Thank you to everybody who read or provided feedback for the last section. You are also fabulous. I began the rewrites of this chapter the Monday before Thanksgiving. I find it extremely amusing that I'm working on the Thanksgiving chapters around Thanksgiving. You won't see this until May if the current schedule holds. But all the advertisements for a very pandemic Thanksgiving are helping set the mood.
Chapter 42: Emotional Honesty and Cranberry Confrontations
Late morning November 27, 2008, somewhere over the Midwest. Time zone unknown
"Am I a bad friend?" Taylor asked Ryan moments after takeoff of flight number two. They barely got to the airport in time for their first flight. Because of the last-minute nature of their ticket purchase on Thanksgiving, none of them were sitting together. That, unfortunately, gave Taylor too much time with her thoughts.
How did she miss that things were so bad with Gabriella? Troy was telling her everything that was happening, and she didn't put the pieces together. At least not to this extent. Is she really that oblivious and self-absorbed? How could she not have noticed any of this in high school? There's a lot of things that Gabriella did back then that make a lot more sense now that she knows the truth.
But Gabriella wasn't the only thing Taylor missed. How did she not realize that Ryan was the guy Chad actually had feelings for? As soon as Taylor found out Chad wasn't straight, she really should've reevaluated all his interactions with Ryan, but she didn't. She should've known it was Ryan because Sharpay didn't exactly have that many friends back then.
More importantly, they were all too afraid to tell her the truth. Gabriella didn't tell her that she was bipolar. Ryan didn't tell her that he made a pass at her boyfriend and assume that she was just Chad's beard. Chad couldn't even tell her about Jamie, let alone Ryan. So do they not trust her, or are they afraid of her freaking out? The last she understands considering what she did last month.
Thankfully for flight number 2, they were able to get two seats in economy together. So at least Taylor had Ryan with her this time. However, Ryan put Maria in first class. If anyone deserved first-class right now, it was her.
"No, you're the best friend I ever had," Ryan said as he leaned down and gave her a tiny kiss on the lips. She can definitely get used to the kissing. Also, in hindsight, she really should've realized Chad wasn't sexually attracted to her.
"Then you've had a lot of shitty friends. You were too afraid to tell me that you had feelings for my boyfriend and kissed him." At that moment, Taylor actually put the pieces of the conversation she overheard between Chad and Ryan the day before. "Actually, you try to give him a…" Taylor stopped talking when she noticed the glare of the elderly woman sitting in the aisle across from them. It took Taylor a few minutes to realize that she was a nun. The sister was very disappointed in her right now.
"Most people don't confess those sorts of things to their friends. Especially if they kind of feel horrible about it." Ryan remarked.
"If I was a better friend, maybe you would've felt better telling me about that. Chad didn't tell me about Jamie, and Gabriella didn't tell me about being bipolar." Taylor said angrily.
"I eventually told you about Chad. I told you about Darby. You're the only one I trust regarding that. My dad was the one who actually told Maria. Nobody else knows about Darby outside of Chad and Troy. Sharpay told Troy, not me."
"Does Kim know?" Taylor asked.
"Kim was there. Kim always knew, and I would probably yell at her a little bit about not telling me, but she's dealing with Lucy. So I'm not going to touch that even if I could call her right now. Although I did send her a strongly worded email during our layover."
"Maybe you see me as a good friend, but I was a bad friend to Gabriella. I knew she had a drinking problem at a minimum, and I didn't even want to help you get her into treatment. I was angry at the way she was behaving, but I didn't want to really examine why she was acting that way."
"I may have had a similar phone call with Madison during our layover, which is part of the reason why I never got around to texting Amanda. She says we are not to blame ourselves for not seeing it. We didn't know what to look for, but Madison did." Ryan explained.
"If you're going to blame yourself for not seeing Darby for who she really is, I'm going to blame myself for not seeing the warning signs with Gabriella. Now I'm terrified that everything will explode in Albuquerque. It's a perfect storm."
"I know." Ryan wrapped an arm around her. "This is probably when I should tell you that Zack is going to pick us up from the airport." Taylor will have to examine the fact that she's not jealous of Zack when she was of Amanda. Especially when she knows something is going on with Zack. Ryan sent her the pictures, and he is very hot. Unfortunately, he is just as likely to be attracted to her as her last boyfriend. But she can ogle in peace.
