Guess what everyone! I got hired! I am no longer a temp. I am officially an appraisal review specialist at Interbank. I've been on cloud nine since yesterday when they told me the news. I got my own key card and everything. Plus while our team lead is on vacation they put me in charge! I can honestly say things are looking up for us. Hopefully soon I should be able to answer my phone instead of avoid it like the plague due to collectors. I'm making a lot more money and there is a spring in my step. For a moment there it looked pretty dark, I've been on anti depressants and stress out. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction to setting things right.
"Next?" Troy sighed in boredom as yet another little girl in a pink dress was lead on to the set by her teacher. He'd been on shift for five hours. Taking the same photo over and over again. It was picture day Ravenswood elementary. Dan had been helping him with the set then he disappeared for his lunch break an hour ago. Troy could feel his own Stomach mumbling in disappointment. "Hey Honey," Troy said bending down to get to the little girls height. "Tilt your head a little to the left for me, and could place your hand right here." Troy smiled as he held up his thumb up. "You look like princess," he said as he got back behind his camera. "Give me a smile and say princess for me on the count of three okay," Troy held up three fingers and counted it out slowly, then hit the button. "Perfect, that was beautiful."
The little smiled and got up from her chair. Troy motioned for the next one and transfer the little girls photo to the computer.
"You're so good with the children. You must be have a few yourself." she winked as she nudged him on the arm.
Troy forced his best smile. "No, no kids," Troy said remember what Angela had said about her pregnancy scare. He never even knew she had one. What did that mean? Had he begun ignoring her? Maybe he didn't indicate that he wanted children, made her feel safe, or ready? Maybe the lack in faith is what started their end?
"Hey mister?"
Troy was pulled from his state of wonder as he looked at the little boy now sitting on the mark.
"Sorry about that." he smiled and resume his auto pilot state of mind.
Walking on set Gabriella dropped her bag down next to the chair by George. "Hey," she said with a smile as she took off her sweater. "Who am I filming with today?"
George smiled as he let out a chuckle and shook his head. "I've been waiting for you to show up." George said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Well I do aim to please." Gabriella said as she bunched up her sweater and dropped it by her bag on the floor.
George was quite for a moment as he watched the two girls on the small screen performing a 69 position "I have a friend who is looking to produce a film he can take to Sundance." George said giving her a side long glances. "He's picked a fabulous story to produce."
"Really, what did you guys have in mind?" Gabriella said stretching her arms over her head.
"Silly girl," George said looking back at the camera focusing once again on the actors already in mid scene. "I suggested he sit down and talk to you. Seeing as it's your movie he wants to produce only seems fitting that you get to see it from start to finish."
Gabriella stilled, "Shut the fuck up, Are you kidding?"
"He's waiting in the back for you as we speak." George chuckled. "Go ahead, go hammer out the details."
"Oh my god!" Gabriella screamed and a murmur of hushing noises followed. "Sorry," she whispered.
George laughed as he motioned for a crew member to get in closer. "I love my job."
Gabriella picked up her bag and sweater and began to make her way to the back patio where indeed a man with Sunglasses on top of his head was sitting at the picnic table and talking to one of the crew members.
"Hello, I'm Brie." Gabriella said cautious to provide her real name.
"Hello Brie," he said with a smile. "My name is Jason, and I've read your script."
"Which one," Gabriella said a little nervous. "I mean, which did George show you?"
"Here Comes Trouble," he said with a smile. "I love the character Isabel; she's raw, passionate, and new. She has something about her, for her age to feel so raunchy and be so different. "
"Thank you," Gabriella took a seat at the table.
"As I'm sure George as told you I want to produce this movie, I have to produce this movie. Brie if you give me the option to this I will make this world you created real." Jason reached out his hands and held hers in his. "I'll beg if I have too."
Electricity zipped through her body zinging from her fingertips. Her cheeks felt hot, her teeth were chattering. "Well I'm sure if we talk something out we can come to an agreement."
"Smart girl," Jason said with a smile, "Let talk."
