This story is moving along just nicely. This is definitely a Traylor, but the story is moving at a good pace, I think. I don't know what came over me but I just kept writing, this is definitely the longest chapter I have ever written, so I hope you guys like it a lot. Anywho thank you guys so much for the reviews, story alerts, and favorite story alerts. Enjoy!
Ultimatum
Chad ran up the steps to Taylor's house with both his mom and dad on his heels. The house was completely dark, and a little to quiet for his taste, which made his stomach do multiple flips. There was no immediate answer, so he banged harder and much louder, "Alright son, we don't want to wake the neighbors" said Mr. Danforth. Mrs. Danforth was tapping her foot lightly as she stood next to her husband.
"No disrespect dad, but I really don't care. You didn't hear her on that phone dad….she um…" said Chad choking up, he was too scared and upset to even finish his sentence.
"I understand, but we have to keep a level head in order to help Taylor…alright" said his father.
Chad shook his head in understanding as a light illuminated within the house, catching all of their attentions. They heard fumbling down the stairs as someone was now struggling with the locks on the front door. Mrs. McKessie opened the door and was shocked to see the older Danforth brood in front of her doorstep, "What the hell are you doing here?" she said, clearly still drunk.
Chad moved passed her into the house, while his parents were right behind him, "Taylor!" he yelled out, looking around the first floor.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?!" shouted Mrs. McKessie again.
"We're here to help Taylor, Sharon. Chad received a disturbing phone call from her, and I hope and pray to God that you didn't do what I think you've done" said Mrs. Danforth seriously. Mrs. McKessie rolled her eyes and crossed her hands over her chest, "I dare you come in here acting all high and mighty Debra…don't judge me, remember you have some secrets yourself" said Mrs. McKessie nastily.
"Yeah…and we've worked through those" said Mr. Danforth, "When are you gonna start working on your issues, and not taking it out on your only flesh and blood" he spat out.
"Stephen…please" said Mrs. McKessie, "You don't even know what happened here…when are you gonna start minding your own business!" she said angrily walking into her kitchen to grab a drink.
Chad ran up the steps, once he was satisfied that Taylor wasn't on the first floor. His heart was pounding at a rate all too fast, he was so scared of what had happened to her, and he had to fight to control his emotions. He ran to her door and braced himself for what he was about to see, opening the door he turned on the light and walked in, his heart immediately dropped as he saw the state that Taylor was in.
"Taylor" he called out quietly.
"Ch…Chad" she cried out, "is that you?" she questioned.
"Yeah it's me" he said running over to her bed side.
"It hurts to move" she said quietly as tears started to escape her eyes. Taylor stayed perfectly still as Chad was looking her over. He noticed the dry blood on her face as well as her shirt, there was a contusion on the side of her head near her eye, and he noticed that her face was starting to bruise. He knew she would have more bruises all over her body, "Mom!" he called out, as he watched Taylor continue to cry. "We're gonna get you out of here…don't worry Tee Cup" he said quietly as he fought back tears.
Taylor shook her head, as he heard his mother rush up the stairs and into the room. "Oh my goodness" Chad heard his mother gasp as she moved closer to the bed. "Taylor honey…are you able to move?" said Mrs. Danforth as she stood over Taylor examining her with her eyes.
"I think I can move…but it hurts too much" cried out Taylor as she started to breathe a little harder. Tears were coming in a steady stream down Taylor's face, as Mrs. Danforth moved Chad out of the way, so she could help Taylor up, "Honey…I want you to try to sit up, as I help you, okay…I need to see if anything is broken" she said. She grabbed Taylor's hand and helped pull her up as Taylor let out a loud scream because of the pain, scaring the life out of Chad. Mrs. Danforth put her nursing skills to use as she started to lift up Taylor's shirt slightly to examine her. There where whelps all over her stomach and back, and her skin was starting to discolor already.
Both Mr. Danforth and Mrs. McKessie heard the noise and rushed up the stairs, "What's going on?" said Mr. Danforth worried as he walked into the bedroom, while Mrs. McKessie was right behind him, she gasped as she saw her only daughter, and ran to the other side of the room. Seeing Taylor in that state almost sobered her up completely, "I couldn't have done that…I couldn't have done that to my baby" she whispered.
"Well you did!" yelled Chad angrily, looking at Taylor's mom in disgust. "Chad what did I say…calm down" said his father.
"Stephen we need to get her to the hospital" said Mrs. Danforth.
"No!" yelled Taylor suddenly, putting all eyes on her, "I don't want to go to the hospital…I'm not going" said Taylor to Mrs. Danforth.
"Honey, we have to take you and get you looked at…it's a precaution we need to take" said Mrs. Danforth quietly.
"I'm not going…they're gonna start asking questions, I'm fine…there's nothing broken okay, I would have felt it" she said shaking her head fiercely.
