Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any such thing involved! It belongs to Disney.
Troy's POV-
Man, oh man, oh man... Why me? Why always me? Why today, of all days, did I have to be stuck in my house with my two year old daughter? I sure don't know! Today I thought I was getting some quiet time while Gabriella and Taylor went out shopping. But no... Gabriella just had to tell me that she's leaving my daughter with me. Like I really need that chaos. But wait! It gets worse... Gabriella also had to call my moron of a best friend... Chad. So much for a day of relaxation. I knew having Aspen in my sight all day was one thing. But Chad? That was a totally different story.
"But Gabs! Why does Chad need to come over?" I whined.
"Because, if he doesn't come over while I'm out, whose gonna keep your lazy butt off the couch and away of the TV?" Gabriella teased.
"But that's the point, baby! I hardly get any time to relax nowadays with going to college on top of you always telling me what to do and Aspen running around all over the place!" I argued.
"Troy, it is not going to kill you to stay here with Chad and Aspen for a few hours until I get back" she said grabbing her thin jacket and her purse.
"Then why don't you take Aspen with you so that I have one less hyperactive maniac to worry about today?" I asked.
Gabriella looked at me like I was crazy. "Because! How are Tay and I supposed to get any shopping done when Aspen can't sit still long enough for us to, at the least, browse?" she shot back.
"I don't know, you're the mom! Having Chad over here is already worse than dealing with a hyperactive two year old whose barely potty trained!" I said.
"Troy, he's your best friend!" she exclaimed.
"He's an idiot too" I remarked.
"And what does that make you?" she shot back with evil eyes. I glared back at my wife.
"Definitely a lot smarter than that doofus. That's for sure" I said. Just when I thought I had won, I had lost the fight once again. Just like I have the last hundred times.
"Troy! You are staying here with Chad and Aspen. End of discussion!" she said shutting me up and concluding the conversation. I stood silent as she left the room.
Jeez... What happened to my life? The second I married that girl, she's had my nuts ever since. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. I prayed it wasn't Chad...
"Hey, man, what's up!" said the person in front of me I dreaded it would be.
"Hi, Chad..." I answered in monotone. Chad happily his way past me and into my house.
"Hi there, Chad. Where's Taylor?" Gabriella asked sweetly almost as if her face had switched from evil to the kind, smiley, and the innocent girl she used to be.
"She's on her way over, she said she had to go pick up something before you guys went out" Chad said.
"Oh, well that's fine. It will just give me enough time to explain the house rules before I leave out of here" Chad and I groaned. Gabriella glared at us as the two of us quickly sat up straight from the couch to listen to my... beautiful... and... considerate... wife.
"Troy, you already know the rules, no feeding Aspen junk food, and no leaving a mess in the kitchen like you did last time" Gabriella reiterated to me. I nodded in understanding.
"And Chad" she resumed.
Oh here we go, I thought. She'll be standing there for a good two minutes telling Chad the 'Don'ts'. The only problem was, Chad was so simple-minded, he could hardly pay attention to the amount of minutes he would set a microwave for.
"No playing baseball in the house.
No cooking food and then leaving it out for hours.
No playing with the dishwasher.
No blasting rock music indoors.
No prank calling our neighbors.
No throwing all of our baby carrots out in the yard for a rabbit that, for the fifth time, isn't even there.
No squirting chocolate syrup on the walls.
and definitely NO dumping dish soap into the jacuzzi again!" she finished.
See what I mean? I don't call Chad stupid for no reason. You'd think a guy at his age would know not to be doing stuff like that at his friend's house. Especially when that friend has a wife that scolds him for the littlest reasons! But what could I say? Chad was like a little kid.
"Hey, I'm telling you, there really is a rabbit in your guys' back yard" Chad argued.
Gabriella sighed violently, feeling as though Chad had completely ignored more than half of the things she said to him... which he did. I was almost ready to snatch him by his hair and drag him into another room, and for his own good.
"And what about the dish soap in the jacuzzi?" she asked putting one hand on her hip as she shifted her weight onto one foot.
Chad thought for a moment. I turned my head and shook it at my absent minded friend. I knew I was being a good friend when I would tell him to shut up or think twice before saying something stupid.
Not once, but twice! Chad always had thought in his mind that life was one big comedy movie. Which explains why he was such a prankster and most of his wrong actions seemed funny to him but unfunny to others...
Flashback. No one's POV.
"Troy, tell me the surprise already!" Gabriella begged while her eyes were being blinded by Troy's hands covering them.
"Gabs, trust me, this will be the best surprise yet" Troy said confidently. Also hoping his best friend didn't screw anything up in their house.
