"Why do we have to come here?" Taylor asked annoyed as she and her mother were standing outside of the Montez household.
"You need to get out meet some people and what better way to meet people then visiting one of your old friends. You know Gabriella is becoming a paediatric" Ms. McKessie said as she rung the doorbell, they could hear laughter and music coming from the inside.
"I knew she would she wouldn't talk about anything but school and becoming a paediatric" Taylor finished as the door opened revealing Ms. Montez in all her glory.
"Leila, it's been awhile' the woman said hugging Ms. McKessie before she noticed Taylor 'Taylor sweetheart I haven't seen you in so long, how have you been?" she asked half hugging Taylor.
"I've been okay" she answered shortly, not in a rude way.
"And who is this little cutie?" she asked stroking the young boy in Taylor's arms hair.
"This is Jay, my son" the little boy hid his face in Taylor's neck as Ms. Montez bent down to get a closer look of the young boy.
"He's a cute little one, I bet some hearts will be broken when he gets older" she gushed over Jay and he started to lighten up to her, sending her a small smile.
"What are we standing out here for, come in, come in" she gestured for the three of them to enter. As they entered the house the laughter got louder and louder. Taylor felt shills run down her spine, she knew that laugh anywhere.
Sharpay Evans wasn't someone you forgot no matter how hard you tried. The woman always dressed in something pink or sparkly. She wasn't exactly shy, not when it came to men or expressing her opinions. Taylor had befriended Sharpay with Gabriella and the other wildcats and actually liked the woman but her laugh still got to her no matter how nice she thought the woman was.
Her mother took Jay from her arms and told her she would take him to the kitchen to get something to eat so that Taylor could get reacquainted with her old high school friends. Seeing them all stand there chatting happily amongst themselves she couldn't help but feel that she was an outsider.
Kelsi was the first to notice her and she elbowed Jason in the ribs making him look at her with a not so pleased expression. She motioned towards Taylor and he looked over at her. Before she knew it all of the old wildcats were looking at her but not saying a word to or about her. So she did the only thing she knew how to. She left. She left the room and all of them standing gapping after her. She tried to find her mother but that task seemed impossible, it was like the woman had vanished in the crowd of people at the Montez household. Walking out the backdoor to try and find her mother and son there she found someone else. Troy Bolton, the East High Wildcat golden boy, was standing by a swing set pushing a little girl who looked to be around 3 or 4 years old higher and higher on a swing holding another little girl, this one around 1 or 2, with his free arm. The little girl in the swing was giggling loudly and she could see a smile on Troy's lips as the little girl told him to push her higher and higher. She sat down on a lawn chair by the backdoor and watched him interact with the little girls. She didn't notice her mother sitting down next to her or her waving her hand in front of her face, not until she heard her son cry out for her. She quickly took him from her mom and soothed her son.
"What has got you to be so quiet?"
"I don't know, I guess I just don't have anything to say"
"Who are you and what have you done to my daughter?"
"Mom!"
"What? Never in the 25 years I've been your mother have you ever had nothing to say"
"I guess sometime has got to be the first"
"Guess so" she said shrugging her shoulders as she looked down at her son. He looked so much like his father that it hurt to look at him sometimes. Taylor's boyfriend and Jay's father had been killed in a car accident on his way home from work a little over 6 months ago. Taylor remembered when they had brought Jay home from the hospital that no matter how much she tried to presued Jonathan that Jay would still be there when he woke up. Jonathan never left his side, he would take naps with Jay lying on his chest, both arms wrapped firmly around the infant so he wouldn't fall of.
"Tay baby, you need to move on and before you say anything I know you're not ready but you need to get out more and meet other people, if you don't you will never find anyone new and that's not what Jon would have wanted now is it?"
"No' she sighed looking up at her mother 'but I'm not ready yet. I mean I even tried walking up to Gabriella to talk to her but I couldn't do it. We've known each other since we were 16 and I couldn't get my butt over there' Jay giggled at his mothers words making Taylor smile down at him, she never got tired of hearing her son giggle 'I stood there just staring at all of them, I couldn't move"
"Taylor you're my youngest so you'll always be my baby, but I can't keep babying you. I'm gonna be straight with you, you need to go back in there talk to all of your old friends and introduce them to your son. Got it' she nodded 'good. Now I'm gonna go back in there and I expect you to talk to them before we leave" she patted Taylor's leg before she got up and walked back in to the house.
"Momma, san" Jay pointed excitedly towards the small sandbox located only a few feet away from the swing set where Troy was still pushing the little girl higher and higher.
"You wanna build a sandcastle?" he nodded his head frantically, she laughed and walked with him over to the sandbox where a few small shovels and buckets were. Taylor sat down on the edge and watched as Jay retrieved a shovel and bucket before loading sand in to the bucket.
"Momma help" he said turning to look at her, she grabbed a nearby shovel and helped him fill the bucket with sand. When it was full Taylor helped him turn it over and lift it of the big sand cake. They filled a few more buckets with sand and tipped all of them over in a circle making a fort instead of a castle, but it wasn't like Jay knew the difference.
"So you're back" Taylor looked up at Troy who was standing to the side of them with both girls in his arms, the smallest fast asleep against his shoulder while the older was looking at Taylor with interest.
"You could say that" she said turning back to Jay who was now busy looking for leaves to decorate his fort with.
"How old is he?" Troy asked setting the oldest one down so that she could build a real sandcastle the one Jay had made was not a castle as she herself said.
"One and a half, yours?" she asked back as Troy sat down with the smallest still sleeping against his shoulder.
"Alicia is 4 and Miley here is one and a half" he smiled rubbing Miley's back softly so as not to wake her.
"They're beautiful' Taylor told him smiling at Alicia who was trying to tip her bucket but not succeeding 'need some help there?" Taylor asked the young girl as she knew that Troy wasn't able to help her with a sleeping Miley in his arms. The little girl looked over at Troy for permission before smiling and nodding at Taylor who tipped the bucket where Alicia wanted it.
Back in the kitchen Leila was standing together with Ms. Montez looking out at the two younger adults.
"I really hope that she comes back out of her shell. Gabi seemed so sad when Taylor ran out on them"
"I really hope so to' Leila said looking on as Troy laughed at Taylor falling on her ass in the sandbox waking Miley up 'I really do"