Chapter 11
Half term weekend came up pretty quickly, Troy was ready to take his trip to the university of his choice, well his and Ryan's actually. The two of them were packed for a couple of days, Troy woke up at the Evans house alone for the first time since he had come to the Evans for a while. Troy showered before heading down with his bags, Ryan was in the kitchen with his sister and mum.
"You could have woken me up." Troy said feeling grouchy.
"You looked peaceful." Ryan said as Troy was passed a cup of coffee which he took a long sip from before sighing happily. "You ready to go?" Ryan asked.
"I will be once I've had my coffee, the taxi's booked?" Troy asked him.
"Yeah I booked it last night and if they don't get here mom said she'd drive us to the airport." Ryan said to him Troy smiled as he picked a piece of toast up and munched away. "You sure your okay?" Ryan asked him.
"Yeah I'm fine I just… Matt was in my dreams for the first time in a long time last night." Troy said to him with a smile. "It knocked my senses for four is okay." Troy said Ryan looked worriedly. "Ryan I'm fine it happens sometimes and it knocks me of course for a couple of hours." Troy said taking Ryan's hand in his own.
"Was it a good dream?" Ryan asked him.
"Yeah they usually are, I've gotten past the nightmares I used to have about what happened." Troy said to him.
"So how long do you guys plan on being away?" Sharpay asked.
"A couple of days enough to look around campus and the dorms, and check out houses in the area as well." Troy said to her. "We figure three days should be enough to get it all done." Troy added with a grin. "We will phone if we are going to stay over longer." he added to his mother in law.
"You packed for more than three days?" Sharpay asked.
"I have a couple of extra sets of clothing in my case." Troy said to her.
"Same here." Ryan said to her.
"Phone if you need anything." his mom said to him.
Hsmhsmhsm
They arrived in Cambridge mid afternoon the first thing that was apparent was the temperature, they both shivered as they climbed in the car, "You think that we can choose a college with a warming climate?" Troy asked Ryan with a grin.
"Jesus I'm buying thermals." Ryan said to him.
"You and me both." Troy said as they drove through the city, Troy grinned listening to the sat nav give him directions to the college. "You think its going to be this hard to find when we have been here a month?" Troy asked him laughing.
It was pure accident according to Troy that they found Harvard college campus, as he climbed out of the car with Ryan he drew his coat up around his neck tighter, they headed to the reception office to sign in looking at his watch he saw that they had about twenty minutes to find what they wanted to find or they would be waiting until the following morning for a tour of the campus and their specific courses.
As they stepped into the warm reception room Troy sighed in relieve their was a middle aged woman at the desk looking at the two of them, "Can I help." she asked politely.
"We are here for the tour, we are expected, Ryan Evans and Troy Bolton." Troy said to the woman she typed something on the computer.
"Ah yes, Mr. Evans this is your lecture hall." she said handing it to Ryan. "This one is yours Mr. Bolton." she said to Troy.
"Thank you ma'am." Troy said for them both Troy kissed Ryan on the lips. "I'll see you back here when the tour is done." Troy said to him.
"Sure thing good luck." Ryan said to him as he walked towards the right door.
"Good luck blondie." Troy said taking his own que to get going.
Troy was worried with three or four minutes to spare as he walked into the lecture hall which was full of like forty people, most of them as young as he was a couple looked a lot older than he was someone waved at him. Troy struggled down the aisle to the seat next to the guy, "Hey your Troy Bolton right?" he asked.
"Yeah do I know you?" Troy asked.
"My dad is the coach for west high, I live with my mum but I was at the championship game last year." he said Troy smiled. "I'm Jacob Walker, but everyone calls me Jake." Jake introduced himself.
"Troy call me Troy, you here on your own?" he asked.
"Yes I am, you?" Jake asked.
"I am with my boyfriend who is in the arts room." Troy said to him.
"I didn't have you down as a gay man." Jake said Troy looked at him. "I didn't mean it like that, its cool with me its only love after all." Jake said Troy smiled and quietened down to listen to the tutor who was coughing to get everyone's attention in the auditorium.
"Welcome to the introductory meeting, my name is Professor Malcolm Alexander, if you all come here your come to call me Mal or Alex depending on your preference, this is by no means the easy way out course. Now is their a Troy Bolton here?" he asked.
Troy raised his hand.
