Zeke had always been the one in the five friend group to be the one to smooth things over. He was good at understanding people. He was good at sweet talking them to calm down. He was good at sympathizing. Gabriella and him were the mellow ones, but there were just certain times that he wasn't able to keep his cool and Gabriella was. So she was seen being the rational one and not him. And if he wasn't the rational one, then who was he really? He wasn't the basketball God everyone made Jason out to be. He wasn't a shopoholic like Sharpay was. He didn't have an exceedingly high I.Q. like Taylor. He was just there, and he balanced out that group with the help of Gabriella.

So when his girlfriend is pacing back and forth in front of the school wearing her cheerleading uniform as he is wearing spirit wear for the game that day he knows something is wrong. Usually Sharpay would be bouncing off the walls or at least trying to corner him into a janitors closet to partake in no school appropriate activities.

"Shar, baby, what's wrong?" Zeke asked as kids from various groups started congregating into the school.

Sharpay let out a huff as she clutched her purse tighter; to the point where her knuckles were turning white. "Nothing. Just blowing off some steam."

Zeke's eyes crinkled in confusion. "Steam? What do--" Zeke cut himself off as he found it too hard to talk to her with her moving in front of him too much. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders; connecting his two hands behind her head as a lock to keep her from sidestepping him. "Hey," he cooed. "Tell me what's up."

Sharpay was instantly warmed by his intruding eyes that always did something special to her. "It's Tuesday and have you heard the gossip mills lately?"

"Well considering that yesterday I had two tests and a cooking assignment along with a two hour basketball practice? No. No I did not listen to what others were whispering about." Zeke said light heartedly as he received a glare from Sharpay. A glare that everyone knew too well.

"Well get this." Sharpay whispered as if it was big news. "Gabs and Bolton went out Saturday to the mall--which by the way, they weren't even officially dating and he still took her. Why don't you do that?--well, anyways, they became official I heard."

"You heard?" Zeke raised one eye brow.

"I have my sources, and it's been two days so far, and she hasn't told me yet. I saw her plenty of times yesterday, and she didn't say a peep. Not a word, not even a hint." Sharpay grumbled again and before she could start up in her frenzy again, Zeke spoke smoothly.

"Shar, they're probably not advertising it to people. You know how bad Gab's dating habits are."

Sharpay narrowed her eyes. "Who's side are you on? She's dating TROY BOLTON! TROY BOLTON!" Sharpay screamed a little wilder than normal. "They are complete opposites!"

"Shh." Zeke soothes calmly as one of his hands reached up and stroked her cheek. "You never know Shar. He seems like a pretty cool down to earth guy. You just have to meet him."

"Easy for you to say. You play basketball with him everyday. You actually have a reason to talk to him." Sharpay grunted in displeasure. "I just don't understand why she has to date him." Zeke could hear the displeasure in her voice. "She could have any guy here, and she chooses Troy Bolton."

"Babe, you're gonna meet him at the beach house in a week or so. Don't worry about it." Zeke could tell she was still upset. "And don't be mad at Gabs. You know how unlucky she has been in the dating department. Some people don't get as lucky as us." Zeke knew that would calm her instantly.

Sharpay forgot all about her anger as she smiled up at Zeke. "You mean it?"

"I mean it. I am unforgettably lucky for having you Shar."


"So why did the game get moved from tomorrow to today?" Gabriella asked as she knew that her dad told the basketball team the previous night.

Troy tightened his hold on her hand as they walked through the various crowds of people after homeroom. "Something to do with the other school's gym having a leak in the ceiling and they needed to fix it. So now they're coming here instead of waiting for the end of the season to make it up."

They turned the corner in the hallway and stopped when they heard someone call out Troy's name.

Gabriella looked at Troy curiously as they were right outside one of the few music rooms they had. "What's up Bolton?!" A guy with dark hair that went down a little past his ears greeted. He had a tanner face than others with a lot of stubble taking over. It gave him an outdoor look that suited his tall lanky figure.

"John!" Troy did a serious of hand movements with the guy and Gabriella was surprised that the two seemed to know each other like they were family friends. She had to remind herself that she didn't grow up being Troy's friend and that he had a whole other batch of friends who she didn't know about.

It upset her a little as she didn't let it show that Troy was slowly coming into her world and getting to know her friends, but yet she didn't know that many things about him. She confessed she used to watch him previous years before, but what did he confess? She introduced him to many of her friends, but what other friends besides Chad did Gabriella know of through Troy?

"How's the guys going?" Troy asked as Gabriella tried to think of who 'the guys' could be.

