A/N: Before anything else, I need to publish an erratum on my previous chapter. That part where Coach Bolton mentions the schedule for the basketball tryouts, he said "second to the last Friday before school ends," I meant for him to say "last Monday before school ends." The time frame will be significant so I just want you all to know that (Hint! Hint! on future plot).

I've been trying to rush this update because I know you're all dying to know what happens next (and on wish on a star ox's case, s/he said s/he might spontaneously combust if I don't update, and I don't want to lose a fan). Yes, AlwaysxAddicted, the previous one was a fun chapter to write, so is this next one. I can't stop laughing myself, that if anyone was watching while I'm typing this would think I look like an idiot in front of my computer.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now so you can read the rest.

Chapter Eight

More Close Calls and a Confession

Jack could only stare with open-mouthed shock. Troy continued to go through the unusual stuff in his locker. He dug through the towel and found a matching pink lace bra tossed in with the plain gray T-shirt and shorts Sharpay wore for basketball practice.

Jack couldn't look at him. He realized there was nothing to do but tell Troy the truth. He braced himself and searched the words to explain when…

"Oh ha ha, very funny Chad!" Troy suddenly exclaimed sarcastically.

"What?" Jack asked. He finally looked up. Troy was wearing a half-embarrassed, half-annoyed look.

"This isn't what it looks like Dad," began Troy apologetically. "Chad must have put it in here as another one of his practical jokes. He always does that to me. You know last year he placed his sister's Barbie dolls in my locker to embarrass me when I opened it in front of the team after I made captain. I really should have that lock replaced."

Jack remained silent and kept his face blank. Inwardly he was flinching as he saw Troy was still holding on to Sharpay's intimate unmentionables and was toying with the garters with his fingertips.

"Fine then, Chad," Troy continued to speak to the air. He tossed the towel, shirt and shorts at one of the hampers for used towels but he held on to the intimate items and stuffed them into this jacket pocket. "I'm keeping these two as souvenirs."

Jack's heart sank with dread. "Son, I don't think that's a good idea," he protested.

Troy just laughed. "It's a joke Dad. Chad's always doing it. Let's see if he can get me to return his sister's underwear. I'm not giving this back as easily as the Barbie dolls. And he can have hell to pay with his big sis."

Jack swallowed hard. He had absolutely no idea what to do. But he knew he had to get them back. It was his fault he placed them in there in the first place.

"Son, don't you think you ought to show a bit more respect to the girl that owns those."

Troy just laughed even harder. "Well, what would I do, give it back to Chad? No way, Dad. Besides I'm not gonna give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me this time. Nope, I'm keeping these and there's nothing he can do to get them back. Besides it's not like some girl has to go commando without them."

Jack felt really ill at Troy's choice of words as he thought how exactly Sharpay was going home without the items Troy just stole from her. He felt his face grow hot at the sudden blush, but Troy hadn't noticed. He tossed Jack a fresh shirt from his locker. "This one's big enough, Dad. I'll meet you in your office, okay?" Troy walked out of the locker rooms but even after his footsteps had receded he couldn't say a word of assurance to Sharpay. He was too embarrassed.

"Coach? Is he gone?" she whispered through the partition.

"Yes," he said unhappily. How could he ever face her again knowing what he just did? He tossed her the towel and the remaining clothes. He hoped somehow she brought an extra pair of underwear.

"I can't wear these," she said behind the stall. "I'm taking the bus home."

"Where are the clothes you wore to school earlier?" he asked.

Sharpay was silent for a moment. Jack felt another dreaded "uh oh" coming up.

"Sharpay?" he asked anxiously.

"I left them in your office by your desk," she muttered.

Jack slapped his forehead. Troy was there. It just keeps getting worse.

"Well wear those for the moment," Jack said. "I'll get Troy to leave my office," he said as he hurriedly took off his wet shirt and replaced them with the one Troy gave him.

"Well what about my… you know?"

Jack gritted his teeth and felt himself blush again. "I don't how to get them back without arousing suspicion. You do keep an extra set of clothes, including…"

"No, I don't!" Sharpay cried. "Coach, I can't go home like this. Even if I got the clothes I left in your office, I need something underneath. I was wearing a skirt a while ago and it's a very short one too. I'm not doing a Britney! You have to find me something!"

Jack stared around the room in desperation. His eyes finally landed on Troy's slightly opened locker. He flung it open and rummaged through it. He found a clean pair of white boxers underneath his extra shirts. "Here," he said as he tossed it over the partition to Sharpay.

"What the hell is this?" she asked.

"It's er… Troy's," he mumbled miserably. It was ridiculous. He was stealing his son's underwear to give to the naked girl he's hiding. This was just so wrong!

"Ewww! No way! I'm not wearing something that touched Troy's—!"

"I'm sorry, but that's the best I could get," Jack replied.

