Authors Note- Okay…so I need at least five reviews for this chapter before I put out another one! I only had two for the last chapter…so please review!
So.. this chapter
is dedicated to those two reviewers…Lil-Evans and zanessa4ever719
Disclaimer: Don't Own…Not Now, Not Ever
Ch.7- Surprise
EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, Shar, Lilly and Gabi stopped by Meadow Lane Apartments to pick up Tay, before they headed off to Phoenix, Arizona. The girls had decided to drive over instead of fly, since it was only an eight hour drive from Albuquerque.
In the back of the Jeep Wrangler was an overflowing supply of chilled soft drinks, junk food, pillows, blankets and everything else you could possible need for an amazing road trip.
Tay, dressed in a maroon jogging suit and Sketchers, bounded out towards the car, rolling a medium-sized suitcase and tightly clutching her over-sized Coach bag, courtesy of Sharpay. Shar popped the back door and they all waited as Tay loaded up.
"Hey Girls! Ready to get this party started?" Tay greeted, jumping in back with Lilly.
"Oh yeah! So, did you bring any jams?" Gabi happily exclaimed. All of them had decided to bring some CD's to help pass the time.
The car jolted forward as Taylor replied, "Girl…I brought some Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Maria Carey. How about you two?"
Sharpay was quick to speak up, " I brought the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, Grease soundtrack, and Chris Brown."
"I decided to bring along some Nelly Furtado, Avril Lavine, NYSNC and even some Celine Dion." Gab grabbed Tay's CD's and set them in her lap with the others
"So…which one first?"
TROY AND CHAD had just arrived in the Phoenix airport when Troy's phone went off.
He quickly flipped it open and the reminder he set long ago popped to life on the screen
Lilly's Birthday Tomorrow- 11-23
"Who was it?" Chad asked as they made their way to the awaiting limo. However, before he could answer, the boys walked into a crowd of paparazzi.
Chad, whose the new lady?
Troy, will you guys win tonight??
Troy, is it true you have a girlfriend?
Chad, look over here!!
The guys ducked and dodged until they stepped inside the limo and sped off.
Once they were on the main highway, Troy turned to Chad, "Tomorrow's Lilly's birthday, it was a reminder on my phone."
His mouth formed a 'O' shape, "Have you gotten her anything yet?"
"No! Man, this is NOT good!" Troy carelessly ran a hand through his chestnut hair, completely clueless at what to do.
"Why don't you just buy her something? We can stop by a boutique or something, she's turning 8...how hard can it be?" Chad suggested as he took advantage of the free food and beverages in back.
"What do I BUY though?" He had never been one to pick out the most wonderful gifts.
"Well…call Kels, she'll know what to get her. I mean…Holly's nearly 9 now." The curly-haired man took a long sip of Coke before easing back into his chair.
"Great idea!" Troy quickly whipped out his phone.
"You sound surprised." Chad scoffed, slightly insulted.
"That's because I AM!" Chad made a face when Troy said this.
"Whatever." Chad leaned back further, before searching for more food.
Troy found Kelsi, his old high school friend, in his phone directory.
Ring.
Ring..
Ring…
"Hello?" A fragile voice answered.
"Hey Kels, it's Troy. I need your help…"
"You're the one that I want! Oh, Oh, Oh!" The three adults in the vehicle belted out, while Lilly sat back and colored in her new Malibu Barbie coloring book.
The song ended and they all laughed and bounced around, even if they had been doing this for about…four hours, but whose counting?!
"Man…I SO wish I'd brought that new Mary-Kay catalog. They've got some new lipstick out that's like…cranberry mixed with plum. Like planberry!" Tay exclaimed then began giggling like a silly school girl.
"Hmm…planberry? I'll have to try some on!" Gabi giggled, "I'm a sucker for good lipstick!"
"Look!" Shar exclaimed, pointing towards the 'Welcome to Arizona' sign.
"Only four more hours now!" She exclaimed, extremely happy that the drive was almost over.
"Where are we staying anyways?" Gab questioned.
"Oh…at the…
"… Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Mr. Bolton and Mr. Danforth. We hope you enjoy your suites and have a pleasant time in Phoenix." The concierge handed over the room key's ,two for each suite. They muttered a quick 'thank-you' each, before speeding towards the elevator.
It was an inside game, who could be first to push the button to go up, that had been an ongoing war for two years now. Chad was first, so he quickly punched the up button and stood basking in glory when Troy walked up.
"Dude…you don't usually take that long? Where'd you go?" Chad asked.