"We're doing great. Got this gig at some house party a couple of hours away. Should be all good." John said easily. His dark brown, almost black, eyes looked at Gabriella. He held out his hand to her. "Hey, I'm John."

Gabriella shook it and noticed how much rougher and calloused his fingers were compared to her own. Before Gabriella could open her mouth to speak, Troy cut in, "This is Gabriella Montez. MY girlfriend." Gabriella could sense the pride in his voice and blushed a little.

Troy left one hand on the small of Gabriella's back as she smiled up at him. When Gabriella wasn't looking John mouthed to Troy, 'Nice'.

"Gabriella this is John, he's the guitarist for the band, Life Sucks." Troy elaborated on how he knew him. "Anymore gigs around here?" Troy asked.

"Well the usual. Down at The Spot tomorrow we're playing. You should stop by." He offered as The Spot was a club that teenagers went to hang out at. Troy and Chad had gone there various times, and although it didn't serve alcohol to minors and was usually pretty good at identifying fake , it was still pretty nice to go to if you wanted decent coffee, food, and music. The only problem was is that a lot of East and West high students went.

"Cool man. We got to get going, but maybe we'll check it out." Troy reconnected Gabriella's and his hands as Gabriella smiled sweetly at John.

"Great meeting you."

"Ditto." John said coolly as he winked at Gabriella while Troy just rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Real smooth John!" Troy shouted back to him with a laugh.

As Gabriella and Troy made it to her locker Gabriella smiled up at Troy. "Troy?"

"I know that look." He commented cheekily.

"What look? I don't have a look and even so, you shouldn't know it by now." Gabriella scolded lightly.

Troy stood behind Gabriella as she started getting her different books for classes. He wrapped his arms around her as her back molded into his chest. He nuzzled his nose into her hair as he took in her scent. "Just tell me what you want Brie."

"It's more like I want you to ask me something." She said in a hesitant voice.

Troy sighed dramatically as if it took that much effort. "Fine." He smiled teasingly at her as she turned her head a little to look at him. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

Gabriella pretended to think as she shut her locker and spun around in his arms. "Just cheer practice. And of course watching my very good looking boyfriend practice."

"Well how about we go to The Spot?" Troy asked as Gabriella smiled happily at him.

She pecked him on the lips before answering. "Love too."


"Have you told her yet?" Taylor asked as she and Gabriella were sitting at one of the lunch tables in the back of the cafeteria.

Gabriella strained her neck to see if she could spot Chad or Troy walking into the lunchroom or out of the hot lunch line. "Not exactly."

Taylor gripped Gabriella's arm to make her look at her. "Girl, have you even introduced her to Troy?"

"She has a mouth. Plus she's a cheerleader, she cheers for him every game day." Gabriella explained even though she was trying to convince herself more than Taylor.

"Gabs, you know how Shar is. You need to do it officially or else her mind is too narrow to think outside the box that other social groups can actually get along with each other. Remember how much she flipped freshmen year when I told her I was also joining the decathlon team?"

Gabriella groaned in dismay. "God, don't remind me. It was hell that week."

Taylor looked at her best friend with a softness that she rarely showed others at times. "Do you want my advice?"

Gabriella didn't know if that was wise. She knew that Taylor and Sharpay only got along in the beginning because they shared the same friends. But now even though their personalities collided at times, there was less fights between them. But Gabriella still knew. She knew that Taylor wasn't Sharpay's biggest fan and would always speak her mind around the blonde.

"It depends. Are you going to be nice?" Gabriella teased even in this tough situation of trying to figure out how to face Sharpay Evans.

"If she's nice back then you don't have to worry about it." Taylor said back before she flicked her comment away with the swish of her hand. "Now, here's what I think: you should just tell her and get it over with. If she can't deal than that's her problem. I don't see what's the big deal that you're dating Troy. He's obviously having positive results for the basketball team, and everyone else is accepting him perfectly fine."

Gabriella let Taylor's words sink in. As much as she loved Sharpay like a sister, she knew that she could be one of the most narrow-minded people at their school. But she made up for that bad quality in other departments. She was also one of the few friends Gabriella could count on who would always be there for her, and if anyone needed to bitch someone else out, Sharpay would be the first in line to help them do it. She was the wild child of the group and that wasn't about to change anytime soon.

"You're right Tay. You're absolutely right."

"I know. So when are you going to tell her?"

Gabriella bit her lip. "I didn't think that far ahead."

Taylor just chuckled at Gabriella's answer as the two boys who they were both looking forward to seeing sat down.

Troy sat down next to Gabriella as Chad sat on the other side of the round table on Taylor's other side. "Hello Ladies." Chad greeted smoothly.

