Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed the last chapter. I will not get this story done before the end of the calendar year, but I am on track to get the story done before it becomes three years old in May. I am thinking there will probably only be 4 to 5 more chapters. That depends on if I do the epilogue as an extension of this story or as a follow-up. I would love to know what others think.
Chapter 44: Not Wonderful, But Getting There
"Why exactly are we meeting Judge Suarez?" Sharpay asked as she pushed the stroller containing a sleeping Pay and Isaac through the halls of the Albuquerque courthouse downtown. She didn't feel like leaving her children with the baby sitter unless she had to and they were starting to sleep long enough for her to do little things like have a conversation or do her homework. There was a good chance they would actually sleep through this meeting.
Maybe Sharpay was afraid that if she didn't keep them with her whenever possible she would lose them forever. She was absolutely terrified that something would go wrong despite having the best custody lawyer money could buy and connections could acquire. (It would probably be good if the judge in charge of the custody case could get to see the couple being parental. Her office was three doors down.)
"I'm not sure. Mom just said that Judge Suarez wanted to see us." Chad explained as they continued walking.
"Did she say why? What if she suddenly decides that she doesn't want to marry us? Do you have any idea how hard it would be to find another judge at this point? This wedding is going to be a disaster." Sharpay said with a little bit of panic. Okay, she was on the verge of hyperventilating as she held onto the stroller with white knuckled tightness. She was so freaked out that she was completely unaware the hallway was filled with people on this Tuesday afternoon. She did not even notice when Chad grabbed her hand.
"Deep cleansing breath, don't panic." Chad said in a voice that made her want to glare at him. This was no time to be patronizing.
"Chad, how can I not panic? We have the Albuquerque chapter of 'Crazy Moms Who Fuck with Their Children's lives' actively trying to make us miserable. Maybe my mom paid off the judge and other officiates in the state to keep me under her thumb. She is just that crazy. She hates me. How can a mother hate her own child?" Sharpay was shaking as the words fell out. Chad wrapped his arms around her in comfort.
"I love Pay and Isaac. I cannot imagine doing anything horrible to our little darlings in a stroller and I didn't give birth to either baby." By this point she was really happy her makeup was crying proof. She would look like a raccoon otherwise.
"Just breathe baby." He said holding her tighter. "I'm not going to say everything will be okay because it's not. Things are not exactly wonderful right now but we can work on that together. If she doesn't want to marry us, we will find someone else. You do you remember that my mother was able to find a judge to grant bail on thanksgiving. Don't panic about the little things. The big things are enough." Chad said as he kissed her forehead.
"At least I know that you two actually care about each other beyond the aesthetic." Said a voice a from behind caring a coffee.
"Judge Suarez." Chad said pulling away from Sharpay but he kept his hand firmly wrapped in hers.
"Come in and have a seat." The judge said motioning Sharpay and Chad into her chambers. It was nothing like the offices that you see on Law and Order. It was a bit on the small side but the furniture was light and modern. There was also a wonderful view of a nearby park. Sharpay pushed the stroller to the side of the seating area before she sat in one of the chairs in from of the old wooden desk. Chad sat next to her.
"I didn't mean to worry either of you. I always ask to meet with any couple that I agreed to marry. It helps cut down on the 72 day divorces." The judge explained.
"That's okay. We're both a bit high strung right now." Sharpay said taking another calming breath. She was half-tempted to pack up the twins and run off to China. Kim had serious connections there because of her company. They probably could stay lost there for years.
"That's understandable considering everything that's happened in the last few months. Care for a lollipop?" The judge extended the jar that she kept on her desk to her and Chad. Her fiancé instantly took out two and handed one to her. It was cherry her favorite. She smiled at him, before unwrapping the sucker.
"Thank you." They both said simultaneously.
"You're welcome. I see you don't like cherry anymore. That was your favorite growing up. I remember you and Troy used to fight over the last one." She said pointing to Chad with a smile. The childhood antidote put Sharpay slightly more at ease. Sharpay doubted Darby could easily buy off somebody that has known Chad since kindergarten.
"It is still my favorite but it is also Sharpay's. She can use it more than me." Chad said around a mouthful of sucker. The judge just smiled.
"The reason why I called you here is I have presided over too many divorces for my own personal taste when I served in family court. Unfortunately there is such a thing as a marriage lasting 72 days or less. One time I had a couple come to my office two days later begging for an annulment. It hurts my heart to see people who supposedly love each other at one time tear each other apart in my courtroom. I've had too many people walk into my office come here for the wrong reasons. I want to know that you two know what you're doing." The judge's voice was somber.
"So you want to talk to us to see if we are getting married for the right reasons? I can assure you that broken condoms were not responsible for this marriage. Also if I didn't care about Sharpay as a human being, there isn't enough money in this state that would make me marry her. I'm not Charles." Chad said smugly. Sharpay just smiled.
"Essentially, yes. You are both very young and the divorce rate for people who get married at your age is higher than the national average. It's very common for people your age to get married because they are running away from something or other looking for something to compensate for his or her bad home life." Sharpay felt anger at that point.
"I'm getting really tired of people looking at me and only seeing my age or thinking they know me because of what has been in the tabloids. My life hasn't been a crystal tiara. I've dealt with an abusive mother and former significant other who had a GHB fetish." The judge's expression darkened at Sharpay's words but she said nothing.
