Parallel Currents
Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.
Chapter Four-Always Forward
February 21, 2014
Los Angeles, California
Gabriella Bolton watched as her husband paced the kitchen floor of their LA condominium. Every few minutes Troy would leave the kitchen and pace the hallway between the front entry and the bedroom, take a few laps around the living room, walk out onto the balcony and watch the skyline, all before returning to the kitchen. Gabriella smiled, amused, as she listened to him argue with the person on the end of the phone.
"But, Dad, it's East High. You love East High. You can't just give that up!" Troy exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The Wildcats have won the championships every year since our sophomore year! What will they do without you?"
He shot an anguished look at Gabriella who shook her head and smiled softly before turning her back on him and pouring herself another mug of coffee. Troy was right that Jack Bolton had created a legacy at East High but Gabriella could do the math. Jack would be pushing fifty-five and retirement had been inevitable. Not only was there the fact that the job required more energy than most men his age were willing to give, there was also the fact that Jack complained every time he missed one of Troy's home games to which he held season tickets. Gabriella had seen her father-in-law's announcement coming; she just hadn't expected Troy to take it so hard.
The sound of the phone being slammed onto the receiver told her that the conversation was over and she looked up from her coffee as Troy entered the room. She slid a water bottle across the marble top of the island counter, but he just shook his head.
"He won't budge. He's determined that this will be his final year. The championships are in three weeks and he'll finish out the semester as the P.E. coach but he's done in June. It seems weird thinking of East without dad there yelling and blowing a whistle every six seconds." Troy glanced up at his wife.
"He wants to be able to watch you play. Plus he's getting older, Babe. He can only chase hormonal teenagers for so long. Did he say who would take over?" Gabriella reached into the fridge and grabbed the container of yogurt, spooning some into a bowl before looking at Troy for an answer.
"I don't know. Jason was helping up until last year when his construction company offered him that position in Charleston. Lately dad's been doing it by himself." Troy sighed, seeing Gabriella's point. His father had been attached to East High for years, even before Troy had reached high school.
"He'll find someone. There's no way he will turn over his team to someone who doesn't love it like he does," Gabriella told him.
"You're right about that."
The hard part was that each time something about Albuquerque changed, Troy found it harder to consider it home.
May 17, 2014
San Francisco, California
Ryan Evans glanced at the blond sitting in the front pew of the church. He flinched as she turned and, catching his eye, glared at him. He could literally feel his heart freeze in his chest. It had been awhile since Sharpay had revealed the side of her that East High had dubbed the 'Ice Princess' and Ryan was slightly uncomfortable that she was using it on him.
For the fifth time in the last thirty minutes, Ryan toyed with the cell phone resting on silent in his pocket. As if Sharpay could read his mind, she leaned over the pew and raised an eyebrow.
"She is going to kill you for not telling her," she hissed, letting her gaze drop to his pocket and then back up to his face. "She'll be devastated."
Ryan looked away, avoiding the truth that was present in his eyes. He had barely spoken to Gabriella since Christmas when she and Troy had driven up to spend New Years with him. He had kept his love life a secret and lied to her face when she asked if he was seeing anyone. He knew Sharpay was right.
"She is one of our best friends and you haven't even called to say 'Hey, Brie, I'm marrying one of my dancers this afternoon in a shotgun wedding because she's such a great catch she may run away if I wait for you to fly out here'." Sharpay slouched against the hard wooden back of the bench. "God, Ryan, I don't even know why I agreed not to tell her."
Ryan tore his eyes away from his fuming sister and looked towards the back of the church where Ariel was waiting for the cue from the pianist. They had wanted to keep the wedding simple which meant no bridesmaids or groomsmen, just his sister and Ariel's roommate to sign the witness lines of the marriage license. Ryan smiled as the graceful young woman glided towards him with practiced steps.