"I stopped to look in the window of the gift shop. I'm going to buy my main gift, but I also plan to buy all the girls a little gift while I'm here." The door opened as Troy finished his explanation. Stepping inside, they pushed the 12th floor button and waited in a comfortable silence.
"So, are you and Gab serious? Like as in marriage serious?" Chad blurted out from nowhere, just as the elevator dinged and announced the 12th floor.
"Yeah, I've considered marriage…but I don't want to rush things. Tony may have died like 7 and a half years ago, but it's still a pretty fresh wound." Troy pulled out his card and slipped into the slot. Chad stepped inside with him, since their suites were joined by a single door.
"I understand man. You just make sure that you comprehend what your getting yourself into. Marriage is a big step and with it comes lots of responsibilities you may not be ready for." Chad seemed to space off as he gazed out the large bay window of Troy's room.
Troy clapped Chad on the back, "Thanks for being there man, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Chad smiled over at his best friend, "You too Troy, you too." He stood up and walked over to the door to his suite. "I'm going to settle in. Want to call all the guys in a bit and go out to eat?"
"Sounds great. I'll call up Zeke and Jason."
Chad just nodded before disappearing into his own room.
Lilly had just been listening to her mom and aunts sing along to songs she had never heard before off and on for about 6 hours now when the little girl appeared again, a white glow surrounding her body.
"Hi Lilly" She called and Lil looked up to greet her.
"Hey Lana, what are you doing here?" Lilly spoke softly because she didn't want the adults to notice her speaking at all.
"I wanted to see how my daddy was. You've told him everything I've told you right?" Her eyes were so sad, Lilly always thought, it broke her heart each time she saw them.
"Yeah, the things you've told me so far. That he should let you go, you love him…" She trailed off, glancing at Lana's small white wings behind her back.
"I have something else you need to tell him. I need you to tell him that I can't rest in peace and make it on to the big gates until he lets all the hate towards his dad and all the guilt towards himself go. He has to let it go to set me free." She slowly started to fade away.
"Do I say anything else?" Lilly hurriedly asked before she was gone.
"In the light of dawn…" She called before she was nothing but clear air.
"In the light of dawn?" She questioned in her mind. "What does she mean?"
"Lilly…we're about to stop for lunch. What would you like?" Her mother turned around in the seat to face her.
"I want a cheeseburger and French fries." She replied before beginning to color again, thoughts swirling around her small mind.
"Holly stole the ball, ran across court and scored the winning basket!" Jason finished the story of his little girl helping her team win the district semi-finals.
"That's awesome man! Brings back memories of our East High days, when Troy won that big championship game!" Zeke called across the table to his, now red-faced, friend and fellow player.
"Hey…Hey! Let's not re-live that story again! That's my uncles' favorite story to re-live when we have family reunions." Troy begged, taking another bite of his steak.
"Okay…why don't you tell the guys about your new girlfriend." Chad wiggled his eyebrows and flashed a big smile over at his best friend.
Troy swallowed, "You first. I'm still eating!" Troy quickly took another bite of food for example, chewing very noticeable.
"Fine... Her name's Taylor McKessie, she's a florist in Albuquerque. She's big into kids, she's always babysitting in her spare time. She's 27, 28 in May and love to just hang out. She's not a flashy kind of girl and her two best friend are Gabriella Montez, AKA Troy's girlfriend, and Sharpay Evans, whose very single." Chad wiggled his eyes at Zeke, who's face flushed as he looked down at his beer.
"Okay…since Chad has done his explaining, I'll do mine. Gabriella Montez is my new girlfriend. She's Anthony Montez's former wife, and has a daughter with him. As you know, he died 7 and a half years ago, so she's still dealing with that a little bit. She's the manager of her grandmothers flower shop, Serenity in downtown Albuquerque where Taylor and Sharpay both work as florists under her. Lilly's her 8 year old daughter and she loves to have fun and be happy. She overworks and doesn't think about herself enough. I think you guys will like her very much." Troy smiled a goofy, dazed smile before returning to his food.
Zeke leaned over to Chad, "We've lost him, haven't we?"
Chad smiled knowingly, "Oh yeah man…we lost him when she said 'hello'"
The two guys laughed, receiving weird looks from their friends.
"There it is!! Look!!" Sharpay squealed as they pulled up into the Royal Palms valet area. They stepped out, trying to recover the feeling in their bodies. A young bellboy quickly came to their service, loading up the trolley with their various bags before following them inside.
Sharpay went ahead of everyone to check in, when she saw Troy, Chad and some of the others in the hotel's restaurant, laughing at some sort of joke. She hurriedly made her way over to the concierge's desk, "Hi, my names Sharpay Evans and my brother, Ryan Evans made a reservation in my name."
