Wow, it's been forever - and yet there are sometimes, little things that come to mind that just make me think 'that would be a perfect Troy & Gabriella - or even Zanessa - story!' And during the summer down-times the writing just happens. :) Yeah, I'm still KTZLF'ing and I know there are still some others out there with me...because you pm or fb or email and tell me! haha! (I've even had some ghosts come out to say 'hello'! ;D)
So, kinda like my muse, this story is a tidbit of the lost and found pieces of HSM3 and the Parental Consent that goes along with it, at least in my mind! Thank you cncgrad for sticking with me and for many others who are still reading and reviewing and favoriting stories that ARE my way of K'ingTZLF. ;) This is part one of at least two in this little escapade! Please let me know what you think. Love your reviews, pm's fb notes and however else you might find to let me know! LOL!
KTZLF, Troyella and Zanessa fans - I'm right there with ya!
Parental Consent - Lost and Found - Part 1
Troy looked across the yard and caught Gabriella's eye. Both of their looks pleaded with the other to rescue them from the parental conversations that were happening. They had shared a similar conversation just a half hour before … their futures, their college hopes, the potential distance that could interrupt their relationship after high school.
Their conversation had happened in the tree-house, high above the chaos that was the basketball championship after-party. Troy's mom had broken up their bubble of contentment with instructions for Troy to come down and greet his guests – namely the head coach of the college basketball team that everyone assumed Troy and Chad would join following another East High championship.
Gabriella was pulled in a slightly different direction when she hopped off of the ladder and Lucille Bolton pulled her and Maria Montez toward a group of East High alumni who were eager to discuss Gabriella's acceptance into Stanford University.
Now, the two halves of the respective couple were eager to pull away from the adults and revert back to their not-so-frivolous teenage selves. Troy sighed as Gabriella puckered her lips and blew a silent kiss in his direction.
"Are we boring you, son?" Jack Bolton smacked Troy on the shoulder just a little harder than necessary.
"What?" Troy tore his eyes from his wavy haired girlfriend and focused on the college coach in front of him. "Oh, no, sir…I just…"
"Jack, he's had his head on the court all night. I think he might just want to get back to the celebration." The experienced older man smiled at Troy and cocked his head toward the crowd of high schoolers that filled the Bolton's back yard.
Troy looked toward his dad with the hopes his father would agree. Jack - Troy's father and high school coach - rolled his eyes knowing well and good that Troy was only interested in getting back to one other student in particular.
The seventeen year old shrugged his shoulders slightly, quietly begging his father to set him free.
With another round of eye rolling and a click of his tongue Jack finally gave in. "Go. Enjoy yourself." He forced a smile and then relaxed into a fatherly grin letting Troy know he was serious. "Just…stay out of the tree-house, okay? Last thing I need is one of you falling out of that thing and really getting hurt," he instructed.
Troy nodded with a grin of his own as he took a step toward Gabriella. "Hey, at least the season is done!" He laughed out loud seeing his father lean his head backwards and mumble something incoherent toward the sky.
In the next moment, Troy was standing beside his girlfriend and smiling genuinely at Gabriella's mother and his own. At the first hint of a break in the conversation he turned his full attention to the young lady next to him. "Do you need a refill?" he asked quietly and pointed toward the half full cup of soda she was holding.
Rather than making a smart alec remark, Gabriella looked at him, simply questioning his thought.
"I need one," Troy answered her look and held up his empty hands. "Just thought if you needed more we can hop in the kitchen and grab something," he explained.
"Oh," the dark haired genius caught onto her boyfriend's excuse. "Yeah, that'd be good." She looked at her Mom with nearly innocent eyes. "Is that okay, Mom?"
Maria tilted her head slightly, as did Lucille Bolton, both women seeing right through Troy's attempt to pull his girlfriend away from their discussion. Maria looked to Lucille for a second motherly opinion and received a hint of young-love's remorse in return.
"Sure, go ahead," she responded, to Gabriella's relief.
"Just stay out of the tree-house," Lucille added after them. "The last thing we need is one of you falling out of that thing and really getting hurt."
"Yes, Ma'am," Troy smiled at his mom and then shook his head as he took Gabriella's hand and led her toward the back door of his home.
"What's funny about that?" Gabriella wondered at Troy's smirk.
"Dad just told me practically the same thing. We both know they aren't worried about us falling out of the tree. They're just worried about us being up there, alone!" Troy unlatched the back door of his home and held it as Gabriella walked in.
