Troy Bolton

Depicted as one of East High School's most popular students, **Troy Bolton** is the captain of the school's varsity basketball team, a position he earned in his junior year after joining the team as a sophomore. The majority of the student body, especially Troy's best friend, Chad Danforth, expects Troy to lead East High to victory.

The school considers Troy their king and the most popular guy for three reasons: **1)** He is incredibly handsome, **2)** He is the best basketball player the school has ever seen, and **3)** The most important is that he is *incredibly* selfless. He doesn't think he deserves the recognition he gets, and he is always looking out for others. He never tolerates any type of bullying and always calls bullies out on it when he knows it is happening, even if the entire student body is watching. He wouldn't change his life for anything; his values mean a lot to him, and the school as a whole made him popular. It's just that over the past years he had gotten the reputation of being the basketball guy — the jock — the one everyone respected and adored. Troy is sick of being that guy but there is nothing he could do about it, everyone expects him to be a certain way and it's too late to do anything to change it.

To the students of East High, Troy is the definition of goodness and heroism, and in turn, they constantly praise Troy and treat him with the utmost admiration and respect. Troy and his relationship with social outcasts transcends the school. He has nothing to gain from helping people with their social and love life. Troy is aware he's popular at East High but he *never* abuses his status to manipulate it to his advantage; definitely not in the same way that his basketball team, does. Troy is the type of popular jock who respects and talks to everyone, making others around him feel better about themselves. He loves to enjoy life, spend time with his family when he had the time away from school, and enjoys surfing and playing the guitar. He graduated high school at the age of 18, along with his childhood friends.

Overall, his diligence is Troy's greatest virtue, enabling him to learn new skills quickly simply because he won't give up until he masters them. He manages to teach himself how to be a better role-model for others, and learns how child psychology works. Even though Troy is the most popular and the cutest boy in school, he's also the nicest and kindest guy you'll *ever* meet. He is the boldest and the most outspoken of the characters, often not afraid to say what he really thinks of a person. Troy is the envy of the student body, with guys wanting to be him, and girls wanting to be with him. There may have even been *males* who wanted to be with him as well, who have found him attractive (Ryan Evans, Brett Shimura, and Jimmie Zara).

Troy is able to sing from his heart in a naïve yet convincing manner. Being the all-around lovable and charming jock, woe to anyone who trifles with him, he cares about people's lives and wants to help them. His independence nevertheless makes him a beloved and respected figure to others. You can bet that they have pulled a lot of pranks like the one they pulled on Jimmie and Donny Dion. Troy is always involved in the middle of all the drama and he's most certainly not afraid to take action either.

As his experience grows throughout the show, he becomes a much better fighter to the point that he’s presently one of the best in all of Albuquerque. Troy is angst-ridden and bogged down with constant insecurities. In addition to his insecurities, he's also surrounded by constant drama and the toll of bad things happening to him, his friends and family. Despite the fact that Troy is a Big Man on Campus who is also a Chick Magnet, he can also be very awkward but endearing, especially when it comes to his interactions with Gabriella.

Troy was wealthy sure, but he wanted to be more than just a rich kid who had a perfect family. He strived for his own version of greatness, which was very impressive and endearing.

Troy is a guy like any other — he wants to live — but his greatest fear is said to be oblivion. He wants to make a mark on the world and hates the idea of not leaving a mark at all.

## **Physical Appearance**

Described as the ultimate looker, **Troy Bolton** has high cheekbones, a straight classical nose, and sensual lips. He has silky-soft, light chestnut-colored hair, with hints of a sandy-brown hidden within its depths that fall over the fronts of his brows. Troy's eyes are the colour of cerulean (a shade of blue ranging between azure and a darker sky blue). His skin is golden with a tan complexion.

Troy's physique is lithe, lean, and flat-muscled, with broad shoulders and long legs. He has a very athletic body and the height to match. Weighing in around a 140-pounds of pure body muscle. He is described as being of average height, about 5'8".

Troy doesn't have any preferred type of clothing. Basically he'll wear anything that is in style and considered to be cool and the hottest fashion. He is mostly seen in the latest fashion of wearing a shirt that seems too small so when he stretches, a nice view of his abs are shown. Of course the pants that hangs loosely around his waist revealing the tops of either his boxers or briefs. He doesn't mind wearing clothing that is tight on him either, he does enjoy showing off his hard earned muscles. He does wear occasional slightly baggy shirts as well.

## **Personality and Traits**

At first glance, **Troy Bolton** appears to be the stereotypical jock type, primarily interested in sports — particularly basketball. Beneath the surface, however, he is big-hearted, outgoing, friendly, and always willing to help someone out when it is needed — such as when he takes Brett Shimura under his wing and teaches him self-love to boost his confidence.

    Troy is one of the nicest, sweetest guys in the world. If it came down to it, he would throw his kindness out to the world. If he could make someone happier than they were and make them feel a little better, that was the highlight of it all. Troy is community-minded and puts the well being of those who surround him before his own; particularly his girlfriend, Gabriella, and children. With his upbeat and often inspiring personality, Troy makes friends easily and attracts people from all walks of life. He has a way with words and an uncanny ability to motivate others.

Troy's desire to save and protect people comes from his strong belief in doing the right thing. He has a strong sense of duty and he fights for justice and peace. Troy is also a natural leader. He takes charge of a situation without meaning to and people follow his lead without question. Because of this, Troy feels a great deal of responsibility for his allies and will try to bear the brunt of the responsibility and burden of their actions. And if he ever fails them, he can be tormented with feelings of guilt that can affect his confidence. He's not one to talk behind someone's back or insult someone. He is completely honest and trustworthy, and he never breaks his promises.

He is most interested in people — and not necessarily the kind of people you would normally expect. We wouldn't say Troy is some wide-eyed, naïve optimist — he just seems able to see the good and the beauty in unlikely places. In short, he definitely likes to watch and analyze people. Another way we know Troy loves people (and is good with them): he does his best to help them, even when it screws up his own life. Troy cares about other people and how they should be treated.

All that being said, Troy is still a teenaged boy. He can be headstrong, competitive and temperamental. The Wildcats leader has always been sensitive, emotionally. Words have the ability to slice into him like knives, and he will ruminate over and internalize any accusation or insult hefted at him by a person whose opinion he holds in high regard. It seems that disappointing others is something Troy fears greatly. Disappointing and upsetting someone he cares about could plunge Troy into a melancholic state. By far, however, the biggest trigger for his depressive episodes is Gabriella (or anyone else he is very close with) pulling away from him. However, he is also relatively laid-back and easygoing, and as long as there are no immediate stressors, his emotional state remains fairly stable.

## **Role in Series**

### ***Pilot***

**Troy Bolton'**s palms were sweaty, along with the rest of his golden body that was drenched in that same salty liquid. *The bronze skin glistened like rain had fallen contracted around his huge muscles*. *Bulging biceps, defined six-pack abdominals, protruding pectorals, everything seemed to be pulsating as his head lifted from the shining hardwood. Drowning azure orbs flashed beneath the holy lights from above. His rapidly beating heart slammed against his stone chest with force. It was the only sound in the enormous gym besides his ragged breathing that rattled his ribcage*. His hands were shaking as he felt the bumpy surface of the orange sphere turn beneath his fingertips. *The illuminated neon clock on the wall paused its ticking*. The soundless crowd leapt up and down in their comfortable seats. The gorgeous senior dressed in a scarlet and white uniform, stepped to the black line free throw slowly, still deaf to every screaming fans. His normally light-chestnut hair that had been separated into midnight sweat-drenched threads, tossing his shag away from his sticky forehead. He couldn't see the other players in the matching uniforms surround him, an ally to the basket. *The West High Knights stepped between the spaces between the Wildcat enemies*. The boy with the number 14 plastered on his back narrowed his dark brow at the rivals. *The stands that held the ecstatic red super-fans were divided, straight down the middle. The sea of crimson was separated by a single row of chairs, not even the excitement of the most important game of the year able to bring them together*. *The glowing scoreboard read **63 to 57, Wildcats***. The teenager closed his eyes again, still only aware of his flaming heartbeat and the trickles of sweat that grazed down his smooth face. *He took a strong inhale of oxygen, just before he heard it*. *The honey-sweet tone that canceled every other screeching fan away whispered in his tender ear*. The only one that mattered. The Wildcats captain turned his head slowly, sparkling blue lasers in search for the one. His ocean-blue eyes locked on a petite, long dark black-colored haired beauty standing on the second-to-last row of the stands that were jam packed. *He could see her olive skin radiating off the golden lights from above, like a heavenly figure in a mass of hell*. "Give me strength." Troy whispered in his velvet voice before turning away from his love.

     The arena's eyes were on him, judging as he turned the rigid ball in his hands. *Adrenaline was surging through his throbbing veins as he pounded the basketball to the ground twice, feeling the earth rubble with each bounce. His stomach was twisting nervously as he gazed up on the basket once again*. Ripping his ceruleans open, Troy finally felt his ribcage vibrate as he took one deep breath of air and bent his powerful knees. *The world suddenly shook as Troy pushed upward, large muscles constricting as the orange sphere left his fingertips. It suspended in the air momentarily, before suddenly swooshing through the white net and the entire gym erupted into screeches of triumph. Noise rushed through his ear drums as he was no longer deaf to the insane atmosphere of the gym*. Cheerleaders chanting, the crowd roaring, his father screaming directions on the sideline all smashed upon his muscular body. The rest of his teammates were leaping up and down in joy, while continuing to scurry into position. Troy felt the defining heat on his back while glancing sideways towards the student section, watching the midnight waves of Gabriella bouncing with delight. She flashed him a proud smile. Red and white confetti came showering down from above. Troy was quickly lifted into the air by his teammates as teenagers and adults alike jumped up and down in the stands with excitement. Troy threw his head back and threw his arms in the air, letting out a scream of excitement.

     When the large trophy was passed to him he raised that above his head. The screams of excitement increased as East High celebrated. Finally his teammates let him down and Troy passed the trophy to his light brown-skinned, big-haired afro, best friend, so he could relish in the moment as well. Making his way through the swarm of people was harder than it appeared. Every person he came across was cheering and congratulating him. Troy came across a petite bespectacled girl with brunette hair, who was gingerly trying to get through the crowd. "Troy! Congratulations! You did a fantastic job!" She threw her arms around him. "Thanks, Kelsi." Troy gushed. Kelsi smiled. "Listen, have you seen Brie? I can't find her." He asked. Kelsi shook her head. "Last I saw her she was with Taylor in the stands. She probably had the right idea staying back there for a bit. It's impossible to get through here." Kelsi said. "You know it's okay to push, right?" Troy chuckled. "Yeah, but sometimes I can't. I mean, I'm half the height of some of these people." Kelsi reminded him. Troy smiled. "If you duck you might able to go under their arms." He suggested. Kelsi grinned. "I'll try." She answered sheepishly. "Good luck." Troy said. The jock continued past the remaining people until he came to the edge of the bleachers. He furrowed his eyebrows. *Gabriella was nowhere to be seen*. He jumped up onto the bleachers so he could get a bird's eye view of the mob of people surrounding the trophy. Scanning it quickly, he couldn't see Gabriella anywhere even though he was able to pick out everyone else in their gang. It wouldn't make sense anyway that Gabriella would go in the mob. Frowning, he looked around the rest of the gym. Quickly, Troy scrambled down from the bleachers and ran out of the gymnasium. *He looked around frantically, praying that each brunette he laid eyes on would be Gabriella. None of them were*. "Gabriella?!" he exclaimed. Suddenly, a girl threw her arms around Troy, who breathed a sigh of relief as he hugged her tightly. "Congratulations, Wildcat! You were *amazing*! I was so nervous for you, but you were *fantastic*! I knew you would be able to do it! And when James Fletcher knocked you over that time I thought I was going to faint! Oh my goodness, I still don't know how you did it. I mean you had the entire pressure of the game on you and you managed to shoot those free-throws effortlessly!" Gabriella rambled excitedly. Troy smiled lovingly, cupping Gabriella's cheek with his hand and gazing into her eyes. "You were the one person I wanted to see after the game and I couldn't find you. I was *so* worried." Troy confessed. Gabriella smiled softly. "I'm sorry about that. I think some boy ate something bad; he was complaining his stomach hurt and he said he felt like he was going to barf just after the game finished." Gabriella explained. Troy chuckled. "Will I see you outside?" He asked. "If I can get there without mishap. You should go." Gabriella said. She looked around, blushing as she realized they'd drawn a crowd. "In a second." His agreement was easy. "How many people do you figure are watching us?" Troy asked. "Half of those still in the bleachers — and your team, not to mention the media." Gabriella responded. "Good." Troy smirked. Swooping down, he caught her lips in a searing, blinding kiss that drew cheers and more cat calls from spectators. *Everyone simply knew she belonged to Troy*. He'd picked his moment, one where there was no doubt people from both schools would be watching and know. Stanford fans were undoubtedly watching the coverage — for research purposes — and with the cameras on them, someone was bound to recognize Gabriella eventually. "Meet you at my truck?" Troy asked. Nodding mutely, she didn't bother questioning the suggestion; she wanted to spend tonight with him. *His eyes spoke in tandem with that kiss, telling her he wanted - needed - to see her alone. It had been three long weeks of hell, followed by the unknown of tonight; unknowns that had left them both anticipating the reunion without knowing what quite to expect*. Their gazes remained locked as he moved away, using his hands and feet to trace the railings back down. *Understanding and awareness shimmered between them along the feeling anything could happen tonight. Over the last three years they'd found a pattern where they could be together and still meet their school and financial obligations. It was liberating adult, despite the fact Gabriella still technically lived with her mother, and the awareness of that fact charged the atmosphere with possibility.* Finding her voice as he climbed back down, Gabriella leaned back over the railing again. Troy looked up at her questioningly as his feet hit the ground, ignoring an elbow from Chad. "I'll be waiting." Gabriella said, smiling. She disappeared then, melting into the sea of red and white that were East High colors, and Troy increased his pace towards the dressing room. *Darting between teammates, he listened with half an ear to the obligatory speech from their coach - before Jack Bolton pulled Chad into his office - and then ducked into the alcove where his locker was located; and found himself with two of his teammates*. Troy was unwrapping tape from one ankle. "Man, shouldn't you tell her we're the Wildcats?" Jimmie teased. Troy shrugged as he reached his locker, swinging it open and pulling his shirt over his head. "She knows, Jimmie." He replied. "Good game, guys!" Troy called out at his teammates. "You too, Bolton. For a captain, you ain't bad." A short milk chocolate-skinned boy stated. "I'm just lucky coach let me play. I'm glad I could contribute." Troy said. "Lucky. Hey, Donny, you hear Bolton?" Jimmie said. "Yeah. Luck doesn't have anything to do with it, Troy. Coach was gonna play you after the way you've been stepping up in practice." Donny said.

