy smiled and followed Gabi up to her room.

They reached the room and Troy's jaw dropped. The room was painted in a dusty pink and it was huge. There was a joining bathroom and a huge walk in closet. Troy also noticed a big balcony through some French doors. Troy walked outside onto the balcony and looked at the view. He noticed the tree next to the balcony and he felt someone beside him. He turned and saw Gabi watching him. 'Maybe you can sneak here sometimes…' she murmured and leaned in towards him.

'Good, because I was gonna do that anyway.' Troy replied and he brushed his lips against hers.

Gabi pulled back and looked into Troy's eyes. 'Mom and Dad really like you…'

'They are really kind, your dad treats me like a son already.' Troy said.

'And they think that we are just friends,' Gabi whispered.

'How wrong they are,' Troy whispered back and they kissed again and Gabi deepened it. A few minutes later they resurfaced and Gabi walked back into the room and into the closet. Troy walked around the room, examining it when Gabi walked out again wearing some sweats from a British school and a T-shirt. 'You have been to England?' Troy asked.

'Yeah, I lived there for a few months. Dad's job again. It was so different to America, but still amazing. London is gorgeous.' Gabi smiled at the memories, 'But basketball isn't big there…but the women have a substitute called Netball, but it isn't as good.'

'Wow, you've traveled around,' Troy laughed.

'I think I should take you home…' Gabi sighed, 'your parents will be getting worried…come.' Troy and Gabi walked out of the room and down the stairs. Troy said goodbye to Carlos and Marie and followed Gabi down to the garage. The cars were amazing. There was a convertible which was Gabi's, an SUV and an Aston Martin.

'Dad loves British Sports Cars. That's why we have an Aston and not a Ferrari or something.' Gabi said as she got into the convertible. Troy got into the passenger's seat and Gabi opened the garage door pressing a button in her car. 'Can you give me the directions to your house from here?' She asked while driving out of the front drive.

'Sure,' Troy said and he directed her to the left and within a couple of minutes they were at his house.

'Wow, I had no idea we lived so close! We could have walked!' Gabi said.

'Yeah but I wanted to experience a drive in this car. It's really cool,' he said as he got out. Gabi followed and he stopped her. 'You don't need to come with me…I'll see you at school tomorrow.' He kissed her cheek and began to walk away.

Gabi ran up to catch up with him. 'Hey! I want to meet your family! You met mine…' Gabi argued.

Troy sighed, 'You really want to meet my family? It is completely different to what your family is like…'

'Does it really look like I care? Come on Troy, please. You embarrassed of me or something?'

Troy instantly hugged her, 'Of course not! I'm just embarrassed about my life.'

Gabi hugged back and kissed his cheek, 'Don't be silly, let's go.' Troy smiled at her confidence and walked up to his front door with his arm around her waist.

He unlocked the front door and walked through to the living room area to find his parents and his 10 year old sister watching television. His dad looked up and saw his son and Gabriella. 'Hey son, where have you been? Oh hello, Gabriella!'

'Hi Coach Bolton,' Gabi smiled and Troy tightened his arm around her waist, remaining silent. 'I just introduced Troy to my parents.'

'I see…well, call me Jack here, Gabriella. And this is my wife Lucille.' Gabi walked over to his wife and shook her hand.

Gabi saw the little girl staring at her and she walked over to her and knelt down to her level. 'Hi, my name is Gabriella, but you can call me Gabi. What's you name, cutie?'

The little girl smiled a toothy grin and said quietly, 'Maddie.'

Troy grinned at the two girls interacting along with his parents. 'Mads, Gabi is a basketball player, just like you!' he said.

Maddie smiled even wider and squealed. 'Everybody tells me that girls can't play basketball!'

'Well, I got that told to me today, but I taught that naughty boy a lesson,' Gabi told her. Troy laughed at the memory.

'What did you do?' Maddie asked with wide eyes.

Gabi had to think of a good lie, 'I just played basketball, and he learnt that I was probably better than some of the guys in his own team!'

'The worst part is, is that she is right,' Jack said.

'Err, Jack, I need to talk to you about…basketball,' Gabi stuttered.

Jack looked a bit confused but stood up anyway and took her into the kitchen. 'So what's up?'

'OK, you can't tell Troy this, because he will get nervous and panic and be all indifferent around me…and might even use me…anyway. My father is a scout for the Lakers, and he is here to find a new young player to sign. I am helping him because I can keep and eye on that player for him. Troy is the best player in East High, and I want you to keep him in check, and don't let him lose faith in himself. If he keeps the way he plays up, he will be the new signing into the team. My father played hoops with him today and he was seriously impressed, so…it looks good.' Gabi wound to a stop and looked at Jack for a reaction.

Jack stared at Gabi in the same look of disbelief that Troy has. 'My son…potential Lakers player?'

Gabi smiled. 'Yeah.'

'Tell you father…thank you…from me.' Jack muttered, still in shock.


Jack and Gabi returned into the living room and found Maddie sitting on Troy's lap playing with him. 'What did you talk about?' Troy asked.

'Nothing!' Both of them replied and Troy gave a suspicious look. Gabi quickly decided to flee the scene before he started asking her questions. 'I better go. I have some homework to do. I'll see you all around…thank you for being to kind.'

Everyone called out bye and Troy jumped up to walk Gabi to her car. 'I've never seen Maddie get on so well with a girl I have introduced to her so well. You know, she told me that you are really pretty.' Troy laughed, 'and I think they same…well, actually, I think you are beautiful.'

Gabi smiled and kissed him sweetly. 'Thank you. And for the record, my father has never accepted a boy that I have introduced to him before you. So you still want a lift to school?' Gabi said.

'Yeah, sure. Call me as you leave your house. Give me your cell and I'll give you my number.' Gabi handed her cell over to Troy and Troy gave her his cell and she punched in her number. She handed Troy back his cell and she found Troy still staring at the cell. 'You have an iPhone…' Troy said.

'Yeah…' Gabi said.

'I don't understand it…' he said. Gabi laughed and helped him use it.

'Don't worry,' Gabi said and she put her cell into her bag, 'I didn't know how to use it for about 2 days!' Gabi smiled up at Troy and reached up to kiss him. She pulled back and Troy put his hand round the back of her neck and pulled her up to kiss her back. 'Bye Troy,' she whispered.

'Bye Brie. I might use that tree tonight, if I can.' Troy whispered back.

Gabi opened her back and pulled out a key. 'This is for the French doors. Don't knock, just come in. And be quiet!' She kissed Troy again, handed him the key, got in the car and drove off, leaving Troy, once again, speechless.


AN: How was that? I have an iPhone myself, and it is actually confusing to use…but I love it! Anyway, review.