Chapter 3
Thursday came around and Taylor spent every free moment trying to juggle her homework, the Decathlon team, and her new friendship with Gabriella. The last of which was turning out to be more of a hassle than she had expected. Gabriella was a great person but Taylor was worried that her obsession with Troy was distracting her from living up to her full potential. Then there was the musical audition, Taylor was more than happy to support her friend but she was also feeling selfish in wanting her to be apart of the Decathlon team not worrying about an audition. An audition that if Sharpay had her way wouldn't end with Gabriella and Troy playing the leads.
It was free period when Taylor and her friends were working on their preparation for the Decathlon and three uninvited boys entered their domain.
Taylor was standing on her own at the back of the room working on calculations when she looked up to see Chad, Jason, and Zeke walking over to her.
"Hey. Look we need to talk," Chad said to Taylor.
"Go," Taylor said.
"Troy and Gabriella can't do the audition. We need to work together to make sure they stick to their own things. For both of our sakes they need to focus on what they're good at," Chad explained.
"I agree but how do we make them forget about auditioning?" Taylor asked.
"We make Gabriella think that Troy doesn't care about it. If she sees him saying that it was a mistake and it's not something that he ever wanted to do. That it was a distraction then she'll give up on the idea and Troy will follow suit," Chad suggested.
Taylor looked unsure, "Do you really think that's gonna work?"
"It's the only way to save Troy and Gabriella from themselves," Chad said softly.
Taylor nodded knowing that Chad was probably right.
"So we're on?" Chad verified.
"Yeah," Taylor agreed.
"Good," Chad said smiling straight at Taylor, "so uh we start tomorrow then?"
"Okay," Taylor agreed, "first thing."
"Nice," Chad said impressed.
"Let's go," Chad said to Jason and Zeke after staring at Taylor a few moments longer.
Taylor smiled at her team as the boys left.
It was a brilliant plan. Taylor just hoped that it would go the way they wanted.
That night Taylor didn't sleep very well, she was stressing about their plan. It meant having to hurt Gabriella and Taylor didn't feel comfortable with that idea. She had waited so long to find a friend like Gabriella that the idea of hurting her made Taylor feel nauseous.
Chad on the other hand had a fantastic sleep with the knowledge that his best friend was going to be back to normal by the end of tomorrow.
The following morning Taylor and Chad met up outside the school, Chad trying to seem inconspicuous. Taylor understood being caught talking to the nerdy girl would be bad for his reputation but she also knew that she might have to thank Gabriella later for getting him to talk to her for the first time since they started high school.
"Okay, so my watch is 7:45 mountain standard time. Are we synced?" Chad said as he revealed the three watches that were sat across his arm.
"Whatever," Taylor said shaking her head at his ridiculous behaviour.
"Alright then we're a go for lunch period at exactly 12:05," Chad said as he looked around the grounds.
"Yes Chad we're a go," Taylor said and she waved her hand in front of Chad's face to get his attention, "but we're not Charlie's Angels. Okay?" Taylor said when she finally got his attention.
Chad looked at Taylor as she handed him a laptop, "I can dream, can't I?" He questioned.
Taylor just rolled her eyes and walked off to go to her locker before homeroom.
Chad did one last look around before heading in the opposite direction to find his friends and head to his locker before homeroom.
By the time lunch came around Taylor was a bundle of nerves knowing that they only had one chance to get this right and Chad was starting to feel slightly nervous himself about the whole situation also knowing what was at risk.
Chad motioned to the guys that Troy was coming, they'd just finished setting everything up.
"'Spider' Bill Netrine, class of '72, he was the MVP in the league championship game," Chad said to Troy as he entered the locker room, holding up a picture of said player.
"Sam Nedler, class of '02, also known as 'Sammy Slamma Jamma.' Captain, MVP of the league championship team," Zeke said also holding a picture of the guy he was talking about.
"The 'Thunder Clap,' Hap Hadden, '95, led the Wildcats to back-to-back city championships. A legend," Jason said, holding up a picture of the player.
"Yes, legends, one and all, but do you think that any of these Wildcat legends became legends by getting involved in musical auditions days before the league championships?" Chad questioned.
"Get your head in the game!" The team around them said.
"No. These Wildcat legends became legends because they never took their eye off the prize," Chad said.
"Get your head in the game!" The team repeated.
"Who was the first sophomore ever to make starting varsity?" Chad asked.
"Troy!" The team responded.
"Who voted him team captain this year?" Chad questioned.
"Us!" The team spoke.
"And who is gonna get their butts kicked in Friday's championship game if Troy's worried about an audition?" Chad finished.
"We are," the team responded in a slightly defeated tone.
"Guys, come on, there's 12 people on this team, not just me," Troy finally spoke.
"Just 12? Oh, no, I think you're forgetting about one very important 13th member of our squad," Chad interrupted.
"My dad," Troy sighed.
"Yes, Troy, Wildcat basketball champion, class of 1981, champion, father, and now coach. It's a winning tradition like no other," Chad explained.
While the guys were guilting Troy, Taylor and the Scholastic Decathlon team were talking to Gabriella about her own priorities.
"From lowly Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, to early warriors, medieval knights. All leading up to… lunkhead basketball man. Yes, our culture worshiped the aggressor throughout the ages and we end up with spoiled, overpaid bonehead athletes who contribute little to civilization other than slam dunks and touchdowns. That is the inevitable world of Troy Bolton," Taylor said as she indicated the posters that her team were holding up. "But the path of the mind, the path we're on, ours is the path that has brought us these people: Eleanor Roosevelt, Frida Kahlo, Sandra Day O'Connor, Madame Curie, Jane Goodall, Oprah Winfrey and so many others who the world reveres," Taylor said as she indicated the computer that was sat in front of Gabriella.
"Uh, but, what is...? I've got Kelsi waiting for me to rehearse," Gabriella said in uncertainty.
"Gabriella! Uh sorry. Troy Bolton represents one side of evolution, and our side, the side of education and accomplishment is the future of civilization! This is the side where you belong," Taylor sighed.
"Guys, if you don't know that I'll put a 110% of my guts into that game, then you don't know me," Troy said firmly.
"But we just thought…" Chad said.
"I'll tell you what I thought. I thought that you're my friends. Win together, lose together, teammates," Troy responded.
"But suddenly the girl... and the singing," Chad dug as the computer video linked up to the one in the science lab.
"Man, I'm for the team! I've always been for the team. She's just someone I met. All right the singing thing is nothing. A way to keep my nerves down. I don't know. It means nothing to me. You're my guys and this is our team. Gabriella is not important. I'll forget about her, forget the audition and we'll get that championship. Everyone happy now?" Troy asked in annoyance.
"Yeah man we just didn't want to lose you or your focus," Chad informed him.
"Well you haven't," Troy promised.
"WHAT TEAM?" Chad shouted.
"WILDCATS!" The team responded.
"WHAT TEAM?" Chad shouted again.
"WILDCATS!" The team responded again.
"WILDCATS?" Chad shouted.
"GETCHA HEAD IN THE GAME!" The team responded.
The team all left the locker room and headed out to the front of the school where the cheerleaders and others were waiting for them. The cheering began for the whole team before being focussed in on Troy who everyone was happy to see hanging out with the team again.
Taylor felt like they had made the wrong choice as she left Gabriella in the science room. Hurting her friend was not what she had wanted to do. At the time when Chad had suggested it Taylor hadn't given it a second thought, she had thought that it was the best way to ensure Gabriella helped the Scholastic Decathlon team. Now she just felt like a horrible friend, Gabriella crying had not been a part of her plan or her intentions.
