Chapter Two

Chad pushed his bag into the overhead locker and settled down in his set by the window. The plane began to gather speed, the tarmac becoming a blur, and with a familiar lurching feeling in his stomach, Chad watched the state of New Mexico disappear below him.

A smiling air hostess handed him the day's newspaper and a complimentary glass of orange juice. Turning on his phone, Chad sent a quick message to Taylor, wishing her good luck for her court case that afternoon. She wouldn't pick it up 'til later, but he hoped she would appreciate the thought.

He reached inside his pocket for his ipod and plugged in the earphones to block out the chatter of the other passengers. The large woman who had the seat next to him rustled her sweet wrappers and nudged him sharply in the ribs when his lunch platter arrived.

Chad picked at his food, unwilling to look too closely at the grey much masquerading as the 'Pasta Special.' He passed his half eaten lunch back to the air hostess and resumed his observation of the blinding sunlight piercing through the clouds level with the plane.

Unconsciously, he began to fiddle with the gold band around his fourth finger. He slipped it on and off repeatedly, rolling it around the tray table in front of him. Eventually, the woman beside him became frustrated enough to comment quite pointedly,

"I don't think your wife would be too pleased if you lost that."

Smiling apologetically, Chad replaced the ring on his finger and turned up the volume of his ipod.

It was true, though.

Taylor became enraged if he forgot to take out the trash, so he would suffer the Devil's own wrath if he so much as admitted to having almost lost something as important as his wedding ring.

The pilot's voice sounded from the cockpit, announcing that they were now in the state of California and would be landing shortly.

Still twisting the ring around his finger, Chad watched as the Californian soil loomed ever closer.

****

No welcoming party awaited his arrival, but luckily he had thought to jot down the Bolton's address on a scrap of paper. Hailing a taxi, he flung his case into the back and clambered in.

****

Chad paid the driver and wheeled his case up the paved drive of Troy and Gabriella's impressive detached property. Almost immediately after Chad had rung the bell, he saw Troy through the frosted glass, bounding down the hallway like his teenage self used to when Chad came round to shoot some hoops. With a manly clap on the back and an expansive gesture, Troy ushered him inside, calling out,

"Gabi, he's here!"

Skipping out of a room to Chad's left, in one of her characteristic flowery summer dresses, Gabriella planted a kiss on his cheek.

"We were just wondering when you'd arrive. Weren't we, Troy?"

"Yes, we were, Gabi."

Chad began to feel a little intimidated under the force of their identical, pearly white smiles and shrugged embarrassedly.

"Well, here I am."

Laughing as if he'd just made a witty joke, Troy and Gabriella led him into the lounge. Chad sat down awkwardly on one of the large leather sofas and stared in awe at their enormous plasma screen television.

"Beer?"

He nodded, relieved, and in an instant, Troy chucked a cool bottle at him.

"I think there's a game on right now. Want to watch it?"

Before Chad could reply, Gabriella piped up,

"What time's Taylor arriving tomorrow?"

"Er......about eleven, I think," Chad answered uncertainly, trying to relax back against a cushion and pay attention to the sport. Troy whooped and cheered for his team, no longer Albuquerque's Red Hawks, as Chad made his way through his fourth beer.

****

The following day, Chad was woken by Gabriella's annoyingly bright (at least for this time of the morning) voice urging him to get out of bed and dress. Lifting his head off the pillow slightly to see the clock, Chad realised with a start that it was 10.45 am and they had to be at the airport within 15 minutes. He hurriedly threw on yesterday's clothes and rushed out of the house into the waiting car, praying that they weren't keeping Taylor waiting.

****

The airport terminal was as crowded as ever, a chaotic mass of people all searching for someone they knew, but out of nowhere Taylor launched herself towards them. Opening his arms to embrace her, Chad watched as she ran passed him to greet Gabriella. The two of them set off towards the exit, talking incessantly with each other and giggling as if they were back at East High.

Troy fell in step next to him and slung his arm around Chad's shoulder.

"Women," he commented with the air of a machismo man who shook his head ruefully when trying to understand the other sex. "They're all the same: once they get gossiping together, there's no stopping them."

Chad nodded absently. He'd always thought Taylor was different to the other girls in his year, in fact, she had seemed a completely separate species to the kind of girls he'd met at the U of A. That was one of the reasons why he married her; she was almost the 'anti-Gabi.' There she was though, nattering away and squealing with laughter, arms linked with her high school best friend and completely removed from the serious professional she was at home.

****

Living in California would be tolerable, Chad mused to himself, if only for the breathtaking sunsets that left him staring open mouthed from the back yard. A scraping on the patio stones caught his attention and he turned around to help Troy move the barbecue. Gabriella and Taylor carried out plates and glasses, laughing all the while. What they found so amusing all the time, Chad was at a loss to explain, but they had been giggling together since Taylor's arrival the day before.

With a crackling sizzle and the delicious smell of barbecued meat, Troy started to cook the evening's meal.

"Here you are, ladies."

He passed two full plates to Chad who took them over to their respective wives. Swigging on his bottle of beer, Chad accepted his own plate and watched in fascination as the pink and orange tinged clouds faded to a darker blue. He became aware of Troy's presence beside him and commented,

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Sure is; the paving took a while to position and I still need to trim the – "

"What are you talking about?"

"The yard, man! When I've trimmed the grass around – "

Chad tuned out of Troy's monologue about his pride in the yard which, as he mentioned several times, he'd cleared himself. From the other side of the patio, Taylor called out suddenly,

"Oh, Chad! A message came about an East High reunion this evening, just before I left."

Troy's voice cut in before Chad could reply.

"We got one too, didn't we, Gabi?"

She nodded as Chad remarked,

"Would have been nice to go to, though."

Clapping him on the back for what felt like the millionth time, Troy laughed.

"You don't keep in contact with your senior year. After graduating, everyone drifts apart and that's it."

"I was at East High with you, Troy," Chad pointed out.

"And some good times we had there." Chad received another slap on the back and he sidestepped surreptitiously before another blow could fall.

The evening descended into rose-tinted reminisces, mainly about Troy and Gabriella's 'miraculous' reunion after Winter Break and their subsequent rule of the Drama Club. Leading Gabriella through the steps of their 'balcony scene' dance from the senior year musical, Troy seemed to forget his guests and kept his eyes fixed on his almost unchanged girlfriend, now legally wed wife. Chad began to feel self conscious and edged towards Taylor.

"Do you want to...."

He gestured towards the other couple, twirling around in perfect harmony, but she cut him off before he could continue,

"No, no I don't. I think I'll go inside, it's getting a little chilly."

Taylor gathered up the used plates and disappeared into the kitchen leaving Chad out under the calm, clear sky with no hint of a cool breeze, watching his old school friends circle and spin together on the expertly paved patio.

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