Chapter 10

The crowd roared with enthusiasm overhead. Energy filled the locker rooms. It was my first game as a New York Berkeley Knight, and I was more than ready to prove myself.

It was odd, being in a blue and silver uniform, instead of red and white. My jersey number wasn't fourteen, anymore, it was twenty-three, and of course, I wasn't the captain, but I was hyped nevertheless. Jake stood beside me, his light-hearted gaze serious. Nearby, Marcus shifted his weight.

The team captain, Cody Westmore, gave us the signal to go ahead, and the team charged forward, whooping and hollering. We ran up the stairs and across the gymnasium floor. As I turned, I could see Ryan's hatted head and blue and white dress shirt and dress pants as he earnestly waved to me. I returned the wave, grinning at the burst of energy and confidence his presence gave me.

"D' ya see Charlotte anywhere?" Jake asked me.

I quickly searched for the blonde girl, and found her sitting two rows down and several seats over from where Ryan was. "She's right there." I did my best to indicate her without pointing.

Jake grinned, his face lighting up. Oh, he had it bad.

The game was on. We sprinted across the court. Passes were made, shots were fired. The ball was passed to me and I ran it down the court, only to be blocked by a guy who was easily five times my size. I faked right and passed the ball to Jake, who took off with it. He fired from the two point line and made the first score of the game. After that, the other team seized control of the ball, and it was on. During the game, I found myself disagreeing with several of Cody's calls. In particular, the ones that resulted in my teammates and me getting smacked down onto the polished wood floor by our much bigger and brawnier opponents.

When half-time rolled around, the other team, the Eagles, had a six-point lead.

"Alright," Cody said, his face reddening with frustration, "I want Jeffers and Crowley to-"

I spoke up, ready to offer a suggestion. "Maybe, we could-"

"Hey!" Cody retorted, baring his teeth. "Bolton, don't try to tell me how to run this team!" His brown eyes narrowed as he gave me a steely glare.

"Sorry," I said. I'll admit, I was out of line, but I wasn't trying to undermine him, or anything. When I was captain, I always took my teammates' thoughts into consideration. That's what being on a team is all about. Granted, that Jimmie Zara kid, my sophomore stalker who took pictures of my bedroom because he wanted to do his "the same way", was annoying as hell, and we often benched him, but I made sure to include him as well, and even entrusted him with making the winning basket of my last game as a Wildcat.

"Bites, man," Jake observed, patting my shoulder, then wincing at the pain it caused him.

I was irked, but did my best not to show it.

We were out on the court again with a new strategy from Cody. Our team had the ball.

Chris Jeffers, our team's tallest member at 6'1, took up a position at the end of the court, waiting for the ball to make its way to him.

Victor Rodriguez, Cody's second-in-command, was defending our basket. I watched a couple of my teammates get slammed down and my feet itched with anger and anticipation. The other team wasn't going to win playing like that. No way in hell.

I searched the bleachers for Ryan, and once I spotted him, I felt a burst of confidence. We can do this, I told myself.

The cheerleaders encouraged us from the sidelines, doing their moves that Ryan refuses to call, "choreography" As they rooted for the Knights, I found it odd that last year, I wanted nothing more than for a team with that mascot to lose, and now, their winning was everything.

From across the court, I could see Jake look up to the bleachers as I had done. I followed his gaze and felt my heart lurch at seeing Charlotte sitting with an ebony-haired guy; Tyler Ross, her new boyfriend. Oh no! I groaned internally. Jake caved, his body slumping at the same moment a pass was aimed at him.

"Parker!" I heard Cody roar. "Damn it!"

I clenched my fists, repressing the urge to punch our captain.

Luckily, Marcus saved the ball. He made to dribble it down the court, only to be blocked by the same huge guy who had intercepted me in the first half. Fortunately, where this guy had size as his advantage, Marcus had speed. He quickly feinted, then maneuvered around the big guy. We made eye contact for an instant and while all eyes were on him , I discreetly worked my way to the three point line. The clock was racing. Time was running out.

As the seconds ticked off, my heart thudded. Marcus passed the ball to me and I fired it. Break the tie… break the tie! The ball bounced off the backboard and swiveled on the rim of the net. My breath hitched in my throat. It was like time had slowed down. I watched as the ball teetered for what seemed like forever, and then, finally, dropped in.

The gym erupted in cheers. My teammates and the cheerleaders gathered around me, chanting my name: "Bolton! Bolton!" We did it! We won! Ryan and I caught each other's eyes, and his smile made me feel like I was the king of the world.

- Good Life -

"At East High, we had these, 'lucky socks', that we always wore at every game," I told Ryan. We were back in our apartment, and I was dripping wet from just stepping out of the shower. As I spoke, I was slipping on a pair of red EHS Wildcat sweats. "To keep their luckiness intact, we never washed them."

