Baby for Sale
Disclaimer: I only own this plot. I do not own High School Musical.
Previously on Baby for Sale...
Once they are alone ... (Gerald is still mysteriously missing in the basement), Grams turns to Sharpay, "Good, now that they're gone ... the two of us need to have a little talk."
Chapter 9: Suspicious and Betrayals
Grams doesn't say anything, at first. She casually fetches another paring knife and gestures for Sharpay to join her at the table where Taylor had been sitting peeling potatoes.
"Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm", Grams tsks as she picks up a small round white potato. It's about the size of a plum. "Taylor is going to be a brilliant lawyer, but all the cooking sense went to Ezekiel. She's turning these Idaho spuds into Chinese water chestnuts." She tosses the tiny spud in the bowl of water with the others and continues, "Come on, child. Let's finish up these potatoes before my granddaughter has a chance to butcher anymore of them."
Sharpay smiles warmly and picks up the small knife that Taylor had been using and starts to peel. A couple of potatoes later, Grams comments. "You're very good at this, Sharpay. You're not wasting anything."
"I used to love to help Cook prepare meals when I was a child", Sharpay says very formally. When she lived with her parents, Sharpay had to always be on her guard to be the perfect 'lady' and she unconsciously slips back into that precise speech pattern whenever she speaks about home.
"Ezekiel was like that too. He wanted to help in the kitchen before he was barely old enough to walk."
"Your three grandchildren are all very different from each other", Sharpay says as she picks up another potato.
"Yes ... indeed they are. Taylor is smart as a whip and very focused. Gerald ... well, Gerald is still trying to find himself. Ezekiel is just where he wants to be ... for now."
"For now?"
"I expect that he'll end up in some upscale restaurant one of these days. I can see him now --- serving his world-favorite pastries to some big shot muckety-mucks", Grams says with pride.
"I can see that too. Zeke's incredibly talented", Sharpay agrees completely.
"I'm very proud of him."
"I think it's mutual. He talks about you all the time."
"Ezekiel's special to me", she admits. "I've raised him since the day he was born."
"What happened to his parents?"
Grams sighs wearily before answering. "His father ... no one actually knows who he was. My daughter would never say. And my daughter ... Ezekiel's mother ... well, let's just say she wasn't quite ready to be a mother. She ran away from the hospital right after she had him. We haven't seen her since. I could ... almost ... understand that bastard of a man running out on my daughter, but a mother ... giving up her own child ... a child that she carried and nurtured inside her own body for nine long months ... Well, I just don't understand that at all", she shaking her head slowly from side to side. The entire time that Grams is talking she's concentrating on the potato in her hand and isn't looking at Sharpay until she hears an unmistakable sniffle and looks up to see that Sharpay is crying and has dropped her knife on the table. Her hands are gently cradling her slightly swelled stomach in her hands.
"Oh my goodness, child. I didn't mean you." Grams jumps up more quickly than you would expect someone her age to move and hurries around the table to kneel on the floor, next to Sharpay. She takes Sharpay's hands in her own and continues, "Sharpay, honey, look at me. I ... I see things ... things that other people don't."
Sharpay slowly meets Gram's eyes with her own and she remembers Zeke's silly joke about the house being haunted and his grandmother who could see dead people.
Grams continues. "It's very important that you listen to me. There's more happening in your life than you understand right now. There's more to your pregnancy than you understand right now."
"Wh...what ddo you mean?", Sharpay asks in a trembling voice.
Grams rises slowly to her feet, but she doesn't release Sharpay's hands. "You're feeling like you made a mistake by agreeing to carry this child ... well, not carry this child, but in giving him up."
Sharpay nods and then, realizing what she just heard, asks, "Him?"
"Oops. Don't think I was supposed to tell you that. My bad", Grams says with a wink.
Sharpay can't help but giggle at this elderly woman weak attempt at sounding young. Then, she immediately sobers at this new knowledge --- him ... a boy ... a baby boy ... my son.
Growing serious again, Grams continues, "Sharpay, you're right to feel this way. Be watchful of your surroundings. Be careful who you trust."
"I ... I don't understand."
"You will ... soon enough ... child ... soon enough."
Before she can say anything more, Zeke, Taylor and Gerald come busting into the room. Gerald is shouting at the other two.
"I can't believe no one heard me. I've been yellin' and bangin' on the door for over half an hour!"
Taylor is trying to keep a straight face, but can't help cracking up when she listens to her brother.
"Gerald, how in the world can you get locked in a basement when the door has no lock?", she asks him.
"Yeah man, it opened fine for us", Zeke chimes in.
