Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last chapter. You are all fabulous for indulging me in these rewrites. It's officially turkey day, and if you thought Wednesday was chaotic, buckle in for Thursday. This chapter is 100% new material. It follows similar beats to the original version of this chapter in Gabriella Ryan Taylor Manhattan. However, I found it easier to reduce the old version to an outline and start fresh.
Chapter 40: That gift basket is not getting used today
Thursday, November 27, 2008, 12:10 a.m. EST A.k.a. Thanksgiving 2008 (technically)
"Calm down." Taylor placed an arm on his shoulder. "You know that I text message Gabriella with your cell phone as soon as I managed to get flight reservations. Maybe she decided to go to the airport early? Did she leave a note? Or maybe she sent a text message or an email?"
Ryan is so glad that Taylor was the voice of reason, even though he was freaking out and has been for the last 20 minutes. Only half of his freaking out is Gabriella-related. He still can't believe that he told her he was hot boy Lava Springs. Ryan definitely can't believe the fact she kissed him again after that confession. A part of him didn't want to tell her that Gabriella was missing and continue on, but when he felt her start to unbutton his shirt, he knew he had to tell her.
"I didn't even look for a note or check my text messages." Because I kept thinking about kissing you and how I may have ruined it by telling you about Chad. "I just noticed that Gabriella and her luggage were gone. I'm just worried that she's on her way to Colorado right now. I don't want her to go to Colorado." Ryan explained.
"Because Gabriella is already a mess, and we can't add Mercedes to that," Taylor said with a sigh.
"Especially because Mercedes was a fake friend who was manipulating Gabriella to break up with Troy. That way, she could be with both Troy and Gabby." Ryan added.
"Why not do a poly relationship?" Taylor asked.
"I said the same thing."
"Good to know we're on the same page." Taylor smiled at him. "I'm gonna go check Gabriella's room. Could you read through your text messages and check your email."
"OK," Ryan responded reluctantly as he pulled out his phone. "I have several text messages from Amanda but nothing from Gabriella. Apparently, Sharpay's phone is now broken per Amanda."
"Do I even want to know?" Taylor asked as she straightened out her dress and hair. His hands may have been roaming just a bit while kissing.
"I am not even sure. Let me read the messages as you check the room." Before leaving, Taylor kissed him again. Again he still in shock. He just confessed about making out with her boyfriend, and she is kissing him. It's been a weird day.
XXXX
Queen Mandy: Hey, your sister wanted me to let you know that her phone is now broken too.
Queen Mandy: Charles is handling Chad being queer about as well as Marc's mom handled him being gay. Actually, it might be worse. The man is pissed. After Chad broke his phone, the jerk started blowing up Carolyn's phone.
Queen Mandy: Carolyn was smart and turned off her phone. Charles then found out Tiffany had Sharpay's number and called her to harass Chad.
Queen Mandy: Unfortunately, instead of putting her phone back in her pocket, she left it in the golf cart. Your dad picked up and had a very unpleasant conversation with Mr. Danforth. Vince called him a horrible parent, a homophobic asshole, and told him to go fuck himself multiple times.
Queen Mandy: Also, per Sharpay, your dad told Charles that if he did not want Chad as his son anymore, he's perfectly happy with him becoming his son-in-law. No matter which of his children Chad marries.
Queen Mandy: So he may have told Charles Danforth that you and Sharpay are both in a relationship with Chad. Other words were exchanged, and then somehow, Shar-Peis Phone ended up in a water hazard.
Queen Mandy: I mean Sharpay. Stupid voice rec. Anyway, now both she and Chad have to get new phones on Friday.
Queen Mandy: Do I take your sister seriously when she wished you were here so you could act like Chad's boyfriend tomorrow when we are forced to do Thanksgiving at Aunt Claudia's? Apparently, they now want to give Charles a heart attack. The consensus is Tiffany would be better off as a single parent with the life insurance money.
Ryan: Take Sharpay very seriously. We all hate Chad's dad with a fiery passion. I'm willing to do anything for the cause because I am vengeful, especially because of what he did to Taylor last year. It would be my pleasure to punish the prick.
Ryan: I don't know why the voice rec always gets Sharpay's name wrong. I'm always putting it in by hand.