"Taylor this is the best thing right now, you're hurt and we wanna make sure that everything is okay" said Chad quietly sitting on the other side of her. Taylor continued to shake her head. If she went they were bound to start asking questions…she already lost one parent she couldn't be the reason she lose another one.
"I can't Chad…I can't" she looked at him pleadingly, "please don't make me".
"I'm sorry Tay…you might hate me for this but we're going, and it's not up for discussion" said Chad sternly. Taylor sighed; she didn't feel up to arguing any more, her body hurt too much, "Whatever" she said quietly.
"Chad take Taylor to the car and wait, honey start packing up Taylor's things" said Mr. Danforth strongly.
"What!....You can't take my baby away from me!" yelled Taylor's mom, as Chad scooped Taylor up in his arms, and carefully walked her outside the room and to the car.
"Yes we can and we are" said Mr. Danforth looking at the unstable woman. Mrs. Danforth hurried about the room collecting Taylor's things to take back to their house, "Have you seen what you've done to your 'supposed' baby?" he said.
"Look it was an accident okay, I got angry and I reacted…you're telling me you never hit your kids Stephen" she said looking desperate.
"I've disciplined my kids Sharon, not beat them half to death! We're taking Taylor with us until you get yourself together" he said.
"There is nothing wrong with me Stephen! Don't tell me what to do with myself or my child!" she screamed in his face. The smell of alcohol was clearly still on her breath and she was getting angrier by the minute.
"Sharon, and I'm saying this because I consider us friends, you are not stable enough to take care of Taylor right now, you're turning into a drunk, and from what I understand you haven't kept house and quite sometime, and it's obvious by your appearance you're not taking care of yourself the way you should. How the hell are you gonna take care of someone else, when you can't even take care of yourself? You need help and you need it quickly. I know Kevin leaving you was a blow, but you haven't been up to par since then and now it's starting to physically effect Taylor…not to mention the emotional turmoil she's been through and is gonna go through" said Mr. Danforth.
"Stephen I just got a little angry okay, she looks so much like Kevin…I just reacted, she's fine, I know she is…it won't happen again, you can't take my baby away from me" she said quietly.
"Have you seen your daughter? We have to take her to the hospital! What if I do leave her here? The next time we'll be taking her to the morgue and I'm not gonna let that happen. She's coming with us…end of story, once you proven that you've gotten yourself together than we'll think about bringing her back here…you don't see it now but I'm doing you a huge favor, and one day you will thank me" he said.
"Are you giving me an ultimatum?" she said in shock.
"You damn straight I am! Either get yourself together and fast, or Taylor stays with us forever" said Mr. Danforth.
"You can't do that…I'll call the cops, and tell them you're trying to kidnap my child!" screamed Mrs. McKessie.
"And what are you gonna tell them. I almost beat my daughter until she's unrecognizable and now people are trying to help me and her. I guarantee you'll be walking away in handcuffs before we will" he said sternly. The two parents stood there looking at one another angrily, while Mrs. Danforth continued to pack up Taylor's clothes, "She's all I have left…and now you're taking that too" said Mrs. McKessie quietly as tears streamed down her eyes.
"It's for the best Sharon…you can see her whenever you want once you clean up your act. You know the number and where we live" he said quietly. "Debra honey, take what you have to the car and wait there, I'll be there in a second" he said. Mrs. Danforth took the bag of clothing she had and walked out of the door; before leaving she looked back and shook her head, "Sharon you really do need to get help, you're killing yourself and your future" she said quietly. She walked down the hall and out to the car, putting Taylor's bag in the backseat she looked as Chad had Taylor almost clutched to his body. She heard Taylor crying quietly in the back…as she sat in the passenger seat and waited for her husband to come outside.
Mr. Danforth walked out of the house and closed the door behind him; he walked swiftly to the car and got in. There was complete silence besides the sobs from Taylor as the drove to the hospital. Once there Taylor was admitted immediately. The Danforths were relieved to know that Taylor's injuries weren't as serious as they looked and all she needed was some serious rest for the bruises to heel and a prescription for pain killers. The doctor involved with her case continued to ask questions about what happened but Taylor refused to open her mouth and say anything.
"Mr. Danforth, we're gonna be sending a social worker to your home in a couple of days" said Dr. Morris.
"Okay but I can't promise she's gonna start talking by then" said Mr. Danforth.
"Than you and your wife are gonna have to fill us in on the details about how she got those bruises on her body" said Dr. Morris seriously.
Taylor was discharged around five in the morning, and the whole clan made their way to the Danforth house before the younger boys woke up. Taylor was clearly in a foul mood, but her body felt a hundred times better because of the pain killers they gave her in the hospital. Nobody talked for hours, and as soon as they reached the house Taylor was put to bed by Mrs. Danforth, "Taylor I know you can't see it right now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything will work itself out, maybe not tomorrow, or even this year but it will work out…I promise" said Mrs. Danforth bending down and kissing Taylor on her forehead.