Taylor rolled her eyes as Gabriella just giggled at her response. "Hey Chad." They answered in unison. Gabriella felt warm skin nudge her hand that was resting on top of her leg; just above her knee and she smiled at Troy when their hands connected.

Chad sensed what was happening to the two as he saw the stare they shared. "Please, someone gag them or something. Do anything so I don't have to watch." Chad said dramatically with a wide grin on his face.

Troy flicked a fry at his best friend before rolling his eyes.

"I'll happily gag you." Taylor said chirpily.

"Are you guys ready for the game tonight?" Gabriella asked as Troy smiled at her. She wasn't looking however as she was busy listening to Chad speak. But Troy admired her nonetheless as it took Lilly a while to adjust to Chad's strange behavior, and when it came to Gabriella, she just accepted him.

Troy mentally groaned as he soon caught himself comparing Gabriella to Lilly once again. But it was natural, wasn't it? It was like comparing something you really hate to someone you really like.

"We're gonna crush them tonight. It's gonna be awesome. Especially with Baylor, Cross, Bolton here, and myself starting. And especially with me racking up the points." Chad boasted.

"Puh-lease." Taylor rolled her eyes. "I think you forget that this is Gab's and mine fourth year watching you play."

"Well then," Chad wriggled his eye brows suggestively. "You should be thoroughly turned on then."

Gabriella and Troy just held in their laughs and rolled their eyes as they had to listen to Taylor and Chad banter back and forth everyday at lunch.

"So how many times have you been to The Spot?" Troy asked as he started his own conversation with Gabriella.

"Only like once or twice with Jase. And it was for like private use when some kid holds a party for their birthday or something. So I've never actually been there when there was someone I know playing in a band."

"Oh, so now you automatically know John so well?" Troy asked as he loved joking around with her.

"Maybe I have a class with him and we talked more?" Gabriella suggested.

"Fine. You win." Troy grinned at her as over their little conversation, their bodies had moved closer to each other. They turned to face one another as all they had to do with either lean up or down to connect their lips.

"What's my prize?" Gabriella whispered completely forgetting that Taylor and Chad were even at the table.

"Yo Bolton!" Chad disrupted as both Gabriella and Troy pulled back with exasperated looks. "Did I hear you mention The Spot?"

"Yeah, only like MINUTES ago." Troy rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Seriously man, you really have to learn to not interrupt."

"And what, willingly watch you mack with Montez here? As much as I would love to watch her, I could pass on you."

"Yeah. He did mention The Spot." Gabriella said hoping to change the topic off of her and Troy kissing one another; or rather lack of kissing each other.

"We should totally join them McKessie." Chad said with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"What?!" Troy and Taylor said in disbelief.

"Yeah. That's a great idea Chad." Gabriella said excitedly as she had never really gone on a double date before.

"No. No it's not." Troy shook his head with wide eyes at the horrible idea his best friend thought of.

"Yeah. It won't work. I agree with Troy on this one Gabs."

"Why not?" Gabriella asked. "It could be like…like…like a double date!"

"That would imply that Chad and I are dating, and we SO are not." Taylor declared.

"Well then just as friends?" Chad suggested in a neutral tone. "Have you ever been there before?"

"No. Not exactly." She admitted.

"Well then it's perfect. You two will join me and Troy tomorrow. It'll be fun, right Troy?" Gabriella asked him sweetly as she squeezed his hand just a little bit tighter under the table.

Troy plastered on a smile as he tried to not glare at Chad for almost ruining the following night. "Yeah. It'll be fun."


Troy and Gabriella were walking through the empty hallway as they were just in the library before the game. The lights were half off since it was close to 6:30 on a school night.

"Are you mad?" Gabriella asked out of the blue, and that completely threw Troy off as he stopped in his tracks and looked at her worriedly.

"What? Why would you think that?"

Gabriella saw the trace of how he was feeling flash through his eyes and knew that she was just reading too much into things. "Never mind. I was just referring back to lunch with Chad and Taylor now tagging along tomorrow night."

Troy shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Nothing I can do about it now. And plus, I think it'll still be fun. I like Taylor, so it should all work out."

Gabriella smiled up at him gratefully that he wasn't too upset that she sided with Chad at lunch about their date. "Thank you."

"For what?" Troy's eyes twinkled in the dark hallway.

"For being this easy to get along with."

"I'm not gonna lie though. If Chad interrupts at least one more kiss, then I'm gonna probably be convicted of murder real soon." Troy said as Gabriella's back hit the lockers and his arms reached out to cage her in.

"I always liked a guy in orange."


