Dreams or Desire
"So in the event that we win tonight…" Kelly started, as the girls sat around the locker room before Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers were leading the Cavaliers, 3 games to 2, therefore if the Lakers won that night, they would win the whole thing. "Things will get very crazy. The press will rush the court, and it can get very dangerous. You are to just stay in your normal spots at the baseline. When things calm down, I will give you the go ahead, and you will take your spots one the perimeter of the court, just like you would after a normal win. Okay?" All the girls immediately replied with positive answers. "For some of you this is your last game as a Laker Girl, so make it count." The girls all smiled, and the few that already knew that they wouldn't be returning the next year looked at each other sadly.
Gabriella looked at Sharpay with a wide smile. She giggled, and bounced up and down excited. Sharpay just laughed at her friend, being the only one that knew that Gabriella wasn't excited about the fact that the team that they cheered for was about to win the NBA Finals, but the fact that her boyfriend was 2 minutes from becoming a national champion. Just then the Lakers ran down to the side of the court that Gabriella was sitting on. After passing it around a few times, Brett shot the ball and it easily went in. All the girls stood up and cheered, and as Gabriella did so she caught her boyfriend's eye and he smiled. She then giggled and he laughed at her excited manner, even though he was just as excited as she was.
Before they knew it, a few moments later, the entire stadium was counting down from 10. The 5 players on the court were smiling widely and the guys on the bench were jumping up and down, while the cheerleaders held on to each other tightly in anticipation. Just then the buzzer went off. Every single fan, cheerleader, and Laker, screamed and jumped up in the air. The players and coaches flooded the court and photographers and cameramen surrounded them, trying to capture the celebration.
"We won!!! We won! We won!" Gabriella exclaimed jumping up and down, tears of joy welling up in her eyes.
"I know!" Sharpay replied, jumping as well. "Oh my god Gab, are you crying?" Gabriella nodded, and tried to wipe her tears away before they streamed down her face.
"I'm just so proud of him."
"Awww," Sharpay gushed, before hugging her friend. As they hugged tightly, Sharpay looked over her friend's shoulder and her eyes widened. "Gabi?"
"Yeah?"
"Turn around." Confused, Gabriella pulled out of the hug and turned to see her boyfriend making his way towards her, but having trouble doing so, considering he was surrounded by photographers. With a wide smile, she turned to Sharpay, who just smiled back and nodded. Gabriella giggled, before making her way onto the court, attracting the attention of all the cheerleaders. So excited, Gabriella couldn't help but walk with a skip in her step, which made Troy just smile wider. Just as Troy broke through the photographers, his girlfriend finally reached him. Without hesitation, she squealed and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, leading to many gasps and camera flashes. It didn't take one thought for Troy to press his lips to hers, and kiss her with all the passion in the world. Not caring about the 20,000 people watching, she kissed him back without hesitation, and it wasn't until he felt the tears streaming down her face that he pulled away.
"Why are you crying baby?" He asked with worry.
"I'm just so happy. And so proud of you." He chuckled and wiped her tears away.
"Thank you baby. I couldn't have done it without you." She giggled before hugging him tight.
"Do I even wanna know what the expressions on my teammates faces are?" He looked over her shoulder at the girls whose jaws were at the floor, and whom were mumbling to each other in shock.
"Probably not, but who cares what they think." Gabriella turned around and couldn't help but giggle at their reactions.
Meanwhile…
Kelly turned to her friend and choreographer of 20 years, shocked at the fact that one of her best and most promising cheerleaders had just revealed that she had broken the cardinal rule.
"Did your daughter just kiss with Troy Bolton?" She asked Maria in disgust. Maria, who was surprised that her daughter and boyfriend had just exposed their forbidden relationship in front of 20,000 people, turned to Kelly.
"Seems so," she replied amused.
"And you don't have any prob…" Kelly started in shock. However, a realization came over her and her eyes widened. "Oh my god! You knew!" Maria sighed and did everything she could to not roll her eyes.
"I always said I was a mother first Kelly. What kind of mother would I be if I forbid my daughter for dating the first guy she has truly cared about, and the one who treats her better than any guy ever has?"
-
Troy finally put Gabriella down, before leading her to center court, where the rest of the team was celebrating. As they did someone handed Troy a National Champion shirt and hat.
"Can she get one too?" The guy nodded before handing him another one. Gabriella slipped the shirt on, and Troy couldn't help but smile widely as he placed the hat on her head. It covered her entire uniform, and in his opinion she had never looked so sexy.
"Gabs!" Jordan exclaimed once they met at center court.
"Jordy!" she replied with the same enthusiasm before giving him a massive hug, in which he lifted her off the ground.