"We are going into this with eyes wide open. I haven't believed in happily ever after for a long time. The delusion of Prince Charming riding up on his trusty steed to rescue me from Darby and everything else that's wrong with my life went out the window when Troy Bolton chose Gabriella over me. I had to rescue myself. Forever takes work. The situation we are in right now is not a fairy tale. If it were Tiffany would magically wake up and be able to raise her own children and Darby would melt the next time it rained." Sharpay said with a tinge of sadness as a stray tear rolled down her cheek.
"That's as likely as Chad and I going through our entire marriage without a single argument. It is just not going to happen. We got in a fight this morning over the best way to sanitize baby bottles." Sharpay saw the judge smirk at that.
"I love and care for Chad for everything that he is, even if that means he talks with his mouth full and hogs the covers at night. I know I cannot change him. He knows the same thing. The most I can hope for is to support him as he grows into the person he is supposed to be and that he does the same for me. Somewhere along the line I hope we can become a true team." Sharpay said as she smiled at Chad.
"I feel the same way. I'm already well aware that I will be doing most of the cooking in our marriage." Chad said with a smirk.
"You're never going to forgive the macaroni and cheese thing?" Sharpay asked with annoyance. "I think I did pretty good last night. I also can now make baby formula with a screaming near newborn in my arms.
"It's amazing what you can do when you have no choice. You're able to cook because I taught you how instead of screaming at you." He said kissing her on the cheek. "We've already talked about this stuff. I can do the cooking and Sharpay can take care of the bills. She is better with budgeting and finance than I am."
To keep her from becoming a spoiled brat her and Chad were given a $5000 a month payment from the trust fund to live on. It was one of Caroline's stipulations. That met actual budgeting, which she was a lot better at now.
"I'm better than you are at that because I'm not absent minded. At least I can remember that you have to send a check for the credit card five days before the due date." She joked back.
"It was one time." Chad said in his defense.
"That's because we switched to direct debit." Sharpay mumbled under breath.
"It's actually refreshing to see someone come into this office without the rose colored glasses on." Judge Suarez said as she grabbed her coffee from the corner of her desk. "It's also good that you discussed this stuff before the wedding. Most couples do not.
"Thank my mother for that." Chad mumbled to himself. "We are well aware that marriage is more than being in love and good sex. Although after watching my parents' marriage disintegrate, I think love should be one of the necessary components. Not necessarily the type of love that gets confused with lust but the unconditional 'I care about your general well being love.' That type sticks around when everything else falls apart." The judge nodded in agreement as Chad continued.
"I already saw one marriage completely fall apart because there was no genuine compassion or regard for each other. I saw another one fall apart because of lack of communication and true trust. At the same time, I saw another survive and flourish because the couple had a true understanding of one another and was able to grow with each other. That's the type of marriage we want to have." Sharpay knew he was talking about the M by that point.
"It's good to hear that. This isn't anything against you personally. I won't be giving any of this information to the judge in the child custody case. This is just for my own piece of mine. I normally have counseling sessions with all the couples I marry before the wedding." She said in a reassuring tone.
"Why couldn't mom tell us that before we left the house?" Chad asked in a whisper.
"Because she was too busy throwing up." Sharpay whispered back.
"Fine, ask whatever you want. We have another 35 minutes before the twins wake up." Sharpay said with another sigh.
"Let's start with an obvious one. Why are you getting married?" The question fell off her lips with ease. There were many possible answers to that question; however, Sharpay knew not to start out with 'to keep the twins' or 'to make my mother miserable'. She also doubted that bringing out that she loved Chad would win her any points with this judge.
"Are we allowed to say because we love each other?" Chad asked in reply.
"As long as it's not the only reason, I would be worried if that wasn't part of the reason why. However, the timing does seem suspicious and I do remember your mother saying repeatedly that she would never let her only child get married as young as she did." Why does everybody think that she is pregnant? It irritated her little bit more because there was a distinct possibility that that would never happen. Not that the judge knew this.
"Good thing I am not an only child anymore." Chad mumbled under breath. "I am 20 months older than she was when she married my dad under duress simply because the condom broke. There is a big difference between getting married at 16 because you father is a bastard with shotgun in hand, literally, then at 18 because you want to. I'm with Sharpay because she makes me happy and truly understands me. We complement each other. My mother saw that and she gave us her blessing." Chad said defensively.
"Maybe the condom did not break but it seems obvious that the two babies that you and your girlfriend keep looking at every second are a factor." The judge's tone was kind as she spoke. "I spent enough time in family court to know married couples are treated more favorable than others in a custody battle. Is that why you are doing this?"
"We would be lying if we said that the custody situation didn't play a role in the timing. Do you have any idea how hard it is to plan a decent wedding in less than two weeks?" Sharpay asked the judge. "We have a menu tasting immediately after this. The schedule is insane."
"I imagine it would be difficult. Most people under the circumstances would just show up to my office with a bouquet and the marriage license." The judge told the couple.
"Sharpay is not most people. It took us 2 hours to find the perfect cake." Chad complained.
"Yes and if we had more than two weeks it would have at least taken that long to do so." Sharpay shot back.
"Of course." Chad replied with another kiss on the cheek and a squeeze of her hand.
"This isn't just a legal maneuver. Maybe if things had turned out differently, we would have waited until after graduation, Chad's graduation anyway. He is already a junior for god's sake. However, it was going to happen anyway. I have never met a person who helps me be myself more. We have known each other since kindergarten and I can see us together 30 years from now when are grandchildren are in kindergarten." Sharpay told the judge truthfully.
