Although I consider myself a huge fan of the HSM trilogy, I unfortunately don't own the characters, the story, or anything affiliated with them. I have the utmost respect for the actors, actresses, and the many production crew members who put in countless hours on this generation-changing tv/movie event. I've enjoyed the spark to my imagination that HSM has provided.
Hope you enjoy!
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Vanessa and Zac were returning from a weekend with Zac's parents. They had helped Starla and David Efron celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a special dinner and then had seen them off for an anniversary cruise to Cancun. Zac had packed his and Vanessa's bags in the car and the young couple had settled in for the three-hour drive between Toluca Lake and Los Angeles.
The teens filled the first half hour of the drive with a discussion of how the weekend had gone. Starla had been thrilled that her two sons had planned a surprise dinner for them with family and close friends. And then when Zac and Dylan presented them with the Cancun cruise the tears started flowing. David had been in on the cruise planning, but the dinner was a surprise for him as well. Just being with their sons would have been enough for Mr. & Mrs. Efron. But the fact that the two young men had worked together to plan the weekend's events was just icing on the cake.
Both of the boys tried to give Zac's girlfriend the credit she deserved in the planning but Vanessa wouldn't have it. Each time they tried to tell their parents about V's role in the weekend, Vanessa would just shy away and make up an excuse that pointed the planning back at Zac or Dylan. But, in fact, without Vanessa's help on the invitations and restaurant reservations the young Efron boys probably would not have pulled off the surprise.
Zac and Vanessa were holding hands in the car as they talked about the events. "You know mom and dad adore you, don't you?" Zac asked. "I'm sure they realize that you played more of a part in this weekend than you would admit."
Vanessa shyed away again, "Zac the weekend was all about them. It didn't matter who planned it, or who had the ideas. As long as it all came together…that's what mattered. I'm just glad I got to be here to see the outcome. It was a very special time."
"Did you see mom and dad necking in the corner after they had been dancing a while? I think they thought they were teenagers again, sneaking off to a dark corner. I almost went over to break them up…but ewwww, my parents and p.d.a.'s…I don't mind if they sneak a kiss and hold hands, but that one kinda made my skin crawl. And here I trusted them to behave themselves with me and Dyl around. I'm really glad now that we didn't try to go on the cruise with them. I don't want to think about how they'll be acting on the ship."
"Ya know, I did catch a glimpse of them smooching. I thought it was sweet! Of course that was around the same time that you were trying to test out those disco moves of yours on the dance floor. I didn't realize that you and John Travolta had time for dance lessons on the set of Hairspray," Vanessa joked.
"Did ya like my moves V? I've got more I can show you when we get back to L.A. Maybe John will let me borrow his platform shoes and rhinestone costume so I can show you what I really learned!"
They shared a laugh and then trailed off into silence as Zac turned on the radio. A few songs went by before Vanessa thought back to something Zac had mentioned.
"Hey," she said quietly, "you talked about trusting your parents."
"Yeah?" Zac answered. "I was joking you know. I mean, they are the adults…married 25 years now…why wouldn't I trust them?" Zac wasn't sure where Vanessa was going with this part of the conversation.
"Yeah," V said, "Of course you trust them…but do they trust you? Like when they stayed at the hotel Saturday night and Dylan spent the night with your aunt and cousin at the hotel. Did your parents really trust us to go back to their house alone and spend the night?"
"Well where else would they think we were going? That's what we told them we were doing, right? I don't understand what you're getting at V."
"Um, I'm not sure what I'm trying to get at either. Nevermind, I'm just tired from all the excitement."
Zac knew something wasn't right, but he wasn't sure how to get to it, so he let things drop. Vanessa let go of Zac's hand and grabbed a pillow from the back seat of the car. She leaned her head against the pillow on the window and closed her eyes.
V and Z had known each other for two and a half years now. They had officially started dating several months ago even though they had shared lots of platonic "dates" and time with their friends. When they first became friends and decided to keep in touch after filming the first High School Musical movie, they had even visited each other's houses and met their respective families. Starla and Vanessa's mom, Gina, had seen the teens get to know each other on the HSM set. Since the kids were minors in that first movie, their moms had been there to oversee the filming process.
