here it is! chapter two of Tied Down. thanks so much to all those wonderful people who left reviews for the first chapter! i loved reading them! you guys are the best! still nothing much to tell you about the story, so i'm going to stop, and just let you read. please review when you're done reading!
Aubrey's POV
"So you can pick up the movie, right Dad?" I asked him again. Mom hadn't said anything yet; Dad looked over at her and took her hand.
"Aubrey, sweetie, can you go upstairs to your room?" he said softly, talking to me like I was a four year old again; like that day I had accidentally broke my mom's favorite vase that belonged to her mother.
"Okay…sure…" I answered, a bit annoyed and completely confused. I grabbed my bag, and turned to leave the room. Walking up the stairs, I peered back down at my parents sitting on the couch; Mom caught me staring, and I noticed something in her eyes that had never once been there…fear. I swallowed hard and walked up to my room, not looking back. Sitting on my bed, I click a button on my remote that turns on my iPod. Leaning back on my pillows, a song began to play; a song that I hadn't heard since I was really young. I used to sit on my dad's lap at night on our back porch when I would wake up from a nightmare crying, and he'd play this song while we looked at the stars. I knew every word, but I never sang it. As the chorus of the song began, I close my eyes and sing the song softly…
Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand Hold it tight
I will protect you
from all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
For one so small,
you seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
I thought back to the way my mom reacted when I told her about the musical, and about my part in High School Musical. What was that musical, anyway? I've never even heard of it. She looked so afraid when I saw her sitting on the couch, like a little kid during a thunderstorm. I had never seen her like that, and even though my mom and I didn't get along, it still scared me ever so slightly that she was afraid. Just then, I heard a knock on my door; I looked up to see my dad standing in the doorway. He walked over and sat down on my bed, putting his arm around my shoulders.
"Ah…I remember this song." he said; something in the sound of his voice worried me. We sat together, listening to the song, just as we had done years ago. Finally the song ended, and we sat in silence. "Come on, Aubrey. It's time for dinner." We walked downstairs to find the table set, and Mom ready to eat. Once we were all seated, we sat in silence for the longest time, and then Dad spoke.
"Aubrey, sweetheart. Your mother and I were talking about this musical of yours, and we've come to a conclusion." he said; I looked up at him, his blue eyes saying so much, much more than I could handle. I fidgeted uneasily in my seat. "We are both very proud of you, but we aren't sure we want you to participate in the musical…"
"You can't do that!!" I threw my fork down, stood up, and screamed.
"Aubrey Claire! Sit down right now! I will not have you talking to us like that." my father said. I was shocked. He never raised his voice at me.
"No! Why can't I do the musical?! Why can't I?" I yelled even louder than before, pounding my hands on the table.
"Because we said so, that's why!" he yelled backed, his face turning red from anger.
"That's not fair!!" I screamed back at him. Just as he opened his mouth to say something else, my mother, who had been silent this entire time, spoke.
"Both of you! Stop it!" she yelled, "I will not sit here and watch you two yell at each other. Aubrey, you're not allowed to do the musical. That's final." My face was red and my eyes burned with tears threatening to fall. I bit my lip, hard, and ran out of the room, slamming my door once I had gotten to my room.
Hot tears ran down my face. Big, heaving sobs causing me to shake violently. Why would they do this? I was so angry…I couldn't believe they would do this! Well, Mom would do something like this, but never Dad…never him. I reached over and grabbed my cell, and hit the speed dial for the one person who always knew what to say when my parent's were being unfair.
"Aunt Ash?" I sobbed when she answered. I heard her sigh on the other line.
"Oh, Aubrey. What's wrong?" she said sympathetically. I cried even harder at the sound of her voice. "Oh…shh…come on, Peanut…what happened?"
"My…parents…are…so…unfair!" I managed to say through my hysteric tears. I swallowed, took a breath, and said clearly, "I hate them! They won't let me do the musical! I absolutely hate them!"
"Aubrey, what musical?" she questioned, confused.
"I auditioned for my school's musical…'High School Musical' and I got the lead, but my parents won't let me do the musical!" I heard Aunt Ash gasp, and whisper something that I couldn't understand.
"Um…Aubrey, I'm so sorry, but I have to go." she finally said, her voice shaky and worried. "I love you, Peanut. Bye." and just like that, she hung up. I buried my face into my pillows and cried harder than ever before.
Vanessa's POV
"Ash, what am I suppose to do? You and I both know what will happen if she sees that movie…if she's in that musical." I say exasperated as I hear my daughter crying down the hall, just as she has been since she ran out of the room during dinner. Sighing loudly, I run my fingers through my dark, curly hair.
"Nessa, you can't keep her from something she loves. We all knew this would happen eventually." my best friend responds calmly, "She was bound to come across it at some point, and question it. Just saying 'because I said so' isn't going to work as an excuse this time. You and Zac both knew keeping this a secret wouldn't work forever, V."
"I know, but I wanted her out of the spotlight. I didn't want her to live the life I lived…" my words drifted at the end; a picture of Aubrey on Zac's shoulders at the zoo caught my eye. Things were so simple back then, when Aubrey believed everything…when she was young and innocent. Her big, brown eyes stared back at me, and I sighed once more; telling her the truth was going to be one of the hardest things I ever do.
"But Vanessa, what if she wants this life? What if she wants the spotlight? Aubrey is stubborn, like Zac, and headstrong, like me. If this is something she wants, she isn't going to let you or Zac stand in her way." Ashley's voice was calm and serious. A part of me knew she was right; I just didn't want to believe that part. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was past midnight.
"Ashley, I know…me and Zac will find a way to handle this…I'm going to go, Ash. Talk to you later." I said, ending our hour long conversation.
"Okay, bye, Ness." Ashley answered, and hung up. I fell back onto my bed, and covered my eyes with my hands. The door opens, and I look up as my husband walks in and sits down next to me. Kissing my forehead, he starts to talk.
"Vanessa, what are we going to do?" he asks, running his fingers through his light brown hair.
"I have no idea, Zac." I say, closing my eyes; trying to hold back tears of my own. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he plays with my hair.
"She's going to figure it out soon, V. Keeping her from doing this musical is only making it worse. Just let her do the musical like I told you…if she wants this, we can't stop her." he said, sounding just like Ashley.
"I know, Zac…you're right. I guess we can let her do this…but how are we going to tell her about our careers?" I answered, finally giving in.
"We'll figure that out when the time comes." he said, and with one last kiss good night, we fell asleep, our daughter still crying down the hall. . .
