A couple weeks later, Troy and Gabriella had gotten the hang of living together. Troy would go to class in the morning and come back to the apartment around three in the afternoon. Gabriella would have class in that time frame as well which made it easier for the couple to spend time together and study. One day, Gabriella opened the front door and walked into the apartment, carrying all of her books. Troy saw Gabriella carrying her large stack of books and got up and took some of them for her. He looked at his girlfriend and knew something was wrong.
"Did you have a rough day?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"My group for my presentation in my organic chemistry class didn't show up to go over the project so I did the whole thing by myself" Gabriella said putting her books down in the living room.
"I'm sorry baby" Troy said.
"To make matters worse, I have a test for my physics class that I have to study for" Gabriella said.
Troy sighed.
"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Troy asked.
Gabriella looked at her boyfriend and smiled slightly.
"No but thanks. I'm going to have a long night" Gabriella said.
"I think I have something that will cheer you up" Troy said.
"What is it?" Gabriella asked.
Troy walked over to the kitchen and went to the refrigerator and pulled out his specialty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and walked back to the living room. Troy set the plate in front of his girlfriend. Gabriella looked at the plate and then at Troy and smiled. She stood up from the couch and leaned over and kissed her boyfriend.
"You always know how to make me feel better" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"I only try my best" Troy said.
Gabriella took a bite of her sandwich and smiled.
"How was your day?" Gabriella asked.
"Fine, I have practice tonight" Troy said.
"What time?" Gabriella asked.
"Eight to ten" Troy said.
"Okay. I'll probably be studying" Gabriella said.
"You aren't really going to study all night are you?" Troy asked.
"I have to if I want an A on my test" Gabriella said.
"Do you want me to bring you dinner when I come back?" Troy asked.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
"Alright" Troy said.
Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.
"Love you" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"Love you too baby. I'll be in the bedroom so I don't distract you from your studying" Troy said.
"Okay, thank you" Gabriella said.
Troy walked into the bedroom and shut the door. Gabriella finished her sandwich and pulled out her study materials and started studying. A couple hours later, Troy came out of the bedroom, dressed in his basketball practice attire. He smiled when he saw Gabriella studying. Troy walked over to his girlfriend and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"How's the studying going?" Troy asked.
"Okay. I'm just making sure I know everything backwards and forwards. Did you do your homework in the bedroom?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah, I didn't want to do it out here because I know you need complete silence when you study" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled at her boyfriend's thoughtfulness.
"Thank you baby. But, you could have studied out here. I wouldn't have minded" Gabriella said.
"I just wanted you to be in your study zone. I think it's cute when you study" Troy said.
Gabriella giggled.
"How is that cute to you?" Gabriella asked.
"You just look like you are going to dominate whatever you are doing and nothing is going to stop you from doing that" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled. Troy looked at his phone and checked the time. He looked at Gabriella.
"I have to go to practice" Troy said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.
"I love you. Study hard baby" Troy said.
"I love you too and I will" Gabriella said.
Troy left the apartment and Gabriella continued studying. At ten-thirty, Troy unlocked the door to the apartment and walked in. He closed the door and saw Gabriella asleep at the table, study materials in her hand. Troy smiled. He walked over to his girlfriend and carefully took her materials out of her hand. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek.
"Brie?" Troy asked.
"Mm.." Gabriella mumbled.
"Come on baby. Time for bed" Troy said.
Gabriella opened her eyes slowly and looked at Troy. Troy helped Gabriella stand up and put his arm around her and the couple walked into the bedroom. The couple changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Gabriella snuggled into her boyfriend's chest. She looked at Troy.
"How was practice?" Gabriella asked.
"It was fine. Games start next week" Troy said.
"When is your first game?" Gabriella asked.
"Thursday" Troy said.
"I'll be there" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. He loved when Gabriella came to his games. Troy always looked at her for strength.
"My parents said that they wanted to come and so did Chad" Troy said.
