HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOSH, long time no see, eh? Well I'm back. OMG, I officially hate Geography. Sooooooooooooo many notes to take and homework. I hate it. Anyway, in between geography, algebra, and social life, I finally got this chapter together. Of course my goal was last Friday, but obviously, that did not happen. I tried to make it lengthy. Although I could have added more to it, my dad is rushing me to get to bed—since I have school tomorrow..
So until next time. Enjoy!
Oh and---I think there's some sweet moments in this chapter.. Troypay-ish.
…
Sharpay stepped into the airplane knowing she was about to enter another drama in her life. She was tired and restless, but until everything was the way it was before, she knew that rest was not anywhere in place. The plane ride would be long and sure, plenty of time to get some sleep, but she knew she would be too worried to even think of getting some sleep. The show is tonight; the biggest show of the year…Her show. Her production. For the first time ever, she was going to miss it. Her co-workers were not exactly happy with the news.
"WHAT? You're going to miss the biggest night of the year? Sharpay!" Joe had exclaimed. "First you call off rehearsals early—when everyone was messing up. Now you're leaving early—can't make to the final rehearsals—and you're not going to be there for opening night? Things are going to fall apart!" He cried.
"I'm sorry. But I'm having some family problems." She shook her head. "You guys can manage without me." She left hoping that they would be able to keep the show going for the night.
As the plane took off, Sharpay felt as if she wanted to cry from all the emotions going on inside of her.
She was not ready to face Troy after admitting that maybe she did have some love for him still. Plus they had a problem to deal with.
….
"Why is my mom coming home early and staying with us again?" Evelyn frowned, slightly confused with what was going on…since Troy made up a story to cover everything.
He cleared his throat and grabbed his car keys before escorting Evelyn to the front door.
"Because she has time off and we thought it would be fun to spend sometime here together. The three of us, before you two go back home." Troy tried to remember the first story he had come up with.
"Why?" Evelyn narrowed her eyes, still not putting everything together.
"Your mom just wants to hang out here for a little bit. That's all." He summed it up, getting tired of having to repeat the same story that even he couldn't fully remember.
"Are you sure she's going to stay?" Evelyn questioned.
The whole story seemed to be a flake to her. She knew something was going on. It was just hard to figure out. Did it really matter though? She missed her mom and it would be nice to have her come back early…even though she was very tired and wished her dad had let he stay at home and sleep.
Troy drove to the airport, glancing at his clock every now and then making sure he was on schedule. He knew how Sharpay was with being on time. She happened to be a very prompt person.
"How long is mom staying for?" Evelyn asked her voice tired.
"I don't know." Troy answered truthfully.
"For a while though?" The little girl asked with hope.
"Yeah." Troy nodded. Though he hoped not that long. He wanted the whole drama with the orphanage to be over in a second. If Sharpay had to stay long, that meant the problem would take a while to be solved.
Within ten minutes, they were at the airport. Troy parked his car into the airport's parking lot. He was a few minutes ahead of Sharpay's landing time—that made him glad. For once he could prove to her that he was on time and can be prompt.
Evelyn, who wanted nothing but to sleep, walked lazily behind her dad. It was almost midnight and she had, had a long day with her dad—playing around.
"Come on Evelyn." Troy waved her to walk faster.
Evelyn groaned and ran up to him, rubbing her eyes. Though she couldn't wait to see her mom again, she always didn't want to sound sleepy while greeting her mom. She wanted to look excited.
Troy made his way to the passenger pick up area where he and Sharpay had agreed to meet up. Much to his surprise. She was already there. Sitting on a bed with her belongings next to her, while reading a magazine. But he was ten minutes early. To think he was about to prove her that he was able to be on time and not keep her waiting.
"You're flight wasn't suppose to land until about ten minutes." He spoke as he reached her spot.
Sharpay looked up from her magazine to see Troy and Evelyn behind him.