The black-haired woman smiled and typed something in, "We have you down for two adjoined suites. Will that be manageable for you?"
Shar smiled back, "Wonderful. What level are we on?"
"Level 12. Here are the keycards. Your in room 1205 and 1207."
"Do I owe you anything?" She was already pulling out her MasterCard.
"No, I have a note saying that Mr. Evans will be paying for everything. Enjoy your stay at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Ms. Evans, and have a enjoyable stay in Phoenix." The concierge smiled again before turning back to her computer.
Shar gave the bellboy a ten-dollar bill, quickly pulled her hoodie on and walked past the restaurant. She glanced from side to side trying to find Gab, Tay and Lilly when she spotted them gazing around the gift shop. She quickened her pace, approaching Tay from behind.
"Girls, we've got to go to the room…like NOW!" The blonde whispered loudly.
"AHH!" Tay jumped a foot off the ground before turning back around. "Sharpay Michelle Evans! Don't scare me like that again." Tay wildly pointed in her direction.
"Sorry, but we've got to get a move on. The guys are in the restaurant and our secret surprise will be blown if we don't…." Shar trailed off when she saw the guys heading for the store. "HIDE! They will be in here in like 5 seconds!"
They all scrambled behind a large hat display. They had all, fortunately, been wearing hoodies, so they slipped them on top of their heads and put on different hats, pretending to try them on.
"Momma, what are we doing?" Lilly asked loudly.
"Shush!" Gab told her daughter quickly before squatting down. "We've gotta pretend we're not here to surprise your Uncle Troy tomorrow. He doesn't know we're here."
Lilly nodded in understanding before picking out a big sombrero and setting on her mom's head.
All of them giggled as quietly as possible, as Tay kept an eye on the guys as they made their way around the store. The moment they faced the opposite way from the girls, she signaled and they made their way out of the store, of course after putting back the hats they had been trying on.
Rushing like mad women, they wove their way through a large crowd of business people before entering the elevator. Shar pushed number 12, the doors closed and they all let out a breath of relief.
"We were SO like Charlie's Angels!" Tay exclaimed very excited.
"Yeah…I seriously thought they were going to see us. Especially with us all wearing hoodies and stuff." Gab leaned her head on the wall as she spoke.
"Oh and when SOMEONE screamed when I spoke." Shar looked over at her friend with an accusing glare.
"Like you wouldn't have done the SAME THING!" They all laughed as the elevator dinged open.
"Of course I wouldn't. I'm more held together than that." Shar stuck her head up high purposefully and stalked ahead of them.
Everyone just laughed and made their way to the suites.
"Welcome everyone! Here we are in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona, and both teams are warming up for a long awaited game. We've got the Suns VS. the Knicks…the heat is ON!" One of the announcers called out as the girls made their way to the court-side seats Ryan got them.
"Won't the guys know we're here?" Tay queried, carrying a container of nachos in one hand, a coke in the other.
"Ryan said there was no way they could see us, so I guess we have to trust him." Shar claimed, a popcorn bucket in her hand and a cherry slushie in the other.
"There's Troy and Chad!" Gab pointed with her head, since her hands were full with a tray covered in a M&M's package, a Hershey's bar, Skittles, and Dibs plus two strawberry slushies. Gab had let Lilly get all the candy she wanted, so she had forked over a little wad of money to satisfy her sweet tooth.
"Momma, can I say 'hi' to Uncle Troy and Uncle Chad now?" Lilly pulled on her mom's shirt a little, pointing towards the players on the court.
"Not until after the game is over Hun." Gab smiled back at her little girl.
They arrived at their seats to find they had been seated in the 'family' section. Scattered about were kids, wives, moms, dads, cousins, uncles…the list could go on and on. They found they were actually ON the court, set in extremely comfy chairs, right beside a petite woman with small-thin rimmed glasses and short brown hair. She had a stroller in front of her and she was shushing a small baby to sleep. Gabi was set right beside her, Lilly, then Shar then Tay.
"Hi…I'm Kelsi. You look kinda new around here. Who are you cheering for?" The woman smiled over at Gab.
"My names Gabriella, call me Gabi. I'm here for my boyfriend. We're here to surprise him and my friends boyfriend. They don't know we're here, so we have to hide a little." She shrunk in her seat when she saw Troy go grab a bottle of water.
"Okay Gabi…Who's the boyfriend?"
"Troy Bolton" Gab smiled up at Kelsi who looked very taken back.
"I'm really good friends with Troy, he mentioned a girlfriend. I'm very glad to meet you." Kelsi smiled.
"MOM!" A little girl of about 9 came up. "Can I go buy some candy?"
