Thank you guys so much for the reviews. I usually don't write slash stories; I just thought this would be an interesting concept. Get ready for the rest of the story and some serious drama. This chapter is kinda long, but I was trying to write out the emotions of everyone involved as clear as I could. Plenty of reviews, and I hope you enjoy.
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"I'm…I'm what?" stuttered Taylor.
"You're pregnant!" screamed her mother. "Taylor I can't believe you messed up this big….what the hell were you thinking. I didn't even know you were sexual active!"
Taylor just stared at her mom. She couldn't be pregnant, this couldn't be happening to her now. Graduation was around the corner, she just got her acceptance letter to Yale, she dumped Gabriella and Troy was next on her list. She was about to start fresh, it's no way a baby could be growing inside of her.
"TAYLOR! Are you listening to me?!" screamed her mother, breaking Taylor out of her train of thought.
Taylor couldn't form words to come out of her mouth, she was in total shock.
"Taylor…I know you here me girl….answer me. How in the hell somebody as smart as you could be so stupid is a mystery to me!" yelled her mother.
"I'm not stupid mom…I just made a mistake…a huge mistake" said Taylor finally. Her mother looked at her with such disappointment, it made Taylor cry immediately.
"Well this mistake is gonna cost you Taylor….it's gonna cost you your future, that you've worked so hard for" said her mother choking up. "Instead of making it and beating the stereotype, you just fed right into it" she said turning away from Taylor and sitting on the couch. "You're father will be home soon…I suggest you wait up stairs in you room, while I break the news to him" said her mother quietly.
Taylor stood at the door for what seemed like an eternity afraid to move but she looked over at her mom, and watched her mother break down in tears. That was enough motivation for her to run up the stairs and into her room. She closed the door while locking it at the same time and immediately fell on to her bed, "God I can not be pregnant…please I can't be pregnant" she cried out. She knew the father was Troy, but how was she supposed to cut him from her life when they had a baby on the way. Everything from here on out was ruined… 'My mom was right, this is gonna cost me everything' she thought to herself.
Taylor curled herself into a ball and continued to cry in her pillow for the next couple of hours. She heard the door shut downstairs and knew that her father was home from work. She heard her mother hysterically tell her father Taylor's current condition. "What!" she heard him yell. Loud footsteps followed instantly, she heard her father's aggressive movements coming up the stairs, followed by him banging on her bedroom door.
"Taylor open this damn door!" yelled Mr. McKessie, while still banging on the door. Taylor didn't move an inch from her bed, the last thing she needed was an irate father telling her how much of a screw up she is. "Taylor, open up!" he yelled. "Open this door now, or I will knock it down!" Taylor heard her father scream.
"Steven stop it" said Mrs. McKessie. "Just leave her alone for right now, I didn't make her feel too good when she came home and you don't need to make her feel worse".
"She doesn't deserve to feel good!" she heard her father scream at the door. "All those damn sacrifices we've made for her, and this is how she repays us!" he continued to yell. "By getting knocked up by that idiot….YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING YOU GET!"
Taylor heard her father stomp down the steps and slam the front door. She immediately started crying harder than before, and could be audibly heard outside her bedroom door by her mother. Mrs. McKessie walked down the stairs and made a very important phone call to help and try to fix the situation. She called the number she had become familiar with over the past couple of years.
"Uh hey Ronnie, it's Kim….it seems that my daughter has gotten herself pregnant. Yeah uh huh…yeah well it sounds to me that your son is definitely the father….I have no idea what we are gonna do…well she's not getting rid of it that's for sure….college is out of the question definitely for her, I don't know about him…..well I guess we should meet tomorrow….alright…sorry to be the barer of bad news….yeah…uh huh……right….well I'll see you, Christian, and Chad tomorrow….alright now….bye", Mrs. McKessie hung up the phone and sat back down on the couch, waiting for her husband to arrive back home.
Taylor was still crying upstairs totally oblivious to the phone call her mom had just made on her behalf. There were so many thoughts running through her head, but the main thing that kept popping back in was that she was pregnant at seventeen and how was she gonna fix this huge problem that just happened. She did the only thing she could think of. Taylor walked over to her dresser and picked up her cell phone, she dialed a number that she had just saved to her phone that day.
"Hello?" answered the person on the other end.
"Zeke…" cried Taylor, "I messed up big, and you said that if I ever needed you to call…so I'm calling."