Troy had planned to surprise Gabriella for their one year wedding anniversary but he had told Chad that he needed his help. Chad gladly accepted the offer and told Troy that he would fix up the back yard for a romantic and cozy rendezvous. Little did Troy know that in the process of Chad helping out his friend in need, he ended up having one too many shots of Tequila that was meant for Troy and Gabriella's night alone since their one year old daughter was staying with Gabriella's mother. Chad was drunker than a sailor then, eventually, and as usual, lost his train of thought and at some point in time, ended up wrecking the back yard completely.
Once the couple walked through the front part of the house, Troy stopped in his tracks to say a few more words to his lovely wife of one year.
"Gabs, I just want you to know that I love so, so much, that I wanted tonight to be absolutely perfect for us. And so, now that you've gotten through part one of our night, here's the grand finale" Troy said trying to gear Gabriella up for what her and Troy both were about to witness what they had to find out that was unpleasant and beyond unexplainable.
Troy had pulled the curtain to the sliding back door open. Gabriella stood in shock for a moment, being completely speechless.
"See, I knew you'd be surprised" Troy said looking at his wife without even noticing that their entire backyard had been destroyed.
"Troy..." Gabriella murmured.
Troy looked at Gabriella funny and then turned around to see what she had saw. Troy's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. His face mashed against the glass door seeing what all had happened to their back yard. Troy chuckled nervously at his furious wife whom looked like she wanted to kill him.
"Gabs... I swear I didn't know a thing!" Troy shouted defensively as Gabriella shot deathly stares at him. She immediately rushed toward the sliding door and shoved Troy to the side walking outside into the yard. She looked around for the person responsible for destroying part of the house.
"Chad Kennith Danforth!" Gabriella shouted angrily.
"Hey, Gabs! I didn't know you guys were coming home so soon! I didn't even get to finish the back yard for your guys' nosy deja vu (A/N: Translation: cozy rendezvous)" said a drunken Chad. Troy slapped both of his hands on his own face trying to convince himself that what he was seeing wasn't at all real.
"I spent seven long and hard months trying to make this yard my dream back yard and you turned it into a gram zero all in one night!" Gabriella yelled furiously. Chad chuckled and hiccuped. Troy shook his head in disbelief praying to God that Gabriella would not murder Chad on their anniversary night. Gabriella sighed and tried the best she could to calm down but then she grew angrier when she saw soap bubbles over forming in her and Troy's brand new jacuzzi.
"Tell me something, Chad" she said calmly.
Chad burped and straightened up. "What?" he asked.
"Why are there bubbles in the Jacuzzi?" she asked still remaining calm.
"I don't know. It must have been from that dish detergent I poured in there an hour ago" he snickered drunkenly.
Troy swore he could see the steam coming out of Gabriella's ears. He rushed over toward his wife and held her in his grip to keep her from charging at Chad and possibly killing him. That had to be the worst night of their lives.
End of flashback.
Still Troy's POV-
"I thought, you and Troy would like to come home to a nice hot bath?" Chad thought letting out a small chuckled forgetting that he was even wasted that night. Gabriella scoffed.
"And you also thought that the back yard needed to be touched up with the pleasant aroma of your vomit that lasted two whole weeks" she said sarcastically while grimacing, remembering the smell.
"How was I supposed to know my stomach didn't take kindly to Tequila?" Chad asked. I mentally banged my head against the wall for the endless stupidity Chad had yet to throw at my wife.
"And how do you explain the chocolate syrup on the wall?" she asked angrily.
"Don't blame me, it was all Troy that time" Chad threw his hands up in defense.
"It will definitely be all me when I kick your ass into orbit for that" I muttered to Chad.
"Hey, don't start with me, Bolton" Chad muttered back as he smacked my chest.
"No you don't start!" I said as I smacked him back.
He smacked my chest again, "I told you first!" he said.
"It's my house!" I smacked him back. We repeatedly smacked each other on the chest until Gabriella's shout broke up the petty fight.
"Enough, you two!" my wife shouted. Chad and I immediately stopped and exchanged looks.
"Jeez, sometimes it feels like I'm dealing with more kids when I ask the two of you to behave!" she remarked as she grabbed her chap-stick that was lying on top of the kitchen counter.
Just before me or Chad could say anything, the doorbell rang. As soon as Gabriella answered the door, Taylor greeted her with a cheerful hug. Chad and I stood up as Taylor walked in. I noticed Chad's expression growing soft over his girlfriend of two years.
