Chapter 3.
Okay, I think I actually am going to get somewhere with this story. I honestly had stopped after a few chapters, when I was writing it, and thought where I stopped was where it was going to end but then when I proof read this and edited it (adding more scenes even) I had fresh ideas floating around in my overly creative mind.
Writer's Block has not entirely left me unfortunately and I found myself not writing much for the next Chapter of Blue but I'll upload it anyway. I'll also try and write a little for Theater Lights so that I don't fall behind and forget about it. These stories are actually going pretty well. Also I remember the story I mentioned, Morning Cartoons, and someone PMed me wondering why I hadn't put it on my profile. I actually didn't because it's still just a story idea and until I actually figure out what I want to do with it exactly, it will not be on my profile.
This chapter was fun for me to write because it had so much information. Vital chapter!
Italics signifies retelling of past events.
Enjoy.
The papers had landed before her with a slight breeze of air in her face. She looked up from her laptop and smiled.
"Thanks." Gabriella said.
Taylor nodded but frowned "It's gruesome, sad even."
"Can you give me a synopsis?" Gabriella closed her laptop and placed her chin on her hand before fixing her face to resemble curiosity.
"The death records show that he was originally strangled to death by a cord or something then placed in the water to seem like he was taking a bath and died. Whoever it was tried to make a point to Troy, make him seem like a bad father. The school Zane Bolton went to said a brunette woman and her boyfriend came to pick him up that day, saying Troy was running late and they knew him personally." Taylor grimaced, "They were never caught because the young teacher didn't catch a good glimpse."
Gabriella frowned and tried to imagine the child's terror when he realized they weren't friendly people. Then for some reason she found herself puzzled.
"What about the descriptions? Can you search those up for me?" Gabriella stood from her chair.
"Actually they are there with the birth and death certificate for Zane, though I can't seem to find Sharpay's birth certificate and records. It's like she disappeared off the national database." Taylor pondered.
Gabriella raised an eyebrow, "Search harder, Tay, she's there."
"We'll see." she looked up from Gabriella's desk and then shrugged, "Your one o'clock is here by the way."
"Punctuality, I like that." she murmured before picking up her tape recorder and walking out behind her friend.
"Chad Danforth." she said as a greeting to the male. He nodded his in return and stood from his seat.
"After you." he grumbled and followed her down the long hall until they got in the room he was in a week ago.
When they took their seats, Gabriella examined him and then gave him a friendly smile, "You clean up nice." she complimented.
"You know, you look the same in the pictures Sharpay showed me, it was how I recognized you."
"Huh, well I'm glad the years haven't taken away my youth." she put a tape in on the B-side and pressed play. "You know what to say Chad."
"My name is Chad Danforth, I'm 26 years of age, and I was not forced to speak by Ms. Montez." he said with a grin.
She nodded, "Now I have questions about where we left off before you continue your story."
Chad nodded thoughtfully, "Go ahead."
"Now are you sure Troy as never shown…discontent…with being a single father?" she asked inquisitively.
"If you're asking if he ever beat the shit out of Zane, then the answer is no, he loved that kid to death. He spoiled the little booger." Chad chuckled happily. "He loved him more than life itself. Zane could get away with anything."
"Well, we have his records of violence on file…care to explain?"
"Oh, Troy being violent? That's nothing to worry about, to be honest Troy rarely got into fights but he always got caught when he did. He's a lover but he hates the phrase "All love and peace, no war." he'd rather beat the shit out of you when you approach him wrong." Chad answered, "It's what anybody would do if someone put dirt on your name. People always tried to rile him up, test him after Ashleigh left and especially after Zane died."
"How did Troy act after Zane died?" She raised a curious eyebrow.
"He got into the heavy stuff, Coke, Ecstasy, Meth, LSD, even a little Shroom and Angel Dust. He drank a lot too. Fucked around. Once he was so gone he allowed Sharpay to suck his dick." he laughed with a shameful headshake. "He still does a little here and there but he's quitting. He's slowed a lot."
