Sorry for the delay again guys. Life has been giving it to me, and I haven't had time to update like I want to. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and adds…it makes me feel really good. I will try my best to limit the mistakes; I think I've done pretty well so far. Anywho…here we go.
What's Next
Troy and Taylor were in the gym later on that evening shooting around. Both were really quiet and slightly embarrassed that they willingly made out in front of their counselor. Troy mentally decided that he wouldn't tire Taylor out today in practice because they both had a lot to think about. After their impromptu make out session, Ms. Peterson put them out of her office -politely of course- and told them both she didn't want to see them until next week, and they had better be ready to talk about their feelings the same way they had expressed them so eloquently today.
Troy passed Taylor the ball, which she stood in place and dribbled for sometime.
"Alright Tay, spill it" said Troy.
"Huh…what are you talking about?" she questioned shooting the ball. It went through the hoop where Troy caught it. They continued this process, while Troy continued to probe Taylor.
"It's obvious you have something on your mind" he said quietly, "so spill".
"I'm just thinking about us and what happened today" she said quietly shooting the ball.
"And…" said Troy cautiously looking at Taylor.
"I'm…just thinking" said Taylor, while holding the ball in her hand.
"You're making me nervous. Are you regretting what happened?" asked Troy rubbing the back of his head.
"I don't regret anything. It's what I've wanted for so long" said Taylor quietly, "It's just that I told Chad this weekend I wasn't ready for a relationship and today I fall head first into one" she said shaking her head.
Troy walked up to her and lifted her chin; looking into her eyes sincerely, "Tay maybe you weren't ready to be in a relationship with Chad, but you're definitely ready to be in one with me" he said.
"How can you be so sure? I'm not entirely sure myself?" she asked him quietly looking into his eyes.
"The way you looked at me and kissed me today definitely reassures me that you are ready for this…ready for us" said Troy quietly. He rubbed his thumb gently across her bottom lip and kissed her forehead, "We belong together McKessie…don't fight it."
Standing on her toes she kissed him softly. Troy wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss and knocking the basketball out of her hands in the process. This kiss was much more intense and passionate than the one earlier. Taylor felt he body get weak, literally, within Troy's embrace. As Taylor pulled away to catch some much needed air, she felt Troy bite down on her lip ever so lightly.
"Okay" she said out of breath, "you're right". She pulled out of Troy's embrace and stepped back, "but I'm still unsure about other things" she said quietly.
"What other things?" questioned Troy as he raised his eyebrow at her. Taylor turned away because she was going to lose focus if she kept looking at him, 'Why does he have to be so damn cute?' she thought.
"I don't know…" she started, "I don't like this so called adoption, don't get me wrong I'm grateful for the Danforths, but it's still weird, ya know" she said.
"That's understandable, but you're not going through it alone…not now anyway" said Troy smirking while walking in front of Taylor and intertwining his fingers with hers.
She blushed slightly, "That's true but what about all this attention I've been getting lately…I'm not use to it" she said seriously, "It's crazy".
"Well Tay you're an athlete now, a great one by the way, and the girls are undefeated. That brings attention from people you're not even gonna know and more attention from the people you do know, but that's to be expected" he said seriously.
It was true; people Taylor didn't recognize were always walking up to her and giving her their greetings. To say it made her uncomfortable was an understatement.
"Tay you're a really great basketball player, not only that but you're smart as hell, and than you're very, very sexy" said Troy licking his lips and looking her up and down, causing her to blush even harder. "You should get use to the attention Tay because it's not going anywhere, anytime soon" he said plainly.
"That's just it Troy, with all the stuff going on in my personal life…attention is the last thing I need. My parents are M.I.A., I'm getting adopted" she said throwing her hands up in the air, "I'm starting a new relationship with a boy I've been crushing on since seventh grade, I just rejected one of my other best friends, our parents are having a baby…which is gonna be our sibling and we're dating" she said pointing between herself and Troy and looking thoroughly disgusted, "and to top it all of I have school work, basketball games, and a therapist to see…I don't need attention Troy, I need peace" said Taylor breathing heavily.
Troy walked up to her and placed his arms around her, "You know you are right, you're going through a lot, but the most important thing you said is that we're dating…which means you're not going through this alone. Most of the stuff you're dealing with, I'm dealing with it too. We can find peace in one another if we just work at it" said Troy quietly pulling her into him so that her head lay on his shoulder.
"I understand…you don't want any extra attention, I get it" he said quietly rubbing her back.
"But like you said, it's gonna happen anyway, especially when people find out we're dating" she said clutching onto his jersey.
"Nobody has to know about that if you don't want them to…that will take away some of the stress. People don't need to know our personal business…I mean nobody, not even our friends" said Troy quietly. "We can date and be happy with one another without people talking about us and wandering what we're doing".
"Do you think that's the best course of action?" she said fighting the tears that felt like they were about to come, "I mean as much as I want privacy, I also want to shout from the rooftops that I'm actually dating you and that I love you" she said quietly.
"So what should we do Tay, either keep our relationship a secret from everyone or blast it to the world, and have everyone in our business" said Troy looking at his beautiful girlfriend, "Because honestly I can handle either way…but I want to know what's best for you and what you want" he said.