"I'm so glad you're here, I just got done telling the boys the 'dont's' before we leave" Gabriella said checking her purse to see if she had everything she needed for her outing.
"Oh, good. Chad needs a little order in his life right about now" Taylor joked. Chad frowned at Taylor's comment. Taylor cleared her throat, signaling Chad that she did exist. Chad quickly rushed to Taylor's side and gave her a kiss. Taylor smiled at Chad and winked at him.
"Mommy! Mommy!" a small voice called out. It was my two year old daughter, Aspen. She ran as fast as she could with her little legs to her mother's side.
"Hi, sweetheart! Are you gonna be a good girl and keep an eye on Daddy and your Uncle Chad for me?" Gabriella asked as she picked up the small girl. Aspen nodded enthusiastically. "Good" Gabriella remarked giving Aspen lots of kisses on her face, making the child giggle. She put her down and got ready to leave.
"All right, you guys. We'll be back in about and our or so. Be good!" Gabriella said as her and Taylor left out the door.
"Bye!" Chad and I said in unison. The minute the door shut, the house became quiet.
"So, what now?" I asked looking around the room hoping something interesting would come up.
"I'm hungry, dude. Do you know what kind of food do you guys have?" Chad said making his way to the refrigerator.
"Nothing you'd like. I do know that" I remarked as I sat down on the couch and put Aspen on my lap as she walked toward me.
"Bingo! Your food sucks. It's all healthy and... organic" Chad said making it seem as if both traits were the most terrible thing on Earth.
"And that's a problem because?" I asked as I cocked an eyebrow at Chad.
"Because I need stuff like chips and dip! Or maybe coo-" I interrupted Chad before he continued with that last word.
"Chad, please, don't say the 'C' word around my daughter" I said as I glared at Chad.
"What? Cookie?" Chad asked.
"Chad!" I shouted. Aspen's eyes widened. Soon she hoped off of my lap and went to the opposite side of the couch and jumped up and down on the cushion.
"Cookie! Cookie! Cookie!" Aspen shouted repetitively . I turned my head slowly and glared at Chad. I was going to kill him for even saying that word when he knew exactly what would happen.
Chad chuckled nervously. "Oh, that 'C' word... sorry, Troy" Chad said with a weak voice remembering why that word was forbidden. Oh, he was going to be sorry all right.
"You do remember why I said never to use that word around her again, right Chad?" I asked yelling over my daughter's repetitive shouting.
"Ugh.." Chad thought.
Flashback. No one's POV-
"Hey Troy, you know where the good snacks are at?" Chad asked disturbing Troy during an important homework assignment.
Troy sighed after the millionth time he was being interrupted from his school work. "No, Chad" he said.
"Are you sure? Or are you just saying that so that I wont bother you anymore?" Chad asked dumbfounded.
Troy scoffed. "Gee let me think... yes and no, maybe a little bit of both, I don't know" Troy said calmly with sarcasm in his voice.
"What the hell do you think, Chad! I'm trying to do my homework!" Troy snapped before Chad thought of a response to his last statement.
"All right, Mr. Grouch. That's all you had to say" Chad said throwing his hands up in defense.
Troy buried his face into the palms of his hands before replying. "I have been telling you the same thing for the past two hours! Which words didn't you understand all the other times?" Troy shouted angrily.
"Fine, man. I'll search for the snacks myself" Chad said as he walked off into the kitchen. Eighteen month old Aspen was sitting in her high chair drinking her apple juice while watching innocently at Chad searching the kitchen.
"Uncle!" Aspen cried.
"Not now, kiddo. Uncle Chad's trying to find some snacks so I can get my munch on" Chad said scanning the cabinets for any junk food he could find.
"Snack?" she repeated.
"Yeah. Like cookies and such" Chad said to the infant.
"Cookie!" Aspen said.
"Yeah, cookie" Chad chuckled.
"Cookie Cookie Cookie!" the baby continued to say over again as she bounced in her high chair. Chad turned on his heel and tried to get her to calm down before Troy would walk into the kitchen and kill him for disturbing him for the umpteenth time.
"Aspen, calm down!" Chad yelled over her. Poor Chad forgot that Aspen was in the stage where she would repeat everything she heard. Only she knew the meaning of the word 'cookie'. And because she knew that word so well, she repeated it so often when she heard it.
"Chad, what the hell is going on now?" a furious Troy came in and saw his best friend knelt beside his daughter trying to get her to quiet down.
"Everything's cool, Troy. You can get back to work now" Chad said nervously.
"Cookie, Dada!" Aspen called out. Troy glared angrily at Chad.
