Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to anything, anybody, or anyplace in the High School Musical series. This is purely for fictional and entertainment purposes.

Summary: Troy Bolton is the captain of the Los Angeles Lakers. When he suddenly sets his eyes on a cheerleader from a rival team, he is unprepared for the love and rejection he receives throughout his relationship.

For The Love of Rivalry

Chapter One

"Troy! Troy! Over here, Troy!" shouted a tall boy with shoulder length hair that was already matted to his forehead with sweat. He waved his arms in the air, trying to get his teammate's attention.

Troy looked at him and tossed him the ball, running to the other side of the court. The player tossed him the ball again, giving Troy the opportunity to bypass another boy and dunk the ball with a loud shout. He growled and hung to the rim before dropping down and tossing his fists into the air.

"That's my boy!" shouted Chad, slapping his best friend on the back.

This was the normal practice routine for the Los Angeles Lakers. No matter how hard they worked and however many plays they tossed in the games, they always came out shouting and cheering. They were the superheroes in town, inspiring little boys to reach for their dream and for fathers and sons to bond every night with fantasy games and nights in with caffeine and junk food.

Their captain, the number one superhero, was the one that everybody wished they could meet and see in person. Troy Bolton was the superstar. He had been a superstar even in high school when he played basketball for the East High Wildcats in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For a short time, he had been tired of the pressure back then. He wasn't even sure if he would play basketball as his career. But, with the encouragement of his best friend and co-captain Chad Danforth, he traveled to UCLA for college and won the captain spot for the Lakers after graduating college. Nobody was jealous of him, though. As long as he brought them victory, they were happy to be a part of a winning team.

"OK, boys! Hit the showers and head home!" shouted their coach.

Troy followed the boys into the locker room and unlocked his locker to grab a towel. He accepted man handshakes and slaps on the back from his teammates as they bid him goodbye. He was pretty sure he was the only guy who took showers after practice. He wasn't too keen on the idea of going home smelling like a dirty sock. Literally.

"Hey, dude?" He turned to see Chad. "You want to meet us at the bar later tonight?"

"Sure thing," agreed Troy. He did the one millionth handshake for the day and was soon left by himself.

He traveled over to the showers and turned it on, enveloping the space around him with hot steam. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. The hot water soothed his aching muscles as he rested the palm of his hand on the wall. He let the water run down his hair as he shut his eyes. He was so exhausted. But, this was the consequence of being the captain of the most popular basketball team in the world. This was the consequence of being the most popular sportsman in the media. He did a good job at keeping his face away from the paparazzi when he was out on the streets. But, he could never escape them when he was out at events. The flashing lights, he had gotten used to. The shouting would reverberate in his head for days. It was annoying, but it was worth it if he continued to do what he did for a living.

Yet, the job also made it hard to have relationships. The last time he had a serious girlfriend was in high school. They had broken up right before college as they were afraid of distance and losing touch. Truth to the matter, they had lost touch after all. She went to study abroad and he had stuck in California. He had had a string of dates since his rise to fame, but they were only interested in him for his money and his fame. They wanted the attention from the papers. It was hard for him to trust anybody.

He turned off the shower after getting cleaned up and tucked the towel around his waist. He headed over to his locker and took out a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. He dried off and got dressed before rubbing the towel over his short hair. He grabbed some hair gel and barely dabbed some onto his fingers before styling his locks into his normal fauxhawk. He looked at the mirror in his locker and grinned. Deciding he looked decent enough, he shut his locker and grabbed his gym bag as he headed out.

He looked around the empty gym and sighed. The basketball court was his sanctuary. He could think freely out there and keep his focus. Nothing could distract him. He was focused on winning when he was on this court. Nothing else mattered but getting a win for his teammates. Before him, the Lakers were a complete joke in the NBA. Now, they were the reason other basketball players got into the game.

He twirled his keys around his finger and headed outside in the parking lot towards his silver SUV. He tossed his gym bag into the backseat and headed towards the bar downtown. He could see the roads filling with people as the sun began setting. They were heading towards the club or to trendy restaurants for dates or their latest one night stand. He parallel parked beside the bar and put his cap on as he headed out. He quickly got through the door, hoping not to attract a crowd or a group of girls wanting him to sign their breasts. He couldn't count how many times that question had been brought up.

He spotted a few of his teammates at the bar and waved as he headed over to an empty stool. "I'll take a large draft of Coors Light."

Chad, once again, slapped his back. "Hey, bud. You ready for the big game?"

"Yeah. Two days, right?" he asked, accepting the drink. He took a light sip and exhaled heavily. "Who are we playing?"

The tall basketball player from earlier raised his eyebrows as he held onto his beer bottle. "Dude, really? You have to ask? We're playing the Celtics!"

Troy raised his eyebrows. "Really? How in the world could I forget that?"

Chad chuckled. "I think you are more focused on winning than about what team we are playing."

"Well, if it's the Celtics than I will be so much more focused on kicking their ass." Troy took another sip of his drink.

"Maybe one of these days you will fall on your ass and right off of your high horse," said a deep voice.

Troy looked over and rolled his eyes. The only player on the team that hated his guts was Matthew Baker. He was so jealous of Troy and his star status. Whatever Troy had, he wanted. They constantly argued and were lucky not to be cut from the team. They pushed each other around so many times during games that their rivalry was constant in the magazines.

"Matthew. Didn't think you would be here," commented Troy.

Matthew walked over to him with a glare. "You think you're such a hotshot, Bolton."

"I'm just playing my best. What's your excuse?" grinned Troy.

Chad sighed. "Guys, come on. We don't need another bad story in the papers. A bar fight is just way too cliché."

"Shut up, Danforth." Matthew kept his eyes on Troy. "You want to keep up that pitiful attitude? I can make sure you don't play that game."