"Ew!" Ryan crinkled his nose. "Troy, that's disgusting!"

I laughed. "Hey, we showered, though. I'd hate going around smelling rank as much as anyone. Anyway," I went on, "you remember that Jimmie kid? 'Rocketman'?"

"Your obsessive fanboy?" Ryan's expression was now dry amusement.

"Yeah, well he and his friend, Donny Deon, wanted mine and Chad's lockers, so before we graduated, Chad and I left them our locker combinations. And to fully pass the torch, we also left them an extra special gift." I smirked.

"Oh Troy, you didn't."

"Oh yes we did."

Ryan shook his head, chuckling. "You really had it out for that kid?"

"Not exactly. But he did freak me out. Besides, I'm sure he loves those socks. They were personal items."

"You…" Ryan pushed me back onto the bed. I pulled him down with me, laughing as he fell on top of me, his body warm against my naked chest. "Troy!" He protested. "You're all wet!"

I just grinned cheekily, knowing that he wouldn't try to move.

He didn't. "You're too much, you know that?"

I nuzzled into his neck. "I'm just right for you, though, right?"

"You're all that I could have asked for and more." He smiled contentedly, his fingers, limber from years of piano playing, stroking over my chest. We sat in quiet for a couple seconds, until he spoke up. "Your captain seems to be in need of some anger management."

"I don't know what the hell his deal is." My voice hardened and I felt my blood heat up. "He went off on me for trying to make a suggestion, because he thought I was trying to-"

"Undermine him?" Ryan prompted softly.

"Yeah. And then he yelled at Jake for being distracted by Charlotte and her new boyfriend Tyler."

Ryan's expression was pensive. "It sounds like he only wants power and control and none of the responsibilities. Do you think he's the captain who would, instead of going down with his ship, steal the lifeboat and then blame an officer for the ship sinking?"

That thought made my skin prickle. "I hope not."

"Either way, try not to dwell on it. You won tonight, because you and your teammates were being the best you can be, despite your commander in chief being an ass."

I smiled. His advice made me feel a lot better. "Thanks, babe."

"Don't mention it."

I nuzzled my nose against his, then moved to his mouth. While my lips were preoccupied with covering his, I began unbuttoning Ryan's dress shirt. He moaned softly into my mouth. I pulled away, licking over his lips as I did so. I looked him over, smiling appreciatively at the creamy skin I exposed. "Mm… you look so hot in everything you wear."

""Everything"?" He gave me a bemused smile, his brow arcing in that all-too-sexy way.

"Everything."

Moving off of me, he slid my sweat pants off. Returning to me, he brushed his fingertips against the skin under the waistband of my boxers, making me moan before working the article of clothing down my thighs. I smiled dopily, my eyes rolling at the rush of air meeting my cock. "Well," Ry said, studying me with his mouth curled up into a smirk, "I can't decide if I prefer you clothed or au natural."

-We Can-

I'm beautiful in my way

'Cause God makes no mistakes

I'm on the right track

Baby, I was born this way Ryan's voice filled the apartment.

It was a welcome sound. He had been psyched out the past week and it seemed that my team's victory was a pick-me-up for him.

"Hey," I greeted him as he entered the bedroom where I was reading his copy of "Homunculus". After he told me that it featured a man giving birth, a monster created from blood and urine raping a burly housekeeper named Olga, and a vision of a man breast-feeding a pig, I totally had to check it out and see if it was as insane as Ry remembered.

I wasn't disappointed.

"Hey," he returned, beaming. As he recognized the book, he let out a laugh and shook his head. "That book will violate your sanity in the worst way possible. Reading it is hazardous."

"You took the risk," I pointed out as I leapt to my feet.

"I had little to lose. My mind's already been fucked so many times."

"That does explain a lot." I nudged his shoulder gently with mine.

"So, I wanted to ask you a favor." He bounced slightly on the balls of his feet.

"Whatever you want." I promised.

"I know it's a Saturday, but I was wondering if you'd come with me to Juilliard, and help me work on something."

"Of course." We walked out of the bedroom to the closet where we hung our jackets. "What is it?"

"Well, you know that paper I was working on before Scot and Marceline came over?"

"Yeah?"

-Everything's Alright-

He lead me through the enormous school, past portraits of alumni and past graduates who were famous, I guess. I stared in awe at the trophies proudly filling the display cases.

At last, we entered the auditorium. It was, just as I expected, huge and lavishly decorated. The sound of our footfalls decreased and I could make out someone turning out an upbeat melody on a piano. Ry and I made our way down the aisle and I felt a pang of recognition at the sight of a petite, curly-haired brunette girl sitting at the grand piano onstage, glasses perched on the end of her nose.

I looked to Ryan for confirmation and he nodded.