Taylor awoke the next morning in a daze, she still had on the clothes from the night before and she barely got any rest. From being on the phone all night with Zeke, to constantly waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweats, to hearing her father slamming the door, letting her and her mom know he finally get back in the house, it was a hard night. And the worst part about it was that she was still pregnant the next day. Taylor went to the closet to get a change of clothing; she headed straight for the bathroom to take a shower. Looking in the mirror she saw dark circles under them and she had a headache to boot. Taylor hopped into the shower to get ready for the day. Once she was done her daily hygienic rituals she went downstairs to find something to eat. Once downstairs she noticed her mom was already up making breakfast.
"Have a seat, you need to get something in you…your eating for two now" said her mother without looking up from the eggs she was frying on the stove. It was obvious her mother hadn't got much rest either; she saw dark circles under her eyes as well. Taylor sat down and her mother came over with some toast and the fried eggs. "Thanks" said Taylor almost inaudibly.
Her mom fixed her plate and sat down with Taylor and started to eat. Taylor just stared at her plate…not really in the mood to eat anymore.
"Taylor you seriously have to eat, you didn't have any dinner last night" said her mother harshly. 'I did have some strawberries' thought Taylor to herself. Thinking about those strawberries immediately bought Gabriella to her mind, 'What I wouldn't give to be dealing with that problem instead of this one' she thought to herself.
Taylor heard some movement upstairs and she knew her father was getting ready for work. "Taylor seriously….eat" said her mother again. Taylor picked up her fork and proceeded to devour her breakfast, she honestly didn't realize how hungry she was.
"It's obvious you won't be going to school today, and I've taken off from work. I've called the doctor's and made an appointment, you have to get on neo-natal pills as soon as possible, and then we have a meeting with Chad and his parents today" she said still not looking at Taylor.
Taylor dropped her fork onto her plate suddenly, "Wh…who's coming over for a meeting?" stuttered Taylor.
"Chad and his parents…Taylor, he is the father so he has to be here too" said Mrs. McKessie finally giving Taylor eye contact.
Taylor jumped up from her seat, "Oh my goodness…no...no...no...No! Mom please tell me you didn't call him!" yelled Taylor.
"Of course I called, and I didn't talk to him, I talked to his mom. It's settled they're gonna be here this afternoon!" yelled her mom right back, standing up and putting her plate into the kitchen sink.
"Mom…what have you done….what have you done! This can't be happening to me, God please tell me she didn't do that!" screamed Taylor. Her chest was noticeably moving up and down, "I can't believe this…I'm dead" she said quietly.
"What have I done! You have some nerve Taylor, you're the one that's pregnant at seventeen….not me! I'm just trying to help your ungrateful ass and you're gonna ask me what I've done! Unbelievable!" yelled her mother. Taylor saw her father storm down the steps and stare at both his wife and child. Both of her parents looked at her with utter disgust, like they didn't even recognize her.
"I'm going upstairs to get ready" announced her mother breaking the tension that was felt between the three family members. She watched as her mother walked up the stairs, and she locked eyes with her father who continued to stare at her like she was something found at the bottom of a toilet bowl. "I'm sorry daddy" she said quietly as tears escaped her eyes.
"I'm going to work" he said breaking eye contact and walking out of the door, slamming it in the process. Taylor stood in place crying for sometime, until she heard the doorbell ring. Walking over to the door, she prayed it was Zeke who said he would miss school today to come and be with her. Opening the door she saw her current lifesaver, "Oh Zeke" Taylor clasped her hands around his neck and continued to cry, "Everything is messed up" she said clearly upset. "My parents hate me and my mom called Chad's mom and told her that he was the father….Chad, Zeke! I'm ruined" she said letting go of his neck and walking out the front door and into the cool morning's air.
"She did what!" said Zeke trying to process everything quickly.
"She set up a meeting with Chad and his parents this afternoon…she basically told his mom that he was the father of my baby" said Taylor looking strangely. It was the first time she admitted out loud that she was actually pregnant and that the baby belonged to her.
"Taylor…sweetie you're gonna have to calm down" said Zeke walking over to her and cupping his hands around her face. "I know things are crazy right now, but maybe…maybe this is the way that things are gonna fix themselves…that your totally honest for once" said Zeke.
"Zeke I broke it off with Gabriella last night…and I was gonna get to Troy today…but this….you know Chad is gonna go to school and spread the word around. My name is basically mud now…Chad and I can barely stand each other as is…and this…I know he is gonna use this as an opportunity….I feel it" said Taylor, brushing Zeke's hands away.
"Taylor even if he does…this is what you wanted right, to be at peace, maybe with the truth out you can finally do that…you're putting to much stress on yourself. Remember you pregnant, you can't stress out like this" said Zeke, watching Taylor turn away and look out onto the street. He walked up to her and embraced her, "I'm here Taylor, just know that I'm here and I'm gonna help you through this" he said quietly.
