A/N: *peeks around door nervously*
Hey… long time, no see.
It's been a while, as you well know and though I have my reasons, due to the PM's and e-mails I've received regarding my absence, I feel I should let everyone know where I've been and why I've been so naughty with my lack of updates.
I'll keep it short and sweet. It hasn't been the best start to a new year. After a wonderful Christmas and drunken-filled New Year with my friends, I lost my darling doggie, Tilly, after a battle with lung cancer which, in my head, was the ending of life as we know it. Although I can talk about my baby in a positive way (and getting rather pissed she's chosen to only haunting ME! Grr) and know we made the right decision when we decided to have her put down before she felt any pain and suffering, the family were hit hard again after a close relative was diagnosed with cancer… which was then redeemed incurable. Terminal.
Yes. In my family, 2009 is officially becoming the year of cancer. And it's only March.
However, living in denial has its appeal… and plastering myself finally into writing takes it all away and so I've managed to spit out this chapter with absolutely no effort what-so-ever. So, apologies if it sucks.
This denial is also enforcing me to get my groove back for I Feel Sparks. Zac and Vanessa happen to be fantabulous distractions from the real world! Luff them!
I would like to take this opportunity to send major hugs and love to Mya, who won't even realise what I'm thanking her for until she reads this. *waves*
She knows what shit I've been through this year… amongst other things. And I swear this girl has actual super powers (alongside with her constantly complaining she's cold, I'm very suspicious and quite confident that she's a vampire and hangs around in Edward Cullen's crowd. Yummy.) She can actually detect whether I want to talk about something… and when I do, she's there making it that little bit better, it helps so much. And when I don't… she's there and without even trying takes everything away in manner of Zac and Vanessa being all cute, with her random conversations and general thoughts and musings on life. And the best part is that she don't even realise she's doing it!
So Mwah! to Mya! You have absolutely no idea!
And Mwah! to all the Kuuipo's at FanForum and VABN… especially Kate and her Falling Into You chapters which just give me that extra boost of le sigh and make me write more of Sparks! Oh, and your channelling? It actually works!
Missed you guys! I'm baaaaaaaack!
Holly xxx
Chapter Three: Disaster
"This is a complete disaster." Troy Bolton stared at the plate of fries and cheeseburger and wondered how pissed off Zeke Baylor would be if he were to dunk his forehead into it in despair. After half a day's training, Troy and Chad had travelled to Zeke's restaurant - his small but well-loved business - and once again managed to take advantage of their friends good nature by claiming a free lunch.
Chad shoved as much of his cheeseburger into his mouth as humanly possible. His mannerisms had not changed since birth. "You're over thinking this, man."
Zeke propped his head up on his hand in boredom. Late afternoons were always slow in the restaurant, giving him the opportunity to sit back and have a talk with his long term friends. "Don't give him logic, Chad. I happen to enjoy it when Bolton's all riled up."
Troy narrowed his eyes darkly. "Yeah? Well when Poppy comes home with her first boyfriend, I'll be sure to send no sympathy your way whatsoever. And when you endure the inevitable and only natural freak-out, I'll only laugh at you."
Zeke brushed him off with a hearty chuckle. "Poppy's got years yet. I'll just enjoy your squirming for now."
"You just watch it." Troy pointed an accusing finger in Zeke's direction. "It was only five minutes ago that Lyddie was born. Trust me, seven years is nothing."
"Yeah, but he's got Sharpay to scare off any inadequate takers," Chad put in. "I can bet you a million-squaddillion bucks that Poppy Baylor will never hold down a guy purely because her mother hangs around in Satan's crowd."
Troy blinked and slowly turned his head to look at Zeke who was shooting Chad death glares at his comment. Sure, he knew the statement his afro-donning friend had made was true - and also because he knew he wouldn't like his only little girl growing up and discovering boys - but he still felt that overwhelming need to protect. As with any doting male.
Troy, however, saw Chad's comment as a moment of opportunity. "So… Zeke, dude. Could I borrow Sharpay for this whole meeting thing?"
"Borrow her?"
"Yeah. You know. To frighten this dude off."
"And Gabriella would be…?"
"Totally oblivious, of course. Sharpay can pretend to be Gabriella and when this Mike thinks that Lyddie's mother is actually a product of something that could only be featured in a film with Freddie Kruger, he'll start back peddling quicker than Chad that time that Taylor threatened to shave off his hair."
Both Zeke and Chad pulled a face. "Bolton. That idea sucks."