     "Just doing my part — it was a team effort out there. A team with a smart-thinking shooting guard." Troy said, looking at Jimmie. "I hope I didn't step on anyone's toes." Jimmie said awkwardly. "Nah — like I said; it was a *team* effort." Troy said, waved away the topic. "So, who's the girl?" Jimmie asked. Troy feigned ignorance as he organized what he was going to need after his shower. "What girl?" He asked dumbly. "The dark-haired temptress you kissed back there. You know, *the girl*." Jimmie asked. "Gabriella." Troy stated simply. "So are you two serious or what? 'Cause I wouldn't mind a piece of—" Jimmie began but was cut off. "Hey!" Troy sent his teammate a warning look. "Watch your mouth and don't get any ideas." He warned. "Ideas, me? Right." Jimmie said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Sounds like you two have a history. You nailing her, nailed her or what?" Donny asked intriguingly. Shrugging noncommittally, Troy checked to ensure he had everything as he placed his sneakers in the bottom of his locker. *It was none of their business what his relationship with Gabriella was like. Not that he minded talking about her, but she was his and he was unwilling to add her as fodder for locker room gossip. Despite that, he knew their kiss had already roused some interest - but he couldn't be sorry*. "Worried, Rocket Man?" Troy asked Jimmie. "Hardly." Jimmie said. "You should be, Hoops. *Rocket Man* there has yet to fail with the women." Chad teased. *A smirk crossed Troy's lips before he could stop it as he gathered his clothes to hit the shower - easier to depart immediately thereafter*. "You could try — but she won't be interested. She's not into jocks." Troy stated. "Then how'd you *get* her?" Donny asked. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Troy said.

     Leaving his teammates behind, he made his way to the showers, quickly losing the last of his clothes as he stepped under the spray. *Keeping his back to his team mates, he dialed the water down to cold*. A quick shower and towel off that left his hair slightly damp found Troy dressed and ready to go less than ten minutes later. "Hot date tonight, Bolton?" Jimmie asked. "Hot date, my ass — I bet she looks as good without those paint on jeans as with 'em." Donny stated. "A looker like that probably gives a mean job — she's got the right lips for it!" Jimmie replied. Leaving the somewhat ribald comments of his team behind him - and doing his best to ignore them - Troy headed for his truck. Fortunately, none of his teammates seemed inclined to follow him and the discussion behind him could be heard to change to their win as the locker room door shut him on the outside. Inhaling a breath of fresh air, he made his way to the parking lot. **REST IS TBA**

Sun, warmth and haze greeted Troy as he opened his eyes the next morning. At first he didn't even attempt to lift his eyelids as his eyes were sore and heavy with sleep. *He was sure they must be made of lead at the way they weighed themselves closed no matter how hard he tried to lift them*. Softly he groaned to himself as he rolled onto his back on his mattress. Gradually he could feel himself waking from his ambiguous dozing state. However, the more conscious he became, the more aware he was of a rapidly increasing 'problem' that was brewing in his white Calvin Klein Boxer briefs. *His usual 'morning wood' was turning into something a little more serious and as he lay there staring at the ceiling he realized why*. Quickly rising from his position — he made a dash — in nothing but boxer briefs — to the bathroom. His body was tight with unreleased tension as he rounded the corner to the bathroom — only to be stopped by the sound of his mother's voice as it travelled up the stairs from the kitchen. He looked down and sighed. "Troy? Troy Alexander Bolton, are you up?" Lucille called out. He stopped and rubbed his hand over his face tiredly. "Yeah, Ma! I'm up." Troy replied. He looked at his 'problem' again and laughed in spite of himself. "I'm up all right..." he murmured humorously to himself, quickly proceeding to the bathroom before he had a chance of being caught in his current predicament. He closed the door behind him, before quickly stripping of his underwear and stepping into the big, open shower and running it cold. He jumped at the shock of the sudden temperature and only just stopped himself from letting out a yelp. He calmed his heart as he slightly increased the temperature, letting the water run down his body as he tried desperately to rid the arousal from his body.

     He gripped his Lynx shower gel bottle and squeezed the liquid into his palm, rubbing into contents into his skin. He stepped out the shower, stretching his muscular body out reaching for the ceiling, releasing its tension, before pulling a towel off the rack and rubbing himself dry. He wrapped the towel low at his waist before standing at the sink. Looking at the reflection of himself in the mirror, he couldn't help himself. He stopped as he met his eyes in the mirror and he shook his head. He looked at himself in the mirror; his blue eyes scanning him from top to bottom. He opened the water tap and cupped some water between his hands, splashing it on his face a couple of times, afterwards. He dried his face with a towel and then combed his hair with his fingers, pushing it backwards and letting it settle in its messy and natural way. "Troy!" Lucille yelled. He groaned at the sound of his mother's voice at the bottom of the stairs. He then proceeded to stick his head out the door to reply. "Yeah?" Troy said. "When you get down here, I need help unpacking groceries." Lucille called out. Troy moved toward his room. "And don't forget — you've got school in 10 minutes." she yelled out. "Okay. Be down in a minute!" Troy called before walking back to his room. He quickly closed the door behind him before his gaze fell on his body. He pulled on a tight white t-shirt and a pair of baggy blue jeans over a clean pair of Calvin Klein's. With one spray of cologne he made his way down the stairs. "There you are..." an attractive redhead woman said as he emerged in the kitchen. He smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Morning, Mama." He looked over at the many brown bags on the countertop as he reached for an apple. "More groceries?" He asked in an amused manner. "Well, you obviously don't realize how much you eat. You *and* your father, that is..." she smirked as she patted her son's strong arm. "Now — make sure you eat breakfast, then—" she pointed to the bags. "—groceries." she finished. "Yes, ma'am." Troy agreed in a begrudged tone. "And maybe, when you finally earn enough to properly fix that deathtrap truck of yours, you can start buying the groceries for me, and then I'll unpack them instead." Lucille said. His mother rounded the fridge and came back into view as Troy rolled his eyes playfully at her comment. "Hey — My truck is *not* a deathtrap!" Troy whined. Lucille's eyebrows rose at him skeptically. "It's *not*!" he conceded, before tipping his head to the side a little and licking his bottom lip. "It's a work-in-progress." Troy said innocently. His mother laughed as she winked at her son. "Okay then." she chuckled. Troy chomped at his apple before beginning to unpack the groceries as he hummed to himself. When he was about half-way through, his mother reappeared. She leant her shoulder against the fridge and just watched him. Troy slowly jogged to the kitchen to see his father dressed in a matching tie and dress pants reading the white newspaper. His careful fingers drummed against the table gently, before his caramel eyes glanced up, at the same time as his bright teeth glinting in the light. "Morning, Troy." Jack greeted warmly. "Hey, Dad." Troy smiled happily. He walked over to the fridge and opened it, taking out the only carton of orange juice left and a sandwich. "Someone's in a *good* mood." Troy mother's voice carried from the living room. She entered the kitchen. "Mom, come on, it's Monday — beginning of a new week. Who *wouldn't* be happy?" He practically sung at her as he reached for the glass of orange juice she had set out for him. She eyed him. "You still have a whole day to get through, Troy, don't overlook a quality education for the 'new weekend, new possibilities' fad." She accused, pointing at him with a spatula. Troy choked on his orange juice before smiling at her. "I can't believe you just said fad, and don't worry Mom, I take my education very *seriously*." Troy smiled dramatically. "Yeah... it's a shocker, isn't it?" Jack teased, flipping the newspaper over. Troy yawned once more and laid his head down on the table, trying to mentally prepare himself for eating breakfast. *He really wasn't a morning person. Actually, he definitely wasn't a morning person and being awake this early makes it hard for him to eat*. He sighed and slowly sat up. He stood up and finally got himself a turkey sandwich. "You have to keep the team focused. If you ever repeat this, I'll deny it, but without you, the team will fall apart!" Jack said a little too loudly. *He has always been excited about winning championships*. Troy smiled at his dad and chuckled a little. "Yeah, I'll keep 'em focused. And way to make me feel pressured." Troy said jokingly.

     *A glimpse of annoyance could have been seen from Jack before comprehension dawned on him and he smiled back at his son*. "Sorry, son." Jack apologized. Troy just smiled at his dad and shook his head. *He turned to his mom, his mind already on dinner. It's very weird how Troy had no desire to eat breakfast or lunch, but when it came to dinner, he was too enthused*. "What's for dinner, mom?" Troy asked. *His mind already wandering to chicken, beef, turkey, and everything else that his mother has ever made*. Lucille smiled back at her son, glad that he so enjoyed her cooking. "I don't know yet, honey. What are you in the mood for?" She asked. Troy sighed heavily, already deep in thought. "Hmm... well I dunno, anything's good with me. I eat pretty much anything." Troy said with a grin. Lucille smiled a half-smile. Troy finished eating his sandwich and got up to put his plate in the sink while looking at the clock. "Aw, shoot..." He mumbled to himself before looking at his parents. "I gotta go, or I'm gonna be late!" He grabbed his school bag and headed for the front door. He grabbed his thick red and white varsity jacket. His shoes was the last thing to go on. "See you tonight, Ma. See you at practice, Dad!" Troy called out before he exited his house. He hopped into the driver's seat of his 1962 Ford F-250 Flareside truck and backed out of the driveway.

