He arrived.
Troy stopped at the front door of the main building, staring at it like it was the gateway to hell. His body quivered a little, and he became nervous because suddenly, it was like good memories mixed with bad ones. The life that he thought was perfect, the girls, the friends, the team, the fame, was all flipped in one day.
And this was the place he found out that his life would change forever.
He pushed his hand forward, setting it on the handle. He waited a moment and listened to the rustling of the leaves as they delicately caressed the pavement and waited to be stepped on by the unpredictable steps of teenagers.
Just like a teenager's life was unpredictable.
He looked around, spotting the large oak tree which the leaves were now a sparkling gold. It hung oddly, as an old man about to pass on and quirked a smile at Troy as if to say "welcome back".
Without another thought, he slowly cracked the door open and peeked inside.
No human body stirred through the halls.
He slowly slipped inside the door and shut it very delicately behind him.
He stood inside the halls he used to walk, which he used to rule. They were freshly painted blue and red, as his colors used to be. The ceiling was still as low as ever, hanging at about ten feet high.
It was still the same.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way down the hallway, admiring the newspaper articles from last year about the graduating seniors. He admired the many trophies and ribbons in the trophy case, almost all which he had been a part of. The largest trophy stood in the middle. It was eight feet high and decorated in blue and red sparkling paint. It shimmered like the sun on a bright summer day, and stood out among the other bland trophies.
He felt proud of himself for the first time in fourteen months.
The soft patter of footsteps rang through his ears and he turned around quickly.
"Oh god, you scared me a little… " He laughed a little.
The principal stood with her arms folded. She was fairly young, hadn't seen her thirtieth year, and was a little hot to Troy. "What are you doing out of class?"
"I graduated last year. I'm in college now. Don't you remember me? Troy Bolton?"
The principal automatically cracked a smile. "Oh yeah, I remember. QB and captain of the football team, most popular guy in school, and I remember that girls used to mob you all the time." She chuckled. "So how is life treating you so far?"
"Pretty good. I've been really busy lately."
"Oh." She looked down the hallway. "Did you hear about the girl who committed suicide?"
Troy felt a lightning bolt strike him. His face began to turn pale.
"Gabriella Montez?" He asked quietly."
"That girl was such a good student. It was a shame. The staff said she was pregnant and she was just too stressed. Poor girl."
Troy swallowed hard. "That was my girlfriend… "
A weird expression came across her face. "How did you two end up together? You were the star athlete and the direct contact of all the girls, and she was an outlier who was very smart and nobody really liked."
"It just… Happened… "
"Was that your baby?"
He nodded.
She gasped. "I am so sorry! That must have been terrible- "
"No, my son is okay. She gave birth to him before she committed suicide."
"I am still very sorry about Gabriella… "
An alarm rang on her watch and she sighed.
"I have to go. I'm sorry for leaving in mid-conversation, but there's a board meeting today. I wish you luck with college! Bye!"
And she was gone.
He found himself wandering through the empty halls.
…..
He located himself again in Building 4.
All by himself, he stood in the middle of the gym, watching as all the lights turned on one by one.
He walked into the middle of the gym and thought good memories.
And those memories flew away when suddenly he heard a familiar voice.
"Troy?"
He whipped around.
There stood a skinny, hot blonde girl.
Ally.
"Ally?"
She sighed.
"I'm just going to my next class."
She walked past him.
He grabbed her arm.
"Wait."
"What?"
He stood holding her arm, looking for a question to pull out of thin air. But he could not find one.
"Nothing, just- "
"I heard you have a baby." She said quietly.
Silence came upon both of them.
They stared into each other's eyes.
Her body was tantalizing…
"Yeah, I have a baby." He let go of her arm.
"Do you love her?"
"My baby? No, he's a boy."
"No, Gabriella."
Troy bit his lip. "I love her, but I can never tell her ever again."
"Why?"
"She's dead, Ally."
Ally's face changed drastically.
"Oh my god, how?"
"She committed suicide… " He ran his fingers through his hair and squeezed it as he tried keeping his mind straight.
"That's terrible! I'm so sorry!" She sobbed as a couple tears fell down her cheeks. "I can't believe the things I did to her! I told everyone you and her were together and that you had her baby. I'm so sorry!"
"One word can affect a million nerves with Gabriella." He looked directly into her eyes. "She was a really good person. She would have been a great mom to our son, but she never got to meet him… "
"I'm so sorry for you and your son… "
He nodded.
She quickly started walking towards the exit. "I'm sorry, I have to go- "
Troy grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. He stared directly into her eyes and she stared back.
He kissed her.
He kissed her hard.
It felt good to finally get a real, true kiss after 14 months of not getting one from a girl at all.
She pulled back, shocked, and stumbled backwards a little.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry… I forgot we weren't together for a minute- "
She bolted out of the gym as fast as she could, tears flying down her cheeks.
And he watched as another girl ran out of his life.