"It could work…" Chad mused, earning a slap on the back from his best friend. "Would be funny to watch. Downside is, I doubt Gabs would be amused if he tied her, gagged her and put her in a closet for a few hours. And Lyddie, Ash, Mattie and Ayla may get suspicious when Sharpay turns up for a family dinner requesting to be known as mommy."
"That may cause a problem."
"Or," Zeke gestured with small waves of his hand, "You could just have the whole first-boyfriend-meeting thing and actually find you like the guy. I think you might just piss Lydia off if you start coming up with all these crazy ideas."
Troy gave him a stern look. "She's sixteen, Zeke. She's not old enough to understand what's best for her."
Chad furrowed his brows. "But wasn't Gabriella sixteen when you met at that lodge?"
"Maybe."
"…and wasn't she sixteen when you guys first dated after that sissy musical?"
"Perhaps."
"And then she was still sixteen when you guys first kissed?"
Troy swallowed. "As I recall."
"And then she was seventeen when you two first had…" Chad trailed off, looking anxiously at Zeke as he tried to spill the words. "You know… when you two first…" Terror dawned over Troy's features as he came to the realisation. "You know… she was seventeen when you two first… and Lyddie's sixteen now so she's actually only a year younger than the age where you and Gabriella first had…"
"Chad. Honestly don't think this side of the conversation is helping…"
"Oh, dear lord!"
"See?" Zeke shook his head slowly with a wry smile as he reached out to take Troy's still half-full and untouched plate. As he reached for Chad's, Chad batted his hand away and continued to tuck into the now cold fries, not really feeling any sense of strain from the conversation; being a father to two boys didn't really call for him to be worried about 'little girls growing up' and the 'evils of first boyfriend' syndrome.
"This is a disaster." Troy shook his head dismally. "Everything is getting so fucked up. You know Gabriella wants him to come to that barbeque we're having next week when my parents fly over? It's like he's already getting thrown in the deep end and everything's moving way too fast; and we don't even know if this guy's any good for her!"
"Let's face it, Troy." Zeke finally managed to wrestle the plate from Chad's grasp. "No guy is ever gonna be good for Lyddie. Or Ash. Or Ayla. And you're gonna have to go through this at least three times. I really doubt all the girls are gonna get their first boyfriend and that be it for life like you and Gabs… You're gonna have to get used to this, man."
Chad swallowed the last of his fries and nodded in agreement. "He's right, though I hate to say it sometimes." He scowled. "This guy might be alright. And what would you have done if Gabriella's mom had refused to be nice to you when she first met you? You would have freaked and maybe you and Gabs wouldn't have got the chance to get to where you are now. And your dad was anal about her before he had a chance to get to know her, but he still gave her that chance and he's loved her like a daughter ever since. You could like this guy. He could be alright."
Troy's eyes narrowed. "Or he could be a jerk."
"Dude, you're a hypocrite."
"Just organised and thoroughly prepared, as Gabriella would put it."
"Or plain delusional. You need to give him a chance for Lydia's sake. She'll never forgive you if you don't."
"And I'll never forgive myself this guy turns out to be the biggest jerk alive and hurts her - and don't you pull those faces at me!" Troy pointed an accusing finger in his friends faces as he stood up and threw his jacket on. "I know when I'm right, right? I'm always right!"
"Of course you are," Chad answered robotically. "How silly of us."
Troy kept his posture up right, eyeing Chad and Zeke suspiciously and prepared for another argument if the occasion called for it. Seeing that nobody was going to speak up again - or that he knew full well that if they did, he'd be proven wrong - Troy stepped back and said, "right, now we're cleared up… I'm outta here."
"Grocery shopping?" Chad raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "You are so whipped."
"I'm whipped? I seem to recall somebody getting down on his hands and knees and begging for forgiveness from his wife the time he put all the colours and whites together in the laundry!"
"Dude!"
"You two are pathetic, get out of my restaurant." Zeke couldn't keep his humour at bay.
Troy looked despaired as he began to make his way out. "Why the fuck did I decide to stay friends with you two after we graduated? Why, oh why, oh why?"
Chad turned his head to Zeke, shaking his head with amusement as Troy exited the building. "You know, I was gonna remind him that Lydia has a balcony and a tree outside her bedroom… but we can save that hilarity for another time!"
---
Lydia narrowed her eyes.
It was only lunchtime and already she had gotten herself into such a foul temper that she was sure only a certain boyfriend could cure.
That certain boyfriend, however, was nowhere to be seen. Annoyingly enough, since it was his fault the entire female student body were currently shooting her the death glares. They already hated her enough for having such a famous father (and her on-going desire to not steal a pair of his underpants for all the high school "sluts" who "disgustingly" continued to embarrassingly crush on him) but now, having bagged Michael Stape (the Michael Stape), the most popular guy in junior year, she wasn't exactly first on everybody's Christmas card list.
