Chapter 9
"Have you thought about what songs you're going to sing?" Ryan asked Daniel, who was sitting on his bed.
"I'm sure Sharpay has chosen enough songs to last 'til next week" Daniel said
"You're not wrong" Ryan said with a chuckle. "But you should, unless you want to be singing all the upbeat, bubbly pop songs of the last year."
"Noted" Daniel said as he picked up Lucas from Ryan's nightstand.
"So, what happened after you and Jason fell into the pool this afternoon?" Ryan asked as he sat next to his friend.
"He kept apologising, I kept saying I was fine" Daniel answered as he fiddled with the lion stuffie. "That's what it was like until we were outside my room."
"Did you invite him inside to get warm?" the blonde teased.
"You know very well that I wouldn't do that with someone I've been seeing for a month" the raven-haired teen stated. "Much less someone I just met."
"But you're not opposed to getting warm with Jason?" Ryan asked, and his friend raised an eyebrow.
"Is this your not-so-subtle way of setting me up?" Daniel asked.
"I'm just asking what you think about Jason" Ryan said. "Whether you choose to date him or not is up to you."
"He is good looking, but it will take more than looks to get me to date someone" Daniel said. "Like their personality, what their dreams, ambitions, interests and hobbies are."
"Well, I'm sure you two will have plenty of time to get to know each other tonight" Ryan said with a smile, causing Daniel to roll his eyes.
"Why don't you get a boyfriend yourself before making me get one?" The taller male said as he tossed Lucas onto Ryan's lap.
"I don't think that'll happen until I'm in college" Ryan said with a sigh as he stared at Lucas.
"Who knows?" Daniel said. "It might happen sooner, rather than later."
"Since when did you become an optimist when it came to love?" Ryan asked. "Scratch that. When did you become an optimist?"
"I was just trying to make you feel better" Daniel said as he stood. "I'm going to get ready for tonight."
Ryan nodded and kept staring at the lion stuffie he and Troy had gotten that night in the arcade, hoping that his friend was right.
Troy woke when he heard knocking on his door.
"Troy, it's mom" Lucille said. "You're going to be late if you don't leave soon."
Troy then immediately checked his phone, and saw the time was 6:45. He got up, grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom. After getting dressed, Troy headed down and found his mom in the kitchen. He was a little worried that she wanted to talk about what happened earlier, but his mom just smiled and handed him a paper bag.
"You didn't get to eat dinner, so I made you a sandwich from the roast beef" Lucille said. "I don't want you to go hungry on your drive back to the resort."
Troy smiled, placed the paper bag on the counter and hugged his mom, who hugged back tightly and gently stroked her son's hair.
"Whatever you want to do, I'll support you Troy" She whispered.
"Thanks mom" Troy said with a wide smile. "Love you."
"Love you too" Lucille said as they pulled away. "Now go. I'm sure you don't want to be late."
Troy nodded and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek before grabbing the paper bag and heading out. He exited the house and found his dad standing next to Ryan's convertible.
"This is a great car" Jack said as Troy approached.
"It's Ryan's. He let me borrow it since the truck died at the resort's parking lot" Troy said.
"Yeah. I always thought he was a nice kid, even if he wasn't the best at P.E." Jack stated before taking a sip of his beer.
"He's actually a decent shot" Troy said. "And he's a great baseball player. He played in Little League when his family still lived in Rhode Island, and their team ended up as champions."
"So why doesn't he play anymore?" the older Bolton asked.
"Ryan just joined a Little League team cause he and his dad played catch and thought it would've been a great way for them to bond" Troy replied. "After a couple years, Ryan's dad saw that he wasn't enjoying playing baseball anymore, and was alright with him stopping."
"So, is that what's happening here?" Jack asked.
"No dad" Troy replied. "I still absolutely love basketball; I love playing it, watching it and talking about it. I'm not cutting it out of my life. But ever since I was little, everyone kept telling me how I'm going to be great basketball player, how I'll be a star in the NCAA and in the NBA. Those are great dreams and goals, but they weren't mine to begin with. If I'm going into the UofA for basketball, it should be because I want to."
