Hey! Okay so here is the first chapter of my new story! There isn't much to tell you since it's brand new, so I'll stop talking and let you get to reading. lol. Oh, the only thing you need to know is that in the present day (2024) section, the story will be told from Vanessa and Zac's daughter's point of view, unless you are told otherwise. Okay, well enjoy my story…and please review!
Vanessa's POV
14 Years Ago (note to self: Vanessa is 21 in this part of the story.)
"You're leaving?" Ashley asked me as I took a sip of my caramel mocha from Starbuck's. I sighed and set my drink down, and reached up to tuck a piece of my dark, curly hair behind my ear, my diamond engagement ring glittering in the sunlight that came through the kitchen window of my condo.
"Yes, Ash…I'm leaving; Zac and I are both leaving." I explained calmly; Ashley looked as if she was going to be sick.
"But…but…but why, V?" she stumbled trying to get the words out. She looked at me, her caramel colored eyes filling with tears.
"Ash, for one thing, I'm sick of the pressure that comes with this business, and I never have any privacy…Zac and I never get any time alone." Ashley nodded her head slowly from where she sat. I placed my hands on my stomach, "Plus, I do not want to raise my baby here. I just want this baby to live a normal life, free from the spotlight."
"What are you going to do if your baby wants to be in the spotlight? Are you planning on telling it that you and Zac were once the two most recognizable people in the world?" she threw out a few more questions, things that Zac and I had already discussed.
"Zac and I have decided to keep this entire thing a secret. We're going to pretend like none of this ever happened…" Ashley interrupted me.
"Never happened? What about me? Nessa, you're my best friend. You promised I could meet the baby…you promised I'd be the godmother." a tear slowly trickled down her check.
"Ashley, you will be the godmother. I promised you that; I can't imagine a better godmother for this baby, but I don't want the baby in L.A. or anywhere near Hollywood. We aren't moving too far away; we found a nice house in Burbank, it's just outside Hollywood, and about a forty-five minute drive from L.A. Is that okay?" I asked, Ash wiped away another tear, her make-up beginning to smudge.
"Only forty-five minutes?" she sniffled.
"Yeah, Ash. Only forty-five minutes, and that's when there is traffic. It won't even take you an hour to get there." I handed her a tissue, and she blew her nose.
"I guess that's okay then. You promise you'll keep in touch?" she asked, taking another tissue. "And I can come to visit?"
"Of course, Ashley! You can come to visit every single day, if that makes you happy. I'm not just going to forget about you; you're my best friend. You're family. Zac feels the same way. You're welcome any time at our house." a smile spread across her face. I smiled back at her. I checked my watch, and sighed. I had to finish packing.
"When are you leaving?" she asked when she saw me checking my watch.
"Zac already paid for the house in Burbank and he wanted to be packed by Monday and moving to the house by Wednesday." I got up and threw my empty Starbuck's away.
"Oh…do you need any help?" she offered.
"If you want to help, sure. Zac has been doing most of it; he doesn't want me lifting too much stuff because of the baby, so we aren't exactly on schedule for packing." I placed my hand on my stomach again as the baby began to kick.
"Okay, I'd love to help. What do you need me to do?" she stood up, ready to get to work. I laugh, and lead her out of the room.
"Well, we already got the living room, dining room, and the two bedrooms packed up. I think that just leaves the kitchen and bathrooms." she nodded her head and grabbed some empty boxes and newspaper from the floor.
"Let's get started." Ashley said, and we walked into the kitchen and began to pack. By the time Zac got home at five, we had everything in the entire house in boxes.
"Thanks for your help, Ash. She didn't lift anything too heavy, did she? She's been very stubborn about that when we're packing." Zac asked, and kissed the tip of my nose. I giggled.
"No problem, Zac. I was glad to be of help. I made sure she didn't lift anything heavier than three plates wrapped in newspaper." Ash answered, satisfied with herself.