"Why are you doing this" she asked quietly.
"I don't know…maybe because the opportunity for me to do this was taken away without my permission. Or maybe because you called and you sound so broken over the phone…or just maybe you need somebody to support you right now…someone who is not gonna judge, but just be a friend" he responded quietly.
Taylor turned towards him and held onto Zeke as strongly as she could. His presence brought her an undeniable sense of peace, somehow she knew all of this would be okay but she also knew that this would be the calm before the storm.
Taylor heard her mom calling out for her in the house. "I'm out here mom" said Taylor. Zeke attempted to straighten out his clothing while Taylor wiped the tears away from her face.
"Morning Mrs. McKessie" said Zeke greeting her when she stepped on the porch.
"Ezekiel….what are you doing here?" asked Mrs. McKessie sounding perplexed.
"My friend needed my help, so here I am. I hope you don't mind me going with you guys today" he asked.
"I guess not….Ezekiel…." started Mrs. McKessie.
"It's Zeke actually, Mrs. McKessie" he stated.
"Oh…well Zeke…are you….you know what never mind. I guess we should get going. Taylor your appointment is at nine, and were running late as is" she said not giving Taylor any eye contact. She walked to the car and waited for the two teenagers to join her.
"Zeke you mind sitting in the front seat, as you can see I'm not really welcomed" said Taylor quietly walking to the car.
"Taylor c'mon, your mom has the right to be angry" said Zeke.
"Yeah I know Zeke…but I can't take the verbal beating I feel about to come on, so please" said Taylor quickly.
"Sure…no problem, just relax…for me…and the baby" smiled Zeke.
Taylor smiled for the first time in days. It felt weird on her face…being able to smile, especially considering the circumstances. Zeke hopped in the front seat and strapped in, while Taylor sat in the back. Her mom didn't complain at all, and to be honest it was a very uncomfortable ride to the doctor's office, the trio sat in silence the entire ride there, with no music playing at all. Taylor's mind wandered towards the future and how she was gonna be able to support a child, when she barely knew how to take care of herself. But mostly she wandered how she was going to break it to Troy that he was about to be a father.
The doctor's visit was quick and pretty painless. The doctor confirmed her pregnancy and gave her a list of pills and things she needed to do to protect her and the baby. Her mom remained silent the whole time and Zeke remained the strong presence she needed to get through the entire ordeal. Zeke suggested that she get some lunch before they went home, which Taylor's mother agreed on. They decided to go to the mall and eat at the food court, upon entering her mom walked off and left Zeke and Taylor to themselves. While sitting down eating, Taylor noticed she missed phone calls from Chad, Troy, and Gabriella, not to mention other students at the school.
"He's done it….he has told everyone" said Taylor.
"C'mon, Chad barely talks to people he doesn't know…so he couldn't have told everyone" smiled Zeke, trying to make light of the situation.
"Seriously Zeke…I'm not gonna even listen to these messages…I can't deal with this right now" said Taylor taking a bite of her sandwich.
"Then don't, it will get dealt with and due time. The thing I want you to remember is to stay calm and when it hits the fan…and it will…be honest. It's the quickest way to make all of this go away" said Zeke. "Now let's talk about something less dramatic" he stated matter-of-factly.
The duo continued the rest of their lunch, talking about trivial things, even though Taylor's mind was on totally different matters. Mrs. McKessie walked past them, signaling to them she was ready to go. Zeke threw their trash away and helped Taylor to the car. He sat back up front and Taylor sat in the back, the same tension that was in the car before, was still there….maybe a little more strongly.
Mrs. McKessie pulled up into the driveway of their home.
"Oh no" whispered Taylor, once she saw who was waiting on the porch.
"What in the world…Taylor, why are all your friends here" asked Mrs. McKessie hotly.
"I think they are just trying to be supportive" stated Zeke quietly.
"Well tell them they can't stay long Taylor…we have the meeting with Chad today" said her mother getting out of the car and slamming the door. She walked up to the porch and greeted the guests, "Nice to see you again Gabriella and Troy…but please don't stay long" said Mrs. McKessie, deciding to tell the couple herself.
"Trust me we won't" said Troy a little agitated. There was an evident space between him and Gabriella and neither one of them were smiling or being very cordial. Mrs. McKessie thought it was very odd, but she didn't give it much thought…her concern was how she was gonna help her daughter out of this crazy situation. She thought about abortion but realized nobody in her family would go for that at all.