"What do they think we are gonna do up there with the yard full of people?" Gabriella responded and leaned against the counter in the Bolton's kitchen.
Troy's wink was enough to make Gabriella roll her eyes. His step toward her made the roll stop as she focused on the smiling lips that appeared to be heading her way.
"Hoops!"
The sound of another voice coming through the back door stopped their kiss a split second before the young mouths met, sending a simultaneous groan from both Troy and Gabriella. Their foreheads touched for just a moment before Chad's voice broke in again.
"Can you toss me another pack of hot dog buns and I think we need another case of Pepsi out here." Chad's nearly matter-of-fact tone made the young couple turn to glare at him.
"What?" Troy's curly-haired friend stepped toward the counter and stared at them.
"Do we look like we're in here grabbing food?" Troy asked with unmistakable sarcasm.
"Well you were about to grab something," Chad commented with a finger pointing at the two of them.
"I spilled something on my shirt. I just came in here to change. We'll be back out in a few." Troy attempted to excuse his best friend from their presence.
"Mmm-hmmm…" Chad crossed his arms across his chest and looked at Troy, standing next to Gabriella, one arm possessively wrapped around her shoulder and her hand resting comfortably on Troy's hip.
Gabriella leaned her cheek against Troy's shoulder and simply smiled at the other basketball player who was standing in front of them. Without a word Chad shook his head and turned toward the door.
"Chad!" Troy suddenly let go of Gabriella and headed toward the pantry. He grabbed a case of cola's and brought them to his friend to take back out to the party. "Can you at least make it look believable?"
Chad jerked the box playfully from Troy's hands and looked back at Gabriella. "Taylor and I will be in the tree-house," he mumbled.
"Ooo, no!" Gabriella stopped him for one more second. "Coach and Luce said nobody in the tree house. You'll have to stick to the swing-set," she grinned.
Chad huffed, "Oh sure, after you and Hoops come down the tree is off limits? And now you're calling dibs on the house? Give a championship player a chance here, will ya?"
Troy shrugged and nudged his friend out of the open door. "Dude, my house. Give me a break already!"
Chad grunted as the door closed behind him. Troy couldn't help but grin at the light-hearted giggle that escaped from Gabriella following their antics.
"So?" she asked when Troy made the few steps and stood in front of her.
"Where's that drink that we came in here for?" Troy grabbed her cup and turned it to his own lips. When he sat it back on the counter his face turned a bit more serious. "Have I thanked you for being at the game tonight?"
Gabriella noted his facial expression and took a moment to think before smiling at him with closed lips. "There were hundreds of people there, Troy. How do you know I was one of them?"
She took the quiet opportunity to tiptoe slightly and place a light kiss on his lips.
"Well, if you weren't there," he lifted his thumb to her lips and gently pressed on the softness, "then who did I hear shouting my name when I went down with that foul?"
"Foul? You were fouled? How dare they!" Gabriella teased.
"Gabriella, seriously," Troy smiled at her and used the tips of his index and middle fingers to push some of her hair behind her ear.
"I-" she leaned her cheek against his fingers, "I was worried about your knee, you know? You can't afford a more serious injury. Not now."
"Nah, don't worry about that. I'm all good, see?" He raised his leg into the air and slapped his thigh as he bent his knee and let the appendage bend back and forth several times.
Gabriella watched him for a moment until she was satisfied that he was, in fact, okay. Then she looked back into his eyes. "I'm glad I was there. It was exciting, Troy, exhilarating to watch that comeback!"
"Yep," Troy heard her words but was lost once their eyes connected.
And after a lengthy moment of silence their lips also connected in the celebratory kiss that Troy considered more exhilarating than any game of basketball that he'd ever played.
TGTGTG
The heavy breathing and wandering hands were more than either had expected when they walked into the house. Still standing in the kitchen Troy took in a hitched breath and was spurred on by Gabriella's closed eyes and hands under his shirt, which were now gripping the waistband of his jeans. He noted her upturned chin and lips waiting for his next kiss.
He pressed their lips together again and moved his lips to her ear. "Let's go…" his breath wavered as he tried to get his point across with a shift of his body.
Gabriella opened her eyes and recognized the bedroom door just a few feet away from them. Troy's bedroom was not unfamiliar to her in the least, although this invitation seemed to hold more weight in their relationship, on this night, on many levels. Intentionally or not, she tensed.
"Troy, I don't know…" she practically whispered.