"Why what's best for me?" she asked softly.
"Because what's best for you is ultimately what's best for me, so what do you think we should do? The best course of action" said Troy softly.
Taylor looked around thoughtfully, she was working in her mind the best case scenario on how to be with Troy and feel completely free with him. What did she value more, people knowing that the most popular boy in school picked her, or actually just being with him?
"I think we should keep it a secret as long as possible" she said finally, "I just want to be with you, be free with you, and not have anything else on my mind but you when we're together…even when we're not together physically I just want to have you on my mind…I feel like you and our relationship will give me peace".
"So it's settled then, we keep our relationship private…in essence a secret" said Troy. Taylor shook her head in agreement.
"I think I'm gonna like this. Secret dates, private meetings, and we can make up our own language too" laughed Troy.
"You make it sound like a covert operation for the FBI" giggled Taylor.
"Well…it's definitely my mission to make you love me more and more each day" said Troy squeezing Taylor and kissing the top of her forehead.
"You already have my heart Troy Bolton" whispered Taylor.
"I think there's still some more room for it to grow…like you said earlier it's partially broken and I'm here to mend it" he whispered back. He bent down and caught her lips into his and for the third time that day they were making out.
After a few minutes Troy broke away from Taylor, "How about you call Mr. Danforth and tell him I will drop you off home tonight…that way I can kiss you good night" smiled Troy.
"Alright, I don't think we're gonna get much practicing done tonight anyway" smiled Taylor.
"Yeah I doubt it" said Troy as Taylor turned to walk towards the girl's locker room to get her cell phone. He watched her walk until she disappeared behind the double doors. He felt as if his chest was about to explode and burst into flames from the happiness. He took the basketball from the ground and began shooting jump shots. Since every shot went in, he attributed his success to the joy Taylor had bought back into his life. Nothing could bring him down from his natural high.
"Looks like you've gotten better Troy" he heard from behind him.
Troy turned around suddenly, and immediately had a shocked expression on his face. Standing right in front of his very eyes was his mother.
"Your form has gotten better on your shot this season…you've must have put in extra hours in the gym" said his mother desperately trying to lessen the tension she knew would be there when she came today.
Troy didn't answer her; he just took in her appearance. She looked well kept and her stomach had grown considerably big. By the look of things he guessed she was six or seven months pregnant. And she definitely had a "motherly glow", even though fear and hesitation was etched across her face at the current moment.
"What are you doing here?" questioned Troy quietly, finally breaking the tangible silence in the gym.
"I'm here to see how you are and to talk to your father" she said quietly. Troy just noticed the packaged envelope under his mother's arm. It became quite apparent that she was there to hand her father the divorce papers…not to see him. At that moment Taylor made her way into the gym and stopped dead in her tracks once the realization of who was there in front of her clicked in; she droped her gym bag in the process of her realization and obvious shock. Her eyes immediately went to Lucille's stomach, and she felt her own stomach flip in pain at what she knew was growing inside of that woman.
Troy's mom turned around at the sound of the noise, "Oh…Taylor I didn't know you were here. I should have known, the way you've been playing for the Lady Wildcats" she said gently. Taylor just stared at her as if she were speaking in another language.
"How do you know she plays for the girl's team" said Troy aggressively, causing his mother to turn and look at him.
"Well…your games are televised, and Kevin purchased the high school channel so we can watch them every Friday night" she said looking between Troy and Taylor, "you honestly don't think we check up on you guys…do you" she rushed out.
Troy noticed the disgusted look on Taylor's face and he took that as his cue for them to leave, "C'mon Taylor it's time to go" he said brushing past his mother. He picked up Taylor's bag off the floor and was leading Taylor out of the gym by her hand, Taylor followed him without hesitation.
"Troy!" yelled out his mother, stopping him cold, "I honestly wanted to see you and see how you were doing…I miss you…we both miss our children".
Taylor turned around to say something but Troy squeezed her had, "My dad is in his office" was his only reply as he pushed through the double doors, with Taylor at his heels. He and Taylor walked to the car quietly as the both were trying to grapple with what transpired. Troy walked to the passenger side, and opened up the door for Taylor to get in; she sat down immediately as Troy closed the door and put her bag into the back seat. He walked to the driver's side and sat down, but didn't put the keys into the ignition.
"Troy" whispered Taylor.
"Yeah" he replied back softly.
"What's going on in the brain of yours?" she asked quietly.
He sighed heavily and took Taylor's hand into his, "I'm thinking that my parents are getting divorced, and it sucks. I'm thinking that my mom is pregnant by another man and that sucks, and as much as I want to shout and yell…I just couldn't do it. For the first time I realized that I have no control over what they do, so why should I even care. It's like I'm just so sick of caring so why should I?" said Troy.
Taylor sat quietly; she really didn't know how to respond. Seeing Troy's mother today bought her out of the fairy tale she was in and straight back to reality. She remembered all the reasons why she and Troy should still be angry with one another, but like he said they had no control over things. The best thing for them to do was to concentrate on their relationship and trying to keep one another happy in the worst situation possible.
