"Happy New Year!" Lucy beams at me as she opens the door, and I move to give her a hug before passing and greeting the others. My dad shakes Robert's hand, and Troy hugs his family while my dad puts his arm around me and smiles as he watches the family exchange pleasantries and words of love. Dr. Marin arrives too, and we say hello, a faint blush coming onto her cheeks as she greets my father. I fidget awkwardly; please tell me that my therapist is not falling for my dad. This could not be any weirder.
Correction: upon my father's miserable attempt at flirting with her, and then stammering out a compliment, I inwardly groan. Now, it couldn't be weirder.
"Lucy, do you need any help in the kitchen?" I offer; anything to get away from the situation I am currently witnessing. She nods, all business, and I join her, quickly being given the task of chopping up vegetables for the salad.
"What's up babe?" Troy asks, and I feel him looking at me, an easy grin crossing his face. Shrugging, I tell him about Dr. Marin and my dad, and he sniggers. "No offence, but that is a little weird." He confesses, stealing a carrot from the chopping board. "But, I mean, it's not bad, is it? Aunt Alicia has been alone for a long time, and I feel like this could be good for her you know?" I nod absently, and resolve not to think any more about the matter unless something actually comes of it. I mean, for all I know, it could just be flirting and nothing more, and there isn't a point making a big deal out of that. Lucy returns to the kitchen to put the finishing touches to the food, and begins to move it to the dining table.
Soon, we all move to the dining room, as supper has been laid out, and my stomach rumbles in appreciation. Lucy has outdone herself. A roast turkey proudly sits at the centre of the table, with mashed potatoes and peas and gravy and cornbread flanking it. Immediately, the food starts getting passed around, and we all lose ourselves in the food, the conversation slowing down as people eat. But conversation in this atmosphere isn't needed. Everyone is happy, and enjoying each other's' company, and I relax as I enjoy my food and the people here.
When the meal is over, and everyone is shaking hands goodbye, my dad said that I'm free to stay here for a little, and I feel Troy poking me in the ribs, urging me to stay. I agree, and tell my dad I'll be home later. So saying, Troy and I thank Lucy for the meal, and he grabs my hand to drag me out to his car.
"I thought maybe we could just go for a drive; I've pretty much got a full tank of gas and we have all the time in the world. Just me and you and the road." He grins, and I cave. I can never say no when he's like this, and I know that I would follow this boy to the end of the universe if he would just flash me that smile again.
As we drive along the highway, a memory sparks, and I remember that I wanted to ask Troy about this last night. "Troy," I broach carefully, "last night, when we were at the bar talking to Severell, what did he mean when he said 'you know what it means to me'." Troy's face grows uncomfortable, but I mistake his discomfort for confusion, or maybe he forgot as he had been drunk, so I continue. "You know, when you were watching him prepare my drink, making sure it wasn't spiked and stuff. And Severell said: you know what it means to me." I prompt, and Troy sighs.
"I know what you were referring to, Brie. It's just not a great story. You sure you want to hear it?" his fingers tap a nervous beat against the steering wheel, and I say yes, I do want to hear it. What can I say? I'm curious.
"Ok, so, Severell used to date this girl last year, before you moved here. A girl from our grade." Troy began cautiously. "Abby Wheeler. She was a quiet girl, blonde, pretty. Really, really nice actually. She was the community service leader at East High, and her and Severell actually met when the entire hockey team was busted for drinking in early September and had to do community service to make up for it. They were a quiet couple; she wasn't really big on going out, but for him, she would sometimes. She wasn't socially awkward or anything, in fact everyone pretty much got along with her. And Severell, well, he was always protective of her. I told you, babe, he's good people." I nod along to the story, waiting for him to explain Severell's comment. "Anyway, she went to a party with Severell last April, I think. It was a huge party; people from other schools came, and I'd never seen so much alcohol in one place. So the story goes that Severell came with Abby, and she decided to let her hair down and have a few drinks for once. He watched her at the start of the night to make sure she was good, but eventually they were both mingling with different people, and he didn't always see when she went back for a drink. The next thing he knows, he's looking for her all over this huge ass house, and he's frantic because he can't find her anywhere. He apparently texted her and called her, but there was no answer." Troy's voice grows sombre, and I feel my stomach turn. I pray that this story doesn't go where I think it's headed.
"Eventually, Severell tries a locked room. He said it was the only room in the house he hadn't checked at this point, and he broke down the door, he was so desperate. Abby was there. But her pants were around her ankles, and she had bruises on her thighs, and she was barely conscious. Severell freaked out, called the police and had the whole party busted." I close my eyes, paling. "When the police came, they took Abby to the hospital immediately, but they never caught the guy. Turns out someone at the party had slipped GHB into her drink and raped her. Severell was distraught; blamed himself. And the worst part? Abby was traumatised. She couldn't even walk alone, it always had to be with a girl." When I looked at him with a question in my eyes, he nodded grimly. "Yup, she wouldn't even talk to Severell. I don't wanna say she's scared of him, but I think she's just terrified of all men in general. She's taking a year out of school, staying at some institution I think. Her parents won't let Severell see her; they think he'd make it worse. He understands, I think, but I also think he really misses her. I don't think I've seen him get drunk even once since then."
"That's…. That's awful." I whisper, appalled. "How can someone do that?" I feel so bad for this girl. God, I feel so bad for Severell. What an awful thing to happen. Troy just nods, and we're both silent for a while, lost in our own thoughts.
Eventually, conversation starts up again, and we make sure to stick to safer topics; lighter topics not laden with grief and sadness. We discuss Troy's championship game; he's modest, pretending he doesn't know he'll get joint MVP with Chad, when we both know he will.
"Come on," I tease, "Aren't you the least bit excited about this?" I prompt.
"I dunno," he shrugs, feigning nonchalance, but his voice betrays him. "I mean, it's a lot of pressure, you know? It's my ticket to a college scholarship, Brie. College scouts are gonna be there. I know I'm just a junior, but this is when they'll start to seriously recruit people. I guess I'm nervous. What if I don't cut it?" he makes a wide U-turn, starting us on the journey back to our houses.
"You will, Troy. I don't know much about basketball, but I know that if college scouts are coming to see you play, then that means you're worthy, no matter what you think. And, if you play your heart out, like I know you do every time you step foot on the court, then they'll see what I see, no matter whether you win or lose." I am confident in his ability.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" he inquires.
"They'll see that you love this game, Troy Bolton. They'll see that you're a team player, that you're a leader, and that basketball is a part of you. They'll see that you play with your heart and not just your body. And when they see that, then you can bet your ass they will want to recruit you. And in the off chance that they're blind and don't see it, they aren't worth even an iota of your time." I tell him confidently.
He smiles shyly at me, then reaches over to twine our hands together. "Love you." He says, and I say it back, leaning over to kiss his cheek chastely. As we drive down the road, I feel a calm settle over me and rejoice in the fact that this is going to be a good year. I just know it.