Chapter 7 – Follow-up

Chad dribbled the basketball and took another shot. He shook his head as he missed again. He rolled his head in a wide circle to stretch his muscles, but nothing seemed to be working today. He remembered when he and Taylor met. She was so passionate about everything he hated and he couldn't understand how she could be passive about everything he was actually good at. Now, twelve years later, he couldn't remember why he had changed his mind about her. At some point, he'd gone from picking on her to trying to get her approval. He shook his head again and took another shot that bricked off the rim.

Troy whistled his way into the hallway. He smiled to himself as he glanced at her room that was still dark with the door closed. Almost no one was here as early as he and Chad were. They worked out and got ready for school here. They'd done it when they were in basketball and his dad was coaching the team. Jack had refused to drive back and forth every morning and so the two boys, who'd been best friends since before they could remember, had started bringing bags to school that were their morning bag. They hid them in the coach's office now, just as they had ten years ago. The difference was the office belonged to Chad now.

Taylor smacked her alarm. She refused to open her eyes and see the other side of her bed empty. She felt tears fill her still closed eyes. He wasn't here. She knew he wasn't. She didn't look. She simply rolled out and walked into the bathroom.

Gabriella felt her smile begin even before she was fully conscious. She opened her eyes and felt like the world was the most amazingly beautiful place ever. She had never in her entire life been so excited to get to school in the morning. Gabriella had always been insanely diligent, but never a morning person. This morning, she didn't even need her coffee to be giddy and happy at an hour when she was almost never awake.

Chad palmed the ball and looked at his hand for a moment. He couldn't understand what was going to happen now. She'd thrown her threats at him and he'd refused bow down to them. He knew there'd be consequences. Taylor was a vice principal; she lived by consequences for actions she disliked. Still Chad had refused to be treated like one of her students. He'd refused to be punished because he did something she didn't like. He was a grown man. He'd make his own damn decisions.

Troy jogged into the gym and then began his laps. He was smiling even as his body ached out its dispproval of his current actions. He heard Chad dribbling the ball and then he heard the shot. Troy recognized a brick without looking. Then he heard his best friend cuss in more ways than he could count, which was saying something since they'd once held a cussing contest and Chad had known cuss words in four languages for a total of like 23 words to Troy's 9 in English. Troy stopped jogging and looked at his friend, watching until he felt Chad was done for the moment.

Taylor cried her way through her shower. She dressed and cleared her face of the tears. She began her make-up and put on her professional badass face, as Chad had once called her stern features. She frowned as her lip quivered, but she recovered her composure after few deep breaths and proceeded to get ready and drive herself into work. She saw his car outside the gym. She saw Troy's old beat up truck that he'd been driving since high school. She bit her lip and continued on around to the faculty lot before parking next to Gabriella's sensible four door Honda hybrid.

Gabriella got out of her car and grinned over at Taylor, "OMG! Friday night was perfect, Tay! And, he called on Saturday! We're getting together for a little while this evening and then I'm planning a 'real' date for Friday! I cannot even—" She stopped and looked at Taylor. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Taylor buried her face in her hands. She heard Gabriella's hurried steps circle her car and then felt her arms wrap around her friend.

"Oh Tay! What is it? Talk to me, sweetheart."

Taylor gathered herself. Her make-up would be ruined. She turned to conceal her appearance between her and Gabriella. "Oh God, Gabi. I—I don't know what to do."

Troy quietly walked up toward the court. "So, I have a feeling today's not gonna go like usual then?"

Chad glared at him and then turned and launched the ball at the bleachers. "DAMN IT!" He bent down and braced himself with his hands on his knees. "She won't stop trying to control me!"

Troy knew immediately that he'd been too caught up in Gabriella to see the storm brewing for his best friend. "That's kind of Taylor's MO, isn't it?"

Chad glared at his best friend again. "At first it was cute. Then she was the greatest thing ever because she was the only one who could keep me on track. Now—Now! DAMN IT! Now, it's just insane! I'm a grown goddamned man! She does not have to tell me when the hell to go to the damn bathroom!"

