Troy Bolton/Season 2

## Troy Bolton

A few years after the events of Season 1, **Troy Bolton** is now dealing with adjusting to the now *real* demise of Noah Hashimoto.

## **Role in Series**

### ***Paranoia***

His body felt broken and battered. The adrenaline was wearing off finally and the pain that wracked his bones was beginning to seep into the doctor's soul. *He understands now; these hallucinations were his ongoing guilt manifesting; now it's gone because he stopped being cold and ruthless toward people and began trying to help and save once again.* Troy's eyes shot up as someone's hands gripped his shoulders, shaking him violently. On instinct, Troy's deadly arms flung up, pushing away the intruder's grip. Next, Troy's deathly hands took hold on the intruder's neck, squeezing the air into a narrowing passage, before closing the passage completely, cutting off the enemy's air supply. Suddenly, Troy's eyes focused on the one he was slowly choking. His eyes focused in on the pale face of his friend, clawing desperately at Troy's arms. Alex had been slammed against the wall and was now fighting with everything in him to break free of Troy's unbreakable grip. Immediately, tears flooded Troy's eyes and his hands released the hold on his friend's neck. Deep gasps filled the deafening silence. Alex's hands fiercely rubbed the now blood-red skin of his neck, trying desperately to gain all oxygen back into his lungs. Both doctors met in a gaze full of fear and pity, guilt and pain. "Troy." Alex's voice was raspy and hoarse, still huffing for breath. The bulkier doctor rose up to walk towards the muscular brunette, trying, but to no avail, to prevent the young neurosurgeon from fleeing the scene in shame. Troy's face was now covered in silent tears, his chest filling in with oxygen as the reality of the situation began to set in. "Don't..." Troy began in rebuttal to his co-worker, emotion choking the words from his mouth. "Don't come near me." Troy seethed. With one more, painfully saddened look, Troy's eyes filled with more tears at the sight of his broken friend. "I'm so sorry." Troy cried.

Troy was across town, staring at the pile of dirt. He had offered to go to therapy so that his parents wouldn't have to worry of their now distraught son. He was just building up the courage to go back to the place he now dreaded. Walking away from the grave site, Troy headed towards his blue beat-up truck. Sliding inside, he cranked the engine before slowly pulling away. His mind was all over the place as he started driving. Not paying attention, he let his feet drive him to where. Groaning, he realized he was in the same place he was just days before. Cutting the engine, he looked upward before shaking his head. “Why do I keep coming back here, Noah? This is the place where you died; it's also the place where your heart lies.” Troy muttered. Cutting the engine, he got out of the truck. His feet felt like bricks as he walked up the steps to his apartment that night. Today had to be one of the worst days he has had on the job so far. *It was a crazy day as always, and the E.R. was buzzing. A busy E.R. means Troy getting called down to help. He had been asked if he wanted to be moved to the E.R. permanently since he is spending his entire day there anyway. He immediately jumped on the chance, but after what happened to him today, he was seriously thinking about changing his mind.* He turned the doorknob and walked in knowing that Gabriella was already home. He walked in and slowly closed the door behind him. He dropped his keys at the table next to the door and pulled off his coat. He hung it up in the closet and made his way for the bedroom. "Gabriella!" he called out. All he wanted was to lay in bed and hold her in his arms. That was the only cure for a day like today. The bedroom door was open and he walked right in. He sat on the left side of the bed that happened to face the door to the bathroom that was right off their bedroom. The door pulled open and a very exhausted Gabriella appeared. Her appearance was dishevelling. She had one a pair of black yoga pants and her Wildcats sweatshirt. Her hair was carelessly thrown up in a bun on the side of her head. She had not one stitch of makeup on her face. "Hey." Troy said quietly when he saw her open the door. Gabriella leaned up against the doorway and looked at her fiancé sitting on the bed. "Hey." she whispered back. Troy sighed and fell back on the bed. Gabriella pushed herself off the doorway and went to sit on the bed next to him. She softly patted his leg as she stared blankly at the wall. "I lost a patient today." Troy finally blurted out. Gabriella turned around, her mouth agape. Troy slowly sat up and kept his eyes on the floor. He felt her hand settle on his back and she started to rub it soothingly. It was quiet for a few seconds until Troy began to speak. "He came in after being in a car accident. The E.R. was crazy and there weren't enough rooms. So when they brought him in, he was unconscious and the only way to bring his pulse-rate back up was to do C.P.R." Troy explained to her. Gabriella's hand was still moving up and down his back. "They brought out the equipment to shock him, but it wasn't working. The only way I knew, the only thing they pushed in training was C.P.R. So that's what I did." Troy shook his head and sighed. "I don't know why it didn't work." he whispered. Gabriella's hand reached across Troy's face and her thumb started to rub the right side of his face. She got close to his ear as she talked to him softly. "You did everything you could, baby. You were a great doctor today." she tried to build up his spirits. "If I was a good doctor, I would have saved him." Troy quickly retaliated. "You were a good doctor because you explored every option and you chose the one you thought was best." Gabriella explained to him. Troy shook his head and looked down at his fingers. He was picking off a piece of skin that was hanging off his index finger. "The worst part was telling his mother. His *mother*, Gabriella." he looked over at her and saw tears glistening in her eyes. "He was Noah's age. I can't even imagine a doctor coming to tell a mother that her--" he couldn't even finish it because it was something that was hard to think about. He never wanted to think that. Because, he couldn't. He couldn't lose her. "Hey." Gabriella caught his attention and he looked over at her. "You don't ever think that. I am right here and I am not going anywhere. You will *never* lose me." she said. She let a tear slip out of her eye. She quickly wiped it away and smiled at him. "Me and you are going to have a long and amazing life together. I don't want you to *ever* think that one day I won't be here." Gabriella said. Troy nodded and Gabriella laid her head on his shoulder.

