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Chapter 20: High School Reunion

March 15th 2022

16 people arrived at the white painted house with a large black door, graced with purple lilies. The noise from outside alerted the Spanish woman inside that her family were approaching. Before Troy had a chance to knock on the door, it swung open and standing there with her arms ready for many embraces was Maria, Gabi's mom. The older kids simultaneously screamed "Abuelita!" while running into her arms. Ella, Maebh and Madi were more nervous around this women who they rarely saw.

"Go on girls. You remember Abuelita - mommy's mom." Madi being the brave explorer of the quads smiled widely before running into her grandmother's arms. "Maebh go on." Troy encouraged his shy little girl. She slowly let go of his leg and walked towards Maria to picked her up in a giant embrace and smothered kisses over her - making her laugh. "Ella. Let go of my leg and hug Abuelita." Troy tried to pry his youngest away from his jeans. "Ella come here." He bent down and picked her up allowing easier access for a hug and kiss.

"Ella, mi bebé." Maria laughed while Ella unhooked her legs from Troy then let them dangle signalling that she wanted to be put down. "Hm okay, ir a jugar." Maria placed Ella's small feet on the ground and she ran into the house to find the nearest toy. "They've all gotten so big!" Maria complained while bringing Troy in for an embrace and patting his back, he nodded and backed away. "Ah Lucille and Jack it's been ages!" They were next in for the big hug, and finally Maria looked behind the familiar faces "Taylor! Oh my is that you? It's been so many years!" Taylor waltzed through the small crowd and embraced her best friend and sister's mother.

"It's great to see you. The last time was the quad's christening I think, so 5 years!" Taylor exclaimed and they hugged again; Maria pulled away silently asking her with her eyes, who the man was. "Oh he wasn't at the quad's christening, Maria this is my husband - Chad."

"It's nice to meet you." Maria hugged the fizzy haired young man. "Come in and get cool. It's boiling out here." She ushered the 5 adults into the nicely air-conditioned house and shut the large black door.

Just as the adults made their way through the kitchen door a loud scream was heard. "ELLA-GRACE! NO screaming." Troy shouted down the hall.

"How do you know it's her?" Maria asked.

Taylor interrupted Troy's response "Oh you know!" she laughed.

Early the next morning Troy stirred as he felt a heavy object land on his feet. His upper body rose out of the bed and looked down to the culprit "Ella. Why are you here?" He asked his 5 year old who was currently pretending to be a lion.

"Roar.." She growled.

"Speak properly please."

"Me not tired and Madi woke me."

Troy rolled his eyes, "I guess I have to get up then." He moaned while gently pulling his body up. "Go back to your room and play quietly, no waking anyone else up!" He told Ella before she ran off and he made his way through to the bathroom that was connected onto Gabi's old room.

An hour later Maria appeared in the kitchen where Troy was standing with Maebh sitting on the counter "How long have you been down here?"

"Ella woke me at 6, her and Madi were up and then proceeded to wake up this one before I could get them down here." Maria laughed and messed up Maebh's bedhead - Maebh laughed in response and raised her arms to her grandmother. Maria took her in her arms and walked over to the fridge. "Oh I've given them breakfast already."

Maria nodded "I should hope you have, having spent so much time here when you were young - you know where everything is." She laughed again and Maebh playfully put her hands over Maria's mouth.

Ella-Grace then came running through the kitchen screaming as Taylor emerged in her jeans and rose colour t-shirt. "I see what you mean when you said you can tell." Maria laughed and once again Maebh playfully covered her mouth. Taylor chuckled and walked over to one of the stools and sat down. Troy knew that Madi would be following Ella through the kitchen so he quickly caught her and threw her in the air as she passed result in huge squeals that would defiantly wake up the rest of the house.

"Ok guys." Troy turned around to face the back of the van that they had hired. "Inside there will be a play area that you can be in or you are with a family member. The older ones can look around the school but go in groups, no-one going alone or in pairs. Ok?" He questioned his children, once he was sure he had gained nods from the older Bolton kids he moved on. "No taking Ella, Maebh or Madi with you. They will be staying with adults." Another round of nods went around. "Ok well lets go." Troy undid his seat belt and hopped out the drivers door. He then went around and was greeted by Taylor sliding the back door open. (Lucille and Maria had gone shopping for the day) Troy jumped into the front row and undid the car-seats of the young girls, he then picked each one up and passed them to Chad who placed them on the floor. Ella-Grace was the last one to be picked up so she didn't run away when Chad placed her on the floor.

Once everyone had successfully unloaded from the van; the large family walked towards the gym entrance. Troy had Ella-Grace firmly held on his hip. Madi was with Taylor and Jack had Maebh while Chad was walking with the older kids and cracking jokes. Troy opened the door and waited till Chad had finally filtered through the door. Instantly they were greeted by Miss Darbus.

"Ah Coach Bolton, I didn't think I'd see you here today."

"Well here I am with the son as well." Jack motioned over to Troy trying to get Ella to let go of the door so he can close it.

"Ella let go..." Troy hissed at his youngest but she carried on holding onto the door, however she immediately let go when she heard the other kids unwrapping pieces of candy.

"Daddy, me eat." She pulled herself away from his hip as Troy walked close to Miss Darbus.

"Well hello Mr Bolton, great to see you again. Did you have a good time at Berkley?" She asked while Troy nodded and tried to contain Ella-Grace who by now had her tiny hands on a piece of candy. "And who is this little one, defiantly a Bolton?"

