Well, this came to me a while ago and I wanted to put it up. So here it is, The Tradition.

"Come on Mateo, shoot it!"

"But Daddy, what if it doesn't go in?"

Jack stood in the doorway smiling as Troy lifted his little boy in the air so the kid could shoot his first basket. He leaned against the door as Troy tossed the three-year-old in the air gently and remembered himself doing that with Troy after he had made his first shot.

"But Daddy, it's so big!"

Jack laughed as Troy looked up at basketball hoop. "What if it falls?"

"It won't Troy." Seeing the look on his son's face, he added, "I promise."

Jack picked up a basketball and handed it to Troy. The sight of it made him laugh. The ball was almost as big as Troy was. Troy dribbled the ball, hitting it with his clenched fist, about three times before the ball bounced out of his reach. The three-year-old sighed and looked longingly at the bouncing ball. Troy had held basketballs all his life, but this was the first actual sized one. The first one that made him feel like a big kid.

Troy walked over to the ball and put it in the little plastic hoop with ease. Then he realized that the little plastic hoop was at his head, and any of the big kids on his dad's team could make the shot easy. He looked up at the big hoop. "Daddy, I want to shoot in that one!"

Jack looked up at the hoop. "Are you sure Troy? It's pretty big."

Troy nodded his head with such force, he almost fell over. Jack laughed and walked over to the boy. He picked him up and put him on his shoulders and brought him to the hoop. "Shoot it Troy!"

Troy threw the ball in the air and it went in with grace. He smiled. "Did you see that?"

"Yes I did," Jack said as he put Troy down.

Troy had his head held high and his smile was from ear to ear. "I'm going to play for the NBA!"

"Really Troy?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna be number 14!"

"You're going to have to practice."

Troy's smile dropped and his eyes showed confusion. "What's practice?"

Jack laughed at Troy's puzzled expression. "When you shoot the ball at the hoop or dribble. It helps you get better."

"Oh, then I'll practice tons! I'm gonna be famous, and everybody's gonna know my name. Troy Bolton, basketball star!"

Jack smiled. "Someday, you might be famous if you work at it."

Troy smiled and looked toward the house. His mother was standing in the doorway. "Mom! I'm gonna be famous!"

"Really?" She said.

"Yeah! I'm gonna play in the NBA." He turned to his father. "Do you think I'm gonna play in the NBA?"

"Troy, I know you're going to play for East High, but you are going to have to practice if you want to play."

Troy nodded, but before long his brain thought of something better. "Wait until I tell Chad I can play basketball!"

"Grandpa!"

Jack looked up and saw a miniature Troyrunning toward him. "What is it Mateo?"

"I'm going to play basketball!"

Jack widened his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, Daddy taught me how."

Jack tried to act surprised and cover up his happiness. "Really?"

"Why don't you go tell Mommy, Mateo," came a voice from behind them. The happy three-year-old ran in the house yelling, "Mommy! Grammie!"

Jack watched the toddler disappear into the house and then looked back at Troy. "You know every time I see him I see you."

Troy laughed. "I hope you would, or I'd be having a word with Gabriella."

"I still can't picture you a dad."

Troy shrugged, "it happens."

Jack looked at the basketball court. "We've started a tradition on this court. First you, then Mateo."

"It's a fine court. I wanted him to have the same experience about learning the game as I did."

Jack walked down the stairs onto the court. "Whenever I step on this court, I see you jumping up and down yelling that you can't wait to tell Chad that you're going to be in the NBA."

"I didn't exactly make it to the NBA, did I?"

"No," Jack said. "But, you have priorities. I'm proud of you." He turned to Troy and smiled. "Imagine leaving Gabriella alone with that one while you went on the road."

"She wouldn't get any sleep."

"Come on Troy, let's head in. I'm sure Mateo's already devoured your cake."

"Yeah, I'll be in in a second."

"Okay Birthday Boy."

Jack walked to the house and turned around. Troy picked up the basketball, faked right and broke left -just like he was practicing with Jack- and the ball went in.

Jack smiled as Troy ran up to him. As he passed Jack into the house he said, "I still have it."

Jack just shook his head. "Troy, you will always have that talent," he said as he closed the door and walked into the house.

So...did you love it, hate it?

I just had that idea and wanted to put it down on paper. Before I started another chapter of "Stay Away from MY sister"

Tell me what you think!

Review!