### ***Farewell, My Bunny***

The ticking clock in the background filled the silent room. Sounds of squeaking leather chairs and the scratch of a pen synchronized in time. The room was lit warmly, the atmosphere inviting. He had never felt more exposed and uncomfortable. The older gentleman had a soft light-blue long-sleeve work shirt on, a crisp white shirt underneath it. His blue eyes were soft and the glasses that lay on his nose glittered in the warm light. The man sat with one leg crossed over the other, a legal pad and pen resting on it. Troy sat on a comfy chair; moving around every now and again, to find a good position. "How are you today, Mr. Bolton?" the friendly man asked. Troy looked quickly, dazed almost, at the man in front of him. After a few seconds it registered that he was talking to Troy. "Oh, you don't... You don't need to call me that or anything." Troy said with a little chuckle. The elderly man nodded his head in understanding. "Forgive me. I didn't want to be disrespectful. What would you like me to call you?" he asked. "Troy is fine, sir." Troy responded. "No need to call me, “sir”, Troy." the older gentleman said. "Sorry. I didn't want to be disrespectful. What would you like me to call you?" he asked. The gentleman smiled sweetly at the young man in front of him. "You can call me whatever you want: Dr. Turley, Mark, whichever." he said. "Okay, Dr. *Turley*..." Troy tested out the new name. "...So what do we do now?" Troy asked nervously. "Whatever you want, Troy. We can talk, we can sit, whatever you are comfortable with." the old man suggested. Troy nodded his head slowly, his fingers intertwining with one another. His thumbs tapped against each other once, twice. "Well, I guess I should tell you why I'm here." Troy said awkwardly. Dr. Turley smiled softly and chuckled kindly. "I believe that wouldn't be a bad idea." he said. Troy smiled shyly, lowering his head momentarily. "Well, I graduated from high-school about seven years ago, as you know..." Troy gestured to Dr. Turley, who nodded in agreement. "And I just recently became a neurosurgeon because I love helping others..." Troy said. Dr. Turley nodded again as Troy paused. He looked through his spectacles at the man in front of him. "But I couldn’t help someone who was my friend. You see, I have been seeing things that aren’t there and..." Troy stopped, searching for the right words. "Sometimes I just... I had a friend w-who... He died, and..." Troy stammered, his breathing shaky. "Continue, Troy." Dr. Turley said to Troy, realizing he was having trouble verbalizing his problems. Troy nodded, thanking the doctor silently. "And in a few instances, I've acted with... with physical force during those moments." Troy said with shame and guilt. Dr. Turley's brow knitted into one of concern and compassion at Troy's words. "I see." the doctor said simply. Troy lowered his gaze, ashamed and guilty. "It can't keep happening, doctor." Troy said. Dr. Turley looked to Troy, waiting for him to finish his though. "You see, I have loved-ones. Both times, these physical reactions have happened, they've been reciprocates. I can't hurt the people I love, Dr. Turley. I just can't." Troy stated determinedly. Dr. Turley held the words that found their way onto his tongue. Troy had more to say, he was sure of it. So he held his tongue, waiting for the young man to finish. "And I can't keep feeling this way, doctor." Troy finished with exasperation. "And how exactly do you feel, Troy?" Dr. Turley asked. Troy and the man sat in silence for a moment. "That I shouldn't be alive. That I don't deserve to be alive and happy when so many of my friends are still trying to help me, support me. And what about my friend who died? I feel so guilty for not being able to save him when he had so much to live for. He was so young. He was, like, possessed with this... charming and sophisticated, yet, sweet and innocent aura... He was snobby and unpleasant to anyone; he saw himself as superior to almost everyone. I cared for him greatly but the amount of evil that was within him, I have never seen the likes. Doctor, his childhood, his upbringing, destroyed him. His parents *really* didn't do his mental well-being any favors growing up and their behavior undeniably played a huge part in why he was so messed-up." Troy sighed out sympathetically. Dr. Turley put his pen and paper to the side on the small end table beside his chair. Next, he removed his spectacles and placed them on the table as well. With a small movement, Dr. Turley hunched over to look up at Troy, whose stunning blue gaze cut through his well-worn soul. "Troy..." his voice was soft and gentle, encouraging yet stern. "I know that it doesn't mean much now, but you need to understand something. You are *not* to blame for the death of your friend. You get to be happy and live a life again. As for the hallucinations and physical bouts, we will fix it. I promise you. We are in this together, Troy." Dr. Turley said boldly. Troy smiled weakly, reassured that he was doing the right thing by coming here, "All right, doc. All right." Troy said. Dr. Turley smiled in kind before returning his glasses to their place and picking up the pen and paper. Troy's face grew stern for a moment as he began to think about everything he and Dr. Turley had just discussed. *Fights and the demise of Noah Hashimoto. It would never be something he could fully get over and never something he would understand. Yet there was a peace inside Troy, stirring up from the dark shadows that encased his calloused soul. A peace about his part in everything that happened in high-school and Noah's death.*