"Then you will have all the luck you can possibly get" Gabriella said.
"I only need one good luck charm at my games" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled.
"When is your test?" Troy asked changing the subject.
"It's at nine" Gabriella said.
"Then you better get some sleep" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. Troy kissed her back and pulled away slowly. He put his hand on Gabriella's cheek.
"Good night sweetheart" Troy said.
"Good night" Gabriella said.
The couple fell asleep. A week later was Troy's first game. Gabriella had called Lucille and told her to meet at their apartment. She hadn't seen it yet. The doorbell rang and Gabriella ran to the door and opened it. She smiled when she saw the Bolton's standing at the door.
"Hi guys" Gabriella said hugging her "second parents".
"Hey, how's it been going over here? Is Troy giving you a hard time?" Lucille asked.
"It's going well. Troy's been good. He's been really busy with basketball and has been running around for the past couple weeks" Gabriella said.
"Sounds like he's been busy. You haven't been here all alone have you?" Jack asked.
"No, he usually comes home around three, which is when I'm done with class. But since the season started, so he's been out late" Gabriella said.
"Wow. Well, take me on a tour of this apartment" Lucille said.
Gabriella smiled. She and Lucille walked around the apartment. An hour later, the doorbell rang and Gabriella walked to the door and opened it. She smiled when she saw Chad.
"Hey Chad" Gabriella said.
"Hi Gabs" Chad said hugging his "little sister".
"We should get going. I'm sure it's going to be a packed game" Gabriella said.
Everyone left the apartment and they all drove to Berkeley and parked at the basketball stadium. They walked into the stadium and sat down in their seats.
"Wow, this gym beats mine by a landslide" Chad said.
Gabriella smiled. The game started and all the players were introduced by name. When the announcer called Troy's name, the Bolton's, Chad, and Gabriella stood up and cheered. Troy looked up at the stands and smiled when he saw everyone. He winked at Gabriella. Gabriella smiled and blew him a kiss. The game started and Troy was playing in most of it. Troy had the ball and was dribbling until the player of the other team blocked him, causing Troy to fall and skid across the slippery gym floor. Gabriella and Lucille stood up.
"Troy" Gabriella said breathlessly.
The coach had come onto the floor and leaned down to talk to Troy. A couple moments later, a couple of Troy's teammates helped him walk back to the bench. Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Jack put a hand on Gabriella's shoulder.
"He's okay. I'm sure that he wasn't expecting college ball to be more aggressive than high school ball" Jack said.
Gabriella nodded. The game continued and Troy sat out the rest of the game. At the end, the bears had won the game. Everyone that was in the stands had gone out of the stadium and only the families of the teams were on the court with their players. As soon as Gabriella spotted Troy, she knew that he was hurt. She walked over to the chair that he was sitting in and kneeled down in front of him.
"Great game baby" Gabriella said.
"For what I played" Troy said wiping the sweat from his face.
Gabriella smiled apologetically.
"How's your knee?" Gabriella asked.
"Busted" Troy said looking down at his knee.
"Come on, let's get you home" Gabriella said.
Gabriella helped Troy stand up. She put his arm around her and helped him limp over to his parents and Chad.
"Dude, great game" Chad said.
Troy smiled and shook his best friend's hand.
"Thanks for coming man. I appreciate it. Sorry that you couldn't watch me play as much as I wanted to" Troy said.
Chad smiled.
"All that matters is that you got to play. How did it feel?" Chad asked.
"It felt so good to be on the court again. But, I don't think I'll be playing for a while or at least until I get my knee checked out" Troy said looking at his injured knee.
"You will heal up fast" Chad said.
The Bolton's, Gabriella, and Chad went to dinner and enjoyed each other's company. That night, Troy and Gabriella arrived home. Troy limped to the living room and lied down on the couch and sighed. Gabriella sat next to him and kissed his cheek.
"How's your knee?" Gabriella asked.