"Sharpay Evans, his cousin?" Gabriella said with a baffled tone.
"Yeah, Sharpay is into that kinky shit for some reason. She's everything you could think of… just real nasty and loves sex. She has the hots for him bad." Chad cleared his throat, "She wanted to do you real bad too didn't she? You know how she gets when she becomes obsessed. You and Troy are all that matters to her."
Gabriella shrugged, "We're not here to talk about me, Chad."
"But you're in this too, she got you all tied up in this."
"Really?" Gabriella snorted.
"Yeah, she did all this for you, Ms. Montez." he answered in a strange tone, "She's crazy, she belongs in the wacky house."
Gabriella nodded. "Hmm, leads us to another question Chad. You talk of Sharpay as a sexual person. Were you ever involved with her sexually?"
"Yeah, we'd get strung and wasted on some stuff, smoke a little weed, and fuck each other's brains out." he answered softly, "I loved her until she went all crazy."
"Then it wasn't really love was it?"
"I guess not." he answered confidently. She cleared her throat, signaling the end of the conversation.
"Alright then begin from the day Troy began to get hooked on those drugs with you." Gabriella ordered him.
"Yo, dude this is fucking awesome." Chad laughed in bliss as he talked to his equally high friend.
Troy looked around the magnified and murky room, it changed from color to color and it became difficult to catch up with all that was going on. He had a loopy grin on his face and scratched his itchy and spiky beard. "Yeah. Great." he laughed too.
He never thought the way LSD seemed exaggerated was true but when his vision became one of the view of a broken camera he thought it was the most awesome thing in the world. He felt that the world was lifted off his shoulders for the first time since Zane's funeral. The lifeless green eyes erased from his memory and replaced by the sound and sight of his son's laughing face.
"I got to go make sure Zane is okay." he got up quickly but fell over and chuckled at his new found clumsiness.
"Zane's sleeping." Chad said stupidly but tried to make it seem like Troy was the stupid one.
"Right." Troy sat again. Then he suddenly began to cry when the face of his son appeared in his mind, lying dead in his coffin during the open casket funeral.
Chad walked over to Troy, stumbling along the way and wrapped his arms loopily around his friend.
"Hey! He'll be back in the morning." Chad soothed. Troy pushed his strung friend away from him and picked up another tab and took it before laying back on the floor.
He felt a heavy weight on his chest and water dripped on his face. He wiped his face and opened his eyes. The breath was knocked out of him as he stared back at the miraj of his dripping gray son on all fours.
"Zane?" he squeaked.
Zane's blue lips parted and a putrid smell escaped them along with more water. Troy's eyes darkened in fear as his child's now black tongue wiggled out of his mouth. Troy pushed him off and turned to Chad. Chad was on the other side of the room completely oblivious to the scene unfolding and actually walking repeatedly into the opposite wall.
His eyes went back to his wiggling four year-old who was crying loudly because his father rejected him. He crawled over to the corner of the room and wrapped his arms around his knees after pulling them up to his chest. He began to rock himself back and forth chanting softly Zane's favorite nursery tune, "Oh, Mr. Sun , Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me." he started to silently cry and continued, "Hiding behind a tree. These little children asking you to please come out so we can play with you. Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun." he sobbed the last few lines while his vision began to fade, "Please shine down on, please shine down on, please shine down on Troy."
And everything finally went black.
"Did you do anything else heavy with Troy?" Gabriella bit her lip queasily.
"Naw. After I woke up the next morning, I told him I couldn't do that shit. He kept doing it though, it was the only way he could see and interact with Zane." Chad said sadly. "He was delusional, saying Zane was still there and needed his daddy so he couldn't stop."
Gabriella nodded, "How did he begin to realize he needed to stop afterwards, didn't say he slowed down?"
"He threw himself off a bridge because Zane was "swimming" in there and asked for him to join. Suddenly, he came to a weird realization that the LSD Zane wasn't his Zane. So instead he just suddenly quit, saying things about LSD and drugs like it were evil. That's when I told him about rehab. I did it. He didn't." Chad answered.