Troy chuckled, but stifled his laughter. He had a hard time seeing anyone as capable of telling Chad when and where to do anything. Chad had always been the free spirit of all of them growing up. He'd been the one who lived in his own time zone. He completed things when he was ready. He played ball all the time and filled everything and everyone else, except Troy, in between his ball playing. Hell the man had chosen a career based on his ability and opportunities to play basketball!

"T, she's running me into the ground! I love her, whatever her crazy bitch tendencies are, I love her! But, damn it! I need to breathe! I need to decide when I want to come to bed! I need to decide when I want to leave in the damn morning! I want—I want to decide when I'm FUCKING READY TO HAVE A KID!"

Troy's eyebrows rose quickly. "Wait, what?"

Chad shook his head. "She's been on this kick. She wants a baby. NO, it's not that she wants a baby. It's that she keeps hounding me about it being the right time for us to have a kid. How we're not getting any younger and she can fit one into her career right now, but there's no guarantee of that later on in life."

Troy felt an ache in his chest. "Man, wow…" He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed nervously at his neck.

Chad looked up at him. "Hey, I'm sorry man. I know this isn't exactly your thing. I've been trying not to bring it up." Chad looked apologetic. "Dude, you okay? You look like you're gonna pass out or something."

Troy looked up, "No, I'm just a little nauseated." He walked over and patted Chad on the back. "Talk to me, man."

Chad sighed and shook his head, "It's just a lot. I don't know that I want a kid, much less right now. You know?"

Troy nodded, "We all know I wasn't ready." He frowned, "Just," he rubbed the back of his neck again, "don't make my mistake, man. Don't lose her because you're scared."

Chad looked at him. He raised his fist and waited for Troy to return the gesture. "Man, none of us would have been ready back then."

Troy bumped fists with Chad and nodded, "Still, you and Tay have been at odds for a little while now. Is this what's been up?"

Chad nodded, "Yeah."

Troy sighed, "Man, you've got to talk to her."

Chad looked at the ball in his hands. "Why do I feel like I have to give up being me for her to have a kid?"

Troy chuckled, "Man, come on. How many NBA superstars have kids, dude? Look at it this way, you'll get to coach your kids in little league basketball just like my dad and your dad did. You get to see them shoot their first shot. You'll get to see them score their first basket. You get to teach them everything you know about your favorite game in the world."

Chad chuckled and looked at him. "Yeah, but who's gonna keep you from going off the rails, dude?"

Troy smiled, "Like Taylor would ever really let me get too far gone." They both laughed and agreed.

Taylor cried into Gabriella's shoulder. After a few minutes she regained the ability to breathe. "I told him," she wiped her face and sniffled, "that I wanted a baby. I—" She whimpered.

Gabriella rubbed her arm, "Go on."

"I told him that it was a good time. That I didn't know what my schedule would be like once I moved up or decided to run for superintendent."

Gabriella sighed, "Let me guess, he said he didn't want one right now."

Taylor let the fresh wave of sob flow for a second, "No. He—he didn't say anything. He just sat there like I hadn't said a thing. Then," she weeped a bit more, "he just went up to bed without me. He never even spoke to me. Then I got pissed. So, I went up and I yelled at him for being so callous with our future, but he still ignored me. He set his bag on the bed getting ready to come in here early this morning just like he always does and I told him that he cared more about Troy than he did me. That pissed him off enough to get a reaction. He spun on me and told me that I knew how much he loved me and that was the only reason he was still there." She whimpered and then let her knees fold as she slid down the side of the car. "He said," she whimpered, "he said—"

Gabriella hugged her close. "Shh…"

Taylor cried through a choking sob, "He said that he needed to make his own decisions."

Gabriella gasped. "Oh Taylor, sweetheart. It was just the heat of the moment. You know how Chad is. I'm sure he didn't mean it like that! Oh, Tay. That man wouldn't know what to do without you. He can't find his shoes without you."