"Cookie? Chad why is she asking for cookies when she knows she's not allowed to?" Troy asked.
"Ugh..." Chad said becoming more nervous than ever.
"You gave her cookies before, didn't you?" Troy asked seeming calm but still seeming angry.
"Maybe" Chad said. When he did, he quickly ran for the door with Troy chasing after him.
End of flashback.
'
No One's POV-
"You never learn, Chad. You just never learn!" Troy yelled.
"How was I supposed to know that she still said the word a million freaking times? I thought she grew out of it by now" Chad said defensively.
"She's two years old, Chad. At that age kids will still repeat what they hear!" Troy argued.
"Well, that was totally my fault then" Chad laughed.
"Damn right it was your fault!" Troy shouted. Aspen grew quiet and covered her mouth with one of her little hands.
"Daddy say bad word!" she exclaimed. Troy slapped himself on the head and picked up his daughter and sat her on the kitchen counter.
"Listen, baby. Daddy's sorry for saying a bad word. Will you forgive me?" he asked giving Aspen a pouty face making her giggle at his attempt to be silly. When she didn't respond, he gave her kisses on her face and tickled her. She loved it when he did that to her.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed begging him to put her back down.
"I forgive you" she said in her cute little voice.
"Thank you" he said giving her a kiss on her lips before placing her back on the couch.
Chad snickered. "What?" Troy snapped.
"Seems like little one's got you wrapped around her finger just like how your wife practically owns your nuts" Chad laughed harder. Troy ran after Chad and chased him through out the house. He swore he was gonna make him regret ever saying that.
"Chad! Get back here!" Troy chased him back down the to kitchen. Chad hid behind the kitchen table while Troy was on the other side waiting for him to run in any direction around the table for Troy to catch him.
"Admit it, Bolton. You're whipped!" Chad yelled laughing his heart out.
"I am not whipped!" Troy yelled angrily. Troy gave up chasing Chad around and decided to go and lay down on the couch.
"Daddy, I have to go potty!" Aspen cried. Troy's eyes flung open at his daughter's sudden cry.
"Ah, man!" Troy panicked.
"What's the problem, Troy?" Chad asked coming over to see what the problem was.
"She has to go to the bathroom!" Troy said.
"Well don't just stand there pick her up and get her to the bathroom!" Chad said.
"Boy, and he thinks I'm stupid" Chad thought. The two boys ran the child up to the master bathroom and sat her down on her little pink flower-decorated potty chair.
The two stood quietly waiting for something to happen.
"I can't do it" Aspen said.
"What do you mean you can't do it? Just pee already!" Chad exclaimed.
"Chad!" Troy said in a low voice as he smacked Chad in his chest.
"I need Mommy" she fidgeting around in her seat trying not to go.
"That's right!" Troy groaned as memory served its place in his mind.
"What?" Chad responded.
"She wont go unless Gabriella's sitting on the toilet next to her" Troy said.
Chad furrowed his dark brows at his friend. "That is ridiculous, Troy! Are you really trying to tell me she can't simply urinate unless her mom is doing too?" Chad asked.
Troy scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to respond to Chad's question.
"You're hopeless, Troy" Chad said as he walked over toward the sink and ran the water a tad.
"This will make her go, no problem" Chad said. After a few seconds, Chad turned off the sink water.
"All done" Aspen said proudly. Chad looked up at Troy. "See? It's that easy. Just do that from now on when Gabs isn't here" he said as he exited the bathroom leaving Troy and Aspen alone.
About thirty minutes later, Troy's POV
Chad and I sat lazily on the sofa flipping through channels hoping something good would come on the television. We had spent the last hour bored in my house waiting for our ladies to return home. I waited only because once Gabriella set foot in the door, Chad would be gone.
"Dude, I'm starving" Chad whined.
"Then go make some food" I said in monotone while still surfing through channels.
"Your food sucks, remember?" Chad asked mockingly.
"Then I can't help you, Chad" I responded.
"Fine" Chad gave up as he walked toward the kitchen to hopefully find something he would actually eat. Which, in this case, I doubt he ever would since he's been around the damn kitchen four times and still found nothing.
"My kingdom for a new best friend" I mumbled.
"Daddy, I'm hungry too" my daughter cried as she rocked back and forth impatiently on her little horse rocker.
"What do you want, baby?" I asked her as he knelt down to her eye level.
"Carrots, please" she said sweetly.