Grams interrupts the squabbling with her commanding voice. "Alright you three! We've got a lot of work to do and the rest of the family will be getting here any minute, so let's get to work."
"Ah Grams, why do we have to do all the work?", Gerald gripes.
"Ssssh Ger", Taylor hisses, "You know Grams' rules: If you help cook the meal, you don't have to help clean up after."
"Cooking is easier than cleaner any day of the week", Zeke adds.
"Yeah, I guess you're right", Gerald reluctantly agrees. "Let's get this party started."
As Grams predicted, the whole family arrives within the half hour, bringing with them even more food and laughter. Grams never said anything else about her warning to Sharpay and her uneasiness about the future is quickly forgotten while she is surrounded by the warmth of Zeke's family.
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Sharpay is sitting alone at the opulent dining room table in the main part of the penthouse. She's just eaten her way through a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia. Normally, the sweet confection never fails to cheer her up. This is not a normal day. It's five days after Christmas. Five days since she's seen or talked to anyone. You mean other than yourself, Sharpay. ... Shut up!, she yells back at herself. Christmas has always been Sharpay's favorite holiday --- always filled with family and friends. Even after her estrangement from her parents, she always had enough friends to fill the gap. Christmas this year is the exception. This year she spent it alone.
The Vanderbilts are spending the holiday at their Connecticut country home and Sharpay isn't invited. She sighs while she watches the last of the ice cream slowly drip off the spoon as she holds it suspended above the container. Then, she remembers her conversation with Cynthia from five days ago.
"Thomas and I will be leaving as soon as the helicopter arrives", Cynthia explains as she makes notes on a pad as she stands at the black granite counter in the kitchen.
Cynthia explained to Sharpay that the traffic in New York is so horrid that they bought their own helicopter to travel back and forth to their home in Connecticut. The aircraft will be landing on the helipad located on the roof of the building any minute now.
Sharpay feels like a child. That's because Cynthia is treating her like one. She's busy writing out lists of phone numbers and emergency contacts for Sharpay while they're away. I'm not fifteen years old, she thinks wearily.
"There ... ", Cynthia announces with finality as she finishes writing. "Now understand this, Sharpay. This list is only in the case of an emergency. And by emergency, I mean you don't contact us unless something is going wrong with the baby. Do you understand?"
"Yes", Sharpay answers curtly.
"God!!!", Cynthia exclaims as she scratches under the fake pregnancy belly that she's wearing. "This thing itches like mad and it's incredibly hot."
"You should try the real thing", Sharpay quips back and then, immediately feels guilty for what she said.
Cynthia sees her look and decides to take full advantage of it. Her face suddenly transforms into a hurt expression and her voice quivers as she says, "If only I could...", and her eyes well up with tears. It's a talent she perfected years ago as a young girl whenever she wanted anything expensive from her father. She could melt him in an instant.
"I'm soooo sorry", Sharpay tries to explain as her hormones take over again and she too succumbs to tears.
Cynthia sniffles and recovers quickly (amazingly so) and she continues with Sharpay's instructions about not leaving the apartment or answering the telephone or in any way communicating with anyone. This is Sharpay's punishment for her day with Zeke. The Vanderbilts were livid when she returned in the early evening. They claimed to be concerned about her welfare, but Sharpay thinks it's just an excuse to control her. She thought she could use the knowledge of Cynthia's relationship with that Ryan guy, but now it appears that they both have a relationship with Ryan and they have this weird open marriage... She still can't wrap her mind around that.
Sharpay is brought back to the present by the sound of a knock at the front door. However, before she can get to the door to look out the peek-hole, she hears a key turning in the lock. Taking a step back in alarm, she watches with trepidation as the door slowly opens.
She is nearly floored when in walks ... Ryan the boytoy.
"Ummmm, hi", he says in obvious surprise. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be here." He's looking around the room nervously.
Sharpay backs away slowly with a wary look on her face.
"Oh ... ", Ryan says with a nervous laugh. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm not dangerous. I ... just ... well..."
"Thought you'd come in and steal their valuables when they aren't here", Sharpay finishes for him.
"Hey!", he exclaims indignantly. "It's not like they can't afford it. I suppose you've never nicked anything when they weren't looking, huh?"
"No! Of course, I haven't", she replies angrily as she draws herself up to her full height.
"Uh huh, sure. Like I believe that." Then, realizing that he isn't going to have any success with his little cat burglary, he beats a hasty retreat back to the door.
Despite how despicable he is, Ryan is the first person she's seen in five days. Therefore, in a disparate bid for human companionship, she calls out to him.
"Wait! You can't leave now!", Sharpay runs over and grabs him by the arm. Then, realizing how pitiful she sounds, amends, "I mean ... maybe you could stay awhile. We could talk."
