Chapter 35
"It's do or die today," commented Chad as he and Troy walked out of their hotel room and down the hall the elevator. "State Champions or Death!"
The basketball team, along with some family and friends, drove to where the State Championships were to be held yesterday after school. Coach Bolton had ordered all the guys to be in their rooms by 9 PM exactly and in bed by 10 PM in order to make sure all his players had enough rest for the big game.
"A little overdramatic, don't you think?" asked Troy as they entered the elevator that had just arrived.
"No, just pumped," answered a grinning Chad. "Come on, Troy. You have to be pumped about this. It's our last shot to be East High legends!"
Troy chuckled at this. "I'd rather just be remembered for my good moments and not my bad, not necessarily as a legend."
"Spoil sport," teased Chad as they walked out of the elevator and into the lobby.
The two guys spotted Gabriella and Taylor waiting for them outside the restaurant where they had previously agreed to meet for an early lunch before the bus came to take them to the stadium. Troy and Chad greeted both of the girls but reserved a special kiss for their respective girlfriend. After they checked in with the hostess, they were led to a booth for four near the window while all four of them started to quickly look over the menu to find out what they wanted.
Since breakfast was still an option, Gabriella and Taylor ordered from that menu, Gabriella ordering dollar sized pancakes with bacon while Taylor ordered French toast. On the other hand, Troy and Chad both ordered huge cheeseburgers, Troy making sure that his had Swiss cheese on it. The four chatted about the big game mostly during lunch as the girls worked to make sure their boyfriends had the most positive mindset as possible as they were both continually psyching either themselves or each other out.
"Come on you two, enough playing off each other's nerves," interrupted Taylor while Chad and Troy started going at it again. "Seriously, I know it's all fun for you to rile the other up, but you are just making each other more tense, Gab and I can see it."
"No, we're just playing," insisted Chad. "Troy needs a good psyching up just like I do."
"Maybe psyching up but you guys are just psyching out each other," commented Gabriella. "All we're saying is that we want you to do great today. We know it's a huge game, but lay off each other a little. All we need now is for you two to go at it in a one on one for offending the other and waste that energy."
"Yeah, calling Troy weak right now isn't going to make his game any better," stated Taylor with a direct look at Chad.
"And calling Chad slow isn't going to make him any faster," added Gabriella to Troy.
Troy and Chad looked at each other and rolled their eyes after hearing this mini speech from the girlfriends. "They so don't understand boy world," said Chad.
"I think they do but miss key components, like what we really are doing by saying insulting things is egging each other on, which makes the other one want to do better," responded Troy.
"Naw, they don't understand at all," replied Chad. "I mean, we're brothers, why wouldn't we pick on each other? It's good for the soul or something like that."
"Whatever you say, Chad," returned Gabriella. "Taylor and I won't comment any further then and defend you when you two are busy going after each other. We'll assume that it's one of those macho things guys like to do with no help from anyone around."
"So the next time Troy comes after you for something stupid you have said Chad or Chad starts in on teasing you about loving Gabriella Troy, Gabriella and I will step back and let you draw blood, how about that?" threw in Taylor. "After all, that is a guy thing, huh? Just what guys do?"
"Besides, it's not like either of you can really say you even begin to understand the female's world. If you did, we wouldn't have to explain so much or get so frustrated," added Gabriella.
"And I guess that means for us to show we care, that Gabriella and I should tear into you two whenever we get the chance, to show you that you can be better right?" concluded Taylor.
Chad and Troy exchanged another look before Troy spoke. "All right, maybe we said that in a completely illogical manner. We just meant that what we are doing here at lunch is a normal thing for us, we're not truly psyching each other out. We're both tense right now with excitement and nerves combined to start with."
"And I'm sorry to inform you Taylor, but it is a guy thing that is shared between guys. Your nagging isn't going to make me feel any better, I promise," stated Chad, who then shortly winced after Troy kicked him under the table. Chad saw the hurt look on Taylor's face and knew then that he had gone too far. "Taylor, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it seriously, I was teasing you."
"Yeah, whatever Chad. I know you hate it when I get after you, but I do it out of love, not out of trying to annoy you," returned Taylor, who looked at Chad briefly before she looked down at her French toast that she had left over.