How adorable, I thought. It made me proud that my little girl always made the best choices when it came to what she would eat. I walked into the kitchen and saw Chad still scanning high and low for a good snack but was having no luck at all. I choked back a laugh as I watched my best friend go on his mission for junk food as I opened up the refrigerator door. I frowned when I searched for the baby carrots
"What the hell?" I muttered. I then pulled out an empty plastic bag that the baby carrots were supposed to be in.
Chad... I thought furiously. I'll bet he was feeding that damn rabbit again.
"Chad!" I shouted. He jumped at my sudden shout.
"Whoa, man! Could you at least give a warning before you yell like that? One day you're gonna totally bust my eardrums!" Chad exclaimed.
"That isn't all I'm gonna bust! Where are the baby carrots?" I asked trying to calm down.
"Well..." Chad stammered as he twiddled his thumbs trying to avoid answering my question.
"You fed them to the rabbit, didn't you?" I asked feeling anger eating at me.
"Technically, they're still out side on the ground in your back yard" Chad laughed nervously. I swear, it was taking all I could not to drag this moron outside and beat the living day light out of him. But I didn't know how much longer I could put up with Chad's never-ending imbecilic behavior.
"Chad?" I said calmly standing completely still.
"What?" Chad asked obliviously.
"I'm gonna kill you!" I yelled as I prepared to chase Chad around the house again. Chad ran from me as fast as he could until we finally stopped at the kitchen and hyperventilated.
"You know, you've really gotten out of shape since high school" Chad said out of breath.
"Oh, look whose talking!" I said as I smacked him in his chest and moved back to the living room to relax. Chad and plopped back down on the couch.
Man, we were pathetic. We still chased each other around like we were four years old and fought for dumb reasons. I guess that was our friendship for the most. Once we got a chance to catch our breath, my daughter came up to me with a pouty face and whimpered.
"Daddy, I'm still hungry!" Aspen cried now to the point of stomping her feet on the ground. I quickly removed myself from the sofa and picked her up and took her to the kitchen.
"What do you want to eat, baby?" I asked her while trying to calm her down.
"I want carrots" she said between whimpers.
"Sorry, baby. But your stupid Uncle Chad threw them out for a rabbit so, there's no more carrots" I said She cried even harder.
"Don't cry, sweetheart. You want grapes instead?" I asked her. She quieted down and nodded meekly. I sighed of relief as I set her down in her booster seat at the table. She impatiently kicked her feet on the chair waiting for me to serve her a small bowl of grapes.
"Here you go, you little tyke" I said as I set the bowl of fruit in front of her. She picked up a single grape and slowly ate it and smiled at me. She was so adorable. I lent forward and blew raspberries on her cheek. She giggled when I did. I turned on my heel to find Chad standing ahead of me with one hand on his hip and with an eyebrow cocked at me.
"What now?" I asked slightly raising one hand in question.
"That's sad, dude. Gabi's got you both hooked on organic food" Chad commented.
"So?" I asked defensively.
"So, you used to eat junk food, like, every single day!" he pointed out.
"That was the past, dude" I said tapping his shoulder, passing him by to leave my daughter be while she finished her lunch.
"That was all in the last year" Chad remarked. I turned around and glared at him. Why did I suddenly feel as though Chad was just looking for reasons to make fun of me? I guess because I do it to him enough.
"Whatcha trying to say, Chad?" I asked as I stepped closer to him.
"Dude, just admit it already! You are so whipped!" Chad laughed.
"For the last time, Chad! I am not whipped!" I yelled in anger as I picked up a spoon from the counter and threw it in Chad's direction. Of course Chad ducked from the spoon. He then became angry himself and came to my side and pushed me into the wall unit behind me. I turned around the second I heard a glass break from me bumping into the wall unit. I swore my vision faded to black when I saw what was broken on the floor... GABRIELLA'S FAVORITE VASE!
"Chad!" I shouted startling both Chad and Aspen.
"Hey, man, that was all you this time!" Chad said shakily.
"You pushed me into the wall unit!" I shouted even louder.
"What's the big deal? It's just a vase!" Chad said.
My eye twitched with anger. "IT'S NOT JUST A VASE, CHAD! ITS A VASE GABRIELLA'S LATE GRANDMOTHER GAVE HER MOM BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY! IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO HER! HOW AM I GONNA EXPLAIN THIS TO HER WHEN SHE GETS HOME?" I shouted. Chad stood silent for a moment and whistled at the mess on the floor, somewhat realizing that he messed up.
Chad snapped his fingers and pointed to me before responding. "Just clean up the mess and she'll never know" he nodded confident that his solution was the best idea. Oh, lord please give me the strength not to grab this poor fool by the neck and strangle him.
