Thank you to everyone who left kudos on the last chapter. You're all wonderful.
This is another chapter that is almost all new material. There's only one tiny section at the end in the original version, and it has been changed dramatically. In hindsight, I feel like I made a massive mistake in the original version by not having Ryan find out about the end of his parents' marriage until Thanksgiving. That had me doing way too much stuff during my Thanksgiving arc. That period in the story was already crazy, and I just added more things that I had to stuff in there. I was a baby fanfiction writer who didn't know how to outline yet. I was really writing by the seat of my pants the first time around.
I didn't get to give the revelation the time needed, and the characters didn't get to process it like I wish they would have. That was why I already had Ryan find out about the sexual assaults several chapters ago. That was another thing he didn't find out until Thanksgiving.
Obviously, I'm making additional changes. I'm spending more time building up to what's going to happen during Thanksgiving. Also, I'm trying to deal with some things ahead of time. (This means that the Thanksgiving chapters are now radically different, but it's a good change.)
My thinking the first time around was this should happen in person. But the pandemic and other life experiences before then has made me realize that you can't wait until you see someone face-to-face. Some things have to be dealt with immediately. I promised more Ryan in this version, and I will deliver.
Warning: There is the use of a homophobic slur in this chapter. It happens in a conversation between Ryan and Chad. As you've seen in earlier chapters, I avoided using the word that got spray-painted on Ryan's locker a lot the year before. I decided that in a conversation between two non-heterosexual men, they're going to use the word.
Also, more discussions about child abuse. This time we're going to examine what Ryan saw and experienced.
Chapter 28: You Could've Told me About the Cameras at the Club Earlier
From: The fabulous Kimberly
To: Basketball_Prince_06
time sent: 11/09/2008 14:12:01
Subject: You were right, and I was wrong
I knew I should've called you earlier, but I left my cell phone in New Mexico. Only when I landed did I realize how bad things were. Why didn't you call Troy? I really wish you would've called Troy but whatever.
You were right. We should've told Sharpay earlier about Troy being Alex's father. Obviously, it blew up while I wasn't even in the state. We should've expected her to accidentally listen in on one of our conversations.
I just wanted Troy there for emotional support, but that was stupid. We could've just did a joint call. It's never a good sign when Sharpay disowns me twice in the same voicemail. There was a lot of cursing and crying going on. She is furious, and I get it. She deserves to be mad at me because I didn't trust her, and I should have.
Also, I heard Darby was a bitch yesterday, and I wasn't there. So I understand why she's not taking my calls. I know I have some best friend groveling to do.
Although I am worried that you're not taking my calls. Are you mad about me hanging up when you started asking questions about Troy and me? Which you should be. I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry. I'm just not sure how to describe our relationship. We're back together, or more accurately, we're acknowledging we're back together. Troy pointed out that we've really been dating again since August. We've just been delusional.
Yes, I know that makes us total hypocrites about the Taylor situation in more than one way because apparently, the proverbial baseball bat has hit the plasma.
Anyway, write me back or call. Or at least let me know how much groveling I'm going to have to do to get Sharpay to speak to me again. I brought Sharpay cake from her favorite restaurant in Vegas. Should I put them in my freezer or drop them off when Sharpay is not there?
Xxx
From: The fabulous Kimberly
To: Basketball_Prince_06
time sent: 11/09/2008 16:22:01
Subject: What the fuck happened this weekend?
Vanessa just called, and I am now very aware I really fucked up. So obviously, you told Mr. Evans about Darby screwing Jose. My dad will pick him up, so he doesn't drink his way through his liquor collection alone as he listens to Johnny Cash on repeat. Nobody should listen to Hurt that many times in a row.
Although I feel like that's not the only reason why Vanessa's wine collection is in danger. Vince now knows about Darby, doesn't he? Shit! What happened?
Vanessa is getting out her divorce attorney list. Although he could just get the one that Jack has. Your mom gave it to him. He doesn't know I know he has it. But I saw him looking at it on the ride home. Things are not good all around.
Xxx
From: The fabulous drama King
To: Basketball_Prince_06
time sent: 11/09/2008 16:39:01
Subject: Do I need to come to New Mexico?