About twenty minutes later, when the celebration died down, the whole team gathered on a platform for the trophy presentation. Gabriella watched on with a big smile on her face, standing next to Jess, Rebecca, Jack, Lucille, and Chloe, who had come down from Albuquerque for the Finals. Troy was holding Michael on the stage, for multiple players were also holding children, however they were most likely their sons or daughters. Gabriella's heart couldn't help but melt as she saw tears well up in Jack's eyes as his son lifted the trophy over his head, after putting down Michael. Once the ceremony was over, in which Troy also won the final's MVP, the team cut down the net and then made their way back to their families and friends.
"Ok, I have to go back to the locker room. I'll see you guys back home?" They all replied with positive answers, before saying their goodbyes. Just as Gabriella was about to say her goodbye, he stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?" Gabriella looked at him confused.
"You said you are going back to the locker room. The champagne celebration is only for the team."
"Says who? I just talked to Jordan and Brett, Jessica and Rebecca are joining in." Gabriella giggled and smiled.
"Ok." He smiled and kissed her lightly, before taking her hand and leading her off the court. As soon as he made his way to the tunnel, security surrounded he and Gabriella, to protect them from the excited fans. However, this didn't stop Troy from high-fiving multiple fans. The two made their way to the locker room and as soon as they entered, they saw that the celebration was already under way. They couldn't help but laugh as Jordan immediately sprayed them with champagne. They were then handed a bottle.
"Go," Gabriella immediately ordered, wanting him to enjoy the moment with his teammates and coaches. He smiled before opening the bottle and spraying his team members. Gabriella smiled at how happy her boyfriend looked, before making her way over to Rebecca and Jessica, who were standing on a bench, spraying the champagne over the guys and each other. A few minutes later, Troy made his way to Gabriella. She giggled and squealed as he sprayed her with champagne.
"Open wide," she ordered and he opened his mouth and tilted his head back. She placed the bottle over his lips and pouring it down his throat.
"Oh I'm so next!" Luke exclaimed after Troy swallowed the champagne, which made them laugh. He got into the same position as Troy had moments before, and Gabriella repeated the action. Just as she did so, Rebecca did the same to Jordan.
"Damn that tastes good!" The girls laughed and before they knew it, the pouring of the champagne had become their job.
"Party at my house!" Troy exclaimed once things had died down a little bit and everyone cheered. Even after a tough game the guys were so high on adrenaline, they all knew that they weren't going to be tired anytime soon.
"I'm gonna go back to the locker room to change and grab my stuff," Gabriella informed Troy once the celebration was over.
"Okay, meet me in the parking lot." She nodded and they shared a loving kiss, before she walked out. As Gabriella made her way to the Laker Girl locker room, even though she was cold and sticky from the champagne that was she was soaking wet with, she could not take a smile off of her face. That is until she walked into the room to see it completely empty, except for Kelly, who was sitting on the bench. Once Gabriella walked in she looked up, clearly not happy and obviously very disappointed.
"Out of all the girls Gabriella…" she started, leading Gabriella to sigh. "I never expected this from you."
"Well all I can say Kelly is that I fell in love. I tried to fight it because I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't. I never meant any disrespect to you or the program, and I'm sorry if you feel that I did. I broke your rule, and I'm sorry, but at the same time, dating Troy never effected my performance, so in the end, as long as I know that I did what was asked of me, I really don't think I did anything wrong."
"You lied to me Gabriella! Multiple times!"
"What do you expect Kelly? Anyone in my position would have done the same thing. I did it because I loved being a Laker Girl, and I didn't want to give that up."
"Then why did you just make out with a player in front of 20,000 people, and most likely on national television?"
"At one point being a Laker Girl was all I ever wanted. So I had to make a decision. At first I chose my dream, but then I saw a different side of Troy, who was so sweet and caring, and the most amazing guy. I was lucky because I was able to choose both. But to answer your question, it was because I needed to make a decision. And I realized if I didn't decide to pursue my dream, I would be insane. So I did, but this time around I wasn't dreaming of being a Laker Girl for another year, I was dreaming of living a normal life with the person I love." Kelly just looked at her in shock. "I truly am thankful for everything you've done for me, but my relationship with Troy is much more important than this. I'm sorry." Not knowing what else to say, Kelly just nodded. Gabriella grabbed her bag and made her way towards the door. As soon as she reached it, she turned around to Kelly. "And just so you know, this has been one of the most amazing experiences ever. And even though I choose Troy, it doesn't mean that I won't miss it. Thanks for making one of my dreams come true." Gabriella gave her a small smile before walking out. As soon as she closed the door, she stopped and took a deep breath. One tear streamed down her face, realizing for the first time that her career as a Laker Girl was actually over. She quickly wiped it away and a smile graced her face, knowing she had made the right decision.