Thank you to everybody who read the last chapter or left reviews. Also, thank you to everyone leaving kudos or adding this to your favorites. You are making me very happy.

This chapter is mostly new material. A little bit of it is repurposed content from the original version of the next section, but it was re-contextualized.

In this new version, I want to do a better job of laying the groundwork for things to come. I'm taking a moment now. Also, I've decided that instead of rewriting "Gabriella Taylor Ryan Manhattan," I am merging the parts that I like into the main story and disregarding everything I hate. There's a lot from that story I hate, including the title.

Warning: High levels of gaslighting in the last section of the chapter.

Chapter 18: I hope you have a good cell phone plan

October 12, 2008, 8:23 AM

BFF Troy: So, we can talk about Alex now.

Chad: Kim told you?

BFF Troy: She sent me a video. Then we spent most of yesterday evening on the phone. There was also a video chat portion where I got to see Alex. He looks so much like me.

BFF Troy: This was apparently how your mom figured it out before anyone else and then told my dad. He's been suspicious since September 2. BTW I had a phone call with her and my dad yesterday. She sent me a list of family law attorneys.

Chad: Alex really does look like you. I should realize that my mom would see it because she probably spent more time with you at that age than your own mother. I'm sorry I sent my mom pictures of your child before I sent you any pictures. I didn't want you to figure it out that way once I realized the truth myself. She figured out weeks before I did.

Chad: Also, I'm sorry she's going all lawyer on you. But you have distracted my mom enough that she only yelled at me for 10 minutes yesterday. So, thank you.

BFF Troy: I'm glad I could help. Don't worry, your girlfriend did. It looks like you were having fun at pizza village.

Chad: That's the night I figured it out because Alex cannot have tomatoes on his pizza. Being Uncle Chad suits me. Although I didn't expect to become one at 17.

BFF Troy: I didn't expect to become a dad at 18, but here we are.

BFF Troy: Actually, I was 16 but didn't know. Kim had to go through the first two years of Alex's life without me.

Chad: Did Kim ever explain why she didn't tell you?

BFF Troy: There were a lot of reasons. My mom changing all our phone numbers didn't help things. But even Kim admitted that she could have got my new number from Ryan or Sharpay. The problem was Lucy decided to convince Kim that I never loved her.

Chad: You could have done the same thing. Also, I really hate your mom right now.

BFF Troy: I did too. I was too distracted at the time to think of that possibility. Plus, we weren't even on amicable terms with the Evans Twins for a few more months.

Chad: I am sorry my Jamie freak out/queer awakening was an additional distraction.

BFF Troy: I thought Kim may have been another Jamie. That she was just using me like Jamie used you. At least for a minute.

Chad: You know that's not true.

BFF Troy: I know that now. I also know that Lucy said the same things about me to Kim. Along with everything else she did, including threatening to lock Kim up and forcing me to do homeschooling.

Chad: Kim told me that part. After reading my mom's legal summary of New Mexico's statutory rape laws, she felt a lot better. Again, it's why I really hate your mom.

BFF Troy: Maybe subconsciously, Kim wanted me to find her to prove that Lucy was lying to her. She left a trail. Kim was at the school she told me she was going to go to. Ryan and Sharpay always knew where she was. I could have found her, and I didn't. I didn't even think to look.

Chad: I'm not even going to ask why you're referring to your mom by her first name. Although I completely agree with this decision.

BFF Troy: Thank you. Let's just say it's for the best that I won't have to see her for a few more weeks. Maybe then I won't start screaming at her for sending Kim away. The only person I'm madder at than my mother is myself.

Chad: Don't be angry at yourself. A lot of mistakes were made by a lot of different people. What matters is what happens now. How are you going to go forward?

BFF Troy: But I still missed the first two years of my son's life. No matter what we do now, I'm not going to get that time back. Plus, I'm at Berkeley, and Kim is in Albuquerque. This is a logistical nightmare for joint custody.

Chad: That can be overcome, especially because Kim has a lot of money now or will when she turns 21 next month. You can always transfer schools next year.

BFF Troy: Which is one of the things we're going to talk about when we meet up in person in the next few weeks. It's just I wish I made different choices. I wish I was at U of A with you right now. Not here at Berkeley with a girlfriend who hasn't even called me back in the last two days.

Chad: Are you planning to tell Gabriella about Alex?

BFF Troy: No. I've been calling her for the last two days for her to talk to Taylor. I had to be the supportive post-breakup friend because Gabby has been way too busy doing jello shots.