He knew Gabriella would never forgive him for not telling her and Sharpay would hold a grudge for years for putting her in a position of outright lying. He told himself that he would call Gabriella the next morning and tell her. He would tell her how happy he was and how beautiful Ariel looked. How much she understood his passion for dance. He would chatter endlessly so that Gabriella wouldn't catch the hesitancy in his voice or wonder if the reason he didn't want her in San Francisco was because she would take one look at his wife and say the same thing Sharpay had.
But Ryan refused to consider that Ariel was using him for power and money and opportunity. And he refused to give Gabriella the chance to tell him he was using his dancers to forget how much Kelsi had hurt him.
September 4, 2014
New York City, New York
Kelsi shoved her glasses up her nose and adjusted the headband that kept her bangs out of her eyes as she stood in front of her front window in her new apartment. Scattered around her were sealed and partially opened boxes that ranged in size. Some had 'fragile' scrawled across the top in curly cursive. Several smaller ones were stacked on the countertop that also acted as a table with stools lined on one side. In the space originally designed for a small dining room table, stood her piano that had been shipped from London the week before.
Sighing, Kelsi gazed out her window and let a small smile tug at her lips as she took in the view of the six blocks that sprawled between her building and Juilliard where she would be teaching part-time. When he former teachers had learned that she had accepted a job with a music company that produced background tracks and music for major recording artists, they had insisted that she come back to help compose the concert hall pieces for their numerous workshops. Kelsi hadn't been able to find a reason to refuse.
It had been four years since she had been in New York. She kept track of Gabriella and Troy through her parents who lived on the block behind the Bolton's in Albuquerque, and Chad and Taylor were easy enough to find by scanning the sports section of the New York Times. Although she knew what they were up to, her friends hadn't actually spoken to her since the months before Troy and Gabriella's wedding. Kelsi had no idea what Sharpay or Jason were up and the only thing she knew about Ryan was that he wasn't in New York.
Looking around the apartment, Kelsi's eyes fell on a box labeled 'EH Musicales'. That box, she decided, would remain sealed.
April 30, 2015
Los Angeles, California
Troy flipped the page of the morning paper as he listened to Taylor chatter on the other end of the phone. The Lakers were not going to make the finals and Gabriella had thought it would be fun for them to fly up to New York and watch Chad and the Knicks play. Troy tried not to roll his eyes as Taylor listed off all the home games between May and June, adding little tidbits of information in between like when her parents would be there or when her graduation from medical school was.
"You don't care about Austen having a playdate or what show Broadway is playing while you're here, do you?" Taylor Danforth (as of six months ago) asked Troy.
"I'm sorry, there's just a lot going on. How about Brie and I sit down and pick a weekend? We were planning on getting a hotel room anyway so we won't be interrupting your schedule any." Troy scribbled out the dates that Taylor had given him and glanced at the calendar on the fridge as he did so, comparing the Bolton schedule to the Knicks' games.
"How is she feeling?" Taylor asked, switching topics as fluidly as if it had been scripted.
"Pretty shitty. This whole morning sickness lasting all day is making her slightly unpleasant," Troy relayed as he heard water run in the master bathroom.
"They give you a due date yet?"
"Sometime around the middle of October, which is good because I won't be traveling until the middle of November so I will be around. If I need to leave her for anything, my parents said they can fly in and stay with her. Her mom is here at least once a month too." Troy poured a glass of apple juice and handed it to Gabriella who had entered the kitchen. She shot him a look that asked who was on the phone and he mouthed Taylor's name as Taylor yelled something to four-year-old Austen.
"Oh God, Troy, I have to let you go. Austen just found Chad's shaving cream. Tell Gabs that the nausea goes away eventually and it's better than needing to pee every five seconds." With that Taylor hung up and Troy turned to a very pale Gabriella.
"Tay says it gets better," he offered as she sipped her juice and grimaced.
"It had better or this is the only time I do this," Gabriella retorted.
Troy grinned at her as he sipped his morning coffee while she growled. Caffeine withdrawal was still a sore spot in her pregnancy.
