Guess who came for the weekend?!

Yes, my lovely boyfriend. Well sometimes lovely. He was an asshole who ditched me last weekend, but all is forgiven because he's here now. He was actually supposed to come next weekend, but we decided this weekend would be better.

"Come on, everyone's outside," I tell him, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the house to the backyard.

My mom made some pasta salad and my dad was grilling some chicken and some delicious carne asada. They were actually excited to meet Mark so I was happy. I know they don't dislike him, they just don't like the fact that I'm in a semi long distant relationship. In their mind, those never end good. But they don't know how well Mark and I bonded while we were in Spain and how we spent almost every single day together. I just wish they could see that today.

My brother was sitting at the table with his feet up on another chair while he was playing a game on his phone while my sister was sliding down the slide in her little playground farther in the back of the yard. My dad was at the grill and my mom was picking some lemons from our lemon tree while watching my sister. Everyone was off doing their own thing and I just wish they all were standing together when he came so he could feel welcome.

"Mom!" I called out to her.

It took three calls but she finally heard and came right over carrying a basket full of lemons. She put them down on the table and smiled at Mark while giving him a hug. "It's so nice to meet you, I'm Lidia."

"So nice to meet you as well," Mark tells her being the gentleman that he is.

Next came my dad who gave him one of those bro hugs and they got acquainted. And then to my surprise, Josh was actually really nice to him. He introduced himself and said he's heard great things. I know my brother's not mean at all, but he could have just left it at, "hey I'm Josh." So I really appreciated that.

And then my little sister came running towards us and I thought for sure she was going to run up to Mark because she LOVES new people, especially boys, but nope she zipped right past us and ran to... Troy?

We turned around to see where she was going and sure enough, it was into the arms of Troy. WHAT? It was always cute to see Ava so excited when she saw Troy and how happy she was to be with him, but this was Mark's time to get Ava's love and affection, something I'm sure she would have given him if Troy didn't show up. I wasn't mad, but ugh.

"Sorry, no one was coming to the door," he tells us, walking towards us with Ava in her arms.

He sees Mark and I first and sort of freezes up. No, not freezes up, but the look on his face is kind of like, "oh shit." And I'm just standing there kind of awkwardly since Josh is back at the table, my dad's back at the grill and my mom's putting lemons into three separate bags, probably for family members.

So I had no other choice but to introduce them to each other, "Troy, this is Mark, Mark this is my next door neighbor Troy and Josh's friend." I threw that in there because I don't know. Just because.

Troy smiled at him and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Oh Troy!" My mom finally got up and came over to him, "I'm sorry. We're all out there. We should just give you a house key," she joked. But I don't really think she's kidding. He hasn't been over that much lately, but I guess during the summer he was over constantly.

"Yeah, you probably should," he joked back, putting Ava down and kissing her on the top of the head before she ran inside. Ugh he was so cute with her. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company."

I didn't care that he was here, but at the same time, I wanted Mark to meet and bond with my family. And it's not that he'll intervene with that, but still, he's not family, so.

"I'm gonna go," he tells us, standing back up, "Josh, call me later!"

But before he could turn around to leave, my mom grabbed his arm, "Oh nonsense! You're practically family. Stay, we're having your favorite pasta and Jose's grilling up some chicken. We have more than enough to go around."

Oh great, mom. He was out the door and now you pulled him back in. But what was I supposed to do about him? Kick him out? Nope. He looked at me, probably asking for my permission or something, I don't know, and I just smiled. I guess it was okay.

What could Troy possibly do to jeopardize this? Nothing.

"So where are you applying for college?" my mom asks Mark as were well into our meal already.

We got past the typical questions the parents ask when meeting the boyfriend or girlfriend for the first time. Age, about their family, what they do, etc. So far, so good. Everyone was being really nice to him. Not that they'd be mean, but still.

Mark held off on putting a spoonful of pasta salad in his mouth to answer my mom's question. "I've always wanted to go to UCLA, but lately, an East Coast school sounds like a good experience so maybe Brown or Columbia. Or any school really over there."

"Oh Troy!" my mom exclaimed, switching her gaze from Mark over to Troy who was sitting right across from me, "isn't Columbia one of your choices for college?"

Troy shrugged as he finished chewing some of his chicken, "Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about it."