Gabriella nodded, feeling herself mentally chew on a piece of humble pie.
"So what happened to you? You just stopped?"
"Yeah, I guess." Chad said uncomfortably.
She nodded understandingly and brushed her fingers through her hair. "I want you to tell me about Troy, everything about him."
"Well, where do you start when it comes to Troy? He's just Troy." Chad snickered humorlessly.
"Describe him in one word." she tilted her head, very intrigued.
"Broken."
"Troy?" Sharpay's honey voice giggled. "Are you high?" She loved when Troy gave her attention like this. He was latched onto her neck holding her close, trying to sloppily please her.
"Mhmm." he snorted. She pushed him away and pulled out her vibrator from a collection of massive pink pillows. "Do me."
Troy looked at the dark pink piece of machinery as it suddenly acquired legs and wiggled about. He looked up at her face with dilated eyes, "No." he said shortly.
"Why not?" she narrowed her eyes with inquisition.
"It's moving Sharpay, it might hurt." he rubbed his eyes.
She looked down at the vibrator for a while then laughed loudly when she looked back at Troy's face. "You must be so gone, Troy." she continued to laugh. Troy laughed too, unsure of what was so funny but not wanting to be left out of the happiness. He lied next to her and then buried his face into her pillows.
"You're so pretty." he complimented when she lied back also.
"I wish Gabriella thought so." she sighed.
"Well, she's blind and stupid. I think you're sexy." he chided. He proved his pointed by kissing his favorite spot on her neck.
When Troy showed up at her doorstep highly strung out on what she guessed was Angel Dust, his drug of choice lately she had invited him in. He immediately kissed her and cried following the usual routine. After she sucked him off and they ate something Troy went to the bathroom and took another dose of whatever he was taking and came back to her worse than before. It was every once in a while when Troy would do this, these surprise visits. Suddenly they became not so surprising anymore and became routine, at least once or twice a month Sharpay would expect him, the dates varied.
"Thank you." she giggled. Troy smiled at her giggle then lifted a lock of his cousin's hair.
"You should go back to brunette you looked even better that way." Troy murmured then sighed contentedly before pressing a kiss to Sharpay's shoulder.
"I love you High Troy." she giggled. He scrunched his eyebrows not understanding what she meant but was just happy she was laughing. "Okay." he affirmed.
Sharpay got up and rummaged through her drawers before finding her needle and the small bottle of liquid oxycodone. If she couldn't have Troy high or not, no one could. If it wasn't Sharpay's it wasn't anybody's.
She stuck the needle in the bottle and then turned to Troy ready to insert it into his arm. Troy watched her curiously and with suspicion glinting in his eyes.
"What's that?" he asked as she grabbed his arm.
Sharpay got ready to answer him, to tell him how it was a better high and would reunite him with Zane when a voice entered her apartment from her voice machine.
A voice she knew too well and missed so much. The voice of the only person she ever truly loved.
"Hello, hopefully this is the right number. I'm trying to reach Sharpay Evans, I am Ms. Montez. I would like to contact you and request for you to come down to the American Purchase Building, just to answer some questions. It would help us a lot thank you. Just call back this number and if you don't have Caller ID call 212- 345-6728. Thank you have a great day."
Sharpay set her bottle and needle down on her night table, a frown evident on her face. She could still hear the sweet voice echoing in her mind, even with Troy's loud snores beside her. Why did she need to be questioned? Did they know?
Sammy saw the look on Gabriella's face probably before Gabriella's even knew it was there. She sat by her desk and watched her colleague nervously hang up her phone and pluck and tweak at everything on her desk.
"Who'd you call?" she finally called out, thinking Gabriella had tortured herself enough.
"Someone I've lost touch with is involved in my case." Gabriella said and sighed heavily.
"The #108 Case?"
"Yeah, the one with Troy Bolton." Gabriella placed her face in her hands. "I've also just gotten word that he's going to be at Club H so I'm going to meet up with him. Get close and personal."
