Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!!!!
December 30th, 2027 9:00 am Albuquerque
I decided to get up early and explore the city that was home to my birth parents. I knew I was in the right place while I was talking to Zeke. Zeke was one of Troy's friends. I didn't want his friends to know about me just yet. I wanted to get more information before I approached them.
I dressed in jeans and an East Evanston High basketball hoodie before heading downstairs. I stopped at the front desk to ask for general directions.
"Good morning. How can I help you?" The lady, whose nametag read Amanda, asked me.
"I was wondering how to get to East High?" I asked smiling at the woman.
She wrote the instructions down on a piece of paper before handing it to me. I clutched the piece of paper as I started walking around the town. My eyes went wide as I walked around the not familiar town.
My feet did all the directing as I walked around. I wished places seemed familiar but nothing came out. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of East High. It was bigger than I imagined it but you could tell it was a high school.
I tried the doors and surprisingly they were open. I quickly looked around before sneaking into the school. My shoes squeaked against the tile as I walked down the hallways.
I looked around while I walked. I headed down a hallway that led to the offices. A plaque caught my eyes and made me stop dead in my tracks.
In memory of Troy Alexander Bolton. A man who died too young and left the world a better place. December 27th 1989 – January 7th, 2010.
My fingers traced over the engraved lettering. A picture was hanging above it. Troy was smiling an identical smile to the one I had. His eyes were the same shade as mine. The only difference was my skin color was darker than his and I had dark brown hair. I smiled as I looked up at the picture.
I continued on my journey which ultimately led me to the gym. I heard pounding basketballs as I opened the door quietly as not to be heard. I hurried over to the bleachers to have a seat.
I looked out onto the court and saw Jason and Zeke from the bar with two other men. They were playing two on two. Luckily for me, they were too engrossed in their game to notice me.
'So this is who my father's friends were.' I said quietly, fearing the four, who were playing, would hear me. I watched them play and grinned to myself. They were really good.
While listening to the basketball pound against the hardwood floor, I looked around the old gym. Various banners hung from the rafters. Three in particular caught my eye. East High Wildcats: Champions 2006; Troy Bolton: MVP 2006; and East High Wildcat Champions 2008.
'Those were the years Troy was here at the school.' My mind flashed as I continued watching the four men play.
"Man Chad that was a foul!" I heard one of the men yell as Chad held up his hands in innocence.
"There was no foul. You tripped over your own shoes, Ryan." Chad hollered back as I tried to hold in a laugh.
"Let's just play. The restaurant is opening in an hour and we have to be there." Jason said looking at the two who were ready to get into a fight.
I watched them for a little bit longer until they were engrossed again. I took that opportunity to sneak out and explore the city more. I walked back to the hotel before going back to my room. I pulled my book bag off the floor and started digging through it.
I found the purple envelope sitting in a pile in my book bag. I took the notes out and found the page I was looking for. I looked at the contacts page to see if there was an address for any of these people.
I scanned the paper as an address leaped off the page at me. I grinned as I wrote down 786 W. Ottawa Lane, Albuquerque, NM. I grinned as I grabbed my car keys and hotel key before heading out the door again.
"Where would I find W. Ottawa Lane?" I asked walking up to the counter in the entry of the hotel.
"W. Ottawa Lane? That's over by East High. It's two blocks away from the high school." The lady said smiling.
"Thanks. I think I can find my way from there." I told her smiling before heading out to where I parked the 4-Runner.
I found my way back to East High before driving around looking for a W. Ottawa Lane. I grinned as I coasted onto the lane. I looked at the first house on the right 986. I drove a little before pulling to a stop in front of 786 W. Ottawa Lane.
I turned off the car as I watched two men and two kids play in the driveway with a basketball. On the front porch, four women were laughing about who knows what. The two men walked over to the porch and kissed two of the women. The older couple smiled at each other before turning to the others in attendance.
"Can I help you?" A man asked coming up to the side of the car and scaring the crap out of me.
"No I think I'm ok." I said trying to play it cool.
"You're staring awfully hard at that house." The man told me as I looked at him strangely.
"I was in a daydream. I'm sorry; I didn't realize I was staring." I told him smiling a little.
"Do you know where you're going?" The man continued as I nodded a little.
"I think so. Thanks." I told him before rolling up the window again.
"I'm sorry I scared you." He told me as I smiled at him.
"I shouldn't have been daydreaming and staring at that family. It's my first time in town." I explained as he smiled.
"This is a good place to be. I've lived here my entire life." He said as I smiled.
"Would you like to come meet my family?" He asked as I quickly disagreed.
"I would be imposing. I couldn't do that." I told him a little too quickly.
"It would make up for me scaring you. Come on, for me?" He asked as I looked up into his eyes. They were the same blue as Troy had.
"If you insist, then I guess I could." I said as he opened the car door for me to step out.
"Is this your entire family?" I asked stepping out of the car.
"My sisters, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and parents." He said, the smile never leaving his face.
"Jordan, what kept you son?" The older man asked the man next to me.
"I had to make amends. I scared this poor girl." Jordan said pointing to me.
"Did you at least apologize to her?" one of the girls asked looking at her brother.