BFF Troy: I can't even think of telling her about Kim and Alex because I don't know how she would react. Worse than that, I don't even know if she would care to respond or if she would even be around long enough for us to have an actual conversation.

Chad: I think it's my turn to have this conversation with you. Why are you still with Gabriella?

BFF Troy: I don't know. I honestly don't even know anymore.

Chad: OK, that was a lot more honest than I thought I would get. I was expecting you to say that you still love her.

BFF Troy: I'm not sure that I do. I'm not sure I ever loved Gabriella. At least not the way I felt about Kim. You were not the only one who felt uncomfortable moving your relationship to the next level physically. Things just didn't feel right, not like they did with Kim.

Chad: But you still love Kim?

BFF Troy: Yes. Actually, I may be a little more in love with her because I know how much she fought to keep Alex.

Chad: She did fight tooth and nail for that kid.

BFF Troy: And I'll always love her for that alone.

Chad: So let's take Kim out of this equation. If Kim never called you two months ago, would you be thinking the same way about Gabriella?

BFF Troy: Yes. Gabriella is never around, not even for a phone call. Plus, she's acting weird with all the drinking. I have actually talked to her mom more than Gabby in the last two months. Maria has been really concerned about what I've been telling her, but she won't tell me why she's concerned. It feels like there's something serious going on, and I don't know what it is. I hate that feeling.

Chad: I'm sorry.

BFF Troy: The thing is I don't have time to figure out what's going on with Gabriella because I have to concentrate on Alex and midterms.

Chad: The first ones are always the worst.

BFF Troy: That is so reassuring.

Chad: It'll be OK. Maybe focusing on Alex is what you need to do right now. You can figure out the Gabriela stuff later.

BFF Troy: I hear a but coming.

Chad: However, I've just spent the last two days cleaning up after completely bungling the Taylor breakup. She destroyed my Kobe poster. You do not want Gabriella to find out about this from someone else.

BFF Troy: Unfortunately, I don't have a rich girlfriend to fix everything after the fact. Kim told me that Sharpay managed to keep everyone, including Taylor, from judiciaries.

Chad: You don't have a rich girlfriend yet. Although, you do have a ridiculously wealthy baby's momma.

BFF Troy: Her trust fund doesn't mature for another month. Also, I would never use Kim like that. I've always cared about her for her.

Chad: I know you wouldn't.

BFF Troy: At the same time, I'm meeting with a child custody lawyer sometime this week, as soon as we pick one. Kim is paying for it.

Chad: Why? Kim isn't going to keep Alex from you. She's not even going to keep Alex from your dad.

Chad: As long as your mom is really far away.

BFF Troy: I know. Kim is bringing Alex over to see my dad tomorrow because Lucy is still away on business.

BFF Troy: You do remember me telling you that I had a long call with your mom and my dad. You know how your mom is. All legal T's must be crossed. Even if Kim and I can work this out amongst ourselves, the rest of our legal advisors don't trust anyone else in the family.

Chad: That is my mom. My punishment for breaking up with Taylor badly is reading the University judiciary code regarding dorm conduct and writing her a legal summary. Thankfully, she was kind enough to not make it due until after midterms.

BFF Troy: She sent me a list of lawyers even before we talked on the phone. Most are in Albuquerque, but a few are near Berkeley.

Chad: That is definitely my mom.

BFF Troy: She also told me that I can reach out to her whenever I need to because she understands.

Chad: Because I completely ruined her life.

BFF Troy: You did not. I've barely been able to talk to my son on a video chat, and I already love him so much. Even though I wish circumstances were different right now, I don't regret his existence. I don't think your mom regrets you.

Chad: But Charles is another matter altogether.

BFF Troy: Then let it be my lifelong goal not to become Charles Danforth.

Chad: That's an excellent goal to have. I think I have the same one. He's an ass.

BFF Troy: Hey, I have to go, my dad is calling. I figure he's probably going to yell at me this time. He was too polite to do it with your mom on the line.

Chad: Good luck.

XXXX

October 13, 2008 5:03 PM EDT

Ryan: Hey, how are you holding up? Did you get back OK?

Taylor: Yes, the flight was fine. It helped that I had a charger cord that fits my computer to finish up all my homework on the flight back. The thing mysteriously showed up at my parents' house Saturday night. Considering the card only said 'sorry,' I'm going to assume it was your sister.

Ryan: That's a good possibility. She tends to apologize through presents. I blame Vince. I do have a shining new Lexus that is currently parked at the family New York apartment.

Taylor: And yet you're still living in the dorms?

Ryan: I wanted to be near Kelsi and experience authentic college life, at least for the first year.