Chad stopped his chewing as he heard this. "Wait, you love me?" asked Chad.
Gabriella shot Troy a look and he nodded his understanding that he was to not say another word.
Taylor nodded her head before she looked back up at him with a shy smile. "As much of a lunkhead basketball player was never my dream guy before, I can say now that I really do love you, Chad Danforth, lunkhead and all."
"Wow, Taylor, that just blows my mind. You really do?" questioned Chad, unable to believe his ears.
"Yup," replied Taylor. "So I'm sorry that I'm that annoying when I try to help you out with things like remembering about a date or bringing your jacket or something."
Chad put his left arm around Taylor's shoulders and drew her closer to him before he tilted her head up with one of his fingers on his right hand. "Don't be because now I know that they are done out of love, love from a young woman that I love back. And before you even ask, yes, Taylor McKessie, I do in fact love you, brainiac and all."
Gabriella watched with a smile on her face as Taylor and Chad shared the sweetest kiss her and Troy had ever witnessed. Before Troy could tease Chad, Gabriella elbowed him lightly and gave him another look, which Troy understood again which meant to shut up. Instead, Troy wrapped an arm around his own girlfriend and gave her a kiss before he smiled at her and then turned his attention back to what was happening on the other side of the table.
Taylor and Chad broke away from their kiss to look at their best friends, who were both smiling at them. Both furiously blushed at having been watched and caught in such an intimate moment. "You better not even think about blabbing about this, Bolton, or I'll make sure I let out one of your dirty secrets from elementary school," threatened Chad.
Troy threw up his hands in the air in defense. "Wouldn't even dream of it, Chad. And as for any little dirty elementary school secrets you are thinking of, Gabriella knows all of them, by the way."
"Even in second grade when you put a worm down Samantha's back?" asked Chad.
"Yup, I know about that. I smacked Troy for terrorizing a poor little girl like that when I heard it, but I did get told about that," admitted Gabriella.
"I still have a permanent scar from that too," joked Troy before he got a glare from his girlfriend. "Joke, joke, geez!"
Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him just as the bill arrived. After the boys paid the bill, Chad and Troy returned to their room to get ready for the bus while Gabriella and Taylor went back to the room to see if Kelsi and Martha wanted to do a little shopping before they themselves headed over to the stadium in Taylor's car.
Martha, Kelsi, Gabriella, and Taylor arrived at the stadium where the state championship was being held thirty minutes before game time. They walked in together and found that the Wildcats were warming up while the Thunderbolts from Oakridge did the same on the other half of the court. The girls called out good luck to their friends and smiled as they waved back and then searched the bleachers for their seats.
They looked around in awe at the number of people who filled the stadium but they were expecting it as it was the State Championship. 'Still though, this is insane,' thought Gabriella as she continued to look over the crowd. Her gaze stopped and focused on a familiar looking blonde seated next to her father with her two henchmen, err friends, by her side. 'Great, Sharpay came all the way here. I guess I should have expected it since her father and her mother have come to support Ryan.'
"Is that Sharpay at floor level with her parents and her only two friends?" asked Taylor as she spotted them too.
"All I can see is the back of their heads and side profiles, but that is definitely them," agreed Gabriella. "Just wonderful, don't you think?"
"Easy on the sarcasm, Gabriella. You'll scare Kelsi," teased Taylor, which earned a laugh from Gabriella.
Kelsi rolled her eyes at this but did turn to Gabriella to ask, "Are you still worried about Sharpay and her tricks?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," replied Gabriella as she once again turned her attention back from watching Troy to studying Sharpay. "I'm not sure if I'll ever know a day where I don't need to worry about her."
"Maybe she'll be too tied up with her parents this weekend to be able to do anything," commented Martha.
"Martha has a good point," replied Taylor. "But then again, her parents can be with her only for so long and she has done things before in front of Mr. Evans that didn't even register on his radar as being a bit offhanded of her."
"Guys, let's not even talk about this," said Gabriella. "We are here to support our friends and our loved ones, not to spend time wondering the inner workings of Sharpay Evans' mind."
"I agree with Gabriella, let's focus on the game," stated Kelsi just as the buzzer started to signal the start of the first eight-minute quarter.