"Make it 40. Olivia is not allowed to date until she's 30." That just caused Sharpay to roll her eyes. The judge just seemed amused.
"I remembered your mother having to leave my classes due to needing to attend emergency parent teacher conferences every time you and Miss Evans got into a fight." Sharpay was mortified that the judge remembered that.
"It turns out that was sexual tension." Okay now Sharpay was really mortified. She would smack Chad upside the head but the judge would probably see that as spousal abuse. "When you are four years old, that mostly comes out as chocolate milk stealing and pigtail pulling." He smirked.
"I have a feeling this is going to take all day." The judge mumbled to herself. "Let's discuss plans for the future." She said picking up the checklist on her desk.
Zeke impatiently sat in one of the tables in the private banquet room of Demand's nursing a cola. Chad and Sharpay were supposed to be there 35 minutes ago to go over the possible menus for the rehearsal dinner and the reception. Unfortunately, they were late. At least Sharpay remembered to send a text message to say what was happening. Apparently, they were stuck being interrogated by the judge for the wedding. According to Sharpay, the woman was worse than Chad's crazy Aunt Claudia with the inappropriate questions. She was only able to send a message because they had to take a diaper changing break.
It almost seems surreal that he was helping to plan his ex girlfriend's wedding. He even designed her wedding cake because Sharpay Evans cannot have a cake from the book even if this was a quickie wedding. Then again, the fact that Sharpay was still speaking to him after what happened with Penelope was surreal in itself. He wanted to kick his ass now for being such a dick about the entire thing. He should have never taken Jason's advice about hiding his relationship with Penelope and using Sharpay as his cover. This is what happens when your friends with somebody who cares more about appearances then being true to their selves.
Looking back on the situation now, he could see how bad the decision was. He saw dealing with a 'slightly insane about the wedding' Sharpay as reparations for what he did to her in high school just like helping Penelope with the all city musical. These were his penance and both girls were trying to make him as miserable as possible. Part of him thought Sharpay was late on purpose, but she would never jeopardize her perfect wedding for petty revenge.
He would not be trying to make up for all of the stupid things he did to Penelope and Sharpay if it wasn't for Amanda. She was special to Zeke and it was not just because she was beautiful. He knew there was something unique about her the first time he spoke to her. First of all, she was fearless. He could instantly tell that she would defend her friends to the very end and even her enemies. She was just as furious with him for what he did to Penelope as Sharpay and she was barely on speaking terms with the girl at the time. That could be the cheerleader code of honor coming into play. It had to be similar to the basketball players honor code. There were members of his high school team that Zeke absolutely despised but he would always have their back no matter what.
Zeke held in wonderment Amanda's ability to forgive even if she could not forgive him. It was one of her better qualities. She was able to see past who she assumed Penelope was, and give her a second chance and now they were on their way to becoming friends. Maybe if enough time passed by, Amanda would realize that he was not who he was in high school.
Contrary to what she probably assumed, he did not want her forgiveness merely so she would sleep with him again. Don't get him wrong, the sex was good even if he barely remembered it. However, he wanted her and not merely for the purpose of getting off. He loved that they could spend hours exchanging text messages about silly things. He loved the snide comments that she made during drama class about their slightly deranged teacher. He probably would be flunking English if she didn't help him out during drama class. She was brilliant in a way Sharpay and Penelope were not. Both women were smart but they were so afraid of showing that brilliance until recently. Amanda didn't care what others assumed about her. She was going to be the person she wanted to be regardless of what everyone else thought. Despite having a severe learning disability, Amanda was still a premed major and Zeke respected her ability to push herself to do more.
Yet half the time she wanted nothing to do with him. On the surface it seemed like she couldn't see beyond whom she thought he was. Her trying to date that ass from drama class was a prime example of this. Then there were other times where he knew that maybe someday she really would give him a chance. She did not hesitate asking him to help with the wedding.
It was Zeke's hope that by working on hand painted sugar butterflies just because Amanda asked him to help with the wedding would get her to see who he was now. He looked at his phone one more time in impatience as the door to the banquet room finally opened. He hoped it was Sharpay and Chad or at the very least not the angry chef who was furious about being made to wait. If it wasn't for the fact that the Evans really did own Albuquerque, they would probably be looking for new caterer right now. Instead, it was Amanda and he instantly smiled.
"If you make some sort of sexual innuendo right now I will hurt you." She said with an icy glare as she took the seat next to him.
"Would not dream of it. Why are you here?" He asked in confusion. He thought it was just going to be the three of them because even Marc was too busy to be there.
"Sharpay sent me a text message 20 minutes ago saying that her and Chad were still being interrogated by judge Suarez and probably won't be out for at least an hour. They are going over career plans right now." She said with a sigh of annoyance.
"Like that's going to take an hour." He snorted. "Chad's going to design basketball video games and Sharpay desires to take Broadway by storm." He said with a bit of annoyance and frustration.
"That was last year. Chad is currently searching for a new major, something involving science. He only chose computer science because it was easy and there are a lot of tech jobs in New Mexico. Sharpay is now a business major. She left the drama department behind before you even got here. Didn't you wonder why Sharpay was not in drama class? Darby was the one who brainwashed Sharpay into wanting to become the drama queen. Acting was in calling for her, it was a survival strategy." Actually, he did wonder about that but he figured Sharpay just tested out of the beginners class, Although if that was the case, Penelope probably would not be there. She had just as much experience as Sharpay if not more because of the entire summer program she did.
