Chapter 9: Of Damns, Fucks, and Oh Hell No's

By: beachbumyeahh

Blair frowned, holding the phone close to her ear.

Hey, this is Sharpay. Leave a message and I just might get back to you.

A dry sob escaped her lips and she couldn't help but throw the wretched device to the other side of the room in frustration. Blair hid behind her covers, still clad in her pyjamas. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, clearly done hastily. Just when she had started liking this town, trouble had come and now, she was back to square one – alone and completely despising Albuquerque.

Zeke was in Chicago for some convention she couldn't care less about; that had always been their routine before moving to this town. She didn't even bother calling him. Blair was used to Zeke's absence. It was nothing out of the ordinary. She actually counted the days until he left again. She was convinced that the only reason Zeke had been staying for the past couple of days was because of her mother. He didn't like her being around Sharpay.

Sharpay has been MIA ever since the dinner and Blair did not want to go to the house. What if her mother didn't really want to see her? She'd wait until Sharpay reached out to her. Of course, that didn't work out too well for her. Blair tried to call her maybe once, or twice – five times, really. She was fine with her father's absence, but her mother – who had been there ever since they'd worked things out – being absent was taking its toll on her. Blair was getting attached too fast.

Ryan was busy doing God knew what. It must've been very important – he wouldn't answer her calls, either.

And Darbus – well, she wouldn't dare call him. Blair could call him, but she wouldn't allow herself – no, not since the dinner and especially not since the events of the day before. The day she'd call him would be the day the coroner would proclaim her dead or the day he'd take back what he said.

The car finally halted to a stop, ending their two hour drive around town. Darbus' eyes finally opened and glanced at her. Somehow, through the course of the ride, Blair had dragged his head to her lap. She played with his hair, twirling it around her fingers, her eyebrows crunching together as she watched Darbus. Blair couldn't just ignore the sudden shake of his shoulders every once and awhile. To say that he was really upset would be an understatement.

"Well, this is my stop," Blair mumbled, waiting for him to sit up.

He looked up at her blankly, though she could see the corners of his mouth turning upwards. She resisted the urge to smile. "Aren't you going to sit up? I can't get out if you're on my lap."

"I like it here – very comfy." Darbus smirked, moving his head to emphasize his statement.

She placed a hand on his face, roughly pushing him to the side. "You are such a pig."

He eventually sat up when she tried to cover his nose and mouth to stop him from breathing. Blair had to do a double take – one moment, he was close to smiling and the next, he had his blank mask on again. She sighed worriedly, not knowing what to do.

"What's on your mind?"

He brushed his hand through his thick hair, "I was thinking about my mother."

Blair nodded – it seemed like they were all having parental problems. Susan Darbus was one of the kindest people she'd ever met, and one of the most pure-hearted, too. Susan would always invite her over whenever she noticed that Zeke wasn't home. While Darbus was never a moral compass, he grew worse after his mother passed.

"She was great, Cris – "

"I like you."

It all went spiralling downwards after that.

"No, not like," he murmured, his arm tightening around her waist. She still hadn't pulled away. Blair was starting to wonder if she had gone catatonic without even noticing. "I know I'm in love with you, Blair Evans-Baylor and all the other names you might have."

She didn't have an answer; she didn't want to answer. This was her best friend, her partner in crime; her only true friend. She didn't want that to change. Not now, not ever. She wanted to escape the confinement of the car; she wanted to be able to breathe freely. She wanted her space. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to think.

The next thing Blair knew, the car had stopped and Cristiano's lips were millimetres away from her own. If the car happened to hit a bump, they could have accidentally kissed already. She propelled herself to the other side of the car and glanced at him apologetically before getting out and escaping into her house.

She didn't miss the hurt that passed through his features.