Queen Mandy: But would Taylor be OK with that? I saw the pictures Gabriella sent this morning before Chad's phone was destroyed. Congratulations on realizing your crush.
Ryan: You knew?
Queen Mandy: You were way too complimentary, and you were totally freaking out during the breakup because you were so worried about her. You were that way during the whole conspiracy group. You were more concerned about Taylor than your sister on breakup day as well. So the writing was on the wall. Or are you going to tell me that you were just pretending for Gabriella? Because that is obviously not the case.
Ryan: No, not pretending, at least not anymore. Although I did tell her about me being hot boy Lava Springs. Also known as the person Chad had feelings for but did not act on because his parents' marriage imploded. That's just another reason why we all want to fuck with Charles Danforth. He's already a prick before the homophobia got added in.
Queen Mandy: You're still able to dictate, so she didn't break your jaw or your phone.
Ryan: She kissed me again.
Queen Mandy: That's not the reaction I expected. Especially because I was there when she wrecked the dorm room.
Ryan: Before I told her it was me, Taylor told me that my feelings for Zack were not a dealbreaker. She was OK if I want to explore things with him and her simultaneously. Taylor doesn't believe in labels. She also said if Chad told her about hot boy lava springs, she probably would've just suggested a threesome.
Queen Mandy: This feels like the premise of a very NC-17 fanfic or porn. Why are you texting me? At least one of us should be getting some. It's definitely not going to be me anytime soon.
Ryan: After my confession, she got very quiet. I decided to check on Gabriella to give Taylor time to process.
Queen Mandy: Wise decision.
Ryan: Unfortunately, Gabriella is now MIA. I am checking my text messages and emails to make sure she's not on her way to Colorado. You're the only one I have anything from, but that's probably because both Chad and Sharpay have non-operable phones.
Queen Mandy: Kim and Troy are avoiding people for good reason because Lucy has been a nasty bitch. It's probably going to get worse when she finds out that Jack is definitely leaving for good.
Ryan: Wait, I thought she already kicked him out?
Queen Mandy: It's a long dysfunctional story, and I don't even have the details. Just focus on one crisis at a time. Apparently, your crisis is Taylor. With an MIA Gabriella on the side.
Ryan: It's not a crisis.
Queen Mandy: Again, why are you texting me instead of pushing Taylor up against the nearest surface?
Ryan: You know, my last relationship with Kelsi was bad. Not just emotionally but physically. I'm not rushing into something else, especially when I'm still trying to kill her program Darby. Also, we have an MIA Gabriella.
Ryan: That was supposed to read "counter-program," although I sometimes have homicidal thoughts regarding my abusive former mother.
Queen Mandy: Because I'm your friend, I'm just gonna tell you the sex sucked because Kelsi lived in Narnia with Natasha. I don't think you'll have that problem with Taylor. Oh, there should be a gift basket from Shar-Pei in your room.
Queen Mandy: God, I hate voice rec.
Ryan: I understood what you meant. Remember, I speak fluent voice rec.
Ryan: She sent us a condom bouquet? Seriously?
Queen Mandy: I think it's more of an adult gift basket. There should be sex toys in there. She did that before her last conversation with Taylor. Use it in good health.
Ryan: I still have to find Gabriella, so this is just going to get put in my suitcase before Taylor sees it. There's something giant and purple call the pleasure seeker 2000. I'm not even going to type what her card says.
Queen Mandy: Gabriella is an adult. Maybe she left for a rebound fuck. Enjoy yourself.
Ryan: The revenge fuck is not outside the realm of the possibilities since Kim's photo is now in the lobby of the hotel naming her the heir apparent. Along with her new legal name Kimberly C. K. Bolton. Also, things are a lot more complicated than I can tell you.
Queen Mandy: Definitely revenge fuck. OK, I'm going to sleep because I have to get up really early to work on my paper.
Ryan: The joys of things making more sense at 4 a.m. than they do at 10 p.m.
Queen Mandy: I'm even missing movies with Chad and Sharpay, but words are blending, so I'm packing it in for the night.
Ryan: That's probably for the best.
xxxxx
"Hey, I'm back. I did not find a letter, but if there was any liquor in the mini-fridge, it's gone now." Taylor said as she walked back again. Of course, she's been around for a moment, but she wanted to hear Ryan's conversation with Amanda. That was illuminating in many ways. Also, she kind of wants to punch out Darby for so many reasons right now.