He took another hesitant breath and pulled himself away from her. Troy grasped her hands in his and pressed his lips together as he thought about what he was trying to ask the young woman who had already stolen his heart.
"No…that's not-" he paused as he swallowed more nervously. "This whole night means so much to me, Gabriella. Out on the court tonight, I knew you were there; the whole time, I could feel you there. This party, the fact that you and your mom are here…it means so much to me. I am so glad you're willing to share this with me…I just can't tell you how much."
Gabriella sat quietly as he spoke, smiling at the young boy that appeared in front of her as he tried to share his feelings. Troy ran one hand through his hair and then rubbed the back of his neck.
"I-I'm not…" Troy pressed himself to find the right words, "I don't want us to…go all the way…" he licked his lips and grazed his teeth over his bottom one. "Not here, with half the school in my back yard."
They both chuckled with his hint at a jovial thought.
"I just want to spend some time with you tonight – just me and you – so I can show you how much I appreciate your support and just you being here. I don't – I'm not gonna pressure you into anything, Gabriella. But, just, my best chance to be alone with you is probably right now, behind that door…with the door locked," Troy explained.
Gabriella let out a breath and then laughed under her breath. "Otherwise Chad will continue to interrupt us?"
Troy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "His best friend status is seriously on the line. I mean, how many times can one guy interrupt our kisses?"
Gabriella held her hand in the air to stop Troy from answering his own question. "Don't answer that!" she smiled and pushed herself away from the counter.
With another tiptoeing kiss to Troy's jaw Gabriella gave in to his request. Linking their fingers together she let him lead her into his room. And with a click of the lock two sets of hands began wandering again, showing each other their very personal appreciation.
TGTGTG
"Have you seen Troy?" Jack nudged his wife's shoulder and drew her attention away from the guests who continued to celebrate the victorious basketball team. Lucille immediately looked toward the structure nestled above the yard where she had found her son and his girlfriend earlier.
"Not in a bit," she admitted. "I told them to stay out of the tree-house, though. You don't think they went back up, do you?"
Jack shook his head. "Nah, I told Troy the same thing. I think it's run its course this time around." Still he glanced up into the tree to determine whether or not his son had disobeyed him.
"Do you need him for something?" Lucille looked back at her husband before moving back into her other conversation.
"Not really," Jack replied with a shake of his head. "I was just gonna try to get the guys together for a couple of pictures."
Lucille looked slightly confused and in disbelief. She then moved her finger, pointing to their back yard that was still filled with teenagers, parents and neighbors.
"I know, I know," Jack answered her silent berating. "Guess I'll go chat with Charlie. Maybe it's his turn to keep up with our son."
Lucille shook her head. "No. You know exactly who is keeping up with your son. Have you seen a certain dark-haired, upcoming Stanford University student? I bet if you find her, you'll find Troy."
Jack nodded. "Did we give our permission for her to be his keeper?"
Lucille smacked her husband lightly on the cheek and then followed it with a quick kiss. "Not our choice, Sweetheart, but actually, yes, I think we did approve."
With a quick smile and another peck on the cheek Jack turned his attention toward Chad's father who seemed to be incompletely engrossed in the story his wife was telling – as though he had heard the story at least twenty times before. But somewhere between Lucille and Charlie Danforth, Jack's eye caught sight of a movement inside his son's room which overlooked the back yard.
He looked around purposefully, spotting the various members of his basketball team. He noted Chad, in particular, who quickly moved toward him when Jack started walking toward the house.
"Hey, Coach! Great party!" Chad started. He opted to place his hands on his hips instead of looking guilty or defensive with his arms across his chest.
"Glad you're enjoying, Curly Top," Jack grinned a half-hearted look in Chad's direction.
"You know, Rocket Man is telling everybody that he should've been the player of the game. Is he crazy, or what?" Chad attempted to engage Jack.
Jack stopped for a moment and looked at his virtually second son. "Where's Troy?" He asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"What…who?" Chad covered poorly.
"Troy. You know, my son? Captain of the team…the actual player of the game?"
"Oh, yeah," Chad chuckled with his nerves beginning to show, "Hoops!" He laughed.
Jack raised his eyebrows and looked at the dark-skinned boy who appeared to be blushing slightly.
"I…I think I saw him go into the house a few minutes ago," Chad nodded and kept going through his dry throat. "Said he had spilled something on his shirt and was going in to change." He stopped with that and continued nodding his head.
"Uh-huh," Jack rolled his tongue around in his mouth. "If you see him come back out send him my way, would ya? His mother…has someone else for him to talk to…" Jack lied.