"My flight arrived early." She smiled looking at Evelyn.
"I was supposed to be here before you." Troy sighed.
Evelyn greeted her mom with a warm hug.
"Hey sweetie. Oh I've missed you so much." Sharpay returned the hug as she stood up.
"Me too." Evelyn smiled sweetly.
Troy groaned and grabbed Sharpay's luggage. He knew he would be hearing about she had to wait for so long and how he's always late pretty soon. That was one reason why he was happy to be for once earlier than the actually meeting.
Sharpay stood blankly expecting at least a 'Hi Sharpay. Good to see you.' From Troy—or even a little greeting hug. But he just stood there and shrugged. She could tell he was uncomfortable.
"My plane landed about fifteen minutes ago." Sharpay spoke walking after him holding Evelyn's hand.
"You told me eleven-thirty." He said leading the way out of the airport.
"That was the actual time, but we arrived early. It was a smooth fly." She smirked, catching up to him.
Troy just nodded briskly and continued to walk.
Not five minutes later they were all in the air and on the way to Troy's house. Evelyn was already snoozing in the backseat, proving how exhausted she was. Of course, by the minute Sharpay was beginning to feel awkward next to Troy in the car. If only he actually spoke, instead of driving in the silence maybe she wouldn't feel like a stranger. Plus, the car was suddenly becoming stuffy.
"Where do you live now?" Sharpay asked trying to start a conversation between them.
"Oh you know." Troy started. "Same town where we use to live." He took his eyes off the road for a second. "Around the corner." He finished with a nod.
Sharpay nodded too. "Does…"
Troy shook his head before she could even finish her sentence. He could already tell that she was about to ask if Rachel lived with him.
"Oh." Sharpay breath looking out the window.
The streets were empty and dark, except for the streetlights and stoplights around. No one seemed to be around, aside from a few cars that passed by every now and then. She hadn't been to the town for at least a month, and it seemed like forever. After all, this is her hometown. Where her whole life began.
"Hey look." Troy touched her bare shoulder briefly making Sharpay melt against his warm tough.
It was only for a second, but all her memories flew around her head. As if she were in High School again, day dreaming about Troy Bolton and planning her wedding day with him—even if she was only secretly crushing on him. She remembered all the times she purposely bumped against him the halls.
Her head turned to where Troy was pointing out. It was the old apartment building they lived in. The first place they lived in together while still going to college. Did Troy actually tend on driving pass the place? The place where their adventures started. How everything seemed so perfect, even if they were struggling to remember paying the rent or their bills.
"It looks the same." She whispered leaning forward to get a better look at the building.
It was dark, but she could still see the white window shutters and the stairs that led upstairs. She could even point out exactly where their own apartment room was.
"Did you mail in the rent check?" Troy questioned turning the DVD player on.
"Wasn't it your turn to do that?" Sharpay responded blankly.
"Was it?" Troy's face became puzzled.
They both chuckled falling back onto the couch forgetting the importance of making payments.
"What are we watching?" Sharpay asked handing him the bowl of popcorn.
"Something scary." Troy kissed the side of heard before turning off the lampshade on the side table.
"Great." Sharpay felt Troy's arms wrap around her shoulder.
If only she could feel Troy's arms around her again.
"Looks the same, huh?" Troy's voice became vivid as Sharpay stepped back into the real world.
She nodded slowly before turning her head back to the opposite window, where she had no real view except for a few buildings.
A few minutes later, they had reached what seems to be Troy's house. It was different than Sharpay had imagined. Smaller than she had pictured, but it looked neat from what she could see. She expected the yard to be a mess and the fence to be falling apart. But it was far from that.
"Well." Troy's eyes wandered to Sharpay's side. "This is it." He put on a half smile. "My home." He added before unlocking the car doors.
Sharpay sighed and opened her side of the door. She could feel the nasty summer night heat blow against her face. She watched as Troy opened back door and slowly carried Evelyn out.