"Tay…what do you think about the baby…you know the one she's having?" asked Troy.
"Most days I'm angry about the baby" said Taylor truthfully, "I always wanted a little sibling but not like this, you know. Than sometimes I think how cool it will be to have a little person around and than I remind myself that my dad cheated and that's the only reason I even have the possibility of having a little brother or sister" said Taylor.
"Yeah I know what you mean, like I don't want to have anything to do with my mom or your dad but I still want to have a relationship with the kid…is that weird?" asked Troy.
"Naw…I think it's called being human. Who knows maybe this baby is the key to us finally forgiving them" said Taylor shrugging her shoulders.
"Yeah…maybe" said Troy as he put his key into the ignition and bought the car to life.
"Danforth is gonna trip, I told him we would be right on our way. He's probably gonna be on the porch waiting for me to get home" said Taylor.
"Well let me get my kiss now before we reach your house" said Troy leaning in. Taylor kissed him softly on the lips and he responded in the same manner. "Troy" called out Taylor in between each kiss, "I have to go or I will definitely be grounded" said Taylor.
Troy grunted in frustration, "Fine" he said pouting out his bottom lip.
"Look I'll call you tonight once I get my homework done" said Taylor.
"You better, how else are we suppose to work on covert operation TTF" said Troy.
"TTF…what the hell is that" smiled Taylor.
"Troy and Taylor Forever, sheesh McKessie, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one" laughed Troy, as Taylor playfully hit him.
True to her word Mr. Danforth was on the porch waiting for her while reading a paper. Troy squeezed her hand tightly and made her promise again that she would call before she went to bed. She hopped out the car quickly and grabbed her bag out the back seat; Troy took off as soon as she closed the door. She made her way up to the porch to see the look on Mr. Danforth's face she accompanied with concern and seriousness.
"What took you so long to get home Taylor?" asked Mr. Danforth seriously.
"Sorry…unexpected events" said Taylor.
"Like what?" asked Mr. Danforth looking curious.
"Well for starters…Troy's mom showed up at the gym today, needless to say it took the both of us by surprise" said Taylor setting her bag on the porch.
Mr. Danforth sucked on his teeth in annoyance, "She's not supposed to see either one of you unless she contacts Jack or myself" he said.
"I honestly don't think she was there to see Troy, and definitely not me. She had an envelope in her hand…I'm guessing she was there to see Coach Bolton to get him to sign the divorce papers" said Taylor looking down at her sneakers.
"Hum…how does Troy feel about that?" he asked quietly.
"I think he's becoming numb to the whole situation, or at least his trying to appear that way, but I know he's really upset about the whole divorce and pregnancy thing" said Taylor quietly.
"Are you becoming the same way?" said Mr. Danforth looking up at her.
Taylor shrugged her shoulders, "I honestly don't know. I could see myself getting to that point…you know not being able to feel, so I couldn't feel the pain, but if I do that than I wouldn't be able to feel the good stuff either" she said looking at Mr. Danforth.
"Well try your best not to become a numb person…it wouldn't bode well for you in the end…and try your best to persuade Troy not to become that way either" said Mr. Danforth. Taylor knew that it wouldn't be a problem to persuade Troy in the right direction…but she was unsure of what the right direction would be herself.
"The Mrs. and I talked to the social worker today about the adoption" said Mr. Danforth breaking Taylor out of her private thoughts, "we filled out the paper work and everything should go as planned at least from your mother's stand point" he said quietly.
Taylor looked at him blankly; she really didn't know how to respond. She still felt a bang in her heart when it was mentioned that her mother really didn't want her. "We might have some problems with your dad" said Mr. Danforth.
"He's not my father anymore…he walked out…so he really shouldn't have a say" said Taylor slightly angered.
"I wish it were that easy baby girl, but by all legal rights he still is your legal guardian and he could hold this thing up in court for sometime. I'm gonna try to convince him to sign the papers this week, but I know it's going to be a struggle because he's already hollering about his parental rights, and the right of visitation" said Mr. Danforth annoyed.
Taylor was starting to fume, why couldn't he let go…he did it before, why couldn't he do it now, "Let me guess…my mother signed the papers already and my dad doesn't want to let me go as easily as she did" said Taylor.
Mr. Danforth shook his head yes in a very uncomfortable way. He knew that the truth was hurting her but it was better for her to know what was going on than to blatantly lie to her face and have her find out later. Taylor rolled her eyes in annoyance as she felt the tears starting to rise, "I have a lot of homework to do Mr. Danforth, I should hop to it" she said quietly.
Taylor walked towards the door but felt Mr. Danforth pull her into an hug, "This will be all over soon and you will be able to move on" he said quietly.
"I know…and thanks" said Taylor pulling away. She gave him a half smirk letting him know that she would be fine and for him not to worry. She turned around to walk in the house and was greeted by Mrs. Danforth telling her to come eat, "I swear girl you have to much stuff to do during the day not to be eating" started Mrs. Danforth. Taylor chuckled slightly at how easily it was for her to be apart of their family, Mrs. Danforth was starting to nag at her like she did her sons. And in that instant she knew that this was where she belonged, even if her parents were behaving like supreme dicks, she had a hope for the future, with Troy and her new family to get her through.
