Chapter 4

"Daddy!" Zac exclaimed as he dashed into his fathers arms.

"Hey!" Ryan lifted his son into his arms, and hugged him tight. This had been the first time father and son have seen each other since Ryan left.

"Where daddy go?" A very young Zac asked his mom while Ryan packed his last bag.

"He's going away." She tried explaining.

"Is he coming back?" The youngster said with teared eyes.

"Maybe," Gabriella said with a sigh. She hadn't known, considering he would be going to war.

"Okay, that's the last bag." Ryan said as he put the dark green duffel bag by the door. "See you soon, buddy." He said optimistically. He took Zac from Gabriella's arms, and put him in his won. "I'll be back and everything will be alright." Ryan gave him back to Gabriella, and said his last goodbyes. They had never seen or heard from either, since then.

Troy, and Gabriella stood there startled. Gabriella wasn't expecting any of this happening at all. Troy, was baffled, only because he hadn't known of Zac, or Ryan. It honestly freaked him out.

"Oh boy." Sharpay quietly mumbled from outside the doorway.

"Yeah." Gabriella sighed. She would have some major explaining to do. Although Sharpay is Ryan's brother, she completely agreed with Gabriella. He was wrong to leave his family, and the people that loved him and that he loved.

"Sharpay!" Ryan put Zac down and ran over to his sister, bumping into Troy on the way. They squeezed each other quickly, and then let go.

"Is there something you forgot to tell me?" Troy questioned. Gabriella turned to face him, and looked him in the eye. Sure, he had only known her for two days, but he had also felt a connection. He thought that they had told each other everything. At least, he did.

"Yeah," Gabriella drawled. She was ashamed. She wasn't great to start out with, when Ryan came to visit, but now it was worse.

"What is it?"

"I have a son. And an ex-husband." She explained.

"Oh." Was all Troy could say. He had a million thoughts running through his head. Ryan and Sharpay came back into the the apartment, Ryan's face holding complete joy, and Sharpay's face full of shock, and sorrow.

"Who are you?" Ryan asked, pointing to Troy.

"Troy." Troy reached out his hand, which Ryan shook.

"Ryan." Ryan stated. "And exactly what are you doing here, Troy?"

"He's picking me up for a date." Gabriella said before Troy could.

"Really?"

"Yup," Troy agreed. Ryan gave him a cold, hard stare. They both looked over each other up and down. Neither of them, liked each other, knowing the other was getting in the way of being with Gabriella.

"Okay, so Troy and I are going to leave. Sharpay, watch Zac please. And Ryan, just leave." Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand, and they walked out.

"Well, I'm surprised." Ryan said once Gabriella and Troy left.

"Yeah...me too." Sharpay added. She felt a tug on her pants, and looked down to see little Zac. "What is it sweetie?" She asked as she picked him up.

"Who was that?"

"A friend on mommy's." Sharpay walked away from Ryan, and put Zac in his room. She closed the door, and walked over to where Ryan was still standing.

"Wow, you never listen, do you?"

"What?"

"She told you to leave." She explained.

"You're not mad at me too, are you?" Ryan put on his best puppy dog face on, and looked at his sister.

"Ryan....I love you and all, but what you did was stupid. Especially what you did after you were kicked out. What is wrong with you? You can't expect her to take you back. You left her when she needed you. You had a wife, and a three year old son. Now, it's too late to make amends. She has finally moved on. Of, course I'm mad at you. You weren't there for me."

"Why, what's wrong with you?" A flash of concern ran through Ryan's body. Anything that had to do with her, he would go into overdrive mode, and go far to help her out. For instance, the time that she was called the foul names in high school by some prissy cheerleader, he had gone out of his way to make sure the girl never said anything bad ever again. Of course, he wouldn't have hit the girl, but he used some big words, and verbal threats. The cheerleader had transferred schools the next day.

"Let's see what happened to me. Mom and Dad got divorced, one of my best friend's died, my boyfriend cheated on me, I got fired from a job, I think I might be pregnant, and my brother went to Iraq for two years!" Sharpay listed. Ryan's face instantly dropped, at the thought of someone cheating on his sister, and getting her pregnant.

"I hadn't known." Ryan guilty said.

"You would have. Now please, just go." Sharpay pointed the door, and Ryan trudged out the door.

* * *

Silence filled the car, as soon Troy and Gabriella got in. Both were too afraid to say anything, but knew it wouldn't be silent forever.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Troy asked like a puppy that's just been kicked.

"I was afraid." Gabriella looked down at her fidgeting hands.

"Of what?"

"Of loosing you. Do know how hard it is to find a guy that's okay with the fact that you have a five year old. I found you, and you were so...so...perfect." She was interrupted by Troy's humble personality.

"Gabriella." He said, objecting to her 'perfect' statement.

