I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love, and I know that it's all mine.
Oh, oh whoa
The decision of picking a cheerful song for my morning alarm may not have been such a wise idea. If any, it makes me more irritated that someone can sing in a chirpy voice at this ungodly hour, and it certainly doesn't stop me from wanting to kill the world. Oh! Maybe I should change it to The World Is Not Enough?
I stretched a little, trying to make the sleep go away. Ughh, my feet are killing me. I think me and Taylor went around all Albuquerque backwards and forwards at least a dozen of times. Why did I think that it was such a great idea to go shopping without taking my car I don't know. Yes, there is that shopping center not too far away from my apartment building where Taylor could have found her dream dress, but what were the chances? Wedding is considered by many to be one of the most important days in life, the day when you want everything to go smoothly and accordingly to plan and of course to have the most beautiful dress. It is only fair that Taylor wanted to take a look at almost every dress, deciding what will look better at her so as not to have any regret about any sphere of her wedding day. And after picking out dresses there were flowers, and after that there was cake…
And it really didn't help that I managed to remember a new shop at the other end of town almost every time.
So we went round and round until Taylor found what she wanted. She wasn't turning into one of those crazy brides; rather she is a perfectionist and wants everything to be accurate. God, I can tell that going with her and Sharpay for bridesmaid dresses is going to be a much harder task. I'll definitely take my car.
My bedroom door creaked open, Taylor's head peaking in.
- Good morning. You awake? – She asked quietly. I groaned and hid my face behind a pillow.
- Unfortunately.
- Well it's time to get up. I'm already dressed and just found out that we don't have much for breakfast. – I took the pillow away and prepped up on my elbows, looking at her. She was dressed smartly as usual but comfortable enough for the day ahead. Yet another confusing day for me, I suppose.
- There should be some milk in the fridge and cereals. That will do for right now, we'll probably go for lunch with Ry and Shar after we get them to hotel. Give me a couple of minutes to get ready.
After a quick shower, I was pondering over what to wear. According to the weather forecast in my phone it is going to be a rather hot day, so there is no need to dress too pretty, because I will probably soon feel like sweaty crap. That means no point in putting on a lot of make up too. So I decided to just put on some sandals, jean shorts, and one of my favourite white blouses that had a country style. I did put on a little make up and left my hair down, deciding to put it into pony tail if I get too hot.
I looked in the mirror and decided that I approve. It is not much, but it feels good enough for me.
The reason I'm thinking so hard about how I look today lives not that far away, actually. It's bad enough that he saw me in my running attire yesterday.
I joined Taylor in the kitchen after some time, and was munching my breakfast glumly when she interrupted my thoughts:
- Gab? Is everything okay? You've been rather quiet lately.
You have no idea. I decided not to tell Taylor about Troy. I mean, it's not some huge secret and I probably will tell her, eventually, if it is still relevant. But right now I figured it'll be better not to worry her with the fact that something strange is going on between Best Man and Maid of Honor. It could make things awkward for her and I don't want that.
So instead I tried to smile at her, consolingly.
- Of course. I am just a bit tired of everything that's going on with my life lately: the move, new work, meeting lots and lots of new people. I'm fine though, no worries, - I looked up at the Beatles clock at my kitchen wall. – At what time should Troy come, again?
That is another thing that makes my day. Because Sharpay usually has so much luggage that it wouldn't possibly fit in my small car, Taylor decided to ask Chad to drive his mother's minivan to the airport. And if Chad's coming to take Sharpay and Ryan from the airport, why not take other main heroes of the upcoming event to come meet them, right? Wrong it is to me, considering that we would have met today anyway during our first rehearsal, but who ever listens to me? So, spacing out on Taylor and Chad's conversation about "teamwork" and "being all in this together since the beginning" I realized two things: 1. I'm going to have to get know Zeke Baylor and Jason Cross; 2. I'm going to spend extra time with Troy – I see you for the first time – Bolton.
- He should be here any minute, I think, so finish up, - she said to me, putting her bowl in the sink. Just as she did that, there was a knock at the door. - Ah, there he is! I'll go open the door.
