Breaking Free

Chapter 6:

After what happened in the cafeteria, Isabella split up from Taylor and Gabriella and went to her locker. As she opened it, a piece of paper fell out, causing her to quickly bend down to pick it up. She quickly opened it and smiled when she noticed that it was a note from Troy asking to meet up on the roof, where the science club keeps the plants, before they have to go to class. She quickly put the note back in her locker before closing it and going to where Troy asked to meet her.

Troy was already waiting there for her at the garden as Isabella climbed up the stairs, smiling widely.

"Wow, it's like a jungle out here." Isabella said with a large grin as she looked around in awe.

"Yeah, just like that cafeteria." Troy joked with a teasing smile as Isabella walked over to where he was leaning against the railing, causing Isabella to just sigh and smile softly.

"Well, I just humiliated myself into the next century." Isabella said sadly, causing Troy to scoff jokingly.

"No, come on." Troy jokingly exclaimed, trying to cheer Isabella up.

"So this is your private hideout?" Isabella asked as she looked around the garden rooftop curiously.

"Yeah, thanks to the science club." Troy smiled softly as he gestured around to all the plants. "Which means my buddies don't even know it exists."

"You pretty much have the school wired, don't you Troy?" Isabella noted with a gentle smile. "Seems to me like everyone on campus wants to be your friend."

"Unless we lose." Troy laughed as he placed one of his hands in the pocket of his jeans.

"Well I'm sure it's tricky being the coach's son." Isabella said softly, causing Troy to nod his head a little.

"Makes me practice a little harder, I guess." Troy noted sadly. "I don't know what he's gonna say when he finds out about the singing."

"You worried?" Isabella asked in concern.

"My parent's friends are always saying, 'Your son's the basketball guy. You must be so proud'." Troy explained as he stared off solemnly before softly shaking his head as he looked at Isabella. "Sometimes I don't wanna be the basketball guy. I wanna be a guy. You know?"

"I saw the way you treated Kelsi at the audition yesterday." Isabella noted as she walked around Troy and started to walk over to the wooden bench on the roof while occasionally glancing back at Troy. "Do your friends know that guy?"

"To them, I'm the playmaker dude." Troy sighed sadly.

"They don't know enough about you Troy. At my other schools I was the freaky math girl." Isabella informed Troy as she sat down on the bench, causing Troy to turn his head to look at her. "It's cool coming here and being anyone I wanna be. When I was singing with you, I just felt like a girl."

"You even looked like one too." Troy jokingly said as he pointed at Isabella, causing her to laugh as Troy sat beside her on a bench.

"Remember in kindergarten how you'd meet a kid and know nothing about them." Isabella started to say as Troy looked at her in confusion. "Then ten seconds later you play like you're best friends because you didn't have to be anything but yourself?"

"Yeah." Troy nodded his head in agreement.

"Singing with you felt like that." Isabella told Troy with a soft smile.

"Well, uh... I never thought about singing, that's for sure." Troy admitted with a soft chuckle. "Till you."

"So you really wanna do the callbacks?" Isabella asked Troy, making sure he actually wanted to do this and that she wasn't forcing him into anything.