She let out a sigh. "I suppose it will have to do for the moment… It's a little big and kinda breezy though. Coach, do you by any chance have any duct tape?"

Jack couldn't help but laugh and Sharpay giggled with him. He was thankful Sharpay had a sense of humor and can still laugh at this embarrassing situation. "I have some in my office. Bottom drawer of my desk with the office supplies. Look, I have to go now before Troy suspects anything. I'll get him to go to the gym so you can pick up your stuff in my office," he finally said.

"Thanks, Coach," she muttered.

He found Troy seated on the couch in his office. Jack eyed Sharpay's pink tote bag by his desk. So far so good, Troy hadn't noticed that along with her cell phone that she left on his desk.

Suddenly the phone began blinking and singing a Pussycat Dolls song.

Troy and Jack both stared at it for a long moment before Troy turned to him.

"Er… Dad… whose phone is that?"

Jack continued to eye the phone. From where he stood, he could see Sharpay dressed in her previous basketball attire lurking beyond his office, Troy's back to her. She was flaying her hands in a desperate gesture for him to do something.

"I think it may be Arthur's," Jack said lamely, indicating the assistant gym coach.

Troy gave him an odd look. Arthur was a 52-year-old married man with grandchildren. He was hardly the type to have a cellular phone decorated with rhinestones and a ring tone that sings "Don't Cha Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me."

Jack couldn't think of anything to do. The ring tone was grinding on his nerves, so he did the only thing he could: pick up the phone.

"Hello, Sharpay?"

Maddy's voice froze him completely.

"Listen honey, I'm still in New York and something came up at work. I won't be back until next week. You and Ryan keep yourselves company for your birthday. Do whatever you want. If you need anything use my credit card."

Jack continued to listen to her voice. The affectionate way she said Sharpay's name reminded him how she used to say his name years ago.

"Sharpay… Sharpay can you hear me?"

Jack jolted himself awake. He realized Troy was looking at him oddly again. He had to say something to confirm his excuse on the phone's owner. Unfortunately, he can't do anything about Maddy at the moment.

"Yeah, your phone's here at the office," he said.

There was a moment of silence from Maddy's line before: "Who is this? What are you doing with my daughter's phone?"

Jack ignored her. He couldn't explain with Troy around to hear. "Just pick it up Monday morning," he continued. I'll leave it in my office, goodbye Arthur."

"Arthur? Who are you?" Maddy demanded. "What have you done—"

But Jack ended the call and scrambled to turn if off to prevent her from calling again. He then shut the phone in his desk drawer and turned to Troy.

"It's Arthur's," he told his son. "He thought he lost it."

Troy chuckled. "He has really odd taste in ring tones and phone accessories."

"Yeah… well… the guy's got two granddaughters. He gets ideas from them," Jack reasoned. He hoped that Troy didn't know Arthur's granddaughters are both under two and wouldn't have an idea who the Pussycat Dolls are just yet. "Anyway, let's go to the gym, then," he added.

But Troy stretched out on the couch of his office. "Well, actually I was hoping we could just talk here. It's much more comfortable."

Jack winced. Sharpay gave him an exasperated look and was gesturing again to get Troy out.

"Well, the gym's more… spacious," he reasoned lamely. But Troy didn't get the hint. He put his feet up in a relaxed manner.

"Let's just stay here Dad. I don't feel like talking somewhere that carries echoes."

Jack was out of ideas. So he sat down on a chair next to Troy and gave Sharpay an apologetic look. He hoped that whatever it is Troy was about to say wasn't going to take long.

"Alright, tell me."

Troy heaved a sigh. "Well, I suppose I should start by telling you Gabriella broke up with me today."

Despite Sharpay's urgent situation, Jack couldn't help but feel the need to pay attention to Troy. He obviously had a lot on his mind he wanted to talk about. After all, Gabriella was his first girlfriend.

"I'm sorry about that."

Troy gave a fake laugh. "That's just it, Dad. I'm not."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you see, she asked me for a cool off last week. You know she has this thing that she wants us to still be together but we're not at the moment?"

"Huh?" Jack didn't quite digest what Troy said, but also because he was partly distracted by Sharpay who was rolling her eyes heavenward and silently mouthing the word "Idiot."

"I know Dad, I don't get that cool off thing either. Well she said she wanted to be apart for a while so I could get some 'perspective' as she put it."

"Ok-ay…" Jack mumbled. It was hard to pay attention to Troy when Jack could see Sharpay doing a silent imitation of an over-exaggerated laugh as a reaction to what Troy was relating.

"Well, this afternoon she came over and demanded why I was ignoring her. I told her I thought that was what she meant by cool off and then she said…"

Jack didn't quite catch what Troy said next. He was too busy trying hard not to laugh at Sharpay using her hands as a signal of talking while mouthing: "Blah, blah, blah!"