"You didn't have time to text Amanda, but you arrange for a ride with Zack. Nice to know where your priorities are." Taylor smirked at him. "Did you get more shirtless pictures? You have to share them now."
"Unfortunately, no. Zack texted me to wish me a happy Thanksgiving, and I kind of explained everything going on, and he offered to help." Taylor wants to know exactly how much he told Zack but is afraid to ask.
"You can still do whatever you're doing with Zack. I just ask for pictures."
"You're serious?"
"Yes, although I probably should really read that book your sister recommended."
"It's in my backpack. Apparently, there was another copy in the gift basket last night." Taylor responded by just shaking her head.
"Your sister concerns me sometimes." That's when Ryan pulled a card out of his backpack.
"And you didn't even read her card." The card actually said, "Sorry I stole your boyfriend. The least I can do is help you get laid." Yes, Taylor read the card out loud, and the nun glared at her again. She doesn't really care.
"Did she write this to me or you?" Taylor asked, realizing it actually could apply equally to both of them.
"I'm not sure anymore. At least once a week, Sharpay apologizes for getting the guy." Ryan explained.
"And if I was a better friend, we could've had this conversation already. Or what whatever we are now." She isn't sure. Boyfriend doesn't seem right, but friend feels to be too simple.
"You get to decide that," Ryan replied, squeezing her hand.
"We are kind of a mess. Zach is picking us up from the airport, which means I at least get to see if this guy is a suitable eventual partner. I'm wondering if he looks as much like Chad in person."
"Extremely messy. But regardless, we are friends. So before we make good use of Sharpay's gift basket in Albuquerque, I need to make sure we will stay friends even if it doesn't work out." Ryan confessed.
"Like if we do sleep together, and we discovered we are not sexually compatible. Or at least you rather just climb Zack like a tree." Which is a scenario Taylor has considered.
"Yes, honestly. I am worried because I think I only dated Kelsi because Darby wanted me to. I wasn't actually sexually attracted to her. I'm worried that I'm just trying to continue with the heteronormative behavior because I have a lot to deprogram. I can't go further with you if it's going to blow up like what happened with Kelsi because I can't lose your friendship. Not with everything going on with Darby." Ryan confessed. She could understand his fear.
"That's not what's going to happen with us. This is also why when Zack picks us up, you get to sit with him in front and flirt with him to your heart is content. We can also see if he's totally cool with us kind of dating you at the same time. Or maybe we can all just be friends with make-out privileges." Taylor suggested. Sister Nosy is glaring again.
"How does one even start that conversation?" Ryan asked.
"Let's see if the book has a chapter on poly negotiations. We have a few more hours on this flight; we might as well do something interesting." At that, Ryan grabbed the book out of his backpack.
"Because looking that up will be less stressful than thinking about Gabriella," Ryan said, handing her the book.
"And everything else we are going to run into in New Mexico," Taylor added.
"This is going to be a disaster," Ryan mumbled under his breath.
"Yes, but at least we're going through it together," Taylor said as she leaned up against him as she opened the book to chapter 7.
XXXX
Back in Albuquerque a little bit later
BFF Jack: By some miracle, Vanessa did not have my phone confiscated. Therefore I have no choice but to check in with you.
Carolyn: I told her if she wanted to avoid you punching out her husband, it was best to allow you the ability to talk to me. Plus, you can send me baby pictures. So I'm coming over to Kim's tonight, so I can get baby cuddles.
BFF Jack: [image attached]
BFF Jack: I'll check with Kim, but I'm sure it will be OK, especially if we take Alex elsewhere.
BFF Jack: I definitely need you to get through this Thanksgiving. Thankfully Jay is being less of a dick right now than he was in Vegas. Although yesterday was also an improvement on Vegas. He even apologized for Vegas, actually.
Carolyn: That is shocking. You didn't mention that yesterday.
BFF Jack: I was distracted.
Carolyn: That is understandable considering what happened with Lucy.
BFF Jack: I was more distracted by you.
BFF Jack: What are you doing right now?
Carolyn: I'm positive you're trying to initiate text message sex. It's not happening. At least not until I'm back in DC. You're going to need to sign the divorce papers first. Also, I expect to experience the real thing in person at least once.
BFF Jack: I agree to your demands. Also good to know you're open to that, considering you are going back to DC Monday.
Carolyn: I really don't want to, but my job is there right now. It is just weird all the reasons why I left for DC are not really problems anymore.
