CHAPTER 8

((Hey everybody! I love the reviews Im getting!Keep sending them!Its 530 right now I know I got some unexpected online time so hopefully 2 or 3 more chapters today let me warn you in weekdays ill be able to write more but maybe a chapter a day possibly less than that I wanna make this really long.. or I might end it sometime and write another one I haven't decided yet…R&R enjoy XOXO, Christine))

Losing Medicine

"What?" asked Gabriella. She had a feeling that Taylor knew everything.

"You and Troy must be so….I don't know how you'd feel about something like this," Taylor answered.

"About what?" Gabriella decided to pretend she didn't know what Taylor was talking about.

"The baby!" squealed Taylor.

"How..?"

"Oh, Troy got mad at Chad and started like beating him up. Well, not really. He just slapped him a lot blaming him because of the alcoholic punch. Then Chad called and told me."

"Really?" said Gabriella not the happiest with Troy at the moment.

"Oh, Gabby don't get mad at Troy," said Taylor energetically, "he was fighting for you."

"I didn't want Troy to tell the world, though," replied Gabby.

"He swore Chad to secrecy who swore me to secrecy. So only we know. We won't tell anyone. We promise."

"You better not," replied Gabby.

Troy and Gabriella were strolling through the halls of East High heading towards the theatre for free period rehearsal 3 weeks later. When they arrived there, Mr. Bolton was waiting for them. "Troy," he said, "you're coming to free period workout, now."

"I have rehearsal," replied Troy.

"Not anymore," said Coach Bolton. "You're skipping rehearsal, today."

"Why?" asked Troy.

"Don't question my decisions."

"Now, Bolton…." Began Miss Darbus.

"Don't now Bolton me, Darbus," Coach interrupted her.

"It's my day to have the boy practice for the musicale."

"Well, I'm his father. "I know what's best for him."

"Of course you do," replied Miss Darbus sarcastically.

"Dad," spoke up Troy, "I'll skip Free Period Workout, today. I have some serious practicing to do." Miss Darbus smiled at Troy's statement.

"Troy," snapped Bolton, "I thought you said that the musical wouldn't interfere with basketball. It is right now."

"You're making it interfere," retorted Troy.

"Troy," said Mr. Bolton. "I've been letting you miss some workouts for it, but I feel you aren't ready to play our next game against Claremont.(I made up the school) So, I have decided that you are not allowed to sing anymore. At least not until the season is over."

"You can't do that!" yelled Troy.

"I already did."

"Let's Go, Wildcats! Come on! Move it! You're slow! Claremont is faster than that!" Coach Bolton yelled at practice after school. Troy was supposed to be painting scenery for the musical, but since his father ad made the theatre and off limits territory, there was no way he could. Jack Bolton had pulled Troy out of the musical and had informed him that he had to set his mind on basketball and only basketball. He then casually had added that Troy was not allowed to go near the theatre ever. He had given the teachers strict orders to make sure he didn't ever go near the "Chapel of the Arts" as Miss Darbus called it. Troy thought he had gone way too far with that. Now, his dad was working him harder than ever at practice. Troy was getting short of breath and light-headed from the running, so he snuck off to the water fountain in the hall and enjoyed the sweet refreshing feeling of the water. Bad idea. When Troy went back into the gym, everyone was staring at him. "You know, Troy," said Coach Bolton from across the gym, "I don't allow water breaks. Do you think it's fair that while everyone else is working hard, you're slacking in the hallway?"

"Sorry, Coach," Troy mumbled.

"So, to make up for the part of practice that you missed, you have sprint suicides for the rest of practice. (I hope everyone knows what they are.. I'm a bball player so I run them all the time)Don't let me see you going slow," Coach Bolton said to him. "Now, go." Troy just stared at him. "Now!" he yelled.

Troy ran for an hour. At the end of practice, he tore out of there to avoid his dad. He was showered and dressed before some of the guys had even started to get ready to shower. Usually, the guys talked in the locker room but Troy just went off on his on. He quickly went up to the secret spot. Gabriella was waiting for him. She gave him a hug.

"I'm quitting the musical," she said. "I'm not gonna sing with anybody except you."

"I'm gonna sing," Troy said. "My mom supports the musical. I'll complain to her about my dad, and she'll talk to him about it. If that doesn't work, then I'm quitting basketball."

"No," Gabriella gasped. "Don't quit what you love. It's not worth it."

"I don't love basketball," replied Troy. "I love singing. I thought I loved basketball, but it turns out I was completely wrong. I love singing and I love you."

"What happened at practice, today?" asked Gabriella as if she knew something bad happened.

