I love Reba and her wonderful show she had. She is such a great singer and actress and everything about her feels real, not over-rehersed and fake like so many celebrities these days. Don't get me wrong, I love Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift but only for their music, I can't stand to see them setting foot in the Grand Ol Opry as they are anything but country singers (watching Taylor live is pure torture and Carrie is so stiff). Even Kellie Pickler, who gets a lot less credit than she should, has more country soul in her pinky than those two combined. Country, as I knew it, will never be the same. I think it officially died when Jessica Simpson and Jewel turned their pop princess crowns for cowgirl hats. Anyway, I think I am ranting about nothing right now...back to Reba. Every Other Weekend made me tear up when I realized that Joanna and Steve (Van and Cheyanne) were in the music video. In the TV show we watched them grow from unresponsible teenagers into wonderful parents who loved and supported their family. So here's to the show and the two best shippings; Van/Cheyanne and Troy/Sharpay.
Sharpay quickly checked the bags sitting by the door for the fifth time, making sure there were enough change of clothes and a few extra in case of accidents. It was only for the weekend, but two days without her children felt like a lifetime to Sharpay.
"Evelyn, let's go!" Sharpay yelled upstairs to her 7-year-old daughter, "grab Dallas' blankie in his crib on your way down, please!"
She strategically placed the two bags on her shoulders before picking up the toddler that had been building a tower with large blocks, he fussed but she didn't have time to let him finish his masterpiece.
"Evelyn –"
"I'm right here mommy," Evelyn, Sharpay's miniature self, interrupted as she raced down the stairs.
Sharpay slung the blankie her daughter handed to her over her shoulder before unhooking her keys from the hook on the wall, "Are you sure you have everything Evvie?"
Evelyn peeked into her own little bag filled with toys, "Yep, everything is in my bag."
"Let's go then," Sharpay said as she ushered the child out while balancing the other on her hip. Even though she was in a hurry, Sharpay remembered to lock the door for once.
After wrestling Dallas into his car seat and explaining for the hundredth time to Evelyn why she couldn't sit in the front seat, Sharpay got behind the wheel and drove off in her green Chevy Tahoe towards the park.
Sharpay used to love taking the kids to the park to play but now she was starting to resent the place under the circumstances. She knew he'd already be there as she was ten minutes late and he was known for always being on time so Sharpay wasn't at all surprised to see him leaning up against his car in the parking lot. She rolled her eyes when she caught him check his watch, he didn't notice them until she parked next to him.
"Daddy!" Dallas excitedly screeched, struggling to get out of his seat faster than Sharpay's fingers would allow when she unbuckled him. Even Evelyn was elated to see her father, though she had no reason not to be, she loved him very much even though she didn't get to see him everyday anymore.
As the children greeted their dad, Sharpay busied herself getting the overnight bags along with the toys they wanted to take for the weekend. She waited awkwardly until he stood up to his full height to hand over the kid's stuff, "Thanks," he mumbled before putting the bags in his trunk. Sharpay took that time to say her goodbyes to Evelyn and Dallas.
"See you Sunday, Evvie," Sharpay hugged and kissed her daughter, "ask Daddy to help you go over your spelling words for the next week, okay?"
"Okay mommy," the blonde girl nodded her head, "I love you!"
"I love you more," Sharpay smiled, giving her another kiss and moving her hair behind her ear in a gentle manner.
"Bye-bye Dallas," Sharpay squeezed the little boy before tickling him, "say hi to the lions for me when you go to the zoo."
Dallas only giggled at his mother before making a load "Roar!" as he imitated a lion. "I love you baby,"
Sharpay handed Dallas over into his father's arms without saying a word to him. "Nuv yooooou!" the toddler cried out as he was being buckled up.
Sharpay smiled and went to close her trunk when she realized she had almost forgotten her son's blankie, "Troy! Wait!" She frantically called out as she ran to his car to hand him the blanket.
Troy reached out to take the coverlet from his ex-wife when their hands touched.
"Marry me, Sharpay?" A 17-year-old Troy Bolton asked on one knee in the middle of his girlfriend's bedroom.
Sharpay frowned, "Are you asking me just because I'm pregnant?"
"No," Troy shook his head, "I'm asking you because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
The blonde teenager smiled, "Will you take this as a 'yes?'" She asked as she bent down to kiss him.
When they finally broke apart, Troy grinned, "That will do."
Both their parents weren't thrilled to find out that they were going to be grandparents to the child of their 17-year-old. Sharpay's parents even kicked her out of their house when they received the news and with much persuasion on Troy's part, Troy's allowed her to move in with them. Over the course of her pregnancy, Sharpay started to consider Lucy and Jack as her parents as they cared more about her than her own mom and dad ever had. It was Lucy after all who got Sharpay over her fear of impending motherhood.
On May 26th 2006, hysterically the same day Troy and Sharpay graduated from high school, Evelyn Grace Bolton made her debut into their lives. It was rough being teenaged parents but with the help of Jack and Lucy they made it through all the tough times and grew a lot along the way. Troy, who had received a basketball scholarship for U of A, was injured his sophomore year and lost his full ride. He daringly changed to a business major and got a job as a real estate agent. Sharpay changed her major numerous times before finally dropping out in order to raise their daughter when she realized they haven't been much of a family as they should have been.
To make up for their haste wedding, they renewed their vows on their fifth wedding anniversary. That fall Sharpay and Troy announced they were expecting their second child.
With their family expanding, Troy and Sharpay finally moved out of Troy's parents house and into a roomy three-bedroom house they could call their own. Sharpay fell in love with the master bathroom and Troy was sold on the full basketball court out in the back.
On August 14th 2011 their family's fourth member arrived, Dallas Gregory Bolton. Their happiness didn't last long, at least not the marriage part as the children were still the best thing to happen to either of them. They rarely ever fought but with the death of Ryan, Sharpay's twin brother, a month after Dallas' birth, Troy had to walk on eggshells around his inconsolable wife. He tried with great effort to comfort her but in her grief and sleep deprived state, she would have none of it.
Troy knew she would never harm the children but there were some days she was just so depressed he worried for her own safety. She slowly got over her brother's death and her bout of depression but afterwards, they were never the same. They had big fights, small fights, and fights about absolutely nothing. They were miserable together and even after professing their love until death twice in front of friends and family, they called it quits. 'For the sake of the children,' they would tell themselves.
The truth was that they missed one another, but their pride would never let them admit it out loud. Every other weekend, for the next dozen or so years as the children grew up, Sharpay carted them to the park time after time to trade kids, clothes, and backpacks - wondering whatever happened to their happily ever after ending.
Even though Van and Cheyanne are just two characters on TV, I really hope they didn't end the way it seems like they did in the music video.