Hi all, sorry this has taken me a while to update but I'm back now!
Special thanks to my fantastic new beta-reader, LelaofBast who has given me a lot of help with this chapter and did a great job checking it through for me :) Thanks again, hon!
Also, many thanks to all of my reviewers. I hope you like this update and review again! Comments are great :)
I should be getting back to updating at least once a week from now on. Thanks for sticking with me :)
Enjoy!
Chapter 4
Troy stared down at the gasping man who now lay gasping unceremoniously at his feet. The same man who had kidnapped him and now, had lied to him. An insane, sick lie.
"Troy," Eddie began, trying to pull himself to his feet. "You don't understand."
"How dare you say something like that?" Troy demanded, with his fists clenched at his side. He was fuming. "What kind of freak are you?"
"You watch your mouth, boy!" Mikey hissed, suddenly entering the fray and gripping Troy's arm painfully. Troy tried to pull away but the large man was too strong for him. He tightened his hold on Troy, who moaned from the pain.
"That's enough. Let him go, Mikey," Eddie said, carefully.
Mikey glared at him. "The brat just shoved at you! Are you gonna let him get away with that?"
Eddie stood at his full height. Troy saw that he was a good few inches shorter than Mikey. Even so, he radiated authority.
"I said, let him go."
Mikey seemed to think it over for a second before releasing his grip on Troy. The young man backed away, rubbing at his sore arm. When Eddie turned to look at him, Troy saw disappointment and frustration on his face and swallowed nervously.
Eddie was trying to keep the peace. He addressed Troy again.
"If you are willing to listen to me nice and calmly, I will be happy to answer all of your questions."
Troy shook his head. "You can't be my dad. You got that? You've got the wrong guy!"
Eddie looked down. "No, I can promise you that you are mistaken."
Troy's anger surfaced again. He wasn't going to listen to this. They couldn't force him too.
"I don't give a damn what you promise! I know who I am and I know where I came from. My mom is Lucille and my dad is Jack Bolton!"
Eddie turned red. He charged towards Troy and grabbed him by his sweater. Troy was stunned at the sudden change.
"Don't you dare mention Jack Bolton's name to me again. Ever." Eddie released him, taking great efforts to calm himself. He seemed surprised at his own outburst. He glanced across at a smirking Mikey before pointing a stubby finger in Troy's face and telling him, softly, "Have you got that, Boy?"
Troy didn't answer. He was not about to stand there and deny his own father! He was stronger and far too stubborn for that. In fact, probably to stubborn for his own good. Eddie continued to eyeball him until it seemed to dawn on the man that Troy was not going to reply. Finally, he gave in and drew back.
After taking a few more moments to fully compose himself, Eddie smiled cheerfully at Troy.
"Perhaps we did take things too quickly. Huh Mikey?"
Mikey shrugged.
Eddie continued to address the Wildcat. "We'll leave you to your thoughts for now, Troy. We'll talk some more later. Once you've let the news sink in, I'll tell you the whole story. You're a bright kid. I know you'll figure it all out, once you've heard the truth."
Troy stared at him. He had now come to the conclusion that Eddie was out of his mind; a real freak show. As for Mikey, even his mere presence made Troy want to throw up. The guy seriously gave him the creeps. Troy hated them both. He wanted to go home.
"Where's my cellphone?" he asked, quietly.
Eddie frowned. "There's no one for you to call, Troy."
"Is that right? Well, it belongs to me and you took it without asking. That kinda means you stole it. I want it back."
Mikey laughed and stepped forward, now slightly in front of Eddie. "I took your phone Troy. And then - I got rid of it. You won't be needing it where you're going." He gave Troy a sickening grin. "Nice of you to keep it so low in your pocket though, pal. I enjoyed that, thanks." He winked.
Troy trembled. "What do you mean, where..?"
Eddie cleared his throat, interrupting him. "Enough now. Get some rest, Troy. I'll send Mikey up with some dinner for you later. We'll speak some more soon, I promise." He smiled, kindly. "Okay, son?"
Something clicked inside Troy. Perhaps it was how scared he was, or the unfairness of the situation he had found himself in, or simply how damned angry he felt. Troy wasn't sure what, but something made him pick up the glass that was on the table beside him and hurl it at the door, missing Mikey's head by a hair's length. All three occupants of the room jumped when the glass crashed against the wood and smashed into smithereens.
Troy stood, breathing hard, his face flaming.
"Don't you ever call me your son," he said, softly but firmly.
A beat passed as both the men stared from the broken glass at their feet to Troy's flushed face. Mikey recovered first and made to lunge for Troy but was prevented in doing so by Eddie. The older man's face was blank; he merely gazed at the fuming wildcat.
Finally, after a few painstaking moments, Eddie broke the silence.
"Clear up this mess, Troy. And see that you pick up every single piece of glass. And be careful not to cut yourself."
Troy said nothing. He could only glare hatefully at both men.
"Come on Mikey," Eddie muttered and gestured for the other man to leave first. Mikey shot a quick "See you later," to Troy as he left the room. Eddie followed him out, not looking at Troy again. Troy watched him push the door shut and listened out for the turn of the key, and of course, it came.
Troy stared at the locked door. This was really happening. He was a prisoner, and his two captors were psychos.
This was very bad.
XXX
Coach Bolton blew his whistle loudly, clearly showing his annoyance. Chad cringed inwardly, knowing the high pitched sound, and the coach's fury, were aimed directly at him. For him, the practice had been a nightmare. He couldn't take his mind off of Troy. Why was his friend missing? And how could the coach be so unconcerned? He was certain that Mr. Bolton was covering, trying to keep all their minds on the game, but Chad knew that this was serious. He didn't know how, he just knew it was. It was so unlike Troy not to contact him or Gabriella.