"Mr. Bolton Politics and Law you sure your up to that?" he asked.
"Yes sir, I don't plan on continuing my sports like I did at school more time to dedicate to my studies." Troy said to him.
"Yes your exam scores and prediction's are incredibly high for a school basket ball jock, you have potential Mr. Bolton." the professor said to him with a smile on his face Troy inclined his head but didn't say anything more. "A lot of you here will likely not make the grade but for the select few who do you will all receive the highest level of teaching this country as to offer, now in the introductory we will take you to the dorms which the majority of you will be living in for the first year of your studies though a couple of you will probably ask to live of campus. This is not the answer we seek, we like to have all first years on campus but we don't insist upon it. Any questions?" he asked.
"What about same sex couples are their any rules against them sharing rooms on campus?" Troy asked the man.
"Are you in a relationship with another potential student of the same sex?" the professor asked.
"Yes sir, I'm engaged to my partner, it would be a preference for us both to live in the same dorm room is it possible?" Troy asked.
"It is, see me with your partner after the meeting is done with and I will do all I can." the professor said to him.
"Thank you sir." Troy said quieting down.
They walked with Mal as he insisted they all call him, Troy and Jake met with a girl named Michelle who was talking rapidly at them all the way to the dorms. Troy smiled at Jake who was trying hard not to laugh at the girl, who was very eager to start learning straight away.
"You remind me of my boyfriends twin sister, I can't get her to be quiet for a minute either." Troy teased her.
"Your boyfriend as a twin." she said.
"Technically we both do, my twin died a long time ago though." Troy said her eyes widened. "Don't fret about it, believe it or not a year ago I wouldn't have dare talk about it with my own family. Ryan made me see that life was leaving me behind." Troy said to her.
"Will you live on campus?" Jake asked.
"Depends on whether we can share a dorm, me and Ryan I mean if not its not going to be an issue for us to find a house here." Troy said to him.
"You rent?" Jake asked.
"No buy out right, four years then sell on probably." Troy said to him.
"Yikes I'd love to afford to be able to do that." Michelle said.
"Being rich can some times have its advantages." Troy said.
"Your to right there is it your parents?" Michelle asked.
"Partly its what got me started anyway, but mostly my own money, Ryan is rich as well that's through his parents." Troy said to her as they came to the dorms.
"Each group of three will be shown the dorms by a separate guide" Malcolm said to them. "So group up, this won't be the only groupie you have at university I presume." he said Troy and Jake snorted in amusement as the three of them came up to him.
"Aha Mr. Bolton, while your up there I will talk to the head of student housing, your other half's name and course." Malcolm said to him Troy wrote it out on his pad ripping of the sheet of paper with Ryan's and his name on it and their courses. "I asked just for your partners but it's a good idea to include that as well." Malcolm said Troy laughed.
They followed the student up stairs who it turned out was a freshman, "The room's aren't exactly small but they do have that closing feeling on you after a while." the student who's name had somehow eluded him.
"That's not good, Ryan hates small spaces." Troy muttered as they entered the empty room.
"A lot of the students have gone home for the week." the man said to him. "This is pretty much the room size your get." he added.
"Yikes my bathroom is bigger than this." Troy said Michelle giggled.
"Shared bathrooms." the student said.
"It gets more enticing by the minute." Jake said Troy laughed.
"Are you two trying to be difficult." the student said.
"No I am just figuring out whether I want to know the rest about the dorms after seeing this." Troy said.
"Their isn't much else around a lot of the houses are taken already by next years students." the student said.
"I think we may take our chances." Troy said to him. "But show what else we have by all means." he said.
"I hate rich snobs." the bloke said Troy rolled his eyes.
"I'll have to mention that to Sharpay she'll be pleased that I am turning into her." Troy said to Jake. "I have nothing against the rooms themselves but these are just a little pokey, and the shared bathroom for me is just to much to ask at least with my team I know they are clean." Troy said to the student. "Lets see the showers." Troy suggested seeing he wasn't going to win the man over with his talking Jake and Michelle both nodded eagerly.
They walked down the hall Troy heard.
"Did you see the Ferrari is the student parking lot, a student driving one of those things they have to be spoilt rotten." Troy burst out laughing.
"Something funny?" the man asked.
"Someone talking about my car in the lot is all." Troy said.
"Why would they be talking about your car." Michelle asked.
