Chapter 3
At School.
I dribbled up to Chad during free period work-out. "Hey man." I called.
"Hey, captain. What do I need to work on now?" He joked.
"Umm, those free pointers could use a little work." I decided to go along with his joke.
"Oh really then," Chad chortled. I shot the ball from the three point line. Swish! Haha, shows you Chad!
"That's how you shoot a three point shot. Anyway, have you asked your mom about Aruba yet?" I could tell by his facial expression that he had forgotten.
"Sorry, man." Chad said. "I forgot. I had to study for next period's test."
"Well, be sure you ask her tonight, because my mom wants to know how many tickets she has to buy." Oh, man! I didn't remember that we had a test. If I fail my dad will kill me.
"OK. Cool– "
The intercom sounded. "Troy Bolton, please report to the office. Troy Bolton go to the office."
"Ooohh, Troy's in trouble," Chad announced loud enough for the whole school to hear. The team started to laugh.
"All right guys, I'll see you later. And, Chad, don't forget to ask!" I jogged up to the office.
Office.
"Troy?" The secretary, Miss Carter, said.
"Yeah?" I replied, walking over to her.
"Troy, your dad fainted last period. An ambulance came and he was taken to the St. Joseph's Hospital. We tried to get you sooner, but..."
What is happening here? Is my dad OK?
"...we called your mom. She's on her way from work and will be picking you up on her way to the hospital. You can wait for her over there." She said., pointing toward a long wooden bench.
"OK." I said absentmindedly.
I'm really scared for Dad. Does this have anything to do with Mom crying yesterday? I thought he just had low blood-sugar. My mom pulled up in her red Honda just in time, saving me from my stirring thoughts.
In the car.
The silence in the car was deafening. I just had to say something. "Mom? Did any of these things with Dad have anything to do with your crying yesterday?"
"Wait? Troy, has this happened before?" My mom said, obviously flustered. I remembered how firm my dad was about not telling Mother about yesterday's events. But this is serious. My dad's in the hospital.
"Yeah, yesterday, when I went out to talk to Dad, I found him lying on the ground with Minnie running around him. It was obvious that he had passed out. I was so afraid. I promised Dad I wouldn't tell you." I confessed.
"Troy, you should have come and got me right away. I don't blame you, though." She said soothingly.
"Mom, tell me the truth here. What's wrong with Dad, and is he gonna be OK?" I really wish someone could tell me what was going on.
"There's something your father and I have been meaning to tell you."