Taylor: And now?

Ryan: I feel that the authentic college experience is highly overrated. Also, what's the point of living by your girlfriend when you never actually see her. I will be looking into other options for next semester.

Ryan: Not the family apartment because Darby and her assistant Jose are there a lot, and I don't want to be by Darby. Let's just say she's a different person behind closed doors.

Taylor: Part of me wants to ask you why your mom spent so much time in New York alone with her assistant. The other part of me wants to know how badly brunch went with Kelsi.

Ryan: Brunch got canceled.

Ryan: I'm like 90% sure Jose plays for my team even if Shar gives me the look.

Taylor: You play for every team, so… let's talk about Kelsi. That might be safer ground.

Ryan: Not today. Don't even say I told you so. I just want to get through midterms, and then I will deal with Kelsi.

Taylor: I wasn't going to.

Taylor: Good news, Tatiana is no longer my roommate. I now have a single dorm room.

Ryan: How did that happen?

Taylor: I'm not going to ask. I'm just thankful for it. If it wasn't for her screwing with my laptop, I would've found out that my boyfriend was subconsciously using me as his beard through a bumbling breakup speech.

Taylor: It probably would've ended in disaster, regardless. But I think I still would've preferred to hear it from Chad then via PowerPoint and Ginger finding Sharpay's bra in Chad's room.

Ryan: It was going to be a disaster no matter what. I read through Chad's rough drafts of his breakup speech. He wasn't sure how to start the conversation. Also, he didn't want you to blame Sharpay because he was ending things independent of her.

Taylor: I blame him for not telling me anything more than I blame Sharpay for the breakup. Also, can you send me those?

Ryan: Yes. Although if Chad asks, you didn't get them from me.

Taylor: I'm currently walking to my therapist appointment. It's at 5:30 PM today. She's a college classmate of Chad's mom's neighbor who happens to be a therapist.

Ryan: Already?

Taylor: Yes. Apparently, I have severe anger issues that obviously need to be addressed immediately. It was either agree to this or leave school entirely. I would like to maybe try to salvage this semester, so I can transfer anywhere else.

Ryan: You'll be OK.

Taylor: I think I will eventually be. I have you, Troy, and Kim to help me get through this. Although it's a bad sign when your alleged friend's boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend are supporting you more than your so-called friend.

Ryan: You haven't heard from Gabriella?

Taylor: Nope. I've called her three times and left about 7 text messages. I think there was at least one email in there as well, and I haven't heard back from her, not even a topless selfie.

Ryan: So, she's sending those to you as well?

Taylor: Actually, it has mostly been pictures of her doing Jell-O shots with Mercedes. I thought the topless selfies were mainly reserved for Troy.

Taylor: Although considering the text messages that Troy and the ex-girlfriend are sharing, those pics are tamed by comparison.

Ryan: Are you going to tell Gabriela about what is going on with Kim and Alex?

Taylor: No. That's something Troy is going to have to do. The fact that I came to that decision makes it easier for me to understand the position that both you and Troy were in regarding the Chad situation. Chad was only hiding an ex-boyfriend and hot boy Lava Springs. Not a kid and a Romeo and Juliet level tragic romance.

Ryan: You're going to keep calling him that?

Taylor: I don't have a name, so yes.

Ryan: I can give you his name.

Taylor: I want the name from Chad. When he's ready to tell me, he will. He owes me that.

Ryan: Are you ready to talk to Chad yet?

Taylor: I don't know, but if he happens to get pictures of my brother trying out for the school play Friday, he can send them to me. And I guess that goes for your sister as well.

Ryan: So, start with images and go from there?

Taylor: For the moment, at least.

Ryan: Do you think you'll ever be OK with Chad again?

Taylor: I hope so, actually. I feel like I'll miss a great person otherwise. He is keeping my little brother away from bullies. That's one point in his favor.

Ryan: This is true.

Taylor: Hey, I'm at the doctor's office. I'll call you tomorrow.

Ryan: Unfortunately, it needs to be Wednesday. I'm going to be in rehearsals all evening. I'm not even sure when I'm going to eat dinner.

Taylor: I promise to call you Wednesday.

October 13, 2008 6:45 PM MDT

Carolyn: So, I want to ask how you're doing, but I feel like that would be a very loaded question right now. Although you did really well with the call with Troy Saturday.

Jack: I only did well with that because you were there with me.

Jack: That is an extremely loaded question. Lucy doesn't even know that I've moved out of our room because she had a last-minute business trip. I'm actually considering not telling her and seeing how long it takes her to notice.