"It's not like we talk that much. I just assumed that she needed to take another class instead. Most of our conversations have revolved around her threatening to cut off my dick if I do something stupid to you or the babies. The twins are adorable." He added as an afterthought.
"They're absolutely wonderful as long as I'm not changing their diaper. Mr. Evans does not pay me enough to put up with that. Actually, he doesn't pay me enough to do a lot of things but I am here out of friendship right now." Amanda said playing with the tablecloth.
"I'm touched." He joked.
"I am here for Sharpay, not you. I am going to be her food tasting proxy at least for the appetizers. I am supposed to eliminate all the really bad choices and make sure there's nothing on the menu that could put someone in the hospital. We are trying to avoid that this time. They should be here by the time we move to the main course." She said with a sigh.
"Just think of it as getting to eat really good food for free. I'm just happy I don't have to sit here alone." Zeke said as their waiter brought in the first few options.
"You're never alone." She joked.
"I'm always alone. I'm too busy working and trying to get you to talk to me to have a social life." He said taking a bite of the arugula and gorgonzola salad.
"I doubt that." Amanda mumbled under breath.
"I think this could benefit from some caramelized Pears in brandy." Amanda mentioned after an all too long moment of silence.
"That could work and we should probably avoid all salads with tomatoes. We don't want a repeat of the pizza study party incident from last week." Zeke said referring to when Kim and Alex stop by Chad's house when they were practicing their scene for drama. Kim turned around for a few seconds and Alex grabbed a slice of regular pizza and took a bite before anybody could take it from him. He looked like a cherry tomato and Kim spent several hours at the emergency room with her toddler. Since that time, only tomato free pizza is ordered whenever the little boy would be there.
"Trust me on the lack of social life. If it wasn't for working on this wedding, I would have had nothing to do last Friday or during this break." He almost sounded bitter as he spoke. He really had no life outside of work and school anymore. At least in high school he had basketball.
"I thought you just did it for the money." She said with a smile.
"It doesn't hurt. I don't have that many real friends anymore. Chad is barely speaking to me and he is too busy with diaper detail anyway. I think I have a better relationship with Troy's almost-wife than I do with him and she still mad at me for what I did to Sharpay. If I can pull off a good cake, Sharpay may forgive me for being a prick. Let us not speak of Jason. He is too much of a bastard for me to deal with right now. Things are so bad that I think Penelope maybe my new best friend." He said with a fake pout. Amanda laughed at that.
"Penelope does not think you are a complete bastard anymore, so that probably helps." Amanda said as she tried the seared tuna.
"That's probably because I'm helping her with the play." He said trying the stuffed mushroom. This was definitely going on the menu. Even the vegetarian version tastes good.
"I thought it had more to do with you defending her from certain idiots who don't want her to testify. I normally don't like tuna but this is pretty good." Amanda said taking another bite of the citrus infused fish with a dill and cucumber salad.
"If it comes in a can, it does not count as tuna. This is seared just right and the cucumber adds a bit of crunch. What I did the other day was not a big deal. Penelope is a friend, sort of, and I'd take care of my friends. They shouldn't be trying to talk her out of testifying. Be glad I wasn't here when Richard did what he did. I would have cut his dick off." Zeke spat out with absolute venom.
"I believe you." Amanda said as the waiter brought out a cheese tray.
"Cheese?" She asked.
"According to Marc, in an effort to make this marriage seem as real as possible and not some highly calculated legal maneuver, you and the rest of the bridal party will be taking pictures after the wedding, lots of pictures. We need to keep 100 plus guests entertained and away from the bar for at least an hour. My suggestion is chocolate and cheese." Zeke told her as he took a drink of water.
"Yes, Chad and Sharpay's two favorite food groups, that should make them happy. I thought there was no open bar because of what happened last time?" She asked referring to the disastrous baby shower last month.
"Mr. Evans vetoed that idea, although they will be strictly enforcing the liquor laws and it's mostly going to be a wine bar, hence the cheese and chocolate. Besides, as long as my former best friend is not invited, I think we can avoid what happened last time." Zeke said with slight irritation as he mentally noted that all raw milk cheeses would have to be eliminated or at least well labeled because of the three pregnant ladies in attendance.
"I really would like to know why you're not speaking to Jason." He dropped the piece of Irish cheddar in his hand at her question.
"I'm still speaking to Jason. Yesterday, I gave him tips for the basketball scene when I was on set. Penelope asked for my help because Sharpay was stuck doing more wedding things." He said referring to Jason M, not Jason C. in an effort to head off the question
"I was talking about Cross not Taylor's brother." She said with an annoyed eye roll. "What happened?" Zeke just sighed at her question wishing she asked anything else.
"I realized that he was a dick and I really don't want to hang out with people who throw the underage out of windows. This would go really good with a pinot noir." Zeke said referring to the piece of cheese he threw in his mouth to keep from talking. It did not work. Zeke really wished he could get this conversation back onto food, something he was actually good at. Actually, Zeke wished he could have a glass of pinot noir now.
"Quit trying to change the subject." Amanda admonished in annoyance. "Why do you think someone that you have known since you were a toddler is a complete dick?" Zeke was shocked that she actually asked him that question. No one else has.
"You ever look at somebody else and realize your own mistakes?" He asked.
"I think everyone does eventually." She said in response right after she spat something into her napkin. "That was horrible."
"You're not a caviar person." He asked in amusement.
"No. Answer my question."