Blair sighed and rolled over, purposely ignoring the tears that cascaded down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to turn back time and stay in California – away from Darbus, away from the drama, away from everything. If she was still there, Darbus wouldn't have told her he loved her. She would've been on the beach, feeling every boy's eyes on her body and she would've been followed by her persistent minions. But then again, if she was in California, she would've never met her mother and never got an inch closer to her father.

The door suddenly opened, forcing her to turn around sharply to glare at the intruder. Blair's eyes softened and her lips turned into a sad frown, "Ever heard of knocking, Darbus? Or has love made you forget?"

"We need to talk about us." He deadpanned, closing the door.

Blair turned around, refusing to look at his eyes. She busied herself and started to arrange the different bottles on her vanity. Perfumes, face products, hair products . . .

"What is there to talk about?" She snapped harshly, hearing his footsteps inch closer towards her. "There is no 'us' to begin with, Darbus."

"I meant what I said – "

Blair spun around so quickly, she gripped the table for support. She began taking short breaths, her eyes dancing with rage. "You were drunk! You're not in love with me! You can't be! Love is not in your vocabulary! I'm not even sure you're capable of loving anyone besides yourself!"

He opened his mouth, about to defend his argument, but she would have none of it. She needed to get her point across. "You go around and screw with anybody willing enough and now," Blair raised an eyebrow and laughed mockingly. "Now, you've decided to screw with our friendship!"

Darbus turned around and yanked the door open. He gripped the doorknob tightly as he looked back, a dark smirk on his face. "Friends?" He scoffed. "Oh, come on, Evans! Face the music. We have never been just friends – no matter what you say."

Maybe it would have hurt her less if he gave a damn to slam the door shut.

Blair stood up and walked out her room. She needed new scenery. Her room was too bright, too yellow for her mood today. She walked inside her father's study, switching on the lights to the dark room.

"Jesus Christ," she murmured under her breath, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. Zeke's desk was cluttered with papers. At first, she thought someone went through her father's things; but no one could do that – no one would have the guts to. Zeke was a powerful person if he decided to use his authority.

Blair walked towards the desk, comfortably sitting on the comfy office chair. The room was very bland, the walls covered with dark brown wood and expressing professionalism. There were exactly four pictures up on the wall.

One was a solo picture of her – Blair didn't fail to blush looking at herself.

The second one was a picture of her and Ryan during her seventh birthday. Her face was covered in face paint, looking like a tiger. Her lips were stretched in a wide grin to match Ryan's – he was painted as the devil, red paint and all.

The third one was Zeke, clad in a pinstriped tuxedo that matched his big, toothy grin, outside his restaurant's headquarters in New York. The building towered over Zeke – it was, after all, twenty-five storeys tall.

And the fourth picture was an old high school picture Blair never really noticed. It was placed on the far corner of the room, covered in darkness, as if the one who placed it never wanted anyone to see it. Blair stood up and picked the frame before sitting back down on the office chair. A small gasp echoed around the empty space as she clutched the frame tightly.

She'd never seen this photograph before.

It was the only evidence she needs to prove to everyone and herself that pure love existed between her parents. Sharpay was dressed in a silk, black gown that reached the floor while Zeke was clad in a classic tux. Her father had Sharpay dipped, their noses almost touching. Blair wished she'd seen them dance – it would've been one for the ages. Zeke's eyes sparkled under the large chandelier – even a stranger would detect the adoration the man felt for this woman. He held her so closely, intent on protecting her from any harm. Meanwhile, Sharpay had her arms around his neck; her face looked like she was just about to laugh. Her lips were creasing upwards in a relaxed and content smile.

They looked in love. But the two beings pictured in front of her weren't present during the dinner. Blair couldn't sense the same love between the pair in the picture and her parents. What if the love wasn't there anymore?

Blair jumped and accidentally let the frame slide out as somebody began to knock on the door. She flinched as glass spilled on the wooden floor. She bent down to scoop up the glass when a discarded piece of paper under the desk caught her eye.