Taylor watched as the sun rose out of her window and she felt the tears slide down her face and land onto her pillow. She couldn't figure out how in the world things could get any better from this current situation. She saw no light at all, just darkness. She had no parents, no home, and no hope for the future at the moment.
"Troy…Troy" wake up, said Mr. Bolton as he shook his son awake.
"Dad?" he said groggily, "what's going on? Is something wrong?" asked Troy sitting up and looking at his father.
"No…I just wanted to talk to you, if you felt up to it. We really haven't talked in quite sometime" said Mr. Bolton.
It was true, Troy and his father hadn't communicated with one another in quite sometime. No words between them just living, "Okay…what's on your mind" said Troy swinging his legs over so he could sit beside his father. Mr. Bolton wiped the sweat from his hands on his pajama pants as he took in a big breath before he started, "Troy…I have to admit to you that I haven't been a good parent as of late" started Mr. Bolton.
"Dad…I…" started Troy.
"Just let me finish," said Mr. Bolton holding out his hand, "To say what your mother has done to us took me by surprise is an understatement. I really wasn't expecting it…I mean we had grown apart, but I didn't think it was going to go this far…you know her leaving…I didn't expect that".
Troy closed his eyes, just hearing that his mom walked out on them still hurt him to his core.
"I guess what I'm trying to say Troy is that things are gonna happen in life that is going to knock us down, sometimes we expect them to happen and sometimes we don't. But it's not the fact that we get knocked down that's important, it's how we get up and respond to that blow, and as your father I haven't taught you properly how to be a man when dealing with life's hardships" said Mr. Bolton quietly.
Troy felt his face become hot as his eyes started to water, him and his dad hadn't had a real heart to heart in quite sometime, and it figured the time they did, it would be about getting over his mother's betrayal.
"It's alright to cry as a man, but once you cry you got to get up and man up. I've cried Troy…believe me I have, but I didn't man up, I didn't show you how to deal when things don't go your way. I didn't show you the proper way to handle business as a man, but all that's gonna change starting today" said Mr. Bolton as he saw tears fall from his only son's eyes.
"Starting with your behavior as of late, Troy it has been down right unacceptable. I know you and Gabriella are over, and I heard the way you were talking to her…not cool at all. You never want to disrespect the ladies son, especially one that cares about you as much as Gabriella did. And speaking of disrespect, I heard about you and Taylor's shouting match down at the diner…Troy I swear if I ever have people calling me and telling me you threatened another female and are cursing at them like their some common whore, I swear that's the last thing you will do on earth. I raised you better than that, Bolton men don't behave that way…we show other men how to behave" said his father sternly, "You understand me son".
"Yes sir" responded Troy quietly.
"I want you to think about some apologies for Gabriella and Taylor and I expect them to get them soon. Next this house is a mess, since there isn't a female touch around here anymore we have to pick up the slack, that means both you and me are gonna have to start doing chores, cooking dinner, washing clothes, and whatever else needs to be done…we're both grown so we have to start acting like it…you got that" said Mr. Bolton.
Troy just shook his head in understanding as his father continued, "As far as school, I expect good grades from you just like you expect me to bring the paycheck home. Nothing changes, if basketball is what you wanna do this year than take your frustration and anger out on the game; motivate yourself in the game, not on other people. When you walk through those halls, hold your head up and let other people know that nothing can get Troy Bolton down, he still is gonna handle his business…just like Jack Bolton is gonna handle his…we're gonna do it as men".
"And finally Troy you have to accept the fact that she left…your mother left us to be with another man, who happens to be Taylor's dad" said Mr. Bolton as his own face started to become flushed. "She left us Troy, and it's alright to be angry, and be hurt, and more importantly it's okay to cry…because your dad cries too" he said as he scooped his son up in his arms and wrapped him in a tight hug. Troy immediately broke down in his fathers arms, even though both men felt slightly embarrassed by their behavior; it was something that both father and son needed. Mr. Bolton let some tears fall out his eyes, as he held his son…he had been so concerned with how his wife left him, that he never really fully realized the damage it had done to Troy.
Once Troy calmed down, his father gave him a kiss on his forehead, "I love you son…don't you ever forget that" he said quietly.
"I won't pop" said Troy wiping the remaining tears off of his face.
"Good…now I want you to go and get your stuff for school, while I get started on this house" said his dad getting up, "I left so money on the table by the door…it should be enough for you to get your school supplies and some new clothes" said his dad walking out of the door. Troy looked after his father as he walked out; he never felt so much love and respect for that man as he did at that very moment. He decided he better get a move on in getting his things, school was next week and he wanted to prove to his dad that he could be the man he was talking about.
