Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
A/N: I noticed that a bunch of you wanted to know what the One Tree Hill reference was. It was just the fact that they were going to basketball camp. I got the idea from Nathan going to High Flyers.
And yes, I changed the summary.
OMG, I'm totally watching HSM right now. That was really random. But I thought it was important. Lol
Anyway, this chapter is still kind of opening up the story, though there is some stuff that is important to the plot. Enjoy!
"Mmm, mom go away," Chad moaned, swatting away the pillow that Troy was dangling over his face. Ryan and Chris laughed, the former pulling a sleeveless shirt over his head. Chad's eyes snapped open, and his cheeks turned red. "What?"
"It's 6:35, time to get up," Troy said, walking over to his own bed and pulling his own shirt over his bare chest.
"It's too early," Chad muttered, flipping over and burying his face in his pillow.
"Come on, we have to get down to breakfast," Troy replied, throwing a shoe at his best friend.
"Ow!" Chad sat up straight, rubbing his head. "What the hell is your problem?"
Ryan and Chris laughed again.
"See you guys at breakfast," Ryan said, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leading Chris out into the hall.
"Come on, Chad, we're gonna be late," Troy said exasperatedly, slinging his own bag over his shoulder.
"I'll meet you there," Chad muttered, sliding out of bed and rummaging tiredly in his bag. He located a pair of shorts, which he then proceeded to put over his head.
"Good luck with that," Troy laughed, walking out the door and toward the dining hall.
"Alright, guys, circle up!" the young man standing in the center of the half of the gym allotted to his team said, looking down at his clipboard. They complied, and the coach turned slowly as he talked to them.
"My name is Coach Richards. Nick Richards. And you will hereafter be known as the Blue Team. Creative, I know." An appreciative chuckle ran around the group. Troy smiled to himself, wondering what team Chad was on.
"A little about myself: I was the captain of my high school's championship team three years in a row, went on to play at UConn, was drafted by the Spurs in the '98 draft, blew out my knee during a practice, and ended up coaching here." He paused, smiling slightly. "You guys are some of the best in the country, and you know that. But this is not the place for individual glory. We will learn to play as a team, and we will play as a team. With that said, today's practice is basically an opportunity to see what each of you can do. At tonight's practice you'll vote on two captains, who will help guide the team as we try to win the camp championship in four weeks."
Coach Richards paused, looking out at each player individually. "This is going to be a tough few weeks, but it will be well worth your effort if you try hard. With that in mind, I want to start with basic dribbling. Form two rows of 5, each row gets a ball. Dribble down to the line and back without losing the ball."
The players complied. Troy ended up in a line behind two other guys whom he was pretty sure he recognized from breakfast that morning. The coach handed the first two guys a ball, and blew the whistle.
Troy watched intently as the two players dribbled.
"These guys are really good," he heard the person behind him mutter to no one in particular. He found himself agreeing.
"What am I doing here?" he asked himself, all of sudden doubting his ability. A sudden headache began to form at his temples, and Troy felt lightheaded. Suddenly, the person in front of him was tossing him the ball, signaling that it was his turn. Shaking his head, Troy focused.
As he started down the line, his doubts vanished and he found himself handling the ball with ease. He reached the end and turned, dribbling back to the starting point. He handed the ball off, and headed to the back of the line. He was almost sure that he had gotten a nod of approval from the coach.
Troy stood in the lunch line, holding his tray and looking around for Chad. As he picked up a sandwich and a Gatorade, he finally spotted his friend, walking into the cafeteria with Ryan and another player. He waved them over, and they all sat down at a table after the other three had grabbed food.
"So, how was your day?" Troy asked, taking a huge bite of his sandwich.
Chad groaned. "Man, I don't know how you can be so happy. I feel like a truck ran me over and then some clowns dragged me out of the ditch and used me in their circus act."
Troy stopped chewing for a moment, looking at Chad. He suddenly burst out laughing, as did Ryan and the other player, who Troy had been introduced to as Mike.
"What?"
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Troy asked, swallowing.