Troy sat at the living room table staring at all the pieces to his camera. He'd taken it apart so that he could clean the lens and then began to clean it as a whole. Picking up the lens he fogged the glass so that he could use the special cloth to clean a smudge.
He heard the key in the front door and attached the lens back to the camera. "Troy!" His hand jerked and the lens almost slipped from his fingers. "Hold on guys let me change my clothes!"
"Shit," Troy slurred as he settled his hands and turned to see Gabriella turning and holding up a hand to someone outside. "What's going on?"
"My script is going to be a movie!" Gabriella said running towards him on the couch. Gabriella jumped up on it and Troy scooped up his film.
"Gabriella?" he said looking up at her and putting the film canisters in the bag.
Falling down onto the couch she giggled and clapped her hands. "Pay!" she screamed.
Troy winced and returned his attention back to his camera and reassembling the pieces.
"What's going on?" Sharpay said walking into the living room. "Hey Troy," she said looking at all the camera equipment on the table.
"My script is going to be a movie, George passed my script to this producer and he optioned for my script!" Gabriella squealed in a high pitched shriek and reached out to wrap her arms around Troy.
Once again Troy's hands slipped only this time he pulled them apart as to not damage the lens. "Congratulations." He said looking at her with a side long glance as he went back to assembling his camera.
"Oh my god!" Sharpay screamed, which was followed by Gabriella's scream, which made Troy scream with pain.
"My ear," he said looking at Gabriella.
"They're going to make my movie!" Gabriella jumped up from the couch and she held out her hands in excitement. "We're going to go out to celebrate." Gabriella with a smile, "Get dressed, get your good underwear!" Gabriella made a dash for her bedroom and so did Sharpay leaving Troy in the living room with his Camera.
In the silence he put his camera back together in one piece. Admiring his work stood from the couch just in time for Gabriella and Sharpay to come back into the room. Sharpay blond hair was pulled back into a pony tail her chest was pushed up and she was barely covered in a tiny sliver dress with sliver colored heals. Gabriella hair was down and wild in black leather pants and red halter top. Both girls looking at him and then his at his wardrobe, Troy looked down at himself he was wearing a blue jeans and a grey top.
"Hold on," Gabriella said running back into her room. Sharpay ran back into hers and Troy let out a sigh as he picked up his camera looked at his work with admiration.
"Put this on," Gabriella said handing him a sports jacket. She looked at her watch and then heard the horn outside. "Come on lets go."
"I'm going?" Troy said taking the jacket from her and shrugging it on.
"Yes," Sharpay came out of her room with hand full of accessories and shoes. "I found the timex!"
"Where do you guys get these things?" Troy said letting Sharpay put the watch around his wrist and the shoes at his feet.
"Old boyfriends," Sharpay said with a smirk.
"Here put this belt on." Gabriella took the belt from Sharpay's arms and began to loop it through.
"I can do it," Troy said sliding his feet into the shoes and then adjusting the belt.
"Bring you camera," Gabriella said with a smile as they both raced for the door.
"Alright, alright , I'm coming." Troy said now fully dressed and grabbing his camera off the coffee table. He followed the girls out the door and down the stairs. Fidgeting with his camera he adjusted the straps. When he did look up Troy's eyes widened as he looked at the limo Gabriella and Sharpay were already getting into.
"Sir," a man in a black suit titled his hat towards Troy. Troy hesitated not exactly sure if he should continue.
"What's the hold up?" Gabriella said getting out of the limo and placing a hand on her hip.
"I don't think this is a good idea." Troy said looking at the limo and the man in the suit. "This seems very expensive and… I can't afford this?"
"I'm not paying for it, my boss is paying for it." Gabriella said with a smirk.
"You have a nice boss," Troy said looking at the man in the suit and then Gabriella.
"Yeah well when you spend as much time as I do naked in front of him, he has to be nice to you." Gabriella said with a smirk. "How else would he get me to take my clothes off."
"Right," Troy said taking another breath and looking back up at the house.
"What's the real reason Troy?" Gabriella said raising a brow. "Do you think Angela will call?"