I know my mom didn't even realize what she was doing, but did she seriously have to ask Troy that? I'm sure Mark doesn't have it in his head that I like Troy or that he likes me because that's not the case at all, but he even knows that Troy's an attractive guy and add that he's my neighbor, I mean, that probably doesn't put him at ease too much. Along with the fact that my mom loves Troy and Ava won't stop talking to him. I don't know. I felt bad.

"Maybe even Pepperdine, right?" I chimed in. I had to. That was my mom's Alma Mater, it will for sure take her attention from Troy back on Mark. "Isn't that what you've been telling me?"

He smiled at me and then looked back at my mom, "Yeah, I've always been interested in Pepperdine as well."

BINGO. "Oh my Alma Mater! I'm so happy to hear that!" I knew it would work. "You have to at least take a tour of the school. You know what, it may be too short of a notice this time, but next time you're in town, I'd love to take you and show you around! Even if you don't end up wanting to go there."

It was too easy.

"Sure," he tells her, "I'd love that."

"Mom! Can I please go to Troy's house?" Ava interrupts the sweet moment between my mom and my boyfriend by tugging on my mom's sleeve to get her attention. "I'm finished with my food."

My mom turns to her and puts her head down a bit to get to eye level with Ava, "Sweetie, Troy's eating right now and I'm sure there's more things for you to do here than at his house."

Troy had an older sister who was away at college and that's it. No younger siblings. So I'll never quite understand why his house appeals so much to little Ava. Maybe it's his mom? I've talked to her a few times and she was nothing but sweet. Or maybe it was his step dad who seemed like the kindest guy around. I've never met him, but every morning he puts our newspaper on our front porch so we won't have to walk all the way down the driveway to get it. It's very nice of him. It just seems like a quiet house, not one for a little girl, but she's always asking to go over. And she does go over. Well, since I've been home, she's only been once, but my mom tells me she's always asking to go over and yeah. It's quite strange.

"My mom's not home, but we can go when she gets home okay?" Troy stepped in, "Why don't you go watch TV or something and I'll tell you when she's home?"

I smiled at him. Ava wasn't bratty by any means, but she was a little stubborn sometimes. She always listened to him, though. So of course she ran off to the living room and turned on the TV to watch her favorite cartoon, Spongebob.

"Sorry," Troy apologized to my mom and I have absolutely no idea why. "She loves Ollie."

Who's Ollie?

My mom shook her head, "She has two dogs right here at home!" she laughed, "I guess she likes smaller dogs."

Oh yeaaaah. Troy has a little shih tzu dog. I guess that's why she likes going over. Figured it out. Not that it was bugging me, it was just a bit weird how she always wanted to go over. Now it makes sense.

"So what did you guys do in Spain?" my dad spoke up after a few minutes of silence on his end. He was too busy finishing his food. You know men.

Mark grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it a bit. This is what I wanted. Him to just feel comfortable enough to hold my hand anywhere. It's not like anyone could see, but it still made me smile. "We visited a lot of museums, statues, all that. And we even went to a Real Madrid soccer game, which was great because that's my favorite team."

Oooh, bad move. "Oh really? My favorite is Barcelona." So is mine.

"Oh," Mark said and then glanced at me. "They're both pretty good." Nice, try.

But my dad just smiled at him. I knew he dropped a couple points in his book, but that didn't mean he didn't like him anymore. "Troy and I were watching that game right here and I gotta admit, Ronaldo's goal was one of the nicest I've ever seen. Right Troy?"

Troy pushed his plate to the side of him and wiped his mouth with his napkin, "Oh yeah, might be a little cocky, but he's one of the best players out there today. It was a very nice goal."

What?! What is Troy doing watching soccer with my dad?! That was my thing. Josh watched football with my dad and I watched soccer. We would watch every single Barcelona game and the Real Madrid games if we weren't busy and every Liverpool game from the English premiere league. I WAS REPLACED WHEN I WAS IN SPAIN? Ugh. First with Ava, then with Josh, and now with my dad? Who does Troy Bolton think he is?!

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's going to stay with them for a long time," Mark told them, "but your guys' striker is coming in hot this season. It's going to be a good game between Real Madrid and Barcelona."

And then they just kept talking about it. I knew what they were talking about, but I decided not to chime in. I wasn't mad at Troy. How could he have known that soccer with my dad was my thing? But I was a little annoyed how it seemed like he just made himself into my family when I was gone. I had one brother, I didn't need two. Not that I would ever want him as my brother. He's so good looking. Sometimes I can't stop staring, but of course I do. Ugh.