June 3, 2015
Houston, Texas
Zeke grinned as he shook hands with the owner of Cesario's Classico Restaurant in downtown Houston. After spending seven months in Venice, Italy, a friend at a local restaurant had put Zeke in contact with his brother who owned a major five star restaurant in Texas. After hearing of Zeke's international and hands-on knowledge of the culinary arts, Giovanni Romanvo had offered him a job as the weekend sous-chef with the potential to advance if all went well.
Zeke had called his parents and booked a flight home to the States.
Looking around the spacious backroom that was outfitted in stainless steel appliances, Zeke's smile widened. Despite the experience of traveling, this was the closest he had come to feeling at home in awhile.
October 17, 2015
New York City, New York
Chad held the phone to his ear as he waited for someone to pick up the phone in the Evans household. Glancing at the clock on the microwave, he calculated the time difference and frowned, knowing that Ryan or What's-Her-Face-The-Wife should be home at this hour. Hearing the line click and the voicemail pick up, Chad sighed as he waited for the cue.
'Hey Ryan, it's Chad. Troy asked me to call you and let you know that Gabriella had a girl last night in LA. I don't know if Sharpay would have called you, but Troy thought you would like to know even if you and Gabs aren't talking. They named her Olivia Penelope. Call me when you get this."
Hanging up, Chad shook his head. Ryan and Gabriella had been best friends all through high school and college even before Gabriella and Sharpay had gotten close, the idea of them not speaking was hard to process but each time it got brought up Gabriella would leave the room or change the subject.
"Did you call him?" Taylor asked as she entered the room. Chad looked up and nodded.
"I got his voicemail. Do you think he'll call her?"
"I don't know. She is pretty upset with him. I think deep down, she's still mad at Sharpay too. The only difference with Sharpay is that Gabs sees her when they go home. Even then, I don't think they see each as much as they used to." Taylor shrugged her shoulders as she poured cereal into a bowl for Austen who had entered the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Hop up, Buddy, and when you're done Daddy will drive you to preschool."
"You working tonight?" Chad asked as he eyed the calendar on the wall.
"Yeah, but I have the next three days off and then I'm on days for the next four." Taylor explained, reading the same schedule Chad was. All her residency shifts were marked in red marker and all of Chad's games and practices were in blue.
"I'm in LA in December," Chad told her and she smiled.
"I'll talk to my attending and see what I can do."
Chad nodded and went to gather Austen's stuff together, wondering how their relationships with their friends had been broken down to phone calls, emails and away games.
March 2, 2016
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sharpay's designer heels clicked dully on the wooden floors. They would need to be replaced she thought as she did a slow 360 degree turn in the lobby of the building she had just bought with the remainder of her trust fund. The walls needed to be stripped and repainted and the lighting had to be redesigned. If she tore out the west wall, she could replace it with panes of glass.
Pulling out a sketchbook, she motioned to the construction worker that had arrived to give her a consultation on the work. Wordlessly, Sharpay handed him the book of drawings which he scanned before taking out a measuring tape and began making notations on her plans. Leaving him to do his job, she ducked under the plastic that hid the back of the building and inspected each of the four rooms that had originally been conference areas.
"The studios are going here. You will have to rip everything out and start from scratch," she called down the hall to the lobby in a businesslike voice.
"We have someone in the Charleston, South Carolina office who redid the American Ballet Company's studios a few years back. He sent us some plans," the worker called as he came up behind her. "Did you go upstairs yet?"
"Last week. The stair case needs to be replaced. I want it wider and less winding. The rooms upstairs were all offices and storage space, it needs to be redesigned." Sharpay led the way up the dust covered staircase.
"You mentioned dressing rooms," the worker inquired and Sharpay nodded. "I need two, big enough for at least twelve people each. One of the rooms will be storage and one will be a classroom. The others need to be torn apart but I'll need three rooms suitable for offices." The worker wrote down everything as Sharpay rattled off her demands.
"I'll send you the estimate next week, Miss Evans."
"You're already hired. When can you start?" She wanted this to happen as soon as possible. Her parents were thrilled that she had finally gotten everything in place. All she needed were teachers and staff.
"Monday."
"Make it happen."
