Over the next couple of days, me and Troy practiced the song on our own or with Kelsi I almost got caught by Sharpay in the bathroom  but she loves her reflection and I practiced the song with Gabby who was the only one supporting me  

Gym  

Coach Bolton blows his whistle "let's go, guys! make it sharp! to the chest, come on pop it! come on, guys step with it! let's go! come on, move it! let's go! come on guys, focus! focus get your head in the game! move it!" he said to the team "you seen Troy?" he asked Jason "no... Coach" Jason said nervously "again, let's go!" Coach said blowing his whistle 

Auditorium 

I saw helping saw a costume looking at Troy who was painting a set-piece singing the song in our heads looking at each other than Miss Darbus walks over to me and gave us both  a stern look 

Gym

Coach Bolton blows his whistle signaling that practice is over "that's it guys let's hit the showers good hustle let's see that in the game " he told the team while the team was heading to the showers Troy came in late Chad shoves into Troy's chest then left "I, uh... think I'm gonna stay awhile. work on some free throws" Troy told his dad/coach "well since you missed practice I think your team deserves a little effort from you today" he told his son leaving the gym I come up behind Troy "wow so this is your real stage" I said looking around Troy chuckled "yeah. I guess you could call it that or just a smelly gym" he said to me I held my hands out for the ball he hands me the ball and I somehow make a basket "whoa! don't tell me your good at hoops, too" he said "you know I once scored 41 points on a league championship game" I told him sarcastically "no way" he said believing me "Mm-hm yeah, and in the same day, I invented the space shuttle and microwave popcorn" I said to him making a joke "oh! microwave popcorn ha-ha funny" he said realizing I was joking Troy shoots the ball and makes a great shot "I've been rehearsing with Kelsi," I told him "Me, too and, um, by the way, I missed practice. so if I get kicked off the team it should be on your conscience" he told me "hey, I wasn't the one who told you to sing" I said getting defensive "Ri, Chill" he said calling me by my nickname then I take the ball from Troy "hey that's traveling no that's really bad traveling" he said picking me up spinning me around "miss! I'm sorry this is a closed practice" Coach yelled at me Troy put me down "dad, come on, practice is over" Troy said taken back by his dad "not till the last player leaves the gym. Team rule" he told us "oh, I'm sorry, sir," I told Coach "um, dad you remember Riley she came by the house remember?" Troy asked his dad I stick out my hand for him to shake "ah, your detention buddy" Coach said rudely my smile fades with my eyes watering a little bit handing Troy the ball "I'll see you later Troy nice seeing you again Coach Bolton" said turning around walking away wiping my eyes "you as well, Miss Roberson" Coach said as I walked away 

"dad detention was my fault, not hers," Troy said to his dad When Riley left "you haven't missed practice in three years That girl shows up..." Coach said to his son "That girl is named Riley and she's very nice" Troy defended the girl to his dad "well, helping you miss practice doesn't make her very nice not in my book or teams" Coach said "dad, she's not a problem she's just a girl" Troy said to his dad getting angry "but you're not just a guy Troy" he said shouting at his son "you're the team leader what you do affects not only this team but the entire school and without you completely focused we're not gonna win next week the championship games- they don't come along all the time they're something special" Coach explained to his son "yeah, well a lot of things are special, dad" Troy told his dad "but you're a playmaker... not a singer, right?" coach asked his son "did you ever think maybe I could be both?" Troy asked his dad angrily when Coach Bolton said nothing troy drops the ball and storms out of the gym when he sees the rest of the team were eavesdropping "what?" Jason asked "let's go," Chad said to everyone

Next-Day in the School library 

"what spell has this elevated-IQ temptress girl cast that suddenly makes you wanna be in a musical?" Chad asked Troy "look, I just did it. who cares?" Troy asked "who cares? How about your most loyal best friend?" Chad said "quiet in here Mr. Danforth," Miss Falsaff the librarian said "it's him Miss Falsaff, not me" chad said trying to blame Troy "look you're a hoops dude, not a musical singer person," Chad said Chad hands his basketball to Troy who sighs and tossing the ball back at him "have you ever seen Michael Crawford on a cereal box?" Chad asked, "who's Michael Crawford?" Troy asked "exactly my point he was the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway now my mom has seen that musical 27 times and put Michael Crawford's picture in our refrigerator yeah, not on it, in it so my point is, if you play basketball, you're gonna end up on a cereal box. If you sing in musicals, you'll end up in my mom's refrigerator" Chad told him "why would she put his picture in her refrigerator?" Troy asked "one of her crazy diet ideas look I, I don't attempt to understand the female mind, Troy" Chad explained Miss Falsaff appears "it's frighting territory. how can you expect the rest of us to be focused on a game if you're off something in leotards singing "Twinkle Town" " Chad said "no one said anything about leotards" Troy told him "not yet, my friend but just you wait look, we need you Captian. big time" Chad said "Mr. Danforth,"  Miss Falsaff said I tried to tell him, Miss Falsaff really tried," Chad said 

Me and Gabby were walking in the hallway "so Ri what is going on with you and Troy" she asked me "I don't really know it's clear that his dad is on the edge on me because he made me cry a little but I really like him Gabby I really do but I don't know what is going on" I told her "well I am here for you when you want to talk boys" Gabby told me "thanks, you have been my sister since I was three and you and your mom toke me in I love you" I told her "aww Riley" she said hugging me as I started to cry and we walked to our next class