So I have sent way too many text messages and made multiple calls to multiple phone numbers. I have not managed to get a hold of you. I know Sharpay has had a bad two days. Kim told me that Sharpay knows the Troy Bolton truth. Which, on its own, could explain why Sharpay's not taking calls.
Per your last text message, I know Darby was her usual bitch self at brunch, and you accidentally told me about Jose. Amanda confirmed it, by the way. I'm sure Shar found the money by now if she is even in a state of mind to check her bank account. Which she probably isn't. What happened? I feel like it's more than finding out about Alex's paternity or Darby and Jose.
My mother cheating on my father doesn't shock me as much as I thought it would. It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would.
I've always known something was off in this family. I only got playtime as a kid if I got the choreography perfect. I was always better at it than Shar, so sometimes I would mess up on purpose so we would both be kept back. It was my way of protecting her. I think I knew back then she was only safe if I was around, but I don't understand why I felt that way.
It's only in hindsight that I realize how fucked up all of that was. Who gets a choreographer at five? We had dance lessons five days a week in kindergarten. I've talked to some of the others in my dance program, and yes, they started ballet classes young but not like we did. We have no life outside of what Darby expected us to do.
I was forced to do Boy Scouts because it looked good for the company's image. It was the same with baseball and even cheerleading. I wasn't allowed to do anything unless it brought honor to the Evans name or fed into Darby's ego.
I think it was worse for Sharpay because I don't think she actually wants to be a performing arts major. She loves writing more, as well as the family business. That's why I convinced her to also do a business major. I wanted her to have another option when she could finally get out of Darby's shadow. She's better suited for that than me. She's the smart twin. But you know that because she managed to get you.
Then there was always other weird stuff when dad wasn't there. He was always busy with work. That's why I wanted you to take care of Sharpay when I wasn't there because I didn't trust either of my parents. But dad's problem was neglect or being too busy. Darby only cares when it came to performing.
She forced Sharpay to do the talent show the summer between 7th and 8th grade even though she sprained her ankle. Sharpay said she wanted to, but I just think she didn't want to deal with Darby's wrath. Yet, she ended up having surgery because she didn't say no.
I understand doing something just to keep Darby from blowing up. In hindsight, I know I behaved in a certain way to keep her from being mad at me. Maybe I was with Kelsi to keep her happy. She was the one who suggested that I asked Kelsi to prom in the first place.
This is not me saying that I am completely gay because I still think your ex-girlfriend is hot. Sexuality is a spectrum. I definitely lean more towards gay. I don't think I was actually attracted to Kelsi. I told you I had to think about other people to get off. You're right; that was a bad sign. You're right about a lot of things.
There's also other stuff that I saw. Before we moved to Rhode Island, Sharpay always ended up covered in bruises. She said that she got them in rehearsal. But why did she never injured herself when I was there? Those bruises only showed up after I was dismissed. That's suspicious, right? I thought so, at least, and I told a trusted adult.
Do you remember that time your mom did a presentation at our school about the signs of abuse? She was a children's advocate back then. Anyway, I told her my suspicions, and with her help, I told my dad. Our choreographer was fired, and we ended up moving to Rhode Island. Sharpay stop showing up with bruises after her one-on-one rehearsal time. So I always thought I was right.
Was I right, Chad? What did I not see? Shar kept the fact that she was raped from me. Why couldn't she tell me that? If she couldn't tell me about Malick, what else is she not telling me?
You know I'm just going to delete that part Ann not send
XXXX
From: The fabulous drama King
To: Basketball_Prince_06
time sent: 11/09/2008 16:43:32
Subject: Fuck voice recognition software
Voice recognition software absolutely sucks. Don't use the S word in a sentence when you're not planning to send the email. Please don't read most of that last email.
I hate being voice rec dependent. I know it's not as bad for me as Amanda. But I just want to shake the computer right now. Mainly because I can't recall that last message. There were typos and everything.
XXX
From: Basketball_Prince_06
To: The fabulous Kimberly
time sent: 11/09/2008 17:05:21
Subject: Re: What the fuck happened this weekend?
