Title: A Chaotic Mess of Pastels
Author: Me!
Rating: I'm not too sure about the new rating system but I would say this is about…PG-13.
Feedback: I'd love me some it!
Summary: Troy Bolton finally has life all figured out as his junior year wanes. However, his perfect world is in jeopardy as he discovers his past.
Disclaimer: I own not High School Musical or the songs or Zac…but if I did…heheheh. Wow! I don't own much. Wait! I do own Adele Carson!
This is not edited!
Chapter Three
Slam!
The noise echoed in the boys' locker room. Troy was completely unfocused. He should have known that such would happen. His day didn't start out as planned. Why would his day want to go any other way but down from there? Plus, seeing Adele's face was something of a surprise to see. It had been twenty months or so…give or take a few days. He never expected something like that to really rattle at his core like it did.
It made sense and then again it was confusing. He was over her. She was out of his life. She never called him back after Winter Break when she came to visit him. The relationship had been fizzling in late November of sophomore year. He had first suspected cheating but that wasn't her; not in his worst nightmares would Adele do something like that. No. It was something different.
He never tried to call her back.
Troy wasn't in to phone tag. It made him insane. She left him a message. He left her a message. She just missed him as he went to practice. He just missed her as she went to practice. It just couldn't work. Though, it could have.
No. He was afraid to call her back when she left him the voicemail about a new arrangement in the relationship. She wanted to break up with him – he knew it. What else could 'arrangement' mean other than a new arrangement as best friends again? But he wouldn't stand for being the 'best friend' again. He hated it. He had varsity basketball to look forward to at the time. The worse was that the Trinity was broke. Chad, Adele, and himself included were the best of friends. There wasn't a moment that they didn't spend together. Even when they were dating, Chad was there…not always but sometimes. The Three Amigos were destroyed because she had to move away.
"Damn it," He swore to himself as his body trembled and vision blurred. He wasn't getting upset, was he? "I'm not. I have Gabi. She is wonderful!" He concentrated.
Taking a deep, calming breath, Troy went to the fitness room and found Chad easily enough among the few other people there. His best friend was by the weights. "I think it's time to move up to the thirty pounders." And so he began his bicep curls.
"Go for it," Troy had yet to tell Chad about the NYC trip or seeing Adele on T.V. Would he be upset? He started in on Phase One of his workout regime. It was simple enough. Stretches and some basic cardio. Doing push-ups, performing knee raises, and jump roping were the norm for him. All things that could get done quickly. The two went into a hush as the focus on starting their off-season training kicked in.
It felt like lying if he didn't tell Chad about any of it. However, he never told his best friend and teammate about his private passion for singing. Once Phase One was through and over with, Troy went about Phase Two with twenty minutes to spare and five for showering up. Forty-five minutes seems like barely enough time typically but now, he realized how much that really was.
"Yo, Chad. You know this morning?"
Chad toweled his forehead. "Yeah. It's when the sun comes out and I must awaken. What was Darbus talking about anyway?"
"Last night, at the cast party, she came by to tell everyone that she got permission to take thirty students who were either in Drama Club or the play to go to NYC to see some musicals and talk to some actors in a workshop. All over Spring Break I should mention. A few days I think."
"Hmm. Are you going to do it?"
Troy shrugged his shoulders as he went about doing some push-ups. "I don't know. Gabi wants to. I'm sure I could get permission but -"
"Then go for it," Chad found a nearby bench and laid down upon it.
"But we decided to just chill out for those few days with nothing to do but watch T.V., play X-Box 360 and sit on our butts." Grunted Troy.
"Yes but why pass up the chance to go away with your girlfriend? Unless there's something else going on?"
Chad seemed to forever know how to push Troy's buttons and strike a chord in him. Forgoing any last ditch effort to squeeze in his routine, Troy shut down Phase Two. He would just run longer for the last phase of exercising.
"There is something really going on here. Uh…this morning, on Good Morning, America, I saw Adele." He whispered her name.
"Really?" Chad got serious for a second.
"Yes,"
His fellow teammate scrunched up his face. "How was she?"
"I don't know. I didn't watch the whole thing. Good, I suppose." Troy swiped the sweat off his brow that was beginning to bead.
"Cool. I taped it to watch when I get home."
"Why would you do that? How did you know she would be on?"
He really needed to hear this.
"You forget that she was my friend too. Her parents are still friends with my parents. As I am sure hers are with yours. Besides, I-" Chad stopped himself before he said something more – something incriminating.
"You what! Spill it." Troy stood up to his full height, towering over his seated comrade.
"I…," Chad took a deep breath, "she called me up a few days ago. I never really lost touch with her, man."
As if the world could suddenly be any heavier right now. "What?"
"I'm sorry, dude. We never lost touch. We don't talk every day or anything…"
"How muchdo you talk?"
"I just said-"
Troy shut his eyes tight. The room wasn't a room. Chad wasn't Chad. "How many times?"
"Every two weeks or so."
Never could a place filled with over a thousand students seemed so small. This school was getting very compact. This room was very still and tight. It all was sucking into him as he drew a breath. Adele had abandoned him all along. He was right all along.
"When was the last time to talked to her?"