"I am, just give me a minute. I didn't like what he did to Marc. He is too good of A person to be treated as Jason's dirty little secret. As I watched, I realize that was exactly what I did to Penelope. The fear was not a good excuse. I was afraid of everybody finding out I was sleeping with the enemy and Jason was afraid of everybody finding out that he prefers sleeping with guys. He was the one who suggested that I keep my relationship with Penelope on the down low in the first place." Zeke explained with a tinge of regret.
"And you listened to him?" She asked incredulously.
"I was a terrified moron at the time. I was too busy trying to get everyone else to like me to the point where I didn't like myself. I did a lot of things I didn't like. The worst was probably using Sharpay as my cover." He said ruefully.
"Let me guess you got that idea from Jason too?" She spat out sardonically.
"More like the other way around. In his case, Jason was using some random girl to cover up that he was fooling around with Ryan and Ryan found out in the most spectacular way possible. In true Evans style, he kicked Jason in the balls when he found him screwing someone else. I only know about it because he called me at 2:00 AM to pick him up in the desert outside Lava Springs afterwards. Till this day he refuses to tell me how he got there." Zeke told her with a shiver.
"And I thought I had a history of picking idiots, poor Ryan." She said softly. That had Zeke wondering about her past relationships. Was that the real reason why she was so reluctant?
"In comparison, the Taylor thing probably is not that bad. According to a text message from Marc the bachelor party has become the official cheer up Ryan party." Again, he was surprised he was invited, but then again Chad doesn't have that many non-female friends.
"I don't think the breasts and G strings are going to work." Amanda said laughing as she took a drink of her water.
"It will if they're on a well endowed man, the G strings I mean. We're going to Purple Hills." Zeke instantly saw recognition on her face.
"I've gone there a lot. It's nice to go to a club where I will not be grouped by everyone there. Hey maybe you'll find a nice date for the wedding." She joked.
"I think I'm the straightest one of the four of us and even if I wasn't, if you're not there there's no one worth going home with." Amanda just rolled her eyes at his comment, not realizing how serious he was. He only wanted her and no one else. "I am just there for moral support. This is payback for fucking around on his sister. Besides, I'm going to be too busy with the cake and the caterers to actually enjoy the wedding and therefore I do not need a date." Which is exactly what he wanted, he may be okay with Chad marrying Sharpay but he did not want front row seats to the thing.
"I don't have a date either." She stammered out not looking at him. "If you want you can sit next to me."
"Sure." He said just as a frantic Sharpay with the babies walked into the room. Chad was following behind her.
"I need something fried or your cookies. Please tell me you brought cookies?" Sharpay said sitting down with Olivia still strapped to her chest. Chad had Isaac.
"No cookies, but try the coconut shrimp." Zeke said passing the only fried item on the table to Sharpay.
"That bad?" Amanda asked.
"The social worker was less invasive." Chad quipped.
"She asked us questions about our sex life. She asked about positions. This is actually really good." Sharpay said taking another bite as she started to calm down.
"She asked about the almost sex tape." Chad said as he tried one of the stuffed grape leaves.
"I want to kill her." Sharpay said most likely referring to Gabriella. Zeke has only seen heard that angry in the past when Gabriella was involved.
"Just remember she was in the middle of a nervous breakdown at the time and thought that you are having a threesome with her boyfriend." Zeke looked at Chad after Amanda spoke but he just shrugged. Maybe there was some truth to that rumor from high school after all. He wouldn't dare ask right now.
"I meant the Judge." Sharpay clarified. "Give me some good news."
"We have successfully eliminated all appetizer options involving raw cheese, tomatoes, and anything involving liver." Amanda answered flippantly.
"That works as long as we include the shrimp. It is not like we will have time to actually eat anything during the reception. Bring on the entrees." Sharpay said quickly taking away his chance to say anything else to Amanda about going to the wedding together informally. He wanted to know what her invitation meant but that would have to wait. They had six entrees to taste.
Why exactly did he let his future wife, former roommate, and almost brother in law talk him into going to a gay club for his bachelor party? If he could remember correctly, it would include vast amounts of guilt and Sharpay being scary. At least the food was good.
From what he could gather from Ryan in between various schemes of avoidance, his relationship fell apart with Taylor because she could not trust him. It was obvious to Chad that she could not trust Ryan because Chad fucked her over due to the entire Sharpay fiasco. With his marriage to Sharpay less than 48 hours away, he can't say that he regretted his decision except for how everything went down in the end. He was stupid to think that they could do a long-term relationship in the first place. It was even more idiotic to push away his feelings for Sharpay for so long. He can only say that he regretted hurting Taylor because it led to Chad watching a completely miserable Ryan. Even dancing with several hot guys was doing little to cheer him up.
Did he mention that he was watching Ryan be completely miserable, stone cold sober? His mom confiscated his fake ID and he was forced to wear the horrible under 21 wristband. Again, thankfully they had good food. For the first few hours, he had Marc to talk to between making out with his underage boyfriend that they somehow managed to sneak in. (Thank god Jimmy had a growth spurred over the last year and could now pass for 18.) Unfortunately, because of said under age boyfriend, Marc had to leave in time to get Jimmy home before curfew.
At this point in the evening Chad was spending his bachelor party making sure his fiancée's brother does not wake up in some stranger's bed or succumb to alcohol poisoning. He already failed miserably on the latter. Chad has no idea how many drinks Ryan has consumed; he lost count during Jell-O shots. It almost made him wish that his mother took Ryan's ID as well.
