Disclaimer: I own nothing

I kind of figured it was time I got my act together and update, this story needs to end it's been dragged out for like a year now lol 

Chapter 28: Officially A Go

"Please Jack, it's the only way this will work!" Gabriella stared up at him with big brown eyes.

"I understand what you're saying Gabriella, but I just can't do that." Jack stood his ground firmly.

"But Jack, let's look at this logically." Taylor stood up from the chair next to Gabriella. The three were situated in Jack Bolton's spacious office before homeroom started. Taylor and Gabriella had pitched their plan to Jack. The only way to officially make Operation: Basketball Lunkheads a go would be to have Jack's help.

"I am looking at it logically, and my logic is the only logic that makes any sense." Jack leaned back, but I'm a reasonable and curious man, so I'd like to know how you think this could possible work."

"Well what's the one thing that both Chad and Troy can't live without?" Gabriella asked.

"You girls." Jack answered.

Taylor and Gabriella rolled their eyes together, but tucked that tidbit of information in the back of their minds in case it was needed later.

"What else?" Taylor prodded, "The one thing they really share…."

"Basketball." Jack was nodding now.

"And if you treated them like the five-year olds they're acting like," Gabriella giggled, "and punished them by taking it away, don't you think they'd get over it?"

"Okay, so let's say I threaten them with this scrimmage tonight. It doesn't count." Jack began.

"Just don't let them play, tell them they're bad attitudes as Captain and Co-Captain is affecting the team's spirit and their ability to work together." Taylor interrupted.

Jack sighed and ran a hand over his face. The girls had a point. They were too smart for their own good. "Fine, but it might not be enough."

Taylor and Gabriella looked at each other, "What I mean," Jack clarified, "is that they'll probably still be defending you two. You might need to take more away from them. All you girls might have to do that."

"If we were all getting along that would work, but we're not." Gabriella sighed, "We'll figure it out if we need to, just thanks for doing this Jack. I know it's going to cost us the game."

"Well it's just practice…." Jack hesitated.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"The boys don't know it's practice. They always slack off when we're just scrimmaging with West, so Mike and I told them it's a real game."

"Our lips are sealed." Gabriella zipped her lips. Taylor giggled and followed suit.

"Keep in mind what I said too." Jack gave the girls a smile as they linked arms and walked out of the athletic department and towards the drama and English rooms, where their homeroom was located.

"Thank God, there she is." Sharpay pointed down the hall as a laughing Taylor and Gabriella came into view. "And she's with Taylor."

"What?" Troy's eyes grew wide, "But I thought they were fighting?"

"I thought we all were." Jason scratched his head.

"Hey girls what's going on?" Ryan asked warily as the two girls came into view.

"We made up last night." Gabriella informed the small group.

"Uh, is that where you ran off to?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded, "We had a small girls night and talked out all our problems."

"Okaaaaaaaaay." Zeke drug the word out, "So what about Chad, Kelsi, and Martha?"

"What about them?" Taylor asked.

"They're still on the other side?" Ryan asked.

Gabriella and Taylor grew silent, their smiles dropping off their faces, "Yeah, the other side." Taylor agreed.

The bell sounded and Sharpay clapped her hands together, "Homeroom time!" she announced, linking her arm through Gabriella's.

"Homeroom time." Everyone else agreed, a little less cheerful than Sharpay.

The air was tense as everyone took seats in Mrs. Darbus' classroom. No one knew what had happened, but there was a divide between the Wildcats when they had left the previous afternoon. Everyone watched as Taylor made it clear she had switched sides, disrupting the already skewed balance of things.

Darbus clapped her hands together as she called the room to order, "Okay it's time for the announcements." Everyone droned her out as they watched the Wildcats who were pretending like they were paying attention.

The school was in for a long day.

"WHAT?!" Troy and Chad stared at Jack Bolton with wide eyes.

"I said, I'm going to do what's best for the team and bench you two for this game." Jack repeated, crossing his arms as if to ward off any oncoming arguments.

"How is that helping if we don't play then we'll lose against West." Troy looked helplessly at his father.