Next day Men's locker room

Troy was looking around the men's locker room to find his teammates he finds them with a table of pictures and trophies " "spider" Bill Netrine, class of '72 He was the MVP in the league championship game" Chad said to Troy "Sam Nedler class of '02 also known as "Sammy Slamma Jamma" captain MVP of the league championship team." Zeke said, "the "thunderclap" (everybody claps) Hap Hadden, '95 led the Wildcats to back-to-back city championships a legend," Jason said, "yes, legends, one and all but do you think that any of these wildcats legends became legends by getting involved in musical auditions just days before the league championships?" Chad asked "get your head in the game" the team chanted "No, these Wildcats legends became legends because they never took their eye off the prize," Chad said "get your head in the game" the team chanted again "Now who was the first sophomore ever to make staring varsity?" Chad asked "Troy" the team shouted, "so, who voted him our team captain this year?" Chad asked "us" the team shouted, "and who is gonna get their sorry butts kicked in Friday's championship game if Troy's worried about an audition?" Chad asked "we are," the team said unenthusiastically "guys, come on I mean, there's 12 people on this team, not just me," Troy said to them "just 12? oh, no I think you're forgetting about one very important 13th member of our squad" Chad told him handing him a picture Troy looked at it, it was his dad when he was in high school "My dad" Troy said "yes Troy, wildcat basketball champion, class of 1981. champion, father, and now coach. it's winning tradition like no other" Chad said 

Science classroom

Me and Gabby were in the hallway before Taylor pulled us into the classroom me and Gabby had no idea what was going on Taylor was showing me a slideshow "from lowly Neanderthal and Cro-magnon to early warriors, medieval knights. all leading up to... lunkhead basketball man" Taylor said, Taylor shows me a poster of a basketball player but with Troy's head printed on it I giggled at the poster "yes, our culture worshipped the aggressor throughout the ages and we end up with spoiled, overpaid, bonehead athletes who contribute little to civilization other than slam dunks and touchdowns that is the inevitable world of Troy Bolton but the path of the mind, the path we're on, ours is the path that has brought us these people, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frida Kahlo, Sandra day O'Connor, Madame Curie, Jane Goodall,  Oprah Winfrey and so many others who the world reveres" Taylor said flipping threw the slideshow  "um as much as I love this Taylor I've got Kelsi waiting for me to rehearse" I said getting up "Riley" Taylor yelled making me sit down "Troy Bolton represents one side of evolution and our side, the side of education and accomplishment is the future of civilization" Taylor said slapping her pointing stick "this is the side where you belong" Taylor told me 

Men's locker room

"Guys, if you don't know that I'll put 110% of my guts into that game, then you don't know me." Troy said to his team " but we just thought..." chad said "I'll tell you what I thought. I thought that you're my friends win together, lose together teammates" Troy explained "But suddenly the girl... and the singing" chad said "man, I'm for the team! I've always been for the team. She's just someone I met" Troy said not knowing his team set up a webcam

Back in the science classroom

"all tight the singing thing is nothing probably just a way to keep my nerves down I don't know it means nothing to me you're my guys and this is our team, Riley is not important. I'll forget about her, I'll forget the audition and we'll go out and get that championship Everyone happy now?" Troy Said threw the laptop "Behold lunkhead basketball man" Taylor said a tear falls down my cheek "so Riley, Gabriella we would love to have you both on the scholastic decathlon" Taylor said to us  "did you wanna grab some lunch" Taylor asked I shake my "well, we'll be there if you wanna come" Taylor told me "hey Gabby can I be left alone" I asked her "yeah sure but we will talk later" Gabby said leaving I looked out the window and saw Troy and his team celebrating outside 

It's funny when you find yourself
Looking from the outside
I'm standing here but all I want
Is to be over there why did I let myself believe
Miracles could happen?
'Cause now I have to pretend
That I don't really care I thought you were my fairy tale
A dream when I'm not sleeping
A wish upon a star
That's coming true but everybody else could tell
That I confused my feelings with the truth
When there was me and you, I swore I knew the melody
That I heard you singing
And when you smiled you made me feel
Like I could sing along but then you went and changed the words
Now my heart is empty
I'm only left with used-to-be's
And once upon a song now I know you're not a fairy tale
And dreams were meant for sleeping
And wishes on a star
Just don't come true'Cause now even I can tell
That I confused my feelings with the truth
Because I liked the view
When there was me and you, I can't believe that I could be so blind
It's like you were floating while I was falling
And I didn't mind 'cause I liked the view
I thought you felt it too
When there was me and you

I walked over to my locker "hey, how you doin?" Troy asked me I just stayed silent "listen, there's something I wanna talk to you about," Troy said I interpreted him "and here ur is I know what it's like to carry a load with your friends. I get it you've got your boys, Toy it's ok so we're good" I told him "good about what? I was gonna talk to you about the final callbacks" Troy told me "I don't wanna do the callbacks either. who are we trying to kid? you've got your team and now I've got mine. I'll do the scholastic decathlon and you'll win the championships it's where er belong" I told him handing him my copy of the song "go wildcats" I told him "but I..." he said "me neither" I said walking away "Riley?" he called out for me