Chad let his breath out slowly. "You got it, Coach. As soon as I see him."
Jack turned his back on Chad and let out his own heavy sigh. "Maybe I should've left the tree-house option open…"
TGTGTG
Their first hint that they had been inside the house too long was a somewhat light, rapping sound on the bedroom door. The two still-at-least-partially clothed teens ignored the sound while enjoying kisses and touches that were escalating beyond the appreciation phase.
The second clue was the rattling doorknob followed by a familiar voice. "Hoops, Dude," a somewhat frantic Chad began, "Coach is looking for you."
"Shhh…" Troy's hushed voice was all that Chad heard.
A slight gasp from Gabriella broke the next moment of silence followed by a muffled giggle and a less than innocent, "Stop!" whispered into the air.
"Troy, c'mon Man, did you hear me?" Chad tried again. "Your dad's looking for you. If you don't show up in the back yard quickly he's probably gonna send out a search party."
Another muffled moan reached the door along with what could have been less than quiet kisses. Chad cringed. He knew Troy and Gabriella. He knew they weren't doing what it sounded like they were doing behind the locked door. Problem was he knew there was potential for that to happen. And if his friends were about to reach their potential…he needed to stop them for numerous reasons.
"That's it, Hoops. I know where the key is. If you won't get up and unlock this door I guess I'll just have to do it myself."
"What did he say?" Gabriella's voice was finally coherent enough for Chad to understand. Point Chad.
"Nice try, Chad." Troy chimed in with a breathy, frustrated tone.
"Dude, I'm serious. Gabs, I at least need you to listen to me. If I come out of the house without Troy, Coach is coming in after him. Worse yet, he'll probably send Mama Luce to check things out," Chad pressed.
"Ah crap." Troy sat up in the bed and looked at his girlfriend's mussed hair, kiss-swollen lips and naked chest. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. "Give us ten minutes, will ya? Just stall him for ten minutes?"
Gabriella couldn't help but scoot herself up and steal another kiss from her also-shirtless boyfriend whose jeans had somehow become undone. She noted, then, that her own hand was resting against his low-riding waistband. Maybe Chad's latest interruption was a good thing on several levels. Troy's body part still-confined by those jeans had willingly made itself known early into their discovery session. Even though it had stayed covered throughout their half hour together, Gabriella knew she could now appreciate her first love even more.
"Ten minutes?" Chad knocked his knuckles on the bedroom door again. "You'd better make it ten seconds. It looks like he's heading this way."
"Chad!" The truth of the moment finally set into Troy's head.
"Troy?" Gabriella looked at her boyfriend with a slight bit of fear in her voice. She twisted her knees toward the side of the bed and tugged on Troy's comforter, suddenly feeling like an uncovered Eve in the Garden of Eden. Her eyes darted over the bed, beyond her boyfriend and then down to the floor. "Where'd you put my… Troy, move! I don't see my…my…"
Troy raised and lowered his hands gently, trying to calm her nerves and asking her to focus. "Gabriella, it's okay. Alright? Here, put your top back on and just put my sweater on over top of it."
Gabriella stopped, tilted her head slightly and glared, albeit lovingly, at her boyfriend. "Right. That won't look at all suspicious."
Troy grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm just going for a clothed look before Dad or Chad unlocks the door and barges in. I, for one, don't want them or anyone else to see what I'm seeing right now!" His cheeks reddened as his eyes visualized the beautiful skin currently hidden under his bed covering.
Gabriella also blushed at his words, but couldn't help but smile at his compliment. In the moment of silence, the two relived just a few seconds of the physical and mental connection they had been experiencing.
"Yo! Still out here, still listening!" Chad's voice interrupted again.
Troy's shoulders slumped while his smile turned into a frustrated pout. "Then stand guard and don't let my father unlock the door. Help us out here Chad; you know you owe us!"
"Wh- Why do I owe you anything? I'm just not unlocking the door because I don't want to embarrass Gabriella," Chad said as he crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the door.
"Hey, why do you think I'd be embarrassed?" Gabriella chimed in, still holding the covers against her chest and scanning the floor for her very important missing garment.
"Then you won't mind if I grab this little allen wrench from the top of the door frame and…"
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Came both voices from behind the closed door.
"Mmm-hmm," Chad hummed. "That's what I thought. By the way, Gabster – huh, not sure if that's a good thing or not - Coach just stopped to talk to your mom."