Carolyn: That's not good.

Jack: It's not.

Jack: Although it worked out because Kim was willing to bring Alex over with Lucy not around. I'm allowed to see my grandson whenever I want as long as Lucy is nowhere near the child.

Carolyn: How's that going?

Jack: Much better than my marriage at the moment. Grandkids are much more manageable than children, especially children who give you grandchildren at 16.

Carolyn: I'm sure my mom said the same thing about me.

Jack: Thank you for the lawyer list. We have a meeting Wednesday with Rodriguez and Associates. Troy will be calling in because we decided to go with somebody local.

Carolyn: Rodriguez and Associates are the best family law firm in Albuquerque. I am glad the list helped. Do you think you're going to end up using it for yourself?

Jack: I don't know yet. It depends on how long it takes Lucy to figure out I'm no longer sharing a room with her.

Carolyn: Again, not good.

Jack: Adding to this, Kim would like me to help her, Sharpay, and Chad with their midterm project by asking me questions about how I fell in love with Lucy.

Carolyn: I feel like those are not questions you want to answer right now.

Jack: Not at all. You begin to question your entire relationship when you find out that your wife of two decades conspired to keep your son away from his first love.

Carolyn: Maybe it is a good thing Kim wants you to participate. You have to decide if there's anything to fix. Maybe going back to the beginning will help you figure that out.

Jack: I'm not even sure I know who my wife is anymore? What if I never did? She wrote that fake note to Troy; I know she did. She threatened Kim. She actively made Troy miserable, and I don't know why.

Carolyn: Have you tried talking to her about it?

Jack: Even if she was around to have that conversation, I couldn't right now. Kim doesn't even want Lucy to know she's back in the state or in contact with Troy. At least not until we established legal paternity. That's what her stepmom suggested. She was the legal counsel on the second phone call.

Carolyn: Good to know that she has her own lawyer in her corner. Who's Kim's stepmom, by the way?

Jack: Vanessa Kim, although I don't know her maiden name.

Carolyn: I know her. She's actually a legend in Albuquerque. She loves going after deadbeat Dads and Abusive boyfriends. Although, I think she left the DA's office a little before I left for DC.

Jack: You know all the good lawyers.

Carolyn: So how is Troy holding up? He sounded OK on the call, but it's also possible he was still in shock at the time.

Jack: Surprisingly well, all things considered. Although Troy has suspected for the last three weeks after Sharpay sent him a picture of Alex and Chad together and finally told him that Alex was Kim's kid.

Carolyn: That probably helped.

Jack: Troy is scared to death that I'm going to start screaming at him at any moment.

Carolyn: Considering my father's reaction to me being pregnant with Chad, I could understand his fear and trepidation.

Jack: My number one parenting goal was to not be your father. I feel like I failed miserably at that. Maybe if I didn't push Troy so much, this wouldn't have happened.

Carolyn: I don't know if Troy was acting out like I was.

Carolyn: Actually, I know he wasn't because he was at least with someone he cared about.

Jack: But Troy was just 15, and he wasn't ready for this. He's still not. This isn't how I wanted things to be for him.

Carolyn: Troy is planning to step up and help take care of Alex, right?

Jack: Yes. The plan is to meet halfway in a couple of weeks to work out arrangements in person and let Troy see Alex.

Jack: Right now, they are mostly concerned with establishing legal paternity. They are also planning to use lawyers to just legalize whatever they're able to work out among themselves.

Jack: Kim actually didn't want to get lawyers involved, but Vanessa overruled her, and I backed her up because you taught me well.

Carolyn: I feel like I would get along with Vanessa fantastically.

Jack: Kim says she's the good parent.

Carolyn: From what I've found out about her biological mom, that does not surprise me. I'm sending you a file. Also, you might want to consider a private investigator or at least tell Kim to get one.

Jack: Kim happened to be reading this text message over my shoulder and agrees. She doesn't get privacy.

Jack: Actually, Vanessa already suggested it.

Carolyn: Again, I really like this Vanessa. I'm here if you need to talk about anything. Also, if you do the video, I want to see it unedited.

Jack: Kim says she will send you the raw footage. I'll talk to you later.

October 14, 2008 4:55 PM EDT

"Gabriella, you are such a horrible friend. I called you days ago to tell you that Chad broke up with me because he never actually loved me in the first place."

Taylor doesn't tell Gabrielle about Chad's sexual orientation or Jamie. That's private, even if it would help explain the situation. She also decides not to mention Sharpay because, after four days and one therapy appointment, Taylor realizes that the breakup would've happened independent of Sharpay.