"Shut up," Chad muttered, turning to his own food. Troy smiled, but all of a sudden the smile turned to a grimace.
"You okay?" Ryan asked, looking concernedly at Troy. Troy didn't answer but merely scrunched his eyes together in pain as he struggled to breathe. When he finally opened them, he found that he was seeing double and that his lungs hurt with every breath he took.
"Troy?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Troy muttered, putting a hand to his head.
"What's up?" Chad asked, looking up.
"Headache. It's nothing, forget it." Troy purposely left out the part about his lungs.
"How long have you had one?" Mike asked, the question seemingly random.
"All day, why?"
"It's just-you should tell one of the coaches if it gets worse. My aunt had a headache one day, and the next she was dead from a brain aneurysm."
"Thanks for the support," Troy whispered, looking at Mike.
"Sorry."
"You know what, it's nothing. It's gone now."
"Alright, guys, you've played together through two practices and a clinic," Coach Richards said, standing in the middle of his circle of players. "In 15 minutes we've got our first scrimmage, against the Red Team. Now it's time for us to pick our two captains." He took out ten slips of paper, handing one to each player. "Write down the name of the player you vote for, and give it to me. Be back here in ten minutes, and I'll announce the captains before the game."
The players complied, and then broke apart, most of them heading to the bleachers and their water bottles. Troy sat heavily down on the lowest bleacher, putting a hand to his chest in discomfort.
"You okay?" Kyle, the player who had led off Troy's line that morning, had walked over and was now standing in front of Troy.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."
"Good thing, man, 'cuz I saw you at practice and we could definitely benefit from your skills."
Troy smiled. "Thanks. You weren't lacking in the skill department, either, you know."
"Yeah, I try. So, where-"
A shrill whistle broke through his sentence, followed by Coach Richard's booming voice.
"Alright guys, let's get it together!"
The ten players gathered up, watching as several staff members pushed back the divider that separated the gym into two. The red team was walking into the gym, having come from the other gym used for the camp. The yellow team filed out the door, headed toward Gym 2.
"The captains are Troy Bolton and Kyle Larson. They'll be your leaders for the next four weeks, so whatever they say, goes. Got it? Good, suit up." He handed each player a blue jersey, which they pulled over their own t-shirts.
"Congrats," Kyle said, slapping Troy on the back.
"Yeah, you too."
"Alright, starters are Bolton, Larson, Evans, Michaels, and Scott. Get out there!"
Troy and Kyle led their players onto the court, standing opposite the other team. Several men and women holding clipboards and wearing jackets from various colleges had long since filed in, and were awaiting the tip.
"Remember guys, this is a scrimmage," the ref advised, holding the ball up. Troy faced off with one of the members on the red team. The ref put his whistle to his lips and blew, starting the game. Troy tipped the ball to one of his teammates, and the game was on.
"Nice work out there, Bolton," a middle-aged man said, walking up to him and shaking his hand.
"Thanks." Troy looked at the man, doing a double-take when he realized that the breast pocket of his polo shirt read "Duke."
"My name's Anthony White, I'm here from Duke."
Troy gaped, speechless.
"We get that a lot. I really think you've got a lot of talent, Troy. I just wanted to tell you that we're quite interested in you as a prospect for the team."
"Me?" Troy asked, still star-struck.
"Yes, you. I'll be watching you closely the next few weeks, and we're gonna send a few scouts to some of your games back home. I think you've got a good shot."
"Thanks," Troy whispered, shaking his hand.
"I've gotta go, but keep up the good work and there may be a spot for you on our team."
A/N: I'm just so evil. :D Troy's getting recruited by one of the best basketball colleges in the nation, and I have to go and ruin it, don't I…hehe
So, I hope you guys liked it! Reviews greatly appreciated, as always.
P.S.-That was a homage to RENT again, being that Kyle's last name is Larson. Jonathan Larson was pure musical genius. It's so sad that he died :(
Coming in Chapter 3: So, Duke wants Troy. But what's up with the freaky chest spasms and headaches? And will Chad ever get used to the early mornings?