"Good job, Ash." Zac went over and gave her a hug. "V, looks like we might be able to leave before Wednesday now. Maybe on Monday." I heard Ashley sigh.
"You wouldn't mind if Ashley and I did something tonight, would you Zac? I want the two of us to do something before we leave." I say, Ashley smiles brightly and her eyes sparkle.
"No, I wouldn't mind. It's your last Saturday night in L.A., go have fun." Zac kissed me once more, and then Ash and I were off. The city was ours.
Monday Morning
I stood outside, saying final good-byes to everyone – Ashley, Jared (Ashley's longtime boyfriend and soon-to-be husband), Corbin, Lucas, and Monique. We all knew this wasn't the last time we'd see each other, but it was still heartbreaking. I was in tears by the time I had said good-bye to Monique, Corbin, Jared and Lucas. Ashley stepped up to say good-bye last, her big brown eyes filled with tears. We looked into each others eyes for what felt like an eternity, and then she broke down in tears. I hugged her tight.
"I'm gonna miss you, Nessa." she said through her hysteric tears. I felt the baby kick as I cried harder and harder.
"Come visit me." I managed to say through my cries. She looked at me and nodded. Backing out of the hug, we each wiped away tears. Zac came over, wrapping his arms around me. It was time to go. Climbing into the car, I waved good-bye to everyone. We pulled out of the driveway, passed the 'FOR SALE' sign, and down the street. My new life was beginning now.
Present Day – 2024
"Aubrey…Aubrey, wake up." my mom yells as she bangs hard on my closed door. I roll over in bed, and pull the blankets tighter around me. "Bre…it's time for school…Aubrey Claire!" Sick of hearing her yell, I throw the blankets off, and get out of bed. She continues banging on the door.
"I'm up, mom!" I scream, finally bringing the banging and yelling to a halt. "God…" I hear her sigh loudly, and walk down the hall back to her room. "Ugh!" I fall back onto my bed, annoyed already, and the day had barely begun. I glance over at the clock; it was 6:35 AM. My closet was a mess; it was going to be next to impossible to find anything in here. After managing to find a pair of jeans and a baby doll top, I walk over to my vanity. Getting ready every morning took at least an hour, but I had so much to do: make-up, clothes, and fixing my hair; what else do you expect? I'm just like every other fourteen year old girl. Slinging my bag over my shoulder and looking at myself one more time in the mirror, I smile, and open my poster-covered bedroom door. I look down the hall; mom was already out of bed, which meant she was in the kitchen, making breakfast for me and coffee for my dad. She looks up as I enter the kitchen.
"Morning, sweetheart." she greets me sweetly. I roll my eyes, but don't let her see. Instead, I smile brightly and answer:
"Good Morning, Mom." I take a seat at the table, where a bowl of cereal is already waiting for me. I begin eating my cereal as my dad walks in, his hair ruffled from sleeping.
"Morning, Aubrey." he kisses the top of my head before taking a seat next to me. His piercing, ocean-blue eyes were cloudy from sleep. I brushed my light hair out of my eyes; light brown curls that made every other girl jealous. I was always told "You look exactly like your mother." The only difference in looks between us was that she had dark hair, and I had my father's light brown hair. I had to admit, I did look like my mom; I had her big, brown eyes and her curly hair. I guess it was okay that I looked like her, but did everyone have to constantly tell me that? It got so annoying.
A text message caused my phone to beep and vibrate once breakfast was over. I searched through my bag, trying to find it. When I had it in my hands, my mom said:
"Put the phone away, Aubrey." I looked up from the phone to meet her eyes.
"But why, mom? I have to leave now, anyway…" I complained; she hated it when I used my phone when I was around them, absolutely hated it. Slipping it into my pocket, I spoke again, "I'm gonna go. Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" and with that, I ran out the front door without a second glance back. My cell phone vibrated again, and I pulled it out to answer it. The front screen read "NEW TXT MESSAGE FROM: Rayna" I giggled to myself; Rayna was one of my very best friends, we text 24/7. Our conversations can go on for hours, and we never run out of things to say…ever. Flipping open the phone, I read the message.