Chad and Taylor walked into East High on the first day of school together. Taylor's bruises had healed quickly especially the contusion on her head and she could cover up the slight bruise that still remained on her face with make-up. She still took her pain killers when needed, sometimes the upper part of her body would still throb in pain, especially when someone touched her strongly, but her physical health getting better did nothing for her mood. Chad noticed that Taylor's attitude had gotten increasingly worse, especially since the social worker came and almost forced Taylor to tell everything that happened between her and her mom. The social worker said they would be doing a full scale investigation and Taylor was to stay with the Danforths until further notice. Of course this did nothing to improve her mood and she spent most of the time in her room, in bed, crying.
Chad's mom said she was slightly depressed which was to be expected, and she wanted Chad to make sure she had the best day possible in school today. The pair walked into homeroom, Chad greeted his friends with exuberance and Taylor greeted everyone with a half-hearted smile while sitting down. Truth be told she really didn't want to be in school, she just wanted to find out how her mom was doing. She hadn't talked to her in over a week and even though her messed with her both physically and emotionally…she still loved her and wanted to make sure she was okay.
Gabriella walked into the room, scanning it very quickly she ran over to Taylor and enveloped her in a big hug, "Tay…how have you been?" finally releasing her once she noticed Taylor grimaced slightly.
"Uh…I've been okay" she said honestly trying to hide the fact that she was still in pain, "How have you been…I heard about you and Troy…I'm sorry" she said trying to change the subject, while adjusting herself in her seat.
"Troy and I are…whatever. It is what it is" said Gabriella hunching her shoulders slightly, "It's like I love him, but I couldn't take his mood swings and his disrespect, it just became too much".
Taylor didn't know how to respond, she tilted her head slightly and looked at Gabriella hoping this would be a one sided conversation, "But Troy and I are done for now…and maybe for good" continued Gabriella quietly. "But that's not important right now…like seriously Tay how are you?" she questioned again.
"Honestly Gabriella I don't really feel like getting into it right now…I'm good…just know that" said Taylor with a forced smile. She saw in her peripheral that Troy walked into homeroom; he looked at both Taylor and Gabriella and made his way over to them immediately, by passing Chad, Zeke, and the other Wildcat gentleman, "Uh…hey ladies" he said nervously as he approached Taylor and Gabriella.
"H…hey Troy" said Gabriella quietly, while Taylor just looked at him without a response. Troy noticed Taylor's cold behavior but he promised his dad he would apologize and make the situation between everyone a little better, at least on his part. Chad walked up behind Troy and tapped his shoulder, "Hey man, everything all right" asked Chad giving Troy the pound.
"Yeah man, I just wanted to talk to Gabriella and Taylor" said Troy as he turned back around to face the two young women, "I really just wanted to apologize for my behavior this summer, it was totally unacceptable…and I would like it if I could talk in private with each of you…if you will allow me" said Troy quietly, looking expectantly at Taylor and Gabriella.
Gabriella glanced at Taylor out of her eyes, seeing if she wanted to be the first to answer, but she could tell that Taylor wasn't about to say anything so she spoke up, "Well thanks for the apology Troy, and I would love to talk privately…whenever you're ready" she said.
"Thanks a lot Gabriella" said Troy with a slight smile, "and…Taylor" he asked questioningly.
Taylor looked away from Troy, she really didn't feel like talking to him, especially after the summer she had. A lot of the problems she experienced this summer was because of him and his attitude…well she had one of her own now, and she was making sure everyone knew about it, "I don't think that's such a good idea Troy" she said as she picked up her books, moving to the other side of the room she sat in the last seat towards the back and look straight forward ignoring everyone.
Chad, Gabriella, and Troy all looked in her direction. Troy was completely speechless…he tried to be the man his father told him to be, but it didn't seem like it was working just yet.
"Chad, what's up with her…is her dad leaving really starting to eat at her" questioned Gabriella.
Chad sighed, "Gaby, you just don't know…it's definitely more to the story…but I guess she will tell you when she's good and ready. I promised I would keep my mouth shut" said Chad.
"Well I guess I should have expected that" said Troy, "but I'm not gonna give up quite yet" he said more to himself than anyone else.
"Alright juniors, please be seated. Welcome back to school this year, you are now officially considered upper classman…," began Mrs. Darbus with her beginning of the year speech. Taylor could care less about Mrs. Darbus and her over exaggerated speeches, she just wanted her schedule so she could get the hell out of this room, she was started to get very annoyed very quickly.
"Now with your schedules" continued Mrs. Darbus, "the administration has decided to do something different with free period this year. Instead of you going to your favorite electives, such as drama rehearsal, science club, or basketball, you all have been given a specific place to go. The administration feels that the upper class students of East High should expand their interests in different directions" said Mrs. Darbus.