"No, no, no!" Gabriella's voice was soft but fearful from the tone Chad was hearing. "Troy, seriously, where is my…my…my bra?" She attempted to whisper the final word. "If my mother comes in here with your dad…"
"Hey, I just wanted you to myself for a few minutes. What's the harm in that?" Troy stated his case, hoping it would be convincing enough to the parental types.
"I know that. But the harm is that I'm missing a pretty vital piece of clothing. Coach may not notice it, but I assure you my mother will recognize that I'm not wearing one of my undergarments," she spoke through gritting teeth trying to get her boyfriend to understand.
"La-la-la…" the sing-song voice on the outside of the door piped in. "I'm just gonna pretend I'm not hearing this. How long have you two been in there anyway?" Chad wiped a hand across his forehead gratefully, wondering just what he had interrupted this time around.
"Not long enough!" Troy's frustration began to show as he jerked his own t-shirt over his head. He stood with hands on his hips and glanced around the floor before trying to give a softer look in Gabriella's direction. "I don't know where it is. I'm sorry. But seriously, put your top on, put my sweater over top of it, and call it done. If they suspect something then they suspect something. We can't help that. I'll get your bra back to you when I find it."
"La-La-LAAAA," Chad sang again.
"Hey, if you're really putting your fingers in your ears then you shouldn't be able to hear us talking about her missing BRA!" Troy picked up a pillow and chucked it at his bedroom door.
"Troy!" Gabriella couldn't help but grin at him as she picked up his sweater and slid her arms into the sleeves. Her eyes grew larger once the sweater was on and she pulled her dark curls out from under the collar. She touched a spot on her neck and once again blushed as she looked toward the young man who was far more important to her than a lost piece of clothing.
"You…didn't leave any marks on me, did you?" She intentionally kept her voice at a hear-able level.
Troy quickly stepped toward Gabriella and grinned a sideways smirk knowing she was joking with their lookout. "Nah…" he paused slightly, "Well, not where anyone can see it anyways," he added.
The choking cough registered through the wooden panel. "That's it! I'm outta here!" Chad pushed himself away from the door.
"Chad, no!" Gabriella had to laugh, knowing she was covered about as well as she could be by that point.
"No!" He pouted in his own special way. "I don't want to know about your young sexual escapades!" He punctuated the final two words as proof of what he thought was happening between the two.
"We don't have any young sexual escapades…not yet at least…" Gabriella thought about a few of the times, including this one, that she and Troy had been able to find some time truly alone together.
"Psshhh, beg to differ on that one!" Chad answered and again leaned against the door frame.
Gabriella rolled her eyes as she began to tidy up the other items that she and Troy had disrupted while in his room. "Beg you to just shut up for a minute and keep Coach out of this room. Can you do that, please?" she sighed and looked at Troy. "X-Y-Z…" she pointed toward him.
"What?" Troy asked, distracted by his enjoyment of her argument with Chad.
"Zip…Your…Zipper," Gabriella's almost motherly look toward Troy's pants gave him a cold chill.
"Can you see my shaking head?" Chad ignored Gabriella's request.
"Shut-Up, Chad!" Troy and Gabriella responded in unison.
A snorting laugh was what they heard, followed by a simple, "Hurry up, guys, they're heading this way!"
TGTGTG
Troy puffed his cheeks full of air and pushed it out through his lips as Gabriella gnawed on her bottom lip. "Are you sure this looks okay?" she asked with worried eyes.
Troy looked at her beautiful face and nodded hesitantly. "It does to me," he smiled gently. "You're covered…I'm covered and zipped," he smiled a little wider as Gabriella did the same, "It's better than having them walk in on us half naked."
Gabriella let out a sigh and nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's true." She nodded again when Troy gave her a questioning look as he put his hand on the doorknob and unlocked the barrier to their few moments of privacy.
"Hey," Troy reached toward her and put his fingers under her chin to lift her face toward him, "Do you regret…"
Gabriella cut him off with a quick shake of her head as she stood on her tiptoes and leaned up to steal one last kiss from him. "No," she said confidently. "I think I secretly wanted to share in the celebration with you…and now I have!" Her eyebrows wagged up and down inadvertently making Troy let out a chuckle.
"Well, as long as we're on the same page here!" The two grinned as Troy opened the door to find a slightly-bored Chad leaning on the door frame.
"Bout time," Chad looked at his wrist that didn't contain a watch. All three of them looked toward the back door as they heard it open and watched as Jack and Maria walked in.