Chad had been wrong in some aspects of the game. The Wildcats had found out the hard way that the team they usually crush had made one hell of an improvement that year and now they were trailing behind by two points with only a minute left. But Chad was right in another aspect as he was one of the main scorers; along with Jason and Troy.

And since they were down in the score, Coach Montez had no other choice but to use their last time-out of the game. He took in his exhausted players and looked at them firmly.

"We have a new play. Troy you take the ball down," Coach Montez looked at him, "you're a point guard. Chad, you're getting moved to small forward."

Chad, Troy, and Jason all looked alarmed now. "But Coach, that's my position." Jason butted in.

Coach Montez narrowed his eyes on the boy who was like his son. "Cross, you're taking Bolton's position and being shooting guard. The other team knows are positions. They know how to play defense. They know our strategies and what each person on this team is comfortable with. In order to win we're gonna have to work out of our comfort zone and just play our hardest."

Coach Montez continued to explain the play that he wanted his boys to do. He drew figures on his miniature clipboard as he made sure that each and every boy was watching.

"Who's in?" He asked gruffly.

After putting their hands together and yelling 'wildcats' the five boys who were expected to execute this ridiculous play walked back out onto the court. The other team was still talking as the refs hadn't blown their whistles yet.

Jason scanned the crowd as he spotted his dad sitting next to a man who was in a business suit. His dad nodded at him, and if Jason wasn't looking closely, then he wouldn't have seen it at all. He knew what his dad wanted him to do. It wasn't that hard to figure out. Just keep the ball away from Troy, and make the three pointer without his help and then every basketball scout that was at that game would see just how great he was.

The ref blew his whistle and Jason nearly jumped out of his skin at realizing he was going to have to make a choice.

"Don't forget the play Bolton." Jason whispered as he went to go take his place on the court.

Troy's eyes narrowed the for less than a second. "I won't." Their shoulders bumped as each boy went to go take their spot on the court.

He noticed that for a second the boy who was defending him got confused as this wasn't the position Jason usually played. It had been two years ago that he was shooting guard and then when a new batch of varsity players came in and the seniors left, Jason was moved to small forward. A position he loved as he got just as much shooting and playing time as anyone else; if not more time being the captain and all.

Although Jason would never admit this out loud he was nervous. Being a small forward he was able to take shots by either driving to the basket or if he really had to he could take it from just inside the three point line. He knew the play. He understood it. He just thought it was more than risky to pull off.

The whistle blew again and Zeke bounced the ball in to Troy who caught it with ease. He dribbled up slowly as he got past his defender easily. Jason knew that he was good at handling the ball, but since this was his first year playing and Chad was also good at ball handling, then Troy was put on as their shooting guard. He had a wicked three point shot.

Troy passed the ball to Chad as Zeke set the pick. And even though Chad was the main point guard, he still was iffy about taking three point shots; unlike his best friend.

The clock was ticking down as Chad just dribbled the ball like there was all the time in the world.

Eric, the other boy who was their power forward came out and Chad passed him the ball in which he passed it to Jason who was ready for it. He anticipated before Chad even gave the ball away. There was fifteen seconds on the clock and the crowd was growing anxious.

Jason had the ball behind the three point line. Something that Coach Montez told him to do. If he had a nice open shot then he was supposed to take it. And if he didn't then Jason could still remember Coach Montez's words to him in the huddle, "If you can't get a shot, hang on to it. You'll know what to do." And although his words didn't particularly help Jason at the moment, Jason still remembered them.

There was seven seconds left as time was really ticking. His defender was playing a tight defense, so Jason could easily get around him to go to the hoop for a tie. They would then go into overtime, and if that happened then there was no saying who would win.

There was five seconds and then Jason saw him. He saw Troy break away from his defender as Chad set a pick and he rushed behind the three point line also. Jason didn't think about their dad as he chest passed the ball to Troy. He watched his half -brother take one dribble before jumping with perfect formation as the ball rolled off his fingers.

The crowd held their breath as the buzzer went off and the only sound in the gym was that of a net.


Author's note--I have a cold right now, along with a fever, and what better way than to spend your day off sick than to write a chapter with Troyella? I hope me being just a little bit sick didn't really affect this chapter. Thanks a ton to who reviewed. And I would also have to thank my friend who read this over first. It helped a ton. And even though not a lot of things happened here, it's a filler and those are important too. Important enough to review for maybe?

P.S. I would also like to say that I love the support I'm getting gradually for usuing Jason as the best friend. I know that not a lot of stories use him as a main character, and I'm being completely honest here--I haven't read a story where Jason is a main character unless the story is centered around Jason and Kelsi. So I'm glad that my story can be at least a little bit different in that sense. And I'm glad that I'm getting positive feedback about that. Thanks.