Zeke was no help at all. He was currently sitting at a table with a bunch of the best chefs in the city exchanging ideas. He personally thinks this is just because Zeke is looking for a new job so he does not have to work with the Dragon Baker again not that he can blame him. This left Chad alone at the table making his way through the tapas menu. (He was so going to have to go running in the morning. They did have a jogging stroller for a reason.) The dance floor was off limits right now. He didn't mind dancing with Marc or Ryan but anybody else would probably read too much into it. What can he say; he is hot and irresistible to humankind.
"Can I buy you a drink?" Asked a voice, sounding vaguely familiar causing Chad to roll his eyes. This was his fifth drink offer of the night. He always said no because who knew if he would run into another Richard. Chad looked up to see one of the few members of the A of U team that was not a complete dick to him or talked about who we screwed the night before in the most derogatory terms possible. Considering where they were, it made sense that Zachary never boasted about the many girls he screwed. Considering the nasty jokes that the other team mates made about that rumor involving Chad and Troy from high school, Chad could also understand why he never mentioned the many guys he screwed (if any) either. Their teammates were morons.
"Under age." Chad said holding up his arm to show the horrible neon wrist band. This usually scared most guys off.
"That's why I offered to buy." He jokes sitting next to Chad. "You could use the alcohol to loosen up a bit. I haven't seen you since January."
"I thought you just wanted to take away my virtue." He joked, although considering what happened last month with his own mother spiking his drink he was a little cautious about drinking anything that did not come straight from the can.
"Trust me it's obvious that you're here to play wing man". He said pointing to Zeke who was still completely surrounded by well looking men. He wanted to say something about that even if Zeke was not 100% heterosexual; he was too in love with Amanda to be interested. Then Chad realized with startling clarity that Zeke really was in love with Amanda. Chad wondered if she knew that.
"Besides everybody knows you are straight even if there were certain locker room jokes to the contrary." Zack remarked.
"Everybody assumes the same thing about you and they were not joking about you sleeping with your male best friend. Obviously, that assumption was inaccurate." Chad remarked taking another drink of his coke.
"Not everybody. Penelope has been trying to set me up with her ex boyfriend over there for months. She says he's a good person but they broke up when he came out." Chad had to look down at the table to keep from laughing. Trust Penelope to come up with the most creative revenge possible. "Even if you are not that straight, your girlfriend would rip off the balls of anybody who tried to lay a finger on you.
"Its fiancé and you're probably right." He said with a tiny shudder.
"I don't think it really counts as an engagement when you're not planning on getting married for three or four years." He said in reply finishing up his drink before calling the waiter over.
"The wedding is Friday. This is my bachelor party." Chad said with a smile. Zack just laughed.
"I can actually see that. Sharpay would let you have your night of drunken debauchery as long as she knew you will not go home with someone else. Then again you could just be here to make sure you're straight before the big day."
"Unfortunately, my mother who has moved back to New Mexico to shack up with her best friend, managed to take my fake ID before I left. She decided I got to be the designated driver at my own bachelor party." Zack was laughing harder at that point. "Also, I have kissed the guy before, it's no big deal."
"I knew that rumor about you and your high school best friend was true." He just placed his head on the table.
"Why does everybody think that Troy and I were sleeping together?" Chad asked in annoyance. Seriously, where did that rumor come from?
"Nothing happened?" Zack asked.
"He's like my brother. Actually, because our parents are getting married, he's going to be my stepbrother soon. We are also going to be sharing a half-sibling in about seven months. It would just be awkward." Chad said seriously wishing he took up the offer for alcohol at this point.
"I personally blame Gene Roddenberry for people getting friendship and romance confused. T'hy'la, just friends, really? He asked. Chad was just confused. "So who was it then?"
"Sharpay's twin brother." He said pointing to the blonde who was dancing with some guy in the corner. Chad was happy about that only because he was not drinking.
"I don't want to know." Zack said with a strange expression.
"The incest rumors are false." Chad said quickly figuring out why Zack was acting so strangely.
"Lots of people have a twin fetish. Your business, I don't judge. " That's when Chad decided to tell him the entire story, which ended with Zack laughing hysterically.
"We have to hang out more often. I need friends other than Penelope, especially because she has been avoiding everything campus related recently." Chad knew all about that. Richard was trying every dirty trick in the book to get Penelope not to testify including getting his friends to make her miserable.
"I'm surprised she's dragging me to her friend's wedding this weekend. Actually, I'm surprised she has friends outside of me since Penelope stopped talking to most of her high school friends. Then again she is not the only one keeping to themselves. I haven't seen you since you quit the team."
"Since most of the team hated me I didn't feel like visiting." Chad said with a shrug as he munched on an appetizer. He didn't feel like mentioning he no longer had a life outside of school because he has the twins to take care of.
"Besides you will get to see me this weekend, because that's my wedding she was talking about. We are friends now and she even helped Sharpay pick out her dress."
"That explains why she was so desperate for a date." Zack mumbled under breath. "The team never hated you. The guys were just jealous. In spite of being a technical sophomore and able to circumvent eligibility requirements you were still a first year student. You are a good player and we all hated you for that a little. Why did you quit the team?" He asked finally.
"You're not here to talk me into coming back?" Chad asked as a scowl appeared on his face. He was tired of people thinking that the only thing he was ever good at was basketball.
"No. I'm just curious to know why. Penelope and Amanda said it was not their story to tell which leads me to believe it was more than the NCAA scandal." He said softly.
