Troy wondered when was too soon to call JP. It was two days later, and he was itching to call. JP didn't have Troy's number, so it's not as if he could have called first. Troy was nervous and his fretting was irritating him.
He finally picked up his phone, and before he could let himself change his mind, he dialled the number and quickly pressed call.
"Hello?"
"Hey. It's Troy."
"Troy, hi."
"How's it going?"
"Okay. Um… Troy I don't know really how to say this."
"What is it? JP?" Troy's heart sank. Couldn't he have anything?
"I don't think I can cope with this. This secret… your famous girlfriend… It's just not what I do."
"JP, where is this coming from? You seemed fine last night."
Troy heard JP sigh. There was a pause.
"Troy, one of those… paparazzi guys followed me home."
"Oh my god, what?!"
"He asked me how I knew you, and he was trying to get all sorts out of me. I'm sorry Troy, I just can't deal with that kind of thing."
"But…." Troy started, but sighed. "I understand. It's not fair to ask you to deal with that crap. I'm sorry, JP."
"I'm sorry too, Troy." He sighed. "Maybe one day, huh?"
"Yeah. It's a shame."
"I'll see you at a game sometime."
"Yeah." Troy smiled, half-heartedly.
"I'm sorry to have to do this over the phone, Troy."
"I'm sorry I got you stalked."
JP giggled.
"Bye Troy."
"Bye."
Troy let out a huge sigh, made of more breath than he even knew he could hold. Just as he thought things were starting to fall into place, the paparazzi go and ruin it all. Already. He was barely even famous. Troy needed to let off steam. He ended up doing the inevitable.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ry."
"Troy, how's it going?"
"The damn paparazzi are trying to ruin my life! Ruin it!"
Troy explained, angrily, the whole story to Ryan.
"Troy, I'm sorry, that sucks." Ryan sighed. "I guess it comes with the territory of being famous. I mean, being the boyfriend of someone famous. Although you are… well, you know what I mean."
"Yeah. I guess."
"We need to go out, dude. You got any games near me anytime soon?"
Troy checked his game schedule.
"I got Pennsylvania in… two weeks, Friday."
"Hm… oh! There's a big party happening on campus. You should come… might help take your mind off things…"
"I doubt it. I dunno, man."
"Come on! Why don't you bring Chad, too. I'm sure he can miss a little bit of college."
"Well… I'll ask him."
"He'll love it. Being surrounded by a hundred gay men."
Troy couldn't help but grin at the thought of Chad being amongst so many gay men.
"I must admit, that helps."
------------
"You want me to go to Pennsylvania with you?!"
"Yeah, and then to New York to see Ryan. Have you ever been to New York?"
"No…" Chad sighed, starting to sound tempted. "But dude, I mean, I'm gonna be the only straight guy at this party."
"Not necessarily. Anyway - think about all those dancers there, surrounded day in, day out, with gay men. They'll be itching to get their hands on a straight man."
"Girls like Sharpay?!" Chad's eyes widened in slight horror.
"No, man, girls whose whole life has been dancing. Their bodies don't even know what untoned means."
"Okay, okay, fine, I'll go."
Troy grinned as he flipped open his phone to text Ryan, and let him know.
"So how are you doing, man?" Chad tentatively asked Troy. "After… what happened with JP."
"Not bad." Troy shrugged. "I… we hadn't really spent that much time together. We didn't really know each other that well. So… I guess he wasn't in my life enough to really make me feel the loss." Troy shrugged again. "I do miss him though."
"Sorry, man."
"It's okay. I have to accept my life in changing. In many ways. D-League, sexuality, Gabriella's fame. Guess I'm gonna have a lot of growing up to do."
"I guess so."
-------------------
A week later, Chad was visiting the Bolton household. He was playing one on one with Troy, and really couldn't believe how improved Troy's game was. Chad felt it increasingly difficult to keep up.
He finally gave up and collapsed on the grass next to Troy's basketball court. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and blinked hard, as sweat had crept into his eyes.
"Argh, it stings."
"What does?" Troy grinned, collapsing next to him.
"This sweat. Man, your game is hot."
"Well, I am a professional."
The two stared silently into the blue sky, wincing from the sunlight.
"I'm nervous about this party."
"What party?" Troy asked. "Oh, Julliard? It's weird that I nearly went there."
"Nearly?" Chad laughed. "'Nearly' is how close you came to coming to U of A."
"Okay, okay. I can't believe I thought of going there."
"Are you gonna leave me? Are you gonna hook up with some guy and leave me, alone, and out of my depth in a strange city? Surrounded by hot dancers and scores of gay men?"
Troy turned to his best friend, wide eyed and raised eyebrows.
"Calm down. I doubt I'm gonna hook up with anyone." Troy laughed.
"Good."
"Anyway, you're gonna know three of us. Me, Ryan, and Sharpay."
"Great!!!" Chad shouted.
Troy laughed, and sat up as he spotted his Mom bringing some lunch out for the both of them.
"Thanks, Mom!" Troy smiled, and sighed. "I feel like a kid again, now."
"Why?" Chad asked.
"Don't you remember, when we'd just started high school, and we used to play basketball here on a Sunday. And my Mom would bring us lunch."
"I remember." Troy's Mom smiled. "I thought it would be a nice touch."
"Thanks, Mom." Troy warmly smiled up at his mother.
"Yeah." Chad smiled at Troy's Mom, and then back at Troy. "I remember."
"I miss being a kid."
------
"Chad! Chad!" Troy yelled. "Gimme my ball back!"
A little Troy went chasing after his big-haired best friend around the court. At the age of 7, Troy was starting to realise maybe it would be cool to play basketball once he was a grown-up. Like those tall guys on the TV.
Troy finally caught up with Chad, and got him in a head lock. Chad screamed like there was no tomorrow, until Troy finally let him go.
"Asshole!" Chad shouted at Troy.
"Hey!" Troy's Dad, Jack, yelled as he emerged from the house. "Chad, who taught you that word?"
"My Mommy called my Daddy it when she was mad."
"Try not to use it again."
Chad frowned in confusion, and Troy shrugged. Troy's Mom emerged from the house, plate full of sandwiches and chips, and two glasses of juice.
"Lunch is up, boys."
"Thanks, Mommy." Both boys chimed.
"You're welcome, my little men."
Troy rolled his eyes to Chad when his Mom had started to walk off.
"She's so embarrassing!" He whined.
"Your parents are cool!" Chad replied. "They never shout, they look at each other in that funny way where they always smile."
"That's called LOVE, Chad." Troy laughed.
Chad pouted, and stayed silent for a minute, thinking.
"I don't get love." He sighed.
"Well…" Troy thought to himself for a moment. "Remember when you came with us on holiday? You didn't see your Mom for a week. At the end, you missed her so much that you cried."
"Shut up!" Chad growled.
"Listen. You missed her because you love her. And when you saw her again, the feeling you felt was love."
"Oh…" Chad started to get it. "Like how I feel when she gives me a cookie."
"Kinda."
Troy stood up and started to bounce his basketball, and he threw it. It met the hoop in one gliding motion.
"I love basketball." He told Chad.
------
Troy finished his lunch, and stood up. He picked up his basketball, bounced it a couple of times, and threw it towards the hoop. It flew though in one, swift motion.
"I love basketball." Troy grinned to Chad.
"I love my Mom." Chad grinned back, understanding the reference.
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A short one, but really wanted to post it. It's gonna start to get good (uh, depending on your opinion of course). Hope you enjoyed the little Chad and Troy.