Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
A/N: So, here it is. My next HSM story. Be warned, this one has plenty of Troyella angst, drama, and the like. It gets pretty intense near the middle, and also at the end. Yes, it is another Troy in the hospital type story. But it's less hospital and more Troy this time. LOL
This first chapter is more of an exposition type chapter. It doesn't have a lot of action, it's more to set the story up. This takes place the summer before senior year starts, which is why Troy is driving.
Oh, and I don't know much about basketball camps,so I made it up. Can you forgive me? lol
Enjoy!
This story is dedicated to my cousin, Karen.
"There's a song that's inside of my soul.
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again.
I'm awake in the infinite cold.
But you sing to me over and over and over again.
So I lay my head back down.
And I lift my hands and pray,
To be only yours I pray, to be only yours,
I know now you're my only hope."
Troy Bolton tossed the duffel bag in his hand into the trunk of his SUV, shutting the door and turning to face his girlfriend, Gabriella Montez.
"I'll miss you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him softly on the lips.
"I know," he told her, returning the kiss. "I'll miss you, too. But it's only for a month."
"But the summer's only two and half months long. You're going away for most of it. What am I going to do all summer," Gabriella whined, hanging on to Troy as if she never wanted to leave him.
"I'm sorry," Troy whispered, a slight smile gracing his features as he leaned in to kiss her again. "But you know I can't pass this up. It's the opportunity of a lifetime."
"Everything's always about basketball," Gabriella whined, running a hand through Troy's hair.
"There's college scouts at this camp, Gabi," he said, returning the gesture. "I could get a scholarship. You know how important this is to me."
Gabriella nodded. "I know," she whispered, letting Troy out of her grip. He took her hand, dragging her with him to the driver's side of the car. Gabriella leaned back against the door, blocking Troy from opening it.
"Don't go," she pleaded, reaching out to stroke his hair.
"I have to, Gabi."
"I just-I feel like I'm losing you."
"Gabi, it's only a month. You're not losing me," Troy replied, smiling reassuringly at her.
"I know, but I just love you so much," she whispered, her fingers running along Troy's neckline, catching the necklace he wore.
Troy smiled at her, placing a hand on the car on either side of her head, leaning in close to her. "I love you, too," he whispered in her ear, kissing her forehead.
Gabriella closed her eyes, drawing Troy's lips to hers again.
They broke apart suddenly when Troy's parents walked out of the house.
"Hey Mr. Bolton, Mrs. Bolton," Gabriella said, lifting a hand in greeting.
They nodded, then walked over to Troy.
"Drive carefully," his mother whispered, kissing him on the forehead.
"I will, Mom."
"Have fun, play hard," his father told him, clapping Troy on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. I will."
"Are you picking Chad up on your way?"
"Yeah, I better go or we're gonna be late."
"See you in a month," Mr. Bolton said, his arm around his wife's shoulders as Troy opened the door to his car.
"Call when you get there."
Troy nodded, then turned to Gabriella.
"Bye," she whispered, blowing a kiss to him. He smiled at her, getting into the car and shutting the door. He shoved the key into the ignition, turning it. The engine turned over, and Troy put the car in gear, slowly easing out of the driveway. He turned and waved at his parents and girlfriend, who were watching him drive away.
A minute later, his house was out of sight and he was on the way to Chad's.
Chad threw his bag into the backseat, shutting the passenger door as he climbed into Troy's car. He waved at his parents, and Troy pulled out of the driveway.
"So, how long is this supposed to take?" Chad asked, pulling open Troy's glove compartment and rummaging around.
"Get the hell out of there," Troy said, taking his eyes of the road for a second. "And it's like a 8 hour drive or something to California."
"Alright, don't get all pissy with me," Chad said, snapping the compartment shut. He leaned forward and turned the stereo on. "What tunes-what the hell is this?"
The sound of a piano had filled the car, accompanied by several voices.
"In midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter-"
Chad quickly switched to the radio.
"It's RENT," Troy replied, keeping his eyes on the road as he navigated a particularly difficult turn. "It's Gabi's."
"She's got you listening to this crap now?"
"It's not crap, I happen to like it," Troy protested, looking sideways at Chad.
"Whatever, dude."