"Well, anyway, she said she wanted to end the cool off period and get back to what we were normally, I realized I just didn't want to. She got mad and she said we were over. Somehow, I'm not really that upset about it. I sort of felt glad she ended it and I didn't have to and—"

Jack held a hand up to him to stop. If he didn't Troy might drone on forever. As much as he wanted to help Troy out, there was a girl behind him that needed clothes. "Alright, you wanted to talk to me about Gabriella. Maybe we could go take a walk outside—"

Sharpay nodded to Jack in encouragement.

But Troy shook his head and refused to budge from his comfortable position. "No, it's not that. It doesn't bother me that much anymore. It's something else. It's about, well…" he breathed a sigh. "Dad, have you ever felt afraid of talking to someone you really like?"

Sharpay stopped looking anxious. She was staring at Troy's head and to Jack's surprise she was gesturing that Jack should let Troy go on, as if she was interested in what he had to say. Jack suddenly remembered she used to have a crush on Troy too, so he suspected this sudden confession from his son was a subject of interest to her.

"I take it this involves a girl you like," replied Jack. "Does this have anything to do with your break-up with Gabriella?"

"Well partly," replied Troy. "I mean she's different from Gabriella. She's more… interesting, talented… beautiful." He smiled wistfully. "I just can't stop thinking about her. But I don't think I have a chance with her."

Troy got Jack's full attention. His son never had any problems talking to girls before. They came to him like moths to a flame and Troy was always confident around them. He could have any girl in school he wanted eating at the palm of his hand. So this problem was something new to Jack. "Why not?"

Troy shook his head. "She doesn't like me. I don't think she does. She's not exactly the friendliest person in the world, and my friends… they wouldn't really approve of her."

Jack was a bit alarmed. "Why wouldn't they? This girl isn't doing drugs or something dangerous, is she?"

"Oh no, no! Not like that, Dad!" Troy exclaimed. His hand unconsciously went to his jacket pocket. He pulled out Sharpay's bra and began toying with the garter again without thinking. Jack suddenly glanced back to Sharpay who was now looking murderous at Troy. Jack was sure that if it weren't for the glass dividing them she would have jumped over and strangled him.

"She's a good student," continued Troy. His fingers were still involuntarily pulling at her garter. "I mean she's not into the scholastic decathlon or anything, but she gets good grades and she doesn't even get detention except one or two from Miss Darbus."

"So she's not a troublemaker or … prone to violence?" The last phrase just slipped from his lips because he was looking at Sharpay who was indicating that she was about to mutilate Troy's head if he didn't stop manhandling her underwear. "Could you stop doing that?" Jack finally barked at Troy. "Just hand it over," he added in an attempt to get the article back.

"Oh sorry, didn't realize," said Troy. But he stuffed the lacy item back into his pocket and seemed to not have heard Jack's last demand. "Anyway, I assure you Dad, she's never in trouble. It's just that she's not the kind of girl my friends expect me to go out with."

Jack heaved a frustrated sigh while he saw Sharpay made a face similar to what he was he was feeling. He gave her another apologetic look.

"Dad? You okay? What are you looking at?"

Jack jumped at the question and Troy turned behind him. Sharpay managed to duck out of sight just in time.

"Nothing," Jack assured and hurriedly turned the topic back to Troy's problem. "I think the problem is not you afraid of talking to her, but what your friends will think when you do. Troy, if you really like her, then give it a shot. I mean you went out with Gabriella before and you told me how your friends didn't like it at first. But if they're your real friends, they'll come to accept your decisions if you explain it to them."

"I know. But I still don't know how to go about asking her out. She could be a bit… difficult. I mean she's rejected other guys before and well, let's just say she knows how to crush someone really hard."

Jack suddenly thought of Maddy again. He knew exactly how that felt. "Why don't you start being her friend first? Maybe when she gets used to you being friendly, it will be easier to ask her out. Or" he added, still thinking of Maddy. "Maybe if you got to know her more, you wouldn't like her enough to ask her out. Either way it's a safe win-win situation."

"You're right Dad," Troy smiled. "I'll do that, thanks."

"Good, now can we play some basketball?"

Troy nodded and got up. Jack saw Sharpay hide again and he safely led Troy out to the gym. He let his son go first a few paces to allow him time to whisper to Sharpay who was hiding behind a row of lockers: "Check my jacket pocket. The thing there is yours."

He couldn't say anything more. He followed Troy to the gym and they played one-on-one for several minutes. When they took a break, he checked his phone and found a message from Sharpay:

"Tnx 4 covering. Luv d gift, sweet of u. Not blaming u, but ur son's a jerk. Punish him 4 me, wil u?"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle loudly which earned him a curious look from Troy.

"I was talking to Dave Matsui about Arthur's ring tone," Jack lied. He grabbed the ball and gave Troy a challenging glare. He owed Sharpay giving Troy a beating in basketball. His son was going down.