"I'll take her upstairs. Can you get your things?" He asked in a soft tone.
She nodded and grabbed for her belongings, following Troy to the oak front door. He gently opened the door, trying to not make as much noise as possible, while Sharpay stood behind.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll take her upstairs real quick." He whispered heading straight for the white-carpeted stairs, leaving Sharpay alone.
The house was nothing like she had ever pictured Troy living in. Everything was organized and clean. His coffee table was empty. She expect it to be filled with magazines and new papers. As she strolled around, her eyes widened. He had an actual dining room; she figured he would have a pool table inside of one. It looked like Troy was living the semi simple life. Sure he had signs of being a guy, like shoes in the middle of the kitchen floor…. or the shirt on top of the table.
After wandering around the house for a good three minutes, Sharpay made her back to the living to sit and wait for Troy…whatever was taking him so long. The lights were still off, making Sharpay adjust to the darkness of the room. She found Troy's house actually comfortable. And suitable for a small family. Her house was so beyond big; there were rooms she hadn't been in for years. She dreamt of living in a simple family house one day, like the one she had in mind the day she and Troy got married.
"Sorry." Troy stepped into the living room, turning on the lights. "I had to make sure the guest bedroom was picked up too." He added sitting across from Sharpay.
She nodded lightly. "You have a nice place here." She whispered.
"Thanks." Troy looked around his living room. "I'm barely home. So it stays clean." He chuckled.
"It's nice." Sharpay met his eyes, then looked back at the tanned carpet.
Silence flooded the room.
Sharpay shivered, rubbing her arm as she felt goose bumps come upon her body. The room wasn't cold, she just felt nervous. And scared. But then, when she looked into Troy's eyes, she felt hope. There had to be that one little feeling of love for her still. She hoped so.
"What are we going to do?" Troy spoke, his voice stinging Sharpay's ears.
She shook her head. "I don't know."
"They're coming Wednesday morning, Sharpay. We only have Monday and Tuesday to really get everything. Two days. That's not enough." Troy looked down at his bare feet.
"I know." Sharpay said softly. "I've been trying to think of any possible papers that state she's still legally our daughter." She felt tears form around her light brown eyes. "But…" Her voice quivered. "I think I signed them all…let her go…." At this point she was far too scared to even look up at Troy's delicate face.
She could sense some anger in the room. It was obvious Troy was not happy with her decision in the past. She did ruin his life. She knew it. This was all her fault. Maybe if she weren't so harsh on Troy, things would have been the same. They would have been still together. They would have been a family. The three of them. She ruined it.
"Maybe you and I can go get a lawyer tomorrow or something." Troy suggested running his fingers through his hair. "That way we can at least get some professional help." He thought aloud.
Sharpay nodded. The least she could do was agree with him. Although she had one thing on her mind that was bothering here. Where was Rachel?
"I mean I didn't sign anything. So I have a chance, right?" Troy asked worried. "I mean—not that you don't—well…"
"I know what you mean." Sharpay spoke up, trying hard not to let any tears fall down her cheeks. "You have a better chance of winning than I do." She admitted.
"No." Troy shook his head. "We're not going against each other, Sharpay. We're going against them together." He tried to meet eye contact with her, only she kept her eyes on the carpet. "We're fighting for who gets our daughter." He added quickly.
Why did she have to shut him off her life again?
"But I really think it's best if we don't tell Evelyn about this. She doesn't have to know. She doesn't need to know. She's a child. She doesn't need all this drama." Troy watched as Sharpay took off her light jacket.
This had been the first time for a while that they had been alone together. Sharpay was feeling more and more uncomfortable being alone with Troy. Although Troy seemed to be acting normal. He could sense some awkwardness with Sharpay, making him puzzled. Did they not agree to be friends? There shouldn't be any tension between them. If only Troy knew the memories that have been flooding Sharpay's mind for the past few days. And how much the town was making everything worst. Her hometown. Their hometown. All their romantic memories. All the talks and walks they had together. Everything that went on in one town was invading her head. This was why leaving the town was a great a idea. She felt like a brand new person, leaving her past and never turning back. But of course, you can't live without a past. The mistakes you've made haunts you.