"I needed my best friend. Where were you? Probably getting inebriated at a frat party. You ignore me, you ignore Troy, and you ignore everyone who cares about you, even your mother. I know that you're barely talking to her at the moment. Sometimes I don't even know who you are anymore." Taylor yelled at Gabriella. It took her four days to get back to her, and for that reason alone, Taylor was furious.

"I'm sorry, but not all of us hold onto the past. I actually have other friends." Taylor noticed Gabriella's slight insult. "I can't be at your beck and call."

"I'm not holding onto the past. I just needed someone to talk to. However, you were too busy for that as usual."

"Because I have my own life, and I'm going to live it the way I want to."

"Which is fine. I have other friends like Troy. You have nothing to worry about because Troy and his ex-girlfriend Kim helped me through the whole thing. They make a wonderful team." Taylor probably shouldn't have mentioned Kim but was angry and wanted vengeance. Her therapist would be so disappointed. But they've only had one session together.

"Kim and I did the crying over ice cream and watching films together thing to help me get through what happened. She even called me yesterday to see if I'm OK." Which was mostly true.

After therapy, Kim did call her. She didn't have to do that, but she did, and Taylor appreciated that. They went over the drafts of Chad's attempted breakup speech together. They were all awful, but it makes Taylor feel better to know he really did try and was concerned about not hurting her.

"I'm actually at peace with the situation right now, no thanks to you." Taylor spat back at her so-called friend.

"What do you mean Troy has an ex-girlfriend?" Of course, Gabriella would focus on that part of her comment. Which was fine because it would make vengeance easier.

"Kimberly Cáo Kim is one of the heirs to the Beijing Gardens chain of restaurants, amusement parks, casinos, and hotels. She graduated the year before you got to East High. She and Troy were together for most of his sophomore year until she left for college. He was completely in love with her. Don't worry, they're still the best of friends." Taylor added extra emphasis to the last part. She really wished this was a video phone call, so she could see the look on Gabriella's face.

"So, he was serious with her?" Gabriella actually sounded concerned. Good, she should be. It was evident that Troy loves Kim and didn't love Gabriella. Honestly, Taylor can't blame Troy.

"Maybe you should ask him. Oh, I'm sorry, I have to go. My new mandatory chemistry tutor is here. Apparently, part of my punishment for taking a baseball bat to a plasma television is that I have to learn to ask for help. Chad really liked that television. I have to go." Taylor hung up quickly on her so-called friend.

She considered sending Troy a warning text message, but her chemistry tutor really did show up then. Afterward, she was too exhausted to remember.

XXXX

October 16, 2008 9:23 PM EDT

Troy: Did you say anything about Alex to Gabriella?

Taylor: No. I promised Kim I wouldn't say anything. I also told Ryan I wouldn't say anything. He made me promise again last night during our phone chat. I'm trying to convince him that Kelsi is probably with Natasha, but he thinks I'm just paranoid.

Troy: OK, I believe you. It's just that for the first time ever, she's come over to hang out on a Thursday instead of going drinking with Mercedes. Actually, my roommate said she came by Wednesday. However, I was in the study room on a video call with my new custody lawyer Jen. I have a lab appointment tomorrow afternoon to do a DNA test.

Taylor: When all you really wanted to do was have phone sex with Kim.

Taylor: Like you need a DNA test. That kid is obviously yours. He's adorable when he's not throwing food at you.

Troy: I did that a lot when I was a kid. Also, the DNA test is to make Lucy happy because she thinks Kim was a trashy slut who used me.

Troy: I'm not back with Kim yet. I'm still with Gabriella.

Taylor: But I feel like you don't actually want to be. Also, do you realize you just use the word yet?

Troy: I just want to get through midterms, and then I'll deal with the complicated nature of my life. Gabriela isn't even in my top ten priorities at the moment.

Troy: I have an almost 2-year old that I've officially known about for six days. You knew about Alex before I did.

Taylor: You weren't suspicious?

Troy: I have been suspicious since I knew that Alex was Kim's child and not her little brother like I was initially told. I didn't know for sure until six days ago. Alex is a lot more important than Gabriella. Also, more important than Gabriella is passing all my classes. I will circle back to Gabriella after midterms.

Taylor: Right there with you. I just spent the last hour at the student writing center working on my essay for English.

Taylor: I promised that when Gabriella finally called me 2 days ago, I did not say anything about Alex. If she ever calls me again, I won't say anything then either. Although I don't expect her to actually call me ever again. I'm OK with that.

Troy: Thank you.