"What!" shrieked Sharpay, "Can they do that?" she asked.
"I'm afraid so Ms. Evans" said Mrs. Darbus as she started to hand out the new school year schedules. "All of you have been assigned electives during your free period that is something totally opposite of what you have been doing the past couple of years at East High…all with the exception of Troy…congratulations Mr. Bolton I'm pretty sure Coach Bolton had something to do with you being in the gym during free period" said Mrs. Darbus knowingly, "as for the rest of you good luck with you new electives".
Taylor heard people gasping and moaning as Mrs. Darbus continued to hand out the schedules. She finally reached Taylor and handed her schedule to her, "Well, well Ms. McKessie…seems as if you have all your AP courses available, as I thought you would" smiled Mrs. Darbus sweetly, "uh…I guess your new elective will be basketball with Mr. Bolton…good luck sweetie" she said.
"Basketball…I'm not even good at basketball" said Taylor disgusted, "gosh this day is going worse than I expected". The bell rang out suddenly and everyone moved to their first period destinations. Chad waited for Taylor outside, "Hey girl, what you end up with?" asked Chad.
"Basketball…can you believe this crap" she said angrily.
"Are you freaking kidding me?! You got basketball!" said Chad incredulously.
"I know! That's what I said, Chad I suck at basketball!" she said angrily. "What did you end up with any way?" asked Taylor.
"Well you're wrong about sucking Taylor, I can tell you that now. But…you won't believe it…they sent me to baking…with Zeke. Like seriously Taylor can you see me in an apron" said Chad totally disgusted.
Taylor burst into a fit of giggles, "Actually Chad I think you would look hot in an apron" she said jokingly, "you know…with the flour all over your face, and that bush of yours pushed back into a ponytail" she said laughing.
"You know I'm letting you get away with that Tee Cup, because I haven't seen you smile and laugh in quite sometime" he said smiling at her, "even though it's at my expense" he said smartly. "Look I have to get going but have a great day" he said kissing the top of her forehead, "and remember if you feeling like blowing up at anyone…come find me immediately" he said seriously.
"Okay" she answered back. She was pretty sure the day would go by fast and easy, as long as she avoided Troy and Gabriella's probing questions.
As she expected, she ended up with a pile of homework from her AP courses but that didn't bother her, she found some sort of comfort in knowing that homework was routine and structured. All summer she lacked structure and she had a sense of fear because she didn't know what was coming around the corner, but homework and school is something she mastered at an early age and it was something she was good at. There was one problem though…free period basketball. As soon as she could she was gonna get her schedule changed, she knew it wouldn't probably happen until next week, so she was pretty sure she would have to deal with Coach Bolton, and if she had to deal with him, than she definitely was going to have to deal with Troy…and she rather not deal with either.
Walking to the gym that afternoon was almost like a death row inmate walking to the execution room. She dreaded every aspect of it but for this week, and this week only she had to deal. She walked into the gym and noticed that the class was really small. She saw Troy sitting on the bleachers in the front row, and she saw some seniors she really didn't recognize. To her surprise Sharpay was the only other girl besides herself, she was sitting on the third row looking quite pissed as Taylor felt. She never really liked Sharpay, but she would take sitting next to her then beside people she didn't know or Troy. Taylor walked up to the third row and sat down next to Sharpay, whose face was stern.
"I see you're stuck here too McKessie" said Sharpay suddenly.
"Yeah I guess you could say that, but I'm gonna try to change this class as soon as possible" said Taylor quietly.
"Don't bother, I already called my daddy and he got turned down immediately…my dad, I can't believe it. You know how much money he has donated to this school" said Sharpay to herself more than Taylor.
"Damn…this is bullshit" said Taylor quietly as Coach Bolton was approaching his new class.
"You said it" said Sharpay agreeing quietly.
Jack Bolton surveyed his new class, he believed the changed in schedules was bull also but he couldn't let it show, "Alright settle down everyone. I know this is not something you guys are use to but like anything in life we have to make lemonade with the sour lemons we get…which means we need to have a great attitude in order to make this situation work" he said glancing at his son who nodded his head in approval. He looked at both Sharpay and Taylor, to which Sharpay rolled her eyes and Taylor just looked past him in the other direction.
"The rules are simple here, everyone changes into gym clothing and everyone tries their best…if you follow those two rules, you'll be guaranteed a 100% in this class. Alright young ones there are brand new gym uniforms in the locker room, so go get changed up and meet me back on the floor in ten" he said blowing his whistle.
Sharpay and Taylor got up reluctantly and walked to the girl's locker room. They found the new gym clothes and dressed in silence, more like Taylor dressed in silence as Sharpay continued complaining about how the uniform didn't fit her figure. Taylor walked back to the gym and waited as Coach Bolton already had the guys running laps, 'its official, I'm gonna hate this class', she thought to herself. Sharpay eventually made her way to the gym and sat next to Taylor as Coach Bolton walked over to them.