But it wasn't until after filming that Vanessa met Zac's dad. David and Vanessa had hit it off right away, just like she and Starla had. Vanessa enjoyed being around Zac's family from the very beginning. And Zac enjoyed being around Vanessa's mom too. The first meeting with V's dad had gone well too. But you could say that Zac was a little nervous around Greg Hudgens. While V was on a first name basis with Zac's parents, Zac had chosen to call V's dad 'Mr. Hudgens'…and he still did, even after two and a half years…especially after Zac and Vanessa started dating officially.
And that's where some of Vanessa's confusion was coming from. She and Zac were boyfriend and girlfriend. Their relationship was still in its beginning stages. Yes, they had made out and had some heavy petting sessions you could say. But even at 19 and 18 years old they had decided that sex wasn't on their agenda yet. They both thought that was a pretty mature decision on their parts.
After seeing the headaches that other Hollywood teens had endured, and seeing the outcome of some of their choices, Zac and Vanessa were quite sure that they had made the right decision. Even if it wasn't an easy one to stick to, they had both promised each other that sex was years down the road for them, and it would only happen with someone they loved. Z and V had told each other they were really good friends. Love hadn't entered the picture for them…yet.
Looking over at Vanessa, Zac's mind wandered back to the night before and the conversation that V had just attempted to have with him. As the dinner party died down Zac and Dylan had presented their parents with a room key at the hotel where they had had dinner. Zac had thought that he and Dylan and Vanessa were going back to their home to spend the night. But their aunt invited Dylan to spend the night with them at the hotel, take in a swim and sleep in the next morning. Dylan was thrilled at the chance to catch up with his cousin. So that just left Vanessa and Zac alone at the Efron house.
They had spent the night together many times before. When they officially started dating they had shared a hotel room and a bed in Hawaii just to get some time away together. And they had spent nights together at their parents' homes, sleeping in separate bedrooms, or in the living room in plain sight of everyone.
So, Zac didn't think twice when he told his mom and dad that he and Vanessa were heading back home for the night. David and Starla were in their own little world. But David did stop for a moment to tell Zac "no frolicking in your bedroom please!" The father and son had shared a laugh and Zac answered, "You know me dad." David's response…"I know, and I trust you son."
Back at the house Z & V had both decided that they were exhausted. Zac climbed into his twin bed and turned on the tv while Vanessa changed into her p.j.'s. When she came from the bathroom Zac patted the bed next to him for her to lay down too. "Are you sure I shouldn't go sleep in Dyl's room, or down on the couch?" Vanessa asked. "Come on," Zac said, "You heard dad, they trust us. Besides, we're both exhausted, sleep is my top priority so we can drive home tomorrow." Vanessa answered, "Your dad said he trusted YOU, not us, you know." Zac just responded with a "What ev'." And pulled the covers back for her to climb in. Once V snuggled in next to him he kissed her cheek, rolled over and fell asleep. Vanessa lay there with her back pressed up against Zac's. She wasn't sure about this sleeping arrangement on this particular night. But after a little while the exhaustion took over and she, too, fell asleep.
Trust. That's the word that kept coming to mind for Zac. That's what Vanessa was trying to ask about, but what was the problem? They trusted each other. At least Zac knew he trusted Vanessa…did she not trust him? No, this was something with their parents. Oh well, he'd figure it out whenever she felt like talking about it. Right now Vanessa was asleep. He reached over and grabbed her hand again while he was driving. She didn't respond, but she let him take her hand and hold it on his lap as they continued down the highway.
But Vanessa wasn't asleep. She was trying to put her thoughts together in her mind. She and Zac hadn't done anything wrong. Of course his parents should trust them. She knew that David and Starla trusted Zac completely. There was no reason not to. The Efron's were a very open family and very supportive of each other. V's family was like that too for the most part. But her trip to Hawaii with Zac and something else had cut into that trust, at least between Vanessa and her dad. Those were the flashes that kept going through Vanessa's mind.
"Dad, Zac and I are going to Hawaii to get away from the craziness for a little bit and just relax. We're meeting some of his family over there, so we won't be alone, don't worry…but we are sharing a room to cut down on cost…is that ok?"