Still, she never let it faze her. Her trust issues with people weren't exactly healthy. Though she'd had a happy and loving childhood, she had also been riddled with the evils of paparazzi following her - whether she had been walking to and from school or trying to hang out with friends - trying to get some sort of scoop of what life was like in superstar Troy Bolton's household. They had often tried to fish for dirt; perhaps some story that the Bolton's marriage was on the rocks and Lydia was fast becoming a product of a broken home.
She had gotten used to "the leeches" pretty quickly in her early childhood and eventually they had backed off - letting her get on with her life and finding some other celebrity to try and dish any kind of false dirt on.
Of course, paparazzi hadn't been the only leeches she had had to encounter. At the height of his Lakers career, her father had been a popular choice for teenage girls to plaster all over their bedroom walls and inside their school lockers and notebooks and folders - also riddled with phrases such as I heart Troy Bolton, and Troy Bolton rules my world. Lydia had spent a good portion of her school life ignoring the comments, finding them to be gross and just plain embarrassing… especially when girls her own age would stroll up to her, all starry eyed and declare, "Oh my god, your dad is, like, so hot! I am, like, so jealous of your mom! Do you think, like, if they ever split up, like, I could meet him? And then we'd fall in love and that would be so cool 'cause then I could be your mommy!"
It was at times like those when Lydia Bolton seriously contemplated the appeals of jumping from very tall buildings without a safety harness. She'd decided it would be a hell of a lot less pain than having to listen to girls swooning over her own father. Ew.
It was the same girls who'd try and befriend her, who'd insist on coming over for dinner and meeting her father, who'd get all starry-eyed and tongue-tied around him and generally make utter fools of themselves. It was the same girls who were just too over-the-top, who really just wanted to be friends with Troy Bolton's daughter just so they could go back to school the next day and tell all their friends they had stood in the same room as their favourite hunky pin-up, and that he'd actually spoken to them! Of course, on top of that humiliation, Lydia had also had to put up with said girls then turning on her mother, calling her names and picking at invisible faults just because she had married said hunky pin-up.
It was these girls that always shot her the daggers. The type of girls Lydia never wanted to know or be associated with. She never told her parents about any situation involving the jealousy that circled her in school; instead she embraced it and often used it to try and annoy them as much as possible, much to Jayden's amusement. Though he laughed along with her about it at times, even joined in with the banter (especially since as the most popular guy at Sunhill High, girls hated Lydia more for knowing Jayden Baylor on a deeper friendship level), Jayden always hung out in the background, waiting for the inevitable girl who just went too far to upset his friend, and like a flash of lightning he'd be up front, defending her, comforting her and disliking anyone who dared to make her cry.
But it was Jayden's comment about her boyfriend that bothered Lydia the most. The comment where he'd compared Mike to every girl who'd tried to use her in the past just to meet their hero. Mike was undoubtedly a huge Lakers fan, a self-confessed Troy Bolton admirer. He was his hero, he was the guy Mike had based all his basketball dreams on, the role model he'd looked up to for years and years.
But that was okay, right? That didn't mean anything. At least, Lydia's stubborn mind refused to believe anything but. Jayden had spent the entire drive to school that morning reeling off reasons upon reasons why Michael Stape was no good for her, why her dad would never like him, and why he'd never fit in with the Bolton family. He'd repeated the same line over and over, "He's acting like he's lucky because he's dating Troy Bolton's daughter. Not Lydia. Troy Bolton's daughter."
It had frustrated her to no end and upon arriving at school, Lydia had hit Jayden with her book bag and slammed the passenger car door shut before screaming, "JERK!" and running into the school without a backward glance. She hated that Jayden knew how to push all the wrong buttons with her - he'd always been able to. The only person who ever could. Why couldn't he just be happy for her? She knew he hated Mike, and vice-versa, but he should at least be civil towards her first boyfriend. Be happy that someone she'd always thought was so out of her league had chosen her, had wanted her and wanted to commit to her. Mike was school royalty, the hotshot, the hottest guy… yet he wanted plain old simple Lydia.
That thought alone was enough to send butterflies spiralling through her stomach.
But now Mike was nowhere to be seen. He had made a habit of meeting her at her locker at the beginning of lunchtime and free periods to escort her to wherever he and his large group of friends would hangout at these particular times. Being with them, Lydia always felt out of place, like she was in some twilight zone. But the thought of fitting in never occurred to her - just the thought that she was sitting there, on Mike's lap, his arm around her… hanging with his equally popular and basketball-loving friends… it was the high school lifestyle she never thought she'd be in.