BFF Jack: I'm not opposed to a long-distance relationship. If I'm honest, I think we've had one for a while. Also, we need time to acclimate to this change in our relationship. I think we're going to have more actual conversations if we are in different states.
Carolyn: Although I'm probably going to go through a lot of batteries.
Carolyn: Margarita has been calling you my boyfriend for months.
BFF Jack: Your neighbor seems to be right about a lot of things.
Carolyn: It's the psychologist in her. You should know, considering your mom is one.
BFF Jack: Yes, but she didn't go back to school until after dad died. So I technically wasn't raised by a psychologist. Liz was, though, and she says it was traumatizing.
BFF Jack: My mom is going to be so happy when she finds out about the divorce.
Carolyn: Did you tell Katrina about the problems you've been having with Lucy?
BFF Jack: I just sent her my new phone number and told her we switched because we got a better deal on phones, and you can only have iPhones on AT&T right now. So it wasn't a complete lie. I just didn't want to tell her that my marriage went to hell over the phone.
Carolyn: I'll be there when you tell her about Lucy.
BFF Jack: I'm still trying to decide how much I want to tell her. I'm definitely going to need you there if I tell her about the money.
Carolyn: Do you want to tell Katrina about the change in our relationship?
BFF Jack: I think I want to wait a little while. Is that OK with you?
Carolyn: Yes, although I feel like we will have to tell Chad and Troy before I leave Monday. Amanda demanded we do it Saturday.
BFF Jack: I think so too, but they are different than my mom. I think for her I want to wait until she comes back for Christmas since you will be there as well. You're still coming back for Christmas?
Carolyn: Vince had his assistant Daniel already get my tickets. He's paying for it as another thank you. I already managed to get the week off. This is the other reason why I couldn't get Wednesday off to stay longer.
BFF Jack: I wish you could stay longer. Divorce sucks.
Carolyn: I know. I've been down this road before, so I will help you. Then maybe we'll have a few moments together once we get through the unpleasantness.
BFF Jack: I think I'm gonna have to at least go with Troy to the house long enough to get my mom out of there. Troy still wants to introduce Kim to the other family members.
Carolyn: And you don't want to send your son in there alone.
BFF Jack: Exactly. Even though the thought of seeing Lucy again makes me want to throw up. I hate her so much right now.
Carolyn: I get it. This is probably why I'm stressed cleaning Chad and Sharpay's bedroom right now. I hate sending Chad to deal with Charles alone, but I know my being there will make it worse. Chad has Sharpay, Amanda, and, oddly enough, Tiffany to support him.
BFF Jack: At least somebody is supporting Chad.
Carolyn: She also apparently yelled at Charles yesterday for being surprised that Chad is not that straight. Apparently, most of the school, at least the more open-minded students, were convinced Chad and Troy were together, including Tiffany.
BFF Jack: He didn't exactly have the best reaction when Troy started dating Gabriella. At the time, I thought it was because Chad knew about Kim, but he did not. Now I have questions.
Carolyn: Chad sees Troy too much like a big brother to see him in a romantic light.
BFF Jack: I did wonder about that.
Carolyn: I feel like I'm cleaning the apartment of a married couple right now. How did they get so entangled with each other so quickly?
BFF Jack: It's been an intense couple of weeks, especially because Sharpay's parents are getting a divorce. Stressful situations can lead to intense bonding. Also, they have been orbiting each other since kindergarten. Sometimes you just know.
Carolyn: I know you're right. But I'm worried. I was already in a loveless marriage by the time I was his age. I don't want that for Chad. I mean, I'm 35, and I just kissed someone I actually loved for the first time yesterday.
BFF Jack: Chad is already ahead of you because you know he loves Sharpay, and she loves him. You have to let him live his own life. Your dad forced you to live the life he wanted you to live. You can't do that with Chad.
Carolyn: I know. I have made it my life goal not to be my father. I know Chad and Sharpay actually genuinely love each other. It's obvious in the way Sharpay and Chad take care of each other. It's like they're us.
BFF Jack: We really should've seen what was happening sooner between us.
Carolyn: In hindsight, I did see it. But we were both married. Despite it being a loveless marriage, I still took the fidelity vow seriously. Then I wasn't married anymore, but you still were. Plus, there was the kiss at that point. I didn't want to be the other woman.