I laughed feeling myself about to go insane. "Say now, Chad. That might just be a good idea!" I said pretending to sound cheerful about the idea. Chad smiled agreeing with me, and of course, not sensing my sarcasm.
"Yeah, my wife is so stupid, she'll never know that her grandmother's vase was ever missing" I continued. Chad nodded again until I whacked him on the head for that plan.
"YOU IDIOT! DO YOU REALLY THINK GABRIELLA IS THAT DUMB?" I yelled.
"Well, she married you, didn't she?" Chad answered timidly.
"And what the hell does that mean?" I asked.
"Well, you're pretty weak, first of all" Chad stated. Oh, if he really thinks I'm weak, I'm more than willing to test that theory on him!
"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.
"You're pretty lame now, dude" he replied.
"Damn it, Chad! Do you always have to screw things up?" I yelled again.
"Daddy say bad word again!" Aspen cried. I sighed and gripped my hair tightly with my hands trying to shake off the stress.
"Dude, don't get your panties in a bunch. When Gabs and Taylor come home, I'll come clean and tell her it was my fault" Chad said casually.
"No, Chad! This isn't like when you destroyed the back yard or messed up the whole house! This time you've broken something that belonged to my wife that had sentimental value! Something that could never be replaced!"
"Technically... you broke it, because you bumped-"
"YOU PUSHED ME INTO THE WALL UNIT, CHAD! YOU BROKE IT!"
Chad's eyes grew wide. It took him by shock to see how angry I was. I don't even think I was ever that angry before in my life.
"All right, man. I'm sorry" he apologized. I shook my head and gave up. I knew then and there that there was no point in yelling at Chad anymore.
"Don't worry about it now. Gabriella's gonna kill me anyway" I said grabbing a broom and a dust pan. Chad furrowed his eyebrows at me in confusion.
"I don't get you, man" he said. I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes at him.
"What don't you get, Chad?" I asked feeling frustrated.
"Don't take this the wrong way but, you say you're not whipped. But it's totally clear to me that you are. You just wont admit it" he said bending down to help me clean up the mess.
I sighed and drooped my head, becoming aggravated that Chad kept saying that same thing over again. "I'm telling you, man! I am not whipped. How many stinking times do I have to tell you that?"
"As many times as you want, Troy. But you know its the truth!" Chad argued.
I stood up slowly and stood eye level to Chad. "Give me one good example of how I'm whipped" I said.
"Hmm, where do I start!" Chad said thinking.
Flashback. No one's POV-
A week earlier;
Troy was coming down the staircase carrying two loads of dirty laundry.
"Troy! Did you put the clothes in the washer yet?" Gabriella shouted from upstairs.
"Not yet, honey, I'm getting' to it!" Troy shouted back. He quickly made his way to the washroom. He sloppily shoved the clothes into the washing machine before his wife ordered him to do another chore. He was just about to go to the kitchen to make a quick snack before he heard a knock on the door.
Chad... he thought. Now he couldn't stand these days when Chad stopped to visit.
"Hey, bro. Mind if I come in?" Chad asked as he walked through the front door. Troy sighed and shut the door behind Chad.
"I guess not, considering you're already in my house" he muttered. He followed behind Chad to the kitchen. Troy shook his head in disgust, seeing as though Chad would not only invite himself over, but the kitchen would be his first destination once he set foot in the house.
"Whatcha got to eat, man?" Chad asked annoyingly.
"Nothing you'd like" Troy said leaning on the counter top while peeling himself a banana.
"I figured that. What's with all the healthy foods?" he asked.
"It's Gabriella, man. She just started this new thing where the both us are only allowed organic" Troy sighed.
"That's a switch" Chad remarked. Gabriella marched downstairs with Aspen in one arm.
"Oh hi, Chad. Are you staying for dinner?" Gabriella asked assuming Chad was staying anyway.
"If its organic, you can count me out" he shuddered.
"Then I guess we wont be seeing you then" Troy joked. Chad glared at Troy.
"Tonight is chicken pot pie. I know it's your favorite" Gabriella smiled.
Troy frowned. "How come you never make my favorite?" he whined.
"Because your favorite food is easy to make and you can cook it yourself" Gabriella said. Chad chuckled at her as Troy glared harshly at him.
"Daddy!" Aspen cried to her father as tears filled her little eyes.
"What's the matter, pumpkin?" Troy cooed at his young daughter as she whimpered.
Little Aspen pointed to a bowl of baby carrots that were left out for her to eat. She must have been hungry.
