Troy knew that his dad suspected something was different in his son's life. Jack Bolton knew something must of happened that would make his son get up at 5:30 in the morning on a Saturday nonetheless and put on his training clothes to go for a 'run'. But Troy did go for a run, it's just no one knew where he ran too seeing as this was the first time he ran alone outside of basketball training time.
Now Jack was used to getting up at 5 in the morning every morning on the weekdays because he had to get ready for school since he had to get there early just like all the other teachers, so Jack continued to get up at 5 in the mornings on the weekdays seeing as he had no reason to sleep in, so when Troy came bounding down the steps at 5:30 Jack couldn't help but give him a weird confused look. Jack could still remember the way he gave his son an amused smile and then let out a little laugh as Troy's face told him that he had no idea that Jack would be up. Jack just rolled his eyes at Troy as Troy continued to stammer out excuses as to what he was doing before bolting out the door and took off jogging down the street.
Jack knew about Troy's record with the girls, not in great detail or in any detail at all, he just knew that his son wasn't one for settling down…yet. And had heard multiple times from the janitors complaining about girls in the bathroom writing things on the stalls various times about Troy. Jack knew about Troy's partying habits. He knew about Troy's detentions. He knew about Troy's various flings as the news traveled around his basketball team and ended up with him. But he never said anything as he simply played it off saying 'kids will be kids.'
But something was different with his son and it would be a lie if Jack Bolton said he knew nothing of it…because he had a hunch. He hadn't heard of his son's activities with the ladies yet and they were already getting close to the first month of school being done, Troy had only been to two parties so far, he hadn't gotten a detention yet, and his grades weren't suffering yet like they usually did at this point.
Jack looked at his son from the corner of his eye as his legs moved a little bit faster. He could hear panting coming behind him as East High came in to view of Jack Bolton's eye sight. Jack saw that Troy was at his side, half a step behind as about thirty other boys were behind them. Jack Bolton picked up his running even more with Troy doing the same and he would safely bet that Chad was right behind him by a couple of steps. Jack was leading an early running session for some of the more committed athletes that wanted to stay in somewhat good shape, so he took them running every Monday, Thursday, and Friday morning before school.
"So I heard about you and the muffins on Wednesday." Jack said as the school building became closer. Jack let out a small laugh as Troy avoided eye contact as the taste of the burnt, soggy charcoal flavored muffins still lingered in his mouth. Even though they were burnt and then water logged, the teacher still made Troy and Gabriella take a bite of their muffins because you always had to taste a sample of the food you created.
"Uh…yeah." Troy said. "Gabi and I just got distracted and…things just happened." Troy said not even realizing that he just gave his dad a huge clue on what is happening in his life right now.
Jack smiled. "Gabi as in…Gabriella Montez?" Jack asked with a knowing tone Troy knew too well.
Before Troy could deny his new feelings towards Gabriella to get his dad off his back and avoid the 'talk' Chad's voice could be heard from right behind them. "Yeah, he almost burnt down the classroom with her."
Troy rolled his eyes as this was one of the many rumors that were being spread about them and the cooking lab a half a week ago. And then of course there was going to be rumors about Troy and Gabriella going to the party together and leaving at 1 in the morning together back to her place.
Troy groaned, "There wasn't even a fire." Troy pointed out for what felt like the hundredth time in the last five days.
Jack just shook his head at how his son and his best friend would have their little bickering and disagreements. "I heard Gabs' finger caught on fire, that's why she was wearing a band aid on it Thursday." Chad piped up again as Jack and Troy lead the other boys across the street as they could all hear and see the school buses zooming past them to drop off the kids in the back of the school.
Troy looked over his shoulder with a look that told Chad that he was crazy as he focused his attention in front of him again. "Where the hell do you here this from Chad?" Troy shook his head as Jack chuckled. Troy looked at his dad with raised eye brows. "What, now you're going to start believing rumors too?"
"Well, I heard that rumor too." Jack said as his voice got quieter with each word he spoke as he was finding it hard to keep from laughing at his son's expression.
"Dad, she didn't start her finger on fire…and I didn't do it either." Troy added as he this time picked up the pace with Jack following a half a step behind. You could hear the other guys behind them talking with their friends in their own conversations.
"So she didn't like faint and you didn't have to give her CPR and swap spit?" Chad asked puzzled.
"No!" Troy exclaimed as they reached the school yard by the water fountain. Most of the guys stopped running, as Troy, Chad, and Jack slowed to a walk while students were just arriving even though they had a half an hour until the bell rang. "God, where the hell did you hear this from?"
"Zeke so totally lied to me." Chad moaned.
"Zeke wasn't even there!" Troy exclaimed as he rolled his eyes and Jack could only chuckle as he now knew what was occupying his son's attention lately.
"So where did you and Gabs go on Friday?" Jason asked Troy as they were both getting dressed after taking showers. They were both in their jeans shirtless as Troy was busy rubbing the towel over his hair to get the access water out and to make it have the messy look. There were boys all around them getting ready or walking around with just a towel wrapped around their waists as they headed towards the shower stalls.