Taylor was still seated in the backseat of the car feeling like she was about to hyperventilate. Zeke got out of the car slowly, looking at both Gabriella and Troy he nodded, and went to the back of the car to help Taylor out. He opened her door, but she just sat in the car breathing heavily. "Taylor c'mon…we gotta deal with this…notice I said we, you're not gonna be alone" said Zeke, as he watched a few tears escape from her eyes. "Taylor…c'mon….it's time to deal" he stated quietly.
Taylor tried her best to compose her self before she stepped out of the vehicle. Zeke held his hand out for her, and she grabbed it with her trembling hands. He helped her stand up, "You can do this" he whispered. They walked slowly to the porch and walked up the stairs. Taylor looked at both Troy and Gabriella, who had their arms crossed over the chests and both had looks on their faces like they could kill. Taylor locked eyes with both Gabriella and Troy as tears started to flow out of her eyes, which in turn made Gabriella start to cry.
There was a very awkward silence between the quartet on the porch of the McKessie's, but Troy was fuming so much that he decided it was time to break the silence and get to the truth.
"You know we won the game last night, and I was so pumped up that when I got home I couldn't go to sleep. Then I received this crazy call from my best friend Chad, who said that his mom just yelled at him and cursed him out because he had gotten Taylor pregnant. It was then that I realized that I was gonna be a dad, and even though I was scared out of my mind, I couldn't help but be ecstatic….I was having a baby with somebody I truly loved and cared about" said Troy angrily.
Gabriella just shook her head and turned her back on all of them. She started crying aloud as she clutched her chest. Taylor looked from Gabriella and Troy but remained quiet as tears continued to flow freely from her eyes.
"Then less then ten minutes later I received another call from…" continued Troy angrily, "Gabriella telling me that she's in love with somebody else and we could no longer be together….she also told me that she had been cheating on me for months. I should have been angry but the fact that I already knew she was cheating, and she finally was telling me the truth, combined with the fact that I was gonna be a father…lessened the blow. The only thing I asked her was who was this guy….who had stolen Gabriella's heart from me….imagine my surprise when she told me it was her best friend….you Taylor" said Troy staring daggers at Taylor.
Taylor lowered her head in shame, as Zeke stood behind her as strong as ever. "How could you?!" yelled Gabriella, turning around and looking directly at Taylor…. "How could you do this?!" as tears continued to flow down her face, "I love you…how could you sleep with my boyfriend the same time you were with me. What did I ever do to you…to make you treat me this way" cried Gabriella.
"Gabriella….I'm sorry…okay….I felt really guilty about it, the whole thing…that's why I broke it off with you last night, and I was gonna break it off with Troy today, but I got the new that I was expecting and….just know that I'm sorry…I never meant for any of this to happen" cried Taylor.
"Oh is that right!" yelled Troy. "I came to you asking what was up with Gabriella, and you said you didn't know. I told you that I knew she was cheating on me and how that made me feel and…you knew the whole time that the other person was you! I loved you Taylor and I loved Gabriella too" he said glancing at Gabriella…I mean we had something though Taylor, I was willing to let go of her to be with you…I felt it, but you were screwing me and my girl at the same time! What the hell were you thinking!" yelled Troy chocking up, he was trying his hardest not to cry but his tears betrayed him any way.
"I was thinking…that….I was thinking that I love you both…for totally different reasons. Gabriella I love you because you always listened to me, and you made me feel like I was worth loving, when you kissed me it was so tender and I could tell it was from the soul…that you weren't faking it" said Taylor stepping a little closer, "and Troy you made me feel the exact same way, you talked to me and treated me like a lady, way better than Chad ever did, I had never experienced that type of emotions or feelings with another guy…I don't know I just loved spending time with both of you, and yes it was wrong of me, and yes it was totally selfish…but it was like the both of you were a drug no matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop….it was like I was addicted to the love that both of you gave me" said Taylor.
"You were addicted" countered Gabriella, "Taylor do you realize what you've done…I told my mother that I was gay last night…I finally decided to face my fears and express myself properly…and this is what I get in return! My mother could barely look at me this morning and I had to find out my best friend in the entire world, my confident, and my lover was cheating on me with my boyfriend! Do you realize how much this hurts…Taylor…do you!" yelled Gabriella.
"How could she…it's obvious that she was being a selfish bitch!" yelled Troy.
"Now what just a minute" said Zeke stepping from behind Taylor and approaching Troy and Gabriella. "I love how the both of you are putting all the blame on Taylor, but you both have to take some responsibility for your actions. All three of you were cheating on one another, and if you're really hurt the real person you need to blame is yourselves. You all decided not to be honest, sneak around, and lie, and this is the consequence for it….the pain your feeling right now, all of you deserve what you're getting. You deceived one another, but more importantly you deceived yourselves" said Zeke.