"You know, you should try it sometime. It actually happens to be good music."
"I'm sure. Listen, are we gonna stop somewhere. I'm starving," Chad said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, sure, tell me when you see someplace to stop."
Chad and Troy climbed out of the car, going around to the back to take out their duffels. Several other young men their age were also getting out of cars, some waving good-bye to their parents, some locking the doors on their own cars.
Chad and Troy slung their bags over their shoulders, headed in the direction everyone else was headed in. They found the sign-in desk.
"Names?" the harried woman behind the table asked, handing Troy and Chad forms.
"Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth," Troy said. The woman turned behind her and flipped through a file and pulling out two packets.
"These are your welcome kits. Room assignments, team assignments, and coach assignements are in there. The welcome meeting is at 7 tonight in the main ball room, don't be late. Next!"
Chad and Troy walked away from the table, opening their envelopes.
"What room?" Troy asked, locating the page with his room assignment.
"210. You?"
"Same," Troy replied. They set off in the direction indicated by the signs on the wall. Reaching 210, Troy took out his key and opened the door. Two other teens were sitting on their respective beds, unpacking their bags.
"Hey," Troy said, catching their attention. "I guess you're our roommates." He dropped his bag on one of the two remaining beds, and walked over to the others.
"Hey," one said, standing up and shaking Troy's hand. "Ryan Andrews."
"Troy Bolton."
Chad came over too, shaking Ryan's hand. "Chad Danforth."
The other teen stood up and came over. "Chris Ryan. Where you guys from?"
"Albuquerque," Troy answered, going back to his bed and unzipping his duffel. "You?"
"LA," Ryan replied.
"New York."
"Long way from home," Chad remarked.
"Yeah, but it's not that bad."
"So," Troy said, sitting on his bed and turning to face the others. "What's there to do around here?"
Troy shifted in the uncomfortable chair, his eyes glazed over as he stared absently at the projector screen at the front of the room. The other guys around him were behaving similarly as they entered the second hour of the seemingly endless presentation.
Suddenly, the projector switched off and the lights came up as a man in his thirties walked up to the microphone. Troy was startled. He hadn't even realized that the presentation was over.
"That was just a basic history of the camp," the man said, leaning into the microphone. Several of the players laughed tentatively. "My name is Andrew Jones. You can all call me Andrew. Or Coach. I'm the director of the camp. I trust you've all found your rooms and have gotten settled in." He paused looking out at the young men in front of him. "Good. Because the next four weeks of your lives are going to be filled with basketball, basketball, and more basketball."
An appreciative laugh went around the room, breaking the tense silence that followed the presentation. Andrew smiled slightly.
"Yeah, you laugh now. Come back and see me in four weeks." Another laugh.
"So, this meeting is basically to give you the schedule for each day. Wake up call is at 6:30 every morning, breakfast at 6:45. First team practice is at 7:15. Each practice lasts two hours. After morning practice it's drill clinics at 9:30. Each clinic lasts two hours. The topics range from free throws to lay-ups and everything in between. Lunch is at 11:45, break until 1. Afternoon practice is from 1:10-3:10, followed by a twenty minute break. At 3:30 each day, there will be a scrimmage between two teams. This is where the scouts will be. Dinner is at 5, then evening clinic at 6:30. Lights out at 10. On Saturdays there's a clinic at 10:30 and a scrimmage at 3. Other than that, weekends are free."
The players sat shocked, barely able to soak in their hectic schedules for the next few weeks.
"Any questions? Good. Get back to the dorms, lights out is in half an hour," Andrew said, walking away from the mike. The room was almost immediately filled with the buzzing of voices.
"6:30?" Chad whispered to Troy, moaning.
Troy laughed. "You'll get over it. Come on, let's get back to the room. 6:30 will be here before you know it."
A/N: Well, that was pretty cool. I feel so bad for those poor basketball players. LOL Reviews greatly appreciated (as always)!
Credit where credit is due: The song that opened the chapter was "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore. The song on Troy's CD was "Seasons of Love" from RENT (if you didn't know that have you been living under a rock? just kidding :D)
That was my homage to RENT, One Tree Hill, and A Walk to Remember. LOL
Coming in Chapter 2: The first day of camp. Can they survive the hectic schedule?