Chad stood up, making his way to the locker rooms. He muttered something under his breath. Troy intently followed Chad to his assigned gym locker. "What was that? Don't think I quite heard you."
"Friday – before your opening night."
An odd sensation brewed within Troy. It burned his heart and made his stomach tingle. His hands itched to hit something. He resisted that delicious urge.
"I'm sorry," Chad started.
Troy held up his hand to silence his supposed friend.
"What? Don't play this with me. She wasn't only yours you know."
Troy fumed silently as he wrenched open his locker. He went about going to the showers, however, a hand gripped his shoulder, halting him.
"You do know she wasn't your and yours only, right?"
He grumbled a 'yes'.
"Well, then why are you so upset? She called you. I know that. And I also know the whole story between your falling out so don't try to spin her into some neglectful girlfriend. She wasn't. She could have tried harder – yes. But so could you. Now, what I want to know is why you're so upset about me still talking to her?"
The captain of the East High Wildcats basketball team sighed, leaning against a nearby wall of lockers. "I have no idea."
"You better get one. I still love having her as a friend and talking to her. She's still the same old Addie." Chad lowered his voice, "You miss her. Admit it." He walked away.
Troy was left feeling drained and it wasn't even lunch yet. He headed for the showers and made hasty business of cleaning up. He wasn't too sure what happened just now. He was angry – he was sure of that. But then there was something else in the pit of his stomach.
Shaking himself off, Troy changed, ran down to get his books from his locker, and (out of breath) waited for Gabriella outside of the SCA room. Taylor had been trying her best to persuade his new friend to join Student Council.
"Oh, hey, Troy." Her voice lilted, calming his fraying nerves. He couldn't resist the urge. Wrapping his arms around her small frame, Troy held tight to his girlfriend – his Gabi. He could feel her squeeze him back. They parted.
"That was nice," Smiled Gabriella as she held his hand. The new 'it' couple made their way over to Troy's next class.
"It was. I was wondering if you really wanted to try and go on the Drama trip."
Gabriella's smile light her face. "Oh, I'd love that. I saw 'Hairspray' with my mother in California. It was amazing. I think seeing some plays in New York – on Broadway – would be remarkable."
"If you're really that excited…"
"I am." She pulled him towards Mrs. Darbus' room. "Hello, Mrs. Darbus."
The teacher was seated on the stage, scribbling down some notes in her grade book. "Ah, Ms. Montez. What brings you here to this sanctuary of the arts?"
"Troy and I would like the information about the school trip."
Darbus peered over her huge spectacles at Troy with a bit of interest. "Mr. Bolton? You are interested as well?"
"Yes," He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "I am. Could we have the papers, please?"
Darbus glided off the stage and over to her teacher's table. Many pieces of information packets were lined neatly. She grabbed two. "Here you are. If you are able to give me your acceptance or declination tomorrow or sooner, I would greatly appreciate it. We only have seven spots left from all those who have already reserved their seats."
Troy cleared his throat. "Okay," he took his folder packet, "we have to go."
"Thank you," Gabriella called as they rushed towards their next classes. "I'll see you soon." She kissed his cheek and separated.
"Yeah,"
His next two classes passed by slowly. It was like his life was now hazy. Everything was glazed over – frozen in a never-ending succession of motions that needed to be completed for life to go on. But that was it. Life wasn't moving on. Questions he hadn't asked himself in over ten months were starting to ghost through his thoughts. What if he saw her again? Would all those old feelings he had harbored in his heart for so long in eighth grade resurface? Would she still talk to him? Would he still talk to her? Could they be friends? Could things just go back to the way they used to be? What if his head exploded from all the inquiries?
Having a hard time lifting himself out of his desk, Troy heaved and stumbled to the only place where he could find peace.
Up on the botany roof that the Science Club tended was the only place, other than the gym, where he was able to focus and clear his mind. He sat down on the bench, opened his bag lunch, and stared out at the azure sky and emerald fields. The white puffs of cotton clouds lazily wafted across the sky. He could feel his lips tugging into a grin.
This was the way he should be. Happy and contemplating how to convince his parents – and himself – to go to New York City.
"There you are. Leaving me to fend for myself against Taylor. I don't know how much longer I can resist her attempts of forcing me on the council."
He looked up and saw Gabriella, curls dancing in the wind, approach him. She sat down beside him. Her hand lay delicately on his shoulder. "What's going on?"
Nothing too much. Just the fact that his last girlfriend's image had appeared in his life, unbalancing his routine. "Nothing. Just thinking."
Inwardly, he groaned. He just lied to Gabriella for the first time. He didn't like it but what else would he do? Tell her that the one he once loved with his whole being had stepped back into his life?
"About what?"
"How I'm going to convince my parents to let me go along."
She squealed in excitement. "You're really going to go! Wow! Thank you. There are so many things that we'll be doing there! Going to the Empire State Building, visiting the Statue of Liberty, going to plays like 'RENT', 'The Producers', 'Avenue Q', and 'Wicked', and some new musical called 'Two Tables and a Line'."
"Okay, okay, okay. Calm down." Troy chuckled. "You're welcome. This wasn't about you…only. I think I'm starting to like musicals."