"Then we will lose. It will be all your fault," said Troy. He finished off his beer and slammed the glass down on the counter. "I don't need to be around you. You already smell like a beer keg."

Matthew stopped him from getting up, grabbing his shoulder harshly. "Running away?"

Troy glared at him and pushed away his hand. "Get the fuck out of my face, Baker."

Chad glanced over towards the crowd behind them, seeing a few people with their phones out. He got between the two. "Guys, stop. We don't need this bad media before our biggest game."

Matthew took one last look at Troy before storming out of the bar in a huff. Troy rolled his eyes and sat back down, ordering another beer in a small draft. "Dick."

"On another note, you should watch some practice videos." Chad took out his phone and searched Youtube. He pulled up a practice video for the Celtics and handed it to Troy. "We need to be ready."

Troy nodded and glanced at it, watching the players go back and forth in different plays. He suddenly watched as the camera zoomed out once they took a break and zoomed back in towards the cheerleaders. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped when he noticed the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

She looked completely sexy and gorgeous in a pair of green shorts and a white tank top. Her black, curly hair was pulled up into a ponytail and her face was make-up free as she grinned while practicing a cheer. Her brown eyes were evident as they shined aglow with happiness and a carefree manner. Her body was curvy, yet petite and it moved in all the right places as she twirled and jumped into the air. When the cheerleaders stopped, she walked over to a blonde girl and started drinking her water. Even the way she held the bottle and drank from it looked beautiful.

She was an angel.

"Dude, who the hell is she?" asked Troy, absentmindedly wiping off the drool from his chin. He took a big gulp of his beer to quench his thirst. It did very little.

Chad looked at the screen and shrugged as he drunk from his beer. "I don't know. Why?"

"She is so beautiful," he murmured. He replayed the scene he had just watched and smiled. "I need to know her name."

"That's Gabriella Montez," said the tall basketball player. He chuckled. "Don't even think about it, dude."

"Why?" asked Troy.

"Come on, man. She is a cheerleader for our rival team. That's got to be a crime," he said.

Troy sighed, knowing he was right. But, she was so beautiful. He kept looking at her and paused the video on her smile. He ignored the warnings from his teammate and kept her smile, her name, and her beauty in his mind. He knew for sure that she would be stuck there.

He couldn't wait for that game.

Chateau Marmont was being invaded. A swing of girls sighed at the cute boys and a few men winked at the girls as they carried their gym bags with them once they checked in at the front desk. The Los Angeles area was being invaded by the Boston Celtics and their cheerleaders. They were arriving that evening for the big game against the Lakers that week. They knew there wasn't a good chance that they would win, but they were prepared either way. It wasn't as if they were the worst team. They won a lot of games back home and in other states. The Lakers were just too good for them.

A few minutes later, in one room on the third floor next to other cheerleaders on the team, two girls were already dressed in their pajamas and flipping through the channels to find something to watch. A blonde girl was sprawled on the bed, desperate for something to peak her interest. In the bathroom, a black haired girl was washing her face.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Well, I see Zac Efron." The blonde girl grinned.

"Perfect!" The other girl giggled. "Sharpay, we are so in sync."

It was true. Sharpay Evans was the very best friend of Gabriella Montez. They had met freshman year in college and had clicked right from the beginning. They were on the cheerleading squad in college and followed each other when they auditioned for the Celtics. Sharpay was the star of the squad while Gabriella was always behind her. It didn't bother her, though. She loved what she did. As long as she got to dance and show her spirit, she was perfectly happy.

"Are you excited for the game?" asked Sharpay once Gabriella sat on the other bed.

"Definitely." She suddenly giggled. "I'm excited about more than one thing, though."

Sharpay eyed her curiously. "I smell boy talk."

Gabriella smiled. "I keep hearing the guys talking about the captain of the Lakers. His name is Troy Bolton."

Sharpay exhaled heavily in a dreamy sigh. "Oh my gosh! He is so gorgeous!"

"He is? I haven't seen a good picture of him," she said.

"Here." Sharpay pulled out her phone and searched through Google images. She handed her best friend the phone when she found a good picture of Troy.

Gabriella nearly melted at the spot. It was his official profile for the team. He was wearing his jersey and it showed off his muscles perfectly. He was grinning and it reached his gorgeous, blue eyes. He had tan skin and his hair was perfectly smooth in a fauxhawk. Bottom line, he was fucking gorgeous.

"He is fucking gorgeous," murmured Gabriella, repeating her thoughts.

Sharpay giggled, taking her phone back. "Good luck with that. He will never go for you."

"Excuse me?" asked Gabriella, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Girl, he is a rival! We are in a war with them. It's practically illegal," said Sharpay. She then smiled and dropped her voice to a whisper. "But, if he did go for you, I would be totally psyched for you." She looked at the picture and then at her friend. "Come to think of it, you two would look hot together."

Gabriella giggled and got under the covers. "I guess. But, you're right. He probably won't approach me, anyway. They told me that he is only focused on winning games."

"So? You're hot, Gabriella. He will completely keep his focus on you," said Sharpay. She then raised her eyebrows. "Maybe you shouldn't date him."

"Why?"

"The guys will go for it because Troy will lose his focus and lose the games." Sharpay shook her head. "I don't know. I won't tell you what to do."

"He won't go for me, anyway." Gabriella shrugged. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me up for breakfast?"

"Sure thing, babe." Sharpay smiled and returned her attention to Zac Efron sailing on a boat with a little boy. "Damn, he is hot. Troy even looks like him, too!"

Gabriella giggled and turned to her side. She began thinking and dreaming about the one boy that she could never have and who would never want her in a million years.

Little did she know.