"Kelsi?" I called out.

The girl stopped playing and turned out to us, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Troy? Oh my gosh!" She leaped off of the piano stool at the same time I leaped onto the stage. We took each other into a hug.

"I don't believe… what are you doing here?" She peered up into my eyes. "I thought you were at Berkeley in California."

I took a step back. "I'm attending Berkeley, alright. But, not in California."

She searched my face with her blue green eyes, her brows furrowing. "Something happened… between you and Gabriella," she assessed finally.

"Yeah," I said flatly, the feelings of hurt that were associated with Gabriella's name surging into my heart for a brief moment.

"She's at Stanford in California and you're here."

"Yep."

She glanced down at Ryan, who stood on the floor in front of the stage. "With Ryan…?"

I let out a nervous laugh and slid off of the stage to join Ryan. "Actually, Kels, Ry's the reason I'm here." My arm slid around my slender boyfriend's shoulders, drawing him into me.

"You two are going out," Kelsi stated.

"Yes," we replied simultaneously.

Her eyes stretched wide and she looked between us in utter bewilderment. Kelsi had been one of the most avid supporters of mine and Gabriella's relationship. She dedicated several songs to us, and was upset whenever Gabriella and I parted ways. This news was probably as stunning and devastating to her as it would have been to anyone else who viewed us as "the perfect couple" in high school.

"You didn't tell me!" Kelsi said to Ryan.

"It's not like I wanted to rub it in, or anything," he said sheepishly.

"This is huge," she remarked.

"Well, yeah. I do have the best boyfriend in the world." I squeezed Ryan's shoulder, grinning.

"You, do?" Ryan inquired, his voice high with mock surprise. "Because I'm pretty sure that I have the best knight in the world at my side." He leaned into me.

I laughed softly, nuzzling his cheek, my heart warmed by his comment. There was a movement of feet on the stage and Ry's spine stiffened, which signaled me to withdraw from him. I ran the hand that had been caressing his shoulder through my hair.

"So, uh, what are you two doing here?" Kelsi inquired, collecting herself.

"We came to work on my project." Ryan stepped forward.

"The composition?"

"Yeah. And," Ryan looked at his feet, "I want to know if you'll help." He gave her a more subdued version of that look that I can't refuse even if I try. "You are one of the best pianists I know," he added with a smile.

"Alright." Kelsi nodded, her cheeks flushing. Ryan handed over the sheaf of paper he had brought with us. "But," Kelsi drew in a breath, recovering from the shock, "both of you owe me an explanation."

"Oh, of course!" Ryan and I exclaimed.

The doors at the back of the auditorium opened, and four girls and four boys entered. "Ryan!" One girl with straight, flowing silvery blonde hair cried. She ran down the aisle to meet my boyfriend.

"Celeste!" Ryan exclaimed. He took her hands and the two of them air-kissed. I felt my face flush. "Is everyone here?" He pulled away to analyze the entering group.

Celeste blinked her green eyes and smiled. "Oui," she responded. "We're all here."

Glancing up, Ryan exclaimed, "Luc!"

The other guy, Luc, who had a tousled hairstyle similar to the ones worn by emo kids, and a scarf tied around his neck, gave Ryan a smile and a wave and then went back to organizing the group he arrived with into two straight lines. He then came over and took Celeste's arm and everyone else paired off; two heterosexual pairs and two homosexual, one consisting of two girls, another of two guys.

Ryan offered me a hand and I took it. He guided me up the stairs to center stage. When we reached it, he turned and announced to the inquisitive stares we were getting, "Everyone, this is Troy." He shot a bashful look at his feet before continuing. "He's my partner."

"Mm," Luc remarked with a smooth accent,"he's rather the pick of the pack."

I felt my cheeks heating up again.

"Il est tre beau, Ryan," Celeste appraised me.

The heat in my face intensified, even though I'm not quite sure what she said. I'm not fluent in French.

"I know," Ryan replied to Celeste, smiling affectionately.

"Ready when you are, Ryan," Kelsi said from the piano.

"Alright."

It suddenly hit me that I was the only one in the room who had next to no idea of what his role in this routine was. My eyes widened, and I looked around in confusion.

Ryan picked up on my bewilderment. He smiled encouragingly and said softly, "Follow my lead. You'll be fine." Once I nodded, he turned out to Kelsi and gave her a nod, cuing her to begin. After the first chords sounded, peppy, with a hint of longing, Ryan led a count-off, stepping in time to the beat. I waited for him to give me my signal. His voice filled the room. "And 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8, go!"

The stars up above

And the moon in the sky

Are just a glimmer in

The corner of my eye

I watched in awe as, with a thrust of hips, Ry dropped into a one-handed cartwheel, ending up in front of me when he was back on his feet.