BFF Jack: Being the decent person you were, you felt it was better to go all the way to DC?
Carolyn: Even though it meant half my check going to child support. Which just made me hate Charles even more if such a thing were possible.
BFF Jack: I know how much you make, and you were paying Charles that much in child support?
Carolyn: Charles refused to take Chad unless I paid him half of my take-home pay. He even tried to question his paternity. However, I didn't want to drag Chad all the way to DC a month into his senior year, so I paid him what he wanted until September.
BFF Jack: You should've told me. Chad could have stayed with us.
Carolyn: I considered it. I actually discussed the possibility with Lucy, and she said no. I didn't want to put you in a position to contradict her.
BFF Jack: Because you knew I would've said yes.
Carolyn: You're the best person I know. So yes, I knew you would've said yes.
BFF Jack: I really didn't know Lucy at all, did I?
Carolyn: You are the only one that can answer that question.
BFF Jack: I don't think I did. She even lied to me about wanting kids when we were dating. She even lied to me about getting her tubes tied after Troy was born. I think if I actually did know the real Lucy, it would've been over a long time ago. How could she have done this?
Carolyn: Are you OK?
BFF Jack: Not at all. I went to another room for a moment. The formal dinner hasn't started yet. I have no plans to start crying in front of other people during Thanksgiving.
Carolyn: It's OK to cry. Your marriage of 20 years is over. You are mourning a very important part of your life.
BFF Jack: But I'm getting you. It's an upgrade.
Carolyn: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
BFF Jack: That's from a song, right?
Carolyn: Yes. Semisonic. I don't listen to just Prince and show tunes.
BFF Jack: I'm aware. It looks like the actual lunch is going to begin in a few minutes. Vanessa will take my phone away if I keep talking to you.
Carolyn: We can't let that happen. I'll see you in a couple of hours. We will get through this together, OK?
BFF Jack: I can only get through it with you. So you better be there.
Carolyn: Always.
Carolyn: I love you. Remember that no matter how bad the Lucy situation gets.
XXXX
A little later, elsewhere in Albuquerque
A very Danforth thanksgiving was not going well. At least three other relatives, including Chad's grandmother, assumed Amanda was her. Although per the flashcards, this shouldn't surprise Sharpay because Nana Danforth never forgave Charles for marrying a light girl.
Thankfully Nana Danforth also hated her because she had no kitchen skills whatsoever. That she could live with. It's nice to be hated on her own merits for once. It wasn't her fault she grew up with a personal chef. Chad was just as bad as she was. Although she was wondering if he was doing that on purpose. He was usually good at following directions. As Sharpay and Chad were being kicked out of the kitchen, she heard Chad's Aunt Esther say, "Thank god she's rich; otherwise, they would starve." Maybe she and Chad should take a couple's cooking class next year.
After the kitchen incident, Sharpay had to keep Amanda from getting into a fight with Nana Danforth. Amanda and Chad's grandmother were having a conversation about Amanda's major when they started to talk about her learning disability. Nana Danforth managed to say five of the seven things never to say to a person with a non-visible disability within 5 minutes. Sharpay knew to pull Amanda out before she began yelling at Chad's grandmother for using the R-word. Even Aunt Claudia looked ready to slap her sister at that point.
By the time they actually sat down for lunch, Sharpay was ready to get the fuck out of there. The fact that they assigned her and Chad to the kiddie's table made her want to leave even more if such a thing were possible. Chad's six-year-old nephew Rocco kept throwing food at her. Adding greater insult to injury was the fact Amanda was invited to sit at the adults' table.
"I can't believe they're letting Amanda sit at the adults' table," Sharpay said in annoyance to her boyfriend.
"I told you my family would treat non-relatives better. They assume that because we are related by blood, we have to forgive them for their stupid behavior." Chad said as he grabbed a piece of Turkey off her plate. "Although in this case, Aunt Claudia said she was sitting us here to keep me away from my father."
"Then I am OK being at the kiddies table even if Rocco is a brat." Yes, Sharpay stuck her tongue out at the six-year-old because he deserved it. Unfortunately, he just tossed cranberry sauce at her shirt. That was going to take forever to get out.
"Can I sit with you and Sharpay?" Tiffany asked as she gestured to the empty seat next to Chad.
"Shouldn't you be sitting with my dad at the adult's table?" Chad asked in surprise.
