Where to Turn Chapter 3: Could This Day Get Any Worse?, a high school musical fanfic

Thanks for all your ideas! Some of them I had already been considering, so now I KNOW to use them! If anybody has anymore, their more than welcome!

Chapter 3. Can This Day Get Any Worse?

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Troy had barely made it through school that day. Almost all of his teachers had asked him if he was feeling alright. He just shrugged them off saying he was just tired. By the time he had to go to detention, his sides were throbbing.

"Ah, Mr. Bolton! Glad to see you. There's some curtain ropes that need replacing so you can start by taking the old ones down." Mrs. Darbus announced as Troy slowly walked into the auditorium.

'Great. Just what I need right now.' Troy thought as he dragged out the ladder and slowly made his way up it. He had decided earlier that morning that it was best not to tell anyone about what his dad had done the previous night. If he did, then his dad would be even madder. Plus, who would believe that the best coach the school had ever had would hit his own son? Besides, it might not happen again.

As Troy reached up to remove the ropes pain shot through his sides. Causing him to grimace. Luckily no one was looking. When he reached up again he tried as hard as he could not to yell out in pain. He just undid the ropes as quickly as he could and moved on to the next job Mrs. Darbus had for him.

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When Troy was done in detention he slowly made his way to the boy's locker room.

"Dude, I would not want to be in your shoes right now." Chad said when Troy stumbled into the locker room and plopped down on a bench.

"Why?" Troy asked groggily.

"Coach was furious when he heard you got detention! He said to tell you to come strait home." Chad said sitting down beside him.

"Great." Troy said putting his head in his hands.

"Hey, dude. Get some sleep tonight! You don't look so good." Chad said as Troy got up to leave.

As Troy walked home he tried to go as slow as he could. He did NOT want to get home in a hurry.

"Troy, wait up!" Gabriella yelled running after Troy.

"I thought maybe we could walk home together since you weren't feeling good." Gabriella said once she reached Troy's side.

"Thanks. Just remember to lay low when we get to my house. My dad's still a little P.O.'d from last night."

"And I'm sure it doesn't help that you got detention." Gabriella sighed.

"Yeah." Troy said softly.

"Anyway's thanks for walking with me!" Troy said trying to lighten the mood. He knew that the last thing he wanted was for Gabriella to worry about him.

"No problem. So, why are you REALLY so droopy today?" Gabriella asked still walking.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked, trying to hide the surprised look on his face.

"I mean that you are one lousy liar. I know it's not just from sleep loss." Gabriella said looking at Troy knowingly.

"I have no idea...still lying, right?" Troy asked when Gabriella continued to stare.

"Yup. Now spill."

"Look I went home last night, dad was mad, I made him even madder, he slapped me, I went to bed." Troy said as calmly as he could. He cut out the falling down the stairs part because as mentioned before, he didn't want Gabriella losing sleep over him. She was just to pretty for that.

"He slapped you?" Gabriella half-yelled.

"Only once. Besides, I was the one who pushed him to." Troy said trying not to make a big deal out of it.

'But still..."

"Gabriella, promise me you won't tell ANYONE! If my dad finds out he'll just get even madder at me." Troy said just as they came up to his house.

"Well, ok. As long as you promise to tell me if it gets any worse." Gabriellaasked. When Troy reluctatly nodded his head Gabriella gave him a quick kiss and the ranoff in the direction of her house.

Troy dreaded the long walk up the walkway. Today it seemed like it was miles long. Every step felt like it was his last. He had never been afraid of his father's temper tantrums before. But today, he was terrified of them.

Troy opened the door slowly, hoping to not give away the fact that he was home.

"Troy Zacery Bolton! We need to talk." a very angry voice behind him said.

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Lets see, should I leave you to wonder or not? Continue, or not? Continue, or not? Am I torturing you?

Let me see --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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---------------------------------------- Ok, enough of the torture. Here it is. :)

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"Second day of detention in a row." Jack said through gritted teethonce he and his son were in his office. "What is causing you to...wait. I know. It's that Gabriella girl isn't it?"

"She has nothing to do with it! I was late for class today! Why do you take your anger out on her, even when it's not her fault?" Troy yelled.

"You listen to me!" Jack yelled slamming his fist down on his desk. "If I ever see you with that bitch again, you'll wish you hadn't!"

"That's it! Stop calling her things no girl deserves to be called! And if YOU don't stop, I'll, I'll quit basketball!" Troy said mustering up all his courage to defend her like that.

"You'll what?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"You heard me. I'll quit. It used to be fun when it was just a hobby, now that you've made it my whole life, well let's just say I'd rather be singing!" Troy yelled proudly.

"You will play until I say you can stop! Even if it kills you!" Jack screamed before rushing over to Troy and again, backhanding him. Only this time, Troy went flying into a bookshelf.

"Maybe that'll teach you something."Jack said before stomping out.

Instead of getting up right away, Troy just laid there until he heard his dad go to bed. He wished his mom hadn't decided to go visit her sister that afternoon. Now he was stuck for the week with a dad from hell.

When he was sure his dad had gone to sleep, he slowly dragged his aching body from the pile pf heavy books that had come crashing down on him. After what seemed like forever, he had finally made it to his bathroom. When he pulled off his shirt, he found new bruises forming on top of the old ones. There was also a small gash in his back from one of the heavier books. He lightly dabbed away the blood that was around it. After he was sure the bleeding had stopped, he put some gauze around it and went to bed.