Ryan turns towards Sharpay and to her huge surprise gives her a lascivious look. "Ohhhh? Are you going to make it worth my while to stay?", he asks as he waggles his eyebrows at her.
"You're disgusting! I just wanted ... well, ... I have ice cream", she explains, frantically, trying not to sound quite so pitiful.
"Ice cream?", Ryan clarifies with an honest smile on his face. "Ben and Jerry's?", he asks, hopefully.
"Ummm, I think there's some left in the freezer."
Thirty minutes later, they're kicked back on Cynthia's imported Italian leather sofa laughing their heads off. Surrounding them are an assortment of snacks ... cookies, ice cream, chips, and popcorn. They've discovered an incredible amount of similarities between the two of them, including, amazingly enough, that they were born on the same day.
"I can't believe we have so much in common", Sharpay says as she tries to catch her breath.
"Yeah...", Ryan sighs as he ponders his now empty pint of ice cream. "You were the Drama Queen of your high school and I was the Drama King and the Drama Queen of my high school. You know I actually auditioned for the roles of both Romeo and Juliette. I was trying to hedge my bet."
"You're so funny", Sharpay giggles at young blond man. Then, she groans as she clutches her stomach, "And I ate too much."
"Me, too", Ryan moans with her. "And I, for one, do have my figure to maintain. You may be able to pig out and turn into a whale, but my livelihood relies on how good I look.
She grows serious as she studies him. "I don't understand, Ryan. How can you? ... I mean ... why do you? ..."
"Sell my body to the highest bidder?", he finishes for her.
"Well ... yeah", Sharpay agrees as she sits up straight as starts to brush invisible cookie crumbs off her blouse. She just can't look him in the eye right now.
"You're one to talk", he shoots back. "The way I see it ... we both sell our bodies for a living."
"What? I'm ... I'm nothing like you. You're ... you're a ..." She's not able to finish the sentence; so he, once again, finishes it for her.
"A whore?"
"I wasn't going to say that", she snaps, defensively.
"Why not? It's the truth. Just because I'm honest enough with myself to admit it ..."
"What are you saying? I'm not a whore; I didn't have sex with them. I'm helping them. They want a baby and I'm helping them."
"Out of the goodness of your heart? Pro bono?", Ryan asks, smugly. He's certain of her response.
"Well, ... not exactly."
"So, they are paying you, right?" At Sharpay's nod, he continues. "And they pay me. Frankly, I don't see a difference. We're like two peas in a pod."
"You're wrong, Ryan."
"Look ... I like you, Sharpay. You're a good kid", he tells her. "It's just ... be careful, okay?"
"What do you mean?", she asks nervously.
"There's just ... Look, I shouldn't be telling you this. There's just more going on here than you know."
Sharpay gasps at his words. They sound eerily familiar. Zeke's grandmother said almost exactly the same thing on Christmas Eve.
"I can't say any more than that", he continues.
"Any more than what?", she exclaims. "You haven't told me anything!"
Ryan reaches over and takes Sharpay's hands in his own. "I really can't say anything else. I'm not supposed to know anything either, but Cynthia... Well, let's just say she talks in her sleep."
He releases her hands and stands up. "Hey, I need to get going. I have a date", he says with a wink.
"But what about ...", Sharpay starts, but before she can finish he's bounded across the room and he's gone.
"Damn", Sharpay mutters in frustration. "What the hell is going on?"
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"Hey, you two!", Jennifer Bolton calls out to her son and husband. "It's time to get ready for the party."
"Just five more minutes", Troy calls back.
Father and son are playing a game of one-on-one basketball on their full-size court which occupies an absurdly large amount of their backyard.
"The Danforths throw this New Year's Eve party every year and I don't want to be late, this year", she adds with emphasis.
"Okay, okay, Jen. Seriously, just five more minutes and we'll be in", Jack pleads with his wife.
"Alright", she says in surrender. Realizing that this is the first time they've had a chance to bond since Troy came home, she leaves them alone and goes back into the house.
Ten minutes later, the two Bolton men enter the kitchen and Troy heads immediately to the refrigerator and pulls out two bottles of water.
"Thanks for the game, Dad", Troy says as he tosses Jack one of the bottles.
"It was a lot of fun, son." Jack leans back against the counter as he opens up his water.
"Yeah, ... I miss this", Troy sighs. "You know when we used to play everyday, I hated it. But now, I miss it ... a lot."
"It's not just the basketball, you know."
"Yeah, I know, Dad. It's the sweat too", Troy jokes.