Jack nodded and there was a couple minutes of silence as the two Bolton men stood side by side.
"I know I reacted poorly earlier, and I'm sorry" Jack finally said. "I just wanted what I thought was best for you, Troy."
"I know dad" Troy said. "But at some point, parents have to let go of the reins and trust that they raised their kids properly, and you and mom did."
"I know. I guess I feared the day when you wouldn't need me as much, and basketball was something that we would always have in common" Jack said.
"Basketball will still be there" Troy said. "But dad, even if I don't need your help as much, I'll still want you in my life."
Jack smiled and gave his son a tight hug, and Troy hugged back.
"It'll take a while for me to adjust, but I will support you" Jack said.
"Thanks dad. That means a lot" Troy said. "Okay, I gotta go and pick up Chad."
"Drive safely, and have fun tonight" Jack said as he ruffled Troy's hair.
Troy nodded and waved to his dad before driving to Chad's house.
Most of the people had arrived back at Lava Springs for karaoke night. The only ones they were waiting for were Troy and Chad. Ryan was talking to Jason and Kelsi near the snacks table when he noticed Daniel enter the room, and called him over.
"Mr. Stone, I'm so sorry about earlier" Jason apologised when he noticed the taller male arrive.
"It's alright, as I've said again and again" Daniel said. "And please call me Daniel or Dan. Right now, you're one of Ryan's friends, not an employee."
"Alright" Jason said with a nod, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "But I would like to make it up to you."
"There's no need to" Daniel said and saw Ryan give him a look, making him sigh. "But if you insist, could you please tell me about the other extracurricular activities at East High?"
"Really?" Jason asked
"Yes. Ryan only talks about the drama club" Daniel said.
"I'd be glad to" Jason said with a smile, and the two went to talk on the couch.
"I saw that look" Kelsi said to Ryan. "What are you up to?"
"Just trust me" Ryan said with a smile, refilling his glass of punch before going to talk to the others.
Troy and Chad arrived at Lava Springs ten minutes before the time they were supposed to be there. Chad was the one who drove them to the resort, but the drive was silent, save for the music being played on the radio.
"Troy, can we talk?" Chad asked as Troy was about to get out of the car.
"What about?" Troy asked.
"About the possibility of you not going to UofA for basketball anymore" Chad said.
"If we're just going to end up arguing again, I'd rather just head inside" Troy said, but made no move to get out.
"Look, I talked to Taylor and even my parents about what happened" Chad said. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"For what happened earlier?" Troy asked.
"For everything" Chad said. "I realised I haven't been a great friend to you the past couple months. Like with what happened when Gabriella transferred to East High, and Taylor and I orchestrated that whole thing to make Gabby believe you didn't care about her. And then there was this summer where you were getting promoted while we were stuck waiting tables."
"To be fair, I was being a huge ass to you guys" Troy said.
"It still doesn't change the fact that instead of cutting you out and being jealous, we should've been happy and supportive, and talk to you when your head was getting too big" Chad stated. "Then there was what happened earlier. You were right, I wasn't being a real brother to you. I was thinking about what I wanted. The reason I acted like that was that I was worried we'd drift apart. Like, if you stopped playing basketball, we'd have less to talk about and you'd spend more time with people who shared your interests. Even if you went to another school for basketball, I was worried I'd be replaced by someone from the team there." Chad took in a deep breath before letting out a humourless laugh. "I was so worried about being replaced that I became the worst best friend in history."
"Chad, I know you've done some shitty things and I haven't completely forgiven you for them, but I could never replace you as a best friend" Troy said. "What you did, you did out of a sense of loyalty to the team and me, and that's all I could ask from a friend, to be loyal. Just try to be a little more understanding and talk to me if something is bothering you, alright?"
Chad nodded, and the two friends shared a hug before getting out of the car and heading into the resort. The two talked about Troy telling his dad, and Chad was happy that Troy's dad ended up supporting him.
"Troy, the lounge is this way" Chad said when Troy began walking the other way.
"I know, I just forgot something in the music room" Troy said. "You go on, I'll catch up."
