Chapter 3
"Do you know the king of wild cats? He kept on staring at you earlier." Taylor McKessie could not wait to ask that question. They were standing beside Gabriella's red Porche convertible, which looked luxurious compared to the sedans and trucks parked near it.
"Geez Louise. I don't know and I don't care." Gabriella shrugged. She knew what Taylor was going on about. Of course it had to be about another boy.
"But he's Troy Bolton! How can you not care?" Taylor said while flailing her arms like a bird. "Watch all the girls in our school flip out once they find out we are gonna work with him"
"All boys are the same." Gabriella answered.
Taylor opened the passenger door and asked, "Then what about that guy from West High?"
"Who? Henry Park? Tay, he is Roman's buddy."
A small "Oh" escaped Taylor's lips.
"Why is he talking to you then?"
Gabriella sat down the driver's seat and started the engine, "Tay drop it. I am not looking for a boy. Let's talk about something else."
"Okay, anyway are you going to the shindig tonight?"
Gabriella drove out of the parking lot, "Pass..."
The warm New Mexico air flew as they drove the narrow streets of East Village. Streamers of red and white were spread throughout and even the local stores hung them proudly.
"So much for school spirit." Taylor commented.
"We don't have things like these back home."
The other girl grinned, "Yeah... well we won the scholastic decathlon and the robotics competition. At least we had a section in the school paper."
"I think Tay that's about the only sport in our school."
"Not true. We have chess too, and Gabriella you played polo once. Won't you at least come to the party tonight? It is our favorite seniors' birthday after all." That conversation took a whole 180 degree turn and with the way Taylor said it, she's not gonna take another no.
Giving up to her bestfriend's whims, Gabriella muttered, "I'll try. I have to be with Hector though."
o o o o o o o
Troy Alexander Bolton was in the middle of practicing when a loud whistle disturbed him. His dad had just entered the gymnasium and he was wearing a scowl in his face.
"Oh great." Troy thought to himself.
"Practice is over." Coach Jack Bolton told him. Still, Troy did not let his father stop him. He needed to practice more. He needed to win. He needed that scholarship.
He heard his father's squeaking steps in the now dimly lit gymnasium. "You need to rest, son."
"I need to win, dad. This is my only shot." Troy said while making a hoop on the free throw line. They were up against the West High Knights and he knew with their latest addition, it would be tougher to win the championship this time. His whole team depended on his calls as the point guard. He needed to succeed.
"You can't win if you are tired. I know with all the Civics class fiasco, you have a lot on your hands. Take it easy."
Troy let himself drop the ball as he sat on the court.
"You don't need to pressure yourself son. You have the straight road to U of A. They like you there. Just get your head in the game like you always do and you will be fine."
His father always reminded him to enjoy the sport as it is. Troy loved playing basketball... It was the only thing he knew. His dad was a basketball hero who reached minor state qualifiers. Not bad for a small town. But Troy desired greatness far more than his father wanted.
"Are you speaking as my coach or as my dad?"
Jack sighed heavily, "Classes are over, son. Just have fun."
o o o o o o o o
Nobody would believe it if they did not see it. Taylor McKessie, daughter of the state representative, was in the middle of the dance floor twerking her ass off in some popular beat. Megan Fox's birthday party was in full swing and everyone was having the time of their lives. The smell of alcohol mixed with cigarette, bongs, and expensive perfume spread throughout the large parlor. Rich kids were wasted left and right. It was after midnight and the dance floor was getting packed. Taylor was in the middle of dancing to Knife Paty when her brown eyes caught the sillhouette of a very attractive man. His tanned skin matchee his surfer body made Taylor feel something in the pit of her stomach. Hector Gutierrez was really something. Slowly, their eyes connected and she made her way to the bar where he was seated.
"You here with your cousin?" Taylor asked.
Hector grinned and replied with his baritone voice, "You think I would bring Gabi in a place like this? You know what happened the last time I did."
Taylor scoffed, "Well this is our crowd. Half of the people here are from our school. They won't try anything."
The Latino laughed gingerly, "She wouldn't go even if I make her."
"Then you should've pressed harder." Taylor said while closing the gap between them with a wild kiss on the lips. Hector was a little bit surprised by her sudden move but he reciprocated the feeling with a delirious tongue movement. He tasted of vodka and a hint of peppermint. His tongue expertly explored her mouth while his hands fondled her hips. Without breaking contact, they made their way to the kitchen. The next thing she knew, she was on the kitchen sink making out with her best friend's cousin. And she liked every second of it. She loved every thing this handsome guy did.
"I love you." even with their erratic breaths, her words were heard loud and clear.
Hector's eyes were dazed and he was confused. For a brief second, he looked like he was gonna say it back... but those eyes swiftly shifted, and just as she thought she was about to come undone he broke away from contact.
"No, Tay. I thought you understand. I can't love you."
Taylor walked the long way back to her car with a stick of cigarette pressed between her lips. Nobody believed it if they did not see it. The prideful and confident Taylor McKessie was downing a bottle of Jack Daniels inside her car. She was still feeling feverish, becoming more and more upset with the fact that the person she truly wanted did not see her the same way.
The emotions surged unto her and passed by like a hurricane but that was until her thoughts were disturbed by the loud ringing of her rose gold iPhone.
"I need some help, Taylor."
An exhausted voice said on the other line, which made Taylor start the engine of her Audi convertible. She sped down the hills of uptown Albuquerque, not minding the risk of getting caught with a DUI or another ticket.