Speak of the devil.
I sighed and went to put away my own bowl. Wasn't that much hungry anyways.
Taylor and Troy stood talking at my doorway. To my annoyance, he looked like a devil too in simple jeans, converse and light-blue shirt with sunglasses hanging from the pocket. Catching his eye I decided to interrupt their conversation, not wanting to appear as if I was staring at him.
- Hey. Shall we go already?
- Yeah. Chad said that he and the guys are already waiting for us down in the car. – He nodded, looking perfectly at ease. Seems like he gotten around to the idea that we are new acquaintances.
The three of us went down, coming up to the silver minivan. Chad and other two guys were standing near it waiting for us. As Taylor went to 'greet' Chad, others decided to aim their attention on me.
- Yoooo! – This outburst came from Jason, I think. He changed a little bit from high school. – Nice to meet youu! Man! You're so lucky you got such a hot dance partner! – Jason said wiggling his eyebrows at Troy.
- Nice to meet you too,- I mumbled, blushing while Troy hit Jason in the shoulder.
- Where's your manners, dude? – he hissed disapprovingly.
- Yeah, excuse him, he is a bit of a doofus. – Zeke smiled at me kindly and I smiled back at him. – I'm Zeke and this is Jason. – He squinted a little. – Don't suppose we've met already?
Just as I was about to respond, Troy cut me off.
- Doubt it man, Gabriella came from the Big Apple just a couple of weeks ago.
- How generous of you to reply to questions directed at me, maybe I should ask you for help next time my mom asks me about my future? – I snapped at him, I couldn't help it. And as if to make me more irritated he just smirked at me.
- I'll be waiting for your call.
As I was contemplating punching Troy to wipe this cocky expression from his face Chad decided to intervene, shaking his head at us.
- Come on guys, stop acting like you've just came out of jungle. Don't mind them, Gabster.
- We are acting perfectly fine! – Jason said defensively. After Troy climbed into the car, Jason spoke, gesturing for me to get in. – Here, ladies first.
After I slid in beside Troy, Jason and Zeke slammed into me, causing me to be pushed up against Troy. I think I'm gonna die from blood loss, cause it all went to my cheeks. Jason and Zeke burst out laughing.
- Guys! What the hell! – Troy snapped, holding me so that I didn't hit the front seat with my head. – Go to the second row. Now.
- Aye aye, captian. – Jason said, still laughing, but climbing to the back seats. – Sorry, Gabriella, you okay?
- Uh-huh, I just admire your sense of humour. – I said drily, trying to shake away the feeling of Troy's arms over me. What is it with him holding me up?
- Here, let's change seats, come sit by the window in case one of those idiots decides to grace us with their jokes again. – Troy said, motioning for me to climb over him. As I did just that, Zeke looked at me sheepishly,
- We are sorry. I promise we are not like that all the time.
- It's okay, really. I'm fine. – At least I'm fine with them. Can't say the same thing about this hot and cold guy beside me. I glanced at him sideways but he seemed to be immersed in his phone. He looked up at me as if feeling my eyes upon him and I immediately turned away to the window. I closed my eyes, cursing myself for my lack of composure. Damn it! Can't I just appear cool for once in my life?
- Well, well, well. What a company to spend my time. – Sharpay drawled in the suggestive tone checking out each of the guys. We are standing at the airport, still waiting for Ryan.
Taylor rolled her eyes.
- Careful, Shar. Wouldn't want to appear like some too forward airhead now, would you?
Sharpay gasped indignantly.
- Hey! Stop ruining my first impression. – She said, chewing on her bubblegum.
Although Sharpay does look like a complete bimbo, always making lewd comments and telling harsh things, she is actually a very honest and sincere person, who will never leave you at your worst. She is a very valuable friend, but you need to get over her bitchiness at first to see that. It is a rather wise act that led her to having a little group of loyal friends instead of lots of people who were attracted to the wealth of her parents.