"Sure…why don't you take…"Kelsi looked over at Gabi.
"Lilly."
"Lilly. She's about your age. Gabi, this is my daughter, Holly." The mini-Kelsi smiled meekly.
"Nice to meet you." Gab turned to Lilly. "Lilly, this is Holly. She's about to go get some candy, you can go with her if you want." She smiled at her daughter and watched as they shyly exchanged greetings and left for the concession stands.
"Maybe they can be friends. Today is actually Lil's birthday. She turns 9."
The two women continued to chat, with Shar and Tay joining in. They were all friends by the time the game started.
BUZZ!! The buzzer sounded, signaling halftime. The Knicks were down by 10 and it wasn't looking very good. Chad and Troy had been playing horribly and the fans were upset and confused. The pair of them had been unstoppable just last week.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Ryan screamed the moment they got into the locker room. "My grandmother could play better than some of you, the way you were letting them cream you!!" Ryan may have been friends with most of the boys, but the moment they entered the locker room, it was all business.
"Sir…" A guard walked in. "There's some people here to see you, Bolton and Danforth."
Ryan calmed for a moment, "Come on boys." They all walked outside of the main locker room, into a deserted hallway.
The moment they stepped out, Troy saw Gabi and Lilly, all decked out in Knicks gear. He smiled a mile wide, "GABI! LILLY!" They turned around and ran over to him.
"Ewe…your all sweaty!" Lilly cried as she hugged him.
"I know! What are you girls doing here?" Troy smiled down at them.
Meanwhile, Tay had run over and greeted Chad with a big kiss, "How's my love doing?" He serenaded, hugging her close.
"Not so good because my MAN is LOSING!" Tay hit him on the chest. "Why aren't you winning?!"
"Well…I was worried because you hadn't answered my phone calls and I thought something bad had happened." He put a hand in his afro, something he did when he was nervous or admitting something.
"Awe…that's sweet of you." She pecked his cheek. "BUT…when you go back out there you need to help WIN the game. FOR ME" She smiled cheekily before kissing him again.
"Wow…all that for me? I feel special." Troy leaned down and kissed Gab sweetly on the lips, before pulling away to a bunch of awe's. Everyone had joined together from their little groups and had begun to watch the couple flirt the past minute.
"So…are there any other surprises?" Chad wiggled his eyebrows and put out a pout.
"Well…" Shar looked at Ryan who shook his head and smiled. "You guys are having Thanksgiving with us!"
"WHAT!?" Chad and Troy busted out.
Ryan smiled smugly, "Yeah…see you've been dreading a weekends worth of practice for nothing."
Troy and Chad smiled, and each hugged their woman tightly.
"Oh, Shar…we have someone for you to meet after the game" Chad winked.
She just smiled and sighed, "Oh boy, I'm very scared."
"Guys…we have to get back, the games about to start up again." Ryan announced.
All the couples kissed and hugged a minute more before they separated, the friends or child in this case wished them well with a hug and headed back out to the stands.
The guys walked back into the locker room, heading for the court.
Chad spoke up before they were out, "That was the greatest halftime…EVER!"
"I agree" Troy replied and smiled, as they stepped back onto the court.
"THE KNICKS WIN! With a crazy last minute shot by Chad Danforth, they came back and won the game!" The announcer screamed as the crowd, adults and children alike jumped up and down, hugging one another in the wake of their victory.
Troy came running over and picked up Lilly, "We won Lil! We won!" He did a mini-dance with her before bluntly pulling Gab to his chest.
"Sir, I don't kiss random strangers." She smiled wickedly up at him
"Well…I do my dear." He pulled her up to him, kissing her with the happiness and passion he felt right after the big win.
"Look at those two." Gabriella pointed over to Chad and Taylor who were all but ripping each other's lips off in a very heated kiss.
"Who knew Chad had it in him?" Troy smiled and threw an arm around her.
Lilly ran over with Holly at her side, "Momma, what are we doing for my birthday tonight? If we have a party can Holly come?" Lilly's big brown eyes stared up at her mom.
"Well…it's a surprise, but I'll talk with Holly's mom and see if she can come." The two little girls smiled and ran off to Shar.
"What have you got planned?" Troy questioned.
"I have no idea. Ryan and Shar did all the planning. It's going to be just as much of a surprise to you as it is to me." Gab sighed and leaned into him.
"I love you." He looked down at her, thinking she looked beautiful even is she wasn't trying.
"I love you too…my superstar."
They smiled and leaned in for another kiss.
So…REVIEW!
Next Chapter: Lilly's party and Thanksgiving!
XOXO- Savannah