"I'd be damned if this isn't urgent, Gabriella. You are not supposed to be out without Tor."
o o o o o o o
Richard Danforth had a wanton desire for trouble. He was out in the neighborhood like every Friday night, stringing along his next-door neighbor Alfie and his girl Mayton. They did not have any plans for tonight, at least not anything major.
"Chad, bro... My dealer just told me of a banging party uptown. Wanna crash?"
He had never been to uptown Albuquerque. It's a white picket fenced neighborhood with houses so far apart from each other you can literally play golf in between them. The security is tight and although he heard that the parties are loud and fun, it's pretty much hard to get an invite as it is always RSVP.
"If it meant hanging out with those private school pricks, count me out Al."
The gang of three walked along the dark streets of East Village. Everyone is asleep at the moment in this quiet little neighborhood. Their steps took them to the nearby skate park where the three of them smoked a few blunts and drank cheap beer. Their huge fits of laughter filled the empty park. Alfie and Mayton were making out like dogs in heat. Chad smoked his last roll. Their dry thumping sessions disturbed the silence of the park.
Turning to his friends, Chad said, "I'll be buying Corona and Marlboro. Anything you want me to get or do you fancy booking a motel room instead?"
The two lovers just shrugged him off, and Chad was sure he ain't going back there with them anytime soon. He decided to just walk away and let his feet take him anywhere.
He walked the long route to the nearest 7-Eleven, wanting some time to think for himself. Things were not like this about a year ago. But shit happens... He felt his old Jordans rip out into the cemented ground. Poor buddy. A year ago, he wouldn't even let his best friend touch his sneaks.
"Hey..." he was surprised to hear a voice whisper. Usually the streets in their hood aren't nice at night... that voice was particularly too friendly. When he looked up from the gutter where he was sitting on, he saw the most enchanting pair of eyes he ever knew. Chad did not know if it's just the weed, the alcohol, or the deadly mixture of both. He just could not respond in a Chad-like way. When she spoke, there was a lull... a stand still... and as she approached him he could not take his eyes off her undeniably gorgeous face.
"Y-you dropped something."
Chad noticed that her voice was cheery... And that was how he knew that she did not belong there. She was too... innocent. She was not supposed to be there with him.
He saw her hand out a roll of weed. He did not remember rolling it earlier... Maybe Alfie or Mayton did. He immediately snatched the stick off her hands.
"Thanks." Chad asked.
The girl does not seem to understand him. He was right. She did not even know what weed was. Her lips were pursed and her eyes were going on every direction.
"I-I'm lost."
The girl showed her cracked phone. It was pretty much unusable now... The screen showed that it was almost a quarter past two...
"Figures... You're in the wrong hood missy." Chad pocketed the stick and walked woth her towards more common roads. She said that her car stopped working and she can't find any other way out as the roads were blocked.
"I was supposed to go to Damascus and then this happened." She pointed to the now run-down Vios on the corner of the block.
Now if he had any luck... the car was parked in front of the Bolton house.
"Um... I just needed to call a friend. She is in Damascus. I promise I'm not a thief."
Chad wanted to get away as fast as he could. He wanted to help... but seeing the two storey house coming to view, he felt really nervous.
"Look. Use my phone. I'll try to see what I can do with the car." Chad braced himself and prepared for the worst. It was the first time in a year that he walked near the proximity of his old best friend's house. He felt the rush of anxiety and nerves in his blood. When he reached the auto, he observed that the hood was smoking... and the engine just won't start. Classic signs of overheating. How old is this thing anyway?
Chad looked at brunette from the corner of his eye. She looked like she was ready to cry.
"A nice guy told me that we're in East Village."
He heard her tell on the phone. So he is classified as a nice guy, huh?
Well he had other plans and he did not know why the heck he is fixing a stranger's car. She just looked like she needed some help... Perhaps it was her eyes and the way they pleaded and reminded him of everything. The dawn was beginning to crack but the effects of the alcohol does not seem to bother him. He felt sober while fixing the engine...
"My friend would meet me in twenty." The girl told him. Chad frowned at the state of the greasy engine. He knew it would not work even if he tried to jumpstart it.
Wiping the grease from his hands, he told the brunette, "Look. I think we should bring your car to Pop's. It's impossible to fix this tonight."
He observed the way she bit her index finger. Her curls fell perfectly to frame her gorgeous face. The girl replied, "Okay. Thank you for your help. Here's your phone back."
She quickly grabbed his greasy hands and handed him his phone. It seemed that when she touched him, some of the dirt had transferred to her hands because as she wiped the sweat off her forehead, she was laced with a straight black line up to the tip of her nose.
Seeing her undoubting features, Chad could not help but laugh. He laughed so hard that the neighbors opened their lights.
"I'll get you there." Chad found the courage to grab the strangers' hand to the driver's seat. "I'll push the damn thing... just drive."
It was already 3 am and he was supposed to be drunk somewhere downtown. He was surprised at how he had been acting like himself in the last hour... He was supposed to be meeting his dealer... but he found himself pushing a rundown car alone in the middle of the night, all for the pleasure of seeing a stranger smile.
And when they reached the old garage, she stepped out still with her greased forehead, hugging the hell out of him like he was a blessing from above.
"Thank you! You are so kind!"
That was when Chad felt it... He could not explain it at all... but he knew that it was something important.
"Richard." He reached his hand over her.
"Gabriella." That is a nice name. he thought.
o o o o o o o