Whether she fitted or not.
Slamming her locker door shut and banging her back up against it in a moment of frustrated impatience, Lydia's face softened slightly as her long-time friend and fellow team mate of the Sunhill Tigers Girls Squad, Eloise Pembroke, made her way towards her.
Eloise, although a keen, enthusiastic and upon brilliant basketball player, she was also the biggest girly-girl Lydia has ever encountered. Apart from her adoptive Aunt Sharpay, of course. These two very different sides of Eloise had given Lydia the idea of nicknaming her Jekyll and Hyde - the Hyde side of her, of course, was her incessant need for shopping trips, make-overs and an over-enthusiastic love for fashion. For so long, Eloise had expressed a need for Lydia allowing her to give her a make-over -- hair styling, make-up introducing, clothes and accessories galore -- but everytime, Lydia had threatened her with whatever 'weapon' had been available to her at that time and Eloise had gradually stopped pressing the matter further.
Until Mike Stape had arrived on the scene.
"Lyds!" Eloise greeted her enthusiastically and joined her beside her locker. "No Mike?"
Lydia shook her head. "Probably held up somewhere. Maybe the principals office. Again. Who knows?"
"That meaning you'll be joining us for lunch today? You haven't spent anytime with the team outside of practice since Mike came along -- not that I'm saying it's a bad thing. Who wouldn't wanna hang out with that twenty-four-seven? But we've missed you, Lyds! You can't fault us on that!"
Lydia broke out into a smile, realising for the first time how much she'd missed hanging with her ever loyal friends on the squad. Girls who didn't judge her because of her lack of fashion sense, girls who idolised her father without the disrespect towards her and her privacy, girls who too thought she had a hot boyfriend and made a brilliant catch when she agreed to date him, girls who didn't shoot her the evil glares out of jealousy.
"Sure, El. I've missed you guys too. I'm actually in need of some sort of girly talk." Here, Eloise gasped in glee, causing Lydia to pull a face. "Not that much of a girly time; don't over-excite yourself. Just… Mike. Meeting my parents. And the utter horror it is that has been bestowed upon my life."
Eloise linked their arms as they made their way in the general direction of the cafeteria. Lydia turned her head back towards her locker one more time, trying to see if Mike was making his way there by now.
He was nowhere to be seen. Still, she wasn't fazed. Her boyfriend was probably out there practising his awesome basketball skills in such a determined fashion or, as she suspected, he'd be at the principals office again - more likely for back-chatting the teachers or causing general mayhem in the classroom as the class clown. It was that part of his personality that Lydia hoped would appeal to Chad.
"Horror? Why would it be horrific?" Eloise enquired. "Meeting the parents. That's a big deal, you know."
Lydia ground her teeth together. "I know. That's why its so horrific. I talked to my mom about him last night for the first time and she didn't freak out like I thought she would. She actually calmed me down, but then I never expected anything less from her. I think my mom has these super-natural calming powers. They don't work all that well on dad… well, they do, after a short while. Takes a little longer to get through his stubborn head."
"And yours sometimes," Eloise grinned. "But I agree. Your mom is the calming guru. So why's that so horrific?"
"Because they haven't worked on my dad yet. At least, I don't think so. She said she'd speak to him last night when he got home from this restaurant function thing the Baylor's were holding… and when I saw him this morning, everything was just… awkward and tense. It's never awkward and tense with me and dad."
"You always said he'd freak out, Lyds. Whether it was Mike or some other guy. He's a dad, and he's male… they're anal about everything! When I brought my first boyfriend home, my dad interrogated him and nearly went out to buy a lie-detector machine just to make sure he was telling the truth - from what jobs his parents had to his intentions over me… Seriously, embarrassing."
Lydia let out a loud sigh. "But I don't want it to be embarrassing! And knowing dad, he will go out and buy a lie-detector machine. Maybe even a rifle. And then he'll hold Mike up against the back wall, blindfold him and ask him every question under the sun. The minute Mike answers something dad doesn't like… BANG!"
Eloise couldn't help but let out a snigger. "I'd love to watch that!"
"I wouldn't!" Lydia was exasperated. "I want them to love him! I want dad to take him to one side… maybe show him his trophies… his never-ending line of Lakers jerseys… maybe show him a few tricks. I want Mike to feel so comfortable with dad; he is a role model, after all. Wouldn't it just be this dream if they got along like that? And maybe dad would see him as a son, treat him like it, and then warn me from ever letting him go?"