"It happens to be a Ferrari, rented of course, I wouldn't have brought my own all this way from New Mexico." Troy said to her she laughed.
"You actually have a Ferrari?" Jake asked.
"Yeah I actually have one, the one in the lot is hired, if we come here your be seeing a lot more of it or the Aston Martin." Troy said to him who gaped. "Its really the only extravagance that I have in my life, I love big cars." he added.
"Big cars indeed." Jake said with a grin.
"Its really the only way you can tell I am rich everything else is small time." Troy said to Michelle.
"I'm sure there are other things as well." Michelle said to him.
"Probably, I just don't notice it." Troy said to her she smiled.
"You dress better than most of the guys around here." Jake said.
"That I can thank for my boyfriend solely." Troy said to him. "He conspired with my mother to get me up to date with everything in my closet a while back." Troy said Michelle laughed.
"I'll take you all back down stairs now." the man said to them.
"Were you paying attention to what he was saying?" Michelle said.
"I was taking it all in, I just didn't think it a good idea to let him know I was." Troy said to her. "How long are you guys in town for?" Troy asked them.
"I go back tomorrow evening." Jake said to him.
"The day after tomorrow." Michelle said to him.
"You game for getting together this evening and having a meal or something." Troy said to them.
"Love to." they said together.
"We'll get to meet Ryan." Michelle said rubbing her hands together.
"At the front gates about eight tonight okay with you two?" he asked.
"Sounds fine." Jake said.
"Me to will you be on foot." Michelle said.
"Since my car is a two seater I think we will be or arriving by cab at least." Troy said to them. "Here let me take your numbers and you can both have my number as well, so we don't get our wires crossed or anything." he added.
"Sounds like a good idea." Jake said as they took their phones out, Mal was giving them a tour of the school facilities, Troy took notice of the gym by the time that he got back to the reception area Ryan was waiting for him Jake smiled at the blond while Michelle hugged and kissed his cheek. "This must be Ryan." he said to Ryan.
"See you made new friends already." Ryan said.
"You didn't?" Troy asked.
"Oh yeah I invited a couple to dinner tonight." Ryan said.
"Likewise, this is Jake and the girl who kissed you is Michelle." Troy said laughing at the blush on her cheeks. "If that hadn't been Ryan what would you have done?" he asked teasing her politely.
"Died and gone straight to hell for embarrassment." Michelle said.
"Where meeting here by the gates at eight." Troy said.
"I said here at seven." Ryan said.
"Okay well that is no big deal seven is okay with me." Jake said Michelle nodded.
"Seven it is then." Troy said kissing Ryan softly. "How did you find it?" Troy asked him.
"A lot to take in." Ryan said.
"I should get going, I'll see you all tonight." Jake said.
"Me to." Michelle said.
"You think we scared them of." Ryan asked smiling.
"I think we did more than that." Troy said to him grinning. "Our head lecturer insisted everyone call him Mal or Alex before we even got out of the door." Troy said to Ryan who laughed.
"Ours was camp." Ryan said Troy giggled.
"You mean more so than you are?" Troy said with a smile as they walked out into the lot before them Troy shivered drawing his coat up to his neck. "I guess the weather is something that we need to get used to at this time of year." Troy said to his boyfriend.
"Yeap." Ryan said to him.
"What do you want to do now?" Troy asked.
"Sleep." Ryan said.
"We have a lot of time before we have to meet the guys, time to check out the bed in our hotel room." Troy said to him he laughed as they tiredly got into the car.
Hsmhsmhsm
That evening the two of them dressed and fresh returned to the even colder entrance to the university, their were students floating about now as classes were other for the evening. Four people were waiting for them as they stepped out of the cab Troy looked at his watch shaking his head they were five minutes late thanks to Ryan fixing his hair.
"Your late." Jake said.
"Ryan needed to fix his hair." Troy said playfully swatting Ryan on the arm.
"That and Troy needed to put an extra layer on." Ryan said to them.
"You come from a warmer climate?" the red head girl asked.
"New Mexico, but when I'm not their I live with my family in Australia." Troy said. "I tend to spend my summer months there and the rest in New Mexico at the moment anyway." he said to her she smiled.
"Must suck to be Ryan in those months." the other boy said.
"We got together at the end of summer last year just after I came back." Troy said to him.
