Chapter Two
She stared at him. Troy I wish I could make your pain go away. I love you Troy.
Troy woke up hours later. He glanced at the clock 8:00pm!
"Troy you're awake," Gaby said," I brought you dinner." He nodded and ate hungrily.
"Wow this taste great!" he complimented when he was finished. He sat up and paced around the room. "My parents are going to kill me, it's really late," he muttered.
"No, don't worry about I called to let them know you were here," Gaby reassured him.
"You didn't tell them-"he asked afraid.
She shook her head. "But you have to tell them."
He shook his head. "I can't. Besides they wouldn't believe me. They idolize him."
Gaby frowned.
The next day Troy avoided Gaby and didn't go to basketball practice. He was very shaky. He reluctantly went to rehearsal.
"Troy are you ok? You've been acting weirdly lately? And yesterday what you said, what did you mean?" Mrs. Bolton asked Troy when he came home.
Troy looked nervous. "I'm ok, just tired and about yesterday I didn't know what I was saying. It's nothing just forget it," he muttered.
"Troy you can talk to me, you know I'll always listens," she said warmly. Troy nodded and went upstairs to his room. That day his nightmares came back. He woke up in the middle of the night screaming and his blankets wet from his sweat. His mother was next to him.
"Troy what's wrong?"
Troy shook his head trembling. "Just a nightmare..."
He took a late night bathe. The night mares continued, every night he woke up screaming and scared.
"Jack something's going on with troy he's been having nightmares for 2 weeks now. I think you should talk to him," Mrs. Bolton suggested.
Jack nodded grudgingly. He was pretty upset with troy, he had been missing practice lately and his grades were going from A's to B's.
During the drive to school, jack took the opportunity to talk to Troy. "Troy are you ok?"
Troy shrugged.
"You've been missing practices and yet you always go to practice for the musical. Don't tell me now you want to be an actor, a singer?" his father mocked. Troy still said nothing. "Troy don't tell me you care more about that stupid musical than basketball?"
"It's not stupid and I happen to like it!" replied Troy angrily.
"Ever since you met that girl, you have changed too much. You're different."
"Her name is Gabriela and she has helped me more than you. She cares about me and I care about her, "Troy said quietly.
His dad by now was angry. "I want you to stop seeing her."
"I won't. You can't tell me who I can see or who I can't."
Jack stopped the car abruptly. "I am your father and you will obey," he shouted his face red.
Troy moved back as he felt a familiar fear overwhelm him. "Dad I'm sorry," he whispered scared," Just calm down, please."
Jack looked at troy and saw it again. The way Troy looked at him with fear in his eyes. Just like last time.
"Troy what happened? Why do you look at me like that, scared? Did someone hurt you?" his father demanded worried.
Troy was afraid he would break down again. He got out of the car and ran the rest of the way to school.
Troy composed himself before entering; he didn't want to be seen like this. Five minutes later he walked into East High. He so desperately wanted to talk to Gaby. Only she could help him. First period was English so he would see Gaby then he decided.
During English, Troy sent Gaby pained looks.
"Mr. Bolton would you please pay attention!"
Troy snapped back to reality and nodded.
After class he waited for Gaby. "Troy what's wrong?"
He was going to tell her but something made him change his mind.
"Nothing just wanted to talk with you," he said instead.
"Why have you been avoiding? I only see you during rehearsal."
"Sorry, I've been busy," he muttered.
Troy decided to go to basketball practice today. His dad avoided troy and Troy avoided his dad. He worked hard, and then after practice was over his dad mad him stay an extra hour.
Troy decided to stop acting . . . . . . . so weak. He wasn't going to let his life spiral to chaos.
He studied hard for the exams so that it would his grades back to A's. He practiced basketball more and sang in his shower. He went jogging in the mornings before school started. He still had the nightmares but at least his life seemed to return to normal. The musical would be in two weeks and there was a basketball game this afternoon.
"Troy you're in. Go be our playmaker!" his father said at the beginning.
Troy went in and worked his magic. They won of course.
As Troy was leaving, his father held him back. "troy there's going to be a scout in the next game so I want you to work extra hard."
"But I still have next year before I graduate," protested Troy confused.
"I know but they're checking you out early."
"Hey Troy what's up, man? Wanna shoot some hoops at my house?" Chad asked after the game.
"Yeah sure. But I have to see Gaby first; I'll be at your house by 6:00, ok?"
Yeah, sure."
Troy jogged to Gaby's house. "Is Gaby here?"
Mrs. Montez nodded and let Troy in. "Gaby it's me Troy can I come in?"
Come in, Troy!"
Gaby was doing her homework. Troy smiled. "Every time I come over you're always doing your homework," he commented.