Eloise raised an eyebrow. "Is that your dream, Lyds? Or Mike's?"
The fury that had been bubbling inside of her since Jayden had interrogated her that morning threatened to spill at Eloise's words. "Oh, El! Not you too! Can't one freaking person just talk to me about him without thinking he's trying to get to my dad?! Is it that unbelievable that I could just be with someone and that someone actually like me?!"
Eloise stopped and held her hands up in a defensive pose. "Woah, Lyds, I never said that!"
"You implied it."
"Without intention. Seriously. I think this thing with you and Mike… it's great. You're happy. You've entered the unknown and sure, I see you looking uncertain with it. But you're happy. And I'm happy for you. But what you just said there… I'm not gonna lie and tell you it didn't make me a bit wary. You know you can't sit there and tell me nobody's ever used you for your dad before… I'm bound to be get wary over a statement like that."
"I know." Lydia ran her fingers through her tangled curls in frustration. "It came out wrong. And, yeah, it might be Mike's dream. As it is any other Troy Bolton fan's dream. But it's mine too. I really like him. And I know he likes me… for me."
"Hey, if you know so, that's good enough for me." Eloise offered her friend a supporting smile. "And the minute you feel otherwise - if you ever feel otherwise - then that's good enough for me too."
"Sometimes I really hate what dad does for a living. I mean, of course I love it. And I'm so proud of him and what he's achieved and I want all of that too. But there's that really small part of it I hate; the part where everyone thinks you owe them something just because your dad is this superstar basketball player. And then when all your friends start doubting your life choices and the people who come into it - just because they think its all to do with my family and who they are… To tell you the truth, it's annoying the hell out of me."
"As I can imagine." Eloise re-linked their arms and they started back on their journey towards the cafeteria. "And your friends are just worried about you, I'm sure. And when I say friends, I assume we're talking about Jayden, right?"
"Jayden?" Lydia's voice turned sour. "You mean the parasite I have to see every day of my life because my parents made friends with Zeke and Sharpay back in high school and never once thought of the consequences of that?"
Eloise laughed out loud. "I love you two! You're so funny!"
"Funny?" Lydia's eyebrows knotted together, not seeing the humour for herself. "You, along with this entire damn school are under the impression he's this legend, this god… Well, I have news for you, Pembroke, he's not! Do you have any idea how damn annoying he is? I can't believe nobody sees it but me!"
Eloise's eyes went wide. "Annoying? Did you try mentioning hot? I can't believe everyone sees it but you! I know your head's in Mike-Land right now with his so obvious hotness. But Jayden? W-O-W."
Lydia scrunched her nose up in disgust. Eloise wore the same expression Aislinn wore everytime Jayden was in the same vicinity as her. "It's…Jayden," was all she could come out with.
"He's gorgeous, Lyds! You have to at least admit that."
The scrunched up nose reached up into a frown on her forehead. "…no," she replied after a short pause, trying to see him in that light. "He's just Jayden. He's like this… really annoying older brother. Or like a seriously bad case of head lice you just can't seem to get rid of… no matter how much you attack them with various things in order to make them disappear."
Eloise looked as though her friend had just spoken in double Dutch. Some sort of alien life-form language. She couldn't fathom how anyone could describe Jayden Baylor as anything but gorgeous, and Lydia Bolton had just compared him to head lice?!
She'd seen his parents on many of her visits to Bolton household. Jayden was a perfect image of his father - the face, the body, the beyond brilliant basketball techniques and the heart of pure gold. His hair was constantly pulled back into braids that ran along his head and down to the middle of the back of his neck… always tidy. Always presented. She figured he got that part of his mother's personality and Eloise wasn't the only one who was thankful for that after meeting Sharpay Baylor. Jayden did, however, inherit his mother's beautiful deep green eyes. Dazzling, sparkling… most girls claimed they could see right into his soul through those eyes - the eyes that had humorously become so famous in their uniqueness.
Eloise Pembroke was just plain speechless. Everyone could see that about Jayden Baylor except the girl who had known him her entire life?! The girl who saw him on a day-to-basis; the girl who was so close to his family and knew him inside out? She couldn't see it?!
The object of their conversation suddenly came sauntering down the corridor, surrounded by his Sunhill Tigers varsity team and a large crowd of female followers hanging on their every word and almost fainting at every look they were given. It made Lydia want to puke.
Jayden's eyes sparkled upon seeing her and Eloise, although not in his direct view, suddenly felt flushed and fought an urge for more oxygen.