Troy laughed "This is Ella-Grace, Ella-Grace say hi to daddy's old teacher Miss Darbus." Ella turned from her siblings and looked up and down at the old woman in front of her.

"No daddy - she old and me no like old things." She shook her head.

"ELLA-GRACE BOLTON, say hi." Troy quietly shouted into her ear. She hesitated before a quiet 'hello' was released from her lips. Troy smiled at the smiling Darbus, "Sorry about that, this one is kept on a tight lease." Miss Darbus laughed at Troy's embarrassment.

"Are these all yours?" She asked Troy after look around all the children in her immediately vicinity. Troy nervously looked up from Ella and nodded. "Every single one of them?" Troy smiled at her amazement "I would never have put you down for family man Troy."

"Well 9 of them were accidents really, there is Freddie and Logan the older two. Then there is sextuplets and finally these monsters quadruplets." He said while tickling Ella's stomach.

Miss Darbus accepted his information before a question appeared over her. "If they're quadruplets were is the 4th?"

Troy swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, "The other one is at home with mommy." He said while bouncing Ella on his hip.

After they had exchanged more conversation, they were free to walk to the gym where the reunion would be happening. "Troy, son. I have some advice - just say they are triplets. So it doesn't bring up any worry ok." Troy nodded at his dad's idea - even though it was awful to forget one of your children it was for the best on this day.

Four hours later and the reunion was still going and lunch had just been passed around the great hall. Troy along with Jack and Chad were talking to old teammates while Taylor was updated on Kelsi, Martha and Ryan's lives till now - she was surprised to learn that Kelsi and Ryan were newly engaged, but after 7 years together on and off it was about time. The noise in the gym was slowly quietening down; that was until the sound of heels clumping down the hallway brought everyone truly silent. The gym doors opened at the same time and standing in the middle surrounded by a few body guards was no-one other an Sharpay Evans in a sea of bright pink and a small dog...

"Yes thank you, I have arrived. This is the perfect greeting for me - thank you, you have all been taught very well."

The whole gym then erupted into fits of laughter, same old Sharpay everyone thought! She quickly made her way around everyone saying hi and expecting a bow back. In the middle of her greetings she made it to Troy who was dreading his turn. "So Troy long time so see." She squealed.

"Hm yeah. I suppose how are you doing?" He asked while inviting her in for a polite hug, something he had not done with Sharpay since he met Gabi in Junior year. She took this invitation that Troy had missed her and wanted to try out things between them again, another thing they hadn't done since freshman year, 15 years ago.

"Oh I know you missed me, come here." She pouted as Troy looked startled at his surrounding friends. "Just so you know, I have followed your amazing career since you left here." Troy was gobsmacked, he hadn't played a game since his last season at Berkley; where he badly damaged his knee putting him in crutches for a year and a half. Since graduating he had a firm job as professional sports adviser for the Kings - he was thankful they allowed him to work from home so that he could live in his dream house in New Jersey.

"I haven't played since senior year college, Sharpay." He pulled himself out of her embrace in just enough time to catch Ella-Grace who was jumping onto him. "Hey, princess. You're not playing?"

"Ugh no." Ella sighed "Me bored and want to sleep with daddy picky up."

"Aw now who is this little angel?" Sharpay turned her attention from Troy to Ella, on his hip. Ella whipped her head up from the crest of Troy's shoulder and extended her arm to hit Sharpay, luckily Troy moved back so her little arm couldn't reach the woman standing before them. "Oh do we not like being called angel?"

Ella-Grace's head moved quickly again "NO! AND ME NO BABY!" She shouted. Troy's calmed face turned pink, not with embarrassed but with the pride that his little firecracker just got Sharpay off her case. "Daddy me go play and get away from stinky." She wriggled out his arms and ran the fastest Troy ever saw her do.

"Sorry for that, she's in her own world." His words came out in muffled laughs and Sharpay took them at face value.

"Oh that's ok. It must be hard for her not having a woman around and not being the centre of daddy's attention."

"Wait. No she has a mo..." But Sharpay cut him off.

"Is she the only one or am I graced with more Bolton's to meet today?"

"Urm." Troy wanted to lie quickly to get away from her but the great timing from his little ones said otherwise.

"DADDY!" Madi screamed while Maebh ran behind her "Ella knock our tower down." Troy rolled his eyes and picked both his little girls up.

"Oh so you have identical twins. How nice." Sharpay was epically failing at sounding pleasant. Before she could ask Troy about anymore Ella-Grace reappeared. "Wait, she's the same. So identical triplets?" Troy nodded not wanting to bring up Hetty who was enjoying time alone with Gabi at home. "3 daughters, hm yes. That's fine still room for us to have some..." Sharpay said aloud.

"Wait! Sharpay we are not getting together, for one I have told you since the middle of freshman year nothing will ever happen again." She pouted once more at him "I don't like you!" Her facial expressions weren't changing and Troy knew he'd have to say the big one "I have 12 children!". Now it was Sharpay's turn to be gobsmacked.

"Tw ... Twelve children. Oh my god ... Why would you have 12?"

"Because I wanted 12. Here meet Madi, Maebh and Ella." In the background people were turning to look upon the argument, meanwhile Chad called all the children over. "Cameron, Chad, Anna, Bree, Josh, Logan, Kenna and Freddie say hi to Sharpay."