Raise your hand if you have an updating problem! Yup, that would be me. Sometimes the muse just isn't there, sorry guys, unfortuneatley darn school has to come first. I'm always thinking about this, if that's any better.
I do have do one little thing though. I realized that having Chase be four years old was not exactly what I wanted. So I'm changing his age to six. I hope you don't mind, it won't really change a lot of things, he'll just get to interact with everyone else more.
Also, thanks for the incredible reviews you guys leave! I love when I read them and it's obvious you put real thought into them and you like the story. That really means a lot. Shout-out to kathyt222. I thanked her for her review and she said that she likes to pass it forward. Isn't that the best idea?! If you want thoughtful reviews, then leave thoughtful reviews! You'd be surprised at the effect you can have.
Read & review!
Disclaimer: It's obviously not mine.
June turned into July and with it came the worst heat wave Albuquerque had seen in almost nine years. The temperatures had hit over one hundred degrees every day the past week, so my afternoons had been spent at Zeke's pool, with whoever else could come by.
Kelsi, who had gotten home yesterday, sat on the pool's edge next to me, a plate of baked goods between us. Zeke had been baking up a storm since school got out, he said he loved the free time he finally had, I wondered though, if it had to do with keeping Sharpay off his mind.
"Mmmm, Zeke." I savored a chunk of a cinnamon-chocolate-swirl cookie. "You're gonna have these out tomorrow, right?"
Tomorrow, Independence Day, was Park Ridge, New Mexico's Fourth of July Festival. People from all over the area come to Park Ridge to be there. In the evening the Baylors, who along with Troy actually lived in Park Ridge, were hosting a fireworks-watching party.
"Of course, I have about four batches of them already baked inside."
"And a whole one of those batches is reserved for…?" I raised an eyebrow and he pretended to be deep in thought.
"Some girl named Gabby Montez, I think."
"That's what I thought."
&&&
The afternoon broke up a little after three when Taylor, my ride home, had to get ready for a dinner at her grandparent's. My house was empty, as it is every week day from seven to at least five. I sat on the living room couch, still in my swim suit, devouring the first chapter to 'Messy Control'. After sitting in complete silence for almost an hour I jumped a mile when someone knocked on our front door.
"Hey, you." Troy's hair was damp and he wore a white t-shirt, slightly see through on the shoulders where water had dripped down and seeped into the cotton.
"Hi." He kissed me quickly and smiled, lightly shaking his head to get a strand out of hair out of his eyes.
"How was work?" After just a week of landscaping with Raleigh, his skin had significantly tanned and light blonde streaks were becoming more noticeable in his hair.
He shrugged, walking into the kitchen beside me. "Good. Would have rather been at the pool though. With you." His body stepped so close to mine and he nodded, motioning for me to sit on the counter behind me.
I did and he stood between my legs, hands resting on my thighs. "You know what, Gabriella?" His skin was smooth from his shower; I could feel it as I touched each of the freckles down his arm.
"What?"
"I'm gonna have a really big phone bill when you go to Brown."
I smiled sadly at his contemplative expression. The longest we had been apart was for four days over spring vacation. In a week, I started a summer studies program at Brown University that would have me away from home for eight days. I was beyond excited, the thought of being independent stopped scaring me as much this year and I was so ready for this. But when he looked at me, blue eyes turned soft and almost vulnerable looking, with his fingers dancing so lightly on my bare leg I knew I'd miss him too.
"We still have a whole week and a half, Troy."
"I know." And then he was kissing me quickly again and again, until he finally gave in and kissed me long and slow. I could smell the scent of Dove soap on his skin, the 'Summer Rain' shampoo in his damp hair and the cologne I'd gotten to know so well and could always vaguely smell on myself after we'd been together.
Deeper and deeper his kissed me, his right hand traveling father up until suddenly his thumb ran over the thin piece of nylon cloth between my legs. I tensed up only the slightest bit as his fingers slowly slipped into my bathing suit.
He pulled his lips back for a second to whisper. "Just relax."
I couldn't find any words, so I nodded, almost barely though, and held his head as he kissed under my jaw, his fingers going further and further.
&&&
To say that the next day was hot is an understatement. When I met up with Taylor at the center of Park Ridge, it was only a little past ten but already I'd tied my hair up and sweat stuck to my skin, especially around the red, white and blue plastic beads someone at the Park Ride Elementary School booth had handed me when I arrived.
The festival was focused in the middle of the town, where all kinds of food and game booths were set up around the grassy square. Park Ridge was not a huge town, but it was beautiful. It boasted some of Albuquerque's oldest buildings and an incredible white gazebo sat across from the old brick post office.
Within minutes Taylor and I had been joined by Troy, Jason and Kelsi. Zeke was at the main food booth helping grill hotdogs and hamburgers until noon. Troy had brought along Chase. His parents were working as well and Troy was in charge of his brother until his dad finished at that same food booth at eleven.
"Cool beads Chase. I have the same ones."
Chase grabbed the beads around his neck with his little fingers as he swung one foot in the grass. "Ana gave them to me. She's my friend."
"She's his girlfriend." Troy said playfully. "Right, Superman?"
"No."
"Well, she is." He whispered to me as Chase shook his head and debated with an "Uh-uh."
We walked through the festival until Taylor found the booth giving away ice cold water bottles and Chase spotted the face-painting table right next to it.
"Please, please, please, please, please Troy." Chase folded his hands and begged to Troy. "Sure, but you have to get 'Troy is the wickedest brother ever' on your forehead."
"No!" Chase laughed and Troy pretended to take back his offer. "Fine, guess not then."
"Yes, then." Chase informed him and he walked right over to the vacant stool and told the woman exactly what he wanted.