"There were a lot of things. I stopped loving the game. I got tired of the competition and it just stopped being fun. It took me into college to realize that I was only playing because my father wanted me to. I got offers to play basketball at almost every Ivy League school in the country. I turned every single one down because Charles wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He had me convinced that I should only be good in basketball. When I was younger I loved playing especially when it was just me and my dad on the court. I now realize I loved that time so much because that was the only time my father really paid attention to me. I never wanted to be the basketball star but I loved my father and I wanted to make him happy. " Chad said soberly. "Now, I don't give a fuck."
"Good for you. My father was the same way. Although, in my case it was the only way I could get into college." Zack said taking a drink that arrived during his long story about the Ryan thing.
"What about an academic scholarship? I think you are the only other team member that I saw crack a book that wasn't for some Mickey Mouse class." Chad asked.
"I'll have you know that the history of Disney Animation was quite educational, as well as, the Cultural Impact of Mickey Mouse in Western Society." He joked but Chad would not be surprised if those were real classes. The school did offer philosophy classes involving Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, and the music of Tupac Shakur, so who knew. Considering his earlier comment, Zach probably took the Star Trek class. "My test scores were too bad even if my grades were good. It's the side effect of going to a poor school in the middle of nowhere. They don't teach to the test and I couldn't spend a small fortune on SAT prep. Basketball was much more import then academics at my high school and my lack of basic knowledge was very evident after I arrived here. I spent my first year utilizing the complimentary tutoring service for basketball players just to catch up. Besides even if I qualified, I doubt my father would let me take it." His words were bitter as he spoke.
"My father would probably be the same way if my mother didn't step in." Chad spat out just as bitterly. "The bastard has been messing with my life since before I was born. Even if I wanted to go back to playing basketball, I couldn't thanks to him." His bitterness was related more to Tiffany not being able to take care for children then Chad having to step in.
"What do you mean by that?" Zack questioned.
"You have read the papers?" Chad asked incredulously. His personal life has been on the front page of every paper and web page in New Mexico for months. He is surprise Zack didn't already know.
"I'm a biology and mathematics double major. When would I have time to read the papers?" He asked sarcastically.
"Good point. A few months after my parents divorced, my father got his barely legal girlfriend pregnant with twins. Of course, he doesn't tell me about it until he shows up to thanksgiving with his very pregnant girlfriend. Said girlfriend realizes he is a bastard who doesn't care about her or the kids and tries to leave. Because he is a bastard he pushed Tiffany down a flight of stairs putting her in a coma. Fortunately, the completely healthy babies were delivered via emergency caesarean a month early. Sharpay and I now have custody. Taking care of two children and being a fulltime student is all I can handle at the moment." Chad said before going back to his coke.
"I think I really do need to buy you that drink. You deserve it." He said as he started looking for a server. "Isn't that your brother in law?" Zack pointed to a very drunk and touchy feely Ryan that was being dragged out by someone that Chad did not recognize. Apparently, Ryan and Sharpay both react the same way to getting drunk which means they become extremely horny and uninhibited. He was so screwed.
"Fuck!" Chad exclaimed as he rushed up from his seat. Chad was pretty sure he was probably going to get arrested again for assault because the guy did not want to let go of Ryan. Sharpay would kill him if he got arrested before the wedding but she would also kill him if he let Ryan do something stupid.
Thankfully, Zack was there to help him wrangle another drunken Evans. Zeke was too busy furthering his culinary career to actually help. Zack pretended to be a very angry ex boyfriend who wanted to kiss and makeup. The guy backed away when Zack 'proved' that he was the Taylor that Ryan has been crying about the entire time by kissing Ryan in a way that almost looked pornographic. Thank god, Taylor is a unisex name Chad thought to himself as they poured an extremely sloshed Ryan into the back seat of the car but not before he kisses both Chad and Zack again. Chad thought about the many ways his girlfriend was going to kill him as Chad waited for Zeke to come to the car after he sent him and Pay a text message.
Sharpay honestly wondered whose idea it was to do a lingerie/sex toys shower. Actually, the lingerie shower wasn't that bad of an idea. It was not exactly as if she had time to buy new sexy underwear when she was being thrown up upon. She barely had time to actually where the stuff right now and she did need something for Santa Fe.
The problem with having this type of bridal shower is no one told Caroline. Because Caroline didn't know that she would be getting presents that made Sharpay cover Kerri's eyes and be grateful that baby Pay was asleep, Caroline invited Chad's aunts (both sides of the family) and grandmother to the festivities.
"Whose idea was it for this to be a lingerie and sex Toy bridal shower?" Sharpay asked angrily once Chad's family was safely out of the house. She was personally surprised Aunt Claudia did not leave after Sharpay opened Penelope's sex toys gift bag filled with chocolate body paint, cherry flavored edible underwear, handcuffs, silk scarves, and something phallic that require batteries and had straps. They actually stuck around for the chocolate to die for cheesecake and didn't say anything negative except about Chad taking Sharpay's last name. Sharpay blames the Jell-O shots for that conversation.
"Like I have time for sexy lingerie when I have a two month old throwing up on me." Sharpay hissed.
"You did say you wanted the full wedding experience." Penelope said with a smirk as she had one of the remaining Jell-O shots. Sharpay was sure she had something to do it this but didn't say anything because she knew how hard Penelope was having it recently. Richard's defense team was currently smearing Penelope's reputation by manipulating the local media. Sharpay was being as nice as possible to the girl because she felt guilty. If Sharpay wasn't such a coward and reported her rape to the police when it happened, Richard would not have been around to try it again with Penelope. It was too late to do the right thing now.