*The school drive was very busy*. Troy pulled into his lucky number 14 parking place at East High School. Slowly, Troy unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the car. He hoisted his backpack up to his shoulder. He paused for a moment in the school yard to take in his surroundings before walking. *There was a stone fountain with an 'E' engraved on it set which was set into in the healthy green grass, a few benches on which some students sat, and a blossomed garden lining the building*. The brunette jock heard a loud voice coming from behind him. *He immediately recognized it*. *Resounding so loud, it made heads turn*. "That can't be Troy Bolton, the Wildcat superstar and captain of the, if I may say so, *fabulous* championship team right in front of me can it?" Chad said as he came up behind Troy. "Nope, just some cheap look-a-like." Troy joked turning around. "Pay no attention to him. I'm just a distraction." he said, aiming his words to the people who were currently listening in. "Well, you got *that* right! I mean, as far as Gabriella is concerned." Chad replied looking back at his best friend. He grinned knowing that his comment would probably make Troy blush. *Exactly as he thought, Troy's face had taken on an appearance that was slightly more red than before which he knew he was also embarrassed about*. "Come on, man." Troy said, pulling his friend along. "If we are late for Darbus, she will *definitely* make sure there is a distraction, in order to get rid of us completely." he continued, hurrying to get away from anyone who might have noticed his embarrassment. "True, very true!" Chad replied with a smile. "What's up, man?" Troy asked. Chad smiled and spun the basketball that he was holding close to his chest on his fingertips like it was the easiest trick in the book. "What's up? I'll tell you what's up! My algebra score, that's *what*!" Chad announced proudly, throwing the ball up in the air in triumph. "Glad to here it, dude. I knew you could if you just applied yourself." Troy laughed. "*Apply* myself? You sound like — man, you'd think you were Shaquille O'Neal or something." Chad whined, as he nodded toward the group that was just staked out in front of Troy. Troy laughed and shook his head. "You know, it feels more like Hell instead of school to me." Chad joked. Troy laughed again and nodded in agreement. *The two best friends stood there in shock for a few seconds*. "C'mon, man! Frankly, I don't deserve the recognition I get. I'm just a regular high school kid trying to get into college and play ball." Troy said with a nonchalant shrug. "Are you *kidding* me, Hoops?! Bro, you *totally* deserve the recognition!" Chad commented. Troy glared at his best friend. "*Pfft*! Whatever, man." the afro-boy said, rolling his eyes. The two jocks pushed open the glass double doors to be greeted with what felt like a million faces. As Troy walked down the hall people greeted him non-stop, mostly girls, fluttering their eyelashes. *As soon as he arrived at East High, it seemed like the heavens had opened up to see Jesus himself. But they hadn't. It was Troy. Troy's life had always been like that. Ever since he was a kid, as soon as he would enter a room, people would stare and smile at him. Completely halting what they were doing so they could turn to see him perfectly. And today was no different*. When he walked through the halls people greeted him with cheerful smiles plastered on their faces, always saying 'good morning' or simply offering him a good old handshake or pat on the back. And he returned it graciously. *You see, Troy had always been the popular guy in school. The one who everyone likes and gets along with. The one that girls are madly in love with and would die to have. The one who guys envied like mad and wanted to hate him terribly. But they couldn't. He was just too likable. From his irresistible 'Bolton' charm, his contagious laugh and smart yet child-like wit. Everything about Troy was enchanting*. Troy just walked casually down the hallway nodding at the many people politely. *Flutter eyelashes. Smile widely. High-five. Knuckle-punch. Handshake*. He and Chad bumped fists and pulled each other into a hug, slapping each other on the back and pulled away. Suddenly, a brown-skinned, muscular guy appeared next to the two. Troy stood looking over professionally with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the edge. "We kicked some serious West High butt during that game!" Troy chuckled. They bumped fists again. The three boys went over to admire their MVP trophy case. A skinny, beach-blonde girl approached the boys, popping her chest out flirtatiously. "Hey, Troy!" Sharpay exclaimed, causing Troy to turn around and look at her.

     "So, when's the big game?" she asked delightfully. Her cell-phone rang, causing her to look down. "Uh, yesterday." Troy said, kind of confused. Sharpay looked up, totally unaware of what Troy had just told her. "Oh well. Good luck." Sharpay said, blowing a kiss to Troy with a wink before sauntering down the hall. Troy caught the fake-blown kiss with his fist. Troy, Chad and Zeke all watched Sharpay as she walked away and then Troy saw Zeke dreaming. "She's so sweet!" Zeke said and held his hand up to his chest. Chad shook his head. Troy looked at Zeke and playfully slapped him across the cheek. Troy then looked back at Sharpay. "Oh, sorry." Zeke said snapping back to reality. *They all continued to walk down the hall and Troy broke the silence*. "Anyway, are you guys looking forward to Prom?" Troy asked. "Yeah, but dude, you really need to give me some advice on how to even talk to a girl." Chad complained. "Just talk to her about her favorite things." Troy suggested. "Taylor only likes talking about *girl* stuff." Chad replied. "Well if that's what she wants to talk about then just go along with it." Troy asked back. "It's so easy for you to say because you know what Gabriella would say." Chad said, already knowing the answer. "Well not every time and it's actually not that easy." Troy said trying to cheer Chad up. "*Riiiight*... Well, are you going to ask her to the Prom?" Chad asked curiously. "Me ask Gabriella, I don't know dude. I mean, I don't have a problem asking my girlfriend. It's just... well... to tell you the truth, I've never been to a dance." Troy confessed. "Seriously, haven't you ever heard of 'Homecoming?'" Chad asked. "Yeah, but I didn't go because number one, I didn't have a date and number two, I didn't want to go." Troy said. "So what's the problem with asking her?" Chad asked. "I've never asked a girl to a dance!" Troy said. "Well, I'm sure Gabriella really wants you to ask her!" Chad said. "I'm sure she *wants* me to ask... her... too..." Troy trailed off. His eyes grazed past a group of three Asian boys walking by. At the front of the group was a skinny black-haired, bespectacled boy. He led the pack, his nose in the air, running a hand through his hair. To his right was a lean boy with spiky hair. To the middle boy's left was a lithe, lean, and flat-muscled boy. "What up, *boi*?" the boy in the middle showed up; his lips firm and plump. *It wasn't the friendliest of greetings, but it wasn't the unfriendliest of greetings either.*  "Shopping in the douche section again, Troy? Attractive." the bespectacled boy mocked. Troy crossed his arms over his chest casually. "You don't like me. You don't know me, but you don't like me." he said. "I know *of* you. You're very popular. I should know, I'm very popular too.” the boy replied snidely. *Sure he wasn't really good friends of his, but Troy knew him.* With a roll of his eyes, the arrogant Asian boy turned to look at him straight on, crossing one arm over the other. "Of course, here's Prince Charming, coming to save the day. Pathetic." the boy practically spat in the jock's face as he turned back to look at him with disgust. Troy blinked in shock. "Excuse me?" he replied. Suddenly Brett was yanked away by his two friends. "Yo, Brett! Do you believe what Weston Miller had on today? Honestly, I've seen *homeless* people with better style." the boy said snidely. The small Asian boy made eye-contact with Troy but quickly broke the connection, before striding off down the hallway with his gossipy friends. "I'm surprised he didn't sell his dirty-ass clothes for drug money." Brett retorted, just as coldly. His friends laughed. *Troy seemed a bit take aback by the small boy's attitude*. The Wildcats leader completely walked into an open locker and lost balance of himself and fell to the ground. "Troy, are you okay?" a male voice nearby yelled in desperate concern. Troy sat up and felt the bump on his head. "Ouch!" he winced. "*Helloooo*, Superstar, are you *okay*!?" the boy said again, a little louder. "Yeah. Thanks, man." Troy said. "It's all right." Rocket Man answered with delight. Troy responded with a nod. As he got up to his feet, he brushed his jeans, and he looked around in embarrassment. *A snap of fingers flashed in front of Troy, startling him; realized in front of him was Jimmie, staring at him*. "That looked like it really hurt." Jimmie added as he touched Troy's forehead where the bump was. "Oh, yeah, it's all cool, man. It didn't hurt at all." Troy said and smiled awkwardly at the lanky kid.

     "Wow, you're really strong, but try to daydream about your girl when you're not walking by things you're about to bump into." Jimmie teased. "Hey, I *wasn't* daydreaming, man." Troy exclaimed, smiling. Suddenly, Jimmie wrapped his arm around Troy's shoulder. "Troy, my brotha... Can I have your gym locker?" Jimmie asked. His arm draped off of Troy. "What?" Troy said in shock alongside confusion in his tone. Jimmie looked at him awkwardly. "Like, starting next week. You know, I was thinking about joining the team next season and, uh, I think I'd be helping out with the guys." Jimmie said, nearly blushing. Troy crossed his arms across his chest. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, why didn't I think of that?" Troy asked with a flashing small smile. Jimmie scoffed. *Apparently Jimmie didn't seem to notice the sarcasm*. "I don't know." he responded, shrugging his shoulders. In response, Troy grinned. "Well, can't be tardy again. See ya later, bro!" Jimmie said as he rushed down the hall. Troy looked back as he saw the lanky kid dash off. *His face tensed and shut his eyes as he muttered underneath his breath*. "Well, well, well. *That* was a sight. Rocket Man talking to Golden Boy? Boy, was that game awesome!" Zeke said gleefully as he snuck up behind Troy. "Yeah, without our team captain here we wouldn't of got that three-pointer to end the game." Chad said, giving Troy a quick look. "Okay. Chad, just F.Y.I., that was Rocket Man." Troy stated, correcting his best friend. "There’s a rumor about a party pretty soon, celebrating the back-to-back championship game at Chad's house." Zeke informed the clueless blue-eyed boy. "Oh yeah? If this rumor is true, guys, East High deserves it! And it's our *senior year*, guys!" Chad said confidently. "Hell *yeah*!" Zeke told the guys, winking delightfully. "A party would be awesome, but, I have to focus on finishing high school, deciding which college to go to, and Gabriella." Troy said, glaring at Zeke. Laughing, Chad and Zeke went their separate ways. The shrill sound of the school bell rang through the halls of East High, as crowds of students spilled out into the corridors, eager to get to break. Troy closed his locker door with a bang and turned, leaning against it casually as his eyes scanned the crowded hallway for a certain familiar face. Suddenly he spotted the head of long, curly black hair moving towards him from amidst the sea of teenagers and smiled to himself. "Hey, beautiful!" Troy greeted his girlfriend with a kiss on the forehead as she finally reached him. Gabriella sighed as she leaned into his chest. "Hey..." she murmured, closing her eyes. "Man, it's gonna be a *looong* day." she groaned. "Come on..." Troy said into Gabriella's hair, placing a kiss there. "Let's get out of here." he finished. With that, he took her books off her and grabbed her hand, leading her through the slowly clearing corridor and out onto the street. Swinging their hands between them, Troy looked down at Gabriella. "So, Brie — what's the plan for this afternoon?" he asked. Gabriella shrugged. "Homework, homework and – for something a little different... more *homework*." she groaned. Troy raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like... fun!" he exclaimed. Gabriella rolled her eyes. "*Tonnes*..." she yawned. "Heeey – cheer up, babe!" Troy joked, breaking the link between their hands and wrapping his arm around her shoulders instead, squeezing her slightly. "Only a couple more days till the weekend, and then we can just relax together – maybe catch a movie? Go out for dinner?" Troy suggested. Gabriella flashed him a half-hearted smile. "I'll try and pencil you in around my chemistry report, calculus assignment *and* rehearsing for that presentation ceremony – honestly, I don't know why I said yes to Miss Darbus – she has me wrapped around her little finger!" Gabriella let out her breath and pushed her stubborn hair out of her eyes. *Troy knew she was frustrated, and not only because she had so much on her plate*. Troy chuckled at his exasperated girlfriend. "Come on, Brie – it's not all doom and gloom! We both know you're the best person for the job and that you'll do brilliantly. It's not the end of the world. You'll get the work done – you always do! I have faith in you!" he added. Gabriella nodded quietly as they continued to walk in a comfortable silence. *Troy laughed to himself as he suddenly remembered the party Chad had said earlier that he had been meaning to tell Gabriella*. "Hey – you'll never guess what Chad is holding tonight..." Troy trailed off as he realized his girlfriend was tilting her head. He turned on his heel. "A party at 9 P.M.!" He exclaimed. asked as he realized she was a few paces behind him. "*Wow*. Sounds like fun!" She said. Troy shook his head teasingly. "Come on, let's get you to the gang." he said. "Bu..." Gabriella whined. Troy pressed a finger to her lips. "No arguments." he stated. They continued slowly walking down the hallway. "You know I'm always there to protect you, right, Gabriella?" Troy said sincerely. "And you do a *great* job, Wildcat." Gabriella said. "Anything you say, Brie. I'll follow you anywhere." Troy smiled and laughed. "Yeah, but you still love me." Gabriella said. *His clear, blue eyes bored into her chocolate brown ones, twinkling*. "Yeah, I do. And *you* love *me* too." Troy sighed delightfully. Then, out of nowhere, he burst out laughing. *Talk about a mood killer*. Troy finally stopped laughing, but there was still an amused smile on his lips. Gabriella narrowed her eyes, slapping him playfully on the chest. Troy grinned, and swung her arms around his neck. Then he pressed his body up to her. Troy scrunched up his nose adorably at her. Gabriella giggled at Troy's antics. The basketball all-star grinned. He circled his arms around her waist, resting his forehead against hers. "Brie, you're one in a million. No, you're ***my*** one in a million. I love you." Troy said in a genuine tone. Gabriella beamed. She sighed, pressing her lips against his cheek. "I love you, too." Gabriella stated. Troy grinned brightly. His eyebrows furrowed. "Um, I have to get something from my locker. I'll meet you in Homeroom, babe." Troy said reassuringly. "I'll be there, Wildcat." Gabriella responded with a charming smile. Troy's lips slammed onto Gabriella's cheek. After moving away from her, he sauntered down the corridor.