"Holy mother of God," she breathed, her eyes scanning the thin piece of bond paper. Her head felt dizzy as she slowly and carefully sat herself on one part of the floor that wasn't covered with glass. She felt sick to her stomach. "How the hell . . ."

The sheet of paper held Zeke's signature and the other one was left blank – these were divorce papers dated sixteen years ago.

When the fuck did her parents marry?

"Miss Blair! Telephone for you! A Miss Darbus is requesting for you?" The door suddenly burst open and she had no choice but to stand up and act as if she hadn't just seen the papers.

Blair suddenly felt sicker – a whole lot sicker, the stomach churning, head aching, end of the world kind of sick.

Sharpay nervously bit her bottom lip as she continued to watch the phone vibrate over and over again. She descended down the stairs, clad in her silver, silk robe with her golden hair locked in an elegant bun. She held the phone tightly as she glided towards the kitchen, intent on watching the name "Hayden" flash through the screen, ring per ring.

"Miss Sharpay," Glenda scolded as she handed her Sharpay's morning coffee. "You must answer the mobile. It might be important."

Sharpay sipped on her coffee slowly, allowing the heat to warm every part of her body. "It's unimportant." Her lie slipped easily through her lips, and fortunately, her grandmother's trusty maid didn't seem to notice it.

She had her eyes closed in ecstasy – coffee always seemed to calm her nerves – when the old maid grabbed her phone to look at whoever is calling. "Little Miss Sharpay is calling! Answer!" Her eyes darted open to see Glenda holding the phone with a disbelieving look.

"Give me that!" She snapped, placing the cup down. Sharpay hastily took the mobile and glared at her unflinching maid. Glenda must have learnt from the best – her grandmother, she was far worse than her or her father. "You may leave now." The old helper left unwillingly.

Sharpay fidgeted with the cell, unable to answer it. She couldn't just tell her daughter how she left without consulting anyone to fly to the other side of the world like she had done many years ago. That would've sent Hayden into a fit – well, maybe. Sharpay convinced herself that she didn't know her well enough to make sure. For all she knew, Hayden still had some anger hidden beneath her friendly exterior.

Finally, to her happiness, the phone stopped and the screen flashed the fact that she had one missed call.

"I'm sorry," Sharpay quietly whispered to the mobile, wishing that Hayden would hear her and forgive her. She just couldn't face her biggest fear and at the same time her biggest want, no, her biggest need – Zeke. No matter how much she loved her daughter, she was just too vulnerable around the father. And Sharpay Evans could never be vulnerable around him. Never.

Zeke shuffled from one foot to another, desperately trying to calm himself down as he pressed the BlackBerry to his ear. His hands were shaking, anxiously awaiting the other line's voice.

"Hello?" A gruff voice finally answered.

Zeke sat himself down on his hotel room's bed and bit his bottom lip nervously.

"Who is this?" He heard noises before the voice returned. "What the hell do you want Zeke? It's three in the morning and unless you didn't know, normal people sleep at this hour," the voice snapped grumpily.

He sighed before replying, "How is she?"

"She's fine and finally out of her room," Ryan remarked. "I'm really worried about her, Zeke. She hasn't been out of the house since last week – no dates, no practices, and no visits from or to friends."

"My little girl's tough. I was asking about her." Zeke kicked his shoes off and lied on the bed. He wasn't one to worry about creasing his expensive tuxedo.

"You called me at this ungodly hour to ask about my twin sister who's millions of miles away?" Ryan mumbled. "Why don't you call her yourself? Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but deal it out, okay? Blair's heart is on the line here. She worships her mother, Zeke. You can't just tear her away from my sister."

Zeke's heart stopped – it was déjà vu all over again. He felt cold, he felt scared, and he felt . . . absolutely, positively livid. His head was thumping painfully and he had the urge to break something, to throw something.

"Millions of miles away?" Zeke managed to croak out, his voice raspy.

He heard groans and clicking of lights before Ryan finally replied, slightly easing Zeke's anxiousness. "Yeah. You didn't know?"

