Gabriella walked into her science class and walked to the back table, where Troy was sketching something into his notebook. She was wearing her hello kitty Pajamas and two braided pigtails, as soon as she took a seat he shut the notebook. Gabriella paused before setting her own books on the table. "How do you know Eddie?"
Troy kept his eyes straight and a small smile played on his lips. "He helped me with my locker."
"Oh," Gabriella watched as Taylor walked over to their desk.
"Do you know when Basketball Tryouts are?" he said leaning over to Gabriella.
Gabriella jerked back a bit and then she relaxed. "Two weeks, same week as cheerleader tryouts."
"Thanks," Troy leaned up right and nodded with a smile to Taylor.
"Hey, did you and Ryan practice yesterday?" Taylor said sitting down at the table.
"I didn't, he said he was going to run by some things with Kelsi but I'm not sure what happened." Gabriella shrugged. "We're trying to make it work but his voice and mine are completely different." Gabriella placed both her hands on the table.
"Well you do have a very over powering voice, and Ryan not so much," Taylor took out her book and a notebook from her bag. "The musical is looking great though."
"Yup, how is the decathlon coming?"
"We should sit down together to create the lesson plan, we don't know what we're going to be up against."
"Want to set up a meeting during lunch to put the final touches on our project?"
"Don't we have a yearbook staff meeting?" Taylor said pulling out her phone to check the planner.
"Oh yeah," Gabriella frowned a little, "I forgot, can we work on it tomorrow before school?"
Taylor nodded, it's possible, I mean National Honor Society doesn't start till seven and we've already worked out the fund raiser, so our time could be split." Taylor punched in some buttons and smiled "Let's meet at 5:30?"
"Done," Gabriella wrote down the time in her note book and Taylor put her phone away. Taylor glanced over at Troy who was staring at them both. "What?"
Troy shook his head, "Nothing, just wondering when you girls find the time to eat?"
"Mostly just dinner," Gabriella said with a pout, as she stared at her notebook.
"I have a bag of snacks in my locker." Taylor responded. "Oh Chad is taking me to the movies tonight." Taylor smiled and did a little wiggle in her seat.
"And the giggles begin." Troy mumbled, and they did. Both girls talked about outfits and movies for the rest of the period, Troy now knew that Taylor and Gabriella wore the same shirt size and shoe size, Taylor was in love with Gabriella's channel bag and Gabriella loved Taylor's brown shirt with the cut off shoulder. Troy rolled his eyes as he sat down next to Eddie in art class.
"We're shooting hoops after school; I feel the need to establish my manhood."
"Sure, I mean that's cool," Eddie smiled. "I've never really had someone to shoot hoops with," Eddie leaned back in his seat, he was wearing Spiderman pajama's, and Troy looked down at his plan blue shirt and flannel bottoms, should he have picked a character?
"What about your dad?" Troy asked looking for his sketch book and forgetting about the character thing.
"My dad was more into his secretary then our family, he and mom divorced last year." Eddie nodded his head and took out his own sketch book.
"Every man has a weakness." Troy shrugged his shoulders. "What does your dad do?"
"He's a music producer, lives in New York now." Eddie shrugged, "It used to be cool, but you know, it just got old really fast."
"I bet," Troy said as he watched the teacher walk in.
"What about your dad?"
"My dad was in the U.S. Marines, he saved a lot of people and shot at a lot of bad guys," Troy smiled and opened his sketch book up to a page of a picture he was working on of his father. "He died last year in the line of duty."
"Wow, I'm so sorry." Eddie picked up the sketch book and looked at the actual photo clipped to the paper and then at Troy's replica, "Man you're really good at this art stuff, my sister hates it, she says she can't draw a straight line to save her life."
Troy chuckled and placed his sketch book on the table, "I'm surprised your sister has a life."
"She does, I think she tries to keep busy so she doesn't have time to notice what's going on at home." Eddie shrugged. "I've gotten used to it, mom and dad to me have always been a little distant and off, but Gabs, she thinks romance is like those stupid books and songs."