     Troy walked casually as students come and go around him, chattering and laughing. He saw only a few students milling around either talking to friends or standing at their lockers, getting their stuff ready to get to class. He started walking in the direction of his locker, smiling at a few of the people that he knew from his various classes. He nodded at some of them; greeted him as if they were best friends, while he had no idea who they were. As Troy made his way through the now almost entirely deserted hallways, he soon found himself at his locker. He turned the lock-combination to the right three times, then stopped at the first digit, and then left one full turn passing first number and stopped at second digit. Troy turned right and stopped at third digit. Finally, Troy pulled the shackle, opening the locker door. Getting his books out, he slammed his locker door shut. He was about to turn the corner to leave when his eyes locked on group of three Asian boys. With the warning bell ringing, a few students that were still left in the hallways quickly disappeared into various classes. Troy took a deep breath and leaned against the doorway. He waited till the blonde-haired, hippie-dressed woman with bottle-bottom glasses noticed him. "And then—" she turned to the door, glaring the handsome teenage boy once she noticed his presence. "Mister Bolton! Late again, are we? It's the third time this year and it's barely graduation." she scolded, placing her hands over her hips. "I'm so sorry, Miss Darbus. I was helping out a fellow Wildcat." Troy mumbled apologetically. "You say that each time and you continue being late! Care to explain as to *why* you are late *again*, Mister Bolton?" she asked, as she narrowed her eyes at him, causing small wrinkles at the sides of her eyes. "I was just talking to a new student. Plus, I was just admiring how great you are, Miss Darbus. I mean your beauty just bounces off the walls." Troy smiled with innocent charm. He crossed his arms across his chest. As the whole class roared with laughter, Miss Darbus gave Troy a pointed look.

     "Mhm, nice save Mister Bolton. Now back to Shakespeare..." she announced. Troy rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself. *His seat was in the front row, in front of Chad's desk*. Troy casually walked to his seat and sat down. *Troy quickly averted the situation by cracking a joke, causing the whole class to laugh*. He shook his head in disbelief, while looking around the room in boredom. Troy immediately dropped his eyes to the ground and tried to ignore the smirk on Chad's face. Troy immediately provided Chad with a light punch on the arm, who responded by evolving his snicker into a full, obnoxious laugh. Troy's face reddened. He brightened up and grinned back to Gabriella. "*Ahem*." Miss Darbus hollered loudly. *This not-even-a-word pierced through everything that had just occurred and quieted everyone immediately*. Troy turned around in his seat to face front, and Chad stopped laughing immediately. "All right, everyone. Settle down! I know we’re all still excited about our Wildcats top-to-back championship!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Troy’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at a note on his desk. He opened up the folded piece of paper, and blushed immediately. He caught Gabriella’s gaze and smirked at her expression. Troy watched Gabriella giggle silently and turned his attention back to Miss Darbus. "That would be *back*-to-back, Miss D." Chad corrected with a grin. Everyone in the classroom laughed lightly. "Whatever the case, it was a grand-slam. Well done!" Miss Darbus said cheerfully, while Troy gave a big smile. "Thank you. This is not recess, you know! And that... *noise* distracts those who prefer to see the world through silence. A silence that can often be found in the audiences of theatre performances! Ahh, which reminds me: Practice for our fall musicale will start at free period today." Miss Darbus said. *She always knew how to connect everything to the theater. Every time. She also was obsessed with the school musicals, her life and classes revolving around it. Even though Troy was a part of the musicals and did enjoy participating in them very much, he, and everyone else in the room, eventually got tired of hearing the word “musicale.”* Miss Darbus smiled joyously at the class and handed out scripts to Troy. *Gabriella, Sharpay, and Ryan, who were all playing the leads in the show, **This And That**. It was written by Kelsi Nielson, and was about the true ups and downs of high school. Troy especially liked the show because he could relate so well to it. It wasn't some fairy tale story that was so full of magic and perfect people that no one would believe it. He felt that it would truly touch people in the ways that would bring them back to their high school days, or further solidify the fact that high school will always be the same*. The bell rang just as Miss Darbus opened her mouth to continue on her rant about the wonders of music and how it speaks to the soul. *Gratefully, everyone jumped out of their seats and ran out of the door, silently thanking the bell*. "All right ladies and gentlemen, I think you can go now." the teacher said when the bell went off. "And don't forget, you're assignment is due next Wednesday!" Miss Darbus said yelling amongst the commotion. Troy walked out of the classroom. "Don't let it get to you Gabriella. There is nothing you can do, anyone should know that." Troy said trying to make her feel better. "I guess you're right." Gabriella replied. "Troy we're gonna be late!" Gabriella said quickly looking at her watch. "Shit, you're right!" Taylor said as she ran off, with everyone following. "Brie, I'll wait for you." Troy said.

     "No, no it's fine. I don't want you to be late. Go!" she replied, laughing. "What you have now, Brie?" Troy asked jokingly as they were walking down the corridor together. "Free period, Wildcat." she replied. "Well then..." Troy said, quickly stepping in front of her, wrapping his hands around her waist. "Would you like some *free-time* with Troy?" he said sneakily. "I have to finish this assignment. But you can walk with me to my locker!" She said sweetly which made Troy laugh. He almost buckled at the knees because of Gabriella's sweetness – it always made him melt. "Well all right then." he said. The hallways were somewhat crowded, and Troy and Gabriella walked along the corridors. Once again, Troy stepped in front of Gabriella, stopping her in her tracks. "Your locker is too far away." he said. "Troy, it's just around that corner." she replied. "Precisely. *Wayyyy* too far away!" he said, as he began to slowly back her against the locker. Gabriella smiled and dropped her books, wrapping her arms around his neck as she felt herself being pushed up against the locker. "Mmm, *Trrohhyyyy*..." Gabriella said against his lips trying to move away. "We can't..." she said, pulling her head away only to feel Troy's lips gently kiss down her neck. But Troy only shut her up by kissing her over and over again. "I'm so, *so* sorry Brie. Wouldn't wanna be late for class, now would I?" Troy grinned playfully. "It's okay, Wildcat." Gabriella said, picking up her books from inside her locker. "All right, I'm gonna go to class and we’ll get that second kiss afterwards. I love you, babe." Troy said giving Gabriella a quick peck on the lips. "I love you too, Wildcat!" Gabriella replied as they went their separate ways.

**REST IS TBA**

*In the busy cafeteria, Troy and his friends sat around the round table that sat under the balcony in the middle of the cafeteria. Troy had the red cafeteria tray filled with fries, a cup of pudding and a drink*. "Where were you after class, man?" Chad asked, his traditional basketball tucked under his arm. Sharpay and Kelsi both rolled their eyes at the bushy-haired teen. "Really, Chad, you won't die without your basketball?" Sharpay said, shaking her blonde head. Kelsi laughed, nodding in agreement. "You'd be surprised what he can't do without it." Troy joked, making the table laugh. Chad glared angrily at his group of friends. "Correction, can he even do anything *with* it?" Ryan added, causing uproar in the group. Chad, being the person he was, promptly turned his head on his friends, ignoring their taunting. Even through the slight giggles and badly hidden laughs, Kelsi managed to softly hit her boyfriend, glaring at him softly even though she had a smile on her face. "You guys are like the worse friends in the history of friends." Chad finally grumbled once the table had settled down a bit. "So what were you doing after class?" he brought back the question that was left unanswered. "You're really persistent. Talked with my dad, he switched the schedule around so I can work on my project and then go to practice at 4." Troy said. "Speaking of which, has anyone even started the project Darbus gave us?" Ryan asked. The group shook their head. "Hell nah, Romeo and Juliet, are you *kidding* me? How in the world will Troy and I act out a *love* play? I'm sorry dude, you may be my captain and all, but I've got to draw the line somewhere." Chad said. Troy looked at him as if he had grown an extra head. "My thoughts exactly. I am ***not*** homophobic but Chad is like my brother." Troy said.

     "I remember we did that play when we were little. I played Juliet." Sharpay said to her brother. Everyone at the table mumbled a 'naturally'. "And Ryan played Romeo — oh we didn't kiss, ew no, we were in grade 4 for *god sakes*!" Sharpay hastily corrected herself. "Anyways, what I meant was, it depends on what act she gives us, for all we know, Chad could be the nurse and Troy can play Romeo." She finished. "Sure give me the nurse role why don't you?" Chad mumbled again. The group laughed. "I think it's a very romantic play, it's one of my favourites," Kelsi said softly. "Sure, and being paired with Ryan would have nothing to do with your opinion." Zeke added teasingly, both mentioned teenagers blushed softly. "I swear Darbus hates our guts, I mean she paired everyone with their girlfriends or boyfriends: Kelsi and Ryan, Sharpay and Zeke. Maybe she's got a radar and she's really spying on our personal lives." Chad grumbled like a little kid. "So find yourself a girlfriend." Jason joked, and like the person Chad was, he actually stood up and scanned the cafeteria. "Nope, no luck, looks like you and I are going to stay bachelors for the rest of our senior year Troy." Chad said, nudging his buddy on the arm. "I wouldn't think so, practically the *whole* school has a crush on Troy, and Troy's just being picky, as usual." Sharpay said. Troy rolled his eyes at her. *The gang slowly drifted away from the topic, each of them picking up their own topics to talk about*. "Yeah... so, what's new, man?" Chad inquired in a humdrum tone. Troy furrowed his brows. "Nothing really... same old stuff, really." he answered. "Yeah, I feel ya." Chad droned, colorlessly. "He's kidding, Shar." Troy informed. They were soon interrupted by Zeke. He approached them; a wide grin on his face. "What up, bruhs?" Zeke hollered. "What did I tell you about talking like a Jamaican?" Chad sighed. "Man, it's whatever. So, what's up? I hear there's no practice. What's crawling up your dad's ass? And *don't* tell me a cockroach this time; you remember how I freaked out before." Zeke asked, glancing towards Troy. "I never said that, I dunno what you're talking about. But, yeah, there's no practice today." Troy answered, giving him a whimsical frown. *He had managed to make it to lunchtime and no one had a clue, however, with lunchtime came food, and he wasn't up to eating. His stomach was hurting. Eating lunch seemed like some kind of cruel torture. Regardless, he was determined to continue the farce of appearing well, and picked up the sandwich placed in front of him.* He picked up his hamburger and took a bite. "Besides, I'm hungry enough to eat a whole *horse*." Troy added quickly after his eyes grazed past numerous students. After swallowing, he stood up from his seat with the red tray in his hands. As he turned around, he felt himself collide with a person that was sauntering from the corner of his eye. He crashed into the small body as the tray Troy had in his hand fell to the ground. "I'm sorry I was—" Troy apologized. "Why don't you watch where you're going? How can you *not* see a person and walk right into them?" Brett snapped. "My apologies, Brett. But I wonder, if you saw me coming, why didn't you simply step to the side?" Troy asked. The smaller boy was raking his eyes at the jock. **REST IS TBA.**

     "Dude, why were you talking to *Brad Shimura* again?" Chad asked him. Troy looked at his best friend confused. "His name's Brett from what I heard, why?" he answered and played with his fingers awkwardly. "Well, doesn't he look kind of familiar to you? I mean doesn't he resemble someone you know pretty well?" Chad asked, his eyes motioning over to Sharpay. *Troy thought about that.* "He does look a *little* familiar, but I can't classify him. I've only seen him around school, Chad. He seems to be popular." he confessed. "Bro, that's because Brett Shimura *is* popular! But also *utterly* narcissistic. Do not look at him or his *pristine* group of friends; they're temperamental." Chad growled softly. "I'll look at 'em." Troy said, fidgeting with his knuckles playfully. *Troy could see Brett pull an even smaller brown bag out of his already-pretty-small shopping bag. He watched as Brett pulled his lunch out, and set it on the table*. After a few moments, Brett narrowed his eyes and stuck his middle finger up at the rebellious teen. The rebel tossed his hair back and slouched off, looking utterly unperturbed. He tossed — *in Troy’s mind* — a remark over his shoulder that made Brett put on a haughty expression. *His lips quirked upward slightly, at the sight of the three Asians, but he couldn't prevent himself from furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, not sure if he should go out of his way to talk to these boys, seeing as they hardly even knew each other*. The blue-eyed boy tucked a tendril of hair behind his ear, clearing his throat awkwardly. Suddenly, Brett's eyes glanced over to Troy's. *He gave Troy a disappointing look before turning his head back to his friends*. The bell rang.

**REST IS TBA**

### ***The Start of Something New***

Troy pulled his car into his driveway, and pulled they key out of its ignition, slipping it into his jean pocket as he went, grabbing his backpack from the backseat and closed the car door. *Sauntering up to his front door, he leaned sideways, sneaking a glance in the tinted garage windows, straining his neck to see whether both garage were filled. A relieved sigh left his lips as he only saw the red Benz of his mother. House keys jingling in his hand, he opened the front door and was bombarded by his mother*. "Troy!" his mother exclaimed. She rushed over to him and caught him in a choking hug. "Mom-air-none-let-go-Ma-suffocating!" Troy coughed out. Finally Lucille let go. Troy took huge and deep breaths. "If I didn't know any better I thought you were going to kill me, Ma!" Troy gasped. He took his sneakers off and dropped his bag on the couch, then himself following the same action. Lucille frowned, hands on her hips. "I would too, if you had came in a minute later." She said in a stern voice. Troy looked down, feeling guilty. "You're almost late for dinner, Troy, and you have to go do your homework. You *have* to eat something!" Lucille scolded. "All right, Ma." Troy sighed out. He got up from the couch and ran up the stairs. **REST IS TBA.** "Troy, dinner is ready! Come down here." Lucille called out. "I'll be right down, Ma." Troy yelled back. He made his way down the stairs. "I made macaroni and cheese tonight." Lucille smiled gracefully.

