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Description
Troy needed to get his head in the game. Ever since his last musical rehearsal with Gabriella, he hadn’t been able to focus on basketball the way he was used to. Nothing was different. They’d met with Kelsi to go over the score of the new show, and the songs had been amazing. He’d gotten his part learned quickly, and there hadn’t been any drama at all. So why couldn’t he focus? Why was simple stuff like dribbling such a chore today? Why, when he thought back on the previous night, could he not stop thinking about Gabriella as she sang her new solo? He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, but nothing was helping today. She’d just sounded so good and looked so beautiful that he was honestly not even able to concentrate on anything else all these hours later.

An incoming pass from Chad whizzed past his head, and Troy barely avoided being knocked in the face with the basketball. He was even more distracted than he’d thought. Chad held both arms out to the side in a questioning pose. “Troy, what’s goin’ on, man?”

Troy went red in the face. “I’m… I’m so sorry, man. I guess I’m pretty stuck in my head today.”

Chad wasn’t unfamiliar with Troy’s distracted love affliction with Gabriella, nor with his struggles to balance his high school life as star basketball player and musical star. He shook his head and smiled. “You gotta focus, bro. Remember how we practiced?”

Chad headed back toward the locker room, leaving Troy alone to face the hoop and his thoughts. He closed his eyes and practiced some of the breathing exercises he’d learned with Chad to focus on the moment. He was here on the court right now, with no other concerns but what was right in front of him. He breathed deeply and held it before exhaling slowly, his mind clearing a bit. Slowly, he let his body fall back into the familiar feeling of dribbling the ball. He felt the comforting rhythm that always centered him in the game and made him the play maker. He opened his eyes.

In front of his face, the large, strangely colorful eyes of an enormous python seemed to shimmer and glow. Though he was stunned, the colors seemed to move in the same rhythm as the basketball’s bounce, and his scream caught in his throat instead of echoing throughout the gym.

“You’re the play maker, I hear, Troy Bolton,” the snake said softly. Was it speaking, or was Troy imagining it? Everything seemed somehow murky, as if his thoughts were moving slower than they had before. He could not seem to get past the question, as it echoed into his mind and faded into an empty, tired feeling. Suddenly, all he could understand was that he was so incredibly sleepy. His body was still dribbling the ball with muscle memory, but his hand had become sloppily uncoordinated, and it threatened to lose its rhythm at any moment. The snake’s eyes stayed close to his face, but its long tail slithered up to catch the ball so that Troy’s arm could fall helplessly to his side as he drifted into unwilling unconsciousness. “That’sss it,” it whispered.

Behind Troy, the sleeping Chad lay comfortably in Kaa’s coils, hypnotized and unable to think. Kaa guided the two boys side by side, eyeing them in their slumber. “Not much fight in either of you,” he said with a small laugh. “I sssupoossse the Wildcats won’t be winning the next big game, though. Ssso sssad for them.”

A few minutes later, Ms. Darbus stormed into the gym, ready for another fight about conflicting schedules with Coach Bolton, Troy’s father. To her distress, she found the gym empty, for Kaa and his captives were now long gone.

Next: We Don’t Talk About… Kaa?!

Description
Troy needed to get his head in the game. Ever since his last musical rehearsal with Gabriella, he hadn’t been able to focus on basketball the way he was used to. Nothing was different. They’d met with Kelsi to go over the score of the new show, and the songs had been amazing. He’d gotten his part learned quickly, and there hadn’t been any drama at all. So why couldn’t he focus? Why was simple stuff like dribbling such a chore today? Why, when he thought back on the previous night, could he not stop thinking about Gabriella as she sang her new solo? He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, but nothing was helping today. She’d just sounded so good and looked so beautiful that he was honestly not even able to concentrate on anything else all these hours later.

An incoming pass from Chad whizzed past his head, and Troy barely avoided being knocked in the face with the basketball. He was even more distracted than he’d thought. Chad held both arms out to the side in a questioning pose. “Troy, what’s goin’ on, man?”

Troy went red in the face. “I’m… I’m so sorry, man. I guess I’m pretty stuck in my head today.”

Chad wasn’t unfamiliar with Troy’s distracted love affliction with Gabriella, nor with his struggles to balance his high school life as star basketball player and musical star. He shook his head and smiled. “You gotta focus, bro. Remember how we practiced?”

Chad headed back toward the locker room, leaving Troy alone to face the hoop and his thoughts. He closed his eyes and practiced some of the breathing exercises he’d learned with Chad to focus on the moment. He was here on the court right now, with no other concerns but what was right in front of him. He breathed deeply and held it before exhaling slowly, his mind clearing a bit. Slowly, he let his body fall back into the familiar feeling of dribbling the ball. He felt the comforting rhythm that always centered him in the game and made him the play maker. He opened his eyes.

In front of his face, the large, strangely colorful eyes of an enormous python seemed to shimmer and glow. Though he was stunned, the colors seemed to move in the same rhythm as the basketball’s bounce, and his scream caught in his throat instead of echoing throughout the gym.

“You’re the play maker, I hear, Troy Bolton,” the snake said softly. Was it speaking, or was Troy imagining it? Everything seemed somehow murky, as if his thoughts were moving slower than they had before. He could not seem to get past the question, as it echoed into his mind and faded into an empty, tired feeling. Suddenly, all he could understand was that he was so incredibly sleepy. His body was still dribbling the ball with muscle memory, but his hand had become sloppily uncoordinated, and it threatened to lose its rhythm at any moment. The snake’s eyes stayed close to his face, but its long tail slithered up to catch the ball so that Troy’s arm could fall helplessly to his side as he drifted into unwilling unconsciousness. “That’sss it,” it whispered.

Behind Troy, the sleeping Chad lay comfortably in Kaa’s coils, hypnotized and unable to think. Kaa guided the two boys side by side, eyeing them in their slumber. “Not much fight in either of you,” he said with a small laugh. “I sssupoossse the Wildcats won’t be winning the next big game, though. Ssso sssad for them.”

A few minutes later, Ms. Darbus stormed into the gym, ready for another fight about conflicting schedules with Coach Bolton, Troy’s father. To her distress, she found the gym empty, for Kaa and his captives were now long gone.

Next: We Don’t Talk About… Kaa?!