To: Aubrey
heyy girly! : what's up?
I shook my head, laughing. I hit the reply button on my silver EnV.
To: Rayna
not much, ray. walking to the bus stop. be there in five. you?
I pushed send, and put the phone in my pocket; Rayna was already at the stop when I had gotten there. She didn't even notice me walk up; she was way too busy with her phone, texting, as usual. I coughed loudly after a minute, and she looked up.
"Hey Bre! I was just about to text you." she waved her phone, with a blank screen up, a message for me ready to be typed.
"Hey Ray. Well, I'm here, no reason to text me now." I laughed, and tucked a piece of curly hair behind my ear, and to my dismay, it fell back in front of my eyes. I groaned loudly. "God…I hate my hair."
"Why? I love your hair!" Rayna raved about my hair…once again. We had this conversation at least once a week. To sum it up, Rayna loved my curly hair, and I hated it. Rayna couldn't get her naturally straight hair to curl, no matter how hard she tried. And I was the exact opposite; I can never get my hair perfectly straight, it always curls on the bottom. The bus pulled up before we could finish our conversation, and in less than five minutes, we were at the school.
All through the halls, posters were hanging about every school activity you could imagine—football, hockey, dances, a student council meeting next Thursday…oh, and the one thing Rayna was excited about…the school's musical.
"Oh! Musical auditions are today!" Rayna squealed excitedly.
"So?" I rolled my eyes; this was all she'd been talking about for the past two weeks. 'The musical this….' or 'the musical that….'
"So! I've been practicing for this audition forever!" she told me, acting as if I should have known this. "Will you stay after school with me?"
"I guess…but I'm not auditioning." Rayna nodded her head, silently promising not to make me audition. We laughed, and headed down the hall for our first class…Spanish. Ugh.
After school, Rayna dragged me down the hall to the auditorium. The room was already filling up with students, mostly girls, all of them talking about how nervous they were. I looked at Rayna, she wasn't nervous at all; she doesn't get nervous, or so she tells me. One by one the director calls out student's names, and they audition. Once they had gotten to Rayna, we were the only two left in the room, besides the director.
"Good luck." I whispered to her as she walked up onto the stage, and began the scene she was auditioning with. Then she stopped acting, cued the pianist sitting to the left, and started to sing. She was amazing, but of course, I already knew that.
"Very good, Rayna." the director said once she had finished. She looked around, and saw me. "Well, you're the last one on the list…unless; your friend here wants to audition." I caught Rayna's eye quickly, and immediately knew what she was thinking.
"Well, if you want her to audition." Rayna said, clearly she had planned for this to happen. She ran down from her spot on the stage, grabbed my hand, and pushed me up the stairs to center stage, despite my protests. I looked nervously at the pianist; she smiled reassuringly. Knees shaking, I looked past the bright lights out into the auditorium at the director.
"I—I don't have anything prepared…I've never done this before…" I stumbled, trying to think of excuses for why I couldn't audition.
"Oh, it's okay, dear. Rachel, the pianist, has an extra audition monologue; you can use that, and she has the lyrics to the song. Just try your best." the director says sweetly from her place in the center of the room. I swallow hard as Rachel hands me the monologue. I read over it quickly, and without a second glance at the lines, I begin the scene. Once I knew what I was doing, the scene worked out perfectly. I walked over to Rachel's piano, and grabbed the sheet music.
"You can read music, right?" she asked.
"Yeah…I took piano from 2nd to 6th grade." I answered, she nodded. I stood still by the piano, and Rachel began playing. Slowly, I began to sing; starting off quiet and unsure, and then singing confidently, not once looking into the audience. The piano came to a stop, and I stopped singing. Rachel looked at me, her green eyes filled with surprise. From the audience, I heard clapping; I looked out to see Rayna and the director clapping. I could feel my face turning red; I walked down the stairs to my seat, embarrassed.