     Troy sat down in his chair, letting out a sigh. *A large plate was placed in front of him filled with macaroni and cheese*. "Eat up, Troy. Dessert afterwards!" Jack said. *The family started on their dinner*. *They talked and laughed through the entire meal*. "Oh, mom, this tastes *great*!" Troy said excitedly. She smiled at Troy, but looked a little tired. Troy noticed this. "How was your day, mom? You look really tired." Troy said sympathetically. She nodded as she sat down and served herself some food. "Yeah... it was a long day. We had a very pugnacious patient today and I had to keep him happy all day." She sighed and started eating. "Aww, mom, that sucks. But at least you're making good money nursing, right?" Troy said with a laugh. Jack smiled a little at his son's comment. He looked up from his plate and smiled at his wife. "Hey, Lucy, you're home with a family that *loves* you. You get to take a breather tonight before you have to go back to work tomorrow and do it all over again. But remember, you can do anything for eight hours. Hey! You can even look forward to coming home to see Troy and me." He finished and looked at the love of his life. *Troy just smiled at how in love his parents were, just so long as they didn't start having sex in front of him*. *It's bad enough he knew they had to create him at one point*. "So how was school today, Troy?" Lucille asked casually. "It was good. However, long story short, you know who Brett Shimura is, right?" Troy asked. Jack nodded his head. "Well, I really want him to be himself around the gang, Gabriella and I, you know? I just feel like he's putting up this icy exterior because he doesn't want to show his true self, because he never had anyone surrounding him. Anyway, I saw him crying today and saw his vulnerable side." Troy said. "Hmm." Jack said simply. A little while later, the Wildcats leader glanced up at the clock and, after asking to be excused, put his plate in the dishwasher and went upstairs. *On his way up, he yelled back to his parents that he had homework to do and disappeared into his bedroom*. Troy sat down on his bed and pulled his math notebook from his schoolbag. *He tried to understand what he had written earlier during class, but couldn't remember any of it*. Troy groaned and closed his book. *He just didn't understand why he couldn't understand things the way Gabriella could*. Later that night, Troy laid on his bed, thinking. He tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. Troy finally sighed and sat up, leaning against the edge of his bed. Deciding he didn't want to keep trying he got up and heard clanking from the garage. Sighing softly to himself, Troy opened the door leading into the garage and saw his father working on the beat-up truck.

     "Troy, what are you doing up so late?" Jack asked, looking up. Troy looked up to see his father jumping gout of his skin. "Sorry, Dad, couldn't sleep." Troy sighed out. "Help me out for a sec here, Troy?" Jack said. Troy headed towards the opposite side of the truck, bending over, across from his father. "So, any problems?" Jack asked once more. Troy nodded dejectedly. "What's eating away at you?" Jack asked, his voice filled with concern. Troy sighed heavily. *He just hoped he could help Brett. By the way Troy was about to describe his friend, he was worried he'd never be able to help this boy out of his shell of being peer-pressured*. "It's Brett. Chad and him got into an argument today at school. Chad started going off at Brett. Basically, Brett is popular and was a little... hostile... towards Chad. I didn't know what to do, so I told Chad to apologize." Troy said, sighing. *His father looked at him, not knowing what to say*. "How did you get Mom to open up and trust you?" Troy asked. "It took time. Your mother had a rough time as a kid and had a lot of trust issues. I knew that, so I never pushed her into opening up. I pushed enough so she knew I was there when she needed me or if she ever wanted to talk but not enough to scare her away." Jack said. "Did she ever open up to you?" Troy asked. *He didn't blame Brett for not being totally fine; sure, Brett was popular at East High but Troy knew he was depressed about it deep down. And these things took time, especially with how torn up he was when they had last spoke. No one should have had to go through such anxiety and peer-pressure*.

     "Of course she did, but it took years." Jack said. "*Years*?" Troy asked, taken by surprise. "Yes, Troy. I met your mother my first year in high school. She finally opened up to me our last year in college." Jack chuckled. "Wow." Troy muttered in shock. "Troy, if you care about Brett the way you say you do, you cannot make him think you're bad. Pushing him will only make it worse." Jack replied. *All he wanted was to help Brett. Troy wanted Brett to be happy all the time, not just when leaving school. But there was something else going on that was stopping that; something was going on to prevent Brett from being happy all the time. There were no signs of physical abuse and from what he knew, there were clear signs of mental abuse*. "But, it's so hard, Dad. I just don't know what it is about Brett, but I know he's having and anxiety and fear about hanging out with Chad and I." Troy sighed. "I know you do, but it takes time for guys like that to open up. Just be *yourself*, bud. If you do that, Brett *will* trust you." Jack smiled. "Thanks, Dad. Good night." Troy grinned. "Good night, son." Jack responded. Troy went back into his bedroom and fell into a deep sleep.

**REST IS TBA**

The next day, Troy walked into the front office. Near Principal Matsui's office, Troy's eyes locked on a blonde bob-styled, bespectacled girl typing away on a computer's keyboard in front of her. "Hey, Becky, I'm here to see Principal Matsui." Troy greeted quickly with a warm smile. "Do you have an appointment?" the girl asked. *Her tone was hostile. The brunette Wildcats leader was taken aback*. He stopped in his tracks and turned towards the girl. *He knew that she tended to get annoyed sometimes, but it was rare*. "Um, no, Becky, I do not. But I can assure you Principal Matsui is—" Troy said casually. "Then get out, *bitch*!" Becky responded. *Unable to say anything by her response, Troy blinked his eyes in shock*. "It's okay, Becky. Send him in." Troy heard Principal Matsui say. Troy looked at Becky with a small nod and walked into the room. He sat down on the wooden chair as the Principal looked to him. He smiled at the familiar older gentleman's face. He stood behind the desk writing something on a piece of paper. *His hair was salt and pepper and he wore his same pair of reading glasses. He looked up at Troy and smiled so proudly*. "Good morning, Troy. What's on the lesson plan today?" he asked as Troy dropped his backpack. "Being a LGBTQ advocate and an anti-bullying member? It's mostly meet and greet. I'm thinking of doing something different with the whole 'getting to know you' kind of day. How are you, Mr. Matsui?" Troy asked as he smiled. "Business as usual. Can't complain at all. I've concocted a new flavor to try for the month of October. Don't worry we will have our usual pumpkin spice flavor, but I wanted to try something different. I want you to be the first one to try it. Come by on Saturday.” Mr. Dunphy said. Troy chuckled. "Absolutely. Have a good day, Mr. Matsui." Troy said as he hoisted his backpack up his shoulder. "You as well, Mr. Bolton. Teach our children something." he said proudly. Troy smiled as he left the office.

Troy was at his locker, picking out a notebook for his class. He slammed his locker door shut and looked up. Troy sighed deeply, shutting his eyes. "Hi, Troy!" Sharpay squealed with delight. Troy forced out a small chuckle, and smiled politely. "I realized I haven't offered my congratulations!" she said happily. "Oh, thank you. Um, I'm glad the season's over, so..." Troy answered timidly. "Pfft! I didn't mean *basketball*, silly! I meant Gabriella." Sharpay simply said. "What?" Troy said in a confused tone. He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. He opened his eyes and nodded. "Her missing the show is a little disappointing but being selected for Stanford's Freshmen Honors Program? That is amazing for her, and for East High." Sharpay said.

     Troy smiled. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about." Troy said truthfully. "Everyone else does. The whole school is buzzing." Sharpay said whipping out a piece of paper, handing it to Troy. He gently grabbed it from her. "The top honorees get to spend some time with Stanford's top professors starting next week." She said. Troy looked up. "*Next week*?" He asked in a stern voice. "Mm-hm. Look right there!" Sharpay exclaimed while pointing to the paper. Troy looked down, his eyes searching. "You really didn't know?" Sharpay asked, her brows furrowed. Troy quickly looked up but then locked his back down on the paper. "Okay. This is a *little* awkward." Sharpay sighed out. She glared at Troy. "I guess her not telling you means that she's on the fence about it. But, who better than *Troy Bolton* to encourage her to accept the honor... Since the only thing possibly holding her back would be..." Sharpay began. Her brow arched up with attitude and pouted her lips. "...*You*." She finished. Troy opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. "Well, I'll see you at rehearsal. Toodles!" Sharpay said as she sauntered away. As Troy sighed, he walked in the opposite direction and his cerulean eyes lingered onto people walking by. Suddenly, someone grabbed him by the forearm. "Troy, something is wrong with Brett. I know bits and pieces from last night, but I know for a fact that *something* happened to Brett, stopping him from opening up. When we were comforting him last night, he mentioned someone named Jason, and I remember you talking about a Jason." Gabriella whispered. "Yes, it's true, Brie. Brett had a brother named Jason before moving here." Troy whispered without hesitation. Gabriella was dumbfounded. "Quite frankly, I feel like something *else* is going on. I don't know, maybe, there are no signs pointing to what I'm assuming but I could be wrong." Gabriella said hesitantly. They both look at each other. *Troy often found himself wondering what was truly going on in Brett's mind. He would ask himself this question until he thought his head was going to explode but that didn't matter because Troy would never get to know the answer. So once Troy realized that this task was unsuccessful he would move on to trying to convince himself that he had actually done the right thing*. "Oh! Gabriella, look, there's something I need to talk to you about..." he said. Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows before the school bell rang.

     He pecked a kiss Gabriella on the cheek, before winking at her. Gabriella looked up and instantly smiled. Troy's eyes was full of pity and guilt. "Brie, I have a plan. I'm gonna talk to Brett after school today." Troy said with the seriousness of the situation clearly distinguishable. Gabriella chewed at her lip, trying her best not to falter under Troy's gaze. "Troy... Be careful. Brett is dealing with a lot." Gabriella said a little shaky. *Troy looked at her, knowing she was 100% right*. "You know, I keep finding myself wondering what is going on in Brett's mind; what he's thinking. What is *really* going on. I just need an answer." Troy said with such emotion in his voice. Looking around, Troy made sure no one heard what he said. Looking back at Gabriella, Troy saw she had a look of shock on her face. "Make him happy again, Troy. He needs it." Gabriella said sincerely. Troy winked at her.

**REST IS TBA**

*Troy walked Gabriella home as he did every day*. When they got to her house, Gabriella decided to do something abnormal. Taking him by the hand, she led Troy upstairs to her bedroom, certain that he wouldn't push the boundaries once they were there. "I figured my bed would be more comfortable than the couch. I trust you, which is why you're up here." Gabriella explained before he could ask any questions. "We're definitely not up here to—" Gabriella explained. Troy started laughing. "Gabriella, I know! Chill out a little bit. I was getting tired of the couch, too." Troy stated. Suddenly, Gabriella playfully tackled him onto the bed, but he held her waist, pulling her down on top of him. Playfully smirking, Troy rolled her off of him and turned to face her, their faces centimeters apart. Examining her face, Troy was relieved to see her dark brown orbs. Silently, Gabriella wrapped her arms around his back, unable to fight the urge to touch him.

     Smiling, Troy returned the embrace, holding her as close to him as he possibly could. A thought struck Gabriella, causing her to go into a fit of giggles. "You know what you are?" she said. "I know, I'm your *boyfriend*. What else?" He asked her curiously. "You're like a life-size teddy bear! You're not stuffed, but every time I see you I just want to hold you tightly. You're good for comfort, and you have a soft, warm heart when it comes to others, especially me." she gushed. "That better not be—" Troy groaned. "That'll be your new nickname!" Gabriella smiled flirtatiously. Troy groaned again. "Brie, why must you do this to me? I look *nothing* like a stuffed bear!" he complained. "You might have a well-toned body..." she replied, running her finger down his chest through his shirt for emphasis. "But, on the inside, you're soft, cute, kind-hearted, sweet and cuddly, just like a teddy bear." Gabriella gushed. *Looking into her eyes, Troy knew he would surrender the argument. He could never argue with her, for he always caved*. He sighed. "Fine, but you can only call me that when we're alone, but not at school whether we're alone or not." Troy stated. "Aw, but why not? I let you call me sweetheart, baby and angel everywhere we go, alone or not." she pointed out. "That's because none of them are going to embarrass you." he replied, placing his hand on her shoulder, but she pouted. "You're no fun!" she complained, though she loosened up when Troy kissed her nose. "But, you still love me!" he told her, a teasing smile plastered on his face. "And, I love you no matter how many times you tell me I'm no fun." Troy smiled charmingly. Gabriella poked her tongue out at him, but as she did, Troy's soft lips came crashing down on hers and soon both were involved in a heated lip-lock. Her hands found their way to his hair, ruffling it while their lips moved together. Smiling, Troy watched as a slight blush emerged on her face, something that he only had the power to do. Once Gabriella removed his shirt, with his help, the couple laid back down.