Compared to the glow

That you radiate, Ry held his hands out in front of him and framed my face. The other pairs, his background dancers, imitated him without the impressive cartwheel.

Tonight, he took my hand and kicked out his leg before moving into me and wrapping his arms around my neck.

I've finally got you alone

And, baby I can't wait

Behind us, the person in each pair that had taken up the masculine role, holding their partner by the hands, jumped up, then, landing with their legs planted, slid their partner between their legs, then pulled them back upright.

Ryan's pelvis met mine. I barely withheld a grunt.

Uh, you're luminescent, he growled softly, appreciatively.

And, yeah, in a fluid movement, he grabbed my hand, then turning out, pulled me center while singing joyously; We're gonna

We arrived at center stage.

Scintillate, he sang, Luc, Celeste and the others providing the background vocals.

We'll be so great

Together, we'll eclipse the sun

He got behind me and nudged my legs apart with his foot, then gestured toward the overhead lights, signaling me to do the same with his eyes.

In the dark On "dark", he returned to me, and wrapped an arm around me. I realized what he wanted, and twirled both of us.

Of the night Ry pulled away, a smile on his face. Around us, I could see that the other dancers had also executed the twirl. His fingers linked with mine, Ry dropped down to his knees, then effortlessly popped back upright.

We two will become one

He weaved around me, hips shaking rhythmically as he dramatically gesticulated his words. The passion of my soul

Lies, he halted, then turned back to me

Where you lay tonight

He kicked his leg up and twirled like a ballerina with all of the badass-ness of Patrick Swayze in "Dirty Dancing", my mom's favorite movie. He crossed back to me and took hold of my hand, indicating that both of us spread our arms wide.

So let's

Scintillate

And blind the world

He drew into me and took my other hand. We were standing so close together, our chests touched.

So they'll finally see

Our noses brushed together and following his lead, I looked up in the direction of the stage lights.

The light

We held the pose until Kelsi played out the final chords. Behind Ryan and me, the background dancers struck a pose with their hands up and fingers spread wide; "jazz hands". When the last note died off, Ryan asked me, "Well, what do you think?"

I looked around me at Celeste, Luc and the other dancers, who had sheens of sweat on their foreheads and faces. I looked back to Ryan, who was panting lightly, even though his chest was heaving. Where could I even begin? Amazing, awesome, spectacular, freaking incredible!, all came to mind. I imagined all of them under the glow of the spotlight and how they would really scintillate or shine. Giving Ryan a smile, I relayed, "I'd give you guys all A plus, plus, pluses!"

Ryan's eyes sparkled fiercely. He pumped his fist triumphantly before announcing, "Fantastic rehearsal, everyone! That's a wrap. Now get out of here and enjoy the rest of your Saturday!"

With smiles, everyone departed until it was just me, Ryan and Kelsi. Ry and I got off the stage and met Kelsi on the floor in the house where she stood with her usual stack of books and papers. "Ryan…" she began, "that was absolutely…" She paused to look for the right word. Her expression was similar to the kid that got that one special gift they never expected they would get on Christmas morning. "Phenomenal!"

"Thank you."

I gave Ryan's hand a squeeze to let him know that I agreed with Kelsi one hundred ten percent.

He beamed brilliantly. He deserved to feel good about himself after single-handedly writing and choreographing such an amazing piece.

"Kelsi, how has Juilliard been for you so far?" I prompted.

"Fine. I get ignored for the most part, so no one ever messes with me." Despite the lack of sadness in her voice, that still didn't sit right with me.

"Well, you know, you can always come hang with us," I offered. "We've got an apartment in New York City. And these awesome neighbors!"

"Yeah, absolutely!" Ryan chimed in. "How does that sound?"

"That does sound great," Kelsi began, "but I still have all of this music to work on, not to mention-"

I cut her off. "Ryan and I will kidnap you before we'll let that nasty work hold you hostage."

She averted her gaze, a rosy tint coloring her cheeks. A sheepish smile of amusement played on her lips. "Oh, alright."

Ryan gave her a friendly nudge and I laid a hand on her shoulder. She laughed softly, her cheeks still flushed. I exchanged a glance with Ryan and I could tell that we both knew that everything was okay again.

A/N: Celeste is sort of based off of the character with the same name in the second "Glee" novel. Everyone else is an original character. Ryan's song, "Scintillate", is also an original work of mine.

I'm sure, however, that everyone already knows that I have absolutely NO claims on anything recognizable. That said, everything has gone really well for Troy and Ryan up to now. However, life is always unpredictable. What will be on the table for the lovebirds next chapter?

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this work and others of mine up to now. You guys really motivate me and appreciate me and my gratitude is beyond measure. Seriously, thank you all so much. I'm not sure I would still be writing so passionately if it wasn't for my readers.