"Ha, ha", Jack laughs back and then, asks seriously, "You know what I mean. It's a chance for us to talk about things. I understand you're not a kid anymore. You're a man now. And ... well,..."
"Dad? You're not trying to give me the talk again, are you?" Troy clutches his heart in mock horror.
"'Cause when you did it the first time, I thought you were going to pass out."
"Very funny, Troy. ... You want to talk about it?
"I don't think there's any point in it, Dad. She's gone. I'm just going to have to learn to live with that, even if I don't want to."
When Troy first came home, he very briefly explained his latest distress. He told his parents an edited version of their night together and his extended search for Sharpay, including the fruitless trip to New Mexico.
"Just understand, Troy, that your mother and I are here for you."
"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it."
"I'm worried about Troy", Jennifer Bolton turns her bright green eyes towards her husband, Jack, as she climbs into bed and joins him. It's about two o'clock in the morning and they're back home after a lovely evening with their friends, the Danforths. Troy spent most of the night sitting out on the back deck with his friend, Chad, and didn't seem to enjoy the party at all.
"I know, Jen; I'm worried too", Jack says sympathetically as he sets aside his magazine and turns to her. "I mean I've seen him moon over girls before, but this is different. This Sharpay must be someone really special."
"I wish there was some way we could help him find her", Jennifer says, almost to herself. "I wonder ... if ... well, maybe, I could ask ..."
"No!", Jack says abruptly, "I know what you're thinking Jennifer Bolton and you are not going to those people for help. Do you understand me?"
"But Jack ... they could help find her. They have the resources to find anyone", Jennifer explains in a pleading voice.
"No ... I forbid it", and then realizing how arcane and absurd he's sounding, amends his statement. "Look, Jen", he continues more softly, "Those people are no good. It's like they have no soul. They've hurt you in the past and they'll do it again if they have the chance, so let's not give it to them."
"You're right, honey. I'm sorry I brought it up. I just want to find a way to help Troy. I love that boy so much."
"I know, honey. I love him too. I've loved him since the day he was born", Jack sighs as he pulls her close to him.
"You're the best father he could have ever had and I'm so glad we found you." She snuggles up closer to her husband.
"I'm the one who's glad, Jen. The two of you changed my life", Jack murmurs into her hair as they both fall into a fitful sleep.
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Over in Troy's room, he's tossing restlessly, trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep. He's actually trying very hard to move on with his life, but at times like this, when it's late at night and he's physically exhausted, he can't help but drift back to that night.
"I was the Drama Queen in high school, so let me guess. You were the super hot jock, right?", the beautiful blond asks with her head resting on his chest.
"What do you mean by 'were the super jock'?", Troy asks jokingly. "I'm still pretty super."
"Oh, absolutely", she purrs as she takes her hand and starts to slowly stroke the inside of his upper thigh.
"What are doing?", Troy squeaks in surprise.
"Just trying to see how super you really are." With that, her hand moves north as her head moves south and they meet right where Troy wants them to.
He springs up in the bed with a gasp.
"Damn!", Troy mutters as he gets out of the bed and heads off to yet, another cold shower.
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"This can't be right!", Troy exclaims as he rereads the letter for the third time. "That son of a ..."
"Troy!", his mother reprimands her son. "It can't be that bad. What's wrong?"
They're standing at the island in the kitchen and Jennifer is still sorting through the mail. She handed Troy a letter addressed to him from NYU and he became immediately quiet as soon as he opened it, that is until his exclamation a few seconds ago.
Troy doesn't answer right away. He and his family have had to struggle with the costs of college since he started his freshman year and even with a second mortgage on the family home, it's just not enough. Therefore, when the offer came up to pay all of his expenses for his senior year, Troy couldn't pass up the opportunity. By the same token, he also couldn't tell his parents anything about it. They just wouldn't understand.
"Umm, sorry Mom. It's nothing to worry about. I just need to go back to school a little early", he explains evasively.
"How early?", she asks with concern.
"Tomorrow, Mom. I'm sorry, but school starts next week and I need to get this ... administrative thing straightened out."
"Just be careful and let us know if we can help."
"Sure, Mom. I will", Troy says as he goes off to his room to start packing. I can't believe he did this to me. Have I been scammed? Hell, no. I'm going back to New York City and I'm going to get my money.
TBC
Here's what I have to say about that...
Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but now I should have some time to write and I hope the next chapter won't take so long.
About Ryan in the last chapter... Okay, here's how I see it. Half the world thinks Ryan is gay and the other half think he's a hunk. Therefore, in one fell-swoop I've managed to piss off the entire world. Yea, me! Hope this chapter redeems both me and Ryan.
This chapter is loaded with clues about this plot. Did you notice all of them? Let me know.