Way too much. Although I'm less upset about you not calling Sharpay back now, I know that your phone was lost in Albuquerque. At least I know you didn't call because you were too busy with Troy to do so. I probably would've called Troy if I remembered his new cell phone number by heart. IPhones make you lazy. But I don't, and Sharpay is only now letting me have access to her cell phone. I'll call him later on the landline now that I grabbed his number from her address book.
Yes, Vince knows about the José thing. At least he knows if he watched the video on my now former cell phone. If Vince needed your dad to pick him up, then he probably watched. I gave the phone back to him because I want nothing to do with that man right now, and I definitely don't want to owe anything to him. I am furious about all the things he let happen in his house. It's a small miracle Ryan and Sharpay are as well adjusted as they are because they should be both a hot mess.
I borrowed Shar's iPhone to check my email on the drive here, so she knows that you emailed me. She doesn't want to talk to you. She would also like for you to not call her or text her. She said ever again, but she'll miss Alex too much to actually mean that. Just give her a few days. However, if you see this by 7 PM, you can drop off the goodies from Vegas in Amanda's room, and she will eat them. She said, at a minimum, you owe her cake-Lots of cake. I think that's her preferred form of groveling at the moment, mainly because Darby never let her eat anything.
Also, tell Troy to start groveling. She might pick up his phone calls first. Let that new boyfriend work for you. I'm happy you two are back together because I know Troy really loves you. This weekend notwithstanding, I still like you more than Gabriella. Sure, you accidentally filmed the drunken striptease. However, you didn't post it to the internet after manipulating it to make it look like a sex tape. That's the more important part.
There is just a lot of stuff going on right now, and Sharpay could've used you yesterday. Unfortunately, you weren't available, and yes, we should have called Troy. But I was kind of annoyed at him at the time and didn't think. Sharpay also says that you should have called us using his phone.
Yesterday was a lot. I'll call you once I convince my mom to give me a cell phone. She wants me to talk to Vince before she buys me a new phone. It's probably best that Sharpay does not see me calling you on her phone. I'm gonna call Ryan now because I think he figured it out. Sharpay wasn't as good at hiding things from her twin as she thought she was.
XXXX
"You know I had no choice but to read the email typos and all," Chad said as soon as Ryan answer the phone call that he assumed was from his sister.
"I am happy you finally called me back. Although I'm worried that you called me on Shar's cell phone. That is disconcerting." Especially considering what Kim told him earlier. No one had a good weekend.
"I gave my phone back to your father. I don't want anything that comes from him. I'll pick a new one out Monday. Something that's actually in my budget as soon as my mom tells me what that is. She wants me to talk to your dad first before she gives me a cell phone budget. I don't want to." Chad sounded extremely annoyed.
"So, it's safe to assume that yesterday went really badly?" Ryan asked.
"Parts of it were good, but we mutually agreed never to tell you about those parts. Although I will confirm I am equally physically attracted to your sister as emotionally attracted."
"Good, mostly. This is still a little weird. Even weirder now that I'm single and my girlfriend really was with her roommate. I'm hiding at Maria's again, even though she wants to set me up with her neighbor's son."
"Understandable, and you need a good mother figure in your life. Especially one that will set you up with her neighbor's son."
"That's something Darby would never do," Ryan remarked. He accepted a long time ago that Darby would never love him like he truly is. He doesn't even think she's capable of it.
"However, I think your sister is planning to take you to Purple Hills next time you're in town. We will invite Zack." Ryan just shakes his head.
"I don't feel like dating right now. I need some recovery time." This was something he should've taken after the fiasco that was Jason Cross but didn't. (Which is why he cursed Jason Friday night when he bothered to text message him to talk trash about his sister.) Instead, he asked Kelsi to the prom because Darby told him to.
"Which might be a good idea. I should have done that after Jamie instead of dating Taylor."
"You definitely should have. Should I change my Thanksgiving plans and come to Albuquerque? Do you need me there?" Ryan asked. Honestly, he wanted to be by Sharpay right now. They needed each other to get through the family drama.
"I want you to stay the hell away from all of this mess. You don't need it after the Kelsi stuff. If I wasn't asking for cell phone money, I would ask my mom if I could fly out to DC for Thanksgiving and drive up to New York afterward."
"You should. Just have Shar put it on daddy's credit card. Don't see this taking money from him. See it as punishing him for never paying attention at all." Because you do not need to deal with Charles since you are already dealing with Darby. He should have suggested everybody coming out east, to begin with. This is such a mess.