My attention shifted to the slide doors, where I saw a blonde man coming our way. I smiled brightly. He is also one of my best friends and I missed him and his sister.
- Hey girls! – He greeted us happily, giving a hug Taylor, than me. – Seems like I haven't seen you in a year, so much had gone on! Gabriella, trust you to go away and start to take everybody with you! Soon I'll be in New York all alone, I swear. – I giggled at him as he slung his arm over my shoulder. Then he turned to the guys. – Hello everybody. I'm Ryan, Sharpay's twin brother.
- To precede any miscommunication, Ryan is not gay and he and Gabriella are not sleeping together. – Sharpay said, rummaging in her purse. We just looked at her disbelievingly. – I'm gonna go find a smoking room, while you can take our bags to the car, kay? – She wasn't really asking, already being headed in the other direction.
- I swear if she wasn't my sister, I would have killed her someday. – Ryan muttered.
- But isn't it more convenient? I mean, it is easier to kill her if you are living together and everything. – I looked up at him conspiratorially.
- Hmm. I'll have to think about this. – we laughed and Ryan went to shake hands with Chad, Troy, Zeke and Jason.
- How can we think that you are gay and that you and Gabriella are sleeping together at the same time? – Jason asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.
- Oh there are so many stories, you wouldn't believe… - Ryan said widening his eyes. But for real. Because of his upbringing and relation with Sharpay, Ryan has always been a fashionable boy, Sharpay making sure that their outfits didn't clash at school. His career choice of becoming a choreographer also didn't help with the fact that almost everybody misinterpreted his sexuality. At first it bothered him but then he decided that in the world of art it's a quite common thing and let go of that complex.
A more bothering fact was that those few boyfriends that I had in university thought that me and Ryan were having some sort of affair. It was ridiculous: all of them thought that he was gay and that we are more than friends. How could that be possible I'll never know.
Just to make things clear neither me, nor Ryan have ever harbored any feelings for each other. It's just that I'm more comfortable around him. Maybe that's exactly because he is my friend - I have never regarded him as a person of opposite sex, though that might be offending a little for him. As a result, I liked to hang out more with my friends and Ryan than with any of my boyfriends. I can't quite relax with men; they seem too pushy and confusing. The only guy I've ever felt at ease with and still thought of him as an attractive person of the opposite sex was Troy, but that seems so long ago. Now he is confusing too.
As Troy was putting in the last bag that was in his hands in the back of the car, Sharpay came back, sauntering towards us.
- Thanks, hot stuff. – She flipped her blond hair back and climbed into the car. Troy glanced at her, seemingly not impressed with her antics. Yes, they're probably going to have some problems understanding each other at first; Troy has never liked girls who behave like this. In fact, since their arrival his mood turned sour for some reason.
- She's better than what you might think of her right now. – I said to him. Why I said that to him I have no idea. I just feel the need to talk to him, to find out the reason of his lack of acknowledging me.
- She's your friend, I know she can't be that bad. You wouldn't have become close to her if she were.
I raised my eyebrows at his reply.
- Interesting. And how would you know that, oh stranger?
He simply grinned and gestured for me to get into the minivan. I huffed and complied; after all, we weren't alone and I don't want to discuss it with everybody present.
- Hey! We were here yesterday, they have the best chocolate and mint muffins I've ever tasted! You should try it!
- Really? I was thinking more of having some meat pie right now…
- Ugh, I'm lazy… Can you guys just grab me something? Something substantial, something sweet and a nice coffee?
- Make that two!
We made plans with everybody else to come get us after Ryan and Sharpay settle in and we go for a quick lunch. So our small company decided to go into the coffee shop near Ryan and Sharpay's hotel, Taylor insisting on going at this exact place because it impressed her so the day before. I wasn't in the mood to protest, my stomach's been killing me for some time, punishing me for my lack of breakfast.
Just as Taylor led Ryan away to take a look at the different pastries displayed at the cabinet, Sharpay leaned back in her seat at the small booth we found, looking at me questionably.
- So, - She raised her brows at me.