     Nestling into his chest as he held her tightly, Gabriella let out a pleased sigh. *Although his hugs always gave her comfort, this one seemed different. She felt calmed more than any other time, she guessed because it was almost skin-on-skin, the closest they had ever been to each other*. After a few seconds, Troy nuzzled his head into her hair, loving the feel of her body pressed against his bare chest. *Like Gabriella, he too sensed a difference between their normal time together and what was going on right now. He felt the bond between them growing everyday, but, in that moment, he felt as though the connection was as strong as it possibly could be without having sexual relations*. "Think we'll stay like this?" Gabriella asked him quietly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I hope." he answered, rubbing her back. "So, you'll always be my teddy bear?" she asked him, smiling innocently. "I will as long as you don't call me that in public." Troy chuckled. Gabriella pouted but finally nodded. "Fine, as long as you still act like my teddy bear in public." she stated. "Do teddy bears look as hot as *moi*?" Troy asked, smirking. Gabriella laughed and playfully smacked his shoulder. "Way to ruin the moment!" she giggled. "Fine, then! Don't speak to me! You should've known that question was coming! But, I still want an answer." Troy defended. Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Yes, Troy, you're hotter than a *teddy bear*." Gabriella smirked. "Thought so." Troy grinned selfishly.

### ***Get'cha Head in the Game***

*His cerulean-colored eyes suddenly locked on a small figure nearby with it's head down*. Troy made his way towards the figure. Brett turned to see Troy approaching and scoffed. *Brett had no glasses on, his hair was un-styled. He's obviously been crying*. *Sure he wasn't really good friends of his, but Troy knew him. He didn't want to throw a typical ‘are you all right?’ line at him, especially when he knew it was the opposite. Anyone could sense that*. *He would be lying if he said that he wasn't feeling the awkwardness of the situation, he barely knew Brett Shimura and here he was being his personal shoulder to cry on. In spite of all this, he couldn't deny Brett his help, the moment he saw Brett crying he knew if he didn't assist Brett, he would be all alone and if Troy was taught one thing as a child, it was that no one deserves to be alone*. He put his backpack down and sat next to Brett. "Hey, Brett." Troy said casually. The smaller boy glared at him. "Go away." he hissed. Troy didn't move. Brett looked away from him. "Hey, what happened?" Troy asked softly with concern. The boy glared at him again. "What do you want? Rub it in my face? Say ‘I told you so?’" Brett questioned harshly.

     Troy shook his head. "No. No, I really don't. I just... Just tell me what happened." he begged with desperate concern in his eyes. *Brett looked away, and looked back at him, all anger gone from his eyes.* *Troy didn't want to intrude or feel like he was trying to hop into Brett's life. He was just being the guy he always was*. Brett looked down; his eyes shut as tears streamed down his face. "It's just – it feels like things weren't supposed to be like this. But they didn't... if that makes sense." Brett said dejectedly with a heavy sigh. *It should have made sense, but Troy had no idea what Brett was referring to*. "I know I'm not your closest friend, but I'm also happy to *be* one if you need someone to talk to. Do you want to talk?" Troy asked carefully. Brett sniffled, avoiding eye-contact. "I guess I'm just having one of those days, ya know?" Brett said softly. *The look of pain on Brett's vulnerable face made Troy guilt a hundred times worse. He knew what Brett was trying to say, but he didn't want to give Brett up, not yet, at least. It was killing him*. "One of those days." Troy repeated, slowly nodding. *Of course he was offering to hear Brett out and let him rant away to him; Troy was just that guy with everyone*. *He sat in silence with the depressed boy for a few minutes. Troy wanted to be there for everyone and help as much as he could. Brett was no different. He considered him a friend even if Brett wasn't the nicest to everyone.* "My friends... kicked me out of the group." Brett stated dejectedly. *Shock went through him.*

     "Y-Your friends kicked you out? They kicked you *out*? What?" Troy said in shock. Brett looked away from him, tears still streaming down his face. "W-Wh-What happened? H-How did this?..." Troy stammered. *He then got the strangest feeling that the Asian boys wouldn't have kicked him out of the group for no reason.* "What did they do?" Troy asked. Brett wouldn't look at him. "*What did they do*?" Troy repeated. Brett took a breath. "After class... We... They took me back home, and smoked marijuana." Brett answered. *Troy shook his head in disbelief. He felt anger rise in him.* "Oh, no. I can't hear this." Troy said as he put his hands on his ears. He then dropped his hands in disbelief. "You didn't. No, Brett." Troy said as he leaned his head back. "No." Brett said. He looked at Brett. "No. *That's* why they kicked me out." Brett cried hoarsely. *The jock felt relief rush through him.* He sighed. A wave of fresh tears left Brett as he leaned his head in his shoulder. Troy put his arm around the vulnerable boy. "Brett, hey. Hey, hey, it's okay. You know... when you're young, everything feels like the end of the world. It's *not*." Troy stated. The depressed Brett looked at him. "Right." he said. *Troy caught his sarcastic tone.* "It's just the beginning. You don't need everyone to love you. Just a few *good* people." the brunette jock stated. Brett looked up at him but looked back down in shame. "I feel so lonely. I don’t have anyone.” he cried. “I know.” Troy whispered. “Pfft! How would *you* know? Have you’ve ever been lonely? What kind of lonely could the almighty Troy Bolton *possibly* feel?” Brett hissed coldly. “I *do* know what it’s like to be lonely, Brett. I really do.” Troy stated. He inhaled a deep breath and his eyes flickered. “Brett... When my grandfather died... people kept telling me not to cry. People kept trying to help me to forget. But I didn’t *wanna* forget.” Troy stated dejectedly with a tear sliding down his cheek. He sniffled. “So I realize... that feeling of being so... *so*... alone... that if it’s hard for me... how much harder it must be for you.” Troy said with sympathy in his tone. He wiped a tear from his cheek. “I’m sorry.” Brett whispered. Troy nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, me, too.” he croaked. “You've always been really sweet to me, even when I was so mean to you.” Brett stated, looking up at Troy. Troy slowly nodded his head, and he looked at the vulnerable boy. Brett’s lips began to tremble. "And I couldn't be more sorry." he said with sincere regret in his voice. *And as he said it, Troy felt that what Brett was saying was coming straight from his heart, and that he really did feel the way he thought he did.* Troy replied with a small smile. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around Brett's neck, hugging him tightly. "Do you wanna hear something funny?" Brett asked softly. "What, Brett?" Troy asked. "You're the best friend I've got." Brett confessed with sadness in his voice. *His words cut Troy deep; he didn't want to hear something as awful and untrue as that from Brett. He couldn't let Brett think like that. It hurt him. Troy wanted Brett to be wrong so much.*

     Troy squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. He flickered his eyes back open. *He was going to be the person to let Brett know he was 100% there for him*. Troy looked down to see Brett looking back at him, his eyes puffy and red but still looking strong to him as Brett gave him a small smile. "Thank you... for listening." Brett said. "None needed but you are very welcome. Just glad I was able to be here for you and even more so in person." Troy assured. *Troy felt the weight on his chest disappear*. *He looked down to see Brett looking back at him, his eyes puffy and red but still looking strong to him as Brett gave him a small smile*. *He felt remorse for Brett because he had been put through so much peer-pressure and the pain clearly ate away at him. And Troy felt remorse for him because he didn't want this to dominate his life*. "Hey, I gotta run. I told my dad I'd pick up something to eat for him and bring it over for dinner." Troy said, forcing his hands into his pockets, slowly taking a few steps back. "Okay." Brett simply said, nodding.

*The engine of Troy's beat-up truck came to a stop, as he and Gabriella pulled up to the Danforths' household*. Opening the car door, Troy stepped out and headed towards the passenger side and opened the door for Gabriella. "Milady." Troy said, grabbing onto Gabriella's hand and pulled her towards the ground safely. He closed the door behind her as he wrapped his arm lovingly around her body. *Troy's shoes clicked against the pavement on the way toward the Danforths' front door. His eyes scanned the white marble*. "This place looks crowded!" Troy said rising his voice. Gabriella shook her head and scanned the room for their friends. Troy grinned and waved his hands when he spotted Chad and Taylor talking indistinctly. "Chad, Taylor! Hey!" Troy called out. Chad and Taylor turned sharply and their faces broke into a smile. "Yo, Hoops! Gabster! You finally made it! What took you too so long?" Chad bellowed. "Gabs took so long getting dressed. I think I almost died." Troy sighed. Gabriella glared at Troy, which made Taylor roll her eyes. "I needed to find the right thing to wear tonight. Troy, here, does not understand that." Gabriella defended. Chad looked at Gabriella and gave her a sympathetic smile. Gabriella smiled. "Finally someone here understands the art of fashion." Taylor said. Troy snorted with a laugh. "That's right. But is that truly the reason why you two were late? No other reasons? Like, a hard time finding *parking*?" Chad asked with a wink. "*Eww*!" Troy and Gabriella said in unison. Gabriella cringed at Chad's innuendo and shut their eyes tightly. "You know Troy and I would never do that." Gabriella protested. "If you say so!" Taylor said with a wink. "So where is everyone else?" Troy asked, switching the subject. "Out by the pool. But everyone knows the party doesn't start until the 'golden couple' walks into the room." Taylor said, shrugged. "You have to stop everyone from calling us that." Troy rebuked, crinkling his nose. "They know what our relationship is." Gabriella defended lovingly as she kissed Troy on the lips. "But no one can help it. You guys are *always* together, not to mention your popularity status. You two are top of the food chain. Your presence affects if this party will be good or not. Although our presence is also meaningful." Chad said as he looked at Taylor with heart-eyes.

     "Well then... the 'golden couple' has arrived." Troy smirked. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella's hips and pulled her closer to him. Gabriella laughed and swatted him playfully. *The couple walked further into the house as the music was loud and upbeat. Everyone is crowded in the Danforths' living room, dancing, and celebrating — well everything*. Troy slings his arms around Gabriella's shoulders. "So, enjoying yourself?" he asked loudly into his ear. Gabriella turned to face him, and Troy wasted no time grabbing her hand and pulled her into the midst of the dance floor. *They emerge in the center of the circle — Troy leading Gabriella through the hoards of people. He spun her around, a smile on her face*. "Hey, babe. I'm gonna go get some water, okay?" Gabriella yelled through the noise. Troy nodded and kissed her on the cheek. He watched her politely push her way through the crowd. *Troy noticed Sharpay and Zeke chatting in the kitchen, getting to know each other. Ryan and Kelsi cuddled up on the couch, talking quietly. Chad and Taylor kissing lovingly on the lips*. Troy is on the dance floor, surrounded by friends and noise, watching Chad and Taylor dance. *He began to wonder why he hasn't seen Gabriella since she left*. Troy made his way to the outskirts of the circle, his eyes darting around the room, seeking her out. He moved into the front foyer, and headed out to the backyard. Partygoers were whooping and laughing all around. **REST IS TBA**. *Music was blaring through the living room while Troy could see teenagers grinding up against each other*. He caught a glimpse of Sharpay, leading Zeke back towards where the four of them were standing. "It's so sweaty out there!" Sharpay exclaimed while wiping her forehead. *Sharpay, who wasn't shy about drinking, seemed to be completely wasted as she tripped on her heels*. Zeke caught her as she giggled and turned to Taylor. **REST IS TBA.** Troy noticed an attractive strawberry blonde-haired girl, who was having a hard time walking. *Being a gentleman that he was, Troy got up and walked over towards her*. "Pardon me, are you okay, Nina?" Troy asked in genuine concern. The drunk girl's brown eyes widened as she looked up. "Oh, my God! I've been waiting for you all night." Nina whispered with excitement. A little taken aback, Troy could smell the scent of alcohol on her breath. "So I figure you're either single and shy or you've got a girlfriend that couldn't join you tonight. I thought either way there would be no harm in buying you a drink." Nina purred, her words slightly slurring. Troy glanced slightly at the girl who had situated herself next to him. He turned back to Gabriella. "Sorry, not drinking tonight, Nina." Troy responded with a polite smile. *Troy never drank alcohol, mainly because everyone did. And someone had to make sure everyone got home safely*.