"Your not from there though." the boy said.
"No I was born in New York and for the first eight years I lived there." Troy said to him he smiled in understanding.
"Oh do you miss it?" the red head asked.
"Yes and no, I have some great memories there and one I would rather forget." Troy said Ryan stared at him. "Not like that Ryan, I wouldn't mind forgetting some of it not Matt just the way it happened." Troy said.
"Matt?" the others asked.
"My twin brother." Troy said the two he had met nodded in understanding. "He is the reason we moved to New Mexico." Troy said to them.
"Can we get moving its damn cold out here." Ryan said.
"Sure thing, I got a tourist map with some restaurants on it." Troy said as they headed for the bus stop. "There's a good steak house not far from here if your game." Troy added as an afterthought.
"When did you spot that?" Ryan asked.
"As we drove past on the way back to the hotel this afternoon, I asked the hotel staff about it and they said it was recommended." Troy said to him.
"Why didn't I notice that?" Ryan asked.
"You were exhausted when we got back to the hotel." Troy said to him with a warm smile.
"Cool lead the way." Ryan said the others nodded as the six of them made their way through the cold streets. "The two I brought with me are John and Sally, she prefers Sal though." Ryan said.
"I'll refrain from shaking your hands until we are in the restaurant I am cold." Troy said drawing his coat to his throat with gloved hands.
"Your not kidding either." John said Troy shivered.
Minutes later and they were standing in the warm restaurant, "Can I help you all?" the waiter asked.
"Table for six." Troy said to him.
"This way then." the man said leading them to a long table with comfortable looking seats on either side. "Your menus." he said handing them all a menu each.
"To make this easier I'll use my charge card to pay and you can all sort it out how you want to pay me back." Troy said to them the group all agreed that it would be good that way.
"So you three are law majors?" John asked.
"Yeap well we are Troy here is majoring in two subjects." Jake said.
"Politics." Troy said the two new comers stared at him. "Yeah I know a jock like me doing decidedly un jock like subjects." he said laughing as they ordered their food and drinks. "And I still managed to land the hottest guy in school second only to me." Troy said with a sheepish grin.
"You're a little full of yourself." John said.
"With a boyfriend as good as this one I'm allowed to be." Troy said to him.
"True." Ryan said after he had been kissed by Troy. "You wouldn't believe that he was in the closet this time last year." Ryan added as the others stared at the two of them.
"I'd rather not think about how your sister outed me even if we have forgiven her for it." Troy said to him Ryan grimaced.
"So are we the only people from warmer climates?" Ryan asked them.
"Well you mean apart from Jake who's dad is the coach at west high." Troy said to him.
"I live in Alaska with my mum now." Jake said.
As it turned out the other two had come from colder climates and the weather didn't bother then in the slightest, Troy was the one who was suffering the most because of the temperature who was most definitely used to warmer climates by this time in the year.
"You like snowboarding at Christmas." Ryan said. "How can you not like the cold." he asked.
"I know but I am wrapped up a hell of lot more than I am right now when I am on the slopes." Troy said John laughed.
"What he says is true." John said.
"You like snowboarding?" Troy asked.
"That and skate boarding." John said.
"Ryan the wedding is of and I am marrying this one." Troy said with a grin on his face. "You and I are going to get on famously this September." Troy said to John who laughed. "Suddenly being away from my parents for so long a time doesn't seem to bad." Troy said to Ryan who smiled.
"Your worried about that?" Jake asked.
"I am the youngest of the family, I don't do anything usually without my parents there with me." Troy said to him sheepishly.
"A mummy's boy then." Michelle said.
"Definitely." Troy said to her she laughed.
"Your not ashamed to admit it then." Jake said.
"Until Ryan entered my life my mother brought my clothes." Troy said to him.
"Then I brought his clothes." Ryan said.
"You argue with him and your find out why I don't." Troy said to their friends.
"Ryan is always right." Ryan said smugly.
"You see what I have to put up with." Troy said laughing.
AUTHORS NOTE: I don't know what I have to do to get you guys to review, this one is a short one compared to the last nine chapters and just a little longer than the first. I knew this one would be short, I had planned for it to be short. This next chapter will be graduation night for the boys and their for the last to involve east high as well as some of the original cast members such as Chad and Jason, though they will be making the occasional cameo's this will be going AU.
PLEASE REVIEW.