Back at East High (Coach Bolton's Office)
Lucille was staring at her soon to be ex husband peruse the divorce papers she had just handed to him. Meeting her son not to long ago had been an epic failure and she was hoping to get through this exchange without to much excitement. She rubbed her stomach as she felt her unborn son kick her insides in to a pulp, 'Calm down little fella…we're almost home to daddy' she thought to herself.
"Can you stop that?" said Jack aggressively. Lucille looked at him with a confused expression, "Stop rubbing your stomach…you don't have to push that in my face" he said nodding his head towards her stomach.
"Jack…I wasn't…" she trailed off when she seen his expression. It's better to not argue for the sake of moving on. She and Kevin wanted to get married as soon as possible, they wanted their son to have two parents that are married and for their son to know love, and they couldn't do that with their old life not taken care off.
Jack went back to looking through the divorce papers in grave detail. He couldn't believe she drafted the papers up so quickly, but than he realized that Kevin had connections with people in high places and he shouldn't be surprised. "So you don't want any alimony…that's good because you wouldn't have gotten much from me" said Jack not looking at her.
"Actually, I wanted to give you the alimony for Troy…and I want visitation rights with him also" she said quietly.
Jack stared at her in disbelief, "I don't want any money from you…I just want you out of my life for good, that and I want you out of Troy's life also" he said seriously.
"He's my son too Jack and the money isn't for you it's for Troy" she said quietly.
"I'm sorry but you're under the impression that you have some say to my son…you lost those rights the night you walked out on this family, than you had the nerve to go and start a new one" said Jack pissed.
"He's our son Jack!" she screamed. "No matter how much you hate me, he still is my boy! I have a right to see him, I only stayed away because I knew you were angry and I knew he was angry but he is my son and the only time I even get to see him is during a basketball game that I have to watch from a television set" she said just as angrily.
"Well blame your self for that Lucille!" yelled Jack. "Remember…you're tired of pretending to be in love with me or him" said Jack choking up slightly. He looked away from her as he tried to hold himself together, "I'm not liking the stipulations of this divorce, maybe you can draw up a new one and we can see eye to eye than" he said quietly handing Lucille back the document.
Lucille stared at the paper and shook her head no, "It's the only one I'm willing to offer…he's my son and I have a right to see him, and we both know the court will agree. I don't want to drag this out inside of a court room" she said quietly.
"If that's what you want to do than so be it, but once the lawyers get done with you I will have full custody of Troy and you will never get to see him. You'll look like the tramp of the year in court…so bring it" said Jack dismissively.
She looked at Jack slightly confused, "I'm not looking for partial custody. The documents say that all parental rights belong to you Jack, along with the alimony…I just want to see my son at least once every couple of months…that's all I'm asking. That's all Kevin and I want, we just want to see Troy and Taylor for a weekend every two months. I don't think that's asking a lot…I think that's reasonable" she said quietly.
Jack stared at his ex, even though he tried his best to stay angry with her he couldn't. Just one look at the desperation on her face and he knew he was going to cave in to her demands. He was just so hurt by her actions, and he wanted her to suffer too, but Troy isn't a pawn in a hostage negotiation. She was right, he belongs to the both of them, and it was unfair to keep Troy away from her.
"Jack I know I hurt you beyond belief, and I know it will be sometime before you or Troy will ever forgive me…but that's what I'm asking for…forgiveness. Not today, or next week, or even in the next year, but one day I hope that the both of you will forgive me. It would mean the world to me…I want Troy in my life, I need him" she said quietly, "How about I let you keep the papers and you can go through them, and I'll try my best to draw up another set of divorce papers" she said quietly as she got up to go.
"Lucille" said Jack quietly. He worked his way to the last page and signed his name…it was done, he was officially divorced. "I will work on Troy. He's not going to want to spend any time with you, especially if Kevin is there" he said warningly, "but I will try none the less" he said handing the papers too her.
"Thank you" she said barely above a whisper, while grabbing the papers, "you have no idea how much this means".
"I think I do" he said, "Now can you please leave…I've got to get home" he said.
She shook her head in understanding as she turned to leave. Jack watched her walk out of his office and disappeared beyond the corner; he looked down at his fingers and did what he was regretting to do since the moment Lucille left all those months ago. He took of his wedding band and stared at it, "I guess it's really time to move on and see what's next" he said dropping the ring in his top desk drawer.
Jack got up and grabbed his suit case and started to head home. Even though he tried to hold it together, he let the tears slip out of his eyes on the drive home. He felt like a complete and utter failure, the only woman he ever loved left him for another man. No matter how you tried to spin things and look at the positives, it still hurt like hell. He continued to silently cry as he pulled up to his driveway, he noticed Troy's truck parked in the garage and his son's bedroom light on, as well as the kitchen in the living room. "Damn it, this boy has my house lit up like a Christmas tree…I guess that alimony would come in handy".
He walked into the house and straight towards the kitchen. He saw a sandwich, a bag of chips and a six pack of beer being cooled on ice lying out on the granite counter, with a note. "Dad I know it was a hard day, I saw her and I know why she was there, just enjoy this meal and relax watching a game. I've showered, eaten, and I'm doing my homework…so relax. I love you…Troy" said Jack as he read out the letter.
