Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews
I finally finished this chapter, hope i ddin't keep you guys waiting too long. um... i dunno what else to say, so i'll just leave it at that and let you read...
Game Day Pt. 1
Troy groaned as the annoying shrill of his alarm clock jarred him from his peaceful sleep. Knocking it over in the process, Troy fumbled to turn it off. He rolled over and shut his eyes again, wanting to enjoy his Saturday morning sleeping in. However, the weight of the day's importance crushed the prospect of a few hours more sleep. Reluctantly, Troy left the warmth of his bed. The championship basketball game was that afternoon, and no doubt his father had a torturous warm-up routine in mind. Troy pulled at his hair as he stumbled toward the bathroom. He didn't want to go to practice today. He scarcely wanted to go to the game, but he had already worked too hard for it. The only thing Troy wanted to do was see Ryan.
During his routine morning shower, Troy decided he would skip out on practice that day and just drive over to Ryan's house. He had spent almost everyday of the past few weeks in the gym. He was pretty sure he could afford to miss one practice. After all, a guy had to spend time with his… well, guy, every once in awhile. After hopping out of the shower, Troy got dressed and joined his parents for breakfast. When Troy entered the kitchen and took a seat, he wasn't surprised to see his father hunched over their list of plays while stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth. Mrs. Bolton tsk'ed and grabbed her husband's binder.
"Can you get your head out of the game for at least five minutes, Jack?" She sighed, placing a plate of pancakes in front of him.
Troy shook his head and laughed as his father fruitlessly tried to snatch his book back. "Hon, today's the—"
"Championship game. I know," Mrs. Bolton said. "But if you look at this thing any longer your eyes will fall out."
Jack Bolton grumbled in defeat and cut into his pancakes. He was suddenly aware of his son's presence, and gave him a hearty smile.
"Troy, good to see you up early," he said. "We've got to practice hard today if we want to crush West High in the game today."
Troy grimaced as he started on the eggs his mother handed him. "Dad, we've been practicing almost everyday. Can't we just, like… not practice for once?"
Jack almost choked on his pancake. "Wh-what?" He sputtered. "Troy, are you crazy? There's so much depending on this game today. There's the trophy, and your scholarship, and—"
"Dad!" Troy exclaimed. If he heard the word 'scholarship' on more time, he would seriously strangle someone.
Mr. Bolton cleared his throat awkwardly and bowed his head to continue eating. He knew he should probably stop bringing up Troy's scholarship. He had already been pushing Troy too hard the previous year, and he was doing far worse now. He constantly had to remind himself that there were other things that were important to Troy. After a few minutes of silence, Troy spoke again.
"I'm going to Ryan's house. I'll be at the gym for a few practice shots before the game."
Jack Bolton nodded his head. "All right Troy. That's your call, but just remember what's riding on this game."
"Yeah yeah." Troy sighed. "Scholarship, got it." Troy pushed away a half eaten plate of breakfast and left the kitchen, giving his parents a parting wave.
-o-O-O-O-o-
Ryan was surprised when Jeeves came knocking on his door, informing him that he had a visitor. Ryan followed the butler out of the room and passed him as he raced down the stairs. He made his way down to the entrance, where he found a gloomy looking Troy.
"Troy? What are you doing here?" Ryan asked, walking up to Troy and greeting him with a hug. "Don't you have practice today?"
Troy shook his head. "I really can't endure another practice," he grumbled. "I'll just head down at game time and hope for the best."
Ryan completely understood where Troy was coming from. If he had to endure another one of Ms. Darbus' rehearsals, he would surely kill himself. He guided Troy back up to his room, knowing Troy would just want to chill out. As they reached Ryan's door, Ryan stopped Troy and gently pressed him against the doorframe. His hands rested on Troy's hips as he drew his face close to Troy's.
"You've been a busy boy, haven't you?" Ryan asked.
"Much too busy," Troy replied. "Doing other things when I should be spending time with you." He cupped Ryan's face in his hands and brought it even closer to his own. Their lips made contact, and Troy closed his eyes. Such a simple act could evoke so much emotion within. The kiss wasn't urgent or needy. It was slow, gentle, and loving. For this short moment in time, nothing else in the world mattered but Ryan. Troy slowly let his breath out through his nose, tickling Ryan's face. He giggled at the tingling sensation, and Ryan's laughter interspersed with their kiss. They broke away, both grinning wide. Hands clasped with Troy's, Ryan pulled Troy into the room, locking the door behind him. He led Troy to the bed, falling back onto it. Troy followed suit, laying on top of Ryan and squeezing him tight. Troy's hulking figure completely smothered Ryan, and his breath came out in strained laughter.
"What do you think you're doing Troy?" Ryan asked.
"Resting." Troy replied placidly.
Ryan chuckled. "You're also suffocating me."
Troy grunted and shifted his weight off of Ryan. His body slumped in the empty space beside Ryan, and he draped an arm over Ryan's stomach. Troy propped his head up with his other arm and took in his beautiful boyfriend. The hand on Ryan's abdomen slowly started shuffling his shirt up to reveal Ryan's milky white skin. Giving Ryan a warm smile, Troy moved his head over Ryan's now exposed stomach and lowered it to cover the soft skin with tender kisses. Ryan laughed softly at the sensation. Troy slowly started moving upward, until he met the fabric of Ryan's shirt, which was still covering his chest. Troy rested his ear against Ryan's heart, as Ryan had done so many times before. He could see why Ryan did it so much. It was inexplicably calming to feel Ryan's heart thumping softly under his cheek. Troy breathed a long sigh of content.
"I love you, Ryan."
Ryan smiled down at Troy and ran a hand through his luscious brown locks. "I love you too, Troy."