- So? – I looked at her in confusion. Gotta be more specific blondie, I'm not good with hints.
- What was that?
- What was what? – I sighed, irritably. – Sharpay, you might want to start speaking in finished sentences, you know I hate when you play these mind games.
She rolled her eyes at my answer.
- What's going on between you and that jock?
- I don't know whether you realize it but all of them are jocks.
- Gabriella. – She said in a warning tone. – You know who I'm talking about. The one you've been exchanging all kinds of glares and little glances. Even my Ryan radar has gone off! You can't just sit here and tell me that you two just met yesterday, I won't buy that shit. Trent, was it?
I hesitated a little before answering her.
- It's Troy. And I don't know what's really going on either. It's just that we studied in the same high school with the guys, and we talked a little bit with Troy back then… - I trailed off. – To put it simply, we know each other since high school, and I know that he recognizes me but he keeps on going as if he sees me for the first time. The other guys do too, but I'm sure they really think that they've never seen me before.
- Uh-huh. And there's no motive for such behavior?
- None that I know of. And I decided not tell Taylor about it yet, don't want to give her extra worries before her wedding; preparations are already gonna be hard enough for her, emotionally wise.
Sharpay nodded, seemingly agreeing with me. Good girl. Although, there is one thing in her words that caught my attention… From the corner of my eye I saw Taylor and Ryan paying for their order. Guess I'll need to be quick about it.
- Shar? What did you mean when you said "Ryan radar has gone off"?
She snorted.
- Please. Didn't you see those looks Mr. Anonymous was giving you two? He was clearly not happy. I didn't tell everybody that you and Ryan are not sleeping together just because I felt like it, you know?
- Your orders, ladies! Care to tell us the topic of your conversation? – Ryan said while helping Taylor place food trays.
- Nothing in particular. Just bitching on Taylor about how she blindsided us. – Sharpay said unwrapping the bagel. – Mm, that's delicious!
- I know, right! Does it count for my apology at not telling you guys?
- Maybe.
I laughed at my friends. All of us are so different it's almost impossible to understand how we became friends in the first place. Out of our group of friends Sharpay was usually the one to understand the unspoken meanings, to take the hints but I don't know… It just doesn't make sense to me. If Troy didn't like me getting buddy-buddy with another guy, shouldn't he be the one to initiate our conversations?
- Gabs, if you will continue to sit with that frown on your face, I swear I'll steal your muffin! – Ryan's voice brought me out of my thoughts. Gee, somebody's hungry. But I really need to pull myself together before Taylor starts to suspect that something is going on. So I plaster a smile on my face and remember my stomach that's on the brim of having hysteria by now.
- One-two-three, One-two-three, One-two-three… Troy, if you continue going this fast Gab's going to have to put on sneakers instead of heels in order to keep up with you!
We are currently in the backyard of Chad's parents' house, trying to rehearse our waltz. Trying being the operative word though. I mean I've never been a star dancer but Troy is fighting hard with me to win the first place in the "The most clumsy person of the night" competition. Almost one hour and half has passed by now; everybody went in to have some drinks while I, Ryan and Troy continued to rehearse our waltz.
It took little time for Taylor and Chad to get accustomed to the dance; after showing them the main steps and even adding a little flair – to show off the future bride, they fell into the waltz so perfectly, as if they were always dancing together. Considering that neither Taylor nor Chad have ever shown much interest in dancing before, it really seemed quite impressing. Which can't be said for mine and Troy part.
At first it was really hard for me to get accustomed to him being so close. His left hand was burning through the fabric of my blouse on my waist and his smell was kind of messing with my head, making it nearly impossible for my mind to cooperate with my feet. They appeared too long away from my brain. After a while though, I managed to concentrate on my feelings of confusion and irritation towards him. And that was when we realized that I'm not the only one with two left feet here.
- Your movements have to be slower, more gracious. And quit gripping her hand so tight or else she's going to have a bruise! – Troy blew out a breath of irritation at Ryan's words but loosened his tight grip. Thank you! I don't know about a bruise but it was quite uncomfortable. I can't blame him though; my palms are sweaty as hell.