Jack smiled in spite of feeling like dung; he picked up the items, went into the living room, turned on the game and did exactly what his son instructed him to do.
Three weeks went by quickly; Troy had gotten use to his parent's relationship not working out and Taylor had gotten use to the idea of adoption. Every day she felt more and more apart of the Danforth family…she was seriously considering changing her last name from McKessie to Danforth. But more importantly than all of this Troy had gotten use the fact that Taylor was his and Taylor had gotten use to the fact that Troy was hers. Keeping their relationship a secret was a lot of work on both of their parts, but when they got time to spend alone together it was definitely worth it. One of those alone moments was right now…Troy found him self in Taylor's room, in her bed in the midst of one of the heaviest make out sessions they had ever had.
Troy had taken to coming to Taylor's room the last week at one in the morning and sneaking in. Since she was on the first floor it really wasn't that hard to climb into her window. Most nights by the time Troy gotten there, Taylor was fast asleep and he was just climb into bed, wrap his arms around her, kiss her cheek and doze off watching her sleep. Her alarm would go off a half hour earlier than it needed to, and he would sneak back out and make his way home, both of them giving each other a good morning kiss before he ran off. But when he came in that early morning, Taylor was wide awake and she gave him this look that he knew meant to kiss her and kiss her fast.
Before they knew it, both of them where half naked on the bed having a serious make out session. Taylor broke away from Troy as she gasped for some air, she felt Troy placing small kisses all around her neck while his hand caressed her breast softly. Eventually his mouth made its way to her breast and he hungrily sucked on her left one, while his hand caressed the right one. Taylor let out a low groan, that immediately sent Troy's member going rock hard, which Taylor felt rub up against her thigh. Taylor felt Troy lowering himself down her body some more, and she knew if she didn't put an end to this particular session they would end up going all the way.
"Troy" she whispered out as she tapped his shoulder, "we need to stop".
Troy heard her but refused to oblige, he had kissed his way down to her most sensitive region and he hadn't planned on stopping until both of them had received some much needed pleasure. Troy began to slide her panties off, as he did he blew softly around her area which made Taylor gasp aloud, "Tr…Troy I mean it" stuttered out Taylor.
"Tay just relax" as he finally released her of her undergarment, "let me please you…this is as far as I will go…I promise" he said spreading her legs slightly. Before she could respond she felt his tongue in her area and all protest abandoned her mind and mouth as she softly moaned her agreement. Troy continued to please Taylor and himself for sometime. Once he knew for certain she was satisfied and had reached her ultimate peak several times, he finally allowed himself to explode in passion.
Breathlessly he fell on the other side her and swoop her up against his body; tightly holding on to her, "See I told you we weren't gonna go farther than that" he said smiling down at her. Taylor looked up at him as she was still trying to catch her breath, "I know…I was just nervous that we wouldn't be able to control ourselves and slow down" she said quietly looking into his eyes.
He shook his head in understanding, "Tay I will never pressure you until I know for certain you are ready to go beyond to the next step. I know what you can handle and what you can't" he said smugly laughing.
Taylor hit him in his chest, "Troy Bolton" she said acting shocked.
"What…it's the truth…I know you McKessie" he said. Taylor slightly annoyed turned away from him and looked at the wall, "You think you know me so well do you" she said.
"Yes I do" he said pulling her back to him, "Your beautiful eyes tell me everything I need to know about you at any given moment…it's like I can read you like a book…your eyes are the mirror to your soul" he said quietly. She turned her face to look up at him, "And what are my eyes saying now" she asked quietly.
"They are saying to me that you love the fact that I know you so well but you're also afraid. Afraid of me breaking your heart…and I've told you a thousand times I will never ever do that" he said emphatically. "You have to trust me completely Tay, I'm not gonna hurt you" he said. Taylor turned her body back to face Troy, she looked into his eyes lovingly, "I love you Troy" she said so softly it was barely audible.
"I love you too babe" he said bending down slightly to kiss her softly on the lips. "When we're ready, we'll both know. Now let's get some sleep we still have to go to school tomorrow" he said hugging her tightly and kissing her neck, "Tay you are just so soft…it makes me have happy warm feelings inside" he said smiling slightly.
"Shhh boy, before someone hears you" she said smiling.
He giggled like a school boy, "I can't help it, you make me happy" he said softly. They kissed one more time before they both decided it was time for sleep. Troy always made sure Taylor was sleep before he dozed off himself. He finally got into a deep slumber when he heard his phone vibrate on the floor, "You've got to be kidding me" he said breathing heavily.
He pulled Taylor away from him as she groaned slightly from the change in position. He reached down and grabbed his phone out of his pocket, noticing on the caller i.d. that it was his dad. "Shit!" he said out loud as he opened the phone to answer it.
"Hello" he said.
"Troy! Where the hell are you!" bellowed his father into the phone. Jack was so loud that Troy had to remove the phone from his ear, and it woke Taylor up as she sat up and looked at Troy with confusion on her face.