"Really, but doesn't he know who you are?" Sammy asked.
"Yeah… well, my fake identity anyway, I think the one he had gotten was the Anastasia or the Malan ID. I can't remember what I was carrying with me that day."
"You sound nervous about the old friend thing though." Sammy kicked her feet up on her desk before playing around with the settings on her camera.
"Yeah, this old friend was obsessed with me." Gabriella said with a bit of spite to her comment.
"Well, what could he do with security around?" Sammy questioned her concern.
"It's a she… a sneaky, conniving she with a lot of money." Gabriella finally settled her eyes on her playful friend, "Who I will not fail to mention, is obsessed with me."
"Wow. That's messed up."
"This whole thing is messed up. You should hear the things Chad Danforth tells me. It's like you are living hell yourself. I go home to nightmares." Gabriella confided.
"Yikes." Sammy took a picture of herself and then a picture of the distressed Gabriella. "Wouldn't want to be ya."
"I don't really want to be me right now either." Gabriella sighed.
Sammy shrugged, "There is an up side though. If it turns out Troy is innocent you get a hot guy. If not you can say you danced at a club with a murderer, need I say is equally hot."
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I don't want a man emotionally unstable. At least that's what I'm told he is." Gabriella sighed, "Even if I did, the excuse I have to clear things up with him will make him be to ashamed to put any moves on me let alone hook up with me."
Sammy giggled, "Oh, I don't know Gabs, when I look at his pictures they scream rough and passionate lover. The type out for fun and must I remind you, totally your type. I'm sure Jo will understand if you let him knock boots with you to gain his trust."
Gabriella laughed at the suggestion, "No way, he'd kill me. You're not supposed to be sleeping with your cases, you're suppose to be solving them."
"But what about when it's over? Wouldn't it be nice to fall into his big sexy man arms and ride excuse me rock his world view? Hmm?" Sammy wiggled her eyebrows and they laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole idea.
"I wouldn't mind, after the case, I can't exactly get in trouble for that. But during the case? The best I could do it try and be his friend, try and get to know his story."
"Why?" Sammy took her camera from around her neck and put it on her desk.
Why was a good question, "Because Chad is leading my down fucking memory lane, Sharpay is going to try and talk about some nonexistant relationship with me, and I'll be left with so many damn questions. Troy is the only one who can clear any of this up."
"Or maybe you can't get his beautiful blues out of your mind." she giggled.
"You know when I told you what happened when your short attention span got the best of you, it wasn't for you to rub it in my face." Gabriella said tersely. "And the plus side to this is that I don't have to see you."
Sammy laughed with a snort, "You're going to miss me." she sung.
Gabriella shook her head vigorously, "I think i'll be just fine without you for one night." she gave her a pointed look. And with that the two females burst into another fit of giggles.
When Troy woke up in Sharpay's bed disoriented he thought he had lost his mind. Sharpay stood fully naked in front of him, watching herself in the mirror as she tied her hair up in a neat ponytail.
"It's not polite to stare, Troy."
Troy sighed and sat up scratching his skin through his shirt before squeezing his eyes shut. The image wasn't uncommon to him but that didn't mean it was any less disturbing.
"Good Morning Sleepyhead, I just came out the shower. You want me to set one for you?" she turned to him before picking up her underwear and putting it on. She then slid her bra on and clasped it behind her before climbing on the bed to press a kiss on his cheek.
"No." he said softly, "I'm okay." he yawned and stretched while Sharpay pulled on her sweats and t shirt.
"You want breakfast?" she sighed before scooting closer to him and placing her head against his chest once he settled down on her mattress again.
He suddenly shot up, "No. I got to go, Sharpay."
"Are you still mad about the phone conversation we had earlier?" she said sadly. He shook his head ignoring the fact that he hurt her feeling by pushing her off of him. He stood and put on his shoes before walking out of her bedroom and out of her house. He hated that his high or intoxicated self always showed up here even when he persuaded his sober self not to.
He was late to work. Again.
I hope you enjoyed :D
Review.
Rachelle.