"I like the way you think. However, I don't think she'll let me because Abuela Sanchez would never let her get out of showing up for a holiday." Chad sighed.
"So, that's what functional families are like," Ryan remarked sarcastically.
"I wouldn't call the Sanchez family functional. Grandpa was an abusive piece of shit who thankfully died of a heart attack when I was really young. It's part of why my mom did child advocacy work as well." That does not surprise Ryan at all.
"Another thing our families have in common. It was Darby, wasn't it?" Ryan asked. If it wasn't the dance instructor, Darby had to be the one hitting Sharpay when they were kids.
"You're going to have to clarify. I'm pretty good at understanding Evans, but I'm still a novice in some regards." But an expert at deflecting. Ryan was sure that was what was happening. But he's not letting Chad get out of this.
"Did Darby hit Sharpay after dance practice when we were kids? I thought it was Mrs. Henderson. No one walks in the doors that often."
"I really did walk into a door after prom and ended up covered in bruises. This happened because I freaked out about the prospect of having sex with my girlfriend." Yep, still deflecting. But at least he was using stuff Ryan was curious about.
"Now, I understand why you were worried about being sexually attracted to my sister," Ryan remarked.
"It was a legitimate concern. I've only ever did anything sexual with Jamie until…"
"Don't finish that sentence," Ryan said, cutting Chad off.
"Agree."
"By your vast amounts of deflecting, I'm going with yes Darby was the one who hit Sharpay until we moved to Rhode Island."
"I am not authorized to confirm or deny this hypothesis. Your sister is currently with her therapist right now, but I can have her call you back when she's done."
"And therefore you just confirmed it," because if the answer was no, Chad would just tell him.
"You said in your email that I'm terrible about keeping secrets. In the last 48 hours, I've managed to tell you about your mom and Sharpay about Alex." Yet you were really good at hiding your orientation and your intelligence all through high school.
"Actually, I think it's your bad at keeping secrets you don't want to keep. I think Darby is one of those secrets you don't want to keep from me."
"Well, you did figure it out entirely on your own. Did Darby ever…" Chad couldn't even finish that sentence, and Ryan can't blame him. He understands what Chad means.
"She never hit me. But she did other things. You know about her forceing me to join Boy Scouts. But I don't think I told you she did that by throwing away all of my stuffed animals and then threatening to do the same to Sharpay's if I didn't comply."
"I'm not even shocked." Ryan heard Chad mumble.
"She didn't care about the nasty things they were saying about me. So it makes perfect sense that she didn't care at all when they spray-painted faggot on my locker last year. She just suggested I start dating Kelsi."
"She definitely adores Kelsi. However, you can do so much better." Chad remarked.
"I plan to once I'm ready. Darby also forced me to do the talent show in ninth grade when I had a 102° fever."
"Again, I am not surprised. Darby should not have done that." Chad tells him.
"Darby has done a lot of things that she shouldn't have, like not letting Sharpay apply to other colleges in New York. The University of Manhattan has an excellent dramatic writing program that Sharpay would've been wonderful for. Instead, I'm here alone in New York with my only friend being Maria."
"Silver lining at least said friend has an apartment you can hide at right now. For purely selfish reasons, I'm glad Sharpay's here. Still, I wish she could do the program at the University of Manhattan."
"I'm happy Sharpay does have someone that loves her. I just feel even more alone here. I thought I was making new friends, but that all fell apart after the sex tape came out. For some reason, they're taking Kelsi's side. I only have Kristen in the building."
"That means they were never good enough for you in the first place. We have at least 45 more minutes before your sister gets out of her emergency therapy appointment. So you can tell me anything you need to right now. I'm not a therapist, but I'll listen. We could start by talking about why you're still hiding at Maria's apartment?"
"Because she is supportive and actually cares if I'm doing okay, unlike my actual parents who don't give a fuck. It makes me so mad that Gabriella is not even bothering to return her calls. She doesn't even want to come to see her mom for Thanksgiving. Although she does want Maria to pay for a ticket for her to go to Colorado with Mercedes." Ryan shook his head because he thinks it is ridiculous.