"Well, Chad told me Troy came in…" Jack was saying as they rounded the corner and saw all three teens standing in Troy's bedroom doorway.
"Hey, Dad, what's up?" Troy covered as Gabriella found a comfortable spot peeking out from behind his shoulder.
"Trying to find you," Jack pointed and raised his eyebrows. "Where've you been?"
Troy shook his head and pointed toward the back yard. "Out and in, just makin' the rounds," he shrugged his shoulders.
Jack nodded but the look on his face told Troy he wasn't completely buying his story.
"Gabriella," Maria scrunched her nose slightly, "are you wearing Troy's sweater?" Gabriella's mother tilted her head and raised her own eyebrows while waiting for an answer.
"Yeah, I, um, I spilled something on my dress…" she attempted.
Chad's coughing expletive made them all look toward him. "'Scuse me, must be something in the air," he said as he eyed Gabriella for the lie she'd just told and then stepped away from the couple.
"I thought Troy had spilled something on his shirt," Jack started.
"Wha-" Troy looked toward Chad, hoping for a little assistance or an explanation at the least. "Yeah, actually, I was holding a drink and we were dancing and it spilled on both of us. I came in to change my shirt and to get my sweater for Gabriella."
"And that took both of you?" Maria wondered for added measure.
"Mama," Gabriella stared at her mother, begging with her eyes that Maria would just let this conversation drop.
"Well, you aren't joined at the hip. Troy's a big boy. I'm guessing he can change his shirt without your help."
Troy did his best not to show his hand in the poker-game of lies that was shaping up between them and the parents.
"You know, we didn't even think about it," he began somewhat honestly. "The spill happened and we both headed in here. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, really. Sorry," he added with an innocent gesture of his hands.
Maria looked at her daughter with a knowing glance before answering Troy. "It's fine, Troy. We just wanted to make sure nothing had happened to either of you." She looked into his eyes pulling out the slight bit of guilt Troy was harboring.
"And, on that note," Jack interrupted, "We should all get back to the party. Don't you think?"
Troy and Gabriella answered in agreement while Chad stood to the side doing his best to not laugh like a fourth-grader who had practically tattle-taled on his best friend. Troy elbowed the other young man as they passed him heading toward the back door of the house.
"Not cool," Troy shot him a look.
Chad held his hands up in innocence and snickered quietly. "Dude, I covered for you. What more do you want?"
Troy simply shook his head and grunted, knowing his best friend was correct and that payback would be costly. Gabriella tugged on Troy's hand leading him toward Jack and Maria who were already holding the back door open for them. As they passed their parents, Maria smiled with pressed lips at both Troy and Gabriella.
Just a step outside of the door, Jack put a hand on Troy's shoulder and pulled him back slightly. Gabriella glanced back to see why Troy had stopped and then let go of his hand when she noticed that Jack was getting ready to speak to him. Gabriella stepped on, hesitantly, when Maria caught up to her.
Troy's father took a deep breath and squeezed a bit too hard on Troy's shoulder. He offered a smile to the mother of one of the players from the team as she passed by and then turned that smile into a crooked, fatherly smirk as he looked directly into his son's eyes and then pressed his lips together, forming the words in his mind. "Can I give you one bit of advice about that lie you just told?" Jack made sure he had Troy's attention.
"What are you talking about?" Troy sucked in a breath and held it momentarily.
"When you come in to change clothes…" Jack stalled and looked at Troy's shirt. "Make sure you put on a different shirt…not just the same shirt – backwards!" He reached up and pulled on the tag that was peeking out from under the front collar of his son's shirt.
Troy's eyes grew large as he looked at his father with a slight bit of fear and stood silently.
"Just sayin'," Jack tucked the tag back into place, patted it down with his fingertips then turned around to walk away.
Troy debated how to fix his shirt for just a split second before spotting Chad who was still standing at the back door of the house. He crossed his arms over his chest and made it easy for Chad to tell that Troy was gritting his teeth. Troy finally walked the few steps back to his helpful friend.
"Not. One. Word." Troy managed as he stepped behind Chad and quickly rotated his shirt without taking it off his body.
Chad laughed and waited for Troy to straighten his clothes. "Hey, Dude, at least it's not G's bra hanging out of your shirt. Did you ever find that, by the way?"
Troy's glare was enough to shut Chad up, but only for a moment before the curly topped teen took off to spread the embarrassing tale that he had just witnessed.
PARENTALCONSENT-LOSTANDFOUND-PART1