Ok, my first story now. If the summary stinks here's a quick one to see if it helps at all. They had no contact in three years. They had something going and she pushed it away, never wanting to see any of it again. So what happens when they see each other again and are living completely different lives? One is trying to make it to the top and the other is just trying to get through. But one of them has so much more to lose than they think. Not sure if that helps at all, but you'll see as the story goes along. Anyway, this is the first chapter of it and I hope to have the second one up soon. The story seems slow now, but it's gonna pick up.
"It's official. The votes are in!" a female voice called as she stepped into the condo, waving a newspaper in her hand. She closed the door behind her and stepped in, her flats clicking against the tiled floor. The woman's hair appeared to be a dark shade of brown, which was slightly curled to a length below her shoulders. A casual purple blouse rested on her body as ell as a pair of black leggings. She scanned the room, waiting for her friend's response. "Taylor, did you hear me?"
"I'm coming Gabriella, I'm coming!" the voice replied. She left the study and adjourned into the living room. Her skin was much darker than Gabriella's and her black hair rested down to her neck, though it resembled a bit of waviness. She looked like a real professional, with her dark grey dress suit and small high heels. "What results?" she asked as she walked over to her friend.
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Don't be so modest." She teased. "Just read for yourself. All of the positions for politics in New Mexico are officially down to the wire!" Alright, so maybe her words had been jumbled a bit, but how could she help herself? Gabriella was so excited for her friend.
Taylor quirked an eyebrow before taking the newspaper. Her brown eyes scanned the heading on the page. She smiled proudly. "…And the second candidate running for governor of New Mexico is Taylor McKessie." She finished.
Gabriella cheered and clapped her hands together. "This is what you've been waiting for!"
Taylor couldn't even hide her excitement, despite the cool and calm person that she was. "I know! If I become governor of New Mexico, it's just one step away from becoming president of the United States!"
The two friends hugged as they jumped up and down. So the past few years had been a little slow. Almost five years ago Gabriella Montez had become Gabriella Bolton. So of course after the wedding between her and Troy Bolton things had calmed down for a while. Troy and Gabriella had been high school sweethearts but were on again off again at college due to their piles of work and such; and it was nearly a year after college that Troy and 'plopped the question', as his friends put it, to Gabriella. At the time she was making sure she had a permanent job and Troy was merely working full time at a mini golf course until a deal broke through. Now they were happily together with their three-year-old son Jamie. Troy was a successful sports announcer at a local station, and Gabriella jumped between being a housewife and an advisor to the Science department at the community college. Hey, someone had to help take care of their son and it wasn't going to be a babysitter or someone all the time. They had their own house, a nice quaint one to be precise, and they coincidentally didn't live too far from their friend's condo.
Yes, the condo belonged to Taylor McKessie. She'd been living there for the past three years as she first began her preparations to run for New Mexico state governor. Her original plans had been much different from that; at one point she felt as much like Gabriella, thinking she had everything she could ever want. A nice small house, a chance to settle down, and a great guy by her side. But Taylor wasn't one to dread along in the past. Not anymore. As far as she was concerned, she put the past behind her. There was no one special waiting for her and she wasn't looking for anyone. Her job was more important than anything else. If anyone asked Taylor why she suddenly jumped to run for governor when everything was about to settle down her response would be simple and well-rehearsed: "I was going in the wrong direction. I've known what I wanted to do my whole life and I'm not going to let anyone change my mind. Nothing is more important than my future and my future is making New Mexico a better place to live." Granted, she did have a part-time job as a secretary, but as far as she was concerned it was only temporary until she was voted governor.
"Maybe not the next presidential election, but certainly by the one after that you'll be ready to run." Gabriella supported her friend. "Just don't forget anyone when you move to D.C."
Taylor giggled. "Please, like I'd really forget my best friend and my godson. Or your lesser half." Of course, by her 'lesser half', Taylor was referring to Troy. She knew that when it came to Troy's and Gabriella's relationship no one held more authority than the other, but that didn't mean she couldn't joke around about it. And she was usually there to help Gabriella raise Jamie when needed, and was named his godmother.
"Oh I know." Gabriella playfully rolled her eyes. "But it is lonely at the top if you have no one to share it with."