"Gabriella doesn't deserve a plane ticket to Colorado. Let me guess, the request for money was the first time Gabriella has talked to her mom in weeks?"
"Yes. And she's not happy. Maria wants me to invite Gabby to come to New York for Thanksgiving so she won't go to Colorado with Mercedes. Apparently, I'm the only one she still speaking to."
"She threw a lamp at Troy."
"I know. Maria told me. However, she asked me to keep talking to her because Troy can't right now. Not with the Alex situation." Ryan explained.
"I still can't believe Troy told Maria everything," Chad mumbled. "I understand why Maria is asking you for help. I've heard many things about Mercedes from Troy. He blames her for all the drinking and lamp throwing."
"I've heard. That makes Maria even more concerned about the drinking and Mercedes. She thinks it would be good for Gabriella to be on the other side of the country from Mercedes and Troy."
"Especially because she knows about Alex."
"Troy also told Maria what Gabriella did because of the breakup, although she won't tell me anything beyond throwing the lamp."
"Which on its own is very bad."
"Troy won't tell me either; he just thinks it's best to get Gabriella to New York."
"He probably just doesn't want you to have to deal with something else. Or make you feel like you have to choose between him and Maria." Chad tells him.
"It would be a tough choice. Maria gave me chocolate chip cookies and let me vent about Kelsi. I feel like I owe her. She's again, my one friend in New York, which is kind of sad. Did you know she used to be a dancer before she had Gabby? Then she got into the news producing business." He didn't know until the Labor Day party. This is why they clicked so well and started to become friends outside of Gabriella.
"I did know that because we used to talk to each other in Spanish all the time when I was over. I actually like Maria more than Gabby." Chad explained, and Ryan is not surprised.
"It's the chocolate chip cookies. I think they're better than Zeke's."
"Because they don't contain the energy of a chronic adulterer. I promise I'll make you some as soon as I actually learn how to bake. I'm still working on not burning stuff, but I'm getting better." Chad joked
"You can't be worse than Darby. She was never maternal ever, at least not in public. And no, Darby never hit me, but I think it was close a few times. I think Sharpay kept it from happening. In hindsight, I feel like she was trying to protect me from Darby."
"Because she's your big sister, and that's her job."
"By 8 minutes," Ryan argued.
"Or a year, depending on your point of view." Chad shot back.
"I am glaring at you right now so hard through this phone."
"Good thing video is not an option. You're just as protective of Shar. You stayed in the Boy Scouts to save her toys even though I know you hated it there." Chad told him.
"Well, I haven't been doing a good job lately." Ryan lamented.
"You lie to your dad to get us in the same building. Because of that, she now has me, who will sit in the car while she's in therapy and then hug her the entire time afterward."
"Did you force her to call her therapist in the first place?"
"Actually, I called her therapist and schedule the appointment myself. Although our method in the rehearsal room yesterday was delightful, it's not sustainable long-term. Olivia is better suited for a lot of this than me." It took Ryan a couple of seconds to realize Chad was implying using sex therapy on Sharpay.
"Did you have sex with my sister in the rehearsal room?" Ryan asked, really concerned now.
"No, of course not. Neither one of us is ready for that. But something happened in that room that you don't want me to ever tell you about." Which means they did something sexual in the room. Probably oral, but Ryan does not want actual confirmation. Although unfortunately, his dad might have proof, which means he should probably explain to Chad why he's concerned.
"So I mentioned earlier that I suspected that Ms. Henderson or someone else was hitting Sharpay when I wasn't there. After I told my dad with your mom's help, he put cameras in the rehearsal room. They're still there." Ryan explained.
"Oh shit! Your father is going to fucking kill me. Although that probably kept Darby from starting back again after you got back from Rhode Island."
"At least he did something right." Ryan lamented. "Although now you totally 100% confirmed what happened."
"I confirmed nothing." If it wasn't so serious, Ryan would laugh at Chad's words. "Your sister probably already wants to kill me for what your dad now probably has video of. I'm not telling her about this until I'm safe at the away game."
"That would probably be best. Although, dad told me it was just cameras. So he probably didn't hear any conversation you had."
"Thank fuck. Although seeing what we did without the extra context is going to be bad enough." Ryan agreed with that.