Troy shrugged as he threw the white towel into the large laundry bin that was ten feet away. "What do you mean? We went to Jake's party." Troy knew that Jason already knew this and that wasn't the answer he wanted, but too bad.
"No fuck man, Kelsi and I saw you two there, but what about after?" Jason urged as he wriggled his eye brows as Troy turned around to grab his red t-shirt to slip on.
"We just--" Troy stopped as some other guys conversation caught his attention. Troy strained his ears as Jason and him stood on one side of a group of lockers and the conversation was being held on the other side, but you couldn't see their faces because the lockers were in the way, you had to walk around.
"Hey Hill." Jason hit Troy on the shoulder slightly to see what was up as Troy craned his head to the side to try to hear better. He vaguely recognized this voice. "You're friends with that Montez chick?"
"Are they talking about Gabriella?" Jason whispered as Troy looked at Jason out of the corner of his eye briefly and then went back to eavesdropping.
Troy could hear Jake's voice coming coolly from the other side. "Her name is Gabriella Brent. And what's it to yah?"
"Well, you've been friends with her a long time?" Troy nor Jason hears a response as they figure Jake just nodded. "Have you ever hit that?"
Troy felt his blood boil as he glared ahead of himself and at the old blue chipped painted lockers. Jason and Gabriella weren't good friends, but Kelsi and Gabriella were and Jason was dating Kelsi for some time now, and even taking those things into consideration, Troy couldn't even read the expression on Jason's face as he was pressing his ear up against the locker to try to hear through it.
"God…what the hell is wrong with you?! She's practically my sister." Jake said and then laughed as he put on his shirt.
"It's a shame." Brent sighed. "Did you see her at your party on Friday? I haven't seen her in a long time and man has she…grown." Brent said in a very perverted way as he motioned her curves with his hands.
Jake let out a short chuckle as he clapped Brent on the back. "You're one sick bastard, you know that?"
"Hey." Brent said as he held up his hands defensively. "You can't deny that she's hot and she dances. Aren't they supposed to be the best in bed?"
"I heard that was true." Jason whispered to Troy as Troy hit him in the shoulder and glared at him. "Sorry." Jason mumbled as he went back to listening.
"You do know she's with Bolton, right?" Jake more like stated than asked.
Brent shrugged, "They're not official and as far as I know neither one of them are up to commitments, when's the last time Bolton settled for one girl?" Brent joked as Jake gave off a nervous laugh and Brent just laughed for the pure fun of it. Jake knew Gabriella really liked Troy.
"Whatever. I got to go, but see you at practice." Jake said as he stood up from sitting down and tying his shoe lace.
"Wait, who's been with Montez before?" Brent asked.
Jake looked around seeing as he knew from locker room talk during football practices that Brent never paid attention to even though he was on the football team himself. "Um…I don't know." Jake mumbled as he started walking away.
"No really, just point one guy out to me." Brent said as Jake sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Um…there's Jackson." Jake said as Brent nodded and they did their guy handshake and Jake finally left.
"Let's just go Troy." Jason said as he nudged Troy to make him move. Troy grunted angrily as he walked out of the locker room while knocking into other guys' shoulders on the way. "Now what? We still have ten minutes." Jason said.
"I need air." Troy said bluntly as he walked away from Jason angrily as he walked straight for the doors that lead to the outside.
Gabriella was at her locker. She was running late as her mom had to hold her back today explaining their schedule for the rest of the week. So far Gabriella was getting a good deal out of her mom's relationship, they weren't going to be practicing at all after school this whole week do to her mom's 'business.' So now Gabriella had all this free time that she was going to use to her advantage and now she could even attend Jake's football game on Wednesday night which was odd and Gabriella never really understood why this one game was on a Wednesday and not a Friday, but found it rather unimportant as long as she could go.
Gabriella stuffed her bag in her locker and smiled seeing as she wasn't going to be missing any school today which meant she could go to gym class today. Gabriella looked down the hall and noticed she was the only one there now and sighed, and now she was going to get a detention.
She really did like Darbus, she just didn't like how she ran her homeroom sometimes and then there was always her drama class that Gabriella swore she would never take again. She took it her freshman year and it turned out to go disastrous. Gabriella turned the corner and all of a sudden felt her body rammed up against someone else's.
Gabriella stumbled back a little, but caught herself before she fell on the ground as she looked up and saw a light brown haired guy who was slightly taller than herself as he had green sparkled eyes. "Hey Montez." The deep voice greeted as Gabriella put on a fake smile as she chewed the inside of her lip.
"Hey Brent." Gabriella said as she tried to walk past him, but he side stepped her to make her freeze in her spot. She looked up to see if he had any sign that he did that on accident, but saw nothing whatsoever.
"Where are you going?" Brent asked as he took a step forward causing Gabriella to step backwards.