**REST IS TBA**

His posture was much more relaxed than his first time in the warm office space. The leather chair was warm underneath him and a calming peace washed over Troy as the grandfather clock kept time in the background. He breathed in and out, softly, as the beauty of the moment seeped into his soul. "So, you get to do surgery today." Dr. Turley's voice was warm and raspy, breaking Troy's dreamlike state. "You must be excited to get back to work." he finished. Troy nodded his head lightly, acknowledging the truth in his shrink's words. "You have no idea. I feel so stir-crazy, not being able to do anything." Troy said. Dr. Turley's eyes lit up and a small smile hugged the man's face. A deep chuckle vibrated in his chest. "I can understand that. I hate not being able to do anything useful. It drives me crazy." he said. Troy laughed in return, his hand resting underneath his chin. "Yes, sir, it does." Troy said. Dr. Turley glanced over at Troy through his spectacles. Suddenly, he put his notepad and pen down, placing his glasses down on the legal pad. Dr. Turley's voice grew solemn, quiet and quite serious. Troy's posture became stiff and uncertain, ready for whatever happened next. "Troy, I want to talk to you about this young man -- Christian Lee." Dr. Turley started. Troy's eyes closed in agony, knowing where the conversation was headed. "Okay." Troy grunted. "You've told me so much of what happened in your life, Troy, and that's wonderful. I've never had a patient so willing to open up to me before. It's great progress, son." Dr. Turley stopped, unsure of how to continue. "But, have you told anyone else what happened? Have you told your parents? Chad? Gabriella?" Dr. Turley asked. Troy took a deep breath, his eyes hitting the floor. He moved slightly in his seat. His elbows and forearms resting on his thighs. "Why does that matter, doctor?" Troy asked. Dr. Turley sighed in sadness. "Because, Troy, you will never be able to let them back in, not fully anyway, until you tell them. They will never be able to understand, or begin to understand what happened to you if they don't actually know what happened? And that's the whole reason we're here. It's about helping you heal and helping you figure out *how* to heal those relationships. They need to know, Troy, especially the woman you love. You can't fully let Gabriella in until you show her all that *you* are. And she won't jump in until *you* do." Dr. Turley said. "I don't know if she will like what she finds..." Troy's voice was nothing more than a whisper and it damn near broke Dr. Turley's old and worn heart. "I can't bear it if she couldn't love what she found." Troy cried. Dr. Turley smiled sweetly. "If she loves you like you love her, it won't even be a struggle to." he said strongly. Troy swallowed roughly, fighting back the emotions that threatened to consume him. He clasped his hands together as Dr. Turley's words sank in. Troy's head nodded up in down, letting his doctor, his friend, know that he understood what needed to be done.