kk im lovin this one bout how its troy centric (yum!) but also got a good dose of troyella (which i cant live without, sad i know, but ah well!)
also i only just noticed that all these chapter titles are lines from Bet On It from hsm2 (Troy's solo) which is really good since PIMW is mainly to do with troy, anyway i'll stop rambling its 11:30 at night and i ave 2 b up at 6 in the morning 4 skool 2 hours of child development not looking 4ward 2(can dream bout troyella though!) but 3 whoe hours of DRAMA! WHO! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

keep writin!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Rachel xx

Okay, I got caught up in your drabble and deleted scenes but I wanted to respond to the conclusion of PIMW. I can totally understand how a G rated Disney movie inspired you this way. Even though some of the problem solving and overall sugary sweetness keep the angst at bay the feelings, implied and explicit, are very real. People from varying backgrounds etc. responded to the basic premises of the story. So you should know that you are not alone in thinking about the ramifications of actions, pasts/futures and all of the in between stuff that has made this fandom so HUGE!

Change is inevitable but growth is certainly optional. You've managed to show that with the main characters (T&G) and secondary characters as well. Specifically about Troy and his actions and his friends reactions in HSM2-his own ambition, manipulation by Sharpay/Jack Bolton and a lack of true communication with his friends revealed apart of Troy that nobody wanted to see. But this trait exists in all of us given the right set of circumstances. Understanding what is most important not only to you but to those closest to you helps you to more effectively achieve that balance that you were talking about earlier. It never stops and its not easy but damn it, what would life be like without something to reach for!
On a more personal note, thank you for proving that Fanfic can be full of depth as well as well written. The best stories with great characters really do inspire you to great heights as a writer. Thank you for sharing your obsession with us:) -amb

How could I not say something when Zac Efron on top of anything is offered:) Honestly, Troy is the most patient teenage boy I've ever seen. It would be nice to see that in real life HA! I kid.

I for one love side story so I think its a great idea that you are exploring Chaylor. I love how original canon leaves these ideas open for you to play with. I also was thinking about what Chad was talking about and what that look was about. It was like the screenwriter giving us a nod saying "Yes this is a Disneyfied version of HS and I do know what goes on but you're going to have to use your own imagination/point of reference because you ain't gonna see that played out on the screen!"

that was quite the setup you have going there at the end...

awesome story ! seriously! and someday was outstanding! i love your writing! troyella is aweseome!

Okay I don't totally hate Jackson but I never did anyway. The world is full of haters and people that love to wallow in the misery of others as well as their own. We all have to deal with them at some point in our lives and those that are gifted with extreme talent usually have to deal with it more. Talent puts a big spotlight/magnifying glass on the bearer sometimes depending on what kind of support they have they are well adjusted normal individuals and other times they can crack into a million little pieces under the pressure of being blessed. When a person cracks that can manifest itself in different ways-drug abuse, alcoholism, or just being an abusive jerk.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is while you showed Ian in context he still "chose" to be an abusive jerk even when he didn't need to be. I would say that Jack rides Troy as hard as Ian's dad does-maybe even harder. The boys just handle the situations differently. -amb

That is a scary place. When you are competing at a high level and you come up against one of the evils of trying to get to the next level. Performance enhancing drugs and sport is like french fries (chips) and mayonaise. You know its bad for you but its so enticing. Maybe that was a bad analogy but you get what I'm saying. I wonder with all the pressure would Troy be interested in taking what I would consider a shortcut. There is a right way and a wrong way to do just about everything-here's hoping he picks the right way.

Since you did a Troy-centric story, would you ever consider doing another character-centric one that isn't Troy?

Warning ! HUGE review coming right now ! Are you ready ? Here it goes :

*Sigh*... You always feel an off mix of sadness and contentment when you finish reading a good story... :-) Well, I can definitely tell you that this is the case here. In the ocean of HSM-related fanfics stretching endlessly on this website, coming across something as amazing as your works is always a cause of immense joy.