"No, you are perfect. You're smart, funny, handsome, sweet, good taste in books and music, and you get me. I wanted to have this relationship. I didn't want to ruin it by scaring you off." Gabriella explained.

"You wouldn't have scared me off." She looked up at him, and he quickly glanced over at her. He took his right hand of the steering wheel, and rested it on her lap. "Having a five year old son doesn't matter to me. I love kids. I do have four younger siblings, remember. He's also pretty cute. It's just that..." Trot trailed off after his heartfelt speech.

"Just what"?" Gabriella worried.

"You do have an ex-husband, who's seems to be threatened. I don't what his deal is, but I got this strange vibe."

"Yeah, Ryan is...he's just...he can seem that way sometimes, but really he wouldn't do anything." Gabriella nodded, and set her hand on top of his. They both smiled and looked to road ahead of them.

"Where are we going?" Gabriella asked as she saw nowhere that she was familiar with. The tall, colorful building's seemed foreign to her.

"My friend owns a restaurant, It's the Best." He explained.

"What's the name?" Gabriella questioned.

"It's the Best." Troy said, while Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows in.

"Excuse me?"

A tall African American sat on a pale couch, look distraught. "Dude, I need a name by tomorrow, or else I can't get the lease.

"What about calling it Zeke's?" A short African American woman who was sitting on the recliner next to him, Taylor, suggested.

"Yeah, because nobodies ever named a restaurant after themselves." Zeke shot back sarcastically.

"What about just calling it It's the Best?" Troy thought out loud.

"That could work."

"I wasn't serious."

"I think it sounds good." Taylor added.

"Doesn't it sound like he has a really big ego?" Troy questioned.

"No. Besides, I have no other ideas."

"At least, don't make your official name. You can always change it later."

"Fine." Zeke has never gotten the chance to change, nor did he want to.

"Oh...okay." Gabriella accepted the answer. The car came to a stop, and she looked out the window. There a large, brick building, with bright green colored windows. The large sign, in bright red letters read, 'It's the Best'. There were pots of flowers on the windowsill. There was a line of people who were standing outside, waiting for a table.

"It's too busy. I'm hungry, and don't want to wait an hour.

"We won't have to wait." Troy said, as he unbuckled his seatbelt, and stepped out of the car. Gabriella copied him, but a little puzzled. She fallowed him as he pushed past the angry customers, and into the back, where the kitchen is. She saw Troy half-hug an African American man that had a dark blue apron on. His hair was a buzz cut, and his eyes where a deep brown. He wore a friendly smile, that looked like it hadn't been taken off in ages.

"Gabriella, this is Zeke. Zeke, this is Gabriella." She softly waved to him, with a touch of awkwardness.

"It's so good to meet you. You know, Troy never takes his girls here. Actually, he hasn't had a girl in so long. Wow, he actually has a girl to bring. I'm never going to get used to that. My best friend actually has a girlfriend. Unless your not his girlfriend. Then this is really awkward isn't it? I bet-" His rambling was cut off by Troy's elbow in Zeke's gut.

"Zeke tends to talk to much when he's in a kitchen. Or when he's not in a kitchen. He usually just babbles all the time." Gabriella slightly smiled, and nodded.

"It's fine. I know someone like you. She just won't shut up. Actually, she's the blond that brought Zac home."

"Zac" Zeke pried.

"Her son." Troy said, as his jaw tightened. He knew what Zeke would say, as well as the rest of the gang.

"Oh. Oh. Well, I'll get Henry to get you your usual table." Zeke walked past the couple, and stopped to talk to a short, white male with crazy red hair. The fellow nodded and walked over to Troy and Gabriella.

"Follow me, and I'll show you your usual table."

"Henry, you've known me three years. I sit at the same table everyday, I think I can find my own way."

"But Zeke told me to-" the young man started to say.

"If Zeke told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?" Troy asked the teen.

"How highs the bridge?" Henry challenged.

"Just show us the table." Troy said giving up. Once Henry led the to the table in the far back corner, with one table that looked spotless.

"What's up with him?"

"He needs money for college, and is always scared he's going to lose job. He thinks everything I say or do is a test."

"You torment him, don't you?" Gabriella probed.

"Only because it's fun." Troy joked as she picked up her menu.

"Wow, just don't do that with my kid, alright. He'd cry for days."

"I wouldn't dare. At least, not until he's older." Troy smirked. Gabriella sighed.

"What can I get you?" A tall brunette with long, straight hair asked.

"My usual, please." Troy said like a true mafia man.

"Whatever he's having."

"Are you sure?" The waitress asked, horror on her face. Troy tried not to laugh, for everyone thought his usual was the most disgusting food ever.

"Yes." Gabriella sighed.

"Alright. I'll be back in a few with your drinks." With that, the waitress left.

"So, what is you usual?" She said with a skeptic look. It's almost as if she just accepted an entry in a wet t-shirt contest.

"You know, you really should have asked before you went ahead and ordered it."