"Shit. Amanda suggested a rebound fuck. That would seem plausible if her stuff wasn't missing. I'm right about that, right?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, everything's gone. If Gabriella's things were still there, I would say it is very likely. Gabriella would definitely want a revenge fuck because the entire hotel is covered with the face of Kimberly Bolton. Wait, wasn't one of the photos downstairs messed up when we came in?"
"Yes. I'm too afraid to call downstairs and ask if it was Gabriella," Taylor is personally sure that it was.
"I also don't have any emails from her or text messages. I thought I would check before I come back. What about you?" Taylor asked.
"I got distracted by talking with Amanda. My dad accidentally broke Shar's phone because he had the displeasure of talking to Charles Danforth. Apparently, he told Charles that he is perfectly OK with Chad dating both of his kids, possibly simultaneously. Some more words were exchanged, and the cell phone ended up in a water hazard." Ryan explained. That part of the conversation Taylor missed.
"Think of it this way, if he's OK with you dating Chad while he's with your sister, then your father will be perfectly OK with you dating Zack and me." She's actually kind of relieved to know that Ryan's father would be OK with it.
"That's true… You're still serious about that?" Ryan asked, surprised.
"Yes. I would totally be kissing you right now if I wasn't worried about Gabriella." Or concerned with how much damage Darby has done to you psychologically. That's not even touching Kelsi.
"Because she is still your friend?" Ryan asked, and he was right.
"I'm mad at her. However, I didn't want her to find out about the Troy stuff like this. I know she's not OK. I mean, whatever medication she's on must be really important because Maria has gotten so many people involved in this intervention."
"She's on Prozac, or at least she was." Ryan interrupted, surprising Taylor. "Madison found it in the trash. So who knows how long she hasn't been taking it."
"Fuck!" Taylor exclaimed as so much started to come together.
"Exactly. I'm going to look at my email." That's when Taylor passed him her phone. Use my phone. "I'll text Gabriella from yours because I know she won't respond to me." However, Ryan passed her phone back to her.
"I would totally do that if I actually remembered my password," Ryan said as he opened the mail app on his phone. "Besides, I'm already in my account. I have greetings from Kristen. She wants to come over with cookies tomorrow. I do have something from Gabriella." Ryan said before passing the phone to her. "You read it, so I don't accidentally get words confused." At that, Taylor started reading it out loud.
"Hey, just so you know, I'm not going to go to Colorado. Mercedes is not the person I thought she was. I'm gonna go back home. I need to figure some stuff out. Maybe once I do that, I can confront the other things." Such as the drinking and no longer taking your medication. Taylor really hopes so.
"Thank you for getting me the ticket to San Francisco and offering to run interference with my mom. It's good to know I actually do have some friends, real ones. Although I wish you would've told me about Troy. It doesn't matter now. I will get my answers soon one way or another." Taylor is sure that will probably involve smacking Troy upside the head, and she's not entirely against that. She understands not telling Gabriella about Alex, but he should've told her about Kim. Especially considering they're practically married at this point.
"I'm heading to the airport now. I don't feel like staying in a hotel owned by the woman Troy left me for. It's disconcerting. You know it will take two hours to get to the airport at least and another hour to get through security. So I'll probably get more rest if I just go on to the airport now." Especially after destroying the picture of Kim in the lobby.
"I'll call you once I'm home." She could hear Ryan exhaled in relief as she finished reading.
"Oh good, she's heading back to Stanford," Ryan said when she was done.
"Although do you think it's weird that she's already referring to it as home?" There was something about that phrasing that bothered Taylor. Especially because she said San Francisco separately. Something wasn't adding up.
"When you move around as much as she has, you probably think of wherever you live now as home. But it's good to know." Ryan argued.
"Maybe you're right." She said, passing his phone back to him.
"I will copy the text of the email and send it to Madison. She will be relieved."
"After that, you're coming to bed. We will figure out what to tell Maria in the morning." She's too tired to make that phone call now. She knew Ryan was as well; it's been a weird long day.
"I think she's coming to get us at 6:30 a.m. to cook. She refuses to let us take a cab there. So we should just wait until then."