     "Oh, come on, one won't hurt. Have a drink with me." Nina whined dramatically. "No, thank you, Nina." Troy rejected politely. "You sure? A hot guy like you, not drinking on this beautiful night?" Nina asked, tilting her head in persuasion. "Someone has to get everyone home in one piece." Troy said, offering her a smile before turning back to Gabriella, again. "You love it, admit it. And, if you want to *continue*, come with me." Nina purred seductively. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, revealing her slender neck and let her fingers drag down her bare skin to her cleavage, running along the edge of her dress teasingly. "Sorry, Nina. But I already have my eye on someone else." Troy stated. The pretty blonde looked appalled but recovered quickly. "Are you gay or what, Troy? I mean, only a *gay* guy wouldn't want this." Nina retorted, running her hands down her body for emphasis. "Then I guess I must be gay." Troy replied, looking away from her. He walked back inside the house and entered the kitchen, grabbing a clean glass and filling it with freshly brewed iced tea in the pitcher he saw in the fridge. Putting the pitcher back in the fridge and shutting the door, Troy leaned his left lower arm against the counter where the sink was, sipping on the iced tea. *When Troy walked across the room, he paused as he heard the screams of partygoers splashing in the swimming pool, grinning as he heard Chad's distinct laugh among all the noise*. He walked closer and stopped again as he spied Gabriella with Taylor, sitting on the edge of the pool, their legs dangling in the clear chlorine pool water. Hearing some excited laughter and giggles, Troy inwardly rolled his eyes as he dragged his attention from his girlfriend, who was watching Chad and five other boys swimming in the pool, to the friends of Gabriella's who were all now sitting up on the towels laid out on the grass, talking to each other while they openly stared at him. *He was halfway inside the crowded house when his eyes locked upwards at the staircase*. "Excuse me. Pardon me." Troy said to a few wild partygoers as he tried to squeeze through the crowd. *He sighed and with Zeke's help collected the empty bottles from the floor and put on top of the garden table*. "COWABUNGA!!" someone roared. The roaring, muscular boy ran but accidentally plowed straight into a smaller boy. *The impact caused the puny boy to plunge into the basin with a big splash*. *The bottles fell from Troy's hands as he ran towards the pool*. He squeezed his way through the shocked partygoers, stepping out of his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head. *The boy's head broke the surface and he suddenly gulped the fresh air hungrily.* The jock suddenly jumped up in the air, forming a perfect dive, and felt his body slip into the water with grace. *His eyes open and he suddenly felt the sting from the chlorine hit them like a slap, but he couldn't worry about it now.* Troy swam as fast as he could to the frantic boy, who was gasping for air. *His head broke the surface and he suddenly gulped the fresh air hungrily*. Panting, Troy brought the boy's body around so he could carry him better as he used his tired legs to get to the side of the pool. *Troy brushed his wet hair out of his eyes and looked at the struggling boy, who was trying to stay afloat*. "Brett! You okay?!" Troy asked. Brett shook his head in negation. "I can't see! M-My glasses...! What the *fuck*?!" Brett exclaimed in panic. "Brett, listen to me. I need you to stay calm, and, I need you to swim!" he instructed. Brett nodded his head in agreement. *Troy held onto Brett's shirt with one hand, so they wouldn't become separated, and used his other hand to help him doggy-paddle through the water.* "Come on, here, keep swimmin'." Troy said, seeing Chad standing near the edge of the swimming pool. "Here, pull yourself up. Zeke, quick... I need... I need you to... bring... some... towels." Troy said. Zeke nodded and ran into the house while Chad, Gabriella, Sharpay and Taylor were standing in shock. *A while later, Zeke rushed back with towels in his hands*. "Oi! Troy! The towels!" Zeke called out. Troy whipped his head around to see the towels. He looked back and nodded at Zeke. Chad was kneeling down at the edge and everyone looked like they were sighing in relief. "I got him..." Chad exclaimed as he reached in the water and grabbed Brett's shoulders. Troy grabbed the boy's feet as they both pulled him out of the water.

     After getting out of the pool himself, the shirtless basketball God wrapped a towel around the smaller boy’s shaking body. "B-Brett. I—" Troy struggled to get out. He placed the back of his hand on the back of the smaller boy's hand. "Here we go." Troy instructed gently, guiding Brett away from the swimming pool. The blue-eyed brunette boy walked up to a chair and placed his guiding arm on the chair. Brett moved his arm down Troy's; felt the chair, and figured out how to sit down from there. "Can you feel it?" Troy asked. "Yeah." Brett replied softly as he slowly sat down. The shocked Brett looked up at his face. *Troy realized that it looked just like the rest of them. Shocked and scared. But there was something else to. Guiltiness.* "What is going on out here!" Kevin exclaimed. "Brett! What...? What happened to you? Why are you all wet? Where are your *glasses*?" Grayson yelled loudly. The shirtless Troy crouched slightly to be at Brett's eye level. He started rubbing gentle circles across Brett's back as the little boy continued to shiver. Troy looked up and looked at his friends. "Guys, make sure we get him near the kitchen; he needs something warm to drink." he said. "Yup!" Zeke assured him. "Troy?" Brett called him with a weak voice. "Yeah?" Troy said, whipping his head back to his friend's attention. "I don't feel so good." Brett mumbled. He covered his mouth with his hand. He quickly jerked back. "What are you feeling?" Troy asked in alarm. *Brett took the hand off his mouth, but before he could reply vomit sprayed on Troy*. Troy covered his mouth and closed his eyes, to re-open it a second later and look at his shirt all covered with vomit. "Aw, shit." Troy exclaimed softly. Brett looked down and then at him and started crying. "I'm sorry." he choked out. Troy shook his head. "Come here. I'm not mad. It's okay." Troy said. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't want to." Brett said in between sobs. "No, don't worry." Troy assured. **REST IS TBA.** "I never thought I would say this, Troy, but I see some of myself in you. Your dedication, your focus. People think success happens to you. It doesn’t. You choose it. Every day, I *choose* excellence. Who else does what I do, at my level? Nobody. They don’t even understand what it takes, the days, measured in milliseconds..." Brett stated. Troy stared at him. "But now you know — and I know — that you have it in you. That you can see beyond what other people want and choose for yourself." Brett said. He smiles, like he's just given Troy an enormous compliment. Troy reeled. "But I don't think I am like that." Troy said. "You want this life, those choices are necessary." Brett said. "But what if it’s not what I want? I mean, what if I don't want to live the way you do?" Troy said, his eyebrows furrowing. Brett looked at him and smiled, and this time, for the first time, his smile is almost warmly. "Don't be silly, Troy. This is what everyone wants. *Everyone* wants to be *me*." Brett replied vainly. **REST IS TBA.** After helping Zeke with Chad, Taylor and Sharpay, Troy walked downstairs and into the living room, but Gabriella was already sleeping on the couch. He gently grabbed her in his arms and took her upstairs to a bedroom. "Brie..." he cooed. He stroked her hair trying to wake her up. "Come on, baby, you're gonna get sick if you sleep like this." Troy whispered. *Gabriella didn't respond, so Troy made his way to Gabriella's room again to pick up a PJ for her*. *He certified himself that Chad and Taylor were breathing and got back to his parents room to find Gabriella sitting on the bed*. "I thought you were sleeping?" Troy said. "I woke up." she said in a baby voice. Troy shook his head. "Sit down, Gabriella, you need to change." he laughed. "I don't want to." she pouted. "Please baby, come here." Troy told her and she crawled towards him. "I have your PJs, can you change yourself?" Troy asked. Gabriella shook her head. "Brie, please?" Troy pleaded. *She didn't say a word, just raised both arms up indicating she wanted to be changed*. "You're such a baby." he joked before pulling her shirt over her head and reached behind her to unclasp her wet bra. Gabriella giggled as his hand accidentally brushed one of her breasts. She grabbed the PJ shirt from his hand, trying to dress it, but taking too long to find the right way to put it on. "Wait up." Troy said and helped her. *He was trying not to focus on her breasts*. "Ready?" he asked. Gabriella stood up and he took of her skirt and panties, giving her new panties and the shorts of her PJs. "Dress it up or I won't be able to keep my hands away from you." Troy said. She giggled again, dressing the rest of her clothes. "I'm ready, Wildcat." She whispered hungrily. He smiled at her. He started undressing too. "Hurry up, I wanna hug you. Brett already got his seven minutes in Heaven." Gabriella teased as she watched him take off his wet clothes and put his PJs pants too. "Just a sec, beautiful." Troy said as he finished getting ready and walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth. "Come here, Brie." he said. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Guess who it is" she giggled. "You're so weird, Gabriella." Troy laughed. He turned around and grabbed her by the waist, sitting her on the bathroom counter. "Show me your teeth." Troy instructed. Gabriella gave him a huge smile and Troy smirked. "You're so cute." he said lovingly. "You're so cute." she mocked him and let him brush her teeth, looking up and humming while he did it. "Tongue, out." Troy ordered gently and she did what he asked. "All right, spit." he said. Gabriella swung her legs back and forth as she watched him brushing his teeth. "Your eyes are so *blue*." she said. Troy gave her an amused look, "Uhm... thanks, babe." he said with a small laugh. *When he finished, Gabriella was already yawning*. Troy smiled and walked to her, letting her wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He easily lifted her from the counter and started walking with her to the bedroom again. Gabriella buried her face on his neck and stroked his shoulder all the way back to the bed. Troy sat her on the bed and lay down, tapping his side on the bed. "Come here, beautiful." Troy cooed. **REST IS TBA.**

### ***What I've Been Looking For***

TBA

Walking through the hallway of East High, Troy reached his locker. Standing next to his locker was Chad. "What's up, man?" Troy said as they bumped fists and pulled each other into a hug, slapping each other on the back and pulled away. "You know what I don't get, Hoops?" Chad said. "What?" Troy replied confused. "You ain't never even bothered to talk to other social circles instead of the jocks *in your life*, but somehow you get Brett Shimura to be *friends* with us, and then, three weeks later, out of *nowhere*, Brett Shimura becomes a different person. *That* makes me real suspicious. That makes me think that you used your handsome fruity voodoo powers and put a hex on him that caused him to become a nicer human being. That sounds like some dark-sided, fruity voodoo stuff to me." Chad stated. "So what's your point?" Troy asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Promise me this, Troy. Promise me that you will **neeeeeever** put a hex on *Chad Danforth*!" Chad dramatically said. "To **neeeeeeeeeeeeeeever** put a hex on Chad Danforth. I promise." Troy said, closing his eyes. They bumped fists again. After Chad left, Troy noticed a piece of paper lying on top of his books. *It was a note*. Troy didn't recognize the hand-writing, but he knew who had wrote it nonetheless. **“Defending that fag was not such a bright idea. It kind of makes me wonder what team you're playing for. You make me sick, and I make it a promise that I will RUIN you Troy Bolton.”** Troy let the note fall numbly from it's lose grip in his fingertips. *His stomach churned and he suppressed a gag that formed in his throat in order to keep down his lunch. He knew that Weston Miller was **not** joking when he said that he would ruin him, and he knew that he could do it. How had this happened? How had it gotten this bad? Troy wasn't sure if they had actually been waiting for him, but as they saw Troy, he knew that they weren't going to pass up this opportunity*. "Well, if it isn't the queer-lover himself." Weston snarled, throwing down the cigarette that he had been smoking and crushed it under his foot. "You know that wasn't a very smart thing to do, Bolton." he said in an eerily calm voice as he approached Troy. "You like bullying people, huh? Why don't you pick on someone who can give you a *real* fight?" Troy called. Weston turned and smiled at his opponent. Troy gulped, taking a step back at the bully's evil smirk. "Oh, I intend to, *Bolton*. Come here!" Weston called. Troy began to walk up slowly but to his surprise two other guys were standing behind him. They rounded on either side of him and latched onto his arms, holding him in place. "Now *this* look familiar. If I'm not mistaken I think that this is the same position your little boyfriend was in not too long ago. Now can you tell me what happens next?" The bully hissed.

     "Look, Miller, you and I need to sort this out. *Now*." Troy said firmly. "In all your life has that line ever actually worked? Now answer the question. *What comes next*?" Weston sneered. *Troy didn't say anything he just held his ground as best he could*. "Not talking are we? Well let me fill in the blanks." Weston chortled. *The blow to his stomach came fast*. *The next punch came to his face and Troy could feel the blood splatter from his nose, and he saw specks of it on Weston's curled fist*. "A punch for a punch." Weston said coldly, spitting in Troy's face. "But somehow, it's just not enough." Weston spat. He then turned to Troy glaring at him, "Bolton, do you really want to fight me?" Weston taunted. Troy punched him right then and there. *He never got so angry before but Weston crossed the line*. With one punch, he knocked him to the ground and he wasn't getting up. Troy was ready to go pound him in some more but the two guys came up to him to stop him. The dark-haired bully brought his knee swiftly upward and it collided into Troy's groin. Troy cried out in pain and his knees buckled. *If the other two boys hadn't been holding him up he would have crashed to the ground*. "Drop this fool!" Weston ordered. Troy fell to the ground and by this time, he was too weak to defend himself. Weston crouched down on his knees beside Troy and grabbed Troy's face roughly in his hand, turning Troy to face him. "Don't you fuck with me, boy. Don't you *ever* fuck with me." Weston hissed venomously. *It was a warning, a promise, a threat, and Troy knew that every word of it was true*. The three boys walked off leaving Troy lying on the hard concrete. Troy just laid there in bruises as blood lingered from his nostrils.