"It was my idea." Kim said from the couch drinking ginger ale. The fact that Kim spent half the party being 'sick' will not save her from Sharpay's anger. "Also, I had no idea that Caroline was inviting Chad's family.
"You knew that Chad's mother would be here if nothing else. I thought she was going to throw up when she saw the crotchless underwear." Sharpay yelled again. Considering Amanda looked extremely sheepish Sharpay were sure that is where the gift came from. She had no idea, because Amanda did not show her the cards on purpose except for Penelope's.
"She is two months pregnant. Anything makes her nauseous right now. Besides who do you think gave you the massage oil gift set and all those books on sex positions?" Amanda told her poignantly causing Sharpay's mouth to drop wide open.
"What?" Sharpay asked almost stuttering she was so surprised. That's when Amanda showed her the list of who gave what. She was glad she was not holding a baby when she found out Aunt Claudia was the one who gave her a $200 gift certificate to the premier adults store in the city because she would have dropped wherever she was holding in absolute shock.
"We had to find some way to have some fun because Chad said no strippers." Penelope responded as she handed Sharpay one of the leftover virgin margaritas. It was half melted but that was okay. She was purposely staying sober at her party because she had kids to take care of, mostly anyway. She had to drink something during the last name argument, but she stuck to one glass of wine.
"That's so unfair. He's out clubbing with Marc, my brother, and Zeke, when I am stuck here with his kids as my so-called friends embarrass me in front of my future family." Sharpay said with a pout.
"First we had no idea the whole family was coming. Considering the present you received from the family I don't they were that shocked by everything." Amanda pointed out. "Also, your boyfriend is going to a gay club for his bachelor party to cheer up your brother. I don't think you have to worry about him hooking up with someone else. Finally, Caroline confiscated his fake ID"
"Just in case I arranged for a chaperone." Penelope said with a laugh and a smirk that Sharpay did not completely understand. "My date for the wedding is there making sure that nobody does anything worth getting arrested for." Penelope said cryptically.
"It's good that you're dating again." Sharpay said quickly trying to be nice.
"Don't congratulate me. I'm just functioning as a cover. Zack is on the basketball team at A of U and very very gay. He is a friend." Sharpay just kept her mouth shut not sure what to say. Fortunately for Sharpay her phone rang at that moment. She instantly recognized that it was Taylor's ring tone. Considering it was 2:18 AM in DC, she had no choice but to pick up the phone.
"Taylor what's wrong?" Sharpay said automatically into the phone. She was using her head phones because she hated speaking into an iPhone the norm away. Sharpay has been calling her nonstop for the last two days and has not received a return call. The fact that she was calling now scared Sharpay severely.
"Nothing is wrong." Taylor said this in a way that told Sharpay that she was lying.
"Its 2:19 AM in DC. You have not returned any of my phone calls since I found out about you breaking up with my brother. Something is obviously wrong."
"He broke up with me." She said defensively.
"After you pushed him away, if you explained that you were going to DC to find your real father Ryan would have understood. I would have killed him if he missed my wedding but I would have understood eventually and Ryan would be there for you. You know that he would support you in any way that you need, if you just let him. He loves you." Sadness permeated her voice as Sharpay's spoke but that did not make her words less true. The line stayed silent for several moments most likely as Taylor reflected on this truth.
"How did you know that is why I am here?" Taylor asked finally in near shock. By this point sharpay passed one earbud to Kim so she could listen in on the conversation.
"Because that's what I would have done in your situation. We're not that different." Sharpay said quietly. "How's everything going? Did you find him?"
"I know who he is now but I don't want to talk about it." Taylor said with a voice filled with exhaustion and sadness. "The reason why I called is…"
"If you need bail money, I'll call Caroline." Sharpay interrupted.
"I'm not in jail but your brother might be by this point. He left me a drunken voice mail about an hour ago. I checked it when I woke up to go to the bathroom." Sharpay was not sure that she believed that but she kept her mouth shut. She was getting better at that.
"So instead of calling Ryan to make sure that he is okay and thus proving that you see him as more than a human vibrator, you want me to do it?" Sharpay said sarcastically.
"Maybe." Taylor said sheepishly.
"Fine, its better that I do it any way sense you were too afraid to show that you actually care. I know that you're going through something right now…" Sharpay started but was cut off.
"You have no idea what's going on." Sharpay instantly recognize the voice of a person on the verge of tears. Taylor was seconds from falling apart.
"I would if you would just tell me what the fuck is going on?" Sharpay screamed as the line went dead. "She hung up on me." Sharpay said angrily.
"Why does she have to have a nervous breakdown in the middle of my wedding? Sharpay mumbled to herself as she opened the text message that came in when she was talking to Taylor. It was from Chad telling her that they were on their way back to the condo. That was one less thing to worry about. She turned around to see that Kim already had her phone out.
"Who are you calling?" Sharpay asked.
"My stepmom. She needs to know what is going on with her daughter. Something's not right with Taylor. Unfortunately, I think she's too pregnant to fly to Washington. You?" Kim asked.
"The option of last resort but at least this mean she will not be at the wedding. The things I do for my brother." Sharpay said just before the person on the other side picked up. "Hi Gabriella, how do you feel about paying Taylor back for flying across the country to keep you from making a fool of yourself?"
To be continued.