"It's all ready been done, Abbie." Jordan said holding up his hands in innocence.
"I'm sorry for my children. I'm Carly and this is my husband Jack." The older woman said introducing herself.
"Hi, my name is Tess. It's very nice to meet you." I told him shaking her out stretched hand.
"You're not from Albuquerque are you?" Jack asked me as I shook my head quickly.
"Nope; born and raised in a suburb of Chicago." I told him as my heavy northern accent came out.
"What brings you to Albuquerque?" Jordan asked me as we sat on the porch.
"Christmas break. My parents' have family out here." I said not completely lying to the strangers.
"That's nice. Oh sorry I forgot to introduce the rest of the gang. These are my sisters Abbie, Sarah, and Michele. This is Sarah's husband, Matt and their two little ones, Allie and Trevor." Jordan said pointing to everyone.
"It's nice to meet all of you." I said smiling.
"So what daydream were you in when I scared you?" Jordan asked me as I shook my head.
"Just one that my parents told me a long time ago." I said shaking my head.
"You look really familiar. Are you sure you're not from around here?" Sarah asked me as I shook my head.
"Nope this is my first time in Albuquerque." I told him pulling my knees closer to my chest.
"Basketball player huh?" Jack asked pointing to the stitched basketball on my hoodie.
"I've been playing since I could remember. I was starting varsity my sophomore year." I told them smiling.
I watched them trade glances before they smiled at me. Jack cleared his throat before speaking again.
"How old are you, Tess, if you don't mind me asking?" Jack asked me as I smiled.
"I just turned 18, two days ago. I'm going to graduate in May." I told them.
"Tess, if you don't mind, what's your middle name?" Carly asked me as my eyes went wide.
"Alexis. It was my dad's favorite name for a girl." I told them as they traded glances again.
My eyes went down to the ground as I heard them whisper. I cleared my throat as all eyes were on me.
"Can I ask what's up with all the questions?" I asked them smiling a little.
"We had another son and you kind of remind us of him." Jack told me.
"Oh I'm sorry for your lost." I told them looking at all the people on the porch.
"He's been gone for almost 18 years." Carly said wiping her eyes a little.
"If I'm reminding you of him too much, I can leave." I said standing up and starting to leave.
"Tess, we would like you to stay." Jack said stopping me from walking any further.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was your son like?" I asked the people around me.
"He was an average boy. He played basketball from the day he started walking. He was a natural. He loved musicals and plays but he was also an athlete. He had his true friends around him. He found the love of his life early in high school and she was by his side until the day he died." Jack said shaking his head.
"Is that what made me remind you of him? The basketball?" I asked looking at the family.
"Troy made varsity when he was a sophomore in high school. He got accepted to Duke on a full ride. He played his freshman year but had to stop when it got back." Abbie said shaking her head.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what it's like to have siblings. I've always been an only child." I admitted to the group.
"Troy was the oldest in this family. He would never take sides but help us out in a heartbeat if any of us were in trouble. He was very protective of us and always questioned anyone who was around us." Michele said speaking up.
"He sounds like a good guy." I told him nodding.
"He was. Troy and his wife would still be together to this day if he was still alive." Jordan said shaking his head.
"If you don't mind me, where is his wife?" I asked looking at my birth father's family.
"She's in California with her own family. It took her 10 years to finally move on from Troy. We still keep in contact with her." Jack said shaking his head.
"I've taken up too much of your time. I should get going." I said looking at them.
"It was very nice to meet you. Have a good vacation while you're here." Carly told me smiling.
"Thank you." I told them walking back towards the 4-Runner with a huge grin on my face.
I got in and started the car before driving away.
Jack's POV
"She's got Troy written all over here." I said as soon as Tess had driven off.
"Daddy you don't know that for real. She could be someone random." Abbie told me as I shook my head.
"No I'm telling you right now; that's Troy and Gabi's daughter." I said putting my foot down.
"We'll have to wait until she comes out and tells us that. We can't all bombard her with that. She's got to feel comfortable with this and then she'll come to us when she's ready." Carly told us all.
"I hope it's soon. I would like to get to know her more." Jordan said speaking up.
"I hope so, son. I hope so." I said watching her turn the corner before following the family into the house.
Tess' POV
I headed back to the hotel before indulging more into my plan. I had met my dad's side of the family. I had met both of my parents' friends. Now all I had to find out is who this Mrs. Darbus was. She was the next one on my list to contact.
I got McDonald's before heading back to my room for the night. I quickly ate before pulling out the scrapbook my real mom had left with my birth mom. I opened it and studied all the pictures. Almost all of the pictures were tattered and torn from being looked at so much.
I saw my birth parents grinning for the camera in different shots. There were pictures from East High, complete with captions, from their wedding, to vacations, to pregnancy shots, to finally, pictures of us as a family. I felt a tear trickle down my face as I continued to flip through the book.
I slammed it shut before crawling into bed and crying myself to sleep. I was angry that I couldn't meet my father. I wanted to get to know him as best as I could without meeting the actual person. I promised myself by the time I left I would know who my father was.
What do you guys think so far? Tess will be meeting everyone formally soon. I promise. Feedback would be the icing on the cake for me!!!!!