Taylor whimpered, "He found his shoes this morning just fine." And, she was crying again.

Gabriella held her friend for a few moments. Then she started wiping the tears away. "Taylor, take a deep breath. We're going to go to the women's room and fix your make up. And then, we're going to get to the bottom of this."

Taylor looked up at her. "That's exactly what I said to you…"

Gabriella smiled, "Yes it is. You were right then, and I'm right now."

Taylor just looked at her with compassionate eyes, "But, Gabs you still regret…"

Gabriella took a deep breath. "I will not let you end up like me. I will not let you make my same mistakes. Chad is a good man, Taylor, but I will not let him make a fool of you."

Taylor took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right." She stood up and straightened her outfit, grabbed her bag, and took Gabriella's outstretched hand. "Let's go straight to him. He can see what he's caused. I know what I want in my future. He needs to man up to the reality of what I really want and who I really am."

Gabriella smiled, "That's my girl."

Troy and Chad were walking toward the gym doors to head to find the two women who came storming through them as they were three steps away. Troy actually took a step back. Chad just stopped and raised his eyebrows. There was absolutely no mistaking that either woman was a cowering, blubbering fool.

Chad raised his hands. "Baby, before you lay into me—"

Taylor looked him directly in the eye, "I want a child. I want a baby with you, Chad. I know I didn't ask you if you were ready. I'm sorry that I didn't think before I spoke and just told you how I feel, but I honestly thought we were at least close to the same page on this. I love you, you damn fool. I love you and I will not lose out on the possibility of a family. I can't be someone I'm not. You've always known that I wanted a lot of things and that timing would always be crucial—"

Chad took a step toward her. "Tay, it's not about that. I just needed a second to think, baby. I needed a chance to think about what you said and decide for myself how and when and if I were even ready. Let's face it, short of the craziness with Marci and Troy senior year, I have no experience with kids or pregnancies of any kind, babe. I'm scared, Taylor! I'm supposed to be the man in this situation and I'm scared!"

Taylor stroked his cheek. "Oh Chad. Baby, we're in this together. You don't have to be afraid. I'm always here with you."

Chad wrapped his arms around her waist. "I know that logically, but with the big stuff I have to take my time to decide. You've always just bulled on through any obstacle and this time, baby, I felt like I was the obstacle to what you wanted and you were gonna just bull through me."

Taylor wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I never meant to make you feel that way."

Troy looked at Gabriella. Chad's comment had simply gone by between Chad and Taylor, but Gabriella's eyes had shown confusion. Now, he wondered if he had the balls to come clean. Friday night she'd told him that she wanted to know him as he really was. She'd let his ghosts fly through his eyes without questioning. But, now, she had an idea of what, or moreover, who to ask about. He looked her in the eyes and reached out his hand.

Gabriella hesitantly took his offered hand and they softly walked to the bleachers to give Chad and Taylor some space. Troy sat her down and looked down at her with torture-filled eyes. "Uh, so, you heard Chad say—"

"Troy, stop pacing. Just sit down and talk to me."

Troy stopped and looked into her eyes. "I need to tell you something before we go any further."

Inside his mind was screaming to shut up. His internal voice warned him that she'd walk away from him, that he'd lose her if he told her the truth now. But, she needed to know. "Uh, when Taylor and Chad and I were seniors here, I was the star basketball player. I was a young, stupid, ridiculous hotshot. I had this girlfriend named Marci. Just before the end of our basketball season she got pregnant. I freaked out when she told me. I had plans. I was going to U of A with Chad and then we were gonna go on to the NBA. I couldn't be a dad. I flew off the handle. She ran out and I came back here and played my game. I told Chad after the game. I told him that I was gonna have to give up my scholarship and probably marry her or something."

He paused and looked up at Gabriella. Then he continued, "When we got to school the next morning her best friend came up and hit me. She was a crying fit. One of their other friends told us that Marci had run away during our game that even her parents had been at the night before. She said that Marci had said something about giving the baby up for adoption."