And about you being completely bonkers because you're overanalysing a G-rated Disney movie, well, trust me, you're not the only one reconsidering your sanity ! lol (I'm personally about to finish an essay-like text about what HSM can tell us about social standards, refusal of conformity and quest for identity. No comment. XD) So, yeah, either people like you and me are completely making up those crazy deep reflections, or there is something more about HSM than just a random bunch of kids dancing around. Those reflections are just in an "embryonic state" in the movies, if you see what I mean.

And it's totally random and out of the point, but I find it truly awesome how each chapter has a Bet on It line as a title. :D Too bad, however, that the name of the song itself doesn't appear. Oh well, I'll live. lol

The way the story comes full circle at the end (with the mentions of Jackson and Coach Lang which take us back to the first part of the story, for instance) while still leaving some room for further exploration is very well done. Although I don't feel that the justifications and context you provide to HSM 2 in PIMW are absolutely essential (I mean, I understand why Troy works on the scholarship even without the lost competition background, and I've never thought that Everyday marked the end of all of Troy's problems lol), I think nonetheless that you did them accurately, and your work enriches the original movies. Now, when I re-watch HSM 2, I can either look at it without taking PIMW into account, or imagining that everything you wrote did happen before. ^^ It's an interesting experience, actually...

Anyway, I have to end this review some time, don't I ? I just wanted to make you know that I enjoyed very much this short insight of Troy's journey, as many other people here did. I'm going to read EVERYTHING from you now !! lol Well, I already read some of your "independent" works actually, like The Redefinition of Pain or Equifinality, but now I also want to read the whole "HWY-PIMW-Someday" saga. ^_^ (which at first I was reluctant to do, because I thought it would take me too much time. How stupid could I've been ? XD)

So so so sorry for the mammoth review !
Take care,
NourGwenn

I like how chapter 17 is Gabriella's 17th birthday. lol Did you do that on purpose or did it just end up this way ? :-)
Troy's speech at the end is realy good. There's just this feeling of shy honesty that's so moving, and it's quite deep, really. I like how you avoid clichés and always end up with something a little less unexpected - for instance, here, Troy's being angry with himself for not realizing how much Gabi had grown is far more interesting than just him being jealous.
I also want to make a quick comment on Kelsi : so far, I was feeling she was the only character whose characterization wasn't accurate in your story. I mean, you used to mention her only when Jason was around, whereas in HSM2, she seems far closer to Troy and Gabriella than to Jason. Yet it was a bit different in this chapter, with her wishing to be like Gabi, and it made me feel that you may change Kelsi's characterization a bit in your further works, thus fixing one of your (if not your only) fault. ^^
Take care,
NourGwenn

Okay, I've been reading this story for some days now, but I didn't especially feel the need to review because I was like "this fanfic's over for almost a year, what's the point in expressing my opinion about it now ?". And then... I don't know. It just clicked ; this story is just so insanely good that I want the whole word to know just how much I love it. lol (not that the world would care, but who asked it anyway ?)

I'll try to keep this review short (key word here : 'try'), so here's the main ideas : the realism which transpires through the characters and the narrative is stunning, and definitely makes the reading pleasant whatever the scene is - I mean, it can just be a bunch of friends bantering, and yet it makes me all like "this story is so awesome !". On that note, the dialogues are very good : you can actually *hear* the characters speak, for their words and the way they speak are so lifelike. :-)

I also really like how you stay close to the original themes and characterizations of the movies while bringing a more mature atmosphere to it. I've always thought that if HSM hadn't been subjected to various restrictions due to Disney's young audience, it would have been a lot deeper. I mean, some scenes of the three movies are SO calling for further exploration ! No wonder the fans are so inspired to create beautiful piece of writing such as this one.