Sharpay was tired of watching her friends' lives move forward while she remained stationary.
August 5, 2016
Los Angeles, California
Gabriella hung up the phone and turned to Troy who was trying to entice ten-month-old Olivia to drink her milk. He looked up from his daughter and saw Gabriella watching them.
"That was Chad?" he asked, bouncing the baby up and down as she giggled.
"Yeah. Taylor had another boy. They named him Alexander." Gabriella watched Troy's face as he registered the middle name of his best friend's second child. A grin split his face as Olivia gurgled.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Chad said you're his constant," Gabriella relayed, smiling at how happy Troy seemed over a name. "He also said something about kicking your butt in a few months."
"I'd like to see him try," Troy retorted.
Gabriella chuckled and took the baby, settling her against her chest as Troy grabbed his gear for practice. It seemed that their lives were always going at breakneck speed.
January 24, 2017
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sharpay leaned over the marble topped counter, grabbing the ringing telephone while directing the construction workers who were trying to center a mounted poster of Swan Lake on the wall behind the reception desk in the studio. Glancing outside, she could see that the sign company had finally arrived and the electricians were directing them around the wires for the spotlights.
"All That Glitters Dance and Arts," Sharpay answered cheerfully.
"How's it going?" her brother asked from the other line.
"Pretty good, actually. The studios are done except for the guys to finish the floors and the offices are done except for furniture. We should be ready to open by spring like expected. That whole roof thing threw me off but we're back on track now." She used her finger to direct a worker carrying a stereo system towards the waiting studio. "How are things on your end?"
"She left me." Ryan's voice was flat as he delivered the news.
"I saw that one coming." Sharpay tried to keep the acid out of her voice.
She blamed Ryan for the disintegration of her friendship with Gabriella in the last few years. They had become distant and Sharpay knew it was because Gabriella was upset that she had withheld Ryan's engagement from her. The few conversations they had had in the months following his wedding had been bitter and sarcastic. Sharpay had only spoken to her once during the week after Olivia's birth and then had heard nothing. It didn't help that both women were constantly busy.
"A little support, Sis, would be nice," Ryan ground out.
"You two fought the entire time we were in Vegas for Christmas. I hardly call that a relationship when it's over why you haven't gotten her a job with Broadway yet," Sharpay sighed. "Look, I know you wanted it to work but it got off to a rocky start and then got rockier. You married her because you wanted to move forward but that's obviously not working out for you."
"So what do I do?"
"Sign the divorce papers, be glad you had Daddy draw up a pre-nup so she gets nothing and then move on from this lesson." A worker signaled for her attention and Sharpay nodded. "I have to go though. Something needs to be looked at."
"Thanks, Sis. Have you talked to Gabs lately?" Ryan sounded hesitant, knowing how his sister felt about that particular argument.
"Not since Olivia was born and before you ask no, Chad and I haven't talked in awhile either. I'll catch you later." Hanging up on her brother, Sharpay surveyed the lobby of her studio.
At least she wasn't the only one drifting away from the pack.
July 27, 2017
New York City, New York
Troy watched his best friend ease himself of his crutches and take a seat on the sofa where Troy was watching game tapes of the Lakers final game in June. He saw the flicker of a wince cross Chad's face as he shifted his injured knee into a better position before turning his gaze back to the television. Muting the announcer's voice, he faced Chad and nervously rubbed the back on his neck.
"Have they told you when you can go back?" Troy asked, referring to the team of doctor's and physiotherapists that had made it their job to get the Knicks MVP back on the court by the beginning of the new season.
"Maybe September. Maybe October. It's hard to know," Chad told him quietly, watching Troy move silently across the screen of the television. "I'm thinking I may not go back." He didn't watch for Troy's reaction.
"But, why? Have they said you won't be able to play? Is that a possibility?" Troy couldn't believe Chad ever giving up basketball willingly. This was Chad Danforth, the kid who refused to sit through class without a ball within hands reach.