"Hurts, but I will be okay" Troy said.
"Do you want to me to get you some ice for it?" Gabriella asked.
Troy looked at his knee and then at Gabriella and nodded. Gabriella smiled.
"Don't move" Gabriella said.
Gabriella walked to the kitchen and brought Troy an ice pack. She handed Troy the cold compress and he placed it on his injured knee.
"Thank you baby" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled.
"No problem. Just keep the ice there until the swelling goes down" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded.
"I probably pulled a muscle" Troy said.
"You've been working yourself too hard. You need to slow down a little bit" Gabriella said.
"Yeah, but I don't want to Brie" Troy whined.
"I know you don't. But, working yourself to the point of getting hurt isn't worth it. I don't want to see you continuously getting hurt" Gabriella said.
Troy knew that Gabriella was worried about him. He put his hand on top of hers.
"I'll be more careful" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Just for my peace of mind" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.
"Tomorrow, you need to go to the doctor and find out if it's broken" Gabriella said.
"Brie, I'm fine. I promise" Troy said.
Troy got off the couch and limped to the kitchen to a get a glass of water.
"If you were fine, you wouldn't be limping" Gabriella said.
Troy looked at Gabriella and sighed.
"Okay, I'm not alright" Troy said.
"Just go to the doctor and see what's going on" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded. Gabriella walked over to her boyfriend. She placed a kiss on his cheek softly.
"I'm just looking out for baby. That's all" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled slightly.
"I know. I guess I am just frustrated that this happened. I think I'm going to go to bed" Troy said.
"Do you need any help?" Gabriella asked.
"No, I got it. Night baby" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.
"Good night" Gabriella said.
Troy walked into the bedroom and went to bed. An hour later, Gabriella was studying in the living room. She didn't hear Troy get up and walk into the living room.
"Are you coming to bed?" Troy asked.
Gabriella looked up and smiled. She saw how tired Troy was.
"In a minute. Go back to bed Troy" Gabriella said.
Troy walked back into the bedroom and got back into bed. A couple minutes later, Gabriella closed her book and set it aside and walked into the bedroom and got into bed. Troy felt the bed shift and opened his eyes. Gabriella looked at Troy.
"How's your knee?" Gabriella asked.
"It feels a little better than earlier" Troy said.
"Good. Tomorrow go get checked out" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded.
"I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to" Troy said.
Gabriella's face softened. She put her finger under Troy's chin.
"Troy, it's not your fault. Things happen. Don't beat yourself about it" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. The couple fell asleep. The next morning, the alarm went off and Troy hit it. He stretched out his arms and yawned. Troy looked over at Gabriella, who was sleeping peacefully. He kissed Gabriella's cheek softly and got out of bed. Troy stood up and winced when he felt the pain in his knee. He limped to the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Troy emerged from the bathroom and carefully walked into the bedroom. He saw Gabriella getting out of bed.
"Good morning" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"Good morning baby girl" Troy said wrapping his arms around Gabriella.
"How are you feeling today?" Gabriella asked.
"In pain" Troy said.
Gabriella looked at her boyfriend and sighed.
"When is your appointment?" Gabriella asked.
"Ten" Troy said.
"Do you want me to drive you?" Gabriella asked.
"Don't you have class?" Troy asked.
"I will miss class if you don't have a ride to your appointment. I'm not letting you drive yourself when you are like that" Gabriella said.
"I don't want you to have to miss your class for me Brie" Troy said.
"Who is going to take you to the doctor and ask the necessary questions that need to be asked?" Gabriella asked.
Troy looked at Gabriella and sighed.
"You" Troy said.
"Come on, get ready and we will leave" Gabriella said.
Troy got dressed and the couple left the apartment. Gabriella drove to the doctor's office that they had found in their area and parked her car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the office.
"I'll sign you in babe. Go sit down" Gabriella said.