"Do you want Sharpay to know that you figured out the Darby truth?" Chad asked.
"I'll tell her soon. Although after I talked to Maria about it. I need more friends."
"This might be one of those occasions where adult friends might be more useful."
"There are less likely to suggest alcohol as a coping mechanism. Maria took my liquor stash after the Kelsi breakup. She doesn't want me self-medicating." He doesn't tell Chad that she added like Gabriella is doing. Ryan knows he's missing something, but he doesn't have the energy to figure out what.
"I feel like that's the type of friend you need right now."
XXXX
BFF Jack: So I thought I would just let you know that I managed to get home okay. I would've texted earlier, but I wanted to unpack first. And I had to go grocery shopping because there was no food in the place.
Carolyn: I understand. I'm glad you text messaged me. I worry when I don't hear from you.
BFF Jack: That's good to know. I am 99% sure Lucy wasn't even home at all this weekend. There's not one speck of trash in the kitchen and no food. But that's the normal lately.
Carolyn: She could've taken the trash out without you.
BFF Jack: I doubt that.
Carolyn: Did you actually get clarification about the engagement? Are they actually engaged, or were they trying to make Jay upset?
BFF Jack: I knew you were going to ask about that, and they are pre-engaged. They agreed to get married when Troy turns 21 if they're still dating at that time. But Troy will have to ask again, probably because they were most likely having sex the first time he asked.
BFF Jack: I never want confirmation of that.
Carolyn: That is entirely understandable. They're making the right choice. This way, Kim and Troy can be 100% sure they're getting married because they want to and not just because Alex exists. Waiting a while could be a good thing.
BFF Jack: True.
BFF Jack: But they do love each other. Which makes me even more furious with Lucy. I'm actually glad she's not here right now.
Carolyn: I would love to know more about that, but my son's girlfriend's father is calling me, which means I'm probably going to have to call him back to figure out what happened. At least in a few minutes. Maybe Chad did what I told him to do, talk things out with Vince like an adult.
BFF Jack: Kim told me that Chad was meeting both of Sharpay's parents yesterday.
Carolyn: I'm not exactly sure what happened. Chad called me this morning on Sharpay's cell phone, asking for a new cell phone. Chad gave the other one back to Vince because he is "an oblivious asshole who doesn't give a fuck about his children and has no idea what is going on in his own damn house." I told him to at least talk to Vince again before I will pay for a new one, and I have a feeling I'm probably gonna have to pay for a new one.
BFF Jack: That's not good. Do you want me to check up on Chad this week?
Carolyn: Probably, but let me see if I can get more details about what happened from Vince. I will text you back after I get off the phone with him.
XXXX
47 minutes later
Carolyn: You should definitely check up on Chad and Sharpay this week.
Carolyn: I can't tell you everything because it falls under professional confidentiality, but I did have to send Vince my divorce attorney recommendation list.
BFF Jack: That's not good.
Carolyn: At all. Although I am not on the hook for a new phone unless Chad's pride gets in the way after Vince apologizes for being an idiot. Although Vince said he'll reimburse me if that's the case.
BFF Jack: You can't tell me what's going on?
Carolyn: You'll know soon enough when it hits the papers, and it will. I hope Vince can successfully protect Ryan and Sharpay from the worst of it. I actually made him call Ryan.
Carolyn: He wanted to wait until Thanksgiving to tell him about the upcoming divorce, and I won't let him. Unlike my ex-husband, he actually listens to me.
BFF Jack: I am still surprise you're not making me tell Troy that I'm sleeping in the guestroom.
Carolyn: Because you haven't decided if you're using the divorce attorney list yet. Vince has. If you were sure you were leaving Lucy, I would definitely make you tell him now.
BFF Jack: If Lucy did to me what Charles did to you, I definitely would be out the door. With how I was raised, I feel uncomfortable leaving for anything less than adultery. It feels like the other stuff can be worked out eventually, even if things are bad right now. I just wish she would give me some indication that she would be willing to work things out. I just don't know.
Carolyn: Let's just say Vince doesn't have the problem you do.
BFF Jack: Now I really wish you could tell me what's happening, but I respect that you can't.
Carolyn: Thank you
BF Jack: Lucy just pulled into the driveway.