"I guess we need our beauty sleep," Taylor said, realizing that they should actually go to sleep.
"You're already beautiful." Maybe not because that response definitely deserves a kiss. She really enjoys kissing him. It makes a difference when the subject of your make-out session is sexually attracted to you and not just going through the motions.
"OK, now I want to use the gift basket that Shar sent us," Ryan whispered against her lips.
"Your sister sent us a gift basket? Please tell me it's one of the wine ones." Ryan tried to keep her from looking, but he wasn't quick enough, and she noticed there was no wine but two giant vibrators in there. "You and your sister have no boundaries, do you?"
"I think it was a joke." Taylor just glared at him for a moment. "Maybe I should go sleep in Gabriella's room tonight." Then, just as Ryan started to walk away, she pulled him back to her.
"I don't want you to." She said just before kissing him again.
"I know." Ryan pulled away reluctantly. "But I had a long talk with Chad this afternoon before he broke his phone, and I'm not ready for this yet."
"I heard that part, and that's understandable with the whole Kelsi mess. Also, your ex getting with your sister had to play a part." Accidentally setting up your sister with your crush had to be awkward.
"Not the way you would think. Things ended up the way they needed to. But you shouldn't stay in a relationship that didn't work for the sake of heteronormality. I realize that was what I was doing with Kelsi. I should have left when I realize we were completely sexually incompatible." Ryan confessed.
"How incompatible?" Taylor asked as she sat down on the couch. She might as well get comfortable for this possibly uncomfortable conversation. Ryan joined her.
"You are going to kill me for acknowledging who I used to fantasize about with Kelsi." Ryan actually buried his head in a nearby pillow.
"Therapy has been helping. I'll try not to pull a Gabriella and throw a lamp at you." It couldn't be that bad.
"I used to fantasize about being with you and Chad when I was with Kelsi. Usually together, sometimes apart." That was not the confession she was expecting but not exactly an unwelcome one either.
"I am not angry but desperately suppressing the urge to scream at Chad."
"I'll give you the landline number." Ryan snarked. "That's a conversation I really want to listen in on."
"Not tonight. I just want to sleep, and I want you with me." As she got up from the couch, she held out her hand for Ryan to join her.
"OK." He quickly grabbed it.
"I'm not going back to campus until Sunday afternoon. We can decide if we want to use Shar's gift basket later. We're going at your pace, and we will figure things out together."
"I just don't want you to go through what happened with Chad again," Ryan confessed.
"The problem is we didn't go through it together. I would have handled prom a lot better if he would've just told me about his Jamie baggage. As well as all the other baggage from his parents' disastrous marriage because the condom broke. This time I know what's going on, and we can work through it together." At that, she pulled Ryan closer to her and wrapped an arm around him.
"I think I like that idea," Ryan said as they walked into the bedroom together.
XXXX
Three hours earlier
Gabriella was furious when she read the screenshots from Cassandra. She was also on the verge of tears. She really thought Mercedes was her friend, and she was using her. For Troy and for her.
She would like to say that Cassandra was just bitter. But, deep down, Gabriella knew Mercedes was like this. Gabriella knew that she slept with Cassandra's boyfriend at a minimum. So, if she was willing to do it to Cassandra, somebody Mercedes knew since high school, she would totally do it to Gabriella.
Gabriella felt like she had no one, but then Ryan's text message popped up. He got her a ticket back to San Francisco, and he promised he would smooth things over with Maria for her. It's good to know she had at least one friend. Maybe two if Madison was to be believed.
She was just about to text Madison back and let her know she was coming to San Francisco when she received an incoming call from Troy's house landline. Gabriella picked it up, hoping that it was him. Maybe his lawyer forwarded her message. The most recent ones have essentially been, "Fuck you! You should've told me about Kim. Not give me some bull shit excuse about being too busy for a relationship."
"Hello Gabriella, it is Lucille. Troy's mom." She couldn't help but frown at the fact it wasn't Troy.
"I'm kind of surprised to hear from you," Gabriella said to Mrs. Bolton. Part of Gabriella was suspicious that Troy's mom was calling her. Actually, she was wary of everybody at the moment. She was already in New York under false pretenses and knowing the truth about Mercedes hurt.
