Chapter Five

Monica was woken by a loud bell sounding from the hallway. She shot up from her bed in an instant. Rubbing the sleep and dried tears from the night before out of her eyes and stumbled out of her bed.

She removed the chair from under the knob, unlocked and opened the door.

In the hallway, Jack Bolton stood in his son's doorway, waking him up. Jack looked down the hall and saw Monica standing just outside her bedroom door in her PJs and blonde hair tied into pigtail braids.

"I'm so sorry Monica. I was just waking Troy up for practice. I didn't mean to wake you Sweetie." He told her.

Monica nodded softly and went back into her room. She looked at the glowing numbers on her digital clock on the nightstand. 8:37am. She climbed back into bed and fell back to sleep instantly.

Mary had finished making breakfast for her husband and son and began to go up the stairs with a tray for Monica. Jack passed her as Troy walked downstairs and to the counter. He began piling food onto his plate and over to the table and sat down.

"I don't think she will eat all that Honey." He commented as he looked at the mountains of food on the tray.

"Well, we'll just see. She might have a bigger appetite than we think. Remember everything she has been through Jack."

"I know." Jack glanced at his son sitting on the table, oblivious to his parents' discussion. "That's why she might not even eat a third of all that. She isn't used to having that much food in front of her."

Mary smiled at her husband and gave him a peck on the cheek and continued up the stairs to Monica's room.

She walked into the room and was beginning to leave the tray on the desk when she heard Monica stirring in the bed. She looked back and saw the girl beginning to wake up.

"I didn't know what you liked so I brought up a bit of everything I made for Jack and Troy." She told the teenager as she brought the tray to the bed. She placed the tray on her lap and watched silently as Monica began to pour syrup onto the small stack of golden pancakes.

"How was your first night? Were you alright?"

Monica knew she couldn't tell that she had spent most of her first night crying, she didn't want anyone to know. So she just nodded and kept eating, now starting on the small pile of scrambled eggs.

"I'm sure you remember Jack planning a team practice today." Mary began. She knew she was going to have to deal with it when it happened, so decided to get it settled now rather when everyone was there.

Monica nodded softly and avoided looking at her.

"Sweetie. Don't worry about anything. You are in good hands here, I promise." Monica smiled softly and she continued. "I'm having a little movie day while Jack and Troy are busy with practice. Think you might like to join me?"

Monica turned to her notebook on the nightstand and began to write.

No thank you. I am just going to unpack today.

Mary looked around the room. Despite her one suitcase already emptied and in the closet, she nodded in understanding.

"Ok. But you are allowed to come downstairs and relax down there. You don't need to keep yourself up here all alone."

I know. I am still just trying to adjust. It takes me a while sometimes.

"I know Sweetie. Well, when you finish this, just bring it down to the kitchen and I will take care of it. And if you need anything, just help yourself or find me, Jack or Troy."

Before she left, she gave the girl's hand a small squeeze and winked.

As Monica was finishing her breakfast, she heard many voices entering the house downstairs.

The basketball team.

She began to think quickly. She rushed over to the door and replaced the chair back under the knob and locked the door.

Then she remembered the breakfast tray. She decided to wait until the whole team would be outside and she would sneak down and put it into the kitchen and hurry back upstairs to her room before anyone would notice she was even downstairs.

She opened the door to her balcony slightly so she could listen for the team to start practice, then everyone would be so busy they wouldn't notice someone rushing to and from the kitchen.

She began to write a note to Mrs. Bolton while she waited.

Mrs. Bolton,

Thank you for the wonderful breakfast. I cant remember the last time when I had so much food available to eat and feeling free to have as much as I wished.

Thank you again for everything you have done for me so far. It is more than I could ever ask for.

Monica

When she was finished, she heard the team outside. She walked to the balcony and looked out the window and saw Troy, his dad and the rest of the team on the small basketball court.

She removed the chair and unlocked the door and walked out of the bedroom with the tray and note in hand.

She walked down the staircase, listening for the sounds of the basketball team working out in the backyard.

Having made it to the kitchen and placed the tray on the counter and the note on the table, she successfully left and went back to her room before anyone even had a thought that someone might have been downstairs.

She walked to the balcony doors and looked down from where she stood and saw the team doing passing drills.

Seeing the number of guys downstairs, she vowed that she wouldn't go down there with all the guys being there if there was a chance of her getting seen.

Troy Bolton kept pace his teammates were throwing back at him. He glanced up at Monica's balcony when his father called for a five minute break and saw her looking down at them timidly.

When she saw him looking at her, she rushed back into her room and closed the balcony doors behind her.

Chad caught his glance and walked over to him.

"Daydreamin again Captain?"

Troy shook his head. "No. Monica was out on her balcony."

Chad looked up at the empty ledge. "Not there no more."

"Yeah I know that Chad. You and Taylor going out tonight?"

"No idea. She says she might need to babysit her little bro cuz her parents are probably going out. If she bails, you wanna come out with the guys and me. Grab some food or something." Chad asked his best friend.

"If she is babysitting, maybe you can assist her with that." Troy laughed.

"Yeah right. With her father being the size of Shaq, no way am I gonna try that. So you gonna come?"

Troy thought about it. He did want to go out, but he also wanted to stay in and see that Monica was alright.

"I don't know. Lemme see what happens tonight."

The teammates kept talking until Coach Bolton called them back out to practice more drills.

Took some time but it is here! Not exactly how I wanted it but close enough.
Finals are over and now I can relax... when I'm not working. I am planning on getting a new chapter done once a week. Every other week at most. But the life of a working college student is very unpredictable. lol

On other news: Going to Pirates at midnight tomorrow!!! Captain Jack Sparrow is BACK! lol Hope everyone that goes to see it loves it. Gotta love Johnny!!

Reviews and new theories are always welcome!!!