"Vanessa, you're 17. I know you and Zac are more than "friends" now, so why should I trust him? I don't like this 'one room' business. I was a teenage boy once too you know, I know what goes through a boy's mind when he's around a beautiful girl like you!"
"Daddy, come on. You trust me, right? I know I'm only 17, but I'm mature for my age and I trust Zac. And Daddy, I wanna do this. I'm not going to come back pregnant! I've told you that Zac and I are taking things slowly, we're not sleeping together. That kind of thing would've gotten back to you already if we were. You know that!"
It had been a magical trip. But the pap's pictures that had leaked into the magazines only served to prove Greg Hudgens' point. The shots of Zac holding Vanessa and her with her arms curled around his toned body certainly made them look like more than friends. Vanessa smiled as she thought about that. But then she frowned as she remembered how her dad had shunned away from her when she returned from the trip. Whether he believed it or not, she and Zac had not 'slept' together on that trip.
They had come to know each other a lot better as boyfriend and girlfriend, but they still had not taken that other step. Unfortunately her father didn't want to know what had happened in Hawaii. And she hadn't forced the issue with him. All she knew was that he trusted her a little less when she returned.
It also didn't help that the photo scandal came just months after the Hawaii trip. Pictures of a semi-nude Vanessa showed up on the internet. 'How' was a big question, and that still hadn't been determined. Honestly, it didn't matter. Vanessa's poor judgement as a young teenager had cut even further into her father's trust. She knew that her dad and mom loved her very much, but the trust factor hurt.
At that moment, she thought back to Zac and his family. "Frolicking," that's how Zac's dad had viewed the Hawaii pictures when they started hitting the public eye. They had laughed about the pictures. Vanessa had even laughed with Zac and David as they flipped through the photo spread in the "National Enquirer" once they were back home.
Zac had told Vanessa about a conversation that he and his dad had had later that same day… "Zac, did you 'protect' yourself?" "Well of course dad, abstinence is the best protection you can get isn't it?" And that's where the conversation ended. Zac's dad trusted him, and believed more from that two- sentence conversation than Vanessa could even get her dad to listen to. But of course, Zac's a male and V's the female in this relationship. She was trying to see her dad's side of things but it wasn't helping the matter.
Vanessa had one other thought during this whole in-mind battle. She hoped she and Zac would trust their kids the way Zac's parents trusted him.
Whoa! Where had that come from? Kids with Zac? What was she thinking? Vanessa's eyes shot open and she jerked up in the seat, tearing her hand out of Zac's grip. Zac looked at her and saw a bewildered look on her face. "V, what's wrong?!" Vanessa couldn't speak. She was still trying to piece this together in her mind. "Are you sick? Do I need to pull over? Vanessa?…V? Hey, come on, talk to me!"
They were halfway home and Vanessa just nodded to Zac. "Yeah, can you pull over somewhere, I need to grab a Coke or something." So Zac took the next exit off the highway and pulled into the Speedway. "Do you need me to come in with you?" Zac asked, growing concerned. "No thanks, I just need a bathroom break and a drink," Vanessa said.
Vanessa was glad there was no one else in the bathroom, and that she hadn't put on any makeup before they left. She splashed some water on her face and just stood for a minute looking in the mirror. Subconciously she had thought about her and Zac being more than just boyfriend and girlfriend, more than just holding hands and kissing on the couch. Until this moment she hadn't really let her mind wander too far into their future. All of a sudden, thoughts of all kind were swirling around in her head. Seeing Zac interact with his family. Seeing him with a few young cousins. Talking about their trust. Looking at the pictures of his family on the walls of their home and knowing how much love was there.
She knew the night of the dinner party that something had felt different inside of her. Something felt different when Zac hugged his mom and dad. And when they had left his parents to head home, what had Starla said to them? "Love you both, thanks again!" She wasn't talking to Zac and Dylan. She was talking to V and Zac. "Love you both…" That made her stomach flip again just thinking about it. As her mind continued to swirl the thoughts started focusing. I love Zac as a friend. Now I think I'm falling in love with him. Oh boy. This wouldn't help Greg Hudgens' trust factor either…or would it?
Whatever the case, Vanessa looked in the mirror again. She was feeling less agitated now. But now she was nervous. Ok. I have to go back and get into the car with my boyfriend…the man that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with…the man that I haven't spoken with in the past hour and I just freaked him out. Here goes nothin'!