Carolyn: I'll let you go so you can talk to her.
BFF Jack: I rather talk to you, but I should.
Carolyn: Text me after you check up on Chad and Sharpay.
BFF Jack: I will. I'm so glad you will be here soon.
XXXX
Vince had a very long Sunday evening at the Kim household. There was a lot of drinking and going over legal strategy. Within an hour, Vanessa set up a meeting with one of her legal friends so he could take the first step to dissolve his marriage. Because no matter what it did to the company, he couldn't stay with Darby now that he knows what she was doing to his children. He had to protect them even if he knew he didn't have much time left.
He will leave the specifics to the lawyers. Per Vanessa and Jay, the most essential thing for him to do was fix things with his kids. He tried calling Sharpay multiple times but he got no answer. Her roommate Amanda had no idea when she would be back. That's probably because she pretty much lives with Chad. He figured that much out from what he shouldn't have read earlier.
Because he knew Sharpay was with Chad, he decided to call Carolyn to get Chad's dorm room number. She wouldn't give it to him because she felt like Sharpay needed more time to process. However, she did suggest he meet Chad after basketball practice. Which was a good idea because Vince wanted to give the boy back his phone at least. He deserved that for standing up to him in defensive Sharpay.
During that phone call, he was reminded that Ryan went to Carolyn first with his suspicions after she did a presentation to Chad's class. She was the one who alerted Protective Services. Carolyn even gave that presentation to the class on child abuse because Chad already noticed Sharpay's bruises. Carolyn was hoping that Sharpay would come talk to her. That didn't happen, but Ryan did. Carolyn was the one who even got Ryan to tell him in the first place.
That may have been why he told Carolyn that she was staying at their guesthouse when she came up for Thanksgiving. Her actions stop Darby's physical abuse. He owed her a lot. Besides, Darby would be out of the mansion by then. Vince wanted her gone from his life completely.
Ryan was next at Carolyn's urging. She was right; he couldn't wait until he saw Ryan in person at Thanksgiving. She stayed on the call with him. That was a hard conversation, even with help. Ryan blamed himself for not suspecting Darby. However, Carolyn convinced him otherwise. Vince knew he wouldn't be able to do it alone.
Vince is almost happy he has a doctor's appointment Wednesday in New York. He needs to spend a few days with his son. Because talking about this over the phone won't be enough. They have a lot to talk about, not just what Darby did to Sharpay but what Darby did to Ryan. Maybe Darby didn't hit Ryan, but she did a lot of damage all the same. Vince also had an overwhelming need to actually hug his son. Ryan definitely needed a hug.
At least once his conversation with Ryan was over, he felt like they were in a better place. They both feel awful, but at least they've talked about it. They would talk more later in the week.
Now it was Monday, and although his divorce is now officially in motion, Vince still needs to work on fixing things with Sharpay. He knew the first step in doing that was talking to Chad. He found the young man exiting the practice facility.
"You're not here to kill me, are you?" Chad asked. It took Vince a moment to remember that Ryan told him that Chad now knew about the rehearsal room cameras.
"No, I'm here to give you back your cell phone and to apologize." Judging by Chad's shocked expression, he was obviously not expecting that.
"You were right. I didn't put my children first, and because of that neglect, they both paid a steep price. I'm very sorry about that."
"I'm sorry for some of the stuff I said as well because I talked to Ryan, and he told me about you putting the cameras in the rehearsal room. This shows me that you were concerned. Part of me is really happy you did that, and the other part is really embarrassed." Chad didn't look at him when he said that.
"I'm glad I put the camera in there, too, despite the DVD I saw this weekend." At least Chad had the decency to look ashamed at that moment. "I was always suspicious of the bruises that showed up on Sharpay. Nobody falls down that much. It never crossed my mind that it could have been Darby. I was worried it was one of her dance instructors or maybe the voice coach." Vince told Chad quietly as they walked through the parking lot outside of the practice facilities.
"Then Ryan came to me and told me it always happened when he wasn't there. He suspected Mrs. Henderson, and so did I. Which was why I fired her." Vince explained.
"She made Sharpay practice until she was bleeding, so I'm okay with that firing."