"Dad I'm out walking…I couldn't get to sleep so I just went for a light jog and walk around the park" said Troy hoping his father would buy it. Realization crossed Taylor's face and confusion was replaced by certain fear. Troy got up and started to pace as he listened to his father continue to yell at him.
"What the hell Troy! You don't just leave in the middle of the night without telling someone!" screamed his father.
"I know dad, but I had a lot of stuff on my mind, and I figured I could get to sleep a little better is I just walked around" he stated. Troy was trying to make sure his dad heard him but also be quiet enough so as not to wake the Danforths. Taylor sat in bed looking up at Troy praying that he could get himself out of this one, if not than it was a possibility that both of them were going to be busted.
"Troy get you ass home now! Gabriella and her mother are here!" he screamed into the phone.
"What?! Why are they there dad?" said Troy a little loudly than he meant to. Taylor gave him the shhh sign as Troy began to put on his clothing.
"Because boy, there house just burned up into complete smoke. The fire was ridiculous, and they didn't know who else to call. I mean Troy they lost everything; there is nothing that's salvageable. I came to wake you up so we could go get them and your bed was empty" said his father exasperated. "Oh…wait a minute…I see a cop car, the officer must have drove them hear. Just get your ass home ASAP, and I'll deal with your punishment later. You understand!" yelled his father.
"Yes sir…I do" said Troy hanging up the phone with a shocked expression on his face.
"Troy what happened?" asked Taylor frightened.
"Gabriella…her house burned down" said Troy looking concerned. "Tay I gotta go, because the cops dropped them off at my place" he said rushed.
"Okay…maybe I should come with you" said Taylor.
"I don't think that's such a good idea" said Troy. "Remember I just told my dad I was out walking, it would look suspicious if I showed up at the house with you" he explained when Taylor looked aghast.
"You're right" she said getting out of bed and rushing over to him as he headed for the window. "Just call me as soon as you can, I'm worried about her…and you" she said as he opened the window.
"Don't worry. I promise I will call, and I have a plan…just roll with whatever may happen…okay" he said looking at her. She shook her head in agreement and helped him out of the window.
Before lowering him self he gave Taylor a passionate kiss, "till later my love" he whispered.
"Till later" she replied back.
Taylor watched as Troy ran away from the house. After she was assured that he was well on his way, she went to her bed and climbed in. Afraid for Troy and Gabriella she couldn't will herself to go back to sleep so she turned on the television and let it watch her, millions of thoughts running through her mind. What was this plan that Troy was talking about? And how in the world did Gabriella's home burn up in the first place? Where did Gabriella and her mom plan on staying for the long run? She knew the answers would come sooner than later but she had a hard time waiting.
Troy ran with such quickness that he amazed himself when he reached his house in less than ten minutes. It was at least a twenty minute walk from his place to the Danforths. He opened the door with force and ran into the living room where he saw his dad, Ms. Montez, and Gabriella sitting down.
"Troy!" yelled Gabriella as she got up and flung her hands around him. "Gaby, are you okay?" questioned Troy concernedly. He pulled her away to take in her appearance. She smelled strongly of smoke, and her hair was all disheveled. He saw smudges of what he guessed to be ash all over her arms and face, but he didn't see any burns.
"I'm fine…my mom and I are fine, we barely got out. If it weren't for the smoke detectors, who knows what would have happened to us" chocked up Gabriella. He saw Ms. Montez start to cry heavily and his father trying to console her, "I'm sorry Jack…I just don't know what to do" cried Ms. Montez through her tears.
"You have nothing to apologize for, we're both just thankful you're okay" said Troy's father. "Troy go find some clothing for Gabriella so she can shower up, after that go get the guest bedroom together; new sheets, blankets, and pillowcases" said Jack. "Rosa you can stay here as long as you like, there's not any hurry or rush okay…let's just get through the night and we'll figure everything out later" he said. "Now I know Lucille left some pajamas here, would you like those" asked Jack.
"That would be awesome" sniffled out Ms. Montez. "Thanks for everything Jack…I don't know where we would be if it weren't for you and Troy".
"No worries" said Jack, "Troy…hop to it" said his father sternly. Troy knew he was still in a lot of trouble just by his father's tone.
"C'mon Gaby, let's get you washed up and settled" said Troy. He went upstairs and gave her a pair of his pajama pants and a tank top. "You know where the bathroom is Gaby…just take your time and calm down, you're safe now".
Gabriella was walking around Troy's room with her arms wrapped around her body. She was rubbing her hands up and down her arms in hopes of trying to calm herself down, she was still very shaken up and it was very visable to Troy. "I'm just so afrad" she started, "We lost everything, my mom and I have nothing left" she said choking up slightly. She looked at Troy with such broken eyes, that he felt his heart strings start to pull.
He walked over to Gabriella and enveloped her into a hug. "Gaby you're missing the point here, you made it out of that house with your life, you and your mom. That's what's most important, things can be replaced but people can't. Plus my dad said you guys are staying here as long as you can…so stop worrying, it will get better…I promise" he said giving her a strong squeeze. Gabriella broke down in his arms, he knew that she was emotionally spent and was having a hard time dealing with the lost of her home and quite frankly almost dying.