Chad nodded and began heading for the lounge while Troy headed for the music room, hoping everything went according to plan.
Ryan walked down the halls to the music room. He couldn't fathom why his sister would want to practice singing when they weren't even competing. He entered the music room and was surprised to find Troy there.
"Troy, what are you doing here?" Ryan asked as he approached.
"Oh, I was waiting for Kelsi to help me practice a song" Troy replied.
"You and Sharpay know we're not competing for anything, right?" Ryan asked, and Troy chuckled.
"I can't speak for Sharpay, but I'm practicing this song because it's a very special song and I want to do it justice" Troy said. "Would you mind helping me out with it?"
"Sure" Ryan said, and the two sat beside each other at the piano. "You know how to play?"
"I may have asked Kelsi to show me a thing or two over the summer" Troy said with a smile.
The brunette then began playing an all too familiar tune, one that both shocked and made Ryan smile.
It's hard to believe that I couldn't see, you were always there beside me
Thought I was alone with no one to hold, but you were always right beside me
This feeling's like no other, I want you to know
That I've never had someone that knows me like you do, the way you do
And I've never had someone as good for me as you, no one like you
So lonely before I finally found
What I've been looking for
"That was amazing Troy" Ryan said with a wide smile after a short silence.
"Thanks" Troy said with a wider smile, trying not to let on how nervous he was. "You know, this song has a special place in my heart."
"Why's that?" Ryan asked.
"Well, singing it was the starting point of me realising I was more than just someone who was good at basketball" Troy said. "It made me realise that I was good at stuff and interests other than basketball."
"You are" Ryan said. "I was surprised you picked up the choreography for the winter musicale so quickly."
"It's also special because me singing it caused me to get a callback, which got me the lead role, which led me to hanging out with you" Troy said as he looked at Ryan. "You've been an amazing friend to me Ryan, even when I just thought of you as Sharpay's twin or the dancing guy."
"Well, that was a pretty accurate description until this summer" Ryan said with a chuckle.
"But there's one last reason it's special to me" Troy said before taking a deep breath. "It perfectly describes me and how I was this summer."
"Troy…" Ryan said softly, his cheeks slowly turning red.
"I was worried about college, Sharpay was extremely possessive and majority of my friends had cut me out of their lives" the brunette said as he gently took Ryan's hand. "I thought I was all alone, but you were there. Whenever I felt like I had had enough or that I was going to explode, you were there for me because you cared about me. Not because I was popular or that because Sharpay told you to, but because you just cared. And I was a fool to ignore you and ignore the way you make me feel."
"Troy, what are you saying?" Ryan asked.
"I'm in love with you Ryan" Troy said as he stared into the blonde's sky-blue eyes. "And if you'd let me, I'd love to take you out on dates and be there for you."
Troy immediately got his answer when he felt soft lips on his, and the brunette did not hesitate to kiss back, wrapping his arms around Ryan's waist.
"I've waited so long to do that" Ryan said with a small smile when he pulled away.
"I know, and I hope you can forgive me for being so oblivious to your feelings, as well as my own" Troy said, pressing his forehead against Ryan's.
"There's nothing to forgive" Ryan said. "So, I'm guessing Sharpay planned all this."
"She helped, but it was all me" Troy said and smiled when Ryan looked surprised. "That's right, I can scheme too."
Ryan chuckled and the two shared another short kiss.
"I guess we better go join the others" Ryan said.
"You're right" Troy said as they stood and headed for the lounge. "So, are you free on Monday?"
"I am. Why do you ask?" Ryan asked with a small smile.
"Well, the community theatre is doing a production of Rent" Troy said. "I was wondering if you'd like to go see it, after having dinner together?"
"It's a date" Ryan said with a smile.
The two teens entered the lounge and other than Sharpay, Kelsi and Daniel, they didn't tell anyone they decided to date yet. They wanted to go about their relationship normally; start with a few dates before letting the cat out of the bag. They'd let everyone else eventually know but for now, they just enjoyed having fun with their friends, singing together and sitting so close to each other that there wasn't even an inch of space between them.