Troy walked over to a chair and sat down. Gabriella signed him in and sat next to him. A couple minutes later, Troy's name was called and the couple followed the nurse into an exam room. Troy carefully sat on the exam table and looked at Gabriella. There was a knock on the door and a brunette woman who was probably in her forties came into the room.
"Hi I'm Dr. Brown. Troy, I heard you had a nasty fall on the basketball court" Dr. Brown said.
"Yeah. I don't know if it's broken or not" Troy said looking at his injured knee.
"Let's take a look" Dr. Brown said.
Dr. Brown examined Troy's knee as carefully as she could without hurting him. She then looked up at Troy.
"Okay, I don't think it's broken but you were very close to breaking it. It is sprained. I'm going to advise that you don't play for two weeks" Dr. Brown said.
Troy sighed and looked down. He nodded in disappointment.
"You need to stay off of it as much as possible. Rest is what is going to help it heal" Dr. Brown said.
"What can he do for the pain?" Gabriella piped in.
"I'll write a prescription for something that will help you with the pain" Dr. Brown said.
Troy nodded. Dr. Brown wrote a prescription for Troy's pain medication and left the room. Gabriella looked at her boyfriend.
"At least it's not broken Troy. Be happy" Gabriella said.
"I can't play for two weeks Brie. That's two games that I will miss" Troy said.
"I understand that. But what's more important? Your well-being or basketball?" Gabriella asked.
"That's not fair" Troy said.
"No, you know what's not fair, how about having to be worried more about your well-being than you do?" Gabriella said.
Troy sighed and closed his eyes.
"Let's talk about this at home" Troy said.
The couple left the office and drove home. Once they got into their apartment, Troy sat down on the couch.
"Gabs, can we talk?" Troy asked.
Gabriella sat down on the couch and looked at her boyfriend.
"I understand that you are going to miss two games Troy and I know that you are upset about it. I was just trying to get you to see that you should focus on your injury more than focusing on when you can play again" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded.
"This is just frustrating Gabriella. You know that I go from one thing to the other. I'm not used to staying in one place and not doing anything. I can't play basketball and I can barely walk. Two things that I do daily. I didn't mean to snap at you" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled.
"I understand baby. Just listen to what Dr. Brown told you to do and in two weeks you can play again" Gabriella said.
Troy sighed and nodded.
"What am I going to do for two weeks without basketball?" Troy asked.
"Go insane" Gabriella joked.
Troy looked at Gabriella annoyed.
"I was only kidding baby. Don't worry your knee will be feeling better soon" Gabriella said.
Troy sighed. He stood up and started walking away.
"Where are you going?" Gabriella asked.
"To sulk in bed" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled and shook her head. A couple days later, Troy would go to school and come back and stay in bed for the rest of the time. He had been told by his coach to rest and not play for two weeks like Dr. Brown had told him. One day, Troy opened the front door and almost had a heart attack when he saw his mother sitting in the kitchen with Gabriella.
"Baby, can you come to the kitchen please?" Gabriella asked.
Troy limped slowly to the kitchen and was met with his mother.
"Troy, why didn't you call me and tell me about your knee?" Lucille asked.
"I didn't want you to worry. I wanted to take care of it on my own" Troy said.
Lucille sighed.
"Brie has been taking good care of me and been on me about staying off my feet" Troy said.
Lucille looked at Gabriella. Gabriella smiled and nodded.
"You still should have called" Lucille said.
"Sorry mom. I've been really busy" Troy said walking out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.
Gabriella smiled at Lucille apologetically.
"He's just stressed out about the whole thing" Gabriella said.
"I can see that. Let me know if anything happens Gabi" Lucille said.
"I will. Thanks for coming and checking up on us" Gabriella said.
"Of course. Love you" Lucille said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said hugging her boyfriend's mother.
Lucille left the house and Gabriella closed the door. She knew that Troy was going to be upset that she had called his mother. But she didn't know what else to do.