"Alright ladies, I know you're not use to this and you would prefer to be somewhere else, but you're gonna have to but all that aside and work…starting with running two laps around the gym" said Coach Bolton blowing his whistle and walking away.
Sharpay huffed, but got up and started to run, Taylor noted that she was a lot faster than she expected. Taylor eventually got up and started to run around the gym, eventually she caught up with Sharpay and passed by her by the end of her second lap. Once they were done Coach Bolton whistled for the class to meet him in the middle of the floor.
"Basketball is about conditioning, and I see that a lot of you need work there, but before we actually get to condition your body, I want to see some basic stuff with handling the ball. Your gonna pair up in teams of two, and work on dribbling, passing, and bounce passing…Alright let's see here….okay Evans you're with Johnson, Peters you're with Stanford, and Bolton you're with McKessie. "Let's hop to it" said Coach Bolton blowing his whistle. He walked to the far side of the court with his clip board so he could observe this small class.
The paired up teens broke off and went to get basketballs so they could work on the exercises. Taylor stood in the middle of the court silently fuming as Troy ran to go get a ball and returned quickly, "Okay Tay…let's get started" said Troy trying hard to be cordial.
"Please don't call me that Troy" said Taylor taking the ball from him and bouncing it up and down with one hand.
Troy ignored her comment and watched her dribble, "Hey you're pretty good with that…Chad must have really taught you well".
Taylor continued to ignore Troy and she passed the ball harshly towards his chest, which Troy caught but was super pissed the Taylor was behaving this way, "Damn McKessie…I tried apologizing and everything…I know you're mad at me but we can at least work this out" said Troy holding the ball to his side.
"There's nothing to work out Bolton…I don't want your apology, I don't even want to talk to you" she said walking up to him and snatching the ball away, and continued to dribble the ball from side to side.
Troy sighed heavily, "Than what do you want" he said quietly turning towards her.
"Honestly I want you to leave me the hell alone…don't talk to me, no communication…let's just get through this dumb class and get it over with" said Taylor angrily while her voiced raised slightly.
Troy felt the heat rise around his neck and face. He was trying his best not to blow up and keep his promise to his dad, but Taylor was pushing his buttons and if she kept going he was going to explode, "Fine than…pass the ball back so I can teach you the proper way to do a bounce pass" said Troy stiffly.
"I can learn on my own…I don't need you. Matter of fact, just go get your own ball, I'll work on this stuff by myself" she said.
"Coach said we have to work in pairs…together. Won't you stop acting like a spoiled ass brat and hand me the ball" said Troy angrily as his breathing started to increase. He squared his eyes at Taylor, who returned the glare, "I don't have to listen to you or you're father…ya'll don't control me or own me" she said nastily as her own anger started to rise.
"Well a normal person would listen to their teacher out of respect…no matter who it was, but I forgot respect is lacking in you DNA…explains why your father ran out on you and you mom in the first place" said Troy nastily as he turned and walked away.
"You SON OF A BITCH!" screamed Taylor as she hurled the basketball with all her strength towards the back of Troy's head. The basketball made immediate contact with the back of Troy's head as he stumbled forward, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at the scene that was unfolding in front of them. Troy turned around and glared at Taylor with so much hatred, he looked as if he wanted to smack her so badly, but something was keeping his feet rooted to the spot. Taylor returned the glare and was breathing heavily as Coach Bolton ran over towards them, "Taylor what the hell has gotten in to you" said Coach Bolton shocked.
"Nothing but that specimen you call a son" she spat out angrily.
"Oh like you're all that McKessie…you know what dad I tried to do what you said, but you can't be nice to certain people, especially when they act like a little bitch!" spat out Troy just as nasty.
"Troy!" yelled out his father.
"Fuck you Troy!" screamed Taylor as she made her way towards him.
"How about you fuck yourself Taylor!" yelled back Troy.
"THAT'S IT!" yelled out Coach Bolton scarring the life out of both of the arguing teens, and the four teenagers that were looking at the scene, "Both of you make your way to the main office….NOW!"
Troy looked at his father in shock, but turned around and walked towards the gym door, as Taylor stayed rooted to her spot, "Move it McKessie" said Coach Bolton in a warning voice.
"Man fuck you!" she spat out, "You're not my father I don't have to do nothing you say! Bolton men ain't nothing but some bitches" said Taylor angrily as she looked at Coach Bolton, Jack immediately saw the pain behind all that anger and he couldn't force himself to get mad at her even though he should have been.