"I had to run sprint suicides for an hour."

"Why? Won't that wear the team down?"

"The team didn't run them. I did."

"Why?"

"Because I was dehydrated and short of breath so I got a drink."

"He got mad at you for getting a drink of water?"

"Yep."

"He's crazy!"

"Something's wrong with Troy," said Chad to the whole basketball team. "He seems really depressed." The whole team was in the locker room discussing the events of that particular practice.

"He's probably just mad because he had to run suicides," said Jason. "That was brutal what coach did to him."

"Well Troy did get a drink and we never are allowed too," said TJ. (I made TJ up. He's just a random basketball man) "Just because his dad is a coach, he's not above the rules." Chad gave him a cold stare. "Just kidding," he added.

"Very funny,' said Chad still staring at him. "We have to find out what's wrong otherwise we don't stand a chance against Claremont. So, here's what we're gonna do. Jason, Zeke, and I will find out what's wrong. I have a feeling it's something to do with Coach. So, try to butter Coach up a bit. I don't have any ideas for you guys. Be creative. Got it, good." He stared at the team. "What team?" he shouted beginning the team cheer.

"Wildcats," everybody else mumbled.

"I can't hear you!" Chad yelled. "What team?" Everybody just stared. "Never mind. Just work on buttering up coach." He walked out.

Troy and Gabriella were kissing on the roof. Chad unknowingly came up with Zeke and Jason at his heels. "Oops," Chad said.

"Once again Chad demonstrates bad timing," said Troy annoyed. "What do you want?"

"To find out what's wrong," replied Chad. "We aren't stupid. There's something between you and you're dad and we wanna help because we're your friends and we need you for Claremont."

"Is that the only reason you guys talk to me?" asked Troy. "Because you need me for the latest game? Do you guys actually care about my feelings?"

"Troy, come on," replied Chad, "we've been best friends since preschool. That should speak for it self." Troy just stared. "We hate to see you like this."

"He made me quit the musical," Troy said not making eye contact. "Well he didn't make me quit, he walked up to Miss Darbus and said I was banned from the theatre."

"Oh know," said Chad. "This is great. We had this huge plan to come see you in the musical. Your dad's heard you sing. You're awesome."

"Not to my dad."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Jason.

"No," said Troy. "I'm gonna go to my mom for help. She'll be sympathetic. She has always wanted me to try something new."

"Okay, then," said Zeke. "We'll let you two resume. Here are some cookies I baked." He threw a giant bag of cookies at the two of them. The three guys quickly ran down the stairs.

"So what're we gonna do?" asked Jason when they were out of earshot.

"We're gonna help Troy with his plan, except he's not gonna know we're helping him. We're gonna butter up Coach," replied Chad. "Let's hope it will work."

Gabriella sat in her room doing her homework. Somebody knocked on her door. "Come in," she called. Gabriella open and closed the door.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," replied Gabby.

"Chad told me about Mr. Bolton making Troy quit the musical. I'm sorry."

"Chad tells you a lot. Doesn't he?" asked Gabriella.

"Yeah, he does. Sue him. We hope Troy's plan works and that Mr. Bolton will reconsider."

"I doubt it," replied Gabriella mournfully.

"Now that's not the way you should look at it," lectured Taylor. "Troy's mom might be able to convince him."

"Doubt it," said Gabby starting to cry. Being five weeks pregnant, her hormones were running high. "He has almost no time. The performances are next week."

"That's plenty of time," said Taylor. "Be positive, Gabby."

"I can't," cried Gabriella, getting up from her chair and running into the bathroom slamming the door. Taylor pounded on it.

"Come on, Gabby, open up."

"No!" Taylor waited for about an hour. Gabriella finally emerged. All her make up was smeared. "Taylor, I didn't know you were still here."

"I'm not giving up against your hormones," replied Taylor. Gabriella laughed.

$$$$$#$&(())))($#!#$&()+)(&$#!#$&()

Troy was out shooting some hoops. It was his old habit that used to calm him. Sinking some free throws used to be his medicine. Not any more though. Now his only medicine was singing. Singing and Gabriella. Mr. Bolton had taken away singing, and he disapproved greatly of Gabriella. Troy couldn't sink anything. He wasn't even close. He was chucking up air balls and it was reaching his last nerve. After the worst shot yet, he threw the ball at the fence and laid down in the grass. He had lost his medicine.

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((How'd everybody like it? Please review.. the next chapter should be up tonight some time.. I have to bake cookies now for my brother who is going back to college.. Just like Zeke…I'm open for ideas even though I have some of my own already.. I would love more. I hope you like everything so far. XOXO, Christine))