"The investigator uncovered that, along with the verbal abuse that she was using against both twins." In hindsight, Vince wondered if Darby told her to treat the kids that way.
"Anyway, when we got back from Rhode Island, I had cameras and microphones installed in the rehearsal room at Lava Springs and at the house. Actually, there was even one at the baseball field because I was concerned about Ryan's Little League coach too." Chad placed his head in his hands at that moment. "I gave specific instructions to the staff at both places to notify me as soon as anything suspicious showed up involving either of my children."
"So I assume that's how you knew about the baseball incident. Wait, did you say microphone? That means you could hear what happened as well. Fuck!" Chad explained, realizing Vince's full implications.
"Yes. So I know what you could have done with Ryan, but you didn't. Which is definitely more than Zeke did." Or Jason Cross, but Chad didn't know about Jason.
"I've also had some fascinating audio of Zeke calling his other girlfriend when he worked for me. Only in hindsight do I realized he was talking to Penelope, not Sharpay." Which did not make things better. "I also received quite the DVD yesterday."
"I am so screwed," Chad mumbled under his breath.
"How much did you watch?" Chad asked, obviously mortified.
"Up to the scene where my daughter's blouse ended up on the floor. I preferred to stay ignorant about what you do with any of my children. At least until after the wedding, and you show up with my grandchildren for Sunday brunch."
"I respect your wishes," Chad remarked, looking visibly relieved.
"I may have read some of your text messages from Ryan because they popped up on the screen while I had custody of your phone. I support the choices of my children. Although I don't want to know specifics ever!" Vince is sure it's more of a boyfriend sharing arrangement, but he really doesn't want to know. Ever at all. This is none of his business.
"I did call Lisa up and asked her to move your building up to the top of the list for the required sexual health seminar." And asked her to include a section on polyamorous relationships. He's not going to tell Chad that.
"That seems fair."
"That small part of the footage was enough to make me realize what type of person my wife truly is. The conversation I had yesterday with Ryan and your mother just cemented that. I have no idea that Darby made him do the talent show with a 102° fever. I didn't know she forced him to do the Boy Scouts by threatening to destroy Sharpay's toys. I thought he really wanted to do it. I didn't know because I wasn't around enough to know. I regret that." He really did.
"The footage of her making out with her assistant was the cherry on top."
"There were a lot of other things that Darby did to Sharpay over the years. Not all of them were physical. I know Ryan has his own stories. I'm not going to tell you anything else said in that room because it was very personal. I will tell you that it was bad. If you want to know all the details, you have to ask Sharpay." Chad explained.
"I respect that you respect her privacy," Vince tells him.
"I'm just not sure she trusts you enough to tell you. Darby wasn't the only one that hurt her. You may have never laid a finger on her, but you did hurt her. You were never there. Even Ryan said 90% of their childhood, you were away on business. You were away so much that you were unable to see what was going on in your own household." Chad sounded furious, and he deserved to be angry.
"I know that. You have no idea how bad I feel that my own daughter was too afraid to tell me that her mother was abusive. I put all the wrong things first, and this is what I get. I'm sorry for everything that happened."
"Don't tell me, tell her. This time don't say it with diamonds, or a car, or some other tangible thing. She needs to know that you actually care. Sharpay needs to hear the words from her father, not just see the gifts." Chad tells him.
"I'm planning on it when I get back from New York."
"You're choosing now to go on another business trip?" Chad asked incredulously.
"I'm going up to see Ryan. He needs me right now, and I don't think Sharpay is ready to talk to me yet." Chad's expression softened.
"She needs more time. Ryan really does need you. Running into Kelsi making out with Natasha has been painful before all the family drama added to it. He hid at Maria Montez's apartment this weekend." Chad suggested.
"That's Gabriella's mother, right?" Vince asked.
"Yes, but she's been a better friend to Ryan than Gabriella, so don't hold what Gabriella did against her. You know what she did, right?" Chad asked.
"Yes, Kim sent you some very interesting messages over the weekend," Vince answered.
"Good, maybe you and mommy Montez can conspire together to come up with a punishment."
"I will talk to Ms. Montez about the Gabriella situation. I'll be back Saturday. I'm hoping by then Sharpay will be ready to talk to me."
"I hope so too."
To be continued…