"I'm still annoyed at him for forcing me to have dinner with my stepmom and for what he said about you. Also, your Aunt Esther gave the last seat to Amanda. Your family loves Amanda. She's the brilliant premed major, and I am the stupid whore that sleeps with 40-year-old men. They don't want to know that I have a 3.96 GPA or I have my choice of any med school in the country." Tiffany said as she took a seat next to Chad.
"Welcome to the family. Mom and I were always the black sheep. The only reason they tolerate me is that I am an up-and-coming star basketball player, and they don't know about the other thing yet." Chad said to Tiffany and Sharpay. "Except for Claudia, and she's the nice one." And Chad is starting to wonder if she might be the gray sheep of the family. She's just a little better at blending in. "I've always been on the outside, and I expected to get worse, honestly."
"Why do they treat you like that?" Tiffany asked Chad.
"A million different reasons, none of them I want to talk about. Next year you and my new brother and sister will be forced to deal with the wrath of the Danforth family. Good luck getting Aunt Esther not to hate you." Chad remarked darkly.
"At least you do not deny the existence of your new brother and sister. Considering your reaction yesterday, I assumed you would stay in denial about their existence until the twins got here." Tiffany remarked.
"I was just a little surprised because I didn't even know he was dating again, let alone got somebody pregnant. I didn't even know the truth about my parents' divorce until you and my mom told me." Sharpay noticed a very angry expression on Tiffany's face.
"I figured that out at the airport yesterday when you stopped breathing. Charles told me that you knew all about our relationship and the twins. I don't know why I believed him, considering the bastard never can tell the truth. As I said yesterday, I should've taken care of it myself. It's not the first time he has lied to me. I'm pretty sure he is lying to me every time he says he loves me." Tiffany said furiously.
"At least you realize that sooner than I did. I'm not mad at you for what happened." Chad told Tiffany.
"You deserve better," Tiffany said in an almost whisper. "I'm going to make sure your brother and sister get better. I'm sorry for my part in everything. He really did tell me that he was already divorced. I didn't know he was lying until Carolyn walked in on us." Thank God Chad already knew about that; otherwise, he would be blowing up right now. A few coffee mugs were broken this morning when he found out the truth.
"So do you," Chad whispered back. "There's something I need to tell you."
"What?"
"So the reason why I was so mad at my father yesterday was I found out that he asked my then-girlfriend last year for a blowjob. That's why I finally came out yesterday. Partially for vengeance." At his words, Tiffany dropped the glass of water she was holding, and it's splattered everywhere.
"Did you have to tell her now?" Sharpay glared at her boyfriend as she went to help clean up the mess that Tiffany created. Especially because Tiffany was too pregnant and too in shock to pick up the glass from the floor.
"Chad said a bad word," Rocco screamed.
"Blowjob is not a bad word." Chad rolled his eyes at his cousin.
"Not when you're f…" Charles was cut off by Aunt Claudia smacking him in the ribs.
"It's Thanksgiving. Let's not have this out now. Sit down and eat your turkey, Charles." Per the flashcards, that was the Aunt Claudia version of 'shut the fuck up.'
"Actually, let's have it out now. I'm queer, and Charles is an adulterer who prays on the barely legal." Sharpay is pretty sure Aunt Esther referred to her as Chad's beard and was mad he didn't get a black one.
"No, Aunt Esther, I'm actually dating a white girl currently. But that doesn't erase the fact that I've been with guys before."
"Or that you're currently fucking her brother too," Charles said as he walked over to Chad from the other side of the room. Aunt Claudia looked ready to kill her nephew. She was taking off her earrings. Per the flashcards, that means somebody better go get the switch.
"Not presently, but that's because, unlike you, I actually believe in fidelity. Or at a minimum, I would at least let my partners know what's going on." Chad spat at the man who was now standing in front of him.
"Shut the fuck up. You're nothing but a filthy F…" Before Charles could even say that word, Chad punched him in the face.
"And again, you're an adulterer who likes to fuck young girls. You were fucking Tiffany when you were still married to mom. Was she even 20 yet? You even lied about your marital status to Tiffany. How the fuck could you have done that to either of them?."
"Stop throwing stones, Chadwick. You did the exact same thing to Taylor." Charles spat back from the floor. "More than once, apparently."
"I didn't sleep with someone else while I was dating Taylor," Chad said angrily. "I could have, but I didn't because I'm not you." Sharpay knew Ryan offered a blowjob, and Chad turned him down.