Troy was quite for a moment. He been hoping she would, that possibly after some absents and distance she might change her mind and want him back. That maybe she realized life wasn't the same, that food didn't taste the same, sleeping without him didn't feel as resting.
"She's not going to call," Gabriella said shrugging her shoulders. "If she was going to, she would have by now." The window blew by and Troy watched as strands of her brown hair blew by dancing on whispers of mangos and sizzling jalapeños. "Get in the limo Troy."
"Fine," Troy took a deep breath and walked towards her. He stopped when she held out her hand. "Now what?"
"Give me your phone." She said.
Troy rolled his eyes and took out his phone placing it in her hand.
"Good boy," she smirked slipping it into her pocket. "Now let see what we can do about that confidence?" she said in a low voice.
After getting into the limo Troy leaned over to Gabriella, "I've never been in a limo before," he said looking around at the other six girls sitting inside. "Hello?" he said looking back at all the girls and giving them all a nervous wave.
"Who is the cutie Brie?" asked a read head with bright pink lips.
"This is Troy, our very single photographer for the night." Gabriella said lifting his camera. The limo went wild with giggles and shrieks as they began getting into poses. Troy smiled at Gabriella who sent him a wink. "These are the girls, Candy, Diamond, Emma, Lori, Nicki, and Simmone." The girls waved as their names came up and Troy took a good look at each face in his best attempt to commit them to memory.
"Let's start the party!" Misty held up a bottle from the limo mini bar and the girls went wild again. Troy could feel the car begin to move and he lifted his camera taking snap shots as the girls posed and began to joke around, before long it was a natural environment. Troy kept snapping shots and the girls were asking him questions and he was talking to them as if this was something normal, at least for him.
Getting into the club took little effort at all and when they did all eyes were on him. He felt the pull on his arm and realized that Gabriella had looped hers through his. "Come on, your with us." she said with wink.
"That's what scares me," Troy mumbled. The sound of music blasted past him and his body began vibrating against his best effort to remain still to the beat. Looking around he noticed people talking and dancing, "How do you talk over this?" he yelled as loud as he could while leaning over to Gabriella.
"Talking is overrated!" she yelled back.
"Funny thing for writer to say don't you think?" Troy responded.
Gabriella rolled her eyes and pulled his hand towards the dance floor. Just as he was going to protest three of the other girls came up from behind pushing him out as well. Before long he was surrounded by bodies moving around him. Cornered between a read head and a blond, he felt Gabriella against his back. With no other choices he just gave into it and started to dance along.
Meanwhile Sharpay and Nicki sat at the bar watching the crowd. Most of the girls dancing around Troy or scooping up any stranglers on the out skirts of the crowd.
"Evan says this guy is bad news?" Nicki said looking over at Sharpay with a raised brow.
"He's just getting over a bad break up, I knew him back in high school, he's a regular boy next door type." Sharpay shrugged her shoulders. Checking her phone she smiled at the written text message from Zeke who was chipping away at her reserve to meet him in a public place for coffee.
"When was the last time you seen him?" Nicki asked lifting her pink drink back up to her pink lips.
Sharpay shrugged her shoulders, "Its been awhile, he kept in touch with my brother mostly." Looking back out into the crowd she spotted a couple dancing together and could feel an emptiness pulling at her heart. Was it so much to ask for a normal relationship, that some accept you for who you are and love you for all your flaws and best features? Letting out a sigh she turned her attention back to Nicki.
"Ryan is his voulcher?" Nicki let out a laugh. "God you guys are dumb."
Sharpay shook her head, "Trust me, Troy is a good guy."
"Well, Brie seems to think so," Nicki leaned in. "What's up with them?"
"They've been playing video games and just talking," Sharpay shrugged her shoulders and looked back out into the crowd spotting Troy and Brie back to back. "You know Brie, she not the relationship type." Sharpay looked back at her phone and bit her lip with confusion. Why was the choice of meeting this man face to face so frustrating?
Nicki smiled as she looked over at Troy and Brie dancing side by side. "He is kinda cute."