"Man shut the hell up! Why the fuck are you even here, this doesn't concern you…not unless you were banging her too! I guess you've got the best stuff in town…huh Taylor!" yelled Troy.
Zeke didn't even think, he just felt his fist connecting with Troy's face…..WHAM! Troy fell back onto the porch, while both Gabriella and Taylor shrieked. "I don't care how angry you are Troy Bolton, you have no right to disrespect her that way!" yelled Zeke shaking his fist.
Troy scrambled off of the floor and went to go swing back at Zeke, but Zeke grabbed his arm, turned Troy around on the spot and placed him in a head lock. Troy getting angrier by the minute was trying to break Zeke's hold but the harder her struggled the more Zeke tightened his grip. "Troy c'mon man, calm down" he said.
"Man screw you!" yelled Troy. "Get off of me right now….let me go!" he yelled. Zeke continued to hold him in place until Troy eventually calmed down. Gabriella and Taylor looked on with concern, not noticing that Taylor's mom was standing in the door way and had been standing there for quite some time.
"You know what… fuck you and that baby Taylor!" said Troy once Zeke finally let him go, "I'm not even gonna claim that baby as mine…the way you been running around town, it probably will come out deformed anyway" said Troy as tears ran down his face.
"Well you don't have to worry about that Bolton!" yelled Zeke, "cause the baby was never yours to begin with, it's mine, and if you ever come at her like that again, I swear I will break your face in" said Zeke standing in front of Taylor while he clenched and unclenched his fists.
"Good riddance than, and just to make sure were perfectly clear here, Gabriella you and I are done" said Troy pointing at her, "and Taylor I want nothing to do with you ever again…you've messed up so big, I hope you have a fucked up life!" said Troy as he yelled through his tears. "And as for you Zeke, you can kiss our friendship goodbye. I hope you, your whore, and your illegitimate baby have the time of your lives!" yelled Troy as tears streamed down his face. He turned around and ran off the porch and down the street.
Taylor stood rooted in place with her mouth almost to the floor. She couldn't even speak she was so shocked by the events that just took place. Gabriella walked up to Taylor and wrapped her up in a hug. She kissed Taylor on her forehead as tears continued to stream down both of their faces. "I'm so sorry Gabriella" cried Taylor eventually.
"Yeah me too" said Gabriella releasing Taylor. "Take care of her Zeke, cause it hurts too much to be around right now" said Gabriella.
"Don't worry I will" said Zeke with a determined look on her face.
Gabriella walked down the stairs and in the opposite direction that Troy had just ran, she glanced back at her former lover and shook her head. Her relationship with Taylor and Troy would never be the same, and she knew the effect today's events would have on the rest of the Wildcats family; never in her entire life had she felt so alone. She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked slowly down the street.
Soon as Gabriella couldn't be seen anymore, Taylor collapsed down to her knees and screamed aloud. She couldn't believe that this was happening, "What have I done" she yelled out. Zeke rushed to her side along with her mother, "Don't worry Mrs. McKessie…I have her" said Zeke harshly, lifting Taylor up. Mrs. McKessie moved out of the way, it hurt her too much to see her daughter in so much pain….she felt like she didn't even know who Taylor was, so she jumped in her car and rode off down the street.
Zeke took her into the house and carried Taylor upstairs to her room. He laid her down gently on the bed, and placed some covers atop of her. Taylor still was crying really hard, as she unconsciously rubbed her stomach, "Why did you do that Zeke?" she stuttered out through her tears.
"Because you don't deserve to be treated like that McKessie, everybody makes mistakes and he was just as wrong as you were…they both were" said Zeke angrily.
"He only said that stuff because he was hurt" cried Taylor.
"That still doesn't give him the right to be an ass" said Zeke, "besides I told you I would help you through this".
"By telling him, you're the father of my baby. How is that gonna help anybody, it's still a lie" said Taylor.
"You don't need that type of person around you, while you're pregnant Taylor. He's just trying his best to hurt you, because he's hurt, and you don't need that type of stress while you're pregnant. I will tell him the truth eventually…but as of right now you need to stay as calm as possible, and have a good pregnancy….for my baby and all" he said with a smirk. Zeke placed his hand on top of Taylor's hand as they both rubbed her stomach. Taylor continued to cry but Zeke tried to calm her down. He lay beside her and grabbed her into his body. He could remember a time when he use to console Sharpay this way, but things changed, and only time would tell if they were changing for the better.
Taylor knew deep down inside that Zeke was helping her because he had lost out on this opportunity with Sharpay, but she silently thanked God that he sent Zeke her way, because it was no way she could have dealt with the drama of today and the drama that was surely to follow, without having somebody strong by her side.