"Lyddie!" He called out to her, unusually by the loving nickname her parents had bestowed on her the day she was born. "Talking to me yet?" the mischief dancing in his eyes as he and his friends stopped directly in front of the two girls.
"That depends," Lydia folded her arms tightly, stubbornly. "Are you still being an ass?"
Her comment was rewarded with a collective "Oooh!"from Jayden's friends and he chuckled in response. "You want me to break the habit of a lifetime? And I thought you loved that about me."
"Pah!" Lydia called in complete sarcasm. "If you're gonna carry on, you can just crawl up your own ass! I don't care!" She ignored the chuckles and laughter coming from Jayden's friends and instead directed her fury at him. It wasn't anything unusual and in a normal circumstance, Jayden would laugh along. But the unwelcoming presence of Mike Stape was enough to emit anger in his own eyes as he placed his arm tightly around Lydia's shoulders.
"Baylor," Mike addressed him with a smug smile.
"Stape." Jayden swallowed the need to punch him in the nose as Stape wheeled Lydia so she was standing directly behind him. "Do you mind? Kinda having a conversation with Lyddie here."
Mike smirked, his arm now moving to Lydia's waist as he held her in place. "And if you don't mind, I'm a little late for our lunch date. You're very welcome to join… but I'd kinda like a little alone time with the girlfriend, here."
Jayden tensed in his stance, his friends following his lead as they stepped forward in a gesture that said 'we've got your back'. Lydia narrowed her eyes in annoyance and moved out of Mike's grasp to stand between the two.
"Ugh, seriously! You two are like two kids! I swear my little brother's more mature than you two, and that's saying something!"
"Hey, babe, I'm not being immature here!" Mike had still been unable to wipe the smile from his face. "Just laying out the groundwork… telling it how it is. And sorry I'm late by the way, Mr. Garner so does not have a sense of humour!"
"Yes. And what were you saying just now about maturity?" Jayden dug in.
Lydia's eyes turned a furious blue. "Would you just stop?! Is your main goal in life just to piss me off, Jay?! For once can't you just-"
"Just what?!" Jayden shot back, almost shaking with his anger. "Sit back and let this creep control you? Change you? Use you?! See, you might be blinded by his masked charm and flattering smile, but I know what this psycho's like!"
"No, you don't!" Lydia pushed against Jayden's chest as hard as she could, blinded by anger, fury and inevitable embarrassment she would feel when this was over with all the pairs of eyes that had stopped to watch the impending fight between the two most popular boys in the school. This would make for some serious gossip later on. And gossip and Lydia Bolton were not the best of friends. "Just stop it, okay?! I mean it!"
Mike held out his arms to pull Lydia away. "Come on, babe. He's not worth the time."
Lydia just stared at Jayden, her eyes burning into his. Usually, he'd laugh. Usually, he'd find her anger such a joy simply because she looked so adorable and just because it was just so completely Lydia. But the person he was staring at now… he'd never seen so blind before.
Jayden acted in the split second it took as Mike directed Lydia away and back towards the cafeteria. Reaching out and grasping her wrist, Jayden didn't think about his grasp hurting her as he hurled her straight back towards him and pressed his palms to her cheeks, forcing her to look at him.
"You know I wouldn't be like this just to be a jerk, Lyddie. You know me and I know you know Stape's not worth it." He was desperate - maybe more so than he originally thought.
"Hey," Mike curled his arm back around Lydia's waist. "I think Lyddie here knows what she wants. Now, do you mind? Kinda hungry here." He pulled Lydia away effortlessly; Jayden allowing his hands to slide from her delicate features as she stepped away from him; her eyes still locked on his. The fire was still visible, just not as visible as it had been mere seconds before.
Eloise shifted nervously on the balls of her feet, having been right up close to the action and feeling the discomfort. She watched as Jayden stepped away; his friends patting his back and telling him to back away; Stape wasn't worth it. She also watched as Lydia allowed Mike to take her away from the scene; the smile back on his face and his arm curled around her neck, almost as though he was holding her in a headlock. The harsh kiss he planted right on her lips without restraint was enough to make Jayden's fingers curl into a tight fist.
Feeling to a duty to be there for her friend, Eloise stepped forward and shot Jayden a small smile to which he didn't respond. And then she quietly followed Lydia into the shocked and soon-to-be gossip ridden cafeteria.
---
Gabriella narrowed her eyes with an amused smile as she Taylor sat in a small café just a few blocks away from UCLA, watching as Sharpay dabbed more powder onto her nose and inspected a small blemish that had reared its ugly head on her chin.
