Nothing hurt Troy worse than being sore after practice.
Without hesitation, he began to slowly slip back and miss practice. He even missed a couple games.
He started skipping class.
He blew off homework.
He threw away make-up work.
Troy needed a break from life. But he couldn't get it. So, for a couple weeks, he decided that it shouldn't hurt his perfect record too badly.
Wrong.
His first appearance back at school made him look like an idiot.
The second he stepped inside the building…
"Troy Bolton, report to the office."
He groaned.
As he entered the office, a looming chair smiled at him as if to say "sit or die".
So, he sat.
The office was filled with white, and nothing but it. The only lonely color in the room was Troy and a red rose sitting on the counter. Even the people seemed to have white hair, but actually, they were all brunettes that taught strict rules and had seen a couple slackers like Troy in their days.
But, they didn't care. All they wanted was money. They pumped more and more money out of students' bank accounts and drained their parents' accounts, leaving the family with no money. Everyone was broke.
What did the students get out of this?
Students graduated with a piece of paper that named what they were going to be every single solitary day for the rest of their lives and a "Congratulations".
A lady approached the front desk and looked over the rim of her glasses at Troy. "Troy Bolton?"
"Yeah."
"Mr. Northshore wants to see you."
He stood up and walked with the lady back to the head owner's office.
While he walked, he couldn't help but think "Damn, she's got a nice ass".
The nice-assed lady opened the head owner's door and shut it behind him.
Mr. Northshore was a big and fat guy with a jolly personality. He had a brown beard and was slowly balding on the top of his head. He had a great alliance with the coaches of the teams, which meant he knew that Troy was slacking.
"Mr. Bolton… " Mr. Northshore flipped through a couple papers on his desk. "I remembered going to your high school game and watching you tear up that field. And I remember interviewing you when you accepted our request to come visit the college."
Troy nodded. "I remember too. Best day of my career."
Mr. Northshore smiled a little and chuckled. "May I ask you a couple questions?"
"Sure, go ahead."
He gestured to the chair, and Troy sat down immediately. He sat back.
"This says you're from Ohio, is that correct?"
"Yes, I'm from Ohio."
"Do you live here in Baton Rouge?"
"Yes."
"What are you planning on doing when you get out of college?"
Troy folded his hands. "I'm planning on going into the NFL, maybe, if I make it. If not, I'm studying mechanical tech right now."
He grinned. "Good thing you have a backup. It's always good to have a backup."
Troy nodded.
"Now, I was looking at your grades. I've seen them drop drastically in the past couple weeks. You've went from straight A's to straight D's and F's."
Troy hung his head.
"Is there anything going on right now? Are you having stress problems or are in a bad living situation?"
"No sir, I… Needed a little break, I guess?"
"That's no excuse, Mr. Bolton." Mr. Northshore sighed. "I can tell something is going on. People who have always had good grades just don't drop letters because they need a break. So, tell me. What's going on?"
"Nothing Mr. Northshore."
"Come on, everything is confidential."
Troy sighed. "It is a very long story. I don't have the time to really tell it."
Mr. Northshore sighed again. "Okay, anyway, the circumstance is getting very bad. If you don't bring your grades, I'm afraid you'll have to retake the classes."
Troy bit the inside of his mouth gently.
"I know."
"You don't seem too concerned."
"If I fail, I fail. I'll just have to retake the class."
Mr. Northshore leaned over the desk a little. "Mr. Bolton, I know you have that little boy to take care of. Talon, I believe is what you told me his name was."
"Yeah, Talon."
"He should be at the top of the list right now. His health, his care, well-being, everything. Since his mother isn't here, he depends on you. If you don't graduate, how are you going to support him? There is a very good chance of you not getting a job if you drop out now. You'll have no money, no job, no house, nothing."
Troy felt like a complete failure.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Northshore. I need to go- "
"Just think about that, son. You have someone else to take care of now, not just yourself." He shuffled some of the papers on his desk. "Dismissed."
Troy noticed he was by himself in the hallway.
One thing that Troy hated was being by himself.
He had been finding solace by himself, lately.
He stood there, a crowd of air, walls, and ceilings pushed into him as if he was a tiny rock on the huge Earth. He was the lone wolf that howled for the pack to find him.
But nobody answered.
Whispers suddenly greeted him.
He wasn't scared. He knew exactly who it was.
"Gabs, baby, I know you're there." He said, feeling like he said it to himself.
He could slightly make out the words "I'm right here".
A smile spread across his face. "Somebody's going to think I'm going mental if I stand here and talk to you with 20 cameras facing me. But I guess that doesn't matter."
He could hear ghastly breathing in front of him. It did scare him a little, but he kept the faith that it was really Gabriella. He knew it was. It had to be.
He held his hand out a little. It entered a cloud of complete cold. The cold gathered around his hand and tightened up, the cloud becoming more tightly packed together.
Troy could tell she was holding his hand.
The breeze floated around his body, chilling him all the way to the bone. It was the kind of cold that made your bones hurt. He shivered as the cold sliced deeper and deeper, like a knife cutting some flesh. It got so cold that he had to zip his jacket up.
A weird feeling came across him. He felt as if she was trying to tell him something.
If it was actually Gabriella.
Someone entered the building, and Troy withdrew his hand and placed it at his side.
This person looked particularly familiar.
The guy kind of glared at him. He had a head of auburn hair and a set of hazel eyes. His face was long and skinny, but his cheeks puffed out slightly right below his eyes. He was about Troy's age, maybe 18 or 19.
He was way too familiar…
The guy squinted at Troy, and then with a chuckled, crossed his arms. "Troy Bolton. I never thought I would see you again."
Troy raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
The guy rolled his eyes. "Avery Leech."
Troy couldn't put his finger on who Avery Leech was.
"Ally's boyfriend."
"Oh." Troy nodded. "I remember you."
"Yeah, and I remember you. How did you get here?"
"College tour trip." Avery said. "You?"
"This is where I go to college at. I graduated already."
Avery looked down the hallway.
The cold tightened around Troy like it was trying to suffocate him.
"What's wrong, Gabs?" He whispered.
Avery looked down at his feet. "I have to catch up… " He said, and bolted down the hallway.
And the cold which was wrapped tightly around his subsided.
And there was no cold left…