"No, it's not them. It's actually me." Chad watched as Troy sunk deeper into the couch cushion in shock. "I will never be able to play the way I did and to me that means its time to step back. if I went back, I would push myself to the limit, blow out my knee again and be right back to square one. I don't want that."
"But you love the game. What will you do without it?" Troy watched as Chad twirled his wedding band around his finger.
"I've had good years playing out my dream. I would have liked more than four but those are the breaks. Then there are the boys and Taylor who is working herself to the bone to finish her residency," Chad sighed and looked at his friend. "I want to spend time with them. I want to be around more than five days at a time."
"So what will you do? They have to pay you out, right?" Troy tried to picture himself making that sort of sacrifice and knew deep down he could do it if the time ever came.
"I talked to my agent and he said that if the coach agrees I would see less court time this season, I have a clause that allows me to cash in the last year of my contract and retire. If not, Taylor and I have enough saved up that we could get by without a whole lot of change." Chad sucked in a breath. "I've been thinking of putting my degree to good use and starting my own company but I haven't nailed down anything concrete."
Troy nodded and had to grin at the idea of Chad becoming a businessman. Shaking his head he opened his mouth, only to be cut off by a loud screeching and a thud followed by crying. He was half out of his seat before Gabriella entered the room carrying a crying two-year-old Olivia while Taylor chastised a six-year-old Austen for ganging up on the younger children.
"Did you realize when you became an adult?" Troy asked quietly as he watched his daughter.
Chad just shook his head and laughed.
November 29, 2017
East High, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Madeline Simmons bounced up and down excitedly as she watched Mrs. Darbus pull down old announcements from the bulletin board and pin a newspaper page in its place. With her honey blond hair and big blue eyes, the budding actress and drama club president considered herself a shoo-in for the winter musicale and today was the day that Darbus was supposed to announce the production they would begin auditioning for after the holidays.
Seeing the drama teacher, who was in her final year at East High, step back from the bulletin board, Madeline put some grace in her step as she approached the board the teacher had just abandoned. Students had already gathered in front and Madeline beamed, thinking that Mrs. Darbus had just posted the page out of the local newspaper that showed Madeline dancing in one of the workshops being run by All That Glitters on the west side. She frowned as she noticed the basketball team shove through the crowd and shout something.
Madeline was about to say something when she caught site of the article Mrs. Darbus had posted. Instead of Madeline doing a pirouette in front of one of the studio's many mirrors; it showed two guys in basketball jerseys facing off on the court. Shoving people out of her way, Madeline got close enough to read the article that was stealing her spotlight.
'The manager of the New York Knicks announced yesterday that their champion player, Chad Danforth, would not be returning to court following a knee injury last February. Danforth was present at the press conference yesterday when the announcement was made, although he had no comment. Long time friend and high school teammate, Troy Bolton, was seen standing off to one side during the conference but told reporters he was there to support his friend in his decision.'
Madeline skimmed through the parts that mentioned the Knicks' stats and playoff chances until finding the answer to her question about why Darbus had decided this was so important. She almost took a step back in shock as she looked at the picture of the two players, one with chiseled good looks and the other with a perfectly shaped afro, and connected them with the tapes of past musicales Darbus kept in her archives.
'Danforth was a member of East Albuquerque's high school state champion team three years running, and played for two years with the University of Albuquerque team before transferring to Yale and then New York University. A phone call to retired Coach Jack Bolton in New Mexico mentioned Danforth as 'dedicated, determined and passionate' who made his decision to retire 'based on his family and a desire to bow out of the league before he did any permanent damage'.
Madeline frowned and turned, seeing Mrs. Darbus watching her. She didn't know that the look on her face showed confusion until the teacher spoke.
"Mr. Danforth was one of my more memorable students in a class of many talented students. That group of students put a lot of faith in this school to break the status quo and sometimes I wonder if they know how much things have gone back to being the same."
"I've heard his name somewhere," Madeline said quietly, "his and the other guy's."
"That class did amazing things for the theatre and their dreams. You would do well to ask Miss Evans about it the next time you have class."
Madeline didn't know what to say as the teacher walked away.