Troy Bolton was sure of three things. He was sure that Chad Danforth would always have his back no matter what happened; He was sure that Tyler wouldn't. He was sure that he would always be able to make the perfect jump shot no matter how much practice time he missed; He was sure Tyler couldn't. He was one hundred percent positive that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get with any of the girls on the cheerleading team; He was sure that Tyler could.
Sure, he was the star of the basketball team but that didn't get him anywhere when his brother was the star of the football team. Groaning he turned away from his bathroom mirror and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Gabriella had been right. They shouldn't have been partners; not when it made Troy sick to his stomach every time she mentioned Tyler. He knew that by sitting next to her he was treading in deep water, knowing that his heart would break and he would surely drown. Why it was so difficult to stay away from her knowing this fact though, he did not know. What he did know though, was that he was going to have to step up his game and move on.
Tyler woke up to the bright sun shining in his face. Groaning, he turned over to look at his clock which read 12:00. He rubbed his hand over his face in an attempt to get rid of his tired eyes and wake himself up more. The TV was on downstairs and he assumed it was Troy watching a basketball game. He stood up and stretched before making his way downstairs himself.
"Good morning sweetie." Lucille said emerging from the kitchen. "What do you have planned for today?" Tyler inwardly rolled his eyes. He hated when his mother asked about his personal life.
"Uh... Probably just hanging out with Gabriella." He responded not wanting to go into detail. Troy's attention was no longer fixated on the TV in front of him. Gabriella seemed to be a more interesting topic than sweaty men chasing after a bright orange ball.
"Why don't you invite her over for dinner? It's been too long since I've seen her." Troy sat up in his seat at the sound of his mother's words. He groaned at his enthusiasm and slapped his hands to his face.
"What the hell is your problem?" Tyler turned to face his brother surprised at his response at the mention of his girlfriend.
"What? Nothing." Troy turned back to the TV quickly. "Basketball. The Suns are losing."
"You hate the Suns." Tyler pointed out not convinced.
"True." Troy responded bluntly not caring that he didn't make sense. Tyler shook his head and made his way to the door.
"Dinner's at six. I expect to see you and Gabriella at the table." Lucille said as Tyler groaned and shut the door. Troy smiled knowing that he was going to be in the same room as Gabriella once again. His day just kept getting better.
Gabriella rushed out of her front door at the sight of Tyler's car in the driveway. She needed a break from her family and he was just the right person for the job. She quickly opened the passenger side door and kissed his shocked face on the cheek.
"Drive." She bluntly stated as the front door of her house opened. He stared at her confused and then turned to her front door. Her dad had just emerged from the house screaming something incoherent. "Drive!" She stated more forcefully making Tyler recollect his composure long enough to press his foot to the petal forcefully. The car raced backwards and then forward when it reached the street.
"Wanna talk about it?" Tyler asked after they were far enough away from the house that they didn't have to worry about being caught. He looked over at her and was surprised to see a smile appear on her face.
"I love you, you know that?" She asked suddenly. He looked back towards the road and shifted in his seat so he was in a more comfortable position.
"You've told me once or twice." He teased but she didn't stop smiling to playfully hit him like she normally would've. The car came to a stop at a red light and Tyler took that time to look over his perfect girlfriend. Her hair was down but it wasn't in its neat curls. It looked as if she hadn't brushed it for days. Her lips weren't coated in shiny gloss that smelled like strawberries like they had been the day before at school. They were plain. She was in East High sweatpants and a tank top. She was absolutely beautiful to him and nothing could change that.
"No, I'm serious. You come and pick me up as soon as you get my text. You drive away as soon as I tell you to with no need to explanation. You're great." She smiled at him and he smiled back. He looked back at the road and started driving once again when his eyes met green. "Let's go shopping."
Troy spent the entire day watching TV and shooting hoops out back with Chad. They were now reluctantly helping his mom set the dinner table. Seeing as they didn't' care for the job they were chosen to do, they didn't bother to try and make it look acceptable.
"Boys. Please, we are having guests for dinner." Mrs. Bolton scolded as she migrated toward the table to make it look better. "Chad, you are welcome to stay too. I know how much your mom has been working lately." Troy looked up from his task at Chad who didn't seem fazed by his mother's remark.
"We're home!" Tyler's voice sounded throughout the house followed by a slamming of the front door. Troy rolled his eyes and continued to focus on setting the table. Gabriella was the first to emerge from the living room into the kitchen. Troy met her eyes for a second before diverting them elsewhere.
"Hello Gabriella. I'm so glad you've decided to eat here. It's been so long since I've seen you." Lucille said politely as Gabriella smiled and nodded in return.
"I know. Tyler just doesn't invite me anymore. I was starting to wonder if I did something wrong the first time." Gabriella joked and looked around the room. "It smells very good Mrs. Bolton and the table looks... nice." Gabriella's eyes stopped at the table. Chad and Troy didn't appear to be doing such a great job.
"Oh, don't mind them. They're just mad because I am making them set the table when basketball is on." Lucille looked around the kitchen and sighed. "Chad, can you help me bring up two chairs from the basement?" Chad looked towards Mrs. Bolton and nodded.
"So... Wanna go upstairs?" Tyler said after an awkward silence that seemed to blanket the room. Gabriella looked at her boyfriend and smiled while nodding her head in confirmation. Tyler started to walk towards the door before abruptly stopping. "Uh... wait here. I'll be right back." And with that Tyler took off running towards his messy room to make it look more presentable. Gabriella looked towards Troy awkwardly and he looked quickly back down at his task of setting the table.
"Listen, Troy.." Gabriella started after sighing.
"No. I get it." Troy cut her off before she had the chance to finish her sentence. She sighed before starting again.
"No, you don't. It's just... I really like your brother and I don't want to mess up my relationship with him over something silly." Gabriella explained feeling the guilt wash right away after telling the truth.
"Again, I get it. We were just lab partners, that's it." Troy said with a hint of sadness that went unnoticed by Gabriella. Although Gabriella was had only really known Troy for a couple of days, she considered him her friend. Now that Troy confirmed that she was wrong she felt really stupid. She opened her mouth to say something else but was interrupted.
"Alright, c'mon Gabs." Tyler said holding his hand out to lead Gabriella out the door. The fourth thing that Troy knew for sure was confirmed as he watched his brother's girlfriend exit the room; He needed to get over her. However, it wasn't going to be easy.
This Chapter was actually supposed to include the dinner and some more Troyella, and Tyler moments but I've had so much homework and I play tennis. So I've been really busy. I'm lucky that I got to finish this part of the chapter today so I decided to update it because I didn't know when the next time I'm going to be able to write is. I'm really grateful for the reviews though. They really do make my day. Again, I'm going to TRY to update within the next week but I can't guarantee it. I'm really sorry but with tennis going until 7 and AP homework taking me until 11 to finish, I really have no time on my hands. Please don't get annoyed and stop reading though. It'll go weekly by October when the tennis season is over.