"I don't think so, you see this is the way I feel. I feel that until you all can start getting along and act like a team, and I mainly mean you and Chad, Troy, then there's no way you can play like a team. So bench. Discussion over."

Troy and Chad glared at each other for a moment before taking a seat on opposite ends of the bench.

Gabriella and Taylor stifled laughs for a moment, "What is going on?" Ryan asked.

Sharpay answered for him, "Boo and Tay are geniuses Ryan my darling, that's what's going on."

"What I mean did you have your boyfriends benched or something." Ryan rolled his eyes, but at the looks on their faces, he knew he'd hit the jackpot. "YOU HAD TROY AND CHAD BENCHED!"

Martha and Kelsi looked up from the two rows in front of the remaining Wildcats, "You did what?" They asked together.

After glancing at each other and having a small internal debate, the two girls stood up moved next to Sharpay, "You had Jack bench Troy and Chad? Do you want us to lose?" Martha asked.

"Everyone chill, it's just a scrimmage. The coaches only tell them it's a real game so that they actually try. And Jack isn't going to let Troy and Chad touch a ball until they learn to get along." Gabriella proudly explained.

"You know that's kind of genius." Kelsi cocked her head to the side. "In a twisted way."

"Very twisted. I can't believe we're going to lose." Martha moaned.

"Oh come on now, Zeke and Jason are awesome, they'll do fine running the team." Gabriella nodded confidently.

"Besides, by the end of the game, Troy and Chad will be best friends." Taylor agreed.

Sharpay leaned over to Ryan, "Would you look at that, we're all getting along. Guess Boo and Tay's plan did more than just hopefully bring Troy and Chad together."

"I hope you're right cause this is so old." Ryan muttered.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" Chad and Troy screamed together.

"Left Cross! Left!" Troy yelled.

"You have to catch that Baylor!" Chad screamed.

Sitting down with a huff Troy looked at Chad, "This is pointless, they suck at being us."

Chad rolled his eyes, "Um no one is cool enough or amazing enough to be us."

Bumping shoulders with him lightly Troy nodded in agreement, "Of course not, look dude, I think we should talk this out so maybe dad will put us in the game, then maybe we can salvage it."

"Look they're talking." Taylor pointed excitedly towards the boys.

"See Ryan this might work after all." Gabriella sent him a sunny smile despite the smug comment.

"Hardy har har, if it does I'll bow down to both of you." Ryan grimaced at the new promise.

"We're so holding you to that." Taylor smiled.

"Dad! Dad!" Troy caught his father's attention. "Come on we're getting along fine, just let us in. We're losing! You seriously want to lose to West just to get us to get along? We get it we're good!"

"Yeah Jack all good here." Chad tossed his arm around Troy's shoulders. The two looked at each other for a moment before Chad slowly retracted his arm. "Yeah that makes us look gay…"

"Yeah just a little bit dude." Troy agreed.

"Fine." Jack nodded happily. "Nash, Buford!" He called out, turning to Troy and Chad he muttered, "Tag in."

The boys nodded and sprinted towards the scorekeepers' table.

"Look, Jack's letting them in, we may still win anyhow." Kelsi pointed to the court.

"You know it's funny how deceptive the two coaches are." Gabriella commented.

"I have a whole new level of respect for them. Manipulative. My kind of people." Sharpay nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, if they had figured it out maybe five or ten minutes earlier we would've won." Taylor mumbled.

"Oh it doesn't matter, they're about to find out it was just a scrimmage." Ryan nodded towards the court.

Chaos from center court erupted when the West coach made the announcement. "West looks pissed and we look relieved." Martha giggled.

"It's time to see if they're going to get along for good or if this was just a fluke." Taylor sighed.

"Well if this was just a fluke then Troy's getting the cold shoulder until he gets it through his thick skull." Gabriella's determination was contagious as the Wildcats on the bleachers agreed.

The five walked out to the court just as the East and West players were shaking hands.

"So do we all get along now?" Gabriella asked hopefully.

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Mollie XOXO