Taylor rolled her eyes and tried to hold in a moan in respect to Gabriella. "Gabriella do we have to keep going through this?"
"I'm just saying, if you look at American history, the chances are that you'll read about a president who lived in the White House without any family are slim to none." She replied.
"As far as I'm concerned, I do have a family." Taylor corrected. "I've got my parents and my older sister. If they want to move to Washington D.C. with me when a time like that comes I'll let them."
"But even your sister has her own family." Gabriella replied. "She's got her husband and children with her. And even if you become governor it'll still be lonely at the top for you because you'll have no one to share it with."
"So my best friend and her family doesn't count." She said sarcastically.
"You know I don't mean that." She shook her head. Gabriella sighed, trying not to sound too hasty. "Taylor it's been three years. And you act like you don't care what happened to them."
"I don't necessarily do. The choice on what to do was his." Taylor replied simply and stoically.
"Only because you gave him that choice as though there were no other options." Gabriella said. "Don't forget, I was there that day. I know what he chose. And maybe I don't know where they are…"
"It doesn't matter to me. About either of them." Taylor interrupted. "He disappeared three years ago. It was heard everywhere and there was no mention about anyone going with him."
"And you don't think that it's just coincidence that he disappeared less than a week after that day?" she inquired. "I was the last person he talked to. And even I don't know where he is right now. But all I know is that he's out there. And I could swear that he's waiting for you."
Taylor shook her head. She had a serious yet calm look on her face. "I admire you Gabriella. You really seem to think that there's a fairytale behind everything."
"I've had good reason to." She said. "How else would you explain everything that's happened between me and Troy?"
"I'm sorry hun, but not all of life can be like a fairytale." Taylor shook her head. Believe me, I know. She thought to herself.
Gabriella sighed. Knowing how stubborn her friend could be, there's no way she'd admit to anything so easily. And the last thing she wanted was to start an argument between them. Gabriella took out her phone and read a brief text message. "I better get going." She finally spoke again. "Troy has a game to get to soon and I promised I'd give Jamie his bath tonight."
"Alright." Taylor nodded, understanding. As Gabriella began walking to the door, Taylor stopped her and Gabriella turned to her friend. "I know you only want to help Gabriella, and believe me I do appreciate it." Taylor said. "But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
"One question," Gabriella replied. She just had to know before she left, at least for today. "Do you regret any choices you've made?"
Taylor was silent. She had no idea how to answer Gabriella. She certainly didn't regret anything she'd done in high school, being such a good student as well as salutatorian. She regretted nothing in college, being the same studious young woman and putting her work before anything else. But everything else after….
Gabriella cocked her head, patiently waiting an answer. Sounding like there was none, she just asked to make sure. "Taylor?" She saw Taylor shake her head, as though she were snapping back into reality. With a blank expression from her, Gabriella asked once more, "Do you have any regrets?"
Taylor stayed silent. She looked out the window of her condo, watching everything that occurred down there in the city from above. "Regrets are a funny thing Gabriella." She finally responded as she noticed her reflection in the window. "You don't think about them right away. But as soon as you make a decision, you figure out later if it was for better or worse." She squinted at her own reflection, trying to figure out what she was trying to say. "Let's just say regrets are like mistakes. They stay with you until you learn from them."
"So have you learned from yours yet?" Gabriella wondered. That was her last question before she walked out.
Taylor sighed as she was left alone. If only Gabriella knew. Though Taylor didn't realize it yet, she has made so many regrets in her past. Holding in a sigh, Taylor walked into her bedroom. Unlocking one of her dresser drawers, she pulled out her high school yearbook. So many memeories were held close from that book. But not everything from high school lasts forever. She scanned the pages until she finally found a picture of her and her own high school sweetheart. Yup, that was him. Chad Danforth. Taylor briefly touched the picture; it felt like not too long ago he was right there by her side. But now he wasn't. He had disappeared three years ago and no one's heard from him since.
Deep in the back of Taylor's head, she had more regrets than she thought. But when she had finally thought about it, only one regret came to mind. "My only regret," she said to herself, "is pushing you away when on the day I needed you most, you came back."
End of Chapter 1. Doesn't seem like much now, but everything will be learned in due time. It's all in the suspense.