"You want carrots?" Troy asked. Aspen nodded happily as she inserted the baby carrot into her mouth. Troy and Gabriella didn't like giving her crunchy food too much, but with veggies? You could never go wrong. Chad blanched at the thought of eating anything healthy. No wonder his brain was probably shrunk to the size of a goldfish. He ate so much junk food, Troy and Gabriella were both surprised that he didn't blow up into a fat blimp after high school.
"Thank you, Daddy" Aspen tried to say while enjoying her snack. Troy smiled and kissed his baby girl's forehead.
"Troy?" Gabriella said grabbing Troy's attention.
"Yes, honey?" he responded.
"Remember, tomorrow night, we're supposed to be having guests come over for my book club so I was everything to be spotless, you hear?" Gabriella demanded. Troy nodded simply, taking the order without hesitation or further discussion about it. Chad bowed his head and shook it, wondering how his friend became Gabriella's robot.
End of Flashback.
Troy's POV-
"Those are all perfect examples of why you are whipped" Chad said.
"I don't see what you mean, dude" Troy said trying to brush it off. But somehow, Chad, without even trying, named all of the reasons out of the story he told.
Chad's examples;
Example one: Troy washing clothes? Come on now! Since when does he do laundry?
Example two: Eating organic and healthy foods. He never used to do that before he married Gabriella.
Example three: Troy taking orders? That's bizarre. Before, it would take an army to get Troy to basketball practice if he didn't want to go.
Example four: Troy using a baby voice? What happened to Mr. Macho Hoops?
Example five: Troy sitting through kiddie shows? He would die if he were being forced to.
"How does that mean I'm whipped?" I asked.
"All right then.." Chad said thinking. I looked puzzled at Chad.
"Let me ask you this then- Why does being whipped sound bad to you?" he asked. I stopped for a moment to think. I didn't have an idea why until I gave it more thought.
"I don't know... I guess just because I'm supposed to be this tough guy that doesn't let his guard down for anything. But instead I've turned into this... pushover" I paused soon realizing that my life had changed a lot since I married Gabriella.
"Dude, you don't have to be a big tough guy all the time, Troy" Chad said finally making sense.
"I know that I don't have to, Chad. I just love Gabriella and Aspen so much. I can't help but soften up when it comes to them. They're everything to me" I said as I looked at my wedding band on my finger and examined the silver object.
"So then why is it so hard for you to admit that you're whipped?" he asked again. Boy, that word was sure getting old. Or maybe because I just didn't like it very much. But then I realized that it wasn't so bad, looking at the reasons I was whipped for.
"I don't know" I said while thinking. Soon a smile tugged at my lips.
"What?" Chad asked making a weird face.
"I was thinking..." I said as I looked down at my ring.
"What is it, man?" he asked impatiently.
I just couldn't deny it anymore. I knew I was whipped. But it wasn't at all a bad thing. Me being whipped just meant that I loved my wife and my daughter very much. And enough to give them the world and everything I could do for them. So why couldn't I admit it if that's all it meant? I guessed that I just wasn't used to being referred to as some kind of... pussy. I never wanted to be that. But then I really didn't have to be a tough guy. I think the only time I needed to be was when it was time to protect my family. For once, I would be proud to admit that, yes, I'm whipped.
"I don't care that I'm whipped" I said.
"You don't?" Chad asked feeling confused.
I realized, "No. I don't. And you wanna know why?" Chad nodded once.
"Because it just shows that I love my wife and daughter. And I know that there's nothing wrong with that" I said as I rolled my eyes over to see a picture of Gabriella and I on our wedding day with Aspen in our arms. I smiled.
"You see, Troy. That's what I've been trying to get through to you all of this time" Chad gasped.
"What do you mean?" I asked as a furrowed my eyebrows at him in question.
"I just wanted you to man up and say 'I'm whipped'. But I didn't want you to feel ashamed, that's all" Chad stated.
My face dropped to a frown, "Then what was with you cracking all of those jokes, talking about how my wife has my nuts?" I asked with a whiny tone.
"I'm a prankster. It's what I do" Chad joked. The both of us laughed.
I looked at Chad with shiny eyes and put a hand on his shoulder, "Listen, man. You know, you're not a dumb as you put yourself out there to be. And I know I really don't give you enough credit for having some part of your brain still existing in that empty head of yours" I joked. Chad nudged me in my arm.
"And do you really think I'm that dumb?" he asked jokingly.
"No, Chad. But truthfully, I really think you could do a lot better by using your head more often" I said. Chad reached one arm out for me as we gave each other a brotherly hug. We stood there hugging each other for about ten seconds.
"Troy, I think we should stop this. Someone might be watching" Chad said as we let go of each other.