"That's it McKessie!" screamed out Troy walking back into the gym, "You're not gonna talk to my dad like that!" he screamed coming after her. Jack caught his son as he tried with little success to get to Taylor. Jack noticed the tears coming out of his eyes as he kept pushing Troy back and Troy kept yelling obscenities towards Taylor, "Evans…please take McKessie to the main office" shouted back Coach Bolton.
Sharpay walked over and tugged at Taylor's arm but Taylor snatched her arm back, "Don't you put your hands on me ever again Sharpay…don't you ever fucking touch me again" said Taylor as tears started to swarm around her eyes. Sharpay put her hands up in a confused defense and backed away.
Taylor stormed out of the gym and towards the office. She wasn't afraid of nothing and nobody; she hoped she saw Troy in the office so she could give him another piece of her mind. She walked into the office just as she saw Coach Bolton pushing Troy into the principal's office to try and calm him down; she heard by the tone of his voice that he was upset and crying. She could hear him say, 'fuck her' over and over again through the door.
Taylor sat in one of the chairs in the office as she began shaking her leg very quickly waiting for the impending doom that was sure to come. She heard the principal's office door open as Principal Howard made his way to one of the secretaries. She overheard him say to the secretary to get in contact with her parents ASAP, 'Good luck with that' thought Taylor as tears began to stream down her face. Principal Howard walked over to Taylor and sat down beside her, he sighed heavily as he looked at the beautiful girl with tears streaming down her eyes, "What's going on with you Taylor…this is nothing like you" he said quietly. She said nothing as he continued to probe about what her problem was, but she refused to answer. He shook his head and got up and went back into his office.
Twenty minutes passed and Taylor had stopped crying, she continued to shake her leg as sat waiting for Principal Howard to come and give her the punishment. She noticed that neither Coach Bolton or Troy had made their way out of the office yet, even though she tried hard not to she was wandering what was going on in that office. Taylor looked over at the door as Mr. and Mrs. Danforth walked into the office. Mr. Danforth looked at Taylor sternly while walking over to the secretary to check in, which immediately made her cower and feel guilty. Mrs. Danforth came and sat down next to Taylor, and sighed, "What are we gonna do with you girl?" she said quietly.
The secretary called back to the principal's office to let him know that Taylor's 'parents' were here. Principal Howard rushed out and greeted the Danforths as he ushered all of them back into his office. Troy and Coach Bolton looked a little shocked when they saw Chad's parents walking in with Taylor. Troy and his father were seated already on one side of the room, Principal Howard motioned for Taylor and the Danforths to sit on the other side, "Well Coach Bolton has filled me in on all that happened this summer" started out Principal Howard while taking his seat, "and from what Mr. Danforth has already told me what happened to you recently Taylor…I can understand both you and Troy's anger and behavior".
"You told him" said Taylor sitting up looking at Mr. Danforth, "why?" she asked brokenly.
"Because he needed to know what you were dealing with, and the fact that you were staying with us" said Mr. Danforth quietly, not looking at Taylor.
"Dad, what happened to her?" whispered Troy to his father. He thought he knew everything that happened between them.
"Later" his father said sternly.
"Now just because I understand the behavior" continued Principal Howard, "doesn't mean I condone it…at all. Ms. McKessie you are one of the brightest students here at East High, you have won the school so many awards and accolades, and your grades are impeccable but I can't ignore the fact that you hit another student, with a basketball none the less, and you totally disrespected a teacher by cussing him out".
Mrs. Danforth's mouth dropped in shock as Mr. Danforth huffed angrily in silence.
"And Mr. Bolton you're one of our brightest athletes here and a good student to boot, but to hear the language that came from you and the fact that you were willing to go after Taylor is extremely disturbing to me" said Principal Howard, "in these usual circumstances we usually suspend students for a certain amount of days…" Taylor heard Coach Bolton, and the Danforth's groan in unison, "but…since this is literally both students first offense I'm looking for some alternative form of punishment…something that won't mess up their transcripts" he said.
"So what do you suggest" said Mr. Danforth.
"Well starting with the both of them, I'm suggesting that they both see a therapist" started Principal Howard.
"What?!" yelled Troy and Taylor simultaneously.
"Not only do they need to see a therapist, but they need to attend group sessions together, there is a lot of misplaced anger going on with the both of them and before they actually hurt each other more than they already have, they need to deal with these very real issues" said Principal Howard.
"I agree and it's a done deal for Taylor" said Mrs. Danforth, "Same for Troy" spoke up Mr. Bolton.
Taylor sunk down into her chair, she didn't have a say in what was going to happen to her, it was like they were talking and she wasn't even in the room. "Next, Ms. McKessie since you obviously don't know what to do with a basketball I think that it's prudent we teach you how, you're banned from doing anything with the science club this year, instead you will devout all of your free time to the East High Wildcats girls basketball team" he said with a sickening smile.
"You've got to be kidding me!" yelled Taylor standing up.