"You did fall in love with another person." Charles spat at him.
"Because unlike you, I am actually capable of love. You love no one but yourself. Also, unlike you, I realize what I did was wrong. Sharpay also knew full well that I had another girlfriend. Did you ever apologize to mom for what you did? Did you apologize to Tiffany? No, because in your mind, you never do anything wrong. It's always someone else's fault. I'm the reason why you didn't get to play in the NBA. I'm the reason why you were in a marriage that you hated. Are you going to blame the new kids for all your problems now?" Chad screamed at his father.
"You and your mother were the reason why I didn't get to do a lot of things. So why should I apologize to your mother? She did the same to me." Charles argued.
"You still think she screwing Jack behind your back?" At Chad's question, Amanda started choking on her soda.
"I know she was."
"Mom isn't you. I know you two never loved each other, and the only reason you got married was because of me. However, mom actually took her marriage vows seriously. Unlike you, Jack is not a self-satisfying prick who is only concerned with getting off."
At this point, Amanda was no longer coughing but hiding her face. Sharpay wanted to know why. "Which is too bad because he's always been a better father to me than you ever were. He's actually supportive of who I am."
"Probably because you're screwing his son." Charles spat the words at Chad. "You and your mom always had similar taste."
"Not all friends are secretly screwing. However, please don't throw stones at me or anyone else. You asked Taylor, my then-girlfriend, for oral sex when she was 17." That was when Aunt Claudia finished her entire glass of wine.
"I did not." Charles argued, "She's lying to you to get back at you for dumping her for Sharpay."
"See, I believe her, unlike you. You don't want anything to do with me because I'm not straight. That's what you said last night anyway when you were screaming at Mr. Evans. That's fine. I'm done with you and this family. You never wanted me before, and you definitely don't want me now that I'm one of the gays. Fuck you all." With those final words, Chad grabbed his jacket and walk right out of the house.
Sharpay and Amanda quickly made their apologies and got out. Although not without Claudia giving them an entire apple pie and promising to take care of Charles. As soon as they were safely outside, Sharpay turned her attention to Amanda.
"Why did you react the way that you did when Jack was mentioned?" Sharpay asked.
"What reaction are you speaking of? I had no reaction." Amanda babbled.
"You choked on your soda, and you couldn't look at Chad. So something is going on."
"I can't tell you," Amanda said in a whisper.
"You know something? Otherwise, you wouldn't have reacted the way you did."
"I promise Carolyn I wouldn't say anything to you. However, she said nothing about not showing you pictures." Amanda said as she passed the phone to Sharpay.
Sharpay wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but it wasn't Jack Bolton making out with Carolyn outside of the guest house with the sun barely up. In hindsight, Carolyn cuddled into him last night while watching movies makes a lot more sense. Her shock may have been why she lost her grip on Amanda's phone and dropped it in a puddle.
"Did you just break my cell phone?" Amanda asked as she reached down to grab it.
"Possibly. I'll get you a new one. I'll put you on my plan." Sharpay has wanted to get Amanda a better cell phone for a while. Now she has an excuse. Chad was going to freak out.
XXXX
A bit later, in another part of Albuquerque
Kim was having a very hard time at her parents' house. The entire time she helped Vanessa in the kitchen, she wanted to ask her about the pregnancy and Taylor. Kim never could because Alexa was almost always there. She wasn't going to ask her father because she's a little annoyed that he didn't tell her about her dead baby brother until the day before.
The entire morning she felt like she was walking on eggshells. She wanted to talk about the replacement kid, but she couldn't. She wanted to talk about Taylor, but she wasn't able to. There was no way she could ask more questions about the dead baby brother that she never knew existed until yesterday. Maybe that's why she exploded during dinner. Of course, it probably did not help that she was already on her third glass of wine.
They were going around the table saying what they were thankful for when Vanessa and her father took the opportunity to announce the impending birth of their new child. Apparently, they discovered the truth the weekend after Vegas. By May, Kim was going to have a brand new baby sibling.
"I'm certainly not thankful for the replacement child," Kim said under her breath, but everybody still heard her.
"Kim, we are not replacing you. I will always love you." Jay said as he grabbed Kim's hand. Kim just pushed him away.