Taylor, Gabriella, Kelsi, and Martha all watched without much commentary between the four as the Wildcats fought the Thunderbolts to be New Mexico's State Champions over the first half of the game and a little into the third quarter. Both teams were equally matched and as a result, were neck and neck during most of the game until East High started pulling ahead in the middle of the third quarter.
Taylor cheered the loudest as Chad slam dunked the basketball to score again for East High after he received the pass from Zeke. "GO CHAD!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"GO WILDCATS!" joined in Martha, Kelsi, and Gabriella with smiles.
Soon though, the tide changed in the game, and by the first three or so minutes clocked into the fourth quarter, the Oakridge varsity basketball team had caught up with the East High team. With less than five minutes left, no one in the stadium knew who would be victorious at the end of the game, but they knew that it was certainly now classified as one truly amazing game.
It was back into East High's control so Jason took it out and threw it over to Zeke, who dribbled it down to attempt to make a shot. Before Zeke could though, an Oakridge player blocked him, forcing Zeke to pass to Ryan, who caught it and started to make a layup when he caught the arm of an Oakridge player in his stomach, which caused Ryan to not only lose the ball but also momentum as he fell to the floor. The sound of two whistles echoed through the stadium at the same time as Troy and Chad rushed over to help Ryan get up. He instantly grabbed his stomach area and winced in pain as he tried to straighten.
The referees ruled it was an intentional foul on the Oakridge player and awarded Ryan two free throws for it after kicking the Oakridge player out of the game. Although Ryan tried, with the pain he still felt in his midsection, he missed both shots but was pulled out of the game immediately by Coach Bolton to be replaced by Charles.
After the intentional foul, neither side let up on the other team. Chad had gained the ball a few times but had lost it twice to an aggressive Oakridge player only to have it returned into East's possession when Charles stole it back. Very little points were scored in the two minutes after the foul as it appeared that both teams were determined to keep the ball out of a scoring net.
With forty seconds left on the clock, Chad and Troy exchanged a look and knew that these were the last forty seconds of their high school varsity basketball careers and that these last seconds were going to make them heroes or failures. They kept up as Jason managed to block another Oakridge shot, which left Zeke to catch the ball before he tossed it over to Chad. Immediately, two Oakridge players advanced on him so he passed it over to Charles, who also got stopped. Charles shot it over to a free Jason, but the ball was intercepted by another Oakridge player. Luckily, Zeke was able to block his shot and got it over to Troy. Before any other Oakridge players could interfere, Troy dribbled the ball down the court and stopped at the top of the key to make his shot. The whole stadium watched as the ball arched in the air, bounced off the backboard, and made it in, giving East High a two-point lead.
Oakridge wasn't about to give up though as there were fifteen seconds left. A player threw it in and was caught by one of their teammates. Chad pushed hard and was able to block the latest attempted shot, which Zeke was able to catch as the basketball was deflected by Chad's hands. Zeke dribbled down to make a shot but was then blocked again by an Oakridge player. The ball went wild for a second with no one else right there until an Oakridge player grabbed it and dribbled down to the top of the key and made his shot two seconds before the buzzer went off.
'Oh my God,' thought Gabriella as she saw the ball travel the distance from the player's hand towards the basket. 'Please don't make it in!'
'Don't make it in, don't make it in,' chanted Troy in his head.
'Air ball! Air ball!' screamed Chad in his mind as the basketball got closer to the metal basket.
'Hmm, I wonder if I should have worn my pink lip gloss today,' wondered Sharpay as she looked in her compact.
'Go out, go out!' thought Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha in their own minds as the ball hit the rim and started circling around the basket.
'Please make it in!' begged the Oakridge player of the basketball powers.
East High Wildcats all cheered as the ball fell not through the hoop but to the side, making East High the official New Mexico State Champions!
All the friends, family, and spectators of the East High team crowded the court in congratulations and cheered as Troy, Chad, Coach Bolton, and their new trophy were put up onto the shoulders of their teammates and celebrated for the latest title and victory earned for and by the Wildcats. Even Ryan, who still felt discomfort from the foul, joined in the festivities, yelling at the top of his lungs, "WILDCATS! WILDCATS RULE!"