"Look Gabs, go get cleaned up, while I set your room together. Than I'm gonna make you a nice cup of tea to calm your nerves…okay" said Troy looking down at her.
"Yeah…okay" she whispered. She gathered the clothes he gave her and made her way into his bathroom to clean all the dirt and soot off of her. Troy took off to the guest room and started to change the sheets like his father commanded of him. He knew he was gonna be grounded, which was gonna suck royally because he and Taylor had just got the hang of sneaking around so no one knew about them. "Oh my goodness…Taylor" he said out loud. Troy pulled his phone out and dialed the number that had become so familiar to him.
He let it ring for a few seconds, than he heard the voice that always bought a smile to his face, "Troy" said Taylor quietly, "I was beginning to worry…what happened?".
"I'm okay baby…Gaby and her mom are staying here, and they are both shaken up pretty badly, but they had no injuries. It looks like the both of them will be staying here for sometime" said Troy.
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God she's okay" she said. "What about you?"
"Well…I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be grounded. He wasn't too happy when I walked through the door" said Troy quietly, while making up the bed in the guest room.
"Oh no" sighed Taylor, "what are we gonna do now?"
"I don't know, but I'll figure out something…so don't worry, okay" he said strongly.
"Okay" whispered Taylor.
"Tay I'm gonna call Chad and tell him what happen, so act surprised when he comes to wake you up, alright" said Troy rushing.
"Alright…I'll see if we can come over tonight, but I'm gonna half to ask my dad first" said Taylor.
"Tay!...You said dad" smiled Troy. "You called Mr. Danforth your dad" he said excitedly.
Taylor thought about what she just said, and it dawned on her that she actually did just call him her father, "Well he is like my dad…I told you I was thinking about changing my last name any way" she said quietly.
"Ah my love…Ms. Peterson would call that progress" he laughed.
"Yeah I guess you can say that's progress" she whispered smiling into the phone.
"Alright babe, I'm about to call Chad…hopefully I can see you later on…but if not, I love you will all my heart" said Troy.
"I love you too Troy. I will talk to you later" she said softly.
"Okay…till later my love" he said softly.
"Until later" she whispered and hung up the phone.
Troy immediately looked through his contacts and called Chad, waking the bushy haired teen up, "Damn it Bolton this better be important" said Chad angrily.
"It is Chad, there's been an accident" said Troy. He heard him sit up immediately in his bed, "What happened man?" rushed out Chad.
"Well…Gabriella's house caught on fire this evening and they lost everything. I mean everything…there at my place right now. I just wanted to let you know, and you can tell your parents and Taylor what's going on" rushed out Troy. "I have to go right now, but give me a call if you guys think your coming over soon" said Troy.
"Okay man…I'll let you know" said Chad. His mouth was hanging open in shock, he couldn't believe that this was happening to Gabriella. Chad hopped out of bed and ran to his parents door where he cautiously knocked on the door. It took a few minutes but his mom opened the door looking throughly annoyed, "What is it Chad…this time of morning?"
"Sorry mom but…" started Chad. He told his mother everything and she proceeded to wake his father up and tell him the news too. His father got on the phone immediately and called Coach Bolton for confirmation, while his mother watched from her bed. Chad ran downstairs and knocked on Taylor's door, hoping he wasn't disturbing her.
"Taylor" he said softly as he opened the door, but he was surprised to see Taylor sitting up watching t.v. in her pajamas.
"Chad" she said surprised, "What are you doing up?" she asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing?" he questioned walking into her room.
"I couldn't sleep…so I was watching a Living Single marathon…what about you?" she said raising one eye in suspicion. Taylor knew she was playing her part to the tee, just as Troy had instructed her to do. Although she was rightfully concerned about Gabriella, she still had to cover her tracks about Troy being with her that night. Lord knows if Danforth Sr. were to find out, she would be in a world of trouble.
"Well I just got some disturbing news Tay…" started out Chad. He recounted to Taylor what he just told his parents, and Taylor pretended to be surprised and concerned as if this was the first time she heard what had happened to Gabriella and her mom.
"Chad we have to see her and find out what's going on" stated Taylor concernedly.
"Yeah I know, my dad is upstairs on the phone with Coach Bolton now…maybe we can make our way over there tonight" said Chad. They both heard movement on the stairs and Chad knew it to be his dad. Mr. Danforth walked into Taylor's room to tell them the new details.
"Hey kids" breathed Mr. Danforth.
"Hey" they both responded quietly.
"Well I guess Chad told you Taylor" said Mr. Danforth quietly.
"Yes sir…I'm really concerned…I…well we were wandering if we could go and see Gabriella" said Taylor nodding between her and Chad.
"Yeah in the morning, but right now Rosa and Gabriella need to rest. They've had a traumatic evening and we wouldn't be doing them a favor by barging in and demanding to see them. Gabriella is okay and so is her mom. We will go over tomorrow and figure this thing out…you guys will probably miss school, but I feel as though it's for an important reason…okay".
Taylor sighed heavily as well as Chad, "Alright you two lets get back to bed, and than we can be on our way tomorrow" said Mr. Danforth from the doorway. Chad got up immediately and walked out, making his way back upstairs, "You alright girl?" asked Mr. Danforth.