"You want me to show you to your room?" It seemed like Troy was the only one doing the talking between them.
Sharpay stood up. That answer Troy's question. He grabbed her bags and led her up the medium length stairs. The guest bedroom was next to the master bedroom, making Sharpay feel rather nervous knowing Troy was going to be right in the next room. But still, she wanted to know, Where's Rachel?
"Hope it'll do." Troy opened the door, letting himself and Sharpay in.
Sharpay forced a smile. It was good enough for Troy to believe.
"Um…Where's Rachel?" She asked out of the blue.
Troy's eyebrows formed into a frown.
"I've been—we have a big problem right now. It's best she stays out." He cleared his throat. "And she's still in that fight with me." He sat down on the bed, as Sharpay examined the room. "About the whole, you know? Accusing me of cheating on her, with you. Yeah, yeah." He let out a small chuckle.
"Why don't you just go apologize and tell her it's not true?" Sharpay asked sitting next to Troy on the bed. "She'll believe me. I mean she knows you're not that kind of a guy." She felt the urge to hug Troy. Not because she felt bad for him. She wanted to be comforted by him.
"She'll come around." Troy said calmly, turning his body to face Sharpay's.
Sharpay shifted her weight.
"Thanks for picking me up today." She decided to change the conversation. It was good to hear that Rachel would not be in the same house as her anytime soon.
"I wanted to be on time though." Troy frowned.
"You were on time. My plane arrived early." She pointed out. "I didn't bother calling you when I arrived because I figured I shouldn't rush you. You came earlier than I had imagined."
Troy smiled. He couldn't believe they had been together for at least twenty minutes now and an argument hadn't started. Plus, Sharpay actually gave him a little praise for his pick up duty. This was what he liked. The two of them not bickering about the stupidest things in the world.
"Tired?" He asked as he watched Sharpay yawn.
He reviewed a week smile as an answer.
Maybe tonight was their moment. It seemed like it.
"If you want, I have your favorite musical on DVD, it's in my room. You're welcome to watch it." Troy offered rubbing his eyes.
He was getting slightly tired too.
"Watch it with me?" Sharpay questioned, nervous, yet unsure.
"Sure." Troy nodded standing up.
He led Sharpay into his master bedroom, where they spent the night, watching Sharpay's favorite musical….
She felt like her dreams were just beginning to unfold at the moment she crawled in bed with Troy, to watch a movie. Just like old times. She wished they could have been closer, but for now, this was as close as she'd get to him—if ever. If she was willing to admit the love that was rapidly growing back for Troy…
"It's been awhile since I've seen this." Sharpay spoke softly.
Truth was, she hadn't seen it for ten years. The last time she remember watching it was actually going to New York with Troy, after graduation and watching it live.
"I saw it a few nights ago." Troy admitted foolishly.
They both let out a small laugh.
"Mom…" Evelyn stood by the doorway, rubbing her eyes.
"Hey." Sharpay turned her head to her daughter.
"Come up here." Troy patting the space between him and Sharpay.
Evelyn climbed on the bed, snuggling under the comforter; she was still of course tired. The loud nose from the TV had woken her up. Within a few minutes. She was sound asleep again.
"She's asleep already?" Troy looked down at the little blonde buried under the sheets.
"Well it is almost two in the morning." Sharpay pointed out with a small yawn.
The two of them continued to watch the musical, though Sharpay didn't last too long. Within half an hour, Troy felt her fall asleep beside him, forcing him to turn off the TV. There was no fun in watching it alone.
He looked down at the two blondes sleeping, cuddling together next to him. A small smile crept across his face before he turned off the lampshade and joined them.