"I meant to call you after the break up to see how you were doing. I was just so busy that I was unable to do it sooner. How are things right now?" That was a very loaded question. Gabriella felt like crying underneath the bed.
"Pretty good," Gabriella said, trying to sound as perky as possible under the circumstances.
"Nobody is good after a breakup." Mrs. Bolton said in reply. Especially when the breakup is caused by being left for a billionaire.
"You're right, but it's OK," Gabriella said in a whisper.
"Are you spending Thanksgiving with your mom?"
"For the moment, but I'm going to go back to campus early." Because I don't want to go to rehab or get locked up again.
"I really wish you could be here for Thanksgiving. I'm sure Troy misses you." Gabriella wondered if that was possible. Did Troy care about her at all? Troy is having his lawyer answer his phone calls from her.
Madison did imply that Troy put her in contact with Maria because he did care. Also, previously, Troy said he still wanted to be her friend eventually. However, Gabriella was not sure how sincere that comment was since he didn't tell her about Kim.
"I sincerely doubt that. I know Troy is back with Kim." Gabriella spat out bitterly.
"You do not have to worry about Kim. It's just a fling. Eventually, he'll realize that you're the one he is supposed to be with." Gabriella would love to believe that, but it had to be more than that if Troy and Kim stayed friends after the breakup. She really wished Troy's lawyers weren't filtering his phone calls because she really wanted to ask him about that.
"I have an Idea. Gabriella, because of my job, I have tons of frequent flyer miles. Best of all, I have no blackout dates. I'm sure I can get you on a flight to New Mexico tomorrow. You'll arrive just in time to help us decorate the tree."
Gabriella remembered what decorating the tree was like last year. Mrs. Bolton and Mr. Bolton got into a huge argument about decorations. The argument was about Mr. Bolton's friend, Ms. Sanchez, formally Mrs. Danforth, being there to decorate the tree. Troy's grandmother on his father's side left before Gabriella even got there. Nana Bolton left after she got in a huge fight with Troy's mother. Apparently, they hated each other. She didn't even come to Troy's graduation because she couldn't deal with Lucy. Actually, Gabriella still has not met Nana Bolton yet.
"I don't know if Troy would want me there." Again all his phone calls are going through his attorney at the moment.
Gabriella was not even sure she wanted to be there herself. She could not take a very dysfunctional Bolton Thanksgiving again. But if she was there, she could at least ask Troy about Kim. Why did he choose her over Gabriella? Did he ever love her? She didn't know. The only way she was going to be able to get answers was to talk to Troy. If he was already in love with someone else, she needed to know. She needed to hear it from him and not everyone else. Besides, she really wanted to know why Kim's last name was already Bolton.
"If you can find me a flight, I'll come," Gabriella said in acquiescence.
xxxxx
Thursday, November 27, 2008, 4:46 a.m. EST
Madison: Hey, I got Ryan's text message, or rather a copy of the email you sent him. Sorry, I was dealing with a Cassandra crisis. Otherwise, I would text you earlier. Unfortunately, the asshole boyfriend showed up, and it was just a mess—lots of tears and wine.
Madison: I'm glad that you decided to come back here. We can even go to the movies or other things people do when they don't want to be anywhere near their family on a holiday.
Madison: Also, I don't blame you at all for wanting to leave the hotel early. I don't think I would want to sleep in a place owned by my ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend.
Madison: What time am I picking you up from the airport? Actually, which airport are you flying into? Or are you just going to take a cab? Ryan didn't send me your travel information. I would ask Ryan, but he is probably sleeping right now.
Gabby: Probably Sunday, although maybe sooner, depending on how tomorrow's confrontation with Troy goes. I will give you my flight information later. A ride would be good because I'm probably going to have to pay for my own ticket back to school.
Madison: Your email said you're going home. Troy is not in the greater San Francisco area at the moment.
Gabby: I'm going to Albuquerque. Troy's mom called; she hates his new girlfriend and wants me to intervene. I don't trust her, but I'm going anyway.
Madison: Don't do whatever she wants you to do.
Madison: Lucy purposely broke up Kim and Troy. She forced her to move by threatening to throw her in jail and pulling Troy out of EHS. Lucy also changed all their phone numbers. She's bringing you when because her other tactics to break them up haven't worked so far.