Taylor: But I may have mentioned that you and your ex-girlfriend were better friends to me than her.

Taylor: I was going to send you a warning message, but my chemistry tutor showed up, and I forgot to do it afterward.

Troy: This is your revenge for not telling you about Chad and Sharpay?

Taylor: No, it was my revenge for Gabriella being a shit friend. She's been just as awful to you.

Taylor: I feel like you could actually use a girlfriend that you can talk to about this stuff, and Gabriella can't be that person. There's a good chance she's only with you tonight because of Kim. Do you really want to stay with her?

Troy: Again, this is something I'll think about after midterms. I don't have the bandwidth.

Taylor: You and Ryan are way too much alike. It's better to admit it's not working before it completely blows up in your face. I am now an expert in this.

Troy: Like last weekend?

Taylor: Yes. In hindsight, there were a million signs that things between me and Chad were not working. Yet we were both too afraid to acknowledge that. Sharpay Evans had nothing to do with it.

Taylor: Even though I'm mad at Gabriella, I don't want her to find out about Kim by walking in on you fucking her. The dirty text messages are already enough.

Troy: I feel like there's a story there.

Taylor: There is. I think Kim has it on video for her film project, but I never want to hear that story again. I'm traumatized for life.

Troy: You have a point. I know things aren't working, and they weren't working before Kim. It's like Gabriella is not even the same person anymore.

Taylor: You told me that her mom is worried?

Troy: Very worried. She might be planning an intervention for Thanksgiving. I would like to blame Marcedes, but it has to be more than that. She is moving into the sorority.

Taylor: I thought first-year students couldn't do that?

Troy: So did I. I talk to one of my teammates' girlfriend, a member of the same sorority at Stanford. Apparently, if Mercedes wants something to happen, it will happen. She is a super legacy. Kind of like Sharpay at U of A, but she doesn't use her powers for good.

Taylor: I'm not going to mention the Italian shoe's incident because Sharpay kept me from facing Judiciarys.

Troy: Thank you for that.

Taylor: I'm sorry I said too much. I was just angry, and at least I didn't break anything this time. Would it make you feel better to know I have another session with my new therapist tomorrow? Also, during my last session, she chastised me for what I did.

Troy: Yes.

XXXX

October 17, 2008 8:42 PM EDT

Idiot ex-boyfriend: Ryan says it's OK for me to send you pictures of Jason from tryouts today. Jason did an excellent job. I know he's going to end up in the cast. Although, honestly, he's more excited about being able to help Sharpay do the rewrites.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: Your mom made me get pictures of Sharpay telling him that. Also attached.

That was actually Monday, but I don't think you were ready for me to send these to you yet.

Taylor: He does look ridiculously excited for someone doing something like Twinkle Town 2.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: They are making an adaptation of the Taming of the Shrew. The working title is Taming Of The Drama Queen.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: Also, Sharpay isn't touching anything Kelsi did. She's like 99% sure that Kelsi is fooling around with her roommate and using Ryan as her beard.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: I think it's my fault for putting that in her head because of the Jamie thing.

Taylor: Sharpay and I actually agree on something. It's weird. I already thought that before I found out about Jamie. Now I'm even more confident. Kelsi brings Natasha on all their dates. It's weird.

Taylor: That explains why Jason is excited. Jason loves Shakespeare. I caught him reading my copy of Romeo and Juliet when he was eight.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: I would like to apologize again for not telling you about Jamie. You have a right to know even if I didn't feel comfortable telling everyone else.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: I was afraid to even acknowledge to anyone outside of Troy that I wasn't the super heterosexual dumb jock that everyone thought I was. I'm working on trying to be more comfortable with who I really am.

Taylor: I know; Ryan sent me your draft breakup speeches. Despite how bad they were, they would've been preferable to the PowerPoint.

Taylor: Shit, I wasn't supposed to tell you that.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: Of course, he did. I won't tell him that you told me. Also, I'm really sorry about that. Kim made the PowerPoint for us to make us come out of denial.

Taylor: I'm sorry, too, for how things ended. I wish we could have had a relationship where you would've been comfortable telling me about Jamie. Or how bad your parents messed you up when it came to relationships.

Taylor: I really wished we could have had the type of relationship where we could have admitted to each other earlier that it wasn't working.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: I wasn't ready. I'm still not sure if I will put some of the Jamie stuff in the video.

Taylor: And you're not ready?