But at least Mark was in conversation with my dad about his favorite sport, so that was a plus.

"Sorry I stayed," Troy told me as I went to get Ava from his house later on that evening.

After dinner, he took Ava to his house and left us so we could all talk some more. Then we took it outside and my parents seemed to be in good conversation with him and Josh so I decided to go get Ava since it was time for her to get ready to go to sleep.

I smiled at him. I didn't want him to think I was mad, because I wasn't. Maybe just a little annoyed. Not exactly at him, though. "It's okay," I told him, "Like my mom said, you're practically family, right?"

He laughed and led me to the living room where Ava was with his little dog, "You don't think so, that's why I felt bad. I didn't want to stay."

I stood there as he walked further into the living room to where Ava was. "I've been gone. I don't know what it's like around my house anymore," I told him, which was semi true. I mean, everything's the same. But is Ava going to want Troy to take her to the park instead of me now? Will it now be my dad, Troy, and I when we watch the Barcelona games? Is Troy going to tag along to every meal my brother and I share? And will my mom invite him to every dinner?

I guess that's all that changed. Troy coming into our lives. It wasn't a bad thing, but everyone seems so used to him, and I'm just over here kind of left out.

"I don't know what it was like before, so I can't answer that, really," he tells me. Fair enough.

And then he knelt down and started playing with Ava and his dog and honestly, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. There's nothing more attractive than an attractive guy playing and hanging out with a little girl. It made me smile and it made me forget all this annoyance I had inside of me for Troy.

Why did he have to seem so perfect?

"Gabby did you know that Troy and I made cookies?!" Ava looked up at me as she tried to get little Ollie in her lap but it wasn't working out that well, "and we decorated them!"

What? How long has Ava been over here? I guess she has been here a while. He was subconsciously babysitting her while my parents were busy getting to know Mark. I guess that's really nice of him.

"Are there any left for me?"

Ava smiled and laughed as Ollie climbed up to lick her little cheek, "Ollie stop! I'm only allowed to kiss you!" she exclaimed before trying to push him off in a playful manner, "Ollie is so nice Gabby we need to have one!"

I've always wanted a little shih tzu but I was happy with my Golden Retriever and my Labrador. "Maybe when you turn 8," I tell her. That's when I got my dog. And then at 8 years old, Josh got the Labrador. It was sort of like tradition in our house.

"Come on Ollie, say goodnight to Ava," Troy picked up his dog and stood up with him. It made Ava stand up too, but she wasn't ready to go just yet. And strangely, neither was I.

I realized this was only the second time I've been in his house. The first time, I just stood in the main room and talked to his mom for a bit while I waited for Josh and Troy to come downstairs. But now I was in his living room. I took a look around and there were pictures everywhere, paintings, little antiques. It may sound over the top, but it actually looked very simple. I really liked it. I went over to look at some of the pictures and it was a family picture. His mom, step dad, sister and him. His sister was gorgeous. Just like him. It's not fair that the Bolton family had such good genes. Even their mom was hot. And I know their step dad wasn't their real dad but he was handsome too. God must have spent a little more time on them, that's for sure.

"Do you miss your sister?" I asked him, holding up the picture I was just looking at.

He put Ollie down and walked a bit towards me and looked at the picture I was referring to. He chuckled a bit to himself and then turned around, "Oh yeah. But she's not far. UC Irvine. So she'll visit quite a bit once everything's situated and stuff. And I'll visit her."

I looked back at the picture and I guess something funny took place that day. It seemed like they were all trying to hold their laughter in so I guess that's what Troy was laughing at.

And then I realized I didn't know much about him. This guy who my parents probably consider like another son, my brother who's basically best friends with him, and my little sister who idolizes him was now apart of my life whether I liked it or not. And I barely knew anything about him. Not that I was supposed to, I've only known him for two weeks, but still. I felt like I should know a few things about him. Like about his family.

"Do you still talk to your dad?" I asked, afraid of the answer. I had no idea if he had any sort of relationship with him, if he had passed or anything like that. So I immediately regretted asking that question.

"Oh yeah," he tells me, grabbing a tennis ball and throwing it to an empty space so Ollie could fetch it, "he's like my best friend. I talk to him all the time."