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Vanessa grabbed a Coke, a bottled water for Zac and some snacks on the way back to the car. As she climbed in the passenger seat she took a deep breath and smiled genuinely at Zac. Females, Zac thought, Dad warned me about mood swings. I just didn't think they started until like age 40 or something. Oh boy! And at the same time all he could say was, "Have I told you how beautiful you looked Saturday night? Your dress was gorgeous! Are you feeling better now?"
V just answered him with a "Thank you!" and buckled her seat belt. "Zac, what I was trying to ask you about…er…talk about earlier…the trust thing…" "Yeah," Zac looked at her questioningly. "I was just thinking how great it is that your parents trust you – us – so much. No questions asked, they just do. I wish my dad trusted us like that. I think mom does. But after Hawaii and the photo scandal thing…I'm not sure how to get dad's trust back."
"Nessa, he trusts you. And I think he trusts us. You're his little girl, ya know. He wants to protect you. Maybe he sees me cutting into that protection thing. And with the photo scandal he saw you get hurt and he didn't know how to help you. That has to hurt him as a dad, not being able to help his daughter. I know if we had a little girl I'd want to protect her from everything. It's just gonna take time for us to show him that he can trust us. And we'll do that together."
"I know, I know." Vanessa trailed off thinking about the first part of Zac's pep talk. She was playing it over and over in her mind when she mumbled something. "I just hope we can trust our kids and protect them." Then she focused on something else Zac said…"if we had a little girl"…
They looked at each other and said in unison, "Wait, what'd you just say?!!"
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They were barely five minutes down the road from their last stop but Zac had to pull into the emergency lane. Did he hear Vanessa say what he thought she had said? Had they both just made references to having kids together? Now his mind was swirling.
He pulled to a stop and put the car in park before he took his seatbelt off. Vanessa just sat in the passenger seat. They were both staring out the windshield. Vanessa built up her courage and spoke first. "Zac, did you just say something about protecting 'our' little girl?" Zac thought about what he had said and stammered a little. "Y-Yeah, I think I did. Did you just mumble something about trusting 'our' kids?" Now it was Vanessa's turn to stammer. "Y-Yes." Was all that she could say.
They sat for a couple of minutes just staring at the passing traffic. Finally Vanessa spoke again. "This may freak you out Zac, but I'm just gonna put it out there. So if you want me to get out and walk home that's fine…but…but…I love you Zachary David Alexander Efron. And that's why I hope we get to have kids together and protect them together, and trust them like your parents trust you. There, it's out there!"
Now Zac wasn't just staring out the window. He was also holding his breath. He didn't know what Vanessa was going to say. He looked at Vanessa while she was talking. He saw the seriousness in her face. And when she was done he sucked in a breath and held it and looked back out the windshield.
Vanessa waited a minute for him to say something. But he wasn't even breathing. "Breathe Zac," she said. Then she grabbed her purse and started to open the door.
"Wa-wait…" Zac finally took a breath. "Nessa, where are you going?" he asked.
"Well, I've freaked you out enough over the past two hours. I figured I'd walk back to the gas station and call someone to come get me."
"Hold up a minute." Zac grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the car. "I'm driving you home, you're not going anywhere or calling anyone else."
"But if you're ticked at me, I don't wanna ride home with someone who doesn't wanna be near me." Vanessa said quietly. She honestly didn't know what to think of Zac's behavior. And she still couldn't believe that she had just told him that she loved him."
"Who says I'm ticked off? I'm not mad or upset," Zac was looking her straight in the eye but Vanessa couldn't read his face. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning or mad. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen this face on him before. His eyebrows were scrunched, his lips were quivering a little, almost like he was cold. She was glad to hear that he wasn't ticked at her. That's a plus, right?
Zac continued, "Just give me a minute will ya?" And with that he grabbed the bottle of water in his left hand and started drinking it. He was still staring out the front window. With his right hand he grabbed Vanessa's left hand and held it lightly, just letting their fingers slip together. Little by little he started gripping her hand tighter. He didn't squeeze too hard, but his grip was firm. Vanessa just sat looking at him, wondering what was going through his mind. But she didn't say anything. As his grip tightened, she just took her other hand and put it over top of his. She turned slightly in her seat to face him more, to be more comfortable. She wasn't sure how long they'd be sitting there.