Idiot ex-boyfriend: I don't know if everyone else is. Charles would be furious. Also, the basketball team is really homophobic. Zach is so far in the closet he can visit Narnia.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: I'm fully aware I also have season passes to Narnia. I'm with Sharpay now, so I can just let people assume what they want even if it feels wrong, and I'm hiding again.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: They're already calling me a cocksucker. Why should I tell them that it's the truth? I can just let them fall into the no bisexuals trap.

Taylor: First of all, when I come back at Christmas, we will find a very large bottle of something highly alcoholic. Then we are going to sit down and have a very long conversation about everything Jamie related. As well as how the toxic combination of your father and EHS/basketball homophobia caused you to go so deep in the closet that you subconsciously made me your beard.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: That seems fair. Also, I'm really sorry about that.

Taylor: Second, Charles can go fuck himself. You owe that man nothing.

Taylor: The basketball team can also go fuck themselves.

Taylor: You need to learn to be comfortable in your own skin. Lying to yourself can be dangerous. It can lead to a baseball bat to the plasma.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: you're right. You know I'm starting to like this version of you.

Taylor: So am I. Although I must confess, I got that from my therapist. Three sessions in, and I think it was the right choice. I did get through this conversation without throwing my phone at the wall.

Idiot ex-boyfriend: I'm glad you're making progress.

XXXX

October 18, 2008, 5:15 PM PDT

Gabriella was distraught. During their year and a half together, Troy never mentioned anything about an ex-girlfriend. As far as she knew, she was his only serious girlfriend. Gabriella was more worried that they were still friends, and she knew nothing about the person. Gabriella definitely did not want him to be close to his ex.

If she were thinking rationally, Gabriella would just ask Troy who Kim was to him. She had ample opportunity Thursday night, but she didn't. Maybe she just wasn't ready for that conversation. (Also, this voice in her mind told her she wasn't acting rationally because she hasn't touched her medication since moving into the dorms. She hated that voice because it sounded way too much like her mom.)

Instead, she decides to take the indirect route like Mercedes suggested. She purposely showed up earlier than she told Troy that she would. Despite her knowing Troy would be leaving in a few minutes to meet with a classmate to go over something. She wasn't sure what. Gabby wasn't paying attention. She told him she would just hang out in his room for a little while. Fortunately, Troy forgot to lock his laptop when he left.

Gabriella really did not pay attention to the slide show on Troy's computer. Otherwise, she would have noticed the Asian girl holding the little boy that looked a lot like Troy. She was too busy looking for emails or diary entries to pay attention to that.

Unfortunately for Gabriella, Troy recently changed his email password and opted not to save it on the computer. The only thing she could access was his calendar. None of the schedule things mentioned Kim. Although apparently, when Troy was supposed to be studying Wednesday, he was meeting with a lawyer. That told Gabriella he was lying about something. Why would Troy be meeting with a lawyer? Yesterday, when Troy was supposed to be at a study group, he was at a doctor's appointment. That was also suspicious.

After 30 minutes of not getting into anything else, she decided to go through the video files on his computer. Thankfully there were no additional passwords to get through. There she found several file folders labeled from Kim. Unfortunately, they were pretty much all files of Chad and Sharpay making out or 30 seconds from having sex.

Gabby decided to send this stuff to Taylor. She doubted the girl knew any of this because she said Chad broke up with her because he didn't love her. She didn't mention anything about Sharpay. Gabby decided it would probably be best to send the files to herself first. Her stupid account wouldn't let her send more than one at a time. Unfortunately, she only had time to send one file to herself before Troy came back early. She barely had time to close the computer before Troy opened the door.

"I'm sorry I left you up here alone. We just needed to do at least one more rehearsal. How about we go to dinner?" Troy offered, but he didn't seem very enthusiastic. Like he was just going through the motions.

"That's OK. I was just doing a little extra reading." She tried to kiss him on the lips, but instead, he moved slightly, and she ended up kissing him on the cheek. Something wasn't right here. But Gabriella wasn't sure what.

XXXX

One hour later

Mercedes: So, did you find anything about the mysterious Kim on Troy's computer?

Gabby: No. The only thing I could access was his calendar. He changed all his other passwords recently.

Mercedes: That in itself is not a good sign. Why would he change his passwords if he had nothing to hide?

Gabby: He also didn't bother to save them to the computer. I bet he changed his computer password too, but lucky for me, he forgot to lock it.

Gabby: I know he's hiding something. He lied to me twice this week. Wednesday he wasn't studying, he met with a lawyer from Rodriguez and Associates, but I don't know why. On Friday, when he blew me off, he had a doctor's appointment even though Troy told me he was going to a group study thing.