A little while later, Troy sat in his truck for a while, parked outside of his house. Troy moved to unbuckle his seatbelt, and opened the door. He shut the door behind him. He made his way up the steps that led to his front door and fumbled in his pocket for the keys. Opening the door to his home he stepped into the brightly lit front hallway and quickly toyed with the idea of running to his bedroom and refusing to come out until morning. "Troy? Is that you?" a female voice called out. Of course, no such luck. "Yeah Mom, I'm home." Troy replied. He stood there as she came rushing from out of the kitchen, a stern expression plastered on her pretty features. He could tell that she was ready for the intense questioning of "Where have you been?" but she stopped short when she saw the condition that he was in. Apparently word hadn't gotten around of what had happened after all. "My God, Troy, what happened?" Lucille asked in utter shock. She was by his side in a mere matter of seconds. She reached out to lightly run her fingertips over an ugly bruise that was forming along his cheek bone, and the fact that she was being so gentle, the fact that she seemed to care so much, was almost enough to send him into tears all over again. "I'm fine, Mom. Really I am." He tried to sound reassuring in his statement. *He tried to convince her that he was not this broken boy standing in front of her, when really in all truth he was. He tried to do that one little thing for her. Just tell her that he was okay, because she needed to hear it and he certainly did as well, but he would never be that good of an actor*. He saw the tears forming in her eyes and his voice cracked in his reassurance. "Please Mom, don't cry." He was desperate in his request, because he couldn't handle this, not now. Not now. Suddenly, a new emotion came over her face. One that he hardly ever saw on his mothers delicate features, but one that he recognized nonetheless, fury. "Who did this to you?" She asked. "Mom, I—" Troy began but she cut him off by grasping onto his shoulders. Shaking him slightly, because he needed to tell her, because she needed to know. "Tell me **who** did this to you." Lucille demanded firmly. He let out a small groan as the pain shot up his arms from where her hands held onto him. She saw the grimace on his face and immediately let go of him. Her look of rage being replaced by concern. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry." Lucille apologized. "I can't tell you, Mom." Troy whispered. "You have to. As soon as your father and I find out, that little bastard is getting what he deserves." Her voice was strong and malicious but the tears were now falling from her eyes. With each word of anger a new tear slid down her cheeks, and with each promise of payback, her voice cracked a little more. Troy reached out with one scathed hand and began to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry. It would just make things so much worse. Don't you see that?" Troy said. *He was desperate to make her understand, and he thanked God, Jesus, Buddha, and anybody else who was listening to the gratefulness of one teenager, when she nodded her head slowly*. "Where's Dad?" Troy asked. "He called and said he had to stay late to work on something up at the school." His mother responded softly. Relief washed over Troy at the prospect of not having to deal with that situation. "Come on, if you're not going to tell me who did this to you, then you're at least going to let me clean up some of those cuts." Lucille said. He smiled slowly at her and she leaned in and kissed his forehead. Troy was sitting up on the counter as she finished up applying all the necessary antibiotics to make sure he didn't get an infection. "There, everything is all patched up." She said as she padded down one of the bandages on his elbow, probably from where he had fallen to the ground. With some help from her, he got off the counter. "Thank you, Mom. Hey, I'm going to just go to bed now. I'm really tired." Troy said. He turned to walk away from her but she touched him lightly on the arm, halting him. He turned to face her and she pulled him into a hug that was gentle and firm all at once. "You don't know how much I love you, kid." She whispered in his ear as she ran her fingers through his hair. "And you don't know how much I needed to hear that." He replied lovingly. Troy pulled away from her and kissed her on the cheek. "Night, Mom." He left her standing in the kitchen and headed up to his room, shutting the door behind him. Ignoring the ache in his body he pulled his shirt over his head. Not even attempting to remove his pants he laid down on his mattress, burying his face in the covers.

**REST IS TBA**

### ***Everyday***

Troy was wearing a purple basketball uniform to practice. He bounced the basketball and turned his back on his father, ready to make the dodge and shot when needed. Mr. Bolton, who stood behind his son, gave him a couple of pointers.

     "Keep working left, Troy!" He ordered, giving him advice. "Got to guard the championship we're expectin'. You'll torch them!" He said. "By going left?" Troy asked, in more of a statement as he already knew what to do. "Yeah. He looks in the middle, you take it downtown." Mr. Bolton said. Troy nodded, already forming a plan in his head. "Okay, like this?" Troy said. He jolted his body to his left, pretending like he was going to shoot that way until he twisted to the other direction, going around his father and shooting a perfect score where the ball went in. Mr. Bolton whooped, catching the ball as it fell through the basket net. He smiled proudly at his son. "That's it, man. Sweet, lets see that in the game." Mr. Bolton exclaimed, going closer to Troy. "Excuse me?" a woman called out to them, looking impatient and annoyed. Troy placed his hand on the ball, ready to take it again for another shot.

     "Oh, don't worry about me. You'll see that in the game." He confirmed, but then turned his head over to the woman like his father had done. A middle-age Japanese-American woman walked forward into the gym. "Can one of you gentlemen direct my son and I to the principal's office, please?" The woman asked. Troy and his father's eyes connected for a moment, before turning back to the woman and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I can walk you down there if you'd like?" Troy suggested. "No, thank you. I'm perfectly capable." The woman stated with a small smile. Troy smiled in response.

### ***High School Musical***

***The most brilliant aspect of High School Musical is the finale, where it's revealed that the events of the film we just watched, contrary to what we believed the whole way through, took place in the year 2006... making it a prequel to the original* High School Musical *film. Going back and re-watching the show, there are little hints here and there that it's not taking place in the present day. The show ends with Troy seeing Gabriella, which turns out to be the very same day that Troy and Gabriella meet for the second time in the beginning of* High School Musical*; clever editing even puts the characters from that show into the same scene with the new characters.***

TBA

## **Trivia**

* It is typical in most high school settings to have the jock as the bad guy but **Troy Bolton** is a jock in a *positive* light. He grows up to be an archetypal "sweet-natured, innocent, friend to all living things, romantic" jock.
	+ Troy is a bright light in the show. Yes, he's part of the society that oppresses people of social status, but he seems to subscribe to a very *different* value system.
	+ He is often the one given the task of boosting town morale in the face of evil, and he is always intent on doing the right thing. He is more realistic than his true love, Gabriella Montez, but he still believes in the power of true love and that good will triumph over evil.
	+ He is expected to behave typically – that is, to treat social outcasts without respect and to love basketball and fits in with the social hierarchy. As it turns out, Troy values everyone for who they are and will do all he can to shield them from ugliness and discomfort.
	+ It shows that he is not at all oblivious to his status in school but it doesn’t mean he is particularly *happy* with it.
	+ This obviously hits a raw nerve for Troy and also reveals to us that there is much more to him (as well as the other characters) than the stereotype he has been labeled with.
* In a series that highlights the ruthlessness of some students in high school, Troy serves as a beacon of light. After all, Troy is a popular jock. But, he is more than just a popular kid — he is the exception.
	+ Troy is the most popular guy at East High School. He is handsome, charming, a superb athlete and a grade-A student. Despite being a jock, Troy never became hateful, bitter, or resentful because of his upbringing. He never let bitterness or anger consume him. Instead, Troy remains kind, caring, compassionate, loving and empathetic.
	+ To the students of East High, Troy is the *definition* of goodness and heroism, and in turn, they constantly praise him and treat him with the utmost admiration and respect.
	+ Troy brings hope to the world and its inhabitants in its darkest hour. He represents being the determinator in many events as he brings hope to the world and not look into the despair of his current dillema.
* Troy cares about people, no matter how seemingly unimportant they are and puts their well-being above his own.
* The non-judgmental and patient Troy befriends Brett Shimura, who was snobbish and shallow. However, Brett undergoes significant character development and gets better.
	+ Troy is the first person who reaches out to Brett — inspires him to learn how to love himself.
	+ He understands Brett has been through some sort of peer-pressure, and he tries to get Brett the proper help. He sympathizes with Brett about how hard it must be to be such a popular kid under the influence of being pressured to be someone else.
	+ Troy is put in a situation that results in him gaining insight into Brett's personal life, and what Brett has to put up with from his friends.
	+ Usually very honest and expressive with his emotions, Troy always attempted to open the door for healthy communication, while Brett is expressly shown bottling things up and slapping on forced smiles. Troy teaches Brett to open up and stop repressing his negative emotions.
	+ In contrast to the vain nature of Brett, Troy is friendly, fearless, and outgoing. Throughout the show, however, Troy's primary goal is to make Brett happy and help him, showing a sympathetic quality.
	+ Troy acts as the much needed protector in Brett's life, standing up for the popular kid when others attacked him on account of his sexuality. He cares for Brett, and truly wants him to succeed in life, and prove to the world that Brett is not some jerk. Not only does he act as Brett's motivator, but as his closest *friend*, and for a while, his *only* true best friend.
	+ It should be noted that all of Troy's actions throughout the season are clearly driven by his sympathy for Brett. After seeing the entitled boy emotionally abused and peer-pressured by his "friends", Troy does not only stand up for him, but takes the smaller boy under his wing and sticks by his side, determined to make him happy again and not once giving up hope.
	+ Despite Brett growing up in grim situations and having a rather dysfunctional and troubled home-life, Troy never stopped believing that one day, it would get better. He extends the same attitude and outlook regarding Brett and their relationship.
	+ Troy believes that despite Brett shutting him out at times, that he is worthy of saving and helping. The jock's optimism won't allow Brett to not believe that everything will get better with time and that *fighting* for it is how it can happen.
	+ He sees a lot of himself in Brett, in terms of the way they feel about the world around them. He feels the need to impart his knowledge, be a source of strength for Brett, and really help him through what he's going through. Initially, Troy felt that the most important element of his traits was to give Brett "someone he can relate to", and demonstrate that he could have "a young male friend, a support system."
* He is fiercely loyal to his friends and quick to come to their defense at the first sign of a threat. When Troy gets angry, he's still rather calm and stoic.
* Troy is implied to come from a wealthy family.
* He is childlike, far from a deep intellectual, innocent, and a hint too naive for his own good at times.
* Considered the most attractive boy at East High (in Season 1).
	+ Troy is so attractive and unintentionally charming that he becomes a babe *and* stud magnet; he fits this *perfectly*. Numerous people have reacted to his good-looks, ranging from come-ons and compliments to sarcastic put-downs — even Becky Jackson refers to him as "Lady Boy".
	+ Even though he is shown to be the King of East High, and makes no effort to hide it (*not* in a narcissistic way), every student genuinely loves him and don't follow him out of fear. After all, he *is* the "Golden Boy" in the school.
	+ All the guys seem to envy him but can't due to his excessively benevolent, optimistic, outgoing, and "welcoming to all of whom he meets" self.
	+ Not only does he accept his new friend Brett's sexuality, he even lets Brett *kiss* him. Even after the kiss, Brett had inappropriately kissed him, it did not damage their friendship (seen in *When There Was Me and You*).
* Troy has absolutely no problem with gay people. He is bewildered, at first, but extremely flattered at the same time whenever *guys* flirt with him.
	+ He's constantly bewildered by Jimmie's advances.
	+ Doesn't realize Ryan is star-struck just talking to him.
	+ He could also be very oblivious to Brett, particularly early on. Obviously, he didn't even know Brett was gay so the thought that Brett liked him didn't even cross his mind, but he didn't realize quite the effect he had on Brett, who idolized him and was basing a lot of his self-worth on Troy's opinion of him.
* It is revealed that when Troy was a freshman at East High, he was bullied and taunted because he had a gap in between his two front teeth.
* He's a nice guy through and through, but you do not want to make him angry, usually by trying anything funny on him or anyone he cares about; Troy *will* wipe the grass with anyone who dares. He throws himself into potentially dangerous situations to protect the people that he cares about, or even strangers.
	+ Only three things make Troy mad: when someone messes with his family or friends, when he sees people bullying other people, and when there is homophobia/transphobia involved.
	+ He felt "weird" while starting high school and wanted to help kids who felt different to accept themselves — he can be sometimes awkward and goofy and klutzy and hyperactive, who talks a lot and to himself and who often puts his foot in his mouth, yet was still a good person who is loving and determined.
* Troy rubs the back of his neck when he's nervous, and often bites his bottom lip when thinking.
* All throughout Season 1 examines how having to be East High's "Golden Boy" 24/7 wears him down, Gabriella liking him for just being himself rather than his status feels like a rarity, his attempts to please everyone often hurt those closest to him and having so many expectations to live up to means any deviations - singing, different college plans - causes instant issues with his dad and friends.
	+ However each episode manages to conclude with the good influence he's able to have when he's true to himself, and that his popularity can be a good thing in uniting different students.