- How about we just take a break? Maybe we need to relax a little and try again after 5 minutes or so? – I asked Ryan with hope lacing my voice.
- No way! Nobody's taking a break unless I see some progress here. We don't have that much time so we are going to dance whole night if we have to!
I pouted. God he is harsh. Troy looks as if he is going to kill him any moment. He sweared under his breath, closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his feet.
- Troy, are you trying to find something you lost? Because I don't think there could be another reason to not look your partner in the face during dance! – Oh my God, I didn't know Ryan could be like this. I think Troy's gonna snap any moment now. His eyes are dark blue from fury and he clenched his jaw. I looked at Ryan, trying to silently communicate with him to go a little easy on Troy, or there will be consequences. He seemed to catch my silent message. – Okay Troy, how about you take a little break and watch how we dance? Maybe this way you'll understand how it should be done.
Um, that's not exactly what I meant. If looks could kill, Ryan will be a dead man. No, he will be a dead man and already buried deep deep in the ground. But hey, at least he's not shouting at us, right?
After Ryan made Troy step aside and took my hand I realized that there really is nothing too complicated about waltz. First square – square – a turn – square… Dancing with somebody who didn't make my hormones run in every direction proves to be fairly simple. After waltzing for a couple of minutes Ryan stopped and turned to look at Troy.
- See? There's nothing complex here. Just try it again, try to relax. I'm sure you can learn it; it just may be easier for me to dance with Gabriella since we've known each other for so long.
- Yeah, that must be it, - Troy replied with sarcasm dripping from his voice. I glared at him. It's your own fault, buddy.
- Okay, now try it again. – Ryan pushed me in Troy's direction.
- Ryan! – Sharpay called from the opened window, waving for him to come over.
- Uh, I'll be a minute guys, try to run it over by yourselves in the meantime, okay? – He didn't wait for our answers, so much like his sister, leaving us alone to stare awkwardly at each other.
- Seems that he is not going to leave us at peace until we do this properly, huh? – I tried to break the tension cheerfully. Troy gave me a stiff smile and took a step towards me.
- I'm sorry. I have no idea how to waltz; I even skipped prom in high school to escape it. – Yeah, I remember. Hundreds of offended girls he refused to take to prom. He cocked is head to the side, looking at me. His eyes have changed its slightly colour by now; being more azure blue instead of the dark blue from before. I chose to let his remark slide, not commenting on it.
- Well you're not gonna escape your best friend's wedding.
He grinned seemingly more at ease than before.
- That I'm not. – He took another step towards me, placing his left hand on my waist and taking my hand in his. – Shall we try again than?
- Okay, - I swallowed, trying to control my breathing. Where are those feelings of irritation that helped me so well?
He began to move slowly, cautiously, trying not to step on my feet. I held my breath, concentrating on his movements. And surprisingly, it didn't appear to be a hard task. Without Ryan hovering over us Troy seemed to relax, leading me gracefully in the dance as if he were dancing his whole life. And it only felt natural for me, once I managed to control my breathing, to be guided by him through the waltz. Squares and turns weren't a dance figure now; instead they were just a part of the whole feeling that we were experiencing, as cheesy as it sounds.
- That's wonderful! I should have just left you alone since the beginning of our rehearsal. – Ryan clapped his hands looking at us surprised. I stepped away, blushing furiously. Damn. I got too into this. Troy, on the other hand, seemed to be completely fine, glancing at Ryan almost smugly. – Sharpay just nagged at me to give you guys a break but it seems that you earned your break all by yourself! Let's just run it again one more time and it's going to be enough for today.
One more time? No, I'm not going to cope with it. Troy stepped close to me confidently, placing his hand on my waist. Seems like I don't have much choice now, do I?
AN: There goes another chapter. Thanks to those of you who are staying with me! I would have been a little discouraged if it wasn't for you, to be honest. So thank you, again!
And happy belated birthday to Tina's little brother
Possible reviews and feedback are always appreciated.
