Brief Encounter
Summary: Can anything good come from a mix-up?
Disclaimer: High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I just have them on secondment.
A/N: This is a work of fiction. Please be aware I do not know the layout of LAX airport, this is just my imagination. I thought of Holly when I was writing part of this. Thanks to Kristen for reviewing my humble attempts and pointing out my glaring mistakes lol.
The Terminal
The plane landed half an hour late but not a minute too soon for one of its passengers. The flight from New York had been delayed due to a technical problem that was soon rectified. Apart from that, the flight had been uneventful. Troy couldn't wait to get home and into his bed in his darkened bedroom. The headache he had, had got steadily worse during the flight, making him go quiet and withdrawn. It didn't help that his teammates were laughing and joking, on a high after beating the New York Knicks. His best friend Chad sat beside him, still talking non-stop to the other players and hadn't noticed anything amiss with his best friend.
"Dude, that final layup was sweet," Chad gushed, replaying the game in his mind. Troy just nodded, hoping he'd shut up.
Upon landing they made their way through the arrivals gate, passing control without a hitch. Troy could hear the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles International Airport's main concourse before he even turned the corner.
"I've got a pounding headache and the noise in here isn't helping at all." Troy thought as he entered the terminal. Los Angeles Airport was buzzing. Suddenly lights started flashing in his eyes from the cameras that were clicking away madly, the paparazzi plying him with their dumb questions.
"Was it a good game Troy?"
"Is it true the Knicks are making a move for you?"
"Is it true you've been dropped from the team?"
Troy ignored them all. Chad chugged up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Troy half turned to acknowledge him. Chad finally noticed how pale Troy was under his tan but didn't comment on it. He just looked concerned.
"Want me to get the bags?" He asked. Troy nodded. All he wanted was his bed and complete darkness. Taking that knock yesterday didn't help any. Troy nodded goodbye to his teammates and made his way through his fellow travellers, dodging trolleys laden with cases and holdalls, past a family with two screaming kids.
"God that's all I need," he groaned. A disembodied voice came over the public address system announcing the departure of a flight that caused a sudden surge of people rushing past him on their way to the correct departure gate. The paparazzi were still trailing him, asking their dumb questions and pointing their cameras in his face, trying to get their money-shot. He just kept his head down, weaving his way towards the entrance to the car park.
Chad grabbed his and Troy's holdall from the carousel and followed in his friend's wake to the car park. Troy was just opening the car door as Chad caught up with him. Troy popped the boot then got into the passenger seat. Chad threw the luggage in the trunk and snapped the lid shut. He slipped into the driver's seat.
"Guess I'm driving?" He queried. Troy just nodded. The pain was such that he couldn't bear to talk.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Chad asked with concern, pulling the seat belt on at the same time.
"I will be when I get some Tylenol and sleep for a while." Troy assured him wanly.
"Why the hell do the paps follow me for god's sake?" He groaned. Chad smiled.
"You're Golden Balls." Troy looked at him aghast.
"I'm WHAT?" He asked in a shocked voice.
"Golden Balls. You know, the equivalent in basketball as Beckham is in English football. That's his nickname and it looks like it's yours too." Chad explained with a smirk.
"Just get me home." Troy said resignedly. Chad put the car in gear and shot out of the car park.
Gabriella smiled as she stepped off the plane, happy that the video shoot had gone well. The new single was due out in a month and Steve had promised that the video would be ready to accompany it over the networks. She had a couple of photo-shoots lined up over the next seven days then maybe she could grab some 'me' time. She felt tired but entirely satisfied with the outcome of her trip. It would be good to chill for a few days, catch up with her Mom and Dad and her friends, maybe even visit that new club that Taylor kept raving about.
She was smiling as she entered the terminal but it quickly turned to dismay as the paparazzi appeared from nowhere. The flash of lights startled her, the barrage of cameras snapping constantly at her. The questions were the worst.
"Gabriella, you look beautiful. Smile for me." Creepy. "What am I? A puppet?"
"Gabriella, how is your new album coming along?"
"When will it be released?"
"Is it true you've broken up with Ryan?"
"Whew! That's random. I've never been out with Ryan." She thought the ready smile replaced by a cautious look. She kept her head down, walking steadily to the carousel to retrieve her luggage. Sometimes it paid to be one of the last off the flight. There was no need to hang around hunting for your baggage as there were only a few scattered bags left including her Louis Vuitton travel bag. Gabriella snagged a deserted trolley cart and placed her bag on it. After throwing her jacket over the top of her travel bag and hitching up her shoulder bag she made her way out of the terminal. Her driver, Marcus, suddenly appeared at her shoulder and took over pushing the trolley to the waiting car.
