Next day
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 told him.
"Quiet in here, Mr. Danforth." The Liberian told him.
'It's him Ms. Falsaff, not me.' Chad innocently pointed to Troy.
Ms. Falsaff moved on.
"Look, you're a hoops dude, not a musical singer person." Chad handed a basketball to Troy, who sighed, and tossed it right back to Chad.
"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 explained.
"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. It's a frightening territory. How can you expect the rest of us to be focused on a game if you're off somewhere in leotards singing 'Twinkle Town'?" Chad asked.
"No one said anything about leotards," Troy told him.
"Not yet, my friend, but just you wait. Look, we need you, Captain. Big time." Chad told him.
"Mr. Danforth." The Librarian warned him again.
"I tried to tell him, Ms. Falsaff. Really tried." Chad said the last part looking at Troy and walked away.
_______________________________________
Classroom
Chad, Zeke Jason, and the cheerleaders marched into the science classroom and walked up to Taylor. Sharpay was also there.
"Why am I here?" Sharpay asked annoyed.
"Do you want Veronica to be with your brother?" Lily asked her.
"No!" She yelled.
"We have a plan," Chad told her.
After discussing...
"Do you really think that's gonna work?" Taylor asked Chad.
"It has to work!" Sharpay yelled.
"It's the only way. So we on?" Chad asked Taylor.
"Yeah." She told him.
"Good. So we start tomorrow then?" He asked.
"OK, the first thing," Taylor told him.
"Nice. Let's go." He said and everybody left the science class.
______________________________________
Next day- Outside
Chad and Sharpay came out from behind a statue as Taylor arrived to make her delivery: two laptops with a webcams
"So, my watch is 7:45 Moutain Standard time. We synched?" Chad asked.
Sharpay nodded.
"Whatever," Taylor said.
"All right, then we're on a go mode for lunch period, exactly 12:05?" Chad asked.
"Yes, Chad, we're a go. But we're not Charlie's Angels, ok?" She told him.
Taylor handed Chad and Sharpay the equipment.
"I can dream, can't I?" He asked.
______________________________________
Inside the school
The various students were heading to their classrooms. Troy was looking around the men's locker room, searching for his teammates, but with no luck so far. He went a bit further and found them all gathered around a table filled with pictures and trophies
" ' Spider' Bill Netrine, class of '72. He was the MVP in the league championship game." Chad told Troy.
"Sam Nedler, class of '02. Also known as 'Sammy Slamma Jamma.' Captain, MVP of the league championship team." Zeke told Troy.
" 'Thunder Clap," Jason stated.
Everybody clapped.
"Hap Hadden, '95. Led the Wildcats to back-to-back city championships. A legend." Jason told Troy.
'Yes, legends, one and all. But do you think that any of these Wildcat legends became legends by getting involved in musical auditions just days before the league championships?" Chad asked.
"Get your head in the game!" The Wildcats screamed.
"No, these Wildcat legends became legends because they never took their eye off the prize," Chad told Tory
"Get your head in the game!" The Wildcats screamed.
"Now, who was the first freshmen ever to make starting varsity?" Chad asked the Wildcats
"Troy!" The Wildcats screamed.
"So, who voted him our team captain this year?" Chad asked.
"Us!" The Wildcats screamed.
"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 Wildcats said not enthusiastically.
"Guys, come on. I mean, there's 12 people on this team, not just me." Troy told them.
"Just 12? Oh, no. I think you're forgetting about one very important 13th member of our squad." Chad told him.
Chad received a picture from a Wildcat behind him and handed it to Troy. It was Coach Bolton.
"My dad," Troy said.
"Yes, Troy. Wildcat basketball champion, class of 1981. Champion, father, and now coach. It's a winning tradition like no other." Chad told him.
Troy looked at the picture.
_______________________________________
Science class
"From lowly Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon to early warriors, medieval knights. All leading up to... lunkhead basketball man." Taylor showed Gabriella a poster of a basketball player with Troy's head, enlarged and superimposed on top of it.
Gabriella smiled 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." Taylor continued her lecture.
"But the path of the mind, the path we're on, ours is the path that has brought us these people," Taylor said softly as she pressed a button and historical articles and pictures appear on her laptop.
"Eleanor Roosevelt, Frida Kahlo, Sandra Day O'Connor, Madame Curie, Jane Goodall, Oprah Winfrey, and so many others who the world revere," Taylor told her.
"Uh, but what is? You know, I've got Kelsi waiting for me to rehearse." Gabriella was about to leave.
"Gabriella!" Taylor yelled.
Gabriella sat back down with a somewhat scared look.
"Troy Bolton represents one side of evolution. And our side, the side of education and accomplishment is the future of civilization! This is the side where you belong," as Taylor said this she slapped various things with her pointing stick.
______________________________________
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 told the Wildcats.
"But we just thought-" Chad began.
"I'll tell you what I thought. I thought that you're my friends. Win together, lose together, teammates." Troy told them.
Chad and another classmate set up the laptop and the camera, oblivious to Troy.
"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 told her.
_______________________________________
Science club
"All right 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. Gabriella 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 asked through the laptop screen.
The transmission ended as Taylor started again.
"Behold lunkhead basketball man." She said.
Taylor failed to notice the tear that raced down Gabriella's cheek which was evident in what she said next.
"So, Gabriella, we'd love to have you for the scholastic decathlon." She told her.
Again Taylor, intelligent as she is, failed to see how upset Gabriella was.
"Did you wanna grab some lunch?' Taylor asked.
Gabriella managed a weak smile as she shook her head at the offer.
"Well we'll be there if you wanna come, " with that Taylor left.
_______________________________________
Sorry for any errors...