They lay like that for what seemed like an eternity. Troy certainly wished it was an eternity, but good things never lasted that long. Especially with a championship basketball game looming so ominously close.
"When is the game anyway?" Ryan asked offhandedly.
"Quarter after four," Troy replied, with particular disdain. He felt Ryan move under him as he checked his bedside clock. "Mm?" Troy grunted.
"Eleven o'clock." Ryan said, answering Troy's wordless question. They both let out a contented sigh. There was plenty of time to spend with each other.
"Nervous?"
"Mmm…" Troy mumbled thoughtfully. "Kinda."
"Well don't be," Ryan said, patting Troy reassuringly on the back. "The Knights have absolutely no chance against you. And if by some miracle they actually do win, I'll make sure you still get that scholarship."
Troy snorted. "You can't do that."
"Are you forgetting who my father is?" Ryan asked. "Trust me, Troy. We've got the entire U of A Board wrapped around our fingers. I could get you that scholarship in a heartbeat."
Troy was sure it wouldn't have to come to that, but he didn't have any doubts that Ryan fully intended to use his father's influence should Troy need it. "Thanks, Ry. I really don't deserve you."
"Au contraire," Ryan said, rolling his 'r' slightly. "Whatever did Sharpay's Shadow do to earn your love?"
"Well…" Tory grinned. "This certainly helps." One of Troy's hands slid down Ryan's front and squeezed his junk. "But body parts aside, you truly are an amazing person. And quite frankly, I don't know a 'Sharpay's Shadow', because in my eyes you outshine her a million times over."
Ryan smiled down at Troy. "Always the romantic. Thank you Troy."
Troy sighed deeply and lifted his head. Pulling himself up so that his head was level with Ryan's, Troy's smiling face inched closer to Ryan's.
"You're welcome."
-o-O-O-O-o-
Striding down the hall with a pile of unwashed bedsheets, a maid was passing Ryan's room when her foot caught on something. She let out a soft shriek and stumbled forward a few steps before straightening herself and relaxing her body. She looked behind her to see what she had tripped on, and gaped in surprise when she saw that it was a person. And not just any person, but the very last person she would expect sitting on the floor leaning against her brother's bedroom door. Setting down her laundry, the maid cautiously approached Sharpay.
"Ms. Evans?"
Sharpay was sitting with her legs brought in close and her head resting on her knees. It lifted abruptly at the sound of someone else's voice. "Huh? Oh, good morning." She said softly, lowering her head again.
"My dear, what are you doing here?" The maid asked good-naturedly.
Sharpay heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I don't know. Just taking a breather I guess."
The maid frowned and bent low so that she was level with Sharpay. Seeing this girl sitting on the floor like some peasant was probably the most bizarre thing she had ever seen, and 'just taking a breather' didn't sound like much of a justification. "Are you sure you're all right?"
Suddenly Sharpay lifted her head again, and a familiar spark could be seen in her eyes. "Of course I'm all right!" she declared loudly. "Who do you think you are? My therapist? Why are you even speaking to me? Don't you have dishes to wash or laundry to do?" Sharpay stood up and towered over the cowering maid. "Of course I'm all right! Go about your business! What I'm feeling is nothing of your concern! I should have you fired! What insolence! What disgrace! Of course I'm all right!"
The maid let out a squeak of terror and crawled backwards a few paces. Her hands brushed past her abandoned pile of sheets, and she collected them hurriedly, scrambling to her feet and dashing down the hall. When she was out of sight, Sharpay let out all her breath and groaned.
Wow Sharpay, you've done it again…
-o-O-O-O-o-
At quarter after three, Ryan, Troy, and Sharpay had piled into Sharpay's pink convertible to drive to school for the big game. Ryan sat in the shotgun, while Troy took up the backseat. Glancing at his sister, Ryan could detect a certain iciness about Sharpay. She was never really thrilled to drive Ryan and Troy places all the time, but there seemed to be something else beneath the usual annoyed grunts and sighs. Ryan dared not ask Sharpay what was wrong however, lest she bite his head off literally. That was one question you never asked Sharpay. Of course she was all right.
They had made it to the school soon enough. In the parking lot, Troy had bumped into Jason and Zeke. He joined them as they headed to the changeroom, but not before pecking Ryan on the cheek.
"Break a leg," Ryan whispered. Troy smiled back as he pulled away from Ryan and joined his two friends.
As the trio of athletes marched inside, Ryan could hear their thunderous laughter echoing in the breezy spring air. Ryan shook his head in amused annoyance and lead his sister inside.
"Ready, sis?"
"Of course I'm ready," Sharpay said, in her usual commanding tone. However, it seemed lacking somehow, as if the effort it took was too much for Sharpay at the moment. She pushed past her brother and stalked inside. Ryan was left standing in the parking lot, a small frown tugging at his forehead.
"Yeah?... I doubt that…" Ryan followed his sister, the urge to ask her what was wrong burning in his throat like a shot of whiskey.
Hmmmm...
So, yeah, that's that. thanks again for the kind reviews last chapter. ipodblue, regarding your suggestion about Troy getting hurt in the game, it sounds like a great idea, but at this point, i think it's a bit late in the story to start something like that. and besides, i already have a story that focusses on someone getting hurt, Broken (although i havent updated it in lord knows when... I will update it though... eventually!). but thanks for the compliments.
and um... yeah, that's all for now. not sure when chapter 22 will be up. as of late ive been playing video games more than writing, Super Mario Galaxy in particular (great game FYI, every Wii-owner should have it!) but i still write should i feel inspired enough. I reckon there'll be only a few chapters left before this tale comes to a close. after i finish this story, i might take a short break while i work on some on potential future stores (see my profile for a list of them), and work out what I'm going to do next.
as for now, i'm done for now. hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. see ya!