"Didn't know what?" His voice went an octave higher as he sat up; trying to deny the information his brain was forcing him to process. He sounded like a teenager going through puberty again.

She couldn't . . . she just couldn't do that . . . not again. No! She just couldn't.

Ryan sighed softly before slowly speaking. "She's gone to Paris for a few days –" He didn't even get to finish his sentence for Zeke hang up on him as fast as he could.

Zeke stood up and threw on his coat quickly, his fingers already scanning through his contacts for her number. This was what he was afraid of. She's run away again, this time leaving a bigger mess than before. How could she leave her daughter behind after seeing how much Hayden loved her? A few days can turn into forever. Zeke left with the reassurance that at least one parent was around their daughter.

Parents. That was what they were – parents to their daughter, their daughter who's been in a bad condition since realizing that it isn't normal to have a daddy without a mommy. And neither of them were doing a good job of being one.

Hayden needed her mother.

Zeke needed to fix this fuck of a family, quick.

"Hello?"

Zeke slammed the door closed, already strolling off with his luggage.

"Get ready; I'm coming to pick you up. You just can't run away like that anymore." He muttered before snapping the phone shut, already stepping inside a taxi. He wasn't going to let her get away again. He was doing this for his family, for Hayden.

On the ride over, Zeke kept telling himself that the only reason he was flying across the globe was for his daughter. It wasn't because of the fact that he was afraid that he wouldn't see Sharpay again. It wasn't.

It couldn't. He couldn't care about her like that anymore.

He turned around the corner, his body instantly turning rigid at the man in front of him. He glared at the smug smile on the bastard's face. So, someone finally took a closer look and found out about him.

"Well, well, well," he jumped when the boy, merely a man, took a step closer to him. "Looks like Albuquerque's finest aren't so fine, after all. I knew you were well screwed up, but this is just priceless."

But then again, he was merely a man as well.

"Get lost," he muttered, trying to find an opening through which he could escape from the Godforsaken alley. His shoulders started to shake and everything he had just taken in started to take effect inside of his body.

"I wonder what people'll think once they find out you're worse off than they originally thought?"

His body shook dangerously at the mere mention of her. His eyes were flashing angrily at him. "God, just leave me the fuck be," he muttered, each word slow and threatening.

The other boy smirked widely now. "You're a disgrace."

"And you are an ass." He hid the package inside his coat and formed a fist, cursing loudly when his hand connected to the brick wall. "God, damn it!"

"You can't even distinguish the wall from my face." He chuckled loudly, watching him stagger around the alley. "You disgust me. Pathetic." He calmly walked towards the cursing young man and kneed him in the stomach, watching in delight as he slid down the wall.

A mutter entwined under the power of a voice so powerful and angry.

"Son of a bitch."

A distant chuckle came from the opening of the alley.

"We all know you're one. Your mother's a huge bitch, that's why she's dead, isn't it?"

AN: Do people still read this? Oh dear, I hope so! :(

Huwaaaaaaaw. Son of a gun. I know. I know. It's been ages since my last update, but - dare I say it - blame only me and fanfiction (dot) net. Well, me because I just couldn't write the right chapter. I'm not even happy with this. But, alas, I have to update some time soon. I'll try and make the next chapters worthwhile. And blame fanfiction (dot) net because they had a little problem with the docx delivery between me and my beta. :)

I need more reviews to get me hyped up. So, here, I ask in the nicest way possible, could you guys give more reviews? :) I'm not forcing you, but it would really help. :)

OH! And I lost my USB with the next chapter in it. Have you guys seen it? :))

May I remind you, the next chapter is pure ZS. No other characters are involved in the next chapter. Just Zeke and Sharpay. Sharpay and Zeke. Baker Boy and Drama Queen. I intend it to be long and quite dramatic, so come on, prepare yourselves. :)

. . . . Just as soon as I find my USB. Darn it! :(