"How did you learn to sing like that?!" Rayna squealed excitedly when I walked over to grab my bag. "How come you never sing?"
"I don't know…" I answered; I just wanted to get out of here. Just as Rayna opened her mouth to ask another question, the director walked over to us, holding her clipboard.
"My dear, what is your name?" she asked me.
"Aubrey. Aubrey Miller." I said quietly.
Flashback
Vanessa's POV
"Zac, you realize we need to change our last name?" I said as we were driving to our new house. He looked at me, and I continued. "I mean, 'Efron' isn't exactly a common name. People are bound to figure out who we are. It's probably a good idea to change our last name."
"You're probably right, V." he answered. "What do you think we should change it to?" I hadn't thought about what we should change it to. I sat in the passenger seat, hand on my stomach, and thought about what our new name should be.
"Well, it needs to be something common. Something that won't draw attention." I said.
"What about 'Miller'?" Zac suggested.
"That'll work." I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Mr. and Mrs. Zac Miller, and our soon to be daughter, Aubrey Claire Miller."
"Well, Aubrey Miller; I don't think we've been properly introduced. I am Mrs. Jenkins, the drama teacher, and the director of this school's musical." Mrs. Jenkins introduced herself, and reached out to shake my hand.
"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Jenkins." I smiled sweetly, trying to hide my embarrassment.
"Aubrey, you are a very talented young lady. Have you ever sang or acted before this?" she asked.
"No…this is the very first time. Why?" I asked, ignoring her first comment.
"Because you were absolutely brilliant. I find it hard to believe you've never auditioned for the musical." Mrs. Jenkins waved her arms theatrically. "If you're interested, there is certainly a role open for you."
"Well…I…I don't know…" I started, but Rayna cut me off.
"Bre, you have to do this! You're amazing!" her blue-grey eyes were filled with excitement.
"I guess I could. What musical is it anyway?" I asked, unaware of what musical I was even offering to perform in.
"Oh! This year, our school will be performing 'High School Musical'. Have you ever seen it?" Mrs. Jenkins informed me; I was utterly confused. I had never even heard of this musical.
"Um…no." I answered. Rayna and Mrs. Jenkins gasped in unison.
"Well, it's a movie, so you will have to watch it to become familiar with the characters and plot. I already have a character in mind for you." Mrs. Jenkins responded.
"Okay. Which character?" I questioned curiously.
"Gabriella Montez, the main character. You'd be perfect for her!" she overly exaggerated her answer.
"What about Sharpay? Who do you think you're going to give that part to?" Rayna asked. Sharpay was the part she wanted; she practiced forever to get the character perfect.
"Well, Rayna, since you're my most dedicated cast member, I'll tell you." she said; Rayna smiled, and tried to stay calm. "I'm most likely giving it to you." Rayna squealed loudly in my ear.
Rayna and I left the school, and her mom took me home. I let myself in, to find my mom and dad sitting in the living room watching the news.
"Hey Mom! Hey Dad!" I said happily, and walked over to hug each both of them. I sat down in my favorite chair by the giant window that overlooked our front yard and garden.
"Hi sweetheart. How was your day?" my mom asked.
"It was good. I auditioned for the school's musical, and the director said I was amazing. She's giving me the lead! Can you believe it? It was the first time I had ever even sang!" I told my parents happily. I was still in shock; I just couldn't believe it!
"That's great, Aubrey. Congratulations." dad answered. Mom sat there, silent. "What musical are they doing?"
"Some musical called 'High School Musical'. Mrs. Jenkins, the director, said I'm going to be Gabriella Montez. She wants me to watch the movie. Could you pick it up for me, Daddy?" I spoke fast and excited. Mom was frozen on the couch, staring into space.
Well, how was it? It was just the first chapter, and it's bound to have some little mistakes in there. Remember, Aubrey knows NOTHING about her parents' career or about "High School Musical". She's never even seen the movie. Well, keep your eyes open for the next chapter. In the meantime, reviews make me happy!