"Yeah I'm alright, just worried about Gaby is all" she said quietly.
"She's okay…I promise, she's fine. Plus the Bolton men are handling everything for now" said Mr. Danforth, "Cut that television off and get some rest…okay" he said about to close the door.
"Mr. Danforth" called out Taylor.
"Yeah baby girl" he said looking back into the room.
"You think it would be okay if…if…I changed my last name from McKessie to Danforth" asked Taylor a little unsure not really looking at the older man.
He couldn't mask the shock on his face, "Of course you can…if that's really what you want" he said quietly.
"Yeah…that's what I want. I'm ready to move on and I just want things to be completely different from what my past was" she said quietly.
He shook his head, "Okay…I'll let the social worker now tomorrow" he smiled kindly at her.
"Also" started Taylor, stopping Mr. Danforth from leaving, "would you mind…if I called you dad" she said a little unsure.
Mr. Danforth looked at her for sometime, he walked over to her bed and engulfed her into a bear hug, "Nothing would make me happier" he said squeezing her body close to his.
"Me too" she said laying her head on his shoulder. They stayed close to one another until he let go and gave her a kiss on her forehead, "Now princess you need to get some rest". He got up, turned off the light, and closed the door, "See you in the morning" he said quietly.
"See you" she responded back.
Taylor lye awake looking into the darkness of her room, her mind was going a mile a minute, she really wanted to see Troy and she wanted to see Gabriella with her own eyes to make sure she was okay. She picked up her cell phone and sent a text to Troy, 'It's a no go; dad said we could come in the morning'.
Troy felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He read the text Taylor sent him with disappointment settling in all around him.
"Troy!" he heard his father call out his name. "Who are you talking to this time of night?" questioned his father.
"Oh it was Chad dad, I just wanted him to know what happened to Gabriella so he could tell his pops…and Taylor" he said recovering quickly.
"Yeah…well it's time for you to get to bed, and you're grounded for two weeks" said his father turning away immediately. Troy sighed heavily as he watched his father walk into his room and shut the door. He didn't even get a chance to explain himself…grant it, it would have been a lie, but could he at least get the shot. It was like his father knew something that he wasn't telling him.
Troy sent a text to Taylor, 'Grounded for two weeks, how could a perfect night end up so wrong' he sent to her. Troy closed his phone and walked into his room, he was shocked to see Gabriella lying in his bed, clutching onto the stuffed bear he had won her the second week they were dating.
"Gabriella…what are you doing in here?" questioned Troy a little more annoyed than what he wanted to let on.
"I'm sorry Troy" said Gabriella sitting up, "I just didn't want to be alone…I'm scared" she said starting to cry.
"Don't cry Gaby, I understand. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. I'm kinda having a tough night also" he said quietly. Taylor sent him a text back, 'Troy…what are we gonna do. I'm gonna explode if I can't spend time alone with you'.
"Really" started Gabriella, "you want to talk about it…whose texting you this time of night" she questioned wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Oh…it's just Chad, I let him know what happened tonight" said Troy trying to change the topic.
"Oh" said Gabriella as she laid her head back down on his pillow. She knew Troy long enough to know when he was trying to hide something and be secretive but she was honestly too tired to push it any further. "Troy do you mind staying with me tonight?" asked Gabriella while tears fell off her face again.
"I…I don't think that's such a good idea" said Troy, "I mean we're not together anymore Gaby". Troy opened his phone and sent Taylor a return text, 'don't worry…I will figure out something. Until later my love' he wrote.
"I know we're not together Troy…I'm just asking for one of my best friends to stay with me tonight…because I'm scared" she said crying.
Troy felt like crap; he didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but he was angry about his father, and disappointed that Tay wasn't there with him. He would rather have her by his side than Gabriella at the moment, even though she had a horrible night.
"I'm sorry Gabriella…I…I just…sure I will stay with you tonight" he said. He walked over and climbed into bed, staying on his side. Gabriella moved closer to him, turning her body so that she laid her head on his chest, which made Troy immediately tense up. "Troy relax…please" cried out Gabriella softly.
"I'm sorry Gabriella…this is just kinda weird for me. Just fall asleep…okay" he said rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.
"Since when have the two of us been weird together?" she said softly.
Troy didn't answer her question he just continued to rub her back, until he felt her breathing slow down and get heavier. Eventually she fell asleep and he received his last text message for the night, 'I miss you Troy. But until later my love' he read to himself. His heart was aching for Taylor, but he found himself stuck in a situation he didn't ask to be in.
He sort of felt bad because of the way he was treating Gabriella, but he still made the sacrifice to lay here with her, although every orifice of his body was screaming for him to get up and go downstairs to sleep on the couch. 'This can't last forever Troy, Taylor will be here tomorrow and you can figure out what to do than' he thought to himself.
Even though he was trying desperately to stay awake, his body eventually betrayed him and he felt himself fall into a deep slumber. The only good part about that was that Taylor ran through his dreams the entire night.
AN: I tried to write the love scene, without being very crass. I hope I was successful. Please leave plenty of reviews.