"Darbus. Homeroom time, you know?" Gabriella said as she tried to play it cool like she didn't care, when her insides where yelling at her to knock this guy senseless and run for Darbus.
"Oh…yikes, you have her this year." Brent said as Gabriella found this kind of strange that he was making small talk now at all times. "I had her last year and it wasn't good." Gabriella took a step back as her back connected softly with the cold lockers as Bret took one more step closer.
Gabriella forced out a small laugh. "Yeah, she's still the same crazy Darbus." Gabriella smiled as she looked around and saw that no one was in sight. "Um…I better go before I'm even more late." Gabriella took a step to her right before Brent could even have a chance to pin her in.
Brent smiled cheekily at her. "We wouldn't want that now would we Montez?…I'll see you later." Gabriella nodded hurriedly as she raced off down the hallway and turned the corner to come face to face with Darbus' closed door. She groaned, she was not in the mood for a lecture from her today. Gabriella held her head high as she quietly opened the door and walked in not once taking her eyes off of her seat so she knew she wouldn't see Darbus, wherever she was.
Gabriella was about to turn around and sit down in her seat as she felt everyone's eyes on her, and she thought she was home free once she didn't hear Darbus' voice, but she winced right before she fully made contact with the chair as Darbus' voice rang out.
"DETENTION MONTEZ!" Darbus called out as Gabriella let out a huff and looked up from her seat to stare back at Darbus' own chocolate brown eyes. "Unless you can come up with a believable excuse in the next ten seconds as of why you were…10 minutes late?"
Gabriella looked around briefly as Jake, Taylor, Chad, and Troy all gave her curious looks as Gabriella looked back at Darbus. Gabriella didn't say anything as she continued to look down.
"Detention until 3:30 in the auditorium painting sets Miss Montez." Darbus said as she sat at her desk looking down at something on her computer screen. "Two more detentions and you get an in school suspension, remember that."
"But that's not fair Darbus." Gabriella spoke up now. She couldn't get another detention even though she had nothing else planned for today, one she didn't want to go to the auditorium seeing as that was where Drama class used to be held, and two it wasn't really her fault that she was late. "I was at the studio and then I left for school and my car needed gas and then there was traffic with that one accident with the car and truck, and then someone took my parking space this morning, and my locker wouldn't open and I got cornered by--" Gabriella stopped herself as her eyes went wide realizing she said too much.
"What?" Darbus asked with alarm now. "Cornered by…who?" Darbus asked.
Gabriella looked around and could feel Troy's intense blue eyes staring at her, burning a hole through her as she sunk lower in her seat. "Um…no one." Gabriella said. "So a detention until 3:30, sounds good to me." Gabriella said to change the subject right before the bell went off.
Gabriella hurried out of the class before Darbus could question her any further as Gabriella knew that she would try. Gabriella waited for the class to filter out as she leaned against the wall.
"We girl…" Taylor said walking out of the room with Chad. "Need to talk later."
Gabriella smiled as she nodded at Taylor. "I'm looking forward to it." Just then Gabriella felt someone's hand on her arm as she jumped in surprise and turned to see Jake. "What the fuck?" Gabriella breathed out. "Don't do that."
"Sorry." Jake said as he pulled his arm back. "You okay?"
Troy walked out of the classroom with Zeke by his side as they did their guy handshake and Troy went to go walk to Spanish knowing Gabriella would be around there somewhere, but stopped in his tracks as Gabriella and Jake were only five feet in front of him.
"Yeah, but your friend officially creeps me out." Gabriella said as Jake gave her a curious look. "I ran into Brent this morning. He's really starting to creep me out a little."
"He'll learn that you don't like him one of these days, don't sweat it Gabs, but I got to go, I'll see you later?" Jake asked as he started walking away from her and looked over his shoulder to see her response.
"Yeah, lunchtime." Gabriella said. "In the library." Jake nodded as he turned out of sight and Gabriella started to walk not remembering if she saw Troy walk out of Darbus' classroom or not. Gabriella then felt another grab at her wrist and she turned around right away.
"Hey Gabi." Troy said as he walked in sink with her. "So, detention? That sucks." Troy said.
Gabriella looked at Troy and felt his hand brush up against her own free dangling hand. "Yeah, but I'm used to it." Gabriella said.
"You know I had a really good time on Friday." Troy said to change the subject as Gabriella found this kind of a relief factor that he didn't ask if she was okay seeing as Gabriella always hated answering that question for some reason.
"Me too…so are you going to the football game on Wednesday?" Gabriella asked to make conversation.
"That depends." Troy said slyly.
Gabriella looked at him curiously. "Depends on what?"
"On if you're going." Troy said before he brought up her hand and kissed the back of it before slipping into his Spanish class as Gabriella had to walk further down the hallway for her own Spanish class knowing that this was an okay morning now, and it had all to do with a certain blue eyed boy.
Author's Note--I know this chapter and last chapter were slow, but i'm asking you guys to just stick with me until the real drama starts to begin, and these little chapters are all building up to it. Please Review, i appreciate it.