Eventually, after things quieted down, the Wildcats made sure to congratulate the Thunderbolts on a well played game and then took pictures while doing some interviews with the media right after. After everything was done at the stadium, the guys piled onto the bus still in a celebratory mood and didn't calm down for hours after.
The entire team plus the friends and family that had traveled for this championship gathered in a banquet room Coach Bolton had reserved in advance in hopes that they would win and celebrated with one another while they also ate, especially the basketball team players. Eventually, after some time, most of the parents left the party, which allowed the teens to let loose a little more, although Coach Bolton was still present with his wife and another couple to make sure the high school students didn't get too out of control.
Troy, still flying high from the win and his last official basketball game played in high school, realized that he hadn't spoken to Gabriella much since she congratulated him on their victory back at the stadium. He scanned the room and found Gabriella sitting at a table talking to the girls. Troy walked over and gently grabbed her hand that was resting on the table. "Come on, let's go take a walk," said Troy.
He waved to their friends and left the banquet hall and then the hotel itself to walk along the outside pool for a quick breather. The weather was warming but the night air still had a cold bite to it. Gabriella looked up at Troy's beaming face and knew that he had never been happier before tonight. "This win tonight truly made your life complete, didn't it?"
Troy looked down at Gabriella and nodded. "Tonight's game, it was just so surreal, Gabriella. Like, it's hard to put into words but tonight's game, not even the win, was like the game that celebrated my high school basketball career. I played my hardest, along with the rest of the guys on the team, and we made our vision of being State Champions a reality. It's just such an ecstatic feeling!"
Gabriella laughed at Troy's apparent giddiness and smiled. "I'm glad. You, along with Ryan, Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Charles, more than earned it this year. Not only did you all work through the problems on the courts as a team, you worked hard together as friends off the court to fix the holes there were there in your friendships, well mainly you, Chad, Zeke, and Jason. I can see how you would feel that tonight encapsulated all that. I truly am so very proud of you, Troy, for everything you have done this school year from this latest achievement tonight to your 3.5 plus GPA fall semester to becoming a better person for yourself. That all took a lot of hard work, but I think you are now appreciating the fruits of your labor."
Troy continued to grin back at Gabriella. "You could more than say appreciating, more like savoring and enjoying! Do you know what makes everything you named even better?"
"What?" asked Gabriella.
"Being here with you, having you here with me to share in all these milestones. I know we've come a long way and have hit a rough patch even recently we've had to deal with, but all these things are made that much sweeter for me because you are there to share in it with me and to know that you fully support me. That support, that means everything, Gabriella," said Troy as he leaned down and kissed Gabriella's forehead. "You mean everything to me."
Gabriella gazed lovingly back into his blue eyes and shook her head ever so much. "You truly know how to melt me with your words, and for that plus lots more, you mean more than everything to me, Troy. You make me feel complete, the way no one else on the planet can."
Troy captured Gabriella's lips with his as they shared an intimate kiss before they both pulled away and shivered, both from the power of their kiss but also the cold that had finally settled into their skin. "Let's go inside and defrost," said Troy as he took Gabriella's hand in his and led her back into the hotel.
They wandered back into the banquet room but found that most of everyone had already left, including his parents. After saying good night to the players that were still lounging around while the hotel staff attempted to clean up the room, Gabriella and Troy went up to their floor. As they stopped outside Gabriella's door, Troy let out a huge yawn that made her giggle.
"Aww, is the Superstar all tuckered out?" she teased.
Troy nodded his head. "Do you expect full energy after today's game?"
"No, definitely not," agreed Gabriella. "Why don't you go to your room and hit your bed? I know you'll probably fall dead asleep on it tonight."
"Probably. I have a better idea though. Why don't you come with me? My dad won't know," suggested Troy with a sexy smile.
"What about Chad?" asked Gabriella. "Besides, I don't know about you and me being in one bed together, even with you as tired as you are."
Troy pouted for a few moments but realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with her, so he put on a smile and kissed Gabriella one last time. "Good night then, sweet Gabriella."
"Good night, Troy," she replied as she opened her room door and watched from there as Troy entered his and closed the door behind him before she herself closed the door to her shared room and smiled as leaned back on the door thinking how perfect everything was in her life at that exact moment.