Finally Zac turned to face her. "Do you remember last month, I came up here to see Mom and Dad, to work on the plans for this weekend?" Vanessa answered quietly, "Yeah, I remember I missed you while you were gone." Zac smiled at her. "Mom thought I was up here for more personal reasons. So she pulled me into the family room one night and sat me down on the couch for a 'mother/son' chat. We haven't had one of those since I was like twelve." Vanessa smiled thinking about Starla making Zac sit through a parental lecture. "Anyway," Zac continued, "she asked why you didn't come up with me that weekend. She asked if we'd had an argument. I told her we were fine and I just wanted to see her and dad for a little bit."
"Then she smiled at me…you know, her 'motherly' smile. She said, 'Zac I'm going to tell you something and I want you to take it to heart, okay?' I just looked at her and nodded my head cause I had no clue what she was thinking. She said, 'You are my son. I've always thought I've known you better than anyone else. But now there is someone else in your life. And you love that person, don't you Zac?' I sat there dumbfounded on our couch and mom just kept staring at me."
He took a breath. Then Vanessa asked shyly, "What did you say?"
"I had to tell her the truth Ness, she's my mom and she trusts me."
"So what did you say?"
"I said 'YES'."
"Zac, who was she talking about?"
"You."
"So…"
"So, I love you Vanessa Anne Hudgens. I love YOU!"
Tears streamed down Vanessa's cheeks and she laughed a little as she saw a tear come from Zac's eyes too. "I guess this'll be a story to tell our kids some day, huh?" Zac was wiping her tears away and gave her a weird look. "What??"
"Can't you hear it now?" Vanessa sniffled. "There we were parked in the emergency lane on the side of the highway, professing our love for each other! That's one they'll want to hear over and over again!" She smiled.
"So can I finish my story now?" Zac asked.
"There's more? I kinda like that ending." Vanessa said.
"Well, after I told mom yes, that I was in love with you, she asked me if I'd told you yet? I told her 'no' cause I didn't wanna scare you away. She said I shouldn't be scared to tell you…because you loved me too. How did she know that V? Have you and mom been talking or something? Cause we ended the conversation with her saying 'Oh, wouldn't it be so romantic if the two of you admitted your love for each other up here while your father and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary??!!'"
"Oh, now THAT'S just freaky!" Vanessa gasped. She was still trying to dry her eyes and used her thumb to wipe the tear off Zac's cheek. "I do want to spend more time with your mom. But I haven't told anyone that I'm in love with you. Because I just figured it out myself. Ooo, maybe your mom's a psychic Zac. Geez, I wish she had let me in on that secret. Then the past two hours wouldn't have been so freakish for both of us. By the way, WERE you going to tell me that you loved me this weekend?"
Zac looked at her and smiled. "No. I was planning on us having a special dinner this week and break the news to you at the beach. I was envisioning us walking hand and hand and wading through the water. Then we would stop under the moonlight and I would lift your chin up to look at me and I'd say, 'Vanessa, Baby V, I – love – you!' and I would give you a kiss between each word, then we would share a much longer kiss at the end."
Vanessa closed her eyes and let herself envision what Zac was describing. She felt his index finger under her chin as he said 'I love you' and then felt his lips softly on hers. She kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the kiss. When Zac broke away Vanessa smiled, "We can still do that, right?" Zac grinned, "Well, it won't be the same, but I suppose we can go to the beach if you want."
As they put their seatbelts back on and got ready to pull back onto the highway, Vanessa put her hand on Zac's cheek. "Thank you," she said, "for letting me be part of this weekend. I think that's what made me realize that I love you." She blushed as she said the words again and Zac just smiled. As he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear he said, "I'll never get tired of hearing that!"
He handed his cell phone to Vanessa as he pulled back onto the highway. "Text my mom, please. Just say, 'I told her.' Vanessa quickly typed the message and hit send.
Starla Efron smiled as she showed the message to her husband of 25 years. Then she sent back a message that made both kids smile from ear to ear. "Hope you'll start your first 25 years together soon! I told you so!"
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