"It's times such as these that make me so happy!" Taylor put on a not-so-complimentary fake sob.
Sharpay snapped her compactor shut and narrowed her eyes at Taylor. "So glad you find this amusing, McKessie."
Gabriella couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Even after all these years, her friends hadn't changed one single bit. Between the three families, there were nine children. Nine. Had anyone have told Gabriella back in high school that not only would she remain friends with those people she loved most but that they also had nine children between them.
Taylor and Chad's two boys, Sammy and Alex, were both spitting images of their father and had lovingly adopted Chad's mannerisms and infectious personality. Taylor didn't mind since she's discovered her brain was the dominant gene (she'd known all along, but never wanted to seem too cocky) and their boys were brainiac's in their own right. Gabriella loves Sammy and Alex, especially since she and Troy had become their godparents.
Taylor and Chad had long since decided that two children were enough but Gabriella knew that Chad was craving for that little girl. He'd always been close to Lydia, Aislinn and Ayla but Gabriella decided he needed that little girl of his own. All it took was to convince Taylor…
"Weren't you there when I gave birth to Alex?!" She'd exclaim. "It was torturous!"
Sharpay would scoff. "You wimp, McKessie. Try giving birth to twins and then you can approach me with a complaint!"
And then the argument would go on and on until everybody had forgotten the root cause of the original conversation.
Just the very thought of Sharpay Evans becoming a married mother of three was enough to send anyone into a cardiac arrest. Gabriella had to hand it to Zeke - all those years of hard work back in high school coaxing the drama queen with cookies had officially paid off. Poppy and Ryan -- named affectionately for Sharpay's love of all things girly and her ever-loyal brother - were the cutest twins. While Jayden had inherit his looks primarily from Zeke including skin tone and colour, the twins had more of a creamy mocha effect with lighter coloured hair and Sharpay's facial features including those dominant green eyes.
"You're off in La-La Land, Bolton." Sharpay knocked Gabriella back into reality. "Care to share your thoughts?"
"Just…thinking." Gabriella smiled. The three girls had met up on Gabriella and Taylor's lunch breaks since Taylor's offices were close to UCLA, they had made it a daily thing. Sharpay, although living and working nowhere near the two girls had instantly felt left out and had made it her mission to join. Even if it was for a mere hour.
"About the psycho your daughter's currently dating?" Sharpay enquired.
"How did you know Lyddie had a boyfriend?" Gabriella's brows furrowed together. "And psycho?!"
"Jayden told me last night. That boy has such a temper; I swear, I don't know who he gets it from."
"Uh, you?" Taylor offered with slight sarcasm.
"Wait, wait." Gabriella could see already they were veering off course. "Jay called Mike a psycho?"
"It's just jealousy, Gabriella," Taylor put in. "Anyone can see he has the hots for her."
"Please!" Sharpay scoffed. "They can't get through one single day without arguing!"
"You know there's a fine line between love and hate."
Sharpay poked her tongue out childishly in Taylor's direction.
Gabriella giggled. "Well, no, I wasn't thinking about that, actually. But now I am. You know Troy's freaked out about this? I haven't had a chance to really talk to him about it but I know he's freaked. And Lyddie's just plain scared of what he's going to say and how he's going to act… How do I deal with this?"
Taylor laughed. "You don't. You just let him freak, meet the guy and then realise he's been a total douche bag about the entire thing. Have you met him yet?"
"Is he really a psycho?" Sharpay added hopefully.
"Haven't met him yet, no. Lyddie only told me about him last night. He wants to meet me and Troy, as soon as possible apparently. I figured we should meet him at the weekend… you know, when Jack and Lucy fly over? You guys will be coming over for a barbeque, right?"
"You mean to ask if we're going to come and witness Troy cracking at the seams?" Sharpay looked horrified. "You should know better than to think we'd miss that!"
Gabriella cracked a grin. "I was hoping you'd be there for moral support for when I have to reign Troy in. He's not going to be taking this lightly."
Taylor leaned forward in her seat. "Are you taking this lightly, Gabs?"
Gabriella thought to herself for a few moments. "I guess. I mean it's difficult to wrap your head around. Your little girl isn't exactly little anymore and I know that's the main thing Troy can't cope with. It's like it's all sinking in… it's getting closer to that point where she'll be graduating, moving to college, getting married, getting a career, having her own babies… it's just that teeny step further towards all of that and its weird. It's getting to that point where her parents won't be at the top of her list when she needs help… she'll have someone else there instead."
Taylor smiled softly. "Such is the life when you have kids."