Relief. Good. "Oh that's good," I tell him, putting the picture down, "Where does he live?"

"Calabasas," he told me as he took a seat on the couch. Ava ran off with Ollie into the next room or something. And if Troy didn't go after her, I assume it's safe for her to. "So not far at all. We used to all live around the area, but then my mom found this home and it was her dream home, so we moved."

"And you didn't want to stay? Finish high school there?"

He shrugged, "A little bit. But as much as I love my dad, my mom's my girl. I would hate to commute 30 minutes to school every morning and then 30 minutes home, so yeah, I just transferred. I do go and see my dad at least twice a week or whenever I feel like it and I'll stay as much as I can with him."

I was happy to hear that. I've never had to endure divorced parents, thank God. But it seemed like they had it figured it. I'm glad it seems like there's no bad blood between any of them and that Troy still has relationships with both of his parents. It always breaks my heart when moms or dads take their kids away and the other parent doesn't get to see them, even if they would like to.

"Is he remarried?" I knew I was asking quite a bit of questions, but I was interested.

He nodded, "Yeah, she's great. I know it doesn't always happened like this, but my parents had a very clean divorce and they're still friends, believe it or not. And they're both happily married so it's all good. They just married too young, nothing drastic."

No cheating? Good. "Well, that's good. I could not even begin to imagine what I'd do if my parent's divorced," I tell him, taking a seat on the couch opposite form him. "It's all I've ever known so I'm sure I wouldn't handle it that well."

"Yeah, they split when I was 5 so I didn't understand it too much which is good I guess," he tells me, "I mean, they married when she was 20 and he was 21, because they were so in love. They didn't think about everything. So 7 years later, they called it quits." Ah just like my parents! Minus the divorce.

I opened my mouth to respond, but we heard a loud thump and we both jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen where it came from.

And there was Ava on the ground with tears forming in her eyes. And Ollie right next to her trying to sniff her.

"Ava, what happened?!" I asked her, getting on the ground with her and pushing her hair out of the way, "Did you fall? Does it hurt?"

She just nodded, "I tripped over my shoe," she pointed to her shoe a few feet away, "Ollie told me to take off my shoes so I did and I fell!" Okay, I shouldn't be laughing but I am. And Troy was too. He was standing above us, trying his best not to laugh, but we couldn't help it.

"Well, where does it hurt?"

She just shrugged and then reached up for me to carry her. I don't know why, but I felt a sense of happiness. I thought for sure she'd want Troy to take care of her, but she wanted her sister and it made me feel happy. It meant that I was back and that she needed me.

"My knee," she tells me as I sat her on the counter. I looked at it and it looked a little red but there were no cuts or scrapes, thank God. "Ollie needs to apologize to me."

Again, we both laughed. I couldn't help it. "He will, okay? But let's get you home and get you to sleep, okay?"

She rubbed her eyes and sort of shook her head, "But my knee! I can't walk!"

Troy then opened his freezer and took an ice pack out and then wrapped it around a few napkins and put it on her knee, "If you leave this on for 2 minutes, you will feel much better. And then we just have to put a band-aid on it, and you'll be all fixed, okay?"

She smiled at him and nodded her head as if every word he was saying was the absolute truth. She didn't even look hurt but that fact that he entertained her and didn't diminish her injury made me smile. It was sweet. He was sweet. And he was so good with Ava.

"All better?" I asked her after a few minutes of the ice being on her and Troy applying a band-aid.

Ava latched onto me, her arms around my neck like a little monkey, "All better," she tells me and then peeks her head up, "Thanks Troy. I still love Ollie a lot because he's so cute!"

And of course, we laughed. And then we were on our way out.

"Thank you," I turned to him, Ava well on my shoulders, resting her head, "...for everything." Which meant taking care of Ava in every sense and for kind of letting me into his world. I mean, it only made sense since he was in my family's.

He just smiled and walked us out and once we were on our driveway, he walked back in and shut the door. And then I opened the door and raced Ava upstairs to bed. It didn't matter that she wasn't saying goodnight to Mark, she needed to get to bed and make her little knee feel better. And once she was all tucked in, I just stared at her. But I wasn't thinking about her. I was thinking about Troy. And it wasn't in a way I should be when my boyfriend who I like so much is downstairs hanging out and getting to know with my parents.

What was happening?