"It can be with the right person," Troy shrugged. "Can't blame someone for trying."
"See why can't she date someone like you, why does it have to be that jerk?" Eddie let out a sigh, "He cheats on her you know?"
"And you still won't tell her?" Troy began drawing as the teacher put up a word on the board for their assignment.
"It's not that easy," Eddie whispered. "People shoot the massager all the time I mean when mom found out dad was cheating from one of the other secretaries' mom smacked her with her purse."
"Feisty woman run in your family don't they?" Troy said listening to Eddie and paying attention to the instructions on the board, they were supposed to draw the first thing that came to mind when they heard the word dream. "You know basketball tryouts are during the cheerleader tryouts don't you?"
"Yeah, but I don't know, don't you have to be popular to get in?"
Troy shook his head, "It's about making baskets and putting points on the board, not a popularity contest," he said with chuckle, "Seriously sometimes you sound like chick."
"I live with two of them and sometimes more than that if Sharpay and Taylor stay over. One time I got a facial," Eddie shrugged his shoulders, "That stuff works you know."
Troy's hand came up from behind and wacked Eddie in the head. "Dude?" Eddie looked back at Troy and Troy let out a laugh, "Well that ends now, we're going to do 'man' things, just wait and see."
Gabriella was at her locker when someone pressed against the locker next to hers. "Aaron I thought you were," when her eyes connected with two blue eyes looking back at her with amusement the sentence died on her lips.
"You've single handedly ruined your brother," Troy crossed his arms and Gabriella watched the muscle flex in his forearm, he was athlete no doubt about that, only athletes had that kind of muscle.
"What?" She said pulling her eyes away from him and back to her locker.
"He likes facials, he wants to play basketball and you got him painting toe nails at slumber parties." Troy let out a breath, "You women see a weak link in a man and you charge at it like a tiger to a baby deer."
"Eddie is not a baby,"
Troy smirked and she heard the huff of air escape from his lips. "I'm going to get him on the basketball team."
Gabriella turned sharply to face him. "Why are you being nice to Eddie, because if you're after something just ask for it and leave him alone?"
"You know, in hello kitty pajama's you don't have the intimidating effect you're going for," Troy chuckled. "Relax, I have good intentions, however it's nice to know I'm a threat to you."
"You're not a threat," Gabriella let out another huff this time as she grabbed her back pack. "You're not even on the priority list."
"Well that's good to know," Troy looked up and seen Aaron eyes blazing as he headed they're way. "Wish I could say the same for hulk boy," Troy said not moving from his spot. "Me think the hulk is angry" he said imitating the cartoon.
"When he rips you a new one you'll be sorry," Gabriella said closing her locker and turning to Aaron who was approaching quick.
"This dork bugging you babe?" Aaron said pointing at Troy.
"No, just asking about basketball tryouts," Gabriella lied as she shrugged her shoulders. "Eddie wants to be on the team."
"Yeah, good luck with that, Eddie doesn't even know what to do with his own balls let alone a basketball," Aaron said placing a hand on the locker behind Gabriella. "Besides there won't be a basketball team next year anyway, so don't go holding your breath."
"There is nothing wrong with Eddie," Gabriella said in annoyed voice.
Troy pushed himself off the locker and held out his hand to Aaron. Aaron who was looking down Gabriella's blouse suddenly turned and looked down at his hand. "What's this?" Aaron asked motioning to the hands. "We're not cool,"
Troy smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Shame, guess we're just going to have to be enemies then huh?"
Aaron laughed and pushed himself away from the locker and stepped up into Troy face, getting real close. "Why don't you run along boy?"
Troy took a step back and fanned the air, "Heads up, he needs a tic tac," he said motioning to Gabriella.
Aaron lifted his fist and Troy ducked. Aaron's fist hit the locker and Troy took a small bow before turning and walking away leaving Gabriella watching his every move and Aaron shouting out in pain.