Sharpay's facial expression had actually become sympathetic. Gabriella wondered if she was thinking about the day Poppy would eventually come home with her first boyfriend and how she'd react. Somehow it was different with girls than it was boys. Boys always had that feel of independence and security about them… girls… well, as far as father's were concerned, they would always be their little girl's number one.
"I can remember my mom having that freak out when things really started getting serious between me and Troy." Gabriella smiled to herself. "She wanted to know everything about us… I was so scared that after she was done with me, she was going to start on Troy too. But I can remember thinking 'I'm a big girl now, mom. Leave me alone! I know what's right for me!'and now I'm in her shoes… well, the word 'hypocrite' comes to mind."
"It's a parent thing," Taylor waved it off. "That's what my mom always used to say to me."
"I just worry that she may get in too deep… that she might lose herself along the way. I don't know. I can't actually reach any decision about how I really feel until after I've met him; I've got to keep up this strong persona around Troy. If I lose it, we'll be looking at the best mental institute to put him in."
When her cellphone began to ring a familiar tone, Gabriella grinned in spite of herself and Sharpay pretended to be sick.
"Hello?"
"Babe. I need calm. Zeke and Chad are pricks."
Gabriella chuckled at her husband's antics. "Did you go to the store today?"
"Yep. Got Ayla's pancakes."
"And did you call your parents? We need to arrange flight times and whatnot."
"Done."
"And while you were at the store, did you get necessities for the barbeque? We need lots of food; Sharpay and Taylor will be there too with the families. Oh, and we'll need to ask Lyddie what Mike likes to eat too."
There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "…I thought I asked for calm. How is this making me calm?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes and shot Taylor a knowing look. "He's a guest, Troy. We have to cater for guests."
"Hmph."
"You sound like an old man."
"Thank you so much for saying, love of my life!"She giggled again. "You can ask her. I still have to work on the whole 'being a supportive dad really' thing."
"I think you should ask her actually, Troy. She's a little apprehensive about you meeting this Mike and I think it'll make her feel better if you put in some sort of effort."
"Won't make me feel any better."
"This isn't about you, is it?" Her tone was harsh as she spoke. "Honestly, Troy. Imagine if our parents hadn't given us a chance?" There was another pause on the other line. "Make an effort…" Gabriella pouted, knowing her magic would work even over the phone. "Please?"
Troy heaved a sigh. "Fine! I'll ask! I'll be good! I'll even put the boy in my will if you carry on the way you are! I'll make a damn effort."
Again, Gabriella giggled and she ignored Sharpay's sarcastic comment of, "aren't couple's supposed to get less sickening as they get older?" comment to Taylor.
"So glad to hear it," she smiled to herself softly as she heard him fidget uncomfortably at the other end. "Just talk to her, okay? And no sex talk either. We'll cross that bridge when we-"
"Sex talk?!"Troy squeaked. "Who said anything about--?"
"I said we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"You've done it now…" Taylor coughed.
Gabriella rolled her eyes again. "I'll be home later, okay? No visualising scenarios that involve you, Mike, a shovel and making it look like an accident. Okay?"
A sigh. "Okay."
"I love you."
No hesitation. "I love you too."
As she put the phone down, Sharpay started chuckling to herself, nearly choking on a breadstick in the process. "I can't wait for this barbeque! We're going to have so much fun!"
---
Jayden Baylor hadn't had a good day.
As he stomped over to his car, he slung his backpack over the bonnet, ripped his open and made a search for his iPod for the journey home. He would have to pick up Ryan and Poppy from school, something he never minded doing since he loved his younger brother and sister to pieces. They'd make him forget, for at least a moment, how entirely shitty his day had been.
Upon finding his iPod, he picked up his bag and threw it into the back seat mercilessly, before turning around and capturing a glimpse of Stape - his arm wrapped tightly around Lydia's neck.
He was no match for her - whatever made her think it was she that was so out of his league?! Jayden couldn't fathom it and he could analyze it for years if it didn't disrupt his sanity so much.
He caught Lydia's gaze. Stape didn't notice. Probably too busy thinking about how wonderful he was and how close he was to attaining his goal just through being with Lydia. And Jayden knew it had nothing to do with how amazing she was.
Jayden locked gazes with her and shook his head slowly in despair. Lydia just blinked as Stape led her over to his car. When her fury rose again upon interpreting Jayden's thoughts in exact precision, she tore her eyes away from her long time friend and tightened her grip around Stape's waist.
Jayden shook his head again, but to himself. A sigh escaped his lips as he dejectedly opened his car door and got inside.
Lydia Bolton: the very life and death of Jayden Baylor.