Okay, I'm updating so much because I have no homework and a bunch of free time.

Anyway, glad to know everyone likes this!

Chapter 6

"Bolton?"

Tip turned his head to look at Ms. Darbus instead of the floor. She caught her breath at the sight of his face. It was true, she liked Tip far better than Troy. He wasn't as loud, and he always spoke up in her class, giving the right answers. Although she treated him as she did the other Boltons of the school, she knew that Tip was her favorite Bolton brother.

"Can you read next?"

He nodded and read out loud from the book they were reading, "The Pearl," by John Steinbeck. She didn't listen to Tip reading it though. She looked at him, analyzing him. She could start to see where he looked like his father, but his attitude was his mother's. She refused to believe that he had been beat up. When Jack had told her, she knew Tip wouldn't have gotten in a fight. It just wasn't his nature.

But, then again, Tip was related to his brother.

She knew Troy was a good kid, but she had never trusted his eyes. She knew that was what everyone commented on when talking to Jack. "You're boys have the same eyes!" Ms. Darbus didn't see it. She didn't think they looked the same. Tip's looked more friendly and kind than Troy's, they always had.

Looking at Tip now, she couldn't believe that he had been the reason she disliked Jack from the start. Before the drama/basketball feud between them, she disliked Jack because Tip had dropped a basketball in her flowers, and Jack just told her to get new ones.

Tip's voice broke her concentration. "Should I read more?"

Ms. Darbus shook her head. "No, that's enough Tip. Ginger, why don't you read."

Tip's eyes fell to the ground and it looked as if he wasn't paying attention. Had he been Troy, Ms. Darbus would have yelled at him for not reading along, but this was odd for the younger Bolton. The door opened, and Tip didn't look up. Ms. Darbus kept her eyes on him, but looked toward the person in the doorway, who happened to be Troy.

"My dad," was all Ms. Darbus heard of Troy's request. Tip's head jerked up at the sound of Troy's voice. His face worried, and his eyes searching the room for an escape. Ms. Darbus looked back to Troy with her eyes narrowed. She had never seen someone look so scared.

"Repeat that Bolton," she said.

"My dad needs Tip," Troy said, staring her in the eye. Troy had learned how to do that, it seemed, from the rehearsals. Ms. Darbus didn't scare him, like she did most of the student body.

She looked at Tip. His lip was quivering and he was shaking, although the class didn't take notice. Most of them were looking at Troy with wide eyes. "I'm afraid that's impossible Bolton," she said to Troy, while still keeping her eyes on Tip. "We're in the middle of an important reading. You're father can do his basketball mumbo jumbo later during your practice."

Troy opened his mouth, but Ms. Darbus beat him to it. "I know your father has free period now, but I'm afraid it will have to wait. Now get out of my classroom before I give you a detention."

Troy rolled his eyes and looked to Tip, shaking his head before walking out the door, slamming it hard on the way out. The freshman – whose eyes had gotten wider from the scene that played before them – looked back into their books when Ms. Darbus turned around. Every freshman but Tip, who looked up at Ms. Darbus in gratitude.

He was the only one in the class besides Ms. Darbus that knew his father didn't have free period until next block.

But his face also held fear. Fear that she knew something was wrong and fear that she might have just saved him from another beating.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Gabriella looked up at Troy, but his eyes weren't focused on her. They were looking at a wall at the back of the auditorium. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. His arms encircled her shoulders and he kissed the top of her head.

"Troy, are you okay?" she asked.

He was silent for a moment before answering with nonchalant "yeah."

"You just seem different, distant."

"I'm fine Gabriella," Troy said, with a smile. "Really, I'm fine."

"Okay," Ms. Darbus yelled. "Run it from the top! Bolton come here!"

He jumped off the stage and stood by her side. "Sit down," she instructed before yelling again. "Ryan! I want you to do Arnold!"

Troy's eyes widened. "What?" he asked.

"Sit down and watch Ryan. You're too stiff," Ms. Darbus told him. In truth, he was a great actor, far better than either Ryan or Sharpay if that was possible. She just didn't want him up there, after she saw the look on Tip's face when he had walked into her classroom that morning.

Troy rolled his eyes and watched Ryan play Arnold, the character he had won fair and square. Ryan seemed just as confused as Troy. He was Ernesto, Arnold's sidekick like best friend, and he had to play both parts, which made Troy laugh because it looked like Ryan was talking to himself for most of the rehearsal.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Tip laid on a table in the cafeteria, his head dangling over the edge with all the blood rushing to it. "Tip this is where we eat," Chad moaned walking in with most of team. "Get off!"

But, Tip didn't hear Chad, he heard Troy. His body tensed and his breathing went out of whack as he scrambled off the table. He rolled off the table, landing on the ground with a loud thud. Hissing in pain, he backed up into the wall. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Don't hurt me."

Chad, Zeke, and Jason exchanged looks before running over to Tip. "Tip, it's me, Chad. Are you okay?"

Tip's head jerked back and forth, searching for the familiar face he had learned to fear. "Where's Troy?" he asked, shaking.

"He's at rehearsal," Zeke said. "Why?"

Tip shook his head violently. "It's nothing. I'm...he's...nothing."

"What?" Jason asked.

"It's nothing!" Tip yelled, pushing himself off the ground. Knowing something was wrong, Chad reached up to pull him back down. He grabbed on to Tip's forearm, but immediately let go when he yelped in pain. Zeke jumped up and grabbed him around the stomach so he couldn't get away, but that made Tip crumple to the floor, tears streaming down his face.

Chad pushed the sleeve of Tip's shirt up as Tip struggled to get away from Zeke who was holding him down.

Ooh...are they going to find out? And what about Darbus?

Tell me what you think!

Review!