AN: New chapter!

The time line of this movie is messed up – it's like they never had weekends or something – but lets just pretend that Chad talked to Taylor about 'the plan' on Friday and it happened on Monday. We can just change the "so we start tomorrow?" line by Chad to "so we start Monday?" so this makes sense. Okay? Great.

Title: Basketball Superstar's Diary
Rating: K+
Author: MadiWillow
Summary: Troy's mom give him a diar-journal for Christmas, which he inadvertently finds himself writing in as his life turns upside down.
Genre: Romance/Humor
Chapter: Chapter 4

Thursday, January 13th

I'm really mad at my dad. Like, I can barely even fathom it.

I should be doing my Biology homework right now, I really should. But I don't get it since I didn't take notes on Tuesday or Wednesday, and we just watched a boring movie today. So I'm writing my feelings in you instead.

So Gabriella and I both rehearsed with Kelsi today, thought at different times. I rehearsed by myself this morning (and someone tried to open the door while I was singing – wonder who it was?), and then at lunch I practiced with Kelsi. We both started getting really into it; she started singing along with me – and she's pretty good, too – while I used one of those furry drumsticks for the bass drums as a microphone.

Kelsi also told me that Gabriella had come in during free period and that she'd almost had a confrontation with Sharpay in the bathroom.

Then after school, I completely forgot about basketball practice (no, I swear, I really did) and volunteered to help the Drama Club continue making sets for the musical. And, surprise, Gabriella was there! She was sitting a table making clothes with some other girl while I painted boxes (I really wanna know the plot of this musical). We kept smiling at each other the whole time.

Of course, I remembered about practice five minutes before it was due to end. So I quickly changed and by the time I got in the gym, everyone was done. Chad gave the ball to me, roughly (I guess he's mad) and I told my dad I was going to practice free throws. And he's all "Yeah, your team deserves your effort because you missed practice" or something along those lines. Then he left.

So I was shooting free throws, you know, making them all, when Gabriella came in. She goes, "So this is your real stage" which I thought was a weird analogy. So I said, "Yeah, or it's a smelly gym," because, you know, it did smell, since practice had just ended.

Then Gabriella had me give her the ball and she scored, so I was like, no way. She can't be a good singer, good basketball player, and smart. So I was all, "Don't tell me you're good at hoops too."

And she's like, "You know, I once scored 41 points in a league championship game." I was all, "No way!" and she goes, "Yeah, and in the same day I invented the space shuttle and microwave popcorn."

So I was like, oh, I get it. She's kidding.

I took the ball from her and said, "Microwave popcorn, haaa, funny," and she giggled.

I love her laugh.

I scored another free throw and she told me she'd been rehearsing with Kelsi, and I said I had too, and that I missed practice and if I get kicked off the team she should feel guilty.

She freaked out and was all, "Hey, I wasn't the one who told you to-," and I felt bad for joking with her like that so I said, "Gabriella, chill."

Then she took the ball from me and started running with it, and I tried to inform her that that was travelling, but she didn't seem to care. I had to make my mission to stop her, so I chased her and picked her up, swinging her around. She was laughing and I loved it. I probably would've kissed her...

... if my dad hadn't walked in then. He was like, "Miss, this is a closed practice."

I very slowly, very reluctantly took my arms away from around Gabriella's waist, and said, "Dad, come on, practice is over."

He said, "Not until the last player leaves the gym, team rule."

Which is not a team rule.

But Gabriella didn't know that, and was all, "Oh, I'm sorry sir."

Then I introduced them and Gabriella held out her hand, but my dad was just like, "Ah, your detention buddy."

Gabriella probably felt bad, because she gave the ball back to me and said, "Uh, I'll see you later Troy. Nice meeting you, Coach Bolton" and then just TOOK OFF.

Even though my dad called out, "It was well, Miss Montez," as she was running, I totally don't blame her.

So then I was like, "Dad, detention was my fault, not hers." It was so far from her fault. The reason those six people in my homeroom got detentions was ALL MY FAULT.

Then he's all, "You haven't missed practice in three years." Yeah, because you never let me. "That girl shows up-,"

That part made me mad. "That girl is named Gabriella," I retorted. "She's very nice."

"Well helping you miss practice doesn't make her very nice. Not in my book, or your teams." There he goes with that stupid teamwork thing.

"Dad, she's not a problem! She's just a girl!" I was really getting pissed at him.

"But you're not just a guy, Troy! You're the team leader. What you do effects not only this team, but the entire school. And without you completely focused, we're not gonna win next week. Championship games, they don't come along all the time. You're something special."

Way to make me feel guilty, dad.

"Yeah, well, a lot of things are special, dad," I told him nastily. I felt good after that. Score one for Troy.

"But you're a play maker. Not a singer." My dad laughed at that.

Okay, take that point off for me.

"Did you ever think maybe I could be both?" I asked him angrily. He had no response to that, so I guess I got that point back.

So now I'm home.

And pissed.

Saturday, January 15th

Okay. So yesterday, before school, Chad followed me to the library where I had to start work on a research paper and was trying to get me to not want to be in the musical.

Well, it didn't work.

I've actually been spending my free time working on a choreography for Breaking Free, the duet Gabriella and I have to sing for callbacks. Normally I wouldn't have time, but my dad is mad at me and isn't making me practice basketball, so I have a lot of free time.

Score!

Monday, January 17th

Okay, I have no idea what's going on now.

My life has gotten so complicated so quickly, I feel as though my head is going to explode.

So today, Chad kept reminding me all day about this "emergency, mandatory team meeting" at "exactly 12:05" so I was pretty curious about that.

But it turned out to be some stupid thing about Wildcat legends and all the team captains that had led their teams to championships – including my dad – and how the only reason they'd won was because they had been focused. They made me so angry that I said some really terrible stuff about the musical and Gabriella, and I felt awful. I prayed she would never find out.

Anyway, then the team dragged me outside where there was, like, some sort of rally going on. Everyone was dancing to the Wildcat theme song and the team put me on their shoulders. But the only thing I could was 'um okay... I wanna talk to Gabriella before lunch is over...'

So when they finally put me down, I went inside and found Gabriella at her locker. I put on my usual charm and leaned against the locker next to hers and was like, "Hey, how ya doin'?" She didn't answer me, so I thought that was weird. Then I told her I wanted to talk about something and she said the weirdest thing:

"And here it is. I know what it's like to carry a loop with your friends. I get it. You've got your boys, Troy. It's okay. So we're good."

The only thoughts running through my head were, what does this have to do with a dance to Breaking Free?

So I was like, "Good about what? I was going to talk to you about the final callbacks."

And she's like, "I don't wanna do the callbacks either." WHAT? "Who are we trying to kid? You've got your team, and now I've got mine. I'll do the Scholastic Decathlon and you win the Championship. It's where we belong." Then she gave me her song sheet for Breaking Free and added, "Go Wildcats."

I was like, "But I-,"

And she closed her locker and said, "Me neither" before walking away.

So this must be how rejection feels like.

I'm so upset right now. I have no idea what I did. I was so upset that when the team was outside playing ball, I opted to run around the track a few times instead. And I hate running.

Then I came home and was trying to practice, but I only made, like, five out of thirty shots. I don't think I've ever been this down before.