Troy's tears returned. He hadn't told anyone this story in a long time. "To make a long story short, ten months later, her mom called my mom and said that the hospital had called to say that Marci had had a little boy and that she had died in delivery. Her parents had decided to go through with the adoption that she had set up before she went into labor. They wanted to know if I wanted to declare myself the father because Marci hadn't and that I still had the right if I wanted to. I was young and stupid and in a world of pain and scared. I let my son be adopted by someone else. The records were sealed and I didn't understand at the time, but that meant that I'd never see my little boy. I lost any chance at being with my son."

He sat on the bottom bleacher and bent over. He cried as he buried his face in his hands. He wiped the tears and leaned up and looked out at the basketball court. "That was the last time I ever played basketball for a team. Chad and I play a little now and then. We still meet up with a couple of friends once in a while, but I gave up my basketball scholarship and took one in theater. Ms. Darbus convinced me to try something new. I loved it. I still do, but I'd take a day with my son over the theater or basketball any day."

Gabriella felt the tears flowing down her face. "So, when Chad said that he was scared, he was referring to…"

Troy nodded, "My chaos. That's why he tells me I'm addicted to theater."

Gabriella moved down beside Troy. She was obviously in shock, but she wiped a few of his tears from his face. "That's what you meant when you told me you weren't too good to be true."

He nodded. "It was my fault. The whole damn thing. I was the one who didn't wear a condom. I was the one who screamed at her making her run off. I was the one who gave up the right to my son. It was my fault. And, I pay for it every day. I think about them, both of them, every damn day. I ruined her life and I lost him."

Gabriella held Troy as he cried tears that she was sure he needed to cry. "The past may be the past, but sometimes it can bite with the force of the present."

He looked up at her. "I don't know that one."

She smiled, "I'll explain it to you another time."

Troy was shocked that she was still talking to him, much less holding him. He'd told her his sin. He'd told her his greatest wrong. "Gabriella?"

She looked into his eyes, "Yeah?"

"If you never wanted to see me again, I'd understand. I know that I'm not the great guy I was making myself out to be. I just—" he sighed, "I just wanted—"

She smiled, "You need to be loved just like everyone else, Troy. Besides, I'm not as flawless as you seem to think."

He just looked at her.

She sighed and looked up at the clock. "OH GOD! The first bell's gonna ring in three minutes!"

Troy sighed heavily, "Shit!" Troy wiped his face and looked down at his appearance. "I need to change fast!"

She smiled at him. He was so caught off guard that she was able to pull on his arm and he bent down where she led him. She slipped a kiss onto his lips. "We'll talk more later, but don't give up on me, okay?"

Troy looked at her confused. "It should be the other way around, Gabriella. I should be asking you to have faith in me after everything I just said."

She smiled very sadly. "You're not the only one with flaws and mistakes in their past. I'll explain later."

Troy kissed her again, "There's nothing you could tell me that would make me run. Not now, Gabriella."

She met his eyes, "I hope not."

He kissed her again as the first bell rang. He pulled back and darted for the locker rooms.

She turned and saw Chad standing there nearly frozen. "Where's Tay, Chad?"

He nodded toward the doors. In a very lethargic voice he said, "Women's…Did Troy just…?"

Gabriella nodded, "Now it's my turn to tell him about freshman year."

Chad's eyes bulged out of his head. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I told him Friday night that I'd hate to fall for someone and then find out they're someone different. It's only fair for me to be honest with him."

Chad swallowed hard. "Okay. Just—Gabs, he's never really been the same since Marci. In the last few weeks with you, he's been more like himself than I can remember. Just don't be surprised if he needs little time to deal with all of this."

She smiled, "Tell me one thing, Chad."

Chad nodded.

"Is he a good man?"

Chad smiled, "Yeah. He made some mistakes when he was young and they've cost him dearly. But, he's learned from them, Gabs. He's become a really amazing man. I wouldn't trust you with just anybody. Taylor would kill me for letting you get hurt." They both chuckled and then the five minute warning bell rang and they both darted for their rooms.