"Good trip?" He asked.
"Not bad, not bad at all." Gabriella replied with a smile. "Although New York can be tiring, it was worth it."
Marcus stored her luggage in the boot and opened the door for Gabriella.
"Thank you. It's good to be back." She stated, stepping into the backseat. The smoked-glass windows afforded her some privacy from the following paparazzi. Marcus slid into the drivers' seat; he glanced over his shoulder and smiled.
"Home?" He asked.
"Home." She sighed nodding.
Taylor lay on the sofa flicking through the daytime soaps and various chat shows.
"Hi, I'm home." Gabriella shouted as she entered the apartment, throwing her keys on the hall table and leaving her luggage in the hallway.
"Hi Gabs. How was the trip? Successful?" Taylor replied, getting up from the sofa to hug her best friend.
"Yeah, it was great. The video looks really good and fits perfectly with the song. I'm very pleased. You really should have come with me, we could have had a fabulous shopping spree." Gabriella answered, sinking down onto the sofa.
"I wish." Taylor laughed. "I can just see Doctor Marriott letting me miss my shift to go on a jaunt with you."
"How come you're home now?" Gabriella asked.
"I pulled a double shift yesterday. Nat's little boy had his first parents' evening so I said I'd cover for her. She's covering for me today so I can catch up on my sleep." Taylor explained.
"So have you had any?" Gabriella asked, concerned for her kind-hearted friend.
"Yeah, I managed a few hours but if I sleep too long, you know I get a muggy head." Taylor replied smiling at her friend's concern.
"Fancy going out for dinner? My treat." Suggested Gabriella.
"Sure, I'm game." Replied Taylor smiling, "I'm not on duty until 9am tomorrow."
Gabriella yawned. "I think I could do with a cat nap myself. Don't let me sleep too long." She said rising from the sofa. She hugged Taylor once more and headed for her bedroom. She changed into her PJ's and remembering her luggage, went to get it, leaving it just inside her spacious bedroom. She climbed willingly into bed, snuggling under her duvet.
"It's good to be home." She sighed.
Taylor woke her up three hours later.
"Hey Gabs, still on for dinner?" Taylor queried.
"Hmm! Yeah, sure Tay. Give me a minute to come round and then I'll grab a shower to help me wake up." Gabriella groaned, coming out of the mists of sleep. Half an hour later Gabriella entered the lounge wearing a pair of designer jeans and an electric blue top with a light coating of make-up and her usual lip frosting, Her dark brunette hair was piled up in a messy bun, odd strands falling down around her face and neck. Taylor sat on the sofa channel hopping. She'd changed into a black skirt and red top with three quarter sleeves.
"Hey Tay, ready to go?" Gabriella questioned.
"You bet, I'm starving," said Taylor, her stomach grumbling in response. Gabriella laughed.
"Come on then, let's go." She said leading the way to the door.
Troy was just glad to reach home. He opened the front door and walked straight through to the bathroom. After raiding the cabinet he swallowed a couple of Tylenol pills, using his hands to cup the water to wash them down. Chad was in the kitchen opening a beer when Troy walked through.
"Dude. Are you for real? You've been drinking on the plane. Haven't you had enough?" Troy questioned.
"No. This is just a top up before I hit the sack." Chad replied with a smirk.
"Beat you to it." Troy said. "Don't wake me up at all, not even if there's an earthquake and no noise please, I need to get rid of this pain."
"No problem Troy. I've got a hot date later so who can say if I'll even be here." Chad reassured him.
Troy rolled his eyes and headed for his bedroom. He quickly drew the blinds, stripped away his clothes to just his duds and crawled into bed with a sigh.
"Bliss, pure bliss," he murmured closing his eyes.
Taylor and Gabriella arrived home around midnight, after meeting up with a couple of their friends, Martha and Kelsi. It was good to just relax in their local restaurant and catch up with each other. Luckily it was off the beaten track so she didn't have to contend with the intrusion of the paparazzi.
Gabriella bade Taylor goodnight and walked into her bedroom. She noticed her luggage and after laying it on the bed, opened the lid.
"WHAT THE HELL!"
I hope you liked this first chapter. I haven't a clue how long this story will be. Can you guess what happened?