Gabby: Possibly, but I have questions that only Troy can answer. I don't want to wait until next week. If I really was just the rebound girlfriend, I want to know.
Madison: This is a horrible idea. How much have you drunk today?
Gabby: Not enough to deal with the fact that I got dumped for a billionaire or that Mercedes was just my friend because she wanted Troy.
Madison: She also wanted you.
Gabby: Yet she was planning to give me to her stepbrother. I'm done. My flight to Chicago starts boarding in 15 minutes. I have to go.
Madison: Gabriella, what airport are you leaving from?
Madison: I understand wanting to confront Troy. I'm all for that, but maybe you should wait till he gets back. I'll go with you. Partially to make sure he listens to you and tells you the truth. Partially to make sure you don't throw a lamp at him again. You didn't even know about Kim last time. Your Yolanda accusations were beyond ridiculous.
Madison: Did Mercedes put that idea in your head? I think she's a narcissist with a projecting problem. She was projecting her own behavior on Troy, obviously.
Madison: Just don't get on that flight. You do not need to be anywhere near the bullshit going down in New Mexico at the moment. Things are really bad between Troy and his mom right now. She is actually the reason why all his phone calls are going to his lawyers, not you.
Madison: They got into a really horrible fight Tuesday, where she called Kim lots of nasty names. Lucy also told Troy that if he didn't break up with Kim, she would cut him off financially. When Troy's dad took his side, Lucy kicked him out, or at least that's what I got from an email from your mom and other sources. Actually, you should talk to your mom; she might be able to tell you things I don't know.
Madison: I just feel like Lucy's bringing you into this, and you don't need to be there. You need to be far away from the Bolton family drama. I care about you because you are my friend. I don't want you to drink your pain away. I don't want you in the state you're in now, especially when you're by yourself.
Madison: I'm scared for you. I told you I don't want to have to pull another dead sister off the floor.
Madison: I don't want that to be you. I feel like Albuquerque is just going to blow up in everyone's face.
XXXX
Ryan was having a good dream. One of the NC 17 varieties starring Taylor and Zack. Zack is a new addition to these dreams but not an unpleasant one. Ryan had similar ones before, especially during the summer between his junior and senior year with Chad in Zack's place.
Although he's going to blame Sharpay for this particular dream involving the purple vibrator and chocolate sauce from the gift basket. Just as he was preparing to pour chocolate sauce on Taylor's naked stomach, he heard the song Panic playing in the background. And it wouldn't stop.
That's when he, unfortunately, opens his eyes only to find out that at least part of his dream wasn't completely out of reach. Taylor lying beside him, wrapped around him. She was wearing her EHS gym shirt instead of the lingerie from yesterday, which featured heavily in the dream. However, Ryan thinks she's sexier this way. Although dream Ryan did rip that off of her as Zack provided instructions.
Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't appreciate Taylor because his phone was still ringing. That was his general ringtone, so he wasn't sure who would be calling him a little before 5 a.m. Although he decided to look anyway and saw that it was Madison. If she was calling him at 2 a.m. her time, something must be going on.
"Oh, good, you picked up." He could tell Madison was relieved, and that worried him.
"Even though it's way too early, and you just woke up Taylor and me," Ryan complained. She was up because Ryan could feel her pull away from him. He was really sad she wasn't wrapped around him anymore.
"I would say this is why you use the 'do not disturb mode. However, I'm glad you picked up because we have an emergency."
"What is the emergency?" Ryan asked.
"When Gabriella said she was going home, she did not mean going back to school. She meant going to Albuquerque. Gabby is planning to confront Troy because Lucy invited her to spend Thanksgiving there, complete with plane tickets. Three guesses on why she's bringing Gabriella in," Madison remarked bitterly.
"Motherfucking bitch," Taylor yelled.
"That's Taylor screaming in the background," Ryan explained, sure that Madison heard her without the phone being in speaker mode. Although Taylor just switched it into speaker mode.
"I totally agree. I tried to talk Gabriella out of it, but I couldn't tell her that Lucy tried to get Troy to abandon his son by pulling her financial support. Then went on to harass her son for the last two days." Madison stated bitterly.
"Which is why none of us can actually call Troy right now and warn him that Gabriella is on her way." Ryan lamented.