Mercedes: You should have know that was a lie. Nobody studies on Friday, even during midterms. Also, secret lawyer meetings and doctor's appointments are never good. Did you find anything else?

Gabby: Troy had a bunch of videos of Chad and Sharpay 30 seconds from fucking but nothing of this mysterious Kim.

Mercedes: Chad is Troy's best friend, right? The one Troy is really close to?

Gabby: Yep, who until last week was dating my friend Taylor. He broke up with her because allegedly he didn't love her anymore. Obviously, the real reason is he's fucking the ice queen bitch. Apparently, they've been screwing around since August, and Troy has a video of it.

Mercedes: Your boyfriend probably jerks off to it. You did say he was very close to his best friend. Maybe they are "friends who suck each other off" close? Or at least friends to provide each other with masturbatory material. It's not that unusual. I have a few friends like that.

Gabby: I doubt that's it. Troy straight even if I know Chad's not. He stares too much at Ryan's ass to be heterosexual. There's also that time that they walked out of the locker room wearing each other shirts.

Mercedes: They so fucked.

Gabby: Probably. What other explanation can there be? Ryan also happens to be his new girlfriend's brother.

Mercedes: Incestuous.

Gabby: There was a rumor about that regarding the twins in high school.

Mercedes: I think your boyfriend is not as heterosexual as you think he is. In his mind, it probably doesn't count because it's Chad he's fucking. Why else would he have stuff like that on his computer?

Gabby: I don't know.

Mercedes: I bet he's fucking both of them. Troy probably has been for a while. That is why he didn't let you know that your friend was getting cheated on.

Gabby: You really think that's what's going on?

Mercedes: It's obvious something's going on. I know you two have not had sex yet. You can't blame not wanting to on your medication killing your sex drive anymore because you stop taking it.

Mercedes: Which is good because your mom was just making you take it to control you. You don't seem bipolar to me.

Gabby: I told you that in confidence.

Mercedes: Troy hasn't exactly been making good use of your reawaken sex drive. He never comes to any of the parties with you. He always makes ridiculous excuses, including yesterday, when you know he was at a doctor's office instead.

Gabby: Troy is not really a party person.

Mercedes: He decided to do some school thing with you while you stayed in his dorm room, right? Despite the top that I picked out for you. A regular guy would be all over you.

Mercedes: Or some girls, for that matter.

Gabby: Yes.

Mercedes: Did he even let you kiss him today?

Gabby: Only on the cheek.

Mercedes: Then, obviously, there's somebody else. Maybe even two in this case. You just didn't notice before because the medication had you so messed up. Perhaps there is no Kim, but there's definitely a Chad and Sharpay. Again, there has to be a reason why Troy had explicit videos of the two on his computer.

Gabby: You may have a point. Sharpay was chasing after Troy the summer before. They were a lot closer last summer during community theater. They even had a kissing scene together because Troy requested to change parts. This was because Sharpay was having problems with her other partner.

Mercedes: That may have been how it started. Now she has both of them. Some women are never satisfied.

Gabby: Satisfied isn't even in Sharpay's vocabulary.

Mercedes: It isn't fair that Troy is doing this to you. It's apparent Troy is screwing around on you. He changed all his passwords, and he's having secret meetings with lawyers and doctors. What if the appointment yesterday was to check up on some STD he caught from his partners? You can't trust him. You deserve better.

Gabby: But I just want Troy. What should I do then?

Mercedes: Get revenge and then dump his ass. Again, you deserve better.

Gabby: Troy is mine, no matter what. I think I just want revenge on Sharpay. It's probably all her fault.

Mercedes: It probably is. It's what rich bitches do; I should know because I am one. We get whoever we want, no matter who gets hurt.

Gabby: How do I do that?

Mercedes: You were the one who helped me with the recruitment video. I know you have excellent video editing skills.

Gabby: It's one of the few things I got from my father before the divorce and subsequent abandonment.

Mercedes: Then, you should put those skills to good use. I'm sure that ice Queen bitch would hate for her private sex tape to end up on YouTube.

Gabby: She always fantasized about being famous. I'm just giving her what she wants.

To be continued

In my effort to developed OC characters better this time around, we are going to spend more time with professional toxic friend Mercedes. There was a whole lot of gaslighting going on in the latter part of this chapter. Unfortunately, Gabriella is more susceptible than normal.

When it comes to your mental health, do not take advice from people like Mercedes. Talk to your healthcare professional regarding your own treatment plan. Never go off/change your medication without professional supervision.

(Hilariously enough, as I was updating these notes, my iPhone started playing What's Your Fantasy.)