"I'm afraid not Ms. McKessie. Of course Coach Bolton and his staff will assist you in your training, but your man coach and tutor will be Mr. Bolton" said Principal Howard.
"Oh c'mon…dad he can't do this, can he?!" yelled Troy at his dad sitting up in his seat.
"Yes I can Troy and I am. Since you obviously have a lack of respect for Ms. McKessie, maybe by you trying to teach her the sport you love so much, it will teach you how to respect her, respect yourself, respect others, and more importantly respect one another" he said looking in between his two students sternly, "her success or failure on the court will totally depend on you Mr. Bolton".
Troy's mouth fell open as he sat back in his chair, "I have never in my life heard of two students with the utmost disrespect for one another…not only each other but other adults. This leads me to my final point, Ms. McKessie you owe Coach Bolton and Troy an apology" said Principal Howard looking directly at her, to which she rolled her eyes in response, "Not only do you owe them an apology now, but you need to give them one in front of the class tomorrow. Troy you owe Ms. McKessie an apology as well, not only here but in front of the class".
Taylor's anger was starting to boil again, "What if I don't do any of that stuff?" she asked.
"Than you'll be suspended" said Principal Howard point blank.
"I'll take the suspension than" she said standing up and getting ready to leave.
"The hell you will" said Mr. Danforth standing and forcing Taylor to look at him, "you have no choose Taylor, you're gonna do what this man says whether you like it or not. I'm not gonna let you throw away everything you've worked so hard for because you're mad at the world right now. You are gonna play on that team, you're gonna go to the team practices, and you will do the extra practices with Troy…is that understood" said Mr. Danforth angrily.
"You're not my father…." started off Taylor crossing her arms across her chest.
"Oh don't hit me with that crap about not being you're father. As long as you live under my roof you're gonna do what I say!" he yelled.
"Well maybe I don't have to live with you anymore" said Taylor smartly.
"And where are you gonna go Taylor? Your father's M.I.A. and your mother can barely take care of herself right now…you don't have anywhere to go" he said angrily.
"I can go to Gabriella's" said Taylor quietly as her eyes started to pool with water.
"Not gonna happen, social worker said you are to stay with us until further notice. As of right now I'm your guardian and you will do as you are told. Do you understand?" he asked angrily.
Taylor squared her eyes at him and stood her ground, she was not gonna be bullied into an answer.
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" roared Mr. Danforth, scaring everyone in the office including Taylor who gasped at his aggressiveness. Her own father never talked to her that way. She knew Mr. Danforth was only doing this because he cared, but she still was angry at him. She always found him a little intimidating, but the only person she ever seen him this serious with was Chad.
"Taylor McKessie you better answer me right now" he said warningly, "Do you understand" he repeated again squaring his eyes at her.
"Yes" she said quietly as tears suddenly ran down her face.
"Yes what?" he asked.
"Yes sir" she responded quietly as she hung her head in defeat.
Mr. Danforth breathed deeply; as he looked at his wife who remained stoned face. He turned to Principal Howard and shook his hand, "I'm so sorry for her behavior today…I promise you it won't happen again…she's also grounded until further notice, and that might curve this little mean streak she's on" he said quietly but very seriously. He walked over to Coach Bolton and held out his hand, "Jack…she'll have her apology ready tomorrow and she will be ready to work for you" he said.
"Good to know Stephen" said Coach Bolton.
Mr. Danforth walked to the door and held it open, "Let's go" he said aggressively as he held the door open for his wife and Taylor. Taylor rushed passed him with her arms still crossed as they made their way out of the office and into the hallway, "Taylor go get changed and meet us by the car, you've got fifteen minutes, and I'm not playing girl" he said angrily.
She turned around as the tears continued to come down her face, but she felt a big pair of arms gently wrap her up in a hug, "I'm only doing this because I love you and you're like a daughter to me…I don't want to see you let this stuff eat you up alive and mess up your life more than it has" said Mr. Danforth.
"I know" said Taylor quietly as she continued to cry.
"Go get your things" he said releasing her and giving her a small peck on the forehead.
Taylor walked away and headed straight for the gym, "She's still grounded" she heard Mr. Danforth say to his wife, and she couldn't help but to smirk.
Back in the office, Coach Bolton was wrapping things up with the Principal, when he was done both him and Troy walked into the hallway, "You know Troy I'm very disappointed in you…I'm just speechless right now…I just don't know what to say" said Troy's dad.
"Dad I'm sorry…I didn't mean for things to get out of hand, but she just gets under my skin…besides she's the one who hit me with the basketball, she started the whole thing" said Troy walking behind his father.
"Well I'm finishing it Troy!" he yelled causing everyone in the office to look at the duo, "You didn't do what I told you to do…you didn't man up, but that's okay because just like Taylor….you're grounded until further notice" he said walking away.