"Could we stop her at the airport?" Taylor asked.
"She told me she was getting on her plane in 15 minutes to Chicago, and that was 20 minutes ago. I waited a little while before I called the two of you. I was hoping Gabriella would reply back to the text message where I told her that Lucy kicked out her husband for supporting Troy." Madison explained.
"I don't think that would persuade her at the moment," Ryan mumbled into the phone.
"Probably not, but I felt it was worth a shot," Madison explained.
"I'm going to call the landline. Troy needs to know what's going on." Taylor told them as she fumbled for her phone on the nightstand.
"He does. Seriously what is wrong with his mother?" Madison asked.
"If she's like mine, it's about control. Darby loves to control everything. Lucy seems similar." Ryan explained.
"I had that mom too, and then my sister killed herself. So I don't have a family anymore." Madison told him darkly.
"It's going to voicemail," Taylor explained.
"It is 3 a.m. in Albuquerque, so that makes sense. Leave a message. And tell Troy to fucking call me." Madison practically yelled that part.
"I'm doing that now. Should we try anybody else?" He heard Taylor asked right before she started leaving the phone message as directed.
"We should probably call Maria now, and I should text my dad," Ryan said once Taylor was done. Yes, she did relay Madison's message verbatim.
"Maybe we should let her sleep. She's going to come to get us in two hours anyway." Taylor suggested.
"She texted last night. She's coming at 6:30 a.m." Ryan tells her.
"I don't think 90 minutes is going to make that much of a difference at this point," Madison says on the line.
"We have to go to Albuquerque." Ryan was completely shocked that Taylor actually suggested that.
"What?"
"Troy can't deal with this because his mom is obviously not OK. Chad can't deal with it because he's dealing with Charles drama that we made worse by telling him that his father asked me for a blow job last year. I'm not going to risk your sister trying to deal with another abusive mom." Taylor explained.
"Wait, what?" Madison asked, confused.
"Chad's father is a creep. Last year he asked me for oral sex. We just told Chad about that yesterday. This year Chad's father showed up with somebody who is probably your age and six months pregnant with twins." Taylor explained.
"If you two are going to New Mexico, I want to come too. Unfortunately, I don't have your disposable income anymore. This is what happens when you divorce your parents." Madison actually sounded sad.
"Anymore?" Taylor asked.
"My parents are wealthy, but I am no longer on speaking terms with them, as I mentioned earlier. Thankfully I have a scholarship for this year, and my job pays pretty well. So I might actually finish my undergrad degree in psychology on time." Madison explained.
"A psychology major could be useful at a time like this," Taylor suggested, and he knew she was right.
"Especially one that has dealt with bipolar disorder up close and personal. You don't know what you're going into. I, unfortunately, do." Madison added.
"Do you want to come alone, or is your boyfriend joining you?" Ryan asked. He knew he was going to get her the ticket to Albuquerque. She might even get there before them since she was closer.
"If it wasn't Thanksgiving, I would say have him come with me, but I think it will be easier for you to get a ticket for just me."
"I am throwing my credit card to Taylor now." He said just as he actually did that.
"Thank you. If I'm going to Albuquerque, you don't need to be there. I can deal with this alone. You can go back to your regular scheduled Thanksgiving." Madison suggested.
"I will call you back. If we can't get a flight, it might not matter." Ryan said, ending the call.
"We don't have to go." He said, turning to Taylor.
"You're right. We don't need to be there. But Maria does. Do you want her to deal with this by herself?" Taylor says as she wraps her arms around him.
"She has been there for me through the Kelsi situation and finding out my mom is an abusive bitch. I don't want her to deal with this alone." Ryan tells her.
"I guess we move this intervention to New Mexico."
"I think we have to. I'll go pack while you get us reservations." As soon as he uses the bathroom. Maybe he'll only bring what they absolutely need and have Kristen come to get everything else.
"Bring the gift basket," Taylor called as Ryan made his way to the bathroom. That caused him to accidentally walk into the door.
Xxxxx
Maria really wanted to hit the snooze button when her alarm woke her up at 5:30 that morning. However, she didn't actually fall asleep until after midnight. She spent most of her afternoon in a teleconference with Troy's attorney Jen. Thanks to some other evidence uncover that day, Jen wasn't surprised at the letter's contents.