"Chad, everyone knows good and damn well that I'm not gay" I said holding in my laugh.
"I'm not either. But I do love you, man. You're my brother for life" Chad said seeming emotional. I knew he was just joking about the feelings too but I did love him. Without Chad, I probably wouldn't know how to laugh. All my life, I've always watched Chad be something I wished I could be. Just happy and full of life, and not to have a care in the world. With his happy-go-lucky personality and my uptight-and-whipped personality, Chad and I still made an awesome team. After cleaning up the remains from the broken vase, the two of us decided to finally have our guy time and watch football.
"Man, really though. You really have to start asking Gabs to let you have some good snacks in here" Chad said.
"I'm telling you, she won't go for it" I said stretching in my spot.
"I'm just saying you should try" he said as he tossed a grape in his mouth. Finally he decided to give in and just eat what we had.
"Daddy?" a timid voice came from beside me. It was Aspen.
"What's up, baby?" I asked her as I picked her tiny body up to set her onto my lap.
"I'm tired" she yawned as she rubbed her eyes, her voice becoming raspy. I smiled at the tiny girl and held her close to my chest. I rubbed her back as she was snuggled into my chest, ready for her nap.
"She's definitely got you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?" Chad asked almost whispering.
"She sure does. But then how would she be daddy's little girl without?" I cooed at my daughter in my arms. She gave a light smile as her eyes began to droop. That little smile that was exactly the same as Gabriella's.
A while later;
Aspen was sleeping like the little angel she was. Chad and I placed her on a spot on the floor in the living room so that we could keep a close eye on her if she decided to wake up. The both of us cooed at the child as we saw her fast asleep, snuggled up in her pink princess blanket while sucking her thumb. Chad had prepared a bottle of milk for her just in case. Aspen was definitely the most beautiful think I had seen in my life that came from me.
"Say, Gabs and Tay should be back in a few minutes. You wanna finish watching football?" I asked.
"Nah. Chances are, we'll get too into the game. And the whole point of today was to stay away from T.V., right?" Chad mocked.
"I think we've spent a good amount of hours not being in front of the television" I said.
"That's for sure. Your daughter is really a handful, man. I don't know how you do it" Chad groaned as he slumped back down on the couch.
"I'll tell you what, she's only easy when she's asleep or when she's eating" I said. Just when the both us us were about to get comfortable, we quickly had to click the television off as Gabriella and Taylor had came through the front door.
"Hi, boys" Taylor said as she set down her shopping bags.
"Hey, Tay. Hey, honey" I said as I planted a kiss on Gabriella's lips that I missed. After a few hellos, Gabriella cooed at the sleeping beauty cuddled up in her blanket on the floor.
"How was she today?" Gabriella asked.
"She was great. Not a stir" I said convincingly as I threw an arm behind my wife and pulled her next to me.
"And what did you and Troy do today?" Taylor asked stroking Chad's soft tiny curls.
"Nothing, really" Chad said vaguely. I shot off a look at Chad and he read my face like an open book.
"Well, an accident did happen earlier before you guys came back" Chad said, his voice guilt stricken.
"What kind of accident?" Gabriella asked with worry on her face
"I... sort of... broke your grandmother's vase, Gabriella" Chad said, his voice becoming weak after each word.
I figured Gabriella would look like she wanted to snap and possibly try to murder Chad again. But instead she stayed calm and gave a light smile.
"That's okay Chad. Accidents do happen. And at least you were honest about it" she said sweetly. I hid my shock.
"Really?" Chad said cheerfully, thankful that he was still gonna live.
"Of course. If it was really an accident then it's fine by me" Gabriella said with a big smile. I kept my mouth closed. I was still in shock. If that were me, Gabriella would have no mercy.
"See, Troy. I don't know what you were making such a big deal about earlier" Chad said with a laugh. Just then, my shock turned to anger. See what I mean? This was probably one of the reasons I couldn't stand Chad sometimes.
"Shut up" I replied in monotone.
All day long I could have sat on my butt and wasted it away by sitting in front of the T.V. But instead, I got to spend it with my best friend. Although his behavior was redundant, it was still a laugh for the day. And it was definitely better than doing nothing. Chad might have always been a clown in my eyes, but he was still my partner, my brother, and my best friend for life.
A/N: So, here is my attempt at writing a comedy. I thought it would be fun to write something more about Chad and Troy's unfortunate mishaps every time they come together as one. I hope you enjoyed! And lastly, I want to thank all of you once again for being such a pleasant audience and for the positive reviews on each of these stories!