"Little punk." Troy laughed under his breath.
True to his nickname, Chase ended up getting the 'Superman' logo on his cheek. I even got a butterfly on mine and tried to convince Troy that he needed some kind of face painting, but he stubbornly refused.
Afterwards, Chad showed up and challenged Jason in a three out of five game of darts. As we stood watching, the sun beat down on us hard. To my left I felt someone's fingers touch mine and then hold my hand. I wondered if Troy was thinking about yesterday and what had happened in my kitchen. When he squeezed my hand and looked at me smiling I knew he was. I blushed, smiled back then pretended to be really interested in Chad and Jason's game.
Jason creamed Chad by winning all five games, and Chase was picked up by his Jack, who promised him ice-cream as long as he didn't tell his mom.
&&&
By mid-afternoon I was feeling awful. I'd eat a hotdog, ice-cream and half a funnel cake. Then somehow I'd been convinced to share popcorn with Taylor after lunch and the heat had really taken its toll. I almost shoved Troy when he poked me in the stomach. I was sitting on a hay bail between him and Kelsi. The rest of the group sitting around, just hanging out.
"Don't Troy." I whined, pushing his hand away.
"Are you okay?"
"No."
"Are you going to faint?"
"No. It's my stomach. I just feel really sick."
"You want to go home? Or I could take you to my house for a little while. You know, get inside the air conditioning."
"Okay." I nodded.
"Do you want us to come?" Taylor asked.
"It's okay," I shook my head. "You guys stay here. I'm just going to get some Sprite or something."
She nodded, and I wondered if she wanted to come. To be honest, I didn't really want anyone too but it made me think of when I got hurt at the lake and how I'd stayed with Troy instead of her.
"Feel better Gabby!" Jason shouted after me.
&&&
Stepping into Troy's house was a relief. It was empty and quiet, and the air conditioning was on. He got me a glass of Sprite with ice, and I sipped it slowly. In his parent's bathroom he knelt beside the sink and sorted through bottles until he found the pink one labeled 'Pepto-Bismol'.
"I could sing the jingle, maybe that would help." He joked as he handed me the bottle and I laughed.
"No thanks. I don't need to hear the song."
"Are you sure? I'm pretty good."
Suddenly, I realized I was about to throw up.
"Woah." Troy rushed over to me. He pulled strands of hair away from my face and tucked them behind my ears as I bent over the toilet, getting sick.
I only threw up once and he handed me a wet towel afterwards. Then he sat beside me on the bathroom tile and rubbed my back.
"Oh my God." I leaned my head back on the wall. "You just saw me throw up."
He laughed, although it was not funny to me. "Yeah, I did."
"You saw me throw up." I sighed. "You saw me throw up!" Closing my eyes didn't make it any better. "I think I'm a magnet for humiliation."
He laughed again. "No. Prone to humiliation, maybe. But not a magnet. And probably prone to injury too."
"Thanks. That makes me feel tons better."
"It's okay, Brie." His hand went under the back of my shirt and his skin felt cool against mine, despite that he had just been outside in the heat and I could see little beads of sweat around his hairline.
"If you don't ever want to kiss me again, I totally don't blame you."
I actually smiled when he laughed at that. "Trust me, that's not going to happen. I mean, I can't say it's the most attractive thing I've ever seen…."
I groaned.
"You'll be fine."
"Can we pretend this never happened?"
"Absolutely. I saw no throw up, I heard no throw, I know no throw up."
I laughed and nudged him. "Oh, shut up."
&&&
That evening, by the time the sun went down there were almost sixty people at the Baylor's house. I'd watched with jealousy as everyone ate hotdogs and hamburgers off the grill then gushed about Zeke's desserts. I still couldn't think of stomaching any food so Zeke saved me one of everything he'd made for me to eat when I felt better. We were in the kitchen and he was putting the lid on the plastic container when his cell phone started ringing in his pants pocket. His face remained empty of expression as he ignored the call and stuffed the phone back into his pants.
"It was Sharpay." He said it bluntly, but with a tone of annoyance.
"You didn't have to tell me that, Zeke. It's okay."
"I just don't want to talk to her right now." He didn't seem to acknowledge my comment. "I've actually decided that..." He took a deep breath and looked me in the eye. "That I don't want to play this game anyone and I'm done."
"Wow, Zeke. That's…" I was at a loss of words. Especially after my conversation with Sharpay just days before.
He handed me the Tupperware container. "I'm done. I'm just…done."
&&&
Zeke's decision made it hard for me to focus on anything else when we got back outside. Before everyone had arrived, Elise Baylor had us lay out blankets all over the yard and now I sat on a blue, chenille one beside Taylor and in front of Troy and Jason.
But suddenly the sky exploded with color and I heard everyone gasp. Taylor squeezed my arm as red and blue sparks illuminated the party. I felt myself grinning and huddling up next to her. It was great to have a best friend. It was great to have a group of them too. If only we could get rid of the drama.
Oooh, Troy and Gabby are heating it up! ;) I do have to happily announce though, that starting next chapter Gabriella will be getting some drama of her own. And it will last for awhile, but that's all I'm saying. And also, Mr. Montez and Laina come next chapter, yay! I already have the new baby's name picked out, but it's a secret until she's born, because I'm mean like that.
Super-duper thanks to the lovely Katie. I have no idea why she puts up with my 593739202 e-mails and questions everyday, but I'm sure glad she does 3 By the way, she's writing a new story so go check it out from the link in my profile!
Thanks guys! I love you all and I'd love to know what you think. Give me any opinion you have, really, I want to know! I actually need constructive criticism, so don't hold back ;)
Sparks.
PS. Do you think Zeke and Sharpay will actually get together, or is this the end? ;)