Maria was, though. Lucy used their years of friendship to manipulate Maria into moving to Albuquerque so that Gabriella could be the rebound girlfriend. She even engineered their first meeting to manipulate Troy into falling for Gabriella. Lucy went to such great lengths because she was being paid to by Kim's evil bitch of a mother to keep Troy and Kim apart. Maria was very hurt and grateful she already blocked Lucy. She never wants to see her again.
She wasn't even sure how she was going to tell Gabriella. She wasn't even sure if she should tell Gabriella. She was not OK. This might make it worse. Per the email from Madison, Gabriella found out yesterday that Mercedes was just using her. She didn't need to know about another person hurting her like that.
It was better to just let Troy's lawyers deal with it. Maria was going to focus on Thanksgiving today. Now that she was dressed, it was time to get her helpers for dinner. She was actually looking forward to doing a big Thanksgiving. Maria hadn't hosted Thanksgiving since before Natalie died. It's time to move on and start a new tradition.
Ryan said they could take a cab, but Maria needed to get a few things from the store anyway before it was completely overrun with last-minute shoppers. (Maria needs to pick up a new cheesecake because she ate the thing yesterday after getting the letter.) Also, they needed to get bagels somewhere because she's only cooking one meal today, and it's not going to be breakfast.
She pulled up in front of the Beijing Gardens midtown to see Ryan and Taylor waiting for her. But no Gabriella. Even more surprising was they had their luggage with them. What was going on?
"Hey, where is Gabriella? Why do you have your suitcases with you?" Maria asked, very confused.
"Currently making her way to Chicago for her connecting flight. Could you please pop the trunk?" Maria did as asked, even though she didn't get what was happening.
"Or she might actually be there," Taylor added as she put her suitcase in the trunk.
"What are you talking about?" Maria asked, just as Ryan closed the trunk.
"We will explain in the car," Taylor said, quickly getting in. "We need you to go back to your house to pack."
"A town car is going to meet us there in 45 minutes. It's better if you don't drive to the airport. Thankfully we are taking a more direct flight to Albuquerque without a three-hour layover in Chicago." Ryan stated as he put on his seatbelt
"Why are we going to the airport? Are we going to Albuquerque?" Maria asked, now really worried and still extremely confused.
"Gabriella isn't ready for this intervention, and we are planning to have her go back to San Francisco early. However, Madison agreed to keep an eye on her." Ryan explained.
"Unfortunately, Lucy called her last night and convinced her to come to Albuquerque. She thinks Gabriella is coming to get back with Troy. We are 90% sure Gabriella is there to smack him upside the head for not telling her about Kim. You should know that our hotel is covered with pictures of the owner's granddaughter Kimberly C. K. Bolton announcing her as the new heir of the company." Taylor added.
"Shit," Maria mumbled under her breath as she started the car.
"Which is honestly progress from yesterday," Taylor mumbled under breath.
"I think Gabriella has come to the point where she realizes she and Troy are over. But she can't confront him by herself. She needs you there, and we are coming along for moral support. Madison will meet us there." Maria was grateful for that because they were right; she needed to go after Gabriella.
"She's coming out of denial, which is good. But Lucy is not using my daughter anymore."
"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.
"I'll show you the documents I got from the attorney of Kim's biological mother in my apartment when I go pack my bags and put the pie in the freezer. Essentially Lucy convinced me to move to Albuquerque solely for Gabriella to get Troy's mind off of Kimberly. The reason why she did that is she was being paid $1 million to keep Kim and Troy apart."
"Fucking bitch," Taylor exclaimed.
"I'm glad we have the tickets." Ryan sighed. "I'm going to update Madison. She's going to meet us there. I think she might get there before us." Maria was hopeful she would. She was also hopeful that she would have a chance to kick Lucy's ass. Maria was done.
"Should you text message Amanda and let her know we are coming?"
"It's too early in Albuquerque right now. I'll send the text during our layover."
To be continued…
A little hilarious in hindsight ( or harsher in hindsight depending on your POV) moment: when I had to fly for my own Thanksgiving emergency in 2015, my layover happened to be in Chicago. Just like I wrote in the story all those years beforehand. I've barely made my connecting flight only because somebody drove me to the other side of the airport. It was a mess.