"I know you're not trying to replace me. You're trying to replace Taylor or maybe even Hóng Yì." Kim didn't mean to say the names out loud. The look on Mr. and Mrs. McKessie faces proved her suspicions. Taylor was the daughter Vanessa gave up 19 years ago. "Which you didn't even tell me about until yesterday. It would've been nice to know I was never an only child. Or that you understand why I was so scared when Alex was in neonatal intensive care. What other secrets are you keeping from me?" Kim asked bitterly.
"Kim, can we not talk about this now?" Vanessa pleaded with Kim. "This is not the time."
"Is there ever a right time to know the truth? Don't you think it's time to stop lying to everybody? There are so many secrets going on in this room," her eyes moved to Jack. She really wished he would read Troy into everything going on with Lucy and Carolyn, for that matter. She's tired of keeping that secret already. "And I'm so tired of it." With that, Kim ran out of the house, and Troy followed her.
"Troy, go back inside. Give me a little time." Kim pleaded with her boyfriend.
"I am not going to leave you like this," Troy said, wrapping his arms around her. "Besides, I need to know why you stared directly at my dad during your little speech. Do you know the real reason my dad's no longer wearing his wedding ring?" Because she took money from my egg donor to break us up, cheated on him for years, and he finally realized he was in love with Carolyn. More importantly, it was impossible for him to love Lucy after everything she did. Now she's regretting not letting him see the original version of his dad's interview for her midterm project. Kim saw this coming when he described his relationship with Carolyn.
"Your mom did kick him out Tuesday. That's enough. I think he's ready to let go." Kim answered instead.
"Yet, my dad was still wearing his ring at the lawyer's office yesterday. I know there's something else, and I think you know what it is." Why does her boyfriend have to be so perceptive?
"I do, but Jack is the one who has to tell you. I promised him I would let Jack be the one to tell you."
"Does it have anything to do with Carolyn telling my dad that she loves him via text message?" Troy asked, shocking Kim.
"How do you know about that?" Kim asked as she stopped walking.
"Remember when he came back, Vanessa made me take his phone. At that moment he got a message from Carolyn that said 'I love you. Remember that no matter how bad the Lucy situation gets.' I feel like this is totally different from when Chad tells me that he loves me. At least I hope it is."
"Contrary to the EHS rumor mill, I don't think he's that into you unless there's something you need to tell me?"
"I think I am the token straight guy in my friend group." Kim laughed at that.
"Things are really complicated." You have no idea. "Go back inside and talk to your dad. Then, meet me at the Starbucks down the street in two hours. You guys need time to talk, and I just need to calm down." Maybe sober up a little bit before having to be in the same building as Lucy.
"You have 120 minutes to calm down, and then I'm coming to get you."
"Thank you," Kim said as she kissed Troy quickly before she left.
XXXX
Jason has always been observant. He continuously picked up that Taylor acted a lot more like Aunt Vanessa than mom and dad. Taylor even looked more like Aunt Vanessa than their mother. There was also the fact that Aunt Vanessa was helping to pay for Taylor's education. Now everything made sense.
"Taylor's not my sister?" Jason asked as soon as Kim and Troy were out the door.
"Of course, Taylor is your sister." Jason's mom said, trying to calm him down.
"I'm not talking about legally or emotionally. Is Taylor my biological sister?" Jason asked again.
"No," Vanessa answered for both of his parents. "Taylor is my biological daughter. When she was born, I wasn't able to keep her for various reasons. But, your mom and dad being the loving people they are, offered to take care of her and let me still be part of her life."
"Does Taylor know?" Jason asked all in the room.
"No," Jason's father said in a near whisper.
"Were you ever going to tell us?" Before anybody could answer, Jason ran up the stairs and out of the room.
"Jason," that was the last thing he heard his mother say as he locked himself in Alex's room.
He tried to call Taylor, but she wasn't picking up.
30 minutes later, Jason snuck out the second-floor window. He couldn't stay here any longer.
To be continued.
There were a lot of new moments in this chapter. I had to completely redo Jack and Carolyn's conversation, along with Ryan and Taylor's discussion on the plane. Both relationships are a bit more stable this time around, even though they didn't have sex the night before. There's a lot less uncertainty. They have a better idea of where they stand with each other. It helps that both couples had a real conversation before jumping into bed. Although jumping will happen eventually, for Jack and Carolyn anyway. Ryan and Taylor will have to address the Zack factor.