After all this praising, I am tempted to make some criticisms... *evil laugh* The problem is, there's almost none to make. >=/ All I can find is some quibbling about some minor characters' characterization... definitely not enough. I'll try to make up some flaws for my next review. ^^
Take care,
NourGwenn

thanks for your review! yeah, i've been meaning to squeeze in the softer sides of gabriella, to show she has feelings also, just was hurt pretty bad in the past. i read about 10 chapters of this story about a week ago, and i was about to finish it, totally forgot to review.. but i love it. i love how it's all centered around troy.. it makes it interesting. i loved the shower scene too. but i understand it.. it's realistic, someone cramming all that pressure in for college and basketball and everything else, that's why i like it. i'm like that with finals and it's not my last year in H.S yet..it's just hard to juggle it all.
i'll deff. be reading more of it for sure, it makes troy's character in HSM much more appealing. :)

okay so i`m reading this, and i`m not that far in, but WOW, WHY DIDN`T THIS BECOME THE HSM MOVIE WE ALL FAWN OVER!? *goes back to reading*

Okay, I've been spending the last weeks catching up on various projects I've been doing (Twilight monster for one- obsessed with this series now) Having trouble with writing certain scenes in the Apart and Sisterhood but this fic inspired me. I'm reading all your stories (again I must add) but really reading them this time. I'm going backwards (Someday, Play It My Way, and Here with You) so yeah. I always start in the middle of a series and work my way down so hopefully so questions will be answered in my reading of Here With You.

Just going to wrap a few points (not a massive long review like the usual) that I found really really interesting and I forgot to mention in my Someday reviews.

I love Troy angst for some odd reason. But I'm super picky about it because from my general overview of Troy, I see him as a lover of romance but still all around fun guy. So taking that and involving him in darker situations is great. You managed to keep his character in character while still showing different sides of his emotions which is something many people fail to do. I really love anything which the HSM GUYS are in these situations. I've read like one good Jason centric story and really nothing on Zeke or Chad. So I typed in Troy and click on the filter of angst to find many fics of his. Only a handful I found enjoyable, the rest were okay and some were just...yeah. Taking something as unimportant (to outsiders) as basketball is a great plot line because taking that away from Troy is like taking away something very important to not only him but his dad. I'm not into the whole "Troy hates his life b/c his grandma died so now he has to take out his pain in dangerous measures. Will Gabby save him? WARNING CUTTING/RAPE/ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE" Using every single horrible thing that could happen to a person and just throwing them all together is just not good for a story because I highly doubt (AND HOPE) no one would go throw every single horrid thing in life and only get help because the pretty girl is in love with him.
Your Troy Angst= GREAT

Gabriella's change into becoming friend's with TROY's friends was my favorite scene out of this whole story.
'HIS friends?... YOUR Friends." whole convo between Z/T/C/G was very enjoyable and all around interesting to read. I'm usually not whole ken on Gabriella becoming BFF with everyone of Troy's friends and Troy being so glad b/c sometimes you don't get along with your b/f's friends nor do you become like best friends with them after meeting them for twenty minutes. But you built up the relationship (I think in Here With You?) so in general the backround of G becoming buddies with Zeke and Chad and Jason is making so much more sense in my Someday reading.

By the way, I just wanted to say you make OCs not like OCs (does that make sense?) Like Paula is not some random chick you put in the story. She has backround and she evolves as well as Monica (who's story with Zeke I LOVED) I struggle with making OCs good OCs so just wanted to say your OCs were great.

Then your whole general HSM romantic relationship backround helped a lot with the Someday relationships. Any little Jason and Kelsi interaction you managed to put in, I loved. Something about this couple that gets me everytime. Just wanted to say that every character was in character.

I didn't really expect my review to be this long but whatever. Just leaving some feedback when I can. Hopefully I'll be able to post a new chapter of all my stories this week, I don't know why but I can't write good material. But this fic gave me some inspiration to write so hopefully I'll be able to. I'm hoping to get to Here with You sometime this week and I'll most likely leave another review there.
Okay.