"Chad. Earth to Chad! Are you with us?"
Chad blinked. He was suddenly aware that he was stood in the middle of the gym, holding the ball, no longer even attempting to follow the play. The coach was glaring daggers at him and the rest of the team were grouped around, eying him cautiously. The coach stalked up to Chad and wrenched the ball from his hands.
"What the Hell is going on with you Chad? I need you focused. Especially after your best pal decided to do a disappearing act on us! Now, getcha' head..."
Chad didn't let him finish. "Get my head in the game? Coach, what's wrong with me? What's up with you more like!"
The other Wildcats began to mumble between themselves. They were already confused by Troy's unexplained absence, and now Chad's odd behavior was simply creeping them out. Noticing this, Jack grabbed Chad firmly by the arm and yanked him off of the court and away from his team mates' prying ears.
"For Christ's sake Chad! I need you with me on this. We've gotta win this game!"
Chad pulled his arm free. "Coach, will you just forget the game? What about Troy?"
He was speaking loudly, uncaring who heard his words. This needed to be said. The coach looked nervously towards the other players who were ambling nearer, whispering excitedly.
"Will you keep your voice down? Do you want to worry the others?"
Chad was almost beside himself. "Worry about them? Mr Bolton, your son, my best friend, is missing! And all you give a damn about is this stupid game!"
His words stunned Jack into silence. Incensed, Chad didn't let up.
"I know you're pretending everything is fine and I reckon that's to help you through this. I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Coach, you wanna play this game and carry on as normal? That's up to you. I'm gonna go and help find Troy."
With that, Chad turned and marched from the gym, much to the coach's and his team mates astonishment. Jack watched him go, too flabbergasted to speak. Finally, he did what first came into his head and blew his whistle. All the players ran to their positions though their faces displayed their worries. Unable to stop himself, Zeke edged forward.
"Eh, excuse me, Coach? We were kinda surprised Troy isn't here and now Chad -"
Jack stormed up to Zeke, shoving the ball into his arms. "That's enough! I've heard enough of this!" Zeke bowed his head. Jack span round, now addressing all the wildcats. "Troy and Chad are both okay. They'll both be here, in time for the game. But now, we have a practice to get on with and we are two players down. So, I wanna see some focus! Let's get on with this!"
He blew his whistle twice and, without another word, the players silently resumed their practice.
Jack turned towards the exit, his face etched with worry. He pushed his fears away, instead repeating the same sentence, over and over, in his head:
Everything will be fine. Troy will turn up. But for now, the East High Wildcats have a game to win.
XXX
Troy was sat in the corner of his cell, his back to the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He was gently rocking backwards and forwards, his eyes closed. He was trying to calm himself down, fighting against the panic threatening to engulf him. He opened his eyes, forcing back the tears that he so badly wanted to spill. He wouldn't though, couldn't give those two bastards the satisfaction. He had picked up the shards of glass, just as he had been told too and placed them on the table. He had decided he didn't want to anger either man purposefully. He was glad they were leaving him alone to think. He had to use that time somehow, to try and find a way out of this. His mom and dad must be worried about him, searching for him, along with Gabriella and all of his friends. And they had to find him eventually, right?
Troy banged his head against the wall in frustration. He felt useless. How could that man think that Troy was his? It just could not be possible. Troy knew who he was, where he belonged. He had to keep that in his mind, whatever he was told.
At that time, he was actually more bothered by one small thing Mikey had let slip, probably by mistake. Just what exactly did the Jerk off mean by the sentence 'where he was going?' Where was he going? They wouldn't actually take him away, would they? If that guy Eddie really believed that Troy was his son, what if he did want to take him away? Away from his family and his friends? And from Gabriella?
Gabriella.
He stared up at the window, trying to work out what time it was. A couple of hours had certainly passed since they had left him by himself. He glanced at his wrist, wondering if anyone had found his watch. He doubted it. Did they even care?
He thumped the wall in his anger. He shouldn't be here. He should be at school, goofing off with his friends, being with Gabriella, getting ready for the big game. This was so screwed up. He pictured her face, her laugh, her smile. He tried to imagine her hand in his. If she were there, she would be telling him to 'hold on' and to 'be strong.' He grimaced as his thoughts turned to their row last night, and he hoped she had forgiven him. Was she looking for him? Did she miss him as much as he missed her?
Jumping in surprise, Troy's attention was suddenly brought back to the present as the heavy door slowly creaked open. Troy edged himself up slowly, still leaning against the wall. He held his breath. Whatever they said, whatever they did, he wouldn't believe the lies. He would concentrate on the people he loved and wanted to get back to. He would not betray his fear. He would win this, whatever it took.
Mikey walked in to the room, humming happily, carrying a large tray with a plate of food and a plastic cup. The smirking man regarded the scowling Troy.
"We got off on the wrong foot there. Don't you reckon, Troy boy?"
He set the plate down and grinned. "You hungry?"
Troy didn't answer. Mikey chuckled. The noise made Troy flinch.
"Well, that's too bad," Mikey added pleasantly. "I know I am."
Troy felt any remaining color he had left slowly drain away.
Mikey licked his lips.
TBC
Sorry, bit of a cliffhanger! Next time: Added danger for Troy as he finds out more about his kidnappers and Gabriella and Chad decide to team up to help him.